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  • Lautech: ASUU Ibadan, Lagos zones protest in oyo

    Academic workers union under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU )  from the Lagos and Ibadan zones on Friday staged a peaceful protest across Ibadan, the Oyo state capital city on what they described as the continuous neglect of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho.

    The protesters who gathered at the headquarters office of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Agodi Gate, carrying placards walked through Total Garden –UCH-and terminated at the Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi Ibadan where they delivered a letter of protest to the Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

    Institutions under the Lagos zone include, University of Lagos, Lagos State University, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Tai Solarin University of Education and University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, while the University of Ibadan, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osun State University, Kwara State University and University of Ilorin makes up the Ibadan zone of the Union.

    The protesters were led by both the Ibadan and Lagos zonal leader of the union. Inscriptions on some of the placards read, “Aregbe, Ajimobi, do not kill the best state University in Nigeria”, “What is Omoluabi in not funding education”, “Education is the heritage of Yoruba’s, do not kill Lautech”, ASUU Lagos Zone demands adequate funding for Lautech, Ogbomosho, and fund education in Nigeria”, “ASUU Lautech, Ogbomosho says Lautech must not be liquidated. Governors Ajimobi/Aregbesola, release funds to Lautech as advocated by Wole Olanipekun visitation panel” and “You are all products of free public education, do not destroy it.”

    Other placards read, “Do not sacrifice Lautech for mushrooming Tech U”, “Oyo/Osun People, shine your eyes, Lautech must not die”, “KPMG did not recommend increase in tuition, stop taking education away from the reach of the masses”, “Aare Atunluse and Ogbeni, do not destroy public education”, “Do not sell Lautech. Lautech is not a commodity.”, “Support Lautech Governing Council by making funds available” and “Do not put the lives of 30,000 students of Lautech in jeopardy. Aregbesola, Ajimobi act fast”.

    Speaking on the rationale behind the protest, ASUU UI Chairman, Dr. Deji Omole said the protest is in support of the struggle embarked upon by the academic staff unions of Lautech, Ogbomosho to get the university properly funded, saying “we realized that since the beginning of the administration of Aregbesola and Ajimobi, they have simply refused to fund the university. The university that used to be one of the best state universities in Nigeria is now groaning in pains of underfunding. And we view this as gross irresponsibility on the part of the owner states. We are here to register our protest to the way the university has been treated by Ajimobi and Aregbesola.”

    Similarly, the Ibadan Zonal Coordinator, Dr Ade Adejumo said the government insistence that the institution can survive on internally generated funds is the peak of irresponsibility noting that Lautech as a public institution must be funded by public funds which are in the coffer of the government.

    Receiving the protesters on behalf of the Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Gbade Ojo assured the protesters of the commitment of the owner state governors.

    Noting that, his service as the Chairman of the government committee set up to generate a white paper on the report of the Wole Olanipekun visitation panel on the institution, Ojo assuage the minds of the protesters that many discoveries and revelation on the institution shows gross mismanagement of funds, appealing to the protesters to poke their nose into the affairs and running of the institution by the management and the governing council.

    Assuring the university lecturers that the letter will be transmitted to the governor, the CoS disclosed that “in the last few weeks, the government has increased the subventions given to the institutions in Oyo state with some tertiary institutions in Oyo state getting as much as 80 percent of the subventions”, saying it is an indication of the government commitment to improving education in the state.

  • Two suspected cultists docked in Lagos

    Two men, Oluwafemi Adelaja and Jacob Sunday, suspected to be members of an unlawful society, were on Friday docked before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State.

    Adelaja, 26, and Sunday, 21, are facing a two-count charge bordering on affray and belonging to an unlawful society.

    They, however, pleaded not guilty.

    According to the prosecutor, SP Nurudeen Thomas, the two men committed the offences on Aug. 9, at 12.30p.m. at Kampala Hotel in Bariga, Lagos.

    Thomas said that the accused were members of an unlawful society known as `Aiye’.

    “My Lord, they have been terrorising their neighborhood for years.

    “After much investigation, the police were able to get information of a gathering of members of their secret society, where they were arrested among many others,” he said.

    The offences contravene Sections 41 and 54 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 41 prescribes a three-year jail term for belonging to an unlawful society, while Section 54 provides for six months’ imprisonment for affray.

    The Magistrate, Mrs K.B. Ayeye, granted each of the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    She said that one of the sureties must be a relation of the accused and gainfully employed.

    Ayeye also ruled that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and should show evidence of two years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    The case was adjourned until Sept. 27 for mention.

  • 27 ships carrying various products expected at Lagos ports

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), on Friday, said it was expecting 27 ships conveying petroleum products, food and other goods at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, Lagos, from Aug.17 to Aug. 25.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that seven of the 27 ships will sail in with petrol.

    The other 20 ships are carrying buckwheat, frozen fish, bulk maize, general cargo, bulk salt, bulk sugar, bulk gypsum, steel products, base oil and containers carrying different goods.

    According to the NPA, 14 ships have arrived at the ports waiting to berth with bulk fertiliser, aviation fuel, base oil, container and petrol.

  • Lagos tackles quackery in IVF

    Lagos, through its Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), is spreading its tentacles to assisted reproductive technology (ART) and In-vitro Fertility (IVF) centres to ensure that ethics and guidelines are adhered to. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports.

    WORRIED  by the number of fertility-challenged people duped by scammers in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), especially IVF, the Lagos State Ministry of Health has engaged the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health (AFRH) to sanitise the sector.

    The ministry’s Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) set up in 2006 to register and accredit health facilities will collaborate with AFRH.

    Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris, said the programme is targeted at safeguarding every citizen.

    He said the AFRH would beam its searchlight on that practice, noting that Lagos has the largest number of the IVF specialists in the country.

    “We observed over the years malpractice of sundry scale, where a lot of practitioners are even abusing the system, especially those that do not have the required ethical capability.

    “Lagos decided to engage AFRH to regulate this practice so we do not allow the bad eggs to spoil the whole lot. As specialists, they understand the whole nifty gritty, and can provide the technical expertise on any centre involved in ART/IVF.

    “So before launching out, as a responsive and responsible government, we are engaging the umbrella body to sort out the genuine from fake. What precisely should be the standard? How to go about analysing the centres?

    “We have created an avenue for AFRH to call a meeting of its members, and have a common ground on what to be agreed to, so that at the end of the day, each person involved will know what is agreed to. Lagos is set to regulate this in the context of care for residents of the state, so things will not be out of control,” Idris said.

    He pointed out the need to regulate investors and specialists in ART, adding that it some health facilities illegally engage in ART services, such as IVF and other advanced medical procedures.

    “Facilities illegally conducting any advanced medical procedures, such as IVF, transplantation, gene and stem cell therapy without the duly registered expertise and accreditation would be made to face the wrath of the law,” Idris said.

    He added that the state government through HEFAAMAA is working to sanitise the system and that this would be done in collaboration with Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health to eradicate quackery and protect innocent citizens, who are being exploited by fake operators.

    “The active collaboration between the state government through its health monitoring agency HEFAMAA and the association to set the minimum standards, enforce same in the interest of the people is non-negotiable” he said.

    HEFAMAA Executive Secretary, Dr Mabel Adjekughel explained  that the role of HEFAMAA in ART/IVF, saying as a specialised aspect of medical practice, it has a consultant for the monitoring or inspection. She however lamented: ‘’But when it comes to ART/IVF centres, we do not have such a consultant’’.

    “So the quick sustainable solution is to collaborate with the umbrella body of the practitioners, which is the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health, (AFRH), especially in the technical aspect.

    “The plan is to go with the AFRH team for inspection of such facilities in Lagos, and get recommendation for registering based on what a standard ART/IVF centre should have. The eventual facility with the required minimum standards for operations of health facilities both in public and private health sector will be registered and a one-year renewable license/certificate issued.

    ‘’What informed this is because a lot of quacks have come onboard and deceiving the public. So, we are stepping in to do basically three things – register the authentic ones–monitor them, and  weed out the fake.

    AFRH President, Dr Faye Iketubosin confirmed the engagement and explained that the collaboration is to set the minimum standard for the practice of ART/IVF in Lagos.

    Dr Iketubosin said guidelines were essential in the practice of ART. “So, we are brainstorming on minimum guidelines – what we should be doing as practitioners and what not to be done, by defining the roles of the practitioners within the system.

    Iketubosin identified other challenges to include bringing legitimate practitioners under one roof. “But since the government has announced that practitioners should register, and that if anybody does not, such is deem fit to be practicing illegally, the ministry has the right to close such a facility.”

    On why some practitioners  compromise on quality, Iketubosin said one huge component of the treatment is medication, adding that none of the drugs is manufactured in Nigeria.

    He added: “None of the instruments we use from needles, to catheters, dishes, media are imported.  Foreign exchange plays a huge role in all these. The government sees infertility as non-priority health issue because it has other health conditions and diseases to grapple with like malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality and other public health issues.

    ‘’Managing infertility is very low in the priority of list of government. That is why 90 percent of facilities offering infertility treatment is in private sector. There are over 74 centres in the country. Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt have the highest centres.

    “We know as specialists that treatments for the infertile couple are evolving rapidly, and advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART) are the best examples. ART encompasses a variety of clinical treatments and laboratory procedures, which include the handling of human oocytes, sperm, or embryos, with the intent of establishing a pregnancy. This includes in vitro fertilisation (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), zygote intrafallopian, transfer (ZIFT), embryo biopsy, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), embryo cryopreservation, oocyte or embryo donation, and gestational surrogacy. All these require a minimum standard to get results for the clients, and that is what we are aiming for in collaboration with Lagos State, through HEFAMAA.’’

     

  • Lagos: Ambode not against Igbo, other groups

    THE Lagos State Government yesterday described as untrue a social media report that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was making moves against non-indigenes, especially Igbo.

    The report, it said, was baseless, mischievous and irresponsible.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy Kehinde Bamigbetan, in a statement, described the report as absolute falsehood and a mere figment of the imagination of the unscrupulous persons who concocted it.

    The report alleged that the governor had outlawed the position of Eze Ndi-Igbo in Lagos and was making other moves against non-indigenes.

    Describing the report as laughable and ridiculous, Bamigbetan said Ambode emphasised at the inception of his administration that he would run a government of inclusion regardless of tribe, colour or creed.

    The governor he said had, lived up to his word.

    “While we would have opted to totally ignore such crass report, we have chosen to set the records straight for unsuspecting members of the public who might be tempted to believe such falsehood.

    “For emphasis, there is no record anywhere of the governor making such remarks and we dare the faceless authors to come out with any evidence otherwise. This is certainly the handiwork of enemies of Lagos State whose sole aim is to distort the existing harmonious relationship among ethnic groups in the state.

    “They have totally failed in this attempt. Besides, in this season of politics, it is expected that those seeking to gain mileage would stop at nothing and cling to any straw just to score cheap points,” Bamigbetan said.

    The commissioner urged the public to disregard the report and called on security agencies to fish out those behind it.

  • NIM charges leaders to evolve with change

    Gives award of life membership

     

    Leaders have been charged to be more creative, innovative and pioneering, in order to succeed in the market today. They have also been admonished to evolve with change in the environment; otherwise, their businesses will die out.

    This was the submission of Comodore Abimbola Ayuba, FNIM at the 2018 Awards and Fellows Day Luncheon of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), held at the City Hall, Lagos on Thursday.

    In his lecture titled “Leadership and the changing paradigms: Confronting the Dynamics of Change”, Ayuba recognized the impact of social media on leadership saying that “The new millennium witnessed significant increases in internet accessibility, which ignited an enthusiastic uptake of networking services such as Twitter and Facebook. By 2015, there were over 13 million active social media accounts in Nigeria (a 20% increase from the previous year) and by early 2016, Facebook alone had over 15 million active accounts in Nigeria.

    “Leaders in business, governance and management in general would need to accept the reality that social media is here to stay and the fact that its impact may make or mar their leadership. Furthermore, the digital information age has brought about opportunities to break barriers imposed by law, regulations and artificial boundaries.

    Speaking to leaders, Ayuba advised them to pool together in growing the economy. Giving a clue, he said “Creation of industrial parks such as recently done in Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States are stimulants for future economic growth. Digital villages need to be established while local entrepreneurs would need to be encouraged.

    Read Also: NIM seeks strong institutions for economic growth

    “Organizations need creative, innovative and pioneering leaders to stay ahead in the race. Such leaders must have insight to anticipate what could happen at any given time and understand subtitles of the marketplace.

    The NIM gave awards of life members to six members. They include Engr. Muiz Olawumi Oseni FNIM, Mr. Emmanuel Funso Abolarinwa, FNIM, and Pastor Dr. (Mrs.) Comfort Ikeola Akinola, FNIM

    Others are Mr. Babasola Gabriel Onolaja, FNIM, Mr. Francis Ebima Agho, FNIM and Mrs. Grace Oluremi Omotosho, FNIM.

    Speaking on criteria to become a fellow in the NIM, President and Chairman of Council, Nigeria Institute of Management, NIM, Professor Olukunle Iyanda, FNIM highlighted that the candidate “must be a full member of the institute for at least ten years, must also be a financial member, and must have contributed to the institution, and he/she must be of good conduct, not charged in any court”.

    Reacting to his award on being a life member of the NIM, Mr. Emmanuel Funso Abolarinwa, FNIM advised young ones to “be focused, dedicated to their job and remain hardworkiong, as that is what brought me up to this level that I have attained.”

  • ‘Nigeria loses N126.2b on abandoned FG properties in Lagos’

    The Federal Government has again been charged to either concession or sell all its buildings that are not being utilized across the country to private investors in order to forestall further deterioration as a result of continued abandonment.

    A Professor of Building, Prof. Olumide Afolarin Adenuga, who gave the charge in his inaugural lecture at the J.F Ade Ajayi Memorial Hall, University of Lagos, Akoka, on Wednesday, said, N126.2 billion revenue have been lost since 2006 on the Federal Government properties in Lagos State alone, because the government have refused to either sell or concession the assets.

    Adenuga, a professor of building management lamented that the nation have been hemorrhaging as a result of the neglect of the buildings, warning that the huge economic benefits of these iconic structures would continue to elude the nation if the government continue to ignore the need to restore them to beneficial use for Nigerians.

    The university don who said maintenance is as old as creation, said man have had to contend with managing his space and the ecosystem since he abandoned a wandering lifestyle to adopt a settled life, pointing out that maintenance was responsible for increased lifespan of structures such as the Egyptian pyramids, the Papal States in the Vatican City, The White House in the United States and the Golden Temples, and other monuments, most of which have been kept in same serviceable condition as they were at the time of their construction.

    For him, it is regrettable that many of the nation’s iconic assets, which were pleasant to look at, at the time of their construction, had been allowed to degenerate due to lack of maintenance and planned repairs that could have reversed the trend and turned them into positive economic assets.

    “It is a glaring fact that our buildings are in very poor and deplorable conditions of structures and decorative disrepair, abandoned and reduced more or less to refuse dumps and natural homes for rodents and vermins in spite of billions of Naira spent to build and commission them.”

    Adenuga listed among such assets wasting away in Lagos State to include; the National Stadium, Surulere, the Federal Secretariat Complex, Ikoyi, The Nigerian Eternal Telecommunications (NET) building, Marina, the Defence House (formerly Independence Building), and the former NAVY Headquarters building in Marina. Other buildings according to him are: the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, former National Assembly complex, Tafawa Balewa Square, and the Supreme Court building among others.

    He said: “All these buildings are in deplorable states of structural and decorative repairs because we do not have any maintenance culture, a fact which manifests in the general apathy for maintenance coupled with ignorance on the part of occupiers of the benefits of planed preventive maintenance and care of buildings.”

    Read Also: Oshodi, Lagos Bus Interchange to process 1m passengers daily

    According to him, the cumulative potential economic loss at the National Stadium alone, between 2004 to date, is about N52.6 billion, while the Federal Secretariat, which has been overgrown with weeds and is now home to reptiles and rodents, could have been yielded over N72 billion, if it had been converted to luxury residential apartments as proposed by Resort international Limited since 2006, while the 32-storey NET building with about 720 sq. metres of lettable space could have attracted over N1.6 billion in rent annually if well maintained and optimally utilised.

    He said apart from the loss of the huge revenue which could have been ploughed back into provision of social amenities for Nigerians, the 480 units of luxury residential apartments being proposed by RIL could have contributed to reducing the shortfall in the nation’s housing stock.

    “Because of their present deplorable state, these once iconic structures have become a nuisance not only to the city of Lagos and her residents, but is also a source of economic loss arising from abandonment and gross under-utilisation,” he added.

    He said since it hardly feasible to construct buildings that are maintenance free, it is desirable for experts to think of building maintenance projections even at the design stage to reduce the cost of maintenance work throughout the lifespan of a building.

    “All elements of buildings deteriorate at a greater or lesser rate depending on the materials used, methods of construction, environmental conditions, and the use of the building,” he said.

    To reverse the trend of improper maintenance of public or private properties, Adenuga recommended a formulation and formalization of regular minimum repair programme, regular and effective inspection of all the fabrics of the buildings, including their sorroundings, as well as the comfort of the occupants to detect signs of disrepair, prompt attention to repair needs of buildings, to prevent further deterioration in order to keep the buildings in acceptable standards.

    He canvassed planned preventive maintenance, which according to him are best accommodated at the design and construction stages of building development, even as he urged occupiers of buildings to be adequately educated to report, as soon as noticed, defects for prompt maintenance even as he charge them to use the property in such a way as to keep them in good tenantable conditions.

    He canvassed that occupiers of public properties should be responsible for repairs and maintenance of the properties, the avoidance of deliberate alterations, which may lead to immediate or eventual decline in the state and aesthetic value of property, the standardization of building components.

    He added that property owners, both private and public, should guide against overcrowding which may result in over-use of facilities and undue pressure on sanitary facilities.

    Adenuga, a product of the polytechnic system, who described the lecture as his debt to academic and scholarship, is the second professor to have given his inaugural lecture in the Department of Building and the ninth professor in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the University of Lagos.

  • Oshodi, Lagos, Bus Interchange to process 1m passengers daily

    The Oshodi Bus Interchange in Lagos State will process up to one million passengers daily, when completed.

    “What we are doing in Oshodi is the first of its kind.

    ” It is taking us a bit of time to put together because of the large size,” the state Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Ladi Lawanson, said in Lagos.

    Lawanson spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria .

    He said that the state government had secured a commitment from contractors handling the project on its completion time.

    “The timeline given for the completion is December, and we are optimistic that the terminal will be ready by then.

    “If that is the case, we expect that by the first quarter 2019, we will start some activities there,” Lawanson said.

    He told NAN that the government was set to roll out buses to service routes on the Oshodi-Abule Egba axis, with the arrival of 250 buses.

    “In the last couple of months, we did the commissioning of the Ikeja Terminal which was meant to be the flagship.

    “The Ikeja Terminal was signaling the beginning of what was going to be the entire project, consisting of 13 terminals including Oyingbo, Yaba.

    “The first set of buses have come and we are using the Ikeja axis as a laboratory where we are going to roll out from,” he said.

    He told NAN that the routes for deployment of the buses had been procured.

    ”LAMATA – the technical arm of the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation – is involved in that.

    “All the studies have been done and consultants engaged.

    “By October/November, we expect the first set to roll out along that axis, but over 250 buses have arrived in Lagos,” the official told NAN.

    Lawanson said that drivers of the buses had been employed and trained.

    “Work is ongoing to make sure there are smooth operations.

    “We are going to start seeing activities; we are going to start from Ikeja area and gradually move to the rest of the metropolis,” he said.

  • Police dismiss 8 officers, discipline 108 in Lagos, says CP

    The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Imohimi Edgal, on Wednesday said eight officers were dismissed over “very serious criminal offences”, while six others were demoted in ranks.

    Edgal, also said that 108 officers were disciplined for various offences from January to July, 2018 in the Lagos State Command.

    He made the disclosure at a Stakeholders’ Forum on “Police Accountability and Presentation of Advocacy Materials at the command’s headquarters, Ikeja.

    The police chief said that 58 other officers recorded major entries, six officers reprimanded, 28 officers got warning motors, four officers had extra fatigue, while five others were discharged for lack of evidences against them.

    “The days of police officers receiving slaps on the wrist for offences are gone. When you performed excellently well, you will receive a CP’s Commendation Letter.

    “I am not happy punishing any officer, but that does not mean we should overlook unprofessional conducts. When I resumed as CP Lagos, I discovered that the public had lost confidence in the police.

    “I set up a Citizen Complaint Hot Centre with 10 mobile phone lines through which people can complain about the wrongs of our men. I have received many complaints.

    “However, there is no way I would know all that my men are doing if nobody complained,” he said.

    Edgal called on people in Lagos to continue to assist the police with information and other assistance, stressing that the 28,000 officers and men in Lagos were inadequate to police the state.

    According to him, community policing in the state is working as it had reduced crimes by 35 per cent.

    Commending the forum organised by the civil society groups, he said that it would also assist the police to perform better.

    Edgal, while appointing a senior police officer, SP Abubakar Aliyah from the X-Squad, as member of the forum, promised to monitor the activities of the forum,

    Also, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, the National Coordinator, Network For Police Reform In Nigeria (NOPRIN) and Chairman of the forum, spoke on “Toward Sustained Community Partnership with the Lagos State Police”.

    Nwanguma said that the forum was formed with a view to have regular engagement and interaction with the Lagos State Police Command on issues of police accountability.

    “The platform is to stand as a liaison between the police and the communities.

    “This is with a view to deepening partnership between the police and the communities they serve and to improve public safety and security.

    “We want to gain deeper understanding of the workings of the various complaints and disciplinary mechanisms within the Lagos State Police Command and the feedback system.

    “We want to have a formalised and structured engagement with them, contribute to strengthening them and promoting police accountability,” he said.

    Nwanguma commended Edgal for his human rights record, noting that he was one of the best commissioners in the country with good human rights police command.

    The Head of Monitoring, National Human Rights Commission, South-West, Mrs Nneka Anigbo, said that the launch of the forum was a welcome development.

    Anigbo said the commission would support the forum to succeed, and commended the CP for a job well done in the state.

    The President of Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN), Mr Odita Sunday, praised the initiative behind the forum, urging Edgal to maintain the high level of crime fighting.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlight of the launch included the presentation of some advocacy materials by Nwanguma and Mrs Bose Iro Ndu of Women’s Rights and Health Project. (NAN)

  • Lagos takes campaign against sexual harassment to workplace

    Lagos State Government has commenced campaign against sexual harassment in workplace.

    The exercise, organised by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), is intended to “proactively address sexual harassment in the workplace”.

    The campaign slogan, according to DSVRT Co-ordinator, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, is: Lagos says no to sexual harassment in the workplace.

    The team visited Unilever Nigeria Plc, where the staff were enlightened on steps to take to report incidents of sexual harassment.

    The management, Vivour-Adeniyi said, was exposed to the role of corporate organisations in ensuring safe spaces, and the impact of sexual harassment, some of which include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Urging corporate organisations to have structures in place for reporting, she reiterated that sexual harassment is a crime and that the state government reserves a right to intervene.

    Vivour-Adeniyi also disclosed that DSVRT engaged over 100 human resource professionals and psychologists from various corporate organisations at a workshop organised by Employee Assistance Professionals Association.

    According to her, the engagement was focussed on the impact of domestic violence on the workplace.

    She said the participants were informed of what domestic violence is, and the negative impact of domestic violence on survivors.

    She listed some of the negative impact of domestic violence to include inability of victims to fully participate in the workforce, reduced productivity, frequent absenteeism, loss of job, potential harm to employees, co-workers or customers when violent abusers enter the workplace.

    Vivour-Adeniyi said a survey was conducted on the impact of domestic violence on the workplace.

    “Majority of women sampled also said they recorded a number of mistakes, felt tired at work due to sleep deprivation and generally unable to work well,” she stated.

    The DSVRT chief said the Response Team can be reached on 0813-796-0048 or by dialling *6820#.