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Tag: lagos

  • Uniform: Lagos begins clampdown on non-compliant motorcyclists

    Uniform: Lagos begins clampdown on non-compliant motorcyclists

    Acting Lagos Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal has said the command would today begin the enforcement of dress code for commercial motorcyclists.
    He warned that any motorcyclist caught without the approved uniform would be arrested, prosecuted because the period of grace was over.
    Edgal stated this at the weekend during a meeting with leaders of transport unions held at Ile-Zik Bus Stop, Agege.
    According to him, the state could no longer tolerate the lawlessness by some of the commercial operators, adding that it was time they had a uniformed identity for security reasons.
    He said: “We have two recognised unions of Okada riders in the state. Nagerinkikowa Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Lagos State (NNAMORAl) and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Lagos State (MOALS).
    “If you want to do business as okada rider, you must register with either of the two associations. You must wear their uniforms. If you are seen not wearing uniform, you will be arrested and prosecuted.
    “We are very serious about the clampdown. Armed robbers are hiding under the guise that they are Okada riders. We are collating a database of all the Okada riders in the state. If your name is not in the database, you are a criminal and would be treated as such.”
    Warning them to restrict themselves to only approved routes, Edgal said commercial motorcycles flaunt the state’s Traffic Law without remorse.
    He said: “They run through BRT lanes, carry more than one passenger and ply restricted areas. They cause avoidable accidents.
    “We are tired of the menace of illegal Okada operators. We want to bring sanity in the state. We want responsible people to operate Okada.
    “The public should assist us by not patronising riders without uniforms.  We would arrest and prosecute any passenger patronising unidentified riders. Without you, they will not operate.
    “If you are a military personnel, policeman or paramilitary and you want to operate as an Okada rider, you must wear your uniform and belong to either of the two recognised Okada riders’ associations.”
    Commending the police chief on the initiative, an association leader  Tijani Perkins, said they would further orientate their members.
    He said: “We are going to comply with your directives. We will compile the names of all our members and send them  to you. We are going to assist the police in every area they need us. We will make uniforms and inscribe our numbers on them.
    “People can call the numbers when the need arise. We will give the police our maximum support. Our concern is on the people who patronise illegal okada riders. We cannot succeed in the war without their support.”
  • Lagos records drop in HIV/AIDS cases

    Lagos records drop in HIV/AIDS cases

    Lagos State is said to be impressively emerging out of HIV/AIDS epidemic with a drop in cases of infected persons.

    According to the CEO of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), Dr Oluseyi Temowo, there is about 217, 658 positive people in the state, and about 64, 554 are on Anti-retroviral (ARV).

    Temowo stated this while highlighting activities the state is embarking on to observe this year’s World AIDS Day on First of December, with the theme- ‘Right to Health- Making it happen.’

    He said going by the records compiled between January and June this year at outreaches and in communities, “we know that there is a dropping of 1.7 percent.”

    “For the screening done among communities the prevalence rate is 0.3 percent, whereby 576, 406 were screened at different health facilities and 29, 010 were screened at communities. The figure on positive expectant mothers at antenatal in 2014 is four percent but now, we have 1.4 percent,” said Dr Temowo.

    Dr Temowo said the state is planning to commence the screening for HIV of people living with disabilities living in the state starting with the deaf and the blind soon across the state.

    “These set of people were neglected before but the decision to enlist them is to ensure nobody is left behind in ensuring that the state captured everybody for an HIV/AIDS state,” said Temowo.

    Dr Temowo encouraged non governmental organisations interested in further collaboration with the state on HIV/AIDS to focus on villages, communities and rural areas, “because we need to get them all screened and captured so as to achieve the set target of the eradication of the virus by year 2030 in lagos State using the 90-90-90 initiative.” 

    ” That is 90 percent of the people living with HIV know their status, 90 percent of people who know their status are accessing anti-retroviral treatment, and 90 percent of people on anti- retoviral have suppressed viral load.”

    The agency plans to stage a campaign- ‘Walk for HIV’ on World AIDS Day at Ipodo Market in Ikeja and walk through Obafemi Awolowo way, to Allen roundabout, and end it at the office of the Iya-Loja General, Mrs Folasade Tinubu-Ojo.

    Dr Temowo said the agency will conduct HIV testing and screening in some markets at Ikorodu and Epe divisions simultaneously, including some parts of Ikeja and Alimosho Divisions.

    “The market HIV intervention will continue after the World AIDS Day on the First of December. “We will target all and sundry in the market like beggars because it is an all inclusive thing to achieve 90:90:90,” said Dr Temowo.

  • VAIDS: FG recruits 2190 tax officers – Adeosun

    VAIDS: FG recruits 2190 tax officers – Adeosun

    The Federal Government has recruited and trained 2,190 Community Tax Liaison Officers (CTLOs) under the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), says the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.

    Adeosun, in a statement by her Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Mr Oluyinka Akintunde, said that 1,710 CTLOs had already been deployed to 33 states, out of the number recruited and trained.

    She said that their task was to raise awareness about the scheme and taxation in general.

    She said that the CTLOs were currently operating in Adamawa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun and Oyo states among others.

    Adeosun said there was no hiding place for tax evaders residing in Nigeria or abroad, noting that the Federal Government had put in place a data mining mechanism to fish out evaders.

    “The unique cooperation between the various arms of Federal Government, state governments and foreign governments has provided an unprecedented level of data that allows the Nigerian Government to profile taxpayers accurately.

    “We are now able to identify those whose lifestyle and assets are not consistent with their declared income.

    “A lot of data mining is going on daily, both locally and internationally, on property ownership and other items. Data is an extremely powerful tool that is now being utilized.

    “For instance, we have reviewed all companies that received major payments from the Federal Government in the last 5 years and found that even those who made money from government, under-declared,” she said.

    Adeosun said that the tax compliance team had looked at import records and compared the value of goods imported to the tax declarations of the importers, but the discovery was worrisome as “the variance was disturbingly wide”.

    “On personal income taxes, we reviewed property and company ownership as well as registration of high value assets and foreign exchange allocations, which gives us a sense of the lifestyles of the persons.

    “But again, we found major non-compliance. In some cases, people declared as little as N10 million as income but purchased expensive property overseas and in Nigeria.

    “They also registered high specification vehicles and funded luxurious personal events costing multiples of the declared income,” she said.

    Adeosun said that now, with the centralisation of data under Project Lighthouse within the Federal Ministry of Finance, a major tax loophole has been plugged.

    She reiterated the willingness of the Federal Government to prosecute tax evaders after the tax amnesty period had elapsed.

    Adeosun also said that the Federal Government had compiled a list of 500 prominent Nigerians with property and trusts abroad, to determine their tax compliance status.

    The 500 prominent Nigerians, according to her, will receive their letters beginning from Monday, asking them to take advantage of the tax amnesty to regularise their tax status and avoid prosecution and fines.

    VAIDS, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the State Tax Authorities, is a revolutionary programme that provides tax defaulters a nine-month opportunity to voluntarily and truthfully declare previously untaxed assets and incomes.

    The tax amnesty period is expected to lapse on March 31, 2018.

    Job creation is one of the spin-offs of the VAIDS initiative, with the scheme expected to create 7,500 opportunities for Nigerians as CTLOs through the N-Power scheme of the Federal Government.

     

  • Stop molesting our staff, corporation appeals to Lagos residents

    Stop molesting our staff, corporation appeals to Lagos residents

    The Managing Director of Lagos State Water Corporation, Mr Muminu Badmus, on Friday appealed to residents in the state to stop molesting its officials on routine maintenance at their residence and neighbourhood.
    Badmus made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    According to him, the corporation will no longer take the harassment of its officials on legitimate duty lightly.
    ”The corporation is concerned about the intimidation of its staff on routine maintenance or repairs in some residence.
    ”Our staff and contractors, especially in some high profile estates in the state, have been harassed and intimidated while on duty.

    ”The corporation is at present sensitising residents on the installation and use of pre- paid meters and the need to stop wastage of water.

    ”We are appealing to residents to cooperate with our staff as this will go a long way in ensuring efficient water service delivery,” he said.

    Badmus said that it was the duty of the corporation to attend to report of burst water pipes and mains in any location.
    While appealing for residents’ cooperation, he said that the corporation would no longer condole such behaviour.
    ”Our staff have been held hostage by the security personnel, their vehicles seized, and driven away with their tools and materials in some estates.

    ”In some areas, social miscreants have been hired to harass them.
    ”The management will not allow such scenario to continue.”

    Badmus said that staff were presently carrying out enumeration for the purpose of obtaining accurate data of customers.
    He said the exercise would ensure that every household in the state had access to potable water.

    The managing director said that the corporation would carry out the assignment without inhibition, adding that the establishment would not allow some residents to thwart the efforts of the staff.
    Badmus said that anybody or group involved in molesting its staff on legitimate duty would face the wrath of the law.

    Read Also: ‘Ambode working to give Lagosians water’

  • OAU students advise FG to renovate National Museum, Lagos

    OAU students advise FG to renovate National Museum, Lagos

    Some students from the Obafemi Awolowo University ( OAU ), Ile-Ife, on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government to renovate the National Museum Lagos to boost tourism and education.

    The students from the institution’s Department of Fine and Applied Arts told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews, in Lagos that the museum which housed the entire history of the nation was not in proper state.

    They said that the vicinity of the museum was disappointing and lacked what it takes to attract local and international tourists.

    NAN reports that the 37 students were final year students who had come to gain more knowledge in Ancient African Arts from the museum.

    One of the students, Victor Atser, said that the museum which was known as the home of history was not well maintained as it appeared like an ancient building and was long overdue for renovation.

    “Actually the vicinity looks unattractive, no wonder we do not have huge patronage from the local and international tourists here like in other countries.”

    Another student, Ronke Okusi, said that the museum’s management must work on installing functional air conditioners in all the galleries to sustain the life span of collections there, as the entire place was not conducive .

    “Learning will be difficult here for most of primary and secondary school students. If the management cannot afford air conditioners then they should supply fans there for the kids.

    “Power outage is another problem here which needs to be solved, ”he said.

    Similarly Joseph Idowu said that a National Museum of that repute should be bigger and more spacious for large number of students and tourists.

    “The galleries within the museum are too small, we are 37 in number and were splitted ourselves into two groups to be able to comprehend what we were taught,” he said.

    Also, Bolarinwa Samuel, the President, Association of the Obafemi Awolowo University Fine and Applied Arts Students, urged government to work tirelessly to renovate the national museum so as to pace up with other international museums.

    “We cannot develop the tourism industry without ensuring that our museums are in good shape because for some international tourists, the museum is usually the first place of call.

    “The Federal Government should fund the museum properly so that the problem of power outage is resolved along with some other maintenance culture,” he said.

    NAN reports that the students lauded knowledge gained at the museum which had to do with Akwanchi Monoliths, Epa mask, Nok Esien and Benin Arts.

    They said they had been able to visibly juxtapose the difference between the ancient arts and the contemporary arts which would influence the kind of arts each of them could create.

    Read Also: OAU graduate school of controversy

  • Amun, Adepoju salute Yakubu Aiyegbeni

    Amun, Adepoju salute Yakubu Aiyegbeni

    Fanny Amun, a former Super Eagles Assistant Coach at the France `98 World Cup, has described Yakubu Aiyegbeni as a player who had paid his dues in domestic and international football.

    Amun spoke against the backdrop of Aiyegbeni’s retirement on Wednesday in Lagos after he turned 35.

    Shortly after he announced his retirement, the former Super Eagles striker thanked all who had played one role or the other in his career.

    “I would like to officially announce my retirement from professional football today,’’ Yakubu told Sky Sports on Wednesday in London.

    “Thank you for the memories,’’ he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Aiyegbeni played for Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers and Everton FC all of England and made 250 Premier League appearances as well as scored 96 goals in a career spanning 20 years.

    He started his professional career in the Nigerian league in 1997/1998 season when he plied his trade with Julius Berger FC of Lagos (now defunct).

    He also played in Israel with Macabi Haifa FC before moving to Europe in 2003.

    The “Yak’’ as he was fondly called is the 3rd best all-time scorer of the senior national team 21 goals.

    He featured three times for fourth-tier side Coventry City this year before being released by the club.

    The former assistant coach of the Super Eagles added that Aiyegbeni would be remembered for his selfless performance for the national teams.

    “Aiyegbeni is still young but the fact remains that he has paid his dues as a club player and a national team player who has represented Nigeria at the highest level of football.

    “He was most times noted for his response to national duties and did so well.

    “I think he must have prepared well for life after retirement because he is still young and not be in the ranks of those claiming that Nigeria has not done anything for them.

    “Nigeria has done everything for them at least they have the opportunity of wearing the national jersey which others did not have, they need to prepare well for the future and not wait on Nigeria,’’ he said.

    Similarly, a former international Mutiu Adepoju, said that Aiyegbeni would be remembered for his contributions to the national teams during his playing days, adding that he was dedicated.

    “Most of us will remember him for his contributions to the national team as a striker who scored many goals.

    “He is one of the few dedicated players around ready for call-up and wearing the national colours.

    “He has done well, he is a good player and very well respected; I wish him well,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Catholics to mark Feast of Christ the King, Sunday

    Catholics to mark Feast of Christ the King, Sunday

    Catholics in the country are to join their counterparts worldwide on Sunday to mark the feast of Christ the King.

    The Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos made the announcement in a statement in Lagos on Thursday.

    According to church history, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly referred to as the Feast of Christ the King is a relatively recent addition to western liturgical calendar.

    It was instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI.

    During the celebration Catholics go on procession, singing praises, while a priest carries the Eucharistic in a monstrance to pray for peace.

    The Director of Social Communications of the Archdiocese, Msgr. Gabriel Osu, said the event would mark the official closure of the Catholic liturgical year A and the beginning of another year B.

    “It is the end of the Catholic liturgical year and the beginning of a new year which is the Advent in preparation for Christmas, the feast commemorates the reign of Christ as King of the universe.

    “The day will also be used to celebrate the gift of the Eucharist, which is also called the Blessed Sacrament.

    “It is a day set aside to celebrate and remember Christ’s kingship over all creation as well as remind us that all humankind must submit to Christ’s rule.

    “Here in the archdiocese, Archbishop Adewale Martins will be leading representatives of the faithful and the clergy on a procession from the Holy Cross Cathedral to St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, where the event will be rounded up,’’ Osu said.

    NAN

  • NFVCB confiscates pirated materials worth N150m at Alaba Market

    NFVCB confiscates pirated materials worth N150m at Alaba Market

    The National Film and Video Censors Board ( NFVCB ) has seized pirated materials worth N150 million at Alaba International Market in Lagos and arrested five suspects.

    Mr Adedayo Thomas, the Director-General (DG) of the board in Lagos on Thursday revealed that the seizure was made between May and October.

    He said that the pirated materials seized include: CDs, Videos CDs and literary works.

    He also added that the seizure followed the information the board gathered from some people at the market regarded as the hub for piracy.

    “We have our informants that spy the market on a regular basis, once they notice any form of piracy operations going on there, they inform the board.

    “The seizure of the N150 million worth of materials is a result of the information giving to the board on the mass productions of some films that are yet to be made public.

    “When our anti-piracy squad assisted by some police men got to the market, we saw pirated copies of films yet to be produced littering the whole environment and were being sold it at cheaper prices.

    “By Nov. 30, the board will start the court proceedings of those arrested for piracy,’’ he said.

    Thomas likened piracy to a murder case, robbery or economy sabotage where the suspect wanted to reap where he or she did not sow.

    He said that the legitimate owners were usually subjected to huge debts and loss.

    “The board is going hard on piracy. We are working seriously to reduce piracy to its barest minimum in our environment.

    “The board will go on street campaigns and to secondary schools to enlighten them not to patronise pirated materials and explain the implications of doing so on the rightful owners,’’ he said.

    The DG said that the board also frowned at nude movies adding that it was not part of its culture.

    He said that nude movies always had negative impacts on the lives of the masses and an abuse on the society.

    “We are not going to accept that as we had not done in the past. We are going hard in banning such movies from being shown on air,’’ he said.

    Thomas said that the board was also looking at reviewing some of its policies and laws to suit contemporary situations.

    He advised Nigerians not to buy pirated materials on the streets or from any unlicensed people selling such works.

    The DG said that the industry was worth billions of naira, and urged government and stakeholders to utilise the opportunity in the sector judiciously.

    “The industry is generating billions but losing more to piracy.

    “Actors, actresses, producers, marketers and other stakeholders are not happy with the loss to piracy.

    “The board is doing all it can to sanitise the industry for producers, film makers and other relevant stakeholders to enjoy the fruits of their labour,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Four ships arrive Lagos ports with petrol

    Four ships arrive Lagos ports with petrol

    No fewer than four ships laden with various products, including petrol, are at the Lagos ports waiting to berth, the Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA ) said on Thursday.

    The NPA disclosed in its daily “Shipping Position” made available  in Lagos, that four vessels were waiting to berth with petrol.

    It added that 33 other ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods were expected at Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports between Nov. 23 and Dec. 23.

    “The expected ships are carrying buck wheat, containers, general cargoes, empty container, diesel and aviation fuel,’’ it said.

    NAN

    Read Also: Navy uncovers hotel where fuel is siphoned in Lagos

  • Agriculture: VC harps on value addition, improved electricity

    Agriculture: VC harps on value addition, improved electricity

    An agriculturist and Vice Chancellor ( VC ), Prof. Felix Salako, on Thursday  identified improved power supply, good roads, value addition to crops and improved extension services as the key to agricultural industrialisation.

    Salako, Vice Chancellor ( VC ), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, made the observation in an interview in Lagos.

    “We can boost the economy through value addition to our crops, creation of market opportunities for our produce and reduction of wastage.

    “We can replace oil with agriculture as our main source of revenue if we industrialise the sector, but for industrialisation to succeed, there must be electricity,’’ Salako said this in an interview.

    He blamed the persistent high cost of locally produced food stuffs on poor power supply and bad rural roads.

    “The reason for high cost of production which translates to high cost of commodities in the market compared to imported ones is power deficiency in the country.
    “We want to urge government to critically address the issue by tackling the problem of epileptic electricity supply,’’ he said.

    Salako also appealed to the Federal Government to provide good roads in rural areas for easy transportation of farm produce from hinterlands to cities.

    “Government must provide rural roads to facilitate easy transportation of produce from farms; that way, the cost of the commodities will be reduced in the market,’’ he said.

    The vice-chancellor also urged the government to revive  Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) to restore extension services to farmers for better production.
    “One aspect we need to address urgently is our ADPs; government needs to revitalise those centres in each state.

    “When the World Bank withdrew from sponsoring the ADPs some years back, the extension aspect of agriculture started going down.

    “We need to get back and ensure that our extension agents are active again. Only then will rural farmers know of new agriculture technologies,” he said.
    Salako said that extension service was part of the three core mandates of the university.

    He listed the other two as teaching and research.

    NAN