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Tag: Lagos community

Lagos community… and a looming danger

THOUSANDS of Apapa residents in the Amuwo/Odofin Local Government of Lagos State are sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The illegal business of fuel hawking has become their means of livelihood.

On October 29, last year, properties worth several millions of naira were destroyed by fire in the area. Five trucks, five cars, 14 motorcycles and 35 makeshift shops also went up in flames.

Apapa is home to Nigeria’s maritime industry and the largest seaport in the West African sub-region.

To many residents, warehousing petrol scooped from tankers in residential apartments to resell in containers and bottles is business for as long as they smile to the banks daily. They have been taking advantage of the six depots in their domain and the thousands of trucks loading petroleum products to engage in illegal fuel deals.

Ironically, the government agencies – police, Navy and Prison Services – that should caution the perpetrators of the illegal act seem to have been compromised.

Thriving illegal business

Almost every house within the community, where the country’s largest seaport is located, has become a makeshift depot as residents keep drums in their rooms.

Those who hoard products re-sell to retailers who hawk them in water bottles on shelves in front of their houses. They have as patrons commercial motorcyclists, artisans, vulcanisers and drivers.

A source identified the hawkers as family members of security personnel. With impunity and self-confidence, some place sign boards with inscription “fuel is available” on their shops. Owners of the shops sell other materials ranging from foodstuff to clothing materials. Some of them operate video rentals, barbing saloons and even engage in food vending.

Those buying in large quantities are often led into the residential building-turned illegal depots that have become a filling station to motorcyclists, especially, the apartments on Otun Street.

The only petrol station in the area, SOT petrol station, has been abandoned because of the flourishing illegal business and availability of cheaper fuel at the black market. The station that used to dispense between 10, 000 to 13,000 litres daily before the advent of the fuel racketeering, as at the last count, was selling below 4,000 litres daily.

A commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider), who introduced himself as Audu, said he has never refueled at any filling station for two years.

“Oga, how do you want me to buy petrol at the pump price when that one (pointing to a fuel displayed in ragolis water bottle) is available? According to him, “it is cheaper to buy from there if one wants to make headways in this Okada business”.

Modus Operandi

A 50-litter keg which sells for N7, 500 at filling stations goes for N5, 000 and that of 25 litres which ordinarily goes for N3, 625 is sold for N2, 500 at the black market. Others are repackaged in small containers and sold for between N200 to N1000.

More embarrassing and unbelievable when The Nation visited the area, was that fuel hawkers operated freely opposite the police station area and adjacent to the gate of the Kirikiri Prison, where Okada riders have their park.

One of the hawkers, in his late 30s was seen dispensing fuel with funnelfrom plastic containers and big bowls as if it was kerosene with impunity.

A senior prison service official who spoke under the condition of anonymity lamented that corruption has eaten deep into the community.

“In the last few years, a task force was deployed to this area to stop this mess, but they soon joined in the illegal business they were deployed to curb. In fact, they, at times, levied the truck drivers so that they will look elsewhere when the fuel is being scooped from their trucks after loading. It is all a chain of illegal business.” he said

According to him, a lot of prison officials operate through their wives, thus making it impossible for law enforcers to stop the business.

He alleged that the second petrol station in the vicinity, Prowa, which was built on a land acquired near the prison gate and a church despite warnings that the site was unsuitable for such venture. The church took the daeler to the court and got a judgment to stop the opening of the petrol station despite its completion.

Some of the riders at the station explained their preference for cheaper alternatives. One of them, who identified himself as Abubakar, confirmed that most of the kiosks and shops inthe community hawk petrol.

The looming disaster

On major streets, such as Cardoso, Ikudehinbo, Amuda, Adeyemo, Agunbiade, Akere, Ilaje, Karimu, Igunnu, Alloch, Otun and Magbesa, it was fuel hawking galore. Most of the houses on these streets have mechanics, vulcanisers, welder, fried yam and beans cake sellers and suya spot and iron benders who use materials that can easily ignite fire.

A landlord in Agunbiade Street, who simply identified himself as Baba Ibeji, said no single residential building should be allowed near a petrol depot not to talk of about six petrol depots owned by members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN).

The retired teacher said: “The sad story is that anytime there is fire, it usually wreaked havoc. That building over there No 3 Karimu Street was razed down because plenty petrol was deposited there. Similarly, another fire engulfed the junction that leads to this community in October 2016 and properties worth millions of naira got burnt. Five people died.

“Most of the houses here are more or less stores for black market business. Some of the fuel consignments come to Kirikiri through the water side at the wee hour of the night. Even if the tanker drivers are not loading, fuel hawking will still be a booming business here.”

Baba Ibeji added that he had witnessed four major fire disasters in the area.

“Any time this happened, for days I will not be able to sleep knowing fully well that a day may come when we will all wake up and not see Kirikiri community again due to fire disaster.”

He said most of the landlords were guilty of collecting fees from the trunk drivers loading at the depot.

“They see it as a business rather than a crime. There is even a landlord here who shield all the oil racketeers. Everybody knows him here. He was the one who sold some of the plots of land where the depots were located. He collects huge amount of money from IPMAN quarterly and nobody can go against him in the community. There is no police officer who does not know him but all kept mute about their nefarious business activities.”

Corroborating this view, a top official of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the landlord recruited boys who see to his interests.

“There is no vessel that comes to Kirikiri that will not settle the man. That is why all those who are storing petrol in various houses in the community will always have his backing, otherwise such a person will be run out of business,” he said.

The National Coordinator of IPMAN’s anti-pipeline vandalism and product adulteration, Prince Nixon Ahanonu, said that there was a plan in the offing to address the situation.

Ahanonu said: “Since IPMAN started, some people entered the association through the back door which polluted it. We are aware of most of the atrocities being perpetrated at Kirikiri. We are planning to come to Lagos to put a stop to it. Lagos is in our routine that we want to visit very soon.”

A manager with the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the problem was more than mere policing the environment.

“There was a fundamental error from the beginning by the federal and Lagos State governments to have issued an operating licence for most of the operators to build their depot in a densely populated area like Kirikiri.

“All over the world, you cannot see any residential building where highly inflammable products like petrol are being loaded. Therefore, to avert the looming danger, it is beyond mere policing but total evacuation of the people,” he said.

The National Chairman of Tankers Driver Association of Nigeria (PTD), Otunba Sulemon Oladiti, who did not confirm or deny the illegal business being perpetrated by many of his members, said the union was going to set up a task force to look into the matter.

“Against the backdrop of heavy tankers explosion last year, we are now embarking on a training exercise for all our members throughout the country on safety tips and good ethics on the job. Our job is a delicate one. Only God is helping us. All your observations will be integrated in our training programme for our members,” Oladiti said.

The denials

Despite glaring evidences on the street for any visitor to Kirikiri to see that fuel is being hawked around like kerosene, government agencies either kept mute or exonerated their officers.

The Navy Commander in charge of Lagos operation, Commodore Morris Eno, said the Navy officers posted to the entrance of the bridge that leads to Kirikiri were there primarily to control traffic and maintain orderliness among road users.

The implication of this is that they are not saddled with the responsibility of checking the activities of fuel hawker. Eno denied the involvement of his men in the illegal deal.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Superintendent Chinyere Ekenkwo, denied that any of the agency’s officers connived with the black marketers or fuel hawkers for any reason.

“We usually gathered our intelligence report on Kirikiri and Apapa on the activities of the illegal fuel hawkers before we can move in to arrest. In the past, few arrests were made, it is a continuous exercise and we are not relenting on our efforts,” she said.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Prison Service, Mr. Biyi Jeje, exonerated prison officials from the illegal business.

The Lagos State government said the attention of the state government had been drawn to the dangerous and potentially disastrous practice in the area.

Commissioner of Information and Strategy Steve Ayorinde said: “Government has since taken action by sensitising the residents to desist from this act. The police station there has been duly informed and the sole administrator in that LCDA will proceed with further sensitisation and monitoring to ensure that the area is rid of this combustible trend.”

Way out

The State Commandant of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), Otunba James Udoma, said all hands must be on deck to curb the dangerous business.

He explained that several times his men tried to arrest some of these culprits, but the police were not helping matters.

“Some of our men were arrested and taken to court by the police with the excuse that we are not a registered body. But this is not true, we are dully registered and it was the Police College in Ikeja that trained some of our personnel. This is the unfortunate situation we found ourselves,” he said.

Udoma added that only community policing bodies, such as the VGN, could curb the evil act “because our men and officers are part of the community”.

The Deputy Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Mr. Bode Oluwafemi, said alarm was raised when the tank farms sprung up indiscriminately in Lagos.

Oluwafemi said: “We have a nation where corporations in cahoots with unscrupulous government officials flout our laws at will. The question remains whether appropriate Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted before approvals were given.”

He went on: “Apart from the constant fear of fire, those tank farms contain large volume of hydrocarbons and dangerous chemicals; any leakage will cause untold health hazards on the people. We have seen huge contamination of ground waters as has been variously recorded around the tank farms and some communities along pipeline routes where wells and boreholes are filled with petrol, diesel or kerosene.”

The environmentalist said there is need to begin strict effacement of the law on such environment.

“First they should put immediate moratorium on the construction of new tank farms. The state government should then begin to work with federal authorities on how to relocate the tank farm to virgin lands outside the city,” he said.

A human rights activist, Comrade Mark Adebayo, said it was sad to have such a densely populated community in a location where there is a preponderance of fuel depots.

Adebayo said: “The fire incident of October last year will be a child’s play if the government doesn’t act immediately. Aside from tanker accidents, the large quantities of stored Premium Motor Spirit within the communities around the depots are a highly inflammable material and can cause humongous human casualty in the event of a fire outbreak. Being a poorly planned terrain, fire fighters won’t have easy access to the areas affected. That place – God forbid – is a disaster waiting to happen unless government wakes up to its responsibilities.

“The immediate means of averting the looming danger is to stop the tanker drivers from selling petrol illegally in Jerry cans to roadside vendors. Unfortunately, you can’t depend on our security agencies to enforce such an order because they can be easily compromised. As a matter of fact, I’m sure they are aware that such illegal and dangerous business has been going on for long in that place but choose to turn a blind eye simply it is a mutually beneficial criminality.”

January 27, 2017
Island of URCHINS: Lagos community where young men abhor work, live on free money

The scene was riotous and disturbing with some people climbing iron bars and several others running in opposite directions as if trying to escape from violent protest. The presence of combat-ready armed security men and their Hilux jeep strategically parked in one corner heightened the fear that all was not well.

In the thick of the choatic situation reverberated some coarse sounding voices asking and collecting money from fear-stricken individuals and motorists.

“Go after her and get sufficient money from her,” one of them   bellowed   in a manner that sent jitters down the spine of the target. He had hardly completed the statement when about seven hagard looking young men swooped on the innocent lady and didnt allow her to go until she had parted with some amount of money.

The disgusting act, findings revealed, was one of the regular displays of street urchins in Lagos Island, the commercial nerve centre of Lagos State. This crop of young men, it was learnt, do not engage in productive jobs and take pleasure in moving from one major event to the other, subtly harassing innocent citizens to give them money for doing nothing.

Findings revealed that they operate in small and large groups using their number and intimidating appearances to coerce guests to give them money. From the Tafawa Belewa Square (TBS), Tinubu Square, Idumota market to adjoining areas and markets in the area, these young men call the shots.

The development, which has lingered for several years in the entire area, according to the residents, is assuming a worrisome dimension and may snowball into a major challenge if it is not quickly checked.

Aside from harrassing people to get money, a resident said: “They also engage in other vices when their demands are not met. This is all they do all year round. I know a number of them and I have never seen them doing anything outside what you are seeing. Unfortunately, they are happy doing it. The only good thing is that the various groups don’t fight themselves”.

Victims recount ordeal

Some of their victims, who spoke with our correspondent, recounted that it is impossible for one not to give money to the urchins when they come asking for it in their numbers and frightening voices.

A victim, who gave his name as Gbenga, said: “I came out of a social function and walked towards where I parked my car and as I was moving, five haggard-looking young men swooped on me hailing and asking me to give them money. I initially ignored them and entered into my car and attempted to zoom out of the area. Before I could move a bit, they ran after me. That very moment, I sensed danger and quickly offered them something, but like Oliver Twist, they demanded for more and I was forced to add to what I gave them to stay away from danger.

“They could have decided to smash my wind screen if I didn’t give them something and if they do that, who would I hold responsible? The development has made me to be wary of attending functions at places where I know that they would always be present.”

Bisade, a guest who was harassed by the urchins at Muson, narrated her experience thus: “I was coming out to pick a friend when I heard one of them that I suspect was their boss say, go after her and make sure you get money from her. Before he finished saying that, they had landed in front of me asking for money. I developed goose pimples immediately because I hadn’t had such experience all my life.

“I was forced to give them some money to avoid any form of attack. When I saw my friend and moved to take her in, they also stopped her to ask for money. When I told them that I had already given them something, they said that was me and that she would have to do something. I still had to give them money on her behalf to prevent them from attacking her. For me, it was an eye sore and an act that should not be seen in civilized environments.”

“They accosted me and about two of them sat on my car when I ignored them and tried to zoom off. They said I should give them money or carry them to where I was going. That, to me, meant that they could do anything to get the money. So, instead of endangering my life, I quickly gave them something. I didn’t want to give them initially because I hate indulging lazy people. But when my safety was at stake, I had to dance to their tune”, Madam Titi Ajao, a resident, also narrated her experience with the urchins.

“They have disrupted my parties a number of times before I learnt to always cater for their interest anytime I am organising a party. If you don’t do that, they will disrupt your party and mess you up. Instead of allowing them to go after my guests, what I always do is to call their leaders, give them some amount of money. In addition to that, I would give them drinks and food to calm them down. That would not totally stop them from harassing guests but to a very good extent, it reduces their menace.

“They can be very violent whenever their desires are not met. They can go about breaking windscreens and dispossessing people of their possessions. When they are in bad mood, you dare not go close to them because they would have consumed enough Indian hemp and other hard substances. They can even rape female victims if occasion warrants it.”

Our frustration with urchins Traders, event centre owners

Some traders and business owners in the area told The Nation that the activities of the urchins are causing untold embarrassment to their clients and causing serious setback to their businesses .

Badeh Ojo, the proprietor of a leading event centre in the area, said he had been forced to part with some money to prevent the urchins from coming to embarrass his customers to no avail.

“Those guys are always constituting nuisance in the whole area, thereby affecting the class of clients that want to do business with us. I had some clients in the mainland who have stopped coming to the island for events because of the harrasment they received from these urchins. When I saw the magnitude of embarrassment they were causing my clients, I decided to be offering them some amount of money so that they could stay off. That worked for sometime but it appears what I was giving them was inconsequential compared to what they used to get from the innocent people they used to harass.

“They have since come back worse than they were before I started giving them money. It is really disturbing and the fear I have is that if nothing is done to checkmate these people by the relevant authorities, they would add other criminal activities that would make the whole place unsafe for everybody.”

A staff of Muson Centre, who preferred anonymity, said the wife of a governor was astounded when she experienced the menacing attitudes of the urchins. “When the First Lady saw firsthand the menacing activities of those guys, she was shocked and complained bitterly about it. The management is not taking their matters lightly and that is why you see that we now have armed security officers around to ward them off. That has still not stopped the urchins from coming as they are always prepared to engage the police in a battle.

“We have our car park where guests always park but they always device means of short-changing us. What they used to do before now was to divert unsuspecting guests away from our park so that they could have the opportunity of extorting money from them. By so doing, they started collecting money for parking cars from the guests coming for programme in our place thereby depriving us from getting the income we established the car park for. They were gradually establishing and asserting their authority in the area.”

Traders in the area are also not left out of the mess caused by the urchins. One of them said: “Many customers have at various times fallen victim of their despicable acts. Some of these street urchins speacialise in picking pockets pretending to be hailing you to get money. This has really affected the psyche and confidence of many customers who come to buy goods here. Even some of us who trade here are not left out of their waywardness. They sometimes make monetary demands that you must fulfil or face their wrath.”

We are only taking our share- urchins

One of the urchins, who spoke with The Nation after being ‘settled’, saw nothing wrong in their actions, insisting that what they are doing is simply rejoicing with the people and asking for their share of the celebrant’s joyous celebration. Is there anything wrong about that? He asked and the reporter quickly said no.

He added: “We enjoy what we are doing because it makes us to know important personalities in the society. We don’t attend events organised by rif-raffs in the society. The events we attend are the ones organised by ‘correct’ (well-to-do) people.   We get cool money from this people and also eat good food when we attend such functions. At the end of every day, what we take home is more than what many salary earners get at the end of every month.

“I can’t work for anybody and have to be bossed around anyhow. I also don’t have to wake up at odd hours to go to work. I wake at my convenience and go to bed anytime I feel like. It is not possible for most of us to quit this because we derive satisfaction from doing it.”

Residents lament

Some of the residents have, however, expressed grave concerns about the activities of the outlaws. A resident, who simply gave his name as Jobi, said the street urchins have become lords unto themselves.

“These guys don’t work and have no regards for dignity of labour. They are what one can describe as a generation that is wasting away. Aside from being lords unto themselves and harassing innocent citizens, they are also bad influences on the younger ones who are daily being conscripted into their various groups. These malleable young ones they are taking into their folds, also grow with the erroneous belief that they can earn a living without engaging in productive activities.”

“The age bracket of between 18 and 50 years is when any human being can be the most productive. If you have people within this age bracket adding no value to themselves not to talk of other people in the society over a long period of time, what do you think would become of the society they are living in? Bankole, another resident, asked rhetorically, adding: “The Island is sitting on a gun powder that will certainly explode one day because these young men are bad omen to the society. Unfortunately, their number is growing every day and the society condones them.

“From what we know, some of them have wives and children. When they leave home in the morning, where do they tell their wives and children that they are going and what would the children learn from them other than life of laziness?”

Funsho Taylor, a civil servant, said: “The youths are the leaders of tomorrow but what future do you think the island would have in the near future when a growing number of the youths believe that they don’t have to work to earn a living? All they do is to go to major events around the area, hail and harass the guests until they give them money. This is a calamity waiting to happen.

“You need to see how they engage armed security men in serious fight when those ones attempt to send them away from any event. At times, it takes reinforcement by the security operatives to curtail them. It is really despicable.”

“Some of this people are not street people as you may be tempted to believe. They have families and most often, have a room or two inherited from their fathers. In that small room, they marry and produce children like bed bugs without caring about the well-being of the wives and children. They go about this life in this manner until they become old and miserable.

“This is why you have many aged men lying about in various areas of the Island. Some of them look like mentally retarded people and some others like imbeciles but they are not. Their condition is the end product of this kind of engagement in unproductive lifestyle like the ones you are seeing here”, another resident said.

Why incident is growing in the area

The menace, according to the residents, is blossoming because the urchins are always enjoying the support of some highly placed people in the society that should be speaking against the practice.

A security officer in one of the popular event centres in the area said: “I don’t think the menace would come to an end anytime soon because of an experience that I had some time ago.   There was a day that some highly placed women politician, came to attend a social event here.

“Shortly after they arrived, these urchins that we had manageably sent away arrived in their numbers. I started making arrangement on how to send them away to save our guests the usual embarrassment that these outlaws always cause. To my surprise, some of these women politicians who I don’t know how they knew about my plans rushed out and told me to leave those guys. I was dumbfounded, when they went ahead to start calling the names of these ragamuffins one after the other. This is obviously one of the reasons why I strongly believe the menace would continue to get worse”.

Banjo Oki, a resident, views the practice as something that has become a culture of a segment of the area over the years. “There is little or nothing anybody can do to stop them because it has become a way of life for them. This is all they do every day believing that their actions are not illegal and that they cannot be arrested for asking for money using mild harassment.

“They refer to the practice as hustling. If you get them arrested now, they have all it takes to come out the next minute. All they do with the money they get is to drink, womanise and indulge in consumption of hard drugs.

“The menace is compounded by the fact that all manners of events take place in this environment. There is hardly a day that two or more functions don’t take place here. These parties are often attended by top people in the society who would be willing to give some money to the people than risk their lives arguing with them. ”

Psychologist, sociologist react

Examining the psychological effects of the practice in the society and the perpetrators, Lateefat, Odunuga, a psychologist, said: “There are implicit views of what constitutes street urchins or area boys as we often refer to them in this part of the world. Some consider it as a nuisance; others consider it as a normal economic activity. Some see it as an occupation while others see it as a permanent means of livelihood. The act of being street urchins has increased pervasively thus visible on the streets of both small and large cosmopolitan area. The syndrome of street urchins exists in association with other negative acts such as joblessness, laziness, over indebtedness, economic dependence, lack of freedom and inability to provide basic needs of life for self and family.

“This has grave negative psychological, social and health consequences as those who engage in it risk being co-opted into dubious criminal acts such as stealing, pick-pocketing, pathological gambling, alcohol and drug dependence, juvenile delinquency, kidnap, hooliganism, homosexuality and many other vices/ related anti-social behaviours prevalent in the society. The causes of belonging to this group are numerous and this includes poverty, homelessness, destitution, inferiority, insecurity, mistrust, isolation, guilt feelings, same, doubt, inadequate parenting. It strips the individual off his self-respect, dignity and integrity.”

She added: “The menace has grown exponentially. From a psychological standpoint, it can be seen as a behaviour learned by humans as they see the positive response from others supplying the urchins with money and other material things which they use to live any how they like. Hence, the psychological consequences associated with the social malaise of living as street urchins include frustration, depression, self-degrading, low confidence, low self-esteem, identity crisis, shame, psychiatric disorders, over-suspiciousness and reduced dignity.

“It is important to curb this social malaise because it is endangering, dehumanising and embarrassing. However, government should keep up job opportunities open and strongly discourage the practice as a means of livelihood. Also, well-funded, multi-sectoral and centralised long-term advocacy and campaigns against the practice can possibly reduce the act to a tolerable level in the state. All Lagosians should cooperate by discouraging these people in a coordinated, careful and organised way.”

On his part, Kadri Mujitab, a sociologist, said: “The challenge of begging as a social menace in Lagos has a negative implication not only on the city’s economy, or socio-cultural environment but also on the street urchins themselves. The inability of the urchins to contribute anything to the economy has led to social relegation of the city as well as stigmatisation and discrimination of these set of people as an out-group. Street urchins constitute social threat and environmental nuisance to the Nigerian society thus portraying a bad image to the strangers, outsiders and other vulnerable groups. It is obvious that some criminals hide under the guise of being street urchins to carry out some nefarious activities thus contributing to one of the sources of civil unrest to the city dwellers. Some are used as tools to destroy public properties and utilities built with the nation’s resources.

“From the sociological perspective, being a street urchin is seen as a form of social deviance which manifests in different forms and can be reflected in juvenile delinquency, corruption, rape, alcohol, drug and gambling dependence. This act can also be seen as a product of urban poverty often described by unequal access to life opportunities reflected by inequality generated by capitalism. The phenomenon of street urchin is an outcome of many factors including poverty, unemployment, physical challenges, parental mortality, family disintegration, culture, national disaster, civil war, substance dependence, family heritage and uncontrolled rural-urban migration. It is, however, important that the urchins need orientation about the negative implications associated with the act and should be encourage on how to make money on their own”.

February 20, 2016
Unease in Lagos community over killing of dreaded land speculator

Temidire area of Alagbado, a suburb of Lagos, is yet to shake off the fear sparked in the community by the July 20,2015 brutal murder of land speculator, hotelier and suspected homosexual Tunji Rasaq Olaniyi aka Alhaji Gay.

Olaniyi was lynched by a mob who accused him of raping young men,forcible grabbing of property and terrorizing residents with his thugs and compromised law enforcement agents.

Dozens of community leaders, including the Baale of Temidire, Chief Najeem Abioye, were arrested and charged to court by the police following Olaniyi’s murder.

There are fears that more people may be arrested soon.Some have gone into hiding,The Nation gathered.

Abioye and ten others were arraigned on Tuesday before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, Lagos , for alleged complicity in the July 20.

Also arraigned were: Adeola Ogungbade, 37; Ogundare Ogunsanya, 63; Olanrewaju Ololade, 62; and Bello Lasisi, 60.

Others were Ajani Kasali, 54; Oyedele Musiliu, 64; Jonathan Sanyaolu, 68; Taoreed Bakare, 61; Olaidi Albert, 66; and Wahab Abioye, 38.

The presiding magistrate, Mrs. O.M. Ajayi remanded the suspects in prison custody pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution.

Sources said Olaniyi’s relations and loyalists had petitioned the police naming some residents as the brains behind his murder.

Most of those named in the petitions were said to be those who at one time or the other stood up to the deceased about his conduct in the area.

One source said: “not a few landlords fled when they got wind of surreptitious moves by the late Olaniyi’s loyalists to engineer their arrest.

“A few days ago, a landlord ran away with his entire family in the night when he learnt that his name had been penciled down for arrest. He left the community a day after two other landlords went into hiding for fear of being apprehended by the police.”

But community leaders are also said to have protested to the Inspector General of Police accusing his men of taking sides in the matter.

The IGP’s office responded to the complaint by dispatching a team of investigators to the area with a view to assessing the situation.

Policemen are also patrolling the area to check possible reprisal by Olaniyi’s loyalists.

A trader, who asked not to be mentioned, said: “We are living in fear of possible attack by Olaniyi’s thugs. We heard his thugs are planning to cause mayhem in this community and that is the reason why we close early nowadays.”

August 8, 2015
Lagos community brainstorms on security

A call has been made for a more invigorated and better equipped Marine Police that would provide effective security and make the Lagos waterways more secure.

The Director of the Department of Security Service (DSS) for Ijede Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mr Oluwasoji Babalola made the call at a safety and security stakeholders meeting organised by the LCDA, for leaders of Ijede and its environs, at the LCDA community hall Ijede on Friday.

While appraising the security situation in the area, following a string of robbery attacks in Lekki and Ikorodu in which the robbers escaped through the lagoon, Babalola called on the Federal and the Lagos State Governments to intensify their investment in Marine Police in order to ensure the combat readiness of the force in order to guarantee safety of the waterways.

He said robbers are operating at will and escaping through the lagoon because they knew that the fire power of the Marine Police is weak.

He said a more combat-ready Marine force would make the waterways too hot for criminals to contemplate using as getaway from a crime scene.

He said: “To truly make Lagos hot for robbers and other criminals, we must develop a robust security network that must plug all loopholes and make our waterways watertight security-wise.”

He equally challenged local governments and LCDAs with riverside boundaries to establish local Security Trust Fund to give logistic support to the state government’s intervention in making the state safe from criminals. Hoteliers, banks, companies and corporate organisations within the area, he said, should assist in raising such fund.

Babalola challenged residents to come up with information regarding anyone with questionable characters, adding that such persons may be a robber.

“Robbers are human beings like us and that information you are volunteering to security agencies may save a life or prevent the loss of valuables,” Babalola added.

The DSS Director urged the community not to be afraid of robbers, but rather, they should always inform the security operatives on security and safety matters so that necessary actions can be taken.

He advised youths to make good use of their time and eschew cultism.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary Mr Olawumi Rasak Ajetunmobi said the meeting was put together to address the issues of insecurity and safety of lives and property in the area, saying the meeting became imperative because of the recent robbery incidents in the lkorodu/Ijede axis.

The Executive Secretary reiterated that the meeting, which comprised community leaders, CDAs, youth groups, security operatives, market men and women, artisan groups and other stakeholders, will come up with recommendations aimed at fortifying the LCDA.

He assured the community that the council would leave no stone unturned in implementing all resolutions arrived at, at the meeting.

Describing security problems in the community as poor, he said there is the urgent need to gather the community leaders, CDC chairmen, youths, security operatives and all stakeholders for the meeting so that they can jointly address the issues.

At the meeting, the establishment of a strong vigilance group that would work in concert with security operatives was canvassed. It would, among others, help monitor security and report any security breaches in the LCDA. This group is to be supported and managed by the police headquarters in Ijede community.

An eye witness of the recent robbery at Lekki and the Medical Director of Ijede General Hospital Dr. Amure, who appealed to the state government to equip the Ijede Police headquarters with modern gadgets, alleged that they are shabbily and poorly equipped.

He said his observation was that the robbers were better equipped, adding that the police weapons were no match to theirs. He also called on the government to provide more patrol vans and help maintain the existing vehicles and motor bikes for the police so that they can be more effective in the discharge of their duties.

Calls were also made for the establishment of a banking forum for all the banking facilities within Ikorodu, so as to promote fast dissemination of information among the banks, such that in case of an attack in one bank, the other banks can quickly be contacted before they are attacked.

The CDC chairman, Mr. Rotimi Owolabi urged the government to expedite action on all recommendations to avoid the closure of the few existing banks in the area as a result of continued insecurity.

The community said a more meaningful relationship must be cultivated among all security agencies if riverside communities would have respite from incessant attacks by criminals. They called for such relationship among the Air Force, Police, Customs and the Marine Force in order to abate crime on the nation’s coastal areas and waterways.

Highpoint of the event was the presentation of products produced by students of the council’s vocational centre, with a call by the Executive Secretary on members of the community to patronise the products.

Products on display included after shave, bleach, hand wash, liquid soap and izal disinfectant.

He encouraged the youth to register in the vocational centre in order to learn a skill to keep themselves busy.

Dignitaries that attended the event were the Council Manager- Mr Adewumi Ogunbambi and other management staff of the LCDA, members of the caretaker committee: Mrs Shakirat Awosanya (Deputy Executive Secretary), Mr Moruf Hassan Enitan, Mr. Sunday Aro and Mrs Tokunbo Afolayan.

July 22, 2015
Lagos community groans over flooding

For residents of five streets in Aluminum Village, Dopemu, a Lagos suburb, rainfall is no blessing.

They are appealing to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to come to their rescue and help prevent further calamities and destruction of their belongings.

Worse-hit are Ifelodun, Salako, Bello Ajare, Olusesi and Bayo Ayeni streets. Each year, they gather for prayers, asking God to delay the rain a little bit. Reason: the earlier it comes, the graver the consequence. Such bitter day was last Friday, when the rain that pounded the state for over eight hours practically sacked them. But it was an opportunity for the Dopemu Community Development Association leadership to take Southwest Report round to see the extent of their plight.

The Secretary of the association, Mr Seyi Lasisi, said the agony has become a yearly occurrence as the residents run helter-skelter to salvage their lives and savings.

According to Lasisi, the community had been battling with this ugly situation in the past two decades and all the efforts by the CDA to put an end to the menace proved abortive.

Lack of drainage, he said, is the major cause of the flood. The small gutters in the area could not curtail the high volume of the flood coming from different areas, such as Agege and other parts of Dopemu,” he said.

What the area needed, Lasisi said, is a collector drain that could take the flood water away from the area into the nearby Valley Estate canal.

The absence of this, he said, has become a big headache to residents. It is usual for residents to bail water from their homes, while those who could not endure the strenuous exercise have to purchase pumping machine to get the job done. This has affected the values of properties in the area as many tenants have had to flee. Even landlords have had to abandon their properties and relocate to more comfortable parts of the state, Lasisi added.

He described the situation as worrisome and unbecoming of a state that prides itself as the “Centre of Excellence”.

Lasisi said the flood has paralysed economic growth of the area, adding that virtually all the cottage businesses that ought to have grown round the village have relocated to neighbouring communities because the area have become inaccessible.

The CDA secretary said the government has continued to give a cold shoulder to its numerous petitions.

He said: “It is sad that nothing has come out of the several petitions we had written to the governor and the Commissioner for the Environment concerning this situation and the urgent need to address it. Last year, our people jubilated when the government came and constructed drainage on one side of the road rather than addressing the challenge on both sides; the drainage has added rather than abate the problems of flooding in the area.”

Another resident, Mrs Beatrice Adigun, said she no longer saw the raining season as a period of blessing, as she had developed high blood pressure and usually developed headaches anytime she saw the clouds gathering.

Narrating her family’s ordeal, Mrs Adigun said her house, built over a decade ago is usually impassable anytime it rains. She said the floods have in times past led to loss of lives.

According to her, residents go through hell during any downpour saying atimes, the flood at her shop during each rainfall measures above three feet.

Mrs Adigun said many of her belongings, including her children’s relevant academic documents had been damaged because of the flood.

Mrs Adigun appealed to the Lagos State government to come to the aid of residents, saying: “enough is enough of this yearly suffering.”

An aluminium fabricator, Mr Lawal Segun, also said rain almost rendered them redundant as they had lost huge business prospects.

According to him, the little income they made to take care of their families is now diverted to repair their shops and fabricate machine at the end of each rainfall.

“The situation is so bad that we have to abandon our shops anytime it rains. Infact, we usually pray for the rain not to meet us in the shop as we would be trapped indoor and unable to leave as the entire area, including our shops would be flooded.

“The government should please come and demolish all the illegal construction that are disturbing the free-flow of the erosion so that we won’t experience this kind of disaster anymore,” he said.

July 15, 2015
Plight of a neglected Lagos community

Residents of Zone 1 Community Development Association (CDA) of Estate Phase 3 in Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area of Lagos State have appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to rescue them from menacing flood.

The cause of the fearsome flood, according to them, was illegal construction and diversion of erosion from other communities to the estate. They maintained that time and again, rain floods deal a heavy blow on members of the estate. But it is the resultant floods that made the people cry out most, because whatever pours down from the heavens finds no other outlet than the road to the estate. This is so because water erosion from other areas are channelled to this forsaken area

•Some of the flooded houses

Investigation revealed that another cause of the flood is the blockage of the underground drainage by refuse which prevents free flow of the erosion.

But for what could be perceived as neglect on the parts of local and state governments, the estate would have been a very exciting and bubbly community; far from it. Any wonder members of this forgotten area are gnashing their teeth.

The residents are going through hell as the flood is a huge threat to their lives and properties. They stated that if Lagos State Government fails to respond quickly, the inhabitants may experience an epidemic or may be totally dislodged by the flood.

The affected streets are Odubanjo, Alamu Olaleye, Ovwigboyoma, Kajola, Oluwakemi, Ogunmeru and Otunba Oladokun.

When Southwest Report visited the area, the suffering of the residents was striking.. Some of the residents were seen draining the flood off their houses with pumping machines, while some have finally relocated their families to other areas.

Most of the houses in the area have been submerged by the flood. Some appeared weak and dilapidated, even as weeds have taken over some of the houses. If care is not taken, some of the buildings may collapse and may result in the death of innocent people.

In their innocence, some children were seen playing; unaware of the impending risks. Some of them between the ages of three and10 years do not go to school for fear of the flood. It may not be out of place if some residents ardently pray that rain should stop falling, at least, with the estate.

Despite the efforts of the owner of a mortuary in the area to save it from the erosion, the menacing flood still pulled down the hospital’s wall. The residents expressed the fear that there might be epidemic because some of the corpses in the mortuary might be affected by the flood.

A landlord in the area, Mr Obafemi Ogunmeru, said the community has been battling with the situation for over 10 years now; saying the situation got worse last year when the owner of the mortuary single-handedly constructed a thick concrete wall to prevent erosion from destroying his property, even as he re-directed the direction of the flood to another area; an action, he said, is adversely affecting other people currently.

“We are unhappy about the nauseating situation we have found ourselves in. It would be nice if government could even carry out a palliative measure to save the troubled residents.

“When it rains, the erosion is so heavy so much so that it had once carried away a car parked along the road. We have made several representations at Alausa and Ministry of the Environment among other authorities, yet we have been neglected as if we are not part of the system.

“Anybody that comes to this area will cry for us. How can we be living in slum? Some houses have been swept away and some others erosion has laid bare their foundations.

According to Ogunmeru, several letters have been written to Lagos State Secretariat and Alimosho Local Government Area concerning the issue. Till today nothing has been done.

“We have written series of letters to both the local and state governments concerning the horrid nature of the estate. Since we began writing to the authorities concerned the issue, no help has come our way. It seems we are not part of humanity.

“It also seems our offence is our being part of Lagos State. We are looking forward to the time when another state will be moved by our pitiable situation and come to negotiate with the Lagos State government to adopt our community,” he said sarcastically.”

Another landlord, Chief Michael Offe said he has become frustrated as the Lagos State Government failed to address the problem over the years.

He said every resident of the estate is frustrated so much so that they have agreed not to pay for land use again if the government continues to neglect them.

Chief Offe appealed to Governor Ambode to visit the area in order to appreciate their pains and agony.

He also urged the governor to direct the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to stop the burning of tyres in the area and to asphalt the road leading to the dump site to avoid their unending inhalation of dust.

June 17, 2015
Pomp as Lagos community celebrates Elegba Festival

Local and foreign tourists were treated to a special display of culture as the people of Ikate, Lagos marked their annual Elegba Festival.

The event, which was held on

Monday, April 27, was the climax of the week-long celebration.

The ancient festival is celebrated annually to reunite the people of the ancient community with their ancestors.

Sons and daughters of the community who trooped out with enthusiasm to celebrate the festival, which symbolizes prosperity and peace, were not disappointed as the Elegushi of Ikateland, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, ably assisted by his aides, ensured the ceremony was successful.

The ceremony started with a visit to the Elegba Shrine, called Agbo Elegba, where various sacrifices are performed to appease the deity.

Earlier, wives of traditional white cap chiefs in ankara uniform, embarked on the sweeping of the community amid singing and jubilation. They moved from one royal family to another. They first called at the Palace of Elegushi where their service received a financial reward from the traditional ruler.

An elated Oba Elegushi and his white-cap chiefs trekked to the shrine, to perform the traditional rites and pay homage to the gods amid drumming and singing. They also performed the traditional breaking of kolanuts called Ikunlepabi to get the approval of the deity to continue with the celebration.

This was followed by the divination session and sharing of kolanuts among the people. The divination was performed by the Ejure of Ikate who is the custodian of the shrine. Animals, including pigs, goats, cocks and snails were also killed to appease the god.

The outcome of the traditional divine consultation was subsequently conveyed to the monarch who was anxiously waiting for the message of the god at the outer side of the shrine.

In the evening, Oba Elegushi and his chiefs retired into the recesses of his palace to witness a parade of the masquerades that came to entertain and celebrate with the people.

Some female devotees of Elegba at the event

The Elegba Festival is celebrated by the descendants of Olofin, the progenitor of the original founders of Lagos to mark the beginning of a New Year and ensure peace in their community.

The Olisa of Ikateland, Chief Moruf Elegushi, told journalists that the peaceful conduct of the recently concluded general elections was as a result of the special prayers offered by Omo Olofin at various Elegba shrines.

Prince Anofi Olanrewaju Elegushi, who is the immediate past Chairman of the Eti-Osa Local Government Area, said Oba Elegushi used the occasion to bless the people of the community and Nigerians in particular during propitiations at the shrine of the deity.

He described as untrue the notion that the cane is used to beat people during the festival.

Oba Elegushi said he was satisfied with the successful conduct of the ceremony, saying:“Just like last year’s event, today’s ceremony has also turned out to be successful, and we shall have enduring prosperity throughout the year in Ikateland.

“ Our prayers for peace in Lagos and Nigeria in particular have been accepted by the god of our ancestors, and we shall live to celebrate many years of the peaceful Elegba Festival.”

May 2, 2015
Road as new year gift for Lagos community

For residents of Fagbile Phase Three Estate in Ikotun-Igando Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, their years of sufferings due to lack of amenities may be about to end.

They have been assured that the road linking the community with the new Ijegun-Jakande Estate Expressway would be constructed before the end of the current administration in the state.

Chairman, Community Development Committee (CDC) of Ikotun-Igando Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Elder Ademola Oshibeluwo said the leadership of the council in concert with the state government had finalised arrangements for the construction of the road, adding that workers would be mobilised to site sooner than the community imagined.

He spoke at the weekend at an end-of-year party organised by landlords and tenants Association of the Estate for the residents, clarifying that the current administration was aware of the importance of roads to socio-economic development which, according to him, was why a large chunk of the states’ revenue had been committed on road construction and rehabilitation.

Oshibeluwo said: “I have the word of the LCDA chairman to allay your fears in respect of the road for which you have been clamouring. You may not believe it, but arrangements have been made for it and you will soon see confirmations of that. In the next few weeks we will be riding on an expressway”, he said.

Earlier, the CDA chairman, Mr. Chris Onioha had lamented the troubles experienced by residents as a result of the bad state of the road, noting “efforts have been made to call attention to the plight of the residents not only regarding the poor state of the only road serving the community but the absence of other amenities like a health centre and primary and secondary schools”.

His words: “This is a fairly large community. But, we have not felt government presence here at all. No road, no hospital, no schools for our children, nothing. When the rains come, it becomes war for us here to either go out of or return to our houses.

“We have clamoured and shouted about it several times. We have written letters also. No one has responded yet.

“Whenever the rains prepare to fall, it brings sadness rather than joy to us. We want a direct road to the Ijegun-Jakande Estate with well-laid drainage channels. We deserve it. This is a big community with thousands of houses and millions of people.

“When we were doing self help project, we won an award from the Lagos State Government as the best CDA in Lagos state in 2013. The government recognised us as the best CDA in project development and execution. Based on this, we deserve the mercy of the state government”, Onioha said.

Alhaji Jimoh Ismael, an ex-officio member of the CDA said: “Here in Phase 3, there is no school, no primary health centre, no road, no drainages. During rainy season, you witness war getting to your houses”.

The event also witnessed awards of certificates of recognition to some members of the community including Mr. Simeon Inwanyi Agubanze; Comrade Imo Walter; Mr. Opebiyi Jelili; Comrade Wale Adegboye; Mr. Tajudeen Afolabi ; Mrs Omolara Idowu; Mr. Rode; Chief Dare Akinlade, Lukosi of Arigbajo; and Malam Musa Ibrahim.

Others were Pa Ogungbayi Joseph; Alhaji. Dele Olanipekun; Mr. Segun Olajubu; Mr. Thomas Onarinde; Mr. Sunday Adegoke, Mr. Kayode Ajiboye, Mr. David Oloso, Baba Atelumatu Ajala; Barrister Momodu Tokunbo; Engineer. Olalekan Omibekun; Tewogbola Alade; Mr. Akinbola Joseph; Mr. Adewumi Jubril; Mr. Jimoh Ismael; Pastor Sekoni Emos Tola; Mrs. Omolara Idowu; Mr. Williams Neverest, Coordinator, Odua Peoples Congress; Ahmed Koleoso; Mr. And Mrs. Chris Nwanne Oniawa, Chairman, CDA, Fagbile

Awards of merit were equally conferred on Comrade Wale Adegboye; Mr. Martins Odusanya; Mr. Thomas Onarinde; Alhaji and Alhaja Dele Olanipekun; Mr. Kayode Ajiboye; Baba Ajala Yekinni Atelumatu; Alhaji Jelili Babaoja; Chief Dare Akinremi, Likosi Arigbajo (A community in Ogun State; Alhaji Jimoh Ismael; Comrade Walter Imo; Alhaji Adegbenga Kasali, 2nd Vice Chairman, Fagbile Phase 3; Alhaji Kehinde Opebiyi; Secretary to the CDA, Mr. Segun Olajubu;

Post humous awards were given to Femi Adebanjo represented by his wife, Victoria Adebanjo; Late Mukaila Sanusi represented by his wife Sidikat Sanusi.

Olajubu and Sekoni noted the party was meant to sustain brotherly love among members in the community, adding that “It was the grace of God which has sustained every one of us. Just a day celebration to demonstrate our love will not be too much”.

Olajubu’s words: “We are celebrating as a community an annual event which started three years ago. It is meant to bring together landlords, landowners, tenants and friends from within and outside the community.

We also use the occasion to thank those who have been particularly helpful to the community and to thank leaders who have been providing guidance.”

February 25, 2015
Foundation lifts Lagos community

The sun shone brightly in the morning sky over Ajegunle, a Lagos suburb. The weather was just right for celebration. All roads led to an area in Ajegunle, popularly christened “Dustbin Estate”.

It was day the first modern public convience in the community, donated by LOTS Charity Foundation under the sponsorship of Sahara Group Limited, was unveiled. It came as a welcome development by residents.

As visitors rode into the community, the sights and smell of stench hit hard at their noses. Kids scampered into the streets unhindered not minding the horns of bikes and cars passing by. As the visitors went deeper into the place, they met other shockers.

It was not only littered with refuse, the debris seems to form a major building component in the area. Behind the community is an array of makeshift toilets made from zinc and wood (without any roofing), line-up along the canal.

As bizarre as they seem, those structures serve as bathroom and toilet to more than 10,000 families, it was learnt. For years, most residents, like Godwin James, who live there with his parents and siblings, resulted to free-ranged system where human wastes were disposed indiscriminately – oftentimes into the canal. And because the place is set on filth, contractorsobserved that it is hard to sink a water system convenience. Hence, it is expensive to build. Scared of the cost, despite it is unhygienic, the makeshift structures came as an easy way out for landlords and tenants in the area.

“Although we have some block houses with toilets that have water-system, they are few. Even though people may not like it, they have no choice, that is why they, including myself, bath and ease ourselves there,” Godwin, who has lived all his life in the place, said.

Given the chance, he said, he would have wished it away. However, like a large cross, hanging on his neck and threatening to suffocate him, he is struggling to survive amid abject poverty and squalor. “We are really suffering here. Everywhere you turn is poverty. From the day one is born, it has been struggle all the way,” Godwin, who is in his 20s, lamented.

His tale of woe is the same with many at an area in Ajegunle, popularly christened “Dustbin Estate”, where debris forms a major building component. But Godwin has remained undaunted. The vagaries of life have not only made him street-wise but also creative. “We may be poor but we are not thieves,” he said. “We have talents but nobody to sponsor us. The challenges of life have made us wise; and because we have nobody to turn to we devise creative ways of doing things. Although there might be some who are not decent here, it should not be used to qualify us because you have bad people everywhere, including in VGC. If we have help we would do better,” he added.

Despite growing up in heart of “Dustbin Estate”, Godwin is determined to make something out of life. Hence, he is finding creative ways of surviving. To make his life better, sometimes he is into bricklaying; at other times he works as a labourer or as a clearing and forwarding agent. His being creative soon paid off.

He was one of the local hands used to build the modern public toilet, consisting of five toilets and five bathrooms. In fact, he was the one that dug out the debries to give room for the foundation, he told The Nation with pride, alongside other jobs.

Aside Godwin, the leaders and other residents said it came as a welcome development for the community.

While noting that there has never been any like it before, the Chairman, Community Landlord Association, Raufu Olaiya, said it is an eye-opener to the leaders on what ought to have been done. He said: “This toilet has brought progress to this community because it is the first of its kind. Now, it has set an example for us leaders in the community, which we also need to build such in our homes. We would call a general meeting of tenants and landlords on its maintenance. We would teach our people how to use it. There would be strict monitoring by the community because if the builders/sponsor sees that after two/three years the community is still maintaining it they would want to do more. We would ensure we keep the environment clean and facility safe. We thank LOTS and its sponsors for their efforts.”

The project took three years to plan and a month and some weeks to build, according to LOTS. According to LOTS founder, Miss Tolu Sangosanya, it was inspired by the complaints of the children the foundation is caring for in the area. Ironically, it was initially opposed by some members of the community. “Ï found that the problem of Nigeria is not just the leadership but the people. I learnt that for change to happen, everything that people do not understand, they would fight – even if it is for their own good. It took some convincing through creating awareness on the benefits of using water system as against using chamber pots, paper or nylon and throwing it into the canal,” she said.

Although it was challenging putting the project together, LOTS founder, Miss Tolu Sangosanya said, it was a long-awaited dream, adding that it is in line with LOTS treasure housing project meant to give the people in the area a better lease of life.

“We dreamt about it and it is done through the help of Sahara Group, sponsors of the project. Now our children at LOTS and their parents who live in the area can have a hygienic start off the day. This shows we can change the face of this country if we put our hearts to it. We hold development in our hands and we can make it happen at LOTS. However, it was not easy. Even with what we’ve provided right now, which is five toilets and five bathrooms, it cannot cater for all the community because you have over 10000 people living here. Most of the structures accommodate 10 families with about five people in each, so in a building you have about 50 people. If you multiply that by the number of house which is more than 200, using 200 as a peg you would have about 10,000 people already so, you are talking about over 100000 families would need to have water system toilet build for them which would need a lot of funds and commitment. But as I have always said: Start where your hand is and continue to build. LOTS can only do the best that we can with the help of Sahara Group Limited; but there is room for others, including individuals, charities, corporate organisation and, especially the government to do more. ”

According to Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager, Sahara Group Limited, Mr Babatomiwa Adesida, the project is part of its CSR. He said the firm has been in partnership with foundation for a long time, adding that they are happy to put smiles on the faces of the people in the community.

At the event were Financial Controller Sahara Energy Resource Ltd, Mrs Olubunmi Olukoju and Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) supervisors Mr Olasoji Fagbola and Mrs Nkemdilim Oguchi, among others.

September 18, 2013