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Tag: Lagos govt

  • Lagos govt, TOTAL take HIV/AIDS awareness campaign  to schools

    Lagos govt, TOTAL take HIV/AIDS awareness campaign  to schools

    As part of activities marking this year’s World AIDS Day, the Lagos State government and Total E & P Nigeria Limited during the week embarked on enlightenment campaign for secondary school students in the state.

    The campaign funded by Total Nigeria Limited was held at Ibeju Lekki High School, Ibeju Lagos.

    The programme consultant, High Chief Lawrence Amakiri noted that campaign is sacrosanct because field experiences showed: “Most of the people between nine and 20 years of age still lack correct, effective and ethical information or education about the dreaded HIV\AIDS disease and its pandemic nature.”

    His position was confirmed by the ignorance displayed by a good number of the participants during the campaign.

    Speaking on the importance of the campaign, the representative of Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, Mrs Adeyinmika Akinola said: “We want HIV\AIDS free generation. This is why we are here to sensitize the students on what they need to do to remain negative. We are happy to support the enlightenment programme put up by Total Nigeria Limited and Teccua Investments Company Nigeria Limited and we are happy with the active participation of the students and the teachers. Lagos State has been in the forefront of organizing programmes like this through which we give basic facts on HIV\AIDS prevention to the students. Sometimes we do it through non-governmental organizations and corporate bodies like TOTAL has done today.

     

  • CAN restates support for Lagos govt

    The Lagos chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has told its coordinators at the local government level to concentrate on developmental issues in their domains and leave issues relating to the church to the state executives to handle.

    This, it said, will strengthen Christian unity and avoid discordant tunes on matters affecting the body of Christ in the state.

    The General Secretary of the body, Elder (Dr) Israel Akinadewo, stated this in a memo addressed to local government coordinators last week.

    The memo was sequel to recent media reports credited to a local coordinator with regards to noise pollution and closure of some churches by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).

    Akinadewo said: “Lagos State CAN is absolutely against noise pollution and we have been sensitising our members on the need to obey the law of the land.

    “As the umbrella body of all Christians in Lagos, we expect LASEPA and other government agencies to always communicate to the foremost Christian bodies on actions to be taken, affecting the church.

    “In view of this, we hereby inform all that matters affecting the church in Lagos State should be left to the State executives to address.

    “Our grassroots leaders should try as much as possible to restrict themselves to matters that concern their territories and not to delve into State matters, having known that State will not take up matters at the zonal and national level, without reporting to the appropriate authorities.”

    “Meanwhile, all matters that affect our individual local governments should be referred to the State Executives for guidance through the Chairman and the Secretariat. This will also strengthen the body of Christ Jesus in speaking in one voice,” Dr. Israel stated.

    The Christian body reiterated its commitment to supporting government policies aimed at alleviating poverty and improving the well-being of Lagosians.

  • Lagos govt woos private medical practitioners

    The Lagos State Government has urged private medical practitioners to strengthen their collaboration with the State Government in the prevention of communicable diseases by conducting free public diagnosis.

    Dr Modele Osunkiyesi, Permanent Secretary, in the state Ministry of Health, made the call at the closing ceremony of a 2-day meeting of health personnel in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was organised by the National Executive Council of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) in Lagos.

    “Some of the free health screenings organised by the State Government are underutilised because residents patronise the private hospitals, where they pay for these services.

    “The whole essence of the state’s free screening is for early detection and prompt treatment, as well as to save more lives.

    “If the private hospitals can complement government’s efforts by providing free health screening, the spread of communicable diseases will be curbed in the state.

    “Also, private practitioners can help the government with data collation to inform health policies that will enhance healthcare delivery in the state,’’ she said.

    Prof. John Obafunwa, the Chief Pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), urged private medical practitioners to take the issue of diagnosis seriously.

    According to him, diagnostic medicine forms the bedrock of any medical treatment and positive health outcomes.

    “Private hospitals should ensure that they employ well-trained and qualified laboratory scientists and pathologists to man their laboratories, so as to eliminate misdiagnosed cases,’’ he said.

    Also speaking, Dr Ajibayo Adeyeye, a former majority leader at the Seventh Lagos State House of Assembly, urged private hospitals to adopt and adhere to the Lagos State Health Law.

    Adeyeye said that the law would ensure patients’ safety and reduce the rate of quackery in medical practice.

    President, AGPMPN, Lagos chapter, Dr Adeyeye Arigbabowo, promised to complement the state government’s effort in ensuring universal health coverage.

    “We are ready to work and cooperate with the government to enable it provide holistic health services and ensure the elimination of sub-standard medical practices,’’ he said.

  • N29b Mile 12-Ikorodu Road excites Lagos govt, residents

    N29b Mile 12-Ikorodu Road excites Lagos govt, residents

    THESE days, Mr. Olawunmi Solomon, a marketer with a firm in Mushin, is one of the first to get to work.

    For Solomon, who has been living in Ikorodu, Lagos, for over two decades, this is a refreshing experience. But it was not so a few months ago, during construction of the road. Then, he not only got to work late, he usually agonised over the nightmare that awaited him on the road.

    But with the road compeleted, his efficiency has improved. He now relishes the road and prays for the government that made it possible.

    Solomon is not alone. Each time she drives on the smooth road, Mrs. Angela Audu feels she’s in some foreign land. She found it difficult to believe that she’s in Lagos. She has lost count of the number of times she lost her car’s shock absorber to the poor state of road.

    However, all that is over, as the state government, through the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), has transformed the road.

    These are experiences of people on the  new Mile 12-Ikorodu Expressway, which reconstruction came 50 years after the road was first built by the Federal Government. The last time respite came for the people was when the Military Administrator of Lagos, Lt.-Col. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), expanded the road to a dual carriage way about 18 years ago. But the road soon fell into a deplorable state with craters and bumps, leading to intractable sufferings as a result of the gridlock that could take one eight hours to get to Ketu, a journey that could be made in 45 minutes. It was so much that the state government had to wade in to; it would be handing it over to the people soon.

    Work began on the road in August 2012, with the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), given the N29 billion to fix the road.

    The road, a World Bank project, was supervised by LAMATA. It was designed to accommodate a BRT route for mass transportation of commuters. The Mile 12-Ikorodu town BRT Extension is conceived to extend BRT service from Mile 12 to Ikorodu while also improving the Ikorodu road network infrastructure.

    Earlier, the road was a two-lane dual carriageway linking Mile 12 to the fast growing Ikorodu Town. The project includes expanding the road and provision of complementary BRT infrastructure. The corridor covers a distance of about 13.5km.The width is 7.5 metres, with median 2m width. The BRT is designed to be implemented as median running with bilateral bus stations’ configurations linked to bridges for pedestrian access. Two new lanes were constructed to accommodate the BRT system. The Mile 12-Ikorodu Town BRT Extension is tagged BRT Classic with the lanes running in the middle without any interference from other traffic except at designated U-turn points.

    The road is about 98 per cent completed and will be inaugurated any moment, maybe, before the government of Governor Babatunde Fashola winds up. The road has about 15 bus stations – seven on either side with one at Mile 12. The stations are integrated with pedestrian foot bridges. The bus stations/shelters are at Mile 12, Owode Onirin, Owode, Irawo, Majidun, Ogolonto, Agric and Aruna. The road comes with 12 new u-turn points to and from Ikorodu Town and also three terminals located at Mile 12, Agric and Ikorodu.

    The smoothness of the road is second to none in the state. The pedestrian bridges are the best in Lagos and in the country with their aesthetics. Motorists can heave sigh of relief that the road has been completed with travelling time reduced.

    Managing Director, LAMATA, Dr. Dayo Moberola, said the road has lots of benefits, which include provision of affordable transport, better road network, faster and reliable journey times, clean and better quality buses, reduction in waiting time for buses with limited queues through improved bus frequencies and the provision of a safe and secured transportation system.

    Others, he said, were the provision of a regulated transport system where queries and complaints could be addressed, reduction in unregulated public transport vehicles on the corridor while road side activities which slows down traffic would be prevented, adding that there would also be improved lifestyles of people and businesses along the corridor with good linkage to major activity and recreation centres. He added that the project created over 2,000 direct jobs and 5, 000 indirect jobs.

    To ensure that the road is not abused, LAMATA held a stakeholders’ meeting with some residents and motorists. During the event, it allocated market spaces to about 500 traders displaced during the construction.

    Director, Transport Services, LAMATA, Gbenga Dairo, said the bus stands for the BRT are ready and the entire project is nearing completion. He disclosed that about 400 buses would be deployed for the take-off of the BRT scheme around June and July, this year. It is expected that over 160,000 passengers will commute daily through the BRT on the route.

    At the meeting, traders, transporters and others were told to keep the walkways free by not parking, hawking or selling on them, as well as desist from displaying merchandise and repairing vehicles, motorcycles and furniture on the walkways.

    Stakeholders were warned not to cut the road on the BRT corridor while commercial motor cyclists should  not ply the route in line with the Lagos Road Traffic law.

    Specifically, they were warned that the bus shelters, terminals and lay-byes were for picking and dropping passengers and not sleeping areas while loading and unloading of goods were not allowed on the main carriageway. The stakeholders were also told that hawking and selling are prohibited around the bus shelters and the BRT terminals.

    Also, motorists were urged to obey traffic signs and stop changing lanes recklessly. They were urged to allow pedestrians to cross at designated crossing points without harassing them and that they should desist from carrying out repairs on the carriageway as oil spillage on the asphalt could damage the road surface and reduce its lifespan, among others.

    Speaking at the meeting, Governor Fashola said before the road was approved at the State Executive Council meeting, it was rejected on three occasions so that more input could be put into it before the execution, saying that the road project was massive and it must be maintained.

    The governor, who was represented by Otunba Fatai Olukoga, Special Adviser on Education, said: “It is pertinent to have this kind of discussion so that when the road is opened, there will be no problem. This road can only be compared with roads in Dubai and it is built with taxpayers’ money. We need to obey the traffic rules on this road. Don’t sell on the walkways or display spare parts on it.

    ”One-way drive is prohibited on this road and you have to obey all traffic signs and pedestrian crossing. Okada riders should not ply this road. We have many roads which they could ply in Lagos State. LAMATA will soon put signs on this road to help people obey the law. We don’t expect traders to trade on this road.”

    On the displaced traders, Fashola said they would be allocated shops in the newly constructed market. According to him, “They were displaced during the construction of the road and that was why we have decided to construct Oluwo-Idikan market to relocate the traders. This is in fulfilment of the promises made during the demolition of the market. Our aim in Lagos is to ensure that everyone has a source of income.”

    Bisi Yusuf, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, said when the idea of rebuilding the road was first conceived, many people thought it would be impossible, noting that the rebuilding of the road had become a reality.

    “What you are seeing on this road today is a replica of what is happening in Dubai. With this road, the value of property has gone up. This is what APC government is capable of doing because anywhere you have an APC government, this kind of road is what you get. We have just started. Most of our market men and women displaced during the construction of this project have now been relocated to a new market.

    ”We have not repealed the Road Traffic law; so we don’t want okada to ply this road. All forms of driving against traffic must not happen on this road. If you drive against traffic, it is either that you are a murderer, on a suicide mission or you are a drunkard,” he said.

    Administrator of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI)  Deji Badejo said the brigade would ensure that traders are kept out of the road and that it does become like Oshodi and Ketu where traders have converted the roads to marketplaces.

    He said the state government has purchased 100 new vehicles for the agency to carry out its enforcement on the Mile 12-Ikorodu corridor.

  • Tanker drivers decry Lagos Govt vacation order

    The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) yesterday said the Lagos State Government order to its members would have a devastating effect on the economy.

    Its President, Mr Salimon Oladiti, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the multiplier effect of the directive might have grave consequences for the country.

    “The implication of the vacation order to truck owners/drivers will have devastating effect on the nation’s economy,” he warned.

    Oladiti, represented by his spokesperson, Mr Abdulkadir Garba, said the drivers were ready to comply with the order.

    He, however, said it would not be easy to return the trucks to Lagos to lift fuel after being chased out hurriedly.

    The union, he said, had met with the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and directed all its members to comply with the 48-hour ultimatum to leave the road.

    On May 13, the government gave the ultimatum to the drivers to vacate the bridge.

    The ultimatum followed the persistent traffic gridlock in Apapa which spilled over to other parts of the metropolis.

    The drivers, who parked within 300 meters of fuel depots, were ordered to relocate to safe parking lots pending the availability of petroleum products.

    Oladiti said though the time and condition given to the drivers were not convenient, they complied as law abiding citizens.

    He said more than 6,000 trucks thronged Lagos to load fuel based on information by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that it had 1.2 billion litres of fuel in stock.

    The PTD president said the union discovered that only six fuel depots in Lagos had the product.

    “Now that we have obeyed the order and the trucks are moving out of Lagos back to their different destinations without lifting products it will take time to persuade them to go back to Lagos.

    ‘‘This is because of the losses they have incurred which were as a result of uncertainty, the tanker owners and the drivers will be wary of taking another risk to come to Lagos even if there is fuel,’’ he said.

    He expressed fears that the development would worsen the lingering fuel scarcity.

     

  • Grant from Lagos govt

    The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Raji Fashola, has presented a grant of N4 million to researchers at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) to fund a study on environmental profiling of land-filled sites in the state.

    The research team is being headed by Prof Toyin Arowolo of the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM).

    Shedding more light on the grant, the Director of Grants Management (DGM), Prof Kolawole Adebayo, who represented the university at the occasion, said the government instituted the research programmes to sponsor researches that fit into the state’s development plan as well as research ideas, innovations or anything would make the state a better place.

    The Arowolo-led team submitted a proposal on environmental profiling of land filled sites to the Lagos State government, which looked at sites where Lagos State had been using as dump sites by assessing the water, air and soil in those areas to determine how hazardous they are to the community and what could be done to remedy the situation.

    Fifty per cent of the grant has been released upfront.

  • Synagogue foundation was faulty, says Lagos govt

    The foundation of the last September 12 Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed building was faulty, the Lagos State government told a Coroner yesterday.

    Saheed Ariyori, a consultant to Lagos State Material Testing Agency, told the Coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, that the “building failed because the base that was supposed to take the load was grossly inadequate”.

    He was testifying at the resumed hearing of the coroner inquest into the incident in which 115 persons mostly South Africans died.

    His evidence varies to that of his fellow engineer, Oladele Ogundeji, who said last Friday that the foundation met approved standard.

    Ogundeji, who supervised the construction for the contractor, Hardrock Construction and Engineering Limited, ruled out foundational defect as a possible cause of the collapse.

    Yesterday, Ariyori, led in evidence by counsel to the government, Akingbolahan Adeniran, said he was part of the team of structural and geo-technical engineers that carried out Structural Integrity Test on the building after its collapse.

    He said the team took samples of the materials for testing and also took measurements of the foundation bases.

    The team, he said, simulated the building to arrive at its conclusions because the church did not provide the designs.

    Ariyori demonstrated the defects of foundation before the court with calculations on a board using a marker after being provided with a copy of the structural design.

    He said based on all the tests and the calculations, “we discovered that from inception, the building failed because the base that was supposed to take the load was grossly inadequate

    “The minimum base that will be required should have been 4.5 metres by 4.5 metres but what we had there was 2.2 metres by 2.2 metres.

    “It was a wrong choice of foundation base. The foundation should have been continuous base and not a pad as was used in the construction.”

    He said the load on the foundation was far more than it could bear, hence the collapse.

    SCOAN’s counsel Olalekan Ojo urged the court to adjourn his cross-examination of the witness to enable him consult with his client’s engineers.

    According to him, there are some discrepancies in the building design which must be examined before the witness is cross-examined.

    He recalled that Ogundeji last Friday testified that a raft foundation was not ideal for the structure.

    Chief Magistrate Komolafe will visit the site tomorrow. Ariyori’s cross-examination will also come up tomorrow.

  • Lagos prepares 1,000 staff for retirement

    Lagos State government has commenced empowerment skills for about 1,000 officers across various Ministries, Department and Agency to be able to cope with life after retirement.

    The state Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pension, Mrs. Florence Oguntuase, who addressed the participants at the training, said the development was geared towards addressing the challenges faced by most retiring officers, who are often vulnerable in retirement and don’t usually know what exactly to do afterwards.

    Oguntuase said certain parameters would be used at the training to expose the retiring officers to several opportunities and avenues available for them after retirement.

    She said the training would give attention to both the practical aspects such as skill acquisition and also theory which has been summarized into readable study manuals for future references.

    According to her, “Past experiences have shown that participants who have undergone this pre-retirement workshop are usually exposed to theory which often fade away as time goes by, but the peculiarities of this workshop is that both the practical and the theory aspects will be given equal attention.”

    The commissioner said one area to be covered in the manual would be the contributory pension scheme, advising the participants to study it carefully so as to know the necessary documentation.

    “You would be exposed to the basic rudiments of how to maintain cash book and start a small scale business. You will also learn about how to access funds from financial institutions that will be around to exhibit their products and offer professional advice.”

    The Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Pension office, Mrs. Folashade Adesoye, said it has been observed that many public servants do not plan adequately for life after retirement.

    Adesoye while lamenting the situation, added that retirement is meant to be a thing of satisfaction and a period of self fulfillment if adequately prepared for.

    “The training was designed to equip participants with relevant knowledge, skills, and exposure on how to manage their life after retirement,” she said.

  • Lagos identifies 232 defective building

    Lagos identifies 232 defective building

    Lagos State Government has identified a total of 232 defective buildings across the state.

    The state Commissioner for Physical Planning, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, who disclosed this at a press conference in Alausa, on Monday, said information about some of these defective structures were received via the Short Message Service (SMS) , emails and telephone calls sent to the government by concerned residents.

    He said apart from the defective structures, the government also sealed up 1,939 buildings which failed to comply with the state physical planning regulations, adding that government is not relenting in its effort to ensure that incidences of building collapse are nipped in the bud.

    He explained that the government has made tremendous progress in the plan to relocate Okobaba saw milling industry from Ebute-Metta to Agbowa in Ikosi-Ejinrin Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

    “This is our flagship regeneration project which is multi-dimensional in the sense that will catalyze growth and thus bring about increase in real estate value,”  he said.

    Ayinde said the project would also provide a specialization centre for wood related industry, pave way for the clean-up of the entire Okobaba-Makoko axis and allow the regeneration of the highly valued waterfront ambience.

     

  • Jonathan seeks Senate’s approval for Lagos developmental plans

    Jonathan seeks Senate’s approval for Lagos developmental plans

    President Goodluck Jonathan has asked the Senate to include the Lagos State Development Policy Operation 11(DPO) into the 2012-2014 Medium Term Borrowing Plan of the Federal Government.

    Specifically, Jonathan wants the Senate to include and approve the sum of $200 million for Lagos State as part of the state’s ongoing DPO being funded by the World Bank.

    The request dated October 22, 2013 was read by the Senate President, David Mark, on the floor of the Senate on Thursday.

    It was entitled: “Request for inclusion of Lagos State Development Policy Operation11 (DPO) into the 2012-2014 Medium Term Borrowing Plan of the Federal Government.”

    It reads in part: “I wish to refer to the above subject and to inform the Distinguished Senate President that the World Bank approved a Development Policy Operation (Budget Support) for a total credit amount of $600 million to the Lagos State Government in the 2010 to be implemented in three tranches of $200 million each.

    “The first tranche of $200 million was approved by the National Assembly in the 2010 Borrowing Plan. The DPO 1 was implemented in 2011.

    “Unfortunately, the second tranche of the DPO 11 was not captured in the 2012-2014 Medium Term Borrowing Plan. However, given the importance of the second tranche to the success and sustainability of the first tranche, I wish to submit it for your consideration for inclusion in the current borrowing plan but with no additional funding request.

    “The World Bank supported Public Private Partnership (PPP) Project which was approved by the National Assembly in the 2010 Borrowing Plan with a total credit amount of $315 million and disbursed $15 million to date, after about two years of project implementation.

    “The World Bank has therefore embarked on restructuring of the project in the face of current realities in a manner that would release $200 million for allocation to Lagos DPO 11.

    “This is an action that the World Bank with the support of its Board can undertake. They propose that the $200 million DPO would enable the state complete some critical infrastructure projects including:

    Ultra-Modern Burns Centre and Cardiac and Renal Centre at Gbagada General Hospital; 27km Light Rail along the Lagos Badagry Expressway Corridor to Marina; and completion of the 70 million gallon per day Adiyan Water facility among others.

    “In the light of the above therefore, I wish to seek for your understanding and to request you to admit the Lagos State Development Policy Operation 11 (Budget Support) into the 2012-2014 Medium Term Borrowing Plan to enable the state consolidate the gains of the first tranche of the operation with no cost implication to the Borrowing Plan since the $200 million had earlier been approved in 2010.”