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Tag: Lagos monarch

  • Lagos monarch condemns Costain market demolition, calls action unlawful, inhumane

    Lagos monarch condemns Costain market demolition, calls action unlawful, inhumane

    …shops, mosque demolished

    A property owner and traditional leader of the Otumara community, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye, has condemned the demolition of the popular Costain Market in Lagos by the state government, describing it as unlawful, excessive, and insensitive to the plight of struggling citizens.

    Kalejaiye said the demolished land had valid Federal Government allocation papers, questioning the legality of the operation carried out by the Lagos State Task Force, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), and the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI).

    According to him, the destruction, which displaced dozens of traders and destroyed properties worth millions of naira, reflected a growing disregard for due process and human welfare.

    “This demolition is not only unjust but also heartless,” Kalejaiye said. “Many of these traders have nowhere else to go. They are breadwinners who invested their life savings here. The government should have considered a humane alternative.”

    Eyewitnesses said officials stormed the market in the early afternoon, dispersing traders and passersby with teargas before bulldozing rows of shops, stalls, and even a mosque.

    A snack producer, Alfred Wisdom, who claimed to have lost over ₦5 million in goods and cash, lamented that the demolition occurred without prior notice. 

    “Before I could return from a delivery, they had broken into my shop and taken everything. They said my business was illegal. This is disheartening,” he said.

    Similarly, the Imam of the demolished Markaz-ul-Mahani Mosque, Ustadz Abdulsallam Olawale, confirmed that religious centers were also affected. 

    “They said they were clearing commercial buses, but then turned on traders and worshippers. Many victims of the earlier Otumara demolition had stored their belongings here — all gone now,” he lamented.

    Olawale appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to show compassion and reconsider the human cost of such operations. “We are pleading with the government to act with empathy. People are suffering,” he said.

    “The officials came in a commando manner, unleashing terror on innocent traders,” he said. “When I tried to ask for an explanation, I was verbally assaulted. This must stop. It was when I challenged him and query why him, being an S.A to the Governor on Transport would meddle into property demolition that he called in officials of the Lagos State Task Force and KAI into the scene to embark on the demolition. This is nothing but misuse and abuse of government power and authority.”

    As of press time, the Lagos State Government had yet to issue an official statement explaining the reason for the demolition or whether affected traders would receive any form of compensation.

  • Nigeria@64: Lagos monarch calls for full autonomy for local councils

    Nigeria@64: Lagos monarch calls for full autonomy for local councils

    The traditional ruler of Lagos Mainland Local Government, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye, has called on the federal and state governments to grant full autonomy to local council authorities in governance and administration at the community level.

    He noted that financial autonomy alone is insufficient for local councils.

    According to Kalejaiye, it is essential to give local government councils the constitutional freedom to function and fulfill all their responsibilities under the residual list, without interference from state governments.

    He argued that such autonomy is critical to improving the lives of people at the grassroots level.

    Kalejaiye expressed this view in his Independence Day message to Nigerians on October 1.

    He emphasised that true independence would only be achieved when state governments refrain from interfering in the governance and operations of local councils.

    He further stressed the need to recognize local governments as an independent tier of government with specific constitutional responsibilities, rather than treating them as extensions of state governments.

    These responsibilities, he explained, include enforcing safety regulations, providing various community services, overseeing local markets, protecting the environment, and managing chieftaincy affairs.

    Kalejaiye however alleged that the safety regulation and monitoring roles of the local council administration have been hijacked and taken over by the state government thereby making council administration redundant and leaving the constituents including traditional rulers and community leaders neglected by officials of state agencies for services that can be rendered at the local level.

    As Nigeria makes her 64th independence anniversary, however, he appealed to the federal and state governments to address these concerns and grant local councils absolute control over their affairs particularly on administration and community governance and implementation of safety regulation.

    According to him, the state can only interfere when local councils are going overboard, without this, he said, they should be left to control their affairs.

    Addressing this, he observed, would make local government areas more effective and efficient in the delivery of their constitutionally assigned responsibilities to the people at the grassroots.

    He said: “The local government authorities are the closest to the people at the grassroots but their impacts are not felt by the people. This is because the state government has hijacked almost all the responsibilities of local government areas.

    “The interference of the State in monitoring and enforcement of policies and safety regulations at the local level is adversely affecting development at the grassroots. For instance, in every local government, there is the environmental department that is responsible for monitoring markets and safety regulations but you’ll see officials from the state discharging their responsibilities. This makes them redundant.

    “One of the roles of the local council is monitoring and enforcement of safety regulations. This is about ensuring the safety of lives and properties in the district. It also includes ensuring compliance with building regulations and environmental laws.

    Read Also: Lagos monarch drags EKEDC to court over ‘crazy’ bills, electricity disconnection

    He further stated: “Many developers now violate the state’s building regulations. They no longer observe the setback between the building and property boundary, drainage channels, and the right of way of infrastructure facilities.  When officials of the State Building Control Agency visit an inspection of the facility, nothing is done to correct this violation because most time they are compromised.

    “Meanwhile, enforcement of the setback and the Right of Way is very essential in ensuring the safety of the constituents. But this all-important safety rule can be effectively implemented by the local council if they could be empowered in that regard. We have seen cases of building collapse and blockade of drainage channels which subsequently causes erosion and flooding. All these could be avoided with effective implementation of the safety code by officials of the local council authorities.

    “This is important to avoid building illegal structures that do not conform to urban planning rules. I therefore appeal to the state government to empower the local government authorities to be responsible for enforcing and monitoring safety standards across their districts and not leave this critical task to State Building Control Agency officials.

    “By the dictates of the constitution, local governments are responsible for public safety services, which play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and security of residents daily. So, I am appealing to the state government to consider this important aspect of public safety for independence and national prosperity.”

  • Judicial reform: Lagos monarch calls for prompt dispensation justice

    Judicial reform: Lagos monarch calls for prompt dispensation justice

    The traditional ruler of the Otumara community in Lagos Mainland, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye, has urged stakeholders in the judicial sector to enhance access to swift justice and uphold the rule of law.

    He expressed concern that the delayed justice system in Lagos state has caused many Nigerians to lose faith in the legal system, leading them to avoid seeking redress in court for legal grievances.

    Chief Kalejaiye criticised the current state of the justice system, stating that it allows for the manipulation of judges and the judicial process, ultimately resulting in the denial of justice.

    At a recent 2-day Justice Reform Summit in Lagos, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, advocated for a trial period of 18 months for civil cases from the commencement date, six months for simple debt recovery cases, and three months for cases involving the recovery of arrears of rent and possession of premises.

    Reacting to the State Attorney General’s stance, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye commended the proposal and urged the government to initiate measures for the prompt dispensation of justice.

    Read Also: Court to arraign Lagos monarch, six others over alleged N29.3 million fraud

    Sharing his personal experience, Kalejaiye revealed that his civil case has been pending in a Lagos High Court for six years, while another land dispute case has been ongoing since 1994.

    He said: “I must commend the moves by the Lagos State Government towards the reform of the State justice sector. This is necessary because many litigants have fallen victim to miscarriage and perversion of justice. As the saying goes, justice delayed is justice denied, the reform is crucial to safeguard the rule of law.

    I have a civil case at a Lagos High Court since 2018 and we have just been having an adjournment over an adjournment between then and now. There is also another civil matter over a land dispute involving an old man. The matter has been on for almost 30 years and it has remained unresolved to date.”

    He, however, appealed to the Lagos State Government and the State Attorney General to implement every letter of the reforms to promote quick access to justice.

    He said: “For many Nigerians, seeking redress in a court of law is a herculean task. They see it as a waste of time and resources. And this has to do with the delayed justice system and lack of trust and hope in the judiciary as the hope of the common man.

    “I implore the government to work on all impediment that contributes to the delay in the dispensation of justice.”

  • BREAKING: Lagos monarch passes away after Eid prayers

    BREAKING: Lagos monarch passes away after Eid prayers

    The Osolo of Isolo in Lagos State, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka, is dead.

    Chairman of the Isolo Local Council Development Area Olasoju Adebayo confirmed this in a statement. 

    He said that the King will be buried by 4 pm in accordance with Islamic customs.

    Read Also: Lagos monarch faults rationing of electricity supply

    The statement reads: “I have the instruction of the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to formally announce the passing of the paramount ruler of Isolo Kingdom, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka, Adeola Olushi III, today April 10, 2024. He was 64.

    “He will be buried today by 4pm at his palace, 3/5 Akinbaye Street, Isolo, according to Islamic rites. May his soul rest in peace.”

    Olasoju, however, did not disclose the cause of the monarch’s death.

  • Lagos monarch lauds Terra Cubes

    The traditional ruler of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, has given his royal blessings and commendations to Terra Seasoning Cube, a brand from the stable of TGI Distri Limited, which was unveiled to the media a few days ago in Lagos.

    Oba Akiolu also said reports from his household revealed that Terra Cubes are of first-rate quality and possess all it takes to dominate the market soon.

    “I am sure that you will catch the whole market in a short period of time. Since you brought some of the products to me, many people in my household have tried it and informed me that the cubes are of excellent quality.

    “I am very happy for TGI Group, because anything they produce is always of top quality and keeps Nigerian consumers in mind,” the Oba said.

    The monarch gave his blessings when a delegation from TGI Group visited him at his palace as part of the activities to launch the seasoning brand into the market.

    The delegation was led to the palace of the respected monarch by Mr. Rahul Savara, the Group Managing Director of TGI Group, the parent company of TGI Distri Limited, West African Cubes (WACUB) Limited, WACOT Limited, Cormart (Nigeria) Ltd, Chi Farms Ltd, among others.

    Other members of the delegation were Managing Director, TGI Distri & WACUB, Mr. Sunil Sawhney; Executive Director – Commercial, Dr. Onyekachi Onubogu; Marketing Manager, Mr. Govind Agarwal; Sales Manager, Mr. Anayo Nweje, all of TGI Distri Limited.

    While introducing the delegation to the Oba, Mr. Sawhney said: “We are here to seek your blessings for our new product, Terra Seasoning Cubes, a product designed with the Nigerian consumer in mind and undoubtedly one of the best in the market”.

    He further informed the monarch that Terra Seasoning Cubes are made up of very wholesome ingredients locally sourced and especially designed to meet the palate requirements of Nigerians in terms of aroma and flavour.

    Dr. Onubogu said: “We want to launch our new product across Nigeria and we thought it right to seek your blessings before we go in with all the fanfare.”

    “Terra Seasoning Cubes are being rolled out nationwide in two variants of Beef and Chicken flavours. Initially, we are introducing two SKUs of 50-cubes pack and 25-cubes pack.

    As an introductory offer, we are giving five free cubes with the 50-cube pack and two free cubes in the 25-cube pack.”

    Terra Seasoning Cube is produced by West African Cubes (WACUB) Limited, a subsidiary of TGI Group at its ultra-modern plant in Sagamu, Ogun State.

    TGI Distri Limited is the sales, distribution and marketing arm of TGI Group Companies’ Consumer Products and is the marketer of Terra Seasoning Cubes, Big Bull Parboiled Rice, Renew Starch, Shine All Dishwashing Liquid, Shine All Scouring Powder and many other notable Brands.

    TGI Distri also serves as the Innovation and New Product Development Centre for the TGI Group.

  • Lagos monarch lauds Terra cubes

    The traditional ruler of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu has given his royal blessings and commendations to Terra Seasoning Cube (a brand from the stable of TGI Distri Limited) formally unveiled to the media a few days ago in Lagos. Oba Akiolu also said reports from his household revealed that Terra Cubes are of first-rate quality and possesses all it takes to dominate the market in a very short period of time.

    “I am sure that you will catch the whole market in a short period of time. Since you brought some of the products to me, many people in my household have tried it and informed me that the cubes are of excellent quality. I am very happy for TGI Group, because anything they produce is always of top quality and keeps Nigerian consumers in mind,” he said.

     

     

  • Provide amenities for my people, Lagos monarch appeals to govt

    THE new traditional ruler of Ogombo in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, Baale Abiodun Ogunbo, has called on the Lagos State government to bring about development in his town through amenities that will be beneficial to people.

    Baale Ogunbo made the call in his palace shortly after his installation as the Baale of the town on Tuesday.

    “We want the Lagos State government to establish industries in Ogombo in order to solve the problem of unemployment which is causing suffering for our people. Our youths are roaming the streets. Definitely with the establishment of industries, unemployment will be a thing of the past.

    “We also need schools for the burgeoning population of our children. Most of our children go to neighbouring towns to attend schools. This is not ideal. More schools in our locality will lead to educational development. Education brings about development. We attach much importance to it. This is why I have been working personally in my own little way to develop our people educationally.

    “Roads open up a town. This is an important area we need the assistance of the government. We need more roads to open up Ogombo to people, especially investors, who are ready to invest heavily in the town. Road construction is capital intensive. It is only our government that is capable of handling this effectively. Therefore, I appeal to the Lagos State government to give us more roads.

    “Another area we need the help of the government is the field of health. We want the government to give us a general hospital that will take care of all medical cases. We travel a long distance to obtain health care. This is dangerous. Therefore, we make a special appeal to the state government to provide a general hospital for our people,” the Baale said.

    The royal father, who commended the leadership skills and styles of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said his community had at a time benefitted greatly from the wisdom of the great politician.

    He used the opportunity to congratulate Asiwaju Tinubu on the occasion of his birthday. The former Lagos State governor clocked 67 yesterday.

    He appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Governor-elect Babajide Sanwo-Olu to give dividends of democracy to Ogombo people who are strong supporters of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC).

    The installation of Baale Ogunbo threw Ogombo into a festive mood. People openly expressed happiness at his choice as the traditional ruler of the ancient town.

    As the royal father moved around the town performing traditional rites, people sang and danced, praising him for his love for his town.

  • Women lawyers, Lagos monarch join forces against right abuses

    The Ojora of Ijora Kingdom, King Abdul-Fatai Aremu Aromire has agreed to partner the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) to empower women, girl child, fight domestic violence and all forms of abuses to attain peace in the society.

    The agreement was sealed when members of the association led by the secretary, Mrs Phil Nneji, visited the monarch in Ijora as part of their activities for community outreach.

    Others in the team were Mrs Abimbola Badia Jack Oladugba, Mrs Aramide Keshinro and Mrs Adero Fadahunsi.

    King Aromire promised to pave the way for a forum where women in the community would interact with FIDA on issues affecting them and in particular, marital issues.

    He also promised to assist them to realise their objectives and goals of ensuring the protection of the women, children and the indigent in the community.

    Earlier, Nneji told the king that FIDA was very passionate about women and children and that this explained why they were seeking to protect and empower them.

    Nneji said in furtherance of the association’s objectives, its members carry out pro-bono services which involves free legal representation for indigent litigants.

    She said they also hold legal clinics where they listen to problems of the people and use Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to mediate and resolve such problems.

    “Because we have culture, we preach peace. We use the slogan, ‘Orange the World’. Through this platform, we preach peace all over the world. Starting from November 25, as decided by the United Nations, we have been preaching peace and against gender violence.

    “We reach out to community leaders like you, in their capacity as the King, for impact and for there to be peace in every community. Because there is so much poverty around, we have had to reach out to ensure peace at home”, Nneji said.

    She explained that the Child Rights Act was put in place by government to protect children and that the law was translated to so many languages for mothers to be able to read and create awareness in them.

    She lamented that so many things were happening which were unheard of in the past like “husbands killing wives, child defilement, rape, violence at home.

    “We have this culture of keeping quiet which has caused the death of many and this is why we are reaching out to people to break the culture of silence and ‘shout and speak out’ wherever they occur.”

    According to her, because unemployment is high, particularly amongst women, “FIDA carries out a lot of empowerment programmes. “We do this because we believe when you empower a woman, you have empowered the family and there would be less problems at home”, Nneji explained.

    Another member of the team, Mrs Abimbola, told the Ojora of Ijora Kingdom, Oba Aromire, that when they go out on community outreach and for impact, they invite women and children and educate them.

    “We create awareness in them and they open up to us and we take up their matter with the police up to the court and get the offender prosecuted”.

    Mrs Abimbola urged the monarch to create the opportunity for FIDA to move its legal clinic to Ijora Badia to speak with the women and their children, some of whom may be suffereing violations and defilements, while discouraging women to respect their husbands to ensure peace at home.

    Mrs Fadahunsi said not all cases are taken up to the court explaining that through mediation, a number of cases have been resolved and peace restored to most homes.

  • Lagos monarch for U.S. award

    The Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi, has been invited as special guest at this year’s North Carolina Awards in the United States of America (U.S.A).

    He was invited by the Governor of North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory.

    According to a statement by his media office, Oba Shotobi will leave for the U.S. today. He will attend the awards gala, holding at Raleigh Marriott City Center, on Thursday.

    The North Carolina Awards have been given annually since 1964 to citizens who have distinguished themselves and obtained distinction for notable accomplishments in public service, science, literature and fine arts. It is the highest honour the Governor and state of North Carolina can bestow.

    Recipients of this year’s awards are: Joseph Bathanti- Vilas-Literature: Dr Linda S. Barnbaum-Chapel Hill-Science, Robert J. Brown-High Point-Public Service:  James C. Gardner, Rocky Mount-Public Service, Dr. Assard Meymamdi, Raleigh-Fine Arts, Dr Azaz Sancar and Dr. Paul I. Modrich, Chapel Hill-Public Service.

    Oba Shotobi will also visit Houston Texas, to celebrate Nigeria’s 56th independence anniversary with members of lkorodu Descendants Association, next month. He will visit the king and people of Oyotunji kingdom in South Carolina before returning home.

     

     

  • Lagos monarch regains freedom

    Lagos monarch regains freedom

    The traditional ruler of Iba, Oba Goriola Oseni yesterday night regained his freedom from suspected kidnappers who whisked him away three weeks ago.

    It was learnt that the 73-year old Lagos State monarch was freed after ransom was allegedly handed over to his abductors who killed at least two persons the day the monarch was kidnapped.

    The Nation learnt that the monarch paddled himself home at about 9:20pm on a canoe which was provided him by his kidnappers.

    It was gathered that security operatives also arrested one General Duba, alleged to be the second in command of the gang that kidnapped the monarch.

    According to a source, the monarch’s relatives had earlier parted with N12 million few days after the gunmen abducted the monarch but refused to release him.

    They were said to have demanded for additional N5million, which was raised by the Council of Obas and other well wishers.

    The Lagos State Police command confirmed the monarch’s release, adding that efforts were on to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.