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Tag: Lagos State

  • Two die, many injured as gunmen invade Lagos community

    Two die, many injured as gunmen invade Lagos community

    Two people have been killed and many others injured after armed men invaded Ijegun Egba community in the Ori Ade Local Community Development Area(LCDA) of Lagos State.

    The gunmen were said to have attacked the community on Monday and Tuesday from a neighbouring riverine village over a dispute that began last Thursday.

    The deceased were identified as a sickler, Gbenga Areagbo, 40, and one Oladapo Olukoya.

    A short video seen by our Correspondent showed one of the victims lying lifeless on the ground with his head smashed and bloodied.

    It was gathered that the attackers carted away the body of Olukoya through the jetty to Ibasa, the nearby riverine village.

    Although the cause of the armed invasion was yet to be ascertained, sources said the gunmen started harassing and robbing locals last Thursday.

    The Nation reports that land grabbing, cultism, pipeline vandalism and illegal levies from miscreants were among triggers of violence in that part of the state.

    A native of Ijegun Egba, Kudus Fadiku, who confirmed the incident to reporters, alleged the gunmen were thugs from Ibasa.

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    “They identified an indigene of our town, Wasiu Ademola, and they attacked him. He was seriously injured and they wanted to take him to Ibasa through the river when he lied to them that he is not from Ijegun Egba and that he is a policeman. That was when they released him.”

    Another resident, Kazeem, said the reported the case at Satellite Town Police Station that Thursday but were told by the police that the town was peaceful.

    “The armed men came again on Friday to Zone 2 area of the town and started harassing people. They were trying to identify members of our community. One of them, Sodiq, was the one pointing at people.

    “They took that advantage to rob and attack residents and passers by in the area, when they did  not see any of their targets,” he said.

    “The issues however escalated on Monday as the hoodlums, led by Evico, Teslim, Ligali and Jamiu, allegedly stormed the jetty and shot Oladapo Adekoya dead.

    “They shot him and also used cutlasses and axes on him before taking his corpse to Ibasa through the river,” said a resident.

    A community leader, Saeed Ayinde, while mourning Adeagbo, said: “I had gone to FCID, Alagbon for a matter, when I got the news of his killing.

    “He was sitting with one of his friends, Lateef Arowolo at Ade Oshodi junction, Ijegun Egba, when the hoodlums invaded the area with arms and ammunition.

    “They came in about three vehicles and motorcycles, brandishing guns and cutlasses. Lateef only narrowly escaped death but they attacked Gbenga, who could not run.

    “They asked if he was Lateef and when he told them that he was not ,they shot him at very close range and also used axes to cut him .

    “We have also reported at the Area E Police Command in FESTAC but till now, nobody has been arrested in connection with the killings and attacks.”

  • Lagos launches N500m farmers’ subsidy for food security

    Lagos launches N500m farmers’ subsidy for food security

    Lagos State Government will launch a N500 million intervention fund, “Ounje Eko”, a farmers’ subsidy programme, on February 5.

    Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said this during a conference at Alausa, Ikeja.

    “This initiative is designed to provide affordable, domestic food sufficiency for over 23 million residents of Lagos State,” she said.

    Olusanya said the intervention would be implemented in collaboration with the private sector and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector, to ensure fair pricing of products for consumers.

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    “The state government will be supporting farmers with a 25 per cent subsidy on animal feeds in their production to markets,”

    The programme will benefit poultry, crop and fish farmers, with additional support through tractorisation services for crop production and distribution of fertiliser bags.

    According to Olusanya, the key objectives of the programme are to sustain and improve production levels, ensure a steady supply of poultry and fish products in the market, prevent further farm closures and mitigate food insecurity in the state.

    “This initiative is a crucial step in our broader agenda to reduce over-reliance on food imports, strengthen local food production and enhance agricultural value chain in Lagos State.”

  • Lagos reaffirms commitment to service delivery

    Lagos reaffirms commitment to service delivery

    The Lagos State Government has reiterated its dedication to delivering effective and efficient public services.

    IT is in line with its THEMES Plus agenda of transforming Lagos into a 21st Century Economy. Speaking at the opening of a three-day retreat for chief executive officers and heads of parastatals, agencies, and government-owned companies in Lagos yesterday, the Head of Service, Bode Agoro, highlighted the initiative’s goal to enhance collective leadership and governance capacity in the state.

     “Our gathering today underscores the strategic importance of your roles as Chief Executives and leaders of critical institutions that drive governance, service delivery, and economic growth in our great state. 

    The parastatals and agencies under your leadership are key enablers of this administration’s policies and programs, directly impacting the lives of over 20 million residents,” Agoro stated.

    He added: “This retreat offers an invaluable opportunity to reflect on our collective mandate, review our various agencies’ strategies, and align our efforts towards effectively achieving the fourth pillar of this administration’s THEMES Plus agenda: Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.

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    Leadership in the public sector comes with unique challenges, such as balancing service delivery with revenue generation, navigating resource constraints, and fostering innovation within bureaucratic systems.”

    Agoro  emphasized that the retreat is designed to equip participants with the tools, insights, and strategies needed to overcome challenges and position their agencies for resilience, sustainable growth, and development.

    In his goodwill message, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Parastatals Monitoring, Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro, highlighted the retreat’s theme, “Leadership and Good Governance: Strategies for Enhancing Performance, Service Delivery, and Revenue Generation,” as timely and crucial for navigating the evolving demands of 21st-century governance.

    “As Chief Executive Officers and Heads of Parastatals, Agencies, and Government-Owned Companies, your roles are pivotal. You are the drivers of innovation, custodians of public trust, and stewards of institutional excellence.

    The success of Lagos State’s developmental agenda largely depends on the strength of your leadership and the effectiveness of your strategies,” Obanikoro said.

    He noted that the retreat presents a unique opportunity to reassess approaches, recalibrate priorities, and recommit to delivering results that align with the vision of Greater Lagos.

    In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Parastatals Monitoring Office, Mrs. Adetutu Ososanya, thanked Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for his visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to transforming and enhancing the efficiency of the state’s public sector. She urged participants to use the retreat as an opportunity to drive efficiency, transparency, and accountability in their agencies.

  • Lagos, Fed Govt sign MoU on 68km VI, Lekki, Ajah rail project

    Lagos, Fed Govt sign MoU on 68km VI, Lekki, Ajah rail project

    The Lagos State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government’s Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) to begin exploratory work on the 68-kilometer Green Line rail project, which will connect Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

    The announcement was made by Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, yesterday. He described the initiative as a significant step toward advancing the state’s transportation infrastructure.

    “This landmark project will improve connectivity, ease movement, and boost economic activities between critical areas in Lagos,” Omotoso stated.

    The Federal Government has allocated N175.84 billion in the 2025 budget to support key national priorities, including workforce welfare, infrastructure development, and strategic asset protection. Of this allocation, N146.14 billion has been earmarked as counterpart funding for the Lagos Green Line Metro Rail project.

    The 68-kilometer rail network will stretch from the Lekki Free Trade Zone to Marina, connecting vital areas of Lagos, including Victoria Island, Lekki, and Ajah.

    Omotoso highlighted the administration’s achievements in infrastructure development, noting that the government completed 36 road projects in 2024, including bridges, link roads, and pedestrian infrastructure.

    “We have also embarked on over 51 other road projects at various stages of development across all five divisions of the state,” he said.

    Key projects include the Arowojobe Link Bridge in Mende, Maryland, the Platinum Road in Igbokusu, and the Babafemi Dada Bridge in Yinka Folarin, among others.

    On the state’s Bus Reform Initiative (BRI), Omotoso revealed that construction is ongoing for new BRT terminals and supporting infrastructure.

    “The Abule Egba and Iyana Ipaja Bus Terminals are progressing well, while the Ajah Bus Terminals and Depots are nearing completion. Additionally, significant work is being done on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, with the Doyin Orile to Mile 2 section under active development,” he explained.

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    Omotoso further emphasized the administration’s milestone in 2024 with the completion and commissioning of the first phase of the Red Line rail project, a 27-kilometer stretch from Agbado in Ogun State to Oyingbo in Lagos.

    “This rail line, which began passenger operations on October 15, 2024, is expected to serve 500,000 passengers daily,” he said.

    The Red Line includes eight strategically located stations, four vehicular overpasses, and three pedestrian bridges. It integrates seamlessly with key terminals such as Ikeja, Oshodi, and Yaba, providing comprehensive connectivity for commuters.

    Omotoso added that work has commenced on the second phase of the Blue Line, which will extend it from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko.

    “Our vision is to integrate the Red Line with the Blue Line, creating a robust rail network that serves the growing.

  • Lagos to open 280-bed hospital in Ojo 

    Lagos to open 280-bed hospital in Ojo 

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said 280-bed multi-specialist General Hospital project in Ojo Local Government would be completed and become operational in December.

    He spoke yesterday during a working visit to the hospital facility.

    He expressed confidence that the project would be ready by the end of the year, describing it as a significant health care development.

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    “This massive infrastructure spans over six hectares and will provide full outpatient services, medical diagnosis, accident and emergency services and other features typical of a specialist hospital,” Sanwo-Olu said.

    He highlighted the hospital’s comprehensive features, including 280 beds arranged in four vertical structures.

    “It also includes auxiliary facilities such as a large restaurant and central laboratory. The facility will have 64 flats for medical personnel, including three-bedroom and one-bedroom apartments distributed across four residential blocks,” he added.

    Sanwo-Olu said the hospital would be the largest in Lagos West Senatorial District.

    The governor also performed the groundbreaking ceremony for Platinum Shopping Complex on Iyana Iba Road, Ojo, Lagos.

  • Why Lagos achieved zero-crime yuletide, by CP

    Why Lagos achieved zero-crime yuletide, by CP

    Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos State Command, Mr Olanrewaju Ishola, says effective collaboration and intelligence sharing among security agencies was responsible for the zero-crime rate during the yuletide in the state.

    He said the achievement underscored the importance of interagency cooperation in maintaining law and order, especially during peak festive periods.

    He said the state recorded zero crime during the yuletide because all the measures put in place yielded good fruits.

    “It is on record that over 5,000 people flew into the country through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in December 2024 alone to celebrate with their loved ones.

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    “And 90 per cent of them stayed till January without any hitch, ” he said at a news conference in Lagos.

    Ishola, however, the feat was achieved through intelligence sharing which underscored the need for harmonised inter Agency collaboration to curb crime and criminality in the state.

    “During this period we had intelligence-led policing that resulted into the peaceful season that we had in Lagos.

    “Reports filtered in that there was going to be a security breach in the state, the command had to do crime mapping of blackspots and volatile areas in the state, which of course, paid off,” he said.

  • Lagos orders closure of pedestrian bridge at Oshodi

    Lagos orders closure of pedestrian bridge at Oshodi

    •To inaugurate 10 ferries

    The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate closure of the pedestrian bridge connecting Oshodi Bus terminals 2 and 3, citing safety concerns over the bridge’s safety and structural integrity.

    The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, gave the order in a statement on Friday.

    The statement read in part: “The order, in addition, mandated the contractor that handled the initial construction of the terminal, through the Office of Infrastructure, to place concrete barriers at the entrances leading to the bridge.

    “This is to safeguard the lives of pedestrians who use the infrastructure,” he said.

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    Osiyemi said that the closure was also to conduct a comprehensive structural integrity assessment on the bridge for repairs/reconstruction works.

    He advised pedestrians to make use of an alternative bridge located 30 metres away, pending the outcome of the structural integrity assessment.

    Meanwhile, the state government is to inaugurate 10 ferries to further enhance transportation and generate socioeconomic development in the state.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, made this known on Friday at the Joint Citizens Media Engagement Forum,  a

  • Students with disabilities win quiz competition

    Students with disabilities win quiz competition

    Pupils of Junior Inclusive High Schools in Lagos State have been celebrated for their triumph at the grand finale of the interactive Quiz Competition organised by the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA).

    The five participating schools are Methodist Junior School, Badagry; Ipakodo Junior School, Ikorodu; Ikeja Junior High School; Sango Junior School, Agege and Odo Obara Junior School, Epe.

    General Manager of LASODA Mrs. Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal said the government remains committed to fostering inclusivity and enhance educational development for all children in the state, and will continue to address the concerns of pupils with disabilities.

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    The General Manager, represented by the Director of Admin and Human Resources, Mrs. Omolade Sonubi, noted that besides fostering academic excellence, the initiative will also activate the talents, abilities, and potential of pupils with special needs.

    The event organised was organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. Preliminaries held last year.

    She said: “The preliminary round was designed to assess students’ knowledge across a variety of basic education subjects. Separate sections were created to test the participants’ skills and understanding in various academic areas, and after an intense and engaging competition, three schools emerged victorious in each section.”

  • Lagos orders illegal stall owners to vacate within 48 hours

    Lagos orders illegal stall owners to vacate within 48 hours

    The Lagos State Government yesterday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to traders operating under the Apongbon Bridge and on drainage setbacks on Lagos Island to vacate their stalls as part of its ongoing urban regeneration project.

    The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, spoke during an inspection tour of the Savage/Elegbata-Bombata Drainage Channel around the Olowogbowo/Apongbon axis.

    He expressed concerns over the negative impact of human activities in the area, noting that they contribute significantly to flooding and pose serious threats to lives and properties.

    “These drainage setbacks have been converted into shops and stalls, which is unacceptable. This misuse of infrastructure hampers the effectiveness of the regeneration process. I have instructed that abatement notices be served to the shop owners, and we will revisit the contracts to include these drainage collectors in our urban renewal plans.

    “What we saw is unacceptable. People have fully built on setbacks and drainage channels. When you obstruct these structures, how do you expect them to function? If compliance is not achieved within 48 hours, enforcement will commence,” Wahab said.

    The commissioner observed that traders selling livestock had converted spaces under the Apongbon Bridge into a ranch and livestock market, further aggravating the situation.

    He ordered the immediate relocation of the traders to designated markets, warning that their activities were blocking critical drainage systems.

    Wahab emphasised that the government would not tolerate actions that undermine public infrastructure, stressing that such behaviors must stop immediately.

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    “We cannot fold our hands and allow Lagos to become a Hobbesian state where life is nasty, brutish, and short,” he said.

    The commissioner also directed the immediate sealing of two construction sites, one on Alakoro Martins Street and another in Ebute Ero Market for stacking building materials on drainage systems.

    “These actions are illegal. The offenders will be required to remove the materials and clean the drainage systems before the sites are unsealed,”

    Wahab urged market operators to ensure that traders use designated market spaces, highlighting that the government and local councils would work together to enforce environmental laws.

    “While markets fall under the purview of local governments, this does not give them the right to infringe on environmental laws,” he added.

    Special Adviser on Environment, Engr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu echoed the commissioner’s sentiments, urging traders to avoid defacing the environment and operate only in designated areas.

    “It is the duty of all residents to maintain the environment and prevent indiscriminate dumping of refuse,” he stated.

  • Lagos warns estate residents against unwholesome practices

    Lagos warns estate residents against unwholesome practices

    Lagos State government has warned residents of government-owned estates against unwholesome practices.

    Some of the residents have been disregarding the rules in their allocation letters.

    In recent times, the Ministry of Housing has been inundated with reported cases of energy theft, discarding of shared facilities and refusal to pay statutory estate dues and other contraventions. 

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    Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, gave the warning in the wake of an enforcement carried out at Lateef Kayode Jakande (LKJ) Gardens at Igando, where some residents were reported to have involved in energy theft.

    Akinderu-Fatai stated that the ministry  would “not accept situations where residents will choose to bypass and abandon existing infrastructure like water system, electricity and other shared services and choose to litter the estate with individual solutions which distorts the estate landscape’’.

    The commissioner also frowned at residents who broke seals of apartments earlier sealed for various contraventions and further warned of dire consequences for such acts.