The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lagos State

  • Muslim communities urged to sustain inter-religious harmony

    Muslim communities urged to sustain inter-religious harmony

    Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has called on Muslim communities to uphold the legacies of late Chief Imam in the state, Sheikh Garba Akinola, especially on inter-religious and ethnic harmony.

    Ambode made the call at the eight-day Fidau prayers held in honour of the late Chief Imam of Lagos State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sheikh Akinola, who was inaugurated as the 9th Chief Imam of Lagos on July 30, 2000, died on Sept. 24, at the age of 79.

    Ambode, represented by his Deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, said that the best way to honour and immortalise the late cleric was to uphold his known legacies of faithfulness, hard work, religious tolerance, fear of God, love for one’s country, state and community.

    According to him, the late cleric also believed in mutual and peaceful co-existence among people, irrespective of their religions or tribes.

    ”We should continue to live together in peace, irrespective of religion or tribe; we should emulate all those virtues of the late Chief Imam and his strict adherence to the doctrines of Islam.

    ”The state government will continue to miss him for the noble role he played to promote inter-religious harmony in our state.

    ”He was a detribalised Nigerian, who used his vast knowledge of his religion, to promote peace and unity,” the governor said.

    Ambode urged the executive committee of the Central Mosque, where the late Sheikh was holding forth before his demise, to remain committed to the principles of unity and religious harmony.

    ”Do not allow the death of the Chief Imam to bring disharmony to the community.

    ”As a government, we will not relent in promoting peaceful relationship among people of different tribes and religions in the state,’ ‘Ambode said.

    In his sermon, the Chief Missioner of the Ansar-ud-deen Muslim Society of Nigeria, Sheikh AbdulRahaman Ahmad, advised Nigerians to face the reality and should not get entangled with material things.

    According to him, always live life with the fear of God as death is inevitable.

    ”Let us always be conscious of the life after death.

    “Every living soul will give accounts of his or her deeds on the day of judgement where material things like gold, houses, cars and love for power will be of no help,” he said.

  • Self-styled bishop arraigned over alleged N9m fraud

    Self-styled bishop arraigned over alleged N9m fraud

    An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State on Friday admitted a self-acclaimed bishop, Bankole Jefferson, to a N1.5 million bail, after being  charged with N9 million fraud.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Yewande Aje-Afunwa, ruled that the accused must produce two sureties, who must show evidence of payment of three years tax to the Lagos State Government.

    Jefferson, 54, bishop of Mercy Tabernacle Church, Ogba, Lagos, is standing trial on a three -count charge of conspiracy, fraud and stealing.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Peter Nwangwu told the court that Jefferson committed the offences sometime in January in Ogba, Lagos.

    Nwangwu said the accused obtained the money from the complainant, Mr Akinyemi Adebayo on the pretext of supplying  diesel.

    According to him, the accused committed the offences by conspiring with others still at large.

    “The complainant reported the case to the police who later discovered after series of investigations that the accused is fraudulent.

    “Jefferson avoided being arrested by travelling to the U.S. on an unknown mission.

    “The accused, on his return, was apprehended by the police and while trying to defend himself claimed that the money he collected from the complainant was for offering in the church.

    “The accused converted the money to personal use and all efforts to recover the money proved abortive,’’ Nwangwu said.

    The offences contravened Sections 287, 314 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 provides a three-year jail term for stealing, while Section 411 stipulates two years for conspiracy.

    The accused, however, entered a not ` guilty plea’ and his lawyer applied for bail on liberal terms.

    The case was adjourned until  Nov. 20.

  • Free HIV screening for NURTW members

    Free HIV screening for NURTW members

    The Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has commenced a study on HIV prevalence among the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State.

    Commenting at the inauguration ceremony of the programme at the Ojota New Garage, the Principal Investigator of NIMR, Dr. A. Z. Musa stated that the programme was aimed at identifying the level of prevalence and associated risk factors of HIV among road transport workers.

    She explained that Lagos State has been maintaining the Integrated Behavioural Biological Surveillance Survey (IBBSS) over the years but wants a specific prevalence survey among the members of the NURTW.

    According to her, the different branches and units were compressed into 10 clusters for easy operation. She added that the survey would be carried out in the three Senatorial districts of Lagos Central, West and East to achieve the mission of the programme.

    Dr. Oluseyi Temowo, the Chief Executive Officer of LSACA said it was good to collaborate with NIMR on a study such as the NURTW HIV prevalence study because of the track records of NIMR over the years.

    He believed that the survey would help the agency to have adequate data on HIV prevalence among members of the NURTW. He stressed the importance Governor Akinwunmi Ambode placed on the group, hence the need for the study among them.

    Responding on behalf of members of the NURTW, Mr. Francis Olasanwoye praised the Lagos State government for considering their members for HIV programme, even as he suggested that HIV screening exercise should be carried out for their members every six months. He also said the health programme should be expanded to include other health challenges such as eye screening and dispensing of required eye glasses.

     

     

  • Ambode donates 120 5KVA generating sets to police

    Ambode donates 120 5KVA generating sets to police

    •We’ll utilise facility to ensure effective law enforcement, says commissioner

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday handed over 120 5KVA generating sets to the Lagos State Police Command to power police formations across the state, with a pledge of continuous support to security agencies.

    Speaking at Lagos House,  Ikeja, while handing over the sets to the police, the governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensure safety of life and property.

    Ambode, who was represented by Chairman of Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) Mr Oye Hassan-Odukale, said the security of residents and investors remain a cardinal objective of his administration.

    He said the generating sets were procured by LSSTF.

    According to him: “Lagos is the safest state in the country and we hope to make it among the safest in Africa. Anything about security is given priority by our administration. Lagosians are now feeling safe. The safety that we are experiencing don’t come cheap but I like to assure that we are always willing to move at any time to ensure that we keep Lagos safe,” he said.

    The governor congratulated the Commissioner of Police, Mr Imohimi Edgal, and pledged to work with him.

    He said besides the generating sets, LSSTF would install the equipment in all divisions and area commands in the state.

    The governor urged the command to protect the sets and use them to keep the people safe.

    Executive Secretary of LSSTF  Abdulrazak Balogun said the sets would be distributed across the 107 divisions and 13 area commands.

    He said they were procured to fulfill the administration’s Light Up Lagos Project.

    “The procurement is also in tandem with Governor Ambode’s vision of a secured and investment-friendly Lagos. Police formations are critical to securing life and property in the state and it is important that these stations function optimally. This is why the Lagos State Security Council recommended the provision of power generating sets for these stations and the State Security Trust Fund expeditiously approved the expenditure.”

    Edgal thanked Ambode for the gesture, saying that the generating sets came at a better time.

    While assuring that the sets will be put to optimal use, Edgal said the facility would ensure that the divisional and area commands were well lit up.

    He said: “You can imagine the confidence the public will have if divisional headquarters and area commands are lit with the confidence that their matters would be earnestly addressed.

    “Power is essential. Our communication gadgets, especially phones need to be charged. You cannot function anywhere, you can’t take complaints, you can’t give directives to field officers when there is no power. These generating sets are valuable to us.”

  • Ambode okays reconstruction of Onikan Stadium

    Ambode okays reconstruction of Onikan Stadium

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday approved the rehabilitation and upgrade of the 5,000 capacity Onikan Stadium, near Tafawa Balewa Square Lagos Island, in order to make it meet the expectations of a 21st Century sporting facility.

    The stadium’s upgrade is also in line with the new Onikan-Marina Regeneration plan.

    In a statement issued by the State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the State Government said the upgrade demonstrates its commitment to use sports as a potent tool for development and job creation; adding that the stadium, which is the oldest in Nigeria, was originally built in 1930 but was last renovated in the 1980s.

    According to the Commissioner, the reconstruction of the stadium is in consonance with the vision of the present administration to transform the facility and other infrastructure within the locality into a tourism hub and make the stadium available for various sporting activities, especially football.

    “The upgrading of the stadium will rekindle the interest of football fans in local league, as well as promote sports tourism, take sports to greater heights and encourage youth activities,” he said.

    While noting that the upgraded stadium will further cement the State’s desire to attain a Host City status for local and international tournaments, Ayorinde remarked that it would also impact positively on the State’s revenue generation.

    Elaborating on the scope of the upgrade, the Commissioner said the work would entail complete demolition of the existing facility, removal of the old turf, pitch, underground drainage and artificial pitch base.

    He further stated that rehabilitation works would also be done on external and internal walls, electrical and mechanical installations; paved driveways, perimeter fence; borehole and water reticulation as well as external electricity lighting and landscaping amongst others.

    Onikan Stadium has, over the years, served as a multi-purpose stadium used for many social and political activities apart from hosting of football matches but its fortunes nosedived in the past few years due to inadequate funding and maintenance.

    “The Governor realized that the stadium in its present state could not inspire any sense of pride in Lagosians, especially our youths, and falls short of the expectations of a State that has always led the rest of the country in sporting activities,” Ayorinde noted.

    He added that the reconstruction and upgrade of the stadium would complement the adjoining JK Randle Arts Centre, the proposed Lagos Museum, the Lagos History Centre as well as the Lagos Heritage Centre which are all tourism-inspired projects.

    “Governor Ambode is passionate about sports development in the state, from the grassroots to the world stage and he is excited that the reconstruction will rekindle the love for local football league that is synonymous with the stadium and Lagos Island,” Ayorinde s

  • ‘Lagos of our dream real under Ambode’

    Chairman Mt. Sinai Hospital Dr. Charles Fadipe has said the dreams of the founding father of Lagos State are becoming reality under the present administration.

    He recalled that the agitation for the creation of Lagos State in the late 60s was to rescue the Centre of Excellence from the slavery mentality that only foreigner had the magic wand to produce good things.

    He noted that the health sector now compares with some of the best in the world because the present administration has proved that the state does not lack credible leadership.

    Fadipe said the struggle for the creation of Lagos State resulted in what the people are enjoying now, recalling that he and other activists such as the late Aka Bashorun, Tunji Gomez (lawyers) and others founded a local newspaper called Lagos Pax to give impetus to the clamouring for the creation of Lagos State.

    He said: “During the civil war, I decided to return home to contribute my own quota to the development of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general. On my return, I joined the Lagos State Ministry of Health where I worked in several hospitals, the last being Creek Hospital, Ikoyi.

    “I got drafted into the army as a Captain but rose to the rank of a Major. It was at the end of the war that I left the army, and subsequently, the services of Lagos State Ministry of Health. Thereafter, I established my own private medical organisation, the Ijora Industrial Clinic.

    “This became the first industrial clinic in Nigeria and from just one outfit, it spread to various industrial and residential areas of Lagos State before eventually metamorphosing to the now famous Mt Sinai Hospital and Clinics Group,” he said.

    Fadipe urged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to recruit some of the best hands in the world to Lagos health sector, stressing the rapid development in the state needs to be matched by the transformation of clinical services.

    “There is no doubt that the development has been so massive. Development in Lagos State has been going very fast which is good. Lagos State health sector has moved as fast as it should be. You cannot compare the state’s health sector to that of many other states. I had an operation done in the Gbagada General Hospital and I was very impressed with the doctors there.

    “The Ministry of Health needs to scout for doctors who are very dedicated to their professions. They need to know what a life or soul can cost. No doctor should leave his work or post during holidays, they must be available. If it will cost the government to pay more, let them do so,” he said.

  • Man impersonates Lagos Deputy Gov.

    Man impersonates Lagos Deputy Gov.

    About two years after the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, suspended her social media accounts, a 45year-old man, Adamu Aminu, who allegedly impersonated her on the facebook, was on Friday hauled up before an Ebute  Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court.

    He is facing a four-count charge of impersonation, conspiracy, false pretence and fraud.

    Aminu allegedly created a facebook account using the details of the deputy governor to defraud people.

    The Prosecutor, Mr Rafiu Aroyewun, Assistant Director, Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), State Ministry of Justice, told the court that the accused committed the offences in Agege area of Lagos sometime in August.

    Aroyewun said the accused used the account to extort money from unsuspecting members of the public before he was tracked down online by the Police.

    “The accused fraudulently obtained the sum of N1 million from one Mr Bright Obed on the pretext of soliciting funds for an orphanage in Agege set up by the Deputy Governor.

    “He also impersonated the Deputy Governor by calling and sending SMS on a mobile number 09064583091 to the public.

    “Investigation is ongoing and we are on the trail of others who are still at large, ” he told the court.

    The offences, according to the prosecutor, contravened Sections 314 (1), (a), 380 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

    Aminu pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Counsel to the accused, Ms Uzoamaka Nwafor, urged the magistrate to grant him  bail on liberal terms.

    In her ruling, Chief Magistrate Oluyemisi Adelaja admitted the accused to a bail of N300, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    She said the sureties must produce evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government and adjourned the case until Oct. 16 for hearing.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on Aug. 5, 2015, the Deputy Governor had disowned a facebook account created in her name by an impostor trying to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

    Adebule, in a statement, alerted the general public that some unscrupulous elements had been using her name, most notably on facebook, to dupe innocent people.

  • Lagos urges residents to report domestic violence

    Lagos urges residents to report domestic violence

    The Lagos State Office of the Public Defender (OPD) on Thursday urged residents to report incidents of domestic violence.

    Mrs Olubukola Salami, OPD Director, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

    She said that this would ensure justice and stem the rampant cases of the menace in the society.

    Salami also urged women who were victims of domestic violence to report the abuse immediately rather than suffer in silence.

    According to her, a delay in reporting could weaken or result in a loss of evidence to determine the case in court.

    “The Lagos State government has put in place many policies to safeguard the victim and to prevent domestic violence in the state.

    “Women should not condone domestic violence, they should speak out; they should also report it.

    “And then, of course, for neighbours and citizens of Lagos State, they should report it.

    “If you find out that your neighbour is abusing the child or the husband is abusing the wife, you should report it to the Office of the Public Defender.

    “You can report it to the Police, to the Ministry of Youth and Social Development and also the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

    “All these organisations have been put in place by the Governor of Lagos State to assist and to prevent the loss of lives as well as maiming of body.

    “So, OPD will go to the police station to ensure that the police investigates, to ensure that the case is charged to court at the end of the day and to ensure that the case is not swept under the carpet.”

  • ‘Lagos State Printing Corporation is best in West Africa’

    LAGOS State Printing Corporation Press is the best in West Africa, President of Mushin Lions Club Mr Bola Olatunde, has said.

    Olatunde, who visited the corporation, said with its state-of-the-art machinery, it could undertake any print job done abroad by corporate organisations.

    He decried the situation where printing jobs were taken abroad, thereby wasting  foreign exchange.

    The corporation’s General Manager, Mr. Sakirudeen Odusanya, said clients and visitors had described the corporation as European standard press.

    He said the corporation set up in 1971, was recently re-engineered and re-equipped with latest machine in reprography.

    Odusanya assured Lion Club members the corporation was committed to best standards and quality.

    With  the president on the visit is Kehinde Opeodu, Moshood Salako and Tunji Ibrahim, from Mushin Lions Club District 404 BI.

  • ‘Standard practices should be available in our health facilities’

    ‘Standard practices should be available in our health facilities’

    Dr. Adedoyin Ogunyemi, a public health physician at the Department of Community Health and Primary Health Care, University of Lagos and Public Relations Officer, Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, in this interview with Omolara Akintoye, talks about how to ensure standard practices in our health facilities.

    YOU said Lassa fever has been with us forever, how do you mean?

    What I mean is that we’ve had outbreaks sometimes year after year, sometimes it goes unreported and sometimes when it’s reported, you hear news of strange illness killing people and it frizzles out and we don’t quite name it. Since doing something about it is beyond just paying just lip service, we are where we are from the public health point of view because of some basic things we are missing out, and as long as we keep missing it, we will continue to struggle with Lassa fever: First is the issue of health illiteracy, we still have a lot to do educating people on these illnesses like Lassa fever and how it is spread. Essentially what are the things that make it to happen in some places and it’s not happening in some places, example is environmental sanitation. As we have all known, it is a fever whose vector is rats, as long as there is filth around rats will abound, so we must tackle the issue of sanitation. Look all over the cities, you see heaps of refuse, that is enough for rats to move around and when rats are close by the home, that becomes a serious problem. Then that brings us back to basic issues like keeping your foods covered and safe, food hygiene, many people still have to spread food outside, our common cassava is a good example, groundnuts, etc and rats have access to it, exposing and leaving their food carelessly for rats to feed on. If such foods are not properly cooked and hands are not washed, Lassa fever spreads. That takes us back to using containers to ensure that foods are properly kept, if you suspect that rats have touched it, you have to discard it, this might be expensive but you must not count the cost.

    Another reason is our Infection, Prevention, and Control Practices. In developed countries,  standard practices such as hand washing materials, gloves, face masks, goggles, are available and you don’t re-use them because they are in abundance and available in every facility, they have a protocol, this protocol don’t come cheap. When you have to remove gloves and re-wear it, then there is a problem because that is how it is spread among health workers. So back to the government and the health system, we have to invest in standard Infection, Prevention and Control Practices at all levels of government and it does not come cheap. Speaking about our health policies, how much are we dedicating to health? We are not really setting our priorities right, as I speak we don’t have a vaccine, why? Because we’ve not invested a lot in developing these vaccines. Lassa fever is one of those neglected tropical diseases i.e. any disease that is not a problem of the developed countries, they don’t invest their resources by providing vaccines for such diseases. It so sad to see that Lassa fever has been with us these many years and we are still battling with it. We are not funding our research laboratories to find new discoveries.

    Also the moment an index case is reported, people should not be quiet about it, say it out and loud so that they can immediately begin to trace people, this does not mean that you will come down with the disease. My take is that you don’t wait for an outbreak before you begin to talk about prevention and control, it should be our practice.