The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lagos State

  • Two men docked over alleged snatching of iPad

    Two men — Sunday Ifeanyi and Tosin Rasaq — on Tuesday appeared before an Apapa Senior Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly snatching an iPad worth N70,000 from a woman.

    Ifeanyi, 22, and Rasaq, 23, whose addresses are unknown, are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and unlawful possession of weeds suspected to be hemp.

    The prosecutor, ASP Austine Onwuemene, said the accused committed the offences at Church Bus Stop, Kuje in Amuwo area of Lagos on Aug. 14.

    He said the accused dispossessed the complainant, Mrs Precious Muotoh, of her iPad and N725.00 cash.

    “Muotoh raised an alarm which attracted passers-by, who helped to apprehend two of the accused and handed them over to the police,’’ Onwuemene told the court.

    According to him, a driver’s licence belonging to one Olabisi Olabode was also found on him during a search.

    The offences, he added, contravened Sections 166 (d), 285 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The Senior Magistrate, Mr M. K. Fadeyi, granted the duo bail in the sum of N20, 000 each and one surety each in like sum.

    In addition, he said the sureties, who should be civil servants, should show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused may be sentenced to a maximum of three years imprisonment each if found guilty.

    Further hearing has been fixed for Sept. 20. (NAN)

  • Senator Tinubu condoles with Fashola

    Senator Tinubu condoles with Fashola

  • Nigeria to feature in seven events at 2015 Special Olympics

    The Lagos State Committee for Special Olympics said on Wednesday that Nigeria would feature in seven of the 26 events at the 2015 Special Olympics, scheduled for Los Angeles, United States.

    Olawunmi Makinde, the coordinator of the committee, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that the events were athletics, basketball, table tennis, swimming, badminton, soccer and cycling.

    Makinde, who said the committee had begun preparation to ensure a successful outing at the Games, noted that early preparation would guarantee winning more medals at the competition.

    The coordinator said part of the preparations for the international competition was the regional competition for special athletes held in May in Ogun.

    She added that the forthcoming national games for special athletes scheduled for 2014 in Lagos would also serve as preparation ahead of the competition.

    “The Games will further expose the athletes to intensive training and rigorous exercises to equip them with the skills needed to excel at the competitions.

    “I can truly say that special athletes from schools in Lagos would be among the few that will make the national team because of their commitment to training,” she said.

     

  • Lagos State gives 4,200 pupils second chance

    No fewer than 4,200 public and private primary school pupils got a second chance to re-write the Lagos state Primary Six Placement Test into JSS1 last Saturday.

    They were among the four per cent who scored below 50 per cent or were absent for the examination organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Education on April 20.

    The examination which took place in about 24 centres across the state, was monitored by the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mrs Gbolahan Khadijat Daodu who said the examination was initiated last year to check the influx of poor quality pupils into secondary schools.

    She said the 96 per cent pass in the April examination was cheering news.

    “All children of school age are expected to be in school from Primary 1 to JSS3 and it is compulsory for any one in primary six to sit for this exam. We came up with the idea because many people complained that the standard of education was falling. Pupils are just moved from one class to the other without any serious examination or tests,” she said.

    She added that it’s not going to prevent any pupil from going to school but to ensure that only the excellent ones move to the next class. She also said other classes are not left out in Lagos state as no pupil will be promoted if he/she doesn’t get up to 50 per cent in the internal examination.

    “It is not only Primary Six alone; that is what we have adopted in Lagos state. Before you move from one class to the other, you have to get at least 50 per cent of the exams that you have done overall and also 50 per cent in English and mathematics. The same thing applies to this exam,” she said.

    She said those who wrote on Saturday were given a second chance to succeed. However, she complained that some of them undermined the chance as they were absent.

     

    The SUBEB Chair said those who fail the re-sit will repeat Primary Six. However, if they fail again next year, she said they will be sent to the technical colleges.

    Commenting on why many school-aged children are out-of-school in Nigeria, Mrs Daodu said economic reasons force parents engage their wards in child labour.

    “Some of them are economic in the sense that some parents or guardians feel that they don’t have the means of livelihood for them (children) and can only get such means by asking them to sell wears or other items; and I think they can still do that after school hours.

    “Education is free, at least the first nine years in Lagos state, so no parent or guardian should deprive these children of going to school. And we are using Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in doing a lot in this respect. The state government has passed the child right law. Enforcement is still the major problem. There is no reason for any child not to be in school,” she said.

     

  • Are Lagos councils living up to expectation?

    In the last 14 years, Lagos State, also known as the Centre of Excellence, has been the benchmark for development. The state is made up of 20 local government areas and 37 local council development authorities (LCDA). That brings the total number of local councils to 57. But how much value are the council areas adding to the development in the state?

    While some people think they are doing the little they can, many people are of the view that they are not adding any value. The common perception is that they are not doing enough to ensure that the citizens enjoy the dividend of democracy.

    Lagos lawyer Chief Fred Agbaje told The Nation that he had written three different letters to the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola over the bad roads in Agboyi/Ketu, LCDA where he resides. He said the governor, in a response to his last letter, promised to visit the area during the last Sanitation Day, but for some reasons, he did not turn up.

    Agbaje said the Adisa Balogun/Igboho Street is a major road that leads to Ogudu, the expressway to Oshodi and Third Mainland Bridge and it also connects the expressway that goes to Ketu and straight on to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    Agbaje said: “This road is the shortest route for people going to Ikorodu from Lagos. If they wish to avoid the traffic gridlock at Ketu, all they need to do is just go through there and come out at Ajelogo axis. The same thing applies to those coming from Ikorodu to Lagos Island in the morning. But the condition of this road is just too bad. With only a little rain the other day, it was impassable. What would happen if there should be a heavy down pour for two or three days? I tell you, one would need a caterpillar to pass through it,” he said.

    “My appeal to the state governor is that he should do everything possible to fix the road before the rains come in full swing. This is important because it is obvious that the local council authorities in Agboyi/Ketu have failed to do anything and it is not willing to do anything to rehabilitate the road. The last time I wrote the governor, I threatened to take the pictures of the road and upload them to the internet for the whole world to see. I gathered that those who received the letter grumbled that ‘Chief Agbaje should not harass the governor alone, he should also harass the council chairman and the authorities there what they have been doing with the allocation they have been receiving’. I don’t know what they are doing there,” Agbaje said.

    When The Nation sought to speak with the Council’s Information Officer, he was said to be out of the office. The Assistant Information Officer, John Ikpade, claimed that he could not speak on any issue. He however, advised that a formal application be made to the council chairman.

    In the neighbouring Kosofe Local Government Area, a public affairs analyst said that the council authorities seem to be more interested in providing free bus rides for school children than rehabilitating the roads and streets in the area. He argued that the bus conveying the children often take very long hours to get to school, thereby making the children arrive late to school, primarily because of the poor roads.

    He said that, if the council authorities should rehabilitate the streets and roads, the parents would take care of how their children and wards would get to school on time. A resident of Alhaji Kazeem Street in Ojota, said the most important thing he would like to see is the rehabilitation of street roads in the local government. He complained that when lorries come into the street to unload goods, they often create difficult situations for the residents. A drive through Emmanuel High Street and Ayinde Street, which are off Ogudu Road, showed that they urgently need attention.

    But speaking to The Nation, the council’s Information Officer, Mr Kehinde Daniel, said the local government has performed well in the last two years. He said critics fail to appreciate the fact that the council areas have access to limited resources while there are a lot of things waiting to be attended to. He said, in the light of such a development, the council can only prioritise and take such identified project one at a time.

    He produced a list of the projects that have been completed by the council and urged people to come forward and be well briefed before concluding that the council was not working.

    “To critics, the council may not be doing anything. But that is not true. One thing I would like our people to know is that the amount available to us is quite small. In the face of this, there are so many things competing for attention. So, the inevitable thing to do is to make a wish list and prioritise the same, such that the most important ones are attended to first. It is, therefore, important for us to take one thing at a time. With time, all these things people are talking about will be touched. “They should look at what has been done before and exercise patience, knowing full well that the chairman and his team are here to meet the need of the people of this council area,” he said.

    According to a record of projects presented to our reporter, the council undertook a total of 24 projects under the general heading of Works and Housing Department in year 2012. These include reconstruction of drains, construction of culverts, renovation of public offices and rehabilitation of Kujore street, Ojota.

    It carried out the repair of collapsed drains, construction of boreholes, installation of transformers, rehabilitation of blocks of classrooms and construction of event centre in the Ogudu area office, Ogudu.

    The document also listed other areas of where the council has worked to include education, medical, environmental, agriculture and poverty alleviation.

    Alimoso, one of the largest councils in the state, still has a lot to do. Starting from major roads like the Egbeda-Akowonjo road, it is evident that the authorities need to do more to ease traffic congestion, which is caused by flood that submerge the road during rainy season.

    At the Idimu Egbeda LCDA, the chairman was commended for what he is doing. According to a resident, he has constructed several link roads and also sunk several boreholes to ease the problem of shortage of water faced by the people in the area.

    A taxi driver, Mr Owolabi Taiwo, who lives in the area said: “Hon. Adebayo Bello is trying as far as we are concerned, there is no doubt that he has put to judicious use the resources at his disposal and I think if other council chairmen emulate him, Lagos State will live up to the expectation of a mega city. The Governor, Babatunde Fashola is doing very well but he must be complemented by the council chairmen to make the whole thing work together.”

    The Chairman of Oriade LCDA, Hon Ibrahim Sanusi, said: “Local Governments in Lagos have been constructing roads, there is no local government that has not tarred one or two roads. Local governments now use good edifices as their secretariat. In the area of health, most local governments in the state now have their health centres and that is why there is reduction in mortality rate due to the health care services. We have renovated one or two primary schools to show our concern for quality education. We have also put in place poverty alleviation programmes for our youths.

    “In as much the local councils have not relented on their oars in the performance of their duties, the truth is that Local Governments still battle with the Federal Government over the allocation of funds in Lagos due to the creation of 37 LCDA. Therefore, it has brought about appropriation of funds between Local governments and the Local Council Development Area”.

    Ayodele Adewale, the Chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government, said: “The people of Amuwo Odofin alone are 1.8 million people, I use the resources to carry out duties in a federal estate. The Federal Government has not attended to Festac Town for over 25 years. The biggest challenge is funding because local government is the tier of government that is closest to the people. Expectedly, people want the council to solve all their social problems as quickly as possible but the fund is not there to shoulder such responsibilities”.

    He appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of Local Governments by increasing the funds and also taking responsibilities of infrastructural projects like roads and electricity.

  • Military assures Lagos residents of adequate security

    Military assures Lagos residents of adequate security

    The military authorities on Sunday assured Lagos residents of improved security in the city.

    The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) the Western Naval Command, Rear Adm. Ibok  Ibas, gave the assurance at the  regimental dinner of the Nigerian Air Force in Lagos.

    Ibas cited the recent aborted attempt by suspected Boko Haram members to simultaneously bomb 16 designated landmarks in Lagos as a clear indication of the military’s efforts to be on top of security challenges.

    Ibas, who was also the special guest of honour at the event, assured that the military would always be on alert to  prevent such occurrences.

    The regimental dinner was hosted by the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, AVM. Aminu Adamu.

    Ibas noted that but for intelligence report gathered by security agencies, including the State Security Service,  the sect had attempted to plant terrorists cells in the South West with Lagos as its headquarters.

    He said the recent failed attempt to bomb Lagos was a sad reminder that evil men do not rest.

    “Evil men do not rest, so we must always be at an alert in protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

    “True, Nigeria is faced with diverse challenges which challenges its autonomy.

    “Therefore, there is hardly an arm of the armed forces that is not contributing to this effort.

    “It is also glad to note that the armed forces and sister services are working together in inter-agency cooperation, information gathering and sharing.”

    Commending the efforts of officers and men of the force, he stressed that the Air Force was committed to ensuring that the activities of evil men were curtailed to the barest minimum.

    The highlight of the dinner was the ritual toast to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The lights were put off first before the toast in line with military tradition.

  • Lagos lost N39b to fire in 2012 – Commissioner

    Lagos lost N39b to fire in 2012 – Commissioner

    Fire incidents across Lagos State in the last one year destroyed goods and properties worth at least N39.61b.

    The state Commissioner For Home Affairs and Culture, Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole, revealed this on Friday at a ministerial briefing to herald the sixth year anniversary of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration.

    He explained that most of the 2,342 fire cases occurred in residential buildings, pointing out that some of them could have been prevented if the right precautions were taken.

    The commissioner, however, said at least N139b in properties and goods were saved through quick response by men of the state’s fire service within the same period.

    “We are strengthening enlightenment using the various avenues and media on the need for residents to always take precautions against fire outbreaks and what they can do in emergency situations.

    “Issues of fire incidents are often prayed against,especially in this part of the world .So there is the need for residents to make adequate provisions for its prevention and curtailment, ” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the commissioner as saying at the forum.

    He said the government was upgrading fire formations and establishing new ones across the state to ensure quicker response to emergencies.
    He added that 32 fire trucks and other fire fighting equipment had just been recently acquired for the fire service to boost their capacity to respond to fire incidents.

  • Funsho Williams

    Funsho Williams

    • It is sad that solution to murder riddle is still not in sight, six years after

    Six years after the high-profile murder of Mr. Funsho Williams, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Lagos State, there are perturbing signs that a solution is not in sight to the riddle. Rather, developments in the trial of the suspects held for the crime have introduced counter-productive complications. Williams, an engineer and a hopeful in the political campaign leading to the 2007 governorship election in Lagos, was stabbed to death in mysterious circumstances on July 27, 2006, at his residence, 34A, Corporation Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    The news of the damage to crucial exhibits in the case provided by the pathologist who conducted a post-mortem on the victim sounds unbelievably absurd. A prosecution witness, Ovie Oyokomino, a deputy commissioner of police in charge of forensics at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, reportedly told Justice Adeniyi Adebajo of a Lagos High Court, Igbosere : “The perishable evidence such as blood samples as well as the vitreous humour of the eye went bad due to interrupted power supply in the course of refrigerating.”

    This is inexcusable, and betrays a lack of seriousness on the part of the investigators. Given the gravity of the crime, it was expected that the force would take adequate measures to prevent the loss of such vital evidence, including the employment of a generator where necessary. It goes without saying that power failure, blamed for the destruction of proof, regrettably mirrors the country’s infrastructural inadequacies. Also, the nature of the evidence, described as “perishable”, ought to have prompted an expeditious approach to the investigation.

    Another major setback in the case is the alleged inconclusive DNA analysis carried out on blood samples from the six male suspects arraigned before Justice Adebajo in March. During a court hearing this week, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. O.A. Akin-Adesomoju, made a request that is likely to further delay the conclusion of the case. She sought a court order to collect fresh DNA samples from the suspects in order to determine whether they matched blood stains found on a shirt at the crime scene. Intriguingly, she argued that another round of tests was required to confirm the culpability or innocence of the suspects. It is quite disappointing that this homicide matter is still at an early stage, to go by the prosecution’s position.

    There is a puzzling tardiness in the investigation. It is noteworthy that the suspects, three of whom are policemen – Bulama Kolo, Musa Maina, David Cassidy, Tunani Sonani, Mustapha Kayode and Okponwasa Imariable – standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder, have been in detention for some years, yet the case against them has not even been established. Interestingly, by way of defence, the prosecution supplied information meant to clarify why fresh blood samples could not be obtained earlier, stating that the High Court judge who granted the request at the time died without signing the order she made. It is not clear how and when this happened, but the reality is that the case has not progressed to the important stage of establishing the criminal involvement of the suspects.

    It is certainly laudable that efforts are ongoing to solve the Williams’ murder, particularly against the background of several unresolved high-profile murders across the country. But the suspects deserve to be treated fairly, for they are theoretically innocent until their guilt is established beyond doubt in a court of law. The longer it takes to justify their detention, the longer they will suffer, perhaps baselessly.

    There is no doubt that the prosecution’s argument for fresh blood tests, if it succeeds, will lead to yet another wait for results while the accused remain caged. However, since it is obvious that this evidence will be helpful in proving their guilt or innocence, a new round of tests would be in their best interest, if they are not blameworthy. In the final analysis, it is desirable to expedite the investigative process and ensure that justice is done.

  • Lagos CP pledges to track down council chairman’s kidnappers

    Mr Umar Manko, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, has pledged not to rest until those who kidnapped Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, the Ejigbo Local Government Chairman, were fished out.

    ASP Damasus Ozoani, the deputy police spokesman at the state command, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

    Ozoani said that information received by the police indicated that the local government chairman was kidnapped around 11p.m. on Monday.

    Ozoani said the police were making efforts to unravel the circumstance surrounding Bamigbetan’s abduction, adding that they would try their best to rescued him.

    “The police are investigating the matter; we do not want to do our investigations on the pages of newspapers in order not to jeopardise investigators’ work,” he added.

    “We do not have the identity of the kidnappers and the driver of the vehicle used for the kidnap took to his heel.’’

    Meanwhile, sources close to the state government alleged that the suspected kidnappers had demanded 1 million dollars in ransom for his release.

  • Lagos allays fears over terror attacks

    …Sacks transporters from Ojuelegba Under-bridge

    Amidst reports that Lagos is  a likely a target of  Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, Jama’atu Ansaral Muslimana Fi Biladis –Sudan, the Lagos State Government has  urged residents to ignore the threats and go about their normal activities.

    State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba and his counterpart in the Ministry of Environment Mr. Tunji Bello who spoke to journalists shortly after monitoring the February edition of the monthly sanitation exercise said the government has put measures in place to ensure the protection of lives and properties.

    The commissioners who during the exercise led a team of their personnel to comb under bridges and hidden places in Surulere local government area of the state of filth and suspicious materials said the state government and its security agencies are already working on security reports available to the

    “I will say categorically that Lagos is safe, Lagosians should not entertain any fear. We have done all we are supposed to do for Lagosians to live safely. I want to just tell them to go about their normal duties without entertaining any fear.

    “The idea of Boko Haram coming to attack Lagos is nothing to scare anybody. This is a proactive government and Lagosians have confidence in their government. Lagos is home to everybody and I don’t think anybody in a right frame of mind will want to extend act of terrorism or violence to Lagos. No matter how you look at it people have one interest or the other in Lagos, ” Ibirogba stated.

    Bello  said the decision to send transporters under the bridge in Ojoelegba packing became necessary to clean up the place and get rid of some unscrupulous elements hiding in the garage to perpetrate evil.

    He said the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) will take over the garage and ensure the transports polluting the place do not return to the spot and constitute nuisance.

    Meanwhile, the government has beefed up security at the Lagos State Governor’s and his deputy’s entrance gates, just as  vehicles are not allowed  into the state government secretariat.

    Our reporter learnt that the directive was given by top security aides to the state governor.

    By this development our correspondent was told by the police officers deployed to man the gates that visitors and workers at the Lagos State Secretariat Alausa are barred from entering or exiting through the gates unless they have been cleared by the Office of Head of Service Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe.

    The security personnel on duty turned blind eye to pleas from staff of the state government to allow them entrance to resume their duties scheduled for weekend, saying he was acting on instruction from a superior officer.