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  • Lagos APC Chair, NWC panel disagree over governorship primary

    The Chairman of the  Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Alhaji Babatunde Balogun and the Chairman of the electoral committee set by the National Working Committee (NWC) Clement Ebri have taken divergent positions on the governorship primaries conducted in the state on Tuesday.

    The Lagos APC chairman insisted that the election was credible, fair and transparent as there was no case of violence recorded in all the 245 wards where election took place.

    Balogun said that the election and the results declared are valid. “I am the APC chairman in Lagos State and I can’t disenfranchise about 1.5 million people that took part in this exercise all over the state.

    “The election stands of course, it stands because the election was conducted according to the constitution. The guideline has been drawn, the basic rule for direct primary is to get accredited, count the number of those who queued behind any aspirant of their choice.

    ” That is what happened today and the people did that openly on their own free will.”

    But the NWC electoral panel has dissociated itself from the primaries.

    The panel’s chairman reporters yesterday in the hotel where the panel members lodged at Ikeja, said he had nothing to do with the primaries.

    Ebri urged Lagosians, particularly members of the APC to disregard the results of the election in the state as no state party official is empowered to accredit or conduct governorship primary.

    As a result, he said the electoral committee is set to conduct fresh primaries, from where the Lagos APC governorship candidate will emerge. However, Ebri was not categorical on when the fresh primaries will hold.

    He said: “We have to do things right. We have just concluded preparation of the primaries. The returning officers and other officials for the ward where the election will take place are around.

    ” We want a kind of victory that will be celebrated by both sides; we want to conduct primary that follows the guidelines and that is credible.

    “We are going to the field to do it with objectivity and make sure it is reliable. I will contact the national secretariat for directives.

    “Like INEC, we the electoral committee members do a lot of work behind the scene. So, the most credible primary in Lagos APC is our target. We have been waiting for the Lagos APC chairman to give us information needed to kick off the exercise. He has provided us the information.”

    Justifying the authenticity of the governorship primary held yesterday, Balogun said the election “had taken place, did you (journalists) see what happened today. You saw some observers, INEC officials were there to observe the primary.

    ” A large number of you were at different wards were elections were conducted in Lagos. And of course, the primary election took place in all the 245 wards in Lagos State. Did you experience violence anywhere? Not a single case of violence was reported. It was peaceful, fair and transparent.

    “The number of voters on queue were counted and recorded under INEC supervision. I don’t see anything wrong about that. It was a direct primary and that is what we did. There was no fault in that processes, so the election stands.”

  • APC primary: Policemen at Airport Hotel, Lagos

    An army of policemen has surrounded Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.

    It is not immediately clear why they are there, but a source said their presence may not be unconnected with the primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Read Also: Imo primaries: APC disbands Gulak panel – Oshiomhole

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Jide Sanwo-Olu are in the race for the ticket.”WE suspects that the buses are moving in ballot boxes,” the source said.

    The Nation could not confirm the allegation.

  • Police smash child sale syndicate 

    A syndicate that specialises in stealing and selling children has been uncovered by the police in Lagos.

    Three members of the gang identified as Joy Okoye, 28, Uju Obieze, 40, Ifeyinwa Ezene, 46, were arrested in Lagos, Delta and Anambra States respectively, while their victim, a two-year-old baby was recovered at Enugu State at the residence of one Ifeoma Okoye, said to be deceased.

    Read Also:Police dock two scavengers over alleged generator theft

    It was gathered the child went missing on May 1 at her parent’s 27, Test Oluwale Street, Olodi Apapa residence.

    The child’s father, Ekene Nwoagbo was said to have filed a complaint on her disappearance at the police station which prompted Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal to direct the Anti-Kidnapping unit to take charge of the case.

    Preliminary investigation, it was gathered, indicted Okoye, a resident of 64, Kirikiri Street, Olodi Apapa who confessed to the crime, adding that she connived with one Amarachi, still at large, to sell.

    Okoye, it was learnt told detectives they sold the kid N300, 000 to Obieze, a resident of 8, Okwe Road, Asaba, Delta State.

    Consequently, the command mobilised detectives to Asaba and Obieze was arrested on September 13 and she allegedly confessed that she bought the baby in collaboration with Ezene of 2, Eze Bishop Street, Onitsha, Anambra State.

    Upon her arrest, Ezene, it was gathered, led the police on September 14, to 40, Amaechi Street off Agbani Road, Enugu, said to be the residence of Okoye, whom they resold the child to.

    Policemen were however told at the address that Okoye died the previous week though the child was recovered from her relatives.

    Confirming the incident, Police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP) said Okoye’s relatives were mourning her death at the time detectives arrived her home.

    He said: “The little girl has since been reunited with her parents. The suspects will be charged to court on Wednesday.”

  • 10 vehicles razed in Lagos fire

    At least 10 vehicles were on Tuesday morning burnt after spilled Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) ignited fire along Badagry Expressway, Lagos.

    The incident occurred around 5am at Barrack Bus Stop, Ojo.

    It was gathered that a tanker which collided with a white van around 10:30pm on Monday got punctured.

    The punctured tanker, said to have spilled its content on the road, was recovered by emergency workers the same night.

    But hours after the recovery, it was gathered that a fire broke out miles away from the accident point, gutting three buses, a saloon car and six trucks.

    Although initial reports alleged that persons were killed in the inferno, a source at the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said there was no casualty.

    “No life was lost in the fire. The tanker that spilled its content was not affected. The spillage happened on Monday night. It was stopped and the tanker drove away from the place. Fire service also blanket the affected area.

    “Then hours later, fire broke out and affected some vehicles. No one sustained injury and no house was burnt. The fire was ignited by unruly drivers who disobeyed safety instructions and that led to a spark,” said a source.

    Confirming the incident, General Manager LASEMA Adesina Tiamiyu said the agency received a distress call concerning a tanker accident around 9:48pm on Monday at Barrack inward Iyana Iba Bus Stop.

    “This prompted the immediate activation of the agency’s response team to the scene of the incident. Upon arrival at the scene, it was observed that the tanker with unknown registration number laden 33,000 litres of PMS collided with a white mini truck carrying electrical appliances.

    “The tanker’s rear compartment got punctured resulting to spilling of the PMS contents into the environs. Consequently, a combined team of Lasema Response Unit (LRU), Lagos State Fire Service, Police and other responders successfully curtailed and stopped further spillage of the PMS into the environs of the incident scene.

    “The articulated tanker and trucks were thereafter recovered from the incident scene. However, during the recovery process, the PMS which hitherto spilled into the distant environment ignited fire and went aflame.

    “The fire travelled back to the proximity of the scene resulting to three buses, a car and six trucks getting burnt. The circumstances resulting to this fatal secondary incident could have been attributed to unsafe practices by inhabitants in the distant environs where the PMS spilled into. It is pertinent to note that no person was injured neither was any dead recorded.

    “The Lagos State Fire Service, officials of the LASEMA Response Team, 81 Division Nigerian Army Fire Service, Nigeria Police and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were the responders at the scene of incident.

    Read Also: Tanker fire: 40 shops, eight houses burnt

    “Motorists are advised to listen to instruction of emergency workers on incident scene to avoid such unfortunate incident in the future,” said Tiamiyu.

    Police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP) however said nine vehicles were affected and not 10.

    Oti said: “There was a fire incident today, October 2, at about 5am along Lagos-Badagry expressway, inward Iyana-Iba, opposite Ojo Military Barracks.

    “When the fire which began just before the break of the dawn was eventually put out by men of the Fire Service, nine vehicles, comprising four articulated vehicles, one truck and four mini buses were razed.

    “No life was lost and there was no report that anyone was injured during the incident. It is worthy of note that no fuel tanker was in sight nor burnt as a result.”

    Continuing, Oti said Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal had directed the disaster management unit of the command to investigate the cause of the inferno.

  • Survey: why Lagos, other ports are expensive

    Why are the country’s ports considered the most expensive in West Africa? It is because of multiple import charges, investigation has shown.

    The charges are hindering the government’s trade facilitation programme. But other sub-regional ports, including  Cotonou’s, are thriving.

    Besides, tracing capability and speed, poor yard planning and spacing, online accessibility of pricing and quick debt note reconciliation, among others, make the ports expensive.

    Others include low level of automation and integration of handling process by government agencies with major stakeholders such as terminal operators, importers, truck drivers and clearing agents; poor infrastructure investment profile by the government; unstreamlined movement of containers per crane, per hour from ships to stacking position and the trucks.

    Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Vice President Dr Kayode Farinto blamed the high cost of cargo processing at the ports on these factors.

    Importers, Farinto said, cleared many charges before taking their goods out of the ports, urging the government to reduce the cost of doing business at the ports. Importers pay Customs duties and levies that are not uniform in most of the nation’s sea ports.

    Other tariffs that make the ports expensive are the seven per cent development levy; one per cent comprehensive import supervision scheme; 0.5 per cent  ECOWAS Trade Liberation Scheme (ETLS); NIMASA/NPA Sea Protection Levy (SPL); haulage cost – transportation per TEU and terminal operator progressive stage charges. Importers also pay terminal operator documentation; terminal operator examination; terminal operator scan fee; terminal operator loading fee; terminal operator delivery; terminal operator handling and terminal operator labour fees.

    They also pay shipping line demurrage; shipping line agency; shipping line documentation; shipping lines telex release; shipping line container deposit fees; terminal operators two weeks additional advance rating period; shipping line two weeks additional advance rating period; shipping line minimum of one month grace for container deposit refund; freight forwarders professional fee – unstreamlined; and several inconsiderate charges at the bounded terminals, among others.

    Lagos Shippers Association President Mr Jonathan Nicol said the five per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) and the one per cent Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) charge were some of the charges. The others are the 35 per cent Automobile Levy and the Common External Tariff Levy. According to him, the combined charges on one consignment affect shipper’s profit. He urged the Federal Government to address industrialists’ cry to reduce the charges.

    According to him, the Federal Ministry of Finance should provide leadership in managing the problems of the shipping community.

    The shippers’ boss said the government should think about the huge investments in building the seaports and maritime prospects in the next 20 years to attract more cargoes. Nicol also suggested that plans must be made to secure and promote local industries, the manufacturing sector and the shippers. He noted that it was the duty of the government to encourage private entrepreneurs to contribute to the economy’s growth.

    “When you add the costs of generating power in a factory with salaries, these costs cannot be by-passed whether you like it or not. You must provide power for your factory and you must pay staff salaries,” he said. Nicol said the bottlenecks at the ports wee responsible for the government’s appointment of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council as the economic regulator.

    He condemned the govern-ment’s inability to enforce the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act 2003 (Cabotage Act) to enable indigenous ship owners participate in crude oil lifting. A maritime lawyer, Mr Dipo Alaka, berated the government for not streamlining the charges.

    “To make matters worse, importers and clearing agents are compelled to pay demurrage on containers for the numbers of days containers remain at the port, even when there is system breakdown caused by the service providers.

    “Importers used to pay for terminal handling charges, container cleaning charges, manifest amendment upon request by an importer, container deposit (refundable) and container demurrage,” he added.

     

  • Adamawa APC: Delegates protest suspension of governorship primaries

    Many delegates including some members of National and State Houses of Assembly have protested the suspension of Adamawa governorship primaries by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The NWC had in a statement on Monday issued by the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Yekini Nabena announced the rescheduling of governorship primaries for Adamawa, Enugu and Lagos states.

    Addressing the agitated delegates at Ribadu Square, Gov. Mohammed Bindow urged them to take it easy and accept whatever happened as an act of God.

    “I want to apologise to you over the development and to thank you for your patience and cooperation as we await further directive from the party.

    “I remain loyal to the party and urge every party member in Adamawa to be calm and loyal party member,” Bindow said.

    Read Also: Masari, Lado clinches APC, PDP tickets in Katsina

    Also speaking, Rep. Abdulrazak Namdaz, urged the people to remain calm, adding that whatever the situation, be it direct or indirect primaries it’s the people of Adamawa that will vote for the candidates of their choice.

    “We are not afraid of facing direct or indirect primaries,” Namdaz said.

    NAN reports that the APC primaries initially scheduled for Sunday ran into a hitch when two of the three aspirants,Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and Dr Mahmood Halilu contesting with Gov. Bindow announced their withdrawal over method of primaries and choice of venue.

  • NMA extends ultimatum to FG over reconstitution of council

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), on Monday says it will extend the ultimatum given to the Federal Government to reconstitute the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) by two weeks.

    The NMA President, Dr Francis Faduyile, in a statement in Lagos, said that the extension was to allow government to complete the process of its reconstitution, which, according to him, has reached an advanced stage.

    NMA had on Sept. 7 issued a Sept. 30 deadline for the government to reconstitute the board of the MDCN.

    Faduyile said, however, that the association would not accept any further delay beyond Oct. 14, 2018.
    “We wish to state unequivocally, that the dissolution of the MDCN has caused a lot of damages to medical practice in the country.

    “The colossal damage brought about by the absence of the regulatory body is almost irreversible.
    “Nigeria perhaps could be the only country that allows the practice of medicine to go on without regulation, even for one day.

    “NMA further calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct that henceforth, the MDCN should never be dissolved, to safeguard the health of all Nigerians, “ he said.

    The NMA President urged Nigerians to resolve to contribute their quota sacrificially toward nation building as the country celebrates her 58th independence.

    He said that irrespective of the lapses and setbacks, there was still hope for a greater country.

    Faduyile said: “I therefore urge all Nigerians to keep faith with the government and diligently contribute their quota to the change mantra of the present administration.

    “Our religious and ethnic diversities should be a source of strength and unity rather than weakness and division.

    “This is the time for all Nigerians to meditate on the present state of affairs in the country and resolve to contribute their quota sacrificially toward our nation’s building. “

    According to him, efforts made to reposition the country has yet to bring desired results that will ease the sufferings of Nigerians.

    He said that 58 years after independence, the country was yet to make an impressive mark, accounting for its low ranking in the Global Human Development and Health Indices.

    “We also observed that the country has never lacked effective recommendations to mitigate our crippling socio-economic, political and developmental woes.

    Read Also: Independence: 50 CSOs trek 5Km for national unity

    “Rather, poor and lackluster implementation including absence of the needed political will, have been responsible for the uninspiring status of the nation in the global development circle.

    “In particular, the failure to fully implement the National Health Act 2014, which we believe will guarantee Nigerians Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

    “It is important to reiterate that UHC shall not only increase access to health care delivery but also make it affordable through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

    “Also, with the Community Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBSHIP) as an integral component and will be complemented by the Basic Healthcare Provision fund and other sources of fund from luxury items and taxes, “ he said.

  • Again, APC shift Lagos Governorship primary, expel Balofum Fulani

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has  again shited the Governorship primary in Lagos State to Tuesday, October 2nd from the earlier announced  Monday.

    The party also rescheduled in Enugu and Adamawa states, while also announcing date for primaries in kwara and Osun States that were not initially part of the earlier announced dates.

    The mode of primaries for Enugu and Adamawa states has also been changed from INDIRECT to DIRECT Primaries by the party leadership.

    Acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena said in a statement that Enugu and Adamawa Direct governorship Primaries will now hold on Thursday, October 4, 2018
    Similarly, the Governorship primary in Kwara state is to hold in Thursday October 4.

    Meanwhile, the  National Working Committee (NWC) has expelled the Alh. Ishola Balogun-Fulani led Kwara State executive from the Party.

  • Lagos Speaker urges prayer for peaceful 2019 elections

    Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa has called on the citizens to continue to pray for peaceful general elections next year.

    Obasa urged the people to desist from actions and utterances that could negatively affect the country’s peaceful co-existence.

    The Speaker’s admonition was contained in his statement to Nigerians on the celebration of the country’s 58th Independence Anniversary yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Musbau Rasak.

    “It’s a very crucial period in Nigeria and as we move towards the 2019 general elections. I want to call on Nigerians to continue to pray for peace to reign before, during and after the elections.

    “We must also eschew violence and avoid actions and utterances that can breach public peace. We must promote measures and programmes that will enhance the unity of this country.

    “As parents and citizens, we must be vigilant and be watchful of friends our children and wards associate with. We must be vigilant of events in our environment and make sure we report suspicious characters and groups to security agencies in order to nip crimes in the bud.

    “As youths, we should not allow ourselves to be used as agents of violence. We should not give in to unscrupulous elements in the society, who will want to take advantage of our vulnerability to cause mayhem and disturb public peace,” Obasa said.

  • Lagos APC will emerge from primary stronger – Tinubu

    Statement by former Lagos Governor, Senator Bola Tinbu on the Lagos Governorship primaries

    Tomorrow, our party and the people of Lagos will have an encounter with destiny. We shall hold our governorship primary.

    With the holding of direct primaries to elect governorship candidates in Lagos and other states, the APC takes a groundbreaking step toward greater internal democracy and progressive governance for the benefit of all people. While our party is young, it has grown fast and has travelled far in a short time. This speaks well of the character of you, the party’s rank-and-file members.

    What, in other nations, has taken political parties generations to achieve, we have done in a few brief years. No other party in Nigeria dare attempt what we have already dedicated ourselves to do.

    I thank and commend all APC members and all Lagosians who have lent their support to this historic and humane mission upon which our party has embarked.

    We are democrats in the truest sense of the word. As such, we forever search for what is good and right for the people. With this ideal as our guide, tomorrow’s primary cannot be shaded by selfish ambition or the perceived personal grievance between this or that person. Something much greater waits in the balance. What is at stake is nothing less than the future of the people of this state and how we can best maximise our collective destiny.

    By resort to direct primaries, the party places the people’s future soundly in their hands. As democracy would have it, you shall be the authors of the party’s nomination and hopefully our next state government.

    I trust in the wisdom of the people and will abide it. However, as a leader of the party and as a former governor of our beloved and excellent Lagos, I would be remiss if I did not make a few observations regarding the primary.

    My goal is and shall always be a better Lagos. To this objective, I have dedicated the greater part of my public life. Roughly 20 years ago, a corps of dedicated and patriotic Lagosians, put aside personal interests and rivalries, to put their minds and best ideas together for the good of the state. Out of this collaborative effort, was born a master plan for economic development that would improve the daily lives of our people.

    Bestowed on me was the honour of a lifetime when I was elected to be your governor in 1999. My administration faithfully implemented that plan. The government of my immediate successor, Tunde Fashola, also honoured this enlightened plan.

    Where state government remained true to that blueprint, positive things happened. During my tenure and Governor Fashola’s, Lagos state recorded improvements in all aspects of our collective existence, from public health to public sanitation, from education to social services, from the administration of justice to the cleaning of storm and sewage drains. Businesses, large and small, invested, hired millions of workers and thrived.

    All Lagosians were to fully participate and justly benefit from the social dividends and improvements wrought by this plan. From the common labourer, to business leaders, to professionals and our industrious civil service. We all were to be partners in a monumental but joint enterprise. None was to be alienated. None was to be left out. And none were to be pushed aside. This is especially true for those who contributed so much to our development, whether as a business leader who has invested heavily in Lagos, the homeowner who struggles to pay his fair share of taxes or as someone employed in the hard work of keeping our streets and byways clean so that others may go about their daily tasks unimpeded.

    I make no pretence that the master plan is perfect. It can always be fine-tuned. However, whenever a government departed from this plan without compelling reason, the state and its people have borne the painful consequence of the improper departure.

    To ignore this blueprint for progress in order to replace it with ad-hoc schemes of a materially inferior quality contravenes the spirit of progressive governance and of our party. Such narrowness of perspective does not bring us closer to our appointed destination; it takes us farther from that destiny.

    For reasons unknown to me and most Lagosians, we have experienced such deviations from enlightened governance recently.

    This trend is that which most concerns me as the primary nears. We must arrest this trend before irreparable harm is committed against the people and their future. For the record, let it be known that I shall vote in this primary because I see it as one of extreme import to our state and our party. Just as I shall vote, I equally urge all party members to do so.

    We must vote in a manner that returns Lagos to its better path, the one that promises a just chance for all to enjoy the fruits of our prosperity. We must always pursue our goal of a Lagos energised by creative dynamism, tolerance of others, and guided by a leadership capable of extending a collegial hand to all stakeholders, far and wide.

    I am encouraged by the emergence of a candidate in this primary who has served the state in senior positions in my administration, the Fashola administration and even in the current one. While possessing a wealth of experience and exposure, he is a young man endowed with superlative vision and commitment. Most importantly, he understands the importance of the blueprint for development. He esteems it as a reliable and well-conceived vehicle for the future development of the state. He also knows the value of reaching out and working with others in order to maximize development and provide people the best leadership possible.

    With people like him at the helm, the state will write the proper history for itself.

    When the final word is given let it be said that we want all Lagosians to look to the future with the hope and optimism that our best days remain before us and not behind us.

    We walk into this primary strong and confidently believing in the right course we are to take. We shall emerge from this primary even stronger and more confident that we have taken that course by returning Lagos and our party to their finest path.