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Tag: lagos

  • Lagos to assist Ondo on procurement agency

    The Lagos State Head of Service (HoS), Mrs Olabowale Ademola, has said the state government will support its Ondo State counterpart to establish a Public Procurement Agency.

    Mrs Ademola spoke yesterday on behalf of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode when she hosted a delegation from Ondo State House of Assembly, led by Deputy Speaker Ogundeji Iroju.

    The lawmakers were in Lagos to understudy their host on the establishment of the Public Procurement Agency.

    The HoS said the lawmakers’ study visit underscored the need for regional integration and collaboration to further broaden and quicken the pace of Southwest development.

    She said: “I will like to welcome you on behalf of Governor Ambode. We are indeed humbled by your visit to Lagos State to understudy the working of our Public Procurement Agency.”

    Mrs Ademola noted that the visit will enable the lawmakers have first-hand experience on how to ensure the smooth passage of the Ondo State Public Procurement Agency Bill.

    Iroju said the visit would enable his team learn from Lagos State to replicate the agency in the Sunshine State, since Lagos is the forerunner in Public Procurement administration in Nigeria.

  • Lagos Trust Fund to create 900,000 jobs

    The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) is to provide 900,000 jobs and support 100,000 medium scale enterprises in the state between now and 2019, its Executive Secretary, Akintunde Oyebode, has said.

    He spoke ahead of the Fund’s  workshop for business owners in the state.

    He said the development was necessary to create a viable business environment in Lagos.

    He emphasised that the agency was mandated to provide training and job placements for the unemployed; mentorship for business owners and improvement of the policy environment to ensure a conducive operational environment for small businesses in the state.

    He explained that the workshop was being targeted at the LSETF beneficiaries who qualify for export because of the goods they produce, adding that the agency intended to provide business support, advisory services and access to new markets for all its beneficiaries.

    ‘’That is why we have partnered  the Lagos chapter of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to help achieve this. In addition to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council sessions, we will also have facilitators from the Nigerian Customs Service and NAFDAC,” he said.

    In a related event, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has charged the state civil servants to be transparent in government activities, finances and create a simple bureaucratic process for its citizens.

    He urged the civil servants to comply with global best practices to meet the needs of the people. Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke, spoke on global best practice with reporters in Lagos.

    He pointed out that the state had embarked on massive training for workers on how to deliver value per excellence through global best practices.

    He called on the workers to provide citizens with the information they need on how to process their requests, stressed that this would enable the citizens to complete their transactions and processes on time.

    The governor also urged workers to exhibit good interpersonal relationship in the discharge of their responsibilities to enable the public to have hitch-free transactions.

    He said: “Indeed, the delivery of value to citizens is the fundamental objective of any democratically-elected government. In today’s world, however, the delivered value must be delivered per excellence. This is chiefly because citizens have become sophisticated and exposed to the standards of governance in other climes such that their expectations have been conditioned to demand and insist on compliance with global best practices at all levels of governance. Meeting these expectations is the central challenge for governments in the developing world.

    “Thankfully in Lagos State, we have a government that has boldly embraced this challenge and is, in fact, executing a reasoned-out plan to transform governance and its processes in such a way that the ever-changing and complex expectations of citizens can be admirably met.”

  • Lagos is my success story and I am a journalist (1)

    Lagos despises journalists and teachers, it would seem. The Lagos government has no regard for the educator and pressman. In the estimation of the incumbent government for instance, journalists and teachers belong to the invisible divide, the negligible integers loitering at the foot of the totem pole, in the State’s warped categorisation of ‘eminent’ citizenry.

    This among other reasons, explains the incumbent government’s brazen disregard for teachers and journalists, in its showy ‘Lagos is my success story,’ media blitz.

    Of course, the media team in charge of the project will rant and rave. They will claim that it is impossible to represent every interest in the ongoing media campaign launched by the State in commemoration of Lagos’ 50th anniversary. They will dismiss this as yet another outburst from a journalist with ‘hidden agenda’ against Mr. Ambode. That’s understandable, they need to justify the salaries they earn – whether they deserve it or not.

    However, this writer has no agenda against Ambode. In fact, the incumbent governor attracts applause as he unfurls as a humane and decisive administrator – if only he would sustain the pace at which he seeks to improve infrastructure, security and the economic growth of the state.

    Beneath trifling considerations about the media campaign for the State’s 50th anniversary, ugly truths resonate in shrill notes. Funke Akindele, actress; Fuji artiste, Wasiu Alabi (Pasuma Wonder), hip hop artistes, Bankole Wellington (Banky W) Tuface Idibia and Olamide are celebrated as worthy role models and ambassadors of Lagos State.

    That these characters are celebrated alongside elderly folk of various callings, indicate that the State government nurtures a robust fascination with the youth and a hankering to connect positively with the youth divide. This is impressive even in the face of the underlying ugliness that informed the State government’s choice of subjects for the campaign.

    Akindele, Alabi Pasuma, Banky W, Tuface Idibia and Olamide are artistes and celebrities; like Folorunsho Alakija, Michael Otedola and other elderly subjects used for the campaign, they are widely adjudged to be rich, famous, poster icons for several youths.

    Governor Ambode and his team perpetuate the emphatic message to impressionable youth: “Only celebrity artistes, billionaire businessmen and politicians are recognised as role models by Lagos State. They are the only ones worth celebrating by Lagos.”

    Lest we forget the random pictures of the artisan and market woman used without emphasis in the campaign; the latter will undoubtedly be referenced by apologists of the shoddy and quite shady campaign.

    The use of the random artisan and trader alongside Lagos government’s preferred ambassadors is instructive. The artisan and market woman represent the highly populated divide of have-nots and residents of Lagos suburbs and backwaters. They are of the segment that the State government and politicians perpetually exploit to get votes and win elections via an insidious culture of tokenism and sound bite politics.

    The artistes including Olamide, Banky W, Funke Akindele and Tuface Idibia are of the disposable ‘muscle’ divide; they represent the agents often deployed by the State government and political class to achieve influence with the electorate. The Lagos government, like governments world over, persistently make use of celebrity artistes to influence the electorate and sway votes to advantage. They understand that these artistes enjoy large following among the citizenry hence they persistently tap into and cash in on the power of their celebrity.

    Whether the subjects used in the campaign are worthy role models and true ambassadors of the soul and essence of Lagos is yet another subject fit for future discourse. This brings us to Governor Ambode and his team’s exclusion of journalists and teachers from the campaign. I choose to highlight the State’s exclusion of educators and pressmen from the campaign given the crucial roles they play in the development of the State.

    Journalists and teachers represent the State’s middle class. Their contributions to nationhood are immense: teachers are nurturer of society and journalists are its conscience and custodians of morality. But like policemen and soldiers, among others, they are persistently undervalued and vilified. This explains why retired teachers are never treated well by the State.

    Even in Lagos, retiree teachers are denied their gratuity and many of them still die wretchedly, of hunger and lack. At their death, their family members are made to jump through hoops in order to receive the retirement benefits the deceased were denied in their lifetime.

    We have great teachers; I categorically refer to primary and secondary school teachers in Lagos yet none of them was deemed worthy of celebration as Lagos clocks 50. I hope Ambode’s aides won’t start making noise about how they celebrate the best teachers across the state’s district. This piece condemns the incumbent government’s neglect of the teachers as it celebrates Lagos’ most prized ambassadors, as the State clocks 50.

    That journalists are also neglected however, comes as no surprise. This is the juncture Ambode’s men would scream: ‘Soni Irabor is a journalist. He was included!’ Good for Mr. Irabor. It’s worth celebrating that he was included. But we also have journalists that have won over 10 to 25 local and international awards for media excellence, for stories written about developmental issues affecting Lagos and various parts of the country and even Africa.

    They include Emmanuel Maya, Toyosi Ogunseye, Adekunle Yusuf, Ajibola Hamza, Muyiwa Lucas, Fisayo Soyombo, to mention a few. These journalists are in their youth, like the artistes featured by Ambode’s team but they are deliberately ignored. They are not worth celebrating, according to Governor Ambode and his team.

    Nonetheless, the story of Lagos will never be complete without acknowledging the contributions of past and present journalists and teachers. These esteemed segments of the citizenry are however, overlooked and their relevance severely underplayed by the incumbent government, like its predecessors. This is why no teacher and journalist are represented in the State’s 50th anniversary media campaign.

    This loathing for educators and pressmen can hardly be understood even as it continues to unravel. Thanks to teachers, education reflects in Gov. Ambode. Great thanks to Edumare and his teachers, he is gradually becoming a source of pride to Lagos and Nigeria perhaps. Part of the glory should definitely be given to his parents and the governor himself as it requires a great deal of discipline and adherence to norms for a man to evolve like Ambode.

    Once again, it’s worth celebrating that Lagos now has a governor who believes in fostering development at the grassroots. Ambode determinedly institutes development in areas erstwhile neglected by his predecessor, Babatunde Fashola. This no doubt indicates that somewhere within Ambode’s bulk subsists appreciable and inspiring humaneness, foresight and lust for excellence.

    The governor will do well to ensure that retirees and pensioners in the State receive their benefits in the first six months into their retirement. Retired teachers do not get paid in time. They have to wait for several years before they receive their benefits from the state. Many have died without receiving their benefits.

  • Man faces child defilement charge

    A 31-year-old man, Isaiah Adebayo, who allegedly defiled a nine-year-old girl after enticing her with biscuits, on Thursday, appeared before an Apapa Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

    Adebayo, who resides in Badagry area of Lagos, pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge of defilement and sexual assault.

    The Prosecutor, Sgt. Olusegun Kokoye, told the court that the accused committed the offences at his apartment on March 14.

    Kokoye said the accused lured the girl into his apartment with biscuits and had defiled her.

    “The cry of the girl alerted a neighbour, who broke into the room and to her surprise; she caught the accused inserting his fingers into the girl’s private part.

    “The case was reported at the police station and the accused was immediately arrested,” said Kokoye.

    The offences contravened Sections 137 and 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 (Revised).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 137 prescribes life imprisonment for child rape.

    The Senior Magistrate, Mr Patrick Adekomaiya, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    The case was adjourned until May 21 for mention.

     

  • Man charged with gang-raping girlfriend with others

    A 22-year-old man, Subaru Folawiyo, who allegedly gang-raped a 25-year-old girlfriend with others still on the run, was on Thursday brought before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

    Folawiyo, who resides in Surulere area of Lagos, pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge of conspiracy and rape.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Ibijoke Akinpelu, told the court that the accused with others still at large committed the offences on April 4 at about 3.52 p.m. at Block 4, Flat 2, Off Bello Road, Surulere.

    Akinpelu alleged that Folawiyo and his accomplices gang-raped the girl.

    He said the accused was later apprehended after the girl reported the case at the Police Station.

    The offences, according to the prosecutor, contravene Sections 260 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    The Magistrate, Mrs.A.F. Adeeyo, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case until May 31 for trial.

     

  • Man in court for beating woman to a pulp

    A 38-year-old man, Alhaji Bukar, who allegedly assaulted a woman, Asiata Yahaya, by beating her to a pulp, on Thursday appeared before an Apapa Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

    Bukar, a resident of the Apapa area of Lagos, is standing trial on a two-count charge of threatening violence and assault.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Olusegun Kokoye, told the court that the accused committed the offences on April 18 at Gaskiya Road, Ijora, Badia, Apapa, Lagos.

    Kokoye said that the accused assaulted the complainant by beating her to a pulp and also threatening to kill her.

    “The complainant said the fight started as a result of an argument which ensued between the duo.

    “The accused claimed that Yahaya was very rude to him.

    “Yahaya said all efforts made by passers-by to settle the dispute proved abortive; the accused just kept on beating her,” Kokoye said.

    The prosecutor said that the case was reported to the police and the accused was arrested.

    The offences, he said, contravened Sections 56 and 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 171 prescribes a three-year jail term for assault occasioning harm.

    The Magistrate, Mr Y.O Aro- Lambo, granted the accused bail in the sum N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    The case was adjourned until May 9, for mention.

     

  • Lagos, Falana and fate of Rev. King

    SIR: My attention was drawn to the raging controversy on whether it is constitutionally legal for the execution of condemned inmates on death row. This controversy, from my findings, was ignited from a statement credited the Lagos State Attorney General, Adeniji Kazeem who during a press conference was alleged to have stated that the state government had taken a decision to go ahead with the execution of inmates on death row in Lagos Prisons.

    From all newspaper reports emanating from the said press conference of the Attorney General, nowhere did he categorically state that a decision had been taken to execute Rev. King and other prisoners on death row in Lagos Prisons.

    The Punch of April 19, carried the report with the heading: “Death Sentence: Lagos Decides Rev. King, Others’ Fate Soon. I quote: “The Lagos State Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, has said the State will soon decide the fate of the founder of Christian Praying Assembly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, popularly known as Rev. King and other prisoners on death row in the state.”

    I am still at a loss as to why this harmless statement reported to have been made by the Lagos Attorney General should have become an issue of controversy in the first instance. However, since I am not holding brief for the Attorney General as to whether he said what was alleged to him or not, I am more concerned with the legal interpretation of the constitutional provision that has been argued by my respected learned Silk, Femi Falana in his reported letter to the governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode.

    He had argued that the planned execution of death row inmates in the state would violate a subsisting judgment delivered by Justice Mufutau Olokooba of the Lagos State High Court on June 29, 2012, which ruled that it was illegal and unconstitutional, and a violation of Section 34(1)(a) of the Constitution which prescribed death by hanging and firing squad amounts to a violation of the condemned inmate’s right to the dignity of human person and amount to inhuman and degrading treatment and it is consequently unconstitutional.

    Unarguably, Section 33 (1) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees the right to life of every person. The provision of the section however permits the deprivation of life of any person in the execution of the sentence of a court of law in respect of a criminal offence for which he has been found guilty in Nigeria. This was extensively considered by the Supreme Court (sitting as a Constitutional Court) in the case of ONUOHA KALU V. THE STATE (1988) 11-12 S.C. 4. Where it was held that death sentence was not unconstitutional and that to argue otherwise will be tantamount to embarking on an exercise aimed at defeating the clear provisions of the constitution.

    The Supreme Court has in a plethora of authorities affirmed the Judgments of a number of lower courts for the offences of death and has pronounced on the mode of execution. In particular, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Chukwuemeka Ezeogu vs. State (2016) LPELR – 40046 SC, which similarly affirmed the decision of the High Court which stated thus: “…..in respect of count 6, the sentence of this court upon you Chukwuemeka Ezeuko alias  Dr. Rev King is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul…..”

    The decision of Olokooba J. as highlighted in the case of Ajulu & Ors. V. Attorney General of Lagos State (unreported) Suit No. ID/76M/2008 of 29th June, 2012 lacks merit when viewed against the Supreme Court Judgment in the above stated case. The position of the law is clear and unambiguous as to the finality of the decision of the Supreme Court.  In the Supreme Court, the decision of that Court in so far as that case is concerned is final for all ages and final for ever. Only legislation can alter it.

    This is purely a legal stand and should not be compromised by emotion and all other such needless considerations.

     

    • David Izorite Esq,

    Lagos.

  • Lagos council polls: APC, PDP renew rivalry

    Lagos council polls: APC, PDP renew rivalry

    Lagosians will go to the polls in July to elect council chairmen and councillors who will manage the affairs of the local governments for the next three years. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN looks at the chances of the political parties in the contest.

    The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has fixed local government elections for July 22. The announcement has put paid to the speculation that the government is not willing to conduct elections to fill the vacant positions in the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), which were dissolved in November 2014.

    Before the release of the election time-table, only two political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demonstrated their readiness for the polls, through subtle campaigns in different localities. It was like other parties had gone under. Analysts recalled that during the 2015 general elections, no fewer than 14 political parties participated in the state. The question is: where are the smaller parties?

    There is no indication that the following parties are preparing for the election: the Action Alliance (AA); the Alliance for Democracy (AD); the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); the African Democratic Congress (ADC); the African Peoples’ Alliance (APA); the Citizens Popular Party (CPP); the Hope Party; the Kowa Party; the National Conscience Party (NCP); the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN); the United Democratic Party (UDP); and the United Progressive Party (UPP). They all fielded candidates for national and state elective offices in 2015. Why are they not showing interest in an election that is very close to the grassroots?

    Observers believe the election will be a straight fight between the ruling APC and the main opposition party, the PDP. The party had promised to use the council election to consolidate its political gain in the last general elections in which it won seven House of Representatives seats and seven House of Assembly seats. Its Chairman, Hon. Moshood Salvador, had boasted that his party would not only make a good impact in the election, but also to utilise the opportunity to chase the APC away from Alausa, the seat of power in Lagos State.

    The PDP chieftain claimed that the performance of the party during the last general elections was not a fluke.  He said: “We worked hard to win elections in areas where we won. Our candidates won on merit; we prevailed and convinced the electorate on the programmes of our party and the integrity of our candidates. Our performance had nothing to do with the money spent by former President Goodluck Jonathan, as some mischief makers have been saying. It is wrong for the APC to conclude that the alleged millions of dollars Jonathan brought to Lagos were responsible for our impressive performance.

    “The people of Lagos State are tired of the APC and they decided to have a change by voting for PDP candidates. We are going to use the same strategy for the local council election. We have started mobilising from house-to-house, to create awareness about the importance of the election.”

    But, with the recent developments in Lagos politics, the statement credited to Salvador may not stand the test of time. Analysts say the PDP has suffered a major setback that may have altered the equation and, so, it may not be able to give the APC a good run for its money. Such analysts say the defection of six out the seven PDP members in the state House of Assembly to APC amounts to a big blow, which has destabilised the party’s preparation for the July 22 contest.

    Lagos-based lawyer and public affairs analyst, Mr Monday Ubani has ruled out any impressive showing by the PDP in the coming polls. He said the PDP is almost dead, particularly in Lagos State. With the sterling performance of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, he is of the view that the PDP has no chance.

    Ubani doubts if the party will win a single chairmanship seat, because Governor Ambode’s performance in the last two years has made the APC more popular in the state. The ruling party has given a good account of itself, by fulfilling its promises to the electorates. The lawyer said: “Akinwunmi Ambode has endeared the APC to people who do not belong to the party; there is no part of Lagos that is not feeling the impact of Ambode’s administration.”

    Ubani said the antecedents of the PDP are working against it. His words: “Nigerians would never entrust the PDP with power; for 16 years, the party looted the treasury; mismanaged the economy and impoverished the people.”

    A political activist, Mr Tola Sawyer, puts it this way: “The two-year old administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has changed the face of Lagos. Developmental projects like road rehabilitation, drainages, fly-overs, street lightening cut across the state. He doesn’t discriminate against people who voted against him in 2015. In fact, Ambode has made Lagos residents to forget what party they belong, because of his performance.

    “There is no opposition for the APC in the coming local council poll. What will the PDP use to campaign? Is it looting of the treasury for 16 years that has impoverished Nigerians? The PDP has no chance in Lagos. The few seats won in 2015 general elections were as a result of Jonathan’s resort to bribe people with dollars. That will never work again in Lagos.”

    Sawyer advised the party leaders not to waste their time coming out to campaign, “because the party has incurred the wrath of the populace with the on-going revelations on how it looted the nation’s treasury. Nigerians are no fools. They know the party that has the interest of the common people at heart”.

    The PDP in Lagos State is polarised. What is happening at the national level is affecting the state chapter. There are three factions, namely: the Segun Adewale group, which is affiliated to Ali Modu Sheriff faction; the Bode George faction, which is loyal to the Makarfi group; and the Jimi Agbaje faction, which appears to be independent.

    With the division in the party, the questions being asked by observers are: Which faction would lead the PDP campaign? Which faction will present chairmanship and councillorship candidates? Which of the groups will LASIEC recognise? These are the issues that must be settled if the PDP must go into the election as a united party. Based on the reality on ground, Adewale seems to be the authentic chairman, because the Appeal Court has declared Sheriff as the PDP National Chairman.

    Adewale is not comfortable with the happenings within the fold, as he admitted that the party is in disarray. He admitted that he is a factional chairman, because the Lagos PDP has been factionalised into groups. He said: “There are so many factions; we have the Jimi Agbaje faction which does not have followership; we have the Bode George group and others. The various court cases raging at the national level are having ripple effects on the party.

    The PDP chieftain said: “I must say that the Lagos PDP under Moshood Salvador is not really ready to move forward. They are aware that some of us have a track record of political success. The truth is that it is the Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff camp that has been winning elections in the state. For instance, in 2015, I won four House of Representatives and six House of Assembly seats for the PDP.

    “We have Baba Kola Balogun with us; he won election in his polling booth, his ward and his local government. He equally delivered the neighbouring local governments. He delivered all the Badagry division.

    “But, the Senator Ahmed Makarfi camp headed by Bode George has not performed. He lost his polling booth, his ward and his local government. He lost everything that has to do with his senatorial district. I won seven local governments; the result is there for anybody to see.”

    Salvador disagreed with Adewale’s position on George’s electoral value. He recalled that when he was National Vice Chairman of the party (Southwest) that it defeated the Alliance for Democracy (AD) at the governorship election in five states. It was through the political sagacity of Senator Bola Tinubu that the APC was able to get some states back.

    He said: “George is there because he happens to be the highest party official in Lagos State. Therefore, he is the leader of the party. He is a Board of Trustees (BoT) member; this position elevates him above every other person and we must queue behind him.”

    On the PDP’s preparation for the poll, its spokesman, Mr Taofik Gani, said the party has been getting ready for the contest for some time and is battle-ready to face the ruling party. He said the council poll was supposed to hold during the tenure of former Governor Babatunde Fashola, but was delayed for reasons known to the leadership of the APC.

    He said the party is not demoralised by the defection of its members in the House of Assembly. “We are ready for the poll; we have been mobilising for the election,” he said.

    The APC Chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, said his party is ever ready for the council election. He said: “We are prepared even if election is to hold tomorrow. Even though the APC is the ruling party, we are not relenting; we are still making efforts to consolidate on our popularity and acceptability by the good people of Lagos State.”

    Ajomale said it would be naive of the PDP to base its popularity on the few assembly seats it won in the last general elections. He added: “We knew what played out in that election. Former President Goodluck Jonathan relocated to Lagos in the build-up to the general elections. He abandoned Abuja, the seat of government, just because he wanted to win Lagos. I understand he came with about $700 million to prosecute election in Lagos.

    “Besides, Ifeanyi Ubah, a benefactor of the Jonathan administration bankrolled the party’s campaign expenses in Lagos. We are waiting to see if Jonathan and Ubah would still provide the financial warchest to Lagos PDP, as they did in the last general elections. I think it is wishful thinking for the PDP to say that the party is popular enough to win the forthcoming council poll. The APC will put them where they rightly belong.”

    Similarly, the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr Abiodun Salami, is very optimistic that the party would win the election hands down. He said the APC’s victory is not negotiable, because it is a grassroots party.

    The image maker added: “As a party, we are prepared. We have been mobilising our people for the election. We are preparing like the Boys’ Scouts to win the election genuinely in Lagos, as we have always done.”

    A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr Akin Ogunlana, has predicted that the election will be a walk-over for the APC. He said a lot of things are working in favour of the party. He said: “It is the only party on ground in the state; it is stable and winning more members every day.

    “As the ruling party, the incumbency factor is an added advantage. Above all Governor Ambode’s performance has won the council poll for the APC. Ambode has raised the bar of governance in Lagos. He has within two years turned Lagos around. But, the party must handle its primary with extra care to avoid protest vote.

    “The PDP is a divided house. The party can’t resolve its self-inflicted crisis between now and when the election would hold. How can they compete and win? The few House of Assembly seats won in 2015 was ephemeral. To me, there is no formidable opposition party to withstand the APC in Lagos State.”

     

  • Lagos Council poll: forum vows to resist imposition of candidates

    Lagos Council poll: forum vows to resist imposition of candidates

    A group, the forum of Agbado-Oke-Odo Grassroots Association have urged the leaders of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) to organise credible primaries for chairmanship and councillorship aspirants.

    The group warned that imposition of candidates may spell doom for the party during the council poll.

    In a statement in Lagos, the group said: “We are using this opportunity to appeal to the ruling All Progressive Congress APC to be cautious of who they present as Chairmanship and Councillorship candidates in Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA in the forthcoming Council Elections in Lagos State.

    “This has become urgent and imperative as a reaction to information making the rounds suggesting that the leadership of the party is considering some former council chairmen for automatic second term tickets.

    “We are of the opinion that if such consideration exists at all, it should be based on a readily verifiable record of sterling performance and service to the communities in the course of the initial term of three years of the former chairman.

    “We hereby restate with emphasis that such a situation does not arise at all in Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA! Most of the previous administrations neither have nothing to justify the resources available to them nor the confidence reposed in them by the electorates who voted them into office to be considered for a second term.

    “To the contrary, their tenures were marked by rancorous relationships with all well-meaning individuals and associations such as the Community Development Associations, Grassroots Associations, artisans, market men and women, youth associations and leaders of thought and even their own party at the local level levels. It will be in the best interest of the party to refrain from fielding such candidates.”

    The group added: “What we need now that the attention of the state government is focused on some of our communities with the upgrading of some our critical road infrastructure is purposeful governance at the LCDA!

    “It will be the only way to significantly complement the efforts of the Ambode Administration and none of the previous elected council chairman had demonstrated the capacity to fit the bill in the course of their earlier opportunities.

    “Finally, parties are advised to search critically within their ranks for sellable men of integrity with proven records of service to humanity as leadership in the Local Government should no longer be considered as job for the boys.”

  • ‘Lagos needs N60b for water projects’

    The Lagos State Government requires about N60 billion to execute its water projects, Commissioner for the Environment Dr Babatunde Adejare has said.

    He said: “Water production is not cheap. No one believes that our population will be over 20 million. We have so many people in Lagos. The state government is working hard daily to meet resident’s water need. We have a deficit of 500 million gallon daily. To construct the 70-million gallon water Adiyan 11 will cost the state N60 billion.’’

    Although the Adiyan 11 water project is about 70 per cent completed, Adejare said this facility can still not meet the water need of the state. “Igbo-nla water plant is still there and the projects will cost the state huge sums of money,” he lamented.

    Adejare said as part of its ongoing solid waste management reform, the state government was set to construct world-class Engineered Sanitary/Engineered Hazardous Landfills and Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) sites in various locations across the state.

    The Commissioner revealed that the Engineered Sanitary/Engineered Hazardous Landfills will be constructed under the Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer model to provide an efficient and effective final disposal for all waste generated in the state.

    “These new facilities would ensure the protection of public health and the local environment, the global environment as well as provide an efficient and effective final disposal option for all waste generated in the state through design and operations that mitigate water, odour, and noise pollutions”, he said.

    Adejare said the approved Sanitary landfill site would be designed with technology that mitigate water, odour and noise pollution as well as control vermin, wind-blown litters, and dust, including also maximising, capturing and using landfill gas emissions, while providing land-fill based opportunities for material recovery.