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Tag: lagos

  • Why Lagos deserves special status, by Razak

    Chief Lanre Razak, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state and former governorship candidate, spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU on the Buhari and Ambode administrations, the agitation for special status for Lagos and other issues.

    What is your reaction to the rejection of the Lagos Status Bill by the Senate?

    I felt very bad when I heard the news. It shows that our senators are not true Nigerians. They are behaving as if they don’t have the interest of the people at heart. Those who come from the north see themselves as northerners; as people who have nothing to do with Lagos. Those who come from the east and opposed the bill, see themselves as easterners; forgetting that Lagos occupies a very sensitive position in the economy of this country. Look at the contribution of Lagos to the Value Added Tax (VAT). What does the state get back in return from the Federal Government for that? The Ministry of Niger Delta was established to give back to the communities where we produce oil. Thirteen per cent of our earnings are assigned to give back to people in those communities. Lagos State alone produces about 70 per cent of the total VAT generated in this country. What do we get for? Lagos consumes about 60 per cent of our fuel. That means the Federal Government is earning a lot of money from the fuel consumed in Lagos, but what do we get back to improve and sustain infrastructure in Lagos? What they forget is that any status granted to Lagos is not for indigenes of Lagos alone; it is for all Nigerians in the state. Any status granted to Lagos is to strengthen the economic base of the country in general. So, they are playing dirty politics with lives of Nigerians from the four corners of the country. The denial they gave to Lagos is very saddening and I believe God will touch their mind; they still need to change their mind and reconsider their stand. They should know that for every action there is a reaction; equal and opposite. Lagosians need not behave as if we are militants; we don’t need to do that. I believe that people in Lagos are civilized, but I still believe that those senators who shot down the bill have done terrible things to themselves and to those of us who live in Lagos, because all of us stand to benefit from the rejected bill. I want to appeal to them to have a rethink.

    What is your position on the debate to grant full autonomy to local governments?

    That is the way it should be; in a true federal set up, local governments should have full autonomy. But, when you look at the attitude of Nigerians to governance, local governments should be one of the strongest tiers of government in the country, because they are the closest to the people. So, they need more money to meet the needs of Nigerians at that level. The Federal Government does not need as much as 56 per cent revenue from the Federation Account. That is why corruption is pervasive at the national level. They should increase the amount of money that is allocated to the states and local governments. We need more service delivery at that level, so we also need key professionals to be in charge, render quality service to the people. Again, the political heads, a lot of them are there for economic reasons, not because they are matured enough to handle the duties of head of government at the local government level. They are not matured, but that is not the reason we should not give the councils autonomy. I am an advocate of economic autonomy, as well as political autonomy to local governments at the level they are operating.

    What is your take on the renewed clamour for restructuring?

    It is not strange to hear that. I congratulate the politicians and Nigerians. We have been under military rule for too long and at the time the military were leaving office, a lot of things were not tidied up. We were in a hurry to push the military away. But now that they are gone, like minds ought to regroup, to come up with political parties with ideology. If that is what you mean by restructuring, let it be; yes we know the party that cares. We know the party that truly wants to serve the people; we know the party that acquires power merely to milk the nation to death. During the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) era we didn’t see serious impact of political parties in governance. In the same vein, I am yet to see the cohesiveness, the bond in the All Progressives Congress (APC), to give support to their government to deliver its campaign promises to the people. As long as this situation remains like this, people will always ask for political restructuring.

    What can President Muhammadu Buhari do to alleviate the suffering in the land?

    People are clamouring for the devaluation of the naira, but since our economy is not export driven, such a policy will not help. How many companies are engaged in full production of goods at the moment? So, if we devalue we cannot exploit the opportunity to produce more for export. If you devalue and you only import, it will make the cost of the products very expensive and it will hurt Nigerians more. My advice is for Mr. President to look at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Are we getting it right at the CBN? He should look at his Economic Management Team; are we getting the best advice at that level? Let there be a serious pathological examination of all structures of government. We said the PDP mismanaged the nation for 16 years and most of the people in key positions and parastatals now are those appointed politically by the PDP. In one and half years plus they have not deemed it fit to remove some of the elements of the PDP in government. Do you think these elements will wish the APC government well? They may have their reasons for keeping them in government, but I don’t think that is the right thing to do. You have been given the position of President of Nigeria to manage effectively the values, the resources both animate and inanimate objects that are available for you to meet the needs of Nigerians. That is what I think he should do.

    In your view, did the President appoint the right persons to run the economy, particularly in view of the recession?

    Loyalty is key in whatever you want to do. If you want to run a media house, for example, the first set of staff you look for first are those who would be committed to the set goal; who would be loyal to your mission. How can I honestly work for you?  I agree that there are some appointments that should be made without partisan considerations and they will deliver. But, there are some that got their appointment on the ticket of a political party and the party in government didn’t appoint them; such people can never wish you well; they can never wish you success and those are the things I think the President should look at and be properly advised.

    What are your expectations from the Senator Ken Nnamani-led committee on electoral reforms?

    There is no way you can stop war without removing the cause of war. What are the factors responsible for monetization of the electoral process by Nigerians? Eradicate poverty and a lot of things will change for the better.

    How would you rate Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration so far?

    We are lucky to have Mr. Ambode as governor of Lagos State. Also, I use this opportunity to thank the APC National Leader and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his choice of people managing Lagos. Look at the achievements of former Governor Babatunde Fashola and look at what Mr. Ambode is doing in Lagos. He is simply fantastic. He is fantastically doing good things in Lagos and he is a fair-minded person. He is spreading development to the nooks and crannies of the state. Recently, he took members of his cabinet to Badagry for two weeks, to hold executive council meetings and go round on projects inspection, to ascertain where there is need to provide the right infrastructure to boost tourism in the area. He is working in Alimosho and Abule Egba, providing fly-overs; providing overhead bridges in Ajah and other amenities. He is also in Epe, upgrading existing roads and providing new ones. But, there is one critical thing he should do for us in Epe: We appreciate all that he has done so far, but we may not be able to maximize the benefits if we don’t have our road from Ibeju dualized to Epe.

    Again, Ambode has a special way he studies the infrastructural facilities and needs of people, regarding traffic management in Lagos. Look at the Third Mainland Bridge. Before now, if you leave Lagos Island around three o’clock on work days, you’ll find traffic hold-ups from Lagos until you get to the old toll gate on Lagos-Ibadan expressway. But, he deployed experts to study that area and they discovered that the need was not as much as envisaged. After a scientific study, the bus-stop at Oworoshoki, on both sides was improved tremendously and today the traffic congestion there has fizzled out. They also moved to Alapere. There, the government created a road from the Oando Petrol Station to link Alapere straight and that showed that it is people that are turning to Alapere from Ogudu that were causing the traffic bottlenecks and once that was done the problem was solved. He has saved not only man-hours which in terms of monetary value you cannot quantify, but it also has a lot of ripple effects on our economy. For instance, the transporters, it has improved tremendously their turn around. Instead of doing two or three trips daily, they can now do more than 20 and earn more money from their business. So, even as a businessman who will be thinking how he will go to Lagos once a day and that is the end of the day’s work, you can now go as many times as possible, because the traffic situation has improved tremendously.

    The Light Up Lagos Project is another worthy initiative of commendation. Even with the high cost of diesel, N210 per litre, Ambode is still getting money to buy diesel to light up Lagos. This is happening at a time some states cannot pay their teachers. If you get to most parts of Lagos at 2am, Lagos is awake; if you get to Lagos at 3 am, Lagos is still awake. That is fantastic and that is Ambode for you. The salaries of civil servants and teachers as well as pensions are being paid as at when due. We need to encourage and support Governor Ambode and that is why I felt terribly bad when I heard of the decision of the Senate to reject the Lagos Status Bill sponsored by distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who represents Lagos Central Senatorial District. This is a bill that ought to be considered, because Lagos needs special attention. Ambode is working and Lagos is working and Nigerians should pray for him for God to give him good health, long life, wisdom to continue with this good job he is doing in Lagos. We are very proud of him, especially those of us from Epe, where the governor hails from.

  • Lagos insists illegal structures, shanties must go

    Lagos insists illegal structures, shanties must go

    THERE is no going back on the ongoing demolition of illegal structures, shanties on the various waterfronts in the Centre of Excellence, the state government said yesterday.

    Information and Strategy Commissioner Steve Ayorinde, his counterparts in the Environment and Housing, Babatunde Adejare and  Gbolahan Lawal, made the clarification at a joint press conference in Alausa.

    The clarification came barely 24 hours after residents of the affected shanties protested the seven-day notice served on them by the state government to relocate from the shanties, slums and kiosks.

    Addressing journalists, Ayorinde explained that the government embarked on vigorous pursuits of its policy on cleaner environment and restoration of master plans through the removal of all environmental infractions and nuisances across the state.

    He said: “One key point we are trying to emphasize here is the issue of kidnapping. I am sure that you are aware of the protest by the Lagos slum dwellers. It is important to state here that the key reason for the government action was for security of lives and property within the state.

    “Practically, perpetrators of the four kidnapping that had occurred in Lagos this year, escaped through the waterways. Therefore, the government cannot close its eyes to the reality of the moment.

    “Intelligent report showed that many of the settlement especially the shanties and the slums, contribute either to the direct cases of kidnapping or to the escape of the perpetrators.”

    Ayorinde said that government will continue with its strategy of explaining to residents, especially the civil society organisations and those affiliated to foreign NGOs to see reasons with the government to desist from acts that might insight the public against the government.

    He said: “We are not going out of the law to demolish houses. We will often engage with the communities involved before embarking on anything that could affect them.

    “We have always been considerate with the plight of those considered as urban poor but will not allow their situation to jeopardise the safety and security of more than 21 million residents of the state.

    “This is the reason the state government will not back down or succumb to cheap blackmail.”

    Ayorinde note that the flagrant disobedience of building regulations in the state propelled the government to remove all structures that are in contravention of the law.

    He described as worrisome that ramshackle structures, sheds, canopies and shanties, especially along the shorelines, have turned to the abode of miscreants/street urchins, kidnappers, touts, street traders and hawkers who often vandalise public utilities and attack innocent citizens.

    “The State’s Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law 2010, prohibits erecting structures within the Right of Ways and set backs of drainage Channels, centre-line of over-head electricity wires and also states in very clear terms specified distance to be observed between a Property line and a public utility.”

    He urged residents to comply with government directives, considering that it has invested massively on beautification, solid waste management and cleaning of the environment.

    “There is no going back on the enforcement of applicable laws by removing all development and activities encroaching on the Right of Way of utilities and services. Having residential buildings or conducting business under high tension power lines, constitute danger to lives and properties that could have fatal consequences.”

    Ayorinde said the government will no longer tolerate any violation of its building laws and that it will remove structures and buildings constructed under high tension.

    The Housing commissioner explained that former Governor Bola Tinubu re-claimed Ilubirin10 years ago for the development of an estate.

    He said the fishermen found at the location were relocated to Badore in Ikorodu for them to continue with the fishing activities.

    Lawal said the current occupants moved in after the area was reclaimed by the government and when they were asked to relocate, they refuse to yield to government directive.

    “The fishermen currently displaced were illegal squatters. They do not have legitimate right to live there. For us, there was no community in that location at the moment.”

  • Rotary provides water, bags for Lagos schools

    Rotary provides water, bags for Lagos schools

    The District Governor of the Rotary International District 9110, Rotarian Patrick Ikheloa has praised the Rotary Club of Omole Golden for presenting school bags and providing access to potable water for four public schools in Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    Ikheloa spoke when he led other district leaders to inaugurate the water project at the African Church Primary School, Idi-Agbon area of the local government. Other schools that benefited from the water scheme were Karaole Primary School, Coker Primary School and Ayanleye

    Primary School.

    He said for the club to embark on the water project shows that it remained committed to promoting healthy environment that is conducive to teaching and learning.

    He also distributed 1,000 school bags to primary four and five pupils of the four schools on behalf of the club.

    Ikheloa also praised the club for deeming it fit to not only provide safe water for the pupils, but also in giving them befitting school bags in which to carry their books to school.

    He said more of such projects would be extended to many other schools and communities within the district before the end of the year.

    Reeling off some of the achievements of the club in recent time, the President of the Club, Rotarian Titilayo Sunmonu said the club resolved to unveil the water project and distribution of school bags to coincide with the new session which opened on September 19, even as she revealed that the gesture was to commemorate the World Humanitarian Day, which was celebrated on August 19.

    In his remark, the Education Secretary, Ifako-Ijaiye, Mr Adeyemi Jongbo expressed his satisfaction with the club’s gesture. He called on other well-meaning groups and individuals to render life-changing services to people, especially the downtrodden.

    Earlier at a breakfast fellowship, the club inducted new members, just as it honoured, among others, Rotarian Michael Oshinibosi as a Paul Harris Fellow, and a major donor in recognition of his contributions to the club.

  • Why Lagos is key to Nigeria’s recovery, by Utomi

    •Ashafa hails Ambode’s handling of affairs 

    Lagos State is a crucial catalyst, if Nigeria’s economy is to witness a turnaround, renowned economist and financial expert Prof. Pat Utomi said at the weekend.

    Utomi, who spoke at the Executive/Legislative retreat for members of the State Executive Council and lawmakers from the Senate, House of Representatives as well as the House of Assembly, said there were lessons to be learn from Lagos State.

    According to him, the state’s economy is largely driven by its huge investment in infrastructure, vibrant tax collection and an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, with less-dependence on oil revenue.

    Utomi, in his paper, cited Comrade Adams Oshiomhole when, on emerging Edo State governor, said he would learn how Lagos was getting it right and replicate same in Edo State.

    “The first thing he (Oshiomhole) did was to say he needed to learn how Lagos was getting it right. And he came over to Lagos with his core team to understudy the Lagos developmental model. And we can see how that worked well in Edo,” the economic expert said.

    He added that several other states followed suit in emulating how the tax and IGR template works in Lagos State and how the public service was structured to enhance good coordination.

    Utomi said the Lagos State example should be prescribed for other states and for Nigeria, because, according to him, the momentum will be good for the country.

    He canvassed that the Southwest states scale up their economic integration.

    “This is why I have always advocated a Lagos-Ibadan megalopolis. Lagos is already a mega city by virtue of its population. But a deliberate economic integration with other Southwest states can produce even better results.

    “This won’t be a new template. In fact, it will be taking us back to the template of the old federal structure in a way, when the three regions had a healthy competitive spirit that brought about development.

    The Senator representing Lagos East, Gbenga Ashafa, hailed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for coming up with a platform, “where the executive and legislature meet to deliberate on issues affecting the people with a view to pull human and material resources together in the interest of the people”.

    Ashafa, who chairs the Senate Committee on Land Transport, said he had been assured by Ambode that the rail reform of Lagos was almost ready.

    He added that upon completion, the Light Rail will bring serious dividends of democracy to the people, as well as employment, which in turn, will hasten Nigeria’s recovery from recession.

    The lawmaker, who also spoke on kidnapping, hailed Lagos State for the way the crime has been handled.

  • Lagos steps up security, infrastructure, others

    Lagos steps up security, infrastructure, others

    The fifth edition of the town hall meeting organised by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was another proof that Lagos has no rival among states in the country, writes WALE AJETUNMOBI

    Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere had perhaps never seen such over flowing crowd before. As early as 7 am, people from all walks of life started converging on the  hal. They were there to listen to the account of stewardship of the Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    The event, which held on Tuesday, October 11, was the third Town Hall Meeting this year and fifth in the series of the programme.

    Before the governor’s arrival, eminent personalities had converged on the venue.

    Some of the eminent personalities include: Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule; members of the State Executive Council; Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; Senator representing Lagos Central at the Senate, Chief Mrs Oluremi Tinubu; former Senator representing Lagos West, Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon; former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Abiodun Ogunleye; Elegushi of Ikate Land, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi; All Progressives Congress chieftain, Prince Tajudeen Olusi; Majority Leader of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; former Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji; Oniru of Iru Land, Oba Abiodun Oniru and former Secretary to the State Government, Princess Adenrele Ogunsanya.

    Others include member of the House of Representatives from Lagos, Hon. Jide Jimoh; member of Lagos State House of Assembly from Surulere, Hon. Desmond Elliot; renowned economist, Professor Pat Utomi; Managing Director of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe; service chiefs and heads of security agencies, among many others.

    Ambode disclosed plans to recruit at least 5,000 Neighbourhood Watchers to boost security across the State, with new recruits expected to earn at least N25, 000 monthly with other allowances, adding that the Neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill which he signed into Law on August 15, 2016, was part of efforts to institutionalise and deepen community policing in the State.

    “There is a law that has just been passed which is the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps Law, 2016 and in line with the resolution taken by the House of Assembly yesterday, we would go all out to make sure that this agency is activated and all our neighborhoods will be covered, and then centralize with the State Government with all the necessary equipment and resources to ensure that we establish what we call community policing and that is the way to go.

    “We will rebrand Neighborhood Watchers and re-equip them to the level that each Neighborhood Watchers in all the Local Governments will have their vehicles and necessary equipment to complement security. We are also working on employing additional 5,000 Neighborhood Watchers in all our Local Governments and they will be paid by us, while the basic salary for the entrance level will be N25, 000 per month,” the Governor said.

    The  governor, who said the government would soon roll out all its empowerment programmes, said interventions targeted to assist youths, artisans and the needy to become self reliant have been provided, hence beneficiaries would start getting support from the last quarter of the year.

    “We will roll out all our empowerment programmes immediately to assist all our youth, artisans and the needy. The funding for the N500m Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund has been provided and beneficiaries will start getting support from this quarter,” Governor Ambode said.

    Speaking on the budget performance of the 2016 budget, Governor Ambode disclosed that the State’s budget performance for January to September performed at 69 per cent as against 65 per cent for the same period in 2015.

    He said a total of N166.8billion has been spent on capital projects this year, a figure, he said, was more than double the N53.6billion spent for the same period last year.

    Ambode said the state generated N97.3billion in the last quarter with an expenditure of N110.2billion, noting that the cash reserve of the State has remained positive.

    The governor also disclosed that  N55billion was expended on capital expenditure in the last quarter.

    According to him, the last quarter witnessed a lot of activities from the delivery of massive road infrastructure across the Local Governments in the State as well as the promulgation of the anti-Land Grabbing Law, aimed at making life easier for property owners and a boost in investment activities that will enhance the growth and development potentials in the State.

    He expressed optimism that despite the recession, the State’s economy would remain on a strong and sound footing if capital expenditure spending is increased.

    “In this quarter, we will concentrate more resources on capital projects. We will put money in the hands of our local contractors and through them stimulate and reflate the economy. Immediate payments will be made to contractors handling health sector and education sector projects within the next two weeks,” Governor Ambode assured.

    Speaking on some projects outlined for the next quarter, the Governor said that plans have been concluded to transform the Yaba Bus Park with the provision of modern bus shelters replica of the ones erected at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos Island.

    Governor Ambode also assured that the road rehabilitation projects ongoing at Adetola Street and Brown Road in Aguda, Surulere as well as Olajuwon and Biney Streets in Yaba would be completed before the end of the present quarter.

    He said with the completion and delivery of the first phase of the 114 local government roads last month, the process of bid invitation for the construction of additional 114 roads across the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas would commence within the next three weeks.

    “We have commenced a multi-faceted development that will change the face of Lagos Island. We have installed new bus shelters at Tafawa Balewa Square and before the end of December, various projects will be commenced within the National Museum axis, Onikan to Tafawa Balewa Square, and from Lagos House Marina and Freedom Park. By the time we complete these projects, Lagos will become a major tourist destination in West Africa,” the Governor said.

    Highpoint of the event was the interactive session where Governor Ambode took time to listen to the areas where the people would need the attention of government ranging from road rehabilitation, personal requests and critical interventions in general issues affecting the people.

    For instance, one of the participants at the meeting who requested for coaching job with the Sports Ministry got an instant approval for her request. The governor ordered affected officials to go and inspect areas where issues were raised by the people, with the view to intervene as quickly as possible.

    A resident of Dolphin Estate, Chief Mrs. Bewaji Kuku, raised the issue of flooding in the estate, saying that it has been a major concern for residents anytime it rained.

    She also raised the issue of contract for indigenous contractors, saying that local people should be encouraged to grow the economy, especially through the construction industry.

    However, Kuku recalled his encounter with Ambode during the electioneering campaign when she ‘bombarded’ him with questions on his preparedness to lead the State. She said: “I must confess that Governor Ambode has indeed performed very well and he is working hard to transform the state.”

    The Association of Professional Women in APC, on their part, commended Governor Ambode for the good job he has been doing in the State, but asked for the consideration of their members for employment opportunities.

    Responding, Governor Ambode took time to respond to all the issues raised, assuring that the concerns of the people would be addressed. He explained that the State Government has expended a lot of resources in combating flooding in the State, adding that the Flooding on Dolphin Estate was most times flash flood which would disappear few hours after the rain.

    He also assured the residents of the estate of the commitment of his administration to continually improve on the issues of flooding, ditto for all the nooks and crannies of the state.

    Oba of Lagos Oba Rilwan Akiolu lamented the suspension of a bill seeking special status for Lagos by the Senate, but expressed optimism that the bill would still become law in the nearest future.

    He said: “The suspension of the bill sponsored by our amiable daughter and wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu is unfortunate but it is better and advisable to let these people know that this is not a matter of quarrel but a question of time. It will definitely happen.”

    The monarch, who recalled the history of the agitation for special status for Lagos, urged the promoters of the bill to go back to drawing board and do their home work well before representing it for consideration and passage.

    On the performance of  Ambode’s administration, the monarch said with the monumental achievements recorded in the last 16 months, the eight years tenure of office of the Governor was certain.

    Also speaking on the special status bill, another APC leader in the State, Prince Tajudeen Olusi urged the promoters of the bill to be circumspect when representing the bill for consideration. He said it must be made clear that the National Assembly should not, and must not attempt to legislate for Lagos as a result of the request for one percent empowerment for Lagos which the bill seeks to achieve.

    The governor, who also spoke on the issue, commended Senator Tinubu for her courage to push for the bill, while also lauding the Senate President, Bukola Saraki for his magnanimity in allowing the bill to be presented on the floor of the Senate.

    By the time the crowd started dispersing, there was almost an agreement that Ambode is just starting with Lagos and that when he is through with it, the sky will be its limit.

  • The gingerbread man

    I’m quarter gone…

    I’m half gone…

    I’m three-quarters gone…

    I’m all gone!

    When the night is far spent, wise elders converse in proverbs and laconic quips. That’s an Igbo dictum. The epigram above represents the famous last words of the gingerbread man, the protagonist of the old fairytale of the same title. It is the favourite of children from age to age.

    An old lady finishes baking gingerbread cookies she had shaped like a man. As she opens the oven to relish her handiwork, the little creature leaps out and takes to his heels. And that begins the epic story of the gingerbread man.

    Assuming a mind, body and soul of its own, the boisterous biscuit begins to run for its life so to speak: it detests being eaten by its baker (maker) or anyone else for that matter. No one can catch me, it chants merrily as it races out of the house into the courtyard and straight into the countryside. It keeps running, beating anyone along the way including the man of the house cutting wood in the courtyard.

    It out-manoeuvres every chaser; man and animal, taunting them and indeed daring them to catch it. It succeeds so well until it happens upon a stream.

    One wasn’t there of course, but one can imagine that it must have screeched to a halt upon the realisation that it is made of mere dough after all and one more step would convert it into a soggy mass. But who was on hand to help him across but ‘good’ old Mr. Fox. Hop on my tail, Gingerbread Man and I will ferry you across, volunteers the wily fox.

    Well, he can’t eat me hanging on his tale, thinks Gingerbread Man. But a fox will be a fox; he has his plan carefully perfected obviously. Halfway across the stream he called out: hey, my tail aches, would you please move over to my back. Further upstream, Mr. Fox says again: would you please shift to the tip of my nose, my back is about to cave in. Mr. Gingerbread Man dutifully obeyed.

    Near the other side of the stream, Mr. Fox simply flips Gingerbread Man off the tip of his nose and catches him in his mouth. Thus ends the bread man inside the belly of the fox and not that of his baker.

    Moral: whatever you do, eschew heedlessness.

    Application: no leader can run a country by heedless obduracy and mono-mindedness. In other words, several inter-mingling variables are often at play in statecraft and a careful meshing of these is what brings the best report.

    The anti-graft war: yes we must kill the monster of corruption and it must be said that this government has shown more honesty of purpose than any other since Nigeria’s independence. But the method of prosecuting the war has become self-vitiating, to say the least. Shock and awe tactics which ought to be an introductory strategy has become the modus operandi.

    The novelty of this strong-arm-media-hype tactics has waned and the initial gains are being corroded. And the more they are still being deployed, the more they grate on our sense of propriety.

    It is expected that by now, deep into the second year of this administration, some strategic institutions would have undergone total revamp with the intent of ensuring that even now, such mind-boggling official graft we quarrel with is not going on. The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAGF) is one such that ought to be operating at 100 per cent optimal now. Is it not shocking that governments at all arms and levels are hardly audited and when we deign to do so, it is never timeous?

    It is at the point of audit that most of the financial malfeasance can be tracked. Even the licentious looting going on in the National Assembly can be tracked by proper independent audit regime.

    Is the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation capacious enough and intellectually equipped for the massive corruption war we are waging? Where are the requisite bills and law reviews that we expect to see at this juncture? Can we, for instance, make laws to compel all MDAs to render annual accounts publicly? Isn’t it trite that those who handle public funds should naturally render annual accounts to the public? The immediate effect of this measure is that it will make public officials accountable and more conscious in the use of public funds.

    What really is the duty of the Itse Sagay committee? Has the police system undergone any restructure to act more efficiently? Why have the DSS and the EFCC usurped the functions of the police? Even the EFCC remains a crude, brawny agency thoroughly over-burdened and thriving more on brute force.

    Last weekend, the secret police stormed the abodes of some judges, two of whom are justices of the Supreme Court, in the dead of night in what they described as ‘sting’ operations. The motive here may be noble, but the method is poor and a disincentive to the graft war.

    A couple of weeks earlier, the anti-graft agency was locked in a battle of wits with the wife of the former president. For over two weeks the media and the populace were immersed in disquieting frenzy over what ought to have been a quiet, discreet, investigation.

    It has been announced that eight more judges are to be pulled in as well as some senior lawyers. Early this week, it was reported that the cases of corrupt past governors are to be reopened. Now who takes on all his ‘enemies’ at once? Who fights on all fronts? And again, the capacity issue.

    We fear we may already have a gingerbread man syndrome; or better still, a gingerbread president who is heedlessly chasing the bad citizens in our midst, while the good ones face extinction by starvation. A little more energy must be applied to the economy. We fear that by the tacit support of the DSS’ coarse tactics of last weekend, the presidency emboldens the agency to inch towards repression.

    The same logic that bars you from clandestinely packing a man in a crate and shipping him to Nigeria (even if he had stolen an entire country), would forbid you from knocking down the doors of an unarmed, not-considered-dangerous judge (or any citizen at that) in the dead of night, in the presence of his family. If any of the judges was fatally harmed in the process, how would DSS explain it?

    It can also be argued that this singular act is designed to over-awe the judicial arm of government and make it less independent, jelly-kneed and to kowtow to the executive arm. Because the executive has monopoly of state force, it must always deploy it with utmost circumspection. It must be absolutely above board. This raid does not pass the test. It is a stark negation of civil ethos, rules of decency and democratic norms.

    This same operation could well have been carried out in the day time; more swiftly and efficiently without the ruckus. That action, lawful as it may seem, portrays a bumbling DSS and bears all the imprints of dark, autocratic tendencies. It must be condemned vehemently. Never again should non-dangerous suspects be taken in this manner ever.

    Again, corruption is a canker threatening our very existence but would you pull the down the country just to defeat corruption? We have allowed our atmosphere to be choked with sordid tales of sleaze that hardly any investor would venture into this place now. We are saying that while we pursue thieves, we must allow the country to breathe and function. All the EFCC seems to do daily is to scream thief! thief! thief! In a superficial process that has become jaded what subsists is high drama and theatrics.

    We’re quarter gone!

     

    Lagos’ status: Senate’s mala fide

    It smacks of bad faith of the treacherous kind that the Senate of the Federal Republic would casually throw out a Bill to grant Lagos State some special status. We do not ask that the Bill presented by Senator Remi Tinubu (Lagos Central) be granted express passage, but we think it deserves a thorough and more rigorous examination.

    If only from the point of view that Lagos is no longer a Southwest state but a Nigerian mega-metropolis in the mould of New York, London, Rio de Jeneiro and Johannesburg. Making Lagos the city of our collective pride must be the duty of every Nigerian.

    Some reasons: about half of Lagos’ educational, health facilities and various other social amenities are enjoyed by non-Lagosians at highly subsidised rates. Federal roads traversing the city have long been abandoned for the state government to maintain and there is hardly anyone in the Senate who doesn’t have a locus in Lagos.

    The points for granting Lagos some concession are numerous and robust. The Bill will have to be re-presented sooner; the governor may need to set up a consultative/lobby group of eminent persons… and a successful Lagos would no doubt impact greatly on the rest of the country.

  • Lagos and politics of envy and revenge

    Lagos, because of her allure is the beautiful bride of Nigerian fortune-seekers and political adventurers. For the Portuguese and the British fortune-seekers and the repatriates who needed a place under the sun, Lagos was a dream fulfilled. As an endowed city where people effortlessly build up financial fortunes, she was in the service of foreign immigrants like the Greeks who started by hawking wrist-watches on Marina Street later joined by other immigrants like the Oros of Kwara and Igbos of the East who engage in similar activities. And as a symbol of our ethnic diversity, it is city politicians who want to build political empire love and hate with equal passion. The problem however is that everyone wants to take the advantage of the opportunities Lagos offers without responsibility. Even the Ijaws tolerated by Lagos with their illegal structures and pollution of Lagos’ once beautiful shorelines is now holding Lagos to ransom by substituting fishing for ‘kidnapping for ransom’. To borrow Chinua Achebe’s famous line, ‘when calamity befalls the land, Lagos fortune-seekers run away, leaving the territory to the owners of the land who know how to appease their own gods”.

    That precisely explains why senators, many of whom first raised fortunes in Lagos with which they fought elections in their constituencies threw out Senator’s Oluremi Tinubu’s bill seeking “an Act to make provisions for federal grants to Lagos State in recognition of its (the state) strategic socio-economic significance and other connected purposes.” She had anchored her argument on self-evident truth that Lagos, “is home to the major ports that account for over 90 per cent of all maritime exports; that the city accounts for 86.2 per cent of companies income taxes in Nigeria and 56.7 per cent of Value Added Tax. She also reminded her colleagues that ‘the state bears the burden for the wear and tear of the federal revenue generating activities’.

    But Senator Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto North, and Hope Uzodimma (Imo West) opposed the bill. The Lagos bill also reminded Senator Bassey that Calabar was once the capital of Nigeria. For him, if Calabar is not given a federal grant, Lagos cannot ask for one. Not even Senator Olusola Adeyeye (Osun Central), the Chief whip’s reference to the injustice in a system that grants Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers 13% of our resources as oil producing states but denies Lagos 13% of VAT she generated made any impression on his fellow senators who claim ‘rich Lagos will become richer’ forgetting that the well-being of Lagos is the  well-being of many of their state indigenes who make a living in Lagos either as white-collar workers, hawkers, truck pushers and okada riders.

    But politics of envy and revenge predates the current senators. It can be traced to 1861 when British fortune-seekers obtained a treaty of the cession of Lagos from King Dosunmu under duress only to drive away Kosoko his successor in order to take possession of Lagos land in a typical act of banditry. ‘By 1871, William Macgregor and Walter Egerton had consolidated this British act of banditry by sharing Lagos’ choice plots among themselves and their protégés – the repatriated slaves’.

    Then Zik came in 1934 and soon emerged the spokesman for urban dwelling Igbos. When his attempt to represent Lagos at the legislative council failed as a result of Dr Olorunnibe’s refusal to step down for him, he and his supporters started agitating for turning of Lagos into a federal territory. Ahmadu Bello, Emirs of Katsina and Gwandu and other northern leaders had their own private reasons for embarking on politics of envy and revenge against Lagos. Following the leakage of governors and ministers’ position on Enahoro’s motion for independence in 1953 by Bode Thomas and Samuel Akintola to the press, these northern leaders were humiliated at Iddo train station by Lagos mobs who called them British stooges. Ahmadu Bello, according to Trevor Clark, Tafawa Balewa’s biographer was so irritated that ‘in a mixture of petulance and pomposity said the mistake of 1914 has come to light…next time I come. I have sword in my hand”.

    Not even the sponsorship of Kano youths riot by northern leaders led by Inuwa Wada against Akintola’s proposed political rally in Kano which resulted in the killing by castration of 40 southerners by Kano mobs was considered sufficient revenge for the humiliation of the northern leaders. They threatened to go into a federation with French speaking Niger if Lagos was not excised from the West. ‘The future of Nigeria will be imperilled by anything but a loose federation, if the north must be tied to Nigeria; the central power must be minimal and regional power must be internally unfettered while Lagos must be reduced to some form of non-political common services agency’, the north insisted.

    But Obafemi Awolowo, at the 1954 Lyttleton constitutional conference in London in reaction to politics of envy and revenge of his compatriots against Lagos and the Western Region insisted on fiscal federalism arguing that ‘railway, harbour, civil aviation, banks, shipping, electricity and broadcasting must be taken off the exclusive list. He also insisted Lagos must remain part of the west while conceding ‘an Ottawa but not extra territoriality’. And when Awo, regarded as ‘the smartest thinker on his feet’, the leader of AG and NCNC southern axis with whom Zik exchanged endless notes during the proceeding made a tactical error of staging a walkout with AG over their demand, Ahmadu Bello said the conference should go on since the representative of 25 million other Nigerians were still present. Zik caved in on the issue of boundary adjustment and with Ahmadu Bello jointly decided the mode of election to the centre and appointment of the council of ministers. A whole municipal area was also carved out of the Western Region as the federal capital following the  reassurance of Chief Kola Balogun that there would be no outbreak of violence as threatened by Awo and AG. Zik later “paid public tribute to NPC and praised the north for participating in true federation” and boasted “it was the work of statesmen to bring peace, harmony and unity to Nigeria”.

    But Awo, regarded as the ‘greatest African patriot’ by Cecil King, Head of the London Daily Mirror group and managers of the Nigerian Daily Times but regarded as ‘stubborn rude and proud’ by the departing colonial masters, has been vindicated over his principled stand on fiscal federalism and status of Lagos. Two days after our Abuja senators threw out Senator Tinubu’s bill designed to bring relief to Lagosians, the Nigeria Ports Authority announced with fanfare that it raked in revenue of N25b in one month. Yet Oshodi-Tin-Can Island Ports road remains impassable and motorists and commuters face daily traffic gridlock while proceeds from the area are used to build bridges over land in Abuja.

    It was not also an accident that Ribadu and Yar’Adua were the only people qualified to be ministers of Lagos.; that federal ministers of work  such as Mamman Kontagora, Barbabas Gemade, Abdulkarim Adisa bulldozed areas they called slums displacing the poor to pave way for the privileged elite; that  Babangida and  Clement Akpamgbo, his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, came up with  Decree 52 of 1993 backdated to January 1, 1975 to confiscate 150 choice plots at the reclaimed Osborne road as parting gifts to his ministers.

    The final evidence to show Lagos is a victim of envy and revenge is the fact that Abuja federal capital territory, sustained by taxes not from Abuja or the north, has continued to be administered only by northerners without recourse to the principle that ceded leadership of Lagos as capital of Nigeria to the north in 1954.

     

  • Kidnap: Lagos schools are safe, lawmaker assures

    Despite the recent attack on Lagos State Model College, Igbonla in Epe, where some pupils and teachers were kidnapped, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Olanrewaju Ogunyemi, has assured that schools in the state  are safe for learning.

    Ogunyemi, Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Education, said his committee emphasised  security during its oversight visits to some schools, and that the government had done its best on this.

    The lawmaker spoke during the presentation of Excellent Leaders award to him in his office by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Christian Coalition Against Corruption.

    According to him, in same manner as in Barbinghton Macaulay Secondary School, Ikorodu, the kidnappers that raided Igbo Nla took the pupils and teachers away in daylight and escaped with a boat.

    “This was why Governor Akinwunmi Ambode ordered the demolition of shanties around waterways. The government is providing security in the schools and they have done much for the Lagos State Police Command by buying equipment worth billions of naira for them.

    “Our schools are safe and they would continue to be safe. Our government will not compromise on that, and we will soon install CCTV in all the schools,” he said.

    Ogunyemi added that a bill on kidnapping that is before the Assembly would be given all the necessary attention, saying the crime has almost become a daily occurrence in the state.

    He said Lagos would follow the footsteps of Edo State, which imposes capital punishment on kidnappers, seizes their properties and freezes their bank accounts.

    The lawmaker said teachers in the state enjoy the same benefits like other civil servants.

    He said the state has enough welfare packages for teachers, and that they also extend vehicle loans to them.

    Ogunyemi noted that about 1,300 teachers were recently employed for primary schools, adding that plans are underway to hire additional 1,000 teachers for secondary schools.

     

  • Lagos school gets ICT facility

    THE Advanced Management Programme (AMP) Class 26 of the Pan Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos, has donated an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre to Lekki Community High School in Ibeju-Lekki.

    The facility, named School Knowledge Centre, was inaugurated by the donors, who adopted the school.

    Principal of the senior arm of the school, Mr Ebenezer Olusanya, urged his teachers to ensure that all the pupils were computer literate in the next three months.

    “I feel fulfilled,”Olusanya began,”Most of the things that have come to this school have been through the grace of God and the AMP Class 26 of the Lagos Business School (LBS). When you (AMP Class) donated furniture to the school, we promised you that there will be improvement in the West African Senior Secondary School Examination (WASSCE). This year, we have at least 70 per cent success. You also took the pupils out for sightseeing and that changed their lives for good.We must also be grateful to the Lagos State Government.

    “In the next three months, I promise that all my pupils will be computer literate. That means they will start attending classes after school from 3pm-5pm. Today, we may not have structures, but I can boldly say that my school is the best in Epe Local Government.

    “You must learn how to use the computer. It is for you,” Olusanya admonished the pupils.

    An alumnus and Vice Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Lagos State, Mr Wasiu Aiyeola, expressed gratitude to the class for members’efforts in facilitating the project, which, he said, would transform the school.

    “When I was a pupil of this school in the ’80s, if someone had prophesied that there would be an ICT centre here, I would have contested it. These children you have helped are my siblings,” he said.

    The AMP Class 26 also sponsored the Best teacher award, took the winners on one-week ICT training and presented a laptop to each of them.

    Mr Lateef Ogunbekun bagged the award for the junior school category, while Mr Gabriel Abikoye, won at the senior cadre.

    Public Relations Officer (PRO) of AMP Class 26, Mr Tobechukwu Inadozie, told the pupils not be intimidated by their humble beginning.

    He said: “It is tough leaving a school like this to compete with others out there.But one thing I learnt growing up in a school like this myself is that if you can succeed in a school in a remote area, then you can succeed anywhere. Being in this school is not a disadvantage. It is not about the external things, but what is inside of you.”

     

  • Respite as 250 undergo surgery in Lagos community

    Respite as 250 undergo surgery in Lagos community

    The four-day free medical programme for residents of Alimosho Constituency 1 organised by their representative at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Bisi Yusuf, will remain evergreen in their minds. Thousands who were hitherto hopeless had their medical challenges resolved. OZIEGBE OKOEKI reports

    For several hours penultimate Monday, residents of Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State were trooping to the four centres where they had their health examined. Some who had serious ailments that required surgery were operated upon where necessary.

    Courtesy of their representative at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Bisi Yusuf, the four-day free medical programme was said to be life-changing experience.

    The event was one that brought smiles and relief to thousands of residents in Alimosho Constituency 1 as they were given rare opportunity to know their health situations. Those who are already aware of their health challenges and stigmatised as a result also were given one form of treatment or the other and were no longer victims of stigmatisation.

    At the end of the four-day programme, over 250 residents went through different types of surgery while thousands of others were treated of different ailments/diseases.  Only one of the residents tested positive to HIV and 10 others who had serious medical complications were given referrals after proper screening had been carried out on them by medical personnel.

    Surgical operations were carried out for residents who had hernia, lumpectomy, ganglion, goiter and keloid, while screening was carried out for diseases such as urine analysis, diabetes, HIV, hepatitis B, prostate specific antigen, sight problems, malaria, de-worming for children and adult. General free medical checkups were also carried out.

    The screening took place in four designated locations in the four local councils that make up the constituency, namely Alimosho Local Government (Open Space, Alaguntan Bus Stop);  Agbado Oke-Odo (Council Secretariat); Mosan Okunola (Abesan Mini-Stadium) and Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA (Ipaja Mini-Stadium Hall).

    The surgical operations were carried out at the Ayobo-Ipaja Mini-Stadium Hall which was converted to a hospital. On ground for the programme were 25 surgeons, more than 30 pharmacists and a retinue of nurses and other para-medical personnel.

    Though the lawmaker had ensured that the programme which he began when he was Chairman of Ayobo/Ipaja Local Council Development Area was yearly event, this year’s exercise was unique. This is so because it was the first time surgical operations became part of the programme. The lawmaker assured that subsequent programmes will have doctors from the United States of America in attendance.

    He said: “It is my annual project. I began it when I was the Chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA. I take health as my priority. As the chairman, I built one health centre in each of the five political wards in the LCDA.

    “I have the largest constituency in Nigeria. The number of people is enormous and every day I live with them. This free health programme covers all manner of diseases.”

    The lawmaker also said he decided to use the medical programme to reach out to his constituents while celebrating his birthday which was the day the programme commenced.

    “At my age, if God has given me good health, I should replicate it to benefit others who are less-privileged.”

    He said his constituents deserve sound health if there will all-round development  in his area, “because without good health, there is little you can do to improve the society. There are some here who cannot afford even drugs of N200.

    He said: “As you know, I’m celebrating my birthday today. I was born on September 26. So, instead of partying with people who even have more than I do, why don’t I do things that the less-privileged people will benefit from? You can see the way the people are appreciative of the programme.”

    On the surgery operations carried out, Yusuf said: “It is baffling that these kind of problems exist in the country and people are burying dollars in toilet pits instead of spending it on people who need it. I am happy I am part of this.

    “For some of them who were operated on, they had been stigmatised as a result of the ailments but we have been able to take them out of that bondage. They can now live a free life. Some of them could not believe relief would come their way free of charge. Some have resigned themselves to fate because they could not afford the bill for the operation in hospitals. But through this effort, they have been taken care of. For them, it is unbelievable,” Yusuf said.

    The lawmaker, who is Chairman House Committee on Public Accounts (Local), said:  “You can see the number of people here. Even though we are in economic recession, people should not suffer in all aspects of life. There are so many people who cannot afford drugs of N200. Since I’m representing this teeming population and I’m healthy and since God has given me the power to do it, I must do it. If you have good health, you have everything.” he said.

    Continuing, he said: “This is bereft of any political motive. I have Prince of Hope Foundation; I’m building an institution that is going to live after me. I once donated one million drugs to ministry of health for de-worming of children. I’m still doing that even beyond my own constituency.”

    In a chat with reporters on the first day of the programme, head of the medical team, Dr Olajoko Samson Alaba, a surgeon, assured the residents of professional treatments, saying everything has been put in place for successful surgical operations.

    He said: “We will treat hernia, glaucoma; we won’t be able to do the big ones because this place is not a formal hospital. We will do the pre-surgery here. Any other post-surgery will be resolved in the hospital.”

    While appreciating the massive turn out, the lawmaker said he could not give specific number of people that benefited from the programme since the it was open to all residents in the area.

    The lawmaker thanked some pharmaceutical companies that assisted the programme with drugs and some of their personnel as well as some hospitals and surgeons who volunteered their services.

    While commending Yusuf for the health programme, the Sole Administrator of Alimosho Local Government Area, Quadri Ishola said the lawmaker ”has been a very wonderful personality. He has been doing all he could to ensure the well-being of his constituents. What we are witnessing today is a strong achievement sponsored solely by him.

    “Health is wealth. In whatever way we can give our people a viable health opportunity, we should do it. As a government, we have done something similar to this where we partnered the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and corporate bodies,” he said.

    He, however, advised the beneficiaries to take whatever medical advice given to them by the medical team serious.

    Ishola said:  “Whatever health advice given to them by the health personnel, they must abide by it. When we live healthy, it’s better for us all. A healthy individual or society encourages the economy. They must keep to instructions.”

    One of the beneficiaries whose lump at the side of the neck and back of his head was operated upon and removed, Dele Lawal, said he has carried the lump for over 15 years. He said he had been charged between N80,000 and N120,000 to remove it in hospital but could not afford the money. He thanked the lawmaker for the gesture that brought relief to him.

    He said: “I will always pray for Hon. Yusuf, his family and the political party that produced him.”

    Another beneficiary, Ogunyemi Wasiu also said: “When I received the information that there would be free health programme for the people, I rushed down here. The programme is good; it’s going on well. They gave us absolute attention.”