The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lagos

  • Abductions: Police train school guards in Lagos, Ogun

    The police in Lagos and Ogun states have embarked on the training of security guards in schools in order to beef up security around their premises.

    CSP Adebowale Lawal, the spokesperson for the Police Zone 2 comprising Lagos and Ogun, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

    “The exercise commenced in Ogun where some Divisional Police Officers met with security guards and schools management.

    “Mr Bala Hassan, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, has also directed all the DPOs in the zone to embark on regular enlightenment meetings on security with school principals and proprietors.

    “The DPOs are to lecture them on security tips they need to beef up security around and within their schools following recent abductions,” Lawal said.

    He advised the management of schools to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in order to monitor movement within and around school premises.

    “There is the need to install CCTV cameras so that at all times they will be able to monitor those entering the compound.

    “The gatemen should not concentrate on the gate alone; they need to patrol at all times and see what is happening as the CCTV will assist them.

    “The AIG also directed all DPOs within the commands to ensure regular patrol of all schools in their area,” Lawal said.

    The police spokesperson urged schools with low fences to raise them while those without fences needed to build one.

  • Lagos set to transform TBS bus terminal into tourist attraction

    Lagos set to transform TBS bus terminal into tourist attraction

    The Lagos State Government on Friday said that arrangements had been concluded to transform the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS’s) Bus Terminal to attract more tourists to the edifice.

    The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Dayo Mobereola, disclosed this at a stateholders’ meeting organised by his Ministry in Lagos on Friday.

    Mobereola said that redevelopment was part of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode’s efforts to further enhance the state’s mega-city project.

    He said: “The reason for this redevelopment is to actualise the vision of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in his strive to make the state a real mega-city.

    “To affirm this, there are some infrastructure that are to be in place.

    “TBS stands for Lagos State. It is a rallying point for us, so we want to beautify it more and make it a tourist centre.

    “It is very important and imperative to make the terminal a world-class edifice, so that when anyone comes to this place, they will bow and respect the state,’’ Mobereola said.

    The commissioner said that the purpose of the meeting was to seek the opinion of stakeholders and to carry them along.

    “We need your contributions to make it better. We are just going to make the place an ultra-modern terminal for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses, taxi operators and passengers.

    “What we want to do is to protect all during the rainy and hot seasons. Everyone will have its own section: Danfo drivers, BRT and taxi operators, so that passengers are not confused where to go.

    “What we are doing is for the benefits of all. When it is completed, it will be enforced,’’ he said.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr Anofiu Elegushi, added that the purpose of the project was not to displace the operators.

    “We are ready to receive your inputs, comments and advice. Our intention is to re-arrange. It is not an intention to take over your operations, but we need your support to move the state forward,’’ he said.

    In his presentation on the project design, Mr Bolaji Bada, the Director Transportation Engineering in the ministry, said that the project would have a hightech fibre to provide shade.

    Bada said, “The weight of the material is approximately one per cent of glass, which make it light enough to withstand any weather condition. It is dust and repellant-free and can serve for 40 years.

    “This technology has the ability to transmit light when illuminated from above at night, so it will be spectacular, of high architecture and colourful, with a lot of land spacing for a standard terminus.’’

    In his reaction, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who lauded the project, urged that the government should be cautious of disrupting people’s sources of income.

    “I want to appeal that you do not displace the operators and traders when the project is eventually completed because they are of immense benefit to both passengers and their families,’’ Agbede said.

    Mr Hammed Okunuga, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers’ Association (RTEAN) in Lagos Island, said “we appreciate this as we have been looking forward to it, but let it not be that you want to take over what we feed our families with.’’

    A private Park-and-Ride operator at TBS, identified as Alfa Abolore, urged the government not to displace entreprenuers who have been making a living in the area.

    In his response, Mobereola, said, “no stakeholder should be fearful. We will not take your source of income. We must do it together.

    “We may have to relocate people that might be affected because by the time we are done with TBS, you will tell us to go and repair Obalende. Obalende is not up to standard.

    “We need your support because of the inconvenience it will bring during execution.”

    He added that the facility would include enhanced security and maintenance features such as Closed Circuit Television and a world-class toilet facility.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that stateholders at the meeting included members and executives of the NURTW and the RTEAN, traders, politicians and residents, among others.

     

  • Lagos keys into mortgage refinance scheme

    Lagos keys into mortgage refinance scheme

    •Continuous mass housing on the cards

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, has reiterated the state’s willingness to partner the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC).

    To this end, the state government says it is prepared to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as soon as parties agree on the terms and modalities of the facilities which are geared towards alleviating the burden of financing mortgage in the state.

    At an interactive meeting of the ministry and its agencies with the management of the NMRC, led by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NMRC, Professor Charles Inyangete, Lawal reiterated that Lagos State has positioned itself positively in terms of provision of mortgage laws and the establishment of necessary institutions to enable it access a value-chain approach in financing housing.

    He further stressed that the state is working towards reducing poverty because ‘home ownership goes beyond shelter as it is a major investment’’.

    The commissioner also said that in the effort of the state government to prepare for housing investment, it commissioned empirically based studies across the state to ascertain the various needs so as to guide government in its quest to reducing housing deficits across the state.

    To this end, the state government promised that there would be a continued and sustained provision of mass housing units to Lagosians. Lawal said the provision of mass housing is part of government’s efforts to tackle the current housing deficit being faced in the state, blaming the deficit on population increase and influx of people into the state. Government, he disclosed, could no longer shoulder the responsibility alone; hence its resolve to invite developers to partner with the Ministry.

    The commissioner was emphatic that the current housing crisis calls for drastic measures requiring a Public Private Partnership (PPP), to take housing beyond delivery to possession. He disclosed that government is considering the introduction of other housing ownership initiative options such as a rent-to-own apart scheme that could enable the people have more access to homes considering that there are a huge number of houses that are yet to be accessed by the public.

    Although the participants at the forum, which included real estate operatives, were in agreement with the rent-to-own scheme, they however advised that necessary precautionary measures should be put in place to ensure its success and sustainability

     

  • Lawyer slumps, dies in court

    Tragedy struck on Tuesday, when a lawyer slumped and died at the premises of the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Igbosere.
    The deceased, identified only as ‘Chidi’, was scheduled to appear as defence counsel for two men: Okedairo Okedeji, 38, and Akolade Agbola, 28, who were alleged to have stolen meat and snail worth N28,000 from Southern Sun Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos.
    The men had been arraigned on February 29, and were out on bail after meeting the conditions set by Magistrate (Mrs.) F. M Dalley.
    The deceased was due to represent them Tuesday at their trial, but he and the defendants arrived in court after the case had been called and adjourned till April 14.
    The Nation learnt that he apologised to the court for their lateness and explained that it was due to heavy traffic.
    He also tried to plead with the Magistrate for a change in the adjourned date, but in the course of pleading, he was cut short by fits of coughing and began gasping for breath.
    When the coughing would not stop, he started clutching his chest and gasping, ‘Obim!’ ‘Obim!’, the Igbo word for ‘My chest!’ ‘My chest!’
    Those around quickly helped him, unloosen his tie and helped him outside the courtroom to get fresh air.
    He pleaded that they should help him get a cab to take him home.
    As he was rushed downstairs, he appeared to have lost consciousness and one of his clients carried him on the back down the staircase.
    By the time the cab arrived he had stopped breathing.
    The apprehensive cab driver was persuaded to take him to the Lagos Island General hospital and the deceased was put in the vehicle and driven away.
    The cab driver returned returned minutes later with him to the court premises and declined to carry a corpse in his taxi for fear of police harassment.
    The Nation learnt that his corpse was eventually deposited at the Lagos Island General Hospital morgue.

  • Med-View airline flags-off Kaduna-Lagos route

    Med-View airline flags-off Kaduna-Lagos route

    MED-VIEW Nigeria airline Tuesday flagged-off its Kaduna-Lagos to ease stress associated with flying directly to Kaduna from Lagos and vice-versa.

    Head of Engineering of the airline, Engineer Lukman Animashaun, said the airline operators promised to dominate the route with friendly packages without compromising international standard.

    Engr. Lukman said the 150 sitting capacity Boeing 737-400, which arrived Kaduna from Lagos at about 9:00 am Tuesday, is scheduled to fly Lagos-Kaduna and Kaduna-Lagos four times in a week; Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Aircraft will depart Lagos 7:30 and depart Kaduna by 9:15 on those days

    According to him, “Med-View is one airline that has taken the area of making sure that we give the best opportunity to fly around the country comfortably and safely. As you can see from our opening, we are airline of Nigeria and as such we should be seen all over the country which is what has taken us to Kaduna.

    “We are having four flights weekly; Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Aircraft will depart Lagos 7:30 and depart Kaduna by 9:15 on those days.

    He urged Nigerians not to be afraid of flying because of maintenance problem, saying “Nigerians who will fly will continue to fly and we at Med-View will encourage them to fly because it remains the safest means of transportation all over the world.

    “Med-View Airline doesn’t compromise on maintenance and definitely we will not compromise on safety. We maintain our aircrafts according to regulations and as at when due.

    On security of passengers, he said “we take proper check of every single thing that entering the plane. Apart from electronic checking equipment, we also don’t compromise our manual checks and that is why you see female security personnel checking female passengers while male are checking males. All this is to ensure safety while on board the plane.

    “What makes Med-View different is on time departure. No other Nigeria airline has been able to beat that as at today and we will continue to do that in Kaduna. So, Med-View is here to dominate Kaduna.

    “Most people believe that between Kaduna and Abuja by road is just two hours. But between kaduna and Lagos is about an hour flight. When people know that when they get to the airport and see that there is a flight directly to Kaduna or directly to Lagos, they will be encouraged to fly with us and that will also increase the number of people that will be coming to Kaduna,” he stressed.

     

  • Lagos warns against indiscriminate fuel storage

    Lagos warns against indiscriminate fuel storage

    The Lagos State Fire Service yesterday warned the public, particularly motorists, against storing fuel at home and inside vehicles.

    A statement by its Public Affair Officer Bola Ajao, said the service received 78 emergency calls in the first 13 days of this month.

    Quoting her director, Mr Rasak Fadipe, Ajao said since the advent of fuel scarcity, some people have devised “illegal means” of storing the product such as the trunks of their vehicles, under the staircase at home or within the premises of their offices.

    All these are responsible for the increase in the number of fires which have destroyed lives and properties.

    Fadipe said the government placed high premium on safety, noting that the public’s nonchalance to basic safety rules is worrisome.

    He said 355 emergency calls were “effectively responded” to between January and last month, describing the figure as worrisome. The agency, he said, had extended its safety enlightenment campaign to all local government areas, hospitals and schools.

    According to him, scarcity is not a yardstick to illegitimate and inappropriate storage of fuel.

    Fadipe urged Lagosians to avoid using the jerry cans that has been used for petrol to store kerosene and any other flammable Liquids.

    Filling Stations, he said, should disallow customers clustering around their pumps to avert a scuffle that could spark fire and avoid dispensing fuel in polythene bags.

  • Okada robbery gang members arrested

    Okada robbery gang members arrested

    Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested three teenage robbers, who specialise in “okada” snatch and run” .
    Members of the gang, including Daniel Dali, 19; Emmanuel Ashaolu, 17 and Ikenna Bright, 17, were arrested on Friday in Ajegunle by the surveillance team of RRS on regular patrol of the area.
    Dali, an okada rider from Cotonu and Ashaolu were reported to have snatched a handbag from a lady, but unknowingly to them, the bag contained two wraps of “fufu” and stew.
    Their victim’s shout for help prompted the RRS team to pursue the duo on okada leading to the arrest of Ashaolu while Dali escaped.The RRS team mobilized a decoy Team of RRS Intelligence who combed the area late in the night, leading to the arrest of Dali, the okada rider and Bright.
    At the suspects’ apartment, two other roommates were also arrested but later released after cross examination by the RRS officials.
    However, Dali on interrogation stated that he is the okada rider for the syndicate and disclosed that he started the business of okada snatching and run in April 2015 after the death of his mother.

  • Rescued school girls and governance in Lagos

    It the time the al-Qaeda outlaw Osama bin Laden was killed by a special assault team of the United States military in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011, pundits suggested that were Presidential election to be held in the US ahead of the scheduled date in 2012, President Barack Obama, under whose watch the Jihadist was nailed, would easily have secures reelection.

    Pollsters returned the verdict that although such economic issues as marginal job losses, poverty and oil prices fluctuation were trending as likely voting determinants, Obama’s major feat on the security front would clinch massive popular support for him and his Democratic Party.

    This turned out to be prophetic because more than a year later at the poll, America’s first black president was reelected, a strong influencing factor being the role he played in taming insecurity ascribed to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist activities against US territory and the country’s global interests.

    When keen observers also take a critical look at the security situation in Lagos State under the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, they can’t but conclude that indeed he has made a difference that is turning out to be a game changer. It would absolutely count for him when he seeks reelection as it did for Obama, according to observers.

    He has tackled insecurity in Lagos such that as the day follows the night, arrests invariably follow the perpetuation of a crime. We are at the stage where committing felony would be unattractive to the criminally minded.

    Now, the background to this observation is the abduction and rescue of the three female students of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary School (BMJSS) at Ikorodu on the outskirts of Lagos.

    It took place at an in auspicious time: the state government was battling a seasonal feud between two factions of the Road Transport Workers Union at Oshodi that had temporarily arrested social and economic activities in the community; communal violence had also broken out in the densely-populated area of Ketu  Mile 12 market, claiming several lives, destroying properties running into hundreds of millions of Naira and injuring scores of residents. It lasted for days and led finally to the closure of the popular market.

    While all these lasted, Governor Ambode shuttled between these hot spots and security outposts. But some scoffed at him and his government on the issue of the students abduction. On Wednesday March 2, 2016, one leading national newspaper wrote: “Despite the fact that the students were kidnapped on Monday night and the information had been widely circulated neither the Lagos State governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, nor his representatives had visited the school as of 8pm on Tuesday. The state government had also yet to make a statement on the abduction.”

    Many went on to liken the BMJSS development to the tragic Chibok girls tale that saw the kidnap of more than 200 students in 2014. They have not been rescued since.

    But it was a short-lived comparison because the entire arsenal of the security apparatus Ambode had been assembling was scrambled into action. It delivered the expected result as the girls were rescued some six days after their captivity. The Police arrested the culprits and retrieved the valuable information while also recovering lethal weapons from the suspects. Such was the success of the operation that no ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

    Hear what Emmanuel Arigidi, one of the suspected kidnappers of the Ikorodu school girls said about the level of security in the state: ”I know that security in Lagos State is now tight and I was telling others that there was no way we would get away with this kind of job considering the level of security in the state. When I told them that we should end the assignment, other members of the gang threatened to kill me and then I took Canoe to run away”.

    The school population and parents of the victims as well as the generality of the society in Lagos and Nigeria are heaving a sigh of relief and hailing the security architecture that has offered such salutary conclusion to what was unfolding as one abduction too many following the unresolved Chibok riddle.

    But really, this pleasant outcome was not a surprise to those who have monitored Ambode’s unprecedented contribution to a highly motivated and efficient police in the state. His administration has given a hefty crime-tackling equipment worth about N4.765b to the Force. These include three helicopters, two gun boats, 55 Ford Ranger vans, 100 4-door salon cars, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser pickups, Isuzu trucks and 115 Power bikes. In tow are 15 Armored Personnel Carriers, APC, bullet proof vests, helmets along with Improved Insurance and Death Benefit Schemes for officers. In the offing is the installation of Close Circuit Camera TV Coverage for Lagos and more equipments to assist security agencies in effectively doing their job. Even then, the Light Up Lagos Project that has seen all the nooks and cranny of the state with street lights is also designed to compliments the efforts of security agencies.

    Ambode says this is “In conformity with the overall policy thrust of (the) administration built on a tripod… Security, Job Opportunities and Improved Infrastructure.” It is the synergy of technology, intelligence work and political will at play.

    A government with this mindset is the objective of the ideal state, where government’s sole occupation is to cater for the all-round welfare of the people, through securing them against anti-social elements and the economic vicissitudes of life. Economic and social enterprise with political activities and the development of the citizen can only take place where there is security and a body language in government that suggests that crime would not go undetected, unprevented or unpunished. This is the primary aspiration of government, whether they are in Khaki or in politicians’ Agbada.

    The safe return of the BMJSS girls has delivered two take-aways: Lagos with its burgeoning population of more than 20 million people is safe for business, leisure and habitation; secondly it has a government which, as it partners with the Police, does not take tax payers money and security fund for granted.

    Just as the governor said on the day the girls were rescued, : ”Let me warn that the State Government will not tolerate kidnapping or any forms of crime in the State. Our position is clear and unambiguous, Lagos state has the capacity and the will to go after every form of crime and criminality in order to safeguard lives and property in the state”, it is becoming increasingly clear that anyone who doubts the government resolve to protect the state, would have himself to blame.

    And at a time when cynicism has been on the rise with the continued missing of the Chibok girls, observers are quick to remind Nigerians that with the right leadership-like the one that was demonstrated in Lagos in the past week by the governor-the country can still get it right.

    • Anibaba, an economist wrote in from Gbagada.

  • Lagos to drive development with tourism

    The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode,  has said    the state plans to use  tourism, hospitality, entertainment and sports to drive development of the state.

    Ambode said this during his official tour of the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos.   Ambode also  announced plans by the Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to collaborate to redevelop the National Museum situated in Onikan, Lagos. The redevelopment will include a new museum complex to be ready before next year’s celebration of Lagos at 50.

    He averred that the expected gains of the partnership with the Federal Government on the National Museum will further reduce gaps in job creation with the engagement of artisans and other related skills.

    In the long run, this will cause a leap in the State GDP while other positive multiplier effects will be recorded in the State economy.

    The governor in company of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during the tour expressed optimism that the collaborative effort of the state and the Federal Government will be beneficial to the country in terms of development and preservation of monuments.

    He referred to an on-going multi-storey car park complex being undertaken by the state government near the National Museum as a project that will complement the envisaged collaborative arrangement.

    Alhaji Mohammed expressed his joy at the interest shown and demonstrated by the state government and refered to the partnership as “a dream come true”

    In his own reaction, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, noted that the synergy between the Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture under Alhaji Lai Mohammed will take the tourism and culture sector to the highest level ever witness in the country.

    Mr. Folarin-Coker expressed optimism that the partnership on the National Museum project portends a good omen for the entire country in terms of the deliverables and long term socio-economic values .

    The federal and the state government teams led by the Minister and the Governor included the Director General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Mallam Hamdala Usman, the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Arts and Culture, Hon Adebimpe Akinsola, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Steve Ayorinde  and permanent secretaries.

  • Lagos partners CIPM on human resource management

    The Lagos State Government has entered into a training collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM)  to improve professionalism and certification of administrative and human resource officers in public service.

    Speaking at the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC) office in Magodo, Lagos, last week, CIPM Registrar Sunday Adeyemi said the focus on human resource management and CIPM’s decision to enter into the partnership were informed by the desire to deepen the competencies of the workforce.

    He said the institute was determined to collaborate with PSSDC, the training arm of the government, to deepen competencies and create the needed ambience for the full professionalisation of human resource management training across all tiers of the state public service.

    Adeyemi charged participants to remain focused because they had “taken a decision that would enhance their career and self-esteem,” adding that their participation would facilitate their membership of the Institute and thus create a pool of CIPM certified human resource management professionals in the Lagos State public service.

    The PSSDC Director-General, Mrs. Olubunmi Fabamwo, earlier said the Centre is going into the collaboration as part of the resolve of the state government to inculcate professionalism in the people management function of the public service.

    Taking participants down memory lane, Fabamwo noted that the state’s effort to professionalise human resources and administration was part of a holistic public sector reforms programme embarked upon by the State Government in collaboration the State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC).

    She added that the approval of the governor for the implementation of professional human resource practice in the public service was a culmination of the people management agenda of the public service reforms in Lagos State.

    Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI)  Director General, Mr. Toba Otusanya, whose office organised the programme on behalf of the state government, noted that the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom Government has provided support for policy strengthening in the state public service.