The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr. Farideen Akodu, has commended the United Kingdom sponspored Growth and Employment in States Support Improved Business Environment (GEMS 3) programme for taking steps to boost online marketing opportunities for Micro Small Medium Scale Enterprise (MSME) in the state.
Speaking at workshop on E-commerce organised by the GEMS 3 in Ikeja, Lagos, Akodu said empowering SMEs to explore opportunities provided by e-commerce will not only create jobs but will encourage economic growth and reduce poverty in the state.
Represented by the Director of Commerce, Mr. Hakeem Adeniyi, Akodu, said GEMS’3 practical intervention ,targeting improved market access, skills acquisition, business support services, will improve income opportunities for the poor.
According to him, e-commerce is spearheading changes in through online buying and selling of goods and the way enterprises do businesses.
Speaking further Akodu ,said that the Lagos state governor, Mr. Akinwumni Ambode ,is ready to promote private sector driven economy, adding that this led to the establishment of three different agencies, the office of oversees affairs and investment Lagos Global ,the ministry of wealth creation and employment and the office of civil engagement.
Kaduna State Manager, GEMS3, Aisha Mujaddadi said the organisation is determined to work with private and public stakeholders to build and deliver a systematic framework that will make it easier to do business in Nigeria.
GEMS3 implement interventions to generate change through a Business Environment Improvement Framework. The following results will be achieved in a minimum of 8 states including but not limited to GEMS3’s target states: Cross River, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Jigawa, Katsina and Zamfara.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Ajibade Bade-Adebowale, has promised residents that they will soon begin to feel the impact of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration. He said government has concluded plans to empower local government areas and local council development areas to enable them to deliver at least 20 roads each.
He said such plan will not only improve the road network but will also impact on the local economy of each area.
Bade-Adebowale, who spoke in Lagos, reiterated that different roads across the state have been completed since Governor Ambode assumed office.
He noted that the hope of completing the Lot 1 of Lagos-Badagry Expressway has increased with the return to site of the main contractor, Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria Plc that is handling major component of the 10-lane highway and light rail project being undertaken by the government.
According to him, members of staff of Julius Berger Nig Plc were seen cleaning up the road at Alaba-Suru prior to asphalting. They, he said, were also surveying the outstanding portion between the Mile 2 and Mazamaza before the commencement of final construction work.
Explaining the return of the contractor to site, Bade-Adebowale said it was prelude to delivering on all the various projects being undertaken by the ministry.
The Permanent Secretary added that the contractor handling the multi-agency building at Alausa has also resumed work and is currently fleshing-up the structure.
He assured that, in spite of the need to increase the pace of work on ongoing projects, adequate attention was being given to source of funding as well.
He said a new contractor will soon be appointed for the Ayinke House project. The building is being upgraded to a specialist paediatric hospital, after the former contract must have been terminated due to inability of the contractor to deliver the project on time.
Bade-Adebowale urged other contractors to return to their project sites as soon as possible in order to increase the tempo of work. He said the government is addressing all issues relating to ongoing projects with a view to ensuring that they are delivered as scheduled.
He reeled off some of the completed roads during the short period of Ambode’s administration to include Oluwadare Street in Somolu and Adekunle Kuye Street in Surulere local government areas where comprehensive rehabilitation and upgrade were undertaken.
Others, he said are Babatunde Bakare Street, Kila Street, Ilara Palace Road, Oligbe, Shrine, Mosque and back of Palace Roads in Epe; Eluku Road, Olakeshin Okeogun Street, Ikorodu; Oriokuta Road Owutu, Bayo Oyelana Street, Adegun/Kike, Adeyemi Roads, Ejigbo in Oshodi-Isolo council area and Ajara-Erekiti, Irangan-Ikoga, Mowo-Ikoga roads, all in Badagry.
Acoustics experts have warned that unless the government enforces laws that will prevent noise pollution, many individuals may become deaf. CHINAKA OKORO and WALE ADEPOJU write that the government should establish a monitoring team in the Ministry of the Environment to ensure strict compliance with environmental laws.
Noise is our enemy. It is not only loud enemy of our ears; it is also an enemy to the environment as it pollutes our surroundings. Constant exposure to loud noise, experts say, affects our auditory system; especially when it is above the normal 85 decibels (dBs). Noise above the normal decibels is capable of perforating our ear membranes which can result in temporary hearing loss.
There are many individuals who suffer from aural disorders caused by noise pollution. This disorder apparently manifests in the damage of the auricle as an initial sign.
Experts contend that noise is one of the most dangerous and silent environmental pollutions as its effects on human body system could lead to death.
•Horn speakers used by churches, mosques and music sellers
Mindful of the health hazards associated with noise, the Lagos State Government has come down hard on some sources of noise pollution. This it did by closing or sealing off some churches and mosques from which deafening noises emanate. Such are worship centres that use ahuja speakers to conduct their services.
Officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) have been receiving no fewer than 50 telephone calls and 20 text messages daily about noise, mostly emanating from churches that use horn speakers in residential areas.
Recently, the agency shut down some places of worship after series of complaints from residents, whose lives have been affected by ceaseless noise. The state could not have done anything less as the problem has become a recurring issue.
Head, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Adebola Shabi who said “the environment was critical to the lives of the citizens”, noted that “the need to effect a reduction in the level of noise generated by churches, mosques, music centres and others became necessary because noise could be dangerous to human health as it leads to impaired hearing capability.”
Continuing, he said: “We have sealed off about 55 premises because the last enforcement we carried out, 33 premises were sealed off. “I gave approval for the closure of 22 premises later, making a total of 55 premises so far sealed off.
Noise pollution is a problem many are grappling with in Lagos. The blaring from record sellers, hooting from commercial bus operators and loud music from hawking vans, especially local herbs sellers as well as loud noise from worship centres are some of the pollutants which have given Lagos the noisy city tag.
“In the next five years, if there is no stringent policy on location of religious houses, there will be so many problems.”
The LASEPA boss said the sealed churches would be allowed to re-open after paying fines ranging from N50, 000 and above.
Director of Clinical Services and Training (DCST), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr Ayoade Adedokun said the state, which is densely populated, is trying hard to ensure that the environment is protected against unwanted noise.
“So, the step taken by the government is a laudable one. Reducing noise pollution should be everybody’s responsibility. It should not be left for government alone,” he said.
Dr Adedokun said noise pollution is not limited to the streets alone as many are suffering from hearing loss because of the kind of jobs they do.
Head, Eye, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Dr Vincent A. Adekoya said noise is the frequency or intensity of sound level when above 80-90 decibels, which is deleterious to the ear.
“Noise pollution is a hallmark of all developing and industrialising countries. It creates a situation where able-bodied men work in industries with heavy-duty machines and are exposed to a noise level above 80-90 decibels for over eight hours a day,” he said.
Dr. Adekoya said the above situation leads to social acusis, which is a condition where the individual has become used to accumulative noise. This invariably constitutes either temporary noise-induced threshold shift or noise-induced permanent threshold shift.
Dr Adekoya
Noting that the ear is not just for hearing but also for maintaining body balance, Dr Adekoya said temporary noise-induced threshold could be cured while noise-induced permanent threshold shift cannot be cured.
Some people, he said, can come down with hearing loss due to ear trauma, which can occur when people’s ears are exposed to more than 80 or 90 decibels of noise or sound.
“This kind of hearing loss is common among factory workers where obsolete heavy equipment or machines are used. These tools produce loud noises which affect people’s hearing,” Adekoya said.
Related to this, he said, is exposure to acoustic trauma which he said results from sudden noise due to explosion and which causes the perforation of the ear membrane.
“Acute acoustic trauma caused by single intensive sound can perforate the ear membrane; causing either conservative or surgical aural situation,” he said, adding that “ conservative aural impairment is a situation when the perforated or damaged ear membrane does not heal on its own, which is a factor of either small or huge perforation or damage.”
Classifying hearing into normal and abnormal, Dr Adekoya said: “If it is abnormal, it is mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe or profound. People are not categorised as ‘deaf’ unless the state of their hearing loss has become profound.”
He further explained: “Normal hearing level is 0-25 decibels; mild hearing loss is from 26-40 decibels, moderate hearing loss is from 41-55 decibels and moderately severe hearing loss is from 56-70 decibels. Severe hearing loss starts from 71-90 decibels and profound hearing loss is greater than 90 decibels. This is a situation in which an individual could be referred to as a deaf person.”
Excessive noise above 80 decibels, he said, can cause harm to the ear and as such causes deafness. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by outside (e.g. trains) or inside (e.g. music) noise.
Deafness, he said, can be mild, profound or severe, adding that people who come down with the latter can be restored with an amplifier or microphone inserted into their ears. But if this cannot address their problem, they may have a cochlear implantation.
The causes of hearing loss, he said, are congenital. This means that the person was born with it. Others are caused by infections such as mumps and measles as well as drugs.
But how would the loud enemies of our ears be permanently curbed? Again, how would government sustain the tempo in its quest to curtail noise pollution? We believe that the bold move to reduce noise pollution which the government has started would be sustained through the establishment, in the state’s Ministry of the Environment, of a strong monitoring team to ensure strict compliance to environmental laws.
For Dr Adekoya, the most effective methods of preventing noise pollution and aural damage are through what he called ear conservation programme, hazard identification and engineering control, among others.
The ENT expert also said the problem could be prevented if expectant mothers attend complete ante-natal programmes as well as delivered of their babies at good health facilities.
Advising that audiometric tests should be made compulsory to determine the level of ear damage in an individual, Dr Adekoya urged factory owners to “carry out audiometric tests for their staff once a year in order to check hyper acusis.”
He said high noise levels can contribute to negative cardiovascular effects in man and an increased incidence of coronary artery disease.
He urged the Federal Government to put in place a policy that will help in minimising noise in public places, especially in residential areas.
An undergraduate at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Mr Aliu Muraina said shutting down of noisy churches and other places of worship was a welcome development.
He said there is too much of noise pollution not only in Lagos but also in Nigeria as a whole.
“Some people should not be suffering from excessive noise because it would affect their health. Anything that would affect the environment should be controlled,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “Government should not only evolve environmental laws but should also enforce them. It should ensure that churches and mosques do not make use of loud speakers to transmit their teachings. Those who sell music should be forced to reduce the volume of their speakers while sampling pieces of music for sale.
“Poor urban planning may also give rise to noise pollution. This is because locating industrial areas and religious buildings in residential zones can result in noise pollution,” he said.
However, Mrs Ijeoma Olatunbosun, a lawyer, said the shutting down of some noisy worship centres was not right.
She said: “This is uncalled for. I have read the papers and I did not see or hear that necessary notices were issued to them on this matter. Besides, I am not aware that there are laws covering where places of worship should be located in Lagos State or Nigeria as a whole.
“Also, before churches are built in any location, approved building plans are usually given before such can be built or set up. The government is also giving the approval for where to locate these churches or places of worship. So, what are we saying?”
Continuing, she said: “Regarding the N50, 000 or more the government is collecting as fine; I would like to know if it is to make the churches noise-proof or to stop them from having their services?”
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday rendered his account of stewardship revealing that efforts geared towards stabilising the finances of the state has saved about N3billion monthly.
Addressing residents, party chieftains, traditional rulers and top government officials at the maiden edition of the quarterly Town Hall meeting at Abesan Mini Stadium, Lagos, Governor Ambode said one of his first key tasks on assumption of office was to stabilize the finances of the State.
He said his administration embarked on financial re-engineering and reviewed the revenue and expenditure framework of the State coupled with the realignment of Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
“This has provided us with more funds to inject into capital projects and the initial funds to establish the Employment Trust Fund which we promised our youths,”, he said.
Governor Ambode who reiterated his vision to make the state globally competitive in all sectors, said that his administration has mapped out long-term plans and programmes that will lead Lagos on the path to becoming a truly competitive city-state.
Highlighting some of his administration’s strides in the last four months, the Governor said that aside using the period to set up an institutional framework to pilot the programmes and policies of government, remarkable interventions and reforms have been made in the areas of road rehabilitation, health care, security, service delivery, transportation and education.
On road rehabilitation, Governor Ambode said about N1.3billion have been ploughed towards the construction and rehabilitation of over 190 roads across the state, most of which were not catered for in the 2015 budget.
He listed some of the roads to include Agege Motor Road, Herbert Macauley Way, Yaba, Murtala Mohammed Way, Isolo, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Dopemu Road, Agege, Akowonjo Road, Akowonjo, Obalende Bridge, Obalende, Isaac John Road, GRA and Apapa Road, Ebute Meta.
Other roads, he mentioned include Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Toyota-Charity Axis, Olufemi Street, Shomolu, Billy Street, Epe, Aswani Road, Isolo, Yekini Street, Shogunle, Oshodi, Isawo Road, Ikorodu, some of which he said are federal roads.
“As I speak, work has commenced on the Ago Palace Way-Okota Road. The State, in conjunction with your Local Governments and Local Council Development Area, are coming to your neighborhood soon”.
“The Ejigbo–Ikotun Road, Okota-Cele Road, Metalbox Road and Acme Road in Ikeja are currently being rehabilitated, while work has started on Brown Street, Oshodi, Ladipo Street as well as Mushin Road”.
“Till date, we have committed N1.386billion to road construction and rehabilitation. We will pump more funds into road infrastructure in this present quarter”, the Governor said.
On transportation, Governor Ambode said he was not unmindful of the challenges Lagosians face daily, noting that in recent times, the menace of trucks on the roads have caused untold hardships and loss of man hours and revenue for residents.
He however restated his commitment to ensure that residents commute within the state with less congestion on the road.
“This administration will stop at nothing to find a lasting solution to this challenge and ensure our people can move from one part of the state to another with less traffic impediment”.
He said the Apapa traffic gridlock was most worrisome as it affects other parts of the state and slowing down businesses, noting that he has met with various stakeholders to find solutions to the persistent traffic.
After spending over 25 years in an abusive marriage, a woman, Mrs. Oridota Oladele has been rescued by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT).
The woman, 63, was liberated after her relatives revealed the violence she has suffered from her husband.
According to the Coordinator, DSVRT, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, her team contacted the victim to enlighten her on her rights after her relatives cried out on her behalf.
Aside getting her husband undertake at a police station to never abuse her again, the team also secured free medicare for Mrs. Oridota, through the state health ministry.
“The Director of Citizens Rights, Mrs Omotilewa Ibirogba, with other team members met with her, and she insisted that all she required was officials of government to talk to her husband, to desist from acts of physical, psychological, emotional and verbal abuses against her.
“A referral letter was subsequently done to Isokoko Police Station, which is a representative of the Police Force in DSVRT and houses a Family Support Unit.
“Some members of the team also accompanied the victim to the station where the matter was duly reported.
“Upon making her report, police officers in company of DSVRT members went to the couple’s residence for the purpose of transporting the husband to the station for questioning and cautioning.
“An undertaking was signed at the station by the husband that he would desist from domestic violence and if he refuses, he would be duly arrested and a protection order gotten against him.
“The Ministry of Health, also a member of DSVRT was informed of the case and are working on taking up her treatment free of charge as the victim is in need of constant medical attention and care.
“The Ben Bruce Foundation, one of DSVRT’s partners upon hearing Mrs. Oladele’s situation has pledged to support her as her means of livelihood has been affected by her predicament,” said Vivour-Adeniyi in a statement.
Nloting that the couple’s progress would continually be monitored by the DSVRT and the police, she urged people who know other victims of domestic violence to speak up.
“Family members, neighbors and concerned citizens are encouraged to assist victims of domestic violence by reporting to the police station or the DSVRT by calling 112 or 08137960048.
“We also use this medium to restate that the Lagos State Government has a zero tolerance for domestic and sexual violence and therefore urges victims to come out, speak up and get the desired assistance before it is too late,” she said.
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has paid N2.1 billion to 525 retirees, the Director-General, Lagos State Pension (LASPEC), Mrs. Folashade Onanuga, has said.
Speaking during the 19th batch Retirement Benefit Bond Certificates presentation in Lagos, she said the governor had okayed free health care for retirees.
According to her, the payment of N2.1 billion to the retirees brings the total amount paid by the governor from August to last month to N4.5 billion.
She said: “The governor has once again fulfilled his promise of paying retirees monthly till the backlog is cleared, by paying another set of 525 retirees. This brings the total number of retirees paid from August to September to 1,201. The amount expended for the two months is N4.5 billion.
“The tradition that retirees receive their Bond Certificates monthly in Lagos State without stress, has now come to stay. The governor desires to see retirees enjoy their life out-of- office without stress.
“He also promised that retirees will enjoy free health care delivery in Lagos State hospitals as arrangements are on to provide them with Retirees identification cards.
She reiterated that the pensioners would be well treated by the Pension Fund Administrators and Annuity Service providers as the money paid to them is their rights and not privileges.
Mrs Onanuga advised the retirees to invest their money wisely.
She urged retirees to tell their colleagues that were yet to collect their bond certificates that all outstanding backlog would be paid soon, adding that the payments were being structured based on the date of exit and also grade level.
The Director-General, Lagos State Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovations (OTCI), Mr Toba Otusanya has stressed the need for organisations to train their officers, saying such training would afford administrative officers their rightful professional recognitions with emphasis on human management rather than performing general functions.
Mr Otusanya spoke during a training programme for administration and human resource officers in the state ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), at the Digital Centre,Alausa, Ikeja. The training programme was organised by OTCI.
He said the training was informed by the realisation that if adequate attention is given to human resources which is the greatest and most valuable asset of any organisation, it would be easier to address challenges facing other assets and areas of administration in organisations.
He added that the training became pertinent in view of the approval given by Governor Akinwumu Ambode, adding that the governor was keen in building a public service that is well-structured, better organised and with workers that have the right attitude, skills and right motivation to perform their roles efficiently and effectively.
Otusanya added administration and human resource are alternative management approach that are concerned with personnel, issues of structure, quality, culture, values, commitment and the matching of resources for future need.
He said the adoption of human resources management practice would ensure that the right people are in the right job doing the right thing at the right time.
It was like a scene from a typical Nollywood movie. The setting was the ever busy Ojodu-Berger end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. It was in the evening and traffic was expectedly heavy. Vehicular movement was almost on a standstill. The intermittent outpouring of rains complicated the situation for motorists and commuters. This, coupled with the irritating blares of horns by obviously agitated and exhausted motorists gave rise to a feeling that hell was already here. Suddenly, in the midst of the whole confusion, a skinny teenager, obviously using the sale of ‘gala’ to conceal his actual mission, dipped his hand into the dashboard of one of the vehicles trapped in the gridlock. With the dexterity of a professional thief, he made away with a cellphone and wallet stuffed with cash. The whole episode did not last for more than 30 seconds. It was so quick that it left both the victim and other motorists and commuters in the gridlock bewildered. Before anyone could say jack, the boy had dashed to the other side of the road and vanished into thin air. Welcome to the world of Lagos traffic robbers!
In recent time, there has been an upsurge in the incidence of traffic robbery in Lagos State. The barefaced audacity with which these criminals perpetrate their evil act has become a source of great worry to commuters, motorists and residents alike. Some of the hoodlums who carry out the act occasionally place themselves on both sides of busy Lagos roads and attack unsuspecting motorists. Their mode of operation varies, depending on the exigency of the moment. Sometimes, they could bang on the vehicles of unwary motorists in order to lure them out of the car before pouncing on them. In some other instances, they knock at the glass of any car of their fancy to raise a false alarm of either a punctured tyre or that of a leaking fuel tank. The idea is always to ensure that motorists are tricked out of their vehicles or left off their guard to pave way for their dastardly act. However, the criminals could even be more daring as to break side glasses of vehicles, rob with unimaginable boldness and leisurely walk away as if nothing has actually happened. Everything usually happens in a twinkling of an eye such that the victims are often left baffled and speechless. The hooligans, who are mostly youngsters, prefer their victims to be female mainly because women’s resistance level is usually very feeble in such situations.
Major routes where the dastardly act has become more widespread include Mile 2 –Badagry Expressway, Iyana-Ipaja/ Agege , Ikotun-Egbe road, LASU-Iyana Iba, Gbagada- Oworonshoki- Ketu routes, Ijora, Oshodi Oke, Ojuelegba, Murtala Muhammed Airport Road, Ojota, Ojodu-Berger, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway among others. In most cases, traffic robbers, who operate in a commando fashion and in broad daylight, take advantage of the typical Lagos traffic gridlock which often hinders free flow of vehicular movement to rob commuters and motorists, sometimes at gun-point, of their valuables. Some of the criminals sometimes pretend to be road beggars in order to fool their victims. One aspect of the act that is quite worrisome is the fact that victims are often left on their own to deal with their plight. Other motorists and commuters, out of fear of being molested by the hoodlums, often stay put in their vehicles to mind their own business. The typical African brother’s keeper tradition amounts to nothing in this matter.
Many have linked the fresh trend in traffic robbery to the current harsh socio-economic realities, rising unemployment, inflation, breakdown of societal values, moral decadence, drug abuse among others. Naturally, in discourses that concern such anti-social issues as traffic robbery, the tendency is always to blame the police for incompetence and slackness. But then, the truth is that the police like every other state’s institution are a part of the larger society and as such is not immune from the fallouts of major societal challenges. It is no longer a secret that our country is currently grossly under -policed. Therefore, expecting the Nigerian Police Force, which is made up of less than 400,000 men and officers, to efficiently contend with rising wave of criminality in the country, amounts to expecting the devil to embrace the gospel? The present policing ratio of 205 police officers per 150,000 people in the country is grossly inadequate.
The current situation, therefore, brings back to the fore the contentious issue of the imperative for state police. The current trend where the Police Commissioner in a state will have to take orders from Abuja concerning security issues is quite complicated. Ironically, almost all the governors in the country are investing heavily in the various police commands in their states. In Lagos State, for example, the government in the last 15 years has invested billions of naira on the state police command as well as other security organs in the state. In fact, one of the earliest tasks of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was to meet with individuals and corporate organisations that made commitments of over one billion naira in cash and kind towards advancing the course of a safer Lagos.
Now, does it not amount to double standard that a governor bears such a huge responsibility, which in the first place should be that of the federal government, only for the system to turn around and deny him unhindered control of the same institution? It has been argued in some quarters that state police is nothing but a recipe for anarchy. The reality, however, is that the present centralized police structure has, over the years, been subjected to limitless abuse by the central authority. Nigeria is too large and complex to be policed centrally. In an ideal federal system, the issue of state police should not be a contentious matter. In order to enhance security in the country, the issue of state police must be urgently addressed.
Meanwhile, motorists and commuters in Lagos are advised to always be on alert and keep valuables out of sight. They should always lock the doors and wind up glasses of their vehicles at flash points. They should also shun buying things in traffic for safety consideration. They should be wary of ploy by miscreants who raise false alarms on the road with the intent of dispossessing them of their valuables. Everyone is a stakeholder when it comes to security. An effective public security cannot be obtained without the active involvement, participation and support of every segment of the society because public security is the responsibility of all individuals, groups, communities, organisations and other units that constitute the state.
Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.
Saints Saviour’s School, Ebute-Metta, one of the Colonial Trust Schools in Lagos State, has donated library and classroom furniture to Ijero Baptist Primary School, Ebute-Metta, one of the public schools in its host community.
The chairman of the Trust School Tom Ogboi, led other board members and management team to present the 276 unit of tables and chairs.
Head, Education District; Mainland Local Government Area, Mrs Janeth Anyanwun, represented Lagos State Universal Basic Educational Board.
Ogboi who described the gesture as part of St Savious’ Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR), added that it would go a long way in addressing the need of the beneficiary school.
He, explained the rationale behind choosing Ijero Baptist Primary School.
“We are happy that today we are presenting 80 pupils’ tables, 160 pupils’ chairs, seven lockers, five library shelves and 24 library chairs to the Lagos State Government for the use of Ijero Baptist Primary School.
“I must say that in the process of selecting and deciding the recipient, our board visited all public schools in the locality to assess their needs before and discovered that furniture deficit is a challenge in the school.
“It is very common to see pupils’ uniform torn especially at the buttock and part of their knickers with gaping holes which shows some of the public school pupils still sit on old woody furniture with pin-fold nails that tear off their fabrics.
“It is also not arguable that pupils are not comfortable to write on dilapidated furniture commonly seen in some public schools. This cannot also be distanced away from why books are torn and why most pupils write poorly, Ogboi said.”
St Saviours Head Teacher, Mrs Ailsa Griffiths, noted that the culture and ethos of helping one another and showing love, could best be imbibed if demonstrated consistently.
“This is the second time the Saint Saviour’s is meeting the infrastructure challenge of other schools in our community and as a way, our pupils are imbibing the good gesture. We strongly advocate this method for effective teaching and learning in school environment,” he said.
Meanwhile, both Ogboi and Griffiths reckoned that sincere support from successful private organisations and individuals should not be left ignored as government cannot do it all.
“On our part, before now we had written to government to indicate our support in capacity development of teachers in Lagos State. We have the capacity to do that as part of our Cooperate Social Responsibility, but we are awaiting the execution of memorandum of understanding to that effect with the government,” Ogboi said.
The presentation of the furniture was timely, according to Mrs Anyanwun, who also assured that the infrastructure would be put to good use by the pupils.
The Lagos State government yesterday began screening intending pilgrims at the Chapel of Christ the Light in Alausa, Ikeja.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Grace Oladimeji, said the screening would help the government get the pilgrims’ health status and ascertain their fitness.
She added that the screening would also help health officials, who will be attending to the pilgrims in Jerusalem.
Mrs. Oladimeji said early detection of any health issue would make treatment easier.
“The intending pilgrims will be subjected to spiritual screening so that we can know if they are genuine and practising Christians.”
The Executive Secretary of the State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mrs. Olayinka Oye-Bamgbose, urged the pilgrims to guard themselves prayerfully.
