The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lagos

  • Prostitution: 30 women bags six weeks imprisonment

    Prostitution: 30 women bags six weeks imprisonment

    Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Monday sentenced 30 women to six weeks imprisonment for prostitution.

    Those sentenced are Funmi Olayemi, Damilola Ibrahim, Blessing Emmanuel, Grace Nwaokoro, Anu Titus, Princess Osu, Cynthian Ozumba, Chindima Eke.

    Others include Blessing Winwah, Rebecca James, Gift James, Bukola Taiwo, Patience Amos, Oyinda Adesewa, Funmilayo Ajayi, Modinat Bello, Damilola Abiodun, Saki Godwin.

    Others are Glory Edet, Blessing Okafor, Tope Obatula, Shade Afolabi, Foluke Kolawole, Tosin Ajayi, Bisi Onanuga, Princess Isaac, Esther Akpan, Cythia Osas, Joy Osas and Patricia whose surname is unknown, among others.

    The accused were being tried for prostitution and breach of peace.

    The Magistrate, Mrs O. Odusanya sentenced the accused to six weeks each with an option of N10, 000.

    “You are hereby sentenced to six weeks imprisonment with an option of N10, 000 fine each,’’ she said.

    The accused, during their arraignment on Monday pleaded guilty to the offence, attributing it to the handiwork of the devil.

    The accused, whose ages and residential addresses were not given, were arrested at Obalenda area of Lagos at 2 a.m.

    The prosecutor, Insp. Femi Alabi told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 5, at Obalende area of Lagos.
    He said that the accused paraded themselves on the street as public nuisance.

    “The accused were caught soliciting for clients, which is against the law of the state.’’ he said.

    According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened Sections 142 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011

     

  • Police arrest suspected female kidnapper in Lagos

    Police arrest suspected female kidnapper in Lagos

    The Nigerian Police on Monday arrested suspected female kidnapper with three toddlers in Lagos.

    Details later….

  • Propak exhibition ends in Lagos

    A LEADING packaging, processing, printing and plastics exhibition firm Afrocet Montgomery has held its exhibition in Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The event, titled: Propak West Africa, which held at the Landmark Events Centre, was attended by over 70 firms from 15 countres. They came from faraway Asian countries, such as India and Dubai.

    Some of the firms were Bosch, Chellarams PLC, Bobst, Ching Hwa, Aquasagar, Ist Point Digisep and Heidelberg.

    The Afrocet Montgomery Regional Director West Africa George Pearson, who described the three-day event as a huge success, said it afforded the exhibitors the opportunity to showcase their products and  latest developments in the industry, adding that the firms got value for their money.

    He said over 20 leading experts were invited to speak at the exhibition.

    Besides, he said it afforded them the platform to “meet, network and do business with the very companies driving these industrial sectors’ huge growth.”

    Pearson noted the merger between Montgomery and Afrocet, saying  the later had been in business in the sub-region for over 25 years. “It’s a family business with a long history and deep roots in Africa, and it’s this understanding and knowledge of how to run events in Africa, which has led it to launch, grow and run some of the most successful exhibitions in the region today,’’ he added.

    Pearson thanked the following organisations for their support: Institute of Packaging Nigeria(IOPN),World Packaging Organisation(WPO), Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and World Trade Centre – Nigeria.

    Managing Director Angus Montgomery Damion Angus described the exhibition as the “biggest international forum’’, noting that it was cost effective in terms of the people coming together and the benefits that indigenous distributors got.

    He said Nigeria was chosen to host the event in the sub-region because of its huge population and size.

    A Media Partner with Afrocet Montgomery Joju Adekambi said the multiplier effects of the exhibition were huge. “Propak is selling real value to the industry,’’he added.

    The next exhibition would hold in September next year, the organisers said.

  • Lagos restores patients’ hearing

    Lagos restores patients’ hearing

    No fewer than 10 patients with hearing loss will be restored at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) between now and next month.

    On Monday, a 64-year-old  man has had his deafness reversed through cochlear implantation.

    This is courtesy of the hearing restoration initiative of the Lagos State government.

    The hospital’s Director of Clinical Service and Training (DCST), Dr Ayoade Adedokun, said some patients had been medically selected for the implantation.

    The hearing restoration, he said, was in line with the vision of the state to restore hope to the hopeless.

    “The experts have restored hearing to a 64-year-old man already. He is presently recuperating in the ward. The other nine surgeries would be performed between now and next month,” he said.

    He said cochlear implantation started in the hospital last year with experts coming from overseas to perform the first cochlear surgery, adding: “But by the end of last year, we were able to carry out another wholly by indigenous doctors. So, the one performed on the 64-year-old man would mark the beginning of the second set of surgeries performed by the hospital staff.”

    Adedokun said the capacity of LASUTH Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) experts was built in Austria about two years ago to enable them perform the surgery locally.

    This, he said, will deter Nigerians from seeking such treatment abroad as it is now available locally.

    The DCST said people who have lost their hearing because of their professional lives can be restored. Similarly, those with congenital hearing problem can hear again with cochlear implantation, he added.

    Adedokun thanked the government for initiating the programme, stressing that it is building on the foundation laid by the administration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who transformed Ikeja General Hospital to LASUTH.

    Head, Department of ENT, Dr Vincent Adekoya said the ear is not just for hearing but also to maintain body balance.

    He said deafness can be mild and profound or severe, adding that patients with the latter can be restored because “they need an amplifier or microphone in their ears but if this cannot address their problem will be addressed through cochlear implantation.

    The causes of  hearing loss, he said, are congenital, meaning somebody was born with it, infections, such as mumps and measles and drugs.

    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/sound.

    “This kind of hearing loss is common among factory workers where obsolete heavy equipment/ machines are used as they produce loud noise. Also, people who use headsets are prone to hearing loss, which destroys their ear cells,” Adekoya said.

    The ENT expert said the problem can be prevented if expectant mothers have antenatal and deliver at health facilities.

    According to him, no Austrian has hearing loss problem because there is a system, which allows experts to pick the condition six months after the birth babies in their country.

    Besides, factory workers should have regular hearing (auditory) test so that the problem can be picked early and treated.

    The use of headsets, Adekoya said, should be discouraged.

    He urged the Federal Government to put in place a policy to help minimise noise in public places, especially in residential areas.

  • Lagos moves to ensure free traffic flow

    Lagos moves to ensure free traffic flow

    In its bid to ensure free flow of traffic across the metropolis, officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have been directed to adopt the system of booking traffic offenders, rather than apprehending their vehicles.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Oluseyi Whenu handed over the directive to the officials while briefing top echelon of LASTMA on government’s new policy thrust in the transportation sector.

    He said that while government appreciates the invaluable contribution of the traffic managers to the current traffic situation in the state, more emphasis should be placed on flawless flow of traffic.

    “That is the minimum we owe the people of the state”, he said, adding that LASTMA should synergize with other security agencies to ensure that the Lagos Road Traffic Law 2012 is enforced.

    He therefore directed LASTMA officials to consider alternatives traffic management methods rather than physical apprehension and arrest.

    In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Sina Thorpe, assured Lagos residents that a more perfect traffic management and documentation procedure is being put in place where traffic offenders are booked and given a grace period for payment and defaulters apprehended at home through the information on the motor vehicle database.

    “Since LASTMA officials are a reflection of the state government, they should ensure that their activities add value to the government’s covenant with Lagos residents to make life easier for them,” he said.

    He however implored Lagos residents to reciprocate the government’s humanness by obeying all traffic laws and regulations.

    Whenu also called on all motorists, whose vehicles have been apprehended by LASTMA in the past, to visit the appropriate LASTMA depot for claim of their vehicles after proper documentation, assuring them of a more flexible process for prompt service delivery.

  • ‘Lagos ‘ll strive for quality education’

    ‘Lagos ‘ll strive for quality education’

    Lagos State government has said it will strive for the attainment of high standard in education.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Olabisi Ariyo, who spoke yesterday in Lagos at the opening of the eighth edition of the Lagos Book Expo, organised by the Lagos State Television, said developed nations prioritised educational service delivery, hence the need for Nigeria to do so.

    Mrs. Ariyo, represented by the Director of Administration and Human Resources, Mrs. Omolara Akin-Aderibigbe, said government’s initiatives were aimed at not only improving learning in the education sector, but also building the capacity of workers to deliver services to the populace.

    She hailed the initiative of the organisers at reviving reading culture and for offering opportunity for books to be purchased at discounted rates.

    The permanent secretary said: “Let me urge stakeholders to see this eighth edition as an opportunity to improve on their reading culture, bearing in mind that reading leads to information. I enjoin you to take advantage of the expo to imbibe the habit of reading books for your development, using the knowledge acquired for the country’s advancement.”

  • DSS nabs Boko Haram suspects in Lagos, others

    DSS nabs Boko Haram suspects in Lagos, others

    Operatives vow to frustrate sect’s activities

    Detectives have arrested 19 suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Lagos, Enugu, Plateau, Kano and Gombe states.

    The suspects were some of the commanders and frontline members of the sect who had played active roles in its bloody campaign, particularly in the Northeastern.

    The suspects, who were arrested between July 8 and August 24, included those that coordinated and executed suicide attacks in Potiskum, Kano, Zaria and Jos.

    The Department of State Service (DSS) broke the news yesterday in a statement signed by its spokesman Tony Opiuyo.

    One of the suspects, Usman Shuaibu (a.k.a Money), revealed that he coordinated the attacks with N500,000 which was provided by his Amir, Isa Ali, the DSS said.

    “Shuaibu claimed that the said Isa Ali has links to the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, from where he collects monies to fund operations undertaken by their Markaz.

    “Also, he revealed that he has participated in several Boko Haram attacks, including the attacks at Gwoza Divisional Police Station in 2014.

    “Shuabu also admitted being the leader of the team of nine sect members that was dispatched from Sambisa Forest to carry out the attacks. He disclosed that four out of the nine of them were used as suicide bombers in executing all the suicide attacks,” the statement added.

    Another suspect, Ahmed Mohammed (a.k.a Abubakar) who the Service described as an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) expert, confessed to having prepared the IEDs used for most of the suicide attacks in the Northeast.

    He was also quoted by the DSS to have confessed that he prepared the IED strapped to the vests worn by a suicide bomber and his wives which they used in the recent Jos attacks.

    Also in the net is Adamu Abdullahi (aka Babpa) who was said to have confessed that Usman Shuaibu motivated him to work closely with Ahmed Mohammed (aka Abubakar) in the preparation of the IEDs used in the said attacks.

    Another of the suspects, Ibrahim Isa, reportedly confessed that he carried out reconnaissance on the targets in Jos ahead of the attacks.

    Muttaqa Yusuf (aka Mohammed Sani/Mudtaka) was said to have named Aliyu, who is believed to be the notorious Aliyu Gombe of Sambisa forest, as the one who ordered the serial attacks which the syndicate carried out at various locations in the Northeastern part of the country.

    He was said to have confessed that he assisted Shuabu in planning and executing the said attacks.

    Other suspects arrested in various parts of Lagos include: Bakura Modu, Mustapha Alli Jamneri, Abuyi Sherriff, Babangida Ali, Babangida Koloye, Abba  Modu Sagma and Grema Abubakar, Tijani Bagudu, Baba Alhaji and Abbas Ibrahim, Adam Wakil Abdul Jilbe and Mohammed Usman.

    Ibrahim Audu was arrested in Enugu; Ibrahim Haruna was arrested in Gombe, Mal Ali Mohamodu was arrested in Kano.

    The DSS said the terrorists have decided to spread to other parts of the country as a result of the pressure being put on them in their core areas of strength in the Northeast.

    “Nigerians and indeed the general public have to note that the arrest of Usman Shuaibu (Money) and the core members of his cell, stemmed the spate of bombings by the extremist sect.

    “Money and his group were arrested on their way to Bauchi State where they had planned to execute another heart-rending bomb attack and this was frustrated by the arrest.

    “Furthermore, the sudden influx of Boko Haram members into Lagos State points to the determination of the sect to extend its nefarious terrorist activities to the state and, in fact, other parts of the country.

    “The arrest of these confessed terrorist elements has, however, helped in no small measure to avert devastating attacks in the area. However, the Service is making efforts to conclude its investigations and commence prosecution of the suspects.”

    “Drawing from the above, the DSS reiterates its avowed determination to work with other stakeholders in the fight against terror and other forms of criminality in our country.

    “Citizens and residents are, therefore, called upon to rise to the occasion by volunteering useful information to the Service and other relevant security agencies,” the DSS stated.

  • Special status for Lagos right thing to do

    SIR: Lagos is presently experiencing such phenomenal population explosion that it is being projected to be the 3rd largest megacity in the world.   Many are of the view that despite the 10 million figure declared by the National Population Commission in the last census exercise, the city’s best possible population is 40 million.Whereas the annual population growth in the developing world is 3% and Nigeria’s is 2.7% that of Lagos stands at a stunning 8% and is likely to accelerate.

    The Lagos transformation project requires an enormous financial force to build and upgrade infrastructural facilities in the state in the next 15 years far beyond the capacity of the state government. This, then, is the significance of the call for the state to be accorded a special status by the Federal Government. Lagos, with over 138,000 workers (representing various ethnic groups) in its employment, apart from the Federal Government, remains the greatest employer of labour in the country. Ironically, many of the states in the country with lesser population and infrastructural needs receive same monthly federal allocation as Lagos.

    The special position of Lagos as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, and indeed West Africa, has its peculiar infrastructural challenges. Its sheer human density driven by an increasing population due to endless survival and economic driven immigration, its ports and waterways, its border with Benin Republic, its  high concentration of banks, industries, companies, and other commercial enterprises makes it a very complex state to govern. Being the lens through which the whole world views the country, granting a special status to Lagos remains the best possible way to drive Nigeria’s development as Lagos is the country’s most industrialized city with needs that align with its growth.

    No nation grows by treating the needs of its golden geese with discomfiture since the future growth of the country’s economy is tied to the development of Lagos which hosts over 85 per cent of Nigeria’s industrial hub, over 65 per cent of its financial nucleus and over 75 per cent of its active workforce. With each day, the population and needs of Lagos continue to increase to reflect this important role. As the economic capital of Nigeria, Lagos has been the first port of call for eager millions of youths from all parts of the country who long for means of survival from the uncertainties of a struggling economy like ours.

    Presently, it is obvious that the monthly allocation it receives from the Federation Account as well as its internally generated revenue is not enough to meet the developmental needs of the state. Regrettably, the Federal government’s inability to discharge its infrastructural responsibilities to Lagos, over the years, has further worsened the situation.

    When the FCT was moved from Lagos to Abuja, there was a subsisting agreement that the city would not be abandoned. Indeed, the Late General Murtala Mohammed acknowledged the onerous nature of the responsibility of leaving Lagos alone to deal with the burden of infrastructure the FG was leaving behind then, bearing in mind that if Lagos hadn’t been the federal capital, it probably would not have been having these problems.

    However, successive federal administrations have refused to take a cue from countries which relocated their national capitals without abandoning infrastructural development of the former capitals. It is now time for Nigeria to imitate Germany, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia and Tanzania, which, after relocating their capitals, did not hold back developmental programmes targeted at the former capitals

    Lagos State government, in the last fifteen years, has invested a huge amount of money on infrastructural development, especially construction of drainages, durable roads, beautification and restoration of parks to forestall the negative impact of flooding, erosion and other environmental hazards. However, these efforts are not enough for obvious reasons.

    Today, Lagos does about 9,000 metric tons of refuse daily, more than what the whole of Ghana is generating. The branch networks that some banks have in Lagos outstrip what they have in the whole country.  A recent study reveals that over twenty five thousand people from across the world move into Lagos for various reasons on a daily basis.  The number of heavy duty trucks and other vehicles that ply Lagos roads on a daily basis is quite alarming. Same goes for the number of pupils in its public schools as well as those that daily visit its hospitals. Consequently, the state spends more on infrastructural upgrading and provision of other basic life necessities than any state in the country.

    The need to accord Lagos a special status is a non-political project. It is the right thing to do!

     

    • Tayo Ogunbiyi, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos
  • Leone Stars hit Lagos today

    Leone Stars hit Lagos today

    The delegation of Senior National Team of Sierra Leone, known as Leone Stars, will arrive in Lagos today for Sunday’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Matchday 2 clash with African champions, Cote d’Ivoire.

    Thenff.com learnt on Sunday that the Leone Stars, to be made up of 32 persons and to be led by President of the Sierra Leone Football Association, Isha Johansen, will fly into Lagos aboard an Air Ivoire flight and stay at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island.

    Sunday’s clash between the Leone Stars and the Elephants at the 23,000 –capacity Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos will be the first time  Nigeria will host a competitive football game involving two other countries in her territory.

    The NFF began the necessary moves to get government approval for the hosting after a request by the Sierra Leone Football Association, which was supported by CAF. The ban on Sierra Leone from hosting international football matches following the outbreak of the ebola virus pandemic in 2014 is yet to be lifted, compelling the Leone Stars to play ‘home’ matches away from home.

    The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, champions of Africa, are expected in Lagos on Wednesday.

    Chairman of the NFF Marketing, Sponsorship and Television Advisory Committee, Emeka Inyama, who is playing a key role in the organisation of the Leone Stars/Elephants match, said on Sunday that all matters have been working out as planned.

    “There are no problems at all and we do not expect any. We are on ground in Lagos to organise a hitch –free game and we have taken into consideration even the minutest details related to the organisation,” Inyama said.

  • ‘Appeal Court ruling signifies end of PDP in Lagos’

    ‘Appeal Court ruling signifies end of PDP in Lagos’

    A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Segun Olulade, says Wednesday’s ruling of the Appeal Court, which upheld the victory of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the April 11, 2015 governorship election, has brought an end to the existence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State.

    Olulade, who is representing Epe Constituency 2, noted that the ruling was a vindication of the people’s mandate which was demonstrated at the poll and a further testimony to the affirmation of Ambode’s victory.

    Speaking in a statement issued over the weekend, the lawmaker said, “Ambode’s victory at the polls was adjudged as free and fair; the Tribunal confirmed this and now the Appeal Court has upheld that decision. With this, members of the PDP should admit that there is no place for them in Lagos State.

    Alleging that the PDP only relied on federal might and other extraneous factors to achieve victory at the polls, Olulade added, “While we (APC) were busy campaigning all over the state, the PDP and its leaders were busy plotting with former President Goodluck Jonathan on how to take over the state by any means possible, including the use of force and intimidation.

    “PDP was busy working with militant organisations, security agencies, non indigenes and others to subvert the entire process. I will advise the party to stop distracting Governor Ambode from consolidating on the good works that have been done by his predecessors and instead engage in constructive criticisms that will assist in moving the state forward.”