The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lagos

  • Lagos and identity question

    As Lagos State, which is considered a megacity with a population in excess of 10 million people, surely approaches the status of a metacity or hypercity, meaning that it would be home to more than 20 million people, there is a renewed focus on the concept and definition of Lagosian, thanks to a new book. Launched on October 17 at the City Hall in Lagos, Possessed: A History of Law and Justice of the Crown Colony of Lagos, written by Olasupo Sasore, a former Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, provides a basis for reflection on the identity and identification of the people in the megacity.

    It is no news that Lagos has been tagged “no man’s land” in certain quarters, especially by those who view its richly diverse populace and cultural variety as evidence of its alleged non-ownership by a particular group. In an illuminating interview, Sasore said: “I actually addressed that phrase because it is a phrase you hear a lot. I answered people who use that appellation for Lagos, and I hope that with the reading of history, it will show you that there are people who have indigene rights.”

    He further said: “I’m not an ethno-centrist, but indigenous rights have been recognised by the United Nations. Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations’ convention right of indigenous people, and the convention clearly states that you have a right to feel indigenous, to dress indigenous and to speak with your indigenous tongue.” What he said next suggested his self-classification as a Lagos indigene. Sasore stressed: “It is my right and you can’t take it away from me. If you read the history of colony, you will understand that some people have that inalienable right.”

    However, it is significant to point out that the issue is whether indigenousness should be tied to exclusivity in specific contexts.  The matter is certainly not restricted to Lagos. It is instructive to note that in July the National Council of State formed a committee to address the alleged discriminatory promotion of indigenousness in states across the country and work towards ending the institutionalisation of indigenity.

    The committee included the governors of Sokoto, Niger, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Gombe states, representing each of the country’s six geo-political zones, and they were expected to identify discriminatory practices in all states of the federation.  Two governors, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and Babangida Aliu of Niger State, gave useful insights into the dimensions of the problem.

    Akpabio said the Council was against the idea of states creating platforms for the registration of indigenes, adding, “Council viewed the report seriously that some citizens were being deported; deportation should be from one country to the other but where you have a Nigerian who is being returned to his state of origin from other states then you know there is a problem. We felt that that was capable of disrupting the unity of the country, making Nigerians to become apprehensive and unsafe.”

    Aliyu highlighted alleged discrimination in the education sector which also came up for discussion, saying that in some states “non-indigenes” paid higher fees in public schools. He said:  “In fact the very concept of indigeneship came to the fore; whether in Nigeria we should be concerned about so called indigeneship or residency.”

    Interestingly, Sasore attempted a clarification that seemed like a complication. According to him, “So, Omo Eko (Lagos indigene) is a right that some people have and you can’t take it away from them, but ‘Lagosian’ is the right that all people who live in it have.” He continued: “It will interest you to know that the word ‘Lagosian’ was in use in the 1870s, I didn’t create it. I used to think that the term ‘Lagosian’ was a latter-day term until I started my research. It was a term that was used in The Weekly Record newspaper that was in circulation in Lagos in the 1890s.”  What Sasore means is that not every Lagosian (Lagos resident)is Omo Eko (Lagos indigene).  The questions are: Are there rights that should be considered exclusive to indigenes? If so, what are those rights?

    It is food for thought that an interest group called Lagoon State Movement is campaigning for the creation of Lagoon State out of Lagos State. The group re-energised this advocacy at its 7th town hall meeting this year at the Awolowo Institute for Government and Public Policy and Museum, Lekki, Lagos. According to reports, its leader, Chief Babatunde Olusola Benson (SAN), claimed that the consequences of preserving the status quo include overpopulation, inadequate representation of the state’s indigenes at the federal level, imposition of heavy taxation on residents of the state and indigene welfare problems. On the other hand, he argued, the creation of Lagoon State would result in substantial job openings, greater representation of the indigenous people in the Senate and House of Representatives, and increased federal government funding which would facilitate grassroots development. It is confusing that members of this group seem to assume that they would retain their Lagos indigenity should their campaign for Lagoon State succeed. The proposed state is expected to include the following local government areas:  Ikorodu, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Apapa, Eti-Osa, Somolu and Kosofe.

    The definitional challenge, which Sasore may not have overcome, was also evident at the 6th Herbert Macaulay Memorial Lecture and Merit Award held in March at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos. The event was organised by the Association of Lagos State Indigenes (ALSI).   Prof. John Obafunwa, the guest speaker and Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), who spoke on the theme, “The place of Lagos State Indigenes – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, acknowledged the difficulty of categorisation, after a conceptual exploration that significantly accommodated “native and original inhabitants” of Lagos and those whose progenitors had settled in Lagos at least “60 years” before Nigeria’s independence from British colonial rule in 1960.

    Obafunwa took advantage of the forum to elaborate on what he called the “challenge of indigenisation” at LASU. According to him, the dream of the university’s founding fathers was that it should have a 70 per cent indigene composition, and since his appointment as the institution’s head in 2011 he had achieved 60 per cent indigene makeup.  It is enlightening to note that as part of the 2013/2014 screening of candidates for admission, the Lagos State University Independent Indigeneship Verification Committee issued a revealing identification guide, which indicated “acceptable evidence of Lagos State indigeneship.”

    According to the guide, “freshmen who claim Lagos State as their state of origin” are expected to back such identity with   “Photocopy of birth certificate of the applicant; Photocopy of birth certificate of the applicant’s father; Evidence of title to landed property (Long standing title usually over 50 years); Written testimony from relevant Oba to certify claim to Lagos State; Written testimony from Secretary to Local Government.”  Can there be a more thought-provoking expression of the seriousness of the identity question?

  • Group unveils hotel in Lagos

    A subsidiary of the Nuclues Group of Companies, Spendour Hotel & Suites, Ilupeju Estate, Lagos has opened for business. It is built at a cost of over N500million.

    Its Chief Operating Officer(COO), Mrs Dimeji Okewale, said the hotel , which has 36 rooms, is aimed at delivering quality services to its customers at affordable rates, adding that  its staff and suppliers have been well-trained for this purpose. She said the hotel has state-of-the-art infrastructure and ambience to meet its customers’ needs, adding that they are concerned with the experience the guests get and are able to relive it long after.

    She said: “Splendour is committed to contributing its quota, making available quality comfort to cater to the needs of its guests while also contributing to manpower development through the professionals employed at the hotel from the construction stage to date. This includes not only the staff, but also the local suppliers, contractors and related consultants.’’

    She also said the hotel is strategically located and could be assessed from its Association Avenue base from any part of the state. She listed other features of the hotel as spacious bedrooms with modern bathrooms and facilities, restaurant/dining room that provides African and continental dishes; four standby generators to check erratic power supply, halls for trainings or retreat.

  • ZODML partners Lagos to boost literacy

    The Zaccheus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Libraries (ZODML) is to partner with the Lagos State Government and the Ministry of Education to promote literacy and reading in public primary schools.

    The move, which is part of efforts aimed at ensuring that primary schools pupils have unfettered access to well-equipped libraries in over 20 schools before 2016, is coming in commemoration of the World Literacy Day.

    Speaking on the proposed partnership, Mrs. Ifeoma Esiri, CEO of ZODML, said that in Nigeria every day should be World Literacy Day as the country could not afford to think about and focus on literacy on only one day in the year. The four new school libraries will give pupils access to over 4,000 books.

    Mrs Esiri further disclosed that ZODML, with support from the International Book Bank, USA, would be donating over 50,000 books to government agencies, schools and NGOs for the execution of literacy programmes. The donation would be part of a one-day literacy development event for which ZODML would be seeking the collaboration of the Lagos State Government.

    ZODML opened its sixth school library at Araromi Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Lagos Island on the 29th of May this year.

  • Poor turnout at Lagos placement test

    The turnout at the last Saturday’s re-sit for Placement Test into JSS1 classes in Lagos State public schools was poor.

    Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mrs. Gbolahan Daodu, attributed it to lack of appreciation for valuable things that come free.

    Mrs Daodu, who monitored the re-sit examination that took place in 24 centres across the state,  said the examination was conducted for about four per cent of pupils who failed the earlier examination which held on July 5.

    Blaming parents for the low turnout and lateness of some pupils, she said there was adequate publicity about the examination since the result of the first placement test was released.

    She said: “It is really disappointing what we are witnessing here today, especially in this particular school, Immaculate Heart Junior Secondary School.  We are expected to have at least 300 pupils, but as at the last count they are not up to 150 and some of them came late.

    “I wouldn’t know what could be the reason for this, but for the past months we have been on air announcing. We have done all the needful to inform the concern parents.

    “This poor turnout is definitely because they are having it free; because if they had paid for this examination, a lot of them would have been here by now. A lot of money and effort had gone into the examination. If they have actually paid, there is no reason why their children would not be here except that those children might have gained admission into private schools.”

    To redeem the situation, Mrs Daodu said the government needs to focus more on adult education for parents to be more alert to their responsibilities.

    “What this means essentially, is that we need to focus more on adult education. There are some of us that have seen the four walls of the university, but we are not really educated.  We take things with levity. We don’t want to follow rules and regulations, and we want to buy our ways of doing things. Reasons for the poor outing are unexplainable,” she added.

  • Lagos begins battle to rid Badagry of goitre

    Lagos begins battle to rid Badagry of goitre

    It is a common sight in Badagry, one of the riverside areas of Lagos state, to find many residents with swollen necks, especially in of Ajara. It is not an evidence of good living as some might want to say, as the people affected would love to have a normal neck, devoid of any swelling. But a prevalence of goiter disease now ravaging the community would not allow this.

    Wherever you turn as you approach Badagry roundabout from Lagos, either right to Ajara or left to the ancient town made famous by the slave trade of the colonial era, you are likely to be confronted with the sight of men and women, old and young, married or single with unusually large necks. They are suffering from goitre, a disease that causes an enlargement of the thyroid gland (around the neck). It is called ‘kojiji’ in the local dialect.

    The Nation gathered that the disease is endemic in the area especially in the 14 or so communities that make up Ajara, with pockets of it elsewhere in Badagry. And expectedly this is causing concern among health officials in the area who are worried about what could be the cause. The state government is equally worried and has set machinery in motion to not just unravel the cause but also rid the area of the ailment.

    Most of those afflicted have been carrying the disease for years, some for decades with no clue as to the cause and how to get cured. Most attribute it to spiritual attack from their enemies and believe only a spiritual intervention could cure them. Some have resigned to fate believing it is their own cross in life to carry. Over the years, they had attempted different manner of solutions. From scarifications of the affected area which could be right on the frontal neck or beside the neck; to carrying out of sacrifices and eating all sorts of preparations, made from herbal plants, drinks or even of animal origins. Yet there were no improvements.

    Though the disease has been among the people for long, the upsurge was only noticed about few months ago when the state government dispatched a health mission to the area as part of its health care programme. Almost immediately a course of treatment was put in place including free surgery for those affected at teaching hospital in Ikeja, the state capital, while a team of experts was put together to determine the cause.

    The experts it was gathered have been to the area and have almost concluded analyses of the samples they collected from the water the people are drinking and the screening of the pupils in the community school, with a view to detecting the causes and preventing a reoccurrence.

    Sharing her experience, an expectant mother, 40-year-old Mrs Pauline Edokpaye, who had lived in Badagry for six years, said she began to notice some swelling around her neck, four years ago. She was uncomfortable with the development, but did not understand what it was all about until she visited the General Hospital, Badagry, and was told it is called goitre.

    “Since then, I’d visited many other doctors who prescribed medications and I have also seen traditional healers who gave me things to drink and did ‘gbere’ (incisions) on same. But I never saw any improvement until last December when I attended the Health Mission and I was discovered and selected as one of the beneficiaries for surgery”, Mrs Edokpaye said.

    But she would however have to wait for a while until she delivers before her surgery can be carried out.

    But for 37-year-old Chika Ahamefule, who had also lived with the swollen neck that she described as: “a reproach for me and my family”, it is a different ball game. She had lived with the condition for three years.

    She did not understand how it all started, but all she realised, according to her, was that her voice began to change and the once beautiful Church chorister was no longer able to sing: “Because my voice had changed and it cracks a lot with some vibration that rings to my earing”. Chika is one of the first set of the 43 beneficiaries, who have had their enlarged thyroid removed through surgery.

    The Nation gathered that while some residents believed they contracted the disease known as “Kojiji” in local dialect, because they use cup to drink from the stream in their rustic Ajara community, some are of the opinion that they came in contact with goitre through supernatural powers said to be rampant in the community. Not even scientific explanation for the cause could convince them otherwise.

    Some blamed their infertility on the disease. One of them, Mrs Victoria Abimbola, said goitre was a spell from evil people in her community which prevented her from having more children as she would have loved to.

    She said: “In fact, it was this disease that stopped me from having more children as I had planned before my husband died. I was told by a source I consulted, it was this disease that prevented me from having as many children as possible. I want God to remove the disease that has turned me to a subject of ridicule in the village. I have used traditional and orthodox medicines. Many have taken advantage of me and duped me. They have collected all I have, claiming to have solution to the problem.”

    A septuagenarian, Mrs Hanna Apata, who had been battling goitre for over 30 years, also claimed that she was attacked by evildoers in the community.

    According to her: ”My children have been frustrated over the expenses on the treatment. In fact, I could not tell them that I was coming for this treatment. My husband tried his best before his death 10 years ago. It should be closed to 30 years or more that I have been suffering from goitre. I do not use drugs. Goitre is caused by the evil people. They cast the spell on those they perceive as their enemies. That is all I know. So I believe the best way to deal with it is through spiritual means.”

    Fumilayo Adeyemi, said the spell, which she thought was cast on her, was meant to hinder her kidney from functioning normally. The woman added that herbalists told her that her goitre was as a result of kidney disorder. “I have been suffering from the disease for over 10 years. I have spent all my money on it. There are many fraudsters who have taken advantage of us; some said my kidney was not functioning well. Majority said it was a spell by enemies and witches, everybody has his own reasons for the cause of the disease,” she said.

    According to Elizabeth Akintunde, another resident, who could not recall the year she started to live with goitre, said she gave birth to four of her five children with the disease.

    She said: “I have used drugs especially traditional medicines prescribed for me. Many people have come to us to tell us that if taken, the disease would be cured. But we pray the government will remove the swelling, may God assist them in doing so. I have spent a lot of money in a bid to cure it.”

    Speaking at the flag off of the surgical intervention for those suffering from goitre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, the Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris said it was still not certain what could be responsible for the large number of people with goitre in Ajara community.

    According to Governor Babatunde Fashola, who kicked off the free medical intervention, “we became touched by the plight of these people who do not even understand their situation and have decided to help them find out the root cause of the problem and proffer lasting solution.

    “As a preliminary, we are offering free surgical intervention and henceforth all health missions shall include goitre screening across the state and free surgery as well”, he announced.

    According to the governor, the government is not stopping at treating the patients alone but, “wants to find out how to prevent people from developing such a condition. Hence, we have sent experts to that area of the state to discover the root cause of such. We will be using children to determine the cause in line with international standard.

    “Also, epidemiologists from the state, public physicians and other stakeholders will be storming Badagry to detect the reasons why goitre is so rampant there. The findings will help us to take action in preventing our people and future generations from developing the disease.”

    According to Dr Idris, the discovery of goitre in Ajara was made possible by the Medical Mission, which took place last December which led to the large turn-out of people with swollen neck among local residents who came seeking medical intervention.

    He said: “Consequently, the ministry constituted a team of experts led by Consultant Surgeon, Dr Bolaji Oludara; Consultant Endocrinologist, Dr Wale Ajala; State Epidemiologist, Dr Ismail Abdu-Salam, and Consultant Clinician, Dr Adedokun, to carry out an on-the spot prevalence study and draw out possible intervention programme.

    “The initial finding showed that occurrence of this alarming number of neck swellings in an isolated region was because of the physical and financial burden to the local residents of referring these patients to secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities, it became necessary to develop a comprehensive strategy that will offer an effective and holistic approach, whose impact will be felt in the long term”.

    Speaking on the initial findings, Lead Consultant Surgeon, Dr Bolaji Oludara, said a selective, specialised medical mission for the patients which took place between March 10 and 14 found the prevalence of simple goitre in the community with three testing positive to toxic goitre.

    Oludara said: “The disease which is the enlargement of the thyroid gland often due to iodine deficiency or blockade of iodine production by certain diets which inhibits iodine to the body was found prevalent among women in the age bracket of 30 and 59 but mostly within ages 40 and 49 with the oldest patient found to be 62 years who had lived with the condition for 45 years. Untreated simple or toxic goitre could lead to heart diseases and eventual death.”

    The surgeons from LASUTH told The Nation that their observations of the goitre prevalence in Badagry could be described as toxic goitre.

    They explained that such have an array of chemical symptoms and signs that are actually very dangerous to existence. For example, they can affect the heart, cause all sorts of changes, such that the person will be having tremors, the eye balls will be protruding. And when the person like that goes into what is called ‘thyroid toxic crisis’, that can easily cause death, therefore there is need beyond the cosmetics to investigate these cases.

    They further explained: “And if we are able to identify the toxic inherent in the goitre that will further help us to pursue aggressive solutions and further treatments. And no Uhuru yet even in any of the people that have ‘simple goitre’. This is because if the simple goitre stays for a long time there is a propensity to develop into cancer on the long term. There is a sure risk of cancerous degeneration in a long standing goitre that has multiple nodes within them. So we need to understand that cosmetics treatment may not be the best bye-pass solution. It is also good to know that a number of cases have real serious medical issues and we are also investigating these cases among the series that we are actually looking at.

    “Though goitre prevalence in Badagry is high, but, it is not completely uncommon in our environment. Even at LASUTH we see some number of cases. Unlike some fifteen, twenty years ago, today we are seeing quite an increasing number of cancer within the thyroid gland, some of the specimen that appear to look like simple goitre, when you send them after removal, through surgery for histo-pathological analysis, some of them still come back as Thyroid cancer, i.e a cancer originating from follicular or parafollicular thyroid cells. Thyroiditis and other thyroid disease also predispose to thyroid cancer.”

    Ajala explained: “There are four major types of thyroid gland cancer- anaphylactic, follicular, medullary and papillary. The best way to find a thyroid cancer is to make sure that your thyroid gland does not have nodules and is not enlarged. We see patients especially women with protruding eyes, most of the times their hand will be shaking, most of these people are very lean. One thing that is very interesting in this Badagry case is the number of hypo-thyroidism that we saw in them. Like we said, the disease is common in this environment, but hypo-thyroidism is not common at all, when we investigated, we found, that about 15 percent actually have hypo thyrodism, that is, the thyroid gland is working below expectation and it may then be one of the reasons why they have the swelling, it could be that the body is reacting to cell, maybe there is some anti body antigen reaction and we are really suspecting this.”

    He added: “About 15 per cent of the cases that we have seen may be having some auto immune disorder. The Badagry case is puzzling being that as a riverside area, the residents naturally have access to an increased supply of iodine in sea food, but the reverse is the case, the state is actually looking deep into it to know what exactly the cause is.”

    A member of the team told The Nation in confidence that children were examined as the gold standard in determining the causes of goitre in Badagry, because, Thyroid disease is a common paediatric disorder that affects up to 3.7 per cent of school-aged children, and it usually presents with a goitre.

    “By far, the most frequent cause of goitre is autoimmune thyroid disease, although benign colloid (simple) goitre is also a common cause. Our methodology focused on the diagnostic approach to Badagry children (especially with a hypothyroid, hyperthyroid or euthyroid goitre).

    “Thyroid disorders are one of the most common endocrine problems in children and adolescents. One American study showed thyroid disorders to be present in 3.7 per cent of children between the ages of 11 and 18 years. Children with thyroid disorders usually present with an enlargement of the thyroid gland (goitre), with or without symptoms of thyroid hormone deficiency or excess. These symptoms are generally insidious in onset, which may delay diagnosis by several weeks to several months. Because goitre is often the first sign of thyroid disease, the diagnostic considerations can be approached from the perspective of the goitre”, the team member stated.

    These findings and synergy corroborate the submissions of the Coordinator of the Free Health Mission, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, who debunked the myths by the residents.

    According to Dr Fasawe: “It is unfortunate that these people have refused to go to the hospital over the years and this explains why they all have marks on their necks. The truth of the matter is that there are so many things that can cause goitre; it could be from the water they drink or the food they eat.

    “Goitre is the swelling of the thyroid gland situated in the neck. When this thyroid gland starts to malfunction, when there is deficiency, it can enlarge to 50 times of its original size. It could be lack of iodine in the body. It could be in the environment. But we are investigating it to find a lasting solution to the problem.”

    Dr Fasawe said government would carry out massive sensitisation to dispel the rumour and the myth concerning the cause of the disease once the team formally submits its reports on its findings.

  • Vehicle owners get ultimatum

    The Lagos State Police Command has warned owners of abandoned vehicles at Area ‘M’ Idimu Police Station to remove them or lose them to the public through an auction two weeks after this publication.

    The vehicles are: BMW SF car (unregistered); Toyota Camry 651BF; Mercedes Benz 200 NE552AAA; Honda CRV TG 208 KJA; one Ford Explorer Jeep unregistered; one scrap expedition Ford Jeep, AS 356 KWL;  one scrap Toyota Camry, DE 621 SMK

     

  • ‘Why rights abuse by police has reduced in Lagos’

    ‘Why rights abuse by police has reduced in Lagos’

    The Crime Victims Foundation Nigeria (CRIVIFON) has btrained 218 officers within the rank of Constable and Chief Supretendent on human rights, reports ADEBISI ONANUGA. 

    The Police, in the eyes of many, are human rights violators rather than protectors. But in a bid to change that perception, officers are undergoing courses on human rights, courtesy of a non-governmental organisation (NGO),  the Crime Victims Foundation Nigeria (CRIVIFON).

    Last week, 218 officers from the rank of Constables to Chief Supretendent of Police graduated from the court.

    They bring to 14,000 the number of officers so far trained within the last eight years.

    The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2 Command, Onikan was represented at the ceremony by CSP Banji Lawal.

    The Executive Director, CRIVIFON, Gloria Egbuji said the police officers were trained on Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution, Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, Interpersonal Skills and Humanitarian Laws, Police Powers, among others.

    Egbuji said those trained were drawn from the various commands including Railways, Airport and Zone 2.

    “Our vision for the programme had been to develop and implement positive result oriented capacity building and human rights culture in Nigerian Police and to use that programme to eradicate the human rights abuses and corrupt practices among police officers and the public.”

    She added that through the  programme, “the abuse of  rights has dropped to minimal level in Lagos State. Lagos Police formations now have much higher standard in human rights observance than other states due to the benefits of the training and awareness created by the programme.”.

    According to Egbuji, virtually all the divisions in the state is now manned by trained human rights desk officers whoensure a better climate for crime control and people-friendly policing.

    She advised the public to take advantage of the programme and report all cases of human rights abuses.

    Egbuji disclosed that the police authority is  working  on making the human rights course compulsory at Police Colleges and other training institutions.

    The Senior Public Information Officer, United Nations Information Center (UNIC), Envera Selimovic urged the police to always respect the rights of the people in the course of discharging their duties.

    She said the police has a duty to protect the rights of the Nigerians and not to abuse it, adding that the United Nations (UN) has set aside a day to mark human rights day across the globe and  would expect the police to be part of it.

    The Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti said that the command has established functional human rights desks in all formations manned by trained officers.

    He said  this has led to reduced cases of alleged human rights abuses and helped to improve police’ image.

    The command, he said, is determined to eradicate all forms of rights abuses, adding that despite challenges, the force has continued to fashion out proactive measures to deliver on its constitutional mandate of safeguarding lives and property.

    Aderanti added that the training received by the officers over the years has resulted in the command’s improved human rights record.

    The national coordinator, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN), Okechukwu Nwanguama, in a keynote address observed that the duties of the Police are a direct consequence of the powers conferred on it by laws which regulate its performance of duties  relating to arrest, detention and the use of force among others.

    Nwanguama, represented by Prince Apata Akinsemoy, said any exercise of power by the police which does not strictly conform to the prescriptions of the laws can have unpleasant consequences.

    Such laws, he said, include the Constitution, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, among others.

    The governor of the 20th batch of trainees, CSP Oluwole Paul, on behalf of his colleagues, pledged that they would propagate the ethics of human rights in all they do at their various duty posts.

    “Anything contrary to this will be tantamount to stirring up a hornet’s nest especially now that the public is getting more and more enlightened about their fundamental rights”.

    According to Oluwole, the consequences of several human rights abuses unconsciously committed against the public has made the police look like an anti-people organization.

     

     

     

  • Lagos health workers for Sierra Leone

    Lagos health workers for Sierra Leone

    Lagos State is to send some health workers who had helped in the containment of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to Sierra Leone .

    Governor Babatunde Fashola broke the news in  Ikeja  while speaking at a programme to commemorate the 2,700 Days of his administration in office.

    The governor said the health workers were to replicate the state‘s  virus  containment strategies in Sierra Leone  with a view to assisting the Ebola-hit country overcome the health crisis.

    Fashola said although Nigeria was, as of now, free of the disease, there was still the risk of  new infections from cross-border movements.

    He said  the state‘s  planned mission  to Sierra Leone was not  only to assist the country to overcome the challenge, but also reduce the risk  of the disease to countries within the sub-region.

    Sierra Leone accounts for  a substantial number of the over 4,000 global Ebola deaths.

    “Lagos is free from Ebola, Nigeria is free from Ebola. .But that does not mean there cannot be another case. For as long as people are moving from countries to countries, the risk of infections is still there.

    ‘That is why  I appeal to the Federal Government to continue to scrutinise people travelling into Nigeria from land, sea and air from regions where the problem is still ravaging.

    “That is why some of the things the commissioner for health will be announcing very soon is the arrangements we are making to send some of our health workers and volunteers to go and help out in Sierra Leone.

    “That is the only way we ,the whole of Africa and the World can be safe.”

    Fashola  expressed optimism that EVD, just like other infectious diseases, such as cholera that had once  ravaged humanity without remedy, would soon get a cure.

    He said Nigerians needed not live in fear of the disease coming back into the country but urged them to take precautions that would guard against new infections in the country.

    Fashola said the state government  had taken some initiatives  to prevent a return of Ebola in the state.

    Some of the strategies, according to him, include the deployment of screening equipment to schools and hospitals and the construction of sanitary facilities in schools.

    Others are training and retraining of personnel on infectious diseases diagnosis and the sensitisation of residents on how to be safe from the problem.

    Fashola also announced that he had appointed Dr Oluwakemi Sekoni his Scientific Adviser as a move to enhance better response to Ebola disease and other infectious ailments.

    The governor said  the responsibilities of the new adviser would  include providing  public information about infectious diseases for effective response.

    Others are actions and co-ordinating science-based research on food sufficiency, air pollution and helping in  all other things that were likely to improve the general wellbeing of Lagos residents.

    “Today ,I am announcing the appointment of Dr Oluwakemi Sekoni as my Chief Scientific Adviser . She would  be presented  at a formal inductiuon ceremony shortly, “he said.

    Reeling out some of his achievements in the last 100 days, Fashola said the Mainland Power Plant which would supply uninterrupted power to government facilities in mainland area was completed withing the period.

    He said the government also inaugurated a Power Academy that would  train people on all aspects of electricity generation,distribution and transmission and help improve the power sector.

    Fashola said the government also trained no fewer than 3,000 farmers on various aspects of agriculture and supported them with items to support their businesses.

    He said work was sped up at the 70-gallon Adiyan Water Works to improve water supply.

     

  • Lagos chambers names goodwill ambassadors

    Lagos chambers names goodwill ambassadors

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has unveiled Evangeline Wiles, Managing Director, Kaymu.com.ng amongst others, as an LCCI Goodwill Ambassador ahead of the 2014 Lagos International Trade Fair.

    The event held at the LCCI’s head office in Lagos.

    The LCCI Goodwill Ambassadors are inspirational people who share a commitment with the chamber of commerce and industry to develop and promote the Nigerian economy. They possess widely recognized talent in the business, arts, sciences, literature, entertainment, sports or other fields of public life and will help generate public awareness and understanding of trade, commerce and development causes, as well as inspire broad, positive, committed action in support of LCCI and LITF’S mandate and priorities.

    In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Trade Promotion Board, Chief Dr Michael Olawale Cole said: “The Goodwill Ambassadors have put the country first in everything they have done, I will not be surprised seeing them on TV for national honours.”

    Wiles, in her acceptance speech thanked the Chambers for deeming her worthy of being selected. “The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry is known for promoting trade and entrepreneurship, which is at the core of Kaymu’s business model. I am committed to promoting SMEs in my service as an LCCI Goodwill Ambassador,” she stated.

    While giving a vote of thanks on behalf of other ambassadors, an upbeat Mr. Olisa Adibua, a media personality, said: “Today is a good day for me and my fellow Ambassadors, I am very happy and I look forward to working with the Chamber and promoting it.”

    Other ambassadors unveiled at the event include: Tuface Idibia, Toke Makinwa, Toolz, Kunle Afolayan, Vector, Brymo, Funke Okpeke , Managing Director, Mainone Cable, Martin Mabutho (GM, Marketing Mutichoice) and Lerin Davis.

  • Photos: Running from traffic?

    Photos: Running from traffic?