The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lagos

  • Activities up at Lagos domestic airport after Yuletide

    The domestic terminals of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos on Friday became lively again with a high passenger volume and vehicle traffic after the Yuletide, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    A NAN correspondent reports that the boarding counters of Aero Contractors and Arik Air were filled with passengers travelling out of Lagos to Port Harcourt, Abuja, Calabar, Enugu, Kaduna, Benin and Owerri.

    The passengers told NAN that they were returning to base, after the Christmas holidays of Dec. 25 and Dec. 26.

    First Nation and Med-View Airlines counters were busy with many passengers buying travelling tickets.

    A passenger, Alhaji Olawale Adeoya, told NAN that he had to return to Abuja after the break.

     “I have an important meeting in Abuja on Monday and I want to prepare for it over the weekend,’’ he said.

    Another passenger, Mrs Tunrayo Olayiwola, travelling to Kaduna, said that she wanted to attend a wedding on Saturday.

    However, Dana Air, IRS and Chanchangi Airlines counters were empty.

    NAN reports that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended Dana Air’s flight operations to allow its inspectors to carry out an audit of the airline’s aircraft. (NAN)

  • Firm empowers Lagos women

    Participants at the training on basic entrepreneurship and book keeping for 56 women from the Ikorodu community in Lagos have resolved to make the best of the opportunity they were given.

    The training was sponsored by Falcon Petroleumin partnership with Fate Foundation.

    Though all the women were expected, only 28 showed up at the event, which, according to Falcons Petroleum Executive Director, Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, was informed by the good relationship the firm has with its host community.

    .She said: “We looked at how we could add value to Ikorodu. Ikorodu is very dear to us because that is where we have the gas franchise.

    “But we found out that there is a need to look into the womenfolk. We discovered that a lot of them are struggling in many ways. So last year, we decided to do vocational skill acquisition training for women in communities where we have our projects running. So, what we did was engage the community in a town hall meeting and they said they were interested. They looked for women, and the kind of project that would really benefit them.

    “Fifty eight of them were selected from diverse ethnic backgrounds and for four months, we partnered with a vocational institute that offered them training in event planning, catering, cloth and bead making. In the end, we facilitated a one month industrial attachment in different companies. We gave them strata packs at graduation. Beyond the skill acquisition itself, we are also teaching them how to manage business.”

    She said participants would be exposed to entrepreneurship /business-oriented courses such as book keeping, human resources, selling, business management, among others, adding that facilitators would deploy local dialects and pidgin English so as to meet participants level.

    The facilitators will be deploying Yoruba Igbo Hausa and pidgin English in communicating with them, she said, adding that the company have been on a continuous monitoring and evaluation of the programme since January when it started.

     

  • Lagos SUBEB chief, others get award

    It was awards galore at the seventh Award of excellence of The Nigerian Education Times, held at the Centre for Management Development (CMD), Lagos.

    Some of the recipients were: WAEC Registrar Dr. Iyi Uwadiae, who won the Pillar of Education, award; Joel Babalola, a professor of Education Management, and Dr Benedicta Agusiobo, another educationist/consultant.

    The Provost, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED0, Ijanikin, Mr Wasiu Olalekan Bashorun clinched the Outstanding Provost of College of Education in Nigeria award; while the Outstanding Educator in Nigeria went to Dr. Olu Oni, another educationist.

    Chief Emeka Asoegwu won the Outstanding Education-friendly Personality award, while the Outstanding School awards were shared between Greensprings School, Lekki, and Covenant Child Academy, Ijeshatedo both in Lagos. The Lagos State SUBEB chairman Mrs Gbolahan Daodu claimed the Oustanding SUBEB award while the Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area Obafemi Durosinmi emerged the Education Friendly-Personality of the year.

    Mr Tunde Ogunsola, Editor-in-Chief, The Nigerian Education Times, said the award is designed to identify and reward some distinguished Nigerians and corporate bodies for their immense contributions to the growth and development of education in Nigeria.

    Mrs Daodu thanked the organisers for the award. She said: “I give God the glory. He is the one who enables us achieve whatever we were able to achieve and one is humbled by the recognition that at least little effort is recognised. We just hope and pray that God will give us the strength, power, wisdom and understanding to continue to forge ahead to ensure that education in Lagos State is improved and becomes better by the day.”

    Project Director, Covenant Child Academy, Mrs Delight Oliseh, described the award as a sign of fulfillment.

    “With this award, we believe that the management of the school will work harder, the staff will work harder because the Bible says ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,’” she said.

    The father of the day, former Lagos State governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande said the essence of education cannot be over emphasised:

    “We celebrate education because it is the most important sector. What can we do without education? We must sustain education and it is also a collective responsibility everybody must contribute to, he said”

    The event also featured the launch of a new book Letter to the Nigerian youth,written by Ogunsola.

    Ogunsola said: “As a trained guardian and counsellor and a journalist, I have been able to observe the ability of our youths for the past years. I noticed there are a lot of inherent potential in them, but certain issues are weighing them down.

    “They are unable to really develop themselves to a level that we believe will make them impact the society well. It is on that note that I decided to identify those issues that are weighing them down, encourage them and their parents and to resolve this issue so that they can move forward.”

    Mrs Daodu lauded Ogunsola for coming up with the book which she said has good messages for youths.

    “We need every minute of our time to find a way of talking to our children, to the youth on the way they should go, particularly in respect of values. The book is something I recommend to everybody whether young or old. Parents and guardian should buy it for their children,” she added.

     

  • Lagos boosts fish sales with Festival

    Lagos boosts fish sales with Festival

    Fish farmers from across waterside communities in Lagos State converged on the Lagos Bar Beach front, Victoria Island on December 7 for the 2013 Seafood Festival

    As early as 9am, the fishermen and women arrived the festival ground and immediately set about arranging their catch on the various stands provided for them as they sat patiently waiting for fun seekers to catch a glimpse of what they had to offer.

    Not even the heavy downpour could dampen their hope and expectation of a rich harvest of sales at the Festival.

    The event put together by the Lagos Ministry of Agriculture was the second in the series geared towards projecting the state rich culture, tourism potentials and boost market sales for fish farmers.

    Scores of fun seekers that witnessed the day had enough to eat and drink and also enjoyed live performance from some A-list artistes including 9ice, Black Magic, Seyi Shay amongst others.

    There was also fish pepper soup competitions where Mr. Akinmosi Oluwatobi Samuel came first and won the star prize of N500, 000, while Muyiwa Boluwatife and Apagume Kaleb finished in second and third positions and went home with N300, 000 and 200,000 respectively.

    Margareth Awoyenu, a fish farmer from Ebute-Ero community told The Nation that the festival presented a golden opportunity for her to sell her produce to willing consumers.

    “I have benefited from the festival because people have been coming to my stand to buy fresh tilapia and catfish, I thank the state government for this programme”, she enthused.

    State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola in his remarks said Seafood Festival organized by the State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives was symbolic because it has created opportunity for grassroots fishermen and people in the waterside communities to showcase their talents and open their businesses to the outside world, which he noted would not only help their individual development but also promote the economic growth of the State.

    Fashola who was represented by his Deputy, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said the with the theme: “Harnessing the Seafood Potentials of Lagos State”, his administration would continue to support the growth of business opportunities in the waterside areas just like in every other sector so as to make them self reliant and contribute meaningfully to the growth of the economy of the state.

    State Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal in his welcome address said the Festival was staged not only to celebrate the fish farmers and stakeholders in the value chain but also to boost their productivity.

    According to him, “Market is one of the major challenges of fish farmers, but this festival has provided an array of opportunities for them to build capacity, bring them closer to the markets so as to boost their economy and eradicate poverty”.

  • Lagos partners firm on infrastructure development

    Lagos partners firm on infrastructure development

    Lagos State Government has hinted of plans to partner with Richbon Nigeria Limited, which recently launched a new range of construction equipment, manufactured in China into Nigerian market.

    The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, who was represented by a staff of the ministry at the event, last week in Lagos, noted that the equipment are suitable for infrastructure development in the state.

    At the event, Richbon was handed a certificate of dealership by the management of the Chinese company, XGMA.

     

  • Body gets 315 complaints in Lagos

    The Lagos Office of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) has received 315 complaints from the residents and resolved 241 cases, its Commissioner for Lagos, Mr. Funso Olukoga, has said.

    The commissioner, who addressed reporters in Lagos, said the commission had settled a dispute in which about N30 million was paid by a respondent to the complainant without filing any paper in the court for litigation.

    Olukoga described the PCC as a veritable institution for alternative dispute resolution, adding that its activities had led to court decongestion.

    He said: “Considering the statistics for the year, 315 complaints were lodged and 241 were resolved. Complaints against federal government ministries and parastatals have been about pensions and other terminal benefits, while complaints against Lagos State have to do with activities of the Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Urban renewal Authority and the Ministry of Waterfront.

    “We have established and contacted these agencies and efforts are on to resolve issues between them and residents affected. Also, complaints against local governments are being attended to by our area offices.”

    Olukoga listed other achievements as the opening of a website for complaints, the creation of additional telephone lines, skill enrichment programmes for workers’ efficiency, cordial relations with private and public organisations, restructuring of operational strategies and sensitisation programmes.

    He regretted that consumers were still being exploited by the operators in the service sector, especially in the Aviation and Telecommunications sectors.

  • Lagos airport city construction to start soon

    Construction of the ‘airport city’ otherwise known as ‘Aerotropolis ‘ is expected to begin in the next few weeks at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

    The airport city is part of efforts to expand the MMIA. The deal is being done with the Chinese government to deliver five new international airport terminals in the country.

    The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr George Uriesi, told The Nation that a timeline for commencement of the project would be set after the Yuletide.

    He said: ”We will start construction on the aerotroplois project in Lagos next year, but we will set the timing during the end of year.”

    He said an alternative power supply for the Airport had been completed with the installation of new power cables, which would address the challenge of epileptic power supply at the terminals.

    ”We have started testing the source of alternative power supply around the airport. We are testing the system, with new cables system to make power supply reliable around the airport.

    “From this week, we will be working on alternative power supply around the airport. We are fixing the facilities and I can assure that at last, the challenge of epileptic power supply will now be a thing of the past at the Lagos Airport. We have fixed the power system,”he said, adding that the old power system had been disabled.

    He said the authority has taken steps to block revenue leakages with its take over of the access toll gate at the Airport, a development

    ”We are just simply becoming a normal airport, collecting our revenue better as we have never done before.

    “We are trying to make a clean break from the past where there was leakage in revenue . We are learning how to fetch water with a bucket and not a basket, as was in the practice in the past.

    “Now we are not giving room for any form of revenue leakage, we have begin to tighten every loose end, we are becoming a more viable and sustainable organisation,” he said.

    On the parlous state of some facilities at the airport, he said: ”We are getting increasingly concerned on some issues about the state of our airport facilities. We are not happy over some gaps that have been noticed around the airport, it is as a result of on going reconstruction.

    “We are also noting the observations and complaints from airport users. I am pained by it. I wish I could share with people what is going on, but, we are going through a lot of obstacles, we are learning from it to improve on further projects.”

    According to him, what is important is that the agency is striving to give airport users the best.

    “To construct an airport while you are operating it will give room for a lot of mishaps, the leakage that people have noticed at the airport have occurred because the engineers are still working on the project. This involves removing some portions of the ceiling, which has exposed all those lapses,” he said.

     

     

     

  • Re – making Lagos

    Re – making Lagos

    Title: Four Years with The Actualiser
    Author: Mac Durugbo
    Publishers: Life Changers Communications, Lagos
    Printers: Wisdom Studio Print
    Pagination: 228
    Reviewer: Ebere Wabara

    I feel more strongly than ever that the worth of the individual human being is the most unique and precious of all of our assets and must be the beginning and the end of all our efforts. Governments, systems, ideologies and institutions come and go, but humanity remains”, U Thant (1909 – 1974) Former UN Secretary General.

    The Book “Four Years With the Actualiser” is a compendium of writings detailing the activities and events involving the incumbent Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), his vision and the philosophy behind his policies. Though not conclusive in themselves, since the administration has not run its course, the writings give enough insight into the vigor and the drive that characterised the policy implementations of the administration during that period. Divided into three main sections – General, Politics and Economy -, the book speaks of the Governor and the team of technocrats he assembled to work with during the period.

    The Foreword to the book was written by Mr. Hakeem Bello, Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Media, who, by way of contextualising, said of the book, “The story of Lagos, especially from 2007 to date, is that of a city that rose from infrastructural decay to become one of the most beautiful mega-cities of the world. It is the story of a city that transformed in record time from chaos to become a well ordered city where both residents and visitors could live in relative peace and security. It is the story of a city that has freed itself from the clutches of financial dependence to take its destiny in its own hands and chart the course towards its own development. Lagos, the Centre of Excellence, the City of Aquatic Splendour has come to its own”.

    He continued, “In the book, Four Years With The Actualizer, the author, Mac Durugbo, Personal Assistant on Print Media to the Governor, tells the story of the man who has come to be known as the Actualiser, not only by his predecessor and mentor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but by all Lagosians. He tells it as an insider, through some of his published and unpublished writings which he did in the first four years of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s leadership. Having been on the wings of the performing Governor since 2007, the author, Mac Durugbo, eminently qualifies to tell that story”.

    The book opens with “Excellence in Leadership: The Role of Character” where the author attempts a description of the character and personality of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN). Several notable psychologists and social thinkers like John Wooden, the ULCA Basketball coaching legend, famous American author, and motivational speaker, John C. Marshal and British Second World War veteran, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, were quoted copiously to define Leadership in relation to the Governor. For example, while John C. Marshal describes a leader as “the one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way”, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery sees leadership as “the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and character which inspires confidence” while yet another American Sociologist, J. Howe, provides a link between the two. Taken together, the author is able to define the role of Character in the making of a leader. The writing is well spiced with contributions from notable personalities, both local and foreign, who made candid observations concerning the quality and character of leadership of the Governor. Such personalities include, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade, who describes the Governor as “a breath of fresh air”, former Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC), Justice Emmanuel Ayoola (rtd), who expressed the desire to change the slogan “Eko oni baje” to “Eko oti dara”, former American Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Robin Sanders, who described him as “Beacon of hope for Lagos and for Nigeria” and another former Nigerian Foreign Minister and chieftain of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP),Chief Ojo Maduekwe, who spoke on the transformational leadership of the Governor, among numerous others.

    Other writings under General sub-head include “Fashola’s Stewardship: Three Years of Redefining Governance”, “Reclaiming the Orphan State”, “Lagos City: From the Rubbles of Infrastructural Decay”, “Looking beyond Tolling of Lekki-Epe Expressway”, and “An Uncommon Passion for Safety” All these can be found between Pages 28 and 89.

    Articles under the Politics sub-head are led by “Beyond The Realms of Political Grandstanding” written at the peak of the campaigns for reelection in 2011. It captures the political issues that challenged the administration in the run-up to the General Elections; issues orchestrated by the main opposition party to score points against the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria and show cause why leadership must change in the State. Most outstanding was the accusation that the administration of Governor Fashola was ELITIST. “Beyond the Realms of Political Grandstanding” put this issue in perspective and gave evidence to dismiss the Elitist notion. Other articles under the Politics sub-head include, “Who’s Afraid of the Opposition” , “The Trauma of Broken Promises”, “The Idea whose Time has Expired”, “Fashola: Riding on the Wings of Electoral Goodwill” and “The Tale of Two Inseparable Friends”.

    Under Economy, the author begins with the Lagos Economic Summit or Ehingbeti . Titled “Ehingbeti 2008: the Making of a Mega-City”, this article is all about the eighth great gathering of national and international experts and professionals across the globe who, for three days, brainstormed in Lagos on plans and strategies for transforming Lagos into Africa’s Mega-city. It attempts to capture the palpitating essence of that great gathering which featured equally great city builders like Professor Hermando De Soto, the world famous investor, and his development partner, Emmanuel Mayoga, Dr. Liu Thai Kerr of Singapore, Angello T. Reyes of the Philippines, Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, Nigeria’s Representative to the ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador Aminu Wisdom and Professor Pat Utomi among the array of global thinkers. Other articles under this sub-head include “Taxation: Golden Key to Economic Development”, “Making of a Mega-Budget”, Budgeting as Means to Achieve Greatest Impact on the People”, and “Lagos 2012 Budget Analysis: Balancing Development with Global Economic Realities”. They are found between Pages 159 and 228.

    On the whole, Four Years With The Actualiser, as rightly pointed out in the Foreword, feeds the reader in on the all-round development that took place in the Centre of Excellence in the first four years of the present administration. It brings the reader face to face with the character and integrity of the man who made it happen and gives him firsthand information on the making of this Mega-city plus other spices that made headlines while the wheels of transformation were rolling across the City. It is a must read for both those who witnessed it and those who did not.

  • Coy beautifies Lagos at Yuletide

    In a bid to artistically transform and brighten Lagos this December, Absolut Vodka, a flagship brand from the stable of Pernod Ricard, is joining forces with some Nigerian artists through its Transform Today project, under the theme, Open Canvas.

    The project is an interactive outdoor exhibition that will see the artists “sharing their artistic ingenuity and strokes on the streets, while ordinary citizens interact with and experience the free outdoor art exhibits.”

    This was contained in a statement signed by Akintayo Akinseloyin, the Senior Brand Manager, Absolut Vodka. The project, according to the statement, will begin in Lagos on December 18, 2013 and end with the year.

    Akinseloyin said that “Open Canvas will take place with the guidance of celebrity advocates, who are respected in the Lagos art community for their immense contribution to the city’s artspace.” He listed Kelechi Amadi-Obi, an international photographer and painter, Denrele Edun, media personality and Ibe Ananaba, a mixed media artist, as the advocates that will guide the five artists whose entries will be adjudged outstanding and “will have the privilege of showcasing their talent across four different locations in metropolitan Lagos.”

  • Fun on Lagos waters

    Fun on Lagos waters

    The saying that wherever there is sun and water, tourists flock there is trite in tourism. Sun and water have continued to be the basis for huge tourism revenue for many countries.

    La Campagne Tropicana recently upped the ante in the country’s leisure space by introducing the water sports leisure to the advantage of the enormous water endowments in Lagos State.

    Although the lives of many natives on the numerous islands scattered round the state revolve round the water, they see this gift of nature more as a means of livelihood than a source of exquisite leisure.

    Traditionally, the only period that most of the natives engage in collective and planned leisure on the water is mostly during the regattas that many of the islands and towns in Lagos State hold annually. Epe and Badagry that historically and culturally have deep romance with water normally organize colourful regattas. For Epe people, this could be seen during their annual Ebii Epe festival.

    However, this is changing. Organised leisure activities on water are gradually gaining popularity. Hitherto it used to be elitist with clubs like the Lagos Boat Club, having organized leisure activities on water. On weekends and during holiday periods, it is normally enchanting seeing the way boats from the Lagos Boat Club with with their colourful sail spread out on the lagoon, Along the lagoon behind Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, many who can afford boats go on cruises in their speed boats and water bikes.

    La Campagne Tropicana, however, has come up with an initiative to popularise water sport as a leisure activity without necessary paying so much. At its leisure resort in Ikegun, Lekki , off the Lagos-Epe Expressway, the resort has brought in different types of water sports facilities to offer options to those who may be willing to enjoy the experience.

    The proprietor of the resort, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, said it is part of the efforts of the resort, as a top player in the tourism industry in the country, to continue to offer leisure options for guests and tourists that would make them have an unforgettable experience in Nigeria.

    He talked about the reason behind the acquisition of these sports facilities for leisure on water.

    “Lagos State is a state of aquatic splendour. I believe that we must take advantage of our advantage so that we can have an advantage over other people. One of the advantages we have in Lagos is that of aquatic beauty. We must not only utilize this for transportation alone, but for tourism activities in the area of water sports. That is the reason why we at La Campagne Beach Resort are taking advantage of the fact that we are sandwiched between two different water bodies- the fresh lagoon water and the salty sea water from the Atlantic Ocean- to make sure we create something totally unique that we add to the tourism product delivery of Lagos State and Nigeria in general.

    “Water sport is a tourism activity that most of us partake in when we travel to the United States of America, Europe, Dubai and so on. We believe strongly that we must strive on a regular basis to be at par in order to be competitive with the international tourism delivery by providing as many activities as possible for tourists. It is not only about comfortable hotel rooms. They all have comfort in their homes because it is a middle-class activity. It is not only about good food. We are not saying all these other aspects are not important, but we must create activities for tourists that will keep them busy from the minute they land till their departure. As a matter of fact, we must make sure that they borrow money to stay an extra day by creating as many activities as possible.”

    Wanle said there are different kinds of water sports fracilities available. He said: “We have virtually everything: jet ski, hydro-bikes, towables and many others. We have towables for one person; there are also towable for two and so on.These towables come in different sizes and shapes and give different feels on top of water. Some of them have a gliding feel; some will take you above the water slightly, you fly in the air and land back safely on the water. This is for the more adventurous traveller and leisure seekers.

    “We also have all the safety devices for these sports and kayaking too. We have the special kayak vest and helmet for safety purposes. We are doing this in accordance with international standards .

    “Although the idea is to offer exciting holiday and leisure experience to inbound tourists, the whole idea is also to make Nigerians have the opportunity to enjoy some of the natural endowments in their country.

    “Before you start talking about international tourism, you must develop your local tourism. I am glad to mention that a lot of people have come to the resort for the past one week-local tourists, business tourists and those on conference tourism. During their leisure time, what they have enjoyed the most at the resort are the water sports. After their retreat and bonding exercises, they have enjoyed gliding on the lagoon water and other water sports.

    “I will expect that during the yuletide season, many local tourists visiting the resort will enjoy these facilities. That is why we are introducing them now so that a lot of Nigerians and Africans that are in Lagos and even those in Ibadan, Kaduna and Port Harcourt, should come and experience water sports.”

    La Campagne Tropicana is one of the unique resorts in the country with upscale accommodation facilities and numerous options for relaxation, ranging from relaxation at the beach front facing the Atlantic ocean, engaging in outdoor pleasure like horse riding, swimming both in the swimming pool and fresh water, outdoor barbecuing and many others.