Tag: lagos
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Ijora: Lagos to pay compensation
All hope of compensation may not be lost for residents of Ijora Badiya whose houses were demolished recently by the Lagos State government.
The lawmaker representing Apapa 2 Constituency in the House of Assembly, Olumuyiwa Jimoh gave his people a ray of hope yesterday when he said he was discussing with Governor Babatunde Fashola on the possibility of compensation for those affected.
He spoke at the Apapa 2 Constituency Town Hall meeting with Muyiwa Jimoh facilitated by The Lagos State Civil Society Partnership (LACSOP) at Ijora Badiya yesterday.
But the problem about compensation, according to him, is that most of the people affected don’t have documents to prove their ownership of the property.
He said: “I am making every effort, I am relating with the governor on behalf of the people for possible compensation, but a lot of them don’t have documents to back their claim. In fact, there is no evidence for now that any of them has any document of the land.
“But on humanitarian and moral grounds, I feel the governor can still compensate them despite that a lot of them cannot produce evidence that the land was sold to them in the past,” Jimoh said. He, however, said that the state governor has already shown some commitment indirectly by assuring those displaced that some of them will be beneficiaries of the scheme.
“But how far it would go I can’t say categorically. But I advise those concerned to form a block and present a united front instead of operating in clusters or different groups, it will not help matters.”
He also debunked claims by the residents that they were not given notice before the demolition, arguing that when he met the governor he showed him two different notices of more than a year’s notice given to the residents.
The residents, according to him, claim that the land was given to them by the Federal Government “how do you give what you don’t have?” he queried.
“Even the Oba Ojora of Lagos, from what I read in the newspaper, has also said that the place is long overdue for development, that in the 21st century Lagos cannot wait behind, it must move with the time.”
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Lagos begins Saturday work
Four agencies of the Lagos State government yesterday kicked off the Saturday work as promised by Governor Babatunde Fashola during his 2100 days in office.
The State Government team which monitored the exercise was led by the Head of Service, Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe and started at the Sura Drivers Training Institute at Epetedo area in Lagos Island where some staff of the Ministry were met on ground and confirmed that some members of the public have already been attended to as at when the Head of Service came calling.
At the Olowu area office of the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) in Lagos Island, the staff of the Ministry of Transportation led by Muyideen Adeleye attended to members of the public who were there to make enquiries.
The next port of call of the team was the Lands Bureau where the Permanent Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri Okunola was available to ensure the smooth take off of skeletal services while at the Directorate of Land Regularization, one Mrs Janet Jaja was met by the team making enquiries.
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Lagos civil servants to work on Saturdays
Some civil servants in Lagos will now work on Saturdays, starting from May 3.
They will resume at 10am and close at 2pm.
Those affected in the pilot scheme are workers in the ministries of Transport, Physical Planning and Urban Development and Land Bureau.
Governor Babatunde Fashola announced this yesterday at LTV8 Blue Roof multipurpose hall while rendering an account of his stewardship to the people on his 2,100 days in office.
The event was attended by the first Military Administrator of the state Brig.Gen. Mobolaji Johnson, former Governor Lateef Jakande and Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas.
House of Assembly Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji was represented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Strategy, Mr. Segun Ololade.
Also present were former Commissioner for Finance Mr. Wale Edun; Commissioner for Environment Tunji Bello; Information Commissioner Lateef Ibirogba; Head of Service Adesegun Ogunlewe; Secretary to the State Government Mrs. Oluranti Adebule; top government officials; Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftains and traditional rulers, among others.
Fashola said on Saturdays, workers at the Ministry of Transport would attend to issues relating to drivers’ training, drivers’ licence and traffic enforcement.
Those in the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development would deal with complaints on building permits and related matters, while those in Land Bureau would deal with land issues.
The governor said the decision to commence the pilot service was informed by some people’s desire to access such services, if they are made available on Saturdays.
He said the Head of Service has been mandated to publish details of how it would work and the scope of work on Saturdays, except the last Saturday of every month, which is Sanitation Day.
Fashola said the economy of Lagos is on the upbeat and the state is gaining the confidence of investors in financial stability and integrity.
He said he was satisfied with the achievements of his administration, particularly in infrastructure provision, housing and road transportation, adding that transportation has witnessed immense transformation since the introduction of the Traffic Law.
The governor said those accusing his administration of non-performance were obviously embarrassed by his performance because it has “exposed the inefficiency of the Central Government they manage”.
He said: “No state government in the country and certainly not their government at the centre has paid such diligent attention to the presentation of budgets and submission of its yearly report of implementation.”
The governor said Nigerians would like to know how over N2 trillion of the Nation’s budget of about N4 trillion in 2011 ended up “enmeshed” in fraud.
He faulted the on-going good governance tour of the Minister of Information, adding that his administration does not need a good governance tour to showcase its achievements.
Fashola said: “Completed projects, such as the Ibeshe Road in Ikorodu, the Mother and Child Care Centres in Amuwo-Odofin and Alimosho, as well as the School of Nursing are examples of good governance.”
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One dies, scores injured as thugs clash in Lagos
AT least one person was killed and over 20 others injure in the aftermath of a late night clash involving rival gangs of social miscreants in Orile-Iganmu area of Lagos State on Monday.
The clash was allegedly triggered by rivalry between thugs from Memudu and Savage streets.
It was learnt that the thugs seized the opportunity to rob innocent residents and vandalise vehicles parked on the road side.
The casualty, whose identity could not be verified yesterday, was allegedly stabled several times.
When contacted on the telephone, spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.
Braide, who confirmed the arrest of five people, said the police was yet to ascertain the identity of the deceased.
She said: “Around 9:45pm, some groups of thugs engaged in a supremacy battle in Coker area of Orile. Policemen rushed to the scene and on arrival, it was observed that the streets were littered with pebbles and all the vehicles were vandalised.
“On sighting the police, the hoodlums took to their heels. The corpse of a man (about 27years), suspected to have participated in the mayhem was seen lying in a pool of blood with severe machete cuts.
“Five male suspects were arrested while some cutlasses and a locally made shot gun recovered. The injured were later referred to hospitals and the corpse deposited at Yaba General Hospital mortuary for autopsy. Normalcy has since returned while policemen are still patrolling the area. Effort is being made to arrest other fleeing hoodlums.”
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Lagos earmarks N500m for indigent students
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Ojo 1 constituency, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi, has disclosed that the Lagos State government has set aside a sum of N500million in its budget for indigent students in the state.
Ogunyemi stated this during an empowerment programme he organised for residents of his constituency as part of the activities marking his 50th birthday celebration at the College of Education, Ijanikin yesterday.
He said the amount was the result of an agreement between the House of Assembly and the executive arm following the hike in the tuition fee of the Lagos State University (LASU).
Last year, the state government announced an increase in the school fees of LASU from N25,000 and N62,500 respectively to between N193,750 and N348,750 depending on the course of study.
Ogunyemi said the N500 million was currently being managed by the State Scholarship Board.
“Every indigent student has access to scholarship,” he said, adding that the amount each of the indigent students is entitled to would be almost equal to the increase in the school fees.
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Lagos earmarks N500m for indigent students
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Ojo 1 constituency, Hon. Lanre Ogunyemi, has disclosed that the Lagos State government has set aside a sum of N500million in its budget for indigent students in the state.
Ogunyemi stated this during an empowerment programme he organised for residents of his constituency as part of the activities marking his 50th birthday celebration at the College of Education, Ijanikin yesterday.
He said the amount was the result of an agreement between the House of Assembly and the executive arm following the hike in the tuition fee of the Lagos State University (LASU).
Last year, the state government announced an increase in the school fees of LASU from N25,000 and N62,500 respectively to between N193,750 and N348,750 depending on the course of study.
Ogunyemi said the N500 million was currently being managed by the State Scholarship Board.
“Every indigent student has access to scholarship,” he said, adding that the amount each of the indigent students is entitled to would be almost equal to the increase in the school fees.
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Lagos hires foreign experts on real sector
The Lagos State Government has hired Peruvian development research experts to address the challenges of the real sector.
The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs Sola Oworu, said the government’s action was informed by its determination to identify the people’s challenges and proffer solutions.
She said: ”We all keep talking about the informal sector but we don’t know the size of the sector. So the idea is to find out how they operate and why these people have refused to move from the informal to the formal sector. Yes, they have problem of accessing funds.
“Some of them may be sitting on several capitals (property) but that capital doesn’t have title and without the title, they cannot approach financial institutions in the formal sector for funds.
“So, the thing we are trying to do in this programme is to find out the various constraints facing those in the informal sector. Why they cannot come into the formal sector. Whether it is paper work or the processes involved.”
She said the experts would come up with a report that would proffer solutions to the problems.
“If it means embarking on institutional reforms to remove the constraints, that will have to take place so that more people will move from the informal sector to the formal sector,” she said.
The Project Manager from Peru, Enrique Diaz, said they have undertaken similar projects in some developing countries with positive results.
He said in most of these countries, it was discovered that the challenges faced by informal sector players were similar, but solutions could vary depending on what obtains locally.
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Lagos completes housing estate’s first phase
The first phase of the 11-storey Isale Gangan residential scheme in Lagos Island began four years ago has been completed.
Governor Babatunde Fashola, who visited the site, said the project’s completion was a relief because of fear of structural instability raised by some people.
The building was piled to secure the structural stability of the houses, because of the terrain. About 200 piles have been sunk – some of them as deep as 27 metres. The 54-flat housing project is meant to renew the historic Isale-Gangan in the central part of Lagos Island.
The houses, being constructed by Anatolia International Limited, would have 36 two-bedroom flats and 18 three-bedroom flats. They are designed to incorporate two floors for parking; two lifts; staircases and escape staircases among other features.
The governor, accompanied by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and other members of his cabinet was conducted round the project by the Managing Director of the construction company, Mr Chahid Raffoul.
Fashola praised “the construction competence” of the contractor.
He said: “You can see the type of construction, the type of piling, over 200 piles already here and more to come. There are piles that have gone as deep as 27 metres here and you can see the width and diameter, so you can see this is a building that cannot collapse.”
He assured that his administration would not be deterred by the challenges ahead in its drive to deliver the project.
“There are challenges ahead before the project is completed, no doubt, but the important thing is that it has moved from a dream to a plan and from a plan to reality. The race to the finish it is quite challenging, but we are not looking back. And as we work pile after pile, track after track, beam of steel after beam of steel, you can be sure we will deliver the project,” he assured.
The Governor said the area has suffered buildings’ collapse in the past. This according to him, created an opportunity for his administration to renew the area and put solid residential structures in place.
Some of the developments in the area in the past, he said, were done during the “developers’ era,” when foundations came up in the night and five years later the building would collapse.
He said the place would be a residential home for all of the families who own small pieces of land in the vicinity. “Each of them now has an apartment here instead of the small piece that cannot contain a house. We have helped them to merge into this very big space so their lands are now in the vertical space,” he said.
“We have relocated them to Ipaja so that after the completion of this project those who want to return can do so, but those who do not want to return can let theirs out. But each family that owns land here has already been resettled. These are some of the resettlement schemes that we do that we do not make too much noise about; but the beneficiaries know it and they understand it.”
