The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lagos

  • LAWMA’s recycling banks to keep Lagos clean

    LAWMA’s recycling banks to keep Lagos clean

    Despite being the major centre for economic activities in Nigeria and generating the large amount of industrial and residential waste estimated at over 9000 metric tons daily, Lagos State has remained relatively clean.

    Thanks to the efforts of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), the state has been rated as one of the cleanest in the country and internationally, though a controversial survey by an international agency stated that it is the dirtiest globally recently.

    LAWMA was established in 1977 and since its inception the institution has employed different initiatives in ensuring proper waste management within Lagos State and it environ.

    According to the Managing Director of the agency, Mr. Ola Oresanya, “the LAWMA of the past is different from now and all efforts are been made especially with the present administration of Governor Raji Babatunde Fashola to ensure success in combating the menace of poor waste disposal in the state”.

    In a bid to ensure attainment to the proposed Africa Model mega city and a cleaner environment, LAWMA signed the approval of joint work with the private sectors in March 2007 called the ‘private Sectors Participation’ and a host of others to allow for proper waste management.”

    In compliance with the aim of providing efficient and sustainable waste management service to all Lagosians, the management has equally embarked on its latest strategy of combating menace of waste in Lagos state called the “Recycling bank”.

    The essence of strategy as explained by the agency is to bring a sense of collective responsibility to the heart of waste management in the state, making it a productive and participatory venture between the government and the people where all the school children and other identified stakeholders can help in waste minimization.

    To keep our environment cleaner by avoiding the waste becoming uncontainable and spilling into our houses, industries, forests, and water sources, there is need to curtail some measures which lead to the process of recycling. Recycling involves using used products as raw materials for making new products. It saves on raw materials and prevents harm to the environment. This will help LAWMA as part of its efforts in strengthening the current waste collection activities and expand the scope to facilitate additional value added waste recycler market.

    More so, recycling has been confirmed as ideal means of economic development as it contributes to the economy by helping to conserve our resources and save money, creates jobs and even generates revenue. It is equally cheaper to make products using recycled materials. For example, using fresh aluminum costs twice as much as using recycled aluminum. This is because a lot more energy (i.e. 90% more) is needed to extract aluminum from its raw forms and subsequently, products that are made from recycled materials can also be purchased at a cheaper price.

    For instance the compost fertilizer produced from the Ikorodu landfill is sold at cheaper prices than chemical fertilizer. It also benefits the economy by reducing expenditure, as more items are reduced, the amount of waste that needs to go to the landfill or incinerator is also reduce

    Subsequently, acres of landfill space can be saved and be diverted for other uses. Especially in Lagos state where land is scarce, saving on landfill space could mean savings by the million, and in fact earnings, especially if the land can be used for other revenue-generating functions. With recycling, everything can be used to its maximum potential. Nothing is wasted. Such cost-effective practices not only saves money, but the environment and our resources too.

    The benefit of recycling is far more than we can imagine, as in the case of the market waste which has been turned into fertilizer and now serving variety of purpose especially in agricultural fields. Over 250 bags of fertilizer are produced from LAWMA recycling plant on a daily basis and distributed across the country. Equally, pure water nylons with other nylon have been procured into a disposable bag through recycling activities.

    With this in mind, the institution has provided for four basic banks in form of materials in the following categories: Paper, Can, Glass and Plastic. Over twenty of these recycling banks have been made available to the entire state and deposited at different areas within the state to encourage waste sorting. About 30 former waste scavengers have been engaged as resource managers to see to the daily management of these recycling banks.

    Hence, residents of housing estates are required to embrace recycling by sorting waste from trash and keeping recyclable materials in separate containers/ bags to be disposed of appropriately at the LAWMA Recycling Bank. For instance, a person disposing glass bottles and plastic bottles should endeavour to separate them in different containers and dump them in their respective banks as against disposing them together. By separating the waste from source, it makes the process of recycling easier.

    Citizens are therefore encouraged to dispose their waste bin in these sorted banks as this will allow for easy recycling and also help LAWMA in carrying out its duty effectively as before. The institution will also reward as many people who sort out their waste by reducing their waste bill per month.

  • 2012 Eko Football Festival: Lagos FA promises fun-filled event

    2012 Eko Football Festival: Lagos FA promises fun-filled event

    The Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) has once again assured of a fun-filled atmosphere during the forthcoming Eko Football Festival which is billed to hold from 27 – 30th September 2012 at the Eko Football Arena, opposite Oriental Hotel, Oniru Estate, Lekki, Lagos.

    LSFA chairman Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi stated that the benefits of hosting the Eko Football Festival are enormous especially as it coincides with the Soccerex Seminar, Lagos which will attract numerous guests from outside the state and outside the country who will witness the Festival.

    According to Barrister Akinwunmi, the Eko Football Festival will be a first of its kind event in Nigeria, where football and the entertainment industry will converge, even as he assured of adequate security during the event.

    “The reason for this press briefing is to tell you where we are in terms of our preparation for the Eko Football Festival. We will be having two events in one. We all know about Soccerex Seminar, which is the first international football business event in Nigeria, it’s bringing the knowledge from those who have done the business of football and the administration of football to Lagos. We want to share in their knowledge, and hopefully we want to have them to invest in Lagos Football and Nigerian Football as a whole,” he said.

    “This idea of having a festival is not new, but the only thing is that this is the first time we are having it at the same time with the Soccerrex event. So in put together a structure for our event, we have taken cognizance of Soccerex program and vice versa. So everything has been synchronized to ensure that nobody misses out on either events.

    “Part of Eko Football vision is something called Eko Football Lifestyle. This is a convergence of entertainment industry and football and why do we want to do that?”

  • Lagos teachers begin strike Monday

    Lagos teachers begin strike Monday

    …No going back on industrial action – NUT

    The Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers, Lagos State Chapter, Mr. Samson Idowu, said that teachers in the state would begin a strike on Monday.

    Idowu said the teachers would go on strike over the refusal of the government to pay them 27.5 per cent Teachers Peculiar Allowance.

    He told the News Agency of Nigeria at the end of a meeting, that the state government had not responded to the demands of the union.

    “As at Thursday, we have not received any positive response from the government and the strike goes on,” he said.

    Idowu said the union gave the government enough time to respond to its demand without any positive response.

    He said the union had dispatched a directive to all its members asking them to stay at home from Monday.

    The chairman said the payment of the allowance was approved in 2008 and that 17 states in the country had implemented it.

  • Scarcity bites harder as filling stations go dry in Lagos

    Scarcity bites harder as filling stations go dry in Lagos

    Fuel supply situation in Lagos got worse yesterday with more filling stations closing shop to business. There were long queues that caused traffic jam at the few ones that solid product.

    Some motorists who spoke to The Nation said they had to leave their private vehicles behind and commuted to their offices and business premises in public transport.

    Apart from the distribution constraints being experienced as a result of the Arepo fire incident which affected a major supply line, the fuel scarcity situation, it was learnt, is made worse by the refusal of oil marketers to resume importation because the Federal Government owes them N200 billion in unpaid subsidy that accrued from fuel imported since last year under the Petroleum Subsidy Fund (PSF) scheme.

    Our correspondent also gathered that members of the various oil marketing groups including the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and Jetties and Petroleum Tank Farms Owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON) have refused to import in fuel  despite the truce it reached with the Federal Government last month after they threatened to go on strike over non-payment of their outstanding subsidy debt.

    The oil marketers said the government owed them N200 billion since last year, which is threatening their business and forcing them to cut down their workforce. The group had last month given the government seven days to pay up or face nationwide strike. The government quickly entered into dialogue with them and made a part payment of about N42 billion but it was gathered that government’s efforts didn’t pacify them and they continued to boycott importation.

    Executive Secretary of JEPTFON Enoch Kanawa, told The Nation that it doesn’t make sense to continue importing and doing business at a loss. He said business is currently so bad that some member-companies are working on their human resources to see how to reduce their workforce. He said interest on loans from banks continue to pile up, payment of staff is becoming very challenging as well as maintenance of the depots.

    The oil marketing groups said they control 90 per cent of functional facilities and market share of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry and the loans they got from banks attract interest charge of N3.7 billion per month.

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in a statement said it has taken measures to end the scarcity being witnessed in Lagos and some parts of the country.

    The Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Mr. Fidel Pepple, said the fuel shortage is due to the shutdown of system 2b, a major pipeline that evacuates between nine to eleven million litres of fuel from Lagos to Ibadan, Ilorin and the north due to serious vandalism by oil thieves a couple of weeks ago.

    Pepple said to alleviate the problems resulting from the shutdown of the pipeline, the NNPC has stepped up distribution through tankers. “As I speak, we have raised the daily supply of fuel from Folawiyo tank farm from 150 tankers to 250 tankers, MRS from 100 to 200 tankers, Capital Oil up to 300 tankers, NIPCO up to 70 tankers and AITEO up to 100 tankers.”

    He noted that fuel delivery and supply to Port Harcourt, Aba and Calabar has also been augmented saying that bridging to the North has equally enjoyed robust supply adding that as at lastThursday, the NNPC had 32 days sufficiency of petroleum products.

  • Tax Tribunal upholds Halliburton’s appeal against FIRS

    Tax Tribunal upholds Halliburton’s appeal against FIRS

    The Tax Appeals Tribunal sitting in Lagos yesterday upheld an appeal by Halliburton Energy Services Nigeria Ltd against the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) over $167,700,000 tax assessment.
    FIRS, in a notice of assessment dated February 24, 2009, had demanded 30 per cent of $559 million being fine payable to United States authorities in lieu of “bribes” allegedly given to Nigerian officials for operations in the country within the Halliburton group.
    “Since the entire bribe would have formed part of the expenses that was charged in the tax returns of FIRS, an amount of $559 million is hereby disallowed for tax purposes.
    “The relevant assessment notice for the tax arising therefrom amounting to $167,700,000 is herewith forwarded for your prompt payment,” FIRS had said in a covering letter dated February 25, 2009.
    Delivering judgment yesterday, the tribunal, chaired by Kayode Sofola, SAN, who led other commissioners including Catherine Ajayi, Mustapaha Ibrahim, D. Gapsiso and Chinua Asuzu, set aside the assessment of FIRS.
    It said the terms of settlement and a non-prosecution agreement between the parties exempted Halliburton from the imposition of the assessment numbered PDBA 20.
    “The said assessment is defective as being speculative, a contradiction and inconsistent with the relevant tax laws.
    “While foreign companies may be liable to the imposition of tax in Nigeria, in appropriate cases, Halliburton Inc USA is not chargeable to tax in Nigeria with regard to the fine it paid to the American government in the circumstances of the case,” the tribunal held.
    The tribunal said for the tax to be imposed on the sum in question, the law must unambiguously impose the tax on the party sought to be charged with it.
    It added: “The evidence shows that the fine was imposed for the bribery of Nigerian officials. What the quantum of the bribe was is not in evidence.
    “The respondent (FIRS) speculates that the fine of $559 million or the ‘entire bribe would have formed part of the expenses that was charged in the tax returns to FIRS’. The basis for this is not clear.
    “If a fine is imposed, it would be unthinkable for such fine to be claimed as an expense to be deducted in the tax returns. The purpose of the sanction, a criminal penalty, surely is a loss imposed on the party unless there is evidence to the contrary, which there is not.
    “We find that the fine is not profit and to the contrary, is a loss. Thus, the case the respondent has presented before us is untenable.”
    Halliburton had appealed the assessment on the grounds that it was not involved in the payment of any bribes, adding that it has never claimed any related revenue expenses or deductions in any of its tax returns to the FIRS.
    The appellant said the amount of the expenses the FIRS proposed to disallow by its assessment was higher than the combined revenue from its operations in Nigeria for “the last four years.”
    “The sum of $559,000,000.00 said to have been paid to the US authorities by Halliburton Inc (USA) was not representative of the amount of any alleged bribe payment,” Halliburton said, among others.
  • Iyanya, Jaywon, Sound Sultan honour ‘Turntable kings’

    Iyanya, Jaywon, Sound Sultan honour ‘Turntable kings’

    IT was a night of unforgettable fun when Nigerian DJ’s gathered at Club Vegas, Ikeja Lagos to mark the second edition of ‘Nite of Turntable Rave’.
    Hip hop artistes Iyanya, Jaywon, Sound Sultan and others assembled at the popular club to honour Nigerian Disc Jockey Association of Nigeria (DJAN).
    According to the Public Relations Officer of the association, Mr James Roland, the event is aimed at harmonising the DJ’s in Nigeria and stakeholders in the music industry.
     “The event is one of its kind and we want to create an avenue where DJ’s can meet to network. Both old and new DJ’s such as DJ Wackzy from South Africa and DJ Abass from United Kingdom were guests of the association last month. They were inducted into the house”, Mr Roland who is also a prominent DJ with Choice FM said.
    Aside the Kukere crooner, Iyanya who dazzled the DJ’s with his brilliant performance, Kennis Music artiste, Jaywon also thrilled the audience while Sound Sultan lit up the stage with his endearing act.
    Other prominent personalities who grace the event were the President of DJAN, DJ Larry, Vice President, DJ Jimmy Jatt. DJ Gran Master Lee, Mix Master Tee, Funky J and others who are about now itching for the next edition of the event which is coming up soon at Warri, Delta State.
  • Tipsy, Tillaman thrill fans at St.Remy Jam

    Tipsy, Tillaman thrill fans at St.Remy Jam

    WHEN the St.Remy Gbedu Slam Jam’s train berths at Havannah Suites & Conference Centre, Lagos; the festive ‘breeze’ could be felt around Ipaja and its environs. Date was Friday, August 31, 2012, and the gig, a monthly show was an amazing parade of fresh, hot and exciting Nigerian stars.
    The premium French Brandy had suspended the event for the last Ramadan fast. Thus, the August show came across as an explosion of inert desire to resume fun by the young and old. Enigmatic DJ Atte of Naija 102.7 FM was on his usual breathtaking form, as he spun out hit after hit all night, even as Shody kept the hype at fever pitch. Most memorable on the night was the performance of JJC first lady, Tipsy whose hit track Emi naa ni had the Havannah crowd on their feet rocking and gyrating to her smooth lines. Ko ma roll crooner, Tillaman also had the crowd pumping wildly to his club banger, as all the acts on display took turns to wow the crowd. Other performers on the night were fast-rising rapper, Pelly Hustle, L.A, Dezyne, and King George. Trace Urban TV and Naija FM 102.7; the event’s media partners were on hand to capture all the excitement.
    Organizers say the next show of the brand comes up on September 21, 2012 at Club Amnesia, Surulere, Lagos. St.Remy Brand & Markets Manager, Antoine Couvreur, said the party promises to be more exciting with great lineup of stars already being put together. “We understand that we as a brand have given our word to continue to deliver top quality entertainment to our loyal consumers and we do not intend to relent or go back on this promise in any way now or even in the future,” he said.
  • Light from Lagos

    Light from Lagos

    An acquaintance put through a distress call to me very early in the morning about three weeks ago. It happened that officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) had impounded two trucks waiting to discharge raw materials into the premises of his company at a location in Lagos. The time of the operation was about 1.30 am. Surely, the vehicles could not have constituted an obstacle on anybody’s path at that lonely hour my friend agonized. I immediately called the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, a trained scientist, passionate progressive activist and one of the brightest minds it has been my privilege to know. To my utter surprise, Opeifa said there was absolutely nothing he could do about the matter. He was cocksure if an infraction had not been committed, the vehicles would not be impounded. The Transport Commissioner advised that I call the Managing Director of LASTMA, Engineer Babatunde Edu to have a clear idea of what actually happened. I was in a quandary since I hardly knew the LASTMA MD. Would such an obviously busy man respond to the call of an unknown member of the public? I tried my luck and called Engineer Edu’s number repeatedly without success. I was about giving up in despair after about half an hour when my phone suddenly rang. It was a surprisingly polite – Engineer Edu on the line. “I see you’ve been calling my line,” he said, “Sorry I have been attending to an emergency. Is there anything I can do for you”? I introduced myself and explained my friend’s plight pleading for his consideration and kind intervention.
    Again, I was in for another surprise. The LASTMA MD said he could not arbitrarily overrule his men who were actually on ground on the matter. He however promised to investigate and get back to me. Within an hour, Engineer Edu was back on the line: “I have established that it was not a case of broken down vehicles,” he said, “The vehicles were waiting on the highway for two other trucks to exit the premises before gaining entry to offload their own cargo. Even then, they still committed an offence by parking on the highway. The company should have planned its operations more efficiently by calling on the vehicles only when its premises was free for them to enter without causing any obstruction on the highway. But since it is not a case of broken down vehicles or deliberate obstruction, we will release the vehicles once they bring in a letter of request for our own records,” he said. Of course, I understood Engineer Edu’s point perfectly. After all, only a few years ago, Nigeria had lost one of her best television journalists, Mr. Lekan Asimi of Channels Television, when his car had rammed into a stationary vehicle right in the middle of the road late at night under the bridge at Maryland on his way home from work.
    Now, a number of things struck me about my experience with the Lagos State transport authorities on this occasion. Firstly, is the fact that even as most of us are enjoying our sleep at around 1.30 am, some traffic officials are alert at their duty posts and working hard to ensure road safety. Of course, this is not limited to the traffic sector. In a similar vein, men and vehicles of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) are ubiquitous across Lagos striving to secure lives and property day and night. Also, many of us who wake up to see our communities and highways free of refuse every morning have only the faintest idea what a yeoman’s job staff of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in conjunction with the private sector operators in waste management do all night to keep this mega city of at least 16 million residents reasonably clean. Secondly, despite our personal relationship, it struck me that the Transport Commissioner did not arbitrarily utilise the powers of his office to order that the vehicles be released by fiat. Thirdly, the MD of LASTMA defended the integrity of his men and only ordered the release of the vehicles after thorough investigation and following due process. Fourthly, the central preoccupation of the LASTMA MD was not revenue generation through payment of the statutory fines but the operational efficiency of the offending firm to guarantee traffic safety and sanity. Of course, none of this is to say that LASTMA, like any other human organisation, does not have its own fair share of bad eggs and functional lapses.
    On further reflection, I reasoned that the commitment to the sanctity of impersonal rules and self restraint by both the Transport Commissioner and LASTMA MD was itself a reflection of the leadership values exhibited by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) from the top. We have here a classic example of what the great inspirational writer, John Maxwell, calls ‘Leadership as Influence’. The true leader is like a city on a hill. His innate values cannot be hidden. It is not the words of the leader that counts. Rather, his spontaneous day-to-day actions reveal who the leader truly is. Only recently, Governor Fashola apprehended two military officers driving illegally on the dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane. What gave the Governor the audacity to take such a bold step? Simple. The power of moral example. The force of influence. As Governor, Fashola sits through the traffic himself rather than jump at the least opportunity on the BRT lane to hasten his movement. Even more, he has never once used the siren since his assumption of office. His argument for this is so simple yet so profound that it is baffling why most other public office holders in the country continue to abuse the siren as a misplaced status symbol.
    The blaring siren, Fashola argues, is actually an indication of abnormality and a disruption of routine and order. The ambulance rushing an accident victim to hospital. The police van speeding to the scene of a crime. The fire truck trying to beat traffic to salvage a burning building. Are we then, Fashola asks, marooned in a permanent state of abnormality as a society that sirens have become a fixed feature of our collective mental furniture? Are our public office holders permanent hostages of a disorienting siege mentality that they cannot move without sirens?
    So much has been written about Fashola’s remarkable success in the areas of environmental renewal and radical modernisation of infrastructure. Yet, I believe that his most enduring legacy will, in the final analysis, not be the concrete projects of bricks and mortar he leaves behind. Rather, it will be his consistent and deliberate efforts to inculcate in the citizenry those critical values without which a modern civilization cannot be sustained. Yes, the artefacts of physical technology are important. But more critical are the habits, attitudes, dispositions and values that constitute the soft or cultural technology that provides the supportive frame work for material civilisation. A smooth, well paved, wide, modern road is a marvel to behold. But misused by drunken, distracted, lawless drivers or even pedestrians indifferent to traffic rules, it becomes a death trap – a veritable curse.
    In a modern mega city like Lagos, the absence of strict traffic laws impartially enforced could easily mean loss of limb or life for multitudes. This no doubt informed what some perceive as the seeming draconian sanctions against traffic infractions in the newly enacted Lagos State Traffic Law. Interestingly, two of the groups most affected by the law – okada riders and the National Union of Road Transport Workers – have openly expressed support for the law. These groups intuitively grasp the great political scientist, Professor Harold Laski’s words of wisdom expressed over eight decades ago: “Liberty, therefore, is a positive thing…I shall not feel that my liberty is endangered when I am refused permission to commit murder. My creative impulses do not suffer frustration when I am bidden to drive on a given side of the road…Historic experience has evolved for us rules of convenience which promote right living. To compel obedience to them is not to make a man unfree.”  Without law and order justly enforced, a people perish. Once again, Lagos shows the light for others to find the way.
  • Lagos unleashes Shango, Fijabi, 12 others on Repton

    Lagos unleashes Shango, Fijabi, 12 others on Repton

    The Lagos Amateur Boxing Association (LABA) on Friday officially released the list of 14 boxers who will fight at the third Lagos A.B.A. vs Repton International Amateur Boxing Tournament which holds on 20th and 22nd September, at the Eko Hotel and Suites Victoria Island, and the National Stadium, Lagos respectively.
    Leading Lagos’ revenge mission against Repton Boxing Club, national champions, Muri Shango and Olaide Fijabi will confront Umar Sadiq and K. Ozimkowski of Repton in the 81kg and 69kg bouts, September 20, at the Eko Hotel and Suites, while the duo of Otto Joseph and Pius Godwin will battle O. David and T. Tear in the 62kg and 64kg.
    Lagos boxers, Abua Christian and Shina John will clash with Ben Falaja and Ryan Pickard of the London club in the 69kg and 73kg categories, even as prolific boxer, Oliwo Kazeem engage newcomer K. Sarpong in the 63kg.
    In the reverse fixtures at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Lagos National Stadium, ‘dynamite’ Sikiru Fatai, Rilwan Oladosu, Saheed Lawal and Adedeji Adekunle of the Lagos team lock horns with their Repton opponents on September 22, including middle-weight boxer, Bassey Okon and rock-solid fighter, Wasiu Balogun.
    Meanwhile, the Wasiu Bisiriyu (LABA head coach)-led Lagos team is psychologically inspired for victory against the visitors, having lost in previous editions 5-3, 6-1 in 2010, and 4-4, 3-2 in 2011.

  • Access Nigeria, World Bank partner

    world-bank

    Access Nigeria in collaboration with the World Bank have concluded arrangement for a two-day National Jobs Fair.
    The fair commences tomorrow at the National Theatre, Iganmu Lagos.

    In a statement, World Bank said the event will serve as platform for the organiSations and potential employers to recruit young, skilled and competent employees into their workforce.

    “A broad range of employers from various sectors of the economy such as Information & Communication Technology (ICT), Telecommunications, Banking, Insurance, Private sector, Media, etc. are expected to participate at the event,” it said.
    The World Bank had in 2010, supported Access Nigeria programme during which Skills Gap Analysis conducted showed a distinct gap between what employers need and what they end up getting. It was discovered that most youth lack the fundamental skills required to succeed in the labour market, such as communication skills, cognitive skills and computer skills. This insight led to the formation of the Access Nigeria skills programme.

    The programme has in the last two years assessed more than 3000 youth on globally-benchmarked fundamental skills for Information Technology-enabled services economy.