The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lagos

  • Why phone brands die, by OPPO

    Technology firm, OPPO on Wednesday assured that it was in the country to do business and support the Federal Government initiatives at growing the economy.

    Its Marketing Manager, Mrs Nengi Akinola who spoke on the sidelines of the unveiling of new smartphones, OPPO A1k and A5s, said the firm did not rush into the market but conducted extensive research into the needs of Nigerians, adding that all the devices from the stable of the firm were produced after an extensive research into the needs of the local market.

    According Mrs Akinola, the mobile brands that rushed into the market fizzled out no sooner had they come because they failed to carry out diligent study of the market.

    She said OPPO which is currently on the fifth slot in global mobile phone ranking, has been operating in about 40 countries, including North Africa, will continue to grow the business in the country.

    Read Also: Edo, Slot Foundation to train 100 youths in mobile phone, laptop repairs

    Speaking on the devices, she said it boasts of a 32GB ROM and long battery life and features this year’s most popular waterdrop screen, as well as a stylish metallic texture back cover. With a robust 4000mAh battery, it leverages AI algorithm optimisation to reduce power consumption, delivering long battery life.

    According to her, it also employs APCF material on the screen, stressing that under the same power dissipation level, the screen gets higher brightness, allowing user to see more clearly while lowering power consumption.

    “Thanks to AI algorithm optimisation, its MTK6762 CPU enables several applications to run seamlessly at the same time, effectively eliminating freezing and serving multiple user scenarios while reducing power consumption. All in all, A1k supports up to 17 hours of daily usage, delivering exceptional long battery life,” Mrs Akinola said.

    She added that with a 6.1-inch LCD waterdrop screen plus 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a 1560×720-pixel resolution, its screen design drew inspiration from a water droplet on the verge of falling, it is a perfect device.

  • Holidays: SUBEB boss urges parents to monitor kids

    With plenty of time and energy to burn during the long holidays, Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr Ganiyu Sopeyin, has advised parents to pay attention to their wards as the schools are not in session.

    While decrying the increasing trend of cultism and drug abuse among children during a TV show last weekend, Sopeyin, underscored the importance of parents monitoring their wards now that schools are not in session.

    Beyond checking their movements, she counseled parents to keep their  young ones productively engaged and encourage them to read as children are more vulnerable during the holidays.

    “The underlying fact here is that children generally are more vulnerable during the holidays hence, the need to pay adequate attention to all that they do during this period and if possible regulate their exposure to negative things on the social media,” he said.

    He said the task of fighting cultism and drug abuse must not be left to government alone, but be complemented by parents and non-governmental organisations.

    He said community leaders and other stakeholders must be concerned about stamping out vices, which are ways of exploiting children.

    Sopeyin assured parents and guardians that the government would not relent in protecting children from the menace of cultism and drug abuse.

    He also said the registration of children into Primary One classes of public primary schools was still ongoing, urging parents to take advantage of the extension, which runs through September to enrol their children.

    The SUBEB chairman also called on parents to take advantage of the recently launched free health mission tagged: “Healthy Bee Project”, by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to take their wards to the various centres for adequate medical attention so that the children would be healthier when schools resume for the next academic session.

  • Lagos assures MAN of congenial environment

    The Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwoolu, has assured the Manufacturuers Association of Nigeria (MAN) of a congenial business operating environment.

    Represented at the 52nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of MAN yesterday by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce Industry and Cooperative, Mrs Omobolanle Ogunmola,  the governor said the state will create the right environment to boost the economy and grow  the gross domestic product (GDP).

    He said some businesses have relocated to other West Africa countries due to the insecurity.

    MAN President, Engr. Mansur Ahmed, said vibrancy in businesses has to do with local content. According to him, the business record of last month showed an appreciable improvement, stressing that this calls for celebration.

    He said the index of the manufacturing sector is growing very fast in tandem with building materials, financial services sector and oil and gas.

    The guest lecturer, Prof. Olawale Ajai of the Department of Political/Social and Legal Education, Lagos Business School,  blamed the woes of the country on the falling standard of  education. This, he said, has made productivity rate very low. This, he said has affected the human capital and production in the country.

    He said for example, the academic system in the 80’s was 6-3-3-4 which has changed to 9-3-4 system due to collapse of instructional infrasture that has also affected the growth of the children.

  • Enyimba leaves for Burkina Faso tomorrow

    Enyimba will begin their march to Burkina Faso today when they make their road journey to Lagos in preparation for their tomorrow’s trip to Ouagadougou ahead of this weekend’s CAF Champions League preliminary round, first leg tie against Rahimo.

    The People’s Elephant will leave aboard Ethiopia Airways which will make a brief stopover at the Eyadema, Lome Airport before connecting a flight to Ouagadougou, as there is no direct flight to the Francophone West African nation from Lagos.

    Read Also: Enyimba crowned NPFL champions

    A top official of the team informed NationSport that the People’s Elephant targets an away win in Ouagadougou even though they know that the game won’t be easy against the Burkinabe side which they know only a little about.

    Enyimba is making a return to Africa’s lucrative club competition for the first time since 2016 when they got to the group stage of the competition before crashing out.

    Usman Abd’Allah’s men, however, featured in the last year’s CAF Confederation Cup where they got to the semi-final of the competition before bowing out to Raja Casablanca of Morocco.

  • Customs rejects N1m bribe

    Customs officers at Onne Port in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, have arrested a five-man gang who specialises in breaking containers.

    The Area Controller in charge of the port, Galadima Saidu, said yesterday that the stolen drugs were already seized, but the container was broken, while some drugs were packed into two vehicles.

    He said Customs officers turned down the N1million bribe given to them to allow the theft, adding that the cash was part of the exhibits.

    ”On July 30, at about 2240hrs, the command arrested some men who broke and opened a 1x 40 ft seized container comprising drugs warehoused and loaded into two vehicles, a Mercedes Benz Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) with registration number: EPE 828 AR and a Toyota Camry with number plate EKY 159 BD,” Saudi said.

    Read Also: Customs, NAFDAC destroy N14.7b tramadol

    He gave a breakdown of the seizures as 14 cartons of 50 packs per carton and 49 extra packs of Cols Time tablets. Four cartons of 22 packets per carton and 10 extra packets of Really Extra Analgesic. Two cartons – (60 packets per carton) of Tramadol tablets.

    One carton and 10 packs of Really Extra-analgesic and anti-inflammative tablets.

    Saidu said an interim committee was set up to investigate the incident, adding that the five suspects and the vehicles were detained.

    He said an exhibit of N1 million was recovered from an officer, who was instructed to play along, in order to arrest the suspects.

    Saidu said the suspects would be arraigned.

    “It is regrettable that while the Nigeria Customs Service is working round the clock to free this country of illicit goods, some recalcitrant and unpatriotic citizens are not relenting in their desperate efforts to sabotage our efforts by spreading harmful drugs.

    “The Nigeria Customs is poised to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that these perpetrators know no sleep as long as they refuse to give up,” he said

  • Alleged indecent advert: Tekno arrested

    Music star Augustine Kelechi, alias Tekno, was on Tueday arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly breaching public decency with an outdoor advertising displaying semi-nude women.

    He was quizzed for several hours at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba before being granted administrative bail on health grounds.

    Tekno came under fire last week after a mobile advertisement displayed scantily dressed girls dancing seductively in a transparent glass box on a truck while he sprayed money on them along the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge.

    Read Also: Indecent dressing: A social malady?

    Although the singer issued a public apology explaining that it was not an advert but a scene in a video he was currently shooting, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) suspended the advertising firm, Pro-Vision Media Systems Limited, whose van was used.

    The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) SCIID, Mrs. Yetunde Longe, said investigation was ongoing into the matter and the singer was granted bail because of his health.

    She said: “Yes, we invited him for questioning, but we did not detain him because of his health. He was advised to report to the police whenever he was needed. Investigation is still ongoing.”

    Police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the two girls were also arrested.

    “He is presently undergoing questioning at the SCIID Panti. Public indecency is against the Criminal Code and if found culpable after investigation, all those responsible will be charged to court,” said Elkana.

  • Boy, 16, accused of raping girl, 3

    A 16-year-old boy, Christopher Samuel, on Tuesday appeared at a Badagry Chief Magistrates’ Court, for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl.

    He pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akpan Nkem said the defendant committed the offence on July 24, at about 3:30pm, at Bayo Street, Aradagun, Badagry, Lagos.

    He alleged that the defendant penetrated the girl without her consent.

    Read Also: Soldiers allegedly rape varsity student

    “The defendant forcefully had sex with the girl without her consent.

    “He also unlawfully removed her pant and used his finger to penetrate her, which caused her injury,’’ the prosecutor alleged.

    Chief Magistrate Patrick Adekomaiya granted the defendant N300, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    He adjourned till August 28.

  • Awori monarchs seek more inclusion of subjects in govt

    Awori monarchs in Lagos State have urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to consider more of their subjects in the next batch of commissioner and special adviser nominees.

    The Ojomu of Ajiranland, Oba Tijani Adetunji Akinloye, who spoke on Tuesday at Ikotun, alleged that the Awori were being marginalised.

    According to him, they were not accorded their rightful position in governance as only one or two Awori made the recent list sent to the House of Assembly.

    He said:  “We are using this medium to remind the government that we the Awori are not happy with the way we are being marginalised, despite our population and the fact that we are the original settlers in Lagos.”

    Read Also: Monarchs, others unveil 2019 Asa festival in Ikorodu

    Oba Akinloye, however, thanked the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for providing direction for the party nationwide.

    He said from its inception, through the elections, the Awori had supported the APC.

    The monarch noted that participation in politics is anchored on the desire to use it as a route to be appointed and elected to serve the people and bring development to them.

    “We have many Awori who are professionals, politicians and technocrats. We also have those who campaigned vigorously for the APC, to ensure its success in the last elections.

    “We are hereby looking forward to the appointment of another set of Awori, who are young, vibrant and qualified. We deserve more than what we are getting,” Akinloye said.

  • ‘Oil firms sacking contractors, workers due to delayed payment’

    A former Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Nduese Essien, has said oil companies in the Niger Delta were laying off contractors and workers because of the delay in releasing funds for the Joint Venture Cash Calls (JVC) to oil companies by the Federal Government.

    The former House of Representatives member spoke in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

    According to him, the Federal Government’s delay in meeting its financial obligations to the oil companies led to the termination of contracts with service operators.

    Essien said the operators have in turn laid off their workers thereby compounding the unemployment situation in the country.

    Read Also: Oil prices may dip by $30 on U.S., China trade war

    He said: “The joint cash calls to the petroleum industry are always suffering delayed payments. Currently, some operators have laid off some of their services contractors who have equally laid off their workers, thus compounding the unemployment situation.”

    The former minister said the Federal Government was setting wrong priorities for itself by budgeting N2.2 billion for Ruga settlement.

    “When we were thinking that the Federal Government had suspended the Ruga project, behold the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, has just alerted the country that a provision of N2.2 billion had already been made in the 2019 budget for the scheme and that money had always been spent on Ruga. The National Assembly should as soon as possible, vire the provision for Ruga to other uses to clear itself of complicity in this scheme,” he added.

  • Police arrest two Chinese for ‘operating illegal, toxic e-waste factory’ 

    Two Chinese men, Lin Piehao, 22, and Li Ruoneng, 27, have been arrested by the police in Lagos for allegedly operating an illegal e-waste factory said to be emitting toxic waste into the environment.

    The suspects were arrested on Monday night at the factory located at 19, Sule Abuka Street, Opebi, Ikeja, by a team led by the Commander Area ‘F’, Akinsoji Adebayo, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).

    It was gathered that the suspects, whose visas had expired, usually assembled the e-waste mainly from mobile phones and tablets, which they exported to China and Vietnam through air cargo.

    The police team, it was learnt, intercepted several cartons of the toxic materials at the factory that had no name.

    “We got a tip-off about their activities, stormed the factory and arrested the men. We also discovered that the two brains behind the company are staying in Nigeria illegally.

    “They came to Lagos in May and were issued a month visa, but they exceeded their stay and are working in Nigeria illegally.

    Read Also: Police arrest 32 suspected cultists, recover arms in Lagos

    “We will investigate to know the sources of the gadgets they piece here. Also, we will investigate how they came about such a harmful business in this area. What they are doing here can cause serious health issues for other residents,” said a police source.

    E-waste also contributes to environmental degradation, with negative effects on human health such as inflammation and oxidative stress- precursors to cardiovascular disease, DNA damage and possibly cancer, research has shown.

    Asked the source of the phone parts, Piehao said they usually bought panels from technicians and scrap sellers.

    “We buy phone panels (Android and Nokia panels). We buy them from phone repairers and scrap sellers. We remove the panel I.C. with machine and then ship it to China and Vietnam.

    “We have some Nigerian casual workers in our factory, but we give them the rules and urge them to be discreet before they join us.

    “We actually came to Nigeria with one month visa to explore the country and think of the business we can do, but our boss in China urged us to open the factory and we have been enjoying Nigeria and don’t want to go back despite the expiration of our visa.

    “I do not have work permit. I know it is a crime to work without work permit, but the e-waste business is very lucrative. We do a lot to ensure that the smoke from the e-waste does not affect the environment where we operate,” he said.

    Confirming the arrest, spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the two suspects were in custody.

    He said: “We have two of them in custody. They operate an illegal factory, emitting toxic substances into the neighborhood.”