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Tag: Lateef Ibirogba

  • Raji was compassionate, loyal – Aregbesola

    Raji was compassionate, loyal – Aregbesola

    The Governor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday described the late Lateef Raji, who was a commissioner in the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, as a compassionate man who touched many lives.

    Aregbesola gave the description at the 8th day Fidau prayer organised for the deceased by his friends and political associates in Lagos.

    Represented by Mr Bola Ilori, the governor said Raji was a great mobiliser who would be sorely missed by many.

    “Raji was a compassionate fellow who touched the lives of so many people he came across.

    “Also, he was a loyal party man who did a lot for our great party, APC.

    “His demise is a great loss to us in the party and to us in Osun State.

    “We are greatly pained by his death and we pray for his peaceful repose and fortitude for the family to bear the loss. “he said.

    The governor expressed special condolences to the wife and children of the deceased, and promised that he would always be in touch with them.

    Also showering encomiums, a former commissioner in Lagos State, Mr Lateef Ibirogba, said Raji was a good friend and a sophisticated politician.

    “I was the commissioner for Information in the cabinet of former governor Babatunde Fashola while Raji was Special Adviser on Information.

    “He was a jolly good fellow and a complete gentleman.

    “He was a very good politician and touched so many lives when he was alive.

    “Raji lived a fulfilled life. I am going to miss him,” Ibirogba said.

    He prayed for the peaceful repose of Raji’s soul and that God should be with the family he left behind.

    Mr Kayode Opeifa,who was also in Fashola’s cabinet with the deceased, described Raji as a friend and a colleague.

    He said the deceased was loved in the party and by cabinet members.

    “His exit is painful. We will all miss him. He was a vivacious fellow and a great party man,” Opeifa said.

    The Chairman of Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Mr Muse Ariyo, said hosting the prayer at the council secretariat was not enough to appreciate the great work of Raji.

    He said the deceased left an indelible impact on the lives of the people in the area and his life and times were worth celebrating.

    “We are pained by his demise and we pray that Allah grant his soul peaceful repose,” he said.

    Dr Said Timehin, who gave the sermon, urged Nigerians, especially leaders, to touch the lives of others.

    “Everything in life is vanity. So we should stop all this primitive accumulation.

    “We should spend our money on Allah’s course and humanity, just like late Raji. ” he said.

    Timehin described Raji as a compassionate fellow who made impact on people’s lives.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that prayers were offered for the peaceful repose of the deceased at the programme.

    The prayer attracted prominent APC faithful, including the state chairman of the party, Chief Henry Ajomale.

    Politicians from other parties, officials of the state government and residents also graced the programme.

    NAN reports that Raji died on Aug. 14, at the age of 55.

    He has since been buried in his Ido-Ani hometown,Ondo State according to Islamic rites.

  • Lagos to decide on LASU fees today

    Lagos to decide on LASU fees today

    Lagos State Government yesterday said it is yet to decide on the recommendation by the committee set up to look into the agitation by the students of the Lagos State University, (LASU) on the hike in tuition fees.

    The State Executive Council deliberated on the issues for several hours but could not reach conclusion on the new fees to be paid by the students.

    Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba and Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Raji, who briefed reporters said logical conclusion on the new fee would be reached today.

    Ibirogba said: “The Exco meeting on the decision of the recommendations made by the committee on LASU, has been adjourned till tomorrow (today). After the committee submitted its report, we had a five hours deliberation on it. And during the deliberation, all the issues raised were looked into. Our government is a government that has solid structure and we feel that everything must be thoroughly checked based on its merit.

    On the hope of reducing the tuition fees, Ibirogba said: “Perhaps when we reach the final conclusion on the recommendations made, that is when we will be able to decide if the tuition fee will be reduced or not. At the moment, we are yet to reach agreement on the issues. For us to have spent five hours deliberating on the issues showed that we are ready to address the issues immediately.

    “It will be premature to reveal what the committee recommended because we are yet to reach decision on their recommendation”.

     

  • Children’s Day: Prayers, protests for Chibok girls

    Children’s Day: Prayers, protests for Chibok girls

    No fewer than six organisations stormed the Lagos House at Alausa, Ikeja, to protest yesterday the abduction of the over 200 Chibok school girls.

    Carrying placards with various inscriptions, they lamented the government’s failure to arrest the situation. The groups include Centre for Global Peace Initiative (CGPI), The Young Muslims Association (TYMA), Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) and Al-Mu’minaat Social Advocacy Project (SAP).

    The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba, who met with them, received their protest letters on behalf of Governor Babatunde Fashola.

    CGPI Convener Shakiru Yekinni noted the government’s failure to stop Boko Haram.

    He said: “We as a collective of Muslim organisations condemn in  strongest term this heinous crime, and also express our disappointment at the manner in which the issue was previously handled by the Federal Government until recent external intervention. We say with every emphasis that acts of abduction, killing, kidnapping, wanton destruction and terrorism are all alien to Islam – both in letter and spirit.

    We affirm that these acts constitute not only crimes against humanity, but also crimes against Allah and His religion, for Allah Has ordained that to kill a soul is likeable to killing the entire humanity. We say likewise that Boko Haram and its ideology of forceful conversion of people away from their religion runs counter to the dictate of Islam which affirms that ‘Let there be no compulsion in religion, for truth is clear and distinct from error…’. We also reiterate that Islam forbids spreading evil and corruption in the land and recommends appropriate punishments for harbingers of evil and destruction like the Boko Haram sect.”

    The group expressed sadness over the incessant loss of lives and the destruction of properties on a scale unprecedented in the country.

    The TYMA national coordinator Abdulazeez Ajala said the abduction explains the long-time neglect and insensitivity of successive governments to the plight of the child. According to him, “It is the child of neglect and destitution, completely bereft of morals that can be easily bought, as an adult, to wage war against the society he belongs. It is shameful that this kind of crime occurs in a country endowed with abundant human and material resources. If the government of Nigeria values the lives and wellbeing of her citizens, it would have put security apparatus in place to nib insurgency at the bud ab initio. Why would it require, the intervention of any foreign country to search for the girls? Where are the forces and the Police? Should government blame an individual or group for its ineffectiveness? The leader of South Korea who resigned because of the lives lost in a shipwreck is a shining example of a sincere leader.  The love of power and affluence by our leaders has helped in hardening their conscience while hiding under sectionalism such as religion and ethnicity.”

    Ajala said Boko Haram neither represents Islam nor Muslims in Nigeria. “We believe that the aggravation of its devilish activities in  recent times is the handiwork of some elements who have selfish agenda to gain in a war-torn Nigeria. We fervently pray Allah to expose and shame all the perpetrators of the devilish act. We implore politicians and those who are aspiring for public offices to redirect their attention to the purpose of governance – providing basic welfare and security for its citizenry,” he said.

    AFED president Esther Dada,  urged government to stop playing politics the with the lives of the abducted girls. Mrs Dada said it is high time government accounted for the trillions of  naira budgeted for security over the years with nothing to show for it. The girls, she said, must be unconditionally released without payment of ransom. She appealed to Nigerians to keep praying for the return of the girls, alive and safe.

    The SAP coordinator Mrs. Sherifah Yusuf-Ajibade said the abduction of girls seeking education and the inability of government to secure their release had sent shivers down the spine of both mothers and girl-children. She said the act can negatively impact on the girl-child education which is a prerequisite for attainment of a number of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “This goal will be attained once we are able to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and in all levels of education no later than 2015, particularly in Northern Nigeria where education has not been given the necessary attention,” she said.

    Mrs. Yusuf-Ajibade urged President Goodluck Jonathan and his team to act urgently. “The position of Islam is not obscure on education for both males and females. Islam is pro-education and not anti-education. Boko Haram is not Islam and Boko Haram does not represent Islam or Muslims. We as women and mothers will not stop at street protests to demand for action. We will mobilise, organise and fight for the protection of the rights of the girl-child in Nigeria. We will in this instance not relent until this government does what is expected of it: to apprehend the perpetrators and rescue the girls,” she said.

     

  • Lagos allays fears over terror attacks

    …Sacks transporters from Ojuelegba Under-bridge

    Amidst reports that Lagos is  a likely a target of  Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, Jama’atu Ansaral Muslimana Fi Biladis –Sudan, the Lagos State Government has  urged residents to ignore the threats and go about their normal activities.

    State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba and his counterpart in the Ministry of Environment Mr. Tunji Bello who spoke to journalists shortly after monitoring the February edition of the monthly sanitation exercise said the government has put measures in place to ensure the protection of lives and properties.

    The commissioners who during the exercise led a team of their personnel to comb under bridges and hidden places in Surulere local government area of the state of filth and suspicious materials said the state government and its security agencies are already working on security reports available to the

    “I will say categorically that Lagos is safe, Lagosians should not entertain any fear. We have done all we are supposed to do for Lagosians to live safely. I want to just tell them to go about their normal duties without entertaining any fear.

    “The idea of Boko Haram coming to attack Lagos is nothing to scare anybody. This is a proactive government and Lagosians have confidence in their government. Lagos is home to everybody and I don’t think anybody in a right frame of mind will want to extend act of terrorism or violence to Lagos. No matter how you look at it people have one interest or the other in Lagos, ” Ibirogba stated.

    Bello  said the decision to send transporters under the bridge in Ojoelegba packing became necessary to clean up the place and get rid of some unscrupulous elements hiding in the garage to perpetrate evil.

    He said the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) will take over the garage and ensure the transports polluting the place do not return to the spot and constitute nuisance.

    Meanwhile, the government has beefed up security at the Lagos State Governor’s and his deputy’s entrance gates, just as  vehicles are not allowed  into the state government secretariat.

    Our reporter learnt that the directive was given by top security aides to the state governor.

    By this development our correspondent was told by the police officers deployed to man the gates that visitors and workers at the Lagos State Secretariat Alausa are barred from entering or exiting through the gates unless they have been cleared by the Office of Head of Service Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe.

    The security personnel on duty turned blind eye to pleas from staff of the state government to allow them entrance to resume their duties scheduled for weekend, saying he was acting on instruction from a superior officer.