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Tag: Mudashiru Obasa

  • Lagos Speaker hails Nigerian Army on introduction of indigenous language

    The Speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, has commended the Nigerian Army on its directive to its personnel to learn the country’s three major indigenous languages — Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.

    Obasa, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Political and Legislative Matters, Mr Mufutau Egberongbe on Saturday, said the directive showed that the army was passionate about ensuring internal peace and unity in the country.

    “Our argument has often been that security officers should operate in areas where they understand the language, cultures and traditions of the people,” he said.

    The speaker said that was one of the reasons why the lawmakers had constantly advocated for state policing.

    “We also recently resolved to have the Yoruba language taught in all schools in Lagos.

    “It is not a personal issue; there is the need to ensure that the language retains its importance in the country.

    “Across the world, people are proud of their languages. They even teach with it in schools and solve major societal issues with it.

    “We know English is our major language here, but we must keep indigenous ones from extinction.

    “With the introduction of the three major languages in the military, we are sure of a positive result in the fight against terrorism and other issues threatening our peace as a nation,” Obasa said.

    The Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman, in a statement, had said that the army expected its personnel to learn the languages within the next one year.

    He said the directive was in line with a new language policy of the army.

    According to him, the policy will, among others, foster esprit-de-corps and better communication with the populace to enhance information gathering and civil-military relations.

  • Lagos Assembly passes regulation to boost state revenue through taxation

    Lagos Assembly passes regulation to boost state revenue through taxation

    Lagos State House of Assembly at plenary on Tuesday passed a regulations on Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption (Fiscalization) designed to ensure that hotels and event centers remit due taxes to the state government.
    The regulation will also guide against the evasion of taxes by these business concerns thereby boosting the revenue of the state.
    The Regulations includes the registration of electronic fiscal devices, installation of fiscalization software and hardware, power to enter and inspect notifications of points of sale in the hotels and restaurant amongst others.
    The Chairman of the 5-man Ad hoc Committee on Finance, Hon. Oluyinka Ogundimu who said he held series of meetings with the Commissioner for Finance and Chairman, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service stated that the regulations will bring about increase in the revenue accruable to the State and the installation of software and hardware for effective monitoring of sale transactions in hotels, restaurants and event centres.
    Ogundimu said the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Ashade said the importance of the regulation is to have the backing of law for easy implementation
    and also to help the State get the revenue as at when due, including the introduction of the fiscal electronic device which was due to the non-remittance of consumption tax by hotels.
    “Chairman, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Subair who corroborated the position of the Mr. Ashade stated that the State Government is losing heavily in the area of consumption tax because of non-introduction of electronic device. He added that lots of advocacy and enlightenment programs will be needed to achieve the desired result.
    The Speaker the Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa directed the Clerk of the House, Mr. Azeez Sanni to forward the approval of the Regulations to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
  • Lagos Assembly passes Cooperative College Bill

    Lagos Assembly passes Cooperative College Bill

    The Lagos State House of Assembly has passed into law, a bill for the establishment of Lagos State Cooperative College to further enhance economic development of the state.

    The Assembly passed the bill after Third Reading on the floor of the House on Monday.

    The lawmakers took turns to perfect some corrections in the 31-section bill before it was finally passed by the House.

    The Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, conducted a voice vote on each of the sections of the bill before passage by the House.

    Obasa said: “Having considered the Third Reading for a bill to establish the Lagos State Cooperative College and for Connected Purposes, the bill is hereby passed into law.’’

    The speaker directed the Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni, to forward a clean copy of the bill to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode for his assent.

    NAN reports that the House, however, stepped down, until further notice, report of its Committee on Transportation on Lagos State Waterways Authority Regulation 2017 over some inadequacies.

    The report was laid by the Acting Chairman of the committee, Mr Mojeed Fatai representing Ibeju-Lekki I.

    NAN

  • Why swimming pool operation should be regulated-Speaker

    Why swimming pool operation should be regulated-Speaker

    The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, said on Tuesday that the state must regulate activities of swimming pool operators to safeguard the lives of users.

    He said this while declaring open a stakeholders’ meeting on “Lagos State Safety Commission Swimming Pool Regulations, 2017’’.

    It was organised by the House Committee on Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations in Lagos.

    Obasa, was represented by the Majority Leader, Mr Sanai Agunbiade.

    He said the regulation would help to prevent unnecessary death and injuries by users, especially teenagers.

    According to the proposed regulation, it would be an offence to operate swimming pool service without official permission.

    Various speakers at the event commended the house for initiating the meeting and stressed the need for proper legislation to regulate activities of swimming pool operators.

    Mrs Omotola Sanusi, the Secretary and Legal Assistant of the Safety Commission, said there was a need for a law to ensure that no individual is allowed into a swimming pool without the presence of a lifeguard on duty.

    She said this was necessary to ensure safety.

    Another stakeholder, Mrs Adeola Folarin, a legal officer from the state Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, advocated for the provision of first aid box in all swimming pools in the state.

    She said this should be incorporated in the proposed legislation.

  • Lagos Assembly passes College of Nursing Bill

    Lagos Assembly passes College of Nursing Bill

    The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday passed the Bill for A Law to Establish the Lagos State College of Nursing (Schools of Nursing, Midwifery And Public Health Nursing) and Other Connected Matters.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bill had earlier scaled through the Third Reading before it was passed through a voice vote led by the Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa.

    The Speaker of the House directed the Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni, to forward a clean copy of the bill to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode for assent.

    According to the bill, the college is to provide courses of instruction, training and other facilities in health-related issues.

    “The college is expected to make these facilities available on proper terms to such persons as are eligible to benefit from them.

    The bill read in part: “the college shall provide courses of instruction on Nursing, midwifery and Public Health as the College may consider fit.

    “It shall conduct examination award degree programmes, National Diploma, Certificates and Higher National Diploma in Nursing, Midwifery and other related courses.

    “Persons who have pursued instructions of study approved by the college and have fulfilled the set conditions are entitled for such award.

    “It shall establish such departments, schools or other units of learning and research as may be required.’’

    It also provides that the college will have a Governing Council that will consist of the Chairman, the Director of Nursing and a representative from the Ministry of Health.

    Also on the council would be a representative of the Ministry of Education and a representative of the Governing Board of Lagos State University College of Medicine amongst others.

  • Yoruba language bill: Lagos schools risk fine, closure for non-compliance

    Yoruba language bill: Lagos schools risk fine, closure for non-compliance

    The Lagos State House of Assembly is proposing a fine of N500, 000 or closure of any school that flouts its proposed law on compulsory teaching and learning of Yoruba Language, when passed.

    “A Bill for a Law To Provide for the Preservation and Promotion of the Use of Yoruba Language and for Connected Purposes’’ before the House seeks to make Yoruba language a core subject in schools.

    Presenting a report on the bill on Thursday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Mr Lanre Ogunyemi, said that it would enhance the preservation of the language.

    According to him, the bill also recommends the translation of all the laws in the state into Yoruba language in order to get to its target.

    The Assembly had previously made moves to make teaching and learning of Yoruba Language compulsory in both public and private schools in the state.

    The House said that such step had become imperative to meet its target of preserving and promoting the indigenous language of the South West from going into extinction.

    The bill states further that all state- owned tertiary institutions should incorporate the use of Yoruba Language in the General Studies (GNS) curriculum.

    It reads in part: “The use of Yoruba Language shall be an acceptable means of communication between individuals, establishment, corporate entities and government in the state if so desired by the concerned.

    “Any school that fails to comply with the provisions of Section 2 of the law commits an offence and is liable on first violation to issuance of warning and on subsequent violation be closed down and also pay a fine of N500, 000.”

    Ogunyemi later told newsmen that the committee might amend a provision in the bill which recommended that it should take effect after two years of its passage.

    According to him, most of the lawmakers want the bill to become effective immediately after it is signed into law by Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode.

    The lawmaker added that the Assembly was passionate about Yoruba Language which necessitated its adoption for parliamentary debate on Thursdays.

    “The National Policy on Education provides that the language of an environment should be spoken in schools, which is why Yoruba Language is being adopted for Lagos schools.

    “After the passage of the bill into law, it would become compelling for schools to speak Yoruba Language. We want to preserve the language for generations yet unborn,’’ he said.

    On compliance by private schools after passage, the lawmaker said that schools owners were part of the bill and that they were at meetings the committee held across the education districts in the state.

    He added that private schools owners would have no choice than to key into the project as they have been properly mobilised, adding that the state Ministry of Education would ensure compliance.

    On the translation of the laws into Yoruba Language, Ogunyemi said that this was to ensure that those that are literate in Yoruba language were carried along in the scheme of things in the state.

    The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, commended the committee, noting that the bill should take effect once signed into law by the state governor.

    The House accepted the report as its resolution as the bill awaits third reading.

    NAN

  • Constitution amendment worthless without devolution of powers to states

    Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa yesterday said the failure to include devolution of powers in the National Assembly’s amendment of the 1999 Constitution will make it worthless.

    Obasa spoke yesterday during plenary while reacting to a report presented by Deputy Speaker Wasiu Sanni-Eshinlokun after the Conference of Speakers’ Forum in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

    The Speaker debunked the rumour that the conference adopted local government autonomy as part of the proposed amendments of the constitution.

    Vice Chairman of Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures and Enugu State House of Assembly Speaker Uchenna Ubosi was reported to have said the conference supported autonomy for local governments and state legislatures.

    Obasa said the forum did not pass such a resolution, adding that there was no such discussion during the meeting.

    He said: “We did not discuss anything relating to autonomy for local government. We were only given the privilege to go back home and get the feelings of our people.”

    Reiterating the general amendments to the constitution, Obasa said the proposals would only favour the National Assembly.

    He said: “The states have nothing to rejoice about without devolution of powers. It is not something we should be cheerful about, especially now that people are clamouring for restructuring.

    “The National Assembly should do something meaningful; something that will be acceptable to Nigerians. The amendments proposed so far are not what we should be talking about now. We will register our grievances.”

    Sanni-Eshinlokun said the conference started last Thursday and ended on Saturday.

    He added that of the 33 items proposed for amendments, 22 will be transmitted to the legislatures for debate.

     

  • Three docked for defrauding Lagos Speaker of N9.1m

    Three docked for defrauding Lagos Speaker of N9.1m

    Three men, who allegedly hacked the Facebook account of Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa and stole N9.188,100.00 from his bank account, were on Tuesday  brought before the Federal High Court, Lagos.

    Frank Nwokobia, 27, Ezeoke Kanayochukwu, 25, and Godwin Essien, 28, were arraigned before a vacation judge, Justice Chuka Obiozor, by the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Lagos Police Command, Panti-Yaba.

    They are standing trial on a five-count charge of conspiracy, impersonation, identity theft and fraud.

    According to prosecuting counsel, William Olu Ologun, the trio, sometime in May, hacked Obasa’s Facebook account and retrieved information with which they withdrew N9.1million from his Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc account.

    Ologun said following Obasa’s complaint, the defendants were arrested by police at different locations in Delta State.

    According to him, they confessed to the crime.

    The offences, he added, were contrary to Sections 27(1)(b) and 22(2)(b)(ii) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition  and Prevention Act, 2015 and punishable under same.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Their lawyer, Ali Abba, applied for their bail “on liberal terms.”

    Ali said they had credible sureties and would always be available for trial.

    In a bench ruling, Justice Obiozor admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety each.

    “The sureties must be recommended by the defendants’ lawyer, must reside in Lagos, own landed property and be tax compliant,” the judge ruled.

    Justice Obiozor also ordered that the trio be remanded at the Ikoyi Prison, pending the perfection of their bail conditions.

     

     

  • Lagos Assembly member dies

    Lagos Assembly member dies

    The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday announced the death of one of its members, Mr Kazeem Alimi (APC-Eti Osa I).

    The Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Mr Tunde Braimoh, made the announcement in a statement in Lagos.

    Alimi, a second term member of the assembly, died at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital  on Tuesday at the age of 50.

    He was the Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Community Affairs.

    His death came two weeks after he celebrated his 50th birthday.

    “With heavy hearts , grief and a deep sense of loss; the , Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, principal  officers , honourable members , management and staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly  announce the passing of an illustrious , astute and distinguished member of the Lagos State House of Assembly; Mr Kazeem Alimi.

    “Alimi passed on in the afternoon of  Tuesday, July 18, after an intense battle to regain his health which suddenly took a bad turn  immediately after the celebration of his 50th birthday,” Braimoh said,

    He said the deceased did not show any sign of ill health during his birthday celebration, which was his last major public appearance.

    “As a matter of fact, he (Alimi) was a perfect host as he remained his suave, amiable and debonair self personally attending to guests and giving them his all throughout the event.

    “The ceremony was well attended by almost all honourable members of the house, notable political leaders from his constituency, Islamic clerics , families and friends.

    “Several odes were sang at the event in honour of the Honourable who turned 50. Alas !! Those odes are now dirges.

    “Until his demise, Alimi, a man with a cool, good and fine mien, was the Chairman , House Committee on Local Government Administration.

    “Alimi, a veritable and venerated Honourable member,  was a role model to many. His public and private conducts were instructive and exemplary.

    “Even in the shock and devastation of his unexpected departure , we find solace in the fact that his life was an illustration of courage , determination and greatness.

    “We are also consoled in the fact that he led a good life and he was well loved and reverted  by his colleagues and others till the very end,” Braimoh added.

    He prayed God to grant succour to Alimi’s family, especially his  wife and children, and afford them the fortitude to bear the loss.

    Alimi hailed from Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State and attended Moba Primary School and Government College, Maroko.

    He attended Lagos State University where he obtained a B.Sc  in Economics before he began a career as an officer in the Accounts Department of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    Alimi later transferred his service to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service where he served from 2001 to 2010.

    He became a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2011 and was re-elected  in 2015.

  • Lagos Assembly moves to return history teaching

    Lagos Assembly moves to return history teaching

    The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution to revive teaching and learning of history as a subject in schools for nation building.

    The House called on Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to direct relevant ministries and agencies of the state to revive and enhance teaching of history.

    The Assembly also called on the state ministry of education to brief the House committee on education on strategies to be used to achieve the goal.

    The Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Olumuyiwa Jimoh, who moved the motion, said that there had been a decline in the teaching of history in schools.

    “Our history and collective patrimonies should be taught in schools to address some of the fundamental issues on nation building and give us direction.

    “Without history, we are a lost race; it is through history we know our origin and tradition.

    “We need to resuscitate it and make its teaching compulsory. Without our history, there is no way we can develop,” he said.

    Other lawmakers also decried the decline in history teaching in schools, saying that Nigeria had suffered much from the decline.

    According to them, history is important for the socio-economic, cultural and political development of the nation.

    The lawmaker decried the decision of the National Council of Education in 2007 that teaching of history was not necessary in schools.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Education, Mr Lanre Ogunyemi, said it was sad that history was no longer taught in many schools.

    Ogunyemi said that subjects such as social studies, civic education and government could not replace history.

    “The importance of history to mankind can’t be overemphasised because it helps us to remember the past and shape our future.

    “ No one can kill history no matter how he tries. The earlier we bring back teaching of history in our schools, the better for us,” he said.

    Mr Rotimi Olowo, the Chairman, House Committee on Budget and Economic Planning, said that study of history would enhance national integration and economic prosperity.

    “Studying the evolution of Nigeria will make us to appreciate ethnic diversities, national resources and end many agitations.

    “The economy of Nigeria is in comatose because we fail to appreciate history.

    “ Teaching of history is imperative and is capable of moving the nation to the next level,” Olowo said.

    Mr Jude Idimogu (APC-Oshodi/Isolo II) said that agitations might have been avoided if history were well taught in schools.

    Mr Oladele Adekanye, the Chairman, House Committee on Commerce and Industry, who decried that many graduates of history were jobless, said that history teaching was essential.

    In his submission, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa described history as a teacher.

    Obasa said: “History is like a teacher teaching us where we were, where we are, and the way to go.

    “It is to our own advantage politically, economically, culturally and others.

    “It is important to return history to our school curriculum.