The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Oshodi

  • We must back sports talents with funding – Oshodi

    We must back sports talents with funding – Oshodi

    After Nigeria picked one out of the four slots available for Africa in table tennis event of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Wahid Oshodi, said the talents that abound in sports must be supported with proper funding.


    Oshodi, who was visibly excited after Tosin Esther Oribamise qualified for YOG, as well as claimed the girls’ title during the qualifiers in Tunis, said:

    “What our young athletes need is the funding to continue to expose them to the best coaching, better tournaments and of course to keep them equipped.  We must continue to try and find the money to get them playing on the junior professional tour.

    That is what the best countries do and we can’t do it differently. I thank the good people (Friends of Table Tennis) who continue to assist the players but government has to find a way to take the lion share in funding the junior players and helping the development of the game from the grassroots up. We have the talent and we must now back that talent up with the money to develop it.”


    After Team Nigeria failed to make the trip to the 2017 ITTF African Junior Championship in Tunis, Oshodi single-handedly facilitated the participation of Azeez Solanke and Oribamise in the YOG qualifiers, while expressing satisfaction over the performance of the two-man team. “It’s a good feeling and I am very proud.

    It’s a great reward for all the hard work that the table tennis family has put into supporting and developing these young players. It just goes to confirm that the future for table tennis in Nigeria is bright.  I am happy for Tosin Oribamise.

    She has competed well and her talent is not in question. I would like to see her continue to develop and become a fixture in the senior national team. She is a very gifted young lady and she now needs to marry her talent with hard work and discipline.

  • Don calls for enlightenment on consuming unripe fruits

    Dr Ochuko Erukainure, a nutritional biochemist, on Friday appealed to health bodies to enlighten the public on health hazard of consuming unripe fruits widely sold in Lagos markets.

    Erukainure told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the trend could lead to high concentration of anti-nutrients such as tannins, phytate and oxalic acids in consumers.

    He said that research had shown that anti-nutrients could prevent the human body from absorbing nutrients, especially micro-nutrients, leading to their poor utilisation by the human body.

    NAN reports that a check in many markets in Lagos showed large volumes of unripe farm produce like fruits and plantain displayed by traders for sale.

    These fruits, in spite of days of preservation to ripen, often decayed instead of ripening, thereby denying the consumer of the economic and nutritional gains.

    “Mature fruits also contain secondary metabolites produced as a chemical defensive system to drive natural enemies, but they become toxic when immature fruits are consumed, leading to serious health complications.”

    Erukainure said that professional bodies like the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) and the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) should be actively involved in the enlightening programme.

    According to him, the creation of such awareness through primary and secondary school subjects like Home Economics and Nutrition will spread early awareness among children.

    The expert advised NAFDAC to collaborate with local market leaders to ensure that fruit sellers sold only mature fruits.

    “Offenders should be made to face the law,” Erukainure advised.

    Erukainure, a Senior Research Officer  in the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi  (FIIRO), said public enlightenment on the implications could be the solution.

    He, however, blamed lack of perseveration and poor processing of agricultural produce as major challenges to operators in the food value chain.

    “Most times, fruits are harvested before maturity or forcefully ripened to prevent losses.

    “Some of these fruits are often kept to ripen, but eventually end up getting spoilt owing to poor storage and processing facilities and access to bigger market due to bad roads,” he said.

    The expert said that until government addressed the issues of storage facility and bad roads, losses on the part of the consumers and the traders would continue.

     

  • Gang wars in Oshodi, Mushin, Lawanson

    Scores were  yesterday injured and vehicles smashed when hoodlums went on the rampage in Mushin, Oshodi and Lawanson.

    The hoodlums, suspected to be rival cultists, started fighting on Monday night.

    They were said to have fired gunshots; wielded bottles and cutlasses on Lawanson Road in Surelere.

    The hoodlums scared motorists and pedestrians around Charity Bus Stop on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

    Soldiers attached to Operation Mesa and anti-riot policemen were deployed to restore order.

    An eyewitness, John Udoh said: “It was like war situation. Gunshots were fired and we took cover in our homes. Many vehicles were smashed. My car was badly damaged. My landlord’s car was torched. Two of my neighbours, who were coming back from night duty were seriously injured. I don’t know what they are fighting for but I think it was a battle of supremacy.

    “They have been meeting publicly for about three days now. They smoked and drank publicly.  We reported to the police, but they did not take any action until this fight broke out. I am appealing to the Police Commissioner to prevail on his men to be proactive. We foresaw danger and reported to the authority concerned, yet they did not take action.”

    According to one Ebrison Akpan, over 20 persons were injured at Mushin, including traders.

    He claimed that street urchins took advantage of the situation to unleash mayhem on passersby.

    “They also used the opportunity to rob innocent people. My friend, Ayim lost his tricycle to the hoodlums,” said Akpan.

    The command’s spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole, an Assistant  Superintendent of Police (ASP) said no life was lost.

    He confirmed that there was a fight at Ladipo Market in Mushin, but said he was unaware of the Oshodi and Lawanson fracas.

    Famous-Cole said: “It was a minor dispute among traders. Area D commander, DPO, and patrol team responded to the scene. They had a meeting with all the parties and stakeholders in the market. They were warned to maintain peace. Normalcy has returned to the place and the Commissioner of Police has order continuous police presence in the area. I am not aware of the other locations you mentioned. The only incident I know about in Surulere is a case of robbery, where two suspects were arrested. The suspects were almost being lynched but police moved in and rescued them. They were taken to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).”

  • Rampaging hoodlums injure many in Lagos

    Rampaging hoodlums injure many in Lagos

    Several people Wednesday sustained injuries and vehicles smashed after hoodlums went on rampage at Mushin, Oshodi and Lawanson areas of Lagos State.

    The hoodlums, suspected to be rival cultists, were said to have started fighting since Monday night.

    They were said to have fired gunshots and flung bottles, cutlasses at will along Lawanson Road in Surelere, injuring passersby.

    Although the cause of the fracas was yet unknown, the hoodlums scared motorists and pedestrians between Charity Bus Stop and Afariogun on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, when they started flinging bottles at opposite directions.

    As at 8am Wednesday, soldiers attached to Operation Mesa and anti-riot policemen were seen at strategic locations at the affected areas to prevent degeneration.

    An eyewitness, John Udoh said: “It was like war situation. Gunshots were fired and we took cover in our home. Many vehicles were smashed. My car was badly damaged. My landlord’s car was touched. Two of my neighbors, who were coming back from night duty, were seriously injured. I don’t know what they are fighting for but I think it was a battle of supremacy.

    “They have been meeting publicly for about three days now. They smoked and drank publicly.  We reported to the police, but they did not take any action until this fight broke out. I am appealing to the Police Commissioner to prevail on his men to be proactive. We foresaw danger and reported to the authority concern, yet they did not take action.”

    According to one Ebrison Akpan over 20 persons were injured at the fight in Mushin, including traders.

    He claimed that street urchins took advantage of the fight to unleash mayhem on passersby.
    “They also used the opportunity to rob innocent people. My friend, Ayim lost his tricycle to the hoodlums,” said Akpan.

    Contacted, the command’s spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole said no life was lost.
    He confirmed there was a fight at Ladipo Market in Mushin, but added that he was unaware of the Oshodi and Lawanson fracas.

    Famous-Cole said: “It was a minor dispute among traders. Area D commander, DPO, and patrol team responded to the scene. They had a meeting with all the parties and stakeholders in the market. They were warned to maintain peace. Normalcy has returned to the place and the Commissioner of Police had order a continuous police presence in the area. I am not aware of the other locations you mentioned.

    “The only incident I know about in Surulere is a case id robbery, where two suspects were arrested. The suspects were almost being lynched but police moved in and rescued them. They were taken to LUTH.”

  • Lagos special school marks sports day

    Lagos special school marks sports day

    Students of the Vocational Training Center for the Blind, Oshodi, are set to hold their 22nd annual sports games next week at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Center.

    The Chairman, Executive Council of the Nigerian Society for the Blind, Asiwaju Fola Osibo at a press parley with journalists, spoke on the importance of engaging in sports among the visually impaired.

    He said: “Sporting activities enhance the physical and social development of the students. When they do sports, they are kept physically fit and healthy. They also develop a
    sense of social interaction with one another and the ability to compete with issues of life at any time.”

    “This society wants our students to have a positive self-image, high self-esteem and possess leadership skills that will help them lead a healthy, active lifestyle. The general public are encouraged to attend our event, cheer on our athletes and see firsthand that there is ability in disability.”

    “Being visually impaired is not a handicap when it comes to participating in sports. With a little assistance and encouragement, blind athletes and youth can enjoy all the benefits that come with engaging in sports. By recognizing the abilities of visually impaired athletes they can easily be included in sporting events.” he concluded

    The sporting event will hold by 2pm on Thursday the 6th April at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Center and events to compete for includes such as march past, three legged race, 50 meter races among others.

  • Driver kills baby, injure mother

    A 25-year-old truck driver, Rasaq Ibrahim, who allegedly hit and killed a year old baby strapped on her mother’s back, on Thursday got a N250,000 bail.

    Magistrate Y.R. Pinheiro, who granted the bail in Ikeja, ordered the accused to produce two sureties in like sum.

    She held that one of the sureties must be a landed property owner.

    Pinheiro adjourned the case to Feb. 27 for mention.

    Ibrahim, whose address is unknown, had pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge bordering on dangerous driving and manslaughter.

    Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Mathew Akhaluode, told the court that the accused drove recklessly and knocked down the baby and her mother as she was hawking bread.

    Akhaluode said that the baby, Limota Kamarudeen, died instantly while her mother, Tawa, sustained injuries.

    The prosecutor said that Ibrahim, who drove a commercial Volvo truck, committed the offences on Feb. 5 on Ajibula Street, Ogunwemimo Junction, Mafoluku, Oshodi.

    “A team of traffic workers rushed to the scene and took the lifeless body of the baby and her injured mother to a hospital,’’ he said.

    According to him, the offences contravene Sections 19, 20 and 34 of the Road Traffic Law of Lagos State, 2011.

  • Oshodi serial pickpocket arrested

    Oshodi serial pickpocket arrested

    A serial jailbird, Sadeeq Wasiu, 18, alias Omo Eye has been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) for allegedly snatching a phone.

    He was said to have snatched a mobile phone from an undergraduate at Oshodi Underbridge and was fleeing when the operatives caught him.

    Wasiu, said to be on the wanted list of the police, had allegedly masterminded four previous phones theft and two attempts to snatch bags from passersby.

    It was gathered that the suspect has been jailed seven times and each time he was released, he ended up committing another crime.

    Teenage WasiuDuring interrogation, Wasiu said he was released from Potoki Prison, Badagry in January.

    He said: “I was 15 years when I came to Lagos to work as a conductor in 2014. My parents were not aware I am in Lagos.

    “My popular name is Eye (bird). I steal phones from people at Oshodi. We were three in my group; Ahmed alias Oyi, Tombolo and I. We have stolen more than 45 phones as a group and I have stolen countless numbers of phones personally.

    “I used to sell the phones at Idi-Oro, Mushin. I sell the phone according to their make. I sell some N10,000 and N8,000. I have gone to jail seven times.

    “I sell Indian Hemp too. I buy it from Spider in Lagos Island and I resell in small raps to over 50 of my colleagues in Oshodi. I can buy N4,000 and resize into small wraps and sell for N8,000.”

    The command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmus, a Superintendent of Police (SP) confirmed his arrest, adding that the suspect has been transferred to the Taskforce on Environment for further action.

  • Task force arrasts 210 suspects at Oshodi

    Task force arrasts 210 suspects at Oshodi

    Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) has arrested 210 miscreants in Oshodi during a raid. They were charged to court last Friday.

    A statement by its Public Relations Officer, Adebayo Taofiq, quoted the task force Chairman, Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police, as saying that the hoodlums were raided along the railway line, markets and under bridge.

    An ex-convict, who just left Potoki Prison at Badagry, the statement claimed, was among the suspects.

    The ex-convict, according to the taskforce, said he was just released from Potoki Prison last Monday after serving a six-month term for robbery.

    He said he was arrested by the task force last September for snatching a ‘Samsung’ phone under Oshodi bridge.

  • Serial rapists of nine women arrested in Lagos

    Serial rapists of nine women arrested in Lagos

    Four members of a robbery gang who raped nine women in Lagos have been arrested by the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police command.

    A statement by the police on Monday said Sunday John, a 27 year old leader of the gang and serial rapist, arrested at Charity Bus Stop, Oshodi, confessed to have led three other members to rape the women in the last two weeks.

    The suspect, a bus conductor in Oshodi from Akwa Ibom was reportedly arrested at Charity Bus Stop around 5:38 a.m. on Wednesday in company of his two gang members by the Decoy Team of the Rapid Response Squad.

    The gang members are Saviour Daniel (23), Daniel Olayemi (18) and Abdulwahab Yusuph (17).

    The statement said the operatives had on Tuesday evening arrested one of John’s colleagues while fighting with another group of boys over a Samsung tablet in Oshodi.

    The suspect, Daniel Olayemi, a member of John’s gang, had disclosed to interrogators that he stole the tablet from a lady that was gang raped during one of their escapades in Charity Bus stop.

    The revelation prompted early morning raid of Charity Bus Stop near Oshodi, where three other members of the gang were arrested according to the police.

    Olayemi, in his disclosure to investigators revealed that they were four in John’s gang. He noted that in the last two weeks, the gang robbed 12 passers – by and raped no fewer than nine ladies in the bush at Charity Bus Stop.

    Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Dolapo Badmos, said that the suspects have made very useful suggestions to enable the police arrest other group members implicated in the crime.

    The suspects have been transferred to SCID for further investigations.

  • Oshodi Tapa family loses chieftaincy suit

    The Oshodi Tapa Chieftaincy family of Epetedo has lost its renewed legal bid for rights to install a traditional ruler for the modern Oshodi town in Oshodi Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    This modern Oshodi from covers
    Orile Oshodi and environ.

    A Lagos High court dismissed a suit by the family, praying for a declaration that it is the only family with rights to install a monarch for the area.

    Upholding the arguments of the head of Arota Ologun family of Orile Oshodi, Chief Teslim Adeola Almaroof, through his counsel, Justice S.A Onigbanjo, held that the suit constituted an abuse of court process.

    “I have no doubt that this counter claim constitutes an abuse of the process of this court and should be struck out  since it seems to relegate issues either already settled by judicial process in previous decisions and judgements, or issues already put before the court for determination in a previously filed suit still pending in court as at the time of the filing of the counter-claim between substantially the same parties. This counter-claim is consequentially dismissed for being an abuse of the process of this court” the court pronounced.

    The Supreme Court Sixteen years ago, declared the Arota Ologun family of Orile Oshodi and the Oshodi chieftaincy family as the joint owners of the modern Oshodi town.

    The court said: “that the land in dispute in this case, as shown on the plan attached to the statement of claim in this suit, is part of the land litigated upon in suit AB/16/57 and it is also part of the land granted absolutely to the Oshodis and Arotas by the Oba Onigbesa of Igbesa”