The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Palm Avenue

  • Palm Avenue: open sore of a council

    In one of his countless interventions, Prof. Wole Soyinka, our on WS, spoke of The Open Sore of a Continent, as his personal narrative on the Nigerian conundrum.

    Back in the University of Ibadan, in those years — maybe, still now? — you’d hear excited freshers, just introduced to the less-than-fair international order, prattle about the “centre of the periphery” and “periphery of the centre”; with only a few piping the “centre of the centre”, the golden core of the metropole, where, as they say, the real action is.

    Is Hardball essaying Political Science 101 garnished with literary putdowns, ala WS, on contemporary seedy politics?  Hardly.  Well, maybe — if a road that hosts a council headquarters (in that metropolitan lingo, the “centre of the centre”, is so neglected it can easily pass for the very “centre of the periphery”.)

    In all of Mushin, it is doubtful if any road boasts the panache of Palm Avenue. These days there are not many palm trees, nestling this major artery, in their magical foliage.  Were there ever any, from the very beginning?

    Still you feel some calm, some rare order.  You could never have believed the raucous Mushin Oloosa, and allied neighbourhoods, that gifted Mushin its tough reputation, were just a stone throw away!  Little wonder the Mushin Council, even in its original pristine form, claimed a spot on that road as its fitting headquarters.

    Today, however, Palm Avenue is so debased and degraded it indeed passes for the open sore of a council.

    At the Owhin Street T-junction with Palm Avenue is a huge crater.  Those who well and truly love their cars can’t just trundle inside and out.  They therefore wait for the opposing traffic, before stealing past those craters. That often results in needless jams.  That once-upon-a-road is almost bang in front of the Mushin council headquarters.

    Then, just barely 30 metres away, past the Mobil service station, is another; at the Oremeji Street T-junction with Palm Avenue.

    Pray, how can two huge craters, within a 30-meter distance, hem in a council headquarters, and the council’s public work gang appears to have no presence of mind, not to talk of institutional shame, to do some repair works to ameliorate the situation?

    Where, in the name of God, is this council’s sense of community service, nay duty, to so neglect its immediate environment so gravely, yet still has the audacity to answer the name local government council?  What government — that of the unfeeling? And what council — council of the insensate, with zero community value?

    Congrats to the newly elected Mushin Local Government chairman.  But he must know that his council is a big joke, if it can’t at least fix the road which hosts its headquarters.

    If it fails in that, how does it cater for other numerous roads, the real “periphery of the periphery”, always screaming for attention?   Indeed, on open sore.

     

     

  • Palm Avenue: healing sore of a council

    Palm Avenue: open sore of a council” (July 26) was Hardball’s take on the scandalous haven of craters that was Palm Avenue.  Yet, that high street  is the “metropolis” of Mushin Local Government, which ought to be a model to other streets.

    Well, it was no model; as some of the worst craters were on the virtual nose of the local government headquarters, hemming it in, as it were, in two provocative locations.

    The crater at the Owhin Street junction, almost in front of the council, seemed to shout: welcome to seedy street, of a rotten council, where everything seemed to have decayed.  It was an eternal shame, indeed, for a council chair to traverse that road to his office everyday and not feel some deep pain.

    The crater — or set of craters — at the Oremeji Street junction, just after the Mobil fuel station, also seemed to wave the driver bye-bye, poste-haste, from a council where, from the parlous state of its best high street, nothing seems to work.

    After that, you seem to flee, with the shock of a tolerable section, past the Methodist church, until Palm Avenue’s meeting with Isolo Road, that connects Mushin via Daleko, to Isolo.  But at the mouth of that T-junction, with its rash of Marwa commercial tricycles, Okada and minibuses sprouting an illicit park, lay another set of craters!

    But not any more!  This morning, Hardball is proud to announce that all those craters and potholes that pork-marked this road have been fixed; and driving is much more comfortable.

    For that, it is kudos to the newly elected Mushin Local Government executive.  When Hardball made his first take on the road, the local government elections had just been lost and won.

    Hardball was hard on the new executive, as if they were responsible for the decay.  In a sense, that was right, for government is always a continuum.  But in another sense, it was not so right, since the blame rested squarely with the departed caretaker administration, and perhaps the last elected council.

    Observing the situation days after the initial report, you could come to the conclusion that the new council was, the usual Nigerian way, playing deaf and dumb to public opinion, with the apologia that it just assumed work, and would therefore take “forever” to settle down.

    Well, Hardball was joyfully “disappointed” as he drove past one day to find work in progress on the bad portions of the road.  That is how it should be.  A government of the grassroots, should put its ears to the ground, so that it can listen to the grassroots!

    Even at that, the council should do something fast about the illicit park at the Palm Avenue-Isolo road junction.  That park causes needless traffic jams, with the Okadas and Marwas and mini-buses holding other road users to ransom.  Surely, a park should not be at a busy T-junction?

    Still, this is a good beginning.  But the Mushin council should build on this initial good show to address the intolerably high number of bad roads in its territory.  Let the council work gang hit the streets working.  The people would be glad they did!

  • Palm Avenue: open sore of a council

    In one of his countless interventions, Prof. Wole Soyinka, our on WS, spoke of The Open Sore of a Continent, as his personal narrative on the Nigerian conundrum.

    Back in the University of Ibadan, in those years — maybe, still now? — you’d hear excited freshers, just introduced to the less-than-fair international order, prattle about the “centre of the periphery” and “periphery of the centre”; with only a few piping the “centre of the centre”, the golden core of the metropole, where, as they say, the real action is.

    Is Hardball essaying Political Science 101 garnished with literary putdowns, ala WS, on contemporary seedy politics?  Hardly.  Well, maybe — if a road that hosts a council headquarters (in that metropolitan lingo, the “centre of the centre”, is so neglected it can easily pass for the very “centre of the periphery”.)

    In all of Mushin, it is doubtful if any road boasts the panache of Palm Avenue. These days there are not many palm trees, nestling this major artery, in their magical foliage.  Were there ever any, from the very beginning?

    Still you feel some calm, some rare order.  You could never have believed the raucous Mushin Oloosa, and allied neighbourhoods, that gifted Mushin its tough reputation, were just a stone throw away!  Little wonder the Mushin Council, even in its original pristine form, claimed a spot on that road as its fitting headquarters.

    Today, however, Palm Avenue is so debased and degraded it indeed passes for the open sore of a council.

    At the Owhin Street T-junction with Palm Avenue is a huge crater.  Those who well and truly love their cars can’t just trundle inside and out.  They therefore wait for the opposing traffic, before stealing past those craters. That often results in needless jams.  That once-upon-a-road is almost bang in front of the Mushin council headquarters.

    Then, just barely 30 metres away, past the Mobil service station, is another; at the Oremeji Street T-junction with Palm Avenue.

    Pray, how can two huge craters, within a 30-meter distance, hem in a council headquarters, and the council’s public work gang appears to have no presence of mind, not to talk of institutional shame, to do some repair works to ameliorate the situation?

    Where, in the name of God, is this council’s sense of community service, nay duty, to so neglect its immediate environment so gravely, yet still has the audacity to answer the name local government council?  What government — that of the unfeeling? And what council — council of the insensate, with zero community value?

    Congrats to the newly elected Mushin Local Government chairman.  But he must know that his council is a big joke, if it can’t at least fix the road which hosts its headquarters.

    If it fails in that, how does it cater for other numerous roads, the real “periphery of the periphery”, always screaming for attention?   Indeed, on open sore.

  • 60,000 benefits from Lagos health mission programme

    60,000 benefits from Lagos health mission programme

    At least 60,000 residents from seven Local Governments (LGs) and 12 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) comprising Ojo, Oto-Awori, Iba, Badagry, Badagry-West, Olorunda, Oshodi, Isolo, Ejigbo, Amuwo-Odofin, Oriade, Ajeromi, Ifelodun, Apapa, Iganmu, Ikeja, Onigbongbo and Ojodu have benefitted from the Eko Health Mission programme.

    The initiative is a medical intervention sponsored by the state government to provide free healthcare services to residents of Lagos across the State.

    State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode who spoke Tuesday at official flag-off of the on-going health mission at New City Primary School, Palm Avenue, Mushin, said the Health Mission was in furtherance of his administration’s objective to take health care to the grassroots and underserved areas in the State.

    The governor who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule explained that the programme was introduced as a strategic initiative and comprehensive medical outreach programme to complement the established healthcare system in the Lagos for the attainment of sustainable development goals.

    He added that the health mission programme will avail residents the opportunity of being screened and managed for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, common ailments, eye diseases and dental problems.

    “I would like to enjoin all residents to take advantage of this opportunity to know their health status and receive treatment from our team of qualified medical personnel. These experts are equipped with the knowledge, skills and tools to provide the appropriate care you need by applying global best practices, ensuring equality and professionalism at all points of contact,” the governor said.

    Ambode while commending members of the Health Mission team for their commitment to the success of the initiative said it was gratifying that beneficiaries of the programme include elderly, pregnant women and people living with disabilities.

    Earlier, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, while speaking on the importance of the programme noted that the State Government is continuously finding ways to improve the health status of its ever-increasing population adding that the plan for achieving this was based on the Health Policy thrust of the State which is guided by the noble goal that every Lagosians enjoys unfettered access to qualitative healthcare without any barrier whatsoever.

    Idris disclosed that the strategies adopted in implementing these policies  includes the introduction and provision of various programs that have direct impact on the health outcome of Lagosians stressing that these programs are geared towards promoting health, detecting diseases early and offering treatment and rehabilitation.

    He said the overarching goal now was ensuring that residents have access to Universal Health Coverage adding that the Ministry of Health is working tirelessly to develop and implement strategies, programs, interventions and initiatives to improve the health outcome of all Lagosians.

    “One of these interventions is the Eko Health Mission, which the State Government has used over the years to complement health service delivery in the state. This was put in place, as part of the State Government’s quest to find ways to take healthcare to the grassroots and underserved areas of Lagos State, by addressing pressing health issues of the rural communities in the state”, the Commissioner said.

    While noting the Health Missions are short-term interventions, Idris stated that the programme is geared towards the Strategic Development Plan of ensuring Universal Health Coverage adding that the Missions provide services that take health care to the doorsteps of its citizens at no cost to the people.

    “These health missions are significant because they enable this administration to provide healthcare services to all who come irrespective of their age, gender, socioeconomic status and affiliations”, he added.

    The Commissioner noted the Medical Mission will be carried out across the 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs for three-days every week and will end on the June 8, 2017.