The Nation Newspaper

Tag: station

  • Lagos Assembly seeks reversal of Egbin power station sale

    Lagos Assembly seeks reversal of Egbin power station sale

    Panel to probe abuse of pupil

    The Lagos State House of Assembly has frowned at the sale of the Egbin Power Station in Ikorodu to a foreign firm.

    The House empowered Governor Babatunde Fashola to do everything possible to reverse the sale and ensure that Lagos is given the first right of offer.

    It made the resolution at plenary yesterday when the member representing the host community (Ikorodu Constituency II), Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola, decried the sale of the power station without consideration for the host community and state.

    Mrs. Akinsola, who said she read about the sale in a newspaper, was bitter that the Federal Government could sell such an important infrastructure without giving Lagos State the right of refusal.

    Deputy Speaker Kolawole Taiwo said Lagos State initiated the independent power generation project, which he said was frustrated by the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration, and should be given the first offer now that the Federal Government has bought into the idea, more so when Egbin is in Lagos.

    Taiwo said: “The activity of the station will affect the host community. The people’s interest was not taken into consideration in the sale of the station and this is wrong.”

    The Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, condemned the way the sale, was handled by the Federal Government and insisted that the sale should be reversed.

    The Assembly set up a four-man ad-hoc committee to investigate the alleged inhuman treatment meted out to a female pupil of Kadara Junior Grammar School, Ebute Metta, by the headteacher for using hijab.

    The MSSN alleged that the headteacher gave the 16-year-old pupil, Aisha Alabi, 43 strokes of cane for using hijab.

    Mr. Suuru Avoseh (Badagry Constituency II) said: “It is an unfortunate event and we do not expect such to happen here in Lagos. There is no law that prohibits religious dressing in our schools.

    “We need to be careful in handling religious matters of this nature. I will suggest that the concerned school and the Ministry of Education be invited to the House .

    The Chief Whip, Razaq Balogun, said: “We have only heard a side of the story. I do not want to believe the child was beaten for wearing hijab. We should investigate the matter and not jump to conclusion.”

    The panel members are Balogun, Chairman; Mr. Wahab Alawiye-King; Mrs. Muhibat Rufai Adeyemi and Mrs. Bimpe Akinsola.

     

  • Gunmen attack police station, banks, PHCN office in Auchi

    Gunmen attack police station, banks, PHCN office in Auchi

    Auchi, the major town in the northern part of Edo State, was under attack last night.

    Unknown gunmen, armed with sophisticated weapons and dynamites, stormed the polytechnic town between 5:30 and 6.30pm. They bombed a police station, the Etsako West Local Government secretariat, three banks and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) office.

    An unspecified number of people were reportedly killed.

    The bombed banks were behind the Federal Polytechnic campus.

    The PHCN office on Alhaji Musa Street was bombed. The police station was set on fire along with some vehicles.

    A resident of the area where the PHCN office is located said the sheer force of the explosion brought down at least one gate and a fence in the neighbourhood. Several buildings lost louvres, windows and doors frames.

    A resident living directly behind the PHCN office said: “We are under siege; they just bombed PHCN office; we heard the police station has been razed and we are afraid because there’s a filling station nearby and if they bomb it, we will be in a bigger danger.”

    As at 8:35pm, our sources said the police engaged the invaders in a gun duel to prevent them from pushing ahead.

    A resident, Mr. Williams Oriaghe, posted on twitter at about 6:27 pm: “Gunshot all over Auchi town.” He followed up with another tweet at 6:55pm: “Gunshot still raining here in Auchi.”

    At 7pm, he said silence as of a grave yard had descended upon his part of the town.

    Residents were holed up inside their homes following the heavy bombardment.

    Another resident said on the telephone: “I am sitting somewhere now. We are hearing heavy bombardment.”

    Another said they were advised to stay indoors to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

    It was gathered that the gunmen first attacked a police station with dynamites and explosives.

    Some policemen were said to have died in the attack.

    Another source added that a combined team of policemen and soldiers had cordoned off roads leading out of the community.

    The source said the gunmen drove through villages, shooting sporadically.

    The Acting State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Hurdi, said he was on his way to Auchi and would issue a report later.

    “I don’t want to lie about the incident. Call me later and I will brief you on the accurate information,” Hurdi said. But he could no longer be reached last night.