The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Surulere

  • SOS to Ajimobi on Iresa-Gambari-Tewure Road

    SOS to Ajimobi on Iresa-Gambari-Tewure Road

    SIR: The attention of the able governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi is being drawn to the deplorable condition of the above mentioned road which transverses Surulere and Orire Local Government Areas. The road which started from Iresaadu, the headquarters of Surulere Local Government links two very important regional markets – Gambari and Tewure. It equally serves many communities as a means of transporting farm products to these markets. However, lack of maintenance has made the road nearly impassable at the moment, consequent upon which many farm products lie waste in the farms. The most deplorable section of the road is at Ajinapa village in Orire local government. Absence of drainage in that village contributed to the collapse of that section of the road. It is obvious that local governments in the area are incapable of fixing this road due to their lean purse as they made us to know. This makes the intervention of Oyo State government imperative. The on-going work on the expansion of Ikoyi road and Ikirun road sections of Ikirun-Igbeti highway in Ogbomoso township, embarked upon by the Oyo State government is highly commendable. No doubt, the project is money consuming. However, fixing the above mentioned road will make these local government feel the impact of the state government and grateful for it. Government is advised to give the road urgent attention it demands before the advent of rain which may cut of the villages from the outside world.

     

    • Adewuyi Adegbite

    Apake, Ogbomoso.

  • Indigenes celebrate Onwa Oru Festival

    Indigenes of Mbgoto, Uratta, Obibi and Ihitaoha in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, resident in Lagos, will hold the Onwa Oru Uratta Cultural Festival on March 15 at 11 a.m.

    It will hold at the new gymnasium ground, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

    Chairman of the organising committee Sir Philip Udunna said members should take advantage of the festival to chart a new course for the community.

    The Onwa Oru Uratta Cultural Festival is an annual event, which showcases the rich cultural heritage of the people of Mbgoto, Uratta, Obibi and Ihitaoha.

  • ‘I married Tade knowing he would need someone to trust’

    ‘I married Tade knowing he would need someone to trust’

    Mrs. Basirat Aina Tade is married to Ladipo Tade. In this interview, she talks about what motivated her to marry him

    IT’S not every time that a sighted woman falls in love and marries a blind man. What was the attraction?

    I first met him the day he came to see one of his family in-laws, with whom I worked then as a caterer at Texaco Club, Surulere. Later, he approached me and made his intention known. When I got home, I told my father and my siblings, because my mother was no longer with us then. Somehow, they all encouraged me, telling me it all boiled down to me and if I’m interested, then it’s okay by them. The only question my father asked me was, “Are you sure you’d be able to cope and live the rest of your life with him?” I remember telling my father then that this is a gentleman who will need somebody he can trust in life, and knowing myself, especially that I am not someone who could become promiscuous, I just felt that I was the right person for him. I felt he would need my trust and support. My mother also expressed her fears about the hardship that lay ahead, but gave her blessing all the same.

    How about your friends? What were their reactions to your decision?

    It so happens that I am not someone that keeps friends. I am an introvert. I don’t go out and I hardly visit people except my parents. Having said that, the few people around me actually encouraged me.

    How fulfilled are you, and do you have any moments of regret?

    I feel fulfilled marrying him. And as for regrets, I’d say none; except that we, of course, have the usual husband and wife differences and issues.

    Does he over-react? There is a tendency for people like him to over-react?

    He does. Usually when he is in such mood, I just leave his presence and go and stay outside. And if I notice that he just doesn’t want me around at all, I just go to my parents place in nearby Jakande Estate; until a time when I’m sure his anger would have subsided.

    Tell us of the challenges of taking care of the children alone

    That, I can tell you, is not easy. Was it when I had my first issue; when it was literally just me, himself and the baby? Then we were at Idi-Araba, and I somehow didn’t like the area, so I would take the baby and go to Surulere to spend the weekend with my father, just so that I could have people to help me with the baby, while he would go to the training centre at Oshodi.

  • Ethnic all the way

    Ethnic all the way

    LOOKING good is defined by you rout look as well as the statement that you want to make. These days the ethnic look reigns supreme. Its natural and appealing thanks to the dexterity of our designers. Apart from the creative outfit’s designs, they also make accessories that are stunning.

    Recently, Dayo Babatunde a model, fashion designer and chief executive officer, daayo’s collections, a topnotch modeling agency breeding young models in the sprawling city of Surulere, Lagos churned out some wonderful ethnic stuff.

    Here she engaged ten trained professional models in a pool party fashion show, where she displayed 40 outfits of African fabrics at Maddox club opposite Eko hotel& suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Over the years, her collections had made impact in the west coast, Europe and the rest of the world displaying African fabrics, she concluded.

  • Pastor, worshipper held for girl’s ‘murder’

    Pastor, worshipper held for girl’s ‘murder’

    The leader of a prominent Pentecostal church at Aguda, Surulere, Lagos Mainland, is being held by the police over the alleged murder of a 12-year-old girl.

    The pastor’s arrest came on the heels of the confession of a member of his church who was arrested in connection with the murder.

    Pastor Sign Fireman who leads of Perfect Christian Ministry, is being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba.

    He was held in connection with the alleged murder of the girl, Bose, a food vendor at the Badagry Roundabout. She was allegedly strangled to death by a man, Ikechukwu Friday, on Fireman’s order.

    Friday (18), who said he had been washing cars for the pastor since 2011 when his family was introduced to the church, told reporters yesterday that he approached the pastor on December 29, 2013 for N100,000 to buy clothes for the New Year festivities.

    “When I met my pastor, he asked me to go and look for a girl that is less than 18 years and strangle her to death. He said while my victim is being strangled, she would excrete hot excreta. The pastor said I should bring the excreta to him and in return, he would give me the money I requested,” Friday said.

    The suspect, a Badagry resident, added: “So, on Monday, December 30, 2013, around 9.30am, I went to Bose’s mother’s shop to eat. I had known them for a long time; so, Bose is my friend. After eating, I asked her to accompany me somewhere that I wanted to show her something and she obliged. I tricked her into an abandoned uncompleted NITEL building, where I held her neck and strangled her.

    “Her shout while I was strangling her attracted neighbours and the security man that watches over the place. I attempted to run away but was caught and taken to the police. But I was unable to get the excreta.”

    Friday said it was the first time he would carry out such an assignment for the pastor.

    It was gathered that the pastor, who had been on the run, was arrested yesterday.

    He was said to be writing his statement while Friday was being paraded by the state Command’s spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

    Braide, who said the matter was being investigated, added that the suspect would soon be charged to court.

    She also confirmed the pastor’s arrest, saying: “We just got him today. He is writing his statement.”

  • Okada operators in Surulere ask government for alternative job

    Residents of Surulere 2 constituency in Lagos have appealed to the state government to take a second look at the routes commercial motorcycle operators are prevented from operating in the area.

    The residents made the appeal at a town hall meeting organised by their representative at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun. It was held at the Aguda praying ground in Surulere.

    The state traffic law especially as it affects the operation of commercial motor cyclists was a major contentious issue at the town hall meeting with the operators calling on government to provide them alternative jobs as they have been denied their only source of livelihood.

    Balogun, who is the Chief Whip in the House, reminded the people that it was a state-wide law and does not apply only to the constituency but that like all laws it is subject to review. While advising them to maintain law and order he assured the Okada riders that the government was working at providing them with alternative jobs urging them to be patient.

    According to him, the town hall meeting was to get feedback from constituents on their needs and expectations from government and to hear from them how well they think the government has performed.

    The meeting focused generally on activities of government, legislations passed in the state and how they have impacted on the people. Residents stressed the need for development of infrastructure like roads, drainage, water, schools etc in the constituency.

    In his keynote address, Balogun said that Lagos State is a symbol of good governance, “painstakingly meeting up with the demands of a mega city”, pointing out that “even with the minimal financial allocations from the Federal Government in relation to her population, the state has continued to render excellent services due to the astuteness and sincerity of our public office holders who have managed the state resources adequately”.

    In view of the special position and needs of the state, Balogun reiterated the call for a special grant allocation from the Federal Government to Lagos State based on her status as a former capital and the commercial hub of Nigeria.

    Core participants at the meeting were non-partisan members in the constituency including: CDCs, CDAs, landlord associations, NURTW, traders and artisans. Executive committee members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), leaders and other party members were also in attendance.

    Showering encomium on Balogun for a “wonderful job” he has been doing in the legislative House over the years, Chief D. O. Adenekan, an APC leader in Itire/Ikate, in his welcome address said the lawmaker “has been an icon of success since his foray into politics, pointing out that he has always enjoyed the privilege of leadership role right from his first term in the House.

    “Balogun’s actions and how he discharges his duties speak volume of his tenacity for prudence and accountability in relation to public affairs and I can say he has been representing his constituency very well”, Adenekan said.

     

  • Job seeker ‘rapes’ groundnut seller

    A job seeker, Muselium Dele, was yesterday charged with allegedly raping a 19-year-old groundnut seller at an Itire Magistrate’s Court, Surulere, Lagos State.

    Dele, 25, who resides at Lawanson in the Surulere area, is also being tried for alleged conspiracy.

    The prosecutor, Inspector Olakunle Shonibare, told the court that the accused, with others at large, committed the offences on September 18 at 45, Anjorin Street, Lawanson.

    He said the accused lured the teenager into his apartment under the pretext of buying groundnut and raped her.

    The offences, Shonibare noted, contravene Sections 258 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Section 258 prescribes life imprisonment for offenders.

    The accused, however, pleaded innocence and the Magistrate, Mrs A. O. Gbajumo, granted him bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

    She adjourned the case till November 14 and directed that the case file should be forwarded to the state Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

  • ‘It’s wrong for churches to run business ventures’

    ‘It’s wrong for churches to run business ventures’

    The senior pastor of the Foundation of Truth Assembly (FOTA), Surulere, Lagos, Rev. Yomi Kasali, is a radical with a good cause. He spoke with Sunday Oguntola on the sorry state of the church and why abuses persist, among others. Excerpts:  

    What will be different with this year’s Giant Killer’s conference?

    Giant killer Conference is when we come together as a church to review the purpose of our existence. We thank God for His mercies over us as families and a church. Then, we declare prophetically whatever God has put into our mind for us. Every year, we pick a particular giant that God wants us to deal with. This year, we are talking about the fall of the mighty. God has spoken to me and the church that some of us want to be great and mighty in life but we should look out for what kills mighty men.

    Talking about mighty men falling, how come many big ministers are getting enmeshed in adultery and other scandals these days?

    I guess it is the way we structure our churches these days. There are too many preachers without fathers. They do not submit to any leadership or authority. They have become ‘alpha’ and ‘omega’ of not just their ministries but also of their lives. When we are not accountable to our members, our peers and fathers, it makes us become immune to rebukes and questioning. That is a direct path to destruction. Every man should know that even though God is using them, they are not infallible. Many have become gods of men and no more men of God.

    Our moral values have gone down. I believe that the church, by DNA, should be a moral institution, not an educational institution or business institution. Since we have lost our moral values, it is easy to see our desperation. We have shifted attention from the pulpits to profits, businesses and politics. Some churches run like clubs and business schools. We teach people more about how to make money and not how to make heaven.

    Is it wrong for churches to be involved in business ventures?

    Yes, it is. I am absolutely and strongly against it. The church was not created for business but soul-winning. The original template was given to us by Jesus Himself. He never had business but soul-winning in mind. We can teach business like I do but the church as an entity or institution should never establish business organisations.

    Individuals and church members can run businesses but churches must never get involved. The money we realise from tithes and offering, in my opinion, should never be diverted to business ventures.

    So, your church cannot start a bookshop or school?

    We would never my brother. Even if we do, it will be to alleviate poverty and help the downtrodden. A business enterprise, by definition in commerce and economics, is set up solely for profit. A church is to serve and invest into lives. If I have a $100million extra in the church purse, I would rather support institutions and assist those offering educational services than set up one.

    But how about churches floating private universities?

    It is equally wrong my brother. I understand every church wants to have at least one these days to have their share of the cake and keep members. But isn’t that why the ASUU strike will go on? Our fathers in the Lord should have been able to speak to government officials to open our public schools but they won’t do that because their schools benefit more from the strikes. The more public schools strike, the more enrolment they get. They will even be praying that the strikes do not end. That way, it is now about sectional and not national interests. We should have been mediating between ASUU and government officials but we can’t because we have vested interests.

    It is painful because how many people can attend our private universities. There are thousands of students out of schools and we have them in our churches too.

    But these universities are considered mission schools

    It will be wrong to call them mission universities. They are not. Let’s be very clear about that. Mission is never profit-oriented. These private universities are set up for profits. What we always do is to look at the churches behind them and conclude they are mission-minded. Churches can truly be behind them but they are profit organisations.

    But they say they make the profits to plow them back to mission projects

    I don’t believe that because it just doesn’t make sense. I will say to myself why do I need to invest N10billion into a private university to make N1billion and then take that to missions? If I am really after missions, why not invest the N10billion at a go into missions since that is my intention from the word go?

    The missionary schools that we had in the 60s and 70s were purely mission-oriented. They spent monies to educate the critical mass. But how many attend the private universities we set up today? They are for the upper middle class and not for the critical mass.

    You have been talking about the terrible state of the church for years. Do you sometimes feel like you are talking to the air?

    I feel like that absolutely many times. Like Elijah, I feel I am the odd one out there and feel that I should quit. But you can’t, that is what you are called to do. God told Obadiah to tell Elijah that He has 70 other prophets hiding in caves that have not bowed to Baal. So sometimes, I know there are other disenchanted prophets, intimidated and hiding in caves like me. We need to come together and form progressive, conservative prophets that can speak louder on an alliance.

    We need new leaders that have not joined the bandwagon and the recklessness in the ministry. I am trusting God He will bring us together to challenge the status quo and return the church to her rightful places.

    The image of the church keeps plummeting. How can we reverse this trend?

    I believe that leadership is the answer. We need courageous leadership within the church. I pray that politicians will not come and correct us. At the rate we are going, we might have a Pharaoh who will not know Joseph within the next decade. We keep thinking it can’t happen but it will happen in fulfillment of the scriptures. If we don’t judge ourselves, then unbelievers will judge us. Our image keeps plummeting on a daily basis and people do not believe in us anymore. We are planning for our convention now and spending some good money to buy equipment and beautify our auditorium. We asked sellers to get us the equipment to the church and then we pay immediately but they have been refusing. They say they don’t trust churches any more. They want us to pay first before they supply. It is as bad as that.

    So, we need courageous church leadership to stem the tide. Then, our members must become aware and demand accountability. Our members are too naïve and just want churches where they will be pampered. It’s time for people to start protesting and walking out of churches where justice and righteousness are not preached and demonstrated. We have church leaders but no moral leaders. That is why we do not speak to political leadership. We cover up our own shortcomings and just look away.

    Is it possible to hold church leaders to accountability in a culture where any scrutiny or questioning is condemned as an act of rebellion?

    That is the question I cannot really answer because each church has bye-laws. In our church, we have a deaconate board that can ask me any questions. I grow up in the Foursquare that has serious accountability culture. So, I give financial reports and everything to the board here.

    I feel and know I am accountable to them. Any member that goes to any church where he cannot ask questions should walk away. Accountability is a right they must insist on.

    We also get to hear a lot of ‘Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm’ these days. What’s your position on this?

    That is a very dangerous scripture. Every Christian is anointed as long as there is a covenant relationship. Pragmatically, I agree we should not speak ill of any man, including men of God. As a church member, I have the right to talk to my pastor. If he cannot answer you, then take a leave.

    I believe that scripture should not be used to justify abuses and reckless living among church leaders. I believe the anointed should also not touch God’s people. It should also work the other way round.

    Don’t you think the fact that we cannot question church leadership further makes it impossible to do the same with political leaders?

    I think so. I think that there is an alliance of the princes and priests in Nigeria. Our religious and political leaders are collaborating against the masses. The way God works is to have them checkmate themselves. But when they align, it can be tough for the people. In our nation, politicians approach religious leaders and ask them to help shut the masses for a gain. The masses are being abused on both sides.

    If people demand accountability from church leaders, they in turn can check politicians. And trust politicians they can say ‘since you are doing this, we’d also bring out your dossiers. You once built churches without approvals; you got waivers; you got free lands and C of O’. That is what will make a healthy nation. Our people don’t know the power they have. If they choose to blacklist some churches by leaving, the leaders will sit up.

    You talked about churches helping the poor. How much of that have you done?

    We have done some. Every year, we spend millions to grade Dauda Imam Street. We run a hospital where we offer free treatment and medications to anybody. We pay the doctors and nurses without charging patients a dime. We have over 4,400 patients as at the last time I checked.

    We still do the cloth-the-naked programme that we do every year. We feed the poor and do other projects without running any business venture.

  • Giving hope to elders

    Giving hope to elders

    No fewer than 200 senior citizens, mostly retirees, defied the early morning rain last Friday to converge on Shitta Community Ground in Surulere, Lagos Mainland. For the elders, it was a moment to smile.

    The gathering was in commemoration of this year’s World Health Day for the Elderly organised by the MEE Mofe-Damijo founded by Sunshine Foundation.

    The event, with the theme: The Essence of health in ageing gracefully, featured health talk and free all-round medical check-up for the participants. The senior citizens were attended to by medical experts led Dr. Doyin Ogunyemi. They were also given small packs of provisions apart from refreshment.

    Since the founder passed on 17 years ago, the foundation led by Mrs. Rose Odiete has been visiting, hosting and caring for the elderlys at various times and occasions at the old peoples home in Mushin and Yaba in Lagos, and Ota in Ogun State.

    Mr Baldwin Oniru, a retiree of Mobil Nigeria, who spoke on the importance of balanced diet and effective stress management, said the benefits of eating balanced natural food that is freshly cooked and not kept in freezer for days. He advised participants to avoid fastfood, floury and sugary products as much they can. He sai smiling like an innocent child, listening to music, dancing and being humorous are of great value to good health.

    He urged the elders not to ignore praying regularly because asde making them stay closer to their Creator, it keeps them from thinking negatively.

    A seasoned scholar, Chief Dr. Ibwowarri James, spoke on the need to educate the youth on why they should not abuse anything. He said moderation was key to ageing gracefully. He also called on parents to maximise the abundance of nature’s favour in their environment.

    Mrs. Odiete, hinted that the foundation in collaboration with 1000 Young Leaders Meeting was set to educate the younger ones on how to live a good life and care for the elderly in their families.

    Mrs Odiete said apart from caring for the elderly and showing them love, “we desire to create awareness and sensitise people about their situation. Not only those, who are either by omission or commission abandoned by their very own in old people homes, many parents are left to suffer due to negligence or to pay them back for the ills of the past,” she said.

    She stressed that culturally and spiritually, it is the children’s responsibility to cater and care for their aged ones. She noted that ‘no matter what some of them must have done deliberately or out of ignorance, they should be forgiven and shown love, which is the best way to get even.

    Eighty-year-old Madam Scholar Adejo said: “Many of us here are used to the foundation and we always look forward to their invitation. What they do periodically go a long way in raising our hope. Some of us do not have children who care as much as they do. They are not up to 10 members but are doing great work. We pray for them always as they need encouragement,’

    Papa Israel Adekumbi, an 87-year-old retiree of NIPOST, said: “The foundation holds us in high esteem. She is doing great in spite of the fact that the founder is no more. We commend them for the good work.”

    Mr. El-Razack Olegbe, a member of the group, said when the foundation began in 1993 in the defunct Classique Magazine, it had over 200 members. “Today, we are only six active and passionate members who have vowed not to let the dream of the founder die,” he recalled.

    He used the opportunity to thank Rev. Chris Oketie who over years has been a strong pillar of the foundation. He described the clergy as a true friend.

    •Daniels is a Lagos-based PR consultant.