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Tag: Unlocking

Unlocking the supernatural through favour!
Welcome to another impactful week! I hope you were blessed by last week teaching. Today, we shall focus on Unlocking the Supernatural through Favour!

From scriptures, we discover that we are in the latter days; the era of supernatural favour in the body of Christ. As a result, there shall be an unusual release of supernatural favour in the Church of Christ before Jesus returns (Psalm 102:13-15). Also, the Church will begin to possess the land and wherever the soles of our feet shall thread upon shall be given to us. It is written: We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them (Psalm 44:1-3; see also Haggai 2:3-9). Also, we understand that redemption is a product of favour. It is written: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Grace, which also means favour, is the heritage of the redeemed and everyone that is born again is listed among God’s beloved. As it is written: To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6; see also 2 Corinthians 5:21). ‘Beloved’ here connotes ‘to be favoured or a favourite’. That means every child of God is God’s favourite on the earth. Thus, we have our roots in divine favour by redemption (Psalm 5:12). As a result, everything about our lives attracts favour.

Furthermore, the ‘Church in the wilderness’ (the Israelites) was a highly favoured and struggle-free Church. The Bible records: This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us (Acts 7:38). During the 40-year sojourn of the Israelites in the wilderness, they experienced the tangibility of favour. They enjoyed Manna twice daily and the Bible says that: Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years (Deuteronomy 8:4). Even with this, there is nothing in the Old Testament that can be compared to what is available to us in the New Testament. If the Church in the wilderness was that favoured, how much more shall the Church of the Living God bought by the Blood of Jesus be favoured. Concerning the Israelites, God said: And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty (Exodus 3:21; see also Exodus 12:36). God is committed to giving His people favour and we are privileged to be His people by redemption. Hence, we are entitled to divine favour. Also, the Church in the upper room enjoyed favour. As it is written: Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:47). Favour was the identity of the first Church. That means the Church of Christ is ordained to swim in favour. Furthermore, Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, was robed with favour. The Bible says: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52). Jesus said: As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world (John 17:18). Thus, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus. That means whatever pertains to Christ pertains to us in redemption (Romans 8:17).

What, then, is in Favour that Unlocks the Supernatural?
- Favour Terminates Tears: Favour turns our tears into testimonies. It is written: For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled (Psalm 30:5-7). For instance, favour terminated the tears and grief of Ruth and placed her supernaturally in the lineage of Jesus Christ forever! Thus, it is favour in a man’s life that defines the quality of his life.
- Favour is the Cure for Man’s Struggles: Joseph’s brothers sentenced him to a life of servitude and struggles but favour located him supernaturally from one level to another (Psalm 105:17-22). Thus, it is impossible to secure favour with God and not have favour with men.
- Supernatural Enlargement: Grace is the covenant mother of greatness. It is grace that makes great, not skill or strength. Every giant in the Kingdom is made of favour. No one can be greater than the grace of God at work in his/her life and grace simply means divine favour. Apostle Paul said: But by the grace of God I am what I am… (1 Corinthians 15:10). It simply means that without grace, we are grounded. However, by the release of divine favour, greatness surges and enlargement is steered up (Isaiah 60:1-22).
In summary, apart from the favour of salvation, every other favour we desire is at a cost. It is important to understand that God’s favour is real, but it is not free. This is because even the favour of salvation still demands that we repent and be baptised, so we can be saved and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That means there is what we must do to trigger favour. It is important to understand that favour is not a religious theory; it is a virtue with proofs. New birth is the first covenant step into a world of favour. Thereafter, we are listed among God’s beloved after the order of Joseph (Psalm 5:12). Are you born again? If you are not, this is an opportunity to do so. Simply say the following prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Today, I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again!” For further reading, please get my books: Walking in the Miraculous, Operating in the Supernatural, Releasing the Supernatural, Commanding the Supernatural and All you need to have all your needs met. I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have five services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:50 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. respectively. I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 01-4548070, 01-4548280; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org; Face book: www.facebook.com/davidoyedepoministries/; Twitter: @DavidOyedepoMin
July 22, 2018
Unlocking the likes of Osinbajo
Until the current coming of Yemi Osinbajo as Nigeria’s Vice-President, the man was holed in the medieval age of our history… Professor Osinbajo is the father of modern day bureaucratic jurisprudence of Lagos State… He was discovered by Bola Tinubu… He went on to become the state’s first Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General in the Third Republic in 1999… He undertook notable reforms in grassroots judicature and in court room procedures… Through his prudent counsel coupled with Tinubu’s own smart politics, Lagos successfully launched the historic creation of 37 local councils and floored the mighty federal resistance of Olusegun Obasanjo’s government… The councils have come to stay due to the firm substructure Osinbajo laid… Later, the annals continue, he was retrieved from political retirement again by Tinubu to play a role in the central government in the current dispensation… And on and on we have played the old history of Yemi Osinbajo.

But let us be clear about this: this same history isn’t going to rate Osinbajo on Lagos only in the long run. The ruthless history we all know would demand more from Osinbajo. Had he stayed quietly in the background after his campaign in the old federal capital, he might have tamed the extinct records to favour him. However, having succumbed to the temptation to stage a comeback at a higher level, he must wrestle with the dialectics of politics of an upward plane. History is clad in an iron creed: to whom a higher measure of responsibility is given, less can’t be demanded.

So we should not dwell too much on the past of the vice-president, even if that is what he and his loyalists might fondly desire. In my opinion though, he has delivered himself from the grip of these former times by attempting to present a new Osinbajo. It can’t be denied that he has emerged from the younger Osinbajo we knew in Lagos in Tinubu’s cabinet. We should help him to sustain that process of extrication and discovery of a new-look Osinbajo. In this second coming, if truth be told, he has exceeded expectations, especially in his days as acting President.

A commentator said during a radio programme the other day that he didn’t know Osinbajo had such large streak of appetite for work and integrity to drive a country in a state of slough in the absence of her ailing President without triggering fears of an own ambitious agenda. He said Osinbajo seemed to have a dog’s chances of survival in the midst of starving lions.

It was another way of saying he underestimated the Ogun State born law professor, despite the sterling performance of the man in Lagos years back. He appeared to be saying that Osinbajo might not be able to repeat the feat as an acting President.

Now, until we gave Osinbajo (by default) the task of running the presidency in a restricted capacity, we little thought he had the quality to do it in spite of his history. We believed the professional politician might do better than a professional in politics. How tragically wrong this has turned out so far! And the nation has suffered fatal consequences because of this dim view of respect only for the professional politicians.

There are a thousand and one Osinbajos similarly waiting to be unveiled for heroic national service. But we hold them down through a system that sees us concentrate on an effete cabal of choices. It is a process that has thrown up the cycle of the same set of people from a political family and lineage. We don’t look beyond that group to recruit our leaders and representatives. In the advanced countries of the West (UK and USA), this arrangement is called cronyism: the rule in perpetuity of the elite and their families and friends.

Nigeria cannot secure the real change we so desperately need for a complete turnaround if we focus on this strange law of motion that sees us do a lot of running without leaving the spot of activity, without progressing. It is a barren law of motion. We talk much about transitions from military to civil rule, from a third to a fourth republic, a seventh to an eighth National Assembly, and from a centripetal to a centrifugal federalism. They are mere talk without substance if we don’t slough off the same set of operators we have had for the past four decades or thereabouts. Just do a check on the personalities in charge from day one of our existence as a country. We come face to face with the same small group of handlers working at solutions to problems they gave the country. It will be impossible to get transforming change if the agents of the procedure are always dredged from the past for a mission to launch you into the future. What they will offer is what we are having in Nigeria: a systemic petrification that has drained life out of a potentially vibrant nation.

This is the reason the challenges of several decades ago remain with us. Read the Nigerian newspapers of the 1960s through the 80s, and the decades after; you won’t find yourself back in time. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s fans marked 20 years of the death of the legend early in August 2017, and his music was played all over the country and abroad. Most commentators said the biting lyrics composed scores of years ago to lampoon the failings of government, are still valid as a critique of today’s society and the government. They sound like they were waxed last night.

The way out I think is to bring in new hands from outside the political arena. In the elections to come, we should not behave like the snake that drops off its skin while retaining its venom. Let us do away with the deceptive new skin, the snake and its poison. We need to have more bureaucrats, apolitical figures, professionals and lettered artisans in the executive and legislative arms of government. Politics must no longer be left exclusively in the hands of politicians. Let’s go for an affirmative action policy that gives between 40% and 50% of lawmakers, cabinet members, and public office holders to the plebeians and the man and woman in the backwaters of the land. My thesis is that if we make governance all-inclusive to accommodate the educated hoi polloi, we shall be unlocking the potential of the entire society to serve Nigeria. Hidden in the recesses of the common people and our professionals is the key to refreshing and oxygenating the dying polity. The present political class is a hollow force. They can’t reinvent themselves for new ideas to redeem Nigeria.

Yemi Osinbajo amply proves the thinking that we’ve been losing all along in not reaching out to the vast reserves of our human resources. We have counted on a class which has long entered its age of diminishing returns, the same way crude oil is moving into a cul-de-sac as a jaded economic lever.
- Ojewale is a writer in Ota, Ogun State.
September 7, 2017
Unlocking the supernatural through praise!
We discover from scriptures that praise is a formidable tool in commanding the supernatural. Therefore, an understanding of its place in manifesting the supernatural will cause us to flow continuously in the miraculous. Looking at Jesus’ ministry, the two most profound miracles he did were as a result of thanksgiving. For instance, it was the mystery of thanksgiving that raised Lazarus to life after being dead for four days. Furthermore, thanksgiving also multiplied a little boy’s lunch to feed five thousand men, excluding women and children. That is an estimate of ten thousand people fed and with leftovers. In other words, at the instance of praise, miracle- working powers are provoked from heaven (Luke 11:40-44; John 6:6-11).

Let’s examine some miracle powers embedded in Praise:
- Praise will provoke the flow of divine favour:
We must recognise that a vital aspect of praise is dancing. As it is written: Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation (Psalm 149:3-4). For instance, Herodias daughter danced so well to please Herod and secured the king’s favour. That earned her an open cheque to ask for anything, even to the half of his kingdom and it would be done. In the same vein, whenever we dance our way into God’s heart in praise, we provoke divine favour (Mark 6:22-23). Also, David, ‘the praise giant’ danced before the lord with all his might such that he was mocked by Micah his wife and he walked in favour all the days of his life. Expect today that every misfortune around your life will be turned around into divine favour (2Samuel6:14; Psalm 30:5-7).
- Praising the Lord provokes divine judgment upon our enemies: The Bible says: Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord (Psalm 149:6-9).
From the above scripture, the “two-edged sword” is the Word of God. Therefore, we must dance with the understanding of what the Word says. As we praise Him in the dance, we execute vengeance upon our enemies. The Bible records that David danced with all his might and as such never lost any battle throughout his reign as king. Therefore, the rougher we dance, the stronger the judgment (2 Samuel 6:14).
- Praise/Thanksgiving preserves our blessings: Praise/Thanksgiving is simply acknowledging God for what He has done in our lives. When we do so, we insure and secure our blessings from curses. Again, the Bible makes us understand that whatever God does is forever. However, we must engage the mystery of thanksgiving to commit Him to perform. God expects timely thanksgiving from us, because it perfects our blessings (Malachi 2:1-3; see also Jeremiah 13:16-17).
- It multiplies our blessings: The mystery of praises/thanksgiving guarantees the multiplication of God’s blessings in our lives. For instance, concerning Abraham, the Bible records: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God (Romans 4:20). So if we are Abraham’s seed, we must do the work of Abraham who was strong in faith and gave glory to God before his Isaac came. Let us recognize that the blessing of receiving more and more is God’s agenda for us. As it is written: But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18 see also, Habakkuk 3:17-19). However, it takes engaging in the covenant of thanksgiving to move from one level to another. Until we thank Him for the last, we are not qualified for the next. We have to commit to thanking Him before we can move from one level of glory to another.
- It entitles us to fresh oil: Speaking on thanksgiving/ praise, David said: It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Thereafter, he said: But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil (Psalm 92:1-2, 10).That means thanksgiving and praise are covenant platforms through which we encounter fresh oil from God.
Again, we see in the Scripture, how David praised God seven times a day and God speaking of him, said: I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him (Psalm 89:20-23; see also Psalm119:164).

Furthermore, Apostle Paul, whom God anointed to write two-thirds of the New Testament, said: In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

That means the exploits of Paul recorded in scriptures are traceable to a life of thanksgiving. Therefore, the more addicted we are to thanksgiving, the fresher the oil on our lives. However, it is important to understand that just as thanksgiving guarantees the flow of fresh oil, murmuring and complaining dries up the flow (Joel 1:10-12). In actual fact, murmuring is a weapon used by the devil to destroy lives and many people have fallen victim of this trap. So, challenges are not the reason why people are losing ground to the devil, it is the way they handle the challenges that determines the results. While some will keep complaining about their challenges, others will keep giving thanks until they experience a turn around.

I have often said that if you have lost anything in life, God is the reason why you have not lost everything. So make it a choice today to be an addicted ‘thanksgiver’. As you do, your long awaited breakthroughs will be made manifest today!

However, to praise God effectively and acceptably, you need to know Him. Are you born again? This means, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord? If you haven’t, you can do so as you say this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the Living God. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again!” For further reading, please get my books: The Wonders of Praise and Understanding the Power of Praise. I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have five services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. respectively.

I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 01-4548070, 01-4548280; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org
July 23, 2017
‘Unlocking our N15 trillion creative economy’

Few weeks after Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode tasked artistes to come up with a structured framework to grow the economy, while government provides infrastructures and initiatives to help the sector, embattled President of Performing Musician’s Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Pretty Okafor, could not agree less with the governor’s vision, saying that Nigeria has no reason to be in recession, as the creative industry has the potential to reflate the ailing economy.

Sharing his thoughts on some issues affecting the creative economy, Okafor corroborated Ambode’s position, saying the solution is the fast-tracking of a structured and organised entertainment and creative industry that is monetized into a creative economy like it is done in developed countries.

Okafor, a member of the Nigeria’s earliest hip hop duo, ‘Junior & Pretty’, noted that although PMAN is already in partnership with the federal ministry of information and culture to develop the sector and curb piracy, the partnership must be taken to the next level with the Federal Government supporting the launch of the Nigerian creative industry through legislation, pronouncement, regulation and enforcement.

He said the partnership will help government unlock the value in the creative sector and boost revenue generation for Nigeria.

“We said it over two years ago that Nigeria was going into recession but we had no business doing so because we have vibrant entertainment and creative industries,” said Okafor who pointed out that studies have shown that creative and cultural industries globally are not usually affected by global financial crisis.

“In the UK, the creative economy contributes about 84.1Billon pounds sterling to the UK economy which is about 10 million pounds per hour. In the US, the value the arts to the country’s GDP is about $700 billion. It shows that this sector is contributing immensely to their various countries’ economies. Nigeria too can’t afford to be left behind, and from research, it has the potential to contribute about N15 trillion to the nation’s GDP.”

Okafor said, as number one in Africa and number three globally, the digitalisation of the entire creative industry in Nigeria could help unlock the revenues inherent there and allow government take their share of taxes and reflate the economy.

This corroborates a statement by the minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that entertainment can get the country out of the current recession, as well as Vice President Yemi Osibajo’s position on diversifying the economy.

He explained that the proposed G-Create.ng Application is the digitalisation of the creative industry by providing the requisite data for the entire industry and allow investors to track their return on investment (ROI) amongst other things.

“It also has other benefits accessible through a combo card called the PMAN biometric ID card. The benefits include medical insurance for a subscriber and for family members; life insurance that provides the next of kin of subscriber members N5 Million in the event of death; Pension plan that pays subscribers N100,000 monthly; allows barcoding and encoding of creative works physically and electronically respectively; royalty monitoring and collection and many more benefits.”

On piracy, Okafor said the G-Create.ng structure can monitor and track all the IP work coming out of Nigeria. This, he said will automatically reduce the menace of piracy in Nigeria.

“On the other hand, piracy should be seen as economic sabotage and a crime that allows government to lose close to N10 trillion annually; a huge leakage that must be blocked. A special enforcement unit as is done for drug trafficking and manufacturing like NDLEA and NAFDAC must be set up and given the powers of enforcement. Piracy must be seen as an economic crime, called same and dealt with as same through government policy pronouncements and legislation,” he proffered.

Speaking on the reported crisis rocking the association, Okafor the current ruling by Justice B.B. Kanyip of the Industrial Court, Lagos, still makes him and his Exco members the only legitimately elected and recognized PMAN executives.

“There is no faction in PMAN only the activities of a few disgruntled elements whose actions want to stall the current efforts for economic recovery.”

Okafor explained that the economic agenda of his team is bigger than any individual or group. According to him, “Their plan is to commandeer something that they were not part of creating and are not capable of managing. Something that when fully implemented shortly has the potential to fully impact Nigeria’s economy positively. Their action is also an act of economic sabotage and they must be sanctioned. My present exco and I are focused and forging ahead to make the realization of the welfare of the creative industry practitioner and make the creative economy a reality. We won’t be distracted and deterred,” he declared.

February 2, 2017
Unlocking the Apapa traffic gridlock

The Apapa, Lagos traffic gridlock seems to have defied all solution. With a sea port and 57 tank farms, Apapa attracts heavy duty trucks, which during fuel scarcity, constitute a menace on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, throwing residents and motorists into panic. ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE and MIRIAM EKENE-OKORO examine the Lagos State Government’s efforts to address the problem.

To many motorists, Apapa has become a nightmare. They are subjected to traffic gridlock caused by trailers and petrol tankers trying to access the port and the tank farms.

The situation has worsened in the last three years, forcing many residents and businesses to relocate from the area. The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) claim to have lost over N7 trillion to the traffic lockdown.

Giving Apapa a proper traffic traction was one of the headaches of former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola. Daily, his phone number, which he made public, was inundated with calls, text messages and emails from motorists, complaining about their hardship in moving in and out of Apapa.

Fashola’s visit to the area on a Sunday, few months back, left him speechless. Scores of trucks and tankers were parked indiscriminately on the road for days, with their drivers nowhere to be found. Several times, the tankers were ordered to vacate the roads, but the ultimatums merely brought temporary reprieve.

In no time, the tankers would return, and in full force. Soon, Fashola’s Sundays were dedicated to on-the-spot assessment of the situation but it yielded no fruit.

At the climax of the general elections, Apapa became a dead end. Businesses were threatened. Those who could not withstand the nightmare relocated. Some workers were forced to work from their homes, while others looked for greener pastures. Car owners dumped their vehicles.

The situation was not helped by fuel scarcity. Petrol tankers from various parts of the country who had made their way to Lagos to lift the product were stranded.

Lillian Emmanuel, who has worked in a new generation bank in Apapa for over eight years, told our reporter that during the period, she had to engage a commercial motorcycle operator, otherwise known as okada man, to take her to and fro her place of work for an agreed fee.

“I spent over half of my salary on transportation. I have no choice because that is the only way I could get to the office and return home on time,” she said.

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s baptism at Apapa wasn’t palatable either. When he visited Apapa penultimate Thursday, the governor and all his aides who were visiting major traffic points in the area, had a taste of the nightmare.

Twice, the convoy had to retreat and seek escape routes as the trailers and petrol tankers had virtually taken over the roads.

When he alighted from his vehicle, the look on his face showed his disdain for what has become of Apapa, a once-viable commercial hub and, arguably, the main artery of the nation’s economy.

Ambode there upon appealed to the Federal Government to pay the contractor awarded the construction of the road to enable him return to site.

He was disturbed by the traffic gridlock residents and motorists face daily, which is largely due to the indiscriminate parking of articulated trucks by drivers attempting to access the port and tank farms within the axis.

He said: “What we have done in the last three hours is trying to find out the issues peculiar to Apapa. We’ve all seen that the gridlock in Apapa is multifaceted and we observed that they relate to activities of trailer and tanker drivers on the road.”

Alluding to the fact that the network of roads in Apapa belong to the Federal Government, he lamented that the Tin Can Bridge, which has been under construction for about six years, was abandoned, noting that this has given rise to tankers parking indiscriminately on the road.

“It is totally unacceptable that we would be having tankers and trailers on our bridges. It is also not acceptable that they would decide to block all lanes that lead to Apapa. We’ve also seen that we must do something immediately to alleviate the challenges that the residents and businesses are facing.

“But again, you’ll also realise that the roads that lead to Apapa Wharf and Tin Can Island actually belong to the Federal Government.

It is unacceptable that the Tin Can Bridge, has been under construction for six years. We’ve also seen a trailer park that can actually contain about 500 trailers, that has been abandoned by the Federal Government.

“What we want to do now is firstly to appeal to the Federal Government and, most especially, Mr. President that the contractor working on this particular bridge should come back to site and once we are able to open the trailer park, we would be able to allow other trailers and tankers to use the park.”

The governor also expressed concern about the activities at the 57 tank farms in the area, saying they constitute great security challenge for the state government, adding that their owners will be summoned for a meeting soon.

“The greater part of this challenge is posed by the tank farm owners. As we speak, we have 57 tank farms around Apapa alone; that’s a major security challenge for the government.

“We have to start to look at the security issues relating to these tank farms. All trailers across the country come to these tank farms and the tank farm owners would be summoned to a meeting. They must tell us their remedy for the traffic menace in Apapa.”

As a palliative measure towards ensuring free flow of traffic, Governor Ambode said a task force would be immediately set up to ensure 24- hour surveillance of traffic flow, stressing that the Lagos Road Traffic Law will be strictly enforced.

“Right now on our part, the immediate palliative is that we would set up a task force that would involve most of our security agencies including the police and we would do a 24/7 monitoring of the area and free up traffic.

“We would pay more attention to enforcement. From this evening, you would see that there would be more attention on enforcement and we would also fund that enforcement. We are going to give incentives to our law enforcement officers to ensure that the Lagos Traffic Law is obeyed,” he added.

The governor also assured that there would be regular road repair to address the deplorable state of some of the roads.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, who was at the event, before he was deployed last week, said the concern of the Police was to nip in the bud the rising crime rate in the area.

“What we have observed in the last one year, due to the poor road network, is that most of these trailers always collapse and when this happens, you see a lot of hoodlums coming around to steal the items meant to be freighted to other parts of the country.

“By the time we have very good road network in Apapa area, it would lead to free flow of traffic and less criminality. An improved partnership between the police and the state government would enable us to reduce all forms of criminality around this axis. It would boost the national and state’s economy.

For Commodore Daniel Ikoli, Commander, NNS Beecroft, Apapa Naval Base, “We are partnering under OP MESA. We are supporting the state government and the police in ensuring security within Apapa area. Under that same platform, we have also been actively involved in ensuring the traffic flow in Apapa, we try to ensure that everybody that moves into Apapa have free flow of traffic.”

Less than 48 hours after the governor’s visit, the General Manager Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr Babatunde Edu, led a team of LASTMA, the Police and Navy on the rescue mission aimed at making the road accessible to all road users.

Edu said over 50 trailers were removed from the area in accordance with the government’s zero tolerance for gridlocks and indiscipline and also to checkmate tanker drivers’ excesses and restore sanity in Apapa.

He said the government would sustain the onslaught to ensure that every citizen has a right to use the road and ensure that the road is not closed up and used only by tankers or trucks again.

He recalled that several efforts had been made in the past to restore sanity and the old glory of Apapa, but that these have always been truncated by recalcitrant drivers.

He said: “This time round, the enforcement will be continuous as the agency is out to ensure that all tanker drivers comply with government’s directive.”

According to him, series of meetings have been held with the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of the National Union of Petroleum and the Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to educate their members and ensure that they desist from indiscriminate parking and indiscipline as these could pose danger to other road users.

He urged tanker drivers to adhere strictly to the new directive, as the government would not hesitate to enforce traffic rules and regulations to the latter whenever they violate the law.

Edu called on the public to take possession of the cleared roads, and not hesitate to inform the agency of any broken down or abandoned tankers and trucks on the expressway as LASTMA has been empowered to respond promptly to such distress and remove them to pave way for uninterrupted traffic.

July 7, 2015