THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE JUNE 27, 2018
Ambode promises conducive environment for workers (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has assured civil servants in the state of conducive working environment to perform their duties optimally. Ambode said this at a dinner organised in honour of 90 outstanding public servants in the state at the Lagos House, Ikeja. Ambode, while commending the commitment of the workforce across the ministries, departments and agencies, as well as councils on Monday, said his administration was working because of dedicated and diligent public servants. He said, “This recognition is a challenge for you to maintain and improve on the high standard for which you are being recognised. Read more
French President, Macron to visit Lagos July 3 (ThisDay)
French President, Emmanuel Macron, will be a guest of honour at a special event on July 3 in Lagos organised by TRACE, a leading entertainment brand in Africa. The event is planned as part of the 2020 African Cultures Season, a statement sent to ThisDay by Managing Director of TRACE, Jessica Hope, said. According to the statement, the event, the first of its kind in Nigeria, aims to “change French society’s perception of the African continent through the promotion of African contemporary creation.” It will take place at the New Afrika Shrine, and feature a host of Nigerian cultural talents, including Femi Kuti, Banky W, and Yemi Alade, among other leading stars of music and Nollywood, fashion, food and visual arts, to celebrate the successful cultural collaboration between France and Africa. Read more
Ambode, Power Oil advocate regular health check for women (Guardian)
As part of efforts aimed at intensifying the advocacy towards a healthy living, especially amongst women in the society, Power Oil, the nation’s leading cooking oil demonstrated its support during the Lagos Women Health Forum, a pet project of the wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode. With the theme, ‘Woman: Your Health, Your Social Environment,’ Mrs. Ambode noted that sound health is one of life’s greatest blessings, hence the need to encourage and educate the women to always live in good health for long life and optimal performance. While condemning the spate of social vices in the state, Ambode urged women to voice out their discontent against domestic violence, child abuse, rape and teenage pregnancies. Read more
LASG wants reduction in accidents (Punch)
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said residents must continually apply basic safety concepts to check progression of risk and loss of lives and property. The Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr Seye Oladejo, said this at the inauguration of the ‘Lagos Vision Zero Conference,’ organised by the Lagos State Safety Commission on Victoria Island. The commissioner said there was the need for a paradigm shift from one of fault-finding to one that focused on finding solutions to prevent accidents. Read more
How Jonathan stalled Lagos-Ibadan expressway project, by Babalakin (Guardian)
Chairman of Bi-Courtney Construction Company, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), has alleged that the interference of the Goodluck Jonathan administration in the Lagos-Ibadan road project was responsible for its unending completion. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Babalakin said this in Gbongan, Osun State, during the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 2018 policy meeting. According to him, the road project, awarded to Bi-Courtney Construction under concession arrangement by late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2009, would have been completed before 2014 at the cost of N112 billion if not for that interference. Read more
Lagos will support FADAMA (Nation)
The Lagos State government yesterday in Lagos reassured the Federated FADAMA Community Association of its unwavering support. Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Oliyiwole Onasanya, who represented the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, gave the assurance during the inauguration of the newly elected executive of the Lagos State Federated FADAMA Community Association (FFCA) Executive Committee. He noted that the FFCA was conceived and formed as sustainability strategy of the FADAMA III project to coordinate the affairs of smaller groups for their common interest on the basis of cooperation and mutual socio-economic benefits, adding that it was also to provide a common front for addressing the numerous challenges facing famers in the state. Read more
Netherlands to help improve Lagos transportation system (Guardian)
The Head of Netherlands representation in Lagos, Michel Deelen, has said his country would be willing to partner the Lagos State government in improving the state transportation system as well as manage the traffic challenges. Deelen said this during a visit to the Ministry of Transportation. According to him, Lagos and the Netherlands share a lot of similarities in terms of population, size and closeness to the coast. Speaking on water transportation, he said the state must understand that a lot of infrastructure is needed to service water transport system to make it functional. He disclosed that the waterways in his country are dredged yearly to ensure smooth movement on water. Read more
Stop stigmatising drug users, says Edgal (Nation)
Lagos State Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal and rights activist, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin yesterday appealed to Nigerians to stop stigmatising former drug users and victims of human trafficking. They spoke at a seminar organised by crime reporters in Lagos to commemorate the United Nations (UN) Day against Drugs and Human Trafficking. According to Edgal, four out of 10 young persons in Lagos were currently indulging in hard drugs. The, he said, rate would skyrocket if nothing was done to stop it. He said ex-drug users and human trafficking victims should be shown love so that they would not relapse. The police chief blamed the problem on parental and societal failures. Edgal said security agencies should do more of advocacy and not enforcement. Read more
Lagos walk to achieve 100% Voluntary Blood Donation (Independent)
To mark this year’s World Blood Donor Day (WBDD), health experts have expressed serious concerns that fewer people are voluntarily donating blood, even as Nigerians have been urged to donate blood more. Making the call recently in Lagos state was Dr. Modipe Olaiya, the executive secretary of Lagos State Blood Transmission Service (LSBTS) who said that the purpose of the celebration is to thank the voluntary blood donors and to recruit new ones. Dr Olaiya spoke to journalists after an awareness walk to mark the day which commenced from Island Maternity to Obalande and terminated at Island General Hospital, Lagos. She explained that the Lagos state blood service has been a champion in creating awareness and mobilizing people for voluntary blood donation since 2014, and added that is “why we embarked an awareness walk to mark this year’s event. Read more
Lagos-Ibadan road, others will get stable funding till completion – Fashola (Nation)
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola Tuesday assured that three major projects; Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge and Kano-Abuja road projects would get stable funding until completion. Fashola disclosed this at the flag-off of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road project in Kano. The 375.4km road project was awarded to Julius Berger Plc at N155,470,626,078.07 with 36 months’ completion period. The Minister said uninterrupted funding of the projects will be sourced from the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. Fashola explained that the benefitting projects earlier suffered neglect for 10 years despite buoyancy of the past administration. Read more
Tackling auto artisans shortage in Lagos (Nation)
Many global automotive companies are choosing Nigeria as a launch market for their cars. They include Hyundai, Toyota, KIA, BMW and Mercedes Benz. Most of these products are designed at the parent companies’ headquarters. The cars are fitted with modern navigational equipment and voice activation, among others, which have led to increase in repair challenges. To the government, the automotive services sector has been identified as one of the high-growth sectors because it is projected to create a substantial number of new jobs for the economy. In addition, it has transformed repair works as innovation and new skills are now required. Read more
Report of woman jumping into lagoon still a rumour – Lagos CP (DailyTrust)
The report of a lady jumping into the lagoon on June 10, 2018 might be false. Already, the police and the state Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) have dismissed the trending video that the woman who jumped into the lagoon was the owner of the Ford Explorer. The police said the owner of the jeep was a passer-by who parked to offer help. However, two weeks after the incident, the body of the suspected person has not been found by divers deployed to search for it. Commissioner of Police Edgal Imohimi, while responding to question on the case during his recent briefing, said: “As I speak to you, even though we have reduced the number of divers making periodic dives to try to get the purported body but none has been found till date, there is nothing to substantiate any of the stories you have been hearing. Read more
LASU disowns student that jumped into lagoon (Nation)
The Lagos State University (LASU) yesterday debunked claims that a man, Kingsley Gabriel, who jumped into the lagoon on Monday, is its student. Gabriel was rescued by Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) officials after jumping into the lagoon off Falomo Bridge. LASWA General Manager Damilola Emmanuel said attempted suicide act was becoming rampant and worrisome on Lagos waterways. According to him, “the student was quickly rescued from drowning in the water by LASWA officials who responded swiftly by jumping into the lagoon.” Gabriel, Emmanuel said, was taken to the Falomo Police Station after he was rescued. Read more
Again, Evans fails to stop trial in fifth arraignment (Guardian)
A Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere yesterday dismissed another application by suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a Evans, seeking to stop his fifth arraignment. Justice Adedayo Akintoye upheld the argument of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Titilayo Shitta-Bey, that a prima facie case has been established against the defendant. The judge held that Evans’ claim that the five-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping and attempted murder, was “grossly defective, repetitive and an abuse of court processes” lacks merit. Read more
Police uncover torture shrine in Lagos (Vanguard)
A shrine allegedly used as an illegal detention camp by suspected members of Odua People’s Congress, OPC, in Opebi area of Lagos, where persons accused of different offences are arrested, tortured and detained, has been uncovered by the Police. Three suspected operators of the shrine were arrested with a POS machine used to extort anyone found guilty. Also recovered in the shrine were different banks Automated Teller Machine, ATM, cards and telephones suspected to have been seized from victims. Vanguard gathered that people visited the shrine to lodge complaints, after which the accused is either invited or forcefully dragged there. Victims, according to residents, were publicly tortured before being dragged inside the shrine to swear. The state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, who led a team of policemen to the shrine yesterday, ordered its immediate demolition. Read more
Fake SAN bags 1-year jail term (DailyTrust)
Justice Mojisola Dada of a Special Offences Court, sitting in Lagos has sentenced a 27-year-old man to one-year jail term for impersonating a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The convict, Raphael Omotayo, was first arraigned on February 5, 2018 by EFCC, for allegedly parading himself as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN. He pleaded not guilty but he later changed his plea on Tuesday. The commission also alleged that Omotayo was found to be in possession of some fraudulent documents where he also claimed to be Michael Blacks. Some documents were obtained from Omotayo’s computer that revealed that he pretended to be a SAN in order to defraud an American, one Ms. Juliet of an undisclosed amount of money. Read more
UNILAG to host 2019 NUGA Games (NewTelegraph)
President, Nigerian University Games Association, Prof Stephen Hamafyelto, has revealed that the 26th edition of the NUGA games slated for 2019 will hold at the University of Lagos. The NUGA boss stated this in a chat with sports writers, adding that findings from the inspection team to the council favoured University of Lagos ahead of University of Jos, having both signified interest to host the biennial sporting event next year. He said that after the twoday NUGA Council meeting in Abuja, activities at the 25th NUGA Games held in 2017 at Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi were reviewed, in order to safeguard the reccurrence of what happened in Makurdi, having been given hosting right in 2014, but staged the games three years later. Read more