THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE MAY 23, 2018
Catholics protest, caution government over killings (Guardian)
Catholics staged a nationwide protest, yesterday, calling on the Federal Government to end indiscriminate killings of innocent citizens. The protest is the first of its kind by the church in Nigeria and will be seen by observers as a sign of mounting discontent over government’s handling of alleged killings by herdsmen and armed bandits. The action was planned to coincide with the burial of two Catholic priests and 17 parishioners murdered by gunmen on April 24, at the St. Ignatius Quasi Parish, Mbalom, Gwer East Local Government Area (LGA), Benue State. Earlier, the Cardinal Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, in a statement, had rallied faithful, saying, “because of the barbaric killing of human beings in Nigeria, and erosion of the perception of life as sacred, and in union with the Diocese of Makurdi, Benue State, we want to express our deepest displeasure over the ugly happenings in our country and pray for the nation.” Read more
Ambode to speak at Lagos Safety Summit on religious tolerance (Guardian)
The Lagos State governor, Akinwumi Ambode and his deputy, Oluranti Adebunle have been slated to give keynotes at the Lagos Safety Summit come June 7 and 8, 2018. The two-day summit, which is expected to cater to about 500 participants, is dedicated to enlightening corporate bodies and individuals on the need to embrace wholesome safety practices in accordance with the right standards of guiding policies. The Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Hakeem Dickson said “In a society burgeoning with human demands and industrial needs, the time has come to shore up longevity and productivity, by taking occupational safety and health seriously” Read more
Lagos workers get N100m housing subvention (NewTelegraph)
Lagos State Head of Service, Mrs Folashade Adesoye yesterday said that the state had increased its budgetary provision for Housing loans for its members of staff from N50 million to N100 million with a view to improving workers’ welfare. Adesoye, who disclosed this at the on-going ministerial briefing, said the Staff Housing Board had so far disbursed loans to about 280 public servants from various MDAs, saying a total of N95, 033, 564 had so far been disbursed to the staff. She said: ‘’ I am extremely delighted to inform you that the budgetary provision for Housing loan has increased from N50 million to N100 million, laying credence to government’s commitment to staff welfare. Read more
Democracy Day, Ambode and the Lagos experience (SUN)
The countdown has begun. In another sixdays, it will be May 29 and Nigerians will be celebrating yet another “Democracy Day”. It will also be the third anniversary of President Muhammadu Buhari and some state governors in office. The occasion will afford Nigerians another opportunity to re-appraise the performance of Buhari and some of the state governors who have also spent three years in office. Also due for a final scorecard are those governors who will be celebrating their last Democracy Day as state governors, as they will completing their second terms in office this year. Almost three years ago, the Buhari administration swept into office on the wings of a “change campaign” that left many Nigerians in great expectation of the wonderful changes that his government would effect in our body politic. Read more
LASG brings respite to residents as Olusosun Park nears completion (Independent)
Residents around the Olusosun dump site can now heave a sigh of relief as the ongoing capping exercise, meant to douse the fume from the dump site fire and serve as a precursor to the proposed parks, has reached the half way mark. Speaking to journalists during his inspection of the night shift of the capping exercise at Olusosun at the weekend, the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti said that the exercise, involving the spreading of laterite to prepare the sprawling location for the emergence of modern parks, had progressed remarkably. According to him, government in its determination to bring relief to the area ensured that not less than 250 trucks of laterite were spread daily to cover the heaps of garbage and deny the refuse-induced gasses oxygen needed for combustion. Read more
Lagos promises improved workers’ welfare (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has promised to improve the welfare of workers in the state, saying it has increased the budgetary provision for staff housing loans from N50m to N100m for the purpose. The state Head of Service, Mrs. Folasade Adesoye, who said this at the ongoing ministerial briefing in Lagos, added that the Staff Housing Board had disbursed loans to about 280 public servants from various ministries, departments and agencies. She said a total of N95m had been disbursed so far. She said, “I am delighted to inform you that the budgetary provision for housing loan has increased from N50m to N100m, laying credence to government’s commitment to staff welfare.” Read more
Lagos debt profile stands at N874.4bn (Vanguard)
Lagos State Government, yesterday, put its debt profile at the end of 2017 at N874.38 billion. This came as it lamented that various litigations from tax defaulters had affected moves to generate N50 billion internally-generated revenue, IGR, monthly target, saying it could only generate N34 billion. Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade, spoke at a briefing on the activities of his ministry. Giving an update on the state’s debt profile, Ashade said government’s debt stock, comprising 48 percent local debt and 52 percent foreign debt, currently stood at N874.38 billion at the end of 2017, while the debt service charge to total revenue ratio, which stood at 17.61 percent, was still within the World Bank threshold of 30 percent. Read more
Africa’s first treasury bills investment App built in Lagos (BusinessDay)
A new frontier has opened for investors in the African finance sector with the launch of I-invest, a mobile application that allows users purchase Treasury Bills (T-Bills) directly from their smart phones. Developed by Parthian Partners, a pan African inter-brokerage services firm in partnership with Nigeria’s leading commercial bank, Sterling Bank Plc, I-invest enables both new and experienced investors match their investment maturities to their needs. The first-of-its-kind investment app levels the playing ground for new investors providing them with equal opportunities available to experienced and institutional investors to save money and improve their money market portfolios through Treasury Bills Read more
Lagos APC Youth elects Aregbe Idris Secretary (Vanguard)
The convener of a socio-political group, Our Lagos Your Lagos, Mr. Idris Aregbe was at the weekend elected as the Youth Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos. Aregbe, was one of the 37 APC State Executives voted by voice affirmation by over 1500 accredited delegates at a peaceful and well organised State Congress held at the party’s Secretariat in Acme, Ikeja, Lagos. Over the years, Aregbe has shown his capacity to galvanise and mobilise youths for positive movements especially in the State politics. The confidence reposed in Aregbe by the leaders in APC is unarguably connected to his total commitment to the progress of the party at the State and his clout to rally youths for the party at the past elections. Read more
Pharmaceutical firm unveils Oxytocin, others in Lagos to check Maternal Deaths (ThisDay)
Worried by the increasing spate of maternal deaths, Juhel Nigeria Limited, in collaboration with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has introduced its own brand of maternal medicines- Magnesium sulphate and Oxytocin injection, saying the drugs have the capacity to reduce after-birth bleeding and maternal deaths. Speaking at a press conference organised at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Juhel Nigeria Limited, Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, noted that it is worrisome that Nigeria within the last decade, has assumed the unenviable position of being the country with the fourth highest maternal death rate in the World, accounting for 19 per cent of 830 global maternal deaths daily. Read more
All set for ‘Make Music Lagos’ 2018 (Nation)
Lagos will be joining the global celebration of music in the month of June as Showgear, together with its organizing partners, will be staging this year’s edition of Make Music Lagos (MML). According to the organisers, Make Music Lagos, the Lagos edition of Make Music Day, is a festival of free live music hosted in more than 120 countries all over the world to commemorate World Music Day under the guidance of the US based Make Music Alliance. Organisers further revealed that for the 2018 edition, the Make Music Lagos crew will be upping the ante with a full slate of events across the month of June. Over 16 concerts will also be hosted on World Music Day which comes up June 21 in various venues across the city of Lagos. The celebrations will be capped off with a Lagos Shutdown on Sunday the 24th of June at the Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island with live performances from LAGBAJA, WAJE and a host of others. Read more
Ikorodu residents protest ‘crazy electricity bills’ (Nation)
Some residents of Ikorodu carried out a peaceful protest to press home their demand for a realistic electricity billing system. The protesters stormed the venue of the launch of the Ikorodu-Sagamu road by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Monday, with placards to demand for prepaid metres. Some of the protesters who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said they had complained to IKeja Eletric (IE) office several times about estimated bills to no avail. Read more
Lawyer gets bail for ‘land grabbing’ (Nation)
A lawyer, Segun Adenrele, was yesterday brought before an Igbosere Chief Magistrates’ Court for partaking in land grabbing at Bogije Town in Ibeju-Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA). Adenrele, 54, was arraigned alongside Ashimiu Korede, 65, by the Federal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID) Alagbon-Ikoyi, before Chief Magistrate Afolashade Botoku. They are standing trial on a six-count charge of conspiracy, felony, land grabbing, unlawful and forcible entry into land and conduct likely to cause breach of peace. According to the charge, marked B/41/2018, the defendants and others at large, conspired and committed the offences between 2002 and 2018, at Bogije Town. Read more
Tanker explodes, injures resident in Victoria Island (Vanguard)
A fuel tanker yesterday caught fire and sent some parts of Victoria Island, Lagos State into panic on Tuesday. A resident was badly injured when the tanker exploded on Younis Bashorun Street, off Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island. The explosion also affected another car coming behind the tanker, as the two vehicles caught fire. It was gathered that the fully-loaded fuel tanker was offloading diesel into a generating set for a block of apartments located towards the end of the street when a resident noticed a leak that had resulted in smoke. An attempt by the resident to put out the resulting fire with a fire extinguisher worsened the situation as it blew up in his face and burnt part of him. Read more
We’re not involved in toll gate clash – Seven-UP (Punch)
The Management of Seven-Up Bottling Company Limited has distanced the company from a fight on the Mobolaji Johnson Avenue, Alausa, Ikeja, during which some officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority were injured. The company said its workers did not fight the traffic officials, adding that those arrested by the police were workers of another company. PUNCH Metro had reported that some trucks, which LASTMA claimed belonged to 7-UP, blocked the road and created a gridlock on Saturday. The state Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who was reported to have been held in the jam, directed officials to resolve the traffic. Read more
Lagos spare parts dealer kills lover, stuffs corpse in bin (Punch)
The romance of a Lagos couple has come to a tragic end after the man, Isaiah Chukwu, allegedly killed his lover, identified only as Joy. PUNCH Metro learnt that Chukwu and Joy, both indigenes of Ebonyi State, had been living together for the past two years without formalising the relationship. Chukwu, a spare parts dealer in Ladipo, Oshodi, allegedly killed the 26-year-old at their residence on Balogun Street, Oshodi. He was said to have stuffed her corpse into a bin, which he put in a sack. Our correspondent gathered that the 35-year-old tied up the deceased’s legs and knotted the top of the sack. Read more