THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE MARCH 28, 2018
Lagos declares Thursday March 29 work free day (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday declared Thursday, March 29 as work free day in the State. A statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan disclosed that this will enable Lagosians come out enmasse to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari who is on a historic two-day visit to Lagos State. The statement urged residents to adhere to the security guidance earlier announced to make the visit as peaceful and orderly. Announcing traffic diversions and alternative routes ahead of a two-day visit by President Muhammadu Buhari to the State between March 29 and 30, State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal, at a press briefing held at Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja, said adequate preparations have been made to mitigate the impact of the road diversions on residents, while access would be given to any emergency situation. Read more
Buhari pays 2-day visit to Lagos (Vanguard)
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday begin a two-day official visit to Lagos State, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan said on Wednesday. According to Bamigbetan, the President, will during the course of his visit carry out some groundbreaking ceremonies and inspect some ongoing projects in the State. He said the President, on arrival, will attend the Colloquium organised to mark the 66th Birthday of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu scheduled to hold at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday. Read more
Ambode promises judicious use of taxes (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday opened the Alapere Road and junction improvement works in the Agboyi Ketu area of the state, saying that his administration would continue to use judiciously taxes paid by Lagosians. Ambode said the 1.4 kilometres road was a fulfilment of one of the recommendations of the traffic summit in November 2015. “This infrastructure, with its improvement, will not only serve the purpose of reducing travel time and resolving gridlock, it will also increase the value of property in this area and become a source of prosperity to the owners. That is the Lagos of our dream,” the governor said. Read more
Lagos educationists mobilise for PVC collection (Nation)
Educationists yesterday said they were ready to mobilise for Lagois State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s second term in office. Speaking under the aegis of Association for Formidable Educational Development, which comprises low-cost private schools, its president, Mrs Ifejola Dada, said the group had the capacity to mobilise for Ambode’s continuity in office.Mrs. Dada Ifejola said this while receiving the Coordinator of Itesiwaju Ipinle Eko Vanguard, Mr. Seyi Bamigbade, at Mushin local government, in Lagos, where her group and 57 other co-ordinators were integrated into the a larger Governor Ambode’s group known as Itesiwaju Ipinle Eko Vanguard. Read more
Ijebu traditional rulers in Lagos endorse Gov. Ambode for second term (Vanguard)
Traditional Rulers in Lagos State of Ijebu extraction have unanimously endorsed the candidacy of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode to run for a second term in office. The traditional rulers comprise: Epe, Eredo, Agbowa-Ikosin, Ikorodu and Ibeju-Lekki. The traditional rulers made the declaration at the formal launching of the group in Epe. The motion for the endorsement of Ambode for a second term in office was moved by Oba Akeem Adesanya on behalf of the Ijebu Traditional Rulers Group, Lagos State. Read more
Land Use Charge: Public hearing not affected by Ikeja NBA’s walk-out (Vanguard)
The public hearing on the proposed amendment to the 2018 Land Use Charge Law held today at the Lagos State House of Assembly. Interest in the Land Use Charge legislation has been very high ever since the uproar generated when a few weeks ago, the government began distributing demand notices in line with the 2018 version of the Land Use Charge. Some members of the public were surprised at the new Land Use Charge tariffs charged, sequel to the new law. Read more
Lagos declares 28-day limit for processing building approval permit (ThisDay)
In a move to improve the state’s ease of doing business, the Lagos State Government has pegged the period within which building approval can be processed to 28 days, saying it has waved title documents as a condition for obtaining approval. The state government has also issued a six-month notice to enable all property owners, who have built without approval regularise their approval documents, noting that it will not charge any penalty within the window of six months. The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting he addressed at the weekend to sensitise the residents of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, Lagos. Read more
Lagos CJ signs sentencing guidelines for Magistrate, High Courts (Vanguard)
As parts of efforts to make fair dispensation of justice available to citizenry, Justice Opeyemi Oke, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, on Wednesday signed in sentencing guidelines for the Magistrates and High Courts in the state. Justice Oke signed in the sentencing guidelines at the inaugural meeting of the Criminal Justice Sector Reform Committee held in the conference room of the Ikeja High Court. Mr Adeniji Kazeem, the Lagos State Attorney-General, judges, representatives of the Nigeria Police and members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) were at the meeting. Others that were part of the meeting include law enforcement agencies, Nigerian Prisons Service as well as other stakeholders in the criminal justice system of Lagos. Read more
LUC: Speaker gives lawyers, others two weeks to submit memoranda (Nation)
Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa yesterday gave lawyers two weeks to submit memoranda on the controversial Land Use Charge Law. It was at a public hearing conducted by the House of Assembly at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium, Assembly Complex, Alausa. The revised law had been reviewed downward by the state government. Reactions have trailed the law prompting the government to call for a public hearing. A six-man committee was set up to look into the repealed law to identify the grey arrears. Impressed by the turnout of stakeholders Obasa said it was the first time the House would witness such attendance in any bill passing process. He said: “It has been predicted that the Lagos State population will increase over the next years and so the state needs to look inward for means of revenue generation as we cannot solely rely on federal allocation.” Read more
Police arraigns 2 brothers for allegedly selling controlled drugs (Nation)
The Police on Tuesday arraigned two brothers, Sheu, 40, and Faruk Ibrahim, 23, in a Yaba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly selling the controlled Tramadol Capsules. Sheu and Faruk were arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and endangering the life of the public. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Earlier, ASP R. Unuigbe told the court that the accused committed the offences on March 2, at Itire Area, Lagos. Read more
Dapchi: I want my daughter home for Easter— Leah Sharibu’s dad (Vanguard)
Nathaniel Sharibu, a Police Officer and father of Miss Leah Sharibu, the 15-year old Dapchi schoolgirl still being held captive by Boko Haram for her refusal to convert to Islam, yesterday pleaded with the Federal Government and all Nigerians to ensure the release of his daughter before the Easter celebrations. In a brief telephone interview yesterday, Mr. Sharibu, a member of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, narrated their ordeal since February 19 when the 110 Dapchi schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram, saying: “I really have nothing much to say now except that Leah is not yet back to join the rest of the family. Read more
Dino Melaye accuses police, Kogi govt of plot to kill him (Vanguard)
Embattled Senator Dino Melaye, yesterday claimed he had uncovered an alleged plan by the Nigerian Police and the Kogi State Government to assassinate him using lethal injection while travelling to Kogi State. He claimed that was why they insisted on prosecuting him in Kogi State, instead of Abuja, for a crime he allegedly committed. But in a swift reaction, both the Kogi State Government and Police headquarters in Abuja, dismissed the senator claims as fragment of his imagination. This came as the Senate mandated its Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters and that of Police Affairs, to immediately carry out a holistic investigation into the matter and report at plenary within 48 hours. Read more
Odigie-Oyegun’s tenure extension can’t stand, says President Buhari (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday declared as unconstitutional the recent decision by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to extend the tenure of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC). The president’s position took the NWC and the 36 state chairmen of the party, who were beneficiaries of the controversial decision, by surprise at the start of the NEC meeting yesterday at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja. Read more
Suspects in Dino Melaye’s arms case escape from detention (Vanguard)
Two criminal suspects, who indicted Senator Dino Melaye as their arms supplier, has escaped police custody. The two suspects, Kabiru Seudu, aka Osama and Nuhu Salish aka Small, along with four others were said to have escaped the ‘A’ division cell in Lokoja, around 3 am and forcefully went through the back door. State commissioner of Police, CP Ali Janga who confirmed the story said the police has declared the escaped suspects wanted along with Senator Melaye and Mohamed Audu. Read more
May considers banning City of London from selling Russian debt (Guardian)
Theresa May has agreed to look into imposing a ban on the City of London from helping Russia sell its sovereign debt, which prop ups the Russian economy. Last month, City clearing houses, working alongside a major sanctioned Russian bank, helped issue $4bn of eurobonds to finance Russian sovereign debt, of which nearly half was sold in London markets. Nearly half the debt was bought by London-based investors, predominantly institutional investors. A loophole in EU and UK legislation has allowed sanctioned Russian banks, primarily VTB bank, to act as the main organisers – known as book runners – for the issuance of Russian debt. Read more
MEMO hosts launch of The Last Earth by Ramzy Baroud (Memo)
Last night MEMO hosted Ramzy Baroud as he launched his new book The Last Earth in front of a packed lecture theatre at Imperial College, London. Chaired by Dr Dina Matar of the Centre for Palestine Studies at SOAS, University of London, Baroud shared his thoughts on some of the biggest issues facing Palestinians today and read a number of moving extracts from the book itself. Baroud opened with a thought on how the book came about and the logic behind choosing to relay the stories of ordinary Palestinians. He noted that while there are many reasons he could cite, perhaps the most poignant was the fact that he was born in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Baroud related the story of how, during the First Intifada of 1987, aged just 13 or 14, he witnessed what local residents called the “Eid Massacre” in which several young men were killed and many more wounded. Read more
Catalan academic will resist extradition from Scotland to Spain (Guardian)
Clara Ponsatí, the Catalan academic facing extradition from Scotland to Spain for alleged sedition, said she will resist the European arrest warrant issued by judges in Madrid. Ponsati arrived at a police station in Edinburgh on Wednesday to be formally arrested and served with the Spanish warrant, before an expected appearance at Edinburgh sheriff court later to answer the extradition request. Her lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said Ponsatí – an economics professor at St Andrews university – remains “defiant, resolute and determined to fight back” as they arrived at the police station. Read more
Trump says Xi told him meeting with North Korea’s Kim went well (Reuters)
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said in a tweet that Chinese President Xi Jinping had told him a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had gone very well and that Kim looked forward to meeting with Trump. “Received message last night from XI JINPING of China that his meeting with KIM JONG UN went very well and that KIM looks forward to his meeting with me. In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!” he wrote. Read more