THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE JULY 30, 2018
Lagos seals 10 bonded terminals, cinema, others in Ajegunle (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, weekend shut down five illegal bonded terminals and four other buildings, including a cinema in Ajegunle, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state for contravening the state’s building development plans. LABSCA officials, accompanied by officials of the state taskforce, stormed the council and shutdown the affected terminals and structures. Some of the terminals shutdown during the enforcement were Queena Bonded Terminal and Don Climax Bonded Terminal. Among the buildings sealed were popular Godday Cinema that had existed for decades in Ajegunle and buildings converted from residential to commercial purposes. Read more
Govt insists on zero building collapse (Punch)
The Lagos State Government says its zero tolerance for building collapse is non-negotiable, insisting that all block moulding industries must comply with existing standard for their operations. The General Manager, Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory, Olalekan Ajani, stated this while speaking at the annual conference of the National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria (NABMON) in Ibese, Ogun State, expressing the readiness of the Lagos State Government to partner the association to sanitise the industry. Read more
Lagos to religious groups: champion peaceful 2019 poll (Nation)
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday appealed to religious bodies to help to ensure that the 2019 general elections were conducted peacefully through constant prayers for the country. Ambode, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, made the call at a Muslim Leaders Interactive Forum. The forum was organised by the Muslim Community of Lagos State (MCLS) with the theme, “Make Your Life Count: Unity of Muslim Ummah in Focus”. He said religious organisations by their standing in society had enormous responsibility in ensuring that peace prevailed in their communities. Read more
Development Strides in Lagos (Independent)
It is an acceptable norm that a democratically elected government must meet the needs of the people that voted it into power. They enjoy the ultimate sovereignty from the liberty perspective. Since governance derives its backing and support from the constitution and the people, it is mandatory for the same government to listen and carry along and feed the people back about its activities. The strength of a good government lies in its victory which comes from the ballot system and this has a numerical strength where the highest numbers of vote form a simple majority.The contrary view of democracy equally says that when a government voted into power refuses to perform or meet the yearnings or aspiration of the people that democratically voted for it, the electorate or the people being governed have the right to reject such a government by voting it out of power in subsequent elections. Read more
LASG trains police in active combat (Punch)
The Lagos State Government said it has put plan in motion to train policemen attached to the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental Offences (Enforcement) Unit on active combat. It explained that the training, which would be in four batches, would start today (Monday) at the Police Training School in Ikeja. In a statement by the spokesman for the task force, Adebayo Taofiq, the Chairman of the agency, Olayinka Egbeyemi, was quoted to have advised the policemen attached to the force to be open to new and constantly evolving policing philosophies. The statement added that the training would help the officers to override natural inclinations, biases or reservation they encounter in the course of performing their duty. Read more
Lagos moves to control flooding (Punch)
As a means to prevent buildings from collapsing and also contain flooding and traffic jam in the metropolis during the rainy season, the Lagos State Government has commenced the cleaning and clearing of drainage channels across the state. The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Public Works/Drainages, Mr Temidayo Erinle, during an inspection of some of the drainages being cleared, said the government was concerned about the challenges usually witnessed whenever it rained. According to him, the state government has spread the dredging, clearing and cleaning of the channels to the three senatorial districts of the state. Read more
Engineers plan technology village in Lagos (Guardian)
To accelerate impact of science and technology in the society, the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE) plans to establish an incubating engineering and technological centre in Lagos. The facility would also serve as an archive and monument that will protect integrity of local engineers, their achievements as well as promote the growth of current and future endeavours of practitioners. The new President of the academy, Prof. Fola Lasisi told The Guardian that the technology park is an ongoing programme, which was initiated by the immediate past president of the association to promote global competiveness in engineering applications in the Lagos state. Read more
‘Rickety compactors frustrating Lagos waste disposal efforts’ (Nation)
The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, said decrepit waste compactors relied upon by Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators to cart refuse have constituted a major hindrance to effective waste disposal in the state. He spoke on the sidelines of a familiarisation and fact-finding visit by the Federal Commissioner, Lagos State Office, Public Complaints Commission, Abimbola Ayo-Yusuf. The commissioner said lack of adequate roadworthy compactors contributed to weakening the capacity of PSP operators to serve their clients efficiently, adding that this was one of the major reasons why the frequency of evacuating waste in different localities in the state had been low. Read more
King’s College alumni build e-Braille library after Punch’s report (Punch)
Months after the Punch’s report on the lack of access to learning by visually-impaired pupils at King’s College, a unity school owned by the Federal Government, relief came to the learners on Friday when an electronic Braille library was opened on the school premises on Lagos Island. The facility – which contains an orbit reader, scientific talking calculator, computers with voice aid, talking dictionary, Braille focus forty, Braille kit, Braille emboser, scanners, Sara CE (print reader for the blind) and pearl reading camera, among others – was donated to the school by the King’s College Old Boys Association, 1982-88 set. Read more
Gbajabiamila donates fire extinguishers to market women (Nation)
House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila has donated fire extinguisher balls to market women in his Surulere Federal Constituency I of Lagos State. The lawmaker described fire as a natural calamity that could happen any time. Presenting the extinguishers at a ceremony at the popular Tejuosho Market, the House Leader said nobody prays for a fire, adding that there is need to prepare for it to minimise its devastation. Gbajabiamila assured his constituents that despite the defection of some All Progressives Congress (APC) legislators in the National Assembly to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party still has majority in both chambers. The lawmaker said those who left were the moles in the APC. Read more
Lagos announces Yaba ICT cluster project take-off (DailyTrust)
The Lagos State government has announced the commencement of the Yaba ICT Cluster project named KITE@Yaba (KITE stands for “Knowledge, Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship”), to facilitate and support the development of a technology cluster and ecosystem within the Yaba District of Lagos. Mr Hakeem Fahm, the state Commissioner for Science and Technology said “KITE@Yaba is a public-private partnership (PPP), driven by the government and supported by several industry experts and advisors along the technology value chain”. Read more
Firm opens Mercedes-Benz showroom in Lagos (Nation)
MB Automobile Services Limited, the authorised passenger cars dealers of Westar Associates Limited, has opened a state-of-the-art showroom in Victoria Island, Lagos. The showroom boasts of convenient parking space, world-class comfort for clients and visitors and an array of latest Mercedes-Benz vehicle models are also on display. The auto firm said the facility was established as a strategic point of sale location to appeals to customers and provides easy access and better customer service for existing and prospective high net worth clients in Lagos. General Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany to Nigeria, Mr Ingo Herbert applauded MB Automobiles Services for its commitment to keeping the Mercedes-Benz brand alive. Read more
Family raises the alarm over son’s abduction by SARS officers (Punch)
The family of Taofik Badmos have raised the alarm over the alleged abduction of their son by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in the Lagos State Police Command.It was gathered that the 25-year-old was a 200-level part-time student at Yaba College of Technology and also a printer. Punch Metro learnt that Taofik had left the house on Atiko Street, Lagos Island, Lagos, where he lives with his parent, in the evening on July 23, 2018, but failed to return. Our correspondent was told that the family and neighbours organised search parties which did not produce the printer. Read more
Gunmen kill moneychanger after snatching $80,000 from him (Nation)
The police are investigating the killing of a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator, Victor Thorpe, in Lagos by assailants who snatched his company’s $80,000 (N28.8m). The incident occurred at 11am on Friday when the BDC operator went to his company’s vault, said to be at LEGICO building, on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, to pick up the money. It was gathered that the assailants, who were on a motorcycle, double-crossed the commercial bus he boarded, went inside, snatched the money and shot him in the chest at close range. Read more
Family of murdered Lagos guard demands corpse from police (Punch)
The family members of late Jesse Onaniba, who was killed during an attack on Okoya Street, Ajegunle, Lagos State, are demanding the release of the remains of their son for burial. Punch Metro had reported that Onaniba was killed on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, during an attack on the community. Punch Metro learnt that Onaniba was a member of the vigilance group contracted by residents of Okoya Street to secure them against incessant attacks by armed robbers. Our correspondent also learnt that the group had engaged the robbers and managed to prevent the attackers from robbing residents. The residents alleged that the robberies were organised by Cemetery Boys, who rob the residents in the guise of supremacy battle against youths of the area. Read more