THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE MAY 8, 2018
More cracks in Lagos APC over ward congress (Guardian)
Convener, Broom United Movement (BUM), a group within the All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr. Fouad Oki, has demanded that the Lagos State Congress Committee, which conducted the ward congresses of the party last Saturday should, on behalf of the National Working Committee (NWC), reject any concocted results by the Local Organisisng Committee (LOC). Addressing the media in Lagos yesterday, Oki who was the Director General of the Campaign Organisation of erstwhile Lagos State governors, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola and the incumbent governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode from 2003 to 2015 said the use of Local Organising Committee, which also introduced Senatorial Returning Officers (SRO) and Local Government Returning Officers during the ward congresses held across the state on Saturday was not only alien to the party’s guidelines but also encouraged a lot of irregularities and manipulations during the process. Read more
Ikeja NBA Chairman, Ogunlana, alleges threat to life (Independent)
Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, chairman of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja, has cried out over alleged threat to his life. Ogunlana, who disclosed this during a media briefing, claimed that he has been noticing strange movements around him and the association secretariat for the past seven days. He also claimed that he has established that security agents have mounted a drone to monitor his movement. According to him, “We have noticed for some days now, mounted electronic surveillance “eyes in the sky” devices, commonly called drones over the NBA lkeja branch secretariat, the home and work place of my humble self as chairman of this great and illustrious branch. Clearly, those responsible for the invasion of my privacy, illegal surveillance, untoward and cowardly harassment are none but government and her agents. And the reasons for this abuse of power is petty and at the same time sinister,” he added. Read more
Ambode, Anglican bishop ask Nigerians to get PVCs (Punch)
The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, and the Bishop of Lagos Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Ephraim Ademowo, on Monday asked residents of the state to get their Permanent Voter Cards in order to be eligible to vote during the 2019 elections. They spoke at the opening ceremony of the third session of the 33rd Synod of the diocese held at Our Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square. Ambode, in his remarks, said the country was at a critical time when all hands must be on deck to ensure the process of choosing leaders in 2019 resulted in sustainable growth and good governance for the people. The governor said stakeholders, including religious leaders, must make their voices heard on the need for people to get their PVCs and shun any act of violence. Read more
Court compels NRC MD to exhibit travelling documents (Guardian)
Justice Moji Olatoregun of the Federal High Court, Lagos has compelled the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria to show evidence of travelling as he failed to appear on February 2018. The order was sequel to Okhiria’s disobedient to appear in court despite threat to issue warrant of arrest against him in a committal application filed against him by former employee, Benedict O. Iheakam.Justice Olatoregun said: “Order of court must always be obeyed. He must not show himself to be above the law. Is he too big to appear in court? I give him a week to obey the court.” Read more
Lagos develops master plan to strengthen tourism (Punch)
The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism and Culture, Steve Ayorinde, has said the state government is developing a master plan to strengthen the tourism industry. He said the plan would focus on culture and heritage, film, art and entertainment, business tourism, nature and adventure, medical and wellness as well as beach and leisure. Ayorinde spoke at the ongoing Y2018 Ministerial Briefing at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja in commemoration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode third year in office, a statement said on Monday. Read more
Court affirms Lagos AG power to withdraw suit (Guardian)
Justice Owolabi Dabiri of a Lagos High Court, Tafawa Balewa Square has affirmed the powers of the state Attorney General, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem to withdraw a criminal case filed against Deepak Khilani and Sushil Chandra. The judge held that the AG validly exercised his power of Nolli Prosequi as granted in section 211 of the 1999 constitution in withdrawing the criminal charges against the two defendants. The claimant, Incorporated Trustees of Law and Awareness Initiative, had filed the suit challenging the power of the AG to withdraw a pending criminal case against the defendants by way of a Nolli Prosequi. Read more
Lagos law firm seeks to boost investment in financial technology (Guardian)
In order to find ways to build and identify opportunities that allow investors to invest in the growing financial technology sector (Fintech), a Lagos-based law firm, Duale, Ovia & Alex-Adedipe (DOA), has decided to hold its inaugural business series on the topic. The event holds today May 8, 2018 at The Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.According to the Managing Partner of the firm, Adeniyi Duale, the Breakfast Session will afford participants the opportunity to deliberate on ways to build and identify opportunities that allow Investors or Venture Capitalists to invest in the budding Fintech sector”. He said DOA is a full-service commercial law firm providing a wide range of expert legal services to highly diversified clients in various sectors of the economy.Duale also disclosed that the event would focus on topical issues in the Financial Technology (Fintech) space with an opportunity to discuss and review new developments from a global perspective. Read more
TCN restores 20MW supply at Alagbon after transformer fire (DailyTrust)
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said it has restored the transmission of 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity supply at the Alagbon substation in Lagos State after a transformer was gutted by fire recently. The spokesperson, Ndidi Mbah, in a statement said the burnt 66MVA transformer for its 312/33KV transformer has been isolated as the 33KV feeder has been connected to another redundant transformer in the substation to restore supply to the feeder of Eko Distribution Company (DisCo). Read more
Lagos, Abuja airports lead in aircraft movement in 2017 (DailyTrust)
30 Nigerian airports recorded 210, 693 number of aircraft movement in 2017, a data released yesterday by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has shown. This comprised 105, 360 arrivals and 105,333 departures, it was learnt. This figure is different from the earlier report released by the Consumer Protection Department of the authority which indicated that eight domestic carriers operated 48, 319 flights in 2017. The latest data published on the NCAA website is a more comprehensive record of the flight operations across all the airports in the country including those managed by the Federal Government, states and the private sector. Read more
LASG receives $400,000 Ford foundation grant for proposed museum project(Vanguard)
The Lagos State Government yesterday said it had received $400,000 out of the $600,000 grant donated by the Ford Foundation for the proposed Lagos Museum project to be sited at the New Eko Court, Marina. Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Steve Ayorinde disclosed this, while addressing journalists at the annual Ministerial press briefing to mark the third year anniversary of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration, held in Alausa, Ikeja. The commissioner, who also unveiled that the state’s Tourism Master Plan, said it had adequately captured the potentials of spiritual or religious tourism, noting that the primary concern of government was to ensure that the infrastructure and enabling environment to drive tourism development was fully in place. Read more
Lagos warns against indiscriminate dumping of refuse (Vanguard)
Lagos State Government has warned against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the sprawling city, pointing out that it has strengthened its environmental enforcement law to deal with environmental offenders across the state. Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, who disclosed this during ministerial briefing of his ministry to mark the third year of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration in the state, said the operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC, arrested 2,097 environmental offenders, comprising illegal street traders, hawkers, highway pedestrian defaulters, environmental nuisance polluters and cart-pushers. Read more
At Lagos Laughs, ugliness is a winning spell (Punch)
Call Gift Loveday an ugly man, if you like. His less-charming looks may justify that. But he proved that ugliness is an art on Sunday night, when he won the second edition of the Ibile Comedy Challenge segment of the Lagos Laughs show held at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos. With the victory decided by the audience, he went home with N1m, beating 14 other contestants, most of whom also proved their worth with quality jokes. Before any member of the audience could think aloud that Port Harcourt, River State-born Loveday was far from being handsome, he hit them with self-battering humour. According to him, he is so ugly that, when he was in the foundation school, his teacher regularly used him as a specimen when he (teacher) wanted his (Loveday’s) classmates to draw a monkey. Read more
LAF 9.0: Lagos Architects forge Intercontinental Alliances (Independent)
In response to the shrinking nature of Lagos, architects in Lagos, under the umbrella of LAF 9.0, have formed alliances with intercontinental organisations and individuals to ensure a sustainable livability of their urban space. According to Fitzgerald Umah, chairman, Lagos chapter of the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), because the space in Lagos is shrinking as a result of its population, it is the responsibility of everybody, individuals, policy makers, professionals in the built industry and the general public, to know the proper way to build and the materials to use when building. Read more
Lagos lawyer bought new knives to kill husband – Police (Punch)
A Lagos-based lawyer, Udeme Odibi, who reportedly stabbed her husband, Otike Odibi, to death, has allegedly confessed to the murder. The police said the 47-year-old called her mother on the telephone immediately after committing the alleged crime to tell her. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, who gave the update on Monday during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Ikeja, said the suspect also sent a message to her sister on WhatsApp shortly before the incident. The CP added that the suspect had procured a set of new knives from which she allegedly picked to kill her 50-year-old spouse. Read more
Evans fails to recover 25 seized trucks (DailyTrust)
A Federal High Court in Lagos has thrown out the suit by the alleged kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, seeking recovery of his 25 Mack trucks in the custody of the police. The court, presided over by Justice Hadiza Rabiu-Shagari, dismissed the suit which also sought award of N200m against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and five other respondents. Justice Rabiu-Shagari ruled yesterday that by provisions of the constitution and Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the police have the right to seize and confiscate any items or properties as exhibit. The court also said it cannot stop the police or other security agencies from carrying out their constitutional duties. Read more
Cult member kills man over N20,000 politician’s gift (Punch)
The police in Lagos have arrested a suspected leader of the Eiye Confraternity, Lukuman Agboola, in the Bariga area of the state, for allegedly killing a resident, Adegoke Philip. Agboola, aka Baggo, reportedly killed the victim following an altercation over N20,000 which was given to them by an unnamed politician in the community. It was learnt that as Agboola wanted to collect the gift from the politician, one of his gang members, identified simply as Ahmed, hijacked it and fled. Agboola was reportedly angered by Ahmed’s conduct. Punch Metro learnt that a scuffle ensued between Agboola and Philip, after the latter reprimanded him for the flare-up. Read more
Police arrest 7 Minors, 13 other suspected Cultists in Lagos (ThisDay)
No fewer than seven minors and 13 other suspected cultists were arrested by the Lagos State Police Command in different raids across the state. The state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, while parading the suspects Monday, said it was particularly worrisome that some of them were minors. On the first set of arrested cultists, he said the O/C Anti-cultism, SP Agbegbe Godwin, acting on information about a dreaded cult group terrorising the people of Ejinirin-Iworo area of Ikorodu, swung into action with his team. The operatives arrested four suspected cultists belonging to Eiye confraternity and they all confessed to belonging to the cult group. Read more
Bus driver allegedly pushes policewoman out of moving vehicle (Punch)
A 41-year-old commercial driver, John Imoh, who allegedly pushed a policewoman out of a moving vehicle, was on Monday brought before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. Imoh, who resides at Ojodu-Berger, Lagos, is facing a charge of assault. The police Prosecutor Seargent Godwin Awase told the court that the accused committed the offence on April 22 at Fagba, Agege, Lagos. Awase said the accused assaulted Inspector Patricia Okhide attached to the traffic section of the Nigeria police while performing her lawful duty. Read more
S-African man found dead in Lagos hotel (Vanguard)
A Nigerian lady, Gift Mike, is cooling her heels at State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Yaba answering questions bordering on the death of her South African lover, Daniel Grant, weekend, in a hotel on Victoria Island area of Lagos. The deceased, as gathered, checked into a hotel on Sinatu Daranijo Street, last Friday, in the company of his girl friend, Gift. Thereafter, they went to PAT bar, in Victoria Island to wine and dine before returning to the hotel at about 1.30 am. However, management of the hotel as well as other lodgers were jolted from sleep by an alarm raised from one of the rooms. The hotel manager, Abdul Ismail, who rushed to ascertain what the matter was, found the dangling body of the South African in the toilet, consequent upon which he alerted policemen at Maroko division. Read more
Pastor in police net for ‘propagating hate speech’ (Nation)
The police in Lagos have arrested a 35-year-old pastor, Chris Mordi, of the Miracle of Fires Ministry, Langbasa, Ajah, Lagos, for allegedly propagating hate speech. Police Commissioner Edgal Imohimi told reporters the suspect was arrested on May 5 at Ado Road, Langbasa, Ajah in Lagos State. He said the pastor was arrested allegedly while in possession of an inciting publication, titled: “Beware of Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) and Knights of the Catholic for they are occultic.” Imohimi said the pastor had invited his members for a programme where he was to make a public pronouncement on the issue before the publications were intercepted. Read more