THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE JULY 4, 2018
President Emmanuel Macron, Ambode at the Shrine (Vanguard)
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Lagos on Tuesday evening to the Shrine, Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti’s music venue, to celebrate Nigerian and African culture. “I’m very happy to be here with you tonight,” said Macron, addressing the cheering and whistling crowd in English. Macron went directly to the Shrine from Nigeria’s capital of Abuja, where he met with President Muhammadu Buhari on the second day of his visit to West Africa after Mauritania on Monday. The French president said he was happy to return to Nigeria, where he had done an internship at the French embassy in 2002 and had visited the Shrine. Describing the concert hall as “iconic”, Macron said that “we have to build a new common narrative” in Africa. Read more
Ambode urges directors to make good decisions (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday told directors in the state public service not to make decisions that would harm the system. The governor spoke at a two-day training in ‘High Impact Decision Making Programme for Directors in the Lagos State Public Service’ in Ikeja. Ambode said a process-informed decision-making style would ensure that decisions were not based on sentiments, adding that decisions must be backed by a series of sequential activities. The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr Benson Oke, added that Lagos needed its senior officers to develop a decision-making style that would make the implementation of government policies effective. Read more
2019: Turaki meets Lagos PDP, vows to defeat Buhari (NewTelegraph)
A former Minister of Special Duties and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki, yesterday met with delegates of the party in Lagos, pledging to rebuild the passion of nationalism and patriotism. Speaking when he visited the Lagos PDP in company with a former Governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna; former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Sulaiman Abubakar; former Niger Delta Minister, Chief Steven Oru, among others, the aspirant said the current administration in the country has failed, hence his decision to rebuild the country. He said: “We have a divisive and discriminatory government in power that we are now doubting the Nigeria project”. Read more
FG reiterates commitment to complete Lagos -Ibadan Railway Line (ThisDay)
In a bid to ensure the completion of 156.65 kilometres Lagos-Ibadan rail line by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) before the end of 2018, the federal government has intensified its supervision of the project in order to necessitate timely completion. Speaking while inspecting the rail project in Ibadan at midweek, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, noted that the laying of rail tracks has commenced while other environmental challenges confronting the project are being resolved. Amaechi also warned the company that its agreement with Nigeria is not to build the railway and monopolise labour but build and handover to Nigerians who will then maintain it. Read more
500 PDP members defect to APC in Lagos (Punch)
No fewer than 500 members of the People’s Democratic Party in Lagos on Tuesday defected to the All Progressives Congress. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the new entrants to APC concluded their defection at an elaborate ceremony held at the APC secretariat in Ikeja. The defectors, from the 57 councils in the state, were led by a former PDP chieftain, Mr. Elijah Awodeyi. They were received into their new party by the APC chairman in the state, Mr. Tunde Balogun. Balogun said that the APC was delighted to receive the new members and groups joining the party. He said their coming meant that they had decided to join the progressive train and stay with the party that stood for development. Read more
Environmental degradation torments Lagos community (SUN)
For years, residents of the Festac Extension Estate, Mile 2, in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State have been living in utter distress. And their agony does not seem to have a terminal date. The people are not happy with the environmental condition of the estate, which they said has exposed them to health hazards. They lamented that, for over 15 years, they have been contending with flood, which has overrun the entire vicinity, exposing them to various health problems. They accused the state and local governments of abandoning them to their fate, as there has been no concrete step to conclusively address the problem over the years, despite their consistent complaints. Read more
LASG, firm train 500 youths in relevant skills (Punch)
A training and recruitment services firm, 1st CRT Management Service, on Tuesday said it was collaborating with the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment to train no fewer than 500 youths in the state. The firm said the training was a renewed effort to reduce the rate of unemployment among young people in the state. In a statement, the Chief Executive Officer, 1st CRT Management, Mrs Folayemi Olaitan, said the training, which focused on the theme, ‘Mind-set reorientation and employability skills’, was aimed at equipping the youth with the right skills to secure sustainable jobs, start new businesses and provide competitive services. Read more
Lagos moves to prevent Poliomyelitis, Carry out Round 2 Immunization Campaign (Independent)
To protect children from polio infection, the Lagos State Government has said it is targeting no fewer than 4.9 million children between 0-59 months, irrespective of their immunisation status, for free vaccine which began on Saturday, at various designated centers across the state. According to World Health Organisation(WHO), Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Read more
Winners emerge in Lagos Governor’s Quiz Contest (ThisDay)
Winners of the season IX Lagos State Schools Governor’s Quiz Competition have emerged, as Lagos State Senior Model College, Kankon defeated Epe Senior Grammar School to clinch the star prize. The competition, aimed at developing the minds of the students by creating a healthy rivalry among students in public and private primary, junior and senior secondary schools across the state, saw Idimu Junior High School, Alimosho and Military Nursery/Primary School, Yaba defeating Community Junior High School, Debojo and Araromi Primary School, Gbagada to win the junior secondary and primary schools categories prime trophies. Read more
Femi Kuti, Banky W, Yemi Alade, Joke Silva, others thrill Emmanuel Macron at Afrika Shrine (Vanguard)
Femi Kuti, Afrobeat musician and son of music legend Fela thrilled French President Emmanuel Macron and guests alongside dance hall singer Yemi Alade at the New Afrika Shrine on Tuesday. Both of them were among entertainers and industry experts gathered at the Shrine to celebrate Fela’s legacy during the visit of French President. Emmanuel Macron, who visited the shrine to inaugurate the African Cultural season to be hosted in France in 2020, is believed to be the first real President to enter the shrine. The event, hosted by Banky W and Kenturah King, was tagged ‘Celebration of African Culture’ and witnessed massive turnout of entertainers across the music industry and Nollywoood. Emmanuel Macron was welcomed by the Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode and was given a tour of the cultural landmark, shortly before he was seen gleefully dancing as Femi Kuti performed. Read more
Lagos residents protest disconnection from EKEDC’s Transformer (Independent)
Some residents of Ayetoro, Aguda, Surulere Local Government, Lagos State, on Tuesday stormed the head office of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) to protest the disconnection of their community from transformer. The protesters, as early as 10 am, besieged the Marina headquarters of the company, preventing both workers and visitors from entering the premises, thereby causing gridlock around Lagos-Marina. Mrs Adunni Abibat, Chairman, Ayetoro Community Development Association, said the residents were forced to go the head office of the company because they were disconnected from the EKEDC transformer about 14 days ago. Read more
Pyrates seek compensation for victims of recent Lagos tragedies (SUN)
The Ikeja and Mainland Chapters of the National Association of Seadogs, have urged the Lagos State Government to quickly come to the aid of those who suffered losses in the recent tragedies that took place in the state. The organisation noted that on 19 and 29 June 2018 respectively, a truck conveying plywood while on the Ojuelegba Bridge in Lagos state emptied its contents on passersby below, killing three persons and injuring two in the process. “10 days later, a fuel-laden tanker on Otedola Bridge at the Ojodu Berger axis of the state, again spilled its contents causing a fire incident that killed nine persons, injured four and incinerated over 54 vehicles. Read more
Private toll operators squeeze Lagos residents, rake in N30 million monthly (Guardian)
Despite a plethora of road construction projects by the state government, the plight of Lagosians in key residential communities appears to favour private toll operators.The managers of multiple makeshift bridges in the guise of service providers, are arm-twisting motorists and pedestrians to amass revenue in excess of over N30 million monthly. Investigation by The Guardian revealed that some of the link-bridges are not new and so poorly maintained. Yet, their mastermind and beneficiaries alike have lately increased the tolls on the young and old.Residents though alleged connivance of some officials in the scheming, they called on the state government to check the “powerful” operators and see to the development of proper basic infrastructure in communities. Read more
Gunmen attack Lagos bank customer, steal N250,000 (Punch)
A gang of robbers have met their Waterloo at Morogbo, in the Badagry area of Lagos State after they were caught for robbing a bank customer of N250,000. Punch Metro learnt that the suspects were beaten to a pulp by a mob on Friday before they were handed over to policemen from the Morogbo division. Our correspondent gathered that the men – Saka Ibrahim (25), Oni Kudaisi (35), Sodiq Dauda (28), and Taiwo Popoola (24) – waylaid their victim, who had just withdrawn the money from an Access Bank branch at Car Wash bus stop. The gunmen reportedly collected the money, shot into the air to scare residents and fled on two motorcycles they brought for the operation. Read more
60-year-old Lagos driver defiles daughter, 12 (Punch)
A driver, Amusat Ashiru, has been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for defiling his daughter. The 60-year-old was alleged to have raped his third daughter several times at their home on Efon Alaye Street, in the Akowonjo area of the state. It was gathered that the Oyo State indigene had had two children with his first wife before putting the victim’s mother in a family way. The child was said to have been living with her grandmother in Abeokuta, Ogun State, before the suspect brought her to Lagos in April. Read more