THISISLAGOS MIDDAY NEWS UPDATE JULY 17, 2018
Third Mainland Bridge will be shut for 3 days – FG (Punch)
The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos will be closed to traffic for three days from July 27, 2018, to assess the condition of the bridge, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has said. A statement on Monday said Fashola, spoke as guest on the Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The minister reportedly said the closure was necessary in order to ascertain whether there had been any material deterioration between the period the first procurement for maintenance of the bridge was approved and now, adding that the three days would be used to examine the bridge to be sure that there had been no material deterioration beyond what was procured. Read more
Lagos assures residents of safety (Nation)
Lagos State Government has assured residents that the on-going flood abatement and ocean shore protection measures in the state will not harm them. Commissioner for Information and Strategy Kehinde Bamigbetan, in a statement yesterday said the government has already commenced the maintenance of all primary, secondary and tertiary drainage channels under the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI). “Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration is mindful of the terrain and geographical location of the state being very close to the coast which makes it relatively prone to flooding and as such has come up with the global best practices through the engagement of reputable and competent contractors for all year schedule maintenance of all primary, secondary and tertiary drainage channels in the five divisions of the State,” Bamigbetan said. Read more
Lagos wants smart-city compliant HR management (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has said there is the need to continuously develop human resource capacity in commissions, ministries, departments and agencies if the smart city vision is to be realised. The Head of Service, Mrs Folasade Adesoye, said this on Monday while inaugurating a two-day retreat for human resource commissions and related MDAs in the public service in Epe. She said the theme of the retreat, ‘Transforming Governance towards Sustaining a United Public Service through the Integration of Practices and Automation of Data Management across Commissions,’ was chosen to underscore the importance of human resource management. Read more
FG: N3bn ‘derelict’ Lagos airport runway to be revived (NewTelegraph)
The Federal Government has concluded plans to fix the over N3 billion runway lighting of 1/8 Left of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma gave this assurance to New Telegraph on the sideline at FAAN’s second quarter stakeholders’ meeting held at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos conference centre, last weekend. The Lagos airport has two runways. The 1/8 Right runway is dedicated to international airline operations because of the length and width of the facility, while the 1/8 Left runway is one used by domestic carriers. Read more
LASU holds workshop today (Nation)
The Department of English in the Lagos State University (LASU) in conjunction with the Nigeria Pragmatics Association will today commence a three-day National Workshop on Pragmatics Research.The workshop, theme, “Current trends in pragmatics research, theory and practice,” will hold at Central Language Laboratory Complex in LASU. Prof Nana Aba Appiah Amfo from University of Ghana will deliver a keynote address, while Prof Charles Ogbulogo from Covenant University, Lagos and Prof Akin Odebunmi from University of Ibadan are the plenary speakers. Read more
Employment: 5,000 undergraduates begin training in three Lagos centres (Vanguard)
At least 5,000 final year students from eight tertiary institutions in Lagos have commenced training in three different centres for the third edition of the Ready.Set.Work, an Entrepreneurship and Employability Training programme of the State’s Ministry of Education. The training programme commenced at the weekend at the three designated centres including LASU, Ojo Campus; LASPOTECH, Ikorodu Campus and UNILAG, Akoka, with scores of professionals from different sectors of the economy, who have signed up as volunteers in the Ready.Set.Work Faculty which will run for 13 weeks. Read more
MTN empowers 100 POWA members in Lagos (Punch)
MTN Nigeria has empowered 100 women from the Police Officers Wives’ Association, Lagos State chapter. The women were presented with mobile stalls where they would to sell airtime and data with the use of digital gadgets, a statement on the CSR initiative said. As part of the empowerment programme, the company also beautified the POWA market corridor in Falomo, Ikoyi. Representing the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment at the ceremony, the General Manager, Lagos State Parks and Gardens, Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, said, “We are glad that MTN is making conscious effort to give back to the community and beautify Lagos through the renovation of the POWA Shopping Complex corridor here in Ikoyi and we are glad that Lagos State is gradually becoming a greener and healthier environment.” Read more
LG Electronics showcases sustainable environment products at Lagos Expo 2018 (Vanguard)
Electronics giant, LG Electronics, in its drive towards products that are environmentally sustainable and eco-friendly, exhibited its latest innovative products that can be described as technological breakthrough at the just-concluded West Africa HVAC Expo 2018 in Lagos. These products are designed to help home owners, mall owners, commercial property owners, offices, churches and others reduce energy consumption without causing environmental nuisance. The West Africa HVAC is a unique platform for leading brands in the technology industry to showcase their latest innovations. The 2018 edition of the expo took place between Tuesday and Thursday last week at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event offered an unrivaled opportunity for companies to further make public statements in terms of their positioning in the industry and their new offerings. Read more
Sex-for-marks: Victim, Linda Ikeji refuse to show up ―VC (Tribune)
The Governing Council of University of Lagos, UNILAG, on Monday, said the university would likely involve the police to compel the accuser of Prof Olusegun Awonusi of the Department of English Language of the institution, Miss Joy Nwanna and the publisher of the Linda Ikeji blog, Ms Linda Ikeji, to appear before a fact-finding committee constituted by the university to investigate the matter, and substantiate their allegations and report, respectively. The university said all efforts to get particularly Awonusi’s accuser and convince Linda Ikeji whose website published the news and semi-nude pictures of the don in the centre of the allegation to substantiate their claims, were to no avail. Read more
Trucks to be barred from Lagos bridges – FRSC (PremiumTimes)
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said that efforts are being made to place bars on some Lagos bridges to prevent indiscriminate parking of tankers and articulated vehicles. Hyginus Omeje, the FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday. Mr Omeje said a committee had been inaugurated to look into how owners of trucks and tankers could do their business without climbing bridges in the state. “We are working on how truck drivers can use the ground instead of climbing bridges in Lagos State to prevent accidents and gridlock. Read more
CP vows to gun down robbers who sent letters to Lagos community (Guardian)
Following a letter sent by armed robbers to residents of Igando, Egan, Akesan and Obadore communities in Lagos, the Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, has ordered his men to shoot at sight anyone found with firearms in the area at odd hours. Edgal, who stated this during an emergency security meeting and on-the-site visit to Igando yesterday, urged residents to warn their wards against loitering between 12midnight to 4:00a.m. in the area, saying anyone found outside within the restricted time would be arrested. The police boss also stated that a team of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) would be deployed to intensify patrol at Obadore area, urging them to respond with firearms to any suspect in possession of arms at night. Read more
Police arrest university dropout for ‘fraud’ (Nation)
A university dropout, Destiny Otubambo, 27, has been arrested by the police in Lagos for alleged theft and obtaining by false pretences.Otubambo, the police said, obtained a phone from a dealer at Ikota Shopping Complex Lekki, Ajah, on May 24 by generating false alert.The suspect, a university dropout, said to be parading himself as a lawyer, allegedly requested for phones valued at N377,500 and opted to pay by mobile transfer. Parading the suspect yesterday at Ikeja, Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said: “He was given the account details to which the said amount should be credited. After few minutes, he claimed he had credited the said sum. To prove he had, he showed a debit alert from Zenith account number 2110746005, titled, Desitny Ayo Adeleke. Read more
Alfa used fake vision to rape student in Lagos – Police (Punch)
An Alfa, Mustapha Hammed, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly raping a 29-year-old student of Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos. The police said the 23-year-old suspect told the victim that he saw a vision that she would die in 24 hours, unless the student took three spiritual baths. It was gathered that after the victim received the message, Hammed allegedly took the girl to Itowolo in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State for cleansing to avert the death. Read more
Undergraduate raped, barks like a dog after spiritual cleansing (Guardian)
A 29-year-old female student of the College of Education, Akoka, Lagos State, who visited a Muslim cleric, Mustapha Hammed, popularly known as ‘Alfa’, for spiritual cleaning to avert calamity, is allegedly barking like a dog after undergoing cleansing in Ikorodu area of the state. The cleric, one Mustapha Hammed, aged 23, who has been arrested, admitted to have put a live frog in the water the undergraduate used to bath during the cleansing. An investigation by the police revealed that the suspect raped the victim upon discovering that she was a virgin. Thereafter, he allegedly wiped the blood with a piece of cloth. Read more
Lagos SWAN salutes Ambode for rescuing stranded Nigerian from Russia (ThisDay)
The leadership of the Lagos State Chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria has heaped encomium on the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode for rescuing 50 stranded Nigerians who went to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In a statement issued by Lagos SWAN, Chairman, Debo Oshundun, the association said the recent gesture by Ambode who is the association’s Grand Patron has not only impacted 50 people’s lives but has sent a strong message to the global community. “This is a noble gesture which is worthy of emulation . We cannot thank his Excellency enough for coming to the rescue of these Nigerians who were victims of dubious traveling agents.” Read more
Cycling Lagos 2018: Eko Hotels to accommodate Cycling Lagos participants, guests (Vanguard)
Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, says it will host the last leg of the Cycling Lagos 2018 by providing accommodating guests for the event’s Gala Night of the biggest sports, tourism and entertainment competition in Nigeria. The tournament’s organisers said on Monday in Lagos that the hospitality company made the offer that the gesture was sequel to a partnership arrangement it reached with the organisers of the highly anticipated Cycling Lagos billed for Aug. 25. Bamidele Adeleye, the Media Officer of the tournament said in Lagos that by virtue of the agreement between the organisers of the event and the management of Eko Hotels, the Magnificent Hall would now host the Awards Gala Night. Read more
International Badminton Classic starts tomorrow (Guardian)
No fewer than 22 countries will participate in this year’s International Badminton Classic, which will begin tomorrow at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, till July 21. Countries that have registered are Jordan, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Ivory Coast, Benin Republic, Czech Republic, India, Malaysia and host, Nigeria. At this year’s edition, while 133 players across the world will be competing for laurels, the nation will feature 60 players. Winners of the fourth edition are expected to go home with $25,000 prize, which is an upgrade from the $20,000 prize for last edition. The event, which is sponsored by the Lagos State government, is organised by the Lagos State Badminton Association. President of the Nigeria Badminton Federation Francis Orbih will serve as the chairman of Local Organising Committee (LOC). Read more
Tandoh lauds Ambode, fans during World Cup (Guardian)
The Executive Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, Dr. Kweku Adedayo Tandoh, has once again thanked the Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Akinwunmi Ambode for his great wisdom and insight in approving the setting up of eight World Cup Viewing Centres across the state for Lagosians. Tandoh also commended Lagosians for their good conduct throughout the period of the World Cup. “I want to thank Lagosians for making His Excellency, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode proud by their exemplary conduct at the various viewing centres. For 30 days, there were no cases of violence, hooliganism or unruly behavior,” Tandoh stated. Read more