The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Lagos, Adediran Olajide aka Jandor, has accused the state government of complicity in the attack on the Labour Party supporters in the state.
Suspected hoodlums had earlier on Saturday attacked the LP supporters with machetes and other weapons as they were trying to make their way to Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos Island, venue of the party’s presidential campaign rally in the state.
He wrote: “The attack on Labour party supporters in Lagos today by suspected APC thugs is unacceptable and goes against the very essence of what a democratic society should stand for.
“We must continue to raise our voices and demand an end to this kind of behaviour. Political ideologies may differ, but violence has no place in our society. We deserve better!
“This type of violence is what we witnessed in most parts of local government areas visited during our ward-to-ward tour and to date, nothing has been done to curtail it or bring perpetrators to book.
“This shows that the present government is an accomplice to this behaviour because it favours their agenda to spread fear in the hearts of the people.
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“It was our expectation that the outgoing Chief Security Officer of the state would publicly condemn this attack and investigate these acts of violence, rather he chose to express his lack of capacity by alluding to security issues as excuse to avoiding public debate.
“Even more troubling were the attempts to intimidate residents of the LGAs we were visiting. Residents were instructed not to receive our campaign team and threatened with further violence if they disobeyed.
“They can deny all they want that they do not feel threatened by the awakening of people who demand a better life but the facts are clear, this is the end of their dynasty of hardship and terror. We will break Lagos free this year 2023.”
The Police Command in Lagos has communicated its intention to question a traditional ruler over a viral audio threatening and intimidating prospective voters resident in a community in Eti-Osa area of the state.
The Command spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to newsmen on Saturday.
Hundeyin said: “The traditional ruler, a Baale, is to be invited for questioning. Intimidating voters will not be allowed.
“Everyone should feel free to vote the candidate of his or her choice,” Hundeyin said.
A recorded audio of a meeting allegedly held on Monday at the instance of the traditional ruler had gone viral.
In the 11 minutes and 34 seconds listened to by Ripples Nigeria, the Speakers, alleged to be the traditional ruler and one other person requested the residents and those doing business in the area to vote for APC in the forthcoming elections.
The alleged traditional ruler, wanted to know how many persons at the meeting had their PVCs and only about 20 answered in the affirmative, out of about 60 persons said to be in attendance.
“If we take the number of people here, we will not be less than 60, but only 20 have PVCs; what is happening to the rest?
“We are ready to fight; yes, I am not hiding it; I have narrated everything to you. In Nigeria, there is Lagos; in Lagos, there is Eti-Osa; within Eti-Osa, we have Igbara community and by the grace of God in Igbara today, we can take our decision.
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“The people that will be friends with us, that will do business with us are those with PVCs and are willing to vote for our party. Nothing short of that,” the said traditional ruler said in the audio.
“You want to vote for other political parties? Not here! Elections have been coming and going, we have never done this before”, he added.
Another voice in the audio strongly instructed people to take photos shots of their ballot papers confirming their votes for APC in the forthcoming elections
A human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has demanded the removal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in charge of Lagos State, Olusegun Agbaje.
The group made the demand in a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood.
Intersociety anchored its stand on claims that the REC was taking actions capable of inciting genocide and ethnic cleansing targeting Ndigbo in Lagos.
The letter was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair, Intersociety, Chinwe Umeche, Head, Democracy and Good Governance Program, Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law and Chidinma Udegbunam, Head, Campaign and Publicity Department.
This came in reaction to the statement made by the REC while featuring on Channels television’s programme.
Intersociety said it was strongly calling for the immediate removal of the REC based on “live and verifiable video clips which saturated the social media spaces showing systematic and orchestrated plots by the REC to deprive the Nigerian citizens of South-East resident in Lagos their PVCs and rights to participate and vote in the Feb 25, 2023 Presidential Poll.”
It said, “apart from genocidally referring to them as ‘South-East migrants’, the REC did not hide his hatred of the South-East residents in Lagos by denying them PVCs under frivolous circumstances.
“As if these were not enough, the REC ended up vicariously, if not directly, inciting native residents preparatory to unleashing ‘Election Day and Post-Election Day’ ethnic cleansing against the South-East residents in the State.
“He also hatefully lied unpardonably by describing the decades-old South-East residents in Lagos as ‘those that migrated and settled in Lagos to escape insecurity in the South-East’.”
The group further claims that “not long ago, batches of carefully sorted out PVCs with ethno-religious marks bearing Igbo and other Eastern names were carted away from INEC custody and scattered and dumped in large numbers inside gutters and streets along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“In 2015 and 2019, organized group violence was unleashed on Igbo citizens’ resident in Lagos by loyalists of the leading political actors in Lagos for conscientiously voting for candidates of their choice.
“In the 2019 Presidential Poll, Igbo properties including homes and market stores as well as polling units in their areas were targeted, attacked and wantonly destroyed, including being razed or set ablaze; and as if these were not enough, millions of South-East voters were denied PVCs by INEC under the Lagos REC in the just conducted PVC distribution in the State.
Totality of these is, therefore, tantamount to ethnic profiling with intent to instigate incitement, genocide and ethnic cleansing against the South-East residents in Lagos State. “Intersociety hereby makes bold to say that the Lagos REC is unfit to continue as Lagos REC and must be redeployed as a matter of uttermost immediacy.
“INEC must also thoroughly investigate REC Olusegun Agbaje including looking into massive denial of PVCs to South-Easterners in Lagos State, including Igbo residents in Oshodi-Isolo, Mafoluku-Oke Afa, Ijora Badia, Amukoko, Alaba, Surulere, Orile, Itire, Ijesha, Cele, Okota, Ajegunle, Olodi Apapa, Coconut, Ojokoro-Ijaiye, Agbara, Ojo, Okoko, Satellite Town, FESTAC, Mushin, Ojuelegba, etc.”
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Meanwhile, Intersociety has cried out that there was a massive poll rigging plan ahead of the presidential poll through disenfranchisement of citizens of voting age on the grounds of their ethnic identity, religion, place of work, gender and class.
It claimed that there were also estimated four million fake names compiled from booklets of passport photographs, posters of dead persons and fake names and images from outside the country presently stored in the National Register of Voters.
“What concrete measures are being put in place by INEC to ensure that the deployment of IReV, BVAS and PVC accreditation/voting technologies, processes and procedures are done across board in the 36 States and the FCT on Feb 25, 2023 Presidential Poll without discriminatory recourse to dual policies of sticking to or insisting on IReV, BVAS and PVC accreditation/voting technologies, processes and procedures in the South and substantially collapsing same and allowing manual voting in the North, especially in the States of Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara in North-West; Borno, Bauchi, Yobe and Adamawa in North-East; and Niger State in North-Central,” it queried.
A statement by Obasanjo’s Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi quoted President Muhammadu Buhari to have commended Obasanjo for his foresight in creating the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – Nigeria Business Council.
According to the statement, El-Rufai who is the Deputy President of the Council, conveyed Buhari’s commendation while giving report of his meeting with the President held recently in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Quoting El-Rufai, it said “the President was excited about the Council. He said with such Council in Africa, the future will be brighter to work together.”
“Mr. President urged the former President to use his energy and network to extend similar formations in countries like, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa.”
At the meeting, which had in attendance, President Obasanjo, as the Council Patron, the President of the Council and the immediate past Director General of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo and top government officials from DRC among other captains of industry, resolved to further move the Council to greater heights.
The Council decided that the next meeting will be held in Kinshasa after the Nigerian general elections between April 26-29, 2023.
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Among members present or represented at the meeting include, Chairman and CEO, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote (represented), Group Managing Director/CEO, EMZOR Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Dr. Stella Okoli, (represented), Temitope Runsewe of Sege Grey Finance Limited (represented) and Prof. Bart Nnaji.
They also included Directeur Générale de l’Agence Nationale pour la Promotion des Investissements (ANAPI), Mr. Anthony Nkinzo Kamole, Président de la Commission Nationale Agriculture et Forets, Mr. Kalaa Mpinga, Mr. Suren Abeywickrema of Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms, Dubai, Madame Nicole Sulu and Madame Latiwa Cathy.
Others were Mr. Jimi Lawal, Mr. Tope Shonubi of Sahara Energy Ltd., Mr. Ayo Aremu of Arribond International Ltd., Dr Adebowale Akande, Head of Business Incubation Platform, Mr. Eyo Ekpo, Director, Excredite Consulting Limited and the Deputy Secretary, DRC-Nigeria Business Council, Amb. Leke Adebiyi
Amid the lingering scarcity of cash, traders and buyers in Lagos have resorted to the use of electronic payment channels.
A correspondent, who visited some markets in the state on Saturday, reported that most sellers and customers conducted their transactions through online money transfers.
While expressing worries over the cash crunch, they said online transfers were convenient compared to the endless wait in banks to collect cash.
𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘’ known Media had reported on Friday that protests broke out across the country over the difficulty in withdrawing money from banks as well as the fuel crisis.
At the Iyanaba food stuff market, items such as oranges, plantain, yams and vegetables were sold through cash transfers on mobile phones.
Isa Ibrahim, an inter-state produce dealer at the market, said that the current hardship in getting cash had made people embrace cashless means of transaction.
Ibrahim, who brought yams from Lafia, Nasarawa, to Lagos, said the new trading trend removed the burden and risk of carrying cash.
“Now that people are getting used to trading without the cash, it is important the authorities advance the service network so that people do not get disappointed,” NAN quoted Ibrahim as saying.
Also speaking, Harriet Otuonye, tool and hardware seller at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex market, said over the past couple of weeks, most of her customers hardly came with cash to purchase goods.
Otuonye said online transfers would eliminate issues of fake money, manhandling and mutilation of currency notes, especially by market women.
On her part, Jane Akuro, a school teacher, said she was comfortable with paying for her purchases via online transfers.
She said that the security benefits of not carrying large amounts of cash were numerous.
“It will drastically reduce incidents of robbery because when robbers see that people do not carry cash, attacking them for money would be discouraged,” Akuro said.
An eye witness told 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 that Wednesday’s accident at Oshodi was caused by a brake failure.
While the passengers in the bus were said to have escaped without an injury, the same could not be said of the bus driver whose degree of injury could not be ascertained as of press time.
𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 reported that eight people were crushed to death by a 20-ft container that fell off a truck in the Ojuelegba area of Lagos on Sunday.
Barely 24 hours after the Ojuelegba tragedy, a 40-ft container fell off another truck in the Dopemu area of the state on Monday, causing traffic on the road
Lagos State House of Assembly has said the naira redesign by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has brought suffering on citizens, putting the economy in danger.
The lawmakers admitted the policy was a good one but implemented at a wrong time, causing economic chaos which could become difficult to resolve if urgent steps are not taken.
Hon. Rotimi Olowo, Somolu Constituency 1, who moved the motion, sought for an extension of the ultimatum till July 2023 in line with the resolution of the federal legislature.
“CBN governors are economists, not bankers like Emefiele. Our people are suffering and the money can’t be found at the ATMs,” Hon. Setonji David said.
Hon. Saka Solaja, Chairman Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Richard Kasunmu (Ikeja II), Victor Akande (Ojo 1), among others made contributions.
The Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos State, Dr Olajide Adediran, popularly called “Jandor” has expressed concern over alleged series of attacks on his team by suspected ruling All Progressives Congress, APC hoodlums during campaign tours in various parts of Lagos, saying he would not be intimidated despite the acts.
Jandor, however, called on President Muhamnadu Buhari and Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Akali Baba to live up to expectations and ensure a crisis-free campaign in the state.
He made the remarks at a world press conference over the continued attacks on the campaign team, yesterday, held in Alausa, Ikeja, and Lagos.
Jandor, however, vowed to continue with his ward-to-ward campaign ahead of the 2023 general elections without succumbing to any form of intimidation, threat and harassment, saying that Lagos must experience a breath of fresh air in 2023.
The conference was attended by the party chieftains, led by chairman, Phillip Aivodje. Others included market women who were victims of recent attacks, carried out by thugs.
Jandor, who made the call against the backdrop of a series of attacks on his campaign train and his deputy, Ms Funke Akindele, in recent times, since he flagged off his ward to ward campaign in October last year, however, commended the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, for doing his best to arrest the ugly situation.
This was just as he said it was about time the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, allow residents to make their choice in a democratic manner.
“He (Sanwo-Olu) should allow residents to decide who they want to rule them in the forthcoming governorship poll.
“On my part I will continue to do everything within the confined of law to do our campaign.
“It is about time the sitting governor allows the people of Lagos to have their choice of who they want as their governor in a democratic manner.
“I want to commend the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, he has been there to do what he can do arrest the ugly situation on ground.
“But we cannot but to call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police to live up to expectation and their responsibilities to let us do our campaigns in Lagos without any form of attacks,” he pleaded.
Speaking on the series of attacks that had been unleased so far on his campaign train across the state, Jandor, accused the ruling party of not allowing PDP to have any visibility as it was denied use of billboards, access to public places, among others that made him to embark on ward to ward campaign.
He recalled that the first attack against his campaign team was in Badagry on October 23, the second day of his campaign to the area, saying it was followed by another one that took place in Agege, and followed by similar incident in Kosofe, where his deputy, Akindele was attacked and prevented from entering the fruit market by thugs, loyal to APC.
Others were also allegedly, prevented from gaining access to their shops as at the time of filling this report.
The PDP governorship candidate, who spoke on recent attack in Surulere area of the state, dissociated self from the crisis, against allegation by APC, saying that the ruling party was only trying “to turn things around to favour them.
“The next thing was in Surulere, the first day was okay for us.
“The second day I was in the mosque to pray, and as I stepped out of the mosque and I heard the attackers, they were asking where is Jandor, where is Jandor? They hijacked our vehicles and damaged them. The ruling party was only turning things around,” he said.
Jandor said 2023 was beyond him, but between the people of Lagos and the status quo, declaring that it was about time for residents to break the monopoly and elect with their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, a governor who is not answerable to the beck and calls of a godfather.
On the the governorship debate which was scheduled to hold on Sunday, boycotted by Governor Sanwo-Olu, Jandor said he was not surprised, saying: “What is your expectation of a governor who said he would not be seeking a re-election if he was not able to fix traffic gridlock in the state and a governor who met poverty rate at 4.2per cent but it’s now 8.5per cent?
Jandor said the excuse the governor gave which had to do with attacks and safety was not tenable as, according to him, it was him that was attacked and not the governor.
According to Jandor, “This speaks volume of Governor Sanwo-Olu as Chief Security Officer of the state as he cannot guarantee his own safety,”
He declared that he was prepared to feature at the debate which he said had been shifted for about four times in the past by Sanwo-Olu.
“It just worries me that the Chief Security Officer of a state is saying he is not safe, I am safe and I will go everywhere in Lagos.
“The debate wasn’t put together for me or Sanwo-Olu, it is for people of Lagos State. I will go, he has given me role of big brother to play. I will go because I want people of Lagos to listen to me and know what I want to offer. This 2023, they wouldn’t come again,” he added.
Also speaking, PDP Chairman in the state, Aivodji, condemned the incessant attacks on PDP members, saying similar incidents were happening in villages and hamlets across the state, stressing that PDP would not be intimidated.
He said the moment Jandor started his ward to ward campaign, the APC became jittery.
Lagos govt reacts
However, in an earlier statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, spoke on the Surulere attack and the reason why Governor Sanwo-Olu’s boycott of the debate.
Will never condone violence
The statement by Omotoso read in part: “The Lagos State Government has noted the flood of comments sparked by the shocking video of a group of thugs shooting in broad daylight in Surulere.
“Security agencies are investigating the video, which has gone viral on the social media. We believe they will fish out and prosecute the evil actors, who are believed to be henchmen of the opposition PDP.
“We condemn this savagery that has portrayed our state, the safest in Nigeria, in a bad light. That is not who we are; we are civilized and cultured.
“Following advice from competent sources, including elders and respectable Lagosians, we will henceforth shun any forum that may require us being together with PDP and its agents of violence.
“Consequently, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu regrets to announce that he will not be participating at The Platform Governorship Debate of January 29, 2023.
“The Governor holds Pastor Poju Oyemade and the Covenant Christian Church family in high esteem and cherishes future opportunities to engage the congregation and render accounts of his stewardship to them as integral parts of the Lagos electorate.
“We will never be found in the company of those to whom the lives of innocent Lagosians mean nothing. Mr. Sanwo-Olu won’t share a podium with them.”
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has discharged any insinuation of friction in his relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting his support for the president is unalloyed and enduring.
Tinubu stated this while addressing the APC rally in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, on Saturday.
The former Lagos State governor also promised to tackle problems bedevilling the state and enhancing agricultural productivity.
Tinubu thanked the people of Zamfara State and key party leaders for the warm welcome and their continued support for the APC.
He said, “I have supported President Buhari even before his first day in office. I will continue to be his supporter and friend after his last day in office.
“He tackled the problems other leaders ran from. He has earned a place in history that cannot be denied.
“I have said this before and will say it again now: when the true history of this moment is written, President Buhari shall be treated very kindly because of his contributions to the nation.”
Tinubu also said Buhari and Governor Bello Matawalle had been doing their best to end the banditry problem, pledging to consolidate the gains recorded.
He added, “My security plan will empower all branches of security forces. We’ll use modern air and ground technology to trace and capture these criminals.”
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has insisted that the Osun Election Petitions Tribunal has been under tremendous pressure.
Sanwo-Olu said this while congratulating the immediate past Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, on his victory at the Osun State Election Petitions Tribunal on Friday.
Recall with 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 that the Tribunal had sacked Governor Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and declared Oyetola, who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the July 16, 2022 election in Osun, as the winner.
The Tribunal, in a 2-1 majority ruling by its Chairman, Justice Tertse Kume, insisted that Oyetola scored the lawful majority votes of 314,931 against Adeleke’s 290,266.
Reacting, Sanwo-Olu, while speaking to journalists at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Friday, said, “I think the Tribunal has taken its time and you can see the outcome.
“I imagine they must have been under tremendous pressure, but I’m sure at the end of the day, they took the right outcome.
“My congratulations go to the APC family in Osun. The judiciary has shown that it was delayed but not denied, so I want to congratulate my brother, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.”
The Lagos State Police Command has debunked claims that the state has received a new Commissioner of Police.
Social media has been agog with reports claiming a former spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, Frank Mba, has been appointed the state Commissioner of Police.
However, in a statement released on Friday, January 27, the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, clarified that the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State is still CP Abiodun Alabi.
Hundeyin said;
”We wish to state categorically that the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State is still CP Abiodun Alabi, fdc, mnim, psc. For the avoidance of doubt, no Commissioner of Police has been posted to Lagos State.
Members of the public are therefore urged to disregard fake news making the rounds that a new Commissioner of Police has been deployed to Lagos State Police Command.
It is hoped that this clarification would halt the barrage of calls to officers of the Command which has resulted in needless distraction and waste of valuable time.
The Lagos State Police Command will keep residents and the good people of Lagos State updated whenever the need arises
The transporters also lamented the blockade, while expressing dissatisfaction over the incident.
A trader, Grace Emmanuel who was taking her good to Ekiadolor said it was pertinent for her to take her perishable good to where she would sell them so that she doesn’t incur losses.
“It is unfortunate that this protesting is taking place because it will add to the existing problem. If I don’t get my good to where I will sell them, some might get worse and I will incur losses which I don’t want at this time.
“They are protesting for the right reasons. The fuel situation is hitting hard on everybody but blocking the roads will lead to losses to individuals who are going to do business,” she added.
A driver who gave his name as Osahon said the protest has left most people stranded in the axis while calling on the government to look into what is causing the fuel crisis in the country
Justice Soladoye Abiola held that the prosecution proves beyond reasonable doubt the ingredients of the eight-count charge bordering on s*xual assault by penetration brought against the cleric, NAN reports.
The justice described the cleric as morally deficient and an embarrassment to the Islamic faith, noting that the evidence of the pupils was corroborated as they identified him as their teacher who penetrated them with his index finger.
”Evidence of the 10th prosecution witness, a midwife with the Women at Risk International Foundation, WARIF, Oluchi Nwoke-Okoi, revealed that the pupils had vaginal injuries. The defendant instructed the pupils to turn their backs while he defiled them with his index finger.
“He is meant to teach his students values, morals and discipline, but the reverse was the case. The safety and dignity of our students must be cherished. Dirty Islamic teachers of his kind must be locked away and made to pay for their dirty s*xual indiscretions.
”The defendant is hereby convicted of all the charges and sentenced to life imprisonment on each of the eight counts but the sentences will run concurrently.”
Also, the judge ordered that the convict have his name written in the Lagos State S*xual Offenders Register
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday commissioned the Blue Rail Line (from Marina to Mile 2) in Lagos State.
The President alongside Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat commissioned the project at the Marina Train Station in the state.
The President also witnessed the signing of the commencement of the Phase 2 of the project from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko.
Speaking at the programme on Tuesday, Sanw-Olu thank the President for his support to the state including tax breaks and waivers granted on the project.
Buhari, who did not make a speech at the event, earlier on Tuesday commissioned the JK Randle Centre For Yoruba Culture And History.
Also, on Monday, the President inaugurated the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Imota Rice Mill, and Bestaf Lubricant at MRS Holdings Company Limited all located in Lagos.
The projects are part of a series of facilities being commissioned by Buhari during a two-day visit to the state.
See full statement by the Presidency:
PRESIDENT BUHARI INAUGURATES PHASE 1 OF LAGOS BLUE RAIL LINE; TAKES TRAIN RIDE
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inaugurated the first phase of the Lagos Blue Rail Line, taking a ride from the Marina Station to National Theatre Station.
The President was aboard the trip with Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor of the State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, members of the Federal and State Executive Councils, members of the Federal and State Legislative Assemblies, President of China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Chen Sichang and journalists, among others.
The first phase of the project, executed by the State Government, which spans 13 kilometers, has five stations – Mile 2, Suru-Alaba, Orile Iganmu, National Theatre and Marina.
President Buhari also witnessed the signing of the contract for the construction of second phase of the Lagos Blue Rail Line by the Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. Abimbola Akinajo and President of China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), Chen Sichang.
In his remarks, Governor Sanwo-Olu thanked the President for the State Visit to commission several landmark projects, noting that since 1999 the State has not enjoyed this level of support from the Federal Government.
On the benefits of the project, the Governor stated that it would reduce travel time, improve the quality of life of citizens and make Lagos one of the most resilient mega-cities in Africa that would compete favorably with other megacities around the world.
Sanwo-Olu hinted that he would invite the President again to Lagos to commission the Red Line, which he described as a bigger rail corridor project compared with the Blue Rail Line.
‘‘This iconic Marina Station would be the largest and busiest in Africa. It has the capacity to process about 450 passengers per minute, meaning that in an hour this station can process about 25,000 passengers,’’ he said.
Hamzat, the Lagos Deputy Governor, traced the pioneering role of the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in envisioning and laying the foundation for the project, as governor of Lagos State.
‘‘Talking about the Blue line without making a reference to the ground-breaking contributions of the presidential candidate of our great party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is like talking about the beach without the ocean.
‘‘A visionary leader, Asiwaju Tinubu pioneered the idea of the Lagos Blue Line and many other revolutionary initiatives.
‘‘The Tinubu administration developed the Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP), which laid out the foundation for a network of robust and modern transport infrastructure befitting a 21st century City-State, such as ours.
‘‘The master plan has six rail lines and one monorail, 14 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors, over 20 water routes and a number of major roads.
‘‘Thanks to Asiwaju’s creative leadership, today, we are making history with the completion of this rail line,’’ he said.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Cui Jianchun said the completion of the first phase of the project is a demonstration of the harmony in the bilateral relations between Nigeria and China.
‘‘It is a harmony in integration, diversity, and development,’’ he said.
Earlier, before leaving Lagos for Dakar, Senegal, President Buhari also inaugurated John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, after which he toured the facility.
Femi Adesina Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) January 24, 2023
There is an heavy presence of various security personnel at the Presidential Wing, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, as President Muhammadu Buhari is expected in the state.
NAN reports that the President will be in Lagos from Jan. 23. to Jan. 24 to inaugurate several projects. 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 learnt.
He is expected to inaugurate the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) venture between the Federal and Lagos State governments and a private company called Tolaram.
The president is also expected to inaugurate the 32-metric tons per-hour Lagos Rice Mill, one of the largest in the world, and the 18.75-kilometre, six-lane rigid-pavement Eleko Junction to Epe Expressway.
He is expected to inaugurate the first phase of the iconic Blue Line and the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History.
Security personnel from the Army, Navy, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Police, and Air Force, among several others, were at strategic locations at the presidential wing awaiting the president’s arrival.
Personnel from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service were also at the venue.
Traffic wardens were also observed at the roundabout and expressway near the presidential wing of the airport, ensuring the free flow of traffic around the axis
A Lagos State High Court has sentenced the Medical Director of Excel Medical Centre Dolphin Estate, Dr. Ejike Ferdinand Orji, to one year imprisonment for negligence and endangering the life of a 16-year-old patient.
Justice Adedayo Akintoye found the doctor guilty on 4 of the six counts for which he was charged.
In the charge filed by the State Government, Dr Orji was initially arraigned alongside his wife, Dr Ifeayinwa Grace Orji.
The defendants had, in July 2018, at their medical centre, acted in a negligent and reckless manner when they fixed a Plaster of Paris cast too tightly on the left leg of a minor, which caused him grievous harm.
The minor, a young Nigerian aspiring to play basketball in the United States of America, USA, had his career cut short by the incident which occurred when he came to Nigeria for a holiday.
In her judgment, the Judge discharged and acquitted Dr Mrs Orji following the State Director of Public Prosecution’s application which discontinued the case against her.
The Judge held, “It is my opinion that the defendant committed a breach of duty as a medical practitioner when he willfully refused to remove the fiberglass cast on the patient’s left leg despite complaint of severe pains that resulted in a compartment syndrome.”
The court held that the doctor applied a Plaster of Paris, POP, cast on the patient’s leg without carrying out an x-ray to identify the level of injury and using a none medical staff.
Justice Akintoye further said that Orji did not obtain the consent of the patient’s mother, who was present in the hospital at the time the POP was done.
“The prosecution has been able to establish essential ingredients of the offences of breach of duty and proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt. I find that the prosecution has established essential ingredient in courts 2, 3, 4, and 6,” it held.
The defendant’s lawyer, Ajibola Ariba, had in his plea of allocutus, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that the defendant is a first offender who has never been convicted for any crime before and pleaded with the court to consider the option of a fine as the defendant that was born in 1958, was advanced in age.
After his plea, Justice Akintoye held, “I have listened to the plea for leniency on behalf of the defendant. Therefore, the defendant, Dr Ejike Ferdinand, is hereby convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment each, on count two, three, four, and six.”
A trader was shot at the popular Alaba Rago Market in the Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State on Tuesday.
According to police spokesman in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, operatives from the Okokomaiko Division were at the market to effect the arrest of a suspect but were attacked by traders trying to shield their own from being arrested.
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“Policemen of Okokomaiko Division today went into Alaba Rago Market to effect arrest of a suspect but came under heavy attack from a large number of traders,” he tweeted.
The Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Benjamin Hundeyin has said it is surprising how many Nigerians are willing and ready to join the Police.
Hundeyin also revealed that many people have called and sent messages, asking when the Nigeria Police form would be out.
The statement was contained in a post via his verified Twitter handle.
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He said he had thought everyone hated the Nigeria Police.
He wrote, “Shey una dey whine me ni?
“Everyday, I receive calls and messages asking, ‘When will the Nigeria Police form be out? I’m interested in joining the police.’ And here I was thinking everyone hated @PoliceNG
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Seme Police Division in Lagos State, SP Mojeed Salami, has been confirmed dead after he collapsed in his office on Tuesday, January 10.
The 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor has vowed to end what he described as the 24-year monopoly of a former governor of the state, Bola Tinubu.
“We will come in and do things differently. The problem of Lagos is that we have one head thinking for the state of Lagos for the past 24 years,” Jandor said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday.
The PDP governorship candidate in Lagos also accused Tinubu, the 2023 presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of removing “performing governors” in the state.
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Jandor said though former governor Babatunde Fashola survived an attempt to remove him in 2011 and returned for second term, his successor, Akinwunmi Ambode couldn’t survive a plot that saw him removed after a single term in 2019.
He promised to decentralise developments across the 20 local government areas of the state if elected in the forthcoming polls.
“In our very first year in office, we will do a whole lot across Lagos. We need to decentralise development. Everybody comes to the centre for greener pastures but if you give the development where they are, they will actually stay there.
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“We will do a whole lot because we will be coming in as independent government; the one not tied to the apron string of anybody and that will allow us to make Lagos wealth that we only hear now work for Lagos,” he said.
Jandor lamented what he described as hegemony and monopoly of the state by Tinubu, who was Lagos governor after Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
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“The problem is this monopoly that we need to break. If we have a governor that is independent, we won’t have this problem and that is what we represent,” he said.
Jandor also slammed the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu over “failure” to allegedly utilise the resources of the state to improve the education, health and transport sectors.
“A government with these resources and the statistics still not speaking to the resources shows failure and the reason is not farfetched; there is a monopoly that we need to break and allow fresh ideas and new thinking. Until we do this, we will continue to have the same report and this cosmetic of people saying they are working,” he said.
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In December 2021, Jandor, the leader of the Lagos4Lagos movement within the APC in Lagos dumped the ruling party with his followers and was received into the PDP by former Senate President, Bukola Saraki. He would later get the PDP governorship ticket in the state.
Where Is Ambode? Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, Ambode is the only former governor of Lagos who was in office for a single term. Tinubu was governor between 1999 and 2007 before he handed over to Fashola, who is now the Minister of Works and Housing, was in office as governor from 2007 to 2015.
Ambode took over in 2015 but lost his re-election at the primary level in the 2019 electioneering process due to intra-party squabbles as APC strongman in Lagos (Tinubu) was reported to have favoured Sanwo-Olu.
Sanwo-Olu clinched the party’s ticket and won the 2019 governorship election and has again secured APC’s ticket for his re-election in the 2023 polls.
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Since he ended his single term in 2019, Ambode has not been seen at political or social functions with his predecessors – Tinubu and Fashola. He has also not been seen at events with the incumbent governor.
The former governor has also been reticent at the few times he was pictured at APC events at the national level like in May 2021 when he was appointed the deputy chairman of the South-West sub-committee of the Contact and Strategy Committee of the ruling party.
There were reports that Ambode would contest the party’s governorship ticket with Sanwo-Olu at the primary in May 2022. Rather, his ally, Wale Oluwo, threw his hat in the ring but lost to Sanwo-Olu.
Unlike Fashola and Sanwo-Olu, Ambode has not publicly endorsed Tinubu’s 2023 presidential ambition and has not been seen at any political event linked with Tinubu’s aspiration for Aso Rock but the weeks ahead of the February 25 presidential poll are still much very pregnant
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday morning arrested a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Doyin Okupe at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.
Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic before he was apprehended by the secret police.
“He has long been handed over to the Commission which requested for the action. “Okupe was billed to fly to London via Virgin Atlantic,” the DSS spokesman said.
After the resignation of Okupe, a former aide to then President Goodluck Jonathan, the Labour Party announced Akin Osuntokun as Obi’s campaign director general.
𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖆 had reported that a yet-to-be-identified male adult was killed in a clash between Yoruba Nation agitators and the police in Ojota.
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Commuters ran for safety in the heat of the pandemonium which broke out on Monday morning.
A source told 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘’ known Media that some agitators came out to demand the Yoruba Nation amongst others and the police came out to curtail them, leading to a clash.
In a statement, Hundeyin said the agitators were disrupting social and commercial activities in the Ojota area under the pretext of the rally.
“A team of police officers, comprising Alausa Division and the Raid Respond Squad (RRS) promptly stepped in to disperse the unlawful gathering and prevent a breakdown of law and order,” he said.
“The miscreants attacked the police, shooting, and destroying two vehicles in the process. One person has been confirmed dead, while two police officers shot by the miscreants are currently receiving treatment.
“Four suspects have been arrested and investigations have commenced. Meanwhile, normalcy has been restored to the area. Lagosians are urged to go about their lawful businesses as measures have been put in place to prevent further breakdown of law and order, and keen monitoring of the situation continues.”
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OPC Not Involved In Fracas – Gani Adams Meanwhile, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Gani Adams, has debunked media reports that members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) were involved in the crisis that erupted in Ojota.
Gani in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, said the Ojota rally came as a surprise, adding that none of his members were part of the crisis.
He described media report that members of the OPC were among the agitators was wicked, mischievous, and uncalled for.
According to Adams, the unconfirmed report could trigger crisis and cause unnecessary disaffection between the OPC and sons and daughters of Yoruba race.
“Let me clear the air on the crisis that had engulfed Ojota this morning. There were unconfirmed reports linking members of the OPC to the mayhem. I want to state it clearly that none of our member were at the scene of the incident,” he said.
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“OPC is not against the liberation of Yoruba race, however, it is a fact that the struggle for the liberation of Yoruba race is an inalienable right of all Yoruba to champion self-determination. We are not part of the peaceful rally held in Ojota.
“Our position on regionalism is very clear. It is sacrosanct because that is what we are seeking at the moment.
“Nigeria should be restructured to full regional autonomy, where each region will be at liberty to operate at their own pace.”
The burial rites of a female legal practitioner, Bolanle Raheem, who was shot dead on Christmas day has been suspended indefinitely owing to certain critical legal procedure.
This was disclosed by the treasurer of the Section on Public Interest & Development Law (SPIDEL), of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Funmi Adeogun, who is also a member of the Olive Tree Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
According to Adeogun, new dates will however be communicated in due time.
The burial ceremony was scheduled to begin at 4 pm today with a wake keep at the Olive Tree Parish of the RCCG while the service was scheduled to hold tomorrow at the same venue.
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When Channels Television’s judiciary correspondent, Shola Soyele reached out to Mrs Adeogun to ask what critical legal procedure necessitated the cancellation of the burial plans, she confirmed that the NBA had requested to see the autopsy report from the medical team which examined the late Bolanle Raheem.
The NBA’s Publicity Secretary, Habeeb Lawal, also confirmed that “there’s an understanding with the family that the autopsy report should be out before our colleague is interred. We feel it is better, in case there will be a need for a second opinion”.
The NBA is seeking to review both the autopsy and ballistic report expected to be used at the trial of the alleged killer cop, Drambi Vandi.
Last Thursday, the President of the NBA, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yakubu Maikyau, led some members of the national executive and some senior members of the bar to commiserate with the family of the late lawyer.
The team also visited the police & the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Moyosore Onigbanjo, who restated his commitment to ensuring speedy dispensation of justice for the family of late Raheem.
A yet-to-be-identified male adult has been killed in a clash between Yoruba Nation agitators and the police in the Ojota area of Lagos State on Monday.
The spokesperson for the police in Lagos, Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the death of the unidentified person. He said operatives of the Command had been deployed to the scene.
Commuters ran to safety in the heat of the pandemonium which broke out on Monday morning.
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A source told 𝕹𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘’ known Media that some agitators came out to demand Yoruba Nation amongst others and the police came out to curtail them, leading to a clash.
A confirmed police source hinted that shortly after the agitators took to the streets, the men of the Lagos State Police Command came out in procession with a detachment of personnel from Rapid Response Squad, State Taskforce and conventional divisional officers.
Security operatives arrived the scene and shot teargas to disperse the crowd.
A police van was reportedly burnt in the ensuing outrage.
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Four Agitators Arrested, Policeman Injured
Over 200 agitators reportedly came out on Monday but the police arrested four of them.
The agitators were alleged to have shot pump action guns which hit a police office, Superintendent of Police, Akinwunmi Oke.
Oke, the Operation Officer attached to the state Rapid Response Squad, is an anti-riot officer known for restoring peace at any assigned area.
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