Tag: Lagos State Government

  • Lagos reopens Mushin markets

    Lagos reopens Mushin markets

    The Lagos State Government has reopened some markets in Mushin area recently shut for widespread environmental infractions, including indiscriminate waste dumping.

    The markets included Mushin Main Market, Ojuwoye, Awolowo, Irepodun and Daleko markets.

    The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said in a statement on Friday in Lagos that the temporary closure was necessary.

    He said the indiscriminate waste dumping observed in the markets threatened public health and the well-being of people in the area.

    “Our decision to close Mushin markets was rooted in the urgent need to rectify environmental malpractices that posed a threat to public health and the overall well-being of people living in the area,” Wahab said.

    In his reaction, the Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the ongoing enforcement action against filthy markets was a continuous one.

    He said the authority would not rest on its oars until every part of the state assumed a cleaner and healthier form.

    Gbadegesin reassured the public that strict monitoring and enforcement mechanisms would remain in place to prevent a recurrence of the previous environmental challenges experienced in some markets.

    According to him, the authority will not fail to wield the hammer against non-compliant business facilities.

  • LASG restates commitment to promote decent work, social protection

    LASG restates commitment to promote decent work, social protection

    The Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), has restated its commitment to promote access to decent work and social protection, to reduce poverty in the state.

    Mrs Bolaji Dada, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, stated this on Thursday at a programme organised to celebrate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

    The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is marked every Oct. 17 globally to promote understanding and dialogue between people living in poverty and the wider society.

    Dada said ”Poverty is not just about income levels; it is a multidimensional issue that affects individuals and communities in various ways.

    “I must reiterate here that ensuring women have access to decent work and social protection is crucial for reducing poverty and also promoting gender equality.

    “This is a vision we work earnestly to achieve despite pressing cultural phenomena that have long existed as norms and practices.

    “This programme serves as a reminder of our collective responsibility to address poverty and inequality, ensuring that everyone has access to decent work and social protection.

    ”We are committed to empowering women and vulnerable individuals, even as we provide them with the opportunities and support which they need to escape poverty”.

    According to the Commissioner, the state government has empowered thousands of women through vocational skills, entrepreneurship trainings and access to microcredit loan.

    She added that the government social protection programmes such as access to quality healthcare, education, and financial sustainability for vulnerable women residents were among the measures put in place to eradicate poverty.

    Bolaji, however, urged corporate organisations and the civil society to collaborate with the state government to lift more people out of poverty.

  • Lagos state reopens Alaba market after cleanup

    Lagos state reopens Alaba market after cleanup

    The Lagos State Government in Southwestern Nigeria has lifted the closure of Alaba Rago Market in Ojo following its recent shutdown due to various environmental violations.

    The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed this development in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos.

    Wahab explained that the market was allowed to reopen after meeting certain conditions required for the reopening of markets in the state.

    He used the opportunity to urge all markets to prioritize cleanliness and adhere to environmental standards, emphasizing that the state authorities would continue to take action against markets that fail to maintain cleanliness.

    “The state government has reopened Alaba Rago Market, Ojo, after it was sealed due to serious environmental violations and negligence. We want to appeal to other markets to take cleanliness seriously in order to make the state cleaner and more habitable for all,” Wahab stated.

    He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enforcing environmental standards throughout the state. Wahab also stressed that the reopening of Alaba Rago Market should serve as a reminder to all market stakeholders about the importance of cleanliness and sanitation.

    Commenting on the reopening, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, highlighted the significance of collaborative efforts between market authorities, traders, and relevant government agencies in maintaining a clean and healthy market environment.

    Gbadegesin stressed that the reopening should not be interpreted as a leniency toward environmental violations, as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding such infractions.

    He further noted that the market plays a crucial role in achieving environmental sustainability across the state.

  • Road diversion: LASG postpones palliative works on 3rd Mainland Bridge indefinitely

    Road diversion: LASG postpones palliative works on 3rd Mainland Bridge indefinitely

    The Lagos State Government has announced the postponement of the planned palliative works on the failed sections of the Third Mainland Bridge.

    The repairs was scheduled to go on for two consecutive Sundays, September 17 and 24, between 7 am to 7 pm on both days.

    According to a release signed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi on Saturday, the postponement is “due to the heavy downpour experienced in all parts of the metropolis today.”

    He explained that the rain has affected the preliminaries of the planned palliative works on the asphalt pavement of the bridge by the Lagos State Public Works Corporation.

    The Lagos State Government had on Friday, announced palliative works to be carried out by its Public Works Corporation and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on failed sections of the ever-busy Third Mainland Bridge.

    But the Transport Commissioner has assured that a later date which will be subject to weather conditions will be duly communicated for the palliative works, urging motorists to continue to access the bridge with observance of safety measures.

  • Prepare for above-normal rainfall, LASG cautions residents

    Prepare for above-normal rainfall, LASG cautions residents

    The Lagos State Government, LASG, has advised residents to prepare for above-normal rainfall, which will start in the first week of April and cease in December.

    This was made known by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, who spoke at the 2023 press briefing on Seasonal Climate Predictions and its socio-economic implications for Lagos, held at Alausa, Ikeja.

    According to the commissioner, the 1936.2mm amount of rainfall predicted for 2023 was greater than the long-term average of 1721.48mm experienced in the state in the last 10 years.

    He stated that specifically, Ikeja is expected to have an annual amount of 1,900mm while Badagry will experience 1,978mm amount of rainfall.

    Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe are expected to have rainfall with annual amounts of 1,903mm, 1,936mm and 1,952mm respectively, with onset dates of April 1 and cessation of December 3, 2023, he said.

    “It is also expected that the recent increase in the frequency of extreme weather events will continue in 2023, with days of extremely-high rainfall amounts that may result in flooding, largely because strong winds are expected during the onset and cessation of each rainfall,” Bello said.

    The commissioner stressed that the state had continued to maintain the synergy and partnership with the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority to effectively contain flooding.

    Recall that early this year, an above-normal rainfall occurred in Ondo State that destroyed many property at Ipogun community in the Ifedore Local Government Area.

    The rainfall was said to have wreaked havoc on the community, destroying property worth millions of naira.

    It was gathered that the rainstorm destroyed houses, shops, schools, church, electric poles and a health centre in the community.

    Some residents were said to have been rendered homeless by the natural disaster.

    One of the affected residents, who identified herself only as Mrs Ajayi, lamented that the rainstorm destroyed her shop and goods.

    “It was just too heavy as we could not take out anything from the shop because the downpour lasted for two hours and many houses were affected. We are begging Governor Akeredolu and other well-meaning Nigerians to assist us,” she added.

  • “I will forever miss you, my besty”- IVD remembers late wife months after her death

    “I will forever miss you, my besty”- IVD remembers late wife months after her death

    Months after the death of Bimbo Ogbonna, wife of a popular businessman, Ikechukwu Ogbonna, alias IVD, the latter has expressed pain as he remembered his soul mate.

    It would be recalled that Bimbo passed on after sustaining third-degree burns following a fire accident at their Lekki home.

    IVD who once threatened to commit suicide over restrictions from seeing his children makes another post to social media despite reports of being in police custody for the murder of his wife.

    Taking to his Snapchat page, IVD shared a throwback video of himself and his wife singing to BNXN’s Finesse song while emphasizing how much he missed her.

    “I will forever miss you, my besty,” he wrote in the caption.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) Lagos State Government had ordered a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death of the late Bimbo Ogbonna, the wife of popular Lagos auto dealer, Ikechukwu Ogbonna, popularly known as IVD.

    The late Bimbo allegedly died on October 15, 2022 as a result of severe fire injuries she sustained in her matrimonial home. Some other accounts attribute her death to an alleged long history of domestic violence.

    The state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Moyosore Onigbanjo who gave the directive for the inquest disclosed this in a press statement made available to journalists.

    Onigbanjo, in the statement, said that thorough investigation would be carried out to ascertain the cause of death.

    He added that the findings of the investigation would be made public in due course and appropriate sanctions meted out to anyone found culpable.

    “A Coroner’s Inquest has immediately been requested, in line with section 14 and 15 of the Coroners’ Systems Law, Laws of Lagos State 2015, to determine the cause and circumstances of death.

    “By Section 14(1)(d) of the Coroners’ System Law of the State: “A report of death shall be made to any of the agencies for the report of death or the office of the Coroner and be subject to post-mortem examination where there is reasonable cause to believe that the cause of death was: violent, unnatural or suspicious.”

    “I will forever miss you, my besty”- IVD remembers late wife months after her death

    “Section 15(1) and (9) further enjoins the Coroner to hold an inquest whenever he or she is informed that the death of the deceased person was in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation or believes an inquest is desirable following the report of a reportable death,” he said.

    The AG also noted that as a government, the security and well-being of citizens were of utmost importance while assuring the public that everything will be done to ensure that the cause of death is known.

    He charged the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) to assist the Police and other law enforcement agencies in investigating the case and ascertaining the cause of death of the late Bimbo Ogbonna which had attracted wide media attention.

    The Executive Secretary of DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi has reiterated the state government’s resolve to ensure perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence crimes are brought to face the full wrath of the law.

  • Police arrest ex-convict for breaking into LASG fire service, steals valve

    Police arrest ex-convict for breaking into LASG fire service, steals valve

    Just 10 days after release from prison, an ex-convict, Yakub Yusuf, has been arrested for breaking into the premises of the Lagos State Fire Service, LASG, to steal the valve cover of old fire trucks under repair in the state.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Thursday, said Yakub was arrested 10 days after a nongovernmental organization facilitated his release from prison by paying the fine.

    He added that operatives of Rapid Response Squad arrested the ex-convict on Saturday morning hours after he was released from prison, adding that he had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and prosecution.

    Hundeyin said, “The suspect, Yakub Yusuf, 23, was arrested around 8am on Saturday after regaining freedom following his one-month prison sentence for stealing at Lagos State fuel dump, Alausa, Ikeja.

    “Learning that he was imprisoned because he could not pay a fine, which was an option, an NGO facilitated his release by paying the fine on Friday, November 11, just 10 days after his conviction on November 1, 2022.

    “Yakub was arrested again after breaking into the Lagos State Fire Service premises from where he stole valve covers of old fire trucks under repairs. The CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi-led RRS has since transferred the suspect to the SCID for further investigation and prosecution.”

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the Lagos State Fire Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for Lagos State.

    Established in 1972 by the Lagos State Law Cap.42 of 1972, it is primarily tasked with managing fire emergencies in Lagos State. The service is responsible for fire protection and community safety among residents and visitors across the state.

    The Lagos State Fire Service was established on August 31, 1972, with an Expatriate Chief Fire Officer, Sir Allan Flemming, as the first Chief Fire Officer with a three-man crew.

    In 2021, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu appointed Mrs Margaret Adeseye, Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service.

    The Lagos State Fire Service employs 553 operational personnel, including 9 non-uniformed personnel in various fields.

  • Catholic Church rejects abortion legalisation by Lagos gov’t

    The Catholic Church in Lagos State has rejected the legalisation of abortion by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins, stated this in a statement made public on Sunday by the Director of Social Communications, Rev Fr Anthony Godonu.

    Rev Martins said it was untrue that all stakeholders were consulted in the guidelines’ preparation.

    The Church therefore called on Governor Sanwo-Olu to stop the implementation of the guidelines it has made public on the process to follow for abortion in the state.

    According to he church, the argument by the Lagos State Ministry of Health for giving the guidelines was nothing but a means of legalising abortion through the backdoor.

    The church said it was not only unjustifiable, but also unacceptable, adding that the guidelines were nothing but ways to carry out abortion indiscriminately.

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    The Archbishop wondered why the Lagos State Government seemed anxious to legalise abortion at a time when even the US and other more advanced countries were reviewing their positions on the legalisation of abortion as seen in the recent judgement of the Supreme Court of the United States of America on the matter.

    Rev Martins said in the statement, “The Catholic Church and all ethically-minded people oppose all forms of abortion procedures whose direct purpose is to terminate the life of a baby in the womb.

    “The unborn child has the right to live and be protected and not to be killed by the fiat of an unjust law.

    “We believe strongly that every human life must be respected and protected especially the most vulnerable ones in the womb from the moment of their conception.

    “There is nothing like an unwanted child because every child is a gift from God that should be nurtured and allowed to grow in fulfillment of their purpose in life.

    “We need to continue to explore ways of providing support for those women who find themselves in difficulty as a result of their pregnancy rather than thinking of aborting a child who is innocent of the difficulty that the mother may be going through.

    “Any attempt to terminate the life of the unborn child is tantamount to murder and should be treated as a capital offence. Our focus, therefore, should be on proper enlightenment on human sexuality and collaboration in order to support women who get pregnant without being ready for the pregnancy.”

    The state had recently unveiled a 40-page policy document tagged, ‘Lagos State guidelines on safe termination of pregnancy for legal indications.’

  • Supreme Court Judgement: MSSN gives Lagos gov’t 30 – day ultimatum on use of Hijab Muslim Students

    Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has warned Lagos State Government and its officials against harassment of Muslim Students on the issue of wearing of Hiin all institutions in the state just as it issued a 30-day ultimatum on the matter.

    The body gave the warning in a circular against the backdrop of the recently delivered judgement by the Supreme Court approving the use of hijab in Lagos schools.

    Delivering the ultimatum during a press conference on Wednesday, the students urged the government to caution its officials against harassing Muslim females wearing the hijab.

    The president MSSN in Lagos State, Miftahudeen Thanni explained that issuing the circular would curb “overzealous” teachers and principals from contempt of court.

    Related Story: 2023: 51-year-old treks from Bauchi to Lagos to celebrate Tinubu

    He said, “This is not to castigate the Lagos State Government but to appeal for the prompt implementation of the Supreme Court judgement.

    “We waited patiently to get the judgement and we were lawful throughout. During this period, we consulted, collaborated, protested, held rallies and sensitised government officials on why a willing Muslim female should be allowed to put on the hijab.”

    Recall that after about 10 years of legal tussle, the Supreme Court on Friday, July 17, 2022, approved the wearing of hijab by female Muslim students to school in Lagos State.

    The majority decision affirmed the earlier Court of Appeal’s decision which restored the use of hijab by female Muslim students in Lagos State.

    Displeased with the judgement, the Lagos State Government attempted to obtain a stay of execution of the Court of Appeal’s decision but failed.

    In November 2018, the Lagos State Government issued an earlier circular to all principals of public secondary schools instructing them to allow students.

    Miftahudeen said, “When the Lagos State Government issued the circular, we thought relief had come, but it is utterly unfortunate that some school authorities and some defective teachers are working against the circular. They are interested in ultimately jeopardising law and order.

    “Instead of obeying the circular, some school principals, vice-principals and teachers feign ignorance of the approval of Hijab in Lagos State, and desperately began to deal with our members.
    “For no reason should a girl-child be denied education again in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole!

    “The images of Muslim students sent out of the examination hall for wearing hijab touch the heart and consistently bring tears to the eyes. We do not want this to recur. The education of the girl-child is very paramount in our hearts. No Muslim girl should ever be told to choose between her faith and education. Both are her rights.

  • Supreme Court Endorses the Use Of Hijabs In Lagos Schools

    The Supreme Court on Friday threw out Lagos state appeal and upheld the use of Hijabs by female Muslim students of public schools in the state.

    In a split decision of five to two of a seven-member panel, the Supreme Court affirmed the July 21, 2016 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which set aside the October 17, 2014 judgment by Justice Grace Onyeabo of the High Court of Lagos State, which upheld the hijab restriction.

    Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who wrote the lead majority judgment, which was read on Friday by Justice Tijani Abubakar, dismissed the appeal filed by Lagos State against the 2016 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, on the grounds that the appeal was without merit.

    Recall that back in 2014 the Lagos State Government  banned the use of the hijab, arguing that it was not part of the approved school uniform for students.

    Following the ban, Muslim students filed a suit on May 27, 2015, seeking redress and asking the court to declare the ban as a violation of their rights to freedom of thought, religion and education.

    The case, CA/L/135/15, is between Lagos State Government, Miss Asiyat AbdulKareem (through her father), Miss Moriam Oyeniyi and the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria.