TheNewsGuru

Tag: Lagos State

  • Lagos by-elections: APC reacts as PDP alleges INEC allocates votes

    Lagos by-elections: APC reacts as PDP alleges INEC allocates votes

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has described the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s reaction to its defeat in Saturday’s Lagos East by-elections as ridiculous.

    APC state Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, said in a statement on Sunday that PDP’s claim that INEC allocated votes to APC “can best be described as a comic relief from the recent pressure and challenges.”

    Oladejo said: “It (APC victory) was a referendum on the spineless and ineffectual opposition that the PDP has been providing in Lagos State for over two decades.

    “The age-long disharmony and lack of coordination in the PDP effectively laid the foundation for the permanent trouncing of the opposition party in Lagos state.

    “The impressive performance of the ruling party, APC, in the determined implementation of its progressive policies has made PDP a taboo in Lagos State.

    “It’s a big surprise that the PDP state chairman could complain about the results of the elections that he was too busy to campaign for his candidates.”

    According to him, while PDP was busy conducting fake personal opinion polls, the ruling APC was reaching out to the voters with life changing programmes, manifestos and policies that are relevant to the challenges of the day.

    “However, we emphatize with Engr. Doherty who must still be dazed by the total annihilation.

    “The by-elections will go down in history as one of the best in terms of conduct by INEC, the professionalism of the security agents and the fact that the results truly reflected the popular will,” Oladejo added.

    Earlier, the state PDP Chairman, Adedeji Doherty, had described the Saturday’s Senatorial and House of Assembly by-elections in the state as a charade, accusing INEC of allocating votes to the APC.

    The PDP, however, said that the party had learnt relevant lessons, assuring that Lagos would be rescued from APC and its leadership that had held down Lagos State for over twenty years.

    “In an attempt to do image laundering after the EndSARS embarrassment, the APC in collaboration with INEC went about allocating ridiculous votes to party against the PDP in the just-concluded Senatorial and House of Assembly Elections.

    “This was done to give impression that the APC and their leader are still in firm control of Lagos, which is obviously far from the truth and does not represent the true position of Lagosians.

    “We all know that the voters apathy alone negates the votes allotted to the APC, as less than 10 per cent of the voters in Lagos State took part in the elections.

    “Even in spite of the lack of interest in the elections by Lagosians, we are all aware of the massive vote buying by the APC, using state funds.

    “To the APC in Lagos, this devilish and draconian trend of cash for votes is worthy of celebration as evidence of control of the electorate, but we assure that this will end very soon, ” Doherty said in a statement of Sunday.

    According to him, the PDP understands the reality of the difficult and manipulative ways of staggered elections, assuring residents that all hope is not lost as the party will be more than ready before the 2023 general elections.

    INEC earlier on Sunday declared Mr Tokunbo Abiru and Femi Saheed, both candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as winners of Lagos East Senatorial and Kosofe II by-elections, respectively.

    Abiru polled a total of 89, 204 votes to defeat his closest rival from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, who scored 11,257 votes, while Saheed polled 12,494 votes to beat his closest rival, Mr Sikiru Alebiosu of PDP, who got 2,068 votes.

  • Abiru reacts after winning Lagos East Senatorial by-election

    Abiru reacts after winning Lagos East Senatorial by-election

    Winner of Saturday’s Lagos East Senatorial By-election, Mr Tokunbo Abiru, has described his victory as a proof of public trust in his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.

    Abiru, a former Managing Director of Polaris Bank, said this on Sunday in a “Victory Speech” after the declaration of the election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    INEC declared Abiru winner after polling 89,204 votes, as against the 11,257 votes polled by his closest rival, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Abiru said the outcome was a reaffirmation of the expanding political support base of the party not just in Lagos East, but across the state.

    “This is, perhaps, the smoothest victory our party has secured in its recent history; we polled 89,204 votes, while our closest rival scored 11,251 votes.

    “This outcome, no doubt, is a reaffirmation of our expanding political support base, not just in Lagos East but also in Lagos State at large.

    “It is, without doubt, a proof of the degree of public trust we have earned in our party’s two decades or more in governance in Lagos State,’’ he said.

    He said if there was anybody who still doubted the popularity of APC or its approach to governance, the party’s victory in the election should offer “an infallible answer”.

    Abiru said the overwhelming victory was the answer the people of the senatorial district just delivered in the election.

    “It is the answer that resonates in their popular decision to give us their mandate.

    “It is the answer that our unrepentant critics cannot contest, even in their wildest dreams, given the credibility of the process that gave us the mandate.

    “This answer did not come by accident or chance; it came by dint of hard work our party and campaign council invested in the electioneering.

    “It also came through the selfless service of all members of our Campaign Council and Local Organising Committees (LOC) that canvassed support for our party even during sometimes difficult circumstances,” he said.

    He commended the National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the state party chairman, Alhaji Tunde Balogun and members of the party’s Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) for the structures that earned the victory.

    While also thanking the people of Lagos East for voting him and APC, he said he would not take their support for granted.

    He said it was time to begin to implement all his electoral promises to all of the people of the senatorial district, regardless of the decisions they made in the by election.

    “The election has been held and we have won with a landslide. Now that we have secured this senatorial mandate, we cannot afford to fail our people.

    “We cannot afford to fail those who voted for us and those who did not vote for us for whatever reasons and those who did not vote at all.

    “We cannot afford to betray the invaluable trust our people reposed in us as a political party and as their representatives in government.

    “Now is the time to translate all the promises into positive and tangible outcomes our people are expecting us to bring about.

    “Now is the time to take our people from the realm of expectations to the limelight of fulfilment,” he said.

    The former Polaris Bank CEO also said he was committed to facilitating the completion of federal and state road projects in Lagos East.

    He said he would also promote ease of doing business, support the 5 for 5 agenda for Police Reform and fiscal federalism.

    “Within the limits of our statutory mandate, this is the time to make the aged smile; empower our jobless youths, minister to the vulnerable, secure the future or brilliant indigent children and support the implementation of the ideals of the party.
    .
    “To achieve these enviable goals, we are already in the process of establishing an Endowment and Empowerment Fund to actualise my private philanthropy.

    “The fund will implement different interventions we are coming up with in line with my agenda and ideals of the party.

    ‘Already, our team is perfecting the modalities for the implementation of these intervention programmes.

    “By the middle of January, we will unveil these programmes in full and begin implementation immediately,” he said.

  • Govt springs into action to ease traffic congestion in Lagos State

    Govt springs into action to ease traffic congestion in Lagos State

    The Lagos State Government has issued a 7-day removal notice to communities with unapproved street gates in the State, with a directive to either leave such gates open between 5 a.m and midnight or have them dismantled.

    This is in line with the State Government’s policy and regulations on traffic management geared towards improving the free flow of traffic across the metropolis.

    The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, who issued the notice on Friday, explained that the gates and structures installed without prior approval from the Ministry of Transportation contravene the provisions of the State Traffic Laws and Regulations and, therefore, must be removed within seven days of the given notice.

    Oladeinde stressed that the Ministry, in conjunction with Local Government and Community Affairs, has the regulatory authority on the installation of gates towards enhancing Traffic Management on the inner roads while protecting the lives and property of the affected communities.

    “During the recent inspection exercise conducted by the officials of the Ministry of Transportation, it was discovered that some communities have sited gates on some inner roads to avoid vehicular movement on their streets, and this unruly act has contributed to the heavy traffic congestion currently being experienced on our roads on daily basis”, he said.

    The Commissioner further announced that while it is expected that all street gates across the State be opened between 5 am to 12 midnight, the gates must be manned by security personnel engaged by the community or residents’ association and must be opened for emergency services such as police, ambulance and fire services at any time.

    He revealed that the Special Committee set up by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation on demolition of gated streets has begun enforcement exercise on the removal of gates in locations that failed to comply with the government’s directive on ‘Gated Streets’ regulation.

    Oladeinde, therefore, urged communities with Government approval for installation of gates on their streets to come forward with their documents for onward review and necessary approvals, failure of which the Special Committee would have to remove such street gates.

  • APC wins Lagos assembly by-election

    APC wins Lagos assembly by-election

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Femi Saheed of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of Saturday’s by-election for Kosofe constituency 2 of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    Prof. Iyinola Oni, INEC Local Government Collation Officer for the by-election in Kosofe, declared the result at the collation centre in Agidi Comprehensive School, Agbonyi-Ketu at 5.35a.m. on Sunday.

    According to Oni of Department of of Geography, University of Lagos, the APC candidate polled 12,494 votes to beat his closest rival, Mr Sikiru Alebiosu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who got 2,068 votes.

    He said that AA got 31, votes, ADC, 90 votes, AAC 97, LP 21, NNPP 14 and NRM 8 out of the 15,124 total votes cast in the state constituency by-election.

    The winner, Mr Femi Saheed, told NAN after he was declared winner that he would ensure good representation to his people.

  • Twin tanker explosion rocks Lagos State

    Twin tanker explosion rocks Lagos State

    Two tanker fires on Wednesday rocked the commercial capital of Lagos State, leaving many people stranded, especially on the ever-busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

    One is the tanker explosions that occurred at Wawa on the Lagos Ibadan expressway, causing traffic up to the popular Otedola bridge.

    Efforts were ongoing to extinguish the fire at the time of filing this report. Men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) are on ground to manage the traffic situation.

    This followed another early morning tanker fire on the same Lagos-Ibadan expressway, causing gridlock on the ever-busy road.

    It was gathered that the accident occurred on the Magboro Bridge around 4:15 a.m., bringing traffic to a halt.

    It was however not clear if there were casualties in the inferno which officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), police and firefighters have been battling to contain.

    In a caution notice by the FRSC, motorists were urged to re-plan their trips or brace up for delays.

    “The Federal Road Safety Corps wishes to advise the general public on the need for adequate planning of their trips for today for users of the Lagos-Ibadan Corridor.

    “The tanker explosion on Magboro bridge on the outward Lagos section of the expressway which occurred at about 0415hrs in the early hours of the day, Wednesday 2nd December, 2020 has called for the need to adjust ones movement for the day.

    “The fire is still burning and this means a total standstill situation of vehicular movement along the expressway.

    “Relentless efforts are still being made to extinguish the fire by men of Fire Service backed up by men of other agencies around the scene of the inferno.

    “We therefore advise the general public to have an adequate planning for their trips for those who cannot cancel their planned journeys. We also advise that travellers who are bound to transit in and out of Lagos from the neighbouring state to explore alternative routes where necessary.

    “All hands on deck to ensure that the situation is professionally managed and the road returned to proper use for the public,” said Corridor Commander, Kehinde Hamzat.

  • Lagos by-elections: PDP’s dream of victory mere illusion — APC

    Lagos by-elections: PDP’s dream of victory mere illusion — APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State on Monday described as an illusion the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) prediction of victory in the forthcoming by-elections in the state.

    The Lagos APC Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, said in a statement that it was mere imaginary for the PDP to think of winning four out of the five local government areas comprising the Lagos East Senatorial District.

    “Our attention has been drawn to the nightmarish forecast of an out of character victory by a faceless and nameless opinion poll organisers of PDP victory in the rescheduled Lagos East Senatorial by-election.

    “The fact that they couldn’t name the poll organisers can best be described as the stuff of fiction and hallucination typical of an opposition party that is fast going into extinction,” Oladejo said.

    The APC spokesman observed that it was a bad manner for PDP to award itself marks in a contest that was still days ahead.

    “However, we are not taken aback by the sudden last minute blabbing in response to its campaign that has gone largely comatose in the past few days.

    “The fact that the background, credentials and integrity of PDP candidate has been subjected to public scrutiny will naturally elicit face saving measures,” he said.

    Oladejo said the APC Senatorial Candidate, Tokunbo Abiru, is the candidate to beat.

    According to him, Abiru represents a refreshing breath of politics with a difference.

    He added: “Lagos East deserves a Senator with an impeccable character, unquestionable credentials and a rare combination of private and public sector experience.

    “While we acknowledge the incredible diligence of Gbadamosi in the social media, he will do well to note for future escapades that elections are won by reaching out to the real people in the home steads, market places, community leaders, youth organisations.

    “As we count down to the by-elections on Saturday, we in the APC remain implicitly confident of victory while we await the traditional lamentation by PDP thereafter.”

    PDP Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, on Sunday in Lagos said that candidates of the APC would be defeated in the Lagos East Senatorial and Kosofe Constituency II elections scheduled for Dec. 5.

    According to Gani, the party will win four out of the five Local Government Areas that make up the Lagos East Senatorial District – Somolu, Kosofe, Ikorodu, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki- to win the senatorial election.

    He said that the PDP was confident of the victory arising from reports of unverified polls conducted by two independent vote speculator organisations.

  • Lagos Taskforce destroys over 1,700 illegal shanties at Agege

    Lagos Taskforce destroys over 1,700 illegal shanties at Agege

    Operatives of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Taskforce) over the weekend demolished over 1,700 illegal shanties and containerised shops around Fagba Railway lines, Agege.

    This is contained in a press statement signed by the Agency’s Head, Public Affairs Unit, Adebayo Taofiq and made available to newsmen in Lagos State.

    According to the statement, Chairman of the Agency, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi had served occupants of these illegal structures a 7-day ‘Removal Order’ by the government.

    “This is necessitated based on series of complaints about criminal activities around Fagba, Agege,” the chairman said.

    Egbeyemi said that after the expiration of the Removal Order, additional 21-day grace was given to the occupants of illegal structures to vacate the area before the demolition exercise commenced.

    “These illegal shanties and containerised shops is occupied by miscreants and hoodlums who terrorised innocent citizens around Fagba, Iju-Ishaga and Pen-Cinema area, dispossessing them of their valuables.

    “Investigations conducted also revealed that these miscreants and hoodlums were responsible for the destruction of public properties and looting of shops after the recent ‘EndSARS’ protest around Agege.

    “It is an eyesore with miscreants and hoodlums freely smoking and selling Indian hemp including prostitution by under-age boys and girls around Fagba railway lines,” Egbeyemi said.

    The chairman confirmed that suspected illegal substances and dangerous drugs such as Indian hemp, codeine, skunk and tramadol were recovered during the demolition exercise.

    In the statement, Egbeyemi enjoined members of the public to support the government in salvaging Lagos State from the clutches of notorious criminals by reporting noticeable criminal activities to security agencies.

  • Isoko ladies put smiles on faces of children of Pacelli School

    Isoko ladies put smiles on faces of children of Pacelli School

    A non for profit group made up of mostly women of the Isoko ethnic nationality has put smiles on the faces of the children of a school for the blind and partially sighted in Lagos State.

    The group visited the Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially Sighted Children and donated food items and toiletries to the school.

    The group known as Oghogho Isoko Ladies Club said the gesture was in line with its philanthropic aims and objectives.

    Some of the items donated to the school alongside the food items and toiletries included packs of Indomie noodles, packs of cornflakes and packs biscuits.

    Others are packs of milk, packs of Milo, packs of minimie chinchin and packs of hollandia yoghurt.

    Present during the donation are a former president of the club, Mrs Beatrice Aghwadoma and the current President, Mrs O. K. Mohammed.

    Other members of the Oghogho Isoko Ladies Club were also present during the presentation of the items.

  • Lagos Govt announces adjustment to road closure for railway project

    Lagos Govt announces adjustment to road closure for railway project

    Lagos State Government has announced a slight adjustment in the dates for the temporary closure of the Railway Level Crossing at Ilupeju, Ogunmokun, Jibowu and Yaba in continuation of the ongoing Nigerian Railway Modernisation Project (Lagos-Ibadan section).

    A statement issued on Sunday by the State Ministry of Transportation noted that the closure of the Railway Level Crossing in Ilupeju is now scheduled for Monday, November 16; Ogunmokun on Tuesday 17th; Jibowu and Yaba on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, from 8:00 pm to 7:00 am each day.

    It restated that motorists plying Ilupeju level crossing will be diverted to Ogunmokun, Yaba and Jibowu Crossing, respectively, to access their desired destinations, while those who intend to use Ogunmokun Road or access other areas from the route are advised to use Ilupeju crossing to Mushin, Oshodi and Surulere to connect their desired destinations.

    The release stated that the identified alternative routes will be used interchangeably to ease movement, assuring that traffic management personnel will be available to ensure the free flow of traffic during the scheduled closure.

    While imploring motorists to comply with the traffic directions put in place to minimise inconveniences during the period, the Lagos State Government appealed to residents, especially motorists plying the corridors, to take note of the new dates and plan their movement accordingly.

  • Police raid black spots in Lagos, arrest 720 suspected criminals

    Police raid black spots in Lagos, arrest 720 suspected criminals

    The Lagos State Police Command, on Sunday, carried out simultaneous raids on areas believed to be harbouring criminals and hoodlums, across the 14 area commands in the state.

    The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement issued in Lagos, said that 720 suspects were arrested, with various weapons and substances suspected to be Indian hemp and cocaine.

    “In its bid to solidify the security architecture of the state, the Lagos Command re-launched its anti crime strategies to curb crimes and criminality across the state.

    “In the swift operations, police operatives arrested 720 suspects with incriminating items, including locally-made guns, cartridges, charms and substances suspected to be Indian hemp and cocaine.

    “Also, some items suspected to have been looted from various shopping outlets within the state during the recent EndSARS violence were found within the suspected criminals,” he said.

    Adejobi said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu, had earlier warned and directed police officers and men to move against lawlessness and criminality in the state.

    “Odumosu affirmed the zeal of the command to sustain the operations, even beyond the yuletide season.

    “The police chief commended the officers and men of the command for the successful operations, while he urged them to be at alert for more operations across the state,” the police spokesman said.

    Adejobi said that Odumosu had also directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID, Panti to commence discreet investigation on the arrested suspects for immediate prosecution.

    “Odumosu urged those whose items were looted during the recent EndSARS violence to come up for claims of their items, with prove of ownership,” Adejobi said.