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Tag: Lagos State

  • Fire Service saves 2-storey building from havoc in Lagos

    A 2-storey building located at 2 Norman William Street Ikoyi was rescued from being consumed by fire on Sunday afternoon by swift response from men of the Federal Fire Service in Lagos State.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports the Federal Fire Service as saying the swift response was made possible because the Service received alert of the fire in good time.

    “Fire at 2 Norman William Street Ikoyi Lagos was swiftly extinguished because we got the alert in good time,” the Service stated after the quenching fire and rescuing the building.

    The Nigeria Federal Fire Service had unveiled a Fire Alert System Mobile Application known as FASAPP to reduce the response time of firefighters to fire outbreaks in the country.

    TNG reports FASAPP, which was released in May 2018, was unveiled during a workshop and enlightenment programme on ‘Enforcement of Fire Alarms and Extinguishing Equipment Regulation’ on Thursday in Abuja.

    The Controller-General of the Service, Mr Joseph Anebi, at the unveiling said when fire outbreak occurs, the mobile App has the capability to inform the Fire Service and the owner of the building simultaneously.

    “With SmokeCom, an innovative feature of this App, buildings will be registered and fire detectors installed such that when there is fire outbreak, the Fire Service and the owner of the building will be automatically contacted.

    “FASAPP also provides the general public with emergency ambulance services and fire educational enlightenment notifications.

    “It also helps to control the use of fire extinguishers for Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), drug trafficking, proliferation of arms, prevents structural fire and attracts foreign investment,” Anebi said.

    He said the new app had helped to regulate the sale of fire extinguishers.

    “All fire extinguisher vendors will be mandated to register and will be closely monitored for quality assurance and tracking for security purposes,” he said.

    According to him, the Service had been blamed for the late turn out to emergency scenes and the circulation of fake extinguishers in the country.

    He said FASAPP could be downloaded from all APP stores by simply dialling *735*3*300#.

    Anebi said the introduction of FASAPP to the agency had repositioned it to serve Nigerians better.

    “This no doubt shows our continuous efforts to ensure the safety of lives, properties and the environment,” he said.

    FASAPP is available for free download here for Android users. Federal Fire Service said it is working on integrating iOS soon.

     

  • Birth registrations: Borno dusts Kano, Lagos, others

    Borno is leading other states of the federation in the number of birth registrations conducted nationwide in the last five years, the National Population Commission (NPoPC) says.

    Mr Emmanuel Mark, Head of Department, Vital Registration Department, National Population Commission (NPoPC) in Borno, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday.

    He was speaking at the sideline of a Media Dialogue on Birth Registration in Kano, convened by the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) in support of the Child Right Information Bureau, Federal Ministry information, Culture and Tourism.

    The meeting had in attendance over 40 participants to tackle limitations hindering birth registration in the country.

    Borno is ahead of others in the chart of birth registration in Nigeria with 83 per cent under-one registration, and 20 per cent under-five registration within the period.

    Mark noted that the organisation in realising its dream, through the support of the UNICEF which engaged its staff with the business of registering children within the local government areas of the state.

    According to him, other organisations also give their support to Borno in ensuring that children were registered at birth.

    “Apart from UNICEF, there are other organisations like the UNHCR and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that supported us in the birth registration processes.

    “What we also did to earn the glory was to assign our registrars not to only register at designated centres but also register in private hospitals and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

    “So we have to take advantage of the IDP camps across the state and register the children,” he said.

    Mark explained that traditional rulers and Religious Organisations were not involved in this registration but added that in the subsequent process they would be involved.

    He insisted that if the traditional and religious institutions were brought in earlier, the birth registration in the country within the five years would have skyrocketed.

    Mark, therefore, called on parents and stakeholders to ensure that new born babies were registered as this was the only way to show the true picture of a child’s identity and as well be included in the population of the country.

    The National Demographic Health Survey (DHS) revealed that Borno tops the birth registration rate with 172,878 boys and 190,438 girls totaling 363,316 within the period.

    The state tops Lagos, Ibadan Kano, FCT and Oyo states, which have more population with an aggregate of 83 per cent and 20 per cent registration under one and five years respectively.

    Kano came second on the chart with the registration of 172,925 boys and 166,023 girls totaling 338,948.

    Also, Lagos state registered 117,586 boys and 113,998 girls totaling 231,584 while Oyo State registered 86,615 boys and 86,522 girls which gave a total figure of 173,137 registration.

    The state with the lowest birth registration is Bayelsa with 7,567 boys and 7,309 girls registration with total figure of 14,876 which translated to an aggregate of 15 per cent and three per cent under one and five years registration respectively.

    Birth registration is the continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of birth.

    However, birth registration is free, which means that children aged between 0 and 17 can be registered free at any healthcare facility centre across the country.

     

  • 2019: Lagos PDP needs prayers – Former Minister

    2019: Lagos PDP needs prayers – Former Minister

    Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Minister of Works and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday called on party members in Lagos State to pray for peace and unity in their fold.

    Ogunlewe, a former senator, said without peace and unity the party could not rise above its present “challenges” toward realising its goal of winning the state in 2019.

    “What is needed in Lagos State PDP is prayers, prayers and prayers.

    “Members in the chapter should pray together for peace and unity so that the goals of the party can be actualised.

    “Members must particularly unite at this challenging period in order to get victory in 2019,’’ the PDP chieftain told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Ogunlewe who described the recent killing at the party’s rally in Eti-Osa area of the state as unfortunate, said divine intervention was needed to avert a recurrence.

    NAN reports that some hoodlums had on July 21 invaded the party’s rally at Eti-Osa, killing the Chairman of the Apapa Chapter of the party, Mr Adeniyi Aborishade.

    The invasion by the hoodlums and subsequent violence followed disagreements among members at the rally.

    The Police arrested the State PDP Chairman, Mr Moshood Salvador and 10 other chieftains and on July 25, charged them with murder at a Yaba Magistrates’ Court.

    They all pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of unlawful killing and criminal conspiracy.

    Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe had remanded Salvador and others in prison and adjourned the case until Aug. 27 for advice from the State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

     

  • Entrepreneur inaugurates $6.5m Zone Tech Park in Lagos

    Entrepreneur inaugurates $6.5m Zone Tech Park in Lagos

    Mr Toro Orero, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zone Tech Park, a technology hub and Nigerian business-to-business venture builder, on Wednesday inaugurated the outfit, valued at 6.5million U.S dollars.

    Speaking at the event in Lagos, Orero said that the park was built with the necessary infrastructure and environment needed to help African startups to scale up and compete globally.

    He said, “Today sees the official launch of Zone Tech Park, a venture builder for startups that has come to turn great ideas into products and services quickly, efficiently and profitably.

    “It is one of the nation’s premier technology park, a dynamic community, where innovation and business leaders meet, emerging companies and techniques giants work side-by-side.”

    Orero described the park as the brainchild of Mr Bolaji Olagunju, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Workforce Group, a leading human resources firm.

    “We have brought our vast experiences together to enhance the growth of startups in the country,” he said.

    He said that Zone Tech’s startups would have direct access to more than 400 domestic and international corporations.

    He described the park as unique from similar technology hubs in Africa because “it is open to startups at all stages in their life cycle, from ideas on paper to maturity.”

    Orero further said that the park would help to link up startups with a network of potential investors, accelerator programme and ecosystem architects.

    He said that the park would provide a team of experienced in-house software developers and designers to work with the startups.

    According to him, the park also boasts of facilities, such as 100-capacity meeting rooms as well as 650-capacity event and conference halls.

    Orero said that the park had previously run a small pilot program and also built a learning management system and a staff on-demand solution products, known as Peerless and Outwork.

    Earlier in his speech, Olagunju said that they were motivated to establish the park by the challenges that hinder African startups from growth.

    He said, “Zone Tech will change the status quo and help individuals and their businesses to realise their full potential through education, venture building and strategic enterprise support.

    “Supporting this startups will help to push up the needed workforce that is lacking in the country,” he said.

    He said that building a tech ecosystem that would benefit startups and the country needed the collaboration of stakeholders, including the media.

    “The power of the tech ecosystem is such that one cannot do things on its own, there is need for partnerships. That is what Zone Tech Park is all about,” Olagunju said.

    He gave assurance that the organisation would ensure that the business model of any startups made sense and in tune with the organisation’s own model.

     

  • Pension: Lagos state retirees get N466.86m payment

    The Lagos State Government has again credited N466.855m to the Retirement Savings Accounts of 187 of its retirees, including those of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), under the Contributory Pension Scheme for the month of July 2018.

    The State Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson-Oke, who disclosed this recently, stated that in spite of the scarcity of funds, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode prioritises the payment of pensioners by making sure funds are released every month for payment of their entitlements.

    He said the present administration had so far paid more than N38.5 billion to 9,401 retirees.

    The Director-General, LASPEC, Mrs. Folasade Onanuga in her welcome address said that the Lagos State Government will continue to play the ‘mother-hen’ role, by ensuring the regular payment of pension benefits to retirees as at when due.

    Onanuga used the opportunity to advise retirees on the importance of putting their houses in order for any eventuality by making sure they write their WILL whilst they are still active, imploring them to also be active in retirement, to sustain their good health.

     

  • Lagos denies plans to place religious leaders on salary

    The Lagos State Government on Tuesday debunked viral report on the social media suggesting that it was planning to commence paying salary to religious leaders in the State, saying the claim was totally untrue and misleading.

    Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr. Abdulateef Abdulhakeem who made the clarification while speaking on a television programme monitored in Lagos, said there was no iota of truth in the said report, and urged members of the public to disregard it in its entirety.

    He said: “The clear position is that the Lagos State Government is not intending to employ Imams and Pastors. There is no such plan and there is no willingness on our part to delve into a private realm.

    “What exists in Lagos State is that there is a symbiotic relationship between the Lagos State Government and faith-based organizations and it is a mutually beneficial relationship which has contributed to the growth and development of the State,” Abdulhakeem said.

    In the said report, Abdulhakeem was quoted as saying that the State Government would soon place religious leaders on the State salary structure to encourage them to use their Pulpit and the Minbar to re-orientate citizenry to shun corruption and immorality.

    Clarifying his statement, the Commissioner said: “I must have been misunderstood or misquoted. We were at a forum where we were trying to encourage religious leaders to be advocates against corruption because religious leaders have millions of adherents and they enjoy the allegiance of millions of followers and we expect them to use the Pulpit and the Minbar to advocate for good governance and selflessness so that they can influence their members positively.

    “In Lagos State, one of the remarkable successes of the present administration is that we have cutting-edge approaches to relating with religious leaders and that is why Lagos remains the most peaceful and most religious crisis-free State in the federation inspite of our cosmopolitan nature.”

    Already, the Commissioner said a structured approach had been put in place to relate with religious leaders in the State through the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) which consists of people nominated by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Muslim Community across the 57 Local Councils in the State.

    According to him, “We have them at the State level; they meet regularly in the Home Affairs and instead of leaving them as dysfunctional silos, we ensure that there is an integrated approach.

    “They meet regularly to interact on religious issues and the Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has even further decentralized that whereby over 700 of them were appointed based on their nominations and they are volunteers who are not paid anything. They come together to nip religious crisis at the bud,” he said.

    He added that the general approach of the State Government to religion was that of rule of law, good governance, constitutional democracy and more than anything, the observance and preservation of the fundamental human rights of Lagosians to freely practice their religion.

    “Section 38 of the Constitution is very clear and explicit that every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion including the freedom to change your religion and the freedom to either alone or in community with others practice, manifest and propagate your religion. Clearly, that is unequivocally telling you that religion is a private affair as far as the Lagos State Government is concerned,” Abdulhakeem said.

    Responding to a question on why the State Government was yet to implement a Court of Appeal judgment on the use of Hijab by school girls, Abdulhakeem said being a government which firmly believes in rule of law, the State Government was awaiting the pronouncement of the Supreme Court on the matter which, he said, was already before the apex court.

    On taxes, the Commissioner said though religious institutions were exempted according to the State laws, but any religious body which engages in commercial activities was liable to pay tax.

    “Religious institutions are not taxable under the Lagos laws but where religious institutions engage in business transactions like schools and so on, then such are liable to pay taxes but as far as the institution is concerned, it is exempted from paying tax.

    “Also, those who convert their buildings into Mosque to avoid paying taxes, we have made it abundantly clear that you are not allowed to convert residential premises into religious centres. So, people should just respect God the way the Lagos State Government has respected God and do not come under that arena to avoid payment of taxes,” he said.

    Besides, the Commissioner said the State Government had already embarked on massive enlightenment and re-orientation against noise pollution by religious leaders, but any resident who is affected by such should however report either through the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) or the Ministry of Home Affairs for action.

     

  • LASG insists on zero building collapse

    The Lagos State Government has insisted that all block moulding industries across the State must comply with the existing standard for their operations, saying that the industry remains a critical partner in its vision zero for building collapse.

    The General Manager of LSMTL, Engineer Olalekan Ajani stated this while speaking at the annual conference of National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria (NABMON) held recently at the Dangote Cement Plant, Ibese Ogun State, stressing that the State Government is ready to partner with the Association to sanitise the industry.

    He said the State Government was poised to ensure total sanity in all construction works and had been working assiduously towards actualising its vision of zero tolerance to building and civil engineering infrastructure collapse in partnership with all the relevant stakeholders.

    The General Manager urged the block manufacturers not to compromise standards but conform to specifications already given by Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), assuring that LSMTL will continue to monitor and enforce the standards stipulated by the various regulatory bodies.

    Ajani further emphasised the need for all members of the Association to ensure that the blocks manufactured are tested and certified by the Agency, noting that government and the Association alongside other stakeholders have critical roles to play getting rid of quacks in the block moulding industry and averting building collapse.

    The National President of NABMON, Mr. Rashidi Adebowale, speaking at the event, also appealed to the members to comport themselves as an indivisible entity under the Association, urging them to comply with the quality assurance standards of Materials Testing Laboratories in their respective States.

     

  • Tanker explosion: Senate takes action, as Saraki calls for accountability

    Tanker explosion: Senate takes action, as Saraki calls for accountability

    The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday resolved to urge the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigerian Police and all other relevant security agencies to cooperate with Lagos state and other states in ensuring that drivers of trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles comply with traffic rules and regulations.

    The Senate also urged the Police to work in conjunction with the FRSC to carry out a thorough investigation on what led to the tanker accident on Otedola Bridge, by the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    Speaking on the Senate’s resolution, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, said:

    “I think this is something that could have been prevented if we all abide by the traffic safety guidelines and ensure the enforcement of existing laws.

    “This is a lesson that we need to learn from. Those agencies that are in charge of ensuring the safety of tanker movement across the country must ensure compliance to ensure that the tanker drivers have gotten adequate licenses and vehicles have received their adequate certificates showing that they are in good condition to ply our roads.

    “Until we continue to do that, and hold those accountable, we will continue to see these kinds of accidents. These are things that are preventable and we must ensure that on our part that we see to prevent them,” the Senate President said.

    The Senate further resolved to direct its relevant committees to invite the FRSC and NNPC to develop solutions to prevent such accidents, while also urging the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and State Governments to accelerate the development of trailer parks and installation of way bridges to manage the trailer movement on the roads.

     

  • Tanker explosion: LASG vows to prosecute truck owner, driver

    Tanker explosion: LASG vows to prosecute truck owner, driver

    The Lagos State Government is perfecting plans to prosecute the owner and driver of the ill-fated fuel tanker which exploded last Thursday on Otedola Bridge inward Ojodu Berger along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the State’s Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal said on Monday.

    Already, the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem had at the weekend written to the CP to advise him on the relevant provisions of the law that could guide the ongoing investigation which would lead to possible prosecution.

    Confirming receipt of the letter while briefing Government House Correspondents after the Security Council Meeting chaired by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Edgal said investigations into the incident were ongoing, saying that government would not allow vehicles that pose serious danger to residents on the road.

    The police chief, who briefed journalists alongside heads of other security agencies in the State, specifically commiserated with those who lost their loved ones to the tragic incident, while also commending emergency responders who quickly raced to the scene to keep the causality figure low.

    “As regards investigation into the matter, it is in top gear. I have just received a letter from the office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice which stated very clearly charges which we are going to prefer against the driver and the owner of that tanker.

    “Henceforth, we are using this opportunity to call on all tanker drivers, all lorry drivers, all owners of such articulated vehicles to please submit those vehicles for Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) test; they must go through the entire hub and get the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) Certificate of Road Worthiness. We will not allow such vehicles which obviously pose serious danger to other road users on our roads,” Edgal said.

    He said government had already directed security agencies to intensify enforcement of relevant laws, especially the State Traffic Law, with the view to ensuring that the roads and highways in the State were safe for commuters to ply without any danger.

    Edgal also urged residents to always refrain from converging on the scene of any accident of such magnitude as that of the unfortunate tanker fire incident, saying there could be secondary explosion which could lead to loss of lives.

    Speaking on other issues deliberated at the meeting, Edgal said the Council reviewed the security situation in the State since the last time it met, saying it was gratifying to note that there had been 17 per cent reduction in violent crimes in the period under review.

    He also allayed fears over renewed threat of militancy in the creek areas of Epe, Imota and Agbowa, assuring that State Government, in collaboration with security agencies, was on top of the situation.

    “We have just concluded the Security Meeting Chaired by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and a wide range of security issues were discussed but most importantly some of the threats which we are currently having in certain parts of the State.

    “The first one relates to the renewed threat of militancy around the creeks of Epe, Agbowa, Imota and the action that we are taking. There is a good synergy between the security agencies and the locals in ensuring that we keep some of these militants who want to come into the State from Ondo waters to try to disturb peace of the State.

    “We are calling on all those who are in the riverine communities to continue to partner with security agents to ensure that when they see strange movement, they quickly alert security agencies so that we can keep them safe. For now, I can assure Lagosians that those areas are being properly policed and security is tight in those areas,” Edgal said.

    Besides, Edgal appreciated Lagosians for credible information which had aided the fight against kidnapping, cultism, drug sale and drug abuse in the State, revealing that operatives of the Command recently intercepted a Container with over 37 Cartons of Tramadol which would have gotten to the public if not for prompt action of security agencies, just as he urged residents to continue to support security agents.

    On the scheduled visit to Lagos by French and Namibian Presidents in the coming days, Edgal urged residents to show the hospitality the State is known for, while appealing for cooperation in the eventuality of road diversions and restrictions.

    Giving update on the tanker accident, the Attorney General (Kazeem) said families of the victims had started submitting relevant samples to aid DNA test, saying: “I can confirm that today, families who lost their loved ones to the accident have started reporting at the Lagos State DNA Forensic Centre for submission of reference samples that would be used to identify victims.”

     

  • Tanker Explosion: LASG to enforce collection of road worthiness certificate

    Tanker Explosion: LASG to enforce collection of road worthiness certificate

    The Lagos State Government on Sunday gave a 30-day ultimatum to all articulated vehicles coming into the state to obtain the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) certificate of road worthiness or face sanctions.

    The state government also directed fuel tanker drivers to henceforth ply the designated trailer route -Apapa/Oworonshoki expressway via Ogudu to the Lagos/Ibadan expressway.

    The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Ladi Lawanson, gave the directive at a news conference in Alausa, Ikeja, alongside members of NUPENG and the Container Truck Association of Nigeria on development arising from the fuel tanker explosion on Thursday.

    Lawanson said that 10 operational centres had been designated to process applications immediately, while new centres would be established quickly on the the Lagos/Ibadan expressway to cope with the expected demand for the service.

    He said the centres include: Berger Ojodu, Odogunyan Ikorodu, Agric/Ishawo Road, Ikorodu, Worksyard, PWD, Shogunle, NCI Gbagada, VIS Yard, Oko-Afo, Badagry, VIS Yard, Ayobo in Ipaja, Test Centre in Badagry, VIS Yard, Epe and VIS Yard, Oko-Oba Abbatoir.

    Lawanson said that government would embark on awareness campaign to persuade all vehicle owners to obtain MOT road worthiness certificate.

    “We hereby call on motorists and the general public to join hands with us to prevent avoidable deaths due to the presence of vehicles unfit to ply the roads.

    “Let us protect each other by asking our friends to save lives by obtaining their road worthiness certificates, ‘’ he said.

    Lawanson said that the state government in 2017 upgraded vehicle testing operations and launched the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centres to ensure that vehicles which ply the roads and highways were road worthy.

    “This measure recorded positive results. Between April 1, 2017 and May 2018, a total of 178, 267 vehicles were tested,’’ he said.

    Lawanson said that investigation conducted so far by the state government indicated that the truck involved in the explosion NSR 888 YC, was registered in Kano State and had changed ownership 13 times since purchase.

    “This truck was designed as a 14,959kg, approximately 15 tonnes drilling rig with low bed but was converted in Nigeria from a drilling rig to fuel carrier to carry 30 tonnes.

    “From this preliminary investigation, the truck should not have been loaded to the weight of 30 tonnes, which is twice its pulling capacity,’’ he said.

    Lawanson said that further investigation into the current ownership of the fuel tanker and other related details was progressing.

    He said that facts obtained in the course of investigation had compelled the review of the legal, economic and social framework of the current management of traffic involving tankers loaded with fuel and other cargoes within the state.

    Lawanson said that the government was also exploring alternative modes of transportation of petroleum products to separate passenger traffic from cargo movement within the metropolis in the interest of public safety.

    The South West Chairman of NUPENG, Mr Tayo Aboyeji, while commiserating with the victims’ families, said that the union was in support of the government to put an end to tanker accidents in the state.

    The fuel tanker explosion at the Otedola Bridge inward Ojodu Berger on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, left about 54 vehicles burnt, nine people dead and an unspecified number of people sustained various degrees of injuries.