TheNewsGuru

Tag: Lagos State

  • Lagos govt reveals when Lagosians will start enjoying constant water supply

    Lagos govt reveals when Lagosians will start enjoying constant water supply

    The Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources on Tuesday assured residents of the state of constant water supply by 2027.

    Mr Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner For Environment and Water Resources, said this while speaking with journalists after the tour of Adiyan Phase 2 ongoing water project at Iju area of the state.

    Wahab who was impressed about the ongoing work, expressed optimism that Lagos residents would soon be enjoying uninterrupted water supply.

    “Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the  Deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, had  decided that we must solve the water problem.

    “To solve the water problem, we had to come to Adiyan 2 which is a 70 million gallons per day project and  the biggest.

    “We have mobilised the contractor, so we  just came here  to see what they are doing so far and  I am glad the media men took the walk too.

    “With 70 million gallons and then we have Iju  with Adiyan 1 alongside micro and mini water works, majority of Lagos houses and homes will have pipe borne water which is our target and we are looking at sometime in 2027,”  he said.

    Wahab who said he was impressed with the work so far, inspite of the revised calendar plan, added that the project should be completed in the  last quarter of 2027.

    “If we put this together with what we have on ground, the 70 million, Adiyan 1 will give us 11 million, Iju is about 4 or 5 million among others, we are looking at 100 million gallons per day.

    “So, if we push that out constantly, we have solved our water problem in Lagos, which is the target of the government, and which is the mandate the government has given us.

    “This is why the governor has appointed Mukhtar Tijani as the Managing Director of Lagos Water Corporation, to oversee the water completion of Lagos,” he said.

  • Lagos govt to establish more JAMB centres

    Lagos govt to establish more JAMB centres

    Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has reiterated his administration’s committment in promoting quality education and promised to establish more  Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) centres in the state.

    Sanwo-Olu said this during a courtesy visit by Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, on Tuesday in Ikeja.

    The governor emphasised the importance of education in economic growth and development.

    Sanwo-Olu pledged to provide a sizable plot of land in Ojo, FESTAC, Ikorodu and Mile 12 areas of the state for the construction of more Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres to support JAMB’s initiatives.

    “Education, they say, is one of the strongest tools you can give to a human being,” he said.

    He commended the board for its efforts in overseeing over 1,400 higher institutions, describing it as “the power of innovation, the power of technology, and of resilience.”

    He assured JAMB of his administration’s willingness to partner with the organisation.

    “This collaboration will benefit the state’s children and citizens.

    “As government, I assure that there is a willing partner in Lagos State,” Sanwo-Olu said.

    The governor also reiterated his administration’s commitment to supporting the teaching profession.

    “We will continue to encourage people to remain in the teaching sector.

    “That is the only way we can keep the profession well alive.

    “To achieve this, the state government has instituted the Teacher’s Merit Award, which recognises and rewards outstanding teachers with training, incentives which includes brand new vehicles, and cash donations,” he said.

    Sanwo-Olu also highlighted the state’s commitment to staff development, boasting of one of the best public service staff development schools in the country.

    He added that the state had partnered with a public school in Singapore to provide training and retraining programmes for public officers.

    Responding, Ishaq expressed appreciation for the Lagos State Government’s support to the board, particularly the proposed establishment of more CBT centres across the state.

    He noted that in spite of Lagos State having 15 per cent of the entire candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, the state had less than 10 per cent of the CBT centres in the country.

    “We believe that when you see what JAMB is doing in terms of support for other states, Lagos State deserves more.

    “For example, we have a 1,100-seater CBT centre in Kaduna that can conduct examinations for 4,400 candidates a day.

    “We expended over N1.2 billion in constructing this in the last three years,” he said.

    Oloyede also highlighted the mismatch in Lagos, where 9O per cent of the candidates are from the mainland, but the JAMB office is located in Ikoyi, causing inconvenience to both staff and students.

    To address this challenge, he appealed to the Lagos State Government for support and collaboration.

    “We extend our hands of partnership in sensitisation programmes.

    “Priming our students for examination is necessary, and this cannot be done without the state support,” Oloyede stated.

  • One-chance’ syndicate making N300,000 daily in Lagos, nabbed

    One-chance’ syndicate making N300,000 daily in Lagos, nabbed

    The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has arrested a member of a notorious one-chance syndicate that uses a painted commercial bus to rob unsuspecting passengers in the State.

    TheNewsGuru learnt that the suspect, Toyib Ogunjobi and his accomplices had allegedly pushed a female passenger, Bibian Emelifonwu, out of their moving bus after stealing her phone on Monday

    Fortunately, officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), who were overseeing traffic in the area, witnessed the incident and immediately pursued the fleeing bus.

    While Ogunjobi was nabbed his accomplices—a conductor and another passenger—escaped.

    According to LASTMA spokesperson Adebayo Taofiq, Ogunjobi confessed during interrogation to leading a three-man syndicate, which includes the owner of the bus.

    Ogunjobi revealed that their method involves luring passengers with low fares on the Costain-Ojota route, stealing their belongings, and then forcibly ejecting them from the moving bus.

    He also admitted that the syndicate makes between N250,000 and N300,000 daily from selling stolen phones and other valuables.

    “Ogunjobi further confessed that the syndicate generated between N250,000 and N300,000 daily by selling stolen phones and valuables. He also disclosed that similar One-Chance operations are proliferating across Lagos State, illustrating the pervasive nature of this criminal enterprise.

    “Seven stolen phones, comprising models such as Techno Pop, Samsung AZZ, Intel A623, Techno Spark, Techno Pounoir, and Samsung devices, were recovered from Ogunjobi during his arrest. He also admitted that the vehicle’s owner was actively involved in the operation,” Adebayo said in a statement.

  • New Lagos Speaker opens up after meeting Sanwo-Olu

    New Lagos Speaker opens up after meeting Sanwo-Olu

    The new Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda has opened up after leading her team of principal officers on a courtesy visit to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Ikeja on Monday.

    Meranda, who is the first female Speaker of LAHA, said the visit provided an opportunity to reaffirm the Assembly’s commitment to maintaining a harmonious working relationship with the Executive arm of Government.

    Meranda was elected as the new and first female Speaker following the impeachment of the former Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, on Jan. 13. She emphasised the importance of alignment between the two arms, noting that such collaboration was essential for the continued growth and development of the state.

    Responding, Sanwo-Olu appreciated the visit and reiterated his administration’s commitment to working closely with the Assembly to achieve the state’s developmental goals.

    “This alignment ensures that Lagos remains a model of excellence in governance. We will build on the successes of the past and work tirelessly to deliver transformational progress across all sectors,” the governor said.

    Sanwo-Olu also expressed confidence in the shared vision of the Executive and Legislative arms to implement policies and projects that deliver on the Greater Lagos Agenda.

    The collaboration, he noted, would further enhance the state’s efforts in delivering impactful governance and sustainable development for its residents.

  • Gov Sanwo-Olu meets new Lagos Speaker first time after Obasa’s impeachment

    Gov Sanwo-Olu meets new Lagos Speaker first time after Obasa’s impeachment

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday received the new Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda and other principal officers of the House at his office in Alausa, Ikeja.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Governor Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat received Speaker Meranda on a courtesy visit shortly before the commencement of the weekly State Executive Council (SEC) meeting.

    This would be the first meeting between Sanwo-Olu, Meranda and the principal officers after the Lagos State House of Assembly impeached Mr Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker at an emergency plenary session last Monday.

    Governor Sanwo-Olu led the Speaker and her delegation to the Council Chamber, where the Speaker and EXCO members pledged to continue harmonious work relationship between the two arms of Government in Lagos State.

    The principal officers who accompanied the Speaker are Deputy Speaker, Mojeed Fatai (Ibeju-Lekki State Constituency 1); Majority Leader, Temitope Adedeji (Ifako Ijaiye 1); Deputy Majority Leader, Richard Kasunmu (Ikeja 2); Chief Whip, Sanni Babatunde (Kosofe 1) and Deputy Chief Whip, David Setonji (Badagry 2).

    “This morning, I received the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, and her team of Principal Officers at Lagos House, Ikeja.

    “During the courtesy visit, the Speaker, her Principal Officers, and members of the Executive Council reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a harmonious working relationship.

    “This alignment between the Executive and Legislative arms ensures that Lagos remains a model of excellence in governance. We will build on the successes of the past and work tirelessly to deliver transformational progress across all sectors.

    “Together, we will continue to implement policies and projects that deliver on our Greater Lagos vision,” Governor Sanwo-Olu wrote on X after the visit.

  • Police debunk report of high crime rates in Lagos

    Police debunk report of high crime rates in Lagos

    The Police Command in Lagos State has debunked a publication alleging high crime rates in the state. The Command’s spokesperson, CSP. Benjamin Hundeyin, refuted the report in a statement on Monday in Lagos.

    He said that the publication in the Guardian Newspaper on Monday with the headline” Concerns as Lagos State grapples with high crime rate despite Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras” was false.

    “It has come to the attention of the command a publication alleging high crime rates in the state.

    “In debunking this preposterous claim, it is worthy to first mention that this story was written as far back as July 2024, but for some inexplicable reasons, the newspaper chose to release the story in Jan. 20.

    “A clear six months after, without any effort to update it to reflect current realities. More importantly, empirical statistics have shown that the thrust of the story is baseless and unfounded, ” he said.

    According to him, a few months back, Lagos State unanimously adjudged the safest state in the country.

    “This development made the state a one-stop destination for all Nigerians and visitors especially during the Yuletide.

    “It is on record that over five hundred thousand people entered Lagos in December 2024 alone and ninety per cent of them remained in the state, within the same period, and near-zero crime was recorded, ” he said.

    Hundeyin said that the CCTV cameras installed by the state government had aided in the arrest of many criminal suspects.

    “The command can confirm that the CCTV cameras installed had indeed aided in the monitoring and arrest of many criminally-minded elements even before they could carry out their nefarious activities.

    “That some of these achievements do not make it to the news does not mean they are not happening, ” he said.

    According to him, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Olanrewaju Ishola, condemns the ill-thought-out decision of the media house to publish an outdated story capable of causing needless panic within the state.

    He said that CP Ishola further called on readers to ignore the publication and go about their lawful duties without fear of harassment or intimidation.

    The image maker said that the CP assured residents and visitors to the state of adequate security.

    “CP Ishola assures that adequate human, material and operational resources have been strategically deployed across the length and breadth of the state to ensure optimum safety and security of all and sundry, ” he said.

  • Lagos govt blocks popular turning point on Lekki-Ajah expressway

    Lagos govt blocks popular turning point on Lekki-Ajah expressway

    The Lagos State Government says an illegal turning point impeding traffic at Fidelity Bank/Ikota on Lekki-Ajah Expressway have been temporarily blocked by HITECH.

    Mrs Bolanle Ogunlola, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Lagos Ministry of Transportation, made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday in Lagos.

    Ogunlola said the illegal turning point was blocked on the instructions of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr Sola Giwa. She added that the blockage was aimed at reducing the lawlessness in the axis.

    “Before the blockage, the illegal turning had contributed to the gridlock along the Lekki-Ajah corridor (both sides of the road).

    “This has led to miscreants or area boys taking advantage to extort money from motorists freely. The spot has also been a den for robbers, robbing motorists of their valuables and causing multiple accidents with their notorious activities,” she said.

  • Lagos Assembly names new principal officers

    Lagos Assembly names new principal officers

    The Lagos State House of Assembly has named four new principal officers following the impeachment of the former Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, on Monday.

    The Speaker, Mrs Mojisola Meranda (APC-Apapa 1), made this known on Friday while presiding over plenary as the new speaker.

    Mr Mudashiru Obasa was impeached on Monday over alleged  gross misconduct by 32 out of the 40 members.

    The Clerk of the House, Mr Lekan Onafeko, was also suspended over alleged gross financial impropriety. The House also dissolved all the standing committees, inaugurated by the former speaker.

    According to Meranda, the announcement of new officers is as a result of the change of the leadership of the House.

    “The House has named Mr Temitope Adewale (APC-Ifako-Ijaiye 1) as the new Majority Leader, while Mr Adedamola Kasunmu (APC- Ikeja 1) is the new Deputy Majority Leader.

    “This House has also named the Chief Whip, Mr Setonjo David (APC-Badagry 2), while the Deputy Chief Whip is now Mr Ganiyu Saani(APC-Kosofe 2),” she said.

    Before Obasa’s impeachment, Mr Noheem Adams was the Majority Leader, while Adedamola Kasunmu was the Deputy Leader.

    Mr Fatai Mojeed, the new Deputy Speaker, was the former Chief Whip, while Setonji David was the Deputy Chief Whip.

    Three lawmakers (Obasa, Adams and Mr Nureni Akinsanya) were absent at the first plenary presided over by the new leadership.

  • Lagos Speaker mourns GAC member

    Lagos Speaker mourns GAC member

    The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs Mojisola Meranda, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Pa Sunny Ajose, a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) in the state.

    Expressing her condolences during plenary on Friday, Meranda described Ajose as a political titan, seasoned administrator, and a symbol of selfless service and good governance.

    Pa Sunny Ajose died on Thursday morning, at the age of 83. Meranda said that Ajose was not just a leader, but a father figure whose counsel and foresight shaped many decisions that positively impacted Nigeria.

    Highlighting Ajose’s political career, the speaker noted his tenure as Head of Service, during the administration of President Bola Tinubu as Lagos State governor.

    Ajose was also a former Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State.

    “As the Badagry Apex Leader of the APC, Pa Ajose was celebrated for his steadfast commitment to progressive leadership and his dedication to the welfare of the people of Badagry and Lagos State.

    “He would be remembered as a unifying figure, whose wisdom and passion inspired generations of leaders.

    “His contributions to the growth and stability of our democracy remain an enduring legacy that will not be forgotten.

    “His steadfast commitment to unity within the APC, and his tireless efforts for the betterment of his people, are traits that we must all strive to emulate,” she said.

    Meranda urged Ajose’s family, friends, and the people of Lagos State to take solace in the knowledge that he lived a fulfilled life of service.

  • FRSC restores traffic after Lagos tanker fire

    FRSC restores traffic after Lagos tanker fire

    The Lagos State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has successfully managed a crash involving a tanker, which resulted in fire.

    The accident occurred at 1.59 p.m. on Epe-Ijebu (outward Epe) route, specifically around Odo Agboju.

    The Lagos State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Kehinde Hamzat, made  this known in a statement on Wednesday.

    The statement was signed by Elizabeth Jayeola, Lagos Sector Public Education Officer.

    “The crash which involved two male individuals was promptly attended to with an impressive response time.

    “One male sustained injuries and was immediately transported to the General Hospital, Epe, for medical attention. No fatalities were recorded.

    “The white Mark tanker involved in the crash, caught fire, leading to significant traffic congestion as both inward and outward routes of Epe were blocked,” he said.

    He said that FRSC mobilised its personnel in Lagos, adding that  reinforcements from Ogun Sector Command were made to assist in traffic management and ensure  safety of road users.

    “The Lagos State Fire Service worked tirelessly to extinguish the fire, while officers from Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Neighborhood Watch, and Lagos State Emergency Management Authority provided critical support.

    “The fire has subsided, and traffic flow has been restored on a single lane to ease the gridlock.

    “FRSC officers remain on-site to manage the situation and ensure motorists’ safety,” he said.

    Hamzat commended the swift collaboration of all emergency responders  involved in minimising the impact of the crash.

    He advised motorists to exercise caution while using the Epe-Ijebu route and to follow instructions from traffic managers.