DARKNESS LOOMS AS NUEE LAYS SIEGE AT IKEJA ELECTRIC

   
                                             
Customers of Ikeja Electric Plc (IE) may once again experience the discomfort of extended darkness as members of the national Union of Electricity Employees have laid siege at the Company Headquaters in Alausa Ikeja and all its other offices across Lagos.

The Union members who claim that the picketing of IE followed the disengagement of about 40 members of staff, have forcibly shut down operations at the offices thereby resisting access to IE personnel and customers who  have attempted to gain access to the offices.

According to Ikeja Electric, the recent separation of staff, was due to varying actions which are not in furtherance of the overall company objectives.
This protest in coming in the heels of the promotions of about 300 employees last week and the recruitment of over 500 new employees in the past one year. The promotion exercise cut across all cadres of staff, including members of the respective Unions in the organization.

Speaking on the development, Head Corporate Communications Felix Ofulue, questioned the motive for embarking on the protest which he described as self serving.

“When NUEE chooses to cripple socio-economic activities of over a million households, for issues that can be resolved through dialogue, one then wonders if the motives are as selfless as they claim. How do you plunge a country’s commercial nerve center into darkness because of a few of your members who have been separated from the business for cogent reasons. It is really appalling. It’s an abuse of privilege to picket.” he said.

“Imagine that our employees  in Alausa Injection Sub Station were chased out of the facility by the Union and they had to shut down 9 Feeders that supply power to Ikeja and its environs on safety grounds. This has resulted in an immediate blackout for at least 3000 customers”, Ofulue concluded.

He further apologized to customers for the disruption of service by NUEE and promised that they will continue to work with stakeholder to ensure that the company continues to improve and provide quality service to our customers”.

OYO2019: Lado Meets Eruobodo

Where Will You Be When LADO Meets ERUOBODO?

Come Saturday August 11th, 2018, two technocrats vying for the governorship seats of Oyo State, Dr Olusola Ayandele Stainless and Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu in the forthcoming 2019 elections will put to the floor what they have in stock for their people respectively.

According to Dr Olusola Ayandele, he said, "It’s time to have technocrats take the lead in the political space. Fresh Fm, this Saturday Don’t miss this for anything. #eruobodo shine on #oyo #oyostate #oyogovernor2019."

See image for details.

Dr Yinka Ayandele #ERUOBODO2019

NASS Invasion: Speakers' Conference Chairman Commends Osinbajo's Timely Action

The Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa has commended the acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, for his timely action on the invasion of the National Assembly by the men of the Department of State Security (DSS) on Tuesday.

Men of the DSS invaded the National Assembly and prevented staff and lawmakers from going into the complex early Tuesday morning.

But Professor Osinbajo in a swift reaction ordered the sack of the DSS Director General, Lawal Daura for what the Presidency described as unathorised action.

Rt. Hon. Obasa who is also the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly described Professor Osinbajo's action as very timely which has not only succeeded in cooling the already heated polity but has also brought credibility to the Federal Government both at home and abroad.

"The acting President has acted timely and this has confirmed that the Presidency has no hand in the invasion of the National Assembly. This has brought credibility to the government and show its sincere commitment to rule of law and justice," the Chairman of Conference Speakers said.

Rt. Hon. Obasa condemned the invasion describing it as a desecration on the sanctity of the Parliament. "The action of the DSS is condemnable because it's a desceration on the sanctity of the Parliament. But the acting President has restored the pride of the Parliament through his timely action," he said.

The Chairman of the Speakers Conference further reiterated that he and his colleagues had warned in the communique issued at the end of their meeting in Lagos which ended in Lagos at the weekend that the Nigeria Police and in essence other security agencies should be more professional and apolitical in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities by desisting from invading and occupying legislative houses in the country.

"This invasion, coming barely 48 hours after our meeting, is sacrligeous and inimical to the growth of democratic values and ideals because the Parliament is the anchor on which Democracy stands. Any attempt to desecrate it, will have negative lasting impact on Democracy," he said.

Breaking: Osinbajo Sacks DSS Boss, Lawal Daura

The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has directed the termination of the appointment of the Director General, State Security Service, Lawal Musa Daura with immediate effect.

Mr. Daura has been directed to hand over to the most senior officer of the State Security Service until further notice.



By Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity

Office of the Acting president

Kidnapper sleeps off in victim’s house after taking tramadol

A suspected kidnapper, who wanted to kidnap a pharmacy owner, slept off as a result of tramadol he took before the operation.

The Ondo State Police Command said the incident took place in Owo town , Ondo State, on Sunday, adding that as of Monday, the suspect was still sleeping due to the effect of the drug.

Parading the unconscious suspect at the command headquarters in Akure, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Femi Joseph, explained that the suspect and his gang members had invaded a pharmacy in Owo to kidnap the owner.

Joseph said the three-man gang stormed the store with a gun, but the victim raised the alarm and escaped through the back door.

The PPRO said, “After failing to abduct their target, the hoodlums fled, but one of them stumbled because he was not active again due to the effect of the tramadol he had taken.

“The suspect has been sleeping for  more than 24 hours after his arrest while a 400mg tablet of tramadol was found in his pocket. “

The police spokesman said the suspect would be charged to court after regaining consciousness.

Copied

AgegePulse

BREAKING: DSS Operatives block National Assembly as Senators move to impeach Saraki

Officers of the Department of State Services have barricaded the entrance of the National Assembly in a percieved bid to aid pro-Buhari Senators impeach Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.

Members of the House of Representatives and staff of the National Assembly are being turned back.

As at the time of filing this report, more police officers are arriving the National Assembly.

More details coming...

SENATOR AKPABIO RESIGNS AS MINORITY LEADER

Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West  Senatorial District, Senator Godswill Akpabio has resigned as the Minority Leader of the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In a resignation letter addressed to the Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, Senator Akpabio said his resignation was with effect from August 4, 2018.

Senator Akpabio thanked the Senate leadership, the minority leadership, all distinguished Senators, his party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the opportunity to lead the PDP Caucus in the last three years.

Senator Akpabio is expected to be received into the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a rally in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday, August 8, 2018.

Copied Agege Pulse

The Mandate Movement Amuwo Odofin LGA & Oriade LCDA Endorsed Hon. Risikat Ajoke Adegeye For Rep

*THE MANDATE MOVEMENT OF AMUWO ODOFIN LGA AND ORIADE  LCDA ENDORSED HON. MRS RISIKAT AJOKE ADEGEYE AS THEIR SOLE CANDIDATE FOR THE AMUWO ODOFIN FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY 2019*.

The political atmosphere in Lagos State is gradually taken shape, with the endorsement of the former Lagos State lawmaker who represented Amuwo Odofin Constituency 1, *Hon. Risikat Ajoke Adegeye*, as the sole candidate for Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency in the coming 2019 general elections.

*Hon. Adegeye* popularly called the _*Iya alaanu of Amuwo Odofin*_  is presently a  commissioner at the Lagos State House of Assembly Civil Service Commission. By this endorsement is now the sole candidate of the Mandate Movement of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Amuwo Odofin LGA and Oriade LCDA, market men and women, youth groups, professional groups/ organizations, CDA's, Hausa community, Igbo community, social clubs and the South-south group of the two local governments under her constituency.


Rising from a gathering of the Amuwo Odofin LGA and Oriade LCDA  Mandate Movements stakeholders and members, on Wednesday August 1st, at the 206 garden Festac in Amuwo Odofin LGA, it was agreed that in view of *Hon. Geye* achievements in terms of physical infrastructure, unequalled empowerment and human capital development “we have unanimously chosen her as the only candidate for *Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency 2019*”.


The communique read at the end of the meeting explained that “after extensive brainstorming on the forthcoming 2019 election as it affects the seat of the Federal House of Representative, it was unanimously resolved that *Hon. Risikat Ajoke Adegeye*  remains our best candidate to be elected for the post as the member representing Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency, during the next national assembly election come 2019.”

The communique stated that "*Hon. Adegeye*, a former lawmaker is the only one who never abandoned nor left the people at anytime, a politician who believes in the stability of her constituency, her drive for good governance and development is a testimony of her  unflinching efforts in transforming her constituency.

 The gathering said the mistake of the last federal house of representative election must not be repeated as such popularity, acceptability, and meritocracy must not be sacrificed for pettiness and sentiments. All the unparalleled attributes of *Hon. Adegeye*  are ultimately meant to compliment the efforts of *Governor Akinwumi Ambode and President Muhammad Buhari*, in the economy diversification agenda and the emancipation of the down trodden which is way of life.

It added that besides endorsing her to represent the interest of our great constituency, the gathering explained that she is the only candidate that can guarantee the APC an effortless victory and fetch the Senate, Governor and President the required unequalled votes with her popularity/goodwill across all parties.

The endorsement gathering believed that the Constitution did not put a bar to her aspiration as a one-term Lagos State lawmaker who is aspiring for this  position to represent her people's interest.

She is the most qualified, experienced, philanthropical, popular and acceptable politician to serve as a national legislator in Amuwo Odofin Federal constituency and our believe is that “the value of the experience acquired at the Lagos State House of Assembly could not be discarded and wasted but consolidated upon in the interest of Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency.”


The beneficiaries of her unending goodwill, were not left out as they flooded 206 park to show solidarity and support to *Hon. Adegeye 2019* project as the only one endowed with the requisite requirements to represent the interest of the generality of Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituents irrespective of party, tribe, religion or qualification.


*Geye de......Iro run de........*


*© Geye Media Team*.

Housewife stabs husband to death over telephone call

by Samson Folarin

A 23-year-old housewife, Damilola Ayeni, has been arrested by the police in Lagos for allegedly stabbing her husband, Olumide, to death at their house on Bamgbose Street, Lagos Island.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the duo, who got married about two years ago with two children together, had a disagreement at their home on Friday.
The woman was said to have stabbed the 36-year-old husband in the chest.
He was rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital where he died.

The deceased’s father, Sunday Ayeni, who reported the case to the police, told our correspondent on Sunday that the couple’s marriage was fraught with disagreements.

The Ikale, Ondo State indigene explained that he had tried to intervene, but he was stopped by some family members, who warned him to back off.
He said his son was murdered by the wife over suspicion of infidelity.

Sunday said, “My son and I work at the Lagos Island General Hospital. While I work as a security guard, he worked in the pharmacy department. They got married at the Ikoyi registry.

“They had issues many times and my son reported her to me. I told them to go their separate ways, but people said I should not come between them.
“On Friday, after my son and I closed from work in the evening, he went for a party. Around that time, he called his wife on the telephone and they spoke.

“When he returned home that night, his wife waited for him at the door and stopped him from entering. She said she heard the voice of a woman in the background when they spoke on the telephone and accused him of infidelity. That was how she stabbed him in the chest and killed him. There was no struggle between them. Their two children were taken away by the wife’s mother. She has a three-month-old baby.”

He demanded justice for his son, describing him as gentle and easy-going.
A source, however, told our correspondent that the woman in her statement to the police said she acted in self defence.

The source noted that the Lagos State indigene claimed that her husband was the aggressor.
He said, “The woman said the deceased called her mobile phone sometime in the evening, but she missed the call. When he came back home around 1am on Saturday, he queried her whereabouts when he called her phone. He accused her of infidelity and charged at her with a knife. She then picked the kitchen knife and stabbed him in self-defence.”

PUNCH Metro gathered that the remains of the Ondo State indigene had been deposited in a morgue awaiting autopsy.

The suspect, who was arrested by policemen from the Lion Building division, had reportedly been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, said the Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, was saddened by the rise in spousal killings.

He said, “Early Saturday morning, the police got a report that a woman, Damilola Ayeni, stabbed her husband, Olumide Ayeni, with a knife on the left side of the chest. The victim was rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital where he died.

“The CP advises couples to resolve their matrimonial disputes amicably without resorting to violence which may ultimately lead to the death of either of them.”

Obasa Is World Class, Says Ayantayo

By Afolabi Ayantayo
Commissioner 1, Lagos House of Assembly Service Commission

It has now dawned on critics, pseudo analysts and the entire political hoi polloi what many of us have been saying about the person of Mudasiru Obasa, Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. To the glare of us all, we are witnessing the career of a precocious student of political history rising to a level unprecedented in the annals of politics not only in Agege but Lagos State as a whole.

The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures just elected our own unassuming Muda, brother, friend, associate, colleague and consequently, leader of the Agege political class to the position of Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in the federation.

It is trite and petty for a political gladiator to flaunt his/her meagre political accolades in the face of subordinates and the less fortunate as some are wont to do, but Mudasiru Obasa is in a class of his own. Brilliant but preserved, intelligent but calm, wise but considerate, imbued with knowledge and wisdom, Obasa is your ideal political mentor and an inspiration to political actors old and young.

As Nigeria's democracy waxes and strengthens towards maturity, it is not unexpected that political actors with sharpened wits and organizational dexterity will be emerging to claim the saddles of leadership in their various domains and help steer the course of the nation towards utopia. The age of young, vibrant, astute and visionary leadership has emerged all over the world and young men of exemplary characters are claiming the positions that is rightly theirs. Nigeria is not an exception and Mudasiru Obasa is one of the aforementioned.

Born and bred in Agege, a suburb on the northern fringe of Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital, the Speaker actually cut his political teeth quite at an early age, in the early nineties during the days of SDP and NRC the only two constitutional parties then, emerging as a delegate of the SDP in his ward in the old Agege Local Government, a tenuous and tedious process demanding rigorous house to house campaign to mobilize supporters to queue behind you in an open election for party positions popularly referred to as Option A4.

The experience has since guided and aided him to emerge first as a councilor of the same ward in the current dispensation beginning in 1999 via a multiparty constitution, on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). 2003, and he emerged as member, representing Constituency 01, Agege Local Government in the Lagos State House of Assembly, a position he has occupied since then and which eventually catapulted him to the acme of the House, the Rt. Hon. Speaker.

The people of Agege are still basking in the euphoria of having a Speaker from their downtrodden enclave and counting enormous benefits derived therefrom when other Speakers of State Legislatures across the nation, at the culmination of their conference held between Friday 3rd and Sunday 5th voted Rt. Hon. Mudasiru Obasa as Chairman,  Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria.

The Agege township has erupted into an euphoria of jubilation since the announcement of Obasa as the federation's Head Speaker. It is now talk of the town as the good news resonates deep into the heart of the town, for, to be Speaker is one thing, to be Speakers' Speaker is another.

Within the scope of reengineering the fortunes of this country, Speakers of State Legislatures have important roles to play as heads of an important arm of government in their states. Thus, their status and powers can be harnessed for the future of the country. For example, in amending the constitution, sponsoring bills and formulating policies that will better the lot of their electorates. Indeed, the bastion of governance falls within their purview as they can make or mar the programs of their various governors.

The Speakers can, on their own, foist blueprints of good governance on their governors and even by extension the National Assembly and the Federal Government. An example is education. For any meaningful progress to be made in our quest towards national development, education must be made a priority for all citizens. The Federal Government, has over the years failed at presenting a policy that will guarantee that the Nigerian child has access to quality education irrespective of his/her background. This failure has hindered our progress since independence. Citizens cannot contribute anything to national development if they're not adequately equipped to do so, and this can only be ensured through attainments of knowledge in various fields at the tertiary level.

The Universal Basic Education being touted by the Federal Government is outdated as it cannot go deep enough to prepare anyone for today's educational requirements. Even our universities are inadequately funded for prerequisite researches and seminal publications for standard teaching. The Conference of Speakers may take a look at this and make it a litmus.

All who have studied Rt. Hon. Mudasiru Obasa can attest to the fact that the Conference could not have made a better choice to lead it. Self-made, intelligent and optimistic, Obasa is a World Class material and all these qualities are what his colleagues must have seen in him before unanimously electing him to lead them. Having known our man for many years I'm sure this is a burden he can carry easily due to his clinical efficiency and faithful dedication to duties and assignments.

Our prayers to the Almighty is for this exemplary son of Agege to continue to wax stronger. We pray for more accolades and higher positions for him and many other aspiring sons and daughters of Agege Kingdom. As usual, we know the higher Mudasiru goes the more he helps others to also climb the ladder of attainment. God Almighty, on this we thank Thee while still looking forward for more to come.

Lagos releases N2.04bn to pensioners in three month

The Lagos State Government has in the last three months released N2.04 billion to clear the arrears of pensions under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
Mrs Folashade Onanuga, the Director General of the Lagos State Pension Commission made this known in a statement in Lagos on Monday.

Onanuga said that the sum represented money released for the months of May, June and July.

She said that N859.06 million was released for the retirees in May, N716.9 million in June and N466.9 million in July, totalling N2.04 billion.
She, however, emphasised that the total pensions fund released by the state government under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration as of June had hit N38 billion covering  9,214 retirees.

Onanuga said that insurance benefits of N40.2 million were also paid to 15 beneficiaries of deceased employees.

She said that the state employees were expected to have signed-up a Retirement Saving Account with one of the 13 PFAs approved by the state.

The LASPEC boss said the PFAs were AIICO Pension Managers, ARM Pensions, Crusader Sterling Pension, Fidelity Pension Managers, Leadway Pensure, Nigerian Life, and Provident Company, Pension Alliance, and Premium Pension.
The others were Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Trustfund Pensions, Sigma Pensions, FUG Pensions, and Legacy Pension Managers.

Onanuga said that the governor was committed to the welfare of retirees and was working toward clearing accrued pension backlogs that the administration inherited under the old pension scheme known as Defined Benefit Scheme.


“Retirees that retired solely under CPS for one reason or the other collected their gratuities upon retirement with steady monthly pension payments because the pension funds under CPS is intact,” Onanuga said.

Punch

9,438 Nigerians repatriated from Libya, says Dabiri-Erewa

Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja

The Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, says the Federal Government and the International Organisation for Migration have repatriated 9, 348 Nigerians from Libya this year.

Dabiri-Erewa said this in a statement by her media aide, Abdurrhaman Balogun, on Sunday.

The President’s aide said the IOM and the Federal Government had identified the detention camps and offered to bring all the willing Nigerians back home.

She said the repatriations were a sequel to pleas by some trapped Nigerians in Libya via a viral video.

In the video, Nigerians were told how they were being tortured to death daily under dehumanising conditions, pleading for an urgent evacuation from the Federal Government and prominent religious leaders in Nigeria.

Dabiri-Erewa said information from the Nigerian embassy in Libya confirmed that the Nigerian migrants had been traced to the Osama detention Centre,  Zawiya, Libya where 116 of them had been processed online for repatriation to Nigeria.

“Regrettably, she said 24 of them had refused to come back insisting they must get to Europe,” the statement added.

“Let me reiterate that President Muhammadu Buhari will continue to ensure that all the stranded migrants willing to return are brought back,” she assured.

She said those repatriated were being profiled and enrolled in various technical and vocational training centres with relevant agencies and groups.

Punch

Ikeja Electric Commences Installation Of 85,000 Pre-Paid Meters

… Collaborates with Community Media to Reach the Communities

In what seem to be a family meeting, the Corporate Communication team of Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IE) led by Mr Felix Ofule with Mr Fidelix, Mr Ayeni and others had a maiden edition of media parley with Association of Practitioners of Community Media in Nigeria (APCOM) on Wednesday. The event which took place at the upper room of Yellow Chilies Restaurant and bar had members of the pen industry drawn from nooks and crannies of network coverage of IE.



The head of corporate communications of the energy company Mr Felix Ofulue hinted on the need for the collaboration which in his words, ought to have been held earlier before now but for some logistics. He however noted that it is better late than never while reiterating that having understood the roles of the community media especially for a peculiar outfit such as IE, it is paramount to nurture a forum such as this for mutual benefits.

The aim of the meeting was to partner the community media in disseminating information to their various communities with the understanding of some of the usual challenges faced with customers and ways of achieving possible solutions to them. The issue of pre-paid meter was top on the list as it affects even the men of the pen world. Mr. Ofulue informed the gathering that IE is highly desirous to meter each of its customers; however the prevailing economy has not made it possible for IE to achieve that while noting that prior to the current phase of pre-paid installations of 85,000 meters ongoing IE had invested about thirty million US Dollars on metering her customers before it was halted. He said that the current phase is done through a method of identifying highly revenue zones which will in turn enhance her revenue generation for further investments, while assuring that in the next six months the issue on metering will be drastically reduced in addition with the proposed Meter Asset Providers (MAP) currently been fine tuned for implementation by the federal government. He reiterated the benefits accruing to the company which he said was enormous.




While answering question on why the estimated bills have persisted despite the public outcry, Mr Ofulue hinted that though it is agreeable that the estimated bill system does not reflect the true consumption of customers which can only be solved by metering every customer however IE has reduced the basis of estimation on actual consumption per transformers by installing meters to all the transformers thereby determining the actual consumption within the community using such transformers, he counselled further consumers to help IE in monitoring the consumption within or community and using the appropriate whistle-blower to report such while noting that it is very impossible for IE to carryout consumption assessment on all her customers, hence since the ripple effect of consumption of one customer is borne by all, it is therefore imperative for every consumer to be watchful and report such to IE authorized agent for appropriate investigation and subsequent actions.



Head Corporate Communication Ikeja Electric Driving home his point


On outstanding or inherited bills he enlightened the men of the press that by explaining that the energy sector is broken into different units which include the generation companies (GENCOs) transmission companies (TCNs) Distribution Companies (DISCOs) which IE represents, hence for any consumption the DISCOs earn about 24-25% the GENCOs earn about 50% and so on; therefore it is very difficult for any debt irrespective of who consumed it to be written off by any DISCO, he advised that in the case of rental of an apartment the prospective tenant should demand for the position of energy bill before accepting such, where it is observed that there are outstanding the tenant should demand from the landlord/landlady on how to offset such, on the other it is expedient for landlord/landlady to notify IE of any tenant failing to pay his or her energy bill for disconnection and further actions before such tenants moves.

Mr. Ayeni Akinola added that even in the case of outright purchase of a property, it is important to verify the status of such property before purchase as the bill will always surface at the time of reconnection of the new property which was termed by publisher of The Alimosho Mail as “ancestral bill”. In his (Mr. Felix) word, no bill can be written off by any DISCO once it is issued as it will mean owing the other parties.

Furthermore he used the opportunity to mention of the exclusive customer pilot program which is currently text run with Ikeja GRA, which has seen IE investing more within the axis which has also improved their supply with the effect of paying more. He boasted that power has improved tremendously except for areas with difficulties like lack of payment, threat to life of IE personnel etc.

He reiterated that IE does not tolerate any assault on its staff for any reason as it will plunge such area into darkness without any apology and for the areas with low payment; it will be unwise as a business to continue supplying such area with energy thereby forcing the company to plunge resources from other areas into such areas. While responding on question on ceeding part of their network jurisdiction to private GENCOs (Embedded Power) as the case with Isheri Whitesand and Obadore, he vehemently rejected the possibility of such without proper agreement on the modus operandi.

On why installation of transformer bought by communities sometime become almost impossible to connect to the grid and the possibility of a community retrieving materials bought for the purpose of power supply; he opined that there are due processes, standards and specifications for the purchase of any electrical product; that if any of such is not met it becomes very difficult to effect such connection while stressing that it is impossible for any community to retrieve any appliance from any Disco as there would have been an agreement signed before such is connected.

Ofulue further assured that the engagement will be frequent while reiterating the need to partner community media and used the medium to inform the forum of their whistle blower handle which he said is an independent partner from the personnel of IE and urge members to always report issues to the appropriate quarters of decision makers and not to marketers who he said are not part of the decision maker. Issues should be reported to the undertaken offices through the commercial manager or to the business unit office before escalating to Alausa. While on the social media platforms he said that efforts are often made by escalating issues to the appropriate quarters once it is received, however unlike the telecommunication industry the energy sector requires physical inspection/assessment of issues hence it is difficult to get feedback immediately as in the case of telecos.

The president of APCOM Mr Dayo Akintobi on behalf of the association thanked IE for such recognition and pledged support of the association to IE, in what seem to be the case of Oliver Twist, he further highlighted the challenges of community media and the need for a partnership such as this be backed with supports such as quarterly advert placements.

Senator Akpabio meets Buhari in London as former Governor moves to dump PDP

AgegePulse Magazine

A former Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio, has been pictured in London with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Akpabio, who won his seat in the Senate on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is believed to be set to decamp to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmaker’s meeting with Buhari, comes after an aide to the National Leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, claimed he would join the party in a few days.

More to follow..

LR

APAPA CONGESTION: AMBODE FLAGS OFF EXPANSION OF ABAT TRUCK TERMINAL IN ORILE

...To Explore Another 5,000-Capacity Terminal In Ijanikin

...Extends Egan-Agric Road Project To Ayobo, Orders Palliative Work On Ikotun-Ijegun, Others

…Inspects Ongoing Projects Across The State

 AgegePulse Magazine

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday flagged off the expansion of the ABAT Truck Terminal in Orile Iganmu, assuring that work would be accelerated on the 1000-capacity terminal to take trucks parked indiscriminately on the roads and bridges.

Governor Ambode, who led an extensive inspection of ongoing projects across the State that last for about six hours, said the expansion of the Terminal was one of the resolutions reached at the recent meeting with stakeholders, especially in the Maritime sector on finding lasting solutions to take containerized trucks permanently off the roads, a development that is majorly responsible for the gridlock in the Apapa area.

 

The Governor said: "One of the resolutions is that we should have authorised truck Terminal Park and so my visit to this place today is to flag off the reconstruction of this terminal so that we can accommodate 1000 trucks.



"We would do this in collaboration with the Nigeria Ports Authority so that the call-up system can work efficiently. The expansion we are adding to this particular terminal in which we have decided to acquire the adjoining land, we would use that primarily for non-petroleum trucks so that we can sectionalized these trucks and allow the call-up system to work.



"This is just part of the efforts that the State Government is making to make sure this Apapa gridlock and the truck menace becomes a thing of the past permanently."



Governor Ambode also disclosed that the State Government has concluded plans to utilise an expanse of land in Ijanikin area with a capacity to accommodate at least 5,000 trucks.



"I have just been briefed that we have an additional land space in Ijanikin that can accommodate 5000 trucks. We will explore that possibility immediately; all that we are doing is just to make sure that there is a permanent solution to this whole idea of trucks destroying our bridges and roads," he said.



While appealing to Lagosians for their understanding, the Governor said that within the next six to eight weeks, the Terminals would be up and running to get the trucks off the roads and bridges within the axis.



Governor Ambode said aside the expansion of the Terminal, the commitment by the Federal Government to commence the reconstruction of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway was on course with the approval of N72.9billion by the Federal Executive Council for the project.



"You would recall that about two weeks ago, we had a stakeholders' meeting with the Vice President presiding in Apapa and at that meeting, we resolved that we would ensure that the reconstruction of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway would be awarded within two weeks which has been fulfilled by the Federal Government; they have awarded the contract and construction should commence within the next two weeks.



"We thank the President, Vice President, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, and that of Transport for reconstruction of Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and the rail track from Apapa Ports to Ibadan which is strictly a cargo rail that would assist in moving heavy-duty goods away from the Apapa axis," he said.



Besides, Governor Ambode said his administration was also looking at utilizing barges on the waterways to move heavy cargo as a way of complementing efforts on road and rail transportation system.



"I just think Lagosians will have the relief to see that we have actually done what is right and in their overall interest.



"I want to thank all the stakeholders for their interest and we must continue to join hands like I said and we would get the results that we so desire," he said.



Speaking on behalf of stakeholders, Chairman of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi said the flag off of the expansion of ABAT Truck Terminal by the Governor was a new dawn towards addressing the Apapa gridlock.



According to him, "Today, I must say is a beginning of a good thing that will start happening in our sector as haulage operators in the State. Today is the beginning of a new era as far as Lagos State is concerned.



"We have been saying it that our Governor is an action Governor and his coming here today has shown that he is very dynamic and pragmatic. This is what we have been expecting and for the Governor to be here to see things for himself and flag off the rehabilitation and expansion of this terminal shows that he is not only talking but matching words with action," Ogungbemi said.



He expressed optimism that the steps taken by the State Government would go a long way to end the menace of trucks parking on roads and bridges in the State.



Earlier, the Governor had inspected the progress of work on the modern bus terminals in Yaba and Oyingbo, as well as the failed section of Sari Iganmu Road which had been abandoned for over two years, assuring scores of residents, who trooped out to welcome him, that contractors would move in to fix it within the next two weeks, while their blocked canal would also be cleared.



The Governor and his team also inspected the ongoing palliative work embarked upon to fix the bad sections of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.



While inspecting the progress of work on the Egan-Agric Road Project which is an access road to the ongoing Egan-Igando Housing Scheme, Governor Ambode said the project would be extended to Ayobo to serve as alternative route to decongest the Lasu-Iba Road to ease movement and further make life comfortable to the people.



He said the housing scheme, which had been on for about eight years, had largely been stalled due to the bad road in the axis, saying that the work would be accelerated, while interested residents would be allowed to benefit from the rent-to-own housing policy whereby the ownership of the scheme would be on monthly basis.



Besides, the Governor ordered immediate traffic signalization and palliative work on Ikotun-Ijegun Road, Abaranje, Isheri-Oshun, among other adjoining roads in the axis.



Addressing residents, Governor Ambode said: "We have received several complaints from this community about the deplorable state of the road from Ikotun to Ijegun, Abaranje and the other axis leading to Igando. I have come to see this place myself and beyond repairing the roads, we also need to do a lot of traffic management solutions here and so we are going to signalize Ikotun Junction and this particular junction immediately.



"Public Works Corporation should proceed to do palliative from the Ikotun Junction down to Ijegun, Abaranje and then we link it up to Igando. I know there are some complaints about Isheri-Oshun also. The part that we have finished there, we will look at that part and then from Isheri-Oshun down to link up this Ikotun-Ijegun Road and immediately carry out palliative now that the rain is subsiding," the Governor said.

Chelsea must let Courtois join Real Madrid, says agent

Christophe Henrotay has appealed for the Blues to do the decent thing and allow the goalkeeper to move closer to his children in the Spanish capital

Thibaut Courtois’ representative has urged Chelsea to allow the goalkeeper to join Real Madrid.

The Belgium international shot-stopper holds a desire to move back to Spain, where he spent two years on loan at Atletico Madrid, in order to be closer to his family.

Los Blancos have been keen to make a move, but thus far the Blues have refused to budge on their £40 million (€45m/$52m) valuation of the player. 

While no deal is in place, manager Maurizio Sarri did not appear confident on Friday that the Stamford Bridge will be able to retain their No.1, while former Belgium coach Graeme Jones says that a move is "definitely" on the cards.

“I have been reading everywhere that Chelsea are saying it is up to Thibaut, but he has made it clear to the club that the best option for him is to move to Madrid,” Christophe Henrotay said, according to The Sun.

“For him this is a big decision because he wants to be near his family, and there is an offer in place for Chelsea to accept.”

Some supporters have criticised the 26-year-old as they feel that his desire to move to the Bernabeu is being financially driven, but Henrotay has dismissed those claims out of hand.

“We have seen suggestions that it is about money, and it is true he could get an increase with a move.

“But he has turned down a better offer elsewhere because this is more than a financial decision.

“Throughout this it has important for everyone to be reasonable, and the buying club has come up with a reasonable offer for a player who has one year left on his contract when they know they could sign him without a fee in 12 months.

“Chelsea could get a fair fee for him now and sign a replacement. Or they would still have to sign a replacement next summer, but without getting a fee for Thibaut.

Goal

Churches meant to feed the hungry

Jesusegun Alagbe

The Lead Pastor, Life Anchor Ministry International, Lagos, Bayo Akinjiyan, has said that the purpose of the Church, which is the body of believers in Christ across the world, is to feed the hungry and treat the sick.

The cleric stated this at the fourth anniversary of the ministry which held in Lagos recently.

Speaking on the theme, “The Glory of the Latter House,” Akinjiyan said the purpose of the Church was to provide for the needy, saying this was why the local church recently conducted a community medical outreach in the Agege area of the city.

Akinjiyan recalled this was why those who brought Christianity to Africa  established schools and hospitals in order to provide free education and medical service.

He said, “We had a community outreach recently and we were able to reach out to the sick and the needy by giving out free drugs and clothes. Foodstuffs were also sold at highly discounted prices.

“This is because I believe that Christianity is about relationship with God and affecting lives. Jesus commended some people by saying they visited him while he was in prison, fed him while he was hungry and treated him while he was sick.

“Those ones asked when they saw him and did all those things; he replied that as long as they did it for others, they had done it for him. That is the essence of Christianity.”

The cleric added that the church had trained over 2,000 people in recent years in leadership and skills acquisition.

Punch

Prostitutes threaten to starve policemen of sex over incessant arrests

AgegePulse Magazine

Tony Okafor, Awka

Sex workers in Anambra State have threatened to starve policemen who patronise them over alleged harassment and arrest of their colleagues in major cities of the state.

One of the sex workers, simply identified as Kaamsi, who claimed to be a leader of the group in Umunze in the Orumba South Local Government Area of the state, told Saturday PUNCH on Friday that  her members in the state had decided to starve policemen.


Kamsi, a leader of the group of prostitutes, said they would commence the decision as from Monday next week.

She said, “These policemen constitute over 50 per cent of our customers, yet they come here at the garden to harass and intimidate us on daily basis.

“About two days ago, no fewer than 10 of our members here were arrested and taken to SARS office. They were maltreated and so dehumanised before they were granted bail and asked to pay through their noses before they regained freedom.

“This happens on daily basis here in Umunze, Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia, everywhere. So, we have decided that none of our members would ‘serve’ any policeman here in Umunze and the entire state.”

Asked whether the policemen came to them in their uniforms, Kamsi said, “We know them; we know almost all our customers. They don’t need to come to us in their uniforms to be identified.

“Brother, let me tell you, we get information here. All big men that come here, we know them up to their family level.”

Saturday PUNCH gathered that about a week ago, the Anambra Police Command raided brothels in various cities in the state and arrested no fewer than 120 persons.

According to our source, the police raided Morning Star Hotel, Amawbia, Awka South Council Area, arresting about 20 persons.

The source further said that on Sunday, the police raided Happiness Hotel in  Amanwayi, Amawbia at about noon, arresting about six women alleged to be prostitutes.

The source further alleged that the police also raided Dot4 Hotel, Mgbakwu and Bolin Hotel Nise, as well as another hotel in Ogidi, in the Idemili North Council Area, where about 60 persons were d.

Other areas raided, our correspondent gathered, were Amansea, Umunze, Onitsha and Ihiala.

Kamsi said, “The suspects were raided and bailed with N10,000 each. The police have used such raids for making money.”

Punch

The Essence Of Politics Is To Give Back To Society - Ambode

…Urges Lawmakers Not To Be Clogs In The Wheel of Progress

 AgegePulse Magazine

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday evening urged lawmakers across the country to eschew all acts that can constitute clogs in the wheel of progress based on party differences, saying the whole essence of politics is to serve the people and give back to the society.



Speaking while declaring open the Second Quarterly General Meeting of Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria held at Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja, Governor Ambode said politicians across party lines must be constantly reminded that the essence of politics which is also enshrined in the Constitution is the protection of lives and property and welfare of the people.

 

He said it was gratifying that in the wake of movement of people across political parties in recent times, speakers of the 36 State Houses of Assembly in the country were in Lagos to discuss issues of national importance, just as he expressed optimism that the lawmakers would come up with further measures to deepen democracy and advance the welfare of the citizenry.



According to the Governor, “As politicians, we must ensure that the electorate continues to believe and trust in the principles of equity and the rule of law. No arm of government must be a clog in the wheel of progress on the basis of partisan differences and that was why I said that it is very significant that irrespective of our party lines, irrespective of what has happened, we are still here to find a common-ground to discuss national issues that relate to autonomy, that relate to State Police and that is the message that we have been sending in the last three and half years.



“The whole essence of us being called politicians is to be able to give service to our people. When we do the road, bridge or the hospital, it does not ask whether you are PDP or APC neither does it ask whether you are Ibo, Hausa or Yoruba before you can climb on the Third Mainland Bridge.



“So, the whole essence is to ensure that we give back to our people and like I would always say and always agree, there are only two reasons why we are in this business of politics which are also enshrined in the Constitution – protection of lives and property and welfare of our people and so no matter what strategy or path or geographical landscape we use, what is important is that we should be able to achieve those two objectives and I believe strongly that this conference and meeting will focus on those objectives and ensure that we are able to arrive at something very lucrative to our people,” he said.



He said no arm of government can exist without the other, and as such, there must be collaboration and mutual understanding across party lines for effective governance to take place.



“Legislature is vital to the sustenance of democracy. Its stability, equity and economic prosperity through the effective performance of legislative duties and oversight functions cannot be overemphasized.



“There is no arm of government that can exist without another. So, it is very clear in our mind that there is need for collaboration, mutual respect and understanding across party lines for effective governance to take place,” Governor Ambode said.



While commending all the Houses of Assembly for the role they have been playing to ensure good governance and deepen democracy in the country, the Governor also congratulated them on the newly assented law granting financial autonomy to the Legislature and also the Judiciary, saying the development would further guarantee the independence of the two arms of government in line with the principle of separation of powers.



He said before the new law was passed, the Lagos Assembly had been enjoying financial autonomy, which according to him, had also been responsible for the high-capacity delivery of services by his administration since inception, adding: “As you move round our State in the course of this meeting, you will appreciate the modest achievements we have recorded as a result of the harmonious relationship that exists between the executive and the legislature in Lagos State.”   



Speaking earlier while leading his colleagues on a courtesy visit to the Governor, Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa said they were at Lagos House to inform the Governor of the fact that 36 Speakers across Nigeria were in Lagos to deliberate on key issues of national development including financial autonomy and State Police.



Obasa specifically thanked the Governor for his huge support which made the hosting of the meeting possible, as well as the harmonious atmosphere for Executive-Legislative relationship in the State.



Also, Chairman of the Conference and Speaker of Kebbi State House of Assembly, Mr Ismaila Kamba commended Governor Ambode for the massive infrastructural development across the State, saying the name of the Governor had been written in gold in the history of governance in Lagos.



“Anywhere you are in this country, you know the effort the Governor is making in building bridges, building roads and enhancing security. We are aware the Governor has further bought hardware of security so that this centre of excellence will continue to live and answer its name as the centre of excellence,” Kamba said.

 

2019: Akiolu Endorses Buhari, Ambode, Obasa

The Oba of Lagos, His Royal Majesty Rilwan Osuolale Akiolu has called on Nigerians particularly Lagosians to ensure the return of President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa and Hon Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni in the 2019 general elections.

The quartet  are: the President of Nigeria, Governor of Lagos State, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the Deputy Speaker of same Assembly respectively.


The Lagos monarch made this statement on Saturday in his palace when Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures paid him a courtesy visit in the course of their quarterly meeting in Lagos.


Oba Akiolu described the quartet as having performed excellently well in their course of duty.


"They have done well. And going by their performances during the few years that they have been saddled with the leadership positions, they have shown to all and sundry that they can do more if given the opportunity again," he said.


The Lagos monarch stated further advised politicians to work for the interest and welfare of Nigerians. "Politicians can only do this by settling their differences amicably. Politics is characterised by allignment and re-allignment of personnel but in doing this, politicians should not take actions or make utterances that can heat up the polity.


"We should ensure that we live in peace and harmony and that's when the country can grow and develop. Through this, Nigerians will enjoy real dividends of democracy," Oba Akiolu said.


The Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly and Chairman of the Conference I Speakers, Rt. Hon. Ismaila Kamba described Oba Akiolu as a man of honour and integrity. "As a policeman, I know you as an upright man and as a traditional ruler, you are still on the path of truth and the Rule of Law. I admire your courage and I thank you for taking time to host us," he said.


The host Speaker, Rt. Hon. Obasa described Oba Akiolu as a supporter of truth and an agitator for justice. "He has been a pillar of support for us. He has always stand by us and we have been drinking positively from his fountain of knowedge and wisdom," Rt. Hon Obasa said.

ILE-IFE AGOG AS OONI CELEBRATES YAM FESTIVAL AFTER DECADES OF NEGLECT

In fulfillment of his Cultural Tourism Agenda, the Arole Oodua & Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II was on Wednesday joined by multitude of indigenes, tourists and invited guests to celebrate New Yam Festival which has not been so  elaborately  celebrated in the last 120 years.

The newly revived  festival known as "Odun Isu" in Yorubaland held at the Ile-Oodua palace, Ile-Ife, where  citizens from other Yoruba towns came in large numbers to celebrate with him amid colourful display of culture and traditions.

Ooni Ogunwusi while addressing the mammoth crowd at the festival narrated that a deity called "Oreluere" who was one of the 401 deities sent by God(Olodumare) to establish the world was the first hunter on the planet earth that planted yam before Oduduwa supported him to make  on it a success.

The African foremost monarch acknowledged that God had provided all different necessary foods for sustainability of humanity and annual germination and growth of yam for human consumption.

The Spiritual father of Yoruba race worldwide observed that the process of originality of yam production emanated from the cradle of Yoruba's, (Ile-Ife) emphasising that yam is one of the foods with high carbohydrate that gives energy to the generality.

He stated that Oduduwa collaborated with other deities on how yearly plantation would be guaranteed. He added that "Owo" dynasty also value the celebration yearly maintaining Yam Festival is a very big event across yam belt in the world, saying Yoruba cultural heritage is very keen to this.

"I charge all other neighbouring towns especially Yorubas to emulate the ancient city of Ile-Ife in making the event a continuous exercise."

"Our youths must go into huge commercial farming as Yoruba communities are known as producers of yam for the entire world." Ooni charged

Ooni Ogunwusicontinued
"This belt is called yam belt and these yam belts produce 70% yam for national consumption, while others shared the remaining 30%.

"The plantation started from kingdom of Ife to middle belt of Nigeria straight to Central African Republic and other West African down to Southern Africa.

"Individual has his own capability and strength for production and Yorubas have mastered it and become the experts in yam production." Ooni explained.

The Co-Chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria added that the past heroes had suffered for the sustainability of human race, therefore, urged people to crown their efforts in appreciating them by embracing farming."

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, congratulated Ooni Ogunwusi on the 2018 yam festival, commending him for promoting culture and tradition of Yoruba race globally.

Ogunbodede said that the festival has exposed all to international community, saying people prefers the celebration for it has attracted a lot of visitors not to Ile-Ife alone but to other Yoruba communities.

He added that celebration of yam festival added values to economic benefit of the nation as it will encourage farming and community development.

The Vice-Chancellor appealed to the three tiers of government to ensure improvement of storage facilities of agricultural produce for adequate safety for human consumption.

He called on government to provide infrastructures such as electricity, portable water  and good roads  for smooth transportation of farm produce from farms to the cities for more patronage.

Ogunbodede lauded Ooni for putting all efforts in maintaining peaceful coexistence on campus of Obafemi Awolowo University and Ile-Ife in general.

"The relative peace we are enjoying in Obafemi Awolowo University Community is the handiwork of God who used Ooni Ogunwusi. As we are enjoying him in Ife and Yoruba land at large, the  entire nation are also enjoying him because of his "peace mantra."
Baba Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi is always giving us a tremendous support"

"He has severally organised for people from Brazil, Portugal, and Cuba to come to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife to learn African languages. I here pledge that the school management would not dissapoint him." Ogunbodede said

The Oba Olopo of Ilode, Oba Oyedotun Akintibubo, commended Ooni for the celebration of yam festival, first in the history of Ife Kingdom.

Oba Akintibubo said that during the past regimes, only his family used to celebrate the festival, before Ooni Ogunwusi elaborated it.

The Olopo of Ilode assured that the community, state and Nigeria at large will experience sulplus over the years, for the farm produce especially yam and corn will maximally grow extensively.

"With this year celebration, people will not experience hunger and hardship again, for the land will strongly produce seeds for the satisfaction of human race" he said

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Lagos Taskforce Chairman, Egbeyemi Shares life Experiences As He Celebrates Birthday

Agege Pulse Magazine

Says "I was Knocked down by a taxi at age 8 in Agege and was on support for 5 months.

Taken away by the Ocean at Badagry beach and brought back by tides after few minutes.

Escaped motor accidents in Lagos and Ado-Ekiti where everybody died in the same bus that I had fracas with the driver and refunded my fare and dropped me on the lonely road of Iyin-Ekiti.

Escaped death narrowly  by insurgents explosives at Potiskum, Yobe state where a patrol van that dropped me few minutes was bombed and shattered to ashes and flesh of colleagues littered the road and nearby roofs.

Almost commit suicide after losing both father and mother within 53 days interval because I thought the end has come.

Faced and still facing most dangerous Assignments  on the surface of the Earth in the name of keeping the society safe.

Upon all these, GOD ALMIGHTY still keep me alive to see the light of today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME; Saheed Olayinka Omokuleyin Aremu Egbeyemi (Spiritual White Lion)".

11yr old Hyperrealism Artist, Kareem Visits TGPS EDDI, Dr Ayandele

...Presents Encouraging 3rd Term Exams Results


Agegepulse Magazine

11yr old super talented Hyperrealism artist, Kareem Waris Olamilekan on Thursday paid a courtesy call on the Permanent Secretary and Tutor General of Lagos Education District One, Dr Yinka Ayandele.


AgegePulse learnt that the visit was to acquaint Dr Ayandele with the classroom performance of Kareem in line with his God given creative talent. He is a pupil of Oke-Odo Junior College under EDDI.


She called for support for Kareem to aid an all-round development of his talent and academic prowess.


The visit was revealed by Dr Ayandele in a short post on her social media handle.

The statement reads: "I received talented  hyperrealist artist, Kareem Waris Olamilekan in my office this week. It was a pleasure meeting him in company of his mother and his school principal. Recall Waris drew the portrait of French President, Emmanuel Macron within 2hours recently.


It may interest you to know that as Waris is doing fine with his creative talent, he is also performing creditably well in his academics. The pupil of Oke-Odo Junior College had very encouraging results in the just concluded 3rd term examinations.


We need to support him to ensure an all-round development for him.

6 Die, Pastor Survives In An Accident On Lagos-Ibadan express way

A man is overwhelmed with joy after miraculously surviving a fatal motor accident which reportedly killed about six persons along Lagos-Ibadan express way.

The incident which happened Wednesday, August 1, 2018, saw many other passengers injured after their passenger bus collided with a truck along the highway.

A pastor narrowly escaped death in the accident and came out with only a small bruise on his ankle.

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Agege LGEA Boss Extols Ambode Over Secondary School Placement Text

...Receives instructional materials from Lagos Speaker, Obasa

AgegePulse Magazine

The Education Secretary of Agege Local Government Education Authority, Mr. Olalekan Olatunde Majiyagbe has expressed gratitude to Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on the successful staging of placement test process for potential applicants seeking admission into Lagos public secondary schools in Agege.

Hon. Majiyagbe said the adequate funding of the activities by the Lagos State Governor made the exercise a huge success.

Majiyagbe who also doubled as the Chairman of National Association of Education Secretaries, Lagos State Chapter, added that the motivation by Lagos State government encouraged the teachers assigned for the exercise to dissipate all their energy and professionalism towards the success of the exercise.

In another development, Hon Majiyagbe hailed Lagos House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa after receiving some instructional materials for all Public Primary Schools in Agege and Orile Agege donated by Obasa.

He said,  "we appreciate our own speaking speaker, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa for this laudable gesture. This development will relief parents from the pressure to purchase other school items".

According to Majiyagbe, the distribution of the said instructional materials will start immediately schools resume by September, 2018.

AMBODE APPROVES RECRUITMENT OF 2200 TEACHERS

AgegePulse Magazine

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday approved the recruitment of additional 1200 teachers for the Junior and Senior Secondary schools in the State.



The Governor, at the last quarterly Town Hall meeting at Ibeju Lekki, had promised that his administration would employ more teachers into public schools to meet up with the manpower required to cover all public schools in the State.



Confirming the development, Deputy Governor of the State, Mrs. Idiat Adebule said the 1200 teachers was an addition to the 1000 teachers which the Governor had approved for recruitment into Primary Schools in the State.



Adebule, who superintends over the Ministry of Education, said guidelines for application would be released soon in accordance with the Civil Service Rules.



The development, she added, would further aid teaching and learning in the public schools which according to her, has been attracting more enrollment in the last three years as a result of the improved infrastructure and welfare of teaching and non-teaching staff.



She said the improved facilities and staff motivation was evident in the high performance rate of the students of the State in local and international competitions.

FG spends N49bn to feed pupils in two years -Presidency

Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja

The Presidency on Thursday said the Federal Government has spent N49bn on the feeding of primary school pupils under the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, a component of the government’s Social Investment Programme, in the last two years.
The Special Adviser to the President on NSIP, Mrs. Mariam Uwais, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja.

Uwais said 8, 596,340 pupils were currently being fed in 46,247 public primary schools in 24 states.
The 24 states, according to her, include Abia, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, and Zamfara.

The presidential aide said through the programme, 90,670 Nigerians had been engaged and empowered as cooks while over 100,000 local farmers had also been linked with the programme to supply locally sourced farm produce.
She said, “We have created a value chain with significant economic benefits to the microeconomic development of the states.

“The value chain offers additional benefits of job creation and increased livelihood outcomes for both cooks and small holder-farmers, hence improving livelihood and the local economies.”
Uwais noted that government was having challenges with the implementation of the school feeding programme in Niger and Benue states.

She said already some officials in the programme in the two states have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for the investigation and prosecution.

“The National Social Investment Office is ably empowered to suspend the programme in any state where the prescribed standard is reported to have fallen below expectation until a redesigned and realignment is achieved,” the presidential aide noted.

Uwais said the government has achieved 30 percent improvement in school enrollment in the country since the commencement of the programme.

She said while the Federal Government budgeted and appropriated N500bn for the 2016 fiscal year and the same amount in 2017, only about N140bn was released in 2017 while N80bn was accessed in 2016.


Other components of the SIP are N-Power, National Cash Transfer Project, and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme.

Punch

3 Remanded in Prison for Stealing Ikeja Electric cables

Three suspected vandals, Kabiru Musa, 20; Abubakar Mohammed Umar, 25 and Rayyali Ibrahim 23, have been remanded in Kirikiri Prisons Lagos for damaging and stealing armored cables from a transformer belonging to Ikeja Electric Plc, at NEPA Coop Estate in Ijede, Ikorodu.

The trio were arraigned at Agbowa Magistrate Court in Ikorodu following their attempt to cart away with cables they had severed from the transformer. They pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge when they appeared before His Honour Magistrate A. O Ogbe on Thursday, July 26, 2018. 

According to the charge sheet, the trio did conspire among themselves “to commit felony to willful damage and stealing and thereby committed an offense punishable under the section 411 of the criminal law, laws of the Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.

The charge further stated that they “willfully and unlawfully interfered with Ikeja Electric Distribution Company’s Electric Transformer thereby disconnecting its Step-Down cable and Upriser Cable with intent to steal and thereby committed an offense punishable under section 340 of the criminal law, laws of the Lagos State of Nigeria 2015. “On the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District the suspects did steal 24 meter of electric transformer armored cable value Sixty Five Thousand Naira (N65,000) property of Ikeja Electric Distribution Company and thereby committed an offense punishable under section 280(2)(a) of the criminal law, laws of the Lagos State of Nigeria 2015,” the charge read.

Magistrate A. O Ogbe adjourned the case till next month for hearing while the three suspects have been moved to Kirikiri Prison for failure to meet the bail conditions. In his reaction, Head of Corporate Communications for Ikeja Electric, Felix Ofulue, confirmed that vandalism, theft of electricity materials and energy theft through meter bypass and illegal connections, remain a major challenge facing the company.

According to him, these illegal activities further sabotages the company’s efforts to provide excellent service delivery as customers will be affected by the extended power outage resulting from these unpleasant activities. He commended the security agencies for providing dependable support and for the role they play in protecting IE infrastructure against vandalism while he further urged the Community Development Association (CDA) chairmen and members of the public to assist the DisCo in safeguarding the electrical infrastructure in their respective communities.

Reason FG set to increase NYSC members’ allowance – DG

The Federal Government has begun an upward review of the N19, 800 monthly allowance paid to members of the National Youth Service Corps, according to the Director-General of the scheme, Brig Gen Suleiman Kazaure.

The DG stated this on Thursday, noting that the NYSC, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, received a letter from the Presidency, which confirmed that the process to review the allowance of corps members had started.


Kazaure, who disclosed this while inspecting the NYSC Orientation Camp in Abuja, said the Presidency had also sent a copy of the letter to the Ministry of Finance for further consideration.

The DG said, “The Federal Government is working to increase your monthly allowance. Therefore, wherever you find yourselves, conduct yourself well and be good ambassadors for the country. We received a letter from the Presidency through the Ministry of Youth and Sports and copied to the Ministry of Finance, which shows that the corps members’ allowance will be reviewed upward. This is in the pipeline.”


The DG, earlier in Edo State, warned corps members participating in the 2019 general elections as ad hoc workers to shun electoral malpractices.

He stated this while addressing the 1,989 corps members deployed to the state for the 2018 Batch “B” service year, warning that any corps member who violated the electoral laws would be dealt with accordingly.

The NYSC’s Spokesperson, Adenike Adeyemi, in a statement, quoted the DG as saying, “We warn corps members to avoid electoral malpractices as they will be participating in the forthcoming general elections as ad hoc workers. The NYSC management has put the necessary machinery in place to ensure the safety of all corps members throughout the service year.

Punch

Six Nigerian asylum seekers die as Cameroon forcefully repatriates them

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has expressed shock about the tragic death of six Nigerian asylum-seekers, among them three children, who reportedly died in a blast in the far north of Cameroon.

The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees has learnt that on 29th of July, 12 asylum-seekers were being forcibly returned to Banki, Nigeria, in a Cameroonian army truck which drove over an improvised explosive device that exploded.

Six Cameroonian soldiers and six other asylum-seekers were also injured in the incident, which took place in Homaka, Mayo Sava Division.



“This tragic incident is a disappointing testament of continuing forced returns (refoulement) of refugees and asylum-seekers from Cameroon, despite numerous appeals by UNHCR to the Government of Cameroon to respect its obligations,” said Valentin Tapsoba, Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Africa.

“The forced return of refugees and asylum-seekers is in violation of the principle of non-refoulement which constitutes the cornerstone of international refugee law to which the Cameroonian State is party.”

UNHCR noted that over 800 Nigerian refugees and asylum-seekers in Cameroon have been forcibly returned to Nigeria since the beginning of 2018.

It therefore called upon the government of Cameroon to refrain from carrying out further forced returns of Nigerian refugees and asylum-seekers.

It also reminded Cameroon of its obligations under international law relating to the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers and the commitments it made by signing the Tripartite Agreement for the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon in March 2017.

UNHCR reiterated its appeal to authorities to provide Nigerian refugees with unhindered access to asylum and also expressed its readiness to support Cameroon to ensure that all individuals seeking safety have access to efficient screening, registration and documentation procedures.

Some 96,000 Nigerian refugees have sought safety in the Far North region of the country, with more than 8,000 new refugees registered since the beginning of 2018, UNCHR noted; stating that Cameroon currently hosts more than 367,000 refugees and asylum-seekers

Punch

PDP Make Saraki National Leader

Senate President, Bukola Saraki has been appointed the national leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP at the party’s NEC meeting on Thursday.

Being the highest office holder in the party at the moment, Saraki will replace his deputy, Senator Ike Ekwerenmadu, who held the position until the defection of Saraki and other top APC members to the PDP.

The arrival of Saraki was heralded by loud ovation as he was led into the venue of the meeting by PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and other top leaders of the party.

Saraki, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal and Benue State governor Samuel Ortom were all present at the meeting.

The NEC meeting attended by the four former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was in celebration mood as the politicians exchanged banters.

Apart from the former APC chiefs, the meeting hall had key figures in the PDP, including governors, lawmakers and some of the presidential aspirants.