Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti

Gunmen on Saturday kidnapped the Financial Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Mr. Kayode Oni.

Oni was reportedy kidnapped on the Efon-Erio-Ekiti Expressway while returning to Aramoko Ekiti in the Ekiti West Local Government Area around 4.30pm.

The state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, told journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday that Oni was returning from where he went to conduct the PDP Local Government Congress in the Efon LGA.

He revealed that the kidnappers had established contact with his wife and younger brother and demanded N30m ransom.

He added that Oni was carrying his daughter and grandson in his car at the time he was kidnapped.

“The family told the abductors that the entire family can’t even raise N1m. Our party is not resting as well. We are trying to ensure that he is safe,” Adebayo added.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdullahi Chafe, said he was out of Ekiti and had not been briefed.

“I can’t confirm now; there is no way I will know because I am not in Ekiti State as I speak to you,” the CP said.

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Samuel Awoyinfa

Two suspected robbers who allegedly specialised in snatching motorcycles from Nigeria and selling them in the Republic of Benin have been apprehended by men of the Ogun State Police Command.

The two cross-border suspects were identified as Evans Ajao and Isaiah Aigba.

The command also stated that another motorcycle snatcher, who stole a motorcycle from its owner in the Abeokuta metropolis and was trying to escape with it, died after he fell into a ditch.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said Ajao and Aigba were arrested last Wednesday at Baagbon village, in the Odeda Local Government Area of the state.

He noted that a team led by the Divisional Police Officer at Odeda, Muhammad Baba-Suleiman, arrested the suspects following a distress call that the men had snatched a Bajaj motorcycle at Alabata area.

Oyeyemi explained that on the strength of the call, the DPO and his team blocked all exit routes in the area and the hoodlums were apprehended with the motorcycle.

He said, “On interrogation, the duo confessed to have been in the business of motorcycle theft for quite some time and that they have standby buyers once they succeed in taking a motorcycle to the Republic of Benin.

“The state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has directed that the suspects be transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Abeokuta, for further investigation and prosecution.”

The police spokesperson said another motorcycle robber met his Waterloo on Saturday, April 28, 2018, when he snatched a motorcycle and shot the owner at the Abule Ijaiye area of Lafenwa in Abeokuta around 4.45pm.

The robber, who had reportedly pretended to be a passenger, was alleged to have suddenly brought out a locally-made double-barrelled pistol and asked the rider, Toyin Ayoade, to surrender his motorcycle.

Oyeyemi said it was while the rider was struggling with the suspect that the robber shot him in the hand and snatched the motorcycle.

“Following a distress call from the victim, the people of the community gave the suspect a hot chase. While he was running away on the motorcycle, he fell into a ditch and hit his head on a concrete culvert. He died on the spot.

“Also recovered from him were one locally-made double-barrelled pistol, two live cartridges and the snatched motorcycle,” the PPRO added.

Oyeyemi said the owner of the motorcycle was recuperating in a hospital.

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Samson Folarin

A factory worker, Mrs. Ayo Sheriff, is cooling her heels in a detention facility of the Lagos State Police Command, after allegedly inflicting serious injuries on her daughter, Aishat.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the 30-year-old Ilorin, Kwara State indigene, plugged an electric iron and pressed the hot surface on the body of the 16-year-old, injuring her in the two legs.

Our correspondent learnt that the offence of the teenager was that she lied that her mother was with the sum of N250 which she (Aishat) was supposed to give to her  (Aishat) boss.

The case was said to have been reported at the gender section of the police command headquarters, Ikeja, which arrested the suspect.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, said the incident happened on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

He said, “The Lagos State Police Command is investigating a case of child abuse reported by Chosen Child Orphanage Home, located on Gastya Estate, Ijora Badia on behalf of Aishat Sheriff, a 16-year-old girl child whose upper and lower right limbs were allegedly burnt by her biological mother, Ayo Sheriff, with an electric iron after a minor misunderstanding.

“The victim, who is a pupil of a secondary school and a part-time student nurse, was given N500 by her boss with an instruction to give someone N200 on her way home, use N50 as her transport fare and return the balance of N250 the next day.

“However, on the day she was supposed to return the balance, she defaulted. She told her boss that the money was with her mother. The boss called her mother on the telephone and the mother denied knowledge of the money.

“When the victim returned home from work, her mother, who was already waiting for her, plugged an electric iron and waited until it was hot. She used the hot iron to welcome her daughter home, accusing her of being a disgrace to the family.”

Oti said the state Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, became angry on sighting the victim’s injuries, adding that the police boss expressed worry over increasing rate of child abuse and domestic violence in the state.

He said Imohimi advised parents to correct their children in love.

It was learnt that although Ayo and her husband lived together with the children, the husband was always away from home due to the nature of his work.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Aishat and her two siblings were put into the custody of Chosen Child Orphanage Home in the interim.

Oti said the gender section of the command, headed by SP Adejoke Cole, had concluded investigation into the case and would charge the suspect to the Ikeja Magistrate’s Court on Monday, April 30, 2018 (today).

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Etim Ekpimah, Uyo

The Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, in the Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has arrested eight suspected smugglers and seized 642 bags of rice, four outboard engines, a water pumping machine and two wooden boats.

The eight suspects, who were reported to be Nigerians, were arrested on Friday when they allegedly made their voyage back to the country’s waterways with the contraband product from the Republic of Cameroon.

The Commanding Officer, FOB, Navy Captain Yusuf Idris, in Ibaka on Saturday warned smugglers to stay out of the Nigerian maritime environment.

He said, “About two months ago, the arrest of suspects and seizures of contraband items were almost a weekly affair. Whenever we went out into the seas, we made arrests.

“Within that period, I advised the maritime offenders to keep away from the nation’s maritime environment, especially the Eastern flank. I am happy to an extent that some smugglers listened to this warning. This is not unconnected with the reduction in the level of criminality on our waterways.

“Nevertheless, we want to put a total stop to it. Under this leadership of the naval high command, we have zero tolerance for all forms of maritime offences.”

While handing over the suspects and the items to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Idris assured Nigerians that the navy would continue to support the NCS to rid the country’s waterways of contraband and dangerous products.

The Assistant Comptroller, Eastern Marine, Oron House Station, Auwal Ali, who represented the Comptroller, Eastern Marine Command, NCS, Port Harcourt, Ajiya Masaya, thanked the navy for being proactive.

He said, “We can say gladly that the navy is assisting the Customs in fighting smuggling. I wish to thank the Navy for a job well done on behalf of my comptroller. He has instructed that I should take the suspects and the seized items from the Navy.”

One of the suspects, Bruno Owobiakuno, who claimed the voyage was his first, said he and his team were arrested by the navy when they entered Ebughu, in the Mbo LGA, Akwa Ibom State.

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Samson Folarin

There was panic on Sunday on the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State, as emergency management workers blocked the bridge for a simulated road accident.

Panic-stricken motorists cried while their faces creased in horror as they watched officials of the Lagos State Government, supported by some federal workers, battle to rescue victims of the multiple ‘crashes.’

From the scenario, five vehicles, including a LAGBus, had been involved in a multiple crash which resulted in loss of lives, just as a commercial bus plunged into the Lagoon.

While some of the ‘victims’ were rescued, the ‘dead’ were removed and put into an ambulance.

A crane was later deployed to pull out the commercial bus from the Lagoon, as 20 boats, occupied by marine policemen and local divers, coordinated the water operation.

Some motorists, who heard or witnessed the accident, took to Twitter to raise the alarm and warn others.

One Hoebi Kenobi, @Crosseyednerd, said, “Nigeria is the only place I know where people drive on bridges like crazy people who don’t leave any margin for error. Just heard of a terrible accident on the Third Mainland Bridge with two vehicles fallen into the Lagoon. It’s just sad.”

One Olu Dee warned motorists to avoid the road.

“If you are coming from the Mainland to the Island, avoid 3rd Mainland Bridge, I repeat avoid Third Mainland Bridge. It is currently blocked due to an accident and vehicles are turning back,” he tweeted.

One Motunrayo Alaka, @ssussaine, said, “There is an emergency situation involving fire on the #ThirdMainlandBridge. Emergency units are extremely organised.”

The General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Adeshina Tiamiyu, who coordinated the simulation, allayed the fear of residents, saying the state government created the accident.

He explained that a recent crash in which a retired air vice marshal and his driver drowned prompted the state government to organise the exercise to test the preparedness of emergency workers in the state.

Tiamiyu noted that over 15 emergency responders were involved in the simulation, which started around 2am.

He said, “The exercise is a live simulation, codenamed Oko Jasosa (vehicle plunges into the Lagoon). You will recall that last year, there was an accident on this bridge in which one of the vehicles plunged into the Lagoon, killing two of its occupants.  We knew the challenges we faced in retrieving the vehicle from the water. What we have done is to recreate a situation like that and what we can do when such happens.

“We have also done this to create a synergy among our sister agencies, deliver what we have practised and test our response capacity and capability, including the use of hi-tech equipment recently procured by the state government.

“As responders, it is our responsibility to save Lagosians when an accident occurs no matter where and how. I know there is a lot of panic out there, but this is just make-believe. No vehicle plunged into the Lagoon.”

Adeshina, while encouraging residents to call the state’s emergency toll-free lines, 767 and 112, during emergencies, said the agencies would review their performances after the exercise.

Aside from LASEMA, other agencies involved included the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service, State Environmental Health and Monitoring Unit, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Lagos State Waterway Authority, Rapid Response Squad, Marine Police, National Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp and the Federal Road Safety Corps.

The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Dr Demilade Longe, said the government was committed to the safety of residents.

He explained that the state had made huge investment in emergency management to safeguard the lives and property of residents and gain the confidence of investors.

During the exercise, PUNCH Metro observed that there was traffic congestion on the bridge as many people going to places of worship  were stranded.

The bridge, at some points, was temporarily shut.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, in a statement, apologised to residents for the inconvenience, saying it was for the “common good.”

The statement, issued by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, said, “The Third Mainland Bridge was temporarily shut to traffic this morning, April 29, 2018, due to a simulation exercise carried out by NEMA, LASTMA, the police, the FRSC and other agencies of government.

“The objective of the exercise is to achieve a coordinated response among these agencies, which are usually the first responders in emergency situations.

“The CP Lagos hereby apologises to Lagosians for the inconveniences suffered while the exercise lasted.  The CP said the exercise was for the common good.”

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Tunde Odesola

(tundeodes2003@yahoo.com)

In 24 sterling years of military service, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) participated in three coups and emerged as Head of State. That was hard work! When he lost the swagger stick in 1985, he didn’t relent until he repossessed it 30 years later, entering the record book as the oldest African ex-military general in power, yet seeking more power. I don’t seek to defend President Buhari over his “lazy youth” comment, though I love him. Frustrated is what you become after working ceaselessly for 57 years to change Nigeria, but all you get are some lazy and corrupt lot behaving as if the world exists on their breath. I’m not a bootlicker but I must say the President is the most misunderstood Nigerian leader ever.

 You can accuse President Buhari of not possessing a secondary school leaving certificate, but you can’t accuse him of being talkative. Even Nigeria’s senator-on-the-cross, Dino Melaye, cannot. You’re also unlikely to find a member of the opposition that would disagree with the description of the President as being taciturn, uncommunicative, reticent, inarticulate, dumb, withdrawn and anti-social; the English Language has several synonyms for some words, you know. This is why I’m still at sea about the accusation that the President talked too much some days ago while addressing the Commonwealth Business Forum in London, where he described Nigerian youths as lazy. To his growing multitude of haters, President Buhari’s aridity doesn’t stop at the oral level; they believe it has climbed upstairs. But I consider this assumption by critics as an insult to our simplistic President, whose sole ambition, after being ousted from power in 1985, was to return to power and endure lazy and corrupt Nigerians. Yes, endure Nigerians, who have failed to tolerate the hard work in herdsmen trekking all the way from the North through southern grazing routes, slinging peaceful AK47s across their innocent necks. In the emerging new Nigeria, herdsmen without education can become President.

A stubborn question still puzzles me, though; if the President failed to bag a secondary school certificate and went on to have other higher certificates, does this failure render his military certificates a nullity? If the answer is yes, does this buttress the trite saying, ‘You can’t build something on nothing’? If yes is your answer again, are you saying President Buhari is nothing, or is he something that nothing can be built upon, or is he something that can build nothing? Please, don’t confuse me. I won’t be part of the Ayo Fayose maddening crowd or the infantile Dino Melaye team or the Femi Fani-Kayode blabbing gang, who all delight in calling Mr President unprintable names. I’m a well-brought-up Nigerian. As a journalist, I’ll only ask questions: Why can’t the hardworking President present his school leaving certificate publicly to show the horde of lazy Nigerian youths that it’s good to have an education? A President who has 10 children can be anything but lazy because only a hardworking general can give 10 children the best luxuries money can buy with the stipend called military salary.

Our President is a child of destiny. As the 23rd child who was born without blemish to his father, Hardo Adamu, and mother, Zulaihat, Buhari showed early signs of hard work when he enrolled in the Nigerian Army in 1961 at the age of 19 and engaged in a bloody coup five years after! This is how not to be lazy. When the President calls our youths lazy, he sure knows what he’s saying; who among our youths ever engaged in a coup that sent the Head of State, Gen. JTU Aguiyi Ironsi, the Military Governor of the Old Western Region, Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, and a host of other military leaders to early grave? What do our youths do other than watch foreign football leagues, have sex, smoke hemp, drink alcohol, do 419, prostitute and engage in ritualism? Can they put their lives on the line for their tribes as Buhari and co did to avenge the killings of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and Northern Region Premier, Ahmadu Bello? Did you say ethnic killings haven’t stopped in the North ever since? Truth is, British imperialists bequeathed Nigeria to a tribe when self-rule came knocking on the door of 1960. The tribe won’t lose control of the bequeathal without a bloody fight in 2019. Dogs and baboons beware!

  Again, the hardworking Buhari staked his life for the country between 1967 and 1970 when he fought on the side of federal troops against Biafran secessionists and rose, within just 14 years of service, to become the Military Governor, North-Eastern State. The North-Eastern State was later divided into Bauchi, Borno, Gongola, Yobe,Taraba, Adamawa and Gombe states. The born-to-rule President, at just 32, was governor of seven states! You see the essence of hard work? A year after he became military governor, 1976 to be precise, Buhari rose to become the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources and when the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was formed in 1977, the then military Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, appointed him as its chairman. This was the era when the late Fela Anikulapo sang about a missing N2.8bn ‘Oyel Money’ from the NNPC account.

 I’m not here to defend the President, though I love him. I read a fellow commenting on an online platform that the cold weather of the western world affects the President’s mental coordination whenever he travels out, hence his misstatements. I don’t agree with that puerile position. Rather, I think the President deserves our pity for his ceaseless toiling. As a journalist, I’m trained to ask questions: Why won’t the President be frustrated and annoyed when between Tuesday and Wednesday last week alone, the stories emanating from Nigeria were nothing but palatable? Headlines of stories within those two days include: “Senators fault Buhari’s $496m Tucano aircraft purchase without due process,” “CAN calls for nationwide protest against herdsmen killings,” “N323m fraud: Court remands Ibori’s ally, Nwaoboshi, in Ikoyi prison,” “Sex-for-marks: Alleged victim, Monica Osagie, appears before OAU panel,” “N13.5m running cost: SERAP sues Saraki, others,” “Protest in Benue as herdsmen kill two Catholic priests, 17 others inside church,” “Senate, Reps joint committee to probe invasion, mace theft,” “Dino Melaye jumps out of police van, ends in hospital,” “Again, herdsmen kill 11 in Benue,” “Man, 75, remanded in prison for defiling two girls in Niger,” “Suspected herdsmen kill seven in Nasarawa…communal clash death toll hits 30,” “Senate suspends plenary to visit Melaye,” “How Nigerian pupils cheat during WASSCE through websites,” “Benue church killings vile, satanic, Buhari says.”

How can Nigeria be ever great producing this type of stories in just TWO days? While taciturn President Buhari, as usual, spoke through his media aide, Mr Femi Adesina, describing the killing of over 30 people in Benue as ‘vile and satanic’, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, PERSONALLY addressed his countrymen after a van driver, Alek Minassian, last Tuesday, ran over 10 people on a busy Toronto sidewalk. Trudeau, in a nationwide broadcast, allayed the fears of his compatriots even as the murder suspect was promptly charged to court. In another development in Denmark capital, Copenhagen, last Wednesday, a Danish inventor, Peter Madsen, 47, got a life sentence for killing and sexually assaulting a female Swedish journalist, Kim Wall, 30, on his homemade submarine last year.

  While the Senate failed to suspend plenary over killings since 2015, it did so in order to visit a senator who attempted to outdo the orangutan. If the mounting disenchantment among the citizenry continues, nothing will stop Buhari from coasting back home to Daura in 2019.

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Afeez Hanafi

No fewer than four persons, including a pupil and a security guard of Dolphin High School, Lagos Island, have been reportedly shot by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

The pupil, whose identity had yet to be ascertained, was said to have died from the injury he sustained, while the school guard, Godwin Nsidieti, lost his left eye to the gunshots.

Two other victims, a civil servant and a man said to be a resident of Igunu Street, Nurudeen Animashaun, were also affected.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the NDLEA operatives had stormed Tapa Street, Lagos Island, in two Hilux vans around 8am on Tuesday, April 17, to arrest suspected drug peddlers.

They reportedly parked their vehicles at a junction opposite the school.

While they were raiding Patey, a neighbouring street, they were said to have been repelled by some youths.

Our correspondent gathered that the anti-narcotic officials started shooting indiscriminately during which a bullet hit the pupil who was said to be going to school.

The guard had reportedly come out of his security post on hearing gunshots when he was hit in the eye.

The operatives reportedly fled the area, while two of the victims were rushed to the Lagos Island General Hospital for treatment.

A resident, who gave his name only as Raphael, told PUNCH Metro that the NDLEA officials arrested a cripple during the raid.

He said, “Men of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad from Ikeja had earlier raided the community that day. No sooner had they left than the NDLEA men came in through Tapa Street in two Hilux vans.

“They were in mufti and some boys tried to chase them away. As they started shooting, they hurriedly wore their jackets with NDLEA inscribed on them.

“Before we knew what was happening, the school guard and a pupil had been felled by bullets. A civil servant and another man (Animashaun) also sustained injuries. The officials quickly entered their vans and ran away.

“We learnt that the pupil later died. The principal of Dolphin High School said the pupil was not known in the school. We have been trying to locate his address. The officials that perpetrated the act must be brought to book. They arrested two residents.”

An eyewitness, who begged not to be named, said the NDLEA officials shot directly as people, who were going to their places of work, scampered to safety.

He stated that policemen from the Area A Command, Lion Building, were deployed in the scene after a distress call.

“One of the victims, Nurudeen (Animashaun), has just been discharged from the Lagos Island General Hospital. The school guard has been referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Ikeja because his condition is critical. A pupil was also shot and I learnt he died,” he added.

Godwin’s younger brother, Anthony Nsidieti, said he pleaded with the NDLEA operatives to cease fire after his brother had been gunned down, but his entreaties fell on deaf ears.

He said, “I was around the Abari Cemetery when the NDLEA officials started shooting. My brother heard the gunshots and came out of the school gate to find out what was happening. People were calling my brother’s name. I rushed there and met him inside the gutter.

“I hid in a corner and begged them to stop shooting so I could take my brother away. As some people wanted to join me to rescue him, they started shooting again. In the process, a pupil and civil servant were shot. The boy’s mother came to carry him.

“While I was with my brother at the Lagos Island General Hospital, the Area Commander, Area A Command, came and promised to identify those who shot him. From the hospital, he was taken to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, but he was rejected. We then took him to LASUTH, where we were told that the bullet had destroyed his left eye.”

Anthony said two surgeries had been carried out on his brother, lamenting that the family had spent about N1.5m.

“He will do the third surgery this week. When I went to the hospital on Friday, we were told that he would spend about two months more,” he added.

The spokesperson for the NDLEA, Jonah Achema, promised to get back to our correspondent when contacted on the incident. He, however, had yet to do so as of press time.

But the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, confirmed the shooting, adding that two persons were injured.

He said, “We have written to the NDLEA in Lagos to produce the officials that went for that operation for questioning and we are awaiting a response. The two victims are alive and responding to treatment at the Lagos Island General Hospital and LASUTH respectively.”

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Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

The Civil Liberties Organisation, Bayelsa State chapter, and the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide have condemned the closure of the state-owned

Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

The Civil Liberties Organisation, Bayelsa State chapter, and the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide have condemned the closure of the state-owned Niger Delta University, Amassoma, over protests by students of the institution.

The students had reportedly staged a protest against an alleged increase in tuition fees by the management of the university.

The State Chairman, CLO, Chief Nengi James, condemned the attack on the President of the Student Union Government of the institution, describing it as an act of intimidation.

James called on Governor Seriake Dickson to intervene and stop the planned expulsion of the SUG leaders over their role in the protest.

He said that investigation by the field officers of the CLO showed concern over the alleged human rights abuses against the students and the SUG leadership of the Institution following the protest.

He said, “We discovered that the institution’s management increased the school fees without due consultation with the stakeholders. And after the protest by students, some hired miscreants attacked the students in order to silence their rights to expression and speech.

“We have also discovered that the institution’s management is planning to expel the SUG leaders and other students over their alleged involvement in the protest against hike in school fees.

“The CLO condemns in totality the plot by the NDU to silence the students by assaulting the SUG leaders and the planned expulsion of some students. We are ready to use available legal means to support the students over the need for the protection of rights as guaranteed by law.”

The CLO chairman said the organisation had mobilised a legal team and members of the alumni of the school to save the students from being expelled from the institution.

Calling on Dickson to address the grievances of the students that led to the protest and eventual closure of the school on April 25, the IYC said, “The NDU is to the Ijaw nation what the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria is to northern Nigeria. The NDU is also to the Ijaw what the University of Nigeria, Nsukka is to the Igbo.

“It is also to the Ijaw nation what the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife is to the Yoruba. And just like the NDU was founded by the late Ijaw leader, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, these universities were founded by the leaders of the Yoruba, Igbo and the North to give their people access to university education.

“Hence, all efforts must be made to protect the founding philosophy of the Niger Delta University by our late leader, Alamieyeseigha, which was to give Ijaw people access to university education in a school they can call their own.

“The Bayelsa State Government must note that a vast majority of students of the NDU are children of poor Ijaw people who cannot afford high charges.”

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, Amassoma, over protests by students of the institution.

The students had reportedly staged a protest against an alleged increase in tuition fees by the management of the university.

The State Chairman, CLO, Chief Nengi James, condemned the attack on the President of the Student Union Government of the institution, describing it as an act of intimidation.

James called on Governor Seriake Dickson to intervene and stop the planned expulsion of the SUG leaders over their role in the protest.

He said that investigation by the field officers of the CLO showed concern over the alleged human rights abuses against the students and the SUG leadership of the Institution following the protest.

He said, “We discovered that the institution’s management increased the school fees without due consultation with the stakeholders. And after the protest by students, some hired miscreants attacked the students in order to silence their rights to expression and speech.

“We have also discovered that the institution’s management is planning to expel the SUG leaders and other students over their alleged involvement in the protest against hike in school fees.

“The CLO condemns in totality the plot by the NDU to silence the students by assaulting the SUG leaders and the planned expulsion of some students. We are ready to use available legal means to support the students over the need for the protection of rights as guaranteed by law.”

The CLO chairman said the organisation had mobilised a legal team and members of the alumni of the school to save the students from being expelled from the institution.

Calling on Dickson to address the grievances of the students that led to the protest and eventual closure of the school on April 25, the IYC said, “The NDU is to the Ijaw nation what the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria is to northern Nigeria. The NDU is also to the Ijaw what the University of Nigeria, Nsukka is to the Igbo.

“It is also to the Ijaw nation what the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife is to the Yoruba. And just like the NDU was founded by the late Ijaw leader, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, these universities were founded by the leaders of the Yoruba, Igbo and the North to give their people access to university education.

“Hence, all efforts must be made to protect the founding philosophy of the Niger Delta University by our late leader, Alamieyeseigha, which was to give Ijaw people access to university education in a school they can call their own.

“The Bayelsa State Government must note that a vast majority of students of the NDU are children of poor Ijaw people who cannot afford high charges.”

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Samuel Awoyinfa, Abeokuta

The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof. Kolawole Salako, has asked female students of the institution to report any lecturer that demands sexual favours from them to the authorities.

Salako made this known to journalists on the sidelines of the institution’s 30th Anniversary Lecture, which was themed:  A robust regulation system: An imperative for quality assurance in Nigerian universities and delivered by a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie.

The vice-chancellor noted that the management of the university had in the past sacked some lecturers who demanded sex from female students in exchange for marks.

Describing the act of making sexual demands from female students as an aberration, he urged the latter to report any lecturer found to be making such demands to the university authorities.

He said, “We have sacked a lot of lecturers in the past who were found guilty of demanding sex in exchange for marks. I have given the students of this institution the assurance of 100 per cent support from the authorities if they are abused. We won’t condone sex-for-marks in this university.  We also frown on the act of demanding gifts in exchange for marks.”

In his lecture, Okojie called for a more efficient and effective monitoring system that would guarantee an acceptable balance between quality and access in Nigerian universities.

He also advised universities in the country to take advantage of the Nigerian Research Education Network platform to share resources with one another.

He said, “Universities in Nigeria should take advantage of the Nigerian Research Education Network to share resources with other universities. It provides cheaper bandwidth, telephony, video conferencing and improves the prospect of teaching larger class sizes. It also assisted Nigeria in securing 10 out of 22 Africa Centres of Excellence in the Central and West African sub-region.”

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Adewale Kupoluyi

Nigeria was thrown into another round of mourning with recent killings in Benue State. Critical questions that many people are asking include: What is really happening in this country? Are the herdsmen more equipped, trained and skilful than our security forces? What makes it extremely difficult to apprehend, arrest and prosecute the killer herdsmen? Are there official backing or cover-up for the nefarious activities of these people? These and many more questions remain unanswered.

 While pondering over the mysteries surrounding these senseless killings, armed herdsmen unleashed another terror killing many persons, including two Catholic priests. The killing of the two Catholic priests and worshippers has sparked off protests across the state, as the people have called on the appropriate authorities to fish out the perpetrators. After this episode, more attacks were reported to have occurred in other parts of Benue State. The attack on churches and killing of worshippers have introduced a more worrisome chapter in the herdsmen-farmers’ conflict, which appears to have become severe in Benue, Taraba and Zamfara states, suggesting that these attacks could have religious reasons.

 Violence and brutal killings of innocent people seemed to have heightened following a move by the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, to sign the Anti-Open Grazing Bill into law with the hope of curbing killings and destruction of farmlands associated with open grazing in the state. The governor not only took that step, which is actually in order, he also gave an ultimatum to herdsmen to either ranch their livestock or leave the state. Rather than toe the right path, the herdsmen have proved to be the stumbling block to peace, as they have become notorious for destruction, rape, trespass, mass murders and destroying agrarian produce in places they invade. It is on this strength that the response of the governor to the enactment of the law can be said to be the logical and legal. The law is, therefore, a pro-active step by making it possible for ranching to be practised by eliminating frequent clashes over land between farming communities and nomadic livestock owners.

Without prejudice, the nation’s security system has functioned far below standard and this is evidenced in the incapability to fight crime and defend the territorial integrity of the nation. With the upsurge in the activities of criminals, many people are no longer sleeping with their two eyes closed due to the inability of our security agencies to discharge out their duties efficiently and effectively. To begin with, on a number of occasions, those attacked have a prior knowledge of the invasion, but when alarms are raised and reports were given to security forces, nothing much was done to prevent the onslaught. This has been the experience of invaded villages that got prior information on the impending attacks and law enforcement agents were unable to salvage the situation. Following the massacres in Benue earlier in the year, it was reported that terror groups had established cells in the Middle Belt and some South-South areas of the country. However, not much had been done to resist such attacks. Is this not criminal conspiracy? Are we not tending towards becoming a failed state?

 Another recurring decimal is the narrative that in cases where security forces get to scenes of attacks, they put up mild resistance to killer herdsmen, suggesting that they  are shielded for violent confrontation and repulsion. Furthermore, there are allegations that when names of suspects and those identified for taking part in the attacks are given to security operatives in anticipation that they would be apprehended, investigated, tried and brought to justice, nothing tangible has been done or seen to be done, as perpetrators and their sponsors are left off the hook. This has been the main reason why stamping out the scourge of herdsmen attacks has become extremely difficult in the country. The present situation is worsened by the sorry state of our security architecture, whereby they have to contend with the challenge of poor funding, shortage of personnel and equipment, motivational problems and too much concentration of powers at the centre.

What we have presently are a grossly underequipped police and other security forces that are insufficiently kitted to face the superior powers of terrorists and insurgents that are better funded to wreak havoc on the Nigerian people. This unfortunate situation cannot continue, if the nation claims to truly exist as a sovereign state. Or, of what use is a state that merely exists on paper without the ability, capacity and capability to defend its people and territory from internal and external aggression? The inability of the Buhari government to take a decisive action against lawlessness continues to embolden the herdsmen, to commit more atrocities against innocent Nigerians. Failure on the part of the government to protect lives and property is a clear manifestation of the inability of the state to enforce the relevant portions of the constitution, as envisaged by the Social Contract doctrine of citizen-state relations.

No doubt, the time has come for the Federal Government to demonstrate true leadership and take a decisive action to end the menace without further delay. It is simply unacceptable for killers of such a magnitude to take the lives of people with impunity and without resistance. It is shameful that such attacks take place without our security agencies working hard enough to stop them. Despite denials by security forces, Amnesty International has accused them of carrying out widespread abuses such as extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, mass detention in sub-human facilities, in its 2017/2018 Human Rights Report. Recently, a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. T. Y. Danjuma (retd), accused the Nigerian military of conniving with killer herdsmen, calling on the people to defend themselves rather than rely entirely on the institution for protection, alleging that security forces “collude with armed bandits to attack innocent Nigerians’.

Ranching of cattle is the way to go to modernise and boost cattle rearing in any civilised society. The insistence of herdsmen on open grazing of their cattle on the farms is nothing, but a barbaric practice and an open invitation to anarchy that is playing out now. Security agencies should rise up and protect all Nigerians, wherever they may be and not only in Benue State, as the deadly herdsmen are fast spreading across the land. The reality is that Nigerians are fed up with the incessant attacks going on in several parts of the country.

Going forward, inter-agency rivalry should be curbed. Citizens should offer intelligence to security agents. Better funding is key as it would amount to double jeopardy for the people to suffer in the hands of terror groups and at the same time suffer from ineptitude of the government over of its failure to protect them, as expected. We should desist from playing politics with security matters. Those found culpable must be sanctioned while their sponsors should be fished out and punished, appropriately, no matter how highly placed or connected. This is the least expected from the state by the citizens. Further killings must stop.

Kupoluyi writes from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, adewalekupoluyi@yahoo.co.uk

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Azuka Onwuka

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Anytime any member of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari talks about the killings going on in North-Central Nigeria, the person usually describes it as a clash between herdsmen and farmers. But what has been happening has no relationship with a clash.

 What is a clash? A clash is a violent confrontation between two armies or groups. No two groups are fighting in states like Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna for many months now.

 One group (the herdsmen’s group) has been attacking the host communities, killing the locals, burning their homes and destroying their crops and animals. It has been systematic. It has been consistent. The killers arrive at night and commit their heinous act and disappear. The killers do not officially identify themselves. It is by comments and revelations from others that they are found out to be herdsmen of Fulani extraction.

 The killers do not share boundaries with the victims. The victims never know when next they will come or which area they will attack next. There is no portion of land or river or mountain or cave that both parties are laying claim to. There has been no time the killers arrived and engaged in a fight with the hosts. It has been a one-sided massacre of the host communities.

 From state to state, it has been one attack after the other, killings upon killings. The persistence and gravity of the attacks have given rise to claims that the long-term aim is to wipe out the host communities or kill so many people them to instil fear in the people and make them abandon their homes for the herdsmen to take over and use as they wish.

 The attitude of this administration towards the killings helps to strengthen the narrative that it is not sincerely committed to stopping them. Different personalities, including Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), former chief of army staff and defence minister, had accused the security agents of aiding the killings, while urging the locals to defend themselves to avoid extermination.

 The herdsmen’s crisis may be a tough nut to crack, but it cannot be as difficult as the Boko Haram terrorism, Niger Delta militancy, or kidnapping for ransom. Religious-based suicide bombing is the most difficult to deal with because it is based on indoctrination. The Boko Haram insurgents are ready to die, even more determined to die for their cause than the security agents that are sent to repel them. What worse can one do to a man who is already on a mission to kill himself? Because of the religious ideology behind Boko Haram, security agents fighting against them may not even know if some of their colleagues are members of Boko Haram or sympathetic to their cause. And there have been such accusations of sabotage.

 The Niger Delta militants are difficult to deal with because of the unusual marine terrain they operate from and the fact that they believe that their cause is a fight for justice. They do not usually target human beings but oil facilities. Their aim is to sabotage the Federal Government’s earnings to draw attention to what they see as the exploitation of their land to feed the nation without adequately taking care of the oil-producing areas. They also have the tacit support of many Nigerians who are not even from the Niger Delta areas.

Kidnapping for ransom is difficult because of the fear of killing the hostages if the kidnappers are attacked. Even when the hideouts of the kidnappers are known, it is usually not advisable to attempt to free the hostages. Secondly, the people whose relative has been kidnapped are more concerned about getting their relative freed than getting the kidnappers arrested. Therefore, they are eager to pay the ransom. The huge amount of money demanded and paid as ransom also makes kidnapping attractive. Those who engage in it see as “business:” collecting some money from the rich.

 If the government were fighting any of the above three crimes without much success, the shock would not be as high as it is on this herdsmen’s issue. The reason is that the herdsmen’s menace is easier to tackle if the government is committed to ending it. The killer herdsmen don’t use bombs. They don’t wish to be killed during operations. They don’t live within the neighbourhoods they attack. They are not really herdsmen in the true sense of the word, but fighters contracted to attack communities that are viewed as unfriendly to herdsmen. They are mobilised from different states of the federation. After their attack, they return to their bases.

The reason the attacks by killer herdsmen are worrisome is that there is no instance where there was an attempt to repel them in any of the locations they have attacked. The security forces are usually nowhere to be found when they are operating, no matter how many hours their operation lasts. Secondly, there has been an effort to ensure that the locals are not equipped to defend themselves. It was reported in the news recently that in Ussa Local Government Area of Taraba State, for example, that the locals were lamenting that soldiers and policemen combed their houses and removed all that were presumed to be “weapons,” including the machetes they use for farming.

 If the government cannot defend the locals from this ethnic cleansing, why stop them from defending themselves? In the Northeast, one factor that helped to boost the fight against Boko Haram was the support the government gave to the “Civilian JTF”: a group of youths that joined in patrolling the streets to forestall Boko Haram attacks. In Ekiti State, when the killer herdsmen struck and killed some indigenes of the state, Governor Ayo Fayose equipped the local hunters and charged them to defend the state. Since then, no attack by herdsmen has been recorded in the state.

 If the government is sincere about stopping the herdsmen’s attacks, the answer lies in empowering the locals to form neighbourhood guards and work in concert with the security agents. The police and soldiers cannot be every community in Nigeria. It is the local people that can start the act of defending their community until reinforcement comes from the army or police. Secondly, when killer herdsmen or other criminals know that a community has people who are ready to protect it, they usually are not keen on attacking such a community.

Beyond the press statements released each time people are massacred in their sleep, this administration must show that it genuinely wants to see an end to these herdsmen’s killings by taking clear steps to achieve that. Until such a step is taken, there will be doubts in the minds of the people about the stand of the government on these killings.

Twitter @BrandAzuka

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Alexander Okere, Benin

The Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities has called on the Edo State Government to consider a tuition-free educational policy for the physically challenged in state-owned tertiary institution.

The group made the call while awarding scholarships to 44 persons living with disabilities in different educational institutions across the country in Benin City, the state capital.

Among the beneficiaries of the grants, worth N2m, were 27 students in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education and19 pupils in primary and secondary schools in the state.

Speaking at the sixth presentation ceremony, the President of NAPVID, Mr. Melody Omosah, explained that the policy would provide the special children with unlimited access to education and assist them to achieve their dreams.

Omosah stated, “I will make a single appeal and I intend to send a proposal to the governor that, whereas education is free at the primary and secondary levels for everybody, we should make education tuition-free for persons with disabilities in Edo State higher institutions.

“If that is done, the unhindered education of people with disabilities to the university level would be guaranteed because except you help a couple of them, they cannot acquire university education.”

He further explained that the 2018 awardees, under the NAPVID Education Fund, were selected based on their financial backgrounds and availability of funds.

He said, “This disbursement is not inclusive of the daily intervention we carry out in the lives of students with disabilities. We are interested in championing the cause of the education of children with disabilities, by ensuring that their tuition and accommodation are provided without waiting for a formal gathering.

“We have our criteria, one of which is that you must be indigent. It must be a situation where it behoves on us to intervene in your education because you do not have an alternative.”

He, however, commended the state government for its financial support  and donation of a building for the establishment of a braille centre in Benin.

Earlier, the wife of the state governor, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, reiterated the commitment of the state government to the development of persons with special needs.

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Olaleye Aluko, Abuja

The Federal Government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, has set aside the sum of N2bn for agricultural development projects at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The TETFund Executive Secretary, Dr Bichi Baffa, who confirmed this, said the university would be boosted by the government’s economic diversion to agricultural development.

Baffa, who also opened multiple projects at the university, lamented that unlike other institutions, FUNAAB had been lagging behind because of its inability to access more than N2bn allocated to it since 2013.

He blamed the inability of the university to get funding on the prolonged bickering and internal crises which, he said, the management was currently doing everything to avoid.

He said, “At the moment, over N2bn worth of allocation to the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta is with the Fund, waiting for the university to come and access. So we have been discussing with the Vice-Chancellor of the university and he has promised, after an extensive discussion, on how to overcome the problem of non-withdrawal and we even agreed on the time line.

“So with this commissioning, the vice-chancellor has started showing commitment and we will start also to disburse. The university will start to build new projects, commission new and bigger projects.”

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kolawole Salako, said the institution would look into the area of the students’ dignity, which included the provision of good and functional lavatories.

Salako said, “We will not want to see students going to their hostels during lectures to use their toilets and lecturers having to go out of the lecture venues to go to toilets.

“For this, TETFund has given us N120m to provide these facilities. I want to assure the Fund that no money given to us will be misused, because the Governing Council will not allow it. We want to leave a legacy behind and we want to make sure that the past problems that kept us from performing is a thing of the past.”

According to a statement issued by the TETFund Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations, Ebikwo Benn, some of the  projects commissioned in FUNAAB were a 1,000-seater capacity lecture theatre, a Biology laboratory, 250-seater Chemistry laboratory and 250-seater Physics laboratory.

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Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

The Agence Française de Développement has said it spent €415.7m on transportation master plan in Lagos and urban water supply in Kano, including guarantees to Small and Medium-scale Enterprises in 2017.

The spending also covered pro-climate infrastructure at regional level and development of sustainable low emission projects in Africa, according to the 2017 AFD report.

The report, which was made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Monday, put the total commitment of the agency from 2010 in Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States at more than €1.5bn on over 30 projects.

It stated that 1.8 million people benefitted from improved electricity service, while more than two million had access to improved water service.

The AFD explained that 2,000 kilometres of rural roads were rehabilitated, adding that it purchased 11,230 tonnes of grain to deal with food crises in West Africa.

The fight against climate change and its consequences benefited from over €4bn of financing in 2017, including €900m allocated to adaptation projects, the AFD noted.

It added that over €1bn was earmarked for renewable energies in Africa in the same period.

The development agency stated that it was increasing the volume of its financing to implement the international community’s objectives by extending its field of operations, working more closely with its partners in France, Europe and around the world.

“With €10.4bn of commitments, the AFD is continuing on its growth path to support the major transitions in developing countries. Africa continues to be the AFD’s priority, with €5.2bn of commitments in 2017,” the Chief Executive Officer, AFD, Rémy Rioux, stated.

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Alexander Okere, Benin

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Monday called on the management of the Obafemi Awolowo University to ensure justice in the ongoing probe of alleged sexual harassment by a lecturer in the university.

A post graduate student of the Department of Management and Accounting of the university, Ms. Monica Osagie, had reportedly accused the lecturer, Prof. Richard Akindele, of allegedly demanding sex from her to upgrade her mark.

An audio recording of a conversation, alleged to be  between Osagie and Akindele, had gone viral  on the Internet. The two have also appeared before the committee set up by the university to investigate the scandal.

But Obaseki commended Osagie for her courage in the ongoing investigation, describing it as “uncommon”.

The governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said, “Ms. Osagie’s uncommon bravery, at a time many female students have come to accept sexual harassment as a norm in our educational institutions, is worth commending.

“Obafemi Awolowo University ranks high in moral standard and educational excellence in the country and I urge the university authority to rise to the occasion and defend its hard-earned reputation. Justice should not only be done but must be seen to have been done.”

Obaseki also urged the institution to investigate the issue without fear or favour, adding that his administration was interested in the case.

He said, “The world is watching the university closely to see the way the case will be handled and my administration is equally interested in the matter, as Osagie hails from Ohordua, in the Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State.

“Our institutions of higher learning must appreciate that it is a privilege to be saddled with the task of moulding the minds of young ones to whom the future belongs.”

Obaseki, however, called on students to emulate Ms. Osagie by becoming voices against all forms of harassment and oppression in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

He also urged students at all levels of learning to be committed to knowledge acquisition, research and put forward ideas and models that could solve the nation’s developmental challenges.

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Heritage Bank has said it will continue to partner MultiChoice Nigeria Limited, owners of the DSTV and GOTV brands, to bring the Big Brother Nigeria reality TV show to viewers across Africa and beyond.

The Group Head, Corporate Communications, Heritage Bank, Mr. Fela Ibidapo, disclosed this at the grand finale of the BBNaija which held over the weekend.

A statement by the lender quoted him as saying, “We will continue to partner Multichoice on the project because we believe in entertainment, adding that they are also interested in working with the ex-housemates to finance the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises for them if they could come up with a business plan.”

The third season of the reality TV show tagged: Double Wahala ended on Sunday with Miracle Igbekwe, a pilot and model, winning the grand prize of N45m out of the five finalists that took part in the contest.

The others are Cee-C, Tobi, Alex and Nina Chinoso.

The grand prize is made up of cash reward of N25m, SUV Jeep valued N12m, N4.7m to travel to international destination of choice and N3.3m for the purchase of a complete home entertainment system.

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Zenith Bank Plc says it has become a major issuer of Verve cards and has commenced its distribution to customers nationwide.

The development is expected to help the bank’s customers to gain access to the numerous benefits of being a verve cardholder.

According to a statement, Verve International has created a myriad of opportunities for cardholders from which Zenith bank customers can now benefit.

These include: discounts across merchant stores nationwide, acceptance in many other African countries and a two-factor authentication system that guarantees maximum security for cardholders.

 The card which has been praised by many cardholders as the most rewarding way to make payment and the key to African exchange is without doubt living up to its name, according to the bank Verve recently announced a discount of N500 for cardholders on every movie ticket bought with a Verve card at Genesis, Filmhouse and Silverbird Cinemas in Lagos.

This is just one of the many benefits that Zenith Bank customers will begin to enjoy.

Commenting on the new partnership between Verve and Zenith bank, the Chief Executive Officer, Verve International, Mike Ogbalu, was quoted as saying, “It is another milestone in expanding our services to the community and we are happy to be identified with Zenith Bank and its customers.

“The goal is to ensure that a significant number of customers continuously benefit from using our cards and as such, partnerships like this are a critical part of our business goals.”

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Oyetunji Abioye

The Chairman of the United Bank for Africa Group, Mr. Tony Elumelu, says putting the customers at the forefront and tailoring the activities of the bank in line with their demand remain the focal point of the  pan-African bank.

He also said that imbibing corporate governance culture was vital to building an enduring financial institution.

Elumelu spoke to employees of the pan-African institution at the annual Group Chairman’s Forum, a platform for group integration, re-strategising and knowledge sharing with the overall aim of putting the bank on firm standing to actualise its goals and targets for the financial year.

The event had in attendance all the group chairpersons from across Africa, group board executive, non-executive directors and the chief executive officers of each of the 20 subsidiaries of the bank’s group.

The top executive echelon in the bank, including heads of units were also present to develop key strategies aimed at building the bank’s brand and satisfying its customers.

According to Elumelu, a strong and institutionalised corporate governance, laden with excellence in customer service will drive more investment to the bank and thus allow it to contribute meaningfully to the development of the African economy.

In a statement by the lender, the chairman was quoted as saying, “As long-term investors and Africa enthusiasts, we are committed to the markets in which we operate and to the wider African economy.  We will continue to work with credible partners and governments across Africa to identify and develop those critical growth poles required for the sustainable development of all African economies.”

“In line with this, we must inculcate a culture that enforces corporate governance, individual and corporate accountability, a high sense of urgency and a customer first orientation in getting things done. Responsiveness and accountability are key attributes of high performing organisations. We know that the culture of corporate governance is key and we intend to focus on this to ensure that our goals for the financial year are duly met.”

The statement said the theme of this year’s forum was focused on three main areas:  Efficient and effective communication across the group, entrenchment of enduring corporate culture, and corporate governance.

The Group Managing Director, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, who emphasised the bank’s goals of excellence, enterprise and execution, said that the business had to be more customer-focused than ever before, adding that the elements of effective and efficient communication could not be toyed with as they represent an embodiment of what the bank stands for at all times.

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Sesan Olufowobi and Maureen Ihua-Maduenyi

The Lagos State Government has said it is demolishing distressed buildings in the state to reduce the incidence of building collapse.

It explained that it had, in the last one year, demolished 40 distressed buildings out of the 149 distressed buildings identified across the state.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, stated these on Monday at the annual Ministerial Press Briefing to mark the third anniversary of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration in Alausa, Ikeja, adding that another 38 distressed buildings would soon be demolished in the next phase, while others would follow.

The commissioner explained that his ministry embarked on audit through the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory and visited some places in the 57 council areas to inspect completed and uncompleted buildings suspected to be distressed.

“About 1,842 sites were visited, while 1,392 test advice notices were served and information on buildings identified as distressed forwarded to LASBCA,” Ogunleye said.

Ogunleye, who said the government would tackle any illegal development, stated that in the last one year, removal was effected on structures illegally built on setbacks and drainage channels.

“During the year under review, the state recorded a significant reduction in building collapse,” Ogunleye added.

Ogunleye also stated that as part of the state government’s urban regeneration project, the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency would redevelop 100 slum settlements across the state.

He said the Lagos State Government had paid N6.6m to 12 of the 30 families who were displaced due to the ongoing redevelopment project of Adeniji Adele Phase 1 Housing Estate on Lagos Island as rent for the 2017 and 2018.

Ogunleye said from April 2017 to March 14, 2018, a total of 2,023 planning permit applications were received with 1,237 approved and others at various stages of processing.

He said due to adoption of the Electronic Planning Permit (e-pp) platform, applicants could have their permits within 10 days.

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Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti

The African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council has advised the people of Ekiti State to shun money in electing their governor in the July 14 election in the state.

The body noted that the election would be a window through which Nigerians could peep into the 2019 general elections.

It urged the parties to conduct free, fair and credible primaries that would be in tandem with international best practices.

“Election is a process, no bad process can produce a good election, so all parties must conduct acceptable primaries,” it said.

At a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Monday, the Nigeria representative/ chairperson in charge of social affairs and health in AU-ECOSSOC, Dr. Tunji Asaolu, said Nigeria needed free and fair elections to stabilise and progress.

He said the union would begin aggressive sensitisation of the electorate in Ekiti to the ills inherent in the vote-for- cash syndrome, describing it as the worst thing to ever happen to any society.

“If you sell your conscience on the day of election or at the primaries, your rights as a citizen cease to exist from that point.

“You can no longer request good roads that you deserve or ask for qualitative education for your children as a right and other things you are entitled to as a citizen. That is why it is important for you to vote freely for whoever you think will represent the people well,” he said.

Asaolu advised that Nigeria should build on the gains garnered in the 2015 elections, which according to him, international observers said was substantially credible.

“Nigeria’s prestige this time is on the line, the civilised world will not accept anything short of free and fair election neither would Ekiti State citizens accept irregularities or business as usual.

“Everything is going right at the moment for Nigeria. The economy is getting stronger, Nigeria is regaining her confidence after being away from the diplomatic circle and finally playing a significant role of the giant of Africa.

“For Nigeria to arrive and take her distinguished seat among the comity of nations, she must first and foremost get the election right this time,” he advised.

For Ekiti poll to be largely credible, Asaolu recommended free and credible primaries where delegates must be allowed to choose their preferred candidates.

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