The action was said to be in line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to urban development and making Lagos a 21st-century economy.

The provisional letters of allocation approved by Governor Sanwo-Olu were received personally by the traders during a ceremony held at the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, headquarters in Ikeja.

Speaking during the event, the Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, disclosed that when traders paid up to 25 per cent of the shop cost, their letters of allocation would be given to them.

He also noted that a down payment of 50 per cent would reduce risks of interest, with the balance payable over a six-month period.

Babatunde described the steps taken as part of the regeneration efforts of the Lagos State government in transforming the Alaba Rago Market to international standards with modern facilities.

He also assured the traders that the Lagos State government would look at the development plan of the market and build the access road to make it motorable.

Babatunde restated the commitment of the state government to partnering with a conventional bank and other private sectors to achieve a seamless process, as the Alaba Transnational Market had been developed into the world-class standard.

He urged traders to keep the environment clean and shun roadside trading.

He disclosed that the Alaba Transnational Market, when completed, would consist of a total of 3,000 shops, stating that the Lagos State government was at the moment developing 21 markets, among other infrastructure, across the state.

“It is another beautiful day in Lagos where we are keeping all the promises, which are part of the dividends of democracy. Governor Sanwo-Olu administration under the THEMES+ agenda, are developing 21 markets around Lagos, some of which are Alaba Rago, Katangua, Peluwura, Jankara and couple of others around the city,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the traders, the Chairman of the Central Committee of Alaba Rago Market, Alhaji Mohammed Lajawa, commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for fulfilling his promise of handing over the redeveloped shops to them.

Lajawa also appreciated the Lagos State government through the Ministry of Urban Development for its support, which had transformed the Alaba Rago Market to meet international standards.

He appealed for speedy completion of the access road into the market to enable them to move their goods into the allocated shops.

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Wike, by virtue of his office, is the landlord of the whole of Abuja. If you desire to have a plot of land in the nation’s capital, you must go through the ‘’Mayor’’ of the FCT, Wike. He boasted at one of his numerous World Press Conferences that powerful Nigerians, including former Heads of State, have had cause to call and beg him to regularize their title on their plots of land. He is that powerful.

But he met his match in Yerima, who was deployed by another ‘’powerful’’ Nigerian to guard a piece of land in the FCT. Aides of the FCT Minister, who wanted to inspect the land, confirmed that the owner indeed has genuine land title and the necessary approval for the structure that was being developed on it, and so, were chased away by the guards in Khaki uniform guarding the property.

The development enraged Wike, who, livid with rage, stormed the property with a retinue of aides, security men and journalists. But Yerima and his boys would not be easily intimidated. Wike was prevented from gaining access to the property, and a war of words ensued between him and Yerima. The video of the encounter has since gone viral on social media. Tension was at the boiling point, with Wike calling Yerima a boy, a fool, and so many other derogatory words.

Yerima remained civil but firm. At the end of the day, Wike had to leave the scene to deescalate the tension, as his security details and the Yerima’s team were about exchanging bullets. Since the incident, Nigerians have been divided as to who was right and who was at fault. In my view, the incident represents the malady that is now Nigeria, which has somehow evolved into a country for the privileged few and a nation no longer governed by laws. The law is now only being applied to the masses like you and I. The rich fat cats don’t respect the law. In fact, it is not meant for them. If they are caught breaking it, they have a way of bending them to suit their narratives and interests. To survive in Nigeria, you must have loads of money, which can guarantee having your way with almost anything.

In my opinion, both Wike and Yerima were at fault. Wike became power drunk and acted irrationally in the course of his supervisory duties. Following the report by his men that they were denied access by the naval ratings, Wike had no business going back to make a scene. To do what? One would wonder what he hoped to achieve confronting a man with loaded guns?

A brief background to the crisis:

At the heart of the drama lies two parcels of land at Gaduwa: Park No. 161, Cadastral Zone A03, Garki II, and Green Area Plot 1946 (A, B, C), Cadastral Zone B13, Gaduwa. The area was designated as a Park and Garden in the Abuja Development Master Plan. Both were later allocated to another company, which later sub-leased the land to another company. It was from there that the land was converted to a residential property, and the retired Naval Chief bought a piece of the land. Wike and his team are insisting that the land sold to the current property owner, Gambo, was a scam, as the area was not designed for residential purposes. To them, Gambo should face those who sold the land to him and recover his money rather than using naval ratings to prevent those saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law and order over Abuja land.

If you are not a resident of Abuja, you won’t appreciate what many people are going through to secure a piece of land. Having a plot of land in Abuja is like having a piece of gold worth several millions of Naira.

Aside from the corrupt nature of civil servants in charge of the process, a plot could be allocated to up to four different people or companies. Many residents in Abuja now prefer to own and build houses in adjourning states like Suleja in Niger State, Mararaba in Nasarawa State, and in Kaduna State.

As pointed out earlier, Wike had no business going to Gaduwa. From the comfort of his office, he could have resolved the crisis with phone calls. He had the options of calling the Chief of Naval Staff, the Defence Minister, or even the retired Naval Chief that bought the land to point out the illegality of the purchase. If his phone calls did not achieve the desired result, he could have directed his staff to follow the proper channels of Alternative Dispute Resolution or the High Court.

As for the young Yerima, although he was obeying an order of his superior, he probably didn’t know if the order was lawful or illegal. The question begging an answer is: How can a retired Chief of Naval Staff deploy a Lieutenant to lead a team of Naval ratings to guard his private property?  That is a glaring case of misuse of power. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and constitutional law expert, Prof. Sebastine Hon faulted Yerima’s confrontation with the Minister, insisting that his action was a “breach of the law.”

Reacting to the incident in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Hon condemned the officer’s decision to obstruct Wike’s access to the disputed plot of land, saying that the act could not be justified under any lawful military order. “Brushing sentiments aside, I hereby condemn in totality, the actions of the Naval Officer, A.M. Yerima, who obstructed the FCT Minister from gaining access to that parcel of land under the guise of “obeying superior orders”. The duty of a junior officer to obey the orders of his superiors, even though strongly upheld in military and paramilitary circles, has its own limitations recognised by no other authority but the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Hon cited Supreme Court rulings in Onunze v. State (2023) 8 NWLR (Pt. 1885) 61 and Nigeria Air Force v. James (2002) 18 NWLR (Pt. 798) 295, which, according to him, clearly established that military officers are not bound to obey illegal or manifestly unjust orders.

“The illegality in that order stems primarily from the fact that no service law of the military permits a serving military officer to mount guard at the private construction site of his boss, especially under suspicious circumstances like this.” He added that if security concerns existed, the retired Naval Officer ought, under the circumstances, to have engaged the civil police.

Relationship between those with civil authority and military men have been a cat-and-mouse game in the past, marked by mutual respect and suspicion from both sides. In July 2017, former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, ‘’arrested’’ two military officers for driving on BRT dedicated lanes in Lagos State. The two military officers, who were accosted on the BRT lane at the Outer Marina in Central Lagos, were Colonel K. I. Yusuf, who drove in an Army Green Peugeot 406 with registration Number BO1 – 150 NA, and Staff Sergeant Adeomi A.J., who drove in a black Toyota Camry car. But realising that the game was up, Col. Yusuf came down from his car, saluted Fashola several times and kept muttering: “I am sorry, very, very sorry”, with the Governor enquiring why a senior military officer, Yusuf, chose to break the law instead of preserving it.

Few days later, General Kenneth Minimah, the then General Officer commanding 81 division, handed a fine of N25,000 each as stipulated by the Lagos State Government Law for those who drove on BRT lanes.

“No military personnel is above the law,” the Army General said.

He added that the action of the two officers arrested by Fashola was against the Lagos State traffic law and regardless of their apology to the Governor, would still pay the N25,000 fine.

General Minimah said that the fine would serve as a deterrent to others, charging other soldiers to obey the laws of the state, including not driving on the BRT lane. “No army personnel should take the BRT lane because they are designated for buses. If we get it right, it is for our common good.’’

He said that the law was meant for Lagos residents, and the military should help Lagosians to abide by it.

“In this regard, we will continue to help the State Government in enforcing the law,’’ he concluded.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in January, 2022, almost embarrassed himself when he ordered a Chief Superintendent of Police, Abimbola Oyewole, to vacate a property at the Magodo Phase 2 Estate under dispute. Oyewole politely told Sanwo-Olu that he does not take orders from him but from the Inspector-General of Police via the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami. He further told Sanwo-Olu to get across to the duo directly. Sanwo-Olu had visited the Magodo Phase 2 Estate after residents protested the presence of armed police officers and members of the Shangisha Landlord Association who were enforcing a Supreme Court judgment related to a land dispute. Sanwo-olu did get across to those who sent Oyewole, and the police subsequently left the estate.

Wike, by descending to the gutter, calling Yerima names in front of the camera, enraged both serving and retired military officers. He weakened the dignity of his office and exposed himself and President Bola Tinubu, who appointed him to public odium.

He should do more in cleaning up the mess that land administration has become in Abuja rather than going after those who are victims of corrupt government officials in the FCTA and Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS).

See you next week.

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Alhaja Anifowose passed away at the age of 105 on Saturday.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, urged K1 and the deceased’s family, friends, and associates to take the death of the centenarian in good faith and immortalise her.

He said: “On behalf of my family, the State Government and the people of Lagos State, I sympathise with the Nigerian Fuji legend, K1 De Ultimate, on the demise of his beloved mother and matriarch of the family, Alhaja Halima Shadiya Anifowoshe.

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“I also send my heartfelt condolences to all the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family members, and the entire Ijebu-Ode community over the death of Alhaja Anifowoshe.

“Alhaja Anifowoshe was a strong supporter and pillar of strength for King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, and her prayers, unwavering support, and encouragement played a significant role in her son’s illustrious career as a music icon in Nigeria.

“It is no doubt that Alhaja Anifowoshe lived a fulfilled life at age 105 and saw her children and grandchildren attain great heights while she was alive. While we mourn the transition to glory of Mama, we must express gratitude to God for a life well spent.

“It is my prayer that God will comfort King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, the entire family of the deceased, and all the loved ones she left behind. May the Almighty Allah grant the soul of Alhaja Halima Shadiya Anifowoshe eternal rest.”

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The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, made the announcement in a statement in Lagos on Friday.

Wahab said that the State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC, had been directed to strictly enforce compliance of the environmental sanitation laws.

According to him, the latest offensive was meant to curtail the nefarious activities of hawkers who disguised to rob motorists and also disrupt the free flow of traffic on highways and streets.

Meanwhile, the commissioner also effected the sealing up of Ladipo market in Mushin in the early hours of Friday following several environmental offences, including reckless waste disposal, unhygienic premises and non-payment of waste bills, amongst others.

Source: NAN

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Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, stated this on Monday during the Federal Government/World Bank Eighth Implementation Support Mission visit to Lagos State held at Agege in Lagos.

She said: “The implementation of APPEALS project in Lagos State through capacity building and technology adoption support to our farmers has positively increased productivity of rice paddy in the State from 1.5 MT to 2.5 MT / Ha and 2.0 -3.56 MT/ Ha for Ofada and FARRO 44 respectively, Catfish productivity has increased from 100 Kg/ m3 to 151.3 Kg / m3, and in poultry, Broiler has increased from 1.8 Kg/ bird per cycle to 2.5 Kg/ bird.

“The processed output and sales of products for the value chains follow the same trend such that the aquaculture farmers supported by APPEALS project have produced 307.948 MT Fresh Tilapia and are expanding day by day. By virtue of our abundant water resources with as much as 20 per cent of the state made up of water, we are a natural hub for aquaculture.

“APPEALS project has continued to promote productivity enhancement technologies and promotion of value addition through demonstration of improved technologies. These have directly been delivered on the Project Development Objective. Most of these technologies were confirmed through administrative data, though an output survey is in the process of being rolled out to confirm the figures.

“I must say that the inclusion of the Women and Youth Empowerment Programme in the design of this project is a novel idea because agriculture offers our people, especially our youths, an opportunity to make a difference, especially through effective deployment of technology in the sector, for improved productivity and the attainment of our food security and safety goals on one hand, and our job creation agenda on the other. I am a strong believer that increased involvement of young Nigerians in agriculture will help tackle various longstanding challenges facing the sector.”

Also speaking the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Olatokunbo Emokpae, said “Lagos State’s vision of making Africa’s Model Mega City and Global Economic and Financial Hub is hinged on the six pillars of the State’s THEMES developmental agenda of the present administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. It is important to mention that agriculture is embedded among the pillars in ensuring that the State attains a 21st-century economy because of its obvious roles in food, industrial and economic sectors.”

In his address, the National Project Coordinator of APPEALS, Mohammed Jobdi, commended Lagos State Government for its top-notch performance in its implementation of the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project.

He said the visit to Lagos APPEALS Project and the other five states, earlier visited by the World Bank and Federal Government team was to review the project’s implementation and give stakeholders the opportunity to rub minds regarding the issues, challenges and constraints being faced for greater outputs.

The Task Team Leader of the World Bank Mission to Lagos, Dr. Adetunji Oredipe, hailed the Lagos APPEALS Project’s commitment to farmers in the State, noting that the implementation of the project in the state had really improved the livelihood of women and youths as well as enhancing outputs in the agricultural value chain.

He said the reports of the activities of the Lagos APPEALS Project are commendable, adding that they will continue to sustain the project with investment in the state to get the desired results in order to do things differently and finish well.

The Lagos State Project Coordinator of APPEALS, Mrs. Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration’s commitment to improving the livelihood of farmers in the State through agriculture, adding that the State Government had been of tremendous support for the implementation and success story of APPEALS Project in Lagos State.

Speaking earlier, the representative of the farmers who benefited from the Lagos APPEALS Project, Alhaja Nurat Atoba, thanked the state government for its efforts and said the project had helped to improve their livelihood in the price regulation, technology, infrastructure, production and e-marketing.

Atoba, who is the President of Lagos State Catfish and Allied Farmers Association, said farmers in Lagos State had benefited immensely from the three value chains of the Lagos APPEALS Project, which are aquaculture, poultry and rice.

Lagos State Catfish and Allied Farmers Association also presented awards to Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya; Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Olatokunbo Emokpae; National Project Coordinator of APPEALS, Mohammed Jobdi and Lagos State Project Coordinator of APPEALS, Mrs. Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, to appreciate the contributions of Lagos State Government and APPEALS Project to improved productivity of farmers in Lagos State.

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The NCDC made this known via its verified website Tuesday morning.

It confirmed that the additional 422 cases were from nine states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The agency said that Lagos State was standing at a dire inflection point, with the coronavirus cases surging and most of its population not yet fully vaccinated.

Driving the latest wave was the highly contagious Delta variant with Lagos continuing to report more than half of the daily cases in the country.

The state recorded the highest cases with 190  out of the 422 additional Infections.

The public health agency tracking the  coronavirus case surges in states across the country said that the additional coronavirus cases were rising across the country with 86 in Rivers.

Ogun recorded 85; Oyo, 22, while FCT had 20,  Kwara had 7; Edo, 5; Abia, 4, and Bayelsa, 3.

The NCDC announced that 219 people had recovered and were discharged from various isolation centres in the country on Saturday.

It said that till date, 165,982 recoveries had been recorded nationwide in 36 states and the FCT.

According to it, the country had tested more than 2.5 million samples for the virus out of the roughly 200 million population.

It stated that the country’s COVID-19 average test positivity rate was six per cent.

The agency said that five new deaths were recorded on Monday, raising the total number of fatalities in the country to  2,192

The NCDC said that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre, EOC, activated at Level 2, continued to coordinate the national response activities.

According to it, the country’s  COVID-19 infections continued to rise as the total number of confirmed cases  in Nigeria as of August 9, 2021, was 178,508.

Meanwhile, the agency added that driving down infections starts by staying home and doing everything Nigerians can, to protect themselves and others from getting sick.

“Vaccines are just one part of our COVID response and we must continue to rely on public health measures to keep our populations and our country safe.

“While we have all been affected by this pandemic, we have not been impacted equally. To fight COVID-19 effectively, we must address these inequalities and support the most vulnerable as they struggle to protect themselves,” it advised.

Source: NAN

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