20112017 - Why I won — Obiano •Lauds Buhari for ‘level playing ground’

10 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2017
:Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
Apapa gridlock worsens, Ambode’s
taskforce yet to take off
By Olasunkanmi
Akoni
L AGOS—DESPITE
G o v e r n o r
Akinwunmi Ambode’s
directive to Joint Security
Taskforce to immediately
clear and ensure free flow
of traffic on Apapa-
Oshodi Expressway and
environs, five days ago
gridlock on the ever-busy
Apapa-Oshodi
Expressway, yesterday
worsened as Jakande
Housing Estate of the
road down to Coconut
axis was locked down.
The situation yesterday,
was particularly
frightening as there was
no sign of any member of
the task force on the road,
except security operatives
who have formed the habit
of aiding the truck drives
to park and drive against
traffic from Otto Wolff,
Berger Yard, down to
under the Bridge causing
untold hardship to
innocent motorists.
Motorists and other
commuters heading
towards Oshodi, who
were trapped and could
not access the expressway
from Berger Yard, even at
10 pm, fell victims of
hoodlums who attacked
and disposed them of
their valuables.
Since Saturday,
hoodlums have continued
to hold sway, as they took
advantage of the situation
to unleash mayhem,
robbing motorists trapped
in the traffic.
There was no security
personnel to rescue
victims, despite residents
and other stakeholders'
appeal to governments to
order a 24-hour security
patrol in the area to
sustain discipline in the
area.
The situation was very
alarming as more trucks
besieged the Mile 2 axis
of the Expressway,
parking indiscriminately
on both sides of the
expressway, with no sign
that they were prepared to
leave soon.
Following continuous
public outcry over the
gridlock and its
consequences as being
highlighted by Vanguard
newspaper, Governor
Ambode, last Wednesday,
directed heads of security
formations in the state to
immediately deploy
AWARD: Ambode accepts
Transparency Nigeria’s
nomination
...As 2017 most
By Dave Oso transparent gov
L
A
G O S —
GOVERNOR
Akinwunmi Ambode of
Lagos State has accepted
his nomination as the
most transparent
governor 2017 by
Transparency Nigeria.
Confirming the
governor’s acceptance of
his nomination, a letter from
the office of the governor’s
Chief of Staff, Mr. Kola
Aileru, made available to
journalists, reads in part: “I
have the directive of the
chief of staff to the governor
of Lagos State, His
Excellency, Mr
Akinwunmi Ambode to
acknowledge the receipt
adequate personnel to
tackle the gridlock and
security threats in the axis.
The governor also
ordered the reconstitution
of the Joint Security
Taskforce to manage the
chaotic traffic situation in
the area.
The taskforce is made up
of: Police, military, officials
of Lagos State Traffic
Management Authority,
LASTMA and the Federal
Road Safety Corps, FRSC.
The next day, the
governor, at the second
edition of Lagos
Corporate Assembly
tagged; ‘A+Meets
Business’, devoted
considerable time to ways
of solving the gridlock,
saying, while the move to
repair the major roads in
Apapa was laudable,
concerted efforts must be
put in place to address the
issues that gave rise to the
crisis, which was more
about port management.
While responding to
concerns by the business
community on the
negative effects of the
chaotic situation in Apapa
on their businesses, the
governor said call-up
system for tankers and
containerized trucks must
be structured to eliminate
the present chaos, while
issuance of licenses for
more tank farms in the
axis must be stopped.
HELLISH TIME ON APAPA - OSHODI EXPRESSWAY: The ever-present traffic
gridlock on the Apapa - Oshodi Expressway near Berger Yard area, yesterday.
Bus conductors to start wearing uniforms in
Lagos Jan 1
LAGOS—THE Bus
Conductors
Association of Nigeria,
BCAN, has said its
of your letter dated
November 5, 2017 on the
above subject matter.
‘’The letter further
stated that the
Commissioner of
Information and Strategy,
Mr Steve Ayorinde has
been directed by the
governor, through a letter
dated November 8, 2017
to take further necessary
action on the award.
''The letter assures the
organisers of the award,
Transparency Nigeria
Award (TNA) of the
acceptance of His
Excellency, the governor
of Lagos State, Governor
Akinwunmi.”
members in Lagos State
will start wearing
uniforms from January
1, 2018 for security and
effective service delivery.
Mr Isreal Adesola, the
President of the
association, told
journalists in Lagos
yesterday.
Adeshola said the
operational uniform
would bring sanity to the
service in the state and
the country as a whole.
According to him, the
association had started
training its members in
Lagos State and
educating them on the
job procedures and
attitudinal change while
on duty.
“The association has
been able to train a
reasonable number of
conductors on
behavioural change. We
started the registrations
and training at Lagos
State Drivers Institute for
attitudinal and change in
orientation of the
members toward
passengers and traffic
rules. By January1, 2018,
all our registered
members will be in their
operational uniforms for
proper identification and
effective service
delivery,” he said.
Adesola said the
association was working
towards eradicating the
menace of using underage
as bus conductors
across the country. He
announced that persons
from 18 years and above
were qualified to join the
association.
NPA seeks Editors’ partnership
on port reforms
L AGOS—THE
Managing Director
of NPA, Hadiza Bala
Usman, while receiving a
delegation of the Nigerian
Guild of Editors, NGEs, led
by its President, Mrs.
Funke Egbemode who paid
her a courtesy visit in the
Corporate Headquarters in
Marina, said NPA would
partner NGEs, with a view
to having a stronger
communications channel to
convey the gains of the
current port reforms at the
nation’s seaports.
According to the MD,
“We need to have strong
Communications channel
as we implement our
By Abdulwahab
Abdulah
S OCIO-ECONOMIC
Rights and
Accountability Project,
SERAP, and some
pensioner associations,
have asked the ECOWAS
Court of Justice, Abuja to
order the Federal
Government to deduct the
pensions, salaries and
gratuities of pensioners and
workers across several
states of Nigeria from the
statutory allocations of the
indebted state governments
to pay directly to the
pensioners and workers on
a-monthly basis.
In a petition filed by
SERAP alongside Federal
Civil Service Pensioners
Association, and
Association of Retired Local
Government Staff and
Primary School Teachers
in Delta State the plaintiffs
are praying for the
“immediate payment of all
outstanding pensions,
salaries and gratuities
through deductions from
statutory allocations of the
indebted state
governments, and payment
of adequate money
reforms at the Nigerian
Ports Authority. We must lay
out to the public what we
are doing so that we don’t
spread wrong narratives to
the public. We will continue
to communicate with you so
that you can have direct
knowledge of our reforms
administration”.
Earlier, the President of
NGE Mrs. Funke
Egbemode commended the
Managing Director for
efforts at transforming the
ports industry.
She added that the Guild,
which comprises of over 600
members spread across the
country’s 36 states consists
of editors in print, electronic
and online media.
compensation of N50 million
to each of the pensioners
and workers who are
plaintiffs, and to pay other
unpaid Nigerian pensioners
and workers adequate
compensation.”
According to the
plaintiffs the nonpayment
of the gratuities
amounted to the violations
of their human rights and
equality; “equal protection
of the law and nondiscrimination;
to dignity
and independence; to
adequate standard of living
and well-being; to
property; to work; to family
life; and to economic and
social development.”
Other plaintiffs in
SERAP’s suit with number
ECW/CCJ/APP/39/2017
are: First Bank of Nigeria
Pensioners (Lagos); Mrs
Comfort C. Owoha; Joseph
Agabi; Osemwenkha G.O,
and Mrs J.E. Enabunlele.
The plaintiffs are suing for
themselves and on behalf
of their members and other
workers and pensioners
across the country whose
salaries and pensions have
not been paid by the states
and Federal Government
for several months.
Monarch moves against rapists, domestic
violence, child abuse In community
By Olasunkanmi
Akoni
L AGOS—THE
traditional ruler of
Igbogbo Kingdom, in
Igbogbo/Bayeku Local
Government Development
Area of Lagos State, Oba
Abdulsemiu Orimadegun,
the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo
kingdom, has declared
war against perpetrators of
rape, domestic violence,
child abuse in the area.
The monarch spoke
weekend, during a
sensitization walk, aimed at
SERAP, Pensioners seek
ECOWAS court help over
unpaid benefits
fighting sexual and gender
based violence in the
community.
Speaking at the event
organized by Lagos State
Domestic and Sexual
Violence Response Team
(DSVRT), the monarch
said children were leaders
of tomorrow and that the
community would not toy
with the welfare of its
upcoming generation.
Orimadegun said: “We
will not tolerate child abuse
in Igbogbo. No children
will be abused, harassed
and persecuted in this
community and that is
why we are partnering with
the Lagos State
Government in this lofty
policy that is being
implemented and which
other states in the
federation are now
following.”
Speaking with Vanguard
at the event, the State
Coordinator of (DSVRTT),
Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi,
said the aim of the walk “is
to sensitise the community
on sexual and gender
based violence crimes.''