News
Save Lagos Group Plans “Occupy Lagos”
A civil rights organisation, the Save Lagos Group has described the current administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as a burden on the over 25 million residents of Lagos State.
In a statement issued on Thursday at the group’s office at Ikeja, in Lagos by the Convener of the Group, Comrade Adeniyi A. Sulaiman, the Save Lagos Group disclosed that it has concluded arrangement with similar likeminded organisations to occupy the state secretariat in Alausa to continuously mount pressure on the government to change its ways, which he said are inimical to the wellbeing of the people of the state.
Appraising the state of things in the state with specific reference to the recent hike in the Land Use Charge, Sulaiman in the statement said: “We are convinced now more than ever before that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and members of his All Progressives Congress in Lagos State do not have the interest of the people at heart.
“Rather, through their actions and inactions, their speeches and body language, we are now of the view that the current government through its officials is working for the interest of a certain godfather who has cornered the resources of the state for personal aggrandizement.”
Sulaiman added: “We are calling on well meaning individuals and organisations to speak out against the rape of our common patrimony by a privileged few who have held the reins of authority since the advent of democratic rule in 1999.”
While describing the situation as portending dire consequences for the peace and security of the state, he stated that the desire of the state government to further push the residents of the state to the abyss economic misery would engender mass resistance which the group is ready to lead.
Sulaiman in the statement stated that the current efforts to hike fees payable as Land Use Charge by the Akinwunmi Ambode led government is akin to the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017, which rendered many residents of the state poor via job losses and failure in the waste management objectives of the government.
“Like the law they promulgated for the management of waste in 2017, this law will further serve to pauperise the people of the state even the more. When operational, the people who have had to bear the brunt of the current harsh economic environment in the country but are struggling to pay the current charges would be too hard pressed to pay the exorbitant fees that are far beyond they reach.
“Unfortunately, we are all living witnesses to the failure of the draconian environmental law, which was captured in the state government designed initiative tagged, Cleaner Lagos Initiative that replaced Nigerians with a foreign firm, VISIONSCAPE. Unlike before, our streets are further dirty with likely scourge of epidemic in the state owing to the desire by the governor to satisfy his friends and godfather,” he said.
He added that the promulgation of the law led to loses of over 3500 jobs as the waste managers, with nothing to do now opted to disengage the affected workers in their employment, saying the new law when operational alongside some other revenue mobilisation policies and programmes of the state government would render businesses and commercial business owners poorer with attendant loss of jobs by the less privileged.
While describing the new law as repressive, insensitive, callous, barbaric, unlawful, and unconstitutional, he added that it is consistent with the state government’s philosophy of further dragging the people into the abyss of want, poverty and misery, while the privileged members of the ruling class enjoy themselves to the detriment of the teeming masses.
“We are not in any way surprised by the action of the state government that prides itself as a populist one. They aspire to leadership on the basis of Awoism but they tend to do something else with power. It is a common knowledge that the late sage was a populist who championed the course of the teeming masses but those in power using his name are doing the reverse opposite of what the man stood for,” the activist added.
While urging other well meaning individuals and organisations to speak up on the issue, the Save Lagos Group praised members of the Ikeja branch of the Nigeria Bar Association for the stance taken by giving the state government a seven-day ultimatum to rescind its decision to go ahead and implement the law.
Commenting further, Sulaiman added that if the association had been forthcoming on issues of national importance, the current administration would not have been embolden to undertake the obnoxious review of the law the way it has done.
On the next line of action, the activist added: “We are watching the situation closely, we note that the response of the state government through its officials has not helped assuage the feelings of the people who have expressed apprehension and indignation on the issue.
“We have however resolved to mobilise likeminded individuals and groups as well as the teeming residents of the state with a view to set up protesting camps at the state secretariat in Alausa using the locomotive instrumentality law of the angry masses of Nigeria. When we start, I can assure you that the OCCUPY NIGERIA of 2012 at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota would be a child’s play,” he concluded.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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