The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services (LSFRS) has announced plans to install a centralized generator in the Lagos Island market to help curb frequent market fires.

During the Lagos International Fire Safety Conference on Tuesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu highlighted the collective responsibility needed to prevent fire disasters. 

He emphasized that many fire incidents in the state result from careless behavior and urged market traders to be more vigilant.

Speaking on the theme, “Stakeholders Collaboration: A Panacea to Incessant Fire Disasters in Lagos,” Sanwo-Olu called on market leaders to take proactive measures in their domains to mitigate fire risks.

He said, “Fire incidents in the state are largely due to irresponsible behaviour or carelessness. And because people don’t raise the alarm early enough, this government has built fire stations in five years.

“We have brought 64 fire engines. We have increased the capacity by recruiting over a thousand new fire service men. If it is about providing what is required, the government will actually do that, but it is about everybody understanding that we have a role to play.

“To the market, men and women, the responsibility lies with you. We have had a series of market fire incidents. People store petrol in the market and also place generators on the rooftops, and you keep looking at them.

“They will refuel a generator while it is working and complain that it is their village people. You saw what happened at Dosunmu and Mandilas. The latest one happened in a church. That is why you all need to caution those who are found culpable. Fire is a respecter of no one. Let us call ourselves to order and join hands to put a stop to this.”

Director of LSFRS, Margaret Adeseye, attributed many fire incidents to negligence and stressed the importance of stakeholders collaborating to find lasting solutions.

She revealed that the government plans to introduce a centralized generator to replace individual ones, reducing fire risks.

“Lagosians should come together as stakeholders because fire prevention and safety are everyone’s business.

“We are here to strategize and find holistic solutions to fire incidents. It’s not just the agency’s duty alone. Stakeholders will bring their diverse knowledge and experience to the table.

“By the end of the three-day conference, we aim to find lasting solutions to fire incidents. The government has set up a committee to reposition the Lagos Island market. The committee is working diligently, and at the end of the day, individual generators will be replaced with a centralized generator,” Adeseye said.

The state Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Olugbenga Oyerinde, reiterated the administration’s commitment to fostering collaboration and partnerships with relevant organizations, corporate bodies, and experts in emergency management and fire disaster prevention, leveraging global technological approaches.

[NaijaNews]

A group of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives, known as the G60, has raised the alarm over alleged move by Pro-Wike former local government council chairmen in Rivers Sstes to freeze the LG allocations with exparte order.

The lawmakers, who made this known in a statement signed by their spokesperson, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, said that the they received credible intelligence that some of the former local government chairmen whose tenure expired recently and their financiers were allegedly looking for a Federal High Court to give them an injunction that will seize the monthly allocations of the local governments because of their failed attempt to hang on to power after their tenure expiration.

They, therefore, called on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and Judges of State High Courts to be very careful and put their divisions on alert, so they won’t be used to issue exparte orders to people who are no longer elected local government chairmen.

The lawmakers said, “We received credible intelligence that some of the former local government chairmen that their tenure expired in Rivers and their financiers are looking for a federal high court to give them an injunction that will seize the allocation of the local government because of their failed attempt to hang on to power after their tenure expired. I want to use this opportunity to call on the Chief Judge of the Federal high court and judges of state high court, you never can tell they can go to Zamfara or ogoja or anywhere, I want to call on them to be very careful and put their divisions on alert, so they won’t be used to issue exparte applications to people who are no longer elected local government chairmen.

“There’s nothing like tenure extension in a democratic setting, it’s like a coup taking over constitutional governance. So we want to alert the general public that there’s move to pick exparte applications by these former local governments chairmen that their tenure has expired to seize the allocation of the local government so that workers and development in rural areas will suffer.”

[Leadership]

The State House spent a whopping sum of N244,654,350 for the purchase and supply of tyres in  a single day, according to findings by Daily Trust.

Investigation and data gathered from govspend, a portal documenting the Presidential Villa expenditure, showed that the State House made payments for the supply of an unspecified quantity of bulletproof tyres and Westlake tyres, the week that the President Bola Tinubu government marked its first year in office.

Tinubu took over from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, on May 29, 2023.

Documents showed that the sums of N200,583,390, N38,070,000, and N6,000,960, were respectively paid for these items, on May 21, 2024.

The documents revealed that two separate payments were made for the purchase and supply of tyres (no specified quantity) for bulletproof vehicles and another five armoured bulletproof tyres to Obi-Wealth Enterprises Nigeria Limited (RC-640684) for the sums of N200,583,390 and N38,070,000.

A quick search on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) website revealed that the company is inactive.

Hommy & Fay Investments Limited, active on the CAC portal, handled the other part of the supply of an unspecified number of Westlake tyres (315/80R22) for N6,000,960.

Attempts to get reactions from the presidency over the tyre expenditure did not yield result as several calls made to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, did not go through.

The message sent to him had not been replied as of the time of filing this report.

24 hours after the tyre payments were made, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, apologised to Nigerians over the nationwide hardship.

Speaking during the ministerial sectoral update, he said the policies of the Tinubu-led government were on track despite the currency crisis and inflation which has frustrated economic growth.

“So what’s the answer to all of these? It’s to restore macroeconomic stability that will ensure that investors, both domestic and international put their face in our economy once again. And we are all doing this without a blame game. And I apologize for the pain that they may occasion, but they are necessary… Is our strategy, right? Absolutely. We believe our strategy is right, but it requires occasional calibration. Put good money to use,” he had said.

Nigeria’s inflation has risen to a 28-year high, worsening the cost of living—a stance largely attributed to President Tinubu’s policies.

However, critics have accused the Tinubu administration of “frivolous spending” despite numerous pleas to the citizens over the current hardship.

There was a backlash the last time the president asked Nigerians to make sacrifice for the progress of the nation.

Tinubu had, while addressing journalists after observing the Eid-el Kabir prayer at Dodan Barracks, Lagos, stressed the need for the people to follow the path of sacrifice to make the nation great.

The comment had elicited reactions from Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among others.

An economist and lecturer at Saadatu Rimi University of Education, Kumbotso, Kano, who is also the Director, Fiscal Discipline and Development Advocacy Centre (FIDAC), Dr. Abdulsalam Kani, said the government had failed to fulfil its part of the bargain, especially promises made to Nigerians.

“The government has removed fuel subsidy and increased electricity tariff, plunging many into difficulty. Nigerians were promised that Port Harcourt refinery will begin production in December last year, and that has not happened. Despite these and the failure of the administration to fulfil promises, they are making plans to buy new aircraft for the president and vice president,” he said.

He said the government had equally failed to address rising inflation which is above 33 per cent at the moment.

[DailyTrust]

Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai has sued the Kaduna State House of Assembly over claims that his administration embezzled N432 billion and left the state with significant debt obligations.

The former governor, on Wednesday, filed a fundamental rights enforcement case against the Kaduna State House of Assembly at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.

El-Rufai, who appeared in person to file the lawsuit, alleged that the committee denied him a fair hearing.

This was contained in a statement by the former governor’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, posted on his X handle on Wednesday.

The lawsuit, filed by El-Rufai’s lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, contested the Kaduna Assembly Committee’s report, which accused El-Rufai of corruption.

Adekeye said, “His lawyer, AU Mustapha SAN, said that El-Rufai approached the court as a Nigerian citizen who is entitled to be given a fair hearing before his rights can be determined by a quasi-judicial or investigative body or courts in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

“El-Rufai also asked the court to declare that by the provisions of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the Report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities and Other Related Matters of the Government of Kaduna State from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023, as ratified by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, is unconstitutional and therefore null and void for violating his right to fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution.”

The state Assembly’s ad hoc committee had earlier in June submitted its investigative report on the El-Rufai administration’s financial dealings, loans, and contracts to the House

The chairman of the ad hoc committee, Henry Zacharia, said the loans secured during El-Rufai’s tenure were largely misused, and in some instances, proper procedures were not followed in obtaining them.

The Assembly Speaker, Yusuf Liman, alleged that El-Rufai’s administration misappropriated N423 billion, resulting in significant financial burdens for the state.

[Punch]

Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed he will vacate his IBF title just weeks after he became undisputed world heavyweight champion.

The Ukrainian, 37, became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he beat Tyson Fury on a split decision in Saudi Arabia last month.

With Usyk now contracted to a rematch with Britain’s Fury, he is not in a position to defend the IBF crown against interim champion and mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.

That means Dubois’ expected all-British fight against Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September could now be for the vacant title.

Usyk said in a video posted on social media: “Anthony and Daniel, listen. I know the IBF title is important to you. It is my present to you on September 21.”

Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to unify the major heavyweight belts — three at the time — prior to Usyk, in 1999.

[Vanguard]

Despite sustained protests from thousands of citizens, Kenya’s national assembly has passed the controversial finance bill.

The lawmakers voted 195 against 106 to pass the bill on Tuesday in an exercise with no abstentions.

President William Ruto urged parliament to pass the bill last week after the protests gathered momentum.

The bill was adopted with amendments to drop controversial taxes on bread, financial services, and motor vehicles.

However, lawmakers agreed to higher tax measures, including increasing the rate of the railway development levy to 2.5 percent of customs value and 3.5 percent for the import declaration fee.

The bill is now headed for Ruto’s desk for assent.

Ruto had said he was ready to dialogue with youths who have sustained the protests.

But after demonstrations took a dramatic turn on Tuesday, the president said conversations around the bill had been “hijacked by dangerous people”.

Ruto said democratic expression and crime must be isolated and vowed that the state would respond fully to the situation.

So far, several people have been confirmed dead after police fired live rounds and lobbed tear gas at demonstrators in Nairobi in a bid to quell the uprising.

Kenyan police were also seen beating and arresting some paramedics who were helping injured protesters.

[TheCable]

Five people were shot dead and dozens wounded in Kenya on Tuesday in mounting anti-tax hike protests, NGOs said, after police clashed with demonstrators who stormed the parliament compound in Nairobi.

The military has been deployed to support police, who earlier fired tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets and — according to a rights group — live ammunition against protesters, as tensions sharply escalated in protests that have caught the government off guard.

“Despite the assurance by the government that the right to assembly would be protected and facilitated, today’s protests have spiraled into violence,” several NGOs, including Amnesty Kenya, said a joint statement that reported the dead and wounded.

The White House appealed for calm and more than 10 Western nations — including Canada, Germany and Britain — said they were “especially shocked by the scenes witnessed outside the Kenyan Parliament”. 

Mainly youth-led rallies have galvanised outrage over proposed tax hikes and simmering anger over a cost-of-living crisis to fuel rapidly growing demonstrations.

“This is the voice of the young people of Kenya,” said Elizabeth Nyaberi, 26, a lawyer at a protest. “They are tear gassing us, but we don’t care.”

“We are here to speak for our generations and the generations to come,” she added.

The protests had been largely peaceful but chaos erupted in the capital Tuesday, with crowds throwing stones at police, pushing past barricades and ultimately entering the grounds of Kenya’s parliament.

Amid the clashes, global web monitor NetBlocks reported that a “major disruption” had hit the country’s internet service.

– ‘Unleashed brute force’ –

In the aftermath of the parliament compound breach, local TV showed images of ransacked rooms with smashed windows, while cars parked outside were vandalised and flags destroyed, according to an AFP reporter.

The governor’s office in Nairobi City Hall — just a few hundred metres from parliament — was set alight, footage on privately owned Citizen TV showed, with a water cannon attempting to douse the fire.

After reports that live ammunition was fired at protesters, Kenya’s main opposition coalition, Azimio, said the government had “unleashed brute force on our country’s children”.

“Kenya cannot afford to kill its children just because the children are asking for food, jobs and a listening ear,” it said in a statement.

The military’s deployment was “in response to the security emergency” across Kenya, Defence Minister Aden Bare Duale said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, despite the heavy police presence, thousands of protesters had marched peacefully through Nairobi’s business district, pushing back against barricades as they headed towards parliament.

As protesters gained ground in their push towards parliament, many were livestreaming the action as they sang and beat drums.

Crowds also marched in the port city of Mombasa, the opposition bastion of Kisumu, and Kenyan President William Ruto’s stronghold of Eldoret, images on Kenyan TV channels showed.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority watchdog and rights groups said two people had died following last week’s rallies in Nairobi.

Several organisations, including Amnesty International Kenya, said at least 200 people were wounded in last week’s protests in Nairobi.

Amnesty’s Kenya chapter posted on X Tuesday that “the pattern of policing protests is deteriorating fast”, urging the government to respect demonstrators’ right to assembly.

Rights watchdogs have also accused the authorities of abducting protesters.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission said the abductions had mostly occurred at night and were “conducted by police officers in civilian clothes and unmarked cars”, calling for the “unconditional release of all abductees”.

Police have not responded to AFP requests for comment on the allegations.

– Fuel price hikes –

The cash-strapped government agreed last week to roll back several tax increases.

But it still intends to raise other taxes, saying they are necessary for filling the state coffers and cutting reliance on external borrowing.

Kenya has a huge debt mountain whose servicing costs have ballooned because of a fall in the value of the local currency over the last two years, making interest payments on foreign-currency loans more expensive.

The tax hikes will pile further pressure on Kenyans, with well-paid jobs remaining out of reach for many young people.

After the government agreed to scrap levies on bread purchases, car ownership and financial and mobile services, the treasury warned of a budget shortfall of 200 billion shillings ($1.56 billion).

The government now intends to target an increase in fuel prices and export taxes to fill the void left by the changes, a move critics say will make life more expensive in a country already saddled with high inflation.

Kenya has one of the most dynamic economies in East Africa but a third of its 52 million people live in poverty.

AFP

Essien Andrew, a deputy comptroller in charge of Finance, Administration, and Technical Service the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) collapsed and died in the National Assembly on Tuesday during appearance before a committee of House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts.

Andrew, according to eyewitnesses coughed and requested water, but collapsed before his request could be met. He was rushed to the National Assembly Clinic where he was confirmed dead.

Akin Rotimi, the spokesperson of the House confirmed the demise of the top Customs officers during his appearance before the House Committee.

According to him, Andrew during the engagement which occurred around 1.00pm on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, developed sudden health complications.

“Despite the immediate and diligent efforts of first responders and medical personnel at the National Assembly Clinic, he unfortunately passed away,” Rotimi said.

He added that the House of Representatives will support efforts to probe the circumstances surrounding the sudden demise of the customs officer.

Rotimi also extended the condolences of the leadership and members of the House of Representatives to the Nigerian Customs Services as well as the family of the deceased officer.

“The House of Representatives extends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased during this difficult time. We recognize the significant contributions he made to the Nigeria Customs Service and to our nation.

“The House of Representatives stands ready to support efforts to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident and is cooperating fully with all relevant authorities to ensure all necessary protocols are followed.

“The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD., expressed his condolences, stating, “We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of a dedicated public servant. Our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time.”

“Further information will be provided as it becomes available. We ask for patience and respect for the privacy of the family during this period of mourning@, Rotimi said.

[NationalDaily]

…ask IGP to take over probe, prosecute offenders

….as Nigeria’s Army seeks recovery of sold helicopters now in US 

The House of Representatives on Tuesday ordered the immediate arrest of an alleged unlicensed auctioneer and NCAT’s Director of Quality Control by the Police in the National Assembly for allegedly providing false information on oath, and the sale of 2 helicopters for 1.2 million dollars.

This is also as the Committee on Public Assets called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to take over the investigation of the alleged indiscriminate sale of two helicopters by the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, NCAT.

The resolution of the Committee on Public Assets came after about five hours of interaction with the management of the College and other relevant bodies.

Recall that in December 2023, the House launched an investigation into the state of public assets in the country.

The committee’s mandate is to recover assets valued at trillions of naira and moribund public assets within and outside Nigeria and to unravel the reasons behind the hurried sale of two helicopters without the approval of the Federal Executive Council days before the end of the Buhari administration in 2023

Present at the Commitee were the management team of NCAT, representatives of the Nigerian Army and others crucial to.

The chairman of the Committee, Ademorin Kuye expressed worries that the two choppers bought at $2.4 billion were sold at $1.2 billion without due process.

“We requested documents of any kind of joint venture, there is no response to that whether you have one or you do not.

“We requested for a list of assets including a comprehensive description and specifications of all your list assets, rented apartments including acquisition dates and methods and the current status and conditions of such Assets. We can not say specifically that you have satisfied all of these requests. Though you tried to answer some of them, your response is not adequate” Hon Kuye said.

The lawmakers also queried the use of an unlicensed auctioneer who failed to provide needed response to enquiries

In his reaction, Musa Alkali, Coordinator of Nigerian Army Aviation said that the request by the Army to make use of the helicopters in the fight against terrorism was turned down, he however demanded that the two helicopters should be recovered.

A member of the committee, Midala Balami, said that the documents presented to the committee were false documents.

[Vanguard]

The Lagos State Government has announced that traffic will be diverted from Alfred Rewane and Osborne through Osborne Foreshore Estate axis to enable the Federal Ministry of Works carry out the first phase of the rehabilitation of the Asphaltic Sections from Osborne Foreshore Estate to Sura Bridge Ramp from Wednesday, 26th June to 27th July, 2024 for a duration of 4 weeks.

To this end, a lane of the road to be rehabilitated will be closed to vehicular movement.

Consequently, Motorists are advised to use the following alternative routes;

Scene1:

Motorists from Alexander/Glover are advised to use Oba Adeyinka Oyekan Avenue inwards Ikoyi to connect Obalende/Ring Road and access 3rd Mainland Bridge to proceed with their journeys

Scene 2:

Motorists from Victoria Island are advised to go through Falomo Roundabout to link Awolowo Road and access 3rd Mainland Bridge to reach their desired destinations.

Alternately, Motorists from Victoria Island can also utilize Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue to link Mekunwen Bridge and proceed to CMS/Apongbon Bridge inwards Eko Bridge to access Funsho Williams Avenue to reach their desired destinations.

For this period, Motorists on the other side from Sura Bridge will have a through traffic inbound Osborne Foreshore Estate.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi has assured that Traffic Management Personnel will be on ground to minimize inconveniences and ensure steady flow of traffic.

He urge Motorists to be patient and comply with the Officers and the aforementioned interventions put in place.

ADVISORY: Motorists are implored to be patient as the partial closure is part of the traffic management plans for the rehabilitation works on the asphalt pavement of the road sections by the Federal Ministry of Works (Office of the Federal Controller, Lagos).

E Signed;

Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi,
Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation,

24th June, 2024.