Office
Lago governor appoints new LASPPPA chief
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has appointed Kehinde Osinaike as the General Manager of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA). Osinaike’s appointment contained in a letter LGS/HOS/178/Vol.X/30 issued on Friday by the Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, takes immediate effect. Muri-Okunola said the appointment was in cognisance of his impressive track records. According to him, Sonaike succeeds the former General Manager of the authority, Funmi Osifuye, upon retirement. Muri-Okunola urged the new general manager to continue to justify the confidence reposed on him by the governor. He charged the new head of LASPPPA to bring his wealth of experience to bear in the delivery on the authority’s mandate. Prior to his appointment, Osinaike was a Special Assista...
Chris Alao-Akala, Sunday Dare applaud Senator Ajimobi’s legacies
Former Gov. Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State and Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Akin Dare, have applauded the late former Governor of the state, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi’s legacies. The duo, in their separate statements made available to newsmen on Friday, described the late former governor as a focused and committed statesman. Newsmen report that Ajimobi died on June 25, 2020, following reported complications arising from COVID-19 infection. Ajimobi, who died at the age of 70, was the first civilian governor to rule the state for two consecutive terms. NAN also reports that the late Ajimobi was, until his death, the Aare of Ibadanland and Deputy National Chairman (South) of APC. Alao-Akala, in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Tolu Mustapha, said that he now...
Oyo APC: We’re proud of Senator Ajimobi, even in death
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State Chapter, says it is very proud of the good governance and rare virtues in the late former Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, even in death. Chief Akin Oke, the state Caretaker Chairman, said in a statement by his Special Assistant, Olawale Sadare, on Thursday in Ibadan. Newsmen recall that the late Ajimobi, died on June 25, 2020, following reported complications arising from the COVID-19 infection. Ajimobi, who died at the age of 70, was the first civilian governor to govern Oyo State for an unprecedented two terms. He was until his death, the Aare of Ibadanland and the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC. Oke said that the memory and legacy of Ajimobi would remain indelible in the hearts of the people who valued quality leadership, good govern...
Speaker Gbajabiamila celebrates Governor Sanwo-Olu at 56
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has congratulated the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on his 56th birthday. Gbajabiamila, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, described Sanwo-Olu as a silent achiever, whose performance in office speaks for itself. He said Sanwo-Olu has proven to be a man of the people since he assumed office two years ago. The Speaker, who said it was not a mere coincidence that he and the governor share the same birthday, noted that they have a lot in common, especially in the area of serving the people. According to him, “I recall how Sanwo-Olu had sleepless nights at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year to ensure that the people of Lagos were safe, being the worst-hit state i...
NSCDC raids illegal mining centre, confiscates 700kg of precious stones
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Zamfara Command, has raided an illegal mining centre at Sawa village, Talata Mafara Local Government Area, and confiscated 700kg of precious stones. The command’s Public Relation Officer, Aminu Ismail, made the disclosure while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Gusau. Ismail said that the command received information from the Mining Officer of the Federal Ministry of Mining that some people in the local community had engaged in illegal mining in the area. He said that the command immediately mobilised personnel to the area, adding that none of the suspects was arrested, but a total of 14 bags of 50kg were found fully loaded with precious stones. He said that the stones were confiscated and taken to the command’s office, while investigation was on...
Senate vows to expose MDAs refusing to account for public funds
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said that the upper chamber will publish the names of government agencies that have refused to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to defend the interrogations of the Auditor-General for the Federation in the 2015 report. Lawan made this known in his remarks after the Senate considered the report of the Committee on Public Accounts on the annual report of the Auditor-General for the Federation on the accounts of the Federation for the year ended 31st December, 2015. According to the Senate President, any public official that refuses to account for public funds at their disposal must be shown the way out of office. He said, “This is one of our major responsibilities as a parliament, to hold the executive to account. “[And] whoever is given t...
IGP charges police officers to keep up with modern policing techniques
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, has charged officers of the Nigeria Police Force to keep themselves abreast of techniques and strategies of modern policing. Baba gave the advice Wednesday while addressing officers and men of the Nigeria Police at the Bompai Police headquarters in Kano. The Inspector General, who was on his first official visit to the Command since he assumed office, charged the officers to improve their knowledge on issues of democratic policing, human rights and other aspects of modern policing. Baba enjoined them never to be overwhelmed by challenges. Challenges are welcome and challenges are surmountable, he stated in respect to the plea for additional manpower to be deployed to Kano. He noted that even an additional 7,000 policemen were added ...
Police: Jigawa man foils kidnap attempt by fake NDLEA operatives
The Police Command in Jigawa has arrested three kidnap suspects in Hadejia Local Government Area of the state, the command spokesperson, ASP Lawan Shiisu, has said. Shiisu, in a statement in Dutse on Wednesday, said the suspects were arrested after they allegedly attempted to kidnap one Cyprian Okechukwu on May 31. He explained that the suspects allegedly disguised as personnel of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and attempted to forcefully take the victim to their office. “On May 32, 2021 at about 1000hrs, one Cyprian Okechuku of Quarters reported at Hadejia ‘A’ division that on the same date at about 0800hrs, some hoodlums numbering about three in Volkswagen Golf car, light green in colour, came to his house, disguised as NDLEA personnel and forcefully tried to take him to th...
U.S. blocks websites linked to Iranian disinformation
The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday blocked some three dozen websites, many of them associated with Iranian disinformation activities, a U.S. government source said, adding an official announcement was expected. The source in Washington spoke after notices appeared earlier on Tuesday on a number of Iran-affiliated websites saying they had been seized by the United States government as part of law enforcement action. Iranian news agencies said that the U.S. government had seized several Iranian media websites and sites belonging to groups affiliated with Iran such as Yemen’s Houthi movement. Some sites later started to display as normal. The website of the Arabic-language Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis, read: “The domain almasirah.net has been seized by the United States Governm...
Canada leads call on China to allow Xinjiang access – statement
More than 40 countries urged China on Tuesday to allow the U.N. human rights chief immediate access to Xinjiang region to look into reports that more than a million people have been unlawfully detained there, some subjected to torture or forced labour. The joint statement on China was read out by Canadian Ambassador Leslie Norton on behalf of countries including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and the United States to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Beijing denies all allegations of abuse of Uyghurs and describes the camps as vocational training facilities to combat religious extremism. “Credible reports indicate that over a million people have been arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang and that there is widespread surveillance disproportionately targeting Uyghurs and members of other...
Police arrest school proprietor for ‘sexually harassing’ 14-year-old
The police in Lagos have arrested one Emmanuel Madueke, the 62-year-old proprietor of Megland Comprehensive School, Lekki, for allegedly sexually assaulting and harassing a 14-year-old student of his school. This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT). It stated that the proprietor sexually harassed the student on the day schools celebrated Children’s Day. According to the Coordinator of the DSVRT, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, a team comprising of officers of the Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, and the DSVRT visited the school on June 17 to investigate the claims. The visit was based on the Lagos State Government’s Executive Order on Safeguarding...
Unity schools old students condemn Kebbi abduction
Former students of unity schools across the country, under the aegis of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA), have decried Thursday’s attack on the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State during which scores of students and teachers were abducted by bandits. Mr Lawrence Wilbert, the National President of USOSA, in a statement made available to Daily Independent, on Friday, called for an end to such sad incidents in Nigerian schools. The statement read: “The Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA) unequivocally condemns the abduction of scores of students and staff of Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State by bandits in the morning of Thursday 17th June 2021. We also decry the fact that a police officer was killed while some students and s...
