Tag: Lagos State government

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Entertainment Nigeria Politics

LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS “GANGS OF LAGOS”, “A MOCKERY OF THE YORUBA HERITAGE”

PUSH NEWS 24 INTERNATIONAL: April 14, 2023

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Government has expressed displeasure with the promoters of the “Gangs of Lagos” film/series over what it described as “cultural misrepresentation” as well as portraying the culture of the state in a derogatory manner.

In a reaction by the state government, the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf said the Ministry, being the regulatory body and custodian of the culture of Lagos State, viewed the film/series as a mockery of the Heritage of Lagos.

Earlier, Prince Uthman Shodipe-Dosunmu, the Apesinọla Ẹyọ Ọba Alakẹtẹ Pupa Ọkalaba Ẹkun, a cultural group, had condemned the film, calling for an immediate withdrawal.

Shodipe-Dosunmu described the film as “ethnic profiling, sacrilegious and outrageous trash.”

Meanwhile, the commissioner expressed her disappointment with the promoters of the film, Jade Osiberu and Kemi Akindoju, for portraying the Eyo Masquerade as a gun-wielding villain while adorning the full traditional regalia.

Instructively, the Eyo Festival is rarely observed and only comes up as a traditional rite of passage for Obas, revered Chiefs and eminent Lagos Indigenes while the Eyo Madquerade is used as a symbol of honour for such personalities and remarkable historical events.

According to Akinbile-Yussuf, “We are of the opinion that the production of the film ‘The Gang of Lagos’ is very unprofessional and misleading while its content is derogatory of our culture, with the intention to desecrate the revered heritage of the people of Lagos.

“It is an unjust profiling of a people and culture as being barbaric and nefarious. It depicts a gang of murderers rampaging across the State”.

The state government maintained that “the Adamu Orisha, popularly known as the Eyo Festival, is rarely observed and only comes up as a traditional rite of passage for Obas, revered Chiefs and eminent Lagosians.”

Akinbile-Yussuf stressed that “the Eyo Masquerade is equally used as a symbol of honour for remarkable historical events.

“It signifies a sweeping renewal, a purification ritual to usher in a new beginning, a beckoning of new light, acknowledging the blessings of the ancestors of Lagosians.”

Lagosians are not Gangsters-Says Eyo custodian,Shodipe-Dosunmu

In an earlier reaction via a statement, Shodipe-Dosunmu, described the film as reckless, disgusting distortion of the sacred illustration of Lagos culture.

According to him, “There is a film presently being promoted by one Jade Osiberu and another character called Kemi Akindoju. The so called movie is an ugly, hate filled mockery of the Lagosian heritage.

“In their reckless, disgusting distortion of the sacred illustration of the Lagosian culture the film makers reduced the Eyo masquerade into a gun toting killing machine, clothing their misfit actors in the full regalia of the Eyo and with the Aga depicting some Conclaves.

“This is a total abomination. It is not only a distortion of our culture, it is a dark insidious profiling of our people as criminals and murderers rampaging across Lagos.

“The Adamu Orisha is a treasured cleansing ritual, a sacred rite performed on the passage of an Oba or for their coronation.

“It is also used to honor distinguished Lagosians as their final rite of transition.

“Since Ejilu and Malakin, the brothers of Olori Olugbani first initiated the Eyo rite in celebration of Oba Ado Keme, the Adamu Orisha has become a sacred ancestral heritage celebrated with awe and deserving adoration.

“It signifies a sweeping renewal, a purificational ritual to usher in a new beginning, a beckoning of new light, acknowledging the blessings of our ancestors.

“To use the sacred Adamu Orisha Masquerade as an object of terror and loose criminality is to savage and despoil the Lagosian tradition.

“It is vile, evil, perverse; an utterly sadistic mangling of who we are as peace loving, accommodating and enlightened people.

“We demand an immediate withdrawal of this sacrilegious and outrageous trash.

“We demand that the National Film and Video Censors Board and all appropriate authorities to ban this blatant mockery disguising as cinematography and impose the most punitive sanctions on the sponsors of this venomous ethnic profiling.

We also appeal to the Lagos State Government, the Oba of Lagos Alayeluwa Oba Rilwan Akinolu, all the custodians of our tradition including the Alaworo of Adamu Orisha and Akinsiku Chief Ademola Dosunmu to rouse up in protective defense of our tradition against the ravages of these agents of condemnable pollution of all that we cherish in this sacred soil of Oba Ado Keme.

“Ethnic profiling is recognized as a crime against humanity by the International Court of Justice.

“This provision can also be invoked against these sacrilegious hate baiters.”

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Nigeria Politics Security

LAGOS OKADA BAN : FACTS YOU MAY NOT KNOW

PUSH NEWS 24 INTERNATIONAL: May 22nd, 2022

As sweet as a melodious music is to the ears, so is the recent news on planned total ban on commercial motorcycles (Okada), to the ears of Lagosians who have long groaned under the menace of Okada riders’ operations. In fact, the plan is one of the most cheery news we have heard in recent times.

Ever since these Okada riders stormed the city of Lagos, the state has continued to experience a spike in the rate of preventable fatal accidents in addition to gridlocks on the roads. In a May 28, 2020 Vanguard Newspaper report, Lagos State Government disclosed that it recorded 600 deaths in 10,000 accidents involving commercial motorcycles between 2015 and February 1, 2020. The Lagos State commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederick Oladeinde who gave the statistics, said “It is worrisome to note that between 2015 to the commencement of restrictions of their movements, 600 deaths were recorded in Okada/tricycle-related accidents.

Sanwo-Olu Okada ban: 16 points you should know
 
1.   Progress achieved in commercial motorcycles (Okada) restriction under the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola was reversed between 2015 and 2019. The menace festered to an alarming level, just before the inception of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration in 2019.
 
2.   On February 1, 2020, Sanwo-Olu-led Government announced a ban on Okada in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Nine Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
 
3.   On February 27, 2020, Lagos State recorded the first case of Covid-19, which preceded an extensive nationwide lockdown. The attendant economic paralysis created a survival struggle for many low-income earners in Lagos.
 
4.  Between February and September 2020, the slow economic recovery within this period affected many residents, leading the Government to assist struggling families with palliatives. The Okada ban was still in force, but the enforcement was weakened by the plight of struggling residents.
 
5.   On October 2020, the crises that resulted from the nationwide EndSARS protest, which was more pronounced in Lagos, emboldened Okada riders to return in droves to roads, highways and bridges where they had been banned.
 
6.   The police, which led the enforcement against Okada, withdrew from the roads for weeks. The situation led to the influx of commercial motorcycle riders from different parts of the country.
 
7.   On May 18, 2021, Lagos Government launched the First and Last Mile Buses as safe alternatives on routes where Okada had been restricted.
 
8.  From January 2021 to March 2022, there was some enforcement, which resulted in fatalities.
 
9.  On September 24, 2021, a group of Okada riders killed a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Kazeem Abonde, in Ajao Estate during a violent encounter between the police and some riders.
 
10. Similar violent clashes are usually recorded during enforcement in notorious areas where Okada riders operate on restricted routes.
 
11.  Before the new pronouncement, Okada menace had assumed a disturbing level in Lagos, with residents asking the Government to ban this mode of transportation for safety and security reasons.

12.  The riders have become lawless. They disrespect traffic laws and regulations.
 
13.  They get violent at the slightest provocation, inciting mob actions and jungle justice in which many innocent people have died.
 

  1. On May 18, 2022, Governor Sanwo-Olu affirmed that Okada remained banned in Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Surulere, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, and Apapa. The ban also extends to all LCDAs under the listed councils as well as all major roads, highways and bridges.
     
  2. From June 1, 2022, there will be a sweeping enforcement of the Okada ban in all the listed councils and LCDAs.

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Nigeria Security

LAGOS POLICE ARREST ARO BAGA CULT GROUP LEADERS, RECOVER AMMUNITION

PUSH NEWS 24 INTERNATIONAL : April 6th, 2022

Police Arrest Traffic Robbers

…Recover Arm and Ammunition

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) on April 5, 2022 arrested three robbery suspects and recovered a beretta pistol and four rounds of ammunition at Toyota bus-stop near Oshodi, Lagos.

The prompt arrest of the traffic robbers followed a tip-off from civic-minded Lagosians to the RRS officers who were on routine patrol along Ladipo and Oshodi.

The arrested suspects, preliminary investigations revealed, are members of Aro–Baga cult group. They include: Omuyibo Goddey (32), alias Aro Ghetto Boy; Destiny Nwanga (27), alias Aro Smiling God; and Ebuka Igwe (23), alias Aro Do or Die.

Goddey disclosed that they were about to rob their second victim when the RRS patrol team arrived on the scene.

A swift follow-up on the arrest led the RRS to their converging point at 7 Alhaji Monsuru Street, Ijegun, where two other suspects were arrested.

Investigations revealed that Nwanga repairs fuel pump at Ladipo Spare Part Market; Omuyibo works as a welder while Igwe deals in illicit drugs.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi fdc, mnim, psc has directed the Commander, RRS, CSP Yinka Egbeyemi to transfer the three suspects and exhibits to the CP’s Special Squad for further investigation and prosecution.

SP Benjamin Hundeyin, anipr, mipra
Police Public Relations Officer,
Lagos State Command,
Ikeja

Categories
Nigeria Politics Security

LAGOS STATE GOVT APPOINTS MC OLUOMO AS CHAIRMAN PARKS COMMITTEE

PUSH NEWS 24 INTERNATIONAL : April 6th, 2022

Lagos State Government has been watching closely events in the National Union of Road Transport Workers Union (NURTW). There have been claims and counter claims over the control of the union.

The Government has a duty to ensure the safety of lives and property of all Lagosians and visitors. Therefore, there is an urgent need to douse the unnecessary tension generated by the leadership tussle in the NURTW and protect the citizenry from the likely fallout of the situation, hence, it took a bold step to setup an independent committee to handle park business in the State of Excellence.

According to a release made available to Push News 24 International, Musiliu Akinsanya popularly called MC OLUOMO has been appointed as the Chairman of the newly established Parks Management Committee.

Parks Management Committee

The Lagos State Government has set up a committee to oversee the affairs of all motor parks and garages in the State.

This is in fulfillment of the Government’s promise to ensure that events in the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) are not allowed to threaten law and order.

The Government has, therefore, exercised its constitutional powers to ensure that no vacuum, which can disrupt the peace of our dear State, is allowed to exist in the parks. This is a duty we owe all Lagosians and visitors.

Members of the committee, who have been selected following consultations with stakeholders in the sector, are:

  1. Mr. Hakeem Odumosu (AIG Rtd) – Government Liaison Officer
  2. Alh Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya – Chairman
  3. Alh Sulyman B. Ojora – (Deputy Chairman)
  4. Dr. Taiwo Olufemi Salaam (Secretary)
  5. Comrade Olayiwola Lemboye
  6. Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle
  7. Alhaji Ganiyu Shittu
  8. Alhaji Mukaila Runsewe
  9. Alhaji Sulyman Yusuf
  10. Alhaji Mufutau Mutiu
  11. Alhaji Yinka Hassan
  12. Alhaji Sunday Ogunleye
  13. Alhaji Moshood Omojowa
  14. Alhaji Ismaila Aigoro
  15. Alhaji Ibrahim Yusuf. O
  16. Alhaji Akeem Tijani
  17. Mrs. Omolabake Adelakun
  18. Comrade Kazeem Hassan
  19. Alhaji Wasiu Amole
  20. Alhaji Ganiyu Ayinde
  21. Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye
  22. John Victor Owolabi
  23. Saburi Salami
  24. Ibrahim Onitiju
  25. Odusanya Gbenga

Members of the committee are to report to the Ministry of Transportation, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

The Government on March 10 suspended NURTW operations in all parks and garages, following the tension sparked by some events in the union.

Gbenga Omotoso
HC, Information & Strategy

Categories
Education Nigeria Security

DOWEN COLLEGE ASSAULT : LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT CULPABLE – DIASPORANS

PUSH NEWS 24 INTERNATIONAL : December, 8th, 2021

DOWEN COLLEGE ASSAULT : LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT CULPABLE – DIASPORANS

The alarming trends of bullying and attacks on other students by student-cultists in private schools in recent times have led to the maiming and in most cases death of several innocent students in the hands of their fellow students, teachers or school guards who raped, sexually abused and inflicted other sundry bestialities on students.

Nigerians-in-Diaspora under the eagis of Nigeria Diasporans Project Committee (NDPC), a non governmental pressure group promoting the good image of Nigerians abroad have called out the Lagos State Government as been negligent in the effective monitoring and inspections of A- list private schools due to their “assumed” status.

Stating their position in a release on Tuesday over the death of DOWEN College student, the Team Lead of NDPC, Prince Olalekan Ojo Martins says

“NDPC is aware of reports of the death of a Dowen College pupil in Lagos State by fellow school mates allegedly in a cult related manner”

“No child should go through what children are going through now in Nigeria. Education should not be a matter of life and death for anyone. Nigeria and Lagos State is failing the children once again in a horrifying manner”

” The State apparatus via the Ministry of Education have erred in their duties to effectively monitor the so-called A-list schools which have now become danger zones”

“NDPC condemns in the strongest possible terms any attack or bullying in our schools and calls for the immediate sanctioning of both the pupils, parents of the suspects, school authorities and government officials who were negligent.”

“The American Academy of Paediatrics defines a ‘healthful school environment’ as one that protects students and staff against immediate injury or disease and promotes prevention activities and attitudes against known risk factors that might lead to future disease , disability or death”.

Push News 24 International reports that following the death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, a high flyer private school in Lekki, Lagos, stakeholders, including parents, students and the government have raised concern over the safety and well-being of students in the care of school owners and management of private schools.

They, however, described the death of the student as a result of bullying and torture in the hands of some student-cultists as a ‘threat to the collective peace and safety of innocent students in some schools.

The deceased student, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr allegedly died from internal injuries inflicted on him by some student-cultists, who were said to have tortured and beaten him for refusing to join their cult group.

The PRO of the group, Engr. Aina Badejo in her own submission said “NDPC is deeply concerned about these reported acts of violence in schools which are a violation of children’s rights. Children should feel safe at home and at school at all times – and parents should not need to worry for the safety of their children when they send them off to school.”

“A healthy school environment (physical, biological and socio-cultural) serves as a major determinant of health and greatly influences the individual’s level of intellectual growth and development, where a State apparatus fails to play her roles, then some persons need to be sanctioned” Badejo added.

The chattered PR Practitioner finally advise Lagos State government to ensure a Safeful School Environment and make all the conscious efforts to organized, plan and execute actions that will ensure the safety and healthy living conditions for all members of the school community.

Push News 24 International …we speak your mind!