All posts by 08026887835 Kazeem Akande

Defection

Kazeem Akande

Lagos, March 16,2019(NAN) The Lagos State Action Democratic Party(ADP) governorship candidate in 2019 election, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, has rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the ADP governorship candidate,along with his deputy governorship candidate, Mrs Abibat Adeosun, formally defected to the PDP at the party’s secretariat in Lagos on Monday.

Gbadamosi and his supporters were received back into the party by the state PDP Chairman, Mr Deji Doherty.

NAN reports that Gbadamosi joined the ADP in October 2017 after leaving the PDP where he was governorship aspirant in 2011 and 2015 but lost the ticket to Dr Ade Dosunmu and Mr Jimi Agbaje, respectively.

Gbadamosi said he was rejoining the PDP to contribute to efforts to wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and provide governance to improve the lots of residents.

“Presently, there are problems in Lagos. In fact, we have serious problems but we shall solve them together.

“We are going to solve the problem as one house and not as a divided house.

“As the party chairman and other excos have kindly given me free pass to re-enter the party, I am telling you right now that my job in PDP is to help the efforts to build a winning team that would knock out those people in 2023,” he said.

Gbadamosi said Lagosians deserved much more than what they were getting and urged residents to make the right choice in 2023 to change the state of affairs.

He said the PDP was the party for the masses, poised to giving Lagosians a better deal and promised that residents would get the kind of state they desire if they make the right leadership choice in 2023.

Gbadamosi said he was devastated by Sunday’s explosion at Abule- Ado area of the state which killed many people and destroyed dozens of property.

He called for full investigation and action to forestall a reocurrence.

The Lagos PDP chairman, in his address, said the party was pleased to welcome Gbadamosi back home to the fold, describing him as a grounded and experienced politician.

He said with politician like Gbadamosi back in the party, the PDP was on the path of progress in the state.

Doherty called on party faithful to own the party and do their best to contribute to the electoral goals of the party(NAN)
AKA/BOLA/WOJ

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Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Wale Ojetimi

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Two of the buildings submerged by flood in Agege during a 30-munite rainfall
recently due to ongoing construction of new Lagos-Ibadan Standard gauge line.

Flooding
By Kazeem Akande
Lagos, March 10, 2020 (NAN) A House of Representatives member, Rep. Samuel Adejare, has called for collaboration with the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to enlarge the drainage channels in Agege area of Lagos to prevent flooding.

Adejare, representing Agege Federal Constituency, told newsmen on Tuesday during a visit to the flood prone area in Agege.

He said that the ongoing construction of new Lagos-Ibadan Standard gauge line had exposed the community to high risk of flooding during rainfall.

“We are going to collaborate with NRC to ensure that the drainage channel here is enlarge to accommodate the high flow of water during rainfall.

“This is a Federal Government project, which will affect all of us positively; at the same time, government will not allow flooding to happen in any community and that is why we are here to ensure that we do the needful.

“I will also advise the community to ensure they bag their waste properly for proper passage of water during the rainy season.

“If residents are dumping their refuses in the drainage channels, it affects the free flow of water, which resort to flooding.

“Efforts will be put in place to ensure the narrow drainage channel is enlarge to contain full force of water coming from the other side,” he said.

Also, Mr Yinka Ogundimu, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, appealed to the NRC and Federal Government to do rectification of the drainage channel before rainy season.

Ogundimu, (APC-Agege Constituency 2), said that the drainage channels constructed by the contractor handling the rail line was too small to accommodate the high flow of rain water.

“We want the NRC to come and do rectification in Agege Community; the drainage channel provided by the contractor is too small.

”This is a ‘Save Our Soul’ message to the government so that our people will not perish here.

”Now, we have foreseen this problem before occurrence, that is why we are calling on those who are concern to be proactive in solving the problem,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of Ajegunle Community in Agege Local Government Area of the state had complained that the ongoing construction work would exposed the community to flooding.

Commenting, Mr Julius Ekemode, a Leader in Ajegunle Agege Community, said that the area was prone to flooding due to the construction of the new rail lines.

Ekemode urged the Federal Government and the NRC to come to the rescue of the community and build a canal in the community.

”We are sending an SOS message to government to take proactive measure to prevent the looming disaster as a result of flooding in this community.

”Rail line is good for the society, no doubt about it, but our community is in danger of flooding when the rain starts.

”With the little rains we have experienced here in January, for just about 30 minutes, everywhere was flooded.

”It was terrible, just imagine what will happen when the rains starts properly.

“The community is now appealing to the government and the NRC to come to our aid and build a canal for us that will withstand the full force of the water during the downpour.

“With the high rise of the rail line, compared to buildings in our community, it is like we are now in the valley which exposes us to flooding whenever it rains,” he said.

AKA/CCN/GOK
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Edited by Chinyere Nwachukwu/Olagoke Olatoye

Kazeem Akande

Hardwork

Lagos, March 8, 2020 (NAN) Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Disapora Commission (NIDCOM), on Saturday urged women in different endeavours to embrace the virtue of hardwork, saying they would achieve a lot with diligence.

Dabiri-Erewa gave the advice in a video message to the 2020 Triumphant Ladies Conference 2020 in Lagos, themed: “Focus” in commemoration on the International Women’s Day.

The NIDCOM chairman said there was no shortcut to success, saying with hardwork and determination, women could achieve their dreams and goals.

She urged women to dream big, remain focussed and work hard to achieve whatever they had set out to achieve.

Dabiri-Erewa warned women against complacency, saying that could stop them from realising their potentials.

“There is no alternative to hardwork; there is no shortcut to success. We need to be hardworking and determined to achieve our goals and succeed.

“We need to be focussed and be passionate about whatever we are doing. We should be truthful to ourselves and to others and we should never do things to please everyone,” she said.

Dabiri-Erewa urged women not to allow their family to suffer because of career and other productive activities.

She emphasised that family was important just like career as one must not suffer because of the other, urging women to ensure balance between the family and career.

Dabiri-Erewa said even as she had always been a busy woman, she still managed to spend quality time with her family.

Dabiri-Erewa said she took the decision not to contest for the fourth term as a former member of the House of Representatives to allow other people to serve.

She said women must be prepared to make tough decisions and sacrifices to succeed in life.

In her speech, Convener of the Conference, Mrs Funke Kasali, said the conference was organised to inspire women to success and make them contribute their quota more meaningfully to the society.

Kasali said:  “Focus” was chosen as the theme of the conference because it was an important ingredient for success.

She urged women to be focussed on whatever they were doing, saying that was the only way they could realise their dreams.

“Also believe in what you do; don’t do things because other people are doing them. Have a vision and work toward achieving it,” she said .

Speaking, Mrs Nkechi Harry-Ngonadi, Chief Executive Officer, NHN Couture, a fashion outfit, said it was important for women to follow their dreams to be  successful.

She noted that success had eluded many people because they were doing what other people were doing and not what they believed.

Harry-Ngonadi said her outfit had become a success story because she followed her passion and gave all her commitment to make it thrive.

Speaking, Mrs Olufunke Amobi, Head, Human Capital for Stanbic Holdings PLC, defined focus as having a centre of interest and clarity of purpose.

She urged women to always have a vision of what they wanted in life and work hard to achieve them.

Amobi urged women not to be distracted by failure, saying rather , they should learn from mistakes and try harder to achieve their goals.

“You need to be focussed to achieve your goals; distractions will come but when you are focussed, you are prepared for distractions.

“Be passionate about what you do; don’t look at what others are doing, follow your dreams and be the best you can be,” she said .(NAN)
AKA/CHOM/WOJ

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Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Wale Ojetimi

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Empowerment

By Kazeem Akande

Lagos, March 3, 2020 (NAN) The Chairman, Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dr Augustine Arogundade, says the council has begun to disburse N1 million monthly for the empowerment of its people at the grassroots.

Arogundade told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday each beneficiary was receiving N100,000 monthly.

“The LCDA has increased the budgetary allocation of the Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Department to sustain the empowerment it is giving to the needy every month.

“We now give N1 million to 10 people every month at the rate of N100,000 each for empowerment and skill acquisitions.

“The beneficiaries are selected from the seven wards in the LCDA by the ward chairmen and councillors in the communities within the wards,’’ he said.

According to the chairman, majority of the beneficiaries use the money to establish small scale businesses and to acquire skills.

Arogundade said that many people who received the N100, 000 grant from the LCDA knew the businesses they could set up to enhance their daily livings.

According to him, the LCDA allows the people close to the grassroots to select the needy to enable the grant reach those who need it.

“We do it in such a way that the beneficiaries are mainly those who are in need of the capital, at least to empower them and sustain their daily incomes and expenses,’’ he added.

The chairman said that the council was ready to give more dividends of democracy to the people at the grassroots.

“Ours is an elected administration; so, it is compulsory that the welfare of our people must be our priority and providing the dividends of democracy to them is our ultimate goal,’’ he said.

He said that the provision of more link roads, education and community health facilities would be the council’s priorities in 2020.

The chairman said that the council was set to budget N1.8 billion for 2020 as against N1.5 billion it budgeted in 2019.

Arogundade said that the 2020 budget would have been higher if not for the demolition and rebuilding of some markets within the council. (NAN)

AKA/JEY/PAD
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Edited by Johnson Eyiangho/Peter Dada