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Govt bans Molue on Lagos Island MURITALA AYINLA
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agos State Government has banned the operations of 911 buses popularly known as Molue on the Lagos Island. The government said it had ordered law enforcement agents to enforce the directive. With the directive, it is now illegal for the operator to drive on the bridges linking Lagos Mainland to Island, while operation of the Molue buses in places like Ebute-Ero, Iddo, Ebute Ero, Apongbon, Obalende, Idumota, CMS, Obalende and other places on Island has been outlawed. The General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Mr. Babatunde Edu, made the disclosure yesterday at a stakeholders’ meeting with the branch chairmen of the Lagos Urban Bus Owners Association of Nigeria, LUBON,
operators of Molue buses. Edu said the move was to ensure adequate monitoring of the operations of commercial vehicles and compliance with traffic rules and regulations. The LASTMA GM said the new directive had become effective since August 19, adding that the buses could no longer operate in the Central Business District, CBD. He said: “Though the Lagos State Government was supposed to have commenced enforcement last month, being a responsive and responsible government which believes in enlightenment before enforcement, we therefore, decided to shift the enforcement to fourth of this month.” The GM, however, said Molue buses could still operate in areas like Orile, Iyana Ipaja, Mile 2, and Mile 12, among others. Meanwhile, Governor Babatunde Fashola has urged
commercial bus drivers to desist from taking alcohol, drugs or other related substance before going behind the wheel. The call, he said, became necessary because, according to him, evidence shows that road traffic accidents are influenced and precipitated by substance abuse which impairs driver’s ability to manage and manipulate a vehicle well. Fashola said this yesterday at the New Garage Motor Park, Bariga, during a Motor Park Health and Safety awareness campaign organised by the ministries of Health and Transportation in partnership with Guinness Nigeria Plc. The governor noted that the Motor Park Health and Safety Awareness Campaign was an initiative of his administration to raise awareness about responsible consumption of alcohol and initiate change in drivers’ attitude.
...Phases out Rickety food distribution vans MURITALA AYINLA
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agos State Government yesterday introduced brand new vans and trucks to stop distribution of perishable food items in unhygienic and rickety vans in the state. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Co-operatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, made the disclosure at a stakeholders’ meeting with the perishable food vendors, automobile manufacturers and financial homes.
Lawal said the move was to enhance sanity in the chain of distribution of farm produce in a way that would guarantee public health. The commissioner said the move would, among other things, reduce the risk of microbial hazards. According to him, proper mode of transportation of food also determines the quality of food that gets to the consumer. He said: “The essence of food hygiene in Lagos State is to enforce standard and grade quality of post-harvest agricultural produce (both raw and processed) in
the state. It is also that postharvest agricultural produce compete favourably in the international market. “The kind of vehicles they use for distribution of perishable foods are not road worthy, especially with carbon emission that is prevalent in our society. That is why we create this room for them to have the opportunity of having new vehicles. “We now invited vehicle manufacturers, the banks’ representatives to ensure that new distribution vans replace the rickety ones for distribution of the food items.”
I’ll empower Ekiti citizens –Guber aspirant
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gover norship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Dare Bejide, has promised to empower indigenes of Ekiti State if elected. The former ambassador to Canada gave the pledge at a dinner organised in his honour by friends and associates in Abuja, recently. Bejide disclosed that he had instituted various programmes to economically empower the indigenes of the state. One of such programmes, according to him, is the local content policy. He said: “As part of gov-
South West
Friday, September 6, 2013
ernment efforts to boost job opportunities and reduce poverty, all government contractors in the state shall be mandated to employ all junior staff (100 per cent) and at least 50 per cent of the other staff from the state. “No contractor shall bring into the state any material for any construction or any project from other states unless such materials are not available in the state. “These requirements shall be mandatory and verified at the point of tender for such contracts and also at the point of payment by the Ministry of Finance. “We shall introduce Lo-
cal Content Compliance Unit at the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Finance.” The governorship aspirant, who is one of the founding members of the PDP in the state, also promised to maximise the benefits of the rich agricultural potential of the state. He said: “Agriculture is the mainstay of Ekiti State economy contributing about 90 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, GDP. The agricultural sector employs about 80 per cent of the state labour force and provides a livelihood for about 90 per cent of the rural population.
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‘Only national dialogue can stop Nigeria’s collapse’ FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA
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he Anglican Christian Fellowship of Nigeria, ACFN, yesterday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately convene a national dialogue to save the country from imminent collapse. ACFN, which is an arm of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), warned that unless Jonathan engaged major stakeholders in a very crucial national discourse, his administration’s desire to ensure peaceful co-existence among the people might fail. The body premised its call on the many security, social, and religious challenges confronting the country, saying that Nigeria had been existing in a forced union. Addressing a press conference in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State to herald the maiden national convention of the body expected to end on Sunday, the National President of ACFN, Mr. Henshaw Adetoye, disclosed
that echoes emanating across the country pointed to the fact that Nigeria was already in crisis. Flanked by other members of the national executive, Adetoye, while commenting on the state of the nation, explained that the church could not but continue to pray for good of the country in the forthcoming convention. The convention with the theme: “Manifestation of a new Dawn,” to be hosted by the Ijebu North Anglican Diocese with an expected number of 2,500 delegates from across Nigeria, would feature special prayer for Nigeria. Adetoye said that President Jonathan “must stand on the side of restructuring this skewed federation that has only delivered crushing poverty to many families and torrent of bloodbath across the land”. The ACFN president said the need for a national dialogue was already evident in the Boko Haram insurgency which compelled Jonathan to declare a state of emergency in Adama-
Politics Can PDP remain one in 2015?
wa, Borno and Yobe. He said: “Apart from the sectarian violence, Nigeria is also facing multisectoral dysfunction, emblematised in the abysmal failure of electricity generation; the closure of industries, decadence in the university system resulting in many parents sending their children to Ghana or Benin Republic; unemployment which is a time bomb waiting to explode and hospitals that no longer serve as life saving centres. “These are a gruesome indicator that something has gone wrong with the Nigerian union. “Whatever name we want to call it, let us leave the name sovereign. What we are saying is that let us sit down and talk. “We are in a forced union. Yoruba are being forced to stay with the Hausa. The Ndigbo are being forced to stay with the Yoruba. Things cannot continue this way. We will continue to pray that the theme of this convention will manifest in this country.”
Celebrity
A house divided against itself will, obviously, not stand. And it is not in our interest both as founders and joiners to bring down the house we laboured very hard to build. –Former Governor of Abia State and one of the founding fathers of PDP, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu I think what is happening in PDP is healthy for our democracy. The PDP is too big and dominant for any party to defeat. There is no effective challenger or combination of political parties that can make the PDP blink so far. –Factional chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Maxi Okwu.
My father wants my windfall –Dillish Matthews, s, BBA winner
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