8—VANGUARD, MONDAY, JULY 9, 2012
FG orders airlines to deny unidentified passengers boarding BY LAWANI MIKAIRU
& DANIEL ETEGHE AGOS—THE Federal Government, weekend, directed domestic airlines in the country to henceforth deny boarding to any passenger without proper identification. The directive will ensure that passengers who could not be properly identified by the airline would not be allowed to board the aircraft. The directive, effective from July 7, was issued by the Director-General of the NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren. Special Assistant to the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Joe Obi, at a briefing, said the directive would enable domestic airlines to en-
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BIRTHDAY: From left, Chief Babatunde Benson, SAN, Asiwaju of Ikorodu, the celebrator; Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi, Ayangburin of Ikorodu and Olori Muibat Oyefusi, at the thanksgiving service to mark Chief Benson's 80th birthday at Patriarch Bolaji Idowu Memorial Methodist Church, Ita-Elewa, Ikorodu, yesterday. Photo: Shola Oyelese.
Mixed feelings as 3rd Mainland Bridge repairs begin BY OLASUNKANMI
AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO AGOS—AS the Fed eral Government commenced the repair of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State, yesterday, motorists and residents expressed fear of pending chaotic traffic situation by today, even as traffic situation was light along diversion routes. It would be recalled that repairs on the bridge was initially scheduled to commence last Sunday, but postponed over some logistic reasons. The first phase of the repair was carried out between August and September 2008, and lasted for four months, which led to the planning and execution of the second phase, which commenced yesterday. When Vanguard monitored some of the diversion routes in the city, the right side of the bridge was closed as at 11 a.m. by a joint team of the federal and state government agencies at the Oworonshoki end of the bridge where motorists are expected to divert inward Apapa-Oshodi Expressway. Meantime, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Mr kayode Opeifa, yesterday, said that the repair of the bridge was a routine one aimed at safeguarding the transport infrastructure. Opeifa said the repairs would last four months. He noted that similar repairs were carried out on the bridge in 2008 and
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urged members of the public to bear with the government. He said: “We know that during major repairs of this magnitude, there would be mixed feelings; there would be inconvenient to some. This repair work is supposed to be on a regular basis, the public should be used to it. Meantime, Lagos State traffic officials, security agents, engineers from Borino Prono Construction Company handling the repairs, commenced the diversion of traffic from the Oworoshoki axis of the
bridge by 11.30 a.m. yesterday. Motorists going to Lagos Island were diverted to Oworoshoki-Ikorodu road, en-route Adekunle area, to the Island. Some commuters at the Iyana-Oworo bus-stop, who were waiting for public transport at the entrance of the bridge, were stranded as they did not know about the diversion, it was observed. Mrs Edith Mamah, a housewife going to Obalende— after church service— said she was surprised that there were no
vehicles plying the road from the Oworonshoki end. Mamah said she spent over 30 minutes at the bus stop before they were informed about the diversion. Another commuter, Bayo Adesanya, said it would be difficult for residents of Oworonshoki, a suburb of Lagos, to go to Lagos Island. Traffic was low on the axis coming from the mainland, while officials of the police, Federal Road Safety Corps, and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, were seen managing the situation.
PDP vows to win Lagos in 2015 BY DAPO AKINRE-
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AGOS—FORMER National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George, has flayed the administration of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, government in Lagos State just as he restated his party’s readiness to wrest power from the party in 2015. He said this in Lagos, weekend, while receiving defectors from ACN at the party’s secretariat in Lagos. Chief George berated the Lagos State Government for failing to address the problems facing Lagosians, noting that: “I am not surprised that every reasonable and thoughtful Lagosian is abandoning the ACN sinking ship in Lagos.
''Tinubu and his co-travellers are clueless about what to do. They are in power, but they are not in government. They are collecting over N40 billion every month in internallygenerated revenue and yet, the people live in misery and penury.” While he said the party was putting its house in order to ensure it emerges victorious in the 2015 governorship election, he enjoined members of PDP to join hands to work for the progress of the party. He said: “Is Fashola a symbol of our future? No. Is Tinubu a symbol of our future? No. Fashola, Tinubu and the ACN gang are the worst nightmares that are now tormenting our psyche. We must flush them out, we must throw them back to where they belong.
'The journey has started right now. We cannot wait a minute longer; the mission is our collective responsibility. We must all join hands to remove the ACN disease and scourge from our midst.” Former governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni, expressed optimism that PDP will form the next government in Lagos State. Also present at the event were Senator Iyiola Omisore; Chief Ebenezer Babatope; former governorship candidate of PDP, Dr. Ade Dosunmu; state party chairman, Captain Tunji Shelle (rtd), among others. The decampees, led by Mr Abdulkareem Rafiu, described PDP as the only party that allow internal democracy, blaming the leadership of ACN for imposing candidates on the people.
sure that passengers were positively identified by matching each passenger’s name with the photo identity document presented by them. He said: ”All passengers are also reminded that no person may use another person’s ticket or boarding pass to travel in Nigeria. The name on each passenger’s ticket and boarding pass must, therefore, match the name on his or her photo identity document.” Obi listed approved means of identifying a passenger as International Passport, Federal Republic of Nigeria National Identity Card, National driver’s licence and any other verifiable photo identity card.
Lagos demolishes 3 defective buildings BY OLASUNKANMI
AKONI AGOS—THE Lagos State Government, weekend, demolished three structures at 38/40, Sogbamu Street, Apeleyin, Bariga, Somolu, identified to be structurally-defective and posed threat to lives and properties.The three structures involved twostorey buildings and a bungalow. The government advised owners of distressed buildings to immediately carry out necessary integrity test to determine their habitability to forestall loss of lives and property.
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One of the buildings, which was identified as distressed in the area, penultimate Thursday, collapsed on an adjourning building, killing a 22year- old man identified as Ahmed Shotuminu, who was reportedly sleeping during a downpour in the state. The remains of the deceased, who recently graduated from a furniture making workshop had since been buried. The collapse building prompted the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, LASPPPA, to seal off the buildings and evacuated all the occupants to prevent further loss of lives and property.
Lawyer sues SSS over father's kidnap BY INNOCENT ANABA
AGOS—MR. Nnamdi Oragwu, a lawyer, has dragged the DirectorGeneral, State Security Service, SSS, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong and Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, before a Federal High Court, Lagos, over the kidnap of his father, Chief Lawrence Oragwu, a retired Deputy ComptrollerGeneral of Customs. Nnamdi is praying the court for leave to apply for an order of mandamus to compel the respondents to investigate the abduction of his father, following a petition to them.
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He wants the IG to mandate a special unit of the police to commence or take over and conclude the investigation into his father’s kidnap and compel the respondents to transmit to the court’s registry, a type-written report of their respective investigations “ within three months from the determination of the suit.'' Chief Oragwu, was abducted by unknown gunmen on June 2, 2011 in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area, Anambra State, on his way from church with his driver. Further hearing in the matter had been adjourned till September 13.