Day: July 13, 2023

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Wednesday, said the government installed 48 Obas from June 2020 to May 2023.

Sanwo-Olu made this known at the State House Ikeja during the inauguration of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, for another five years.

He said the state government recognised and appreciated the vital role the traditional rulers played in ensuring peace, harmony and stability.

According to him, this creates a conducive environment for everyone in the communities to live, work and transact their businesses, without fear or intimidation.

“It is in furtherance of this conviction that a total number of 48 Obas were installed from June 2020 to May 2023.

“It is important to state here that the inauguration of this council further attests to the high pedestal this administration places our traditional institution and its relevance to the contemporary governance structure and delivery of dividends of democracy.

“On our part, as an administration, we have continued to support our traditional rulers with welfare packages to enhance their mobility and general upkeep, as well as the construction and renovation of palaces across the state.

“It is our expectation that all of these will aid seamless discharge of your duties in your respective domains,” he said.

The governor urged the traditional rulers to continue serving as vital bridges between the people and the government, as fathers of their respective communities.

He said the vital issue of security in the state should be of collective concern; as the traditional rulers’ collaboration with the government and its security agencies would help in safeguarding the peace that Lagos state had always enjoyed.

Sanwo-Olu thanked the traditional rulers for their support for his re-election and especially the election of President Bola Tinubu, as well as all other APC candidates, both at the Federal and state levels.

”Let me assure you all, our royal fathers, that I will continue to cherish and rely on your support and wise counsel, as we strive to raise the profile of Lagos state among the comity of modern city-states in the world.

“Through commitment to the implementation of our T.H.E.M.E.S+ development agenda.

“On this note, it is my honour and privilege to inaugurate the newly approved Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs under the chairmanship of His Royal Majesty, Alaiyeluwa, Oba Riliwanu Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos for another five years,” he said.

Mrs Kikelomo Bolarinwa, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, said that the reconstitution came with consideration for the inclusion of all the First Class traditional rulers across the five divisions of the state.

“The traditional institution contributes phenomenally to good governance in Lagos, in the area of resolution of chieftaincy matters and giving advice to government on chieftaincy, security, inter-community relations and other public policy issues in the state,” Bolarinwa said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), on Thursday called for total replication of the Federal Government’s anti-corruption efforts at the state levels.

The Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, made the call at the opening of a two-day anti-corruption workshop for representatives of state-led anti-corruption agencies in Lagos on Thursday.

At the workshop organised by CISLAC, Rafsanjani urged the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to work out the modalities for its members to establish anti-corruption agencies in their states.

According to him, the fight against corruption should be taken seriously by governments at all levels.

Rafsanjani stated that corruption was a huge threat to the sustainable economic development of the nation.

“It is also a threat to the promotion of ethical values and justice; corruption is a destabiliser of society, it endangers the rule of law.

“So, it is imperative to replicate the Federal Government’s anti-corruption efforts at the state and even the local government levels,’’ he said.

The executive director said that having anti-corruption agencies at other tiers of government would strengthen the campaign against corruption in the country.

In his speech, CISLAC’s Senior Legal Officer, Bathsheba Tagwai, urged the participants to seize the opportunity to strengthen their capacities as anti-corruption agents.

“Use the lessons learnt here to strengthen your abilities to institutionalise Federal Government’s anti-corruption efforts at the sub-national level,” he said.

A participant, Jonathan Ogunsanya, the Deputy Director, Public Prosecution, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, said the state had already enacted laws empowering it to establish anti-corruption agencies.

“We are at the level of putting the right structures in place. As a state, we are working towards it,” he said.

A representative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Iheanacho Ekele, noted that there was a need for more stakeholder collaboration in the nation’s anti-corruption campaign.

He said that political leaders at the state levels should show commitment towards the establishment of state anti-corruption agencies.

Another participant, Mrs Chioma Ude, representing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), expressed the commission’s willingness to deepen the fight against corruption in the country.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Minister of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), Peya Mushelenga, has expressed concern about what he termed ‘lazy journalists’, urging them to carry out their duties with the utmost professionalism.

Mushelenga made these remark at a breakfast meeting with news editors in the capital on Wednesday.

He said some journalists nowadays are too lazy to even take notes when someone is speaking at an event, and would rather wait for a copy of the speech from a minister.

‘Journalists do not want to read readily available information and instead want to take a shortcut or ask someone when such knowledge is easily accessible. Sometimes you give journalists printed copies of a speech, and they still come up to you and ask what was said, even though this is freely available information. If you read the hard copy, the information is there,’ Mushelenga said.

He further stated that when he is hesitant to answer reporters, it is not because he does not want to answer them, but because he wants to assist them in doing their jobs as media practitioners.

‘The MICT office gives pdf formats to journalists, not hard copies,’ he added.

At the breakfast meeting, the minister further emphasised the importance for all stakeholders to participate in order to make the Editors’ Forum of Namibia a success.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency