Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has sacked the contractor, RAJCOM Construction Company, handling the construction of Iwoye-Owode road in Yewa South Area of the State over low pace of work on the road.

Besides,he issued a two week ultimatum to the Federal Government on the Sango/Ota-Abeokuta road, saying his administration will take over the road should the FG fails the two weeks ultimatum.

Abiodun,who announced the termination of the contract with RAJCOM during the inspection of the 25.4 Kilometres road, on Saturday,expressed regrets over the level of job done by the company and directed the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CECCC) to take over the reconstruction of the entire road.

He explained that as part of the efforts to hasten its reconstruction, the road was initially divided into two parts where Ilaro to Iwoye was allocated to Chinese engineering construction company, while the remaining half from Iwoye to Owode-Yewa, was also awarded to RAJCOM Construction Company.

He added that CECCC had succeeded in keeping to its promise by expediting action on its own part of the road, while RAJCOM had failed to live up to expectations.

Describing the road as important not only to the people of Yewaland, but the whole state, the governor assured that the Operations manager of the CECCC has promised that the asphalting of the road would commence in two weeks time in order to relief the people of harrowing experience of passing through on the road.

Speaking on the Sango/Ota-Abeokuta road, Abiodun said, the decision to take over the road become necessary after the Federal Government failed to take necessary action on the toad.

He said both Ogun and Lagos states had made frantic efforts several times to draw the attention of the Federal Government, through the office of the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to the bad shape of the road without any positive response.

The governor who expressed worry over the hardship motorists are being subjected to on the road declared that his administration will not fold its arms and allow its citizenry to continue to suffer due to the negligence of the authority in charge of this road.

“If after two weeks, the Federal Government refuses to commence work on this road, I will take it over and reconstruct it”, he said.

The governor,who appealed to the people of the state, particularly those living along the road to be patient, also explained that the reason behind the inspection was to examine the level of infrastructural development in Ogun Central and Ogun West Senatorial Districts.

He observed that the road awarded to Julius Berger about 15 years ago had been abandoned making it impassable, saying that despite the various palliative being carried out on the road, some of the blue chip companies located along the road had failed to support the efforts of the government through its Corporate Social Responsiblity (CSR).

He assured that the state government would continue to prioritise the welfare of the people of the state in line with his promises during the last governorship campaign.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),says it has exceeded its initial target of attracting 1 million girls back to school through its Girl Education Project (GEP).

Senior Education Officer, UNICEF Field Office, Kano, Michael Banda, confirmed that in 10 years of implementing the GEP programme, over 1.4million young girls have been enrolled in schools in six northern states where it was piloted.

The sum of US$109,196,039 has so far been expended on the programme, implemented largely by UNICEF, in collaboration with development partners, through funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) of the UK,Banda confirmed .

Beyond the six northern states captured in the programme, namely Kano, Katsina, Niger, Sokoto, Bauchi and Zamfara, existing social-cultural factors tend to hinder girls from attending schools.

In most of these states, girls of school age are believed to suffer marginalisation educationally owing to perceptions and cultural norms, ranging from early marriages, street hawking, farming activities, undue preference for male children than females, among others.

Banda also re-echoed the need for state governments to take up the sustenance of the programme owing to its impact.

The UNICEF field officer said the project was a huge success as it exceeded the target set before the beginning of the project in 2012 with initial 5 states before Kano was included in 2018.

He added: “the aim of the project was to ensure that at the end of the implementation of the GEP, not fewer than one million girls would have been enrolled into the various stages of schools.The good news is that by the end of the project in September 2022, the project would have recorded a total of 1.4 million girls across the 6 implementing states. The aim and objectives of the project have been achieved”.

He noted, the success story agency has recorded so far in the implementing states, should not be allowed to go down the drain, if respective state governments can step up and take ownership of the project by allocating funds to its continuation, the girl child and society at large will be the better for it.

Lagos State Government has reassured victims of sexual and gender abuse of adequate support

them it will continue to be responsive to their plights, provide support, so that those in need of help can walk in to designated centres.

The promise was made after representatives from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) paid a visit to the Idera Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), on Alimosho area of Lagos State, yesterday, to monitor progress of the centre.

The Reproductive Health Coordinator, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Victoria Omoera said that the ministry in partnership with the RoLAC through the support of the British Council and the European Union worked together to establish the Idera Sexual Assault and Referral Support Centre to provide a one stop shop for services required by victims of sexual assault.

She noted that with the support of the state government the centre has been able to provide the sexual assault violence form that would ensure that services at the centre are provided freely.

She also disclosed that the health care workers at the centre have been trained and provided with adequate care that is appropriate for them to be able to handle cases of sexual harassment

“One year down the line it was realised that this has actually helped to provide not just case management but also psychophysical support to survivours of sexual assault to ensure and guarantee that we have someone who can give adequate and appropriate care,” she said.

According to Omoera, between March 2021 and March 2022, the Idera Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) has provided services free of charge to 122 survivors of sexual and gender based violence, adding that over 75 percent of them are girls under 17 years old.

“Of the 122 cases reported to Idera SARC, arrests have been made in 66 of those cases, with 20 cases undergoing prosecution and one conviction secured.

Omoera maintained that the Idera SARC is contributing to a better justice outcomes for survivors of SGBV in Lagos state.

“Idera SARC is the 4th Sexual Assault Referral Centre to be established in Lagos and all the four SARCs have received some degree of support from RoLAC”, she stated.

Omoera, however ,described the challenges confronting the centre to include persistent low number of prosecutions and convictions compared to the number of cases reported.

The reproductive health coordinator stated that the state must take ownership of funding the cost of medical service provision, counseling and care for each survivor for sustainability.

SARC Steering Committee needs to lead in ensuring state budget provision to fund the operational needs of the SARC, she further stated.

“Again, more medical and counseling personnel need to be posted to the SARC and appropriately remunerated.SARC needs to strengthen its links and referral to broader services for its clients, example, shelter, support for survivors with disabilities and child protection mechanisms”, Omoera noted.

She said that RoLAC Programme was a 5-year (2017 – 2022) programme funded by the European Union and implemented by the British Council in Nigeria. The aim of the RoLAC Programme is to enhance good governance in Nigeria, by contributing to strengthening of the rule of law and curbing corruption.

“The programme is doing this by supporting reform initiatives led by the federal and state criminal justice institutions, anti-corruption agencies, civil society, citizens, and the media. RoLAC’s interventions are focused in 5 states, Adamawa, Anambra, Edo, Kano, Lagos and the Federal level.

According to Omoera, RoLAC have supported initiatives that resulted in the adoption by states, of laws and practices that facilitated access to justice for women, children, and persons with disabilities; and is now focused on supporting state governments and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the implementation and embedding of the laws and practices.

The National Programme Manager, RoLAC, Danladi Plang, said that RoLAC has trying to ensure that as many people as need the service are given assistance, and also encouraged other states to replicate what the Lagos State has done adding there are places they can establish similar facilities to provide support for more people.

“Lagos State already has four centres but they are two within the government facilities. So we need as many as these because data has shown that there are quite a number of people that have been violated sexually but because of the stigma they don’t come out to talk,” Plang stated.

 

 

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,says Nigeria is safe for investment in spite of the demarketing campaign being waged against the country by the political opposition.

Segun Adeyemi, Special Assistant to the President (Media), Office of the Minister of Information and Culture, conveyed this in a statement.

He quoted his boss as making the remarks at an Investors’ Fair, tagged “Africa Walk”, organized by the UNICORN Group in its Lagos Campus .

According to him, the fake narrative being promoted by the de-marketers was that Nigeria is a war zone or that there is religious persecution in the country.

He said the Buhari Administration came into office in 2015 with the promise to revamp the economy, fight insecurity and curb corruption and that the administration has acquainted itself creditably on the three pillars.

“We were elected on the three pillars of the economy, security, and anti-corruption. In these three areas, I can confirm that we have not left any stone unturned to turn things around despite the numerous challenges,” he said.

Speaking on security, the Minister said Boko Haram, which was controlling a large swath of territory in the North East prior to the
advent of the present Administration, has been severely degraded and that ISWAP leadership has been eliminated.

He added that 51,000 insurgents surrendered in the first three months of this year alone, while the Government is now focusing on rehabilitation and rebuilding communities destroyed by the insurgents.

In order to address the intractable farmer-herder clashes, the Minister said the present administration is the first to bring a feasible
solution to the conflict through the National Livestock Transformation Plan, which puts ranching at its core.

He advised some state governments that are yet to key into the plan to have a rethink and embrace it in order to put a halt to the protracted farmer-herder clashes.

“We are also tackling banditry with the same vigour with which we have taken on Boko Haram and ISWAP, and it is a matter of time for bandits to be decimated too,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

He spoke on the economy, saying the administration has solidified same to stimulate domestic production and make the nation less vulnerable to external shocks.

He,however, said adverse global headwinds, such as the crash in oil prices, COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, have had adverse effects on the economy.

On war against corruption,the Minister disclosed the monetary recoveries from January to December 2021 as N152 billion; USD386million; 1.1 million Pounds; 157,000 Euros; about 1.7 Saudi Riyals and some more in Digital and other currencies.

He said the funds so far recovered have gone into the provision of infrastructure across the country.

“It is disappointing that some of our recovered funds are still being blocked. Western governments should be helping us recover our money, not blocking it. Past funds have been returned, and then gone towards
infrastructure. Governments proclaim they want to return, but then tie it up in endless bureaucracy for reasons best known to them,” he said.

Speaking,the Chairman of the UNICORN Group, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, who conducted the Minister round the startup incubation hubs on the UNICORN Campus, used the occasion to unveil one of the largest companies in the world, Nvidia, which is into robotics, Artificial
Intelligence, Agric, media, gaming,entertainment, education and translation, among others.

Dr. Akindele said he is encouraging and supporting startups to go beyond profit maximization to contribution to nation-building.

 

The Oyo State Deputy Governor, Barr. Abdulroheem Adebayo Lawal, has implored people of the state to continue to maintain peace and harmony.

He gave the admonition while addressing newsmen after attending a Jumat Prayer held at the Oja’ba Central Mosque, Ibadan, the Oyo state capital,a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, said.

He quoted the deputy governor as saying that he attended the Jumat prayer to worship and thank Allah SWT on his current elevation.

He said: “As I have indicated, I came here this afternoon to worship with the Muslim community in this very important mosque in Ibadanland to appreciate God for counting me worthy of my new position in the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde .

“My short message is for us, as Muslims, to keep maintaining peace, tranquility and to keep praying for good governance to continue in Oyo State. That is the short message, apart from making supplications to Almighty Allah to grant us further peace in the state.”

He added that the Governor Makinde’s administration is known for peace, praying that Almighty Allah will continue to grant the state further peace.

He said:”This administration is for peace and there is no other way we can achieve that or continue to achieve that except by prayers. Nigeria is in turmoil – banditry, kidnapping and all sort of crimes. If you isolate Oyo state, you will discover that the crime rate here is at its lowest ebb and we want to maintain that.

“There is no other thing we can aspire to achieve if the security is not there.As Muslims, we must continue to pray for stability, peace and prosperity.”

In his sermon, the Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheik Abdul-Ganiy Agbotomokekere, said that life is vanity, admonishing Muslims to be pious in their dealings, as according to him, every soul shall give account of their deeds on earth.