Fashola Moves To Revive 5 Industrial Estates

Briefs

THE Lagos State Government would no longer tolerate illegal activities in its industrial estates, Governor Babatunde Fashola said after inspecting the Ilupeju, Amuwo Odofin and Kirikiri Industrial Estates.

Fashola, who read the riot act to offenders, said his administration would enforce the law to put the estates back on the path of production with a view to achieving their set targets. He listed the illegalities as conversion of any part of the estates into a residential estate, packing trucks on any of the highways leading to the estates and taking over the setbacks in any of the estates or roads leading to them.

“If there is anybody, who is carrying out any illegal act in any of our estates, whether by conversion to residential estate, time is up; they must move. If you are parking trucks on the highway, you have to move. If you have taken over the set back in any of our estates, time is out, you have to move; we will enforce the law.”

He noted that if the roads to the estates and all other factors were kept in good working order, people would get jobs.

“All too often we complain that there are no jobs, we complain that the economy is slow; we grandstand that we want to make things happen, but we miss very little things which aggregate to become the cause of discomfort to us. If we get the road network in those industrial estates functional, clearly, people will get jobs”, the Governor said.

He also expressed dismay at the way the ports in the State are being managed, as trucks take over the roads which, according to him, “should transport goods to the industrial estates.”

These shortcomings, he said, reveal the inefficiencies of agencies of the Federal Government.

According to the Governor, “Tankers coming to carry fuel take over the roads and are, sometimes, parked on the roads. You will see whole setbacks of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway taken over by vehicles, whether they are junks or scraps that should never have entered this country in the first place”.

“Now, the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway services five industrial estates, Apapa, Kirikiri, Amuwo Odofin, Ilupeju and Matori. If we revive those industrial estates, imagine what will happen to job creation. So, the essential thing is to go back to the basics – Law and Order”, he said.

Warning those perpetrating any form of illegality in the State to either change or quit the State, Governor Fashola declared, “This Government will enforce the law. We can no longer have people selling vehicles by the roadsides or by the loops. You can see what has happened to Wilmer and all those places. Look at the investments that we have in Kirikiri, are they optimizing their purpose? How do we get the local investors back if we don’t act?”

Ilorin, Ado Ekiti Host Glo Laffta Fest

ADO-EkITI, the Ekiti State capital, was in a festive mood at the weekend, as Globacom’s comedy, music and dance show, the Glo Laffta Fest, held in the city.

Globacom said the show was a continuation of the Easter Special of Edition Laffta Fest, which began on Good Friday in Asaba, Delta State.

The Ado-Ekiti show was held at the Great Eagle Hall, Km 7, Ikere Road. Popular artistes, including Gbenga Adeyinka, Seyi Law, I go Dye, Bovi, Mr. Patrick, Wande Coal, Eedris Abdukareem, Terry G and Goldie are scheduled to entertain guests at the event.

Globacom said, as was the case with the Ilorin show, upcoming artistes were allowed to showcase their talents at the Ado-Ekiti event, while attractive prizes would be won in several competitions, including dancing and singing.

“Our intention is to give the very best of entertainment to our teeming subscribers across the country and make them unwind in an atmosphere of fun and laughter because they are the reason why we are in business”, the company concluded in an official statement.

The Easter Special edition of Glo Laffta Fest has so far been held in Asaba, Oshogbo, Uyo, Lagos, Warri, Akure and Ilorin, while Lafia, Ibadan, Jalingo and Jos will host the show in the coming weeks.

Gunmen Kill  Policeman,  Electrician In Yobe

From Njadvara Musa, Damaturu

Gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect in Damaturu and Potiskum, Yobe State, yesterday, killed a police officer (names withheld) and an electrician at about 7.30pm in Gwange and Ramin Kasa wards on Damboa Road yesterday.

The suspected assassins, according to an eye witness, came in

an unmarked Volkswagen car, waited at the policeman’s residence before shooting him severally in the head and chest. They then fled in the same vehicle towards Damaturu, the state capital.

The eye witness said: “they parked the vehicle close to the house of the police officer attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and

waited for his arrival before shooting him dead.”

Confirming the two incidents yesterday in Damaturu, the Yobe State

Police Commissioner, Moses Onireti said: “We received the reports of the two incidents this morning from the Gwange police Area Commander and in Potiskum, indicating that we lost one of our finest police officers here in Damaturu and an electrician was also killed by suspected gunmen in Potiskum at about 9pm on Damboa road.”

Imo Chief Judge Urges Okorocha To Dialogue With Labour

From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri

Following the protracted face-off between the members of the Imo State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the State government over the planned deployment of about 5,370 civil servants to rural communities for the take off of the fourth tier government, known as community council, the Imo state Chief Judge, Benjamin Njemanze, has advised the government to ensure it reaches a truce with the workers. The truce he said would avert any kind of industrial disharmony in the state.

Despite stiff opposition by civil servants in Imo State against being posted to autonomous communities for the commencement of the fourth tier community government in the state, Governor Okorocha at the weekend explained to the civil servants that he would go ahead with the decision. He said the structure of the proposed community government has been settled and would be enthroned in the state.

Ekiti Market Women Commend Fayemi On Empowerment

MARKET women in Ekiti State have praised Governor Kayode Fayemi for initiating and executing policies, which have boosted the status of women in the state.

The president of market men and women association in the state, Mrs. Omowaiye Oso, gave the commendation on Thursday, during Fayemi’s interface with market women in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

She declared the readiness of market women to support Fayemi for a second term in office to continue what she called the “good work going on in the state.”

The forum, which was attended by market women from all the 16 local government areas was attended by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, wife of the governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi and other government functionaries.

Mrs. Oso who is also the Iyaloja of Ado-Ekiti said the Fayemi has restored the dignity of womenfolk by giving them economic empowerment and involving them in day-to-day running of his administration.

Okpara Varsity Seeks Land For Expansion

From Gordi Udeajah, Umuahia

Micheal Okpara University ofAgriculture Umudike (MOUA), Umuahia, Abia State, has approached its two host communities, Ikwuano and Olokoro, through their traditional rulers to appeal for release of more land and for its expansion.

Speaking last week at a meeting held at the campus with Olokoro traditional rulers, Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Hilary Odo Edeoga thanked the university host Communities for their cooperation and collaboration while appealing for support to enable the school acquire more land.

He said that the host communities have a lot to gain from the school’s growth, as their sons and daughters stand to benefit from jobs that would be created in the process.