‪The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said it was not worried about flood, which wrecked havoc in the state during the 2012 rainy season, stating that it had invested money in constructing drainage channels and canals.
It also expressed optimism that no serious case of flooding would be recorded in the state this year.

The Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, said this during an inspection of ongoing drainage projects as part of the state’s preparedness for the 2013 rainy season.
Places visited are Ekoro, Ajasa, Ipaja, Orile and Arigbanla roads. The commissioner also visited Owo Street, Isale Oja Capitol Road Collector, Guiness-Idi-Mangoro Collector Drain and Elere Drain on Alfa Nla Road.

Bello assured that most of projects would be completed before the rain started.

He said, “In the places where work will still be on during the rains, we have designed a system whereby construction will still be going on, while water will also be allowed to flow to avoid flooding.“The construction, rehabilitation and the clearing of drains and canals were to combat flooding in Lagos and the government is assuring Lagosians that soon this state will be free of flooding.“All the places visited are in our 2013 budget and as you can see, work has commenced in some of them. In the few places that we did not see contractors, we are confident that they will soon appear.”

The commissioner, who also spoke with residents of the places visited, assured them of government’s commitment in making Lagos a-flood free state.

The Director, Construction, Drainage and Dredging, Mr. Dayo Erinle, explained that many of the drainage channels in the state interlinked and were constructed to move water into the ocean.

He said the contractors had been directed to complete the projects before the rains.At Odo-Iya Alaro in Ilo-Awela Channel, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Muyideen Akinsanya, said though the stream fell within the jurisdiction of both Lagos and Ogun state governments, the Lagos government decided to dredge it to make life comfortable for residents of both states.

One of the traders in Gatankowa market, oke-odo, Lagos, Taofeeq Shobulo, is to serve six months prison terms, for allegedly urinating in a pot of soup and provoking breach of peace on the 17th of January.

The 38-year-old convict, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was sentenced on Tuesday by an Ojokoro Senior
Magistrates’ Court.

His prosecutor, Lugard Ahonle told the court that “Shobulo had asked the food vendor, Olayiwola Olayemisi, to sell food to him on credit which she refused because, according to her, the accused was fond of eating without paying.

“The accused later came back while the food vendor was not paying attention and urinated into her pot of soup,’’ he said.

The prosecutor noted that the offence contravened Sections 136 and 411 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State.

Presiding over the case, the Magistrate K. O. Ogundare sentenced the trader to six moths imprisonment saying “having found you Taofeeq Shobulo, guilty, you are hereby sentenced to six-months imprisonment which will be served concurrently.”

 


The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Lagos State chapter has flayed the Governor Babatunde Fashola’s led government over his directive to his commissioners and senior civil servants not to grant the press interview on matters of governance in the State.

PDP said Governor Fashola’s order shows that he “has skeletons in his cupboard and desperate to cover up his misdeeds, even If he has to turn the state into a fully Fascist State.”

A part in the communique signed by its chairman, Capt Tunji Shelle (rtd), said the move was an attempt by the governor to conceal his alleged inanities.

Shelle said: “similarly, such a step pre supposes that all is not well in Alausa and the Governor is panicking.”

The party chieftain added that such a directive can only be sustained in a “fascist regime which the Governor may turn the state into if not checked”, noting that “no wonder the Lagos State House of Assembly is so slow to domesticate the FOI Act, which would allow private persons to get information on the workings of the Government.”

Speaking further, Shelle added that: “we have said severally that Governor Fashola is not on the seat to serve Lagosians selflessly. We have equally stated too that the huge IGR, now over N40 billion monthly, are being shared between the Governor and the ACN leadership.

“Now that the Governor is jittery and has come out to ban his Commissioners and Senior Civil servants from speaking to the Press, then he has admitted failure and misdeeds. We are now indeed vindicated.

PDP recalled that the same Governor had sometime barred certain media houses from covering the State Secretariat, claiming that they are Anti ACN-policies.

“We make bold to say that Governor Fashola is now obviously fatigued of ideas to further govern Lagos State. He is now so overwhelmed by the self imposed pressures and no more has original ideas for Lagosians.

“Lagos state is too sophisticated to be used as experiment. Rather than become a ‘taiwan’ idea Governor, we advise Governor Fashola to apologise to Lagosians and bow out honourably”, Shelle added.