In its bid to solidify the security architecture of Lagos State, the Lagos State Police command has relaunched its Anti Crime Strategies to curb crimes and criminality across the state.
The command today, Sunday 15th November, 2020, at about 7am, carried out raids simultaneously on identified black spots, reasonably believed to be harbouring criminals and hoodlums, across the fourteen (14) Area Commamds in Lagos State.
In the swift operations, police operatives of the command arrested seven hundred and twenty (720) suspects with incriminating items including locally-made guns and life cartridges, charms, weed suspected to be Indian hemp, substances suspected to be cocaine and some items suspected to have been looted from various shopping outlets within the state during the recent Endsars violence.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, who matched his words with actions, had earlier warned and directed police officers and men to move against lawlessness and criminality in Lagos; he affirmed the zeal of the command to sustain the operations, even, beyond the yuletide season.
CP Hakeem Odumosu has however directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID, panti, to commence discreet investigation on the arrested suspects for immediate prosecution. He also urged those whose items were looted during the recent Endsars violence to come up for claims of their items with prove of ownership.
The police chief commended the officers and men of the command for the successful operations, while he charged them to be at alert for more operations across the state.
SP Oluwuyiwa Adejobi (mmip)
Police Public Relations Officer
Lagos State Command
Ikeja
According to Keith Richards, a British songwriter and guitarist of The Rolling Stones fame, “Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.” This is what ‘Gbemileke’, the new song of young Priscilla Okpaka, an HND 2 student of the department of Mass Communication, Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) will be doing at a time Nigeria and the world over are facing critical situation.
The guitarist whose love for music can be dated back to when she was young, explained her musicianship comes to live after she started learning guitar, in her words “Music is my life, it is what I live for, it is what makes me happy and I developed interest when I was very young but I did not have what it takes to be a musician then and this had seen me being embarrassed from competition especially during my secondary school days.
“I never gave up rather I kept developing myself and this happened till I got my guitar and this helped to seriously develop my musical talent. I can say my instrument helped developed my musical skills as going around with my guitar gives me more time to rehearse alone and generally stay closer to my music and this helped a lot”. She stated.
Though Priscilla sees herself doing more gospel genre of music in the future but her latest effort ‘Gbemileke’ is a song for this challenging moment as it was a song she composed when she was going through some down period that only her mother’s constant prayer could help with and her musical knowledge of writing, scoring and singing the hope-filled song has always been working the wonder of soothing her anytime she’s disturbed and it has also worked for many who have been opportune to listen.
The song brings comfort and assurance especially for the budding youths and young adults who want to make it in life without going through the back doors, and it is the conviction that her music will soothe a troubling mind and help rebuild the hope of many that the LASPOTECH Performing Troupe supported her to produce the track that will be going up form people’s consumption on the 16th of November on major and every music downloading platforms.
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has commended the management of Ecobank Nigeria for donating rural health tricycle ambulances to the state, saying the gesture will go a long way in complementing government’s efforts on primary healthcare delivery. The presentation was made at the Governor’s office, Oke-mosan, Abeokuta during a courtesy call on Governor Dapo Abiodun by some members of Ecobank Nigeria Executive Management Team last week.
According to him, the bank’s donation speaks directly to government’s plan to ensure that healthcare is available to all citizens in the state, noting that most people in the state live in rural areas that are not accessible to the regular ambulance services.
“On behalf of the entire people and government of Ogun state, we express our very deep and sincere appreciation to the board and management of Ecobank for thinking through and supporting us with this ambulance that is built on a frame of a tricycle. It is an ingenious innovation, I must say. We appreciate you for this gift. Most of our people reside in the nooks and crannies, where vehicles cannot access easily. So, this is a gift we appreciate and will go a long way in assisting healthcare delivery particularly our pregnant women in the rural area.”
The Governor further solicited for more collaboration and partnership with Ecobank in other sectors of the state’s economy.
Speaking in the same light, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, commended Ecobank for the donation, saying that the ambulances would further help to address the issue of maternal mortality in the state.
According to her, “We are extremely grateful to Ecobank’s leadership for this. It is part of our vision to reduce mortality rate as well as increase the life expectancy of Ogun state people. This is going to help us achieve this aim, though our state is one of the states in the country that has low maternal mortality rate. We can also use this for other non-communicable disease patients that need transfer. On behalf of all the citizens of Ogun state, I thank everyone here for coming to witness this occasion.”
Making the presentation, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan said the donation is a way of supporting the efforts of the government at delivering primary healthcare to the people, noting that the ambulance is designed to reach people at the grassroots.
“On behalf of the board, management and staff of Ecobank, it is our pleasure to present this ambulance fitted for grassroots, so that health services can reach every door step in Ogun state. This is also to complement government’s effort in this regard. We are honoured to have had the cooperation of your ministry of health, headed by Dr. Tomi Coker. To the glory of God and in service to humanity; we are pleased to present this to you.”
Other members of the bank’s visiting Executive Management Team include the Executive Director, Commercial Banking, Carol Oyedeji ; Head, Consumer Banking, Korede Demola- Adeniyi; Segment Head, Public Sector/AgriBusiness, Mojisola Oguntoyinbo; Regional Head, South West/Mid-West, Christopher Olusola; Regional Manager, Public Sector, South West/Mid-West, Victor Inyang and Business Manager, Abeokuta branch, Olusegun Makinde.
According to reports from South Sudan, President Salva Kiir Mayardit will not “authorise the formation of local governments” until the proposed visit of Nigerian Prophet TB Joshua in January 2021.
Speaking to ‘Sudans Post’, a senior government official stated Mayardit would not agree to further actions on
the contentious issue – even if the parties completed the requisite nomination process – until the planned visit of the prominent cleric in January next year.
“The president does not intend to authorize the formation of states and local governments in 2020. TB Joshua will visit this country in January, and after this, the local governments will be formed,” the official, who is involved in the power-sharing negotiations, explained.
It will not be Joshua’s first visit to South Sudan. The cleric was personally received by President during a visit to the East African nation in November 2019, where he led the President and government officials in prayer for peace.
“Time has come for us to put our differences behind us,” Joshua told the thousands of South Sudanese who gathered to hear his message at the Presidential Palace in Juba.
“This is the voice of God. Our leaders should overcome their division and agree to work together for the good of the country,” he insisted.
“If I am a prophet, this will not go without fulfilment,” Joshua boldly declared, then leading the troubled nation in prayer for peace.
In his comments that day, Mayardit revealed: “We have come a long distance searching for peace. Now that the man of God, Prophet TB Joshua, has come to South Sudan, I believe peace is at the corner.”
Three months later, the historic peace agreement was signed, ending the civil war which ravaged the world’s youngest country since 2013 after a fall-out between President Mayardit and his Vice President Riek Machar.
Last month, a letter to TB Joshua written by President Mayardit, acknowledging the pastor’s role in bringing peace to the war-torn nation, surfaced online.
“I would like thank you, humble servant of the Most High God, for the higher grace and anointing upon your life, and for your love and humility by coming on your prophetic and historic visit on 12th November 2019 when the nation was in a desperate situation after experiencing civil war violence for many years,” the president wrote.
“The world organisations tried to negotiate peace but where human wisdom failed, God has the final answer. You prophesied that it shall be a new beginning for the nation and… now the nation is at peace,” he acknowledged.
Prior to Joshua’s visit, multiple reconciliatory efforts had been made to restore peace in South Sudan, including a visit to Pope Francis in Vatican City where he famously kissed the feet of both leaders.
TB Joshua wields huge levels of influence due to the popularity of his Christian television network Emmanuel TV.
Other African Presidents to have visited his popular church in Lagos, Nigeria include Tanzanian President John Magufuli, the late Ghanaian leader John Atta Mills, former Malawian President Joyce Banda and Liberia’s President George Weah.
A representative of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Ahmed Ibrahim Taiwo on Saturday said President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the deployment of soldiers to Lekki Tollgate on 20th October.
He said this under cross-examination by counsel to the Lagos State Government, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), while testifying before the Justice Doris Okuwobi Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution on the alleged atrocities of the disbanded Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).
The army general admitted that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu does not have the authority to give order to troops. He said he could only have made the request for them to be deployed.
General Taiwo also said it was not true that the Nigerian Army was looking to nab entertainer DJ Switch over the role she played in giving the impression that people were massacred at at the Tollgate plaza.
“Some people take delight in misrepresenting Nigeria and particularly the Nigerian Army to the international community and our fellow Nigerians. This, I believe is done for pecuniary gains.
“Quite recently, a Nigerian, Catherine Udeh, also known as DJ Switch, claimed the Nigerian Army was looking for her. There is nothing further than the truth.
“My Lord, we have bigger fish to fry; and that is how to stabilise Lagos. We can’t be bothered chasing one or two people. Where she got that from, I do not know, ” he said.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Friday, November 13, 2020, unveiled the first Nigerian electric car named Hyundai Kona.
The car, which is a product of Stallion Group, was launched at the VON Automobiles Nigeria in Ojo, Lagos State where the car was manufactured.
The new Kona, an Electric car is regarded in European motoring industry as the world’s number one, with the cost, put at about N24 million
While speaking during the unveiling of the product, Sanwo-Olu observed that VON has over 40 to 50 years of vehicle manufacturing history, when they were assembling various Volkswagen products.
The governor was full of commendation for Stallion Group for the noble initiative, just as he promised that Lagos State Government will make provisions for electricity charging points for the vehicle across the state, to make it easy for users to enjoy their Electric Vehicles (EV).
Hyundai Kona
The Governor also promised the completion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which was started under the administration of former governor of the state, Babatunde Fasola, in order to facilitate business activities in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said, “Lagos-Badagry Expressway which has been expanded from 2 to 10 lanes will soon be complete, we are not rushing the road; we are building a first-class road construction project.’’
The Managing Director, VON Automobiles, Mr Rohtagi Manish, while explaining the essence of the launch, pointed out that Kona will change things positively in the Nigerian auto market.
According to Manish, the changes in global temperature and weather patterns are seen today are caused by human activity. Kona, he said, is one way to respond to the global weather challenges, so as to achieve a greener environment.
This appears to be a huge boost for the promoters of more environmentally friendly automobile and subsequently promote a green environment. This will also help to drive the Federal Government’s efforts to shift focus from petrol-based automobile to vehicles with a cheaper source of energy.
Warner Music Group has announced a new licensing agreement with artist-first music streaming platform Audiomack, making the record company’s diverse catalogue available on the service across Africa, Canada, and Jamaica for the first time.
Audiomack, which boasts more than 16 million monthly active users, will also provide support for WMG’s A&R research activities across these territories.
Alfonso Perez Soto, EVP, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, for Warner Music, says: “This deal is another important step in growing Warner Music Group’s presence in Africa. Under the new deal, not only will our teams benefit from a range of key A&R, marketing, and data commitments in Africa, but it will also help support our African artists’ international expansion into the US and western markets.
“Audiomack is incredibly popular and influential in global youth culture scenes and in the process of breaking new artists worldwide, so I’m excited to see our African artists become part of the platform.”
Allan Coye, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy & Business Development, for Warner Music Group, adds, “We launched our first partnership with Audiomack in the US a little over a year ago. In that time, we’ve collaborated to create a lot of value for WMG artists and for Audiomack. We look forward to extending the benefits of this partnership to our many artists across these key regions.”
Among the key regions covered in this partnership are Nigeria, Ghana, JamKenya, South Africa and Tanzania. “The expansion of our partnership with WMG represents the next phase of Audiomack’s consistent investment in the African market,” says Vanessa Wilkins, Director of Music & Data Partnerships at Audiomack.
“Leveraging our robust presence in the region, Audiomack will arm WMG A&R teams with the data-based insights they need to identify rising stars and bring new opportunities for growth to the thousands of creators that Audiomack serves,” she continues.
Dave Macli, CEO of Audiomack, concludes, “We’re delighted to bring the Warner Music Group catalog to Audiomack’s millions of listeners across Africa. Audiomack’s goal has always been to provide every artist worldwide with a no-cost platform to launch their careers and connect with new fans.
“As a result of this deal, African artists on Audiomack who decide to partner with Warner will remain on Audiomack and connected to their earliest supporters.”
Over the past few years, Warner Music Group has made many strategic deals and investments that have seen the company become a key player in the African market. In 2018, it launched Warner Music Middle East, which covers Arabic North African countries and is led by Managing Director Moe Hamzeh.
In 2019, WMG announced a pioneering partnership with Chocolate City, the most influential independent record label in Nigeria. And earlier this year, WMG announced its investment in Africori, Africa’s leading digital music distribution, music rights management, and artist development company.
Earlier this year, Audiomack, in a quest to bolster its presence across the continent of Africa, opened its first international office in Lagos, Nigeria.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider has announced that its mobile banking application, FirstMobile, has been awarded the 2020 Best Mobile Banking App award 2020 in the Global Finance Best Digital Bank Awards 2020. The achievement of this feat is largely attributable to the Bank’s relative strength and success of its web products and services, notably FirstMobile.
Speaking on the 2020 Global Finance awards Joseph D. Giarraputo, publisher and editorial director of Global Finance said; “This year, a global pandemic accelerated the transition to digital banking, but forward-thinking banks were already on that road. The Digital Bank Awards hone in on the institutions that are leading the shift toward a new world of banking.”
According to Global Finance, winning banks were selected based on various criteria, including strength of strategy for attracting and servicing digital customers, success in getting clients to use digital offerings, growth of digital customers, breadth of product offerings, evidence of tangible benefits gained from digital initiatives, and web/mobile site design and functionality. winners chosen from entries evaluated by a world-class panel of judges at Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing. The editors of Global Finance were responsible for the final selection of all winners.
Appreciating the award on behalf of the Bank, Gbenga Shobo, Deputy Managing Director, FirstBank said “the Global Finance 2020 Best Mobile Banking App award is testament to our continuous commitment to putting our customers first which was demonstrated in our recent upgrade of the leading mobile banking application, FirstMobile. The upgrade on FirstMobile is designed to suit the social pattern and lifestyle of all our customers.
“We dedicate this award to all customers and appreciate Global Finance for the recognition.”
Only recently, Global Business Outlook awarded FirstMobile with the 2019 Best Mobile Banking App.
Access Bank has restated commitment to deliver superior service to its customers.
The Bank in a statement said it is concerned by the inconvenience that some of its customers are currently experiencing and would play its part to ensure that they have access to their accounts as quickly as possible.
“We want to express our sympathy for the inconvenience that eight of our customers are going through due to the restrictions on their accounts as mandated by a Federal court order. We are eager for this to be resolved as soon as possible.”
The Bank noted that “It is common knowledge that we and the entire banking industry are regulated entities and therefore operate under the authority of our regulators and law enforcement agencies. As such we are compelled to comply with regulatory directives”.
“While acknowledging the concern of all well-meaning parties, we urge that enquiries and views be channeled to the relevant regulatory and judicial agencies where the matter is receiving attention. It is therefore surprising that some individuals still choose to target Access Bank in a negative manner despite not being the source of the action.
The Bank has always been at the forefront of innovative efforts in support of the development of our country. We embrace this role as we are also the largest employer of labour – a sizable number of which are youth.
Access Bank has always led the way with regard to support for young Nigerians in terms of capacity building and development of SMEs. Recall that Access Bank launched an initiative to boost the creative industry with loan facilities aimed at capacity building and employment for individuals and businesses in movie production and distribution, fashion, IT and music. Our commitment also extends to the support of small business owners through initiatives that provide access to finance for growth and expansion.
We continue to be concerned by the inconvenience that our affected customers are experiencing. We stand ready to play our part to remedy the situation and have them using their accounts as quickly as possible.
Oyewale Femi, a media entrepreneur and publisher Sahara Weekly, has taken oath of office as President, National Association of Online Security Reporters, NAOSRE.
Femi, alongside other executives, emerged elected in an election conducted by the association on October 29.
The oath taking ceremony held in Lagos on Thursday, November 12.
Speaking, Oyewale rationalized the strategic importance of NAOSRE as a partner in the promotion of the spirit and letters of Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which unequivocally provides for every citizen to live a secured life within Nigeria’s approximately 923,768 sq km land mass.
“As a foremost association that parades the finest hands in security reporting, NAOSRE will play its professional role in Nigeria’s defence and security mechanism,” he said.
He however urged members to rededicate themselves to objective security journalism in line with the set mission of NAOSRE especially at this challenging times.
Continuing, Femi congratulated Lagos Police Command Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Muyiwa Adejobi who marked his birthday on November 11. He also assured members of transparency and accountability saying “I congratulate Superintendent Muyiwa Adejobi who marked his birthday yesterday.
“Muyiwa and Commissioner Hakeem Odumosu are credible security officers I have come across in recent time. To our members, I will operate an open door policy and serve as a servant leader,” he stated.
Before the handover, Favour Benson, immediate past President of the association, thanked members and excos for the supports extended to her regime which resulted into some landmark achievements especially in the area of increased membership and a successful election of the new executives. “I thank you all for supporting me to pilot this association at a most challenging time. I urge you to extend same supports to the new leadership,” she said.
Shola Adeyemo, the association’s Chairman Board of Trustees, took members and guests down memory lane on the conceptualization of the online security union early 2020 and submitted that “It has been a tortuous task nursing and nurturing a baby association. But I have no doubt in my mind that NAOSRE has come to stay and it would continue to play its frontline role in the promotion of balanced information for a safer Nigeria,” he assured.
Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists represented by its Vice president, Mr. Israel Bolaji and a team of CMC media group led by Cornell Udofia described NAOSRE’s out going and incoming executives as credible persons in the media industry whose credentials are welcome addition to Nigeria’s security media space.
In her remarks, the association newly sworn in Vice President, Mrs. Love Oyedokun assured members of remarkable journey in the important task of promoting peace in Nigeria through unadulterated professionalism.
Apart from Oyewale Femi and Love Ikuku Oyedokun, those who were sworn in as elected executive members were Dayo Bamgbala, Secretary, Mrs. Azuh Lilian, Financial Secretary, Gbenga Shaba, Registrar.
Others were Adetogun Olakunle, Treasurer, Edwin Usoboh, Provost and Abiona Adenike, Welfare.
The list of newly sworn in executives includes Abayomi Obatinuadeyo, Online Director and Idumonza Isidahomhen, Public Relations Officer.
