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Lagosians Should Be Ready For More Goodies In Sanwo-Olu’s Second Term — Spokesman, Gboyega Akosile

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  • Says Governor, deputy’s re-election, affirmation of people’s trust in their first term efforts

The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, has assured residents of the State to be ready for a lot more goodies from the Governor and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat during their second term in office.

He said Governor Sanwo-Olu, who is very happy about the people of Lagos State giving him and his deputy, a mandate for the second time in office, will meet the yearnings and aspirations of millions of Lagosians through the administration’s THEMES PLUS agenda.

Akosile spoke on Friday night during Inside Politics with CKN, a political interview programme on Silverbird Television anchored by Chris Kehinde Nwandu.

Sanwo-Olu’s spokesman said the Governor, who has made a lot of huge investments in transportation, education, health, entertainment, security, environment, civil service, technology, and other critical sectors in his first term will do more during the second term in the delivery of the dividends of democracy and good governance to the people.

He said: “The Governor started on a journey with six pillars’ THEMES agenda, which are Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, and Security and Governance. The Governor has made very huge investments in all of these areas. And part of our achievements in the first term, which we have not even ended, is the commissioning of the Oba Sekumade Road in Ikorodu (commissioned on Friday) among several other road networks across the State, completed and handed over to the public in the first term.

“Going into the second term, the Governor will continue with his agenda but he is going to turn it into THEMES PLUS because this time around we are going to have things around inclusion; inclusion in governance. We are going to have things around gender balancing, whereby we give more opportunities to the youth and the women.

“Governor Sanwo-Olu in his wisdom together with his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat has tried to meet the 35 percent Affirmative Action for women and even the youths but going forward, we are going to be focusing more on deliberately including women and youths in all of the activities. So, Lagosians should just be ready for a lot more goodies from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.”

Speaking on the March 18 governorship election in Lagos, Akosile said the victory of Governor Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Hamzat is an affirmation that the people of Lagos State trusted them in the first term.

“Governor Sanwo-Olu’s feeling about the election is in two ways. Naturally, he feels relieved. He feels happy and excited to have been reelected for the second term in office. But on the other side, he feels humbled. He feels challenged because he has said on two or three occasions since we won the election that it is more like a challenge for him and his deputy governor.

“Today (Friday) when we went to commission Oba Sekumade Road in Ikorodu, he said their reelection is an affirmation of the fact that the people of Lagos State trusted them in the first term, which is still ongoing and Lagosians are now trusting them with more works. So, for him, it is more of a challenge for them to do more.

He said: “because the people believe that they (Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat) can deliver more that is why they trusted their lives in their hands for the second term. I think that is a very deep one from someone who understands and I appreciate the value of that thumb print that an average voter and almost 800,000 of them went out on the day of the election to cast their ballots for him. So, I think the Governor is particularly very happy about the people of Lagos State, giving him and his deputy a mandate for the second time in office.”

Akosile also kicked against any attempt to divide Lagos residents through ethnicity. “We want a Lagos where our diversity will continue to be our source of strength. We want a Lagos where everybody who is a taxpaying Lagosian is not criminally minded. You do your work legitimately; nobody is disturbing you and you are not disturbing anybody. That is the kind of Lagos that we want.

“The Governor in his Acceptance Speech spoke very well about it that we don’t want division. We don’t want any form of bigotry. We don’t want any form of ethnic coloration in our affairs in Lagos State.”

Akosile said Governor Sanwo-Olu was very proactive during the last general elections in curbing the activities of those who tried to use ethnicity to cause division in the State before and during the election by calling them to order and that was why the elections were peaceful in many parts of Lagos State.

He also expressed his displeasure against those calling for the cancellation of the last gubernatorial election based on alleged voter intimidation.

“Amuwo-Odofin was won by Labour Party. Was there voter intimidation there? If there was voter intimidation all over Lagos State, there is no way they would have won that local government, and that local government is very big. The Labour Party also recorded victory in some other polling units outside of Amuwo Odofin. Besides, there are 13,325 polling units in Lagos State. We recorded not very serious glitches in less than one percent of the entire polling units and you are telling me that, that election was not good? How good can an election be?” he asked.

BIG STORY

Seven NSCDC Officers Missing After Boko Haram Attack In Kaduna

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The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has reported that suspected Boko Haram terrorists ambushed its monitoring team in Kaduna, leaving seven officers missing.

In a statement on Tuesday, Afolabi Babawale, the NSCDC spokesperson, explained that the incident occurred on Monday in the Farin-Kasa area of Chikun LGA, Kaduna, while the monitoring team was inspecting the national grid installation in Shiroro, Niger State.

Babawale stated that the team, consisting of nine officers and 71 other ranks, was mobilized in response to recent attacks on power lines that had caused a blackout in northern Nigeria.

“As they patrolled vulnerable areas, they encountered stranded expatriates near Dagwachi village and allowed them to join the convoy for safety,” the statement reads.

“Unbeknownst to the team, over 200 armed Boko Haram militants had laid a deadly ambush from a hilltop, ready to unleash a torrent of gunfire on the unsuspecting convoy.

“Determined and resourceful, the NSCDC operatives fought back valiantly, managing to neutralise over 50 insurgents during the exchange.

“However, the chaos left seven officers unaccounted for, prompting an urgent search in the bush for their whereabouts. Those who sustained injuries are currently receiving medical treatment.”

Ahmed Audi, the NSCDC commandant-general, condemned the attack, calling it a cowardly act against personnel dedicated to the nation’s defence.

He praised the bravery and determination of the operatives, reiterating the corps’ commitment to safeguarding critical national assets and infrastructure despite the growing security threats.

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BIG STORY

Obi’s Consumption-To-Production Mantra Not Backed By Any Policy Document — Doyin Okupe

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Doyin Okupe has stated that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, did not present any policy document to support his “consumption-to-production” mantra during the campaign.

Okupe, who was a former director-general of the LP presidential campaign, made these comments on Tuesday while evaluating President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He argued that Tinubu has a more comprehensive policy document than his rivals in the 2023 elections.

Okupe also claimed that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), based his plans on theoretical loan arrangements.

He said that Tinubu has “meticulously” implemented the “renewed hope agenda” and has worked to pay off crippling debts in order to stabilize the economy.

“Tinubu has a better policy document than any of his two rivals during the 2023 presidential election,” NAN quoted Okupe as saying.

“Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an experienced, knowledgeable, and thoroughbred politician.

“I know for a fact that he also came with a testament that would have been binding on him and Nigerians.

“But when you put the testament side-by-side the current reality on the ground, it is not applicable.”

Okupe added that the administration of former President Muhammad Buhari faced a dire financial situation, with international institutions refusing to lend loans to Nigeria.

“So, the premise Atiku placed his testament on was sinking, and it can’t work,” he said.

“As for Peter Obi of the Labour Party, he did not give any document to Nigerians that he was going to work on.

“In the Labour Party, we didn’t have a document that we could adopt as a policy document for what was going on.

“All we were saying was that we wanted to take Nigeria from consumption to production; good rhetoric, but it was not grounded either in policy development or principle application.”

Okupe also noted that Tinubu took action on foreign exchange issues, stopping individuals from exploiting earnings through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) connections.

“Two months after getting into government, he put up a committee to look into tax reform, which was in his agenda,” he said.

“This man (Tinubu) has a systematic, reliable, focused, and applicable agenda that can take Nigeria to enviable heights.

“Though I never supported Tinubu ahead of the election; he is not my friend, and we were not in the same party, in retrospect, however, his reform agenda is the most credible.

“The renewed hope agenda he (Tinubu) brought is one that can address, and is addressing, the country’s current challenges.”

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BIG STORY

Army To Probe Officers Over “Assault Of Couple” In Abuja [VIDEO]

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The Nigerian Army has promised to probe officers allegedly involved in the assault of a couple in Abuja.

On Tuesday, a video of some soldiers, including a “major general,” seemingly beating up a couple in the nation’s capital city, went viral.

Eyewitnesses said the soldiers stopped the couple for “unlawfully overtaking” their convoy.

The video showed men in military uniforms hitting the man as his wife hollered and protested.

“How did I bash your car? Oh God!!” the man said as he took one punch after another while writhing in pain.

Blood could be seen dripping from the man’s forehead following a slap from a soldier.

The couple said after the assault, the “major general” and his aide handcuffed them, shoved them into the trunk of a car, from where they were whisked to the Gwarimpa police station.

The soldiers reportedly ordered police officers to detain the couple indefinitely.

  • ‘CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO INCIDENT UNCLEAR’

In a statement on Wednesday, Onyema Nwachukwu, army spokesperson, said Olufemi Oluyede, the acting chief of army staff, has ordered an immediate investigation of the incident.

“The attention of the Nigerian Army (NA) has been drawn to a viral audio-visual recording circulating on social media platforms, purportedly showing a senior Army officer and 2 other soldiers in an altercation with a man and woman within the Abuja metropolis,” the statement reads.

“The circumstances leading to this incident are not clear at the moment.

“However, the Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has ordered an immediate investigation to unravel the true circumstances surrounding this altercation.

“The NA remains committed to serving and protecting all law-abiding Nigerians as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Therefore, we urge the public to be rest assured that due diligence will be applied to reach a logical conclusion on this matter.”

 

See video below:

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