Demolition: Oshodi Traders Were Adequately Notified

…Says New Ultra-Modern Market Given For N5, 000 Monthly

…Denies Destroying Any Goods

… Criminals Harbored In The Market Loop – Commissioner 

The Lagos State Government on Thursday defended the relocation of traders plying their trade in Owonifari Market within the notorious loop of Oshodi to the newly built ultra-modern Isopakodowo Market in Bolade-Oshodi, saying the action was taken in the overall interest of public good, safety and security.

Speaking during a joint press briefing addressed by the State’s Ministries of Information and Strategy, The Environment, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and the Office of Civic Engagement, the Government said it constructed an alternative market stall for the traders which can conveniently accommodate over 600 shops and hundreds of kee Clamps, and agreed to subsidize payment by giving shops at the new market at a monthly give away price of N5, 000.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde said the traders were adequately notified before the exercise took place as required by law, and that government engaged with the leadership of the market severally before carrying out the demolition exercise on Owonifari Market.

While clarifying issues on the demolition which took place on January 5, 2016, Ayorinde said it was important for people to note that the issue of the market had been on for nothing less than ten years, adding that government had been engaging the leadership of the market to make them realize that it could no longer continue in the manner in which the market was being used.

He said unfortunately, the leadership of the market, in the last three years, refused to move despite the fact that the new market has over 600 shops apart from the kee clamps which takes the number of people that the market could conveniently accommodate to over a thousand all together.

Ayorinde said having been satisfied that government had provided a befitting alternative, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode through the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, invited the leadership of the market to the Executive Chambers and met with them on December 16, 2015, where he reiterated his plans for Oshodi and the need to move the traders to Isopakodowo which as at that time had been ready for a couple of years.

Giving a further background, the Commissioner said: “A few of them expressed certain misgivings but largely they felt that if their interest would be accommodated within the Isopakodowo Market, that they were willing and ready to move and on our part, we said that the discussion should be ongoing particularly regarding how much they would pay for each store within that market.

“After that, on Monday December 21, 2015, Governor Ambode went on a tour of that market area particularly at Isopakodowo in company with a few members of the Exco. Again, we met with the leadership of the market where it was eventually agreed based on the proposition by the leadership that what they were willing to pay for each shop at Isopakodowo was N5, 000.

“There is nowhere in Lagos where you will agree to be paying N5, 000 per shop not to talk of the central Oshodi, but the Governor agreed with them and we said we were ready to concede after which we now formally served them with a quit notice through the office of the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development,” he said.

Speaking further, Ayorinde denied allegation that many goods of the traders were destroyed in the demolition exercise, adding that such was far from the truth.

He said: “The intention of government certainly was not to destroy any goods and we did not destroy any goods because we believe that a good number of the traders, if not all, had moved because they were aware that they needed to move.

“Government, I should say, will not be blackmailed because we had done everything humanly possible and you know that the hallmark of this government has been compassion. It is a compassionate government.

“The intention was not to destroy the market or destroy properties or to make life inconvenient for them. We believe very strongly that Isopakodowo market is quite ideal; its a lot bigger store-per-store than where they had been removed now and the aim of government, as we stated earlier, is to ensure that that area of the market conforms with the type of image that we want Lagos to be, which is to return sanity to the place, to beautify the market, to construct a world class bus terminus around that place and to ensure that people who use that place on a daily basis – the commuters, traders, everybody enjoy what it means to go to a market in a mega city.

“We also believe that the exercise will largely reduce the gridlock that is associated with that area and then the criminalities that were rampant in that Oshodi. What we have done is in the interest of the generality of Lagosians,” Ayorinde said.

He added: “You will see from the reports that quite a good chunk of the traders acknowledged that they had been properly served and that they were ready to move which was why a good number of them, if not all, parked their things just before the end of last year.

“Along the line, we got intelligence report that during the holidays there were a number of criminal activities going on in the market and that the place was harbouring criminals and a number of untoward activities which of course necessitated the need to move immediately to safeguard lives, to safeguard properties and to ensure that there was no breach of peace which was what led to the demolition.”

Lagos Set to Establish Mobile Courts

…Devises Strategies to Tackle Cybercrime

The Lagos State Government on Thursday announced plans to establish functional Mobile Courts in the State to facilitate prompt trial of violators of the law, especially environmental and traffic offences.

Lagos Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, who disclosed this at a media parley with Judiciary Editors and Correspondents in Alausa, said the Mobil Courts will operate in full compliance with the rules of natural justice, equity and good conscience.

He said more importantly, the citizens appearing before the Courts would be afforded their constitutional rights and fair hearing.

Specifically, Kazeem said the Mobile Courts will, among others, address the prosecution of violators of the State Environmental Law and Traffic Offences, among others.

While observing that cybercrime had become a menace in the State as more criminals are exploiting the convenience of the internet to commit diverse range of criminal activities, Kazeem said his Ministry has devised strategies to work closely with the Police and other stakeholders to tackle cybercrime cases.

Kazeem also pledged to introduce the use of information technology to enhance judicial reforms in order to accelerate dispensation of justice.

He said: “Crime is a serious issue that the State is set to tackle headlong through the creation of crime data that would also assist the Police, the lawyers and other stakeholders in fighting crime effectively and I want to assure Lagosians that the State Government is committed to touching their lives, especially the common man, through enhanced access to justice.”

Kazeem, however, solicited for the cooperation of all stakeholders, including the Judiciary, Police, Prisons and the Media to work in harmony as partners in progress with the Ministry.

New electricity tariff takes off February 1

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on Wednesday said the take off date of the new electricity tariff (MYTO 2015) remains February 1.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, NERC said it has told distribution companies to abide by its directive not to connect new customers without first providing them with meters.

“We wish to state that at no time did the commission change the date for the take off of the new tariff,” NERC said.

The acting Head of the commission Dr. Anthony Akah, said the removal of fixed charge under the new tariff regime “was in response to electricity consumers’ complaints and a measure to ensure electricity distribution companies improve on service delivery as their income is dependent on the quantity of electricity used by their customers.”

Akah said NERC will continue to engage stakeholders including members of the National Assembly to address their concerns on the new tariff regime.

“NERC holds National Assembly in high esteem and we are sure that both institutions are working to ensure that the National and consumer interests are protected,” he added.

Ola Balogun clarifies comments on Davido, Momodu row

The Editor.

“The Nation”

Lagos

Dear Sir,

Having read some of the reactions to my earlier comments on the Davido, Momodu saga, I feel compelled to make the following clarifications:

1. I have never met any of the Adelekes before, and it is highly unlikely that we will ever meet, since we belong to totally different social circles. However, we share in common the fact that we are Omo Oduduwa, so our destinies are linked. I therefore have a duty to come to their defence if the need arises.
2. My conclusions are based on the fact that Davido’s version of events is coherent and compelling, whereas the Momodu version makes no sense.
3. I am a father and a grandfather. If it is true that little Imade’s health problems originated primarily from her mother’s alleged drug problems, there is room for a lot of concern about allowing the child to remain in the vicinity of this kind of person.
4. Also, if it is true that the child has ALREADY in the past been taken to Dubai for emergency treatment and brought back safely to Nigeria without any input or contribution from the Momodus, there is no logical reason for the Momodus to now raise a hue and cry when the baby is about to be taken to Dubai again for further treatment by her biological father, who has all along been fully responsible for her upkeep and care.
5. It is purely sentimental and irrational balderdash to say that it should be compulsory for a mother who does not hitherto appear to have played a positive or useful role in her child’s upbringing to accompany the child for a repeat visit to a hospital in Dubai where the child has ALREADY been treated in the past in her absence by competent medical personnel, with no adverse repercussions. Why would this lady’s presence now be compulsorily required in Dubai if the child is to be taken there for further treatment by her biological father, who has already successfully done so in the past?

6. I stand to be corrected, but there is no evidence so far that Mr. and Mrs. Dele Momodu have ever contributed in any way to little Imade’s care and upbringing in the past, be it in cash or in kind. What then gives them a right to intervene in her life at this point in time?

That can only be a matter of playing to the gallery! I rest my case.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Ola Balogun

Source: The Nation

Don’t turn Davido to an ATM, get a job – Dr. Ola Balogun tells Sophia Momodu

Nigerian movie maker and musician, Dr. Ola Balogun, has waded into Davido and his babymama saga.

The veteran film maker, via a letter to the Nation, addressing Davido babymama saga, expressed disappointment and condemned in totality the role played by Ovation magazine boss, Dele Momodu.

He also charged Sophia Momodu to get a job to support her lifestyle and not turn Davido into an Automated Teller Machine, ATM.

The letter reads in part, “I was heartbroken to read about what young Mr. Adeleke has been going through at the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Dele Momodu and their neice (or cousin?).

“If Davido’s account is true, the activities of the Momodus deserve to be roundly condemned by all right-thinking Nigerians.

“Shouldn’t the baby’s interests be paramount? As for the mother of the baby, she should be thoroughly ashamed of herself for having inflicted so much pain and suffering on her child as a result of her alleged drug habits.

“If I understand rightly, the young lady is able-bodied. Why doesn’t she go and seek gainful employment somewhere, instead of partying all over the place and expecting the father of her child to pick up extravagant bills?

“Why must she consider Davido a personal ATM that is there to cough up money on demand at each instant? It is really too bad!

“In conclusion, one must congratulate Davido for the deep maturity, sense of responsibility, decency, forbearance and manliness he has displayed all through this terrible ordeal.

“Unknown to him, he has proved himself to be more than old enough and mature enough to be equal to the task of being a father.

“I hope and pray for Imade’s good health and future happiness and well-being,” the first generation film maker wrote.

—
Ali Adoyi

Source: Daily Post NG

Davido/Sophia: Dele Momodu replies Ola Balogun

It is disheartening that while many well-meaning Nigerians have stepped in to intervene in the face-off between music superstar Mr. David Adeleke, aka Davido, and the mother of his baby Ms Sophia Momodu, my cousin, a senior citizen and film-maker, Dr Ola Balogun, has chosen to cast aspersions on me for reasons best known to both of us.

In a well-circulated comment he made in newspapers and on social media, Wednesday January 6, 2016, Dr Balogun maliciously attacked Sophia and I without caring to find out what led to the present debacle. I had the highest regards for Dr Balogun and had always responded to his calls and text messages to my London line most times.

Read: http://bit.ly/1mITVY3 - Don’t turn Davido to an ATM, get a job – Dr. Ola Balogun tells Sophia Momodu

Read: http://bit.ly/1K00E5n - Ola Balogun clarifies comments on Davido, Momodu row

I wish to apologise to him publicly if I have not been able to attend to his certain demands but it is regrettable that he would retaliate through this vengeful manner. Though I bear the same title of Bashorun with my late mentor Chief Moshood Abiola, I’m just an ordinary journalist of very modest means.

Let me assure Dr Balogun that elders like him have brokered peace between the families and by the grace of God we should have good news sooner than later.

Dr Balogun should please bury whatever animosity he has against me and join others in reconciling the families instead of pouring petrol into the conflagration.

Dele Momodu.

EFCC Boss visits Aso Rock

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, on Thursday afternoon briefly visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Commission in recent times has increased arrests of suspects allegedly involved in financial and economic crimes in the country.

It was not clear whether Magu actually met with President Muhammed Buhari.

Magu, who arrived the Villa around 3:16 p.m with one of his police orderly holding a file, did not spend up to 5 minutes before going out.

He declined to speak with journalists that approached him as he rushed out with his orderly.

A reliable source disclosed that Magu was also spotted at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday.

Source: The Nation

Netflix in Africa, "So What"? - Jason Njoku

So here’s me in Paris, cold as cold can be, working with my partners on 2016 plans when a bunch of internet folks starting writing the obituary for iROKO (again). Sigh. What reason this time?Netflix announced they had expanded to 130 countries. This wasn’t a surprise to anyone who actually lives in the streaming universe. The accelerated timing was. But hey, Netflix is here to eat the food from the bowls of my children.  

I use Netflix pretty much every week. My wife uses it pretty much every week. I have been a subscriber since 2012 and have never churned out. It’s amazing. I have blogged and generally been smitten by the company and their internet style market share grab. Where possible, I even try to emulate it. But Netflix irokotv isn’t. irokotv is irokotv. 

But as I have mentioned before, there is only one Netflix of Africa. And that is Netflix. Why? People fail to remember that Netflix is an 18 year old company. 18 years they have been refining their skills at getting people to subscribe for content. They are just awesome at it. But Africa is a little different. 

What iROKO is, and has largely always been known for, is the home of Nollywood. Home and abroad. The strange thing about the mourners of iROKO is they always mention how most of our subscribers are in the West. Yup US and UK represent ~55% of our subscription base. And it’s grown (not break-neck) but steadily over the last few years, in Netflix’s back yard. Folk in the US and UK ( the top 2 Netflix markets) have been happy to pay YoY for the little service we provide.Building subscription business’ are hard. Heck we are only 4 years old. So why people think we will suddenly die now they are in Nigeria is totally beyond me.  I remember when Deezer came to Nigeria (and Africa). I have been a subscriber there for almost 3 years. I use it, without fail, daily. But when they released their IPO documents, Africa wasn’t even mentioned. It represented nothing. And thats 3mb mp3 files. Not 300mb movie files which require a continuous connection for streaming. But Netflix is in Africa!

In 2015, across our YouTube channels, we saw 313m streaming video views. 185m of that was largely long form 2nd tier Nollywood content. What % was Nigeria? ~6%. And it’s free. YouTube = Free To Air Internet. Nigeria has consistently seen around 50% less engagement in Africa than comparable markets in Western Europe. Today streaming is just difficult. I have no doubt it will get better. But it’s not today. The ISPs have improved immensely, but of the tens of millions of internet users, 99% are mobile. Remember Nigeria is the most mobilised country in the world and the average person buys 105mb. The ISPs cater to the 0.5%. Around 7 months ago, we actually started adjusting our product, pricing and content around these cold hard realities. As things would have it, on Monday we actually put our new Android app into the playstore. It’s still beta and in testing mode, but it definitely put into perspective the new focused direction we are headed. We are currently testing our new web platform (Western markets) too. You can check it out at http://test.irokotv.com/ .  

So Netflix being in Nigeria has zero impact on iROKO and our vision for the future. If it’s Nollywood fanatics, you know those guys can watch 3-5 hours per day, so Irokotv is still the only place they can find most of what they are looking for. Considering we are one of the biggest actual producers of Nollywood, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. In time, we will be able to produce 200 movies a year ourselves, no shaking. And with the evident collapse of the DVD market, this only makes us stronger. 

But this is all grammar. iROKO is dead. Netflix is here to fix our FX issues, improve the petrol prices and pull us through our post colonial poverty. 

In the mean time, I will be heading off to sleep and dreaming of creative ways to make rent and settle school fees. 

Source: http://www.jason.com.ng/post/136800839840/netflix-in-africa

Chinese President invites Buhari on State Visit, as APC seeks partnership with Communist Party

The Chinese chargé d’affaires Qin Jian, has disclosed to the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that the Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited President Muhammadu Buhari to China on a State Visit on a yet-to-be-announced date.

This is even as the APC, on Wednesday signaled its intention to enter into partnership and cooperation with the Communist Party of China (CPC), the founding and ruling political party of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

This was a fallout of meeting held between the APC National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni and a Chinese government delegation led by the chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Qin Jian. The meeting was held at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.

Mai Mala Buni who was represented at the meeting by APC’s Director of Organisation, Alhaji Kyari Abubakar, said: “China is a very important technical and trading partner to Nigeria. Both countries have enjoyed excellent social, economic and cultural relations. As China is aware, Nigeria recently witnessed a change of government which ushered in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. The time for better cooperation between both countries is now as the APC and the President Buhari administration works to deliver on its Change mandate.”

He said healthy relations between Nigeria and China will ultimately be of benefit to Africa. At party level, the APC National Secretary identified capacity building and collaboration as areas Nigeria’s APC and the Chinese CPC can partner.

Meanwhile, Qin Jian reported that following the successful December 2015 Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) summit which brought together Chinese senior government officials and most African heads of government to Johannesburg, South Africa, the Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced a $60 billion aid package for Africa.

The aid package would finance a broad range of assistance programmes to help Africa industrialise, modernise its agricultural production, boost the skills of its workers, build infrastructure and improve its health care.

Qin Jian said 2016 marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China.

“We (China) have enjoyed positive and beneficial partnership with Nigeria in healthcare, economy, infrastructure development, social/cultural exchange and other areas… Nigeria has the biggest economy in Africa and is a very important partner with China.

“The Chinese CPC and Nigeria’s ruling APC will pursue better cooperation which will be of benefit to both nations. Both parties can share experiences on how to develop the economy and protect the environment as well as technical support and capacity building where necessary.” Qin Jian said.

Source: VANGUARD