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Sanwo-Olu Signs First Executive Order, Directs LASTMA to Work Till 11pm
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday signed his first executive order, directing the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority to run at least two shifts and work till 11pm.
Sanwo-Olu also asked the Lagos State Public Works Corporation to commence patching and rehabilitation of bad roads to address the perennial problem of traffic in the state.
He said the order would also ensure the attainment of zero tolerance for environmental abuse, including illegal and indiscriminate dumping of refuse and construction of structures on drainage points and setbacks.
While signing the order, the governor said, “I think we have to make some points about issues that happen around transportation, potholes on our roads, blockages and the rest of it. I think it’s something we need to tackle immediately.”
Sanwo-Olu, who signed the order in the presence of security chiefs and the heads of relevant agencies in the state, said the support and cooperation of military personnel could not be overemphasised in the implementation of the order.
“Lagosians are not going to wait for us any longer to maintain orderliness on our roads, hence, I have invited all the security chiefs to witness the signing of the executive order so that they can hear us and support us in this regard.
“We want to ensure that we control traffic until everybody gets home safely. LASTMA should, therefore, extend its working hours and ensure traffic control till 11pm,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu also charged LASTMA to effectively carry out their functions by ensuring strict compliance with all extant traffic rules and regulations as prescribed in the enabling law, adding that another pronouncement would soon be made to address the issue of one-way driving on Lagos roads.
He directed the Office of Drainage Services in the Ministry of the Environment to commence aggressive cleaning of all secondary and tertiary drainage systems across the state to ensure the free flow of rainwater during the rainy season.
According to the governor, the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps has been directed to address environmental issues in the executive order by not necessarily arresting the people but engaging them in effective communication on the need to ensure compliance with environmental laws.
“Environmental offenders are not meant to be arrested, but communicate with them; the one that we need to reprimand, let us reprimand, the ones we need to advise, let us advise. The people that need to be reformed, reform them,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu directed the Vehicle Inspection Service to be more communicative and advisory on issues of bad vehicle wipers, spare tyres and non-provision of jacks in vehicles, among others.
The Punch
President Bola Tinubu has once again pleaded with Nigerians to to endure the hardship and pains his reforms and policies have inflicted on them, promising that his administration has its hands on the plough to quickly alleviate their sufferings.
Tinubu gave the assurance on Saturday, during the 48th convocation ceremony of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, emphasising that his government would ensure that every citizen benefits, by correcting the mistakes of past administrations, promising not to engage in blame games but commit to improving the country through his economic reforms.
The president, who was represented at the event by the Special Adviser on Economy, Office of the Vice President, Tope Fasua, acknowledged that he is aware of the harsh economic situation of the country, and begged Nigerians to endure what he described as unintentional hardship, adding that he does not take pleasure in inflicting pains on Nigerians but assured there was light at the end of the tunnel as his reform policies were aimed at making Nigeria works for everyone.
“Fellow Nigerians, I am not unaware of the harsh economic situation of our country neither do I take pleasure in inflicting pains and anguish on my compatriots,” the President said in his keynote address at the convocation.
“However, we were faced with the stark reality of the results of some policies hitherto executed by past administrations but which had no direct positive impact on the generality of our people.
“Our reform policies are aimed at making Nigeria work for everyone, but the pains that come with the reform must be endured in the meantime.
“We have gladly accepted the assets and liability of our heroes’ past without any intention of apportioning blame or pointing an accusing finger at any individual or group of people.
“As we are trying to fix, reconfigure, and correct past mistakes and errors, we implore all Nigerians to cooperate with us, to endure this unintentional hardship so that; like the graduates of today, we all can celebrate and be celebrated at the end of the day. I am certainly seeing the light at the end of our tunnel.”
The Swedish Prosecution Authority announced today that the inquiry into rape allegations against French footballer Kylian Mbappé has been closed due to a lack of sufficient evidence to proceed.
This is according to multiple reports on Thursday morning.
The allegations had drawn international attention, casting a shadow over the football star’s career.
Mbappé, who had consistently denied the allegations, has yet to make an official statement regarding the decision
His legal team had previously emphasised his commitment to due process.
Mbappe was “linked to rape investigation in Sweden” and that he intended to reserve any explanations for the Swedish justice system “if necessary,” according to his lawyer, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard.
“He prioritises providing his explanations, if required, to the Swedish judiciary,” Canu-Bernard told AFP, while strongly condemning “media allegations suggesting that Kylian Mbappé had commented on the events of his trip to Stockholm.”
The case, which began earlier this year, involved accusations stemming from an alleged incident in Stockholm. The prosecutor’s decision not to press charges marks the end of months of scrutiny and speculation.
The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has lashed back at Vice President Kashim Shettima over the latter’s reaction to her comments about Nigeria.
Badenoch was born in the UK in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents.
Badenoch, who attained age 16 in Nigeria before departing the country for the UK where she was elected Conservative Party’s leader, described Nigeria as a nation brimming with thieving politicians and insecurity.
However, Shettima, while speaking at the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, December 9, 2024, accused Badenoch of “denigrating her country of origin” with her remarks.
The vice-president listed influential people whose families had migrated to other countries, commending former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a “brilliant young man who never denigrated his nation of ancestry.”
Reacting on Wednesday, Badenoch lashed back at Shettima, saying she doesn’t do “PR for Nigeria”.
Her spokesperson, as the Tory leader, according to UK Express, said: “Kemi is not interested in doing Nigeria’s PR; she is the Leader of the Opposition in the UK.
“She tells the truth; she tells it like it is; she isn’t going to couch her words. She stands by what she said.”
