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We Won’t Allow Anyone Disrupt Peaceful Co-existence in Lagos – CP Adegoke
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade and other stakeholders in the state’s security architecture, have called on youths and protesters to shun violence, saying they won’t allow anyone disrupt the peaceful co-existence in the state.
Fayoade and the others made the call on Thursday during a town hall meeting, which the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) attended, and convened to deliberate on the protest called by yet to be identified individuals scheduled to hold across the nation from August 1, against hardship.
The meeting themed ‘Enhancing Community Engagement And Participation in Fostering Peace, Unity in Lagos’ held at the POWA Hall, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
In his opening remarks, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende, urged parents to talk to their children, most especially, the youths to shelve the planned protest and allow peace which has been enjoyed in Lagos to continue.
Ogunlende further stated that as citizens, everybody has a right to protest, but when it can’t be controlled or identity of those behind the protest cannot be ascertained, then it becomes a problem, and there should not be protest instead.
“Anytime protest is been talked about, it’s always centered around the youths. This is because youths occupy larger percentage of the population.” He added that the protest is about hardship and doesn’t affect only the youths, but entire citizens of the nation.
The governor also commended the security agencies led by the CP Adegoke Fayoade for being proactive as opposed to being reactive, saying that “This shows that every single person in this hall has decided to take responsibility for what’s coming ahead irrespective of the outcome,” Ogunlende said.
He added: “It should be noted, everybody is taking responsibility, ownership and rising to the occasion because Lagos is our home, and we can’t afford to let anything happen to our home, which is the reason for gathering here to ensure all necessary steps are taken by each and everyone. It’s pertinent we remain peaceful, because united we stand, divided we fall. If we all come together like to face an issue, I am sure, there will be peace at the end of the day.”
In his remarks, CP Fayoade Adegoke stated that the present situation in the country shouldn’t warrant protest which could lead to disorderliness, breakdown of law and peace, which tthese security gencies do not want that in Lagos State.
According to the number one Police officer in the state, Lagos is unarguably the economic hub of West Africa Sub Region and economic center of Nigeria, and if protest is allowed, it is going to affect Nigeria economically, socially, and Lagosians believe in peaceful co-existence, with everybody doing his business without molestation or harassment. We won’t allow anyone to disturb the peaceful co-existence enjoyed in Lagos, he said.
Also speaking, Director, Department of State Security, Lagos, Dapo Amoo, said, “you can criticize government, you can criticize establishment, the question about the protest is, they said, they intend to have a peaceful protest, but how do you determine it’s going to come out peacefully. That’s the question we should all ask ourselves.”
He recalled what happened during the #EndSars protest, as Lagos most especially struggled to get out of the nostrils of that skirmish.
He noted that the government has appealed to the youths to further exercise patience, as good things does not come easily, adding that government has begun the process by increasing workers salary.
The chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, Comrade Funmi Sessi, expressed her dissatisfaction about the protest, according to her, “this is Lagos’, I was born and bred in Lagos, many of us made money in Lagos, and take it out to other states, we enjoy government in the state. If you want to protest, go to the state where governance is not felt and express your grievances.
“As we talk now, many of the states could not even afford to pay the last N30,000 minimum wage, yet Lagos is ready to pay new minimum wage of N70,000. Let Lagos be free, this is about me as a born and bred Lagosian, free Lagos,” she concluded.
Also adding his voice, Chief Imam, Conference of Islamic Organization, Shikrullah Shafii, urged government to ensure reduction in the prices of commodity, this according to him, is not just about increase in salary of workers, but having value for the increased salaries.
The security agencies and Stakeholders that attended the meeting included the Nigeria Police, Navy, Army, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corp, Department of State Security, Air Force, Nigeria Labour Congress, National Association of Nigeria Students, Muslim-Christian clerics, as well as representatives of chairpersons of local governments and bank executives.
Two members of the Rivers House of Assembly, who are loyalists of former Governor Nyesom Wike, have withdrawn from the impeachment move against Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers.
The Minority Leader of the assembly, Sylvanus Enyinna Nwankwo, and Peter Abbey, who represents Degema State Constituency, urged their colleagues to exercise restraint and allow for dialogue to maintain stability in the state
In a video widely circulated on Facebook and an excerpt published by Rivers State Television, the lawmakers urged their colleagues to prioritise the overall interest and stability of Rivers above partisan disagreements.
Call for ‘cooling-off period’
The legislators stressed that the prevailing political climate demands calm, dialogue and a “cooling-off period” within the assembly to allow, in their words, “wisdom and truth to prevail” in the legislative chambers.
Background to impeachment moves
The Rivers assembly parted ways with Mr Fubara because of the feud between the governor and Mr Wike, who is the FCT minister.
The current impeachment notice on Mr Fubara is the third attempt in less than three years to remove the governor. The previous efforts had split the legislature into two factions, causing President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in the oil-rich state and suspend the governor, the deputy governor, and the lawmakers.
The lawmakers accused the governor of constitutional breaches and administrative misconduct, allegations his supporters have dismissed as politically motivated.
Source: Premium Times
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Food is an integral component for living and existence because among other things, it provides energy and nourishment to the physical body. However, it must be consciously selected in other not to run into crisis.
Different kinds of food serve different purposes to the human body depending on the immediate and remote needs. That explains the reason doctors and health practitioners have advised on certain meals to be taken for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And because these serve different purposes, one must therefore, be intentional in selecting the food they eat. It is worthy of note that when one eats a heavy meal at breakfast which is supposedly meant for lunch, there’s the tendency they might not be able to function optimally.
The importance of choosing what goes into the human system as food cannot be overemphasized taking into cognizance that different foods work for different people. This is because they have different taste buds and distinct preferences.
For me, I love having breakfast. As a matter of fact, breakfast for me is the most important meal of the day. If I have have my breakfast, I can practically ‘stay woke’ the whole day.
Again, I love fruits with passion, especially when it’s organic. I can take fruits all day and be fine. This again means, I know what works for me, and so I am intentional in selecting the kind of fruits and food I eat.
Making choices of this nature however, does not relate to food alone. When metaphorically use, food can refer to every facet of living to contributes to growth. An average human being is therefore, expected to choose and dictate the directions of their relationships, professions/business, lifestyle, spiritual life, academic life, health routine, family outlook, and even outfit. It should be noted that anything one does in life, is a function of selection. Every area of our life is centered on choice.
Back to the literal food; while there are different options of food, an individual can decide to stick to a particular one. This is applicable to all other aspects of life. So, before one wears any cloth, it is believed that he must have made the choice out of many options.
As a living being, it’s not all kinds of food that must be eaten, the tantalizing appearance notwithstanding. There are some foods one will eat, and one’s body will react to it. That’s why it’s important for one to determine what works for them. Selecting the food we eat is like selecting the lifestyle we intend to live.
In the journey of life, we must select the kind of lifestyle we would like to live, if we select a bad lifestyle, we’ll have to live with the consequences. There’s no human action without a corresponding consequence. If you do good for someone, it has a way of coming back to you soon directly or indirectly. If you do bad, you will understand the meaning of actions that have consequences.
A case of action with consequences can be likened to the now trending story of a Nigerian Pastor, Chris Okafor, who was alleged to have committed sexual immorality with many ladies while legally married, in addition to living a lifestyle that is unbecoming of a pastor. All his acts were not publicly known until he offended one of his numerous sex partners, one Ms. Doris Ogala.
According to the lady, Okafor promised her marriage, but chose to abandon her after numerous sexual escapades with her. Due to the pain she experienced, she began to expose him on all fronts. The public shame following the ‘pastor’ is the consequence of the action of sinful life he chose.
As an observer on the street, I realized one thing, it’s not all food one is supposed to eat. As a man, sometimes, you are supposed to fast from some food no matter how appetizing it may appear. Sometimes, act like you didn’t see the food just to preserve your sanity, and sometimes, dignity.
Pastor Chris has allegedly tested many foods, unfortunately there was a meal he tasted, and he began to purge. That single meal has exposed and unearthed a lot which was not publicly available and many interested persons, especially ladies, who have been victims have begun to share their personal experiences with pastor Chris, and this has led the security agencies to wade into the allegations against him. Again, this goes to tell you, it’s not every food one must eat.
As a cultural Igbo man from Nigeria, we have an adage that says, nobody knows the womb that will bore a king tomorrow. This adage insinuates that, as human beings, nobody knows where the next opportunity will come from, and in the same manner nobody knows the allegation or challenge that may lead to their downfall. So, it’s important for one to be intentional about how they live their life.
As a man, one must have a certain level of decency, especially if they want to go far. One must also be intentional with their life. Once it’s screwed, it will be hard to fix.
As a career and life coach, there are many opportunities flying all over the space, and it’s normal for one to jump into any industry because it seems to be paying well, or it appears to have lots of growth opportunities. But most people fail to understand that just like there are sands everywhere, opportunities abound everywhere.
When faced with such temptation, what a rational mind must do is to determine whether that opportunity is right for them. It’s always good for one to do what’s best for them, and that entails working on their God given purpose. Failure to do this might make one to work like an elephant and eat like an ant. Even if one is lucky to succeed in that career/business, if they decide to change careers, they might not be happy in addition to having a fulfilling life.
One may have a different attitude to this because they will prefer to cry in a limousine than to cry in a bike or bus, but the truth must be stated, there’s a stage one will get in life and they will realize that if money is the only thing they have, they are poor.
There are many people who married because of money, looks and social status, and today they are either divorced or not happy. Money does not solve all the problems in marriage, neither does looks, faithfulness and sex solve all the problems. What’s important is the shared beliefs in alignment and purpose when two partners are committed to make the relationship work.
In summary, selecting your food is a hypothetical way of informing everyone that we must be intentional with our life. If you see something you like whether it relates to business, education, career, relationship, spirituality or personal, please commit to it regardless of the distractions and detractions that will come in the form of challenges and obstacles. If one can stay strong, they will smile at the end of the day.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
The Chairman of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, through his legal representative, has filed a formal corruption petition against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to our correspondent by the Dangote Group media team on Friday.
Recall that Dangote had earlier petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate Ahmed for allegedly spending $5 million on his children’s secondary education in Switzerland. He withdrew the petition a few days ago, even as the ICPC vowed to continue with its investigation.
The statement on Friday said Dangote’s petition to the EFCC followed “The withdrawal of the same petition from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, a strategic decision aimed at accelerating the prosecution process.”
In the petition, signed by Lead Counsel Dr O.J. Onoja, Dangote urged the EFCC to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Ahmed, and to prosecute him if found culpable.
The petition further stated that Dangote would provide evidence to substantiate claims of financial misconduct and impunity.
“We make bold to state that the commission is strategically positioned, along with sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and corruption-related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders. See Lawan v. F.R.N (2024) 12 NWLR (Pt. 1953) 501 and Shema v. F.R.N. (2018) 9 NWLR (Pt.1624) 337,” the petition read.
Onoja further urged the commission, under the leadership of Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, “To investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting.”
