₦airaland Forum

No fewer than 30 African countries have registered to participate in the 2019 edition of Sterling Bank’s Agriculture Summit Africa.
A brainchild of the agriculture team within Sterling Bank, the Summit is being put together to create a convergence for public and private sector players to highlight and leverage the opportunities that prevail within agriculture and across its entire value chain.
Countries represented at this year’s summit include Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, South Africa, Burundi, Botswana, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Egypt and Malawi.
Participants from outside Africa include representatives from the USA, UK, Turkey and Germany.
The oversubscribed conference seeks to prepare African countries to take advantage of the vast opportunities across the agriculture value chain and prepare Africa’s agribusiness practitioners for the potential and opportunities ahead.
Speaking at a press conference to officially close registration to the conference, Bukola Awosanya, Head of Agriculture desk at Sterling Bank, expressed her amazement at the sheer magnitude of interest the conference generated.
Awosanya said: “We had hoped that 500 people would participate, but it turns out this is such an important subject on the continent.
“More than 4,000 people registered for the conference and plans are in top gear to ensure a truly successful, meaningful interaction amongst players in this sector.”
This year’s conference is themed: “Agriculture: Your Piece of the Trillion- Dollar Economy.”
This theme was inspired by the World Bank’s projection that the agriculture sector will exceed $1 trillion within a decade and will facilitate debate on key issues, including access to capital by investors across the value chain, access to electricity, better technology and digitization methods and well irrigated land to grow high-value nutritious foods.
The benefits of this are enormous as the growth of the sector will help increase exports and income levels, create employment, reduce poverty, boost growth rates, and promote food self-sufficiency across the continent while concurrently safeguarding the environment.
The Summit will take place under the distinguished Chairmanship of His Royal Majesty, Emir Sanusi Lamido, the Emir of Kano State, with Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria, delivering the keynote address.

The crisis between Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and his predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has deepened.
The latest move from the Oshiomhole camp is the plot to impeach Obaseki.
Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has told some of his loyalists that “it is now or never” in the attempt to remove Obaseki from office.
It is believed that this led to the setting up of the 13-man ad-hoc committee by the Femi Gbajabiamila-led House of Representatives, headed by Abdulrazak Namdas (APC-Adamawa).
Gbajabiamila is one of the loyalists of Oshiomhole because the National Chairman of APC ensured his election as Nigeria's Number four citizen in June during the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly.
Due to desperation, Oshiomhole is using a multi-pronged approach to ensure the removal of Obaseki because to him, if the governor stays in office till next year when Edo State governorship election will hold, “it will be difficult to deny him APC ticket, whether direct of indirect primary is used to pick the candidate”.
In this onslaught against Obaseki, it is believed Oshiomhole is desperate to use the National Assembly, some of his loyalists in the Edo State House of Assembly, security agents and anti-graft agencies.
So far, the anti-graft agencies – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission and Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police Force – have gone through the financial records of the state government “and they are yet to find anything indicting”.
From the home front, the 12 state lawmakers loyal to Oshiomhole have moved to Abuja, citing security reasons, but apparently they are in the nation's capital to perfect the impeachment plot.
“The lawmakers are heavily guarded in Abuja,” said a source.
Last Sunday, they signed a letter indicating their intention to commence impeachment proceedings against Obaseki.
The letter was signed by Edoror Victor Sabor, Saed Aliyu Oshiomhole, Ojiezelu Osezua Sunday, Vincent Osas Uwadiae, Osifo Osa Washington, Sunday Aghedo, Okaeben Ewere Christopher, Crosby Eribo, Okunbor Nosayaba and Ugiagbe Onaiwu Dumez.


The letter, titled: “PRIVATE MEMBER RESOLUTION,” reads: “Be it resolved that this honourable House has no confidence in the government of His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, to effectively carry out the duties of his office throughout the remainder of his tenure and hereby moves the motion for the immediate impeachment of the governor based on the following grounds:
1. Sabotaging the activities of the legislature by actively preventing the legal swearing in of elected members of the State House of Assembly.
2. Masterminding an attack on elected members of the House of Assembly.
3. Masterminding the unlawful swearing-in of selected members of the State Assembly to further his personal agenda without the knowledge of the grand majority of the members-elect.
4. Acts of severe intimidation, bribery and high-handedness.
5. Gross insubordination towards the All Progressives Congress, her chairman and the very ideals that make up this great party.
6. Lack of transparency in the awarding of government contracts.
7. Mismanagement of state funds.
8. Gross incompetence especially in the areas of security, job creation and rural development.
9. Establishment of state agencies without due consent and approval from the House of Assembly.”
The lawmakers are lodged at the Penthouse Suite of Wells Carlton Hotel and it is believed that Captain Hosa Okunbor is a major financier of the “rebel” state legislators.
“In fact, he has organised a tight security for them in and outside the hotel premises,” said the source.
The same day, a meeting was held with Oshiomhole presiding at the Abuja hotel to finalise strategies for the impeachment.
The plot was that the National Assembly would have pronounced the Edo State House of Assembly unsuitably constituted so that the 12 remaining members would be sworn in in Abuja and, thereafter, impeachment plans implemented.
Unfortunately, the National Assembly only established a committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the impasse in Edo State, leading the legislators-in-waiting and their sympathisers to suspend their impeachment plans temporarily.
Some of the members-elect have been shuttling between Abuja and Benin, the Edo State capital, with air tickets which are bulk purchased and discounted as a courtesy to the office of the APC National Chairman.
Normally, such tickets are discounted as special provision for the office of the National Chairman solely for the purpose of conducting and facilitating the affairs of the party.
It would appear, according to our investigation, that the planned impeachment of Obaseki is now being treated as a top priority by Oshiomhole.
During an earlier meeting on July 1 at the residence of an Edo APC member of the House of Representatives in Abuja, it was resolved that Edo House of Assembly members-elect from Edo South will be specially rewarded as leaders of the impeachment drive.
The representative of the caucus of the Edo South lawmakers-elect was informed at the meeting that arrangements have been concluded to ensure that their role in the impeachment plan will be preferentially rewarded far more than what their colleagues from Edo North and Edo Central Senatorial Districts would be paid.
Strangely at the meeting was a member of the House of Representatives from Lagos State, who was described as a special observer at the clandestine meeting.
It is strongly believed that the Lagos lawmaker is acting on behalf of outside political forces close to Oshiomhole.
A clear resolution was adopted at the meeting regarding specific strategic moves and timeline of action for the impeachment plot.
But since Oshiomhole doesn't control majority of the 24-member House of Assembly, attention has now been shifted to the House of Representatives to perfect the plot.
This led to the setting up of the Abdulrazaq Namdas Committee, after a motion under matters of urgent national importance by Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo), at plenary on Tuesday.
Ihonvbere, who is close to Oshiomhole, expressed concern over the improper inauguration of the 7th Edo State House of Assembly on June 17.
Ihonvbere prayed the House to take over affairs of the Assembly as provided by section 11 (4) of the 1999 Constitution.
But when the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, saw that majority of the lawmakers were not favourably disposed to taking over functions of the Edo State House of Assembly, he mandated the Namdas Committee to investigate the matter and report back within one week.
Because of that, the committee members will visit Benin City on Friday to get first-hand information.
Now, there is too much pressure on the committee members from the Oshiomhole and Obaseki camps to influence the outcome of their recommendations.
In this wise, some former governors such as Senators Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State are already talking to federal lawmakers from their states not to join the “Oshiomhole crowd”.
Obaseki is also close to many governors and the governors elected on the platform of the APC, Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Grand Alliance, are also using their influence to stop the plot “at the federal level”.
Some members of the National Working Committee of the APC who do not like the dictatorial nature of Oshiomhole are also against the impeachment move.
It was also learned that the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, has not really bought into the plot “or else, some of the lawmakers with Obaseki would have been arrested”.
The source said the APC National Chairman had already contacted the IGP and top echelon of the Department of State Services “but they don't want to be seen to be taking sides in the crisis”.
Oshiomhole is also said to be facing some challenges from the Bini, the largest ethnic group in Edo State.
A source said: “Governor Obaseki is Bini and everybody in Biniland is supporting the governor in this fight. It will be difficult for anybody to impeach Obaseki now. You can even see that some of those lawmakers with Oshiomhole have moved to the governor's side. The Bini affinity has really depleted the Oshiomhole camp. I can categorically tell you that we are going to organise a mass rally on Friday against Oshiomhole.”
The source said Obaseki's Deputy, Philip Shaibu, “is in a sort of dilemma because he is loyal to his principal but Oshiomhole, who brought him to be the deputy governor, is putting him under pressure to come to his side”.
But an APC chieftain and one of the conveners of the popular Edo People’s Movement, Henry Idahagbon, is already mobilising support for the plot to impeach the governor.
The former Attorney-General and Justice Commissioner of Edo State declared that Oshiomhole had directed his group to commence the immediate process of seeking a replacement for Obaseki.
Idahagbon said the APC in Edo State was sure to lose the governorship elections of the state if it presents Obaseki as its candidate for a second term in the 2020 elections.
He blamed the governor for his intransigence and arrogance in dealing with loyal party members who fought tirelessly for his emergence in 2016.
It is, however, believed that some members of the movement are already backing out of the plot to remove Obaseki.

Barely a week after the earth-shaking publication in select national newspapers by Skye Bank titled: Regulatory Takeover of Skye Bank Management: One Year After, chronic debtors according to findings, have drawn the battle line with the management and leadership of the Bank.
Our investigation revealed that part of the tactics being deployed by the faceless debtors and detractors include, but not limited to, sponsored media attacks on the Bank, especially its CEO who is being alleged to have been specifically appointed and is being used by the CBN to take them down.
Consequently, the Bank’s CEO has been marked for a vicious and sustained media attack following his relentless debt recovery efforts which seems to be causing debtors’ sleepless nights.
In the July 18 advertorial, the Bank’s management resolved to be resolute and ensure that all those who committed infractions against the lender, restitute accordingly for their actions and meet their legitimate obligations to the bank. This is what seems to have riled them necessitating the commencement of a fight back through a carefully ochestrated series of negative campaigns that would target the leadership in the days and weeks ahead.
It will be recalled that on July 4, 2016 the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had intervened and re-constituted a new board and management for Skye Bank Plc., to address what it described then as the Bank’s declining prudential ratios and return the lender to sustainable profitability - with a mandate to reduce cost to income ratio - improve asset quality, improve liquidity and capital adequacy and restore profitability.
This action by the apex bank had informed the need for the new management to be resolute and firm in tackling the humongous challenges they met in the management of the institution which at the time was in a parlous state owing to the fact that many of its largest loans, taken by highly placed individuals and organisations, were non-performing; with its capital significantly eroded and liquidity impaired.
Efforts made to reach CBN and Skye Bank officials to react on the development met with no comment. However inside sources within the banks notes that the banks are not bothered by such attacks which are common amongst chronic debtors who often resort to social media attacks to create public sympathy of being innocent targets.

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Monday allayed fears that plans by his administration to phase out the yellow commercial buses, popularly known as Danfo, would lead to massive job losses, saying that it would instead create more jobs in the transportation sector.
Ambode spoke at the May Day Rally held at the Agege Stadium to commemorate the 2017 Workers Day Celebration.
He said the Bus Reform Initiative, aimed at introducing over 5,000 air-conditioned buses to replace the Danfo buses, would open new vista of opportunities, while also redefining the means of road transportation in the State.
Responding to the fears raised by the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Lagos State Council, Comrade Idowu Adelakun, and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Comrade Francis Ogunremi, on the implications of the initiative to drivers, conductors, mechanics and other artisans, Ambode assured that it would benefit all Lagosians on the long run.
He said: “If Lagos is to be globally competitive, we need to change the outlook of the way the city runs. What is of paramount interest to this government is to make sure that every Lagosian has a comfortable means of moving from one point to the other. But I promise you there will be no job losses.
“The Governor is not interested in driving all the new buses. It is the same bus drivers, the technicians, the mechanics that will also still be employed and trained to use these new buses. Instead of job losses, we are going to employ more people for the greater number of the buses and it will make the city more beautiful and more comfortable for all our workers.”
Ambode, who also addressed the request of the labour leaders on workers’ welfare, assured that as the State’s Internally Generated Revenue continues to increase, his administration would work out modalities to improve the welfare of workers in line with his mantra of all-inclusive governance.
The Governor said his administration was ready to look into the plight of pensioners as regards the pace of paying pension, assuring that the process would be fast tracked immediately.
He said: “Just like we have said, we have provided vehicles for the unions but again it has not gone round and it has also not gone round to the private sector unions, we will complete the whole scheme before the end of the year.”
Ambode said as part of the celebration of 50 years of the State, his administration would provide a befitting State Secretariat for the NLC, while government would also work on local and international training for labour leaders to make them relevant to the growth of the economy.
Governor Ambode also assured that the officers of the State Public Service, who according to him are the real drivers of the development in the State, would continue to be equipped with the necessary competencies and skills in order to deliver effective and efficient service to the people.
Commending the choice of this year’s May Day celebration, themed: “Labour Relations in Economic Recession: An Appraisal,” the Governor said the leadership of Labour unions had demonstrated a responsible sense of stakeholding in the joint enterprise to improve the society and leave lasting legacies for the generations to come through the creation of sustainable wealth and value.
Besides, the Governor enjoined the organised labour to continue to show understanding, while rightly insisting on the due and just entitlements of their members, saying that any industrial unrest will compound the challenges of economic recession.
“I wish to commend the example of Lagos State to the entire nation in respect of industrial harmony. In Lagos State, both the government and organised labour believe that negotiations are more democratic and effective than unilateral impositions by the government or unilateral demands by the workers,” he said.
While alluding to the fact that his administration would not have been able to fulfill the electoral promises without the support of the “most versatile, resilient and innovative Public Service in the nation”, he noted that the immense contributions of all workers in the private sector was also chiefly responsible for the pride of place that Lagos occupies in our nation, in Africa and in the world at large.
Earlier, Comrades Adelakun and Ogunremi commended Ambode for his commitment to workers’ welfare and the determination with which he had been transforming the State, describing the Governor as an accomplished accounting professional, creative intellectual, skilled planner and focused implementor.
The May Day Rally featured March pasts from various Labour Unions, Trade Organisations and its Affiliates who trooped out enmasse despite the heavy downpour and were excited to see the Governor celebrate the day with them.

Two persons are reported to have died in an accident in the early hours of Sunday in Lagos.
According to information available to The Eagle Online, the accident occurred at about 3am along Oshodi-Ilasa Road.
It was gathered that the accident involved a commercial bus, popularly known as Danfo, and a truck bearing gravel.
The Danfo was carrying vegetable oil.
The gravel bearing truck was said to have run into the Danfo.
The two drivers were seriously injured.
The motor boys were trapped inside the vehicles for about one hour before being rescued.
While the policemen from Ilasa Police Divisional Headquarters, led by Titilayo Oriyomi, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and Lagos State Fire Service were evacuating the injured, removing the damaged vehicles and controlling traffic occasioned by the accident, another Danfo driver, who refused to obey signal to reduce speed, summersaulted.
The conductor and a passenger died on the spot, it was learnt.
The driver equally rammed into a policemen and broke his leg.
. Published by The Eagle Online on April 23, 2017.

Uzor Philip was carrying two bags containing valuables and awaiting a bus going from Oshodi to PWD area of Lagos at about 6pm oblivious of what to happen next. Being the rush hour, the area was crowded as people availed themselves of every opportunity to return home after the day’s business.
Suddenly, a pick and drop bus, with number plate EPE 165 XS, approached and stopped. Philip was the first to enter and sit behind the driver but was persuaded to pair with somebody at the front seat.
On arriving Ladipo, the bus conductor apologized that the front door was faulty, saying there was need to quickly ‘fix’ the problem. The driver slowed down and the ‘co-passenger’ pushed Uzor out even while the bus was still in motion, leaving his two bags and cell phone (Techno W2) behind. The bus immediately made a u-turn and headed back to Oshodi. That was when it dawned on Philip that he was a victim of ‘one-chance’ and he raised the alarm which attracted some uniformed men who launched a chase after the bus. Inspite of their effort, the bus was far ahead of them and they were almost giving up when they sighted a patrol van of the Lagos State Task Force returning from an operation and they narrated the story of the attack to them. The Task Force team went after the bus and caught up with it around Mile 2.
However, one of the suspects took to his heels while the driver and his conductor were apprehended and the bus impounded by the Task Force. 50 cell phones and other valuables were recovered from the bus.
On switching on some of the cell phones calls began to come in from their owners and the Task Force requested their physical presence, for identification.
Speaking with Sunday Vanguard, one of the victims, whose mobile phone (Alcatel Pop Star 5) had been snatched, Ajimati Adeyemi, 33, said he joined the bus with other passengers along Mile 2 when the conductor and one other person, dressed in ‘black suit’, suddenly stood up and collected all their cell phones and wallets before they were forced down at different bus-stops before Mile 2. He said, “I was surprised when I called my mobile line and I was told to come to Lagos State Task Force at Bolade, Oshodi where it was returned to me along with others.”
A female victim, Yewande Adeboye, who claimed to have been seriously injured after she was pushed off by the bus conductor, said she was sexually assaulted and nearly raped before her mobile phone was snatched at Rainbow Bus-stop along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos.
Another victim, Razaq Rasheed, said he boarded the bus from Anthony to Hassan Bus-stop, also on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, but ended up being pushed off the bus mid- way into the journey after he had been dispossessed of his phone. He said, “I boarded the bus from Anthony but the conductor and driver distracted my attention saying they were no longer going in that direction. I later realised my phones had been snatched. Thank God they were both apprehended.”
The Chairman of the Task Force, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, said the operation was carried out after a victim reported that he was robbed inside a commercial (Volkswagen) bus and a Task Force enforcement team with KAI officials were deployed to chase them and they were apprehended around Mile 2 area with 50 different stolen mobile phones.
Egbeyemi told Sunday Vanguard the robbers had been charged to court and convicted while the recovered items had been returned to their owners on ‘bond’ after a thorough screening.
The Chairman enjoined members of the public to always report illegal and criminal activities around them to law enforcement agencies.
In their statements, the convicts, Chuckwudi Ezeudo, of No. 1, Ezeudo Lane, off Babarin Street, Ajegunle, and Mr. Wilfred Ukpo, of No. 1, Ajose Street, Ajegunle, Olodi-Apapa, Lagos, confessed they had been using the bus to rob commuters around Lagos.
They confessed they daily operated in different parts of the state like Obalende, Orile, Pen-cinema, Ojota and environs and any passenger who refused to cooperate with them would be beaten and thrown out of the bus while still in motion.
“We had been in this business for a long time and, snatching more than 50 phones and other items daily which we sold as fairly used at Computer Village, Ikeja and Ajegunle. “Sometimes we even indecently assault our victims, especially women.”
The Task Force Chairman said the men were each sentenced to seven years imprisonment after they both pleaded guilty to the one count charge of ‘conspiracy to steal contrary to Section 409 of Lagos State Command Law of 2011 levelled against them.
Magistrate Lateef Owolabi, of the Lagos State Mobile Court, Oshodi, said the seven years jail term without option of fine was to serve as deterrent to others still into criminal activities.
Vanguard, April 9, 2017.

Two persons were burnt to death on Friday when commercial bus, popularly known as Danfo, caught fire at Maryland area of Lagos State.
Five others sustained various degrees of injury in the incident.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Adesina Tiamiyu, confirmed the incident.
Tiamiyu said he received a distress call regarding a commercial bus that accidentally caught fire while on top speed at Cane Village, Maryland around 2.55pm.
Preliminary investigation conducted by the agency’s Emergency Response Team at the scene of the incident revealed that the Danfo, with registration number KTU 479 XQ, was coming from Yaba on top speed.
The driver was said to have lost control after hitting a jeep, with the bus falling on its side and catching fire.
Two of the female passengers in the bus were burnt beyond recognition.
The Eagle Online: April 8, 2017.

There have been several arguments for and against the resolve of the Lagos State Government to introduce high and low capacity buses for usage in the state as against the smaller Danfo buses vis-a-vis the size of roads available. Perhaps the strongest of it has been that the buses the government plans to introduce, which can take a minimum of 40 passengers, will be too big for the roads.
This point seems valid until those marshaling it can cast their minds back to what Lagos roads were before the advent of the present democratic dispensation, what they are now, study with broad and open minds the developments as regard road transportation and then compare the plans being put in place by the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration with what obtains in other countries.
For those who believe that Lagos roads are too narrow, let us cast back our minds to what some roads in the state looked like before the return to democracy in 1999. Kudirat Abiola Way in Ikeja; the road that lies in front of the Bar Beach; the one that runs through Eko Hotels and Suites; the road in front of Zenith Bank headquarters on the Island; the Victoria Island-Epe Road; Agidingbi road, Ikeja axis; Abattoir road in Agege; Ikeja-Oshodi-Mushin road and so many others too numerous to mention. And now the big expansion works on roads within Epe and those linking the town to Lagos Island, Ikorodu and other places.
And when this development is considered alongside the thinking out of the box construction works ongoing to ensure a better transportation system in the state, it will be obvious to the average Lagosian that the saying: “Where there is a will, there will be a way,” has a lot of truth in it. Take the plan to develop a major commercial transportation hub in Oshodi was an example. Until that plan was unveiled, whoever thought anything as good as that could come out of Oshodi? The development at Berger Bus Stop is another good example. All along the road from Iyana Ipaja to the Lagos State University end at Ojoo, several huge bus stops and parks thought to be impossible now dot the landscape. Then there is the ongoing development of a major park in Ikeja, just close to the Post Office. No one could have fathomed that the parcel of land that is now in use for that purpose could hold such a huge park where all the buses operating in the Ikeja axis would be accommodated.
And come to think of it. That is what space management is all about. That is what is unique about the transportation system in London. Well managed narrow roads, with several going in one direction, what we call One Way. With trains moving in between vehicle running in opposite direction. Just what the Lagos State Government is doing with the Mile 2-Badagry Expressway. Just what the Federal Government wants to do with the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
And for those who have always erroneously argued that the government cannot afford to replace the present form of transportation, they are always arguing from the premise that the government will just wake up one day without any form of plan and just wipe out the system. No. Even the plan being reeled out now has it that the government has started acquiring the buses to be used. Also, the acquisition of the buses will be over a period of time and then become a continuous exercise. So also will the expansion of roads and the ingenuity to be brought into the system be a continuous one.
And that is what also obtains in other countries that we referred to as developed. There is continuous generation of ideas, forward planning, consultation and the rest. Even in the United Kingdom and United States of America, there is hardly any where you visit that you do not see road contraction, reconstruction, expansion or maintenance in progress. Bridges are being built here and there, new roads are being constructed, old ones are being expanded, all in the bid to further develop the transportation system. And one of the shocking facts is that in most, if not all the places, you find Nigerians as part of the system brainstorming and coming up with ideas on how to make things better.
We have such brains in abundance right in this country. What we need to do is to give them the opportunity to bring such to bear on our progress. And not to dismiss such ideas even before they are fully conceived. And this in most cases is because we have not opened up our minds to possibilities. To a country and State with a standard transportation system devoid of rushing into few small buses and without any form of plan.
. Emerole is the Secretary of For a Better Lagos.

About five days ago, Galaxy Television in Lagos State reported an interesting news item around its area of operation on Allen Avenue. An operator of a tricycle, popularly called Keke NAPEP or Marwa, beat the traffic light at the ever busy Allen Avenue Junction. Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, who were nearby, pursued him for the breaking the rule. In the process, the van in which the LASTMA officials were riding, hit the Marwa, making it to fall on its side. Luckily, the operator of the Marwa escaped unhurt and fled.
But that is not the main gist of the news item. Here it is: One of the LASTMA officials, after the Marwa fell on its side, decided to then pursue, on foot, the fleeing operator. This was said to have angered the Marwa operator’s colleagues, who then pounced on the LASTMA official and beat him to a pulp.
Several issues arise from this development. It still remains a sad commentary that drivers in Lagos State, especially those involved in commercial transportation, have little or no regard for the rules of driving. It is common place to see them violate traffic laws at will and in the process kill, maim and damage other people’s vehicles. They have no regard for traffic lights, pick passengers indiscriminately and disobey those legally authorized by the law to enforce traffic rules, including policemen and LASTMA officials.
That is not to say that on the part of the law enforcement agencies there are no breakers of the rules of engagement. Pursuing a traffic offender to the point of having to ram into the vehicle or Marwa as in the case above, is not one of the lessons taught during the training for operatives of LASTMA or any other law enforcement agency.
But then, taking the laws into one’s hand in dealing with issues such as this is a major challenge that must be addressed in bringing Lagos State up to speed in the transport sector as it works towards attaining the status of a mega city. Two wrongs never make a right. And at the same time, there are channels for reporting such developments as the one on Allen Avenue, with the culprit or culprits severely dealt with, in most cases with termination of appointment. The enforcement of discipline among LASTMA officials has not been taken lightly since the agency came into being, and this has been more so since the present administration, under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, came into office.
There are so many channels that are available to seek redress. Direct reporting to the LASTMA office is there. The Office of the Public Defender has rendered assistance to so many Lagosians and is still doing. So also has a private initiative seeking for a better Lagos State, including bringing sanity into the transportation sector, For a Better Lagos, provided platforms for reporting and discussing such issues.
In this wise, For a Better Lagos has created social media platforms through which such infractions can be reported. With actions taken immediately on behalf of the person reporting by officials of the group if there is no immediate response from the agency involved. The platforms created by For a Better Lagos are available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as: Lagos Danfo and Okada. There are also the Hash tags: #StopLagosDanfoandOkada, #LagosDanfoandOkadaMustGo.
Though some have misconstrued the essence of this group, it is aimed at becoming a platform to radically assist in the envisaged change in the face of transportation in Lagos. The dream is to bring the transportation sector to what is obtainable in other parts of the world, especially in Europe, with London as the yardstick, since it is one place a lot of Nigerians and Lagosians have visited. And one of the major crusades of the group remains the training and retraining of all stakeholders in the sector, especially the operators of the means of transportation and those enforcing the laws.
A city without an effective and respectable means of transportation cannot fall into the class of mega cities. It will only remain a city. What we have now as transportation system is degrading and demeaning for humans. Respect for traffic rules, which is at the very heart of effective transportation, is still missing in Lagos, especially among the commercial drivers and needs to be tackled frontally. This was why For a Better Lagos made it its first call when it launched a few months back. Governor Ambode’s vision for a better transport sector can never be achieved if things continue this way. Which is why he must be given credit for also making it a part of the agenda for changing the face of transportation in Lagos. It is not, as many have misconstrued it, just to wipe off Danfo, Marwa and Okada and replace them with bigger and more comfortable buses that are befitting for a mega city such as Lagos. It is a total package. And that is the dream Lagosians must back.
. Emerole is the Secretary of For a Better Lagos.

In what appeared like an opinion poll conducted by The Guardian on March 26, 2019 with the above title, some drivers of the yellow buses on Lagos roads, popularly called Danfo, expressed objection to the proposed phasing out of the buses and introduction of more comfortable small and big luxury buses by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. In their view, the efforts and money being sunk into the transportation sector as part of the overall ambitious plan to make Lagos a truly mega city will not be worth it after all as it will not work.
From the views expressed, it is certain these drivers are not up to speed on the proposed plans for the transport sector and have, obviously, not plied Lagos roads in a while. Otherwise, their views, fears and reservations have been answered either in the media or physically through driving around the roads in Lagos. And before someone will say the drivers may not have access to the media, it is pertinent to mention that these plans have been enunciated on platforms where the drivers have access to and have full understanding of the language in use on daily basis. The Traffic Radio, indigenous language programmes on radio and television, local dialect newspapers and others have been running programmes and stories on this issue.
Anyone who has been on Lagos roads in the last one year plus would have noticed that the Lagos State Government has been deliberate in the plan for the transport sector through road expansion, creation of lay-by and ensuring maintenance and tarring. Let us look at just a few.
The bridge in Abule Egba, which is at over 90 per cent completion stage, is part of the plan to ensure the expansion of roads. For many of those who have wondered if the traffic between Iyana-Oworo and Ketu inward the old toll gate can ever be resolved, shock would have been the word with the slight expansion of the road at the usual critical traffic point that heads into Alapere area in the axis. Also for those who are used to Berger, it is certain not many could fathom there could be such a big space to create a huge bus park and foot bridge that even right now before completion and commissioning has eased the traffic in that area notorious for its crazy traffic. The massive investment in the construction of roads from Epe to Ikorodu, Epe to Victoria Island, bridges in Abule Egba, Berger, Lekki and other areas are also facts that cannot be ignored in attending to the fears of these drivers.
So, in terms of fears that the roads available in the state will not take the big buses to be introduced, that should be thrown into the thrash can. More over, in a city like London that does not even have the kind of space Lagos has, the ingenuity of the planners of the city has done a lot to sanitize the transport sector. That is what Governor Ambode is aiming for. No mega city in the true sense of the word has the kind of transportation system the drivers in the opinion poll conducted by The Guardian want.
On the affordability of the buses to be introduced, it was obvious from the views of the drivers that they have not paid attention to the facts and figures that have been put in the public space. Governor Ambode has outlined a plan to raise N100 billion bond for the purchase of these vehicles. As part of the plan, the Governor said the N29 billion to be received by the state from the refund of the Paris and London Clubs loan refund, would not be spent. Already, part of it had been received and saved. President Muhammadu Buhari only a fortnight ago directed the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Finance to release the second tranche. Governor Ambode said he will add N1 billion to it to make it N30 billion. It is from this bond of N100 billion that small and high capacity buses would be bought and made available for the project. It does not require the drivers sourcing for huge funds. More so, on their Danfo, they are not losing a kobo either. The government will be buying it off them. So where is the fear about affordability?
My biggest hunch is that these drivers want the old order retained at all cost. The old order that sees them violating traffic and driving rules at all cost. Indeed, what Lagos needs a now is a complete re-orientation of both private and commercial vehicles drivers in order to return sanity to the roads. Huge man hours spent in traffic will go if we accept this new proposal by the State Government and drivers adhere strictly to driving rules.
Since the launch of the campaign by our group, For a Better Lagos, the kind of response that has followed in terms of calls, contributions to the various social media platforms and the happenings around has shown that the majority of Lagosians want to opt out of the present crazy system that has led to the loss of lives and injuring a a lot of people on the road. One of the latest was the Danfo driver who rammed into bread sellers at the Ajegunle end of the state when approaching the old toll gate at Sango Ota in Ogun State.
Our plea is for you to follow this discussions and help to enlighten those who are yet to understand the benefits to be derived from the new scheme. Please follow: “Lagos Danfo and Okada” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to make your own contributions to this debate. There are also the Hash Tags: #StopLagosDanfoandOkada, #LagosDanfoandOkadaMustGo. After all, so many of us have been outside of this country and have seen how things are done. The lot falls on us and the media to guide this process through so as not to truncate a laudable proposal.
. Emerole, the Secretary of For a Better Lagos, writes from Lagos.

A speeding commercial bus along Sango toll gate has crushed an innocent bread-seller to death in Lagos State.
https://www.facebook.com/ajibola.lasisi/videos/1114404682020686/
. www.tori.ng.

It is an incontrovertible fact that transportation is an essential part of human activity, and in many ways forms the basis of all socio-economic interactions. Without a doubt, no two locations will interact effectively without a viable means of movement. In most developing countries, inadequate transport facilities are often the norm rather than the exception. Thus, a good transport system is essential to support economic growth and development.
Since Nigeria attained independence in 1960, the problems of the country’s transport system include bad roads; inadequate fleets of buses or trucks; irregular, inadequate and overcrowded trains and airplanes and congested ports.
However, road transport is the most commonly used mode of transportation in Nigeria today. Road traffic depends on the pattern of human settlements, accounting for more than 90 per cent of the sub-sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP). Road transport activities involve the conveyance of passengers en-masse or in small numbers, the transportation of animals, farm produce and merchandise and the rendering of mobile services (clinics, libraries and banks).
The optional use of motor cars for pleasure, which can be distinguished from the three uses listed above, also contributes tremendously to the importance of road transport in Nigeria. This is more predominant in Nigeria than in most other
African countries because of the poor state of alternative means of transportation by which journeys could have been made and also due to the psychological satisfaction offered by the possession of a car.

Danfo as ‘public enemy’
In Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, the psychological satisfaction offered by the possession of a car can turn to a nightmare in an instant. You can only disagree with this submission if you have not been in Lagos for too long. Last week, Peter James (not real names) who works in a new generation bank went out with his friends in a car he bought recently. Two metres away from his house, a commercial bus, popularly known as Danfo ran into his car and damaged it.
He is not alone. At least a million car owners in Lagos have a story to tell about their encounter with Danfo drivers in Lagos. Not too long a long, a phenomenal known as ‘one chance’ was the talk of town in Lagos. Armed robbers terrorised Lagosians, using commercial busses as a decoy. Also a lot of people have lost their lives as a result of commercial busses driving against traffic.
The Danfo drivers and bus attendants, otherwise known as conductors are also victims of the gluttonous touts known at Agberos. For example, a commercial bus plying Ojuelegba-Apapa, pays between N4,000 and N5,000 to Agberos on a daily basis and this illegal taxation is transferred to unsuspecting passengers. Those who refuse to pay are beaten to stupor. However, all these may be history soon if the plan by the Lagos State Government to get rid of Danfo buses materialises.
Recently at the 14th annual lecture of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) in Lagos, the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, announced plans to ban the operations of commercial buses from Lagos roads before 2017 elapses.
He said the move was aimed at creating, “a well-structured and world class mass transportation system that would facilitate ease of movement within the city.”
According to the governor, the prime goal of his administration is to grow the state from fifth to third largest economy in Africa by 2020.
Ambode explained the significance of infrastructure projects his administration had been executing in strategic sectors of Lagos economy, noting that it was directed at up scaling the status of the state.
He stated that the establishment of massive lay-bys, rehabilitation of inner-city roads and the construction of flyovers in different parts of the state were designed to end the challenges of urbanisation.
Specifically, the governor noted that the main objective of his administration remained the growth of Lagos from fifth to third largest economy in Africa, which he said formed the heart of his government.
To realise this prime goal, Ambode insisted that yellow buses would be removed from Lagos roads for a more efficient, well-structured and world class mass transportation system that would facilitate ease of movement within the city.
He said the present connectivity mode in the state was not acceptable and befitting for a mega city, and as such, a well-structured transportation mode would soon be put in place to address the challenge.
Ambode said: “When I wake up in the morning and see all these yellow buses, commercial motorcycles and all kinds of tricycles, and we claim we are a mega city, that is not true. We must first acknowledge that that is a faulty connectivity that we are running. We have to look for the solution. That is why we want to banish yellow buses this year. We must address the issue of connectivity that makes people to move around with ease and that is where we are going. For instance, people going from Ikorodu to CMS have started leaving their cars at home because the buses are very convenient. So, why can’t we do that for other places? Yes, we do not have the money to do everything now but we can go to the capital market and then improve on the technology of collection of fares. That will encourage investors and then the city will change.”

N30b public transport
In line with its plan to phase out the yellow buses from Lagos roads, the state government said it was working towards setting aside a N30 billion sinking fund to transform public transportation.
According to Ambode, the amount would help instill credibility in a N100 billion public transportation bond that the state would float later in the year.
He said already, the state decided not to touch its share of the Paris Club refund of N14.5 billion, which has since been kept in the sinking fund. He also anticipated that the second batch of the Paris Club refund would be paid next month and eventually to take the sum to N29 billion, adding that his government would thereafter add another N1 billion to it to make it a total of N30 billion to kick start the initiative.
He explained: “We are working on the financial template and this is the breakdown – government has a sinking fund that we want to put into this bond. You are aware that the federal government paid the refund of the Paris Club Loan last December and this is a money belonging to the state governments due to the refund and so Lagos State decided not to touch its share of the Paris Club refund.
“By the time we have N30 billion as a sinking fund to drive the bus initiative against the bond of N100 billion that we want to put into the market, there will be that credibility and credence that the bond will drive itself and that is the whole idea
“The second level of the initiative is that we intend to give out franchise to people and this franchise is going to come in multiple of 50 buses each, 100 buses, 200 buses and so on. So, if you have that franchise, you are going to give us a down payment of 25 per cent of the buses. So, these are bankable projects as we have a sinking fund and so our exposure as a government is just technically 75 per cent.”
He noted that public transportation is not a profitable business and that one is not likely to see major investors in it that was why the state decided to use its vehicle – the LAGBUS, which is a private company to drive the proposed public transportation infrastructure bond.
“That bond is coming to the capital market in which every individual, every Lagosian should be interested in buying into the bond and then we believe that N100 billion bond that span for seven to ten years can take care of the structure that we have put in place.”
According to Ambode, from the kind of machinery his government wants to use to run the buses, there would be no cash takings, saying that everything would be automated and obviously who ever has a franchise, would have the recourse to take part of the money while part of the intake also goes to the repayment of the facility.
“The only part I just want to quickly mention here is the human angle. I, Akin Ambode cannot drive the buses, a medium size bus that I provide replaces two yellow buses (Danfo) and obviously it is from the community of the drivers that own the Danfos that we have to absolve into this new culture; they have to be the new drivers.
“The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) are the ones invited to own the buses. I, as government, is just providing the infrastructure because they cannot buy these new buses hundred per cent cash and so government needs to stand up for them and so you know what, you the dealers, continue to provide the buses, come and put the SKD company in Lagos, then come and do maintenance facility for us, come and put the spare parts in Lagos for us and then we create more employment,” he said.
This, the Lagos State governor said would be a paradigm shift from where the yellow bus drivers move from being addressed as ‘Danfo’ drivers but professional drivers.
“So, we will buy back the Danfos from them and it becomes the seed money to become eventual owners of those buses in the years the facility is spread. It is something we have been working on in the last one year and we don’t come out to say we are going to do anything without working properly on it. It is process and now we are at the advocacy process.
“Yes, we have almost 23 million people, we have 11 million people moving almost every moment within the ambit of Lagos and you are wondering about six million of them move by walking. They don’t really use buses, they don’t use plane or others. So, the concept there is you want to find something that can move the ordinary Lagosians from one point to the other so that productivity can increase.
“Having said that, road transportation is not the only means of moving people but the way Lagos is designed presently, road transportation that is happening here though we have water, we want pedestrian walk and all that.
“So, what we have decided to do is that we have this buses that are not working efficiently and government on its part has not been able to provide efficient alternative. “Now looking at it, if we are to intervene, should we continue with this private ownership of buses which you have had these yellow buses since the time of former Governor Alhaji Lateef Jakande over 30 years ago?
“So, we decided that no matter the solution that we want to give the traffic management, we must also now provide a comfortable means of moving people that allow the middle class and majority of people to drop their cars at home.
“Now, we have 30,000 of these yellow buses in the city and they cram about 12 people inside it. And so, we decided that the best thing is to allow the buses go and so the bus reform initiative itself is a three-year plan of 2017 to 2019 in which it intends to bring in new buses of 5,000 units in the three-year plan.
“The bigger size buses will take 70 people and then the medium range buses will take 30 people. We believe that the middle range buses will be supplied up to 70 per cent of the total volume which will amount to about 3,600 units and then the longer range in that direction,” he explained.
. Published by THISDAY on March 17, 2017.

Group lauds Ambode for solid plan to phase out of Danfo

A group, For a Better Lagos, has lauded the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, for the plan he has put in place for the phasing out of the yellow buses, popularly called Danfo, on Lagos roads.
The group, in a statement by its Secretary, Ken Emerole, described Ambode’s plan and preparedness for the initiative as “solid”.
In the statement released on Monday morning, For a Better Lagos said the plan of the State Government fits into its vision for a cosmopolitan city that Lagos should be.
It said it was also awed by the vision and financial outlay of Ambode, whom he described as being passionate “about a better Lagos where the psyche of the people is improved with a better transportation system and a crime-free city where they can sleep with their two eyes closed”.
The statement added: “It is soul lifting to know that Governor Ambode has been saving towards this project without making any noise about it.
“Who knew until the Governor said it that while other States were using the Paris Club loan refund to pay salaries, he was saving the State’s share for a laudable project as a better transportation system for his State?
“If indeed the State can save the N29 billion from the Paris Club loan refund and Ambode adds another N1 billion as promised, getting a bond of N100 billion to execute the laudable transportation project should not be a challenge.”
Emerole said Ambode is certainly going to get the backing of Lagosians as even members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the State have keyed into the vision for a better transportation system.
He added: “With the vision of the Governor clearly espoused, it is certain he would not have any problem getting his proposal assented to by the Lagos State House of Assembly.
“That way, we are sure the State is moving closer to having a sane transportation system and phasing out Danfo and okada operators, some of who have continuously engaged in criminal activities that have led to the call for their scrapping and given commuters nightmare with their conduct, leading to several deaths and injuries.”
The Eagle Online.

A group, For a Better Lagos, has begun a campaign in support of the move by the Lagos State Government to phase out the use of yellow buses, popularly called Danfo, and commercial motorcycle, popularly called Okada.
The group equally urged the State Government to include tricycles, known as Keke NAPEP and Marwa, in the ban.
In a statement on Wednesday, the group said the move by the State Government to ban the use of Danfo and Okada was in the right direction as both forms of transportation have not only become a nightmare to the people, but also unbefitting for a mega city like Lagos.
The statement, signed by the Chairman of the group, Wale Mogaji, said the conduct of the operators of these forms of transportation have not only left many dead and injured, but also contributed to the crime rate in the state.
The statement said: “Owing to the carelessness, unbecoming attitude, drunkenness of the operators of Danfo and Okada especially, many have lost their lives and are incapacitated in needless accidents, with several vehicles damaged by them in their usually ‘I-don’t-care’ attitude.”
Mogaji said several residents of the ever growing State have also fallen victims of the operators of these forms of transportation, with their involvement in robbery and kidnapping.
The statement added: “But for the restriction of the operation of okada and danfo on some routes by the State Government, the rate of crime in the state would have been unprecedented.
“It can better be imagined if okada operators are still allowed to operate freely in the state what the crime rate will be like.”
The For a Better Lagos said with the State Government and the Federal Government improving daily on the means of transportation around the town, the time to phase out these forms of transportation had come.
The group equally urged Lagosians who are on daily basis victims of the operators of these forms of transportation to begin to speak out in order to ginger the State Government to move more quickly to provide more of the alternative forms of transportation and ban the operators.
It said for this purpose, it has created two hash tags: #StopLagosDanfoandOkada, #LagosDanfoandOkadaMustGo, for sharing their experiences and has also opened a Facebook page: Lagos Danfo and Okada, and a Twitter handle: Lagos Danfo & Okada.
It encouraged Lagosians to share their experiences in words and photographs on these platforms to show the State Government reasons why it must speed up the acquisition of more buses for its BRT operations and expansion of routes and move quickly to make its proposed light rail functional.
The group said the expansion of, repairs of damaged and construction of new roads, including those that belong to the Federal Government by the State Government, was a move in the right direction, adding that by the time bigger buses become operational all over the State, commuting will be a more pleasant experience.
. Freedom Online.