Several months ago, the Lagos state government gave the approval for a project aimed at beautifying under major flyovers in Lagos.
Some of the major flyovers considered for this exercise includes the Ikeja flyover – the one at the Awolowo way/Kodesoh road interception- , Ojuelegba flyover, Obalende flyover.
Principally, the beautification project involves the clearing of under the flyovers of dirt, laying interlocking tiles, wall arts, painting and placing of barricades around the location, etc.
For some curious reasons, the projects have dragged on. For instance, works at the Ojuelegba under bridge appears to have been abandoned.
Instead, the construction work there has made under the flyover become such an eyesore – a place of filth.
What possibly could be the reason for the rather slow pace of work there?
Or have the project, indeed, been abandoned?
Or are the politicians waiting to pick up the pace of work when the elections are close in order to commission them as a campaign strategy?
"Our goal is to show Africa as it really is: The good, the bad, the ugly, the potential," says John Allan Namu, an investigative journalist in Nairobi, Kenya. He co-founded Africa Uncensored, an investigative journalism collective that works to hold the government accountable and cover stories often unreported by the media. They are working on a massive story: The government is believed to have misappropriated millions of dollars after Kenya's health minister signed a multi-million dollar deal in 2015 for what he said was much-needed hospital equipment. The government also promised to invest in the improvement of Kenya's medical services, which were seen to be especially failing the poor. Namu had received a tip-off from a source, leading him onto the case. "The data set that we received showed us that there are corrupt networks in many, many places. But the place we chose to focus our attention on was on the ministry of health because this is one of the president's key pillars for delivery to the public," he says. "And it seems as if it's either has been hijacked or it was formulated to steal from this country." They carry out their investigation, using hidden cameras to confront an official, despite fears of reprisal. Meanwhile they feel the urgency to publish as they speak to those most affected by failures in the health system, including a mother who could not afford her cancer treatment. Still, the team maintains their faith in the power of journalism. "I think that they key role of journalism is that we publish the things that some people don't want published, even if that means that we are scared. Because at the moment that citizens have the information that they require to live their lives, that's when positive change happens," Namu says.
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Rights lawyer, Tope Akinyode, has slammed the National Assembly for considering the passage of the National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speeches bill. He stated that the Senate and House of Representatives should pass bills that would improve the welfare of Nigerians
