Today, I had the pleasure of joining my predecessor, the Speaker of the 9th and current Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, in Lagos to commission his landmark constituency projects.
The projects include:
1. A 484-bed Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence at UNILAG
2. National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Study Centre at Surulere
These initiatives are intended to address the needs and improve the living conditions of constituents. Constituency projects are not mere items in the budget; they are the lifelines that connect the heart of our government to the heartbeat of our communities.
By tailoring projects to local contexts, we ensure that development is not just a concept discussed in legislative chambers, but a reality experienced in the streets, villages, and towns across Nigeria.
I am personally encouraged by the many success stories that emerged from constituency projects over the last two decades. Schools have opened doors to education; good healthcare service delivery has saved lives, and infrastructure has bridged literal and metaphorical gaps between communities. These success stories are not just achievements, but are inspiration to millions of Nigerians that the government really cares about them.
I intend to reintroduce a reviewed version of the Constituency Development Fund Bill to provide framework for the management, disbursement, utilization and accountability of funds designated for constituency projects.
I urge all legislators and members of the House of Representatives to emulate Hon. Gbajabiamila and renew their commitment to constituency projects. We must work with integrity and purpose to bring about meaningful change for our constituents.
We should remember that the true measure of our success as legislators is not just in the laws we pass but in the lives we uplift directly.
Gbajabiamila inaugurates four projects across Lagos
Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, has urged Nigerians to be patient, saying government’s ability to perform takes experience, pedigree and time.
He also admonished those seeking public office to ‘remember that the ultimate and highest legacy we can leave as public servants is in the evident improvements to the lives of the people we serve’.
“I must also urge citizens to remember that the ability to get things done in government requires experience and pedigree, takes time and demands that we manage expectations accordingly,” he added.
Gbajabiamila spoke on Tuesday, January 2, in Lagos while inaugurating projects he facilitated in his Surulere Federal Constituency during his tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The projects were commissioned alongside Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and they include a state-of-the-art conference centre at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, an ultramodern, multi-floor 80-bed General Hospital, the dualised Babs Animashaun Road and Census Bridge, and the Sam Shonibare Community Development Centre, all in Surulere.
Gbajabiamila, who traced his political trajectory in the last 20 years at the House of Representatives, said it was an honour to serve.
He thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu, ‘for his support and collaboration through the years because without partnership with the state government, it would have been more difficult to achieve our visions for the projects’.
Gbajabiamila added: “I am proud that we have constructed over 250 roads in selected federal constituencies in the state, especially Surulere I and II constituencies, and completed 15 mini stadia. We facilitated heavy investment in education and healthcare, including constructing and equipping over 20 ICT centers in public schools where children are taught computer programming and coding. We have provided solar energy systems to light up neighbourhoods and support commercial trades in our constituencies.”
The General Hospital was upgraded from a primary healthcare centre and now boasts of advanced and specialist care facilities, a 500kva generator, a 100kva solar power supply on the roof, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a borehole, water filtration system and a dialysis centre on the second floor. It also boasts of radiology, a large laboratory, paediatric, physiotherapy, surgical, and X-ray facilities.
The Chief of Staff said the projects were inspired by a sense of duty and part of his efforts to meet the people’s expectations.
Sanwo-Olu, who thanked Gbajabiamila for partnering the state government, said such fruitful collaborations were part of the administration’s efforts to further its THEMES agenda.
He noted that the facility is now world-class, and would be managed by the Ministry of Health.
The governor added that to strengthen the state’s medical infrastructure, and counter the mass exodus of doctors and other medical personnel, the government will, this year, build a medical university targetted at graduating 1,500 doctors yearly.
Sanwo-Olu said the institution will be built in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He explained that the facility is needed following advice from the Federal authorities that the state needs to scale up the number of medical personnel it produces in the light of the shortage of medical health practitioners due to the japa syndrome.
Sanwo-Olu said: “Lagos State will be establishing, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Universities Commission (NUC), a medical university before the end of this year. This is a strategic intervention, moment for us.
“We cannot fold our arms like a government that cannot intervene, and so we will, as a state that is leading the pack and we hope that other states will take the initiative and set up this university to scale up our medical graduates to about 1,500 yearly. It will also stem, in our view, the risk of our medical personnel leaving our country. We are not going to stop at ensuring that we provide the best facilities to be able to retain our best hands.”
3ice9ce: I said MDA. Are you blind or plain stupid?
Do you see what I mean? He will keep asking questions that you've already answered. He doesn't even try to understand the answer (for example, he doesn't know where you wrote MDA and he probably doesn't know the meaning of MDA), but he'll keep asking the same question all night long, even though you've already answered it.
Dear diary, do you remember back when I was always explaining what supernumerary police was? I explained it on very many other threads as well as this one because I saw lots of funny comments. It seems like I will soon have to do the same for special constabularies.
There is a Dutch woman named Noraly Schoenmaker (aka Itchy Boots), who travels around the world on a motorcycle and she does a vlog about her travels.
She travelled through Nigeria in October. She came in from Benin Republic, travelled up to Abuja (to get a Cameroon visa) and then went from Abuja to Cameroon. Her vlog was very interesting.
She passed through a lot of checkpoints on the way and her interactions with policemen and soldiers were very interesting. Most of her interactions were positive, with the policemen and soldiers offering advice and joking with her. However, for people that don't watch her vlog, this has been overshadowed by her interaction with two special constabularies.
What are special constabularies
Community policing
There has been a long running debate in Nigeria. Some people believ that the structure of the Nigerian Police Force is wrong. They believe that it is wrong to have policemen that can be posted to any state and who live in barracks. They believe that policemen should be from the local community and live among the people (community policing), so that they'll know the community very well and know the problems in the community.
Others believe that policemen that are part of the community in that way will be biased and cannot be impartial.
Special constabulary
Professor Yemi Osinbajo believed that we should have some form of community policing and he basically championed the idea in the last administration. This led to the expansion of the Special Constabulary.
In the UK special constabulary are part-time volunteer policemen.
In Nigeria, the Special Constabulary platform was used to achieve the idea of community policing.
States were asked to nominate people to become special constables. These special constables are meant to be members of the community in which they will operate. They were given a little police training by the Nigerian Police Force and they are expected to assist regular policemen with their knowledge of the community.
It was 2 of those special constables that demanded money from Itchy Boots.
That incident backs up what I wrote on this thread some months ago. Someone advocated for community policing and said that community policemen would not be antagonistic to civilians and would not demand bribes from them. I replied that there is community policing in the United States, yet policemen are antagonistic to civilians and also demand bribes, so community policing won't solve the problem.
I have my own theory about why regular policemen were very nice to Itchy Boots, while the Special Constabularies demanded for money.
Regular policemen are more experienced and they would know that demanding money from her would get them in trouble. That would be very clear to them (note: I am not saying that there are no nice policemen. There are, but the bad eggs would also not ask Norally for money because they know that they would get in trouble).
Unfortunately many civilians see the uniformed services as an opportunity to bully people and extort money from them and I am certain that some peoole will join the Special Constabulary with that idea, yet they are not as experienced as regular policemen.
They belong to the Special Constabulary, not the regular police force.
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission has complained that state governments set up these special constabularies, but do not pay the men. He has also called for a separate uniform for them because they are denting the image of the Police Force.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday also commissioned some projects that were facilitated by Femi Gbajabiamila and he made this statement at the commissioning of the Femi Gbajabiamila General Hospital in Surulere.
Japa: Lagos to build 1500-capacity medical varsity
To counter the mass exodus of doctors and other medical personnel, the Lagos state government will, this year, build a medical university targeted at graduating 1,500 doctors yearly.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who spoke while inaugurating the Femi Gbajabiamila General Hospital in Surulere facilitated by the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila in his Surulere federal constituency, said construction of the new varsity will commence and be completed this year.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed further that the varsity will be built in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He explained that the facility is needed following advice from the Federal authorities that the state needed to scale up the number of medical personnel it produces in the light of the shortage of medical health practitioners due to japa.
Speaker Abbas Commissions Gbajabiamila’s Constituency Projects In Lagos
Gloria Essien, Abuja On Jan 3, 2024
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has commissioned the Surulere Study Centre of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) facilitated by the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Speaker Abbas also opened a 484-bed Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), equally facilitated by Gbajabiamila when he served as the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives.
Speaking at the separate events on Wednesday, the Speaker faulted the criticisms against the Zonal Intervention Projects popularly called constituency projects, saying they are successfully addressing the needs of Nigerians, especially at the grassroots.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Speaker Abbas opened an 80-bed hospital at Imota in Ikorodu, Lagos State, facilitated by the member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency and the Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson.
Annual budget
In implementing constituency projects, members of the National Assembly identify the needs of their constituents and nominate projects within a threshold in the annual budget of the Federal Government. The ministries, departments and agencies execute them as part of their capital projects.
The Speaker noted that legislative representation and constituency projects are two critical components of a functioning democracy, especially in a representative system of government like Nigeria’s presidential democracy.
“These specific initiatives are funded through the government budget and are intended to address the needs and improve the conditions of constituents, ” he stated.
Speaker Abbas also noted that for many Nigerians, especially at the grassroots, it is through constituency projects that they see the most direct and tangible manifestation of the government and democracy.
“However, there has been a widespread and endemic misunderstanding of the purpose and essence of these legislative interventions. Constituency projects are not mere items in a budget; they are the lifelines that connect the heart of our government to the heartbeat of communities,” he stated.
Unique opportunity
The Speaker explained that the projects offer a unique opportunity for legislators to address the specific needs and challenges of their constituents. He said: “By tailoring projects to local contexts, we ensure that development is not just a concept discussed in the halls of the legislature but a reality experienced in the streets, villages, and towns across Nigeria.
“Furthermore, constituency projects best reflect participatory governance, given that local communities are involved in the decision-making process. This approach does not just build infrastructure; it builds trust, confidence, and a sense of ownership among the people.”
Saying he was personally encouraged by the many success stories that had emerged from constituency projects over the last two decades, Speaker Abbas noted that schools had opened doors to education, healthcare facilities had saved lives, and infrastructure had bridged literal and metaphorical gaps between communities.
The Speaker stated: “These success stories are not just achievements; they inspire millions of Nigerians at the grassroots level and show that the government cares about them. With greater transparency and accountability, constituency projects can be the most viable tools for developing forgotten sections of Nigeria.
“I intend to re-introduce a reviewed version of the Constituency Development Fund Bill to provide a legal framework for the management, disbursement, utilisation and accountability of funds designated for constituency projects.
He urged all legislators and members of the House of Representatives to emulate Hon. Gbajabiamila and renew their commitment to constituency projects.
He called for team work to bring about meaningful change for the constituents, saying that is the true measure of our success as legislators.
Olabimiji Enitan Jowosimi (@Legendaryjoe) is the Special Assistant on New Media to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
LEGENDARY J.O.E @LegendaryJoe
Today, my Boss, the Speaker of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen @Speaker_Abbas, Ph.D will commission the new 484-bed Femi Gbajabiamila @femigbaja Hall of Residence at the University of Lagos, Akoka...
Gbaja, Jimi Benson, Akin Alabi, Bello El Rufai and a few others will make you think there were governors as lawmakers.
The Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence at @UnilagNigeria will be officially commissioned today.
The 484-bed hostel facility is the landmark contribution of the Chief of Staff to the President, @femigbaja, to the physical infrastructure development of his Alma Mater.
Thread👇🏾
We’re well underway now…😊
Our Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola kicks it off on a note of gratitude.
She thanks the donor, @femigbaja , for his visionary leadership and large-heartedness.
Generations of students of UNILAG will definitely be grateful to him.
The Donor, Rt. Hon. @femigbaja gives his remarks.
He thanks the immediate past VC, @profogundipe, for suggesting the hostel as a project idea & the current VC, Prof. Ogunsola for her continuity.
“I hope that it provides the space for students to live and dream big”, he said.
“May this hall of residence be a place where dreams are nurtured to greatness”.
Those were the words of @Speaker_Abbas at the official commissioning of the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence.
He lauded the Donor’s pro-people leadership style, promising to replicate same.
Management of @UnilagNigeria pose for a picture at the official commissioning of the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence.
3ice9ce: It was facilitated by him because it is his constituency project.
The SSA on SDGs has an allocation for this because health is part of SDGs.
I pity you.
We all know that legislators only nominate projects in their constituency and that it is agencies in the executive branch that execute the projects (in this case the SDG office), but people won't respond to that guy because he has a habit of asking an endless series of questions. In fact, in many cases, he just repeats the same question even though you have already provided the answer.
Also yesterday, The Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Tajudeen Abass @Speaker_Abbas commissioned an 80-Bed Hospital in Imota community of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
This hospital project was facilitated by the Golden Boy of Ikorodu, Hon. Babajimi Adegoke Benson @IamJimiBenson, representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency. The hospital was constructed and equipped by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While commissioning the project, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass, commended Jimi Benson for facilitating the project, and for bringing dividends of democracy to his Constituents.
Pictures 2 and 3) Right Honourable Tajudeen Abbas (Speaker of the House of Representatives), Honourable Babajimi Benson (member of the House of Representatives representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency) and Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (former Deputy Governor of Lagos and current Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals).
Gbajabiamila inaugurates four projects across Lagos
Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, has urged Nigerians to be patient, saying government’s ability to perform takes experience, pedigree and time.
He also admonished those seeking public office to ‘remember that the ultimate and highest legacy we can leave as public servants is in the evident improvements to the lives of the people we serve’.
“I must also urge citizens to remember that the ability to get things done in government requires experience and pedigree, takes time and demands that we manage expectations accordingly,” he added.
Gbajabiamila spoke on Tuesday, January 2, in Lagos while inaugurating projects he facilitated in his Surulere Federal Constituency during his tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The projects were commissioned alongside Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and they include a state-of-the-art conference centre at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, an ultramodern, multi-floor 80-bed General Hospital, the dualised Babs Animashaun Road and Census Bridge, and the Sam Shonibare Community Development Centre, all in Surulere.
Gbajabiamila, who traced his political trajectory in the last 20 years at the House of Representatives, said it was an honour to serve.
He thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu, ‘for his support and collaboration through the years because without partnership with the state government, it would have been more difficult to achieve our visions for the projects’.
Gbajabiamila added: “I am proud that we have constructed over 250 roads in selected federal constituencies in the state, especially Surulere I and II constituencies, and completed 15 mini stadia. We facilitated heavy investment in education and healthcare, including constructing and equipping over 20 ICT centers in public schools where children are taught computer programming and coding. We have provided solar energy systems to light up neighbourhoods and support commercial trades in our constituencies.”
The General Hospital was upgraded from a primary healthcare centre and now boasts of advanced and specialist care facilities, a 500kva generator, a 100kva solar power supply on the roof, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a borehole, water filtration system and a dialysis centre on the second floor. It also boasts of radiology, a large laboratory, paediatric, physiotherapy, surgical, and X-ray facilities.
The Chief of Staff said the projects were inspired by a sense of duty and part of his efforts to meet the people’s expectations.
Sanwo-Olu, who thanked Gbajabiamila for partnering the state government, said such fruitful collaborations were part of the administration’s efforts to further its THEMES agenda.
He noted that the facility is now world-class, and would be managed by the Ministry of Health.
The governor added that to strengthen the state’s medical infrastructure, and counter the mass exodus of doctors and other medical personnel, the government will, this year, build a medical university targetted at graduating 1,500 doctors yearly.
Sanwo-Olu said the institution will be built in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He explained that the facility is needed following advice from the Federal authorities that the state needs to scale up the number of medical personnel it produces in the light of the shortage of medical health practitioners due to the japa syndrome.
Sanwo-Olu said: “Lagos State will be establishing, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Universities Commission (NUC), a medical university before the end of this year. This is a strategic intervention, moment for us.
“We cannot fold our arms like a government that cannot intervene, and so we will, as a state that is leading the pack and we hope that other states will take the initiative and set up this university to scale up our medical graduates to about 1,500 yearly. It will also stem, in our view, the risk of our medical personnel leaving our country. We are not going to stop at ensuring that we provide the best facilities to be able to retain our best hands.”
plaindealer: What's my post got to do with your ignorant and unintelligent tribal and bigoted nonsense?
Stay off drugs.
🤣 That guy has a habit of derailing threads by posting very weird things. He'll start insulting you when you ask him what his strange rants have to do with your posts.
Bintasukai: You are so confident in your “wrongness”. The author did not say all WA schools are mushrooms. He was referring to the mushroom schools among WA schools.
I suspect that the guy is just trolling. Everybody has told him what you wrote, but he keeps going on like people said all West African schools are bad or as if this is some kind of war between Nigeria and Benin.
Three persons on two commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, have been crushed to death in an auto crash involving a Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, vehicle at the Alakija area of Lagos.
The victims, it was gathered, had head-on collision with the BRT vehicle heading to Okokomaiko, in the Ojo area of the state, from Mile 2.
According to reports, they were on their way home after a football match at Navy Town, Ojo, when their motorcycles rammed into the bus.
The incident triggered provocation from mob and youths, who had besieged the BRT vehicle aiming to set the bus on fire.
But it took the timely intervention of policemen from FESTAC Police Station, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Balogun Gboyega, to avert further crisis in the area.
The corpse of one of the motorcyclists was taken away by relatives, while three others were taken to FESTAC Police Station.
Eyewitness said the BRT driver was rescued by the police from the mob lynching him. The officers took both the BRT driver and his bus to the station.
The Lagos state government has banned riding of motorcycle on the BRT lane from Okokomaiko to Mile 2 with the commencement of BRT bus operations on the route.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, has confirmed the incident to newsmen.
Finally, Governor of Lagos State, Mr @jidesanwoolu commissioned the beautiful Femi Gbajabiamila General Hospital, Iyun Road, Off Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, Lagos. Project facilitated by Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to Mr President. @femigbaja
This particular Project had been handed over to the Lagos State Government for full management.
Politics › Re: Tajudeen Abbas Commissions Projects Facilitated By Femi Gbajabiamila by naptu2(op): 4:05am On Jan 04, 2024
