Category: Uncategorized

By Our Reporter

The Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said that a three-storey building on Lekki Expressway collapsed at about 7.14 p.m. on Thursday in Lagos.
Oke-Osanyintolu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the collapsed building is situated at Sharks Squad, LASEMA, enroute Kingdom Hall street, Abijo, along Lekki-Epe expressway.
He said that the collapsed three-storey building was under construction, while three people had been rescued.
“The three people sustained various degrees of injuries and they have been treated and discharged,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.
He said that no death was recorded while officials are still working and monitoring the situation at the site.
He, however, said that the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA), as well as the Ministry of Solid Material Testing Agency And Physical Planning, had been informed for further investigation. (NAN)

By Our Reporter

The Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria (FOMWAN) urged religious leaders to increase awareness about girl’s right in the society.

Hajiya Muslimat Kamaldeen, a member of Trustees of FOMWAN made the call on Thursday in Ilorin when she led executive members of the group visit the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Alhaji Muhammad Solihu.

She said that the visit was part of activities to celebrate the 2019 International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated annually on Oct. 11 to promote girls’ right.

This year’s celebration has the theme: “Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow”, to promote girls’ position in the society and to make life easier for them.

She, therefore, urged religious leaders to sensitise the public about the rights of girls to equal education and other fundamental freedoms in life.

She added that “FOMWAN decided to focus on empowering the girl child during this year’s edition of the annual International Day of the Girl Child.”

Kamaldeen explained that the association had been putting effort to ensure that girls stayed in school, while striving to stop child-abuse and abuse of girls in whatever form.

She described sound and quality education as necessary weapon for good living, saying that “educating a female child is like educating the nation.”

In his reaction, the Chief Imam pledged that religious leaders would give necessary support to the upliftment of the girl child in the state.

He also pledged to support programmes of FOMWAN toward promoting human rights as propagated by Islam.

He described the association as “one of the very strong Islamic organisations in Nigeria that prides itself with laudable achievements in terms of promoting Islam and service to God and humanity.”

Solihu urged other leagues of imams in Kwara to ensure they keyed into sensitising the adherents on empowering girl child across the state.

Hajiya Balqees Oladimeji, the Chairperson of FOMWAN Youth wing, said activities lined up for the International Day for the Girl Child include seminars, a walk and sensitisation, as well as Qur’anic competition.

She said that awareness campaign would also take place at local market places across some local government areas of the state.

She added that the campaign would be on sex education, safe and healthy environment for the Girl child, school enrolment, among others. (NAN)

By Our Reporter

A ground-breaking study reveals that seven in 10 workers are self-employed or in small businesses, a finding that has significant implications for employment and enterprise support policies world-wide.

According to the new International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates, self-employment, micro and small enterprises play a far more important role in providing jobs than previously believed.

The Data, gathered in 99 countries, found that the so-called ‘small economic units’ together account for 70 per cent of total employment, making them by far the most important drivers of employment.

The findings have “highly relevant” implications for policies and programmes on job creation, job quality, start-ups, enterprise productivity and job formalisation, which, the report says, need to focus more on these small economic units.

The study also found that an average of 62 per cent of employment in these 99 countries is in the informal sector, where working conditions in general tend to be inferior, (i.e. a lack of social security, lower wages, poor occupational safety and health and weaker industrial relations).

The informality level varies widely, ranging from more than 90 per cent in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Madagascar to less than five per cent in Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam and Switzerland.

The information is published in a new ILO report, Small matters: Global evidence on the contribution to employment by the self-employed, micro-enterprises and SMEs.

The report finds that in high-income countries, 58 per cent of total employment is in small economic units, while in low and middle-income countries, the proportion is considerably higher.

In countries with the lowest income levels, the proportion of employment in small economic units is almost 100 per cent, the report says.

ILO estimates draw on national household and labour force surveys, gathered in all regions except North America, rather than using the more traditional source of enterprise surveys that tend to have more limited scope.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the employment contribution of so-called small economic units has been estimated, in comparative terms, for such a large group of countries, particularly low and middle income countries,” said Dragan Radic, Head of the ILO’s Small and Medium Enterprises Unit.

The report advises that supporting small economic units should be a central part of economic and social development strategies.

It highlights the importance of creating an enabling environment for such businesses, ensuring that they have effective representation and that social dialogue models also work for them.

Other recommendations include understanding how enterprise productivity is shaped by a wider “ecosystem“, facilitating access to finance and markets, advancing women’s entrepreneurship, and encouraging the transition towards the formal economy and environmental sustainability. (NAN)

By Our Reporter

The Lagos State Government on Thursday expressed its readiness to partner with the private sector in the development of roads and other critical infrastructure to fast-track the state’s economic growth.

Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, Special Adviser to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Works and Infrastructure, made the disclosure, while receiving Mr Abubakar Jimoh, the Chairman, Coronation Asset Management Company inner office.

Adeyoye said that globally, public infrastructure were managed better under the Private Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

She said in a statement that road infrastructure was an important part of the development agenda of the present administration.

The governor’s aide advised the company to partner with the state government in the ongoing roads construction and rehabilitation works across the state to ease gridlock.

“Road is a major factor in development, because it is a major weapon that drives the economy; there are many areas of opportunities for partnership with this administration.

“However, because road infrastructure is crucial to development, I urge you to look into our various road projects and tell us your areas of interest for Private Public Partnership (PPP).

“The present administration of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is open to business, and we will welcome any investor that shares our vision for a greater Lagos,” Adeyoye said.

According to her, creating access to rural and riverine communities by providing motorable roads and other infrastructure that can better lives of the residents of those communities is of paramount interest to us.

She listed roads where state government needed partnership to include: Lagos Coastal Roads; Rional Road Network; 4th Mainland Bridge, among others.

“We are very eager, as a government, to create access to our rural communities and provide infrastructure along the coastal areas. It is our responsibility to develop our waterways.

“We want to provide good schools in our riverine communities.

“Since government alone cannot do it, because of funds paucity, we are open to partnership that will help us meet the needs of people who gave us the opportunity to serve them,’’ Adeyoye said.

She reiterated the state government’s commitment to completion of various ongoing road projects and promised that massive construction works would resume as soon as the rain subsides.

The special adviser listed roads to receive attention after the rainy season to include: Lagos – Badagry Expressway, Agege Pen-Cinema Flyover, Agric/Ishawo Road, Ojokoro Phase I and II, Command/Ejigbo NNPC Road.

Earlier, Jimoh expressed his organisation’s willingness to partner with the state government for efficient management of public infrastructure.

He enumerated his company’s areas of partnership interests to include: Public Asset Management, Tourism, Works and Health. (NAN)

By Our Reporter

A Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Peter Ogunnubi, says huge cost of orthodox medication forces people with mental disorder to seek helps in Churches, Mosques and herbal homes.

Ogunnubi, also the Chief Executive Officer, Grace Cottage Clinics, made the assertion at a programme organised to mark the 2019 World Mental Health Day in Lagos.

The World Mental Health Day is observed on every Oct. 10 worldwide.

The day is set aside for individuals, communities, organisations and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), to raise awareness, educate and inform the world on mental health issues.

It is also a day to advocate against stigma and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.

Theme of the commemoration is: “Suicide Prevention, Raising more Awareness for Mental Health and Suicide Mission.”

Ogunnubi said: “Mental illness, as a chronic illness all over the world, is expensive.

“In fact, some NHIS or health insurance scheme refused to put mental illness in their area of coverage, as individual have to pay from their pockets, and that is quite unfortunate.

“There is free medication for HIV at NIMR and some hospitals, but when people come with depression, anxiety, agrophobla, inability to sleep, they have to pay from their pockets; it is quite very pathetic.

“A few medical institutions we have, are they equipped to provide subsidised medication ? The answer is No.

“So, you have people resorting to private care like Churches, Mosques and herbalists. It is not that they don’t know they should seek orthodox care, but they don’t have money.

“Federal, States and Local Governments should come to the aid of those suffering from mental illnesses.”

The expert said that the concern for mental health of Nigerians had been the driving force for his call since 1999 for the passage of the Mental Health Bill by the National Assembly.

He added: “It’s quite unfortunate that the ninth Assembly is here now and the situation still remains the same.

“The eight assembly was almost getting it right as the bill passed the first and second readings stages and they left it.”

According to Ogunnubi, people need to understand that mental illness is not that man on the road naked alone, adding that every 40 seconds, one person loses his or her life to suicide and depression.

“Suicide is now a medical emergency. Mental illness has a very rich history, because it has come of age.

“People have attributed the cause of mental illness to many things, especially evil spirit.

“People fail to realise that depression, anxiety and phobia, sexual addiction, internet addiction, and gambling, all these also constitute mental illness,” he added.

The expert said that the bill, if passed, would care and support people suffering from mental illness.

It will also give them voice and protect their rights in the society. (NAN)