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No More Business As Usual – Obasa Warns Council Chairmen, Others

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No More Business As Usual – Obasa Warns Council Chairmen, Others

… says policy of one project every quarter now compulsory

…says council chairmen, vice, councillors now under close monitoring

 

 

 

Local government chairmen, vice chairmen, councillors and other top officials of the 57 councils in Lagos State will henceforth face strict monitoring to make them meet the yearnings and aspirations of their people, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has declared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Obasa said reports available to the House have shown that some of the council chairmen have not met the expectations of their people, so far. He warned that it will no longer be business as usual in the councils as the Assembly will now ensure strict compliance to serving the interests of the people.

 

 

 

 

 

At separate meetings with the council chairmen, vice chairmen, councillors and senior staff of the councils in Lagos recently, the Speaker frowned at the aloofness that these set of public office holders have exhibited at that level of government to the detriment of the expectations of Lagosians.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obasa, who noted that council officials in Lagos were the only ones with four-year terms in Nigeria, added that it is disheartening how some of these chairmen personalise monthly allocations while their communities are crying for infrastructure and other forms of developmental initiatives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I wonder how you sleep with your eyes closed while your council cannot even build and equip a good maternity centre. You can’t justify the fact that in six months, there is no meaningful project done by you in your community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Some councils have no single project for over two years, you treat the vice chairmen and councillors like they must be subservient even when you are going astray. Some of your councillors have not received official vehicles up till now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Some of your councils do not have legislative chambers, meaning that the councillors have not been holding sittings. How then do you get approvals for the money you spend?

“We are aware of how some of these councils go ahead to borrow money up to nine-digit figures without approvals or due process and how they lease council property without caution. We won’t allow these to happen again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It is now strictly going to be true governance at the grassroots level. If you don’t develop your communities, where would you fall back to when you leave office? How would the people see you?” The Speaker asked while urging the councillors to up their effectiveness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obasa maintained that having a well-equipped maternity centre in every ward of the local governments for residents to easily access healthcare is not impossible. He also enjoined the chairmen to embark on creation of parks and gardens in their local government councils and areas for the well-being of the people.

Going forward, he said, each council chairman must adopt “a policy that every quarter, there must be something to show that you are truly in office. Let there be something to commission.

“If you’re to construct a road, it shouldn’t be one that would last for a month or a year. It should be something that would make people pray for you each time they pass through it. Let’s truly serve our people.”

He warned the chairmen, the council managers and treasurers against constituting themselves into a power bloc that runs the councils without inputs from vice chairmen and councillors, who are supposed to issue approvals for spending and projects.

“We are here today to talk to each other. This is no witch-hunt. But I want you to always ask yourselves if you have been doing well for the people who voted you into office. How well have you been treating your vice chairmen, councillors and staff too?

“Some of you were vice chairmen before and you bitterly complained about your chairmen. Now that you are chairmen, what have you done to change what you complained about? How have you bettered those working with you? How have you changed the lives of your councillors?

“You need to have the fear of God and treat the people around you right. We (my colleagues and I) seriously made efforts, passed through a lot to amend the law for your benefits and to make you stay in office for four years. You need to think about the public and how to touch them.

“The best way to handle your office is to touch lives and do things that would make people speak well of you later in life. We have not asked you for money. All we are saying is that you do things for the progress of our state.

“The governor of our state cannot do it all alone. You are, therefore, supposed to be the nearest to the grassroots and help him with your own efforts.

“We must try to move with the moment. The world is moving and we can’t continue to do things like we live in the past,” he said while advising the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy to always guide the chairmen and other officials to deliver democratic dividends to their people.

In his comment, the chairman of Conference57, Kolade Alabi David, commended the Speaker for his advice and promised that there would be changes in the way the chairmen ran the affairs of their council areas.

 

 

No More Business As Usual - Obasa Warns Council Chairmen, Others

Eromosele Ebhomele
Media Assistant to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

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Crisis Looms in APC ….As Elected National Deputies demands for equity, justice and sense of belonging…

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Crisis Looms in APC

….As Elected National Deputies demands for equity, justice and sense of belonging…

 

All seems not to be well in the ruling party, Apc at the National level due to alleged injustice melted out to some elected National deputies of the Party.

Recently some NWC and NEC members were offered appiontment in some Parastals, to the utmost suprise of everybody some of the elected Deputies were left out.

According to a reliable source, this injustice has been on going since they were elected, they were not giving housing or car allowances like thier colleagues, Most Affected are the following

-Deputy National Legal adviser
-Deputy National Youth Leader
-Deputy National Treasurer
-Deputy National Auditor
-Deputy National Welfare officer are not also members of the NWC,
while some National Deputies are members.

The following elected National Officers were also left out in the last appointments announced.
The National Ex-Officio South-West
National Ex-Officio South+South
National Ex-Officio North-Central
National Ex-Officio South-East
National Ex-Officio North- West
National Ex-Officio North East

Worst of it all happened During the last Christmas and new year celebrations,were NWC members shared 20 bags each to themselves without even giving the Non NWC National Officers any. They weren’t given other items that were shared like their colleagues got. They see it as greed on the part of their colleagues in NWC.
They also did not benefit from the Housing and vehicle allowances their fellow colleagues in NWC gave themselves.

If not for the respect they have for Mr president by now they would have Been protests,.

A reliable source informed us that the Non NWC Deputies together with the Ex officio are planning for a Show-down next week if their demands are not met promptly.

They claim they all worked for the emergence of Mr President and were also elected the same day as their colleagues who got appointments as Chairman of Federal Government agencies and wondered why the National Chairman of their party APC did not forward their names to Mr President for Federal appointments.

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Goma Under Siege: M23 Rebels Tighten Grip Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty

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Goma Under Siege: M23 Rebels Tighten Grip Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty

Goma Under Siege: M23 Rebels Tighten Grip Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty

More than 900 people have been killed in the past two weeks amid intense fighting between M23 rebels and government forces in Goma, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The escalating violence has also left approximately 2,880 individuals injured and admitted to various health facilities in Goma since January 26, according to a statement released late Monday by the World Health Organization (WHO).

 

Last week, the M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan troops, seized control of Goma’s airport as its fighters swept through the regional capital of North Kivu, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. The rebels have since intensified their attacks in eastern DRC, establishing checkpoints and significantly restricting humanitarian access.

 

With Goma under their control, M23 rebels advanced toward Bukavu, another major city in eastern DRC. Previously, the group had declared its intention to push further across the country toward the national capital, Kinshasa. However, in a recent statement, M23 rebels denied any plans to capture Bukavu.

 

“It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas. However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions,” said M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka.

Meanwhile, Rwanda-backed forces in eastern DRC announced on Tuesday that they would pause their advance for humanitarian reasons. The Alliance Fleuve Congo rebel coalition declared a unilateral ceasefire starting February 4, 2025, citing growing humanitarian concerns.

A statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the rebel group read: “The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) informs the public that, in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the regime in Kinshasa, it declares a ceasefire starting February 4, 2025, for humanitarian reasons.”

Despite the ceasefire declaration, there has been no immediate response from the DRC government in Kinshasa, and it remains unclear whether the Congolese military will honor the truce. Over the past three years, multiple ceasefires and truces have been declared, only to be systematically broken.

Before the ceasefire announcement, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported treating over 600 wounded individuals since the start of January, nearly half of whom were civilians, including women and children. Humanitarian organizations, including the WHO, have also warned of an increased risk of disease outbreaks, including mpox, cholera, and measles, as displaced populations struggle to access medical care amid the ongoing crisis.

 

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Historic Shift or Political Turmoil? Lagos Assembly in Crisis After Speaker’s Impeachment

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Tinubu Intensifies Lobbying Efforts Amid Northern Opposition to Tax Reform Bills

Historic Shift or Political Turmoil? Lagos Assembly in Crisis After Speaker’s Impeachment

Lagos, Nigeria – Political tensions in Lagos State have reached a fever pitch following the impeachment of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and the historic appointment of Rt. Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda as the first female Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly. Meranda officially assumed office on Monday, January 27, 2025, amid controversy, with a two-thirds majority of the House voting to remove Obasa.

Historic Shift or Political Turmoil? Lagos Assembly in Crisis After Speaker's Impeachment

Citing Chapter 5, Section 92 of the Nigerian Constitution, lawmakers defended their decision, stating that Obasa’s impeachment was carried out in accordance with legal provisions. However, the political landscape has since been rocked by unexpected developments, including the detention of several lawmakers involved in the impeachment by operatives of the Lagos Command of the Department of State Services (DSS).

 

In a show of defiance, members of the Assembly visited the DSS office in Shangisha to reaffirm the legitimacy of their decision and condemned the detentions as intimidation tactics.

 

The crisis deepened on Sunday, February 2, 2025, when reports surfaced alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had instructed Meranda and other principal officers to step down in order to reinstate Obasa. The reports further claimed that First Lady Oluremi Tinubu had intervened on Obasa’s behalf, pressuring the President to act to prevent potential political instability ahead of the next elections.

Sanwo-olu Distances Self from #IgboMustGo" Protest

However, a political insider dismissed these allegations as false, asserting that they were fabrications designed to sway public opinion in Obasa’s favor. The source, speaking to PMExpress, stated, “When it seemed ploys and tactics from the ex-speaker were not yielding expected results, those behind the plots resorted to sponsoring wild rumors and dropping influential names.”

Another source close to the presidency dismissed the speculation as baseless, asserting that it was inconceivable for President Tinubu to be unaware of such a significant political shift in Lagos, his stronghold. The source noted, “How can something of this magnitude happen, and the DSS and other intelligence agencies be unaware? These are civilian politicians, not military officers who can hold clandestine meetings. If the President had any objections, he would have stopped it before it even began.”

The unfolding crisis has left Lagosians watching closely, as the political power struggle continues to play out. With Meranda now at the helm, the next moves of both her allies and Obasa’s supporters will determine the future of the Lagos State House of Assembly and its leadership. Whether this marks a new era of progressive leadership or a prolonged period of political instability remains to be seen.

 

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