Honeywell partners FRSC on road safety campaign

HONEYWELL Flour Mills Plc, in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Ojota Unit, recently organized a road show in Lagos. The show was an avenue to educate motorists on how to avoid all acts that would lead to road accidents, especially during these ember months.   
   Tagged: “Change We Can Make On Our Road,” the road show took off from Honeywell Flour Mill Company, Ikeja, down to Ojota and Yaba. 
  Delivering a lecture, the Ojota Unit Commander of FRSC, Mr. Ganiyu Kehinde Hamzat, urged motorists to avoid over- speeding, drunk driving, over-loading, use of handsets while driving, gauge tyres and service their vehicles properly and use their seat belts before embarking on a journey.
 “Most of the accidents on the road are not caused by any ember months, but are caused by our own faults. Motorists should drive carefully during these ember months to avoid road mishap.  We need to be patient enough while driving, because 60 per cent of road accidents happen because of impatience.”
   He said at the federal level many of the FRSC personnel have been mobilised to major routes within the country to prevent accidents and criminal activities during Christmas. “Our men are out with enthusiasm, to discourage criminals and enlighten people.”
  He added that the walk show would reduce road accident. “We want to sensitizes road users on the need to play save while using the road, we want to reach to commercial and private drivers, pedestrians and transport unions.
  Hamzat urged road-users to obey traffic regulations because traffic offences would attract appropriate penalties. “Penalty for any violation is still the same, anyone caught without a Driver’s Licence, jail sentence is awaiting that person.”

 The Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mill Plc, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola said the programme was special because it was meant to educate people to drive safely especially the leaders of transport unions and their members in busy areas like Ojota, Yaba amongst others.
  “We need to be careful at this time of the year while we celebrate, we don’t pray things to end up in calamity.  So all we are doing is to partner with the FRSC to create a level of awareness among road users as they go up and down and be mindful of commuters on the road.”
  The Secretary Of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ojota branch, Alhaji Dauda Danjuma appreciated the road show done by Honeywell and the FRSC, urging them to keep on carrying out such enlightenment.
   He said. “Accidents do not happen only during ember months, but most of the festive seasons. Such road show should be carried out every month or mostly every festival period.”

By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola

Transport fares, foodstuff prices herald Xmas

• As travelers explain motives for going home

CHRISTMAS is here again with its flurry of activities to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It also marks the end-of-year activities, a time for stocktaking, reflection and family re-union.
   Hence, many people are already winding down activities for the year while those who have not yet travelled are still making plans to visit their hometowns to celebrate the Yuletide.
   As expected, the roads get extremely busy with human and vehicular traffic, which sometimes results in road crashes and loss of lives.
   Another signpost of this season is the hike in the prices of commodities and services, particularly transportation, foodstuffs, clothes among others.
   Investigations by The Guardian revealed that transportation cost to the Southeastern states, which used to be N2,500 has doubled, as at December 18. At G.U.O and the Young Shall Grow motor parks, both at Okota and Maza-Maza, the fare is now N4,500.
   God is Good, SunQuick, Libra, Ekeson, Abia Line and other interstate transport services charge N4,100. The chances are high that these prices would again be inflated before Christmas on Wednesday.
   The bug of price hike has also hit the markets, as prices of foodstuffs and livestock have increased marginally across markets in Lagos.
   At Mushin, a measure of tomato brand of rice now sells for N330 as against the earlier price of N300, while other brands cost N280, compared with the former price of N250. A standard measure of local rice now costs N200 as against the former price of N180.
   A fairly big chicken costs between N2,000 to N2,500  while normal size of goat is between N30,000 and N35,000. A fairly big cow sells for between N150,000 to N200,000.
   A rice trader at Daleko, Ajoke Kilani, who noted that a bag of rice is now N12,000 as against the earlier price of N10,000, attributed the increase to Christmas and the New Year celebrations.
   Kilani explained that the new price regime is reflecting the law of economics, which states that prices of commodities and services increases as the demand for it surges.
   Some of those who were traveling home for Christmas bared their minds to The Guardian. For Mr. Nathaniel Igwenagu, who came to drop off his family at G.U.O Park on Okota Road, the celebration is all about family reunion.
   “One mustn’t live all his life in a foreign land. There is need to go home and see what is happening over there. What we came here to do is to make money for the benefit of our lives and dependants back at home.
   “Besides, we have been hustling since January and I don’t think it is normal and healthy for a right thinking person to continue working all year round without giving himself a break from the hassles of a city like Lagos.
   “And at home in the East, when you stay away from your people for too long without coming back with your family, people will start raising eyebrow and asking if all is well. We all know the condition of the country but then, we can’t neglect home,” he said.
   Chinaza Okoye, a native of Anambra State, said her main reason for travelling for Christmas is to enhance her chances of getting married, most especially someone from her town.
   According to her, Christmas is when many unmarried men come home with the intention of picking wives for themselves.
   “In my family, our father has specifically warned us that even if we will marry outside of our town, it should never be outside of our state, and I too prefer marrying a man from my town. Living all my life in Lagos might not guarantee me that, which is why I look forward to traveling home every year to be with my extended family,” she said.

By Kenechukwu Ezeonyejiaku, Adeniyi Idowu Adunola and Tolulope Okunlola

Covenant University receives best higher institution 2013

Covenant University's leading position in the tertiary education
landscape of Nigeria has been affirmed has the best university 2013.
The university was om Friday conferred with the best performing higher
institution of the Year Award 2013 by the Centre for Democratic
Governance in Africa (DGA).
According to the Chairman DA, Dafe Okpocha said the university has
emulated good governance and this is among what keep the country
growth. ''the one thing that outstanding the university was their
input to develop good governance''.
The centre is one of the group that practice good governance and sees
to the development of the country. ''the aim of the organisation is to
preach good governance to Africa, Nigeria in particular. Whereas
education environment is not left out of these. If its not practice on
these sector the country is going no where'' he added.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, professor Charles Ayo who
received the Award on behave of the university said the university is
the leading university both in academy standard and a godly standard.
''. Will consider the university as a failure, if our graduate join
the band-wagon of the unemployed looking for job.''
he said their drive is to be among the top leading Christian mission
university in Africa in the next 10 years.
The university was founded to stir a unique class of people who will
make Nigeria a better place. ''the chancellor has formed a body that
will address the problems of leadership setting in the country by
January 2014.''

By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola

Police allay fear over insecurity in Lagos at Xmas

• FRSC deploys personnel to Ibadan highway

AN assurance has come from the Lagos Police Command that it has beefed up security on major routes within the state to prevent criminal activities during the Christmas.
  Meanwhile, the Lagos State Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) yesterday said 2,400 personnel had been mobilised to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for Yuletide patrol.
  The state Police Commissioner,  Mr. Umar Manko, told reporters in Lagos that officers and men were deployed to major routes and event centres to discourage criminals.
  He said 919 vehicles were recovered from suspected armed robbers, while 54 robbery cases were prosecuted.
  Manko noted that 472 armed robbers were arrested while 390 arms and 16,034 live ammunition were also recovered from the bandits.
  The police boss added that the on-going construction of roads in the state, coupled with the increasing traffic jam, informed the need for the Command to re-strategise its security network.
  According to him, the present security arrangement is yielding results, adding that it was usual for the Command to always plan ahead.
  The police chief also announced that apart from roads and event centres, the Command also deployed its men to departmental stores, markets and motor parks.
  Manko expressed happiness that the Command was on top of the security situation in the state, saying that crime rate had dropped drastically.
  He said the last six months witnessed low report of armed robbery activities, kidnapping and snatching of vehicles.
  He called on members of the public to always be at alert and report any person or group suspected to be criminals to the nearest police station for appropriate action.
  It was reported that the statistics presented by the police at a Town Hall meeting on November 28 showed that 146 armed robbery suspects were killed by the Command from November 2012 to date, adding that the hoodlums were killed when they engaged the police in gun duel at different robbery operations across the state.
  The Command said that no fewer than 39 of its men were killed during the same period.
  The FRSC Sector Commander, Mr. Chidi Nkwonta, told journalists in Lagos that the step would ensure accident-free period.
  According to him, the personnel, comprising 1,200 regular marshals, 1,000 special marshals and 200 NYSC Road Safety Club members, began operations on Monday.
  Nkwonta added that the Command had released 38 patrol vehicles, two tow trucks and two ambulances to arrest any unforeseen situation on the highway.
  “Our corporate goal for this festive period is to record zero crash on Lagos-Ibadan highway and that is why we are not leaving any stone unturned”, he noted.
  The sector commander urged road-users to obey traffic regulations because traffic offences would attract appropriate penalties.




By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola and Tolulope Okunlola

Group marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities

DISABILITY Policy and Advocacy Initiative (DPAI), a Lagos-based non-governmental organization recently marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with an exhibition of creative abilities of persons with disabilities. The event featured dance, musical and visual arts.
  Speaking at the event, a physically- challenged broadcaster with Lagos Television, Folasade Salimoni, in her wheel chair, said: "Disability is not a disease. We only have a challenge that made us disabled".
  "It is high time the society began to recognise that persons with disabilities have potentials and we can function well in any sector of the society.
"Our disability does not limit us in any way; we are like every other person. It’s only that the state of the economy makes our disability more challenging”.
  Also, Kayode Ogedengbe, a blind singer, said he has passion for music and was determined to satisfy his audience in music.”
    She added that it was crucial for the government to recognise their personality first, before their disability.   “Make our environment conducive; include us in every strata of the society and we will function well or even do better than the able-bodied ones",
  The Chairman of the Empowerment and Entertainment of DPAI, Mrs. Pretty Ogboma urged the physically-challenged persons to put themselves together and bring out something good out of their lives.
    Mr. Dare Dipo, who is also physical challenged person, urged them to take away that disabilities from their minds.  He said: “What ever you have to do, do it skillfully, you will affect the society and the world will appreciate you.
   The group offered persons with disabilities opportunities to engage in cultural and recreational activities.

By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola