LAGOS MOVES AGAINST ONE-WAY DRIVING UNLEASHES SPECIAL TASKFORCE.

Motorists driving against the traffic in Lagos will now face stringent penalty, as Lagos State Government, launched a special security team to checkmate one-way driving and other traffic offences.

The new operation, codenamed “Anti-Oneway and Other Traffic Offenders Squad”, was raised by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, at the instance of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, with the specific mandate to arrest and impound vehicles plying one-way, BRT lanes and also motorcyclists operating in restricted areas.

The outfit, being led by the Commander of policemen in Governor’s Monitoring Team (GMT), Shola Jejeloye, a Superintendent of Police (SP), will complement activities of the existing Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency (Task Force) being led by Yinka Egbeyemi, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

In the maiden enforcement of the outfit on Monday, the GMT team combed Ikeja, Ojota and Maryland axes, arresting Okada riders who defied the State’s traffic restriction order.

The team also burst a residential area in Ikeja habouring Okada riders that are flouting the State’s Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, retrieving various motorcycles from the building.

Some of the offenders were arrested in the enforcement for prosecution.

Jejeloye vowed that the team would not be lenient on those flouting Lagos traffic regulations, warning motorists who may have intention of driving on one-way lanes to desist from the act.

He said: “We have been mandated by the Commissioner of Police to stop acts of indiscipline by some motorists who are in the habit of flouting traffic regulations of Lagos State. We will discharge this duty without fear or favour, and our activities will be professionally exercised in line with the mandate of the team.

“I, therefore, urge motorists to obey the traffic laws and be patient when driving on the roads. We will not be lenient on motorists that are in the habit of committing traffic offences. Offenders arrested will be prosecuted and have their vehicles confiscated.”

Lagos Police Warns Against Protests, Illegal Gathering.

Worried by the rumour of ganging up by the recent EndSARS groups to stage another violent protests nationwide, the Lagos Police Command has re-echoed its warning against any gathering, procession or protest in Lagos State.

It hinted that some unpatriotic individuals and groups are planning to embark on the replica of the recent destructive and violent EndSARS protest that left pains and agonies in Lagos State.

In a release by its public relations officer SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Command said it reliably gathered through intelligence that certain individuals/groups have concluded plans to lure unsuspecting Lagosians, especially youths, into their planned protest which is proposed to commence 7th December, 2020 at designated locations in the state.

” The Lagos State Police command wishes to re-echo and remind the general public that the Government of Lagos State, businesses, individuals and security families still groan in losses and pains that the last violent EndSARS protest occasioned. Lagos State is still nurturing the wounds orchestrated by some violent EndSARS protesters and not fit to accommodate such protest for now.

In the light of the above, the Lagos State Police Command therefore warns those who might want to disguise under EndSARS protest to cause another set of mayhem, brouhaha and violence in the state, to desist from such plans as the police and other security agencies will not fold their arms seeing individuals or groups orchestrating another violence and anarchy in the state.

The Command also warns parents and guardians to warn and discourage their children and wards from being lured into any act, gathering or protest capable of causing violence in the state.

The Command wishes to reiterate that any unlawful gathering, procession or protest will be suppressed professionally in accordance with the provisions of the law.

The police command encourages Lagosians and those who are in Lagos for their genuine engagements, to go about their lawful businesses as all hands are on deck to maintain law and order within the length and breadth of Lagos State”, the Command stated.

SERAP Kicks Against Governors’ Move to Borrow N17 Trillion from Pension Funds

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to instruct the Director-General and Board of the National Pension Commission (NPC) to stop the 36 state governors from borrowing N17 trillion from the pension funds.

The governors had made the proposal last week with plans to use the money for infrastructural development, after a briefing from Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Chairman of the National Economic Council Ad Hoc Committee on Leveraging Portion of Accumulated Pension Funds.

In a letter dated December 5, 2020, and issued by SERAP, it warned that allowing the governors to borrow from pension funds would be detrimental to the interest of the beneficiaries, especially given the vulnerability of the funds to corruption in Nigeria, and the transparency deficits in several states.

SERAP said it is unjust and contrary to the 1999 Constitution, Pension Reform Act, and the country’s obligations for government at federal and state levels to repeatedly use pension funds as an escape route from years of corruption and mismanagement, noting that the move would lead to serious losses of retirement savings of millions of Nigerians.

It went further by stating that Pension funds should not be used to cover cost of governance by a government that has failed to do the right things, such as; cutting its running cost, reduce corruption, recover life pensions collected by former governors and their deputies, and public funds collected by corrupt electricity contractors who disappeared with the money

“This proposed borrowing faces the risks of corruption and mismanagement, and would ultimately deny pensioners the right to an adequate standard of living and trap more pensioners in poverty.

“Rather than devising ways to address pensioner poverty, governments at all levels would seem to be pushing to exacerbate it.

“The proposed borrowing would amount to a fundamental breach of fiduciary duties to prevent pension funds from unduly risky investments.

The rights group has given the federal government 14 days ultimatum to indicate the measures being taken to instruct the NPC to stop the governors’ move.

Failure to do this, it said will lead to legal action in the interest of millions of Nigerian pensioners.