NEWS
Lagos shuts Alaba market over sanitation offences
The Lagos State Government, on Monday, closed Alaba International Market located in the Ojo area of the state. This is coming a week after it reopened the Mile 12 market last Monday.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said the Mile 12 market was reopened after a thorough assessment, covering various aspects of environmental compliance, waste management practices, and general cleanliness within the market.
While announcing the closing of the Alaba market, Wahab, on his X official handle posted, “Alaba International Market, Ojo has been sealed up for poor waste disposal practices, failure to pay their waste bills and gross environmental sanitation offences.”
“We cannot continue to be nonchalant about our environment. Our negative attitude towards the environment must stop. The way we treat the environment is the way the environment treats us. We cannot fold our arms and allow the nonchalance of a few to affect the generality of the people.
Tinubu presides over FEC meeting
President Bola Tinubu is currently presiding over the third Federal Executive Council meeting of his administration at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.
The meeting, which commenced at around 01:10 pm, is being attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan; the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Absent are Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is away in the United States of America and some ministers including those of Culture, Art and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; and the Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John, among others.
Last Monday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced that the council meeting will now be held on Mondays as against the previous schedule of Wednesdays.
Marketers blame cabals for gas price hike
The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers has accused terminal operators of incessantly increasing the price of gas, exploiting and limiting its availability to Nigerians.
The marketers, led by the association’s president, Oladapo Olatunbosun, on Monday, told the Senate that the Nigeria Natural Liquefied Gas has been consistent with its supply but the cabals have disrupted the availability of gas to Nigerians.
Olatunbosun labelled some of the marketers as the cabals who were buying the product cheaply from the source and selling it at a very high price to them.
Olatunbosun explained, “The cabals are making it difficult for the average Nigerian to have access to gas. As of today, gas is sold by these terminal owners for N16.8 million for 20 metric tonnes whereas NNLG sells to them for a little bit less than N9 million.
All commercials should be produced locally – ARCON
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON, has banned the production of local advertisements in foreign countries, adding that such would reduce unemployment and improve the national economy.
This was contained in a press statement signed by ARCON Director-General, Olalekan Fadolapo, on Monday.
The statement partly read, “All commercials to be exposed to Nigerians should be produced in Nigeria. Create jobs for our youths, help grow and develop the support service sector of the industry and circulate the money within the Nigerian advertising ecosystem.”
“Nigerians should be considered as primary in advertisement targeted at the Nigerian market. The use of foreign models and voices is banned except where it is inevitable. If you are selling your product to Nigerians, use Nigerians in your communication elements.”
Fadolapo stated that producing these adverts in Nigeria would serve as a means to tackle unemployment and also enrich the country’s economic strength because huge sums of money would flow.
Labour threatens to embark on strike over delayed MOU
The organised labour has threatened to embark on a strike due to the slow implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the Federal Government to avert its planned nationwide strike.
The state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress said failure to implement the agreement before the October 30 deadline might leave them with no choice but to down tools, noting that they had commenced mobilisation of their members across the country.
Asked on Tuesday whether Labour was satisfied with the implementation of the MoU, the Head of Information and Public Affairs of the NLC, Benson Upah, said, “No, we are not. The government could do better and faster. We issued a statement a few days ago in which we expressed our displeasure with the Minister of Labour and Employment.”
Oyo kingmakers sue Gov Makinde over Alaafin selection
Oyo state kingmakers also known as the Oyomesi in Council, have sued Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over the vacant stool of the Alaafin of Oyo.
The suit marked HOY/38/2023 before the Oyo State High Court in Oyo has as claimants five kingmakers, seeking a court injunction to restrain the governor and his agents “from aborting the process for the selection/appointment of the candidate for filling the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo duly conducted by the kingmakers of Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy.”
The kingmakers are praying the court to restrain the Oyo State Governor and his agents from nullifying the choice of Gbadegesin and “approving or recognising any other candidate” as the next Alaafin “after a duly conducted process for the filling of the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo in accordance with the native law, custom and Chieftaincy Declaration of Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy.”
The kingmakers also want the court to restrain the governor and the other defendants from removing them as Oyo kingmakers. There is no hearing date yet for the fresh suit filed by the kingmakers.
SPORTS
Google Doodle pays tribute to Rashidi Yekini @60
Google Doodle, on Monday, honours the 60th birthday of Rashidi Yekini, the legendary Nigerian footballer renowned for his goal-scoring prowess and nicknamed the Goalsfather. Born on October 23, 1963, in Kaduna, Nigeria, Yekini’s journey from a challenging early life marked by homelessness and poverty to football stardom is celebrated.
In 1983, Yekini’s exceptional goal-scoring abilities earned him the title of ‘African Footballer of the Year,’ making him the first Nigerian player to achieve this honour. The following year, he played a pivotal role in leading the Shooting Stars to the finals of the African Champions Cup.
Beyond Nigeria, Yekini played for various football clubs in Spain, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Greece, Portugal, and Switzerland. Notably, he secured the Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) in the 1993-94 season as the league’s top-scoring player while with the Portuguese team Vitória Setúbal.
Continuing his football career for over 14 years with the Super Eagles, Yekini participated in the 1998 World Cup, scoring a total of 37 goals in 58 games for Nigeria—a record for the most goals scored for the country.
Super Eagles Maintains 40th Position in FIFA Ranking
Despite recording a win and a draw in their last friendly games during the international break, Nigeria has maintained its 40th position in the latest FIFA men’s rankings for October.
Though the Super Eagles gained 1.62 points in the month under review to take their total point to 1490.48, they, however, maintained their position at 40th place.
The Eagles played a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia in their first game of the two friendlies before beating Mozambique 3-2 in their other game. Still, the results did not have much effect on their position on the rankings table.
The major reason for this drop was suggested to be their non-participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Nigeria held 39th in the rankings in June and July but slipped back to 40th in September. On the African continent, the three-time African champions remain sixth.
HEALTH
HPV vaccine safe, minister assures Nigerians
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, has assured Nigerians that the human papillomavirus vaccine, which was rolled out on Tuesday by the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is safe.
Alausa gave the assurance while speaking to newsmen shortly after his courtesy call on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Lagos House, Marina, on Wednesday.
He noted that Nigeria has about 8,000 women “dying from cervical cancer” today, stressing that “this vaccine will prevent cervical cancer by 95 per cent.”
He appealed that girls between the ages of nine and 15 years should be encouraged to take the vaccine, adding that some countries are already administering the vaccine to women up to 45 years old.
Alausa added, “So, let me emphatically say it again: HPV vaccine, human papillomavirus vaccine is 100 per cent safe. I’m a physician. I’m a father. I have a daughter and she got the vaccine when she was 13 years old and that was about 13 years ago.
