News
Charly Boy: Falana Reacts To Street Renaming After Olamide Baddo, Others
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has condemned the recent renaming of streets and bus stops in Lagos State without adherence to constitutional procedures and public input. He described the actions as illegal, authoritarian and a violation of the constitutional powers vested in local councils.
Falana, who spoke yesterday, cited the recent renaming of “Charly Boy Bus Stop” to “Baddo Bus Stop” by the former Chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Kolade Alabi, as well as the naming of two streets after President Bola Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
He also referenced billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote’s reported naming of two streets after his late friend, Herbert Wigwe, and President Tinubu, allegedly without proper statutory approval.
Falana stressed that under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the exclusive authority to name streets, roads and number houses lies with local councils, as clearly stated in the Fourth Schedule. He described the action as disrespectful to both local residents and cultural memory.
Also, motorists plying the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway have said that the recent renaming of Charly Boy Bus-Stop to Baddo Bus-Stop in honour of a pop music star, Olamide Adedeji, will take a longer time before they become conversant with it.
The drivers, who contended that Charly Oputa, popularly called Charly Boy had done so much for the common man, said that changing the bus stop to Baddo would only work in principle.
Another respondent, Kehinde Alani, aka Kendoo, said what the government has done is simply politics. The human rights lawyer lamented that while Lagos State has retained street names of colonial figures linked to oppression and exploitation, it finds time to replace names that honour Nigerians who contributed positively to society.
He, therefore, called on local council legislative arms across the state to stop arbitrary renaming of public spaces, and instead institutionalise public hearings and legal processes before any such decisions are made.
“Streets should not be renamed arbitrarily to please the whims and caprices of political leaders or to promote ethnic chauvinism, especially in a cosmopolitan capital city like Lagos,” he said.
He also called for due process and democratic engagement, warning that such unilateral renaming of streets undermine community identity and violate constitutional principles.
Also, motorists playing the Apapa/ Oshodi Expressway have said that the recent renaming of Charly Boy Bus-Stop to Baddo Bus-Stop in honour of a pop music star, Olamide Adedeji, will take a longer time before they become conversant with it.
The drivers, who contended that Charly Oputa, popularly called Charly Boy had done so much for the common man, said that changing the bus stop to Baddo would only work in principle. Another respondent, Kehinde Alani, aka Kendoo, said what the government has done is simply politics.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has announced that members can now decide whether to accept or donate the four main components of blood based on their personal conscience.
The organisation made this known in a statement issued by its World Headquarters in Warwick, New York and made available on its website on Friday.
According to the statement, “the decision to accept red cells, white cells, plasma or platelets from another person’s blood is a matter of personal conscience.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses announce adjustment to blood transfusion policy
It added that “each Witness must decide whether or not to donate blood for the clearly expressed purpose of providing components or fractions for use by another person.”
However, the organisation said its position on whole-blood transfusion had not changed.
“The long-standing refusal of whole-blood transfusions on religious grounds, a core teaching based on the command to ‘abstain from blood’ (Acts 15:20), is unchanged,” the statement said.
International spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at the organisation’s World Headquarters, Paul Gillies, said, “Blood remains sacred to Jehovah’s Witnesses, who continue to regard life and blood as precious gifts from God.
“We recognise that medical decisions involving blood components are a matter of conscience between each Witness and their God, Jehovah.”
The organisation said the adjustment “follows earlier updates regarding blood fractions and the use of one’s own blood during medical procedures.”
It added, “Since the Bible does not comment on such decisions, they are a matter of individual conscience. That same reasoning has now been extended to the four main components of blood.”
On medical care, the statement said, “Jehovah’s Witnesses love life and want the best available medical care. They do not practise faith healing, and they seek out doctors who can provide effective treatment in accord with their wishes, values and beliefs.”
Gillies said local congregations would not interfere in members’ personal decisions.
“Congregations do not involve themselves in personal decisions that rest with the individual conscience. We will continue to respect and support the personal decisions of our fellow believers.
“We are grateful, too, for the many skilled and compassionate physicians who provide quality medical care that respects our personal wishes regarding blood,” he said.
The organisation said Jehovah’s Witnesses number “over nine million worldwide, in congregations across more than 200 lands.”
Recall that the religious group had clarified its position on the use of a member’s own blood during surgery and other medical procedures.
The clarification allowed individual Witnesses to decide whether their blood could be removed, stored and returned to them during medical treatment, while the organisation maintained its position against receiving blood from another person.
Punch
The Nigerian Army has dismissed as fake and unverified a purported intelligence alert warning of planned Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks on schools, churches, mosques, NYSC orientation camps and other public institutions across the country.
Anele said the Army was aware of the circulation and had heightened vigilance across its formations and commands to prevent attacks on vulnerable facilities.
She described the purported intelligence as speculation and urged the public not to treat the document as an official Army security alert.
The response followed the circulation of a document purportedly signed by one A.M. Sodiq, which claimed that Boko Haram and ISWAP were planning coordinated attacks across several parts of the country.
The document listed churches, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations as possible targets and alleged that suspected ISWAP operatives had begun surveillance of selected locations.
It further claimed that the alleged attacks could coincide with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session.
However, the Army disowned the document, maintaining that it did not originate from the institution.
The Army assured Nigerians that security formations remained on heightened alert and were taking necessary measures to protect schools, places of worship and other vulnerable public facilities.
MINNA, Niger State — An engine oil seller in Minna, the Niger State capital, has reportedly sustained serious injuries after allegedly being shot during a police operation to disperse protesters.
The victim, identified as Ibrahim Mohammed Dada, was reportedly standing outside his shop at Tunga Market when he was struck by a bullet.
Ibrahim’s brother, Yakubu Dada Mohammed, said the victim was not part of the protest and was attending to customers at his engine oil stall when the incident occurred.
According to him, Ibrahim was simply trying to earn a living and support his family when a police officer allegedly fired a shot that hit him in the head and severely injured his face.
«“He was not among those protesting. He was standing in front of his shop selling engine oil when one of the police officers fired a bullet that struck his head and badly injured his face,” Yakubu said.»
Ibrahim is currently receiving treatment at Minna General Hospital, where his condition was reportedly described as critical.
The incident occurred amid protests in Minna over the reported deaths of 37 miners who were allegedly in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Reports indicate that 65 miners were arrested on September 15 and 16, with 37 subsequently reported dead while in security custody.
The protests, which began on Thursday, continued into Friday as security personnel moved to disperse demonstrators. Security forces were reportedly accused of using tear gas and live ammunition during the operation.
However, the circumstances surrounding Ibrahim’s shooting have not been independently established.
The Niger State Police Command spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, appealed for calm and said the incident would be investigated.
The case has since heightened concerns over the conduct of security personnel during the ongoing protests.
Jehovah’s Witnesses announce fresh adjustment to blood transfusion policy
Army speaks on Boko Haram, ISWAP attack alert as fake
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