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Hardship: Lagos Assembly Asks Sanwo-Olu To Summon Stakeholders’ Meeting
The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday asked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to urgently summon a stakeholders’ meeting to address the current hardship experienced by residents of the state for the government to adopt sustainable solutions beyond palliatives.
The lawmakers noted that though the current economic situation pervades the entire Nigeria and is mostly global in outlook, Lagos State and its local governments must do more to ameliorate the suffering in the land.
The House also advised leaders and statesmen to join forces with the government and play persuasive roles instead of inciting the people against the government.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa said the situation called for a stakeholders’ meeting for the input of everyone including members of the National and state Assembly as well as local government chairmen.
“No doubt, there is a challenge before us as representatives of the people and it is the duty of all of us to proffer solutions.
“This is a situation that started long ago in Nigeria and was graduating. Unfortunately, we are facing this now. The dollar issue did not start now. The prices of food and how farmers had been prevented from going to farms as a result of insecurity did not start now.
“The most unfortunate thing about it has to do with the comments coming from some leaders of the country. Instead of using their wisdom to appeal to the people, they use their words to incite people against the government as if they have not been in the country before now.
“We cannot leave the Federal Government alone to proffer solutions to our problems. There is no ‘abracadabra’ about it.
“The immediate concern is to appeal to our people. Protests and violence will not solve anything but take us backwards. Nobody prayed for the current situation but we must work hand-in-hand to take us away from this mess.
It is not the president’s fault, neither is it the governor’s fault,” Dr. Obasa said while commending Governor Sanwo-Olu for recently starting the Trader Money programme through which 15,000 traders have benefitted.
The Speaker directed that the commissioners for agriculture and transportation, Ms. Ruth Abisola Olusanya and Oluwaseun Osiyemi, respectively as well as related parastatals and agencies be invited to brief the House on their plans to make life more comfortable for the people just as he urged serious sanctions against those who hoard dollars in the country.
“All this while, we have been talking about sports to take our youth off the streets as we have seen in other countries. Let us inject money into it and make it attractive so that they would be engaged. Our system of education must also be adjusted to emphasise what students can become on their own without seeking or applying for jobs.
“There is a need for orientation and sensitisation. There are a lot of complaints and negatives out there. The government should also embark on campaigns and orientation to make the people know the real situation and what is being done. The government’s voice must be louder than those who are hell-bent on destroying the country,” Dr. Obasa said while lamenting the current prices of cement and iron even when most of the materials are locally sourced.
Earlier speaking under ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’, Hon. Segun Adebisi Ege representing Ojo Constituency 1 lamented the hardship rocking the state.
Ege also urged that Governor Sanwo-Olu be called upon to subsidise transportation and prices of food items in the state.
In his contribution, Deputy Majority Leader, Richard Adedamola Kasunmu, said there was a need for the government to bring out actionable plans to solve the economic problem in the country.
On his part, Hon. Adewale Temitope said the entire economic situation must be looked at holistically for a solution while Hon. Femi Saheed noted that other countries are facing the same situation with the price of a bag of rice over N120,000 in Cameroon and Ghana, is approximately N97,000. He emphasised the need to improve agriculture.
Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu stressed the need for the Lagos government to prioritise power while Nureni Akinsanya of Mushin Constituency 1 advocated for food banks in Lagos State to make residents buy at cheaper rates.
A special panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has reserved judgment in five separate appeals arising from the legal disputes surrounding the conduct of the 2024 local government elections in Kano State.
The appeals stem from two rulings delivered by the Federal High Court in Kano, which, among other declarations, nullified the composition of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission.
The cases include Appeal No. CA/KN/20/2025, filed by KANSIEC with the Independent National Electoral Commission and four others listed as respondents.
Another, CA/KN/233/2024, was filed by the Kano State House of Assembly and another party, with Aminu Aliyu Tiga and 14 others as respondents.
Appeal CA/KN/290/2024 was brought by the Attorney General of Kano State and six others against the All Progressives Congress and three others.
Additionally, Appeal CA/KN/291/2024 was filed by KANSIEC and eight others, with the Kano State House of Assembly and six others listed as respondents.
In the appeal marked CA/KN/233/2024, the Kano State House of Assembly and another appellant, represented by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), urged the appellate court to overturn the judgment of the Federal High Court, which had barred KANSIEC from conducting local government elections.
Awomolo argued that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case, noting that the suit filed by Aminu Tiga and the APC was statute-barred at the time of filing.
He also contended that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to initiate the case.
Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court had, on October 22, 2024, restrained KANSIEC from conducting elections in the 44 local government areas of Kano State.
The judge ruled that the electoral commission’s members were card-carrying members of the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party, in breach of Sections 197 and 200 of the 1999 Constitution.
Justice Amobeda further directed INEC not to release the national voters’ register for the purpose of the local government elections in the state.
Additionally, he barred the police, the Department of State Services, and other security agencies from providing support or protection for the polls.
Unhappy with the verdict, the Kano State House of Assembly and other affected parties approached the Court of Appeal, arguing that local government election matters are under the exclusive purview of the state and can only be adjudicated by a Kano State High Court—not the Federal High Court.
After hearing all arguments on Tuesday, the three-member appellate panel led by Justice Georgewill Ekanem announced that judgment had been reserved and would be delivered on a date to be communicated to the parties involved.
Workers at the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, in Ondo State on Tuesday embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-payment of salaries by the Ondo State Government.
The striking workers, who are members of the Non-Academic Staff Union and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, staged a peaceful protest on the institution’s campus to express their grievances.
The aggrieved staff revealed they are being owed six months’ salaries and accused the government of failing to implement the national minimum wage.
They carried placards with messages including, “We are hungry, pay our six months’ salaries,” “Mr Governor, please implement our 2025 budget,” and “Acting Rector, please clear our 2022, 2023, and 2024 promotion arrears.”
During the protest, the Chairman of NASU, RUGIPO chapter, Mr. Julius Olugbenga-Aro, and his SSANIP counterpart, Mr. Saka Olokungboye, called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently address the workers’ demands.
They lamented the hardship faced by their members, saying many are unable to meet basic needs due to the unpaid wages.
Olugbenga-Aro stated, “This protest is to express our frustration over the non-payment of six months’ salary arrears and the failure of the Ondo State Government to implement the national minimum wage for polytechnic staff.”
While acknowledging some of the governor’s developmental efforts at the institution, including the recent approval for the polytechnic’s conversion to a university, the union leaders appealed for more urgent actions.
They urged the state government to approve immediate payment of the outstanding salaries, ensure full implementation of the 2025 institutional budget, and begin payment of the new national minimum wage.
They also warned that failure to act swiftly could result in prolonged disruptions to the academic calendar, further affecting students and the institution at large.
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Tuesday awarded the sum of N100m in general damages against Louisville Girls Secondary School, Gwagwalada, for negligence of duty of care which led to the death of a student.
Mr Ifeanyi Ikpeatusim had sued the school for negligence that resulted in the death of his 9-year-old daughter, Kamzie,
In the suit marked CV/1738/18, Ikpeatusim alleged that the school’s failure to provide adequate medical attention after Kamzie who fell ill shortly after her admission and resumption in the school led to her untimely death.
Kamzie, who was admitted as a boarding student in September 2017 became severely ill by October 2 and died a few days later.
Justice Sylvanus Oriji, while delivering judgment in the suit brought before the court after awarding the N100m cost, ordered a 10 per cent interest on the judgment sum from April 8 until full payment.
He also awarded an additional N300,000 as the cost of the suit.
Justice Oriji while pronouncing the decision of the court, held that the evidence presented showed the school and its agents acted negligently by failing to attend promptly and adequately to Kamzie’s medical needs.
“The claimant established his allegations of negligence against the school.
“There is no amount of money that can bring back the child to life,” he stated.
Justice Oriji however acknowledged the fact that one significant outcome of the case was the improvement of the school’s sickbay following the incident.
He noted that the presence of doctors attending to students twice daily was a commendable development.
While the claimant had asked the court to order the school to name one of its structures in Kamzie’s name in her honour, Justice Oriji noted that the improvement in the school’s sickbay was sufficient enough to know the school is making amends from its mistake.
“The court thinks that the improvement in the sickbay, ensuring doctors are available twice daily, is in honour of Kamzie, as part of reforms recommended by her family.
“The claimant should take solace in the fact that Kamzie has been honoured by the school through these improvements.”
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