NIGERIA MAY DAY: Fashola said " I’ll no longer pay any wage imposed by FG"

Governor Babatude Fashola of Lagos, yesterday, told Lagos workers that henceforth his government would no longer pay any wage imposed by the Federal Government unless the state was part of the negotiation that brought about the wage.

Foshola who spoke while addressing workers of the state during yesterday’s May Day celebration, said the government could only pay such wage if the Federal Government made money available.

This came as organised labour in the state blamed the growing insecurity in the country to unemployment, frustration, inequalities, injustice among others.

Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan meets with Tinubu, Fashola, Akiolu

President Goodluck Jonathan, weekend, met with national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu behind closed doors.
The meeting in State House, Marina, Lagos took place as President Jonathan returned from Ivory Coast where he joined other regional leaders for an emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

Nigeria: Groups charge Fashola on rape, sexual violence against women

Civil society groups in Lagos, yesterday, called on Governor Babatunde  Fashola to take urgent steps to address the increasing number of rape and sexual violence cases against women and the girl-child in the state.
They noted that rape and sexual violence were threats to women, and obstacles to efforts to peace and gender equality in the society, adding that it was always a violation of human rights and unacceptable in today’s society.
At a rally organised by no fewer than 20 civil society groups in conjunction with the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, which took-off from Allen Avenue Roundabout, Ikeja and ended at Alausa, Programmes Manager, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, LEDAP, Mrs Adaobi Egboka, said: “The upsurge in the reported cases of gang-rape, child defilement and other sexual offences have gone on unabated.
“We hope to bring, through awareness campaign, all perpetrators to book. It is a call by a coalition of civil societies; especially those related to gender violence and targeted at the young.”
The coalition charged the governor to initiate and set up confidential investigative and prosecutorial procedures, in collaboration with the judiciary and the police, to protect the identity of survivors of sexual offences so as reduce the fear of victims coming out to report as well as remove the burden of stigma and victimisation.
She said they collaborated with NYSC to reach out to the youths and give them a chance to air their views because it was mostly young persons who fall victim to the act.
The coalition urged the governor  to take further steps to raise awareness, institute best practice training for service providers, monitor and document reports on victim support services to facilitate rape response evidence based programming and sensitisation of citizens.

Don’t copy Malian coupists, Fashola urges soldiers

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has urged Nigerian military officers not to toe the line of their Malian counterparts by seizing power through the guns, saying, “strong military discipline is very important in the sustenance of the country’s democracy.”

Fashola  gave the advice during a courtesy visit by officers from National Defence University, Pakistan, to his office in Lagos.

He said: “There is need for us to rally round this system of governance (democracy) to ensure that those ideals that recognises the sovereign power of the people as the collegiate for consensus- building and decision- making on how our lives are ordered must receive attention of all the institutions including the military personnel.

“It is not just enough to say that the responsibility of protecting our democracy belong only to the legislative, political office holders, judiciary and the press, but also rest on the shoulders of the military personnel in the country.

“This is because they have to safeguard the territorial boundary that they represent in order for the government to take foothold in the administration of the country.  Whether it is in Europe, Middle-East, Asia or Africa, there is a threat to peaceful existence of the human civilisation as we know it.

The underlying thing is that nothing is more important than the human civilisation on this planet. Government and institutions whether military or civilian exist only for the purpose of working together to promote the best for human beings,” he added.