Contrary to the disparaging sponsored media attack being syndicated around the media to portray Prince Oyekan Ajasa Ifalade and the Lagos Neighborhood Safety Agency LNSA in a bad light to the public, an independent investigation has shown the said malicious reports as false in its totality.
The faceless individual syndicating the false report is obviously envious of the giant strides the Agency has recorded under the umbrella of Prince Ifalade.
It is evident that such an individual is economical with the truth thereby filing a one-sided report without due diligence which is against the pen-pushing profession. Prince Ifalade’s refusal to give in to mediocrity and also living up to the expectation of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who never jokes about the security of lives and property in Lagos as part of his ‘THEMES’ agenda, seems to be the headache of those fueling the purported rumor about the agency.
According to the malicious report, allegations were raised that; Prince Ifalade runs a one-man show, Procurement compromise, Using of personal staff to perform statutory roles, has overbearing influence in the recruitment exercises, Scrapping functional vehicles.
It is pertinent to state the findings of an independent investigation carried out concerning the allegations raised above. Since Prince Oyekan assumed office about a year ago as the General Manager of the LNSA, he has always given listening ears to those working with him through constant meetings, consultations and even deliberate visits to individual offices to see to the welfare of the Officers and progress of the departments.
He is well known to believe and say, no man is an island of knowledge. Consequently he gives room for suggestions and recommendations from his staff who often acost him on the corridor of the Agency building without any hindrance.
Oyekan is said to have been heard on several occasions saying, “the issue of a one-man show is not possible in security matters. You need the candid advice of all sundry before you make your decisions. Securing lives and property in Lagos is a collective effort you need people so the agency revolving around me should not be even up for debate”. And in pure demonstration of this mantra all the Commands and Unit heads have unfettered access to Oyekan’s office in Oshodi.
The Lagos State Government has a transparent procurement mechanism which remains a viable tool in the hands of its officers during the procurement process. The LNSA under Ifalade is reported to have painstakingly followed the process in its business interactions, storage and deployment of its assets, while the agency is found to have an inventory of all that was procured and deployed and the list is available on request.
All procurement is done within the required scope of the civil service and Mr. Ifalade does not head the procurement team and the procurement Team head is a core professional well known for thoroughness.
Further to this, the various materials procured by the Agency, including car batteries, tires, servicing oils, and the rest are done by duly designated units of the agency. Ifalade does not meddle in the business of the procurements and deployment of procured working tools and only known to observe and supervise the processes as stipulated by the Administrative rules to ensure quality checks and also ensures procured materials are distributed to the needed units.
According to an independent informer, “out of the 57 seven local governments in Lagos, procured Generators have been distributed to 37 Local Government Areas and LCDA while the rest is said to have been held in the store of the Agency for logistic reasons including the lack of accommodation which is being addressed by the Government through the Agency.
Those who are giving out this false information are either not informed or want to deliberately gaslight the whole process because Prince Ifalade has always harped on accountability by ensuring all that is needed.
Former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has sent his condolences to the family of late Otunba Subomi Balogun over the death of their Patriarch who died yesterday in London.
According to a statement sent to the media, the Senator-Elect described late Balogun as someone who lived a graceful life with colour and candour.
The statement reads ” I received with shock the passing unto eternal glory of the Olori Omoba, Otunba Tunwase of Ijebuland. As the Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians, Otunba Subomi Balogun brought the fear of God into everything that he did and believed in, and united the Body of Christ while promoting interfaith relationships in the entire Ijebuland to the best of his ability. A frontline businessman and astute banker, Otunba Balogun lived a life worthy of emulation by carrying the weight of royalty into his enterprise. He lived a graceful life with colour and candour. I share a lot in common with Otunba Subomi Balogun who served as a father figure to me and supported our administration without let when I had the privilege to serve as the Governor of Ogun State. He was a man whom I have the greatest respect for both in royalty and in the business world. Yeye and I will miss this great icon of Ijebu culture and business enterprise, and we are consoled that God granted him a bountiful life to a ripe old age. My sincere condolences go to the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, MFR; The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Adetona, CFR Ogbagba; the entire Balogun Dynasty and Jadiara/Funsegbuwa Royal ruling House, Olorituns and the entire Ijebu people home and abroad for this great loss. We pray that the good Lord would grant his repose eternal rest and for the family that he left behind to be able to mourn his passage with great strength” He stated.
‘Celebrate true friends. They are a part of you that always sparkle’ – Amy Leigh Mercree. The English-born actress may have had the boss of Oando Group, Jubril Adewale Tinubu in mind when she made this quote. Truly, the trained lawyer never forgets to celebrate and appreciate his good friends whenever it is necessary. In fact, he is one gentleman who values and understands the definition of true friendship. This played out on Monday, April 10, 2023, when he showered praises on his friend of many years, Africa’s richest man and Chairman of Aliko Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, when he clocked 66. In celebration of Dangote, the oil and gas top player wrote: “Happy Birthday to an extraordinary business leader of global recognition. Your phenomenal impact on the African economy and society is truly remarkable. “Your drive, dedication, and leadership have paved the way for an army of aspiring African entrepreneurs. We are proud to have you as one our own, and I wish you many more happy, healthy and prosperous years ahead!” Dangote, a name that means so many things to many people. But what no one can deny is the fact that the name is essentially synonymous with success. The Kano State-born mogul has successfully engraved his name in the hearts of the generality of his compatriots with his business acumen. Like every creature, this amiable billionaire has his own humble beginning. But his is one that will inspire any ambitious soul, any day and any time. As a young man, he had a clear vision of what he wanted to do in life and he pursued it with unwavering doggedness. While growing up, the only thing that caught his fancy was business and he refused to be swayed by any other interest.
It is a general saying that “Until you realize how easy it is for your mind to be manipulated, you remain the puppet of someone else’s game”, and nothing can be truer than that quote in the light of Nigeria’s situation at the moment. The 2023 general election was meant to usher in a new era of renewed hope in a nation that is reputed to be the giant of Africa, but has successfully awaken an evil gnome of manipulation and bigotry in our youths like never before despite our alleged collective exposure. On March 11, Lagosians will be polling to either re-elect the sitting governor or replace him with another aspirant from one of the other political parties gunning for the Alausa seat at the centre of excellence. Lagos is a state with the highest number of voters in the South Western Nigeria. It boasts of vibrant and comparatively more educated electorates, representing a wide array of the nation’s ethnic groups. Statistics from the recently concluded presidential election shows that approximately 1/4 of the total number of registered voters were accredited to vote on February 25, 2023. There was an upset in the usual results trend, where the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, was overtaken with a slight majority votes by the Labour Party that polled a total of 582,454 votes against APC’s 572,606. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the historic second -fiddle horse in Lagos elections was edged to a record low of 75,750 votes. I may not be interested in the analysis of what went down in the election as there is an urgent task at hand; the requisite re-election of the incumbent governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. For those whose sense of judgement have not been coloured by mischief makers, it is an easy affirmation that Lagos State is working by every standard. Looking around you, there is always a testament to that fact. A litmus test of the fact that Lagos State is working is the reality of a working integrated public services system: Lagos remains the ONLY state in Nigeria (roll in the FG) with a working toll-free emergency line, with chronicles of how it has saved the day in incidences of fire, security, disaster and many more across the state. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is a new convex curve in Lagos’ trajectory to regional dominance and global relevance. From the very first day, BOS has shown what he is made of as a member of a set of first-class governors that Lagos has been blessed with since 1999. He swiftly moved in to salvage the lot of Lagosians with respect to the perilous time his administration advent into. From leading the entire nation to successfully manage the COVID-19 pandemic, to rolling out his brilliant T.H.E.E.M.E.S. agenda, Sanwoolu came ready for the job from day one! Aside from working out the long-standing vision of previous administrations, anchored on the objective of making Lagos a mega city of the 21st century-kind, five months ago, Sanwo-olu’s government launched a 30 year development plan for Nigeria’s commercial capital, which is to be implemented between 2022 and 2052. It is imperative to note that the plan is necessary to achieve the goals of becoming Africa’s model mega city, while also positioning Lagos as a global, economic and financial hub that is safe, secure, functional and productive. Sanwo-Olu’s personality is cut from character traits uncommon with most Nigerian politicians, and ever since his assumption of office as the governor, he has rolled up his sleeves and got down into the trenches by ensuring that the state continues to move forward positively. I’m a serial entrepreneur, and having traveled across the nation and outside its shores, I can declare without equivocation that Lagos State, under the APC, provides the best business environment for my business concerns to flourish. You can then understand my situation when I, Adesola Fajobi, say that I refuse to be used to derail such brighter prospects for my business and that of many other hardworking Lagosians like me. Returning Sanwo-Olu as governor should be the most important task of every single Lagosian in this coking election. I refuse to be brainwashed to go against all the years of great works put into developing Lagos to make it the 5th largest economy in Africa. The Ehingbeti Lagos Economic Summit has provided a platform for the articulation of Lagos economic and developmental agenda and progress, which Sanwo-Olu continually showcases with incontrovertible developmental strides. He has commenced the construction of a new airport on the Lekki axis of the state after his government obtained approval from the federal government for the construction of the new airport in Lagos, and also completed the Lagos Blue Line rail project designed to move millions of Lagosians across the state. Other laudable projects include the completion of the Pen Cinema flyover in Agege, the Opebi-Ojota link bridge, which is nearing completion, the largest rice mill in Africa, the Lekki Deep Sea port, upgrading of four higher institutions to universities and so many more. Why change a winning and working formula? Why allow a newbie to turn a functioning society into a leadership testing ground? Sanwo-Olu is sellable, tested and trusted. Why would I allow myself to be used as an agent of destruction to give greedy politicians tickets to return Lagos to ground zero? Mr. Governor always provides robust responses, demonstrating a deep understanding of the economy, governance, the people’s expectations and desires. This is something I wouldn’t want to stop benefiting from. If his administration would be evaluated only by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no gainsaying that Sanwo-Olu performed excellently. Instead of throwing up his hands in defeat, Mr. Governor became the incident commander, and immediately went to work as he locked down the state, activated all the state apparatus – media, security, public health, emergency management, etc., thereby saving millions of Nigerians lives. He duly earned the country the fourth position in the list of the countries in the world that handled the pandemic well. This is a verifiable fact. With his years of experience in the private sector, he quickly worked with major players to set up isolation centres, infectious diseases centres, amongst other steps. It goes without saying that if Sanwo-Olu had failed as a leader during this dark period in our life, we may not be here now talking about 2023 election at all. Today under Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos Health Insurance Scheme costs only N40,000 a year for a family to enjoy from primary to tertiary health care. I refuse to be cowered by a mob that sees nothing good in Lagos, and are hell bent on fostering other candidates with no track records of performance. Governance is not a matter for experimentation I’m a father, a businessman, an entrepreneur, a brother and so much more like you; living in Lagos and flourishing under the present APC-led government. Come March 11, 2023, I have chosen to cast my vote for Babajide Sanwo-Olu to continue leading and serving Lagos with great achievements. You should do the same too. Follow person wey know road