· Says No Cause for Panic

The Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc has assured citizens of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Plateau State and other contiguous States, of safety and security as they go about their lawful day-to-day activities.

In a force PRO statement released on Friday, noted that the IGP’s assurance is coming on the heels of the unintended, viral spread of an internal directive issued to the Commissioners of Police in Plateau State and FCT Commands to forestall any likelihood of attack or breach of security by organized criminal elements in their Areas of Responsibilities (AOR).    

"The IGP’s directive, which is a deliberate, intelligence-driven and proactive measure, is designed to prepare the law enforcement community for comprehensive response to any threat to lives and property. The IGP noted that the security alert, rather than becoming a source of panic to the citizens, should instead send a message of re-assurance to them about the intelligence depth, capacity and operational preparedness of the Nigeria Police to preemptively deal and contain any threat to public peace and security. The alert does not in any way suggest that an attack is imminent in any of the two States.     

"The Police High Command therefore calls for calm, urging citizens to go about their normal activities with renewed sense of vigour, patriotism and vigilance as the Police continue to work with other relevant stakeholders to keep our public space safe.

The Chairman of the South West Governors Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, has lambasted the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami on his position that the ban on open grazing by southern governors was akin to banning all spare parts trading in the North.

Wonders they say never end. This really typified the situation in Nasarawa state where the Governor, Abdullahi Sule, on Tuesday, presented brand new SUVs to 25 first-class traditional rulers in the state, valued at over N800 million, if purchased directly from the manufacturer.

The leader of the dreaded Boko Haram, officially known as Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah Lid Da’wah Wa’l- Jihad (JAS) Abubakar Shekau is believed to be dead following the invasion of Boko Haram's stronghold in the Sambisa Forest by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters. 

There is uproar among Nigerians over the reported move by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) requiring them to submit the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IME) of their phones and other smart devices to the commission from July.

The Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) has warned banks and other financial institutions, government agencies, telecommunications service providers, private/public companies, and owners/occupiers of residential premises, that the sale, installation, and usage of GSM boosters is illegal.

The Federal Government has commenced dialogue with the World Bank to secure a $75 million loan to provide water in communities nationwide.

...state mobile court arraigned, convicted 62,477 traffic offenders in one year  

The property at Osborne Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, proposed by the Lagos State Government for the relocation of Igbosere High Court, will be ready by end of May, 2021. 

Lagos State Government is set to launch its advanced open data digitisation programme, tagged “EKO 360” very soon

This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Samuel Egube, during the annual ministerial press briefing to commemorate the second year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's administration in the State.

He said, the Lagos State Ope.n Data Agenda, the project tagged ‘‘EKO 360’,’ is a two-year digitalisation programme, which commenced 1st November, 2019, with support in three COFOG (Health, Education & Economic Affairs), sectors from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/Data Science Nigeria (BMGF/DSN), which is meant to strengthen the Lagos Bureau of Statistics.

Egube said the Ministry, through its Lagos Bureau of Statistics (LBS) exhibited her EKO 360 Open Data Project at the Art of Technology (AoT) Lagos 2.0 conference, showcasing the dummy of the Public Facing Portal and the Analytical Framework, which will afford the general public access to Lagos State specific data in a richer, faster and timely manner. Adding that the project is presently in the testing stage of the developed data collection app that is meant to automate the data collection of the State administrative data management system. 

‘This project focuses on historical aggregation of Lagos data, pattern forecasting based on organized insights from the past, Real time data collection with the EKO360 Mobile App, Derived Data generation that combines data from different sources to create new and meaningful data, provision of contextual and geospatial insights from Lagos Spatial Data, on-the-go access and usage through a simple presentation interface for all smart devices on the EKO360 website which will afford the general populace access to Lagos data and insights in a self-service format that assures of ease of usage and convenience.’

While reeling out other achievements of his ministry within the last two years, he pointed to two major state survey also by LBS, which are the Poverty Head Counts survey and Household survey across the 57 Local Governments/ Local Council Development Areas between August and November 2020.

The above surveys provided government feedbacks and insights from Lagosians and serve as validated facts and figures that further guide government interventions.

Meanwhile Egube has said that the Economic Development Policy of the State Government which was guided by the State Development Plan (2012-2025), has now been improved on, making it a 30-Year Development Plan (2021-2051). 

This new perspective plan is necessary so as to “Encourage Citizens Participation” (Build Team Lagos), “Develop our people to drive productivity and protect the vulnerable” (Building our Future), Drive Lagos readiness and openness for Business (Building Our Economy), Optimising relevant infrastructure to support our growth” (Building Our 21st Century Mega-City) and “Engaging intergovernmental Partnership”, all these aimed at improving the quality of lives of Lagosians”. 

The LSDP sits at the apex of the Planning and Budgetary system of the State. The document provides overall direction for the growth and development of Lagos State. It also provides a framework through which all sectors of the economy – public, private and civil society - can direct their energies and contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of people in the State and it is intended to drive and guide all processes. 

As a planning document, it acts as a guide for all MDAs as they develop their sector policies, strategies, programmes and projects in order to reflect the vision of the State. 

Furthermore, as part of the effort of the Administration to ensure performance in all its projects and programmes, the State Executive Council (EXCO) approved the implementation of the T.H.E.M.E.S. Peer Review Mechanism (TPRM) to all MDAs as a self-Assessment programme.

Attorney-general of the Federation, Abubakar Malami has likened Governors ban on open grazing to prohibiting spare parts trading in the north.

The Minister of State, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA), Senator Omotayo Alasoadura has disclosed that the Federal Government has released about N7billion to Contractors to facilitate the East-West road project, urging contractors to comply to the directives in order to complete and hand over the project to the people of the region before the end of the First Quarter 2022.

…insists on sensitization, adherence to global standards

The Senate has approved the deployment of the 5G network in Nigeria, following the outcome of investigations by a Joint Committee mandated to carry out same.

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Nigeria from Paris, France

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has announced that the new national carrier is expected to commence operation by the first quarter of 2022.