Lagos To Deploy Additional 1,000 Security Cameras
Published on February 11, 2014
Kazeem Ugbodaga The Lagos State Government is to deploy additional 1,000 Close Circuit Television security cameras, CCTV, to beef up crime monitoring across the state. The cameras are to complement the existing 1,200 security cameras already deployed in strategic places across Lagos. Governor Babatunde Fashola disclosed this on Monday at the Public Security System Demonstration of the use of the 1,200 security cameras already deployed to the state by the Federal Government at the Command and Control Centre in Alausa, Lagos, Western Nigeria. He said that the government was planning to expand existing camera and telephony infrastructure to support deployment of the additional cameras as well as deployment of cameras to effectively cover the entire state to make it safe and secure. The governor was optimistic that with all these security equipments being put in place, there would be no hiding place for criminals in the state anymore. Fashola noted that since 2008, his administration had demonstrated its resolve to do something about the poor security situation in the state, explaining that the state was now in a position where it had one camera to cover about 10 square kilometers, noting that there is still room for improvement.
The governor emphasized that despite these equipment, there is no assurance that there would not be crime in the state as even in well developed countries, there were still crime, stressing that "what is important is that with these equipment, it made the job of identification easier." He emphasized that providing security is the primary assignment of government and that government would not shirk from its responsibility Commissioner for Science and Technology, Adebiyi Mabadeje stated that the government had concluded plans to purchase 10, 000 additional handsets for use by the police, RRS, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, ambulance, fire service, among others. According to him, security equipment already deployed to the state include 1,000 plus surveillance cameras, 66 base-stations on CDMA technology, microwave links, normal telephony capacity, network with 3G data capabilities, existing camera while telephony infrastructure has the capacity to carry 100,000 subscribers.
Mabadeje said that the cameras had been deployed in critical locations, such as Ikorodu Road, Oshodi, Agege Motor Road, Festac, among others, adding that 2,000 handsets had been deployed to members of the police and Rapid Response Squad, RRS. The commissioner also said video conferencing had been deployed by the state government to enable quick decision making among security operative. He stated the government had taken ownership of the infrastructure in addition to the pool of surveillance cameras, disclosing that the government fueled all 66 base-stations and maintained the stations and the 1,200 security cameras.
"Lagos State Government has built a video wall for live feeds for effective monitoring of the cameras. Lagos State Government is in the process of purchasing a Video Analytics Solution for effective surveillance of areas covered by the cameras," he said.
Southwest governors to commission N3b shopping malls
Published on October 28, 2013
Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his counterparts in Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti will on Thursday inaugurate the Heritage and Cocoa malls in Ibadan.
The twin malls are the largest in the five states. They are on a land mass of 12,000 square metres.
They were built by the Odu'a Group of Companies, owned by Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Ogun states.
The malls are located beside the famous Cocoa House, on the premises of the Odu'a Group's corporate headquarters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Speaking with reporters at the weekend, the company's Group Managing Director (GMD), Adebayo Jimoh, said the malls cost N3 billion.
Jimoh said the malls were monuments that would strengthen the Yoruba heritage as envisioned by the company's founding fathers.
He said the malls became a reality through his team's Property Redeployment Project (PRP), which has redeveloped many of the company's property into modern business complexes and residential estates across the Southwest.
Jimoh said the company was established as a catalyst for development in the region, as well as to create jobs and other opportunities.
Explaining why the group embarked on the project, GMD said it was to make life easier for expatriates and the elite living in Ibadan, who used to go to Lagos to shop.
He said there was also the need to build on the investments inherited from the founding fathers to ensure that "future generations continue to savour the great Yoruba heritage". Jimoh said: "Odu'a is committed to sustaining the dreams of our founding fathers in promoting economic advancement of Southwest states."
He said the malls were named in line with previous projects, which promote the Yoruba culture, and cocoa, which is the mainstay of the Southwest's economy.
Diasporal Yoruba - An Important Stakeholder in the Development of Yorubaland
Published on February 24, 2014
Madam President, special guests, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, all protocols observed.
I see we're blessed again this year with the presence of our leaders, brothers and sisters who believe in this Egbe deeply, and have travelled all the way from Nigeria. They are with us today and I'd like to ask them to stand so we can acknowledge their presence again. Thank you.
First and foremost, I am glad to be here. I thank the National Executive Council (NEC) and especially our President, Yeye Aafin Moni Tenabe for this great honor to be part of this year's convention as a speaker.
Year after year, concerns over the problems facing our people have been a recurring discussion during our convention. Now, after listening to our panelists discuss what we need to do to stabilize the Yorubanation, my hope is that I will not be preaching to the choir today. However, be that as it may, and, for the record, let me begin by saying what we already heard and know. A mild economic recovery is brewing in Yorubaland. Without mincing words, our current crop of leaders represents the best leadership we've had in recent time. However, despite all of their efforts, unless Diasporal Yoruba get involved and in a big way, gains from the ongoing recovery will be minimal and long in coming.
Recently, I was part of the Egbe's delegate that went to Yorubaland in April of this year 2013 to meet with our leaders, traditional rulers, and other elders on how to move Yoruba forward and what roles the Diaspora Yoruba can play in the renaissance of Yorubaland development.
Now, I admit, at the time we visited with our leaders at home, I was underwhelmed by everything I heard. Mine was like the story of the two small fishes and a big mama fish swimming alongside each other. As the mama fish reeled past the little ones, she asked "How's the water?" The little fishes looked at each other, and one asked "What's water?" When we went home, my expectations were not at par with what I heard. In Osun state, in addition to the wonderful reception and discussions accorded us by Ogbeni Aregbesola, we learnt that the government has limited funds to do all it would like to do for the people. In Oyo state, we learnt from the Secretary to the State Government that the government is ready to meet entrepreneurs wanting to partner on projects only half way and not all the way. By the way, we learnt about various wonderful programs and saw with our eyes the new roads in Ondo, Ibadan, Oshogbo, Lagos and the very first overhead bridge in Abeokuta, Ogun state. We also heard about some of the problems facing the governments, and how we in the Diaspora could lend a hand to the government.
But, despite all the changes and developments that I saw taking place, I know my views of the government are much as they have been prior to the trip. Over the years, I've become so engrossed in this blame game that I have lost sight of my own responsibility, the need for my own contribution as a veritable stakeholder in Yorubaland.
Yet, the inherent logic and reasoning behind all that I heard continued to bother me, until the thought gained momentum and now I know. I know that from the Diasporal perspective, we can only see dimly, not fully. The imperative of shared responsibility and creative entrepreneurship is a universal one. Now I know that the half way policy of the Oyo State government for example, is merely the gap between idea and reality, between success and failure.
There's no doubt the majority of our people at home are frustrated, and unhappy with the pace of development as they and their children have not been able to realize their productive potential. Therefore, many if not all of them believe that we in the Diaspora are lucky. They believe we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave; we live and enjoy the American or Canadian dream. If you take a minute to think about it, you'll agree with me that it's the truth. A good number of those of us in this room at this moment are enjoying the American dream. But what about the Yoruba dream? Who is living and enjoying Yoruba dream, assuming Yoruba has one. Your guess is as good as mine.
But as strange as it may sound, I am beginning to understand why some of our leaders behave the way they do. They know it is in their interest to provide affordable healthcare, good education, employment and security of lives and property for their people especially when they are in their first term of office. When they do otherwise, it is because they are human beings just like us; not perfect. Don't we all fail to live up to whatever standards we set for ourselves? It is Apostle Paul that wrote in the Bible, "For the good that I wish, I do not do; but practice the very evil that I do not wish."
I'm not suggesting that we should not hold our leaders and governors accountable for their actions, and I am not suggesting that we should not speak out against any mismanagement of public funds. This is not what I am saying. All I am saying is that I believe most if not all of them are always trying to do good for the people that elected them into office. But sometimes, their actions are baffling and we wonder whether they have the heart to do what is moral and just for the society.
So, we continue to complain, criticize and condemn without actually wanting to be part of the solution. We can continue to find it expedient to get really angry and bitter about lack of this and lack of that. But the problems we talk about will only exacerbate if we don't volunteer to do something about it. What we need in Yorubaland to spur rapid development is none other partnering with the government on their stated goals and vision and an emergence of a new way of doing business.
I think we will all agree that the key to making Yorubaland great again is entrepreneurship, but, who is going to rescue Jacob from his miseries? (tani yio gbe Jacob dide?). As individuals, perhaps there's not much we could do. As the saying goes that "Agbajo owo la fi n'soya, ajeje owo kan ko gbe eru do'ri." Clearly, working together as a group between chapters and within the Egbe can be the stimulus that makes things happen.
In the short-term, we could bring higher value-added investments to Yorubaland and help to reform the existing institutions. This is not a new concept. Natives of India, China, Brazil, and Spain have done it, and we are just as capable. We should be able to help in many ways to expand the range of new products and services while enhancing the viability of established businesses.
If we take the case of power supply in Lagos state for instance, the government uses diesel to power most of its street lights. Similarly, most government offices in Yorubaland are run on generators. So, our governments can use our help in finding ways to reduce this dependency on diesel power using latest alternative energy sources. Frankly, I am beginning to think it's either the federal government is insincere in its efforts to provide power or it is just not capable of solving the power problem. So, if there are some of us here in the Diaspora that can help our state governments through the IPP or PPP arrangement, this is the time to do it. Personally, for some time now, I have been researching how we could create small electric power systems that will be fuelless and non-polluting. The evidence suggests this is possible and the initial results are very encouraging.
Now, let us look at agriculture and ask the question, what would it take to turn farming in Yorubaland into the most rapidly growing industry? It is common knowledge that agriculture is a vital sector in any country's economic development. So, we see that the development of this sector will most certainly support improved economic opportunity for our people. I once read that about 30 percent of produce in our region are currently going to waste simply because of lack of processing or storage facilities. Is it possible to develop new microenterprise from Ibadan to Oyo, to Oshogbo, to Abeokuta etc to mitigate these losses and turn the enterprise into a profitable venture? The answer is emphatic Yes! The goal must be to increase the present quantity of output and integrate within a single business all of the different stages of production (raw material, processing, packaging, storing, and marketing) to the final product. We learnt yesterday about Songhai Farm, an agricultural establishment in Benin Republic practicing this method of integrated agro system. By the way, that farm is owned by a Nigerian, so we can do it. I believe Obasanjo Farms and a few others may already be utilizing this vertical integration system for all their processes. But we need more of our farms to be doing the same. We need large agro-based integrated farms.
Talking about farms, does anyone know the number of large-scale agro-based farms in our region? It's possible that data doesn't exist. Few days ago, I visited the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) web site to see if I could obtain some statistics for my presentation. Unfortunately, there's no credible data one could use for any meaningful analysis. The latest data on employment for any state is the 2006 data. Simple data on private or government sector employment is not available. What this means is that Yorubaland needs a separate data portal that can provide up-to-date data to help inform good policy. I know for a fact that our leaders recognize the imperatives of having quality data – they've talked about it several times starting from Dr. Kayode Fayemi to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and to governor Ibikunle Amosun. I have no doubt they will all support our attempts to help create a first-class data infrastructure system for Yorubaland.
In addition to the data portal, we equally need new technological innovations. New technologies abound all around us in the US, Canada, and Europe. We must find ways to export these technologies and use them to build new companies that will be larger and complex than any that currently exists in the region today.
During our trip to Nigeria in April, we visited the Ikogosi Warm Spring in Ekiti State where there is a confluence of warm and cold spring water. I noted that the State government has started to develop the site as a tourist center. Throughout the world tourism is like a low-lying fruit that doesn't require that much to harvest. There's no part of Yorubaland that does not have one form of natural attractions or cultural heritage with high potentials that remain untapped. Diaspora involvement in this area can help to spur the development of the sector on a scale that's not been known before. Economic benefits could be realized immediately.
I know that already, many of us own a number of thriving businesses which employ many people and we can replicate these businesses at home. As a major stakeholder, we should see ourselves as the linkage that is needed to bridge the gap of business and entrepreneurial activities that is urgently needed for economic growth and vitality of Yorubaland. It is my hope that our governments will enact concrete policies that encourage Diasporan direct investment in Yorubaland.
There are so many emerging twenty-first century technologies that can be transformative and drive prosperity in Yorubaland. We just have to think and come together to give this a try. We must be seen to be at the forefront of entrepreneurial change, generating new opportunities for our teeming youths and helping to overcome the inherent threats of massive unemployment and diminishing resources.
As long as we remain safely out of sight from Yorubaland, we will never see the entire picture. But we shall know fully when we begin the journey. No doubt, the journey will be tough and daunting, but the knowledge and wisdom we need to circumvent all real and perceived threats will come slowly. We will find ourselves sometime in unsafe terrain, amenities may be dysfunctional, government's policies may not be as clear as we want them to be, and a whole lot of people may want to take advantage of our generosity. Compounding our challenges will be a legacy of corruption that has been institutionalized and has a firm grip on everyone and would easily consume us if we are not careful. It's so easy to become a reflection of an image you are trying to correct.
Yet, with each lesson we will become wiser, and bolder. But I want to assure you, that more than the threats of kidnapping, more than lack of electricity, more than lack of portable water and any other unavoidable threats, our future and that of our children will be defined by the actions we take to create and find opportunities for our people to prosper. If it turns out that Yorubaland does not prosper, it is almost a guarantee that none of the children we born and raised here will ever go to Yorubaland, the land of their forefathers, to see where their roots lay, and their heritage, our heritage, could be lost.
Diaspora Yoruba must see the need to actively participate in this new vision for Yorubaland. Let us all as a group begin to look at solutions that will get us back on the right track towards economic prosperity for our people. We must lead the effort to create a Yoruba Dream in Yorubaland for our children. Let us help re-create a region where any Yoruba has the opportunity to develop to his or her greatest potential.
I've tried to outline why we as important stakeholders must rise to the challenge and be the agent of change, the Dream-maker in Yorubaland, but I leave the choice to you. Thank you!
Dr. Samuel Ogunbo
Working for the progress & empowerment of all Yoruba