Indian woman ‘raped by two gangs’ on Chrismas eve

Police in India say 10 men are in custody, after a 21-year-old woman was raped by two apparently unrelated groups of men on Christmas Eve.She was visiting friends in Pondicherry when she was abducted by three men and raped by one of them, officials say.She found her friends after that ordeal but they were all confronted by another group of men who singled her out and gang-raped her, according to police.The last suspect was arrested on Friday and police say they have confessed.The suspects have been remanded for 15 days, but they are yet to be formally charged in court. None of the suspects has publicly commented on the allegations made against them by the victim.Pondicherry Senior Superintendent of Police Monika Bharadwaj told the BBC that this was a particularly bizarre and brutal sequence of events.It comes just days before India marks the first anniversary of the death of the student whose gang-rape on a bus in Delhi sparked unprecedented public outrage, leading to changes in India’s laws against sexual violence.

Egypt: Three die in Muslim Brotherhood supporters and police clash

Backers of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood battled police in Cairo and other cities after Friday prayers. At least three people died and 265 were arrested, the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry blamed the deaths on the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that the Egyptian government declared a terrorist organization on Wednesday.

The government has threatened to arrest anyone who attends Muslim Brotherhood protests or provide financial support to the group, which helped propel ousted President Mohamed Morsy to power.

Morsy, the nation’s first democratically elected president, was forced out of office in July by the nation’s military and arrested following widespread protests and petitions calling for his removal.

Detractors said he was a tyrant trying to impose conservative values. Supporters called his removal a coup and a blow to the democratic movement that toppled former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Since Wednesday’s declarations, hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been arrested.

EgyNews, a state-run news agency, previously reported the Interior Ministry had told police to confiscate copies of the group’s newspaper and seal off the publishing house that prints it.

The unrest comes as Egyptians prepare to vote a new constitution next month.

The proposed constitution would ban religious political parties and put more power in the hands of the military.

The Muslim Brotherhood has vowed to continue protesting.

“Let’s begin with full force and peacefulness a new wave of majestic anti-coup action in a ‘Revolutionary Rage’ week,” the group said Thursday on its website.

23 die in India train fire

At least 23 people, including two children, have died after a fire broke out on a train in southern India, media reports say.The blaze engulfed a carriage of the Nanded-Bangalore Express while it was travelling through Andhra Pradesh state, rail officials said.Police said many of the dead had been suffocated by thick black smoke filling the train.The reason for the fire, which has been extinguished, is not yet known.More than 60 passengers are thought to have been on board the train when the fire broke out in an air-conditioned carriage around 03:30 local time (22:00 GMT).Officials said rescue operations were being hampered by thick fog and smog.The exact number of injured and missing people remains uncertain.Accidents are common on India’s immense state-owned rail network, which operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries some 18 million passengers every day, connecting every corner of the country.Last year, 47 people were killed in a fire on a passenger train travelling in Andhra Pradesh.

Three persons were burnt to death in an auto accident, which occurred on East-West Road, Zarama, near Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Friday, while another five passengers died in a ghastly crash along Ila-Orangun – Otun-Ekiti road.

While 12 persons sustained injuries in the Bayelsa crash, eight persons were injured in the Osun crash, which occurred on Wednesday.

The Bayelsa accident involved two vehicles – an 18-seater Toyota Hiace and a Toyota Sienna vehicle.

The accident, which caused panic within the community, occurred near the popular Zarama market at 10.20am.

One of the vehicles involved in the accident, an 18-seater Toyota Hiace with number-plate YB 820 AAA, was said to have exploded and went up in flames after it collided with the Sienna.

The situation was said to have resulted in the death of some of the passengers in the Toyota bus, including its driver.

An eyewitness, Mr. Joel Ebi, said the commercial bus was travelling from Warri, Delta State, to Calabar, Cross River State, when the crash occurred.

The second vehicle, he said, a Siena bus with number-plate BJ 292 BWR was conveying a family of eight from Warri, Delta State to Aba, Abia State when the accident occurred.

The remains of the passengers have been deposited at the morgue of the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, by officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission while the rescued commuters are receiving medical treatment in the same hospital.

Another eyewitness, Mr. Sam Amabebe, said the Hiace bus veered off the road into his farm.

When contacted, the State Commander of the FRSC, Vincent Jack, confirmed the accident.

Jack said, “Three persons were roasted beyond recognition while 12 persons sustained injuries.

“Of the 12 injured persons, four were males and eight were females. The injured have been rushed to the NDTH at Okolobiri.”

Commenting on the Ila-Orangun – Otun-Ekiti accident, eyewitnesses told journalists in Osogbo on Friday that a Toyota Hiace bus with number-plate XP 874 ABC was coming from Abuja to Osun State when it crashed.

Although the cause of the accident remained unknown but an eyewitness who identified himself as Tajudeen said that the accident was caused by reckless speeding.

Meanwhile, two persons were critically injured on Friday evening in an accident involving a White Toyota Hilux van and a red Honda CRV SUV near Prisons Gate, Amawbia, Anambra State.

Battered pregnant woman: Lagos police arrest Lebanese boss

The Lagos State Police Command on Friday arrested Kaveh Noine, a manager with Toppan Printing Company, who allegedly kicked his pregnant subordinate, Alexandra Ossai, in the stomach two weeks ago,  causing her to lose her pregnancy.

PUNCH Metro had, on Tuesday, exclusively reported that Noine, a Lebanese, travelled out of the country when policemen attached to the Area F Police Division initially went to the company, to invite him for questioning.

Following the publication, President Goodluck Jonathan, had on Friday directed that the police and the National Human Rights Commission investigate the matter, expressing his displeasure over the incident.

However, Saturday PUNCH gathered that Noine was arrested on Friday by the Lagos State Police Command in Kano where he had fled to on Friday and brought him back to Lagos.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the story. She said, “Even before President Goodluck Jonathan ordered an investigation into the case, the Lagos State Police Command has been on it.

“In the course of our investigation, we discovered that Noine was still in the country; he had fled to Kano. Our men traced him to Kano, arrested him and have brought him back to Lagos.

“Presently, he is making his statement now at the command. The issue of bail, has not come up for now.”

Ossai had in PUNCH Metro’s December 24, 2013 publication, alleged that Noine assaulted her several times during her eight months stay at the company. Noine had allegedly hit Ossai in the chest a day before kicking her in her stomach over some misdemeanor by those whom Ossai supervised.

She also alleged that Noine was in the habit of physically assaulting workers at the company with anything he could lay his hands on, whenever he was angry.

The 34-year-old mother of one was said to have developed pains in her tummy which lasted for two days before subsiding. The pains were said to have begun again in the early hours of December 16, 2013, resulting into an emergency surgery at a private hospital at Fagba.

Her seven-month pregnancy was allegedly lost to the kick, as a result of a broken placenta. Ossai’s appointment with the company was allegedly terminated as a result of the incident and two of her siblings who also worked there were sacked.

Already, the Lagos State Public Advice Centre has waded into the case and offered Ossai free legal aid. The Public Relations Officer of the centre, Mr. Alex Omorodion, said, “We are going to liaise with other security agencies in Lagos State to see this matter to a logical conclusion. We also intend to visit the factory and talk with other workers to determine if more people have been abused by Noine. Then we will prosecute Noine at the conclusion of our investigation.”

When Saturday PUNCH contacted Ossai, she said, “I am really happy about the arrest. The rest is left to the police and my lawyer.”

Prophecies For 2014: “Patience Jonathan May Die” – Primate Ayodele

Prophet Babatunde Ayodele, Founder/Spiritual Head of Inri Evangelical Church, Lagos, has over the years warned the country of looming dangers, mostly unheeded. Warnings came before the airplane mishap that involved Sosoliso and Bellview Airlines in 2005, but were unheeded. The cleric has again spoken of things to come in the new year as 2013 winds down, emphasising the need for fervent prayers to avert evil, especially in the first family, as he says President Jonathan has to be prayerful so that he would not lose his wife.
“Concerning the year 2014, I will advise every Nigerian to take time and be prayerful for the country and for themselves from the 1st to 3rd of January, 2014. This is for God to prevent imminent dangers ahead of the nation and economy. Let us take it from here. I don’t see anything happening in the Nigerian economy. I see debts everywhere- our crude oil, foreign reserve, and all.
“States will be in debt, the Federal Government will be in debt and Nigeria will be planning to go borrow money. So, the government has to be very careful not to be grinded by these debts. Prices of food will increase drastically and flour will be scarce and very expensive. Corruption too will be more prevalent because this government lacks the power to fight it. Fighting oil theft will also pose a major challenge and Nigeria will beg America to support her in the fight. The price of petroleum will increase as well.

“There will be too much of troubles concerning kerosene. Sea pirates will dominate the waterways and the African Union, AU, will form a common security to monitor our seaways. Various organisations such as the Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, will be embarking on industrial action almost at the same time. Again, power supply will be unstable until 2015, 2016. I also see ocean surge in Lagos. Sponsors of Boko Haram will be exposed as well. Very importantly, let us be very watchful so we don’t have any border crisis.

“Like I’ve always said, President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term is dicey. He will start some political abracadabra in order to gain his second term which will be characterised by so much of negotiations. He will have to cajole and beg a lot of people; he will also beg Obasanjo. What Nigerians see now is only a tip of the iceberg of the clash that will come between Obasanjo and Jonathan.
“In the process of Jonathan’s negotiations, the offices of the Vice President, the Chief of Staff and the Secretary to the Federal Government will be affected. When he eventually succeeds through negotiation, some of these governors who moved to the All Progressive Congress, APC, will return back to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Tukur will be removed.

“At the same time, I want to tell you that when Jonathan eventually gets his second term, there will be crisis. Also, another person will be shopped by the PDP to take over from Jonathan, but like I said, through negotiation and begging, he will get the second term. Jonathan might be the last president of PDP to rule this country, anyway. He also has to be prayerful and watchful so he doesn’t lose his wife, the First Lady of the country. I also see shake-up in the cabinet and ministers being removed and replaced. The Ministers of Petroleum and Aviation will also be seriously probed. Some people might not like theses prophecies, but that is not my problem because I am speaking as God has directed me,” Ayodele said.
Speaking further, he stated; “An unknown man will rule Lagos State. Nationally, APC has accommodated traitors and betrayals. It is not yet time for the party to rule this country. However, if they really want to rule, they have to struggle and pray very well to get the right candidate. They must be watchful so that their party is not used for negotiation.
“Nigeria will try their best in the World Cup but I do not see them in the semi-final or final. Let us be very watchful in the aviation sector so that pilots will not go on strike. Also, there will be air turbulence in some of our airports such as in Lagos and Abuja. We also must be watchful so that there won’t be any air crash. I however see reforms in the aviation sector.Let us pray very well so that this growing climatic condition will also not cause mourning for this country,” Ayodele said.

Lagos drain ducks agency carts away 150,000 tonnes of silt

The stupendous performance of lagos drain ducks agency in its constant clearing of drainage channels in all parts of the state has been another form of development as the lagos state government records more successes in the state.

The agency which was first

established in year 2000 has been  responsible for drainage clearing, road management and carting away silts to dump sites.

mr akeem abiodun apatira resumed  office as ceo of drain duck and since his resumption, the company has achieved several goals in terms of carting of toones in lagos. 

Offa: 7 Policemen Killed In Robbery Attack – CP

Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Mr. Agboola Oshodi-Glover Monday disclosed that seven police men lost their lives during an armed robbery attack in Offa town last Thursday.

According to him, three civilians were also killed while three other people are now at the hospital receiving medical attention over the attack.
Over 30 armed robbers had on Thursday, December 19 invaded four commercial banks in the ancient town of Offa, Kwara State.
During the incident, ten people were killed by the bandits while several millions of naira were carted away by the armed robbers.
An eyewitness said the robbers shot indiscriminately as they attacked the banks.

Pastor Kumuyi’s perception on Christmas

The General Overseer of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W.F Kumuyi, has again warned members of the church against celebrating Christmas, saying the annual celebration of Christmas is idolatrous and unscriptural.

Kumuyi warned that partaking in the celebration made Christians to go back from the commandment of Jesus Christ.
The cleric said this on Saturday at the annual national December convention of the church, which held at the church’s camp ground in Ogun State.
He said, “We don’t celebrate Christmas. It actually came from idolatrous background. That is why you don’t hear us sing what they call Christmas carol, Never! We always say it is the December retreat. We are only gathering together because it is the holiday period and love the lord more, and rededicate ourselves more.
“When you find anybody coming in, or any leader, trying to introduce the idolatry of mystery Babylon, that they call Christmas and you want to bring all the Christmas carol saying that is the day that Jesus was born, and you don’t find that in the Acts of the Apostles or in the early church, then you don’t find that in the church either.  If you don’t know that before, now you know.”
He warned that any of the church’s leaders that tried to introduce the “idolatry of Christmas” into any section of the church would be sanctioned, while also encouraging other believers in Christ to jettison the celebration as part of their sacrifice to perfection.
Kumuyi said the duty of the church was to make people more like Jesus Christ and not join in worldly celebrations.
“We are not trying to make the church turn like the world. We want it to be like Jesus Christ, and more like the Apostles. If you don’t have that mind with us, then you have permission to go to other places,” he added.
But the Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Monsignor Gabriel Osu, in his reaction to Kumuyi’s proclamation, said, “I don’t know what he means by saying the practice of celebrating Christmas is wrong.
“Is he saying that Christ wasn’t born? That he didn’t come to die for us? Does he not celebrate his own birthday? Do Kumuyi’s pastors not celebrate him? It is not everything I react to; some people just seek attention. If Kumuyi is a Christian, then he must believe in Christ.
“The celebration of Christmas didn’t just start today; it is too public an event for anyone to say that they don’t know what it is about. “If Kumuyi is condemning the commercialisation of Christmas, I can understand that. Christ came to redeem us from our lost state; this was actualised through his coming, his birth; that is why we celebrate Christmas. It is the fulfilment of God’s promise.”
 “I saw him on the television a few days ago. He was in Akwa Ibom State and was the chief preacher during their Christmas celebration event. Kumuyi is just saying what he feels; he is not making any doctrinal statement.”
The spokesperson for the Christian Association of Nigeria, Oshodi chapter, Lagos State, Pastor Barnabas Otoibhi, said that Christmas was worth celebrating.
Otoibhi told one our correspondents in a telephone interview that the origin of Christmas was not as important as its essence.
He said, “The origin of Christmas, as we know it, could be traced to Roman Emperor, Constantine. Christmas was a day for celebrating the Sun God. However, because Constantine was a Christian, the day was changed to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
“The tradition has continued to date and since the aim of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus since there is nothing bad in honouring Jesus. Also, the worship of the Sun God was done in Rome and not everywhere in the world, so it is not part of our history.
“We mark Christmas with the singing of songs as a day, which has now been consecrated.”

SOURCE- PUNCHNG

FRSC Warns Motorists Against Overspeeding During Christmas

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Gombe State Command, Monday, warned motorists, especially commercial drivers against speeding and overloading their vehicles, to avoid accidents.

The Sector Commander, Mr Kuteb Galadima, gave the warning during a sensitisation programme at Bauchi Park in Gombe.
He said that at this time of the year, many people travelled to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their loved ones and a lot of accidents occurred.
According to him, many commercial drivers in their hurry to make more money, refused to obey traffic rules.
He said that the command, on its part, had made plans to deploy more men on the roads to enhance safety and ease traffic during the period.
The Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Gombe State, Mr Ado Solomon, also advised people to always obey the traffic lights to avoid accidents in the state.

Solomon urged parents to send their children to driving schools before releasing their cars to them to drive, especially during the festivities. [NAN]

Russia’s designer of AK-47 rifle dies

MOSCOW, (AFP) – Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of fabled AK-47 automatic rifle, died Monday, the office of the presidency in the Udmurtia region where he worked said. He was 94.

Kalashnikov designed a weapon that became synonymous with killing on a sometimes indiscriminate scale but was seen in the Soviet Union as a national hero and symbol of Moscow’s proud military past.
“He died about one-and-a-half hours ago,” Viktor Chulkov, the spokesman for the Udmurtia leader Alexander Volkov, told AFP.
Lavished with honours including the prestigious Hero of Russia prize for designing the iconic rifle, Kalashnikov has said he had never intended for it to become the preferred weapon in conflicts around the world.
“I created a weapon to defend the fatherland’s borders. It’s not my fault that it was sometimes used where it shouldn’t have been. This is the fault of politicians,” he said during an award ceremony at the Kremlin to mark his 90th birthday.
AK-47′s name stands for “Kalashnikov’s Automatic” and the year it was designed, 1947. Also called the “Kalashnikov”, the rifle and its variants are the weapons of choice for dozens of armies and guerrilla groups around the world.
More than 100 million Kalashnikov rifles have been sold worldwide and they are wielded by fighters in such far-flung conflict zones as Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
But their inventor, a World War II veteran, has barely profited financially from them and lived modestly in Izhevsk, an industrial town 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) east of Moscow.
The Izmash factory that was the home manufacturer of the weapon in the central Russian region of Udmurtia has now fallen on hard times after a collapse in orders following the fall of the USSR, a fact that prompted Kalashnikov to make a personal appeal to President Vladimir Putin.
Born in a Siberian village as the 17th child of family on November 10, 1919, Kalashnikov had a tragic childhood during which his father was deported under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1930.
Wounded during combat in 1941, Kalashnikov designed his rifle in 1947, driven by Soviet defeats in the early years of World War II at the hands of far better armed German soldiers.
In October 1941 in fierce battles around Bryansk he was heavily wounded and shell-shocked.According to his official Izmash biography, Kalashnikov first conceived of the weapon while recovering in hospital.
The rifle quickly became prized for its sturdy reliability in difficult field conditions and Kalashnikov was honoured with the Soviet Union’s top awards including the Lenin and the Stalin prizes.
Yet the design was never patented internationally and Izmash always complained that its potential income from the weapon was hit badly by the “pirated” versions of the designs made abroad.
The 205-year-old Izmash plant remains one of the main producers of Russian weapons and is treasured as a national icon.
But Izmash has also suffered from dwindling demand and a failure to make up for this with foreign orders — a problem plaguing many specialised post-Soviet industries.

“LAGOS IS NIGERIA, LAGOS IS GOOD FOR NIGERIA”- AREMO OLUSEGUN OSHOBA

It was a classy evergreen gathering of high society last tuesday at the eko hotel and suites, lagos, when prince Tajudeen Oluyole Olusi oon, launched his autobiography titled “Do not be  a low mean man…. The story of a prince of peace” which was reviewed by professor Siyan Oyeweso. The book launch had in attendance the likes of senator oluremi tinubu, Dr Tunde Balogun, Hon- Wasiu Eshinlokun, Hon- Folani, Oba Olatunji Hamzat, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and other civil servants. Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola was represented by the secretary to the state.

Speaking at the event, secretary to the state representing the lagos state government, advised that the book is should be made available and accessible to tertiary institution basically because the book is rich in lagos history. “ Id implore tertiary institutions to make this book available to their student in order to aid them in the understanding of lagos state history” she also added that the book is of high value and should be made a must read to all.

According to the former governor of ogun state, Aremo Olusegun Oshoba, the essence of lagos is related in this book. “ Lagos is Nigeria, lagos is good for Nigeria” 

The book reviewer made lots of positive remarks on the book as he meticulously gave a quick analysis of the book. " the book is about the lagos monarchy, politics and good governace of the state." he also added that he made and distributed 2000 copies of the book to institutions free of charge.

Amnesty calls on Jonathan to reject anti-gay bill

Amnesty International on Friday urged Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan to reject a bill that would outlaw gay marriage and crackdown on gay rights after lawmakers approved a final version for his signature.

The key elements of Nigeria’s anti-homosexuality legislation, which also criminalises public displays of affection between same sex couples, had cleared the upper and lower houses of parliament in May.
But there were minor differences between the drafts passed by the two legislative bodies.
Those discrepencies were resolved on Tuesday and the bill is now ready for President Goodluck Jonathan’s signature.
“This discriminatory bill, which not only criminalises same-sex marriage but also makes public displays of affection and even socialising in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex community illegal, must be rejected by the President,” said Aster van Kregten, Amnesty International’s Africa Deputy Director.
“If the President signs the bill into law it would make Nigeria one of the least tolerant societies in the world and have catastrophic consequences for the country’s LGBTI community and human rights organisations.”
Uganda’s parliament on Friday adopted its own draconian anti-gay bill that calls for repeat offenders to be jailed for life.
Like the Nigerian bill, it will only come into force if the country’s President Yoweri Museveni signs it.
Both pieces of legislation have been widely condemned by rights groups and world leaders, including in the US and Britain.
Nigeria is seen as being less susceptible to pressure from Western governments because, as Africa’s top oil producer, it receives very little foreign aid.
Under Nigeria’s bill, anyone who enters into a same-marriage or “civil union” can be sentenced to 14 years in prison.
It also says “any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations or directly or indirectly makes a public show of same-sex amorous relationship commits an offence and shall be liable to a term of 10 years imprisonment.”

Jonathan’s intentions regarding bill are not clear.

Woman charged with murder of her son

A petty trader and single parent, Titilayo Odedele has been charged with the murder of her own son at the Ebute- Meta chief magistrate court, in Lagos.

The woman, a squatter in one of the white garment churches in Ajagunro-Imota in Ikorodu local Government area of Lagos state was alleged to have killed her two year-old son due to her inability to raise the boy alone.
She was caught by a herbalist while she was strangulating the boy in a bush very close to the church. The herbalist was said to be working on a farm. The man arrested the woman and raised an alarm. The woman was later handed over to the police.
Odedele was thereafter arraigned before the court on a count charge of murder under section 221 of the criminal code.
The presiding magistrate Y. J. Badejo-Okusanya ordered that the woman be remanded in Kirikiri prisons pending the advice of the director of public prosecution.

The case has been adjourned till 3 February 2014.

DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATION IN A FLEDGING AND EMERGING MEGACITY ( LAGOS A POLITCAL METAPHOR) AT A PUBLIC LECTURE COMMEMORATING THE BIRTHDAY OF PRINCE ADETOYESE OLUSI

Lagos is the commercial/ industry capital of Nigeria, indeed the major port of entry and exit, and the most significant city in the country. It is an undisputable fact that in Nigeria today, Lagos remains the most complex metropolitan centre of regional population and organization; a major focus of political, financial and cultural power for its own residents and for people in neighboring states after Abuja the federal capital.

On the one hand, the role, which Lagos plays, both locally and nationally complex , comes from the complex set of fuctions carried out within the metropolis. These functions range from essentially economic activities such as manufacturing to more socially oriented ones like government housing projects. Major decision affecting social and economic changes in Nigeria are made in lagos, as in Abuja, while lagos remains a major point of origin for the development and diffusion elaewhere, of significant innovations of all kinds.

The human density of the metropolis, its pace of daily life, the complexity of its transactions, and the cosmopolitan reach of its flow of products and people have all combined to project lagos as a member of the world metropolitan club. These attributes of the metropolis are usually regarded as the stimulants to cultural creativity and change that maintain the metropolis as a dynamic node within the national settlement system.

On the other hand, however, the housing situation in many parts of lagos leaves much to be desired. Many residents are homeless or live without in housing units described by the united nation s as a maenace to health and human dignity. Overcrowded slums in the metropolis have been found to contribute to a high rate juvenile delinquency; high rates of family dependence on members of the public for assistance ; high level of illetracy; high proportions of unemployment, poverty, and divorce; more non support cases , acholism, drug abuse; a higher rate of psychological disorders and mental defiency; low marriage rates ; a low average educational level; low residential mobility (due to acute shortage of residential building and land) and a generally higher degree of social abnormality, lawlessness, crime and fear.

Here then lies a public policy paradox and the issue or representation in a democratic space; many Nigerians dread the increasing rate of urban violence.

In thye city, while some would not even wish to live there; yet, according statistical records, lagos has more police stations than any other btown or city in Nigeria. How then could this rate of urban violence be stemmed, and how culd the solution found be replicated in other towns and cities in Nigeria? These are some of the issues concerning the adequacy, afficiency and quality or otherwise of our representatives at the various tiers of our democratic.

                                  A HISTORY OF THE GROWTH OF LAGOS

Lagos is located in a lagoon along the southweatern coast between latitude 6 degree and 7 degree north of the equator and between longitude 3 degree and 4 degree east of greenwhich. This lagoon extends from cotonou (republic of benin) in the west, to the niger delta in the southwest.

 As the only natural break along some 2,500 kilometer of the west African coastline, lagos became a very important seaport during the trading activities of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The expansion of lagos was due to the growth of the colonial economy of Nigeria. Having served as the seat of government between 1914 and 1992, after which the fedral capital was relocated to Abuja, lagos remains the largest seaport and the most important railway terminus, and enjoys prominence in the exported- oriented economy of Nigeria. The city acquired the status of a municipality in 1950, and its area was subsequently extended to incorporate parts of the main land

Today, metropolitan lagos is made up of 5 local government areas and 8 local council development areas , covering about 32 percent of the total area of lagos state, that is about 1088 square kilometers. About 209 square kilometers of the area is covered by water and unreclaimed mangrove swamps.

Three crucial factors have been identified as being responsiblke for the subsequent growth of the city of lagos and surrounding settlements, namel:

1.     the construction, in 1895, of a railway line as a means of linking the  city and port with the hinterland

2.     the development of the lagos harbor into the best on the west African coast between 1906 and 19

3.     the construction, in 1900, of carter bridge which was reconstructed in 1933 and again in 1979, to link the island with the mainland and the hinterland.

As the population of lagos increased, expansion became inevitable. In 1871, lagos island was 4 km2 and had an estimated population of 28,518. By 1931 the population of the city had increased to 126,108 and the area had expanded to 62.8 km2, ecompassing areas immediately outside the lagos island- a phenomenal increase of 342.2 population and 1,470 percent expansion in areas over the 1871 figures.

CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

As early as 1886, when lagos colony was separated from the gold coast, an executive council for the lagos colony was established. But federick lugard had reduced the powers of this executive council to the staus of legislative. In 1906, when lagos colony was merged with the protectorate of southern Nigeria, the competence of this legislative council was extended to cover lagos and the southern protectorate.

In order to compensate the inhabitant of the lagos colony who de jure british subjects and enjoyed the rights of british citizens, a small legislative council for lagos colony was introduced for the purpose of enacting laws and scrutinizing estimates and expenditure.the legislative council consisted of ten official and six unofficial members.

The almagamation of Nigeria in 1914 coincided with the establishment of a Nigerian council. The council compromised 24 official and 12 unofficial members. Six of the unofficial members were Europeans representing commerce, industry and banking. The six African unofficial members were chiefs namely; the sultan of sokoto, the alafin of oyo, chief douglas numa and one each educated Nigerian repreenting each of lagos and calarbar.

The Nigerian council was essentially an advisory body because It had no legisl;ative powers. The most traditional rulers could not participate effectively because of their inability to communicate in English. Some other means means of satisfying the demand of the Nigerian peple for some form of vrepresentative government had to be explored as the resistance of the indigenous population against the imposition of a centralized hierachial system of administration over traditionally acephalous societies, especially in eastern Nigeria, was very stiff.

Most notable was the excusion of the educated elite from participation in the governance of Nigeria, and the very limited opportunities in the administrative machinery for such elite.

The legal status of lagos as a colony whose inhabitants were british subjects also facilitated the demands for greater freedom of participation in political activities. Moreover, the comtemtuos attitude of the british colonial administration to Nigerian traditional rulkers. Eg. The eleko of eko,m chief jaja of opobo, chief nana of olurnu, further infuriated the indigenous population and elites; it thus inflamed the nationalist fervor led prince abibu ajao oki, founder and president of ilu committee while Herbert nmaculay was the secretary and recorder.

The Nigerian council and the small legislative council for lagos were abolished by order in council in 1922 (ezera, 1964). “prince abibu oki and other coastal elite had indeed, been agitating against the government in lagos for the imposition of water rates and the appropation of land for land for government projects even before Lugard became Governor General in 1914” (Nnoli, 1978).

After the amalgamation of 1914, “the nationalist fought against the exclusiveness and racial bias of the Crown Colony system of Government. Nationalist demand at this phase of the struggle was not the attainment of self-government but a measure of participation in the existing government” (Coren, 1981).

The Legislative Council

This was a product of the Clifford Constitution of 1922. This Council comprised 30 official members, 15 unofficial ones nominated by government, and three unofficial members representing the municipal areas of Lagos and Calabar.

The Council had a limited number of elected members and African members selected to represent the interest of those parts of the Colony and Southern Protectorate not represented by elected members.

But the franchise was restrictive and limited to males who were British subjects or natives of the Protectorate with 12months residential qualification and an income of not less than £100 a year. The first elections in Nigerian history were held in September 1923 and the Council was inaugurated in October, of the same year.

The Clifford Constitution was significant in the following respects: it introduced the elective principle and stimulated the formation of political organizations notably, Herbert Macaulay’s Nigerian National Democratic Party (ND) in 1923 and the Lagos Youth Movement (LYME) in 1934, founded by H.O. Davies, Dr. J.C. Vaughan, Dr. Kofo Abayomi, Ernest Ikoli, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo which later transformed into the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) in 1936.

The colonial administration was not responsive to Nigerian public opinion as a means of vetting arbitrary actions. The NNDP – which was formed to contest the 1923 elections – dominated Lagos politics and Herbert Macaulay’s approach was rather too conservative for comfort, as he attacked only specific isolated policies of the colonial administration and not the colonial system itself.

His political goal  of a self-governing Nigeria within the British Commonwealth was unattractive to the new breed of more radical Nigerians in the 1930s.

Consequently, there emerged the need for a more territorially widespread organization other than the NNDP. This, along with the need for organized resistance to colonial rule in its entirety, rather than to isolated policies, culminated in the decline of the NNDP and the emergence of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM).

The NYM contested the 1938 elections with the NNDP and won the three Lagos seats. The British colonial administration branded the Movement a southern-based party and the Northern Emirs supported the British despite the mixed composition of the Jos Branch comprising members from both the North and South. The NYM had been critical of colonial methods of governing Northern Nigeria by proclamations emanating from the Governor rather than through direct elections. In the North, organized opposition came from the JOs Tribal League.

The NYM disintegrated over issues of leadership and representation. Nnamdi Azikiwe resigned from the Movement and all the Ibo members followed suit thus inaugurating the process of the formation of political parties.

The resultant political parties were the National Council for Nigeria and the Camerouns (NCNC) in 1944, the Action Group (AG) in 1950 and the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) in 1951.

The 2015 General Election will mark a deep watershed in Nigeria’s History just like the 2011 election, which held immediately after Nigeria bids farewell to the First 50 years of Political Independence (and 96 years of existence as a Country). Hopefully, the election will usher in the Set of Leaders that will lay the Foundation for the Journey to the 2^nd millennium of the existence of Nigeria as a nation.

Like every other election all over the world, the 2015 elections in Nigeria should be mainly about the economy. Our first 50 years had a chequered history as we struggled to forge a nation out of the disparate nationalities. The first few years of independence, with the regional economies as the driving force, saw spectacular growth of the economy. With oil came a neal economy based essentially on consumption- distributional politics rather than production.

We seem to be saddled with an oil resoursce curse and a political economy that emasculate the future. We have gone thrugh a series of development plans, programmes, visions, etc. on paper, some were far reaching. We have also had the courage to implement some radical reforms. But, without a holistic systemic change and commitment to sustain reforms, we often take three steps forward and four bacjwards.

It appears that the future is foggy and serious discussion about the new Nigeria in the next 50 years have begun. The debate so far is about who would be president and so on, and not about what trhey wil offer. I am afraid that we again conduct elections without any serious issues beign canvassed.

I recall the robust debates relating to the alternative ideologies and manifesto of the five political parties during the 1978/79 elections, I remember specifically listening to chief obafemi awolowo in 1979 explaning how much it would cost to implement free education at all levels and free medical care, and how he would reconstruct public finance to squeeze out the money to implement them.

Not anymore! There are no alternative vision no ideologies and no programmes that offer the voters clear choices about their future.

Most political parties have no clear road map for the country. Rather, they are concererned about how to grab power, and I am not sure how many party members can coherently explains what their party stands for. Some of us joined political parties in the hope of changing it from within, and we have not given up.

I am a strong believer in our future and in its destiny to lead the black race. If an emerging Lagos megacity fails and Nigeria does not make it, sub-Saharan Africa cannot make it. That is why some of us have elected to devote the rest of our lifetimes to work for a Nigeria’s future encapsulated in a sound democratic representation.

The challenges are herculean, and the next two years are critical. The tragedy is that our representative have no clue or implementable plan to ster a different outcome. Under the current political economy, the Vision 2020 will remain what it is – a beautiful dream! Neither the investment levels nor the productivity (given the decaying educational system and poor skills) required to realize Vision 2020 will happen.

For Nigeria to take a shot at 2020, the socio-economy needs to be growing at about 14-15% a year (more than twice the current rates of 6-7%).

I am deeply worried. As a consequence f deliberate choices made by present ublic sector managers and the constitutional/structural bottlenecks, the present leadership at all tiers cannot generate ideas and will power that can stimulate the required impetus to secure prosperity for all.

With massive government borrowing during a boom and paradoxically very low levels of public investment, the private sector is stymied into a trap. Who has the strategy to unbind this trap?

Effectively, we are repeating the worst forms of the mistakes of the late 1970s to early 1980s – accumulated huge debts and raised government consumption to unsustainable levels during the slump. As it is, the economy and the future of hundreds of millions of Nigerians are hinged on a life support of a temporary oil boom. Our economy is still driven by the volatile primary co at 20%, we are commodity sector   - oil, gas and agriculture. With poverty incidence at about 50% and the urban youth unemployment at over 20%, we vare sitting on a ntime bomb.

The good news is that Nigeria has all the potentials to be great. There are huge idle resources that can be put to productive use but this can only happen when round pegs are put inside round holes.

This is where the debate needs to begin. Candidates and political parties needs to outline their visions of Nigeria in the next 50 years and how they intend to rapidly create a broadly shared and sustainable prosperity. The debate must begin.

Can fundamental results be achieved by tinkering with programmes or will major changes in the political structure and constitution be required? It is time the prospective candidate roll out their agenda, and how they intend to finance them! Nigerians will no longer be content with a plethora of platitudes and wish list.

Each candidate must tell us how he/she intends to finance each programme, the deliverables and time lines. More specifically, we need to know where they stand on critical national issues, even if they have no concrete plans on them. This is a necessary element of a democratic process.

The first issues we need answeres to is how the candidate hope to reconstruct our public finaces and put it back on the path of sustainability. How can they rein in the obtuse and rapacious state bureaucracies, balance our budget during this period of the oil boom, and yet spend at least 40% of the budget on capital expenditure as required by the fiscal responsibility acts?

Personally, I am not convinced that we need more than ministries and 10 ministries and 10 ministries at the federal level. They should explain to us their contingency plans in case the oil prices crashes tomorrow.

Candidates should also let us know their views on, and framework for, borrowing (when to borrow, for what, and how it will be paid back) without clarity on these issues, much of the talk about government providing electricity and infrastructure on a sustainable basis will remain a joke, as funding will always remain a binding constraint. In other words, candidates should tell us their plans to shrink the domain of the public sector to free resources to enlarge the domain of the private sector in order to enlarge the domain of the private sector in order to truly have a private sector led, led market economy.

Nigerians would like to know the plans of the candidates for reconstructing our political structures to create the new Nigeria with a new sustainable prosperity. Currently, we are running unitary – federalism, with a plethora of fiscally unviable states as the ‘federating units’, with the attendant wasteful duplication of bureaucracies all over the country. So far, as everyone is spoilt with monthly allocations from oil rents, there is no incentive to recreate the prosperity engendered by the palm or cocoa plantations and groundnut pyramids of the old regions.

Every village wants to become a state in so far as ‘allocations continue to come from Abuja to pay salaries’. Nigeria’s fiscal federalism seems to have its incentive system upside down, supporting a political economy based upon consumption- distribution rather than production. Should this continue?

Where do we stand on state creation? Should we create eight states per zone as being proposed, or consolidate the existing ones into six regions with Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt as special territories, as is being proposed by others? What do we do with revenues from exhaustible natural resources such as oil, gas and solid minerals?

Some people propose that we can create as many states as we want (perhaps until every village becomes a state) but that revenues from the Federation Account should never be used for recurrent expenditure but only used as matching grants to create wealth and productive capacity for present and future generations, such as only for infrastructure, security and education. Where do candidates stand on this issue?

What kind of constitutional chances are required to create a functional fiscal federalism, and appropriate devolution of powers from the centre to the states and regions to ensure effective economic management? What is our plan for effective policing of the country to ensure security of life and property? Where do we stand on the proposal for a state or regional police force?

On specific sectoral issues, the questions are endless. Who has the strategy to achieve uninterrupted power supply over the 2015-2019 period? Where is the strategy to ensure an accurate population census with the biometric data of every citizen? If the last census figure is correct, then Nigeria’s population is exploding without any plans for the children of today and tomorrow. Are we happy with the rate of growth of our population or will someone have the courage to propose a r oust population policy?

Since our current university system is a road to nowhere producing largely unemployable graduates, candidates need to flesh out their plans to revolutionize the sector for Nigeria to join the 21st century. The Financial System Strategy 2020 (FSS 2020) was designed to make Nigeria Africa’s financial hub and an international financial centre by 2020. What is the commitment of the candidates to making this happen?

How will the candidates address the various cries of marginalization by sections of the country, especially the southeast? What are the plans for women and youth, as well as the physically challenged? How do we deal with huge but unrecognized national emergencies such as erosion and desertification?

Furthermore, the future depends on how we deal with the tripartite problems of poverty, urbanization and unemployment. Candidates need to spell out how they intend to solve the pervasive poverty in the north (averaging over 70% compared to an average of less than 35% in the south).

To create high-value-added jobs and reduce poverty in the medium term requires more than quadrupling productivity in agriculture as well as mainstreaming large scale commercial agriculture. We need to hear the plans of candidates in this regard given the current irrigation level of less than 6%.

More specifically, we need to hear from the aspirants how many jobs they can create over the four-year period and the strategies for doing so. There is also the challenge of urbanization and urban renewal strategies. At about 5.3%, Nigeria’s urbanization rate is one of the fastest in the world, with the attendant urban decay, slums and urban unemployment, poverty and crime.

What is the plan to stem rural-urban migration? In the medium term, what special strategies are there for the renewal of mega cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba/Onitsha, Abuja and Kano, which continue to receive the largest influx of young people in search of nonexistent opportunities? What are the strategies for providing safe drinking water for our population?

There is a housing deficit in Nigeria of some 20m units, Lagos account for 25% of this deficit. What strategies do prospective representatives have to unleash a housing boom?

The questions and issues are legion. The essence of this piece is to provoke debate. The next 50 years will make or break Nigeria. Next year marks the beginning of the journey. The current players have a duty to lay a solid foundation for the future. As things are, that future cannot be guaranteed without a big struggle. Those we know, and who have the capacity to contribute to the struggle for a new, prosperous Nigeria, nay Lagos megacity region must stand up now to be counted! Elite indifference to the political process is not an option. Since we have adopted US-style state primaries for the elective offices, can we also adopt US-style debates in various states among aspirants of the same party? When will the debate begin? The world is watching, and Nigerians are awaiting for answers. 

Value of certificate over competence

A worrying situation of employers valuing content of certificates over competence or hands on the job is no doubt an inspiration sucker of our youths.  This problem which has been in existence several years back has proven to be stagnant as industries, companies or manufacturers no longer consider or value potential competence of employees but value their certificates. This phenomenon has affected several students psychologically as they centre their mind on ensuring that they graduate from school with good results in order to compete in the industrial world.

Over-emphasis on paper qualification has been the yardstick for employment and this has discouraged concentration on vocational training and relocated the mentality of large number of youth to taking formal education as a must.

According to the UNESCO statistics, a total of 48.66% of adults ranging from 15 and above are literate while a total of 73.58% of youths ranging from 15 to 24 is educated or literate. Illiteracy rate by sex aged 15 and above is approximately as stated by UNESCO statistics 31.9%. This statstistic has obviously proven that there are more educated than illiterates in the country which ought to be a key advantage for the development of the country.   

Over emphasis on paper qualification is fast becoming alarming and if not looked into, there is a whole lot of possibility that the factor could wreck more havoc to the development of the country.  Value of certificate over competence could wreck havoc in terms of increasing rate of examination malpractice and inefficiency.

The hazard of examination malpractice has assumed an alarming and embarrassing height in all forms.

Examination malpractice has become a cankerworm. It is like a disease that has eaten deep into every facet of our educational system, and has affected the quality of graduates being churned out by our educational institutions. The situation has become so worrisome that students not only cheat but also employ more sophisticated means of executing the act.

Industrial inefficiency in Nigeria can also be regarded to as termites that slowly eat up the progress of services rendered and goods manufactured in the industrial sector. In the industrial sector today, wrong people occupy wrong offices and render wrong services to their clients. The problem of industrial inefficiency cannot be disregarded.

According to a radio talk show, talk to the students on Nigerian info, hosted by chucks and graced by miss deola a 300 level student of lagos state university and mr tiamiyu Hassan blames the problem of employers valuing certificates over competence on students, employers and government.

Mr Animashaun Wale blames the issue of employers valuing content of certificate over competence on employers and students. He explains that most employers believe that a good result means good prospects. He said that they employ graduates with very good results without worrying to know how the employee achieved such height in terms of the result or certificate tendered. “I feel employees should know by now that most Nigerian institution is a platform of success for students and not a true test of their abilities. He added

Speaking with miss ariyo bisola , graduate of business administration, lagos state university, contributed saying that she is not unaware of the present situation in question. “ I am very much aware of this problem and I have prepared myself psychologically. I know my potentials and I believe in myself although I worked really hard in school to have graduated with a second class upper division”. She added that she recently wrote a job exam and graced a job interview where she was questioned and tested.

The ceo of ehingbeti media, mr sina saba revealed to our correspondent that he employs his staffs based on recommendation and certificate tendered.” I employ workers based on recommendation and I consider their certificate because that determines what they can offer”.  He made more emphasis on certificate saying that he can only employ a graduate with the best of result. “There is no way I can employ a graduate with a weak result because the result is what draws my attention to any graduate. So if you wish to work in my establishment you must have a very good certificate even if recommended”. He added.

                                                                            BY TIAMIYU HASSAN

LAGOS FROM THE PAST SHORT HISTORY OF LATE CHIEF ALLI IDOSU THE 9TH ELETU ODIBO OF LAGOS (1906-1912)

The 1^st Eletu-Odibo of Lagos was Chief Akinwon who came with King Ashipa from Benin City in 1630. Chief Akinwon died without any issue and was succeeded by his brother Chief Orishajo (the 2^nd Eletu Odibo of Lagos) who on his death left two sons Kumeyifo and Jose-Ajoyin.

Chief Kumeyifo succeeded Chief Orishayo as the 3^rd Eletu Odibo of Lagos. Chief Kumeyhifo gave birth to Ojomo-Oloro the father of Alli-Idosu.

Chief Jose-Ajoyin became the 4^th Eletu-Odibo while his son Chief Oshobule succeeded him as the 5^th Eletu-Odibo of Lagos.

Chief Oshobule was killed by King Kosoko in 1845 and was never buried at Maworun. His Grandson Chief Amusa Gbadesere the father of Mr. Taju Eletu who died in 1960 was not buried at Maworun until the 25th day of June, 2004.

Upon the death of Chief Oshobule, Chief Jiyabi was elected to succeed him as the 6th Eletu Odibo but died before his coronation and was succeeded by Chief Ada Ogbelege as the 7th Eletu Odibo

Chief Ada Ogbelege died without any issue and was succeeded by Chief Ogabi as the 8^th Eletu-Odibo of Lagos. Chief Ogabi was succeeded by Chief Alli-Idosu as the 9^th Eletu-Odibo of Lagos.

Chief Alli-Idosu became 9th Eletu-Odibo of Lagos on 26^th June 1906 during the tenure of Oba Eshugbayi Eleko of Lagos and died in 1912 leaving 8 issuesa behind

Chief Alli-Idosu works and deeds before and during his tenure as the 9^th Eletu-Odibo of Lagos were indelible and have not been matched by any Eletu-Odibo till date.

In 1898, before he became the Eletu-Odibo, the Oba’s mosque (Okiti) Lagos was pulled down and in the process of rebuilding, it was extended to cove r some adjoining lands belonging to Eletu-Odibo Chieftaincy and Musa Okunnu. There was serious protest which stalled the construction of the Mosque but due to the intervention of Chief Alli-Idosu among other people, the matter was resolved amicably. Chief Alli-Idosu also contributed among other people to complete the construction of the mosque.

During the reign of Late Chief Ogabi the 8^th Eletu Odibo of Lagos, Chief Alli Idosu acquired the Ogun Shrine at Enu Owa and removed the said Ogun Shrine to a piece of land opposite Iga Eletu behind Bakare Atobajehun House. After the removal of the shrine, the acquired land was later used for the Enu Owa Mosque with the support of Late Disu Labulo, Yesufu Fasanya, Late Chief Adamu Akeju, the Obanikoro of Lagos and others.

After he became the 9^th Eletu-Odibo of Lagos, Chief Alli-Idosu capped late Buramoh Akinlagus as the Chief Onilegbale of Lagos on Thursday 28^th June 1906 with the consent and approval of late oba eshugbayi eleko of lagos.

In 1908, chief Alli Idosu replanted “obun tree” popularly known as olobun tree in a miraculous way at enu owa by church street/ decemo street, lagos.

The first olobun tree was brought from Benin to lagos and planted by both late chief Akinwon and his brother chief Orishajo the first and second eletu odibo of lagos respectively at the main road of enu owa by church street and along decamp street, in lagos in the year 1630.

According to history, the tree has great historical connection with the emoting tree of Benin kingdom. The first olobun tree was cut off by the lagos town council in the year 1908 during the time of governor Egerton because it was alleged that the tree was causing obstruction on the road. The day the tree was cut off was a bloody day as all the officials and workers from lagos town council who cut off the tree died immediately after cutting the tree and also blood was flowing from the tree on the road. The British government later sent emissaries to oba eshugbayi of lagos to help make sacrifice to the tree for peace.

Oba eshugbayi eleko of lagos directed the officials from the government to late chief Alli Idosu who was the incumbent chief eletu odibo of lagos by that time for the sacrifice which was later performed by chief Alli Idosu. On the day of the sacrifice, the British government offered late chief alli idosu the sum of sixty pounds ( for the sacrifice. It was a lot of money in those days. The British government also some of their officials to witness how the sacrifice and replanting of the tree was to be done. The government officials who came to witness the ritual ceremony slept off at the corridor of armoire palace near the place the tree was, until sacrifice was concluded. He thereafter directed someone to wake them up at where they slept.

The government officials were so surprised when they saw the tree grown the same day and went back to their office and delivered the message to the governor which prompted the government to make it permanent on the present site up till date.

Money is always given to any incumbent chief eletu odibo of lagos whenever the sacrifice to the tree is going to be performed. Late chief alli Idosu performed the sacrifice to that fateful day as both the incumbent chief and grandson of the 3^rd chief eletu odibo of lagos state, kumeyifo.

The site of the tree became the ritual performing site on any traditional ceremonial occasions. Any incumbent chief eletu odibo of lagos, has a right to enter into the shrine room and perform the ceremony whenever it is necessary to do so in company of his followers to the site of the tree.

In case there is no chief in the palace of eletu odibo the descendants’ of late chief alli Idosu can be called to perform the ceremony. There are many examples to that effect during the life time of both  oba Fafolu and oba Musendiku Adele II of lagos.

Late chief alli Idosu performed the coronation of inure ceremony for both late oba eshugbayi eleko of Lagos and late chief Oluwa Akinboi in the year 1910 adamu orisha play was performed in memory of late chief Ogabi the 8^th chief eletu odibo of lagos who was the son of oshobile on 11^th of august, 1906, two months after alli idosu’s installation.

Chief alli Idosu died in 1912. His corpse was buried in iga court yard and adamu orisha was organized in his memory by the 10^th eletu odibo of lagos, chief Abdullah Bamgbopa and entire members of the family on 24^th of April 1918. Since then no adamu orisha play has ever been performed for any chief eletu odibo of lagos.