Embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus says only the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party has powers to discipline him or any member of the National Working Committee (NEC).
Secondus stated this in a statement by his Media Aide, Mr Ike Abonyi, in Abuja while reacting to his suspension by his ward executives in Rivers State.
He said that Article 59(3) of the PDP Constitution stated clearly that only the NEC has such power to discipline NEC members of the party.
He said that Article 59(3) of the PDP Constitution stated clearly that only the NEC has such power to discipline NEC members of the party.
“The media office of Secondus ordinarily should not be responding to every ‘noise’ in the media being engineered by those who set out to distract and destroy the PDP.
“But it is our responsibility to guide those who are easily persuaded by news in the media, hence this response.
“Such action is a mere wish as Article 59(3) of the PDP constitution states clearly that only the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party can discipline the National Chairman or any other National officer of the party,” he said.
He urged members of the public and the media to be wary of agents who were out to distract the PDP from its focus of rescuing Nigeria.

LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNOR
PRESS RELEASE

TOWN PLANNERS RANK LAGOS AS MOST PLANNED STATE

•Sanwo-Olu Hosts Management Team of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners
Lagos State has been rated top among States in the federation having advanced town planning framework that complies with the national Urban and Regional Planning Laws of 2004.
The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners passed the vote of confidence on Lagos, noting that the State had gone far ahead of others in domesticating the national town planning legislation and setting up administrative structures to coordinate its planning in accordance with the laws.
The rating was shared with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu when the Institute’s national president, Mr. Oluwatoyin Ayinde, led management team members on a courtesy visit to the Governor at the State House, Marina, on Thursday.
Sanwo-Olu acknowledged the Institute’s feedback on the State’s town planning effort, saying the progress indicated Lagos was on the right track towards improving livability for its residents.
In spite of the headway, the Governor said the State still had a lot of work to do in the areas of building control, fast-tracking access to building approvals and signing off on regional plans’ implementation.
He said: “We fully understand how critical the town planning profession is to our development. If we fail to have proper land use administration, proper town planning rules, implementable regional plans and means of creating what our livable space is meant to be, we would probably be doing a disservice to our State. This is why we are strengthening structures put in place to address the situation and achieve improvement.
“I welcome the generous feedback from the Institute of Town Planners, which commended Lagos Government on the progress we have recorded so far after domesticating national Town Planning laws. Indeed, we can do a lot more.
“In some rankings that came out recently, Lagos is still not where it is meant to be in terms of Livability Space Ranking in which they assessed the State based on access to building approval, infrastructure, contracts and enforcement of regulatory standards. We still have a lot of ground to cover around building control, planning approval and regional plans.”
The Governor said Lagos was developing faster than the projection of the Government, given the number of people that came into the State daily and a deluge of applications regularly received on developments’ approvals.
In response, Sanwo-Olu said the State Government had started to decentralise all the processes of getting approvals for structural developments by ceding authority to district offices that would act on behalf of the Government. He added that the effort was being supported by regeneration activities across several communities to bring back the lost glory of the State.
He said: “We have recently just approved the procurement of state-of-the-art software that can fast-track the front-end and back-end activities and improve time for getting approval. Once this software is launched, there would be quick turnaround in submission and processing of approvals.”
Sanwo-Olu said his administration would consider the possibility of creating the Office of Town Planner General for the State to help sustain the achievement recorded and also help future Governments in their planning blueprint.
Ayinde said Lagos was rated first among 17 other States, because of the sustainability of its planning framework, stressing that the State had created structures to meet the national standards.
The Town Planners’ president said the recruitment of 70 professional town planners into the civil service was another pace-setting decision taken by the Lagos Government in achieving coordinated development in the State.
Ayinde praised Sanwo-Olu for strengthening the State’s planning laws, urging the Governor to pay attention to the implementation of Lagos’ development master plan and regional plans.

SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNOR
PRESS RELEASE

SANWO-OLU CHARGES YOUTHS TO BE GLOBAL LEADERS

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has charged Nigerian youths, especially those living in the State to be global ambassadors and real leaders of tomorrow.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who reiterated his administration’s commitment to programmes that would benefit youths, said Lagos State Government would create a platform for youths in the State to be global leaders and not divisional leaders.

Speaking on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the Lagos State and divisional youth ambassadors at the Lagos House, Marina, Governor Sanwo-Olu said his administration is building a great future for the youths and other Lagosians with various interventions under the THEMES agenda.

The Lagos State and divisional youth ambassadors are winners of the annual IBILE Youth Academy leadership programme, which started four years ago.

Governor Sanwo-Olu urged the Lagos State Youth Ambassador, Funmilayo Akanni-shelle and the divisional ambassadors – Aminat Onike-Azeez (Ikeja), Selome Hunpatin (Badagry), Gbolabo Femi-Jolayemi (Ikorodu), Qudus Shodunke (Lagos) and AbdulRahman Saheed (Epe) to use the platform given to them to touch lives and create the future that they will all be proud of.

He said: “We are not only building youths for greatness but to be real champions and advocates in their various communities and leaders of tomorrow.

“We are creating a platform for our youths not just to be divisional ambassadors or state ambassadors but global ambassadors because the future is about the youth.

“What we are doing with all of our interventions in Lagos State under the THEMES agenda is providing the future from today. Everything you see us do in the area of traffic management, health, environment, education, technology, security and infrastructural development is to make sure that the future is better than today.”

Speaking earlier, the Lagos State Youth Ambassador, Funmilayo Akannishelle, commended Governor Sanwo-Olu and the State Government for providing a platform for them through the IBILE Youth Academy leadership programme.

She said the IBILE Youth Academy leadership programme has changed them mentally and made them to be better people, adding that the training has also motivated them to work toward building a Nigeria the youth would be proud of.

She said: “I want to appreciate Lagos State Government for the IBILE Youth Academy leadership programme. I believe it is something that other states should emulate. It is a programme that will go a long way to improve and incorporate leadership qualities in the youth.

“The IBILE Youth Academy has changed our mentality. It has made us better people and we can now go to our communities with positive charge. We all need to improve our country. We should be patriotic and be proud of our country.”

The ambassadors were presented to the Governor by the Lagos State Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mr. Olusegun Dawodu, supported by Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth, Mr. Saheed Akanbi; Director, Youth, Mr. Femi Adetoye and Assistant Director, Youth, Mrs Rasheedat Umar.

SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
SEPTEMBER 2, 2021