PRESS RELEASE

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday said the State Government will strengthen its partnership with the United States and work closely to deepen a mutually beneficial relationship on security, business, entertainment, technology and good governance, among others, to better the lives of the citizens.

Governor Sanwo-Olu made the statement on Wednesday while receiving the new United States Consul General, Mr. Williams Stevens, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina.

The Governor said Lagos State Government is looking forward to using the opportunities and mutually beneficial partnerships between the State and the United States to better the lives of residents and create an atmosphere where businesses can thrive.

He said: “We know too well that you will do bigger and greater things with the government and the people of Lagos. The relationship that the government has with your office is great; it is phenomenal but beyond that, it is really about our people. It is about ensuring that we can use our opportunity to better the lives of our citizens and businesses both in institutions and the country.

“Over the last couple of months in Lagos State, we have seen direct investments from big American companies that have seen the need for them not to just verbalise that the future is in Africa but the future is actually in Lagos and we need to take those steps.

“We know that indeed this is where the huge number of youth population; the opportunity is here in tech, financial services, entertainment and tourism. This is where everything comes together. So, I am excited. We believe working closely with your office, we will be creating success on both sides and we will be building a mutually beneficial relationship.

“Security is paramount for you, myself and for our citizens. We will be taking that forward. I am sure over the period we will deepen the relationship further and build a visible clear vision for our cities.”

In his remarks, the United States Consul General, Williams Stevens said his country was poised to improve the economic relationships, bilateral trade and work together to combat crime while partnering to prioritise education, cultural engagement and entertainment, among other initiatives that would lead to investments in the state.

Stevens, who described the economic relationship as the foundation of any partnership as well as security, promised that the United States will partner with Lagos State and the Federal Government in combating trans-national crimes and ensure the security of lives and properties of residents, which according to him is key to creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.

He said: “We are focused on security. We are focused on ensuring that we are working together with Nigerian organisations and law enforcement to combat international crime and help the people here safer and more secure, which actually directly connects to trade investment.

“We are also focusing on the human concept on regulations, health, partnership, democracy, governance, preparation for the upcoming elections; everything we can do to ensure that people who are here in Lagos State and around Nigeria can have the opportunity to live healthy and safer.”

Stevens, who described Nigerian entertainers as global stars, said there is a partnership between Americans and Nigerians both in films and music in the classic entertainment industries.

SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
10 AUGUST 2022

PRESS RELEASE

SANWO-OLU RECEIVES HOMECOMING TREATMENT, AS GOVERNOR INSPECTS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ON LAGOS ISLAND
…Residents hail Governor on the progress of 10-storey New Massey Hospital, Adeniji Adele Road projects
An exercise for an extensive inspection of the ongoing infrastructural upgrade in Lagos Island, on Wednesday, turned to a homecoming event for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as a tumultuous crowd of residents trooped out to welcome the Governor back to his home base.
Sanwo-Olu, who hails from Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, was in the community to inspect the progress of the ongoing construction of Tapa-Okepopo streets, Adeniji Adele Road and construction of new 10-storey Massey Children Hospital.
The exercise literally turned into a rally when the residents, in showing their appreciation for the projects, joined the Governor on a walk from Adeniji Adele Road into adjoining streets.
Sanwo-Olu was in company of members of the State cabinet and top Government functionaries.
Inspecting the road projects, Sanwo-Olu expressed satisfaction on the pace of work, but urged the contractor to take the advantage of the good weather to scale up construction activities and deliver the projects at the end of the year.
Adeniji Adele Road, before its expansion and dualisation, used to be a single lane. The condition of the road deteriorated due to perennial flooding. The upgrade project, which is at 65 percent completion, now has interlocked bricks with lidded and channelised drainage to address water overflow.
At the new Massey Children Hospital, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, conducted the Governor round the site, where the 547 piling caps required to fully raise hospital structure had been completed.
Sanwo-Olu also observed the civil work on the multi-level car park for the hospital.
He said: “Today, we are here for the on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing reconstruction of Tapa-Okepopo streets and Adeniji Adele Road on Lagos Island. Messrs Julius Berger, the contractor, had informed us that the entire project is at 65 per cent; it shows that we are on track and we can complete the project before the end of the year. Interlocking bricks have been laid; the drainages have been largely completed and the whole area looks new.
“We also inspected the construction of the new Massey Children Hospital, where we noticed the two buildings that are supposed to be coming up on the site. The nine-storey car park, which is currently at the third floor and the 10-storey children hospital. All the 547 piling caps required to fully raise structure on the hospital site have been completed. The contractor has been working double hard on the terms of the project.”
Sanwo-Olu led the team to Ilubirin where a flood protection channel is being built by the Office of Drainages in the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources to address water back flow to low plain areas in the city.
The Governor said a temporary wall had been erected across the water pumping channel to prevent back flow of water from the Lagos lagoon to Lagos Island environ.
Without the barricade, Sanwo-Olu said water would naturally be flowing back from the lagoon whenever there are high tides.
He said: “Significant part of Lagos is below sea level. When water rises from the lagoon, it can flow back to the city. The main observation today is that we are constructing a new 1-kilometre diversion channel from Ilubirin Estate that will take water unto the Lagos lagoon. We are also expecting three high-capacity pumps that are arriving next month. When this is done, issues around flooding on Lagos Island could have been significantly solved.”
The flood prevention effort, the Governor said, would be shifted to Ojo-Giwa collector and Thomas collector on Lagos Island for permanent solution.
Sanwo-Olu’s final stop was at the Lagos Island General Hospital in Aidan, Marina, where the State Government has carried out extensive rehabilitation of outdated facilities in phases.
In the first phase of the work, the Sanwo-Olu fully redesigned and upgraded the hospital’s Accident and Emergency section, Surgical Emergency wards, and training rooms.
The second phase of the project had the Pharmacy department and catering section rehabilitated. Eye Clinic, Administrative Building, Ambulance Bay, Relative Waiting Area and Children’s Surgical Wards were fully renovated in the third phase of the work.
The final phase, Sanwo-Olu said, will ensure full upgrade of the Pathology Department and construction of new wards to accommodate more patients on referral.
“In the new hospitals we are building, we have included the construction of Doctors’ Quarters just as we have in Lagos Island General Hospital. We are currently building quarters for doctors in Gbagada General Hospital and another one on General Hospital, Isolo. This is to improve the condition of service for our doctors and other health professionals supporting them,” the Governor said.

SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
10 AUGUST 2022

Osun State INEC and PDP Trying to Compromise Electoral Documents*

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun State Chapter, has received an authentic information about the activities of certain individuals in the Osun State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and some unscrupulous elements in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in attempts to compromise the contents of the electoral results of Forms EC8A and EC8B vis-à-vis the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) reports which contain the records of the actual number of persons accredited to vote in each polling unit.

Having read the Petition filed by our candidate, Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola and our party, the APC, the PDP (PDP) and their collaborators in the INEC, Osogbo office, have entered the panic mode and have been making frantic efforts to manipulate the electoral results and other documents.

Everyone can recall that the Petition we presented to the Electoral Tribunal on Friday, the 5th day of August, 2022 made detailed and undeniable allegations of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 with established vagaries and inconsistencies between the numbers of persons accredited by BVAS and the actual numbers of persons that voted in each polling unit.

By the above, we were able to establish over-voting in 749 polling units across ten local government areas of Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, Ejigbo, Ila, Ilesha West, Irepodun, Obokun, Olorunda and Osogbo Local Government Council Areas.

We got it from a reliable and an authoritative source that the INEC officials in Osogbo, working for PDP and its candidate, Ademola Adeleke, have embarked on an urgent process of manipulating the contents of the BVAS report in order to defeat the unassailable allegations and evidence at our disposal.

It is on record that the certified true copies of most documents are with us and any attempt to doctor, manipulate, tamper with or utter such documents in the custody of INEC shall be resisted strongly.

We use this medium to call on all lovers of democracy and electoral justice to prevail on INEC and PDP to allow a peaceful determination of the electoral dispute as submitted to the Electoral Tribunal sitting in Osogbo.

Furthermore, we consider it pertinent to warn all officials of INEC office, Osogbo and their PDP collaborators to desist from any criminal activity capable of compromising a fair determination of our Petition.

If the PDP and the INEC know that they won the election fair and square without any malpractice or corrupt practice, they should come and defend our allegations without deceiving the public or making electoral justice impossible.

We shall not hesitate to put in motion criminal prosecution against any attempt to defeat the ends of justice.

Thank you.

*Prince Gboyega Famoodun,*
Chairman, All Progressives Congress,
Osun State Chapter.