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Rotary Club of Lagos reaffirms commitment to human capacity development

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The Rotary Club of Lagos has reaffirmed its commitment to uplifting the human race and continued support for the government in strengthening human capacity development. The club made the reaffirmation at its 2021-2022 President’s annual dinner on Saturday, February 12, where it gave a scorecard of its humanitarian projects executed in the 2021-2022 Rotary year.

The club started the Rotary year with projects in the areas of education, health enhancement, environmental sustainability, business support and empowerment among others. While nine major projects have so far been concluded, 11 others are still under execution. Some concluded projects include the cervical cancer vaccination programme at Lafiaji Secondary School Lagos Island; disbursement of one million naira micro-credit fund to 20 beneficiaries from Sandgrouse market and equipping the music workshop and kitchen of the Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB) vocational training centre Oshodi.

Rtn  Babawale Agbeyangi, President, Rotary Club of Lagos with Rtn Omotunde Lawson, District Governor-elect, Rotary District 9110

Other completed projects are 10 days training workshop on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M) robotics for teachers and students at Lafiaji Senior Secondary School Lagos Island; planting of 15 Queen’s palm tree at Dolphin High School, Lagos Island and disbursement of N50,000 each micro-credit fund to market women and men at Itamarun village, a community adopted by the Rotary Club of Lagos.

Also, the club visited and donated books to the Edward Blyden Memorial Primary School, Lafiaji, Lagos, and organised a talk on the importance of digital literacy for children as part of its efforts aimed at encouraging and promoting digital literacy. As part of its efforts aimed at encouraging literary skills among adults and traders, the Rotary Club of Lagos through its project, Education for Life, organised an adult literacy seminar for the market women and men at Sandgrouse.

Meanwhile, ongoing and upcoming projects of the club include, donation of 20 branded safety life jackets for waterways/terminals. This is in collaboration with the Lagos State Ferry Services, aimed at ensuring that commuters travel safely on the waterways.

Other projects in the pipeline include provision of 10 boreholes at Coker town, Ogun state, which will cost $86,000; reconstruction and renovation of the Sura Primary Healthcare Centre, which consist of a 10-bed maternity ward, labour room, kitchen, toilets and waiting area. This is expected to cost N50 million.

The Rotary Club, is also planning to embark on the reconstruction and renovation of a block of four classrooms to accommodate 200 students at Lafiaji Senior High School, which has been estimated to cost N20 million, while it has also concluded plan to provide a N10 million library and N3 million borehole at Lafiaji Senior High School on Lagos Island.

Speaking at the ceremony, President of the Club, Rotarian Babawale Agbeyangi, Group Managing Director/CEO of Cordros Capital Limited, said that if others follow the examples of the club in terms of services to humanity, most of the challenges in the society would have been resolved. “In Rotary, our immediate community is our priority. So what we have done this year is to focus on women and our target for the Rotary year is to give 300 women interest free loans. 90 percent of the people who have accessed our micro-credit this year are women,” Rotarian Agbeyangi explained.

“We started this 20 years ago, and this year, we doubled the amount of the microcredit-loan. Wherever you are from, as long as you are a woman and you are a trader, you can’t afford to access credit from the bank, Rotary Club of Lagos will support you,” he continued.

“This year, our Rotary International president, Shektar Mehta, said that we must focus on women and you know that all over the world, women are generally disadvantaged. So our focus is to help more women wherever and how we can do it,” he added.

Commending the club and the president, the chairman of the occasion, Elias Igbinakenrua, Managing Director/CEO of Globus Bank Limited, stated that the remarkable project executed and earmarked for execution sends a strong message that the Rotary Club of Lagos is a club of eminent personality“Rotarians are people that are organised; they time to pick out their members who buy into the vision. This journey started with the vision of one man, Paul Harris. From the gathering of friends to share ideas, it has become a true humanitarian service organisation, a huge one at that,” he said.

Igbinakenrua noted that with a remarkable milestone since the Club was chartered in 1961, it has undoubtedly made enviable impacts in the communities within and around their domain – Lagos and Ogun States.

 

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Tambuwal, Abaribe Joined Me to Oppose Tinubu’s Emergency Declaration – Dickson

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By Eric Elezuo

The senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Seriake Dickson, has named Senators Aminu Tambuwal and Enyinnaya Abaribe among a few others, who stood with him to oppose the unconstitutionality of the suspension of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the members of the House of Assembly.

The senator, in a statement, also revealed the reasons he walked out of the red chamber on Thursday following a heated argument regarding the approval of the State of Emergency in Rivers State.

In the statement, Dickson, who already told as many that cares to listen before the sitting that he will never support the emergency rule on the floor of the senate, met a brick wall in the visibly angry senate president, Godswill Akpabio, who he claimed tried to deny him his freedom to express himself, resulting in the heated argument that ensued.

The senator noted that when it was obvious that the red chamber was bent on validating the President’s emergency rule, he staged a walkout from the senate, saying he wouldn’t want to be present when the report of what he opposed is read.

Dickson’s detailed analysis of what transpired is presented below:

SENATOR SERIAKE DICKSON GIVES DETAILED UPDATE ON WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY

Today at the sitting of the Senate, the issue of the President’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State came up for discussion and as I have stated repeatedly, I raised my objections in the closed session on how the declaration fell short of constitutional prescription, based on my view as a Democrat, sworn to uphold the Nigerian constitution.

The Senate did not undertake the debate in an open session however, it was quite robust. I want to thank Sen. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal for his strong support of the unconstitutionality of the declaration, especially the aspect that deals with the suspension of the elected officials of the Rivers State government.

At the end of the day, majority of the senators supported the proclamation as no room was given for an open debate at plenary. I left the plenary before the Senate President was directed to report the outcome because I didn’t want to be present while what I opposed is being reported. I believe Senator Tambuwal, Senator Abaribe and others equally left too.

I want to make it clear that as I stated repeatedly, I spoke and voted against the proclamation in our closed session, supported by Senator Aminu Tambuwal and a few other senators who were not recognized to speak.

And so I want to thank all the senators who shared the view that I vigorously canvassed.

I am however aware of the efforts made to modify the declaration as a result of the concerns and views we have expressed and canvassed the past few days. Though I acknowledge the effort being made by the leadership and President to moderate the terms of the declaration and to create a mechanism for oversight, theoretically this does not counter the primary issue of constitutionality.

The beauty of democracy is such that the minority will have their say while the majority their way. I would have wished for a more robust and open debate so that all views and opinions can be openly canvassed as I requested even at the closed session specifically and thereafter, the majority can have their way but as it is, both chambers have decided and the ball is now on the court of the other arms of government, especially the judiciary, in the event of any challenge.

My attention has also been drawn to a viral video showing parts of the unfortunate exchanges between the Senate President and I before we desolved to the closed session.

As I said on the floor, the Senate President was very unfair to me by trying to censor my freedom of expression and by deliberately misrepresenting the import of what I said in the broadcast yesterday which was the same thing I said on the floor today. It is my opposition in principle to the declaration of a state of emergency, as well as the suspension of elected officials.

I thank all those who have called to commend my composure under unnecessary and unexpected attempt at intimidation. Everyone, including the Senate President, knows I have long gone beyond that stage in my life.

The Senate as I said is a meeting of equals and everyone should be respected just as we accord respect to the Chair. No senator needs the permission of the senate president to express an opinion in an interview on a topical matter of national interest that is in the public domain.

I intend to meet the Senate President to formally express my displeasure, to prevent a reoccurrence.

I thank my constituents, Nigerians and all people of goodwill who have called to express solidarity and urge them not to be dismayed at the direction our democracy appears to have taken.

For someone like me who has been in trenches over the years, all these challenges are actually a call to duty and I therefore implore all people of goodwill to come together and ensure that participatory democracy is promoted in our country.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Rivers State.”

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, declared a state of emergency in Rivers, sacking all elected officers, and appointing a Sole Administrator, in the person retired former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, for an initial period of six months.

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For Condemning Tinubu’s Emergency Rule in Rivers, Presidency Dismisses Atiku, Peter Obi, Amaechi, Others As Disgruntled Politicians

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The Presidency, on Thursday, described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, the former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and the former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi as disgruntled politicians that don’t have the interest of the masses at heart.

Reacting to the recent regrouping of some politicians including the former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, who reportedly formed a coalition against President Bola Tinubu in 2027, the Presidency described them as “a frustrated lot”.”

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said President Tinubu is focused on governance to build a prosperous country.

According to him: “He (Tinubu) is on the way to achieving this. Two months to his midterm, he has many solid achievements to showcase. Intractable problems are being tackled headlong.

“He cannot be distracted by the so-called coalition of politicians. They are not politicians after the public Good. It’s all about their self-interest.

“They are disgruntled. They are a frustrated lot. The leaders are sore losers. The coalition is an amalgam of Tinubu haters. Their agenda is to stop Tinubu.”

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Senate Approves Tinubu’s Emergency Rule in Rivers, Sack of Governor, Elected Officers

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Like the House of Representatives, the Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State, invoking its constitutional powers under the amended 1999 Constitution.

The approval grants President Tinubu the authority to enforce emergency measures while mandating a review of the situation at any time, but no later than six months.

Per the Constitution, the National Assembly has also imposed a joint committee of both chambers to oversee the administration of affairs in Rivers State during the emergency period.

Additionally, the Senate has resolved to establish a mediation committee consisting of eminent Nigerians to help resolve the state’s political crisis.

Just like the Senate, the House of Representatives had earlier approved Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.

In a voice vote, the lawmakers backed Tinubu’s decision, two days after President Tinubu made the move.

Two hundred and forty House of Representative members attended the preliminary which was presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

While deliberating on the decision, the House made some amendments including that a committee of eminent Nigerians will set up to mediate on the matter.

They also noted that the National Assembly is empowered to make law for a state where its house of assembly is unable to perform its functions as against the Federal Government’s plan for the Federal Executive Council to take up that duty.

President Bola Tinubu during the swearing-in of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator for Rivers State in Abuja on March 19, 2025

On Tuesday, President Tinubu wielded the big hammer in Rivers State, declaring a state of emergency in the state. He also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months and appointed a sole administrator to take charge of the state in a move that has triggered a wave of criticisms.

Legal experts, governors, and prominent Nigerians like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi to name a few have condemned the proclamation, demanding a reversal.

However, the Federal Government has doubled down on Tinubu’s decision and argued that it was needed to bring peace to the oil-rich state.

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