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Agony, Confusion as LABSCA demolishes rows of shops in Lagos community

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Residents of Laurel School Cross, inside the Bungalow Estate axis, in the Jakande Estate area of Isolo Local Government Area, Lagos State, are counting their losses after task force officials from the Lagos State Building Control Agency demolished rows of lockup shops in their community.

Many of the affected residents, who are mostly petty traders, narrated that their sad ordeal started in the early Wednesday afternoon when dozens of LASBCA task force officials, alongside armed security officers, arrived with chainsaws and sledgehammers to demolish shops and community spaces.

Arriving at the scene on Thursday morning, many of the traders appeared traumatised as they tried to salvage some of their goods and other valuables from the debris.

Some of the traders alleged that they received no prior demolition notice from the government, while a copy of LABSCA’s demolition notice posted on their website was sighted.

The notice said that owners/developers of identified structures are given a seven-day notice to demolish the structure, and that failure to do so will result in a LABSCA taskforce clampdown

The notice read partly, “UNDERLISTED Distressed Structures in the State shall be removed by Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) having served all the statutory enforcement notices in consonance with the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development (Amendment) Law of 2019 and with no response from the respective Owner/Developer.

“Following the above, a final notice is hereby given that if the under-listed distressed structures are not removed within seven days (7) of this notice by their respective Owners/Developers in line with regulatory provision of the law, such Structure shall be removed.”

However, many of the affected victims who complained , claimed that they did not get any Demolition Notice from the agency.

One of the affected residents, simply identified as Mrs John, tearfully lamented how her source of livelihood was reduced to rubbles within a few minutes.

She said, “I’m shocked at how these people (LASBCA and security officers) came in their numbers and suddenly started demolishing our shops. They did not give us any notice. They came here, marked our building, started removing all our goods and began demolishing all the shops here in Laurel Street.”

“I am a widow and we’ve been selling foodstuffs and provisions here for over 10 years. We are law-abiding citizens and have never had any issue with government agencies. But look at how they have treated us, where do I go from here,” Mrs John cried.

Another trader, who pleaded anonymity, also lamented that they never got any notice from LABSCA.

“l never knew the government could be this cruel to the poor. We don’t know what we have done to warrant this sort of treatment.

“I’ve been trading here peacefully for many years, we never got any demolition notice from the Lagos government. So when they came to destroy our shops, we begged them to give us a few days for us to move out our goods, but they said they’ve been given express orders to bring down our shops,” the woman lamented.

Responding to the allegations, LABSCA spokesperson, Mrs. Adetayo Asagba said that the shops were demolished because they were built under electric wires in the estate.

“LABSCA has consistently warned against building structures under high-tension. So the rows of shops were destroyed because they were built under high-tension, and they are all illegal construction,” she said.

“The occupiers in the shops were duly served notices before the demolition began. The last time they were served notices was last week”, Asagba added.

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UniPort’s Prof Charles Nnolim is dead

The renowned academic died in Port Harcourt, where he lectured for many years.

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•Professor Charles Nnolim

Professor of English and World Literatures, Charles Nnolim, is dead.

Nnolim died in Port Harcourt, where he lectured for many years.

Though Nnolim’s age at death is not very clear, it is estimated at mid to late eighties.

Nnolim’s scholarly works include: “Approaches to the African Novel”, “Teaching African Literature Today,. “Literature, Literary Criticism and National Development.”

Prof Chijoke Uwasomba of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife who is familiar with Nnolim’s works, said that Nnolim remains one of the finest as far as literary criticism is concerned.

Nnolim left an impressive imprint that is fascinating and worthy.

Nnolim’s death is the fall of an iroko, which will definitely be felt in the literary world.

Nnolim is a product of the old Alvan Ikokwu College of Education.

He capped his intellectual height with a PhD from the Catholic University in the United States.

He returned to Nigeria, landing at the University of Port Harcourt, in the thriving and tempting atmosphere at the time Nigerian universities were seen as the place to be.

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GARBA SHEHU: BUHARI IS BROKE

Shehu stated these in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists after a press conference to announce the public presentation of his 260-page book on July 9 titled, “According to The President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience.”

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• ex-President Muhammad Buhari


Mallam Garba Shehu, the Spokesperson to former President Muhammadu Buhari, declared on Tuesday :” Buhari is Broke,” a Nigerian English for being hard up financially .

Garba Shehu maintained that Buhari left office with his personal integrity intact as nobody can say he gave him a bribe.

While insisting that Buhari is broke and does not have money, he also said that the allegation that the former President does not have a certificate was a product of politics surrounding the 2015 election.
Shehu stated these in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists after a press conference to announce the public presentation of his 260-page book on July 9 titled, “According to The President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience.”

According to him, contrary to insinuations, “Buhari is one of the most voracious readers in Nigeria.

He reads all Newspapers and asks for Newspapers every morning.

Shehu said Buhari did not speak to media because he was not a showman and wanted his work to impact on the people.

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Why Dantata will be buried in Saudi Arabia tomorrow

Dantata, 94, an uncle of Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, is survived by three wives, 21 children and 121 grandchildren.

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Business mogul and philantrophist Aminu Dantata, is set to be buried tomorrow (Tuesday) in Medina, Saudi Arabia after he died on Saturday in the United Arab Emirates.

Sources closed to the family disclosed that it was Dantata’s wish to be buried in a city he adored and where Islam’s prophet Muhammad lived and died.

Dantata, 94, an uncle of Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, is survived by three wives, 21 children and 121 grandchildren.

His body was set to be transferred from Abu Dhabi, where he died, to the holy city of Medina after Saudi authorities approved his burial in their country.

Background and Wealth

He was known across Nigeria for his philanthropic activities.

Last year, he donated 1.5 billion naira ($972,000; £710,000) to victims of the devastating floods in north-eastern Borno state.

His business interests cut across agriculture, real estate, construction and manufacturing.

He first made his name in agriculture, starting trading kola nuts and groundnuts in the 1940s.

He came from a business family – his father Alhassan Dantata was once considered to be the richest man in West Africa.

Despite his riches, Dantata lived in one of the poorest areas of the northern city of Kano, like his parents before him.

His influence was also felt in politics, with politicians eager to seek his blessings before elections.

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