Shoniola street in Ogba is a very popular street where you have so many businesses because of the activities in the area.
Located at the popular Aguda Junction, right opposite Excellence Hotels, Lagos the street holds a very strategics position as it is in front of the traffic light there by causing hold up on the said road.
In this report our team shows how the road conditions and traffic is affecting the businesses of the people in that community.
An Instagram model who was reportedly addicted to social media committed suicide five days before Christmas.
Her funeral is taking place today, January 10 at Mountsett Crematorium.
Chloe Davison was found dead at her family home in Lanchester, County Durham, on December 20 aged just 19.
Chloe was an upcoming model who relied on social media to feel good about herself.
According to her 20-year-old elder sister Jade Davison, Chloe thought she wasn’t good enough unless she got loads of likes and comments.
“Chloe was crying many nights because someone had said something horrible about her online,” Jade told the media.
The deceased, who had thousands of social media followers, was often targeted by online trolls who would send her nasty messages and mocked her appearance, the sister says.
The 19-year-old teen hanged herself in her bedroom moments after she had been active on social media, according to reports.
Her grieving mum, Clair Reynolds, 44, says the family did not celebrate Christmas and says she doesn’t think they will ever again.
She told ChronicleLive: “Chloe was beautiful, but she didn’t see that. She cared so much about how people saw her. She would post a picture on social media and want all her family to like it. If it wasn’t good enough she’d remove it.
“I blame social media a lot for what has happened. The impact it has, especially on younger people, can be devastating. Social media took over Chloe’s life – whether that be Snapchat or Facebook.
“She struggled socially from being at school so she didn’t work. Social media was her way of getting through the day. She didn’t go out a lot.
“Younger people need more help and education on social media. There are too many people out there who can say what they like because it’s not face-to-face,” the mum said.
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The people of Alagbole and Ajuwon area of Ogun state are literally in distress which is no longer news, but most worrisome is the fact that year after year, administration after administration, the area is neglected by the Ogun State government.
They only come up on the map and agenda of government officials during election campaigns and forceful drive for Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). The communities are ensconced by awful and dreadful roads.
The Alagbole and Ajuwon road linking to Akute is an eyesore and a study in neglect by elected officials.
For anyone making a shuttle out of the community to any part of Lagos, it is literally regarded as a shuttle from the ‘dark ages’ to ‘civilization’. Only the lucky few elites who drive in air-conditioned SUVs through the bumpy ride manage to escape the hail of dust hanging over the entire area due to the abandoned 32km Sango/Akute/Ajuwon/Ojodu-Abiodun road construction.
For the mass of residents who hustle their way to town on motorcycles and tricycles, they are left disoriented after having their faces and attires stained with thick dust sometimes mixed with sweat under the scorching sun.
Exactly a year ago, Ogun State governor, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dapo Abiodun, while soliciting for votes, had assured residents of border communities in the state of democratic dividends when he becomes governor. The border areas, which Abiodun toured included Isheri, Ojodu Abiodun, Akute, Ajuwon, Ijoko, Agbado among others.
He assured residents of succour to their years of neglect and infrastructural decay if voted to govern the gateway state during his ward to ward campaign tour of Ifo Local Government, State Constituency ll, and when he made a brief stop-over at the palace of Alajuwon of Ajuwon, Oba Nurudeen Rowland Egunsola.
In the next four months, he would mark his first year in office but the people of Alagbole and Ajuwon are still waiting in limbo for his promised succour. For Mr. Babajide Jaiyeoba, a community leader and chairman of Ajoda Community Development Association (CDA), residents have since resigned to fate over their plight in the area.
“Politicians have destroyed this community and inflicted hardship on us. We don’t know what else to do again. We have begged, cajoled, written petitions, and protested, which has yielded no result. Yet, at every election cycle, they come around and swarm like bees to woo voters. After the elections, they disappear and become inaccessible.” He said.
Another Alhaja Peju Paraiso blamed the last administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun for the acute neglect of the area. “It was former governor Gbenga Daniel that did the Alagbole-Gbenro road. If the road construction had not been abandoned, development would not have stalled in this area.
“What even makes our situation worse is that when you have anything to do with government officials and you say you are from Akute, they will ask you ‘where is Akute?’ But left for the local council officials here, they can harass the hell out of you. If you park this road that is so bad and walk away from your car, in the next 20 minutes, council thugs will remove your vehicle number plate and extort money from you.”
However according to Governor Dapo Abiodun, some of the roads earmarked for rehabilitation include Abeokuta South and North township roads, Akute, Ifo, Ewekoro, Odeda, Obafemi Owode-Egba, Mowe-Ibafo township roads, Ijebu-Ode-Ago-Iwoye, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogbere-Iperu-Sagamu, Ogijo, Odogbolu up to Remo township roads. Others are Sango-Ota, Igbesa, Ado-Odo, Agbara, Ilaro-Owode-Yewa, Aiyetoro, Imeko up to Idiroko township roads.
A report on the bad shape of the Alagbole and Ajuwon road where residents are lamenting the poor state
Drainage systems are constructed to ensure that waste water and sewage is transported neatly to disposal points, thereby keeping the environment well drained and free of waste. Examples of components that make up a good drainage system includes; closed ditches having pipe drains, drainage pipes, channels and conduits. Sustainable Drainage Systems are approaches put in place to manage the water quantity (flooding), water quality (pollution) and amenity issues in the environment. Sustainable drainage is a concept that includes long term environmental and social factors in decisions about drainage.
Sustainable Drainage Systems are intended to regulate surface water runoff close to where it falls and simulate natural drainage as closely as possible. They provide opportunities to reduce the causes and impacts of flooding, remove pollutants from urban runoff at source, and combine water management with recreation and wildlife. They also help to enhance water quality while protecting natural flow regimes in watercourses.
In Ijaye Ogba, there is a great need for properly managed sustainable drainage systems in order to help manage surface water runoff. Neighborhoods keep springing up without proper planning, which also involves planning for drainage and sewage or waste disposal. Residents regularly dump their waste in gutters, and this clogs the gutters and prevents the flow of water, causing the gutters to overflow. It is common to see flooded streets with litter floating everywhere after a short period of rainfall. Such situations create very unsanitary conditions for residents of the neighborhoods and contribute to the degradation of the environment.
Poorly maintained drainage systems and poor waste management habits can adversely affect our environment in the following ways;
Flooding: The immediate effects of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops and other plants, loss of livestock
Erosion: The absence of good drainage systems can cause erosion problems. This has been experienced in many areas of Nigeria, where roads have been washed away and gullies created as a result of flooding.
Diseases: Deterioration of health is another effect of flooding, due to the increase in waterborne diseases and unsanitary conditions. Stagnation of water occurs when water passages are blocked. This makes the people around such environments susceptible to infections from mosquitoes and other insects. We are exposed to numerous air and water borne diseases if we have our environments polluted with stagnant water.
As a fresh graduate with laborious drill in the language of English from the University of Lagos, Linda Ikeji decided to convert her writing skill into a hobby; not like the usual writing of fiction and non-fiction story, setting plot for plays, and carving lines for poem. It is hobby geared towards the act of gathering, processing and disseminating of information – activities allotted to individuals who are professionally trained in journalism practices. With this, her blog launched in 2006.
Being a well-recognised blogger among hundreds in Nigeria, she has through her dissemination of information to the public redefine concept of journalism; whereas the definition remains constant since the first journalism practice was recorded when the first regular published newspaper appeared in German cities and in Antwerp about 1601.
When Linda Ikeji started her blogging – an act of creating and maintaining content for a blog, the internet was not like this prominent in Nigeria. This monopoly led her to limelight for her practicing journalistic acts, while she cannot be compared to traditional media. This scrutinise information they let out to the public eyes and ears based of the ethical and demands of journalistic writings.
Nigerian blogger, linda Ikeji at her office.
Over time, her activities cannot be overstressed to have affected the perception of many towards journalism practices in Nigeria. This has, no doubt, reduced the regard accorded to the profession; as many went to claim journalism is not a profession but a mere activity. Since the entry barrier is below the knee of anyone trying to come in. For this reason, anyone can leap over the barrier without any or no stringent requirements before gathering, processing and disseminating information to the public.
This has made the tale of those who have gone to study mass communication in tertiary institution a miserable one. Since, several individuals from diverse filed are hijacking their place. There are several publishers, editors, reporters, presenters, and countless individuals in the media industry across Nigeria and the world without tutelage on the rudiments of journalism.
Jon Snow once said landing a job in the media industry had far more to do with socio-economic class than merit and that this is fuelling the gulf between the media and the wider public. Disclosed during a keynote speech at the Edinburgh television festival, Snow said covering the inferno at Grenfell Tower which killed more than 80 people made him feel like he was “on the wrong side” of Britain’s social divide.
The veteran broadcaster, who has presented Channel 4 News on British Television for 28 years, argued the digital media had failed to fill the void triggered by the demise of the local newspaper industry and ultimately failed to connect with “the left behind; the disadvantaged, the excluded.”
He said, “Barriers to entry into journalism, largely on the basis of background rather than merit, are a central cause of our disconnect. We the media report the lack of diversity in other walks of life – but our own record is nothing like good enough. The Sutton Trust has revealed that just under 80 per cent of top editors were educated at private or grammar schools. Compare that with the 88 per cent of the British public now at comprehensives.”
Alberto Cairo also attested that journalism is not a profession, it is more of an activity or basically a universal skill. This assertion can be labelled heart-breaking to many journalists who see their doings as a profession. Meanwhile, it is not just a saying but a truth based on some facts. However, journalists are not licensed before embarking on gathering, processing and disseminating of information, journalism lacks a body of theoretical knowledge, journalism has no required curriculum through which all (or even most) journalists must pass before being regarded as one, journalists cannot exclude “non-journalists” like stringers and bloggers from reporting news, most journalist are not independent consultants but employees and therefore, lack “professional autonomy”.
In addition, journalists do not serve clients, but only employers or the public. Most journalists are not members of any professional organization; such as Nigerian Union of Journalist or Society of Professional Journalists, majority of journalists are not seen as high status fellows in the society. Clearly, journalism is neither a profession nor a quasi-profession. However, worry is not on if journalism is a profession or not, but whether it can remain a “profession” in a world where commerce, politics, and technology seem to be sharing the strength journalism among many citizens.
Interview with the Managing Director of Naira Metrics, Mr. Odutola Abiola.
The great media empires around the world now treat news as a way of getting attention for their advertisements, not as a public service. Governments around the world have increasingly considered journalists a tool for their propaganda rather as the Fourth Estate. And the Internet seems to be making news organizations, including their journalists, unnecessary. Looking through the lens of the future, it seems as though the future belong to the bloggers.
Painful! Questions like “will the profession of journalism survive commercialization of the news, the Internet’s influx of amateur news bloggers, and other trends of the twenty-first century?” remain unanswered. But what is obvious is that, the society needs professionally trained individuals – people who are more committed to learning the truth of significant events and reporting them accurately to the public – to keep an eye on government and its activities, organisation and individuals to safeguard their commitment to humanity.
The narrative with swelling echoes that activism articles and investigative reports are rarely published in media must changed as those who are professionally trained in the act of gathering, processing and disseminating of information must rise up to ensure the journalism’s entry barrier is raise above the head of the tallest man. Thus, becoming what anyone and anybody cannot come into. Here, individuals after 4 years in tertiary institution must be trained in institute of journalism like Nigerian Institute of Journalism before they are licenced to practice both online and traditional journalism. And anyone who boycotted this must be irately reprimanded in the face of the law.
Perhaps, this will reverse the chronicle with only medicine, law, and a quite other careers as the only profession in the world. With this, journalism would move from being a mere activity in the public’s eyes to a profession as the narrative of its low entry barrier will be no more.
Despite the stringent actions of Lagos state government towards illegal occupying of bus-stops and motorways across the state, it is sad for bus-stop and road in Mokuolu Street, Ogba area of the state as tricycles popularly known as ‘Keke Napep’ flood it to the brim; making bus-stop, road and commercial activities on the street strenuous to execute for many. Thus, mounting pressure on other commuters in the area as extra efforts are deployed to ensure the street is not hijacked by these tricycles.
Over time in Lagos, ‘Keke Napep’ alongside motorcycles have countlessly received embargo from several administrations for as far back as 2007; in order to deny them from using different roads and highways in the states, reducing the level of accident and traffic congestion on its roads.
The government also went to construct hundreds of laybys for vehicles on its roads; in order to eradicate horrendous vehicular activities on its roads. With this, thousands of thumbs-up came for the government as traffic congestion reduced in the state. This could not be denied as a huge success since the state is known for her bumper-to-bumper kind of movement on majority of its roads, and connecting routes.
However, looking at Mokuolu area of Ogba, it seems the effects from measures introduced by the state government to curb congestion is exempted from this part of the state. On the street, tricycles have transformed the only available bus-stop to park; thus, denying other vehicles the opportunity to engage the layby. A resident of the street, Mr. Adesanya Oladipe, claimed the tricycles go as far as obstructing the road; especially in the evening when there are huge number of them in the bus-stop which is now turned park.
“There is no park for any tricycle or motorcycle on the street”, he argued, stating the activities of these ‘Keke Napep’ are totally illegal and obstructing several businesses from functioning properly in the street. One of the shop owners whose shop is constantly barricaded by these tricycles, Mrs. Akanbi Tolulope, stated that the conversion of the layby to park has been seriously affecting her sales, even though of the riders patronize her.
“Most times, I tell them to adjust their tricycles just to ensure that somebody coming to patronize me can have a smooth passageway to my shop,” she exclaimed as she buttressed that other shop owners also ensure to do the same but most times the drivers don’t get enough space to park their ‘Keke Napep’. For this reason, they just have to barricade their shops.
“The park does not accommodate the numbers of ‘Keke Napep’ available in it,” she said as she claimed the shop owners around the park bear the pain of this inconveniency more than any shop owners on the street. “Sometimes, I rarely make up to 1000 naira in a day from the cloths I sell,” she lamented the effect on her daily sale.
“I can boldly say those with large sales among we shop owners in this park is the woman that sell beer, liquor, and cigarette to the drivers and the park official. Her shop is just beside the park,” another shop owner, Mr Adeyeye Mary claimed. Her shop is also affected with the flood of Napep witness on Mokolu street. Although, she said this has made her to find a better ambience for her shop as she can no longer cope with the disadvantages they posed to her business.
In the bus-stop turned park, these tricycles are lined in 3 rows for effective loading structure of passengers. They plough Oke-Ira to Ogba (Mokolu Street). According to a driver, Mr. Adejumo Abdulkarim, it takes at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before a newly arrived ‘Napep’ can load another turn. “Although passengers do not plough this park like that, we just have to stay here since there are many parks around Ogba area where passengers can board ‘Napep’ going to Oke-Ira”, he said, stating that the park is just close to Ogba bus-stop and which is why tricycle drivers prefer the park. Thus, making them flood the street.
“The drivers do not make much money like that from this park but they prefer the location of the park to any other around Ogba,” he disclosed and said “it is closer to Ogba bus-stop where buses coming from all parts of Lagos stop; hence, there is high participation of passengers because this is the only Oke-Ira park closer to Ogba bus-stop, which means they won’t need to stress themselves too much before getting bus to Oke-Ira”.
This seems a good idea but the detriments it creates are greater than the comforts it births. The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) chairman for this park, Comrade Oluwole Ogunmola claimed the union is not blind to how the tricycles obstruct the road sometimes and how it has hijacked the bus-stop they now converted to a park from other commuters. “We have found all possible means to ensure this stops on Mokolu street,” he said, attesting that several efforts have been channeled to the Local Government of Ifako-Ijaiye to ensure they get appropriate park on the street.
“The tricycles affect many commercial activities of which some shop owners lay complains to me as the park chairman but most times, I am helpless to their cry,” he said as there is no unoccupied land the government can give the park on this street. Also, “it is impossible for the government to ask us vacate this park for any reason since we pay our tributes as at when due,” he said.
He established that all he could advise affected commuters is to endure as “I would ensure the NURTW officers are more active to see that the tricycles are not on the road even at rush hours; because this is when we have more tricycles on ground”. He however said the flood of tricycles might not reduce in park since that is the union, Local Government and State Government get their revenue from.
Meanwhile, the action taken so far by the Baale of Ogba towards this was unable to surface, as the ruler and his chiefs were not available as at the time this report was gathered. Also, the Local Council Development Area (LCDA) councilor of Ogba community and the Local Government chairman were unavoidably absent as at when attempt was made to reach their office at Powerline Oke-Ira. Although several attempts were made to reach all authorities involve in the administration of the community of Ogba and Mokolu Street towards this menace of the street, sadly, it all proved abortive.
Assessment of Urban Drainage and Sanitation Challenges in Shogunro Community Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos
One of the observable impacts of rapidly growing urbanization and economic development in emerging cities of developing nations like nigeria is witnessed in drainage problems connected to poor sanitation. The objectives of this report is to examine the causes and extent of damage on drainage and poor sanitation systems in Shogunro community, highlight measures to improve health and living conditions of the residents, and propose measures to improve the economic functioning of the cities.
Data were collected, thorough observations and interviews with residents. The result of the investigation shows that ineffective drainage systems are basically associated with poor maintenance, indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drains, erection of building on drainage channels and alignments that inhibit the flow of water which leads to critical environmental hazards.
The report suggests new approach that could be used to achieve sustainable and effective sanitation which would support government’s effort in upgrading the community by improving drainage maintenance procedures and effectively manage human waste disposal.
The need to provide proper drainage and sanitation facilities is essential to match up with the ever increasing population growth. The increase in the population of a settlement and the attendant growth of the needs of the residents in both quantity and variety, bring about intensive exploitation of the resources of the environment.
Such exploitation might increase to a level that the resources would not be able to sustain the population, and in some cases the environment would collapse resulting in serious environmental problems.Pictures of different scenario as it relates to different drainage issues were taken to show the true state of things in the study area. Observations and discussion with residents were also made and recorded. This also gave an insight to the major challenges encountered within these areas of study.- Secondary SourcesVital information was also retrieved from interviews that were held with the frequent road plyers and local community members. This was pertinent to harvesting information on the over-looked causes of poor sanitation system and drainage challenges.
Indiscriminate dumping of solid waste culminates into negative effects on lives and the environment at large. Estimates have shown that 30 – 50% of solid wastes generated in Nigerian cities are uncollected and disposed of indiscriminately. The video above displays the response of residents as regards to the drainage problems experienced within the study area.
Residents of Nndike Street, Obawole, Iju Ishaga road of Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State, has accused the government of causing them untold hardship.
With this hardship, business owners are beginning to lose their customers and motorists are also greatly affected as this condition has made residents fill up the roads with sands by themselves.
The roads become worse each passing day, making it more terrible when there is a heavy down-pour of rain which results to serious traffic that the link road is seen as a dead-end.
This follows the abandonment of the road construction and installation of street lights in Ndike Street, linking Akinte street. The road which should have been completed within Six months has been neglected.
Having visited the area, it was observed that as a result of the sands abandoned in some places on the street, it make the road too tight to accommodate two cars on it.
Meanwhile, residents have expressed a bit of relief as regards the abandoned lawma vehicle on the same road, enabling them to easily dispose of their dirt. But this hasn’t changed the fact that the condition of the road has made residents cry out to the government to look into the project and proffer a lasting solution to the problem.
However, the association of Landlords, residents and business owners has called out on their former local government chairman, faulting him for the abandonment of the road project which has negatively impacted commercial activities in the area and as such, they are calling on the government to come to their rescue.
They say, United we stand, divided we fall”, this is because every being on this planet, be it social or wild, flourish when they live, share, and grow as a community . Having this open bond with others is what builds valuable relationships, and gives us a deeper sense of belonging which helps us as humans whereby your strengths may be someone else’s weaknesses and vice versa.
We humans often time needs each other for survival which project us to share our feelings, happiness and sorrows with our friends, relatives and others, helping us to understand the world which we live and participate and also give us the sense of identity within a group of people.
This group of people obeys some social norms and some common value among themselves As such, there are so many communities the world over, separated by languages, cultures, or geographical locations. However, they are related to each other in some way or other, thus making entire world a one, single community just like Adesina Community.
Togetherness and happiness have always been the major priority of every community but the case of Adesina Community seems to be different as they are face with a challenge that endangers their lives, living them with so much worries.
This is as a result of the lack of ‘Cooperation’ which is needed in every community both from the internal and external bodies, in order to help provide solutions to certain problems or challenges
Here in Adesina Community, the bad road has been the major problem and is of concern to all, due to their safety whenever it rains and sometimes during dry season.
Chairman of Adesina Community, Jonathan Akinyemi said the condition of the road was too bad that whenever it rains motorcycle and passer-by are not safe and can injure themselves, which was why they decided to repair some part of the road and have been asking for help from the local government but nothing is being done.
Despite not hearing from the local government, a resident of Adesina Community, Mr. Femi Ogunsanya, is still calling on either the federal, state or local government to come to the aid of Adesina Community
Youth leader, Mr. Stanley also said the government should come to the aid of Adesina Community in regards to their bad road, most especially the canal because whenever it rains it endanger the lives of the people, while Rejoice, a secondary school student is also appealing that a proper bridge is constructed in order not endanger their lives when it rains.
Residents, traders and commuters of Agege Pen Cinema on Tuesday express their views as regards delay in completion of the construction project.
Contrary to the promise made by the former Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode in January 2018 to deliver the project in 10 months time, the work had experienced severe slow down causing more traffic, stress and despair.
Engineer Salami Abdul in charge concrete slab(mason) revealed that the change of government slowed down the project.
“This particular project has been in existence since 2017, over two years ago. As a result of the election we had in February 2019, the construction was on hold. Why? because former administration had to handover to the current administration which takes about two months so there was delay for over six months.” Abdul Said.
Agege Pen Cinema Ongoing bridge construction
The people disclosed that the 1.4km bridge is now known as Agege anguish bridge.
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Chairman Agege Owolabi Bukola said that the project has been prolonged without thinking of the masses.
“Government should not start a project they cannot complete. It is tiring for us in Lagos when government start a project and years later, it is abandoned. If government can’t keep their promises at the proposed date, they should hold on to the projects. Government should think of the people who suffer most.” He Said.
A Commuter, Mr Festus Chinedu said that the construction though timely and good had become notorious for human and vehicles and is called Agege anguish bridge.
“We had banks which are no more due to demolition. Businesses have been delayed because people do not know when the bridge will be completed. “
“Since the beginning of the project, we experience traffic every day. Passersby have to walk miles to where buses are parked, workers are often late to work, transportation fee has increased. But we are hopeful as engineers are back on site.” Festus Said.
Also, Mr Durojaiye Kofo, NURTW member said that the whole development in various areas in Lagos needs to be appreciated though the process is not a easy one on the masses.
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“As regards the road, its just a honour. After the completion, there will be ease for everyone passing through. We all have been praying for development so for Agege pen cinema to have such beautiful bridge like this, that’s development coming into the city. In few years to come, you won’t be seeing old structures as people would have invested in the axis.”
“We are hopeful just like the Ajah and Agbulegba bridge which made a difference in the environment.” Durojaiye Stated.
The ongoing repair of about 100 roads across the state was an outcome of his executive order, which declared emergency rehabilitation of critical roads and the pen cinema fly over bridge.
However, the people urged Sanwo-Olu to hasten the completion of the bridge.
With rainy season beginning in Lagos state, some see it as a relief after the harsh dry season that lasted for months.
But the same cannot be said for commuters and residents of Ijaiye Road of Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of the state.
Shop owners, drivers, and pedestrians complain of the flooding of the road which sees it become a swimming pool when the floodgates open and the downpour is severe in the area.
A REPORT ON THE FLOODING
One of the shop owners who did not want to speak on camera revealed that this is the season she does not enjoy because when it rains, she has to battle with bailing water out of her shop which very tiring.
At the time of the filing of this report, other areas around the ever busy road had their gutters being shoveled to make way for water to move but one wonders if the road is being neglected intentionally.
Efforts to get in touch with the chairman and top officials at the Ifako Ijaiye LGA office proved abortive but the voice of the people directly affected are in unison and have called out to the government to find a lasting solution to the problem faced in the area.
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