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LASG Apologizes over Opic- Berger Weekend Gridlock on Lagos- Ibadan Expressway

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LASG Warns Military, Police, Other Security Agencies Against Contravening Traffic Rules

… Adopts measures to prevent any reoccurrence***

… Commuters groan as potholes, reconstruction cause gridlock on Lagos/Ibadan Expressway***

The Lagos State Government on Sunday apologized to Nigerians over the nightmarish Opic-Berger Weekend gridlock which occurred on the Lagos- Ibadan expressway between Friday and Saturday and assured such would not occur in the future.

The Lagos State Transportation Commissioner, Dr. Frederick Oladeinde who registered the apologies, also highlighted that the governments of Lagos and the Ogun States have been working with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to ensure that the congestion experienced at Opic-Berger on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway between Friday 26th and Saturday 27th August 2022 does not reoccur.

Also read: LASG: M.O.T nabs illegal Enforcement Agent, says No hiding place for fake operators

“The ongoing work on the Berger-OPIC Axis is geared towards the timely completion of the reconstruction of the expressway to deliver a world-class road that will make driving on the expressway a smooth experience.

“As highlighted in a statement released by the Federal Controller, Engr. F. Oloyede, the public should note that the massive traffic gridlock was due to the impatience of some motorists who drive against traffic at the slightest excuse, thus causing enormous hardship to other motorists.

“As agreed by all parties, the contractor has been directed to block all illegal road diversions, especially between Magboro and OPIC.

This is to prevent the illegal U-turn at OPIC, which also acerbates the gridlock within that axis.

“Law Enforcement Agencies, including the Police, FRSC and LASTMA, have been engaged to control traffic along the route.

Any motorist caught removing any of the barriers used in blocking all illegal diversions will be arrested and prosecuted.

Motorists are, therefore, advised to desist from this or face the full wrath of the law.

“Lagos and Ogun Traffic Management Personnel are available to ensure free flow of traffic.

Motorists who drive against the traffic (one-way) or make a turn at unauthorized junctions will regret their indiscretion.

They will be prosecuted”, Dr. Oladeinde further stated, adding that Security has equally been strengthened around the corridor.

The project promises to deliver a world-class transport infrastructure that will put a stop to traffic congestion on the Expressway.

In the meantime, commuters on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway are still having nightmares travelling on the ever-busy road due to gridlock caused by bad portions around Kara market and the ongoing reconstruction within the area.

A correspondent of the newsmen’s on-the-spot assessment of the situation on Sunday observed that the bad portion is causing serious outward from Lagos and inward into Lagos traffic bottleneck especially around the Lagos/OPIC section of the road.

It reports that many commuters have had to sleep on the road, while many others have had to spend hours before navigating through to continue their journeys.

Also, the law enforcement agencies comprising: Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC), have been having a  hectic time resolving and unbundling the heavy vehicular gridlock created by impatient drivers.

The FRSC and Police have mounted roadblocks to forestall further breakdown of law by commuters forcing their way to drive against the traffic which might cause further havoc.

The traffic which started on Wednesday had continued to leave many stranded at various bus stops with fewer vehicles available to transport intending passengers from the adjourning communities of Mowe, Asese, Arepo and Warewa as well as those travelling from other parts of the country to Lagos where many are working or transacting other businesses.

Commuting from places like Mowe, Ibafo, Magboro and Arepo to Lagos which should averagely take between  20 minutes and  25 minutes has now extended to between six and 10 hours.

Also, the available buses and private car owners are latching on to the bad situation to increase fares, while those who are much in a hurry are riding on Okadas to Berger near Lagos.

Bad section on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway

The bad portion around Kara Market could have been avoided if the contractor, Julius Berger Plc., handling the  Sagamu/Lagos portion of the road, had put in palliative measures by patching the bad spots before reducing the road to two lanes from its normal four lanes.

A commuter, Ms Tosin Omojola, told newsmen that the situation on the road was worrisome given that the contractor was insensitive to the plight of road users.

“The gridlock can be avoided if Julius Berger has done the needful.

The issue is that they are not bothered by the hours we waste on the road.

“The road should have been made passable before they divided it into two.

The road is supposed to be four lanes, but they were reduced to two to accommodate the ongoing reconstruction.

“We expect that the bad portions should have been fixed, before dividing the road or better still, ensure that the alternative but untarred roads by the expressway are motorable, then they can go on with the main expressway which they are reconstructing.

“I have to spend four hours from Berger to Magboro on Friday night, it was such a difficult time,” she said.

Another commuter, Mrs Olusola Ajayi, said she had to abandon going to market having sighted the traffic.

“I wanted to go to the market on Saturday and when I got to the bus stop, there were many intending passengers waiting for unavailable buses.

“I waited for about an hour before resolving to go back home because I don’t even know what I will face when returning home.

“The economic loss occasion by the reconstruction ongoing on Lagos/Ibadan Expressway is really affecting our businesses and we want the relevant agencies responsible to help mitigate these losses,” she said.

A resident of Magboro, Mr Oluseyi Ojomo, also said he had to find an alternative place to sleep over on Friday because of the gridlock.

“I already knew about the situation on the road, so I prepared for it.

“The reconstruction has made many of us to abandon our homes, made us squatters with friends in Lagos.

“For about two months now, I always leave home on Mondays only to return on Fridays.

“On Friday while returning home, there was an unusual traffic gridlock and the whole Berger area was in a total standstill.

After some hours of waiting, I had to return to Lagos to sleep over,” he said.

For Tejumola Oyeleke, working in Lagos and travelling through Lagos/Ibadan Expressway was taking a toll on her health and family.

“I am a mother of two, my children are now on holiday.

Even at that, I have to wake up by 3:30 a.m. to get prepared, because I must leave for work in Lagos by 4.00a.m, or at 5.00 p.m. at the latest.

“With all the early journey, I won’t get to work in Lagos on time mostly spending about four hours before I can get to my office on Broad Street, on Lagos  Island.

“This unusual situation is having a serious effect on my health because I have been experiencing serious migraine for some time now.

Traffic gridlock on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway

Also, my children are missing the motherly care they are expected to enjoy.

“I want to appeal to Julius Berger to please patch the abandoned potholes on the road and make them motorable. They can even use the tar that they removed from the express road to patch the bad portions,” she said.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMWH)  said that it was not oblivious of the current Traffic Gridlock being experienced by road users around the Berger-OPIC Axis along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as a result of the ongoing reconstruction works on the road in a statement it released on Saturday and signed by Mrs F.F.Oloyede, the Acting Federal Controller of Works, Lagos.

It said, “The Government feels the pains of the people, especially residents of Lagos and Ogun States who are at the receiving end of the inconveniences due to the gridlock and sincerely apologise for the inconveniences caused while at the same time promising to make necessary improvements in the traffic management system on the road in other to alleviate the sufferings of the road users.

“To this end, the Federal Ministry of Works has concluded plans with the contractor to suspend the works for today Saturday 27th August 2022 in order to plan and make provisions for required improvements in traffic management on the road.

“The Government, however, wish to remind the public that the same road that is being reconstructed is also being used to accommodate traffic through dedicated diversions and therefore wish to appeal for the cooperation of all road users with the Contractor and Traffic Management Officers to allow for free-flow of traffic at all times, even while the reconstruction works are ongoing.

“To this end, we appeal to deterrent road users to desist from driving against traffic and obey all dedicated road diversions along the road in order to prevent unnecessary delays on the road.

“There is also provision for tow trucks along the road should in case of any breakdown, road users should be patient by not driving against traffic and obeying stationed road traffic officers in order to allow for free flow of traffic.

“In conclusion, it is a known fact, that there is no pain without gain, it is thus our utmost belief that the general public would be the ultimate beneficiaries of the world-class road infrastructure that the Government plans to deliver through the ongoing reconstruction works on the road.

We, therefore, appeal for the cooperation of the general public towards this end.

“God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!, ” the statement signed by Mrs F.F. Oloyede, the Acting Federal Controller of Works, Lagos on Aug. 27, 2022, stated.

 

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Health and Safety

Japa: FG Prohibits Leave Of Absence For Health Workers

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The Federal Government has placed a ban on leave of absence for health professionals relocating abroad.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa, who disclosed this on Saturday in Abeokuta said that health workers going abroad to seek greener pastures must “henceforth resign their appointment before embarking on such journeys”.

The Minister who spoke during his visit to the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aro, said the directive was contained in the Executive Order issued by President Bola Tinubu.

He said the decision was taken to combat the challenge of brain drain fondly called ‘Japa Syndrome’ confronting the health sector.

The minister also disclosed that the federal government had commenced aggressive recruitment of manpower in the health sector.

According to him,  the annual enrollment of Nurses which used to be about 28,000 had been increased to 68,000 adding that by the end of the year, it would have gone up to 120,000.

*President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

He said President Tinubu acknowledged the people as the biggest asset of the country and had vowed to take proactive measures to improve the health sector for their benefit.

On the shortage of manpower in the health sector, Alausa said the President had ordered massive recruitment of personnel to bridge the gap.

“In addition to the massive engagement of Nurses, we have equally doubled our enrollment for Doctors, Dentistry, and Pharmacists.

“However, the government has not prohibited anyone who wants to move to the UK or Australia to take up appointments not to do so.

“It is a free world. But, you cannot eat your cake and have it. If you are going, just resign your appointments with the federal government, rather than applying for a leave of absence.

“That is the Presidential Executive Order which has been communicated to all the Chief Medical Directors of Federal Government owned health facilities to implement,” he said.

The minister explained that the challenge had been that many health professionals who applied for leave of absence would travel outside the country to practice and make money, yet their names would still be in the payroll of the government

“So, to resolve this problem, the President has directed that any health worker going abroad to work should just resign his or her appointment.

“This way, you won’t be blocking others who want to work,” he said

Responding to demands on increased funding, infrastructural development and welfare packages of health workers,  Alausa assured that his ministry would leave no stone unturned to improve the fortunes of the health sector in the country.

The minister commended the Provost and Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Paul Agboola for his commitment towards providing qualitative healthcare for Nigerians.

Earlier, Agboola hailed the minister for his selflessness and passion to turn things around for good in the health sector.

He said that,  as a result of the approval given by the minister, the hospital had embarked on many new projects, including a 40-bed mother-and-child hospital

Agboola said that his administration remained committed to doing everything necessary and possible to continually make the hospital the centre of excellence in neuro-psychiatric across the globe.

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Health and Safety

Lagos Set To Enforce Drainage Right-of-way In Apapa

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The Lagos State government says it will start enforcement operations in Apapa to re-establish the three-metre drainage right-of-way for all its drainage channels on Monday.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

He said the enforcement was coming after the expiration of notices and convening of stakeholders meetings with the property owners earlier in the year to voluntarily move their fences that fell within the drainage setback.

He said the Ministry had served contravention notices to the buildings on the drainage setbacks.

He added that for several years, the ministry had not been able to access the eight major collectors for maintenance purposes due to encroachment which was a major contributor to flooding in the Apapa area.

Wahab said the state government was determined to find a lasting solution to flooding in Apapa.

He directed enforcement officers to ensure that all contravening properties were removed from the drainage right-of-way in accordance with the three metres required by law.

He gave the assurance that the government would not cherrypick properties during the enforcement process.

“We want to check the state of collectors in Apapa in order to evacuate and treat the collectors.

“The whole of the collectors in this area are blocked and the right-of-way taken over by individuals who moved their fences in order to acquire extra land thereby denying us access to the drains,” Tokunbo said.

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Health and Safety

NAFDAC NATIONAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN: Partners With Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Stakeholders

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…On Prevention, Detection, And Response To Substandard And Falsified Medicine

The NAFDAC has Vowed to close down the sale and distribution outlets Facilitating the Spread of Fake Drugs, as It stresses it’s determination to combat the incidence of Substandard and Falsified (SF) medicines in the country,

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC has subsequently engaged stakeholders in the pharmaceutical products supply chain in its resolve to put an end to the menace and effectively safeguard the health of Nigerians.

The Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, at a stakeholders meeting organized by NAFDAC on Thursday, emphasized the need to explore how to combat the sale and distribution of Substandard and Falsified Medical Products within the supply chain, insisting that the Agency would not hesitate to clamp down on wholesale and retail outlets where fake drugs are dispensed for public use.

According to her, the engagement with Pharma supply chain stakeholders in Nigeria serves as a means of thinking together and putting in place a position that will represent or guide collective efforts and strategy to prevent, detect, and respond to substandard and falsified medicinal products, adding that the goal is to ensure that medical products in circulation are of the quality standard required and safe for public use. 

The NAFDAC boss noted that the high prevalence of SF in Africa is a major threat to public health, attributing this to the fact that regulation in the region is limited with about 10% of African National Regulatory Agencies NRAs having achieved ML3. 

L-R: Director, Laboratory Services (Drugs) National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mr. Victor Abiola, Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director Post-Marketing Surveillance, NAFDAC, Dr. Fraden Bitrus Dasniyam, and Director Narcotics and Controlled Substances, Mrs Yedunni Adenuga, during the Agency’s engagement with the pharma supply chain stakeholders for input on the National Strategic Document on Substandard and Falsified Products in Lagos…on Thursday

Prof Adeyeye noted with dismay that this allows for poorly regulated manufacturers to supply their products in Africa where technologies to detect SF and track/trace are limited. 

She added that the menace of substandard and falsified medical products threatens access to safe, efficacious, and affordable medicines, undermining health systems and the achievement of Universal Health Coverage globally.

With the mandate to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, and use of drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, detergents, medical devices, and packaged water generally referred to as Regulated Products, she noted that this puts a burden on the Agency to lead the fight against SF medical products in Nigeria and support efforts that will see a reduction in the prevalence of SF medical products both locally manufactured and imported. 

The DG explained that NAFDAC is not the only regulatory agency in terms of substandard falsified medicines, adding that the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) probably has more to do in the fight against fake drugs. 

She, however, relished a cordial relationship that exists between the two sister agencies, insisting that we must do this fight together. 

Prof Adeyeye explained that currently, NAFDAC is doing its best to fight this issue of Substandard and Falsified products, stating that the fight against Substandard/Falsified medical products is based on three broad thematic areas Prevent, Detect, and Respond (PDR). 

She said that NAFDAC operatives are not just going on the streets to look for substandard falsified medicines but also going after products that have been approved in Southeast Asia en route to Nigeria. 

She reiterated that 70 percent of medicines used in Nigeria come from outside which necessitated the establishment of a Pre-shipment testing scheme that has stopped over 124 products that were approved from coming into the Nigerian market. 

According to her, some of the SF medicines do not have content, some will not disintegrate, and some will not dissolve. In contrast, some of them have wrong labelling and all sorts of non-compliance, adding that the Agency is dealing with that now with the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

Prof Adeyeye further disclosed that most of the products stopped from coming into the Nigerian market have fake certificates of pharmaceutical products. Noting that it takes two to tango, Prof. Adeyeye opined that its not just India bringing substandard falsified medicines to us, it is us; Nigerians that connive with them to bring in cheap products at the detriment of lives in Nigeria. 

Furthermore, She disclosed that over 124 shipments have been stopped, adding that these are products that had been approved, that could have been in circulation in Nigeria for five years. 

So, if ten containers per year for one particular product or two containers per year should find their way into Nigeria, you can figure out what the consequences might be.

The NAFDAC boss, however, announced the berth of a new regulatory directive with emphasis on the source of raw materials used in the production process. For those that are registering new products, she said they must procure raw materials from approved sources like WHO Prequalified sources, FDA, or other stringent Regulatory Authorities. 

If you don’t source from a prequalified source, we will not register the product, she said. 

She, however, dispelled the news going around, over the alleged proliferation of fake drugs in the country, saying the proliferation news that has been going on is false. 

There is no proliferation of substandard medicines. We do a national survey, sampling of products using scientific methods from different parts of the country., she said, adding that the survey was done in 

2021 and 2022 for ant-malaria with a 10 percent prevalence level. 

We couldn’t do it in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. She explained further, If you live very close to the border where people come in and out the prevalence may be higher there. Thats statistics. 

The average is about 10%, she said, insisting that proliferation is not synonymous with shortage because the two words are now used together. The fact that we have a shortage of medicines does not mean there is a proliferation of substandard falsified medicines.

 The survey for 2023 is not ready yet. We will publish 2021 and 2022.

She noted that the Pharmaceutical Supply chain plays a vital role in ensuring that safe, quality, and efficacious medicines reach the end users, adding that there is therefore a need to foster complementary partnerships that will seek to identify lapses in the supply chain system to improve the chances of winning the war on substandard and falsified medical products in Nigeria. 

We have formal and informal markets. Do not buy medicines from the informal market. We do a lot of raids in Oke- Arin, Idumota markets Lagos, Onitsha head bridge where you can buy a product maybe 50 per cent or 80 per cent cheaper because of low quality, she added, the state of the economy shouldn’t be an excuse for people to buy poison under the guise of cheap products.

I enjoin you to sustain your support to NAFDAC to ensure that only safe, efficacious, and quality medicines are used in Nigeria. NAFDAC, as the regulatory agency is seeking the support of all stakeholders in the pharma industry and supply chain system to improve our chances of winning the war on SF medical products.

The Supply chain stakeholders made very useful contributions for input into the National Strategic document to guide our collective efforts towards combating the menace of the SF in the country.

The stakeholders present at the supply chain engagements include the World Health Organization (WHO), United States Pharmacopeia (USP), Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria ( PMG-MAN), Association of Community Pharmacist of Nigeria (ACPN), Pharmaceutical Wholesalers Association of Nigeria (PWDAN), Nigerian Representatives of Overseas Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (NIROPHARM), Association of Pharmaceutical Importers of Nigeria (APIN), Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacist of Nigeria (AHAPN), Nigeria Army Medical corps, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), National of Veterinary Medical Association(NVMA). Others are different companies represented under PMG-MAN, APIN, PWDAN, and Niropharm.

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