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Tag: Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu

  • Sanwo-Olu Seeks Investor Collaboration For Economic Growth

    Sanwo-Olu Seeks Investor Collaboration For Economic Growth

     

     

    Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has pledged to collaborate with investors, multinationals, agencies, foundations, and innovation hubs to build a globally respected 21st-century economy.

    Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, made this known on Wednesday at the second edition of the Lagos Investment Summit.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-day summit is with the theme: ‘Scaling Action: Bold Solutions Towards Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.’

    The governor unveiled the state’s 30-year growth agenda and a deal book containing de-risked, investment-ready projects in key economic sectors.

    He outlined a strategic blueprint based on infrastructure growth, energy independence, human capital, economic diversification, and governance reforms.

    “The Lagos of today is dynamic and determined. But Lagos of 2052 must be strategically governed, deliberately shaped, and courageously built,” the governor said.

    With over 25 million people, he said Lagos remains Nigeria’s economic heartbeat and a vital launchpad for West Africa’s innovation and ambition.

    Sanwo-Olu said the state’s reforms aim to make Lagos Africa’s most investor-friendly destination through unified and consistent policy initiatives.

    He noted that the Lagos State Investment Promotion Agency (LIPA) has been strengthened to serve as a one-stop investment and post-investment support hub.

    Through digital tools, land reforms, tax simplification, and PPP frameworks, Lagos is removing red tape to ease investor engagement.

    These efforts, he added, are creating a smooth interface between the government and potential investors.

    “In this spirit, we present the Lagos Investment Deal Book, featuring vetted, de-risked projects ready for investment across diverse sectors,” he said.

    Each project listed is commercially viable, aligned with policy priorities, and ready for implementation.

    NAN reports that the summit will also host deal rooms to connect project owners, financiers, development institutions, and government agencies.

    “Lagos is open for business. We will not wait for the future—we are building it with resolve, clarity, and courage,” Sanwo-Olu stated.

    Mrs Folashade Ambrose, Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, urged global investors to participate in Lagos’ transformation.

    She said the summit marks a shift from concepts to action and from isolated deals to systemic investment alignment.

    Ambrose described Lagos as Africa’s commercial heartbeat and a top destination for industrial and economic innovation.

    Every reform in the state, she said, is aligned with pillars promoting scale, quality, inclusion, and sustainability.

    “This summit is a crucial step towards achieving the ambitious Lagos 2052 vision,” she said.

    Ambrose added that tax harmonisation, land digitisation, and business-friendly reforms show Lagos’ pro-investor, agile governance approach.

    She reaffirmed her ministry’s readiness to support investors through every stage of their journey in Lagos.

    The commissioner said LIPA will ensure aftercare services, regulatory support, and streamlined navigation of the state’s investment landscape. (NAN)

     

     

  • Sanwo-Olu’s Cabinet: Lagos Lawmakers Reject 17, Clear 22 Commissoner, SA Nominees

    Sanwo-Olu’s Cabinet: Lagos Lawmakers Reject 17, Clear 22 Commissoner, SA Nominees

    Lagos State House of Assembly, has confirmed 22 out of the 39 cabinet nominees sent recently by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for screening and approval. 

     
    Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the day’s sitting on Wednesday, said the confirmation followed rigorous and detailed screening of the nominees by a ad-hoc committee led by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Fatai Mojeed.
     

    He commended the committee for its effectiveness and urged the confirmed nominees to always remember that they are in office to serve the people of the State and not individuals.

    Obasa, also promised that the House would continue to do its best in the interest of the State.

    The confirmation was done through a voice vote as Dr. Obasa mentioned the name of each of the nominees.

    However, the lawmakers rejected 17 of the nominees.

    They are:

    1. Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo (Education);
    2. Prof. Akin Abayomi (Health);
    3. Gbenga Omotoso (Information and Strategy);
    4. Olalere Odusote (Energy);
    5. Mrs. Solape Hammod);
    6. Mrs. Cecilia Dada (Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation);
    7. Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye (Works and Infrastructure);
    8. Sam Egube (Economic Budget and Planning);
    9. Yomi Oluyomi;
    10. Mrs. Folashade Ambrose;
    11. Ms. Barakat Bakare;
    12. Rotimi Fashola;
    13. Olalekan Fatodu;
    14. Mosopefolu George;
    15. Seun Osiyemi;
    16. Rotimi Ogunwuyi
    17. Olumide Oluyinka.

    (Vanguard)

  • Fully Kitting One Policeman Costs N3m – Lagos Security Trust Fund

    Fully Kitting One Policeman Costs N3m – Lagos Security Trust Fund

    The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), on Wednesday said “to fully kit a policeman costs at least N3 million.

    The Executive Secretary of LSSTF, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun, made this made known during the 15th Annual Town Hall Meeting On Security With The Governor. The theme was ”Reconceptualising Safety and Security In Lagos State”, held on Victoria Island.

    Balogun said that security agencies require advanced training, more equipment that would support an intelligence-led approach to crime prevention (drones, trackers, scanners at city gates, gunshot detection devices) and more non-lethal weaponry.

    ”To fully kit one policeman with uniform, taser, tactical gear (light, knife, jacket, belt, gloves, knee, shoulder, ankle, and boots) bulletproof vest, ballistic helmet, tear gas, push-to-talk on cellular communication equipment, rain gear, etc, will cost at least N3 million per officer.

    ”Hence to kit 33,000 police officers in Lagos will cost about N99 billion. This is our reality, if we truly want a highly motivated, and fully equipped police force in the state.

    READ ALSO: I killed Ex-gov Igbinedion’s Mother With Stool, Stole N100,000, Wristwatch – Maid

    ”Truth be told, the needs of security agencies are endless, as they are expected to be prepared for every single possible crime scenario.

    ”Often, most people do not see how simple solutions to a problem such as providing sniffer dogs creates a whole new expenditure matrix such as housing, feeding, training health care and even providing special protection details for the dogs from drug batons who would seek to kill them.

    ”Keeping these dogs alone is a very expensive endeavour but the K-9 unit is not too advanced to be included in our security architecture in the state,” he said.

    Balogun said that insecurity is spreading from the north to the south and there is the need to be ready, and to build on the capacity to deal with future challenges.

    ”As with the Theme of today’s event, we need to “Reconceptualise Safety and Security in Lagos State.”

    ”Our thinking must be from a point of catering for the well-being of the entire populace. Making people realize they can achieve all they can imagine and providing the support they need to succeed.

    ”This thinking goes beyond just the provision of hard security architecture but also ensures food security, health security, educational security, social economic security, political security,” he said.

    The Chairman, Board of Trustee, LSSTF, Mr. Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti, said that the LSSTF has continued to play a pivotal role in the enhancement of the security architecture in Lagos State through successive administrations to date.

    Durosinmi-Etti said that this is because of the shared understanding of the relationship between development and security, as no meaningful development could be achieved without security. (NAN)

     

     

  • #EndSARS: Sanwo-Olu Cannot Exonerate Himself From Attacks On Protesters – AAC

    #EndSARS: Sanwo-Olu Cannot Exonerate Himself From Attacks On Protesters – AAC

    The African Action Congress (AAC) has said that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu cannot exonerate himself from the attacks by soldiers on unarmed #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate.

    The party, in a statement issued by its Lagos State chapter on Wednesday, maintained that the governor was deeply involved with the soldiers’ attacks which led to the death of protesters as well as shootings in other parts of the state like Badagry, Mushin, Berger, Ketu, Abule Egba, Ikotun, Igando and several other areas.

    AAC in the statement signed by Mr. Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, the party’s state chairman, stressed that from available evidence, it was Sanwo-Olu that invited the military as well as some members of the disbanded SARS, in the case of Lekki and Surulere, and the police.

    AAC stated that the governor had always told half truths to the public, stressing that Sanwo-Olu misled the people several times by first denying the Lekki shootings and then blaming it only the Army.

    The party stated also that Sanwo-Olu once told the people that no one was killed during the Lekki attack, but later confessed that he saw only two bodies in the morgues.

    READ ALSO: COVID-19: PTF Has Released N50 billion To States So far – Aliyu

    The party alleged that the governor was at the Lekki scene by 3 a.m, according to eyewitnesses, accompanied by the Maroko Police Division Police Officer (DPO) and that both of them saw several dead bodies.

    “The Maroko DPO and his team then attacked the medical team as well as the survivors fatally. These inconsistent and conscious efforts at militarising against real democratic engagements like protests show that Governor Sanwo-Olu is a despot and has no place in modern democracy. He should therefore step aside now!

    “Revelations have also shown that the Governor Sanwo-Olu was in the know of the removal of CCTV cameras as well as the switching off of all the lights. It is therefore clear that this genocide happened same way at most parts of Lagos in quite a premeditated manner.

    “Lagos AAC uses this opportunity to call on all activists and peaceful people of Rivers State to rise and protest against the #Oyigbomassacre still ongoing.

    “How can Governor Wike and the military claim to be maintaining peace by condoning off a whole society and its environs and you start maiming, killing, and destroying?

    “Finally, we call on all Lagosians to rise and ask Governor Sanwo-Olu and his cronies to step down. The weight of such massacre, widespread violence and brutal repressions caused by the state government’s premeditated and organised fatal attacks on the #EndSARS Movement for peacefully and legitimately ignoring an ill-advised, immoral, and undemocratic curfew.

    “AAC therefore calls on the Lagos Panel of Inquiry to maintain its honour by excusing itself from cases of Lekki and the Lagos massacre. An independent and unbiased Truth Commission is what is moral and judicial.

    “Another Lagos without this use of tyrannical engagements is very possible. AAC believes that all oppressed must unite and concretely demand for a new Nigeria nay world.

    “The #EndSARS movement has shown the correctness of our party and movement’s positions that the ruling parties are consciously imposing poverty and hardship, as the discoveries of hoarded covid-19 palliatives show.

    “Sanwo-Olu must toe the path of honour by stepping aside and surrendering to the International Crimes Commission (ICC) at The Hague for inflicting such fatal attacks on peaceful and legitimate protesters.”

  • Lagos Discharges 50 COVID-19 Patients

    Lagos Discharges 50 COVID-19 Patients

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Friday that the state has discharged 50 COVID-19 patients who have been full recovery.

    Sanwo-Olu, who disclosed this in a statement said the discharged persons included13 females and 37 males among them 26 foreign nationals.

    They were discharged from five treatment facilities in the state, the governor added.

    “Today, 50 #COVID19Lagos patients; 13 females and 37 males including 26 foreign nationals were discharged from our Isolation facilities to reunite with the society.

    READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Lagos Discharges Another 31 Recovered Patients

    “The patients; 6 from Agidingbi, 14 from Eti-Osa (LandMark) 22 from Onikan, 1 from Vidic and 7 from LUTH Isolation Centres were discharged after full recovery and testing negative to COVID19,” the statement read in part.

    Sanwo-Olu also reiterated that it is now a crime to go out in the state without using a facemask.

    “Remember, it is now a criminal offence in Lagos State to go out without using a facemask. Let’s continue to adhere strictly to all public advisories given by government #ForACOVID19FreeLagos.”

  • Lagos Relaxes Restrictions On Religious Activities, Grants Partial Reopening To Houses Of Worship

    Lagos Relaxes Restrictions On Religious Activities, Grants Partial Reopening To Houses Of Worship

    Lagos State Government has modified the protocols and guidelines recently announced by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Coronavirus Response, which gave a regulated permission for resumption of business and religious activities across the nation as part of measures to ease the nationwide lockdown.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, granted partial relaxation of the prohibition placed on religious gatherings.

    From June 19; Muslims can congregate for Jummat service only, from June 21, Christian worshippers are allowed to open churches only for Sunday services.

    However, all the permitted religious activities must be conducted within the ambit of a set of new protocols for organised gathering rolled out by an inter-ministerial committee set up by Gov. Sanwo-Olu and chaired by Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations.

    These developments were announced at the Governor’s 13th briefing held at the State House in Marina.

    Under the new guidelines, cinemas, cafès, restaurants, gyms, parks and nightclubs, social clubs are still not permitted to re-open. They are mandated to register with Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC) under the Register-to-Open Initiative via registration portal, ‪www.lasgsafetyreg.com, where they will obtain safety clearance before their opening date will be announced.

    Houses of worship are, however, exempted from LSSC registration and clearance, but their activities will be duly monitored by the Safety agency.

    The Governor emphasised that the pronouncement should not be taken as permission for full reopening of places of worship; their activities must be limited to obligatory worships only, Sanwo-Olu maintained, adding that daily vigils and other extra-religious activities remained prohibited.

    Besides, Sanwo-Olu said the State had not got clear signals for the re-opening of schools, pointing out that the Government was still meeting with stakeholders to agree on protocols for school resumption. This, he said, is expected to be finalised in two weeks.

    However, the Governor affirmed the Federal Government-imposed dusk-to-dawn curfew, starting from 10pm to 4a.m.

    He said: “In line with the promise I made to you two weeks ago, I set up a committee with several Ministries chaired by the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, to draw up guidelines for the phased re-opening of organised gatherings in the State.

    READ ALSO: Easter: Lockdown Still In Place In Lagos State – LASG

    “We will, from June 19 and 21, 2020, be allowing all our places of worship to re-open for obligatory services only at the maximum of the 40 per cent of their capacities. These eased measures must be accompanied by physical distancing, mandatory temperature checks, use of face masks and strong personal hygiene.

    “Social, entertainment and event centres, such as clubs, gyms, spas, parks, nightclubs, and cinemas, will still remain closed for the next two weeks at first instance. The operators of these centres should use this period to prepare their premises for reopening, by registering with the Lagos State Safety Commission and familiarise themselves with the detailed guidelines and requirements.”

    Sanwo-Olu prohibited vulnerable persons from participating in organised religious gatherings, saying houses of worships must consider the option of virtual platform for members below 15 years and above 65 years. Officiating priests above 65 years are exempted, but they must maintain appropriate social distance from the congregants.

    The Governor directed that houses of worship must also maintain a “no face mask, no entry” policy throughout the duration of their activities. Periodic cleaning and disinfection of facilities, the Governor said, must be carried out on these religious facilities in line with public health guideline of the State.

    He said: “Crowd capacity must be limited to no more than 40 per cent of the approved occupancy limit of religious centers by the State Government, with a maximum limit of 500 people irrespective of the size of the religious centre. We strongly advise members of the congregation to avoid food offerings (communion) when it is being shared from common dishes.

    “Also, sharing of kettles during ablution is strictly prohibited. The decision to proceed, restrict, modify, postpone or cancel a worship service after a thorough risk assessment solely lies with the State Government. All places of worship must nominate a person who would liaise with the State Government to obtain a safety clearance for their premises.”

    Sanwo-Olu also directed all civil servants on the Grade Levels 13 to 14 in the unified public service to return to work from June 8. All civil servants from Grade Level 1 to 12 are to still stay away from office until further notice. The Governor said private firms and manufacturing companies could now operate from 7am to 6pm, but enjoined them to run shift and flexible working hours to prevent overcrowding in their places of business.

    The Governor said only social clubs with registered trustees and verifiable governance structure would be permitted to re-open in two weeks time. Unstructured social clubs and event centres are not permitted to open for now, the Governor ordered.

    Sanwo-Olu directed the State’s Safety agency to strictly enforce the new guidelines and drive compliance, while also ordering the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) to support the effort.

    Addressing observed challenges in BRT operations, the Governor disclosed that Government would be deploying 570 buses to upscale the current operation capacity of the State-owned transport firm. This, he said, will drive up compliance to social distancing guidelines in the public buses.

    Sanwo-Olu reiterated the mandatory use of face masks in public places, urging the residents to take responsibility for their conduct in outside their homes.

  • COVID-19: Lagos Records 8 Deaths, Discharges 33

    COVID-19: Lagos Records 8 Deaths, Discharges 33

    The Lagos State Government on Tuesday announced that 33 persons who had made full recovery from COVID-19 have been discharged from its treatment centres.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who announced this in a statement said the patients which comprised 30 Nigerians and three Indians were discharged to reunite with their loved ones after they tested negative twice to Coronavirus.

    Sanwo-Olu further stated that a total of 908 COVID-19 patients have now been discharged.

    The statement read: “Good people of Lagos, I bring you great news from our isolation facilities. Today, 33 fully recovered COVID-19 Lagos patients; 7 females and 26 males including 3 foreign nationals – Indians -have been discharged to join the society.

    “The patients; 21 from Onikan, 9 from Eti-Osa (LandMark), 2 from Lekki and 1 from Gbagada Isolation Centres were discharged having fully recovered and tested negative to COVID19.

    READ ALSO: COVID-19: Lagos Discharges 21 Patients, Records 3 Deaths

    “With this, the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from our Isolation facilities is now 908.

    “As our frontline health workers records successes in this battle against #COVID-19, we urge citizens to adhere strictly to our public advisories and directives, as this is the only way we can break the chain of transmission of the infection.”

    Meanwhile, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi has disclosed that the state lost eight person to COVID-19 related deaths on Monday.

    Abayomi who made the disclosure via his verified twitter handle on Tuesday, said the fatalities from the virus as at Monday, stood at 67.

    Abayomi, however, did not give further details about the sex, age, nationality or medical conditions of the deceased.

  • COVID-19: 87 More Patients Recover In Lagos

    COVID-19: 87 More Patients Recover In Lagos

    Lagos State has discharge 87 more patients who have made full recovery from the Coronavirus disease.

    The 40 females and 47 males were deemed fit to rejoin their families after testing negative to the virus.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced the development on his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday.

    He said the latest discharges have brought the total number of recoveries in the state to 825.

    READ ALSO: COVID-19 6 More Patients Recover In Lagos, Reunite With Families

    The governor’s tweet read: “Today, 87 recovered COVID-19 patients; 40 females and 47 males, were discharged to rejoin the society, having fully recovered and tested negative to COVID-19.

    “With this, the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from our facilities is now 825.

    “As our frontline health workers record these successes, we urge Lagos residents to adhere strictly to the public advisories and directives, as these are the only way we can break the chain of transmission of the virus.

    “We must always remember that the goal is to remain healthy.”

  • COVID-19: Lagos Discharges 45 Patients

    COVID-19: Lagos Discharges 45 Patients

    Lagos State on Saturday discharged 45 persons who have recovered from the Coronavirus disease.

    They were discharged to reunite with the society after testing negative twice for the virus.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who disclosed this in a statement, noted that those discharged included 22 females and 23 males.

    He said the 45 discharged patients have brought the total number of recoveries to 707.

    READ ALSO: COVID-19: Lagos Discharges 13 More Patients

    The statement read: “I bring you great news from our isolation facilities. Today, 45 fully recovered COVID-19 Lagos patients; 22 females and 23 males, all Nigerians, were discharged to join the society.

    “The patients – 19 from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, three from Onikan, eight from Agidingbi, seven from Lekki, one from Eti-Osa (LandMark) and seven from Lagos University Teaching Hospital Isolation Centres were discharged having fully recovered and tested negative to COVID-19.

    “With this, the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from our Isolation facilities has risen to 707.”

    Sanwo-Olu urged Lagosians to work with the government in curbing the spread of the virus.

  • Lagos Finalises Register-To-Open Guidelines, Set To Restart Economy

    Lagos Finalises Register-To-Open Guidelines, Set To Restart Economy

    The Lagos State government has set the process of re-opening its economy in motion, with the rollout of Register-to-Open guidelines.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the state government daily battles the reality of balancing reactivation of economic activities and the continuation of the state’s response to contain the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    The governor said the battle to stop the ravaging virus in Lagos had subjected the state to a delicate situation of having to manage hunger resulting from weeks of slowdown in economic activities and also the movement of consumer goods to keep the economy afloat.

    He said the four-page Register-to-Open guidelines were the major part of the measures initiated to achieve phased re-opening of the state’s economy, adding that government had offered incentives that would affect its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in order to prevent job loss in critical industries that provide employment for a large number of labour.

    Sanwo-Olu disclosed this development while speaking at a webinar organised by First Securities Discount House (FSDH) Group, with the theme: “A Global Pandemic: Local Realities and Peculiarities – A View from the Frontlines.”

    The governor was a panelist in the online discussion that also featured Governors of Kaduna and Edo states, Mallam Nasir el-Rufa’i and Godwin Obaseki respectively.

    The webinar had about 1,200 participants from across the globe.

    Sanwo-Olu said the state government remained committed to tackling COVID-19 and breaking the cycle of its transmission, but added that there was need to address hunger and job loss that could arise from prolonged lockdown of the economy.

    He said: “We have been caught in a very delicate situation between managing COVID-19 on one hand, and managing hunger and sustaining an economy that is not only depended on commercial activities in Lagos alone, but also other states across the federation.

    “We have had weeks of engagement with players in fast-moving consumer goods sector and part of the measures we are taking is that, we are giving them additional clearance to work for longer hours.

    “Besides, we initiated what we called Register-to-Open, which is a thorough guideline to help the residents ahead of the full re-opening.

    “Some of the things we will be seeing in the four-page guideline is, how we want to manage space at various places of business and what numbers of personnel and clients we expect at a given period, which must be based on the sizes of the facilities.

    READ ALSO: LASG Considers Full Reopening Of Economy

    “As we prepared for this phased re-opening, we are giving priority to sectors that have higher number of labour.”

    The governor, however, maintained that the re-opening would not be done in haste, but said construction and manufacturing sectors would be accorded high priority for full re-opening, given the large number of employment they generate.

    He added that entertainment, hospitality and aviation industries would be considered in the second phase of intervention.

    Sanwo-Olu said the weeks of inertia in the economy also had significant impact on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), stressing that millions of small-scale businesses operating in the state could completely fold up if the economy is not fully reactivated.

    In addition to granting three-month moratorium to MSMEs that applied for loan facilities at the Lagos State Employment Trust Funds (LSETF), Sanwo-Olu said the state government had started to compile data of registered MSMEs in the state for operational support that would cushion the effect of economic slowdown on their businesses.

    He said: “The other part of our intervention is our conversation with big corporations in various sectors on the requirements they may want from us to ensure that they do not retrench their staff in this emergency period. This conversation is very important.

    “The companies have given us a retinue of incentives they want us to give and these are the things that will affect the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). We are willing to make this sacrifice to prevent loss of livelihood for millions of our citizens.”

    In the course of the lockdown, Sanwo-Olu said the state government provided palliatives for over 800,000 households, pointing out that there was need to bring succour to residents that live on daily wage.

    The governor said people must trust the government on the management of the coronavirus and data being churned out.

    Answering a question on the biggest consequence which COVID-19 had on state economy, Sanwo-Olu said: “Lagos has been affected both on the healthcare and economy sides.

    “We have had to take a deep dive into our budget and have about 25 per cent cut, which is not very good number for us. This is the time we need to continue to spend to stave off pressure on our citizens. However, we need to be prudent at this time and cut unimportant expenditures. Salary is one thing we cannot even touch.

    “In terms of direct economy, entertainment industry, hospitality, land transportation and aviation businesses have been affected significantly.

    “These sectors are large employers of labour. We are thinking through on how to reset these sectors in a graduated manner and bring back the economy on the full swing.”

  • 17 More COVID-19 Patients Recover, Rejoin Society

    17 More COVID-19 Patients Recover, Rejoin Society

    The Lagos State Government on Wednesday discharged 17 more COVID-19 patients.

    After testing negative twice to the virus, the patients, six females and 11 males, were certified free of the virus and fit to recover reunite with families and friends.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who announced the discharges said the patients were discharged from the Yaba, Gbagada and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) isolation centres.

    He said: “Good people of Lagos, today, 17 more COVID-19 Lagos patients; six females and 11 males, all Nigerians were discharged from our Yaba, Gbagada and LUTH Isolation facilities to reunite with the society.

    “The patients, seven from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba; six from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and four from Gbagada General Hospital Isolation Centres were discharged, having fully recovered and tested negative to COVID-19 in two consecutive readings.

    READ ALSO: COVID-19: Lagos Discharges 9 Patients As Another Delivers Twins

    “This brings to 649 the number of #COVID-19 confirmed cases that have been successfully managed and discharged in Lagos.”

    Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has advised the public to confirm their COVID-19 status, if they are unwell, saying it was important.

    Tweeting on his verified Twitter handle, Abayomi said: “What we mean to #flattenthecurve is that, we want to spread out the speed at which the virus is spreading in the community.

    “We have exceeded the containment phase now. We are at the active community transmission stage.”

    He explained that the government’s attention was shifting to community based isolation with the new strategy of concentrating of isolating people with severe cases, while mild cases would be managed at home.

  • LASG Considers Full Reopening Of Economy

    LASG Considers Full Reopening Of Economy

    Lagos State is considering full re-opening of its economy.

    Before it does that, however, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the government would embark on the assessment of the readiness of businesses.

    Sanwo-Olu disclosed this on Sunday while briefing newsmen on the next steps to be taken in the fight against COVID-19 after the State’s Security Council meeting held at the State House in Marina..

    According to him, a register would be opened to ensure inspection of businesses and compliance with physical distancing rules before the lockdown can be totally lifted.

    Sanwo-Olu stated that officials from the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) would visit restaurants, companies, religious houses to assess their level of readiness.

    He said given the size of the State’s economy and numbers of businesses operating in its domain, the Government could not afford to keep people and businesses permanently on lockdown.

    The Governor explained: “We are at a level where we are reviewing the other arms of the economy. In the coming days, we will be starting what we call Register-to-Open, which means all players in the restaurant business, event centres, entertaiment, malls and cinemas will go through a form of re-registration and space management.

    “There is a regulation that will be introduced to supervise this move. We will be coming to their facilities to assess their level of readiness for a future opening. I don’t know when that opening will happen in the weeks ahead, but we want these businesses to begin to tune themselves to the reality of COVID-19 with respect to how their work spaces need to look like.

    “For us, it is not to say they should re-open fully tomorrow or any time; there has be a process guiding the re-opening. We will be mandating LASEPA and Safety Commission to begin the enumeration process and the agencies will be communicating with all relevant businesses and houses in the days ahead. I must, however, caution that this should not be misinterpreted as a licence for full opening; it is certainly not. The State’s economy is not ready for that now.”

    READ ALSO: Success Of Easing Lockdown Depends On Residents’ Compliance – Sanwo-Olu

    Furthermore, Gov. Sanwo-Olu said the Government agencies also would be visiting places of worship to evaluate their level of preparedness ahead of full reopening. He stressed that social distancing and hygiene would be fully considered in determining whether mosques and churches can re-open in the future.

    “We are reviewing and considering how the phased unlocking will happen. If we see huge level of compliance, then it can happen in the next two to three weeks. If not, it could take a month or two months. It is until we are sure all of these players are ready to conform to our guidelines,” the Governor asserted.

    Sanwo-Olu urged businesses, religious houses and residents to maintain the status quo while the State works out modalities for full re-opening.

    The Governor disclosed that all the 10 staff of the Government House who tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19) had fully recovered and returned to their beats. He said the disclosure was necessary to further promote transparency in the reporting and management of coronavirus cases by the State Government.

    The Governor enjoined banks and markets to strictly enforce orderliness in their premises, directing that elderly people must be given the priority to transact their businesses in bank and markets between 9a.m and 10:30a.m, after which other younger customers should be allowed to transact.

    He reiterated that the use of face mask in public places was compulsory saying those walking in public places without face mask were risking their lives.

    Sanwo-Olu frowned at laxity observed in the enforcement of ban on inter-state movements even as he noted also that commercial buses were still flouting the directive on spacing of passengers and 60 per cent load capacity.

    “We are not happy with the level of compliance by yellow buses despite assurance from their union. We do not want to use force to drive compliance; we want it to be self-compliant. We have also not seen the level of compliance we wanted for inter-state travels. We are seeking collaboration with Ogun State government and the police to ensure obedience to the directive on this,” he stated.