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ALAUSA ALERT, January 2014
C
FASHOLA JUSTIFIES
RATIONALE FOR STATE POLICE
overnor Babatunde Fashola
(SAN) has reaffirmed his
earlier position on the
creation of state police even if it is to
address domestic violence and
assault on women.
The Governor posited that the federal
police is overstretched by violent
crimes as kidnapping, armed robbery
and assassinations and barely has
time for lesser crimes as domestic
violence and abuse of women and
children.
He stated that it is necessary to take
another look at the issue if it will be
strictly to protect women and deal
with domestic violence while the
Federal Police concentrates on other
violent crimes .
The Governor, who made this call at
the live television show and 12th
Anniversary of Funmi Iyanda's
Change-A-Life Programme at the
Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)
Network Centre, Victoria Island, said
although his administration has done
much on laws against domestic
violence, in addition to criminalizing
certain acts in the administration of
the Criminal Justice Law in the State,
enforcement of these laws has
remained a challenge.
“One of the responsibilities that the
Police have in the Law protecting
women against domestic violence is
to file a complaint on behalf of the
victim before a court and to seek
restraining order against the
respondent who is the aggressor. But
how many of those cases really come
up to the court,” he asked.
Fashola said numerous challenges
face the issue of rape and other cases
of domestic violence, saying one of it
is the fear of stigmatization, which he
said, denies government accurate
statistics. Another problem according
to him is that when the few victims
bold enough come out to testify, they
are subjected to all kinds of questions
from very skillful defense lawyers
suggesting that, perhaps at one time
there was consent.
Other hindrances, the Governor
G
Lagos
House
Briefing
SEYI AKITOYE
Gov. Fashola and Funmi Iyanda at Change-A-Life Programme, Nigerian Television
Authority (NTA)
added, include forensic challenges as
semen samples, medical records,
inadequate DNA laboratories and
forensic laboratories.
As a way of ameliorating these
problems, the
Governor said the
State has built a transit home for
abused women, as oftentimes the
story is that the women and children
are thrown out into the streets. At the
Alimosho home, they are provided
with beds and accommodation,
medical facilities and teachers, while
government tries resettling them.
The children have access to education
while medical and other issues are
also dealt with.
He disclosed that the first phase of a
Home for children with special needs
has been put in place by government
in Ketu, while the second phase is
ongoing. He said with this facility,
children as those with the Down
Syndrome can be better managed.
While stressing that it is only
reported cases that government
could deal with, the Governor
encouraged victims to come forward
so that government can help them.
He paid glowing tribute to the
Deputy Governor, Princess Adejoke
Orelope-Adefulire, who supervises
the Ministry of Women Affairs and
Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) and the
Director, Office of Public Defender
(OPD), as well as volunteer lawyers
who work in the Office for the selfless
work they have done and are
engaged in.
The Governor called for moral and
ethical rethink, adding that by this,
there will be a drastic reduction in
defilement of women and children.
In an interview after the programme
Fashola told Lagosians to expect
more dividends of democracy from
his administration , noting that the
focus of government remains
excellent service delivery and
adequate security.
He expressed joy that recent reports
show that over 70 per cent of
Lagosians feel safe in the state,
adding that there is no finish line to
what his administration is doing to
keep its citizens secured. “It is when
the citizens are safe that you feel free
to embark on capital intensive
development, providing Education
and other opportunities for them to
find their way in life, the real
empowerment of people, looking
after their welfare and from there we
go on to growing the economy,
Power, Agriculture, Transportation,
Housing and in that way and from it
we create a large theatre of
opportunities where people can find
their way,” he said.
In terms of infrastructure, the
Governor said work on the massive
water works at Adiyan will be
finished in 2015 and that this will add
70 million gallons of water to the
reservoir.
He restated that there is nothing
wrong with the country, but was
worried that the people have become
less productive while the population
is growing. “As for our country, I
have always said there is nothing
wrong with our country, absolutely
nothing. The resources have become
much more bountiful, the value of oil
has improved. The question for me is
why we have become less productive
while we are increasing in number.
We were more productive when we
were fewer in the 70s. So, for me, the
finger is actually pointing back at us.
It is us who have changed and it is us
who should change again and select a
new set of values. I think the
opportunity to make a better choice in
2014 is heavy on us, it favours us. The
difference between success and
failure, for me, is how people react to
opportunities. This is the season that
offers us the opportunity to do so
many good things. But they would
happen if we make the choices, seize
the opportunity to revalue hard
work, to revalue knowledge, revalue
the dignity of life, put appropriate
value on our common humanity and
to place less value on those things that
have taken our focus away from
things that are important”.
Highlight of the programme was the
presentation of the Remi Lagos
Award of Academic Excellence to
two most outstanding students of
Funmi Iyand a's Change-A-Life
Foundation, Miss Olatunji Fumilayo
and Miss Umoh Victoria Uwana.