Why Kissing In Movies Does Not Break Homes - Nollywood Producer, Biodun Stephen

Nollywood filmmaker Biodun Stephen has dismissed claims that romantic scenes in movies are responsible for breaking marriages, insisting that actors and their spouses understand the demands of the profession.

Speaking in a video shared on Instagram late Thursday, Stephen reacted to comments by a young woman who argued that filmmakers should reduce kissing scenes because they could ruin the marriages of actors.

Addressing the claim, Stephen said she found it difficult to understand the argument, noting that kissing is not a major part of her filmmaking style.

 

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“I just watched a video. There’s this young lady who always has something to say about Nollywood. Nobody is even casting her, but she said producers should take it easy on having actors kiss because we are possibly ruining their marriages,” she said.

Stephen explained that while she deliberately limits intimate scenes in her films because she wants them to be suitable for family viewing, she is not opposed to including them when the story requires it.

“I don’t even know how to address this. Kissing is not a big part of my craft, not because I don’t enjoy a little romance and ashewo things in my films. But I want films you can watch with your children, which is why I sort of limit it. That does not also mean that if an opportunity comes, I won’t embrace it,” she said.

The filmmaker stressed that portraying love and emotions is part of an actor’s job, adding that convincing performances often make audiences emotionally invested in on-screen relationships.

“One of the things we are selling as actors is emotions and love. When people believe in that storyline, they start rooting for the love. That can be done with or without intense kissing,” she added.

Stephen maintained that responsibility for handling romantic scenes lies with the actors and their spouses, who should already understand the nature of the profession.

“I think that responsibility is on the actor who has chosen this profession and on the spouse who has accepted that their spouse is an actor. They must have made their peace with it,” she said.

She also noted that some actors decline romantic scenes because of their personal beliefs, while others are comfortable with them.

“There are actors who have said they can’t participate in romance because of personal beliefs, and there are actors who do not mind. So whether you are kissing or being intimate, my job as a movie producer is to protect you. My job is not to break your home,” Stephen concluded.

  

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Building Insurance Now Compulsory In Lagos - Gov Sanwo-Olu

The Lagos State Government has introduced the Lagos State Building Insurance Scheme to enforce compulsory building insurance and protect lives and property.

The government said the scheme was introduced because growth without safety is not progress.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Sam Egube, stated this at the unveiling of the scheme on Friday in Lagos.

He said the initiative was aimed at strengthening building safety, promoting accountability in the construction sector and reinforcing Lagos’ position as a safe, responsible and globally competitive city.

“What we are launching today is not just a scheme; we are strengthening another institution that will deepen confidence in Lagos as a safe, responsible and globally competitive city.

“Growth without safety is not progress, and development without accountability is not sustainable.

“The true measure of development is not how much we build, but how well we protect the lives that those structures are meant to serve,” he said.

 

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The governor said the state had continued to experience rapid physical development, driven by increasing investments in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.

He, however, stressed that every new building came with a responsibility to ensure safety.

He disclosed that Lagos recorded 171 building collapses between 2011 and 2025.

This, he said, accounted for more than half of such incidents reported nationwide, while six building collapses recorded in the first half of 2025 claimed 14 lives.

According to him, the incidents have resulted in loss of lives, financial hardship for businesses, diminished public confidence and emotional trauma for affected families.

“Preventing disasters will always cost less than recovering from them,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said the government had strengthened regulatory oversight through the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) by expanding inspections, improving enforcement and insisting on greater compliance with building regulations.

He said the agency had identified more than 27,000 distressed buildings and removed 349 dangerous structures before they could collapse and claim lives.

The governor said the newly inaugurated LAGBIS would provide a technology-driven framework.

He said the framework would ensure eligible buildings were adequately insured against insurable risks while protecting property owners, occupants and construction workers.

He said that although compulsory building insurance was already provided for under the Insurance Act and reinforced by Lagos State building regulations, compliance had remained inconsistent.

He said the government would intensify enforcement to ensure wider compliance with the law.

Sanwo-Olu also called on licensed insurance companies to partner with the government in ensuring the success of the initiative.

According to him, such a partnership will strengthen institutional confidence and promote responsible development across the state.

“As we officially launch LAGBIS today, we are doing more than introducing another public policy.

“We are laying an institutional foundation for the future Lagos we all desire, where ambition is matched by responsibility,” he said.

Earlier, the General Manager of LASBCA, Mrs Florence Gbaye, described LAGBIS as a landmark initiative.

Gbaye said the initiative underscored the state government’s commitment to safer buildings, stronger regulatory compliance and a more resilient built environment.

She said the scheme represented a deliberate shift towards a sustainable and globally aligned approach to building management and risk mitigation.

“The initiative reflects the government’s resolve to ensure that every building in Lagos is properly designed, constructed and maintained.

“It also reflects the resolve to ensure buildings are adequately protected against uncertainties and insurable risks,” she said.

Gbaye said LASBCA’s mandate extended beyond enforcing building regulations to safeguarding lives, preserving investments and promoting public confidence in the built environment.

She noted that under the scheme, all buildings within the prescribed categories would be identified and notified by LASBCA.

She also said LAGBIS would be integrated into the state’s Electronic Physical Planning Permit Processing System to simplify compliance and promote transparency, accessibility and accountability.

She added that the insurance framework would strengthen economic resilience by reducing the government’s financial burden during emergencies.

“It will also enable faster recovery and reconstruction for businesses, families and communities,” the general manager said.

Gbaye urged property owners and developers to embrace the scheme, describing it as not only a statutory requirement but also a demonstration of responsible ownership and sound financial planning.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the event included developers, engineers, and stakeholders in the built environment and construction sector, as well as government officials.

  

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Toba Ijaya: The Rise And Fall Of Lagos Street Warlord

The assassination of Toba Ajiboye, the Organising Secretary of the Lagos State National Union of Road Transport Workers, has reopened old wounds and revived questions about the violent underworld of motor park politics. In this gripping feature, Daniel Ayantoye traces the rise and fall of the controversial street warlord and the alleged betrayal that led to his death

Tears flowed freely on Tuesday as hundreds of family members, colleagues, friends and supporters gathered in Fadeyi, Lagos, to bid farewell to the Lagos State Organising Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Toba Ajiboye, popularly known as Toba Ijaya.

Like prominent leaders of the NURTW including Femi Jplum, Kunle Poly, MC Oluomo, and Mustapha Sego, Ajiboye was regarded as one of the influential figures in the transport union hierarchy. However, his journey ended not in the bustle of a motor park, but in a burial attended by mourners struggling to come to terms with his violent death.

Viral videos showed an emotional crowd surrounding his remains, many overcome with grief as they paid their last respects.

How Ajiboye fell

Ajiboye, also known as Ikoko Ajegunjeran (the hyena that crushes bones and meat) or Baba Esu (Satan’s father), did not die like a normal death.

His death arrived with the precision of a carefully planned execution: a hail of bullets, panicked screams and fleeing bystanders.

 

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He was ambushed on Sunday, July 12, by unidentified gunmen in the Fadeyi area of Lagos, and his vehicle riddled with bullets.

Ajiboye later succumbed to his injuries, which brought a sudden end to the life of one of the union’s most powerful leaders.

For a man whose name inspired fear across motor parks and political circles, the manner of his killing echoed the violent settling of scores more often associated with ruthless cartels on the streets of Lagos.

Many observers noted that, in the end, the empire he spent years building could not shield him from the violence that had long shadowed his rise.

It was said that his final moments bore the unmistakable signature of an execution designed not merely to kill but to send a message.

His death ended a reign that had earned him loyal followers, powerful allies and dangerous enemies alike.

A betrayal?

Speaking exclusively to sources close to the slain Ajiboye, Saturday PUNCH gathered details that paint a picture of what appears to have been a coordinated plot.

Punch’s correspondent learnt that a bricklayer, identified simply as Oke, who had previously worked for the slain 43-year-old union secretary, allegedly monitored his movements and passed information to the gunmen who ambushed and killed him along the Ikorodu Road corridor.

A source close to the deceased said Oke was someone Ajiboye trusted and employed for construction work.

According to him, Oke tracked his movements while feeding real-time information to those said to be waiting to strike.

“On Sunday, Toba came to see some elderly people and parked outside. The informant took pictures of the front and back of his vehicle and sent them to people waiting on the expressway.

“He also sent a voice note informing them that Toba was alone with his driver and would soon come out. Toba came out and even gave him N5,000, not knowing that he was there to monitor him,” the source said.

He further claimed that detectives later arrested Oke and his wife.

“The bricklayer was arrested the following night. That was when we learnt what happened. They also identified another person called Ogere, who participated, but he has fled,” the source added.

Saturday PUNCH also learnt that another individual, identified simply as Suko, and alleged to have financed parts of the operation, had fled out of Nigeria.

Adding another layer to the unfolding investigation, a voice note played to Punch’s correspondent by the source appeared to capture a conversation in which an unidentified caller informed another person that Ajiboye was about to leave the premises he had gone to visit.

The voice note suggested his movements were being monitored until moments before the fatal ambush.

How attack happened

According to another source, the operation began shortly after Ajiboye left his residence on Ereko Street, Fadeyi.

Unaware that he was under surveillance, the transport union leader set off with only his driver.

The source said the assailants tailed the vehicle, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“The driver noticed another vehicle trying to overtake them and mentioned it to Toba. He said it looked like the occupants were in a hurry and wanted to pass. Toba told him to allow them through, not knowing that they were trying to position themselves for the attack,” the source said.

Within moments, the attackers swerved across their vehicle, blocking its path before unleashing a volley of bullets at the side where Ajiboye was seated.

He sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where he died on Tuesday, July 14.

Community mourns

When Saturday PUNCH visited Fadeyi on Wednesday, an uneasy calm hung over the neighbourhood.

Police patrol vehicles were stationed at strategic points, while armed officers maintained a visible presence around the community.

The usually bustling streets, where commercial motorcycles, tricycles and buses compete for space from dawn till dusk, had fallen unusually quiet.

Residents stood in small clusters, speaking in hushed tones as they reflected on the killing of one of the area’s most influential and polarising figures.

To many of his supporters, Ajiboye was a philanthropist and community leader, who provided jobs, settled disputes and came to the aid of residents in difficult times.

Residents, who spoke separately with Saturday PUNCH, described his death as a devastating loss.

A commercial tricycle rider, Yusuf Akinwale, fought back tears as he pointed to the vehicle he said Ajiboye bought for him.

“He gave me this tricycle and helped me several times with different kinds of support. We have lost a helper,” he said.

A trader, Bolaji Odekunle, said Ajiboye rarely turned away those who sought his assistance.

“He paid children’s school fees, settled house rents and supported naming ceremonies. If you entered his house crying, you would leave with a smile,” she said.

For Babatunde Adebayo, a commercial driver, Ajiboye’s greatest legacy was restoring peace to a once-volatile community.

“Fadeyi was a very tough area before. He calmed the area and brought an end to hooliganism because he gave jobs to many boys. You hardly hear of fights here again,” he said.

A landlord, Odukoya Bosun, also described him as a benefactor who organised annual community events and regularly supported residents facing hardship.

The rise of Ajiboye

Born in Kabba, Kogi State, Ajiboye’s rise to prominence followed a path few could have predicted.

He attended Nigeria Model School in Lagos and later earned a National Diploma from Yaba College of Technology.

But it was not the classroom that shaped his influence. It was the unforgiving streets of Fadeyi, where he learnt carpentry under his father before gradually building the network, loyalty and street capital that would later make him one of the most recognisable figures in Lagos’ transport union politics.

From his early days in the Oodua Peoples Congress, where he forged alliances and earned a reputation as a grassroots mobiliser, Ajiboye steadily expanded his influence.

He later crossed into the National Union of Road Transport Workers, climbing from an ordinary member to unit chairman before emerging as the organising secretary, a position that placed him among the union’s most influential power brokers.

A former OPC colleague and the group’s secretary, Adewale Yunus, described Ajiboye as one of the pillars of the OPC under the leadership of Chief Gani Adams.

“When OPC was still in full operation, he was one of the major pillars of Gani Adams. During communal challenges, people stood with him. When God raised him up, he decided to give back to society,” Yunus said.

According to him, Ajiboye later transferred the influence he had built on the streets into the transport union, where he consolidated his position and established the Toba Ajiboye Foundation, using it to provide financial support, scholarships and other humanitarian assistance to residents.

Yunus also explained the origin of Ajiboye’s nickname, Ijaya a jegun jeran, loosely translated as “the fearsome man who eats bones and meat.”

“They gave him that name because anyone with bad intentions would run away. It does not mean he eats human bones or meat,” he said.

The street warlord

Yet, the glowing tributes from supporters and friends tell only one side of Ajiboye’s story.

To those who lived through the bloody turf wars that periodically engulfed Fadeyi, his name often surfaced in conversations about the fierce struggle for dominance that defined the area for years.

The Mushin-Fadeyi corridor has long been a battleground where transport union politics, street influence, cult rivalries, collection of tolls and political interests intersect, with periodic eruptions of violence leaving scores dead and communities living in fear.

Ajiboye’s name repeatedly featured in public allegations, police investigations and social media claims linking him to some of the violence.

Court records show that in 2014, Ajiboye was arraigned alongside Adigun Oriyomi and others over their alleged involvement in killings connected to violence in Mushin.

One of the charges reported by PUNCH Metro read, “That you, Toba Ajiboye, Adigun Oriyomi and others at large, being members of an unlawful society, on February 10, 2014, at Ewenla Street, Mushin, did unlawfully kill one Muninat Agbabiaka.”

Oriyomi was eventually convicted only for the killing of his friend, Femi Adekeye, while the remaining allegations failed for lack of sufficient evidence.

Oriyomi, who faced charges for a series of murder, was convicted based on the testimony of his friend’s daughter who witnessed the incident.

Some members of Ajiboye’s group, who were protesting his arraignment and the refusal of the All Progressives Congress to effect his release at the time, had a confrontation with members of a rival faction. The rival gang was said to be backing the Peoples Democratic Party at the time.

The clash between the rival gangs over the arraignment led to the killing of two people.

For decades, the area witnessed recurring clashes involving the rival factions for territorial control and dominance within the transport sector.

In one of the most gruesome incidents recorded in the area, police recovered the severed head of a 28-year-old man, Ibikunle Tunde, following a cult clash in 2014.

A source familiar with the community, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the assassination of Ajiboye could be linked to the feud.

“The Fadeyi gang war has been going on for years. This may not be unconnected with reprisal,” the source said.

A Facebook user, Mutyhullahi Adesola, wrote, “Karma is always lurking in the corner for every action.”

However, some social media users also speculated that Ajiboye’s death could be linked to the April 2026 killing of a suspected Buccaneers member known as Agali.

A source confirmed the link to the murder of Agali.

“It is believed that he was assassinated over the murder of Agali in Surulere. They believe that the assailants ran to his place and he shielded them.” the source added.

The Chairman of Fadeyi Motor Park, Alhaji Bariu Ibrahim, popularly known as Ofelohun, dismissed suggestions that Ajiboye deserved a violent end, insisting that despite his intimidating reputation, he had embraced peace.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Ibrahim said Ajiboye refused to move around with armed escorts because he believed he had no enemies.

He said, “Now that he has said fighting should stop and nobody should fight again, you have now killed him. He does not have bad things in his hand. If not, they would not have been able to kill him.

“We told him to use security, but he refused. He said he did not do anything to anybody. Why should he be afraid?”

He added that Ajiboye regularly fed hundreds of people throughout Ramadan, donated rams during Eid-el-Kabir and rarely turned away anyone who sought his help.

The Lagos State NURTW Chairman, Mustapha Adekunle, popularly known as Sego, described Ajiboye as a trusted friend, loyal ally and a pillar of TeamSego and SegoNation.

Olusegun Adesanya, who said he had known Ajiboye for about 18 years, said he was a courageous leader whose influence extended beyond the transport union.

“We have seen too many deaths in the same pattern. Government needs to bring the transport union under proper regulation,” he said.

A top leader of the NURTW, Femi Jplum, described Ajiboye as a friend, adding that his life was cut short.

“He was a man who gave to people. He supported widows and many underprivileged people through his foundation. He will be sorely missed,” he told Saturday PUNCH.

Videos from Ajiboye’s final public appearances, widely shared after his death, showed him surrounded by admirers at social gatherings as musicians and entertainers openly praised him.

Gani Adams demands probe

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams, called for a comprehensive investigation into Ajiboye’s assassination.

Adams also distanced himself from allegations linking the slain transport union leader to killings and other criminal activities.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, he described Ajiboye as a dependable associate.

“Toba was a reliable comrade. He was very straightforward and very honest. It is unfortunate we lost him, and it was very painful when I heard that news,” Adams said.

Responding to allegations that Ajiboye was involved in violent crimes, Adams said he had no personal knowledge of such claims.

“I don’t know about that because I have limited familiarity with that environment. I appeal to the Lagos State Police Command to unravel the people who killed him. When someone dies, you will hear information that is not correct and does not tally with the attitude and character of such a person.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Abimbola Adebisi said investigation was ongoing.

“If there is any update, the command will make it public,” she added.

Culled from the Punch 

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EFCC Returns N108 Million Recovered From Fleeing Lagos Firm Staff

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has handed over N108 million recovered from an alleged fraud involving two former employees to Karren Walters

Attorneys in Lagos.

The anti-graft agency disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying the money , presented in bank drafts, formed part of money recovered during an investigation

into an alleged case of abuse of office, forgery, stealing and diversion involving two former employees of the company.

According to the EFCC, investigations revealed that the suspects, Nkechi Gladys Megai, who is currently at large after allegedly fleeing to the United

Kingdom, and Godson Eze, a former Chief Financial Officer of the company, abused their positions by forging documents, creating fake invoices in the names

of the company’s legitimate vendors and diverting funds through fraudulent transactions carried out over a period of time.

 

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The commission added that the fraudulent payments ran into several hundreds of millions of naira.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Bawa Usman Kaltungo,

said the commission remained committed to ensuring that victims of economic and financial crimes obtained justice.

He said, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission remains committed to ensuring that victims of economic and financial crimes obtain justice and,

where possible, recover assets fraudulently obtained from them.”

Kaltungo added that the commission was determined to ensure that every person connected with the alleged fraud faced the law.

He said, “Efforts are ongoing to ensure that all persons connected with the fraud, including those who have fled the country, are brought to justice in

accordance with the law.”

The EFCC noted that the company’s legal representatives commended the commission for its diligence in investigating the matter.

According to the statement, the lawyers “expressed appreciation to the EFCC for its painstaking investigation, professionalism and commitment to recovering

the stolen funds.”

The commission added that the legal representatives also assured it that “the recovered money would go a long way towards mitigating the losses suffered

by the company.”

The EFCC said investigations into the matter were continuing as it intensifies efforts to apprehend all those connected with the alleged fraud.

  

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APC Has Failed And APM Is The Credible Alternative - Party's Lagos Governorship Candidate, Prince Laja Adeoye, As Party Begins Grassroots Mobilization Drive In The State

The Lagos state governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Prince Laja Adeoye has condemned the APC’s handling of affairs of governance at both the federal and state levels, saying the APM is the only credible and viable party to rescue the country in 2027. Prince Laja Adeoye  made this known shortly after the party uploaded his name as its Lagos state governorship candidate on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal, an event that marked a significant step in the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The party said the upload makes Adeoye the first governorship aspirant in Lagos State to be formally registered on the INEC portal ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship election.

Adeoye’s running mate, Coker Oluwatobi Adeyemi Grace, was also uploaded on the portal, according to a statement issued following a strategic working visit by the Lagos APM leadership to the party’s national headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

 

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The delegation was led by the Lagos State Chairman of the party, Mrs. Bunmi Adeyemo, and the Coordinator of the Laja Adeoye Campaign Organisation (LACO), Otunba S. Alebiosu. Other party officials present included the National Secretary, National Organising Secretary, Oyo State Chairman, Director of Information and Communication Technology, and the Kwara State Chairman.

According to the statement, discussions during the meeting centred on the party’s progress in Lagos State and strategies for strengthening its electoral prospects ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking after the upload, Adeoye said Nigerians were increasingly seeking an alternative to the current political leadership across the country.

He said the APM was positioning itself as a credible option for voters dissatisfied with the performance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Nigerians are yearning for a new beginning, a decisive change of government at the centre, in Lagos State and across the federation, to end the continued mis-governance of the APC. The APM is the credible alternative Nigerians need now,” he said.

Adeoye is expected to contest against the APC candidate, with incumbent Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat widely projected as a leading contender for the party’s ticket.

The party also disclosed that it had uploaded Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as its presidential candidate for the 2027 presidential election, describing him and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, as part of a team of “credible and widely accepted” leaders working under the national leadership of Alhaji Yusuf Mamman Dantale.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Forum of Local Government Chairmen of the party pledged to intensify grassroots mobilisation efforts across the state as part of plans to strengthen the party’s structure ahead of the elections.

In a communiqué signed by the Forum Chairman, Olanrewaju Ayinde, the party resolved to embark on aggressive membership recruitment, voter mobilisation and consolidation of party structures across the state’s 20 local government areas, 37 local council development areas, wards and polling units.

The forum expressed confidence in Adeoye’s candidacy, describing him as a credible alternative for Lagos and commending his efforts to expand the party’s presence in the state.

Adeoye said his governorship bid would be anchored on the “Atunto Eko Agenda,” a policy framework aimed at addressing governance, economic and social challenges facing Lagos residents.

According to him, the agenda focuses on economic prosperity, accountable governance, security, youth empowerment and infrastructural renewal across the state.

He said the blueprint prioritises job creation for graduates, support for market women and artisans, affordable healthcare, and efforts to tackle transportation and housing challenges.

“Lagos deserves a government that works for everyone, not just a few. Atunto Eko is about transparency, inclusion and delivering results that Lagosians can feel in their pockets,” Adeoye stated.

The party said it would continue to expand its support base across Lagos and other parts of the country under the campaign slogans #Laja4ResetLagos2027 and #SeyiMakinde4President, as it seeks to position itself as an alternative platform in the 2027 elections.

  

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Lagos Threatens Jail Term For Assault On Health Workers

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation, Oluwatoyin Anjous-Ademuyiwa, has warned that any resident who attacks medical personnel in hospitals across the state risks imprisonment, stressing that the government will not tolerate assaults on healthcare workers.

Anjous-Ademuyiwa gave the warning on Wednesday during the maiden stakeholders’ meeting of the Federal Medical Centre, Epe, Lagos, themed, “Making FMC Epe Work for All: A Shared Responsibility for Building Trust, Improving Service and Enhancing Patient Care.”

 

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The meeting was convened by the management of the hospital, led by its Medical Director, Dr Adeleke Kaka, to mark one year since the facility’s upgrade from a state general hospital to a Federal Medical Centre and to receive feedback from residents and other stakeholders on its operations.

During the meeting, some stakeholders complained about delays in attending to emergency cases, inadequate manpower and what they described as discourteous attitudes by some health workers.

They also recalled incidents in which medical personnel were allegedly assaulted by relatives of patients over perceived poor service delivery.

 Responding, Anjous-Ademuyiwa condemned attacks on healthcare workers, describing such actions as criminal offences that would not be tolerated.

She said, “If you attack our medical staff, you go to jail. Safety is paramount in our hospitals or any government facility. Health workers are supposed to be protected at all costs.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re the son of the Pope. Doctors also have their families. The moment you hurt somebody, you’re going to jail. There’s no compromise on that.

“There’s a law that says if you hurt people or kill people, you must face the consequences, and it is applicable here.”

The permanent secretary said violence against health workers was particularly disturbing at a time many doctors were leaving the country for greener pastures abroad.

She urged patients and their relatives to build trust with healthcare providers through effective communication, noting that treatment could only be successful when patients openly discussed their health conditions with doctors.

Addressing the concerns raised by stakeholders, Kaka acknowledged that attracting and retaining doctors in Epe remained one of the hospital’s biggest challenges, blaming the situation on poor electricity supply and the broader migration of healthcare professionals.

He appealed to residents to be patient with hospital personnel and avoid actions capable of discouraging doctors and other health workers from accepting postings to the area.

Kaka said, “We’ve been trying our best, but there’s no quick fix when it comes to getting doctors to work in particular places.”

He noted that the shortage of medical personnel was not peculiar to FMC Epe, saying hospitals across the country were facing similar challenges.

“When you talk about migration, even what people call japa, it is a global thing. When I attend meetings of committees of CMDs and MDs, it’s the same story everywhere,” he said.

The medical director said the hospital had continued to bridge manpower gaps by engaging National Youth Service Corps doctors and other health workers while working on more sustainable solutions.

He added that the management had also been encouraging doctors to remain in Epe by providing accommodation and creating a more conducive working environment.

“One of the game-changers we’re looking forward to is commencing our medical entrepreneurship training and residency training programmes,” Kaka said.

According to him, residency training would not only improve specialist healthcare services but also encourage doctors to remain in the hospital for several years while undergoing professional training.

He said, “Doctors who come in for residency know they have about five or six years to complete the programme. That gives them stability, and they know that after the programme, they will become consultants.”

Kaka added that the hospital also planned to strengthen the capacity of junior and middle-level health workers through continuous training to improve service delivery.

He assured stakeholders that despite the manpower constraints, the management remained committed to improving healthcare services and ensuring that residents of Epe and neighbouring communities had access to quality medical care.

Speaking on concerns over the non-functioning morgue, Kaka said the management had commenced rehabilitation of the facility after discovering that it was in a deplorable condition when the Federal Government took over the hospital.

He explained that abandoned corpses that had remained in the morgue for several years were evacuated after due process and given a mass burial, while the facility was cleaned to restore dignity to the dead.

The medical director said the hospital had also repaired the morgue’s refrigeration units but noted that stable electricity remained critical to their effective operation.

He expressed optimism that ongoing rehabilitation works would be completed within the next few weeks, allowing the morgue to resume full operations.

Earlier, security personnel at the meeting lamented the inability of the hospital to admit corpses, saying they had been compelled to transport bodies to morgues in neighbouring Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Other stakeholders also called for improvements in emergency response, staffing, electricity supply, security and patient relations to enable the hospital to better serve residents of Epe and adjoining communities.

The event was attended by traditional rulers, youth leaders, community development associations, market associations, traditional birth attendants, political office holders and other stakeholders, who pledged continued support for the hospital’s efforts to improve healthcare delivery in the area.

  

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How Hit-And-Run Tanker Driver Killed Delivery Rider In Ikeja

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has arrested a tanker driver who allegedly fled after fatally knocking down a commercial delivery motorcycle rider along Kodesho Road, opposite MRS Filling Station, inward Awolowo Way/Oba Akran, in the Maryland-Ikeja area of Lagos.

LASTMA said the accident involved a fully loaded tanker with registration number T-19089LA, conveying 33-litre groundnut oil containers. The vehicle reportedly struck and crushed the rider, who died instantly.

 

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According to the agency, the driver attempted to escape without stopping to assist the victim or alert emergency authorities. However, LASTMA officials responded to a distress call, pursued the tanker and apprehended the driver before he could flee.

The driver and the tanker have since been handed over to the State Traffic Department (STD), Area ‘F’ Police Command, Ikeja, for investigation and possible prosecution.

LASTMA officials also secured the accident scene, managed traffic around the corridor and coordinated emergency response efforts to minimise disruption to motorists during the recovery operation.

The deceased’s fellow delivery riders reportedly contacted his family and expressed grief over the loss of their colleague.

Reacting to the incident, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the tragedy as heartbreaking and avoidable, while extending condolences to the victim’s family.

He urged operators of articulated vehicles, tankers and other heavy-duty trucks to adhere strictly to traffic regulations, stressing that reckless driving, speeding and fleeing accident scenes are serious offences that endanger lives and carry legal consequences.

Bakare-Oki also reaffirmed LASTMA’s commitment to working closely with the Nigeria Police Force and other emergency agencies to improve road safety, ensure prompt incident response and maintain the free flow of traffic across Lagos.

He encouraged residents to report road crashes and other traffic emergencies through LASTMA’s toll-free emergency hotline, 3367, for immediate intervention.

  

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