Fashola to tackle Omo Onile next

The gale of laws to sanitize Lagos will next sweep all ‘omo-oniles’ off the face of the earth (sorry, I got carried away there, insert Lagos). This will be one very popular law when it comes into effect.

In case you don’t know, ‘omo-oniles’ (children of the land owners) are members of the families who sell land in Yoruba land.  There is a long held tradition that requires anyone who buys land from a family to pay the ‘omo-oniles’ a token when laying foundation or otherwise commencing construction work on the land.

In essence, after you have successfully bought the land off the family owning it, the children of the family will emerge when you are laying foundation and demand to be paid a token before you commence any work. In the past what was demanded was so small that people complied without any qualms.

Over the years, this tradition has been bastardised by the ‘omo-oniles’, who have largely become lazy, fraudulent and violent. They have progressively increased the token to a sizeable percentage of the land purchase price. In addition, they show up not only when you are laying foundation, but also when decking, when roofing or carrying out any renovation on your property.

The amount collected from hapless land buyers for laying foundation range from N50,000 to N500,000 depending on the location and size of the land.

Apart from the money they collect from the new land owner, they also collect money from the artisans such as bricklayers and carpenters employed to work on the property. The working implements of those who refuse to yield are seized and some workers are beaten.

Many people have lost their lives in the hands of ‘omo-oniles’ in Lagos and environs. Many others have been forcefully dispossessed of their pieces of land or forcefully relocated to less desirable areas after the ‘omo-oniles’ have collected higher money from another land buyer.

If Fashola can effectively regulate this aspect of Lagos life, as hinted by the Chairman, Lagos State Taskforce on and Special Offences enforcement Unit, Mr. Bayo Sulaiman, recently, many people will applaud him.

It may also be a major step in boosting accommodation in Lagos.

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Fashola signs road traffic bill into law

As predicted, Governor Fashola has signed the Lagos Traffic Bill into law, with only minor modifications. One-way traffic violation will now earn offenders one year in jail, as against three years recommended by the State House of Assembly. Repeated offence attracts three years imprisonment.

Any motorcyclist, who carries a pregnant woman, a child below the age of 12 or an adult carrying load on his or her head now risks three years imprisonment with community service and forfeiture of the bike. The passengers on such motorcycles will also be prosecuted.

Motocyclists (Okada riders) have been barred from plying Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Apapa–Oshodi Expressway, Ikorodu Road, Agege Motor Road, Funsho Williams Avenue, Eko Bridge, Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge, Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Victoria Island-Lekki-Epe Expressway and all bridges not earlier mentioned.

According to Nigerian Tribune, other offences that attract stiff penalties, as contained in the new traffic laws of Lagos, include driving on BRT lane; parking within 15 metres of road intersection; using siren and other noisy devices in a vehicle; failure to wear prescribed uniform or identification tag by drivers or conductors; driving or being driven on unauthorised routes and herding cattle, sheep, goats or other animals on the road.


Other areas taken care of by the new law include driving unregistered, unlicensed vehicle or vehicle without valid identification mark, an offence which attracts a penalty of N20,000 for a first offender and N30,000 or three years imprisonment or both for repeated offences.


The law also bars articulated vehicles from entering or travelling within the Lagos metropolis between 6.00 a.m and 9.00 p.m, although fuel trucks and long passenger vehicles are exempted. Any driver who contravenes the law will have his vehicle impounded and pay N50,000 fine or be imprisoned for six months.


According to the law, it is an offence to sell alcoholic drinks, herbal or pharmaceutical drugs within 100 metres of a bus stop, terminus or motor park; hawk, vend or offer for sale any item of goods or services, or beg or solicit for alms or engage in cleaning windscreens or any part of a vehicle on the highway or bridge.

Other offences include displaying of wares on walkways, dropping or picking of passengers on fast lanes or undesignated bus-stop by commercial vehicles.

Fashola assured the people that the law would be friendly to law-abiding citizens and allayed the fear of those who might see it as being too stringent

He reiterated that as long as there is the constitutional provision that states that nobody will go to jail without undergoing a fair trial. Everyone has a right to defend himself with a lawyer of his choice, he was sure that judges and magistrates would ensure that justice was done.

Colonel to pay N25,000 fine for BRT violation

The army officer caught with his hand inside the sweet jar (so to speak) by Gov. Fashola will not go scot free afterall.   

Colonel K.I Yusuf and Staff Sergeant Adeomi, who were accosted by Governor Babatunde Fashola for taking the designated Bus Rapid Transit lane on July 17, 2012, will pay the mandatory fine of N25, 000 for taking the BRT lane.

The General Officer Commanding, 81 Division, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, disclosed this to journalists. Minimah said at a press briefing that the Nigerian Army was not above the law.

 “They passed the BRT lane and it’s a traffic offence and they’ll pay the fine. The fact that he has apologised to the governor does not mean that he won’t face the law. He will pay the fine,” he said.

The GOC seized the opportunity to warn all army personnel to obey the laws of the state and avoid taking the BTR lane.

“The law was made for Lagosians and we are part of Lagos and the Nigerian Army and the military as a whole are law-abiding and enforcers of the laws, not outlaws. We’ll conform to the laws and obey the law and also aid civil authority in enforcing the laws and we’ll continue to help the state government in this regard.”

 Way to go, GOC!