Lagos State Government has urged the people of the state, especially the residents of Lekki and Ikoyi, to show understanding ahead of the planned reopening of the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Plaza by the Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCC).
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso and his counterparts in Transport, Dr. Fredericks Oladehinde, as well as Home Affairs, Anofi Elegushi, made the appeal during a stakeholders’ meeting held yesterday at The Lekki Coliseum in Lekki Phase I, Lagos.
They assured the residents that the state government would look into all the requests and recommendations made by the stakeholders and respond appropriately.
The meeting, which was held to engage key residents on LCC’s plan to reopen the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Plaza, was attended by President of Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association (LERSA), Olorogun James Emadoye; human rights activists, the media and several other residents of Lekki, among others.
Omotoso, while responding to the key stakeholders’ views about the LCC decision to reopen the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge Toll Plaza in April, commended the speakers and implored them to show some understanding with the Lagos State Government.
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Oladehinde, who also appealed to the people not to be shortsighted, said the decision of the government was not to punish people but to create an enabling environment for more jobs through private sector participation.
Also speaking, Elegushi said the purpose of the stakeholders’ meeting was to engage key stakeholders on the matter of reopening the toll plaza. He appealed for co-operation, saying: “We must all work together.”
In his address, the Managing Director/CEO of Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCC), Mr. Yomi Omomuwasan, said the resumption of operations was necessary for the company not to default on its payment of local and international loans, as well as to cater for the welfare of its workers.
He said LCC had also introduced new technology and innovations to make movement at the toll plaza seamless and faster for commuters.
Some of the residents, while pleading with the state government to halt the process for now, based their plea on the harsh economic situation in the country, saying that the tolling would aggravate the situation.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
