Lagos Landlords To Face 3-Month Jail Term for collecting more than 3-month rent

A law that will land many Lagos landlords in jail for three months or pay a fine of N100,000 if they collect more than three-month rent advance is on the way.

The Tenancy Bill, which is slated for public hearing tomorrow, has some sections which some landlords in the state consider very harsh.

One of such is Section 4, subsections 1, 2 and 3 which states that: “It shall be unlawful for a landlord or his agent to demand or receive from a sitting tenant, rent in excess of three months in respect of any premises.

Another stated: “It shall be unlawful for a sitting tenant to offer or pay rent in excess of three months in respect of any premises.”

According to subsection 3 of the same section: “Any person who receives or pays rent in excess of what is prescribed in this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine of N100,000 or three months imprisonment or any other non-custodial disposition.”

Section 5 of the bill further prescribes a N10,000 fine for landlords who fail to issue receipts to their tenants upon payment of the rent. It further states that, “Where a tenant, with the previous consent in writing of the landlord, effect improvements on the premises and the landlord determines the tenancy, such a tenant shall be entitled to claim compensation for the effected improvements on quitting the premises.”

Section 9, subsection 2 and 3 state respectively: “No landlord shall demand or receive any additional fees, charges or rates outside the agreed rent for premises, for services that the tenant has not expressly contracted for.

“No sitting tenant will be liable to pay any agency or other fees outside the contracted rent, unless expressly agreed at the inception of the tenancy.”

The bill further tasked landlords never to take laws into their hands but seek redress in the courts should there be issues between them and their tenants.

However, some landlords in Lagos have expressed displeasure with the bill. They expressed their disappointment with those who proposed the bill.

While some have threatened to go to court over the bill, others claim that the bill, when passed into law, would not work in the state.

The landlords based their argument on the cost of building a house in the state. They claimed further that they source for funds with which they erect their buildings. “How do they want us to get our money back?” one of the landlords asked.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly says it may invite the state Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to clarify some allegations leveled against it by the Civil Society Club of Nigeria (CSC) recently.

Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and Cooperatives, Hon. Babatunde Adewale, who disclosed this said that the committee would ensure a thorough investigation of the case.

Among the allegations was that unscrupulous butchers still operated an illegal loading bay at the Irepolodun Market in Oko-Oba Abattoir, Agege.

Comrade Babatunde Ashafa, the coordinator of the CSC, further alleged that some of the butchers were fond of killing sick cattle at night and selling them to unsuspecting buyers in the morning as fresh meat.

January 20, 2010

By Eromosele Ebhomele

http://thepmnews.com/2010/01/20/lagos-landlords-to-face-3-month-jail-term

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Rules of Air travel for Nigerians heading for the United States

Do not go to the toilet for the whole duration of your flight.

Do not carry any kind of container into the airport, or onto the plane.

Do not request for a window seat. Do not ask to sit in the aisle. Any request for specific seating may be indications of a premeditated plot.

If you are given food during the flight, ask the flight attendant not to give you cutlery. A Nigerian with sharp implements on a plane is asking to be arrested.

Do keep your hands in plain sight during the flight. Do not look too happy or too sad.

Do not be too polite to flight attendants.

Do not be aggressive or have aggressive thoughts toward flight attendants

Try not to have any form of carry on luggage. If you do, make sure it contains nothing suspicious or dangerous like pens, pencils, paper, or a calculator, as these are common bomb making materials.

Do not carry any electronic items that may be used to communicate with the Taliban ,or used for surveillance, like cell phones, iPods, walkmans, electric toothbrushes or cameras.

NEVER travel with your laptop computer.

Never travel if you have any kind of tribal marks. That includes the small marks you have managed to cover with facial hair.

Do not travel to the U.S if you are an engineer, if you have ever lived in London , or if your father is a banker.

Do not talk to other Nigerian on the same flight as you. It makes other people nervous.

Do not ask to be upgraded to first class or business class. Sitting too close to the front of the plane makes the pilot nervous.

Never admit to your fellow passengers that you are Nigerian. If asked, say you are from the Republic of Zamunda in East Africa .

When you are getting onto the plane, do not even glance at the cockpit.

Women, do not wear wigs, weaves or hair pieces. Any form of disguise is suspicious.

Take a cold shower before coming to the airport. Sweating and scratching yourself is a sign of nervousness. Why are you nervous?

Do not fart on the plane. Noxious smells might indicate you have bomb making chemicals hidden in your underpants.

Do not go home with the free magazines in the plane. Yes, it says “ free”, but that is just a test. Leave the plane with those magazines and you’ll be arrested.

Wear clean underwear and be ready for a full body/cavity search.

Do not carry any potentially dangerous or toxic substances onto the plane like toothpaste, cough mixture, bottled water, mouthwash, lipstick, chewing gum or baby formula. Make sure your baby’s diapers are empty.

Do not get angry with fellow passengers, for any reason, even if it’s their fault. You will still be arrested and sent to Guantanamo Bay .

Do not travel by air into, out of, or across the U.S if you are Muslim.

Muslim is defined as :

Any person with a suspicious name like Mohammed, Fatal, Fatima, Barrack or Ibrahim, or if your last name starts with El-, Al-, or Abdul-.All Nigerian Alhajis, Alhajas, Alfas and Imams are forbidden from entering U.S airspace

Anyone that has ever entered a mosque.

Anyone that knows what a mosque is.

Anyone that dresses in long flowing garments.

Anyone that has a beard.

NOTE: If you converted from Islam to Christianity, you are still classified as Muslim.

Always travel with some kind of proof that you are a Christian. Preferably always travel with your pastor.

Do not attract attention to yourself. Do not drive to the airport in your Mercedes or Honda like a typical Nigerian. Instead, drive an American car like Pontiac or Chevy. You may be mistaken for an American. Or Haitian.

Do not ask to drink soda, tea or coffee in the airport or on the plane. Always ask for alcohol to prove you are not a Muslim.

Do not travel by air in the U.S if you have ever had a parking ticket, extra-marital affair, stolen stationary from your office, or if you have ever exceeded the speed limit. This is a sign of severe subversive terrorist behavior.

Do not travel on or around Christmas day or on September 11th. Avoid travelling on or around Easter, Thanks Giving , Independence day or New year’s Day. Avoid traveling on Muslim holidays. Avoid air travel in the summer or winter. (NOTE: no specific reason, its just to piss you off)

YORUBA People, PLEASE!!! Do not prostrate to greet your elders at the airport. People may thing you are dodging bullets or protecting yourself from a bomb blast.

NEVER, EVER carry any kind of Nigerian food onto a US aircraft.

No, do not wear agbadas, head ties, wrappers, danshikis, etc to the airport. It is not recommended. They make you look very un-American, and therefore potentially dangerous.

Do not act like a typical Nigerian for the duration of the flight. This includes speaking any language other than “American English”. Speaking any “funny” language is to be avoided. If you have elderly parents that do not speak “American”, they should NOT speak for the duration of the flight. If spoken to, their response to anything should be “Yeah man”.

DO not talk to your fellow passengers. Statements like “hello” might be misconstrued to be “Hello, you are my next victim”. Statements like “ Hello, my name is Mohammed”, may be interpreted as “my name is Mohammed and I’m gonna blow up this goddam plane”.

Do not wear large afros that may conceal weapons or bombs.

Do not carry any kind of document , newspaper or book that contains any form of Arabic inscription or writing. You will be detained until a translator can be found.

Do not argue when you are told your luggage is over weight. Apologise profusely and pay double what they ask you for excess luggage.

If your Surname is Abdul-Mutallab, erm… ermm… step aside… erm…

http://lagosmet.com/blog/2010/01/us-to-officially-strip-nigerians-naked-at-airports-rebrand-nigeria-and-suicide-bombing/

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Happy New Year all,

It is my helpless displeasure to announce to you that you may be asked to ’strip naked’ to US Airport officials as from today. They may even request to shave your… erm… erm hair, so do yourself a big favour by shaving “that” before travelling. Wash your panties, dirty boxers and your bra, you may be asked to strip on a long queue (you know we Nigerians sabi travel). Don’t wear a Ralph suit and Oshodi boxers, same goes for stockings (socks). If you sweat a lot, please get some good quality cotton singlet. The search is “extensive” they say, so expect to spend at least 60 minutes upon arrival. Book the Taxi cab/ Appointment accordingly. The sky is our limit, we are constantly re-branding Nigeria. Although corruption has reduced (that’s what they said) we have moved up in other departments. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s suicide bombing issue, barring.

In Yahoo News, the words were politically, diplomatically and wisely selected but they mean “plenty”, see:

“Beginning Monday, air travelers flying into the United States from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Yemen and other “countries of interest” will be subjected to enhanced screening techniques, such as body scans, pat-downs and a thorough search of carry-on luggage. Passengers are subjected to special screening, including full body searches, in a designated area of the departure lounge, said the spokesman, Sultan Hasan.

My major concern is that I have a phobia for scanning machines. I know that frequent subjection to scanning rays could be detrimental to the human health on the long run. I have said time and before that I would someday consider changing Nationality and if tomorrow I claim to be Togolese, please don’t blame me, I’d rather be Ghanian than face this humiliation and phobia come true. Someone once said “There is NO single benefit of being a Nigerian” and I say to you today. There is at least one. No fuel, no jobs, no food, no water, no money, no reputation, no this, no that, but there is TIME (don’t hiss, every country has 24 hours and whatever you do with YOUR 24 hours…)! Dora, hope I made sense?

What a “perfect” way to start the new year!

Sources: http://rubminds.com/forums/world-news/nigerian-terrorist/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_airline_security

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