The Nation Newspaper

Category: News

  • Ondo riverine residents to benefit from NDDC health scheme

    Ondo riverine residents to benefit from NDDC health scheme

    About 5,000 people in the riverine area of Ondo State are to benefit from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) free health programme.

    The state’s representative on the Governing Board of NDDC, Mr Amuwa Benson, spoke with  reporters in Akure, the state capital, at the weekend.

    He said the programme would kick-off before the end of this month. Amuwa said Igbekebo and Zion-Pepe have been chosen as centres for the programme.  He said the exercise was part of the commission’s responsibility to the oil-producing communities.

    Amuwa said: “It is responsibility of the commission to bring qualitative health services to the doorstep of the people in the mandate area and that is why the commission has chosen Igbekebo and Zion-Pepe as meeting points for the programme. Our target covers those with minor and severe ailments because health is wealth”.

  • Ajimobi to establish community radio in Oyo

    Ajimobi to establish community radio in Oyo

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said his administration will establish a radio station in Oyo town.

    Ajimobi spoke at the weekend during his visit to the town.

    The governor was received by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.

    The governor and the Alaafin later proceeded to the Ansar-Ud-Deen Central Mosque for the Jumat prayer.

    In his sermon, the Chief Imam, Alhaji Mukail Mobolaji, eulogised the governor for his transformation agenda.

    Ajimobi said:  ’’Alaafin remains not only pillar of my success, the paramount ruler’s un-relentless, sincere and rare support for me and my administration has been a source of inspiration and stimulant in governance.’’

    He said his administration would establish Atiba radio station and rehabilitate the Erelu Water Works.

    The Alaafin described Ajimobi as ‘’a visionary, listening, God-fearing and humane governor who meant well for the people of the state.’’

  • Oyo council chief to would-be voters: protect your cards

    •‘PDP, others jittery over APC’

    The Caretaker Chairman of Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, Ope Salami, has urged the people to protect their voter’s cards.

    He was at the weekend  addressing All Progressives Congress (APC) members at Arulogun, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Salami said:” We have received news that some opposition parties in this state have gone to bring money from Abuja to buy your voter’s card from you by pretending they want to give you loan. Please reject them and ensure that your exercise your right by voting.”

    Salami, who pledged the support of his local government for Ajimobi’s re-election, said: “Don’t sell your voter’s cards to anybody because the oppositions are very desperate to buy your voter’s cards to rig the election in 2015. Don’t use your voter’s cards to borrow money or take a loan from any politician. If you do, your are selling out your future to the termites that are bent on eating up the future of your children.

    “When INEC begins the voter’s registration soonest, please all of you must ensure that you register to exercise your franchise. The card must be kept safely until the day of the election.

    “The peace we are experiencing in this state during Senator Abiola Ajimobi’s regime is unique in the history of this state. Over the last three years in office, he has laid a solid foundation and for continuity purpose, we all need to support him to complete all this projects.”

    Also at the weekend, the Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan North East Local Government, Mr.Ladi Oluokun said the opposition parties in the Southwest have become jittery about the APC’s rising profile.

    Oluokun spoke with reporters in Ibadan shortly after a meeting with his party leaders in the local government.

    He attributed the defeat of Dr Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti State to militarization.

    Oluokun said Ajimobi’s achievements were enough to guarantee his re-election.

    The council chief said: “This man (Ajimobi), on assumption of office, put an end to brigandage and violence from members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) who held the state to ransom for years and massacred many innocent people. Residents can now sleep with their two eyes closed unlike the period when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government took sides with a faction of NURTW. May we not experience violence again in this state.”

  • Lawmaker hails tree-planting initiative

    The lawmaker representing Eti-Osa Constituency 2 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Gbolahan Yishawu, has said praised Lagosians for embracing the tree-planting initiative.

    He spoke at the 7th edition of Tree Planning Campaign themed “Life is Better with Trees” at Eti Osa Local Government Area.

    Yishawu said: “Environment is everything that is why the regeneration of the environment is a crucial component of our government. For the past 7 years, we have come together once a year for the tree planting exercise because it has proven that the quality of our health largely depends on the number of trees around us.

    “It is, therefore, expedient that we put in our best efforts to rehabilitate the environment, trees are known to make a huge impact in the fight against environmental problems including global warming”

    “This exercise has generated over 75,168 employment opportunities for horticulturists, pruners, gardeners, welders etc all of who help to keep the trees alive. Our target was to plant one million tree in ten years, and have planted over 5 million across Lagos.”

     

  • Pedro, senator, others back Aregbesola’s re-election

    Pedro, senator, others back Aregbesola’s re-election

    •PDP chieftain, supporters defect to APC

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s re-election bid got more support at the weekend from notable individuals and groups.

    One of them and former Lagos State Deputy Governor Otunba Femi Pedro said the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate would win by a landslide on August 9.

    Pedro, who is also an APC chieftain, spoke in a statement in Lagos yesterday.

    He said the machinations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to take over the Southwest were only empty threats.

    He added that the Southwest people were better off under the APC government.

    Pedro, who lamented the abrasive nature by which the PDP has been going about its campaign in the Southwest, warned against rigging in the Osun election under any guise.

    According to him, Aregbesola would win through a free and fair election.

    He stressed that the militarisation of the polls is not only contradictory to the ideals of democracy, but also a strategy that Nigerians would resist at all cost.

    His words: “I know Governor Aregbesola very well. He is on ground. The PDP themselves know that Ogbeni is fully on ground because he is one of the few politicians that started grassroots campaigning from his first day in office. Through his performance, rapport with the people and his ability to successfully domesticate governance in the state of Osun, this matter is really a foregone conclusion. He is going to win the August 9 poll by landslide.

    “The facts speak for itself and people need to be sincere about this. Aregbesola has touched every household in Osun through his laudable and people-oriented programmes. Unfortunately, PDP’s last minute onslaught won’t succeed because the people of Osun and the Southwest in general know who really has their interest at heart.

    “The APC is the only party that feels the pulse of the common man, and I believe the people of Osun will vote their conscience by ushering Aregbesola in a richly-deserved second term”.

    On whether the nationwide fortune of the party appears to be dwindling of late, Pedro said the party is rather expanding and getting ready to form the government at the centre 2015, adding that those perceived to be aggrieved would come back.

    “Party faithful should remain steadfast and not waiver in spite of the sustained plot to destabilise the opposition party. This is nothing new. It has happened in the past and we always knew it would happen again. This time around, the opposition is better prepared for the barrage of assaults than people think. Their efforts to crush the opposition party will fail woefully. Mark my words”.

    A chieftain of the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Felix Ogunwale a.k.a Jumokol, also declared his support for Aregbesola’s re-election.

    Ogunwale, who spoke with reporters during his defection to the APC with hundreds of his supporters in Iragbiji at the weekend, said he was backing Aregbesola because of the huge infrastructural development his administration has brought to Osun.

    The Iragbiji-born politician, who represented Osun Central at the Senate between 2003 and 2007, remarked that the state’s progress is unprecedented.

    He said for the progress to be sustained, there is need for Aregbesola to return to office.

    He said: “What is happening in Osun is what everybody can see physically. If we want these developments to continue, we must vote for Aregbesola so that he can complete the good work he has started.

    “It is a fact that PDP in Osun State has lost focus. That is why I am calling on my lovers and those that believe in me to come out en mass and vote for Aregbesola. Don’t entrust your future in the hands of politicians who deceive with mundane and cheap immediate gains.

    “Is it the road networks within the state you want to talk about or the model schools his administration is building, electrification of villages and welfare package for the workers? Honestly, the governor has tried.

    “I am committed to the task of re-electing Aregbesola; I am so confident that Osun people will vote overwhelmingly for him because of his achievements, which can be felt in every nook and cranny of the state.”

    An association, Oranmiyan Support Group, has also declared its intention to mobilise towards the realisation of the second term election of the governor.

    The group also said that it would engage voters through education to jealously guard their votes to ensure that their votes count.

    The group is made up of intellectuals and professionals from Osun State living in and outside the state but with operational base in Lagos.

    Its coordinator, Mr. Ayo Akinola, in a statement yesterday, said: “ We have decided to come out in the open to garner support for the candidacy and electoral success of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. This is rather the first time a group of this nature will come out openly. We have no choice because we do not want to sit on the fence this time around. We have no other state but Osun. If Osun falls today, God forbid, we fall with it. And if glory comes, we shall all be proud”.

    The group praised Aregbesola for applying the art and science of strategy to ensure success in all endeavours in which he is engaged.

  • PDM withdraws candidate from poll

    PDM withdraws candidate from poll

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) has withdrawn its Osun State standard-bearer, Mr. Timothy Oludare Akinola, from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) list of candidates for the poll.

    Akinola’s name was withdrawn for alleged anti-party activities in a letter addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

    The letter by the PDM’s National Chairman, Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim and dated June 23, 2014, said: “The PDM has taken the decision to withdraw Mr. Oludare Timothy Akinola as its candidate in the August 9 Osun State governorship election.”

    In the letter, PDM  accused Akinola of “holding meetings with opposition political parties’ candidates without its consent, insisting that this amounts to anti-party activities.

    “Other reasons for his withdrawal had to do with his continuous failure to honour invitation to meetings by the National Secretariat and his lack of preparedness and inability to present a concrete plan for campaign few weeks before the election.”

    Also, the party’s state Chairman, Alhaji Lasisi Bakare, in a separate letter to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, intimated the commission on the development.

    “In the light of the above, our party will not be fielding any candidate to participate in the forthcoming election,” it said.

  • SDP seeks probe of members’ kidnap

    SDP seeks probe of members’ kidnap

    The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Muhammed Abubakar, to investigate the circumstances leading to the alleged kidnap of three of its members in Osun State at the weekend.

    The state party Chairman, Mr. Ademola Isola, in a statement in Osogbo, expressed concern over the incident, calling on all security agencies to be on the watch as the August 9 Osun governorship election approaches.

    He said SDP members, including the party chairman in Ede-North Local Government, Alhaji Adewimbi Kadiri, Mrs. Titilayo Alaanu and Mrs. Musili Usman, were abducted during their house-to-house campaign at Alusekere ward of Ede on Saturday.

    The SDP Chairman thanked the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Maishanu, for his timely intervention and the DSS for treating his party members, who were found with no incriminating materials, with respect.

    “But we still want the IG to investigate this matter,” he said.

  • Group decries attack on members

    Group decries attack on members

    A group campaigning for the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, De Raufs Volunteer Group, has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Omisore Campaign Organisation that it will not condone further attacks on its members.

    The group condemned the attack on its Director of Mobilisation, Comrade Bello Lukman, in front of the group’s secretariat, describing the act as “unwarranted and criminal.”

    The group’s Director-General, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, in a statement, said the incident occurred when a private car owner was harassed at the entrance of De Raufs office in Osogbo by persons suspected to be PDP’s thugs.

    According to Shittu, a member of the group who was recharging his phone nearby was accused of taking the picture of the thugs.

    The thugs later descended on Lukman, broke his Android phone and took away his Blackberry phone as well as N250,000 cash meant for the local units of the group.

  • NCP urges global focus on election

    NCP urges global focus on election

    OSun State National Conscience Party’s (NCP) governorship candidate Comrade Olanrewaju Afolayanka has called on the international community to take “special interest” in monitoring the governorship poll.

    Afolayanka, who spoke yesterday with selected pressure groups alleged that “some forces are working round the clock to ensure that the people’s will does not triumph at the conclusion of the election.”

    According to him, “the strict observation of the international community became imperative to checkmate the undue influence of the Presidency in imposing its candidate on the people.”

    The NCP candidate said information at his party’s disposal showed that “the Presidency was ready to spend N28 billion to capture Osun State for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through its governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, as it did for the Ekiti State governor-elect, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.”

  • Chibok protesters to Shekau: you’re a coward

    Chibok protesters to Shekau: you’re a coward

    •’They can’t malign my character’

    Protesters of the BringBackOurGirls Movement have accused Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau of cowardice.

    The group said he is not preaching Islam but wickedness and cowardice. The protesters spoke yesterday during their 82nd day sitout in Abuja.

    A leader of the movement, Aisha Yusufu, said she would not wait until her daughter is abducted before she does something about insurgency.

    Mrs. Yusufu said:  “I say to Shekau, you are not human; you are a coward. This is not Islam; Islam is a religion of peace and not of wickedness and cowardice.

    “I don’t have to wait until my daughter is kidnapped to do something, most of us might think that we are protected and anointed and cannot be touched.

    “ But we do not realise that Boko Haram is a problem for all Nigerians and not of a people or religion, it will get to a point that there will be nothing left for us to live for.”

    Former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili said the detractors trying to malign her character did not give her a character so they cannot malign it.

    Ezekwesili said the Chibok girls trusted the society but instead were inflicted with an injury.

    “They did not give me my character and so they cannot malign it. I will continue to stand with the Chibok girls, no matter what they do

    “These girls trusted the society but instead they were inflicted with a wound, seeing the wound, we have refused to walk away.

    “This is not a time to move on, we cannot move on with a pain that is so deep. We use the Chibok girls to say, never again will we move on when our people are in pains.

    “If I want to be a politician, I can but I came here because of the wound and will not move on until there is a closure for the Chibok girls and their families.”