The Nation Newspaper

Category: South West

  • IGSOSA marks 42nd Founder’s Day

    IGSOSA marks 42nd Founder’s Day

    Former students of Iloro Grammar School, Agege, Lagos State penultimate Saturday celebrated the 42nd Founder’s Day of their alma mater with pomp and circumstance.

    The event was held at the Multipurpose Hall of the Labour House of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employees Union at Akowonjo, a Lagos suburb.

    At the event, the president of Iloro Grammar School Old Students Association (IGSOSA), Barrister Omolodun Olanlokun said the celebration was necessary to ‘’unite members and honour ex-students, teachers and well-wishers who have contributed immensely to the uplift and development of the school and the alumni association in particular.’’

    He added that plans are underway to offer members incentives that would make their lives better.

    In her remarks, the principal of the school, Mrs.G.O. Majekodunmi commended the alumni and the leadership of IGSOSA for deeming it fit to celebrate the founding of the school.

    She promised to always support the association with a view to ensuring its success, noting that’’ the success of IGSOSA would no doubt rub off on the school.’’ 

    Outstanding current and past students of the school and teachers were honoured with various awards and cash prizes at the occasion.

  • Yoruba Nation’s Radio Ijangbara to hit airwaves Jan 1

    Yoruba Nation’s Radio Ijangbara to hit airwaves Jan 1

    The Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide (IOOW) will on January 1 unveil Radio Ijangbara as the official broadcaster of the Yoruba self-determination struggle.

    The online radio will broadcast live from Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE).

    A statement by the group’s Chairman Prof Wale Adeniran and General Secretary, Dr. Tunde Amusat, said the radio shall serve the interest of Yoruba self-determination struggle within and outside the shores of Nigeria.

    Adeniran and Amusat said everyone can listen to the radio through its website www.ijangbararadio.com and the mobile application of the radio can be downloaded via google play store.

    “We are inviting all Yoruba self-determination activists to the launch and unveiling of Ijangbara Radio on 1st January, 2023.

    “This radio is being donated by Ilana Omo Oodua, being the apex body, to serve as the official broadcast radio of the Yoruba Self-Determination struggle,” the statement said.

    The launch, according to the statement, will kick off by 8pm West African Time through Zoom.

    Read Also: Akintoye’s Yoruba Nation dream in rear mirror

    Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide has announced the appointment of an Ado-Ekiti based prominent medical doctor, Adebayo Orire and a former Chairman of Kajola Local Government Area of Oyo State, Alhaji Alli Oyedeji popularly known as Baba Dodo, as Patrons.

    Oyedeji hails from Okeho in Kajola Local Government Area of Oyo State.

    He was Chairman, Kajola Local Government between 1996-1997.

    A respected community leader, Oyedeji once served as a member of Governing Council of The Polytechnic of Ibadan and National Salaries and Wages commission.

    Orire is a grassroots mobiliser, community leader and currently, the Chairman, Elite Mobilization Committee of Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide.

    He contested twice unsuccessfully, for the Governorship of Ekiti State.

    According to Adeniran and Amusat, both Orire and Oyedeji shall work with the Worldwide Executive Council of Ilana Omo Oodua to ensure that its aims and objectives are actualised.

  • APC inaugurates Lagos West I campaign committee

    APC inaugurates Lagos West I campaign committee

    Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) has inaugurated its campaign committee, comprising 206 members, for the Lagos West I  Senatorial District.

    Director General of the Campaign Council Senator Ganiyu Solomon, who inaugurated the committee at the party’s secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba, urged members to cooperate with one another to achieve success.

    According to him, all members must give the campaign the necessary attention it deserves and work for the party’s victory at all levels.

    He said: “I urge you all to give this the necessary attention it deserves. This is the first time somebody from our state, Lagos, will be coming out to contest for the highest position in the country, and the best we can do is to give him and other candidates the best of support.

    “We must ensure that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima win the presidential election, and also ensure the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, as well as other APC candidates.

    “If you represent a candidate, you must wear their clothes and brands. Just sell them to the public and canvas votes for them. We should be counting our votes in millions and it should not be less than four to five million. The work is from your polling units, you must win your polling units.”

    Vice Chairman of the party in Lagos West, Babatunde Aboyade, said the electoral victory should be a collective responsibility, which should be achieved with the efforts of all.

    Aboyade, who is also the Deputy Director General (DDG) for the senatorial district, admonished the members to give their best to the party and work as a team.

    “Lagos APC has a target of five million votes with West I having 40 per cent of the polling units in Lagos State and its dense population. I believe we can deliver 50 per cent of the targeted votes in 2023 with total commitment and serious efforts by our party members.”

  • Ogun Assembly passes 2023 Appropriation Bill of N472.3b

    Ogun Assembly passes 2023 Appropriation Bill of N472.3b

    Ogun State House of Assembly has passed a total of N472,250,694,447.57 as the 2023 Appropriation Bill, as presented to it by Governor Dapo Abiodun barely a month ago.

    However, the lawmakers adjusted the budget’s recurrent and capital estimates as well as projected revenue in 31 areas across 26 agencies.

    The bill was titled: “H.B. NO. 084/OG/2022-Year 2023 Appropriation Law-A Bill for a Law for the Appropriation of the sum of Four Hundred and Seventy-Two Billion, Two Hundred and Fifty Million, Six Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty-Seven Naira, Fifty-Seven Kobo Only from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the Service of Ogun State Government, Nigeria for the Financial Year Ending Thirty-First Day December, Two Thousand and Twenty-Three.”

    The passage of the Bill was consequent upon the presentation of the report of House Committee on Finance and Appropriation by its Chairman, Olakunle Sobunkanla, who also moved the motion for its adoption, seconded by his deputy, Ganiyu Oyedeji and subsequently supported by the Whole House through a unanimous voice vote.

    The Appropriation Bill was later read and adopted clause-by-clause by the Committee of Supply, presided over by the Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, during the plenary held at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    According to the report, the recurrent expenditures of 22 MDAs were reviewed, while the capital expenses of four others were also adjusted; thus the adjustments led to a reduction in the proposed capital expenditure contained in the budget from the initial N270, 411, 239,527 to N269,605,938,723.32, resulting in N805.3m difference, while the recurrent expenditure was increased from N201.839billion to N202.644billon, giving an increment of N805.3million.

    Thereafter, the Majority Leader, Yusuf Sheriff, moved the motion for the third reading of the bill, seconded by the Deputy Speaker, Hakeem Balogun and supported by the Whole House, while the Clerk/Head of Legislative Service, Mr. ‘Deji Adeyemo, did the third reading of the bill before the members.

    Responding, Speaker Oluomo directed that a clean copy of the bill be transmitted to Governor Abiodun for his assent.

  • Assembly committee demanded $5m bribe after Oyetola’s exit, alleges consultant

    Assembly committee demanded $5m bribe after Oyetola’s exit, alleges consultant

    •Speaker: allegation untrue

    Following the purported suspension of the project consultant of $106million Ilesa water project, Tawa Williams, by Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, the House of Assembly Committee on Water Resources has been accused of demanding $5million as bribe.

    It would be recalled that Adeleke ordered probe into N10billion and another $28 million that had been expended on the project without nothing to show for it.

    However, Williams berated Adeleke’s committee on asset recovery, who recommended her suspension and made “unverified’ claims against her for lack of knowledge on the ongoing Ilesha water project.”

    Williams also alleged that the chairman of House of Assembly Committee of Water Resources and other members demanded $5million as bribe after ex-governor Adegboyega Oyetola left office.

    The consultant, speaking during an interview on Western Nigeria Television in Osogbo, monitored by The Nation yesterday, denied that she was using a bulletproof car worth N70 million given to her by Osun State Government.

    She berated the government for claiming that there was nothing to show for the money spent on the project since inception, saying: “The government which claimed that there is nothing to show for the money spent on the project has never visited the site of the project.

    “I was only invited by the asset recovery committee of the Adeleke government and they asked me questions not related to the project. The report given to them in respect of the project was not studied by them. I don’t know who told them that N10 billion has no value.

    “Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has visited the site. They commended us for the job we have done. Federal Ministry of Water Resources that is the custodian of the money inspected the site and praised us for the volume of work done.”

    Williams noted that “from IDB we got $65millon, we got $41.9m from the Federal Government as a grant because the state could not provide their own counterpart fund. So, they took the project upon themselves so as to adopt it as their legacy project. The money was deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources was put in charge of expending it. 

    “The Ilesha water project is on the verge of being completed. We have spent $32 million from the loan and we have $32.1 million left to spend.

    “Assembly members visited us in 2020 and gave us kudos. But what has changed their position on us, I don’t know.”

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Water Resource, Olateju Babatunde, kept mum over the allegations. He refused to answer phone calls and respond to text messages at press time.

    Speaker Timothy Owoeye, through his media aide, Kunle Alabi, described Williams’ allegation as unfortunate, noting that she was only trying to cover up her incompetence.

    He said:  “The Assembly under the leadership of Owoeye has given Williams 24 hours to retract her bribery allegation. Her failure to do that within the said hours, the Assembly shall be forced to seek redress in court, as no amount of blackmail will stop it from playing its constitutional role.”

  • Tribunal upholds Oyebanji’s election

    Tribunal upholds Oyebanji’s election

    •SDP candidate kicks •Governor hails judgment
    •Fayemi urges opposition to abandon litigations

    The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, Segun Oni, yesterday lost a bid to unseat the winner of the poll, Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

    The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal hearing the dispute arising from the election struck out Oni’s petition filed against Oyebanji’s emergence for lack of merit.

    Oni had petitioned the tribunal following the declaration of Oyebanji of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The SDP candidate, in the petition, urged the court to declare him the authentic winner, saying he scored the highest number of lawful and valid votes.

    But, delivering judgment, the Chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, affirmed Oyebanji’s victory

    and said INEC was in order to have declared him as the winner, as he was duly elected by the majority votes.

    Justice Kpochi held that Oni and his party failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the June 18 governorship poll was marred by vote buying and electoral malpractice.

    The court held that the petitioners and his party failed to present satisfactory evidence that Governor Oyebanji and his deputy, Mrs. Monisade Afuye, were not eminently qualified to contest the June 18 poll.

    On the propriety of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni to hold sway as governor and chairman, APC Caretaker Committee that signed Oyebanji’s nomination form, Justice Kpochi said the tribunal lacked the jurisdictional power to entertain the case as it was a pre-election matter.

    He further affirmed that it was puerile for the petitioners to base their case on the signing of a nomination letter since it was the party at the state level that decided its candidate in any election.

    On the alleged discrepancies in Afuye’s academic certificates, Justice Kpochi ruled that all the certificates presented by the deputy to INEC belonged to her and they were all genuine.

    He, then, dismissed the petition for lack of merit and upheld the declaration of Oyebanji by the INEC as the winner of the election, having scored the highest number of valid votes.

    Oni has rejected the ruling of the tribunal.

    He promised to seek justice at the Appeal Court, “to reclaim my stolen mandate.”

    The SDP candidate, through his counsel, Mr. Owoseni Ajayi, said nothing would prevent the party from heading for the Appeal Court, based on the strength of its case.

    However, counsel for Oyebanji and former Attorney General, Olawale Fapohunda, hailed the judgment, urging Oni to accept the tribunal’s ruling in good faith and support the governor in his quest to make Ekiti State great.

    Former governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi yesterday congratulated Governor Oyebanji on his victory.

    In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti by Malam Ahmad Sajoh, his media aide, Fayemi said the victory was for all the people of Ekiti State.

    He called on opposition political parties to abandon further litigations and work with the governor for the growth and development of the state.

  • Nigeria can rise above challenges, says APC chief

    Nigeria can rise above challenges, says APC chief

    Nigeria can rise above challenges if citizens cooperate and are determined to tackle them, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Kazeem Raji, has said.

    In a statement, Raji, who is the director, National Youth Mobilisation (Southwest) for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, felicitated Christians and Nigerians on the Christmas celebration.

     The former Oyo Central senatorial aspirant said: “Christmas is that season of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given by God to make the whole world a better place.

    “One pertinent lesson of Christmas is that of selfless love and commitment by God to make the world a better place.

    “It is on this note that I am also imploring all of us as Nigerians to continue to be our brother’s keepers.

     “Let’s continue to live together in love. We must continually strive for the unity of our country and our leaders at all levels. We must double up efforts towards making Nigeria a better place.

    ”I have no doubt that very soon, Nigeria will rise above its challenges with the cooperation and determination of all.

     “We must, therefore, not despair. Let’s keep working hard and remain dedicated to building a country we can all be proud of.”

    Raji urged Nigerians to have faith in Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Action Plan.

    He believed the former Lagos governor had leadership dexterity, sound intellectual modicum, capacity, capability, untiring efforts and ‘Can Do Attitude’ to deliver good governance if elected as the country’s next president in 2023.

  • PDP aspirant warns members on fielding unpopular candidate

    PDP aspirant warns members on fielding unpopular candidate

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant to the House of Representatives in Badagry, Lagos State in the last primary election, Mr. Olayemi Toviho, has warned members on the consequences of fielding an unpopular candidate in the 2023 general election.

    Toviho, popular called OBJ, gave the warning when he hosted party leaders, members and supporters at a get-together in Badagry.

    He said the primary was a huge success and unprecedented due to the massive support he enjoyed from everyone, “although my name was substituted. An action I contest up to the Appeal Court.”

    Toviho added: “This action against me has backfired on the party and this is unfortunate.

    “The havoc is not against me, but against thousands of people whose desire is for us to represent them.

    “Our desire for a better representation for our people can never be truncated. This is just a temporary setback, but it will definitely make us stronger and unshakeable.

    “All the same, we shall explore everything at our disposal to ensure our party, PDP, is victorious at the polls.”

    He thanked members for their support.

  • Prayer organised for CJN Ariwoola

    Prayer organised for CJN Ariwoola

    The 2019 deputy governorship candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State, Alhaji Saheed Alaran, yesterday organised special prayer for the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kayode Ariwoola, at Iseyin.

    The focus of the prayer, attended by the Chief Imam of Iseyin Local Government, Alhaji Akeem Olajori, members of Iseyin League of Imam and Alfas, was for God’s guidance and protection over the CJN.

    Prayer points were also centred on prominent sons and daughters of Iseyin community, including Mr. Raji Ahmed, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, who Alaran described as a strong pillar for the development of Oyo State, Oke-Ogun and Iseyin.

    Others that were prayed for included the Nigerian envoy to Ukraine, Amb.  Shina Alege, Jelili Owonikoko (SAN), and Bimbo Atilola, among others.

    Alaran, the former chairman of Iseyin Local Government, said the prayer was important, as the CJN had a national calling to rebuild the judicial system.

    Olajori cautioned those he said were out to play politics with the future of Nigeria by attacking the CJN to desist, “otherwise they will attract the wrath of Allah.”

    The Ikolaba of Iseyinland, High Chief Ismahil Tikalosoro, said the focus of the prayer was not only on the CJN, Raji and other sons and daughters of Iseyin, who had made national marks, but also for a prosperous Iseyin.

  • Osun jettisons free train ride for holidaymakers

    Osun jettisons free train ride for holidaymakers

    Economic activities nosedived in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, during the Yuletide, as the government failed to provide free train services for holidaymakers, 11 years after the initiative was introduced by the former governor Rauf Aregbesola administration.

    Checks by The Nation before and after Christmas indicated that commercial activities were paralysed at the railway station, Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo and motor parks such as Old-Garage, Rasco, Oke-Fia, Station Road, among others.

    When our correspondent visited the train station, it was deserted, as only two traders were seen at the place, who were idle, unlike previous years when free train service for holidaymakers boosted the economy in state.

    Spokesperson for Governor Ademola Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, reacting to an enquiry on the free train service, said: “You will recall His Excellency (Senator Ademola Adeleke) promised to continue any good initiative of the previous government. The circumstances of the assumption of office, however, create little hiccups in planning and execution. So for the free ride, it is not cancelled. The challenges are the teething problems associated with a new government just settling down.”