Osun State Election Petition Tribunal yesterday vacated its earlier order, which admitted the evidence brought to court by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to defend the declaration of Ademola Adeleke as the governor.

This followed the arguments raised by counsel for Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) that the tendering of the documents by INEC and its admission was a serious fundamental procedural irregularity.

At the resumed hearing of the petition, counsel for INEC, Prof. Paul Ananaba, SAN, told the tribunal that he was ready to present his case to defend Adeleke’s declaration, saying he had filed four schedules containing the list of witnesses to be called and list of documents to be tendered.

Oyetola’s counsel, Prince Fagbemi, SAN, said he had seen the schedules containing the EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D and EC8E and confirmed that they had jointly inspected the documents, adding that he had no objection to the tendering of the schedules.

He said as for the schedule with respect to the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machine, the INEC counsel had not shown the petitioners’ counsel any of it, hence it should not be allowed to form part of the evidence to be tendered before the tribunal.

Ruling on the application to tender the schedule, the tribunal, led by Justice Tertsea Kume, said the column containing the BVAS machine was not substantial enough to cause injury to the case of the petition and subsequently admitted the schedule as exhibit.

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called for unity among the sons and daughters of Awori land in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States to ensure even development and prosperity for all in the kingdom.

The Governor made the call during the maiden edition of the Awori Cultural Day at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, noting that it was a rich and colorful event where culture was infused with modern elegance.

Sanwo-Olu, who described the annual festival as an attestation to the economic, historical, and spiritual antecedents of the Awori people, lauded the Central planning committee headed by Prince Adetunji Fadina, of Awori Tourism Board in collaboration with the Awori Welfare Association of Nigeria (AWAN) for a well-organised event, which according to him has helped immensely in projecting the rich cultural values, heritages and norms of the people and by extension the States as a whole.

While assuring the people of Awori Kingdom more infrastructural development, even into Ogun Corridor, Gov. Sanwo-Olu, however, solicited for more understanding and cooperation for government policies and programmes aimed at ensuring an enduring socio-economic development of the state, thanking the people of Ogun West for their support and cooperation for the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun.

Read Also: Sanwo-Olu preaches unity at festival

Chairman, Awori Tourism Board, Prince Tunji Fadina while congratulating all Aworis in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States respectively, enjoined the Aworis to continue to forge ahead and be united to build a strong and progressive Awori Nation, noting that the colorful event was not conceived this year, but part of the tourism development plan.

“This is the appointed time and I am honored to be a vessel unto honor to be used in this generation for the glory of my people. It is a call to serve,” he said.

Fadina said the Vision 2030 tourism development plan was a well thought document that would reposition Awori Tourism products in the South West, adding that the journey had been challenging but rewarding.

The festival also witnessed the award presentation to some of the illustrious sons of Aworiland including posthumous awards for the fallen heroes.

Some of the awardees include Asiwaju Michael Olawale Cole, National President of the Association, Asiwaju Muhammad Olagbaye, Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele as well as the former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Princess (Mrs) Adejoke Orelope Adefulire also received the award for thier efforts at sustaining the association.

Others are the late Chief Ebenezer A.O Gbeleyi, late Professor Lateef Salako, and late Suleiman Opeifa.

Stakeholders are worried over unreported incidents of Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Osun State as majority of victims often resign to their fate after being violated.

According to World Health Organization, an estimated one in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime.

The Director in charge of Public Health at the Osun State Ministry of Health, Dr. Akeem Bello said it becomes difficult to get statistics of SGBV in the state due to high number of unreported incidents.

Bello said the State Ministry of Health is devising strategies to support and encourage victims Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the state to speak out and get justice.

He said this at a training for health workers organized by Osun State Ministry of Health in collaboration with World Health Organization.

Bello lamented that perpetrators go unpunished because the victims were not reporting.

The training focused on ways health workers can identify, rescue, attend to victims of SGBV and encourage them to report such incidents to appropriate state authorities.

Speaking on behalf of WHO, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo also frowned that SGBV remains shrouded in a culture of silence despite that it undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims.

Sexually and Gender-based violence is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world. It knows no social, economic or national boundaries.

The impact of Sexually and Gender-based violence on Women and girls is very far reaching with consequences on her physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health.

To this end, the role of healthcare workers in the fight against Sexually and Gender-Based Violence comes to the fore.

The Reproductive Health Coordinator and Gender Desk Officer at the Osun State Ministry of Health, Toyin Adelowokan said with converted efforts by all stakeholders, the culture of silence by SGBV victims  would be a thing of the past and perpetrators would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

By Kayode Fasua

All Progressives Congress House of Representatives candidate for Kosofe Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Mrs Kafilat Ogbara, has assured youths in the area of creating a data base for the unemployed, with passion to create an innovation centre that will incubate business and employment ideas once elected into the National Assembly.

She made the pledge in a statement in Lagos, even as she solicited massive support for all APC candidates in the coming general elections.

Ogbara, a former Commissioner in the Lagos  State Audit Service Commission, said she was always in pains watching young graduates and other able-body youths roaming around the streets aimlessly in this digital world.

“With the APC Renewed Hope Administration at the State and Federal levels in 2023 by the Grace of God there will be infrastructure in place to make job creation conducive for both the public and private sectors, what we need now is to capture the population of the unemployed to aid planning and implementation, bridge the gap between unemployability and employable, enhance the school Curriculum from Primary to Tertiary.

“That is why I am poised to capture a data base for the unemployed, once elected, to ensure that most of them  are gainfully engaged and live a fulfilling life”, she stated.

The prospective lawmaker also assured of encouraging digital innovation and entrepreneurship as a Panacea to unemployment while supporting the creation of  recreation and sporting facilities to keep the youths busy in their past time, and as such forestall idleness which can result in  having time for unsavoury or criminal acts.