Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has assented to the law seeking to upgrade Osun State College of Education, Ilesa to a full-fledged university.

The new institution will be the second state university after the Osun State University established by former governor Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola in December 2006.

Oyetola’s assent followed the successful passage of the Executive Bill into Law by the House of Assembly last month.

Speaking shortly after assenting to the law, the governor reiterated the fact that the decision of the government to upgrade the college of education to a university was “not a product of fanciful effort”, but a “thorough and rigorous interrogation, characteristic of the culture of deep engagement”, which his administration was noted for.

He said: “The proposed university has been carefully conceived as a thoroughly entrepreneurial and innovative institution that will be funded through a mix of sources such as the government, community, industry and other stakeholders without exerting unnecessary pressure on the finances of the state.”

Speaker Timothy Owoeye, receiving copies of the University Establishment Law from the governor after his assent, said: “This is a huge development for Ijesa people and Osun State. This is what we have been clamouring for, for over 40 years. As a matter of fact, the college, which was established in 1979, is more than 40 years old now, and thinking to upgrade it to a full-fledged university is a welcome development. We hail Mr. Governor for his magnanimity to Ijesa people.”

The Chairman, Implementation Committee of the proposed university, Prof. Olu Aina, said the signing would give the committee an enablement to conclude the implementation process.

“The work is not yet completed. What we had today is the enablement for us to continue to conclude the work of implementation. I can see three major stages ahead of us. First, the constitution of Governing Council and appointment of principal officers of the university, and secondly we will start work and begin to recruit workers and finally we will open up classrooms for academic activities.”

Ondo State Government has urged public servants to draw up their retirement plans early, so as to live stress-free lives after exiting service.

Head of Service Pastor Kayode Ogundele gave the advice yesterday in Akure.

He spoke at a sensitisation and pre-retirement workshop for teachers and civil servants disengaging from the state public service in 2023.

Ogundele said failure to have adequate plans for life after retirement contributed to indecent living and untimely deaths of retirees

The head of service said officers did not have to wait till the end of their service to plan their post-retirement lives.

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He said the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu administration had put measures in place to ensure timely payment of pensions and gratuities to the retirees.

“You will recall that one of the major reform initiatives of the current administration is the initialisation of pension administration, aimed at ensuring seamless retirement and gratuity payment processing.

“It is on record that before the current administration, management of retirement and gratuity payment was bedevilled by poor documentation, manual processing, cumbersome clearance procedure, lack of sound pension policy framework,” he said.

Ogundele listed the initiatives to ease the burden of retirees to include centralisation of retiring officers in the Pension Transitional Department and decentralisation of pension forms into the 18 local governments in the state.

He said digitalisation of pension and gratuity administration and online updating of pensioners records were among others.

Oyo State Government has said it will soon begin rehabilitation work on the roads leading to Iyamapo, a 2000 metres above sea level hill in Igbeti town.

Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal spoke at the World Tourism Day celebrated on September 27 in Igbeti, the headquarters of Olorunsogo Local Government.

He said the government would invest in tourism to attract local and international investors, who would in turn drive the state’s economic expansion.

Lawal said the Governor Seyi Makinde administration planned to harness the developmental benefits of the state’s mineral resources in Igbeti, to expand the economy.

The deputy governor said the current administration was determined to reposition the state’s tourism sector with its huge potential, to drive the economy.

Lawal, who hinted that resources in Oke-Ogun zone were enough to sustain the state’s economy, urged investors to help boost the economic activities of the state through investment in tourism.

“The state government is open to collaboration with investors and relevant stakeholders in fine-tuning plans to harness our potential,” he said.

He noted that “harnessing the multi-million naira potential in the state will be extended to the 168 tourism sites in the state. We will drive world-class tourist sites and urban regeneration work to attract tourists, which will provide gainful means of employment for youth and women.”

Lagos State Government has organised one-day training. It has also injected occupational, safety and health marshals into the five technical colleges, the Director General (D-G), Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, has said.

He added: “These are part of efforts to ensure a safe and healthy work environment in our schools.”

Mojola spoke yesterday at a training held at the Lagos State Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja.

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The D-G, represented by the Technical Adviser to the commission, Mr. Seun Awojobi, congratulated the participants on being selected among others as the representatives of their colleges.

He said after the training, they would be inducted as occupational safety marshals to oversee the safety of students, teachers, equipment, tools, machines, visitors and stakeholders.

Mojola said Lagos State Safety Commission’s (LSSC’s) and Lagos State Technical and Education Board’s (LASTVEB’s) collaboration dated back to 2013 when the commission carried out safety sensitisation and advocacy at the five technical colleges, including LASTVEB headquarters.

He added that another safety risk assessment of technical college buildings, equipment, tools and machinery was also done.

The Executive Secretary, LASTVEB, Ms Ronke Azeez, represented by the Director, Co-Curricular/Gender and Social Inclusion Unit, Mrs. Osah Gladys, welcomed participants to the programme.

“We appreciate your inputs and efforts in the drive for safety and health placed in our technical colleges. Our collaboration with LSSC has been on since 2013 when safety and health were first introduced through advocacy and sensitisation at the five technical colleges. We are glad that safety risk assessment carried out at the colleges last year has resulted in this programme,” she said.

The state publicity secretaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest have congratulated Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on his appointment as the Southwest coordinator for the Tinubu/Shetima Presidential Campaign Council.

At a meeting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the APC image makers resolved to “explore the advantages inherent in unity and cohesion, to maximise potential in the interest of the party and its candidates.”

In a statement issued by the Secretary of the Conference of APC Publicity Secretaries in the Southwest, Alex Kalejaye, the body praised the appointment of the Ondo State governor as the zonal director general for the Asiwaju-Shettima Presidential Campaign and promised to cooperate with him and “other stakeholders to ensure victory for the party in the Southwest in the coming elections”

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“We acknowledge the vocal and consistent push for the party to zone the presidency to Southern Nigeria by Arakunrin Akeredolu and other governors and party leaders from the zone. The appointment of Akeredolu, therefore, does not come to us as a surprise. We see it as strikingly appropriateness and of strategic values,” the statement added.

The spokespersons called for “issue-based campaigns, devoid of fake news and hate speech, to enhance peace and harmonious relationship among ethnic leaders and stakeholders across board in the overall interest of Nigeria.”

To steer its affairs, the meeting endorsed Ogun State APC spokesman Tunde Oladunjoye as the zonal coordinator, while Kalejaye of Ondo State APC chapter would serve as the secretary.

The meeting acknowledged the parental role of the Conference of APC State Publicity Secretaries (CAPS) and promised to work “with the state publicity secretaries of our party in other zones.”

Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has alerted motorists and commuters travelling to and from Ado-Ekiti through Igede-Aramoko-Erio-Ekiti highway, to closure of the road, starting from September 20, for two weeks, owing to rehabilitation of the road.

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Sector Commander Mr. Elijah Joseph, who made this known yesterday in a statement in Ado-Ekiti, announced blockage for heavy-duty trucks at Iwaraja junction, while smaller vehicles would be allowed to pass through Iwaraja-Efon/Ilesha-Efon route.

A large portion of the critical road stretch, which links Ado-Ekiti to other states, including Osun, Ogun, Oyo and Lagos, has been in deplorable condition, making travelling hellish for motorists.