The Christian Youths Leadership and Development Initiatives (CYLDI) has distanced itself from the purported endorsement of All Progressive Congress (APC) senatorial candidate in Oyo Central, Dr Yunus Akintunde.

It said claims by the APC candidate that CYLDI endorsed his candidature and a major stakeholder in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaigned for him at the meeting of the organisation were misleading.

A statement jointly signed by CYLDI Convener/National Coordinator, Oladipupo Omobosola and BoT General Secretary, Adedayo Adeleke maintained that the group is a nongovernmental organisation whose interest lies particularly in developing and fostering the right leadership principles and values among Christian folds, particularly the youths.

The statement said the organisation is not partisan and does not endorse any candidate but rather gives access to all aspiring leaders across parties, regardless of political affiliations and religious beliefs.

“The appearance of Yunus Akintunde at the last meeting of our organisation despite his pronounced religious alienation, his further claim that one of the Oyo PDP stakeholders at the meeting endorsed and assured him of support was not only shocking but puts the organization at dismay concerning his ambition.

“We want the general public to note the following as being the realities of our organization’s relationship with Yunus Akintunde as regards his ambition.

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“He showed interest to meet with the organisation for familiarization and it was granted by the leadership. That further proves that we are neither partisan nor religious in our relationship with the public.”

“He was present at the August edition of the organisation’s monthly meetings
for familiarisation and as a speaker. So he was so appreciated for his efforts,
both as a speaker at the meeting and interest to represent his community in
governance. Neither the organization/its agent nor any individual at the meeting promised,
campaigned, endorsed or gave any form of allegiance to his candidature as claimed.

“The membership of the organisation is opened to all Christians regardless of political affiliation while the organisation makes its platform accessible to all leaders to engage with the community on their ambitions irrespective of religious beliefs.”

When contacted, Abiodun Adeyemo, a team member of “You and Us” working on the ambition of Yunus Akintunde said they never claimed the endorsement, adding they were only appealing to the community and young elites to support the ambition of their candidate.

“We don’t even go public for those endorsing our candidate, we never claimed what is not ours, we only have rapport with them, and they treated us well,” he said.

No fewer than 30 youths in Oyo Central have benefited from the summer robotic and coding camp organised by candidate of Accord in Oyo Central, Engr Nurudeen Faozey.

Speaking during the graduation of the beneficiaries, Faozey, who facilitated the training through his initiative, “Oyo Tech Hub” urged beneficiaries to used their skills for humanity.

The Accord candidate presented certificate of participant in Oyo

Highlight of the event include presentation of branded T-shirts to the beneficiaries that were grouped into two demonstration sessions, and demostration of skills acquired by learners among others.

There were two demonstration sessions during the course of the event, during which learners of different ages were asked to present their projects, to validate the skills they all acquired from the just concluded training.

The first session was for Young Learners under the age of 11 which was all about using robotic sensor to test soil moistures. This lasted for about 20mins, to the excitement of their watching parents.

This was followed by another powerful demo session from the age 15 learners. The group used robots to demonstrate the three states of matter: solid; liquid and gas properties to the visible excitement of the parents and audience.

Parents of the beneficiaries pledged their support for Faozey senatorial ambition for training their kids through his Oyo Tech Hub Robotic and Coding free summer class 2022 session.

Public affairs analyst, Modupe Oni x-rays the footprints of Ope George in the execution of his mandate as the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) core of which is to deliver infrastructure development.

Infrastructure holds the ace for real development and socio-economic growth in any country. Thus, Lagos State Government in its determination to reduce infrastructure deficit in a more sustainable way, has emerged the go-to reference in the deployment of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) structures to bolster massive infrastructure development.

Today, the gains of PPP are evident across numerous sectors of the state – roads, traffic management, health, education, housing, waste management, water transportation, agriculture, power, railway etcetera.
Worthy of mention is the man behind the massive infrastructure development witnessed in the state in recent years. He is Mr. Ope George, the Special Adviser to the Governor on PPP. A visionary and passionate leader, George, who was first appointed in 2017 as the Director General of the PPP Office, has today made Lagos what can be proudly described as ‘a construction zone’ in light of multiple PPP-led projects that have been completed, ongoing and those that the bid processes have been opened and awaiting conclusion.

Call him a superstar, an objective appraisal of his scorecards reveals how big the PPP portfolios in Lagos have grown since he assumed office in 2017. Key among his achievements is that the Lagos PPP Office under George has made Lagos State the preferred destination for high-value private investors. Walking round the state across the traditional five divisions classified as Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos and Epe (IBILE), several projects funded through PPP are undeniably visible.

Through his model People-Friendly PPPs, Lagos State today is synonymous with many landmark infrastructure projects. One of such exciting projects is the proposed 38-km long 4th Mainland Bridge to connect Lagos Island via Lekki, Langbasa and Baiyeku towns, across Lagos Lagoon to Itamaga in Ikorodu. Bidders are currently being short-listed and construction is expected to start soon. On completion, the bridge will significantly cut down travel time for residents commuting from Ikorodu to the Island.

Also, the Lagos PPP Office, led by Mr. George, is very crucial in the concession of various services to ensure the smooth running of the Blue and Red Rails. The first phase of the blue rail will run from Marina to Mile 2, while the second phase will extend to Okokomaiko. On the other hand, the first phase of the red rail will run from Oyingbo to Agbado, a boundary community in Ogun State, while the second phase will extend to Iddo.

Speaking after touring the rail infrastructure projects in Agege, Ikeja, Mushin and Ebute Meta recently, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu revealed that all the physical infrastructure for the red rail would be completed by December this year, while rail services would commence in the first quarter of 2023, adding that the red line was expected to move 700,000 passengers daily, thereby significantly decongesting the roads.

The ongoing construction of about 8,000 bed spaces in six blocks at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo is another achievement of the PPP Office. When completed, the hostels will significantly solve the accommodation problem for the students, enhance learning, as well as boost the state government’s reviewed policy to convert the university from non-residential to on-campus residency.

The PPP Office has equally delivered several completed and ongoing housing projects aimed to reduce the housing deficit in the state. The Ilubirin Housing Estate currently being built on reclaimed land in Ikoyi, at the foot of the 3rd Mainland Bridge, opposite the Lagos Lagoon Waterfront, is one of such housing schemes.

In the area of traffic management, the 5000-capacity Truck Park in Orile Iganmu is among the numerous PPP infrastructure projects. Even though construction is ongoing, operations have commenced and it has started yielding results in the gradual decongestion of Apapa traffic caused by trucks.
The realisation of the Smart City and Greater Lagos initiatives is also advancing with the laying of fiber optics of about 2000km. This project on completion will accelerate access to broadband and increase usage of fast, efficient Wifi by residents.

George-led team at the PPP Office has also impacted healthcare delivery and increasing access to quality health services by the residents. This includes the delivery of radiology and x-ray services at Maternal and Child Hospitals in Ajah, a move geared towards reducing infant mortality and maternal death in the state. The ongoing process for the construction of the ultra-modern Medical Park in Ikoyi as a centre of medical excellence to be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and specialists from diverse fields of medicine, is another gain of PPP. The medipark is targeted at reducing overseas medical tourism among Nigerians as well as conserving foreign exchange.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, in acknowledgement of the sterling performance of George, in February 2022, re-designated him as the Special Adviser to the Governor on PPP, thereby making him a member of the Lagos State Executive Council.
George boasts a rich blend of work experience in the private and public sectors. Prior to his current position, he has served as Senior Special Assistant on Economic Matters to former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN until 2009, when he was appointed as the Acting Managing Director of Lekki Worldwide Investments Limited – the Lagos State Government’s investment vehicle for the Lekki Free Zone – and served until 2015.

His private sector experience includes playing key roles at Citibank N.A, London; KPMG London and French telecom company SAGEM.
A consumate administrator and a scholar of no mean repute, George holds the Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics of the University of Leicester, England, and the Master of Science (MSc.) degree in International Business from the prestigious Manchester School of Management, at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).

On what motivates him, George says his personal drive, passion and utmost commitment is to promote a society that works for the good of all. Indeed, over the past five years in the saddle as the chief driver of the Lagos Office of Public-Private Partnerships, his exemplary feat in the Lagos infrastructure drive across critical sectors has been phenomenal.

The Oyo South senatorial candidate of Accord party, Kolapo Kola-Daisi has said interest of youths, particularly his constituents, would be protected if elected in 2023.

He stated there was need to address challenges facing youths across the nation.

He said youths constitute critical parts of the nation’s voting strength, lamenting that most of them are jobless with nobody seemingly interested in addressing their problems.

Kola-Daisi, who was the special guest at a programme tagged: ‘The Podium’ organised by the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), said as an economist and finance expert, he would deploy his knowledge and experience to tackle challenges of the youths.

Speaking on his ambition, he said: “I can say that I am fortunate that I came from a family that is well-grounded. Nothing is supposed to ‘enter my head’.

“I will remain level-headed. I can also say that I have reliable political leaders in our party, Accord. They are always there to ensure that we do what is right at the right time. I pledge that after emerging victorious, I am not going to forget where I started from.”

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to find lasting solution to all issues relating to the ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

According to him: “I do not wish to apportion blames. All I want is that there should be an end to the incessant strike action by ASUU. Our society must start prioritizing the interests of our young ones. Governments should redirect resources towards the welfare of our youths, our students.”

“Teaching is one of the most noble professions in the world. Our society should do what is right to encourage those involved with this profession.

“Another thing is that Nigeria cannot, as a nation afford what we are presently witnessing. Between 60 and 70 per cent of our youths are already jobless. We cannot afford to now add our public university students to this growing number.

“We should not keep these university students away from school. This wastefulness is too much. Government should put them into consideration and in fact make their welfare a priority while preparing the budget.”