Category: South West

Ekiti State Government has warned a chief at Iyin-Ekiti in Irepodun /Ifelodun Local Government, Chief Bayo Akerele, against parading himself as the monarch of the community.

Deputy Governor Bisi Egbeyemi said the Oluyin, Oba Adeola Ajakaye, is the only recognised monarch in Iyin-Ekiti. He ordered Akerele to remove the “palace” inscription from his operational base in the community.

Speaking yesterday in Ado-Ekiti during a peace meeting held with the Oluyin, the four quarter heads and other chiefs, the deputy governor said the government would not fold its arm and watch the peaceful community descend into chaos.

He urged the four quarter chiefs to call their followers to order, expressing government’s readiness to visit the full wrath of the law on any individual or group caught violating the laws of the state.

Reacting, Akerele denied parading himself as an Oba in Iyin-Ekiti.

He said the crisis in the town had been on before he was installed as the Petu of Oketoro in Iyin-Ekiti.

The Odofinyin of Okebedo Quarter, Chief Simon Esan and other Quarter heads denied writing palace inscriptions on their official residences.

The Labour Party (LP) candidate for Ibadan Northwest/Southwest Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election, Mr. Sunday Oni, has said actualisation of a new Nigeria is possible.

He said his party was out to liberate Nigerians from their predicament.

Speaking yesterday in Ibadan at his official declaration, Oni said youths, in their bid to survive economic hardship, resorted to crimes such as drug abuse, fraud, ritual killings, among others.

He urged his constituents to support his ambition to liberate the state, saying they will enjoy the dividends of democracy and good leadership if he is elected.

State LP Chairman Mr. Olatunji Adigun said the party would wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday struck out a suit by a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives aspirant, Mrs. Emilia Ezeude, challenging the emergence of Mr. Chima Bartholomew as the party’s candidate.

Justice Tijjani Garuba Ringim struck out Ezeude’s suit for want of diligent prosecution.

Ezeude, through her lawyer, Best Yusuf, listed the PDP, its national chairman, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Rita Orji Esq, as first to fourth defendants.

The court added Bartholomew as the fifth defendant following his application for joinder.

The claimant prayed the court for a declaration that the purported primary: Rerun election of the PDP for the House of Representatives, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency, held on June 6, which produced Bartholomew “is a nullity for being inconclusive and for non-compliance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, INEC’s regulation for the conduct of political party primaries and the PDP Constitution.”

Bartholomew opposed him and through his team of counsel led by Emeka Ozoani (SAN), contended, among others, that the plaintiff’s originating summons was vexatious and designed to truncate his electoral victory as well as deny the PDP the opportunity of fielding a candidate for the constituency in the 2023 elections.

At the resumed hearing of the suit yesterday, neither the plaintiff nor his counsel were in court.

Francis’ lawyer prayed the court to dismiss the plaintiff’s suit for lack of  diligent prosecution.

Justice Ringim, relying on case law and statute, upheld his prayer and struck out the plaintiff’s suit for lack of diligent prosecution.

The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) in Lagos has elected a new set of executives to run its affairs.

The workers elected Mrs Oluwatoyin Salisu as the new chairperson.

Salisu said she will continue on the achievements of her predecessor.

She promised that she will focus on the warfare of members and training.

According to her: “My predecessor did very well and I appreciate her success and will follow in her footsteps. I hope to organise programmes that will improve the lives of members and move the union to a level side by side with our male counterparts. I will operate all-inclusive membership in our team and carry everyone along.”

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The National Auditor of the union, who also served as the retuning officer of the delegate conference, Segun Olaniyi, charged the new executives to leverage on achievement of the last administration.

Olaniyi noted the peaceful election was a result of the cooperation and unity of members.

First Vice Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Lagos chapter, who also doubles as Lagos chairman of MHWUN, Tajudeen Gbadamosi, said: “I have a formidable team of women who have been working very had that is why the change of baton record this huge success and we know that we will have a better team to work with the state council in the future.

‘’As you know, Women are in charge of our home; we recognise this and want them to use that home experience to manage the union.

‘’They will be having consultations, having meetings and educating people on what unionism is all about.’’

OYO State Government yesterday began ‘Operation Zero Potholes’ initiative, as the State Road Maintenance Agency is rehabilitating roads and distilling drainages across Ibadan metropolis and its environs.

The Chairman, Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA),  Ogunlade Soladoye, who visited roads earmarked for rehabilitation, made this known in Ibadan.

He said the agency would live up to its mandate to maintain and rehabilitate roads in the state, as this would ease movement of traffic and create a better environment for the populace.

He said the Governor Seyi Makinde administration was a responsive government, who listened to people and acted on their requests.

Among the roads earmarked for rehabilitation are: Asphaltic rehabilitation of Molete-Fire-Challenge roads, cutting of potholes to shape, stone base material mixed with cement, distilling of blocked cover lined drains and cross covert at Genesis hotel, rehabilitation and distilling of Mokola-Dugbe and Femi Johnson junction along Oke-Ado road, among others.

No fewer than 600,000 residents of the state will benefit from Mevron Nigeria job opportunity through its ride hailing in Ibadan and its environs, whose motive is to alleviate the suffering of the masses and put food on the table of Nigerians.

Speaking with reporters in Ibadan at the launching of the programme, Mevron Assistant Product Operation Manager Imo Silas said 10 per cent out of over six million population of Ibadan would benefit, adding that 1,000 people in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, had benefited in less than one year operation of the company.

The CEO, Mr. Olawale Lasisi, said Mevron was a platform that connected drivers with individuals and organisations that needed rides, adding that there was a strong need for a ride sharing service that treated passengers right through being ethical and socially-responsible.

The Business Head of Simba TVS, Mr. Mahendra Pratap, said Mevron is partnering the firm to address transportation needs of Nigeria with the introduction of TVS tricycles into its fleet to ease local passenger commute and improve people’s lives.

The Regional Manager of DAG Industries Night Ltd, Deepjyoti Das, said Mevron would grow, considering the strengthen of Bajaj brand across Nigeria and Ibadan being the centre of motorcycle business in Southwest.

ONE of the ruling houses in Ore, the Dero Ruling House in Odigbo Local Government, has opposed the pronouncement of Monday Sawoju as the next traditional ruler of Ore.

It said the pronouncement of Sawoju by Prince Enoch Olatomide, the head of Akintimehin family of Ore, was in contempt of court and a ridicule of a subsisting court judgment.

Head of the Dero Ruling House Mrs. Florence Elizeri spoke in a petition addressed to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, through the family’s counsel, Tope Tomekun.

Elizeri said Ore community ”is sitting on a time bomb now, waiting to explode if this ugly situation is not arrested with speed.”

She accused the Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, Mrs Margaret Akinsuroju, of excluding the participation and contribution of kingmakers in Ore, to force on and foist on the court, her anointed candidate before the hearing of the appeal on the Olore vacant stool.

Elizeri noted that the plot was to circumvent the due process of law in the process of appointment of the new Olore of Ore.

She said the High Court had asked the Dero Ruling House to nominate and present a candidate to occupy the traditional stool.

The petition said: “Our client won their case to reclaim the stool at the High Court. The Akintimehin family sought equity before the court by appealing the judgment and applying for a stay of execution of the judgment. Our clients suspended their process of nomination and presentation of their candidate, for the court to pronounce on the appeal. The Akintimehin family who lost at the High Court and were asked to vacate the stool even in the time of the late Olore of Ore, Oba Johnson Olatomide (deceased) from Akintimehin family, but who ran to the Court of Appeal, are the ones now, in a manner that smack of inequity and ridicule to the same court that gave them temporary protection, who are dragging the court to ridicule by going to the media to announce the illegal nomination of a candidate for the stool.

“While we have all confidence that the government of Ondo State will not condone this illegality and lawlessness, the frantic efforts from the office of the Chairman of Odigbo Local Government, Mrs. Akinsuroju, to scuttle the due process of the court and throw Ore community into a state of chaos throws up mixed feelings and concerns and if not called to order, this has capacity to cast huge haze on the good intentions, the motive and the neutral position of the government in this matter.

”We call on the Ondo State Government to arrest this new fashionable trend of brazen illegality of making nomination and self-declaration as an “Oba” without waiting for the approval of the government through the Executive Council, as just perpetrated by the head of Akintimehin family, Prince Enoch Olatomide. This is an act capable of causing breach of peace in Ore community and this also constitutes a crime under the Chiefs Law of Ondo State.”

But the council chairman said due process was followed in picking the next Olore of Ore

Akinsuroju insisted that only one ruling house exists in Ore and that there is a declaration from the Akintimehin Ruling House.

“What they are saying is not true. I followed due process and the declaration from the only ruling house in Ore. The declaration of Ore Obaship has been made and this is what we are following. We cannot leave Ore to be vacant without a traditional ruler.”

Osun State House of Assembly has passed the bill for the upgrade of Ilesa College of Education into a full-fledged university into law.

Speaker Timothy Owoeye, who sponsored the University of Ilesa Establishment Bill 2022, said: ”Governor Adegboyega Oyetola can now go ahead and appoint a working committee for the take-off of the university.”

The Nation recalled that Oyetola in March announced the upgrade of the College of Education, Ilesa to a full-fledged university.

A statement by an aide to the speaker, Kunle Alabi, said the bill was passed into law yesterday.

“Now that the bill has been passed into law, the governor may appoint a working committee to see to the making of the university anytime from now.”

One hundred and twenty residents of Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency Two, Lagos, were on Sunday exposed to modern techniques in fish and animal farming, facilitated by the lawmaker representing the constituency, Ganiyu Johnson.

Johnson, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member, had promised the people phased interventions that would improve their economic conditions.

The Nation reports that at the event held on Ago Palace Way, Okota, in collaboration with the Federal College of Horticulture, Daddin- Kowa, Gombe State, Johnson also gave each of the participants N50,000 start-up capital.

He said the programme was aimed at equipping participants with technical skills in fish farming and animal husbandry; developing productive capacity for wealth creation; helping them in managing, exploring local resources for production, as well as giving them the opportunity of becoming exporters.

The lawmaker said the residents needed to be supported and empowered to overcome the strains of hardship.

He said: “If you give a man fish; you have just given a single meal, but if you train him in how to fish, he will eat throughout his life.”

Continuing, Johnson said there was need to rekindle hope in the people and encourage them to be proactive in the fight against poverty.

He said it was imperative to come to the aid of his constituents, who had been struggling to start a business, but for limited resources at their disposal.

Johnson restated his commitment to continue with the empowerment programmes within the available resources at his disposal in order to minimise poverty among his people.

Former Information and Strategy Commissioner Kehinde Bamigbetan, who chaired the event, advised the beneficiaries to put the skills learnt and money provided to good use.

“We are not unmindful of the need of the people to be economically empowered, hence this empowerment programme is deliberately designed to holistically address the problem of unemployment and alleviation of poverty,” he said.

Also at the event were the lawmaker representing the constituency at the Lagos House of Assembly, Jude Idimogu, Fatai Kasunmu, Gani Bello, Doyin Pikuda and Ladi Ajomale.