Category: South West

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has extolled the qualities of the wife of former Governor Olusegun Osoba, Mrs. Aderinsola Osoba.

He described her as a God gift, not only to her husband, but also to humanity.

Abiodun, who spoke yesterday at the 70th birthday celebration of Mrs. Osoba, held at her husband’s Ikoyi, Lagos home, said besides being a supportive wife, she is also a good mother and grandmother.

Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola described the celebrant as “a God-fearing woman, a dutiful wife and a mother, who cares not only about the welfare of her household, but also about those who come in contact with her.

Ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel expressed gratitude to God for granting Mrs. Osoba a long life in good health.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed disappointment about the activities of government officials who he accused of sabotaging government’s efforts in regulating the real estate sector.

He said he will henceforth ensure that such officials are booted out from his government.

The governor, who spoke at the second Lagos Real Estate Market Place Conference and Exhibition with the theme: ‘Lagos: 21st Century Real Estate Investment Hub, organised by the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA), said that some government officials and developers had cultivated the habit of cutting corners.

He said: “The lesson we are learning is not lost on us.  But I dare say that a month before the Ikoyi building collapse, we launched a certificate of completion and certificate of fit of habitation of buildings. We had done that with Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), meaning that anybody that had done proper development to a certain level, you need to get a certificate of completion and a certificate of fit of habitation from them.”

The ‘Class of 87’ Old Students of Anwar-ul Islam College, Agege (ACAOSA) will meet in Lagos on Saturday to deliberate on giving back to their alma mater, among other things.

It is the first reunion meeting of the body, which incidentally is coming up eight months after the creation of a social media platform for the set.

The body, comprising about 100 students, who passed out of the school in the then Higher School Certificate (HSC) level, came back together when one of the old students, Aisha Raji, now based in the United States, created a Whatsapp group on April 11, 2021.

According to the agenda for Saturday’s meeting, “giving back to the school is one of the major issues to be discussed, while there will also be news reading, throw back talks and ratification of executives of the body, among other interesting programmes.”

R and A City Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos is the venue of the meeting where the Reunion Sub-committee has been holding its preparatory meetings in the past one month.

The committee Chairman, Kayode Kolade, said all was set for event, which would be anchored by popular comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka.

“We are set for the reunion. We believe we are going to have many more of such meetings, but this is important as the first one after we left school over three decades ago,” Kolade said.

The Head of Admin, Yinka Ogundimu, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, said ACAOSA members would have loads of fun on Saturday.

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has hailed the initiative of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in signing into law, the Gender Equity Bill in Kwara State.

In a statement titled: ‘A vote for gender equity,’ the 2019 presidential candidate described the governor’s passion for gender equity as second to none and urged other governors to emulate the noble initiative, which makes it mandatory for both genders to be included in political appointments at all levels within a 35:65 per cent ratio.

He said the law, cited as Political Offices (Gender Composition) Bill 2021, is arguably the first legislation of its kind in the country that places a ceiling below which the government cannot go in appointment of either gender for public offices.

Olawepo-Hashim added:  “What the governor was doing with the Kwara State Assembly on the gender bill showed that the appointment of a majority women exco by the governor was not a fluke, but a deliberate policy of inclusiveness.

As a long-time ally of the governor said that “he shares Governor AbdulRazaq’s passion for gender equity, having worked with great women leaders in the past during the sitting of the women and youth subcommittee of the Presidential Policy Advisory Committee in 1999.”

The business tycoon said the law remains a bold and worthy initiative by the governor because “when our daughters, wives and sisters are given equal opportunities, the nation marches forward at full speed and with full capacity for all-round development.”

Civil society groups, under the aegis of ‘Defend Lagos Coalition’, have asked aggrieved people, who have rejected the Lagos State White Paper on #EndSARS Judicial Panel Report, to ventilate their grievances in court.

They rejected the campaign of calumny and propaganda against Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for proposing a peaceful walk.

They warned those planning to organise a counter-protest to pull the break, saying the mood of Lagosians cannot accommodate another destructive protest.

The coalition leaders, including Nelson Ekujumi, Declan Ihekaire, Gbenga Solomon, Rasak Obasol, Elijah Ajanu-Ojo and Raji Rasheed told reporters that it was time to draw the curtains on the #EndSARS controversy.

They pledged to join the governor for the walk, in the spirit of reconciliation and peace.

Ihekaire said the allegation of massacre, which has remained a bone of contention, has not been substantiated by the panel report.

He lamented that the leaders of the protesters had continued to insist on the imaginary massacre without proof and justification.

Ihekaire said: “Those bandying the massacre narrative have a bigger agenda than Lagosians and indeed Nigerians know at the moment. With time, the truth shall unfold.

“We wish to commend the Lagos State Government for keeping faith with the 14-day timeline earlier set for the release of the White Paper.

“We hold the view that the White Paper is a win-win for the government and the genuine #ENDSARS campaigners. We urge the government to begin full implementation of the recommendations that are within its remit without delay.

“We appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu to rally the Presidency, National Economic Council (NEC), APC legislators, Police Service Commission and Inspector General of Police, among others, to push for reforms in the Police.

He added: “The DefendLagos Coalition hereby commends Governor Sanwo-Olu for the exemplary spirit of statesmanship displayed in reaching out to some of the leaders of the #ENDSARS Protest Movement during his broadcast.

“We disagree with those who have criticised the governor for reaching out to the “EndSARS” protesters’ leaders by declining the invitation and with one in particular overreaching himself and calling the governor a murderer.

“We appeal to the governor and his team to remember the words of the late Nelson Mandela, ‘There is no future without forgiveness’. We urge the governor to see this as not just the price of leadership, but also a sacrifice to win peace.”

The Bishop of Diocese of Lagos West of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Rt. Revd James Odedeji, has urged Nigerian leaders to be sensitive to the plights of the masses.

Rt. Revd Odedeji warned that they would be made to account for their deeds in office.

He spoke during the 8th edition of the Annual Triumphant Convocation of the Diocese at Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

The revered cleric urged Nigerians not to lose hope, saying that in our state of hopelessness, God is our hope and can still change situations for the better.

“Our leaders should be sensitive to the needs of their subjects. They should be aware of accountability because everybody is going to be brought to book. Accumulating wealth, gathering all possession would not help when you meet God face-to-face. People should just know that no king reigns forever. They are there today, they won’t be there tomorrow. Everything on earth is tenured and whatever is tenured must be handled with carefulness. That is my advice to leaders of this country,” he said.

According to Rt. Revd Odedeji, Nigeria’s insecurity challenges could be surmounted through prayers.

“It’s part of the reason for this gathering. We need to pray for our country. There is no situation that is beyond prayer. God can still bring back the lost glory. In those days, when we were much younger, you loved travelling in the night. That is when you enjoy your travelling. This is not there again today. Travelling in your neighbourhood has become a taboo,” he said

THE Chief of Staff to Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Omoleye, has withdrawn from the governorship election slated for June 18, 2022 to support the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, The Nation has learnt.

Indications emerged yesterday when Omoleye was sighted among those that accompanied Oyebanji to the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja to obtain nomination form.

The Nation gathered that Omoleye took the decision to support Oyebanji, who is believed to be the preferred candidate of Governor Kayode Fayemi, after consultation with his supporters.

The Chief of Staff, according to a source, stepped down following persuasions by some leaders of the APC, including Governor Fayemi, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and other APC leaders.

Oyebanji has denied the insinuation that his aspiration is being sponsored by Governor Fayemi.

He dispelled the rumour making the rounds in some quarters that he has been anointed by his former principal to contest the Ekiti State governorship election.

Speaking yesterday with reporters after obtaining the governorship nomination and expression of interest forms at the national secretariat of the APC, Oyebanji also refuted the existence of factions in the party in Ekiti State, saying the party in the state “is one big and united family.”

A member of the House of Representatives and former Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Olufemi Bamishile, has said he remains the candidate to beat in the coming governorship primaries of the APC in the state.

He dismissed the reports making the rounds that he accompanied another aspirant, Oyebanji, to the national secretariat to obtain his (Oyebanji’s) nomination form.

The Chairman of the Southern Senators Forum, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, has declared his intention to vie for the position of governor in the coming election in Ekiti State.

He made this known in a letter he wrote to All Progressives Congress (APC) senators to inform them of his ambition.

In the letter dated December 5, Bamidele said he has all it takes to lead the state, having served in the legislature, executive and judicial arms of the government.

Bamidele, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, urged his colleagues to support him.