Category: South West

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, yesterday vowed not to worship deities, “as I represent the assistant of God on earth.”

The monarch, speaking at the maiden edition of God’s festival held on the palace premises, said: “A king must celebrate the king of all kings. A king must not celebrate lesser gods but God almighty. I can’t be second in command to any deity, I am not a slave to any deity or idol, I have authority over them all, I am representing the real Kabiyesi who is the God of all.

“I choose to celebrate that great servant that serves me day and night. This innovation, which is accepted by God, I don’t need it to be accepted by men.”

The Traditional Religion Worshippers Association (TRWASO) has demanded that Governor Adegboyega Oyetola should call Oluwo to order “over the unguarded utterances.”

It issued a 21-day ultimatum to the monarch to tender a public apology to the adherents.

The worshipers, during a news conference held at the home of Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon by their President, Dr. Oluseyi Atanda, said: “Oluwo must desist from utterances capable of inciting religious fracas. If he is uncomfortable wearing the crown of deities, he should leave the palace too.

“If the state government and Oluwo refuse to yield to our demands by November 30, we shall stage a one million traditional worshipers’ march to Iwo for the government to remove him.

“The monarch had in the past involved in a lot of wrongdoings that did not fit a traditional ruler.”

 

 

Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has concluded plans to shut down Olusosun landfill at Ojota, Lagos for 48 hours, to enable the agency carry out palliative works on the dumpsite, for seamless waste management operations.

It made this known in a statement yesterday.

LAWMA said it was carrying out maintenance of landfills in the state for efficient service delivery, with particular emphasis on Olusosun landfill.

The statement said: “The authority, in a bid to ensure that waste management operations at Olusosun dumpsite is effectively delivered, will shut down the landfill for 48 hours, starting from today.”

It said that the agency had made provision for the use of alternative dumpsites, where waste collection trucks could dispose of their refuse, during the period of temporary closure, adding that PSP operators servicing Lagos Mainland had been diverted to Solous dumpsite, Igando; while those operating in the East District and Ikorodu had been directed to dispose of their wastes at Epe dumpsite.

 

 

 

The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria is to spend $127,000 on the digital documentation and conservation of Busanyin Shrine located in the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the $127,000 grant was awarded to CyArk, a California-based non-profit organisation, through the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

Speaking at the signing of the project’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lagos, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, said AFCP was administered by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

She said the grant supports the current preservation of major ancient archaeological sites, historic buildings, monuments and major museum collections that are accessible to the public and protected by law in their host country.

“Today, we’re proud to be launching our 2020 AFCP award to digitally document and conserve the Busanyin shrine located within the Osun Osogbo sacred grove.

“CyArk and its local partners were awarded a $127,000 grant under the AFCP small grant programme to help document a series of shrines in the sacred grove and provide training to local professionals to build capacity and digital documentation skills and cultural heritage management.”

“The 3D digital documentation of the shrine is the necessary first step to provide the most accurate record of the current conditions of the site and effectively plan a restoration project that will increase resilience at the site during a natural disaster or extreme weather conditions,” she said.

Leonard said that the Busanyin Shrine, one of eight monuments within the grove, had been significantly damaged throughout the years due to extreme flooding.

She added that the U.S. and Nigeria were also finalising a bilateral agreement that would establish restrictions against the import of prohibited items of cultural property into the U.S.

This agreement, she said, would encourage public and private cultural institutions and law enforcement agencies in both countries to work together on repatriating trafficked objects and fostering cultural exchanges.

The Director General, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Prof. Abba Tijani, said that the commission had been collaborating with relevant stakeholders to protect, conserve and manage national assets.

One of such collaborations, he said, was that between NCMM and Cyark in 2019, which led to a successful workshop on 3D documentation.

“This is a great opportunity to train some workers of the commission as well as carry out more works at the grove,” he said.

According to Tijani, the Osun-Osogbo sacred grove, Nigeria’s second World Heritage Site and primary rain forest, is fast disappearing in the West-African sub region.

“The grove is important to many of its devotees both within and outside the country and other stakeholders, hence, the need to keep it in good state of conservation at all times.

“This training programme will not only empower the workers of the commission in 3D documentation of cultural heritage, but also assist in conservation works to be carried out in the grove,” he said.

Also, Olu Adeosun, member, Board of Trustees, Adunni Olorisha Trust, said that conserving heritage sites would not only preserve them for posterity, but also provide accessibility to people around the world.

He said that the Adunni Olorisa Trust was founded in 2003 to ensure that the Osogbo art legacy was preserved and that the integrity of the Osun grove was protected.

“Our focus has always been on the restoration of the site and the works in the groves.

“The grant has come at the appropriate time because the need for a comprehensive digital reconstruction of the grove could not be more important,” Adeosun said.

 

About 100 subscribers to the DSS Housing Estate, under the DSS-Multipurpose Cooperative Society Housing Estate, Elenusonso, Iletuntun, Ido Local Government Area, Ibadan yesterday protested their non-allocation of landed property, more than two years after making payment.

The subscribers, mostly residents of Ibadan, began the protest at the entrance gate of the Housing Estate, carrying placards and singing protest songs before driving in a convoy of about 50 cars to the Oyo State headquarters of the DSS, Aleshinloye and later terminating at the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi-Ibadan.

Some of the placards read: “We are demanding justice for the plots of land we duly paid for”, “DSS: justice delayed is justice denied, we need our land not money”, “Nigerians, save our soul from the tyranny of DSS”, “DSS give us our lands”, “DSS don’t send us to our early grave, give us our land”, “DSS, you connived with your consultants to defraud us. Give us our land not our money”

Others read: “DSS uphold the law you represent, stop intimidating us. Give us our land”, “Collectively all subscribers paid over N450million to DSS Cooperative account of their accredited agent”, “DSS as law enforcement agent should not run from the law, we need our land”, “DSS Tolatos and A1 represent you as consultant, please give us our lands.”

The subscribers, who are non- members of the DSS Community Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, said they decided to stage the protest in view of the nature the matter is taking, which they are suspecting to be fraudulent.

The subscribers alleged that the DSS sold the land to over 100 people, but refused to allocate the land to them two years after they had paid for the land.

They appealed to the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene before they fall victim of another form of harassment, intimidation and fraud by a public agent.

Spokesman for the subscribers, Mr. Bolaji Silva, who addressed reporters during the protest, noted that those who bought the land made enquiries about the estate from the DSS office before the purchase and were told the land were genuine.

The group was later received at the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan by the Executive Assistant to Governor Makinde on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (rtd.).

He appealed to the subscribers to be peaceful and calm in their conduct, while also remaining law-abiding.

Odukoya said the government will investigate the matter and call the attention of relevant agencies, to ensure the matter is resolved.

 

Leaders and elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of Kwara APC Elders Caucus, said yesterday that the current crisis rocking the party in the state was surmountable.

The group spoke in reaction to a recent interview by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, foreclosing any room for reconciliation in the party’s crisis.

Addressing reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, the caucus spokesperson, Amb. Nurudeen Mohammed, urged the minister “to rethink and modify his view as expressed in the interview where he asserted that reconciliation would be difficult.”

“Nothing is difficult to achieve in this era of reintegration and reconciliation where there is the will to do so. Nothing is difficult in establishing friendly relationship when people have cultivated the spirit of love.”

Amb. Mohammed blamed Lai Mohammed for denigrating the state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

He added that “for Lai Mohammed to denigrate Governor AbdulRazaq’s political status in Kwara State and his role in the funding of the 2019 electioneering campaign and election proper is most unfortunate.”

Mohammed claimed that the minister was never known in Kwara politics  until 2002 when he surfaced in the state, “apparently exported to the state from Lagos to come and take over governance just as his colleagues in other Yoruba states , who had, before then, spent all their years in Lagos  where they cut their political teeth and had held one political office or the other, elected or appointed, before they were sent on loan to their home states to take over governance at the expense of the people (politicians) who had been on ground for decades and living in their states since birth.

“Lai Mohammed was never seen in Kwara in the Second Republic politics, nor was he ever heard of in the political landscape of Kwara State politics of the Third Republic. He was an unknown quantity in those days. He has all along been a de facto Lagosian rather than being a Kwaran.”

“For all that it is worth, when we talk of political pedigree and dynasty, Governor AbdulRazaq belongs to the most well-known political lineage in Ilorin.”

 

 

The stage is set for the 30th anniversary dinner and reunion of the 1991 set of the Federal Government College (FGC), Wukari, Taraba State.

The event will hold in Lekki, Lagos State.

A statement by the Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the event, Mr. Wole Ladipo, said the three-day event holds from November 12 to 14.

The statement said it would be attended by members of the set at home and abroad.

Ladipo urged members to prepare to attend the event, noting: “There is no reason for anyone to miss out, as everything that will ensure members’ comfort has been put in place.”

The LOC chairman advised all to intensify prayers for the success of the programme, saying: “It will remain green in the minds of everyone.”

Speaking about the significance of the anniversary, he said: “It is aimed at providing opportunity for old students to network and relive the good old days in an atmosphere of fun, excitement and conviviality.”

Activities lined up to mark the event include excursion to Lekki Conservation Centre, barbecue night, games, among others.

There will also be interactive sessions on health, insurance, pensions and strategies on managing stress.

The event is expected to culminate in a dinner and banquet at Peninsula Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.

 

 

The Southwest Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Service has said it will take steps to encourage young, seasoned bureaucrats to join politics, take power and save the country from failure.

It said the participation of bureaucrats in politics would enable the society benefit from the rich deposit of wisdom, knowledge, experience and training the civil service gave them over the years.

The President, Ondo chapter of the association, Dr. Laoye Adegoke, said at the 5th quarterly general meeting of the association that the dynamics of politics should not be left for mediocres and miscreants.

He said Nigerians would continue to suffer the consequences of such indifference to politics “since incompetent people will keep planning for us, minus us.”

Adegoke said retirees could not afford to be silent about development of things.

He said they needed to support what he termed worthy causes being pursued by Southwest governors.

Said he: “We need to conscientise and plead with the younger ones among these seasoned bureaucrats to participate in politics, to save our future.”

The Regional President, Dr. Ebenezer Okebukola, said the establishment of Southwest Agric Company (SWAGCO), would lay foundation for food security and served as launching pad to economic development.

Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, represented by the Head of Service, Pastor John Adeyemo, said his topmost agenda is to make the state the industrial hub of the country.

He said the birth of Amotekun Corps was a wind breaker of the security pyramid and tension building within the state.

 

Ondo State Government has begun the screening of over 3,000 civil servants for alleged age falsification, alteration of documents and increasing wage bill.

Also, 400 workers of the 18 local governments have been invited to submit their credentials for verification.

It was gathered that the government began the screening, following discovery that some workers, who had travelled abroad, were still collecting salary.

Sources said some workers were suspected to be receiving double salaries, while others, who were supposed to have retired, were still in the service.

A circular inviting the 400 local government workers and signed by the Head of Administration, Ondo State Local Government Service Commission (Mgt Services), Ayodeji Ayeku, said they were required to offer clarification on some noticeable discrepancies with regard to their full names, ages as contained in their personnel records and what is on the Local Government Service Commission payment platform.

A seven-man committee has been inaugurated to screen the civil servants.

Secretary to the State Government Princess Oladunni Odu said the screening was not to witch hunt or retrench any worker, adding that inability to pay salary was becoming an embarrassment.

She urged the committee to scrutinise the government payroll and ascertain the real workers.

 

 

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Industries, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru, yesterday organised a capacity development training for 1,000 Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises (MSMEs) in Lagos East Senatorial District.

Abiru, an accomplished banker, said the training was to enhance the capacity of micro, medium and small business owners in the district to scale their businesses, adding that lack of capacity had been identified as one of the major reasons MSMEs failed

The one-day MSME clinic/workshop, organised in conjunction with the Fate Foundation, was attended by major figures in the MSMEs ecosystem like the Managing Director, Bank of Industry, Mr. Olukayode Pitan, officials of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and renowned business consultants.

Highlighting the critical roles MSMEs play in the nation’s economic development, the senator said: “MSMEs account for the majority of businesses worldwide and are important contributors to job creation and global economic development. They represent about 90 per cent of businesses and more than 70 per cent of employment worldwide.”

He added: “Formal SMEs contribute up to 40 per cent of national income (GDP) in emerging economies. These numbers are significantly higher when informal SMEs are included. The latest SMEDAN/NBS MSME Survey indicates Nigeria’s SMEs contribute nearly 50 per cent of the country’s GDP and account for over 80 per cent of employment in the country.

“It has been projected by the World Bank that about 600 million jobs will be needed by 2030 to absorb the growing global workforce, which makes SME development a high priority for many governments around the world. In emerging markets, most formal jobs are generated by SMEs, which create seven out of 10 jobs.”

Abiru said it was therefore instructive to assist the struggling businesses, who were mostly impacted by the devastating COVID-19 pandemic with workable business solutions in the new normal world.

He said that the knowledge pack, a combination of seven books written by foremost experts, which participants got for free, are reference materials for now and in future, adding that their contents are the secret of success of most major businesses.

A one-time Commissioner for Finance and Governance Advisory Council (GAC) member, Olawale Edun, hailed Abiru’s gesture, describing the business aid as a great initiative.

Also, a former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, urged other elected public office holders to learn from the giant strides of Abiru.

The ex-minister, who accompanied Senator Abiru on touring business clinic consulting desks, advised participants to place a premium on the knowledge they had acquired in the course of the workshop and business clinic.

“These materials are authored by the following foremost hands on world acclaimed professional firms with deep insights on the Nigerian business environment.”

To the admiration of participants and dignitaries that graced the occasion, the senator announced the launching of N100,000,000(One hundred million Naira) soft business loan support trained MSMEs with working capital, as well as asset finance for equipment acquisition at a highly subsidised interest rate.

The N100 Million constituency intervention revolving facility, which be executed in partnership with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, SMEDAN, has minimum limit of N100,000 (One hundred Thousand Naira) and maximum of N1,000,000 (One million naira) with as low as 6 per cent interest rate with flexible repayment plan from one to 12 months starting from Q1, 2022. The senator mulled plans to increase the revolving facility in the same sum on a yearly basis.

The Bank of Industry (BOI) also agreed to commit an additional 100,000,000(One Hundred Million Naira) to the scheme.

 

 

 

Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has said the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is a bridge builder with the capacity to fix Nigeria.

He spoke in Osogbo at the inauguration of a political group Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO).

The Press Officer, Ministry of Information, Toyin Adeoye, said in a statement that Governor Oyetola appreciated the leadership of TSO for identifying the true leadership qualities of Asiwaju Tinubu.

“The governor, represented on the occasion by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, described Asiwaju Tinubu as a genuine lover of Nigeria with his track record of sacrificing for the nation, as demonstrated during the NADECO days.

“Tinubu is a bridge-builder who can be trusted with any leadership position. He has all it takes to fix Nigeria and make it a better place for all and sundry.

“He is blessed with local and international connections, which the nation needs to attract funds and improve on infrastructural developments across the nation.

“Governor Oyetola concluded by expressing the assurance that Asiwaju Tinubu, if given the mandate to rule the country, will continue the good work of the progressives family in Nigeria,” the statement said.

The Director-General, Tinubu Support Organisation, Aminu Sulaiman, appealed to the residents of the Southwest to put their trust in Tinubu as the man for the job in 2023.