A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Alhaji Jamiu Ekungba has donated rams and bags of rice worth millions of Naira to Muslim members in the 18 local government areas of Ondo State.
He said the gesture was to help Muslim families to have fruitful celebration during the just-concluded Eid-el Adha festival.
Ekungba said the gesture was a way of giving back to the society which he said he has benefited from.
The BOT member, who is also a governorship aspirant of the party, however, assured residents of bright future.
Ekungba stated that there was no hiding place for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in Ondo State as all its antics and persuasive strategies are now known to the people.
He said the Labour Party-turned PDP can no longer deceive the people in next year’s governorship election.
The APC chieftain also said the future of Nigeria is now secure under the present APC-administration.
He said: “Every Nigerian that is reasonable, that loves the country has seen the direction we are going under APC than the PDP.”
He noted that indigenes of Ondo State have no option than to look for a party that will restructure and rebuild the state for development to thrive.
Ekungba, who said the APC remains the only party that could salvage the people from the purposeless government of the PDP, urged the APC to ensure that it does not only present a credible candidate but also a candidate that understands the economy of the state.
He lamented that the state has no reason to be bankrupt, saying an oil-producing state such as Ondo should be financially buoyant.
“The chances of the APC in the coming election are very bright; we thank God that he has made it obvious to everybody that Labour Party-turned PDP government has nowhere to hide again.
“Every antics and strategies of cajoling our people have become clear to everybody. Nobody can be deceived again in Ondo State.
“That is why we are urging the APC to ensure that it does not just present a very credible candidate, but must also have a candidate that understands the economy of the state.
“It is unimaginable that the state is bankrupt; an oil-producing state cannot pay salary. So, we must present somebody who understands the economy and who will be able to restore its glory,” Ekungba said.
As the country’s unemployment situation worsens, the Blessed Gumpat Foundation (BGF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has organised skill acquisition training for youths of Olambe community, Ogun State.
Over 80 people received training in different skills which included catering services, hat and bead making, event management, cosmetology (liquid soaps, air freshener etc), dish making, barbing, cocktail drinks, make-ups and gale, art and sign, black soap, tie and dye, basket weaving, ankara craft, cake making and snacks making, among others.
The Coordinator of the programme, Pastor Timpaul Prisca said the foundation was committed to poverty eradication and alleviation. She also said there was need for entrepreneurship development and skill acquisition for the youth. This, she said, would impact positively on the immediate environment and the society as a whole.
Apart from providing teaching aids, handout/training manuals, graduation gowns and certificates to successful participants, Prisca said the foundation would consider assistance for trainee(s) in dire need of finance to set up his or her workshop
The foundation, which is also non-profit-based, was established for the purposes of empowerment and skill acquisition for the youth and the aged alike. According to the coordinator, the centre has goodwill for the homeless and children of school age who she said are rather hawking on the street instead of being in the classroom.
She told Southwest Report that the foundation has the intention of building skill acquisition centres in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the nearest future.
“Our target audience cuts across everyone who wants to be boss of his own and who wants to have streams of income in all rural/urban communities of the country,” she said.
According to her, the foundation is in partnership with international bodies and local organisations in order to create wealth and ensure financial freedom among its target groups through training, lecture, donation and grants.
If government and other public-spirited individuals or group of individuals would support the initiative, the rate of unemployment would be reduced if not eradicated.
On some of the drawbacks the foundation experiences, the coordinator said funding was a major challenge confronting it.
She said: “Financial support is hardly coming from anybody, including the government. It’s all about passion to ensure that the vision is not stifled that informed our doing it by ourselves.”
She also said responses from benefiting communities were not very encouraging, adding that people were expected to come out en masse to key into the training. They didn’t believe what we have come to do; perhaps such things hardly ever come to them.
Apart from the training, the NGO also donated some hospital equipment to facilitate the rehabilitation of the dilapidated primary health centre in the community.
Commending the organisation’s efforts towards improving the living standard of members of the community, Chairman, Olambe Area Community Development Council (OACDC), Captain Babatope Emmanuel (rtd) said the empowerment programme would be significant to widows, women and youths that are idle. According to him, the training would go a long way in reducing youths’ disturbances in the area.
He also said the hospital equipment donated by the foundation would spur community efforts to rehabilitate the primary health centre, saying the health centre had been abandoned for a very long time due to lack of government’s assistance.
”We are grateful to the Blessed Gumpat Foundation for the empowerment programme it brought to this community. We are also grateful for the hospital equipment it donated to the community’s health centre.
“It is a challenge to us; it has encouraged us to move because we cannot just keep those things there; we don’t want to jeopardize their efforts. We will pool our resources through levy and voluntary donations; we need to put something on ground,” he said.
He, however, appealed to the state government to provide infrastructural facilities such as roads, water, schools and electricity for the development of the area.
Cancer has killed many Nigerians this year. In 2012, it killed a leading light and wife of the founder of MicCom Cables and Wires, Prince Tunde Ponnle, who has now started a foundation to rescue people from the scourge. OLUKOREDE YISHAU writes that another feather will be added to the foundation’s cap as it takes delivery of a mammogram machine, which will change the face of managing the disease in Osun State and its environs.
The vision began with the death of a great woman, who, for decades, was an amazing partner to her husband. They helped the poor, contributed to education and were active in church development.
But on October 29, 2012, death parted them. Olufunke, an engineer and Princess, left Tunde, also an engineer, to face the challenges of life alone. No thanks to endometrial cancer. Prince Tunde Ponnle, founder MicCom Cables and Wires and MicCom Gold and Resort, has had to live painfully in the last three years without a woman who contributed to making
Prince Ponnle and The late Mrs Poonle
him what he is.
The good news, however, is that Mrs Ponnle’s death made her husband learn more about cancer. He has realised that cancer kills more people worldwide than malaria, HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis. He also discovered that when detected early, cancer could be cured. He equally discovered that the prevalence rate of cancer was on the increase among Nigerians.
Worse still, he realised that 10 people die from cancer every hour and yet only a few African countries were sufficiently funding cancer control programmes. It also became known to him that no fewer than 80,000 Nigerians die from various types of cancer annually and this may increase; given the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) projection that about 84 million people may die worldwide as a result of one form of cancer or the other this year.
These discoveries made Ponnle to consult with his children and the result is the MicCom Cancer Foundation (MCCF).
The Ibokun Road, Ada, Osun State-based foundation is out to help women fight breast cancer and also help men who may have prostate cancer. The foundation chose these two types of cancer because statistics show that they are the most prevalent among Nigerians.
Any moment from now, the foundation will take delivery of a mammogram machine. It was donated by a respected family physician, Dr. Doris Kyeremateng, who has also joined the board of MicCom Cancer Foundation.
A mammograph machine
Dr. Kyeremateng, a Canada-based Ghanaian, was, in 2006, installed as the President of the Manitoba College of Family Physicians. As President, Dr. Kyeremateng represented the province of Manitoba on the board of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).
She migrated to Canada in 1995 and has been practising in Winnipeg. She owns and runs the Autumnwood Medical Centre in Windsor Park in Winnipeg. She obtained her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at the University of Bergen, Norway in 1992 where she practised as a General Practitioner until 1995, when she moved to Winnipeg with her family.
She completed a two-year Family Medicine residency programme at the University of Manitoba in 2000.
The centre has solid professionals either as technical experts or full-time members of staff. One of the technical experts behind it is Dr. A. Akinsola, a Professor of Internal Medicine and Consultant Nephrologist, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who has broad-based skills and capacity in programme coordination and administration.
Also supporting the centre technically is Dr K.T. Ijadunola, who is an Associate Professor/Consultant Public Health Physician at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He has proven expertise in communication, health education, promotion and programme management and execution.
There is also Dr. A.A Salako, who is an Associate Professor/Consultant Urologist at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is a urologist with special interest in screening and management of benign prostatic enlargement and prostate cancers. He has also been involved in community surveys.
The centre also has the technical backing of Dr. K.O Ajenifuja, a Senior Lecturer/Consultant Obstetrics ad Gynaecologist at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Dr Ajenifuja has ample experience in community screening and treatment of cervical cancer. He has been part of a similar programme in India.
Last but not the least is Dr O.A Esimai, an Associate Professor/Consultant Public Health Physician at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who coordinates the Well Women Clinic which provides awareness and screening services for breast and cervical cancers.
The foundation runs a Cancer Preventive and Treatment Centre at its secretariat. The centre focuses on providing screening, counselling services and other support for treatment of early stage of cancer. It has the capacity to ensure adequate information management that will enable academic institutions conduct research into these cancers.
“The data being generated will also be made available to the concerned government parastatals either for evaluation and/or research purpose. The programme managers, assisted by an Assistant Programme Manager provide services.
“The foundation links up with secondary and tertiary health institutions in identified target communities in Nigeria (the OAUTHC Ile-Ife at inception) to facilitate access to management and quality care of patients with established lesions.
“There is a plan to support and invest in the capacity development of the institution. This will be in the form of equipment (laboratory, radiology) and capacity building in diagnosis and treatment and facilitation of treatment of early lesions through a cost-sharing strategy between stakeholders,” the centre said.
The foundation said it would continually mount advocacy and awareness campaign in Osun State, the neighbouring states and ultimately throughout the country.
“This will be done through various media–radio and television, print media and visits to community leaders. This has commenced in earnest in the first month of the foundation’s operation through visits to traditional rulers of the six communities identified namely Ada, Ororuwo, Iragbiji, Aagba, Iree, and Eripa. The foundation has created awareness through media (radio and television) programmes in the form of jingles and lectures on “the cancers and their prevention” on the radio.
Other advocacy will include sourcing for increased national, regional and international investment in the prevention and management of breast, cervical and prostate cancers in Nigeria,” the centre said.
It is also taking serious partnership with hospitals, development partners and government parastatals. In the area of capacity building, the centre is focusing on human, infrastructural and institutional capacity building.
“With respect to human capacity building, it will provide fellowship awards for short stay of experts to acquire skills for management of these three focal cancers in institutes with such expertise. We will also invest in training and building capacity of local experts to be able to manage these lesions in many medical centres all over Nigeria.
“With respect to infrastructural and institutional capacity building, MCCF shall invest in installation of equipment and production of materials that will enable our various partners at all levels to conduct health education in order to create awareness about cancer prevention, screen and ensure early diagnosis of cancer and effectively manage all referred cases,” it said.
But how will the centre be sustained? It explains: “MCCF is planned to be an ongoing concern. It will therefore strongly invest in partnership and institution capacity building. Also it shall create an environment that can support continued research and academic affiliation that will enable the foundation continue to generate the needed evidence for policy development and review for cancer prevention and management in the country. It shall start small, but evolve to be a major cancer centre in the future.”
The foundation also encourages volunteerism among health care providers locally, nationally and in the Diaspora. It will campaign against predisposing lifestyle practices that have been linked to cancer such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake, exposure to carcinogenic product, multiple sexual partners, early exposure to sex and unprotected sexual intercourse. It will also champion the need for regular medical check-ups, monthly self-breast examination, need for healthy diet, regular exercise and prevention of obesity.
The screening services available at the centre include histopathology of pap smears, mammography, ultrasonographic examinations, breast biopsy, PSA determination, digital rectal examination and clinical breast examination.
In order to contribute his quota to the development of his town, Olaleye Kayode, a graduate of International ýRelations of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has begun a grassroots publication known as Ijebu Today.
According to Kayode, the publication of the magazine was borne out of the need to report the under-reported areas of Ijebu area of Ogun State. He said that Ijebu comprises nine local government areas in the state which is the highest.
He also said his long researches about Ijebu and long discussion with one of his mentors, Prof. Yinka Adesina, brought about the idea to begin the publication. He added that it was not solely ýfor financial gain.
Kayode stated that the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the President of Nigeria has made many graduates to have a rethink about their careers and to make useful choices.
The establishment of the magazine, which he said will be published monthly and later weeklyý, will also generate employment for not less than 20 people.
The third session of the Second Synod of the Diocese of Idoani (Anglican Communion) held at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State has ended. It called on President Muhammadu Buhari to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
The Diocesan Bishop, Rt Revd Bolarinde Dahunsi made the appeal while addressing the synod delegates, clerics and other dignitaries at the occasion hosted by Chief and Mrs Dapo Oshati.
According to the cleric, Nigerians are really yearning for positive change in every sphere of life notwithstanding the myriad of challenges before the President.
Bishop Dahunsi said: “Mr President should be mindful of the pluralistic nature of Nigeria and its secularity as preserved by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He should also appreciate the need to eschew favouritism based on religion or tribe.
In a communiqué jointly signed by the Bishop and Synod’s Secretary, Venerable S.O. Ojowuro, it commended the peaceful conduct of the 2015 general
elections and praised the heroic role of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in conceding defeat to his opponent.
The Synod enjoined President Buhari to appoint credible and worthy Nigerians into his cabinet and various political offices in order to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
It urged Nigerians to be patient with President Buhari, while assuring him of continuous support and prayer for positive turnaround of the country under his watch.
On the anti-corruption crusade going on in the country, the Synod praised the President and sought the co-operation of all Nigerians.
It also appealed to President Buhari to ensure that the fight against corruption is carried out without prejudice.
The Synod decried the total neglect of the area in the distribution of necessary infrastructure such as good roads, potable water and steady power supply.
According to the communique, the entire communities in Idoani Diocese have been put into total darkness since April, wondering whether the area is still part
of Ondo State.
The synod delegates commended Chief Jacob Oshati,who is the Majekobaje of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Idoani for being a pioneer host of the Synod in the Diocese.
Meanwhile, the next council meeting of the Ondo Ecclestiastical Province will be hosted by Idoani Diocese between October 6 and 7.
The theme of the third session of the second Synod of the Diocese was “Godliness with Contentment.”
The Rotary Club of Gbagada has sworn in its new President, Otunba Olusola Adenuga-Taiwo, a retired banker and lawyer.
The event was historical in many ways–the celebrator’s father; the late Sir Gabriel Osiola Adenuga-Taiwo was a founding member and later President of Rotary Club while his mother Chief (Mrs) Arinola Adenuga-Taiwo, who attended the event, was a District Chairman, Inner Wheel of the old District 911. Adenuga-Taiwo recalled that Rotary was formed in his presence, though he did not join it then.
Besides, a Saturday before the event, the new President celebrated his 64th birthday.
White and green were the colours of the ceremony, which held at the Events Centre, near Afrika Shrine, Ikeja. While the men wore Agbada, which they topped with green caps, the women put on white buba (native wrapper) and crowned it with green head gears. But the President looked gorgeously different as he wore a multi-coloured aso-oke and a pair of glasses.
Chairman on the occasion, Dr Michael Olawale-Cole, who spoke on the vanity of man, noted the futility of life, saying the best legacy one can leave behind on earth is to serve God and humanity, adding that Rotary provides the platform for this service. He warned, quoting from the Bible, that no one takes anything from this world.
He, therefore, enjoined all to serve God with their possessions, saying that “this is what Rotary says is to share and give’’. He also quoted from the Koran to buttress his point.
Olawale-Cole, a former District Governor of Rotary, advised his colleagues “to be active and committed to Rotary. There is a great joy to be part of service, the challenges of the times, notwithstanding’’.
Rotary’s District 9110 Governor Otunba Bolaji Onabadejo also harped on service, saying it was ordained by God.
“Some defined serve as the rent you pay in life. It is putting everything you have at the service of people–talent and money, among other things. We are supposed to do serve. Since 1905, Rotary has been wiping some tears and eradicating diseases. Since 1985, Rotary has been fighting polio,’’ he said. He enjoined others to join the club and come “let us do service’’. He described the new President as world-class and, therefore, capable.
The outgoing President, Prof. Kayode Taiwo gave its team an excellent mark in performance. He listed these as the chartering of new clubs, induction of new members and renovation of the science laboratory of a school in Ago Iwoye in Ogun State. He canvassed support for his successor.
Adenuga-Taiwo, whose wife Olufunke attended the event, promised to execute the following projects–renovation of the Ajeroju Primary School in Oworonsoki, Lagos; continuation of its scholarship scheme in SOS Village, Isolo, Lagos; maternal and child care, water and sanitation scheme in Ibipe Community Health Centre at Ago Iwoye, poverty alleviation, micro-credit scheme and Rotary Foundation. He later raised funds for the programmes.
At the event, Commissioner of Police, Airport Police Command, Mr Federick Taiwo Lakanu; Chief Charles Ike Uwechie and Sir Abuiodun Ogunkoya, retired management consultant, were honoured.
In Saturday, April 25, 2015, my eldest son Jotham Edgar-Oluwa Ororho left me at home to go to our place of worship to help in cleaning the House of God, in company of his younger brother Johan. They had gone to prepare the place for a programme we were to have that evening. This was after he had prepared breakfast for the family. But 15 minutes later, I received a call from Brother Baldwin Eze. He said, “Good morning brother, where are you?” I replied that I was about to have my breakfast. “Hurry downstairs and you will meet Brothers Shadrach Ochuba and Bayo, they are taking your son to the hospital.”
I hurried downstairs and when I got into the car, Jotham was already unconscious. He remained that way until Saturday, May 16, 2015, a period of 21 days. Those three weeks were the worst three weeks of my life. His journey started from Medical Emergency at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), to the Theatre and after a two-hour surgery, he was bed-ridden to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Surgical Emergency Department and placed on Life Support Machine.
His surgeon, Dr Idowu told us that our son was suffering from Inter-Cranial Haemorrhage. This means that there is a rupture in the veins supplying blood to his brain and as a result, a part of his brain has been clothed by blood. The CT scan we did confirmed the surgeon’s fears. My wife Omolara and I were perplexed beyond compare as we never bargained for this.
However, God was with Jotham and the medical personnel, starting from Dr Idowu and his team, through to the staff at ICU gave us reason to hope that our boy would live. I would describe them as some of the nicest people I ever met. After about one month plus some weeks, Jotham was transferred to the BT Cardiac and Neurology Ward where we spent another one month plus. On the total, we have spent some four months and two weeks as at Saturday, September 12, 2015, sleeping on the floor and waiting for our boy to get well.
•Jotham
Our balance now stands at one million, one hundred and fifty-five thousand Naira (N1, 155,000). To be candid, our resources have been depleted and it is impossible for us to pay the balance after spending about two million Naira (N2,000,000) at LASUTH.
My wife works at one of the local council development areas in Lagos State. Besides, her mother is from Lagos State. When she sought assistance from the State Government in taking advantage of Lagos State Free Health Care Programme, she was asked to write a letter to The Chief Medical Director at LASUTH THRROUGH the Director, Clinical Services and Training.
She did. A later directive was that she should write to the State Government. She did again and the letter was addressed to the State Government, which ought to give the directive to LASUTH to release Jotham after his discharge from hospital. The Government wrote back to the Chief Medical Director asking LASUTH to allow us take advantage of the state’s Free Health Care programme.
Unfortunately, after Jotham’s discharge was issued, the authorities at LASUTH asked my wife to go back to the State Secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja to get a clearance from the State Government that it will pay the balance.
At Alausa, she was told that the state is broke and that we should go and pay half the cost before our son can be released from hospital. As it stands, we can’t settle the bills for now and Jotham can’t go home. This development has prevented us from continuing with his treatment for we are told that he cannot attend clinic as an inmate-only out patients can be attended to at the Out Patient Department (Clinic).
Jotham is a 14-year-old SS2 student and was preparing to write his Senior School Certificate Examination before he took ill. The youngster is emotionally drained and sometimes suffers emotional breakdown and cries. As his father, I would do my best to give my eldest son all the support that a loving father would give his son; sick or healthy.
I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Governor Akinwumi Ambode, the peoples’ governor to assist us take advantage of the state’s Free Health care programme.
His Class Teacher’s Remark on his Report Sheet reads: “He is a Promising Boy.”
When it was built in 1976, the Federal Secretariat, Lagos, was not only a signature of architectural masterpiece, its sheer opulence also stamped on global consciousness the country’s arrival into the oil boom era. But its glory was consigned to the trash can of history in 1991 when it was abandoned following the relocation of the country’s capital to Abuja. ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes that 24 years on, it has become a long tale of neglect.
Trees of all shapes and sizes seem to be competing for height with the abandoned 15-storey tower buildings which was once the heartbeat of the nation and the structure that gave Ikoyi its elitist tag. The Federal Secretariat, Ikoyi, Lagos home of Nigeria’s federal civil service when Lagos was a federal capital territory, majestically stands as a monument of waste.
The two buildings painted in brown texcote, consisting of twin towers each, lay in ruin, buried by an emerging jungle, amid surrounding opulence.
Opposite this “princely jungle” was Dodan Barracks that used to be the seat of power and home to most of the country’s military Heads of State, until the self-styled evil genius, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) shifted the country’s capital to the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Ironically, while the hub of the country’s bureaucracy lay in ruins and fast becoming a jungle, the impregnable Dodan Barracks seems to have lost nothing, preserved to attend to the needs of guests who frequently visited its banquet halls and warmed its beds.
Apart from the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which temporarily occupied one of its wings, no firm had used it since 1991. NAFDAC left soon afterwards, when its office was gutted by fire.
One of the federal projects started by Gen. Yakubu Gowon in 1975, the controversy that led to the nation’s pricey property’s sad end started in 2006, when Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, the then Minister of Works and Housing under President Olusegun Obasanjo, concessioned it to Resort International Limited (RIL); a private firm owned by Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) for N7.2 billion.
Babalakin’s idea was to convert the entire complex into a high rise housing complex and hope was on the rise that about 480 housing units might soon be added to resolve the shortfall in the nation’s housing stock.
Going by Obasanjo’s government’s calculation, RIL was expected to convert the complex to four, three and two bedroom flats, among others.
But the plan did not materialise with the Lagos State Government, led by a cream of its prominent sons vehemently opposed the idea of converting the complex from its original function to a residential area. Led by Lagos monarch Oba Rilwan Akiolu and former Governor Babatunde Fashola, Lagos State Government argued that the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) ought to have reverted to it once the reason for its take-over ceased to exist.
They obtained a court injunction barring anyone from carrying out any further activity within the complex, a situation responsible for its present state.
One of the tricycle operators Wahidi Ismail who plies the Ikoyi-Obalende route said the mechanics have turned the Federal Secretariat first gate area into a mini-mechanic workshop. According to him, the mechanic yard had been in operation for about five years, without any molestation from any one since then.
Though its investment as a concessionaire still subsists, RIL is being frustrated to embark on the project because of the court injunction and the state government’s non-disposition to approve the complex to be developed as residential area.
The state faulted the sale on the premise that the complex was too large to be used for residential purposes, especially because that was not the original plan when it was built in 1975.
Babalakin was once quoted as describing the situation as a major threat to the public private partnership (PPP) initiative and the concession option as an alternative to economic growth. He said all stakeholders, the concessionaire and banks, which have all invested a great deal in the project have lost hope. He explained that the project was conceived to convert idle Federal Government’s assets to viable structures.
A source at the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development said the structure must be reverted to its original use as encapsulated in the law.
But health and safety experts maintained that leaving such a facility abandoned for years is a threat to the environment. Thomas Adedeji said were it not for the police who have mounted surveillance at the facility, it would have been overtaken by miscreants and criminals.
“When a building has been abandoned for long, it starts to collapse gradually because human beings give strength to the building. The moment people stop using the building, structural defects begin to take place and the building may collapse.
“If you take it from an insurance point of view, if there are offices around the building, the insurance firm can increase their premium because part of the risk of their business is the building, which is prone to collapse. People are also prone to defecating around the structure, which can cause environmental hazards; people
around will inhale malodorous air that could make them fall sick.
“In my view, instead of leaving it to rot away, it should have been turned into flats for residents and offices which will generate a lot of money for the Federal Government. That building is in a beautiful location and it shouldn’t be wasted. The problem with us as Nigerians is that we always mismanage government’s property,” Adedeji said.
Adedeji’s fear resonated recently when news made the rounds that the complex had been overtaken by miscreants and criminals. But facts soon emerged that this was a false alarm, as those regarded as miscreants were, indeed, family members of the 24-member Mobile Policemen posted to guard the premises since the complex was locked up by the courts.
Taking the Executive Secretary of Ikoyi-Obalende Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Hon. Ms Toyin Caxton-Martins, round the premises recently, a Police Inspector, who heads the 24-member team at the premises, said the policemen who were posted from Maiduguri, Yobe and Adamawa states had to bring members of their families as a result of the fear of Boko Haram insurgents.
The Inspector, who implored the council chief to assist in weeding the bushes and cutting down the trees that had sprouted in the last 24 years of the premises’ abandonment, said his men had been cutting the bushes themselves to ensure their safety.
Caxton-Martins
Ms Caxton-Martins, who promised to make the environment more livable for the policemen said she is satisfied about the security situation of the abandoned complex, adding that the only time civilians are allowed into the premises was only on Fridays when the Moslems living around the secretariat were allowed to come to the mosque within the premises to pray. She said she will deliberate with officials of the council on how to assist in reducing the pains of the officers posted to guard the complex.
The lawmaker representing Ibadan North State Constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Segun Olaleye has celebrated his 43rd birthday with the physically-challenged.
Hon. Olaleye, who visited the Oluyole Cheshire Home in Sango area of the state, donated food items such as bags of rice, indomie noddle, wheat, semolina, drinks and other valuable items to the inmates.
The lawmaker said the gesture aimed at identifying with the physically-challenged in the society. He noted that no government in the history of Oyo State appreciates the less-privileged as the Senator Abiola Ajimobi-led administration. He, therefore, urged the people to support the governor in transforming the state.
Hon. Olaleye noted that the legislative and other arms of government never regretted the way the state governor is managing the affairs of the state, saying that if the state is being governed by another party other than the All Progressives Congress (APC), the state would have collapsed by now.
“We are here to celebrate with you. We are here to show you that we care about you. We are here to complement you. I am here to tell you that no government in the history of Oyo State ever appreciates the physically-challenged people as the present administration is doing.
“Governor Ajimobi appointed a Special Adviser on Disability which none of the previous administrations had done. We have no regret the way Governor Ajimobi has been managing the affairs of this state. If it were other parties in the state, the economy of Oyo State would have collapsed by now. I want to assure you that the state government will continue to support your home at all times,” he said.
The representative of the physically-challenged people, Mr. Kayoed Lawal appreciated the lawmaker’s gesture, saying he could have decided to celebrate his birthday with his friends and relations rather than the physically-challenged.
He said: “We appreciate your generosity and we pray that God will be with you and your family. This home has a school. We have primary and secondary school here. We also have some intending students but we have limited resources. We need government’s support. This home has contributed immensely to the rehabilitation of the disabled in Nigeria, especially in Oyo State. We want you to help us more.”
The Matron of the home, Mrs Abosede Olafikun said the lawmaker has proved that he cares about the less-privileged, especially the physically-challenged, even as she urged other lawmakers to emulate him.
Security operatives attached to Operation Mesa (OP Mesa) have arrested a suspected member of the Boko Haram sect in Ijora area of Lagos State following a tip-off by residents of the community.
The suspect, identified as Abdullahi Adamu, was apprehended during a raid carried out by operatives of the security outfit comprising the Army and the State Security Service (SSS).
Aminiya (Hausa newspaper) published weekly by Daily Trust had reported the arrest of the suspect on page 8 of its last week’s edition in which his photograph appeared.
In the circumstances, therefore, residents who saw the suspect’s published photograph were apprehensive and on the lookout. They informed the operatives who raided the area.
The raid, which took place at the Ijora 7-Up area of Lagos, came after a tip-off on the activities of a terror network allegedly co-ordinated by Iranians.
The suspects was arrested after soldiers ransacked one of the buildings in the area.
Adamu was said to have concealed some devices suspected to be explosives in boxes, which were stacked in the ceiling of the house. Also recovered alongside the suspected explosives were two AK47 rifles.
•Oba Aromire
The suspect was taken to the palace of the paramount ruler, Oba Fatai Aromire Ojora before being whisked away by the operatives.
The leader of the Hausa community, who resides in the area, Ahmed Hamanbade, said the suspect had made some suspicious moves, which attracted the surveillance of some people in the community.
“This morning, while in my shop, I was called upon that a Boko Haram suspect was in our midst, because everyone in the community had been duly notified that when we see any strange face, we should always question the person. When we caught him, he responded to our questions in the Hausa language and we learnt that he had escaped from Mubi in Adamawa State to Lagos,” he said.
In a chat with Southwest Report, Oba Fatai Ojora expressed worry over security lapses in the country.
•Ahmed Hamanbade
His words: “We have been calling on the state government to do something about this. This is the second time we will arrest Boko Haram suspects in this community and nothing has been done on that. The one we caught now had even admitted that he is a terrorist. You know that majority of the northerners in Lagos live in Ijora, Agege and Badia.’’
Also speaking, a community leader, Mr Sadiku Fashola said: ‘’During the civil war, the only place that experienced havoc was the Casino Cinema at Yaba. When any bomb was thrown during that time, it entered into the sea and would not explode because the olokun (sea goddess) stood as a protection to the people at that time. If anything wants to happen in this community, the people will come and inform the Kabiyesi.’’
Another member of the community who does not want his name in print said: “People came to me that they saw one man on the internet and that he is a member of Boko Haram, saying they know where he lives. They said they are going to his house and identify him. They arrested him and handed him to Oba of Ojora,” he said.
A member of the OP Mesa who spoke in confidence because he was not competent to speak on the matter confirmed the raid but did not state whether the suspect is a member of the Boko Haram sect or not.
He said similar raids were also carried out in other volatile areas of the state, adding that Thursday’s raid was carried out following information on the activities of the suspects.
“OP Mesa as a joint security outfit carried out its routine raids and made some arrests.
“The raids were simply part of those carried out everyday based on information at our disposal. The raids give the public confidence that security bodies are working.
“It is the way the OP Mesa was designed and once our sources give us tips, we swing into action,” he said, advising residents of Lagos to go about their normal businesses without fear.
There have been fears that the ongoing violence propelled by the Boko Haram sect in some northern states of Nigeria may spread southwards.
In February, three persons said to be members of Shiite sect were arrested in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital as they were planning to attack some Israeli and American interests in Lagos.
