On its bid to provide better health care for the people, a social club has offered free medical programme for market women in Bodija Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The club, Zontal Club International provided free diabetes health check to checkmate the prevalence of the disease among them.
Addressing the women, the President of the Club, Prof. Olufunke Egunjobi said diabetes is a silent killer which is yet to have a cure, stating that informed the reason the club partnered with Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) to reduce the deadly disease through early detection and treatment.
According to her, the club was giving full backing to the DAN to educate market women about the disease and to screen them free.
She said Zontal Club of Ibadan is one of the more than 1,200 clubs in 67 countries of the world that is made up of professionals and executive women to empower their fellow women who are less-privileged.
Prof. Egunjobi noted that market women who are described by the Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka as the queens of the road, are ever so busy to feed the nation at the expense of their health, stressing that it was the reason for Zontal Club to deem it fit to provide the medical service to them.
Corroborating her assertion, the chairman of DAN, Chief Emmanuel Adeyinka said many people are not aware of their health status, resulting in many people dropping dead without any cause.
A lawmaker representing Oshodi/ Isolo State Constituency, Hon. Jude Idimogu has promised to deliver the dividends of democracy to his constituents. He spoke after the inauguration of the 8th Assembly in the state recently.
Idimogu said Oshodi/Isolo had been backwards in terms of infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity. He therefore pledged to collaborate with his colleagues in the House to improve the living conditions of people. He also said youth empowerment will be given priority attention.
Idimogu said he would meet with the youth periodically to discuss areas that will impact meaningfully on their lives.
Nevertheless, he advised the youth to be law-abiding and give respect to constituted authority, adding that they should work hard to actualise their dreams in life.
He said: “As lawmakers, we will put in place effective laws that will favour Lagos residents in general and my constituencies in particular and also do what we call over-sight function and representation.
“I want to assure the people of my constituency that their reposing their confidence in me will not be in vain. I don’t believe I alone can achieve all; therefore, I will collaborate with the executive and my colleagues in the House. By the grace of God, there will be a difference.”
A cleric, Prophet Ezekiah Oluboye Oladeji has warned public office holders and other Nigerians who are bent on sinking the nation to desist from such act to avoid risking God’s anger, even as he said they must repent, as God is prepared to deal ruthlessly with Nigeria’s enemies.
Prophet Ezekiah Oluboye Oladeji of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) (Canaan Worldwide) gave the warning on Sunday as the church begins its annual “Power Explosion” on Oke Erio (Erio Mountain) in Ekiti State.
The week-long event which ends on Saturday is already attracting many visitors from within and outside Nigeria.
The Prophet said Nigeria should rejoice because new times are here.
“Nigerian will succeed. God will silence those who are bent on destroying Nigeria. I warn every fifth columnist to repent now, otherwise they may not live to see the glory of this country when it eventually crystallises,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “If as a leader you are dishonest, a betrayer or fraudulent, God will strike you in His wrath.”
He said it was revealed to him that Nigerians should expect great transformation in all ramifications in the current dispensation. “God is going to do things that are extra-ordinary in people’s lives,” he said.
His Royal Majesty, Oba Aremu Gbadebo Alake and paramount ruler of Egba land, has praised the vision of the O’odua Youths Congress (OYC) which aims at liberating Yoruba youths from impoverishment and engaging them to embrace self-advancement through diverse entrepreneurial support and empowerment programmes. He pledged his support to the group.
The Alake of Egba land praised the group when its leaders paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Ake, Abeokuta Ogun State
The monarch, who was highly impressed with the youths’ focus, especially coming at a time when millions of Nigerian youths are experiencing uncertainties due to the alarming rate of unemployment, gave his full support to the various empowerment programmes of OYC, particularly the agric-business and entrepreneurship development programmes of the group which aim at supporting over 600,000 youths from the Southwest region in the next two years.
Oba Gbadebo urged the youth leaders to remain focused in their bid to work Yoruba youths out of poverty. He pledged his total support whenever needed.
He called on government at all levels to invest heavily in micro-small, medium enterprises (MSMEs) which he said has the capacity to generate millions of employments for the youth and huge revenue for government.
While thanking the Alake identifying with their programmes, President of OYC, Ogbeni Moronkeji Oladapo, noted that Yoruba youths have continued to experience enormous socio-economic challenges and felt it was time they made efforts to genuinely empower themselves.
He assured that the OYC is committed towards reposition Yoruba youths for greater economic empowerment through deliberate engagement with stakeholders at various levels and increased access to decent employment opportunities, entrepreneurship support, civic participation, protection of vulnerable youths, health and innovative poverty eradication initiatives.
Oladapo revealed that “OYC is currently working with thousands of Yoruba youths through various empowerment programmes such as agriculture, entrepreneurship, creative arts, job placement facilitation, career development, scholarship and sports programmes. We are creating opportunities for Yoruba youths to meet the demands of adulthood, be economically independent and become more productive Nigerian citizens.”
He argued that with increased empowerment opportunities, young people have the opportunity to work their way out of poverty, transform their lives and create a better future for their families and communities. This is what OYC intends to make of Yoruba youths.
He said: “The OYC, among other goals, aims at promoting self-employment and small-scale business development as potent wealth generating initiative for the Yoruba youths. We will leave no stone unturned in our quest to achieve this.”
Contributing, Mr Bode Olalekan, OYC’s Deputy President, said the group is motivated by its strong belief in the capacity to galvanise the youth of various classes and replace their fear with hope through various empowerment programmes which it has mapped out.
On the agric programmes, OYC’s Director of Agric-business, Mr. Alade Adesanmi said: “We intend to embark on innovative agricultural projects for the Yoruba youths. We will provide the necessary financial and training supports that will encourage our teeming youths to embrace agric-business and help the existing farmers increase their crop yields, improve income and food security for their families and communities and create jobs for their neighbours.”
The Ogboye of Egbaland, Chief S.O. Akinremi, a retired cocoa farmer, who buttressed Alake’s position on the need to reposition agriculture in Yoruba land, said agric-business remains a goldmine that should never be ignored, adding that the various monumental edifices in the Southwest were constructed mainly with proceeds from agriculture. He, therefore, commended the OYC’s initiative, even as he urged Southwest governors and other well-meaning Nigerians to support their laudable programmes.
Other members of council of OYC present were Wale Adebiyi, treasurer; Wale Popoola, Director of Programmes and Kayode Fapohunda.
The state Controller, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mr. Clement Fatoki has urged industries operating in Ogun State to commit themselves to “safety culture and standards” in their work places.
Fatoki said strict adherence to occupational safety and health would reduce accidents in work environments among staff and management.
The Controller, who spoke in Sagamu, Ogun State, at this year’s “Health and Safety Month” of Lafarge plant said industrial accident is preventable if people commit themselves to health and safety culture.
He praised Lafarge for its safety standard, saying the cement manufacturing firm “has operated the Sagamu plant for 1, 237 days running with zero-accident while Ewekoro plant also recorded 506 working days without accident.”
Fatoki, who was represented by the Honorary Secretary, Industrial Safety of Nigeria (ISN), Jacob Oni, urged industries to take the safety and health of members of staff seriously.
Contributing, the Managing Director of Lafarge Africa Plc (WAPCO Operations) , Adepeju Adebajo, said the event was meant to create safety awareness and control among the company’s truck drivers.
According to Adebajo, measures have been taken to reduce trucks-induced accidents on the Nigerian roads, even as he revealed that Lafarge has installed monitoring systems to control over-speeding and behaviours of its drivers on the roads.
The hall was filled to capacity with turbaned clerics from across the Southwest states as well as Edo and Delta. They appeared in some of their best attires. Looking radiant and exuding joy, they exchanged banters with one another as they sat on their seats in the oval hall where announcement of the new President for their association was to be made.
The venue was the Secretariat of the League of Imams and Alfas at the highbrow Bodija Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
They came elect a new president to replace the former President and Chief Imam of Ibadan land, Sheik Suara Haruna who died in April.
At exactly 10:14 a.m. when members of the executive of the league emerged from an emergency meeting, the General Secretary, Sheikh Hammed Aladesawe made the much-expected announcement.
He informed the congregation that Keulere has been elected as the new President of the League of Imams and handed him over to the newly turbaned ýChief Imam of Ibadan land, Sheikh Abdul Ganiyu Agbotomokekere.
The shout of Allahu Akbar (God is great) rented the air as other state and grand Imams took turns to endorse him.
For over a decade now, June 12 has been regarded as significant day for the commemoration of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election. In Southwest Nigeria, for instance, it is usually an important day so much so that it is observed as public holiday in honour of who many regard as the symbol of Nigeria’s contemporary political evolution.
•MKO Abiola
In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the state government organised a novelty match between players of former Abiola Babes and the state’s All Star Players at the M.K.O Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta.
The novelty match was part of the activities lined up by the government to commemorate the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential polls which was adjudged to be the most credible and freest in the annals of Nigeria’s electoral process.
Also at Oja -Agbo, the Gbagura area of Abeokuta, a prayer for the repose of Abiola’s soul was observed. While the prayer session lasted, members of Abiola family, friends and officials of the Ogun State Government in attendance, prayed for the continued peaceful repose of his soul as well as the stability of the family, Ogun State and Nigeria.
Expectedly, even with the deluge of eulogies for Abiola as a political martyr and icon of Nigerian democracy, and cries of neglect by governments from those he left behind, nothing is said about the late politician’s decaying and uncompleted dream Presidential Lodge.
It is as if there is subsisting queer conspiracy between man and circumstance to rob the building of the badly needed attention.
As it has become an unfortunate norm in the scheme of things since 22 years after the annulment of the election and 17 years after the death of Abiola in detention, memorials of June 12 held are always held but no thought is ever spared for how to realise Abiola’s dream house.
A glimpse at the edifice from beyond the weather-beaten gates made of corrugated iron sheet or through the bland perimeter fence around it, one sees uncompleted building sitting in the prestigious Government Reservation Area (GRA) Ibara Abeokuta that appears pathetically odd when compared with other houses in the serene neighbourhood.
About 25 meters away from the gate, 47-year-old Mrs. Omotayo Elegbede, a petty food vendor who occupies a space by the fence for her business, rued the neglect of the late businessman’s and politician’s dream home.
Omotayo told Southwest Report that she never met Abiola or seen him while he was alive but deemed it a great help selling at the uncompleted building at no cost to her.
Inside the building was so dark as light only penetrated through the open or leaking portion of the roof. There are many staircases leading to the various rooms in the house; forming a labyrinth which some people say was designed to confuse any stranger who gained access into the building without approval.
And from one compartment of the building to the other, birds are heard chirping above the cellar. Bats hung from several pillars and many other reptiles found the place as safe haven; hiding in one of its many dark corners while walls leak as a result of wear and tear and the heavy rain.
The building, which was conceived to serve as Abiola’s personal Presidential Lodge upon assumption of office as the President after the historic election, has multiple rooms aside a unit within it said be designed for his wife, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, who was assassinated in 1996.
The spacious sitting room has a capacity for over 1,000 worshippers were it to serve as a church or mosque and the heavily-padded concrete pillars supporting the structure at strategic points, shows that Abiola might have had an ambition to erect a building that could withstand intense shock or stress such as shelling.
It was expected, according to a source, to have a sort of Helipad atop for landing of helicopters and the construction had been accelerated as the building firm hurried to meet the delivery date slated ahead of the envisaged swearing-in of Abiola as President of Nigeria in 1993.
But following the annulment of the polls, the arrest of Abiola after the famous Epetedo declaration, the contractor pulled out of site and had not returned till date.
A closer look still reveals worsening degrees of degeneration, and buffeted by the elements all year round in the last 22 years while the decking leaks whenever it rains just as the steel materials also rust away.
The occupant of the building, Mr. Kamoru Akindele, told Southwest Report that strangely enough, every June 12, pro – democracy groups, rights organisations and particularly, the Ogun State Government, individuals and groups in Yoruba land make it a habit to remember the late politician and business mogul.
Akindele, a staff of the Ogun State Housing Corporation, said he has been living in the premises of the uncompleted building for free in the past nine years with the permission of the Abiola’s family.
He noted that June 12 memorials are used to sustain the tortuous struggle and sacrificial death of Abiola that ushered in the current democratic era and the attendant freedom being witnessed today by most Nigerians.
He is questioning the rationale behind the yearly event in Southwest while Abiola’s properties, particularly the dream Presidential Palace, lies desolate and almost in waste without a thought to redeem it.
He said it is regrettable that of all the benefits that accrued to individuals, groups, states and the countries following Abiola’ s huge sacrifice for democracy, none has deemed it fit remember his uncompleted projects.
He reckoned that even if the rest of Nigeria treated Abiola’s struggle with ingratitude, should the Southwest states toe the same path?
“The anniversary is meaningless and of no effect when Abiola’s dream house remains desolate. What is the gain? He died for the democracy of today but what has that translated to in relation to this property?
“If the rest of Nigerians ignored him, should the Southwest states do same? The anniversary can only be meaningful if the house is completed and the key given to the Abiola family.
“I’m tired of seeing the house in this decrepit state. The picture of the house is published and governors of the Southwest states see it and have not done anything about it. It is an embarrassment,” Akindele told Southwest Report.
He recalled that about eight years ago, the premises was overtaken by weeds and shrubs that dwarfed the entire structure.
According to him, it was also a common site that some youths routinely hunt alligator lizards there, while a section of it serves as shelter for lunatic couples until they were evicted by the late politician’s family.
He revealed to Southwest Report that last year, Kola, Abiola’s first son, used to visit the place occasionally, and would look at the decaying structure for some minutes before taking his leave.
He expressed the hope that Kola would, one day, rally his brothers and sisters in a bid to salvage what is left of the once-envisaged Presidential House.
Two years ago, Abiola’s younger brother, Alhaji Musibau Abiola, also told Southwest Report that the building was so gigantic that a single individual may not be able to provide the needed fund for its completion, even as he noted that perhaps, only governments help–be it federal or state-could salvage the situation.
According to Musibau, the sorry state of the abandoned structure was a source of worry and discomfort to the family as it still remained one of the many losses and setbacks they had been contending with since the aborted June 12, 1993 general election and subsequent death of his brother.
Southwest Report gathered that during the administration of Chief Olusegun Osoba (1999 -2003), he showed interest in the building and was contemplating rallying help towards salvaging it. However, his inability to return to power in 2004 stalled his plans in that direction.
In the past two years, prominent Ogun State indigenes, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, had acknowledged the huge sacrifice Abiola paid for Nigeria, but many still hope that one day, someone would galvanise the financial help required to make Abiola’s dream house a reality.
An observer, who has great knowledge about property development once told Southwest Report that it would require over N60 million to rehabilitate or complete the building, excluding the cost of fittings. But he was quick to say that with the increasing decay on the structure, coupled with the rising cost of materials, N60m can only achieve little.
According to the observer, there is nothing wrong in the state government taking it upon itself to put the structure in shape, and also turning it to a five–star hotel before handing it over to the Abiola’s family.
He said this would be one valuable way to honour Abiola by the state government and thus save the late philanthropist’s name from the embarrassment and painful memory the continued sight of the forlorn dream building evokes in passers-by.
Last year, a member of Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s government Southwest Report that the issue of Abiola’s uncompleted building was not as simple as it seemed.
The government official, who pleaded for anonymity to avoid being quoted, said the family, however, has options.
The kidnap of a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade, sent shockwaves round Ekiti State as it marked the first time a man of God would be abducted by kidnappers in the Fountain of Knowledge. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA, recalls the drama surrounding the saga, the relief which followed the cleric’s escape from his captors and the state government’s effort to halt the scourge.
Ekiti State is fast becoming the hotbed of kidnapping in the Southwest, with many residents and passers-by falling victims.
The gunmen, in the course of carrying out their nefarious activities, killed some people and set vehicles ablaze.
The sight of a man who was heading for a wedding ceremony alongside his wife looking on helplessly as his spouse was being spirited away by abductors who obviously left him behind to look for ransom, was a gory and nerve-wracking one.
Many acts of kidnapping took place along Ido-Ekiti axis in Ido/Osi Local Government Area where the locals are currently gripped with fear following the crackdown on the area by the hostage takers. The people were yet to come to terms with the kidnap of 11 people; albeit at various locations, when the news of the kidnap of a Catholic Priest broke out.
The rampaging kidnappers added a new dimension to their operation on June 9, when they stormed the premises of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Ido-Ekiti at 8:00 .p.m. and abducted the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade.
The news of Fr Akingbade’s abduction was shocking, indignant and incredible to his parishioners, the people of Ido-Ekiti, the clergy and all laity of the Ekiti Catholic Diocese.
The three-man gang reportedly broke into the vicarage and ordered, at gun point, one of the occupants to lead them to the room of the Parish Priest.
On finding their target, they abducted him and whisked the defenceless man to an unknown destination from where they established contacts with the Catholic authorities in the diocese.
The kidnappers made away with the Priest’s laptop, mobile phone and undisclosed amount of money.
The news of the abduction of the cleric soared like a harmatan bush fire the following day, June 10 and threw the community into confusion as youths poured to the streets to protest his seizure.
They blocked the highway that traversed the town with used tyres, logs of wood and other objects, demanding his immediate release.
The irate protesters wondered why the town is being targeted by kidnappers as many have been kidnapped in the community and its environs.
Many motorists plying Ifaki-Ido-Otun Road either parked their vehicles or turned back so as not to be caught up in the protest.
Akingbade, who is also a lawyer, was born on September 9, 1971 and was ordained a Priest on July 18, 1998.
He is also the Assistant Director, Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti.
The kidnap of Rev. Fr Akingbade threw the Catholic world into anxiety as the news reached the Vatican, the seat of power of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis, the head of over 1 billion Catholics worldwide was also worried.
In the same manner the first generation church prayed for Apostle Peter who was kept in the gulag of Herod and was awaiting execution by decapitation, the Catholics, the world over were praying for Fr Akingbade’s safe release.
Masses were held, candles were lit and supplications made to the Almighty God for him to come out of the “lions’ den” unscathed.
Only God knew the type of prayers the abducted Priest offered in the kidnappers’ den. Would it be the one Jonah prayed in the belly of the fish or the one prayed by Daniel in the den of lions?
•Bishop Ajakaye
It was a traumatic period for the Catholic Bishop of Ekiti, Most Rev. Felix Femi Ajakaye, under whom the kidnapped Priest was serving before the incident occurred.
Other Priests in the diocese were concerned about the safety of one of their own and this formed the topics of discussion anytime they met or visited the Catholic Secretariat or the Bishop’s Court in Ado-Ekiti.
The parents of the kidnapped Priest, who are from Ipole Iloro in Ekiti Wrst Local Government Area, were also concerned about the safety of their son; but they received assurances from the Bishop that their son would come back unhurt.
As the kidnappers held on to Fr Akingbade, they started making demands for ransom. Southwest Report gathered that they initially asked for a N20 million ransom which was flatly turned down by Bishop Ajakaye, who made it clear to them that no ransom would be paid for the release of Fr Akingbade.
It was a mixture of a rude shock and a startling surprise when the kidnappers changed their mind and upped their ransom demand to N200 million with many Catholic faithful wondering what could have prompted the fiends to jerk up the amount demanded.
But they met their match in Bishop Ajakaye who maintained that no ransom would be paid to secure the release of Fr Akingbade.
The Bishop hinged his tenacity on the fact that any Catholic Priest that makes a vow to serve God in his vineyard has given himself, including his life, up to God and if death comes along in the course of the service, so be it hence no ransom would be paid by the church.
That seemed to be the game changer with the kidnappers reaching the dead end as they could not fathom the tenacity of the Bishop and the support of the clergy and laity that no ransom should be paid to secure the Priest’s release.
It was with a huge relief that the Catholics received the news of Fr Akingbade’s freedom from the grip of his captors on June 16, exactly a week after he was abducted.
On learning about the cheering news, many Priests and church members trooped to the Bishop’s Court to confirm the arrival of Fr Akingbade.
Other sympathisers, including the pupils of St. Joseph’s Catholic Nursery/Primary School, led by their teachers and Rev. Sisters were seen in jubilation.
The atmosphere of gloom and uncertainty which had enveloped the diocese suddenly gave way to joy, fulfilment and celebration.
Journalists too paid visits to the Bishop’s Court on learning of the return of Fr Akingbade.
To further prove that the Priest was back, Ajakaye directed one of his aides to bring out Fr Akingbade from the inner chambers for reporters to see him after which he was ushered back.
Speaking on his experience since the Priest was kidnapped; Ajakaye expressed worry about the worsening security situation in Ekiti State in particular and Nigeria in general.
He insisted that the concerned authorities must address the malaise, noting that “the matter affects us all “.
He expressed shock that some people could place money on the head of an innocent person for pecuniary gain; wondering why the much-cherished values of being one’s brother’s keeper is fast disappearing.
He said: “They (the kidnappers) told me it (kidnapping) was business and I told them that Catholic Church don’t pay ransom. They have been speaking with me and they still spoke with me yesterday (Monday).
“He (Akingbade) spoke with me in captivity twice. It was a trying and hard moments for me. We pray and we want his abduction to put an end to abductions in Ekiti State.”
Bishop Ajakaye expressed sadness that Ekiti State entered the record book for the wrong reasons as it became the first state in the Southwest where a Catholic Priest would be kidnapped.
The Bishop said he hoped that the incident would mark the last time abduction would happen in Ekiti State.
He also advocated a review of the anti-kidnapping law in the country, noting that 10-year prison term is mild in curbing the menace.
While expressing gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Ita Ekpenyong; state Commissioner of Police, Etop James, state Director of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), Duke Fubara and their officers for their effort in the search for the abducted Priest.
Bishop Ajakaye, however, called for better equipment of security agencies to perform their statutory responsibilities of protecting lives and property and an enabling environment to function.
The Bishop said: “This morning, we thank God. We saw him (Akingbade). God did it and I thank everybody for their prayers because we rely on God, we believe in God and God can do anything.
“But we told our people not to abuse the abductors because we wouldn’t want the abductors to be cursed and we want things to change for the better in our state and Nigeria as a whole.
“What happened to Fr. Akingbade happened to every member of the Church, so all over the world, people were praying.
“They were even threatening that they would kill him and I told them that on the day he was ordained he had sacrificed himself.
“But we were still negotiating. They asked me how much we could afford, I said even one kobo, we cannot afford.
•Fr. Akingbade
“We thank God who took control. We told them we would be praying, that we would not even curse them. I told them that they should know that they are children of God, that Fr Akingbade should be released unconditionally, that we are not paying any ransom to them.”
While lamenting the sad experience the church went through during the Priest’s captivity, the Bishop described abduction and other vices plaguing the country, particularly Ekiti State, as “menace that must be fixed.”
He further said: “We cannot give up on Ekiti State; we cannot give up on Nigeria. We need practical change even though people deserve the type of government they get.
“The law must be revisited. This thing must be addressed and all of us must speak against it. What we have not been experiencing before in Ekiti State, is now happening on daily basis.
“In a place where there is no security, no justice, there can be no development. The energy of the kidnappers can be better diverted to other good things and there should be respect for human dignity.
While maintaining that no ransom was paid, Bishop Ajakaye declined to reveal how Fr Akingbade regained his freedom. But an inside source disclosed that he escaped from his captors “miraculously”. The Bishop promised to talk on that later. This would go down in record as the first celebrated kidnap saga in recent times upon which no ransom was paid.
Assessing the security situation in the state, another cleric, Prophet Hezekiah Oladeji has expressed regrets that the upsurge of kidnapping and other criminal activities in Ekiti State has been driving away investors wishing to do business in the state.
He spoke during a press briefing ahead of a week-long revival programme tagged Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola Power Explosion 2015 at Erio Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government Area.
The Prophet, who is the General Overseer of Christ Apostolic Church, Canaan Land, charged religious and political leaders to also form a strong coalition with security agencies to bring the situation under control.
He said: “We cannot deny that the ugly incidences have been driving investors away from Ekiti State.
“Those who used to ply the Federal roads in Ekiti to Abuja no longer pass through them because of the fear that they could be kidnapped. It has also affected the economic activities of the people.
“But I share the belief that God will intervene in the matter. One of our prayer points during this year’s revival is that God should expose these evil doers”, he stated.
The upsurge in kidnapping has affected the lifestyles of residents of Ekiti State who are now more security conscious than ever before.
Residents now come home earlier than before while visits to pubs, hotels, discotheques and other relaxation spots have reduced drastically.
Owners of exotic vehicles and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) no longer use them at night as drivers of such vehicles have become targets of kidnappers.
Nightlife has been affected while those doing their businesses at night close early. Apparently disturbed by the horrible trend, the state government has threatened to sanction communities and individuals harbouring suspected kidnappers and other criminals.
The government said any building, farm land or property harbouring criminals or discovered to be used for criminal activities will be confiscated or demolished while owners of such property would be treated as collaborators and heavily sanctioned.
The Deputy Governor, Dr. Kolapo Olusola, made this known at a meeting with traditional rulers and leaders of some ethnic groups from outside
Ekiti State dwelling in areas identified as hideout for kidnappers.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Commissioner of Police, Director of Department of State Services (DSS) in Ekiti State, Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff to the Governor and other top government functionaries.
Olusola frowned at the spate of kidnapping in Ekiti State which he noted was formally adjudged the most peaceful and with lowest crime rate in Nigeria.
The Deputy Governor said kidnapping and other criminal activities were very alien to Ekiti.
He opined that the kidnappers would not have been successful in their operations if there had not been collaborators in those communities, hence the need to urgently address the issues before it grew out of hands.
Olusola called on the traditional rulers whose domains have been identified as hideouts for kidnappers to hold meetings with their subjects and other ethnic groups living in their communities with a view to reporting any suspicious movements to security agents before the criminals carry out their nefarious acts. The Deputy Governor expressed joy that Rev. Fr Akingbade who was kidnapped Penultimate week at Ido-Ekiti has been released without payment of any ransom.
He urged leaders of the various ethnic groups from outside the state to caution their kinsmen living in those areas and in Ekiti State generally to be careful and be wary of harbouring any criminal. This is because most of the suspects arrested over the kidnap saga so far are non-Ekiti State indigenes.
Olusola said: “Everybody should join hands with the government and security agents to curtail this ugly trend that has thrown the state into panic. Anybody found to be collaborating with the criminals, either by harbouring them on the farmland, at home or anywhere, would be dealt with decisively.”
He urged the people not to panic but be security conscious, assuring that the government and the security agents are on top of the situation and that all the criminals and collaborators would be completely chased out of Ekiti.
The representative of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. AbdulKadir Mohammed and the Director of the DSS Mr. M. C. Odika also commended the co-operation of the government and the people, even as they called for more timely information from the people.
The security chiefs said the people should go about their lawful businesses, assuring that the police will work round the clock to ensure that peace and security are restored in Ekiti.
Elesure of Esure, Oba Adebanji Ajibola and the Olugbole of Igbole, Oba Emmanuel Adetiloye, who in their separate remarks explained their personal efforts and that of their communities to assist the security agents, noted that security officers needed to be more pro-active and respond more quickly to distress calls.
Residents of Idi-Kanga area of Ibadan North East Local Government Area of Oyo State have urged government to quickly re-build the bridge linking the area with Iwo Road to ease the frustration of motorists and residents.
Most part of the decrepit bridge has been washed off by erosion, thereby cutting off the community from others.
The Vice-President of Youth Advance Movement (YAM) in the community, Mr. Biodun Ale, who inspected the collapsed bridge with his members, pleaded with the state and local governments to repair the bridge.
“Government must quickly fix the bridge to alleviate the suffering of motorists and residents who have to spend more time on alternative routes to get to their destinations,” Ale said.
The Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Michael Sonariwo, has been listed as a witness in the suit filed by Prince Adetayo Odunsi challenging the nomination of Albert Mayungbe to the stool of Odemo of Isara, Remo. The pre-conference trial (PTC) of the suit has been fixed for June 30, this year by the trial judge, Justice Olugboyega Ogunfowora of Sagamu High Court Ogun State.
The stool of Odemo of Isara, Remo had remained vacant since eight years ago after the death of the former ruler of the ancient town, Oba Idowu Onadeko. The Akarigbo, who is one of the four witnesses listed by the claimant, has already filed an affidavit before the Sagamu High Court, Ogun State.
Informed sources said Oba Sonariwo, who is also the paramount ruler of Remoland, had, in a letter dated April 12, 2011 and addressed to the Caretaker Committee of Remo North Local Government Area, raised objection to the nomination of Mayungbe by the kingmakers. He alleged that Mayungbe is not of a royal blood in response to the enquiry of the Remo North Local Government Area that sought his consent on the nomination of Albert Mayungbe.
The monarch believed he should not have been nominated and subsequently declined to give his consent to the choice of Mayungbe purportedly by the Erinsiba/Ayoledoye Ruling House. He had referred to the grave objection raised by one Prince Olufemi Omoyele who is alleging that the first defendant is an Odi, which he said was “well founded”.
Joined as co-defendants in the suit number HCS/158/2013 are the head of the ruling house, Prince Obafemi Awoyade; Secretary, Remo North Local Government Area; Oliwo of Isara, Chief Ajibowu Ogunfowodu; Apena of Isara, Chief Jimoh Soyombo; Chief Ladipo Ogunyemi; Ogbeni Odi of Isara, Chief Olajubu Osibote; Ekeji Asipa Odi, Chief Tunde Kalejaiye; Asipa Odi of Isara, Chief Owuye Logba.
Others are Ekeji Asipa Odi of Isara, Chief Efuwape Sotikare; Olori Emo of Isara, Chief Bashiru Awoniyi; Ekeji Olori Emo of Isara, Chief Korede Ogunwole; Asipa Emo of Isara, Chief Nosiru Sodipe; Ekeji Asipa Emo, Chief Adewole Sopitan; Ogun State Governor; Executive Council of Ogun State Government; the state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice as second to 18th defendants respectively.
In his 32-point statement of claim, Prince Odunsi, who is a direct descendant of the late Oba Oyemade Mayungbe and progenitor of Erinsiba-Ayoledoye Ruling House averred that he is lawfully entitled to the stool of Odemo of Isara Remo.
Giving a chronological order of the obas produced by the ruling house, he averred that their progenitor was Rosanlu, also known as Erinsiba and that “Rosanlu begot Oyetade who, in turn, begot Oyemade, also known as Mayungbe alias Ayoledoye” adding that Mayungbe had four wives of which Arobo was the third.
The claimant also averred that as at the time Mayungbe married Arobo, who hailed from Akure, she came with a male child whose name was Ogunsakin from her earlier marriage and that when he later became king, he accommodated Ogunsakin in the palace.
The claimant maintained that when Oba Oyetade Mayungbe ascended the throne, “in order to differentiate Ogunsakin, his step son and an outsider from other children in the palace, he made Ogunsakin an “Odi” meaning a servant to the king.
He stated that under Yoruba custom and tradition which are also applicable in Isara-Remo, an “odi” is not a member of a ruling house and can never qualify for nomination into the stool of Odemo of Isara-Remo” and that Ogunsakin also served as “odi” to Oba Poke, the successor to Oba Oyetade Mayungbe.
To buttress his claim, he stated further that “Ogunsakin begot Oyekunle who, in turn, begat the first defendant and that upon the death of Ogunsakin, Oyekunle, his son, the father of the first defendant, also served as “odi” to two successive Obas in Isara-Remo, the late Oba Samuel Akinsanya and the late Oba Adeboboye Osideinde”.
He further claimed that the selection of the first defendant as Odemo-elect “is wrongful and should be declared null and void on the grounds that he is not a member of Erinsiba-Adyoledoye Ruling House but a lineage of past odis in Isara-Remo and thus not qualified for nomination as a candidate for the Odemo of Isara chieftaincy title.
Odunsi sought seven prayers and orders against the defendants; namely “ a declaration ýthat the first defendant is not a member of the Erinsiba-Adyoledoye Ruling House and therefore not qualified to contest for the stool; that under native law and custom applicable in Isara and Remo land generally, an odi (servant of the king) or any of his descendants is not qualified to contest the stool of Odemo of Isara; that the first defendant’s late grandfather and father, late Ogunsakin and Oyekunle Mayungbe were odi to the late Oba Samuel Akinsanya and the late Oba Adeboboye Osideinde and therefore not qualified to aspire or to be considered for nomination to the stool”.
He, therefore, sought an order of the court setting aside the nomination exercise of Erinsiba/Ayoledoye Ruling House held on February 21, 2011 at which meeting the first defendant emerged as one of the candidates for the Odemo of Isara chieftaincy stool; an order setting aside the decision of the kingmakers selecting or electing the first defendant as the candidate for the Odemo of Isara chieftaincy; an order setting aside any recommendation, if any, made by the 19th defendant and generally by the 15th, 17th and 18th defendants in relation to the first defendant as the Odemo-elect of Isara-Remo and an order directing the third defendant to issue fresh notice to the second defendant, as head of Erinsiba/Ayoledoye, to summon a fresh meeting of the ruling house for the purpose of nominating candidates to fill the vacant stool of Odemo of Isara, to the exclusion of the first defendant.
In their statement of defence and counter-claim, the first, second, sixth to tenth and 14th defendants admitted some of the assertions of the claimant and denied others.
The first defendant, Albert Mayungbe, insisted on being a “bonafide member and descendant of the Erinsiba/Ayoledoye Ruling House and that the late Oba Mayungbe, aside from being a trader, met and married Arobo in Akure where Ogunsakin, his grandfather, was born.
He further claimed that odis in Isara are not servants to the Obas but appointed from among the royal houses and trusted relations, adding that his grandfather, Ogunsakin, rendered assistance to Oba Samuel Akinsanya which the Oba appreciated by appointing his son, Oyekunle Mayungbe as his odi contrary to the assertions of the claimant.
