The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ibadan

  • Tensions as combat- ready soldiers take positions in Ibadan

    Ahead of the announcement of the final winner of Saturday’s Governorship and House of Assembly election, there is palpable fear and tension within Ibadan, the Oyo State capital city.

    The fear, according to investigation, is as a result of political clash that resulted in the death of a member of the House of Representative, Mr. Olatoye Sugar.

    Sporadic gunshots were heard around Iwo Road, Gbagi, Wema, Alakia-Isebo, Iyana Church, Monatan which is believed is the stronghold of the late politician.

    But nobody was seen arrested while heavy security patrol also moved around the affected areas.

    Olatoye was according to sources shot in the eyes in Lagelu area of the state and later died at the University College Hospital, UCH.

    The ever -busy Alakia-Isebo, Gbagi-Wema, Iwo Road- Ife Expressway, Monatan-Iyana-Church, Iwo-road-Idi Ape road, Idi-Ape-Agodi-Gate were deserted as residents only peeped from the frontage of their homes.

    Military operatives were seen by our correspondent mounting security checkpoints at Idi-Ape, Agodi-Gate, the road leading to the Agodi Government House among others.

    Residents, who have business moving around, were seen raising their hands in the hands while vehicles were subjected to serious search by the stern -looking military men.

    As at the time of filing this report, many commuters were also stranded and walking to and fro their various destinations.

    Many of the transporters and commercial motorcycles talked to said they decided not to go beyond the streets for the fear of the unknown.

    However, commercial operators who were bold to convey passengers did so as exorbitant rates.

  • Oyo sets up committee on proposed Oke-Ogun University

    The Oyo State Government Friday set up a committee to work out the birthing of Oke-Ogun University, Iseyin.

    It also disclosed that it has commenced the payment of the financial benefits for workers in line with the 2012 – 2016 promotion exercise as recommended by the Technical Committee set up by the governor on February 14, 2019.

    The government said that the 12- man committee on the establishment of a tertiary institution in Iseyin has the mandate to submit its report in three weeks.

    READ ALSO: Oyo releases N1.5b for teachers, council workers’ gratuities

    The Head of Service, Mrs. Olawumi Ogunesan, said that the implementation of the promotion payment commenced with the February 2019 salary which has been paid by the state government.

    According to Ogunesan, the committee on the establishment of a tertiary institution in Iseyin is headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Olalekan Ali, with a representative of Ministry of Education as Secretary. Other members include the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Administration, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology and representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Budget, Works and Transport as well as Justice.

    She added that other members of the committee are the Chairman of Governing Council of The Polytechnic Ibadan, the Vice Chancellor of the First Technical University, Ibadan and three representatives from Iseyin.

    Mrs. Ogunesan said: “Oyo State Government, acceding to the request of Iseyin people to establish a tertiary institution in Iseyin Area, set up a twelve man committee which is to submit its report within three weeks.”

  • Cancer biggest killer in Ibadan, says UCH CMD

    The Chief Medical Director (CMD) University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge, has revealed that cancer is the commonest cause of death in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital since 2015.

    Alonge disclosed this while reflecting on his eight-year tenure in an interaction with reporters in Ibadan.

    The Orthopedic surgeon explained that data generated from the hospital revealed that cancer has been the leading source of death in the hospital along with infections including HIV/AIDS, injuries and Cardiovascular diseases since 2015.

    To address the ugly trend, Alonge said the hospital acquired two 22-channel brachi-therapy machines able to treat the three commonest types of cancer.

    He added the machine can treat minimum of 50 patients a day.

    According to him, most of the infections are HIV/AIDS-related, dismissing the impression the killer virus has been largely stamped out as a ruse.

    He said the campaign against stigmatisation may have contributed to the spread of the virus again, as infected people live without stigma, get more comfortable but go round to infect unsuspecting members of the public.

    Alonge said he was leaving the position fulfilled because he succeeded largely in his dream of transforming the UCH.

    He added his goal was to build the people, build a system and build service and infrastructures that will enable the hospital regain its status as the leading teaching hospital in West Africa.

    He pointed out that he succeeded in the goal, hence his feeling of fulfillment.

    The outgoing CMD said he enjoyed the support of the staff and Board of Management in his efforts to transform the hospital, stressing that he was leaving the hospital better than he met it.

    His successor, Prof. Abiodun Otegbayo, takes over at the end of the month.

  • Photos: INEC begins distribution of election materials

    Ahead of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) has begun the distribution of sensitive election materials in Ibadan.

     

    Read Also; INEC begins distribution of sensitive materials in Imo

  • My landlady sent me packing for greeting her `enemy’ – tenant tells court

    Mrs Opeyemi Akinjobi on Thursday told a Grade C Customary Court at Bode Igbo in Ibadan that her landlady ejected her from her shop for allegedly discussing with the landlady’s  assumed `enemy’.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akinjobi is a hair dresser and rented a shop at Alexander, Apata area of Ibadan from her landlady.

    Akinjobi told the court that  she was not aware of any misunderstanding between her landlady and the person she was found discussing with.

    Akinjobi said, “Due to the nature of my work, I interact with a lot of people.

    “This particular lady in question comes often to my shop and we discuss extensively. I do not know she has an issue with my landlady.

    “I was discussing with this woman on one of the days when I saw my landlady passing before my shop to her house.

    “Some minutes after she passed, the shop caretaker came to serve me  a notice to quit the shop without a genuine reason.

    “The caretaker said that the landlady claimed that I was owing two years’ rent on my shop, which is not true,’’ she said.

    The hairdresser said that she had earlier paid her rent in cash to the landlady when she rented the shop to her.

    “Unfortunately, I did not obtain a receipt because I made the payment at night.

    “She, however, promised to give me the receipt the following day, but she did not.

    “I requested twice for the receipt on different days, but she kept giving me one excuse or the other,” she said.

    Akinjobi said her witnesses, who are also tenants to the landlady, would have been in court but for the fear of their landlady.

    “They are afraid of being sent out by our strict landlady,” she said.

    The caretaker, Mr Olusoji Ibikunle, however, told the court that he was not aware of Akinjobi making any payment to the landlady.

    Ibikunle said the landlady had shown him a bank statement showing that the hairdresser was indeed owing rent up to two years.

    “The directive to quit the shop came at the instance of the landlady,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the said landlady was, however, not in court.

    The president of the court, Chief Muraina Agbomeji, therefore, ordered the landlady to appear in court on Feb. 11, the adjourned date.

    NAN

  • ‘Standard gauge ‘ll ease Ibadan, Abeokuta workers’ movement’

    There is the possibility of residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, coming to work in Lagos State when the standard gauge rail line takes off, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) said yesterday.

    Lagos Railway District Manager (RDM) Mr. Jerry Oche told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the nearly completed Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge would open opportunities for communities within the railway corridors.

    He said: “This is a huge opportunity for people living along the corridors. Many people will prefer to live in Abeokuta and work in Lagos State due to speed and timeliness of the new train.

    “The development will even open business opportunities for communities along the railway corridors.”

    Oche said the standard gauge would travel at 150km per hour, and Lagos-Ibadan is 156km journey through the standard gauge.

    “So, you can live in Ibadan and work in Lagos, which is a very good development for people and for our economy.

    “The train travelling with such speed will curtail the menace of gridlock in the cities and relieve the highway of pressure, as travellers will prefer going with train rather than through the road,” he added.

    The RDM said the infrastructure would also bring vast job opportunities and social advantages to the youth, the populace and the states.

    “Perishable goods in communities will now be easily transported to the city where the demands are higher, thereby reducing the cost of goods and services,” he said.

    The standard gauge is expected to be test run early next month.

     

  • 2019: Ibadan stands still for PMB, Osinbajo

    Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on yesterday stood still to receive President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who were in the state on a campaign tour.

    This is coming even as the President solicited for the support and understanding of the traditional rulers and people of the state in his bid to take the country to its next level of development. The two-legged event which started with a consultative meeting with traditional rulers from across the pacesetter state ended up with a presidential campaign rally at the famous Mapo Hall, Ibadan.

    No fewer than 103 traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji and Soun of Ogbomosho, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi, met the President, the Vice President and other top party leaders at the consultative meeting which held at the House of Chiefs, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan. Noting how his administration had faired since 2015, the President said the 16 years of the People’s Democratic Party’s rule could be likened to torment to the people with a dearth of infrastructure despite the availability of immense fund.

    He said “I am here to warn you to please reflect on the conditions we met this country in 2015, where we are now and what we are able to do even with the little available resources to us. I keep on repeating this just as a reminder and I challenge any Nigerian to go to Europe, United States and Asia and check for the 16 years of PDP rule, I know you (traditional rulers) are supposed to be apolitical. I challenge anybody to go and check, that for the 16 years of PDP, Nigeria was earning good money and the state of our infrastructure and of our people were worse when we came, the road, the rail were in decay and there was no power.

    “Along the line, some of them admitted that they spent 16million dollars on power and yet to no avail. Once the roads are good, the rail is working and there is power, most Nigerians would mind their own business, they won’t even care about who is in government. But when there is no infrastructure, everybody will sit at home and curse the government. I assure you that our plan is to secure the country and improve on the economy and things that will rub on the lives of the people. You all know these things more than I do because you sit more around your people day-in and day-out.

    “So, please we need you and your constituencies, we appeal for your support and understanding. We assure you that we will not abuse the trust and we will not spare anybody who abuses the trust. ”Responding on behalf of the traditional rulers, the Alaafin appealed to the President to give Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State the needed support for him to emerge the next Senate president, saying the governor has indeed transformed the state from been known as a garrison command to a modern state upon the assumption of office in 2011.

    While addressing the thousands of party supporters who had thronged the Mapo rally venue, APC National leader and co-Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu warned the people not to be deceived with the lies of those he described as greedy looters. He pointed out that only the main opposition party is planning to rig election but that members of the ruling party must ensure that they troop out on February 16th to celebrate the final burial of the opposition and send some political opponents to their political retirement. Tinubu said, “Don’t let looters and greedy people lie to you and deceive you again. Have you been hearing that they have been threatening that they will rig the election? Will we still rig election with this huge population of supporters? Are they not the ones without members anymore? They are the ones without people. We are not going backwards again. Buhari is the only choice.”

     

     

  • APC women, youths mobilise for Buhari, Osinbajo in Southwest

    Ibadan, the Oyo State capital was practically locked down on Saturday as female and youth members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gathered to mobilize for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    Women and youth groups from the six states of Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti and Osun stormed the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty Stadium) in different customized APC uniforms to express their support and persuade others to join the second-term bid of the president and his deputy.

    To the women, Buhari’s support for the various market groups with financial aids and social investment facilities including Tradermoni, Marketmoni and N-Power as well as the administration’s other achievements in infrastructure; security and anti-corruption make their re-election deserving.

    The youths posited that re-electing the APC candidates is the only sure way of building and securing their future, pointing out that allowing another party to win might truncate their hopes of a better future.

    The delegates were led by the wives of the state governors including Erelu Bisi Fayemi (Ekiti), Mrs Bolanle Ambode (Lagos), Mrs Olufunso Amosun (Ogun), Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu (Ondo), Mrs Kafayat Oyetola (Osun) and Mrs Florence Ajimobi (Oyo), who doubles as the chief host and Southwest Zonal Coordinator of the group.

    Wives of the governors of Kebbi and Nassarawa were also in attendance alongside the national and zonal women leaders of the governing party.

    To support the women, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, represented by a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mr Femi Pedro, Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) , Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), former and serving deputy governors, Ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, among other party stalwarts, were also in attendance.

    Delivering a remark on behalf of the Wife of the President Hajia Aishat Buhari, the wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, took time to educate the people on how to respond should the party supporters be challenged by anyone on why they are supporting the ruling party.

    She also enjoined the women and youths to shun any form of violence but only cast their votes for the APC and monitor same.

    Read Also: NASS don’t hate President Buhari – Dogara

    “Today if we say we are with the APC, it is right for anyone to ask us why. In that wise, what response are we going to give them? The response should be that, we are with good people. It is a party with integrity, it is a merciful party. APC and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is a compassionate party. This government is feeding students and has remembered and supported farmers. The food being prepared for the children are gotten from the farmers. The farmers are getting better.

    “President Buhari and APC also remembered the market women. He remembered petty traders and supported them. And more importantly, tell them you are supporting APC because we are going to the next level. We are going to the next level and we are going higher in our lives, our career, our jobs and in other areas of the national life.

    “This gathering is for women and youths. The youths must listen to what I am saying, look at all our mothers here, they are here because of you. Even if they (the oppositions) have lied to you, as youths let me tell you the truth. All that President Buhari is doing is because of you and for you.

    “I want our youths to know that on the day of the election, they must not fight so as not to make our mothers weep. On the day of the election, we must go to the polls rejoicing because we know we are going higher to the next level.”

    In her remark, the National Women Leader/National Coordinator, Hajia Salamatu Baiwa, said: “This President has done us good and it is our turn to say ‘thank you’ by going back to bring our families to re-elect our president, our father, Baba Buhari, so that he can consolidate on the good works he has started so as to sustain a beautiful future for our children.

    “Remember, we can’t afford to leave our country in the hands of thieves, those who will sell all Nigerian assets and leave us (women and our children) stranded. Can we afford to do that? Can we afford to leave Nigeria in the hands of thieves? If that is the case, come all out with your children and then vote for President Buhari again so that Nigeria can be better, so that our children can have a greater future.”

    The Southwest Zonal Youth Leader, Mr Lawal Kolade said: “We are here today on a historical mission. Nigerian belongs to all of us. To whom much is given, much is expected. Our dear president has done much for us to re-elect him, come February 16, 2019.

    “What Buhari is doing is building the foundation for us because in the next ten years, he will be back home playing advisory roles for us. President Buhari is fixing the future of the youths and so we must help him to help ourselves. When we leave here, let us go from house-to-house, from street-to-street, local government-to-local government and from state-to-state to tell them the good job the president is doing.”

    While expressing the conviction that the rally will strengthen the capacity of the party to get o the next level, Mrs Ajimobi in her welcome address, listed the many social welfare schemes of the Federal Government to help uplift the plight of the people.

  • Historian warns youths on selling their vote

    Weeks to the commencement of the 2019 general elections, Africa’s foremost Historian, writer and scholar, Prof Toyin Falola has advised Nigerian youths to take advantage of their huge population to vote in credible politicians in this year’s general elections.

    He also warned the youths against being induced by money but to vote according to their conscience in the interest of their future.

    The African culture enthusiast spoke on Wednesday at a one-day conference where he made a public presentation of his new book entitled, “In Praise of Greatness: The Poetics of African Adulation” which held at the Conference Centre of Lead City University, Ibadan.

    The conference was organized by Pan-African University Press in collaboration with Lead City University, Ibadan and Faculty of Arts of the University of Ibadan.

    The conference chaired by Professor Femi Osofisan was attended by literary giants and scholars including Pro-Chancellor, Lead City University, Prof Jide Owoeye, Executive Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP), Prof Tunji Olaopa, Prof Adeyemo Aderemi, Prof Demola Da’Silva and Prof Michael Oladejo Afolayan who delivered the keynote address.

    Professor Falola said, “Our youths should not see politicians as their role models but they should stop them from looting the country. Do not imitate them. Do not collect money from them. Poverty does not mean the absence of dignity and that dignity as I said people must cherish, sustain, maintain and reproduce.”

    Falola, the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in Humanities at the University of Texas, Austin, United States of America blamed politicians for jettisoning  African value system and corrupting the youths, saying politicians have failed to be role models because of their uncontrolled appetite for acquisition of wealth and the manner they allegedly retain themselves in power.

    He noted that it is saddened that there are no ideological based political parties among the two major contending national parties in Nigeria, describing both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the same.

    Read Also: INEC’s anti-vote buying app

    “Unfortunately, the two parties are not emphasizing ideas, because they are not ideological parties. APC is populated by people who belonged to the PDP and vice versa. So these are not parties of ideas. They are just parties of calculations, ethnic calculations; their interest is to have access to federal resources.

    “And a new disturbing pattern has emerged, an outgoing governor wants his friend or crony to replace him, and he would go to Senate and continue to claim relevance. They are planting their children in various political places, they are making their children the managers of stolen money, they are even stealing for the next generation and this stealing has become so legendary. They don’t mind stealing the whole resources of the entire country”, the Don lamented.

    Speaking on what informed the writing of the 1,056 paged and 17 chapters book, the renowned international scholar said, “the central idea of the book is to take on a number of scholars to look at the bigger issues on the concept of praise, adulation and greatness. And the target is not actually the people I have written about but the younger people coming behind. I want to use the book to motivate the younger generation of Nigerians to rethink the concept of greatness and heroism.

    “They should not be worshipping fake gods and they should be careful with the people they try to imitate. Don’t follow people because there is money for you but let us rethink the people you follow, the intellectuals, the great thinkers, great scholars, this is not about money. You have to respect men of ideas. One of the things this book has done is to stop them as using them as heroes.”

    In his remarks, Osofisan described Falola as a man of “prodigious productivity” who has used his energy and resources to encourage the youth, saying “Prof Falola is not the only scholar we have in the Diaspora but he is the only one bringing his energy back to encourage the youth.”

    While calling on Nigerians to cultivate the habit of celebrating living heroes, the literary critic lamented that the culture of Nigerians is to celebrate people only when they are dead.

    He said, “Our people do not celebrate heroes while they are alive. When Chief Obafemi Awolowo was alive, many people did not support him. But after his death, people began to sing his praises. You can hardly say two sentences today without mentioning Awolowo.”

     

  • Trailer crushes expectant mother to death in Ibadan

    An expectant mother was crushed to death by a trailer in Molete area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Wednesday.

    The tragedy occurred at about 9:52 am under Molete flyover.

    The deceased, along with two men, obviously miscalculated while crossing the road. They tried to beat the oncoming trailer but the pregnant woman fell near the road culvert where the trailer crushed her to immediate death. The two men were lucky to escape being hit.

    The corpse of the accident victim, whose identity was still unknown as at press time, was taken to the morgue of the State Specialist Hospital, Adeoyo by men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

    Read Also: Ten year old boy dies in Kano well

    When contacted, the spokesman of the FRSC in Oyo State, Mr Seun Onijala, confirmed the incident. He said FRSC men quickly moved to the area and immediately cleared traffic obstruction while also depositing the corpse at the morgue.

    Onijala, who is a Deputy Route Commander, said the articulated vehicle is a red colour DAF 85 without a plate number.

    The driver was said to have been detained by police.

    Pice spokesman, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, was not available for comments as at press time.