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Tag: ibadan

  • Ajumobi tasks Nigerians on mutual respect

    Ajumobi tasks Nigerians on mutual respect

    The Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajumobi has appealed to Nigerians to continue to exhibit the virtue of love, mutual respect and understanding among the various ethnic and religious divide.

    Ajumobi made this known in an interview with The Nation at the 53rd birthday ceremony of the Presiding Bishop of Victory International Church, Pastor  Taiwo Adelakun held recently at the Rehoboth Cathedral, Ibadan, Oyo State.

    The programme brought together hundreds of Christian faithful from parts of Africa, public service officials, civil society groups, clerics,  students, widows which feature song rendition, scholarship fund of #25,000 to 20 indigent students, and #5, 000 donation to 100  widows in the state.

    According to him, the way out of the socio-economic problems facing Nigeria is when Nigerians exhibit genuine love, peace, trust, ingenuity and mutual respect among the various divide.

    He said that we cannot continue to  beat the drums of war and ethnic cleansing and still expect to make significant progress at the same time. It is not possible.

    He said “as a governor, I believe and support mutual respect and togetherness of all religions which has made Oyo state peaceful and progress achieved in the last five years of my tenure”.

    Ajimobi. who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Public Corporation Commission, Mr. Bunmi Babalola stressed that Nigeria has the capacity and resources to be great again but we must work together as one big family, pursing the same goal of making Nigeria  better than we met it.

    The governor who also commended the celebrant for his commitment toward touching lives for God and the benefit of the society, said “Pastor Adelakun has no scandal in his life. He is indeed a pride  to the nation and a pride to our generation. He has contributed so much to humanity  and his position I the Christian community is assured.

    He promised that the state government will continue to support the church at every given point in time said the state will support you as we have seen that you have imparted positively on the lives of the downtrodden in the state and part of the world..

    In his words, the celebrant, Pastor Adelakun, who was full of praise and gratitude to God, said “I am happy to be alive today as God has been faithful to me and my household. He took me from the village to sit with the kings of this world. I am very grateful”.

    He urged Nigerian to keep their hope alive in God as there would be light at the end of the tunnel no matter how hard the times may be.

    Earlier, one of the beneficiary of the #25, 000 scholarship to indigent students,  Martins Favour from St Annes Girls High School, Ibadan said that the scholarship brings a lot of hope and comfort to the family and am indeed grateful to God and the church.

  • Ibadan protest: Two pupils in hospital

    A new angle has emerged in the protest by secondary school pupils in Ibadan Monday as two of the protesters have landed at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

    The Nation learnt that the pupils were taken to the UCH because sympathizers could no longer handle their state of health after the protest.

    Confirming the incident, the Head of Public Relations of the hospital, Mr Ayodeji Bobade, said the two boys were admitted Monday.

    He said they were still receiving treatment, adding that they were stable and still alive as at press time.

  • Flood sacks Ibadan communities

  • Poor compliance in Ibadan, Warri, Niger, Jigawa

    Poor compliance in Ibadan, Warri, Niger, Jigawa

    THE nationwide strike called by a faction of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) failed in Oyo State yesterday as private sector workers were at their duty posts.

    In Ibadan, the state capital, most state and federal civil servants were in their offices.

    But there was a protest which started at the NLC secretariat, Agodi.

    The protesters displayed banners and placards condemning the price hike but did not harass those carrying out their businesses.

    Commercial transporters and other essential service providers opened for business. Banks and private schools were also open.

    At the Federal Secretariat, Agodi, over 60 per cent of workers reported for work. They carried out their duties till closing hour.

    The strike also failed to achieve significant success in Warri, Delta State.

    Although some labour bodies in the civil service, such as public schools and sections of the judiciary joined in the industrial action, normal businesses went on in other sectors of the economy.

    Secondary schools in Warri, such as the Urhobo College, joined in the strike but lecturers at the State University (DELSU) were still at work.

    In Niger State, workers defied the directive by opening their offices and businesses.

    At the state secretariat, Organised Labour locked the gate but it was forced opened by security agents.

    All offices opened with workers going about their duties.

    From ministries, schools to private establishments and market places, residents turned out in large numbers for their daily activities.

    Motor parks and some filling stations also opened for business.

    However, some organisations, such as the state radio corporation, were locked.

    The State NLC Chairman, Yahaya Idris Ndako, praised the workers, who obeyed  the strike.

    There was poor compliance in Jigawa State.

    In Dutse, the state capital, schools, banks, filling stations, markets and other public offices were open.

    The State NLC Chairman, Usman Ya’u, attributed the non-compliance to the inability to send the circular to appellate unions.

    Ya’u said: “We finished the National Executive Council meeting (NLC NEC meeting) at about 1am and we arrived the state at 6am, we gave an announcement before we sent the circular.

    “But now we have sent the circular to everyone and we have paid for public announcement on the radio. By today, we expect full compliance.”

    Workers’ apathy made the Anambra State NLC Leader, Jerry Nnubia, call for an emergency meeting, where it was decided that the strike continues today.

    But the state chairman of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Mark Ifezue, said they were not part of the strike.

    According to him, “we cannot go against the industrial court order. You can see that our members are in their offices.”

    Government businesses and commercial activities did not experience any halt and traders were seen carrying out their business at Muda Lawal, Central and Wunti markets in Bauchi State.

    Public and private sector workers in Kuje Areal Council, one of the six satellite towns of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja, defied the strike.

    Socio-economic activities also went on, with schools, banks, markets, hospitals and other businesses fully opened.

    Some civil servants said they would not join the strike because it would only aggravate current hardships in the country.

    In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), commercial banks, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and transporters yesterday distanced themselves from the strike.

    Bank customers were seen moving in and out of banks within Ilorin metropolis while members of transport unions continue with their normal activities.

    But the state NLC shut many government establishments and schools across the state.

    Many government buildings including Governor’s Office, State Secretariat and Ministries were equally picketed by the labour leaders in the state to force workers to comply with the industrial action.

  • Senator calls for multilateral approach to loot recovery

    As the world converges in London to review strategies to tackle corruption, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Monsurat Sunmonu, has called for a multi-lateral approach to loot prevention and recovery from all nations of the world.

    Sunmonu, who made the call in an interview with The Nation, said offering protection for loots from other countries is a strong hindrance to efforts at preventing and recovering looting across the nations of the world. She posited that no single country can fight corruption alone in the face of technology that has changed the world to a global village.

    The lawmaker also reiterated the position at the Westminster Community of Practice conference in London last week.

    The purpose of the Conference was to build on outputs from the regional workshops to present the International Parliamentarians’ Handbook as a resource for parliamentarians in their engagement with the new Sustainable Development Framework, encouraging parliaments in their role as key stakeholders in the implementation of these targets.

    Sen. Sunmonu encouraged countries to come together to help resolve the problem. The Westminster Community of Practice, a collection of organisations working on parliamentary strengthening, met at Canada House for their third meeting with the theme: Curbing Corruption: the role of parliamentarians’.

    At the conference, Stephen Twigg MP, Chair of the International Development Committee (IDC), chaired the discussion. Twigg highlighted the importance of the inquiry the IDC are about to start looking into the role the United Kingdom (UK) plays in tackling corruption before the Prime Minister’s expected summit on anti-corruption this month.

    “What we do in our own parliament must be assessed first before we develop a policy to tackle global corruption” he said.

    A Senior Advocacy Manager at Transparency International, Rachael Davies, reaffirmed the importance of getting the UK’s house in order first to avoid risking a lack of credibility.

    “It is great to encourage others, but we also need to clean up our own backyard” she said, highlighting weaknesses in the UK anti-money laundering system. Nigeria has enough domestic focussed legislation to fight corruption.

    “As regards this already existing legislation, I believe the role the legislature can play is more review based, to ensure the existing legislation is more robust, by closing loopholes that have been exploited over the years. An important development is financial autonomy and independence of these agencies, so that they themselves are not the subject of corruption.

    “I also think that the punishments for corruption need to be made more of a deterrent. This does not however apply only to Nigeria. I often see in the news corruption cases being punished with a slap on the wrists. Yes, each country is to determine its own individual policy as regards punishment, but with the world becoming a smaller place a consensus needs to be reached.

    “Where I believe a lot more can be done is in the international sphere. And what I mean by this, is that there is a lot of ill-gotten wealth from Nigeria all over the world. President Buhari has visited many of the countries where investigations reveal this wealth has been stashed. This is where the legislature can really come to the fore.

    “You see, any bilateral or multilateral agreement, or MoU signed will be key to repatriating Nigeria’s wealth, and also acting as a deterrent in the future. Simply because when a criminal knows that there is nowhere to hide he or she may not steal. It is the legislature’s role to ensure that such agreements signed by the Executive are domesticated and become law. In my capacity as Chair of the National Assembly Committees on Foreign Affairs, my team and I are currently reviewing existing agreements and pushing for ratification of those that have not been previously ratified.”

  • We’ll submit to rule of law – Igbos tells Olubadan

    Igbo community in Ibadan under the umbrella of Igbo Community Development Association (ICDA) on Thursday said they will summit to rule of law in response to the order given by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji on the leadership of Igbo community in Ibadanland.
    The Olubadan had last Friday endorsed Chief Alloy Obi as the leader of Igbo community in Ibadan and threatened to order for the arrest of anyone who parades himself as Igbo leader except Chief Obi that received the monarch’s blessings.
    But in a reaction to the Olubadan’s threat , the ICDA said they rather obey the rule of law than the Olubadan.
    Both Chief Emmanuel Ndidi Nzeako, the President ICDA and Chief Alex Anozie, igbo community leader in Ibadanland  in a separate fora said the Igbo leader crisis in Ibadan has been resolved by an Ibadan High Court judgement which granted the prayers of Chief Anozie as the only recognised igbo community leader in Ibadan and Oyo state.
    According to a statement by Chief Anozie , the Oyo state High Court judgement on February 18, 2014 was quite explicit on the matter as it proclaimed him the only igbo leader in Ibadan and Oyo state.
    “I am also aware that ,that particular judgement has not been vacated by any superior court even though there has not been a stay of execution against the judgement . The matter is still left in the Appeal Court,” Chief Anozie said.
    Speaking on the controversial endorsement of Chief Alloy Obi by the Olubadan, Chief Anozie explained that “I was only invited once by the Olubadan In Council where I met Alloy Obi and the Baale of Ekotedo. I was surprised to see someone like Alloy Obi whom the court ordered to stop parading himself as igbo leader in Ibadanland. The only message passed on to us was that they do not want the use of the Eze title in Ibadanland as the South East Traditional rulers wrote to stop the use of the title outside igboland.”
    Also, the President of ICDA,  Chief Nzeako maintained that as a citizen they would remain law-abiding and were determined to follow the course of the law.
    He said: “As a people of this country, we believe nobody, no matter how highly placed in the society is above the constitution of Nigeria and on the constitution we stand”.

  • Nigeria’s most insecure food zone

    The South West geopolitical zone of Nigeria is increasingly becoming the most insecure food zone of the country, Professor Akinwumi Omotayo, Director, Institute of Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research (IFSERAR), at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, has said.

    Professor Omotayo disclosed this in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Tuesday in a keynote address at the 29th South West Zonal Workshop on Research-Extension-Farmers Input Linkage System (REFILS) of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Moor Plantation, Ibadan.

    In a thought-provoking lecture entitled “Repositioning Agricultural Extension for Sustainable Food Security in Nigeria”, he expressed grave concern over South West Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported food items and food from other regions of the country.

    While noting that a comprehensive analysis of the state of food insecurity and dependency in South Western Nigeria “portrays an extremely gloomy picture,” the Agric expert gave a vivid illustration of the estimated dependency levels with some major food commodities.

    The chart below is according to Prof Omotayo:

    The Prof said: “In the South Western part of Nigeria in particular, indigenous farmers are gradually disappearing, food production is declining rapidly, those once classified as migrant labourers are taking over farms and becoming landlords, wetlands are being taken over and farmed for huge profits by migrants particularly from Northern Nigeria.
    Young people are becoming increasingly apathetic and demonstrating complete lack of interest in farming.
    The South Western part of Nigeria continues to depend increasingly on imported food items and food from other regions of Nigeria.
    Consequently, the South West is increasingly becoming more vulnerable to food insecurity than other parts of Nigeria.”

    Shedding light on other factors inhibiting agricultural development in the South West, Professor Omotayo said: “Forests are being converted to non-food production systems, water resources are becoming scarcer, and climate change plus shrinking biodiversity is threatening the viability of farming communities.

    “Not much consideration has been given to how to safeguard biodiversity for food and agriculture for future generations as well as maintain a broad gene pool which ensures ecosystem’s resilience.”

    Speaking earlier, the Director of IAR&T, Professor James Adediran noted with delight that proven technologies from the Institute and other collaborating centres had been transferred to the extension of Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) in the various states through the Monthly Technology Review Meetings.

    Professor Adediran however, called for increased funding for research activities in the on-going efforts to boost agricultural extension.

  • Lover plans to use girl, 17, for money ritual

    Lover plans to use girl, 17, for money ritual

    A 17-year old Senior Secondary School (SSS) 2 student, Ruth Alabi narrowly escaped been killed for money ritual when her boy friend lured her to the herbalist residence at Olodo area of Ibadan before she was rescued by vigilante men .

    Ruth Alabi who claimed that she was an SS2 student at an undisclosed school in Abuja said she came to spend the Easter holiday with her mother in Ibadan when the incident occurred.

    Her boy friend, Chubuike Omigbo, 33 who used to sell building materials at the Iwo Road area of Ibadan was arrested and paraded alongside the herbalist, Oladimeji Babatunde Ajala, 37 by the state police Command on Friday.

    The state Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Leye Oyebade who briefed newsmen on the incident at the state Police headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan told journalists that the suspects had planned to use the girl for money making ritual before the evil planned was thwarted by the police.

    The CP noted that the suspects were arrested following a tip-off by a strategic partner when the duo were planning to use the girl for money ritual.

    He said ” the victim’s boyfriend, Chibuike, had lured her to the herbalist’s residence at No5, Galilee street, Olodo area of the state for the purpose of the ritual.

    “Luck, however ran out on them when their evil plan was uncovered through their conversation which was overheard by an eavesdropper. The suspects confessed to being fraudsters and that they had defrauded many innocent victims in the past,” the CP said.

    The police also recovered a black Nissan Altima with registration No. APP 627 CA, which the police said was bought with the proceeds from illegal business.

    Other items recovered from the suspects were some criminal charms, one statute in the image of Jesus, two other statutes and broken bottles spread on a mat.

    Answering questions from newsmen, the victim, Ruth Alabi who was accompanied by her mother said she had been going out with her boyfriend in the past four months until the incident occurred.

    According to her, they usually meet in front of Tantalizer before they  proceed to hotel where they have fun.

    “But the day this incident happened, Easter day, my boyfriend came with two of his friends and he asked me to enter a vehicle which they brought and they took me to a hotel where I was asked what will I drink. I told him that I will take malt drink, but he insisted I should take stout. So, I took a small bottle of stout. At a point, one of his  friends said I should come with him into a hotel room and there he told me he wants to have sex with me. I was uncomfortable with that, wondering how could that be. So, I had to lie that I was in my menstrual cycle.   

    After, my boyfriend said I should accompany him to another place, but I told him its already dark, that my mother has been calling my phone and that I will like to return home. He continued to pester me, until he took me to the place , and when we got to a place, he was calling some of his friends and I was afraid because it was already 10pm. That was all I know.”

    The victim was said to have slumped on their way to the residence of the herbalist and this attracted vigilante men who later called the police.

    When the police came, Ruth Alabi was rushed to a nearby hospital in an unconscious state, before she was revived.

    While in the hospital, the girl said  medical examination revealed that the stout she drank was laced with drugs.

    Speaking with journalists, the two suspects  denied the plan to use the girl for ritual .

  • No nation can prosper without agriculture, says provost

    Dr Olufunmilayo Adejimi, Provost, Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan, has called on the government to invest in agriculture.

    Adejimi made the call at the conference organised by Wonderful Springboard Farms and Real People Concepts, Ibadan, for the students of the institution in Ibadan on Friday.

    According to her, no nation can prosper without investing in agriculture.

    The theme of the conference is `Never Settle for Average’.

    She said that food, the basic need of life was from agriculture, adding “the nation will not exist if the farmers do not exist.

    “If you are not in agriculture better come in because it is the in thing now, it is actually where one will be able to make ends meet in life,” Adejimi said.

    She urged the students to make good use of the opportunity provided by the occasion for maximum benefit.

    The provost described the theme of the conference as apt, saying “Never settle for average, whatever you lay hands to do, do it very well so that you can be the first’’.

    Adejimi commended the organisers for organising such “a rare programme’’, adding that the event came at time when there were a lot of challenges in the country.

    The President of the farms, Mr Abiodun Abiola, said the programme was organised to correct the mindset of people who thought that average was good enough.

    Abiola said that such thinking was injurious to individuals and the nation at large.

    He said that it was part of the organisation’s contribution to rescue those trapped by `enemy called average’.

    He said that anyone who considered himself/herself as not worthy of `first position’ had doomed himself or herself to failure from the beginning.

    The president of the organisation urged the public, especially students, to always work toward first position and trust in God, saying that only God grants success.

    “We have no alternative to first position because nobody remembers runners up,” Abiola said.

  • Ibadan airport re-opens

    Two weeks after it was closed to air travelers because of safety reasons, flights resumed at the Ibadan airport on Wednesday, the New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    NAN reports that the airport was closed to flights two weeks ago following the breakdown of the fire truck at the facility.

    The situation resulted in many passengers who had booked on the two scheduled airlines that operate from the airport – ARIK and OVERLAND – having to catch their flights in Lagos.

    In an interview with NAN on Wednesday, Mr. Olufemi Awolade, the Airspace Manager, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Ibadan Airport, said that the closure of the airspace was in compliance with ICAO regulations.

    Awolade said that the safety of air travelers necessitated the closure of the airport to flights, because the fire truck available at the facility had broken down.

    “When there is no fire cover, an airport is not supposed to operate and in compliance with ICAO regulations, the airport was closed.
    “We consequently sent a “Notice to Airmen’’ (NOTAMN) and closed the airport to air traffic.

    “Ideally, there should be a minimum of two fire trucks at an airport like the one in Ibadan, but when the serviceable one broke down; there was no option but to close the airport to traffic.

    “Safety is paramount and we do not compromise on it for anything. When Gov. Abiola Ajimobi wanted to fly from the airport two Saturdays ago, we told him it was closed because of the issue of fire cover,’’ the official said.

    He said that the intervention of the governor, who provided a fire truck for the airport, has led to the cancellation of the closure order.

    Awolade said that a fire truck was sent on Tuesday by Governor Ajimobi, which resulted in the re-opening of the airport.

    The airspace manager pleaded with travelers who use the airport not to mind the inconvenience, saying the issue of safety necessitated the closure.

    “We don’t want to record any accident or incident at the airport and that is why we give priority to safety issues,’’ he said.

    The official said that the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had also started the repair of the broken down fire truck.

    An official of ARIK told NAN that flights had resumed at the airport and the airline had a scheduled flight expected to leave for Abuja at 5.00 p.m.