The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ibadan

  • Recovered flying object in Ibadan is a toy- Police, SSS

     

    The Chairman, Ido local government of Oyo state, Professor Joseph Adeniyi Olowofela, in company of the police, SSS and members of the Defence Corp on Sunday  recovered the flying object which fell on the roof of a resident of Awotan in the local government.

    The Chairman  described a media report that an object  crashed into the home of a resident as very unfortunate and misleading.

    Prof Olowofela also frowned at the report and its writers intention, saying there was nothing like a crash as reported, and that it was untrue that the US used the object as a spy .

    “What happened was that a man was playing with a toy with his son and the toy got lost only to be discovered by a neighbour and instead of searching for the owner of the toy, the neighbour kept it in his home for a week . And the next thing was to read on  a newspaper that a spy object lost control and crashed into a resident home”, he said.

    The owner of the kite- like object, Sunday Folayan, an Electronic engineer and the Vice President,Nigeria Internet Registration Association, also expressed shock at the reported crash.

    Folayan ,who is also into orbit, is the owner of Skynet , a service provider company based in Ibadan.

    Folayan accompanied the Chairman, top local government officials, the police, SSS and other security men to recover the toy on Sunday.

    Folayan who claimed to have produced many  similar toys for his son in the past explained that he was playing with his son with the battery propelled toy when it got missing and all effort to retrieve it failed last week Sunday.

    He gave a vivid description of the toy which he produced for his son “The weight of the toy is 0.8 kilogram with the shape of an i-pad .  It cannot run more than 15 minutes . It is not solar panelled, but uses battery and a remote control .”

    The chairman charged media men to do more of investigative journalism,rather than speculative reporting  .

    He stated  that the report was capable of causing strained relations between Nigeria and the US government .

  • Ibadan wears new look for Christmas as sales draw more shoppers

    Ibadan wears new look for Christmas as sales draw more shoppers

    As the Christmas day approaches, residents of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital are gearing up to celebrate the season despite glaring challenges.

    Every December, the Oyo State Government embarks on an extensive decoration of different parts of the metropolis in preparation for the Yuletide.

    Most residents of the state capital look forward to this annual practice that does not only light up the city at such time of the year but adds colour and glamour to the season.

    As usual the area around the seat of power in Agodi is beautiful and aglow with brilliant colours at night, especially the roundabout in front of the state secretariat and the government house arcade.

    Even the new sprawling Cocoa Mall is not left out, as Shoprite supermarket inside it is distinctly decorated with bright lights.

    In other parts of the city, especially, Akobo, Challenge, Bashorun, Mokola, Ring Road, the decorations are eye-catching. One cannot help falling in love with the colourful lights of the roundabout opposite Town Planning, Rind-Road, which hosts a big talking drum that symbolizes the culture of the people.

    A few years ago, when the state government embarked on the urban renewal project to transform the state capital, many people probably did not think it was necessary. Now government’s effort has started yielding positive results. The city’s landscape has been enriched by lush floral gardens.

    Some corporate organisations, commercial banks and eateries have decided to follow the example of the government by decorating their premises for the season. For example, exquisite Christmas lighting at Ajeigbe road leading to Orita Challenge, which hosts the Oyo State headquarters of Globacom has transformed it into a wonderland of sort. The visual effect is remarkable.

    Also, in keeping with the spirit of Yuletide, various youth organisations are already decorating their streets with colourful banners and festoons as well as gearing up to host loud carnivals. At this period of the year, it is common to find groups of youths soliciting funds for the events on the streets.

    However, few days to Christmas, many Ibadan indigenes are complaining about the high cost of food items, but in spite of this. there appears to be no significant drop in patronage. Some traders told The Nation that business was booming and more people were coming to the markets to shop for Christmas.

    At the popular Bodija Market, it was business as usual. The market peaked with activities. But a trader who sells rice in the market, Madam Aishatu Omolara, noted that her normal sales figure has not changed. Noting that she still sell the same quantity of rice as “I have been selling before,” Omolara hoped that it will change in the next few days as the yuletide celebration draws closer.

    In addendum to her explanation, a tomato seller, Mallam Bello Nasiru, also attest to the fact that it is business as usual, in spite of the season. Nasiru said:” There are increases in our patronage during weekends, but since Christmas is around the corner, we had expected sales to improve, but now it is still business as usual.”

    The story is almost the same at the popular Oje Market. Most of the traders say the cost of food items has increased because of the festive season.

    A dealer in rice, Emeka Daniel explained that the prices of food items are now on the high side and people have not been coming to buy as they used to.

    He went on that a bag of Umbrella rice that used to cost N10, 000 now sells for N15000, while also a Bag of Derico that use to sell for N8,000 before now sells for N11,500.

    Daniel said:” The difference is really big. Things are tight this festive season and it is getting worse every day.

    He blames the hike in the cost of food items on the security situation in the North, lack of money and increase in the import duty on rice.

    A trader in pepper and tomato also complained bitterly about the high cost of food items.

    She said the cost of a bag of pepper had increased from N4, 000, to N8, 500. Similarly, a basket of tomato costs N7,500, while a basket of tatashe pepper is N 7,000.

    Attributing the increase in the cost of food to the economy, the Secretary of Bodija Foodstuff Traders, Mr Sola Faribido said, “The demand of foodstuffs is low, so there is no way we can inflate the prices during this period. We are still selling as usual and sales has not improved, there is no money in town and people are complaining bitterly”

    But a customer at the market, Mrs Ajoke Bamiro said”:” I wonder how we will survive because food items like Garri Ijebu is now N10, 000 per bag. A bag of beans sells for N25, 000, depending on the type you want and a bag of rice is now between N10,00 and N15,000 depending on the type. We just hope on God for the best this Christmas and we shall cut our coat to our size.

    “When Christmas approaches, there is always an increase in the cost of food items and this year is not an exemption”

    The price of a carton of croaker fish has increased from N12,000 to N16, 000, while a carton of stockfish costs N8, 000 as against N6, 500 three months ago. Also, a carton of chicken sells for N6, 000 and the price of turkey remains at N7,500 per carton.

    A frozen foods dealer, Joy Nkechi explained that: “We did not just increase the prices of food items on our own. We cannot ignore the fact that this is Christmas season and as expected, the prices of such food items will increase. As the situation of things is hard now,”

    Similarly, Bukola Omonigbeyin, who sells oil at the Bodija market says the price of oil has not increased.

    She said:”Five litres of groundnut oil has always been N1,700 and that is still what it is as at this moment. The price hasn’t changed at all.”

    Also, Kehinde Babalola who deals in shoes and bags at Iwo-Road, agrees that business is brisk and the traders are trying hard to cope with the pressure from their customers. “This is the time we have good sales. Everybody wants to buy Christmas shoes and bags. We didn’t need to inflate the prices of these items. The prices vary depending on the design you want to buy. We don’t need to increase any price because of Christmas,” she says.

    At Shoprite supermarket in new Cocoa Mall Dugbe, it was business as usual, as over 1000 shoppers trooped out in large numbers to shop for the Yuletide.

    Many of them were seen at different sections such as, wine, ingredients, beverages, cakes, Christmas decorations, and drinks.

  • Ibadan wears new look as Oyo govt transforms ancient city

    Ibadan wears new look as Oyo govt transforms ancient city

    In this report, BISI OLADELE captures the captivating images of the emerging modern city and government’s efforts at making Ibadan even better

    With a population of about four million, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, holds a unique place in the history and politics of the Yoruba of Southwest, Nigeria.

    Home to all the sub-tribes of the Yoruba nation, especially, the Oyos, Ibadan, the largest city in Africa south of the Sahara, is a typical African town grappling with the challenges of transition from an ancient settlement to a city in the 21st Century.

    Rustic roofs, heaps of refuse, flying dirts, untarred roads and rickety vehicles used to announce arrival to this city of many hills that serves as the political capital of western Nigeria. But not any longer as the state government, under its urban renewal programme, is changing the face of Ibadan and other major towns in the state to bring them up to a modern city standard.

    Beautiful landscapes, modern buses, clean environment, expanded and tarred roads and free flow of traffic are giving the capital city a new and befitting look.

    Though the old, historic buildings still stand tall, new structures and a beautiful environment are redefining the fortunes of Ibadan and raising the hope of an even better tomorrow for a city that once languished in abandonment. Standing side by side the historic 25-storey Cocoa House at Dugbe in the commercial heart of the city is the largest shopping mall in Nigeria, the Heritage Mall

    The new look of the city is courtesy of the administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who mounted the saddle on May 29, 2011. The governor, who said environmental change was a cardinal part of his vision for the state during the swearing-in at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty Stadium), has rolled out several initiatives that are giving the city and other major towns in the state a new image.

    Travellers from Lagos are now welcomed by the alluring green lawn and flowers beautifying the Challenge/Lead City Bridge by the toll gate at the Ibadan end of the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. Also the road medians from the toll gate to Soka area have been beautified. The beautification and the cleanliness of the long stretch of the road which used to be an eyesore for travellers and residents are a huge relief.

    The impact has also been made more visible by the demolition of make-shift shops at the former toll gate. While the beautified bridge used to house the mentally deranged and miscreants, the former toll gate looked like a village market for trailer and other commercial drivers in addition to motor park touts. Sex workers and traders in illicit products also found their peace there.

    The beautification of Iwo Road interchange is another high point of the new face of Ibadan. During its infamous years as home for drug addicts, miscreants and motor park touts, the interchange gave Ibadan an image of a violent city. For instance, several people, including passengers and other travellers were killed by feuding touts in the early hours of June 6, 2011. It was the height of the violence that ruptured the state’s branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at the time.

    But, last year, the governor ordered the demolition of all shanties around the interchange. The development sent off all miscreants and touts who were using it as their hide-out while the area was fenced off with iron bars.

    Then green lawn and flowers began to grow in a once-hoodlums’ den while members of the state’s Youths Empowerment Scheme (YES-O) and traffic officers were stationed around the interchange all day to ensure compliance by road users, particularly commercial drivers. The result is free flow of traffic, sanity around the interchange and a beautiful landscape.

    From the interchange to Ojoo, the end of the expressway, the governor embarked on beautification of the median, to the delight of travellers, residents and passers-by. Short iron poles painted in the yellow and maroon colours of the state logo line both sides of the median from Iwo Road to Ojoo. Between are green lawn and flowers beaming beauty to passers-by.

    At the Ojoo end, the dualisation of the Ibadan-Oyo Expressway led to the demolition of virtually all illegal structures at the popular open place. The project also produced a large roundabout that gives the city a pleasant view. The site of the roundabout used to be scenes of fatal accidents in the past involving mostly heavy duty trucks and fuel tankers colliding with passenger buses and cars. This is no longer the case.

    Today, those entering Ibadan from the Oyo route after a long time would marvel at the massive change. The dualisation of Ibadan-Oyo Road was undertaken by the Federal Government but it complements the change Ajimobi brought to the city, especially at the Ojoo end.

    From the Ile-Ife entrance into the city, a modern motor park at WEMA Bank area of New Ife Road cleared off commercial drivers that created traffic snarls around the interchange. For inter-state travellers who nursed headache on the thought of passing through the interchange, they are today surprised at how large the space around the interchange is due to the relocation of commercial drivers from the area.

    From the Iwo entrance, the dualisation of the road undertaken by the Senator Rashidi Ladoja and his successor, Adebayo Alao-Akala not only beautified the area but set the traffic free.

    Though the new dual carriage way suffered abandonment before Ajimobi took over, he has rehabilitated some bad portions of the road, thereby giving the city an attractive look.

    For people entering Ibadan from Eruwa, aside the cleanliness that stares them in the face from Ologuneru area, the dualisation and beautification of Eleyele-Magazine-Aleshinloye-Dugbe Road announces the modern look of the city. So also is the Challenge entrance from the toll gate. The road is being dualised. The Eleyele and Challenge dualisation are near completion. A four-lane road from New Garage to Challenge is also in the works to usher in motorists/travellers coming into the city from Ijebu Ode

    People entering Ibadan from Abeokuta now enjoy freer movement. The ever-busy Apata portion of the Ibadan-Abeokuta Road has been widened towards Abeokuta through Omi-Adio.

    Within the city, major roundabouts have been beautified. The beautification is not just limited to those on the popular Ring Road. The Beere Roundabout and Total Garden Roundabout are other examples. They glitter in ‘precious’ stones and shining lights.

    Among other infrastructure giving Ibadan a new look is the flyover at Mokola Roundabout. The flyover has freed the roundabout from traffic gridlock since its construction.

    In Oyo, the dualisation of Owode-Iseyin Road and Owode-Aafin (Palace) Road is near completion. The two roads give the town a new look with widened roads for improved traffic. A similar project on two roads are close to completion in Ogbomoso in the northern part of the state.

    In all, the roads construction, beatification and environmental sanitation combine to give Oyo State a huge lift in outlook which will ultimately open up the state to more investments.

    The facelift being given to Ibadan and other major towns and cities in the state, to Dr Festus adedayo, special adviser on Media to Governor Ajimobi is better appreciated when contrasted with what the situation was before the advent of the Ajimobi administration.

    “To appreciate what this government has done in the areas of infrastructural renewal and environmental sustainability, you only needed to know what was on ground prior to 2011 when we came in. This will put in perspective the widespread enthusiasm of the people of Oyo state about ongoing developments in the state and even those passing by who give government kudos for its foresightedness and commitment to the development of the state.

    “As the governor often says, our government did not just pick infrastructural and environmental renewal out of the blues. We are reacting to the stimuli of development which states that, like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, after security of lives and property, which our government has ensured in the last two and half years, aggressive infrastructural drive and environmental renewal are next on the ladder, followed by education, health services and the like.

    “You will recall that Oyo State had this renown of being a violent state under the reign of (former Governors) Ladoja and Akala. To the glory of God and the leadership sagacity of Governor Ajimobi, that has been stemmed. Now, at the level of infrastructure, not that Akala and Ladoja didn’t construct roads but they were substandard ones which lasted for less than 6 months. And you couldn’t blame them; they did all within their grasp and depth. But our people can see the difference now. The erstwhile dirtiest city in Nigeria is now an aesthetic delight and the quality of roads our people only saw in Abuja are now being replicated in Oyo State.

    “This focus is yielding results. Investors now have renewed confidence in our state. The environment is appealing and road network is expanding. Companies are springing up in Ibadan because, with government’s concentration on the environment and aesthetics, Oyo is now the destination of investors.”

    With this urban renewal programme, could Ibadan be on the way to becoming a mega city?

     

  • Why we established Ibadan Business School – Ex-Head of Service of the Federation Prof Afolabi

    Why we established Ibadan Business School – Ex-Head of Service of the Federation Prof Afolabi

    Professor Oladapo Afolabi, one-time Head of Service of the Federation, is the Chairman, Board of Advisors of the newly-established Ibadan Business School (IBS). He spoke with reporters recently on the vision and character of the school

    What is the vision of IBS?

    The IBS is out to focus on development needs of public sector being the drivers of the economy in the developing world and address the capacity needs of micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs who represent the agents of sustainable growth in any economy.

    Are there peculiar attributes that distinguish IBS from other business education institutions across the globe?

    Yes. There are four distinct features of IBS that make it appeal to the prospective market.

    About 75% of its courses would be run online through electronic learning (e-learning). This provides both convenience and access to many who have longed to improve on their capacities, but were unable to do so due to busy schedule, geographical consideration and even costs.

    Two, IBS prides itself on being the first business school in Africa to provide a double platform of e-learning for its students. Apart from the use of laptops, desktops and tablets to receive lectures, students would also enjoy the rare convenience of also being able to receive their lectures on-the-go through their mobile phones, such as Nokia, Samsung, Blackberry, Tecno and so on. With these technologies, no prospective student should have any excuse, based on convenience and access, not to improve on his or her human capital potential.

    Three, is the universality of IBS faculty. Prospective students would have the rare opportunity of benefiting from the immense wealth of experience of its resource persons who are domiciled in various parts of the world.

    For instance, a Nigerian resident student in our programme could receive lectures from lecturers located in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Singapore, United State of America, Ghana and so on. This unique feature offers every enrolled student to benefit from contemporary best practices and experiences.

    Four, all our courses are market-driven. The various courses we would be running are identified through market needs analysis. This would make the school attractive to all who sincerely desire to better their human capital capacities.

    Who are the promoters of IBS?

    A 21-year old Supreme Management Consultants Ltd (SMC) is the chief promoter of IBS. SMC has been a foremost management institution with operational network that cuts across all the seven continents in the world.

    A critical body of promoters of IBS is also found in its Board of Advisors that is made up of very distinguished and accomplished Nigerians and expatriates, namely:

    Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, former Head of Service of the Federation, Chairman; Chief Wole Olanipekun ,

    former National President, Nigeria Bar Association, former Chairman, Governing Council, University of Ibadan, V/Chairman; Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, former President, Nigeria Institute of Management, Member; Prof. Pikay Richardson, Leading Faculty Member, Manchester Business School,Member; Mr. Bayo Jimoh, Group Managing Director, O’dua Investment Company Limited,Member; Dr. (Mrs) Sally Adukwu-Bolujoko , former President, Nigeria Institute of Management, Member; Mr. Yinka Fasuyi, foremost management consultant,President

    What is the operation profile of IBS?

    Basically the board provides the policy direction for the school through regular appraisal of global business environment and its consequences for business education requirements.

    The school would also rely on the global tested skills of its president who has earned his respect in management consultancy both in Nigeria and outside.

    The day to day operation of IBS, however, resides with its Registrar who doubles as the Chief Operating Officer of the school. The school is blessed to have a foremost and tested administrator , Chief Mojisola Ladipo, as its Registrar\COO.

    The Registrar/COO, who is a former two-term registrar of the premier university in Nigeria, University of Ibadan, is expected to leverage on her international network and exposure to make IBS a foremost business education institution of first choice.

    Does it mean IBS would not run a face-to-face, conventional classroom system at all?

    What I said was that a large percentage of our courses would run online, while about 25% of the programme would still employ the conventional face-to-face approach.

    From the third quarter of 2014, most of the face-to-face programmes would draw participants from sub-Saharan African countries whereby participants would enjoy the benefits of sharing contemporary experiences

    How adequate are IBS infrastructure facilities to meet this goal?

    The taste of the pudding is in the eating. So also is the validity of the old adage that says: “Seeing is believing.”

    I am happy to share with you that IBS has a world-class infrastructure facility located in a very serene environment, most conducive for learning. The standard and features of the learning rooms, syndicate rooms, plenary halls, library and parks can conveniently match those of its contemporaries anywhere in the world. Even in spite of its existing infrastructures, the school still keeps expanding its infrastructures ahead of its future needs.

    The general belief of the public is that business schools are desirable but expensive. What is your reaction to this?

    Anything that is desirable certainly has value.

    Ignorance is far more expensive in terms of socio-economic implications to individuals and the organisations they represent, compared to what it costs to empower.

    In answering your question, I think the issue you should consider is cost vs benefit,and not cost in absolute terms. Inasmuch as the value the participants derive from the course in terms of benefit outweighs the monetary cost, then such resource spent or expended on the programme is both effectively and efficiently utilized.

    In the case of IBS, what we have done is to pass the savings made from costs of logistics you incurred in a conventional face-to-face programmes to a reduced course fee for online participants.

    In the case of face-to-face programme, you have to factor the cost of meals, training materials, venue, training aids, physical transportation of faculty and so on into building your cost template.

    But in the online courses, participants do not have to pay for all these, hence the savings made from this is transferred to the participants. So the average course fee of N19,900 for a one-month online course is as a result of this. Payment of N19,900 to receive lectures from renowned professionals and experts across the world is certainly a welcome relief for all prospective participants who genuinely desire to enhance their human capital capacities to meet their respective business challenges.

  • Many palaces, one throne

    Many palaces, one throne

    Unlike in other Yoruba towns, palaces are scattered across Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. They are artefacts that emanated from former great men who ruled the city across times and ages.

    There is the Oba Ogundipe Palace. There is the Asanke Palace. There is the Adeyemo Palace and there is also the palace of the current Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1, among others. They are visible, reminding indigenes and particularly, younger generations in the family, of their great ancestry.

    Yet, sitting atop the Mapo Hill is the official palace for the throne. Located a few metres away from the historical Mapo Hall, the palace, was however, only used by Oba Yesufu Oloyede Asanike during whose reign it was built in the 1980s. Before and after Oba Asanike, monarchs in the city ruled their people from the comfort of their homes which they turned to the palace at coronation.

    All affairs of the city are discussed there with all members of the Olubadan-in-Council shifting their attendance to the new palaces.

    Most palaces are located in the remote communities within the city. They are common around Oja’ba, Oranyan, Irefin, Oke Are, Eleta and Agbadagbudu. But current palaces are shifting location to new areas as the current palace is located at Monatan, a modern and fairly elitist community. This is due largely to the elitist nature of the current monarch. Oba Odulana was a Minister of Labour in the First Republic.

    A member of the Olubadan-in-Council, High Chief Lekan Balogun, said the idea of ruling from one’s personal palace has no negative significance in Ibadan land. According to him, it only makes the job convenient for the reigning king.

    But the situation is set to give way as elite indigenes of the city are about to launch a multi-billion Naira palace for their king.

    The elite, under the auspices of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), would, before the end of the year, launch the project.

    The council’s National President, Chief Bayo Oyero, disclosed this in an interview with The Nation.

    Oyero explained that the palace would sit on a large expanse of land on the Agala Hill at the centre of the city. A total of six acres of land has been set aside for the complex. The hill is adjacent to the University College Hospital (UCH) in the city.

    According to the CCII president, the proposed modern palace will be a cluster of structures which will be part of what he called the “Olubadan Palace Complex.” The complex will consist of social facilities including a clinic, guest house, museum and a library, among others.

    Oyero said the complex would be built in phases, stressing that the first phase which is expected to take off next year, would cost at least N2 billion.

    He said: “It has been a major concern and major focus for CCII for a long time. Ibadan House, which serves as CCII office, was built on part of the piece of land earmarked for the Olubadan Complex. We already have the design. A committee for the construction of the Olubadan Palace is already in place. They have been meeting. The cost runs into billions and we will build in phases. The first phase will cost about N2 billion. We have other facilities such as a church, a mosque, a swimming pool, police station and all conveniences – all within the palace complex.”

    When completed, the palace will offer a clear and good view of the city as the hill is centrally located. It will also border a modern residential estate which grew on the hill in the early 1990s. The combination of all these features will make the palace perhaps the most modern in Nigeria.

    THE OLUBADAN THRONE

    The accession to the throne of the Olubadan is as unique as the city. Unlike in other Yoruba towns where only few, specific ruling houses produce the king, the Olubadan throne is open to all Ibadan indigenes who are able to rise across the traditional ladder.

    In the unique system, every compound nominates a distinguished son for the Mogaji chieftaincy title. Hence all compounds have at least, a Mogaji. Then, the Olubadan-in-Council, which is made up of the monarch and the high chiefs, can promote any Mogaji to Jagun. This promotion puts the man on the ladder to the Olubadan throne. Promotion to higher cadres occurs only when an occupant of any of the positions dies.

    From the Jagun, candidates climb 21 steps before emerging as the Olubadan on the Otun Olubadan line while candidates climb 22 other steps on the Balogun line.

    This system accounts for the reason the throne is open to all indigenes and prevents unhealthy contest for the throne as the next Olubadan is already well known by virtue of their chieftaincy titles. Accession is rotated between the two lines.

    But it also leaves the throne occupied by old men, most times, octogenarians and older candidates, unlike in other Yoruba towns where young men stand a chance.

    There are two lines to the throne: the Otun Olubadan chieftaincy line and the Balogun chieftaincy line. Each compound historically belongs to either of the lines to ultimately produce the Olubadan.

    Accession to the throne is rotated between the two lines. For instance, the current Olubadan is from the Otun line.

    Interestingly, some top partisan politicians are currently close to the throne. They are the current  Osi Olubadan of Ibadan, High Chief Lekan Balogun and Ashipa Olubadan, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja.

    While Balogun is a former senator and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ladoja is a former governor of the state and Leader of the Accord Party (AP).

    Analysts are raising concern that politicians who eventually emerge as the Olubadan may experience crisis of partiality among their subjects.

     

  • Firm takes over Ibadan Power Distribution Company

    The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company has been handed over to the Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The firm will handle distribution of electricity to consumers in Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and some parts of Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara states.

    Handing over the company to the firm in Ibadan at the weekend, Vice-President Namadi Sambo said the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Bureau of Public Enterprise would continue to monitor the operations of the 18 successor companies that took over the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

    Sambo, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, said the Federal Government would sanction any erring core investor.

    He said NERC was established to regulate the entry and operations of the private operators in terms of tariff and service delivery.

    The Vice-Chairman, Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company, Mr Babatunde Ayeni, said: “It is a big challenge that we cannot deny to ensure a more stable power supply, so we need to acquire the facilities to ensure this end.

    “We have employed the MERALCO company from Philippine with 102 years of experience to manage our technical facilities.”

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun said power is synonymous with development.

    He said with the privatisation of the power sector, Nigerians should expect a stable power supply within the two years.

  • 300 youths get N10m tools in Ibadan

    Ibadan North East Local Government Council yesterday distributed working equipment worth N10 million to 300 youths, who just completed its vocational training programme.

    The youths, selected from the 12 wards in the council, were trained as computer operators, fashion designers, hair stylists, phone repairers, electrical installation and auto-mechanics.

    Computer systems, sewing machines, washing basins, hair dryers, mechanical and electrical tools, among others, were distributed to them at the council’s headquarters on Iwo Road, Ibadan.

    The council’s Transition Committee Chairman, Mr. Lukman Alatise, said the programme was aimed at reducing poverty.

    He said: “Unemployed youths were selected from the 12 wards and trained to be self employed. The economic recession has created more hardship for our people due to an increase in unemployment. In view of this problem, the council executive came up with an empowerment programme, so that our people can be self-employed to meet up with present challenges.”

    Alatise urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the equipment, adding that the council would set up a committee to monitor their progress.

    Wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, hailed the council for the gesture and urged the beneficiaries to put the equipment to good use.

    She said: “Anybody who trains unemployed youths and provides job tools for them has put food on their tables. He has taught them how to kill the fish and not just giving them fish.”

    Mrs. Ajimobi urged the people to continue to support the government to sustain the peace in the state.

     

  • ASUU protests hit Ile-Ife, Calabar, Osogbo, Ibadan

    ASUU protests hit Ile-Ife, Calabar, Osogbo, Ibadan

    From seminar halls and boardrooms where talks seem to have collapsed, university teachers have moved their battle for better education to the streets.

    But, the police are stopping them from holding rallies and marches to convince the public that their four-month old action is right.

    In Calabar, the police yesterday stopped a planned protest by lecturers of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and the Cross River University.

    But the lecturers addressed a rally on the UNICAL campus.

    University of Ibadan (UI) lecturers had a town hall meeting to sensitise the people to the strike.

    In Ile-Ife, Osun State, Obafemi Awolowo University lecturers marched on the streets, getting to the palace of the Ooni of Ife. They urged him to pravail on the government to implement the 2009 agreement it signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), without which the strike would continue.

    President Goodluck Jonathan said during last month’s Presidential Chat that the government cannot fully implement the agreement, especially the financial aspect, because doing so would force a shutdown of other departments.

    The Nigeria Labour Congrees (NLC), also yesterday, said although it would not call out workers on a solidarity strike with the lecturers, it would hold a meeting in Kaduna tomorrow to take a stand on the way forward.

    No fewer than 200 policemen, most of them heavily armed, stopped ASUU members from carrying out an enlightenment walk in Calabar.

    The walk, which was organised by the UNICAL and Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) branches of ASUU, was to take off from the UNICAL gate at 7am and go through some streets of Calabar, but the policemen ensured the teachers did not leave the campus

    The policemen said they were acting on “orders from above”.

    ASUU Chairman Dr James Okpiliya said: “Our union is law abiding. We wrote to the police and other security agencies on our intention of walking the streets in pursuance of our cause to put the records straight.

    “Many groups have been walking the streets, giving people the wrong impression about the situation. We just want to put the records straight. The police are telling us that they have orders from above not to let us walk the streets of Calabar. It is a shame. You can all see the hypocrisy of government.

    “They allowed youth and market women but they would not let us academics, peace loving people. We would remain resolute. No amount of provocation would stop us.”

    Okpiliya went on: “We are not on strike because of our salaries. We are fighting for our students and the terrible conditions of our university. Most of our science students do not know the difference between Bunsen burner and a stove. They don’t even know the chemicals.

    “The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) today has become a main funding source of our universities, but this is not to be so. TETFUND is only an intervention agency. Government has bailed out banks and even Nollywood, but not our universities.

    “The strike would continue as long as the government remains adamant. The President said after all, the strike in Ghana lasted two years, so that means this one can continue even up to five years.

    “It is a shame for the President to say the strike is political. The strike is not political. We are fighting for the good of our people. If there is anything political about this it is by him Jonathan. Let him implement the agreement and if the strike continues then he can say it is political. Any government that does not pay attention to the education sector is a dead government.”

    The Chairman of ASUU, CRUTECH branch, Dr Nsing Ogar, said the Federal Government must honour the agreement.

    A former president of ASUU and renowned author, Prof Festus Iyayi, said a government that does not respect agreements is calling for anarchy.

    He said: “This is the final struggle. Even if it takes 10 years, the students should know we are struggling on their behalf. A day would come when the police would join us. A day would come when we would not care whether the police would stop or not. The state has failed.”

    Another lecturer from UNICAL said: “If the strike is called off today, everybody will be worse off for it. People are not looking at the issues; they are just saying open the school, let the children graduate. Let them go to school. They are not bothered about the quality of education they are getting. In the future, whatever we say the government will never take us seriously.”

    OAU chapter Chairman Prof. Peter Akinola, who led the protest, urged the Federal Government to accede to ASUU’s demands to enable the union suspend the industrial action.

    Addressing residents at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Akinola said the education sector deserved a better deal.

    A member of the union, Prof. Gbolahan Babalola, said protest was to show the concern of ASUU for undergraduates who had stayed at home for months.

    He urged traditional rulers and other stakeholders to resolve the impasse.

    The Sarun Oodua, Chief Adekola Adeyeye, who represented the Ooni, praised ASUU for the peaceful conduct and show of concern for students.

    Adeyeye said that the Ooni understood that education was the best legacy that any parent or government could bequeath to any child.

    He promised that the union’s message would be relayed to the traditional ruler.

    The OAU lecturers moved round major streets of Ile-Ife. Osun State University teachers staged their rally at the newly built Freedom Square near Old Garage in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

    The Ile-Ife rally, which kicked off from the Oduduwa Hall of the OAU caused a traffic gridlock for many hours in the ancient town.

    Osun State University branch Chairman Dr. Joseph Abiona was worried over the misinformation being dished out to Nigerians by the Federal Government as reason for the strike.

    The NLC said it was in the process of mediating between the Federal Government and ASUU.

    Oyo State NLC Chairman Comrade Bashiru Olarewaju spoke at a town hall meeting organised by ASUU to review the strike. The meeting was held at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan (UI).

    At the Town Hall meeting were hundreds of people, including civil society groups’ members, politicians, the clergy, traders who were presented with slide of the NEEDS ASSESSMENT REPORT of 2009 .

    The NLC, according to Olarewaju , will meet tomorrow in Kaduna to take a decisive action on the ASUU strike.

    He said: “The government and some other people have been trying to undermine the power, the influence and the ability of each group that can salvage this nation from collapse . And let me say this, that NLC has not been quiet. No, many people will want the NLC to go on strike. No; we will not go on strike on ASUU for now. But, anything can happen after Wednesday. This is because we have more than 40 affiliates. If an affiliate of NLC is in crisis and we now bring the entire workforce to join the strike, the train of the nation will not move forward. What we do in most cases is to mediate. ASUU is an affiliate of the NLC. ASUU is our partner. We will work together ,” the NLC chair said.

    Prof. Remi Raji, Dean, Faculty of Arts, UI, said: “The way forward is for the government to look at the NEEDS ASSESSMENT report, which was presented to the government in November, 2012.

    “In the next few days, it will be one year and nothing has been done of the 189 recommendations and we are saying that it is very crucial for government to deal with it squarely for the future of our children and our nation because a country that does not develop its own capacity within, to develop its own education standard to world class quality, cannot claim to be a giant of Africa, cannot claim to have a clean bill of economic health . This is the issue.”

    UI chapter Chairman Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye said the appeal by President Jonathan to be patriotic is not needed but action and implementation of the agreement reached with the union.

    He said it was sad that a President who claimed that corruption is not Nigeria’s problem can watch a Minister buy bullet proof vehicles for N255million, yet claiming there is no money to fund education.

    He berated the President for speaking out publicly on the ongoing strike close to four months after it began, maintaining that he has not been patriotic and sensitive enough to the needs of the majority of Nigerians.

    He said: “Will it have been possible for Mr. President to be quiet if his children are in one of our public institutions and be at home for four months? “How many years of appeal will make Mr. President implement a four year old agreement? The truth is we are tired of appeal. We need action. “

    The Chairman of ASUU, Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Dr. Beke Sese, said the strike is to save the universities from collapse.

    He maintained that the strike had no political undertone and not targeted at Jonathan or his administration.

    Sese told reporters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, that the industrial action was to protest the deplorable condition of public universities.

    “Imputing political motive to the strike is a calculated attempt by some persons to deploy propaganda gimmicks to the cause of the university teachers, in order to divert attention from the real issues that informed the strike,” Sese said, adding:

    “When the current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, was ASUU president, the members did not compromise, when there was similar strike, during the regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

    “This is the first time that ASUU members have embarked on a protracted strike, which centres on funding of the universities and improvement of the infrastructure. The funds so far released by the Federal Government are grossly inadequate. The 2009 agreement must be fully implemented.”

  • Man held for ‘rape’ in Ibadan

    The police in Oyo State have arrested a middle-aged-man, Emmanuel Liadi, for alleged rape.

    Liadi, who was said to be a “notorious rapist”, was allegedly caught in the act in a bush at Oluyole in Ibadan, the state capital.

    Police spokesperson Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor said: “The victim’s father, who reported the crime, heard his daughter screaming in a nearby bush and rushed there. He found the suspect on top of his daughter, forcibly having canal knowledge of her. The father said he saw the suspect holding her neck.

    “The victim was rescued and taken to the hospital. The suspect was arrested and the police visited the crime scene.”

    The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

    Clet-Ilobanafor said Police Commissioner Mohammed Indabawa had directed that rape cases be immediately charged to court.

    She said out-of-court settlement would not be allowed in rape cases.

     

  • Farmer kills man for raping his wife

    A farmer in Isheyin Local Government Area of Oyo State has shot dead a herdsman for allegedly raping his (farmer) wife on his farm at Sawo Village, near Oyo.

    Spokesperson of the state Police Command, DSP Olabisi Ilobanofor, confirmed the incident on Thursday in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    She said that the incident occurred on Aug. 24

    According to her, the Divisional Police Headquarters in Iseyin, led by the DPO, rushed to the scene to forestall breakdown of law and order in the area.

    “Information available to the command is that the farmer and his wife were working in separate portions of their farm when his wife shouted for help.

    “When he got there, he met the herdsman raping his wife and shot him from close range with a locally made gun,” she said.

    Ilobanofor said that the suspect and his wife had been detained at the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Iyaganku, Ibadan.

    She said that the duo would be charged to court as soon investigation was concluded.

    While urging residents of the area to remain calm, the PPRO assured that the police would conduct thorough investigation into the matter. (NAN)