The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ibadan

  • Five die in Ibadan crash

    Five people have died in an accident in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The accident occurred on Monday night at Iyaganku on the Ibadan/Abeokuta Expressway.

    It involved two commercial motorcycles, marked OYO KNH 527708 and LAGOS GGE 7550c.

    They collided and burst into flames. The two motorcyclists and their three male passengers died on the spot.

    There was a traffic gridlock on the road as people struggled to put out the fire.

    The unidentified bodies were taken to the University College Hospital (UCH) morgue by a commercial bus driver.

    An eyewitness, Mr. Kehinde Omotoso, a lawyer, said the accident was caused by over-speeding.

    Omotoso said: “One of the motorcyclists, who was carrying two passengers and coming from Oda-Ona, was over-speeding. He attempted to overtake a vehicle without considering the other motorcyclist, who was coming from Iyaganku.

    “The one coming from Iyaganku had nowhere to turn to and they collided. Some of these commercial motorcyclists have no respect for human lives. It is a big problem and will continue to claim the lives of innocent citizens if left unchecked.

    “We have laws in this land that forbid motorcyclists from plying trunk A and B roads, that is federal and state roads, but this is a society where everything goes. The government must not fold its arms and continue to allow this senseless carnage on our roads.

    “It must put machinery in place to enforce these laws to the letter to save lives. People are dying everyday because of these irresponsible motorcyclists.”

  • INEC warns parties against premature campaign

    INEC warns parties against premature campaign

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has threatened to deal with any political parties, groups or individuals engaging in campaigns for elective political positions before the stipulated time by law.
    The Oyo State Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Alhaji Nasir Ayilara gave this warning yesterday at the monthly meeting of the National Forum of Heads of Federal Establishments (NAFOHEADS), Oyo State Chapter, held at federal secretariat, Ibadan.
    Ayilara who was represented by the Administration Secretary of the commission, Alhaji Rafiu Adegbola stated that the next date for the next general elections is still far away, warning that the commission will not hesitate to prosecute against those breaching the Electoral Act which stipulates time for campaigns for general polls.
    “Most political parties are flaunting campaign law under disguise of one association or the other and we find it highly disturbing and diversionary that  some Nigerians rather than concentrate on activities that would contribute to the expansion of the frontiers of the present political dispensation, have chosen to  engage heating up the polity.
    “We do not see the necessity for an early campaign because the time for election is yet to be fixed, anybody or party caught will be dealth with” he said
    Ahead of the upcoming general elections in 2015, Ayilara reiterated the commission’s commitment to conduct free, fair and credible elections in all states in the country.
    He attributed the success of the 2011 general elections to functional partnership with the media, security agencies, civil society organizations, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), political class among others.
    The Oyo State REC promised Nigerians to expect an improvement in 2015, as different strategies has been put in place to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
    He said: “All steps has been put in place towards 2015 elections, the activities include several retreats in which the previous elections were thoroughly re-examined, resulting in restructuring and re-organisation of the Commission.
    ”Preparation, deliberation and presentation of a strategic plan running between 2012 and 2016 designed to provide a clear cut road map for the 2015 general elections. We are also working and preparing for the take-off of continous voter registration of young Nigerians who have turned 18 years. We are also perfecting plans for the creation of additional polling units most especially for new settlements”
    He also disclosed that the commission has started reshaping and restructuring to make it more efficient and effective election management body.
    According to him, the commission has commenced voter and civic education immediately after the 2011 general elections on the mass media.
  • Three feared dead in Ibadan tanker fire

    Three feared dead in Ibadan tanker fire

    •Five hospitalised

    A petrol tanker exploded yesterday on the Iwo/Ojoo road in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Three persons were feared dead. Five people sustained serious burns.

    Eight shops and two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) were razed.

    The incident occurred at Orogun Junction between 11am and 1pm.

    An eyewitness, Dr. Ayo Osisanwo, said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) tanker exploded while trying to offload fuel from another tanker that fell.

    Those injured were rushed to the hospital by the State Ambulance Service.

    Fire Service men, who were called to the scene, ran out of water and waited for hours for supply.

    Victims wailed uncontrollably as the fire spread to surrounding buildings.

    There was a traffic gridlock and motorists were directed to a single lane.

    Men of the Nigeria Civil Service Defence Corps (NCSDC) and the police were on the scene.

  • Shoppers, traders groan as Ibadan market is shut

    Shoppers and traders groaned yesterday as trading activities could not take place at the usually busy Bodija Market in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, following its closure by the government.

    The market was reportedly shut by the supervising Ibadan North Local Government following clashes between Hausa and Yoruba yam sellers on Friday.

    Several shops and a lorry load of yam were vandalised during the clash. No life was lost in the incident.

    When The Nation visited the market yesterday, shoppers were seen looking dejected following their inabilityto purchase needed items. All the gates to the market were blocked to prevent traders from accessing their shops while policemen in patrol vehicles kept watch at the gates.

    Shoppers lamented the situation before thinking of available alternative markets close to the place.

    Most of them later proceeded to Sango, Oje and other markets to make purchases.

    On their part, only traders of perishable items such as tomatoes, pepper, fruits, vegetables and fish displayed their wares near the entrances of the market. They were able to serve several shoppers who came for such items.

    However, they lamented their loses, saying they were not given access to their shops where they kept large stock. According to them, the wares were already perishing in their shops, leading to huge financial loses for them.

    The traders therefore appealed to the government to reopen the market. They disclosed that the yam traders, who attacked each other on Friday, had already resolved their disagreements.

    A trader told The Nation, “This is huge loss for us; we can’t get out our stock out of the shops becaause policemen won’t allow us go into the market. You can see that we deal in perishable items. These items can’t survive 24 hours without losing quality. We appeal to the government to please reopen the market to minimise our loss.”

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mrs. Olabisi Ilobanafor, said policemen were drafted to the market to maintain law and order.

    She disclosed that leaders of the two factions that clashed on Friday had held a one-hour meeting with the Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state during which they agreed to embrace peace.

    Ilobanafor added that the leaders were already using the opportunity of the closure to educate their supporters on the need to embrace peace so that the market could be reopened as soon as possible.

    Yam traders of Yoruba and Hausa origin clashed at the market on Friday over rights to sell yams in the market.

    It was learnt that the traders of Yoruba origin attacked a lorry load of yams brought into the market by a Hausa trader, a development they viewed as another breach of agreement between the two parties to first work out modalities on how to bring in yams and share among the traders.

    The arrangement became imperative in view of the killing of Yoruba yam traders in the North by members of the Boko Haram sect. Since the sad incident, only Hausa yam traders have been bringing their goods from the north to the market, leaving out Yoruba traders out of business.

     

  • Violence rocks Ibadan over traders’ killing

    Violence erupted on Friday in Ibadan, Oyo State, as Yoruba and Hausa bean sellers t the popular Bodija market engaged each other in a free-for-all fight. The number of casualties could, however not be immediately ascertained as at the time of filing this report. But several people were reportedly injured, as there were traces of blood on the ground in the areas where the two groups clashed. The cause of the bloody clash, it was learnt was not unconnected with a disagreement on the circumstances leading to the death of 10 Yoruba traders, who were killed in the North recently. Meanwhile, the state government, through the Ibadan North Local Government authorities, yesterday ordered the immediate closure of the troubled market. It will be recalled that the feuding parties had been involved in a silent war since June 5 when 10 members of foodstuff sellers were killed by Boko Haram members in Maiduguri. According to sources, the Yoruba traders are sad that they have twice lost their colleagues in similar circumstances in the north in the last few months. A source in the market, however, revealed that the Yoruba bean traders in Bodija market were uncomfortable that their counterparts from the north were dominating the business. The source also added that Yoruba traders are particularly unhappy that, while they were being killed in the north, the Hausa traders ply the same route without being hurt. The development, it was also gathered led to several meetings organised by Oyo State Police Command at the Eleyele Headquarters to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis. The Public Relations Officer of Foodstuff Sellers Association, Bodija branch, Mr Akeem Emiola, who confirmed the incident, said, “No one from the association ordered a reprisal attack on the Hausas.” Also speaking, the Sarkin Hausawa Bodija, Alhaji Isiyaka Hassan, expressed disappointment over what he described as unwarranted attack of Hausas in the market.

  • Ibadan students elect leaders

    The Federation of Ibadan Students’ Union (FIBSU), has elected new leaders. The election took place at the Abadina Primary School on the University of Ibadan (UI) campus.

    Two delegates represented each institution that participated in the election. Two aspirants contested for the post of National President. Other positions were unopposed except that of the Social Director.

    Past presidents of the association, Mr Alabi Ademola and Mr. Aderibigbe Surajudeen were present to ensure the proper conduct of the polls. Security officials were also at the venue to forestall any violence.

    The election was conducted by the FIBSU Electoral Commission with Hammed Makinde as Chairman and Sulaimon Oladejo as Secretary. Voting started at 2:30pm after accreditation. A total of 37 votes were cast. Adewunmi Rufai of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, emerged president having polled a total of 35 votes to defeat Kolapo Titilayo of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. Kabirat Ogundijo of Federal Polytechnic, Offa, scored 35 votes to emerge Vice-President.

    Others are Ayokanmi Solomon,Deputy Registrar; Shittu Akeem, Financial Secretary; Olasupo Rukoyah, Treasurer; Olawoyin Ajibola, Public Relations Officer 1; Oyetoro Taiwo, Public Relations Officer 2; Abiodun Taiwo, Social Director 1; Adejumo Funmilayo, Social Director 2; Abiona Peter, Welfare Director and Azeez Hammed as Auditor.

    The new president promised to use his experience to promote the peace and development of the association in partnership with Oyo State government.

  • Man dies in Ibadan hotel

    A businessman, Lukman Olayiwola, yesterday died in a hotel in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, while spending the night with his mistress.

    It was learnt that the late Olayiwola (45) checked into the hotel, situated at Alakia around 9pm, on Sunday with his mistress, simply identified as Bidemi (35).

    They arrived at the hotel in a cab, which picked them up from Iwo Road.

    It was learnt that the late Olayiwola suddenly started vomiting around 2am.

    Sources said Bidemi attended to him and they went back to bed when he became stable.

    It was gathered that around 5am, Olayiwola began to gasp for breath and died later.

    Bidemi was said to have raised the alarm and the hotel workers reported the incident to the police.

    Olayiwola’s body has been deposited at the morgue of the University College Hospital (UCH).

    Police spokesperson Olabisi Ilobanafor confirmed the incident. She said the manager of the hotel reported the case around 10am.

    Ilobanafor said Bidemi was arrested for interrogation.

    She said: “The suspect explained that the deceased was based in Lagos and she is based in Ibadan. She said they agreed to meet at Iwo Road around 8pm, from where they were conveyed to the hotel.”

    Ilobanafor, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the deceased’s body has been taken to UCH for autopsy. She said Bidemi is still being grilled for useful information.

     

     

  • Encomiums as journalist is buried in Ibadan

    Encomiums as journalist is buried in Ibadan

    •NUJ to establish endowment fund

    The remains of a former Chairman of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Oyo State, Mr. Tunde Oluwanike, were yesterday interred in Ibadan.

    Oluwanike (43) died on August 2 in a road accident at Osu, Osun State.

    The deceased and about 12 NUJ leaders were returning from the union’s meeting in Abuja when the accident occurred.

    Oluwanike and two others died.

    Other occupants of the bus were injured. NUJ National Treasurer Alhaja Fatimat Abdulkareem and Oyo NUJ Chairman Gbenga Opadotun are still recuperating at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

    Oluwanike is survived by his wife, Omolara, and their five children.

    In his sermon, Pastor Samuel Ige of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Tower of Blessing Area, Oyo Province 3, urged individuals to give their best to the service of humanity.

    He described the late Oluwanike as “a man after God’s heart”.

    Pastor Ige said testimonies about Oluwanike showed that he lived a virtuous life.

    He said: “Brother Tunde lived well. Though we are sad that he has left us, we cannot query God. We should always strive to do God’s will. If the bell sounds today, can you answer the call?”

    The deceased’s colleagues, friends and family said he lived a “selfless life”.

    Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who was represented by his media aide, Dr. Festus Adedayo, said the government would assist the bereaved family.

    NUJ National President Mallam Mohammed Garba said Oluwanike died in active service of the union.

    He urged people to pray for the families of the deceased and those recuperating in the hospital.

    Garba pledged that the union would support the families of the deceased.

    He said the union would soon establish an endowment fund for journalists, adding that a percentage of the fund would be given to the bereaved families.

    Garba said the union would reach out to notable Nigerians to make the fund a reality.

    On insurance scheme for journalists, he said the union would soon make it compulsory.

    Garba said of the three deceased journalists, only one was insured.

    He said: “Because he was insured, his family will get N1.5 million. All journalists must be insured under the NUJ insurance scheme. The scheme is the cheapest in Africa, yet not many people have bought into it. Of the 34,000 journalists in the country, not even 4,000 have subscribed to the scheme.”

    A representative of Police Commissioner Mohammed Indabawa and NUJ members from various chapels were in attendance.

  • Obesere, Taiye Currency, others storm Ibadan for Oyo Mega trade fair

    Obesere, Taiye Currency, others storm Ibadan for Oyo Mega trade fair

    POPULAR Fuji crooner, Obesere, will be leading the pack of entertainers who are billed to storm Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, for the forthcoming 10-day Oyo Mega Trade Fair 2013, holding in the state capital in August.

    The entertainers, including another popular Fuji artiste, the Ibadan-based Taiye Currency, Yinka James and Adetoun, will perform at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, venue of the trade fair which comes up between August 9 and 18.

    According to the entertainment consultant to the trade fair, Femi Odewole, Obesere and Taiye Currency, as well as other artistes billed to perform at the 10-day marketing event, have confirmed the deal. Odewole, who himself is a highlife musician leading Femi Odewole and his Guitar Band, said visitors to the trade fair will be entertained with cross-over music, featuring various types of music such as hip hop, apart from fuji and juju.

    According to him, there will be no dull moment throughout the exhibition as an event DJ will start playing delightful music from 12 noon while live bands will take over from 5.00 pm daily.

    The Oyo Mega Trade Fair will feature over 1,000 corporate organisations showcasing their goods and services and attract over 300,000 visitors at a daily average of 30,000 visitors. Odewole said adequate security arrangements have been put in place while foolproof traffic measures have been worked out ahead of the event, according to the organisers.

  • When ‘Yemoja’ came to Ibadan

    Yemoja’ stopped by in Ibadan last week and Ile Oluyole came to an abrupt stop, almost imploding. It was as if the 1.3 million inhabitants of the ancient city had been looking forward to the coming of that Yoruba deity of motherhood and fecundity. It was a mass of people perhaps starved of some essential maternal succor that thronged to a little house at Isale Asaka, Foko area of Ibadan city, the capital of Oyo State last week. News had raced through the metropolis mid-afternoon of last Tuesday that a ‘mermaid’ had come a-visiting and it required the intervention of the State Police Command to contain the situation.

    As Hardball later discerned, the curio was sooner trampled under the stampeding feet of a rather curious crowd yet nobody sighted the object and none could tell the true story. But the story as it turned out, is simple and straight forward: a fishmonger, Mrs. Ramotalai Adeyemo, had found a strange creature packed among a row of frozen fish as she opened a carton of her ware. Of course, this could not be a fish: this jelly-bodied thing with numerous ‘hands’ must be a portent, a visitation from another world. News of it did not only fly swiftly, legends grew wings and the city was agog in a matter of hours. The first two people who tried to snap shots of the long-dead, frozen creature claimed their mobile phones shattered mysteriously. Thus the first taboo was quickly established: snap it at your (phone’s) peril.

    It was soon pronounced to be omo Yemoja, supposedly a baby mermaid. But Yemoja is not exactly a mermaid; it is the goddess of motherhood in Yoruba traditional religion still worshipped by may devotees in Osun, Osogbo. On the first day, though hardly anyone else saw the creature apart from Ramotalai the fish seller and a few in her compound, yet everyone in town had a description of it. One account was that though it was a small creature initially, it kept growing bigger and had the characteristics of a fish from waist down and that of human in the upper body with mouth, nose, eyes and long hair to boot. It was even said to have spoken to Ramota, urging her not to expose it and promising to reward her financially.

    Then there was the tussle for the custodianship of the creature. A Muslim cleric nearby who Ramota ran to initially had offered prayers and made ablution. An Osun worshipper insisted that the creature was on a mission to uplift Ramota financially if only she would heed the message which had been long in coming. While all this went on and the crowd was getting restive, the traditionalists weighed in and headed to the police seeking permission to lay hold of the creature, threatening cataclysmic flooding of the city if they were denied possession. The police fearing that the city might implode pulled in Ramota.

    Even the ‘area boys’ were not left out, unable to sight the ‘mermaid’ all day and having an inkling that the creature may well be a harbinger of great wealth, they broke into Ramota’s house in the night and ransacked the place obviously in search of omo Yemoja. By the following day, the State Command of the Police eventually got hold of the little creature and it turned out to be an octopus, they announced. But it looks more like a squid because it has more than eight tentacles from the photographs made available.

    Thus ended most anti-climactically, the story of the visit of ‘Yemoja’ to Oluyole, but the lesson not to be missed is that our towns and cities across the country are in ferment; too many unengaged and disoriented people seeking purpose, meaning and direction. It’s a long road to travel yet.