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Tag: Igbesa

  • Igbesa community protests forceful land acquisition by Chinese firms

    Igbesa community protests forceful land acquisition by Chinese firms

    • Management: we will address community’s accusations

    Members of Igbesa Town Landowners’ Association in Ogun State have protested against Guangdong Free Trade Zone’s management, alleging that Chinese companies have acquired large areas of land through forceful encroachment, demolition of houses, farms and other amenities.

    The protesters marched peacefully on Captain David Road in Igbesa with placards expressing their grievances against the firms.

    They alleged that the companies had seized land from them beyond what was given to them in 2007 by using security guards, armed goons and other forms of intimidation.

    The Chairman of the association, Ajose Solomon, said their community was approached in 2007 by an entourage led by the former deputy governor of Ogun State, Badru Salimot, to ask for large expanse of land for industrial purposes.

    He said they promised to develop road networks, provide electricity and pipe-borne water, and create job opportunities and other amenities, “yet, our people in Igbesa were skeptical and refused to cede their land to them for acquisition.

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    “They left Igbesa afterward to Ejila-Awori, a nearby community, to negotiate and got 12 villages, who gave them 400 hectares, which they fenced and later abandoned, owing to the topography of the place and its inaccessibility.

    “They later came back to Igbesa and some of our people betrayed their conscience by giving about 250 hectares to them.”

    Ajose showed reporters survey maps indicating the areas acquired by the Chinese and the vast land belonging to the community, which were not originally ceded to them, but formed part of the land that is currently encroached on by the Chinese companies.

    A representative of the Group Managing Director of Guangdong Free Trade Zone, Alhaji Ajayi Kabir, said the management would address the community’s accusations.

  • Crawford varsity offers library development service

    The management of the Crawford University, Igbesa in Ogun State has offered hassistance to develop libraries for the secondary schools in its community.

    This came out during the programmes organised by the management of Crawford University Library to celebrate the World Book Day.

    The World Book Day, marked om March 7 every year, is the annual celebration of all issues around books, learning, authorship, copyrights, and publishing as instituted by the United Nations to attract attention to global literacy.

    Crawford University Library management organised a Speech and Debate programme for pupils of primary and secondary schools in the Igbesa area to mark the day.

    In her welcome address, Mrs. Elizabeth Bukunola Lateef, the Crawford University Librarian, offered a helping hand in the planning and development of school library to any of the participating schools. “We are ready to be of help to any of your schools that would need help in the establishing of your school library. You just need to indicate to us your particular need,” she said.

    She added that Crawford University was ready to share technical training and consultancy needed to establish a physical or e-library in any of the institutions that should approach the institution for such help.

    The Vice Chancellor, Prof Isaac Rotimi Ajayi, said books were means of recording and storing information that can be shared with other people from across time and space.

    He said humanity had been enriched through the writings of great people like Uthman dan Fodio, Ajayi Crowther, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka through the ages.

    He remarked that the University Library had over 20,000 books, reference resources, journals and magazines and more than five million more in e-resources for use by students and lecturers.

    “Our faculty as well as students have available to them a rich repository of knowledge resource for them to be whatever they want to be,” he said.

  • We have no roads, no ruler, Igbesa people lament

    Residents of Igbesa, an industrial community in Ado-Odo/Otta Local Council of Ogun State, have been crying out over the dilapidated state of infrastructure in the kingdom. Ayodele Fashua reports.

    Marooned by virtually impassable roads, the story of Igbesa, a sprawling semi-rural kingdom in Ado-Odo/Ota local council, Ogun State is first and foremost one of neglect. The locals, who are outraged at the difficulties the situation has caused them over the years, allege that the community has been completely relegated to the background in the scheme of things, despite the fact that the bulk of the state’s internally generated revenue is derived from the area.

    They are also displeased that the state government appears to have hit them below the belt in its unexplained delay in the installation of their monarch, who was elected over a year ago. The Ado-Odo/Ota local council had since March 2017 issued Prince Abdulazeez Oluwatoyin Akinde, a certificate of selection to become the Oloja-Ekun (traditional ruler) of Igbesa kingdom, but the Ogun State Government is still being awaited to play its part by officially installing him.

    Though the infrastructural backwardness afflicting Igbesa has been traced to donkey years of neglect by successive administration, the community leaders are of the conviction that the situation is now made worse by the delay in the installation of the Oba-elect, who, “as an educated and well-travelled personality, would easily draw the attention of those in position of authority to the plight of our kingdom.”

    United in adversity, leaders of the Christian, Islamic and traditional religions in Igbesa, respectively, spoke on the plight of a community that parades at least four notable industries, but have no passable roads of whatever form.

    The three major religious leaders in the kingdom, namely, Venerable Samuel Durojaiye, Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria, Igbesaland Chapter; Alhaji Muhammadu Lawal, Chief Imam of Igbesaland, and Chief Isa Oga, head of traditional religion adherents, chorused the need for the installation of the Oba-elect and the need for the rehabilitation of the roads from both Atan and Agbara ends, with a confluence at Lusada that links Igbesa through sheer dilapidation.

    According to Durojaiye, “All our farmers have been impoverished by the situation of our roads, as they can no longer transport their market produce easily. Again, we don’t have a traditional ruler like the other communities; so there is no one to be our symbol when communities are sending representation to government.”

    Complementing him, Lawal said, “While the Chinese industrialists who have sited industries in our community are willing to assist in rehabilitating our bad roads, they have expressed concern that we don’t have a traditional ruler and have, as such, become reluctant in fulfilling their promise. This is because they see leadership as security.”

    In his comment, Oga depicted the harrowing experience of Igbesa populace thus: “We don’t have an Oba to lead, we don’t have roads that can lead us out and that can lead people here, and we don’t have anything near fairly stable electricity, as most parts of Igbesa kingdom have been thrown into darkness for years that I can no longer remember.”

    In his own reaction, the President of Igbesa Youth Assembly, Comrade Babajide Aina, said, “It is unfortunate that where the bulk of all the revenue of Ogun State is coming from has no passable roads leading, thus frustrating the operations of the companies.”

    Aina noted that industries like Hexing Industries, Brury Industries, Flour Mills Ltd, and Viju Milk Industries, all in Igbesa, would have been thriving more than they are currently doing but that their heavy-duty vehicles often get trapped on the impossible road network.

    Meanwhile, the Igbesa palace chiefs have renewed their plea with Governor Ibikunle Amosun to speedily install Akinde as the new Oloja-Ekun, having been duly elected through a new procedure introduced by the state government.

    In a joint address at the palace of the Elekun-Oja, the chiefs, namely, Mohammed Akapo, the Ajanna of Igbesa; Adewumi Durojaiye, the Otunba Moloje of Igbesaland; Chief Abdulwahab Imosu, the Bobasaye of Igbesaland, and Oseni Adeola Obanla, the Afose of Igbesaland, all urged the governor to wade into the logjam surrounding the installation of the new Igbesa monarch.

    Recalling the antecedent of the logjam, Chief Durojaiye, who spoke on behalf of the other chiefs, said, “When the last Elekun-Oja joined his ancestors in 2015, there was only one kingmaker left alive.

    “So the state government appointed 10 other personalities in the community to join him in voting for a new Oba. And at the election, Akinde defeated his rival by six votes to five, prompting the local council to give him the certificate of selection.

    “The other party went to court but there has been no court injunction whatsoever restraining the government from installing our Oba. So we plead with Governor Amosun to do the needful,” the chief said.

    However, members of Igbesa District Community Association in the United Kingdom and Ireland said they smell a rat in the delay of the installation of the Oba-elect.

    Its leader, Sheik (Dr.) Olushola Dauda, who spoke from his London base, said the Ogun State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Jide Ojuko, should grant audience to Igbesa chiefs to lodge their complaints over the obaship issue.

    “What we gathered is that the commissioner receives more in audience, those who are working against our interest than those who are supporting the popular choice of the entire community for an Oba,” Dauda said.

  • Ogun compensates 232 Igbesa residents

    In preparation for the commencement of construction on the 10-kilometre Lusada-Igbesa Road, the Ogun State Government has compensated owners of 232 structures affected by the project.

    Speaking on the occasion held at Salvation Army Primary School, Igbesa, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Olamilekan Adegbite, an architect, said this was the first time since 2011 that compensation would be brought to the community of the beneficiaries.

    “The state government, in its magnanimity, has decided to bring this compensation to Igbesa to ease the difficulty the beneficiaries might encounter, if they come to Abeokuta to collect their bank drafts,’’ he said

    The Commissioner, through his media aide, Mr. Temidayo Agida, hinted that the road, which would be completed between six and eight months would enhance accessibility and improve the livelihood of the people of the area.

    He implored residents to cooperate with the contractors to ensure the speedy completion of the project.

    One of the recipients, Mr. Imonite Lucky, expressed gratitude to the government for the gesture of coming to pay compensation at the loan.

    He said the project would bring development to the town.

  • Crawford varsity graduates 270

    Crawford varsity graduates 270

    No fewer than 270 students of Crawford University, Igbesa in Ogun State would be conferred with degrees at the 9th convocation of the university Wednesday next week.

    Twenty-two of them will bag the first class honours, 88 Second Class (Upper Division), 83 Second Class (Lower Division) and 37 students Third Class.

    Forty students would be awarded Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters Degrees.

    Conferment of first degrees and Higher Degrees will be done by the Chancellor of the University, Revd Emmanuel Adeniran.

    A convocation lecture titled “Restructuring the higher education delivery for human capital development and national transformation” will also be delivered by Prof Charles Ayo, former Vice Chancellor, Covenant University, at the event.

    Crawford Vice Chancellor, Prof Isaac Ajayi said at a pre-convocation briefing on Tuesday that out of 230 first degree graduands, 78 graduated from the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, while 152 graduated from the College of Business and Social Sciences.

    Ajayi said the convocation would also benefit current students and members of staff.

    “It would afford the undergraduates to see the reward of hard work for those ahead of them. This would arm them with the new resolve to put in more effort to achieve excellence.

    “For our faculty, they would utilise the ceremony to re-access their approach to inculcation of knowledge to acheive even better results. For everyone, it is a happy time of celebration of academic excellence,” he said.

    Other activities  ahead of the convocation include health exercise for all staff and students on Friday, a football match between the members of staff and student team on Saturday, and a thanksgiving service at the university chapel on Sunday.

     

  • Orphan is best graduating student at OGITECH

    Orphan is best graduating student at OGITECH

    An orphan, Oladele Temitope Grace, 25, has emerged the  over all best graduating student of Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa, at its first combined convocation and 11th anniversary.

    Grace, who gave way to tears during her speech, lamenting that  her parents were not alive to witness her graduation, made the distinction category with a Cumulative Grade Point Aggregate of 3.87 in Electrical /Electronics Engineering (HND) 2016/2017 academic session to emerge the over all best graduand.

    Aside collecting a cash prize for her excellent performance, the state government offered her an automatic lecturing appointment at her alma mater.

    Grace attributed her success to  God, determination, hard work and her husband who, she said,  stood by her.

    She urged the state and federal governments to invest more in electronic engineering to drive the economy, create jobs and boost the revenue base of the country, saying computer and information technology is the way a nation should go in this 21st century and beyond.

    No fewer than 9,334 were graduated by the institution,  with 205 of them making the distinction list in the combined convocation of graduands spanning 10 years.

    Governoror Ibikunle Amosun, represented by the Commissioner for Education. Science and Technology, Mrs. Modupe Mujota, urged the graduands to approach the world with “optimism, critical thinking and emotional competencies.”

    Earlier, the institution’s Rector, Dr. Olufunke Akinkurolere, said despite challenges, OGITECH’s  products have been  sufficiently groomed both in learning and character not only  to be competitive in the labour market but also jobs creators and future employers of labour.

    Olufunke added that the institution’s 26 programmes were all fully accredited by the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE).

     

  • OGITECH undergraduate wins federal scholarship

    An undergraduate of the Ogun State Institute of Technology (OGITECH), Igbesa, Miss Yekinni Ibironke Hawawu, has clinched a scholarship valued at N100,000 courtesy of the Federal Scholarships Board (FSB).

    Yekinni, who is HND 2 Computer Science undergraduate, was presented with her check as the institution premises amid applause and congratulations.

    Speaking at the event, Mr Muibi Charles Sikiru, CEO, Nigerian Awards FSB, and Ogunwale Michael, Coordinator Southwest Zone, both of FSB, praised management and teachers of OGITECH for producing some of the best students who are beneficiaries of the scholarships.

    Muibi said FSB has maintained its integrity over the years, giving scholarships at various categories to deserving awardees.

    As against popular misconceptions, Ogunwale said FSB does not engage in sharp practices, adding that Nigerian undergraduates of public institutions with 3.5 Cumulate Grade Point or second class (for universities and colleges of education) or OND/HND upper credit, (for polytechnics), are eligible to apply and sit for the qualifying test.

    He recalled how, shortly after OGITECH kicked off about 11 years ago, he discussed with his boss the idea of distributing some of the scholarship forms to the institution then known as Gateway Polytechnic, Igbesa.

    “My boss looked at me and said: ‘You are not even talking about the prominent school, in Ogun State. that school in the jungle?’ Surprisingly it was students from here that claimed most of the awards for that year. Eight of the awardees for that year were from here. The whole state slots were hijacked by your students.

    “Due to your good record in the past, I would advise the management to encourage more of your students to participate in the 2017 edition. To the students, you should encourage your colleagues that FG still gives scholarships so that by next edition, we hope to have more slots. We are going to place advertorials and also put the information on our website. The forms can be downloaded on our website for free.”

    While writing the qualifying test, Ogunwale warned students to avoid mistake ranging from wrong shading of OMR form, shading a wrong programme, or institution and spending too much time answering each questions, among other technical defects.

    Rector OGITECH Dr Olufunke Olanike Akinkurolere, who thanked FSB team, described the achievement as another feather into the institution’ cap.

    According to her, Yekinni’s feat is a testimony to quality products and education standard OGITECH delivers.

    “This is evidence that we are confident of the kind of product we have here,” Akinkurolere said.

    “I was once a beneficiary of this award and I can assure you that the process is fair.

    “The financial value (for Yekinni) is N100,000 but it’s not about the money. It’s the pride you have that you are a Federal Government scholar “she said calling on other students to emulate Yekinni.

    Receiving her cheque, the beneficiary thanked the management her teachers and FCB.

    “This is my first time to win this award, she told The Nation in a private chat.

    “I’m currently doing a conversion programme into university and I believe this money would also help me achieve that.”