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Tag: Ilesa

  • Ilesa agog for Summer Holiday  Soccer Training

    Ilesa agog for Summer Holiday  Soccer Training

    The historic town of Ilesa would be bursting at  the seams  next month  when  maiden  Summer Holiday Football Training holds between August 4th  and 29th  under the auspices of  El-Roi International  Football Academy. 

    According to one of the organisers of the  program, coach Siji Lagunju , a former Nigeria International,  the  program  would  be segmented into three categories for  boys and girls  between the ages of  8 to 2; 12 to 15 as well as U-17 youngsters.

    The vastly experienced  Lagunju  who was for many years Deputy  national  Director at the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), said the program  has been designed  to cater  for  the needs of youngsters  desirous  to take  football as a career, adding  they would be availed  the knowledge  and training of  carefully chosen  coaching experts.

    Read Also: Teni performs at Super Falcons presidential dinner

     “ We are putting together this Summer Football  Training in order to encourage the development of raw talents  from the grassroots  in Ilesha  and its environs ,”  said Lagunju, a dribbling wizard  in his heyday with  notable  Nigerian clubs including ICC Shooting Stars, the defunct Leventis United, International Breweries ( Ilesa) Bendel Insurance, Iwuanyanwu Nationale and Stationery Stores.

    The  holder of a  CAF Pro License  added: “For as little at Ten Thousand  Naira, the children  who will  be part of this program in Ilesa  would  be put through the rudiments of the game and  so much more.

     “ Part of my calling is  discovering of raw talents and  I want to use  this opportunity to tell parents  in Ilesa to bring their wards  for this program, they won’t regret it.”

  • Fed Govt approves $41 million for Ilesa water project

    …I am prepared to lead Osun, says Oyetola 
    The Federal Government has approved $41m for the Ilesa water project, Governor Rauf Aregbesola said on Wednesday.
    He spoke in Ilesa at a campaign rally to seek suport for the Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, the Osun State candidate of the All Progressive Congress in the Sept 22 governorship election.
    Oyetola, his running mate Benedict Alabi, Deputy Governor Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori, Ilesa federal lawmaker Ajibola Famurewa, among others, attended the rally. They recalled that the Ijesa zone was neglected for  16 years by the Peoples Democratic Party when the party was in power in the state.
    Aregbesola, who described the APC as a welfarist party, assured that every part of the state would enjoy even development with the APC-led Federal government and in the state.
    He rallied support for Oyetola, saying he stood far taller than othe candidates in the race.
    Aregbesola assured the people that they would not regret voting in Oyetola as he successor because “he is competent, has integrity and has the fear of God.”
    According to the governor, Oyetola with his track record in the private and public sectors would advance the fortune of the state and live up to expectations of the people.
    The governor, who advised the people not to listen to “rumor mongers peddling unfounded rumours about our party and candidate,” told the residents of the state to ensure they use their “power of votes wisely for someone who will not let you down.”
    Oyetola said he was prepared for the job adding that governance is not “a tea party to be left with the mediocre a or the desperados.”

    He said he would never promise what he would not be able to deliver, saying development eould be spread  across the state.

    “I am prepared for this job. I will hit the ground running. I know where to start and no one is going to tell what is next to do. I will protect the welfare of the people of the state, including our hard- working, who had made enough sacrifice for this great state and make it to be what it is today,” he said.

  • Police arrest soldier for hijacking fuel-laden truck in Oyo

    Police arrest soldier for hijacking fuel-laden truck in Oyo

    The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested a soldier serving at 81 Battalion, Makola, Ibadan, for allegedly hijacking a fuel-laden truck along  Akobo,Iwo road.

    The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Abiodun Odunde, made the disclosure in Ibadan while presenting the suspects to newsmen at the command’s headquarters in Ibadan on Friday.

    Odunde said that the soldier and three others were arrested on November 11 along Akobo, Iwo road, Ibadan.

    The commissioner said that investigation revealed that the gang was responsible for waylaying and subsequently hijacking trucks along the expressway.

    “The gang led by the soldier hijacked a 40,000 litre truck with registration number ABJ 132XA at about 9:30 p.m. and abducted the driver and the conductor.

    “They later took them to Omi-Adio after robbing them of their money and valuables and thereafter drove the truck to Akure/Ilesa road.

    Read also: Police arrest suspected killers of oil firm manager in Rivers

    “The alarm raised by the victim attracted some members of the community who alerted the police that led to their arrest and also recovered the truck,’’ Odude said.

    The police also presenteed 17 other suspects including an employee of George Investment Company, Ibadan, who stole six Sino trucks and a Toyota Camry car belonging to the company.

    Odude said that investigation conducted by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad led to the arrest of the suspect and one other in Edo and Abuja.

    The CP said that the six trucks were sold in Kaduna at the rate of N20 million while the Camry car was given to a yet-to-be identified pastor in Abuja.

    “As a result of diligent investigation by the SARS, all the trucks and two other cars were recovered and the criminal receiver also arrested.”

    10 other suspects were arrested for alleged stealing, cultism, armed robbery, unlawful possession of counterfeit currency and impersonation.

    Items recovered are two cut-to-size single barrel guns, two Laptop computers, eight mobile phones, a mask and charms.

    NAN

  • Osun ‘s change of name illegal – Court

    Osun ‘s change of name illegal – Court

    An  Osun State High Court  sitting in Ilesa  has  declared  that the change of  name to  “State of  Osun” by Gov. Rauf Aregbesola  is illegal, null and void.

    Delivering  the judgment  on Thursday, Justice Yinka Afolabi  ruled that the law and its makers  were unknown to the 1999 Constitution.

    Delivering judgment which lasted more than one hour,  the judge chided Aregbesola for deliberately and singlehandedly renaming the state,  contrary to the known norms and the nation’s constitution.

    He also declared that the makers of the law, who are currently serving as members of the State House of Assembly, were not sworn in as members of the “State of Osun House of Assembly” but as members of Osun State House of Assembly going by the seventh schedule  of the constitution.

    The judge said that since the creation of the state in 1991, previous governments used the constitutionally  envisaged name of  Osun State.

    All the other 35 states of the federation, he added,  had  not deviated from the constitutional names given to them.

    “The executive governor of the state changed the name in 2011. The renaming of a state goes further and deeper for anyone to singlehandedly do.

    “To re-order the name of Osun State  as “State of Osun” is hereby declared  as illegal, null and void.

    “On the oath of allegiance, I want to state that the Seventh Schedule is part of the law.

    “It is not a mere draft or mere oath. It does not give room for any alteration. After deposing to an oath of office, you cannot turn around to do otherwise,’’ Afolabi stated.

    The judge threw out all  the arguments by the State Attorney-General, Dr Basiru Ajibola,  who stood in as counsel for the  governor and the state government.

    He, however, granted all the seven prayers of the plaintiff.

    The case was instituted by a human rights activist, Mr Kanmi Ajibola, who had challenged  the legality of the “State of Osun Land Use Charge Law.’’

    Ajibola had gone to court in 2016, asking for certain reliefs after being served a notice by a private company known as “Interspatial Limited.”

    The notice was christened “State of Osun Land Use Charge Annual Demand Notice”  and signed by one Mrs. A. Ogunlumade, Permanent Secretary in the  Ministry of Finance.

    According to him, the notice was addressed to him as the property owner of No. 42, Onigbogi Street off Ibala, Ilesa West,  and  served on August 15,  2016.

    Some of the reliefs he sought for included a declaration that the “State of Osun Land Use Charge Law 2016, ” having being enacted by a  legislative body that is not known to the constitution and  the state not known to the 1999 constitution,  be declared  illegal and unconstitutional.

    Ajibola also asked the court to set aside the “State of Osun Land Use Charge Law, 2016” having been  enacted by a  legislative body that is not known to the constitution and the state not known to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

    The Attorney-General, however, said  the judgment would be appealed.

    NAN

  • Encomium for new N94m Osun school

    Encomium for new N94m Osun school

    Just days after inaugurating the state-of-the-art Ilesa Government High School, Ilesa, the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, unveiled the St. Augustine’s Government Elementary School, Ipetumodu, in Ife North Local Government Area of the state.

    It cost the state N94 million to build the school which has 10 classrooms, a computer centre and a library.

    The school also has an office for the head teacher, a store, a power office and a conference room.

    It comes with a borehole, power transformer and a recreation and sporting centre.

    So far, out of 100 elementary schools, 50 middle schools and 20 high schools promised by the present administration, 20 elementary schools, 22 middle schools and 11 high schools have been completed.

    ?At the inauguration Aregbesola said the school and others that had been launched earlier were designed to be able to attract the best brains from their catchment areas that would be prepared for the public middle schools, where excellence was the watchword.

    ?He said: “Today marks another epoch in the new dawn of education infrastructure in the State of Osun. The last time we gathered for this purpose was on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, when we commissioned Ilesa Government High School, Ilesa.

    “In the order of our new elementary schools, the most recent was the commissioning of the AUD Government Elementary School, Sabo Osogbo, on November 29, 2016. ?

    “On March 21 this year, our trains moved around simultaneously, to celebrate the official opening and commencement of learning activities at four newly-built government high schools; namely: Ataoja Government High School, Osogbo; Osogbo Government High School, Osogbo; Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo; and Adventist Government High School, Ede.

    “These schools were the first set of completed high school infrastructure embarked upon by our administration and have since been put to use by end-users, the students and their teachers”.

    Aregbesola added that beyond new buildings, he had renovated 40 other schools that have a total of 1,694 classrooms that can accommodate nearly 90,000 pupils; and provided more than 100,000 desks and chairs, toilets and boreholes.

    Earlier in his remarks, the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, Oba ?James Adedokun Adegoke described Aregbesola as a true democrat who had heralded unprecedented development in the state.

    The Monarch thanked the government for its developmental strides in the state, particularly Ipetumodu.

    “We have seen true “Omoluabi”? ethos in all Aregbesola has done particularly in his commitment to promises made to the people of the state.?

    “This government has done so much for us and we really appreciate it because no government has ever been conscious of development as this government has demonstrated”, Oba Adegoke emphasised.?

    In his address, the Education Commissioner, Mr Wasiu Kolawole Omotunde-Young praised Aregbesola for being committed to fight against educational decadence.

    He reiterated the government’s commitment to the education sector.

    “This state-of-the-art government elementary school is designed and constructed to be a first class school aimed to eradicate decadence in the education sector.

    “Our government has commissioned many of these schools and we will still commission more as we are committed to the quality and functional education in the state,” he said.?

    In his remarks, the Chairman House Committee on Education in the State House of Assembly, Folorunso bamisayemi backed the governor’s spending of funds the state borrowed for development.

    “Aregbesola has shown high sense of prudency and transparency in the management of the state’s resources particularly on the money which the state borrowed.

    “To us as legislators, we strongly believed that if the state did not borrow at the time it borrowed, many of these projects would have been impossible now, considering the exchange rate.

    “As at the time we approved the loan, the exchange rate of naira to dollar was about, 150 dollar to 170 dollar but today exchange rate is about 350 dollar to 400 dollar, telling us that the state might not be able to either borrow at all or do as much as it did. With the benefit of hindsight, the loan has paid for itself,” he said.

    Ilesa Government High School as well as the four inaugurated before it penultimate week boast of 72 classrooms, six offices for study groups, six laboratories, 18 toilets for girls, 18 toilets for boy, science library, art Library, facility manager’s office, bookshop, sick bay, bursar’s office, three principal’s offices, three general staff offices, one senior principal’s office, store and a security shed/reception.

    Also the school has a 1,000 seater capacity hall with additional storage space for equipment, utility, a stage, office, and toilets; sporting facilities, including an Olympic-sized football field, 7-lane tartan tracks, a pavilion and basketball/tennis court.

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, who was the Ilesa Government School inauguration, charged Aregbesola to maintain the tempo for peace and development of all parts of the state.

    A parent, Mr. Kola Ibirogba, said with the Aregbesola administration’s policies and programmes there is a new dawn in the education sector.  He called on parents to play their own parts in the education of their children by promptly paying taxes and token required for the maintenance of facilities.

     

  • Ilesa mega-school for launch

    The Osun State government has said it will inaugurate another state-of-the-art school at Ilesa Government High School, Ilesa, and unveil the distribution of citizens identification initiative cards, called Kaadi Omoluabi.

    Commissioner for Education Mr Kolawole Omotunde-Young addressed reporters at the Government House in Osogbo, the state capital, ahead of the inauguration.

    The school, he said, is in furtherance of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola education revolution, reclassification and remodelling.

    Omotunde-Young, who was accompanied by Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Education, Mr Niyi Idowu and the SSA to the Governor on Technical and Vocational Education, Dr Romoke Raji, said the inauguration is a testimony to the state’s resolve to build thoroughbred individuals through functional, quality and qualitative education.

    He said the present administration is investing huge resources on education; a development which he said distinguished Osun among its peers.

    The commissioner described the model schools built  by the Aregbesola administration as one of the factors that placed Osun above its counterparts.

    According to him, the inauguration of Ilesa Government High School, which has been scheduled for Tuesday, will be a testimonial to our determination to develop the complete person.

    “We have commissioned a similar school in Osogbo and to be precise, Osogbo Government High School, which was commissioned and put into use by President Muhammadu Buhari on September 1, 2016.

    “So, the state-of-the art Ilesa Government High School, which will be commissioned on Tuesday, also has modern facilities, including Internet, just like its counterparts in Osogbo.

    “Our efforts at giving every child access to quality education have been yielding positive results since inception because it is on records that our administration met a deplorable education sector.

    “When we assumed power in 2010, the schools were like zoos with dilapidated structures, deplorable facilities that cannot attract quality education, not to talk of producing versatile products.

    “But we have taken education seriously. We have made education a non-negotiable priority in all we do. We have succeeded in our education reclassification and categorization as our schools today remain the model for all,” the commissioner added.

    While intimating the media on the importance of Omoluabi Cards which will be flagged off and distributed to members of the public who have been registered, particularly the pupils and students on the same day, Omotunde-Young said the initiative is to generate accurate documentation of the citizens in the state.

    He said the initiative will help the state to have genuine statistics of the population of the people residing in the state for the purpose of development and transformation planning.

    The Commissioner for Education however disclosed that about two million citizens have been documented so far through the initiative.

    Omotunde-Young added: “The Citizen Identification Card popularly called Kaadi Omoluabi is to help facilitate proper citizen documentation, identification and development.

    “It is designed to bring government closer to the citizens and as well make citizens to move closer to the government as the cards will give government insight into the essential needs of the populace.”

     

  • Cultists kill newspaper agent in Ilesa

    Cultists kill newspaper agent in Ilesa

    A newspaper agent, Saheed Eluyera, was yesterday murdered in Orogba, Ilesa, Osun State by a group of suspected cultists
    Eluyera, who is an indigene of Ile-Ife, was said to have gone out to distribute newspapers when he ran into two cult groups engaging each other in a fight.
    It was gathered that he might not be the target of the killers, who reportedly matcheted and smashed his head with stones.
    In the last one week, three persons had been killed by cultists in the state with several others injured.
    On Saturday, 22-year-old Muyideen Olabode Ibidun believed to be a “Yahoo boy” was shot dead by members of a cult group in Osogbo, the state capital.
    Also, last week, a boy simply called “Omo Emi” was killed by a cult group at old Garage in Osogbo.
    The suspected cultists were said to have broken the victim’s head with interlocking blocks.
    The Commissioner of Police, Fimihan Adeoye, assured residents that cultists would be arrested.

  • Three die in Akure/Ilesa road accident

    Three persons were feared dead  in a road crash involving six vehicles yesterday on Akure/Ilesa road.

    The accident, which occurred in the early hours of the day, involved a petrol tanker, a truck, a luxury bus, two cars and two buses coming from different directions on the road.

    Witnesses said the carnage was caused by excessive speeding by the tanker driver.

    It was gathered that some vehicles coming from Akure end of the road rammed into the tanker while it was attempting to overtake other vehicles coming from the Ilesa end of the road.

    Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials at the scene of the accident said the victims were rushed to a medical centre before they arrived at the scene.

    The FRSC men also confirmed that the accident was caused due to high speed.

    They said the vehicles involved in the accident would be impounded.

    It was gathered that many of the passengers in the vehicles sustained serious injuries.

    The accident led to traffic on the busy road, a situation which gave the FRSC officials hectic time to control.

  • One dies in APC, PDP clash in Ilesa

    One dies in APC, PDP clash in Ilesa

    One person was killed yesterday in a fracas  between the supporters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State.

    It was gathered that members of the two political parties resorted to violence   when a group of the PDP members reportedly embarked on destruction of Aregbesola’s bill boards as they were conducting a door-to-door campaign in the area.

    The hoodlums were allegedly led by a former local government chairman.

    The political thugs, who were said to have begun the destruction of the bill boards around 8.00 am, allegedly attacked a supporter of the APC simply identified as Tolu in his residence around the Irojo area of the town.

    It was gathered that one of the hoodlums allegedly fired a gun into the air to scare the people, but a bullet was said to have mistakenly hit Tolu in the chest, and he died on the spot.

    Immediately after discovering that Tolu had been hit by the bullet and died, the hoodlums were said to have left the vicinity and escaped through the Osun Ankara Road and Express Road before the arrival of the policemen from Ayeso Police Station.

    The deceased’s relation, who preferred not to be named, said Tolu was not a politician, but he had at a time publicly declared his support for Aregbesola.

    The Osun State Police Command’s spokesperson, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, confirmed there was a clash in Ilesa. She said the police had commenced an investigation into the matter.

    The APC in the state has condemned the incident, describing it as an open introduction of violence into the politics of the state.

    The party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Barr. Kunle Oyatomi, said the PDP had been “boasting publicly to use every means, including ‘federal might’ that can only be authorized by the presidency to attempt to remove the APC from power in the state.”

    Meanwhile, the APC said:  “The PDP has begun the process of virtually destroying Nigeria, starting from Osun. Once again, we want the presidency to think twice before plunging into this dangerous enterprise because it will significantly destabilise Nigeria, and more importantly truncate democracy.

    “With the introduction of the Joint Task Force into Osun, the Federal Government is putting Osun State on a war footing. Let the Nigerians who love this country prevail on the presidency that this is not a war that the Federal Government can win. It is supposed to be an election in a state that has the reputation of being one of the most peaceful in the country.

    “The necessity for this irrational deployment of the JTF does not exist in Osun, except for the rabid and unbridled ambition of the PDP to capture Nigeria, even if it costs lives.”

  • Osun joins league of phone makers as Technology City is commissioned in Ilesa

    Osun joins league of phone makers as Technology City is commissioned in Ilesa

    Osun State is blazing the trail in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria with the establishment of Adulawo Technology City in Ilesa. ADESOJI ADENIYI witnessed the commissioning of the project last week, his reports.

    The industrialisation of Osun State is gaining momentum with the establishment of a technology community called “RLG-Adulawo Technology city” in Ilesa.

    The multi-million dollar electronic company, commissioned last week is a partnership between the State government and an indigenous business concern RLG Nigeria Limited, and is into the production, assemblage and marketing of phones and tablets. It is also involved in the training of youths on how to effectively carry out functions in production, assembly and marketing of the products.

    Located along Akure-Ife Road, the technology city was constructed at the cost of $50 million with Osun State contributing forty nine percent and the company fifty one per cent. The facilities at the company include a Technical Laboratory, a Training Centre and a Warehouse among others.

    The facility was commissioned with fanfare by the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the management of the company.

    Speaking at the commissioning ceremony a highly elated Governor Aregbesola described the establishment of the technology city as another landmark achievement of his administration. He maintained that the centre will be one of the most productive assets through technological innovations, production and assemblage of electronics communication devices.

    Aregbesola said the establishment of the centre was to create wealth in the state to improve the living standard of citizens.

    He said: “Time is running out against Africa and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the continent attains its rightful position. As a government, political power is obtained for the service of the people and we shall continue to serve our people with all sense of responsibility. At the inception of our administration, out of our voluminous programmes, we set two agenda as a priority: to create employment and make our state a hub of Information Communication Technology. ICT is no longer a future phenomenon but current tool for best communication. Our World has changed. In the last 20 years, NITEL estimated all available phones as 150, 000 and the recent figure put mobile lines in Nigeria at 117million with 200 million mobile phones and the number will keep growing because we must add RLG product to it.”

    According to him, through the partnership with RLG, the state government in its OYESTECH Programme had trained 5000 youths both in Nigeria and Ghana on electronics devises assemblage.

    He said “apart from the thousands of employment the company will create for the people of the state, it will also allow the state to compete in the ICT world and by God’s grace we shall continue to support the RLG to make the $50 million investment worthwhile.”

    The governor disclosed that the state investment in the technology city through OSICOM is the provision of lands and provision of certain logistics.

    The Chairman of RLG, Mr. Roland Agambire, said what a country, state or people need is a visionary leader to translate people’s wishes into reality.

    The technology magnate said Aregbesola had the vision to carry the State of Osun to an enviable height with the citing of RLG assembly plant in the state. He said: “We invested this huge facility here to demonstrate that we are here to stay to catch the opportunity of mobile technology, out of 100 million Nigerians, let everyone hasveonly RLG devices and the state of Osun will make billionaires that will also be on the world map.

    “Our product is cheap, quality and durable, the facility will also employ direct 800 people and over 10,000 people across the country, some will be at coupling plants while others will also be at selling points,” he pointed out.

    He disclosed that the assembly plant has commenced production shortly after it was declared open, promising that the state would in the nearest future be the technological centre in the whole of Africa. The Owa of Ijesaland, Oba  Adekunle Aromolaran, said the solution to Africa’s problems is technology and Nigeria cannot afford to sit down and wait for or watch other  countries do it for the continent.

    He commended the governor for his foresight in finding solution to the problems of youth unemployment in the state, saying with the location of the assembly plant in Ilesa, the economy of the area and indeed the entire state would be boosted in no small measure. He called on the people to give their ultimate assistance and to support to the company because it is in such support that the company hinges its existence and survival.

    At the colourful ceremony were dignitaries from across the country, including the Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former Nigeria Bar Association President, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN.) Also in attendance were top government functionaries and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress in Osun State.

    According to the Chief Operating Officer of the RLG Nig. Ltd., Mr. Taiwo Latilo, the company which commenced operation in the country two years ago had already created 600 direct jobs and is set create another 10,000 indirect jobs. He revealed that RLG products are affordable and competitive, saying that the company would produce 5,000 phones and 2,500 laptops daily.

    No doubt, people and various communities will benefit from the establishment of the company in the state. The Factory Director, Worlali Ameevor, acknowledged that relative power supply in Osun State would help the company’s assembly plant. He said the state government’s internally generated revenue would go up with the presence of the company in the state adding that the company as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility would give back to its host community by alleviating the peoples poverty and through award of scholarship to brilliant but indigent students in the area.

    The National Sales and Marketing Manager, Mr. Alex Oyebamiji, said parts to be assembled by the Ilese factory would come from China. He disclosed that many youths of the state, particularly under OYESTECH scheme have undergone both soft and hardware training from the company branch in Ghana. According to him the company would collaborate with some government agencies and universities to make its operation effective. The Head, Operation (Osun State), Mr. Teslim Ojomu, said there are some foreign supports for the company’s products which he said can compete with many world brands.