The Nation Newspaper

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  • Dare needs support

    The dilapidated nature of sporting facilities in the country is a mirror reflection of what Nigeria is today – jaded or like Idris Adulkareem sang ‘’Nigeria jagajaga, everything scatter scatter, poor man dey suffer suffer, gbosa, gbosa!’’ Many have wondered how administrators could cast indulgent eyes on such monuments which marked watersheds in our sporting history. A visit to most of these rustic structures around the country draw the ire of those who saw those edifices host important competitions just as the stadia produced some of our best sporting heroes and heroines.

    For these administrators, anything government belongs to nobody. It doesn’t matter if the stadia are in ruins for as long as their offices are intact. Cash allocated to infrastructural development is spent on cosmetic jobs such as repainting of buildings, changing the noticeable areas while the rotten are stacked until there is nothing to hide. The ruination of our facilities didn’t start today. The sports minister should visit the ministry’s books to take stock of how much has been budgeted for infrastructural development and ask those who functioned in the department to give account of their stewardship.

    Except people account for what was budgeted for, we won’t be able to change people’s perception towards government-owned properties. Those found to have misapplied the cash should be made to refund them. Such recovered funds can help a great deal to start the process of fixing the abandoned properties and facilities. If such cash in the past had been deplored to the purposes ( periodic repair works) they were meant for, the cash needed to upgrade them now wouldn’t be as colossal. In fact, repairs on any of these facilities should start from the foundation. Otherwise, disaster awaits us in the event of overcrowding during sporting activities – it could be catastrophic.

    We can use the Sunday Dare era to rebuild our sports in all its ramification. Such changes will be meaningless, if we fail to institute a maintenance culture in the handling of sporting facilities. Builders of most sporting edifices ensures that they sign maintenance agreements with the owners of the structure. They are also expectedto train the nationals on the basic things they need to do to keep the place in top shape. And it starts with engaging a facility manager who recruits his team, which should include grounds men and women, security and other facets as recommended by the builders. There would be periodic innovation and adjustments of key parts of the building that may show signs of weakness, needing fortification with the designate local officers having the privilege to see how they are fitted or repaired.

    The stadium manager isn’t just any person. He is eminently qualified for the job and one of the best, if not the best in the business. It isn’t a job for political patronage since the premises are seen as business concerns, with the manager setting the templates to recoup some of what was spent on such facilities. The quintessential manager appreciates the marketing windows available to the facilities such that firms can pitch for different platforms in the place including the name of the premises.

    In business-conscious climes, sporting facilities are either named after prominent people such as Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola Stadium or after top companies who would emerge from a competitive ballot (a case in point being the FNB Stadium in South Africa), where such facility can get seed money to operate. The minister should ensure that stadia are leased out to big firms such that it would be absolutely impossible for anyone by a fiat to organise political rallies or any other business outside sporting activities. It may sound ridiculous, but in a business, such rules are binding on those who leased out the facilities, since targets must be met.

    It is fraudulent for anyone to ask for millions to re-grass the MKO Abiola Stadium’s soccer pitches when we can recruit horticulturists to do it for less. With good horticulturists, they will have nurseries around the stadium where they will nurture grass which they can easily dig up and use to re-grass areas within the playing turf which are ebbing away. The horticulturists restrict themselves to the playing turfs and the practice pitches.  The stadium manager coordinates them. There should also be a business manager whose duties should be spelt out. For effective running, there must be a management team charged with the responsibility of keeping the premises ready to host sporting events. Stadia around the country should be business concerns if we must be in sync with what happens elsewhere.

    Dare stated on his twitter handle during the week that ‘’Sports is business. a first step in engineering PPP in sports development in Nigeria. Alhaji Aliko Dangote is a convert as he listens to my pitch. I’m about the business of sports to engage our youth for employment and entrepreneurship through sports development. We have set out. Babatunde Raji Fashola is on board. I’m a youth advocate. The youth hold the future of our country in their hands, their heads and intellect. the journey to that future starts now. ‘’

    This writer is, however, happy that the minister has taken the bold step to parley with business moguls such as Aliko Dangote to see how he can do the business of sports with Nigeria. Dangote, for the records has severally shown his interest to acquire Arsenal Football Club in London for staggering figures. Dangote knows that sports is the opium of the people here, but it lacks enduring structures to leverage on firms’ investments.

    But, speaking to Bloomberg TV at the New Economy Forum in Singapore, the 61-year-old has now hinted he may have to look elsewhere if Kroenke – who has just completed a full takeover at the Emirates after a power battle with Alisher Usmanov – does not want to sell.

    “I’m very attached to Arsenal but if he won’t sell, I might have to change. I’m very much a fan of football. I’ll like to have a club. I don’t have to own Arsenal. By the time we’ve finished [the oil refinery], we’ll be a $30bn [£22.8bn] company in terms of revenue,” said Dangote.

    Wao! Dangote is renowned for doing good business. Our sports administrators must sit up and embrace the reality that sports increases the GDP of countries that understand the dynamics of the industry. Spain’s economy, a growing one like Nigeria’s, relies greatly on the volume of cash generated from the sports sector.

    FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Villarreal, Valencia are not all about football. They have basketball clubs, volleyball clubs, athletics clubs etc, which are professionally run. But football serves as the fountain where others seek succour, considering its followership as the king of sports.

    La Liga’s contribution in Spain’s national economy is no less than any other top-run industry in the country. The two elite division football leagues in Spain generate 185,000 jobs, €4.1 billion ($4.66 bn) in taxes and a turnover equal to 1.37% of the national GDP. This is one sport – football. Others are also run as businesses. Sample: Vuelta a España, a race around Spain and one of cycling’s biggest events.

    Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues spent a record £5billion on players this summer despite Premier League clubs, usually the continent’s most active shoppers, slightly reining in their spending, Deloitte has revealed.

    Honourable minister sir, sponsorship isn’t donation but value exchange based on inventories of benefits accruing to the firm(s) or individual. Indeed, sponsorship without television as a key element amounts to winking in the dark. Our sports is more of having a half empty glass than a half filled one, largely because those who administered it in the past lacked the political will, which Dare is exhibiting with his reposition of issues in so short a time.

    Indeed, there was no funding of sports here because most of the ministers were interested in fighting NFF chiefs and other federations’ helmsmen than creating a financial sponsorship model driven by the principles of Public Private Partnership (PPP).  Dare needs to find out what happened to all the Sports Lottery Fund and some others like the fund-raisers before the last two World Cup tournaments for the Super Eagles.

    The country seriously needs a Sustenance fund for our athletes which should be tied to big firms and/or rich individuals so that we can chart these sports ambassadors’ growth in the events. Besides, we need to re-introduce the fund-raisers we did at least one year before attending major competitions. President Buhari could commence it with a dinner where the big players in business are told what they stand to gain supporting sports. Such incentives as tax rebates would propel them to support sports for as long as they can be assured that the cash isn’t misapplied. The fund raisers will then be taken round the country for all the states to contribute their quota. However, a deliberate attempt should be made to let everyone know how much was realised and how the cash was spent. The minister could use the visits through the states to dialogue with the governors on his vision for sports.

    It is instructive for the minister to meet with sports friendly firms who have left the industry to find out what informed their exits. That way, past mistakes are corrected so that others can be encouraged to participate.

  • Oko: All eyes on new NDDC director

    Since the Federal Government announced the appointment of a new board of directors for the beleaguered Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Tuesday, August 20, tongues have been wagging in different quarters as to the competence of the people appointed into the board.

    First to raise the alarm were the governors of the Niger Delta states, including those of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Abia, Imo and Ondo. Rising from a meeting in Abuja penultimate Thursday, the governors said the process by which the board members emerged did not reflect effective governance mechanism, saying that they would seek an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss the issues.

    The Niger Delta Entrepreneurs Forum (NDEF) also faulted the dissolution of the Nelson Brambaifa-led board and its replacement with the one led by Pius Odubu, a former deputy governor of Edo State. The group alleged that the development did not respect Section 4 of the NDDC Act which stipulates rotation of the chairmanship position.

    But it has been discordant tunes among the region’s stakeholders as the governors themselves came under heavy criticism for rejecting the appointments, alleging that their position was politically motivated.

    In a swift reaction to the Niger Delta governors, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the opposition of the Niger Delta governors to the reconstitution of the board was shameful and disgraceful.

    In a statement issued by its National Vice Chairman (South South), Chief Ntufam Hilliard Eta, the APC asked the governors to concentrate on delivering the dividends of democracy to their people. The party said it was unfortunate that the opposed to the appointment of “qualified Nigerians” into the board of the NDDC.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to various reports in the news and print media on the very shameful and disgraceful steps taken by South South governors, on the recent appointments made by Mr. President, wherein very qualified sons of South South geo political zone were appointed into the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    “Ordinarily, we would have ignored such disgraceful steps by men we thought could have known better, but it has become imperative that we stand in the defence of justice and for the benefit of Nigerians.

    “It is sad that these governors of the oil rich states of the Niger Delta, who should be highly concerned by the level of poverty and deteriorating state of infrastructure in the zone, are rather being parochial, selfish and exhibiting the highest form of ignorance in governance.

    “They are only interested in ensuring that their family members, cronies and stooges are appointed to strategic positions to the detriment of the generality of Nigerians.

    “The steps by these self-serving governors just go to show that indeed their election into such high offices was just a direct product of the subversion of the collective wills of the people in the last general elections.

    “We view the steps taken by these governors as very dishonorable and it shows that governance in our zone is at the lowest ebb.”

    The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) took a swipe at the governors in a communique, saying that the governors’ action could result in unnecessary ethnic clashes in the region. The group said the governors were acting in futility, adding that they lacked both the moral justification and constitutional leverage to advise President Buhari on the appointments.

    Basis for rancour

    At the base of the wrangling impelled by the appointment of a new board is the poor manner the finances of the commission have been handled over the years. Many believe that the development of the region, which was the reason for establishing the commission, had suffered because its funds have not been well managed.

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, recently confirmed the fear and apathy of fellow Niger Deltans when he rated the commission low for not performing well in its main responsibility, which was the development of the Niger Delta region.

    Akpabio stressed the need for redirecting the affairs of the NDDC, saying it has more than N2 trillion debt to settle.

    But against this background some stakeholders in the region commended the appointment of Maxwell Oko as the new Executive Director, Finance and Administration (EDFA) of the commission.

    For instance, the pioneer president of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Dr. Felix Tuodolo, said with the appointment of Oko who himself had been in the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta as EDFA, funds belonging to the commission would be properly managed.

    He said: “We in the struggle in the human rights circle and those in the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta were very happy to hear the news of the appointment of Maxwell Oko.

    “Some of the things we have been talking about over the years, which is the essence of our struggle, is to develop the Niger Delta; the Niger Delta people controlling their resources and managing same.

    “These are the issues we are talking about, but most times, we realise that while we are talking and struggling on these bases, the little that is available to the Niger Delta is mismanaged by persons that are holding several offices.

    “But we are happy when a person that participated in the struggle gets into office. That person we know he knows the pains and the sufferings of his people, and that person tends to do things better than the ordinary man. He pursues his office with the eyes of somebody who is in the struggle.

    “With Maxwell Oko, who is part and parcel of the struggle, we know that he is going to leave his marks; excellent marks that we will appreciate and people will talk about. He knows the pains and suffering of our people.”

    ‘I’m ready for the task’

    Until his appointment on August 20, Oko was the executive vice Chairman of Eraskorp Nigeria Limited, an indigenous conglomerate with diverse interest in the Nigerian economy, spanning such sectors as power, oil and gas, security, agribusiness, infrastructural development and real estate.

    Born 45 years ago in Otuasega, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the upwardly mobile entrepreneur and investor is a holder of B. Tech in Architecture from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology as well as a post-graduate diploma (PGD) in Architecture from the University of Jos, Plateau State. He is also a former Commissioner for Energy in Bayelsa State.

    He was member, swearing-in sub-committee of Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee (PIPC); board member, Ellah Lakes Plc, a firm listed on the board of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and board member, Secure Records Management Solutions. He is also on the boards of Eraskorp Nigeria Limited and Lake Oko Farms Limited.

    With the foregoing background, Oko believes that he is well prepared for the task of repositioning the commission to perform its core mandate.

    He said: “I pride myself as being innovative and action oriented with good knowledge and experience in management and administration. I am regularly involved in value creation within my community and the larger society through ground breaking projects which have provided economic empowerment for many rural communities, creating employment opportunities and alleviating poverty. I have also played leadership roles in different associations, including youth, political and volunteer groups.

    “I have been privileged to serve in various positions in government and thus been exposed to policy formulation and implementation of various programmes in different areas of the economy, both in public and private sector contexts. This has involved interaction and working with different stakeholders: government ministries, the legislature, regulatory agencies, local governments, private investors, representatives of multilateral agencies, and NGOs.

    “In the course of my career, I have acquired good contextual knowledge of local issues and socio-cultural constraints and realities. My work experiences have exposed me to regular field visits, monitoring and evaluation of projects, processes and impacts.

    “I have also learned how to overcome obstacles to achieve my goals. I always try to learn something new from every experience and seek new responsibilities and challenges because I believe there is always room for self-improvement, both personally and professionally.

    “My passion and self-motivation are the keys to my ability to identify and propose innovative solutions to solving problems and implementing improvement in all organisations where I have had professional engagement.

    “I consider myself a reliable and enthusiastic individual with a desire to excel in all I do, and diligent and committed to my set goals. Challenging tasks motivate me and I derive satisfaction in achieving demanding targets. I am convinced that I have the requisite experience and skills set to take on any challenge.”

    Stakeholders set agenda

    Affirming what he called the unassailable records of Oko in public life, the founding chairman, Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King W.S. Igbugburu, advised him to maintain his integrity and good name throughout the period of his service in the commission.

    Igbugburu said having known Oko during his days as commissioner in Bayelsa State, he was confident that the new EDFA would deliver if he refused to be hoodwinked by fraudsters whom he said were killing the commission.

    The president of Ijaw Youths Council, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, asked Oko not to disappoint those who believe in his forthrightness and ability to effect changes in the NDDC.

    The IYC president said Comrade Maxwell Oko as Executive Director of Finance and Administration of the Niger Delta Development Commission is a round peg in a round hole.

    He said: “You know that Comrade Oko is a founding member of the Ijaw Youths Council who is passionate about the development of the region. He was chairman of IYC central zone.

    “He has held several other political offices including commissioner of power and energy in Bayelsa State under Chief Timipre Silver as governor. He also worked with the then petroleum minister, King Daukoru.

    “Maxwell is experienced and he is a man of the youth. We are very certain that he will use his office to redirect the vision of the creation of the commission and bring about desired peace and the long awaited development to the region.

    “Our agenda for him is that he should use his position to address the issues IYC has been canvassing for. As a former chairman, IYC central zone, of course he will not expect us to remind him that the Ijaw nation needs even development from the NDDC. He should ensure that all ongoing projects in Ijaw land are completely executed.

    “The commission should also initiate youth empowerment programmes in order to engage our teaming jobless youths across the region. The purpose for which the commission was established has not been successfully utilised. The developmental response by the commission towards the region is still below expectation.

    “Now that we have a former national executive member of the IYC on the board of the NDDC, we are very certain that most of our demands will be achieved. All we care for is that the commission adequately responds to the developmental needs of the region which should be commensurate to its budgetary provisions.

    “I think Buhari making the choice of Maxwell Oko in the new NDDC board means he has listened to our yearnings and aspirations. I think this is a test case for Oko to show that he has concern for his people which is glaringly the reason why Buhari considered him. Mr. President must have noticed that someone having the spirit of our struggle will know our concerns more than others. The buck now stops in Oko’s table to prove Buhari’s sincerity to the Ijaw people.”

    Also, Dr Edmund Daukoru, a former petroleum minister, spoke in glowing terms about the newly appointed Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the NDDC, saying he can vouch for his capacity, integrity and capacity to deliver on his new job.

    Daukoru said his appointment was commendable, saying that “he is a round peg in a round hole.

    He said: “Maxwell (Oko) is very committed to his work and duties. He served under me as my SA (Special Assistant). He took over from Sylva. It was just revealing to see how much Maxwell parked into his brain. He is very committed, principled, disciplined person and it is just the kind of appointment that we anticipate.”

    He said with Oko’s experience in managing youths-related issues and having been involved in various development issues in the Niger Delta, he was confident that his former aide would perform.

    He said: “Dealing with communities is not an easy affair, especially because resources are always limited. He has the qualities to work with the MD, whoever he is to deliver. He has all the qualities needed to do the work.

    “He is a disciplined person; he understands priorities. When I say he is disciplined, I’m saying it based on what I know about him. He never accepted gratifications from people who tried desperately to see me; people who would want to try to break roadblocks to see the minister.

    “Maxwell was not like that. I never saw any fault in him. I can vouch for him. In terms of doing the job, I have full confidence that he will not let the authorities down. I am extremely proud of him.

    “As an elder and a king, I pray for him to succeed.”

  • Time to save this risky Bob from himself

    Idris Okuneye, the indolent male loafer who by some magical contraptions turned himself into a woman, is finally getting the attention he has craved for years, but certainly not in the manner he desired. Youths numbering more than 500 marched through the streets of Abuja on Wednesday, protesting the antics of the 27-year-old and describing his actions as ungodly.

    Until he plotted his way into national consciousness a couple of years ago, the Ebute-Meta, Lagos born dude was a haggard-looking, dark complexioned man with a face that would scare a child and cheeks only half as attractive as those of a horse. Today, he has transformed his near charcoal dark skin into a complexion that is almost snow white, thanks to a combination of bleaching creams. He walks about in feminine clothes and jerry-curled hair all in a bid to cut the image of a beautiful woman!

    In May this year, she adopted ‘she’ as his pronoun and claimed to have a male lover in clear contravention of the Nigerian law that prohibits same sex relationships; an offence punishable with 14 years in a penitentiary. At the slightest opportunity, he invades the social media, the market place of the youth, to flaunt the millions of naira he claims to have grabbed from wasteful politicians and other disoriented opportunists who think nothing of throwing our common patrimony around like rain water. Then in a plain admission of the clear and present danger he constitutes not just to the youth but the entire society, he felicitously adopted Bobrisky as his new name.

    Read Also: Inside the ‘risky’ life of Bobrisky

    In a society where inanities are easily elevated into virtues, Bobrisky is already building a huge fan base on the social media and is even being invited by certain event planners to deliver speeches at social gatherings. For years, the government ignored his antics, watching with insouciant mien as the iconoclast flaunted the millions he claimed were flowing in from deeds that add nothing to the national purse.

    Encouraged by government’s aloofness, he took his escapades a notch higher recently with a gay party he reportedly organised at a venue on Lagos Island to mark his birthday. But that turned out his albatross as security agents reportedly stormed the venue before the party could begin and arrested some gay youths who were already there in solidarity with their mentor. It turned out, however, that the birthday ‘girl’ herself had to go underground to avoid arrest. Since then, he has lamented to whoever cares to listen that a whopping sum of N12 million was invested in the aborted jump.

    The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, also appeared to have drawn the battle line with his declaration of Bobrisky as a national disgrace. In a recent media interview with a national newspaper, Runsewe said: “Bobrisky is a national disgrace. He started by selling and using bleaching creams. Now he has grown boobs, bums and hips. If a Bobrisky is doing well with his immoral lifestyle, how do you convince Nigerian youths to do the right thing?

    “Bobrisky has the right, but not within the Nigerian environment. There are others like him, but they live outside the country. If we don’t address Bobrisky as early as possible, he will form a team that will spread like wildfire. This will result in a lot of suicide cases, because the typical Nigerian parent would not want to see their child become a Bobrisky.”

    Happily, the youth appear to have bought into the campaign to rein in the cross-dresser if the protests carried out by some youths in Abuja during the week are anything to go by. Numbering more than 500, the youths on Wednesday took to the streets of the nation’s capital city to protest what they called Bobrisky’s “moral decadence”. The protesters, under the aegis of National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN), did not only disown him, they also declared their support for the National Centre for Arts and Culture, the National Council of Women Society, the Christian Association of Nigeria and other bodies that have taken a stand against him and his activities.

    Describing the activities of Bobrisky as “ungodly, unhealthy and disgusting,” the Vice President of NYCN (North Central Zone), Mukhtar Jebba, said that what Bobrisky and his cronies were promoting was completely against the moral, cultural and spiritual values of Nigeria.

    He said: “Consequently, the NYCN today, September 18, 2019 declares Bobrisky as a persona non grata, as he is a man and not a woman. For national interest, we call on the ever-conscious, ever-ready, combatant Nigerian youths and comrades of like minds to, without fear or favour, kick out Bobrisky and his likes wherever they come across them. Nigeria is not a place for LGBT and we shall fight this to the end.”

    Bob Marley, the Jamaican reggae music sensation who died in 1981, is till this day perceived globally as one of the best things to have happened to the world. It is therefore one of the ironies of life that a Bob who died more than 38 years ago is still celebrated as a hero while another Bob who is very much with us is perceived as a gangrene that must be checked before it destroys the entire fabric of the Nigerian and African societies. I am not a medical doctor and would not pretend to be capable of identifying a syringe without being guided. Yet I know for a fact that the processes by which Idris Okunneye transmuted from a man into a woman are all at a great disservice to his own health. The ear2lier he is made to retrace his steps, the better for him and the society. His right to a lewd and licentious lifestyle must now necessarily end where our right to a decent society begins.

  • Five dead, 10 others injured as bus bursts into flame on expressway

    Five passengers were charred and 10 others suffered some degrees of burns on Friday when a bus conveying them burst into a flames, after it had somersaulted at the Onigari corridor of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

    The lone crash occurred in the morning when a commercial bus coming from Sokoto stopped over briefly in Ibadan to pick Lagos bound passengers and shortly after taken off, the driver lost control of the wheel, smashed into the road median and tumbled many times over before balls fire erupted from the crash.

    The Route Commander and  Public Education Officer of Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Command, quoted the Sector Commander, Clement Oladele, as saying five persons died in the accident while 10 others were injured.

    She stated:  “The lone crash involved a commercial bus that  travelled all the way from Sokoto State but stopped briefly in Ibadan to pick other passengers. The bus was heading towards Lagos State before it lost control, at Onigari due to excessive speed, and collided with the road median with  the bus upturning and  bursting into flames.

    Read Also: Two die in Port Harcourt, Asaba accidents

    “The crash involved 18 passengers comprising 17 male adults and 1 female adult .

    “A total of 10 male adults sustained injuries from the crash but five of the passengers unfortunately died from the crash comprising four male adults and a female adult.”

    The commuter bus was a white coloured Mazda bus with registration number WWD 302CB

    “The FRSC Ogun State Sector Commander , Clement Oladele commiserates  with the families of  the crash victims and advised members of the public whose relatives travelled, requiring more information about the crash, should contact the FRSC Command at KM27 Ibadan – Lagos Expressway at Ogunmakin or the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) , Sagamu, where the injured victims were rescued to.”

    According to the Route Commander, the remains of those killed in the crash were also deposited at the OOUTH mortuary.

    She urged  motorists to drive cautiously on the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway as it is still undergoing rehabilitation, recommending 50km per hour as safe speed at construction area while  passengers should always  caution their drivers observed driving recklessly.

  • Oyo redeems pledge of N500,000 bursary to Law school students

    The government of Oyo State has redeemed its pledge of N500,000 bursary to indigenes of the State in the Nigerian Law School.

    A statement by the Special Assistant (Print Media) to the Governor, Moses Alao, indicated on Friday that the 2019/2020 Backlog Session of the Forum of Oyo State indigenes in the Nigerian Law School had confirmed the payment in an appreciation letter to the governor.

    Governor Seyi Makinde had on August 6, approved the payment of N500,000 to each indigene of the state in the  2019/2020 Backlog Session of the Law school, who are 120 in all.

    The letter signed by the chairman of the Students’ Forum, Olaniyi Ogunlade and the secretary, Akani Christiana, showed appreciation to Governor Makinde for releasing the N60 million bursary he approved for the Forum in July.

    Read Also: Makinde’s victory God-ordained, says Bishop Wale Oke

    The Forum, in the letter dated 20 September, 2019, expressed appreciation to Governor Makinde following the issuance of cheques to the students by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Daud Sangodoyin.

    The Commissioner, who issued cheques to 107 of the beneficiaries, who had been cleared, stated that the determination of Governor Makinde to restore the glory of the State in the education sector made him approve the bursary award, noting that no stone would be left unturned in the administration’s effort to deliver quality education.

    He maintained that the State had rolled out different programmes to improve the standard of education in the State, including the free distribution of textbooks and exercise books to all secondary school students, the organisation of extra-mural classes for SS3 students and the general improvement of education infrastructure, noting that with the solid foundation being laid by the administration, there could be no doubt that the education sector would experience a huge turnaround in a short time.

    The statement recalls that the last time Oyo State indigenes in the Law School benefitted from a bursary award was in 2012, when they were paid N100,000 each.

  • Bolanle Awe, Osuntokun, Dosumu, others for Kiriji war anniversary lecture

    Yoruba leaders from all sectors of life are set to meet in Ibadan, the Oyo Sate capital, to participate in a public lecture themed Yoruba: Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow.

    The event is to mark the 126th anniversary of the Kiriji War, the civil war that engulfed Yoruba land from 1877 to 1893.

    Read Also: Nigeria may not celebrate 100th Independence anniversary – Bisi Akande

    The public lecture is slated to take place at the House of Chiefs on Monday 23rd of September will start at 10 AM.

    The event will be chaired by Historian, Prof Bolanle Awe while the keynote lecture will be delivered by Prof Banji Akintoye, the newly elected Yoruba Leader.

    The event which was organized by the Yoruba Heritage Group will witness discussants including Dr Kunle Olajide, Dr Kunle Olajide, Chief Segun Odegbami, Dr Tokunbo Awolowo Dosummu and Prof Jide Osuntokun.

  • Woman raises the alarm over son’s safety

    A trader, Mrs Oluyemisi Adeyemi has raised the alarm over alleged harassment of her son by suspected traditionalists.

    She appealed to security operatives to save his son, Adekunle Adeyemi and his family from the clutch of suspected traditionalists.

    According to Oluyemisi, who resides in Bariga area of Lagos, some traditionalists in Omojoda (Odo Ayan) village had continued to threaten her son over his refusal to ascend a chieftaincy stool in the community.

    She said Adekunle, a computer engineer and pastor of a Pentecostal church and his family now lives in palpable fear of further attacks by the traditionalists.

    She noted that the problem started in 2010 after her son was asked to accept the chieftaincy stool, following the unfortunate occurrences that have characterised the reign of the current occupant of the stool.

    Read Also: Confessions of an alleged serial killer

    “When traditionalists in the village consulted their oracles, it was learnt that the bad development in the town was because the current occupant was wrongfully installed as the traditional ruler of the community; hence their search for my son Adekunle whose reign they believed would improve the situation in the village.

    “My son rejected the offer because of his Christian faith that goes against anything that has to do with tradition and the fact that his late father Lawrence Adeyemi had, before his demise in 1989 cautioned his children against the occupation of the chieftaincy stool of Omojoda because of the controversies that trailed the stool in the past, even as he warned of serious consequences against any erring child.

    ”The level of threat to the lives of my son, Adekunle, and members of his family and futile attempt by the suspected traditionalists to kidnap his wife and only daughter in 2018, forced them to relocate from their last residence in Ogun State to an unknown place. My worry is that despite their relocation, strange faces, and movements, continued to be noticeable at their former residence, heightening my fear that some people are still after them.”

    She disclosed that she recently received anonymous telephone calls from people suspected to be kinsmen from Omojoda village, who during their conversations with her, vowed to deal with her son, should he refuse to accept the chieftaincy title.

    She added: “I am appealing to security outfits in the country to come to my son’s aid by warning those who are after his life, to please leave my son alone, as he could not accept the offer given him by his kinsmen.’’

  • Residents thrown into panic as Igbo traders, youths clash

    Residents of Ekpan community, Uvwie council area of Delta state have been thrown into panic, following a clash between Igbo traders and suspected youths of the area over payment of development levy, popularly known as “deve”.

    The incident reportedly occurred around the Udumoto area of Ekpan along the NNPC Housing Complex road.

    The Nation learnt that trouble started when the Igbo traders declined to pay the youths a certain sum of money they had demanded from truck drivers who were offloading goods owned by the traders.

    The Igbo traders who had earlier agreed to pay the illegal fee later refused to pay after the youths increased the fee and turned down the amount offered by the traders. This according to both parties.

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    The traders, it was gathered, challenged the youths, pursuing them with cutlasses and other objects. But the youths had promised a reprisal attack by mobilizing back to the area.

    Sources stated that the traders had also brought in other members from Warri and Uvwie to the scenario.

    Although it was not clear how many sustained injuries, witnesses alleged that both parties had their share of wounds during the fracas.

    However, men of the Nigeria Police have been deployed to the area to prevent further conflict between the groups.

  • UNDP releases $30m to Nigeria for humanitarian crisis in North East

    The UN Development Programme (UNDP), has released 30 million U.S. dollars to Nigeria from the regional stabilisation facility for the humanitarian crisis in the North East.

    UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Yahyadisclosed this on Friday in Abuja at the first inaugural meeting convened by UNDP on the way forward in actualising the ‘Nigeria window’ of the Regional Stabilisation Facility.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Regional Stabilisation Facility was launched in July in Niamey, Niger at the second Governors Forum to contribute support to the affected regions of Nigeria,

    NAN also reports that the project was expected to be implemented between Sept. 1, 2019, and Aug. 31, 2021.

    Governors from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and regional stakeholders attended the meeting in Niamey under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

    Those who pledged to deploy funds in Niamey to support the project, which will be monitored by the UNDP and the African Union (AU), include the governments of Sweden and Germany and the regional governors from Borno, Adamawa, Yobe (Nigeria), Lak, Hajder-Lamis (Chad), Diffa (Niger) and Far North and North regions in Cameroon.

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    NAN reports that the UNDP is expected to provide seed funds to run the facility yearly.

    He said the regional stabilisation facility is aimed at providing rapid response to support immediate stabilisation in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe affected by insurgency.

    He also said that the ‘Nigerian window’ was expected to receive over 30 million USD which would facilitate recovery and stabilisation interventions including; livelihood support for communities, massive civil engineering works and strengthening of local security structures.

    Yahya, said that the board had two years to provide work of stabilisation in the affected states.

    He said that the entire facility might not work if there was no local authorities such as the military and the police, adding that more work needed to be done in terms of coordination.

    Also speaking, Minister of Finance,Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed said that the government of Nigeria was optimistic that the facility would support in addressing the immediate stabilisation needs in the newly liberated areas.

    She said this would also sustain development in the region and allow the return of Internally Displaced Persons to their various permanent place abode.

    According to her, the facility will in no doubt assist the government to demonstrate its value to the citizens in providing resilience and stabilisation for the population affected by Boko Haram insurgency in the north east.

    She said that the Ministry would collaborate with UNDP, the three affected states and all relevant stakeholders to ensure accountable utilisation of the stabilisation facility fund.

    Similarly, the Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), Amb. Mamman Nuhu expressed the Commission’s readiness to provide strategic regional guidance for the implementation of the regional stabilisation strategy at the national and state level through the facility.

    He said the commission would provide enabling environment by mobilising regional support to ensure coordinated approach yo the challenge.

    “Our transboundary mandate provide us the requisite platform to mobilise the political and strategic spaces available across the region for the success of the regional stabilisation strategy.

    ” Our objective is to ensure local, national and regional ownership in the implementation of the regional stabilisation strategy through the regional stabilisation facility.

    ” We urge all national partners to ensure consistent coordination with the Lake Chad Basin Commission through the Secretariat of the regional stabilisation strategy” Nuhu said.

    According to him, Nigeria is the worst hit country, with the biggest humanitarian and development needs of all the four affected countries.

    “It is therefore expected that Nigeria should demonstrate not only in the fight against boko Haram but also in ensuring that the thousands of people affected across the three front line states are supported to live a life of dignity” he said.

    The Governors expressed their readiness to ensure effective implementation of the regional stabilisation facility.

    (NAN)

  • CBN backs FG’s plan to increase VAT, says Nigeria has lowest

    Mr Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says the plan to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) from five per cent to 7.5 per cent is in the right direction to raise country’s revenue.

    Emefiele stated this while fielding questions from journalists after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting held in Abuja.

    He said the government had responsibility to fend for every citizenry by providing basic infrastructure like roads, electricity and hospitals among others.

    He explained that the government had only two ways to fund such projects, which are by raising revenue and through loan collection.

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    According to him, the present government has been criticised by some people for high rate of debt incurred.

    “Government unfortunately has no option, if it does not borrow, it must raise revenue and you all agree with me that it has obligations to meet up with.

    ” The increase of VAT to 7.5 per cent is low compare to other countries, in fact, with this increase, Nigeria has the lowest in the world.

    “If the government can meet its obligation through this increment, it should be supported,” he said.

    He appealed to Nigerians to show understanding and support government’s policies.

     (NAN)