The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ogun state

  • My ambition not worth blood of Ogun people –Dapo Abiodun

    Mr Dapo Abiodun, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday said that his ambition was not worth the blood of anyone in Ogun.

    In a statement issued in Abeokuta by his spokesperson, Remmy Hazzan, the APC candidate said that he was in the race to win and serve.

    “I would not want anyone to be killed or maimed for supporting me and my party.

    “I have left the comfort of my highly successful local and international businesses to serve my dear Ogun people.

    “I am confident of my local and global goodwill, connections and networks that can be put at the service of Ogun workers and people, indigenes and residents.

    “I don’t want my people to be killed, injured or maimed, I don’t want to govern over families that have lost breadwinners or are physically challenged as a result of political violence,’’ he said.

    Abiodun, quoting the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948, said “the will of the people shall be the basis of government, and this will be expressed through a democratic election that is free, fair and credible.’’

    “I, therefore, call on candidates of all political parties to play by the rules. In the first place, we are all brothers and sisters. Violence is not the way to go.

    “Our campaign has been issues-based and non-violent. That was the assurance we gave from the onset, that is the pledge we will keep to despite the unwarranted smear campaign from certain quarters,’’ he added.

    Read Also: APC desperate to remove CJN over polls, PDP alleges

    The APC candidate, however, urged members of the public to protect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC).

    “Keep your PVC to use, as your conscience desires a better Ogun State under a governor who will listen and who will be friendly to workers, farmers, students and all segments of the society.

    “Those who have not collected their PVC should do so and timely too.

    “ Those who want to buy your PVC are simply telling you that they don’t trust you to vote for them.

    “They want to debar your rights to vote. Please don’t sell your rights,’’ Abiodun said.

  • FRSC decries activities of smugglers in Ogun

    Idi-roko Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, has decried the activities of smugglers, which it described as a major challenge confronting its operations in 2018.

    Mr Olugbenga Farinloye, the Idi-roko Unit Commander of FRSC, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ota, Ogun, on Monday.

    Farinloye said that most of the smugglers used motorcycles as means of transporting rice and sometimes rammed into other articulated vehicles from the opposite side in the process of avoiding FRSC officials.

    ”In any attempt for any enforcement agencies to try to arrest the smugglers along the Idi-roko axis had resulted to fatal accident that led to loss of lives and property,” he said.

    The unit commander said that the smugglers cultivated the habit of using unregistered plate number on their vehicles which made it difficult to identify when crime was committed.

    He said that the FRSC found it difficult to address the problem alone without the other relevant agencies because the corps was not armed.

    Read Also: FRSC recruits 4,650 personnel, begins training nationwide

    Farinloye alleged that some of the enforcement agencies along the Idi-roko axis could not arrest the hoodlums due to reason best known to them.

    He further said that he had visited all the relevant enforcement agencies like the police, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Department of State Services (DSS) but all proved abortive.

    Farinloye called on all relevant agencies to come together as a special patrol to form a task force to stem the menace of smugglers.

    ”There is a way we can collaborate to work as a team with all relevant agencies in tackling the activities of smugglers,” he said.

    He also said that FRSC had visited many places like Churches, Mosques, market places and paramount rulers, to sensitise them on why safety consciousness on the roads was a collective responsibility of everyone.

  • Second hand tyres are like time bomb – FRSC

    The Itori Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, has advised motorists to desist from buying second-hand tyres known as ‘Tokunbo’ tyres to avert unnecessary crashes traced to tyre burst.

    Mr Aliyu Yahaya, the Itori Unit Commander of corps, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Ota, Ogun.

    According to him, tokunbo tyres are just like time bomb ready to explode and caused mishap that sometimes lead to loss of lives and property.

    He noted that most of the manufacturers of those tyres did not consider the nature of African weather.

    Read Also: Osun: Court rejects suit seeking to sack Oyetola

    ‘’Most of the crashes that resulted to loss of lives and property across the country could be traced to tyre burst,” he said.

    The commander, however, implored motorists to desist from patronising second-hand tyres, adding that if they must patronise them, they should look at the expiry date of those tyres before purchasing them.

    He is confident that if motorists take preventive measures, especially desisting from patronising second-hand tyres, it will go a long way in reducing the rate of road crashes in the country.

  • Restructuring: Okunronmu, Majekodunmi, Ogunbanjo,others to visit Ogun Assembly Speaker

    Again, the call for the restructuring of Nigeria’s political, economic and social firmaments will be reignited on tomorrow January 16th 2019 in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State as eminent Yoruba leaders of thought, including Senators Femi Okunronmi, Akin Odunsi, Tokunbo Ogunbanjo; among others pay a visit to the Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Suraj Adekunbi to seek for his support.
    Other Yoruba leaders that would be on the visit include Chairman, Voice of Reason, Dr Femi Adegoke and the Convener, Yoruba Koya Leadership and Training Foundation, Otunba ‘Deji Osibogun whose organization is spare-heading the visit.
    The rest are: the governorship candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 2015 in Lagos State, Mr. Bolaji Ogunseye; renowned Lawyer, Otunba Alaba Shonibare, Otunba Tilewa Osifeso, United States based Medical Doctor, John Mabayoje, University Don, Tunde Fatunde, Chief Kunle Osuntokun, Seasoned Industrialist, Otunba Remi Abdul, Chairman of Cowries Radio, Abeokuta, Mr. Willy Thomas, among others.
    In a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos, the National Director of Organization and Publicity of Yoruba Koya, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye said the core objective of the visit was to let all elected Yoruba parliamentarians understand why the restructuring of Nigeria’s political, economic and social structures must be implemented now for the sake of the generation yet unborn.
    He also said the visitation, which already held in Lagos State House of Assembly successfully, was being taken to all the parliaments in Yoruba land and that the visit to Abeokuta was aimed at formally seeking for the support of Speaker Adekunbi and other members of Ogun State House of Assembly on the constitutional request to restructure Nigeria in order to address injustice, inequality and unemployment threatening the peace of the nation.
    The statement disclosed that Rt. Hon. Adekunbi would be presented with, a paper titled “Yoruba Nation in a Restructured Nigeria Federation,” written by Yoruba Koya Leadership and Training Foundation, the September 2017 Ibadan Declaration on Restructuring by Yoruba People and draft of Proposed Nigerian Constitution written by Voice of Reason (VOR) during the visit.

  • Kashamu to supporters: work with Adebutu’s group

    Senator Buruji Kashamu (Ogun East) has directed all his supporters and associates to work with members of the Lado group within the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the overall interest of the party.

    The Lado group is led by a member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Ladi Adebutu, who has been locked in a supremacy battle with Kashamu over control of the state party structure and the Ogun State PDP governorship ticket.

    In a statement on Thursday in Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, Kashamu said it was better for the contending groups to work and win together – in the overall interest of the party.

    According to him: “It is true we are in court. But, we are hopeful that the issues will be resolved sooner than later.

    “However, in the overall interest of the party, it is better and wiser for us to work together as members of the same family pending the resolution of the issues in court.

    “We may have had our disagreements and issues and have submitted them to the court for adjudication; yet, we have been talking to one another.

    “We reckon that whichever way it goes, the court cannot bring about genuine reconciliation and peace.

    “So, we have resolved to be agents of peace and reconciliation. Let us put aside our ego, prejudices and personal interests, and work together for the Party – in the hope that whoever carries the day will work for the Party, its members and the generality of the people.

    Read Also: Elections: Adebutu, Kashamu PDP factions hold unification rally

    “It is in the light of the foregoing that I wish to formally and publicly urge all my leaders, elders and supporters to work with the Lado group within the Ogun State chapter of the PDP ahead of February 16 and March 2, 2019 elections.

    “Irrespective of our differences, we are members of the same family. At the end, it is the party that wins; not any individual or group.”

    Kashamu urged the ongoing unity meetings and rallies between the two groups within the Ogun State PDP be intensified in the 236 wards, 20 local governments and three senatorial districts of the state.

    These, he said, will be capped with a “Mega Unity Rally” to be held on a date and venue to be announced soon.

  • Amosun deserves our sympathy – Ogun APC

    The Ogun State Chapter of the  All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday said outgoing  Governor Ibikunle  Amosun deserves  pity and prayer over alleged recent  anti – Prince Dapo Abiodun comment, which the party added, portrayed the Governor as one suffering from exit fear.

    The Governor had reportedly claimed the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate, Abdulkabir Akinlade, would defeat his party gubernatorial candidate, Dapo Abiodun, in the March 2019 governorship polls.

    Reacting through a statement by the Publicity Secretary to the Ogun APC State Executive Caretaker Committee, Comrade Tunde Oladunjoye, and made available to The Nation, APC said Amosun actually deserves sympathy and not condemnation, stressing that he has lost touch with political reality in the Gateway State.

    The statement reads in part:

    “But for the fact that the reported outbursts of the governor were reported by a credible online medium, we would not have taken him serious; and for the fact that friends in the media have been asking for response, we would not have reacted.”

    “However, rather than exchange words with the governor, we would call on members of the public  to please sympathize with the governor and pray for him, as he is obviously manifesting outgoing syndrome resulting from political amnesia, loss of touch with reality and fear of life after office.

    Read Also: Amosun signs N400.3b budget into law

    “For an individual to attempt to play God, and assault the collective intelligence of the well informed people of Ogun State by telling them who the next governor of Ogun State will be, as if he has already written the results, shows that such person deserves our pity; we don’t need to exchange words with him, but to actually sympathize with him on his present state of paranoia on Prince Dapo Abiodun.”

    “The constant, unceasing and monotonous attack on Dapo Abiodun by the governor and his minions shows that our candidate is the leading contestant and his imminent victory is only a matter of weeks.

    “We challenge the governor to publish the recent survey he commissioned and which he read to some leaders in his house last week, wherein it was revealed that his preferred governorship candidate will not only lose the election, but also lose in the governor’s hitherto strongholds of Ifo, Ewekoro and Ado Odo Ota local governments.”

    “Our party and candidate will remain focused, maintain decorum and continue to sell out policies and programmes to the good and discerning people of Ogun State, even as we are sure of victory.

  • Buhari, Osoba, Ogun APC Gov candidate meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed doors with the former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Also at the meeting was the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate in Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Osoba said that one of the purpose of his visit to the Villa was to present the APC candidate to the President.

    He said “First of all I want to wish the President a successful election and 2019 will be a defining year by the grace of God for the president who has always won all the elections which the former Ambassador said sometimes ago.

    “Secondly, we have come to present our candidate in Ogun state; the candidate of the president; the candidate of APC and the president has raised his hand and told the world that his candidate in Ogun state is Prince Dapo Abiodun and that he has no other candidate, his party in Ogun state is APC, he has no other party in Nigeria other than APC.

    “He has assured us that he will personally come to Ogun state to formally present Prince Dapo Abiodun as his candidate and he assured us that  is clearing the air of any ambiguity whatsoever of any name dropping, any blackmail, any misinformation that anybody may be peddling, that all elections throughout Nigeria, not just in Ogun state people must vote for APC and no other party.

    “That is the message that the president gave to us this morning and I also seized the opportunity to present my autobiography which I am going to launch when the president gives me a date because in this book, I reminded him of the letter wrote to me on June 12, 1984 when he appointed me as the Managing Director of the Daily Times, he laughed and he was happy to see the memory and that he always know me to be a man with an elephantine brain.

    Read Also: ‘Buhari’s campaign will be successful in Akwa Ibom’

    “So I presented the book to him and in the book I showed the judgment in 2003 when he won the election in Ogun state even when he was not the president.

    “So we assured him that if he can defeat an incumbent president in 2003 in Ogun state, a judgment was given where they said the election in Ogun state was fraudulent and was nullified by the tribunal.

    “So I said if he can win in 2003 and defeat an incumbent president, he will win in 2019 by the grace of God.” he said

    On his part, Dapo Abiodun, thanked President Buhari for clearing the air and re-affirming that he is the APC candidate for President and himself (Prince Dapo Abiodun) is his APC gubernatorial candidate for Ogun State.

    He said “Naturally, APC is his party and there is no any other candidate in Ogun state except me. I think that affirmation could not have come at a better time when there is a lot of ambiguity, when people have attempted falsehood and other kinds if misinformation.

    “So I am very elated, very reassured that the president has stood by the party and stood by me and I believe that this matter will finally be put to rest and all those that are trying yo gain by using the president’s picture on their posters, on their vehicles will finally begin to remove it because it is actually illegal for you to be putting the presidential candidate of another party on the face of the poster of another party.

    “It is an attempt to confuse a d misinforms the public. I believe that after today, that will be put to rest a d everybody will know that in Ogun state, the only party to vote for is APC from the presidential election, to gubernatorial, to senatorial to House of Reps and the House of Assembly.” he said

  • Road accident kills two, injures two in Ogun State

    Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said two persons were killed while two others were injured in an accident involving two vehicles around Animashaun Estate on Idlroko road in Ogun on Saturday.

    Mr Adekunle Oguntoyinbo, Sango-Ota Unit Commander of FRSC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the accident happened at about 5.30 p.m.

    Oguntoyinbo said that a Mack Truck with registration number AAA 330 XX heading towards Sango-Ota from Idi lroko lost control due to brake failure, crossed the road divider and rammed into a Mazda Car marked AAA 152 BK.

    “The corpses of the victims had been deposited at Ifo General Hospital, while the survivors were receiving treatment at General Hospital, Sango-Ota,” he said.

    He advised motorists to ensure that their vehicles were in proper condition and be cautious during the Yuletide in order to avoid unnecessary loss of lives. (NAN)

  • We will banish hunger – GDPN Presidential Candidate

    The Presidential candidate of the Grassroots Development Party of Nigeria (GDPN) Dr. Davidson Akhimien,  has said the GDPN  would banish hunger from Nigeria when elected to form the government in 2019.

    Akhimien said the party would deploy economic and social revival approach through adequate provision of employment for the growing youths who are ready tools in the hands of the enemies of the nation as a result of not being gainfully engaged.

    The former military intelligence officer, who spoke in Ijebu – Ode, Ogun State, at the weekend while fielding questions from residents during a rally  to kick – start his Southwest Presidential campaign, added that the double pronged approach would be adopted to also tackle the issue of insecurity sweeping across the country.

    The polyglot who addressed the teeming audience in Hausa, Igbo 6and Yoruba advised that Nigerians should take the right stand to choose the right candidate come 2019.

    Read Also: GDPN holds convention September 5

    The Presidential hopeful explained that he began his private business in Ogun state over 15 years ago with meagre resources, but was  able to nurture it to become a business empire today, providing  about 8,000 jobs to Nigerians across the country.

    “I’m a Nigerian, who feels what you feel . We will transform Sambisa forest to a very huge Agricultural hub; a world class dairy farm, training the north eastern youths, massively engaging them meaningfully.

    “The second approach will be strictly centered on reinforcement of the military, in social/ welfare packages for military personnel. We will give enough motivation and encouragement.

    “Secondly, the military will be equipped with state of the arts, modern day equipment and other military hardwares,” Akhimien said.

    He pledged to lead a massive campaign on food sufficiency as Nigerians would be encouraged to go into mechanized  farming, citing Sweden and other Scandinavian countries as places where the people are well fed despite climatic challenges.

    Akhimien wondered why quality and  affordable food could not be  achieved in Nigeria with large expanse fertile arable land and favourable climate.

    He also gave insight into how GDPN would the energy crisis in the country, saying the government formed by the party would embark on power generation of 25,000 megawatts for domestic use in Niger households and for  massive industrialization.

    The presidential candidate urged the people to use their PVC power to sack the present political elites who have subjected Nigerians to untold hardship.

     

  • Appeal Court ruling: I remain PDP’s Ogun candidate – Kashamu

    The Senator representing Ogun East Chief Buruji Kashamu on Thursday dismissed media reports that he had been ousted as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.

    Kashamu said he remains the party’s candidate despite a December 18 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, which set aside an order by the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, that was favourable to Kashamu’s faction of the party.

    The lawmaker added that he had appealed the judgment because of his belief that the appellate court erred.

    Reacting immediately after Tuesday’s judgment Kashamu’s counsel, Ifeoma Esom, said: “His (Kashamu’s) candidature is predicated on the judgment of Justice I. N. Buba of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court. That judgment is still subsisting and there is no appeal whatsoever against that judgment.”

    During an interaction with journalists on Thursday, Kashamu added: “The Court of Appeal said in its judgment that the matter before it was not a pre-election matter.

    “Hence, it could not have pronounced on the nomination of candidates, let alone sacking me or anyone for that matter.

    “That was not the prayers of the PDP and its officers who are the appellants in the matter and so such a prayer could not have been granted.”

    He explained that some people had “erroneously said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) accepted our list of candidates for the 2019 general election based on the interlocutory orders of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, which have now been set aside, then our nomination as candidates of the Ogun State PDP has been nullified.

    “That cannot be true because the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court had in a full and final judgment delivered on the 24th of June, 2016.

    “Not satisfied, the other group appealed. On the 4th of May, 2017, the appeal was dismissed.

    “Still not satisfied, they asked the Court of Appeal to relist the appeal.

    “Again, on the 11th of July, 2018, the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal in a well-considered ruling held that the appeal remained dismissed.

    “It is the refusal by the Court of Appeal to relist the appeal that is now pending at the Supreme Court.”
    According to him, the two orders granted by the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, in Suit No. FHC/AB/CS/114/2018 were made in a judgment enforcement proceedings.

    Read Also: ‘I once prostrated for Amosun, begged him over Yewa agenda’

    “The first was in relation to the National Convention held between October 5 and 6, 2018. The second order was for INEC to accept, process and publish our list of candidates for the 2019 general election. “Clearly, the request to set aside the orders of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, has been overtaken by events.

    “The National Convention has come and gone. INEC has also complied with the orders of court and the subsisting judgments.
    “So, how does the decision setting aside the orders of the Federal High Court affect us?”

    He noted that INEC, “has since communicated its decision to recognize and deal ONLY with the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State PDP Exco to the national leadership of our party.

    “In the 25th of October, 2018 letter written by the INEC, it was emphatically stated that its decision to accept the list of candidates submitted by the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Exco was predicated on three court suits, namely FHC/L/CS/636/2016, FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 and FHC/AB/CS/114/2018. It is only the interlocutory orders in FHC/AB/CS/114/2018 that were set aside.

    “The full and final judgments in FHC/L/CS/636/2016 and FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 in favour of the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State PDP Exco which are yet to be set aside. “It should also be pointed out that based on the judgments in FHC/L/CS/636/2016 and FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 in favour of the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State PDP Exco, INEC had in an earlier letter dated 12th April, 2018, informed the PDP of the commission’s compliance with the two judgments of the Federal High Court.”

    Kashamu took a swipe at the PDP national headquarters for taking sides in the internal crisis in Ogun State chapter of the party.

    According to him, what the party should have done was to mediate between the feuding parties with a view to finding a lasting solution to the crisis.

    He said if the party was interested in winning in the state, it should be seen trying to bring the feuding parties together rather than taking sides with one against the other.