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Tag: Ogun

  • 23 injured in Christmas eve accident in Ogun

    Twenty three people – including two  children, were injured and hospitalised following five separate accidents that occurred on roads in Ogun State on the Christmas eve.
    According to the Route Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Enlightenment Education Unit, Ogun State Sector Command, Florence Okpe, in a release, the Sector Commander, Clement Oladele,  said no life was lost.
    Oladele advised motorists to “drive cautiously” and  to use their day time running lights due to poor visibility most early mornings as well as note the efforts of the Federal Government towards removing  the diversions on the stretch of Lagos – Ibadan Expressway  which has made the  Lagos-Ibadan Expressway more motorable.
    He stated: “A total of five (5) road traffic crashes were  recorded across different parts of Ogun State highways  yesterday, Monday 24  December 2018.
    “The first crash occurred at about 0900hrs on the Ibadan-Lagos expressway around  kwakyama, which involved  5 persons (5 male adult). Two persons were injured (2 Male adult) but no death was recorded in the crash.
    “One Vehicle, a Toyota car was  involved  with registration number SMK82 EY. The injured victims were taken to Victory Hospital Ogere .
    “The second crash occurred at about 0940hrs on the  Abeokuta -Itori -Ota Lagos corridor around Awowo involving 3 persons (3 male adult)./Three persons were injured (3 male adult).
    “One Vehicle, a truck was  involved with registration number YB921 FKJ. The injured victims were taken to IFO General Hospital .No death was recorded in the crash.
    “The third crash occurred at about,1150hrs on the  Abeokuta- Sagamu road  after Day Waterman School which involved  26 persons comprising (3 male adult, 9 female adult and 14 children).
    “11 persons were injured (5 female adult and 6 children. One Vehicle ,a Mazda bus was involved with registration number FMT884RA . There was no death  recorded in the crash. The injured victims were taken to Federal Medical Center Abeokuta.
    “The fourth crash occurred at about 1520hrs on the  Abeokuta –  Sagamu road  Opposite the Police ICT  College, Abeokuta, which  involved ,5 persons,(2 male adult ,1 female adult,1 male child and 1 female child).
    “One Vehicle, Nissan Almera was involved with registration number AKD75EN.  No death was recorded in the crash. The injured victims were taken to FMC Abeokuta.
    “The fifth crash occurred at about 1815 hrs on the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway at  KM,,45.5 RCCG.  Seven persons were involved in the crash (7 male adult) 3 were injured (3 male adult).
    “Two Vehicles were involved,  with registration number KTU997 BE  TOYOTA CAMRY and  IVECO TRUCK XB 758 YRB . The injured victims were taken to Supreme Global Hospital.”
    While wishing motorists a merry Xmas,  the FRSC Ogun State Sector Commander, Clement Oladele, advised them to “drive cautiously.”
    He also advised motorists to use their day time running lights due to poor visibility most early mornings as well as  note the efforts of the Federal Government towards removing  the entire  diversions on the stretch of Lagos – Ibadan Expressway  which has made the  Lagos-Ibadan Expressway more motorable.

  • We will ensure even development of Ogun, says Kashamu

    The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Senator Buruji Kashamu, has promised to ensure even development of the state, if elected next year.

    Kashamu made the promise while hosting leaders of Community Development Associations (CDAs) in the state who visited him at his campaign office in Ijebu-Igbo.

    He said: “If we win the election, we are going to ensure that every part of the state is developed. We shall not develop any part at the expense of others.”

    Lauding the efforts of the CDAs to develop their communities, Kashamu assured that his administration would take community development seriously.

    “We shall not just concentrate on the urban centres; rather, we shall ensure that the rural areas are also developed to improve life and living for rural dwellers,” he said.

    The PDP candidate, who praised the effort of past governors as well as the current one in developing the state, noted that progress is incremental.

    He said: “All our past leaders and even the current governors have done well. Chief Segun Osoba tried his best to improve the state. When Otunba Gbenga Daniel got into the saddle, he raised the bar. Senator Ibikunle Amosun has also raised the bar. They have all done very well. But what I want to assure the people of Ogun State is that we shall take the state to greater heights.

    “Despite all that our past leaders have done, there is room for improvement in education, healthcare delivery, infrastructure, rural development and social welfare. We have identified all the areas that need intervention and as soon as we assume office, we shall hit the ground running.”

    Kashamu said he and his team had painstakingly put together a policy manual that would guide his administration in improving the lot of the state and its people.

  • Ogun, Imo and Zamfara on my mind

    Some weeks back, Ogun, Imo and Zamfara states made me recall V.S. Naipaul’s heartrending comic, A House for Mr Biswas. In this book, man’s quest for autonomy from even those feeding him is laid bare. Mr Biswas rebels against his in-laws, whose food he eats and house he lives in. He always wants a house of his own. That, for me, is man in his original state. Imagine what will happen when he now has power and money! The last thing he will like is to take dictation from a yesterday man. He will be eager to show who is in charge and that is where violence comes in when the yesterday man refuses to accept his new status.

    It is for this reason that I do not understand why Governors Ibikunle Amosun, Rochas Okorocha and AbdulAziz Yari are hell-bent on deciding who will succeed them. These men are going about this quest as if without it, their tomorrow is ruined!

    Although Amosun is running to be senator on All Progressives Congress (APC) platform,  his men are in one colourless party, where they hope to rock the APC boat. Amosun has declared that he would not back Dapo Abiodun as his party’s candidate. Politicians do not learn. Amosun’s predecessor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, tried it and it did not work. During the last general election, Daniel’s predecessor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, was against Amosun and he pitched his tent with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he hoped to truncate Amosun’s governorship bid. He failed woefully.

    Yari’s disagreement with other tendencies in Zamfara over his quest to determine his successor has caused the APC heartache. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said primaries were not done and candidates’ list would not be accepted. Now, the party’s fate will be determined by the law court. Yari got so mad with party chairman Adams Oshiomhole and dared him to send a team to the state.

    In Imo, Okorocha wants his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to succeed him and this has turned the party in the state apart. Nwosu is now running on Action Alliance (AA) but he is backing President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term. Okorocha is seeking to become a senator on APC ticket. Interesting times!

    In the beginning of the Imo madness, some leaders of the party ganged up against Okorocha and literally took over the party from him. His seeming rescue by the national secretariat has now fallen flat. The crisis has led to a situation where the state has no deputy governor. The House of Assembly removed Eze Madumere as deputy governor, but a court has stalled the installation of a replacement.Okorocha insists he remains impeached.

    For these gods’ sake, I will repeat a story I once told on this space about the futility of giving power to a man and believing he can be controlled from behind. It was told by a governor to a few of us when he was trying to transmute from the National Assembly to the Government House.

    This is the story: The president of the country at the time had contacted him to look for a suitable candidate to be governor in their state. The candidate eventually chosen was not from the zone where power should rotate. By some magic, he was made to originate from the zone to which power was meant to go. A chieftaincy title and a massive house later, he became a member of the zone. He was grateful to the senator for working him to the answer.

    All that however ended immediately he got power. On the day he was confirmed as the governor-elect, he asked the senator to see him. During their meeting, they had altercations and the angry senator wanted to walk out on him and he screamed: “You are walking out on your governor.” Their relationship was sour throughout his tenure and remains sour till this day.

    Perhaps I should draw the attention of Amosun, Yari and Okorocha to what is going on in Akwa Ibom and Kano states. In Akwa Ibom, Senator Godswill Akpabio, as an outgoing governor some four years ago, bulldozed his way to install Udom Emmanuel as his successor. It did not take long before they started disagreeing on key issues. They managed to keep it under wrap, but it is all out in the open now and the battle line is drawn. There are fears of violence.  Not long ago, Nsima Ekere, who is APC candidate in the state, was suspected to have been targeted for assassination when a bullet pierced the roof into his home.

    In Kano, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, who uprooted all obstacles to install Abdullahi Ganduje as his successor, is in a dilemma now. He has left the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and plotting how to ensure Ganduje’s second term bid fails.

    These gods can also learn from Sokoto State, where Governor Aminu Tambuwal and his predecessor, Aliyu Wamakko, are now sworn enemies. Wammako, who fought off all opposition to make him governor, is a serving APC senator. Both men have divided the state. The House of Assembly is divided. The political atmosphere is tensed.  After Tambuwal’s failed presidential bid, he is back in the governorship race.

    These gods of our time can also learn from ex-Governor Peter Obi, who I believe till this day, regrets the day he supported Willie Obiano to be governor of Anambra State. Within months of Obiano taking over power, they were at each other’s jugular. Obi did not like the way Obiano was spending the money he was just happy saving when there were things which needed money spent on!

    Another example these gods need to ponder over is Chimaroke Nnamani, who may for the rest of his life feel bad about supporting Sullivan Chime to succeed him as Enugu State governor. Chime’s support for Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi obviously went awry too, if not he will not be in the APC now.

    My final take: These gods in Imo, Ogun and Zamfara are in power but do not understand power because even if they have their ways now there is no guarantee that the puppets they think they are trying to install will not turn against them.

    …Parts of this piece once appeared on this space.

     

  • Amosun will kick-start APC campaign in Ogun, says Abiodun

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has expressed the confidence that Governor Ibikunle Amosun will kick-start the party’s campaign soon.

    He said the governor would also use the event to raise his hand as the party’s flag bearer for the March election.

    Abiodun, who anchored his confidence on the possibility of the party leaders resolving all “issues” arising from the primary conducted in the state, acknowledged that Amosun remained the party leader in the state.

    Read also: 10,000 police job: PSC gets 104,289 applications in 12 days

    The oil magnate and real estate player, addressed reporters while formally unveiling his running mate, Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, at his Iperu country home in Ogun State.

    On the position of the governor, who has declared that he would neither recognise nor support the candidature of the APC in the forthcoming poll, Abiodun said Amosun would attend the kick-off of his campaign when the time comes.

    The APC chieftain noted that the state leadership of the party had about 77 days to resolve whatever crisis that has been bedevilling the party ahead of the election as one united political family.

     

  • Ogun targets 2030 for adult literacy, proficiency 

    The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Modupe Mujota, has said the state has developed a policy which would ensure that all youths and adults achieve literary and proficiency by 2030.

    She added that the state state intends to empower adults and youths to be relevant in meeting the challenges of their immediate environment and the society at large.

    The commissioner spoke at a programme organised by the government to mark the 2018 International Literacy Day, themed: “Literacy and Skills Development”, held at Remo Secondary School, Sagamu. She noted that the move was in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 target 6 of UNESCO.

    Read also: Kwara APC, PDP quarrel over Tradermoni

    Mrs. Mujota added that findings have shown that about 750 million people worldwide still lack basic literacy skills while 192 million unemployed worldwide were unable to find decent livelihood due to lack of foundational skills, including literacy, and failing to meet the skill demands of the rapidly changing labour market.

    According to her, the statistics obtained from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) indicated further that two-third of the population are women and 102 million are youths between the ages of 15 and 24.

    State Director, Agency for Mass Education Dr. Abdulwaheed Olanloye praised the government for her huge investment in skills development, noting that this has increased the level of literacy from 87.5 per cent to 90.7 per cent between year 2011 and 2017.

    The target of the Agency, Olanloye added, is to create awareness to unreached youths and adults, enjoining them to enroll for various skills acquisition programmes of the agency in all centres across the state.

     

     

     

  • Ogun civil servants write Amosun, lament unremitted pension funds, others

    Civil servants in Ogun State have  expressed  worry over the  “uncertain future” that await them following  the non-remittance of 106 months of Contributory Pension by Governor Ibikunle Amosun – led government.
    Acting under the aegis of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSC), the workers in a letter dated 5th December and addressed to Governor Amosun, lamented the unpaid four years leave bonus, 10 months of unpaid Trade Union Check-Off Due and gratuity payment suspended since January 2014.
    In the letter titled : “Revisiting Our Plight: Unpaid Entitlements and Other Issues” signed by its Secretary, Comrade Adebiyi Olusegun,  the workers also listed months of unpaid global deductions and outstanding promotion from 2016, 2017 and 2018 as arrears owed them by the state government.
    The workers said the situation has left them at the “crossroads where capacity to absorb shocks and uncertainties any longer has been exhausted.”
    The Council noted with dismay the alleged breach of agreement on the part of government as regards the last tranche of the Paris Club refund of N17. 3bn to the State on payment of arrears of Trade Union Check Off-Dues.
    “We must as well register our displeasure on the sort of maltreatment, meted out to the Organised Labour over the last tranche of the Paris Club refund of N17. 3bn to the State which from the outset we collaborate with open conscience to have addressed a press conference hurriedly that the State government will commit a total of over N10bn of it to offering various outstanding due to state workers, inclusive of all arrears of Trade Union Check off Dues as communicated to us by the Honourable Commissioner of Finance.
    “We therefore take the outright neglect of Trade Union’s in eventual payment of some these arrears as betrayal of trust,” the letter read.
    The Council urged the state government to address all these issue so as to avoid any form on industrial disharmony.
    They therefore called for an “Immediate action at addressing these long drawn issues would go some miles at dousing the tensed situation now at its ebbs which, as it were, might disrupt the relative industrial harmony currently being experienced in the state.”

  • Ogun to distribute 3,000 Cs of O December 11

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun will, on December 11, distribute Certificates of Occupancy (Cs of O) and other land title documents to another batch of beneficiaries under the Homeowners’ Charter Programme.

    The Director-General of Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Biyi Ismail, who stated this in his office, said the beneficiaries would collect their documents as from December 11 at 9 a.m at the Arcade Ground of the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, the state capital.

    He urged all contacted beneficiaries to attend the event with valid means of identification and photocopies of same.

    They are expected to be at the venue by 8 a.m for accreditation, Ismail.

     

  • Lagos, Rivers, Ogun, FCT ahead on IGR

    The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)  yesterday released the Internally Generated Revenue at State level for half year 2018, which tracks the performance of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in terms of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    During the period under review, the states and FCT generated a total of N579.490 billion, as against N453.833 billion posted in the corresponding period of last year, a growth of 27.7 percent year-on-year. T

    wenty-eight states recorded growth in IGR while eight states, including Abia, Anambra, Benue, Taraba, Kebbi, Kwara, Ebonyi and Enugu, recorded a decline in 2018 half-year. In the first and second quarters of the year, the states generated N280.835 billion and N263.343 billion respectively.

    The revenues generated by the states came mainly from Pay-As-You-Earn Tax (N352.509 billion), Direct Assessment (N26.293 billion), Road Taxes (N11.681 billion), Other Taxes (N84.033 billion) and revenues from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (N104.972 billion).

    A breakdown of the report showed that Lagos, Rivers, Ogun, FCT and Delta were the best five performers during the period under review. Lagos State generated N196.395 billion, up by 16.88 percent from N168.025 billion in first half of 2017, to top the list. In second place is Rivers, with N60.906 billion, an increase of 36.13 percent, from the N44.742 billion recorded last year.

    Ogun State improved by 6.70 percent to N42.519 billion from N39.849 billion in the comparable period of 2017. The FCT generated N35.311 billion during the period, while Delta State posted N29.797 billion, a growth of 17.80 percent from N25.103 billion in 2017.

    In 2017, the states generated N931.23 billion, an increase of 12.03 per cent from 2016. In the second half of 2017, the total revenue generated by states was N432.65 billion, compared to N409.09 billion in first half of the year.

     

  • In Ogun, Sultan preaches peace, unity at inauguration

    The rock city of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was agog on Friday as the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, brought message of peace and unity to Muslim brothers and sisters in the ancient city. His visit elicited hope and excitement in the Muslim community.

    Abubakar, who is also the President-General, Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), was in Abeokuta to inaugurate the multi-million naira National Central Mosque Complex in  Oke-Ijeun area of Abeokuta. The event took place 34 years after the foundation of the mosque was laid.

    The facility is the initiative of the Nawair-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria that laid the foundation of the mosque in 1984, but the mosque could not be completed due to paucity of fund.

    The Sultan, who inaugurated the mosque for use after brief inspection, said people should not be concerned about the delay in the completion of the project, rather they should accept it as the time allotted for its completion by Allah.

    At the ceremony were prominent Muslim faithful such as Governor Ibikunle Amosun, Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi, the Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, a member of House of Representatives representing Egbado South and Ipokia Federal Constituency, Ogun State, Hon. Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade, President of Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN), Alhaji Sakariyau Babalola and the Chief Imam of Egba land, Alhaji Liadi Orunsolu.

    He cautioned against division among Muslim organisations, saying “Muslims’ togetherness” should be sustained as it has paid off over the years.”

    “As Muslims, we should belong to all the Muslim organisations. There should not be any division or any discrepancies because we are Muslims first before any other thing.

    “And that’s what we have been preaching in the last 12 years. Alhammdulllahi, we have come a long way and we have seen the result of our being together as brothers and sisters in Islam.

    “I want to thank all of you who contributed during these 34 years. This mosque would not have been completed before now because this is the time Almighty Allah said it’s going to be completed,” Abubakar said.

    He praised the spirit of perseverance of the Nawir-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria and its leadership that ensured the completion of the project despite daunting odds they faced.

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who equally praised the tenacity of the leadership of Nawir-Ud-Deen for the successful completion of the mosque, made personal donation of N10 million while Hon. Akinlade pledged N500,000 to support the project.

    Also, Speaker Suraj Adekumbi donated N250, 000.

    In his speech, Prof. Ishaq  Oloyede urged  members of the society to impart the teachings of Islamic knowledge and values to their children in order to sustain the faith.

    According to Oloyede, only children with sound Islamic knowledge and moral values would maintain such a sprawling mosque.

    On his part, the Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Sakariyau Babalola who is the Deputy President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) said the society has contributed and lifted the “public perception of Muslims in Yoruba land.”

    The President of the society, Alhaji Rasak Oladejo said the project would not have been completed successfully without the “immense contribution of friends and members of the society.”

  • 30 contestants selected for Queen Moremi Beauty Pageant

    Thirty contestants have been selected out of 400 ladies, who applied to contest in the 2018 edition of the Queen Moremi Ajasoro Beauty Pageant, the organisers announced on Tuesday.

    Cultural Ambassador to the project, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the contestants were selected after a two-day screening, held at Ile Ife in Osun.

    She said that the contestants, who must be Yoruba undergraduates, within the ages of 18 to 25 years, were selected by a team of panelists, including culture icons, Woli Arole and Odunlade Adekola.

    Ademiluyi said that the contest, initiated by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi Adeyeye, was aimed at promoting Yoruba culture among young women.

    “The contest showcases our culture, which is really important to His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, it encourages young ladies to discover and learn about their culture.

    “The initiative about the queen is to project leadership roles in the future of our young girls as Queen Moremi Ajasoro did during her life time.

    Read Also: Ooni to celebrate Moremi in Lagos

    “The contest showcases the strength of a woman, dating back to thousands of years, in encouraging young ladies to be selfless and committed to nation building.”

    The culture entrepreneur said that the contest, which started in 2016, commenced its third edition this year with a 10-day camping at Ile Ife.

    “The contest this year commenced in Ile Ife and the grand finale will be held in Abeokuta in Ogun State.

    “The rationale for Abeokuta is to rotate hosting of the cultural event in different Yoruba states every year. In 2016, it was held in Ife. In 2017, it was held in Lagos and the 2018 edition will be held in Abeokuta.”

    According to Ademiluyi, the choice of Ogun is because of the interest of the wife of the Governor of Ogun, Mrs c, who supports the Ooni of Ife, in promoting Yoruba culture.

    Ademiluyi said that the winner of the contest would go home with a brand new car to be provided by the Ife monarch.

    “There is also a cash prize from the QMA Impact Investment Fund. In addition, the winner automatically becomes a young culture ambassador to the Ooni and the House of Oduduwa.

    “She will also enjoy the privilege of becoming a part of the royal entourage for foreign trips,” the project ambassador stated.

    Ademiluyi recalled that the winner of the maiden edition, Miss Blessing Animashaun, was in the royal entourage to UK last year, while the winner in 2017, joined the royal team to Brazil and the U.S. earlier this year.

    Out-going Queen, Miss Shola Shittu, who graduated with a first class degree in automobile engineering, won various awards during her reign.

    Shittu championed the fight against trafficking of young ladies and made tours to various schools, offering scholarships to indigent students in Lagos communities.

    NAN