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Tag: Ogun

  • Ogun, market women brainstorm on new measurement bowl

    The Ogun State Commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Chief Bimbo Ashiru, has appealed to market women in the state to give the new measurement bowl a trial in line with the federal government policy.

    Ashiru disclosed this at a meeting with market leaders and state representatives from Remo, Ijebu, Yewa and Egba to clear the air on controversies surrounding introduction and enforcement of the bowl, noting that government will never force any market seller against their wish but will always brainstorm to agree on certain policies.

    According to Ashiru, the adoption of the new plastic should be voluntary and no one should use security men to harass anyone to buy, while stating the benefits of the new measurement bowl, which include uniformity and protection of consumers’ rights.

    Responding, Alh. Fausat Alatise, a market leader and Iya Alaje of Akile Ijebu, appealed to market women to give the initiative a trial after which the government will get necessary feedback from them if it will be implemented fully.

     

  • PDP holds parallel state congresses in Oyo, Ogun

    PDP holds parallel state congresses in Oyo, Ogun

    The Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday held parallel state congresses with the expectation of electing two different chairmen from the two factions.

    While the faction loyal to the former governor of the state, Sen. Rashidi Ladoja, held its congress at the Watershed Events Centre, Old Ife Road, Ibadan, the state capital, the second faction loyal to the former leader of the House of Representatives, Mulikat Adeola-Akande, held its own at Baptist Secondary School, Oke Ado in Ibadan.

    Counting of votes was still going on as at press time at Watershed yesterday while the Akande faction had already elected Chief Jacob Adetoro as its State Chairman. But it was clear that Chief Kunmi Mustapha would emerge the Chairman of the faction led by Ladoja as he contested unopposed. The national delegation was led by former Cross River Governor Liyel Imoke.

    Representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also attended the congress of the Ladoja faction while the commission shunned the one held at Oke-Ado.

    Meanwhile INEC officials were not present at the congress of the other faction

    In a related development, Ogun PDP holds Congress, gets parallel state executive despite court order

    A magistrate court sitting in Abeokuta  presided by Magistrate Idowu Olayinka had in his ruling,  restrained PDP  constituted Panel from holding “Any congress, gathering, public assembly or meeting likely to cause breach of peace in Ogun State or any part of Ogun.”

    Also, the Chairman of the Electoral Panel,  Mr. Eddy Olafeso admitted that the party had gone through a lot of challenges in the last eight years, saying “Nobody wins alone, we are stronger when we are united.”

    Olafeso urged the party members to ” lay to rest injury of the past”and work for the unity and progress of the party.

     

     

  • Ogun PDP holds Congress, gets parallel state executive despite court order

    Ogun PDP holds Congress, gets parallel state executive despite court order

    The plight of the crisis – ridden Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP ) worsened on Saturday with the emergence of  a parallel executive from a Congress conducted by a faction of the party.
    Members of the parallel executive are Sikirulai Ogundele (State Chairman), Chief Ibukun Ojosipe(Deputy Chairman), Alhaji Ismaila Odejimi( Vice Chairman 1) Arch. Kayode Adebayo( Vice Chairman 2), Hon. Wale Adeogun
     (Vice Chairman 3) and  Bode Bankole( Secretary)
    Ogundele – led parallel executive which is loyal to Hon. Ladi Adebutu camp, were elected at a congress conducted  at the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library(OOPL), Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital despite a court order obtained by Senator Buruji Kashamu’s camp restraining them from conducting the said congress.
    The Dayo Bayo party executive which is loyal to Kashamu, acting on the conviction that their tenure ends in 2020, had filed the suit,  and maintained that any attempt to replace them should be treated as illegality and therefore null and void.
    A magistrate court sitting in Abeokuta  presided by Magistrate Idowu Olayinka had in a ruling,  restrained PDP  constituted Panel from holding “Any congress, gathering, public assembly or meeting likely to cause breach of peace in Ogun State or any part of Ogun.”
    But Ogundele who spoke journalists at the conclusion of the  the congress, said it was a “very successful one,” adding that his emergence as State chairman would no doubt, bring all aggrieved members back under the cover one umbrella.
    “All those that are aggrieved will come back to the party and I see this Congress putting an end to problems of PDP in Ogun State. With my emergence I intend to run an open government, open party administration.
    “We intend to spread hands of fellowships to members that are aggrieved, we intend to extend hand of goodwill to members of other parties and I don’t have any doubt in my mind that we will put an end to the government of penny wise, pound foolish of APC (All Progressives Congress).
     “The entire people of Ogun State should expect a very vibrant, constructive party and we are looking up to having a 2019 election won by PDP. We will run all inclusive and  a united PDP, we want to run a political administration that will encourage party members of other parties,” Ogundele said.
    The Chairman of the Electoral Panel,  Mr. Eddy Olafeso in his opening speech admitted that the party had gone through a lot of challenges in the last eight years, saying “Nobody wins alone, we are stronger when we are united.”
    Olafeso urged the party members to ” lay to rest injury of the past”and work for the unity and progress of the party.
  • I have no grudges against Amosun – Adeola

    I have no grudges against Amosun – Adeola

    A  2019 governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Adeola, on Thursday said he has no grudges against Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
    Adeola who is popularly called Yayi said what exist between him and Amosun are just differences in “political ideology and political belief,” explaining that what he found disagreeable about the Governor is his mindset that someone coming from Lagos should not govern Ogun State.
    The Senator who hails from Agosaga Pahayi in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, but currently representing Lagos West at the National Assembly, added that it was this Amosun’s attitude of “how can he come from Lagos to rule us” that has remained the source of contention between him and the governor.
    Adeola made the clarification while fielding questions during an interactive session with members of the Ogun West Consultative Forum at Ilaro, the Headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Area.
    He recalled that each of the first civilian Governor of Ogun State, Bisi Onabanjo, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Amosun himself had all worked or done business in Lagos for years before returning home to become governor in the state.
    The Senator wondered why a strange and different yard stick should now be introduced into the political field of the state by the incumbent Governor because  the Ogun West people have become more determined to produce a Governor in 2019?
    Adeola noted that he “wants to be Governor of Ogun State but not desperate” about it, stressing, however, that he remained unflinching in his resolve to pursue the ambition to a successful end.
    He also denied rumours to the effect that he was stalling the efforts of the Governor to obtain the $350m loan facility which requires clearance by the Senate.
    Adeola said he would not stand in the way of what would bring development or progress to the state, adding that the request for the loan facility came up at the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.
    He explained that nobody was working to frustrate the Governor from seeking the $350m facility, saying he recognises the rights of states to source for financial package but it shouldn’t be a routine thing.
    He said he would resuscitate the Ogun State Road Maintenance Agency(OGROMA) to address the constant road problems in the state, revisit the abandoned Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas(OKLNG) located in Ode – Omi in Ogun Waterside and  leverage on the proximity of Ogun to Lagos to boost the socioeconomic fortunes of the state.
  • Infrastructure: Ogun to power institution with solar

    Infrastructure: Ogun to power institution with solar

    In furtherance of its infrastructure development in Ogun, the state government has concluded plans to power the newly- established Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia, with solar energy. This will not only guarantee uninterrupted power supply, but also is a part of its rural development strategy.

    The solar power system, said the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, will be installed by an Independent Power Provider (IPP), under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

    In a statement issued by the Head of Media in the Works and Infrastructure Ministry, Mr. Ayokunle Ewuoso, the commissioner was reported to have said the institution’s neighbours would also benefit from the solar power system.

    Adegbite explained that the firm selected for the project was one of the 12 Independent Power Providers earlier screened and certified to provide electricity for the state.

    “Government has decided to allocate five hectares of land to tqhe IPP out of the 400 hectares allocated for the institution. The IPP needs a large expanse of land where it will install the solar panels. This is from where the solar energy will be transmitted to the institution and its environs. What we want to achieve in all of these is to provide uninterrupted power supply to the school and equally allow the immediate environment benefits, though it will not be free,” he explained, adding that barring any unforseen circumstances, the institution will be completed by next year.

  • Ogun to inaugurate 15MW power plant today

    Ogun to inaugurate 15MW power plant today

    The Ogun State government will today switch on the 15 Megawatts (MW) power plant it built with Lisabi Power an Independent Power Provider (IPP) through a Public Partnership Programme (PPP) arrangement.

    The government said the power plant will end interrupted power supply at the government secretariat, government quarters, public hospitals, and other government establishments.

    The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Olamilekan Adegbite, announced this yesterday while hosting the executives and members of Egba Economic Summit (EES), led by its Chairman of Programmes and Economic Development, Tokunbo Odebunmi.

    The commissioner said the government will start with the distribution of 5MW tomorrow.

    In a statement by the Head of Media in the ministry, Mr. Ayokunle Ewuoso, the commissioner said government facilities, including the Government House, commissioners’ quarters, water corporation, modern shopping malls, street lights, legislative quarters and the deputy governor’s home will benefit from the first phase.

    He said: “On November 1, we are switching on the first phase of 5MW of the power plant, but the whole thing is still going to 15 MW, eventually. The power plant had been test-run for three to four weeks before it was switched off on October 1 because we found out that the cable had been damaged by yet-to-be-identified persons. This has been fixed and we are assuring that on November 1, the energy plant will start work fully.

    “We are also doing the power system for Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu and Ota. We have qualified about 12 IPP contractors and they are going to get their money over 15 years.”

    Adegbite, who said the power plant, which has its generation at Onijaganjagan in Ifo Local Government Area and its power house at Oke-Sokori in Abeokuta North Local Government Area, would also serve the palaces of kings in Abeokuta metropolis.

    The commissioner added that more people and organisations would be considered in the distribution by the time the power plants is upgraded to 15MW.

    Odebunmi hailed the government for its unprecedented infrastructural development across the state.

    He urged the Ibikunle Amosun administration to ensure that the legacies it will leave behind are sustained by the next administration.

     

  • Ogun:‘We’ve paid N4b compensation’

    The Ogun State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, has disclosed that since the inception of the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration in 2011, the state has paid over N4 billion as compensation to owners of properties that gave the right of way for road construction across the state.

    He also said the state government has decided to fix in batches the failed-portions of the Lagos-Sango-Ota-Abeokuta Road awarded by the Federal Government to Julius Berger.

    In a statement issued by the Head of Media in the ministry,  Mr. Ayokunle Ewuoso, the commissioner was quoted to have said the decision of the state government to fix the road was borne out of the fact that the suffering being experienced on the road by motorists and other road users has become embarrassing to the Ibikunle Amosun-led administration.

    Adegbite said his ministry had been mandated to fix permanently, the problem at the Toll-Gate axis of the road at Sango-Ota in the Ado-Odo Local Government Area of the state, adding that the road would be designed to accommodate drainages such that it would not be problematic anymore.

    He said: “The state government had overtime, continued to carry out palliative measures on that road and it has cost us so much money. So, His Excellency the governor has directed that we should evolve permanent solution that we can afford. Right now, we have got a mandate to fix the Toll-Gate permanently.  That is the only area we can attack for now because it is really embarrassing as we transit from Lagos to Ogun State.”

    Adegbite further stated that government had disbursed N500 million this year of the N800 million allocated in the 2017 budget, adding that the government would need an additional sum of about N3 billion to N4 billion to complete the payment.

    Emphasising that the state government was committed towards ensuring that all affected property owners were paid, Adegbite said that of N8 billon needed for compensation, property owners in the Sango-Ojodu area of the state would get the largest chunk of between N4 billion to N5 billion because modern buildings were demolished in the area to allow for right-of-way.

    The Chairman, Ogun State House of Assembly House Committee on Works and Infrastructure,  Olayiwola Ojodu, praised the commissioner and the ministry’s management team for a job well  done.  He noted that the ministry has justified the use of the money so far released to it in the year 2017 budget.

     

  • PDP needs a gentleman with ideas – Adeniran

    PDP needs a gentleman with ideas – Adeniran

    A former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, says his gentle mien will not diminish his chances of becoming the next national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Adeniran told in a telephone interview on Wednesday that being a gentleman, he remained the best candidate in the race for the national chairmanship seat of the party.

    The party’s national elective convention, which will produce the national chairman and other executive officers, is scheduled for Dec. 9 in Abuja.

    Apart from Adeniran, former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George; former Minister of Sport, Prof Taoheed Adedoja, and former PDP governorship candidate in Lagos, Mr Jimi Agbaje, are also in the chairmanship race.

    Former governors of Ogun and Oyo states, Chief Gbenga Daniel and Chief Rasheed Ladoja respectively; media mogul, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, and one-time acting chairman, Chief Uche Secondus, are also eying the party’s chairmanship.

    Adeniran said the perception that he is a gentleman is a good one, as the PDP needs such a person with ideas and vision to drive its progress.

    “Yes, I am a gentleman. The belief in some quarters that the party does not need a gentleman as leader is an insult not only to the party, but every member.

    “Leadership is not by thuggery, is not by violence, but by ideas, passion, vision and commitment.

    “We don’t need a violent person in PDP as chairman. We need a man with ideas to drive the party‘s vision. I am that man. I am that gentleman,’’ he said.

    The former minister said with God on his side and the support he was enjoying across the party, he was sure to clinch the post.

    He insisted that he had all it required to lead and reposition the party, being a founding member with the requisite experience.

    “PDP needs a leader with the right vision, passion for good leadership qualities and a leader with right experience.

    “I am passionate about repositioning the party and I am brimming with ideas and vision to return the party to winning ways,’’ he said.

    Adeniran said his academic and political background as a political science professor and former minister had enriched his suitability for the seat.

    He acknowledged that other aspirants had great attributes, but said his kind of vision to salvage the PDP at a critical moment was unmatched.

    The National Caretaker chairman of the party, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi had said at the end of the party’s National Executive Council ( NEC ) meeting on Tuesday that the chairmanship seat was zoned to the entire South, and not micro-zoned to the South-West.

    He said the party’s non-elective convention zoned the presidency to the North and the chairmanship to the South.

    Read Also: Chairmanship: Again, PDP walks a tight rope

  • Court remands man for allegedly stoning woman to death

    Court remands man for allegedly stoning woman to death

    An Ota Magistrate’s Court in Ogun, on Wednesday, remanded a 51-year-old man, Preston Ogilo, in prison for allegedly stoning one Lynda to death.

    Ogilo of no fixed address is facing a charge of murder.

    The Senior Magistrate, Mrs A. F. Ojelade, ordered that the accused be remanded in prison, pending legal advice from the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

    Ojelade adjourned the case until Dec.1 for mention.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor, Sgt. Rosemary Samson, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 11 at about 2.30 p.m., in front of Winners Chapel Church, along Idiroko Road, Ota.

    Samson said that the accused unlawfully killed one Lynda by stoning her to death.

    According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006.

    NAN

  • Buhari felicitates with `Baba Ijebu’ at 82

    Buhari felicitates with `Baba Ijebu’ at 82

    President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with Ogun businessman Chief Kesington Adebutu as the philanthropist clocks 82 on Oct. 24.

    The President in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Tuesday, lauded Adebutu’s contributions to the growth of the economy.

    Buhari also lauded Adebutu for providing jobs to thousands of Nigerians, especially the youth.

    He praised the business acumen, hard work and determination that enabled Adebutu to rise from a humble beginning to sit atop a business empire currently.

    Buhari affirmed that Adebutu’s philanthropic programmes under the auspices of the Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation had made life more meaningful for less-privileged Nigerians.

    He described as “worthy of emulation” the donations made by Adebutu, especially to educational and religious organisations by the octogenarian, popularly called “Baba Ijebu”.

    According to Buhari, such contributions have endeared Adebutu to Nigerians from all parts of the country.

    The president prayed that God would grant Adebutu good health and longer life, to continue rendering selfless services to his fatherland and humanity.

    Adebutu is a recipient of several chieftaincy titles and honorary doctorate degrees from various institutions across the country.

    NAN