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Tag: Ogun

  • Ogun 2019: Four lawmakers to join APC, says Akinlade

    A former House of Representatives member, Hon. Abiodun Akinlade, has  disclosed that four members of the Ogun State House of Assembly will soon defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Akinlade, who is one of the Yewa – Awori sons aspiring to succeed Governor Ibikunle Amosun on the platform of APC,  urged  the ruling party to prepare and accommodate defectors from other parties, ahead of the 2019 elections.

    He made this known in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, while declaring his ambition before the leaders and members of APC in Ogun West Senatorial District.

    Akinlade,  who was in the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly between 2003 and 2015, said he will build on the achievements of Amosun, if given the APC ticket and entrusted with power.

    He said: “I have the experience, I have the connection and I have what it takes to take our state to the next level. I have come with added value to APC.

    “APC has value already and my own value with that of APC will take Ogun State to another level. I want to tell you that, soon, four serving members of the Ogun State House of Assembly are coming with me (to APC).”

    The ex – member of House of Representatives, also revealed that a serving councillor elected on the platform of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) as well as more of his political associates will soon move to  APC.

    He said he has a five-point agenda for the state, which are centred on  peoples – oriented  government while women and youth will also earn  special recognition through empowerment and entrepreneurship.

    He pledged to ensure holistic economic policy by harnessing the state’s comparative advantage in the three Free Trade Zones of Olokola, Kajola and Agbara.

  • Man in court for stabbing neighbour

    Man in court for stabbing neighbour

    Olusegun Coker,36,-who allegedly assaulted his neigbour ,Moshood Ogun, by stabbing him with a broken bottle, was on Friday charged in a Surulere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.
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    Coker, who resides at Block 15, Rabiatu Thompson St., Surulere, Lagos, is facing a charge of assault.‎

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 8 at Block 15, Rabiatu Thompson St., Surulere, Lagos.

    Osayande said the accused stabbed Ogun several times on both hands and caused him harm based on a misunderstanding they had.
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    “It took some neighbours to stop him and the matter was reported to the police,’’ she said.

    She said the offences contravened Section 172 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015(Revised).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 172 stipulates a three-year jail for offenders.
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    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    In his ruling, the Magistrate, Mr Aro Lambo, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200, 000 with one surety in like sum.

    He said the surety should be a civil servant from grade level 12 and above who should show evidence of tax payments to the Lagos State Government.

    Lambo adjourned the case until Oct. 17 for mention.

  • Ogun to host Conference on Environment

    Ogun to host Conference on Environment

    The Ogun State government will host the 11th  National Conference on Environment in Abeokuta, the state capital, between October 16 and 18.

    Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Taiwo Adeoluwa, spoke in Abeokuta after a meeting with representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment.

    The event, which will be opened by Governor Ibikunle Amosun, has its theme as Unlocking Investment Opportunities in the Environment Sector Towards Nigeria’s Economic Recovery, Diversification, Growth and Sustainable Development.

    Adeoluwa said: “We have been approached by the Federal Ministry of Environment, and the governor directed us to convey approval of the government and people of Ogun to host the 2017 National Council on Environment.”

    Also, Acting Director of Planning, Research and Statistics in the ministry  and leader of the federal delegation, Mrs. Florence Sowunmi, expressed confidence in the ability of the state to host the meeting.

    Over 1,000 participants, including the minister, commissioners, directors and other stakeholders are expected at the meeting.

  • ‘Wasted’ N48m ICT project in Ogun

    ‘Wasted’ N48m ICT project in Ogun

    [A computer] looks like a television, I have seen it, but I have never touched it.

    Tope, a 13-year old student, has only seen a computer a couple of times. He looked dreamy when he described it. “It looks like a television,” he said in Yoruba. He was quick to add that he never touched it and of course, he doesn’t know how to use it. His 15-year old brother, having lunch close by chimed in about his superior knowledge. “There is a cybercafé a bit far away from here.  I see these computers when I go there, and I have even touched them, but I don’t have money to pay for pressing the computer,” Kayode, Tope’s older brother boasted.

    Their father, who rides a motorcycle and own a sparse tailoring shop in Ijebu-Igbo, cannot afford to buy a computer. Tope’s school certainly does not have such modern facilities. So his ‘television’ answer could have been accepted if a government-owned N24 million ICT centre is not a five minute walk from their father’s shop.

    Welcome to Ijebu-Igbo ICT Centre

    The provision of ICT centres in Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside Constituency was part of the constituency projects approved by the House of Representatives in 2015.

    Mr Adesegun Adekoya, who represents these constituents, facilitated the creation of the ICT centres to “encourage education and promote access and exposure to new technologies in the information and communication world.” These centres situated at Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo cost N 48 million for execution.

    In the first house on Agbowa Street, Ijebu-Igbo sits a palatial green two-storey building that houses the Ijebu-Igbo ICT Centre. Painted in green-white-green, a small sign board fills you with expectations of the many services provided at the centre; this includes, typesetting, photocopying, colour printing, free computer training, and more.  On the ground floor, there is a cement shop with stacks of cement for sale. After three minutes of knocking on the brown wooden door, a young boy opens the door; does not say a word and returns to his seat. There are three other children playing around the room. There are three seated adults chatting away. There are twelve other desktops.

    Raising his voice, so that the booming music in the room does not swallow his voice, a fidgety attendant responds to questions about the use of the centre. He was unsure of the number of people that have undergone ICT training at the centre.  When asked whether the training were free, he refuses to speak saying that it is only his supervisor that can answer the question. Attempts to reach the supervisor were abortive.

    The Ago-Iwoye ICT Centre

    The Ago-Iwoye ICT centre located at the Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside Constituency office, on Adenugba Street. A large banner announces the Hon Adekoya’s largesse to his community. The old dull brown building with mouldy stairs is not so different from its Ijebu-Igbo counterpart. The 24 million project is in a small room with frayed carpets. There are fifteen computers in the room; one printer; two generators sit at the entrance of the room.

    When a request to browse was made, the ICT instructor explains that the ICT centre does not offer such services since their Wi-Fi is bad.  “People will come from Abuja to fix it.” He says as he hands his laptop already connected to an internet modem.

    There is no electricity, although, there were two generators in the building. Two young ladies sat behind the computers, chatting away, while the ‘instructor’ was coaching a recent secondary school leaver in Economics.

    After browsing incognito for about 10 minutes; the instructor was asked for the cost of the services. He requested for any amount deemed worthy for the serviced. He received N200.

    Mr. Joshua Osiyemi, the project monitoring officer from Tracka says that not much learning takes place there, since students have to pay a particular amount of money for the training.

    “Residents are required to pay N500 for identification cards, N1000 for desktop publishing and N300 per hour for internet browsing.”

    There are two educational institutions where the ICT centres are located, Olabisi Onabanjo University and Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic. Also, several youths and children live and work around the centres, (which was supposedly created for their benefit), yet, they are oblivious to its existence. From conversations with some students in Ago-Iwoye, it is clear that majority think that ICT is synonymous to Google, which makes their assignments and projects easier.

    The deployment of technology to solve practical problems is gray to them, while their counterparts in Ile Ife, Lagos and Ota are founding tech startups and inventing solutions.

    When one thinks of rural settlements, a picture of petty farmers/traders with families living in poor conditions comes to mind. This depiction, in most parts of Nigeria, is not far from reality. They are often deprived of information and access to growth and modernity, left behind in the fast-paced and ever evolving technological world.

    As of 2016, over 51% of Nigerians live in rural areas. Therefore, a free ICT training in towns such as Ijebu Igbo could kick-start development and a positive change in the quality of life of its dwellers. They would realize that farming can be done more efficiently, trading could be global, and there are numerous skills to be acquired. Their children’s curiosity would be piqued, they would challenge the status quo and embark on a journey to change their world.

    However, many rural dwellers in Nigeria are abandoned at the mercy of politicians who swindle them by implementing high-costing projects of little benefit those in need. They are forced to stick with obsolete and laborious methods because the information that should have been accessible to them free of charge comes at a paid service, courtesy of their representatives.

    The House of Representative member could not be reached at the time of this report.  However, in a statement through his lawyer (Titi Banjoko), he noted that residents have to pay to ensure an effective centre.

    “The commitment of the Federal Government on the projects stopped at the provision and installation of those items and ICT facilities, and not beyond that especially in terms of maintenance, repairs and operations.”

    Mr. Joshua reasoned that the project would have made more impact if ICT trainings were widely publicized and made attractive for residents in both towns. “If they had made ICT lessons an interesting adventure, the youth will jump at it. They will learn fast and it would have made more impact.”

    If ICT education for the youth and children living in the rural areas is not well executed, then what chance do the likes of Tope and Kayode have in competing in this tech age?

    Omolayo Omotola is a freelance journalist. 

    Reporting done as part of BudgIT 2017 Media Fellowship. 

  • Ogun  to distribute C of O bi-monthly

    Ogun  to distribute C of O bi-monthly

    Ogun State Governor  Ibikunle Amosun has assured that the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy and other land title documents under the Homeowners’ Charter Scheme will now be bi-monthly in order to fast-track the process.

    The Governor who stated this while distributing the documents to successful beneficiaries at the Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, said it would help speed-up the process and avoid needless delay in the issuance of the Certificates to qualified applicants.

    Amosun, who was represented by the Special Adviser/Director-General, Bureau of Lands & Survey, Mr. Biyi Ismail, pleaded with applicants yet to complete payment to pay up on time so that their application can be promptly processed.

     ‘’We have been consistent in the distribution of C of O and other land title documents in the last three months and we even made it bi-monthly from August 2017 just to make Homeowners’ Charter process faster and not to keep successful applicants waiting’’ he said.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Dada, thanked the beneficiaries for their support and understanding.

    Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Taiwo Yusuf from Ayetoro, was grateful to the State government for giving them their title documents saying they could now heave a sigh of relief as the development literarily puts an end to the agony they had  suffered in the hands of land grabbers popularly knwon as ‘’Omo- onile.’’

  • Ogun registers poultry farms, others

    Ogun registers poultry farms, others

    The Ogun State government has directed all poultry farms of more than 250 birds, hatchery operators, livebirdmarkets  and poultry processing  facilities in the state to register with the Ministry of Agriculture in accordance with Animal Disease Control Act 2004.

    The registration has the nod of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PANOG) Ogun State Chapter.

    According to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo, the exercise will allow the state to have a database  of poultry farmers and other operators in the sector to control zoonotic and endemic diseases in the state.

    Mrs. Adepeju also said the registration would also assist in   compensation payment to farms in case of outbreak of zoonotic diseases, such as  the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza.

    She urged the cooperation of all stakeholders to take part in the exercise,warning that defaulters would be sanctioned.

  • Lagos, Ogun as industrial hubs

    It is clear some commentators are living in the past. Indeed, the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was prescient enough to warn against creation of mind boundaries as South-west marches towards economic integration: “Instead of building bridges, some of our people are digging trenches for protection against their own brothers and sisters. And to further worsen the situation, some of our people are also making themselves available as instruments of division because of their selfish political gains. The consequence is that our people begin to see themselves as a people of one state or the other rather than as a sub-unit of the Yoruba entity.”

    Our founding fathers built Lagos State. They built Ogun State. Not many may even remember that the old Ogun stretched into many parts of today’s Lagos State. Those writers trying to create a wedge between the two brother states had better watch it. We are one people, one culture. Despite the excision of the Lagos Municipality from the Western Region in 1954 following the inauguration of the Lyttleton Constitution, the bulk of the territory of today’s Lagos State, consisting of Ikorodu, Epe, Somolu, Ikeja, Mushin, Ajegunle, Yaba and Badagry remained part of the Western Region. Lagos State is today a member of the Odu’a Group and the march towards economic integration of the old Western Region is on course.

    Ogun! Lagos! What’s the difference between the two? Millions of workers in Lagos reside in Ogun. Many companies in Ogun have their headquarters in Lagos. Many firms in Lagos have equally expanded to Ogun. Many indigenes of Ogun have their houses in Lagos and vice versa. So there is so little to choose between the two states.

    What is more, Lagos and Ogun are headed by progressive governors of the All Progressive Congress (APC). It is true that the Ogun State counterpart had to do twice as much to get the state on the present progressive lane of development because of the depredations of the past, which is known to the progressive governors. If Ogun State has now become an industrial hub just like Lagos is, should that not be celebrated? Isn’t that to the good of the neighbouring states? Are the masses of the two states not the ultimate beneficiaries? Will these leaders remain the governors of their respective states forever? Can we ever separate Lagos from Ogun or Ogun from Lagos?

    We must be wary of fifth columnists, political opportunists, profiteers and racketeers who wish to clog the wheel of progress and the march of the two friendly states to economic prosperity.  Having lost on the electoral field, they try to create a non-existent friction, provoke unwarranted malice in order to oil their dubious political machinery. We will not fall for their antics.

    To quote Senator Amosun once more, “We cannot allow artificial boundaries such as geography, religion, politics, etc. to hinder our joint development. We should explore the common heritage in culture and tradition as a spring-board for the development of our different states and the entire region as a whole.”

    Just last week, a leading financial newspaper, Business Day, had this report on its front page: “Lagos and Ogun states are fast moving away from other states in the country in financial capacity, following their ability to generate over 60 per cent of their revenue internally. The two states generated 73 per cent and 63 per cent of their revenue internally in 2016. This means that in the event of a failure or shortfall in allocation from the Federation Account, the two states can internally generate at least N63 out of every N100 needed monthly. Lagos and Ogun are closely followed by Rivers, Kano and Edo States, which generated 43 percent, 38 percent and 35 percent respectively of their total internal revenue…”

    It is this kind of cheery news we should celebrate rather than create a non-existent rivalry between brother states. How meaningless will the agitation for full (fiscal) federalism become if states cannot fend for themselves, if they cannot look inward and provide enabling environment for business growth with an eye on backward integration!

    In 2013, the governor of Ogun State invested in heavy land-clearing equipment on a scale never witnessed in the annals of the state. Just recently, another massive investment was made on farm machinery. Hundreds of acres of land have been cultivated. More hectares are being cleared for rice production. Many private investors are making their presence felt in the sector with thousands of direct and indirect employment generated. With the encouragement from government, many rural farms have been established and hundreds of agriculture cooperative societies have benefited from the commercial agricultural loan of the state government. In one year alone, the Ogun State government produced and sold one million cocoa seedlings to farmers at highly subsidized rate in order to reinvigorate the industry. Seventy hectares of cassava multiplication plantation were cultivated for the generation of cassava cuttings that meet industrial and nutritional needs of the populace. The state government equally built model farm estates with modern houses in order to encourage graduates of agriculture and allied disciplines to practice and make the sector attractive to youths, among other achievements in the sector.

    Just as Lagos partners Kebbi State, it has agriculture land leased to it in Ogun State in a win-win partnership between states of the same parents and common heritage. The six South-west governors have begun moves to harness the “competitive advantage of all the states in the region for sustainable regional development.”

    Finally, we should have expected arm-chair critics – politicians in the robes of writers – to learn from history. The late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was criticised for being ahead of his time. When he mooted the idea of free education, he was criticised. When he built the first industrial and housing estates in Nigeria, what was the socio-economic situation at the time? When he established the first television service in Africa, how many Nigerians at the time had television sets? When he constructed the Liberty Stadium, the first in Nigeria, what was Western Region’s position in the world in relation to sports or how many children of the region were in school?

    The simple fact is, you do not wait for tomorrow before you plan for it. Those writers trying to ingratiate themselves with either of the top-notch governors of Lagos and Ogun are simply wasting their time. “Ambode and Amosun no get their time.” They should invest their time (pens) in more productive ventures.

     

    • Soyombo, a journalist, sent in this piece from Abeokuta via densityshow@yahoo.com
  • Germany to train 10,000 youths in Ogun, Plateau

    Germany to train 10,000 youths in Ogun, Plateau

    Germany has concluded plans to train 10,000 Nigerian youths in Ogun and Plateau between September and June 2018  to enable them acquire  vocational skills.

    Mr Horst Bauemfeind, an official of  GIZ, the  German national  agency for international cooperation, stated this in Abeokuta on Thursday at the inauguration of the committee for the monitoring of the initiative in Ogun.

    Bauemfeind said that the project would provide demand-oriented vocational training for  young persons in the agriculture and construction sectors  considered to be two areas with high growth and employment potentials.

    He further said that the gesture was part of an ongoing development cooperation between Nigeria and Germany based on bilateral agreement.

    The German official,  who said that 5,000 youths would be trained in Ogun,  explained that his team had already embarked on an assessment tour of vocational centres and technical colleges in the state to identify possible gaps and areas of needs.

    He added that the team had also organised workshops on vocational skills development for the agriculture and construction industries to aggregate the demands of the stakeholders and develop  a programme strategy.

    “The project aims to improve the vocational skills and knowledge of young Nigerians to increase their employment prospects .

    “The project will work in three activity areas namely: increase training at the level of micro and small enterprises  as well as  improve the capacity of training providers and public private dialogue on vocational education and training in Ogun,’’  he said.

    Bauemfeind said that the committee made up of critical stakeholders  in agriculture and construction sectors in the state  would  ensure the alignment of the project with partner strategies for full implementation.

    The Chairman of the committee, Rev. Peter Akinola, said he was concerned about the millions of Nigerian youths who had  remained unemployable.

    Akinola, a former  Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, however, expressed optimism that the  training would reverse the trend.

    He called on  government  to refocus and redirect  policies in order to priotise vocational education and training among the youths.

    Mrs Hafsat Abiola – Castelo, who is a co-chairperson of the committee, said  the body was committed to the sustainability of the project.

    Abiola – Castelo,  who is the Special Assistant to Gov.  Ibikunle Amosun on Trade and Investment,  also pledged government’s  support for the programme.

    She said the committee planned to partner the organised private sector to defray the cost of the training per participant to make it affordable for more young persons after the exit of the Germans.

    “The training costs N100,000 per participant in the construction aspect which has been fully paid by the German government.

    “The committee intends to engage some partners to defray the cost and reduce it to about N25, 000 so that those who have been trained by the Germans can retrain others at affordable cost at the end of their own programme,” she said.

    She  called on the youths, particularly  females, to take advantage of the programme by Germany to improve their  living standard.

    “Our young women should not abandon the training because they are relevant in the value chain of the construction sector,  particularly in the area of interior decoration as well as in cassava processing aspect of agriculture,” she said

  • Bird flu discovered in Ogun

    Bird flu discovered in Ogun

    The Ogun State government  on Friday said  bird flu has been discovered at a breeder poultry farm, located at Orile-Ilugun in Odeda Local Government Council Area (Ilugun LCDA) part of the state.

    The state government added that it has also activated bird flu control measures at the poultry farm to check the spread of the flu that causes Avian influenza.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo, who made this  known, explained that  the proactive steps became necessary  to tackle the bird flu discovered on the farm.

    She said the ministry had visited the farm on September 7, to carry out disease surveillance activities, with the intention of curtailing any potential spread of the virus.

    “The causative agent was found to be H5N8, which is a variant of the H5N1 virus, that was previously known to exist in Nigeria,” Adebajo said.

    She however said there was  no cause for alarm, as no live bird from other poultry farms in the state had tested positive to the highly pathogenic bird flu.

    According to her, samples of birds taken from another poultry farm in the Local Government Area of the state had tested negative to the H5N8 virus.

    “Other farms and markets in Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode, Ilaro and Ayetoro were not left out,” she added.

    The last reported incidence of bird flu in Ogun State occurred in Oct 2015.‎

  • Ogun shuts more illegal health facilities

    The Ogun State government has shut down three more suspected illegal health facilities in Abeokuta, Ado-Odo/Ota and Ifo local government areas.

    The facilities include Adigbe Medical Centre in Abeokuta, Lolade Scan Centre at Ado-Odo/Ota and a laboratory at Ifo.

    The government sealed them up for operating without registration and revalidating their operational licences with the Ministry of Health.

    Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, broke the news while monitoring health facilities in the areas.

    The commissioner said the government would ensure that the state was rid of quack doctors and illegal health facilities.

    He said: “The health of our citizens is paramount to us. That is why we are safeguarding their health by ensuring that the state is free of quack doctors and illegal hospitals. These, through their unorthodox ways of practices, put the live of our citizens in danger.”