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Tag: Ogun

  • Ogun inaugurates committee to curb prostitution

    Ogun inaugurates committee to curb prostitution

    The Ogun Government has inaugurated a committee to look into the menace of  prostitution among under-aged youths in the state.

    The committee members, drawn from the Ministries of Youth and Sports and Women Affairs, would sensitise, arrest and rehabilitate youths found engaging  in such activities.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the committee on Monday in Abeokuta, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Afolabi Afuape, lamented the rampant nature of open prostitution in the state.

    He said that sensitisation would start from all the four stadia across the state for a week, after which arrests  could be made by security personnel.

    “The ministry has always been an advocate against the act of open prostitution across the state, especially within the four stadia across the state.

    “Yesterday, the committee swung into action by sensitising shop owners at MKO Abiola International Stadium.

    “Our plan is that anybody arrested after the sensitisation would be enrolled into relevant programmes that will add value to her life,’’ Afuape said.

    The commissioner called on government at all levels, especially the Federal Government, media and relevant stakeholders to join the crusade against prostitution across the country.

    He said that a conducive environment must be provided for youths across the country  to discover themselves and learn various skills which would put an end to all kinds of social vices.

    Also speaking,  the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Abiola Kufile, described the act as  shameful  to womanhood, saying all must rise against it.

    She said that the state government was determined to wage war against open prostitution across the metropolis, adding that various types of rehabilitation system had been designed for the victims.

    Kufile urged parents to be more conscious of the well-being of their children and  provide their needs in line with the fear of God.

    She said that 70 per cent of societal ills were based on lack of moral standard and indiscipline among  youths.

  • Ogun retrains vigilantes for effective operation

    Ogun State Government has trained some vigilantes to boost their efficient performance in the state.

    Speaking at the passing out programme at the end of a three-day training for members of the state security outfit organised in conjunction with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) at the College of Security Management, Oke- Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital, the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, said the training would enable them to improve on the productivity in combating crimes and criminality for better security within the state.

    Adeoluwa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Cabinet and Special Services, Mr Femi Kusimo, maintained that the training was put in place to re-equip the security personnel to effectively carry out their duties.

    He urged the trainees to imbibe lessons from the workshop to further enhance their security operations and surveillance.

    Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Jide Ojuko, appreciated the efforts of the management of NSCDC towards complementing government’s efforts at ensuring that the service becomes more proactive and responsive to security challenges especially in communities across the state.

    Ojuko, who was represented by the Director, Local Government Affairs, Mrs. Olusola Osasona, added that the government would not relent at ensuring that security of lives and property are guaranteed, as it would continue to prioritise the security of its people through security empowerment.

    Provost of the NSCDC College of Security Management, Mrs. Rachael Awosusi, advised the trainees to be more alert to their responsibilities and provide useful security tips that would assist members of the public to become security conscious.

    VSO Commander, Mr. Soji Ganzallo,  praised the state government for supporting the vigilante service since it came on board in 2011 with enabling environment to thrive, saying it  has helped in tackling various security challenges across the State.

  • Ogun govt seeks support of market leaders on cleanliness

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has sought the support of residents, especially market men and women, in its drive to salvage the state from environmental degradation.

    Represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Jide Ojuko, at the foundation laying of Olofinmoyin Ultra-Modern Market in Sango Ota, a suburb of the state, the governor expressed disappointment with how traders were unmindful of keeping where they make their daily bread neat, adding that this could expose them to diseases.

    Amosun warned against the filling of the highway with refuses. He said the government would not condone such attitude, saying any market found unclean and with refuse would be closed. ‘’Cleanliness is holiness,’’ he said.

    Ojuko said the governor’s plan was to finish the projects he embarked on, including rehabilitation of roads, and construction of bridges before the end of his tenure. He urged the residents to key into the government’s development plan to make the state a better place to live in.  He noted that development comes with sacrifices, saying maximum sacrifice needed to be paid for the overall development.

    “An environment that is not clean will encourage all sorts of unscrupulous elements, to guide against this; leaders of each market should expedite actions and prevail on their members to imbibe the culture of cleanliness. We should not wait for an epidemic to happen before we start doing the right thing,” the Commissioner added.

    He appealed to the contractors handling the construction to use quality materials and to speed up the work to deliver on schedule.

    Ado/Odo Ota Local Government Chairman, Prince Oladele Adeniji,  appealed to the transport union leaders to warn their members against obstructing the highway by picking and dropping of passengers on the roads, this hinders the free-flow of traffic.

    He also warned street traders against blocking the highway with their goods; and that this made it difficult for vehicles to find its way in case of brake failure.

    Prince Adeniji sought collaboration between market and the union leaders on how the market and garages ‘environment clean and neat.

    The contractor, Alhaji Rufai Alao, an engineer, thanked the government for awarding the contract to him, pledging to use quality materials and deliver the job within the stipulated time.

  • Six die, four injured in Lagos-Sagamu road crash

    Six die, four injured in Lagos-Sagamu road crash

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Ogun said six persons died while four were injured in an accident on the Lagos-Sagamu expressway on Monday.

    The Ogun Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Clement Oladele, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun, that the accident occurred at about 2. 12 pm.

    Oladele said that a Nissan Quest van with registration number FKJ 297 AJ coming from Ikorodu to Ibadan rammed into a moving Iveco truck due to excessive speed.

    The crash, he said, resulted in the death of the six persons while four sustained injuries.

    “The four injured persons are receiving treatment at the Sagamu General Hospital while the corpses  had been deposited at the morgue, ” he said.

    He advised motorists to desist from excessive speed, especially during the rainy season.

  • Ogun to give C of O to more housing beneficiaries

    Ogun to give C of O to more housing beneficiaries

    The Ogun State Government will be distributing Certificates of Occupancy and other land title documents to another batch of beneficiaries under the Homeowners’ Charter Programme conceived by the administration of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

    The Director-General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Biyi Ismail, said that the beneficiaries would collect their documents as from tomorrow  by 9am at the Oba’s Complex auditorium, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    He urged all contacted beneficiaries to come with valid means of identification and photocopies of same. They are expected to be at the venue by 8am for accreditation.

     

  • Kidnapping, others: Ogun, NSCDC to beef up  security in schools

    The  Ogun State government and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), are collaborating  to provide adequate security for teachers and students in schools  in the state.

    The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Modupe Mujota, and the Commandant – General of the NSCDC, Abdullahi Mohammadu, made this known yesterday  in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, during  the grand finale of a workshop on “School security management and roles of stakeholders” organised by the College of Security Management of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Abeokuta.

    Mujota who declared the workshop open said the state’s public primary and secondary schools across the  20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Councils Development Areas(LCDA), would be provided with security.

    The Commissioner who was represented by the Director of Education Support Services, Mrs. Oyenike Agaje, added that the workshop sensitized relevant stakeholders in the education industry on measures that could  be used to increase their security consciousness.

    According to her, security of  life and property, is everyone’s business.

    The Commandant-General, who  spoke through the Assistant Commandant-General in charge of Zone F, Abdulwaheed Popoola,  said the workshop  deliberated on the implications of insecurity in schools to the nation’s development as well as tips on  school security management.

  • Ogun: Between performance and politics

    I know a couple of people who hail from Abeokuta but have not visited the capital city in more than a decade. There are even indigenes of Ogun that have only read developments at home on the pages of newspapers but have been unable to see those monuments that have created new sights, sounds and taste across the state in the last six years. You probably need a tour guide if you are coming to Abeokuta after a long time; indeed all the city centres across the state!

    Prof. Is-aq Oloyede, former Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin and currently the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), was one of the first citizens that appraised the current administration in 2013: “From what I have seen in our state, it is very clear that we have a politician with a difference at the helm of affairs. With the on-going infrastructural revolution, many of us who are indigenes even find it difficult to locate our houses and some prominent places each time we come visiting.”

    I must confess that I was jolted to the marrow when, upon the inauguration of the current government in 2011, I had the first-hand experience of criss-crossing Abeokuta. Why should a state capital look so ancient? The roads were so narrow that they could hardly accommodate pedestrians let alone automobiles, and the houses built so close to the roads such that people rising early morning in their bedrooms could through their windows exchange handshakes with passengers on so-called motorways!

    It was, therefore, not surprising when at the inauguration of the first flyover constructed by any state government since the creation of Ogun in 1976, Dr Adedotun Gbadebo, the Alake of Egbaland, declared:

    “Today can be likened to the day electricity, pipe borne water and railway first came to Abeokuta. Amosun has changed the city from the status of 19th century to the 21st century.”

    And just before the end of that same year 2013, the highly revered monarch, Dr Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, observed:

    “Your performance has been beyond the imagination of each and every one of us. You have been able to go round the entire Ogun State (with your infrastructural development) without just concentrating on Abeokuta and leaving the rest of us in the wilderness. You have been able to go round Abeokuta,  Ijebu, Remo, Yewa. This is a great thing that has never happened in the state.”

    Abeokuta is the capital of Ogun State and the first port of call for investors and those who need to transact business with government.  Welcoming you to the metropolis on Saturday is the sprawling flyover under construction. It confirms that development is work-in-progress. So many bridges and roads have been completed by the Amosun administration, yet so many needs to be done. Some roads are currently receiving the final layer of asphalt. Ogun State is still a huge construction site.  On January 16, 2015, former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, commented on the sterling performance of Governor Amosun:

    “In 2011, we were not together. We were together before and I did campaign against him. See what he has been able to do in the last three and a half years in the state. I cannot sacrifice performance for party. I never dreamt of having a bridge on a dry land in Ogun State in my life time. Yes, we have Ogun River, where there is a bridge. Go to Ijebu, Sagamu, Ota, what am I seeing? Bridges, not even one, two, three. So, my people, I am not talking about other elections. I have come to tell you that in order to appreciate what this personality has been able to do in the last three and a half years, let us give him our votes. What happened in 2011 was politics, and we can all see the difference between politics and personality.”

    Eminent historian and elder statesman, Prof. Anthony Asiwaju, has equally not been silent: “The Yewa people and by extension, Ogun State have never had it so good since the creation of the state. So we are thanking Senator Ibikunle Amosun for coming to our aid through the construction of a road over 107 kilometres, which cuts across four Local Government Areas in the senatorial district.”

    At the grand reception in Abeokuta on February 2, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari, summed up his impression:

    “I express my gratitude to the Governor of Ogun State for inviting me and identifying with me on his success. He managed to disorientate me. On my commissioning in January 1963 – I was posted to Abeokuta, where Second Inventory Battalion of the Nigerian Army used to be. I said he managed to disorientate me because if you drop me anywhere in Abeokuta and ask me to find where the barracks is, I assure you I will get missing. I am pleased and happy about your success because I think that whatever I knew about Abeokuta, I have lost it. Your programmes are certainly people-oriented.”

    Apart from constructing the first overhead bridges, first 10-lane roads, first world-class model schools, first gated housing estates, the Amosun government was the first to bring into Nigeria the very latest technology of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and made the “maximum donation” of security equipment that the then Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, confessed he had never witnessed since he had been serving as a Police officer.

    The Amosun administration was also the first to distribute 500 brand new transformers at one fell swoop across the state, first to introduce modern luxury buses and brand new taxis on Ogun highways and first to purchase, in one iconic gesture, such quantum of multi-million naira farm machinery – bulldozers, tractors, ploughs, harrows, slashers and planters.

    The current government moved Ogun State from F9 to A1 in terms of Ease of Doing Business, as reported by the World Bank 2014 Doing Business Report. So far, about 120 multi-billion naira industries have been established in Ogun in the last six years, creating thousands of direct and indirect employment for the teeming youths of the state.

    In spite of the meagre amount Ogun gets from the federation account, the Amosun government has paid above the minimum wage, and implemented it across board, thus making it the only government to achieve such a milestone in Nigeria. It is also the first to introduce a social health insurance scheme in the state, where poor pregnant women and their Under-5 children go to any of the four designated Health Care Providers (private and public) in their respective local councils with their Araya Access Cards (like ATMs) and access free health services anytime, any day, 24/7!

    Saturday, this Governor of many firsts will give her first daughter in marriage. Although he has announced to everyone that the wedding is a private affair, it is certainly impossible to dissuade residents from celebrating with the first family that has accomplished so much in the state in the last six years.

     

    • Soyombo, a media practitioner, sent this piece via densityshow@yahoo.com
  • Education materials rot away in Ogun schools

    Education materials rot away in Ogun schools

    Some education materials procured for secondary schools in Ogun State since 2012 are rotting away at the Abeokuta High School, Idi-Aba Library.

    The materials, which were said to have been procured by the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration shortly after he was sworn in for his first term in office in 2010, could not go round all the secondary schools.  The distribution was suspended and the remaining materials were moved to Abeokuta High School, Idi Aba for safe-keeping. However, the materials have been abandoned in the past six years.

    Southwest Report gathered that while some schools were lucky to have received the items, including branded school bags, ball pens, education and instructional materials for science and technical colleges, branded exercise books and laboratory materials, others are yet to get theirs.

    The materials that were kept at the Frederick O. Oridota Library since 2012 have prevented the students to have access to the use of the library for many years and most of the books have been covered with dust; a sign of many years of abandonment.

    When Southwest Report visited the school premises, students who were supposed to be in the library in accordance with the school’s timetable were seen playing on the field. They were warned not to go near the school library.

    Investigation revealed that some of the items, especially the ball pens, had dried up.

    Speaking to Southwest Report on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, a member of staff of the school explained that bureaucratic bottleneck by the Ministry of Education might have caused the continuous retention of the education materials in the school library.

    He said: “The excuse adduced by the government for keeping the materials was not tenable because if the materials could not go round, they should have been given to some of the schools instead of allowing it to get rotten here”

    He pointed out that since the materials have been kept in the school since 2012, the students did not have access to the library and all the school programmes concerning library education has been suspended.

    “This is very unfair; the government should have stored the materials at the Ministry of Education or in any government store instead of keeping them here for keeping sake,” our source said.

    A student of SS3 who simply identified himself as Oluwatosin explained that the materials have been kept in the school library for many years and the students can no longer use the facility again.

    “You can see that majority of the students are playing on the field while some are loitering about. If the library is not forbidden for the students, some of us would have loved to be there to read our books.

    “I was in JSS 1 when they brought those materials to our school and we were warned not to go near the library again because government properties are kept there. It was later that we learnt that education materials meant for some selected schools were kept in the library.” he said.

    Another student, Sola Aderibigbe (JSS3) said he met the library of the school sealed up with a warning that no student was allowed to loiter around the place, let alone entering inside.

    “I later learnt that government properties were kept there” he said.

    Speaking to Southwest Report on phone, the Principal of the school, Mr. Olusegun Obadimu explained that the alumnae of the school recently met and the issue was discussed at length, adding that they promised to intervene; indicating that the materials would be removed from the library soon.

    While speaking on the issue, the Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Modupe Mujota said the educational materials were not deliberately abandoned. She said the materials could not go round all the schools as the reason for the materials being stored at Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi Aba.

    Mujota, who spoke to Southwest Report on phone, explained that as soon as some issues are resolved in the ministry, the materials would be removed from the school.

    “The materials will be removed soonest, that is what l can say about the issue,” she said.

    However, a top government official in the Ministry of Education who spoke to our correspondent in confidence argued that the materials were rotting away because of the bureaucratic bottleneck from the ministry.

    “It is sad that the governor himself will not be happy that the materials that were bought with the taxpayer’s money are now rotting away somewhere on the flimsy excuse that it cannot go round. Is it not better to give the materials out to any of the available schools instead of allowing it to rot away like that?” he said.

     

  • Ogun shuts down illegal health facilities

    The Ogun State government has shut down no fewer than 186 illegal health facilities in the past one year in its bid to curtail the excess activities of quackery among health workers.

    The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye made this known while addressing reporters in Abeokuta, the state capital, against the backdrop of some health workers operating illegal health facilities and increase of quack doctors.

    He said those arrested by the monitoring team of the ministry, either operating with fake certificate, invalidation of licenses or engaging in health facilities without government’s authorisation, are being prosecuted in law courts by the state Ministry of Justice.

    Ipaye emphasised that the state would not condone any illegal health activities, as the state had contributed greatly to the health sector, noting that anybody arrested as a resulted of engaging in any unlawful act would not go scot free.

    “The state government will not fold its arms and allow anybody to operate illegal health facilities. Those who intend to do so or has been doing that should henceforth desist from it or be ready to face the full wrath of the law”, Ipaye said.

    He said it was imperative for owners of health facilities to revalidate their licenses, as the inspection teams of the Ministry of Health would soon go out for thorough inspection of their facilities and if anyone is caught with fake certificate or license that has expired; he would be dealt with accordingly.

    He noted that the government must ensure proper protection and safeguarding its citizens against untimely death of those illegal health facilitators, emphasising that those quack doctors and nurses contribute, in no small measure, to the sudden death of some people, including expectant mothers.

    Meanwhile, the Commissioner says its introduction of Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS), Araya was to enable government to pay for the bills of the less-privileged masses, including expectant mothers and children under five years.

    He noted that over 16,000 residents had keyed into the programme across the state, while the targeting numbers of expectant mothers and children under five was about 40,000. He enjoined the residents to continue to register for the programme in their respective maternity centres across the 20 local government area and 37 local council development areas nearest to them.

    “The Araya programme is a continuous progress for the less-privileged people, expectant mothers and children under five years of age. All you need to do is walk into the Primary Health Centres nearest to you and register. Once you have registered and collected your registration cards, then you are entitled to free health care delivery”, Ipaye said.

  • No Lassa fever in Ogun, says commissioner

    Ogun State Health Commissioner Dr Babatunde Ipaye has said the state’s Disease Surveillance Officers (DSOs) in the 20 local government areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) have been strengthened and put on the alert to control any outbreak of disease or epidemic in any part of the state.

    Ipaye addressed reporters yesterday at his office in Abeokuta, the state capital, on the possible spread of Lassa fever in the state, following a reported case of the disease in neighbouring Ondo State.

    The commissioner said there was no reported case of Lassa fever in Ogun State.

    He said the Ibikunle Amosun administration had adopted the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard to take precautions at hospitals as well as communities.

    Ipaye said the ministry was also educating the public on the mode of transmission of the virus and need for proper hygiene and environmental sanitation to prevent an outbreak of the disease.

    The commissioner added that surveillance offices across the state had been mobilised, since a case was recorded in neighbouring Ondo State.

    According to him, the Ipokia, Oja-Odan, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun-Waterside and other surveillance offices had been reactivated for a likely outbreak of any disease or epidemic.

    He said: “As I am talking to you now, all our diseases notification and surveillance officers and mechanisms have been reactivated to curtail any spread of diseases in the state. So, for now, there is no case of any Lassa fever in Ogun State…

    “Lassa fever is a severe and often fatal haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus. Since its original discovery in 1969 in Nigeria, there have been countless cases of high magnitude and severity across West Africa, not Nigeria alone. But due to scarce resources to diagnose the illness as well as inadequate surveillance, many cases remain unaccounted for.”