The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ogun

  • Re: moving against land grabbers in Ogun

    SIR: Our attention has been caught by the article written by Mr Banji Ojewale in The Nationnewspaper edition of Friday November 25, 2016 at page 20. The Government of Ogun State under the leadership of HE Senator Ibikunle Amosun, CON FCA, the Governor, has since assumption of office worked assiduously in delivering on its social pact with all citizens of Ogun State in its Mission to Rebuild Ogun State.

    Today, by divine grace and dint of hard work together with the cooperation of the people, Ogun State is now the first choice as the preferred destination of investment and industry in Nigeria. The Administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun is conscious of the necessity of sustaining these especially against the background of current economic challenges in the interest of peace, good government and sustainable development which is the first duty of Government.

    That is why Government has acted proactively to nip in the bud menace of “Land Grabbing” which is undoubtedly antithetical and inimical to socio- economic development. In this regard,the Prohibition of Forcible Occupation of Landed Property, Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Cultism, other Violent and Related Offences Law, 2016 which the Governor assented on Monday 14th November, 2016 represents a decent and reasonable piece of legislation as an instrument of social engineering towards achieving these goals. The Legislation does not limit itself to what has come to be known colloquially as ‘Land Grabbing’ but is some sort of ‘Mini Criminal Code’addressing frontally ancillary and associated crimes such as Armed Robbery, Cultism, Kidnapping and other ancillary violent crimes. There is in accordance with our proud Ogun Standard in the legislation, the innovation of Part V designed to protect citizens who are suspects against undue violence consistent with the tenets of civil rights and liberties consistent in accordance with the ideals of a decent democratic society which Ogun State seeks to set the pace at achieving because the present Government understands the clear correlation between human and civil rights and socio-economic development and growth generally.

    Consequently, Mr Ojewale is correct in his view that the Governor of Ogun State takes seriously its primary purpose duty which is to provide “security and welfare of the people” of Ogun State and that the impact of this Law “would lead to the resurgence of the economy and the empowerment of the citizens” which would in turn “enlarge the purse of the Government of enable it attain massive social and economic renaissance.”

    Finally, I seize the opportunity to assure  Mr Ojewale and indeed our good people of Ogun State that in accordance with the clear provisions Section 14(1) of the Law a Task Force to enforce the Law will soon be constituted, but it remains the case that notwithstanding the foregoing, the Nigeria Police Force vide the combined effect of Section 214(1) and (2)(a)&(b) Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) and Section 4 Police Act Cap P19 LFN, 2004 as well as the Department of State Security and other internal security agencies vide Section 2 National Security Agencies Act Cap N74 LFN, 2004 enjoy and will continue to have powers to enforce the provisions of the Law generally; much in the same vein of implementing laws validly enacted by the legislatures.

     

    • Dr. Olumide Ayeni, FCIArb

    Attorney-General and Honourable Commissioner for Justice,

    Abeokuta, Ogun State

  • Ogun community protests poor power supply, high tariff

    Residents of Ado-Odo Community Development Association, in Ado- Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ogun State have protested what they described as unjustifiable poor power supply in the area.

    The peaceful protest, which was held at the head office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Ring Road Ibadan, was embarked upon by community leaders and members of the community.

    The protesters said the current economic hardship experienced in the country is being compounded by epileptic power supply, as many small businesses in the area have been crippled due to lack of electricity supply.

    They claimed that the tariff, which is largely based on estimation, is unjustifiable as it is not commensurate with services rendered.

    Speaking on behalf of the community, the chairman of community development association for power distribution in Ado-Odo, Mr. Abayomi Aina, said the company has not been fair to residents of the community in terms of power supply.

    He said: “We are here to protest the poor power supply in our area. The manager in our local government, Mrs. Falusi purposely drops our light without justifiable reason.

    “We hardly have light a day in a week. When we complained about the abnormality, the manager becomes angry. As a result of this poor power supply, our cables are always stolen. The bills they bring to our people are always outrageous.

    “We have severally presented our case to the IBEDC office in Sango Ota but nothing was done about it. We want you to come to our rescue for our people to enjoy more power supply. We are ready to pay if they give us light.”

    The Chairman of the community association, Alhaji Rahaman Balogun, said the community is ready to pay, provided the company is supplying power to them steadily.

    When contacted, the manager, Mrs. Falusi said members of the community were not paying their bills and that was why the company is not supplying them light regularly.

    The customers care officer in charge of Sango axis for IBEDC Mr. Akinbodunse Shedrach promised to intervene in the matter.

    He compelled the community leaders to ensure prompt payment of their bills in order to enjoy improved power supply in the area.

  • Ogun: The burden of being number one

    To the uninitiated, it would appear like a jolt from the blues. In fact, it would be difficult to see it coming. But not so for those who may have been keenly following developments in the Gateway state in recent years.

    For those in this latter group, the recent data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, indicating that Ogun State is Nigeria’s leading producer of solid minerals could not have come as a surprise.

    Titled, “State Disaggregated Mining and Quarrying Data (2016)” the NBS, in its report, lists limestone, laterite and granite as Nigeria’s leading types of solid minerals. It also mentioned that there are sizable quantities of expensive gems such as topaz, sapphire, tourmaline and gold.

    “The States Disaggregated Mining and Quarrying Data for 2016 reflected Nigeria produced 43,495,423.12 tonnes of solid minerals last year. Ogun State produced the highest tonnes of solid minerals among the 36 states and the FCT.

    “The state produced 16,376,547.50 tonnes of solid minerals representing 37.65 per cent of the total tonnes of solid minerals produced,” the report said.

    It added that, “Kogi and Cross River states followed with 12,739,318.65 and 2,997,678.73 tonnes of solid minerals produced representing about 29.29 per cent and 6.89 per cent of the total tonnes of the minerals produced.

    “Borno and Yobe states, both from the Northeast Zone, produced the least tonnes of solid minerals with 1,250 and 883.08 tonnes of minerals produced respectively.”

    Now, those who had taken time to look into developments in Ogun State in recent times would have seen this coming. In fact, anyone with more than a passing interest in the socio-economic transformation that Ogun State has gone through in the last five to six years would have found the NBS report as long overdue.

    And the reason for this is not far-fetched. To start with, the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration in Ogun State, right from the blast of the whistle in 2011, had embarked on a deliberate policy to navigate the economy of the gateway state away from its traditional reliance on federal allocation.

    At a time when federal allocation was more than sufficient to foot the bills, Amosun had insisted on diversifying the economic base of Ogun and expanding the tax bracket. He chose to change the story of Ogun from a largely civil service state to a bubbling commercial and industrial hub that is ready to take full advantage of its proximity to Lagos and its status as the Gateway to not only the rest of Nigeria, but also the West African sub regional market.

    To achieve this, the governor knew that he needed to not only attract private sector investments, but also create an enabling environment for private sector players to operate. He immediately set to work on achieving these. And perhaps one of the first signs that his effort had started yielding results can be traced to the ranking of Ogun on the Ease of Doing Business Index by the World Bank.

    At inception of his administration in 2011, Ogun State was ranked number 35 in Nigeria as far as the Ease of Doing Business rating was concerned. That was the sorry tale he met in office. Within a year in the saddle, that story changed. By the time the report was released in 2012, the Gateway state had climbed from the bottom of the ladder to the top four positions.

    One of the immediate results of this feat is that today, Ogun State has emerged the fastest growing State economy and is now the industrial capital of Nigeria by all indices. “We have been able to attract 543 new industries in the five years of our Administration, all of which have invested not less than $50 million each. Of these industries, 110 have invested between $200 million and $2 billion,” Governor Amosun said recently.

    Quite naturally, the status of Ogun State as the industrial capital of Nigeria would reflect in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR profile. At inception, Ogun State was, at best, only generating about N750m as IGR per month. Again, the Amosun administration went to work on this and soon raised the profile from N750m to a peak of N7bn. By the time the country ran into economic recession, the IGR nosedived from its peak and now oscillates around N4bn monthly. Today, Ogun is only next to Lagos in terms of IGR profile.

    Although these are developments to be celebrated, they are also a source of concern for the Ogun State Governor. “Yes we are the industrial capital of Nigeria and we contribute so much to the Gross Domestic Product of the country through the activities of the industries within our territory but this has not reflected in what we get from the federation account,” Governor Amosun says.

    The governor is often quick to point out the fact that whereas Ogun has recorded the highest percentage increase in IGR growth and contributes more than any other state of the federation to the coffers of the Federal government in the non-oil sector, what the state gets from the federal allocation does not reflect this reality in any way.

    “Whereas we are responsible for the lion share of the non-oil income of the country and happily shoulder a lot of responsibilities due to the presence of these large number of industries in our state, when it comes to allocation we are still way down at the bottom of the ladder,” Governor Amosun said recently.

    The Ogun State governor has also had cause to complain about instances where mining licenses are issued, by federal agencies based in Abuja, to companies who then proceed to undertake activities that may be injurious to local communities without having any recourse to the state government.

    Such, he said, often result in environmental degradation, tension between mining companies and their host communities as well as security and infrastructural challenges among others.

    In order to put an end to the bittersweet experience, the Ogun State governor wants a situation where states are carried along in the process of issuing mining licenses to prospective miners. Not only that, Governor Amosun wants a review of the revenue allocation formula of the federal government in order to ensure that states that contribute more to the coffers also get more from the coffers.

    Although the federal government, speaking through the Minister for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, recently promised to ensure a 13 per cent derivation for states with solid mineral deposits, it remains to be seen how soon this promise will be implemented.

    Not only that, one would love to see the day when the revenue allocation formula will also adequately compensate a state like Ogun that bears the burden of providing and maintaining infrastructure for the large number of industries within its corridor.

    Until then, Ogun State will continue to experience the joy and pain of being the industrial capital of Nigeria. It will continue to bear the burden of being number one.

    Soyinka is Senior Special Assistant (Media) for Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

  • Naira sells at N440-N445 per dollar

    Naira sells at N440-N445 per dollar

    The Naira on Monday continued to extend its gains against the dollar at the parallel market, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The Nigerian currency exchanged at N440 (buying rate) and N445 (Selling rate) to a dollar, from N445/N450 it traded on Friday, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N530 and N465.

    At the Bureau De Change (BDC) window, the Naira exchanged at N398 (buying rate) and N400 (selling rate), while the Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N545 and N480.

    Trading at the interbank market showed that the Naira closed at N307.50 to a dollar.

    Traders at the market said they were happy with the level of liquidity but appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to sustain it to further reduce the gap between the official and parallel market rates.

    Meanwhile, Prof. Sherifdeen Tella, a Senior Economist at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun, has said that injecting dollars into the interbank market by the CBN is not sustainable.

    “I don’t think that injecting dollars into the interbank market is a permanent solution to the challenges at the FOREX market.

    “It is only a temporary measure,’’ Tella said

    The don, who noted that speculators were the major drivers of volatility in the FOREX market, said that the CBN should change the colours of the N1000 and N500 notes to force them to bring out the currencies in their coffers.

    Tella called for a reduction in the benchmark interest rate by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of the CBN, to enable startups to borrow money to finance their businesses.

     

  • FESTAC 77 @ 40: CBAAC boss seeks active participation of Nigerians

    FESTAC 77 @ 40: CBAAC boss seeks active participation of Nigerians

    Dr Ferdinand Anikwe, Director General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) on Monday,called on Nigerians to ensure full participation in celebration of FESTAC 77 at 40.

    He made the plea while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, adding that this was to ensure that Nigerian cultural heritage was celebrated and promoted beyond the shores of the country.

    Anikwe who noted the complacency of some Nigerians towards most cultural programmes, said this should serve as a wakeup call to all citizens within and outside the country.

    ” I want us all to erase that thinking pattern and assumption that the celebration is bringing back the fetish nature of Nigerians.

    ” This is outrightly wrong and I believe everything that has to do with FESTAC 77 is an exhibition of our rich cultural heritage which we must celebrate this year,” he said.

    Anikwe said that the event would hold in over ten states including the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) where the Mascot would be unveiled by April 1.

    He said that different cultural displays would be held in some states including Katsina, Enugu, Ogun, Kaduna, Akwa- Ibom and some foreign countries.

    ” The celebration would be all through the year and it promises to be eventful and memorable.

    ” We are going to have Durbar display in Katsina , there will be masquerade festivals in Enugu and some other cultural activities in other parts of the country,” he said.

    Anikwe said that if Nigerian cultural heritage was well celebrated, promoted and properly harnessed, it could be a money spinner for individuals and the country.

  • Ogun, Vitafoam to partner on socio-economic development

    Ogun, Vitafoam to partner on socio-economic development

    Ogun State Government has commended Vitafoam Nigeria Plc for its visionary growth plan and reiterated its commitment to providing conducive environment and incentives for companies operating in the state.
    Top officials of the Ogun State Government were at the Dalemo, Sango-Ota factory of Vono Furniture Products Limited, a subsidiary of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc on a facility tour. The entourage included the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru; Commissioner for Helath, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye and Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Trade and Investment, Mrs. Babi Subair.
    Ashiru said the state believes in the private-public partnership approach to development as government needs the supports of the private sector to achieve its developmental agenda of job creation, good standards of living and infrastructure.
    He said the state would continue to support companies like Vitafoam Nigeria and its subsidiary Vono Furniture Products Limited, which are helping to develop the local value achieve in line with the local content programme of the government.
    He emphasised the importance of the “made-in-Nigeria, buy Nigeria” campaign as a bedrock of national economic development, assuring that the state government would continue to provide adequate infrastructure for businesses to thrive.
    According to him, in furtherance of its determination to enhance ease of doing business in the state, the government created a one-stop shop to assist companies with all regulatory processes while the state also has a bouquet of incentives for companies including tax waivers and concessions.
    “I am very impressed with what I have seen so far,” Ashiru said, urging the company to demonstrate commitment to corporate social responsibility by providing employment for citizens within its area of location. He said the state government would be willing to partner with the company in the area of such corporate social responsibility including construction of access roads.
    He noted that the state has the largest concentration of companies in Nigeria and it is also blessed with vast resources, urging companies to take advantage of the vantage position and resources of the state.
    Ipaye commended Vono Furniture Products for its commitment to enhancing the nation’s economic activities pointing out that the company is filling a critical gap in the socio-economic development of the country.
    The Commissioner for Health noted that for a state like Ogun with health and education, the products of Vono Furniture Products would help the government to achieve its objectives without depleting its scarce foreign exchange.
    He assured that the government would consider products from the company in its purchase orders, advising the company to also consider concessionary prices for government’s orders given that such purchases are for the overall good of the people.
    “We look forward to a relationship with Vono,” Ipaye said after watching a digital presentation and manual inspection of the company’s products.
    Subair said that with the investments already made in machineries and human expertise, Vono has been well positioned to take advantage of the market.
    She assured that government would continue to provide necessary supports to encourage the company.
    In his remarks, group managing director, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi, commended the Ogun State Government for its supports to the group noting that the presence of the top officials of the government was an encouraging testimony of the state’s continuous support towards the development of indigenous companies in Nigeria.
    He pointed out that the Vitafoam Group that started as a development experiment has grown over the years from just a foam-manufacturing company into a complete home solution company with five business subsidiaries that produce vast range of products including bed and beddings, pre-fab structures, insulation, foot wears and wood and metal furniture among others.
    He added that the group has subsidiaries in Ghana and Sierra Leone as part of efforts to extend its reach across the West African market.
    He said the company would in the next few years develop its ultra-modern new manufacturing complex at the flowergate estate at the Sagamu-Ibadan Expressway interchange area of Ogun State into a world-class facility with the full value chain for complete home solutions.
    He urged the shareholders of the company to continue to support the directors and management of the company, assuring that they will reap the rewards of their steadfastness.

  • Ogun to increase agric investment

    Ogun to increase agric investment

    Ogun State government will invest heavily in crop farming this season, Commissioner  for Agriculture Mrs Peju Adebajo has said.

    At a meeting with agriculture stakeholders, she said emphasis would be on massive cultivation of rice, cassava and maize which have short gestation period.

    As a first step to realising this goal, Governor Ibikunle Amosun will kickstart the clearing of 5,000 hectares of farmland in various parts of the state.

    The commissioner said: “This is first phase of the clearing exercise as more farmland will still be opened for planting of other crops.”

    Mrs Adebajo also said the state would invest in cotton production, fish and poultry farming as well as vegetables cultivation. She, therefore, charged the stakeholders to be alive to their responsibilities as the state was ready to increase food production as well as security.

  • Ogun community gets first monarch

    Following the recommendations by the prescribed authority of Olowu of Owu, Oba (Dr.) Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu and the validation by the Ewekoro Local Government Area, as well as  Abule Owu Descendants Union, the Ogun State Government has installed the erstwhile Baale of Abule-Owu, Chief  Wasiu Adeleke Koleoso as the first Olu of Abule-Owu in Ewekoro Local Government Area.

    Presenting the Staff of Office and Instrument of Appointment at Abule-Owu Open field Itoro, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Jide Ojuko, on behalf of the state government, urged the people to remain faithful and reciprocate the gesture of the present administration that has counted the community worthy of deserving an Oba. This, he said, they could by mobilising themselves for the execution of useful self-help projects in order to complement government’s efforts towards the development of the community.

    Ojuko advised the new monarch not to go beyond his territory of Abule-Owu, adding that as a coronet Oba, he should abstain from installing any Baale over any settlement in the neighbourhood. He urged the monarch to always champion all efforts that will enhance peaceful co-existence with other neighbouring towns and co-operate with other royal fathers in order to justify the mandate and trust reposed in him by the government and to his ancestral home, Owu Kingdom.

    “For the record, I also want to impress it on you that as a Coronet Oba, your domain remains Abule-Owu. You are not expected to extend your authority beyond your community and you are not authorised to install baale over any settlement in your neighbourhood,” Ojuko counselled.

    The new Oba appealed to Abule-Owu sons and daughters to co-operate with him, stating that  his commitment is for the development of the land.

    “I want to assure the people of Abule- Owu that I will be fair to all and give everyone a sense of belonging,” Koleosho said.

  • One killed, 21 others injured in Ogun auto crash

    One person was  confirmed dead and 21 others injured in an auto crash that occurred on Monday at Gudugba junction, Ewekoro Area of  the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

    Mr Clement Oladele, the Sector Commander of  Federal Road Safety Commission  (FRSC) in Ogun, confirmed the incident  to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abeokuta.

    Oladele explained that the accident happened around 9. p.m.  at Gudugba Area of Ewekoro Local Government and it involved three vehicles.

    “We went to the scene and met the crash which involved a commercial bus, a car and a truck.

    “A Mazda bus with registration number SMK 800 XN and a Volkswagen car with registration number KTU 479 AS  were travelling to Lagos before they rammed into the truck.

    “The accident was caused by speeding and it involved 15 males and eight  females in which one male in  the bus died and 21 others were  injured.

    “Motorists should desist from speeding,  especially at night because visibility is limited.

    “Broken down trucks should always use reflective signs so that oncoming drivers will be able to see them,’’ he said.

    The sector commander said that corpse of the dead had been deposited at Itori General Hospital in Ewekoro where  the injured were being treated.

  • Ogun tops minerals production

    Ogun State is Nigeria’s leading producer of solid minerals according to the data released by the National Bureau of Statistic (NBS) at the weekend.

    The NBS report titled: “State Disaggregated Mining and Quarrying Data (2016)” the NBS lists limestone, laterite and granite as the nation’s leading types of solid minerals while there are sizable quantities of expensive gems such as topaz, sapphire, tourmaline and gold.

    “The States Disaggregated Mining and Quarrying Data for 2016 reflected Nigeria produced 43,495,423.12 tonnes of solid minerals last year.

    “Ogun State produced the highest tonnes of solid minerals among the 36 states and the FCT, the state produced 16,376,547.50 tonnes of solid minerals representing 37.65 per cent of the total tonnes of solid minerals produced.

    “Kogi and Cross River states followed with 12,739,318.65 and 2,997,678.73 tonnes of solid minerals produced representing about 29.29 per cent and 6.89 per cent of the total tonnes of the minerals produced.

    “Borno and Yobe states, both from the Northeast Zone, produced the least tonnes of solid minerals with 1,250 and 883.08 tonnes of minerals produced respectively.

    “Limestone is the most produced solid minerals in 2016 with 28,204,522.91 tonnes produced representing about 64.84 per cent of the total tonnes of minerals produced.

    “Granite and laterite followed closely with 5,846,368.08 and 2,160,737.61 tonnes produced representing 13.44 per cent and 4.97 per cent of the total tonnes of minerals produced in 2016.

    “However, Aquamarine and Beryl Ore are the least produced solid minerals in 2016,” the report stated.