The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ogun

  • Odumakin and Ogun politics

    Mr Yinka Odumakin, author of the piece, “Finishing well: The Osoba example”, is a “change fiend”. At one point he belonged to the Afenifere camp. Later he switched allegiance to the Afenifere Renewal Group, which was and is not in good terms with the parent Yoruba socio-cultural group. Today, he is back in the old Afenifere. At a point, he fought the then President Goodluck Jonathan to a standstill. But just before the 2015 general election, he espoused the virtues of Jonathan to the heavens. He was a prominent figure in the quest of the current President, Muhammadu Buhari, to lead the nation in 2011. Today, he is a budding critic of the Buhari administration. Like a bolt from the blue, Odumakin now sings the praise of Chief Olusegun Osoba. We pray to God to grant Osoba good health and long life so he may be in a position to form the right opinion about Yinka.

    Given this background, I hardly had time for anything written or said by Odumakin, until the very latest assault on my home state. Not even Joseph Goebbels of the Nazi Germany was capable of the propaganda spin introduced by Odumakin in the article published recently in the papers. More worrisome is the timing of his write-up. The SDP, for all you care, is no longer in any public space in Ogun State. Even the ruling APC in the state has been quiet, concentrating on governance. It’s only the PDP that is already preparing for 2019, albeit by subterfuge. I agree with a commentator who says Isiaka has no case but only chose the tribunal option in order to court public opinion ahead of 2019.

    But at the level of political mischief, Ogun State has not been silent, as the opposition hacks outdo themselves in their mission to discredit Governor Ibikunle Amosun. And there are no blinkers in their obsession with “Pull Him Down”, hence the campaign of calumny also directed against his family. So, why did Odumakin choose this time to launch this malevolent propaganda?

    According to Yinka, “They (the Osoba camp) moved to the unknown SDP and campaigned like never before in all nooks and crannies of Ogun state. There wasn’t much electoral dividend to all the efforts given the sham nature of our electoral process…”

    Odumakin was totally wrong when he blamed the woeful performance of SDP on what he termed “the sham nature of our electoral process.” Well, he is not from Ogun State, so I assume he does not know the level of political consciousness of our people. Yes, the SDP “campaigned like never before in all nooks and crannies of Ogun state”. Yes, they spent money like water. Yet, they were overwhelmingly rejected by the electorate because the party was seen as anti-progress and anti-people. From within and without, they did everything possible to sabotage all the pro-masses policies and programmes of the Amosun government. Our people saw all the machinations and punished SDP commensurately at the polls.

    Indeed, it was sheer happenstance that made my cousin drive along Itoku market in  Abeokuta during the SDP campaign. If the party could not command a modicum of respect in what should ordinarily be the jurisdiction of its leader despite the name, money and well-oiled propaganda against Amosun, I wonder how it should have fared elsewhere. And when the votes were counted at the polling booth of Osoba, news went round that SDP recorded just thirty-six (36) votes as against APC’s one hundred and sixty-nine (169) votes; PDP got twenty-four (24) votes. It was apparent the electorate had taken side with the APC even right to the doorsteps of Chief Osoba. If the poll was rigged as Odumakin tried in vain to establish, was the election also rigged at the polling booth in front of Osoba’s house, where majority of the voters were his neighbours? Haba! Odumakin! Tell us something else!

    No one in Nigeria, except Odumakin and a few wishful-thinkers like him, gave SDP any chance. Check in-depth media reports during the election period, it was a straight fight between APC and PDP, with analysts predicting a landslide for Amosun not just because of his outstanding performance and the fanatical support he enjoyed and still enjoys from the masses, but the tug of war within the Ogun PDP and the political albatross around the neck of its candidate. Therefore “the most sophisticated rigging machine” could only have been around the home of Odumakin. And indeed, they deployed it in Ogun with the support of the then ruling PDP at the centre to deny thousands of supporters of APC their PVCs especially in some of the strongholds of the party. Otherwise the margin of APC’s victory should have been a lot wider. After all, Amosun mauled Isiaka in 2011 by polling three times his votes.

    Yinka was equally economical with the truth when he insinuated that the Amosun government owed salaries before the elections. From the facts available in the media, Amosun did not owe salaries, before, during and after the elections. The problem, according to some workers that I know personally, has to do with co-operative deductions, which was caused by the financial problem in the country. And I read in the papers recently that the deductions in question amounted to only one month salary of workers. So if Amosun owes just a month salary at a time many state governments owe up to nine or thirteen months, how does that imply the governor won elections without winning power?

    However, let me say that I have no sympathy for Amosun on this matter of wages. I remember when the Minimum Wage problem began some years ago, I was on a radio programme where I cautioned Amosun against implementing the increase across board. My argument was that somebody cannot sit in Abuja and decree what the states must pay their workers. We need money for capital projects. The cost of living in Lagos, Rivers, Abuja etc is higher than that of Ogun, yet Amosun decided to pay above the Wage, citing as excuse the need to motivate workers for productivity. He did not stop there, he implemented the percentage increment up to the highest level in the civil service which ballooned the salary bill to twice the figure he inherited from the previous government. Up till today some states have not implemented the minimum wage. Many that did so only stopped at the level of junior staff. When the going was good, we did not hear the voice of Odumakin and by the time the governor will sort out the deductions, no external voice will be needed.

    But the most tragic aspect of Odumakin’s piece was his reference to an incident that did not happen on the day Amosun was inaugurated in 2011. From the two public events that I attended and some that I viewed on television, Amosun always recognised Chief Osoba as “our leader” before recognizing ex-governor Bola Tinubu or any other leader. Interestingly, I relate with a couple of ACN chieftains on another level. They agreed that Odumakin is a good “fiction writer”. According to them, there was no single ACN chieftain that was not aware that Asiwaju Tinubu would not attend the inauguration ceremony early that day as he was billed to honour other ACN governors, with a promise to attend Amosun’s post-inauguration lunch, which he did. Therefore, the idea of tagging a seat next to Amosun for Tinubu instead of Osoba was a criminal lie, a complete fabrication and distortion of history. Where again is honour in this land, Mr Odumakin?

    As I stated earlier, based on the political trajectory of Yinka, I am not sure his publicity stunt for Osoba is with good intentions. Another aspect of his piece does a disservice to Osoba. If Osoba knew the former governor of Lagos was a “rogue” as Odumakin alleged and related with him very closely for years, having their houses beside each other, eating and drinking together, wearing the same clothes to private and public functions,  logic teaches that it is either the two of them are “rogues” or the former Lagos governor is not a “rogue”. I know the two former governors are men of honour, who served their states meritoriously.

    The political battle between Chief Osoba and Senator Amosun remains a tragic interlude in the political evolution of Ogun in this generation. If it’s all about the electorate or public service, then the voters have spoken, and loudly too. And it is commendable that both Osoba and Amosun have since moved on with their lives.

     

     

    • Chief Adetayo writes from Ifo, Ogun State.

  • Ogun, NSIA, Lafarge partner on Forest Restoration

    The Ogun State Government, inpartnership with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and Lafarge Africa Plc, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the joint development of Ogun State Forest Landscape Restoration Project. The MoU was signed during President Muhammadu Buhari’s state visit to France. The MOU will enable the creation of a legal entity to develop the project, engage development agencies and climate change funds, and promote it to large agriculture and forestry investors.

    The project is set to transform 108,000 hectares of heavily degraded land into an arable green area. It is designed to employ innovative approaches to achieve best-of-breed environmental, social and economic results. The first part of the area will be rehabilitated through mixed reforestation to provide biodiversity hotspots corridors, allowing nomadic herders to cross the area with their herds and encouraging subsistent farming. The other part will be leased to agro-industrial investors interested in the development of large-scale tree crop such as cocoa, coffee, rubber and oil palm as well as annual crops such as maize, sesame, cotton and cassava amongst others.

    Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, explained that the restoration and enhancement of the state’s forests benefits the environment and creates jobs in rural communities. Besides, he reckons that it will increase the pace and scale of restoration of forests, which is critically needed to address a variety of threats – including fire, climate change, deforestation and others – for the benefit of the ecosystems and forest-dependent communities. “This project will show that enterprise and achieving strong mitigation are mutually supportive in tropical agriculture,” Amosun said.

    The Managing Director/CEO, NSIA, Mr. Uche Orji, said that ‘the NSIA Act permits us to participate in infrastructure projects of this nature. We are therefore committed not only to promoting economic development but also to stimulating greater environmental responsibility through the projects we support and participate in. We view this project as an important investment in sustainable development and remain focused on facilitating incremental participation in initiatives that reduce carbon foot print across the country and reverse deforestation for the benefit of future generations of Nigerians’.

    Similarly, the Group Managing Director/CEO, Lafarge Africa, Mr. Peter Hoddinott, stated that ‘Our strong commitment to the environment and social sustainability of our operations and the communities within which we operate leads us naturally to support the Ogun State project that promises strong positive impact on these issues, particularly on climate change. The use of agro-ecology and agro-forestry principles in these project will increase their productivity, ensuring the land becomes one of Nigeria’s best carbon capture areas and generating  biomass waste that Lafarge intends to use to fire its cement kilns.’

    In December 2015, France will host the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. That confab will aim to achieve a binding agreement to keep global warming below 2°C. In that context, the Ogun State Forest Landscape Restoration Project is a pioneering initiative demonstrating how a private group can join force with proactive public entities to launch sustainable projects and will position Nigeria as an African leader to launch sustainable Climate Change PPP projects

  • Demolition: Residents of Ogun community lament

    Residents of Ilepa area, a suburb of Ogun State are counting their losses as properies worth billions of Naira were destroyed during the demolition of over 25,000 housing units built on a 250 hectares of land allegedly by the Ogun State Government. The exercise had rendered countless people homeless. This is the aftermath of the demolition of buildings allegedly built on government land.   The demolition was said to have been carried out to enable the government to hand over the land to the original owner, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), which had, since November 28, 1981, possessed the certificate of occupancy (C of O) from the Ogun State Government.

    The residents of the area told Southwest Report that the land has a layout and survey plan No. BOP/OG/95/D1 drawn by one Surveyor S. A. Oluwoye (JP) dated March 25, 1995, in favour of Alhaji Mudasiru Mustapha, Chief Nofiu Isiaka, Chief Matthew Afunkun and others who sold the land to them.

    The aggrieved residents lamented that individuals bought the land without full knowledge and understanding that it was a government acquired land instead of belonging to the people that sold it to them.

    They maintained that the exercise has rendered them homeless. It has also caused the death of some victims due to shock and heart attack.

    Remnants of victims’ belongings were seen scattered on streets as they search for possible alternative accommodation.  Some would-be victims of the demolition exercise were seen removing roofs, ceilings and other valuable properties from their buildings so that they won’t lose all.

    Onlookers and sympathisers came from far and near to commiserate with the residents over the loss of lives and properties. Motorcyclists hike their price to conveyed people to the ugly scene.

    Speaking on the incident, the Shepherd in charge of Restoration Baptist Church, Ilepa, Pastor Wale Kehinde, appealed to the Federal Government and other state governors to come to the aid of the residents by pleading to Ogun State Governor Amosun to temper justice with mercy. He said the residents are ready to comply with any terms and condition either by the state government or the right owner of the land (LUTH) if their buildings could be prevented from being demolished.

    The clergyman said: “Scores have become refugees as a result of the exercise, saying that only two per cent out of the 100 per cent demolition target in the community had been carried out. He added that six other communities would also be involved. Many of them would have nothing to fall back on if their houses are demolished.”

    Other communities, according to Pastor Kehinde that would be involved in the demolition exercise include Pakoto, Ojusango, Onihale, Iyana Cele and Abata. He urged the Ogun State Government to have pity on the masses, saying many of the residents built their houses with their pension arrears after long stint in the civil service.

    Also the women leader, Community Development Association, Mrs Bola Adigun appealed to Ogun State Government to have fellow-feeling for the residents. She said the residents were ready to abide by any rules, terms and conditions of government and LUTH even to pay extra money for the land or paying royalty to government or LUTH as long as their houses would be spared.

    She said: “The few days of the demolition exercise has caused the masses huge losses. Government should imagine the number of people that would be rendered homeless after the completion of the demolition exercise. No fewer than four persons live in each building, and that will amount to millions of people if multiplied by the number of houses to be involved in the demolition.”

    She therefore appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, state governors, leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and well-meaning Nigerians to come to their aid by appealing to Governor Ibikunle Amosun and management of LUTH to have mercy on them, saying this will be a great loss to the huge population if all buildings on 250 hectares of land are demolished.

  • Judge detains The Nation man, six others in Ogun

    Judge detains The Nation man, six others in Ogun

    Seven journalists were arrested and detained at the Ota High court premises for the better part of Tuesday on the order of a judge attached to the state High Court 1, Ota, Ogun state.

    The detained Journalists are Daud Olatunji (Vanguard), Samuel Awoyinfa (The Punch), Ernest Nwokolo (The Nation), Abiodun Taiwo (Daily Times) , Sulaiman Fasasi (National Pilot), Wale Adelaja (TVC) and Johnson Akinpelu (Alaroye).

    The seven were in the court premises by 11:44am to make an inquiry in respect of two cases involving victims of Pakoto demolition and killing in  Oke – Ore community, which were believed to have been listed for hearing Tuesday at the Ota arm of the Ogun state  Judiciary.

    The reporters who arrived in two vehicles, pulled up quietly opposite court 1 where other visitors had packed,   and they had hardly disembarked when a Police orderly who identified himself as Adeyemi Oluwaseun, accosted them, upon identification as pressmen, the Police officer returned to his duty post.

    But a minute later, the Assistant Court Registrar (ACR) – a woman, emerged and inquired in a hectoring tone about the reporters’ mission even as she demanded to see a letter of authority from the Chief Judge or a senior judiciary officer permitting them to enter the court premises.

    Unwilling to be persuaded that they are journalists in the court to carry out their constitutionally guaranteed jobs, she  dashed to the judge while the court was in session and when she emerged, she said the judge had ordered the arrest of the reporters, apparently she had misinformed him that they
    were filming the entire court premises.

    For three hours from 11:45am to 2:44am, the reporters were detained inside the administrative wing of the court during which one of them, who was having stomach upset, almost fainted following the psychological and humiliating experiences they were put through.

    But a poisonous snake that emerged from the bushy court premises and which eventually bite one of the male judiciary staff as well as causing not a small pandemonium and apprehension, forced the judge to send the journalists away after reprimanding them.

    The name of the judge could not be immediately ascertained but the birthday wishes on imposing cards sighted in his office, reads N. I. Agbelu.

    The judge said following the prevailing emergency, the Assistant Court Registrar had to see to the welfare of the staff to enable them attend to the emergency.

    While three of the staff rushed the victim to a state hospital in Ota for treatment, others stayed behind to hunt for the snake which slipped into one of the crevices at the staircase leading to the entrance of the ACR office.

    However, before the victim was rushed to the hospital, an improvise tourniquet was used to tie the affected leg at a position above the knee level while  over  a dozen incisions were also made on the leg with a razor blade to drain away the venom of the poisonous snake.

    But there was  palpable anxiety when the fear – striken judiciary staff sighted the victim’s blood rushing out from the razor cuttings and which had already started turning into dark colour in less than five minutes after the bite, causing them to make haste to rush him to the hospital before a grave harm is done.

    And before freeing the journalists by 2:44pm after they were herded into Judge’s office, and also spent 25 minutes lecturing them on what is public place in the eyes of the law, said the court is not a public place.

    He said: “I put you under arrest. You are under arrest. You will discover that this compound is fenced round, is that not so?

    “It is not on the major road that you can just come in.  If you are representing the public interest, you must know we have a head in this Court. I am a judge; I have an unlimited jurisdiction in the state.

    “I can even say somebody should be arrested without question, but in exercising my power, I have to inquire into many things.

    “You cannot say because you are representing public interest, you cannot just burst into any compound or burst into my house. You have a right as a journalist, but, where your own stops my own starts.

    “And if I am the owner of a house, I have a right to my privacy, fundamental right to privacy, because I want to educate you. If you want to infringe on my right that is where your own right stops which I am entitled to.

    “What I am saying is that judiciary has its own right too. You are infringing on our own right too. You don’t know?

    “A report came to me that some people invaded the court claiming that they are journalists filming the whole place.

    “It is not a local market and it not an open market, you are approaching the court. If you are interested in a particular matter in a company, will you just burst into the company, saying you are journalists?

    “That is what I am telling you. You don’t just go into a place and start filming and then say you are a journalist.

    “If we said you are trespassing into our land, do you have any defence answer me now?  I am telling you it is not a public place I am telling you, the court is not a public place.”

  • Ogun gets new magistrates

    Ogun gets new magistrates

    The Chief Judge of Ogun State,  Justice  Olatokunbo Olopade  has sworn in three new Magistrates to ensure the smooth administration of justice in the state.

    The new Magistrates, who were sworn in last week, are Sotayo Sotunde Seni, Orekoya Ibukun-Oluwa and Olusanya Oluseyi.

    Speaking at the ceremony held in her office, Justice Olopade said  the appointment of the magistrates was aimed at reinforcing the magistracy and to bring quick and fair justice closer to the people in the state.

    Justice Olopade noted that the appointments were made as a result  of  painstaking exercise of recruiting new magistrates to complement the efforts of a formidable team of Magistrates and Jurists in the state in accordance with the high standard for which the Ogun state Judiciary was known for.

    She  noted that the judiciary under her close supervision frowns at actions that could bring disrepute to the sector and the state in general.

    She emphasised that she would not condone any acts of misconduct such as negligence of duty, truancy and favouritism.

    She charged the appointees to uphold the ethics of the profession in the course of discharging their statutory responsibilities to the society and make self-discipline their watchword.

    “I enjoin you all to always uphold the ethics of the legal profession, always and should make self-discipline your watchword. Moreover, I want you to join this administration in making Ogun State Judiciary a Cathedral of Justice, truly independent, transparent, committed to upholding the rule of law, equity and restoring hope to all manner of men”, Justice Olopade said.

    She enjoined the appointees to engage in thorough research before writing judgments, exhibit respect to the Bar and litigants, as well as caution and control their temper when provoked.

    The CJ said the new Magistrate would be attached to  Chief Magistrates for one month’s tutelage, while they are expected to start court sitting on October 12, this year.

    Presenting the new Magistrates, the Chief Registrar, Mr. Olusola Oloyede, described the occasion as unique as the state Judicial Service Commission (JSC) found the lawyers worthy of the appointment both in learning and character.

    Responding on behalf of other appointees, Mr. Sotayo Sotunde Seni said it was a rare privilege accorded them, promising that they would discharged their duties without fear or favour.

     

     

  • ‘Ogun pilgrims safe’

    The Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board has said no pilgrim was affected in the crane that crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque, last Friday.

    The Amir-ul-hajj, Alhaji Rasheed Raji, made the confirmation in an interview with the pilgrims and board members in Saudi Arabia.

    Raji said all the state’s pilgrims were hale and hearty, noting that medical experts were on ground to take care of them.

    The Board Chairman, Dr. Ishaq Yusuf, urged the pilgrims to carry out their rites/assignments dilligently.

    Speaking in Mecca, Yusuf warned them to shun all vices that could bring disgrace to the state.

    The Olu of Itori, Oba Abdulfatai Akamo, who is a pilgrim, advised the pilgrims not to allow the shock of the incident dampen their spiritual morale.

    He urged the people to continue to support the pilgrims in praying for the unity, stability, and tranquillity in the state and the country.

  • Ogun appoints three magistrates

    Ogun State judiciary has appointed three magistrates to ensure quick and smooth administration of justice.

    At the presentation of the magistrates in her office yesterday by the Chief Registrar, Mr. Olusola Oloyede, the Chief Judge, Justice Olatokunbo Olopade, said the appointment would  reinforce the magistracy as well as bring quick and fair justice closer to the people.The appointees are Sotayo  Seni, Orekoya Oluwa and Olusanya Oluseyi.

    Justice Olopade said the appointments followed painstaking process of recruiting magistrates to complement the efforts of a formidable team of magistrates and jurists.

    The chief judge noted that the trio were picked in a manner that met the “high standard” for which the state judiciary was reputed and advised the appointees to uphold the ethics of the profession.

    She said the judiciary under her frowned at actions that could bring disrepute to it and the state, saying misconducts, such as negligence of duty, truancy and favouritism would not be condoned.

    Justice Olopade said: “I enjoin you to uphold the ethics of the legal profession. You should make self-discipline your watchword.

    “I want you to join this administration in making the Ogun State judiciary a Cathedral of Justice, truly independent, transparent, committed to upholding the rule of law, equity and restoring hope to all.”

    She said the magistrates would be attached to the chief magistrates for one month tutelage. They are expected to start sitting on October 12.

    Responding on behalf of other appointees, Mr. Sotayo said it was a privilege accorded them to serve, promising that they would discharge their duties without fear or favour.

  • Robbers who raped nurses, patients arrested in Ogun

    Two robbers suspected to have raped patients and some hospital staff on duty after robbing them in an Ijebu – Ode based hospital have been arrested by the police in Ogun State.
    The suspects – Demola David and Dare Oladunjoy who were arrested at Olisa Street, Ijebu – Ode, have also been identified as the killers of one Alayande Oladipo that was shot dead in Ijebu Ode last August 25.
    According to the State Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the suspects are responsible for the recent robbery and rape cases at the Amazing Grace Hospital in Ijebu – Ode where patients and staff were raped and robbed during the attack at the hospital.
    Similarly, eight other robbery suspects were also arrested by the Police operatives attached to Igbeba Division, Ijebu – Ode after a gun battle with the suspects.
    Adejobi said leader of the eight – man robbery gang, Ayomide Muruf(alias Sucker) sustained bullet wound in the gun battle.
    Other members of the gang arrested are one Kayode(alias Small), Tunde Reuben, Tomiwa Adekoye, Adeyemi Adegoke, Kufe Emmanuel, Moses Udoh and Akeem Adenrele(alias Polo) while manhunt for some
    fleeing members continues.
    According to the Police Image maker in the state, the Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali,has directed that the suspects be moved to the Special Anti Robbery Squad Abeokuta for further Investigation prosecution

  • Ogun and politics of examination paper

    Ogun and politics of examination paper

    The situation in Ogun State as it relates to the sacked education officials appears to be fluid. It seems some of us who initially wanted Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s head on a platter may now have to recant, or as we say in local parlance, eat our words. The scud missiles of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the rocket-propelled grenades of some opinion writers, lawyers and academics and the Molotov cocktails of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) appeared to have been directed at a wrong target. What a colossal error!   I had read an article in the newspapers by one educationist, Ayobami Odesanya, who said “The greatest tragedy in the question paper has not been highlighted by many commentators.

     I discovered to my horror and chagrin that the so-called SUMMARY passage was actually a summary or synopsis of opinions expressed in newspaper adverts sponsored by the opposition in the months leading to the April 11 governorship election in Ogun State!” Initially, I was not strongly persuaded because of the plight of teachers in Nigeria. I joined in the condemnation of the Ogun State governor based on what has now turned out to be one-sided information available at the time. Some of my not too apolitical colleagues at the weekend showed me a couple of leaflets and handbills distributed by the opposition parties towards the end of 2014 and in early 2015. I also saw some newspaper adverts by the leading opposition party in the state. When I married them with the controversial question paper which led to the dismissal of some education workers, I saw a smoking gun. Indeed, some words appeared to have been lifted from the opposition materials.  This is regrettable. I am not an educationist but I agree with the submission of Mr Odesanya: “The action of the teacher or ministry officials who approved the question is totally inadmissible. It’s an attempt to corrupt the pupils politically and discredit the government that has provided them with free education… Condensing into an exam passage published attacks of the opposition political party against the government is totally reprehensible. Children are too impressionable to be drawn into such high-wire politics. We should not toy with their future.”  There is something particularly funny about the Ministry of Education in Ogun State. Was it not in the same ministry that a scam of two hundred million naira (N200,000,000) was uncovered in 2013? I understand huge sums were traced to the accounts of some of those involved. Certainly, the practice must have been going on for years, where money voted for WAEC by the government was diverted into private pockets. If N200,000,000 could be stolen in one year, then not less than N400,000,000 must have been stolen in this ministry under the current administration before the sleaze was discovered.

    It is not clear whether this is the reason the government stopped giving running cost to the schools as investigation revealed it was during the scam that the grant stopped. Could it be they were equally fiddling with the grant which was increased by about 50% by the Amosun administration?   Of course, there is bound to be reactions since the state government has shut all the sleaze doors and blocked loopholes that were being exploited by the workers. And one could see manifestation of such frustration in the partisan political question set for the innocent children. It’s really a shame. We often criticize governments across Nigeria for not devoting enough budget to education but here in Ogun were education officials diverting millions of government money meant to pay WAEC fees of children of the poor into their private pockets!    I think we’ve really been unnecessarily hard on the government. For a state whose IGR is ridiculous in comparison to Lagos to be paying teachers higher salaries deserves commendation rather than scorn. What is more, the number of public schools in most of the states in the country is so small in comparison to Ogun. Lagos with humongous resources has about three or four public higher institutions of learning but Ogun State has more than 10! I wonder what the government wants to do with such number anyway!

    In all, Ogun State alone has almost twice the number of public schools in Lagos. And the number of public schools keeps increasing, necessitating the need to employ more teachers. Perhaps this is the reason why the government dithered in dismissing the over two hundred teachers involved in the WAEC scam, many of them in the service for many years. If, in spite of these challenges, the current governor has been able to renovate over 2,000 school buildings, pay arrears of WAEC fees, salaries, and pensions he inherited, build world class model schools for public school pupils, I think he deserves our understanding and support even if such support is measured. From information in the press, enrolment figures for primary and secondary schools rose sharply as a result of the free education and free textbook policies of the Amosun government. Between 2011 and 2013, enrolment figure for upper secondary school increased from 146,737 to 162,536 while that of lower secondary school jumped from 174,820 to 214,837. And the number has been growing every academic session.

    Last week, the taciturn governor finally reacted to the spate of attacks, which now appeared to have been directed at the wrong person. The news media carried the press release signed by Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa who is the Secretary to the Ogun State Government. Following this press release, I got a copy of the constitution. I discovered that the Civil Service Commission is a creation of section 197 of the Nigerian constitution. I also checked Part II, Third Schedule to the document and confirmed this:  2. (1) The Commission shall have power without prejudice to the powers vested in the Governor and the State Judicial Service Commission to – (a) appoint persons to offices in the State civil service; and (b) dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding such offices. (2) The Commission shall not exercise any of its powers under sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph in respect of such offices of heads of divisions of Ministries or of departments of the Government of the State as may from time to time be designated by an order made by the Governor except after consultation with the Head of the Civil Service of the State. It is crystal clear that those of us who had and are currently attacking the personality of the governor are all guilty of jumping the gun and leaping before looking.

    We all need to own up to our mistakes and error of judgement. So the governor even had no power to sack any civil servant!  We should not excoriate public officials for the sake of doing so. Just as public office holders can be wrong, we also, the public watchdog, can be wrong. However, by my own reading of the press statement, it does not mean the approval of the governor would not be obtained before the disciplinary measures were effected. Without prejudice to Part II, Third Schedule of the 1999 constitution, the combined reading of the constitution suggests that the governor cannot entirely be shut out from major employment or major dismissal of workers by the Commission. The Civil Service Commission cannot do major employment without the authority or permission of the governor, because he has to pay the workers. In the same vein, the CSC cannot dismiss workers at such a level that involved very senior officials without seeking the final approval of the governor. But to hold that it was the governor that sat behind a desk in his office and sacked the errant officials, as some of us initially believed, is a grievous mistake.  When the National Judicial Council dismisses a judge and the president accepts the dismissal, no one talks about the judge being sacked by the president. The blaring headline is usually, “NJC hammers, sacks or dismisses a judge.” The process of sacking a civil servant or a judge is extremely tortuous. No one can wake up in his bedroom and then order the sack of a civil servant. There are procedures upon procedures and from my personal study so far all these were complied with by the Civil Service Commission in respect of the sanctioned officials.

    In parenthesis, I wish to use this medium to draw the attention of the governor to the Sango-Akute road. When he started this road, we were all very happy, but construction work appeared to have halted. One understands the current financial situation in the country but kindly give it priority once things begin to improve. Finally, I think the Ogun State Civil Service Commission owes the public a duty to unravel the processes that led to its decisions in order to aid further commentaries on this matter. What does the law say about those that set partisan political question to school children, thereby attempting to corrupt them?

    • Dr Adekanmbi writes from Akute, Ogun State
  • Ogun police arrest 27 cultists, robbery suspects

    Ogun police arrest 27 cultists, robbery suspects

    THE police have arrested 27 suspected members of cult groups in Ogun State.

    They were arrested during raids by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and Department of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence.

    Police said the suspects were involved in killings and robberies in Ijebu area, Agbara and others before they were arrested.

    Police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said investigations  have revealed that the suspected cultists participated in robbery attacks, including snatching of cars within major cities and on highways.

    Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), gave the names of the suspects arrested in Ijebu as Ahmed Olasunkanmi (aka Ahmed the killer), Sadiq Muli,  Adewale Olumide (28), Rafiu Oluwatosin (27), and Ifeanyi Idor (27).

    Others include Ifeanyi Okeke (34), Abiodun Taiwo (39), Ola Hammed (40) and Odion Ozasuwa (23).

    Ten vehicles and eight guns and ammunitions of different calibres were recovered from them. In Agbara area, the police also arrested 14 suspected members of a  cult group.

    Two suspects – Idris Adejunwon (24) and Muideen Bello (26) – were arrested in connection with August 5 killings at Ijoko-Ota.

    Police Commissioner Abdulmajid Ali has ordered his officers and men to step up measures in ridding the state of cultists, robbers and hoodlums.