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Tag: Ondo govt

  • Employ us as teachers, visually-impaired persons beg Ondo govt

    Employ us as teachers, visually-impaired persons beg Ondo govt

    Members of the Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB) in Ondo State have appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to employ their members as teachers.

    They lamented that the future of the blind community was uncertain.

    The Chairman, Akilo Ojo Matthew, who spoke in Akure, said there was only one teacher in the special unit of Owo High School which before now had over 20 teachers for visually-impaired pupils. According to him, the teacher would soon retire leaving the pupils stranded.

    Akilo noted that employing visually-impaired persons would help to provide quality education and employment opportunities for the blind and visually-impaired persons (VIPs).

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    According to him, a letter has been sent to Governor Aiyedatiwa to express their grievances at their exclusion from teacher recruitment in the state.

    He added: “The School for the Visually-Impaired was established for us to learn how to read and write braille, and also to compete favourably with the able ones. The government went ahead to approve Owo High School for our secondary level.

    “The special unit in Owo High School has only one teacher as we speak, and he will soon retire. The school used to have about 20 to 25 special education teachers.

    “Finally sir, we appeal to you to recruit our members into both (Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board and Teaching Service Commission) so that we will be happy. We believe you will make us happy by granting our request.”

  • Ondo govt. seals illegal hospital

    THE Ondo State Government Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has closed down an alleged illegal hospital called Arib Hospital in Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Area of the state.

    In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Dipo Durojaye, he said the hospital was training about 52 auxiliary nurses in contravention of law of the state.

    Durojaye added that other offences allegedly committed by the hospital were running medical services without following laid down regulations and non registration of the hospital with the state Ministry of Health.

    He said it would not be business as usual in the state health sector as government would descend heavily on quacks and those opening hospitals indiscriminately.

    The permanent secretary promised that any private health facility training health personnel would be sanctioned as the government would not allow the life of the people to be endangered.

    He decried so much wrong doings in the health sector, saying that the government was poised to sanitise the sector.

    Durojaye also warned patent medicine stores operating as hospitals and treating patients to desist from such act which could pose great threat to the well-being of the society or face the wrath of the law.

    The Director, Hospital Services in the ministry, Dr Richard Adesoji, said quacks were dangerous to the health sector as they were not properly trained.

    Adesoji said they could not make correct diagnosis and that they usually jumped to conclusions, a situation he claimed had caused unnecessary mortality in the country.

    Adesoji lamented that, in spite of the enormous negative effects quacks had on the society, people still ignorantly patronised them.

    He disclosed that hospitals that could not employ qualified nurses, could use the Community Health Extension Workers ( CHEWS) as agreed at the National Council on Health.

    The Director Nursing Services of the ministry, Mrs Alice Ogundele, said it was alarming that some hospitals in that locality had more than 50 nurses in training, when even some accredited Schools of Nursing and Midwifery were only allowed to admit 50 or less.

    Some other hospitals visited in Okitipupa are St. Peter’s Hospital, Akingbola Hospital and Oresanya Hospital, where student trainees took to their heels on sighting the monitoring team.

    They were served letters of warning to desist from acts that were capable of endangering the health of the people or face serious sanctions and eventual closure.

  • We’re not part of Ayetoro’s coronation, says Ondo govt

    The Ondo State government has said it was not involved in the crowning of Prophet Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi as the sixth Ogeloyinbo and Spiritual Head of the Holy Apostles Church of Ayetoro in Ilaje Local Government Area.

    It emphasised that Ojagbohunmi’s purported coronation violated the agreement the state government had with him and Oba Micah Ajijo.

    The government, through Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi, recently held a peace meeting at the Government House in Akure, the state capital, with Oba Ajijo and Prophet Ojagbohunmi.

    It urged them to allow peace to reign in the oil-rich community.

    At the meeting, Ajayi said since the leadership crisis was inherited by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s administration, the interest of the state government was to ensure that peace return to the crisis-ridden community.

    It was learnt that there was an agreement between the government and the two camps that the status quo should remain and that Oba Ajijo should remain the recognised monarchj.

    Ajayi said he was shocked to read few weeks after the peace meeting that Ojagbohunmi had been crowned by the government as the sixth Ogeloyinbo and Spiritual Head of the Holy Apostles Church.

    The deputy governor told the public, particularly Ayetoro residents, that the government had no hand in the coronation of Ojagbohunmi.

    He warned that government would no longer tolerate any attempt by any individual or group to cause unrest in Ayetoro.

    Ajayi urged the residents to remain calm and continue to live in peace and harmony.

    Also, in a separate statement by Otunba Dele Kudehinbu on behalf of other leaders, the community urged the government and security agencies to call Ojagbohunmi to order.

    This, according to them, is to prevent a breakdown of law and order in the community.

    Kudehinbu, who is the Secretary General of Aiyetoro community, said: “We have promptly and officially reported the sad development in the riveting community to the state government and relevant security agencies for immediate action.”

     

  • ‘Ondo govt will support owners of burnt shops’

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu yesterday inspected some burnt shops in Akure, the state capital, and assured the owners of security of life and property.

    The fire destroyed goods and property estimated at millions of naira last week in the shops near the palace of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi.

    Akeredolu, who called for calm, assured the traders of assistance after a verification of the damage.

    He said: “We will cart away the debris and start the verification. We will also source for funds to assist the traders.”

    The governor also assured them that his administration would tackle the challenges facing the state fire service to enable it respond promptly to incidents.

    Oba Aladelusi urged the traders to be patient and place their trust in God.

    The monarch assured them that the government was committed to offering assistance to those affected.

    He also said the court building near the palace would be made available for temporary use of the traders.

    A spokesman for the traders, Mr Bakare Olabisi, said the fire rendered over 300 traders jobless.

    He pleaded with the state government to assist the victims and provide another location to enable them to continue their businesses.

     

  • Ondo Govt: hike in varsity fees inevitable

    The Ondo State Government yesterday appealed to parents and students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, to show understanding and accept the inevitability of fee hike.

    Some of the students went on protest following the announcement of a new regime of fees.

    In a statement by the   Commissioner for Information and Orientation Yemi Olowolabi, the government said “It is very important for the general public and the good people of Ondo State to note that the tuition was arrived at and announced by the governing council after robust and exhaustive meetings with the university’s stakeholders, including the staff, students and parents.

    “It is equally important to note that the current fee of between N23, 000 and N37, 000 charged by AAUA was introduced about 18 years ago at commencement of the University in 2000.

    “How do you explain the fact that students in the Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa (OSUSTECH) pay between N120, 000 and N150,000 as tuition per session, those in the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (UNIMED) pay between N200,000 and N450,000 per session.

    “At the beginning, especially between year 2000 and up till year 2013, the University had it good with subventions from the state government for payment of salaries and execution of capital projects.

    “The fortunes of the University began to suffer with the downturn in the economy of Nigeria, becoming more serious from 2014, when the payment of subventions began to suffer and was eventually reduced.

    “It is rather unfortunate to note that, for a University of its status, no fund has been released for capital projects between 2014 and now.

    “The University further slid into financial problems in 2016 when subventions were not released to the university for a period of nine months. As we speak, the University still has an outstanding subventions, covering July 2016 to January 2017 and totaling N1.48 Billion.”

    According to the statement, despite the fact that other universities across the country have been compelled to hike the fees paid by their students, same cannot be said of the state owned university.

    “There is a wide gap between government subvention to the University and what is required to meet up with salary payment. The monthly wage bill for staff and pensioners is about N220 million while the monthly subvention is N150 Million, leaving a deficit of N70 million every month on salary payment alone.”

    “The public also needs to get the fact correct that there are two major classes of expenses the university is confronted with: Cost of maintenance of students and their education and Salaries for staff and pensioners

    We also need to know that despite its dwindling fortunes, the University is burdened with providing several other important services that cannot be left undone. These include health services, electricity supply and laboratory equipment among several others.

    Olowolabi called on the good people of the state to remain calm and eschew any form of violence, insisting that the governor will address the matter soon.”

  • ‘Why Ondo govt increased fees at varsity’

    •No reversal no resumption, says NANS

    Ondo State government yesterday defended the fee increment at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA).

    It said it inherited crisis in the institution, stressing the need for increment in tuition fee.

    Speaking through Information and Orientation Commissioner Yemi Olowolabi, the government denied that the increment was up 500 per cent.

    Olowolabi, who noted that the N30,000 fee paid by students was unrealistic, said the increment reflected the reality in the country.

    He said: “The governing council looked at the fee paid by students in the state-owned University of Science and Technology, which is between N120,000 and N150,000; University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (N350, 000 and N450,000); while students of Adekunle Ajasin University pay N30,000.”

    The commissioner said it was after the comparison that the government decided to carry out the increment.

    “For seven months before we came on board, salaries were not paid, accreditations were lost and no subvention paid to the institution. We met a crisis situation on ground.

    “It was after these that the governing council decided that what the students were paying as fees were unrealistic.”

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has ordered students not to pay the new fees.

    A statement by NANS’ JCC Chairman, Ondo branch, Adewumi Adebowale, described the increment as very high.

    He urged students not to resume academic activities scheduled for today, saying they should not pay the new fees.

    Authorities of AAUA had announced new school fees for categories of students.

    A statement by spokesman Sola Imoru said Faculties of Arts and Education fresh students are to pay N150,000, returning students, N120,000.

    In Faculties of Science, Agriculture, Social and Management Sciences, fresh students will pay N180,000, while returning students are to pay N150,000.

    Fresh students of Faculty of Law are to pay N200,000, while returning students will pay N150,000.

    Reactions have trailed the increment in the fees, which was just N30,000 before the latest decision.

    Students, parents and other stakeholders are not comfortable with the fees, describing it as outrageous.

    The management has announced resumption of students for 2017/2018 academic session.

    A statement by the Registrar, M.S Ayerun, said academic activities would begin for returning students from April 8 to 14, while fresh students are to resume on April 15.

     

  • Ondo govt distributes N50m materials to disaster victims

    Ondo govt distributes N50m materials to disaster victims

    The Ondo State government has distributed materials estimated at N50 million to victims of disasters in the state.

    The beneficiaries are mainly those affected by flood and those whose shops were razed by fire on last year’s Christmas Day at Oba Adesida Road in Akure, the state capital.

    Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu earlier visited the scene on the day of the incident to assess the level of damage and sympathise with the victims.

    He directed Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi, whose office is in charge of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), to visit the scene and deliver materials for the he victims.

    The items included bags of cement, corrugated iron sheets, palm oil, bags of rice and beans, plywood and mattresses.

    Beneficiaries with razed shops were given undisclosed amounts of money.

    Distributing the materials in Akure, Ajayi said the gesture was to cushion the effect of natural disasters on victims.

    Ajayi, who said there were natural and man-made disasters, urged the residents to always take precautionary measures against disasters by switching off electrical gadgets, among others, to avert recurrence.

    He also said the gesture was part of government’s agreement with the people “to always be there for them”.

    The victims included those who lost their homes, shops and other property to flood, storm and fire.

     

    NEMA’s Director-General Mustapha Maihaja, who was represented by the agency’s Head of Operations, Adebiyi Babatunde, sympathised with the affected people.

     

  • Ondo govt to train ex-militants in agric

    Ondo govt to train ex-militants in agric

    The Ondo State government has said it will train some former militants in agricultural techniques and production.

    The beneficiaries recently renounced militancy and embraced the Amnesty Programme.

    Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi spoke yesterday while opening a Federal Government Supported Agricultural Value Chain Development Training at the Federal College of Agriculture in Akure (FECA), the state capital.

    He said the programme would create sustainable agricultural opportunities for the beneficiaries and the state.

    The training, which was organised by the lawmaker representing Akure North/South Federal Constituency, Afe Olowookere, was for unemployed graduates, farmers and other stakeholders in the constituency.

    Ajayi, who lauded Olowookere’s vision for organising the training, said it was far better than distributing motorcycles, which he said has no second-hand value for beneficiaries.

    He said: “It is better to learn how to fish than being given a fish. There is need for everybody to embrace farming in order to eradicate poverty in the society.”

    According to him, the state government will soon begin a farm-to-market initiative through which feeder roads will be upgraded to ease transportation of farm produce to urban centres.

    Olowookere said 55 persons participated in the training and would be empowered after the scheme, while another set will get their training in two weeks.

    The lawmaker said the programme was aimed at improving and increasing the technical knowhow of practising farmers and prospective ones through modern innovation and new paradigm in agricultural architecture.

    He said: “Agriculture remains the only alternative and panacea to our economic emancipation at individual and collective levels.

    “The realisation of this fact geared me to design the training and empowerment programme on agriculture, among others, for farmers and prospective ones in the constituency.”

    Olowookere urged the beneficiaries to create sustainable farming activities and agro-ventures which would provide a steady income for improved standard of living.

     

     

     

     

  • Ondo govt gives cash, clothes to 23 Libya returnees

    Ondo govt gives cash, clothes to 23 Libya returnees

    The Ondo State government has donated some clothes and cash to the 23 indigenes who recently returned from Libya.

    The deportees, who comprised 10 males, 12 females and a baby girl, were received last Tuesday by the state officials at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State.

    They were immediately led to a correctional centre in Akure, the state capital, where they were rehabilitated, fed and clothed for a week by the state government.

    Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu urged them to always be of good conduct and relate well with other people.

    Akeredolu, who was represented by Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi, urged them to feel free in carrying out their legitimate businesses.

    According to him, there are several opportunities in the state where the sojourners could have made ends meet, instead of going overseas where they ended up as slaves.

    The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Omowumi Olatunji-Edet, assured the returnees of government’s commitment to making life more meaningful for them and enhancing their welfare.

    The commissioner said it is the responsibility of the ministry to take care of them as their documents had been taken.

    She said: “There are a lot of skills programmes by the state government to be acquired for them to live a better life.”

    Olatunji-Edet said the palliative given the returnees would not be the end of government programmes for them.

    The commissioner said the Federal and state governments as well as other stakeholders were involved in the returnees’ welfare to make life better for them.

    One of the returnees, Ayodele Adigun, thanked the state and Federal governments for their hospitality since their return to the country.

    He assured the state government that he and the others would be of good conduct in their communities.

  • Appeal Court ruling blown out of proportion, says Ondo govt

    Appeal Court ruling blown out of proportion, says Ondo govt

    The Ondo State government yesterday said the ruling of the Appeal Court on the 2015 primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was blown out of proportion due to ignorance.

    Reacting yesterday to the appellate court’s ruling through his Chief Press Secretary Segun Ajiboye, the government said what the court ruled on was whether the service of the originating process on the APC secretariat in Abuja, instead of Akeredolu, was right or not.

    The statement said: “It is, therefore, surprising that this simple ruling is being twisted and misrepresented to the people.

    “You will recall that Segun Abraham went to court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Governor Akeredolu (SAN) as the governorship candidate of the APC.

    “Akeredolu had appealed the ruling of Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja, who ruled that an application for interim injunction sought by Abraham be heard.

    “The governor later took the matter to the Appeal Court, which gave the latest ruling.

    “However, it is very important to note that the Court of Appeal ruling borders on whether the service of the originating process on APC secretariat in Abuja was proper service on Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. The substantive case is yet to commence. But the Appeal Court held that the service was proper.”

    The statement added that the governor, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who is convinced that a case can only be founded on proper service of the originating processes, has directed that the ruling be appealed in the overall interest of the development of the law.

    Akeredolu urged his supporters and Ondo State residents to remain calm and continue with their legitimate businesses in the development of the state.