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Tag: ONDO State government

  • Ondo distributes 5,000 sanitary pads to school girls to mark International Day of the Girl Child

    Ondo distributes 5,000 sanitary pads to school girls to mark International Day of the Girl Child

    The Ondo state government has distributed no fewer than 5,000 cartons of sanitary pads to schoolgirls across the 18 local government areas of the state to commemorate the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child.

    The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr. Seun Osamaye, made the presentation on Monday in Akure, the state capital.

    Osamaye said the initiative was part of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration’s commitment to promoting menstrual hygiene and the overall well-being of the girl child.

    Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration, “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis,” the commissioner noted that the event served as a reminder of the “incredible potential that lies within every girl-child.”

    She explained that the state’s initiative, tagged “Tech a Girl; Pad a Girl Child,” focused on two major needs of the time – digital empowerment and menstrual hygiene.

    “Through today’s event, our ministry is championing digital literacy training to prepare girls for the opportunities of the modern age, while also promoting menstrual health and dignity through the distribution of 5,000 sanitary pads to selected secondary school girls across Ondo State,” Osamaye said.

    She emphasised the need for collective efforts to ensure that every girl can manage her period with dignity, free from fear, judgment, or exclusion.

    READ ALSO: Why we left PDP for APC — Mbah

    According to her, the annual commemoration is also an opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary strength of girls who continue to drive positive change despite challenges such as poverty, gender-based violence, early marriage, limited access to education, and menstrual stigma.

    “Girls are not just beneficiaries of development or victims, but powerful drivers of change, creating a better and safer world,” she said.

    Osamaye appreciated partners, volunteers, and stakeholders supporting the empowerment of young girls across the state.

    “Together, we are raising a new generation of confident, healthy, and digitally equipped young women who will continue to lead change on the frontlines of life’s challenges,” she added.

    Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said the state government remains committed to investing in the future of children through quality education.

    Ajibefun explained that celebrating the girl child would further inspire them to excel beyond expectations.

    Also, a Full Board Member of the Ondo State Hospital Management Board, Mrs. Aarinola Adamolekun, educated the students on healthy living and personal hygiene.

    Similarly, the Chairman of the Ondo State Information Technology Agency (SITA), Tomide Akinribido, engaged the girls in STEM education activities.

  • Ondo govt to adopt realistic, self-funded budget for 2026

    Ondo govt to adopt realistic, self-funded budget for 2026

    The Ondo State Government has announced plans to adopt a more streamlined and realistic budget for the 2026 fiscal year, aligning its financial projections strictly with reliable and accessible funding sources.

    The move comes after the poor performance of the 2025 budget, which was largely hindered by the failure of foreign development partners to release promised funds.

    Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa disclosed this at a consultative meeting with stakeholders on the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the 2026 budget, held over the weekend in Akure.

    Read Also: CJN to inaugurate 57 new SANs September 29

    Represented by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Laolu Akindolire, Aiyedatiwa said the state would now prioritise budgets that reflect its actual financial capacity, rather than rely heavily on development funding, which he described as “too cumbersome to access.”

    “When we looked at the 2025 capital budget, it was just too unrealistic. A capital budget of N433 billion – how do you fund it? This is why we must prepare a more realistic budget that can be well-funded, enabling us to achieve about 70 to 80 percent performance.

    “It’s not the size of a budget that matters but the ability to fund it and meet the aspirations of our people. As we put the figures together, our focus is on what is actually realizable. That is the basis for the preparation of the 2026 budget,” the governor said.

    Recall that the state’s 2025 budget was N698.7 billion, with capital expenditure put at N433.6 billion (63.07%) and recurrent expenditure at N222.2 billion.

  • Ondo govt suspends three officials over teacher recruitment job scam

    Ondo govt suspends three officials over teacher recruitment job scam

    The Ondo State Government on Sunday suspended three senior officials over their alleged involvement in a job scam tied to the recent recruitment of teachers in the state.

    The affected officials — two directors and a deputy director were suspended on the orders of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, pending the outcome of an investigation into the job racketeering scandal.

    Though their names were not disclosed, findings revealed that the officials allegedly collected between N500,000 and N700,000 from unsuspecting job seekers, depending on their qualifications.

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    The controversy erupted last week after some individuals protested their exclusion from the ongoing biometric verification of newly recruited teachers. It was later discovered that they had presented forged appointment letters.

    In a statement, the government clarified that the protesters were not among the over 2,000 teachers legitimately recruited, who have since resumed duty.

    Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, said investigations showed that three insiders at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) connived with outsiders to issue fake appointment and posting letters in exchange for money.

    “The attention of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been drawn to reports of a protest by individuals claiming to have been denied employment during the recent recruitment of teachers by the Ondo State Government through SUBEB.

    “To clarify, those who protested were not employed teachers but applicants defrauded by scammers who issued fake employment and posting letters after collecting money from them.

    “These defrauded applicants were identified during the biometric verification process and informed that their letters were fake.

    “Already, disciplinary action has been taken against three SUBEB insiders who allegedly colluded with external individuals to defraud the applicants,” Adeniyan stated.

  • Ondo govt backs distribution of 3.6m treated nets to curb malaria

    Ondo govt backs distribution of 3.6m treated nets to curb malaria

    The Ondo State government has declared its support for the forthcoming distribution of 3.6 million insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), urging residents to embrace the initiative as part of collective efforts to combat malaria and protect public health.

    The campaign, scheduled for September 8–17, 2025, is being implemented in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme and Malaria Consortium.

    Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is expected to officially flag it off.

    The intervention targets a reduction in malaria prevalence in the state, currently estimated at 27 percent.

    Speaking during an advocacy visit to the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Idowu Ajanaku, the campaign team lead, Mrs. Olubunmi Ojelade, explained that trained officials in malaria-branded uniforms would go house-to-house to register households and distribute the nets.

    She stressed that sleeping under ITNs remains one of the most effective ways of preventing malaria, noting that it can reduce incidence by up to 50 percent in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Ojelade added that malaria continues to pose a major health burden in Nigeria, which accounts for 25 percent of global cases and 30 percent of related deaths.

    Read Also: Ondo Govt begins clampdown on fake, counterfeit drugs

    She further revealed that children under five and pregnant women are the most vulnerable, while about 60 percent of hospital patients are treated for malaria-related illnesses.

    Remarking, Ajanaku assured the team of the ministry’s full media support through jingles, reports, and dedicated coverage on state-owned platforms, including the flagship magazine programme Ondo Path to Progress.

    He also urged residents to adopt proper usage practices by airing the nets in the shade for 24 hours before hanging and ensuring consistent use every night.

    The Commissioner emphasised that the campaign would be widely publicised to guarantee that households in all 18 local government areas of the state are reached.

  • Ondo Govt begins clampdown on fake, counterfeit drugs

    Ondo Govt begins clampdown on fake, counterfeit drugs

    The Ondo State Government on Thursday announced a clampdown on pharmacies and patent medicine stores as part of the effort to tackle the menace of fake drugs in all the 18 local government areas of the state.

    Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka stated this in Akure during a media orientation on the 2025 Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) campaign in the state.

    Ajaka, who decried the high rate of malaria cases in Ondo, explained that some anti-malaria drugs had failed to treat the disease because they were counterfeit.

    He informed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was introducing a scanning machine that will conduct integrity tests on drugs.

    Ajaka stressed that the campaign was necessary to prevent malaria and urged media organizations to intensify their support for anti-malaria programmes.

    According to him, every household in the state will benefit from the distribution of ITNs as part of preventive measures.

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    “In order to reduce the burden of malaria in Ondo State, the Ministry of Health’s Malaria Elimination Programme, in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme and Malaria Consortium, will distribute over 3.6 million ITNs to households freely across the state.

    “Sleeping under an ITN remains one of the most effective ways to prevent malaria. Studies show that ITN use reduces malaria incidence by 50 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, which bears over 90 per cent of the global malaria burden,” Ajaka said.

    He explained that the free distribution would run from September 8 to 17, with trained personnel in uniforms branded with malaria campaign logos visiting households to register residents and distribute the nets.

    Ajaka advised residents to air the nets for 24 hours in the shade before use and ensure they are properly tucked in over sleeping areas every night.

    State Malaria Programme Officer, Dr. Waheed Afolayan, said malaria remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria, stressing the importance of community support in the campaign.

    Afolayan noted that Nigeria accounts for 25 per cent of global malaria cases and 30 per cent of global malaria deaths.

    He added that about 60 per cent of patients in health facilities are treated for malaria, while 30 per cent of deaths among children under five and 10 per cent of deaths among pregnant women annually are linked to the disease.

    He emphasised that malaria significantly contributes to the nation’s poverty indices, with billions of naira spent annually on prevention and treatment, urging collective action to eliminate the disease.

  • No hike in Ondo institutions’ fees, says govt

    The Ondo State government has dismissed news making the rounds that it has increased tuition in all the state-owned tertiary institutions.

    The state government says it has not discussed the issue of fee increment or planned to raise the tuition payable by all the tertiary institutions.

    In a statement on Thursday by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Yemi Olowolabi, the state asked students of the schools to disregard the rumour of the tuition hike.

    The statement added the students should face their studies rather than being misled by rumour mongers who are only out to discredit the state government.

    The management of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko and that of the Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipipa, have buttressed the state government’s position on the fee hike.

    A statement by the Acting Registrar of Adekunle Ajasin University, Mr. Opeoluwa Akinfemiwa, explained the management described the rumoured fee hike as wicked and malicious lies being peddled against the Institution by some unscrupulous elements.

    The university said it had not raised the instruction’s fee to N250,000 per session, as being speculated.

    The university said: “While we do not want to speculate on why they are toeing this path of lies and infamy, management wishes to state firmly and unequivocally that there is no new increase of school fees in AAUA.

    “Current school fees in AAUA range between N80,000 and N150,000; the students are allowed to pay twice i.e. between N40,000 and N75,000 per semester; the demand during the recent protest of students was for the university to allow those who have not paid their school fees to write tests/examinations while they pay their school fees later; parents and guardians are advised to ensure that their children and wards pay their school fees without delay, especially since they have the option of paying twice over two semesters.”

    The university added that above figures were negotiated with relevant stakeholders, including the students and their parents, and finalized in April last year.

    It said it was instructive to note that almost a session has passed since then and students have paid without any issue.

    Also, a statement from the office of the Registrar of Ondo State University of Science and Technology confirmed that the institution’s management has not increased the tuition.

    The statement claimed that the normal fees being paid by students of the school still remained and that the management had not thought about it and was not considering increasing the institution’s tuition.

     

  • Ondo State Govt. closes down illegal hospital

    The Ondo State Government on Thursday closed down an alleged illegal hospital called Arib Hospital in Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Area of the state.

    Dr Dipo Durojaye, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, said the hospital was training about 52 auxiliary nurses, not allowed by law.

    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 usually jumped to conclusions, a situation that had caused unnecessary mortality in the country.

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    Adesoji said 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.

    Ogundele said the trend was dangerous to the nursing profession, as it would not allow qualified nurses get jobs.

    She said quacks had become a source of cheap labour just wasting their future.

    She said the quacks, called auxiliary nurses, constituted danger to humanity as they were half baked, did not know the rationale behind their actions and perpetrated several wrongdoings in the health sector.

    They operate Patent Medicine Stores as hospitals.

    The director warned the public not to patronise hospitals where there were trainees.

    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.(NAN)

  • ‘Ondo’ll eliminate quacks in health sector’

    Ondo State Government Thursday vowed to rid the health sector of quacks to safe guard the health and lives of residents.

    Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro spoke after being briefed by the monitoring team of the Hospital Services Department of the Ministry on the aftermath of a monitoring exercise by o

    He frowned at those who toyed with the lives of people in the state, saying perpetrators will be brought to book.

    Read Also:Ondo seeks Fed Govt’s help to tackle ocean surge

    The Commissioner said the government would press for maximum punishment for offenders as deterrent to those who do not have value for life.

    Dr Adegbenro said the state has zero tolerance for quackery so the Ministry will make the monitoring a more regular exercise as it will make people sit up.

    He appealed to residents to beware of where they go to seek medical attention as the Government has brought qualitative Health care to the door steps of the people.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Jibayo Adeyeye, said the government would send a very strong signal that it will not condone quackery in the state.

    He added that there was no second chance for anybody caught trying to waste the much valued lives of residents under any pretence.

    The Special Adviser said without wasting time, the state would seek collaboration with neighboring states and law enforcement  agencies to make sure there is no hiding place for quacks.

    The head of the monitoring team and Director Hospital Services ,Dr. Olayinka Akinsete said the exercise is a routine carried out by the department to regulate medical practice, safe guard the lives of the people, fish out those not playing the game accordingly to the rules and sanction them appropriately.

    The team visited Owo, Ifedore and Ose Local Government areas of the state.

    At Uso in Owo Local Government Area, a quack,identified as Adewale Emmanuel Owolanke who had been parading himself as a doctor and operating an illegal  Hospital at Uso,was apprehended and handed over to law enforcement agents.

    Owolanke was alleged to have operated on several of his victims who had lost their lives in the process.

    The hospital had earlier been closed down but Owolanke had reopened it and continued with his illicit and unlawful activities.

     

  • Ocean Surge: Ondo cries out, seeks FG’s aid

    …says problem beyond us

     

     

    Ondo State Government Tuesday made a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to come to its aid on the incessant surge from Atlantic Ocean.

    The development has caused damage at Ayetoro community in Ilaje local government area of the state as more than 25 buildings including the only secondary school in the oil producing community have been submerged.

    Similarly, over 200 persons are now homeless.

    The Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, who represented the Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, made the appeal after inspecting the damage caused by the surge in Ayetoro.

    Read Also:Flood sacks hundreds in Ondo riverine community

    Agboola, accompanied by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ifedayo Abegunde, Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Funso Esan and the Chairman of OSOPADEC, Gbenga Edema, sympathised with the residents, particularly with those that are directly affected by the sea incursion.

    He lamented the loss of houses and property to the disaster, urging the Federal Government to do more in the protection of the oil producing community.

    The Deputy Governor, a former member of the House of Representatives and chairman House Committee on NDDC said only modern technology could put an end to the crisis.

    He said “I remember when I was at the House of Representatives, I personally led member of the NDDC to this community and I also traveled to Netherlands to look at the modern technology which we felt it would have been able to solve the problem.

    “As I am here now, you should know that Ondo State is here, the SSG is here, Chairman Ilaje local government is here, we are all here.

    “As a matter of fact, the Governor would have been here personally but he is away with Mr. President in Netherland. He directed us to be here today to express our feeling, to assess the level of damage and look for best way to prevent future occurrence.

    “Certainly you can see this has gone beyond Ondo State government. We will make noise and let the whole world knows that Ayetoro is in danger, Ondo State is in danger and the federal government should rescue this oil producing community.

    “Probably what they did in Lagos will solve this problem. Look at Eko Atlantic city, this was able to stop this sea incursion and people are able to drive freely and not only this, they are even building houses on top of the sea.

    “Like what the community said, they are about three kilometers away now, a lot of houses have been eroded, children cannot go to school. So we are worried but we are assuring our people that we will not relent on our efforts to stop this disaster”.

  • Akeredolu to Fayose: You can’t stop us from coming to Ekiti

    Ondo State government on Tuesday criticised the statement credited to Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose through his Media aide, Lere Olayinka, castigating Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

    Fayose had alleged that Akeredolu brought no fewer than 150 policemen to Ado-Ekiti last Friday to instigate the gun attack in which about four persons, including an APC chieftain, Opeyemi Bamidele, were injured.

    He equally repeated the accusation that Akeredolu had planned to use Ondo State’s two months’ allocation to fund the electioneering of the APC governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    A statement by the Ondo state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Yemi Olowolabi said” Ordinarily, we would have ignored all the deliberate lies and falsehood, but we felt that we would not be fair to the unsuspecting larger members of the public if such lies were not debunked.

    “For the information of the doubters, Governor Akeredolu, even if provoked, cannot debase his personality to a level that he will sacrifice the interests of his people for pecuniary gains.

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    “Instead of engaging in hypocritical activities like eating at motor parks and cutting ponmo at the market square, Akeredolu is currently applying the public resources for the betterment of the lives of the people of the state.

    “So, it is interesting to state that Ondo is witnessing massive infrastructural development in all sectors of the state. On Monday at the state executive council meeting, a number of projects were approved for execution. That’s how development is moving in Ondo State.

    “Governor Fayose and his boy should be reminded that the Akeredolu led administration has performed creditably well in the last one year and few months.

    “On the Friday’s gun attack in Ekiti, we would like to refer Fayose to a statement by the Ekiti State police spokesperson, Caleb Okechukwu, cleared the air on the issue. Investigation by the police had revealed that the shooter was a police officer brought from Lagos by an Ekiti politician.

    ‘For this revelation, we believe that the Ekiti governor and his cohorts will now bury their heads in shame.

    “We, therefore, call the security agencies in the country to take note of the false accusation leveled against Akeredolu by Fayose and his town crier, who only a few years ago wrote a detailed report about the devious activities of his master.

    “It is also important for Lere and his boss to know one very important fact, that unlike his boss, we are committed to the progress and peaceful co-existence between the state and Ekiti. I mean, aren’t we one before October, 1996? The seed of discord Fayose is trying to plant between the
    two states will not germinate no matter how much cunning he is.

    “We will love to state here categorically without mincing words that Governor Akeredolu reserves every right to show support for the candidate of his party in Ekiti state, just as Governor Nysom Wike and the rest are showing support for the PDP in the state.

    “There is no law that prohibits that Fayose and the PDP are making issues out of this because of the smell of defeat that has overwhelmed them.

    “Fayose also tried to rewrite the sad incident that occurred on Friday, claiming that the tear gas canisters that hit a taxi driver were fired by the policemen that accompanied the thugs from Akure.

    Residents of Ekiti and those who were present during the incident knew that the pandemonium that greeted the shooting at the APC secretariat necessitated the tear gas canisters fired by the policemen.

    “Please note that the Policemen who fired the tear gas canisters were duly drafted to the secretariat by the Ekiti state police command to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
    On several occasions, we have come out straight to debunk the lies of Lere and his boss over an alleged statement made by Governor Akeredolu that he was ready to use two months allocations from his state for Fayemi’s election.

    “But again, such lies can only be told by people of low esteem. As we speak, the workers’ friendly governor in Ondo state has paid the May salary of workers. We are not owning a dime.

    “And unlike Governor Fayose who is owing the state workers between seven and eight months’ salary arrears, Akeredolu has paid up to date and also cleared four out of seven months backlog of salary inherited from the immediate past administration in the state”.

    The statement pointed out that Ekiti election is July 14, and Akeredolu has paid May salary with the allocation for May,but Ekiti state government is still pushing the story of the governor planning to use two months allocation to pursue Ekiti election.

    It added; “For the records, Akeredolu has recorded landmark achievements in the last 15 months of his administration in Ondo state. Fayose and Lere should take a ride to Akure and see what Akeredolu has done at Iwalewa and Abusoro. Or better still, Fayose should take a trip to the whole of Ondo State and see projects.

    Projects like construction of Iwalewa Road, Akure, Construction of Sabomi Road, Ese Odo, Construction of Abusoro, Ijoka Road, Akure, Construction of Opasorun road, Bajare/Okemayo, Construction of St. Joseph Road in Idanre, Construction of 3 box culverts at Oyinmomo  Ishakunmi and Megida Rental Road , Ikare.

    Others are Construction of Jubilee – Ugbe Road, Ikare, Construction of Oke Alafia Road, Supare,  Construction of Ogbomo Ifedara, Ajegunle Streets and Howlet Road, Ifon,  Construction of Ilara Mokin /Ikota, otherwise known as Gulf C road, Ilara, Construction of Police Road, Ore,  Construction of Virgin road network within GRA to Prison, Owo, Construction of internal and access roads within the Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH) Okitipupa, Rehabilitation of the deadly Iwaro Oka hill and the
    ongoing work at the notorious Oke Alabujoto in Ikare Akoko are there to mention  a few.

    “Fayose and his boy also attempted to drag Governor Akeredolu into the attack by the herdsmen on Chief Olu Falae’s farm. What we don’t understand is whether Fayose understood what he was saying and the import of his statement.

    “Akeredolu sympathized with Chief Falae over the attack and also issued a strong warning to Herdsmen to vacate the state. No single incident has been heard since them. We are aware that same herdsmen kidnapped Chief Falae under the PDP administration in the state.

    “He, who comes to equity, must come with clean hands. We want to urge Nigerians to disregard the blatant lies being spread around by Fayose and his attack dog, Lere.

    “Today in Ekiti, politics has been turned into a do or die affair by Fayose. His only strategy is lying and concocted stories. We are therefore, advising him and his cronies to go and prepare for the election”.

    The statement emphasised that thousands of Fayose cannot stop Akeredolu and other APC governors from coming to campaign in Ekiti state.