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Tag: Ondo state

  • No plan to recall Ondo Rep – APC

    No plan to recall Ondo Rep – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency of Ondo state has said there is no plan to recall the lawmaker representing the constituency in the House of Representatives, Bamidele Baderinwa as being agitated by some youths.

    The group under the aegis of the Idanre/Ifedore Youth Coalition said last week that it had begun to mobilise the people of the constituency to start the process of recalling the lawmaker.

    The group alleged that Baderinwa had abandoned the federal constituency for a long time and that he had not made any positive impact in the lives of his constituents since his representation in the National Assembly.

    But the APC youth leader in Ifedore,  Adewale Adekunle, said at a news conference in Akure, the state capital, that there was nothing like mobilizing the people of the constituency for the purpose of recalling the lawmaker.

    Adewale, who described the group as faceless, said the people of the constituency were satisfied with the achievements of Baderinwa and there was no reason to recall him.

    He said: “We wish to state clearly that Bamidele has not defaulted on giving our constituency its deserved quality representation at the National Assembly. He has neither abandoned his people nor the constituency.

    “He visits the constituency regularly and operates two functional constituency offices, one at Idanre and the other at Ifedore, where complaints are collated and attended to. There are evidences of his projects and philanthropic activities across the constituency.”

    The APC youth leader enumerated the projects executed by the lawmaker as the electrification of Aba Aro Community in Ifedore; grading and maintenance of roads, provision of motorized boreholes, distribution of cocoa pesticides and cash to 300 farmers and empowerment of aged people in the constituency with cash donations.

    Others included donation of two Hilux Vans to the Divisional Police Headquarters in the Constituency, wheel chairs and cash to physically challenged people and yearly presentation of cars as gifts to  people in the Constituency.

    According to Adewale, the lawmaker has also built a block of classrooms at Ikota Community Primary School in Ifedore and sponsored over 500 youths for training in vocational education and small and medium scale enterprises.

    He alleged that APC’s detractors were the sponsors of the group, saying their aim was to weaken the popularity of the party in the federal constituency.

    He said: “The youth group is unknown in our federal constituency. As the APC youth leader, I know all the youth groups in the constituency. This one calling for the recall of Baderinwa is faceless and fake.

    “There is nothing like starting the process of recalling our representative in the National Assembly. The main objective of the sponsors of the faceless group is to undermine the popularity of our party in the federal constituency by casting the lawmaker in bad light.

    “We also gathered that some prominent members of our party in the constituency were the sponsors of the faceless group because of the politics of 2019. We are not sure yet. But if what we have gathered about them is true, we urge them to desist.

    “These people should realize that by feeding the public wrong information about any member of APC holding public office because of 2019 politics is as good as destroying the strength of the party. Our unity will always remain the strength of our party.”

  • Ebonyi wants justice for citizen killed by herdsmen in Ondo

    Ebonyi wants justice for citizen killed by herdsmen in Ondo

    Ebonyi State Government has urged security agencies to ensure that the killers of an indigene, Linus Ogbee, suspected to have been killed by Fulani Herdsmen in a farm settlement in Ondo state, are apprehended and prosecuted.

    Mr Ogbee, a 67 year old father of 7, was killed at the weekend in his farm at Ilion Camp, Igbatoro, and a farm settlement community in Akure North local government area of Ondo state.

    The State Governor, David Umahi stated this in Abakaliki, the state capital on Tuesday night shortly after inspecting projects in various parts of the state.

    He described the incident as height of barbarism and called for proper investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the Ebonyi farmer in Ondo State.

    While lamenting the wanton loss of lives and property as a result of the activities of the Herdsmen, Governor Umahi commended the police in Ondo state for quick intervention which led to arrest of some suspects in connection to the killing and called for proper investigation to bring the suspects to justice.

    “I call for full scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of one of our brothers, Linus Ogbee who until his death was a father of seven and a farmer based in Ilion in Akure North council area of Ondo state.

    Those behind his death should be finished out and brought to justice. It is very heartbreaking that our brother was killed by suspected blood sucking herdsmen whose sanctity for human life amount to nothing”

    Umahi condoled with the family of the deceased and promised to help them in any possible way to stand, adding that he would do everything within his powers to ensure that justice is done and those behind the dastardly act brought to book while reassuring the people of the state of his administration’s commitment towards protecting lives and property of every citizen.

    He further used the occasion to reiterate his earlier call on various segments of Ebonyi indigenes in various parts of the country who are not meaningfully or gainfully employed to return home and be part of his agricultural revolution in which farmers are given grants to go into full farming.

    “While we mourn the death of our fellow compatriot, let me reassure Ebonyians that this administration is committed to all campaign promises of bringing back our people especially youths hawking in various cities and taking them out of the streets and make them become part of the progress of our dear state through the empowerment scheme which would enable them go into any business of their choice”.

  • Ondo warns private hospitals against training of nurses, midwives

    Ondo warns private hospitals against training of nurses, midwives

    The Ondo State Government, has warned private hospitals in the state to stop training nurses and midwives, as they had no legal right to do so.

    Dr Taiye Oni, the Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Ministry of Health, gave this warning while monitoring the entrance examination into the Ondo State School of Nursing and Midwifery for the 2017/2018 session in Akure.

    Oni noted that such training by the private hospitals was contributing to some sharp practices by some actors in the state health sector.

    He said the State Government would not allow the trend to continue but nip it in the bud so as to ensure quality health service delivery in line with the agenda of the present administration.

    The Permanent Secretary said that with the new policy of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, most Schools of Nursing and Midwifery would now award Higher National Diploma and degree certificates.

    He disclosed that the state School of Nursing and Midwifery would soon be upgraded to a degree awarding institution.

    Oni, therefore, lauded the management of the school for conducting a credible entrance examination for the 1,600 candidates seeking admission into the 50 available spaces.

    Also speaking, the Director, Department of  Nursing Services of the ministry, Mrs Alice Ogundele, observed that nurses, were in high demand around the world to deliver high quality health care.

    Ogundele said most countries of the world including Nigeria, had not been able to meet the specified ratio 1 nurse to 4 patients in a ward, hence the high demand continued.

    In her remarks, the principal of the school, Mrs Idowu Edward, said the school had carved out a niche for itself by the performance of its students in external examinations, which had not been less than 95 per cent at any point in time.

    Edward said the nursing profession had improved in quality and were in higher demand than before, as  the population increased.

    According to her, students will be admitted strictly on merit in order to enhance the future of the profession.

    Two of the candidates that wrote the examination, Miss Adeniran Funke and Miss Adekola Joshua, said they developed passion for the nursing career, being a compassionate and life-saving profession.

  • OSRC: Akeredolu approves interim management

    OSRC: Akeredolu approves interim management

    Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu  of Ondo State has appointed a three-man interim management to  run the affairs of the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation (OSRC) and Orange FM.

    A statement issued on  Tuesday in Akure by Mr Olusegun Ajiboye, Chief Press Secretary  to the Governor, listed the management team to include  Mr Kunle Adebayo  as Chairman, as well as Mr Soji Alakuro and Mr Steve Alabi as members.

    He said the appointments  take  immediate  effect.

  • Ondo APC crisis: Elders call for reconciliation

    Ondo APC crisis: Elders call for reconciliation

    The Ondo State Elders Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called for reconciliation among all warring groups in the party.

    A statement by the elders said it was important to wrestle the APC from its current state of disunity, mutual distrust and rudderless position.

    The statement signed by Sen. Farukanmi Olorunnimbe, Chairman of the council, and made available to newsmen in Akure on Tuesday, said that the APC needs a strong executive council to lead it to victory in 2019 general elections.

    Olorunnimbe said that the council would intervene to end the ongoing drift, and urged members to unite and provide very strong support to Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to deliver on his promises to the electorate.

    “It is, therefore, most embarrassing that the APC state executive is in disarray since the completion of the Nov. 26, 2016 gubernatorial election.

    “The role which the executive of the APC in Ondo State should play in strengthening of the administration of Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu has been neglected, and this is most unfortunate.

    “Let us strive to ensure and facilitate a process of re-organisation, re-branding and re-positioning of our great party to face emerging challenges.

    “All members of APC in Ondo state must rally round and reconcile, so that we can face future elections as a united team,” he said.

    The chairman of the elders council advised the governor to look into the grievances of some members of the party executive, to bring about necessary solution.

    He urged APC leaders in the South West to consult regularly, so as to know what was going on in the party.

    Olorunnimbe complained that the state had been neglected in terms of appointment by the Federal Government and called for change.

    “In a view of the massive support given by us in the election of President Muhammadu Buhari, our state has been totally neglected in the appointment into national positions,” he said.

  • Ondo Assembly passes 2017 Budget

    Ondo Assembly passes 2017 Budget

    Ondo State House of Assembly Monday passed the state 2017 Budget proposal of N170, 846,580billion transmitted to the House by Governor Olurotimi Akeredolu into law penultimate week.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation,Sunday Olajide presented the report of the Committtee to the House.

    He said the bill, having undergo proper scrutiny by its members and public sitting for all Ministries,Department and Agencies,(MDAs)the extremely restrained itself from granting indiscriminate request by MDAs because of paucity of fund.

    Olajide noted that the committee only redistributed fund on some critical areas with a marginal increase by N1, 126,000,000.

    The lawmaker said the overall budgetary provision would now be N170, 846,580,000.

    Olajide highlighted the observation of the committee that the 2017 expenditurewas carefully projected and set at sustainable level with due to consideration for the present economic realities.

    The committee however recommended that all MDAs should ensure that the provisions in the budget are applied to the needs stated therein.

    Besides,it said the Board of internal Revenue should make vigorous efforts to block all identified leakages as much as possible.

    The State government according to the committee should take all the steps necessary to propel all income generating MDAs to embark on internally generated revenue drive in line with extant laws with a view to attain their revenue target.

    The Speaker of the House, David Oleyelogun appreciated all members of the Budget Committee for their effort and commended other members of the House for their cooperation and diligence in the process of working on the Budget proposal.

    The budget has increased by N1,126,000,000 with the N169,720,580 billion earlier presented by the Governor on June 5,2017,making a total sum of N170,846,580.billion

    The new budget which put the  Recurrent Expenditure at  N95,159,200,000 billion ,capital expenditure at N59,186,681,884 billion,debt service at N8,126,698,115 billion and statutory transfer at N8,374,000,000.

    The Assembly unanimously approved the Budget after members deliberated on the report of the House Committee on Budget which scrutinized the bill as proposed by the Governor.

  • Court remands two men for motorcycle theft

    Court remands two men for motorcycle theft

    An Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court, in Ondo State, on Friday ordered the remand of two men for allegedly stealing an unregistered Hajoue Suzuki motorcycle valued at N200, 000.

    The defendants- Segun Akintudire, 22, a radio mechanic, and Kehinde Olufemi, 26, a welder are of no fixed addresses, denied committing the offence.

    They were docked on a two-count charge of felony and stealing.

    The Magistrate, Mr Banji Ayeomoni, ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison and adjourned the matter until June 23, for hearing of their bail application.

    A tailor, Monsuru Sabitu, 26, who bought the motorcycle from the two defendants was also arraigned in court.

    Sabitu pleaded not guilty to the charge of receiving a stolen item, and was granted N200, 000 bail, with a surety in like sum.

    The prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi, said the two defendants on May 13, around 4:30 p.m. at Oja Ale, Okitipupa, allegedly stole an unregistered blue Hajoue Suzuki motorcycle from where it was parked.

    The prosecutor said that the motorcycle with engine number IESEFMQA092031 and chassis number BE11G673081, belong to one Adekunle Bello.

    He said that the offences were contrary to and punishable under Sections 516 and 390(9), Criminal Code, Cap.37, Vol.1, Laws of Ondo State 2006.

    Also, Orogbemi said that Sabitu on May 17, around 2:00 p.m. at Ayeka in Okitipupa, received the unregistered motorcycle, knowing that it was a stolen property.

    He said the offence was contrary and punishable under Section 427, Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State 2006.

  • Control movement of Fulani headsmen in South-West, CAN tells FG

    Control movement of Fulani headsmen in South-West, CAN tells FG

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ondo State branch on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to control the movement of Fulani headsmen and their cattle in South-West states.

    The association said that the uncontrolled movement was a security breach and threat to farmers in the South-West as they  had been chased away from their farms and deprived of their main source of livelihood.

    Primate Elisah Akinsulere, the newly sworn-in CAN Chairman in Ondo State, made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Okitipupa Local Government Area (LGA), Okitipupa, Ondo State.

    Akinsulere said that the incursion of the fierce-looking Fulani headsmen in the Okitipupa LGA was no longer bearable as they had destroyed so many farm produce thereby depleting the profits on their farming investments.

    He said that towns like Omotosho, Igbotako, Ilutitun, Ikoya, Okitipupa, Ode-Aye and Ode-Erinje had been vulnerable to the  ungodly behaviour of the headsmen.

    According to him, residents are afraid of these fierce-looking headsmen because they have weapons on them and they move on freely on farmlands without anybody to challenge them.

    “The recession has forced many people to go back to farms as advised by the government but now we cannot even enjoy our produce again because of the wreckage caused by cattle.

    “We are appealing to the Federal Government and our lawmakers to do something tangible to address this security breach and threat to farmers on their land,” the cleric said.

    He, however, urged residents to be calm by not taking laws into their hands but wait for the government to take a tangible step to address the menace.

  • 100 days: Residents of Ondo commend Akeredolu, want more benefits of democracy

    100 days: Residents of Ondo commend Akeredolu, want more benefits of democracy

    Some residents of Ondo State have urged Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to ensure more benefits of democracy for the people as the government celebrates its 100 days in office.

    Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who emerged the winner of the Nov. 26, 2016 Governorship Election, was inaugurated as the sixth executive governor of the state on Feb. 24.

    The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Okitipupa, Ondo State, commended the governor for his achievements in 100 days in power.

    They urged the governor not to rest on his oars but ensure he fulfilled all his electioneering promises to the people.

    A civil servant, Mr Wole Akinjuyigbe, who praised the state government for paying salaries of workers, urged the governor to revive all moribund industries.

    “Gov. Akeredolu is God-sent to this state but l urge him to help resuscitate all our dead factories; Okitipupa Oil Palm, Oluwa Glass, Cocoa industries and others,” he said.

    A hairdresser, Mrs Adenike Akinbobola, who also commended the government’s performance, urged the governor to urgently address the epileptic power supply in the southern part of the state.

    “We have been in total darkness for the past three years now, this has really affected our businesses, l urge our governor to help us,” she said.

    A trader, Mrs Morenike Idris, urged Akeredolu to give more political appointments to women in his administration.

    She contended that women deserved more involvement in view of their contributions to the governor’s victory at the poll.

    Mr Omowaire Odusola, a lawyer urged the governor to take urgent steps toward youth empowerment to reduce social vices in the society.

    “We hear so many cases of criminal activities being perpetrated by the youth, this is the outcome of unemployment; our governor should address this issue,” Odusola said.

    Mr Sola Ikuidowo, the Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Okitipupa chapter, also said  Akeredolu had performed well in his 100 days in office.

    “We all felt his presence since his assumption of office, in spite of paucity of funds he completed some roads abandoned by previous government; this is a plus for him,” he said.

    Mr Tajudeen Akanbi, the Chairman, Association of Commercial Motorcycle Riders Association (ACCOMORAN), Okitipupa chapter also lauded the governor’s performance.

    “I think the governor has performed well, the peace we the  okada riders are experiencing now was not there before because we were being chased here and there for multiple taxes,’’ Akanbi said.

    A chieftain of APC, Mr Wole Akeremale said that the Akeredolu’s administration had brought smiles to faces of many citizens in the state.

    Akeremale noted the prompt payment of salaries, road network constructions, support for education, renewal of the forestation policies and agricultural empowerment to youths as part of the government’s achievements.

  • 100 days in office: Akeredolu gets passmark

    100 days in office: Akeredolu gets passmark

    The Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday, gave Gov. Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, a pass mark for for performing beyond expectation within 100 days in office.

    Mrs Morenike Alaka, the Caretaker Chairperson of the council area, made this commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Okitipupa.

    Alaka said that Akeredolu had brought real governance to the masses in the state, especially those at the grassroots.

    Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who emerged winner in the Nov. 26, 2016 governorship election, was inaugurated as the sixth executive governor of the state on Feb. 24.

    She said that the governor swung into action by paying the salaries of civil servants, who were being owed several months of salaries by the previous administration.

    According to her, the state is now wearing a new look, as Akeredolu has completed most of the state road projects abandoned by the past administration.

    “The Akeredolu administration has brought a fresh breath and succour to the masses of this state in 100 days.

    “Commercial activities have become active, as civil servants now receive their salaries as at when due and some of the arrears owed by the past administration have been paid.

    “Put politics aside, sincerely, this government has performed well in just 100 days in office,” she said.

    The chairperson also lauded the wife of the governor, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu for inaugurating the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) to detect and treat breast cancer in women.

    She also hailed her initiative in skill acquisition programme, which she said, would go a long way to better the lives of the women.

    Alaka urged the residents of the state to continue to cooperate with the present administration and pray for its success.