Tag: ONDO

Ondo State Government has expressed delight about what it described as the rapid transformation taking place across the 18 local governments.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, said this in Akure while briefing reporters after an inspection tour of local governments.

He said councils under Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration had recorded “phenomenal progress” with the provision of basic amenities such as improved road networks, rural road expansion, market upgrades and empowerment programmes for farmers and youths.

He hailed the council chairmen for aligning with the governor’s Our Ease Mantra and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, citing achievements in infrastructure, health care, education and economic development.

“We are glad that the local governments are alive to their responsibilities. Some have built markets, provided solar power, potable water, fixed bridges and graded rural roads. They have also engaged our youths in agriculture to ensure food security and create employment,” Takuro said.

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He added that the councils were collaborating with security agencies to safeguard lives and property at the grassroots, while also prioritising upgrading of primary health care facilities across the state.

According to him, ‘’the councils have invested in critical infrastructure, including dredging waterways, clearing drainages and grading roads, to prevent flooding.’’

Takuro said council chairmen had been working with the Ministry of Environment, with a technical adviser appointed by the governor to address perennial flooding.

He said 18 local governments had jointly saved about N15 billion to fund capital projects in their domains.

He recalled that the government had partnered with anti-graft and anti-corruption agencies to train council bosses and senior officials in transparency and accountability in revenue generations in the local governments.

Popular Ondo cleric, Prophet Samson Oluwamodede of the Prayer Centre Church of God (PCCG), and the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa-led administration have clashed over the ‘poor condition’ of roads, particularly in Akure South Local Government Area of the state.

In a viral video by his church on Thursday, Prophet Oluwamodede lamented the worsening state of the Akure/Idanre (Oke Aro) road, describing it as a death trap for motorists. 

He alleged that several lives and vehicles had been lost due to the deplorable condition of the road, which he said had become nearly impassable.

“Mr Governor (Aiyedatiwa), you remember there was a time I called your attention to how bad the road is, and you promised to contact your S.A. on Infrastructure. 

“But the road is now worse. If you see how people are dying on that road, particularly at Owe Akala, Idanre garage, and Abiodun junction to the new town area, it is terrible. Many commercial motorcyclists (Okada riders) are dying, lorries continue to fall, injuring people and destroying goods,” the cleric lamented.

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Oluwamodede, who said he had made several failed attempts to reach the Governor, added that if nothing was done by Sunday, he would mobilsee resources to carry out ‘surface repairs’ on the road himself to avoid further embarrassment.

“I’m calling your attention to the road, Mr Governor, because we still have the confidence in you. Do something now because the road is very bad. Painfully, this is happening within the street of Akure. I wish the governor could try and drive down to see what we are facing here. Please, Mr. Governor, I am calling your attention to the bad road. 

“I have witnessed the administrations of Governors Olusegun Agagu, Olusegun Mimiko, late Rotimi Akeredolu, and now you (Aiyedatiwa) is the fourth. I want you to make a difference. This is not about politics but the suffering of people. If I don’t see action, I will bring in a grader for surface dressing,” he stressed.

The Nation report that the Akure/Idanre road leads directly to Prophet Oluwamodede’s expansive church.

However, in a swift response, the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Mr Ayorinde Abiola Olawoye, attributed the delay in the project to incessant rainfall, noting that construction is a gradual process with defined stages.

“At Oke Aro, the contractor, who began work less than six months ago, has already achieved over 8,000 meters of lined drains – about 4km out of the 10km stretch. This is an impressive milestone in such a short time,” he said.

Olawoye explained that road construction begins with hydraulic works like drains and culverts, followed by earthworks and then pavement structure, stressing that skipping stages would compromise quality.

“While the concerns raised by the prophet are valid, incessant rainfall has made grading or palliative works impossible. Such measures in the rainy season would worsen the situation. Now that rains are subsiding, the contractor has commenced palliative works to ease movement pending the completion of the full project,” he added.

Aiyedatiwa in April flagged off the dualisation of the 10-kilometre Akure-Idanre road. 

The project, designed to ease heavy traffic and boost economic activities, will feature a 28-metre-wide carriageway, modern traffic systems, and solar-powered streetlights.

The Ondo State Police Command has dismantled a child trafficking syndicate operating across Ondo, Delta and Anambra states, rescuing a missing four-year-old girl in the process.

In a statement yesterday, the Command’s spokesperson DSP Olayinka Ayanlade said the case began on February 3, 2025 when one Sunday Kingsley of Alagbaka Extension, Akure reported that his daughter, Jesinta Sunday, went missing while in the care of her mother, Happiness.

Ayanlade said the matter was initially charged before the Family Magistrate Court, where the child’s mother, Sunday Happiness, and another woman, Nneka Onah, were remanded at the Ondo Correctional Centre before they were granted bail.

“A major breakthrough came on July 9, 2025 when the complainant alerted the police that the missing child had been sighted in Asaba, Delta State.

“Detectives from the Command’s Gender Desk Team swiftly swung into action, successfully rescuing the child and reuniting her with her family,” he said.

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According to him, during the operation, police arrested Amaka Chukwuemeka (30), who allegedly confessed to purchasing the child for N3.7 million.

Ayanlade added that Chukwuemeka later disclosed that her friend, Chinaza Owoh (38), introduced her to Mabel Esimai (58), who handed over the child under the guise of adoption, using forged documents.

“Further investigations revealed that Esimai had obtained the child from Chioma Okechukwu (37), who instructed her to find a buyer.

“This chain of confessions exposed the activities of a well-coordinated trafficking ring operating across three states,” the police spokesman said.

The Commissioner of Police, Lawal Adebowale, commended the professionalism of the Gender Desk Team for their swift and coordinated response, which ensured both the safe recovery of the child and the arrest of key suspects.

Adebowale directed further investigations to expose all collaborators and ensure prosecution of the culprits.

The case marks the second major breakthrough for the Command in its fight against child trafficking this year.

In January, operatives of the command arrested three suspects – Lukman Isiaka (42), Abosede Olanipekun, and Sabira Izuorah (62) – who allegedly kidnapped 14 children from Ondo and Osun states.

Investigations revealed that the children were sold to Izuorah, who ran an orphanage in Ihiala, Anambra State, for as much as ₦1 million each.

Police stormed the orphanage, rescuing the victims and apprehending the suspect.

However, the police command reiterated its commitment to dismantling trafficking syndicates and protecting vulnerable children across the state.