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Tag: ONDO

  • Ondo set to host summit

    As part of efforts to tackle environmental challenges, the Ondo State government is to host the 12th edition of the National Council of Environment in Akure, the state capital between October 28 and November 1.

    The Chief of Staff to the state governor and Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Mr. Olugbenga Ale, spoke in Akure after a meeting with the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment from Abuja.

    He said the country was battling with many environmental challenges.

    Ale said: ”If we are to, as a nation, effectively address these problems, there is the need for us to take a critical look at the existing environmental laws, policies, regulations, standards, programmers and institutions that are wide spread for proper consolidation and coordination as may be appropriate.”

    On the theme of this year’s  theme, “ Environment and security in Nigeria: Consolidating Nigeria’s Environment Sector Reforms Towards Sustainable Development”, Ale described the theme as germane, adding that the meeting would afford the state the opportunity to look into the degradation of the Ayetoro coastal community while stakeholders and professional would prefer solutions to the challenges confronting the people of the area. Ale said: “The community is almost wiped off and this will draw attention to the area and save the community from going into extinction and we are sure relevant agencies and stakeholders will proffer solution to address the  challenges confronting  the people of the area.”

    Speaking on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Awal Maidabino, said the forum would provide a veritable platform and opportunity for all the states across the nation and other critical stakeholders to present policy and memoranda on challenges, concerns and emerging issues confronting the country and how to resolve them.

  • Masquerade in Police net for stabbing man to death in Ondo

    A suspected masquerade has been apprehended in Akure, the Ondo State capital by the Police for allegedly stabbing a young man to death.

    Sources said the incident occured at Olomoyeye Street, Oke-Aro, Akure when the deceased identified as Femi Makanjuola went to buy some food items.

    He was said to have been accosted by the masquerade who demanded for money.

    Eye witness said the deceased had just secured a job with Dangote Cement Company.

    The masquerade and his accomplice reportedly stabbed Makanjuola to death after he was said to have refused to yield to the demand of the masquerade.

    He said “Makanjuola resides with his brother, he had secured a job with Dangote cement company in Benin city with the hope of resuming office on Monday, 8th October 2018.

    Read Also: Man docked for sleeping with stepdaughters, impregnating one

    “He was preparing to cook beans and had gone to a nearby shop for ingredients to spice up the food when he met his death.

    It was also alleged that their had been an altercation between the alleged killer and the deceased some weeks ago, which was said to have
    been settled by mother of the deceased, Mrs. Monisola Awosanmi who also confirmed the preexisting animosity between her slain son and the father of the alleged killer.

    Parading the suspect at the State Police Command,its Spokesman, Femi Joseph who confirmed the incident, said the chief priest of the masquerade crew had been arrested.

    The PPRO maintained that preliminary investigation into the matter have already commenced with the suspect already assisting the police with relevant information.

    He said “All Over the world what we know about masquerade dance is to entertain the people. What happened in Akure was to the contrary.

    “Five young boys were on a outing with one of them acting as a masqurader, and they got to where one Femi Makanjuola was. The masqueraders demanded money which the deceased refused to give and this did not go down well with them.

    “The argument led to the stabbing of the deceased after he had been thoroughly beaten by the masqueraders and his followers.

    “Investigation is ongoing towards apprehending other accomplices involved in the crime”.

    However, the suspected masquerade who has been identified as Olu Olowokere denied involvement in the killing of Makanjuola.

  • UNDP Human Devt. Index: Obaseki targets best-performer status for Edo

    The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said that the ongoing reforms in education and health sectors would put Edo in the league of the best performing states in subsequent human Development Indices of the United Nations Development Programme.

    Obaseki gave the assurance in Benin City, the Edo State capital, following the release of the UNDP HDI Report 2018, on Friday, using year 2016 performance in: Access to decent living; access to knowledge and health.

    Edo State was ranked 12th by the UNDP  2016 Report with a value of 0.5299, followed by Imo, Osun, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, Anambra, Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Oyo, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Niger, Kebbi, Jigawa and Kano states.

    The top performers, according to the report, are Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Ekiti states.

    Obaseki said: “The National Human Development Index released by the United Nations Development Programme which placed Edo State in the 12th position, is an eye opener but our target is to be the best-performing state using the criteria set by the UNDP.

    Read Also: Obaseki inspects new Specialist Hospital, High Court

    “It is instructive to mention that the performances used were those of 2016 and we have since scaled up our activities in education and health sectors to earn us the top spot. We are ready to unveil 7000 digital primary school teachers soon, to transform the way teaching is conducted in our basic education sector.

    “We have commenced the construction of primary health centres across the state to take healthcare to the door steps of our people, no matter how remote their locations are.”

    The governor added: “It is our hope that all these efforts would be captured in subsequent UNDP Human Development Indices to reflect Edo State’s current standing among the comity of states in the country.”

    According to media analysis of the report, with a value of 0.6515, Lagos outperformed all the other states. It also retained the title as it had placed first in the 2013 HDI with a value of 0.6716.

    “The FCT ranked second with a value of 0.6289. It jumped six places as it had placed seventh in the 2013 HDI, with a value of 0.5112.

    “With a value of 0.5909, Bayelsa placed third, stepping a place down from the second place it occupied in 2013, with a value of 0.621.

    “Akwa Ibom ranked fourth with a value of 0.5641. The state retained its placement as it had also occupied the fourth position in the previous index, with a value of 0.5698.

    “Ekiti, occupying the fifth position with a value 0.5608, was one of the highest performers in terms of ranking, as it moved 11 places by jumping from the 16th position it occupied in 2013 to the fifth in the latest ranking.

    “Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe and Zamfara states are at the bottom of the National Human Development Index, according to the National Human Development Report 2018 released by the United Nations Development Programme.”

    The UNDP explained that HDI represents a geometric average of normalised indices for each of the three dimensions of health, knowledge and standard of living.

  • 81,481 persons live with HIV in Ondo — NACA

    Research has shown that no fewer than 81,481 persons are living with human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, in Ondo State. The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, Dr. Sani Aliu, confirmed this yesterday in Ondo, Ondo West Local Government Area of the state.

    Aliu said this when he paid a visit to the Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo, to seek the king’s support to mobilise his subjects for NACA survey in the area. The survey is tagged: Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey.

    The NACA DG, who was represented by Mrs Josephine Kalu, the Director of Resource Mobilisation of NACA, said that 10,000 persons out of the affected persons were on treatment.

    “Based on spectrum estimate we have, 81,481 persons that are living with HIV in Ondo State as at 2017 and out of the figure 10,000 persons are on treatment including 2,783 pregnant women. Also, the estimate for new HIV infection is 5,439 persons,” he said.

    According to him, the survey is the largest HIV population based survey in Nigeria being supported by the U.S. and Global Funds. He noted that the survey was important for proper planning and development of strategies that would lead to eradication of HIV and hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

    “The focus of the survey is able to gather data that will help to fight current level of HIV and hepatitis B and hepatitis C as we are looking at 2030 for a HIV-free generation. We cannot but have data that can be effectively used to fight these,” he said.

    Aliu enjoined more domestic resources to curb HIV. Oba Kiladejo commended efforts of the agency and urged it to do more on counselling and to focus more on the vulnerable areas. The monarch who expressed worry with the high number of persons living with HIV, asked for more funds to fight it.

     

     

     

  • Don’t declare any candidate in Ondo, aspirants tell panel

    Aspirants in Ondo North and Central with their supporters yesterday staged a protest in Akure, Ondo State capital over alleged plan to manipulate the exercise.

    The aggrieved Houses of Representatives and Assembly aspirants, numbering 14, accused the leadership of the party in the state of non-conduct of primary elections in all constituencies in Ondo Central and North Senatorial Districts.

    Among the protesters were: Aribo Olayato, Omosule Eniolorunda, Dr Olajide Owoka, Fadairo Dennis, Kenneth Olawale, Tayo Oluwatuyi and Mayokun Lawson-Alade.

    Others were: Bisi Adanri, Ibitoye Oluwole, Banji Akinkeye, Olasunkanmi Ojo, Oluwarotimi Abitogun, Kabiru Hassan and Bosun Ogunleye.

    Olayato, an aspirant for Owo/Ose federal constituency, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, alleged they assigned their agents to all wards without any election taking place.

    He said no INEC officials were on ground as observers, stressing it was later learnt some government functionaries directed voters should be dispersed because the governor had concluded arrangement for the exercise in all the constituencies.

    The aspirant alleged that the election officers and INEC have been compromised by the state government.

    He said: “Any attempt by the state leadership of the APC to declare certain aspirants as candidates in all the constituencies without primary election would amount to flagrant rape of democracy,which could cause disaffection within the ruling party”.

     

  • APC aspirants: No primaries in Ondo, don’t declare any candidate

    There was protest in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Saturday by the concerned All Progressives Congress(APC) aspirants from Ondo North and Central over alleged plan to manipulate the primary election.

    The aggrieved Aspirants for the Houses of Representatives and Assembly numbering 14 accused the leadership of the party in the state of not conducting the primary elections in all constituencies in Ondo Central and North Senatorial Districts.

    Among the protesters are Aribo Olayato,Omosule Eniolorunda,Dr Olajide Owoka,Fadairo Dennis,Kenneth Olawale,Tayo Oluwatuyi and Mayokun Lawson-Alade.

    Others are Bisi Adanri,Ibitoye Oluwole,Banji Akinkeye,Olasunkanmi Ojo,Oluwarotimi Abitogun, Kabiru Hassan and Bosun Ogunleye.

    According to Olayato, an Aspirant for Owo/Ose federal constituency who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, on October 4,the APC state chairman, Ade Adetimehin invited all of them to meet with the Election Committee members at the party’s secretariat.

    However, he said, none of the committee members turned up for the exercise.

    Olayato said Adetimehin consequently informed them that elections into the Senate, House of Representatives and Assembly would  hold last Friday, which prompted them to make preparations for the election.

    ” On the said date, we mobilized our supporters and agents in all the wards in our respective constituencies, with all party members who were supposed to vote for us converging in all the wards to exercise their franchise”.

    He however lamented that after assigning agents to all the wards, in their respective constituencies, reports came from the field agents that primary elections did not hold in all the wards.

    Besides, Olayato said no INEC officials were on ground as observers, stressing that it was later learnt that some government functionaries directed that the electorate should be dispersed on the claim that the governor had concluded arrangements for the exercise in all the constituencies.

    The aspirant alleged that the election officers and INEC have been compromised by the state government.

    “Any attempt by the state leadership of the APC to declare certain aspirants as candidates in all the constituencies without primary election would amount to flagrant rape of democracy, which could cause disaffection within the ruling party”.

  • Unidentified persons kill 18 year-old in Akure

    Unidentified persons have reportedly killed a girl identified as Oluwaseun Ajila in Ijoka area of Akure, the Ondo State capital on Thursday evening.

    Sources said the 18-year-old deceased was stabbed to death by her assailants.

    It was learnt that the girl’s mother , Mrs. Yemisi Ajayi, raised the alarm over the incident when she returned from work on the fateful day.

    A source said: “The mother of the deceased returned from work, and met her daughter’s lifeless body on the floor in a pool of blood.  She immediately called the attention of the neighbours to it.

    “ There were wounds on her body which indicated that someone must have fought with her inside the room and stabbed her to death. “

    The police have since arrested Oluwaseun’s boyfriend, Ebenezer Adedimola, over the incident.

    Confirming  the incident, police spokesman, Femi Joseph, said the late girl’s mother reported the matter to the police.

    He said: “The bereaved mother suspected her daughter’s boyfriend, because he had a misunderstanding with the girl recently.”

    He added that investigation  had commenced on the incident, and that perpetrators would be brought to book.

     

  • Ondo governor, Bauchi First Lady, Ooni, others for national youth summit

    Barring last minute hitches, Ondo will play host to Nigeria’s foremost dignitaries as the state holds the 2018 National Youth Summit, slated for Monday, October 8.

    The summit, which is being organised by the International Youth Congress (IYC), in conjunction with the Ondo State government and other organisations including the Elizade University, National Television Authority (NTA), the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, and Trybe Media Company, is expected to attract delegates from Nigeria’s 36 state governments, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and various youth groups and participants.

    According to a statement by the convener, Akinyemi Olowookere, and the National Youth Peace Summit (NYPS) team, the summit which will commence on October 8th is expected to end on Friday, October 12, and it will focus on the following topics: Peace, Conflict Management and Resolution; Youth Leadership and Education; Youth in Good Governance and Economic Growth; Globalization and International Human Rights Framework; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Climate Change; Effective Mediation, among others.

    ”For clarity purpose, the national Youth Peace Summit (NYPS 2018) is an amalgamation of a week of inspirational peace-talks, creative workshops, cooperative games, action based activities, volunteer actions, building cross-cultural relationships, cultural festivities and neighborhood walks.

    ”Beyond friendships, National Youth Peace Summit will also serve as breeding grounds for inspiring new ideas. Brainstorming new ideas is not limited to discussion forums as young people will also channel their creativity into Posters, Painting, Tree Planting, Sports1 and others to fully emphasize the issues; as these artistic outlets makes a bold statement,” according to Olowookere.

    Speakers expected at the event are Michael Tessler, Founder, International Youth Congress (IYC) Inc. and Dr. Samuel Fasanmi, an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State; Otunba Deji Osibogun, Convener, Yoruba Koya Movement and Chairman, Space FM, Ibadan, Oyo State and Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Chairperson, Transition Monitoring Group and Founder of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC).

     

     

  • Ondo: PDP nullifies Owo/Ose primary election

    The House of Representatives Electoral Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) on Friday nullified the primary election held in Owo/Ose federal constituency in Ondo state.

    The cancellation was hinged on irregularities and errors during the exercise.

    A statement jointly signed by the Committee’s Chairman, Bimbo Adepoju, Secretary, Modupe Johnson and member, Dayo Ogunmodede said the conduct of the election negates the laid down guidelines of the party.

    Read Also: Jimi Agbaje wins Lagos PDP guber primary

    The election according to the statement was conducted in flagrant disregard to the PDP guidelines and constitution, thereby subjecting the process to incredible handling.

    Also in Odigbo/Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo federal constituency,the primary was said to have been marred with irregularities.

    The Committee urged the National Secretariat of the PDP to do the needful to avoid internal political rancour.

  • Unknown persons kill 18 year-old in Ondo

    An unknown persons have reportedly killed a girl identified as Oluwaseun Ajila in Ijoka area of Akure, the Ondo State capital on Thursday evening.

    Sources said the 18-year-old deceased was stabbed to death by the unknown assailants.

    It was learnt that the mother of the deceased, Mrs. Yemisi Ajayi, raised the alarm over the incident when she returned from work on the fateful day.

    According to the source “The mother of the deceased returned from work, and met her daughter’s lifeless body on the floor in the pool of blood. She immediately called the attention of the neighbors to it.

    ” There were different wounds on her body which indicated that someone must have fought with her inside the room and stabbed her to death. ”

    The State Police Command has arrested the boyfriend of the deceased, Ebenezer Adedimola over the incident.

    Read Also: Man, 57, in court for assaulting police officer

    Police spokesman, Femi Joseph, who confirmed the incident said it was Mrs. Ajayi ( deceased’s mother) that reported the matter at a police station.

    He said, “The bereaved mother suspected her boyfriend because he had a misunderstanding with her recently.

    However , he said they have commenced investigation on the incident,stressing that perpetrators would be brought to book.