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Tag: Oyo

  • Bush meat hunters risk 10-year jail term in Oyo

    Bush meat hunters risk 10-year jail term in Oyo

    The Nigerian Conservation Federation (NCF) has warned that anyone found guilty of exploitation and commercial hunting of wild animals risked 10-year imprisonment with an option of N1million fine or both.
    Its Director-General Mr Adeniyi Karunwi, gave the warning in Ibadan at a workshop organised by the Pangolins Conservation Working Group, Nigeria.
    The workshop organised in collaboration with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in the South West Zone and entitled “Speak Up for Pangolins” was in commemoration of the 2017 World Pangolins Day.
    “Our environment is in danger; a lot of wild animals like pangolins are at the risk of going into extinction and there is over-exploitation of these animals.
    “People need to know that exploitation and commercialisation of wildlife identified under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Amendment Act is a criminal offence that attracts a 10-year jail term,” Karunwi said.
    According to him, conservation of wildlife is important in order to promote ecological tourism.
    On her part, Dr Olajumoke Morenikeji, Coordinator, Pangolin Conservation Working Group, said that pangolins risked going into extinction because they were the most illegally hunted and traded mammals.
    Morenikeji, who is an Environmental Biologist, said that pangolins were illegally traded for their scales, meat and body parts which were in high demand in Asia, especially in China and Vietnam.
    “Pangolins’ meat is considered a delicacy, while their scales are used in traditional medicine and folk remedies to treat a range of ailments.
    “There is insatiable demand for pangolin scales, especially in China where they are used for traditional medicines.
    “There is a belief that the scales has curative properties like keratin and can be used to treat skin diseases.
    “There is also the claim that its liver, throat and toes can successfully treat asthma, goitre, elephantiasis and impotence,” she said.
    She, however, said that the claims of the traditional medicine practitioners were yet to be scientifically evaluated.
    “If pangolins go into extinction before research can be done, the human race would have lost a lot of benefits.
    “The issue of pangolin is a shame to the country for a recently seized shipment in China contained kilograms of pangolin scales which totalled 7,200 pangolins got from Nigeria.
    “We are appealing to hunters to stop the exploitation and trafficking of these animals.
    “Pangolins, like all animals going to extinction, serve as buffer for human beings. If we remove all the buffers in the ecosystem, one day, the human race will also go into extinction.
    “We need a grassroots approach to education and awareness on the importance of pangolin conservation to the ecosystem; humanity should be the guardian of pangolins, not the predator,” Morenikeji said.
    NESREA Southwest Zonal Director Mr Adeleke Ajani, said pangolins were important in the maintenance of ecological balance.
    “Pangolins need to be sustained because they are very important in the ecosystem; they also serve as biological pest control,” Ajani said.
    “They are very voracious ant eaters; one pangolin can eat 70 million insects, including pests in a year. This means if you remove all of them you are calling for trouble,” he said.

    Describing their sustainability as crucial, Ajani said that pangolins were peculiar animals which mates only once in a year and gives birth to just a single young one.

    “Pangolins are very vulnerable creatures which cannot breed in captivity; they only breed well in their natural environment.

    “We need to go into research as well
    as get the actual inventory of these animals in the wild and see possible means of domesticating them,” he said.

  • Oke-Ogun… Oyo’s untapped goldmine

    Oke-Ogun… Oyo’s untapped goldmine

    The Oke-Ogun belt of Oyo State has a lot to offer but for myriad of reasons its goldmine remains untouched, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU

    Its name is Ado Awaye. It is about 20 kilometre west of Iseyin in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State. In this tucked-away community lies one of nature’s greatest gifts to man. It is a suspended lake nestled on one of the crests of rocks, which surveyors love to call “sleeping lion”.

    To get to this Wonder of Oke-Ogun, you have 350 steps to climb from the base. All you need is about an hour. But as you go, there are ‘consolation prizes’ in the forms of historical shrines and others on the way.

    Once you climb up, Benin Republic border beckons. You have a full view of the border into this neigbouring country and a breath-taking view of a range of hills. Many who have got to a point called “Esekan Iku” (the verge of death) have their names etched permanently on the rock with pieces of stone.

    The inhabitants rely on the lake for water. The lake does not know dry or wet season. It retains the same volume of water all year round. The thick vegetation remains evergreen all through the year.

    The suspended lake is just one of the many good things about the Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State, which are waiting to be fully put to profitable use.

    Apart from the suspended lake, other tourism potentials include the Royal Forest (Igbo-Oba) in Igboho; Old Oyo National Park; Asabari Hill, Saki; Rock formation (Agbele hill) In Igbeti; Ikere Gorge Dam, Iseyin; Akomare Hill Iganagan; Samuel Ajayi Crowther’s birth place, Osoogu; and Imofin Hill.

    Of the state’s 33 local government areas, Oke-Ogun has 10. These 10 local governments boast of land, which are suitable for agricultural and agro-allied uses, but 70 per cent of the population are engaged in subsistence farming and related activities.

    Oke-Ogun is not just about land alone. Inside the land, nature deposited mineral resources, which unfortunately still lie unused. These minerals have been found in commercial and mineable quantities.

    Marble and dolomite are in abundance in Igbeti, Olorunsogo Local Government and in Alaguntan, in Orile Local Government. Tourmaline is found in quantum in Budo Are and Komu, Itesiwaju Local Government.

    If tantalite is what interests you, Olodo in Egbeda Local Government and Seperati in Saki East Local Government are where to head to. There are large quantity of feldspar in Atiba Local Government and in Itesiwaju Local Government, quartz is in commercial quantity.

    Other resources include: Bismuth in Iwajowa; agate in Iwajowa and  Itesiwaju; cassiterite in Saki East; columbite in Itesiwaju and Saki East; talc in Ona-Ara; kaolin in Ado-Awaye in Iseyin Local Government; and coloured Granite in Irawo, Atisbo Local Government.

    From records, there are no exploitations of these resources on commercial scale to yield abundant wealth. No value being added to the abundant raw materials to generate jobs and wealth. Farming is still done at subsistence level, making it impossible for the cycle of poverty to be broken.

    The political angle

    Not a few have wondered why a people so blessed are so poor. Many in Oke-Ogun believe that its people have a lot to do with its under-development. Divisions among the people, lack of respect for one another and envy have been identified as reasons why the people have not been able to speak with one voice on the leadership of the state.

    Since the creation of the state, no indigene of the area has been elected governor. The best that has happened is producing deputy governor. Ibadan and Ogbomosho have mastered the art of taking advantage of the division in Oke-Ogun, a source said.

    As the countdown to the next general elections begin, traditional rulers in the axis are said to have begun underground mobilisation to get the political class to speak with one voice.

    Already names of some indigenes of the area are being bandied as likely governorship aspirants. On this list is Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s deputy, Chief Moses Adeyemo, who was born on April 4, 1950 in Igboho, Oorelope Local Government. A former Chief of Staff to Ajimobi, Deolu Akande, has also been named as interested. Akande also worked with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

    There is also Remi Olaniyan from Igboho, who was Permanent Secretary in Oyo State under Governor Rashidi Ladoja. The name of Ahmed Sani, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who hails from Iseyin, has also been linked with the 2019 race.

    Also being mentioned is Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu, who has tried his hands on getting the seat in the past. The last time he tried, he lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to Ajimobi. This generated bad blood and led to a protest against his ministerial nomination.

    Aside these contenders, the talk in many circles in Oyo is about what someone has described as ‘the candidate hidden in the plain sight’: Debo Adesina. The Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, who as a federal commissioner under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua walked out and returned to the newsroom, is being encouraged to bid journalism bye and take a shot at being Ajimobi’s successor. The move to draft Adesina is said to have been led by Prof. Dada Adeniyi of Kishi, who was President of the Oke-Ogun Development Council. Kishi was said to have had the backing of many monarchs in the area.

    This accomplished journalist — and perhaps the most decorated in Nigerian journalism having been Editor of the Year seven times —  became the Editor of African Guardian at 27. It remains to be seen if the 51-year-old Okaka-born journalist, who edited The Guardian from 1999 to 2011, will join the race.

    But for Oke-Ogun to make impact in the race, unity of purpose, said a source, is important. “They have to speak in almost one voice. The majority have to buy into the idea and end the current situation where people from the area belong to almost all available political party.”

     

    Rotational leadership

     

    Apart from Akande, Shittu, Adesina and others who are from Oke-Ogun, Ibadan, which has led the state more than any other zone, is warming up again. Former Governor Ladoja is warming up. A deputy governor in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is also being prodded by Ibadan elite to join the race. There is also Soji Akanbi, who represents Oyo South in the Senate. His predecessor on that seat, Senator Femi Lanlehin, is also said to be interested in the coveted seat.

    A former candidate and an indigene of Ibadan, Seyi Makinde, is also said to be re-oiling his machinery ahead of 2019.

    Not a few, however, feel that for equity and justice, Ibadan should back off for Oke-Ogun. A former governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Dr Bayo Adewusi, believes rotation should be a factor in determining who becomes governor.

    Adewusi, a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, said a situation where only a zone in the state produces successive governors is not in the best interest of the people of the state.

    Speaking with reporters on his 58th birthday, Adewusi, who hails from Eruwa, said: “If you have followed the politics and voting patterns of election in Oyo State since 1999, you will see that nobody will emerge governor without the active votes of all the other 22 local governments of the state. Ibadan votes alone cannot produce governor in Oyo State. In the last election, the votes from the Oke-Ogun part of the state produced the governor. For me, in the interest of justice, equity and fairness, the position of the governor must be rotated. Let everyone be a part of it. There should be a sense of belonging of every other part of the state. If there are other people from other parts of the state who indicate interests, they should be encouraged; that is my view.”

     

    Time will tell

    Analysts are of the view that Oke-Ogun deserves more than it is getting. T is also their contention that what tomorrow will bring to Oke-Ogun will also depend largely on how its leaders and followers play the political game.

  • Oyo ‘arrests’ eight pupils

    Oyo ‘arrests’ eight pupils

    The Oyo State Government has begun a clampdown on truancy across the state.
    Eight pupils were arrested yesterday in Ibadan by the team led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Community Relations, Abidemi Siyanbade.
    The pupils, who were roaming the streets during school hours, were taken to the State Social Development Centre, Samonda for counselling.
    The pupils were from Methodist Grammar School, Bodija; Bishop Onabanjo Memorial Grammar School, Bodija and St Luke Grammar School, Molete.
    Siyanbade asked the pupils’ parents and head teachers to come to the Social Development Centre in Samonda.

  • Oyo gets order to release allocations

    The Oyo State government has got a variation order, which  allows allocations for its 33 local governments to be paid directly to them.

    Commissioner for Information Toye Arulogun, in a statement yesterday, said Justice John Tsoho of an Abuja High Court gave the order in a ruling on February 7 in the suit between 15 chiefs from Oyo Town, the government and nine others on the conduct of local government elections.

    Arulogun explained that the order expressly states: “It is hereby ordered that following the understanding reached by the counsel representing the principal parties as communicated to court, Order 4 on the drawn up order of this court dated January 20 is varied as follows: that there shall be no more warehousing of monies and or allocations meant for the 33 local governments by the second, third, fourth and fifth defendants.

    “That such monies and or allocations shall be released directly to the said local governments as constitutionally mandated and that this matter is adjourned till March 22 for report of settlement.”

  • LAUTECH: Oyo, Osun set up technical committee

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, and his Osun State counterpart, Rauf Aregbesola, have set up a 10-person technical committee to produce a white paper from the visitation panel’s reports on the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

    The visitation panel, chaired by legal luminary Wole Olanipekun (SAN), set up by the two owner-states to investigate the crises rocking LAUTECH and recommend short-term and long term solutions, submitted its report to Ajimobi and Aregbesola last week.

    Ajimobi’s Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy Yomi Layinka announced this at a briefing in Ibadan yesterday.

    The technical committee, chaired by Ajimobi’s Chief of Staff Gbade Ojo, will begin its sitting today.

    It is expected to submit a white paper on the visitation panel’s report within two weeks.

    The Director of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Oyo State, Kunle Adeosun, will serve as secretary.

    The owner-states set four-point terms of reference for the committee, which include looking at the recommendations of the panel and review whatever inadequacies that might be in the recommendations.

    The committee is also expected to come up with pragmatic recommendations for the reopening of the school and its sustainability without necessarily bringing financial burden to the owners.

    Members of the committee also from Oyo State are Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Seun Abimbola; permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance, David Olatunde; permanent secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Ronke Makanjuola and Chairman, Oyo State House of Assembly Committee on Education, Afeez Adeleke.

    Members of the committee from Osun State are former permanent secretary, Cabinet Office, Obafemi Akinyele; permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance, Adebimpe Ogunlumade, permanent secretary, Ministry of Education, Sunday Olajide; Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Education, Folorunsho Bamisayemi.

  • Scores injured, as robbers attack Oyo community

    Scores injured, as robbers attack Oyo community

    • Villagers boycott schools over transfer of teachers

    No fewer than four persons, while several others sustained gunshot injuries from dare-devil armed robbers in Oyo town.

    The robbers who carried out their deadly operations at daylight attacked residents of Pastor School, Pakoyi, Ile lemomu, Iseke, Akeetan, Boroboro, Awumoro, Isokun, and Iasle-Oyo areas.

    The robbers said to be mainly youths dispossessed residents of their belongings, including cash, after which they would be severely beaten and inflicted with machetes or guns.

    The situation led to an emergency meeting of all sons and daughters in the ancient towns and suburbs under the umbrella of Oyo Metropolitan Development Association, held at the Atiba hall in Oyo town.

    Addressing thousands of residents and indigenes trembled with fear, chairman of the association, arch-bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, called on the Federal and State Governments to, as a matter of utmost concern, save the souls of Oyo people from attacks by armed robbers.

    Ladigbolu said. ‘’lives and properties in the metropolis are no longer safe. Men of the underworld have taken over the metropolis, thus making the people to be at their mercy. We are crying unto concerned
    authorities to do all that is necessary to save innocent lives from robbers’ mindless attacks.’’

    A visit to some private hospitals in the ancient town revealed injured residents being attended to by medical doctors and nurses.

    When contacted, Officer-in-charge of Special Anti-Robbery Squad [FSARS] for Oyo/Ogbomoso and Oke-ogun, Mr. A. Monifere, said in an interview with our correspondent  that though no arrests have been
    made, the squad has commenced 24-hour motorised patrol and surveillance of the metropolis.

    Monifere stated that lack of co-operation and unwillingness by the people to volunteer information for effective detection of crimes and arrests of criminals does not augur well for the squad operations.

    Meanwhile, for three weeks running, primary schools in seven villages in the Oyo-East local government have remained under lock and key, following their boycott by the villagers.

    The villages which include, Oke-Apo, Kiyeseni, Ajagba, Apara, Imeleke, Baseke, and Ilu-Aje are Oyo homesteads and among the fifteen communities that are challenging the Oyo State Government at an Abuja Federal High Court for ceding their territories to another council, the Afijio local government.

    There were four local governments in the metropolis [Afijio, Atiba, Oyo- East and Oyo- West] before the creation of four additional councils’ development areas.

    Of all the new councils’ development areas created that of the Oyo South- East under which the fifteen villages fall is the most contentious.

    Before now, postings and transfers of primary school teachers were not based on indigenization policy, as pupils were taught in schools in conducive and harmonious atmospheres.But shortly after the creation of new council development area,

    But shortly after the creation of new council development area, primary school teachers who are indigenes of Oyo were transferred from the villages to Oyo town, while their counterparts who are indigenes of Afijio were retained.

    Disturbed about the development, the villagers who wondered why such discriminate decision could have been taken, retaliated by preventing their wards from going to schools.

    This didn’t go down well with some irate youths from the neighbouring in another local government, who stormed the villages and warned the villagers to rescind their decision or face the consequence.

    Perturbed by such action, the villagers after an emergency meeting resolved not to rescind their decision but warned that any further invasion of their villages by any group would be vehemently resisted.

    It was learnt that the timely intervention of men of the Directorate of state security service [DSS] and other security agencies averted bloodshed.

    Speaking in an interview, head of Kiyeseni village and spokesman for the other village heads, chief Lateef Busari, said, ‘in this circumstance, how do we guarantee the safety of our children/why the discriminatory policy. We are Oyo enclaves and had been living harmoniously without rancour’ While commending security agencies for their sense of devotion to duty, chief Busari warned against any act by any group that could undermine peace and tranquillity in the state’.

    Also commenting, chairman, Oyo Metropolitan Development Association, archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, described the situation as ‘disheartening, worrisome and a dangerous precedent’.

    Efforts to speak with secretaries of both the Afijio and Oyo-East Universal Basic Education Commission [UBEC] were to no avail, as they kept sealed lips over the matter.

    As at the time of filing this report, schools were still deserted by pupils, as few teachers who are Afijio indigenes were seen discussing the situation in groups.

  • Lawmaker gives multi million naira lifeline to constituents in Oyo

    Lawmaker gives multi million naira lifeline to constituents in Oyo

    The people of Oyo Central Senatorial district of Oyo State will not forget in haste January 6. It was the day Senator Monsurat Sunmonu brought home dividends of democracy to them.

    People from the 11 council areas of the state, which include Afijio, Akinyele, Atiba, Egbeda, Lagelu, Oyo East, Oyo West, Ona-Ara, Oluyole, Ogo-Oluwa and Surulere, converged on the open field of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan for the lawmaker’s distribution of empowerment tools.

    By 10:00a.m, the venue was boisterous as hundreds of members had arrived at the premises. Some of them were also observed to be sitting quietly with their eyes gleefully inspecting the series of items lined up at the centre of the venue.

    Among the empowerment materials distributed are sewing machines, hair dryers, electricity generating sets, hand sprayers, gas cookers, fertilisers and motorcycle.

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who was the guest of honor, applauded the giant strides of the lawmaker. He said Sunmonu has proved to be a worthy representative of the district and the state considering her tremendous achievements.

    The governor, who recalled her outstanding performance as the speaker of the State House of Assembly, said Mrs Sunmonu facilitated projects and contributed actively at the National Assembly.

    “Sunmonu has been doing very well. She is active and very intelligent. She is a worthy representative, who has exhibited Integrity, Godliness, Patriotism and Selflessness,” he said.

    He urged other members to emulate Mrs Sunmonu, saying every responsible and responsive representative must make the welfare of their people paramount on their minds.

    Prince Kunle Sanda, S.M Akindele and Mr Sunday Adewale applauded Sunmonu for her achievements and commitment to the welfare of her people.

    Sanda, Akindele and Adewale, who spoke on behalf of Ibadan, Oyo and Ogbomoso divisions of the senatorial district, appreciated the lawmaker for being a good example of quality representation.

    Also, Olufunmilayo Philips, a beneficiary of Mrs. Sunmonu’s scholarship, appreciated the lawmaker for her support, which covered his education and external examinations.

    Philips, who is undergoing a Master’s Degree in Mathematics at WUHAN University of Technology, China, said the lawmaker also facilitated international scholarship for him.

    He was the best performing student at a Mathematics Competition organised by National Association of Oyo Students (NAOS).

    Mrs. Sunmonu, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the work of a legislator exceeded dishing out cash gifts to constituents but involved facilitation of projects and ensuring the implementation by the executive.

    She said she had sponsored four bills, co-sponsored 10 bills, sponsor seven motions, co-sponsored/supported many motions and had carried out oversight functions.

    Her four bills are Amendment of the Electoral Act, Amendment of Arbitration and Conciliation Act, Amendment of Federal Road Safety Act and Amendment of Criminal Code Act.

  • Oyo suspends council polls indefinitely

    Oyo suspends council polls indefinitely

    The Oyo State government has suspended the February 11 local government elections, following a court injunction by 15 village heads in Oyo town.
    Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Seun Abimbola; Commissioner for Information and Culture Toye Arulogun; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Bimbo Kolade and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication Yomi Layinka announced this at a briefing yesterday.
    Justice John Tsoho of a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the State Independent Election Commission (OYSIEC) not to proceed with its plan to conduct local government election.
    The judge also directed Accountant General of the Federation, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ministry of Finance to withhold monthly allocation to the 33 local governments.
    The orders were made in Abuja on January 20, following a motion ex-parte filed on behalf of 15 baales from Oyo Federal Constituency by Ahmed Raji, pursuant to the creation of 35 local council development authorities (LCDAs).
    The creation of the LCDAs last year was said to have tampered with the boundaries of the 33 local governments recognised in the 1999 Constitution.
    The 15 village heads in some communities, which were hitherto under Oyo Federal Constituency, got ceded to local government areas which fall within the boundary of Oyo North Senatorial District.
    The four local governments in Oyo Federal Constituency are within Oyo Central Senatorial District.
    The court also directed that monthly allocation to the 33 councils should be lodged in an interest-yielding account to prevent the government from using same to fund the LCDAs as prayed by the plaintiffs.
    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also restrained from supporting OYSIEC in the conduct of the election through the release of voter register or any other material.
    Abimbola explained that the government set up a petition and review committee when the government received petitions from some communities that their land has been ceded or encroached upon by other communities with the creation of the LCDAs.
    “The peace loving governor after receiving all these petitions set up the committee to look into it, and different aggrieved party, including the 15 village heads who appeared in person before the committee, but we were shock when we learnt that they have obtain a court injunction without waiting for the resolution of the committee.
    “We were served with the court injunction just yesterday by the federal high court at our liaison office in Abuja.” he said
    The Commissioner for Justice said as a law abiding government, they will abide with the court order and suspend the conduct of the election indefinitely, promising that the order will be contested vigorously in the court.
    He urged the resident and the political parties in the state to remain calm and uphold peace in the state.
    Similarly, Arulogun dispel the rumour making rounds that the state government was behind the court injunction.
    He said:” The court order stopping the conduct of the election is not government orchestrated or induced. If the state government does not want to conduct election, he will not release funds for OYSIEC or set set date for the election”.
    Also, Kolade said the creation of the LCDAs has not been cancelled, noting that it was only the election into the council areas that has been suspended.

  • ‘Agents to blame for delay in processing C of O in Oyo’

    ‘Agents to blame for delay in processing C of O in Oyo’

    Against the backdrop of complaints by land owners, surveyors, estate valuers and related professionals in the processing of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in Oyo State, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ajiboye Omodewu, in this interview with BISI OLADELE, revealed the applicants’ mistakes that cause delays in the process, among other issues. Excerpts

    There are complaints from land owners in Oyo State over an alleged cumbersome procedure in obtaining Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). Why is this so?

    That was then. Things have improved now. In 2011, during the first term of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, he held series of meetings to address the problem you just referred to. He set up a committee where it was agreed that issuance of the C of O to applicants should not exceed 60 days. We also discovered that most of the problems associated with the issue are caused by the applicants themselves. Many people think that once you put in your application, there shouldn’t be any follow-up, which is not right. There is also the issue of survey. Most people patronise unlicensed surveyors. So, when they bring the application with the survey, the Department of Survey would discover that there is no any record copy which people know as red copy. That means it is not authentic. So, once they put in the application, they don’t follow up and they don’t have the correct survey, which hinders the processing of the C of O.

    Why would they need to follow up? Do people have to be coming to ensure that their applications are given attention?

    You don’t need to be coming to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development every day. But once you put in your application, at least you need to know what is going on and see if there is any problem concerning the application. For instance, our people may want to get in touch with you. If your phone number or address is not right, it won’t be possible. Also, most of our people present fake tax papers. You must have evidence of tax payment, at least, in the last three years. If you don’t have that, we won’t process your papers. Another issue is that of physical inspection. We have to go and inspect your land, your property. Without proper inspection, we can’t continue with the processing of the C of O.

    Oyo State is very large. Does this ministry have enough staff to carry out inspections on the high number of applications you receive for C of O? 

    Definitely, we do. We have the land officers that go to the sites to see the land and ensure that there is no mix-up in the issuance of the C of O. Our inspectors can go to three or four places in a day. So, they just go to the land, measure it to make sure that the one they are doing the processing for is the right land. We still have officers at the zones that can go there with them. For instance, the zone’s officers know every nook and cranny of their area. It is not only members of staff of the Ministry of Lands alone. We have Zonal Officers in different areas. Therefore, physical inspection is not a problem. So, once there is no any problem with physical inspection, no wrong coordinates from the survey, no problem of tax, no problem of agent, then, you can be sure your C of O will be ready in record time. You can cut off the problem of land agents by coming to the Ministry of Lands to get proper information. We have a dedicated office that is in charge of that. From there, the applicant will be provided with the requirements, what the applicant needs and where to start from. But instead of coming to the Ministry of Lands, people go through agents. The agents just take their money and they don’t do anything and they will say the paper is progressing or we are waiting for the governor’s approval or we are waiting for the commissioner’s approval or the permanent secretary did not sign, which is not true. You don’t need any agent to do the C of O. Just walk into the Ministry of Lands. Either one goes to the office of the Permanent Secretary, or goes to the office of the Commissioner or the office of the Director or the Department of C of O.  Tell them this is what I want to do and they will guide you. Most of the problems come from the applicants, not from the ministry. Once there is no problem, I promise you that you can get your C of O within 60 days.

  • Confusion as court stops Oyo council polls

    Confusion as court stops Oyo council polls

    There was confusion among parties in Oyo State at the weekend, following a court ruling restraining the State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) from conducting the February 11 local government election.

    Though details were sketchy, it was gathered that a federal high court in Abuja on Friday granted the prayer of a team of baales (village heads), who sued the commission.

    The electoral umpire had slated election into the 33 local governments and 35 Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) for February 11.

    But some baales in Oyo West, Atiba and Oyo East local governments sought an order restraining the commission from conducting the planned election pending the determination of the case.

    It was learnt that they are angry that delineation of the LCDAs ceded away part of their domains.

    was learnt that parts of their domains were ceded to Afijio.

    A source said the baales simply wanted the issue resolved before any election holds in the LCDAs.

    The order, it was learnt, was granted towards closing hour on Friday, making it difficult for the information to be officially circulated.

    The development has caused commotion among major parties and their candidates, who were finalising preparations for the election.

    Accord Party, Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) revealed that their candidates have emerged; the All Progressives Congress (APC) slated its  primary for tomorrow.

    The council poll is coming 10 years after the last exercise was conducted during the tenure of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja in 2007.

    Reacting yesterday, SDP State Publicity Secretary Akeem Azeez said: “It is quite unfortunate that an opportunity to expose rejection of the APC-led government in the state has been postponed.

    “Without doubt, APC-appointed OYSIEC has shown enough reasons to doubt its capacity and sincerity to conduct credible local government election in Oyo State.”

    APC spokesman Wale Sadare was not available for comments.

    His OYSIEC counterpart, Cosmas Nnadi, was also not available for comments.