A political scientist, Dr. Gbade Ojo, has advised the Oyo State House of Assembly to imbibe the principle of separation of powers in the 1999 Constitution in the interest of the polity. The university teacher said political liberty could only be endured, if the three arms of government are separated, both in personnel and functions.
Ojo gave the advise while presenting a paper titled, “Separation of Powers and Good Governance: A Rear View Mirror”, at a workshop held for the members of the House of Assembly. The even took place at the MicCom Golf Hotel, Ada, Osun State.
The former Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Political Matters said the theory of separation of powers is a theory of “divisionism,” adding that it forbids overlapping membership, which is incompatible with the tenets of democracy.
He said: “This theory states that those who are in the legislature should not be in the executive, neither should they participate in judicial processes. What it means really is that those who make the laws should not be the people who will implement the same laws.”
Ojo added that, if judges are members of parliament, they would be subjected to party passions and the interpretation of the law would be coloured by the recollection of the debates in which they had taken part.
He noted that separation of powers is justified by preventing concentration of power on one person or group of persons which naturally might led to tyranny and oppression, which according to him, might lead to incidences of personalised power, where sovereigns rule for their own interest.
To reduce the rate at which disasters occur as well as help ameliorate the suffering of victims of various forms of disaster, the West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has presented a document on risk management to the Oyo State Government.
Receiving the document entitled “Multi-sector Oyo State Camp Coordination Contingency Plan” in his office, the Deputy Governor, who is also the chairman of the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA), Otunba Moses Adeyemo ýassured the organisation of government’s support, urging well-meaning individuals to assist those affected by any form of disaster.
Recalling how the August 26, 2011 flood which ravaged most parts of the state, almost gave the administration a bad ýname few months after it was sworn in, he said only God knows the number of people that died and the number of properties destroyed.
“Some people said we brought disaster but I must tell you that only God knows what will happen in the next minute. We are grateful that since then, through the collaborative efforts of NGOs such as WANEP, such disaster has not occurred againý. Though we cannot eradicate disaster in its entirety, let’s minimise it,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “Since 2006, WANEP has been active in its collaborative efforts to help minimise disasters. Some NGOs will access funds from government under the guise of helping the needy; they end up helping themselves with the fund. WANEP is not such organisation. We have trust in them and we will continue to assist them. I cannot but pray God to imbue them with the strength to continue in their humanitarian gesture.”
Promising to read and apply all the necessary recommendations in order to make the state disaster-freeý, Otunba Adeyemo advised Nigerians to ýpray fervently for the country to survive the current financial crisis it is experiencing.
He revealed that Nigeria is in such financial crisis which, he said; financial experts should help in rescuing her. He assured that Nigeria will surmount most of her problems with the Buhari-led administration.
While presenting the documentý, WANEP’s Head of Programme, Mrs Bukola Ademola-Adelehin revealed that the NGO had done chain of assessments in order to reduce disasters in the state, saying that those ravaged by disaster have been assisted.
She revealed that the group would partner other NGOs to reduce disaster, adding that the document was formally presented for the adoption of the state government.
The group’s State Coordinator, Mr. Kola Hamzat said WANEP is an organisation ýof over 200 NGOs, adding that following the assessment of the damage done during the August, 2011 flood in Ibadan, they rendered assistance to the victims, even as he stated that the Oyo State chapter, with its over 50 collaborating NGOs, is committed to reducing disasters.
The Oyo State government has begun the building of three state-of-the-art silos to improve the quality and quantity of storage of agricultural produce.
The silos are sited in each of the three senatorial districts in the state.
Speaking during inspection of the silo being built in Oyo town, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Gabriel Kehinde, said the Abiola Ajimobi administration has demonstrated its commitment to transform all sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture.
Kehinde said the governor achieved its aim through partnership with both local and foreign investors.
A director of the China National Heavy Machinery Corporation, which is the technical partner to Rahvet International, the company building the silos, Yang Shaoya, said the silo would be of world-class quality.
Shaoya, who was accompanied by Shi Zhenling, also revealed that Oyo is one of the few states to benefit from the Federal Government high quality cassava processing industries to be established by his corporation in China.
Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker Michael Adeyemo has said majority of the 32-member of the Eighth Assembly chose to suspend the rule of the House to allow a Labour Party (LP) candidate emerge as Minority Leader.
Adeyemo, who spoke to The Nation at the weekend, said the lawmakers did so to throw the position open.
The House is made up of 18 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), eight Accord and six LP members.
Olagunju Ojo defeated Olalekan Olagunju to emerge the Minority Leader.
He scored 21 to beat his rival’s nine.
Political observers had expected that Accord would produce the Minority Leader having produced higher minority lawmakers.
The development attracted some criticism.
But Adeyemo said the constitution allows suspension of any rule of the House to allow a majority decision sail through.
He said: “There is no controversy. People decided to go with what we have in the House rule, forgetting that the same rule makes provision for the suspension of any rule for you to do certain things.
“If you want to do certain things, you suspend the provision of the House rule that will stop you from doing it.
“Election of principal officers of the House is the business of the members of the House either from the majority or the minority. All members will participate.
“So, when it comes to the issue of election of minority leader, our rule says it should be from the minority party with the highest number of members but a member raised a motion that the rule be suspended.
“Why? They wanted the whole thing to be thrown open. So, what we did was in accordance with the rule of law.
“All members approved the suspension of the House rule and we went for voting. And the members decided who should be the Minority Leader.”
Adeyemo also promised that the Assembly would surpass the record of the Seventh Assembly as members have agreed to work together, irrespective of their political affiliations.
Kidnapping, one of the contemporary nauseating problems in Nigeria, is believed to be rooted and restricted to some parts of the country. However, BISI OLADELE and TAYO JOHNSON write that the uncovering of two kidnappers’ hideouts in Ibadan within three months raises the concern that many more dens may exist.
Ridding Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, of dens of kidnappers is fast manifesting as strength of the current leadership of the state’s police command. The command is ripping through the heart of the many operational hideouts of these men of the underworld and weakening their grip on targeted victims across the state.
Penultimate Tuesday, there was yet fresh discovery of another hideout of men of the underworld, sending signals that more kidnappers may exist in the city than contemplated.
The present hideout was discovered three months after the first one was uncovered at Eleegun village near Ajia village.
According to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Katsina, at the first den, police men engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel before they were overpowered. Eight suspects were arrested. Their captive, Chief Adebowale Omotoso, who was kidnapped in Awe, a community near Oyo, was also rescued. Huge sums of money and weapons were recovered from them. The suspects have since been charged to court.
They are Shittu Olaide, Bisi Adetutu, Ajayi Olaniyi, Ayobami Babatunde, Abayomi Oladipupo, Isiaka Kazeem, Femi Alabi and Hazzan Aliyu (who was arrested much later).
The second den is located at a sleepy village of Isase of Ojoku community in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State. But unlike the first one, only one suspect was arrested.
Adulterated currencies including Euros, pound sterling and United States (US) dollar as well as charms, statues and cowries were recovered from the hideout. Two Toyota Camry and a Nissan Almera cars were also recovered from the site.
The police boss said the den was discovered through intelligence gathering by his men.
Katsina said: “This place is another basket of criminality and multi-criminal den that accommodates all manner of crimes-kidnapping, arm-robbery, money doubling and other crimes. Here is a place meant specifically for exploiting members of the public. Their victims cut across the length and breadth of this country, some in Abuja, Lagos, Kogi and other states.
“This result was arrived at by my men after a painstaking investigation. You are aware that an innocent man was kidnapped in Kishi area, although the man was later released, but we never relented and this was the place the man was kept for days.
According to Katsina, the principal suspect was arrested but the Headmaster is on the run.
“I want him to know that the world is a circle. If he runs around, the arm of the law will surely catch up with him. I want to appeal to members of the public to be watchful of where they go and people they relate with, whether you are a Muslim or a Christian only God can sustain.
“Our war against crime and criminality in this state is yielding positive results and we will surely find more criminals no matter where they are. I have launched Operation Water Icing which is aimed at assisting us to spread our tentacles to accommodate, dominate and smoke out all criminals no matter where they are hiding,” he said.
The suspect, Ismail Adesina, 43, claimed that he was not a kidnapper but a herbalist and a fraudster.
He said he and his other members of the gang who are currently at large, are involved in producing fake currencies. Adesina said he and members of his gang deceived their victims and extorted money from them.
“I am from Beyeruka in Ibadan. I am a herbalist. I treat people suffering from diabetes, blindness, stomach ache and other diseases. I use herbs to cure them, but when there were no patients, I ventured into defrauding unsuspecting people through diabolical methods. We are three that operate here and we have customers all over Nigeria. The names of my accomplices are Tajudeen Orji and Saheed,” he said.
He confessed to have been involved in the criminal activities for four years, disclosing: “We have duped five people and we charged them between N150, 000 and N300, 000, depending on what they wanted us to do for them.
“Some people do come and say they need a child. Some want promotion in their office. Some may be looking for favour and protection, among others.”
Adegboyega Babatunde, the land vendor from whom the fraudsters bought the land claimed that the suspects bought two acres of land from him about five years ago for N50, 000.
“They claimed that they wanted to buy the land to build a house for traditional medicine until recently that we started seeing some suspicious activities. I will take the land back and refund their money if they want because we do not want evil people in this community,” he said.
Similarly, the Baale of Ojoku community, Chief Moses Adetunji claimed that he suspected the nefarious ýactivities being carried out at the area but was scared of reporting to the security operatives.
As it turned out in the two incidents, the kidnappers are ordinary people that we may meet on the road or may be our next door neighbours. They form a network of fraudsters, herbalists and informants with accomplices in different towns and communities.
shrine
While some specialise in giving insightful information about their preys’ measure of financial ability and their daily itinerary, the real gun-carrying criminals trail the preys until they track them down and kidnap them. Then, another set receive the victims into their hideouts where they are kept for days in an environment specially designed to instil fear in them. As shown in the two hideouts, the den was surrounded by shrines as well as items that convey signs of evil spirits to completely terrify the victims.
They keep threatening and terrifying the victims to enable them prevail on their relations to surrender to the demand for huge sums of money.
The first den was located near Eleegun village, a community of about 10 houses in the remote part of Ajia village. The entire wide expanse of land around the village has been bought by different people who are building residential houses on it. But while some houses are springing up, some new land owners use their parcel of land for farming of arable crops such as maize and cassava. Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) has opened in the village.
The den is tucked about 500 meters away in a parcel of land. With only two houses surrounded by five shrines, kidnap victims are completely cut off from the people.
“They must have been operating at nights. If victims shout, outsiders can’t hear them,” said a resident in the village who did not want her name in print for fear of intmidation.
She added: “Eleegun is a very old community. We have never had any issue of security. We were so happy to see police do the job. We just saw them pass. It was a huge surprise for us. Police never disturbed us just as the criminals never disturbed us. We have been enjoying our peace since then. Maybe, they do come at night, we don’t know.”
Some source revealed that the community had since decided to hold regular meetings to protect it.
“We shall soon begin to hold meetings in order to protect our community,” she said.
According to her, they were surprised to hear gunshots on that fateful day that the criminals were arrested. But she said they believed those shooting were hunters
“We started shouting, screaming and panicking, but we believed the gunshots were those of hunters. It was about 10:00 a.m.
The police didn’t come to ask us anything. They only came later to interrogate us,” she said.
On a close examination, the terrifying items were mere man-made from wood, sand blocks, cement and other raw materials. They are usually designed for the purpose. But victims can’t even fathom their genuineness under the circumstance in which they are held.
With traces of genuine charms and divination which may include a display of magic before the captives, the latter will surely be held spell-bound and in gripping fear about the supposed paranormal ability of their captors.
From the external appearance, none of the houses convey any suspicion of the internal content. Passers-by are most unlikely to suspect that such evil is being perpetrated in such houses. This makes it possible for the kidnappers to easily operate in areas that are scantily populated or even in purely elitist communities where population is very scanty and everyone minds his or her own business, never seeing one’s neighbour or caring about what is going on in the nearby house.
Members of the Oyo State House of Assembly yesterday began a three-day legislative training at MicCom Golf Hotels and Resorts, Ada, Osun State.
The Eight Assembly was inaugurated last Wednesday with Michael Adeyemo elected as Speaker.
The training, according to the Chief Press Officer of the Assembly, Lekan Kolade, is aimed at equipping the 32 lawmakers in the rudiments and processes of lawmaking for effective performances.
Adeyemo urged members to take full advantage of the training to be able to discharge their duties effectively.
Adeyemo applauded the financial commitment of Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
Topics to be covered include functions of the legislature, motions and how a bill becomes law and committee system in the legislature.
The Oyo State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Friday suspended its strike after the leadership of the union said that it had reached an agreement with the state government over payment of salary arrears.
The strike lasted nine days.
The union directed its members to stay off work since May 26 over unpaid salaries for workers and pensions for retirees.
Announcing the suspension Friday, the chairman of the state’s chapter of the NLC, Mr. Waheed Olojede, called on the workers to resume work on Monday, June 8, saying that an agreement had been reached with the government after several days of negotiations.
He said: “After a successful negotiation which led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government, the labour union has resolved to suspend the strike.”
He added that the union had also reached an agreement with the state government on modalities to adopt in paying the outstanding March, April and May salaries.
The Oyo NLC chairman also said that an agreement was also reached on the payment of grade levels one to 12 as soon as the next allocation to the state was released while levels 13 and above would be paid later.
Explaining why the Union adopted the style of payment, Olojede said that it was better than agreeing on half salary for all workers.
Government activities were paralysed yesterday in Osun and Oyo states as workers began indefinite strike over non-payment of their salary arrears.
In Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the gate of the state secretariat, local government offices and public schools were locked.
The state chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Jacob Adekomi, on Monday, said the strike came at the end of a 14-day ultimatum given to the government to pay the salary arrears.
A civil servant, Taofik Eleshinla, said workers would not resume, until the arrears are paid.
He criticised the government for denying them their entitlements.
A guard at the secretariat of Olorunda Local Government said workers complied with the call.
He said none of the workers came to work, except for some liason officers who came to attend to youth corps members.
Some pupils were seen playing in front of some secondary schools in Osogbo.
At Ataoja High School, some pupils said they were not allowed to enter the premises.
“We were not allowed to enter the school by the guard, a pupil, Mariam Alade, said.
At The Polytechnic, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, students returned to their hostels after waiting in vain for their lecturers.
The gates of some local government headquarters in Ibadan were also closed.
New corps members who were posted to the secretariat were lucky as there were few workers at the Ministry of Youths and Sports to attend to them.
The Head of Service (HoS), Soji Eniade, urged the workers to resume work and allow for further negotiations between labour and government.
Eniade said it was on record that since the inception of the Abiola Ajimobi-led administration, payment of salaries had been effected latest by the 25th of every month.
He added that this feat had been maintained until recently when allocation to states from the Federal Government started nose-diving.
The HoS maintained that the paucity of funds had been discussed with the representatives of the labour unions on the need to fashion out ways of addressing the development.
Eniade said the situation in which the state had found itself called for synergy between government and workers, particularly on ways of improving the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
“I like to personally plead with workers to resume work as it is our joint responsibility to ensure a complete transformation of our state to a very buoyant and self sustaining economy,’’ he said.
Traders and artisans who benefited from the N300million interest free loan under the Oyo State Government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneur Development Scheme have been urged to not renege on the repayment.
The Secretary to the State Government, Olalekan Alli, said this while addressing the beneficiaries yesterday at the Secretariat, Ibadan.
Alli said the government made the loan interest free so that its re-payment would be convenient.
He urged them to start re-paying, noting that the government will pay the interest on the loan.
The Oyo State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese firm, CCECC, for the building of a light rail transport system covering about 24 kilometres within Ibadan, the state capital.
Speaking at the ceremony, which took place at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Ibadan at the week-end, Governor Abiola Ajimobi described the development as another milestone in his administration’s quest to modernise major cities in the state.
He said the project was long overdue for the state with a
population of over 10 million, stressing that any city with a population of at least two million required a light rail system of
“We believe that in our quest to modernise Oyo State, particularly in
the area of transportation having a light rail system is a sine qua non.
“Ibadan as a city, and indeed, Oyo State, with over 10 million people, is overdue for a rail system that can move people in large numbers from places to places. Rail is the largest and most effective transportation system to achieve this.”
