The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Oyo

  • Help pay these pharmaceutical companies

    Help pay these pharmaceutical companies

    IN 2010, some pharmaceutical companies supplied drugs to the Oyo Stae Government. The agreement was that the payment for the drugs would be made immediately after the supply. But this did not happen.

    Though the drugs were supplied during the administration of Alao-Akala, I am appealing to the present governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to pay the companies in the interest of justice.

    Some of the representatives who handled the supply lost their jobs as a result of their inability to make the government pay.

    I know that Senator Ajimobi is a kind and listening governor. He has been helping people. And I believe he will help these pharmaceutical companies out by paying their money.

    Mr Abimbola,

    Oyo State.

  • Osun, Oyo, Ondo on list of Abuja blast victims

    Osun, Oyo, Ondo on list of Abuja blast victims

    After the initial shock, officials have settled down to find out the identities of the victims of the Nyanya suicide bombing in which no fewer than 75 people died and 164 injured.

    Imo, Katsina and Benue indigenes top the list of the injured.

    The police released yesterday security advisory to Nigerians for the Easter holiday.

    According to the figures released by the National Emergency Agency (NEMA), 126 are in nine hospitals.

     The clinics  are Nyanya General Hospital(11); Asokoro District (26); Maitama District Hospital (22); PAN-RAF Hospital(nine); National Hospital (31); Mararaba General Hospital (eight); Customs Hospital (14); Abuja Clinic, Karu (four); and Garki Hospital (one).

    The victims are from 26 of the 36 states.

    The states of 48 victims were unknown as at press time. Imo, Katsina and Benue top the list of the injured ones.

    The highlights are as follows: 48 (no states); Imo (eight); Katsina (eight); Benue (eight); Edo (six); Kaduna (six); Enugu (five); Kogi (five); Sokoto(five); Cross River (one); Ebonyi (three); Plateau (two); Kebbi (one); Kwara (two); Adamawa (one); Kano (two); Osun (one); Oyo (two); Delta(two); Nasarawa (two); Ondo (one); Abia (two); FCT (one); Rivers (one) Akwa Ibom (two); Anambra (one) and Jigawa(one).

    The police advisory urges Nigerians to be vigilant at motor parks, shopping malls and recreational centres.

    The police specifically cautioned those who will worship in mosques and churches to take precautionary measures.

    A statement by police spokesman Frank Mba, said: “Against the backdrop of recent security challenges in the country and the general preparation for the forthcoming Easter celebrations, the Nigeria Police High Command has urged worshippers both at Jumat and church services to take adequate measures to reduce the number of vehicles around these hallowed worship centres so as to make the tasks of keeping surveillance on the area easier.

    “ The police apex authority also advises that abandoned and disused vehicles should not be parked within or close to places of worship and residential areas. It further highlights the need for vehicles parked overnight in those premises to be properly vetted and identified.

    “While emphasising that empty containers and other forms of receptacles (including dustbins) not in use should be properly disposed or stored far away from the reach of unauthorised persons, the Police High Command highlights the need for flower pots and flower edges around residential buildings, offices and worship centres to be kept clear and regularly checked for foreign or suspicious objects.

    “The Police High Command also enjoins worshippers to make conscious effort to know fellow members of their congregation, as this will make it easier to know who is a stranger in their midst. It reiterates the need for worshippers to be security alert and report all suspicious characters and observations to the Police.

    “The worship centres are enjoined to discourage hawking and clustering/loitering around the worship centres after service. Worshippers are equally advised to refrain from entering the worship centres with hand bags, brief-cases and other related items.

    “The Force equally advises operators of motor parks, shopping malls and recreational centres to work very closely with the police and other security agencies as they strive to strengthen general security in their respective facilities.

    “While assuring the public of his administration’s readiness and commitment towards ensuring a safe and secure environment, the Inspector-General Police, MD Abubakar also wishes Nigerians a very peaceful and happy Easter celebrations.”

  • Cholera looms in Oyo town, as residents defecate in schools

    • Blocks of classrooms turn into latrines

    Unless appropriate authorities take urgent steps on the dehumanizing and unhygienic situation at the L .A. Primary School, Bola, Shanga area in the Oyo West local government area of Oyo State, lives of pupils and teachers are in grave danger.

    Investigation  revealed that besides the fact that the school is in-conducive for learning, a block of four classrooms have been turned latrines where residents pass out excreta.

    Whenever the school closes for the day, especially at the weekends, some residents who are fond of defecating at any available open spaces would move into the school and litter the compound with faeces.

    Consequently, the pupils are forced to clean the excreta and inhaling the offensive odour before they can settle down for class works.

    Food vendors are also not helping the situation as the edibles are not being properly covered from swarm of houseflies emerging from the classrooms turned toilets and hovering round the premises wiyh attendant odour that stenches all over the place .

    The school is vulnerable to marauders as it has many entrances. The fencing cannot guarantee any security either as it is not high enough.

    Interestingly, the school is very close to family compounds of immediate past Speaker, State House of Assembly, Moroof Atilola, and the incumbent caretaker chairman of the Local Government, Soji Ojoawo, both of who are indigenes of the town.

    It was reliably learnt that some pupils and teachers had fallen sick and were diagnosed of cholera at a private hospital due to emission of the pervading odour around the school premise.

    Though the Headmaster of the school could not be reached when contacted thrice as she was said to be away on official assignments, but some of the teachers who spoke on conditions of anonymity hinted that several complaints had been lodged to appropriate quarters all to no avail.

    ‘’ Honestly speaking, we are fed up with the situation because both our lives and the pupils are in grave danger due to terrible unhygienic situation. Those who come to the school and pass-out excreta are not known and the bad habits continued unabated. You can imagine a school as old as it is being neglected and left in this situation.’’

    Efforts to contact the Local Government caretaker chairman, Soji Ojoawo for his comment were unsuccessful, as several mobile phone calls were diverted and not responded to.

     

  • Make dry port operational, govt told

    The Oyo State Shippers Association (OYSSA) has urged the Federal Government to make the dry port at Erunmu, near Ibadan, and the Trans-National Border Market (TBM) at Saki operational.

    Its President, Dr Ayo Omotosho, said such a move would enhance economic activities in those areas.

    He praised the government for providing the enabling environment for the export of agricultural products and made-in-Nigeria goods.

    Omotosho said he was happy that the government provided loans for importers, industrialists and farmers in the state, saying that the loans have boosted the purchase of farming equipment, adding that the Oyo State Government has provided the association with an administrative office and a vehicle for the TBM project.

    “The OYSSA’s visit to Oyo State Government made us to understand that the state government will reconstitute and inaugurate the implementation committee on the dry port as well as the TBM project.

    “The committee, which will include the Organised Private Sector (OPS) as well as government’s officials, is to fast track the development of the dry port and the market,” he said.

    The Executive Secretary of the Shippers’ Council, Mr Hassan Bello said there are 27 shippers’ associations in the country, including OYSSA.

    “It is pertinent to note that from our investigations, some of the 27 associations have not been living up to the expectations of the NSC,’’ Bello said.

    He said admission of persons who were not genuine shippers into the associations was not healthy.

    He urged OYSSA not to pursue a path that would not be in consonance with the objectives of the association, urging members to be above board.

    “Maritime industry remains a key gateway to the nation’s industrial growth and the pivot on which even the oil and gas industry stands.

    “At the centre of operation in the industry, the key players are the shippers whose cargoes are the major attraction to both the shipping companies and the terminal operators,’’ Bello said.

    He said the shippers’ associations were expected to play critical roles that would enhance the ports’ “regulatory responsibility”.

    Bello said this would enable the council to succeed in restoring sanity and regulating the charges being imposed by the firms and the terminal operators.

     

  • Oyo, IITA to hold economic summit

    The Oyo State government and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) will hold an economic summit on April 14 and 15.

    The summit will educate potential investors on investment opportunities in the state.

    The aim is to attract investors to the state and boost the economy.

    Commissioner for Trade, Investments and Cooperatives Mrs. Oyefunke Oworu told reporters yesterday in Ibadan that the summit would focus on agriculture and other sectors, where the state has comparative advantage.

    According to her, Oyo State has a good weather, fertile land, good people and strategic location and is safe.

    The theme for the summit is: “Oyo State: Right for Business”.

    Mrs. Oworu said the outcome of the summit would be transformed into policies that will attract investors and create job opportunities.

    IITA Deputy Director, Partnership and Capacity Development, Dr. Kenton Dashiell, who was accompanied by the Regional Administrator for West Africa, Sylvia Oyinlola, said the state has a special advantage in agriculture because its land can produce all crops grown in Nigeria.

    He said the institute would exhibit the best crops developed for people interested in agro-business, adding that the summit would stimulate interest in agriculture in youths.

  • Man allegedly kills lover for ritual in Oyo

    Police in Ojongbodu division in the Oyo-West Local Government Area of Oyo State is investigating circumstances surrounding mysterious death of a woman at a guest house in Oyo town.

    The deceased was said to have been invited by her man friend to a popular guest house around seven oclock in the evening where both of them booked for a room where they lodged in.

    But to the surprise of guest house workers located at Jaremily area along Ilora road, neither the man nor his woman friend could be found inside their room.

    After a search, the lifeless body of the woman was said to have been found inside the bathroom while water was showering on her head.

    The matter was immediately reported to the police who arrested the owner of the guest house while investigation lasted.

    During investigation, residence of the deceased man friend,  who was said to be at large when the incident happened was contacted at  Winners area where the matrimonial wife was said to have told the police detectives that her  husband travelled  out of the town and would spend few days before returning.

    Suspicious of the statement, the police were said to have arrested both the wife and children and taken them to their station pending the appearance of the husband.

    The accused whose name could not be ascertained as at press time had surrendered self to the police.

    It was alleged that he ran away to one of his relations, a military personnel in Ibadan, who advised him to go  back home and report  himself to the police.

    THE NATION further gathered that examination conducted on the corpse showed that hair in the deceased’s  armpit and vagina  had been removed.

    Though the Divisional Police Officer was not available for comment, but a reliable police officer  hinted that the matter will soon be referred to Homicide section at Iyaganku in Ibadan, the state capital.

     

     

  • Oyo Assembly approves college accreditation bill

    The Oyo State House of Assembly yesterday passed into law the bill for the establishment of the Oyo State College of Health Science and Technology.

    The law upgrades the school into a full-fledged higher institution.

    The school had been operating like a secondary school. It had no governing council and its programmes were not accredited.

    Once the governor assents to the law, the institution will begin new programmes.

  • Oyo inaugurates website

    The Oyo State government has inaugurated a website that opens seamless interaction with the public.

    The website was launched by the Ministry of Industry, Applied Science and Technology (MIAST) at the Secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital.

    Commissioner for Industry, Applied Science and Technology (MIAST) Dapo Lam-Adesina said the website would breach the communication gap between the ministry and the public.

    He said in today’s world, information is power, adding: “When we look around us, we see that science and technology grow in geometrical ratio every second in the other parts of the world. We, in this part of the globe, grow in arithmetic ratio.

    Explaining the importance of the website, the commissioner said: “It is an avenue where questions about the ministry and other topics relating to the industrialisation and development of science and technology in the state will be attended to and I am glad that you and I are present here this day to witness such a milestone in the history of information technology as far as this ministry is concerned, the formal launch, the official unveiling of the MIAST website…

    “Through this website, the maiden edition of a monthly one-hour social media interactive session with my humble self and other top officials of the ministry tagged “Platform MIAST Oyo,” will be introduced to the public.”

    The interactive session will hold between 8 and 9 am on the last Wednesday of every month, with the maiden edition coming up on February 26.

    The consulting designer of the website, Mr Yemi Fadipe, explained that the website, which is accessible on www.oyostate.miast.gov.ng, has its core design in pho/Ajax, JQuery, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, while the database is MySQL.

    According to him, the website has an unlimited bandwidth with unlimited sub-domain. Its accessibility is about five gigabyte while the administration has front and back end with the platform on Linux/Unix.

  • Campaign sticker for governor

    Campaign sticker for governor

    A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Niyi Adeagbo, has launched a campaign sticker tagged “Ajimobi till 2019 Oyo”.

    Adeagbo, displaying the stickers at Ardenil Investment Limited in Bodija, Ibadan, yesterday said the state was blessed to have a visionary leader like Ajimobi.

    According to him, many of the stickers have been pasted on vehicles.

    Adeagbo, a house of assembly aspirant in the 2011 election, called on all residents to support the governor for continuity of the good works he has started in the state.

    He said: “We are all witnessing massive development of infrastructure that will serve as an avenue to attract private and international investors to this state.

    “Governor Ajimobi has changed the outlook of, particularly Ibadan, the state capital and has embarked on similar activities in other towns and villages. With all this, there is need for all of us to support his re-election bid.”

    He enjoined everyone not to get tired of praying for the governor and his executive so that their visions and dreams can be actualised.

     

  • Oyo sports commissioner hosts Crown FC

    Oyo sports commissioner hosts Crown FC

    The Oyo State Commissioner for Youths and Sports development Alhaji Umar Faruq Alao-Arisekola on Wednesday treated Crown football Club family to sumptuous meal at his residence in Ibadan.

    The Commissioner said his reason to bring the club together on the same table was to boost the morale of the club as the 2013/2014 Glo Nigeria Premier League season begins in two weeks and to assure the team that the Sporting-loving Governor of the State His Excellence Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi is solidly behind the team as the only elite campaigner from the State.

    Faruq Stated that the Club should be constantly aware that the seal of the State the club carries must reflect her true pace-setting status as in the coming hostility,charging that the club couldn’t afford to fail at this crucial juncture that all necessary logistics for the success is already in the kitty,that an improved welfare package for all is already concluded for the win-win outing.

    Honourable Faruq at the occasion said every arrangement for the mobilisation of the contractors to improve upon Soun Stadium facility is advancing that any moment from next Month work would begin so as for the club to return to her home ground by the second stanza of the league.

    The visionary and versatile sports boss also gave lengthy tutorials on branding and marketing of the club,that if there is proper synergy between the club and some cooperate organisations Crown Fc as a product would be marketable just as an any other club across the globe and it would create self-sustenance cum maintenance for the club even without government subvention.