NAWOJ, FIDA partner IAC on FGM sensitization


The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, the association of Female Lawyers, FIDA and other Women-led Non-Governmental Organisations in Ondo State, yesterday joined the Inter-African Committee, IAC, to sensitise women on the zero tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, FGM.

This was to mark the 2020 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, declared by the United Nations on every 6th February.

The sensitisation event, which started with a walk from Akure town hall, terminated at the Isinkan market with health talks.

The state Executive Chairman of IAC, Dr. Mrs. Modupe Dairo explained that circumcision was meant for male children, as directed by God.

She added that Female Genital Mutilation cause more harm to women than good, and implored women to raise their voices against the practice in their localities.

The FIDA Chairperson, Mrs. Bola Joel, informed that whoever caught in the act was liable to two years jail term.

She noted that the practice was common among women, while charging every individual to report cases of female circumcision to the Police or FIDA.

Giving a health talk, Mrs. Olabisi Owolabi said the practice was damaging to the health of female children.

The mid-wife described as falsehood, all the traditional beliefs attached to the practice, saying there was no genuine reason for doing it, according to a research.

She stated that there were communities that take female circumcision as a taboo, and their children weren't into prostitution as a result of that.

According to her, the genital cutting can cause VesicoVaginal Fistula, VVF, and other infections for victims.

The State Chairperson of NAWOJ, Mrs. Doris Olumoko, avowed the commitment of female journalists to use their professional skills to join forces against any violence act against womenfolk.

Also speaking, a member of the Women-led NGO, Mrs Bisi Omolona urged women to give their female children adequate sex education, to curb promiscuity, rather than promoting mutilation.

Other participants included market women, led by the Erelu Iyaloja-General of Akure land, Chief Mrs. Adefunmilayo Adekanye, Traditional Birth Attendants, among others.

Ondo APC conductsLG primaries

Ahead of the forthcoming local government elections in Ondo State, the All Progressives Party (APC) has conducted its primaries for local government chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the 18 local governments and 203 wards.

The party conducted its councillorship primaries on Wednesday while that of the chairmanship was conducted yesterday.

Reports across the state showed that the conduct of the primaries was peaceful as some were elected unopposed while some were keenly contested

Party's electoral officers and the representatives of ODIEC, security agencies and others were at the various venues of the primaries to monitor the party election

Speaking with The Hope, Director of Media and Publicity of the party in the state, Mr Steve Otaloro said the primaries went on smoothly from the report received across the state.

GOVERNOR AKEREDOLU THE BOLD MAVERICK IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

The Man Aketi, the Governor who is popularly known as ‘’Talk and Do’’. The bold maverick doing what has never been done before as regards Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in Ondo State, construction of numerous roads and creating a conducive environment for investors to invest in the State has been described by many as an independent-minded person and a Governor with six (6) different styles of leadership. His styles are: visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, trustworthy, passionate.
How the most effective leaders embrace all six (6) styles, utilizing the most appropriate style, based on his passion and love for good governance is the question on the lips of many other leaders across the country.

Ondo state is not among the top five (5) States that received the highest revenue allocation throughout 2019.
However, she is among the ten (10) richest States in Nigeria with a history breaking IGR of 1.7 billion naira monthly in 2019 against the 1.5 billion naira of the previous administration, before Governor Akeredolu took the staff of office in 2017.

When you think “visionary leadership in Southwest Nigeria,” who comes to mind?
The Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN takes the center stage for a productive, creative and an outstanding performance that has revolutionized the economy, healthcare delivery, agriculture, commerce and industry, works, education and other sectors in Ondo State.

According to the Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service (Mr. Tolu Adegbie) the State IGR may hit 4.5billion naira monthly in few years with the Governor Akeredolu’s style of leadership.

Governor Akeredolu understands that for any State to enjoy socio-economic development, the State must focus on the sustainability of its income.
BY PRINCESS EIGBOKHAN ORIH

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/02/05/governor-akeredolu-the-bold-maverick-in-southwest-nigeria/

PDP commends Southwest governors on Amotekun

The Southwest chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on governors of the six states in the region to expedite action on the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Operation Amotekun, by recruiting and deploying personnel to the nooks and crannies of the region.
The party also lamented the inability of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to curtail the growing insecurity in the country, describing it as weak and effeminate in preventing insecurity and bringing to justice rampaging killer-herdsmen attacking people across the country.
In a statement, the Southwest Zonal Publicity Secretary, Ayo Fadaka, commended Governors Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Gboyega Oyetola (Osun); Seyi Makinde (Oyo); Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), for inaugurating Amotekun .
The PDP, however, urged the governors to take swift actions on the security and safety of the region, noting that the encouragement became imperative due to the fact that “the nation today totters on the fringes of a combustion that poses dire consequences to Nigeria and its people”.
Fadaka said the Presidency has remained weak and effeminate in preventing danger in the land, “a development which was even attested to by the Senate last week”.
The statement reads in part: “Therefore, it is time that the Amotekun initiative was pushed to its next level of operation through recruitment and deployment of personnel through the nooks and crannies of the Southwest.

“We state this after taking due cognizance of a press statement by the Miyetti Allah, the herders’ trade union taking responsibilities for the recent genocide in Plateau State, and further claiming that the entire nation is their possession. That statement is absolutely irresponsible and capable of inciting untoward responses from other sections of the country.
“We continue to remain perturbed that in spite of so many acceptances of responsibilities for genocidal actions by Miyetti Allah, the Buhari administration continues to fail in bringing these criminals to justice.
“We, however, wish to educate the group that the Southwest and even slightly beyond, belongs to the Yorubas and no group or people can dispossess us of our heritage and this is supported by history.
We also call on the proper Fulani leaders to begin to speak out against the actions of these characters in the interest of our nation.”
The PDP urged the regional governors to expedite actions on measures that will rid their communities of elements, who pose threats to the safety and security of the people. We urge governors of the Southwest to initiate security measures that will rid our communities of elements who pose a threat to our security and safety immediately.
The statement added : “We also call on our Obas to begin to take concrete action that will protect and maintain peace in our region. Our peace is priceless and it must be maintained at every cost.”

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/02/06/pdp-commends-southwest-governors-on-amotekun/

Amotekun not re-election agenda – Akeredolu

Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, yesterday said the formation of the Southwest security outfit codenamed Amotekun was not for his reelection bid.

Akeredolu, who is also the chairman of the south west governor’s forum, said: “Ondo state has already done enough in terms of security and I do not really need Amotekun to be reelected for a second term as governor.”

Governor Akeredolu, who was at the Presidential Villa on a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari, told State House Correspondents that he came to formally invite the president to commission the Ore flyover which is among several projects to be commissioned to mark the third anniversary of his administration.

Akeredolu said: “Ondo civil servants are the happiest in the country because their salaries are paid promptly and we have commenced the payment of the new minimum wage.

Meanwhile, Akeredolu has urged the Federal Government to legalise the use of marijuana solely for the production of CBD drugs in the country.

The Governor said CBD can be extracted from marijuana and is a potent drug in the treatment of cancer.

He expressed concern that Nigeria still spends a huge amount of money importing the drug when it can be produced locally.

Source:
https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/02/05/amotekun-not-re-election-agenda-akeredolu/

World Cancer Day, 4 February: BRECAN’s activities at a glance

Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria is making a very bold statement with the 2020 World Cancer Day in Nigeria. With increasing cancer deaths recorded in the country, comes the need for collaborative efforts between the Government, Non Governmental and Civil Society Organizations to unite in the fight against cancer. BRECAN has recognized this and is currently spearheading collaborations in her Chapters States to mark the 2020 WCD and to create a platform for synergy among organizations with interest in eradicating cancer. This move has achieved huge success in Oyo, Ondo and Imo States.

Oyo State:
BRECAN Oyo state has successfully mobilized and is collaborating with fourteen other organizations to mark this year’s World Cancer Day in Ibadan the Oyo State capital with the go ahead from The State’s Ministry of Health. Activities lined up for the event will span a period of five days starting from the 31st of January to the 4th of February with outreaches to schools, churches and mosques. On the 4th of February, the Grand Finale will hold in an 800 seater capacity hall at Onireke, Ibadan with Some partnering NGOs such as SFH, PPFN, J’Rapha and MWAN conducting free breast and cervical cancer screening for about 400 women. There will be several presentations on cancer by seasoned professionals.

On the 6th of February, 2020, BRECAN will be marking the WCD in the ancient town of Oyo with the full support from The Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III and Queen Anuoluwapo. Society for Family Health (SFH) will also be on ground to conduct free breast cancer screening to about 300 women.

Ondo State:
In Ondo state, ten other organizations have teamed up with BRECAN to mark the WCD in the state. Activities lined for the event include, Press conference, School outreach and a walk against cancer coming up on the 4th of February, 2020. On the 11th of February, there will a town hall meeting where issues pertaining to cancer prevention and care in the state will be discussed.

Imo State:
The Imo state chapter in conjunction with seven other organizations will be marking the event in Owerri the Imo state capital with a walk against cancer on Saturday, 8th February, 2020. The walk will take off from Dan Anyiam Stadium to Freedom Square Owerri. At the venue, there be lectures on cancer, followed by discussions and cross fertilization of ideas to chart the way forward towards tacking cancer in the state. There will also be teaching of Breast Self Examination, quiz competition, fund raising and screening for breast, prostate and colon cancers.

With this move, BRECAN is galvanizing action and creating the platform for organizations to close ranks, merge efforts and resources together and fight cancer holistically. We are hopeful that together, soon, we will defeat cancer.

ONDO GOVERNMENT ADOPTS TIN TO BOOST REVENUE GENERATION

The Ondo State Government, says it has integrated into the National Tax Identification Number (TIN) system to capture tax payers and boost revenue generation in the state.
 
Mr Tolu Adegbie, the Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS), made the disclosure during a courtesy visit and presentation of TIN certificate to the State Head of Service (HOS), Dare Aragbaiye on Thursday in Akure.
 
Adegbie said that the tax certificate also integrated personal data of the bearer including his or her personal bank account.
 
He said that the scheme is designed to enroll and issue Tax Clearance Certificate coded with personal TIN number to the tax payers.
 
Also speaking, Dare Aragbaiye commended Adegbie and his team over the outstanding increase recorded in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) since he assumed duty.
 
Aragbaiye said that the development had not only save the state from financial predicaments but also brought a lot of development to the state.
 
He noted that the application of TIN to the operation of individual personal account would stem tax evasion in the society, adding that the higher the number of people paying tax the lesser the burden on them.
 
Aragbaiye further called on the Board to sensitize the people on the TIN and the need for them to fulfill their obligations to the government.
 
He noted that the higher population of a state would be an advantage to improving its revenue base.

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/31/ondo-government-adopts-tin-to-boost-revenue-generation/

Stop Consulting Spiritual Fathers for Prevention of Cancer, Mrs Akeredolu Tells Women


Wife of Ondo state governor, Chief Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has faulted the level of cancer control system in Nigeria, stressing that government at all levels must brace up.
Speaking at a press conference organised to herald this year’s world cancer day celebration at the Nigeria union of journalists press center in Akure, Mrs Akeredolu said it is unacceptable the current situation in the country where there are few cancer control centers.
Ondo state first lady implored government at all levels to create more awareness about cancer and it’s prevention among the people.
She noted that there should be a better awareness from the Federal government to the people not only on women but also men

She urged women to always carry out self-examination on their breasts and consult the nearest hospital before it degenerates to something uncontrollable.
Mrs. Akeredolu advised women to stop consulting spiritual fathers for prevention of Cancer.

A medical expert and Chairman of the Coalition Against Cancer, Dr. Pat. Abba said that early detection of Cancer would save victims from untimely deaths
He hinged the high rate of death through cancer to high cost of cancer treatment.
He appealed to the federal government to emulate developed countries where treatment of cancer is given urgent treatment.

Source:
https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/31/2946/

Ondo HoS Speaks on Workers' 2018, 2019 Leave Bonus Payment

By Ade Adeleke

Ondo State Head of Service, Mr Dare Aragbaiye has assured Public Servants in the state that none of them would be retrenched as a result of the implementation of the #30,000.00 new minimum wage.
The Head of Service, gave the assurance while featuring on a Radio Nigeria Akure Personality programme tagged “Guest of the Week”.

He said this is part of the agreement reached between the Organised Labour and the State Government as a result of the fact that the agreement was signed based on the economic realities in the state and the ability of the state government to sustain payment of salaries and allowances as and when due.

Aragbaiye also assured the Workers that Governor Akeredolu is committed to the payment of the remaining outstanding salaries owed by the immediate past administration.

The HoS also disclosed that the arrears of leave bonus for 2018 and 2019 would soon be paid, while Pensioners in the state would begin to enjoy implementation of the 33% basic Pension increase with effect from January, 2020.

He enjoined all Workers to rededicate themselves to the service of the government and the people of the state to justify the implementation of the new minimum wage as well as cooperate with the state government to block all possible leakages in the government finances so that government would meet its obligations to them.

ONDO SWAN HAILS GOV. AKEREDOLU ON SPORTS DEVELOPMENT

The Sport Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in Ondo State, on Tuesday hailed the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Aketi, SAN, over sports development in the state.

The Association particularly commended the efforts of the Akeredolu administration in the areas of volleyball, hockey, table tennis, long tennis, football and the overall development of sporting activities in the state.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Governor at the Governor's Office, Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital, the chairman of the Association in the state, Wahab Bankole Oluwasegun, said the interventions of the Governor have made it possible for the state's athletes and players to record string of successes in various sporting activities in and outside the country.

Bankole also announced the decision of the association to honor the Governor as a life patron of Ondo SWAN, in recognition of his commitment to the development of sports in the state.

He said the conferment of the honour will take place in March during the Ondo SWAN 2020 retreat.

The association particularly commended the Tennis club of First Lady, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, describing it as a lofty idea.

Responding, Governor Akeredolu, who thanked SWAN members for the visit, said whatever achievement the state has been able to record in sports should be ascribed to the efforts of the athletes and players.

The Governor said the Tennis Club is a project that the First Lady takes very seriously and which has produced many champions amongst the young ones.

The Association, during the visit, presented a compendium of the sporting activities of the governor since his assumption of office as a souvenir.

Olabode Richard Olatunde
Special Assistant to the Governor (New Media)
January 28, 2020.

:camera_with_flash: Blessed Michael

ONDO 2020: I REMAIN THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB – AKEREDOLU

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has dared the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to replace him with any other person as the party's candidate in the Ondo state 2020 govership Election, if it wishes to retain in the state.

Akeredolu's position is being eyed by some interested party members in the state, one of whom is Mr. Ife Oyedele, a foundation member of the Party speculated to be the ‘Villa's Candidate'.

Akeredolu, who became the governor of the state in February 2017, told journalists in Abuja that he is the only person who could win the election for APC in Ondo State given his pedigree, achievements, and general acceptability by the majority of the people of the state.

He boasted that the people would always stand with him because they freely looked out, persuaded and picked him to become the governor of the state without paying them any money as other aspirants did, but were rejected by the electorate.

He said:

“I didn't ask to become governor of Ondo State; the people sought me out to be their leader. As far as I am concerned power belongs to God and not to any man or leader. It is God who gives power and not any human being. That was why I ran and won the primary of the last governorship election in Ondo State without paying people money as other contestants did.”

“I can tell you that there is no threat or panic whatsoever to my second term election. What I do know for sure is that if APC goes ahead to pick another person as their governorship candidate for Ondo State the party would lose the state.”

“But with me on the ballot, we will win a landslide for APC in Ondo State. That is certain because God's hands are with me and I cannot fail in my second term bid. My trust is in God and not in any man with clay feet.”

When reminded that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was making stronger inroads into the state politics and could pose a threat to his re-election next year, Governor Akeredolu retorted:
“There's no PDP in Ondo State.”

Start strike immediately your salary is stopped, ASUU tells lecturers

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has directed its members nationwide to go on strike as soon as the Federal Government stops lecturers’ salaries.
The ASUU chairman of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta Dr Adebayo Oni, said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday.
He said there had been a standing order to commence strike once “members’ salaries are stopped.”
Oni said, “By the decision of NEC, we don’t have to hold any formal meeting at all .
“The decision of NEC is that, immediately our salaries are stopped we will invoke the principle of no pay no work.
“We don’t need to wait for any directive from NEC and an injury to one is an injury to all.
“Immediately salaries are paid and we discovered that other members of staff are paid and our members are not paid, we will automatically begin the strike.”
ASUU accuses officials of sabotaging discussions on UTAS
Meanwhile, ASUU has accused unnamed government officials of sabotaging its discussions with the Federal Government on the proposed University Transparency and Accountability Solution.
The union added that it was consulting with its members nationwide on the directive by the Federal Government stopping the payment of salaries to lecturers and all workers of tertiary institutions who are not enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.
Speaking in a phone interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said he did not expect the government to stop the lecturers’ salaries as discussions on the UTAS was in progress.
ASUU had rejected the Federal Government’s directive for workers to enrol in the centralised payroll system, saying it would affect the autonomy of universities.
Instead, the union proposed the UTAS to address “the peculiar cases of lecturers in the payment of salaries and other emoluments.”
The ASUU leadership also met with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, about three weeks ago where the proposed UTAS was presented as an alternative to IPPIS.
Buhari had directed the union to resolve the controversy over the IPPIS with the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.
But the Accountant-General of the Federation, Hamed Idris, had last week in a letter asked the Finance Minister not to release funds meant for January salaries to tertiary institutions, saying payments would be made through the IPPIS platform.
The letter read in part, “l am directed to inform you that the preparation of January 2020 salary payroll and warrants of the federal tertiary institutions are ongoing and will be ready for submission on or before 29th of January, 2020.
“This is to give effect to the directive of the Federal Government that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies drawing personnel cost from the Consolidated Revenue Fund should be enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

“In order to actualise this directive, you are please requested not to release the funds for payment of salaries to the tertiary institutions as their salaries will henceforth be paid on the IPPIS Platform with effect from January 2020.”
Ogunyemi expressed disappointment over the new directives on salaries.
He said, “We didn’t expect them (FG) to say that because we agreed and we have discussed it that they would allow us to present our case on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution as we proposed.
“While we were discussing on that, if they chose to stop the salaries of our members, our union would be left with no choice but to invoke its earlier resolution on no pay, no work. It is as simple as that.”
Asked if he suspected a deliberate sabotage of the discussions with the government on UTAS, Ogunyemi responded, “That’s our suspicion. We believe all issues are in the open, we also have not been communicated or contacted formally. If the government is convinced enough to stop this process of sabotage, I think it would be a welcome development.”
‘We don’t discriminate in ASUU’
Also, the chapter of ASUU at the Tai Solarin Uniiversity of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, said there was no federal or state ASUU.
The Chairman of the union, Dr Olatunji Ettu, said every member of the union subscribed to the popular saying that ‘an injury to one is an injury to all.’
Ettu said “There is a NEC decision on the issue of IPPIS that says an injury to one is an injury to all.
“We don’t discriminate in ASUU. University is university. Once there is a directive, it cut across all the university system. We don’t discriminate at all. There is nothing like state or federal university, ASUU is ASUU. We operate under one platform.”
But the National Coordinator of Congress of University Academic, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, said the group did not have issue with IPPIS, hence members would not go on strike over it.
Sunmonu said, “If the government fulfil all the promises they have made, and we have enrolled on it (IPPIS), there is no need for any strike.”

Calls to chairman of ASUU Osun State University chapter, Dr Femi Abanikanda, were not answered and text message to him was not replied as of the time of filing this report.
We won’t bat an eyelid –Gombe ASUU
However, the branch chairman of ASUU, Gombe State University, Dr Oladimeji Lawal, said on Sunday that if there was any need to go on strike the branch would join.
He said, “ASUU is ASUU and if for any reason our union ask us to go on strike; it is a national strike. It is inconsequential as to whether the issue at stake doesn’t affect state universities.”
‘FG can’t be trusted’
The Chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan, Prof. Deji Omole, on Sunday maintained that the union was ready to pursue its stand.
Omole said it was unfortunate that the “President cannot be trusted.”
He said, “After assuring the union that he would look into the matter and set up committee to harmonise UTAS and IPPIS tabled before him at the last meeting, he had reneged.”
Omole said ASUU rejected IPPIS on point of law, principle and rule of law, adding that an alternative platform called University Transparency and Accountability Solutions could address the problem.
Omole said, “Only patriots can work in the hellish condition in which we work. Our position is that the principles of IPPIS are in contradiction to the principles of the autonomy of the university system and the constitution is clear enough because each university has its legal pattern and it doesn’t have provision for IPPIS.”
LAUTECH back ASUU
Similarly, the Chairman of ASUU in the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Dr Biodun Olaniran, said on Sunday that the institution would take its decision after ASUU’s directive on IPPIS.
He said, “I can’t speak on strike over IPPIS but going by what the President said, injury to one is injury to all. If you think deeply on it, it has meaning.
“At LAUTECH, whatever decision ASUU takes, we are going to sit on it and then take a decision.

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/27/start-strike-immediately-your-salary-is-stopped-ASUU-tells-lecturers/

Every state would have its own command – Akeredolu

Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has faulted notions held in some quarters that the recently launched security outfit, Amotekun, was aimed at preparing the ground for the Southwest geopolitical zone to secede from the country.

Speaking to select journalists in Abuja, yesterday, he maintained that Amotekun was launched with the sole agenda of complementing the efforts of security agencies to protect the lives and property of the citizenry in the Southwest geopolitical zone.

The governor hinted of plans to decentralise the outfit, saying: “We all now agree that all the necessary legal framework, when our attorney generals are through with it, we will sit down again and look at it as states and that we made it clear that the issue of regionalism is that we want to share information, share intelligence, share whatever we gather and that all the vehicles from Ondo State will be returned to Ondo State, vehicles from Ekiti returned to Ekiti, every state would have its own command.”

Akeredolu, who is at the forefront of the launch of Amotekun, however, insists that restructuring remains the panacea for the growth and development of the country.

He spoke in reaction to claims by notable Nigerians from the northern geopolitical zone that the idea behind Amotekun was part of the grand design by the Southwest zone to breakaway from the country.

Akeredolu, however, said he remains committed to ensuring an indivisible Nigeria, adding that it was unfortunate that well-informed individuals, such as Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who was the former governor of Old Kaduna State in the Second Republic misunderstood the idea behind the launch of Amotekun.

He said: “Balarabe Musa spoke out of ignorance. That is the way I see it because he is a respected leader. We all have respect for him and from his days in NEPU and PRP, till when he was impeached as governor, he was a progressive person, and he is still a progressive person. I am sure maybe he was misquoted. For me, such views from him were unnecessary.

“It is not possible. In my speech at the launch of Amotekun, I was very clear that this is not a regional army or regional paramilitary and that it is collaborative and that all we want to do is to ensure that our forests and other places, we have men who can go in to arrest these bandits and help the Police in their work.

“I remember I said something there that this nation has come to stay, if only for one reason, for my sake it must stay. So, my wife that is Ibo, if they want to break this country, where would my children go? My wife is Igbo, so where would my own children go? I believe in this country totally.

“However, we are committed to restructuring this country. We are not going to say because of Amotekun, we should not restructure; this country must be restructured. We have said so openly, it is there in the All Progressives Congress (APC) constitution and part of our manifesto. Restructuring was stated clearly that we would do it.”

He continued: “Why we have not done it, nobody knows, but we have to. But there have been some efforts to restructure. We can give it to the President, at least, let him take the credit, there have been some efforts at restructuring in one way or the other. So, restructuring is not something we can compromise.

“That is the only way for this country. We can’t continue this way. The country is hydra-headed and everybody must feel a sense of belonging and the only way is for us to carry out this restructuring.”

Akeredolu, who met with the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Attorney General of the federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami; Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, and other top security chiefs, hinted that Amotekun would be incorporated into the community policing agenda of the federal government.

He disclosed that each of the Houses of Assemblies in the Southwest zones would soon come up with a uniform law that would be domesticated to achieve the goal, noting: “From the onset, we were to work with security agencies. There is no way we can do it on our own; we are to work with them, but we are to have our people embedded in every one of the vehicles.

“We were to have our people only on the bike, we will not bring the bike to Akure or to Ibadan. What we were trying to do is to complement the efforts of the security agencies, especially the Police, because they don’t know the terrain.

“A number of these bandits, when it comes to the issue of kidnappings, go back and run into the forest. So, we want to use our people to trace them and give information to the Police and complement them.

“From our discussions yesterday, it was clear that one of the issues the Police were concerned about was that they were about launching community policing, and yes, a good idea from us, but we should be able to find a way forward to work together.

“I said yes, we are not opposed to it; it is about community. That was why we said the structure of Amotekun is going to tilt to accommodate the community policing policy of the federal government.

“But we will be sharing information. The meeting was very fulfilling. It went well and moreso, the AGF said he was misquoted and misinterpreted on Amotekun by the media on the matter.”

Source:http://osrc.ng/headlines/every-state-would-have-its-own-command-akeredolu/

Akeredolu and the marijuana revolution

Menukuro Olatunji Frank

When I was growing up as a child, marijuana was seen by many people in my locality as a forbidden fruit or an ill-wind that blew no one any good and so no one was expected to touch it even with a long pole while its users then were treated like pariah dogs.

Marijuana, otherwise known in local parlances in many parts of Nigeria as stone, Igbo, efo, eja, ganja, sensi, kuma, kpoli, and weed, is widely believed before now to be an evil plant in the evil forest that has the potential of invoking evil on any one courting it

However, events in the last few decades across the world have since shattered the centuries-old misconceived perception and changed the narratives as cross-cutting research had since established that cannabis can be put into profitable and beneficial uses. This is so because it had been discovered to be one of the most crucial natural medicines in human history and thus the proverbial stone the builders had rejected with disdain has now become the chief cornerstone all over the world.

As a matter of fact, this plant has been found to have the potential and the potency of providing over 71 medical remedies for the cure of wide-ranging number of diseases and sicknesses including the suppression of acne, deployment as anti-biotic, anti-fungal, appetite stimulator ,treatment of arthritis, asthma, for auto immune disorders and cachexia, Other benefits of marijuana include: the treatment of cancer diseases, relief for cancer pains, treatment for diabetes, glaucoma, epilepsy, anti-aging as well as reverses aging in the brain and the removal of amyloid plaques to mention but a few.

In the same vein, experts had identified thousands of potential products which can be produced from marijuana, industrial hemp or cannabis. Such products include: clothing, cosmetics, lotions, shampoos, soaps, paper, food, feed, beer, biofuels, animal bedding, building materials, insulation, and car moulding among many other consumer industrial products.

Interestingly, markets for marijuana and allied products in many countries of the world had continued to grow in leaps and bounds. Recall that sales of hemp products to the US consumers have reportedly expanded to $500m in recent years, while the country’s hemp market continues to develop astronomically with an annual revenue of the product climaxing at $40bn (equivalent of N1.5tn).

Moreover, in Latvia (a former member of the Soviet Republic), marijuana accounts for about $97m revenue, representing 0.64% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Similarly, revenue from cannabis also represents 0.47% of the GDP of Australia and 0.45% of GDP of Czech Republic. In like fashion, as the United States, the Czech Republic has relaxed its standpoint towards cannabis in recent years. This Eastern European nation legalised marijuana for medical intentions in 2013 while in Slovenia, marijuana revenue represents 0.36% of her GDP.

Lastly, this natural plant accounts for 0.35% of the GDP of New Zealand as it is estimated that the turnover in the marijuana industry is roughly $366m, or more than a third of a percentage of New Zealand’s GDP.

It cannot be over-emphasised that considering the enormous floodgates of revenues that this plant had been opening over the years, about 30 countries of the world including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Mexico to mention but a few have legalised the plant for medical and recreational uses in the past few years. This and other factors therefore explain why Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has determined to propel Ondo State to take advantage of the estimated $145bn medical marijuana market bearing in mind that the state is the breeding ground for cannabis cultivation, whose estimated value has been projected to be $145bn by 2025.

Akeredolu has started hitting the ground running culminating in his recent visit to Thailand alongside Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd), the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, to learn more about cannabis extract development. The programme centred on modalities for planting, licensing and extracting cannabis oil from Ondo State.

Recall that in all my sojourn in many of the developed countries of the world including France, the US, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and others in Europe, I have been able to discover that one glaring difference between the developed world and Africa, apart from corruption, is our inability to think out of the box and bring to bear insightful and ingenious ideas that are expected to turn around the fortunes of the different nations of Africa. This is because most Africans are pessimists.This is lucidly depicted in the age-long saying of Winston Churchill, a former British Prime Minister: “An optimist sees opportunity in every calamity while a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity”.

It is therefore interesting to note that Akeredolu is one of the greatest optimists Ondo State has ever produced in history as he has designed inventive and innovative templates for the total transformation of the state from its agrarian status or civil service propelled economy to an industrialised economy through turning marijuana to an instrument of wealth and the creation of an industrial hub in Ore.

According to Steve Jobs, the former C.E.O and co-founder of Apple Inc., “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”. The Ore Industrial Park serves as the connecting rod to the following exciting investment opportunities: Base metallic, assembly, plastic products, light manufacturing, JPP generation and distribution, base solar panel, processing of mineral resources, general parking yard, gas pipeline and distribution, dry bulk terminal, wood and wood products among others. To oil and complement these are the recently awarded contracts for the construction of the 37.5km dual coastal carriage Araromi-Seaside-Akodo-Lekki Road worth N32bn as well as the proposed $1.3bn multipurpose Deep Sea Port in the state, that is expected to be constructed through a collaborative efforts among the Ondo State Government, the Chinese, the Dutch and other investors.

Analysts believe that this will create job opportunities for 20,000 people in the state. The Free Trade Zone is projected to provide between 9,500 and 10,000 employment opportunities.

Given the dwindling crude oil fortune in Nigeria, that is driven by the systematic movement away from oil and gas energy by countries of the world into electrical energy, nuclear energy, solar and wind power or hydro power e.t.c., it has therefore become imperative for the states and by extension the nation to diversify their economies from a monolithic economy. The giant strides of Akeredolu in this perspective are enviable indexes of a masterplan designed to move Ondo state from the nadir rubble of underdevelopment to the zenith of laudable development and economic buoyancy and this has therefore positioned him as one of the greatest pacesetters of our time.

Frank is a chartered accountant and member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant of the United Kingdom

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/24/akeredolu-and-the-marijuana-revolution/

bobowaja:
What is el rufia and yahaya doing there?

I am more concerned about el rufia

Because they are in support of Amotekun

TheTruthNews:
Fantastic news! South West Governors you have all done well and Governor Akeredolu, our hero!

Governor Roti I Akeredolu as made this work out. He make it happen
Kudous

estyvino:
Wow, that's cool

yeah

BREAKING: FG, South-West Governors Agree On Amotekun – Presidency

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, met today with South West Governors, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police.

According to a statement from the Office of the Vice President, the meeting was at the instance of the Governors who had asked to see President Muhammadu Buhari over the controversy surrounding the Amotekun Initiative.

However, due to the President's foreign engagement, he asked the Vice President to host the meeting.

The statement signed by Mr. Laolu Akande a special aide to the Vice President, suggest that the meeting was very fruitful.

It (the statement) revealed that unanimous resolutions were made on the way forward.

“Having regard to the need for all hands to be on deck in addressing the security concerns across the country, it was agreed that the structure of Amotekun should also align with the Community Policing strategy of the Federal Government.

“It was also agreed that necessary legal instruments will be put in place by each of the States to give legal backing to the initiative and address all issues concerning the regulation of the security structure,” the statement read in part.

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/23/fg-south-west-governors-agree-on-amotekun-presidency/

Oxford English Dictionary recognises some Nigerian English words


My English-speaking is rooted in a Nigerian experience and not in a British or American or Australian one. I have taken ownership of English.
This is how acclaimed Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes her relationship with English, the language which she uses in her writing, and which millions of her fellow Nigerians use in their daily communication.
By taking ownership of English and using it as their own medium of expression, Nigerians have made, and are continuing to make, a unique and distinctive contribution to English as a global language. We highlight their contributions in this month’s update of the Oxford English Dictionary, as a number of Nigerian English words make it into the dictionary for the first time.
The majority of these new additions are either borrowings from Nigerian languages or unique Nigerian coinages that have only begun to be used in English in the second half of the twentieth century, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s.
One particularly interesting set of such loanwords and coinages has to do with Nigerian street food. The word buka, borrowed from Hausa and Yoruba and first attested in 1972, refers to a roadside restaurant or street stall that sells local fare at low prices.

Another term for such eating places first evidenced in 1980 is bukateria, which adds to buka the –teria ending from the word cafeteria. An even more creative synonym is mama put, from 1979, which comes from the way that customers usually order food in a buka: they say ‘Mama, put…’ to the woman running the stall, and indicate the dish they want. The word later became a generic name for the female food vendors themselves—Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka notably includes a Mama Put character in one of his works.

The informal transport systems that emerged in Nigeria’s huge, densely populated cities have also necessitated lexical invention. Danfo, a borrowing from Yoruba whose earliest use in written English is dated 1973, denotes those yellow minibuses whizzing paying passengers through the busy streets of Lagos, the country’s largest city.
Okada, on the other hand, is first attested twenty years later, and is the term for a motorcycle that passengers can use as a taxi service. It is a reference to Okada Air, an airline that operated in Nigeria from 1983 to 1997, and its reputation as a fast yet potentially dangerous form of transport, just like the motorcycle taxi.
A few of the Nigerian words in this update were created by shortening existing English words. One example is the adjective guber (earliest quotation dated 1989), which is short for ‘gubernatorial’—so Nigerians, for instance, would call a person running for governor a ‘guber candidate’.

Another frequently used clipping with a longer history in English is agric. It was originally used in American English around 1812 as a graphic abbreviation for the adjective agricultural, but is now used chiefly in this sense in West Africa. In the early 1990s, agric began to be used in Nigeria to designate improved or genetically modified varieties of crops or breeds of livestock, especially a type of commercially reared chicken that is frequently contrasted with ‘native’ (i.e. traditionally reared) chicken. Two decades later, Nigerian students also started to use the word as a noun meaning agricultural science as an academic subject or course.
Also originating in the 19th century is K-leg, first attested in 1842 in British English, but now used mostly in Nigerian English. It is another term for the condition of knock knees, as well as a depreciative name for a person affected with this condition, whose inward-turning knees often resemble the shape of the letter K. It is of such widespread use in Nigeria that by the early 1980s, it had acquired a figurative meaning—a K-leg can now also be any sort of problem, flaw, setback, or obstacle.

The term ember months was first used in an American publication in 1898 to signify the final four months of the calendar year. Almost a century later, this expression was taken up again in Nigeria, where the months from September to December are usually considered together as a period of heightened or intense activity.
The oldest of our new additions that are originally from Nigeria is next tomorrow, which is the Nigerian way of saying ‘the day after tomorrow’. It was first used in written English as a noun in 1953, and as an adverb in 1964. The youngest of the words in this batch is Kannywood, first used in 2002, which is the name for the Hausa-language film industry based in the city of Kano. It is a play on Hollywood, following the model of Nollywood, the more general term for the Nigerian film industry that was added to the OED in 2018.

Nigerian Pidgin is another rich source of new words for Nigerian English. Sef, first evidenced in Nigerian author Ben Okri’s novel Flowers and Shadows, published in 1980, is an adverb borrowed from Pidgin, which itself could have been an adverbial use of either the English adjective safe or the pronoun self. It is an emphatic marker added to the end of statements or rhetorical questions, often to express irritation or impatience, as in this quotation from Adichie’s 2013 novel Americanah:
‘He could have given you reduced rent in one of his properties, even a free flat sef.’
Also coming from pidgin contexts is the verb chop, which is a common colloquial word in Ghana and Nigeria meaning ‘to eat’. However, beginning in the 1970s, chop also developed the sense of acquiring money quickly and easily, and often dishonestly.

The negative sense of misappropriating, extorting, or embezzling funds is also in the earlier reduplicative noun chop-chop (earliest quotation dated 1966), which refers to bribery and corruption in public life. This likening of stealing money to actually devouring it is also reflected in the even earlier synonymous phrase to eat money (1960), as in the following quotation from Nigeria’s News Chronicle in 2016:
‘Our roads were not done. By the end of this year, you will know who ate the money of these roads.’
A few other expressions in this update would require some explanation for non-Nigerians: a barbing salon (earliest quotation dated 1979) is a barber’s shop; a gist (1990) is a rumour, and to gist (1992) is to gossip; when a woman is said to have put to bed (1973), it means that she has given birth; something described as qualitative (1976) is excellent or of high quality.
By focusing on contemporary language in this update, and adding words and phrases that form part of the everyday vocabulary of today’s Nigerians, we hope to give a flavour of English-speaking which, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie put it, is rooted in a Nigerian experience.
Here you can find a list of the new Nigerian words and senses added to the OED in this update:
agric, adj. & n.
barbing salon, n.
buka, n.
bukateria, n.
chop, v./6
chop-chop, n./2
danfo, n.
to eat money, in eat, v.
ember months, n.
flag-off, n.
to flag off in flag, v.
gist, n./3
gist, v./2
guber, adj.
Kannywood, n.
K-leg, n.
mama put, n.
next tomorrow, n. & adv.
non-indigene, adj. & n.
okada, n.
to put to bed, in put, v.
qualitative, adj.
to rub minds (together) in rub, v./1
sef, adv.
send-forth, n.
severally, adv.
tokunbo, adj.
zone, v.
zoning, n.

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/23/oxford-english-dictionary-recognises-some-nigerian-english-words/

Amotekun South-West govs back Tinubu, Afenifere hits APC leader

South-West governors and the apex Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Wednesday differed on the All Progressives Congress leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s position on the Western Nigerian Security Network, Operation Amotekun.

The governors commended the former Lagos State governor and promised to look into the issues he raised, but Afenifere hit Tinubu hard, saying his statement lacked substance.

After almost three weeks of silence on the launching of Amotekun, Tinubu on Wednesday made his position known on the security outfit, which was launched by the South-West governors in Ibadan on January 9.

Afenifere chieftains, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Senator Femi Okurounmu, had, in a report published by Sunday PUNCH on January 19, challenged Tinubu to speak on the security outfit, which the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, on Thursday last week declared illegal.

Tinubu takes neutral position on Amotekun

But Tinubu, in a statement he personally signed, took a neutral position on Amotekun. His position is at variance with the Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; Ohanaeze Ndigbo and prominent lawyers, who lauded the initiative.

Tinubu blamed both the South-West governors and Malami for the controversy the matter had generated.

The APC leader, who is rumoured to be nursing a presidential ambition, said the intentions of the governors were good but the manner with which Amotekun was being set up was wrong.

The former governor of Lagos State criticised Malami for issuing a statement condemning the initiative when he could have simply reached out to them and handled it internally and more amicably.

He added, “The governors stated that they consulted regularly with the police and security agencies. This was the right thing to do. However, their failure to include the office of the attorney general in these discussions is the fount of the current public uproar. This was an unfortunate omission the governors should regret and seek to remedy. However, the conceptual merits and positive functional aspects of Amotekun should not be tainted by this procedural defect.

“While the Attorney General is a conscientious public servant, he is also human. Not having been consulted, he was suddenly faced with an unexpected public announcement regarding a matter within his official ambit. He likely feared the failure to consult him meant that federal prerogatives were being encroached. To blame him for this conclusion would be to blame human nature itself. Though his negative reaction was understandable, it was also unhelpful.

“The Attorney General acted hastily in rendering a public statement that was more inaccurate than it should have been. Amotekun was never proposed as a ‘defence’ agency; the Attorney General erred in using this description. The use of uniform and brightly coloured vehicles may not be the best ideas, but they do not render Amotekun a defence agency or paramilitary group any more than a designated school van carrying uniformed students constitutes a paramilitary deployment.”

The APC chieftain said Amotekun was a laudable initiative, but needed some operational and conceptual modifications or else it would fail.

Tinubu wrote, “As I understand it, Amotekun is to be another set of eyes and ears to assist the police. As such, it is but the second generation of Neighbourhood Watch expanded to a regional scale. Conceptually, there is nothing wrong with this. It does not appear to insult the constitution.

“However, my position regarding Amotekun is not blind or uncritical; there are several organisational and functional aspects of the proposal that could cause some problems if left unresolved.”

Tinubu said Amotekun should have been fashioned to the peculiarities of each state rather than having a regional structure.

He stated that the regional approach had only limited benefit with regard to the procurement and maintenance of vehicles and communications equipment because this wider approach allows for economies of scale.

Why I was silent initially – Tinubu

Responding to those who criticised his silence, Tinubu said as the national leader of the APC, he could not make statements without circumspection.

He added, “Until now, I have deliberately maintained a studied silence regarding Amotekun. Many have tried to goad my swift public reaction. Those who have taken this road did so not because they care about Amotekun or even the people it intends to help protect. They did so knowing this had become a delicate and emotional issue for many. These cynics did so with the adversarial hope that, in haste, I might misspeak or misstep in a manner they could twist to their political advantage.

“Such people are possessed of a mercenary aspect that permits them to sacrifice almost anything, even jeopardise the very foundations of our political unity, if they might exact personal gain from the upheaval.”

He said in the coming days, he would meet with the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), who is also the Chairman, South-West Governors’ Forum, on how best to implement the Amotekun initiative.

Tinubu made objective observations – Akeredolu

Reacting to Tinubu’s statement, the Akeredolu, commended him.

The governor, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Security, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, said it was commendable for Tinubu to have broken silence on the issue.

He said, “We have to commend our leader, Asiwaju Tinubu, for his comments. As a leader who loves his people, he has made objective observations in his statement.

“In the comment he could see that the Operation Amotekun can never be a threat to the unity of the country and that the people of the South-West needed to be protected by their governors. Also, all other issues he pointed out in the statement would be looked into . Buy he has spoken well.”

Ogun agrees with Asiwaju’s stand on Amotekun

Also, the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, said he did not disagree with the submission made by the ex-Lagos governor.

The Special Adviser to governor on media, Mr Remmy Hassan, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, “We in Ogun State support every agenda that promotes peace, security and welfare of the South-West people, including Operation Amotekun.”

The Director General of Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, Seye Oyeleye, on his part, said mischief-makers who could not assist the South-West in the wake of security challenges ravaging it, were behind opposition to Amotekun.

He allayed fears that Amotekun would be against an ethnic group, saying it would serve the interest of all ethnic groups resident in South-West. Oyeleye said this during a programme aired by a private radio station, Rave FM in Osogbo.

Tinubu’s comment warmly received – DAWN

DAWN’s Head, Special Projects and Funding, Prince Adetayo Adeleke-Adedoyin, said the comment of Tinubu on Operation Amotekun was well conceived and warmly taken.

In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, Adeleke-Adedoyin said, “Asiwaju’s comment on Operation Amotekun is welcomed. He is from the region and he is a national leader also.”

Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Aare Muyiwa Olumilua, reiterated the state Governor, Kayode Fayemi’s position that Amotekun was established to enhance security in the South-West.

Olumilua said, “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is entitled to his opinion just like any other person. But I stand firmly by every single detail of what Governor Kayode Fayemi had said as regards Amotekun.

“Amotekun does not in any way violate the constitution. It is just a way of further strengthening the security architecture in the South-West. Nothing more”, the commissioner said.

Ex-Lagos gov’s statement lacks substance – Afenifere

But the Afenifere dismissed the statement by the former Lagos State governor, saying it lacked substance.

It said Tinubu spoke in a forked tongue, adding that his statement failed to defend the decision taken by his kinsmen to defend themselves against marauders.

The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, in an interview with The PUNCH, recalled how the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), visited the then Oyo State Governor, Lam Adesina, to protest the alleged killing of his kinsmen.

He said, “Maybe, he (Tinubu) should have kept quiet. This is not the time to speak in a forked tongue. What is the reason? You are afraid of Buhari?

“In 2001, when there was a crisis between herdsmen and farmers, what did Buhari do? He went to Ibadan and told Governor Lam Adesina ‘your people are killing my people.’

“In 2013, what did Buhari do? He told President Goodluck Jonathan you can’t declare amnesty for Niger Delta militants while killing Boko Haram. Attack against Boko Haram is an attack against the North.

“We are being killed for months, our women are being raped. Now, our governors are taking a token measure to secure our people. At this point, if you can’t speak for the people, it is better to keep quiet. We are not impressed.”

Also, an Afenifere leader, Adebanjo, said Tinubu only came out to react because of his aspiration to be President in 2023.

Adebanjo, who obviously disagreed with Tinubu’s position, said the APC National Leader would not say anything that would contradict the position of Buhari.

Forward Amotekun bills to Houses of Assembly, Falana tells govs

However, a human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, said the South-West governors should submit bills on Amotekun to their houses of Assembly.

In a statement on Wednesday, Falana noted that the police had endorsed Amotekun while the attorney general of the federation questioned its legality.

He stated, “Athough I had cause to take issue with Mr Malami over his legal opinion on the security outfit, I was compelled to call on each of the South-West governors to forward a bill to the house of assembly of each state for the formation of Amotekun.”

According to him, in the absence of an enabling legal instrument for the establishment, structure, functions, control, funding and operation of Amotekun various interest groups in the country have continued to express divergent views.

He stated, “Amotekun is not a regional paramilitary organisation but a zonal security outfit being set up to assist the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies in combating incessant killings, kidnapping, armed robberies and other violent crimes that are on the ascendancy in the region due to the negligence of the Federal Government to effectively police the country.”

Apart from those who are strenuously opposed to Amotekun, the concerned people in the South-West who have embraced the security initiative are entitled to know the law setting it up.

Therefore, the attorneys general in the states in the South-West should be saddled with the urgent responsibility of ensuring that the enabling laws for Amotekun are enacted by the respective houses of assembly without any further delay.”

He advised the the Federal Government not resort to force or self-help in resolving the constitutional dispute.

Meanwhile, the Osun State Governor, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, on Wednesday warned against bringing ethnic and religious sentiments into Amotekun.

The Osun Muslim Community in a statement by its president, Alhaji Mustafa Olawuyi,and secretary, Hashim Olapade, on Monday, rejected Amotekun, saying it was sectional and at variance with the constitution.

But the governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, on Wednesday, said the claim that Amotekun was an agenda against a particular faith or adherents of a particular religion was preposterous and efforts in bad taste.

Oyetola explained that no recruitment for Amotekun had been carried out in the state, adding that rather than constituting themselves into opposition of the project that residents of states in South-West all clamoured for, people should all rally support for it.

He stated, “But to politicise it on the altar of religion and ethnicity will be unhealthy, dangerous and counterproductive. Amotekun is a collective response by the South-West region to the spate of armed banditry, rape, kidnapping, and other violent crimes that suddenly became a past time in the South-West.”

The Peoples Democratic Party, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, said Amotekun and such other security apparatus in various parts of the country indicated a vote-of-no-confidence in Buhari’s regime.

The PDP said the failure of the regime to take a decisive step to stem the escalated wave of killings by insurgents and the refusal to re-jig the security high command showed that the Buhari regime could not guarantee the security of lives and property.

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/23/amotekun-south-west-govs-back-tinubu-afenifere-hits-apc-leader/

ONDO NLC: MINIMUM WAGE NEGOTIATIONS WILL BE CONCLUDED SOON

As workers in Ondo state still await the implementation of the #30,000 minimum wage, the Organised labour in the state has vowed that it will not sign any new wage agreement that impoverish or lead to the retrenchment of its members.

The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Sunday Adeleye-Oluwole said negotiations over the new minimum wage which was hitherto suspended, had resumed and it was now eighty percent concluded.

According to Comrade Adeleye-Oluwole, the delay in minimum wage approval and implementation in Ondo State was caused by the insistence of the organized labour led by JNC, NLC and TUC to get better package for the workers and pensioners.

The NLC Chairman, noted that the new salary tables on minimum wage presented by the state government were being critically studied to ensure that agreed new salaries does not lead to irregular payment, mass retrenchment and sustainable.

Comrade Adeleye-Oluwole assured that the new minimum wage would capture special allowances for the media, judiciary, parliamentary and health workers, appealing to the state workforce to still exercise patience as the negotiation was now at final stage.

ONDO NAWOJ BEGINS SPONSORSHIP OF INDIGENT STUDENTS

As parts of its contribution to Societal development, The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Ondo State has taken up the Educational sponsorship of some indigent students for the period of their secondary Education.

The gesture which is coming under the Association’s EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT INITIATIVE is aimed at ensuring that no child is deprived of Education because of Poverty.

At the disbursement of funds to beneficiaries of the initiative, Chairperson on NAWOJ in Ondo State, Mrs Doris Olumoko explained the association was worried by the high rate of school drop outs occasioned by the inability of their parent to pay their tuition fees and provide other educational needs.

She explained, that, the pen jewels immediately swing into action to provide succour for the students and keep them in school by taking up the responsibility of their Education.

The benefiting students for the pilot of the project were picked from selected public schools in some remote areas of Ondo state after due consultation with their Principals and teachers to ascertain those who were worse hit by poverty.

Dignitaries at the event, lauded the noble initiative of NAWOJ and urged development partners to support the cause.

The Ondo NAWOJ EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT INITIATIVE will continue to enlist more students as beneficiaries in all the eighteen local government areas of the state.

Our commitment to sports development unshakable ­­- ODSG

Ondo state governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has said his administration will do more in the discovery and nurturing of raw talents in the nooks and crannies of the 18 local government areas of the state.

The governor stated this during the closing ceremony of the first national Jump Rope championship 2020 tagged “Dawn of Jump Rope in Nigeria” which took place at the indoor hall of the Akure sports complex.

Akeredolu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Mr Dotun Owanikin said his government will give moral and financial supports to all sports in the state especially discovery.

While appreciating the Nigeria Rope Skipping federation for choosing Ondo state as a host, the governor called for more awareness, called for support from stakeholders stressing that the game has all it takes to empower youths and take them off the street.

He charged philanthropists and commercial companies to support government in sustaining sports development especially at the grassroots.

He promised to revamp the dilapidated sports structures and facilities across the state.

In his remark,the National General Secretary of the Rope Skipping Federation ,Mr Sesan Olukoya said the choice of Ondo state to hold the championship was the majority decision due to its record of sports potentials in the south west zone.

He added that the aim of the federation was to popularise the game among primary and secondary schools in the country.

He thanked the coaches,athletes and organisers of the event describing it as a success promising that talents discovered will represent Nigeria in international games as the ROPE /SKIPPING will make a show at the 2020 National sports festival in Benin Edo state and in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Also speaking, the Chairperson Local Organising Committee, Bolanle Sekitari-Ajayi said the championship has allowed the team to learn from others and was hopeful for more successes.

About six states namely Oyo, Ondo, Lagos, Delta, Osun and Kwara participated in the championship and it was revealed that about twelve states of the Federation namely Bayelsa, Edo, Plateau, Imo, Rivers, Delta, Ondo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and Oyo now play the game.

Representatives of Ondo state; Alli Grace won a gold medal in the Single Rope Speed 1 X 30s event, Alli David won silver in the Single Rope Cross-Rope / Cris-Cross event, Paul Alice also won a silver in the Left and Right 1 X 30s event while the team won silvers in the Double Dutch Speed relay and Freestyle Team events and in the Speed Rope event, the team won a bronze.

At the end of the championship, Delta state came first with six gold, two silver medals; Ondo came second with one gold, four silver and two bronze medals while one gold and one bronze went to Lagos to come third.

Medals and certificate were also awarded to winners and participants.


Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/20/our-commitment-to-sports-development-unshakable-odsg/

Work Will Soon Start on Okitipupa Township Roads – ODSG

The Ondo State Commissioner for Education Science and Technology Pastor Femi Agagu yesterday disclosed that work will soon start on Okitipupa township roads.

Agagu gave this cheering news at this year first monthly meeting of APC LG held at Aye city Hall, Ode Aye.

He pointed out that the ongoing renovation of public primary Schools, the ongoing by-pass from Igbokoda to Aye/Ore road is evidence of the support given from Rotimi Akeredolu Aketi led Government and solicit for their continued support .

According to Agagu, “in our Local Government we need to be bastion of peace, stability, collaboration, consensus building so that we can continue to support the Government, to rally our party and our people to support our Government and you have been doing that very well” .

In his own message, Hon Jones Ogunmusire SSA to Governor on Policy and Administration, emphasized on the need for all APC members to work as a team.

“We are in a very critical juncture in our state where we need peace, sacrifice and commitment to put aside selfish agenda and promote collective interest”, he said.

Amongst those present at the meeting are, the Okitipupa APC LG party Chairman Hon Bode Ikulala, Hon Diran Iyantan, Hon Morenike Alaka, Chief Ola Iwaeni, Hon Ola Oguntimehin, Chief Tayo Eniku, Princess Dupe Adetuwo, Hon Lola Akinseloyin, Hon Igbekele Akinrinwa, Hon Benson Akinbo, Hon Ladi Okunniga, Hon Andrew Ogunsakin and Chief Dapo Akinteye.

Others are Prince Femi Akinlalu, Hon Arsenal Gbenga Akinrinlola, Mrs Idowu Fayemi, Hon Funke Kumuyi, Gbenga Osedele, Solomon Lagbayi and Comrade Feso Oladipupo.

Equally all the LG party Executives, Supervisors, Wards Chairmen, Women Leaders and Youths Leaders were present.

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/20/work-will-soon-start-on-okitipupa-township-roads-odsg/

ONDO WRESTLING CHAMPION, ADEKUOROYE CLINCHES GOLD IN ITALY

Ondo State double Commonwealth Champion Odunayo Adekuoroye yesterday clinched a Gold medal at the ongoing Ranking Series in Italy.

The Olympian beat up her Indian counterpart in the Gold Medal Match of the rankings 57Kg category to add to the top prize to her many accolades.

The Tokyo 2020 bound Wrestlers has previously said she has her eyes set on the the much coveted gold medal at the Olympics coming up later in in the year.

Meanwhile her fellow Ondo State Wrestler Aminat Adeniyi could not make it pass the quarter final stage of the 62Kg category of the Italian Ranking Series.

NEMA DISTRIBUTES RELIEF MATERIALS TO VICTIMS OF FLOOD DISASTER IN ONDO

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief materials worth millions of naira to victims of flood disaster that occurred in Idanre, in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State

Some of the materials distributed to the victims of flood included, cements, iron sheet, food items, matrass.

The Director-General of NEMA, Mr Mustapha Maihaja who led the Federal Government delegation to Akure, the StAte capital said disaster management was necessary to ensure lives and properties of citizens were secured.

Maihaja, who was represented by the Director of Ekiti perations, in charge of Osun, Ondo and Ekiti, Mr Olusegun Afolayan said the the relief materials were to cushion the effect on the affected persons.

The D-G said NEMA was to manage disaster in all its ramifications in the country through collaborative effort of other relevant stakeholders towards efficient and effective disaster prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.

He said his mission in the state centred on early warning system,public enlightenment and advocacy on Disaster Risk Reduction Policy (DRR).

Maihaja urged the state government to fast track the establishment of a fully functional and funded State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) backed by relevant provisions.

The Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Agboola Ajayi who received the materials on behalf of the government said it was not possible to give the afftected victims everything they had lost, but the relief materials would serve as serve as succour.

Ajayi said the state government would still give cash to the victims in order to alleviate the suffering of the afftected victims.

The deputy governor urged the affected persons to see the materials the federal government gave them as parliative ones.

Ade Adegboro, one of the affected victims thanked the state government on behalf of the affected victims.

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/19/nema-distributes-relief-materials-to-victims-of-flood-disaster-in-ondo/

YOU ARE MAKING US PROUD, NAOSS TELLS AKEREDOLU

The National executives of the National Association of Ondo State Students, NAOSS, has hailed Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, for his resilience and doggedness in protecting the lives and properties of his people.

The student body expresses joy over the display of courage by the Governor on matters that affect the lives of the people.

The student leaders during their courtesy visit to the Governor in his office, particularly lauded the governor and his South West counterparts for showing interest in the security of lives and property of their people who gave them their mandates.

Speaking through the National President of NAOSS, Comrade Ayoade Kikiowo, the student body applauded Governor Akeredolu for his various infrastructural projects such as construction and renovation of public schools through SUBEB, aggressive road construction and rehabilitation across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state among others.

The NAOSS executives described governor Akeredolu as a focus and committed leader of his people, urging him to continue the good works to further make lives comfortable for the people across the state.

Responding, governor Akeredolu saluted the student leaders for their good approach to leadership, just as he commended them for appreciating what his administration was doing in all sectors to develop the state and the people.

The governor also used the occasion to encourage the young graduates in the state to embrace various windows of opportunities open to them in the areas of agriculture, entrepreneurship and many others, to make them employers of labour rather than looking for white-collar jobs which are no longer available.

He said his administration was ready to give them all necessary support and work with them to make them successful.

� Blessed Michael.

valentineuwakwe:
This Amotekun matter will continue to trend in Nigeria, thereby making the leaders to forget about governance to the people for months to come. ..This country sef..

personallyi don't see anything wrong or unlawful in this operation Amotekun.
Is just another way of protecting the state, our country

No law prohibits establishment of Amotekun — Afe Babalola

THE Attorney General of the Federation was reported to have declared the regional community security outfit (Amotekun) illegal. I disagree with the Attorney General. On the contrary, it is absolutely constitutional and legal.

The issue of Amotekun is an issue of Public Safety and Protection of property. There is no law in Nigeria which prevents citizens from being able to secure their lives and properties. Indeed without protecting the right to life and property, no other right can be exercised as one has to be alive to enforce other rights as guaranteed in the Constitution.

The Nigeria Police does not enjoy exclusive jurisdiction when it comes to the protection of lives and property. As a matter of fact, in many parts of Nigeria, various outfits such as Civilian JTF, Hisbah Police, Vigilantes have been performing the duty of protecting lives and properties. There is nowhere in the Police Act where a citizen is prohibited from being vigilant to protect his life or property either personally or together with other citizens.

Citizens of Nigeria have always enjoyed a right to effect what is known as a citizens arrest where any person is found to have committed an offence before handover to the police for prosecution. In addition, private citizens also may in certain circumstances prosecute persons who have committed crimes. Thus in Part V of the Criminal Code Act S.275 which provides as follow: “it is lawful for any person who witnesses a breach of the peace to interfere to prevent the continuance or renewal of it, and to use such force as is reasonably necessary for such prevention and is reasonably proportioned to the danger to be apprehended from such continuance or renewal, and to detain any person who is committing or who is about to join in or to renew the breach of the peace for such time as may be reasonably necessary in order to give him into the custody of a peace officer or police officer…”.
A communal reading of sections S.272/273 Criminal Code will reveal that: a person may arrest a person who has committed an offence and prevent his escape.
Neither the constitution in Sections 214-216 nor the Police Act in Section 10 gives the Police an exclusive duty to secure lives and properties.
All the above support the establishment of the Amotekun which has been established to give an official teeth to the provision of the Criminal Code which allows private citizens to arrest and detain offenders and bandits and to hand them over to the police.
Given the provisions of the Criminal Code in Sections 272-275, the right of citizens to arrest any person for committing an offence is legal and may be exercised individually or communally.

In any event, the regional community security outfit known as Amotekun cannot be set aside by oral pronouncement by the Attorney General or any other body. Only the Court of Law can declare the establishment illegal.

Source:https://citadelng.com.ng/2020/01/17/no-law-prohibits-establishment-of-amotekun-afe-babalola/

toniblacman:

Well I had a similar proposition but let's take a look from another direction. Now witnesses disclosed that the guy meddled into a sensitive political affair, maybe not true but it's possible because some important politicians worshipped in his church. The parents of the disappeared toddler were not members of the church according to different rumours. Rumours still has it that the father of the toddler is a number one of a popular cult group in a neighbouring town. And it was this man and few total strangers came over to the church, set it on fire, set ignorant people on motion then disappeared, leaving finishing touches to the area people knowing fully well a lot of people in the area do not take a liking to the guy as they say he acts rudely.
This is possible.
Also, a lot of people believe there are ritual tendencies about the guy judging from the way he carries his church and what some tagged "condescension" in his attitude.
This also is possible.
Therefore it is important that thorough investigation is carried out, checking out on everyone's involvement including information about the infant's parents and every other person involved in one way or another.

I don't agree with you that the father of the missing child was Cult member, even at all his a cult member its inside the church were there's security, police officer and children teacher's.will cults we come and operate and nor of those security we see or know when an outside came into children church and operate.
And as a pastor when something like that happen in your church, even before the parent of the missing child go to police station? Is the right of the pastor to have take step even before it up to T.V and radio station

anonymuz:
i think they've not seen substantial evidence. But i hope they get to the root of the matter.

by God grace. They will

toniblacman:

No one is guilty by public opinion until proven by a court man.
A whole lot of theories behind the occurrence. The DSS did not release the outcome of it's investigation to the general public and now again the court dismissed press men from covering today's court procedure.
I am particularly interested in hearing all the details on this case because it's hard to believe what the several theories different people are giving as some are his supporters in the struggle while others clearly do not like the guy. I haven't heard an objective view yet and the judiciary just made it more secretive now. Well, and "Alfa" is his surname. He was my senior in secondary school and we use to live in the same neighborhood.

no matter what, in anywhere the death or life of the missing son was found, the root must be from the church once the child is missing from the ex-Pastor church