Some fish traders on Wednesday in Ibadan protested the rejection of old naira notes by cold room operators, saying the development lead to losses on their part.
The traders, comprising aged women, had converged on the premises of Agidigbo 88.7FM along Iwo Road-Ojoo Expressway in a peaceful demonstration to pass across their grievances to the state government and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
They noted that they collected old notes from their customers on Tuesday but, on Wednesday morning, when they got to Bodija Market, to buy fish to restock, the cold room operators demanded new notes and rejected the old ones.
They lamented that they would be in losses if the old notes are not accepted eventually.
Mrs Olayemi Adebayo, who, according to Daily Independent, spoke on behalf of the women, said their demand was that the govenment extend the deadline for the swap of old naira notes for new ones.
Adebayo said, ”We came here to protest. We went to Bodija Market this morning to buy fish, they did not collect old notes from us. That is we are here this morning.
“We want the government to extend the date for us. The development is affecting our sales. The notes we have collected are old ones. Each of us is holding about N30,000 of the old notes.”
…rolls out 35 new buses to commute 7,000 people daily
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has launched the second edition of the GbajaRide community transportation initiative as part of plans to ease the movement of residents and students in Surulere, Lagos, particularly due to the hardship occasioned by the ongoing currency swap policy and fuel scarcity.
At the launch of the second phase of the GbajaRide initiative at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere on Tuesday, Gbajabiamila announced that a total of 15 medium-sized buses with a 26+1 capacity and 20 air-conditioned 18-seat buses were earmarked for the transportation scheme.
He said the two different sets of buses would commute an estimated 5,000 Surulere residents and 2,000 students on daily trips, noting that “we intend to add more buses to the service.”
The GbajaRide scheme was first launched in June 2018, when the Speaker was serving as the House Leader in the 8th Assembly. It kicked off with 30 brand new buses, 160 motorcycles, and 25 tricycles, used to empower and ease the movement of residents of Surulere.
He said: “GbajaRide is part of the relief designed to provide transportation service for the people of Surulere at a discounted rate. We must commend the government of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for the rollout plans to ease the pains Lagosians go through during this period.
“While GbajaRide will be moving residents of Surulere at a discounted rate, the transport service will move all our secondary school students, teachers and residents of age 75 and above from designated bus stops in Surulere free of charge.”
“The GbajaRide transport service in partnership with Lagos State Government will key into existing rules of engagement of LAMATA on routes and operations that will meet the transportation needs of the people of Surulere.”
The Speaker said, learning from the first phase, GbajaRide was now structured under a proper management service that would run the new service in partnership with the Lagos State Government and with the cooperation of members of the Lagos State Park and Garage Administrators.
Gbajabiamila noted that as the representative of his people, he had a good understanding of the current hardship and discomfort being faced by many Nigerians, including his constituents.
“The House of Representatives under my leadership has been on the side of the people, working tirelessly to rescue you from economic saboteurs seeking to derail the successes of President Buhari and the APC administration. I am glad that the judiciary also confirmed our position on the implementation of the naira redesign policy of the central bank. The good news is that relief is underway.”
He said as Nigerians prepare to vote on February 25 and March 11, the development of Surulere, Lagos State, and Nigeria will be on the ballot for consideration, and that the sustenance of the transportation initiative would “be guaranteed if we choose APC in the forthcoming elections.”
“I strongly believe that residents of Surulere, irrespective of tribe or religion, will affirm and attest to all the developmental projects facilitated in Surulere 1 and 2 Federal Constituencies and beyond.
“Surulere is enjoying all these developments because our community has enjoyed the support of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from 1999 till date. It is our time to return this support and love to the man we believe will bring relief and succour to many Nigerians when elected.
“As we all go out on February 25, 2023, I urge you to vote APC in the Asiwaju for President, Rt. Hon. Wasiu Sanni Eshinlokun for Senate and my humble self – Femi Gbajabiamila – for House of Representatives. While on March 11, 2023, we should vote APC to return our Governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and Hon. Desmond Elliot back into office.”
Gbajabiamila also urged the people of Surulere and Lagos Park and Garage committee members to cooperate with the management of the GbajaRide Transport service for ease of movement of residents and students.
“I also urge the management service and drivers of GbajaRide to make safety a top priority, and I pray that GbajaRide will be safe from accidents and our people will find joy in subscribing to GbajaRide any day any time. God bless you all.”
Also at the function was the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Rep. Jimi Benson; APC Lagos State Chairman, Hon Cornelius Ojelabi; Special Adviser to Lagos Governor on Transportation, Hon Sola Giwa; SSA to the Lagos Governor on Sports, Mr. Anthony Adeyinka; MD of Lagos State Housing Development Corporation, Hon. Ayo Joseph; the Oniba of Iba, Lagos, Oba Suleiman Raji; the Onikate of Ikate-Surulere, Oba Lateef Adams; Secretary of Lagos GAC, Alhaji Mutiu Are; Member of Lagos GAC, Chief Olorunfunmi Bashorun, among other dignitaries.
Nigeria remains a destination for the strongest individuals on earth because our nature is very resistant to oppression, exploitation and dehumanization. Resistance is the noblest way to describe our plight in the hands of foreigners, brothers and strangers in a leadership capacity. Every reasonable person wants to escape from this society because we’ve seen electricity turned to candles, we sell maize to buy cornflakes just as we have rivers of oil without oil refineries.
Now, we are denied our sweat by buying money with money. We struggle for everything! We are now struggling to have access to our money in this capitalistic-oriented democracy without regard to humanity and human dignity. Yes, the federal government has extended the deadline for the new Naira note more than once following the announcement on the 28th of October 2022. However, we should be reminded that the masses shall bear the burden; hunger, poverty and untimely death. People are dying.
Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, NBS equally reported last December that the country’s economic situation is a recipe for the crisis, and home to over 133 million multidimensionally poor people. Yet, the government finds it convenient to institutionalize policies without public opinion and proper consultation.
The Governor of the Central Bank must have taken these necessary measures to enhance the welfare of the people, by curbing corruption. The dehumanizing effects of this Naira-saga measure on the poor man are pathetic videos from the naked man in the bank and the bundles of money in the hands of bandits in the forest. If people in the wilderness, not bush, have access to new Naira notes but people in the cities are going to banks with cooking gas, mattress and a small travel bag.
The nobility of the Naira redesign must be judged in reference to the political adventure of the Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, who is equally the longest serving in Nigerian history since 1999.
Fuel is very scarce that people die, fight and sleep at the filling station in an oil- producing country. Is this not an infringement on our freedom of movement at the eve of general election? The petroleum minister and all stakeholders hold posterity detailed explanations, or truth reveals itself with the course of time.
The ‘smiling’ in the language of Fela Kuti’s ‘Shuffering and Smiling’ needs to be reevaluated; what is the nature of the suffering man’s smile? The degree of suffering should be used as a measure to know the nature of such provocative smile. In matter where tears and laughter fail, it is such a smile that helps fill the gap. And that gap processes the power of life and death, sanity and madness. A kind of smile that preceded the nakedness and madness displayed in different banking halls across the country.
Fuel and naira saga reflects that corruption is the thread that holds the fabric of our existences; every channel these two commodities pass through has a different woeful tale to tell. A tale that questions logic, and living in a society where everyone is not a saint but nobody is dirty. Then, we are doomed. We won’t jeopardize our future with protest that costs lives, and how strong are we to remain poor and vote for our candidate of will? We’ve been so hungry for long that few days hunger shall have no voice in our decision for the next four (4) golden years.
The institutionalization of hunger and poverty has made use known the diferrence between wellbeing and welfare, and also demonstrated that our leaders are either deaf or strangers, but definitely not our brothers.
The gap between the rich and the poor is unreasonably wide, and this is one of the dangers to our human dignitaries. We are pleading for drastic measures that respect our human dignity in the face of our wellbeing, and hopeful of having polling units without armour tanks and guns, We are humans, and not beasts.
The All Progressives Congress APC in Oyo state has called on Governor Seyi Makinde to either refund the whopping sum of N5.2billion which his administration purportedly spent on the remodeling of the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan or risk being dragged to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to account for the alleged fraud involved in the award and execution of the ‘failed project’.
This latest reaction from Oyo APC, apparently, came against the backdrop of the reports credited to the Interim Management Committee (IMC) which described the soccer pitch of the Adamasingba Stadium (the home ground of the Shooting Stars Sports Club) as falling below standard and unplayable. IMC is the body set up by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to oversee the nation’s elite soccer league.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC berated Gov. Makinde over his refusal to explain to the world the details of all the stadiums and sport facilities he has used the sum of N5.2b to fix since he claimed that the said amount was not expended on only Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.
“Most of our people who visited the Stadium in Adamasingba to watch the recent home matches of our darling team (3SC) against El-Kanemi Warriors and Nasarawa United respectively had given an unpleasant report about the whole stadium facility particularly the soccer pitch which has just been confirmed as an eyesore by the IMC. This is against the impression which the Makinde administration had created through the mass media.
“It is recalled that the lid was first blown open on the very day the purportedly remodeled stadium was being recommissioned and the event attracted disgrace to Gov. Makinde and the good people of the state instead of the anticipated applause. It happened that the whole place became waterlogged and messy as a result of a minor downpour. What happened on that day should have made Gov. Makinde throw in the towel but he only followed it up another media campaign equating the substandard stadium facility with those of Maracana, Emirates and Nou Camp in Brazil, England and Spain respectively.
“Meanwhile, the revelation coming from IMC about the sordid job done on Adamasingba Stadium did not come to us as a surprise since we had established that the present PDP administration of Gov. Makinde is synonymous with fraudulent contract awards and poor delivery. This is a government that would sponsor some cronies to register some companies with the Corporate Affairs Commission today with a view to giving the emergency construction outfits tomorrow without any recourse to Due Process law.
“Sad enough, we also have it on good authority that the orchestrated 5 kilometre road contract award imposed on each of the 33 Local Government Council chairmen totalling 165 kilometres across the state has been given out to the same fake company being used to siphon the resources of the state since 2019. The arrangement this time is for the proxies behind the company to attend to some street roads across Ibadan at random after collecting the full sum for the inflated 165Km road contract and then disappear.” Oyo APC lamented.
……Says Riots, Agitations Will Affect Region’s Development
A social-cum-academic group of Oke-Ogun indigenes has called on youths from the area to shun acts that could lead to the destruction of lives and property in the area.
In a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday, the National Coordinator, Oke-Ogun Centrepiece Alliance, Professor Kehinde Yusuf, noted that the major public and private properties destroyed during the EndSARS protests are still being rebuilt today by various communities ravaged by violence.
Yusuf hinted that the violence being witnessed across the country over the scarcity of Nigerian currencies as well as petroleum motor spirit (PMS) should not be allowed to spill to the region where, according to him, human and infrastructural development was just being minimally experienced through the collective efforts of residents and the government.
He called on community leaders and leaders of thought in all the ten local government areas of the region to call the attention of all youths to the consequences of acts that could lead to crisis in the area.
“As tension rises in different parts of the nation over the fuel crisis and currency crisis, let us counsel our different communities to ensure that there is no violence in any part of Oke-Ogun.
“Our region is still struggling for developmental projects that will impact on our people positively, be it in education, health and social infrastructure and human capacity development. We should not allow the efforts of those that have made personal efforts and put their personal resources into achieving these into jeopardy by allowing our youths to be incited to unleash mayhem on our communities.
“Iseyin community is still reeling from the effects of the last EndSARS protest. The community is still building the community police station and other public and private infrastructure that were destroyed, and lives taken then are still being mourned. Let us reflect deeply,” he admonished.
The Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) has disclosed that 33 indigent students from Oyo state have benefited from Governor Seyi Makinde N10m donation into its scholarship scheme.
The beneficiaries were unveiled at the Monthly General Assembly of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes on Friday, February 3, 2023.
Its President General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, Prince Oluyemisi Adeaga, commended Governor Makinde for his good gesture to the indigenes. He encouraged Governor Makinde to keep his gestures of always extending help to the needy in Society. Prince Adeaga noted that His Excellency has been known for his good deeds and prayed that God will always grant him all his heart desires.
Prince Adeaga further advised the beneficiaries that when they succeed in life, they should remember Ibadan and cultivate the spirit of lifting others in need when they achieve in their future endeavors.
“We held our monthly General Assembly, where we successfully awarded a scholarship to 33 indigent students who are Indigenes of Ibadan. They are students of various tertiary institutions in Ibadanland. “Governor Makinde gave us ten million naira (N10M) as part of our scholarship fund, it is a Scholarship program fund, out of which we have taken a first batch of 33 students of various institutions, and we are spending N4.2 million naira on all of them.
“University students were given 140 thousand naira; Polytechnic students were given ₦120 thousand while NCE students each benefitted in the ₦80 thousand naira. In their separate remarks, the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to Governor Makinde for his helping hand to them.
They promised to wisely use the opportunity given to them and notsappoint Ibadanland, CCII, and Governor Makinde.
The students further called on the state’s people to make sure that they supported the re-election bid of Governor Makinde and supported him in providing the dividend of democracy to the state.
“I will like to thank the Governor of my state, Governor Seyi Makinde, for his utmost support to the indigenous students of Oyo state generally.
“I would also like to thank the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes for their support for the indigenous students of Ibadan land.
“I will like to advise the people to consciously support Governor Makinde in his re-election bid because I believe that a lot is still coming from governor Seyi Makinde , the Governor of the masses.
“I have been serving Ibadan from day one because when I was at the federal college of education Oyo, I was a Chapter Federation of Ibadan Students Union (FIBSU) President and I will still continue my support for the development of Ibadan land in my own capacity.
“I want to say a very big thank you to Governor Seyi Makinde, may God bless him.
“Also I want to say thank you to CCII, God bless every members of CCII for the opportunity to benefit from this scholarship, I am pleased and blessed for this scholarship.
As the ancient city of Ibadan prepares to host the Presidential Campaign Rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) this Tuesday, the Oyo state chapter of the party has revealed an alleged plan by the ruling People’s Democratic Party to carry out coordinated attacks on members of the public who are warming up to receive Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team.
There are clear indications that the Oyo state turn of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Rally earlier slated for January 7, 2023 will now take place at Mapo Hall, Ibadan this Tuesday. The event is expected to be attended by Senator Bola Tinubu, his vice presidential candidate, Sen. Kassim Shettima, APC national chairman, Sen. Abdullah Adamu, Gov. Simon Lalong as well as governors of APC extraction across the 36 states among other political bigwigs in the country.
Oyo APC, in a statement issued at the weekend and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, explained that its decision to go ahead with the Tuesday rally despite the crisis occasioned by the biting effects of fuel and naira notes scarcity being experienced by the masses “was borne out of the desire to shame some anti-democratic forces who are bent on truncating the chances of Sen. Bola Tinubu at the poll.
“We have uncovered the satanic plot by the PDP in the state to unleash its home-grown terrorists against members of the public who might want to troop out and welcome Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to Ibadan on Tuesday. The execution of the said plot, which is aimed at discrediting the peaceful conduct of the rally, has been put in the hands of a close aide to Gov. Seyi Makinde (names withheld)and the Chairman of the State Park Management System, Mr. Mukaila Lamidi (a.k.a Auxiliary).
“Impeccable sources have it that Lamidi has been given a huge sum to enable him mobilize his boys and equip them with dangerous weapons with which they would attack defenceless people at random to create fear and panic on Tuesday. Among places designated for the unprovoked attacks are; Iwo Road, Agugu, Monatan, Alakia, Labiran, Molete, Challenge, Ojoo, Sanngo and few other places in Ibadan. In the same vein, the leadership of the PMS has been directed to order commercial bus owners and drivers to withdraw their vehicles from the road on the rally day to frustrate people coming from outside Ibadan.
“We could have ignored the threat of violence coming from the PDP but for their unenviable record of brigandage and senseless killing. Just last week, the same set of people inflicted pains and agony on the whole of Igangan town in Ibarapa North Local Government Area when Gov. Makinde led his team from Ibadan on a campaign tour of the area which recorded fatalities. We recall that the criminal elements who obviously enjoy the backing of the state government have been fingered in some cases of violence in which some lives were lost while others received varying degrees of injury.
“A prelude to the execution of the evil plan was recorded on Saturday when one Riliwan Lamidi (son to Mukaila Lamidi Auxiliary) led a team of thugs to attack some private citizens employed to install campaign billboards of Tinubu/Shettima around Iwo Road interchange in Ibadan. The notorious gang shot sporadically at the their target whose only sin was tied to working with the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Sen. Teslim Folarin.
“Also, we have good information regarding the sponsorship of violent protests in major parts of Ibadan by Oyo PDP this Monday (today). However, we are using this medium to assure members of the public especially patriots and supporters of Asiwaju to come out enmasse as adequate security is being worked out to guarantee safety of lives and properties while we also appeal for calm in view of the prevailing circumstance in the country as the moment of renewed hope is almost here.” APC stated.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, has slammed the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for create unresting unrest and crisis in the State.
The former governor of Lagos State hit Adeleke on Thursday at the APC rally in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, stating that the APC administration of Gboyega Oyetola would soon return to continue its good work.
Recall the Osun election petition tribunal in a judgement delivered on January 27 sacked Adeleke citing issues of over-voting in some polling units and declared Oyetola as the winner of the election.
In his remarks at the APC rally, Tinubu accused the PDP candidate of causing unrest in Osun and misbehaving over the little opportunity he is given to rule.
He said: “They were given little opportunity to rule for some months and they started misbehaving, killing, and creating unrest in Osun state”
Highlighting his plans for the state, Tinubu said he would support Osun to be a manufacturing and tourism paradise.
He said: “You have fertile soil, abundant mineral resources, and a rich culture and history capable of attracting tourists from across the world.
“A vote for me is a vote to develop all parts of this state and this country. Rural areas will not be forgotten but will be developed to support more economic activities and create better lives for the people.
“At the same time, our growing urban population, you city boys, will enjoy decent jobs and a living wage.”
The Oyo State governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has announced the suspension of his campaign activities over the unending fuel and new naira-note crisis.
Governor Seyi Makinde, whose campaign trail has visited some parts of Oyo State, said this during the Flag-off of the Omi-Adio-Ido Road on Friday.
The Governor said the suspension is in solidarity with the people over anti-people economy policies of the All progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun confirmed this.
In the statement, Makinde, who was in Ido to continue his campaign, directed that all campaign activities be suspended until further notice.
Olatubosun said Governor Makinde noted that the suffering of his people is too much, saying he was elected to protect their interests and well being.
Dr. Olatubosun said, Governor Makinde, who flagged-off the Omi Adio-Ido Road in an emotional laden voice, directed leaders of the Party in Oyo State to suspend campaign.
“As a mark of honour to citizens and residents of Oyo State, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde has direct that all campaign activities of the party at all levels be suspended until further notice”, the statement read.
He added, “Governor Seyi Makinde’s love for his people necessitated this unprecedented move, at this time. We urge all residents and citizens of the State to remain calm as we navigate through this difficult period together.”
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun has ordered the payment of backlogs of salaries owed civil servants and emoluments of pensioners in the state.
The payment was disclosed in a memo dated January 31, 2023, signed by K.N Akintola for the Osun Head of Service.
A copy of the memo stated that Mr Adeleke ordered the immediate payment of arrears of half the salaries of workers for January 2016.
“Subsequent payment of arrears of half salaries once in a quarter beginning with the second quarter of the year 2023.
“Monthly payment of arrears of half salaries to contributory Pensioners (State and Local) who have not received their bonus with effect from February 2023,” the memo read in part.
The governor also directed the payment of four months’ outstanding deductions (May and June 2019, February 2020, and October 2022) starting with the immediate payment of the May 2019 deduction and the other three months’ deduction including “cash backing of the year 2019 and 20222 promotion exercise” for the workers.
Civil servants in Osun had under the previous administration of former governor Rauf Aregbesola faced difficulties in getting some of their arrears paid.
The situation led to several warning strikes and down tools of service by the State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
