Due to the twin policy measures of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and the floating of the exchange rates by the Federal Government, the Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has forwarded a bill for the upward review of year 2023 approved budget to the Oyo State House of Assembly.
The bill scaled first reading on the floor of the House on Tuesday.
It is seeking to revise 2023 approved budget for Oyo State from three hundred and ten billion, four hundred and thirty two million, five hundred thousand naira (#310,432,500.00) to three hundred and fifty two billion, two hundred and eighty two million, five hundred thousand naira only (#352,282,500,000.00).
According to the Bill, there was the need to have a budget realignment as the twin policy measures of the Federal Government has changed the dynamics of macroeconomic environment in the country and affected the business activities of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Oyo State.
” The supplementary budget will help in achieving the roadmap for Sustainable Development Agenda 2023 to 2027 of the present administration in Oyo State, and will also ensure that the business activities of the MDAs can thrive in the context of the current macroeconomic challenges in the country.”
The Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin said the effects of the twin policy measures of the Federal Government are being felt across the country.
An Ikeja S*xual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Tuesday sentenced the Medical Director of Optical Cancer Care Foundation, Dr. Olufemi Olaleye, to double life imprisonment for defiling 16-year-old wife’s niece.
Justice Rahman Oshodi held that the prosecution proved the two-count of defilement and s*xual assault by penetration against Olaleye.
Oshodi said that the evidence adduced before the court against the defendant was compelling and proved beyond reasonable doubts.
According him, the confessional statement of the defendant, which he made before his lawyer, Mr. Olalekan Buruji and the DPO of Anthony Police Station that he regretted his act, proved that he committed the offences.
The judge said that the oral statement which the defendant denied, had the NBA seal of Buruji on it and his denial did not hold waters.
“You are dangerous offender and you must be ashamed,” he said.
The Nigeria Labour Congress Oyo State Chapter has threatened to embark on strike at the end of October if the Governor of Oyo State fails to implement N35,000 wage award for the workers in the State.
The statement was made known via a Communique signed and released yesterday by the State Chairmen of the NLC and TUC respectively, Mr. Kayode Martins, and Olabiyi Bosun as read in part:
“The NLC leadership briefed the Congress about the outcome of the various meetings held between the Leadership and the government’s committee set up on the wage award issue.
“The Congress was informed that the government team initially came with a proposal of 25k for workers and 15k for retirees.
“However, at the subsequent meeting, they came with another offer of 15k for workers and 5k for retirees.
RESOLUTIONS: (1) The Congress resolved that the Leadership should not accept anything less than the 35k and 25k which was agreed upon at the Federal level for workers and pensioners respectively.
(2). That immediate strike action should commence by the end of the month if the government failed to pay the agreed amount at the Federal level”.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised the judgment delivered by Judge Robin Knowles of the Business and Property Court in London on Monday, which marked a significant victory for the Federal Government of Nigeria in a case involving Process & Industry Development (P&ID) Limited.
The court dismissed the $11.5 billion (USD) award plus accumulated interest previously granted to P&ID over a failed 2010 deal to construct a gas processing plant. The ruling was based on the finding that the award was obtained through fraud.
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu commended the UK Court for prioritizing the case’s merits above all other factors.
“This groundbreaking judgment unequivocally demonstrates that sovereign nations will no longer be manipulated by economic conspiracies between private companies and corrupt officials who collude to exploit and indebt the very countries they pledge to defend and safeguard,” the President remarked.
He emphasized that the victory was not only for Nigeria but also for the entire continent and the developing world, which has long been subjected to unfair economic practices and blatant exploitation.
President Tinubu expressed gratitude for the dedicated efforts of the defense team and acknowledged the crucial role played by the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney-General in safeguarding Nigeria’s interests throughout the case.
The 200 level students of the Faculty of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources of the LAUTECH Iseyin Campus have resumed today 23rd of October, 2023 as directed by Oyo State Government.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rom Kamil and other members of the school governing board were also in the campus to receive the students as they resume.
Some students were seen receiving lecture from their lecturer.
Meanwhile, certain percentage of the students attended the lectures while others confirmed said to have mobilized themselves in Ibadan to protest in defiance to the order of the Management that all the 200 level students of the Faculty of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources should resume.
According to ODUDUWA NEWS correspondent who monitored the event, some students were seen at the school premises receiving lectures. Some who spoke to newsmen expressed their joy over the warm reception given to them by the community.
The defiant students who mobilized themselves to the Nigerian Television Authority NTA gathered in their number carrying placards with various inscriptions to register their displeasure on the order given to them to resume at LAUTECH Iseyin Campus.
Renowned human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has issued a compelling call to action, urging the National Assembly to prioritize and address the alarming crisis of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Recognizing the urgency of the matter, Falana emphasizes the importance of legislative intervention to ensure that every child has access to quality education.
Femi Falana, a prominent voice in the fight for human rights and social justice, has turned his attention to a critical issue plaguing the nation—the high number of out-of-school children. In a statement addressed to the National Assembly, Falana highlights the urgency of taking substantive measures to address this crisis and secure the future of countless young minds.
Nigeria currently grapples with one of the largest populations of out-of-school children globally, a situation that raises concerns about the nation’s socio-economic development and the well-being of its citizens. Falana, known for his advocacy work, is urging lawmakers to prioritize education in the legislative agenda, allocating resources and implementing policies that ensure the enrollment and retention of children in schools.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to stop the House of Representatives from procuring and taking delivery of N57.6bn 360 sports utility vehicles (SUVs) for its members, pending the hearing and determination of the applications for injunction filed by the organization. SERAP’s applications for interim and interlocutory injunction followed reports that the lawmakers are set to procure and take delivery of N57.6 billion SUVs.
Naija News reports that each of the SUVs would cost taxpayers at least N160 million.
In the applications filed last week, SERAP is seeking “an order of interim injunction restraining the National Assembly from procuring, taking delivery and distributing the SUVs to their members, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction filed simultaneously in this suit.”
SERAP is also seeking such further order(s) that the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance of this suit.
Recall that SERAP in August filed the suit number FHC/L/CS/1606/2023 before the Federal High Court challenging “the legality of the spending of billions of naira by the National Assembly to purchase exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials.”
SERAP also sent an open letter to President Bola Tinubu urging him to put pressure on the leadership of the House of Representatives and stop members from taking delivery of 360 sports utility vehicles (SUVs), pending the hearing and determination of the application for interim injunction.
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a cleric identified as Alfa Taofeeq Kabelohun, Mufassir Orisun Apete, and two others for being in possession of a fresh human head and other parts in Ibadan, Oyo State. -Abdulhakeem Mahmud Raji-Alaufe.
In the video obtained by Newsmen, the trio displayed the head and other parts of the man they killed.
Sources who asked not to be named revealed that Kabelohun was the Mufasir (Deputy Imam) of Orisun Awotan Central Mosque, Awotan in Ido Local Government Area, Ibadan, until his arrest.
“These people had been arrested more than twice on this same issue, and they are living in our midst, one at Peace Estate and the other at Adaba,” he said.
Another source in the community revealed that the duo were arrested when they were trying to remove body parts from a grave in Ibadan.
The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA has demolished an illegal structure in the Banana Island area of the state.
Speaking at the site of the demolition, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Oluyinka Olumide, who decried the rate at which owners/ developers continue to build without recourse to the building codes of the State, said that the demolition was in a bid to compel compliance and rid the State of illegal Structures.
He stated that the demolished structure was in gross violation of the suspension order issued by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during his assessment visit to the site earlier in the year.
It was discovered then that the developer illegally dredged the river to reclaim the land without recourse to any approving authority.
Speaking further, the Commissioner maintained that the indiscriminate dredging activity in the area must stop forthwith, for it not only goes against Planning Laws but impacts negatively on the State’s ecosystem.
Also speaking, the General Manager Lagos State Building Control Agency, Arc. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki said that officials of the Agency had earlier sealed the site but the developer broke the seal and continued with construction, an action which contravenes the building code.
Whilst expressing concern over the illegal land reclamation in the area, Oki assured that those involved would be penalised.
The General Manager added that all buildings involved in unapproved shoreline extensions along Lagos Waterfront would be demolished and their developers prosecuted.
He urged all intending building owners to always do the needful by carrying out due diligence before the commencement of any construction, including obtaining the necessary documentation from relevant Government Agencies.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Salihu Adelabu gave the warning on Friday, while speaking with Journalists in his Office.
Prof Adelabu, who described the act as illegal, reiterated that the Oyo state government policy on Education is free from primary to secondary level in all public schools across the state.
He urged parents and guardians not to pay any fee to principals or teachers, but report anyone who might request or ask them for payment at the ministry.
The Commissioner, therefore, hinted that any principal or teacher found guilty will be seriously dealt with.
According to him, “before school resumes, We had a stakeholders meeting, where we warned all our teachers to desist from illegal collection of fees.
“Because in Oyo state, the school is free, Education is free in Oyo state; from the basic to secondary schools.
“As regards the collection of illegal fees, we cannot run away from bad eggs among our teachers, we have been hearing this rumor, I call it a rumor because we have been hunting for school principals and teachers that are collecting levies from our students.
“In fact, some Zonal Inspectorate Education Officers, (ZIE), our PS; inspector General of Education have been disguising in schools with money to pay such illegal fees when there is a red flag that; in this school, they are collecting illegal fee, I think I can mention two or three of such.
“There was a radio programme some time ago that they were collecting illegal fees in one of the secondary schools in Iseyin, They tagged the fee as ‘IFINKO’, so we quickly called the PS, IGE in charge of that zone. He conducted a search, and he discovered that nothing of such happened.
“There was another incident in IDO, we were trying to at least get one or two as a scapegoat, until now, we are unable to get a result.
“We are not resting on our oars because we have stumbled on one, and we are seriously working to unravel the truth of the matter, if we can get it, if that information is correct, that particular teacher will definitely be queried and is going to face the panel, so, all our teachers should be very careful.
“To the parents, they should know that education is free in Oyo state, no school, no head of school should demand a dime.
“They should not pay them, when such happened they should, please contact the Ministry of Education in Oyo state. If they cannot come over, we have all our LIEs (Local inspector of Education, we have our PS: Inspector General of Education.
“They should please contact them, and they should let us know.
“We have been carrying out what I called sting operation, we are going to schools to find out what type of fee or levy they are collecting from students.
“We’ve not been able to get so much of them, but In the public domain, we are hearing rumors, we are receiving WhatsApp messages, but we have not been able to at least get one or two of them.
“We are still looking for them, you too can help us, if you know of any school, just get in touch with us.”
