Author: oduduwanews

Lagos State First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu has made a passionate appeal to all stakeholders in the education sector to work towards resolving the prolonged strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing the situation as a ticking time bomb that must be urgently addressed.

She spoke at a special Eid-El-Fitr celebration hosted by the Lagos State first family and the state government held at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja to commemorate the end of Ramadan.

“Our children need to go back to school. It is a ticking time bomb when our children sit at home doing nothing. The devil will find work for the idle hands. Our children, those in the universities, sitting down at home for two months is not a plus for us and so anytime we have the opportunity, we as parents, especially mothers, should continue speaking up.

“The federal universities are shut down as a result of the ASUU strike. We plead and plead that God will help us to resolve this issue. I don’t feel comfortable that the students are at home and whatever it takes, all hands must be on deck to ensure that they go back to school,” she said.

The First Lady also admonished the youth to shun all ungodly, immoral, and bestial acts, just as she urged parents to pay closer attention to issues affecting their children.

“As we bask in the euphoria of this sacred celebration, it is also important to seize the opportunity of this spiritual exercise to admonish our children and youths to shun all ungodly, immoral, and bestial acts.

“As parents and guardians too, we must lead by example and pay closer attention to the totality of what concerns our children and wards. It is okay to intrude into their privacy and ensure that we guide them on the right path.

“More importantly, let us be their true and sincere friends so that we can earn their trust and confidence to discuss anything and everything with us. That way, we have the unique opportunity to put things right,” the First Lady said.

She said beyond Ramadan, it was important for people to imbibe and sustain the principles of the holy month which among others include peace, kindness, compassion, and happy co-existence.

According to her, “The Holy Prophet held these principles in high esteem and lived His whole life around them. It is also important for us to allow all these virtues to reflect in our actions, public conduct, and interpersonal relations with everyone around us, long after Ramadan. This way, we will improve on the cordial relationship that exists among the various ethnic groups and adherents of different religions in our state.”

The celebration was attended by dignitaries including the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, and his wife, Oluremi; other top government functionaries from the executive, legislative, and judiciary; political leaders, Islamic clerics, traditional rulers, and members of various organizations.

There was also musical entertainment by Sauti Arewa, Gawat, Alaka Twins and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Muslim Artist Group (ABATMAG) led by Queen Seyidat Olohungbebe.

THE Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has insisted that the southern part of the country must produce the next president of the country. Akeredolu, in a statement on Tuesday, warned the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress against giving the presidential ticket to a northern aspirant so as not to put the party in a crisis.

Akeredolu, in a statement on Tuesday, warned the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress against giving the presidential ticket to a northern aspirant so as not to put the party in a crisis. The full statement as released by the Governor is highlighted below.

OUR PARTY, APC, MUST TREAD THE PATH OF EQUITY

Our party, the All Progressives Congress, has started the process which will eventually culminate in the presentation of elected political leaders, who must steer the affairs of the country for another term. We have been able to hold the party’s Convention successfully. New officers of the party have emerged in a process that is widely acknowledged as rancour-free. The level of understanding and maturity displayed by all and sundry has been commendable. Known adversaries have been forced to accept the emerging fact that our party is formidable and ready for the next general elections.

The current socio-economic crises are surmountable. It is commendable that the Government is addressing these issues without drama. The Federal Government and leadership of our great party will come out stronger. We cannot, therefore, afford any internal bickering which holds the potential promise of causing distrust and militating against cohesion, harmony and the zeal to achieve set objectives.

The current democratic dispensation is anchored on the unwritten convention driven by a principle of Equity. Political expediency dictates, more appealingly, that while adhering to the spirit and letters of the laws guiding conduct of elections and succession to political offices, we must do nothing which is capable of tilting the delicate balance against the established arrangement which guarantees peace and promotes trust.

Our party just elected officers on the established principle of giving every part of the country an important stake in the political calculus. The focus has now shifted to the process which will culminate in the participation of our party in the general elections scheduled for next year. All lovers of peace and freedom must do everything to eschew tendencies which may predispose them to taking decisions which promote distrust and lead to a crisis, the end of which nobody may be able to predict.

The leadership of the party ensured that the principle of rotational representation guided its decision at the just-concluded Convention. The party Chairmanship position has gone to the North. All other offices have been filled on this understanding. This is the time the leaders of the party must make a categorical statement, devoid of equivocation, on the pattern of succession.

The party Executive Committee has fixed a fee for the purchase of the nomination form for the office. It is expected, fervently, that it will proceed to complete the process by limiting the propensities for disagreement to a region for possible micro-management. It is very expedient that we avoid self-inflicted crises before the general elections.

It is the turn of the Southern part of the country to produce the next President. The party leadership should have no difficulty in making pronouncement on this very important issue, just as it has fixed various fees for the purchase of forms. This must be done without delay. The principle of Federal Character is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended. It will be disingenuous for anyone to argue against rotation at this period.

We must not keep our party men and women guessing on the position of the leadership of the party. This is the time to weigh in and take control of the process. No statement must suggest, even remotely, that the party harbours certain sentiments which may predispose it to consider throwing the contest open. This is certainly not the time for equivocation. EQUITY DICTATES THAT WE TAKE A STAND..

Following the massive joint patrol embarked upon by the Nigerian Army and men of the Amotekun Corps with other Security agencies, hideouts of kidnappers and other suspected criminal elements in Ondo State have been bursted

During the operations, no fewer than 37 suspected criminals were apprehended across the 18 Local Government Area of the State.

The patrol which was held simultaneously across the state, was part of efforts put in place by the state government to ensure a crime-free Eid-El-Fitri celebration.

The Ondo State Commander of Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye made this known while parading the suspects before newsmen at the Corps Headquarters in Akure on Tuesday.

According to him, the patrol which started since Friday last week, will continue till Thursday to make it a full week exercise to rid the society, Ondo and its environs of criminal elements.

“In the last five days, we have been able to harvest a number of criminals ranging from Armed robbers, suspected kidnappers, fraudsters, “Yahoo yahoo” boys and those that are engaged in nefarious activities.

“I want to commend men of the Nigeria Army from the 32 Artillery Brigade for their huge support likewise the Nigeria Police force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and of course, the Department of State Service (DSS) for their support towards ensuring that the holiday was crime free.

Akogun Adeleye who is also the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security matters, hinted, that during the operation, they busted a number of criminal activities such as kidnapping at the border town of Ondo state.

“As a result of the intense pressure we mounted on the Kidnappers, they were compelled to to release the victim and as at now, we don’t have any Kidnapped victim in the State.

“With Intelligence, we are able to follow grassroots intelligent report to clamp down on their hideouts and we will continue to do that inline with the policy of the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Akeredolu.

You will agree with me that he places a lot of premium on the security of lives and properties of residents in the state. Residents, commuters and business owners in the state are testifying, that the atmosphere is clear for smooth transactions.

“And for farmers, we want you to go back to your farms and we assure you of your safety. We also enjoin you to give us timely information to work with once you see suspected movement around.

“I also want to assure members of the public that the law will take its full course on all that are found to be culpable.

He, however, reiterated the smooth working relationship existing between the Army and the Amotekun Corps.

“I keep saying that there is no personal disagreement between the Army and members of the Ondo state security Network Agency. They were operational frictions which have been resolved and as you witness today, you would see that we are working closely together and we are happy working together.

“We don’t have any problem with the Army, they are playing the roles they are supposed to play in curbing crime in Ondo State and I tell you, that the Army and other security agencies have been actively involved in most of the major successful operations that are going on in the state”, Akogun Adeleye said

Southwest leaders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) have scheduled a meeting with presidential aspirants from the zone.

The party’s founding Chairman Chief Bisi Akande and former Ogun State Governor Chief Olusegun Osoba, and other stakeholders are the conveners of the parley billed for Lagos State Government House in Marina, on Friday

The conveners of the meeting, according to ODUDUWA NEWS, an online publication, are said to be worried about the bad blood already generated by the ambition of the aspirants.

The meeting is geared towards harmonizing various differences and conflict of interest emanating from the declaration of interest to run for Presidency among Yoruba sons. Details later.