Nothing But Fact
The Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has visited the Pacesetter Transport Services today, to inspect the mass transit buses purchased by his administration. 
Makinde said, the buses would operate from the new bus terminals in Ibadan as he is determined to modernise the transportation system in Oyo state. Photos attached herewith are for photostory.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state has thrown its weight behind the state Governor, Seyi Makinde, on his pronouncement to probe the last administration with the aim of retrieving public funds looted from the state coffers.
It would be recalled that Governor Makinde had last week, while featuring on a Live radio program in Ibadan had declared that his Government will not leave any stone unturned to retrieve every Kobo stolen from Oyo purse during the last administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Oyo state PDP in a statement on Thursday April 21 by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Akeem Olatunji, said the party is disturbed by what it described as unwarranted kid gloves treatment of the matter by the state Governor for almost three years since inception of the present administration.
It would also be recalled that the ruling party has at different times in the past called on Governor Makinde to set machineries in motion to probe the last government of APC in the state with the aim of retrieving all public funds diverted into private purse as well as all misappropriated monies.
The Oyo state PDP wondered why the state government has yet to commence probing of the last government despite the pronouncement to do so saying that no sentimental coloration should be attached to the probe move.
The ruling party also noted that in the face of clarity, the last APC government did an extrensive probe and prosecution of a previous government of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja before it until the Court of law gave a final ruling on it.
The party urged Governor Seyi Makinde to as a matter of urgency and necessity commence the probe in order to retrieve stolen public funds and monies misappropriated under the APC government from 2011–2019.
The statement reads partly, “we are still bewildered as a political party as to why the Governor, His Excellency, Engr Seyi Makinde has continued to show undeserved leniency to those who have made pensioners, retirees and even civil servants in the state to suffer undeserved and untold hardship as a result of deliberate denial of their legitimate rights after serving the state meritoriously.
“We want to state it unequivocally clear that probing the last APC administration will be the only elixir that can heal the wounded hearts of all those who have lost their loved ones to the cold hands of death as a result of denied rights and benefits after many years of active service in the state civil service.
“It is of note that apart from brazen misappropriation and diversion of public funds under the last APC government which runs into several billions of naira, civil servants who were then in active service and others still in active service before the emergence of the PDP led Government were made to suffer unjust treatment even across ministries and government parastatals.
“The fifty billion Health Endowment funds that was either diverted to private purse or misappropriated is yet to be accounted for. The sudden and questionable wealth acquired by many officials who served under the last APC government can not be allowed to be swept under the carpet.
“We are optimistic that Governor Makinde will by reason of posterity and justice to every resident and citizen of Oyo who hold his personality and reputation in the highest esteem immediately set machineries with the view to retrieving every stolen Kobo from the coffers of the state between 2011 and 2019 while assuring the state government of our maximum and unreserved cooperation and support in the entire probe process.”
The crisis rocking Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho has taken a new dimension as the Academic Staff Union of University, LAUTECH Chapter on Thursday passed voted of no confidence on the management.
The labour unions also implored Governor Seyi Makinde to mandate the Vice Chancellor Professor Mojeed Olaide Liasu and the Chairman Governing Council Professor Deji Omole to pay arrears owed its members for seven years.
The Union further emphasized that the Management of the institution has been shortchanging its members for a while by not giving attention to regular promotion of staff members as instructed by the Governor as well as obstructing the payment of arrears of earned allowance.
In a statement jointly signed by the Chairman, Professors Biodun Olaniran and Toyin Abegunrin, Secretary respectively entitled “LAUTECH Administration: A Slave Driver”, the Union leaders put the amount being owed them at over five billion naira.
The ASUU leaders said their members have lost confidence in the university administration led by the acting Vice chancellor and the Deji Omole-led Governing council to pursue their welfare.
While the governor to immediately intervene before the situation degenerates into further crisis in LAUTECH saying “It is rather unfortunate that the 2016 and 2017 avoidable crisis started because the then administration refused to address arrears of EAA.
Apparently not learning from history, the present university administration and council are now towing the same path”.
The duo of Olaniran and Abegunrin said “Our Union cooperated with the administration to realize the debt from students with the understanding that our EAA and promotion arrears will be settled, knowing full well that at least one third of it could be paid. however, as against our understanding, the university administration went ahead to appropriate the realized money on acclaimed capital projects and none of the two arrears was attended to”
While calling on the Governor to wade in on time, the ASUU leaders said “We therefore call on the Visitor, His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde that we have lost confidence in the university administration led by acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof M.O Liasu and Professor Ayodeji Omole-led Governing Council to address our welfare matters. In this regards, to avoid repeat of such avoidable scenario, he should intervene now”
The Osinbajo Support Movement has accused Tinubu’s supporters of being behind the recent posters in some parts of the FCT referring to the vice president as a ‘betrayer’
The pro-Osinbajo group said phone records of the printer suggests he has been conversing with members of the Tinubu Support Group based in the Nigerian capital city.
Details later.
No fewer than five people have been reportedly killed and many wounded while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed following a clash that erupted between Ilaje people (Yoruba residents) and indigenes of Mkpanak in Ibeno, the Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday April 20. The clash was allegedly as a result of a cult war which reportedly led to the stabbing to death of an indigene of the community before it assumed ethnic dimensions.
According to reports, Ilaje people, mostly fishermen, have started fleeing the community through bush paths, while their houses and tents are being looted and destroyed by the hoodlums. A Yoruba man living in Akwa Ibom state, Oluwajuwon Ogunbiyi, who confirmed the incident described the situation as unfortunate and called on the state government to set up a committee to investigate the crisis.
“It is quite unfortunate that this crisis has led to the loss of innocent lives and destruction of properties.The Ibeno community had been a good host over the decades to both indigenes and non indigenes have been living there in harmony without rancour,” Ogunbiyi said. “I’ m therefore using this medium to appeal for peace and an end to hostilities from both warring parties.
I also want to call on the Governor of Akwa Ibom State as well as Head of all security agencies in the state to intervene in the matter immediately in order to stem down this waves of violence. “The state government must as a matter of urgency set up a committee to look into this crisis so as to ascertain the major cause. Perpetrators fanning the embers of war on both sides must be arrested immediately”.
The Management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, on Wednesday, vowed that a professor of Yoruba incantations and Stylistics, Joseph Opefeyitimi, won’t evade disciplinary action for alleged sexual assault on Boluwatife Bababunmi of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages.
In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, the institution said the incident happened on March 18, 2022, and the student petitioned the school management three days later.
The institution revealed that upon thorough investigation, Opefeyitimi was found prima facie liable and won’t evade the appropriate sanction.
The statement by the management was titled, ‘Sex Scandal: OAU Not Foot-dragging’.
It partly read, “Procedurally, after the receipt of the formal complaints, the first step was that the departmental committee sat on the matter and, after thorough investigation, Professor Opefeyitimi was found prima facie liable.
“Second stage was the Faculty level and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, professor Niyi Okunoye referred the matter to the anti-sexual harassment committee of the University. The committee, which also sat and clinically deliberated on this same matter, recommended appropriate disciplinary actions against professor Ayo Opefeyitimi to the University Management.
“Of course, the University administration would have to present its recommendations to the Governing Council which has the final say on the matter, considering the status of the staff involved.
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company IBEDC, Eko Electricity Distribution Company EKEDC and other distribution companies across Nigeria are to begin charging of customers per hour of electricity supplied.
This is on the backdrop of the recent announcement by Federal Government where it directed Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to bill consumers according to the hours of electricity supplied.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) gave the directive in a statement via its Twitter handle on Tuesday.
The commission also instructed the electricity distribution companies to install meters purchased by consumers within ten days of payment.
It also asked the DisCos to take into cognisance the epileptic supply in the country following the collapse of the national grid last month.
FCCP urged the DisCos to respect consumers’ rights, as complaints against the electricity distribution companies rose to 478,415 in the first six months of last year.
The statement reads, “During this period of severe electricity shortages and palpable customer dissatisfaction, DisCos must be mindful of their commitments and respect consumers’ rights.
“Customers shall be billed according to the hours of electricity supplied (approved band classification). You have a right to contest the tariff band classification you have been assigned.
“Payment for meters shall not be made if meters are not available. The Meter Asset Provider (MAP) shall install the meter at the premises of the customer within 10 working days of payment.”
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has described as untrue the statement credited to Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, that the Igbo cannot be trusted with the office of the Nigerian presidency.
Ohanaeze noted that Oba Akanbi’s attack on the Igbo was not based on any verifiable evidence but rather on self-serving interests.
Oba Akanbi had, in a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary, Alli Ibraheem, said that “no Nigerian will feel secure in the hands of a leader whose ethnic attachment deprived other Nigerians of their rights”.
He further accused the Igbo of “preventing people from the other parts of the country from acquiring properties in their domain”, adding that “the style by the Southeasterners is barbaric”.
Reacting to the allegations on Tuesday, Ohanaeze President General, Prof. George Obiozor, described the accusations as untrue, and advised Oba Akanbi to “undergo some tutelage under some more experienced cosmopolitan urbane intelligent monarchs”, stating that a well-adjusted traditional ruler is known by being open-minded towards all, especially people of other ethnic groups that may be found in his domain.
Obiozor in a statement issued through the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, said, “It is self-evident that Nigeria is a beleaguered country that urgently needs nation-building; inflammatory and incendiary remarks from monarchs and the highly placed are antithetical to peace and unity of Nigeria.
“In promoting his preferred candidate, he has committed a fallacy of hasty generalisation when he stated that ‘the style by southeasterners is barbaric; the Igbo cannot be trusted with power’, among others.
“Surely, such prejudice, innuendo and vitriolic group vilifications against the entire Igbo nation is most unreflective of a royal father whose primary duty is to sow seeds of unity in his kingdom and beyond. For the avoidance of doubt, the Igbo are adventurous nation builders; they are found in all parts of Nigeria and beyond.
“The wild claims that the Igbo prevent people from the other parts of the country from acquiring properties in their domain or have an obnoxious policy of depriving other Nigerians of their rights cannot be substantiated. On the other hand, it is inconceivable that a group that builds modern houses in all parts of the country will prevent other ethnicities from building in their homestead.
“One would think that the morbid fabrication of falsehood is terrible mischief, only for the uninitiated. What else? Oba Akanbi is drawn to his paradox, where he acknowledged the damage done to the Igbo during the Nigerian civil war and at the same time condemning the agitation by Igbo youth, such as the ESN for their clamour for inclusiveness based on equity and justice after about 53 years of the Nigerian Civil War,” the statement read in part.
The Government of Osun State has commiserated with the royal family of the Olukoyi of Ikoyi land in Isokan Local government Area of Osun State, over the demise of Oba Yisau Bamitale Oyetunji Otunla, Kodaolu 1, who joined his ancestors on Monday at the age of 75 years, after a brief illness.
This was contained in a statement signed and made available to the newsmen by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Funke Egbemode as read in part:
“The 35-year reign of Oba Yisau Bamitale Oyetunji Otunla was notable for utmost commitment and love for his people. He will be greatly missed.
“The government and the good people of Osun pray God grants him eternal rest, and his family and the entire Ikoyi town the fortitude to bear the loss”.
Leader of Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has said that presidential aspirants from the South-West geopolitical zone including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, should forget their presidential ambitions.
He said it was the turn of the South-East to produce Nigeria’s next President after the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in May 2023.
The elder statesman made his position known in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday.
According to him, it is an injustice for a South-West President to emerge in 2023 after ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State had ruled from 1999 to 2007; while Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, also from Ogun State, has been in government since May 2015 and would have spent eight years in power by May 2023.
The 94-year old elder statesman added that the South-South zone has also had a shot at both President and Vice-President positions with ex-President Goodluck Jonathan between 2007 and 2010 (as VP) and from 2010 to 2015 (as President).
Adebanjo, however, said for Nigeria to have another President, the country must first be secured.
The nonagenarian said, “Right now, is there a country for them to be President? There must be one country first before you can talk of an election. Is this the country Jonathan handed over to Buhari? Whether a Southern or a Northern candidate, let us unite everyone. We can’t get everyone united until we change this constitution.
“Are you safe? Talk about security. How am I sure that I won’t be shocked when I go to the police station, when electoral officers, soldiers, and policemen are being shot dead and I can’t travel to Maiduguri safely?
“All those who are clamouring for Presidency, be it Jagaban (Tinubu) or Osinbajo, they should assure us of our safety first, that the country is safe, that we are one, then we talk of who is going to be President. They should forget about their ambitions now until there is safety. Nobody can go to the South-East now, and we are all living in denial.”
Asked if he was supporting Tinubu, Osinbajo, or any President from the South-West, the Afenifere leader said, “How can I back a South-West candidate? That is not equity. Has Obasanjo not done so for eight years? Has Osinbajo not done eight years as VP? Has Jonathan not done five years as President? Is the South-East not part of Nigeria?
“We want peace and equity. It is the turn of the South-East. I don’t talk ambiguously. It is the South-East that the thing must go; there is no doubt about that but my anxiety now is that before we say, South-East, have we got a country? Let us settle that before we say the South-East is the answer. I am not ambivalent about it at all.”
He is entitled to his opinion, say VP, ex-Lagos gov’s camps
Pro-Tinubu and pro-Osinbajo groups have however expressed their disagreements with the statement made by the Afenifere leader.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the pro-Tinubu group, South West Agenda 2023 group, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, said the rotation principle of the presidency is between the North and South of the country.
He said, “Chief Adebanjo is our leader and a man I respect. He is now in his 90s and has paid his own dues; we are their followers and we are also entitled to our own views and our view is that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should go ahead and contest the presidency.
“The rotation principle in Nigeria is between the North and the South and whenever it rotates to any of the regions, whether South or North, every of the geopolitical zones in that region are free to contest the presidency. Now, it is the turn of the South and we absolutely believe that anybody in the South, including those from the South-West, are free to throw their hats into the ring and challenge for the presidency.
“This is exactly what Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing and he is enjoying tremendous support not only in the South-West which is his own base, but throughout the entire length and breadth, nook and cranny of Nigeria and therefore, no person will sit in one corner and say Asiwaju Bola Tinubu should forget his presidential ambition. Certainly, he will contest for the presidency.”
The Convener, Progressive Lawyers for Osinbajo, Dr Kayode Ajulo, also explained that the opinion of Adebanjo does not indicate the position of the Afenifere group.
He said, “The Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not about making emotive statements. I know that if Afenifere wants to say anything, it has to be decided on. Afenifere is not a conclave of what people don’t know what is being done there. The way we have been doing it is that the issue would be deliberated upon by Afenifere and there would be a communique collectively passed. I ask, where is the communiqué of Afenifere saying this?
“For some time now, I have not seen such things from Afenifere. I have not received any notification to this effect and no one else has confirmed receiving any invitation. Baba Adebanjo is entitled to his opinion. But where is Baba Reuben Fasoranti? Where is Baba Sehinde Arogbofa? Where is Chief Sola Ebiseni? Where is Olu Falae’s opinion on this issue? This is not an issue that only one person will just make a sweeping remark. Where did these men deliberate on this issue?
“I am worried that it is being termed Afenifere’s position. Afenifere has procedures, ways and manners such an issue is to be discussed. As it is, I see more of Chief Ayo Adebanjo’s personal opinion which he is entitled to, but please it is clear how the President of Nigerians should emerge.”
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