Author: oduduwanews

The visit of the delegation from The Ooni of Ifé, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II to the city of São Paulo in Brazil on Thursday brought together leaders and influencers willing to promote the proposal of the Oduduwa Heritage Home within the project “Treasure of Our Ancestors”, an initiative of the African foremost king; Ooni Ogunwusi with the purpose of strengthening ties and building bridges that facilitate cultural, tourist and economic exchange between Brazil and Nigeria and, in particular Ile-Ifé, Cradle & Natural Headquarters of a the Yoruba people and Oduduwa Race at large.

Representing His Majesty, the delegation formed by the kings Joseph Adebayo Adewole the Ajero of the kingdom of Ijero-Ekiti and Oba Kayodee Adeenekan Afolabi the Alapomu of Apomu) Chief Adekunle Sumbo the Saagba of Ogbagi Akoko, Prince Adekunle Olokooba, a specialist in traditional medicine and Comrade Moses Olafare, head of communication at the palace of the Ooni of Ifé in addition to visiting the Unidos de Vila Maria shed at Fábrica do Samba also visited the association’s rehearsal court to Learn about the school’s social project and talk a little about “Back To Home”, program that will be officially launched the Ooni of Ifé in 2022, precisely in the month of March, when he will visit the country for the second time.

In his introductory speech, the Ooni’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Comrade Moses Olafare urge the Afro Brazilians to proudly comport themselves as ambassadors of African nobility and royalty. He admonished them to take their huge population as an advantage to own the the country where they were once treated like slaves.
“It is paramount on the agenda of your father back home in Ile-Ife which is your ancestral home; Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II to stand by you and ensure you are connected to your continent of Africa.

“First of all, we need to understand that we are descendants of African royalty, we are heirs to kings, you are all princes and princesses, our ori(head) is blessed and your descent is noble. We can not think otherwise. You the Oduduwa descendants hold almost 60% population in this country Brazil, it means you own this country and you can not be treated like second class citizens. You are heirs and sounds of Oduduwa”, Olafare said.

Received by the president of Unidos de Vila Maria, the royal representatives watched a small Samba Dance Show presented by the school’s cast that proposed a collaborative partnership between the social projects of Nigeria and Brazil. Former Brazilian Ambassador Mrs Maria Auxiliadora Figueiredo, and Oba Ogboni Adekunle Aderounmu, highlighted the importance of the connection between the sister countries in addition to the fatherly messages from the Ooni by the duo of Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti and Alapomu of Apomu Kingdom.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that Osun is one of the eight leading States in Nigeria in terms of Covid-19 vaccination.

WHO lauded the Administration of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for taking the health of the people of the State as topmost priority, saying the Organisation would support the State to ensure adequate vaccination campaign exercise in its efforts to ensure that the citizens and residents get vaccinated.

This is even as Governor Oyetola flagged off mass vaccination campaign against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic in the State, disclosing that another batch of 2 million doses of the vaccine had been made available for the citizens.

Addressing the people at the flag-off ceremony, held at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, the Osun State Coordinator, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Bello Ahmed, said the support was in view of the state’s commitment toward provision of quality and functional healthcare delivery across the nooks and crannies of the State.

“We are very happy that Osun is holding this flag- off. We are proud of the government for its commitment to ensuring adequate healthcare delivery.

“Osun is among the 8 leading States in Covid-19 vaccination, and for the mass vaccination campaign, the World Health Organisation is supporting all the 8 leading States,” he added.

Flagging off the mass vaccination campaign, Oyetola said the initiative was necessary as part of efforts to curb the scourge and rid Osun of the menace.

He also disclosed that the State had vaccinated about 300,000 citizens.

Represented by his Deputy, Mr. Benedict Alabi, Governor Oyetola described the move as a noble way to further improve the health and wellbeing of the people saying, “this is another strategy being put in place to curb the COVID-19 scourge in our dear State.”

He urged the citizens and residents to take maximum advantage of the opportunity to get vaccinated just as he implored community leaders, stakeholders, women and religious leaders to assist in mobilising all eligible persons to avail themselves of this golden opportunity of receiving the Covid-19 vaccination which has been tested and found to be trusted, safe and efficacious in protecting the people.

“We took delivery of the
first set of Covid 19 Vaccines, 64,240 doses of Astra Zeneca, on the night of Tuesday, 9th March, 2021.

“The Health Workers at the Isolation Centre, followed by Mr. Governor were the first to take the vaccines on Wednesday, 10th March. This set the pace for the vaccination of health workers and other frontliners in the State, at no cost to the recipients.

“We took delivery of 47,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine and had the Flag Off Ceremony on the 24th of August this year.

“In my speech on that occasion, I did promise that the Federal Government and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) were making efforts to get the vaccines for the rest of the populace.

“I am happy to announce that about 2 million doses of Covid Vaccines have been allocated to the State and all eligible persons that are yet to be vaccinated now have access to the vaccines.

“With our total population standing at over 5Million, and about 50% of this being in the 18 years and above age bracket, the greater part of the target population is yet to be vaccinated.

“Our health workers as well as adhoc staff have been specially trained for this purpose.

“Fixed Posts at our primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities, including outreach Posts in places outside the health facilities and special locations like Churches,Mosques, Markets and Malls will be used.

“I, therefore, enjoin all the good people of Osun of ages 18 and above who are either partially vaccinated or yet to be vaccinated to take advantage of this opportunity,” he added.

In his remarks, the Executive Chairman, Osun State Primary Healthcare Board, Hon. Adeleke Oyeleke Ogunsola, said the performance of the Administration of Governor Oyetola in all sectors has been nothing short of astronomical, especially in the area of health with much focus on healthcare delivery at the grassroots.

He said, “Mr. Governor never gets tired of our incessant needs, always granting prompt approval to requests for counterpart funds for all our health programmes among other things.

“Our State has been involved in vaccination against the deadly Covid-19 since the 10th of March this year. The immense support being given to healthcare delivery in general and the Covid-19 vaccination specifically, coupled with the energetic and enthusiastic approach of the health workers, had placed our State among the top three best performing States in the Covid-19 vaccination exercise.”

In their separate remarks, the representatives of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Modupeola Oyesiji, and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mr. Chima Orji, urged the residents to get vaccinated and begin to spread the gospel of the vaccines across the nooks and crannies of the State.

The occasion was attended by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu; Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. ‘Siji Olamiju; market women leaders, artisans among others.

ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that one self-acclaimed prophet, Festus James, has been alleged to have raped a woman with eight months’ pregnancy in Ondo State.

The suspect arrested by Ondo State Police Command said to have committed the offence at Agbabu community in the Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.

Parading the suspect at the command headquarters in Akure, the state capital, on Thursday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said James had carnal knowledge of the woman under the pretext of performing spiritual deliverance for her.

She said, “James from Ibadan in Oyo State went to Agbabu village via Ore, claimed to be a prophet and that the holy spirit directed him to have a three days holy ghost revival in a church in the village.

“The next day, the prophet claimed to have se oken a vision concerning a 22-year-old lady who was eight months’ pregnant and told her to wait behind after the programme.

“He took the pregnant lady into one of the rooms in the mission house under the guise of delivering her from an evil spirit and had carnal knowledge of her. The suspect confessed to the crime.”

The PPRO said the suspect would soon be charged to court.

James, who admitted to having sex with the victim, however, denied raping her.

He said, “I had sex with her truly, but it was not rape; I did not rape her. I always went there for revival. But honestly, I didn’t know what came over me that caused me to do that. It was the work of the devil.”

Legal practitioner, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has raised an alarm over what he described as “vicious attacks” on members of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Enquiry on Police Brutality following the group’s submission of its report. 

“Since the submission of the EndSARS Panel Report to the Governor of Lagos State on November 15, 2021, members of the Panel have become the subject of vicious attacks by those suspected to be agents of the government, ” Adegboruwa, a member of the panel, said in a statement he issued on Thursday.

“All manner of allegations has been heaped upon Panel Members, some of who have been called unprintable names.”

He restated that members of the panel were appointed on merit, debunking reports that they lobbied to get into the position.

“As a matter of fact, in my own case, His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, appealed to me to accept my appointment, which I saw as a call to national service,” he added.

“The primary reason the Governor gave to me then was that he wanted men and women of integrity, independent and not subject to manipulation, to be on the Panel.”

Adegboruwa described a report credited to an unnamed counsel to the Lagos State Government that members of the panel took bribes as “unfair, ungodly, and least expected of the government and its lawyers”.

According to him, the panel is waiting for the Lagos State Government’s white paper on the report submitted by the panel but decried the “mindless propaganda upon Panel Members”.

While calling on the Lagos State Government to “call its agents and lawyers to order so as not to provoke aggravated responses,” he said members of the panel deserve better treatment from the government.

“I should not become a victim of unwarranted attacks just because I accepted to serve the government and the outcome of that assignment did not favour the expectations of the government,” Adegboruwa, further noted.

“Suffice it to mention that I worked with men and women of unblemished integrity and I’m proud to be associated with them all.”

Chief Mrs Folashade Tinubu Ojo, the Iyaloja General of Nigeria has explained the circumstances that led to the closure of the popular Oyingbo market in Lagos, last Friday.

She stated that, Honorable Omolola Essien, the Chairman of the Lagos Mainland Local Government, which oversees the Oyingbo Market, ordered the immediate closure of the market over the very poor hygiene conditions in the market.

Tinubu-Ojo stated this while addressing members of the press at Alausa, Ikeja on Wednesday.

“The Chairman of the Local Government called me and said that she had ordered the immediate closure of the market. She said the market was too dirty and not appropriate as a sales for food items to be consumed by human beings”.

“I also visited the market myself and ordered the traders to immediately commence a sanitation exercise and that the market will not be reopened until the market is properly cleaned.

“In order not to make the traders suffer much losses, I asked that traders selling perishable items to continue selling till the end of the day but that no trader at all will be allowed to sell from the next day”.

The Iyaloja of Agric Coker Odunade section of the Oyingbo Market; Mrs Abimbola, also said that they had raised a team to conduct a spot-check on the Oyingbo market if it was clean enough to be opened, but on getting there, we found that the market was worse than how it was the last time they checked.

Speaking further, Chief Mrs. Tinubu Ojo said that Ministry of Environment officials and also her own took pictures as evidence of how dirty the market was.

She also addressed the issue of allegations against her that she had ordered Oyingbo Market traders to pay a levy of N5million (Five Million Naira).

“BBC Yoruba reported that I ordered the closure of the market because they did not pay the N5 million levy. This is common blackmail that some of the traders resort to so that they can cover their misdemeanour. A section of them were even trying to intimidate us while we were at the market but we stood our ground.”

She used the opportunity to advice all Lagos market traders to make sure that they sanitize their market and also make it clean.
https://lagosreporters9ja.com/2021/11/18/why-oyingbo-market-was-closed-iyaloja-general-tinubu-ojo-clarifies/

Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde on Thursday presented cheques of a total sum of Thirty Million Naira (N30,000,000.00) to the families of the 12 deceased Amotekun Corps Members who died in the line of duty.

The governor presented the cheques at a ceremony to unveil and commission the Ultra Modern Amotekun State Headquarters at Moniya in Ibadan.

The Oyo state PDP Spokesperson, Akeem Olatunji said “today’s event has shown to the world that Nigeria as a nation has a lot to learn from Governor Seyi Makinde leadership style, while families of Nigeria security personnels find it difficult to get compensation for their departed loved ones who loose their lives while serving the nation”.

He further continued, “the GSM led administration make sure it was not up to a year before compensating the Amotekun Corps members who met their untimely deaths in the course of action”.

Other highlights of the events included, Awards which presented by Governor Seyi Makinde to Kazeem Akinro as Most Outstanding and Committed Operatives, Fakayode Adebowale as Best Zonal Coordinator, Saheed Abdul-Ganiyu as Best Unit Coordinator and Oladele Oluwaseun Adelanke as Most Productive Female Operative.

The Chairman of PDP in Oyo State led the State Executives of PDP to the memorable event.

The Muslim Groups in Oyo State have called for the removal of the Chairman and Permanent Secretary of the Teaching Service Commission of Oyo State TESCOM, Pastor Akin Alamu and Mrs. Grace Oderinde over what it called abuse of powers and religious intolerance against Muslim students.

This was contained in a statement signed, released and sent to ODUDUWA NEWS today by Jamaatu Ta’awunil Muslimeen and Ansarul Huda Islamic Organization as read in part:

“MUSLIMS IN OYO STATE ARE BLENCHED AND OPPRESSED WITHOUT SCARE OF RETRIBUTIONS

“It came to our notice that one Great Gospel Crusade led by Daniel Kolenda in their outreach, perpetrated evils of invigorating their evangelistic crusade on Muslim students in nothing less than 18 public schools across Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

“Deceptively, as usual, the pictures and video coverages of Muslim students in hijab were taken as a proof that these innocent souls have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. To our astonishment when Oyo state Muslim Community frowned at this absurd, bigotry, insulting and assault behavior on the entire Muslim community, a purported and deceitful apology letter titled “Deep Apology” was sent to the TESCOM chairman, through the permanent secretary Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Oyo State and signed by the crusade chairman Rev. Israel Olaseinde. It was stated in the letter, dated 10th November 2021, that they apologize for the error done so far as it was done without approval and such mistake would not repeat itself.
Having tendered the above apology, the following questions require urgent response from these spiritual scammers ( i.e TESCOM chairman, TESCOM permanent secretary and crusade chairman ):

1. “Why the crusade campaign took place again in the public schools on Thursday 11th November, 2021 and Friday 12th November,2021 which led to forfeiture of Muslim students obligatory Friday Jumat prayer?
2. Why did Crusade Chairman apology to only TESCOM why not to affected stakeholders, m Muslim students, muslim parents and muslim communities at large?
3. Why did the crusade in the public school continue after apology?
4. Did chairman of TESCOM and its Permanent Secretary address the public on the alleged crusade campaign?
5. Did TESCOM chairman and its Permanent Secretary tender their unreserved apology to entire good citizen of Oyo State for making attempt to disrupt peaceful co-existence of all religious adherents in the State?
6. 
   “We demand the three figures concerned especially the two public office holders to give convincing answers to above questions publicly within three weeks. Failure to do so could be tantamount to invitation of spiritual anarchism and religious upheaval in our dear Oyo state. We believe His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde is a peaceful and easy-going person and would not like any one to disturb peace of our state or tannish his political career.
7. 
   “We are Muslims and we understand importance of religion tolerance so we do not force or deceive anyone to accept our believe. It is even stated in Q2:256 that ‘There is no compulsion in a religion’ but on the side of some Christians, they want Muslim to accept their faith at all cost. The present crusade campaigns in our public schools is a good example. Our prayers to His Excellency are as follows:
8. immediate termination of TESCOM chairman in person of Pastor Akinade Alamu for his incapacity to hold the public office of a heterogenous society like ours;
9. urgent relief of Permanent Secretary TESCOM (Mrs Grace Olabisi Oderinde) of her position for negligence on her duty;
10. strong warnings or even punishments for the principals and head of schools of the concerned as the students are not that safe under their control;
11. the said Great Gospel Crusade Group should be banned from entering Oyo state for 3 decades for trying to create religious disharmony and disrupt our elusive peace”.