Author: oduduwanews

The Olubadan of Ibadan land has denied the rumour going viral on social media alleging the traditional ruler for collecting the sum of N50million to aide the Federal Government to kill Sunday Igboho.

The monarch while speaking through his Spokesman, Adeola Oloko at a protest organized by Yoruba Nation Agitators yesterday said, “it is nonsensical to have alleged that the traditional ruler of 93 year-old wiould be looking for material wealth in that manner”.

He said Sunday Igboho is the son of Ibadan and it behooves on the traditional ruler to protect him if his activities are carried out within the ambit of laws of the nation.

He however urged the citizens to be wary of information on social media as some are hell bent at carrying out malicious news for their mischievous deeds.

…Says govt irrevocably committed to citizens’ needs

Governor of the State of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Wednesday, inaugurated independent monitors of National Social Investment Programmes in the State.
He also distributed letters of engagement and devices to the independent monitors.

This is even as the Governor said his Administration was irrevocably committed to meeting citizens’ needs particularly the vulnerable people in the State.

While inaugurating the Independent monitors at the Staff Development Centre, State Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo, Governor Oyetola said the Administration had earned several accolades for its exceptional and outstanding performance on social intervention programmes implementation.

He stated that the State had shown consistency in the implementation of a wide array of social protection programmes which according to him, have continued to impact significantly on the lives of the citizens.

Oyetola who was represented at the inauguration ceremony by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, further noted that the Administration’s relentless efforts in the last two and half years had earned it the pride of place as a leading State on the Human Development Index.

“As a State, we are irrevocably committed to ensuring that our vulnerable citizens are duly supported. You will recall that our State has over the last one decade shown consistency in our implementation of a wide array of Social Protection Programmes which continues to impact very significantly on the lives of our citizens and has earned us the pride of place as a leading State on the Human Development Index.

“Only recently, we commenced the feeding of 30, 000 persons who are poor and are vulnerable on a monthly basis, as part of our own unique way of cushioning the effect of the current economic challenges on the poor and vulnerable in our State,” Oyetola said.

The governor lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development,
Hajiya Sadiyah Umar Farouq for their sustained passion and commitment that have ensured the success of the National Social Investment Programmes.

According to him, it is on record that the wide array of the Social Investment Programmes under the Buhari-led Administration, covering the N-Power Graduate and Non Graduate Scheme for Youths; the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, involving primaries 1-3 pupils; Conditional Cash Transfer with N5, 000 per month paid to beneficiaries and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (Market moni, trader moni, and Farmer moni), are the largest and perhaps the most ambitious in the history of our country.

In her remark, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development,
Hajiya Sadiyah Umar Farouq, said the flag-off of the training of 5000 Independent Monitors was aimed at complementing the quick actualisation of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) created by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016.

The training which according to her was carried out across the country was initiated to ensure that each of the trained independent monitors keep a check on a designated number of beneficiaries of the National Social Investment Programmes in their respective designated Local Government Areas.

The Minister who was represented by the Director, Finance and Administration, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Mr. Matthew Dada, said the initiative would further help to strength the existing partnership and mutual recognition of the need to do more on the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).

She said the initiative would go a long way to foster and bring more Nigerians under the umbrella of the government’s social protection mechanism as part of efforts to look at scaling up the numbers of the pupils benefiting from the programme as directed by the President as over 9million pupils currently benefit from 1 free nutritious meal a day during the school term nationwide.

“You may recall that we flagged of the training of 5000 Independent Monitors for the National Social Investment Programme in Abuja on Thursday 4th February 2021. The training was carried out across the Country from February 2021 to April 2021.

“Today we are here to distribute Engagement Letters and Devices to the Trained Independent Monitors. These Devices are equipped with an Application that will be used to report on monitoring activities of the trained Independent Monitors,” she added.

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Social Intervention Programmes, Mr. Abimbola Bello, applauded President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Oyetola for taking the welfare and well-being of the people as priority.

He attributed the successful implementation of some of the government’s social protection policies to unflinching support received from Governor Oyetola who he said had demonstrated rare leadership quality at reducing poverty and hunger to insignificant minimum.

Bello who disclosed that over one million Osun citizens have benefitted from various State and National social intervention programmes of the government urged the citizens to continue to support the progressive governments in the country.

“We have already trained the independent monitors that we have inaugurated today. These people are selected across the State to monitor the four cardinal social intervention programmes under the National Social Investment Programmes.

“The beneficiaries will be paid on monthly basis running for a year as the required devices have been given to them to carry out the assignment. But my advice for them is to be diligent and perform the duties with topmost sincerity while they are expected to be conscious of the fact that there are monitors for monitors,” he added.

The Opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State chapter has filed a suit asking the High Court to declare the May 22 and May 26 local government elections in the state and subsequent swearing-in of Chairmen, councillors as illegal, unlawful, in breach of the rule of law, unconstitutional and void.

“In the suit number, M/272/2021, the APC is also seeking a declaration that the release of guidelines for Chairmanship and councillorship election, the timetable and every other election process carried out by the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) are unlawful, a breach of the rule of la

invalid, unconstitutional and of no effect because they were done during the pendency of Suit No. 1/347/2019, Appeal No. CA/B/300/2019 and Appeal No. SC556/2020” Nigerian Tribune reported.

The case however suffers delay because of the recently suspended Industrial action Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), the suit was later filed at the suspension of the strike while the OYSIEC, Governor of Oyo State and Attorney General of Oyo state were served last week.
Joined as applicants in the case are Chief Akin Oke, Mojeed Olaoya, Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye and 10 others while the OYSIEC, Governor of Oyo state and Attorney General of Oyo state are respondents.
Also, the APC is seeking a declaration that the 35 local council development areas in the state are a creation of law, pursuant to section 7 of the 1999 constitution, section 4 of the local government (further amendment) law 2016 and recognized by judgments in suit No. 347/2019 and Appeal No. SC556/2020, hence constitute valid administrative structures of the local government system as required by the 1999 constitution.
To this end, the party is seeking a declaration that the OYSIEC is obliged to conduct elections into the offices of Chairman and Councillors in the 35 local council development areas being a creation of law.
The applicants are also seeking a declaration that the imposition of the payment of nomination fees of N250,000 for chairmanship and N100,000 for councillorship candidates for the local government election and subsequent cancellation of payment after the deadline without an extension of the period for nomination to allow their participation and another political party amount to a deliberate disenfranchisement.
Aside from seeking an order setting aside the May 22 and May 29 local government elections and nullifying in the swearing-in of the Chairmen/councillors, the applicants are also seeing an order that

OYSIEC should immediately commence the process of conducting elections into all local government council areas and local council development areas in the state.
The applicants are also asking the court to determine whether the release of guidelines for chairmanship and councillorship election, notice, time table of the election during the pendency of suit No. 347/2019 and Appeal No. SC556/2020 are not subjudice and a breach of rule of law.

According to the party, the decision of the OYSIEC to proceed with the local government elections of May 22 and May 26 amounts to serial unconstitutional actions and illegalities and utter disregard of the rule of law.
Generally, the suit is supported by section 7 of Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Local Government Law of Oyo State 2001 (as amended) by the Local Government (Further Amendment) Law of Oyo State 2016 and Section 10 of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission Law, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

Following the declaration of Self-styled activist, Chief Sunday Igboho wanted and the detaining of eleven members arrested during the invasion of Igboho’s house last week by men of the Department of State Security DSS, the Yoruba Nation Agitators have resolved to stage a protest today in Ibadan in solidarity with Sunday Igboho and other detainees.

The report to embark on the said protest was made known to ODUDUWA NEWS by Sunday Igboho’s Spokesman, Olayomi Koiki via a telephone conversation.

Details later.

The Minority Leader of the Osun House Assembly, Hon. Kofoworola Adewumi, has been advised to leave the State Governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola out of their parliamentary politics.

The lawmaker has also been advised to stop fishing for trouble where none exists.

Reacting to the statement credited to Adewumi, in which he accused the governor of being hostile to the opposition lawmakers, Ismail Omipidan, who is the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, described the lawmaker’s position as not only misleading, but also lacking in logic and concrete facts.

Omipidan further noted that for the House Minority Leader to issue a statement on a matter he had unsuccessfully tried to get the presiding officer’s buy-in on the floor of the House shows he either lacks parliamentary acumen or does not understand his role as a parliament.

“I am not a lawmaker, but as an experienced parliamentary reporter, I understand perfectly how things work in the parliament. We have a 26-member House, and the opposition has three of the total.

“Lobbying is a potent instrument deployed by effective lawmakers to get things done for their constituents. If as a Minority Leader, you want favour from Mr. Governor, you lobby him to achieve your end. But, in this instance, you never made any request from the governor to the best of my knowledge Yet , you are accusing him of being hostile to the opposition lawmakers.

“Have you made any request of him either for your personal benefit or that of your constituents, which he turned down? To demonstrate our commitment to good governance devoid of partisan politics, as a government, we began our infrastructure development from Ede, the home town of our main challenger in the 2018 governorship election. The area is also being represented in the House by an opposition lawmaker.

“If for whatever reason the Minority Leader could not attend a meeting between the House and Mr. Governor last weekend, how has that become the fault of Mr. Governor? And how does that amount to hostility?

“When I first saw the misleading statement, I was waiting to read in concrete terms what constitutes the alleged hostility from my Principal. I was disappointed to observe that he was trying to drag Mr. Governor into what was purely parliamentary politics.

“I appeal to the Minority Leader of the Osun House Assembly, Hon. Kofoworola Adewumi, to apply parliamentary norms to parliamentary issues, including lobbying, leave the governor out of parliamentary politics and stop fishing for trouble where none exists,” Omipidan declared.