Author: oduduwanews

Ile-Ife monarch, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has warned popular Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, to be careful of politicians seeking to hijack his agitations against killer herdsmen in the South West.

The monarch while granting an interview with Arise TV advised Igboho not to take the laws into his hands but to allow constituted authorities to handle the herdsmen menace in the region.

The Ooni, however, commended Igboho for taking on the campaign against herdsmen, adding that He (Igboho) has done well and the world has heard him, but everything should be done in moderation.

He, however, warned him to back down so that government can take over the battle to avoid politicians hijacking the movement.

The monarch said;“Let us be very objective. He (Igboho) is being a mouthpiece for the downtrodden. He came up and everybody is listening now but my advice to him as a traditional ruler is that he needs to be very careful so that the politicians won’t hijack the whole motive from him.

“Igboho has done well and has been praised, but he shouldn’t take laws into his hands.

“We have the governor in the state who is the chief security officer of the state and Mr President has invited him (Makinde).“Let the right authorities do what is right.

Ooni further advised Igboho by saying; “We know that the bandits are everywhere in the country. Igboho should not take laws into his hands. We have laws in Nigeria, and we should follow it. Let the right people chosen do and follow what they are supposed to do,”

The Lagos State Government has announced plans to totally close the Third Mainland Bridge to all traffic for three days, from Saturday, January 30 – February 1, 2021, to enable completion of repair works on the double-sized expansion joints without any interruptions, particularly from vehicular movement on the bridge.

In a statement issued today, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, assured that the bridge repair works are being done assiduously to ensure that the set deadline for reopening the entire bridge to motorists is met, explaining that alternative routes have been identified for use by road users to access their desired destinations.

Oladeinde advised motorists driving from Ogudu, Alapere and Gbagada to use Ikorodu Road, Jibowu and Yaba as alternative routes, while Iyana-Oworonsoki bound traffic from the Lagos Island, Iddo, Oyingbo, Adekunle and Yaba should use Herbert Macaulay Way, Jibowu and Ikorodu Road as alternative routes.

While affirming that Traffic Management Personnel will be deployed and stationed along the affected routes to minimise and address any traffic impediments during the closure, the Commissioner appealed to road users to cooperate with the State Government in its efforts to ensure improved mobility through the free flow of vehicular movements on roads.

The Paramount Ruler of Iwoland, HIM Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has tasked the federal government to consider outright ban of foreign jeans to promote local fabrics and boost Nigeria’s economy.

As a custodian of culture, Oluwo lamented the infiltration of religion into our cultural values most especially the Yorubas, saying traditional rulers have role to play in distinctively differentiate Yoruba culture from religion.

Oba Akanbi explained he has earlier discussed partnership deal with the Bank of Industry (BOI) but not yielding as expected. He expressed the hope in federal government’s involvement to embrace and domesticate production of various dresses such as suit, jeans and Agbada with local Ofi.

He expressed displeasure over lumping the rich Yoruba culture with idolatry, saying no enlightened person will embrace scaring religion.

Oba Akanbi explained that the youths and teenagers could not be forced to start wearing Aso Oke except the fabric was sewn to suit their needs.

The monarch, who had sewn the fabrics into different trendy styles for male and female, said he would partner celebrities, especially Nigerian Government to sew new styles to gain acceptability among youths.

Oba Akanbi through a statement by his press secretary, Alli Ibraheem, reads “I want to task the federal government to outrightly ban importation of foreign jeans into Nigeria, promote local jeans made of Ofi to aid job opportunities and advantages”

“It is about using our own fabrics to make clothes of western dresses which our kids like. You must think like the children and the youths if you want to influence them in any way”

“We cannot compel our youths and teenagers to start wearing agbada made of Aso Oke or Aso Ofi. But now I have branded our Aso Oke as Telu Jeans and Telu Jeans is normal jeans trousers, shorts and jacket made of Aso Oke”

“Our traditional clothes and accessories such as Ofi and beads are demonstration of rich culture and luxuries of wealth. So enticing and admiring but because a people affiliated wearing Ofi and using some cultural accessories as paganism, our children begin to run away from it”

“You only see a Yoruba child wearing Ofi and using beads at either wedding or naming ceremony. You can’t see Alfa or Pastor wearing Ofi or using beads to Mosque or Church. Why?”

“I will lead the struggle to clean our culture and promote cultural accessories. I will provide technical requirements to assist the government in actualization of the dream”

“Aso Oke will also be used to sew suits and all office, school and religious wears. This will increase the demand for this local fabric and create jobs for our people who are weavers. It will also promote our culture and we will spend less money on importation of foreign clothes.

“It is about using our own fabrics to make clothes of the western world which our kids like. You must think like the children and the youths if you want to influence them in any way”.

“As traditional rulers, we have the role of clearly differentiating between the rich Yoruba culture and religion. The infiltration is scaring to our children. The culture has been lumped with traditional religion. It is disheartening. Our culture is clean. It has to be promoted and clearly distinguished to make it adorable and admirable to our generations”

The General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Engr. Olajide Oduyoye, has disclosed that an officer of the Agency named Samson Olawale Akinmade, who was knocked down yesterday in Mile 12, Ketu, Lagos, eventually died in the early hours of Wednesday, 27th January, 2021.

Giving details of the unfortunate incident, Oduyoye said “the driver of a blue-black Opel Space Bus with registration number AAA 74 GG knocked down Akinmade at Demurin Street junction inwards Mile 12 while controlling traffic, leaving him with head and body injuries. The officer was immediately rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where he eventually died around 1.00a.m this morning as a result of the severe injury sustained”.

“This event is particularly sad because this was a young, intelligent and dedicated officer employed in the year 2019, was very committed to his job but has been cut down in his prime by a careless and lawless driver, thereby depriving his family, the government agency, Lagos and Nigeria of a future leader in the making”, he said.

Explaining further, the General Manager said the event occurred while the deceased was directing yellow buses away from the Demurin Street Junction choke point and approached the motorist to park away from the road to pick passengers.

“The driver assumed that he would be apprehended for obstructing traffic and sped off, knocking down the officer against the concrete culvert on the service lane and dragging him for about seven metres. He tried to escape through a street which turned out to be closed but was eventually arrested and handed over to the Police at Alapere along with his vehicle”, Oduyoye explained.

He expressed the sympathy of colleagues at the Ministry of Transportation and LASTMA to the entire family of the deceased, assuring that the State Government will ensure that the apprehended driver is prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Oduyoye warned all motorists to desist from violating the State Traffic Law in order to prevent unnecessary accidents and deaths on Lagos roads, urging commuters to exercise patience at all times.

The former Commissioner for Justice under the administration of Late Gov. Isiak Abiola Ajimobi, Barr. Mutalubi Ojo Esq has commended Gov. Makinde for towing the same path Ajimobi towed in caging Sunday Igboho. This was contained in article written by him and shared on social media today which reads in part:

SENATOR ABIOLA AJIMOBI AND SUNDAY IGBOHO

“I remember that during the 2015 election campaign , he came to meet Senator Abiola Ajimobi at his Oluyole Estate residence.
We were about going to the Governor’s office when some of our cabinet members alerted the Governor of his presence.
Senator Ajimobi in his usual style said, ” Ogbeni Igboho abi Ikirun ni won de ma n pe e, kin lo n wa nibi?”

“Sunday knelt before him and said, ” Sir, I want to be part of your campaign team. You have done well for Oyo State and I also want to support and help you to win the second term Sir”

“Senator Abiola Ajimobi replied him, ” Man yi, mo dupe lowo e. O mean pe, iwo naa gan lori pipe, o yato si awon eni buruku ti won n pa iro kiri pe a ko se n kankan.
Thank you so much, God bless you.
Sugbon, mo fe fi ye e wipe, awa ki se oloselu jagidijagan. That type of politics is gone forever in Oyo State. It ended with the demise of Papa Adedibu. May Allah bless his soul.

“So, what am saying is that our own type of politics is based on intellectual engagement and not brute force. Therefore, I don’t have any need for you at all. O daabo Mr. Igboho.
Dayo, where is Dayo? Please give Igboho N500,000 to buy fuel and fun n kan alejo.
Let’s go my people “

“Am happy that GSM is towing and treading the developmental and intellectual politics of Senator Abiola Ajimobi now and he should not give room for distraction at all.
GSM has handled the Igangan matter excellently well and I commend him for the umpteenth time”.

In a bid to reconcile the warring parties in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West geopolitical zone of the country, a meeting has been scheduled to hold between the Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, in Ibadan on Thursday.

ODUDUWA NEWS gathered that the meeting will hold at the Oyo State Government House, with PDP leaders on the side of Fayose as well as those with Governor Makinde in attendance.

The Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yoruba land and the National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Gani Adams, has raised ceoncerns that if things are not handled properly, soon, there will be famine on Yorubaland.

Mr Gani said this on Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Channels Television, while reacting to the security situation in the south-west.

He blamed the situation on those he described as criminal Fulani herdsmen, saying the majority of the lands belonging to the Yoruba’s have now been seriously invaded.

“It is a serious invasion and we have been seriously infiltrated and we have traced the hand of conquest from some Fulani herdsmen because we have some Fulanis that have been living with us peacefully for the past 100 years (about two or three generations of Fulanis living with us peacefully) but for the past seven years, we have now noticed strange things from the Fulani tribe. They have discouraged the Yoruba people from farming and if care is not taken, within one year there will be a famine in Yorubaland,” the Yoruba leader said.

He also noted that he had foreseen some of the security challenges, nearly three years ago and subsequently, he alerted the leaders of the south-west states to be alert.

According to him, it was the warning that later on informed the birthing of the southwest security outfit now known as Amotekun.

“After about one year three months, the southwest governors organised a security summit, which gave birth to Amotekun. The structure started operating about two months ago,” the Yoruba leader said.

The Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business Districts, on Tuesday, embarked on the removal exercise of illegal structures and makeshift shops erected on walkways, road medians and drainage alignments as well as indiscriminately parked vehicles on roads within the Lagos Island Business District.

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Central Business Districts, Mr. Olugbenga Olarenwaju Oyerinde, who led the exercise, said that the State Government is committed to the full restoration of the beauty and master plan of the Lagos Island Business District.

Olarenwaju said the antics of commercial bus drivers, commercial motorcyclists, shop owners and roadside sellers will not deter the government from transforming the entire Lagos Island axis into a world-class business and tourism hub, stressing that the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration is very passionate about sustaining the environment and ensuring the free flow of traffic across the State.

“The gross abuse and flagrant disrespect for traffic, environmental and urban planning laws by roadside sellers, commercial motorcyclists and bus drivers, who pick and drop passengers in unauthorised places, mechanics and street traders on the Island can no longer be tolerated. We are working with relevant agencies of government and trade unions, especially NURTW and leadership of market associations to check these illegalities,” the Special Adviser said.

While warning street urchins and miscreants parading themselves as “Omo-Onile” and are in the habit of allocating parking spaces to motorists to desist, the Special Adviser maintained that no amount of resistance and intimidation would make the government stop the clean up of the entire Lagos Island Business District in line with the vision of making Lagos a 21st-century economy.

“We will continue to impound vehicles contravening the Lagos Traffic Law within the business district. The removal of shop extensions built on walkways and drainage alignments as directed by the Governor is already in progress. I call on residents and business operators to assist in sustaining the gains of the exercise while the government continues with its advocacy and public enlightenment”, he asserted

Oyerinde revealed that vehicles and motorcycles impounded in the cleanup exercise will be arraigned at the Lagos State Special Offences Mobile Court for adjudication.

In line with his administration’s effort to close the deficit in provision of comfortable housing scheme in Lagos State, the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday formally opened two housing projects in Surulere and Eti Osa axes, which were revived and completed by his administration.

They are 132-unit LagosHOMS projects at Iponri in Surulere area, and 84-unit Lekki Phase II housing project in Ikota, along Ajah corridor.

The inauguration of the projects came four days after the Governor commissioned another 252-unit flats in Idale, Badagry. The Iponri and Ajah housing schemes were delivered through a joint venture between the Ministry of Housing, STB Mortgage Bank and Lekki Ultimate Company Limited.

Sanwo-Olu named the 132-unit Iponri Housing Scheme after former Lagos State Governor and now Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, who conceived the project.

Besides, the Governor also inaugurated and handed over a laboratory and new office complex which Lagos State Government built for the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI).

Sanwo-Olu said the resuscitation and completion of the two housing projects further testified to his Government’s commitment to improving the lives of Lagosians through service delivery in the area of infrastructure.

The Governor observed that the quality of the projects delivered indicated that his administration’s promises to raise the bar of good governance was not a fluke, stressing that implementation of his development blueprint – Project T.H.E.M.E.S – would continue to be done in line with needs of the residents.

Sanwo-Olu said the LagosHOMS projects, being supervised by his administration, were being packaged to give citizens comfort through stress-free ownership structure and mortgage scheme.

He said: “Today, we are gathered to mark yet another fulfilment of our promises in the housing sector. At the inception of this administration, we pledged to provide decent shelter for the people. This promise was made out of the conviction that housing is one of the basic needs of humans and a critical factor that determines quality of life.

“In the past months, a lot of efforts had gone into completing many of the housing schemes inherited from past administration. While some of these projects are funded through budgetary allocations, others are being financed through joint venture with our development partners.

“It is with great pleasure that I perform the commissioning of LagosHOMS Iponri by which we are adding 132 homes to the housing stock in this area. Through the same joint venture, we have delivered another 84-unit Lekki Phase II Housing Scheme in Ikota, Ajah. These feats marks successful collaborative effort geared towards bridging the housing deficit in the State.”

As his administration builds and delivers quality homes across Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said his Government is also generating ideas on how it would increase affordability and access for low and middle income families.

Comfortable houses, the Governor said, should not only be for the affluent. He said more convenient ownership packages would be introduced to make more people come on the home ownership ladder, regardless of socio-economic bracket.

Sanwo-Olu charged more private investors to partner with the State Government in addressing the housing deficit, while also reiterating his administration’s willingness to make unencumbered land available for housing development by private investors on the basis of mutually agreed terms.

He said: “As we commission these housing projects today, I wish to express my appreciation for the invaluable support this administration has enjoyed from the good people of Lagos. We will not take this support and goodwill for granted. In spite of the hurdles, our commitment towards actualising the Greater Lagos of our dream is irrevocable. Things can and will only get better.”

Commissioner for Housing, Hon. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, assured that the Government would leave no stone unturned in providing decent and affordable shelters to all categories of residents in the State.

The scheme delivered 44 units of single-bedroom, 44 units of two-bedroom and 44 units of three-bedroom flats in Iponri, while the Lekki Phase II scheme consists of 28 units each of single-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments.

The comforting features in the two schemes include water reticulation plant, central sewage treatment plant, street light, and leisure facilities, among others.

The NVRI edifice and research laboratory situated on Keffi Street, Ikoyi were built by the Lagos State Property Development Corporation (LSDPC) in fulfilment of partnership agreement entered into by Lagos and the Federal Government to end a protracted dispute over land ownership.

The two-storey complex will now be the new regional headquarters of the Institute founded in 1924.

NVRI Governing Board chairman, Mr. Marlin Daniel, praised Governor Sanwo-Olu for fulfilling his pledge to make the project becomes reality. He said the laboratory would raise the nation’s capacity to bring about cutting-edge research on controlling and providing surveillance on communicable animal borne diseases.

Sanwo-Olu assured the Institute that the State Government would immediately issue title documents on the facility to NVRI to further strengthen the agreement. The Governor also promised to raise funds for the laboratory equipment required to make the Institute functional.

He said: “The NVRI laboratory will boost our capability in the diagnostic aspect of animal health surveillance, while the block of flats is to complement the complex and serve as staff quarters for its workers. We will be supporting the Institute by raising funds to equip the complex with modern and world-class facilities, because we believe in excellence and this has to reflect in all aspects including care for our pets and animals in the State.”

Sanwo-Olu also formally kicked off the construction of Keffi Suite, a housing scheme being jointly developed by LSDPC and Rindsan Nigeria Limited. The project will be completed in 24 months.

Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, on Wednesday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The governor seized the opportunity of the meeting to brief the President as regards the precarious security situation in the region, especially Ondo state.

“The Governor met with the President at a meeting; and it centered on the issue of security concerns in the Southwest, especially in Ondo state.

“It was a huge opportunity for the governor to put the records straight as regards the erroneous impression that Governor Akeredolu had asked all Fulani and herdsmen to vacate the state.

“The meeting afforded both leaders a great window to explore ingenious methods to tackle the issue of insecurity in the region.

“In particular, Governor Akeredolu sought and indeed, obtained the president’s support and encouragement to flush out criminals in the forests of Ondo State.

“It was a needful meeting and more of such are very likely in the days ahead as the unanimity of purpose against crime gets the desired attention”.

Governor Akeredolu alongside his brother Governors from the Southwest region and their colleagues from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) met with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah in Akure on Monday.

The meeting was at the instance of the Chairman of the NGF and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi.

At the Monday meeting, both the Leadership of Miyetti Allah and the Governors threw their support behind the directive of Governor Akeredolu that all herders occupying the forest reserves illegally should vacate it within seven days or properly get registered.

Aside, the meeting also affirmed the ban on night and underaged grazing and also outlawed the presence of cows in cities and highways.

January 27, 2021