Nollywood actor Saidi Balogun has cried out over the economic hardship and situation of things in the country
Taking to his Instagram page, the Yoruba actor questioned if there is no functional price control or price regulatory agency in Nigeria. He further questioned how they can cushion the effects of inflation.
The actor noted how things are getting out of hand.
“Do we have a functional price control or piece regulatory agency in Nigeria?
The Association of Professional Retired Nurses and Midwives of Nigeria APRNMN, Oyo State Branch dominated this year’s Ibadan Cultural Festival activities with their remarkable presence at the Amala/Fuji Festivals and the elaborate Grand Finale. Prior to the final rounds of this year’s Cultural Festival activities, the association had participated actively in the Final rounds of the Orekelewa Brain and Beauty Pageant, Ibadan Got Talent, Balogun Ajayi Osungbekun Stage Play as well as the Education competition finals. Speaking on behalf of the association, the Secretary General , Mrs Janet Fatunmbi remarked that Ibadan has provided remarkable opportunities for all the members of the association either during their training years as student nurses in various colleges of nursing domiciled in Ibadanland or practicing as professional qualified nurses at various health institutions spread across Ibadanland till they all retired from active services. Mrs Fatunmbi further affirmed that Ibadan has become their home after the majority of their members were either married to Ibadan people or settled down in Ibadanland. Ibadanland continues to prosper all her dwellers as per her panegyric “Ibadan ti n gbe onile ti ko gbagbe alejo”. At the interview, the Secretary General who along with the almost fifty representatives appeared in the Amala Ankara uniforms reiterated the association’s commitment to always associate with the progressive activities of Ibadanland. Mrs Bolanle Tomori, another leader of the association when interviewed expressed her joy at the many progress being recorded by the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes and by extension, the Ibadan people. She recalled the presence of the association at the recent commissioning of the Aafin Olubadan Ile Ibadan as well as during the coronation of the new Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty Oba Dr Akinloye Owolabi Olakulehin, Ige Olakulehin 1. She prayed that Ibadanland will continue to progress steadily. Another member of the APRNMN who granted this interview was Dr. Mrs. Yemisi Ladi-Bhadmus who congratulates the President General and the members of the CCII particularly the Chairman of the 2024 Ibadan Cultural Festival Planning Committee, Balogun Gaphar Babatunde Ojetola who also doubles as the Chairman of the Association of Professional Retired Nurses and Midwives of Nigeria, Oyo State Chapter for the highly successful and landmark Ibadan Cultural Festival celebration, which has been affirmed as incomparable to any other cultural festival activities in history. The association were represented at the various programs by Mrs Bolanle Ajuwon (Social Secretary), Mrs Rukayat Afonja, Mrs Akinleye, Chief Akintunde Oyedeji, Mrs Olawepo, Alhaja Hammed, Mrs Sola Adeyemo, Mrs Ikotun Adeyemo, Chief Mrs Afenkhena, Mrs Oluyemisi Makinde Adebo, Mrs Soji Adeneye, Prophetess Kayode, Mrs Olukemi Komolafe and Alhaja Adijat Omotunde Lawal. Others are Chief Mrs Odegoke (PRO) Alhaja Moromoke Adeyemi (Assistant Secretary), Alhaja Olutooyin Ariwoola, Mrs Kehinde Oyediji, Mrs Ogungbade, Mrs Adeleye Olona, Mrs Adeniji Ibironke Olayinka, Alhaja Kudirat Aderibigbe, Mrs Akinjide, Deaconess Aderounmu, Mrs Akindele, Alhaja Basirat Giwa, Dr. Mrs Adenike Koseganlola Kadri and Princess Ogunwomoju. The immediate past Chairman, Mrs Hannah Motilola Agboola who is out of the country sent in messages of felicitation and congratulates her successor, Balogun Gaphar Babatunde Ojetola for a great and remarkable achievement he made for his birthplace. The Vice Chairman, Mrs Olufunke Okediran also registered her felicitations with the Chairman, Ibadan Cultural Festival Planning Committee. The APRNMN is a registered body of retired professional Nurses and Midwives who either had their trainings in Oyo State Colleges of Nursing and Midwifery or who had their employment years with the Oyo State government with their Secretariat in Ibadan.
UNICEF has expressed concern about the 8-15% dropout rate among adolescents in primary and secondary schools across Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, and Ogun states.
At a recent meeting in Ibadan, UNICEF Education Specialist Azuka Menkiti highlighted that while completion rates for primary and secondary education are 92% and 85% respectively, these figures still indicate significant challenges in retaining and transitioning students.
Menkiti emphasized the need for improved funding and credible data to address the dropout issue. UNICEF is working with regional stakeholders to enhance education retention and completion, focusing on barriers to education, including social norms and inadequate funding.
In addition, Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Professor Saliu Adelabu, noted improvements in reducing the number of out-of-school children but identified security concerns due to an influx of children from the northern regions. The Oyo State government is addressing this by reintegrating children into schools and providing vocational training for those who cannot return to formal education.
No fewer than fifteen lives were today lost in a road crash involving a truck, a 18-passenger bus and a micra commercial vehicle in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
The crash which occurred at Agbowo junction area of Ojoo-Iwo road expressway happened around 10.00 am in the morning.
According to an eyewitness, Mr. Fuad Akorede whose car was equally damaged in the accident, the trailer driver lost control when the vehicle developed a break failure.
Mr Akorede narrated that the truck which was coming from Iwo road towards Ojoo on the only side opened for traffic crushes the two vehicles and rammed them into a nearby ditch. He disclosed that the dead including men women and children have been evacuated to an undisclosed morgue while the injured were taken to hospitals around the area.
As at the time of filing in this report, men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Nigerian police and the Nigerian Army were already at the scene to maintain law and order.
The Branch Controller of the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) in charge of Ogun State, Mr. Ayobami Suberu has faulted an online media report insinuating that the results of some public school students in the state were withheld due to indebtedness.
Suberu, in a chat with newsmen on Tuesday morning, described the report as mischievous and unbalanced, adding that the Ogun State Government was not indebted to the Council in any way.
The branch controller explained that the results of the affected students were still pending because of a technical hitch, which is being looked into for quick redress and immediate action.
According to him, there is ongoing communication between the branch and the Head of the Test Administration Division of the Council in that regard, as he promised that the results would be released before the close of work on Tuesday.
“Let me say categorically that Ogun State is not owing WAEC a dime. A senior official from the Ogun State Ministry of Education had earlier called me regarding the report, and I clarified that nothing of the sort happened; the report of indebtedness is not balanced and is obviously mischievous.
“How can a reporter just go ahead and put up a story without getting the side of WAEC? That is not ethical. The truth of the matter is that those results were not released due to a technical hitch, and we are relentlessly working on it for it to be released on Tuesday.
“We have activated communication with the Head of the Test Administration Division, and we are getting positive responses regarding the issue,” Suberu said.
In a bid to tackle the growing trend of health workforce migration, President Bola Tinubu has approved a comprehensive national policy aimed at managing, harnessing, and reversing the brain drain in the health sector.
According to Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, the policy seeks to encourage the return of Nigerian health professionals from the diaspora through attractive incentives and reintegrate them into the nation’s health system.
The policy also proposes reciprocal agreements with other nations to ensure a mutually beneficial exchange of health workers, while protecting Nigeria’s national interests and respecting the rights of healthcare professionals.
Additionally, the policy prioritizes work-life balance, with provisions for routine health checks, mental well-being support, and reasonable working hours, especially for younger doctors, to create a supportive work environment and reduce burnout.
The move is seen as a significant step towards addressing the country’s healthcare challenges and retaining its skilled health workers.
A disturbing incident occurred in the Amuloko area of Ibadan, Oyo State, where a middle-aged man, identified as Musa Bello, was apprehended by residents with a fresh human skull in his possession.
The suspect had attempted to conceal the skull in a sack, but his suspicious behaviour drew the attention of passersby, who promptly accosted him. Upon inspection, a human skull was found inside the sack he was holding.
During questioning, Bello claimed to be part of a syndicate involved in the sale of human body parts.
The suspect has been handed over to the Oyo State Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.
Man arrested for killing his younger brother’s children and cutting off their manhood because their father makes more money than him
The police in Ogun state have arrested a man identified as Taiwo Agbaje for killing his younger brother’s children and cutting off their manhood in the Abeokuta area of the state.
In a video making the rounds on social media, the suspect who spoke in Yoruba said he went to his brother’s house and whisked the two children to the bush. According to him, the children aged nine and seven began to cry when he started to hit them with the weapon he had on him but their cry for mercy fell on deaf ears as he continued to hit them with the weapon until they died.
He thereafter proceeded to cutting off their manhood. He claimed he killed the children because their father who is his brother makes more money than himself. He denied allegations that he intended to use them for money r!tual.
The suspect and his brother are Okada riders operating in Abeokuta.
Today, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land, received the heritage lineage crown from His Imperial Majesty, Oba Akinloye Olalere Owolabi Olakulehin, Olubadan of Ibadanland, in a ceremony attended by the Olubadan in Council.
Recall, in 2017 during Ajimobi-led administration, Ladoja maintained his stance that he would not entertain any attempt to crown him as a lesser Oba when the then Governor implemented the reviewed chieftaincy titles.
Pa Ladoja was today crowned as one of the lesser Obas as against his stance before the demise of the ex-governor of Oyo State, Late Ajimobi who dared all odds to implement the reviewed chieftaincy titles and elevated Olubadan High Chiefs to beaded wearing Obas despite the harsh criticisms and innuendos that greeted the decision.
Ladoja was a staunch critic of the decision, he was the only High Chief that refused to wear the beaded crown and thereafter instituted a litigation against the then state government to affirm his stance.
Today, history has been made as what Pa Ladoja stood against during Abiola Ajimobi era has been finally embraced by him and as such he has been crowned as one of the lesser traditional rulers in Ibadan.
Earlier this time, Ladoja had also been trading words with Governor Seyi Makinde who also took a bold step by following the footsteps of his late predecessor and made a declaration of the reviewed chieftaincy title as a prerequisite to clinch the exalted position of Olubadan.
This pronouncement didn’t go well with Pa Ladoja and his camp who declared openly that such decision was a calculated attempt to prevent him from becoming Olubadan when his time comes to clinch the position. Ladoja vehemently claimed that he would not be coerced to wear the beaded crown.
In the twist of event, Pa Ladoja finally caved in and accepted to be crowned as the lesser Oba, affirming his decision to backtrack to the popular demand of his people.
The event was held today at the Palace of Olubadan witnessed by several dignitaries in the State and the coronation was spearheaded by Olubadan of Ibadan in the presence of the Deputy Governor of the State, Barrister Adebayo Lawal.
This decision by Pa Adewolu to accept the beaded crown is a testament to the good intention of Late Ajimobi to restructure the Obaship setting of Oyo State in line with the modern world despite the criticism that trailed the decision.
Ajimobi in heaven will be dancing to ‘duduke’ as he has been finally vindicated by his traducers who out of desperation for political power threw out the baby with bathwater.
Taking bold decision even when the multitude goes against you is the hallmark of leadership as some of us who believed the decision of the then Governor to review the chieftaincy titles was borne out of the desire to modernize Ibadan Obaship were vilified but today we are all vindicated.
History has a way of fixing itself in the memory of people, today the history has been written and this will continue to linger in the political firmament of Oyo State.
Ismael Taiwo writes from Ibadan He can be reached via: taheewo2004@gmail.com
The West African Examinations Council has released its 2024 results for WASSCE
The announcement was made on Monday by the examination board on its official social media platforms.
The post reads’ “The West African Examinations Council is pleased to inform Candidates who sat WASSCE for School Candidates, 2024 that the result has officially been released today, Monday, August 12, 2024.
