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Unemployment: We will engage youths through direct labour system, says Makinde

Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, on Friday, said that his administration would address the growing youth unemployment in the state by engaging a teeming number of them through a direct labour system for public works and infrastructure.

“This step, he noted, will reduce the number of unemployed youths and keep them occupied and able to make ends meet.

The governor stated this while inspecting an ongoing road project at Jankata-Benbo-Apata Road, via Akala Express, Ibadan, saying the government needs to engage the youths, as, according to him, an idle hand is a devil’s workshop.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor made the position against the backdrop of youth restiveness in the last few days, stating that his government has heard the youths and that it will design a sustainable way to engage them so as to make them self-reliant.

He said: “Well, I will still say to the people of Oyo State that we have listened to the youths. We are designing a sustainable way to engage them, because I will continue to say that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. We have to engage our youths. We will design means.

“One of the things we are currently considering is a direct labour agency that can absorb some of the youths, even if it is just for fixing our roads, putting our drainages in place. We just have to engage them one way or the other.

“Also, from the agriculture standpoint, we want as many of them as possible to be attracted to agribusiness.”

While inspecting the road, which has been abandoned since 2011, but was re-started by his administration, Governor Makinde said that the road is quite strategic, adding that when it is completed, it will help to decongest roads and ease vehicular movement in the areas.

He added that despite the fact that the contractor handling the road has not been mobilized, he has demonstrated the readiness to do the work.

The governor said: “This project has been abandoned since 2011. It was started during Governor [Adebayo] Alao-Akala’s time and it is very strategic, because people going to Lagos from Abeokuta and vice-versa, can bypass Ring Road.

“If you are coming from Lagos and you want to go to Apata, you also don’t need to go through Ring Road anymore if this road is completed.

“The contractor has mobilised but we are still putting together the paper works for their payment. But, at least, even without payment, they have demonstrated readiness to do the work. I think we are on course with that road project,” he added.

Addressing the pockets of violence and youth restiveness in some parts of Ibadan, the state capital, in the last few days, Governor Makinde stated that the situation has been brought under control, saying that things had become better as people could move peacefully and do their business activities without any hindrance.

“Things are getting better. We passed through Beere, Yemetu, Challenge and we saw that people were just eager to carry on with their lives and go on with their business activities. I believe we are doing better,” he said.

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Alado condoles with Makinde over mother’s death

The Alado of Ado-Awaye Kingdom and the Paramount traditional ruler in Araromi LCDA, Oyo State, Oba Revd. Ademola Olugbile Folakanmi, Makuledoye 11, Iludero 1 has sent condolence message to His Excellency Engr. Oluseyi Makinde FNSE, the Executive Governor of Oyo state over the sudden death of his mother which occurred in the early hours of Thursday, 15 October, 2020 at a ripe age of 80.

In a statement signed and sent to OduduwaNews today by his Principal Secretary, Prince ‘Niyi Okunade-Maku.

In his condolence message, Oba Folakanmi described the demise of Governor’s mother as a peaceful exit of a glorious and loving mother and an invitation to eternity.

His Royal Majesty stated further that though “death is an inevitable end of every mortal regardless of status on this cosmos. But “mama” left when His Excellency and entire people of Oyo State needed her most”. The vacuum she left will be difficult to fill at this time”, he concluded.

Kabiyesi prayed that, God will give His Excellency and the entire Makinde family members the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

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JUST IN: Gunshots as Police Station set ablaze by irate youths in Ogbomosho

Violence continued to erupt in Ogbomosho city, Oyo State on Sunday as the #EndSARS protest continued after the killing of Jimoh Isiaka.

You would recall that the #EndSARS protest, held on Saturday in Ogbomoso, had turned bloody, leaving Jimoh dead and several others injured.

There were sporadic gunshots into the air as protesters and residents scampered for safety

An eyewitness told Vanguard that Owode Police Station was set on fire on Sunday.

No casualty was reported as at the time of filing this report.

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#OndoDecides: I was not attacked by hoodlums, detractors are drowning – Aketi’s wife

…. says no violence at Governor Akeredolu’s Polling Unit, the First Lady is fine.

The rumour making the rounds in the media space on purported violence at Governor Akeredolu’s unit and physical bruising of the First Lady is untrue.

This was contained in a statement released today by her Special Adviser on Media, Oluwatobi Fademi.

Recall that governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had earlier warned against tendencies of violence during the election, hence, he is committed to peaceful election.

The First Lady, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has voted peaceably, now relaxing at her country home with her family.

Members of public are enjoined to discountenance the impression of violence whatsoever. The rumour sprouted only from the imaginations of indecorous minds.

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MATOP proffers solution to challenges of waste management in Oyo State

A socio-cultural group based in Ibadan, MATOP has proffered solution to the waste management challenges in Oyo state.

This was contained in a statement sent to OduduwaNews today by leader of the group, Mrs. Temitope Aladegbowo which reads in part:

“We wish to call the attention of Oyo State government to some identified solutions to the challenges facing Oyo Waste Management Authority which inhibit its smooth activities towards making Ibadan and its environs a clean city.

“It is our resolved that the problems bedeviling waste management in Oyo State is as a result of putting round peg in square hole which the end-result will be counterproductive to the vision and aspirations of Seyi Makinde led-administration towards making entire Oyo State hygienic environment. We are very shocked from the information available to us that some of the contractors handling the waste disposal currently were part of those that aided the failure of West Africa Energy during the last administration despite the fact that their Managing Contractor had been sacked since last year November.

“We are aware that some contractors hired directly by the State government before the dissolution of board members of Oyo Waste Management Authority are yet to be allocated routes for the discharge of their responsibilities. There is need to resolve inherited crisis, the house divided against itself cannot bring meaningful result as some waste contractors contracted some months ago are currently left idled and have not been given letter of appointment. The delay in giving them their letter of appointment to bring them on board is a major setback to the waste management in Oyo State. We are aware that some of them have even invested huge amount of capital on documentation and other necessary requirements that qualified them for the task.

“The lamentation of the citizens on the state of dirtiness in Oyo State could be addressed holistically by putting measures in place to address the plights of the said idled contractors contracted some months ago but yet to be allocated routes and designations due to the delay in their letter of appointment and the formality of their contract. We therefore call on the State government to call on all the contractors, dialogue with them and charge them to expedite action in evacuating refuse littering the nooks and crannies of Oyo State within a short period of time. Staggering contract cannot achieve the desired results as it will only be a palliative or cosmetic approach to waste management in Oyo State.

“We hereby use this medium to also recommend that government should address below suggestions in its bid to ensure that the State is dirty free:

“All the dumpsites should be well taken care of on a daily basis by professionals in order not to become health hazard to the residents. We recall to the recent investigation, a Media platform which was said to have revealed  the state of Moniya and other dumpsites that have become horrendous and in need of urgent attention.

‘There should be transparency in the manner at which government gives waste management contract out so as to absolve serious minded people who will complement the effort of the State government towards the realization of a very clean environment. Also, more contractors need to be engaged so as to be able to cover every nook and cranny of Oyo state.

“PSP contractor needs to be strengthened by the government through soft loan so as to be able to improve service delivery as well as formation of environmental taskforce that comprises professionals to the core. All stakeholders must show a very serious concern towards the rejuvenation of agency in charge of waste management in Oyo state.

“Government should prioritized waste management in Oyo state and there must be adequate budgetary allocation for Oyo Waste Management Authority to perform supervisory role coupled with implementation, monitoring and enforcement of waste policy.

“Above all, we at the MATOP believe that the waste management agency should be placed under the supervision of the Deputy Governor,  Engr. Rauf Olaniyan as it was done during Akala and Lam Adesina regimes”.

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INVESTIGATION: Why Ibadan is dirty? Moniya dumpsite among others need urgent attention

INVESTIGATION: Why Ibadan in the throes of refuse heaps? Moniya dumpsite among others need urgent attention

OduduwaNews has gathered some facts on some of the reasons why Ibadan is littered with refuse. This contained in an INVESTIGATION carried out by our correspondent to ascertain the facts behind the reason why the city of Ibadan is dirty. It should be recalled that recently, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde announced the termination of appointment of members of the Board of Oyo State Waste Management Authority.

In this INTERVIEW carried out at Moniya refuse dumpsite, it was revealed that Seyi Makinde led-administration needs to be proactive and pragmatic in the course of making entire Oyo State a clean and dirty-free city.

It was ascertained that the drivers of refuse collection vehicles as well as the people living around Moniya dumpsite are at the receiving end and most of them are counting losses on a daily basis due to inability of Oyo Waste Management Authority to clear the dumpsite and reorganize it to enable smooth passage of refuse collection vehicles obstructed by excessive and unorganized wastes scattered all over the place.

OduduwaNews crew visited the dumpsite yesterday and interviewed some of the drivers of refuse collection vehicles seen at the axis.

One of the drivers who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, the Moniya dumpsite has been neglected by government. He said there are two dumpsites he has knowledge about, the one in Akanran area which is reserved for the government’s refuse collection vehicles used to offload waste products on the roads while the other one which is Moniya dumpsite reserved for the private refuse disposal contractors. He said he was so sad that having paid his dues upon request, the Moniya dumpsite is completely tattered and in bad condition that poses health hazard to the people working there as well as the people living in the environment.

He stated further that the Moniya dumpsite is totally filled up with refuse and some of the waste products are currently finding their ways back to the city and are littered on the nearby roadside when the space at the dumpsite has been occupied leaving some vehicles stranded with nowhere to go. He said citizens have been mounting pressure on them to come and carry their waste products but they couldn’t yield to their requests due to the fact that some of the refuse they have carried to Moniya dumpsite for the past three days are still hanging on the road leading to the main dumpsite awaiting evacuation. He said, their plights can only be addressed if government can provide CATERPILLAR at the place to clear the dumpsite for proper expansion.

A driver identified himself as Adeyemi Adebiyi in his words said, they are facing alot of difficulties at the dumpsite particularly this time of raining season where they have been finding it difficult to offload refuse. He said, if government can provide CATERPILLAR at Moniya dumpsite to clear the site and make it motorable to any incoming refuse collection vehicle, the lamentation of the citizens of Ibadan about the state of dirtiness in the city will be a thing of the past.

OduduwaNews could ascertain the fact that the Moniya dumpsite needs urgent attention by the government as the site is filled up and the road leading to the dumpsite is not motorable which leads to some refuse collection vehicles to be stuck along the road and unable to offload their refuse causing unnecessary pile up of waste products laden in the vehicles.

Another driver of waste disposal vehicle who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said, they are calling on Governor Seyi Makinde to come to their aide as Oyo citizens are lamenting and decrying their inability to work at optimal level due to their vehicles laden with refuse but stranded at Moniya dumpsite for several days which has also dealt a deadly blow to their source of livelihoods when refuse disposal that supposed to last hours now taking days to be disposed. He said there is need for government to come and inspect the state of Moniya dumpsite and have on-spot assessment of what they are passing through.

In the words of Alayo Oloyede, he thanked the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde for all his efforts in ensuring that the dividends of democracy trickled down to the people of Oyo State. He said, he understands that it is not easy to be a leader as many requests will be on his table demanding attention. He however called the attention of Governor Seyi Makinde to prioritize a very critical sector which is the environment sector they are dealing with. He said whatever government is doing without putting the environment sector into consideration may witness a setback due to the multiplier effect of hygienic environment on general well-being and health status of the populace as well as economic development as the saying that ‘health is wealth’.

In the words of one of representatives of the government at the dumpsite who is a civil servant at Oyo Waste Management Authority who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said, he had lodged complaints on the condition of Moniya dumpsite to his superiors but yet to get positive response. He also used the occasion to join the private contractors to call on government to expedite action in giving life back to Moniya dumpsite to accommodate large refuse disposal.

Our correspondent also spoke to some of the contractors contracted by the government to manage the dumpsite. The contractors unanimously spoke on the bad state of Moniya dumpsite and that on several occasions they would have to contribute money themselves to clear the site and expand it to allow vehicular movement of waste products to the site. They said, there is little they can do with government property but they had to swing to action to do the little they could do when it dawned on them that the government had left them alone to carry their cross.

They therefore appealed to the governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde to provide CATERPILLAR at the dumpsite to evacuate some of the refuse blocking the main entrance to the dumpsite as well as clearing the site to be motorable to waste disposal vehicles as doing so will enable them to speed up their action in offloading refuse in various neighborhoods across the State and complement the efforts of the government in making Oyo State one of the cleanest cities in Nigeria.

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JUST IN: FG declares October 1 public holiday to mark 60th independence anniversary

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who made the declaration on Tuesday on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated all Nigerians on the Celebration of the Country’s Diamond Jubilee and assured them of Government’s unwavering commitment to the socio-economic transformation of the country.

He said “our warmth, welcoming spirit and love as well as the abundant wealth inherent in our human capital and the richness of our land, makes Nigeria unarguably the leading black nation in the world and Africa’s pride and beacon of hope, if we can rally ourselves together to harness our potentials.

“A country of about 200 million people whose natural talent, grit and passion glitter like the precious diamond that we are. Nigerians are sparkling like diamonds in the pack, whether in Academia, Business, Innovation, Music, Movie, Entertainment, Fashion and culture. We are indeed the leading black nation in the entire world and no doubt Africa’s pride and beacon of hope” Aregbesola said.

The minister further stated that although celebrating 60 years of independence really calls for pomp and pageantry, the nation cannot avoid the imperative of a low-keyed celebration as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While wishing Nigerians a fruitful independence celebration, he reminded them of the fact that our founding fathers, in spite of the differences in faith, tribe and tongue came together for Nigeria’s independence.

He, therefore, called on all Nigerians to join hands together with the present Administration in its quest to ensure a better Nigeria for all citizens, both at home and abroad as this, he said, shall be a befitting tribute to the struggles of our heroes past.

“We must together make Nigeria great”, Aregbesola said.

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Lagos is financially, economically stable – Finance Commissioner replies BudgIT

The Commissioner of Finance in Lagos State, Dr. Rabiu Olowo has released financial strength of Lagos State in response to a report on Lagos financial status released recently by Budgit, a financial analyst firm.

This was contained in a statement released by Lagos State Commissioner of Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo which reads in part:

“Lagos State is economically and financially solid, the government has said. This is contrary to the publication by BudgIT, a public finance analyst, titled ‘Ability of States to Meet Monthly Recurrent Expenditure and Loan Repayment Obligations, 2019’, which the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration described as “misinformation”. BudgIT has apologized for its error.

“Facts on Lagos finance as follows:

“Lagos State continues to meet all its recurrent and loan service obligations and the information that was published in incorrect, inaccurate and a gross distortion of the actual facts.

“The accurate information that ought to have been stated in the table published by BudgIT is provided below; as extracted from Lagos State’s published 2019 Audited Financial Statements:

“Total Revenue (N644,762,788,340.04)

“Recurrent Expenditure and Loan Repayment Obligation (N554,241,725,038.00)

“Surplus or Deficit (N90,521,063,302.04)

“As indicated in Lagos State’s published Financial Statements (and as extracted above), the information in the table published by BudgIT should have correctly indicated a surplus of N89 billion (Eighty-Nine Billion Naira).

“Lagos State Government continues to efficiently explore options in both the Financial and Capital Markets, to extract optimal funding solutions, which will enhance the administration’s ability to deliver on the construction, renewal and improvement of the deficit in social and physical infrastructure for the benefit of Lagosians; who represent 10% of Nigeria’s population.

“In the year under review (2019), Lagos State restructured all existing internal loan facilities to 14% per annum, from between 18% and 20% per annum. These rates have even more recently been re-negotiated to circa 12% per annum.

“Lagos is the only State that is not reliant on the allocation from the Federal Account Allocation Committee, with Internally Generated Revenues representing circa 72% of the State’s aggregate revenues to enable it address challenges faced by megacities world over. As at August 2020, Lagos State’s Internal Revenue Service is doing 103% above budget, and well above 2019 figures, despite the COVID-19 pandemic which demonstrates the fiscal resilience of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration for a Greater Lagos.

“Lagos State is economically and financially viable and the Government of Lagos State continues to expand funding sources whilst also ensuring that prudence and sustainability are at the fore of all funding and expenditure decisions”.

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