Category: Featured

The leading Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has berated statement credited to the Spokesperson of President Buhari, Mr. Garba Sheu where he was said to have frowned and rejected Ondo State Governor’s vacation order given to herdsmen occupying Forest Reserves in the State.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State had on Monday ordered Fulani herdsmen to vacate all forest reserves in the state within seven days.
Akeredolu also banned the movement of cattle within cities and highways, as well as night grazing, saying the directive was informed by the killings and kidnappings being perpetrated in the state by people masquerading as herdsmen and hiding in the forest reserves.

But the presidency on Tuesday condemned the seven-day ultimatum given to herdsmen by Akeredolu to vacate forest reserves, urging the governor ‘not to act outside the constitution of the country’.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, said in part, “We want to make it clear that kidnapping, banditry and rustling are crimes, no matter the motive or who is involved. But, to define crime from the nameplates, as a number of commentators have erroneously done- which group they belong to, the language they speak, their geographical location or their faith is atavistic and cruel.

“We need to delink terrorism and crimes from ethnicity, geographical origins and religion—to isolate the criminals who use this interchange of arguments to hinder law enforcement efforts as the only way to deal effectively with them.”

However, Afenifere on Wednesday lambasted the Presidency for the position it took in the matter.

A statement titled ‘Ondo Forests: Fulani Presidency Again’, by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, said the Presidency’s position only confirmed that the Muhammadu Buhari regime only represents Fulani interests against those of other ethnic nationalities in the country.

The statement read: “The intervention by what we mistakenly call the Federal Government of Nigeria on behalf of marauding Fulani in Ondo state against the lawful government in that state did not come to Afenifere as a surprise as it is in line with non-pretence by this regime that it represents only Fulani interests against those of Yoruba, Igbo, Junkun, Ijaw and other tribes in Nigeria.

“That the Federal Government and its minion, Garba Shehu, could only hear Ondo State when Governor Akeredolu was very loud and clear about herders to vacate forest reserves in the state is symptomatic that this government has a serious problem with heating the rest of us when the issue involves its anointed Fulani.

“The Fulani criminals have caused untold hardship in Ondo State and other Yoruba towns and cities in recent time and only an irresponsible government that wants to behave like our Federal Government that cares will continue to fold its arms.

“Are Ondo Forest Reserves under Ondo State Government or the Federal Government and Miyetti Allah? We agree with the Ondo State Government that the insensibility of Garba Shehu violates the corporate existence of Nigeria.

“What has this government done to assure our people that it can protect our lives with the open murders of Mrs Funke Olakunri, Olufon of Ifon and the Deputy Registrar of FUTA (Federal University of Technology, Akure), among many others? The lives of our people and other non-Fulani communities are daily being taken by local and foreign Fulani bandits without any sign that these lives matter to the government with its desire to shield the Fulani from the laws.

“Nobody would ever have believed that it would get to this irresponsible stage that the Federal Government will one day come to this barbaric level Garba Shehu has taken it and the peak of their direct salvos against Amotekun since it started. All true- born Yoruba should stand behind Governor Akeredolu in these trying times. He must do all within the law to flush Ondo forests of all criminals. Other governors should emulate their chair and free our land from the Fulani who have surrounded us with the shield of the Federal Government.

“Let them declare open war on behalf of the Fulani and our ancestors will all wake up in their graves.”

Governor of The State of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola, has condoled with a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly and ex-member of the House of Representatives, Professor Mojeed Alabi, on the passing of his mother, Alhaja Rainat Adebola Alabi.

The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, said he joined family members, friends and associates in mourning the deceased, who he described as “a God-fearing, kind-hearted woman and great mother who raised responsible and successful children, including the former Speaker.”

Oyetola urged Professor Alabi and the entire family to take solace in the quality of life the matriarch lived and the good works she was known for.

He prayed Almighty Allah to overlook the shortcomings of Alhaja Rainat Alabi, make Aljanah Firdaus her final abode and give the family the fortitude to bear her transition.

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has inuagurated Farm Konnect’s Multipurpose Egbeja Snail Village.

This was contained in a statement released by Gov. Fayemi yesterday via his Official Twitter handle which reads in part:

“It was my pleasure to inaugurate Farm Konnect’s multipurpose Egbeja snail village – capable of producing 2 million snails and exporting slime. We are poised to commission many more agribusinesses this year in our continued strive to make agriculture the nerve-center of our industrial agenda.

“Noteworthy to see the commitment of N5 billion to produce elite specie and african giant on over 5 hectares of land with opportunities to export the Elite specie and extracted slime. Jumpstarting Ekiti State’s place to the front as a snail and slime exporter in Africa.

“Pleased to report more than $100m in agribusinesses investment in 2 years leveraging on our critical supporting infrastructure investments for such attraction. The RAAMP, agrocargo airport and farm access initiatives will further improve our farm-to-market Agric virtuous cycle”.

IN TACKLING CRIME, ONDO STATE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT ACT OUTSIDE THE CONSTITUTION

The Federal Government has rejected 7-day ultimatum given by Ondo State Government to herdsmen to vacate it’s forests, saying it is against the constitution.

This was contained in a statement released by Senior Special Assistant on Media to President Buhari which reads in part:

“The Presidency has been keenly monitoring events occurring in Ondo State and the “orders” by the government of the state, “asking herders to vacate the forests in seven days.”
What is clearly emerging, is a lack of consistency in messaging which in turn leads to various contradictions regarding accuracy and the intent behind the message.

“There is little to be said other than to call for restraint on both sides and urge the state government and the leadership of the Fulani communities to continue their dialogue for a good understanding that will bring to an urgent end, the nightmarish security challenges facing the state.

“Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, a seasoned lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and indeed, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has fought crime in his state with passion and commitment, greater sensitivity and compassion for the four years he has run its affairs and, in our view, will be the least expected to unilaterally oust thousands of herders who have lived all their lives in the state on account of the infiltration of the forests by criminals.
If this were to be the case, rights groups will be right in expressing worries that the action could set off a chain of events which the makers of our constitution foresaw and tried to guard against.

“We want to make it clear that kidnapping, banditry and rustling are crimes, no matter the motive or who is involved. But, to define crime from the nameplates, as a number of commentators have erroneously done- which group they belong to, the language they speak, their geographical location or their faith is atavistic and cruel.
We need to delink terrorism and crimes from ethnicity, geographical origins and religion—to isolate the criminals who use this interchange of arguments to hinder law enforcement efforts as the only way to deal effectively with them.

“The President, who swore to defend the constitution has spoken against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in asking citizens of Northern origin to leave; he did not spare the group based in Sokoto, ‘Muslim Solidarity Forum,’ which asked the Bishop of Sokoto to leave and is prepared to do all that the law permits to protect citizens all over the country in their choice of where they wished to reside and are treated as equal citizens.

“The government of Ondo, and all the 35 others across the federation must draw clear lines between the criminals and the law abiding citizens who must equally be saved from the infiltrators. Beyond law and order, the fight against crime is also a fight for human values which are fundamental to our country”.

The Ondo State Government has vowed not to rescind the ultimatum it issued to herdsmen to vacate its forest reserves within seven days.

The Special Adviser to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Security Matters, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, stated this, adding that the state government was determined to put an end to cases of kidnapping and killing in the state.

Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
Speaking with Vanguard, Dojumo insisted that “those perpetrating the heinous act are using the forest to cover their crimes,” saying there was a need to flush out the criminals from the forest reserves.

While he declined to give details of how his government would enforce the directive, the Special Adviser said, “This is a security matter and it is not for public consumption but I want to advise those operating within the forest legally to register with the state government.

“Let them disobey and we know how to carry it out, it is not when we start speaking on the pages of newspapers before we know what to do and we are not even out for confrontation.

“The truth is that if they still want to remain in the forest, let them come and register, we want to know the people occupying our forest.

“If people want to live in your house, you should know them and identify them, so we want to know those occupying our forest and no illegal occupants.

“lf they are ready to cooperate, no problem, so the order is that they should quit the forest or register with the state government and whoever wants to farm or do any other business within the forest, there must be a means of identification and we must know their origin.”

Meanwhile, Governor Akeredolu has ordered the clearing of bushes on the highways across the 18 local government areas of the state in order to allow a proper view of the highway.

The state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs. Lola Fagbemi, who disclosed this said the bushes would be cleared some 30 – 40 metres away from both sides of the roads.

She said, “The bush will be cleared about 30-40 metres away from the road. This will give a proper view while on the highway and we are commencing work from tomorrow.”

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria had said that the agreement it had with the Ondo State Government was to stop night grazing and use of underage boys for grazing cows, adding that it was not true that herders had been asked to vacate forest reserves in the state.

•Says 24,000 Students Yet To Report In Public Schools

Following the increase in number of recorded cases of coronavirus in Nigeria, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday said that any malaria-like symptoms should henceforth be considered as COVID-19 virus infection unless and until proven not to be one.

He therefore advised that anyone with such symptoms should proceed to any of the State’s public health facilities or laboratories to get tested for free, noting that “Seeking help early and quickly significantly improves the chances of survival for severe to critical cases.”

Speaking during a Press Conference on COVID-19 Update at the Lagos House, Ikeja on Tuesday, Governor Sanwo-Olu said it is important that Lagos State residents begin to learn to live and act responsibly, in order to augment the government’s efforts and previous success of flattening the curve.

The Governor also said that the increase in the positivity of coronavirus cases in the second wave has necessitated the greater amount of oxygen for the moderate to severe cases of admission in all the isolation centres.

He said the alarming trend of COVID-19 has necessitated the reopening of some of the previously closed isolation centres, such as the INDO Isolation Centre and Gbagada Isolation Center to contain the rising cases and re-flattening the curve in the shortest possible time.

“Over the last few weeks, the demands for oxygen has risen from 70 six-litre cylinders per day to 350 six-litre cylinders in our Yaba Mainland Hospital. This is projected to more than double to 750 six-cylinders, before the end of January 2021.

“ln addition to providing oxygen at our isolation centres, the Lagos State Government has decentralized the availability of oxygen across the State through the provision of 10 oxygen and sampling kiosks. Oxygen therapy and other related services will be provided to patients that require them.

“Five of these 10 oxygen centers have been commissioned while the remaining five will be ready for use within the next four weeks. It is our expectation that these sampling kiosks would be easily accessible to residents that require oxygen therapy at the level of LGAs as stabilization points prior to onward transmission to our Isolation centres, if required.

“This strategy is to further increase the fighting chance of Lagos residents that have contracted the virus and require immediate oxygen therapy,” he said.

Speaking on issues surrounding the resumption of schools in Lagos State in compliance with the directives of the Federal Government, Governor Sanwo-Olu said commencement of school activities yesterday (Monday) “was a difficult decision to make in light of the second wave of covid-19, but I assure you it was the best decision for our children’s safety and long-term development, especially our most vulnerable children.”

Stressing the need for students to return to school to continue their education at various levels, Governor Sanwo-Olu disclosed that almost 24,000 students are yet to report in public schools after last year’s lockdown necessitated by the first wave of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

“Last year after the first lockdown and kids have to come back to school, we are still looking for about 24,000 of them that have not come back to school. So, there is a challenge if you keep them out for that long and their parents or guardians now turn them to other things instead of ensuring that they have time to come back for learning even if it is twice or thrice a week.

“At least they have been registered since the beginning of a session and they can be monitored. If not, they will just be roaming the streets and become endangered. We have seen incidents of child abuse and all unprintable things that are being done to these children. So, we believe to a large extent that schools sometimes happen to be the safe haven for them. We have done the roster in which we ensure they keep social distance and we are monitoring,” he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu also revealed that Lagos State Government has opened discussions with some vaccine manufacturers to ensure that residents are catered for.

He said: “We are closely monitoring ongoing action by the Federal Government to procure COVID-19 vaccines for use in Nigeria. We have also opened discussions with vaccine manufacturers so that when the vaccine comes eventually we can ensure that Lagosians are catered for.

“In the meantime we are developing a strategy that will articulate the criteria, guidelines and regulatory framework for providing and monitoring vaccinations in Lagos.

“The Lagos State Government is actively partnering with the private sector in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the areas of testing, oxygen deployment, as well as the clinical management of moderate to severe cases. These partnerships have helped enhance the State’s response to the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic.

“In a bid to further explore this proven synergistic approach, the Lagos State Government is currently reviewing the feasibility of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for the management of some of our public isolation centres. It is our hope that this would expedite the re-opening of previously closed centres, and also avail us the benefits of the operational cost-efficiencies that experienced private sector management can bring to bear.”

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, have announced that academic activities in the school will resume on February 7, 2021.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by Public Relations Officer of OAU, Abiodun Olarewaju, on Tuesday.

The statement also revealed that the institution’s 2020/2021 session have been canceled.

The statement read: “Consequent upon the directive of the Federal Government that schools should re-open, the Senate of Obafemi Awolowo University at its meeting held today (Tuesday), January 19, 2021, announced the following resumption time-table for the continuation of the 2019/2020 academic session that was suspended in March 2020 following the outbreak of COVID-19:

“February 7, 2021 – Final year students in the Faculty of Pharmacy, Clinical Students in the College of Health Sciences and year four students in the Faculty of Agriculture are to come into residence. All other students are to attend their classes virtually.

“February 8, 2021 – Resumption of Lectures.

“The approved resumption programme is subject to periodic review in line with the realities and trend of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In addition, the Senate approved cancellation of 2020/2021 Academic Session.

“Furthermore, in line with the directives of the Federal Government on prevention of community transmission of COVID-19, the Senate was emphatic on the need for both staff and students to strictly adhere to the following COVID-19 protocols – regular handwashing with soap and running water, use of hand sanitizer, compulsory wearing of face mask; and social distancing.

“Staff, Students and other members of the University Community must also adhere strictly to the recommendations of the COVID-19 Committee of the University.”