Spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Senator Dino Melaye, has said his principal will floor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State.
Tinubu has been in control of Lagos State since 1999 when he was elected governor. Although he left in 2007, he still wields a large influence in the state, determining who gets what as far as politics is concerned.
Speaking in an interview on Trust TV, Melaye said though Osun is the “ancestral home” of Tinubu, he was defeated by the PDP which removed his first cousin as governor.
“If election is conducted in Lagos today PDP will win the election, Atiku will defeat Tinubu, Atiku was in Lagos two days ago, and he was received everywhere he goes. The people want him and he is going to win the election,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Force have warned its personnel against checking people’s phone during stop and search operation on the road, adding that they have no right to do so.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, reechoed the notice on Tuesday during an appearance on Sunrise Daily.
“Stop checking phones on the road. You can’t check somebody’s phone. It is his personal property. You cannot do it,” Adejobi said of an activity which Nigerians have repeatedly accused policemen of doing.
The Oyo State Government has been accused of unduly interference in the selection of process of new Alaafin of Oyo.
This was contained in a statement signed and made available by Prince Afolabi Adesina as read in part:
“My attention has been drawn to a statement by the Oyo State Government to the effect that it will not interfere in the process of selecting a new Alaafin of Oyo.
“The state government reportedly said this through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Culture, Honourable Akeem Ademola Ige, during the celebration of the Sango Festival in Oyo.
“The report came to us as a rude shocks as the process of choosing the Alaafin has already been infiltrated and segregated to the exclusion of other original sons of Alaafin Abiodun Atiba, the progenitor of Modern Oyo, by some agents of the Oyo State Government.
“The process of selecting a new Alaafin, which started with transparency by the Head of Oyo Royal Princes (Baba Iyaji) and Oyo Mesi in general has been since alterated by the agent of the government.
“The chairman of Atiba Local Government Area, in a letter dated 9 August, 2022, claimed that he has been directed by the state government, through the Oyo State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftancy Matters, to commence the process of picking a crown prince from the Agunloye Royal House.
“This is being done in exclusion of the other nine ruling houses that have been enlisted since 8 December, 1976 by the then Oyo State Military Government and Gazetted, viz the 1995 White Paper, on 16 July, 2001 by the state government during the administration of the late Governor Lamidi Onaolapo Adesina.
“The chairman of Atiba Local Government Area in the letter, dated 9 August, 2022, through the Director of Administration and General Services, Alhaji Ayoola A.A, relied on the Oyo state Chieftancy Law of 1961 which had been declared defective since 8 December, 1976 because it is not consistent with the Customary Law governing the appointment of the Alaafin of Oyo or any oba in Yorubaland.
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“In the letter, the local government chairman, directed Baba Iyaji to liaise with Agunloye family to choose a Crown Prince and present him to the Oyo Mesi, through High Chief Yusuf Ayoola, the Basorun of Oyo.
“With due respect to our Acting Governor, Chief Bayo Lawal and our darling Governor Seyi Makinde (in absentia), the directive is contrary to the claim by your aide that the Oyo State government will not interfere in the process of selecting a new Alaafin.
“What more can demonstrate the fact that the state government has, indeed, interfered in the selection process? How else can you prove that you are not interfering in the process?
“Sir, what you have done, through the letter by the chairman of Atiba Local Government Area, shows that you have, indeed, totally hijacked the process. You can only prove us by publicly disowning the letter.
“As an unbiased umpire, we expect that the state government will call for the publication of all the 119 princes that applied for the vacant Royal Alaafin Stool and the criteria for the selection process to be made public.
“This should be done in line with our tradition and also allow the Oyo Mesi to evaluate each and every applicant, based on the culture of Oyoland. I am aware that Baba Iyaji has submitted all the applicants’ letters to the Oyo Mesi, through the Basorun of Oyo.
“We are hereby appealing to the Oyo State government to allow for a free and fair selection process to give us a new Alaafin that will be acceptable to all and who will stand for all and sundry”.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, has condemned the disruption of chieftaincy installation by hoodlums believed to have been hired by some prospective Mogajis and Baales.
The installation held on Monday was said to have been disrupted by the hoodlums and this was said to have forced the monarch to suspend the activities.
It was learnt that there were contentions concerning the choice of some of the chiefs and the Olubadan condemned the resort to the use of miscreants to address the issue.
Oba Balogun, in a statement signed by his Personal Assistant (Media), Oladele Ogunsola, expressed disappointment at the unruly behaviour of the supporters of the prospective chiefs.
He said the disruption led to the abrupt end of the programme shortly after the installation of only three out of 10 chiefs slated for the day.
“The monarch who reiterated his commitment to equity, fairness and justice in the exercise of his traditional role maintained that whoever, after thorough investigation of the incident, anyone found culpable among his staff on whatever might have led to the ugly disruption would be properly sanctioned.
“He empathized with the other chiefs, who had no contentious issue, but, whose installation could not be performed due to the disruption caused by the miscreants, assuring them that what happened was a mere delay and not denial, adding, “their installation would be performed unfailingly at the next exercise”.
Oba Balogun equally charged every family presenting candidates for the positions of Baales and Mogajis to do their homework properly to avoid a repeat of Monday’s incident just as he warned against unruly behaviour.
The monarch says people’s account of his (Portable’s) person differed from what he saw when he met the singer.
The Onitigbo of Tigbo-Ilu Land, in Ota, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Olabode Thomas-Fagbayi, has justified why he conferred a chieftaincy title on the controversial singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, on Monday.
The traditional ruler told newsmen on Tuesday that he honoured the famous Nigerian hip-pop singer with a chieftaincy title over his respectful act.
The monarch added that people’s account of his (Portable’s) person differed from what he saw when he met the singer.
Portable, as fondly called, has taken to his social media handle pictures and videos of his coronation as the Amuludun of Tigbo, Awori land.
The Zazu crooner announced on Monday.
He said he will now be known and addressed as “Chief Amuludun of Tigbo, Aworiland.”
The singer declared that God made it possible for him ever to become a chief.
The ceremony coincided with the annual Tigbo Day, which saw Abass Akande Obesere perform and eulogise Portable at the occasion
Since the conferment of the chieftaincy title, some persons have questioned why the monarch found Portable worthy of the honour.
The monarch told this newspaper that he never knew the famous artist until recently.
“I visited a school in my domain where I have gotten a report of misbehaviour among the pupils and students of the school. So, I went to the school to talk briefly with them. It was there that I was told that somebody called Portable was passing through my domain and was throwing money at people, and in the process, many got injured.
“Because of that, I summoned him to my palace, and he came twice, but I wasn’t at the palace when he came. So, one day, I was walking on the road, and I saw him driving; I called for him, and he immediately came with his boys, and they all prostrated on the road.”
The monarch also said the singer has his roots in Tigbo town and is well behaved.
“His mum is from Tigbo, and he too lives here; he presented himself as a responsible person, and we take him as that. Some people might have reservations about him, but even at that, he is our son.”
The monarch added that the singer had also shown readiness to be part of the celebration of ‘Tigbo day’.
Mr Thomas-Fagbayi, however, debunked social media claims that he was paid to honour the famous artist and insisted that he is a monarch whom “God has blessed.”
SOME Civil Society Organisations namely the Nigerian Project Initiative, NPI and the Initiative to Save Democracy, ISD, have expressed outrage over the demand for the payment of six months’ salaries by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, before calling off its strike.
NPI and ISD, however, vowed to mobilize against ASUU describing the union’s strike as hollow, self-centred and vexatious.
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NPI AND ISD, in a joint statement by their chairmen, Mohammed Salihu and Akinloye James, the CSOs said: “The demand by ASUU to be paid for the months its members were on strike is hollow, self-centred and vexatious.
“It is particularly provoking that other unions in the academic community pursuing almost the same goals have decided to go back to work but ASUU members rather than follow suit are demanding payment for work that they did not do.
“Which employer does that? If for example, the government were to heed them, would that not be a recipe for disaster as NASU and SSANU which have agreed to go back to work would now resort to strike to demand the same salaries that they forfeited during the strike?
“It is a rule in industrial relations that unions keep a strike fund and ASUU through its president has admitted that they have been paying their union members. So, it is thus apparent that ASUU by its demand is now seeking double pay for its members for work not done.”
“For the sake of our students, who have missed out on account of the strike, we expect ASUU to rush back to work at this time and look forward towards repairing the damage that has been done through the strike instead of this resort to financial blackmail.”
Vowing to mobilise other civil society groups for a showdown against ASUU, the two unions said: “ASUU has lost it this time and we dare say that if by this week ASUU sticks on to its selfish demands we would be compelled to lay siege to ASUU offices across the country given that all men of good conscience are against ASUU.
Two children died on Sunday night and three men injured after a building collapsed in Lagos.
The incident occurred around 9:40pm at Adeleye Street, Lady Lark in Bariga.
It was learnt that the cause of the incident was the scaffolding of a tank at a two-storey building that collapsed on a nearby bungalow.
It was gathered that the scaffolding fell on two rooms on the bungalow where the deceased children and injured adults were.
Confirming the incident, Permanent Secretary (PS) Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said rescuers were deployed to the scene from Onipanu, adding that the I Jared men were taken to nearby hospitals.
An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Osun State identified as Kazeem Kekere has been killed by gunmen in Apomu in Isokan Local Government Area (LGA).
It was learnt that Kazeem, who is also the Branch Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Apomu headquarters of Isokan LGA, was shot dead on Saturday night.
It was learnt that he had been using his position to canvass support for the APC during the gubernatorial election and allegedly deprived other political parties avenue to use vehicles in his garage.
A source in the community told our correspondent that Kazeem was killed on Saturday night after he was trailed to a spot in the community.
He said, “He was killed around 8 and 9pm between Oke-Alfa and Timberland area, at the stream in the area. He was pursued to the spot by two vehicles. The cars trailed him to the point where his car was waylaid and he was killed.”
Confirming the incident, the Isokan Local Government Secretary, Tajudeen Bello, said: “Alhaji Kazeem was killed by gunmen yesterday night.
“He played major role during 2022 Osun State Governorship election. As a chairman of NURTW, he directed all his members to vote for APC and threatened that anybody who voted for the PDP would be dealt with as long as he was the chairman.
“He was reported at the palace and he stood by his words.”
Similarly, the APC chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun through his media aide, Kola Olabisi confirmed the incident to newsmen.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Police command is yet to react to the incident as of the time of filing this report.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, visited the family of late Oba Abdulganiy Salawudeen Adekunle Oloogunebi Ajinese 1, the Aseyin of Iseyin, on Saturday to offer his condolence messages.
Chief Olayiwola Olakojo, the former secretary to the Oyo State Government, accompanied Chief Obasanjo to Iseyin, where he offered a prayer for the king’s soul to rest.
He pledged his support for the widows and kids of the late Aseyin in their future endeavours.
“We traveled through Ibadan today to check on one of us, Chief Omololu Olunloyo, who is critically ill. I pray to God that he recovers quickly. I was supposed to have been here since the passing of Kabiyesi”, said Obasanjo.
“We do not need to be preaching for you again because Almighty God knows what we don’t and just have to accept whatever He brings.
“I will still be in constant touch with the palace along with Mayegun (Chief Olayiwola Olakojo) and I will reach out to the Queens and the children with our support,” he said.
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Oba Abdulganiy Salawudeen Adekunle Oloogunebi Ajinese 1, who died in the early hours of Sunday July 24, 2022 was 62 years old and reigned for 15 years on the throne.
Present at the palace during the visit were members of the royal families, Iseyin Elders Council, Iseyin Development Union (I.D.U), Iseyin Council of Societies (ICS) among others.
