Category: News

The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu on Monday paid a working visit to Oyo state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde in Ibadan, the state Capital.

During the visit, the Governor expressed that his administration has begun to take advantage of the Electricity Act 2023 to transform the power supply situation in the state.

Makinde described the new law as a game changer in the electricity sector, stating that the state will soon key into it, as it is set to sign its own version of the law soon.

While the minister was speaking, there was a Power outage at the venue which gave the opportunity to express the concern of Nigerians to the minister.

He said “During your speech, there was a power outage and that is that is what Nigerians face every day. But we do know that we can improve the electricity situation for our country”.

“For us in Oyo State, the game changer is actually the Electricity Act 2023, and we will take full advantage of the law.

“As a matter of fact, we have started taking advantage of the new electricity law already and I should be signing the Oyo State version of the law by the end of this week or early next week, because it has been passed by the House of Assembly.

“Honourable Minister, let me give you the assurance that we don’t see division and politics when it comes to the issue of governance and ensuring that we provide good living conditions for our people.

“We don’t also see any problem in giving credit to whoever deserves it. If it is the Federal Government that assists us to get anything, we are ready to work together.

“Oyo State has the largest landmass in the entire South-West; that is why the Rural Electrification Agency of the Federal Government and our own Rural Electrification Board have been working together, and we believe we can achieve more.”

The HLA School for The Handicapped, Agodi-Gate, Ibadan was established in 1976 and has been providing haven for pupils with special needs in the areas of mental retardness, hearing, blindness, deaf and dumb, autism among others.

Currently the school has two hundred and forty pupils (240) with twenty academic and non-academic staff members who take their times to tend to the pupils.

It is worthy to state that this school has two public secondary schools: IMG Grammar School, Agodi Gate and HLA Grammar School, Agodi Gate, Ibadan bordering it from its rear flank at Oke-Adu, Ibadan North-East, Ibadan.

The reason for this letter is the condition of the school as related to its environmental condition, caused by burning of discarded spare parts of cars, plastics and many other items within and outside the school.

On Monday 15th January, 2023, I had the opportunity to visit this school alongside colleagues from my office to access the condition of the pupils and upon our entry, we were met by thick, dark smoke coming from the burning of tyres and condemned spare parts.

We all held our breathes, trying to escape inside the school, but upon entry into the school, we met teachers, some of who are also physically challenged, holding their noses.

They complained about how they have been getting sick since they resumed school, due to the carbon emission, which, according to them happens daily and also affecting the health of their pupils.

Upon subtle prodding about the steps taken so far by the school management, the Headmistress of HLA School For The Handicapped, Mrs Adewale Elizabeth claimed she has written several letters to the Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to address the crisis, but no changes have occurred.

I want to call on the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Mojeed Mogbonjubola, the head of the State Environmental Task Force, the Oyo State Minsitry of Education and Science and Technology and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), to urgently intervene and end the killing emission by the people selling cars’ spare parts and burning their carcasses within and around the school premises.

We all know the effects of carbon emission on human health, parts of which are respiratory (asthma, cough and catarrh) and cardiovascular diseases, headache, cancer, skin irritation among other deadly diseases.

I wish this appeal will reach the right authority and safe the pupils and people living and earning daily livelihood around this area.

Thank you.

Alhazan Abiodun Rilwan,

Project Public Relations Officer (P.P.R.O),

Oyo State Community and Social

Development Agency (OYCSDA),

Ibadan.

The EFCC has reopened money laundering cases against 13 former governors and some former ministers, with the amounts involved running into over N853.8bn.

The affected persons include two former Ekiti State governors, Kayode Fayemi and Ayo Fayose; former Zamfara State governor, Bello Matawalle; two former Enugu State governors, Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime; former Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Adamu; former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Others are former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili; former Abia State governor, Theodore Orji; former Gombe State governor, Danjuma Goje; former Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Wamako; former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva; and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido.

Matawalle, who is currently serving as the Minister of Defence in the administration of President Bola Tinubu, is being probed for alleged N70bn money laundering; while Fayemi, who served as Minister of Solid Minerals Development in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet from November 11, 2015 to May 30, 2018, before resigning to contest the governorship election for his second term, is being investigated for an alleged N4bn fraud, while Fayose, a two-term governor of Ekiti State, is being investigated by the anti-graft agency for an alleged N6.9bn fraud.

Nnamani is being probed for an alleged N5.3bn fraud; Chime is being investigated over an alleged N450m campaign fraud as part of the N23bn allegedly shared by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, while Adamu is under probe for alleged N15bn fraud.

Kwakwanso is being probed for alleged non-remittance of N10bn pension fund; Orji is being investigated over alleged N551bn money laundering; while Odili is similarly being probed for alleged N100bn fraud. It is not yet clear how the probe of the ex-Rivers State governor will be handled as he obtained an order of perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC and other security agencies from a Federal High Court in March 2008, which has not been vacated to date.

Goje is being probed by the commission for an alleged N5bn fraud; Wammako is being investigated for allegedly diverting N15bn; Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum under Buhari, is under probe for alleged N19.2bn money laundering; while Lamido is being investigated over an alleged N1.35bn fraud.

Diezani is being probed over several alleged money laundering cases running into several billions of naira and millions of dollars.

Oyo State Government, has directed all the principals and Class Teachers in Public Schools to prepare E-Assessment report sheets for all students.

This was contained in a memo addressed to all Tutors-Generals on January 12th, 2024 by the Permanent Secretary, Post Primary Schools Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Mr.Kafari Babajide.

He warned that any principal or class teacher who failed to comply with directives on or before 30th January 2024,will be penalized.

Mr. Babajide said, “the State Government is keenly interested that all students in the public secondary are issued E-assessment report sheets for the just concluded First Term in 2023/2024 academic session.

“The letter directed all concerned principals and class teachers to act on the assignment on or before 30th January 2024. The letter warned that any principal or class teacher who failed to comply with directives will be penalized.

It would be recalled before First Term break, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, under the Commissioner, Prof Salihu Abdulwaheed Adelabu,has earlier directed all schools in Oyo State to supply the bio-data of students and their parents on EduMix platform.

Funke Akindele, a popular Nollywood actress, has found herself in a confusion after her film A Tribe Called Judah grossed a record-breaking N1.2236 billion.

This is coming few days after Funke Akindele made headlines as she shattered box office records with her movie A Tribe Called Judah after hitting N1B in cinemas.

Following the announcement of the milestone by the filmmaker’s production partner on the movie, FilmOne Entertainment, the actress has received words of congratulations from President Tinubu, Governor Sanwo Olu, and other notable members of society.

Funke Akindele said on her verified Instagram profile today, January 12th 2023, that her film A Tribe Called Judah is now N1.236B in theaters and, by extension, N2B on the road.

The latest development left Funke Akindele in a speechless state as she is so overexcited by the success of her movie.

“She wrote; “I no know Wetin I go type”

Grammy-nominated afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti has called on both the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Federal Government to implement significant measures against the military in order to prevent a coup d’état.

In response to insults directed at the Governor by certain unidentified soldiers due to the arrest of one of their comrades for a traffic violation, the outspoken singer expressed his concerns.

He emphasized that failure to curb the military’s excesses would result not only in the suffering of civilians but also of politicians.

Kuti additionally ridiculed the soldiers for their threat to “humiliate” social media influencer VeryDarkMan for supporting Sanwo-Olu’s actions. He remarked that the military tends to bully civilians while avoiding confrontations with terrorists.

Speaking during an Instagram live session with fans, the singer said: “I didn’t want to speak on this very matter, but when I open my Instagram this morning, I saw a video of one of the unruly soldiers threatening to humiliate VeryDarkMan for making comment on Sanwo-Olu’s arrest of one of their colleagues. Imagine, in a free country.

“Sanwo-Olu and co, you people don’t understand anything. You think you [politicians] are protected from this [military], boys? Have you forgotten what military coup is? If you guys don’t do your job now, stamp down on this impunity in the armed forces, keep them to their barracks, treat their fckups anytime they fck up… If any soldier misbehaves, make sure the commandant of the barrack he is attached to is removed.

“If you don’t treat them like that, do you think it is only Fela’s family they will kill? You don’t understand as the government claimed that it was unknown soldiers that killed my grandmother, Fumilayo Kuti… They killed my grandmother threw her from the window because they were acting based on government order.

“The government protected all of them, saying they were unknown soldiers. Now, they are threatening you, Governor. The table has turned from civilians now; they’re now threatening politicians, too.

“Now, let me address the soldier that was threatening VeryDarkMan. I, Seun, is telling you guys that if you do anything to VDM, you guys, too won’t have peace. It’s only for civilians that you can show your power, but when it comes to Boko Haram, you run away. If Boko Haram open fire, you beg Nigerians; civilians to support you in your fight against terrorists.” Or

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has lamented over the state of human capital development in Nigeria.

Obi asserted that the inadequate attention being paid to human capital development is the root cause of most investment challenges.

Speaking via his X account, the former Anambra governor expressed shock that 2024 budget had a sum of N5 billion budgeted for student loans while a larger sum of N6 billion was budgeted to build a car park for the legislators.

He lamented that if Nigeria does not cut cost of governance and strictly prioritizes expenditure on areas of growth and development, the country will not achieve any tangible and lasting development.

Obi said it is shocking that Nigeria’s budget was signed and released to the world without prioritizing the critical areas of investment for the people.

According to him, “Today, in this country, the inadequate attention being paid to human capital development is at the root of most investment challenges. This malaise has become a recurring decimal in our political life due to poor governance and persistent leadership failure.

“It is therefore shocking that our budget was signed and released to the world without prioritizing the critical areas of investment for the people.

“A sum of N5 billion was budgeted for student loans, while a larger sum of N6 billion was budgeted to build a car park for Legislators, who recently used 12 times the amount of student loans to buy official cars. Now we are using an amount more than was budgeted for student loans to provide legislators with car parks. Nigeria remains a country without a national library.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive investigation to verify the accuracy and validity of the claims regarding payments made by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated that the government is determined to uncover the truth in this matter, and appropriate action will be taken to address any breaches and infractions, emphasizing the administration’s dedication to public accountability and due process.

He ordered that the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC begin investigation immediately to unravel the mystery surrounding the allegations leveled against her.

A senior military officer has criticized Governor Sanwo Olu for detaining a lance corporal who was caught going against one-way traffic on the Lagos-Badagry expressway.

In a viral video, the governor and his team encountered some motorcyclists who were going against traffic. Upon seeing the governor, the riders abandoned their motorcycles and fled. However, a lance corporal who pleaded with the governor to let him go was arrested.

In response to this incident, a high-ranking officer, who claimed that the lance corporal had previously served under him, took to social media to chastise the Lagos State Governor for ignoring the soldier’s pleas.

He expressed his disappointment, saying, “The action of the motorcyclist was wrong, no doubt about it! They were going the wrong way, and as a governor, your response was appropriate. But when a serving military officer, a young soldier who was running an errand and unfortunately took that motorcycle, pleaded with you, Mr. Governor, saying, ‘I am sorry, sir, I am a soldier, I am sorry’. What else could that young man have said? But because you are an arrogant governor, you ignored his pleas. You yourself have been caught going against traffic in Lagos State. So, are you now above the law?

In addition, he said that the lance corporal arrested by the governor has been injured in Borno with a metal rod in his arm. He also accused the governor of sponsoring terrorism.

“These are the people that fight the terrorists—the bandits that you and your co-workers are sponsoring. He was begging you, and you were insulting his father. I don’t blame you, Sanwo Olu; Idont blame you at all,” he stated.

Continuing, he said, “Christmas Day, people were killed in Bokkos; none of you said anything, but a soldier that did a mistake by climbing Okada that went the wrong way, and he was begging you.

“Are you the first governor? You have not arrested your touts around Lagos; you are arresting a soldier. You should be ashamed of yourself. But let me remind you, your four years will soon be finished. Do whatever you like; torment the people of Lagos State.”