Category: News

Following the presentation of the 2023 Budget Proposal of #434, 221, 765, 938.79 by the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde to the State legislature, the lawmakers in the State has commenced the Budget defence exercise for the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government.

Speaking during the exercise, the Standing Committee Chairman on Finance, Appropriation and State Economy Planning, Hon. Sunkanmi Babalola reiterated that the Oyo State House of Assembly is determined to work with the Executive Arm of Government, through Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as other stakeholders in the State for the successful implementation of the proposed 2024 Budget as presented by Governor Makinde.

Hon. Babalola stated that the Committee, through a collective efforts of all members to ensure that the next fiscal year is better than the outgoing year has painstakingly scrutinised over thirty Ministries, Departments and Agencies since the commencement of the exercise on Thursday, 7th November, 2023.

He stated further that the House is not only ensuring holistic approach in the on – going Budget Defence exercise but critically working to realise the economy recovery as tagged on the Budget by the Governor.

The Chairman assured that the House , through various Committees will maintain, necessary checks and adequate monitoring on all the MDAs for outstanding performances inorder to achieve the desired goals of the Present Administration in the State.

Hon. Babalola however commended the State Governor for his vision and pragmatic leadership towards initiating an achievable and realistic Budgeting system in the Pace Setter State.

In his remarks, the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Appropriation and State Economy Planning, Hon. Gbenga Oyekola representing Atiba State Contituency, urged the MDAs to work with the House of Assembly, through their relevant Committees inorder to have easy access to the funds allocated to each of them.

Honourable Oyekola noted that most MDAs believe that when the Committees are on oversight functions, it means that they’ve come to request from them.

“You can’t separate Committees from the MDAs, most of the MDAs believe that when the Committees are on their neck during the oversight, they are looking for money, forgetting that relevant committees of the House can help them out in their day to day activities”.

“The Committees can raise a lot of motions on their behalf and the Resolutions will be passed to the Executive, which will make the Executive to gear up to the task.” He added

Contrary to the insinuation in a section of the media about the 2024 Budget Proposal, the lawmaker declared that the Budget is achievable and realistic with good performances.

He however called on the MDAs to reciprocate the good gesture of the present Administration in the State by being alive to their responsibilities.

The Ogun State government has unveiled a Regeneration Programme aimed at the transformation of some dilapidated structures within the state’s Government Reservation Areas (GRA).

Tagged “Ogun State GRA Regeneration Programme”, the project is meant to create “Smart Cities” with the construction of modern housing units on over 100 hectares of land, valued at billions of Naira in Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode, Ota, amongst other areas.

The Regeneration Programme, according to the Commissioner for Housing, Jagunmolu Jamiu Akande Omoniyi, was the idea of the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun to rebuild the GRAs, starting with Ibara GRA.

Speaking to reporters after an inspection tour of the Ibara housing project, Omoniyi said the main objective of the regeneration plan was to restructure the affected areas to make them environmentally friendly through the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) scheme.

He noted that the scheme is parts of the present administration’s efforts to alter the rapidly degenerating environment by a deliberate adjustment of the existing city areas to meet the current and future needs of urban life.

It is also intended to replace the obsolete and dilapidated buildings that share the characteristics of slum areas with the general framework of an overall plan for modern city development, he added.

Apart from Ibara, the scheme will also be extended to Idi Aba (annex of the Government Technical College, which sits on about 7 hectares of land), also in the Abeokuta metropolis.

Omoniyi said: “We are here on the directive of the governor to kick-start the regeneration programme of Ibara GRA and the government housing units at Idi Aba, Abeokuta. We have gone around, and we saw that the occupants of these houses have heeded the vacation notice. Now, we are ready to commence the demolition of the old and dilapidated structures and begin planning to build smart cities within the Abeokuta metropolis. For clarification purposes, GRA Ibara does not belong to the civil and public servants in the state.

“At the inception of the creation of Ogun State in 1976, this location provided shelter for the civil servants of Ogun extraction who were coming back from the defunct Western Region. But, we realized that this prime location was being under utilized. That is why the incumbent administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun in the state summoned the political will to reinvent and redevelop this place to harness its potential for the benefit of the Ogun people, and to create values for the decaying assets of the state government.

“Numerically, the Idi Aba housing scheme is sitting on 7.5 hectares of land, while GRA Ibara is sitting on nothing less than 30 hectares of land. And we believe that as we move on with this project, we will discover some hidden or encroached portions of the land.

“Within Abeokuta alone, we are talking about 40 hectares of land to play with. There are similar schemes in Igbeba in Ijebu Ode, Ota, and Ilaro. For now, we are starting with Abeokuta. Then, we will move to other locations where we have the state government’s assets being wasted away.

“Meanwhile, Mr. Governor, out of his magnanimity and empathy, has directed me to prioritize the requests of the civil servants in the allocation of houses in this regeneration programme. Don’t forget that some of them have benefitted from other housing schemes such as Kobape, Kemta, Ilaro, and so on, that this present government has done.

“For those who missed out on those ones, I have the directive of the governor to absorb them immediately in this new scheme. We have a wide range of opportunities such as rent-to-own; outright purchase, and mortgage through Gateway Mortgage Bank.

“The practice before now was for civil servants to live here and get evacuated after retirement. But, this new scheme will allow for mortgages, and the houses can be paid for while still in service. What we are going to do here, which is a common patrimony of the Ogun State people, will cut across all the cadres of income level.

“We will accommodate everyone – commercial, residential, and institutional. We are creating smart cities where people will live, work, and play. We are creating a total ecosystem to ensure that everything you need to make a decent living is found inside of our GRA.”

According to the Commissioner, the urban regeneration scheme is expected to have between 4 and 5 bedrooms of different sizes, which are to be complemented with world-class infrastructural facilities.

The Ibara scheme, he said, is to be redeveloped into 500 housing units, while Idi-Aba is to have 100 units.

Omoniyi, accompanied on the visit by the Head of Service (HoS), Mr Peter Kolawole Fagbohun, and the General Manager, Ogun State Housing Corporation, Mr Wale Ojo, noted that on the directive of the governor, civil servants at different income levels are to be considered in the new scheme.

He noted that a wide range of opportunities such as rent-to-own, outright purchase, and mortgage have been put in place to make public servants benefit from the new scheme.

He noted that the programme would focus on local content by engaging artisans, suppliers and developers within the state, just as it did with Kobape Housing Scheme, Kemta Housing Scheme, Prince Court Estate and other similar housing projects, with about 20,000 direct and indirect jobs expected to be created.

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Ondo State House of Assembly, to transfer power to deputy governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa
Tinubu reportedly made this known at a meeting he summoned to resolve the leadership crisis in Ondo on Monday

The President emphasized that this transfer should be conducted without any conditions, as it aligns with the “Doctrine of Necessity.”

The Nation learnt the transfer of power will be done by electronic signature (e-signature) as the ailing governor is too weak to sign any document.

This decision allows Governor Akeredolu to take a medical leave, ensuring his well-being.

Details shortly…

Former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has said the party cannot field a northerner as its presidential candidate in 2027.

Politics Nigeria recently reported that presidential candidate of the PDP in the last election, Atiku Abubakar, had commen moves to relaunch his ambition ahead of 2027.

But addressing journalists in Lagos on Monday, the PDP chieftain alleged that Atiku’s ambition was responsible for the party’s poor outing in 2023.

“I don’t really understand the rhetorics in some quarters these days that a member of the party from the north is strategising or plotting to return as the presidential candidate of our party in 2027,” George began.

“A northerner cannot be the presidential candidate of our party in 2027, pure and simple. The earlier some members pushing this agenda know this truth, the better for our collective sanity.

“To think of a Northerner as our saviour in 2027 is a joke taken too far.

“I cried loudly before the last general election that we cannot shut out the South from our strategy and hope to win. Two Northerners emerged as our presidential candidate and national chairman. We all saw the outcome.

“I can boldly say that those who supported that idea gave the opportunity for Tinubu to become the president today and a repeat of that fiasco will lead to the end of PDP in 2027.

“I want to alert Nigerians that the primitive agenda that led to the PDP losing the February 25, 2023 presidential election is rearing its ugly head again.

“I want Nigerians and PDP members to know that Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, one of the founding fathers and a former Deputy National Chairman of our party, is not anti-party and will never do or say anything against the interest of this party but I abhor and hate injustice at any level.

“I have no iota of tribalism in my blood. I stand to fight for inclusiveness for all Nigerians in the political process of this country and especially in this party where some of us have suffered great injustice for the fight of equity and justice for all.

“As leaders of the party, we must not pander towards ethnic affiliation because PDP is the only true national party. The APC is just a mere collection of strange bed fellows.”

George noted that some governors are against the plot to return a northerner as PDP presidential candidate in 2027.

“How can we go into the 2027 election season with this type of division and expect to win the presidential election? Unless we are united, unless we have fairness, equity and justice in our system, the party and the country are heading nowhere.

“In the build up to the 2023 presidential elections, I was shocked about the quality of response from some of our members, so divisive and arrogant.

“All the party elders saying then that the National Chairman should not resign, where are they today,” George queried.

Billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, has described the Dangote Refinery as the “8th wonder of the world”, saying it will champion Nigeria’s energy security.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Otedola said the refinery promises economic transformation for Nigerians and generations to come.

“By meeting our requirements for all refined petroleum products, it will champion energy security and independence for our nation and act as a catalyst for a new era of prosperity for the subcontinent. It promises economic transformation for Nigerians today and for generations to come,” he wrote.

The refinery sited in Lagos and owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is said to have commenced operations with 350,000 barrels a day.

The refinery recently received its first one million barrels of Agbami crude grade, which represents the first phase of the six million barrels to be supplied to the refinery by several suppliers.

Congratulating his “bestie”, Otedola described Dangote as a visionary patriot.

He said the refinery is “much more than just an industrial milestone; it’s a testament to the visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence of one of Africa’s finest and most dogged patriots”.

“I had a front-row seat as this vision was conceptualized and took shape. And I am familiar with the sleepless nights you’ve had to work through over the last decade to bring this dream to fruition.

This refinery is a beacon of hope for millions of Nigerians and Africans. It is also at the vanguard of championing environmental sustainability,” Otedola said.

The Oyo State Secretary of Traditional Religion Worshippers Association (TRWA), Dr. Fayemi Fatunde Fakayode has expressed reservation against Africans bearing foreign names, saying the names have no correlation to the circumstances of their births and how they will succeed in life.

He claimed that the best names that bring fortunes to a child is his or her ancestral names, as it is easy to seek the right path to successful life when divination (Ifa) is consulted.

The Ifa priest said this on Sunday evening during the installation ceremony of Iyanifa Fajemirola Ifetayo Fakayode, an African-American formerly known as Mrs Dawn Millings-Obidiebube as Yeye Gbawoniyi of Ijo Imole Olodumare Agbaye, at the Olodumare’s Temple of Light International, Old Oyo Road, Alade Town, Ibadan.

The Ifa priest emphasized the need to consult divination and make appeasement to individual’s spiritual identity (Ori), which is made possible with unique Yoruba names given to the concerned person after birth.

He claimed that the people seeking wealth and healthy living from other means than their unique spiritual being (Ori) are doing so in vain until they make appeasement to their own spirit.

“African names, especially Yoruba names have uniqueness and very significant to how we live our lives, they are like the purveyors of good or bad to the bearers, which is why Yorubas check the divine path of each new born baby in connection with his or her name.

“This name is the way by which divination is sought whenever the individual is having any problem in life and it is the essence of why Yoruba people overcome their travails by appeasing their ‘Ori’, which is their unique spiritual identity.

“So many problems that Africans or Nigerians have are not suppose to be problems for them if they identify themselves with their names and uniqueness to their existence in life, it is also necessary in picking leaders for a people, their names tend to reflect in their performances,” Fakayode stated.

He enjoined parents to pick Yoruba names that have significance on the birth of their children and easy to relate with as the children grow in life, saying foreign names contribute towards misfortunes to most African people.

Speaking on the installation of the African-American, Iyanifa Fajemirola Ifetayo, formerly Dawn Milling as Yeye Gbawoniyi of Ijo Imole Eledumare Agbaye, Dr. Fakayode said he was happy that most Africans whose forbearers were taken to America and Europe during slave trade have been tracing their ways back to Africa and their traditional religion.

He reiterated the need for Yoruba people to look inward for solutions to social, economic and leadership crisis that have been bedeviling their land.

He also called for visa-free policy for Africans in the diaspora, as according to him, the connection of birth and blood will make them make Africa their home and invest their wealth at home.

Iyanifa Fajemirola Ifetayo Fakayode is a lover of African culture and had her Ifa initiation in 2012 in Ibadan and has always shown interest in African tradition and festivals.

She established the Ifa/Orisa Collective Inc., an organization that provide educational experiences for Americans interested in learning about Ifa divinity.

In her words, Iyanifa Fajemirola Ifetayo Fakayode called on Africans to appreciate their own tradition and culture against those of foreigners, as according to her, Yoruba tradition has been established to be the best among others in the world.

“Is it the unique Yoruba language, the culture or tradition that you want to put beside those of Europeans and Americans? It is not possible, you can see that Yoruba is the best in all ways of life,” she eulogized.

Yoruba poet, writer, artiste and religious leader, Alhaji Olanrewaju Adepoju, is died.

Adepoju died on Sunday 10 December, 2023 in his home in Ibadan.

His son, Adejare Adepoju, broke the news in a brief announcement on Sunday, saying “Baba has gone to rest.”

Adejare Adepoju said the sad incident occurred at about 7pm.

He was 83 years old.

Broadcasting company Multichoice has jacked up the prices of its offerings in Nigeria days after announcing a $72m loss in its financial statement for the third quarter of the year.

Checks on the company’s reviewed price list showed a 20 per cent per cent hike in the company’s packages across the board.

With the latest price hike, the DStv Premium package increased by 20.4 per cent from N24,500 to N29,500. Similarly, the DStv Compact+ has gone up by 19.2 per cent from N16,600 to N19,800 while the Compact package increased by 19 per cent, from N10,500 to N12,500.

The Comfam package moved up by 19.2 per cent from N6,200 to N7,400. The latest hike made it the second time the company would implement an upward review of prices within a six-month period.