Category: News

Construction of bus stations for the take-off of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Mass Transit scheme along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway axis will commence soon.

The stations are to be sited within Mowe, Ibafo Arepo, and Berger axis of the ever-busy expressway.

This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Transportation, Engr Dairo Olugbenga, while speaking on a radio programme in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Thursday.

According to him, the construction will commence in earnest, as necessary implementation frameworks have been put in place, even as he urged the people to lend their support to the state government towards the successful construction activities in those areas.

“I want to use this medium to plead to our people for their support, as this is another integral parts of development geared towards easing the movement of people and goods in Ogun State, which will serve as a respite to environmental pollution by reducing emissions and promote a cleaner and safer environment in the state,” he said.

Engr Dairo noted that the CNG powered mass transit buses will be deployed to the corridor for cheaper and safe movement in advance of the construction of the bus stations.

Speaking on the process of operating urban transportation system in the state, the Commissioner highlighted infrastructure, law compliance, operation, and price control as the four key elements applied by the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun.

He said: “We need to let our people know that there are four applicables and adopted ways to transportation, and that is infrastructure, which if you observe during our first tenure, the Governor has worked on bad roads in all the local government areas across the state and work is still on-going.

“The second is law enforcement, which will ensure all road users comply with rules and regulations guiding the usage of the roads, fostering security and safety of passengers and drivers while the third is operation.

“We are going to formalise transport operation, in that, whoever is going into it must have between 10 to 30 buses under him.

“Current operators will be encouraged to coalesce into cooperatives. This will aid proper management and monitoring of the movement of goods and people in the state.

“Aside from this, there is price control. This administration is further working on providing affordable transportation for the good people of Ogun State.”

Despite moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to formally extend the validity of the old naira notes, reports of scarcity have emerged across the country.
Recall that the CBN had affirmed that it has enough currency notes in the market and, hence, no need for panic withdrawals by members of the public.

The apex bank announced plans to extend the validity of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes indefinitely. The bank noted that it was working with relevant authorities to vacate the subsisting court ruling on the same subject.

On Wednesday, Lagos Reporters reported that the CBN filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking an extension for old naira notes to remain in circulation.

But a report by The PUNCH confirmed scarcity in some parts of Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Kwara, Gombe, Edo, Sokoto, and Ekiti States.

Visits to some banks on Wednesday revealed scanty banking halls and ATM galleries due to the scarcity of old and new Naira notes.

A customer, who gave his name as Ganiyu Tunde, at the Union Bank branch along Oshodi Expressway in Lagos claimed that banks were only dispensing N5,000 via ATMs to non-customers.

Bank customers of Union Bank were, however, able to get up to N20,000 at the ATM and inside the bank. The rows of ATMs at an Access Bank branch nearby were empty because there was no cash in them as of the time of filing this report. A banker who spoke to The PUNCH on the condition of anonymity blamed the cash scarcity on weak supply from the CBN.

The banker said, “It is the CBN that is responsible for this cash scarcity. We are not getting enough from them. They are just causing unnecessary suffering for the masses.”

A bank teller who works with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in their Palmgrove Branch, Lagos, affirmed to The PUNCH that customers cannot withdraw more than N20,000.00 across the counter. According to the teller, the bank was experiencing a shortage of cash.

In the Federal Capital Territory, one Festus Okoromadu expressed concern that he could not withdraw at the First Bank branches in his area.

He said, “What I was told was that the bank’s network was temporarily unavailable, which made the transaction impossible. This has been the case at some of the banks in the FCT in recent times. Withdrawing money is becoming more challenging.”

In Kano, some commercial banks were not honouring customer withdrawal requests, and ATM galleries were dry.

Investigation further showed that the few banks that were paying customers did not give beyond specific amounts.

A customer who gave his name as Hayatudeen said, “Many banks lack money to give to customers, and when you inquire, they will not give you any satisfactory explanation as to why.”

He noted that the story is the same with POS operators because they also complain of scarcity. He added, “Even though most of the POS operators are getting their money from traders and other business operators, they still complain of the scarcity.”

In Kwara, banks are rationing cash to their customers. But customers of Zenith Bank have it differently, they are still allowed to make daily withdrawals of up to N500,000.

Further investigations revealed that this scarcity started three weeks ago, and customers of UBA, GTB, First Bank, Union Bank, and others are the worst hit.

One banker said, “Banks do not have enough cash to pay out to customers because people are not bringing money to the bank.

We only ration the available money among the customers. Anyone that comes to withdraw is paid N20,000, but few highly placed customers are given N50,000 when they come to withdraw.”

In Ekiti State, an official at the Union Bank branch, Okesa Ado Ekiti, revealed that the branch was unable to meet the specific withdrawal demand of its customers because “there is no sufficient cash for now. We give what we can afford to ensure it goes around.”

Pandemonium broke out Wednesday at Akute Bus Stop and Alagboole in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State following a violent clash between commercial motorcyclists and transport union tax collectors, popularly known as Agbero, over a hike in ticket prices.

Our correspondent, who was at the scene, reports that shops were shut down and some properties were destroyed, just as residents and traders in the area scampered to safety.

A stranded commuter, identified simply as Aminu, who spoke with VOA News, claimed the motorcyclists were fighting a just cause, saying, “It is unreasonable to increase their ticket price from N700 to N1400, considering the cost of fuel. Where will they get money from? This cannot continue.”

Even though there were claims that one person was feared killed, our correspondent, who was at the scene of the clash, could not verify this.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, could not confirm whether lives had been lost.

The police spokesperson, however, said the command was aware that some properties were destroyed, but they were yet to know the extent of the damage.

”They (motorcyclists) can have a peaceful protest, and they can bring their complaints through their different unions to the police. This particular gathering is illegal,” Odutola said.

…Details later

Students of the Gateway Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun State, on Tuesday, protested the attacks on their colleagues by armed men suspected to be robbers and cultists.

The students staying off campus stormed the campus on Tuesday displaying placards.

It was gathered that students residing in the off-campus hostels were mostly affected in the attack.

One of the students said, “They raped some girls and even beat two to death on Sunday. We can no longer sleep with eyes closed. These criminals will come to take our belongings and even force themselves on girls. It is getting too much. This must not continue.”

Man remanded over attempted kidnap, rape in Ekiti

Drunk girl raped in Ogun

Some images shared on social media show a corpse on the floor while four others with injuries are seen being attended to in a place that looks like a hospital.

The police spokesman in the state, Omolola Odutola, confirmed to our correspondent that, “The area commander is on ground there.”

The Oyo State House of Assembly on Tuesday approved three hundred and fifty-two billion, two hundred and eighty-two million, five hundred thousand naira only (#352,282,500,00) 2023 Supplementary Budget presented to the legislature by the State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde.

The supplementary budget was passed after the presentation of the House Committee report on Finance, Appropriation and Economy.

The Committee had considered the inputs of the State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and projections in the Oyo State Government Medium Term Expenditure Framework before the eventual passage of the 2023 Supplementary Budget.

The Governor had sought upward review of the 2023 approved budget from #310,432,500.00 to #352,282,500.00.

This became imperative in order to cater for the twin policy measures of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit and the floating of the exchange rates by the Federal Government on the State Government spendings.

In the supplementary budget, a sum of #169,477,038.38 was approved as recurrent expenditure while a sum of #182,805,366,965.62 is for capital expenditue.

The supplementary budget featured realignment of some MDAs.

They are, Office of the Governor; Oyo State House of Assembly, House of Assembly Service Commission, Ministry of Public Works & Transport, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Oyo State Investment Promotion & Public Private Partnership Agency, Oyo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Ministry of Health, Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Special Duties.

Ogun Governor, Dapo Abiodun has announced the deployment of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-fueled mass transit buses in the State.

The Governor took to his X handle on Monday, November 20 to make the announcement stating that it is aimed in providing better, cheaper, cleaner and more sustainable means of transportation.

He wrote: “We are excited to announce the deployment of our Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-fueled mass transit buses in our state.

“This initiative aims to provide a better, cheaper, cleaner, and more sustainable means of transportation. It aligns with our anticipation of deregulation in the downstream sector and fuel subsidy removal.

“By utilising alternative means of running our public transportation, we can achieve cost effectiveness and environmental friendliness. Students in Abeokuta are already enjoying the services of these buses, and we are working towards extending this convenient mode of transportation to other parts of the state.”

Members of the Judiciary Staff Union in Osun State on Monday locked entrance to the Osun State High Court in Osogbo in protest against the Chief Judge, Adepele Ojo, and the management of the activities of the judiciary in the state.

The protesting workers led by Mr Gbenga Eludire, prevented movement into the premises.

Armed with placards with inscriptions such as ‘Judiciary staff deserves better,’ ‘We are tired of oppression and stagnation,’ and ‘Unlawful suspension of Judiciary staff without recourse to Judicial Service Commission is barbaric,’ among others, accused Ojo of refusal to pay wardrobe allowances of workers in the last three years.

Details later…

In spite of a restraining order from the National Industrial Court that prohibited Adeleke from removing or interfering with the judiciary, the governor proceeded to suspend the Chief Judge. Without delay, he replaced her with Justice Yinka Afolabi as the Acting CJ.

According to a statement released by the Governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Thursday, the governor endorsed the House of Assembly’s decision, asking the Chief Judge to step aside based on allegations of misconduct.

However, SERAP issued a statement on Saturday, urging Governor Adeleke to promptly reinstate the Chief Judge, condemning her removal as unlawful.

The statement emphasized the need to halt the recurring pattern of authoritarian assaults on the rule of law and threatened legal action if the perceived illegality persisted.

Additionally, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) criticized the governor for suspending the state Chief Judge despite the House of Assembly’s recommendation.

The NBA, through its spokesperson, Barrister Akorede Habeeb Lawal, asserted that it would not acknowledge Justice Afolabi if sworn in as the Acting CJ.

Nigerian singer Qudus Fakoya Oluwadamilare, popularly known as Qdot, has fuelled rumours that his colleague, Oladips, who was recently pronounced dead by his management, is alive.

Lagos Reporters recalls that Oladips’ management, in a statement released via his Instagram page on Wednesday, announced that the rapper passed away on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

However, Oladips’ colleague and close associate, Qdot, on Thursday insisted that the rapper is alive.

Sharing a picture of Oladips on his Instagram page, Qdot wrote, “@oladipsoflife, my gee is alive.”

His claim elicited mixed reactions, with many questioning the authenticity of the information while others said it is possible Oladips “faked” his death to promote his album, ‘Superhero Adugbo,’ which was released today.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has demanded that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) disclose what his government inherited from the former APC-led administration of Muhammadu Buhari that plunged Nigeria into bankruptcy.

In a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said Nigerians deserve to know and that governance is about “transparency and strict accountability”.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday, had reportedly lamented that the Tinubu administration inherited a bankrupt country from the Buhari government.

Also, Tinubu, on Monday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, had said that his administration inherited serious liabilities but also assets from his predecessors.

Reacting, Obi said officials of the Tinubu government must “disclose what they inherited which had qualified us for bankruptcy status”.

“One major characteristic of responsible governance is transparency and strict accountability. This demands that the government disclose exactly the degree of deficit they inherited. What is inherited should be disclosed to enable the public to know where we are and where we are headed.”

Obi said the previous APC government made a similar claim in 2015 against the previous administration.

“Rather, they took our debt profile from N12.6 Trillion in 2015 to N87 trillion in 2023 when they left office without improving on any indices of development: Education, Health, Poverty eradication, and Security.

“Instead, the condition of the nation on every development index got worse, leading to the present sad state. Nigerians know things are bad, and they experience it daily. What they now want to hear regularly are measurable and verifiable steps to improve the situation.