Category: News

The Oyo State Government has rallied the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to a roundtable discussion on the issue of salary deductions, stating that it owes three months deductions not six months claimed by the labour unions.

The statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Dotun Oyelade comes in the heels of Monday’s protest at the State Secretariat by the labour centres.

Oyelade in the statement argued that every state in the country owes workers salary deductions, describing the three months owed by Oyo State as the least.
Rather than protest, Oyelade argued that the present government deserved a pat on the back having even paid July salaries while some states had arrears of salaries.

While noting workers’ right to access their wages, Oyelade said it was expedient for the labour centres to come to the negotiating table and together with the government chart a realistic path in balancing attending to the welfare of workers.

He further enjoined workers to resume at their duty posts.

The Students’ Union of University of Ibadan has today confirmed that the Management has perfected plan to increase the fees for the returning students and fresh students.

The confirmation was made known today in a press release made available by the Students’ Union as read in part:

1. “We extend our warmest greetings to you and we do believe this pleasant greetings meet you well. We equally believe that you are making the best use of this holiday period.
2. We are all aware of the wave of school fees increment which has been spreading across institutions of learning in Nigeria. As a union, we have been monitoring development in other tertiary institutions, while also making consultations on our campus to verify the rumour of possible increment in fees.
3. As a result of the efforts of the Union leadership, there was a meeting between the representatives of the University of Ibadan Students Leaders, and the University management on Friday, 28th July 2023.
4. The student leaders team was led by the President of the Students Union, Samuel Samson Tobiloba (HOST) and other executives of the Union. The meeting also had the Speaker of the Student Representative Council (SRC), representatives of the Council of Faculty Presidents and Hall Chairpersons, Union of Campus Journalist (UCJ) President, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Amir, Association of Union of Christian Students Fellowship (AUCSF) representative, and President of Special Persons Club in attendance.
5. The management team was led by the Vice-Chancellor Prof Kayode Adebowale, other principal officers at the meeting include the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, Deputy Vice-Chancrllor Academics, The Registrar, the University Librarian, and the Dean of Students.
6. The management notified us of the plan to increase school fees for both fresh and returning students. There is also plan for increment in accommodation and studio/practical fees. The reasons given for this decision include the dwindling subvention from the Federal Government, and the rising cost of running the university due to inflation.
7. Though the approximate value of the proposed charge for returning students was made known, the proposed amount for fresh students, accommodation, and others were however not disclosed.
8. In the remark by the Union President, he commended the administration’s innovative management of the University’s scarce resources over the years that have made the University the envy of her equals. He equally noted that we are in terms with the new economic reality of the country. However, we requested for the proposed amount for the freshers and details about other fees (hostel fee, professional fees amongst others) which the management did not make available as the Vice-Chancellor mentioned that it has not been approved by the university senate. The union leaders resolved that there is a need for clearer picture of the proposed fee increment for all categories of students for proper further discussion.
9. The meeting ended without conclusion, as the Vice-Chancellor restated the management’s openness for further deliberations with the Students’ Union on the planned increment in fees.
10. As a Union, we have started consultation with the relevant stakeholders on the next line of action for a peaceful resolution.
11. Please note that this release is not to create panic but to assure you of our commitment to you, and ensure that all UITEs are aware of the new development; hence there should be no space for rumours”.

Oyo State workers on Monday have shutdown the state government secretariat, Agodi over some of their demands which are yet to be met by Governor Seyi Makinde.

The demands included remittance of deductions, release of promotion letter with financial implications, review of pensions, among others.

The workers whose actions created traffic jams along the Secretariat road were chanting solidarity songs to attract the attention of passers-by.

Speaking with newsmen, State NLC Chairman, Mr Kayode Martin said the only solution to the protest was the physical meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde and not by proxy.

He accused the Governor of insensitivity to workers’ plights by failing to meet them.

Mr Martin further explained that all their correspondences to the Governor were not honoured, saying that it was unhealthy for industrial relations.

Corroborating his counterpart, TUC Chairman, Mr. Bosun Olabiyi pointed out that Governor Makinde had failed the workers in the state by not being responsible and responsive.

He said all avenues employed to meet the Governor proved abortive, hence the need to embark on the protest to press home their demands.

The Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal Thursday admitted in evidence 150,656 ballot papers used for the conduct of the March 18 governorship election in the state.

The tribunal also admitted video evidence tendered by a star witness of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Sunkanmi Oyejide.

The documents were admitted in evidence to support the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu.

PDP and Adebutu, in the petition marked, EPT/OG/GOV/03/2023, are challenging the victory of Dapo Abiodun, the state governor, based on alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act and corrupt practices during the election.

The ballot papers were tendered to the tribunal by a forensic examiner, Reginald Nwoze, a Retired Deputy Superintendent Police.

Respondents’ lawyers all objected to the admissibility of the ballot papers, but reserved the grounds of their objections till final written addresses.

Nwoze, while being cross-examined by counsels to respondents, said he examined and analysed the ballot papers from 12 local government areas of the state.

He said the ballot papers tendered were sourced from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Giving the analysis of the ballot papers, Nwoze said 37,401 were with multiple thumb prints, 3,470 were smashed and smeared, while 109,785 were with regular thumb prints. 

Showing the court his findings, Nwoze alleged that some of the ballot papers whose votes were cast in favour of APC were marked with markers instead of being thumb printed.

The Federal Government will on Monday meet with the representatives of the organised labour in an effort to prevent the nationwide strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress.

However, the NLC has advised citizens to stock their homes with food items, medicines and other essential things ahead of the commencement of its seven-day strike to protest the removal of fuel subsidies and the escalating cost of living in the country.

The warning, it noted, had become necessary because the strike would cripple the country as movement would be severely curtailed as commercial transport operators would withdraw their services, while markets, schools and healthcare facilities would be forced to shut down.

Apex Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has decried the “insensitive policies” of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, especially the “sudden” removal of petrol subsidy and the “total” disregard for the impact of the action on the people and the economy.

Afenifere in a statement on Friday by its Secretary General, Sola Ebiseni, the group said in six weeks, “an already asphyxiating economy reeling under the crushing impact of hyperinflation, unemployment, mass hunger and poverty foisted by the gross ineptitude and incompetence that characterized the watch of eight years is looking like an episode drawn straight out of Dante’s Hell”.

The group, which endorsed Tinubu during the February 25, 2023 poll, said it could no longer “fold its arms or be seen to maintain silence, neutrality or ambivalence in the face of this latest body blow on an already traumatized citizenry”.

“It is feared that this latest gross act of thoughtless policy implementation and its unintended consequences will further push Nigeria’s economy down the slope as Nigeria has officially overtaken India as The New Poverty Capital of the World,” Afenifere warned.

On May 29, 2023, Tinubu, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), gave Nigerians a shocking inauguration gift at the Eagle Square in his “subsidy is gone” historic speech.

A 50-year-old Beninese farmer, Poni Bada, left his country home for Nigeria, with his unsuspecting nine-year-old son, who he intended to use for money rituals.

Three other men: Ige Koselu, Benjamin Balovi and Segun Shile, accompanied the farmer to a herbalist’s home in Owode area of Ogun State, where the money ritual was to be carried out.

The trio contributed N100,000 needed to start the ritual process, with an agreement to have their share of the loot when the ritual is successful and money start to roll in.

But that was not to be, as a team of policemen from the Zone 2 Command, Onikan Lagos, who acted on intelligence, stormed the herbalist’s shrine and effected the arrest of all the suspects, while the would-be sacrificial lamb was rescued.

Vanguard learned that the nine-year-old boy, Agbe, was brought from Benin Republic in May, 2023, to work in a farmland where he was paid N5,000.

A month after, his father was said to have called his contact in Nigeria, Benjamin Balobi, complaining that the money paid to his son was too small compared to the farm work.

Father speaks

Explaining how he came up with the idea of using his son for money rituals, the father of the boy, Bada, said: “I have 10 children from three wives.

“The situation of things kept going from bad to worse. I could not feed my children. I then decided to use my last child, Agbe, for a money ritual, so that I could train the other children and have better living conditions.

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has nominated as commissioners.

The Governor transmitted the list of nominees to the House of Assembly.

His Special Assistant on Media, Jubril Gawat, shared this via his Twitter handle on Friday.

Details later.

Veteran actor Tajudeen Oyewole, popularly known as Abija, has received a car gift from fans and well wishers around the world.

This is coming weeks after the Ibadan-based skit maker, Kamo state, called for donation to get a car for Abija after the same gesture has been extended to Alapinni and Lalude.

Kamo presented the car to Abija on Thursday, July 27, in an hearth-warming video released on his official Facebook page as monitored by ODUDUWA NEWS.