Oduduwa News

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday, conferred on the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the second highest national honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) to mark the monarch’s 90th birthday celebration.

President Tinubu made the announcement at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye during the commissioning of the Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona School of Governance Studies and the presentation of a book titled; “Reinventing Governance in Nigeria: The Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona Model.”

The President, represented by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, said the monarch deserves the second highest honour in the land because of his contribution to nation-building and meritorious service to humanity.

Tinubu noted that the numerous contributions of Oba Adetona to national development, particularly in the education sector has expanded the sector to optimal delivery through various donations and endowments.

He described the monarch as forthright with exceptional character who stood his ground and confronted injustice in all ramifications, commending him for his role in ensuring the return of democrttic governance in Nigeria.

President Tinubu averred that Oba Sikiru Adetona School of Governance Studies would be taken over and managed by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos.

“Because Kabiyesi Adetona has honored our country and humanity with his many years of meritorious service, I, therefore, on this occasion of his 90th birthday ceremony confer on him the second highest National honour of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON).

“The National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, will be asked to take over the running and management of Oba Sikiru Adetona School of Governance Studies,” the president said.

In his remarks, the governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, described Oba Adetona as a living legend and a phenomenon whose reign has been a monumental success and a pride to the entire Ijebuland and the state at large.

According to the governor, the monarch represents the beauty and the candour of the ancestral heritage of the Ijebu people, emphasizing that his passion for governance and accessible commitment to education led him to institute the Oba Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance in the Department of Political Science of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye.

“This initiative has led and given birth to the establishment of the world class Oba Sikiru Adetona School of Governance, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“He championed the Ijebu Development Board on poverty eradication that has become a model in the entire country,” Abiodun submitted.

Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Toyin Ashiru, said the establishment of the School of Governance is aimed at fostering dialogue among scholars, policy makers and practitioners on matters of governance, leadership and public service, adding that it would serve as a hub for research, knowledge sharing and capacity building to equip people withAhs needed skills for effective governance.

The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ayodeji Agboola on his part, said the Awujale has contributed to the development of the school through the donation of offices, lecture and seminar rooms, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Library, assuring that the vision and mission of the school of Governance Studies would be vigorously pursued to make it a centre of excellence in good government and leadership in Nigeria and in the sub Saharan Africa.

In a lecture titled “Changing Nigeria’s Governance Narrative,” the occupant of the Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Prof. Akinsola Agagu, said Nigeria since independence, has been grappling with democratic crisis, corruption, mismanagement, ineptitude, insecurity, among others, saying this has led to non achievement of dividends of independence in the country.

He attributed the deep root of the general governance and development crises in the country to absence of seamless intersection of democratic politics with democratic political and legal culture, emphasizing that the continued political crisis is due to flawed political culture which has reduced politics to a lawless and amoral vocation.

Prof. Agagu noted that to change the narrative and put the country in the right track, public spirited individuals at all facets of live are urgently needed, while patriotism, concern for the people, vision, honesty, transparency and accountability as well as impeccable character as exemplified by Oba Sikiru Adetona, should be the hall mark of those in position of leadership.

Responding, Oba Adetona appreciated the people for their support and for honouring him with their presence and prayed for the peace in the families, state, and the country.

Investigators of the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 arrested sixty-four suspected internet fraudsters in Osun State.

The suspected cybercriminals were arrested in Ede, Osun State following actionable intelligence on their suspicious fraudulent activities in their environs.

Items recovered from them include, 18 exotic vehicles, 18 laptops, 112 mobile phones, three Play Station games, five motorcycles and other incriminating documents among others.

They will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.

The authorities in Lagos state have finalized arrangements to relocate the inhabitants of the 900 housing units in Adeniji-Adele on Lagos Island due to the estate being situated in a waterlogged area.

Dr. Olajide Babatunde, the special adviser to the state governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, revealed during a press briefing at Alausa, Ikeja that the relocation of residents will be carried out in stages. The state government has already begun relocating some of the residents whose buildings have collapsed by providing alternative accommodation.

Dr. Babatunde explained that the initial phase of the relocation process will involve moving 98 residents to newly constructed housing units on adjacent land in Adeniji-Adele. However, due to financial constraints, the entire relocation exercise may extend beyond the current administration’s term.

He emphasized that the Adeniji-Adele housing estate is situated in a waterlogged area, necessitating the construction of new residences before residents can be moved. The plan entails relocating small groups of residents, demolishing their existing homes, and constructing new housing units progressively until all occupants have been resettled.

A legal luminary and top human rights activist, Femi Falana has tackled the Central Bank of Nigeria over the latest charges tagged “Cyber Security Charges” which the Office of National Security Adviser would collect on every financial transaction of the citizens.

Falana asked the apex bank to withdraw the circular and apologize to Nigerians.

He said, “Pursuant to the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015 amended in 2024, a levy amounting to 0.5 per cent of the value of all electronic transactions shall be collected and remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund overseen by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

“Even though the said levy of 00.0 5 per cent is payable by the businesses listed in the second schedule to the principal Act, the Central Bank of Nigeria has wrongly directed all financial institutions to apply the levy at the point of electronic transfer origination and that the amount is to be explicitly noted in customer accounts under the description “Cybersecurity Levy” and remitted by the financial institution.

“The circular issued by the Central Bank has given the very erroneous impression that the levy is payable by individual customers.

“The erroneous interpretation might have arisen from the substitution of “businesses” for “business” in the amendment. For the avoidance of doubt, by virtue of section 42(a) of the Cybercrime Act 2025 as amended, the businesses which are required to pay the levy are:

a. GSM Service providers and all telecommunications companies;

b. Internet Service Providers;

c. Banks and other Financial Institutions;

d. Insurance Companies;

e. Nigerian Stock Exchange.

“In view of the foregoing, the Central Bank of Nigeria should be directed to withdraw its Circular of 6th of May, 2024 forthwith as it has wrongly interpreted the provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024. The CBN should also apologise to Nigerians for the misleading interpretation of the clear and unambiguous provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024.”

Men of the Ogun state police command have arrested a 71-year-old landlord, identified simply as Adesina, for allegedly defiling and impregnating his tenant’s 14-year-old girl (name withheld) at Akegbeyale Street in Ifesowapo Akute, Ifo Local Government Area of the state.

It was reported that the suspect was caught having sexual intercourse with the victim on April 9, 2024, in the house bathroom. Police sources said the victim was said to have gone to the bathroom to take a shower when the accused landlord made his way to the bathroom and forced his way on her before he was caught in the act.

After this shocking discovery, some members of the community and other neighbours who witnessed the scene raised the alarm, leading to the arrest of the landlord by the men of the Ajuwon Police Division.

The victim was subsequently taken to the hospital to be tested for any infection and get treated. However, further tests showed she was six weeks pregnant.

Confirming the incident,, the spokesperson for the state Police Command, SP Omolola Odutola, said the matter has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, where all parties would be grilled.

“The landlord has been arrested and detained. The father reported that he was caught defiling his 14-year-old daughter in their bathroom in the morning. The teenager was taken to Tamara Hospital in Akute for a medical examination.

However, the medical report further showed that that wasn’t a first-time act because the test showed that the teenager was already six weeks pregnant. The state CID in Eleweran will soon take up the matter for further investigation” Odutola said

The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections Peter Obi, has criticised President Tinubu’s administration for introducing a Cyber-Security Levy on Nigerians, which he deemed unreasonable given the country’s economic struggles.

Obi said the present government is more interested in milking a dying economy instead of nurturing it to recovery and growth.

The former Anambra State governor also criticized the Tinubu-led administration for enforcing policies that not only hurt the citizens financially but also undermined the country’s competitiveness in the economic environment.

Obi made this known in a statement shared on his X handle on Wednesday, wondering when the National Security Adviser became a revenue collecting centre.

The statement read, “The introduction of yet another tax, in the form of Cybersecurity Levy, on Nigerians who are already suffering severe economic distress is further proof that the government is more interested in milking a dying economy instead of nurturing it to recovery and growth.

“This does not only amount to multiple taxation on banking transactions, which are already subject to various other taxes including stamp duties but negates the Government’s avowed commitment to reduce the number of taxes and streamline the tax system.

“The imposition of a Cybersecurity Levy on bank transactions is particularly sad given that the tax is on the trading capital of businesses and not on their profit hence will further erode whatever is left of their remaining capital, after the impact of the Naira devaluation and high inflation rate.

“At a time when the government should be reducing taxes to curb inflation, the government is instead introducing new taxes. And when did the office of the NSA become a revenue-collecting centre? And why should that purely national security office receive returns on a specific tax as stated in the new cybersecurity law?.”

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has flagged off the construction of a flyover in Lagere area, Ile-Ife, valued at N14.9 billion.

This is as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi pleaded with the Governor to ensure that the project is not abandoned for the sake of the economic prosperity of the ancient town’s residents.

Speaking during the flag off of the project at Lagere, Ile-Ife yesterday, Governor Adeleke said the project which was awarded to Sammya Construction Company is billed to be completed in 12 months.

Besides the flyover flag off, according to the governor, the construction of 55.86kilometer roads across the 30 local government and the Area office in Modakeke valued N30.67billion would also commence across the state and would be completed within 12 months.

“We are here for two in one event. We are flagging off the flyover bridge at Lagere Junction as well as the commencement of 55 kilometers of roads across the 30 local governments and the area office.

“After compliance with the due process and procurement laws, the flyover bridge was awarded to Messrs Sammya Nigeria limited at a total project cost of N14.9billion. The completion period is 12 months.

“Additionally, flag off the construction of Local Government Roads totaling 55.86km at the cost of N30,677,814,099.42. This is also to have a completion period of twelve months.

“I urge the various contractors and the host communities to partner closely for the successful execution of the projects. Community relations must never be downplayed”, he said.

Earlier in his remark, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi urged the Governor to ensure that the project is not a white elephant, pleading with him to not just monitor progress but ensure timely completion of the project.

“When the governor proposed this project I was very happy. Ile-Ife is his origin. Despite that the governor is from Ede, he remembered his ancestral home. I want to plead with the governor to remember Mayfair Road.

“I want to plead with the governor not to deceive us with the flag off but please help us to complete this project. Don’t just come here to cut the ribbon but please complete this overhead bridge you unveiled today,’ he said.

The Department for State Security Services DSS has arrested the former Chairman of Oyo State Park Management System, Mukaila Lamidi popularly known as Auxiliary.

He said to have been whisked away at his Olodo residence in Ibadan by operatives of DSS at exactly 4pm.

The report of his arrest was disclosed to Oduduwa News by one his closed associates.

Details later.

Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, unveiled a shocking revelation in an interview with Lagos Reporters recently. According to Olumide, a staggering 80% of buildings in Ibeju Lekki have been constructed without proper approval from the authorities.

Olumide highlighted the concerning trend during a recent inspection of the Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis, emphasizing that many estates in the area operate without the necessary permits. He explained, “Over 80 per cent of them do not have approval. The procedure to get approval is first to get the planning information, as to what those areas have been zoned for.”

Furthermore, the Chief Executive Officer of Octo5 Holdings, Jide Odusolu, shed light on the situation regarding the master plan of the Lekki Peninsula. Odusolu noted a significant deviation from the original masterplan post-2010, attributing it to the rapid development and a disregard for existing regulations by newer estates.

Odusolu remarked, “Almost all large estates along the Lekki corridor, especially those developed between 2000-2008, have approved layout plans. However, starting in 2010, the plans became distorted with accelerated development, and many of the smaller schemes that sprung up deliberately sought to avoid the large infrastructure burdens carried by the legacy era developments.”

The revelations have raised concerns about the legality and safety of numerous buildings in the area. As the state government vows to crack down on illegal constructions, questions linger over the future of these unauthorized properties and the potential risks they pose to residents and investors.