The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) has announced results of the council poll held on Saturday, April 27.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state won all chairmanship seats in 33 local government areas of the state.
OYSIEC chairman, Aare Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), the Commissioner of Police in the state, Adebola Hamzat and other security agencies in the state commended conduct of the poll, describing it as free, fair, credible and violence-fre
However, All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has said the council election was a sham capable of causing the state untold disrepute if allowed to stand.
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has described Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun as a pacesetter who is at the vanguard of transforming the State for good.
Shettima spoke at the Gateway International Airport, Ilishan, while on his way back to Abuja after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the installation of Chief Sulaiman Adegunwa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rite Foods Ltd, as the Asiwaju of Ijebuland by the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland at Ijebu-Ode on Saturday.
He noted that the governor has maximally taken advantage of the state’s proximity to Lagos State, saying the airport which is almost 80 percent completed, equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities has the longest runway in the country.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has described the new Asiwaju of Ijebuland as a living legend and a great son, who, through industry, has contributed to the socio-economic development of his state and fatherland.
Tinubu stated this on Saturday at the installation of Chief Adegunwa and his wife, Hajia Fatima Adegunwa as the Yeye Asiwaju and Arobake of Ijebuland by the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, held at the Palace Ground, Ijebu-Ode.
Represented by the Vice President, Sen. Shettima, President Tinubu lauded the tenacity and by dint of hard work of Chief Adegunwa, who rose from being a photographer to food industry which had helped in opening up the country’s economy and provide employment opportunities for thousands of Nigerians.
President Tinubu called on all Nigerians to emulate the exemplary leadership qualities and lifestyle of the new Asiwaju, who, despite his wealth and social standing, still lives in the house he built about 60 years ago.
He appreciated the Awujale and the people of Ijebuland for conferring the prestigious title on the renowned industrialist, saying this would serve as an example to the young ones.
In his remarks, the governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun commended the new Asiwaju for rising from a humble background of involving in photo business into banking, agricultural sector and food industry, saying his business conglomerates has employed over 3,000 people.
The governor said: “His, I can (do) spirit, has made him the topmost indigenous industrialist in Nigeria. He believes in hard work and diligence. His experience in the global business has positioned him to become a big threat to small and big businesses in the country.
“He is an advocate and strong supporter of academic excellence who has supported our tertiary institutions, including our Olabisi Onabanjo University, Tai Solarin University of Education, and the Oba Adetona College of Health and Science Technology.”
He said the installation of Chief Adegunwa as the new Asiwaju of Ijebuland underscored his esteem status and unwavering commitment to the advancement of his people and nation, appreciating the Awujale for considering the new Asiwaju for the honour.
The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona who spoke through the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland, Chief Olorogun Sunny Kuku, described Chief Adegunwa as a great philanthropist and son of Ijebu who has contributed to the economic development of Ijebuland, Ogun State and the nation.
He said the chieftaincy conferment was a testimony of the love and appreciation to a man who brought honour and development to Ijebuland through hard work and perseverance.
The event was attended by prominent personalities, including former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Deputy Governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), former governors Olusegun Osoba, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Ibikunle Amosun, members of the National and State Assemblies, captains of industries, top traditional rulers, politicians, social groups, amongst others.
Following the landslide victory recorded at the polling, and the declaration of Hon. Mudashiru Kamorudeen Morenikeji by OYSIEC as the Chairman Elect, Lagelu Local Government, Aare Mufutau Ahmed has sent his congratulatory message and appreciating the voters, most especially the youth for their roles that ensured the Electoral victory of Hon. Mudashiru.
According to Aare Mufutau Ahmed, the people of Lagelu Local Government have spoken, and the wish of the majority has prevailed, he however advise the Chairman Elect not to renege on his promise to the people and residence of the Local Government.
“I congratulate my leader, our own God sent, the one God has chosen for us. Your electoral victory at the poll yesterday was as a result of your commitment to the development of local government, and the believe that our people have in you, which I have no doubt that you will deliver. I pray to God to guide your steps as you direct the affairs of our Local Government in months to come”
Furthermore, he acknowledged the open door of Hon. Mudashiru to students and youths during the electioneering period, and advise that he should maintain same strength during his administration.
“I am confident that with your leadership and a student-youth driven approach, including your commitment to listening to the voices of students and youth will not only strengthen our community but also inspire future generations to actively participate in shaping their own destinies”
I Once again congratulates you on your victory, and best wishes for a successful tenure as Local Government Chairman. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that your administration will have on our Local Government.
Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has urged the residents of the state to accept the outcome of the ongoing local government election in good faith.
Mr Makinde stated this on Saturday shortly after voting at exactly 10.21 a.m. at Polling Unit 1, Ward 11, Abayomi area of Ibadan North-East Local Government.
He advised the residents to approach the appropriate authorities with any complaints arising from the exercise, promising they would be dealt with.
He said reports reaching him, however, showed that the exercise was hitch-free, saying that grass-roots democracy had come to stay in Oyo State.
According to him, the people are going about the exercise peacefully while traffic restrictions are being obeyed by the people.
“I commend our people for coming out to exercise their civic responsibility. Before we came in, it had always been caretakers’ administration at the grass-roots level without the people, really, having a say in government. But we are holding local government election for the second time in almost our fifth year in office,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the exercise would be successful at the end of the day.
However, in Oluyole Local Government Area, Peoples Democratic Party chairmanship candidate, Hakeem Olatunji, was seen still campaigning without restriction.
Queried by journalists, Mr Olatunji said he was not campaigning but rather going from house to house, urging people to come out and vote for their preferred candidates due to the low turnout of voters.
The Lagos State Government has finalized preparations to prosecute five individuals arrested for assaulting LASTMA personnel during an enforcement operation in the Oba Akran Avenue area of Ikeja, Lagos.
Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment at LASTMA, confirmed that on April 23, 2024, LASTMA operatives conducted an operation to remove illegally parked Viju Milk trucks on Oba Akran Avenue in response to numerous complaints from the public about the trucks causing traffic congestion.
During the operation, four LASTMA officers sustained serious injuries from weapons wielded by Viju Milk truck drivers and local miscreants.
“While Lastma operational vehicles were vandalized, 54 Viju Milk truck were evacuated by Lastma during the enforcement operations”
The police, working alongside LASTMA, arrested five of these individuals (Falomo Oluwafemi, Afeniyi Stephen, Olamide Adekunle, Chukwu Guaja Eze and Adeshina Sulaimon) seized various weapons including broken bottles, iron rods, charms, knives, and cutlasses.
The injured LASTMA officers were promptly taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Hon. Sola Giwa, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, stated that the arrested individuals would be prosecuted by the government as a deterrent to others.
Hoodlums suspected to be political thugs have attacked officials of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) in Okeho, Kajola local government area, ahead of the local government election scheduled for Saturday.
OYSIEC Chairman, Isiaka Olagunju, who confirmed the attack says no election material was snatched.
“Our officials were attacked at our office at Okeho. No ballot paper was snatched. “In fact, the DPO of Okeho and other security agencies followed our EO to come back to Ibadan. They just went back to Okeho now. And we have directed the DPO of Okeho to arrest the suspects. That is what happened,” Olagunju said.
According to reports about 14 suspects have been arrested.
A professional group, Omituntun Initiative in the Diaspora (OID), has expressed its solidarity with the Oyo State Government and unequivocally condemned the heinous invasion of the Governor’s office and the State House of Assembly by the criminal elements of Yoruba Nation agitators recently.
The group’s spokesperson, Barrister Ayotomiwa Adebayo, in a release described the agitators’ invasion of the Oyo State Government as an attack on democracy that directly undermines good governance and poses a threat to peace and security. This nefarious activity and criminality acts are unacceptable for any purpose and must be outrooted by the state.
The methods and practices of agitators, which cannot be justified under any circumstances, regardless of their motivation, are a treasonable felony capable of causing chaos in the state.
The group declares full solidarity with the Oyo Government and supports all measures taken to bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to trial for acts of terrorism to preserve its security and stability. All security agencies are enjoined to work in harmony to prevent future attacks in the state.
OID further applauded His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde’s swift steps taken to nip the invasion in the bud and fully supported his call for the establishment of State Police to complement conventional security agents, as it has become imperative to surmount the insecurity challenges facing different parts of the nation.
Governor Makinde has made Oyo State an inclusive society that guarantees the principle of living together and a safe haven for the citizens to carry out their lawful businesses without fear or intimidation; therefore, any individuals or groups that are hell-bent on disrupting the democratic ecosystem enjoyed in the state will not succeed but meet their waterloo.
The release commended the brave and selfless actions of the military, police, and other law enforcement agencies, who, in the wake of the invasion, moved to quickly secure the areas and stop the invaders from carrying out their illegal activities.
“We urged the good people of Oyo State to remain together, be vigilant, and defend the democratic institutions that underpin our democracy principles and fundamental values across the country,” he stated.
The Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Debo Ogundoyin has advocated for more youthful inclusion in leadership positions in Nigeria.
The Speaker made this known at the maiden Adebo Ogundoyin Students Legislative Summit, organized on his behalf by the Students Representatives Council of the University of Ibadan.
The summit with the theme “Roles Of Quality Legislation In Nation Building” had in attendance, Governor Seyi Makinde, Minister of State for youths, Mr. Ayodele Olawande, lawmakers from the Southwest states, political office holders, student leaders, Soun Of Ogbomoso, other traditional rulers and Dr Timothy Golu who represented the guest speaker on the occassion, Dr Bukola Saraki.
Ogundoyin, during his remarks at the summit, said the proposal by the Students Representatives Council of the University of Ibadan and the SSA Student affairs to the Oyo State Governor, Victor Dideolu was immediately given needed attention by him because of his passion for supporting youth development.
He said: “Hence, when the idea of a students legislative summit was brought to my attention by the Students Representatives Council of the University of Ibadan and the SSA Student affairs to the Oyo State Governor (Victor Didiolomo), I immediately embraced it as channel and platform to advance my abiding belief and interest in moulding the youth and preparing them to take up the mantle of leadership in their various areas of interest in a not too distant a future.
“This Summit themed “Roles of quality legislation in nation building” is organised for members of Students Representatives Council, Students Union Governments and students of interest in higher institutions of learning across the Southwest states and Kwara, where over 65 institutions have been identified and invited.
Oduduwa News reports that the purpose of the summit was to Encourage students to critically analyze the impact of existing legislations on various aspects of the society, such as education, healthcare, and the economy.
The guest speaker, Dr Saraki represented by a senior aide to the Plateau State governor, Dr Timothy Golu, explained that the constant clamour for citizens fundamental rights, social justice and equality will be addressed if the nation prioritize implementation of laws.
The former senate president in the 8th National Assembly who said quality Legislation provides workable measures that maintain security of lives and property, promotes economic growth and support social welfare, said laws enacted would work more effectively in the realization of developing states of the federation.
In an address, minister of state for youths, Mr Ayodele Olawande said Nigerian youths have been given priority in the president Bola Tinubu’s administration with the appointment of appreciable number of youth, pledging the commitment of the younger generation to contribute meaningful to nation building
Declaring the summit opened, Oyo state governor, engineer Seyi Makinde while promising his commitment to youths involvement in governance, noted that his administration would continue to prepare the youth for the future.
On his part, chairman, southwest conference of speakers and Speaker, Ekiti State House of assembly, Mr Steven Aribasoye said for any society to be viable, there must be quality and robust legislation.
Earlier in an address, the speaker, students representatives council, University of Ibadan, Mr. Omotunde Olamide advocated proper funding of public tertiary institutions stressing that the nation cannot afford to commercialize its educational institutions.
Addressing the gathering, speaker of the Oyo state house of assembly who doubles as the chairman, conference of speakers of legislature in Nigeria, Mr Adebo Ogundoyin highlighted the importance of law making in the management of political, economic, social, legal and administrative affairs of a state or nation.
Mr Ogundoyin said quality legislation was the primary tool by which Government implement its policies and accomplish its set objectives, saying the maiden edition of the summit, would take a holistic look at the imperatives of quality legislation for national growth and development.
Stakeholders in the laboratory profession have called on the Nigerian government as well as State Governors to put more funds into laboratory research works to stem the capital flight crisis the country is facing due to foreign testing by Nigerians.
The call was made on Tuesday at the celebration of the 2024 World Laboratory Day by Independent Laboratory Owners in Nigeria, which held at Lagos.
The gathering which was aimed at calling attention to the need for people to undergo laboratory testing, included stakeholders in the laboratory profession among whom were industrialists, laboratory workers and owners as well as students.
Part of the advocacy effort include a live Television interview programme named ‘Kutuhai’ on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), where the immediate past President of Society of Testing Laboratory Analysts of Nigeria, Dr. Femi Oyediran discussed the essence of the day in relation to public health.
In his address at the event with the theme “The Future Is Lab,” which held at LCCI Conference Center in Lagos, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Ademilola Adebayo, congratulated the practitioners on the annual celebration, saying the future of public health depended on laboratory of now and years to come, as there was no limit to innovation, scientific and technological breakthroughs. He went further to say “frontiers of knowledge must be expanded for meaningful growth and development.
In Nigeria however, the theme “Building The Culture of Testing For Healthy Living and Development” was chosen to address the peculiarity of our sovereign State. Culture of testing means continuously engaging in the conduct and observation of experiments and drawing valid conclusions, developing and sustaining this culture will lead to the production of good, safe and quality products that will meet national standard.
As testing laboratory professional of over five decades, the Chairman said there is need to build the culture of testing now than ever before, in order for people to live a healthy life and develop the nation.”
The body called for the urgent review of the practice by some regulatory agencies in the interest of Nigerians and the trade by curbing the unwholesome practice of allowing untested products or materials to be registered or circulated in the market. This is currently common in the country.
The President of SoTLAN, Prof. Olugbenga Ogunmoyela who was represented at the occasion by the first Vice President, Mr. Bolawa Gbolahan also advocated for the need to build a testing culture by Nigerians, adding that the laboratories play a vital role in ensuring the quality and safety of products, safeguarding public health and fostering economic development. He asked the federal and State governments to fund laboratory to broaden the frontiers of public health and reduce capital flight in the sector.
The Registrar and Secretary to the Council, Mr. Aliyu A. Angara, who was represented by Dr. Wole Opeoluwa congratulated all participants and called for reaffirmation of the commitment of the stakeholders to excellence, innovation, and collaboration. According to him, “together, let us strive to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities, and continue driving progress in the field of analysis for public health and of laboratory science in general.
Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has declared his decision on the choice of gubernatorial candidate to support in 2027. Gov Makinde affirmed publicly that he would not support any candidate above 52 years of age for the position of governor in Oyo State.
Governor Makinde made this assertion today while delivering his goodwill message at the ongoing Rt. Hon. Debo Ogundoyin Students’ Legislative Summit currently holding at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
”When I came in as a governor of Oyo State at 51, some people believed it was impossible and against all odds the impossibility became possibility.
“I have decided that come 2027, I would not support any candidate above the age of 52 in my party”, said Makinde.
The Governor thereafter charged the youths to be resolute while pursuing their dreams. He recalled his journey while he was pursuing his dream to become a governor in Oyo State.
