One of the Commissioner-designates in Oyo State, Hon. Abiodun Oni has lauded the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde over successes recorded in several areas of development in the State.
He also commended the people of his hometown for peaceful conduct of Local Government Congress while calling on the people of Igbeti to continually support Makinde-led administration in his bid to ensure that dividends of democracy trickled down to the grassroots.
This was contained in a statement sent to Oduduwa News today by his Media Aide as read in part:
“Hon. Abiodun Oni, the commissioner-designate and former Chairman Oyo State Solid Minerals Development Agency has commended Engr. Seyi Makinde for the successes he has recorded within 2 years of his administration and pledged and vouched his support for him in his bid to take Oyo State to the Promised Land.
Abiodun Oni made this known at the Local Government Congress of Peoples Democratic Party which was held in Igbeti at the Olorunsogo Local government Secretariat on October 5, 2021.
At the congress Abiodun Oni was given a rousing welcome as people trooped out and the shout of Ooo Seyi, as Seyi leekansi rented the air.
The people of Igbeti appreciated Seyi Makinde for the choice of Abiodun Oni as Honourable Commissioner-designate, saying he’s a right choice, while they vouched and re-affirmed their unalloyed loyalty and support to his administration.
Abiodun Oni congratulated the newly elected Olorunsogo Local Government party executives for the peaceful conduct of the congress and urged them to foster peace and unity in the party.
The commissioner-designate also called for more support from the party members for His Excellency, Engr Seyi Makinde, saying his administration truly reflects the hope and aspirations of the people.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has described as alarming the level of cybercrime activities in the country.
Speaking during a conference organized by the Cyber Security Experts of Nigeria (CSEAN) with the theme: “The Future of Cyber Security in Nigeria’s Digital Transformation” on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, he said the conference was not only timely but necessary, considering the rise in the trends of cybercrimes across the globe and Nigeria in particular.
Bawa, who was represented by the acting Head of Cyber Crimes Section, CCS, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Command, Suleiman Jijiwa, stated that the Commission, as at September 2021, had recorded about 978 (Nine Hundred and Seventy-eight) convictions, out of which 80% was connected to cybercrimes and cybercrime-related offences.
The police in Oyo State have vowed to probe a robbery allegation levelled against some policemen purportedly attached to the command by a 20-year-old artiste, Emmanuel Jesugbemi.
Jesugbemi had claimed in a viral social media post that the sum N150,000 given to him by his grandmother to pay her rent was snatched by some policemen attached to the command at Apata area while he was on his way to deposit the money in the bank.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, in a statement on Friday, said: “The attention of the Oyo State police command was on Thursday, October 7, drawn to a one minute, 50 seconds video made by one Emmanuel Jesugbemi, alleging that he was, at gunpoint, robbed of his handset and cash to the tune of N150,000 by rogue police operatives, purportedly attached to the command around Apata area, under Ido LGA in Ibadan.
“It is worthy to note that the command frowns at this serious misconduct and wishes to intimate members of public that the matter was immediately escalated through an investigative inquiry set up by the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Police Command, CP Ngozi Onadeko, upon its receipt.
“Preliminary investigations have revealed that the alleged culprit identified by the victim does not serve under Oyo State Command but was rather in the jurisdiction on other yet-to-be specified duties.
“Furthermore, investigations are in top gear to apprehend all the officers involved in the unpleasant actions of Thursday, October 7, for their various involvements, with the assurances of adequate sanctions meted out on all guilty parties upon recommendations from the Investigation panel.
“> “The command sues for calm while appealing to members of the public that no offender(s) would on any account be indulged to evade deserved Justice regardless of status or affiliations.”
Jesugbemi had, through an Instagram post that went viral on Wednesday, claimed that the policemen led by one Badru Samson waylaid the motorcyclist conveying him to the bank and ordered him to get down.
He said the policemen slapped him repeatedly and labelled him a fraudster. Jesugbemi, who recounted the incident in a video clip posted on his Instagram page, @official_babyjez, said the incident happened on Wednesday.
However, as of Friday morning, the page was no longer online. In the post, Jesugbemi said: “Grandma’s house rent was due, so she went to the Apata area to collect money from somebody to join [add to] what she had for the rent. After collecting the money, she called me to meet her at Apata, where she gave me the N150,000 to deposit into our landlord’s bank account.
“I boarded a motorcycle and while on my way to deposit the money in the bank, the policemen blocked my motorcyclist with a black car with no number plate and ordered me to get down. I saw four policemen in the car when I got down and one of them slapped and kicked me. He even used his gun to hit my head and called me a Yahoo Boy.
“The policemen asked for my phone and told me to unlock it; but they did not find anything [incriminating] after they checked it. They wanted to search me, but I stopped them because policemen had searched one of my friends before and in the process, they put hard drugs in his pocket. So, I willingly brought my pockets out and they saw the N150,000.”
He claimed that the policemen drove him from the Apata area to Iwo Road, where he was dropped off after he had been dispossessed of the money.
“They asked who owned it and I told them that it was for my grandma and that I was on my way to pay her house rent. The policemen said I was lying. One of them kicked my stomach and forcefully collected it from me.
“They told me to format my phone and took it; they put me inside the car and drove me from Apata to under the bridge in Iwo Road, where they dropped me off.
“I had to plead with them to give me my SIM card. They also took the extra N2,000 with me and I had to trek from Iwo Road to our house in Dugbe,” Jesugbemi added.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, leader of APC is back in the country, his flight landed the Muritala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos from London, United Kingdom on Friday, October 8 after spending months abroad.
Popular Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage, says she is being blackmailed over a s*x tape she did with her current partner.
The singer disclosed this in an interview with power105.1 host, Angie Martins in NewYork.
According to her, her road manager sent her the sex tape which the supposed blackmailer sent to him.
Savage stated that both her and her present lover panicked about the development.
However, she stated that after some thoughts, she decided that she won’t be paying a penny to whoever it was as nobody can defraud her for doing something that’s natural.
She said: “So I got into my car after an interview and my road manager calls me and be like Tiwa check your WhatsApp messages.
“I opened them and saw a s*x tape of me and the guy am currently dating calls me back to say someone sent it to him and the person is threatening to release it if a ransom isn’t paid.
“At first I panicked, even the guy I’m dating panicked too. But then after some careful deliberations I said I won’t pay.
“What if they release it even after I have paid or even come back two months later to request for another ransom?
“That’s what I asked myself. I was like they should go ahead and release it, nobody will make me pay for doing something that’s natural.”
The SouthWest Agenda 2023 group has said that the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, already have 12 million votes in the bag ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
The chairman of the pro-Tinubu group, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, made this known on Friday as a guest on Channels TV’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by ODUDUWA NEWS.
Though Tinubu has yet to declare his intention to contest any office in 2023, there have been reports and veiled indications that he might be interested in the exalted seat.
Speaking on the television programme on Friday, Adeyeye, a former Minister of State for Works and Housing, boasted that just like Buhari who raked 12 million votes from the North before the 2015 elections, Tinubu also has at least 12 million votes from the South-West.
He said traditional rulers in the South-West are also in support of Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid.
The SWAGA chairman, however, said his group was not commissioned by Tinubu but they are prodding the ex-Lagos governor to run for President in 2023.
Adeyeye said, “When this movement started, we wanted our candidate who some people particularly in Abuja and some circles have been saying have no home base; he is no longer popular and all that. We wanted to prove to them that the man is very acceptable, not only in his home base but throughout the country.
“We want everybody in the South-West to rally around this man and support him and so far we have been very successful.
“We have moved round the palaces to see most of our top traditional rulers who have endorsed him.
“Charity begins at home; we wanted to solidify the Homebase. Once the home base is solidified, I believe other Nigerians, particular in our party, will feel more comfortable to field this candidate, knowing that he can win the election for them.”
Speaking on the chances of Tinubu in the 2023 elections, the APC chieftain said, “Don’t forget that one of the selling points for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 was that he already had 12 million votes in his pocket (in previous elections) particularly in the North-West and North-East. So, it was easy with support from a few other places for him to win the presidency.
“We are also saying that come 2023, the man we are projecting already has at least 12 to 13 million votes in his pocket and so it will be easy.”
Asked how sure he was about his statistics, Adeyeye said, “I am giving it (figure) based on what I have seen on ground having to transverse the length and breadth of the South-West and having seen people from political parties saying that when it comes to the issue of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, they will shed their partisan toga and embrace him and vote for him. I have seen that in the palaces of the Obas, amongst artisans and market women.
“When it comes to the issue of the Presidency in 2023, all of these people in unison, they will shed every differences and vote for this man.
“The votes in the South-West is more than 20 million votes. I am only saying 12 to 13 million votes is already assured and I say it with all sense of responsibility without fear of contradiction that those 12 to 13 votes are already in the bag.”
Former Governor Alao Akala-led Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Advisory Committee has suffered another big blow as a potent group within the party, The Core Progressives, described the committee as an illegality which must be disbanded immediately for the party to consolidate on the gains recorded so far in its reconciliation and reengineering process.
The Group in a statement in Ibadan on Thursday declared that the advisory committee without any locus standi or any authority whatsoever to constitute any committee for the party was already usurping the powers of the Caretaker Committee of the party, a development, it said was inimical to the growth of APC in the state.
According to the statement signed by Alhaji Musibau Ahmed, Chairman of the group, the Core Progressives said the Alao Akala committee has so far remained a cog in the wheel of progress of the party and should therefore be disbanded forthwith by the Caretaker /Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party for APC to have real progress in Oyo State.
The group stated that it has now been vindicated over its earlier rejection of the committee based on the lopsidedness in its composition which gave edge to old members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with known records of hijack and disruption of peaceful process, maintaining that the obviously biased zoning committee released by the committee has cleared all doubts over the intent of the Akala’s advisory committee to hijack the party for PDP.
The group commended the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare for coming out boldly to reject the committee, stating that with the rejection, Chief Dare has further proved that he is a committed party man and a patriotic Nigerian who would always ensure that the right things are done in consonance with the constitution.
The Progressives urged the Minister as the representative of the National Leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari in Oyo State, to work closely with the Caretaker Chairman for the state, Chief Akin Oke and come up with the right strategy that would be acceptable to the majority of the members and put the party on strong footings in the state.
“We are highly impressed with the prompt and bold rejection of the Akala’s PDP infested Zoning Committee by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Chief Sunday Dare. By rejecting the committee, Chief Dare has shown courage, sincere commitment to the party and the ideals of the progressivism of inclusive politics. It is leadership per excellence. We only want him to remain steadfast and work with the caretaker Chairman and other genuine masses friendly leaders of the party and give us a strong and virile party that will clear all the elections in 2023. We are solidly behind these bold steps of the minister.”
The Ooni of Ife has debunked the rumour flying around where it was alleged that the former gubernatorial aspirant, Senator Ademola Adeleke had promised to get Ooni a private jet.
This was contained in a statement released by the Director of Media and Publicity, Prince Moses Olafare as read in part:
“The Directorate of Media and Public Affairs of the Ooni of Ife’s Palace wishes to inform the general public to disregard a viral report where the spokesman to the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, Comrade Moses Olafare, is reportedly quoted as stating that a gubernatorial aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke, during a courtesy visit on Wednesday promised to procure an aircraft for the Ooni.
“To set the record straight, no such report was issued from the palace despite the fact that the politician’s speech was twisted by some writers with hidden intentions including to drag the respected stool of the Ooni in mud.
“While further clarifications could be sought from videos that emanated from the visit, the Ooni’s singular request was for a credible election devoid of crisis for the betterment of all, which the PDP chieftain agreed to.
“Going further, it is a statement of fact that, in the usual character of all political office aspirants and party’s candidates without exception, the visiting Senator Adeleke made several promises including the reconstruction of roads in Ile-Ife and completion of the Osun State Airport project at Ido-Osun among others. Sadly, these developmental bullet points were mischievously ignored in the viral news reports.
“On the controversial “Private Jet” it is a common knowledge that the Adeleke family has a fleet of private aircrafts which could have been the basis for the governorship hopeful to have lightly said, “Baba Private Jet tee ma gun Gan n be n’le. BABA, PRIVATE JETS YOU MAY NEED FOR YOUR TRIPS ARE READILY AVAILABLE”.
“While it is ridiculous to see such misinformation trend on supposed credible news platforms including national dailies, the palace of the Ooni wishes to caution the general public from erroneously believing the false report as it is a lie from the pit of hell.
“Adeleke’s visit was not the first and would never be the last political visit to the Ooni and other traditional rulers in the state as we are already approaching the election year in the state of Osun while other aspirants including the incumbent governor are still coming to make their promises as usual. Why the hullabaloo?
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Adedibu Ojerinde to pay N100,000 witness’ expenses to the prosecution for stalling proceedings in his trial for alleged diversion of over N5.2billion public funds.
According to the Nation Newspaper, Justice Obiora Egwuatu handed out the order while ruling on Friday on an application for adjournment made by Ojerinde’s new lawyer, Doyin Awoyale.
At the mention of the case, lead prosecuting lawyer, Ebenezer Shogunle, said the case was set down for the commencement of trial, and that the prosecution as three witnesses in court.
Awoyale said himself and others were just briefed by the defendant to represent him. He sid since the previous defence lawyer left, the defendant’s new legal team requires time to familiarise itself with the case.
Awoyale then prayed the court to shelve the business of the court for the day, a request Sogunle objected to, arguing that it was unfair to abort the planned commencement of trial after the prosecution has taken the pain to assemble its witnesses.
Shogunle said one of the witnesses travelled at great risk from Ibadan the previous day.
He noted that the last three adjournment have been at the instance of the defence.
He however added that should the court chose to grant the defence lawyer’s request, it should be on the condition that the defendant pays the prosecution witness’ expenses as provided in Section 251 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Although Awoyale initially objected to the prosecution’s request that his client pays the cost of bringing its witnesses to court, he later changed his mind upon the judge’s intervention.
In a ruling, Justice Egwuatu granted the defence’s prayer for an adjournment and proceeded to order it to pay N100,000 to the prosecution, as witness’ expenses, on or before October 11.
The judge then adjourned till February 8 next year for the commencement of trial. Ojerinde was arraigned on July 6 on an 18-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/97/2021, in which he was accused among others, of complicity in the diversion of public funds estimated at over N5.2billion.
The prosecuting agency – Independent Corrupt Practices & other related offences Commission (ICPC) – claimed Ojerinde committed the alleged offences contained in the charge, from when he served as the Registrar of the National Examination Council (NECO), through his days in JAMB till 2021.
He maintained that the government is standardizing the selection and recruitment process in the judiciary to sanitize the sector, adding that Oyo State House of Assembly has already approved the appointment of Justice Moshood Abass as the President of the Customary Court of Appeal.
He explained that judiciary will be getting unprecedented capital budget inflow in the 2022 Budget, as an additional N6 billion capital projects has been included in the budget.
He said: “It, indeed, gives me great pleasure to be here with you today to kickstart the 2021/2022 Legal Year. The beginning of a new Legal Year, which comes after the usual annual vacation in the judiciary is a refreshing time that affords Your Lordships and all stakeholders in the sector to re-calibrate and pitch for higher heights of service delivery for our people.
“Let me start by commending the Judiciary in Oyo State for standing firmly with us in the actualization of the judiciary sector version of the Roadmap for Accelerated Development of Oyo State, 2019-2023, our governance template, which encapsulates welfare for serving and retired judicial officers and workers, and a reform agenda that seeks to place the sector in position of excellence in the service of the people of Oyo State.
“I am therefore pleased to inform this gathering that this administration has approved and started implementing welfare packages for justices both serving and retired, through the revised pension and gratuities scheme meant to take care of all justices.
“Equally, I am pleased to intimate this gathering that the state has secured the approval for the appointment of five judicial officers, four of whom are for the High Court, while one is for the Customary Court of Appeal. They all came through a meritorious process of examination and interviews supervised by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of Oyo State.
“Let me reiterate that this process will not only be sustained, I affirm that it has come to stay as this will ensure that every qualified person of Oyo State origin can aspire to the highest position in the judiciary, while helping to maintain the independence of judiciary.
“We are standardizing the selection and recruitment process in this arm of the judiciary as part of our reforms aimed at taking out the rot in the sector.”
He also disclosed that that judiciary sector will be getting unprecedented capital budget inflow in the 2022 budget, adding that an additional N6 billion in capital project funding has been included in the budget.
He said :”With that, we will be completing the New Court in Ring Road; the Iyaganku Customary Court, other JSC structures and the Olomi Prisons.
“This administration is not about to drop the ball in its avowed commitment to the welfare of judges and stakeholders in the judiciary sector in general. The government has been buying vehicles for judicial officers of the High Court, it also intends to buy vehicles for the new judges and members of the Judicial Service Commission.”
The governor stated that the state will continue to initiate reform policies that would enhance e- governance procedures in the state.
He added: “Just as we are doing that, we are also not losing sight of the need to reform the sector and bequeath to our state a judiciary worthy of the dreams of our forefathers.
“In that light, we are putting measures in place to accommodate e-filing and enhance online/virtual processes in the Judiciary.
“I cannot end this address without acknowledging the harmonious relationship between the judiciary and the Government of Oyo State. We have your Lordships to praise for this. We are especially thankful that the judiciary maintained its usual calm even in the face of the challenges that plagued the selection of judges that have now been approved by the National Judicial Council (NJC).”
In his sermon, the Lord Bishop of Ibadan Diocese, the Most Rev’d Dr. Joseph Akinfenwa, admonished Nigerians to always put hope in God at all times despite the prevailing challenges of economic hardship, security tension and experiences of hopelessness across the country.
He equally appealed to the Oyo State Government to reaffirm its stance of nobility and justice by returning missionary schools to their original owners.
On the governor’s entourage were the Deputy Chief of Staff, Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola, DG, Due Process, Ms Tara Adefope, Special Adviser on Media, Jide AJANI, Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa,S. A (Legal Matters),Barr. Ifedolapo,Ologburo among others.
