Oduduwa News

In continuation of her efforts to get all strata of the society involved in its security efforts, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, the Commissioner For Information, Culture and Tourism, has held a meeting with Traditional Worshippers in Oyo State.

During the meeting, Dr Olatunbosun urged the traditionalists to partner with the government to ensure security and peaceful coexistence and also involve themselves in the joint effort to end insecurity in Oyo State.

He further assured the traditional worshippers that Governor Seyi Makinde had heard their pleas for a public holiday and was working on it.

His words, “I wish to inform you that work is ongoing on the approval of a special holiday for traditional worshippers in Oyo State, it is a long process that must go through legislation, executive assent and State gazette, the government is working on this and we need your continuous collaboration to make Oyo State more harmonious and attractive to investors.”

“We need to involve you our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters in the traditional religion in putting an end to insecurity in the State, we are using this opportunity to urge you to do all you can, including making spiritual appeasements, sacrifices to ensure and maintain peace in our State.”

“In the old, our forefathers had ways of overcoming insecurity, we need to go back and adopt some of these methods to make our land habitable, to make Oyo State the pride of other States and attract investors to bring their businesses, which in turn multiply employment opportunities and improve commercial activities.”

Governor Seyi Makinde’s Executive Assistant on Administration, Reverend Idowu Ogedengbe was also at the event and he called for the traditionalists to continue their support for the current Oyo State Administration so that the good work started by the government would continue.

Speaking on behalf of the traditionalists, the Aare Isese of Oyo State, Aare Omikunmi Egbelade, the Chairman, Asa Orisa of Nigeria, Chief Oke Adejare and Oba Ela of Oyo State, Oba Ojebode Awoniran, jointly called on the State government to make funds available for the three major religion bodies so that they could combat the insecurity in Oyo State spiritually.

The trio urged Governor Seyi Makinde to ensure that his administration accords traditionalists more recognition by approving the public holiday they had requested and promised their staunch support for this administration.

Dr Olatunbosun has earlier met with artisans as part of efforts to mobilise the grassroots to see themselves as part of the state’s security architecture.

The umbrella body of Yoruba self-determination groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, has endorsed the ongoing petition being pushed by the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS), which urged the Federal Government to conduct a referendum in Igbo and Yoruba lands.

In a statement signed by the leader of the Yoruba nation agitators, Prof. Banji Akintoye, and made available to The Guardian, yesterday, by his Communications Manager, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye, Nigerians, especially Yoruba people within and beyond the shores of the country, were asked to sign the petition to support the agitation for a referendum.

Akintoye, who is also the Chairman of NINAS, described the petition as the first major step towards the conduct of a referendum that would make or mar the actualisation of the sovereign Yoruba nation from Nigeria.

The statement stated: “We the Yoruba people must now move forward to accomplish the Yoruba nation’s self-determination by holding a referendum.

Akintoye, who is also the Chairman of NINAS, described the petition as the first major step towards the conduct of a referendum that would make or mar the actualisation of the sovereign Yoruba nation from Nigeria.

The statement stated: “We the Yoruba people must now move forward to accomplish the Yoruba nation’s self-determination by holding a referendum.

It added: “Already, some patriots under the umbrella of NINAS have now started to circulate a petition that we Yoruba, Igbo, Niger/Delta and Middle Belt want a referendum.

“I urge all the millions of Yoruba people within and beyond Nigeria to vote in support of that petition. However, the chances are that the Federal Government will answer no.

“Alternatively, we might take our petition to the state governments and demand that they should grant us a referendum. Since the state governments are our own elected governments, we have a much better chance to compel them to do what we want. What we need is to mount intense pressure on them. We must not take no for answer.

“Finally, we can take our petition to the United Nations and demand they come and arrange the referendum.”

The Ondo high court has granted bail to Kemisola Ogunniyi, an 18-year-old girl detained over the #EndSARS protest in the state.

Ogunniyi, who has been in custody since October 2020, gave birth to a baby boy last Wednesday.

Omolara Adejumo, the judge, granted Kemisola bail in the sum of N10 million and a surety in like sum on Tuesday.

Ogunniyi was arrested with three others by security operatives during the #EndSARS protest last year.

She and the other suspects were accused of being part of those who razed the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure during the protest.

They were charged with conspiracy to commit arson, riotous assembly, stealing, and malicious damage and were remanded in Surulere prison in Ondo west LGA of the state.

The other suspects are Ojo Samuel, Ayodele Bukunmi, and Ani Obinna.

In a letter to Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, Ondo chief judge, Tope Tomekun, her lawyer, had said Ogunniyi was innocent of the crime preferred against her.

Tomekun said the teenager was on her way to the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) to collect money for her mother’s treatment when she was apprehended by the Nigerian Army at random and handed over to the police for investigation.

“She was later alleged to be part of those who set the APC Secretariat, Akure, on fire during the EndSARS protest that took place in October 2020,” he had said.

“I write to you sir, first as a lawyer and in furtherance of my conviction as a believer in humanitarian cause of justice, to appeal to you sir, that for the sake of the sinless newborn baby and in the interest of justice, to give directive that this matter be given an urgent hearing.”

A bill to criminalise illegal trading in human organs has scaled second reading at the Lagos State House of Assembly with the Speaker, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa, describing it as one of the best things to happen to the state.

Before committing the bill to the House committee on Health, Obasa said the bill should also make provision to criminalise the activities of ritualists.

He directed that the administration of criminal justice law be studied so that the Organ Harvest and Transplantation bill being considered can be all-encompassing.

Earlier, the chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Hakeem Sokunle (Oshodi-Isolo 1), explained that the bill captures the legal framework for the regulation of organ transplantation from donors either living or dead to patients in need.

Sokunle said the bill has seven parts with 37 sub-sections and tries to curb illegal trade in human parts.

Under its offence and penalties clause, the bill states that a person who removes the organ of another person for a reason other than for therapeutic purposes commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of 10 years without an option of fine.

The bill also stipulates that a person or any hospital and “who, for the purposes of transplant, conducts, associates with, or helps in any manner in the removal of any organ without authority commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N5 million or a term of 10 years.

Contributing to the debate, Hon. Gbolahon Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2), said that the bill would help in putting a stop to organ trafficking. He called the attention of his colleagues to some grey areas in the bill.

Hon. Rotimi Olowo (Somolu 1) condemned the act of harvesting organs for monetary gain in some parts of Nigeria adding that the bill would put an end to such as well as protect minors and the mentally ill.

Olowo argued that the bill would bring about the sanctity of life and human dignity, adding that penalties for such acts should be stiffer than what was prescribed in the bill.

The lawmaker added that the bill provides for certified medical laboratories for the organs donated by donors and that this is aimed at stopping the involvement of quacks and the criminally minded.

Also, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, lamented the high rate of organ trafficking in the country, adding that the bill was all encompassing and that it should be supported by all members of the House.

The Leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, described the bill as a product of deep reflection on the part of the state government.

Itemisinng the various processes of organ transplantation as prescribed by the bill, Agunbiade added that it would improve procedure and discourage the act of organ harvesting for financial gain.

“The bill will ensure that organ transplanting is not all-comers affair in the health sector in Lagos,” Agunbiade said.