Oyo State Government has ordered that it’s flag should fly at half-mast to honour the late Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources.

This is a directive given by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs. Olubamiwo on behalf of the Governor Seyi Makinde on Friday.

Also, to honour the departed commissioner, other state activities were at lowkey.

Ayoola was sworn-in as a commissioner on August 14, 2019, and was thereafter deployed to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, where he led the charge for the implementation of the new environment architecture and green initiative.

Oyo State Commissioner for Environment and a former Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Kehinde Ayoola is reported dead.

The news of his demise came at around 12noon on Thursday.

Details Later.

It’s barely a month that we all condemned the habitual kidnapping in our community, the last of which was heard was the case of a monarch in Igboora, whose wife and daughter were bundled away by an unknown group of bandits who have been terrorising the region for the past two years.

Few days ago, the disheartening news broke of a farmer who was kidnapped in one of the communities. Kidnappings in Ibarapa land has now gotten to a stage where we the question is now, “Who is next?”

Kidnapping in Ibarapa has evolved over time under two main categories; the type that kidnap for ransoms and the kidnap for rituals. Of course, neither is meaningful nor preferable as both tends to kill you either psychologically (due to excessive debt of ransoms) or physically (the real death for rituals). Hence, they are both murders in all contexts and as such, anyone caught in the act should be charged on an attempt to murder or murder charges as the case may be.

The kidnap cases are predominantly common in Igboora and within the stretch of two years, the kidnappers have looted through ransom system the striving citizens both the well to do and those who fed from hand to mouth. They have also claimed many lives within the same period.

I have not chosen to write this to highlight the stories we already know, but to suggest solutions to check the perpetrators of this evil acts. When would we be able to live without fear of being carted away like luggage, and without trace in our relatively small communities?

What We Need To Curb This Rising Menace

• Security agencies’ revitalisation: The Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigeria Police Force seems to have been ousted out of the police structure. This is a time we need a very swift police response to emergency calls with adequate tracking ability that can guarantee the arrest of these evil doers. To be candid, we do appreciate their efforts in the past to arrest some of such incidents. Success is only achieved when the cause which we seek is achieved without a stone left unturned; but here, there are hundreds of such stones are presently left unturned.

• Community Security Outfits to the frontline: The vigilante groups are closer to their immediate communities and probably are sources of first-hand information as regards the circumstances involved. They should be charged towards taking action and rendering support to the police.

• The Monarchs, Religious Leaders, and Chieftains to the commanding room: we need a body to constantly charge the government into action and at the same time support the security outfits in achieving the feats of arresting these hoodlums.

• A push for the Death Penalty Bill: just like I mentioned earlier, the end result of this kidnap saga is death to the victims, either psychological or actual death. And of course, the harbingers of the death needs to be tried and convicted if caught to serve as warning to those who are still hatching plans to bring tears to the eye of our people.

Imagine ransoms worth millions of naira being forced out from someone who sweat rigorously to maintain at most a meal daily! What more can result into lustful wishes of suicide?

Now, many state assemblies have either successfully passed the bill that metes out the death penalty to kidnappers. For example, he bill has passed beyond the second reading in Nasarawa and Osun States, among other states. Hence the Oyo State House of Assembly should rise to the call and ensure such bill is passed and perpetrators brought to justice, because this is indispensable to deter these criminals.

Engr David Olusegun Okanlawon is the founder of Olusegun Okanlawon Foundation
Founder

In a bid to tighten security in the nooks and crannies of the state and develop its infrastructures. The Oyo State Government has revealed that it is set to install All-in-One Solar Powered lights at palaces, hospitals and major markets across the geopolitical zones in the State.

This is contained in a statement made by the State’s Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Prof. Raphael Afonja, today in Ibadan, while addressing pressmen.

“With a view to further expand the security network of the State and consolidate on this administration’s recorded achievement in this sector, it has therefore, become highly imperative and urgent to provide adequate security through provision of streetlights for our esteemed traditional rulers who have recently become targets for kidnappers in the recent times”, he said.

Afonja added that this initiative is aimed at addressing socio-economic challenges in the State, such as incessant and perpetual hoodlum attacks on traders in major markets and hindrance to medical services delivery at nights, due to poor illumination of hospitals premises.

He explained further that the illumination of major markets places will give room for night transactions which will boost the socio-economic status of the citizenry, and consequently improve the State’s IGR.

Prof. Afonja alluded that the illumination project in palaces, major markets and hospitals, would efficiently complement the ongoing ‘Operation light up Oyo State’ project.

The Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA), men of the Nigeria Police and other Security agencies have arrested suspected impostors and unauthorized individuals who impound vehicles illegally in the State.

In a statement made available to OYOMIND.COM.NG, the Executive Chairman, OYRTMA, Dr. Akin Fagbemi, arrested the ring leader of the group and six other members who parade themselves as agents of the State Government in Oluyole Local Government Area during the surveillance team’s covert operation on May 12, 2020.

“We have received several complaints from the public, particularly those involved with haulage and usage of heavy-duty vehicles as regards the unauthorized seizure and impoundment of their vehicles by suspected impostors and unauthorized individuals parading themselves as agents of the State Government”.

Dr. Fagbemi promised that the State Government would prosecute these impersonators, lamenting that they extort unsuspecting members of the public through exorbitant fines, which never get to the coffers of the State Government.

“This prompted our surveillance team to beam searchlight on the local government areas identified to be the hideout of the criminals who had generated millions of Naira to their private pockets without government’s approval”, he added.

He said, “The Oyo State Government under His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde has warned persons or groups impersonating the State Government by engaging in unauthorized impoundment of heavy and light duty vehicles under the disguise of working as agents of the Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA) or the Local Governments/LCDAs”.

“They rake unremitted sums amounting to millions of Naira from the hardworking and unsuspecting members of public through exorbitant fines ranging from #400,000 to #500,000 per vehicle”, he said.

Fagbemi revealed that the syndicates’ towing van has been impounded, adding that they have since been handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigations and sanction.

While Fagbemi implored the general public to contact OYRTMA’s headquarter when such unauthorized activities are noticed, he also warned impersonators to desist from such illegal acts or be ready to face the full wrath of the laws of Oyo State.

Dear Engineer Seyi Makinde, I have decided to write you an open letter perhaps because of the inaccessibility to your direct office. I do not write for mere fame but as an advocate of good governance through constructive agitation and advocacy, which is inevitable in this Democratic dispensation.

I am the son of the ancient Ogbomoso soil and also the National Senate President, federation of Oyo State Students’ Union(FOSSU), the number one indigenous student movement in Oyo state with over 850,000 membership strength.

Sir, in a bid not to bore you with compounded rhetorics, I will head on straight to hit the nail on the head.

The ill state of our road networks is fast becoming a communal challenge. The road networks that have served the community and have also been a major source of economic advantage to the good people of Ogbomoso are now death traps and other kinds of disasters waiting to happen.

Undoubtedly, Ogbomoso is one of the most conspicuous region in the Southwest zone, Nigeria with the Population of about 1.7million inhabitants across five local governments and seven local council development areas.

Ogbomoso is famous for its rich history of valiant heroes and their noble escapades. We are an industrious community of people commuted to the development of our Town.

Next to Ibadan, the state capital, Ogbomoso remains the second largest city in Oyo state with economic highlights such as Factories, schools, Markets, Media houses, (both Television and radio stations) and the state owned university (LAUTECH) which is the major institution in the community amidst other private colleges.

The town is one of the economic salvage of the state, contributing immensely to the state’s Gross Domestic Product. (GDP)

It is crystal clear that the road network is one of the amenities that cannot be jettisoned in our social economic development.

Sir, Ogbomoso is one of the communities in the state bedeviled with the dangerous and treacherous road networks.

It is at this juncture, with a sense of urgency that I appeal to you and convey our outcry to the government of Oyo state with a sense of urgent public importance to find a lasting solution to the bad roads that has turned to death traps, with fatality tendencies perhaps even more than the current covid-19 which is ravaging Nigeria and the world extensively.

Recently there was a very brutal accident that claimed the life of six commuters at a spot on this road.

It is a popular saying that governance has a perpetual succession. This idea suggests that developmental responsibilities in the state/country are passed down from one government to the other. The Takkie to LAUTECH road is an ancient road that links up Ogbomoso with Ilorin road. This road is located in the Ogbomoso Metropolis. The road, being in a deplorable state demands the urgent intervention of the state Government. Lives of many students of LAUTECH have been lost to the treachery of this road.

A reconstruction of this road will bring joy and laughter to the students and citizens who have toiled on this path over the years.

I must also charge our son, who is currently holding the post of the commissioner for public work and transport in Oyo state, Prof. Raphael Afonja to ensure all hands are on deck through urgent intervention to this challenge as it posses imminent threats to lives and livelihood of our people and backlog to our economy.

Ajadiisaac76528@gmail.com

It seems the Oyo State Tailors Association have cashed out on Governor Seyi Makinde, making an alleged N40, 000, 000 from the ‘Monkeys’.

The ‘Monkeys’ are the juniour tailors who are actually doing the job but given stipends because it is government contract – “Monkey dey work, Baboon the chop.”

Due to COVID-19 and in effort to make life easy for his people, Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Governor, commissioned 1milllion face mask production by local tailors, with aim of also providing more jobs for his people, therefore recycling the money internally instead of importing or contracting “experts” like some said in anger.

“Today, we reached a decision to implement this measure while the Government will produce an initial one million cloth face masks to kick start the mask in public places policy for Oyo State,” Seyi Makinde said.

“We are collaborating with experts who have already designed these face masks to train the tailors on how to make them while 100 tailors will be commissioned by Monday, the 20th of April, 2020 to make 10,000 face masks each.”

But it seems the Tailoring Association of Nigeria (TAN), Oyo State chapter have decided to be Baboons, like
B h a d o o s k y ( @BhadmusAkeem ), who brought this alleged issue to limelight, called them – “Local Yahoo”.

Seyi Makinde gave out the contract of 1 million face masks at N60 per piece to Tailor Association in Oyo state. Interestingly, the leadership of the Association gave the tailors N20 per face mask to produce 1 million pieces.

ICPC & EFCC should brace up to pick up our local Yahoo

If you know this person, you better tell them to go and return the money max this Friday, before they end up in Agodi Prison. I won’t say more than that for now!

Seyi Makinde, Oyo Tailors, and the ‘Monkeys’ scam.
The Tailors doing the job will be scrabbling with N20, 000, 000 – for logistics, materials, and so on, while ‘awon shair men’ will be sitting on N40, 000, 000.

Seyi Makinde needs to double-check this alleged ‘rogue behavior’ to make sure his work doesn’t go in vain.