The Oyo State Government has announced the recovery and discharge of three new COVID-19 patients after their second negative test results.

This is contained in a statement released by Governor Seyi Makinde who is also the Oyo State Covid-19 Task Force Chairman via his twitter handle.

The Governor also confirmed the result of two suspected cases of coronavirus which came back positive.

According to the Governor, the two new cases are from Ibadan North and Ibadan North West Local Government Areas of the state.

This brings the number of discharged cases in Oyo State to seventeen while the number of confirmed cases is sixty-seven.

The Oyo State House of Assembly has passed a vote of confidence on the Governor of the state, Engr Seyi Makinde and his deputy, Engr Rauf Olaniyan.

The confidence vote was passed at Tuesday’s plenary following a motion to that effect moved by member representing Lagelu State Constituency, Hon Akintunde Olajide and seconded by Hon Isiaka Kazeem of Oyo East/Oyo West State Constituency.

This is coming on the heels of a report by a National Daily of a purported plot by the legislature to impeach the deputy Governor, Engr Rauf Olaniyan.

The report alleged that a top Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde who was said to have masterminded the impeachment move had hosted some members of the State Assembly in a hotel to conclude the plan to remove the deputy.

The house in a unanimous resolution debunked the purported impeachment ploy and maintained that the said story concocted by the writer was a calculated attempt by the National daily and its journalist to misinform the general public and to also cause disaffection between the Oyo State House of Assembly and the executive arm of Government in the State led by Governor Seyi Makinde.

The Speaker, Hon Adebo Ogundoyin said the vote of confidence on the Governor and his deputy became necessary in view of the enviable achievements of Gov Makinde and his deputy as well as the robust working relationship and partnership which the Oyo State ninth Assembly is enjoying from the executive arm of Government.

He said there was never a time the lawmakers or some of them were lodged in any hotel anywhere in the state or outside to orchestrate a plan to impeach the deputy Governor and wondered where such unfounded rumor emanated from.

Hon Ogundoyin who used the medium to commend conventional journalists and online tabloids for informing the public of happenings around them however warned them against flouting the ethic of accuracy, truthfulness and objectivity which is the hallmark of the pen profession.

In their remarks, the deputy Speaker of the House, Hon Mohammed Fadeyi and member representing Iseyin / Itesiwaju, Hon Bamidele Adeola condemned in strong language the writer and publisher of the said story which they said was fabricated by enemies of good governance presently being experienced in Oyo State and advised journalists covering proceedings in the Assembly and others to always endeavor to cross-check their facts and report only the truth and nothing but the truth.

The majority Leader of the House, Hon Sanjo Onaolapo and the Minority Leader, Hon Asimiyu Alarape in their own comments commended the administration of Gov Seyi Makinde for its various people oriented policies and urged men of the media profession to always balance their stories and avoid spreading false and malicious stories so as not to deliberately set the state on fire.

They solicited their cooperation in the task of formulating laws and passing bills that will enhance the standard of living of the people and bring Government closer to the grassroot.

For any credible information, the source is expected to be proven and identified, the messenger must be known and unearthed, but when it comes to media space, these qualities are not a favorite recipe before words are cooked and consumed. In what we know today, the story of Akueme in the terminal part of the village in Owerri will get to Huston in London under a clock of a heartbeat.

The mechanism at which messages travel around the world is just; cut, paste, and forward. So, for all it favors, the stress of communication is lessen, the blackmail is simple, the ranting is popular and the hailing is common.

Wait, are you still not getting my allegoric expression? I’m saying, today, media can make white to become black, without a bucket of paint, it can turn water to the wine without biblical miracles and a desert can become an animal farm, without vegetation. But, would there be a problem if these are illicit in making and taking? No, it always leaves to see the global market. Wahala!

Like have said, hailing and wailing are two composite daily activities on media space among Nigerians, commonly among lovers and fans of politicians. The choice of words and expressions would easily reveal the true intention of why the thread of topic is established, sometimes to hail, praise, and do otherwise. The tune is always decided by those that paid for the pipers.

Those that know how AC (Action Congress) in 2011 became APC in 2015 wouldn’t be crossed when they’re being called out on this subject matter. APC through their media-men, made Nigerians look stupid for electing the Jonathan of Otueke. They named him a ‘clueless’ and drunkard leader. They know, the talk travels a mile faster than the walk. In fact, their capital letter P is for ‘propaganda’.

They succeeded in their way, they forced us to choose their choice, Nigerian lost a mannered democrat, simple and accessible leader to the lust of chasing clout. But, today, Jonathan is a celebrated world leader, when we certainly lost our golden asset to the pool of hate, blackmail, and bitterness.

In Oyo state today, their descendant propagandists are back into their famous business, their garb is not yet torn, they’re back into the act. Slandering, blackmailing, and maligning is their daily routine. They have false news to sell and those to spread it, just in a bid to pacify their shattered feelings for being conspicuously rejected by the people of Oyo state.

Their men are recruited across the zones in the state, making their job easier to run. They have a coordinated loop for plans and strategies. Their leaders are also the ones leading the campaign of calumny. They go on radio and tv to talk ill of the good work and relatively good governance Oyo state is enjoying under the leadership of GSM.

‘Baba Oni-Pakute’ and his fellow detractors are still finding it difficult to admit their failure in peace, they’re still suffering from the dissident that stormed their party and blew them apart. They’re in the race to blacken the glowing star of Omi-Titan. They forget that the voice of people is that of God.

They have numbers of indigenous fake bloggers they pay handsomely to be peddling rumors and fabricated news, they shall soon be revealed, and their cover-ups shall be unearthed.

Let me call your attention to one of their recent show of shame. Do you remember there was an infographic that contained the Oyo state COVID-19 cases report? I mean, the one that contained the ‘absconded’ column, yes! It bears ‘6st’ instead of ‘6th’. Those that encountered that flyer didn’t bother to know the source, the blame was all on the state government. They have those to sell and those to spread the lie. GSM was their target of insult and defamation, but it eventually ended in tears for them, they were exposed.

But, as for the government of the day in the state, there’s a high need to be more vigilant and conscious of these media plots. The former SA Digital Media ‘Adigun Ibadan’ was a victim of their trap, those that started his show are still in contact with their counterparts in the neighboring states. They call on them when they need their hands.

Let the state government do the needful in the area of modern-day publicity. Social media users have grossly outnumbered the ‘BCOS’ viewers.

Where is PDP SOCIAL MEDIA FORUM ?! ‘Bi Ara Ile Ba L’enu, Ese Laani’

The reign of Florence Ajimobi in Oyo state is like no other. Her Excellency is the most innovative wife of Governor Oyo State has ever had. It can be boldly stated that she brought a very different mindset into running the first lady’ s office, an unprecedented kind. She is the only former first lady with living legacies. We have achieved a modern Oyo state, and just when we are hoping for the better, we are back at antiqu.ity.

When Dr Florence Ajimobi was the wife of the Governor, there were impactful projects like; Ajumose food bank, Access to basic medical care, Educate a rural child, OYSOWA, amongst several others.

With her, we had a leader figure for women in Oyo State. A leader who fights the course of women genuinely. Oh! We miss days of women meetings, women intercessory prayers, women conferences where we get to discuss gender balancing, women political participation, abuse, childbearing/raising, mar, ital problems and varying women issues. We also had free cancer screening and cancer awareness rallies. All these programs that made women better people intellectually. These were days women had a voice when we were a force to reckon with in Oyo State.

The reign of a woman with a heart full of gold saw the birth of ABC children’s home. A home that gives ‘Taju’ amongst other children not just hope but a good life.

These were days the widows had someone to alleviate their pains. She was available to herself familiarise herself with the poorest of the poor women and listened to grievances of all party women leaders.

Brain a.nd beauty, Dr Florence Ajimobi is Charming, Elegant, Ico, nic Confident and Eloquent. She is a woman that can address the press, make briefings, deliver speeches, address a crowd, make intelligent observations, and has a great fashion sense.
Just as expected of an ideal 21st-century woman, she was not a first lady hiding in her shells.
We are totally back to the dark past days when women are quiet.

Fatima Hassan
Coordinator; Young Women in politics forum, Oyo State.

Oyo State Government has expressed her concern over porous surveillance at the Oyo/Osun Boundary at Oko in Ogbomoso area of the state.

This is contained in a statement made by the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun after his campaign train against coronavirus at Oko, in Ogbomoso.

The commissioner who promised that Oyo state government will mount surveillance at the state borders warned those outsmarting security operatives with their tactics to desist or face the wrath of the law.

Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun also used the opportunity to implore Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun state to execute measures of securing the borders for the safety of lives and property even as the State, Country and the World at large are battling a Health crisis.

Olatunbosun also distributed personal protective equipments to traditional rulers and residents of Ogbomoso area in Oyo state.

Eleven months ago, I wrote about Governor Seyi Makinde’s first month in office and my expectations for the next few months. OPINION: A look at Seyi Makinde’s first month as Oyo state governor. I was hoping to write about his first year in office and whether or not those expectations had been met. I have had to write a bit earlier than planned, to call on the governor to investigate what I believe is a very important issue.

Oyo State is in the news again, this time, the issue is “ghost workers.” On Friday, May 08, 2020, an argument on Twitter between Mr Ayobami Agboola, son of the Head of Service for Oyo State, Mrs Ololade Agboola and one Mr Sulaimon Adesola turned sour. Mr Adesola subsequently released screenshots of conversations he had with Mr Agboola about getting a “ghost worker” slot in Oyo State. At the time of these conversations, Senator Abiola Ajimobi was the governor of Oyo State.

The “ghost workers” syndrome is an issue that is familiar to Nigerians as far as the civil service at all levels of government is concerned. It is a type of payroll fraud perpetrated when people appear on an organisation’s payroll and get paid by the organisation even though, they do not actually work for that organisation.

In his defence, Mr Agboola said he was not in a position to make good on his promise to give Mr Adesola a “ghost worker” slot but was just stringing him along to get him to do his bidding. Regardless of where the truth lies, what is clear is that like every other state in Nigeria, Oyo State had a ghost worker problem by the time Governor Makinde assumed office on May 29, 2019.

In fact, by September 2019, during an interactive session with civil servants in the state, Governor Makinde stated that the wage bill of Oyo State increased by N1 Billion under the Ajimobi-led administration, shortly after the governorship election of March 9, 2019 and before he was sworn in as governor. This was reported in the national dailies on September 11, 2019. He further stated that his administration would commence a workers’ verification exercise to ensure that only genuine civil/public servants and pensioners get paid from the state’s treasury.

Two months later, on November 19, 2019, Governor Makinde announced via his social media accounts that he had flagged off the Oyo State public and civil servant workers’ verification programme. According to his post, the aim of the verification exercise was to “ensure we know everyone employed by the state, and that everyone receiving emoluments from the state’s coffers is entitled to do so.” The data collected would enable the state plan its recurrent expenditure better and any savings realised after the exercise was concluded could be deployed to meet other expenditure for the benefit of Oyo State people.

The firm employed to carry out the workers’ verification in Oyo State is a foremost auditing firm, Messrs Sally Tibbot Consulting Ltd. The firm has experience in dealing with the issue of workers’ verification and payroll fraud and is employed by others states such as Kogi and Niger States to audit their payrolls.

The workers’ verification was suspended on March 20, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of measures to stop the spread of coronavirus disease in the state. My expectation is that when the verification exercise concludes post COVID-19, Oyo State will be transparent in revealing the number of “ghost workers” removed from the payroll and the amount of money that will be saved by the state as a result. I also call for the prosecution of all those found to have enabled the fraud, whether they are still a part of the government or are retired.

Even though the alleged “ghost worker” racket conversation happened during the Ajimobi-led administration, it is important that Governor Seyi Makinde investigates the possibility of a “ghost worker” racket and ensures that if any offenders are identified, they face the full wrath of the law.

When I wrote about Governor Seyi Makinde’s first month in office on June 29 2019, I noted that he promised to introduce an executive bill for an anti-graft agency to the Oyo State House of Assembly. Not only was the bill introduced, on December 11, 2019, Governor Makinde signed the Oyo State Financial Crimes Commission Bill into law. Therefore, I believe that Governor Makinde is serious about his anti-corruption stance and will ensure that this investigation is carried out without fear or favour.

A group known for contributing towards the development of Ibadan South East Local Government and Oyo state at large, Ibadan South East Young Elite Initiatives has condemned the palliatives by Hon Adigun Agboworin representing Ibadan South East/North East in the green chamber.

In a press statement made available to OYOMIND.COM.NG, the group rejected the non-productive approach to call a radio program to claim palliatives by the federal lawmaker.

They also condemned the ridiculous quantity of relief packages being shared by the Federal Representative as palliative.

“Our people may fall in the needy category, but that doesn’t make them useless. It is pathetic to see someone who spent more than 20 years in the United State to role out such packages as palliative.

“We use this medium to draw his attention to this unacceptable act. Let him not forget without those people’s efforts during the election he wouldn’t have made it to the green chamber.
With this, our people deserve to be treated well.”

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has just confirmed another five new cases of coronavirus in Oyo State.

This information is gathered from the official Twitter handle of NCDC @NCDCgov at about 11:10pm on Saturday night.

With the new cases, Oyo state now has a total of 64 cases confirmed cases all together