Oyo State government has assured that advocacy and enlightenment programs of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) would receive its support to further educate the general public on the activities of the body.

The Commissioner for Information, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun gave this assurance on Friday when a team from the Southwest office of UNICEF visited him at his office in Ibadan. Olatubosun said the impact of UNICEF on the society in general and the children in the areas of education, health and social welfare was immeasurable, adding that the international body has contributed so much to the world, hence the need for the State to give its support.

He added the the Ministry would deploy its online radio and other media platforms under it to project activities of the world body.

“UNICEF has done the world a great deal of good through their positive impact in protecting the right of the children to quality education, quality health, shelter and other necessities of life, whatever required to support them will be provided.

“The Seyi Makinde administration will always recognize the good deeds and those areas that UNICEF has made life easier for the children of the haves and the have nots, and it is a pride to so associate with the works of the body in working for a better world.”

In her word, the leader of the team, Dr Tushar Rane said UNICEF was happy to associate with Oyo State for its welfare policies in the area of education, health and social inclusion.

She sought further collaboration from the State to boost the programs and activities of UNICEF in Oyo State.

In a bid to ensure cleanliness among citizens, the Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has on Wednesday charged over thirty persons found culpable of violating environmental laws of the State, before a Magistrate court sitting in Ibadan.

The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Rt. Hon. Kehinde Ayoola revealed that today, after an Environmental sanitation exercise, led by the State governor, Seyi Makinde at Ojoo interchange, at Akinyele local government in Ibadan.

Hon. Ayoola revealed that the violators were arrested by officers of the Ministry at different locations in Ibadan for indiscriminate dumping of refuse at unauthorized places within Ibadan metropolis and were arraigned before a Magistrate for committing punishable offences which were contrary to the Environmental Laws of the State.

The Magistrate ruled that the offenders be imprisoned for six months or pay a fine of N12,500 each, out of which twenty-one of the offenders fulfilled their bail terms, while ten persons who failed to meet the terms were forced to do community services.

Rt. Hon. Ayoola buttressed that the arraignment is a further proof of Oyo State government’s determination to end menace caused by unlawful disposal of refuse.

“When we said we would fight this menace to a stop, and put saboteurs to a halt, we meant business, this is why the State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde has deployed its whole apparatus to enforce the law on environmental sanitation in the State.

“We believe this will serve as deterrent to other violators of the State Environmental Laws that it will not be business as usual, we have to change our orientation as regards good environment for the sake of ourselves and our neighbors,” he said.

Commenting further, Ayoola said “Governor Seyi Makinde is so passionate about the cleanliness of our environment, this is why our officers would not hesitate to clampdown on all violators of environmental laws.”

The Commissioner therefore urged members of the public to desist from unlawful disposal of refuse, saying that the State Government has deployed its officers in strategic places in the State to apprehend offenders.

In a related development, a middle-aged man, identified as Mutiu Odeniran who was caught offloading his van full of refuse by the roadside has been fined with the sum of N42,500 for violating the Environmental laws of the State.

Odeniran was apprehended at Molete axis of the State capital, by Environmental Health officers on Wednesday last week and prosecuted before a Magistrate on Thursday.

By Hon Ayoade Rasheed Adegboyega

Articles and joinders in negative form against APC and Chief Adelabu (the governorship candidate of APC in the last election in Oyo state)have barraged through the cyberspace since the election petition over the poll has found itself before the supreme court of Nigeria.

Even a PDP regional Stakeholders meeting has taken place in Abeokuta, Ogun State. All this are in anticipation of what the judgement of the Supreme Court will be in the governoship election petition appeal of Oyo state between Governor Seyi Makinde and Chief Adebayo Adelabu.

High riding political accusations and vituperations without any basis in law or reason are daily being thrown at the doorstep of the good people of Oyo state and Nigeria at large. Extreme negative nuances that has no basis even in common sense are daily being thrown at people in order to diminish their hard earned integrity. All in the name of politically anticipating the outcome of the election appeal before the final court of the land.

Where really did Chief …Adelabu go wrong ? Can the detractors point it out ? May be we should just go down memory lane a bit.

At the governoship election petition tribunal for Oyo state, the governoship candidate of APC filed a petition challenging the victory of Engineer Seyi Makinde and the tribunal threw the petitioner’s petition out.

On this basis, Adebayo Adelabu, the petitioner filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal. The Court gave it’s judgement, frowning at the way the governorship election petition tribunal threw out the petition of the APC candidate without allowing him a scintilla of fair hearing, but the appeal court failed to give any of the declaratory or consequential orders sought by the petitioner/appellant. Thereafter, the appellant moved his matter to the highest and last court of the land, that is, the Supreme Court.

What the cerebral Adelabu did by moving to the Supreme Court is rightly and assiduously following the Rule of Law and not that of violence mongers. It is exactly what any sane person that is aggrieved over a matter should do, instead of resorting to jungle justice as some elements would have done if they were in his shoes. The APC candidate as a law abiding citizen, has followed the part of taking advantage of the law as provided for by the Electoral Act, in moving from the Election Tribunal through the Court of Appeal and finally to the Supeme Court. It is within the inalienable right of the governorship candidate of APC to apprach the courts .

Or are those shouting wolf now, where there’s none, telling him to jettison his constitutionally given right ?

What really do these wolf baying policians want Adelabu and APC to do ? To meekly walk away, when the constitution guarantees him a leeway ? Or what really do these people want him to do?

Hearing and reading through various narratives of PDP elements, shows exactly, that they are seeing political doom far ahead of them as the Supeme Court goes through the Adelabu versus Makinde matter. They are seeing afar off that their political ship is about hitting “penkelemesi iceberg” of thorough legal scrutiny of their phyric electoral victory and their best form to avoid the failure is to erupt in shouting rants of seeing a wolf at the Supreme Court where none exists.

Yes, they may loose at the Supreme Court like any party to a dispute can. That is the essece of judicial adjudications. One wins and another looses. But to start a red herring of interference and diminishing good names of political leaders and the Presidency is tantamount to naked Machiavellian tactics that does the judiciary or the rule of law no good.

The hype of tampering with the judgement of the Supreme Court by PDP elements does not do Governor Seyi Makinde any good himself. All the PDP sponsored media hype of a wolf gone loose against the poultry is just a means of saying “we told you so” by the time they loose at the Supeme Court. Then, we need ask ourselves whether they are not preparing the ground to unleash violence, anarchy and mayhem on the good people of Oyo state in case the judgement does not favour them ? Let’s earnestly ask them now: “where’s the wolf ?”. To discerning minds, there’s no wolf anywhere. They are the real wolves and judgement tampering politicians trying to destroy confidence in our judicial process and thereby destroy our hard earned democracy.
Adelabu has every right to approach the Supeme Court in order to lay his matter before their Lordship. He is a law abiding citizen.

So, my plea to GSM, PDP and it’s stakeholders is to allow the rule of law to reign and assure all our people that no matter where the pendulum swings at the Supeme Court, law and order will be allowed to reign in the pacesetter state.

They should stop the needless vibes of agitating the people of Oyo state into irate mobs on both sides of the divide. They should allow the reverred judges of the Court perform their constitutional duty without insidious political hecklings reverberating all around them.

Let the rule of law takes it’s course!

The Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State Chapter on Thursday held a Press Conference to show their displeasure towards the purported plan by Governor Makinde to appoint Caretaker Committee.

OYOMIND.COM.NG recalled that Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde has said that Caretaker Chairmen for the 33 Local Governorments will be appointed in the month of December.

The Press Conference which held at ALGON House, had in attendance the members of the State Chapter of ALGON which comprises of Chairmen of the 33 Local Governments and 35 LCDAs.

Oyo ALGON in their statement thereby reiterated that they would defend their mandate given to them by the people who elected them as no one dare to sit on a chair that is not vacant.

THE PRESS CONFERENCE READS

THE FINAL PUSH BY A LAWLESS GOVERNRMENT

When an act of illegality is committed by an obstinate government, other acts of illegality will be committed in a desperate attempt to cover the initial act of illegality. This is the logic of engagement the Oyo State government under His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde has adopted in its self-imposed crisis of illegal dissolution of local government in the state since May 29th, 2019 when this administration came on board.

It could be recalled that Governor Seyi Makinde gave an obnoxious directive less than three hours after his swearing – in through his Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka, dissolving all democratically elected authorities of local government and local council development areas with “immediate effect”. The directive also stated that all Chairmen should handover to their Heads of Local Government Administration and embargo placed on all councils accounts until further notice.

Since the announcement of this military-like coup against elected local government, the state has been thrown into a series of lawlessness and impunity which has adversely affected development and democratic running of local administration in Oyo State. Our people at the grassroots daily bear the pains of this lawlessness while the governor fiddles with his team unconcerned with the crisis of governance at the most important level of governance.

Our immediate and sustained response to this act of illegality by the administration was to follow the path of legality and rule of law to remind the government of the serious threat to democracy its dangerous approach to governance and flagrant disobedience of court order meant to disrupt sustained peace and development in the state.

We reminded the government through an official letter to his office and many public statements including a world press conference, calling the governor’s attention to his violation of a subsisting court injunction against dissolution of local government in the state as ordered by Justice A.A. Aderemi of High Court 2, Ibadan, Oyo State, on May 6, 2019. The enrolment of order was contained in the suit No: 1/347/2019. This dissolution was also a clear breach of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended which states that: “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this constitution guaranteed” Supreme Court has also ruled against dissolution of elected local government councils (by the Governors) in similar cases in Ekiti and other states.

Again, Governor Seyi Makinde will be making history as the First Governor to breach the NFIU guideline with this move. We, the elected chairmen and councilors as members of ALGON, Oyo State, have been seeking all constitutional and peaceful means to correct this illegal act of state governor, but it is now very clear that the government has decided, out of its own volition, to be deaf and dumb to all voices of reason and wisdom in its flagrant disobedience of court order and it is in an hurry to push Oyo State into a state of anomie, a lawless state where the rule of men not rule of law reigns.

Despite the fact that the state government has filed an appeal against the high court judgment perpetually restraining it from dissolving the elected council government, Oyo State Governor has again publicly disclosed his plan to constitute “very soon” caretaker committees in all the 33 councils and sole administrators in the 35 local council development areas. We consider this as an act of illegality, executive rascality, an affront to the judiciary and rule of law. The governor’s desperate plan to break the peace and return the state to the old days of ‘Pankere’ lawless politics of thuggery where might is right will be resisted by all democratic and peaceful means.

We warn that any attempt by the governor to impose caretaker committees on the councils when the appeal the state government filed is yet to be heard while a perpetual restraining order against dissolution of elected council administration is still subsisting, will be considered as the final push that will exhaust our patience. We will be very ready to defend our mandates popularly given by the people who elected us into position of responsibility. You do not sit on a chair that is not vacant except court clears the seat for you or you take the seat by force, a recipe for violence and lawlessness.

ALGON has resolved at our last meeting that in the event of an invasion of the council secretariats by the Seyi Makinde Forces of Occupation, we will be more than ready to defend the councils and the sanctity of the peoples’ mandate freely given to us. All elected local government chairmen and councilors are hereby put on notice and be at alert anytime the governor makes his final push. Where tradition is lacking, a striking example is very necessary. Action and Reaction are equal and opposite.

At this juncture, we want to appeal again to the good people of Oyo State to prevail on Governor Seyi makinde not to push the state into violence, he should tow the path of honour and respect the rule of law which he sworn to uphold. Thank you.

The Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran has declared that declared that some ongoing 2017 UBEC-OyoSUBEB intervention projects in Ogbomosho and Ibadan would be ready for use at the resumption of pupils next academic term.

Dr. Nureni said this on Thursday while inspecting the projects recounted the importance of the projects to improvement of basic education in the State and expressed satisfaction at the standard and speed at which the ongoing projects were being executed, saying most of the projects were ready for use for the pupils when pupils resume school next term. 

The present administration had on resumption in office called all contractors handling various projects under the 2017 UBEC/SUBEB Intervention projects to a meeting and charged them to deliver on their contractual promises so as to avert the wrath of government.

Adeniran revealed that the completion of the projects would give easy passage to the commencement the 2018 Intervention projects in earnest, noting that the inspection became very necessary due to the State Governor’s passion for the education sector.

The Chairman’s first call was Methodist Primary School, Bodija, where he assured the school authority that government would soon site a Model school there in fulfillment of the State government’s pledge to improve learning in the State.

“As soon as we commence the next intervention Project, a Model school would be sited here, therefore let me plead with the traders displaying their wares at the entrance of schools, blocking the entrance of this school, to please vacate the space, as a big project would soon commence here,” he said.

The Chairman also visited Anwaru-Islam Primary School, Eleyele, 1,2,3, and St. Peters Primary School, Aremo, where he urged the contractors on site to speed up the projects, against resumption of the pupils, next term.

Among other projects visited by the Chairman was Elewura Community Primary School, Elewura, where the project has been completed and in use already by the school pupils.

Speaking on security threats posed by hoodlums in most public school premises, the chairman reiterated his promise that the State government would ensure arrest and prosecution of anyone found culpable of disturbing the peace of schools, during and after school hours.

Meanwhile, the Chairman also monitored the ongoing Unified examination in all public primary schools in the State, saying that the essence of the monitoring exercise was to ensure that quality returned to the education system in the State.

He maintained that the present administration under Governor Seyi Makinde has strengthened the unified examination so as to nurture the pupils from the scratch, saying the effort would go a long way in curbing poor performance in external examinations by pupils.

“This Government has paid for the unified examination for public primary schools in the state, which the past administration rested its responsibilities on the shoulders of the parents. With this exam, we can know the competence level of each pupil we nurture and know how to help them,” he said.

In order curb the overloading which has become order of the day amidst motorists, commercial motor drivers carrying more than one passenger on the front seat as well as cyclists with more than one passenger would henceforth be arrested and prosecuted for the violation of State Traffic Law.

The Chairman, Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA), Mogaji Akin Fagbemi disclosed this in Ibadan while addressing newsmen.

Mogaji Fagbemi said the number of accidents recorded in the recent time were as a result of overloading. Hence calling on all motorists to comply with the State Road Traffic Law (2019) that compels motorists not to take more than a passenger at the front while commercial motorcyclists were also to take a passenger with compulsory use of crash helmet.

“Owing to the significant number of motorcycle-related road crashes recorded in the State in the last two quarters of the year, it has become imperative and expedient to fully and strictly implement the portion of the State Road Traffic Law 2019, which clearly stipulates that all motorists and motorcycles operating within the State should not at any point in time carry more than one passenger and must as well utilize the crash helmet.

“In the best interest of citizens of Oyo State, particularly as the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration is committed to the security of lives and properties of the people, the governor has directed, through OYRTMA that all commercial motorists and motorcycles must adhere strictly to the traffic law on the number of passengers to load, so as to avoid accident.”

Fagbemi reiterated the readiness of the State administration to put any offender caught violating the law through the legal process to serve as deterrence for others.