AMIDST reports that she was arrested in London for alleged money laundering, wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, on Tuesday, described the report as a rumour sponsored by people playing dirty politics.

Reports of her alleged arrest by the London Metropolitan Police, went viral on the internet on Tuesday with the Nigerian Tribune innundated with calls on the veracity of the reports.

An evening newspaper based in Lagos also heightened the tension with an alleged confirmation by the Met police of the arrest of Mrs Ajimobi over an alleged attempt to launder £400,000.

However, both Mrs Ajimobi and the British High Commission in Nigeria denied the reported arrest, with the governor’s wife declaring that she was not picked up by the police for any offence.

Speaking with newsmen in a telephone conversation, Mrs Ajimobi said she was in London to return her 14-year-old daughter to her school, adding that she would return to Nigeria this morning.

The telephone encounter between her and the newsmen went thus:

Journalists: Good evening.

Mrs Ajimobi: Good evening. How are you?

We are fine. Is it true that you have been arrested in London? It is a lie. I don’t know what they are talking about and where they got the information from. I left Nigeria on Sunday, to take my daughter back to school and hopefully I should be in Nigeria tomorrow (today). I don’t know where they got that rumour from.

Were you at any time invited by the police? No. I came…I have never been invited by the police and I don’t know what they are talking about. And I don’t know where the rumour is coming from.

What is your mission at this time in England? What is my mission? Like I said, I brought my daughter here. I have a 14-year-old daughter. She is schooling here and she has been schooling here over the past five years. She came in 2007. She should have returned to school on Sunday but because of Sallah I could not bring her. We left Nigeria Sunday morning and she returned to school yesterday (Monday) morning. That is my mission here.

Did you read the report of your arrest in the online media and newspapers? Yes I did. I was shocked and surprised when I read the report. There is no iota of truth in everything they said in the report. It is blatant lie and as far as I am concerned….journalists that allow themselves to be used…even if they are going to write anything, they should try and find out, get information and be sure of what they are writing.

When are you expected back in the country? Tomorrow morning (today).

It was alleged that you have travelled out of the country 52 times since the inauguration of this administration. (bursts into laughter) That is ridiculous. If I travelled 52 times, that means I don’t live in Nigeria at all…(bursts into laughter again).

Ok. How many times have you travelled? Maybe when I come back I will give you my passport…(laughs again). I want us to deal with facts. When I come back, you can take a look at my passport and see. I have a daughter that has been schooling in England since 2007 and if you look at my passport, you will see I have travelled less (than the number quoted). She is just going to be 15 in…..She comes to Nigeria because she does not have people she can stay with.

Also reacting, Hooman Nouruzi, press secretary, UK High Commission, Abuja, said the commission had no information to suggest Mrs Ajimobi was arrested by the London Metropolitan Police.

Meanwhile, Governor Ajimobi has threatened to sue a Lagos-based newspaper for the sum of N1 billion.

This was disclosed in a release issued by Dr Festus Adedayo, his Special Adviser on Media.

The newspaper had, on Tuesday, published a piece, entitled “Anxiety over Florence Ajimobi’s alleged arrest in UK,” wherein it published a story purportedly written by an online agency which alleged that the wife of the governor had been arrested in London for money laundering.

According to the release, “the state government has the responsibility to ensure that the media did not become an instrument in the hands of blackmailers for such acts.

“We want to state unequivocally that this report is not only wicked, it is also the figment of the imagination of the writers.

“Mrs Ajimobi was never arrested for any offence whatsoever. Even though our investigations have shown that this is the work of some arrowheads of the opposition, it was done in such an amateurish way that beats the imagination of any responsible reader.”

The government said though it had a lot of respect for the media, there was the need to drag the runners of these media to court to explain the details of their reports to the rest of the world.

-Tribune

By OLA AJAYI,

IBADAN – Scores of women marched round major streets of Ibadan calling on legislators to make laws on violence against women.

The women under the aegis of Zonta Club International, Zonta Club, Ibadan and Oyo State Officers Wives Association who were observing sixteen days of activism as declared by the United Nations went to some broadcasting houses calling on people to say no to violence against women and children.

They displayed many anti-violence placards against women and children. Some of the inscriptions read, “Zonta says no to rape, female circumcision, childhood marriage, degrading traditional practices, discrimination in employment, denial of female education, sexual harassment, child labour, violence from law enforcement agency, childhood marriage and others.

The leaders of the forum, Governor, Zonta Club International, District 18, Mrs. Gloria Stene Agboola and the President, Dr. Omolara Smith spoke extensively on various ways menfolk perpetrate violence against women and children.

Mrs. Agboola who spoke with Vanguard during the sensitization rally said it was the first time the two clubs would come together for such a rally.

“We want the House of Assembly to pass the bill that would check violence against women and children. Once we get the bill passed, then we will make people who commit such crimes pay for it”.

“So, the essence of the rally is to make people talk about it, she said.

Oyo State Police Command has arrested Alhaji Lateef Akinsola, a factional leader of the state’s National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW). His arrest was made public in Ibadan yesterday in a release issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the state, Clement Adoda.

Adoda said Akinsola, popularly known as ‘Tokyo,’ was undergoing interrogation in respect of pending criminal cases against him and for which he was declared wanted by the police. He added that the outcome of the investigation would determine subsequent actions to be taken by the police.

Adoda, however, said there was no need for residents of the state to be apprehensive following the arrest of Akinsola. “People are advised to go about their lawful businesses without any fear of molestation,” he stated. The police boss, in addition, warned disgruntled elements who might want to foment trouble or cause public disorder to think twice about their planned actions.

“The command is combat ready to deal with such a situation and any troublemaker caught would be made to face the full wrath of the law. “The interest of Oyo State takes precedence over any other consideration,” Adoda said. (NAN)

-Sun

Retired Brig. Gen. Rotimi Oluwole

It was learnt that Mrs. Oluwole was kidnapped around 6.30pm on Monday in front of her company, AOK Logistics Limited.

Mrs. Oluwole, whose husband was also a former Ambassdor to the United States of America between 2008 and 2009, was abducted by four armed men while leaving her office.

When visited on Tuesday, the Ikolaba, Ibadan residence of the Rotimis was deserted.

The Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Police Command, Mr. Ayodele Lanade, confirmed the incident.

“It is true that the woman (Titilayo) was kidnapped on Monday at about 6.30pm. I can tell you that our men are currently on the trail of the criminals,

“We leant that she was taken away in a green Nissan Primera belonging to the suspected kidnappers.” he said.

He, however, said no arrest had been made in connection to the incident.

It was learnt that the case, which was reported at the Egbeda Police Station, had been transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan.

Our correspondent learnt that the police raised questions on the manner in which the woman was abducted.

A source, who craved anonymity, said, “The kidnappers drove into the gate and forced their victim into the car while her driver merely looked and allowed them to whisk her away without any resistance.”

Lanade explained, “The manner of arrest is strange when compared with similar cases of kidnapping.

“We found out that there is a rift between the woman and her workers over three months salary which led to agitation by the aggrieved workers.”

Via Punch

THE Oyo and Osun state governments have been urged to harmonise efforts and jointly re-open the case file of the slain former Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Justice, the late Chief Bola Ige, so that those who assassinated him on December 23, 2001 could be fished out and brought to book.

Former president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and former member of the House of Representatives, Dr Wale Okediran, made this call while delivering the second Bola Ige memorial lecture, organised by the Oyo State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), held at the NUJ Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Monday.

Present on the occasion were the Ikolaba of Ibadanland, Chief Lekan Alabi; renowned scientist, Professor Akin Mabogunje; the Baale of Ekotedo, Chief Taiwo Ayorinde; daughter of the late AG, Mrs Funso Adegbola and her husband; members of the Oyo NUJ press council and politicians from far and wide.

In his lecture entitled: “The challenges of political leadership in Nigeria,’’ Okediran said “I wish to appeal to the Oyo and Osun state governments to, as a matter of urgency, reopen the case file of Bola Ige’s death, a promise made by both Governors Aregbesola and Ajimobi during the 10th Bola Ige memorial lecture exactly a year ago.

“By doing this, the governors will show the whole world that the forces of fascism and autocracy would always be defeated however long it might take them to threaten humanity.’’

While noting that the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU’s) latest report named Nigeria as the worst place for a baby to be born in 2013, Okediran advocated private sector-led growth, macroeconomic stability and fiscal discipline and anti-corruption measures as part of the strategies for bringing about change in the country.

-Tribune

OYO State government on Friday clamped down on brothels operating in residential areas to curb their influence on young persons.

According to the state Commissioner for Environment and Habitat, Mr Lowo Obisesan, the action was to discourage brothels from operating in residential areas.

“Operating brothels in residential areas shows irresponsibility on the side of the owners who do not care about the impact on children who are exposed to such acts of indecency.

“Reports from the affected communities have reached us as parents abhor acts of indecency their children are exposed to as a result of the existence of such brothels.

“Brothels should never be located in residential areas. This is illegal and we will not tolerate it. We will go round the state and ensure that anybody operating such centres will be brought to book,” Obisesan said.

On the distribution of relief materials to affected flood victims of last year, he said plans were underway to distribute these to all concerned before the end of the third quarter.

“The donations are already being used in the reconstruction of affected bridges, roads and drainages, and the relief materials will get to all concerned before the end of March,” he said.

Obisesan also said that mobile courts would be set up in all the 33 local government in the state to look after all the environment cases in the state.
-Tribune

THE Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom in Ilaje Local Council of Ondo State, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, has given indications that the Federal Government would give a helping hand in rebuilding the burnt part of the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi.

Akinruntan, who led an advanced presidential team on a sympathy visit to the Alaafin on Saturday, said President Goodluck Jonathan was deeply saddened and shocked by the palace inferno.

The Ugbo monarch said he was at the palace in three capacities, as the fore-runner of the emissary by Mr. President, as the Chairman, Yoruba Conflict Resolution Committee and as the chairman of Ilaje Local Government Traditional Council and disclosed that the President specifically asked him to deliver his message to Alaafin, with a promise that he (President) would still send a powerful delegation to deliver his letter of sympathy as well as the necessary assistance towards the reconstruction of the burnt area of the palace.

Oba Akinruntan, who was later conducted round the razed apartments by Alaafin, described the incident as a disaster, not only to the Alaafin and the people of Oyo, but to the entire Yoruba people and urged for concerted efforts by every well-meaning sons and daughters of Yorubaland to rise to the challenge of making the palace the pride of place for all.

Alaafin was full of praises for Oba Akinruntan, whose ancestors he traced to be the first original settlers of the ancient Ife town, recalling that the Olugbo’s ancestors were the Ugbos that gave the Ifes nightmare before they left for their present site in the riverine area of Ondo State.

Oba Adeyemi also commended Olugbo for his untiring efforts to ensure that Yoruba Obas live in unity and oneness through the conflict resolution committee being chaired by him, stressing that he was ready to attend any meeting of the prominent Obas towards living in peace amongst themselves

Alaafin, however, maintained that there had never been a time in the history of Yoruba that Oyo was under any other town in Yorubaland and this had also informed his position, which to some people made him controversial.

-Guardian

Although they have lived side by side for many years, residents of some neighbourhoods in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital appear to be getting tired of the brothels in their areas.
In fact, a recent pronouncement by the state government that it intends to rid residential areas of brothels has fuelled the silent feud.
A woman who lives at Ekotedo and identified herself Mama Joy captures the mood of the neighbours of these brothels.
“Government’s decision is the mind of God. How do you explain a lady taking to prostitution as a means of livelihood.

“It is just too bad and as well very ungodly. To advise them is not easy since they have become hardened. They didn’t just start the trade today. When you call them to counsel them, they will insult you and ask you if you will shoulder their responsibilities.
“They will tell you the country is hard. They will tell you men are not ready to marry them. They will tell you they have no job. Some of them will even tell you that the job is lucrative. How do you help someone like that?”
She said that their presence in the community had become an eyesore and a bad influence.
She said, “Unfortunately, they see prostitution as a way of life. They enjoy it and they corrupt the minds of other young people who see them and copy their lifestyle. In this environment, you have to monitor your children very closely; especially the girls.
“You know they say that evil company corrupts good manners. These ladies who are into prostitution always sit outside or go about almost naked. The young kids see them and are fascinated.
“They watch the male clients of these prostitutes come in and go out every time. They see people smoking and drinking to stupor all the time. They see people fighting over sex partners every time and witness other obscene sights everyday. It has become a way of life and it is not good.”
According to the state government, the clampdown on brothels operating in residential areas is necessary to curb their influence on young persons. The state Commissioner for the Environment and Habitat, Lowo Obisesan, had told the News Agency of Nigeira on January 4, 2013 that the action was to discourage the state government was set to shut brothels in residential areas around the state.
This was followed by an ultimatum expected to lapse by the end of January.
“Operating brothels in residential areas shows irresponsibility on the part of the owners, who do not care about the impact on children, who are exposed to such acts of indecency.
“Reports from the affected communities have reached us because parents abhor the acts of immodesty shown to their children as the result of the existence of such brothels,” Obisesan told NAN.
But one of the sex workers who introduced herself as Tina said news of the impending clampdown and the support of the residents for the move had set them on edge.
Tina, who gave her age as 16 and some of her colleagues expressed fears that their eviction would deny them of their only source of livelihood.
The young lady, who told our correspondent that she got into prostitution a year ago as a result of the death of her parents, said she got to Ibadan a year ago from her native Delta State.
“I have to do this job in spite of the high risk involved in order to keep body and soul together. I have been at this brothel ever since my arrival in this city.
“This brothel has been here for many years. Why do they want to send us away now? What have we done to them?
“I pay N500 as rent at the brothel everyday. My room is just big enough to contain my small bed and a few other personal effects like bags, clothes, makeup and cooking utensils.
“I use the money I make from this work to pay my rent, feed, buy clothes and take care of other daily needs. I also engage in daily savings.
“If we are sent away now, where do we go?” she asked.
Another sex worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said their lodgings were old and poorly maintained.
She added, “Usually, the rooms are poorly ventilated but our customers manage to use the place anyway since it is for short time. But we don’t know why government is asking us to leave the place since they are not the owners of these buildings and they are not going to take over the houses.”
Some of the brothels visited by our correspondent are situated in the business areas of Ekotedo, Queen Cinema and Sabo area of Mokola, Ibadan, where items such as computers, computer accessories, electronics and clothes are sold.
Two of the popular brothels are situated close to two big beer depots in Ekotedo. Beside the beer depots are pockets of small drinking joints where men and women unwind daily.
Activities usually surge at the drinking joints near the brothels in the evenings, especially on weekends. A commercial bus driver who gave his alias as Baba Ishan said that the proximity of drinking joints to brothels was a “wise business decision.”
He said, “Some people will like to step down with fun (sex) after they are through with drinking.”
The brothels are usually old buildings with small rooms and a small reception. The brothels, located either beside the road or in a corner within the residential areas, are usually awash with loud music, thick cigarette smoke and lights of various colours.
Charming and sparsely dressed ladies from ages 15 to 50 often line the corridors and balconies as from 6pm when “customers” begin to trickle in till late night when the arena is filled.
The sight is exciting to school pupils who dance to the sound of the music wafting from the brothels. Occasionally, some of them run errands for the ladies; most times they quickly run to get cigarettes for customers, a resident said.
A Primary 5 pupil, Ade, who reluctantly spoke with our correspondent, said, “I don’t know whether I like them to be moved away or not. I like them because they are friendly but my mother always prevents me from running errands for them.”
Another pupil, who gave her name as Rita simply said, “I don’t like prostitutes” and then ran away.
Rita is a pupil of a school located almost 500 metres away from one of the brothels. Close to other brothels are some private schools.
A house wife, Tonia, said, “I hate to live here. Others live here too. I don’t like what they do but I try to train my child very well.”
Another woman, Mama Bukola, said she had been living close to one of the brothels for a long time.
“I don’t like what they do but there is nothing I can do about it. I am not a prostitute and my daughters are not into prostitution. When you pray and bring up your children properly they will not go into prostitution.
“The removal of these brothels will give us rest of mind in this area. We are happy about government’s plan to evict them,” she said.
Another parent, Mr. Tony Chukwuma, agreed that brothels in residential areas should be shut down but he advised that government should rehabilitate the sex workers. Chukwuma reasoned that unless that was done the decision would create a problem of resettling the sex workers. “Moving the sex workers from the metropolis alone cannot solve the problem of immorality. The society is corrupt in every sense and sexual perversion is just one of the many vices. Relocating them will only shift attention of those who patronise the brothels from one area of the city to the other.
“A total ban on prostitution would have been the best way out to save the society and especially the youth from social perversion. As we commend the government for its courage in flushing the sex workers out of the metropolis, they still need to do something about prostitution in general,” he counselled.
A private school teacher working in Mokola area of Ibadan, Mrs. Teju Olawale, told our correspondent that brothels within residential areas we an eyesore which should be eradicated.
She said that the presence of brothels in residential and school areas was harmful to education and development.
Olawale said, “Every learner should have a sound mind which is neither polluted nor distracted. The minds of pupils living in such an environment will be tuned towards vices and they would not be able to concentrate on their studies. All they will be hearing is bad music; they will be accustomed to bad dressing and all other vices such as drinking and smoking.”
The Chairman, Ibadan North West Local Government, Mr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, explained that allowing these commercial sex workers “in residential areas will pollute the minds of ladies and young boys. We held a meeting with their coordinators and proprietors to agree on government decision.
“Go to places like Ekotedo, Queen Cinema area and you won’t be happy at the sight you will meet. You can imagine the kind of life that children raised in such places face everyday. We have given the sex workers till the end of the month. Those who violate the order shall be forcefully moved.”
When contacted, the spokesman for the state police command, Mr. Ayodele Lanade, said, “I cannot comment yet on government’s decision to close down brothels in residential areas because I have not been around in the state for some time now.
“However, the state government has not formally informed us about the decision to evict sex workers from residential areas. We cannot act until we are carried along. But, I can assure you that the command will not fail in its duties.”

THE mystery surrounding the whereabouts of a 36-year-old woman, Kafilat Lateef, has been unravelled by the Oyo State police command, as five suspects have been arrested for allegedly killing her for ritual purpose.
The suspects, who were arrested in Oyo town, were Gbenga Taiwo (35), Afeez Kareem (38), Lukman Ganiyu (30), Mohammed Saheed (45) and Adeyemi Adedokun (40).
The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, Mrs Janet Agbede, who conducted newsmen round the scene of the crime, said a family member of the deceased, one Sekinat Lateef, went to Kajorepo police station to report the case of a missing person.
According to Mrs Agbede, the complainant said her sister went to her lover in Oyo, on January 21 and did not return.
She added that the complainant also told the police that calls made to Kafilat’s line was no longer going, until a few days later, when they received a call from her line that she had an accident in Lagos and was at the General Hospital, also in Lagos.
The police boss said policemen set to work after the family had reported the case, resulting in the arrest of the principal suspect, Taiwo.
Mrs Agbede said his confessional statement led to the arrest of others and recovery of the remains of the deceased, which had to be exhumed.
Taiwo, the lover, had reportedly invited the deceased to Oyo and, in connivance with his friends, Kareem and Lukman, laced Kafilat’s drink with drug, which made her to sleep off, after which Lukman hit her on the head with a digger.
The suspects had confessed that they dug a shallow grave at the backyard of the house where Lukman was a guard, where they buried the body of the deceased with a kolanut in her mouth.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that trouble started for the group when they went to the grave the second day and did not find the kolanut.
After the third day, they decided to exhume the corpse, remove the head and burnt other parts, while they buried the charred remains in another grave by a dump site at the back of the house.
Taiwo confessed that the head was given to one Adeyemi Adedokun a.k.a Baba Agbadu, to keep.
In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Taiwo said his action was based on his discussion with a Muslim cleric, Saheed, who asked him to bring a kolanut which had been put in the mouth of a dead person, promising to use it to make a charm for him.
A herbalist, Adedokun, in whose custody the severed head was allegedly kept, however, denied being given the head, though he admitted that Taiwo brought the head to his house.
Nigerian Tribune further gathered that Taiwo was a wanted suspect in connection with cases of robbery.
He was said to have abandoned his wife and only child, relocating to Oyo from Ibadan immediately he knew there was a manhunt for him.

Via Tribune

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; his Anambra counterpart, Mr. Peter Obi; and a former Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Rashidti Ladoja, may soon defect to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

Competent sources at the national headquarters of the party said on Friday that the party had concluded arrangements to have these men in its fold.

Mimiko was a member of the PDP before he defected to the Labour Party in 2006 to contest the governorship election in his state.

He had wanted to contest the election under the umbrella of the PDP but then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo insisted that Dr. Olusegun Agagu would run for a second term.

The insistence of Obasanjo made Mimiko to resign his ministerial position and defect to the LP.

Though the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Agagu as the winner of the election, the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin later reversed the decision and proclaimed Mimiko the authentic winner.

Mimiko, who also defeated other governorship candidates, including that of the PDP, Chief Olusola Oke and that of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, in the 2012 governorship election, will be sworn in on Sunday to begin his second term in office.

A member of the National Working Committee of the PDP, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent in Abuja on Friday, said discussions had been concluded with Mimiko on his return to the party.

Mimiko, he said, would be made the leader of the ruling party in the South-West, with the  mandate to reconcile aggrieved members of party in the zone.

Not only that, he said the governor, who after defection, would be the only governor of the PDP in the entire six states in the zone, will also be saddled with the responsibility of mobilising for the party in the zone.

The source said, “Mimiko is coming to the PDP. That is certain. Though we have not agreed on any date for his official defection, I can tell you authoritatively that we have concluded agreements on this.

“His coming would also help us in the South-West because of the coming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states. We need to win at least one of the two states.

“Mimiko is going to be the leader of the party in the zone, because right now, the party is in disarray due to a lot of factions and court cases arising from the zonal congress of the party, which was nullified by the court.”

The plan to have Mimiko back in the PDP was said to have been hatched by Chief Ebenezer Babatope and Senator Bode Olajumoke.

The two men were said to have convinced President Goodluck Jonathan on the need for Mimiko to return to the party.

If he returns, he may do so with members of the LP in both the National Assembly and the Ondo State House of Assembly.

However, Mimiko and Obi said they had no plans to dump their respective platforms for the PDP.

Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said, “There is no iota of truth in the story. It was planted by the opposition to discredit our inauguration.

“We are focused on our inauguration and we will not give in to any form of distraction from anybody or group seeking cheap political relevance.”

Chief Press Secretary to the Anambra governor, Mr. Mike Udah, said, “Governor Obi is sitting pretty in APGA. He is comfortable in the party.

-Punch

BY OLA AJAYI
IBADAN — Residents of Omitowoju area of Ibadan where there was a fire outbreak, Monday night, have been counting their losses.

Many houses and shops were burnt in the incident but there was no casualty.

When Vanguard visited the scene ,Tuesday, thousands of sympathisers thronged the area complaining about the carelessness of the driver of the fuel tanker that emptied its 33,000 litres of fuel on the road.

Many traders who spoke with Vanguard pleaded with Governor Abiola Ajimobi to come to their aid as they had lost their hard-earned livelihood to the fire incident.

The Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan North West Local Government Area, Mr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, said over N500 million worth of property was lost in the incident.

According to him, over 70 houses and shops were razed.

He blamed the incident on negligence on the part of the tanker driver, adding that the fire was so serious that he had to call on a company nearby to assist in putting it out.

Things burnt included deep freezers, beverages, tailoring materials among others.

He disclosed that the fuel had contaminated the water supply and electricity.

To prevent the affected residents from drinking polluted water, he said an order had been given for a tanker of drinkable water to be stationed in the area for the people.

One of the affected traders, Mrs. Aminat Afolabi, said: “I lost over N600, 000 worth of goods to the fire. What came to my mind was how to survive with those very vulnerable ones under me including my child. I join my people to appeal to the government not to abandon us in this terrible moment.”

Another shop owner, Mrs. Ajoke Joel, said she lost property worth millions of naira.

Vanguard also gathered that a new Toyota Camry car which the owner was showing to his friends was burnt.

Some government officials were seen taking down the names of the affected traders, yesterday.

-Vanguard

By Abiodun Ladepo | Los Angeles, USA | June 26, 2013 – An Ijesha man (they are always apt for jokes) boarded a commercial vehicle from Ilesha headed for Ibadan. The driver asked him where he would prefer to alight. The man answered: “Iwo Road.” Once there, the driver asked the passenger to pay and get off his vehicle. The passenger refused. The passenger then launched at the driver a vituperative tirade in his thick Ijesha dialect, complaining about “all these fraudulent, uncharitable drivers out to dupe hapless people.” Didn’t the driver know that he had been travelling to Ibadan long before the driver was born, and didn’t the driver know that he knew exactly what Iwo road looked like? Where were all the road-side hawkers of building materials and Tokunbo generators? What happened to the ever-present craters under the Iwo Road over-head bridge? Where was the motor park that had so much encroached on the roundabout that other users were forced to endure hours-long standstill? The driver welcomed the man to the “New” Iwo Road and a new Ibadan. This on-going jingle on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) station seeks to accentuate Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s transformation of Ibadan, and I dare say, of Oyo State.

Visitors to the State who have not been there in the past two years will be pleasantly surprised to find an Oyo State that is in a hurry; a giant that has just been woken up from a long slumber – one induced by years of inept, corrupt, and cowardly leadership. I have often wondered how the governments of Adebayo Alao-Akala (a.k.a. Triple A) and Rashid Ladoja demonstrated so much motion (or rather commotion) but with very little movement to show for it. Between both of them, they not only wasted billions of naira that accrued to the State, they also wasted the time and lives of Oyo State indigenes while fighting each other for the right to fleece us blind. How on earth did we tolerate the hooliganism, the brigandage, and the rancid stench that emanated from Molete and Olomi areas of Ibadan? How did we allow Baba Adedibu and the NURTW to literally decide how the State’s revenue was allocated? How did we navigate the interminable traffic hold-ups at Apata, Mokola, Aleshinloye, Onireke, Dugbe, Sango, Challenge, Ring Road/Adeoyo, Apete, Orita-Merin, Oniyanrin/Abebi, and a host of other parts of Ibadan? How did we live with the laissez-faire attitude of the populace in those times?

I had often heard that Oyo State was difficult to govern and Ibadan, in particular, was impossible. And I had often wished I governed the State one day….just for one day…so that I could demonstrate exactly how to govern the State and Ibadan in particular. You do it exactly like Ajimobi is doing now. You do it without caring whose ox is gored. You do it as if you only have one day, not one term, and certainly not eight years. You do it in a hurry.

You begin by telling your political benefactors, or godfathers (the Lam Adesinas, the Kola Daisis, the Alaafin Adeyemis, the Arisekolas), and your political opponents (the Ladojas, the Dejo Raimis, the Akinjides) to nominate candidates for political appointments. You don’t let any of them dictate to you who gets what portfolio. You interlace your list of appointees with your own trusted hands. You screen them all for dedication, discipline, expertise, experience, vigour and vitality. You tell your Commissioners and Special Advisers that none of their positions are sacrosanct; and that they (Commissioners and Special Advisers) are, in fact, interchangeable and expendable if they can’t cope with the depth, spread, and speed of your administration. You put them to work on a vision that you have had years to form, tweak and perfect. And you do it in a hurry.

The biggest blight on Oyo State and on Ibadan, in particular, has always been garbage disposal, or lack thereof. Some previous governments have tried and failed to fix the problem. Others have been so intimidated by its sheer enormity that they did not even attempt to tackle it. The State had abandoned its landfills and the entire trash removal system had broken down. From home to home, business to business, people generated tons and tons of trash everyday, and there was no way of getting rid of it other than starting a bonfire.

The alternative was to dump it “just anywhere”. Yes, just anywhere…roadsides, Ogunpa, neighbours’ yards…just anywhere! Our carefree attitude about trash informed our recklessness in littering the roadsides with illegal structures in the forms of shops, stores, and motor parks, to the extent that otherwise beautifully planned Bodija and Oluyole estates totally lost their aesthetic appeals. As Governor, in the Year-Of-Our-Lord 2013, who has spent some time abroad, particularly the US, you can’t but appreciate the duty, perhaps even the moral obligation that the State owes its citizens in providing a way to get rid of their trash…all of their trash, including those illegal structures. You remember you don’t have an eternity to do it. You must do it in a hurry.

Another cankerworm that had crept into the fabric of Oyo State and had eaten deep into its developmental fabric is traffic hold-up. Like Lagos, people were starting to spend 30 minutes in standstill in Oyo State’s horrific traffic! Narrow roads; made even narrower by incorrigible drivers who parked anywhere and anytime: abandoned vehicles; some of which had been there since Adekunle Fajuyi was governor: illegal structures; built right on pieces of land allocated for future expansion of roads; washed-off bridges, washed-off culverts, washed-off pavements, and washed-off tar (which led to gaping pot-holes, man-holes and lakes on the roads during rainy season), all combined to make commuting in Oyo State a hellish experience.

People were already talking about relocating “back” to Lagos State! A forward-looking governor had to do something about it. And it was very simple: You get the civil servants in your secretariat to apprise you of the violators of building codes that impede free-flow of traffic and render Oyo State dirty. You give such offenders a reasonable ultimatum to move and self-demolish their structure, failing which the government would demolish it for them. After demolition, you commence the expansion of the road. You do it in a hurry.

You have to do everything in a hurry because our people are quick to ask: what have you done for me lately? You couldn’t demolish structures and not start to build right away. And build is what Ajimobi is doing. He is doing it so effortlessly that Triple A and Ladoja must truly be regretting how they squandered their opportunity to write their names in gold, rather than in infamy.

This week, Ajimobi will commission the new fly-over bridge at Mokola. The bridge is built right over the Mokola roundabout, effectively and permanently removing the decades-long traffic logjam there. Large vehicles are barred from the fly-over in order to prevent blockage in the event of a breakdown. The entire surroundings of the fly-over bridge and the four roads leading to Mokola roundabout are beautified. This is a far cry from the decadent, crime-ridden intersection that we had up till about two years ago. In May, I drove through Oyo and Ogbomoso, on my way to Ilorin, and saw the major roads under expansion there too. I am told that most of the State is going through some sort of renovation/rehabilitation or the other. In other words, if you are in the earth-moving business, Oyo State is where you should be right now.

Ajimobi has also constructed an ultra-modern motor park at Podo, complete with drainage system, water, food canteens, security and toilet facilities. He has built a business complex at Scout Camp, Molete, completely transforming that hitherto god-forsaken locale. Commuters in Eleyele, Onireke, Aleshinloye, Ijokodo-Apete, Ologun-eru, Challenge, and a host of other communities are now experiencing “pleasant traffic hold-ups” necessitated by furious road expansions. It’s as if Ajimobi’s life depends on it To even confound me more, Ajimobi is purportedly getting all these done without taking a dime in either international or domestic loan!

Of course, in the process of getting the job done, Ajimobi will step on (and even trampled over) some hitherto sacred cows’ toes, mine included. I got my SUV towed at Bodija-Oja for parking illegally; the grave of a professor’s grandfather was destroyed during the expansion of one road; a traditional chief’s husband’s business was destroyed during the clean-up of one street; a popular musician got parts of his studio eaten up by the expansion of another road; a respected businessman now has to walk 10 feet (instead of two) when visiting his third wife at her shop. But as Governor, you can’t even begin to care about these types of sentiments. These were the same types of hues and cries that prevented preceding governments from getting anything done.

These were the same types of complaints that forced previous governments into primitive unctuousness that relegated us to near-second-class citizens in our own country. These ne’er-do-well faux progenies of democracy were afraid to hurt anybody’s feeble feelings.

Already, Ajimobi’s political opponents (understandably so) have embarked on an orgy of lachrymose venom aimed at blackmailing him into pedestrian performance. They have derisively nick-named his government “ijoba ologun ipinle Oyo” (military government of Oyo State) for daring to enforce existing laws that bring our State at par with other civilized societies. This same set of people led previous governments that did not have the vision and/or the intestinal fortitude to grow Oyo State. It is this same set of people – professional critics – that would wait for Ajimobi to leave office and then ask: what did you do for Oyo State? They accused Ajimobi of not providing alternative shops for people whose illegal structures were demolished. What twisted logic! Why should government compensate anyone for illegality? Could anybody whose illegal structure was demolished tender a valid tax clearance certificate? Ajimobi’s foes, blinded by inordinate quest to pander to the populace, would turn logic on its head and wonder why Ajimobi did not give people two-to-three years’ notices. Haba! Out of four years?

The most loutish of his critics have charged that he awarded all his contracts to out-of-state contractors. Some even singled-out Bola Tinubu as the main beneficiary of all road contracts in Oyo State. Who cares about who gets the contracts as long as the roads and bridges are being done properly and on time? Does anybody remember the construction company that built Cocoa House? Does anyone even care today?

Ajimobi’s government is far from perfect. No government and no person can be perfect. But he has injected Oyo State with an infusion of the Can-Do vaccine. And that is all we need. We know now what we can do. We know that we can organize our towns, cities, and villages in a decent manner. We know that just because we are Nigerians does not mean we should live like Barbarians espousing only atavistic tendencies. We know that politics does not have to come with bloodshed. We know that our State hospitals should not cost more than private hospitals while our people wait for hours before being seen. We know that pharmacists in our State hospitals should not sell government drugs to patients while pocketing the proceeds. We know that State hospital nurses should not sell gloves to patients while using the same set of gloves to handle other patients.

We know that administrators of State Hospital, Adeoyo, Ibadan, can do better. We used to accept such below-average standards, but that was in the past. Now we know. Now we know that many of our schools still have leaky roofs and some still lack windows and doors. Now we know that many of our children still roam the streets during school hours hawking “pure water” and groundnuts. Now we know that we can do better than that. In the past, we just accepted our lot and consign ourselves to the Stone Age. We know now that right among us, in our own Oyo State, we have leaders and mid-level managers that can help march our State forward. Ajimobi cannot be everywhere. He just has to provide purpose, motivation and direction. And that is what leadership entails.

Oluyole2@yahoo.com

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday inaugurated the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, with a pledge that the N167bn project would be completed in 48 months.

He inaugurated the project as thousands of road users were grounded for about three hours on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Abeokuta-Ore-Benin Expressway.

The road users were prevented from accessing the Sagamu interchange until the ceremony ended around 12.15pm and the President left in a helicopter.

The reconstruction of the 35-year-old road is being handled by Messrs Julius Berger Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Ltd.

While the former takes charge of work from the interchange at Sagamu to Lagos, the latter will take care of the portion from the interchange to Ibadan.

While the lanes on both expressways were blocked with armoured personnel carriers, armed security agents were deployed around the interchange to check human and vehicular movement.

Some of the commuters who spoke with our correspondent said they were not aware that the President had an assignment at the interchange and were caught unawares by the gridlock. They blamed the President for adding to their hardship on both roads.

A motorist, who identified himself as Kunle Daramola, said commuters should have been warned beforehand to tarry a little for the ceremony to end before commencing their journeys.

He said, “My wife and I were to join my brother in Ibadan. He is taking his bride to the registry this morning. Now, we are stranded here and to worsen the case, I am standing in for our father as the first born. He has been calling me since but there is nothing I can do now despite the fact that we left very early to beat the traffic. It is not fair at all.”

A commercial bus driver, who identified himself as Allah Dey, was very furious when he was narrating his ordeal to our correspondent. He said, “When we saw about three helicopters flying a moment ago, we were thinking that maybe something serious had happened until someone said it was because of the President. I don’t know why they have to block the roads when the President is not travelling by road.

“Now that they are blocking the roads just to signal the commencement of construction, what will they do when they finish work on the road?”

The President, who flew to the interchange in a Nigeria Air Force helicopter, was accompanied to the venue by the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, and Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.

Apart from the NAF chopper, two others belonging to the Nigerian Army were part of the President’s fleet.

The President said he was delighted that at last, work was beginning on the road and promised to deliver.

Jonathan said the rehabilitation of the road was long overdue considering the fact that it connects Lagos, the economic nerve centre of Nigeria, to other parts of the country.

The President stated that 50 per cent of the economic transactions being conducted in the country were done between Lagos – Ogun area through the 35-year-old road.

Acknowledging that the 127.8km road was long overdue for reconstruction, the President also promised that the Federal Government would intervene in the rehabilitation of other federal roads traversing Ogun State as requested by Amosun.

He said that the Federal Government in 2009 entered into a concession agreement with a concessionaire, Bi-Courtney Highway Services, as a premier Public Private Partnership scheme. He stated that the concession was terminated four years later due to non-performance by the firm.

Earlier in his speech, Amosun urged the President to pay attention to other federal roads in Ogun State to complement the state efforts in rehabilitating the roads in the state. He advised the Federal Government to ensure that the N167bn to be expended on the rehabilitation of the road did not become a waste of scarce resources.

He urged the FG to put in place a sustainable maintenance arrangement for the highway.

He attributed the deplorable condition of many infrastructural facilities across the country to the carelessness and bad maintenance culture among Nigerians, adding that Jonathan should direct the Federal Ministry of Works to employ more workers for the maintenance of the road.

Both the President and Amosun performed a symbolic construction work when they climbed one of the construction equipment and drove it for a distance.

The Federal Government had, in November 2012, revoked the failed Lagos-Ibadan Expressway concession contract awarded to Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited in 2009.

In the concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highway Services Ltd, which was terminated on November 19, 2012, the firm was to expand the lanes to 10 from Lagos to Sagamu, and six lanes from Sagamu to Ibadan. It was also expected to build trailer parks and five interchanges among other things at a cost of N89.5bn.

-Punch

The rain that fell for almost two days in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has claimed  lives of two people and destroyed property.

The rain began on Sunday and continued till Monday night, sending panic through the flood-prone city. The Oluyole Local Government Area of the state was mostly affected by the downpour.

Flood wreaked havoc in the Arapaja area, opposite the Ibadan/Lagos Expressway and Akala new extension as  motorists who risked wading through the flood lost control of their vehicles. Unknown to some motorists, the flood had swept off a linking bridge. Commercial tricyclists and motorcyclists were said to have fallen victims. Eye witnesses said two people were swept away in the area.

Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Olabisi Ilobanafor, confirmed the death of an aged man and a commercial motorcyclist. She said the bodies of the two unnamed victims were recovered by rescue workers.

Ilobanafor said the corpses were recovered around 8.15a.m. on Tuesday near Challenge Police Station.

“The old man’s name was unknown. He was going in the rain and his leg slipped causing him to fall, hit his head on a stone and he died on the spot,” she said.

Our correspondent reports that rescue workers from the fire service department in the state were seen on Monday night searching for victims in the river that runs across the community.

-Punch

An attempt by a former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, to stage a comeback to the centre of the state’s politics suffered a setback as his request to visit the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, was rejected for security reasons.

The governor had written to the monarch on November 30, on his plan to visit the Alaafin  on December 4.

The letter, which was signed by the former governor, stated that, “I equally wish to intimate you that my visit shall be political in nature.”

Although the Alaafin accepted the request in a reply sent to Alao-Akala on December 2, a fresh reply sent on Tuesday stated otherwise.

In his second  reply to Alao-Akala, Alaafin said his status as a former governor of the state required adequate security which could not be guaranteed with the absence of the state Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, from the state.

“Ajimobi is the chief security officer in the state and he is presently out of the state. Owing to his absence, necessary security arrangements could not be facilitated. I would like to advise that your courtesy visit to me in the palace be rescheduled to some other time when necessary and adequate security protocols would be put in place. In the mean time, accept my warmest fatherly affection and prayers,” Alaafin wrote.

-Punch

A former Governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja, on Thursday lost one of his sons in an auto crash on the Eko Bridge in Lagos.

The deceased, identified as Adebola Ladoja, was driving a Golf saloon car, marked, AKD 107 CJ, and was said to be on his way to Lagos Island when a Daf truck, with number plate, JJJ 59 XA, driven by one Justice Oseghai, rammed into his car on the Eko Bridge.

An eyewitness said the driver of the Daf truck, who was on top speed, lost control of his vehicle, rammed into the median of the bridge, before he eventually crashed into the deceased’s car.

He said, “It took several hours before the victim could be rescued from the wreckage of the vehicle. He was trapped behind the wheels with blood gushing out of his head.”

The Lagos State Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident, added that it occurred at about 3.30pm.

She said, “At about 3.30pm on the Eko Bridge, Lagos Island, a Daf truck with number plate, JJJ 59 XA, driven by one Justice Oseghai, ran into a Volkswagen Golf saloon car, marked, AKD 107 CJ, driven by one Adebola Ladoja, the son of a former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja.

“The victim died on the spot. The corpse has been removed to the Lagos Island General Hospital mortuary for autopsy while the truck driver has been arrested.”

Some friends of Adebola took to Facebook to mourn the deceased

One of them, Kiri Phoenix Gray, wrote, “Omg I’m in such shock to find out my friend Dee CaKe Ladoja is no longer with us. I’ll never forget what such an amazing friend you were to me Dee and the only person I had when I first moved to London. I’ll miss you so much and I regret all the times we said we needed to catch up recently and didn’t. It was only a couple of weeks ago since we spoke and I won’t forget that conversation.

Another friend, Folarin Amosu, wrote, “Adebola Ladoja, my aburo, my good friend and ex colleague, Just heard the sad news about your accident that led to death. Why bro??? Still saw you two weeks ago when you visited me, we had a lovely time laughing and sharing business ideas.

‘‘You are the true legend Debola. Personally you will always be in my heart and I will always miss you.

Alhaji Alabi Ajikobi, a driver of the former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, was shot dead on Friday by unknown gunmen in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ajikobi was shot by suspected armed robbers while returning from the bank where he had gone to cash some unspecified amount of money.
Ajikobi was said to have been shot around the Bodija area of Ibadan.
Mrs Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the incident, said that the deceased was shot and killed on his way from the bank.
“It is true. We learnt that he went to a bank to collect some money. A man stopped him and had some discussion with him on his way back.
“Later, two men on a bike shot him and collected the money.
“We are on the trail of that man that stopped him. We have already begun investigation into the matter,” she said. (NAN)
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/05/alao-akalas-driver-shot-dead-suspected-robbers/#sthash.ptg7NiE8.dpuf

-Vanguard