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Defence/Security

Gunmen attack construction site at Owo, Ondo State

Attack

By Alaba-Olusola Oke

Owo (Ondo State), July 28, 2022 (NAN) Two security men of a construction firm were injured on Wednesday when gunmen attacked the company’s construction site in Owo, Ondo State.

Chief Adetunji Adeleye, Ondo State Commander of Amotekun Corps (the sub-regional security outfit in the southwest) confirmed the attack on Thursday.

He stated that the gunmen shot sporadically into the air and damaged the windshields of two earthmovers at the site.

“I have just left the scene and I realised that the two security men were injured as the attackers shot into the air.

“They damaged the windshields of two earthmovers of the construction company. The injured men have been taken to a hospital,’’ he stated.

Adeleye, also the Special Adviser to Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu on Security Matters, added that normalcy had since returned to the area.

Police in Ondo State also confirmed the attack on their verified Twitter handle.

“There was a shooting at a construction site in Owo on Wednesday night.

“Policemen are currently at the scene; victims have been taken to hospital and they are in stable condition,’’ the police stated. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

OKEO/ALLI

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Edited by Alli Hakeem

 

Defence/Security

Gunmen attack Police Division, kill policeman in Akure

Attack
Alaba-Olusola Oke
Akure, July 25, 2022 (NAN) The Police Command in  Ondo State has confirmed the attack on its Okuta Elerinla Police Division Headquarters, Akure, Akure South Local Government Area.

The Command’s spokesperson, SP Funmilayo Odunlali, in a statement issued on Monday in Akure, said that the attack on the police division resulted in the death of one of its personnel.

“On the 25th July, 2022, around 1:00a.m., hoodlums attacked Okuta Elerinla Division in Akure.

“Policemen who were at alert and alive to their duty repelled them accordingly and the miscreants were unable to gain entrance into the station.

“During the cross fire, one of our gallant station guards AP.2075380 Insp Boluwaji Temenu was hit by a bullet, he later died on his way to the hospital,” she said.

Odunlali said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Oyeyemi Oyediran, has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department to take over the case and ensure the perpetrators are arrested.

Meanwhile, CP Oyediran has urged people in the state to go about their lawful duty without fear, stressing that the masterminds and perpetrators of the attack would soon be arrested and prosecuted. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
OKEO/EBI/AOS
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Edited by Benson Iziama/Bayo Sekoni

Agriculture

IFAD, FG, Ondo govt. train 920 on agric enterprises

Training
Alaba-Olusola Oke
Akure, July 21, 2022 (NAN) International Funds for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the Federal Government, in conjunction with Ondo Government, on Thursday, commenced training of 920 people on various agricultural enterprises.

Speaking at the orientation training in Akure, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Olayato Aribo, said that the purpose of the training was to make the beneficiaries employers of labour.

Aribo added that the training would also promote food security and improve the livelihood of the beneficiaries.

According to him, the participants will be adequately monitored and guided to make success in their chosen areas of interest.

“The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) is a project that directly supports Nigeria’s agricultural policy and the strategic framework for youth empowerment, engagement and job creation,” he said.

The commissioner further said that the scheme had been implemented in the nine Niger-Delta states.

“In Ondo, the project has been implemented in 10 local government areas, based on pre-defined criteria by IFAD,” he said.

Aribo expressed appreciation to Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for his unflinching support to the project and other agricultural projects in the state.

He, therefore, urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously and harness the opportunity that the project could offer, in their own interest and that of the society.

Speaking at the occasion, the State Project Coordinator, IFAD/LIFE-ND, Mr Ademola Olawale, said that the objective of the project was to create jobs and ensure food sufficiency across the nine states in the Niger Delta region.

Olawale, who said that the project cut across the agricultural enterprises value chain, added that it would support the beneficiaries in the areas of cocoa production, poultry, cassava and fisheries.

According to him, people from 10 local government areas in the state are benefitting from the project.

The state coordinator said that the participants were considered to be qualified for the project after writing application letters and passing through necessary interviews.

He promised that the beneficiaries would be well-empowered so that they could stand on their own and be employers of labour.

Olawale said that there was a monitoring system that would ensure that the beneficiaries were well-guided to succeed and profit in their respective chosen enterprises. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
OKEO/DE/WAS
Edited by Dorcas Jonah and ‘Wale Sadeeq

General news

Olufon stool: Kingmakers promise not to allow financial inducement

Stool
By Alaba-Olusola Oke
Ifon (Ondo State), July 21, 2022 (NAN) The kingmakers empowered for selecting the  traditional ruler in Ifon, Ose Local Government of Ondo State, on Thursday promised that the best contestant for the stool would emerge and not subject to financial inducement.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Olufon stool has been vacant since Oba Israel Adegoke Adeusi was allegedly killed on Nov. 16, 2020, by gunmen while returning home from Akure.
He was crowned in 1997 and reigned for 23 years.
The kingmakers gave the assurance after their meeting with the leadership of the local government at the council secretariat in Ifon.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chief Joseph Ayaye, the Regent of Ifon, said that the kingmakers were people of integrity that could not sacrifice to satisfy any party in the process for selecting the next traditional ruler of the town.
Ayaye urged the three contestants for the stool and the leadership of Omuogba Ruling House to be fair and truthful in the process.
He said that those submitted by the ruling house would be screened until the best was nominated.
“They are all our children and friends.
“Omuogba Ruling House should not cause chaos but stand on the truth for the selection process to be made rancour-free and peaceful.
“We will choose the best that will bring peace and development to the town.
“It is somebody that the people like that should be king for peace to reign and not otherwise. Let the ruling house submit the names showing interest in the stool and we will do the needful,” he said.
The regent, who is among the 14 kingmakers, explained that he as a person would go on the side of the state government, saying that they would not fight the government.
According to him, all the 14 kingmakers will abide by court’s rule on the nomination.
Similarly, Chief Ayodele Ogunmola, one of the kingmakers, said that they would abide strictly to expected ruling of Akure High Court on Monday.
Ogunmola cautioned the state government not to allow undue interference into selection process of the next traditional ruler.
He noted that Ifon had been a peaceful and quiet town, saying selection of who became traditional ruler should not turn to chaos and violence.
Also, Chief Akindele Adejoyegbewa, another kingmaker, said that the kingmakers would not preempt the court’s verdict, adding that the selection process would commence immediately after court’s ruling.
“The resolution is that we the kingmakers have no problem with any ruling house. But we have been restrained by interlocutory order of High Court in Akure in carrying out any selection process pending the determination of the court.
“We as law-abiding citizens will obey the order and the process will commence immediately after the court’s ruling,” he said.
Another kingmaker, Chief Taiwo Ekundayo,  promised that the kingmakers would not compromise norms and tradition of the community, saying that they would not allow financial inducement from any person.
“We are not to be monetised because the truth must hold. Other communities collect money for such a process but we are saying no because we want to do the right thing.
“We have no interest in any ruling house. Whatever the court gives as its verdict, we start from there,” he said.( NAN)
OKEO/FAA
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Edited by Folasade Adeniran
Health

PSN wants end to dichotomy between doctors, pharmacists in Ondo

 

Dichotomy

Alaba-Olusola Oke

Akure, July 18, 2022 (NAN) The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has urged Ondo State Government to break the dichotomy within the health professionals especially the medical doctors and pharmacists in the state.

Mr Akinola Akindeko, the State Chairman of PSN, made the appeal during a visit to the Special Adviser on Health Matters to the State Governor, Prof. Dayo Faduyile, on Monday in Akure.

Akindeko said the PSN had the capacity and wherewithal to make a positive change in the health sector while promising to collaborate with the government in ensuring good service delivery in the state health sector.

In his words, Andrew Ogunmusin, the state Public Relations Officer of the association, clamoured for a good working relationship among all health workers to achieve a greater height.

Also speaking, Alfred Olukoju, the State Treasurer, wanted the SA to bring his professional experience from Lagos health sector to the state.

Responding, Faduyile said that the PSN and the Nigerian Medical Association ( NMA) should be partners in progress and not the other way round.

He added that every health worker was important, stating that it was time to talk on harmony between doctors and pharmacists in the state to move the health sector forward.

“I agree that the health system in Lagos is better than that of Ondo state but Lagos did not attain such height in a short time,” he said.

Faduyile asked cooperation of all stakeholders in the sector for effective and positive change.( NAN)

OKEO/OYE/JTJ

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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Julius Toba-Jegede

 

Health

Ondo Govt. decry delay of Medical City Project, threaten contract revocation

Project
Alaba-Olusola Oke
Akure, July 14, 2022 (NAN) The Ondo State Government has decried the delay in the take-off of the Medical City project awarded to Medicus Multi Services Limited.

The project, sited in Ilu Abo, Akure North Local Government Area of the state, is expected to gulp $1.5 billion.

Prof. Dayo Faduyile, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Health Matters, during a meeting with the contractor on Thursday in Akure, said that the project was of utmost priority to the state.

Faduyile disclosed that the project had been a subject of discussion at several state council meetings, and he had been directed to get in touch with the contractor.

The governor’s aide said that the state could not afford to have no work at the site until July ending and warned that the contract would be revoked if nothing was done before July ending.

Also speaking, Mrs Olubunmi Ademosu, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Public Affairs and Inter-Governmental Relations, said that the July ending deadline was sacrosanct.

Ademosu explained that the government had waited long enough and could not afford to continue to wait endlessly.

She expressed her displeasure to the Medicus team, adding that she would not be part of any further delay in starting the project

Responding, Mr Ernest Michael, the Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) of Medicus Multi Services Ltd., explained to the officials the factors impeding the immediate commencement of the project, which was initiated in 2019.

Michael noted that the project would have started, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the delay.

He explained that Medicus Multi Services Ltd. had already accessed $1 billion loan out of $1.2 billion approved for the project.

According to him, many obstacles set in that affected the actualisation of the project.

“Furthermore, the economic meltdown occasioned by Covid-19 has caused the upward review of the project cost from the earlier value of $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion in the present day economy.

“The preferred contractor did not accept all the terms and conditions in the Memorandum of Understanding, (MOU) earlier prepared by Medicus Multi Services Ltd.

“This contractor preferred a reviewed one, which is yet to be done, and which has caused the delay in moving to the project site.

“We plead with the state government to give us till September 2022 to review the MOU and fine-tune the work plan for the project to commence,” Michael pleaded.

Also, Dr Sunday Falae, a partner of Medicus Multi Services Ltd., who corroborated the explanation of the CEO, appealed to the state government “to give the contractors till September to be on a safe side so as to do a good job”. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

OKEO/AYO/AOS
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Edited by Ayodeji Alabi/Bayo Sekoni

Health

Ondo govt. urges unity among health unions

Ondo govt. urges unity among health unions
Judiciary

APC Primary: Court orders substituted service on ex-Ondo governor’s son

APC Primary: Court orders substituted service on ex-Ondo governor’s son

Order

by Alaba-Olusola Oke
Akure, July 14, 2022( NAN) The Federal High Court in Akure has ordered substituted service on Mr Adegboyega Adefarati, the son of former governor of Ondo State, in a suit seeking the nullification of the primary election result.
Dr Olusegun Ategbole, an aspirant in APC in the Akoko South East/Akoko South West Federal Constituency dragged Adefarati, INEC and Mr Ade Adetimehin, the state Chairman of  APC for allegedly not conducting the primary that produced Adefarati as the candidate within the constituency.
He alleged that lawful delegates were disenfranchised as the venue of the primary was allegedly moved to Akure instead of the federal constituency.
Delivering a ruling, Justice Demi Ajayi, ordered that Adefarati be served a notice for his appearance in court in the interest of fair hearing.
Ajayi held that there was need to ensure speedy hearing in the matter.
The judge ordered all parties involved to show seriousness.
She, therefore, adjourned the case until Oct. 5 and Oct, 6 for hearing.
Speaking to the newsmen after the ruling, Dr Remi Olatubora, SAN, the plaintiff’s counsel,  said that the court had ordered for substituted service so that there would be no complaint of shutting out anybody.
“Adefarati, has not been served personally and we came to court for an order of substituted service. It has been granted.
“Everybody has a right to fair hearing. Today, we got the order for substituted service. We are going to serve him and the authority of the court will do that,” he said.
Also speaking to newsmen, Ategbole said that he sued the defendants to ensure justice.
” I am a progressive democrat. I am in the court to ensure that justice is done.
” There was no primary in my constituency but a kangaroo primary was held in Dome in Akure, which is not part of our constituency.
” My plea is for the primary to be rerun in our federal constituency,” he stated.( NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
OKEO/SH
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edited by Sadiya Hamza
General news

2023: Tinubu support groups in Ondo collapse structures

2023
By Alaba-Olusola Oke
Akure, July 13, 2022 (NAN) Different support groups in Ondo State working toward the victory of Sen. Bola Tinubu and Sen. Kashim Shettima in the 2023 presidential election,  have collapsed their structires to pave way for a more robust and formidable campaign organisation.
In a communique released on Wednesday in Akure by Dr Tunji Abayomi, a chieftain of APC in the state, the groups reached the agreement at a meeting in Akure, which was attended by prominent leaders of the party.
The groups made a promise to sustain their grassroots mobilisation to ensure Tinubu’s victory come 2023.
They expressed confidence in the victory of Tinubu in the presidential election and pledged to immediately embark on various mapped-out programmes to achieve victory.
“We have mapped out several campaign programmes. We are only waiting for INEC to open the space.
“Tinubu and Shettima are detribalised Nigerians who have worked tirelessly for the continuous peace, unity and progress of Nigeria,” they said.
They agreed that the merged group should work under the supervision of Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu and align with the party structure in the state.
“Asiwaju Tinubu is one man that has displayed proven capacity. Here is a man who has invested heavily on good across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“The turnout today is a testament that everyone is ready to ensure he comes out victorious at the poll.
“We are indeed proud to be associated with this laudable project,” the groups said.
The groups  resolved to elect executives that would pilot the affairs of the expected group in the state at the next adjourned date.
The meeting was attended by the former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Chief Alli Olanusi; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs,  Prof. Claudius Daramola; state Chairman, Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Victor Olabintan; and state Chairman of APC,  Mr Ade Adetimehin.
 Others are: Former Secretary to the State Government, Temitayo Oluwatuyi; Mr Femi Adekanmbi;  Pastor Biyi Poroye; Mr Ifeoluwa Fasoranti; Mr Gboyega Adefarati and others. (NAN)
OKEO/FAA
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Edited by Folasade Adeniran
Health

Ondo Govt. to train missionary birth attendants on proficiency

Ondo Govt. to train missionary birth attendants on proficiency

 

Birth

By Alaba-Olusola Oke
Akure, July 13, 2022 (NAN) The Ondo State Government says it will work out modalities on realistic workshops for missionary birth attendants to improve their proficiency in child delivery.

 

Prof. Dayo Faduyile, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Health Matters, made the promise when the Missionary Birth Attendants Association of Nigeria, Ondo State Chapter, paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday in Akure.

 

“My office in conjunction with the Ministry of Health will meet to work out a realistic workshop for the association to improve your proficiency.

 

“I will also contact the Office of the First Lady to register the interest of the association to be involved in the ‘SO LAYO’ programme.

 

“Within my capacity, I will launch out the association to the government circle so as to benefit in the dividends of democracy,” he said.

 

Earlier, the association’s President in the state, Prophetess Ruth Arisoyin, said the association had informed the state government on the need for it to organise regular workshops for the association’s members.

 

Arisoyin explained that such workshops would improve professionalism of the association’s members in child delivery.

 

She asked the SA to use his office to help the association so that the government would heed to its request.

 

The association’s president also urged the government to include the association in a new programme, ‘So Layo’, of the state governor’s wife, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, since it had to do with safe child delivery. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

OKEO/ABA/DCU
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Edited by Abubakar Ahmed/Donald Ugwu