A Year After Makinde’s intervention, NUC Transfers Ownership Of LAUTECH To Oyo State.

The National Universities Commission has transferred ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology LAUTECH Ogbomoso to the Oyo State Government while the Osun state Government is to take over the College of Health Sciences in Osogbo.

The resolution followed the lingering ownership of LAUTECH over the years. The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission Professor Abubakar Rasheed stated this at a media briefing in Abuja.

Professor Rasheed said both Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Adegboyega Oyetola signed a memorandum of Agreement to the development.

The NUC boss expressed optimism that the new arrangement would restore peace to LAUTECH.

Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde Flags Off Security Group, “Àmòtékún Corps” in Oyo Town.

Yesterday, the governor of Oyo state, Engr Seyi Makinde announced on his social media platforms that a passing out ceremony for the security group, “Àmòtékún Corps” took place in Oyo Town.

“This afternoon, we held the passing-out ceremony of the Àmòtékún Corps in Oyo Town. It’s been a long journey to get to this point from July 2019, when the first meeting was held by all six south west governors to set up a regional security outfit”.

“The Àmòtékún Corps will collaborate with federal security agencies to secure our state. Members of the corps will be drafted to all the 351 wards in Oyo State. They will be answerable to me and so, I will be responsible for their actions”.

Speech at the Passing Out Parade of the Oyo State Security Network Agency code named Amotekun by Governor Seyi Makinde:

When the story of the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun is told, it will be on record that it was officially launched on January 9, 2020. However, the Amotekun journey began earlier. In July 2019, the six states of the southwest, namely Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo States, agreed to set up this outfit.

Amotekun is indeed a first of its kind security agency because it is a regional security outfit initiated by one of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

History will also state that the headquarters is here in Oyo State. Since its founding, we have been taking steps to ensure that the security outfit kicks off operations. In March 2020, the Oyo State House of Assembly passed the Oyo State Security Network Agency Bill 2020, which I signed into law a few days later.

Although COVID-19 and other logistical issues delayed the recruitment process, we ran an open and transparent recruitment process that culminated in announcing the 1,500 successful candidates’ names in October 2020. Shortly after that, their training began in the first week of November. Today we are here to witness the passing out parade of the pioneer members of the Amotekun Corps.

Security has always been an issue close to my heart. While on the campaign trail, I spoke about how we could tackle insecurity in Oyo State. We outlined clear plans in our manifesto, the Roadmap to Accelerated Development in Oyo State 2019-2023. And so, when we came into office, we went ahead to make security one of the pillars of our administration.

Our actions have been based on the fact that if our state is insecure, we cannot attract investment, whether foreign or local. So far, we have supported our federal security outfits, who do their best to protect our people. We provided them with communication gadgets and patrol vehicles. More recently, we requested for and established just this past May 2020, the Police Mobile Force 72 Squadron at Ago-Are and presented them with patrol vehicles for the outfit’s operations.

But as I have argued on various fora, for governors to really play the role of Chief Security Officers of their states, state policing is the way forward. I am confident that someday, we will get enough support at the national level to achieve that constitutional review.

But, for now, we will settle for the next best thing.

The Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, is an independent outfit. Members will answer to the state governors, but they will be working with the federal security agencies.

Some of the primary functions of the Amotekun Corps as authorised by law include: Collaborating with and assisting the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in gathering information. They will be involved in crime, the investigation of crime, arrest, and prosecution of persons suspected of kidnapping, terrorism, destruction of livelihood, criminal damage to property, cultism, highway robbery, and any other illegal activities.

They will also be involved in routine day and night patrols on major roads and remote areas. Members of the corps will be drafted to all the 351 wards in Oyo State. They will be our own community police so that their presence will be felt everywhere. This ensures that offenders are quickly identified, arrested, registered, and promptly handed over to the nearest police station or post. As I said during one of my speeches following the End SARS protests, this is one outfit that I can boldly say hold me responsible for the actions of the members.

Therefore, let me state to you 1,500 pioneers of the Amotekun Corps that you must remain excellent examples in service. You are to work for the people. You are not called to harass or intimidate the people. Instead, exhibit the highest level of professionalism in the discharge of your duties. Remember that there are limits to your authority, and always follow directives from the chain of command.

We have appointed two qualified men as chairman and commandant of the Amotekun Corps, the persons of Retired General Ajibola Kunle Togun and Retired Colonel Olayanju Olayinka. We also have other eminent persons on the board. I am confident that under them, the Amotekun Corps will live up to their objectives.

As I said during the official launch of this outfit in January 2020, our regional integration, through Amotekun, should be seen in one light. We are coming together to fight a common enemy. That enemy is not Nigeria; the enemies are the elements among us and their affiliates who are determined to cause commotion within our states’ borders and threaten our peaceful coexistence.

And on this note, I declare the Oyo State Security Network Agency codenamed Amotekun operational.

Watch below the governor’s speech.


Governor Seyi Makinde Inaugurates Steering Committee on 20-year World-class Developmental Plan for Oyo State.

The Oyo state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, on Friday, inaugurated a 27-man steering committee for the state 20 years development plan.

The brief event which took place at the executive council chamber, Secretariat, Ibadan, had in attendance top government officials, commissioners, Lawmakers, and members of various pressure groups as well as religious leaders.

Members of the steering committee for the state development plan include the deputy governor of Oyo state, engineer Rauf Olaniyan; Secretary to the state government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun; the head of service, Mrs. Ololade Agboola; the director general, DAWN Commission, Mr. Seye Oyeleye; UNICEF field officer, Mr. Tuscar Rani; CAN chairman, Apostle Joshua Akinyemi; the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, Alhaji Dawud Makanjuola Akinola, amongst others.

Governor Makinde, while inaugurating the steering committee for the state development plan, said the Pace Setter state needs a homegrown long-term plan to transform its social-economic development.

He added that his administration envisioned a 20-year world-class developmental plan for the state with effect from 2021 to 2040.

In his remark, the state commissioner for budget and planning, barrister Adeniyi Farinto, stated that the just inaugurated steering committee for the state development plan will provide a sense of direction in government’s expenditure across the length and breadth of the state without marginalization.

In his analysis, the lead consultant to the state’s steering committee for 20 years development plan, Professor Olu Ajakaye, hinted that the development plan would be executed in tranches and the first tranche will begin from 2021 to 2025.

Families of policemen who were unlawfully killed will be compensated. – Governor Seyi Makinde.

Earlier today , the Oyo state governor, Engr Seyi Makinde visited the police command headquarter in the state. According to him, the state needs the police cooperation inorder to bring anarchists to book. He stated the following on all his social media platforms.

This afternoon, we visited the Eleyele Police Command Headquarters, Ibadan, to meet with members of the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force.

I stated that the police are a very important part of our community and acknowledged that not every member of the police force is bad. However, I said it is the professional conduct of the good ones that will win back the trust of the people.

I encouraged them to look beyond the actions of thugs and hoodlums who hijacked the legitimate protests and unleashed mayhem on some of their members. Bearing in mind that the protesters included them in their 5 for 5 requests by asking for better conditions of service for them.

I said we should all work together to build a better society. That I support the protests doesn’t mean I am against them. I am for the protection of everyone’s right, including theirs. And that we need their cooperation to ensure that arsonists and anarchists are brought to book.

Finally, I told them that the families of policemen in Oyo State who were unlawfully killed will be part of those compensated from the initial N500M Fund which we set up last week. May their souls rest in peace.

UPDATE OF OYO TESCOM RECRUITMENT…..

Almost 4000 Merit Lists of Youth and Professional Teachers will be published this week.

His Excellency , Governor Seyi Makinde a God fearing, deligent, lover of youth and the entire people of Oyo State; who never descriminate on races, tribes nor political party affiliation believe in honesty and job opportunity for all. As a leader and father of all, he believe in Standard Education, he therefore allocated the highest percentage of the state budget 23.5% to education restructuring.

The Governor gave the standing order that TESCOM recruitment must be based on sincerity of purpose and 80% true performance of the innocent applicants who have no connection with highly placed Civil Servants nor Politicians. Oyo TESCOM under the Chairmanship of Pastor Akinade Alamu and the Permanent Secretary Mrs Grace Olabisi Oderinde is set to publish the Merit list of Successful Applicants who scored 50% and above this week ….

Shortlisting of Non Teaching staff will commence immediately .

Members of public please watch out!!!!

Oyo TESCOM moving education towards the World Class.

Grace Oderinde
PS

We will employ 5000 youths in the government agency schemes- Governor Seyi Makinde

The Oyo state governor, Engr Seyi Makinde has met with traditional rulers, caretaker chairmen of local government and others to discuss the way forward in the state. Below are the statements he released via his Twitter page earlier today;

“This afternoon, we met with traditional rulers, caretaker chairmen of local government and local council development areas and clerics, to discuss the way forward for our dear state following the End SARS protests and subsequent events.”

“I outlined the steps we are taking to address the issue of ending police brutality and other injustices. We have set up an initial N500M Compensation Fund for victims of injustice. Also, a judicial panel will be inaugurated within a week to consider cases of injustice.”

“I also stated that we are addressing the underlying socio-economic issues. We have set up a N500M fund for MSMEs, and we will employ 5,000 youths in government agency schemes in the next few months. We are also distributing the fifth phase of palliatives by the end of this week.”

“We will continue to protect the rights of every resident of Oyo State as contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended”.

“Full speech https://t.co/wGk2T9NS7g https://t.co/uGvt6ypEjA”

#Endsars:Looted covid19 palliatives is not owned by Oyo – official

The Oyo State Government has said that the palliatives that were looted by hoodlums on Friday at a warehouse in the Akobo area of Ibadan, the state capital, did not belong to the state government.

Stressing that the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration would not short-change the people, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Bayo Lawal, urged members of the public to discountenance the misinformation being spread on social media.

Some hoodlums had attacked a private warehouse belonging to a company in Ibadan carting away bags of rice believed to have been hoarded by the government.

Lawal, who doubles as chairman, Food Security and Palliative Committee of the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force, said the state was not supplied rice as part of the palliatives from CACOVID and that it did not, at any time, distribute rice as part of the palliatives to the people.

He said, “Investigations revealed that there was nothing that concerns the Oyo State government in that warehouse. The warehouse belongs to a private individual who operates in Oyo State and was given a valid contract by the Coalition Against COVID-19, a coalition of private organisations that have been helping states and the Federal Government to fight COVID-19.

“So, it was the rice that he procured on his own for repackaging that was mistaken to be Oyo State’s, that hoodlums looted.”

The Commissioner stated that the state government could not hoard what it did not have, explaining that CACOVID supported the state with cash, medical items and food items including Indomie and Spaghetti.

He said, it was really a big shock earlier this morning (Friday morning) when I started receiving calls alleging that food items meant for distribution to the masses were being hoarded. But when I enquired further, I was told that the bags of rice were looted in one of our warehouses in Ibadan, in Lagelu Local Government, to be precise. We don’t even have any warehouse outside the secretariat.

All the palliatives given to us were stored in our warehouses within the secretariat, not outside. Whatever is being circulated that Oyo State was hoarding CACOVID-donated rice is wrong and baseless allegation.

“We want the public to know that though CACOVID gave us indomie, spaghetti, there was nothing like rice. We are still expecting their rice up till today. The rice, which was looted, belonged to a private company that happens to be a CACOVID vendor for other states.”

The CACOVID vendor whose warehouse was vandalised, Alabi Adeoye, stated that the looted bags of rice at the warehouse were meant to be supplied to Abia, Cross-Rivers, Plateau and Taraba States, disclosing that his company, which has been operating in Oyo State in the past five years, lost millions of naira to the attack.

“Our facility was vandalised and food items worth millions of naira were carted away. Property that was vandalised was worth millions of naira,” Adeoye was quoted as saying in the statement.

Oyo government reads riot act to hoodlums.

The Oyo State Government has read the riot act to hoodlums attacking private and public property in the name of the just-suspended #EndSARS protests in the State.

The warning was given by Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, in an interview with journalists after an assessment tour of the places attacked by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protests in different parts of Ibadan, the State capital.

The places visited include Ojoo Divisional Police Headquarters, where 12 vehicles and the building were completely razed, as well as Egbeda Divisional Police Headquarters at New Gbagi Market, Old Ife Road, Ibadan, where the structures and three vehicles were also burnt.

The team led by Operation Burst, a joint security outfit in the State, also visited Moniya, Monatan, Iwo Road Interchange, Agodi Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Agugu, Total Garden, Yemetu, Bere, Ayeye, Agbaje Market, Agbeni Market, Ogunpa Market, Oluyole Estate, and Odo-Ona.

This reporter observed that peace has returned to Ibadan, except for the isolated case of looting the empowerment items in the house of Senator Teslim Folarin, representing Oyo Central in the National Assembly. But seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the looting.

Olatubosun said: ‘We have gone round and I am happy to inform you that everywhere is calm. Business activities have picked up and people have been going out without any harassment.

‘But the peace we are witnessing in the state now would not have been possible but for the community engagement of Governor Seyi Makinde, which has helped the State to douse the tension.

‘Also, the understanding of our people and the belief they have in the leadership of Governor Makinde also worked in our favour. We also give kudos to security agencies, especially Operation Burst.’

Speaking on the dimension of isolated attacks on individuals that hoodlums seemed to be adopting in the state, Olatubosun said: ‘I appeal to those perpetrators that Oyo State is known to be peaceful and we will not condone any form of thuggery, hooliganism, violence and looting.

‘We appeal to parents and community leaders to warn their children and their followers that Oyo State is not a place where they can be destroying private and public property. I appeal to people that are angry to sheathe their swords.’

OYO LONG AWAITED REVOLUTION

God-fatherism in politics has been existing way back before I was born. If you think god-fatherism never existed in Oyo state, that is very wrong. Late Adedibu during his lifetime used to be a powerful godfather in Oyo state and a saviour to his numerous thugs.

The sitting governor in Oyo state at that time (2003) , Senator Rashidi Ladoja seemed to be a figure head to many while Adedibu was indirectly trying to control the state. There were times in broad day light when Adedibu’s thugs took over the metropolis shooting and causing chaos. What about rumours of how those thugs forcefully acquired land from people who worked hard to own it?

Adedibu’s influence was not restricted to only Oyo state. It reached other south western states in Nigeria. There was an interview he had and he was referring to the then governor of osun state, he said and I quote ;

“Sebí omo dada ni gomina osun. Ti mo ba ti lo ki, o ma n ko nkan kabiti si eyin buutu Mi. Isu ko ni o da si ibe , owó ni.”

Meaning that, the then governor of osun state was a good son and anytime he visited him, he used to load his booth with money and not with yam.

After school closing hours, even school children were not safe. Fortunately, my siblings and I didn’t have to go home ourselves after closing time. My heart raced each time I sighted a thug on bike, riding carelessly past the vehicle in which I was. Late Adedibu suceeded in impeaching Ladoja with the support of his cohorts on January 2006. Precisely after 11 months, on December 2006, Ladoja won the case in court and got his mandate back as governor of the state.

However when Governor Obaseki of Edo state and Adams Oshiomole ( a typical godfather ) started having issues before the 2020 Edo state elections, I thought of the old days of god-fatherism in Oyo state.

Oyo politics is dynamic! After Ladoja completed his tenure , the free spending Christopher Alao Akala was elected as governor. Then, the season film started. I wasn’t old enough to understand politicians’ gimmicks before then, hence my personal observation started. You see, anytime a wrong leader is voted into power , the civil servants suffer first , then others follow. Thank God for where Oyo state stands today, it is a big revolution. I’m not done yet, I’m still going doing the memory lane.

Akala took over as governor like a careless spender in disguise as a free giver. People around him enjoyed but what about those working for the state? He made a statement then and I quote;

“I can’t break into the bank in order to pay worker’s salaries”.

My thoughts are, “what happened to maximizing opportunities in the state and generating more revenue inorder to keep up with the state’s expenses? ” . Oyo people got tired of Akala and as the 2011 elections approached, campaign was intensified by candidates contesting to be the next governor…this includes Akala. Well it happened, Akala lost and Senator Abiola Ajimobi won the gubernatorial election. However, as the late legendary afrobeat singer, Fela kuti said in his words, “suffer suffer”. The “suffer suffer” season began!

Late Senator Abiola Ajimobi was sworn in as governor and well, his first achivement was the 13 months salary he decided to pay workers on December. However, the claimed 13 months salary was relatively a stipend, not a full salary. The narrow flyover constructed at Mokola was another achievement for him, amongst other things he did. Mind you, I can say not for clout but fact that the flyover was not well constructed because it is very hard to sight an on coming vehicle.This describes how narrow the flyover is.

After series of road constructions and other achievements, the war between the state government and workers started. Ajimobi started owing workers salaries , as much as 7months. Amidst the debts, he sacked so many workers unjustly and notwithstanding, kept on troubling them by observing very frequent screenings. Many workers lost their lives via road accident, as he mandated them to make their certificates available during the numerous screenings.

Of course , workers had to obtain their certificates from various institutions across the country. Some workers lost their lives in road accidents, others lost their lives due to depression and underlying health issues they could no longer afford to treat , as a result of lacking stable income. Ajimobi kept on sacking and suspending workers , yet didn’t replace them with new intakes. As if that wasn’t enough , he demolished buildings without compensating the people involved. Yet, he didn’t set up new infrastructures in places he demolished.

During the time Ajimobi was serving as governor, he made a statement in the church during a service for the late Oba Odulana Odugade( the former Olubadan of Ibadan) and I quote ;

“I cannot use money meant to develop the state to pay worker’s salaries”.

Oyo has seen bad days and if the people are rejoicing today because Engr. Seyi Makinde is in power, go back to the memory lane. Unfortunately for Oyo people, Ajimobi governed the state for 8 years , it was about the survival of the fittest. Even entrepreneurs felt the heat, money wasn’t circulating but there was enough funds to support campaign for 2019 elections. Ajimobi contested for the senate but lost. His gubernatorial candidate ,“Adelabu”, also lost the election. Rain fell on that day , it was a glorious day for Oyo People as Seyi Makinde won the gubernatorial election.

Ajimobi could have been a godfather if his gubernatorial candidate had won the election. Oyo politics seems to be moving and for the first time in a long while, the people finally have a voice. Hey, Oyo revolution is God’s plan.

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