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Tag: Akeredolu

  • Ondo govt set to return missionary schools to original owners

    Ondo govt set to return missionary schools to original owners

    The Ondo State Government has expressed its readiness to return both missionary primary and secondary schools to their original owners.

    Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said this on Thursday while receiving the new Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Fr. Anselm Ologunwa in his office at Alagbaka, Akure.

    Akeredolu said that so far, only the Catholic Church has signified interest to take over their schools in the state.

    “We have promised that we will return schools to the missionaries and we are keeping to our promise. It is only the Catholic Church that has shown interest.

    “Our position is that if you are not interested in taking ownership of your school, don’t discourage others.

    “The Catholic Church has requested for two secondary and two primary schools. If you can run your school, come and take it.

    “I know about Aquinas College. The progress made there is as a result of the efforts of the old boys association and the Catholic.

    “Any of the missionaries that are ready to run their schools should come. Most of us are products of missionary schools,” he said.

    The governor noted that the most important thing to his administration is spiritual guidance and prayers.

    The immediate past Chairman of CAN, Rev. John Oladapo, thanked Akeredolu for his support and love to the association.

    “It is my joy to be here today to thank God for your life and the support that I received as CAN chairman, Ondo state.

    “You are indeed a father. We appreciate the love and the support that we have enjoyed,” Oladapo said.

    In his response, Ologunwa, assured the Governor of the support and cooperation of CAN in the state.

    “We will continue to the governor in his efforts to make the state beautiful and habitable for all through prayers.

    “We are here to encourage and pray for you and to entrust you and your team of executives to God Almighty that God may guide your affairs to the greater glory of His Holy name and for the good of humanity.

    “We urge you to be spiritually fortified in Christ, find strength and grace through prayer for good stewardship from God whom it has pleased to choose you to serve as Governor of our dear State.

    “Your election as the Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum is a wonderful testimony to your political progress and an opportunity for you to contribute to tackling all worrisome issues.

    “These include poverty, violence, illiteracy, youth idleness and their Involvement in crime and violence factors which have greatly retarded our progress especially in Nigeria.”he said.

    Recall that in November 2021, Akeredolu expressed the readiness of the state to return both primary and secondary missionary schools to their original owners.

    Part of the conditions to be met by the interested missionaries is an assurance that the released institutions will not discriminate against any admission seekers.

    He, however, directed the religious organisations interested in taking over their schools to approach the state Ministry Justice for necessary briefs.

  • Amotekun not to rival security agencies but has come to stay – Akeredolu

    Amotekun not to rival security agencies but has come to stay – Akeredolu

    Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Thursday, said that the existence of the State Security Network, Amotekun Corps, was benefiting the state and other major security outfits.

    Akeredolu, who said Amotekun was not created to be rival to other security agencies, called for cooperation and synergy among sister agencies and the state security outfit.

    The governor spoke in his office while receiving the new Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in the state, Dayo Oni.

    He noted that the Amotekun corps could be of immense help to the NIS, adding that the state security agency was familiar with the terrain in the state and could offer its assistance on issues of security across the sunshine state.

    “We know your duties and responsibilities as immigration service. We do appreciate what you do. I know that before you came here, as you rightly noted, we have always assisted your previous colleagues.

    “Amotekun is a child of necessity and it has come to stay and the state is better for it. Work with Amotekun. It is not created to rival you. Work with them. Amotekun can help you,” Akeredolu said.

    The NIS boss, Oni, commended the approach of the governor to tackling security challenges in the state, stressing that the formation of Amotekun was one great intervention that had received applause from everywhere.

    “I want to appreciate you for what you have been doing for the NIS. I am new but the record is there. But like Oliver Twist, I will still ask for more, especially in the area of operational vehicles.

    “I want to really commend the governor for his approach on crime, particularly on the formation of Amotekun,”

  • Ondo Community Attack: Akeredolu vows to hunt perpetrators

    Ondo Community Attack: Akeredolu vows to hunt perpetrators

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Sunday visited Omolege Junction, near Ute in Ose Local Government Area where gunmen on Thursday night killed three people and razed down buildings in the community.

    The governor’s visit is contained in a statement made available on Sunday in Akure by Mr Richard Olatunde his Chief Press Secretary.

    Akeredolu, who commiserated with the people over the incident, particularly the death of community head, said no government would be happy with the killings of its people.

    The governor visited the scene in company of the state Commissioner of Police, Oyediran Oyeyemi; Commander of Amotekun Corps, Tunji Adeleye and some members of the State Executive Council.

    Akeredolu, while describing the attack on the community as unfortunate, vowed that concerted efforts would be made to ensure that such attack did not reoccur in the state.

    He said: “I commiserate with you on the death of your loved ones. May their souls rest in peace. No government will be happy with this kind of development.

    “You have to be prepared. These herdsmen are becoming too problematic. We are not sleeping. You can see the police and Amotekun here. With this one they have done, we will ensure that it is their last evil act here.

    “Those behind this are criminals. Those supporting them are all criminals too. Anyone who commits crime will answer for it. The police and Amotekun, with other security agencies, will set out and bring them to justice. We will treat them as criminals.

    “Both the police and Amotekun have briefed me that they were being shot at. But for their boldness and courage, the criminals would have overwhelmed them.

    “I want to assure you, don’t be scared. We are still on their track. They have ran to Edo now. But for the houses that were raised down, government will bring relieve materials. We will rebuild the ones that were razed completely.”

    Earlier, the Akarigbo of Ute Land, Chief Felix Olabode, narrated how the ugly incident happened.

    He said: ”I was home when we heard that some gunmen came and killed people here. We came here immediately and we met a dead body. These buildings have not been razed.

    “When we alerted the police, the DPO came and we didn’t know that those people were still around. Not less than 30 minutes after the police evacuated the dead, the gunmen came back and razed these buildings.

    “They always use guns to scare people away here and then brought their cows to graze on people’s farm and drink water.

    “When they are leaving too, they also use guns to scare people away and leave. We have seen the level of damage here. People have left here. We are begging the government to come to our rescue.”

    The Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in the area, Folorunso Olofe, disclosed that the gunmen were always attacking with AK-47.

    “This has been happening for long. They are always coming with AK-47. They were more than 50. One Amotekun officer was hit with a bullet during the attack. They came and killed the Baale. Police came and evacuated the dead and not up to 15 minutes, they came back and razed this place,” he said.

    According to the villagers, the gunmen attacked the community following the refusal of the residents to allow the herdsmen to graze on their farms.

  • Akeredolu slams PDP: I dare you to report me to EFCC for investigation

    Akeredolu slams PDP: I dare you to report me to EFCC for investigation

    Ondo governor Rotimi Akeredolu has dared the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to report him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The bone of contention is the alleged N500 million spent on a concert tagged: ‘Countdown Show to Herald 2022’.

    Ondo PDP spokesperson Kennedy Peretei had alleged that N500 millon was spent on the concert anchored by the governor’s son in-law, Michael Olatunde.

    The PDP also accused the governor or using personal companies to corner state funds

    But Akeredolu, in a statement by Information and Orientation Commissioner Donald Ojogo, challenged the PDP to show proof that he registered 13 companies in 2017.

    He urged the opposition party to publish the names of directors of the companies as well as the names of the companies.

    The statement said: “Their assertions in respect of 13 companies they claimed were registered by the governor’s family in 2017 without evidence expose the juvenile and pedestrian composure of the PDP. It is sheer waste of precious media space to assert without evidence to prove.

    “On the alleged expenditure of N500 million by the Ministry of Information on the ‘Countdown Show to Herald 2022’, it’s not just laughable, but presents the PDP as most unserious.

    “The inconsistency in their lies is legendary, as their first release had indicated N200 million in respect of same subject. The public deserves to know more. Therefore, the PDP must hurry to report this to the EFCC for investigation.

    “While it is clear that the insidious naked dance of the PDP manifests the height of idleness and political depression, the party’s persistence in the display of uncanny posture on the path of unbelievable lies calls to question whether or not the PDP respects the Ondo State public at all. No serious public takes such beer parlour talks seriously.”

  • Security agencies scared of shooting Herders with AK-47 as ordered by Buhari – Akeredolu

    Security agencies scared of shooting Herders with AK-47 as ordered by Buhari – Akeredolu

    Chairman, Southern Governors Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has said security agencies are scared of shooting herders wielding AK-47 because of who they are and where they come from in disobedience to President Muhammadu Buhari’s order.

    Governor Akeredolu stated this on Monday, at the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit held in Abuja with the theme: “Securing Our Future: The Fierce Urgency of Now.”

    Speaking on the contentious issue of grazing, the Governor blew hot, asking, “Grazing routes? Grazing routes to where? It is not going to work. There are things we had in the past.

    “Don’t let us imagine it now. Time changes. Grazing with AK-47 is an assault. Ban on open grazing; we are doing it effectively in Ondo State,” he said.

    According to him, “Nomadic pastoralist is not a new thing. There were nomadic farmers all over the world. I know of people, high ranking who have ranches today. They can showcase their cows.

    “Why are we pushing these people out? It is a culture that must be discouraged in the interest of those who are involve

    “Even with the President order that anyone with AK-47 should be arrested, how many have been arrested?” he queried.

    He also warned against using semantics to romanticise terrorism, noting that the various criminal activities of kidnapping, bombing and assault on the people in some parts of the country which are being referred to as banditry must be appropriately addressed as terrorism

    Governor Akeredolu and his Kaduna state counterpart, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, and others were among the panelists at the summit which centred on addressing the security challenges in the country.

    Akeredolu said: “In Ondo State, we don’t have terrorism. Our problem is farmer/herder clashes and kidnap for ransom.

    “We have drug abuse and agitation for self determination. We have always preached the multi-level policing in Ondo State. We believe in layers of security”.

    The governor, who explained that although there are criminal trespasses which can be treated by the state, stressed that before the Amotekun corps was established, the Police were not always ready to make arrest.

    “Today, if you trespass on other people’s land, the Amotekun will go after you and arrest you.

    “They pay compensations to the farmers and when they fail they are in court. It is the only way you can send signals to the people.

    “When you commit a crime and the hands of law doesn’t catch up with you, another person will repeat it.

    “I can assure you that when you do not have an effective policing system, there is little or nothing a Governor can do.

    “And the criminal trial is taking too long,” Governor Akeredolu said.

  • Akeredolu backs constitutional roles for traditional rulers

    Akeredolu backs constitutional roles for traditional rulers

    Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has advocated for constitutional roles for traditional rulers in the country in view of their contribution to peace building.

    Akeredolu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Olugbenga Ale, made the call during the 4th Birthday Symposium of the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

    ”As a result of the roles traditional rulers play in engendering peace in their various domains, a place should be provided for them in the constitution of the country.

    ”This will also strengthen the present informal roles of the royal fathers to continue to mobilize their subjects to maintain security,” he said.

    The symposium is titled: “Addressing Security Challenges As They Affect Grassroots Development in Nigeria: Need for Constitutional Empowerment of Traditional Institutions”.

    ”Let me say that inspite of the fact that 1999 Constitution did not accord our traditional institutions any constitutional function, they have been very effective in the informal sector of our various societies.

    “Their effectiveness in this sector could not be eroded as they are highly respected and revered as their words are like laws to their people.

    “It is my firm belief that giving them constitutional recognition and authority will give them the needed impetus to carry out their hitherto informal roles more effectively and efficiently.

    “Inspite of the fact that Royal Fathers do not have constitutional functions at the moment, Traditional Rulers in Ondo State have continued to creatively take some salutary steps to stem insecurity in parts of the Sunshine State and equally get the import of government policies and programmes effectively communicated to the grassroots,” he said.

    Akeredolu advised the organisers of the programme to ensure that consensus at the symposium be made available to the National Assembly.

    He used the occasion to appeal to traditional institutions to speak up in unity in the ongoing agitation for resource control which he said would be a credible pathway to economic prosperity for states in the country.

    “At my arrival in your palatial palace for this historic programme, your Palace Traditional Secretary directed that the Curator at the Palace Museum Gallery has exciting historical monuments on display.

    “Of great significance, Kabiyesi is the the display of precious stones in Ife with mouth-watering monetary value.

    ”What struck my mind therefore is that, if Ife or Osun State has control over this resource, the multiplier effects of the exploration and exploitation value chain on productive engagements of our restive youths and the economy of Ife and Osun State can better be imagined.

    “May I therefore suggest that Kabiyesi should kindly rally his fellow Royal Fathers to support the agitation for Resource Control”, the governor said.(

  • El-Rufai exporting banditry to South – Akeredolu

    El-Rufai exporting banditry to South – Akeredolu

    THE Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has berated his counterpart in Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, over the latter’s comment on anti-open grazing law.

    El-Rufai had described the anti-open grazing laws being signed by some of the southern governors as unrealistic.

    But Akeredolu, in a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Donald Ojogo, said such a statement should not have come from a leader.

    In the statement titled, ‘Anti-open grazing: El-Rufai’s attack on southern governors devious, a hysteric ploy to externalise banditry’, Akeredolu reiterated that the anti-open grazing law, especially in Ondo State, had come to stay, saying, “It shall be zealously guarded and conscionably deployed to protect all residents of Ondo State, notwithstanding their ethnic and religious biases.”

    The statement read, “From all indications, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, if he was properly quoted and his views not misrepresented, is struggling hard to export banditry to the South under an expressed opinion that is laced with mischief.

    “Perhaps, it is apt to state clearly that the likes of Governor El-Rufai are already in a hysteric ‘mode’ of escalating and indeed, externalising banditry, especially as the military onslaught against criminal elements and other terror variants suffices in the North.

    “For emphasis, any such comment like that of the Kaduna Governor, if indeed he made that statement, merely seeks to encourage anarchy under the guise of resentment of a law by affected stakeholders.”

  • Moves to amend VAT law to favour FG dead on arrival – Akeredolu

    Moves to amend VAT law to favour FG dead on arrival – Akeredolu

    Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, on Friday described the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) by state governments as a settled deal.

    He believes those resisting the collection of VAT by states in place of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) would fail, despite the court order directing parties in the dispute to maintain status quo pending the determination of the suit before it.

    “Our (the states’) position is that having looked at the law, it is there clearly for us to see that taxation, or what we call consumption taxes, falls within the purview of a state, and only a state can charge consumption taxes,” the governor reiterated on Friday on a monitored Channels Television programme.

    “And I believe that those who are against it know of it. If they don’t know, people will not be rushing to the National Assembly for an amendment that will not see the light of the day; it will be dead on arrival.”

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the Governor Akeredolu spoke a day after he presided over a meeting of the southern governors – as the chairman of the forum – in Enugu State.

    At the meeting held on Thursday, the governors reviewed the state of the nation and the progress of implementation of the decisions reached in the previous sittings of the forum.

    They reaffirmed their commitment to fiscal federalism and resolved to support the position that the collection of VAT was within the powers of the states.

    Giving further updates on the meeting, Governor Akeredolu explained that the resolution of the forum regarding the collection of VAT was not a new position.

    “What we did yesterday was to go back to our position in the Asaba Declaration,” he said. “In Asaba, we made it very clear without mincing words that we are committed to the practice of true federalism; that is all we are saying, and fiscal federalism is part of true federalism.

    “So, there is no need for us to run away from it. There are many more states that will join and there are some that will not join because at the end of the day, whatever we arrive at, they will be binding on all the states and what the southern governors have resolved is not new.”

  • 2023: No immediate plans to contest for presidency – Akeredolu

    2023: No immediate plans to contest for presidency – Akeredolu

    Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has distanced himself from activities suggesting that he will contest the presidential election in 2023.

    The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, in a statement on Wednesday said his principal had nothing to do with the pseudo campaigners.

    “Undoubtedly, the development is no less a needless distraction,” Olatunde said in the statement. “Even though Mr Governor’s constitutional right, qualification, and competencies are not in doubt, this particular campaign does not represent in any manner, his immediate political disposition.

    He stated this in reaction to campaign posters and fliers that surfaced recently on social media, asking the governor to contest the next presidential election.

    One of the posters had depicted a joint ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Governor Akeredolu and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, who is also the Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.

    “For emphasis, Governor Akeredolu who has just been re-elected wishes to be left to focus on deepening good governance in Ondo State,” Olatunde said.

    “He, therefore, advises all involved to be guided just as he holds the firm view that only God can put men in position.”

  • BREAKING: Akeredolu signs Anti-Open Grazing Bill into law

    BREAKING: Akeredolu signs Anti-Open Grazing Bill into law

    The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimii Akeredolu, on Tuesday, signed into law the Anti-Open Grazing Bill in line with the resolution of the Southern Governors Forum at its last meeting, held in Lagos.

    This came few weeks after the bill has been passed by the State House of Assembly.

    With the development, Ondo has become one of the states in the South that has passed and signed the bill into law, meeting the deadline of the Southern Governors’ Forum.

    In a statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Donald Ojogo said, the governor signed the bill in his office on Tuesday.

    The statement said, “The move ( signing the bill) is in line with the resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum at its last meeting in Lagos where September 1st was set as the deadline for governors in southern Nigeria to sign the Anti-Open Grazing Bill into law.

    “This is worthwhile and a very laudable development aimed at stemming needless instances of skirmishes, conflicts as well as infractions on the enviably peaceful disposition of the good people of Ondo State.

    “It is very pertinent to aver and indeed, reiterate that the law shall rather, engender a more cordial, mutually benefiting relationship amongst residents of the state irrespective of ethnicity, religion or creed. For emphasis, no particular group of persons is the target.

    “While it is the hope of government that all residents would take an ample advantage of this Law to enhance our socio-economic well being in Ondo State, compliance of same shall be given the utmost attention. Government shall pursue with vigour, through lawful means, to ensure strict compliance.

    “In this regard, details of the new law shall be made available to the public for proper information, more depth of understanding on contents as well as other relevant areas,” the statement said