TheNewsGuru

Tag: Governor Dapo Abiodun

  • Polaris Bank pledges support for infrastructure development, housing, education, healthcare, agriculture in Ogun State

    Polaris Bank pledges support for infrastructure development, housing, education, healthcare, agriculture in Ogun State

    Lagos, Nigeria: November 8, 2023 – Polaris Bank, Nigeria’s leading digital retail Bank has pledged to support the development of high-impact sectors including road infrastructure, housing, education, healthcare and agro processing in Ogun State.
    The Managing Director/CEO of Polaris Bank, Mr. Adekunle Sonola, stated this while speaking with journalists after he led the Bank’s management team on a courtesy visit to the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, on Wednesday.
    Recognizing the notable achievements of the state administration in infrastructure, education, and agro-processing, Mr. Sonola emphasized Polaris Bank’s willingness to provide support, particularly in financing, to expedite socio-economic development. The meeting focused on various collaborative opportunities in infrastructure, housing, healthcare, education, and agriculture, showcasing the bank’s commitment to complement the government’s efforts in delivering services to the Ogun state people.
    Expressing readiness to offer counterpart funding support, Mr. Sonola highlighted Polaris Bank’s innovative products, such as the e-hospital platform, deployed in 11 states, enhancing revenue collection through technology. Describing Ogun State as one of Nigeria’s most progressive states with robust infrastructure, he commended the state’s conducive business environment.
    “Governor Abiodun is running one of the most progressive states in the country with a lot of laudable objectives and achievements in the last four years. As Bankers to the community, we are here to show our support and to also see for ourselves the achievements on ground, as well as offer our services for the progress and development of the state,” he stated.
    The Polaris Bank CEO noted that the management identified opportunities and areas of collaboration with the Ogun State Government, assuring that in a few months, the people would begin to see the delivery of the projects agreed on at the meeting,
    He stated that the meeting with Governor Abiodun centered on a wide range of areas, including infrastructure, housing delivery, healthcare improvement programmes, education, agriculture and other sectors that the bank could be of assistance, as well as the complementary relationship to deliver services to the people.
    He said further that Polaris Bank has a long-term presence in the state, including having one of the vibrant and modern bank branches in the state capital, and affirmed that the people of the state would continue to enjoy robust personal banking experience at all times.
    Sonola called on investors to take advantage of the enormous potential and the conducive business environment provided by the state government to open their businesses in the Gateway State.
    Polaris Bank was adjudged Digital Bank of the Year in 2021 and 2022, 2023 by BusinessDay’s Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards. And as a digital-forward Bank dedicated to forging a customer-focused future through innovative partnership that reshape both businesses and communities.
  • Dangote Refinery: Abiodun cooked up lies against me – Amosun

    Dangote Refinery: Abiodun cooked up lies against me – Amosun

    The immediate-past Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has berated Governor Dapo Abiodun, saying that he lied against him over the relocation of the $19bn Dangote refinery from Ogun to Lagos State.

    Amosun spoke through his media aide, Bola Adeyemi on Wednesday via a statement signed and released in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital.

    According to excerpts from the statement, Amosun exonerated himself from the relocation.

    Amosun said, “It is most uncharitable for anyone to churn out lies that Ogun State was in a position to unilaterally frustrate the project or was responsible for the logjam.

    “With respect to all sides, it accords more with logic to appreciate the fact that Alhaji Aliko Dangote took business decisions of his own in accordance with the goals of his business strategy and risk assessment.”

    Amosun explained that the Olokola Free Trade Zone project was not solely owned by Ogun State, saying, it was a Joint Venture from its conception in 2007.

    He explained, “The Federal Government of Nigeria owned the majority 51%, Ondo State Government (14.5%), Ogun State Government (14.5%), and strategic core investors (20%). Alhaji Aliko Dangote, according to the information available to us when we took office, subsequently bought, and took over the 20% equity of the core investors. Ogun State was a minority equity stakeholder only, without proprietary strength and capacity to take sole decisions on the Joint Venture enterprise.”

    Amosun clarified that as Governor at the time, he appointed two carefully chosen stakeholders of Ogun East/Ogun Waterside Local Government extraction to represent Ogun State’s interests in the joint venture enterprise and advise the state.

  • Hope rises for Lagos – Abeokuta road as Ogun gov’t promises December completion

    Hope rises for Lagos – Abeokuta road as Ogun gov’t promises December completion

    The Ogun State Government has promised to complete the reconstruction of the Sango-Ota road on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway by December.

    The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Waheed Odusile, and his counterpart in the ministry of works and infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, said this while addressing journalists on Wednesday.

    The government said the new road approval was prioritised due to its deplorable condition and challenges confronting motorists plying the route.

    It refuted the allegation that its newly approved road project was to seek the people’s votes for the second-term ambition of the state Governor, Dapo Abiodun.

    The government said the State Executive Council had on Monday approved the reconstruction of 32km Ijoko/Sango/Agbado road.

    It stressed that the 32km road included Alagbole, Akute-Agbado crossing.

    Also Read:

    Akinsanya said contractors have already been mobilised to site.

    He added that the construction of the road which connects Sango-Ijoko-Agbado-Akute-Alagbole and Yakoyo ends of Ojodu Berger of Lagos started in 2013 under Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s administration but the administration failed to complete it.

    He added that the Mowe-Ofada Road, awarded in 2014 by past government and abandoned, would be reconstructed and expanded with drainage system.

    Akinsanya said work will commence simultaneously on the 7.5km Singer to tollgate due to its deplorable condition and difficulty for motorists to ply.

    He added that the 7.7km Toll Gate to Singer will be sectional rehabilitation while palliative will be done on other sections of the road to Brewery in Abeokuta.

    Akinsanya explained that initial work will be done on the 8.5km Sango end and 1.5km on Lagos/Ogun end.

    He said, “The road projects on the Lagos-Abeokuta road will be completed by December. We are taking it phase by phase. Others will be done .”

    In his remarks, Odusile said the government decided to take up the road projects since the federal government refused to come to the rescue.

    He added that, despite the dwindling income from the Federation Account Allocation Committee which he said affected the current administration’s physical projects, Governor Abiodun’s administration had continued to improve on the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.

    He said, “The dwindling FAAC is taking a toll on our administration. Without inflicting pain on our people we have been increasing our target to N100bn.

    “We are expecting FG’s reaction on Singer/ Tollgate. So, we are not waiting if help is not coming from Abuja, we have to help ourselves.

    “The road we are focusing on now are FG roads that we have made efforts in the past to fix. More than four times, Dapo went to Abuja with the Minister of Works. It is not about second term, we have been doing roads.

    “What government has been doing is to use FAAC to take care of salaries and recurrent expenditures and dedicate our IGR to capital expenditures.”

  • Ogun pensioners issue 14-day ultimatum to Gov Abiodun as they threaten ‘mega protest’

    Ogun State pensioners say they are tired of the lies by the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun and are prepared to embark of ‘mega protest’ if their demands on the 150 months of unremitted contributory pension are not met within 14 days.

    The pensioners therefore threatened to embark on an unprecedented protest if the governor fails to meet their demands.

    The union disclosed this on Wednesday in an open letter addressed to the governor and signed by its chairman, Waheed Oloyede, and the Secretary, Bola Lawal.

    Related Story: Commissioner denies Gov Bello used Kogi pensioners money to declare for president

    Also Read: Man slumps as pensioners stage protests in Edo, Government reacts

    While giving their reasons for the proposed protest, the pensioners lamented the failure to fulfill their demands which include; the failure to offset the outstanding gratuities of almost ten years among others.

    The pensioners had in April 2022, the pensioners issued a 21-day ultimatum to the state government to pay their 150 months of unremitted contributory pensions

    The pensioners also organised a one-day prayer session to demystify and naturalise the “evil spirit” preventing the governor from paying their outstanding allowances.

    The union maintained that the governor held a meeting with stakeholders to prevent their proposed strived to promise that their requests would be attended to before the end of May 2022, adding that it was all lies.

    union declared its readiness to protest against the alleged ill-treatment of its members by the government.

    The statement read partly, “the Ogun State Pensioners are fully ready to demand their right by the only option they have an unprecedented protest. Enough is enough.

    “The Ogun State Government is hereby given a 14- day ultimatum to implement all our demands and pay both May and June 2022 monthly pension in full, otherwise, the fire on the mountain would drop down.

    “We know some Governors who came into office at the same time with Your Excellency who have paid between 18 billion naira to 25 billion naira to offset unpaid gratuities they met on the ground, but unfortunately, Ogun State Government paid only N2 billion out of N68 billion on the ground in three years meaning that many pensioners would die without being paid their life entitlements.”

  • Democracy Day: Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun releases 40 inmates

    As part of activities to mark the June 12 Democracy day, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun has approved the reversal of prisoners on death row to life imprisonment and also released 40 inmates who have exhibited good attitude while in prison.

     

    Abiodun made the pronouncement on Sunday while speaking at the June 12 commemorative anniversary and Nigeria’s Democracy Day, held at the M.K.O International Stadium, Abeokuta, Ogun state capital.

    He explained that the committal to life imprisonment and release of the convicted inmates is in accordance with the provisions of Sections 212 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) and Sections 4 and 5 of the Ogun State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy (Establishment Law), Laws of Ogun State 2006.

    However, Abiodun urged Nigerians to take a cue from the 1993 general elections adjudged free and fair to make the forthcoming elections a thing of pride.

    He thereafter advocated stringent punishment for violators of due process in elections, declaring that
    people’s ballots  must count and be respected at the polls.

    The governor noted that the struggles of June 12 as orchestrated by late MKO Abiola gave birth to the seamless democracy Nigeria has enjoyed in the last 29 years, emphasising that “only by upholding the tenets of democracy and ensuring its sustainability that we can truly honour the memory of those ideals that Chief MKO Abiola and others stood and died for”.

    The governor appealed to the people of Ogun and Nigerians entirely to freely exercise their franchise, adding that for the 2023 general elections to be a huge success, every eligible Nigerian must register to vote and actually take part in voting on the day of election.

     

    “While it is heart-warming to note that in the last 29 years, we have enjoyed seamless civilian-to-civilian transition, it is only by upholding the tenets of democracy and ensuring its sustainability that we can truly honour the memory of those ideals that Chief MKO Abiola and others stood and died for. People’s ballots must count and be respected, while violators of due process in elections ought to be dealt the full wrath of the law.

    “If the ideals matter to us, religion and ethnicity too should not become campaign issues or determinants of who gets what, when, how in our body-politic or become primary considerations in our leadership recruitment and governance processes. I can envision how these Nigerians who gave their all would be cringing in their graves seeing us celebrating divisive vices and our do-or-die politicking”, the governor stated.

    He urged political leaders and followers to keep hope and fairplay alive in democracy, tasking them to fashion a way to ensure that will make democracy in Nigeria a means to an end, not an end in itself.

    Abiodun further charged Nigerians to internalise democratic values and tenets of the late MKO Abiola and other heroes and heroines on democratic principles and practices.

    “Our schools should teach them and we should hold them in our hearts and not our mouths. We labour in vain if we claim to have laid the ghost of June 12 to rest as long as Nigeria still experiences banditry, insurgency and ethnic champions still hold sway. Rather than all these, we should restore our country back to true federalism and ensure that powers are properly devolved”, he added.

    The governor, however, assured that his administration would continue to deliver on its electoral promises and fulfill the dreams of Ogun founding fathers.

    “As our administration is in the final year of our first term in office, we will not drop the baton. We will continue to deliver on our mandate. In fact, the people of Ogun State should expect a faster pace in the actualization of our electoral promises. We are determined that Ogun State shall fulfill the dreams of our founding fathers.

    “As we reflect on the unquantifiable, selfless sacrifice and contributions of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola and other democratic legends towards the development of our fatherland, I enjoin us all to rededicate ourselves to the service and unity of our great nation. Beyond this celebration, I enjoin you all to shun all acts that could be an albatross against the democratic success we have made and continued to sustain in our dear State in the last 36 months. This is the only way we can make progress and achieve our collective dream”. Abiodun submitted.

     

  • Governor Abiodun unveils Air-conditioned, WiFi enabled buses in Ogun

    Governor Abiodun unveils Air-conditioned, WiFi enabled buses in Ogun

    Ogun state Governor Dapo Abiodun, has launched a WIFI internet enabled mass bus transit system for inter state and intra system transportation .

    Speaking at the unveiling ceremony held at the Arcade ground, Governor’s office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital, said that the project was conceived a lot time ago and has now been delivered.

    He added that the buses are not only fitted with WIFI and internet services but also boast of other gadgets that make transportation easy and fun filled.

    Abiodun said that the bus transit was established in line with the transport master plan aimed at providing efficient and affordable means of moving people from one location to another.

    The Governor, who spoke in company of the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, said that his government was also developing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes in conjunction with the Lagos State government under the Lagos-Ogun Joint Development Cooperation.

    Other personalities at the event include Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Former Governor of the state, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, among others.

    According to him, the buses would move people from Abeokuta through Mowe, Magboro, Kara axis to Marina and Ifo as well as Ado Odo-Ota axis to Lagos, among others

    .He said, “It is important to know that the whole essence of the transportation master plan is for us to efficiently move people either intra-state or inter-state. We are the industrial capital of this country and neighbour to the biggest economy, which is Lagos State. We see the cross border migration every day and the trouble our people go through.”

    “Our transportation master plan has proffered suggestions and solutions for us to deal with this. Today, we are launching these mass transit buses. The pilot phase will start from Abeokuta and we will expand it to other cities”, the governor noted.

    “This is why we have come up with a multi-modal Transportation Master Plan that we launch today. This transport policy takes into consideration the short, medium and long term approaches to the development of our transport sector. This will include road, rail, water and air transportation plans for the State”, he added.

    Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, lauded the state government for operating a purposeful government, he said the governor has indeed shown the he’s the people’s governor saying these achievements and projects will speak for him for many years to come.

     

  • Ogun Governor signs anti-open grazing bill into law

    Ogun Governor signs anti-open grazing bill into law

    Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has signed the Anti-Open Grazing Bill and the Ranching Bill into law.

    While signing the bill in his office in Abeokuta, the state capital on Thursday, the governor said the move became imperative in order to protect all critical stakeholders and their businesses in the state.

    According to him, an implementation committee to be headed by the state Commissioner for Agriculture with the membership of other critical stakeholders would fashion out the modalities for the full and smooth take-off for the implementation of the law within six months.

    The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Taiwo Oluomo and other members of the House were present to witness the signing.

    With the signing of the bill into law, Ogun State now joins Rivers, Bayelsa, Oyo, Ekiti, Abia, Lagos and Enugu who have also signed the bill into law.

    Southern governors in Nigeria had reached a resolution on July 5, 2021, that member states would enact the law against open grazing of cattle in their states on or before September 1.

  • Governor Abiodun speaks on conduct of Ogun LG poll

    Governor Abiodun speaks on conduct of Ogun LG poll

    Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has commended electorates and officials of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) for the peaceful conduct of local government elections in the state.

    The governor made the comment on Saturday after voting at Itaosanyin Ward 3, in Iperu, Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.

    I commend the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission for doing such a wonderful job. The preparation for the election, the sensitisation, and the implementation in terms of ensuring voting materials get to the voting centers on time. From the report I have heard, everything is going very well.

    “The conduct of the electorates is peaceful – people are voting, no disruption or violence,” Abiodun said.

    The turnout is typical of local government elections, with voters turning out as early as 8:00 am. The OGSIEC officials arrived early at many of the polling units with election materials to ensure the electorates cast their votes for parties of their choice.