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Tag: Ogun State

Ogun State

  • PHOTOS/VIDEO: Ex-President Obasanjo embarks on 18km walk

    PHOTOS/VIDEO: Ex-President Obasanjo embarks on 18km walk

    Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo embarked on an eighteen (18) kilometres walk on Monday in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State, western Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Obasanjo, who is currently 85, joined the current and alumni students of Baptist Boys’ High School, Ogun for the 18km walk.

    The 18km walk around Abeokuta was part of activities to mark the centenary celebrations of the school.

    They walked amid singing of the school anthem among other songs, through Oke Egunya, Igbore, Oke Igbein, and at Omida the palace of Oba Omolade.

    As they walk, hundreds of residents and enthusiasts echoed Obasanjo’s names and praised him for his prowess, energy and endurance to embark on the walk despite his age.

    Obasanjo was joined by the leadership of the old boys association, led by the National President, Prof. Kayode Oyesiku and a large numbers of the current students.

    They entertained residents, motorists and passers-by as they walked.

    TNG reports among those who played host to Obasanjo and his team, were the Olubara of Ibara, Oba Jacob Omolade, former Finance Minister, Onolapo Soleye and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo.

    It was at the visit to the palace of Alake, that some aged old school mates joined them.

    Thereafter, the walkers moved to the Ibara Housing Estate, the residence of Soleye. Subsequently, the team took the walk again to Ake, the palace of Oba Gbadebo.

    Shortly after the visit to Alake, the octogenarian still burstling with energy entered back on the road and headed towards Saje, a journey that took them through Isale Ake, Adatan, Kugba Road before entering the rehabilitated Saje Road into the school premises.

    See photos below:

  • SAD: Woman dies on her way to church after falling off husband’s okada

    SAD: Woman dies on her way to church after falling off husband’s okada

    A woman, on Sunday, died on her way to church, after falling off her husband’s motorcycle at Fajol axis of Obantoko area in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    It was gathered that the incident happened as the husband of the deceased lost control in the process of avoiding a head-on collision with another motorcycle coming from the opposite direction.

    It was also gathered that the rider of the Bajaj motorcycle, with registration number: TTN 08 VG was carrying three persons, including his wife, when the incident happened.

    It was learnt that the husband swerved to a side of the road, but his wife, who appeared not to be sitting comfortably, suddenly fell off the motorcycle and died immediately.

    Spokesman of Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the accident.

    Akinbiyi attributed the incident to reckless riding on the part of the motorcyclist, which led to the loss of control and in the process, the woman sitting at the back fell off, hit her head on the ground and died on the spot.

    He said that the motorcycle had been moved away from the road by the police for further investigation, while the dead body was taken away by the family.

    “According to an eyewitness account, the crash happened when the motorcycle conveying the dead woman, his husband (rider) and child were making their way toward Fajol, inbound Obantoko, for church service.

    “In an attempt to avoid a head-on collision with another motorcyclist from the opposite direction, he swerved and the woman, who was also his wife, due to shock and not being well-balanced in her sitting position, fell and died instantly.

    “Unfortunately, the other motorcyclist involved in the crash ran away,” he said.

    Akinbiyi stated that the Obantoko Divisional Police Station had taken over the case for further investigation.

    While commiserating with the families of the deceased, he advised motorcyclists to be careful, cautious, patient and avoid unnecessary speeding.

  • CBN staff, wife assasinated , son, maid abducted in Ogun state

    CBN staff, wife assasinated , son, maid abducted in Ogun state

    Kehinde Fatinoye a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) was assassinated on Sunday in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

    Fatinoye was murdered alongside his wife, who was until the incident a Principal Confidential Secretary at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB.

    It was gathered that the assasins stormed the Ibara GRA residence of the couple at a time they just returned from the New Year crossover service.

    According to a  source who lives in same community,  the couple were killed and set ablaze by their assailants inside their house.

    Also, the couple’s son and domestic staff were reportedly taken away by the assassins.

    Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun state Police PRO confirmed the incident, saying: “It is true the incident happened. Investigation has commenced. Somebody has been arrested in connection with the incident. The man and his wife were killed and we are yet to find their child who was taken away.”

    He further confirmed: “The incident happened after 12 in the morning. This is a clear case of assassination and we are not leaving any stone unturned to unravel those behind the killings.”

  • Female students to start wearing hijab in Ogun state – Islamic leaders

    Female students to start wearing hijab in Ogun state – Islamic leaders

    The League of Imams and Alfas have called on all Muslim female students in Ogun state to start wearing hijab in public schools as from January 2023.

    This development was arrived at in a meeting in December that was held in Abeokuta the Ogun state capital.

    The Islamic leaders in Ogun state added that the decision for Muslim female students to start wearing Hijab in the state was arrived at after meeting with the state government.

    They added that the hijab would be a means to compliment the uniform of female students who are Muslims.

    According to  a statement signed by its Secretary General, Sheikh Tajudeen Adewunmi, on Tuesday said that the use of hijab will begin on January 9, 2023, when students return for their second term.

    The league also said only “desiring and willing female Muslim students could wear a white-coloured shoulder-length cape Hijab as they resume for the second term of the 2022-2023 academic session on Monday, January 9, 2023, and henceforth without any fear of molestation or punishment.”

    The statement read in part, “At the end of our December 2022 general meeting, where many issues bothering the welfare of the Ummah were discussed, we resolved to express the opinion of the Muslim community (the Ummah) in the state as it concerns the following issues:

    “Many female Muslim students in Nigeria, particularly in Ogun State, have continued to feature unnecessarily in many protracted cases of infringements on their rights in their quest to practise their religion, particularly in relation to the use of Hijab in schools.

    “However, all doubts or controversies on the matter have been put to rest by the pronouncement of the honourable justices of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which reaffirmed the rights of Muslim students in Nigerian schools to use Hijab as they so wished.

    “It should also be noted that many agencies of the Ogun State government have consistently stated that there is no law that prohibits female Muslim students from wearing Hijab, despite the fact that Muslim students who wear Hijab have always been beaten, embarrassed, or humiliated in a variety of ways over the years.”

    The league, however, pleaded with the state government to warn teachers and school heads to desist from depriving Muslim female students of their human rights and accept the approval of the use of hijab in schools.

    The statement further read, “We request the state government warn overzealous and religiously intolerant individuals among school heads and teachers, as well as others who might want to take laws into their own hands by preventing Muslim students who are willing to express their fundamental human right.

    “The Muslim Community had noted the previous intolerance and disdain from non-Muslim teachers and heads of schools toward Muslim students on this matter, which include (but are not limited to) molestation, the affliction of physical injury, and many other forms of harassment.”

    The religious leaders also frowned at the dearth of Islamic Religious Knowledge teachers in public schools in the state.

    “Apart from the fact that Muslim students were deprived of the opportunity to learn Islamic Studies in many schools in the state, it is more unfortunate, disheartening, and in fact illegal (in the spirit and intent of the aforementioned provision of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) that Muslim students in some government-owned schools in Ogun State are being compelled to offer Christian Religious Knowledge as a subject in the schools.

    “We use this opportunity to call on the state government and, in particular, the Honourable State Commissioner of Education, Science, and Technology to, as a matter of urgency, correct the anomaly through the recruitment and deployment of Islamic Studies teachers to schools across the state to teach the subject.”

  • Ogun state government apologizes to civil servants over Salary delay

    Ogun state government apologizes to civil servants over Salary delay

    The Ogun state government yesterday, apologized to civil servants in the state for not being paid as at when due in the month of November.

    The apology was relayed in form of a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on New Media, Emmanuel Ojo on Wednesday in Abeokuta.

    Ojo noted that the state government regrets the action and will try everything possible for it not to repeat itself.

    According to him, only about 15 to 20 percent of the State workforce were yet to receive their November salaries as of Wednesday morning.

    Ojo blamed the delay on hitches with about four banks, saying it is “the first of such delay since the inception of Dapo Abiodun Administration over three and half years ago.”

    Meanwhile, Ojo said the government had commenced the processing and payment of December salaries, saying staff are expected to start getting credit alerts, latest by Thursday morning.

    “While the State regrets the delays in the payment of November salaries to some staff (about 15-20% of workforce) due to some hitches with about four banks, the first of such delay since the inception of Dapo Abiodun Administration over three and half years ago; the workers are assured of a blissful Christmas celebration.

    “It would be recalled that Ogun State Government is one of the few State governments that have continued to pay the national minimum wage without fail,” he said.

  • Police arrest man bathing with blood beside a river in Ogun

    Police arrest man bathing with blood beside a river in Ogun

    The police in Ogun state have arrested a middle -aged man, Ganiyu Shina for bathing with blood beside a rive in Kotopo, Abeokuta, Odeda Local Government Area of the state.

    Residents who saw the man bathing with blood quickly called the attention of the police to it.

    Reports say that the 4-year-old man lives at 4, Oguji Street, Obantoko, Abeokuta,

    It was gathered that he parked his Nissan commercial vehicle, took out a local sponge, with a container filled with blood and started bathing with it.

    Ogun State police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the man fled immediately he discovered that some people were watching him.

    However, Oyeyemi stated that he “was chased and apprehended by members of the community.”

    According to Oyeyemi, the police at Aregbe division were invited by a member of the community, “and the DPO, SP Bunmi Asogbon quickly led the patrol team to the scene, from where the suspect was brought to the station.”

    During interrogation, the suspect was said to have claimed that he had a spiritual problem, and that a herbalist instructed him to perform the ritual.

    “He claimed further that the blood in his possession is not human blood, but that of cow,” Oyeyemi stated.

    Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has directed that the remaining blood be taken for laboratory analysis, to ascertain whether it is human blood or not.

    Bankole commended the community members for not taking laws into their hands, assuring them that the suspect would be properly investigated.

  • Discontent as Ogun emerges host of 2024 National Sports Festival

    Discontent as Ogun emerges host of 2024 National Sports Festival

    Sabina Chikere, the Permanent Secretary in charge of Edo Sports Commission has called for a review of the criteria for awarding the hosting rights of a National Sports Festival (NSF).

    Chikere, who made the call in Asaba on the sidelines of the 21st National Sports Festival (NSF), said so many things were wrong with “Delta 2022” that came to a close on Saturday.

    At the close of the 21st NSF, Ogun emerged as the next host of the sports festival, their second hosting after their first in 2006.

    Chikere, expressed dissatisfaction with the logistics arrangement at the festival, noting that the Edo sports authorities were not comfortable with where their contingent was kept.

    “The tournament is just a charade. A lot of things are not just right. I am sure that, as you are coming in from the gate, you can see it for yourself. You really don’t need anybody to tell you what all this is about.

    “From the gate up to this place, you can see where we are all kept. You can see the environment. You can see everything. We came in here. As we speak now, there is no light. That is how we stay most of the time.

    “But we give the glory at least, that we have come this far. We can now only hope for the best,” Chikere said.

    She added that the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development needed to insist on putting in place certain rules and regulations.

    ”The Ministry needs to make sure that whichever state is hosting has a guide on what is expected. It should be able to give guidelines on what they expect from the hosting state.

    ”The Ministry should make sure the state meets up with the requirements so that, at the end of the day, there will be a semblance of a National Sports Festival,” the Permanent Secretary said.

    On the performance of Edo at the festival, Chikere assured that the state’s athletes would strive in line with the promises made to the people of Edo.

    “So far so good. We are hoping for the best like we promised our Edo people before we left. We are doing our best to be part of those at the top of the table, and we are working towards it.

    “The games are still on and it is not over until it is over. There is still hope. We will put up a very good performance,” the Edo sports commission official said.

    Meanwhile, announcing Ogun State as the next of the NSF, Youth and Sports Development Minister Sunday Dare disclosed that for the first time the competition’s hosting right would have a first runner-up in Oyo State.

    He explained that the essence of placing a willing state on stand-by was to make them ready in case the earlier chosen state failed to meet up.

    Dare said five states put in the bid to host the 22nd edition of the festival billed for 2024.

  • Asaba 2022: Allegation of poaching mars 21st National Sports Festival

    Asaba 2022: Allegation of poaching mars 21st National Sports Festival

    Team Delta on Saturday emerged as the overall winner of the 21st National Sports Festival the State government hosted in the capital city of Asaba.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Delta won a total of 320 gold medals, 200 silver medals and 128 bronze medals to emerge overall winner of the sports festival.

    The final medals table shows that Delta’s neighbours, Bayelsa, came second with 132 gold, 115 silver and 90 bronze medals.

    Edo, which hosted the festival’s 20th edition, came third with 78 gold, 94 silver and 167 bronze medals to make it a South-South affair in the top-three ranking.

    See final medals table below:

    Asaba 2022: Allegation of poaching mars 21st National Sports Festival
    Asaba 2022: Final medals table of 21st National Sports Festival

    TNG reports no fewer than 14,000 athletes participated in 38 sports at the festival. However, allegation of poaching trailed the 21st National Sports Festival.

    National Sports Festival now looking like trading post – Rivers Sports Commissioner

    Christopher Green, the Rivers Commissioner for Sports had said the situation the National Sports Festival (NSF) has found itself now is lamentable.

    Speaking in Asaba on Friday on the sidelines of the 21st NSF, Green disclosed that the national competition could now be likened to “a trading post”.

    ”The NSF is supposed to be a platform to raise and groom talents, and to develop them into international athletes. But what we now have is like a trading post,” he said.

    The Commissioner said the way athletes were being lured by some states to compete for them was unbecoming and not good for sports.

    ”An athlete can be with one state now, and the next day he or she will be competing at the festival for another state.

    ”It is so painful when you spend a lot of time and other resources to raise an athlete, only for another state to come and lure that athlete away with money.

    ”This has made the festival to become like an event for the highest bidder.

    ”The fact that the NSF organisers, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, are not curtailing it makes it a big problem for sports development,” he said.

    Green then called for an amendment of the residency rule for athletes competing at the festival.

    ”The rule should make the number of years such athletes have to be with their new states five years, so as to curtail the movement of athletes just before festivals,” he said.

    Ogun State to host 2024 National Sports Festival

    Meanwhile, Ogun State has been officially announced as the next host of the National Sports Festival (NSF), their second hosting after their first one in 2006.

    Youth and Sports Development Minister Sunday Dare, made the announcement   on Saturday in Asaba during the closing ceremony of the 21st NSF.

    Dare said five states put in the bid to host the 22nd edition of the festival, billed for 2024.

    He however said for the first time the competition’s hosting right would have a first runners-up in Oyo State.

    “Following the evaluation of the bids and physical evaluation to the states, the runners-up will be on stand-by,” the minister said.

    He said the essence of placing a willing state on stand-by was to make them ready in case the earlier chosen state failed to meet up.

  • Labour Party dissolves excos in Ogun, fires National Publicity Secretary

    Labour Party dissolves excos in Ogun, fires National Publicity Secretary

    The Labour Party on Friday relieved the acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr Abayomi Arabambi of his duty while the Ogun chapter executives were also sacked for alleged anti-party activities.

    Mr Umar Farouk, National Secretary of the party, while addressing newsmen in Abuja said the decision was reached at the end of the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

    Farouk said at the end of the NWC’s meeting some resolution were also adopted.

    He said the acting National Publicity Secretary Abayomi Arabambi was relieved of his acting appointment by the NWC.

    Farouk added that a disciplinary committee has been constituted to investigate his alleged anti-party activities as a member of the party.

    He said the executives of the Ogun chapter of the party have also been removed.

    Farouk saif a caretaker committee would be appointed to take charge of the party’s activities in the state pending further recommendations.

    He said:’`Also, a disciplinary committee has been set up to investigate their alleged anti- party activities and report to the NWC.

    “We appointed Arabambi to act as the publicity secretary of the party, he has not been expelled from the party.

    “However, as a member of the party, ,a disciplinary committee will investigate his activities.

    “This is based on his actions that have come out in the public for taking the party and its candidate to court to challenge a favourable judgment that the party and the candidates in Lagos and other places have received.

    “That kind of action is actually viewed as anti-party activity and he has compromised his position as the spokesperson of the party and hence can never be trusted to speak on behalf of the party.’’r

    Farouk said that the NWC has called on the party members to adhere strictly to the provision of tits constitution and the code of conduct of the party.

    He also called on the public to have more confidence in the party, adding that its leadership of the party was working to ensure that they were not distracted.

    Farouk urged: ‘`We are calling on the public to disregard any negative information being spread by some disgruntled elements.”

  • Labour Party reacts over suspension of Doyin Okupe in Ogun

    Labour Party reacts over suspension of Doyin Okupe in Ogun

    The Labour Party says the purported suspension of its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Director-General, Doyin Okupe is null and void.

    Mr Umar-Farouk Ibrahim, the National Secretary of the party said this when he addressed newsmen in Abuja on Friday.

    Ibrahim said that the National Leadership of the party was surprised at the suspension by the Ogun chapter which was without due process.

    “The Ogun State Chapter has acted outside its Constitutional jurisdiction, the party has international conflict resolution mechanism of handling cases against members as enshrined in the party’s constitution.

    “There are also disciplinary measures to be taken ,for example ,before you discipline any member, there are certain procedures that you have to follow , you have to issue query among other procedures ,and that has not been followed.

    “No complain was written by the state chapter ,his ward and his local government, so we are saying the national headquarters is not aware of what they are doing ,they are doing it on their own.

    “The National Working Committee(NWC) is going to set up a committee and appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against the perpetuators in the state exco and we are going to fish them out and take appropriate action,” he said.

    Ibrahim said the suspension was void as Okupe remained a card carrying member LP and the DG PCC.
    He said that the party was not unaware of attempts by opposition parties to infiltrate its structures at all levels.

    Ibrahim said that the party’s leadership would do everything within its powers to ensure that its cohesion was not tempered with and would not be distracted by the antics of the opposition candidates until all its candidates were victorious in the 2023 general election.

    He expressed worry over recent attacks on party members, candidates and officials in some states, particularly Edo, Ebonyi states and Kaduna where the state women leader was gruesomely murdered.