Author: Khadijah Olowode

(Published in The PUNCH, on Friday, November 24, 2023) Your Excellency, At the risk of being accused of ‘famzing’ the Osun State First Family, I will, nonetheless, stand at the Aisu Junction, off the Gbongan-Osogbo Road, which leads to a stretch of houses belonging to the Adelekes, open my mouth yakata and proudly declare myself a friend of the illustrious Adeleke clan of Ede. My esteemed Governor, I have no relationship with you, but your eldest brother, the great Serubawon of Osun politics, Alhaji Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, even in death, remains an unforgettable friend, who humbly related with me, despite…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of eight new Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service following the recently concluded selection process by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. The newly approved Permanent Secretaries are: Ndayako-Aishetu Gogo, Adeoye Adeleye Ayodeji, Rimi Nura Abba, Bako Deborah Odoh, Omachi Raymond Omenka, Ahmed Dunoma Umar, Watti Tinuke and Ella Nicholas Agbo President Tinubu anticipated that the new Permanent Secretaries, having emerged at the top of qualified candidates after a diligent assessment process, will deploy their expertise and competence in the effective execution of the Renewed Hope…

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, on Wednesday, 22 November, 2023, directed the construction of about 4km road network at Federal Polytechnic, Monguno. The Governor ordered the allocation of a building owned by Borno State Government for use as a hostel by the polytechnic. Zulum directed that the road construction be executed in phases with the first phase to commence in January next year. He gave the directive during a visit to permanent site of the polytechnic which is under construction in Monguno town. “I have gone round the ongoing work here at the permanent site of the federal polytechnic,…

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has directed the freezing of all the state and local governments’ accounts with immediate effect. A statement by the state Commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Asiru Idris, made this known on Thursday, 23 November, 2023, in Lokoja, the state capital. The statement read apart: “No imprest or any form of payment should be made to anyone from Government Account henceforth. “Standing Orders and Investment Instructions are hereby cancelled forthwith. ”All Kogi State and Local Government Accounts are hereby FROZEN with effect from today, Thursday, 22 November, 2023″.

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, on Tuesday, 21 November and Wednesday, 22 November, 2023, supervised the distribution of N275 million cash, food items and wrappers to 95,000 residents in Monguno town of Monguno Local Government Area in the northern part of the state. During the distribution, 55,000 women were each given N5,000 cash and a wrapper, while 40,000 male heads of household received 25kg of rice and 10kg of beans. Monguno was displaced by Boko Haram insurgents about eight years ago before it was recaptured by the Nigerian military. Monguno hosts IDPs from four Local Government areas: Kukawa, Guzamala,…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a conviction against the erstwhile Provost of Isaac Jasper College of Education, Sagbama, Bayelsa State, Professor Saviour Nathan Agoro who was arraigned in court by the Commission for contracts fraud amounting to N285 million. Professor Agoro was arraigned at the Bayelsa State High Court alongside the former accountant of the institution, Mr. Perez Friday Lakemfa who were both charged under Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 for having interest in and coffering corrupt advantage on themselves and relations as a…

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun on Friday, 24 November, 2023, said the judiciary has once again shown its commitment to upholding the rule of law in the country. Prince Abiodun also appealed to his opponent, Ladi Adebutu, to stop running around and join hands with his government in the task of making Ogun one of the best states in the country. The Governor spoke at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta, while reacting to the verdict of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which affirmed his March 18 electoral victory. “I want to thank the judiciary for yet again standing the course…

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos on Friday, 24 November, 2023, affirmed the election of Governor Dapo Abiodun of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as winner of the March 18, poll, in Ogun State. In a majority judgement delivered by the duo of Justices J.S. Ikyegh and Muhammed Mustapha, the Appellate Court dismissed the appeal brought before it by the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the state, Hon. Ladi Adebutu. The court held that the appeal lacked merit as it found no substance in it and subsequently dismissed it, affirming the earlier decision of…

The Ogun State Government is targeting 15,000 pregnant women as beneficiaries of its free delivery programme tagged “Ibidero” as part of measures put in place to improve the state’s maternal mortality index. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker disclosed this in Abeokuta, the state capital, while speaking to newsmen on the new scheme. She noted that the initiative was a health insurance scheme of the state targeted at vulnerable indigent pregnant women across the 20 local government areas of the state. Coker noted that through the programme, the enrolled pregnant women would have access to free maternal health…

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, undertook a significant visit to Kwara State, today, Firday, 24 November, 2023, where he engaged in key activities aimed at strengthening the relationship between the police force and the local community, as well as reinforcing the importance of professionalism and people-friendly policing. The visit included a courtesy call on the revered Emir of Kwara at his palace. During this meeting, the IGP and the Emir discussed matters of mutual interest, focusing on collaborative efforts to enhance the safety and security of the people in Kwara State. The IGP expressed gratitude for…

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday, reiterated his administration’s commitment to reforms and economic incentives that will improve Ease of Doing Business and enhance investment opportunities. The Governor said he would continue to pursue actions that would eliminate red tapes and regulatory impediments hindering the growth of businesses in the State, demonstrating his willingness for continued collaboration with the private sector to improve the livelihood of the residents. Sanwo-Olu spoke at Ikeja Industrial Estate where he commissioned the newly-built wet hair production factory owned by Godrej Nigeria Limited – a consumer goods company. The Governor described the project as…

By Ganiu Bamgbose, PhD Should I begin with an apology for the coinage of a new word? That should not be too much ego to exhibit for a PhD in English. No, you will not find “containerism” in any English dictionary. I have coined it for two reasons. First, it is a morphological extension from a word which captures my intention. Second, I wanted a strange word for the strange situation I wish to describe. To operationalise my coinage, containerism is any situation where container (the package of a product) takes glorification over content (the actual product). It is the…

Over one hundred young people who had undergone Tech Talent and Data Science training at the SAIL Innovation Lab have gotten decent artificial intelligence jobs with Awari AI, a fast growing AI/Robotics firm that is enabling the development and adoption of frontier technology on the African continent starting from Nigeria. The firm which has chosen the SAIL Innovation Lab in Ikorodu as a launchpad to several locations in Nigeria and Africa, also partnered with the SAIL Innovation Lab for continuous talent sourcing for the emerging multi-billion dollar AI industry that is expected to shape all spheres of life in a…

Construction of bus stations for the take-off of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Mass Transit scheme along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway axis will commence soon. The stations are to be sited within Mowe, Ibafo Arepo, and Berger axis of the ever-busy expressway. This was disclosed by the state Commissioner for Transportation, Engr Dairo Olugbenga, while speaking on a radio programme in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Thursday. According to him, the construction will commence in earnest, as necessary implementation frameworks have been put in place, even as he urged the people to lend their support to the state government towards…

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has said that his administration’s commitment to religious tolerance has ensured peaceful co-existence among various adherents in the state. The Governor noted that though people living in the state practise different religions, with Ogun being the religious capital of the country, they have imbibe the spirit of tolerance by seeing themselves as one. He said that this is due to the fact that his government has been promoting acts that unite and encourage peaceful co-existence among the people of the state. The Governor stated this in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, when he received…

Sen. Teslim Kolawole Folarin, former Chairman of the Local Content Committee in the 9th Senate has commended the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for training 500 youths in Oyo State on solar power installation and maintenance. The training programme was organized as part of the Board’s youth empowerment and human capacity-building initiatives. The training was conducted at Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, and it lasted for six months. Folarin, who represented Oyo Central Senatorial District gave the commendation on Tuesday, 21 November, 2023, when he participated in the close-out ceremony of the training held at Ibadan. He lauded…

The Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, has disclosed that Oyo state will compete favourably with developed economies within the next 10 years if the Seyi Makinde developmental template is sustained by the administration coming after 2027. The Commissioner made this projection while addressing media stakeholders at the 8th edition of the NBC/Yemi Sonde broadcast media stakeholders forum at the University of Ibadan. Citing the World Population Review of the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects, Prince Oyelade said the population of Ibadan was a mere 450,000 by 1950 but by 2019 when Governor Seyi Makinde…

Unity Bank Plc and Cashtoken, have announced a partnershipto deploy a patronage reward product that will see the Bank’s customers winning millions of Naira in cash rewards, guaranteed instant cashback, and offer a life-changing opportunity. Cashtoken is a Cash Reward-as-a-Service company that operates a loyalty programme designed to power customer engagement and improve customer satisfaction. For Unity Bank, the partnership offers it the opportunity to migrate customers – old and new, to a platform that will continually create exciting rewards and appreciation for loyalty. To be part of this reward scheme, customers are to onboard onto any or all of the Unity Bank digital banking platforms…

The Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has promised to collaborate and support the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in its efforts to fast-track the development of the Niger Delta region. Governor Fubara spoke at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, during a courtesy visit by members of the NDDC Governing Board, led by the Chairman, Mr. Chiedu Ebie. The NDDC team included the Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye; the Executive Director Projects, Sir Victor Antai; the Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, other members of the Board and directors of…

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, 22 November, 2023, asked the Federal Government to construct pedestrian bridges at strategic places on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The resolution followed a motion moved by the representative of Oluyole Federal Constituency in the House, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe during plenary. She said this is in response to the critical safety concerns posed by the absence of pedestrian bridges along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Akande-Sadipe urged the Federal Ministry of Works to prioritize the construction of pedestrian bridges in strategic locations along this vital route. The motion highlighted the unprecedented growth of Ibadan, Oyo State, which is now…