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Oyo Govt Responsible for Rise in COVID-19 Cases at iSON Xperiences, Says Fisayo. •It’s a lie – OYSG

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi 

 

An investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, has said that the Oyo State Taskforce on COVID-19 was responsible for the spike in number of COVID-19 cases at the Dugbe Ibadan office of iSON Xperiences.

He also accused Governor Seyi Makinde of giving false situation reports.

However, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, the Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism has refuted the claims by the journalist.

Soyombo made the shocking revelations yesterday in his routine #fisayoscovid19series. The ace investigative journalist in a series of tweets said:

“A lot of people have been wondering how it was possible for 57 staff of one company in Oyo State to test positive for COVID-19 (Some have even doubted it.”

“I may not have all the answers but I do have four. Please come with me.

“1. iSON Xperiences, is a customer service provider for the likes of Airtel and MTN. It is Located at Old Kingsway Building, Dugbe (very close to CBN, beside Shoprite, opposite Radio Nigeria), it has more than 500 staff. If just one of them tested positive, so many of them were always going to be at risk.

“2. In a day, a minimum of 200 staff work across three shifts in a manner that sees 20 agents work directly with a unit head. Interpersonal and group contact is impossible to avoid.

“Let’s pause the reasons here; I’ll come back to them soon.

“On May 6, 7 and 8, a particular lady was coughing repeatedly, accompanied by chest pains. Someone who saw her in this period said “she wasn’t feeling fine at all” and had complained of “slight malaria”. She would present herself at the Infectious Disease Centre at Olodo where she underwent a test that returned positive.

“Back to the reasons for the high figures:

“3. It was hugely surprising that even though officials of the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force visited the office on Monday May 11, they didn’t shut it down. They requested for the contact details of staff, approximately 80% of the staff. They said they’d come to decontaminate the place but they never did.

“Well, they subsequently contacted iSON with random names and phone numbers of staff they thought should go for testing, but neither the company nor the authorities made any concrete move to shut down the office.

“In fact, as of Friday May 15, at least five full days after the first positive case had been established, iSON’s Dugbe office had neither been decontaminated nor shut down.

“The authorities first said they’d do it on Wednesday May 13 and they didn’t. Then they picked Friday May 15 but they didn’t as well.

“Of course, the company’s index case must have infected some of her colleagues (remember she felt the symptoms for at least three days); to compound this, the delayed decontamination and closure of the office allowed the virus to spread.

“By Sunday May 17 when office decontamination and shutdown were done and all staff were told to go for tests, the virus had been allowed at least seven days to travel round the office.

“Note also that there are other companies in that same building.

“One positive development, though, is that majority of the positive cases are still asymptomatic. Hopefully, it means they can be healed quickly.

“Finally, although the company adopted some anti-COVID-19 measures, such as provision of sanitisers to staff and maintenance of social distancing within the office premises, the same hasn’t happened externally.

“The company has a staff bus that I understand is always filled to the brim when conveying staff from their homes to the office in the morning & vice versa in the evening.

“Meanwhile, Gov Seyi Makinde initially announced that the company is located in Ibadan South-West LG. But that’s not true. It’s in the North-West, actually.

“That announcement must have been deliberate — designed to distract people from the main scene of action.

“As I always say, believe everything you read from government at your own peril,” Soyombo tweeted on Wednesday.

Reacting to the claims by Soyombo, the Oyo State Information Commissioner, Olatubosun told Pacesetter News that “the Investigative journalist is out to mislead the people of Oyo State and beyond.”

According to Olatubosun, “the company’s initial denial and frustration of the effort of a team of the Oyo State Taskforce on COVID-19 sent to the company to ascertain compliance and ensure tests were carried out on their workers compounded the problem which gave room to the spike we are witnessing today.”

“Until the government insisted that the tests must be conducted on other contacts of the company’s index case, the matter would have even gone awry beyond what is happening there.

“And the development was an eye opener to the government as other such companies have been mandated to make their staffers available for Covid-19 tests to stop further spread of the virus,” Olatubosun added.

He continued: “the Governor was more than committed to ensure the State becomes free of Covid-19 and has therefore gave marching order that all such companies be combed for sanity to prevail,” he added.

Meanwhile fact-check by the Pacesetter News reveal that iSON Xperiences is actually situated in Ibadan Southwest LGA contray to Soyombo’s claim.

The company now has a heart-breaking record of 63 positive cases of COVID-19 as at Tuesday 19th May 2020.

BREAKING: Oyo Records 19 New Cases of Coronavirus, Total Hits 162

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi

State has again recorded nineteen fresh cases of coronavirus bringing the number of confirmed cases to 162. The state is now 9th on the Nigeria COVID-19 log.

The new active cases were revealed in the routine update of information released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) late Wednesday.

Also, the agency also said 284 cases of the deadly virus were recorded on Wednesday May 20, 2020, in FCT and twelve states of the country. The total number of confirmed cases is 6677. Total Discharged cases stand at 1840 while 200 Deaths cases have been recorded so far.

Below is the breakdown of the 284 new cases of COVID19;

199-Lagos.               26-Rivers.           19-Oyo

8-FCT.                        8-Borno.             7-Plateau

6-Jigawa.                   5-Kano.              2-Abia

1-Ekiti.                         1-Delta.              1-Kwara

1-Taraba

Makinde Appoints Retired Army General, Colonel as Amotekun Leaders

By
Peter Ayoade
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By YSO Olaniyi

In a bid to ensure the effective take-off and efficient management of Oyo State Security Network codenamed Amotekun, Governor Seyi Makinde  has appointed the duo of General Ajibola Kunle Togun and retired Colonel Olayanju Bisiriyu Olayinka as chairman and commandant, respectively.

The governor, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant (Print Media) Moses Alao, indicated that the retired military officers will oversee the initiative, which was put in place to check insecurity in the state.
It will be recalled that Governor Makinde signed the Amotekun Bill into law in March, with the government having procured vehicles and other equipment for use by the security outfit which, he noted, was set up to complement the efforts of other security agencies in the state.
The new chairman of the outfit, General Togun, retired from the military having served as Director of Military Intelligence and former Deputy Director-General of the State Security Service.
Togun, who attended the Government College, Ibadan, and Mount Olivet High School, Oyo, studied Zoology at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University),  Ile-Ife, between 1964 and 1968, before joining the Nigerian Army in 1968, where he served in the Awka Sector during the Nigerian Civil War.
He was the first non-American Army Officer to score 100 percent in a military subject at the aptitude level.
He served in various positions in the Army, including Presidential Guards, Dodan Barracks, Lagos; Adviser in the Nigerian Embassy, Cotonou in 1979; Battalion Commander; Brigade Commander, Director of Military Intelligence and similarly, the newly appointed commandant of the Oyo State Amotekun outfit, Col. Olayinka (rtd), has several years of experience in the military, having served as Assistant Director, British Military Advisory Training Team, Defence Headquarters, Abuja; Deputy Chief of Staff (Logistics), Headquarters 2 Div, Nigerian Army, Ibadan and Sector Commander, Operation Safe Haven, Plateau State, among others.
He began his military training at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji, Nigeria, in 1993, and holds a Higher Defence Management and National Security certification from the National Defence College, Abuja.
He also holds a Masters of Strategic Studies certificate from the University of Ibadan, as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Criminology and Security Studies from the National Open University, Abuja; Professional Diploma in Safety and Security Management from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, among other educational and professional certifications.

The Amotekun was formed by the six governors of the South-west states termed Western Nigeria Security Network to combat kidnapping, killings and stop the incursion of bandits into the zone.

 

The governors were also disturbed by the incessant farmers-herders’ clashes in the zone, thereby conceptualized the joint outfit to ward off criminals from the region.

OYSG Issues Quit Notice to Owners of Illegal Structures

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi 

The Government of Oyo State has given 7-day quit notice to occupants of illegal structures/Shanties adjoined to UMC Demonstration School, Molete, Ibadan.

Executive Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (Oyo SUBEB), Dr. Nureni Adeniran, who disclosed this on Tuesday, urged the illegal occupants to immediately vacate the entire area as well as the vicinity of the School within the stipulated period.

According to the SUBEB boss: “This School belongs to Oyo State government and it has an approved plan. This Government would not tolerate any form of impunity because these adjoined structures were never part of the plan”.

“The Oyo State Government under the leadership of Engr. Seyi Makinde is determined to ensure strict compliance with masterplan for our Schools, which is aimed at ensuring the development of a clean and safe environment for our pupils”, he added.

Dr. Adeniran revealed that the Board received petitions from the authorities of the School that one Shehu Hammed, a self-acclaimed Chairman, Schools Based Management Committee of the School has been encroaching into the space and erected the illegal kiosks.

He revealed that the said Sheu has been arrested and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force, for further questioning and investigation.

Dr. Adeniran further affirmed that the arrest and subsequent demolition became imperative following outcry by management of the Public School that criminal elements have turned the area into hideouts for carrying out their nefarious activities thereby making the environment unpleasant for learning.

The Chairman confirmed that investigation conducted revealed also that Sheu collected monthly rents from occupants of the illegal structures, without any permit or operating license from the Oyo State Government.
He reiterated that, immediately after the expiration of the ‘Quit Notice’ next week, the Board will embark on a clean-up exercise in the area and a clampdown on any recalcitrant occupant.

PHOTOS: Makinde Starts House-to-House Food Distributions

By
Peter Ayoade
-

The Executive Governor of Oyo  State, Seyi Makinde, today began house-to-house distributions of food palliative to the vulnerable in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Photos:

IPAC Lambasts Oyo Lawmakers for Approving Makinde’s N20b loan Request

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi 

Oyo State Chapter of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has lambasted Oyo State House of Assembly for giving accelerated approval to N20b loan by Governor Seyi Makinde.

The Governor’s loan requests were given approvals by the 32-member lawmakers during its plenary yesterday. According to the Speaker House of Assembly, Hon. Ogundoyin, the Governor in two separate letters requested to access N20bn contractor financing loan facility from First Bank and another N2.5bn CBN credit support intervention fund for the health sector in the state.

Reacting to the approval in a press statement signed its Secretary, Engr. Gbeminiyi Ayodele Michael, Oyo IPAC described the lawmakers as yes-men and errand boys.

Part of the statement reads: “we are worried at the rate at which the present administration is getting addicted to loans. The legislative arm will continue to be rubber-stamp as long she is abandoning her role as checks and balances to the executive.

“We suspect foul play on the path of the assembly members for their accelerated approvals given to the latest loan requests. Can we say money has been exchanging hands? Or Has the governor successfully bought over the opposition honorables?”

“Much as we would welcome any genuine efforts to develop the state, we strongly condemn the hurried approvals of the loans. We are concerned governor Makinde keeps borrowing without something tangible to show for the loans in almost one year in office. N40.1b loans in less than one year call for concern”.

“The most embarrassing aspects of the approval is that the house did not give details about the interest rates, mode of repayment, duration of facility, security, moratorium and others” the statement concluded.

JUST IN: APC Berates Makinde, Oyo Assembly Over Fresh N20b Loan

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi 

The All Progressives Congress in Oyo state has condemned, in strong terms, the express approval obtained by Governor Seyi Makinde from the state lawmakers to draw a fresh twenty billion naira “infrastructure loan” from a named commercial bank describing the development as a sour grape in the mouth of the people

Oyo state government announced on Tuesday that it had got the nod of the state house of assembly to obtain another loan of 20 billion naira from a local commercial bank as the facility would be spent on infrastructure. Further details regarding the terms of the loan and the project(s) attached to it were, however, not contained in the information released to the public by the government.

But the opposition APC said, in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan on Wednesday by its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Prince Ayobami Adejumo, that the development was a clear manifestation of the PDP administration’s resolve to subject the state to bankruptcy and thus bring it down to her knees in no time while the governor and a few people within the corridor of power must have succeeded in enriching themselves and some private institutions where they have interest.

“It is no longer news that the administration of Gov. Makinde has failed to sustain the legacy of prudent and accountable management of resources it inherited from Senator Abiola Ajimobi who left power about a year ago but not without myriads of achievements in his entire eight years in office as the helmsman. In less than a year, the table has turned for the bad as what the people of Oyo state experience at the moment is a government without direction.

“The whole world was again taken aback on Tuesday when it was reported that Gov. Makinde was to get another fresh loan of N20b which was even tied to anything concrete. That brought the sum total of loan facilities already taken, in about 11 months, to over N40b. The previous being a N10b Infrastructure Loan,  N7.6b Agricultural Loan purportedly for the upgrade of two farm settlements in Akufo and Eruwa and another N2.5b Health Loan. All this happened at the same period when monthly federal allocations, refunds from federal government, monetary grants and donations came in simultaneously and without anything to show for it.

“It is recalled the camp of Engr. Seyi Makinde was popular for sponsoring incessant propaganda against the administration of Sen. Ajimobi between 2016 and early 2019 as it kept misleading the public over the state’s debt profile which they maliciously put at over N150b. However, a simple check from the Debt Management Office (DMO) indicated that the state debt profile at that time was N90b with evident heavy spending on recurrent expenditure, infrastructure, job creation, security, poverty alleviation and so on.

“It was in the same mode of propaganda and deceit that Engr. Makinde stated during his 2019 electioneering that if he became the governor of Oyo state, he would improve the economy of the state such that in just six months salaries and pensions would be paid without relying on monthly handouts from Abuja or loan facilities. Unfortunately, this is a year after his inauguration and only God knows how much he has paid to banks in interests to sustain the statutory obligation of payments to workers and pensioners.

“Up till today, Gov. Makinde is still commissioning key projects put in place by his predecessor (Sen. Ajimobi) while he has never done convincing on the few ones he plans to do on his own. Now, our concern is that Gov. Makinde may be out to plunge the state into life-threatening debt without any tangible thing to show after his four year tenure. More importantly, we are calling on the state house of assembly to grow from being active only when there are loan request or fresh appointments to approve by being responsive to their constitutional duties which include checkmating the governor on the issue of financial recklessness and high handedness.” APC stated.

AT LAST! Makinde Reveals Company with 63 Covid19 Cases

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi

The Executive Governor of Oyo State has revealed the identity of the Ibadan-based multinational company with sixty-three confirmed cases coronavirus in Oyo State as iSON Xperiences.

Makinde made the disclosure on the early hour of Wednesday while giving routine updates on the novel coronavirus. On his official Twitter handle, Makinde wrote: 

“The COVID-19 confirmation tests for six suspected cases came back POSITIVE. All six cases are from the same organisation, iSON Xperiences in Ibadan South West Local Government Area. So, the total number of confirmed cases in Oyo State is 143.

The company remains shut and will be decontaminated. The Emergency Operations Centre has continued intensive contact tracing to identify persons of interest linked to members of staff in the company.”

The announcement by Governor Makinde confirmed the earlier reports made by the Pacesetter News.

Oyo Assembly Passes Bill to Rename Ibarapa Poly after Speaker’s late father, Ogundoyin

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi

Oyo State House of Assembly has, on Tuesday, passed a bill seeking to change Ibarapa Polytechnic Eruwa to Ogundoyin Polytechnic Eruwa.

The amendment bill received overwhelming supports of the lawmakers. The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, is a biological son of the late philanthropist, Chief Adeseun Ogundoyin.

Speaking on the bill sponsored by Hon. Akeem Adedibu, Hon. Kazeem Olayanju and Hon. Olamide Akinajo representing Iwajowa, Irepo/Olorunsogo, Ibadan North East 1 State constituencies respectively, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, noted that the bill goes beyond renaming the school after his late father but it also addresses the multiple current challenges the students are facing.

Describing the honour as a popular demand from the community and people who witness the labour of the late philanthropist on the institution, Eruwa as the hometown and even Oyo State, Ogundoyin noted that even the alumni of the institute who are current lawmakers inn the chamber voted their absolute support.

“The students both past and present, even the school management has visited and wrote to me and the assembly on several occasions to communicate the challenges in the school.

“The non-accredited courses, lack of facilities, inadequate of human resources and fund. We are working on all these and the Governor is also aware of it, that was why he visited the school on our way to Igboora last week.

“This is the first phase, next move is to constitute high spirit and committed board and monthly subvention fund will be made available for the standard upgrade of the school. These are our plans and it will be achieved in no distance time,” he added.

The APC lawmaker representing Afijio constituency, Hon. Seyi Adisa described late Adeseun Ogundoyin as a renowned NPN leader whose displayed of heroism during his lifetime cannot be overlooked.

He said, “When you get to Eruwa, you will see a big house on a hill. The great politician and successful businessman deserve more than this honour and we assure the executive our legislative backing on this and other things that will give the school a true reflection of Chief Adeseun Ogundoyin personality.”

Hon. Adebayo Babajide representing Ibadan North constituency 2 described late chief Adeseun Ogundoyin as a great philanthropist, who added to the economy and development of Oyo State and Nigeria.  he added the bill that Ibarapa polytechnic to be renamed as Adeseun Ogindoyin polytechnic is long overdue as it speaks for itself and it is a demand from the community.

Oyo/Osun Customs Arrest 63 Smugglers, Generate over N20b in Four Months

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi

The Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it has arrested
sixty- three smugglers within its jurisdiction, and declared over N20billion revenue between January and April of 2020.

Customs Area Comptroller in charge of Oyo and Osun, Mrs. Uche Ngozi, while addressing the press at its Ibadan headquarters on Tuesday, said the customs confiscated 3,465 bags of foreign rice, 13 kegs of 25L vegetable oil, 44 gallons of 4L vegetable oil, 20 units of used tyres, 310 drums of 100 liters of PMS, 180 kegs of PMS and 180 bales of second hand clothing materials, 54 sacks of new shoes and other contraband from different axis under the command. She noted that the seized items will be auctioned and the proceeds will be remitted to the federal government coffers.

Mrs. Ngozi in her briefing said, “with smart intelligence gathering, we are able to identify a petrol filing station carrying out illegal activities within its premises. The petrol station has been sealed and suspects arrested were made to write statement and undertaking to desist from such illicit activities”.

The command boss revealed that out the annual revenue target of N62,848,518,366.93 apportioned to Oyo/Osun command, N20,051,805,179 have been generated with the first quarter of the present year.

Mrs. Ngozi further informed that the Comptroller General of Customs, Rtd. Colonel Hameed Ibrahim, has directed more stringent measures to further strengthen the interception capabilities of customs officers in corroboration with the extant laws and regulations guiding import and export procedures of the country.

According to her, “we are proud to inform the public that through these difficult months of dealing with the COVID 19 pandemic, we have worked tirelessly as a service to ensure that our borders are secure and smuggling activities are reduced to the nearest minimum. We combed the bushes day and night to ensure that government fiscal policy is enforced.

”Within the period under review, we have made 72 seizures and detentions. We have carried out enforcement and anti-smuggling activities with utmost professionalism , caution and intelligence gathering . We urge the public to cooperate with the Nigeria Customs Service in the implementation of government fiscal policies to help improve the economic and social welfare of the nation” she said.

Mrs. Ngozi concluded her briefing by acknowledging the cooperation of traditional rulers, community leaders, stakeholders and the good people of Oyo and Osun especially in identifying and providing enabling environment for the officers to function properly.

BREAKING: Oyo Records 6 New Cases of Coronavirus. Total Hits 143

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi

Oyo State has recorded six additional cases of coronavirus bringing the number of confirmed cases to 143. The state retains its 10th position on the Nigeria COVID-19 log.

The new active cases were revealed in the routine update of information released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) late Tuesday.

Also, the agency also 226 cases of the deadly virus were recorded on Tuesday May 19, 2020, in FCT and fifteen states of the country. The total number of confirmed cases is 6401. Total Discharged cases stand at 1734 while 192 Deaths cases have been recorded so far.

Below is the breakdown of the 226 new cases of COVID19;

131-Lagos      25-Ogun           15-Plateau

11-Edo.            7-Kaduna          6-Oyo

5-FCT.             5-Adamawa.    4-Jigawa

4-Ebonyi.         4-Borno.          3-Nasarawa

2-Bauchi.         2-Gombe.        1-Enugu

1-Bayelsa

SPN Berates Makinde Over Handling of COVID-19

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi 

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has described the non disclosure of the identity of the Ibadan based company where fifty-seven workers tested positive for coronavirus as ‘unserious approach’ of the Oyo State government at curtailing the spread of the virus.

The party tasked the state leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC) to come up with a list of demands for adequate protection of workers in private and public sectors across the state.

Part of the statement reads, ‘we are worried by the relatively unserious approach of the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government towards the containment of COVID-19 spread in the State and its refusal to disclose the identity of the affected company”.

“To us in SPN there can never be a better way to allay the fear already created by this bad news than to publicly disclose the identity of the affected company. Otherwise, the Government’s refusal to do so will continue to create undue room for  rumor  and an atmosphere of panic among the poor working people of Oyo State’.

“It is also dangerous to the public health of the State as the  Governor continues to hide the identity of the affected company because individuals who might have recently interacted with the company and that 57 workers may not yet be aware of the possibility of them being already infected with COVID-19 by now, let alone  being conscious of the need to subject themselves to the necessary precautions recommended for potential individuals with COVID-19 infection”

The SPN stressed that to  conduct an effective contact tracing while the Government keeps hiding the identity of the affected company would no doubt be extremely difficult that is if at all is going to be possible.

“SPN recognises the fact that the fear of stigmatization and other possible consequences like decline in the patronage and profit margin of this undisclosed company could have been the basis for the Governor to have chosen to conceal the identity of the company. As much as this kind of economic excuse is notable, we of the SPN reject such confidentiality in the government’s handling of public health emergency of this magnitude. We strongly hold that public health must not be sacrified on the altar of corporarte profit.  It is in the light of this that we demand that the identity of the affected company must be unveiled without further delay” the statement concluded.

Just In: UI advertises Vice Chancellor’s Post .as current VC leaves December 1st

By
Peter Ayoade
-
By Rebecca Akinkanju
The University of Ibadan on Tuesday advertised the position of the Vice Chancellor for the Premier University of Ibadan ahead December 1st exit date of the current occupant of the seat, Prof. Idowu Olayinka.
A four-page special release titled internal and external advertisement, signed by Secretary to the University’s Council, Olubunmi Faluyi listed the conditions to be met by the would-be VC.
According to the release obtained by Pacesetter News, “the candidate for the post of Vice Chancellor is required to possess a good
University education and should be a proven, successful manager of human and
material resources.
Specifically, the candidate shall be expected to:
 
(a) be a highly distinguished scholar of the rank of Professor, with a
minimum of ten (10) years experience on that level and demonstrate ability to
provide academic and administrative leadership for such a well established
institution;
 
(b) be a person of proven integrity;
 
(c) be not more than 65 years old as at the date of possible assumption of
duty on 01 December, 2020;
 
(d) command the respect of the national and international academic
communities through his/her track record;
 
(e) strengthen the bridges between staff, students and other members of
the University community;
 
(f) be a person with a clear vision for the development of the University
(g) enjoy excellent physical and mental health;
 
(h) attract the much-needed funds into the University.
On the terms and conditions of service applicable to the post, it stated that, “the Vice Chancellor shall hold office for a single term of five (5) years only on such
terms and conditions as may be specified in the letter of appointment.
“The remuneration and other conditions of service are as applicable to the post of
Vice Chancellor in all Nigerian Federal Universities and as may be determined from time to time by the Government/Governing Council as appropriate,” the release stated.

Folarin’s Bill on Oil and Gas Passes Second Reading in Senate

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi 

The Senate has commenced amendment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010, following the consideration of a bill seeking to boost local content and strengthen the nation’s economy.

The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content  Development Bill 2020, which scaled second reading on Tuesday, was sponsored by Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin representing Oyo Central Senatorial District.

The three-term legislator while leading debate on the bill, said the bill seeks to amend 38 Sections of the extant Act while introducing six new sections.

According to Folarin, the essence of the bill is to bring the provisions of the sections to be amended into congruence with industry best practices.

He recalled that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Act which was passed in 2010 sought to among others, address the then abysmally low level of Nigerian content in the oil and gas sector of the economy; create a regulatory mechanism to monitor and enforce compliance by industry players; and to domesticate substantial part of oil and gas exploration and production activities within Nigeria.

“You will recall that before this Act came into force in 2019, over ninety percent of the $20 billion spent yearly in the Nigerian oil and gas industry was repatriated abroad.

“This was because a large chunk of the contracts were executed by foreign companies and in foreign facilities. With only few indigenous players and facilities participating in the contracting process in the industry, Nigerian content was less than five percent,” Folarin said.

He, however, said with the enactment of the Act and the establishment of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Nigerians have also developed the capacity to carry out a lot of onshore upstream activities.

“There has been a boost in the promotion of indigenous participation and the fostering of technological transfer as reflected in appreciable local growth. Only recently, one of Nigeria’s indigenous oil servicing firms established a 100 million fabrication plant in the Niger Delta region.

“The implementation of the Nigerian Content Fund by the Board has also facilitated the provision of capital and financial support to several indigenous companies,” the lawmaker said.

The amendment to Section 11 captured in the new bill, according to Folarin, would give powers to the Minister of Petroleum to review the minimum target level for Nigerian content set in the schedule where the level is considered beyond the capacity of Nigerian companies by the board.

Similarly, the amendment proposed to Section 33 of the Act would streamline and strengthen the process for obtaining expatriate quota to close the gap for current leakages and manipulation by foreign companies.

Amendments to Sections 37, 38 and 39 in the bill are to improve the provisions relating to research and development and to ensure proper implementation, while Section 76 is proposed to give the Governing Council of the Board the role of Superintending over the conditions of service of employees of the board.

Section 81 was also introduced to empower the Senate to screen and approve nomination of the Executive Secretary of  Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) before confirmation.

Contributing to the debate on the bill, Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola (APC – Lagos West) said, “this amendment is long overdue, and I want to believe it would stand. The Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Bill should now be Nigeria Industry Content Development Act.”

“Now that we have succeeded in trying to see that local content has come to stay in the oil and gas sector, it is time for us to move to other line sectors which include manufacturing, ICT, construction and other sectors of the economy.

“The main objective of this particular Act, is for two things: for Domestication and Domiciliation. That is the reason ab initio, the local content was set-up,” the lawmaker added.

The bill after scaling second reading was referred by the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, to the Committee on Local Content for further legislative work.

The Committee which is Chaired by Senator Teslim Folarin was given four weeks to submit its report to the Senate.

BREAKING: Ibadan Company with 57 COVID-19 cases Breaks Silence

By
Peter Ayoade
-

By YSO Olaniyi 

Controversies surrounding the exact location where a scary figure of about 57 cases of Coronavirus infection was recorded in Ibadan few days ago may have finally been laid to rest as a private company has taken to the press to own up and also douse tension generated by the development among residents of the state.

A corporate organisation located Southwest Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Tuesday, revealed itself as being the company which identity had been hitherto concealed by the state government following the series of announcement detailing how about 57 of its staff have, so far, been tested to COVID-19.

iSON Xperiences, a leading customer experience provider, came out today to clarify issues on some controversies which had greeted the development. The company with a presence in 15 countries across Africa employing over 10,000 people, revealed that some of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 in one of its centres in Ibadan, Oyo State.

In a statement, the management of the firm stated that those employees with suspected risks have undergone the necessary test and are now in isolation under the supervision of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Part of the statement reads: “We operate Contact Centres and Customer Care processes from two Centres in Ibadan and one in Ilorin for leading Telecom Service Providers in Nigeria. iSON has implemented strict Covid-19 pandemic preventive measures including social distancing norms, Covid-19 awareness campaigns for employees, mandatory use of sanitizer and masks, temperature checks, general health check at the in-house clinic based on WHO guidelines.

“We have ensured Contact Centre services are available on a 24/7 basis with additional Work from Home Customer Service Advisors activated and maintained ‘Business as Usual’ for us as well as for our Customers”

“Important points with regards to our Nigeria operations – we have some of our employees who were detected positive for Covid-19 at one of our Centres in Ibadan.

“Employees with suspected risks have undergone the necessary test and placed in isolation under the supervision of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Together with the authorities, we will ensure the full return of our employees to good health for their eventual resumption back at work.

“As of now, our office premise is temporarily closed for thorough disinfection. We are focused on providing services in a safe and healthy environment, and taking the necessary proactive measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus”

The iSON Xperiences’ statement is coming 24hrs after Pacesetter News leaked the internal memo of the company.

In a follow up to the Pacesetter News report and the mounting pressures from the residents of Oyo State, Governor Makinde on Monday said the identity of the company in the Southwest Local Government Area of the state will be unveiled today (Tuesday).

According to the Governor, “we have held back from revealing the name of the company so as to allow the Emergency Operations Centre gather intelligence and complete their investigation. So, they will be done by tomorrow (Tuesday) and we will be able to give you that information so that any person who has visited the company recently will be able to present themselves for testing”.

As at the time of filing this report, the Oyo State Government was still hiding the identity of the said company even as members of the public heightened their fear over the development.

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