Ladoja, Alaafin task Buhari on Insecurity

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August 12, 2019

By Rebecca Akinkanju

A former Governor of Oyo state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi on Sunday proferred solutions to the spate of insecurity in the country.

While Ladoja spoke to journalists after Eid prayer in Ibadan, the Alaafin in his EId El Kabir message, through his Chief Press Officer, Bode Durojaiye, said “what we need, as a nation, are sincere, concerted and sustained efforts towards propagating the kind of God-consciousness demonstrated by Prophet Ibrahim””.

This, the royal father asserted, will surely guarantee for our nation and for us as individuals a lasting solution to all the challenges confronting us and our life here on earth will be much more peaceful, trouble-free, while the hereafter eternally glorious.

Ladoja also said the government is not sincere in its approach to finding a lasting solution to the myriads of challenges facing the country adding that, if they are ready they will first look at the root causes of the challenges and tackle the same headlong.

He said the people do not trust the government any more because the government has not fulfilled its promises to the people, adding that there is the need for frank talk between the people and the government to restore mutual confidence to tackle the various insecurity challenges in different parts of the country.

“You know most of the time they talk about insecurity, we don’t sit down to look at the root cause of the problem. If we try to look at the root cause of the problem, then we will know that all these insecurities have got a root.

“And if we are not careful, we will be complicating it. Look at the Shiites people that were said to have been banned. They are calling for another jihad. You know people take their religion very seriously and they will not want their religion to be killed. And that is another problem in our hands.

“The root cause is a question of equity. This is a conventional government both at the federal, state and local level. It was set up by a constitution and the constitution provides for the three arms of government. So, if one arm is dominating the other, then you cannot have the desired peace.

“Why should the court grant El-Zakzaky bail and they refuse to release him? And now the people are saying, release our leader, after all, he has been granted bail and if you don’t want to release him, then take him to court.

“Then if the court ask them to jail him, then its another thing. But, they didn’t take him to court and they didn’t release him and his people are worried and they said the man is sick.

“God forbids, if he dies in detention, we are looking for another problem and these are some of the issues that heightened insecurity apart from the fact that some people also capitalized on these issues.

“We have had some people who stage-managed their own kidnappings. We have had people who kidnapped their parents and so it is a very complex issue and I don’t think
that it is limited to Southwest and it is not limited to anywhere.

“But, I believe the government should look at it from the angle that, there must be root causes. The one of Boko Haram has been technically defeated and yet Generals are dying and soldiers are dying. The Governor of Borno even said nearly three-quarter of his state is not habitable. So, we are not frank with ourselves and we are not sincere with ourselves.

“I say between the government and the people, there must be the trust. A lot of people don’t trust the government again because they tell a lot of lies and if we don’t know if it is the same thing the new cabinet will do. So, these are the things, we are not sincere with ourselves and that is the root cause of insecurity.

“If you report an incident with the security operatives, are you sure the same security operatives will not reveal the identity of the person who gave them the information?”

On the essence of the celebration, Ladoja said people must learn to make and keep their promises either to fellow men and or to God, adding that a life of sacrifice as depicted by Prophet Ibrahim must always be put into practice saying “there is nothing bigger than sacrifice.

Ladoja also cleared air on his purported retirement from politics, saying he is still active in ‘developmental politics’ but said he will not contest for any political office again.

He said “Is it possible for someone to retire from politics? Are you not a politician? And so, what are they talking about? All I said was that I am not contesting again. Is that retirement? That is not retirement.

“I say I am not contesting again but I will always go for developmental politics. Whether I am in partisan or non-partisan politics, if there are any developmental politics, I will always go for it anywhere in Nigeria. So, it is not a question of ‘siddon-look’, I am not ‘siddoning look’.

Two Injured as Thieves Attack Another UI Hostel

By

Peter Ayoade

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August 11, 2019

By Ridwan Oyebamiji

Exactly a month that the Obafemi Awolowo female hostel in University of Ibadan was invaded, robbers again invaded Abdulsalam Abubakar Hall of the university in the early hours of Sunday.

Robbers had attacked Obafemi Awolowo hall on July 11, 2019 and injured female students.

The robbers who attacked only the female wing of the Hall reportedly tied security man on duty to have their way.

Two male students who tried to obstruct their sinister mission received machete cuts and have been treated at the University Health centre.

The thieves made away with phones and other valuables.

Speaking on the incident, Chairman Council Committee on Security Professor Ademola Aremu stated that the university is reviewing the security design.

Aremu who visited the hall in company of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Idowu Olayinka stated that the police are working hard to track the invaders.

According to him, the invaders have shown pattern in their operation by attacking female students and invading during holidays when halls are sparsely populated.

Ajimobi Justifies ‘Missing Oyo Govt Vehicles’, Tasks Makinde to ‘Probe Civil Servants’

By

Peter Ayoade

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August 11, 2019

By Adams Akorede

Former Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state on Sunday justified alleged missing government vehicles in the twilight of his administration.

Ajimobi who spoke with journalists after Eid-el-Kabir prayer celebration, asked his successor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, to look inward and examine civil servants for those vehicles recovered from mechanic workshops and other obscure places

Makinde’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa had claimed recovery of 19 vehicles taken away by aides of Ajimobi.

Many of the vehicles, according to him, were recovered in mechanic workshops and road sides.

Sepaking on the allegations over the matter, Ajimobi said that the officials paid for the vehicles based on decision taken by the government.

The former governor said that there are papers written on it, urging the incumbent administration to beam is searchlight on civil servants on those vehicle alleged to have been recovered from mechanic workshops.

“When you are in government, there are policies and decisions to be taken. We took the decision that anybody using vehicles at the time should take it away and pay. This is also practiced by the federal and other state governments.

“When I got to office, I didn’t see any vehicle. My brother, former Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala took his vehicles away and I did not talk.

“There are civil servants who steal whenever politicians are leaving government. Let them go and check those civil servants.”

He alleged that there were no cotton, furniture chairs and electronic equipments in the government house when he moved into it, saying it was because Alao-Akala left government few days before his resumption.

Ajimobi said that everything at the government house and office were intact because he worked till the last day of his administration.

On insecurity, the former governor described Makinde as very lucky because of the already existing security structure bequeathed to him by his administration.

He called on Makinde to leverage on the many good things his administration did, urging him to make amends where the made mistakes.

“We thank God that he has started seeing some of the good things we did. No government in the state has ever done as much as we have done. This does not mean we did not make mistakes,” he said.

Ajimobi said that he would take the decisions he took while in office if he had the opportunity of being the governor again.

The former governor appealed to aggrieved members of APC to reconcile for the good of the party, saying his only regret was trying to be perfect in an imperfect world.

“There are many of our members who genuinely have reasons to be angry but 90 percent of those angry have no reasons except that they were not appointed.

“The houses, name and titles some of these people are using today, they got it by working with us. Irrespective of whatever grievances, let us come together in the spirit of eid-el Kabir.

“Those I believe have genuine reasons to be angry, I have spoken to them. Some, I will not speak to them, they must come back,” he said.

Ajimobi said that it was the son who begs his father even when the father offends him, saying no matter how bad, a father would not seek blessings from God on the name of his son in heaven.

According to him, “Even Jesus Christ in his lifetime referred to his father, God severally in the bible.”

The former governor prayed that Makinde succeeds, adding that the people stood to gain nothing from his failure.

“I pray that Makinde succeeds and I will support him to succeed anytime. In supporting him, we are helping the state,” he said.

N150 billion: Don’t Mind Makinde, My Administration has Best Debt Profile – Ajimobi

By

Peter Ayoade

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August 11, 2019

By Adams Akorede

Former Governor of Oyo state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi on Sunday described his successor’s constant reference to about N150 billion debt he purportedly left behind as ‘a needless mudslinging.’

Ajimobi who spoke with reporters at his Oluyole Ibadan residence, after Eid-el-kabir prayer at Liberty Stadium now Obafemi Awolowo stadium, queried the hullabaloo about the matter.

According to Ajimobi, the state was not among the first 10 states in the list published by Debt Management Office, Abuja.

The incumbent administration of Governor Seyi Makinde had alleged the Ajimobi administration of leaving behind huge debts for the state, a development he said has made ‘Oyo state to be insolvent.’

But Ajimobi had a contrary view, “if you look at the debts owed by each state in the country as published by DMO, you will see that Oyo State is not even among the first 10 states.

“United States is the number one debtor in the world. Government by nature and establishment must continue to have debt. They must be able to use people’s money to make money,” Makinde said.

He said that 50 percent of the debt owed by his administration was drawdown debt from the World Bank, adding less than 30 percent of it had been accessed.

According to him, “As we do the work, World Bank comes to verify and pay. We still have about 70 percent of it, so this administration can stop taking it if they don’t want it.”

On allegations that his aides carted away official vehicles, Ajimobi said that the officials paid for the vehicles based on decision taken by the government.

The former governor said that there are papers written on it, urging the incumbent administration to beam is searchlight on civil servants on those vehicle alleged to have been recovered from mechanic workshops.

“When you are in government, there are policies and decisions to be taken. We took the decision that anybody using vehicles at the time should take it away and pay. This is also practiced by the federal and other state governments.

“When I got to office, I didn’t see any vehicle. My brother, former Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala took his vehicles away and I did not talk.

“There are civil servants who steals whenever politicians are leaving government. Let them go and check those civil servants.