ODIGBO NEWSPAPER

 ANNOUNCEMENT  The Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has approved the appointment of secretaries for the 18 local government areas of the State.  The appointments were part of the efforts to fortify local government administration in the State, and promote quality service delivery in the third tier government.  The list of the appointed secretaries includes: 1. FOLORUNSHO OMOGE,  OSE; 2. PASTOR TAYE ADAKO,  OWO; 3. ADEOLA HENRY,  AKOKO SOUTH EAST; 4 JIDE OKEOWO,    AKOKO SOUTH WEST; 5. AMUDA TAIRU ABIOLA, AKOKO NORTH EAST; 6. TIAMIYU FATAI ATERE, AKOKO NORTH WEST; 7. OLUBI EMMANUEL,  AKURE NORTH; 8. GBENGA  FASUA, AKURE SOUTH; 9. BAR. COLLINS AWOSEYE STEPHEN,  IFEDORE; 10. BAR. SMART OMOTADOWA, IDANRE; 11. ADEOYE ADENIYI HENRY,  ONDO EAST; 12. ALH. BISARU OLUWOLE, ONDO WEST; 13. BISI FASOGBON, ILEOLUJI/ OKEIGBO; 14. TOSIN OBAMOYEGUN, ODIGBO; 15. IKUEJAMONA JOHNSON,  OKITIPUPA; 16. BAYO SEGEDE, ...

  Fuel marketers have started adjusting their petrol pump prices amid the supply shortage facing private depots in Apapa. Our correspondent observed that some filling stations in Lagos and Ogun states increased the pump price of petrol to N170 per litre on Tuesday from N162 per litre. Some of the stations were Capital Oil and Gas, Fatgbems and Amo Oil, all along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Another station, Enyo Retail, adjusted its pump price to N165 per litre from N162. The National Operation Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr Mike Osatuyi, told our correspondent that members of his association had to increase the pump price because they bought the product at N160-N161 from depot owners. They picketed the facilities to protest their inability to get products due to a new payment method introduced by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NNPC. “My members buying from DAPPMAN members are buying at N160-N161, and they will ...

  The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has condemned the molestation of the arrested Lekki Toll Gate protesters and demanded an immediate investigation into the incident. Comedian Debo Adebayo,  popularly known as Mr Macaroni,  along with some others were arrested by the police last Saturday while trying to protest over the decision of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry to reopen the Lekki Toll Gate and hand it over to the Lekki Concession Company. They were also said to have been mistreated as videos that have gone viral online, showed some of them being thrown shirtless into a police van. The Lagos CP has therefore ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State CID, Panti, DCP Adegoke Fayoade, to analyse the video and bring to book whoever must have been responsible for the act.   Read Full Statement Below: REF NO CZ: 5650/LA/PPRO/VOL.3/64 POLICE PRESS RELEASE, LAGOS STATE COMMAND, DATED 14TH FEBRUARY 2021 LAGOS CP CONDEMNS MOLES...

 In an interview conducted by Odigbo Newspaper on Sunday 14th February 2021 with Temitope Olaoye King Atayese, "He said he is proud to be an Odigbo boy. In the next two years I want people to remember Odigbo my town whenever they hear my name, for example people remember Ekiti whenever they heard the name of Yinka Ayefele and people remember Ondo City when they heard the name of King Sunny Ade, so I pray that God should let the name of my town be heard whenever they hear my name". He equally use the medium to invite his fans to the launching of His new album which will come up on Sunday 21st of February 2021.

  GOVERNOR Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and his Ondo State counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Sunday visited the crisis-ridden Shasha community in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. During the visit, the governors appealed for calm and peaceful coexistence between the Hausa community and their Yoruba hosts. Recall that suspected members of Yoruba and Hausa communities in Shasha had clashed on Friday, leading to the death of a cobbler identified as Sakirudeen Adeola, and the destruction of properties worth millions of naira. Addressing the people at the Shasha market and the palace of the Baale Shasha, Akeredolu and Makinde urged the residents to stop taking laws into their hands. Makinde specifically promised to give palliatives to those whose wares were destroyed during the crisis, saying that the two factions should eschew violence and allow peace to reign. Promising to rebuild burnt properties, the governor said, “Please, I want you to listen to me clearly. You cannot resort to self-hel...

  The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State, branch, has lamented that the university is suffering from a paucity of funds. The union appealed to the state Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, to pay attention to the institution in terms of financing, saying insufficiency of funds is affecting the development of the institution. This was contained in a statement issued by the SSANU Chairman of the varsity, Mr Dayo Temowo, on Wednesday.In the statement, titled, ‘Underfunding will cripple our university,’ Temowo said the union was taken aback by the decision of state government to be releasing 50 percentage of subvention for the school. He said, “It is important to say apart from the fact that backlogs of subvention being owed the tertiary institutions in years back, payment of full subvention cannot even pay half of the salaries and other expenses of a working university as of today. “On the fundin...

Veteran actor, Pete Edochie has endorsed his son and actor, Yul for the presidency in 2023. This was revealed in a video posted by Yul on his verified Instagram page on Thursday. He captioned the video, “My Father Chief Pete Edochie endorses my 2023 Presidential ambition. God Almighty, take absolute control.” In the video, the older Edochie talked about his religious beliefs as a Catholic and the values he grew up with. He said, “My values are very strong. I have my own children and they are very strong in that regard too. I am not one to be involved in politics. But you see, no all you children are bound to follow you." “One of my sons, who incidentally is an actor, has decided that he wants to be a politician. Most of the youngsters have been bugging my phone asking me to endorse my son that they want him as president and l get amused. But they keep insisting daddy, we want Yul to be the president of this country. “We like him. He is disciplined, sympathetic, he believes a lot i...

  The Senate on Thursday, summoned the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and Director General of the Security and Exchange Commission, Lamido Yuguda, over the decision of the CBN to ban the use of cryptocurrency in the country. The decision was taken following a motion by Senator Istifanus Gyang and Tokunbo Abiru, titled, “CBN decision to stop financial institutions from transacting in cryptocurrencies and matters arising therefrom.”The Senate asked its committees on Banking, Insurance, and other financial institutions, Capital Market, and that of ICT and cybercrime to summon Emefiele and Yuguda. The CBN governor and DG SEC are expected to brief the panels on the opportunities and threats of the cryptocurrency on the nation’s economy. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, asked the joint committees to listen to Emefiele and Yuguda, and submit their report for the consideration of the Senate in plenary within two weeks. Leading the debate on the issue, Gyang noted t...

  A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately unfreeze 20 bank accounts linked to protesters and promoters of   #EndSARS . Justice Ahmed Mohammed gave the order following the sudden withdrawal of a suit instituted against them by the CBN through its counsel, Michael Aondoakaa (SAN). The order which was for 180 days was to enable the CBN probe the alleged crime against the defendants. Although the order was supposed to be renewed upon an application by the CBN, the apex bank, however, opted to withdraw its earlier application for an extension of time and the subsequent decision of the defendants through their lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), to also withdraw all processes filed against the suit. When the matter came up on Wednesday, Aondoakaa told the court that he had discussed with counsel for the defendants and in the spirit of reconciliation, his client was withdrawing the suit.

  The Presidency, on Tuesday, says the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will be a talkative if he speaks on every matter including the herdsmen crisis. Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, spoke on  Channels Television’s Politics Today  programme monitored by  Odigbo Newspaper. Many Nigerians including Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, had urged the President to address Nigerians and make it known publicly that he does not support the criminal activities of some herdsmen in parts of the country. Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, had also called for the enactment of a law to abolish the movement of cattle by herdsmen from the Northern part of the country to other parts in order to prevent the incessant herdsmen-farmers clashes rocking parts of the country. When asked about the reaction of the President on the idea suggested by Ganduje, Adesina said, “When you have knotty issues like this, many ideas will ...

  the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) have kicked against the refusal of the state government to pay their salary two months’ arrears. In a report sent to Odigbo Newspaper, the nurses alleged that the state government had paid only 50% of November salary to them in January while December and January salary arrears have yet to be paid. The nurses also alleged attempts by the Ondo State NANNM to cover up for the government as calls for strike action by members are not considered by the body. They claim that the state chapters of the NANNM and Nigeria Labour Congress have been bribed, hence the association’s inability to yield to its members’ requests. On Tuesday, members protested against the leadership of the union to either take action or resign. They are also accusing their union of conniving with the government. The governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has been owing for three months. He paid 50 percent of November salary in January ending and the National Asso...

  A campaigner of the #OccupyLekkiTollgate planned protest, Wole Olubanji, says the demonstration scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 13, is legitimate. Olubanji spoke on a  PUNCH Live  programme on Tuesday. The PUNCH  had reported that soldiers attacked #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020. But the Judicial Panel of Inquiry which took over the Toll Gate decided to hand it back to the operators, Lekki Concession Company, last Saturday. Subsequently, hash tags such as #OccupyLekkiTollgate and counter-protest hash tags such as #DefendLagos and #DemNoBornYourPapaWell trended online. S peaking on Tuesday, Olubanji said the #OccupyLekkiTollgate campaigners would protest at the toll gate in resistance against its planned reopening. According to him, the Lekki Toll Gate is a symbol of ‘death’ but it must be turned to a symbol of ‘victory’ and justice for injured and slain #EndSARS protesters last October. The campaigner also said those organisi...

  No fewer than 15 persons have been arrested by the men of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, for illegally mining gold in the Owo Local Government Area of the state. The suspects, who were from the northern part of the country, were said to have been apprehended in about 50 different locations in the local government. The suspects are: Shuaibu Yahaya, Habbi Usman, Kabiru Waheed, Mohammed Nurudeen, Mohammed Sulaman, Ali Mustapha, Ismaila Wahab. Others included: Musa Zeehed, Gabbar Musa, Sule Adamu, Abba Suleman, Usman Kebiru, Yahaya Danladi, Usman Ali and Zekeri. Speaking on the development, the state Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, confirmed that the arrest was part of the crackdown to end criminality in the state by the state security outfit. According to him, the suspects were apprehended by the Amotekun men, acting on intelligent information, in collaboration with local hunters who are working with the corps. He said, “The ...

  The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd), has attributed his appointment to his father’s love for the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd). According to him, his appointment in July 2015 was a prize for the loyalty of his father, Yusuf Buratai to Buhari. It was reported  that Buratai’s father was a non-commissioned officer in the Royal West African Frontier Force and a World War II veteran who fought in Burma. The former COAS expressed the views on Sunday night during a gala night organised by the 29th Regular Course Association in Abuja in his honour to celebrate him as the longest-serving COAS and his successful retirement. He expressed gratitude to the President for finding him worthy to serve as COAS, adding that he discharged his responsibilities to the best of his ability. He also said that although it was a tough time serving as COAS, the service chiefs weathered the storm, adding “I am retired but definitely not tired Insha Al...

  Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, says Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, is right that the herdsmen crisis rocking the South-West region may lead to a fresh civil war. It also called on members of the international community to be interested in the herdsmen crisis and intervene to salvage the country from the present mess. Afenifere National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, made this known on Monday while featuring on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ monitored by Odigbo newspaper Soyinka had said, “We may enter a phase of serial skirmishes which may get more and more violent and develop – I hate to use the word –  may develop into a civil war  and a very untidy and messy one at that. That is my biggest fear.” Oyo and Ondo states have been in the eye of the storm lately over security challenges and the moves to check the activities of killer herdsmen. A popular Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, well known as Sunday Igboho, had issued a seven-day notice to quit to her...

N igerians have resolved to stage another protest over the ruling of the Lagos State Judicial Panel allowing Lekki Concession Company to regain possession and reopen the Lekki tollgate. The tollgate has been closed following the shooting and killing of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers and police. The Lagos panel was divided as five of the nine members of the panel led by Justice Doris Okuwobi (rtd), voted in support of the reopening of the tollgate at the last sitting on Saturday. Irked by the decision of the panel, Nigerians have planned a protest at the tollgate stating that the tollgate remains shut until justice is served to the victims of the Lekki shooting. The protest has been fixed for Saturday, February 13, 2021 from 7am.

  Marketers have said with the current realities in the global crude oil markets, the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in Nigeria should be between N185 and N200 per litre, unless the government wants to subsidise the product,  The upturn in global oil prices last week has again brought to the fore marketers’ concerns over the non-implementation of the full deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector as the pump prices of petrol have been left unchanged for more than two months. Top officials of two major marketers’ associations who spoke with our correspondents on Saturday said the continued increase in oil prices had brought back petrol subsidy. Since November 13, 2020 when the pump prices of PMS were last increased in the country, the price of the international oil benchmark, Brent crude, has increased by 43 per cent, rising from $41.51 per barrel to $59.34 per barrel on Friday. Fuel marketers had in December expected another upward adjustment of PMS prices to ref...

  Twitter users have lambasted the Central Bank of Nigeria for allegedly banning banks from processing cryptocurrencies. A letter dated February 5th, 2021 is trending on Twitter and it revealed that the central banker had initially written to the financial stakeholders on January 12, 2017 about the risks associated with cryptocurrencies. The letter went on to direct banks to close accounts of persons and companies operating cryptocurrency exchanges immediately. Part of the letter read, “Further to earlier regulatory directives on the subject, the Bank hereby wishes to remind regulated institutions that dealing in cryptocurrencies or facilitating payments for cryptocurrency exchanges is prohibited. “Accordingly, all DMBs, NBFIs and OFIs are directed to identify persons and/or entities transacting in or operating cryptocurrency exchanges within tier systems and ensure that such accounts are closed immediately. Please note that breaches of this directive will attract severe regulatory...

  The Central Bank has ordered banks and other financial institutions to identify persons and entities operating cryptocurrency exchanges and close all such accounts. It stated that dealing with cryptocurrencies and facilitating payments through them are illegal in the country. This was disclosed in a circular titled ‘Letter to all Deposit Money Banks, non-bank financial institutions and other financial institutions’ Friday. The circular was signed by the Director of Banking Supervision, Bello Hassan; and the Director of Payments System Management Department. It read, “The Central Bank of Nigeria circular of January 12, 2017 ref FPR/DIR/GEN/CIR/06/010 which cautioned the Deposit Money Banks, non-bank financial institutions, other financial institutions and members of the public on the risk associated with transactions in cryptocurrency refers. Further to earlier regulatory directives on the subject, the bank hereby wishes to remind regulated institutions that dealing with cryptocur...

  A legal practitioner, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), on Thursday faulted the extension of the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, by three months saying it cannot be done without the advice of the Nigeria Police Council. The Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammad Dingyadi, on Thursday, said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), decided to extend Adamu’s tenure as the IGP for three months “to allow for a robust and efficient process of appointing a new IG." The minister disclosed this in an interview with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Recall that Adamu’s tenure ought to have expired on Monday when he attained 35 years in service. Adamu remained at his duty post since Monday, fuelling speculation that his tenure could have been ‘secretly’ extended. The situation made a lawyer, Maxwell Okpara, to ask a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop Adamu from parading himself as the IGP forthwith. Justifying the three-month exte...

  Non–teaching staff of Nigerian universities have announced the commencement of an indefinite strike over the Federal Government’s handling of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, sharing formula of the N40 billion earned academic allowances and non-payment of arrears of the new minimum wage. The workers understand the auspices of the National Joint Action Committee, JAC, comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, have written to their branches to commence strike from Friday. A copy of the notice signed by SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, was sent to Your on Thursday. Recall that the JAC had announced that it would proceed on an indefinite strike from February 5 following the alleged failure of the Federal Government to meet its demands. Other demands of the worker include the non-payment of...

 Over the months, suspected bandits have continually attacked Zamfara communities, killing scores of people and abducting people for ransoms despite a peace agreement with the state government. Troops of Operation Hadarin Daji have repelled armed bandits who opened fire on motorists plying the Tsafe-Magazu Road in Zamfara State. The soldiers also recovered 15 motorcycles which the bandits abandoned. Odigbo Newspaperg that many of the bandits escaped into the forest with gunshot wounds. Over the months, suspected bandits have continually attacked Zamfara communities, killing scores of people and abducting people for ransoms despite a peace agreement with the state government. About 15 brand new Hilux vehicles and millions of naira were given to leaders of different repentant bandits by Governor Bello Matawalle as part of the agreement. The officer said, “Those bandits have different group, so if they say they repent, the governor will give them a Hilux vehicle but unfortunately they...