Politics
2023: Ajimobi, Omodewu urge unity in Oyo APC for Tinubu, others
The former first lady of Oyo state, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, and the state All chairman of Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Isaac Omodewu, have urged the stakeholders within the party to foster unity and cooperation among themselves and also work towards mobilizing all and sundry to ensure victory for the APC’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as all other candidates of the party.
Mrs Ajimobi who made her first visit to the new State Secretariat of Oyo APC at Oke-Ado, Ibadan also used the occasion to inform the leadership of the party about her appointment as the Oyo State Woman Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council and Chairperson of Tinubu/Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Council with a mandate to mobilize all prospective women voters across the 33 local government areas of the state for the Tinubu/Shettima 2023 Project.
Her words; “it is an undeniable fact that in the whole of this state, my late husband, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, was the closest person to the national leader of the APC who is now the Party’s Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. If Sen. Ajimobi were to be alive today, he would have been at the forefront of the Tinubu 2023 Project and it is given this that I have taken it upon myself to do everything within my capacity to ensure that Sen. Bola Tinubu gets, at least, 80 per cent of total votes coming from Oyo state in the next Presidential election. Tinubu is the best among the rest and we must all support him to be our next President.
“And to achieve this goal, I am using this opportunity to appeal to all leaders and members of Oyo APC to eschew bitterness and unite ahead of the coming election because we need everyone to record victory at the poll. A lot has happened in the party in the recent past but this is time for us to embrace reconciliation which I am ready to champion as a true mother of all.” Mrs Ajimobi said.
Earlier in his welcome address; the chairman of Oyo APC, Hon. Isaac Omodewu had recalled that late Sen. Abiola Ajimobi remained the pride of all Progressives in Yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole given the legacy he left behind as a two-term governor of Oyo state and also as the Leader of the Party.
“Our late leader did more than enough to rewrite the history of the Pacesetter state and the records are there for everyone to see forever.
“It gladdens my heart that our mother, Dr. (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi, has taken up the gauntlet for the cause of a united and formidable Oyo APC once again. It is as a result of this that I am calling on all stakeholders to key into this initiative and renew their commitment to the goal of facilitating victory for all APC candidates in the forthcoming polls. On behalf of members of the State Executive Committee, our gubernatorial candidate (Sen. Teslim Folarin) and other candidates of Oyo APC, we appreciate the decision of our dear mother to lead from the front again and we assure her of our cooperation and loyalty.” Omodewu said.
Mrs Ajimobi and Hon. Omodewu later led a crowd of party supporters to the Abiola Ajimobi House in Oke-Ado, Ibadan where the State Secretariat of Tinubu/Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Council was unveiled. Dignitaries who attended the event include; Mrs Kenny Adeosun, Mrs Hannah Ogunesan (MFR), Hon. Tolulope Akande-Shadipe, Hon. Seyi Adisa, Alh. Tajudeen Olanite, Mrs. Tinuade Adigun, Mr. Toye Arulogun among others.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has criticized the alleged forceful conversion of public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan, into shopping malls and lock-up shops by the state government, describing the development as shameful, ill-conceived, and unacceptable.
In a statement released over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC also raised concerns about the alleged sale of the modern motor park facility at Wema Area on New Ife Road, Ibadan, built during the administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
According to the party, the motor park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church near the facility.
Residents of Ibadan, the state capital, were reportedly stunned when they noticed the sudden erection of massive private business complexes within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board.
The facilities, built by the defunct Western Region government, had served as public libraries and archives for decades, benefitting students, researchers, and tourists until recently.
“It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures,” Sadare said.
“The implication is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by an administration that has done little to address the poor reading culture among young students.”
The APC expressed alarm over what it termed the erosion of public heritage under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, alleging that public properties are being sold or leased to private individuals and groups under questionable circumstances.
“How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock-up shops in the name of making money, thereby subjecting society to the dangers of illiteracy and ignorance?” the statement queried.
The party also cited other instances of alleged mismanagement of public assets, including the concession of OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the state’s socio-economic development.
“Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and other resources belonging to the state have paved the way for a surge in land grabbing cases in most parts of the state capital. There are many cases involving appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, local government officials, and party chieftains,” the statement added.
The APC called on well-meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state to demand accountability from the Makinde administration and halt what it described as the systematic erosion of public resources and heritage.
Over 300 constituents of Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Oyo State benefitted from a skill acquisition and empowerment programme organized by their representative in the National Assembly, Hon. Akinmoyede Olafisoye.
The event, held at Faith Joe Event Centre, Alegongo, Akobo, Ibadan, aimed to address the challenges of unemployment and economic hardship by equipping participants with practical skills and financial support.
The programme focused on empowering youths, students, and unemployed graduates to become self-reliant. Each participant was provided with a certificate, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, an umbrella, and ₦100,000 as a startup grant to kickstart their businesses.
The tools and financial aid were designed to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable sources of income.
Participants received comprehensive training, gaining hands-on experience to ensure they could effectively utilize the tools provided. The POS machines were configured with the personal details of the recipients, ensuring proper use and discouraging unauthorized transfers.
Addressing the participants, Akinmoyede who is the Chairman House Committee on Nigeria/ Mexico Parliamentary Friendship enjoined the beneficiaries to explore the opportunity for their benefit by ensuring that they use the machines for the purpose it was meant for.
He added that all the machines have been configured with the documents of individual beneficiaries which will make it very difficult to transfer to another person.
In his goodwill message, the Oyo Central Senatorial chairman of APC, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji said comparing what the lawmaker has been doing in the area of dishing out empowerment and palliatives to his constituents, it is difficult to tag him a first-timer at the national assembly.
While appreciating Akinmoyede for his gesture at the event, former APC Deputy State Chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, and Hon. Akinbode Emmanuel said they were yet to discover the magic wand being used by the lawmaker for his constant and habitual empowerment programmes.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the end of the training, Afolabi Kuburat, Akinropo Akindotun, Ajala Abisade Iyabo, and Grace Anuoluwapo Ayinde lauded the lawmaker for giving them the opportunity to be self-reliant at this time when Nigerians are facing economic hardship.
The House of Representatives member representing Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency Oyo State, Hon. Prince Akinmoyede Olafisoye Wasiu has initiated another skill acquisition and capacity-building training for no fewer than 300 members of his constituency.
The initiative which is being organized in partnership with Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan is part of a strategic effort by the lawmaker to foster rural development of cooperative for their economic emancipation and break the shackles of poverty so as to alleviate the impact of the high cost of living among the people in Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency he represents.
The training programme is coming up on Monday 18th November, 2024 at Faith Joe Event Centre hall. Alegongo, Ibadan by 8.00am.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the lawmaker, Alimi Abdullahi stated that the capacity-building is designed to equip participants with essential entrepreneurial skills with a view to building sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of lives of the people of Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency.
All the participants for the training are expected to be at the venue by 8am so as not to miss any part of the training.
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