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COVID-19: Oyo govt begins decontamination, fumigation {Photos}
As a way of containing the spread of the novel Coronavirus, Oyo state government has kicked off the decontamination and fumigation of all necessary areas in the State.
According to the state government, the decontamination was one of the steps to control and contain the spread of COVID-19 in the State, adding that corporate entities, owners of business spaces and other identified organisations are expected to carry out a similar exercise on their premises.
In a statement signed on Monday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun, who kicked off the exercise on behalf of the governor, informed that the exercise was one of the measures taken to contain COVID-19 in Oyo State.
She added that the Government was leading by example by decontaminating the length and breadth of the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
She said: “We are leading this process today by example by decontaminating the Secretariat. I have been told that some chemicals are in use, but we should not use them carelessly. So, the team is very specific about where they need to decontaminate.”
She admonished all and sundry to cooperate with the Oyo State COVID-19 Decontamination and Containment Project Team in the course of discharging their responsibilities of reaching out to business premises and identified organisations in the State to fumigate them.
“The team will be reaching out to business premises in Oyo State hereafter and all other identified organisations which they believe should be decontaminated.
“We will like to see your utmost support and cooperation with them,” she said.
The SSG, who appealed to all residents of the State to continue to follow all the guidelines issued by the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force on how the disease could be prevented from spreading in the State, said adherence to the directives remained key in the fight against the disease.
“As you have heard from the governor several times, there are many other guidelines given to us, which I will reiterate that we continue to follow.
“We have been told a lot about social distancing. It is very key to us and all over the world in containing the spread of this virus.
“We have also been told that when we need to sneeze or cough, we should use our elbows or handkerchiefs that we can dispose immediately.
“We have also been told that we should not have any gathering of more than 10 people in Oyo State. Remember also that the curfew is still on.
“All these measures are just to ensure that we contain COVID-19 spread in Oyo State,” she said.
She enjoined residents who see signs or have had any contact with a suspected case of COVID-19 to quickly call the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) helplines that had been provided for proper guidance on the step to take.
She also appreciated the professors, students and all volunteers from the University of Ibadan and others, who she said joined hands in the project to decontaminate the Secretariat and the entire State.
She said: “I want to thank everyone of us for the obvious dedication we have shown today, being a public holiday. It is good to have all of us out and ready to kick of this decontamination process. We appreciate you.
“On behalf of the governor, I will like to say a big thank you to all the volunteers today, including professors and students of the University of Ibadan, who have helped us to decontaminate the Secretariat.”
Earlier, the chairman of the decontamination project and a Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Olanike Adeyemo, said that the exercise started 10 days ago and that it was to protect the citizenry from spreading the Coronavirus in the State through decontamination.
Adeyemo said: “It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you here. This is something that started like 10 days ago and I am so proud of the team and what we have been able to accomplish within that time.
“This is not a day for long speeches. All I can say is to encourage us to know that the Oyo State Government is doing all that is required to protect the citizenry and one of these things, in this period, is this decontamination project.”
She noted that decontamination will be carried out whenever it is indicated, even as she commended Governor Makinde for the acumen with which he has been governing the State.
“I want to clarify that decontamination is only done when it is indicated. So, on the contrary to what is being done anywhere else, we are doing what is necessary to protect the citizenry. Like I always say, when you decontaminate, you are not spraying water, you are spraying chemicals. So, we will not do it unless it is indicated,” she said.
She admonished people with land use facilities such as households, pharmacies, hotels, churches, mosques, banks and event centres, among others, to emulate the good gesture of the Government by decontaminating their environment in order to make them safe from this virus.
The Kano State House of Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo over allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and breach of public trust.
The notice was presented yesterday during plenary by the Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Dala, who said the action follows Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dala said the allegations stem from Abdussalam’s tenure as Commissioner for Local Government (2023–2024) and his current role as deputy governor. He accused the deputy governor of diverting funds meant for the 44 local government councils.
According to the majority leader, Abdussalam allegedly received N1.5 million monthly from each council between June 2023 and January 2024, totaling N462 million. Between February and July 2024, he allegedly collected N3.255 million monthly from each council under the guise of special assignments, amounting to N726 million.
Dala also accused the deputy governor of abuse of office, claiming he facilitated payments of N10 million from each council to NovoMed Pharmaceuticals Limited, totaling N440 million, in violation of state procurement laws.
“The misuse of official capacity to confer undue advantage constitutes abuse of power and undermines public trust,” Dala told lawmakers, adding that the allegations amount to gross misconduct under the Constitution.
The impeachment notice was reportedly endorsed by 38 lawmakers, meeting the constitutional threshold to proceed. The Speaker has acknowledged receipt, and the House is expected to serve the allegations on the deputy governor.
If approved, a panel may be constituted by the state Chief Judge to investigate the claims.
As of filing, Abdussalam had yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
The Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, on Thursday announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that he had joined the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, made the announcement during a media briefing in Abuja, attributing his decision to what he described as irreconcilable differences within the PDP.
The lawmaker said the emergence of the NDC would strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system by providing a credible opposition platform.
According to him, the party recently received its certificate of registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said, “Last week INEC issued a certificate of registration and we now have the newest party in Nigeria known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress and our symbol is victory, the victory sign.
“So, my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress.”
Dickson noted that although the party’s registration took longer than expected, its eventual approval was a welcome development for the country’s democratic landscape.
“Yes, it is coming at this time. We would have wished it started some years or months back. We don’t control INEC and their processes; they delayed. We don’t also control the judiciary, but thank God it has finally arrived,” he said.
The senator also stressed that Nigeria’s democracy must not slide into a one-party system, insisting that political diversity remained vital for national stability.
“This nation cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria is not designed to be a one-party state.
“We are a very diverse nation culturally, religiously and politically and that is the beauty of our country.
“So anyone or any party promoting one-party rule in Nigeria is mistaken. We build political parties and get involved in movements to access power for the good of the people, not for our personal benefit,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission recently announced the registration of two new political parties.
The parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, bringing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.
The announcement was made by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, during the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with political party stakeholders for 2026.
According to him, the Democratic Leadership Alliance completed the required verification process, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 58-year-old alleged drug lord, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who had reportedly been on the agency’s wanted list and that of British authorities for over 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, following what the agency described as a high-level, coordinated operation by officers of its Special Operations Unit.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said the suspect’s arrest ended a prolonged manhunt linked to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
According to the statement, Ilomuanya was first arrested in February 2003 in the United Kingdom and convicted for drug trafficking.
He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment but was released after serving two years following a successful appeal.
Babafemi added that the suspect was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 over drug-related offences.
He said, “He was granted administrative bail but jumped jurisdiction and fled to Nigeria.
“Typical of a recidivist, Ilomuanya was in November 2018 arrested in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives following the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in his Obinugwu, Orlu Local Government Area country home in Imo State and at his No. 3 Barrister Declan Uzoma Close, Lagos residence where officers recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment.
“He was subsequently charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos, after which he jumped court bail and has been on the run since then.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s ongoing war against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa said the operation demonstrated the agency’s resolve to track down criminal elements regardless of how long they evade the law.
He said, “This arrest serves as a stern warning to those who think they can hide behind borders to escape justice.
“Whether you jump bail in London or set up clandestine labs in your village, the long arm of the NDLEA will eventually catch up with those who choose to undermine the health, security, and future of our nation.
“We remain committed to our international collaborations to ensure that Nigeria is not used as a sanctuary for global drug lords.”
Marwa also commended officers of the Special Operations Unit for their professionalism and persistence in tracking down the suspect.
He added that the agency would continue to strengthen intelligence-driven operations and international cooperation to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria.
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