National Issues
Saki: Kinsmen express fear as Shittu threatens to demolish fire service station
Community leaders from Saki, Oyo state, the country home of Nigerian Communications Minister, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, on Friday expressed fear as the Minister threatened to demolish a N20m Fire Service Station.
Also, they noted that it was sad that the Station aimed to serve the needs of people of Saki and other neighbouring towns during emergencies has been targeted for demolition.
Shittu’s Kinsmen including the National President of Saki Parapo, Alhaji Sule Lawal, the Akeweje of Saki, Chief Raimi Akande, Caretaker Committee Chairman, Saki West Local Government, Alhaji Kareem Adegoke and his counterpart from Wewe Local Council Development Area said the Minister had on Thursday in Saki promised to raze the station.
While urging the minister to rescind the planned demolition, a retired Permanent Secretary in the state, Alhaji Raimi Akande who spoke on behalf of the elders, on Friday during a press conference held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital said “We are not here to destroy anybody or Bayo Shittu. He is my brother, I contributed to his education.
“As a retired permanent secretary, you know my take home monthly; I am not contesting for any post or looking for commissioner at my age. But we assure you that our coming here is not to blackmail anybody.
“Though, there are several others in Oke-ogun eyeing the governorship seat, but if APC gives him the ticket, Saki is ready to support him. We are not here to blackmail him but to say the truth. He boasted to destroy the fire station and we have to entertain fear as he promised yesterday (Thursday). We expect our son even to be magnanimous but, he insisted.
“We are not here to disown him. Yes he was given an award by Parapo to recognise him but he was not the only one. The fire service station is not for Saki alone, it is for Oke-Ogun area.
“Our stand is that we are looking for amicable settlement. You know, when two elephants are fighting, it is the grasses that suffer. We want ICT and the Fire Service Station, that is why we have to cry to you people.
“Two, we expect our son to say that I give this land to you and I will look for another one.
“Three, we have told the Chairman to allocate another land for him which he has done, what else? Shittu is still our son and we are ready to help him”, he added.
Earlier in his remarks, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Saki West Local Government, Alhaji Adegoke Kareem accused the Minister of using his personal interest to override the public interest.
Adegoke, who noted that the said land belongs to Saki West Local Government and not the Minister, further explained that the same land which the Minister intends to erect a Computer Based Test, CBT, Centre had been allocated to Fire Service for the construction of a station.
The council chief, however cautioned Shittu to stop fighting a war of blame because it will be suicidal for him to allow his personal interest to override the interest of the public, the people of Saki, his hometown and other neighbouring towns and villages in the Oke-Ogun area.
In his words, “Oke Dio, Ajumose Estate, those are the government landed property in Saki West LG. In year 2000 when private schools begin to spread, certain individuals came to the LG to request for land and by then the LG have a place headed by Chairman.
“NTA, Al-Sunna, Redeemed Church requested for land some years back, Bayo Shittu requested for land; all these private individuals brought a reminder letter. The Committee sat, invited them and allocations were made.
“Alhaji Adebayo Shittu was given a piece of land where he built his school and he was asked to pay N80,000 and he was to pay N3,240 per annum as ground rent . He has since paid that N80,000 but between 2000 to 2018, 18 years, the Minister had not paid one kobo for the ground rent.
“Now after all these lands were allocated, there was a small piece left, Bayo Shittu wanted to annex it with his school, the council management went against it because that land has been allotted to DSS. But DSS said that land was small.
“The Fire Service approached Parapo. Let me remind you that in year 2005, Oyo State House of Assembly legislated that we should have a befitting ultra modern fire station. The approval was given by the then Commissioner for Water, which means fire service had already gotten an approval to construct fire station.
“All that land in Oke-Dio belongs to the government. Two plots were allocated to Parapo for onward transmission to Fire Service. Now fire service took the letter given to it by the Ministry of Land to the Ministry of Works to do the Survey. They surveyed that land and got titled document. Parapo has no document.
“In this dispensation, Alhaji Bayo Shittu was nominated a Minister and became a minister. He came home and Parapo approached him; they requested for communal assistance. He asked if they could get a piece of land to build an ICT Centre but mistakenly, they gave him the same land that was given to Fire Service.
“Bayo has no titled document, no C of O, no letter of consent. Fire Service came to Ibadan and reported that the land given to them has been given to Bayo Shittu to build ICT centre; that is how the trouble started.
“I, as the Chairman of the Local Government, invited eminent persons, noble persons, we deliberated on this issue. It was agreed that the fire service is more important. It is not meaningful to site a fire station outside the town, fire station should be centrally located. That was the argument.
“We said we should look for another piece of land and give to Bayo Shittu and allow fire station to construct their station. That was the agreement. Two days after, Bayo went to court asking them to set aside the construction. The fire service is not joined in the suit, they are constructing their station.
“That land, Bayo Shittu has no development on it, no survey, no deed, nothing. So the fire service just went there to construct. He swore an oath of allegiance as a public servant but is he now using his personal interest to override public interest?”, Adegoke questioned.
Engr. Aderemi Oseni, representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency of Oyo State in the House of Representatives, has called for a prompt investigation into the increasing occurrences of building collapses in major cities across Nigeria.
In a motion presented to the House on Wednesday, Oseni expressed deep concern over the alarming frequency of building collapses, emphasising the threat they pose to the lives and property of Nigerians.
The APC lawmaker, through a statement by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, cited the recent collapse of a two-storey school building at Saint Academy in Busa Buji, Jos, Plateau State, on July 12, 2024. The tragic incident, which trapped 154 people and claimed 22 lives, is the latest in a series of similar disasters, raising serious concerns nationwide.
Oseni also referenced a report from The Punch newspaper, which revealed that Nigeria had recorded 135 building collapse incidents between 2022 and July 2024.
“This figure is alarming and unacceptable,” he stated, stressing the urgency of preventing further occurrences.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Oseni reminded the House that the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and other relevant professional bodies are responsible for ensuring compliance with building standards and practices.
“Despite these regulatory frameworks, the recurring collapses suggest that enforcement is lacking. The loss of lives, properties, and resources is staggering, and this disturbing trend must be addressed immediately,” he remarked.
He proposed the formation of an Adhoc Committee to investigate the underlying causes of these collapses and recommend both immediate and long-term solutions.
Also, he urged the House Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure swift implementation of any recommendations.
The House agreed to deliberate on the motion and is expected to present its findings and proposed actions within eight weeks.
The Vice-chairman of the Oyo Council of Obas and Chiefs, Oba Francis Olusola Alao, has expressed deep concern over the increasing involvement of religious leaders in material pursuits, accusing them of abandoning their spiritual duties in favour of wealth and influence.
Oba Alao, who is also the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, made this statement during a visit from the leadership of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Movement “Ayo Ni O,” led by Baba Aladura Prophet Emmanuel Abiodun Alogbo, at his palace in Surulere Local Government on Thursday.
The monarch accused some religious leaders of sharing part of the blame for the moral and political crises that have engulfed the nation. According to him, spiritual leaders, once seen as the moral compass of society, have become compromised by corruption, aligning themselves with the very forces they should condemn.
Oba Alao was unapologetic in his criticism, stating, “Ninety-five percent of Nigerian leaders, both political and religious, are spiritually compromised.”
He argued that this moral decay among clerics has made it impossible for them to hold political leaders accountable or speak the truth to those in power, as their integrity has been eroded by their pursuit of material wealth.
“Carnality has taken over spirituality. Our religious leaders can no longer speak the truth to those in authority because their minds have been corrupted. Most of the so-called General Overseers (G.O.) are corrupt and perverted,” Oba Alao added.
He stressed that this shift towards wealth accumulation at the expense of spiritual values has greatly contributed to the country’s stagnation in development and social justice.
Olugbon urged both religious leaders and traditional rulers to reflect on their actions, reminding them that they would be held accountable for their stewardship, both in this world and the next.
“The prayers of sinners are an abomination before God, hence the need for our leaders to rethink,” he warned.
The monarch concluded by reiterating the transient nature of power and the importance of staying true to sacred duties, regardless of the temptation to indulge in worldly gains. “I am a traditional ruler. I don’t belong, and will never belong, to any occultic groups,” he emphasised, drawing a clear line between his position and the corrupt practices of some leaders.
In response to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Movement’s request for collaboration on community development projects, Oba Alao assured them of his support.
“Your requests are aimed at the development of the Orile Igbon community. I am assuring you that necessary assistance will be provided in this regard.”
Earlier, Prophet Alogbo requested the monarch’s collaboration on a range of community development projects. These initiatives include the establishment of a women and youth empowerment center, clean drinking water initiatives, a bakery, animal production facilities, and farm produce processing.
Other proposals included a diagnostic and medical center, a full-size recreational sports facility, and a home care facility for the elderly.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased to 5.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2024. The latest figures were disclosed in a report released by the NBS on Tuesday, marking an uptick from the 5.0 per cent recorded in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023.
According to the NBS, the unemployment rate for males stood at 4.3 per cent, while females experienced a higher rate of 6.2 per cent during the same period. The report also highlighted disparities based on location, with urban areas recording a 6.0 per cent unemployment rate compared to 4.3 per cent in rural areas for Q1 2024.
“The unemployment rate for Q1 2024 was 5.3%, showing an increase from 5.0% recorded in Q3 2023,” the bureau stated in its report. The NBS defines the unemployment rate as the percentage of the labour force, including both employed and unemployed individuals, who are not working but are actively seeking employment.
Youth Unemployment Rate Declines
In a positive development, the report indicated a slight drop in youth unemployment, which fell to 8.4 per cent in Q1 2024, down from 8.6 per cent in Q3 2023. This figure represents the unemployment rate among Nigeria’s young people, a demographic that often faces unique employment challenges.
Educational Attainment and Unemployment
The report further provided insights into unemployment rates based on educational attainment. Individuals with postgraduate education recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 2.0 per cent, while those with post-secondary education faced a rate of 9.0 per cent. For people with secondary education, the rate stood at 6.9 per cent, and those with only primary education recorded a 4.0 per cent unemployment rate.
Employment-to-Population Ratio Falls to 73.2%
In addition to the unemployment data, the NBS also reported a decline in Nigeria’s employment-to-population ratio, a critical indicator of workforce participation. The ratio dropped to 73.2 per cent in Q1 2024, down from 75.6 per cent in Q3 2023. This ratio represents the percentage of the working-age population that is employed.
Breaking the data down by gender, the employment-to-population ratio for males was 74.2 per cent, while it was 72.3 per cent for females. By place of residence, urban areas had an employment-to-population ratio of 69.5 per cent, while rural areas recorded 78.9 per cent in Q1 2024, compared to 71.1 per cent and 80.7 per cent in Q3 2023, respectively.
