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‘Stop playing politics with security situation’, Oyo governor’s aide warns sports minister, Sunday Dare, others

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The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, has warned opposition elements in the state to stop playing politics with the insecurity situation in Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun parts of the state.

The governor’s aide stated that most of the comments attributed to opposition elements on the security situation in the state missed the point due to pettiness, contempt and clear attempt to play to the gallery.

“Their utter attempt at showmanship and unpatriotic conduct portray them as babes and sucklings intervening on sensitive matters,” he said.

Adisa noted that if opposition elements were true lovers of the state, they should have used the occasion to demonstrate patriotism by empathising with the people of the state and coming up with their own ideas on how to address the situation.

He stressed that merely playing to the gallery only showcases them as ordinary politicians who do not think about the state but solely about the next election.

Governor Makinde’s mouthpiece in a statement issued on Tuesday said contrary to the picture being painted by the opposition, especially the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, and some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which suggested that the government did nothing on the Ibarapa security challenge, the Makinde administration took a number of steps.

In the statement, Adisa also wondered why a Sunday Dare could pass the buck on insecurity to Makinde when it was obvious that the lack of action and apparent dereliction of duty by the APC-led Federal Government brought the entire country to its knees, security-wise.

“Whereas Nigerians can count on their fingers the number of states ravaged by insecurity in 2015, today, none of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, is free of kidnapping, banditry, rape, and other crimes.

“It is unwise and completely unwarranted for Dare to fail to tell the world what positive thing he, as a member of the Federal Executive Council, has contributed to assist the state in its battles against insecurity.

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“The state of affairs security-wise in virtually all geopolitical zones of the country has exposed the failure of Dare’s boss and that’s a reality no Nigerian can deny,” the statement said.

According to the governor’s media aide, Makinde had, at the height of the insecurity in Ibarapa, deployed Operation Burst, a state-backed security outfit comprising the Army, Nigeria Security, and Civil Defence Corps and the Police to Ibarapa in large numbers.

“The governor had also caused to be deployed, men and officers of MOPOL 72, located strategically in Ago-Are in Oke-Ogun axis”, Adisa submitted.

He  added that the government followed-up  that deployment with the mass deployment of the men of the Oyo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, to Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun axes to quench the rising insecurity.

Adisa explained  that the mass deployment of security operatives to the area had begun to yield positive results in the last few weeks, stating that on January 9, the Amotekun Corps worked with Vigilante Group of Nigeria, local hunters, and Miyetti Allah Vigilantes to comb forests straddling four local governments in Ibarapa and Iwajowa Local Government Areas of Oke-Ogun.

He maintained that as a fallout of that exercise, which was abruptly called off due to the massive deployment of fake news by haters of the Oyo people, the teams neutralized suspected kidnappers and criminals in Ayete area, while a number of the suspects were arrested and handed over to the Police.

Adisa said that the narrative being carved by the opposition, suggesting that Makinde had been idling away, was baseless and reckless, stating that the fact that the Makinde administration has not been engaging in showmanship on efforts to tame insecurity should not be taken as doing nothing.

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The statement continued, “We have noted with concern the fickle-mindedness being demonstrated by opposition elements in Oyo State, especially individuals like the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare.

“It is sad that Mr. Dare has revealed himself as a small mind by playing to the gallery on insecurity in Oyo State, which is a fallout of the failure of the Federal Government on security issues.

“It is equally sad that such an individual serving in a government under whose watch the security system of the country has collapsed could turn around to point fingers at Makinde.

“While one would not have loved to join issues with Dare and other individuals whose desperation for relevance can make them stop at nothing, including setting their own state on fire, it becomes imperative to correct the erroneous statement that Governor Makinde is being cowed by fear in the handling of state matters.

“For the avoidance of doubt, before those fanning the embers of ethnic crisis and their Hosanna crowd went to town with their showmanship gimmicks, the government had made serious efforts to tame the insecurity situation in Ibarapa.

“Apart from initiating several peace meetings between Yoruba and Fulani residents of the axes, the government took steps to deploy a heavy security presence to Ibarapa and at a point, even backed a community-based effort to rid the forests of kidnappers and bandits.

“It would be recalled that the government had backed a similar approach in Kisi, Igbeti and Igboho axes of the state and was able to achieve a great success without necessarily making noise in the media about it.

“But since Dare, like his co-travelers in the APC, have ignorantly ventured into a matter they have little or no knowledge about, it has become important to point out to them that governance is not done by engaging in pointless garrulous displays in the media.

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“It is equally sad that whereas Mr. Dare could pontificate about insecurity in the media, he has failed to do the same at the Executive Council chambers of Aso Rock which hosts the Federal Executive Council meetings, which obviously could have helped the APC government arrest the insecurity situation in the country.

“For sometime now, Dare and his journeymen have been grandstanding on issues in their home state, though they have failed to use their offices to canvass the same positions at the Federal Executive Council or make any meaningful impact in the state.

“We would like to adminish Dare and his fellows in the rat race for 2023 governorship to toe the path of honour and stop advertising ignorance and displaying unpatriotic tendencies when it comes to issues affecting the state.

“Let them adhere to the well-accepted maxim: power belongs to God and only He decides whom it fits at every instance”, it concluded.

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Politics

Oyo: Rep Oseni Inaugurates N120m Earthmoving Equipment for Grassroots Development

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Engr. Aderemi Oseni, the House of Representatives member representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State, on Monday, inaugurated N120 million worth of earth-moving equipment, aimed at enhancing grassroots development and ensuring food security within the federal constituency.

Oseni noted that the dire state of road networks in his constituency compelled him to procure the equipment, which includes a grader and payloader, to facilitate the seamless movement of people, goods, and services.

The lawmaker, who spoke shortly after the inauguration of the equipment in Ibadan said: “We are currently starting the rehabilitation of 80 roads in phase one of this project. Once completed, we will proceed to phase two. Additionally, we have selected certain roads in both Ido and Ibarapa East local governments for asphalt tarring.

He added, “Hiring equipment for road rehabilitation is no longer fashionable nor economical. That’s why we’ve invested in our own. In addition to ongoing health and education projects, we’ve finalised plans to dig 50 boreholes in polling units to enhance water supply. Currently, we’ve finished three boreholes, in addition to several others commissioned prior to the elections.”

While also distributing bags of rice to numerous communities as part of the measures to cushion current hardship, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) lauded President Bola Tinubu for the release of N100 million each to lawmakers through the Federal Government Ministry of Agriculture to address the plight of the masses.

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The legislator tasked Nigerians to be actively involved in the intervention of the Federal Government on road projects across the nation by reporting any contractor that indulges in the poor handling of projects to the agency’s offices.

“I have been telling our committee members in the House of Representatives that fixing our roads is our major challenge. But as community leaders and members of society wherever we find ourselves, we should be involved in monitoring these contractors. A lot of money has been appropriated for road projects.

“When you see contractors saddled with the responsibility of fixing the roads in your area and you see that the job is not being done properly, you don’t need to be a qualified engineer before you know when something is not being done very well or the way it should be done. Raise your voice and go to our offices in various states to report such incidents and we will be able to take it up from there”, Oseni posited.

Earlier in his remark, the Senior Legislative Aide (SLA) to the lawmaker, Alhaji Abdul-Hakeem Okedina urged the people to support him (Oseni) in his drive to improve infrastructural facilities in the constituency, assuring that more dividends of democracy will be available to all irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliations.

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Economic Hardship: Rep Oseni Lauds FG’s N100m Palliative for Each Constituency

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Hon. Aderemi Oseni, the lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State, has commended the proactive stance of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration towards addressing the welfare needs of Nigerians.

The lawmaker applauded the government’s commitment to ameliorating the prevailing hardships faced by citizens, particularly through the significant intervention of One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000) allocated to each federal constituency via the Ministry of Agriculture.

Oseni, in a statement on Thursday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, in Ibadan, emphasised the importance of such interventions in providing essential support to communities and constituents grappling with economic challenges, notably in the distribution of grains to cushion the impacts of the hardship in Nigeria.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said the allocation, aimed at cushioning the adverse effects of hardship, signifies a crucial step towards fostering sustainable development and resilience across the nation.

He informed that the palliative has no bias for partisan politics as it is meant for all vulnerable members of the public in the Ibarapa East/Ido Federal constituency, irrespective of political affiliations, adding that the contractor had supplied the rice in the amount of the money approved.

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“I want to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the several initiatives and interventions of the federal government to bring ease to the people. I also want to reassure all the constituents in Ibarapa East/Ido federal constituency of my commitment to their welfare at this time and always,” the lawmaker assured.

The APC chieftain appealed to members of the public to remain patient and calm as lawmakers are making frantic efforts to ensure the effective implementation and equitable distribution of democratic dividends for the benefit of constituents in their various constituencies.

Renewing his commitment and promising more dividends of democracy for his constituency, Oseni also hinted that in line with his campaign promises, he would be commissioning road construction equipment for the rehabilitation of rural roads this Saturday.

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APC criticises Makinde for alleged education decline in Oyo

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APC criticises Makinde for alleged education decline in Oyo

 

Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of education in the region, accusing Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration of negligence and insincerity in addressing the challenges faced by the sector.

In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to Mega Icon Magazine,  APC highlighted issues such as scarcity of teachers, deplorable infrastructure, lack of teaching aids and equipment, poor monitoring and supervision, erosion of competent administrators, and outdated policy and curriculum implementation as contributing factors to the decline in education standards.

Oyo APC emphasized the need for urgent intervention, stating, “It is time well-meaning citizens and residents of the state began to ask questions on why a key sector like that of education has had to be handled with levity in the last five years.”

The party disputed the state government’s claims of improvement, citing examples of severely understaffed schools and inadequate resources.

The statement pointed out specific cases like St. Joseph Primary School in Ibadan North West LGA, SDA Primary School in Egbeda LGA, Baptist Basic School in Tede, AUD Primary School in Igboora, Muslim Community Primary School in Itesiwaju LGA, and Christ Church School in Ona-Ara LGA, where an alarming shortage of teachers was evident.

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The APC also drew attention to the critical situation in public secondary schools, highlighting the lack of staff to teach core subjects.

“Examples included Baptist Secondary Grammar School in Atisbo LGA and Methodist High School in Ibarapa North LGA, where the Old Student Association and a mere four teachers, respectively, struggled to meet the educational needs of hundreds of students”.

The party urged residents to question the Seyi Makinde-led administration’s commitment to education, stressing the need for immediate action to prevent further deterioration.

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