Asked what we wanted to do, we said we wanted to trade. They laughed us to scorn. After some days, they called us again to explain our business plan.

Very simple; we would buy whatever fruit was in season from Apata market, break the bulk and sell in retail. We were asked our marketing plan. Simple too; two big trays and hawking.My parents agreed on two conditions; No crossing the major road or railway and all trading must close by noon. So we started hawking.

We were expected to get tired in a few days but the excitement kept us on. My sister and I would go different directions and come home at twelve. We would count how much we had made, remove and save the profit. My mom was our auditor.

Lest I forget, my sister always sold out but me …? Thanks to some yeye football games at Kuole field in Odo Ona. You might wonder what my hawking business had to do with a Church Bus.

During a particular holiday, bananas were in season. The trend was the usual. My sister sold much more than I did. Then one day, I hadn’t spent a minute at the junction when a big church bus going to Abeokuta stopped. The bus was filled with people. Before you can say ‘Jack Robinson’ my bananas were sold out. I happily went home with my tray, feeling like a hero. My sister didn’t sell much that day. No matter our sales, the business was 50:50. It was a Saturday, so I was allowed to go play football.

Basking in the euphoria of the sales boost I spent the following week waiting for Saturday to come.

On that Saturday, I packed double my usual stock. Off I went to the junction to wait for MY Big Church Bus. At a quarter to twelve, the bus still hadn’t come. I stood there sweating, fighting back tears of disappointment. The load had suddenly become too heavy.

When my sister got home and didn’t see me, she came to fetch me. She took my load (God bless her soul. She was the best sister there ever was) and I followed her home in tears.We got home and my Great Mom encouraged me and even gave me a bottle of Fanta.

Then told me, ‘Son, your Church Bus came once, don’t expect that it will always come back your way again’. All the money we made selling bananas did not last but the lesson of the CHURCH BUS has stayed.

You may have an opportunity, a chance, when Fortune suddenly smiled on you. There are times when fate suddenly becomes your ally. When your Church Bus suddenly comes down the road. There was nothing I did differently that morning. My Church Bus just came.

Do not believe you can always walk to the road and the Church Bus will come. The opportunity you have that put you where you are today, without much ado, may never come your way again. Like my big tray load that second Saturday, what you got so easy may not be achieved even with greater effort.

Secondly, if I had scoffed my sister when my Church Bus came, she would have carried my heavy load when my Church Bus didn’t come. When fortune smiles at you, be good to people who stood by you when you were under the bar. You may need them to carry your load when your Church Bus doesn’t come.

I dedicate this story to the memory of the two greatest women I ever knew, My Mother and My Sister.

Femi Ladapo, writes from Ibadan, Oyo state

The post OPINION: My Church Bus | By Femi Ladapo first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post OPINION: My Church Bus | By Femi Ladapo appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

Do you live in Ibadan around Apata, Gbekuba, Nihort, Ologuneru, Iletitun area, Agbofieti, Ita Faaji and its environs?

Can you supervise a new tutorial centre?

Do you know someone who does?

Can you teach and supervise candidates sitting for WAEC, NECO and UTME exams?

If yes your services will be needed.

You can send a mail to maxxbrainetutorials@gmail.com attaching your CV.

You can also reach us on whatsapp 08024292382

Looking forward to read from you.

The post Urgent! Maxx Braine Tutorials, Ibadan Is hiring – (See Details/How To Apply) first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Urgent! Maxx Braine Tutorials, Ibadan Is hiring – (See Details/How To Apply) appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

Lafia hospitals, situated at NNPC Apata, Ibadan  shutdown its facility to the public on 24th April 2020 as a result of exposure to a Covid-19 patient.

Contained in a statement made available to Mega Icon Magazine by the hospital’s Human Relationship Manager, Kayode Sule,  the facility was decontaminated on Saturday 25th of April 2020.

“I am happy to inform you all that employees of the hospital have been screened for Covid-19 and the results came back negative. The quarantine period ended on Friday 8th may 2020 and the facility will reopen on Monday the 11th of May 2020 by 9:00 am”, he said.

Sule also informed that the hospital has put in place some strict procedures in accordance with NCDC’s guidelines, which includes erection of a waiting area with chairs placed to maintain the mandatory social distancing and for triage proposes.

He added that the hospital would henceforth enforce a strict ‘ NO FACE MASKS, NO ENTRY RULES’.

Sule added that other necessary NCDC guidelines such as infrared temperature check, hand washing cubicle, sanitizers and disinfecting the feet will be provided at the entrance of the facility as from Monday.

“The management wants to appreciate you all for your resilience and understanding in those critical moments and to assure you that the safety of our staff, patients and visitors is of paramount importance to us”, he concluded.

The post COVID-19: Lafia hospital, Ibadan to reopen tomorrow, enforces ‘no face masks, no entry rule’ first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post COVID-19: Lafia hospital, Ibadan to reopen tomorrow, enforces ‘no face masks, no entry rule’ appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

The filling station, which is under construction at Apata axis of Ibadan is situated very close to St. Michael’s Primary school, Apata, and other business facilities including banks, pharmacy among others.

Mega Icon Magazine sighted construction work  vigorously ongoing at the filling station earlier sealed by the state government around February, 2020. In fact, the project is now more than 80 percent complete and full operations are expected to commence  soon,  as reliably gathered.

One of the Engineers  who confided in Mega Icon Magazine during our reporter’s visit to the site informed that they were not aware of any directive from the government to stop work, adding that all the necessary  requirements for the construction had been met.

It would be recalled that the Oyo state government had earlier sealed the filling station based on negative impact the facility would have on a nearby Primary School (St. Michael’s Primary school, Apata) and persons living within the premises.

The state  government through its Commissioner for  Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Kehinde Ayoola, further disclosed that  the directive was issued, following petitions received from residents and business owners. He emphasized that the action was to correct the unfriendly habits of degrading the environment which may be receptive to people’s health.

Ayoola added that his visit to the filling station was to access  the environmental impact of the construction site, take measures that would promote a friendly environment devoid of environmental threats, particularly the pupils of the School.

According to him, the safety of residents is paramount to the government, which he reechoed must not be compromised most importantly when a school is involved. Having considered  the fact that the facility does not have environmental impact assessment report and some other necessary permit that regulates environmental activities of the state, the Commissioner put a stop work order and sealed up the facility.

However, the residents who expressed their fears to Mega Icon Magazine on Saturday appealed to the Seyi Makinde -led government to come out with stern rules governing the siting of filling stations so as to avert unnecessary hazards and also  prioritize the safety of the primary school pupils.

The post Ibadan: Filling Station Defies Oyo Govt’s Order, Continues Construction first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Ibadan: Filling Station Defies Oyo Govt’s Order, Continues Construction appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

The state Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Kehinde Ayoola, revealed that Oyo State Government issued the directive, following petitions received from residents and business owners.

The filling station, which is under construction at Apata area within Ibadan metropolis is situated very close to St. Michael’s Primary school, Apata, Ibadan and other business facilities.

Ayoola, who visited the site along with Environmental Health Officers of the State said the visit was aimed at accessing the environmental impact of the construction site and take measures that would promote a friendly environment devoid of environmental threats, particularly the pupils of the School.

“As a responsive and responsible government, the safety and well-being of residents is paramount to us, which must not be compromised most importantly when a school is involved. Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, having education as one of its cardinal agenda, would not allow anything to hinder the success of its education of our pupils” he said.

“We have to put a stop work order and seal up this facility considering the fact that it does not have environmental impact assessment report and some other necessary permit that regulates environmental activities of the State” he added

Hon. Ayoola further said that though as a state that encourages myriad of business opportunities and entrepreneurship development, business activities should not be carried out at the detriment of the people. However, the government is saddled with the responsibility of protecting the people from any environmental hazards that may likely have negative impact on them

The Commissioner asserted that the action was to correct the unfriendly habits of degrading the environment which may be susceptible to people’s health.

The post Oyo govt seals filling station under construction in Ibadan  first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post Oyo govt seals filling station under construction in Ibadan  appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

The commissioner also added that eight police vans were damaged in the clash. It was gathered that the students occupied the Ibadan-Abeokuta road as early as 6:30 am, blocking the main road linking Oyo and Ogun states, with road users stranded as both commercial and private vehicles were forced to take alternative routes to their destination. The Provost, as learnt invited the police when the students blocked the main road.

It was gathered that the students were protesting against the school management, while specifically calling for the removal of the Provost of the school, Dr. Babajide Adenekan, following the disagreement between Adenekan and members of the school’s Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, Non Academic Staff Union and the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions.

The issue had been on for more than one year, a lecturer in the school who confided in journalists revealed

In her words, “there has been clash between the provost and lecturers of the school. Some lecturers have been suspended and reinstated while some claimed their allowances were withheld by the provost illegally. The claims are many.

“But this time, the students were expressing their grievances over the administrative style of the provost. They are claiming that the style of the provost triggered several strikes and unnecessary delay in the school’s academic calendar. They are also calling for the removal of the provost.”

According to the students, the police shot at them during the protest with some of them sustaining gunshot injuries. They also added that a lecturer was injured in the clash.

The police had arrested five students for their involvement in the fracas, just as Odude confirmed that there had been several meetings between the school authority, the students and the police on how to resolve the unending crisis in the school.

“It has been an off and on situation. We have been on this for the past six months meeting them and trying to resolve the issue. We have met the students’ union leaders and the school authority.

“We told the students that they should limit their union activities within the school because once you deprive others the use of public facility, you are against the law. Today (Monday), they blocked the main road during protest and we sent police there but they became violent and attacked the policemen.

“Four of them were injured and they are now in hospital. Eight police vans were destroyed too. We have to use force to push them back into the school. If you are students, it does not give you the liberty to break laws. Those who were arrested will be charged to court after due investigation”, the commissioner submitted.

The post In Ibadan, 4 policemen injured after clash with students first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post In Ibadan, 4 policemen injured after clash with students appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.