LG Autonomy: ‘FG Cannot Tell Us What To Do In Oyo State ‘ – Seyi Makinde 

By Doris Isreal Ijeoma Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared that the Federal Government is not superior to states in exercising each other’s constitutional roles. Makinde made this known in Ibadan at an emergency consultative meeting with stakeholders on Monday to appraise last week’s Supreme Court judgement, which granted financial autonomy to the local government areas across the nation. He maintained that the judgment had created a constitutional lacuna that would throw up different challenges at the local government level. The Governor stressed that though he was not opposing transparency in the councils, the Supreme Court judgment “is not a silver bullet that will wash away Nigeria’s problems.” He said, “I called this meeting because I felt that even though we have not seen the Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Supreme Court, we have to be proactive and discuss the decision of the Supreme Court as it concerns the financial autonomy of the local government councils because I believe a lacuna has been created between the decision and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that we all swore to uphold. “The law is the law and when there is a conflict, yes, we should go to the court. But it behoves on us to look for our own homegrown solutions that can ensure that we have transparency and that our people do not suffer. This is because when two elephants are fighting it is the grass that will suffer.” Speaking further, Makinde said his administration has been doing what was right, including clearing the backlog of debts owed to workers and pensioners at the council level and fixing the infrastructure deficit in the PHCs and the inner roads. He added, “I am saying this because Oyo State will get out of this even stronger. We are people that know what is good for our people. We can run our own affairs, the Federal Government is not superior constitutionally to the state government. Well, they have more resources than the state, but their jurisdiction is coordinated, so we can do what is right in Oyo state, and we have been doing what is right. “Before we came in, leave bonuses were last paid in 2017 and we have paid for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The Primary Health Care facilities, inner roads were all in bad shape. But we have been working collaboratively with the LGs to deliver dividends of democracy to our people. “We were able to clear those salary arrears. We paid N18 billion in pension and gratuities over this period. We upgraded about 209 PHCs, equipped about 264, and completed 60 model schools. We constructed and renovated hundreds of primary school classrooms and fixed some of our roads. “But there are still challenges that we have to address. We still have a backlog of gratuities and pensions. The local governments owe about N55 billion in pension and gratuities. We are developing infrastructure that would push the economy and raise the living standard of their people and push their economy towards sustainable goals.”

Makinde orders flag to fly half mast in honour of late lawmaker

  Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has described the demise of a House of Representatives member, Mr Olaide Akinremi, as shocking and a great loss to the state. The two-term All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmaker and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Science Research Institutes, died in an Abuja hospital after a brief illness Makinde mourned Akinremi in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Dotun Oyelade. The governor, who prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased, ordered that flags be flown at half-mast across the state in honour of the late lawmaker.

Makinde Approves Immediate Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals in Oyo State

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has sanctioned the urgent recruitment of doctors, nurses, consultants, and other healthcare professionals to address staffing shortages in the state’s health sector. The announcement was made by Akin Fagbemi, Chairman of the Hospitals Management Board, following a meeting with the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in Ibadan.  This decision comes in response to an indefinite strike initiated by the NANNM on May 21, due to unmet demands from the state government. Fagbemi emphasized the importance of this recruitment drive, noting it will significantly alleviate the current workforce deficit in hospitals and healthcare centers across Oyo State.  He praised Governor Makinde for his commitment to transparency and accountability in the health sector, which are vital for delivering quality healthcare services. “The governor’s approval for the immediate recruitment of additional healthcare professionals is a crucial step towards resolving the staffing crisis and enhancing healthcare delivery in our state,” Fagbemi stated. 

Why PDP failed to suspend Wike, Makinde, others over anti-party activities – George

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has reacted to calls for the the suspension of FCT minister, Nyesom Wike and other members of the G-5 group. According to George, the PDP is more focused on reconciling its members than punishing them over previous actions against the party. The PDP chieftain stated this during an interview with ChannelsTV on Thursday, April 18. Wike, now the minister of the FCT under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), fell out with the PDP hierarchy in the lead-up to the presidential election of last year. He and a group called G-5 including then-governors, worked against the PDP in the presidential election, insisting the southern part of Nigeria ought to produce the party’s flagbearer. While many have questioned Wike’s membership of the party with others calling for sanctions against him, Bode George says the PDP is working to settle its matters. “There is a standing committee. They are going to add more members to do a post-mortem analysis,” he said. “We don’t want to start firing because there are one or two people that are still thinking about the past. The party must move on.” “It is an issue in the party. It should not be resolved in the marketplace,” the PDP chieftain said, insisting “We are going to settle our own matters like a family.” The PDP was the runner-up in the 2023 presidential election, losing to the ruling APC. Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, was its flagbearer in that exercise and also in 2019.

You’ve Grown Wings – APC Knocks Seyi Makinde For Criticizing Tinubu

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticized Governor Seyi Makinde for condemning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to remove the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as fuel.  In a statement, the APC accused Makinde of overstepping his bounds and lacking the authority to criticize Tinubu’s leadership. APC’s Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare, emphasized that Makinde is the only governor openly criticizing the incumbent president for the subsidy removal.  Sadare argued that the governor should focus on addressing challenges within the state rather than blaming Tinubu for the economic situation. The statement highlighted Makinde’s past silence during the subsidy removal under former President Muhammadu Buhari and accused him of exploiting the recent labour protest to deflect blame from his administration.  The APC also raised concerns about the utilization of allocations, claiming that Makinde received over N207 billion without significant positive impact. APC accused him of engaging in wasteful spending, capital flight, and misplaced priorities, leaving the state grappling with issues of hunger, poverty, and unemployment. The statement reads: “Makinde has grown more wings in his penchant for misleading the public and sacrificing others for his ineptitude in government. Funny enough, the PDP-dominated State House of Assembly spoke in the same tone on the same day, and we understand the script being played by the governor. “Gov. Makinde holds the record of the only governor in Nigeria who constantly blames the sitting President for his failure to add value in his state. Out of the 36 governors, the Oyo State helmsman was the only one who criticized President Bola Tinubu over the removal of fuel subsidy when he stated that the decision was untimely and not well thought out. This was what he did to former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2019 and 2023 as he distanced himself from Aso Villa on account of ego and thereby denied the Pacesetter state a lot of opportunities for four years. “As he is wont to do, Makinde attempted to take advantage of the labour protest on Tuesday to heap all the blame for the bad economy in the country on the federal government, forgetting that governors like him were more culpable for the extent to which the quality of life has degenerated. Why blame President Tinubu for stopping wasteful spending on fuel subsidy when the decision has been enabling you to collect improved allocations in the last nine months, although without much to show for it? “The Oyo State government has received over N207 billion in allocations from Abuja since May last year, and this excludes the billions of naira accrued to the 33 local government councils which the governor hijacked from them. “Rather than use the whopping allocations to create wealth, Gov. Makinde mopped up more funds from loans, grants, IGR, and illegal sale of government assets without accountability. So, who then addresses hunger, poverty, and unemployment in Oyo State when the governor always engages in wasteful spending, capital flight, and misplaced priorities?” the statement added

Details of official report of Ibadan explosion emerge

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has received the official report of the Jan. 16, explosion that occurred at Adeyi Avenue in Bodija, Ibadan, in which five persons died. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni, made this known on Wednesday while briefing newsmen shortly after the presentation of the report to the governor. Owoseni said that three persons of interest have been identified in connection with the cause of the unfortunate incident. He added that the identified persons will face prosecution based on the investigation carried out. Owoseni also revealed that the character of the explosive is known as ‘Water Gel Type Based Explosive’ and that the explosion was triggered by an electric spark. He explained that a Closed Circuit Television in one of the affected houses gave footage of how the incident happened. Owoseni, the former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, assured that the state government would bring the perpetrators to book. He added that the government would also check the immigration status of all the people of interest since majority of the suspects quizzed were from Mali. “We have been able to report that the swiftness with which security was deployed to the epicentre had so far successfully made the state to fully secure the environment. “And with the security that was provided, the state has also been able to prevent untoward happenings, especially opportunistic crimes that hoodlums always take advantage of such situations to carry out. “We would recall that an emergency situation centre was put in place by the governor, and was located at the premises of Oyo State Housing Corporation, Ibadan. “The EOC has so far collated information, data of things that happened there and some of the data collated include census of the respective houses and the fatalities that were affected including the extent of losses suffered. “As of 6 p.m, Feb 3, which was the 18th day of the incident, a total of 335 affected persons registered at the emergency situation centre. “These include 16 companies or business operators, churches, mosques, three schools and the UCH also approached the centre to report on their losses. “The losses reported also include fatality, injuries of various degrees, damages ranging from total collapse and submerging of houses, houses that suffered collateral damage and the ones that suffered minimal damages,” Owoseni stated. The chairman, Nigeria Institute of Structural Engineers, Mr Mbim Okutinyang, who is also the lead coordinator of the team that carried out structural integrity on the affected houses, also told newsmen that 282 houses were affected. He however said that only four of the houses would have to be demolished due to the degrees of the damage. Okutinyang added that the seismic report was still being awaited. On his part, the Head of the Emergency Operation Centre, Prof. Temitope Alonge, said 80 victims in total were managed across various hospitals following the incident, but only five patients were on admission as of the time of the press briefing. Alonge explained that four of the patients are being treated at the University College Hospital (UCH) and were at various levels of recovery, while one patient is at the Redeemers Hospital being managed for a spinal cord injury. He said that most of the cases at UCH will likely be discharged within the next one week. The head of the EOC added that some of the affected victims that experienced medical disorder such as respiratory illness had been treated. He also explained that those with symptoms suggestive of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder were being attended to by clinical psychologists from UCH. Giving an update on the tests for radioactivity, Alonge said the site of the incident had been cleared in terms of radioactivity, as the EOC invited the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NNRA) to conduct another screening.

Ibadan Explosion: Atiku Reacts As Seyi Makinde Accuses Him Of Not Calling 

Former Vice President and 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has revealed that he commiserated with victims, people, and the Government of Oyo State following the Ibadan explosion.  Atiku stated this in reply to a statement by Governor Seyi Makinde, who claimed that the former vice president failed to call him over the unfortunate incident. Recall that Makinde had berated Atiku over his failure to show concern regarding the explosion in Ibadan. Makinde stated this on Monday when he received the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, at his office in Ibadan. The governor said the former vice president has neither called nor sent a condolence message to commiserate with him and the people of his state over the explosion. He stated that President Bola Tinubu, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had called him over the incident, but Atiku, a member of the same political party as him, had not reached out to him. Reacting in a statement on Monday, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, stated that the former Vice President released a statement to commiserate with victims and the people of Oyo State. According to him, Makinde has been too busy to take track of media reports on the incident. The statement reads: “With due respect to Governor Seyi Makinde, we wish to correct his expression about the response of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to the recent explosion in the city of Ibadan. “Atiku Abubakar made a condolence message about the Ibadan explosion, less than 24 hours of its occurrence, where he shared his commiseration and empathy with the good people and government of Oyo State over the incident. “Perhaps the Governor has been too busy to take track of media reports on the incident. But we wish to put on record that on the 17th of January, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar did make a widely available message on the Ibadan incident, which reads as follows: “‘I wish to express my condolences to the good people and government of Oyo State over the explosion that rocked the capital city of Ibadan late yesterday night. “‘While the government continues to provide humanitarian support to victims of the explosion, I commiserate with the families of those who might have lost their lives and property to the explosion. -AA’”

Seyi Makinde Reveals Cause Of Ibadan Explosion

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, says two people were killed in the explosion which took place in Ibadan, the capital of the state, on Tuesday night. Makinde said the explosion, which injured 77 people, was caused by illegal miners who stored explosive devices in one of the buildings in the Bodija area of Ibadan. “We visited the scene of the explosion which occurred at about 7.44 pm yesterday, 16 January 2024 in Bodija, Ibadan,” the governor said. “This unfortunate incident resulted in death and injury to residents in the vicinity and also affected properties. We have already deployed first responders and all relevant agencies within Oyo State to carry out comprehensive search and rescue operations.” He said preliminary investigations by the security agencies revealed that “illegal miners occupying one of the houses in Bodija had stored explosive devices there which caused the blast”. Makinde said the investigations are ongoing and all those found culpable for this will be brought to book. The governor said the rescue operations will continue throughout the night. “Earth-moving equipment, ambulances, emergency lights, and security were deployed to the scene of the incident,” he said. “The wounded and injured are being treated and moved to public and private hospitals within Ibadan. Medical personnel are on standby at these hospitals to provide all needed assistance to the injured. We have visited UCH to see some of those injured during the incident.” Condoling the families of those who lost lives and properties to the explosion, Makinde said “in total, we have 77 injured victims so far, most of whom were treated and discharged and 2 fatalities. May their souls rest in peace and may God give their loved ones the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss”. Makinde assured residents that the state government would take care of the medical bills of all victims of the blast. “We will also be providing temporary accommodation for those whose houses were affected and ensuring that they are supported to rebuild their lives,” he said. “I urge all residents to please call 615 for any emergencies they may be experiencing at this time and to remain calm and stay away from the immediate scene of the incident to allow rescue operations to be carried out without interference. “We are grateful to the first responders, security personnel and all those who are at the scene to assist with the rescue operations as well as the medical personnel taking care of the injured. “Please say a prayer for those who have been affected by this disaster as we continue with the rescue operations.”

4 killed in Ibadan-Oyo Expressway auto crash

4 killed in Ibadan-Oyo Expressway auto crash

Four persons lost their lives to an auto crash on the Ibadan-Oyo Expressway on Saturday while many others were injured as the bus involved in the accident somersaulted several times. Unit Commander of the FRSC at Atiba, Oyo, DCC Bayode Olugbesan, blamed the accident on over speeding and overloading. Olugbesan said the 14-seater bus was carrying 20 persons when the accident occurred. He said corpses of the dead had been deposited at the mortuary of the State Hospital, Oyo. “The bus, conveying all-male passengers was travelling toward the northern part of the country when the accident occurred,’’ he said. “The bus was designed to carry 14 passengers, but was loaded with 20 passengers,’’ he noted. Olugbesan appealed to road users to be careful while driving, and to avoid over speeding, overloading and night travels.