HOW CRISIS BROKE OUT WITHIN OBA-ILE AND OBA-OKE IN OSUN

The harmonious coexistence between Oba-Oke and Oba-Ile, two neighboring towns in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State, headed for the rocks of Sunday, October 20, 2013.

Hell was let lose ax residents of the two agrarian communities were engaged themselves in a free-for-all which ensued following an alleged argument that broke out between some youths in the communities.

  

It was gathered that some residents of Oba-Ile were returning from their annual Obedu festival and while basking in the euphoria of the festival, they were said to have passed through the popular roundabout in Oba-Oke.

Daily further learnt that the said jubilating youths suddenly stopped at the roundabout with a effigy which depict the god of Obedu festival, dancing round the said effigy.

This did not go well with the youths of Oba-Oke who immediately sent a message to those from Oba-Ile to stop. Besides, they were told to have gone beyond their boundary adding that they should move out of the town for the sake of peace.

Crisis however, broke out upon the refusal of Oba-Ile youths to yield to the call of Oba-Oke youths, instead, they were said to have continued with the festival.

Meanwhile, during the chaos, the palace of Oloba of Oba-Oke was burnt alongside some other houses.

The house which hitherto played host to the Customary Court of the town was also razed by angry mob while cars, shops, motorcycles were also razed.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Dorothy Gimba has deployed men of Osun State Police Command to the two sleepy towns with a promise to get over the matter.       

ARMY BEGINS MASS RECUITMENT

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, said the army had commenced massive recruitment to tackle the security challenge in the country.
Ihejirika said this while opening a five-day seminar organised by the army’s Department of Civil-Military Affairs at the 2 Div. Odogbo, Ibadan on Monday.
“I have commenced the recruitment of 9,000 persons in our various training institutions’’, Ihejirika said.
The COAS, represented by Maj. Gen. John Ewansiha, said the objective of the seminar was to foster better working relations with civil society organisations toward winning hearts and minds.
Ihejirika reiterated the intention of the army to train and retrain its officers in order to meet the security challenge of the country.
“Indeed, the Nigerian army is currently occupied with domestic challenges in several parts of the country, especially in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States’’, he said.
The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Maj. Gen. Bola Koleoso, said the seminar was part of the quests to resolve the crisis currently facing the nation.
“As we all know, the civil society organisations stand for the defence of human rights everywhere as well as in crisis situations.
“The military aims at defeating insurgents as well as protecting law-abiding citizens’’, he said.
Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, who was the guest of honour, stressed the need for constant engagement and discussion between the civil and military publics.
“The modus operandi of the military is force; obedience to order and immediacy of that obedience. The modus operandi of the civil public is persuasion and constant engagement, which takes time“, he said.
Ajimobi said the task of such relationship should thus be how to bring the two publics together to pursue same agenda for the democratic vision of the nation.
“The Nigerian civil public cannot afford to stand aloof from the military.
“Since independence, the military has fought wars toward the sustenance of Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“It has lost thousands of its men who are martyrs of the peace and nationhood we enjoy today.
“We cannot but support the military in its quest to protect the nation and her territorial borders’’, the governor said.
The theme of the seminar is: “Consolidating Civil Society Organisations/Military Relations for Improved National Security.’’

HERBALISTS BACK STUDENT ON ASUU

Students have called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities not to betray them in the on-going strike. They said they would not like a situation when the strike would be called off without achieving anything.
This came as herbalists in Oyo State pledged their support for ASUU.
According to the President of the herbalists in the state, Dr. Arunoyemi Asanlaye, “we are in support of ASUU on the on-going strike”.
The students in large number at a town hall meeting, tagged, Save Public Education Campaign, which was organised by ASUU, UI chapter at the Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan Monday showed their displeasure at the seeming docility and indifference of the Nigeria Labour Congress calling on the labour union to embark on solidarity strike to force government to respond to ASUU demands.
Dr. Olusegun Ajiboye, Chairman, ASUU UI chapter, said the union would use any method to actualize their demands clarified that the struggle was not about the salaries of lecturers but the funding of education in the country.
Ajiboye said, “We are using so many methods. We cannot tell you when to move to Bodija Market. That is part of our strategies.
Instead of begging ASUU, the government should declare a state of emergency in the education sector”.
Responding to the call by the students, Mr. Bashir Olanrewaju, NLC Chairman in Oyo State, said, “By Wednesday, we will come out with a more proactive stance on the strike. Though, students have called on us to go on strike, we will not go on strike now. We will only mediate. If an affiliate has a problem, joining it in strike will collapse the whole system.
We have never been docile about the incident”.
Prof. Remi Raji, lecturer at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, said, ”Government should look at the NEEDS Assessment report. It is almost a year now that the 169 recommendations had been made and nothing has been done.
Salary of lecturers is just one of the nine demands of ASUU”.

TEN KILLED AS GUNMEN OPEN FIRE ON BORNO RESIDENTS

Barely 24 hours after gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect attacked a boarder communities of Logomani villages between Dikwa – Gamboru Ngala and Cameroon Republic killing over 20 civilians including motorists, another set of gunmen suspected to be terrorists over the weekend invaded villages of Kawuri District and Fori of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno state, killing 10 residents including three vigilante youth suspected to be civilian JTF.
Kawuri District is one of the big village in Konduga council area, along the Maiduguri- Obama federal highway which is about 60 kilometres away from Maiduguri, and 20 kilometres to Obama council area which had witnessed series of attacks and killings of both civilians, soldiers, policemen and prison warders.
A woman passenger who simply gave her name as Madam Hauwa Musa told our correspondent that she was among the early passengers from Mubi town to Maiduguri a day after the attack in Kawuri villages.
Although details of the attack is still sketchy, and unconfirmed report has it that the gunmen numbering about 30 using two Hilux vehicle and motorcycles with arms and ammunition, Rocket Propel Launchers including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), stormed the village at about 3am at the weekend and started ordering residents to come out from their houses before they opened fire on them, and later threw explosives on petrol bombs on some private and public structures.

ADEYEYE HAILS JONATHAN OVER EKITI AIRPORT PROJECT, BERATES FAYEMI

Afenifere Chieftain and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Prince Dayo Adeyeye has
hailed President Goodluck Jonathan's commitment to development of Ekiti State, saying; "Mr President's assurance on the Federal Government commitment to the take-off of the State's airport project is heart-warming."

Adeyeye, however berated the State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi over his inconsistency on the airport project, describing his open complaints on the project during President Jonathan's visit to Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) last Saturday as hypocritical and self-serving.

In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti today, by the Director General of Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM), Hon. Bisi Kolawole, the governorship aspirant said; "Ekiti people will forever be grateful to the president for given them a Federal University and an airport, a military brigade headquarters, among other developmental projects."

The statement read; "Mr President should be commended for making it clear last Saturday that the airport project, initiated during the immediate past PDP government in the State has not been abandoned.

"It is however funny that the same Fayemi, who had said in the past that the airport was not necessary, describing it as a white elephant project was the one complaining publicly about the non take-off of the project.

"Isn't it also funny that Fayemi could now mount the rostrum to complain that the non take-off of the airport project was slowing down the pace of economic activities in the state?

"It is on record that on September 1, 2009, it was published in the papers that the defunct Action Congress (AC) in Ekiti State said the proposed airport was a white elephant project. The statement was issued by Yemi Adaramodu, who is now Fayemi's Chief of Staff.

"On August 16, 2011, Fayemi was reported in the newspapers to have said that airport project was not his priority.

"On August 20, 2011, a group, the Ekiti Justice Group (EJG) wrote an open letter to Governor Fayemi, begging him to show interest in the airport project but he ignored the plea then.

"The question now is that, why did the governor chose a open forum like ABUAD's Convocation ceremony to raise the issue of non take-off of the airport project that he said was not his priority in the past, and even ignored plea by eminent Ekiti indigenes?

"The answer is simple. Fayemi is a hypocrite and an attention seeker, who will always want to gain cheap political points, but on this airport project, he went over the bar.

"We are therefore grateful to Mr President for listening to the pleas of well-meaning Ekiti indigenes like Chief Afe Babalola and agreeing to see to the final take-off of the airport project, which we believe will be of immense benefits to the State and its people."

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Eccless is a seasoned gospel artiste, he studied Architecture at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) with M.sc from the same institution. His deep love for music can be dated back to his days in the University where he belonged to different choral groups, and also his expeditions with different RCCG Choir groups over the years.

PAY OUR SALARIES, ONDO WORKERS CRY OUT

Workers under the employ of On do State Government are fully ready to explore every means to fight the incumbent governor of the State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko.

This was as a result of the governor's failure to pay their salaries.

Governor Mimiko according some Local Government workers who spoke with our correspondent in Akure,  is having about four months salaries on his neck to pay.

'our salaries of July, August and that of September have not been paid. We have been coming to work, working without been paid'

'We need our money to do good things for ourselves. How caan someone be working under this kind of tense situation while his or salary is being held by someone', On do Local Government workers lamented.

As it is, a resolution has been passed by the leaders of Local Government workers union to stage a protest as a way of conveying their greviance to the governor.