Author: Lekan Adeyeye

IN a dramatic turn of events, the Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa over alleged gross misconduct. His removal while he was in the United States followed allegations of misappropriation of funds, high-handedness and lack of transparency in the management of the Assembly’s affairs. The impeachment sparked jubilation among lawmakers. Obasa, in his third term as Speaker since 2015, represents Agege Constituency I. Femi Saheed, who represents Kosofe Constituency II, moved the motion for the impeachment. Citing Section 92(2) (C) of the 1999 Constitution, Saheed accused Obasa of gross misconduct and poor leadership. He accused the…

JUSTICE Kamorudeen Olawoyin of a High Court sitting in Ibadan has granted bail to three suspects remanded over a food queue stampede that claimed the lives of 35 minors in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, last December. The three suspects are ex-Queen Naomi Silekunola, Ibadan-based broadcaster Oriyomi Hamzat and a school principal Abdullahi Fasasi. The trio spent Christmas and New Year in detention after they were arrested and remanded over the tragic incident. The accused are facing four counts of conspiracy, acceleration of death, negligent acts causing harm, and failure to provide adequate security and medical facilities. The Judge gave…

GOVERNOR Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has presented the staff of office to the new Alaafin of Oyo, Abimbola Akeem Owoade. The governor presented the official instrument legitimising the reign of a king to the new monarch on Monday morning at the Exco Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan, the state capital. The symbolic event was performed nearly three years after the death of the former Alaafin, Lamidi Adeyemi III. The presentation of the staff of office was done amid controversy concerning the choice of the new Alaafin announced by the governor last week. Last Friday, the state Commissioner…

THE Oyo State Government has filed eight counts, bordering on murder and manslaughter against the ex-queen of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola, the proprietor of an Ibadan-based radio station, Oriyomi Hamzat, and the Principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, Abdulahi Fasasi, over the December 18, 2024 funfair stampede, during which 35 children died. The charge sheet, marked I/05C/2025, sighted by our correspondent on Sunday, was filed on Friday, January 10, 2025 before the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan. The Oyo State Government was listed as the complainant while Silekunola, Hamzat abd and Babatunde were named as defendants.…

TWO factory workers were reported dead on Saturday after falling into a diesel reservoir in the Ikosi Oregun area of Lagos State. “Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the men (an adult) accidentally fell into the diesel reservoir while working. “The second adult male, in an attempt to rescue the first, also fell into the reservoir,” the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said in a statement. “Both victims sustained severe conditions and were promptly transported to the hospital by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) after receiving first aid, including CPR.” In an update hours later, the agency said,…

GOVERNOR Seyi Makinde’s approval of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo has steered the anger of the kingmakers in the ancient kingdom, the Oyomesi. A statement signed by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, yesterday had declared that Prince Owoade, after thorough consultations and divinations, was recommended by the Oyomesi and approved by the Oyo State governor. A statement to that effect, he said, had been issued by the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ademola Ojo, who declared that the announcement had put to rest all the social…

FORMER President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that his attitude of not keeping quiet on national and international issues led him to jail under the military regime of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha in 1995. Obasanjo also hinted that the quest to save Nigeria from an imminent disintegration made him to seek the Presidency in 1999, admitting that he had settled into Agriculture after his military service at aged 42, before the quest came. Speaking during an interactive session with 15 young male and female future Africa leaders drawn from different parts of the continent at his…

AFTER nearly three years of controversy and litigation, a new Alaafin has been approved by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade. He said Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade after thorough consultations and divinations, has been recommended by the Oyomesi and approved by the Governor of Oyo State. According to the commissioner, a statement to this effect has been issued by the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ademola Ojo, who said that the announcement has put to rest, all…

NIGERIA’s electricity generation has continued to hover around an average of 4,500 megawatts despite the country securing loans totalling over $3.23bn in about four years from international financial institutions. Global institutions such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have supported the power sector with billions of dollars in loans, but many parts of Nigeria still suffer incessant blackouts. These funds were approved to finance various projects to address the country’s electricity challenges and improve access to reliable power supply. However, power generation in the country has persistently hovered around 4,500MW for a…

THE Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, urged the state high court in Ibadan not to grant bail to the ex-queen of Ooni of Ife, Naomi Shilekunola, Hamzat Oriyomi, and a school principal, Fasasi Abdullahi. The court had on December 24 remanded the trio in prison over the death of 35 children during a Christmas Funfair they organised in Ibadan, which resulted in a fatal stampede. The defendants spent both Christmas and New Year’s Day at the Nigerian Correctional Services facility in Agodi. During Tuesday’s hearing at High Court 8, Ring Road, Ibadan, the defence counsel urged the court to admit…

THREE persons repeatedly died in Ogbomoso on Tuesday when a container-laden truck lost control and fell on a commercial tricycle at Takie Junction around 9:30am. Ogbomoso is a town in Oyo state. This newspaper gathered that the articulated vehicle lost control while navigating a bend, causing the container to topple and crush the tricycle, locally known as Keke marwa. An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said that two female passengers and the tricycle rider were trapped under the container, saying rescue efforts later confirmed all three victims died. Efforts are underway to remove the container from the road to avert further…

Says Her Grace, Philanthropy’ll Remain Reference Points THE Iyalode Musulumi of Egbaland, Dr. Lateefat Oyeyemi Kolapo, has described the passing of business icon and socialite, Princess Khadijat Adebisi Edionsere (Cash Madam) as a huge loss to Ogun State and Nigeria as a whole. In a statement issued on Monday, she said the late Edionsere (nee Elegbede), who was the Iya Suna of Egbaland and Iya Suna of Ogun State, lived an exemplary life and touched lives across divides. “Her grace, elegance and philanthropy stood out, nationwide, and anyone would be proud to have been directly or remotely connected to the…

GUNMEN suspected to be cultists have killed Fisayo Oladipo, a former youth leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Owo, in the Owo local government area of Ondo state. Oladipo, aged 52, was killed in the early hours of Monday, 6 January. The late APC leader was also a local government chairmanship aspirant during the administration of the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. More details shortly…

A POPULAR Ibadan-based broadcaster, Peter Olasupo has been summoned by the International Criminal Police Organization, INTERPOL over allegations of criminal defamation and cyber-stalking. He is to appear at the force headquarters, Shehu Shagari Way, Garki, Abuja, according to a statement posted on his Facebook page on Sunday. Olasupo said he received an official letter on December 30, 2024, requiring him to report to INTERPOL headquarters, saying that his appearance has been rescheduled to Monday, January 13, 2025, to further the investigation. “I recently received a letter with the headline Investigation Activities/Invitation Letter from the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), informing…

TEMITAYO Oluwatuyi, the Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG) is dead. Oluwatuyi, popularly known as ‘Tukana’, died on Saturday following complications from a road accident. Although the state government was yet to officially confirmed his death, an impeccable source who confirmed his death to our reporter in Akure said Oluwatuyi died in a private hospital on Saturday. He explained that his demise occurred few weeks after he was hospitalised due to the injuries he survived in a car accident. “Sadly, we lost him today. The doctors could not save his life. They worked tirelessly to help him survive, but…

OYO State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has approved the appointment of new 45 Permanent Secretaries and three Executive Secretaries in the state. This was disclosed in a statement shared with this newspaper by the state Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade. The appointments, announced in a document signed by the Head of Service, Mrs. Olubunmi Oni, include significant changes across various sectors. Sixteen Permanent Secretaries have been deployed into the mainstream civil service, while six new Inspectors General of Education, six Permanent Secretaries in the health sector, and seven Permanent Secretaries in the local government sector have also been appointed. Additionally, one…

A FATAL road crash has claimed the lives of 13 commuters in Ondo State. The accident involved two buses at Abule Paanu, before the Ose bridge along the Owo/Ikare-Akoko Highway. Eyewitness accounts revealed that the accident occurred around 10 o’clock on Saturday morning. The source said that 14 people were involved in the crash. However, 13 were burnt beyond recognition while one person was rescued with serious injuries. The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ondo State, Samuel Ibitoye confirmed the incidents to Channels Television in a telephone conversation. Ibitoye said the tyre of one of…

SOME officers attached to the Ogun State Police Command have been arrested for allegedly demanding money from the family of a missing girl before taking action on the case. The Public Relations Officer for the Nigeria Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a post on X.com on Saturday. Adejobi stated that they were being held in detention. His post partly read: “Otta missing girl: The policemen who demanded money before they could attend to the case have been arrested and are now in detention for disciplinary action. Adejobi further reaffirmed the command’s commitment to locating the missing girl, assuring…

GOVERNOR Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has pardoned Segun Olowookere who was sentenced to death for armed robbery in Osun State. Olowookere was pardoned alongside his accomplice, Sunday Morakinyo, the governor disclosed in a statement on X on Thursday. The claim that the duo got a death sentence for stealing a fowl went viral on social media. But the Osun State Judiciary has clarified that they were convicted for armed robbery, including robbing a poultry in 2010. The governor said that 51 other inmates were also pardoned following recommendations of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy. “In line…

BETTY Akeredolu, widow of the late former Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has rejected the planned memorial lecture in his honour, organised by the state government. The lecture, scheduled for Friday in Akure, is part of a series of activities to commemorate the first anniversary of Akeredolu’s death on December 27, 2023. The state government had announced that renowned lawyer, Femi Falani (SAN), would deliver the lecture, with Bashorun Seinde Arogbofa serving as the chairman of the Akeredolu Leadership Lecture Series. However, Betty Akeredolu took to her X account on Wednesday to distance herself and her family from the…