THE NATION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012
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NEWS Asiwaju hale and hearty, says Lagos ACN
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HE Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has warned peddlers of false rumours about former Governor Bola Tinubu’s health to desist from such acts or incur the wrath of God. In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, ACN said: “It is immoral, unholy and wicked for people created by God to wish other people death, while they want to continue to live and be happy. “When the leader of our great party travelled last week to the United Kingdom for leadership engagements with Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the idle minds went on the internet to deceive the world that he is down with stroke. “We ignored these wicked ambassadors and harbingers of falsehood and waited for Asiwaju’s return, so as to consign their antics to the dustbin of history. Asiwaju returned last night (Wednesday) hale and hearty, and the peddlers of falsehood became deaf and dumb. “The same people went after Aregbesola last year, telling the world that the governor had a terminal disease. But Aregbesola answered them by appearing at his place of work the next day to continue the good work he is doing for the people of Osun State. “Our party condemns this organised and well-planned project to bring ACN leaders down by all means. Those who seek to bring others down will be the first to go down. “Our leaders are human beings like us. They eat the same food we eat, drink the same water we drink and breathe the same air. They have headache, running stomach, fever, malaria, catarrh, ulcer, dysentery, high blood pressure etc. “Sometimes they are hospitalised like every one of us. Decent human beings do not celebrate when other people are troubled or sick. It is only renegades and reprobates that celebrate when fellow beings are in trouble. “Tinubu represents to us what Indians call Kohinoor (jewel of mankind) and those who wish him dead will be the first to go beyond. The God Almighty that we serve will not allow people like him to be away so soon, otherwise millions of his people will suffer. We are what we are because of other people. Asiwaju lives for humanity.”
Ekiti to turn old prison to tourist centre
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KITI State Governor Kayode Fayemi has said his administration will turn the old Ado-Ekiti Prison into a tourist centre. Fayemi spoke yesterday when he visited the old prison complex in Fajuyi. He said his administration contributed immensely to the relocation of the prison to a more conducive location. The governor said when the old prison is completely vacated, the government would build a civic centre, with a museum, an amphitheatre, cinemas, a shopping mall and an events centre. He said the civic centre would beautify Ado-Ekiti and boost economic activities. Fayemi said: “Even though the prison has been relocated, there are artefacts relating to this (old) prison that must be kept for generations yet unborn, so that they would know that at some point in history, the colonial prison was set up right here. “If you go to any place, you will always see the prison near the divisional office of the colonial police. It is a symbol of control over the security and safety of its people. “We believe that the best
thing we can put here in order to realise our objectives of building a large community is a civic centre that incorporates some historical links and lots of mementoes about Ekiti people. “Once the place is fully evacuated, government will start building a civic centre that will have a shopping mall, cinemas, an amphitheatre, a museum as well as an events centre in this location that has become the central business district of our distinguished capital city.” The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, praised Fayemi for his role in the relocation of the prison. He said the governor committed enormous resources to the project. The monarch hailed the plan of the prison authorities to establish an agric farm at the new prison, so as to positively engage the inmates and put the large expanse of land into use. The Assistant ControllerGeneral of Prisons in charge of Zone F, Mr. Benjamin Bogunjoko, thanked the state government for its effort to make the prisons corrective and not a punitive place.
Traders protest closure of Ladipo market By Oziegbe Okoeki
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RADERS from the Aguiyi-Ironsi Auto Market in Ladipo, Mushin, yesterday protested the closure of the market by the Ministry of the Environment. They stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly, bearing placards with inscriptions, such as: “Respect Our Rights, Respect Our Agreement”, “Don’t Impose Leadership on Us”, “Jonathan C. Okolie is Our Leader”, “Lagos House of Assembly, Help Us! You Are Our Last Hope”, “Re-open Aguiyi Auto Market, Our survival, Our Strength”, “An Idle Mind is the Devil’s Workshop” and “Open Our Market for God’s Sake!”, among others. President of the Auto Part Association of Nigeria, Ladipo Market, Mr. Jonathan Okoli said the market has been closed for over three months. Okolie said the market was first closed on December 8, 2011, due to environmental issues and was re-opened after a week. He said: “On December 23, officials of the ministry came again and closed the market. They claimed that the order was from above. That was the same day I was granted bail after the same people who want the leadership of the market wrote a petition against me, alleging that I kept thugs and guns. “They closed the market and said they wanted to place someone who is not a trader as the market leader.” Okolie alleged that some officials of the ministry are working for people who want to take over the leadership of the market. Deputy Speaker Taiwo Kolawole assured the traders that the matter would be investigated.
Widow petitions IG over husband’s death in police custody A WIDOW, Mrs. Cecilia Adedeji, has petitioned the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, over her husband’s death in police custody. Her husband, Lawrence (39), was a distributor of the products of Rite Foods Limited. Speaking with reporters on the circumstances that led to Lawrence’s death, Mrs. Adedeji said her husband left home on February 9 with a Rite Foods branded Hilux van to make purchases at the company’s office at Adebola House, Opebi Road, Lagos, but was arrested for alleged fraud. She said he died at Ikeja Police Division, Area F, within 24 hours. Noting that her husband was not sick before he was arrested, the widow said the police are yet to release his body to the family. She said: “I received a phone call from my husband in the afternoon that he had been arrested by plain-clothed policemen on the instructions of the Managing Director, under the supervision of the General Manager and the Chief Security Officer of the company in Adebola House. On my way to the company, my husband’s friend phoned and told me to come to Ikeja Police Division, Area “F”. “At the police station, my husband told me that after he made purchases at the company, he was accused of issuing dud cheques and was arrest-
•Mrs Adedeji By Jude Isiguzo
ed. He said he did not write any statement, but the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), one Dave, compelled him to make a few statements and wrote them down. “My husband told two of his friends to move his vehicle from the company’s premises to our house, but they returned an hour later and said the CSO denied them access to the vehicle. “I applied to have my husband released on bail, but the
•The late Lawrence
IPO said my application would only be considered if the company’s CSO permits it. The CSO finally showed up after 7pm. After discussing with the IPO, the CSO said my husband would only be released if we deposit N1 million that night. My husband’s friend offered to deposit his brand new car, but they refused. “We left the place around 8:30pm and when we got back the following day; they said my husband was dead. As I speak with you, no member
of our family has seen his body. “My three children are now fatherless. We demand a thorough and prompt investigation of the matter and an open prosecution of all those connected directly and otherwise with the cruel and brutal demise of my husband.” Mrs. Adedeji’s lawyer, Chief Lanre Adeniyi, said: Our client informed us that her husband had been a major distributor of the company’s products since 2008. She said he distributes and sells only the company’s products in Lagos and Ogun states, Ghana and Benin Republic. “She said her husband has earned many awards and items from the company in appreciation of his efficient distribution and sale of the company’s products.” Police spokesman Mr. Jayieoba Joseph, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect became sick in custody and was taken to the General Hospital, where he died. At the office of Rite Foods Limited, our correspondent spoke with a lady, who said the deceased was not a staff of the company and that there was nobody who could comment on the incident. She denied this reporter access to the company’s spokesman and CSO.
Ogun Assembly urges Amosun to stay action on TASUED
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HE Ogun State House of Assembly yesterday urged Governor Ibikunle Amosun to stay action on the proposed merger of the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, with the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago– Iwoye, until the law that established TASUED is repealed. The House also urged the governor to stay action on the merger of the four Information Communications Technology (ICT) polytechnics into Ogun State Institute of Technology (OSITECH), Igbese, until all necessary steps are taken. The polytechnics are Abraham Adesanya ICT Polytechnic, Ijebu–Igbo; D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori; Kenssington Adebutu ICT Polytechnic, Saapade; and Ayo Otegbola ICT
From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta
Polytechnic, Igbesa. The government, on February 8, announced the scrapping of TASUEDand re – named it Institute of Education, adding that it would operate in affiliation with the Education Faculty of OOU. The government said the changes were recommended by a Special Committee set up to look into the reports of a Visitation Panel set up to examine the condition of state –owned tertiary institutions. It said the decision would ensure qualitative and affordable tertiary education. Addressing the Commissioner for Education Mr. Segun Odubela and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, who were summoned
by the House to shed more light on the matter yesterday, Speaker Suraju Adekunbi said though the decisions were taken in good faith, they would have to pass through public hearing. “Do your consultations, so that the people will know that the decision was not taken to hurt anybody. I urge the students to patiently wait for the outcome of our deliberations. “We have not done anything regarding the extant laws. Please stay action on the decision. The mandate we enjoy today was given to us by the students. We appeal for a stay of action.” The House berated the Executive for announcing the mergers without consulting it. Odubela said the decision was necessitated by the
•Amosun
need to manage the state’s limited funds. He said: “TASUED is being owed N6.31 billion, while the monthly salary of the staff of the 10 tertiary institutions in the state stands at N10 billion. Where would the state get the money for capital expenditure from, if such huge amount is sunk monthly into salary?”
Vocational training’ll end unemployment, says VC
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NTREPRENEURIAL/ vocational training will curb graduate unemployment, the Vice-Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Prof. Sidi Osho, has said. Prof. Osho said this while speaking with reporters on activities lined up for the Founder’s Week and the visit of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) accreditation team to the school. She said ABUAD has made entrepreneurship education compulsory for students, irrespective of primary courses of study, to prepare them for the life after school. Prof. Osho said: “All students, irrespective of their
From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti
main courses, must undergo practical, hands-on training in a vocation or an enterprise. “Some of our students have farms and are provided with the necessary farming raw materials. At harvest time, the students are allowed to either sell the products to outsiders or the school buys the whole thing off them. “All this is to enable them have alternative means of livelihood, apart from their main courses, after graduation.” On the Founder’s Week, she said: “The week is to honour the founder of the university, Aare Afe Babalola, whose vision has brought into being the best private university in Af-
rica.” The VC said the week would start on Monday with the inauguration of the multimillion naira ultra-modern College of Law building by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher. Other buildings to be inaugurated include the Law Library, named after the late Justice Olu Ayoola; the Law Lecture Theatre, named after Justice Kayode Eso; the Law Clinic, named after the Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, Dr. Tahir Maman; the Law Gardens, named after Justice Yinka Ayoola; and the Moot Court. The Multipurpose Hall will also be inaugurated by Prof. Julius Okojie.
The Third Founder’s Day Lecture will be given by the President, European Business Assembly, Oxford, Prof. Wil Goodheer. Prof. Osho said over 1,200 students would be matriculated and scholarships and awards would be given to students. She said: “Students who have a 4.5 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and above would be considered for awards and scholarships.” Former Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Alfa Belgore is expected at the event. The week long celebration will end on Sunday with a thanksgiving church service.