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FG Assures Nigerians Of Adequate Security, Peaceful Elections
Yusuf Oketola
THE Federal Government has stated that the coming general elec ons will be conducted under a peaceful and secure atmosphere.
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The assurance was given by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday, at a State House Press Briefing Series, highlighting the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari in the Ministry.
According to the Minister, “peace and security are necessary condi ons for elec on.
“All the security agencies in the country, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), are therefore on top of their game.
“They will leave no stone unturned to provide adequate security for the conduct of free and fair elec ons. Nigerians should therefore keep their minds at rest”.
Aregbesola also dis- closed that the Nigerian Passports issued by the Nigerian Immigra on Service (NIS) increased numerically from one million in 2021 to 1.9m in 2022. This is about 80 per cent increase and it is unprecedented.
The Minister said that the Ministry of Interior is working with the Nigeria Immigra on Service (NIS) to constantly reform the passport administra on process in order to deliver improved services to Nigerians at all mes.
Speaking on the progress of the Nigerian Correc onal Service (NCoS), Aregbesola assured that custodial centres are now fully secured, as the personnel guarding the centres are now well trained and fully equipped.
“They now have the capacity to withstand and repel any form of attack”, he declared.
The former governor of Osun added: “The Correc onal Informa on Management System (CIMS) which captures the records and biometrics of every inmate in the custodial centres to facilitate quick dispensaon of jus ce has been deployed in all the states of the Federa on and the FCT.
On the opera ons of the Federal Fire Service, Aregbesola disclosed that the sta s cs of service from 2020 ll date casts a beam of hope for personal and corporate security.
“The sta s cs show that the Fire Service responded to 10,659 fire calls, made 696 Emergency Rescues, saved 2,225 lives and an esmated property worth 25 trillion from 2020 ll date”, he said.
Commending the NSCDC for living up to its mandate of protec ng cri cal na onal assets and infrastructure, the Interior Minister stated that the corps is not only ac ve on land but also on water, figh ng off oil the , illegal oil bunkering as well as pipeline vandalism.
PDP said it was hopeful that the judgment would be in its favour.
The Director of Media of the party, Mr Oladele Bamiji, while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday said: “We have defended our case strongly and we believe jus ce will be in our favour. It will take a camel to pass through the eye of a needle for Governor Adeleke’s mandate to be upturned.
“We are expec ng the best. For us, we believe so strongly that we have defended the mandate of our people in Osun State very well. By the grace of God, the mandate of the people given to Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke will be preserved.”
OSUN DEFENDER visited the State Secretariat, on Wednesday and Thursday and observed that the parking spaces at different Ministries were not filled with vehicles as it used to be.
Many of the civil servants who have cars were seeing aligh ng from public transports at the roundabout leading to the Secretariat entrance.
Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that some of the civil servants decided to park their vehicles at home because they could not afford the pump price and the stress associated with ge ng the fuel at filling sta ons.
Speaking with the medium yesterday, a private security guard who do not want his name in print at the secretariat, said the inflow of vehicle coming into the place has reduced, a ribu ng it to the increment in the price of petrol.
He said: “Many civil serv- ants who own cars have refused to bring it to work since the fuel scarcity broke out because they cannot afford the current pump price. They prefer coming with public transports.
“If you no ce, some of the parking spaces in each ministry are almost empty. Only those who live close to the Secretariat can afford to bring their vehicle to work.”
Since the fuel scarcity resurfaced late last year, vehicle owners have been facing hardship in ge ng petrol at fuel sta ons across the state capital.
The scarcity has also made commercial transporters to adjust the transport fare.
Drivers of mini bus popularly known as korope as well as commercial motorcyclists have increased intracity fare.
The medium gathered that mini bus drivers charge N250 from Kobongbogboe to Ogooluwa from ini al N150 while Bolanle to Ogooluwa is now N150 from N100.
The normal N50 transport fare rate has been cancelled, irrespec ve of the distance.
OSUN DEFENDER noted that there was sudden increment in the pump price on Tuesday and Wednesday. The price of a litre of petrol jumped from N280 to N350, a development le vehicle owners devastated.
Findings revealed that the independent marketers sell between N280 and N350 while major marketers sell between N190 and N220 in the state.
Official Twitter Handle Of Osun Govt Deactivated
Ismaeel Uthman
THE official twi er handle of the State Government of Osun, @StateofOsun, has been deac vated, findings have revealed.
OSUN DEFENDER noted that the twi er handle was being handled by one of the aides of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
The verified account was deac vated few days ago, according to findings.
The development has sparked reac ons from twi er users and other ci zens of Osun who had been engaging the state government through the twi er handle.
A civil right ac vist, Anthony Adejuwon, who raised alarm on the deacva on of the twi er handle on his personal twi er account, described the ac on as “height of shortsightedness.”
Adejuwon, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday said: “This is the height of shortsightedness on the part of who felt that the handle is his personal property. It means that whoever deac vated that account has completely cut the people of Osun away from the government because that was a reliable source of informa on for the people.
“The current administra on should ensure that that the pla orm is func oning again. It is so disheartening.
“It was not a private handle for anyone. It was not just an ordinary handle; it was a verified handle which means any informa on that comes from is verified.
“If someone refused to hand over that handle to the Ministry of Informa on which is there permanently, then it speaks volume of the kind of poli cs and governance we are running.
“You cannot say you are no more in government and go away with a public account, and whoever was handling that account was being paid from the taxes collected from the people. You’re serving the people not the government and policians.
“We all know the importance of that account in this 21st century. It is the easiest and fastest way to get informa on across to the people. Deac va ng an official and verified twi er handle of a state government is uncalled for.
“The current administra on should inves gate that and ensure that such thing does not happen again. They should get the account back and ensure that the people have access to verified informaon.”