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Akeredolu down with blood cancer – Investigation; not true, sickness not life-threatening, says spokesman
Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, is sick, his wife, Betty Akeredolu, has said. But she did not disclose the nature of the sickness.
Investigation by an online new porter SaharaReporters, has revealed that the governor is treating an ailment called leukemia, blood cancer.
“The governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has leukemia, he is really down,” the report quoted one of the sources in the Government House as saying.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in the body.
It is a cancer of blood-forming tissues that hinders the body’s ability to fight infections.
White blood cells are considered potent infection fighters which grow and divide in an orderly way, as the body needs them. But for those with leukemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells, which do not function properly.
Treatment for leukemia can be complex depending on the type of leukemia and other factors.
The governor’s wife recently cried out that her husband was sick after taking a “concoction” from one of his female aides, Bunmi Ademosun.
In a leaked audio file, the First Lady accused Ademosun, the special adviser to the governor on Multilateral and Inter-Governmental Affairs, of sneaking to give Akeredolu a local herbal drink.
“This is Arabinrin, I have a message for Ademosun and I believe that she’s on this Aketi’s women platform. I want this woman to stay away from my husband, stop sneaking in concoction.
“According to her, they are from her fake pastors to give my husband to drink. We rely on medical care. We rely on western style of medical care and Aketi will get well.
“What has triggered this very message is her recent meetings to become the deputy governor of Ondo state. Look at you, what have you got upstairs to become the deputy governor of Ondo state? Peradventure anything happens to Aketi, Lucky takes over, it’s a constitutional thing. But for you to be scheming, for you to be scheming. I warned Aketi from the beginning that this woman is evil, this woman is no good and it’s happening. She has nothing good for you and I warned you. This woman is bloody evil. But I’m warning her for the very last time to stay away from my husband.
“And look, if you are dealing with an Igbo woman in this kind of situation, I’ll deal with you mercilessly that you won’t forget in your life. For the very last time Ademosun, stay away from Aketi, you won’t find it funny with me. You are a very terrible woman, go away and enjoy your look,” the governor’s wife is heard saying in an audio file.
But the governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, said his health issue was not an unusual one, and that the governor was not incapacitated.
In a statement on Tuesday, the spokesperson said the challenge was not life-threatening.
He said though the governor is physically frail, he was still carrying out his official duties.
The statement read in part, “We have observed the growing anxiety about the State of Health of the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON.
“The good people of the state and, by extension, other friends and well-wishers continued to express concern over the wellness of the Governor, especially since yesterday.
“We are constrained to respond to these concerns and assure our people that by the grace of God, there is no cause for alarm on the Governor’s state of health.
“Governor Akeredolu, just like every other mere mortal has had some health challenge for which he has since received treatment and recuperating speedily.
“Since the Governor is not a superhuman and the immunity his office enjoys does not extend to physical wellness or otherwise, the health issue is therefore not an unusual one.
“However, contrary to speculations and insinuations making the round, the Governor though frail, is discharging his official functions.
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“Mr Governor is not faced with any life-threatening illness that would have encouraged any alleged conspiracy in his administration.
”He, in fact, held Executive Council meeting with the Exco members till 4pm on Wednesday, 11th January, 2023 after the Security Council meeting where far-reaching decisions were taken on the escalated clashes in Ikare-Akoko.
“On January 7, 2023 Governor Akeredolu led his brother Governors in the Southwest and other party bigwigs to receive the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure for the State Presidential Campaign Rally. On January 8, 2023, he was at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Jesus House Cathedral, Region 22 Headquarters, Oke-Ijebu, Akure for the Holy Service commemorating the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration.
“For emphasis, the governor, who participated in rigorous campaign activities on the 7th of January, couldn’t have been bedridden as widely speculated.”
This is not the first time the governor would be down with a major ailment.
In April 2022, SaharaReporters reported that the Ondo state governor was hospitalised in Germany after falling ill.
In 2019, he was also out of the state for five weeks while seeking medical attention in Germany and Abuja, Nigeria.
“Yes, I needed to seek medical attention. It was nothing so serious as overblown because it is routine. But on my return, I needed to take some time off based on advice. It wasn’t as serious as people blew it,” he had said after arriving in Nigeria from Germany.
“But basically, my stay back in Abuja was indeed not a serious period to even rest because I had to attend to a lot of issues that will move the state forward.
“I received in audience a world-class medical foundation, Medicus International, from Germany as I presided over the signing of the MoU for them to build a world-class Medical city in Akure.
“You are aware that I attended the governors’ forum meeting as well as the National Economic Council meeting and several others. Of particular note was the meeting I held with the World Bank that will bring in a capital of about $19 million for the development of the state. As you can see, I’m back fresher and stronger to continue the work the good people of the state mandated me to do.”
The governor’s confirmation of his illness contradicts the position of Donald Ojogo, the then-information commissioner, who had earlier said Akeredolu did not seek medical attention.
In April 2022, he described reports that Akeredolu was ill as wicked and misleading.
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Saudi Crown Prince assures Tinubu of govt support
Saudi Crown Prince assures Tinubu of govt support
The Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has assured Nigeria of support in its economic reform programmes.
The assurance came when the Crown Prince and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met on Monday in Riyadh on the sidelines of the joint Arab-Islamic Summit.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the two leaders explored potential areas for cooperation, particularly oil and gas, agriculture, infrastructure and the constitution of the Saudi-Nigeria Business Council.
Nigeria wants an agreement with the Saudi government over a proposed $5 billion bilateral trade facility between the two countries.
The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company, SALIC, invested $1.24 billion in 2022 to acquire a 35.43% stake in Olam Agri, one of Nigeria’s leading agricultural firms.
Talks are being held so that SALIC can have more stake in the company.
The Saudis hoped the investment would make Olam one of the biggest agro-allied businesses in the world.
The Crown Prince commended President Tinubu’s economic reforms, noting similarities to his steps to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s stability and development when he became Prime Minister.
He also assured Nigeria of his support and promised to motivate his team to realise the various areas of partnerships discussed at the meeting.
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At the meeting with the Crown Prince were the Saudi Minister of National Guard, Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Defense, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, and several senior officials.
Meanwhile, the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit has renewed the mandate of Nigeria and other member states on the Ministerial Committee assigned to engage with global leaders in seeking an end to the ongoing war in Gaza and Lebanon.
This decision was part of the resolution issued after the extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 11, 2024.
President Bola Tinubu and other leaders from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, and the League of Arab States were in attendance.
The Joint Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was formed by a resolution at the First Joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on November 11, 2023.
The group includes the foreign ministers of Nigeria, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Palestine, and Jordan.
In its final resolution, the summit urged the Ministerial Committee to “intensify its efforts and expand them to include working on ending the aggression on Lebanon.”
The committee will submit periodic reports, which the secretariats of the OIC and the League of Arab States will circulate to member states.
The Committee has also been tasked with further engaging actors across the Global South in the efforts to strengthen international support towards ending the war and Israeli occupation.
The resolution stressed the importance of protecting sea lanes by rules of international law and welcomed the signing of the tripartite mechanism by the League of Arab States, OIC, and the African Union to support the Palestinian cause.
The summit praised the African Union’s steadfast support of Palestine.
The leaders condemned recent Israeli military actions in northern Gaza, describing them as “crimes of genocide,” including allegations of torture, executions, disappearances, and “ethnic cleansing.”
They also criticised ongoing efforts to solidify Israel’s presence in occupied East Jerusalem, reaffirming it as the “eternal capital” of Palestine and calling for the unification of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem under a sovereign Palestinian state.
The resolution reiterated “the full sovereignty of the State of Palestine over occupied East [Jerusalem], the eternal capital of Palestine”. It rejected any Israeli actions aimed at altering the city’s identity or consolidating its occupation.
The summit also expressed unwavering support for Lebanon’s security, stability, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens.
Saudi Crown Prince assures Tinubu of govt support
News
Two Nigerian companies developed contactless passport renewal – FG
Two Nigerian companies developed contactless passport renewal – FG
The Federal Government has revealed that the contactless passport renewal solution, which went live in Canada on November 1, 2024, was developed by two Nigerian software companies.
The disclosure was made by Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, during the Politics Today programme on Channels Television on Tuesday.
Tunji-Ojo explained that the Federal Government deliberately chose to trust indigenous technology for the project.
“The solution is completely indigenous. We did not go to look for foreign technology. We got Nigerian technology – the two companies/vendors that came together to develop the solution are Nigerian software companies,” he said.
The minister expressed confidence in the solution, citing his over two decades of experience as an IT cybersecurity expert and his extensive history as a project manager on numerous occasions.
He did not, however, mention the names of the companies, and at this time, they are not yet publicly known.
The Interior Minister emphasized that the contactless passport renewal solution is designed to alleviate the challenges faced by Nigerians in the diaspora, such as long travel distances, accommodation costs, and taking time off work to renew passports.
He shared specific examples of Nigerians in Canada and London who had to cancel lectures or miss work to complete their passport renewal process.
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While acknowledging that the new solution has encountered some initial hitches, Tunji-Ojo reassured Nigerians that these issues would be addressed.
Tunji-Ojo also clarified that delays in passport issuance, such as those reported by some Nigerians in Canada who experienced waiting times of up to 42 days after using the contactless passport renewal process, are not linked to the system itself.
- Instead, he attributed the delays to the limited processing capacity of Nigerian embassies. For instance, he said that the UK embassy, which has received over 48,000 passport renewal applications (note: the contactless renewal system is not yet available in the UK and is currently exclusive to Canada), can only process 300 applications per day, leading to significant backlogs.
- The Interior Minister explained that the contactless system leverages biometric databases, facial recognition, and live authentication checks, enabling applicants to renew their passports via a mobile app without visiting the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) office.
- However, the system applies only to Nigerians aged 18 and above with existing biometric records, as first-time applicants must still visit the NIS office for interviews and biometric capture.
- The Federal Government plans to expand the contactless passport renewal solution to other countries in the coming weeks.
Additionally, a centralized personalization center is being established in Abuja, equipped with advanced machines capable of printing up to 32,000 passports daily, to improve the efficiency of passport issuance.
Two Nigerian companies developed contactless passport renewal – FG
News
New Edo Gov Okpebholo takes oath of office, Shettima, others present
New Edo Gov Okpebholo takes oath of office, Shettima, others present
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday led the Federal Government delegation to the inauguration of Monday Okpebholo as a brand new governor of Edo State.
Other dignitaries at the event are Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, chair of the governors forum; and Philip Shaibu, the reinstated deputy governor of Edo.
Many sitting state governors across the country elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that also graced the ceremony are Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, Hope Uzodinma of Imo, and Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto, among others.
The National Chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, and his predecessor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, were also at the ceremony, held inside the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.
Okpebholo took his oath of office at about 1pm on Tuesday.
Dennis Idahosa was also sworn in as Edo deputy governor.
The new governor rode in an open-top van round the stadium while acknowledging cheers from supporters.
As candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Okpebholo won the September 21 off-cycle governorship election in the state.
He polled 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who came second with 247,274 votes.
Olumide Akpata, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), came third with 22,763 votes.
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