“It’s a shame that those who claim to be men of honour cannot honour their word.”
Akeredolu’s son rejects Ondo govt naming uncompleted project after father
Babajide Akeredolu, the son of the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to complete the projects initiated by his late father if he truly intends to honor his legacy.
In a statement that stirred controversy, Babajide questioned the sincerity of Governor Aiyedatiwa, particularly criticizing the decision to name an unfinished project after Rotimi Akeredolu.
He argued, “Naming a project after someone before its completion is both premature and insincere,” highlighting the importance of tangible accomplishments over symbolic gestures.
However, a high-ranking government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied Babajide’s claims, dismissing them as unfounded. The official also expressed concern over what they perceived as a disrespectful tone in Babajide’s comments, particularly regarding the governor’s absence at family events, suggesting that such remarks showed a lack of respect for the office of the governor.
He said, “It is important to state unequivocally that Governor Aiyedatiwa was aware of the Akeredolu family’s plans for the remembrance.
“My uncle and head of the Akeredolu family, Prof. Wole Akeredolu, personally informed the governor at his monthly praise night in November at the Dome in Akure.
The governor acknowledged this and affirmed that the state government would be a part of the event.
“Furthermore, an official invitation letter was delivered to the Director of Protocol, Government House, Mr George Asonja. The letter was duly received and acknowledged. At no point did the governor or his representatives indicate any conflicting plans or suggest that the state government intended to organise a separate event.
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“It was, therefore, both shocking and deeply disappointing to learn about the state-organised event through social media, just three days before it was held. Even more disappointing was that no member of the Akeredolu family was invited to this event.
“This lack of courtesy and respect is unheard of and unbecoming, especially for an event meant to honour the memory of a former governor and patriarch. While we recognise that the state government has the prerogative to organise such events, basic decency and protocol demand that the family of the deceased be informed and included.
“This glaring oversight leads one to question if it was intentional mischief or based on erroneous advice from the governor’s aides.”
Pointedly, Babajide, who commended the Governor Aiyedatiwa for performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Judiciary Complex, a project initiated by former Governor Akeredolu, said “True immortality lies in completing the project and ensuring its functionality.”
While describing how best to honour his late father, Babajide asked Governor Aiyedatiwa to “as a matter of urgency, prioritise the completion of key projects initiated by our late patriarch.”
According to him, “As a former Head of the Project Performance and Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU), I am well informed and involved to advise Governor Aiyedatiwa, if he truly wishes to immortalise Arakunrin Akeredolu. As a matter of urgency, Mr Governor should prioritise the completion of key projects initiated by our late patriarch:
“Upgrade Rufus Giwa Polytechnic to a University. All preliminary studies and recommendations for this upgrade were completed during Akeredolu’s administration. The governor should expedite this process to fulfill his predecessor’s vision.
“Complete the First Flyover in Akure
The flyover at Onyearugbulem Junction, a turnkey project meant to be completed within 18 months, is crawling at a snail speed. Its completion would be a fitting honour to Akeredolu’s commitment to infrastructure development.
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“Address Abandoned Road Projects
-The road construction behind SIB in Akure has been abandoned, Residents are groaning during both the dry and rainy seasons.
“Ijoka Road has deteriorated into a nightmare due to neglect. Even the shoddy work done on Oda Road since Governor Aiyedatiwa took over pales in comparison to the quality delivered during Akeredolu’s administration.”
But reacting to the outbursts against the State government, the top government official, who pleaded anonymity, said: “Is Babajide unaware of the public attacks and unrestrained abuse that his mother, former First Lady, has meted on the Governor since he assumed office? Is Babajide also unaware of how his mother had embarrassed the Governor and Deputy Governor by ignoring their pleasantries at public events?
“That Babajide was privileged to hold a non-existent political office under the administration of his father does not confer on him the right to dictate how government projects and policies are handled by Governor Aiyedatiwa.
“The road projects he mentioned, including Oda Road dualisation, Ijoka road dualisation and the Irese flyover, were all abandoned when he and a few others held the state to ransom and caused a needless political crisis during his father’s illness. All contractors handling the projects, who were not paid for the job done, had been nowhere near the projects for close to two years before Governor Aiyedatiwa mobilised them back to the site in February this year.
“Babajide should cure his ignorance by paying a visit to the road projects to assess the level of progress made in the last one year of the Aiyedatiwa administration. Those projects suffered under his reign as Director General of the Project Performance and Implementation Monitoring Unit, an office he used to arrogate to himself the title of a de facto Governor for three years.
“Babajide should return all government properties he took away before arrogantly making statements on how to run the government.”
(Leadership)
Tinubu’s refusal to honour Seyi’s pact with us disappointing – Nnamdi Kanu’s family
The family of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, have expressed disappointment over the failure of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to honour an alleged agreement between his son Seyi , and the family before the 2023 general election.
Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, in a statement, claimed that Seyi with the approval of his father, personally met with him in Abuja shortly before the election, where both parties entered into agreement concerning Kanu.
According to him, it was agreed that IPOB would not bycott the polls on the condition that Tinubu would release Kanu if elected President.
Prince Emmanuel expressed disappointment that nearly two years after the emergence of Tinubu as President, his brother (Kanu), has continued to languish in detention despite the fact that the presiding Judge, Justice Binta Nyako, had since recused herself from the matter.
He said it was disappointing that those who claimed to be honourable, failed to keep their words.
The statement read:”Before the last election, I received a message from an ex-governor that Seyi the son of President Tinubu wanted to see me. I agreed to meet with him on the condition that the overriding priority and hence the fulcrum of our discussion will be the release of my brother. The meeting was held in Abuja in the presence of another individual whom I asked along to witness the deliberations and if need be provide independent verification should the need arise.
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“Seyi confirmed to me that his father sanctioned the meeting and that I should consider any agreement we reach as binding on the then candidate Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“In good faith we agreed that I shall relay the outcome to my brother to reinforce the long held tradition of IPOB not interfering with the conduct of elections, either through boycott or any other form of civil disobedience. This understanding was duly communicated to my brother and he reaffirmed his commitment not to stop the elections or order any boycott.
“When President Tinubu as a candidate visited Owerri during his campaign, he too reiterated his commitment to facilitate the release of my brother if elected. We took his public statement as a tacit reaffirmation of the understanding I reached with his son Seyi.
“At the end, IPOB did not call for election boycott despite having the capacity to do so. IPOB also made sure that discordant voices urging election boycott were overcome because election boycotts would not reflect well on the reputation of a global movement that prides itself on adherence to democratic tenets.
“It therefore, defies logic that nearly two years after President Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership in Nigeria, my brother is still in detention despite not having any charge against him. It’s been over three months now that Justice Binta Nyako recused herself from the case yet no new judge has been assigned the case.
“This is on top of the fact that Appeal Court had earlier discharged him of the sham charges and ordered his release which the previous regime of Buhari declined to obey.
“Supreme Court determination that his bail ought not to have been revoked has been ignored by the courts and the government. The latest insult is that Abuja courts of all persuasion are no longer willing to determine the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on merit but are rather relying on ludicrous and inapplicable technicalities to stall the timely determination of his cases.
“The truth is that Nigerian courts cannot, will not and do not have both the substantive and procedural jurisdiction to try him. His detention is without the backing of any known law in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world.
“It’s a shame that those who claim to be men of honour cannot honour their word.”
Jealous husband stabs Bishop to death over allege affair with wife
A jealous husband has been reported to have stabbed a Bishop of a Church in Osogbo, Rapture Empowerment International, Dr Sina Olaribigbe for allegedly having an affair with his wife.
It was gathered that the jealous husband and his wife had a long misunderstanding which the deceased was trying to settle between them, but had not succeeded.
It was learnt that the deceased visited the wife, who lived separately with the husband early hours on Thursday and the husband got the hint and quickly trailed to the house.
Findings revealed that on getting to the house, located around BCGA area behind Olorunda local government Secretariat in Osogbo, Osun State capital, the jealous husband who had been getting hints of the Bishop’s affair with his wife descended on him and stabbed him severally on the chest.
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A member of the Church, Isaac Oyeleye confirmed that the Bishop was stabbed to death on his Facebook page on Thursday, describing his death as unfortunate.
Confirming the incident, Osun Police Command spokesperson, CSP Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect and the enstraged wife have been arrested.
She said the couple were not living together and the deceased Bishop was an arbitrator trying to settle the dispute between the couple.
Her words, “They are couple but not living together. They are not separated by law yet. The Bishop, (deceased) used to settle fight between the couple. We were told the pastor was at the wife’s place today when the enstranged husband got there.
“We were also told the husband stabbed the pastor. We were also told the deceased was on the wife’s bed when the incident happened. The husband stabbed him severally and he died”
Police arrest couple over alleged rape, assault of minor
The Police Command in Rivers has confirmed the arrest of a couple for allegedly raping and beating a 13-year-old girl in their residence in Port Harcourt.
The command’s Spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed the development in an interview with Newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The wife was said to have stripped the teenager and inserted pepper into her private part after accusing her of having sexual intercourse with her husband.
Iringe-Koko stated that the suspects had been arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for investigation and possible prosecution.
Goodness, the mother of the teenager, whose full name was withheld to avoid stigmatisation, recounted the incident to Newsmen.
A resident of Rupokwu town in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Goodness revealed that the assault on her daughter occurred on the evening of Dec. 29, 2024.
She explained that when she was alerted by neighbours about the attack on her daughter by a neighbour, she immediately closed her shop and rushed home.
“Before I got home, neighbours had already rescued my daughter from the wife’s assault.
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“My daughter was still writhing in pain from the beating and the pepper applied to her body and private area,” she said.
Goodness said that after her daughter felt relieved, she revealed that on Dec. 25, 2024, a female neighbour, who is a friend to the wife, took her to the house.
She said that on that fateful day, the man sent his wife and her friend on an errand, leaving the teenager alone with him in the house.
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