South-West NURTW: Why we chose Oluomo over Baruwa 

Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in South West zone of the country have declared their opposition to the second-term agenda of Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa as president of the union.

They insisted that the court judgment Baruwa was parading had nothing to do with Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly called MC Oluomo, stressing that he was not party to the case involved.

Chief Joseph Falope (Olofooro) the Ekiti State Chairman of the union stated this while speaking on behalf of other state chairmen from the zone at a press conference on the position of the South-West members on Baruwa and NURTW.

He lamented that Baruwa during his first tenure as NURTW president bastardized the union’s operations, hence the members from the zone decided not to entrust their fate in him again

Falope said, “For your information, in 2019, the NURTW in line with its rotational policy, zoned the presidency to South-West. Members from the South-West unanimously endorsed him ( Baruwa) as our sole candidate for presidency and he took over from our former president, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, and as at that time all, the six states councils were adequately under the umbrella of the union.

“However, shortly after resuming office, he (Baruwa) started causing confusion between the union and various state governments and his actions and attitude forced nearly all the state governors in the zone to proscribe our union in the region.”

He also said, “So, when it was time for him to get a second term, there was no NURTW in the zone again. Nearly all the state governors in the zone had adopted Parks and Garages System, thus rendering union members jobless.

“By 2023 when he started to lobby for second term in office, members refused to endorse him. But despite this, he (Baruwa) decided to force his candidature on the union and members resisted.

“To avoid confusion, the headquarters of the union decided to form a reconciliation committee with the mandate to bring back all the state councils that left the union and the mandate was achieved as four out of six states councils are now back in the union (Lagos, Ondo Ogun and Ekiti states).

“So, having got its house in order, the South-West zone decided to go for zonal delegate conference in Osogbo, Osun State, and Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya was unanimously endorsed by members from the zone to fly the union flag.

‘All the procedures and steps taken were in line with the union’s constitution which allows members from different zones to put forward their candidates for elective offices, hence the members from South-West zone decided to go for Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya as its candidate.

” In line with we our constitution, the South-West council presented Alhaji Akinsanya to the national body and he was installed as president. Again, National Executive Council (NEC) / Central Working Committee (CWC) of the union also decided to expel Baruwa from the union for series of anti-union activities committed against the union.”

Low turnout, logistics challenges in Ogun LG poll

The Saturday local government elections in Ogun were largely characterised by a low turnout of voters and logistics challenges at the early stage of the exercise in most council areas.

Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who monitored the exercise across the state, report that the elections scheduled to hold between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. did not start until 11 a.m. in most of the polling centres.

NAN reports that most of the polling units visited at Oke-Ilewo and Adigbe areas of Abeokuta-South Local Government Area, as well as Ibafo and Mowe areas in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, were virtually empty as of 11. a.m.

NAN checks revealed that the election materials and electoral officials left many local government headquarters, including Ado-Odo/Ota, Abeokuta-North, and Sagamu, as late as 11. a.m.

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Voting, however, started at around 10.30 a.m. in some polling units in Ikenne Local Government Area, including Ward 3, polling units 2 and 3 in Iperu, where Gov. Dapo Abiodun was expected to cast his vote.

Residents who turned out for the election expressed disappointment over what they described as “poor arrangements” for the exercise.

One of them, who simply identified himself as Johnson, told NAN at polling unit 1, ward 15, in the Ijeja area of the Abeokuta-South council area that he was not disappointed at the low turnout.

“People don’t usually reckon with local government elections because of large-scale rigging,” he said.

Meanwhile, the restriction order on movement was strictly enforced in most of the local government areas, as officials of the state Traffic Management Agency were seen mounting roadblocks to ensure compliance.

Heavy presence of security personnel was also noticeable in major streets across the state to ensure peace and orderliness.

Low turnout, logistics challenges in Ogun LG poll

(NAN)

Why I turned to fraud – Internet scammer worth over $500k

Patrick Akpoguma, a 28-year-old suspected internet fraudster, has confessed to engaging in multiple types of fraud, including romance scams, identity theft, cryptocurrency fraud, and more. He revealed that his decision to embrace fraud stemmed from a desire to avoid traditional employment.

“I turned to fraud, didn’t want to work for salary,” Akpoguma stated during an interview at the Zone 2 Police Command in Onikan, Lagos. According to the suspect, his reluctance to work for a salary led him to turn to fraudulent activities three years ago, a decision that has since earned him over $500,000.

The suspect, a mechanical engineering graduate, claims to have used his ill-gotten wealth to purchase two properties—one in Lagos and another in Edo State—and a GLE Benz worth ₦100 million.

Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Adegoke Fayoade confirmed that the investigation into Akpoguma began on 7th November 2024, following reports from residents of Chevron Drive, Lekki, where the suspect resides. Akpoguma was found to be involved in a variety of scams, including impersonating high-profile individuals online to trick victims into providing loans via Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency transactions.

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AIG Fayoade revealed that Akpoguma’s primary modus operandi involved posing as Colonel Matt Herbert, a U.S. Army officer on a peacekeeping mission in Iran, and Adam Taggart, a renowned cryptocurrency expert.

In addition, Akpoguma went to great lengths to make his impersonations more convincing, even creating a fake Instagram account under the name ‘Adam Taggart’ and purchasing a silicone face mask for $11,200 to mimic his target’s appearance.

In an unexpected development, Akpoguma offered a bribe to the police in a bid to avoid arrest. On 12th November 2024, he offered $100,000 (approximately ₦174 million), which was accepted and documented as evidence.

AIG Fayoade confirmed that the investigation is now complete and that Akpoguma will be arraigned in court. This case highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods used by internet fraudsters and the growing problem of financial crime in Nigeria.

Why I turned to fraud – Internet scammer worth over $500k