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Protests Against OAU VC’s Appointment Within Legitimate Right – Ooni

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The  Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has cautioned indigenes and residents of the town protesting against the appointment of a non-native as the vice-chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

The monarch also assured workers and students of the institution of the safety of lives and property.

The Ooni, in a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, on Wednesday, promised the protesters that their agitation would be given adequate attention, saying protests were legitimate rights and a way to pass messages of dissatisfaction across to relevant authorities.

The statement read in part, “Over the years, the good people of Ife have been a superb host to the university even as they enroll their children and equally join qualified hands to work in the OAU, a citadel of learning.

“The Ife community is proud to have partnered and still partnering with the institution through the House of Oduduwa on viable programs and projects capable of projecting Ile-Ife to the outside world as an ancient city ready for progress and development.

“While Oba Ogunwusi has rallied major stakeholders to address the issue at hand, the Kabiyesi appeals for calm, calling on all law-abiding citizens to go about their normal businesses without fear. The good relationship between the town and the gown remains as strong as ever, particularly to the benefit of the younger ones in and outside the university. OAU is Ife, Ife is OAU and we shall continue to cohabit in peace for progress.”

Traditionalists demand prosecution of hoodlums for invading OAU with masqueraders

Also, the leadership of the Traditional Religion Worshippers Association, Osun State, on Wednesday, demanded the arrest and prosecution of the traditionalists, who protested at OAU.

Some traditionalists had staged protests on the campus of the university on Monday and Tuesday during which they grounded activities in the institution by invading the ivory tower with Osun adherents and masqueraders.

But the TRWASO, in a statement signed by its Secretary, Chief Ifasola Onifade, called on security agencies to investigate and uncover those who dressed like traditionalists during the protest.

The association said although those that staged the protest had rights to express their feelings, it added that TRWASO considered it strange that sacred costumes, paraphernalia, and other items synonymous with traditional religion adherents were adorned by the protesters.

Insisting that the protesters were not members of the TRAWSO either in Ile-Ife or other branches near the community, the association dissociated its members from the protest, saying the cause of the action had nothing to do with traditionalists.

The statement read in part, “After thorough checks, we discovered that the protesters were neither members of the TRAWSO in our Ile-Ife branch, nor belong to our other branches around the Ile-Ife community.

“As respected members of traditional institutions, we were not involved in the running of the affairs of the OAU, neither were we involved in the processes that led to the appointment of the new vice-chancellor for the university, hence, we have no justifiable reason to protest the appointment of the VC of a federal university for that matter.

“We call on security agents to investigate and uncover those who dressed like traditionalists and invaded the OAU and prosecute those found wanting. Our members were not involved in the protest. The activities of those involved are self-serving and shameful. The worrisome aspect is the fact that the protesters portray us in a bad light as fetish and uncivilized, and we warn against the use of our items by people that are not known to us.

“Those that are involved should be warned seriously as our members will not take kindly to the repeat of such a show of shame, which may attract stronger reaction, or even litigation from our end to protect our integrity. We also advise whoever wants to express their displeasure through protests to take proper channel and desist from conducts capable of destroying the integrity and honor of others.”

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Two Brothers In Police Net For Alleged Gang-Rape In Ogun

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Olamijuwon Noibi and Lukman Olatunbosun, two brothers, have been taken into custody by the Ogun State Police Command on charges of gang rape at Oke Eri, Atan Ijebu Area, Ogun.

A trustworthy law enforcement source, on Thursday, revealed that Noibi had tricked Aminat Yakub into coming to his flat, where he then allegedly sexually abused her while plotting with Olatunbosun, his younger sibling.

Yakub was allegedly invited by Noibi to visit his mother on Saturday, but when she got to his residence, she didn’t get to see her.

After making her consume an alcoholic beverage called “Bullet,” he allegedly physically attacked her before raping her.

According to The Punch, Noibi was also coerced his younger brother, Olatunbosun, with a knife so he could join him in the act, and filmed both of them while they were having sex.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Ogun Police Command, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident and said that the suspects had been arrested and would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a discreet investigation.

“On the 24/4/2024, at about 13:00hrs, one Aminat Yakub ‘F’, Aged 21 years, of Main Estate Oke Eri Area, came to the station and reported that on the 21/4/2024, at about 12:30hrs, she went to the house of one Olamijuwon Noibi ‘M’ at Oke Eri on invitation to come and greet his mother. When she got there, she discovered that his mother was not at home.

“Juwon forcefully pushed her into his room, then forced her to drink Black Bullet and forcefully had sex with her twice after a serious beating. He later invited his younger brother, Lukman, to come and have sex with her but when his younger brother refused, he took a knife threatening to kill both of them. In the end, his younger brother ended up having sex with her after a serious beating and equally took a video of them.

“Upon the receipt of the complaint, the team of patrol led by Asp Ayoola Alidu at the station and went to the scene of incident. The two alleged suspect was arrested one Olamijuwon Noibi, ‘M’, Age 27 Yrs and one Lukman Olatunbosun, ‘M’, Age 20 yrs,” a police statement.

The PPRO noted that both brothers confessed to the alleged crime, and the victim was taken to the General Hospital Ijebu-Ode for examination, saying that the suspects would soon be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for “discreet investigation and further development will be communicated.”

Earlier report had it that the operatives of the Rivers State Police Command had arrested a 30-year-old man identified as Jeffrey for allegedly defiling the teenage daughter of his landlady in an estate in Abuloma, Port Harcourt Local government Area of the state.

It was learnt that the suspect, who had a tailoring shop at the estate, lured the 13-year-old girl to his business place one evening under the guise of showing her clothes.

But Jeffrey ended up locking the shop, overpowered the girl, and allegedly had his way with her.

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Lagos Government Pays N1.5bn WASSCE Fees For 58,000 Students

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58,000 pupils will be registered for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination this year, with the state government spending N1.5 billion, according to Tolani Alli-Balogun, Commissioner of the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

In announcing the ministry’s efforts to mark the first year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office, the commissioner made this statement on Thursday.

On May 29, 2023, Sanwo-Olu took the oath of office for a second term as governor, vowing in his inauguration speech to disappoint the people of Lagos.

The commissioner, who spoke at the state secretariat, said, “The administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu has never defaulted on the payment of WASCCE fees of all public school SS3 students in the four years of Governor Sanwo-Olus’s first term in office. The state government paid over N4.2bn between 2020 and 2023 to keep our promise of full payment of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees.

“In the current school year (2024), the governor has approved the sum of N1,571,076,000 as registration fees and other cost for 58,188 SS3 students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.”

Last year, the West African Examination Council, which conducts WASSCE, noted that it had concluded plans to begin computer-based examinations in 2024.

It released the results of the first-ever CBT exam, 2024–First Series, in March this year.

The analysis of candidates’ performance showed that out of the 8,139 candidates that sat the examination, 3,424 candidates representing 42.07 percent obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects (with or without English Language and/or Mathematics).

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Dana Air Has Been Flying With Unhealthy Status, We’ll Audit All Local Airlines — Aviation Minister Keyamo

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Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, says Dana Airline has been flying with an unhealthy status for a while now.

In an interview on Channels television on Thursday, Keyamo said that an audit report completed by his predecessor verified the airline’s unhealthy status and that internal reports from two years ago demonstrated that Dana Air was unfit to operate.

He also stated that the airline’s repeated incidents prompted him to call for a suspension.

Replying to the criticisms that trailed the suspension, Keyamo said he never wrote to the airline but instructed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to do so.

“Before I came into office, I am sure you have heard consistent incidents involving perhaps Dana Airline, to mention a few of them. I am sure you heard that, at a point, on approach to the runway, the door flew open,” the minister said.

“I am sure you know that popular incident. Who are the engineers that are supposed to look at this? Who are the engineers that are supposed to check for the safety of the aircraft and its parts?

“There are also incidents involving one or two of its aircraft at different times, consistent. Of course, after the fatal crash of Dana, the other time that killed Nigerians.

“There were internal reports before I came in under my predecessor about a series of infractions by Dana Airline and the conclusion was that they were not healthy enough to fly but they went into the skies after such a report. What they did, how they did it before they told them to start flying again, we don’t know.

“While we argue back and forth about who has power and who doesn’t have power, the point is that the flying public is at risk, and if any tragic incident happens, it is the minister that would be called to resign. Nigerians will not spare the minister.

“For me, the last thing I want to happen to me as minister of aviation is to have blood on my hands. I mean the blood of innocent Nigerians as a result of either the negligence, deep complicity or corruption of those who are supposed to be regulators of the aviation industry.

“As minister, my job is to supervise them and to ensure that they carry out their duties. My duty is not to regulate. For those quoting the law, they should know that I know the law more than them.”

Speaking on the irregularities in the aviation sector, Keyamo said “there is deep complicity within the system”, stressing that the cleansing process would start and continue until they are resolved.

The minister said if the aircraft in the country’s aviation sector are not properly checked, then there will be “flying coffins” in the air.

He said beyond the suspension of Dana Air, the NCAA would carry out a comprehensive audit of all local airlines in the country to guarantee the safety of passengers and the health of the civil aviation industry.

On April 24, Keyamo directed the NCAA to suspend the operations of Dana Air after one of its aircraft veered off the Lagos airport runway on April 23.

Reacting to the suspension, the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ART) said it was unlawful for the minister to direct the NCAA to suspend an airline, urging the minister to respect the autonomy of the regulator.

Describing the directive as “external interference”, the aviation group advised the minister to focus his efforts on policy issues that positively impact the airline industry.

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