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I’ll be back as governor soon – Oyetola

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4 years ago

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Former Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola
Former Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola
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The immediate Past Governor of Osun State Gboyega Oyetola  has vowed that he shall be back as governor of the state once again.

Oyetola stated this in a statement he released late Saturday, to bid the state farewell as his four-year tenure ends November 27, 2022.

He said he would be stepping aside as a law-abiding citizen, noting that the outcome of the Osun governorship election that produced Governor Ademola Adeleke of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, who was sworn-in earlier today, was still being challenged in court.

Oyetola also said he looked forward to continue governing Osun again, as he anticipated victory from court.

Read the full speech of Oyetola’s farewell message here:

“My Dear Good People of Osun,

“As I step aside today (Sunday) following the conclusion of the four-year tenure you freely gave me, I thank God and I thank you for your support, cooperation and prayers over the years.

“I recall how the journey began four years ago; how by your belief in me and your conviction in the plans and programmes of our Party, you exercised your right to vote for me.

“Motivated by God’s promise, my conviction, we promised that we would serve you with steady heart and hands. We promised that we would hit the ground running once we assume office. We gave our words that we would put you first and run a people-centred government. We pledged to uphold the best ideals befitting of an Omoluabi.

“As we draw the curtain on this first tenure, we are convinced that we neither reneged on our promises nor disappointed you. We kept faith with you and maintained fidelity with our electoral promises. It was our wish to continue to serve you but we are constrained by the outcome of the July 16 governorship election which we are already challenging in court.

“As a law-abiding citizen and government, we are stepping aside to allow the law take its course.

“However, we look forward to continue to serve you in no distant future. We have absolute trust in God that we shall be back soon, as we have implicit trust and confidence in the judiciary to do justice in the case before it.

“We are confident that this period of temporary political eclipse shall pass. The sun shall shine again, brighter and warmer and the sustainable development and participatory governance that we enthroned, which have been applauded by local and international organisations, shall be restored and put on a surer and better footing.

“There can be no substitute to people-oriented and development savvy governance in a democracy. The tap roots of the unprecedented good governance, inclusive and participatory governance that we introduced, which delivered massive equitable projects and programmes are too strong to be uprooted.

“My Dear good people of Osun, I cannot thank you enough for not only supporting us throughout our tenure but for also standing by us even after the outcome of the July 16 election. Your goodwill encouraged us to continue with all our projects till the last day.

“Let me reiterate here that in this first tenure, we were able to take care of the fears and evil of fiscal indiscipline and lack of implementation, which hamper projects and services in the nation’s public service. This can be seen in the myriad of people-centred and masses-focused projects we delivered for the use of the people of the dtate in this first term.

“We proved that infrastructure and economic development are doable in a depressed economy and that stagnated development in a struggling economy is a product of intellectual laziness, dearth of creativity, shortage of innovation and lack of political will.

“The laudable and people-centred projects we were able to deliver include the feeding of 30,000 vulnerable persons in Osun on a monthly basis through the Osun Food Support Scheme and financial support for the aged and widows; opening up of the Mining sector that attracted big investors to the state; reforming of the educational sector, including the recruitment of 2,500 teachers; review of the single school uniform regime among others in line with the demand of the people; renovation of school buildings, distribution of educational materials to our pupils, provision of free education and free meals to them as well as training and re-training of our teachers to provide quality education for our children to enhance their performance as leaders of tomorrow.

“In order to increase access to quality and equitable education at all levels with a view to empowering Osun citizens to realise their full potential, we upgraded the existing Osun State College of Education, Ilesa to a full-fledged Iniversity of Ilesa, with a world-class funding strategies that would not exert unnecessary pressure on the finances of the state; fixing of the State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro and equipping same with state-of-the-art equipment, where we constructed120-bed ward and 30 units of Doctor’s Quarters; rehabilitation of the Ejigbo and Ifetedo General Hospitals; we also instituted the Osun Health Insurance Scheme to deliver affordable healthcare to our workers while offering free health services to the vulnerable under the scheme; revitalisation of 332 Primary Health Centres – one per ward across the state.

“We constructed, reconstructed and rehabilitated rural and township roads to open up our rural areas, help our farmers to transport their produce to the market and generally bring equitable development to our state. Apart from the Olaiya Flyover, which is an architectural masterpiece, a paragon of aesthetics and a socioeconomic signature on the economic transformation captured by the Development Agenda we exchanged for the mandate of our people, other major roads that were touched by our administration are: Ada-Igbajo road, Osogbo-Kelebe-Iragbiji road, and Akindeko-Awosuru link road via Adejumo Street with Oremeji spur, Akinlade Street, Adewale Street with loop to WAEC road all in Osogbo; Army Barack (Ede)-Ara-Ejigbo township road, Moro-Yakoyo-Ipetumodu-Asipa-Ife/Ibadan Expressway Junction Road and Ereja Roundabout-Ereguru-Isaare-Oke Oye-Sabo (Irojo)-Ilesa/Akure Expressway Junction.

“Others are: Lawyer Atanda Road, Iwo; Ila-Arandun-Kwara Boundary Road; Nike Gallery – Ido – Osun Township airport with palace spur; Ikirun – Eko-Ende Road; the access road to Fountain University, Osogbo; Osogbo (Lameco)-Okinni-Ilobu – Ifon Osun Market with Spur to Olobu’s Palace; Osogbo/Ilobu-Akari-Erin Osun Roundabout on Osun LCDA Junction; Post Office-Ayetoro – Jamodo – Ifon Palace – Janta Ifon Osun; Isale-Asa-Oke Aree road, Iree, as well as Ikire township roads among other interventions. There are however a few other roads that are still on-going, while some are nearing completion. Among these roads are: Ife Township Roads; Inisa Road and Osogbo-Iwo Road among others. We did all these because fixing our State’s infrastructure deficit is a critical item on our Development Agenda. This is because no economy can truly succeed without adequate infrastructure to make life easy for residents and businesses.

“We also restored the lost glory of our civil service and ensured that workers’ salaries were not only promptly paid but continued to pay minimum wage despite the devastating effect of COVID-19 pandemic. We stood tall among comity of states in the fight against COVID-19.

“We also resolutely defended and prioritised the welfare of workers and pensioners. For this first term, we expended over N50 billion to cater for our senior citizens to settle their pensions and gratuities. We remitted the contributory pension as and when due, and we were at the same time reducing the backlog we inherited from the previous administration. By and large, we were able to stabilise the economy of the state under our leadership.

“We never toyed with the security of our people as we cooperated with other states in South-West to set up Amotekun to support the conventional security agencies in order to further secure our state.

“We also launched the Osun Youth Policy Document to take care of the present and future of our younger generation, just as we injected over N2 billion into the economy through the Osun Microcredit Agency to empower our market men and women.

“From a little above 10billion in 2018, we have been able to grow the State Internally Generate Revenue by N20billion, just as our performance in the World Bank’s States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability has continued to earn us accolades and financial benefits.

“In 2018 before we came into office, Osun was placed 32nd on the fiscal sustainability index, finishing just ahead of Taraba, Plateau, Adamawa and Kogi states.

“However, by the latest ranking in 2021, we have climbed to the 19th place on the index, as we are now ranked 13th out of 36 states of the federation.

As we end our first term, be rest assured that Osun is more stable economically than we met it in 2018 and it remained the most peaceful state in the country under our leadership.

“For four years, we did not take any bank loan facility. But we benefited from the N3billion monthly intervention from the Federal Government to all the states for six months to cushion the effect of deductions of budget support facility and salary bailout accessed by the previous administration, just as we have paid N97 billion from the total debt we inherited in 2018.

“We are leaving behind cash of over N14 billion. In addition to the N14 billion cash, another N8 billion is being expected between December and January from our performance in SFTAS and the IGR. Also, another $72 million will come to the state soon from RAMP 3, NG-CARES, Nigeria for Women Project and Ease of Doing Business. These are earned, based on performance. And we have indeed performed to earn them. It was part of the same performance that earned us the award of Best Governor on Efficiency of Public Expenditure and TOP Performer on Domestic Revenue Mobilisation by the World Bank’s States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability, SFTAS, recently.

“We have gone this length to let you know that Osun under our leadership was sustainable. It was done through fiscal discipline and personal sacrifices.

“On behalf of our team, I appeal to you all to continue to be law abiding and to work assiduously to build the Osun of our dream.

“Together, we shall continue to mend the broken walls of our dear state and restore her glory for our collective good and that of posterity.

“Thank you all and may God continue to bless Osun.”

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Police Arrest 5 PakistanI Nationals, Recover 35 Phones in Benue Intelligence Ooperations

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August 8, 2026

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The Benue State Police Command has arrested five Pakistani nationals and recovered thirty-five mobile phones in separate intelligence-led operations in Otukpo and Ugbokolo areas of the state.

The arrests were disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday, August 7, 2026, by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu.

According to the statement, operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested three Pakistanis at Adoka Motor Park, Otukpo Local Government Area, on August 4, 2026.

The suspects were identified as Younas Mohammad, 36; Ahmad Nunil, 38; and Aslam Muhammad, 46. They were intercepted while attempting to board a vehicle to Adoka village.

During preliminary questioning, the suspects claimed they were in Otukpo to market cosmetics and mobile gadgets, none of which were found in their possession.

“This made their explanation, activities and movements within the area suspicious, requiring more clarification,” the PPRO stated.

In a separate operation on August 5, 2026, two other Pakistanis, Juma Sharif, 30, and Muhammed Sharif, 25, were arrested at a local hotel in Ugbokolo following another credible intelligence.

The two claimed to be dealers in Android phones. A search of their belongings led to the recovery of eleven Tecno Camon 50 Pro mobile phones.

Further investigation and operational follow-up resulted in the recovery of an additional twenty-three Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones and one Infinix Hot 60 phone, bringing the total number of recovered mobile phones to thirty-five.

The five suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Makurdi, where discreet and comprehensive investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding their presence, activities and movements within the state.

The Command said it strongly suspects that the possession of the mobile phones may be a decoy for clandestine activities in rural areas of the state, noting that the suspects “hardly speak or understand English.”

The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Cletus C. N. Nwadiogbu, commended the officers involved in the operations and members of the public whose timely information contributed to the arrests.

He reassured residents that the operations form part of the Command’s proactive, intelligence-led policing strategy aimed at identifying potential security threats, preventing criminal activities and safeguarding lives and property across the state.

CP Nwadiogbu further urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons, movements or activities to the Police.

“The Command will continue to work with relevant stakeholders and members of the public to maintain peace and security across Benue State. The public will be updated as the investigation progresses,” the statement added.

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HURIWA Calls for Probe of Adeyemi’s Govt Collaborators

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1 day ago

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August 8, 2026

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Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA
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The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has dismissed the interim report of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), alleging that its findings have raise more questions than answers.

HURIWA, National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, on Friday, argued that the report appeared to focus largely on alleged offences committed by one individual while failing to establish how a purportedly non-existent government agency operated within official circles for an extended period.

The organisation therefore opposed the prosecution of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, ICPC’ sole accused for forging documents, falsely presenting himself as Director-General of the PFIPC, creating additional agencies, opening bank accounts with forged instruments and exploiting weaknesses in government institutions.

HURIWA insisted that the alleged activities of Adeyemi could not, on their own, explain how the PFIPC acquired the appearance of an official government institution.

In HURIWA’s view, the central issue was not merely who allegedly forged documents, but how such documents were accepted and acted upon by government institutions.

It asked how a non-existent agency could acquire official legitimacy, who admitted its operators into government circles, who authorised meetings and engagements with public institutions and why elementary verification procedures failed to detect the alleged fraud.

The group also questioned how the PFIPC found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation running into billions of naira if it did not legally exist.

“The questions confronting Nigeria are neither difficult nor complicated,” HURIWA said.

It said there is a need to establish who processed documents linked to the agency, who ignored red flags and who enabled it to operate without challenge.

The organisation expressed concern that the ICPC’s interim findings could give the impression that the scandal was essentially the work of a lone individual.

It argued that such a conclusion would be difficult to reconcile with the scale and duration of the alleged activities, particularly given the involvement of multiple Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“HURIWA refuses to accept the proposition that one private citizen, acting entirely alone, successfully penetrated multiple Ministries, Departments and Agencies, operated for an extended period, secured official interactions and allegedly built an elaborate structure involving forged instruments without significant failures or possible complicity within the public service,” Onwubiko stated.

The association noted that the ICPC itself had identified weaknesses in inter-agency coordination, verification mechanisms and internal controls, arguing that such weaknesses required further investigation.

It said Nigerians deserved to know whether the failures were merely administrative lapses or whether some officials deliberately facilitated the activities of the alleged fake agency.

HURIWA was particularly critical of any recommendation for administrative sanctions against public officers whose negligence may have enabled the operation.

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Why Alia revamped Abandoned Benue N70bn Taraku Mill After 40 Years

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August 8, 2026

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The Benue State Gov. Hyacinth Alia  says he revived the N70 billion moribund Taraku Mill after 40 years because the state could no longer afford to waste its economic potential.
Alia made the disclosure on Friday in Makurdi during a media chat with the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team.
The team was led by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President Bola Tinubu on Media and Strategy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the team was in Benue to inspect completed and ongoing federal and state infrastructure projects, including the Taraku Mill, located in Gwer East Local Government Area.
The governor said the revival of the mill, located in Taraku, was part of his administration’s broader strategy to establish sustainable economic structures capable of surviving changes in political leadership.
He said previous administrations had lacked a comprehensive development plan, resulting in projects being initiated without adequate consideration for continuity and the actual needs of citizens.
“​​There has to be a direction. There has to be a mission and there has to be a vision,” Alia said.
According to him, his administration’s development blueprint was designed after consultations with communities to distinguish between what people wanted and their actual priority needs.
He said that the approach required government to understand the needs of market women, farmers and other residents before committing resources to projects.
Alia said the objective was to move Benue from  “a glorified village status” and improve the state’s towns and economic centres.
He said sustainability was built into the projects being implemented, stressing that government must put measures in place to ensure investments remained productive after the tenure of the current administration.
The governor argued that government could not completely stay away from business when strategic investments were necessary to create employment, retain capital and stimulate the local economy.
He cited the newly established Benue Brewery, juice factory and concentrate factory as examples of investments intended to process local agricultural products and strengthen the state’s value chain.
Alia said Benue produced sorghum, cassava, maize, oranges and soybeans in large quantities, but needed industries capable of converting the agricultural produce into finished products.
He said the development of such industries would create markets for farmers, generate employment and reduce capital flight caused by importing products that could be produced locally.
The governor said farmers with orchards and farms had been identified and organised into cooperatives, enabling them to access support while providing industries with dependable sources of raw materials.
He said the improved road network linking Benue with Abuja would further enhance opportunities for farmers to take fresh agricultural produce to the federal capital and other markets.
Alia said the revival of Taraku Mill was particularly significant because Benue was previously a leading soybean-producing state, but the collapse of the mill disrupted the market for farmers.
He said the return of the mill would provide a sustained market for soybean farmers, adding that his administration had begun providing incentives and farm inputs to identified producers.
The governor said the revival was, therefore, not limited to restoring the factory but was aimed at rebuilding an agricultural ecosystem in which farmers could consistently earn income from their produce.
Earlier, the inspection team visited the Taraku Mill, where the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, explained that production had continued until around the mid-1990s.
Kula said the factory subsequently became moribund until the Alia administration decided to revamp it, with the machinery serviced and currently undergoing test runs.
He commended residents of the area for protecting the abandoned facility over the years, saying they collectively ensured that no equipment was removed from the premises.
According to him, the mill will produce soybean and groundnut oil, process maize and manufacture animal feeds, thereby restoring its former role as an economic booster for the area.
Kula also attributed the revival to improved economic conditions and support from the Federal Government, saying major investments of that magnitude required adequate resources.
He said the administration had also rehabilitated the Otobi Waterworks and its treatment plant in Otukpo Local Government Area to provide water needed for operations at the mill.
Mr Terngwu Kyuve, General Manager of the mill, said the revived facility would create no fewer than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational.
Kyuve said the plant comprised oil, maize and animal-feed divisions, adding that its maize plant had a capacity to process 72,000 metric tonnes annually.
He said the animal-feed plant could process 172,300 metric tonnes annually, while the oil division had mechanical pressing, flaking, solvent extraction and refining facilities.
According to him, the mechanical press can process 200 metric tonnes of seeds daily, solvent extraction 320 metric tonnes daily, while the refinery can process 100 metric tonnes of oil daily.
Kyuve, a pioneer staff member, said maintenance and test-running were ongoing, adding that dry and wet testing would precede actual production.
He expressed optimism that products would begin coming out of the factory within two months, marking the return of Taraku Mill to industrial production after decades of inactivity.

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