19102020 - #EndSARS: Stop Army's planned Op Crocodile Smile

10 — Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020
:Vanguard
News
Shop owners cry, as fire razes
multi-million naira property in Osogbo
By Shina Abubakar
O owners SOGBO—SHOP
at the Nigeria
postal service shopping
complex in Osogbo, Osun
State, razed by inferno, late
Saturday evening, have
urged the state government
to assist cushion their loss
due to the fire outbreak.
This is as the fire, said to
have been caused by a blast
from one of the shops,
destroyed properties worth
millions of naira.
A late evening fire
incident razed about 10
shops in the shopping
complex around 6pm but
was prevented from
spreading to the NIPOST
office by fire fighters.
Speaking with journalists
at the scene of the incident,
yesterday, the Iyaloja of the
state, Chief Awawu
Asindemade, said the
unfortunate incident would
unleash difficulty on shop
owners except the state
government intervenes to
cushion the effect of the loss
on their businesses.
“The extent of the fire had
shown that goods worth
millions of naira had been
James Ogunnaike
AState BEOKUTA—OGUN
Police command has
declared a notorious cultist,
terrorizing Igbesa and its
environs, simply known as Bobo,
wanted
A statement by the command
spokesperson, DSP Abimbola
Oyeyemi, which was made
available to newsmen in
Abeokuta, the State capital, said
the suspect was declared wanted
over the gruesome murder of an
automobile mechanic, Salaudeen
Lawal.
The statement added that “the
deceased, who was called to fix a
vehicle which developed a
razed by the inferno, a loss
which is likely to ruin the
lives of victims, except the
state government comes to
their rescue,” she said.
One of the victims, Olojo
Titi, who sells clothes said
she was on her way to Ilesa
when she was called that
the complex was on fire,
saying unfortunately, she
just stocked new goods
recently and was yet to
make any sale before the
incident.
The goods in my shop are
worth N980,000 and all of
them were destroyed in the
fire outbreak. My
neighbour, called Mama
Malik, her shop is worth
over N20million and as you
can see, there is nothing
that can be salvaged in the
complex. Another shop
owner landed in the
hospital when she got the
news, although she is
responding to treatment but
could barely walk,” she added.
Meanwhile, Spokesperson of
the Federal Fire Service in the
state, Basiri Adijat, said hoodlums
unleashing terror on the state
about the same time prevented
them from putting out the fire on
time.
Don’t use soldiers to quell
#ENDSARS protests, Aare Adams
cautions Buhari
By Dapo Akinrefon
L Onakakanfo
AGOS—AARE
of
Yorubaland, Aare Gani
Adams, yesterday, urged
President Muhammadu
Buhari not to deploy soldiers
to forcefully stop the on-going
#ENDSARS protests across the
country, saying it will give the
impression that Nigeria is at war
with her citizens.
In an open letter to the
President, Aare Adams asked the
President to enter into
constructive dialogue with the
protesters.
The letter reads: “I can’t
imagine soldiers being sent to
stop protests. Soldiers are to fight
external aggression. We are
dealing with peaceful protesters.
It is wrong to give the impression
that Nigeria is at war with her
citizens. We must do everything
to promote and defend democratic
culture.”
Adams also urged the
protesters to ensure the process
is not hijacked by violent and
recalcitrant people.
He said: “I condemn violence
in all forms. I strongly condemn
the actions of some security
operatives that murdered some
protesters. The list available to
me shows 20 people have been
killed across the country. I also
condemn in the most profound
manner the killing of any
protester or the killing of any
security official associated with the
protests.”
While he reminded the
President that protests have hit
many countries this year and
none has resorted to using
soldiers to suppress the
protesters, he said: “The protests
have been largely peaceful.
Adams, also said: “I saw clips of
the attack on the convoy of the
Governor of Osun State,
Gboyega Oyetola. This is
distasteful. In the same way I
condemn the violent attacks on
the convoy of the Governor of
Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi.”
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
Govs committed to wholesale, not just
police reform —Fayemi
....Urges end to protests for govt to look into grievances
By Dapo Akinrefon
A CHAIRMAN DO-EKITI—
of the
Nigeria Governors’ Forum,
NGF, and Ekiti State
Governor, Dr Kayode
Fayemi, said, yesterday,
that he and his colleagues
were concerned about
discontent, hunger and
anger in the country and
would be ready to work
with other stakeholders to
find a lasting solution to the
problems.
Averring that the raging
nationwide #ENDSARS
protests arose from years of
pent-up emotion, anger
and hunger in the land,
Fayemi said that the
governors are committed to
larger reform of the polity
not only Police reform.
The governor spoke,
yesterday, at the Special
Thanksgiving mass held at
St. Patrick’s Catholic
Cathedral, Old Garage,
Ado Ekiti, as part of
activities to mark his second
anniversary of his second
term in office.
Dr. Fayemi said he
understood the frustration
of the young Nigerians
who had taken to the streets
Police declare suspected cultist wanted over
death of auto mechanic
mechanical fault was accused by
Bobo and his colleagues of
obstructing the road with the
vehicle he was repairing and this
led to an argument between
them, consequent upon which
the said Bobo broke a bottle and
stabbed the deceased on his
hand and cut one of the veins”.
The statement added that
“distress call was made to the
police at Igbesa divisional
headquarters and the DPO SP
Abayomi Adeniji quickly led his
men to the scene and rescued
the victim to the hospital where
he gave up the ghost while
receiving treatment”.
“The suspect, having realized
what he did took to flight
FOOD FIESTA—From left: Senior Special Assistant
to Lagos State Governor on Agriculture, Gbolabo
Olaniwun; Ag. Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms.
Abisola Olusanya, representing the governor, and
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr.
Olayiwola Onasanya, during the 2020 World Food
Day fiesta, in Lagos.
immediately but one of his
accomplices has been arrested
and he is helping the police in
their investigation.”
“Meanwhile, the state
Commissioner of Police, Edward
Ajogun, has ordered a massive
manhunt for the suspect.
He also directed that the case
be taken over by the homicide
section of the state criminal
investigation and intelligence
department for discreet
investigation.
The CP also appealed to
residents of the area to remain
calm as the command will do
everything possible to apprehend
the fleeing suspect who is neither
a student of the only tertiary
institution in the town nor an
indigene of the town.
for the past one week,
noting that he used his
youthful years to participate
in similar protests against
bad governance, especially
military dictatorship.
He lent his voice to the
view of the Catholic Bishop
of Ekiti Diocese, the Most
Reverend Felix Ajakaye,
who had called for an
immediate suspension of
the nationwide protests for
the authorities to act on the
protesters’ demands.
The service was attended
by the Ondo State
Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi
Akeredolu; Ekiti State
Deputy Governor, Otunba
Bisi Egbeyemi; Ondo State
Deputy Governor-elect,
Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa; Ekiti
State First Lady, Erelu Bisi
Fayemi; former Ekiti State
Governor, and now
Minister of Trade,
Industries and
Why doctors, consultants‘re leaving
LAUTECH Teaching Hospital —Ayodeji
By Shina Abubakar
O
S O G B O —
CONSULTANTS
and experienced medical
personnel with the Ladoke
Akintola University
Teaching Hospital in
Osogbo are exiting the
services of the hospital, due
to poor welfare packages of
the state government,
President of the hospital’s
Association of Resident
Doctors, Ogungbemi
Ayodeji, has said.
In a statement, Ayodeji
said no fewer than nine
medical doctors left the
hospital within a week,
adding that some
specialised services have
been shut, due to lack of
personnel to manage the
clinics.
He disclosed that apart
from medical doctors, other
category of workers were
Investments, Otunba Niyi
Adebayo; Ekiti State former
Deputy Governors, Chief
Paul Alabi, Chief Abiodun
Aluko and Prof. Modupe
Adelabu; Speaker, Ekiti
State House of Assembly,
Funminiyi Afuye; cabinet
members, state lawmakers,
traditional rulers, Bishop
Emeritus of Ekiti, Olatunji
Fagun, leaders of market
women and community
leaders among others.
Dr. Fayemi who described
himself as a product of
God’s mercy sought for
forgiveness from those who
he might have offended in
the discharge of his duties
as governor.
According to him, he had
sworn to an oath to do what
is just and fair, noting that
his actions so far in office
were based on fairness and
justice.
Speaking on the state of
the nation, Dr. Fayemi
said: “There is a lot of anger
in the land, there is a
lot of hunger in the land,
pent-up emotion. There is
disillusion in the land. As
a young man who spent
much time in the barricades
protesting bad governance,
I can understand what is
going on now.
“Myself and my colleagues are
concerned and we are committed
to reforms not just about SARS
because we will be making a
mistake that the general
disaffection in the land is all about
SARS. “Like Your Lordship (the
Bishop) had said, the government
should be allowed to address the
problems that have cropped up.”
The Governor said he would
always be thankful to God for
giving him the grace to serve Ekiti
people again, saying he sees
himself as an instrument in God’s
hands and sees the governorship
seat as a missionary work.
....'40 left in a year, 9 in a week'
also exiting the services of
the hospital for sister
institutions to get better
welfare.
Dr. Ayodeji attributed the
mass exodus at the hospital
to the refusal of the state
government to implement
the stipulated payment
plan for medical personnel
in the state over the last six
years, despite the approval
of 2019 CONMESS by the
Federal Government.
The statement reads in
part: The poor state of our
welfare has continued to
lead to the exodus of great
and dedicated minds in all
cadres of our clinical staff
(resident doctors and
consultants) from our
institution. In fact, some
specialized units have
closed down because of
lack of specialists in these
fields.
“It is sad, demoralizing,
and mentally tormenting
that LAUTECH Teaching
Hospital, Osogbo, is the
only hospital that her
resident doctors have been
at same entry level of pay,
despite passing their requisite
professional examinations for six
years now (i.e. A Senior registrar
is earning same salary as a new
entry level Registrar).
“The second reason is that
LAUTECH Teaching hospital,
Osogbo, Osun State is the only
hospital that is paying her
resident doctors with 2014
CONMESS. Federal
government of Nigeria has
approved 2019 CONMESS and
all governors in all states in
South-West, Nigeria have
commenced the payment except
LAUTECH Teaching hospital
Osogbo.