Ogun lawmakers lament bad roads as state govt claims lack of funds

Members of the Ogun State House of Assembly have decried the deplorable condition of roads in the state and have called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to do the needful.


However, the state government have claimed the slow pace of work on the bad roads is a result of paucity of funds.

On Thursday, members of the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure sought the need to strengthen the operations of the State Public Works Agency to enable it embark on massive road rehabilitation across the state.

The lawmakers, who were led by the Committee Chairman, Abayomi Fasuwa, bared their minds at an interactive session with the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Adesanya, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Engr Yusuf Lateef and the General Manager, Ogun State Public Works Agency, Gbenga Akintola.


At the session held within the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Fasuwa, was flanked by his Deputy, Oludaisi Elemide and other members of the committee, including Yusuf Adejojo, Tinuke Bello, Damilola Soneye and Kunle Sobukanla.

Speaking, Fasuwa harped on the need to boost the independent operation of the State Public Works Agency, noting that it had become imperative for the ministry to equally improve on the supervision of all contractors handling the construction of road projects in all parts of the state to ensure the delivery of quality works.


The lawmakers, in their respective submissions, decried “the deplorable conditions of roads in the state, pointing out that some of the roads previously delivered by contractors had been subjected to damages within the projects’ general liability period.”

While requesting for palliative work on inner roads linking communities in towns across the state, the lawmakers counselled the Commissioner to “look inwards towards maximizing available funds to construct and where necessary, rehabilitate more roads.”

Responding, the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Adesanya and General Manager, OGPWA, Gbenga Akintola attributed the slow pace of road projects to “paucity of funds.”


However, they assured that the contractors would commence operations immediately the rains subside.

They added that the Abiodun administration had continued to synergize with the federal government to fix some federal roads across the state.

Ogun court workers reach agreement with state government, suspends strike

The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Ogun State Chapter, says it has suspended its over one month strike.


Ogun JUSUN Chairman, Tajudeen Edun, confirmed this on Thursday.

Edun said the strike was suspended following an agreement reached with the state government.

He said the government has agreed to restore the deductions from their basic salaries, asking workers to resume fully on Monday.

“Yes, we have suspended the strike. There is an agreement between us and the government. We have mandated our members of staff to resume fully on Monday.

“We agreed on some areas that there are issues between us. We were asking that reductions from our basic salary be restored, and they have restored it,” Edun said.


Court workers in Ogun State had embarked on the strike on August 11 to protest the alleged reduction of their salaries by the State government.

You’re not running any free education in Ogun – NANS tells Abiodun

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ogun State chapter, has told Governor Dapo Abiodun that his claim of free education was not real, asking him to allow the payment of Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) levies in public schools within the State.


Report recalls that Gov Abiodun had in 2019 said he was committed to running free education in all public schools in Ogun, stopping the payment of N3,700 which he had earlier approved as PTA donation to schools.

But NANS disagrees with Abiodun, stressing that what the present dispensation is masquerading under mere abolition of PTA levies did not equate free education.


According to a statement signed by the spokesperson of NANS in Ogun, Olufemi Owoeye, it was stated in clear terms that “cancellation of fees alone is not commensurate to free education.”

Owoeye said “NANS Ogun JCC is against the ban placed on payment of dues” and the fact that such is being likened to free education in the State.

He queried who will provide free educational materials, security, conducive environment and other indispensable facilities.

“What we’re seeing is proscription of payments and nothing more,” it was said.

The students further explained that school administrators in Ogun were “battling with unpaid five months running costs,” thereby bringing about the inability of schools to provide basic teaching aids.


To address these challenges, NANS called for “the reintroduction of a regulated Parent-Teachers Association dues,” stating that “even our parents are willing to pay.

“We urge the government to summarily lift ban on payment of Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) dues as it is traditionally a voluntary contribution of parents to offset some financial expenses on behalf of the school,” Owoeye pleaded.

The levies, according to him, were used by schools to pay for security, cut grasses, repair leaking roofs and others.

He told Gov. Abiodun that the current economic realities have shown that government alone could not cater for the academic sector, asking the governor to review his policy on PTA levies in order not to “impoverish” public schools.

Ogun: Herdsmen abduct pregnant woman, two others, demand N30m ransom

Suspected Fulani herdsmen were said to have kidnapped a pregnant woman and two others in Ogun, demanding a ransom of N30 million.


Report gathered that the abductees were taken away on Sunday evening along Igbo-Ora-Sokoto road, Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The victims had paid a visit to their friend who resides at Rounder area of Abeokuta, the state capital.

A source informed that the kidnappers laid an ambush for three persons at an area known as Karigo, saying the pregnant woman is in her eighth month.

According to him, the herdsmen had contacted the families of the victims on Tuesday, asking them to pay N10 million each for their release.


It was said that two other persons on the trip escaped when the kidnappers accosted them.

“We got information that at the abattoir in Rounda that kidnappers abducted three persons.

“The kidnappers did not call immediately but they called on Tuesday, asking for N10 million on each victim as ransom. There is a pregnant woman among them, who would soon give birth,” the source said.

“It was gathered that the victims parked their car because the road is bad, but while trekking, they were ambushed by their kidnapers


“The abductees were two women and one man, identified as Baba Sandra.

“One of them is a thrift collector in the market here (Itoku market ); one is a civil servant but we don’t know where the other one works,” it was learnt.

“The husband of the pregnant woman was one of the two that escaped being kidnapped,” the source informed

Contacted, the Ogun police spokesman, Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, has confirmed the incident.

However, Oyeyemi said the victims had organised a prayer session in the forest where they were captured.

“Since that very day, our people have been on their trail. In fact, while I was discussing with the OC (Officer in-charge), they were still in the bush in that area trying to get all those people.


“But, our people should also be careful, they should stop organising prayers inside the forest,” he said.

Ogun: Man impregnates 16-year-old niece three times, aborted two pregnancies

A 52-year-old man, Jimoh Mutaliu has been arrested by the police in Ogun State for allegedly impregnating his 16-year-old niece.

It is the third time the suspect has reportedly impregnated his teenage niece, having succeeded in paying for the termination of their first two pregnancies.

Ogun Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement on Wednesday, said the suspect was arrested on Tuesday in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The father of the victim had reported the case at the Adatan police division, saying he discovered that his daughter was pregnant and she confessed that his own brother, who is also an uncle to the girl was responsible.

He also reported having discovered that his brother had been sleeping with his daughter for quite some time, adding that “his brother had procured abortions for her twice in the past.”

With the report, Oyeyemi disclosed that the DPO of Adatan police division, SP Abiodun Salau, had immediately mobilised his detectives to the scene, “where the randy uncle was promptly arrested.”

“On interrogation, the suspect made a confessional statement that he actually committed the crime, he also affirmed that he had procured two abortions for her with the help of a nurse”, Oyeyemi added.

The suspect is to be transferred to the state CIID for further investigation and prosecution.

Ogun pensioners protest over N68b unpaid gratuity, N3,000 monthly stipend

Local government pensioners in Ogun State have called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to increase their monthly pension, saying some of them still receive N3,000 as monthly pension.


The pensioners also demanded the payment of their 10 years outstanding gratuity, which they put at N68 billion.

Defying the morning showers on Wednesday, the aged pensioners marched to the Governor’s office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, but were denied entry.

The pensioners, under the aegis of Local Government Pensioners Association of Nigeria (LOGPAN), were armed with placards demanding their gratuities’

The placards read; “Gratuities are on sales to pensioners”,
“Governor Dapo Abiodun honour your father and treat Pensioners well”.
“Governor Abiodun, we don’t deserve this worst humiliation”, and others.


Speaking to newsmen, the State Chairman of LOGPAN, Sikiru Ayilara lamented the alleged inhuman treatment meted out to retirees by the Abiodun administration.

Ayilara accused Abiodun of failing to keep his promises to the pensioners, regretting that they still earn paltry sums as pensions.

“Some of us still earn a paltry sum of N3,000 as monthly pension.”

He described as a “wicked act”, the quarterly payment of N500 million to clear the outstanding gratuity, saying it would take 34 years to clear.

The chairman stressed that the association had written 13 letters to Gov Abiodun but alleged that the governor had remained recalcitrant and unyielding to their demands.


He said the payment of his members’ pension through the Ministry of Finance “is illegal”, instead, he requested that the Bureau of Local Government Pension be saddled with the responsibility.

“We have written 13 letters to the Governor through various channels without response. We had informed all security apparatus in the state: DSS, Commissioner of Police, Commandant of NSCDC, SSA on security matters to the Governor. They all intervened without any positive response from the Governor.

“We have informed all the four paramount rulers in the state with no result. We have held six meetings with the SSG, Chief of Staff, Head of Service, Commissioner for LG and Chieftaincy Affairs, among other notable government officials.


“Governor Abiodun should honour us, grandfathers and grandmothers, by directing his personal attention to us for us to meet and find a lasting solution to the inhuman treatments being meted to us at our old age, leading to untimely death among us after serving the state for between 10 and 35 years.

“We demand immediate harmonisation of the pensions. Some of us still receive N3,000 monthly as a pension. We demand regular payment of our pensions as it was.”

Reacting to the allegations and complaints by the pensioners, the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi appealed to the protesting pensioners to be more patient with the government.

He said, “the government is currently experiencing hard times” as a result of the paucity of funds.

He, however, assured that the state government would look into the demands of the aggrieved senior citizens.

Ogun govt locks out pensioners, civil servants, corpers during protest

The Ogun State Government on Wednesday locked protesting pensioners out of the Oke-Mosan governor’s office in Abeokuta, the state capital.


The pensioners, under the auspices of the Local Government Pensioners Association of Nigeria (LOGPAN), led by their Chairman, Sikiru Ayilara, are protesting non-payment of gratuities, lateness and non-increment in their monthly pensions and discrimination against them and the state pensioners by the Governor Dapo Abiodun government.



Recall that the local government pensioners had in June thronged the office of the state Governor after “many unreplied letters to him” about their complaints.

They had made known their plan to picket the government secretariat by sleeping and cooking in front of Abiodun’s office.


By locking up the main gates, civil servants, corps members and visitors were seen standing outside the gate as at the time of filing this report.



There is a heavy presence of security agents, who are on standby to ensure nobody goes into the secretariat.

Some of the security agents said they got “orders from above” to put the two gates under lock and key.

No government official is on sight to attend to the aggrieved pensioners.

Meanwhile, Gov Abiodun is said to have travelled to London to visit the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bola Tinubu.