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Makinde Scraps School Fees in Oyo, Donates Salary to Pensioners

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6 years ago

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The newly inaugurated governor of Oyo State, Mr. Seyi Makinde, has said he would scrap the N3, 000 being paid by pupils of all public primary and secondary schools in the state and also promised to donate his salary to pensioners.
He admitted that the greatest challenge confronting the state was the issue of poverty and promised to tackle it with a drastic leap in agriculture, just as he pledged to look into the issue of over 400, 000 out-of school-children in the state.
Makinde stated this in his eight-page inaugural speech shortly after he and his deputy took the oath of office at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan.
However, Makinde said the state was not capable of paying the new N30, 000 minimum wage but was quick to add that, “I believe in true Federalism.
“I believe the states should decide the minimum wage of their workforce based on individual realities. All states are not created equal, so it is against the principle of fairness to apply a blanket rule to govern them all.
“That being said, our plan is to make Oyo the first state to pay above the national minimum wage. We know this is possible. We have already set our plan in motion to make this possible. But, this requires time. We propose staggered increments.
“I met with organized labour during my campaigns and made a pledge to an open relationship. I intend to stand by that promise. We will have a sincere conversation and arrive at the best decision possible. Rest assured that the decision will put your overall best interests first,” he said.
He said, “Ají ṣe bí Òyó làárí, Òyó ò kí ṣe bí baba ẹnìkan.” Oyo leads and others imitate. We are a state proud of our many firsts, adding that, “in 1965, just five years after Nigeria’s independence, the first skyscraper was built in the Western region, in an area that later became part of our beloved Oyo State. Well before independence, this same territory hosted the first TV station in Nigeria, the first university, the first housing estate in Nigeria, the first government secretariat and the first modern parliament. Let me also add that we host the first stadium in Africa, the first dual carriage road and more recently, the first private TV station in Nigeria.
“Reflecting on these firsts makes you realise that there must be something special about this region. The legendary Oyo greatness, the Pacesetter State, lives on.
“Increase their opportunities. Our region that housed the first university in Nigeria now has a state with the seventh highest number of out-of-school children. Over 400,000 children in Oyo State are out of school.
“Effective immediately, the school fees of N3,000 in state-owned secondary schools is hereby abolished. We want enrollments to go up, we want our children off the streets and in the classrooms. We are throwing the school doors wide open. Whoever opens a school door, opens an opportunity. We are opening opportunities for a brighter future.
“We also know that education standards in Oyo State are poor. Oyo State recently ranked twenty-sixth in Nigeria in WAEC performance. While we invite the students to come in, we will focus on raising the standard of education in Oyo State. We will work on providing needed infrastructure and manpower by increasing Oyo State’s education budget to 10% of our total annual budget, increasing yearly until we match UNESCO’s recommendation of 15-20%. We will be a pacesetter state in education.
“We know that quality education is not possible without quality teachers. Quality emoluments and benefits attract quality teachers. We are not ignorant of the plight of our dear teachers. We know the state of the teacher’s pension scheme. During my campaigns, I promised to donate my entire salary as governor to the Teacher’s Pension Fund. I stand by that promise.”
The Punch
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Ibas Appoints Administrators for Rivers LGs, Reconstitutes Boards (Full List)

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4 hours ago

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April 9, 2025

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The Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas-led Rivers State Government has announced the appointment of Administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.

The decision, approved by the Administrator also includes the reconstitution of some Boards of Agencies, Commissions, and Parastatals that had earlier been suspended.

According to the statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibibia Worika, the appointments are to take effect from Monday, April 7, 2025.

The administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State include:

1. Mr Okroiyobi Animiete – Abua/Odual LGA
2. Mr Goodluck M. Ihenacho – Ahoada East LGA
3. Mr Promise Jacob – Ahoada West LGA
4. Dr Tamunotonye Peters – Akuku Toru LGA
5. Surveyor Atajit Francis – Andoni LGA
6. Barrister Ibiapuve Charles – Asari Toru LGA
7. Mr Kingsley N. Banigo – Bonny LGA
8. Dr Sokari Ibifuro Francis – Degema LGA
9. Dr Gloria Obo Dibiah – Eleme LGA
10. Barr Franklin P. Ajinwon – Emohua LGA
11. Dr Onyemachi S. Nwankwor – Etche LGA
12. Prof. Gospel G. Kpee – Gokana LGA
13. Mr Isaiah Christian Nobuawu – Ikwerre LGA
14. Dr Barinedum Nwibere – Khana LGA
15. Dr Clifford Ndu Walter – Obio Akpor LGA
16. Dr Chukwuma Aje – Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA
17. Eliel Owubokiri – Ogu/Bolo LGA
18. Mr Thompson Isodiki – Okrika LGA
19. Manager Ikechi Wala – Omuma LGA
20. Mr Fred Apiafi – Opobo /Nkoro LGA
21. Eletuuo Ihianacho – Oyigbo LGA
22. Dr Sam Kalagbor – Port Harcourt LGA
23. Mr Nuka O. S. Gbipah – Tai LGA

The following have also been appointed as Chairman and members of the Rivers State Electoral Commission:

1. Dr Micheal Ekpai Odey – Chairman
2. Mr Lezaasi Lenee Torbira – Member
3. Prof Author Nwafor – Member
4. Prof Godfrey Woke Mbgudiogha – Member
5. Prof Joyce Akaninwor – Member
6. Dr Olive A. Bruce – Member
7. .Prof Chidi Halliday – Member

This followed the judgment of the apex court, which declared the LG election conducted in the state on October 5, 2024, as invalid.

This development comes just hours after a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt scheduled April 14, 2025, to hear a suit filed by human rights lawyer, Courage Nsirimovu of Pilex Centre for Civic Education Initiative.

Nsirimovu is seeking to halt the appointment of LG Administrators in the state.

Justice Adamu Mohammed, presiding over the matter did not issue an explicit restraining order, instead directed that the Administrator of Rivers State be put on notice to appear and show cause why the request to stop the appointments should not be granted.

“I am of the view that it will serve the interest of justice to order the application to put the respondent on notice to appear and show cause why the application (to stop the appointment administrators in the 23 LGAs) should not be granted,” the judge stated.

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Elon Musk Threatens Financiers of Attacks Against Tesla with Prison

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5 hours ago

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April 9, 2025

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Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, has vowed that those who financed the attacks against Tesla will go to prison.

Last month, multiple Tesla vehicles were set ablaze in Las Vegas.

Musk condemned the act, calling it an “evil attack.”

Eventually, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against three people responsible for setting Tesla properties on fire in Las Vegas.

Bondi described the violent attacks on Tesla property as “nothing short of domestic terrorism.”

However, several weeks after the incident, Musk revealed in a tweet on X that those who financed the attacks against Tesla will go to jail.

“Those who financed the attacks against Tesla will go to prison,” Musk tweeted on Tuesday.

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Arsenal Demolish Real Madrid in Three Goals Champions League Q/Final Thriller

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6 hours ago

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April 9, 2025

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Arsenal stormed to a stunning 3-0 win over Champions League holders Real Madrid as Declan Rice’s free-kick masterclass left the Gunners within touching distance of a place in the semi-finals.

Rice scored two majestic free kicks in the second half of the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Merino added Arsenal’s third goal before Real’s Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for kicking the ball away in the closing minutes to leave the Spanish giants in disarray.

The brilliance of Rice’s brace cannot be understated, with even Real keeper Thibaut Courtois — usually so inspired on Champions League nights — unable to get anywhere near the England mid-fielder’s thunderbolts.

Incredibly, Rice had never scored a free-kick in his career before the first of his missiles hit the back of the Real net.

It was no more than Arsenal deserved for a mature performance that exposed injury-hit Real in ruthless style.

Mikel Arteta’s men will travel to the Bernabeu for the second leg on April 16 as firm favourites to advance to a semi-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa, who meet in their quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.

The Gunners have not reached the Champions League semi-finals since 2009, but that target is now within their grasp after an evening that will go down as one of the most memorable in the club’s storied history.

Arteta had labelled the clash with Real as the “biggest night” of his career as he urged his players to write their own history by winning Arsenal’s first Champions League crown.

They rose to the challenge so successfully that even Arteta might have been surprised.

Arsenal trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by 11 points and look destined to finish as runners-up for a third successive season.

But the Champions League now offers Arteta genuine hope of a first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, providing they can finish the job in Madrid next week.

Beaten by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last season, Arsenal’s only Champions League final appearance ended in defeat against Barcelona in 2006 — a run that included a last 16 victory over Real.

For Real, it was a chastening defeat as the 15-time European champions were punished for the flaws that had already seen them beaten 10 times in all competitions this term as they lag four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Jude Bellingham was largely anonymous and Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior posed only sporadic threats after a promising start.

Vinicius Junior threatened in the opening stages, curling wide after Mbappe picked him out inside the Arsenal area.

Mbappe’s electric pace took him clear of the Arsenal defence in another lightning raid, but the France star shot straight at David Raya.

Arsenal showed no signs of being cowed by Real’s star-studded attack and Rice’s towering header from Jurrien Timber’s cross forced a fine save from Thibaut Courtois, who scrambed across to keep out Gabriel Martinelli’s effort from the rebound.

Mbappe lashed into the side-netting from an acute angle, but Real were unable to match Arsenal’s intensity in the second half and the Gunners deservedly took the lead in the 58th minute.

Rice stepped up 25 yards from goal and whipped a sublime free-kick around the Real wall and into the far corner.

It was a stunning strike that even former Real defender and set-piece maestro Roberto Carlos, watching from the Emirates stands, would have been proud of.

Arsenal almost struck again in a remarkable sequence that saw Courtois save Martinelli’s blast before Merino’s shot from the rebound was hacked off the line by David Alaba and Courtois again denied Merino.

Real were on the ropes and Rice landed another devastating blow in the 70th minute, lashing an unstoppable free-kick into the top corner from 20 yards as Courtois grasped at thin air.

As the ecstatic Arsenal fans roared “Declan Rice, we got him half praise”, that reference to his £105 million fee didn’t seem like hyperbole for once.

Arsenal weren’t finished yet and Merino put Arsenal in dreamland five minutes later with a clinical finish from 12 yards as the Emirates turned into a roiling red sea of celebration.

AFP

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