Amaechi broke a record in 2007 when he came to power without contesting election but by virtue of a Supreme Court verdict after the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) removed his name from the ballot at the late hour. Even though he contested and won a second term in 2007, Dokubo might have been referring to the manner he originally assumed power in 2007.

Amaechi, according to Dokubo, Founder and leader of the Niger Delta People’s Salvation Front/Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, is corrupt and does not deserve to remain in office.

“We will not hide under any other organization to fight the monumental mis-governance and corruption that goes on in Rivers State,” he wrote last night on his Facebook wall. “No person with an atom of morality will support a government that annually squander 3 billion dollars . . . Rotimi Amaechi will go the way he came,” Dokubo added.

His outburst came hours after an estimated 10,000 men, women, and youths marched in Port Harcourt to demand for the resignation of Governor Amaechi, who has irked the Nigerian Government by allegedly opposing President Goodluck Jonathan. During the march, held two days ahead of the election of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) in which Amaechi insists on contesting for a second term against the wishes of the Presidency, the protesters called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the governor for alleged corruption.

Source: News Express

This information was gotten from someone on the flight was surprised that it’s not in the news.

According to him, he was on the flight that faithful day..it was a night flight and he was listening to music from his Ipod when he perceived a foul burning odor, he thought the white man sitting next to him had farted but he knew it something more serious when he noticed people panicking.

He pulled his headphones and asked the white guy sitting next to him why people where panicking, all the white man was saying was ’’this plane is going to crash! This plane s going to crash!..all of a sudden the lighting system in the aircraft went off…everyone was mad with fear.. some started praying others brought out their blackberries and started pinging, some started calling loved ones and telling them their last wishes.

The captain then announced that the plane had developed an electrical fault and they were going to have an emergency landing. The pilot then turned the plane around and headed back to South Africa. It was also revealed that it was then he saw 2face Idibia walk past him and when he looked back he saw the popstar talking and calming his crew down, telling them not to panic.

After 45 minutes, the captain announced that they were going to ‘dump the fuel’ i.e remove all the jet fuel on the plane, this is a precautionary step taken by pilots whenever a plane is going to crash or whenever there is a risk of fire. As they were about to land, another problem came up. The captain announced that the tires of the plane could not come out, by then everyone on the plane had given up.

Miraculously, the tires came out and the plane successfully landed and the passengers were evacuated. Other passengers were taken to the arrival lounge, that was when he met Tony Anenih’s wife, Josephine, they talked and exchanged cards.

After much investigation, it was a kettle that sparked in the kitchen that affected the whole electrical system of the plane.

Source: Naij News

DailyPost has gathered that the exercise was executed by the State internal Generated Revenue Monitoring Team on the order of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Olufemi Fawole.

Mr. Fawole who said that teaching and learning must be done in line with standards and best practises for better understanding and assimilation, expressed surprise at the deplorable state of the schools.

On the drive for IGR, the Permanent Secretary acknowledged the cooperation of some of the private school owners for prompt payment of renewal and registration fees.

He advised owners of private schools who are operating such illegal businesses to ensure prompt payment of both approval and renewal of registration fees within a week or face sanctions.

He has a distinct London accent and is believed to be a British citizen of Nigerian descent who, along with the second suspect shot by police after Wednesday’s attack in Woolwich, south-east London, is believed to have converted to a radical form of Islam around 10 years ago.

His identity has not been formally released, but emerged on Internet forums and Twitter hours after the soldier was butchered on the busy London street near Woolwich Army barracks and his name is now being quoted by BBC and Sky News sources here.

Both suspects are being treated in separate hospitals while under arrest and their condition is said to be serious.

Adebolajo was reportedly known to Al Muhajiroun, a radical and banned Islamist organisation in the UK, and went by the name of Mujahid.

Anjem Choudary, the former leader of the group, claims he had converted to Islam in 2003 but had stopped attending meetings of Al Muhajiroun and its spin-off groups two years ago.

Video footage filmed by an onlooker and broadcast by Britain’s ITV news channel showed Adebolajo with hands covered in blood and holding a bloodied meat cleaver and a knife.

“I apologise that women had to witness this today but in our lands, our women have to see the same,” he said. “You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”

The soldier who was killed has not been named on his family’s request. He was reportedly first hit by a car before the two men in that vehicle came out with a machete and a gun and started to attack him.

Witnesses said the attackers had approached police when they arrived and were then shot. The two men were said to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they carried out the attack.

Source: Zee News

“With each passing day, one finds reasons to question whether or not Nigeria is on the brink of a civil war and in need of a declaration of a state of emergency in the whole country, not just a few states. The number of violent deaths recorded weekly is far in excess of what is expected in a peace situation with neither earth quakes nor other natural disasters. The tidal wave of uncertainty rises higher with every announcement of insurgency and there is an uneasy feeling of an impending implosion.
As we approach the next election, we are constantly reminded of the American prediction that Nigeria will not exist as a country by 2015 and we seem to be marching rapidly towards the fulfillment of that ominous prophecy.

As General Buhari pointed out in his speech during the recent CPC Convention, the country is sinking into a state of anarchy, which I dare say he contributed to with his careless utterances. The hopelessness of the situation is highlighted by the inability of the policemen to protect themselves, let alone anyone else. In Bama, Borno State, over twenty policemen were killed and as if that was not bad enough, two days later, 27 policemen were murdered and another 13 captured by a cultist group, Ombatse in Nasarawa state, who they had been sent to arrest. A couple of weeks before that incident, 12 policemen had been killed in Bayelsa state and there had been a violent showdown in Baga between the security agencies and the Boko Haram which resulted in the death of hundreds of innocent citizens. All of this happened in the space of six weeks! If the policemen cannot even protect themselves, what hope do civilians have?

Every state in the country is experiencing some breakdown of security or the other. The South East and South South states are kidnap zones, a threat that is also creeping into the South West. Most of the Northern states are beset with insurgency, which has continued unabated since the 2011 elections and the change of the National Security Adviser appears to have made scarce difference to the situation. Calls for the Boko Haram to surrender and accept amnesty, which in Nigeria basically means getting paid to stop the terrorism, have fallen on deaf ears and instead the Boko Haram added insult to injury by offering the President amnesty claiming they have done nothing wrong.

In response, the Federal Government set up yet another committee to look into a solution and possible amnesty terms. The point of developing amnesty terms for a group responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent civilians and security agencies is lost on me, moreso, when they have stated quite clearly that they are not interested in amnesty. The very recent declaration of a state of emergency in three states may be a step in the right direction, but only time will tell. What is certainly not clear is what  will happen to the violence that is still continuing in Bauchi, Kano, Plateau, Kaduna and Nasarawa States and how does this address the kidnapping in the South East and the South South or the political unrest unfolding in Rivers State.

Last week, the situation was exacerbated by an exchange of irresponsible utterances from selfish political thugs, whose sole motive appears to be to destabilize the polity and create a chaotic environment, where their services will become indispensable. The current exchange of verbal fire seems to be between two specific ethnic groups, the Ijaws versus the Fulanis and they appear to be drawing us closer every day to the American prediction.  It is not clear at what point these two former allies became sworn enemies, but the battle lines are clearly drawn and for now, the press seems to be the theatre of war. Will it end in just talk or will this prove to be the catalyst that will finally push us off the edge? Could this be the beginning of the end of the Fourth Republic?

Asari Dokubo, a former militant, who boasted a few months ago that he collected huge sums of money from the government, which he invested in Benin Republic for the benefit of his several wives and 18 children, threatened the whole country, particularly the North with a war in the event that the current President does not win the election in 2015. Calls from the National Assembly for his immediate arrest and questioning, enraged him further into recording a video in which he described the Fulanis as ‘destitute parasites’ and stated that they were planning a coup which he said the President was doing nothing about. He ranted and raved about the equally careless utterances of Lawal Kaita and General Buhari, who he described as extremely corrupt and then dared the authorities to arrest him. He threatened that Nigeria would cease to exist as a country if he was arrested and called the authorities cowards if they don’t arrest him. Interestingly, no attempts were made to even question him, let alone, arrest him.

Following Asari’s explosive video, there was initially a deafening silence from the presidency, raising questions as to whether this was indeed the position of all Ijaws (including the President) as Asari had suggested in his video. If Asari was beating the drums of war, he did not have to wait long to find dancers as two days later, Ango Abdullahi, a member of the Northern Elders Forum responded to his tirade, by stating that they (the Northerners)  have received the president’s message sent through his spokesman, Asari, and they are ready for the war promised. This was followed by more threats and counter-threats by other supporters on both sides heating-up the polity even more and then finally the Federal Government broke its silence. In a statement issued by Gulak, (a Northern aide to the President) the government dissociated itself from Asari’s position and denounced him in pretty strong terms.

The government’s response seems to have had very little impact though. Firstly, it arrived a tad too late and did not receive the wide exposure that the video did. Secondly, it came from two Northerners, Gulak and Bamanga Tukur (PDP chairman) who in reality, were not exempt from Asari’s missiles. The only Niger Deltan in or out of government who has openly taken a position against Asari’s tirade is Tam David West, who is known to be a strong supporter of Buhari. The damage has been done, the Northerners are simmering in silent rage and unless there is some significant measure of damage control, the result of this deepening enmity will be demonstrated at the polls come 2015, regardless of the threats.
The reasons for the rift between these two former allies, are not difficult to understand. In a nutshell, the Ijaws feel that the Northerners, who have ruled the country for decades, have usurped their oil, excluding them from participating in the benefits accruing from the oil production, despite the fact that their environment was damaged in the process and their people impoverished. The Northerners on the other hand feel cheated out of the presidency after the death of Yar’Adua truncated the Northern rule just two years into “their turn” (according to the PDP zoning formula), and are determined to regain the presidential seat come 2015. But the Ijaws do not want Jonathan’s term to end in 2015; they have benefitted immensely from this government and they do not want the party to end. They are prepared they say, to fight to the last man, if Jonathan is not re-elected; well you can hardly call it an election if people are coerced into returning him to power. With both sides threatening hell fire and brimstone, what does the rest of the country feel?

Most Southerners appear to be sympathetic to the Ijaw position despite their disenchantment with the present government and their disgust with Asari’s crude method of campaign. Years of resentment against the tyranny experienced during the military rule, which was largely Northern has taken its toll and any suggestion of another Northern ruler seems to put everyone’s back up. Asari and his supporters are counting on this and infact invoking it to ensure that the presidency remains in the South South, whilst aggressive loud mouths like Kaita and Abdullahi are playing right into his hands by reinforcing in the minds of the Southerners, the reasons why they would prefer to avoid Northern rule. Where will it all end?

History records several factors that led to the end of the second republic including a weak political structure, lack of cooperation between the states and the federal government, uprising in the North between the farmers and police, teacher’s strikes  and the Yan Tatsine (remarkably similar to Boko Haram) riots in Kaduna, Kano and Maiduguri. There was also economic uncertainty due to the end of the oil boom, excessive government spending and high levels of corruption. The problems leading to the end of the first republic were similar and eventually led to a civil war, which the country has not totally recovered from thirty years later.

The usual ingredients for a military intervention are all present; political unrest and the attendant tension; badly structured political parties with continuous internal wrangling; corruption has reached dizzying heights and the cost of government is unsustainable; violence and security challenges are stifling our economic development and growth regardless of what the statistics say. It’s a dire situation and one does not need to be a prophet of doom to wonder if what we are experiencing are the final death throes of the Fourth Republic!

The governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, said that the massive projects going on in all nooks and crannies of the state have created fear in the critics of his administration, hence, making them to allege that it has borrowed N300 billion. The opposition went for “loan-gate” as their strategy after two of their party chieftains have confirmed that with what Aregbesola has done in the state, no opposition can wrestle power from him in 2014. One of these chieftains advised that they should plan for 2018 governorship election. The two occasions occurred in Abuja and Osogbo recently.
The governor has assured the peace loving people of the state that the allegation that his administration has borrowed to finance projects is a “blatant lie”. What he has done is to be pragmatic in spending and innovative in its development strides. You cannot compare a governor that spent over nine and a half years planning for governance with somebody that was shoe-horned into position. The green book: “My Pact with the People of Osun State”, is a master-plan that shows how the state will be turned into number one state in Nigeria.

Their antics have not hit targets, as what the governor has to say is that: “They were here for seven and half years, they destroyed the whole system, but because God has been with us all the while, we have been able to achieve what we have achieved. The maximum amount of allocation accruable to the state is N240 billion, but they are alleging that we have borrowed N300 billion. Does that make sense at all?” No prudent administration will go borrowing more than it can earn in a year.

“What Osun can earn in the whole four years cannot cater for the projects we are embarking on, but for the belief we have in God and His love for us, we are succeeding in all what we are doing. “Just because they could not point to anything they achieved for the whole seven and half years they were here, the massive projects we are doing is now creating fear in them. What we have done is enough for a government to say we have done enough, but in our own case, we have just started”, the governor said.
This is not surprising considering the fact that the time they spent in Ada playing golf, Aregbesola uses it to engineer development programme and to pray for God’s support.

Before he became the governor of the State of Osun, Aregbesola was asked where he purported to get money for the “unusual” projects he “fantasized” for his beloved state. His answer was that “In the Quran, there was no prophet sent by the Almighty Allah to carry out a task without Allah providing the resources to do the task”. This he has proved by embarking on people-friendly projects that will reduce poverty and create employment opportunities.

Ogbeni also reiterated that while the ousted administration refused to pay much attention to education, his administration has continued to commit resources to this sector and the people have started seeing the results. The governor said that “Agba Osun” (the care for the elderly), Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), massive food production in the state (OREAP), free primary school feeding scheme (OMEAL), school infrastructure provision scheme (O’SCHOOLS) and massive road construction among others are some of the programmes the defunct administration refused to develop, but his administration is exploiting to advantage of the state. There is also a project monitoring and evaluation team (Bureau of Social Services (BOSS)) that monitors, evaluates and ensures projects are rightly executed.

This administration is out to prove a point that there is difference between left and right and that there is no other group that can do well for the nation more than the progressives. It started from the time of late Obafemi Awolowo and so shall it continue.

•Oyedele, Senior Special Assistant to the State of Osun Governor, General Duties.

Protocols,
It is delightfully pleasing for me to be invited to the opening ceremony of this national workshop as Special Guest. I will like to thank the Senate Committee on States and Local Government Administration for the invitation and the opportunity to address this important workshop. May I also here acknowledge the positive impact of this type of workshops as a vital democratic platform for confronting our problems and arriving at solutions about which there will be general consensus. In a democracy, such broad consensus is achieved through the process of discussions, arguments and debates.

Like many of the basic issues of governance, which in other climes have been taken for granted, local government administration in Nigeria is still marred in serious, yet-unresolved controversies regarding some of the key issues such as: creation, autonomy, funding, and powers and responsibilities of Local Government authorities. These issues strike at the very heart of our governance structure itself. Yet for us to attain our full development potential as a nation, we must resolve the elemental question of the structure of our administrative governance system. This makes the theme of this workshop, ‘Positioning Local Government as Hubs for National Transformation’, vary germane indeed.
If history is our guide, then we have to go back to history. What are states now used to be local administrations and were effective centres of governance. They embarked on giant projects like road construction, education management, environmental sanitation and many more. What we should have done was to deepen this system, rather than the mindless atomisation that followed in the name of state creation. That our federal system is defective is no longer news to us. And that this is negatively affecting other aspects of our governance structure is a well-familiar fact. But the crucial question is: for how long are we going to allow these to go on?

The need for local administration is an imperative that has both theoretical and practical justification. For instance, it is a sound economic proposition that the existence of local administration promotes growth at the broadest level. It also helps bring about optimisation in the use of economic resources for development purposes. As Professor Eric Eboh of the African Institute for Applied Economics put it:

‘The proposition is that achieving economic efficiency and welfare maximisation requires an optimal balance of fiscal and policy jurisdictions between central and local authorities…. The central economic postulate of fiscal and policy decentralisation is that the provision of public services should be located at the lowest level of government consistent with the incidence of costs and benefits, since lower tiers of governments have greater information about local conditions and can therefore, provide services that are better suited to the needs and preferences of the local population’.

Politically, most modern nations, to wit Nigeria, are multi-ethnic in composition. Therefore, the political management of such diversity requires some level of local self-governance, which local government administration offers. This is in addition to providing opportunities for local participation in the political process, thereby ensuring the broadening of the political arena. In our own case, this will also have the additional benefit of helping to diffuse the political pressure on the centre, as well as the state level.

But in spite of these advantages, local governments in Nigeria are still severely constrained politically and fiscally hobbled by the stifling control of the centre on the economic resources of the nation. As things stand today, local government authorities in the country can do very little on their own without Federal Government allocation. In that circumstance, it is difficult to imagine how that crucial tier of government can play its complementary role in generating development from below. And if we must position the local government as a hub for national transformation, we must change the present situation of excessive centralised control of revenue and resources by the centre.

For us in the State of Osun, we have refused to adopt the attitude of resignation even in the face of this challenge. We are doing our utmost possible within the limitations to ensure that our local government authorities are alive to their responsibilities. This is because this third tier of government has a crucial role to play in our development programmes. Our development policies are designed for the people and require that we carry them along. Very few alternatives exist for achieving this than the local governments.

Thus, we have developed a people-oriented working document for local governing authorities in our state in the form of a Master Plan of Action (MPA) for Administration in Local Government Areas. The MPA contains the community profile and priority needs of each of the communities in all our Local Governments Areas and Area Office, and employs the universally accepted Participatory Rural Appraisal and Community Plan of Action techniques. It helps provide common standards of performance for all our local government administrators. It also enables us to set targets and monitor performance at the local level where most of our people reside.

Our goal is to open up the rural areas and economically empower the people at the grassroots in order to engender economic growth and development from below. Consequently, we in the State of Osun are truly positioning our local governments as hubs for the economic transformation of our State.

The challenge therefore is to bring back the relevance of local governments, beyond their symbolic presence. They must have real life and be impactful at the grassroots. They must also develop creative ways of generating funds beyond the nuisance of blocking highways and extorting money from motorists or harassing artisans and disrupting their business. The state governments must also allow them a measure of autonomy and provide guidance only where necessary.

Once again, I thank the organisers of this conference and I wish you fruitful deliberation.
I thank you all for listening.

Protocols,
I am highly delighted to be here today for this special programme, the 29th Annual National Convention of the Lions Clubs International, Multiple District 404, Nigeria. I will like to express my deep appreciation to the progressive leaders of the Association for, first inviting me to this Convention as the Special Guest of Honour, and second for choosing the State of Osun as the venue for the event. I and the virtuous people of Osun are indeed very glad to host you, for without any doubt we are impressed by your undiscriminating selfless service to people.

May I also commend the committed members of the District, 404 Nigeria, for their altruistic devotion to the cause of humanity. I salute your unforced decision to be part of the noble tradition of catering to the affairs of the human society in the areas of health, public infrastructure, scholarship for indigent students, youth development, and rescue and provision of relief materials to victims of natural disasters. In a clime where it appears people are more interested in what they can get for themselves, cronies, acquaintances, and families, you choose to stand out and freely give of your resources – both tangible and intangible – to ennoble and enhance the dignity of the human person.
Each time we gather to do anything on the platform of this world-renowned Association of Lions Clubs, we are reminded of that historic day in October 1917, at Dallas Texas, when about 36 delegates representing 22 Clubs from nine states came together to hold the first convention of the Association. For me, that gathering was a vital step taken to concretise what appeared to be the simple vision of Melvin Jones, the founder. Today the Lions Clubs International is very well recognised as one of the foremost of the world’s largest service organisations. In a current literature on the Association, it is revealed that worldwide the Clubs ‘donate about US$449 million and 76 million hours, which is equivalent to more than 31,000 people working fulltime for a year’.

This is heart-warming and it is even more splendid that Nigerians are part of this notable feat! Of course, the 29th Convention taking place today is an additional proof of the increasing commitment members of the District 404, Nigeria, have towards the continuous realisation of the Association’s laudable objectives.

Ladies and gentlemen, given the yawning needs of the inhabitants of the modern society, it is important that service organisations like the Lions Clubs provide services that will help to complement government’s efforts at all levels. This will neither reduce government’s role as the biggest agency in the provision of services to the people, nor will it encourage a shirking of responsibility. Life becomes more enjoyable when both governments and service organisations work and partner together in key areas. I would like to use this opportunity to encourage both financially well-heeled and low-income Nigerians to show genuine interest in aligning with service organisations for the advancement of societal wellbeing.

For instance, those who often choose to be spectators and spontaneous photographers in emergency situations like accident or natural disaster can actually make invaluable contributions by joining groups which will equip them with the skills on how to render humanitarian services to those in dire need of them. And those who cannot serve with the resources of their time can actually do so with those of their money. To reiterate my point, I am encouraging Nigerians of whatever means to put selfless service above selfish striving. That is the way to add meaning to our existence as human beings. Our world cannot be ennobled when we are more interested in our own individualistic affairs. John F. Kennedy speaks expressly to this when he admonishes that as humans, we must ‘learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of others’.

One of the core values we are promoting as government in the State of Osun is the culture of selfless service. It is part of the major blocks in the Omoluabi ethics that we have been promoting. The Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) has as its main component the idea of service. Like the volunteers of the graduated batch, the volunteers in the current batch are also in various towns in the state offering services in the areas of sanitation and cleaning. When these volunteers first began this work, there were people who derided them and condemned the service.

Of course this is because service in popular view tends to be seen as servitude in which those who serve occupy an inferior position. But the real concept of service connotes a higher calling which demands of us and imposes on us certain virtues and disciplines that do not come easy to ordinary folks. You cannot lead effectively without serving. The best leaders are those who lead from below rather than from the top. They do this by continuously striving to meet the needs of their people. In reality, leadership is all about service. This, in addition to the pace we have set in employment generation, is the eloquent statement we have made with the scheme.

There are many people today striving to occupy leadership positions. They are already strutting and gallivanting all over the state, seeking and hoping to impose themselves on the people by hook or crook. All through their lives, that is all they have been doing – striving, grabbing and plundering. It is all about themselves and their narrow particularistic interests. I have news for them – there is no place for such people here. They must purge themselves of this attitude and put on the garment of a servant. True leadership is in serving.

Once again, I thank the Lions Clubs, District 404, Nigeria, for the invitation. It is my hope that this Convention will imbue you more with strength and inspiration to keep on in your great task of giving succour to humanity in many ways.
I do thank you all for your warm attention.

•Presentation of African Leadership Award Medal to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of State of Osun (left) by Hon Moses Husitode, Chairman, Badagry Central Local Government Council Area of Lagos State, who represented him in Texas, USA, on the occasion, recently.

Some residents who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER on the impact of the projects on their economic activities, revealed that the project is soul-saving, as the value of their farm produce have been on the high.

The community head of Ajegunle, Alhaji Tijjani Hussaini, disclosed that the project was a surprise gift from the governor, because the people never expected that the project would be a focus of any administration so soon.

He added that since the commencement of the project, socio-economic activities of the area have since improved and the expectations of the people are high, when the road is finally completed.

Also, the Asipa of Alabameta and Secretary of the various communities in the Orile-Owu adjunct, Mr Dada Dele, appreciated the government for the vision, saying farmers in the area are the major beneficiaries of the project.

He said: “Since the commencement of the project, the movement of people along the path has increased; now, we sell a bunch of banana for about N5000 instead of N700 it used to be. Our farm produce now have more value because it is now easier to transport farm produce to the market.

We now have more vehicles plying the road to Lagos and our people are more convenient moving around different communities”, he added.

A youth leader at Ajegunle community disclosed that as farmers in the various communities that the road project passes through, they cannot but be grateful to the state government, because it has increased the yields from sales of farm produce.

A motorist at Araromi-Owu, Mr Ibrahim Wakeel, lauded the state government in bringing life to the rural dwellers, saying the governor is a messiah to the teeming populace in the affected settlements.
The Secretary of the NURTW in the community, Mr Hammid Sumonu, disclosed that all the vehicles they use in plying the road now last longer and they spend less money and time at the mechanic workshops.
He added that they now transport farm produce to Lagos through the road and it takes shorter time to reach Lagos, when compared to the Ibadan route.

At Odeyinka, a palm-oil dealer, Mrs Grace Omotoso ,disclosed that the value of their raw materials and the bye products are now on the increase, saying what they formerly believed to be waste products have now become a source of money-making for them, as a result of the new road.

She added that now that the state government has opened up the road and they now have more customers, the challenge of their business increases and pleaded with the appropriate levels of government to provide the community, especially their local factory with water.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on the quality and time of completion, one of the site engineers, Mr Emmanuel Layinka, disclosed that the quality of work adopted for the project is world class, saying it would take about ten years before any repair work is done on the road.

On the time of completion, he said his company is bound by a time-frame and therefore assured residents of the communities that the company would abide by the terms of the contract.

Speaking after the inspection, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Mr Sunday Akere, disclosed that the aim of government for embarking on the project is manifesting, saying as concerned residents revealed, the project is aimed at making life easier for people in the rural areas.

He added that when the road is finally completed, it would not only reduce traffic along the Ibadan-Lagos Express Road, it would also boost socio-economic activities along the new axes of the state.

By shina abubakar