News

Governor Adeleke Unveils Osun Cocoa Revival Agenda

Published

11 months ago

January 11, 2024

Eric

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has unveiled a comprehensive Cocoa revival agenda of his administration as a major contributor to boosting agricultural production in the state.

Speaking as a guest speaker at the International Cocoa Conference in Lagos, Governor Adeleke who was represented by the Osun State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security described the importance of cocoa to the diversification of Nigerian economy and recalled how Chief Obademi Awolowo developed the old western region with earnings from cocoa production.

“As oil is the backbone of the Nigerian economy today, so was cocoa to old Western Nigeria. The late sage, Premier of old Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo deployed earnings from cocoa to develop the region, building the 25 story Cocoa House, investing in durable infrastructures, pioneering television broadcast in Africa and investing in education and health services.

“When you travel across the South West, you will see many old story buildings of various designs. Those are the houses of many prosperous traders who thrived across the zones in those days. Booming cocoa economy was the foundation of the robust economy of the old western region.” Governor Adeleke noted.

Unveiling the comprehensive agenda of his administration to revitalize cocoa production in the state, Governor Adeleke emphasized that cocoa producing states have a direct challenge and obligation to introduce new innovations that will help to revive the sector and increase productivity level of cocoa farmers.

“As a starting point, it is my considered view that Nigeria especially cocoa producing states have a direct challenge and obligation to introduce innovations towards reviving the cocoa sector; to set targets to increase tonnes of cocoa they presently produce; to support cocoa farmers and ensure that young farmers enter the sub-sector and to collaborate with research institutions such as the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria(CRIN) for new cocoa breed etc.”

The Governor proceeded to list the following agenda his administration is implementing to revive cocoa production and enhance the revenue base of the state.

“As a Governor, my agenda includes but not limited to the following, namely:

● To revive the sector holistically;

● Assemble stakeholders to design an updated revival plan;

● Get the cocoa industry in my town running again;

● Put life back into the cocoa farming sub-sector through demonstration of political will;

● Get more investors into the value chain through ease of doing business;

● Set up a domestic export terminal in Osun state to ease export process and access to international market;

● Partner with the railway corporation for easy of transport;

● Upgrade local infrastructures for farming community;

● Set up a modified commodity boards to strengthen stakeholders’ finance;

● Develop partnership with financial institutions to support the cocoa farming community;

● Develop relationship with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for agric tech and innovations; and

● An invitation to the Cocoa Research Institute for partnership and collaboration engagement.

In his effort to push the state to the top state in the community of cocoa producing states, Governor Adeleke disclosed that his administration is focused on doubling down on the implementation of the cocoa agenda by focussing on the following:

● A directive to the state Ministry of Agriculture to establish high yielding cocoa nurseries across the local governments in the state. This is to be implemented in partnership with the local government leadership;

● An action plan for the rehabilitation of old cocoa plantations in term of facilities and re-plantation;

● The opening up new cocoa estates with young farmers;

●. The introduction of a deliberate programme to protect cocoa farms from destructive activities of miners and mining activities;

● A plan to resuscitate the State owned cocoa processing industry at Ede for value chain addition;

● The adoption of the cocoa revival plan as part of our climate agenda. Reforestation through cocoa plantation is high on the table.

● Ongoing plan to establish cottage cocoa factories across the state Under an industry cluster agenda, our administration is targeting such cottage factories to increase cocoa processing and development of the value chain industry.

Emphasizing the need to revitalize cocoa production in the country, Governor Adeleke concluded by calling on the federal government to “declare an emergency in the cocoa sector by offering direct federal interventions in term financing for cocoa producing states; support creation of state marketing boards to fast track the re-development of the cocoa sector at state level; and empower the Ministry of Agriculture to support cocoa producing states through a World Bank project focussing on cocoa revival across the cocoa producing states.”

News

Ex-Polaris Bank Chief Remanded in Prison Custody for Alleged Fraud

Published

4 days ago

November 19, 2024

Eric

The Special Offences Court sitting in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, on Monday, remanded a former branch manager of Polaris Bank, Abiodun Sanni, at the Ikoyi Custodial Centre for alleged multi-million naira fraud.

Sanni was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge bordering on obtaining credit by false pretences, forgery, use of false documents, and stealing.

The EFCC counsel, Orhieoghene Adewunmi, told the court that Sanni committed the offences at the Iju branch of the bank in Lagos on February 24, 2020.

The lawyer stated that the defendant, as the branch manager of Polaris Bank, obtained from the bank a credit sum of N17 million in form of a loan.

He said Sanni collected the loan on the pretext that the loan had collateral in the form of a fixed deposit worth N111.1 million, which belonged to one Yinkus Multi-biz Ventures.

The EFCC lawyer also alleged that the former bank manager dishonestly converted a Polaris Bank fixed deposit account worth N15.1 million, belonging to one Joshua Atolagbe, to his personal use.

According to Adewunmi, the alleged offences contravene Sections 36(1), 278(1), 313(1)(a), 361 (1) and 364 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Sanni, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts preferred against him.

Adewunmi urged the court to remand the defendant.

“My lord the prosecution intends to call 10 witnesses in this case. We urge the court to remand the defendant in custody in view of his not-guilty plea,” the EFCC lawyer said.

The defence counsel, Osho Oludoshu, told the court that he had filed a bail application.

The presiding judge, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, thereafter, remanded Sanni at the custodial centre.

Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned the case to March 6, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

News

INEC Declares APC’s Aiyedatiwa Winner of Ondo Guber Election

Published

6 days ago

November 17, 2024

Eric

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.

Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.

“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.

The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.

The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.

News

PDP Chieftain Sues IGP Egbetokun over Police Invasion of Home

Published

1 week ago

November 16, 2024

Eric

A former National Deputy Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Diran Odeyemi has filed a fundamental rights suit against the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Also joined in the suit is the Osun State Commissioner of Police.

The suit dated November 7, 2024, was filed before a Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

In an affidavit in support of originating summons, Odeyemi accused armed agents of the defendants of invading his residence at Ibadan on October 26, without prior notice.

The plaintiff said the invasion of his residence and attempt to unlawfully arrest him was part of plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to silence leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State.

Odeyemi alleged that the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje on 20th of October, 2024, declared in Akure, Ondo State capital that the party had a secret strategy to recapture Osun State for APC, adding that what played out at his residence was part of the broader plans of the APC.

The plaintiff asked the court to determine where the attempt and threat by the defendants and their agents to arrest him on wilful investigation of some stalwarts of the APC do not constitute an infringement of his fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, expression and association.

The ground of the originating summons includes, “The plaintiff by virtue of sections 35, 39, 40, 41 and 46 under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights is entitled to enjoy his rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of expression and freedom of association.

‘The Plaintiff, being a citizen of Nigeria, has the right to move freely without any inhibition, express his thoughts, associate freely, and enjoy his dignity without being harassed, intimidated,d, or hindered in any way or manner.

“The Defendants and their officers are rigorously attempting to violate the plaintiff’s fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement freedom of expression, and freedom of association by threatening and planning to intimidate, harass, molest, and unlawfully arrest and detain him on wilful instigation of some politicians within the All Progressives Congress who are hellbent on framing the Plaintiff in order to silence him, as part of the All Progressives Congress secret strategy to recapture Osun State and wrestle power from the Peoples Democratic Party in the State., come 2026.

“The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress boastfully stated in Akure on the 20th October 2024 that the APC had a secret strategy to recapture Osun State from the Peoples Democratic Party but that he would not reveal the secret and his threatening statement was widely reported in the media.

“In what appears like the commencement of the secret political machinations, the agents of the Defendants, at the instance of some APC politicians and without having ever invited the Plaintiff, invaded the Plaintiff’s home on the 26th day of October 2024 in an attempt to unlawfully arrest, detain, harass and intimidate the Plaintiff but they failed because the Plaintiff was not in the country”