Author: Optimal Times

…Says youths can make money legitimately By Bukayo Agboluaje, Ibadan The Federal Government, over the weekend, reiterated its commitment to rescue many Nigerians out of poverty by empowering the youths and women with right skill sets. The government made the pledge during a two-day training and empowerment of youths and women in Oyo South senatorial district which was held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. The training was sponsored by Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Abuja under the Federal Ministry of Youths and Social Development, Abuja while Kruggerbrent and co. Nigeria anchored the programme. Over…

The Oyo State House of Assembly,yesterday, charged Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to broaden the tax net to fund the 2023 Supplementary budget. The State lawmakers have harped on the need for the State Government to put new measures in place towards expanding and broadening the tax net of the State in order to fund the budget increment. This was part of the submission of the lawmakers as the 2023 Supplementary budget is referred to the House Committee on Finance, Appropriation and Budget for further scrutiny. It would be recalled that Governor Seyi Makinde is seeking the upward review…

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Tuesday, declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan of the Peoples Democratic Party as the duly elected candidate for the Kogi Central Senatorial Election held in February 2023. The court further dismissed the appeal filed by Abubakar Ohere of the All Progressives Congress for lacking in merit. The state’s Election Petitions Tribunal, in September, had declared Akpoti-Uduagan winner of the Kogi Central Senatorial election.  It also invalidated the victory of Ohere. The Tribunal Chairman, Justice K. A. Orjiako, delivered the unanimous judgment of the three-man panel, revealing that Ohere’s results were inflated in nine polling units in the…

Wives of former and serving governors engaged in the fight against the spread of cancer among women and girls, under the aegis of First Lady Against Cancer (FLAC), on Monday, donated N10 million to support treatment of cancer patients at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. This is as the wife of the Oyo State Governor, Mrs. Tamunominini Makinde hosted the coalition in her offices, Agodi, Ibadan. The Coalition, led by its chairman and former First Lady of Kebbi State, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi has in attendance wife of former governor of Oyo, Dr Florence Ajimobi, wife of former governor of…

By Odunayo Agboluaje, Ibadan  Workers of the Oyo State House of Assembly  under the aegis of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria  (PASAN), on Monday,  shut down the Oyo State House of Assembly complex to protest non-implementation of legislative autonomy. The State Chairman of PASAN,  Comrade Yemi Alade, vowed that the workers would not open the complex until their demands are met. The workers, who barricaded the entrance of the complex, carried various placards bearing inscriptions such as ‘there is no democracy without the rule of law’, ‘PASAN demands full implementation of CONLESS and other allowances at…

The Palace of the Olu-Odo of Odo-Ijesha, has announced the passing unto glory of their matriarch, Madam Elizabeth Olayinka. Mama Olayinka, a devoted Christian of Anglican Church denomination and entrepreneur, died on Saturday, October 28,2023 at age of 100 in Ilesa, Osun State She was survived by many children, including Oba Olufemi Olayinka, the reigning Olu-Odo of Odo-Ijesha, Atakunmosa East Local Government Area, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. The arrangement for final burial will be made public by the family.

  Is there any connect between law and public opinion or judgments and public opinion? Before Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad’s (rtd) valedictory speech at the Supreme Court last Friday, the connect or disconnect between those two had begun to assume a life of its own. The presidential election judgment delivered by the Supreme Court the day before heightened concerted quests for the nexus or disjuncture between them. In the Dattijo valedictory, it would appear that the Learned Justice had deliberately set out to take the sail off the wind of views which divorced law from judgments and public opinion. In…

Minister of Budget and National Economic Planning Abubakar Atiku Bagudu said last week Thursday that Nigeria is so stone-broke, so impotently bankrupt it’s barely surviving. “There is no money anywhere in the country,” he said. “The government is just managing to pay salaries.” Oh really? Is the government also “managing” to fund the loud, in-your-face, insensitive hedonism of people in power? Being “broke” is a boringly familiar refrain of APC governments. Type “Nigeria is broke” on Google, and you’ll find matches for it from at least 2016. Maybe PDP governments also made similar claims in the past, but my admittedly…

By Odunayo Agboluaje, Ibadan   The Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria who is also the Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin has assured the National Executive Council of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN that the Conference is in talks with the Governors’ forum on the implementation of financial autonomy for State Legislatures. Ogundoyin gave the assurance at a meeting of the Conference with the National Executive Council of PASAN led by its President, Mohammed Usman in Abuja. According to the Conference Chairman, the meeting was to discuss ways of averting the nationwide industrial…

By Bukayo  Agboluaje, Ibadan  The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Sen Lekan Balogun,  Alli Okunmade II, on Saturday,  mourned the demise  of Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chie Mrs. Alaba Lawson, describing it aa a great loss. Oba Balogun described  Lawson as a gem to Nigeria in general and Yorubaland in particular. This was contained in the immediate reaction of Olubadan to the mid-day news report of the sudden demise of the woman of substance on Saturday as contained in a press statement made available to the media in Ibadan by the Personal Assistant (Media) to the Olubadan, Oladele Ogunsola. Olubadan, who described…