Author: Optimal Times

…Oyo govt, NSCDC urge residents to be cautious, assure adequate security There is palpable fear in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, as men underworld are on the prowl snatching people’s phones and wiping away money in their bank accounts. As gathered, after snatching phones of their victims, the criminal elements would go into the victims’ phones, access their personal details and information, change codes on their bank accounts and open new accounts in their names to defraud them and unsuspecting members of the public. On some occasions, the criminals even use phones and account numbers of their victims to obtain…

The National Association of Nigerian Students {NANS}, on Monday, demanded justice over the murder of a Nigerian student in the Philippines, Ikechukwu ‘Ikem’ Emmanuel. In a statement made available to The Guardian by the Vice President, External Affairs of NANS,Babatunde Afeez Akinteye,the student body said such a gruesome and inhumane act must be vehemently condemned by the international community. Akinteye said NANS was deeply disturbed and appalled by the heinous and barbaric act that resulted in the tragic death of the Nigerian medical student, Ikem in the Republic of the Philippines. He warned that the relationship between the Philippines and…

A former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America and former minister of education, Professor Tunde Adeniran and a former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs {NIIA}, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, have urged Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State to resign if he is not medically strong to govern the state. There has been a political stalemate in the state following the absence of Gov. Akeredolu on medical grounds for months, leading to protests and counter-accusations. The two professors made the call in telephone interviews with our correspondent in Ibadan. Adeniran urged the governor to undergo medical examination…

…Unilag ex-DVC says INEC ex-Natl Commissioner is weapon of mass devt A former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti; a scholar at the University of Lagos, Prof. Lukmon Adeoti; a former Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Emeritus Prof. Olayide Abass; Prof. Adewale Yagboyaju of Political Science Department, University of Ibadan; Prof. Mujidat Omolara Aremu and others have said Nigeria needs leaders that exhibit virtues and traits of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Prof. Lai Olurode. Awolowo was the first premier of the defunct Western Region who brought a lot of eniable development and progress to the region…

…Urges Govt to enhance entrepreneurship education A professor of Entrepreneurship and Management Strategy, Mrs Olajumoke Familoni, has said Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) sector is pivotal to economic growth and job creation in the country. Familoni, in a statement made available to The Guardian, said small and medium enterprises often faced challenges in accessing domestic and international markets. She therefore called on governments to support SMEs by organizing trade fairs, exhibitions, and matchmaking events to connect SMEs with potential buyers and partners. “Creating a supportive ecosystem for SMEs involves collaboration betweengovernment, industry associations, academia, and financial institutions. Thisincludes establishing business…

..NANS, activists commend govt’s ‘magnanimity’ A former Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities {ASUU} at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Omotoye Olorode, and a Dean at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Godson Ana, over the weekend, berated the Federal Government’s plan payment of four months out of eight months salaries of university lecturers withheld by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. University lecturers went on strike for eight months last year. The development made the Buhari government to impose no-work-no-pay policies on them. However, the Bola Tinubu government, on Friday,hinted on the payment of four months out of the…

… Says Oyo ready for outbreak of Diphtheria The Nigerian Medical Association {NMA}, Monday, called on the Federal Government and all state governments to increase budgetary allocation to the health sector to 15 per cent and more in order to revamp the sector. The President of NMA, Dr. Uche Rowland Ojinmah, stated this while addressing journalists on the 2023 Physicians’ Week, The week has the theme: ‘’This is our chance: To get it right in the health sector”, while a former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa and others…

The Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, has urged Nigerian youths and graduates not to put themselves under pressure of living above their means but start small and add values anywhere they find themselves. Oyedepo made the call ,over the weekend, during the maiden convocation of Dominion University, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, emphasizing that they must not despise little beginning. The Christian leader, who prayed for the Dominion University graduates, specifically charged them to stay connected with the Lord. The cleric stressed the need for the 96 graduates of the faith-based university to manifest their…