The Kwara State Government has warned Principals of Junior Secondary Schools and Headteachers of Primary Schools across the State against illegal charges for the State Placement Examination (Common Entrance).
The State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo Kawu, gave the warning today in her office, stressing that the examination is fully sponsored by the Kwara State Government.
The Commissioner emphasised that the Common Entrance is free and government will not tolerate anyone or group of people extorting money, under any disguise from the pupils because the examination is fully sponsored by Kwara State Government.
Hajia Modibbo Kawu urged the Principals and the Headteachers to desist from all acts that can dent the image of the State Government, noting that violators would face the full wrath of the law.
She also cautioned them against aiding and abetting examination malpractices, stating that the present administration has zero tolerance for examination malpractices.
She implored the parents and guardians of the pupils to report any Principal or Headteacher with suspicious acts to her office directly, reiterating that her office is open to everyone.
The Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has approved the appointment of 16 Local Government Area Development Officers (LGA-DOs).
The LGA-DOs are Adisa Jimoh Olarewaju (Asa); Asaburu Umar Mora (Baruten); Mohammed Haruna Likpata (Edu); Ajiboye Yemisi (Ekiti); Ayanshola Benjamin (Ifelodun); Ajao Omotayo Garba (Ilorin East); Yisa Abdulrauf Ayodeji (Ilorin South); Abdullahi Abdulfatai Ajia (Ilorin West); Awodiji Omotayo Felix (Irepodun); Dr (Mrs) Sarah Oloyede (Isin); Salihu Sadiq Yakub (Kaiama); Sulu Emiola Agnes (Moro); Abass Zanjan Damilola (Offa); Taye Babalola (Oke Ero); Oladipo Ayobami Adeoye (Oyun); and Fatimah Asabe Jiyah (Patigi).
ROYAL NEWS gathered that the appointments are with immediate effect, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq
Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq CON, has reappointed Princess Bukola Babalola as Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS), a Government House statement said on Monday.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Chief Prees Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye.
The Governor also reappointed Alhaji Abdulrazaq Jiddah as Special Adviser on Special Duties, while Ummulkhairat Onaolamipo Ahmed Alaye is appointed Special Adviser on Civic Engagement.
The Governor similarly appointed Alhaji Femi Whyte as Adviser Political; Joanna Kolo (Adviser Girl Child Empowerment); Suleiman Abdullahi Belle (Special Assistant Smallholder Farmers’ Intervention); and Mohammed Mashood Mu’azu (Senior Special Assistant Environmental Protection).
He also approved the appointment of Abdulmutalib Ismail Asukuti as the General Manager of the Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASAA).
The Ilorin Emirate Durbar Committee has congratulated the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, on his appointment as the Chancellor of Muhammad Kamalud-deen University, Ilorin.
The committee described the choice of the revered monarch as the pioneer chancellor of the new faith-based institution as apt and timely in view of the avalanche of experience of Dr Sulu-Gambari as chancellor of many universities in the country.
In a statement issued in Ilorin, the Chairman, Ilorin Emirate Durbar Committee, Engr Suleiman Yahaya Oba Alapansanpa, said his committee received with utmost delight the appointment of the foremost traditional ruler, expressing optimism that the institution, named after the renowned Muslim Preacher, Sheikh Muhammad Habeebullahi Kamalud-deen Al-Adabby, would help in moulding and shaping its prospective students for greater future.
The statement explained that the contributions of the Emir of Ilorin to educational development in the Emirate, among other attainments, could not be estimated, adding that his installation scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) as the pioneer chancellor of the faith-based institution could not have come at a better time than now.
The committee said the monarch etched his footprints at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State and Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State where he previously served as chancellor and Bayero University, Kano where is presently serving in the same capacity.
Recalling the impact of Sheikh Muhammad Kamalud-deen Al-Adabby in Islamic preaching and expansion of frontiers of knowledge, the committee said it is convinced beyond any doubt that the new private varsity is designed to be a hub of tertiary education including teaching, research and community development for which ivory is founded globally.
“Our committee received with gladness and utmost pleasure the choice of our royal father, Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, as the Pioneer Chancellor of Muhammad Kamalud-deen University, Ilorin.
“Though we are not surprised that the authorities of the university resolved to appoint our foremost traditional ruler owing to his avalanche of experience as chancellor of many universities in the country, our belief is that Muhammad Kamalud-deen University would no doubt change the narrative for good and become one of the leading universities in the country soon”, Alapansanpa said on behalf of Ilorin Emirate Durbar Committee in the statement.
….he died in the hospital, not correctional facility— Spokesman
Controversy has ensued over the death of a 63-year-old land agent said to have been detained at the Oke Kura Correctional Facility, Ilorin, Kwara state capital for over four months and reportedly died on Friday.
A land agent is a professional who represents landowners in the sale, purchase, or management of their property. They may also be involved in negotiating deals, conducting market research, and overseeing transactions.
The land agent, said to have been detained for the past few months before his death on Friday, was said to have been involved in land deals that resulted into legal dispute with some of the customers.
The investigation revealed that the deceased, identified as Alhaji Taye Hussein Abubakar, was involved in sales of a piece of land in one of the Ilorin suburbs, the deal which later generated disagreement and legal matters.
A relation of the deceased, who spoke with journalist on the demise, accused the judiciary and the authorities of the facility of neglect.
“He was involved in land deals that resulted in court matters. Court released him on bail. But he could not appear in court on the day when he was to attend court because he was sick. So, he was picked up and detained since then, about four or five months ago. And he was not brought to court since then but abandoned. At least, he should have been given second chance. How could he have got money to repay those he was involved in the land deals if kept in prison? The judge was approached and begged to release him on bail with some sureties to stand for him but all to no avail.
“So, on Friday, we learnt he was rushed to hospital. Some said he died on the way to hospital while some others said that he died while receiving treatment. His health condition was not fine before his death and the judge knew about it”.
Also speaking, the spokesperson of the Correctional Facility in the state, Phillip Adegbulugbe, confirmed the death of the land agent, saying that he died in hospital of illness related to kidney problems.
“He was taken to General hospital, Ilorin where he died. I saw his hospital file stating the illness. He was taken to hospital on Thursday evening and reportedly died at about 8:00 am (today), Friday. He didn’t die in the facility as some people were saying. I was just coming back from the hospital”.
The Kwara State Government has charged Traditional Medicine Practitioners in the state to always maintain standard practices to furher enhance a healthy society.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina Ahmed El-Imam, gave this charge during the week, at a workshop, on herbal medicines in Kwara State, held at University of Ilorin, main campus.
Dr El-lmam reaffirmed that the current administration, under the able leadership of Mallam AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq, has ensured enabling environment for Traditional Medicine Practitioners, inline with Federal Government policy, Governance and institution work, policy, Legislation, Code of ethics and practices, regulations knowledge skills and training.
She also informed the gathering that, Government is also working on strengthening the coordination mechanism, for Traditional Medicine Practitioners in the State, to get rid of quacks.
The Commissioner therefore thanked the management of University of Ilorin, for organizing the workshop, for Traditional Medicine Practitioners, across the State, to ensure quality health care services, for the people.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole was appreciative of the State Government, for honouring the invitation of the University, in a bid to promote quality herbal Medicine in Kwara State.
The Chairman of the occasion, Professor Adegboyega Fawole emphasized on the importance of traditional medicine in the society and the need to follow the set standard by the regulatory body of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC), in Nigeria.
Dignitaries at the workshop are Traditional Medicine Practitioners from across the three Sen
The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested Prophet Olayinka Ajiboye, a 45-year-old serial rapist, for defiling three minors.
ROYAL NEWS learnt that the incidents happened to victims within the ages of 13-17yrs in Agah Village, Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The suspect, who specializes in harassing and sexually assaulting minors, has been under the surveillance of the command following several complaints about his nefarious activities. He was apprehended after a tip-off on Tuesday, May 7th, 2024.
Investigation revealed that the suspect is the General Overseer of Divine Land of Joy Prayer Ministry located in Agah village and has sexually assaulted several members of the church, as reported by the victims.”
One of the victims, Joy Godfrey who bravely reported the case at the Gender Unit of the command on 3rd of April, 2024, revealed horrifying details of her ordeal. She disclosed that Prophet Olayinka Ajiboye lured her into an unfamiliar house in Sango and sexually assaulted her.
Additionally, he compelled her to swear with the Bible and instructed her never to discuss the incident with anyone, threatening her with fatal consequences if she dared to speak about it.
The Second Victim who suffered similar abuse (Name Withheld) also revealed that the suspect started having canal knowledge with her at the age of sixteen (16).
She further disclosed that the suspect impregnated her and gave her drugs to abort the baby, resulting in severe bleeding that lasted for several months. The suspect threatened to kill her if she reveals their illicit relationship to anyone.”
According to the third victim (Name-Withheld), who is also a member of the church, disclosed that the suspect difiled her at the age of 13. She mentioned that she couldn’t report to her mother because the suspect consistently threatened her, warning that she would die if she exposed him to anyone.”
The suspect confessed to the crime, attributing it to the work of the devil.
The Kwara NSCDC State Commandant, Dr. Umar J.G Mohammed, expressed concern over the infamous act and directed the Head of Gender Unit to conduct a detailed investigation and ensure that the suspect is prosecuted diligently.”
He appealed to the public to support the Command’s fight against all forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and assured them that perpetrators would be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the land.
Professor Amuda-Kannike SAN
A lecturer with the Kwara State University and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Professor Abiodun Amuda-Kannike, has advocated for reforms that will see to the harmonisation of constitutional values, the rule of law, and judicious use of legal technicalities for fair and efficient legal processes.
Professor Amuda-Kannike made this call while presenting the 14th inaugural lecture of Kwara State University, Malete, on May 8, 2024, with the title “The Jurisprudence of our Constitution, Rule of Law and Technicalities: The Nigeria Dilemma”.
The professor of jurisprudence and International Law stressed that Nigeria’s legal system required a balance between various legal considerations to ensure that the law serves its intended purpose while avoiding unintended consequences.
He noted that while legal technicalities exist to help safeguard rights and ensure fairness, they also have the potential to obstruct justice and create disillusionment, as such limiting the effectiveness of legal processes.
Tackling corruption, improving the efficiency of the legal system, protecting judicial independence, and ensuring equal access to justice, he maintained, were critical to strengthening the rule of law in Nigeria and upholding the principles of democracy and justice.
Professor Amuda-Kannike noted that attaining such a balanced jurisprudence in Nigeria would involve a commitment to upholding the rule of law, ensuring access to justice, and promoting fairness and efficiency in legal proceedings, adding that collaboration among legal professionals, policymakers, and civil society to address challenges and advance the principles of justice and equity in the legal system where equally important.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria recommended strict adherence to the rule of law by all arms of government, calling for the establishment of agencies for its enforcement.
“The establishment of this special form of agencies or ministries is like the establishment of ICPC, EFCC, Police, Civil Defence, and so on.
“This will really ensure that the compliance with the rule of law, as far as enforcement is concerned, will be total.
If the rule of law and stricter adherence to its observance is important to us rather than pretending about it, then we really need an agency to enforce it or a complete ministry”, Professor Amuda-Kannike stated.
He equally advocated for a national conference with the aim of removing technicalities hindering the effective implementation of the rule of law just as he called for the amendment of the 1999 constitution to allow citizens full participation in its amendment.
“There is the need to increase the numbers of the Supreme Court justices from 22 to 37 or as much as the states exist in Nigeria.
“This increase in the number of Supreme Court justices is to create a sense of belonging to all the states in the federation, including the federal capital territory.
“This will not be a case of one particular state dominating an appointment from a region, as the federal character principal/Act recognised states, the Constitution recognised states and even appointments of ministers by the executive is not based on region, but on the state representation”, he added.
Ogbonnaya Onu
Senate on Wednesday urged the federal government to immortalize the former governor of old Anambra State and immediate past Minister of Science, Innovations and Technology, late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu with a national monument due to his contributions to the growth and development of the country.
The Red Chamber, in its resolutions after a motion on the passage of the late Onu by Senator Anthony Ani (APC Ebonyi South), paid tribute to the deceased during plenary and to send a delegation to condole with his family, the federal government as well as that of Abia and Ebonyi States.
Rising under the motion of urgent national importance, Senator Ani noted with a deep sense of loss, the death of Onu, which occurred on April 11, 2024, at an Abuja hospital, after a brief illness.
According to him, the late Onu was born on December 1, 1951, and was elected the first Executive Governor of old Abia State (now Abia and part of Ebonyi States).
He informed that the deceased was “a symbol of excellence and an academic icon in Nigeria, having obtained Distinctions in West African School Certificate Examination and finishing as the overall best student at the College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu, First Class Honours degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos, and Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, USA.”
Senator Ani added that the late Onu was the pioneer Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and a pioneer staff of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State while he was also the first chairman of the Conference of elected Governors in Nigeria (now Governors’ Forum).
He equally informed that the deceased was the first presidential candidate of the All People’s Party, APP in the 1999 presidential election, adding that he was the national chairman of the All Nigerian People’s Party, ANPP at the time the party was merged with other political parties to form the current ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Numerous senators, who contributed to the motion, described the late Onu as a kind politician who made a lot of sacrifices for the unity, growth and development of the country, and therefore supported his immortalization by the government.
The Senate, in its other resolution observed a minute silence in honour of the late minister.
M- Honourable Commissioner for Finance, Dr Hauwa Nuru, Team Leader of indices and disbursement committee of Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC) Hajiya Salamatu Bala and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mall Folorunsho Abdulrasaq during the visit by the committee to Ministry of Finance Ilorin Kwara State. ROYAL NEWS ONLINE
Kwara State Government has assured the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) that the State will continue to leverage on infrastructural development to drive economic growth in the State.
The Commissioner for Finance, Dr Hauwa Nuru gave the assurance today during the on-the-spot assessment visit by the indices and disbursement committee of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in Ilorin, the State capital.
She added that the State Government would continue to be partner in progress towards ensuring a conducive business environment for investment to thrive in the Kwara State, ROYAL NEWS reports.
Dr. Hauwa Nuru affirmed that the present administration is very much conscious that it quest to move Kwara State to a smart city, running on 21st century economic dynamics, will depend, to a large extent, on its political will to effectively tackle various challenges confronting the State, especially in the area of infrastructure.
She stressed that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s led administration is committing huge resources to build infrastructure that would improve revenue generation, create job opportunities and make the State attractive for investment.
The Commissioner commended the indices and disbursement committee of RMAFC for the assessment on the laudable projects embarked upon by the State Government.
Dr Nuru explained that the State Government was intensifying efforts to ensure timely completion of the on-going projects across the State.
In her remarks, the Indices and disbursement committee of RMAFC, Team Lead, Hajiya Bala said that Kwara State Government has taken a bold step to boosting the economic development of the State in the area of revenue generation, by providing meaningful projects that can generate revenue to the State.
Hajiya Bala added that on-the-spot assessment visitation by the indices and disbursement committee of RMAFC was to assess what the State has done, the impact of such projects to the people and efforts being made to improve the revenue generation of the State.
She explained that the right step has been taken in all the projects visited as well as on the right direction to grow the revenue of the State by constructing infrastructural projects that can enrich the State revenue.
The indices and disbursement committee of RMAFC visited infrastructural projects which included Innovation Hub, Kwara Hotel, Revenue House, Garment factory, Ilorin International Conference Centre (IICC) and Unity road.
