News
APC, Adeleke govt trade words over Osun Osogbo festival incident
The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has berated Governor Ademola Adeleke over his silence to the news of deaths recorded during this year’s Osun-Osogbo festival.
The Osun APC alleged that the State government had not deemed it fit to issue an official statement on the savoury development.
The party made this known in a statement signed by its chairman, Tajudeen Lawal on Saturday in Osogbo.
It was reported that three persons died and several others injured in a violent clash that erupted during the grand finale of the festival in Osogbo on Friday.
The party also condemned the militarisation of the festival by non-state actors which resulted in the casualties.
According to the statement, “A fact-check on the situation that led to the killing of the three persons who were suspected cultists loyal to the State Governor Ademola Adeleke-led administration indicated that it was a supremacy battle between two rival cultist groups on the entourage of the governor that brewed the ghastly violent attack.
“It was also discovered by a credible source close to the centre of the event that two other persons drowned during the celebration of the grand finale of the annual Osun Osogbo festival at the Osun River yesterday.
“It was, however, strange that 24 hours after the killing of the suspected cultists and the drowning of two other devotees in the Osun River, the Governor Adeleke-led administration has not deemed it fit to issue an official statement on the unsavoury development.
“I am not surprised that the Adeleke administration is sanguinary and violence-laden as the governor himself relishes in moving with armed notorious thugs across the State, mainly those who are on the Wanted List of the police.
“Adeleke could not condemn the brutal activities of the thugs as they were those who rigged the last series of elections for him and the other candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where no fewer than 30 members of the APC were mowed down through the bullets of the PDP political hoodlums.”
While asking the police and other security agencies in the State to investigate the killings, the Osun APC chairman maintained that the Adeleke administration owed the people of the State an explanation on why the government had refused to make any pronouncement on the development.
Reacting, the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Bankole Ojo advised the APC to shun petty politics while trying to warm themselves out of idleness.
Ojo also warned that playing politics with human life is the height of cruelty anyone could exhibit under whatever guise.
While asking the APC to get their facts right and stop playing politics with human life, he condemned what he described as a classless attempt by the opposition party to link pockets of confrontation among some cultural groups at the event to the Governor Ademola Adeleke-led PDP government.
“While His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke did everything as acknowledged by several stakeholders in culture and tourism sector in the country and beyond, to make the annual festival exceptionally memorable, the tumultuous crowd that thronged this year’s event ensured a difficult time for security agencies to curtail the age long rivalry between some traditional groups resulting in some open confrontations.
“Preliminary reports available to the ministry which in turn will be forwarded to the His Excellency, the State Governor suggested that some groups of hunters and the Oodua Peoples Congress, most of whom are not residents in the State, took their traditional rivalry out of control just after successful completion of cultural rites at the festival groove. Both groups we would recall, usually form a significant number of devotees at the annual event.
“While the State government and security agencies are spreading proper nets of investigation into the matter, the blood spilling opposition elements are already in town with insane figures of casualties. This is instructive for all discerning minds as to what their intentions are and what they might have done to infiltrate the colourful festival which they stopped at nothing to destroy during their inglorious reign in the State,” he said.
The commissioner assured that the State government would continue to support and preserve the World Heritage Site as designated by UNESCO due to frantic effort put into the groove by the PDP government in 2005.
“This is a legacy the current government is committed to preserve, not just as a cultural heritage of the good people of Osogbo as an ancient city, but also as an enviable tourist site amongst its peers in Nigeria and across the globe,” he noted.
President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to meet with the Lagos State House of Assembly, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Already, the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, arrived at about 2:50 pm, while his colleagues had earlier arrived in two coaster buses.
The meeting may not be unconnected with the recent leadership crisis in the State House of Assembly.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Obasa was impeached by some of his colleagues but he was later reinstated after the intervention of the political leaders especially the Governing Advisory Council, GAC.
Despite the Speaker’s reinstatement, it was gathered that the bad blood as a result of his impeachment is yet to be over.
Details later…
The UK and Nigeria have officially launched the Creative Industries Technical Working Group, marking a pivotal development in the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP).
This partnership aims to deepen bilateral ties and create a robust framework for growth within the creative sectors of both nations.
A statement by the UK High Commission in Lagos said the launch of this working group and a match-making event for UK-Nigeria creative industries leaders today in London represents a milestone in the UK-Nigeria relationship, designed to boost innovation, cross-border creative collaborations, and sustainable economic growth and development.
It said both events provided a dynamic platform to explore new opportunities and form commercial alliances within key creative subsectors such as Film and TV, Music, Fashion & Design, Architecture, Advertising, and Gaming.
The initiative is poised to foster long-term growth, enhance job creation, and unlock new pathways for creativity and innovation in both countries by prioritising collaboration and cultural exchange.
Speaking on the significance of the launch, Florence Eshalomi MP, the UK’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria and Co-Chair of the UK-NG Creatives Technical Working Group, said: “Today marks a significant moment as we launch the UK-Nigeria Creatives Working Group.
Our nations share a rich cultural bond and a deep belief in the transformative power of creativity, through music, film, fashion, and the arts.
“This initiative, rooted in our landmark Enhanced Trade & Investment Partnerships (ETIP), will drive stronger trade ties, foster deeper collaboration, and unlock the full potential of our creative industries.
“By enhancing market access and investing in skills, we are opening doors to new opportunities that will create jobs and boost economic growth in the UK and Nigeria.”
Emphasising the need for deeper creative and cultural ties, Mr Obi Asika, Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture and Co-Chair of the UK-NG Creatives Technical Working Group in Nigeria, said: “Nigeria’s creative economy is a global force, driven by our storytellers, musicians, designers, and digital innovators.
From Nollywood to Afrobeats, fashion to gaming, our industries are reshaping global culture and commerce.
“However, to unlock the full potential of this sector, we need strategic investment and support not just in talent, but in the institutions and infrastructure that will sustain long-term growth.”
Representing Mr., Obi Asika from the Nigerian side, Prince Baba Agba, Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Creativity, underscored the importance of leveraging UK expertise for impactful collaborations, adding:
“The UK’s creative industries stand as a global benchmark for institutional excellence, market distribution, and innovation.
We are eager to tap into your expertise for meaningful partnerships.
“This Working Group isn’t just about discussions – it’s about taking concrete actions that will yield tangible outcomes for creators, businesses, and industry stakeholders on both sides.”
News
BREAKING: Fubara denied access to present budget, locked out of Rivers Assembly complex (Video)
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara was on Wednesday denied access to the Rivers State House of Assembly quarters, where lawmakers currently hold plenary sessions.
ohibaba.com gathered that the governor arrived at the Assembly quarters on Wednesday morning to present the state 2025 budget but was met with a locked gate, preventing his entry.
Fubara had earlier pledged to implement the Supreme Court judgment, which includes the formal presentation of the 2024 budget.
The budget was initially presented to a four-member Assembly faction in December 2023.
Last week, the Assembly issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the governor to present the 2025 budget.
In response, Fubara stated that he was awaiting the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the court judgment before proceeding.
On Sunday, in a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, and addressed to Speaker Martins Amaewhule, Fubara invited lawmakers for discussions on the Supreme Court ruling.
The discussions were expected to cover issues such as the budget presentation and the payment of outstanding salaries to the legislators, amongst other issues to chart a way forward for the state.
Watch video below:
Video source: ChannelsTV
BREAKING: Tinubu to meet Obasa, Lagos Assembly members in Abuja
UK, Nigeria launch creative industries technical Working Group
BREAKING: Fubara denied access to present budget, locked out of Rivers Assembly complex (Video)
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