GOVT. COMMITTED TO PROFESSIONALISM IN BUILT INDUSTRY – OGUN COMMISSIONER
Towards preventing building collapse and achieving a more sustainable aesthetic environment to engender wealth creation for the citizens, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development has reiterated commitment to upholding the competence of professionals in the built industry by interfacing with stakeholders in Ogun State.
Commissioner in the Ministry, TPL Olatunji Odunlami, stated this while playing host to a delegation of Ogun State Chapter of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), comprising Ogun State Technical Committee and the Engineering Regulation Monitoring (ERM) Committee, in his office in Abeokuta.
TPL Odunlami noted that the erstwhile Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning Board was unbundled into three specialist policy implementation agencies to drive efficiency, emphasising that statutory oversight of the activities of all professionals involved in actual building design, construction and management are domiciled in the Ogun State Building Production Management Authority (OGBPMA).
“All we are doing is to ensure that buildings and other structures in Ogun State are better-built, more resilient, fit for purpose and that buildings do not collapse. It is common to hear people say that buildings do not collapse on paper, but when a design is faulty, especially its structural details, the building starts collapsing right from the paper on which it is designed, which is why collaboration between OGBPMA and the stakeholders under its auspices, is critical to the translation of planning designs into reality,” he stated.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of Ogun State Technical Committee of COREN, Engr. Mutiu Odesanya, noted that the ERM Committee was inaugurated by Governor Dapo Abiodun in December 2022, with a government representative as a member, to monitor their activities, calling for support from the Ministry in tackling the issue of quackery.
“Any engineering personnel not registered with COREN and not up to date with their yearly practicing license, is a quack and cannot legally practice in Nigeria", he said.
In a similar vein, TPL Odunlami has tasked the regulatory bodies in the built industry to cooperate with the Ministry in sanitising the industry rather than competing among themselves.
The Commissioner stated this while playing host to the Registrar of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), emphasising the need for regular interactions with members towards developing long-lasting frameworks for engagement, in line with the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development (OGURPD) Law 2022.
In his remarks, the Registrar of CORBON, Bldr. Adetunji Adeniran, called on the Ministry to ensure that building production, health and safety documents remain active as on-site requirement at construction sites, urging the Ministry to include the Project Quality Management Plan (PQMP) among documents required to grant planning permit and building authorisation.
Ajibola Taiwo,
Press Officer, MPP&UD
OGUN CLAMPS DOWN ON ILLEGAL NURSING TRAINING INSTITUTION
An enforcement team comprising Ogun State Ministry of Health and members of the State Nursing and Midwifery Committee (SNMC), has sealed the Nursing Department of Harvarde College of Science Business and Management Studies, Obada, for offering a degree programme in Nursing Sciences for six years without accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).
Speaking during the enforcement exercise, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Kayode Oladehinde, stated that such unauthorised programmes contributed to quackery in the profession which posed a threat to the health of the populace, maintaining that the Nursing Department of the institution would remain closed until fully accredited.
Dr. Oladehinde, represented by the Acting Director of Nursing Services, Mrs. Serifat Aminu, described a degree in Nursing obtained from Harvarde College and similar institutions without NMCN accreditation as worthless, explaining that graduates from such schools would be denied license to practice in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
"We have discovered that many institutions, including Harvarde College, offer nursing degrees to unsuspecting students. Our mission is to clamp down on such institutions because they end up producing quacks in the Nursing profession. This is dangerous for society. Unfortunately, most students are unaware that their time is being wasted", he said.
The Permanent Secretary warned parents and candidates desiring to pursue nursing or related programmes to be wary of institutions making false claims by checking the NMCN website for an updated list of accredited institutions, assuring that government would continue to checkmate quackery in the nursing profession.
Responding, a 300-level student, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed shock at the institution's lack of accreditation, lamenting the amount of money her parents had spent on the programme.
Goke Gbadamosi,
Press Officer, Ministry of Health
OGSG PRIORITISES UPGRADING OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN BORDER TOWNS
Committed to providing more infrastructural development across Ogun State, the Public Works Agency (OGPWA), says it will prioritise the upgrading of deteriorating roads in all the border areas, to create safer and more resilient road network.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Works, Engr. Babatunde Adeshina, who disclosed this during an inspection of the bad potions of roads in Akute- Ajuwon Road, Hercules, Giwa and Oke Aro 2 Bus Stops, all located in the Ifo II Constituency area of the state, urged residents to be patient with government, as Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration was passionate about the wellbeing and welfare of the people.
Engr. Adesina assured that a comprehensive report on the condition of the roads would be presented to the governor, promising that residents would soon witness improvement to aid connectivity to Lagos.
"In this second tenure, a significant portion of the budget has been allocated to infrastructure, with particular emphasis on border towns", he said.
Remarking, a member, representing Ifo II Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Fola Salami, pointed out that road infrastructure was crucial, calling for swift intervention before a section of Hercules Bus Stop becomes impassable.
Expressing gratitude to the government for its prompt response to their plight, the Chairman of Ifo Local Government, Hon. Kikelomo Delano assured residents that work would soon commence on the roads.
Sesan Sodunke,
Press Officer, OGPWA
MONARCH SEEKS SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
A call has gone to philanthropies, well-meaning and financially blessed individuals to always extend the hand of love and care to the physically challenged in society, to give them a sense of belonging.
The Oniwoye of Iwoyeland in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Buhari Ololade, made the call during an empowerment programme organised by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Lovelyn Empowerment Foundation (LEF), to support the physically challenged in Ilaro, stating that they should always be assisted to make life more comfortable for them.
Oba Ololade implored government at all levels to always prioritise the welfare of the physically challenged when preparing their annual budgets and be judiciously implemented.
Earlier, founder of the NGO, Miss Lovelyn Okoye, appealed to the public to stop discriminating against people living with disabilities, with a call to always support them by creating a conducive environment that would guarantee their wellbeing and give them hope.
According to her, "no one can call himself blessed until he becomes a blessing to others, which is the reason LEF banks on the collective support of well-meaning individuals and the government to achieve her target of giving back to humanity that will boost the self-image of the downtrodden through motivation and empowerment projects which necessitated this project with the physically challenged termed ''Disability not Inability".
Speaking, Ogun State Chairman, Association of The Blind, Dr. Michael Eborhun, who urged people to change their attitude towards the physically challenged and support the LEF initiative, encouraged members not to look down on themselves but focus on their abilities, explaining that the mission of the association was to discourage street begging.
Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, Mr. Semiu Adebayo, thanked the NGO for putting smiles on their faces, urging others to emulate LEF.
Abiola Rufai,
ZIO, Yewa South
NIGERIA’S CURRENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES ARE SURMOUNTABLE - MINISTER
Minister of State Environment, Dr. Isiaq Salako, has assured Nigerians that the present socio-economic challenges confronting the country would soon be a thing of the past, as Federal Government was assiduously working to put in place more measures that would ameliorate the suffering of the masses.
The Minister disclosed this during the installation of Oba Joseph Ogungbohun, Osolo 1, Agbaigba of Ijaka-Oke, in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, appealing to people to be patient and understanding.
Dr. Salako enjoined Nigerians to be patriotic, so as to achieve the set goal for a better tomorrow, saying government was committed to improving the economy, security, and provision of food, among other welfare programmes for people.
In his remarks, the state Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Hamzat Ganiyu, while presenting staff of office and instrument of appointment to the monarch, charged traditional leaders and the people to support the king, to take the area to an enviable height.
"Kabiyesi, by your appointment and installation, you have become a member of Yewa Traditional Council, you are expected to cooperate and collaborate with other kings within the Traditional Council and mobilise your subjects for effective discharge of their civic and social responsibilities by prompt payment of their taxes, obeying the rules and regulations and others levies among others", he said.
Congratulating Oba Ogungbohun on his ascension to the throne, the Chairman of the council, Hon. Gabriel Ogunyomi, noted that the installation of the new monarch signalled a new beginning that would usher in massive development for the people of the town.
Also speaking, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, appreciated the government for approving the selection of Oba Ogungbohun by the Ijaka-Oke King makers, appealing to the people to cooperate with the new monarch for the progress of the town
In his acceptance speech, the newly installed monarch, appreciated the governor and people of Ijaka-Oke for the confidence reposed in him, appealing to sons and daughters of the town and its environs to come together as one indivisible family in developing the land.
Lateef Akintunde,
ZIO, YNLG
AKARIGBO CALLS FOR SUPPORT TO CURB CRIMINALITY IN SAGAMU
The Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remo land, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, has called for the collective support of all indigenes both home and in the Diaspora to come up with solutions on how to tackle the incessant killings, immoral behaviour, criminality, among others, to guarantee the security of lives and property in Sagamu and its environs.
Oba Ajayi made the call in an interview with journalists at Ita Oba palace, over the killing of Chief Abiodun Folarin, aka ‘Basegun of Itunsoku community’, who was gruesomely murdered by unidentified gunmen at his residence in Sagamu, stressing that, “We need to end the menace; it is becoming a monster terrifying the peaceful coexistence of everybody. There must be an end to this quickly".
Oba Ajayi, who decried the incessant cult clashes and killings, wondered how a chief of high calibre could be murdered without any trace of the killers, calling for communal collaboration among chiefs, elders and heads of communities in Sagamu to rise up against menace and put an end to criminality in the area.
On his part, the Secretary to Sagamu Local Government (SLG), Prince Onalaja Kolawole, said the council had taken steps towards curbing incessant cult killings among other criminal activities, assuring that a special security patrol of all security operatives in the state, including local security groups and Amotekun would ensure adequate security in the local government.
Olusola Ayoola,
ZIO, Sagamu
Mosunmola Feyisetan,
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