As torrential rains began to wreak havoc in various parts of the State, the Special Adviser to the Governor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Osun State Signage, Hoarding and Advertisement Agency (O’Signage), Mrs Dupe Ajayi Gbadebo, has indicated the preparedness of the Agency to commence the enforcement of the signage law in the State.

Addressing newsmen in Osogbo, Mrs Ajayi- Gbadebo said that demand notices have been served to signage owners while removal notices have also been placed on illegal and wrongly placed signposts and billboards across the State.

She said removal notices placed on signages was intended to instil sanity, compel registration and make defaulters to settle approved bills to the coffers of the State Government.

She therefore called on individuals and corporate bodies with such notices to come to the Signage office to fulfill their obligations and get clearance.

The O’signage boss urged those who want to make payments to the Agency to do so directly to the Government account in various banks, saying that the Agency does not allow its staffers to collect cash payments.

According to Mrs Ajayi-Gbadebo, the State Government is most concerned about safety of lives, adding that vision blights do occur as a result of competitive location of several bill boards along roadsides and often results in accidents and loss of lives.

She pointed out that rainstorms are capable of forcefully removing not well erected billboards and signposts which can pose serious dangers to lives and property of innocent people.

The O’signage chief executive disclosed that the three core objectives that inform the activities of signage Agency are to standardize erection of boards and signage in an orderly manner; create environmental aesthetics; encourage and enhance commercial activities.

She explained further that activities of the Agency is devoid of political colouration.

Mrs Ajayi-Gbadebo said whether political or religious and any other type of poster or signage, the owners must register with Government properly and the Agency would guide them on the right way and appropriate places to paste posters or erect billboards.

She said the State could no longer tolerate the manner major streets have been defaced with posters, other signage as well as billboards and appealed to whoever wants to use public space for advertisement to come to the Agency for registration.

She added that any individual, religious organization, political party, company or business owner who attempts to use public space for advertisement without the authorization of the Signage Agency would not only forfeit such billboards but will also be arrested and prosecuted.

The O’Signage Boss warned that pasting of posters indiscriminately would no longer be allowed in any part of the State and that only those who register appropriately would be able to make use of the public space for advertisement purposes.

Soliciting the support of the citizens to the activities of the agency, Mrs Ajayi-Gbadebo disclosed that the Agency allows reasonable payment arrangements of annual dues, as well as the need to patronize professional advertisers.

The signage dues, according to her, is determined by sizes or location as well as the level of industrial concerns involved with the signage.

The Osun State Police have secured the release of seven abductees kidnapped along Ibokun/Osogbo Road.

The commuters were kidnapped on Tuesday by an armed group, according to a statement by the Osun Police Spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola.

“The victims were released due to the pressure mounted on the abductors by the Police and other security agencies.

“The victims will soon be reunited with their families.

“The Commissioner of Police appeals to the good citizens of the State to collaborate with Police to get rid of all criminal elements from the State, while assuring the members of the public and commuters of their safety as security measures have been put in place to forestall future occurrence”, the statement read in part.

.…says no FG palliatives in Osun warehouses

The Osun Food and Relief Committee on CIVID-19 has siad that the Coalition Against Covid-19 (CACOVID) has not flagged off the distribution of palliatives in the State. 

The Committee disclosed this in a statement signed by the Secretary of the Committee, Alhaji Bayo Jimoh, and made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Osogbo, the State capital.

The statement reads in part: “I wish to place on record that CACOVID has yet to do any flag-off in Osun. CACOVID sent a programme of events to us in August in preparation for the flag off but it was later called off. 

“The last letter we wrote to them on behalf of the State was dated September 28, reminding them that the State had yet to receive the rice component of the donated items and that they should give the Committee further directives on the available ones since some of the items were perishable.

“We are sure that when they elect to clear the air on the status of their palliatives in the States, we shall be vindicated.They should come out with a list of the States where flag off had been done”.

The Secretary also clarified that the State does not have any Federal Government’s palliatives in any of its wear houses as they have all been distributed.

“For the umpteenth time,  I wish to reiterate that no Federal Government palliatives were delayed and none was kept in Ede Warehouse. The consignments we got from the FG have since been distributed. “Only CACOVID palliatives were housed in Ede Warehouse and we were asked to wait for the flag-off, hence, our inability to distribute before they were looted”, Jimoh said.

We are in receipt of information that the Warehouse in Ede, where we kept the relief materials donated to the Osun Food and Relief Committee by the Private Sector Coalition Against Covid-19 (CACOVID), has been attacked and food items carted away.

It has therefore become imperative to put the records straight in view of the falsehood and the misinformation making the rounds about the donated relief items.

One, it is not true that the food items were hoarded.

Two, the food items have no direct bearing with the State Government, as they are within the purview of the Food and Relief Committee.

Three, the items can only be distributed after a formal flag-off by the CACOVID Office, Abuja. 

Four, we do not have the authority to distribute the food items without approval from Abuja.  

Besides, the Committee is still expecting the rice component of the donated items, which is 40, 230 bags of 5kg. 

All these are part of the reasons the items were still in the warehouse up till the time of the invasion.

The following items were donated: Pasta FMN – 29, 992; Pasta OLAM -10, 282; Noodles- 80, 644; Garri -40, 322; Salt- 40, 320; and Sugar – 40, 227. 

However, the rice components of the donated items are yet to be delivered up until now.

The Committee wrote to CACOVID as recently as September 28, 2020, reminding it of the rice component, which is yet to be delivered.

Part of the letter reads: “I wish to refer to our letter on the above subject and wish to request for the recent update on the rice component expected to have been delivered to the State, and also to seek your advice on the exact time the State should expect delivery, considering the fact that items already received into the Warehouse are food materials and are perishable with limited shelve lives.

“May I recall in our previous discussions that the delay experienced is due to increase in cost of rice and delivery, that the amount paid to suppliers could no longer cover cost of purchase and delivery to Osun. “

However, up until this moment, we are yet to receive response from CACOVID. 

This is the truth about the status of the donated relief items until their unfortunate looting.

Signed:

Alh. Bayo Jimoh

Secretary, Osun Food and Relief Committee

….okays Juma’at in mosque

The State Government of Osun having appraised how the state is currently faring with respect to the global health emergency, vis-a-vis the fact that Eid-el- Kabir and Juma’at fall on the same day, has announced that there would be no Eid congregation or prayers on Friday July 31. However, Juma’at service will hold in line with the existing safety protocols and guidelines.

The State of Osun is still recording rising figures of confirmed COVID-19 cases amidst an active community transmission stage of the pandemic. This coupled with the fact that people whose COVID-19 status has not been ascertained would be travelling into the State from different parts of the country, in the spirit of the celebration.

The State cannot afford the impact of any form of large gathering such as the kind expected at praying grounds  and the associated difficulties of enforcing the safety protocols against COVID-19

Our health managers are also worried by the recent surge in active cases , and have warned that the State could experience galloping figures due to continued disobedience of safety protocols if it allows any kind of specially high density gatherings or congregation.

The State Government does not want its citizens exposed to this dangerous infection, especially among the aged and those with underlying health conditions. 

The State Government of Osun is not relenting in its fight to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, and to rid the State of it. The government is, and will continue to take necessary actions towards ensuring the safety and security of its people.

The Governor and State Government of Osun wish all Muslim faithful a happy Eid-el-Kabir celebration ahead.

Signed: Prince Wole Oyebamiji Secretary to the State Government

.…discharges 12 patients

The State of Osun Commissioner for Health,  Dr Rafiu Isamotu on Wednesday, announced the discovery of additional eight fresh COVID-19 cases in the State. 

He also confirmed the discharge of 12 patients from the State’s Treatment and Isolation Centres, just as he confirmed the death of one patient.

Dr. Isamotu while appealing to citizens and residents of the State to always observe all the precautionary measures laid down by the State against the spread of the virus, noted that the new cases were contacts of previous cases in the State. 

He added that with the latest development, the number of confirmed cases in the State, as at July 22, are 367 with 175 active cases.  The Commissioner further revealed that the State had successfully treated and discharged 183 patients, while nine deaths have so far been recorded in the state.

Government of the State of Osun has commiserated with the Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, and the people of the State, over the death of the State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro.

The State Government, in a statement signed by the Honorable Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, described the death of Dr. Adegbenro as unfortunate, given the conditions that necessitated it.

She further said: “As the Health Commissioner and Chairman of Inter-ministerial Committee on COVID-19 in the State, Dr. Adegbenro was undoubtedly a critical frontliner in the fight against COVID-19. His demise is therefore a great loss to Ondo State.

“It is on record that until his demise, Dr. Adegbenro pulled his weight as a distinguished medical professional to dutifully serve Ondo State”.

The State Government of Osun further commiserated with Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State for the loss of one of his aides, whose role in the government is critical to the health emergency that the State and the nation at large are dealing with at the time. The State Government of Osun also  sympathises with the families of Dr. Adegbenro and the entire people of Ondo State, praying that God grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.

The Government of the State of Osun on Thursday confirmed the discovery of 24 new cases in the State. 

The State’s Commissioner for Health,  Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, who made this known through a press statement in Osogbo on Thursday, also disclosed that 11 patients were also discharged from its Treatment and Isolation Centre same day after testing negative for the virus.

The Commissioner noted that the new cases were discovered following contact tracing of previous cases in the Ilesa, Ile Ife and Osogbo areas of the State. 

He appealed to citizens and residents of the State to always observe all the precautionary measures laid down by the State against the spread of the virus.

The Health Commissioner also revealed that with the latest development, the number of confirmed cases in the State has risen to 151 with  87 active cases.

“Lack of strict adherence to safety protocols and guidelines by our people is one of the main reasons for the sudden rise in our Covid-19 cases. But with the sentence of a defaulter to 30 days’ imprisonment, we have shown our resolve to enforce these safety protocols and guidelines. “With the latest development, the number of our active cases as at today, Thursday, July 2, is 87. We have 151 confirmed cases, out of which the State has successfully treated and discharged 59 patients while five deaths have been recorded,” Dr. Isamotu added.

The State Government of Osun hereby reiterates that the second stint of the State-wide 14-day lockdown necessitated by the need to curb the spread of the COVID-19 in the State of Osun, is not a curfew but a TOTAL LOCKDOWN.

This by implication means that the State Government has not relaxed the order to accommodate human or vehicular movements at certain hours of the day during the period of the lockdown. The State Government considers defiance of this directive as civil disobedience.

Please be informed that all borders remain closed and interstate travels banned till further notice. All gatherings of any nature or density are not allowed. All functions and ceremonies, including burials, are put on hold. All markets remain closed, but traders are allowed to display their wares in front of their houses.

The State of Osun is not totally in the clear yet, especially with more confirmed cases reported in adjoining States. Hence, the State Government’s directive that its people stay at home in their own interest is a protective measure.

The State Government sternly warns that the State Emergency Regulation 2020 is in full force, and its full weight will be brought against anyone who runs foul of it.