This is contained in a statement, signed by his spokesperson, Ayotomiwa Adebayo, and made available to newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan.

Our correspondent reports that the governor’s mother died on Thursday at the age of 80.

The OID said it sympathised with the state government and the entire people of Oyo State on the demise of the matriarch of the Makinde family, describing her death as a great loss.

“We receive the news of the death of our exceptional and beloved mother with a heavy heart.

“With total submission to the will of God, Mama lived a fulfilled and exemplary life. She was a great asset to the Pacesetter state by nurturing a son who is currently demonstrating what good governance entails.

“We are grateful for this rare gift and are confident that Mama will forever remain in our hearts as the conveyor of people-oriented governor, who has immensely transformed Oyo State to an enviable status,” it said.

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Its President, Mr Sanuth Ibrahim, in an open letter to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, urged the state government to ensure immediate rehabilitation of the roads.

Ibrahim listed the roads to include: Lekki-Epe Expressway; Ketu-Itoikin and Epe-Ijebu-Ode.

He said urgent rehabilitation of the roads would save lives and reduce the untold hardship being experienced by people in the areas.

Ibrahim said that it would create enabling environment for commercial activities to boom.

“Being a critical component in encouraging a country’s economic growth, road infrastructure development, also enhances production efficiency.

“It helps to provide economic incentives to public and private sector participants.

“It is in the light of the above that we are constrained as a registered non-governmental group to write to you about the deplorable state of the three roads leading to Epe.

“Epe is the biggest among the five IBILE Divisions of Lagos State,” Ibrahim said.

He said innocent lives would have been saved if these roads were put in motorable condition.

“We don’t want to bore you with numerous man hours lost on these roads by motorists that are able to navigate their way through the obstacles.

“Recently, the contractor from Ogun State Government commenced work on the Ijebu-Ode/Epe axis from the Lagos and Ogun boundary leaving the rest for Lagos State Government to complete its own part of the road,” he said.

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The coalition made the call in a statement signed by Mr Ariyo Atoye, Centre for Liberty, Yiaga Africa NESSACTION, Raising New Voices Initiative, and Millennial Active Citizenship Advocacy Africa.

Atoye said that the group’s aim was to demand for action from lawmakers on the electoral amendment bill.

“We as a coalition, specifically demand for established framework to strengthen the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and ensure its financial independence.

“We also demand the inclusion of all marginalised groups, transparency in campaign financing and provision of a framework to ensure the enforcement of our electoral laws, among others.

“While it is noteworthy that the National Assembly has already commenced work on the electoral amendment bill, we have more than enough reason to believe that the process has not been given the urgency, and attention that it deserves.

“However, in the light of recent commitments made by some National Assembly members toward ensuring that electoral reform tops its priority list, we are optimistic that it will be achieved by December 2020.’’

Atoye said that the coalition appreciated the efforts of over 11,000 Nigerians who signed the petition for electoral reforms, thereby reiterating the need for the realisation of the December time frame in delivering this new Electoral Act.

He said that this was necessary so as not to be distracted by heightened politicking ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He said that it was also crucial to INEC’s readiness in its efforts to conduct hitch-free elections, going forward.

Atoye said that these commitments displayed by the National Assembly and its leadership resonated with the deep yearnings of the totality of Nigerian citizens whose interest they represented and swore to protect.

“If truly, the National Assembly is anchored on the fabrics of citizen’s power, then it is therefore a matter of obligation on the part of the National Assembly to concede to the collective demand of citizens by ensuring that electoral reform is achieved.

“They should incorporate all aspects relating to an improved election environment and processes that guarantee free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.’’

Atoye said that this was because the group believed that Nigerians deserved a better nation with quality leadership, and the fundamental bedrock for achieving this was having a free and fair electoral process.

This, he said, could only occur through the amendment efforts of the 9th National Assembly.

He said that the group called on citizens and all relevant stakeholders in the forthcoming election in Ondo to draw inspiration from the conduct of the Edo State election and improve on the wins recorded by not dropping the ball.

He urged them to refrain from any act that tended to undermine the integrity of the elections.

Atoye said that the group also advised young people not to allow themselves to be used as willing tools by politicians to disrupt the process.

He said that registered voters were encourage to come out and vote with their voter cards and to abide by all necessary election and COVID-19 related guidelines and safety protocols throughout the process.

He said that the coalition implored INEC to remain impartial and double-up in its efforts to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.

He said the group also called on relevant security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police Force, to ensure the safety of citizens and electoral materials.

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The President of NAS, Port Harcourt Chapter, Mr Ken Henshaw, made the assertion when the organisation held its 2020 free medical outreach programme to commemorate Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary for the residents of Rumuolumeni in Obiakpor Local Government Area in Rivers on Thursday.

Henshaw lamented that the current data released by United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on out-of-school children in the world which rated Nigeria the highest with 10.5 million children.
“This report shows that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, and we have a population of 180 to 200 million people with 10.5 million children without future, education or skill.

“The question is in the next 10 years, when Nigeria will be 70 years, where will these 10.5 million out-o-school children be, or what will they be doing; this tells you that insecurity in the country will be on the increase,” Henshaw said.

Also, he regretted that Nigeria at 60 had yet to get it right in education, health, security and poverty alleviation for its citizens as a country.

“Today, Nigeria is 60. We are looking back at 60 years of independence, the reality of the nation today is it commensurate with the hope and expectations that ushered us independence in 1960? The answer is no.

“What we have today is agitation for disintegration from different regions which threaten the nation’s unity,” he said.

The group donated medical equipment to the community health centre, held free medical care, health talk on colon cancer, COVID-19, and general health talk.

In his goodwill message, Eze Ndubeze Olumeni, the paramount ruler of the community, commended the group for its philanthropic services.

The monarch, who was represented by Chief Collins Wagba, described NAS’ gesture as worthwhile and called on other groups to emulate such humanitarian services rendered to the public by the group.

Mrs Felicia Oparali, Woman Leader, Rumuolumeni community, on behalf of the beneficiaries commended the group for it’s gesture.

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This is contained in a statement issued by Mr AbdulAziz Halliru Kafin-soli on Monday in Katsina.

“The caretaker committee should be given six months reconciliation period within which to reconcile all members who have been maligned by the current leadership of the party.

“The caretaker committee will then conduct credible congresses leading to the election of new leadership of the party in the state.

“This will give the teeming supporters of PDP in the state an opportunity to elect leaders of their choices at various levels to re-ensure confidence of our members.

“We also call on the National Working Committee to immediately order a forensic audit of the books of account of the party as we believed that no organisation can survive without accountability.

“The NWC should make available to all PDP members what was given to the party in terms of assistance over the years particularly during the 2019 elections.

“We call on the National Working Committee to act to save the party, as it is on its way to total destruction in the state,” he said.

The group alleged that majority of the members of the State’s Elders and Caucus Committees were not involved virtually in all the party activities during the 2019 general elections, which led to the party’s defeat.

“The woeful failure of PDP during the 2019 general elections in Katsina State was generally believed to have been caused by the shoddy manner the state Chairman, who is also the deputy gubernatorial candidate of the party handled the entire process,” he said.

However, the state PDP Chairman, Alhaji Salisu Majigiri, declined comments, as he refused to answer mobile phone calls or respond to SMS text message sent to him on the matter.

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The Director, Research and Production of the NGO, Dr Ahmad Jibrin-Sulaiman, disclosed this at a news conference in Kano on Friday.

He said the organisation found it necessary to enlighten the public on the successes of the administration in view of the negative way some agitators had been presenting the administration in bad light.

“If we look back to 2014 on a day like this, anybody who leaves his home is not sure of returning home alive due to the activities of Boko Haram terrorists.

“But today I can tell anybody who cares to listen that the Boko Haram had been decimated and is that not an achievement?,“ he asked.

Jibrin-Sulaiman, who is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the election of Buhari was the first time Nigerians irrespective of religious beliefs came together and elected the government in order to save the country from polarisation.

The lecturer also cited the various infrastructural development projects being executed by the Buhari administration, urging agitators to endeavour to highlight such aspects of developments instead of persistent blackmail.

“Even in the United States of America there is a limit to activism. National survival is always the focus of America but in Nigeria the reverse is the case.

According to him, the present administration under the leadership of Buhari should be commanded for its efforts to ensure steady fuel supply even during the Yuletide as there is availability of the products throughout the country during the period.

He cited as examples of some programmes and policies of the Buhari administration which had recorded remarkable success like N-power and the ongoing fight against corruption as well as the numbers of prosecutions on cases of corruption across the country.

He expressed optimism that the country would witness economic growth and development going by some of the policies of the Federal Government and the various infrastructural development projects such as rail lines and roads infrastructure.

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The President of the group, Dr Deborah Onokpono, made this known in an interview with our reporter on Wednesday in Calabar as part of efforts to sensitise people about sickle cell condition.

She said: “Sickle is a medical condition and not inflicted upon us by one spiritual force or deity, people are born with it and it is not contagious but inherited.’’

Onokpono said though we have what we call bone marrow transplant, which gives a patient a 50:50 survival chance, the condition had no cure yet.

She advised those who were about getting married to know their genotype and that of their spouses to be, as prevention was the best way to control sickle cell.

“Sickle cell is preventable if people with the AS genotype do not get married to spouses who also have the AS genotype,” she said.

She noted that the awareness is still low in Nigeria when you compare it to HIV and stigmatisation is high as the victims are seen as people who would die soon.

Similarly, a haematologist, Dr Ufon Esien, said the condition is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, so countries around this region should enhance the awareness of the condition amongst their citizens.

“Children with sickle cell normally had hand and foot syndrome, joint pains as they grew older, they may also have kidney problems, acute chest syndrome and even anaemia, these conditions were not curable but manageable,’’ the expert said.

Dr Esien however advised parents not to begin with analgesics that were highly addictive because the sickle cell patient may become addicted and that would take a difficult and long process to remedy.

Also, the President of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Cross River chapter, Dr Jacinta Okoi-Obuli, said they came to let people know that there was nothing to be ashamed of if someone had sickle cell.

“Sickle cell is not something to be ashamed of because we have doctors and other professionals who have the condition but have succeeded in different spheres of life,” she said.

She added that MWAN was partnering with different laboratories in the state, so, they could simply take blood samples of people that wanted to know their genotype and provide credible results.

She advised people who wanted to check their genotype to find out the credibility of the laboratory as there were many quacks around.

“We have cases where people have done their genotype in three different labs and have three different results and they go ahead to get married only to give birth to children with sickle cell,” she said.

She stated that the notion that love was blind was no longer tenable, and advised would be couples to endeavour to know their genotype to prevent a future of pain.

On his part, the President, Association of Resident Doctors, Cross River chapter, Dr Antigua Cobham, called on the Federal Government to invest in researches to discover a cure for sickle cell.

He noted that sickle cell was more in the tropics as Nigeria had the highest number of people living with sickle cell in the world while Cross River had the highest number of carriers in Nigeria.

“We must not always wait for the white man to carry out researches for us, this is more our problem now than theirs.

“Nigeria has the highest number of persons living with the condition in the world and Cross Rivers has the largest number of people with this problem in Nigeria,” he said.

Responding, Dr Inyang Achibong, the state Commissioner for Health, who was represented by Mrs Magdalene Nka, Director Medical Laboratory Services, Ministry of Health, said the state government was aware of the high rate of sickle cell in the state.

She said the idea of having a sickle cell centre in the state was not a bad one as such centre would subsidise the cost of the tests or even make it free.

“Now that the awareness is increasing, there could be policies made because looking at our policies, there is nothing specific about sickle cell, it is just general health, we can start looking into this as the awareness is growing,’’ she said.

She added that medical personnel should know that when they saw a carrier, they would have to give their all, both love and expertise, as the victims did not make themselves that way but were born into it.

It was reported that the world Sickle Cell Day is marked annually on June 19.

This year’s theme is “Sickle Cell: Past, Present and Future’’.

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