General
IBEDC Tasks Commercial Motorists on Domestic Safety Rules
By Dipo Olowookere
Commercial motorists in Oyo State have been advised to adhere strictly to domestic safety rules to avoid electrical hazards.
This advice was given by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in commemoration of the 2021 World Safety and Health Day.
The Chief Operating Officer of IBEDC, Mr John Ayodele, while speaking at a programme held for commercial drivers in Ibadan tagged Domestic Safety Sensitisation, stressed the need to think about safety first, make it a priority and realise that safety is very important in all the franchise areas of IBEDC.
Mr Ayodele, who was represented at the event held at Egbeda Interstates Motor Park on Wednesday by Mr Victor Ojelabi, stated that, “We are not only just distributing power, we also think of the safety of our customers, we want everyone to handle electricity with safety in mind.”
“IBEDC will roll out more programmes in all its franchise areas to ensure that people adhere to safety regulations,” he added.
The energy expert commended the motorists, stating that “the park management system in Oyo State has been a good collaborator and partner with us in ensuring the message of safety.”
“We partner with them so that they don’t park their vehicles under high tension wires and also ensure that they educate their members, and they have been doing a good job on that.
“The chairman had been very helpful and cooperative hence the need to reiterate the messages as we commemorate 2021 World Safety and Health Day,” he also said.
In his lecture, the Head of Safety Unit at IBEDC, Mr Biodun Dirisu, charged participants on ensuring that they engaged competent and licensed electrical contractors for building wiring and installations and also used quality materials.
He urged commercial motorists to ensure they obey traffic rules and not over speed to avoid hitting electricity poles and other infrastructure while driving.
In his remarks, the Deputy Branch Chairman, Egbeda Interstates Unit, Pastor Timothy Alhazan, appreciated the efforts of IBEDC at sensitizing motorists on safety.
“Safety starts from us. We appreciate the fact that the awareness was brought to us as it is not many people that will know about safety tips on radio or television.
“We will take the message home and we will ensure we put safety tips into use as we go about our daily routine,” Mr Alhazan said.
Also, a youth leader in Egbeda, Deacon Omoniyi Adegbite, commended the state government for providing platforms for collaboration from both the public and private sectors.
The event featured awareness creation on safety issues to commuters, motorists and traders in Egbeda Interstates park and an award presentation to Chairman Park Management System in Oyo State.
Earlier, IBEDC, during a courtesy visit to Oyo State Advertising Agency, had urged the body to ensure compliance with safety standards from advertisers who register with the state.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A former Chief of General Staff, General Oladipo Diya (rtd), has been reported death by his family.
The late military officer was the second-in-command to the late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha, from 1993 to 1997, when he was arrested for an alleged treason.
In a statement, Mr Oyesinmilola Diya said the former Military Governor of Ogun State died in the early hours of Sunday, March 26, 2023.
However, he did not disclose if the 79-year-old Odogbolu, Ogun State-born army general suffered from any illness before his demise.
In the statement, he only stated that further announcements would be made public in due course.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government of Nigeria has assured that it is ready to fulfil the Paris Agreement on Climate Change to ensure effective gender inclusion.
This was disclosed by Mr Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, during the inauguration and inception workshop of the project in Abuja tagged The Nigeria Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT), Just and Gender Inclusive Transition (JGIT) Project.
The project is aimed at helping countries to better assess the impacts of their climate policies and actions and fulfil their transparency commitments.
Mr Ngige said the objective of the inception meeting was to launch the ICAT Just Transition project and increase awareness among the national stakeholders for a better understanding of its implementation.
He said that ICAT, an International multi-stakeholder partnership of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), was supporting Nigeria in setting up Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) of a Just and Gender Inclusive Transition(JGIT).
The minister, represented by Ms Daju Kachollom, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said Nigeria had signed a Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with the UNOPS, represented by the ICAT management.
According to him, the PCA is to firm up the process leading to the take-off and implementation of the project over a 12 months period.
“The objectives of the project, among others, include developing JGIT monitoring and MRV and ensuring it links with the sectoral MRV system.
“Another objective is to Enhance Transparency Framework (ETF) implemented by the Federal Ministry of Environment to achieve synergy, institutional memory, and stakeholder inclusion and cooperation.
“It will further enable a tripartite cooperation between government, labour, and employer associations to achieve a Just and Gender Inclusive Transition going forward with the implementation of the Paris agreement,” he said.
The minister said that the ICAT project would be implemented by a team of national experts and international ICAT consultants under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
On his part, Dr Yerima Tarfa, ICAT, JGIT Project Team Lead, said the initiative would help to increase the overall transparency capacities of countries and assess the contribution of policies and development objectives.
According to him, this is by providing appropriate methodological information and tools to support evidence–based policymaking.
Dr Tarfa noted that Nigeria was the largest economy and leading oil producer, and most populous in Africa.
“It faces the unique challenge of having to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and increasingly, coal) while responding to the unmet energy needs of its growing population.
“Nonetheless, Nigeria is turning this challenge into an opportunity by increasing the use of renewable energy, reducing its carbon footprints, and eliminating gas flaring.
“Nigeria’s National Determined Contributions (NDCs) is committed to a 20 per cent emission reduction by 2030 unconditionally and 45 per cent conditional, with focus on power and electricity, oil and gas,” he said.
The team lead said the highlights of the NDCs include ending gas flaring by 2030 and a 30 per cent energy efficiency level by 2030.
He said the inauguration of the inception workshop would provide the opportunity to create awareness and build a national cross-knowledge sharing that would provide a platform for key stakeholders to facilitate the implementation of the Nigeria ICAT JGIT Project.
He added that this would further set up an MRV of Just and Gender Inclusive Transition and its Roadmap for implementation in Nigeria.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An appeal court sitting in Abuja on Friday upturned the judgment of the Osun governorship election tribunal, which removed Mr Ademola Adeleke as Governor of Osun State.
In January, the tribunal declared the former Governor of the state, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, as the authentic winner of the 2022 governorship election in the state.
While Mr Adeleke contested for the position under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Oyetola flew the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Adeleke was declared winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but Mr Oyetola, who contested as a sitting governor, approached the tribunal to dislodge the winner.
He argued that Mr Adeleke won through an electoral fraud, over-voting and his prayers were answered, as the tribunal upturned INEC’s decision and declared him the winner.
However, Governor Adeleke appealed the judgement and today, a three-member panel of justices held that the election tribunal erred when it ruled that Mr Oyetola and the APC proved their allegation of over-voting.
The appellate court held that Mr Adeleke was validly elected as the governor of Osun State and restored his mandate.
