Gov Makinde: We’ll Support, Digitise Olunloyo’s Library

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June 26, 2025
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•As Govt holds executive session in honour of late ex-gov

Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Wednesday declared the state government would preserve and digitise the library of a late former governor of the state, Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo, and make it a tourist attraction centre.

Governor Makinde who described the library as a treasure trove of knowledge capable of offering solutions to numerous challenges facing the country, said preserving the library is one of the ways of immortalising Dr Olunlolyo, who was the second elected governor of the old Oyo State comprising present day Oyo and Osun states.

The governor stated this while paying his last respect to the late Dr Olunloyo, at the lying -in-state and executive session organised in his honour by the state government and held at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.

He added the state government would also commission the Omololu Olunloyo Leisure Park at Alakia-Airport Area of Ibadan, which was named after the revered statesman in 2023.

Recall that the state government equally named the 3 km Airport Road after the former governor.

Makinde eulogised the late former governor for being one of his go-to persons on how to solve the problems of the state.

He added that exploring the tourism potential of the library would also align with his administration’s focus on tourism development.

He said: “I have lost a partner. Sometimes, he would tell me how some problems were solved before my time in the state. When people look at me and wonder how come Oyo State is so peaceful during my tenure, they don’t know that I go to these leaders and they analyse things for me and leave me to take the best decisions for the state.

“We must give honour to whom it is due. This event is important; it is an avenue for us to give a befitting passage to an individual who gave a good part of his life to serve this state and country.

“There are two things I need to let this gathering know. One is the fact that the Omololu Olunloyo Park is ready for commissioning and we will open it soon. Two, in most of my discussions with Baba, there was no way we would talk and wouldn’t get to the issue of his library.

“So, I am making a public announcement now that the state would support the family to preserve and digitise that library.

“It is a library where we can practically find solutions to a whole lot of challenges we are still faced with currently. We must preserve the library and ensure that when people visit Oyo State, the library becomes a tourist centre that we can showcase.”

Also speaking, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barr. Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal, described Dr Olunloyo as a towering intellectual with a strong commitment to public service.

He said: “Today is a day of reflection on the life and time of Dr Omololu Olunloyo. Today does not call for grief, sorrow or lamentation.

“In reflecting, we must put into perspective his contributions to life, our society and the world at large.

“He was a towering intellectual who had a strong commitment to public service. He served our state at the highest level with distinction and rare brilliance.

“We believe that he has left enough for us to tap into in order for us to make a good life. We have lost a colossus whose footprint would remain etched on the sands of time.”

Speaking on behalf of the Olunloyo family, the first child of the deceased, Mrs Oluyemi Olunloyo-Buckner, described her late father as a politician of a rare genius and an exceptionally brilliant statesman whose contribution to Oyo State was huge.

She added that he was a man that gave his children identity, heritage and love.

Also in their separate orations, the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Iyabo Yerima and the Acting Rector, The Polytechnic Ibadan, Dr. Taiwo Lasisi, described Olunloyo as an embodiment of brilliance, with a profound commitment to public service.

The event had in attendance the wife of a former governor of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs.) Mutiat Ladoja; a former Deputy Governor and PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; former deputy governor, Barr. Hazeem Gbolarumi; former Minister of Trades and Investment, Chief (Mrs.) Onikepo Akande, CON, as well as Chairman and Co-Chairman of Oyo State Elders’ Council, Dr Saka Balogun and Elder Wole Oyelese.

Other government functionaries in attendance were the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Olanike Adeyemo; Oyo State Exco Members; service commanders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and family members, among other dignitaries.

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August 30, 2025
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Buckle Up That Child

Eighteen years ago, I was privileged to travel to Cape Town, South Africa. It wasn’t my first trip but my second, having earlier visited Pretoria. Both trips were sponsored. In naija parlance, we call it awoof (free gift) The trip was an eye opener on concrete and enduring interventions to protect lives, especially of children.

The trip to Cape Town in South Africa was for a training programme that also involved a tour of some neighborhoods to assess the effectiveness of specific interventions. During one of such tours, I saw volunteers provide traffic calming measures to protect black kids in a black neighborhood in Gordon’s Bay.

These volunteers refused to sit on the fence, but rather took a stand to protect the group we all call the leaders of tomorrow. Back home, the reverse is the case as we leave everything to God, instead of taking a stand to protect children whose birth we all gladly celebrate with so much partying.

As a parent or guardian, do you know of the provisions of section 58(4) of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2004 which makes it mandatory for all occupants of a vehicle to use a seatbelt for their safety? Do you know that this provision covers children, also?

Whenever, I focus on the dangerous trend of transporting children wrongly, I reflect on what obtains in developed clime where a new born child must be transported in the appropriate car seat from the first day. I therefore, rhetorically ask readers if they are parents or guardians because of the increasing unsafe practices by parents and guardians especially women or better still, mothers which to me is ironic and strange.

Daily, I see mothers especially during school ‘runs’ carrying children under twelve years in the front passenger seat, and sometimes two children of that age are dumbed in the front seat. To further complicate this risk driving behavior, the mother adds this dangerous transportation of their precious children by also using their phone which distracts and impairs.

Whenever I stress these questions, I merely seek to challenge your consciousness to the dangers we expose our children to, despite our claim that we love and cherish them so much. Most of us who have heeded the Federal Road Safety Corps’ call to use seat belts, unfortunately do not see any sense in protecting our children while driving by strapping them.

Some lap them. Others leave them unattended in moving vehicles. Some claim strapping these kids in a car seat is alien. This group maintains that strapping children in a car is meant for the white man, not a black man. Some say it is meant for the rich and wealthy while for some, it is a status symbol habit for those striving to flaunt their class.

For some others, the cost for a car seat is high even though the cheapest among the cars they drive cost at least five million naira. Other cars go for as high as sixty or hundreds of million naira, compared to car seats whose cost can’t even buy the tyres for these cars. Even if car seats were as expensive as tyres, would that be too much for the protection of the life of God’s precious gift?

Yet, these same parents would not mind hanging out with friends and business partners to spend thousands on drinks, pepper soup and other extras. The female ones would prefer spending thousands or millions of naira on designer shoes and bags, but not on the safety of their children. These self-centered choices that parents make, to me, are absurd, to say the least.

I believe that Child safety should remain the passion of every parent, including would-be parents. It has been over fifteen years since the Federal Road Safety Corps came up with the seat belt driving culture novelty. Yet, a greater percentage of parents and guardians don’t care about child safety. Daily, these children, whether in school buses or family vehicles, are transported without any iota of safety.

Over the years, Child Passenger Safety campaign themes such as, “Don’t kill the Child, Kill the Bad habit” aimed at raising safety awareness on children’s safety were born. This is because, Road safety crisis is the leading cause of preventable death; the 3rd largest cause of disabilities.

It is the 2nd largest cause of death after Aids/HIV in Africa. In the same Africa, there is generally no costing data making the cost of crashes difficult to estimate except for a few countries. A study has shown that 10percent of global road deaths occurred in Africa though only 4percent of world’s registered vehicles are in the continent.

This study posits that if reporting of road crashes were to improve, the road crash index in the Continent will be different as it most likely would show more deaths. South Africa and Nigeria, according to this study, account for most of the reported deaths.

These deaths, according to the study, are caused mostly by human error, and vehicle factors that include the following; over speeding, dangerous overtaking, alcohol and drug abuse, negligence of drivers, poor driving standards and overloaded people or goods vehicles. Others include poor tyre maintenance, burst tyre, bad roads and hilly terrain, negligence of pedestrians, distraction of drivers by passengers as well as cell phone use among others.

For emphasis again, road traffic injuries alone are the leading cause of death among children 15-19 years and the second leading cause among 10-14 years old. These injuries are not inevitable. They are preventable. Ironically most parents are not concerned, going by their actions behind the wheels. Signs of these concerns are legion.

Sometimes, I wonder if most parents are conversant with the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by our government. Or the Child’s Right Act (CRA) of 2003, also designed to protect children’s rights in Nigeria which aligns with the UN Conventions on the Right of the Child.

These Acts simply state that children have a right to a safe environment, and to protection from injury and violence. They stress the responsibilities of society to protect children (from birth up to the age of 18years). For another emphasis, even the 2000 United Nations Millennium Development Goals resolution sets as its fourth goal the need to reduce by two thirds the mortality rates of children under the age of 5 years.

Also, the United Nations General Assembly, 2002, “A World Fit for Children” document, set out a number of health goals for children. One of such goals which is specific to injuries calls on all Member States to, “reduce child injuries due to accidents or other causes through the development and implantation of appropriate measures.” Annually, the WHO and UNICEF call for greatly expanded global efforts to prevent child injury.

In addition, the WHO/UNICEF World report on Child injury prevention, reminds us yearly that every day around the world, hundreds of families are torn apart by the loss of a child to an unintentional injury or so-called “accidents” that could have been prevented, lamenting that children’s injuries have been neglected for many years.

Children’s maturity and their interest and needs differ from adults, the report further stated. Therefore; simply reproducing injury prevention strategies that are relevant to adults does not adequately protect children, it warned. The report affirmed that there are proven interventions such as child seats which is the trust of this piece.

Others include, cycling helmets, child- resistant packaging for medications, fencing around swimming pools, hot water tap temperature regulations and window guards, to name a few. The above is proof that children, your children rank high in the vulnerable user graph?

In countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America, for instance, the authorities are concerned by the need to protect vulnerable road users, particularly children. Parents, especially mothers, should show greater restraint in the unsafe practices they indulge in while conveying children.

Motor crashes remain the leading cause of unintentional injury related deaths among children ages 14 and under. However, the wearing of seatbelts could prevent many of these deaths and serious injuries. Thus, over the last 25 years, it is conservatively estimated that in highly motorized countries about 310,000 fatalities and more than million moderate to critical injuries have been prevented through wearing of seatbelts (car restraints) especially for children.

The post Buckle Up That Child appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

Eighteen years ago, I was privileged to travel to Cape Town, South Africa. It wasn’t my first trip but my second, having earlier visited Pretoria. Both trips were sponsored. In
The post Buckle Up That Child appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

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August 29, 2025
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Calm Returns After Police, Youths Clash in Lagos Community

The Police Command in Lagos State has said it has begun an investigation into a clash between some youths and some police officers at Elemoro in the Lekki area of the state.

The command Spokesman, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed this in a statement on Friday in Lagos, said that the incident occurred in Onosa community in the Elemoro area.

“Today August 29, six officers from Elemoro Division while on routine patrol encountered an irate mob.

“In the course of ensuring their own safety, the officers used their firearms, resulting in three individuals sustaining injuries.

“The injured persons were taken to hospital for medical attention, ” he said.

The spokesperson said that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, promptly responded to the incident by personally leading a detachment of officers to the scene.

“The swift intervention led to the removal of all barricades, restoring the free-flow of traffic in the area.

“CP Jimoh also visited the Onosa community and engaged with youth and community leaders in the area to de-escalate tension and embrace peace.

“He extended an invitation to the youth leaders for continued dialogue to address concerns and prevent future occurrences, ” Hundeyin said.

The image maker said that the officers involved in the shooting had been taken into custody as investigations into the incident had begun.

“The command is committed to a thorough and transparent inquiry to establish the facts surrounding the event.

“Normalcy has been restored to the area and significant police presence remain in place to ensure the sustenance of the restored peace and order, ” he said.

Hundeyin urged residents to remain calm, cooperate with law enforcement agencies, and refrain from actions that could disrupt public peace.

According to him, further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses. (NAN)

The post Calm Returns After Police, Youths Clash in Lagos Community appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

The Police Command in Lagos State has said it has begun an investigation into a clash between some youths and some police officers at Elemoro in the Lekki area of
The post Calm Returns After Police, Youths Clash in Lagos Community appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

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