Makinde applauds Akure people for boldness, honesty, others

• As Deji commiserates with gov over mother’s death
• Oyo lawmaker urges Buhari to set up youth employment benefits fund

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has described Akure people as some of the most upright, bold and honest individuals in Yoruba land and the nation at large.

He stated this yesterday when he received a delegation of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi Ogunlade Odundun II, who visited him in Ibadan, Oyo State, to commiserate with him on the death of his mother, Abigail Makinde.

The governor described his mother as a role model, whose dedication to work, uprightness, boldness and honesty represented the traits of Akure people.

A statement issued by Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying: “When you see an average Akure man or woman, you see courage and see people who are true to their words.”

Makinde said he was delighted over the visit and urged Akure people, the kingdom where his mother was born, to actively participate in her funeral, which he said, would hold in December.

He also commended the people of Akure for standing firm during the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State, adding that they had shown their readiness to produce the governor of the state.

However, we will continue to appeal to other divisions and senatorial districts to be on the same page with Akure,” Makinde said.

Leader of the delegation, the Asae of Akure Kingdom, Chief Sola Adegbonmire, described the governor’s mother as a worthy daughter of Akure Kingdom, adding that the Omoregie family, where the late Abigail hailed from, was a family of exceptional and wonderful people.

MEANWHILE, Vice Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Air Force, representative of Ibadan North-East and Ibadan South-East Federal Constituency, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently set up a Youth Unemployment Benefit Fund to assuage EndSARS protests across the country.

In a statement yesterday, Adigun said such funds were not only long overdue, but made expedient by the “quality of demands coming from the youths currently engaged in the #EndSARS protest across the country.”

Adigun, who is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker, suggested that the initiative should be funded with about two per cent of the proceeds accruing to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), especially now that the corporation was expected to run profitably with the removal of subsidy.

He said, “The tumult arising from the current nationwide protest, is not just against the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the police unit, but also about the long years of decay, which has left the youth neglected and uncared for by the government.”