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The Ondo State Government has stated that it was necessary to restore the dignity of Owo’s culture by destroying the memorial park constructed in Owo in honor of the victims of the massacre at Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church on June 5, 2022.

In response to the Catholic Church’s position on the matter, it made this known in a statement signed by Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, the governor’s chief press secretary.

According to the state government, the key to the response was to correct the church’s statements.

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The Catholic Diocese of Ondo has condemned the demolition of the Memorial Park in Owo in memory of the victims of the massacre at the Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church on June 5, 2022.

The statement said in part that it was necessary to restore Owo’s cultural dignity and the site’s original purpose. Following thorough consultation with the Olowo-in-Council’s Owo-in-Council representatives, this was done.

AgroMore Limited (of No. 10) was the first to control the land for the Memorial Park. Before he became the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye owned the business 1, Oke Ogun Street, Owo. The Olusegun Mimiko administration deposed the land in 2010 to make way for road dualization. The land was re-allocated to AgroMore Limited, the land’s previous owner, in January 2021 by the (Oluwarotimi) Akeredolu administration. ”

There was no record of an official revocation of the land from AgroMore at the time of the cenotaph, according to the statement, adding that the state government later realized the errors made when the land was taken over for the construction of the cenotaph.

There have also been protests by various Owo residents against the location of the memorial park, which is said to be against the culture of the land, which is located in the town and in front of the palace. ”

It was built in the style of a cemetery, complete with insignia of the dead and inscriptions of the names of all the victims, even though there were no bodies buried there. It stated that Olowo-in-Council and Owo people were against and detested as taboo.

Further, it added that Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the former governor’s tragic death, had been the subject of ongoing discussions between the palace and the state government regarding the possibility of moving the park.

Bishop Arogundade’s statement, however, did not mention that the Catholic Diocese had never sought engagement with the state government in an effort to slam the protests against them. ”

Prior to the tragic passing of the former governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, there had been ongoing discussions between the Palace of the Olowo and the state government regarding the possibility of moving the Memorial Park.

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Some former government officials jumped to the finish line of the cenotaph, which was never completed, claiming that some of the former’s leaders had benefited from Akeredolu’s (due to ill health) delaying those discussions.

The Olowo-in-Council and the government engaged in a conversation after Governor Aiyedatiwa took office, according to the statement.

The state government made the decision to reverse the incorrect revocation of the land and give it back to its original owner, the Olowo of Owo, after an agreement was reached with the Palace of the Olowo regarding the cenotaph’s relocation. Therefore, the state government authorised the demolition of the cenotaph, and it was Olowo of Owo and AgroMore Limited, the land’s owners who were the ones who were the ones who were the rightful owners. ”

A team of government officials has been assigned to coordinate with relevant stakeholders to arrange the construction of a new cenotaph in an area that is respectful to the Owo people, according to Governor Aiyedatiwa.

In a statement, the Catholic diocese, Most Rev. Most Rev., the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, signed. Arogundade’s daughter, Jude, was upset about what had happened.

The demolition was deemed a “violation of our shared respect for the dignity of life and the memory of the “41 brothers and sisters who were unjustly murdered” on June 2, 2022, according to the statement.

At the request of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, Vice President Kashim Shettima has flown from Abuja, Nigeria, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit.

Shettima will take part in the official launch of Ethiopia’s flagship Green Legacy Programme, a statement from his spokesman Stanley Nkwocha during the visit.

The planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period is a goal of the program, which is intended to combat deforestation, increase biodiversity, and reduce climate change’s negative effects.

The Vice President will also take a strategic tour of important industrialized regions and integrated agricultural facilities in some of Ethiopia to further strengthen bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development.

The statement read, “These include the Adama Industrial Zone, Mojo Poultry Farm, Shera Dibandiba Mojo Family Integrated Farm, Lume Avocado Nursery Site, and Bishoftu Pea Youth Farm.”

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The Ethiopian prime minister will host Shettima and his entourage for a dinner at the National Palace, the statement states, strengthening the country’s long-standing diplomatic and cooperative relationship.

Ethiopia and Nigeria have a rich history of bilateral cooperation, with notable examples of regional peacekeeping, and economic cooperation.

On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu announced that he had authorized a personnel audit and skills gap analysis for the entire Federal Civil Service to increase the federal workforce’s capacity.

At the Federal Capital Territory’s Abuja, Tinubu made the disclosure at the International Civil Service Conference.

The President claimed that the right people were needed to fill the appropriate roles in Nigeria in order to ensure the high-performance culture it deserved.

Therefore, he urged the relevant stakeholders to make sure the exercise was finished as soon as possible so that the targeted reforms could be implemented and the full benefits of improving the civil service could be realized.

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By putting the right people in the right roles, “we can only guarantee the high-performance culture our country deserves.”

To increase capacity, I have authorized a thorough personnel audit and skill gap analysis for the Federal Civil Service.

“I urge all accountable stakeholders to prioritize the successful completion of this crucial exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, and to realize the full benefits of a more agile, competent, and responsive civil service,” he said.

He claims that the civil service is essential to the delivery of the renewed hope agenda and that the role of civil servants is crucial.

He claimed that the new minimum wage, the associated salary adjustments resulting from the new minimum wage, and the Pension Bond Scheme’s approval, among other things, were policies that reflected the commitment of his administration to the workforce.

In order to meet the demands of both the present and future, Tinubu argued that innovation was necessary to make the Nigerian civil service more globally competitive.

He claimed that every reform his administration pursues is fueled solely by accurate, reliable data, which he called the “new oil.”

“Data is the new oil, and the value of it rises as more it is refined and responsibly shared,” explains the statement. Therefore, I instruct all ministries, extra-ministerial departments, and agencies to rigorously capture information, comply with the Nigerian Data Protection Act of 2023, make it available for public use, and adhere to the highest standards for privacy and data protection, the President continued.

He added that Nigeria was unwaveringly committed to partnerships that went beyond national borders to advance technology and promote civil service as a beacon of hope and progress for all countries.

Rejuvenate, Innovate, and Accelerate, the first conference with the theme, “is timely, apt, and compelling. It embodies our shared desire to reimagine and reposition the civil service.

Innovation is still essential to maintaining the civil service’s dynamic, digital, ethical, and global competitiveness in today’s fast-paced, constantly evolving world of technology. He continued, “An innovative civil service ensures that we meet today’s needs and overcome the challenges of tomorrow.”

In order to honor the late scholar, former Oyo governor Victor Olunloyo has been buried under the new name Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan.

Olunloyo served as governor of Oyo State between October 1 and December 31, 1983, while Olunloyo, who passed away on April 6, 2025, was the polytechnic’s founding principal.

At the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty Road, Ibadan, the governor made the announcement at the state interdenominational funeral service held in honor of the late former governor on Thursday.

The governor said, “I discussed digitalizing and preserving his library yesterday in honor of Baba Olunloyo.”

“Today, we’re going to honor Baba in order to make him immortal.” He was the Polytechnic’s first Principal in Ibadan, which will now go by the name Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan.

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An “Enduring Footprint”

Yesterday, the Oyo State government held a Lying-in-State and Executive Session in honor of former governor of Oyo State, His Excellency Dr. Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo. pic. https://twitter.com/qojY8ndfg1

Olunloyo was a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture, and a man of great convictions, according to Makinde, who described his life as eventful and his accomplishments and personality as cannot be summarized in one word.

He asserted that Baba left a lasting impression on both Nigeria and Oyo State.

We could sum up his character in one sentence. He was a scholar, a politician, a technocrat, a lover of culture, and, most importantly, a man of great convictions.

“Baba Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, who was delivering the exhortation, said that Baba became governor of Oyo State in 1983. Although his brief presidency was a testament to the trust he received from the electorate, his victory over a well-known incumbent is still powerful.

A retired Methodist Archbishop of Ilesa and Ibadan, Ayo Ladigbolu, earlier in his sermon, referred to the late Olunloyo as a role model with intellectual inspiration and unwavering integrity who led the most exemplary leadership in his lifetime.

The deputy governor of Oyo State, Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal, wife of a former military governor of the old Oyo State, Mutiat Ladoja, former deputy governor and deputy national chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, and former deputy governor Hazeem Gbolarumi were present at the event.

Other dignitaries included those representing the Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency, Abass Agboworin, Segun Ogunwuyi, Oyo State Exco Members, Saka Balogun, Chairman of All Local Government Chairmen (ALGON), Adeniyi Ajewole, President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Adeniyi Ajewole, religious leaders, and