The Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government, Lanre Oyegbola-Sodipo and his counterpart from the Abeokuta South Local Government, Afeez Balogun, have both declared plans to register not fewer than 8000 commercial motorcyclists operating in the two council areas for the Ogun State Health Insurance Scheme.

Oyegbola-Sodipo disclosed this on Tuesday at a joint press briefing with the Abeokuta South LG Chairman held at the press centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun State Council secretariat, Abeokuta

The LG boss explained that the initiative is in line with the commitment of Gov Dapo Abiodun to ensure that the people at the grassroots, especially the poorest of the poor in the informal sector of the economy, have unfettered access to qualitative healthcare services.

The council chairman disclosed that people who subscribe to this health care insurance scheme will get treatment for ailments ranging from Malaria, Typhoid, diabetes, and hypertension to even basic surgeries like hernia, appendicitis, among others.

He said that though other artisans and traders in the informal sector would also be captured for the exercise but the two local governments which fall within the Abeokuta metropolis are targeting the commercial motorcycle operators, given the risk they are exposed to daily, which could sometimes lead to accidents.

Oyegbola-Sodipo explained that “The Federal Road Safety Corps said that 45% of the accidents in the state are motorcycle-related, and when this happens, more often than not, the riders and the passengers are left on their own. Some may not have what it takes to get the required medical treatment.

“But with this health insurance scheme, the riders and the passengers are covered. They can easily get treated because the motorcycle riders have subscribed to the scheme.

“Each subscriber to this scheme will pay N300 daily for six days every week. The beauty of this is that even without being involved in any accident, you can always go to the nearest health facilities around you to access medical care if you have Malaria, Typhoid, Hypertension and even basic surgeries like hernia and appendicitis.”

He explained that, Contrary to misinformation making the rounds, this scheme does not, in any way, affect the daily ticketing system operated by the recognised Okada riders’ unions — ROMO, ACOMORAN, and AMORAN.

Oyegbola-Sodipo also said that participation in this insurance scheme is strictly voluntary, while no rider is under any obligation to subscribe, and no penalties exist for those who choose not to participate.

He noted that key stakeholders within the unions have also been fully carried along since November last year, while several meetings and engagements were held to explain the purpose, benefits, and operational details of the insurance scheme, ensuring full transparency and stakeholder buy-in before implementation.

Oyegbola-Sodipo also said that the exercise, which kicked off last week Thursday at the Abeokuta North Local Government, had already captured 900 motorcycle riders and that the plan is to bring on board about 8000 okada riders working in the two local governments.

Also speaking at the briefing, the Chairman of Abeokuta South, Afeez Balogun, said that 2000 elderly people have been registered for this health insurance scheme in both local governments, and they have continued to enjoy free health care services and which they have always appreciated.

He disclosed that his local government will also be starting the onboarding of the commercial motorcycle riders into the health insurance scheme on Wednesday.

Balogun said that the essence of this health insurance scheme is to provide a safety net for the people and ensure that their well-being does not suffer unnecessarily due to a lack of funds.

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Political party leaders in Kano State have signed a peace accord as part of measures to ensure peaceful and violence-free conduct during the upcoming by-election scheduled for Saturday, 16th August 2025.

According to a statement on Tuesday by the Public Relations Officer of Kano State Police Command, SP Abdullahi Haruna, the peace accord was signed during a stakeholders meeting held at the Command headquarters, Bompai on Tuesday.

“In preparation for the upcoming re-run election for Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency and Bye-election for Bagwai/Shanono State Constituency, scheduled to take place on Saturday, the 16th of August 2025, the Kano State Police Command convened a stakeholders meeting with the candidates and leaders of various political parties,  today, 12th August 2025.

“The meeting, which was held at the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Bompai Police Headquarters, Kano, was aimed at fostering peace, security, and adherence to electoral laws, both before and during the elections.

“During the meeting, a Peace Accord was signed by all parties in attendance, committing to a peaceful and violence-free conduct throughout the electoral process,” Haruna said.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, charged the stakeholders to adhere strictly to the terms of the peace accord and to carry out their campaigns and electoral activities within the ambit of the law, warning that any act of lawlessness or breach of peace would be met with swift and decisive action.

The commissioner assured the public of adequate security deployment during the elections to ensure a safe and secure environment for voters and political parties to participate actively in the process.

He urged all stakeholders to cooperate with security agencies to achieve a peaceful and successful election, adding that the command remains committed to maintaining law and order and ensuring the safety and security of lives and properties in the state.

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The Cross River State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed N642 billion as the State 2025 Supplementary Budget.

Recall that the Assembly had passed the 2025 Appropriation on December 24, 2024, with an approved budget size of N538bn tagged “Budget of Sustainable Growth”.

The supplementary budget, therefore, shows a variance of  26% increase over the originally approved budget.

The Lawmakers stated that the approval of the supplementary budget was necessitated by Governor Bassey Otu’s commitment to the infrastructural development of the 18 Local Government Areas of the State.

Chairman of the Assembly’s Finance and Appropriation Committee, Okon Owuna, who presented the report of his committee on Tuesday, stated that the supplementary budget became necessary to accommodate several critical expenditures that were not originally captured in the 2025 budget.

Owuna said, “The key factors necessitating the supplementary budget include new obligations and emergency spending not captured in the original budget, recently approved strategic programmes requiring immediate financial backing and improved outlook from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), internal grants and allocations from FAAC.

“These developments have provided the fiscal space to introduce additional expenditure across critical sectors.”

The Lawmaker informed that the supplementary budget introduced an upward adjustment across sectors like Administration, Economic, Law and Justice, Regional and Social, adding that the budget will be financed from IGR, Aids and Grants and Federal Account Allocation Committee.

Owuna also commended the State Government for adhering to the Constitution, stressing that, “It is with great joy that we observed that the Senator Bassey Edet Otu-led administration has brought us to the landscape of passing a supplementary budget as contemplated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered).

“In the past, the House was faced with the downward review of each year’s budget, resulting in amendment of the Appropriation Law instead of passing a Supplementary Appropriation Law”, he emphasised.

In his reaction, the Speaker of the Assembly, Elvert Ayambem, reiterated that the supplementary budget is for the welfare of citizens, adding that projects in all the Local Government Areas have been duly captured to transform the State.

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