Osun shines at 124th National Black Business Conference in Atlanta, USA 2024

OSUN SHINES AT 124TH NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, USA 2024

Osun State and its Governor, Sen. Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke had received encomium from all walks of life, at the just concluded 124th National Black Business Conference held at Hilton Atlanta Hotel, Downtown Atlanta, United States of America (USA).

The State and Governor Adeleke, well represented by the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Rev. Bunmi Jenyo, used the opportunity of the conference, in session between 21st and 25th August 2024, to promote Osun economic potentials and the forthcoming Industrial Investment Summit.

The 124th Annual National Black Business Conference, with the Keynote Speaker and the 26th President of the Republic of Liberia, President Joseph Nyumah Boakai was attended by over 3,000 persons all through the USA and across the globe.

According to the Commissioner at the conference, “with the lofty initiatives of the government of Sen. Dr. Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, who is working assiduously for industrialization of Osun State, we are on the right track towards economic and industrial development which will translate to economic prosperity for the citizens and investors from across the globe”.

Pointing at the significance of the conference, the Commissioner said, “our Diaspora is a pathway to maximize our economic greatness. Africa can leverage on this strength as a fortress of enterprise across the continent and the world. The chances of success are higher if we leverage on the Diasporans’ capabilities in sectors such as Agriculture, Technology, Health, Education, Tourism, Mining, Manufacturing and Renewable Energy”.

“The State is also planning an Industrial Investment Summit aimed at bringing together leading Investors, Industries, Experts, Government Officials and Entrepreneurs to explore opportunities across Osun State’s five key pillars, Agriculture, Mining, ICT, Commerce and Tourism”, he added.

At the conference was the AU Ambassador to the USA, H.E Amb. Hilda Suka-Mafudze, Nigerian Member of House of Representatives in the Georgia Parliament, Ekiti-born Congressman Segun Adeyinka, the daughter of the late Chief MKO Abiola, Miss Hafsat Abiola and many prominent successful black businessmen, businesswomen across the world.

Osun shines at 124th National Black Business Conference in Atlanta, USA 2024

OSUN SHINES AT 124TH NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, USA 2024

Osun shines at 124th National Black Business Conference in Atlanta, USA 2024

OSUN SHINES AT 124TH NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, USA 2024

Osun shines at 124th National Black Business Conference in Atlanta, USA 2024

OSUN SHINES AT 124TH NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, USA 2024

Osun shines at 124th National Black Business Conference in Atlanta, USA 2024

OSUN SHINES AT 124TH NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, USA 2024

Osun shines at 124th National Black Business Conference in Atlanta, USA 2024

OSUN SHINES AT 124TH NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, USA 2024

Osun shines at 124th National Black Business Conference in Atlanta, USA 2024

OSUN SHINES AT 124TH NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, USA 2024

Professor Adolphus Odogun Loto: The story of a corrupt academic

PROFESSOR ADOLPHUS ODOGUN LOTO: THE STORY OF A CORRUPT ACADEMIC

Former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Ondo State, Prof Adolphus Odogun Loto has reportedly been fingered in different corrupt and anti-people acts in the University.

The former Deputy Vice Chancellor who was alleged to be involved in some unscrupulous acts which led to his removal from office, was said to have been going around castigating the current administration in the university under the leadership of the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi.

Findings revealed that Prof Loto was found culpable of different allegations leveled against him ranging from poor academic performance, poor handling of projects monitored by him and maladministration.

A deep search into the profile of Loto revealed that he was first appointed on sabbatical for one year at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo as an Associate Professor in the faculty of Dental Science and assumed duty on the 5th of April, 2018.

It was learnt that upon his request, his sabbatical was extended by six months till the 4th of October, 2019.

Before his appointment at the University, it was learnt that Prof. Loto’s last appointment was as a Senior Lecturer in the department of dentistry of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba, Lagos State.

Loto who started his career as an academic staff in 1993, it was gathered was not appointed Senior Lecturer till 2012 due to his low performance in academics and the highest level he attained in the university was that of a senior lecturer.

It was alleged that Prof. Loto held LASU to ransom for a couple of years, even as he refused to give up the keys to his office when he left the institution for a stint in the Middle East.

Despite being appointed a senior lecturer in 2012, it was gathered that Prof Loto could still not attain the next level which was that of a Reader/Associate Professor till he left for his sabbatical at UNIMED in 2017.

Further findings revealed that, as at February, 2024 Loto has only one article attributed to him on PUBMED (the International Medical and Health Publication Database) and his indexed article was published in 1998.

It was reliably gathered that Professor Loto first applied to UNIMED for appointment as a professor and was only recommended for Readership which
was what the university offered him on a sabbatical appointment in February 2018.

Keen observers within the academia noted that the circumstances that Professor Loto became appointed as a professor by UNIMED about 18
months after his first appointment as Associate Professor without any improved or increased research output was very strange, questionable and raises strong allegations of nepotism.

There were strong suspicions that the university was held at the jugular to appoint Loto as a Professor to secure accreditation for its dentistry programme, particularly due to his relationship with some power brokers in the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Nigeria.

It was alleged that in the last five years, Prof Loto has not had a single publication to his name nor won any research grant in UNIMED or throughout his entre academic career.

In the academic world today, any academic worth his salt is measured by research grants, in many universities even Graduate Assistants and Associate Lecturers get institutional grants of as low as N2,000,000:00 (Two Million
Naira).

However, it is laughable that a professor would leave his office at 4 pm and sit at his beer parlour
till quite late at night and be expected to be productive.

A source hinted that “Loto spend most of his time gloating over his imagined victories over Lagos State University College of Medicine and how he facilitated the removal of the King of his hometown while consuming bottles of stout and holding court over largely jobless and low-leve individuals.”

Loto who was first appointed as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration and Clinical Services) in UNIMED allegedly appointed his kinsmen and loyalists even though they did not have
the required knowledge about construction, which was the area they were appointed to.

He was alleged of complicity on different projects he supervised in the university including the Akinlaja building in the university.

Loto, according to findings had headed the Direct Labour Committee of the university where he supervised projects and also saddled with the responsibility of signing office checks
for payment and scrutinizing any approval given by the Vice-Chancellor as a form of checks and
balances.

As head of the Direct Labour Committee, Professor Loto allegedly undertook the completion of the
abandoned Honorable Akinlaja Constituency project and the Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation
Building and reportedly sidetracked all the professionals in the committee and recruited some of his loyalists even though they did not have the required knowledge about construction.

“Professor Loto is an individual who believes he knows more than everybody, he would on every occasion try to rubbish the expert advice given by Architects, Engineers and Quantity Surveyors. He would glibly state that as a Dentist what he does
is construction and he also uses the same materials as these professionals in the mouth.

“Akinlaja building was a monumental disaster, the plumbing has been a constant hel, and the tiles have begun to swel up. Almost all the doors in the building do not shut, it is a major outrage.

“Professor Loto recruited, selected and transported workers from Lagos and elsewhere outside Ondo
to do all the work on that building. The Medical Rehabilitation Building was also another unmitigated disaster.The roofing still leaks terribly till date, and the University was recently embarrassed at an
accreditation exercise where massive leakages of the in the presence of external accreditors and guests.Most of these were caused by the use of substandard materials in carrying out the construction of both facilities.

“To ease their operations the Bursary Department of the University requestedfor deployment of software for their operations. After due diligence and due process were followed by the University in
addition to studying the experience of other Universities using the software, the Governing Council approved the purchase of the software.

“Prior to the approval by the Governing Council, Professor Loto went around lobbying and requesting that the contract for the software be given to his son who
is a Software Engineer.

“Professor Loto was always a part of the procurement processes and well aware of the strides that the University has made over the last few years at ensuring that due process was followed. However,
due to some primordial sentiments and his unholy alliance with Mr. Oadipo Olalekan who has been on a crusade to become the Director of Procurement of the University. Before the administration of
Professor Adesegun Fatusi, the university had no procurement guidelines and the Chief Supply Officer, Mr Oladipo Olaekan, hijacked the process and annexed it to his office.

“He engaged in
several misconducts, which earned him queries, and at a time dared to even hijack a letter sent to the VC by a contractor and treated it. Such was the situation on the ground which made the VC decide to set up a procurement unit and not to let Mr Oalekan transit to the procurement despite
many letters he wrote the VC to that effect.Mr. Olalekan’s period in charge of procurement was rife with corrupt practices and the purchase of substandard items for the University.

If not for the
intervention of a highly placed political figure in Ondo State, Mr. Oladipo would have been dismissed from the services of the University for corrupt practices. It is laughable that Professor Loto with all
the “integrity” he claims has now decided to coronate Mr. Oladipo his special adviser on procurement
not remembering his antecedence. From investgations, Mr. Oladipo’s former place of employment,
the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology Okitipupa, it can be observed that he
has inconsistent work history where he was on CONTISS 8.

“On the 11th of November, 2021, the National Assocation of Nigerian Students picketed the Laje and
Odosida campuses of UNIMED. Professor Loto and the then Chief Security Officer of the University, Captain Harrison Akinfoyewa Rtd. and a Security Officer armed themselves with Pump Action Guns
and threatened to shoot at the NANS contingent that came to protest the increase in school fees by UNIMED. This was a highly irresponsible action by a DVC who allowed his sense of reason to be
beclouded by the eccentric CSO, who is his cousin, confidant and partner in crime. This irresponsible
behavior inflamed the NANS contingent and what should have been a peaceful engagement almost
turned into a violent protest.The Vice-Chancellor who was not around at the time of the incident was
inundated with complaints of the confrontational behavior of the duo from NANS when he later meet,” the source added.

It was gathered that a female junior staff wrote a petition against two very senior male staff of the university, alleging sexual harassment.

As an institution that has zero tolerance for such behaviour, it was learnt that the Vice Chancellor immediately set up a panel to investigate the matter and upon the submission of the report
to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Loto started making calls requesting to know why the report of the panel did not favour the petitioner.

Prior to the determination of the petition by the Governing Council, Professor Loto was alleged to have externalized the matter and tried to bring outside influence to bear on a matter that was before the Council, a situation which was said to be unethical.

It was learnt that Loto has always bragged with the name of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa whom he said is his cousin and thereby uses his name to foment dastardly acts.

UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital announces vacancy for the position of CMD

UNIOSUN TEACHING HOSPITAL ANNOUNCES VACANCY FOR THE POSITION OF CMD

The management of the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo has announced vacancy for the position of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital.

The Director of Administration of the hospital, Dr O. A Owolade announced the vacancy on behalf of the board and management of the teaching hospital.

The vacancy follows the completion of the tenure of the current CMD of the hospital, Prof Peter Babatunde Olaitan whose tenure ends in October this year.

According to the statement, prospective applicants are to submit 15 copies of their application letter and their credentials to the management of the hospital.

Also, applicants are to submit their vision statement for the next four years for the teaching hospital, even as they present names of three referees.

Interested applicants who are medical doctors with not less than 10 years cognate experience are advised to submit their application to the Director of Administration of the hospital on or before the 17th September 2024.

The application enclosed with other credentials, according to the statement is to be sent through courier to the teaching hospital.

British High Commission to play key roles in Osun Industrial Investment Summit in September

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION TO PLAY KEY ROLES IN OSUN INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT SUMMIT IN SEPTEMBER

The British High Commission, Lagos Nigeria has vowed to play major roles in the forthcoming Osun Industrial Investment Summit, slated for 10th to 14th September 2024, in Osogbo, Osun State Capital.

This was part of the discussion with the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Rev. Bunmi Jenyo at the Commission’s Victoria Island residence, recently.

The British High Commission led by its Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Jonny Baxter who received Rev. Jenyo in his residence, advised the organizers to allow the existing industries in the State to testify about the infrastructure, amenities and other potentials of the Osun, which can attract investors, across the globe, during the Summit.

Mr. Baxter also admonished that the Summit planners should make contact with the Nigerian Ambassador in London to examine ways by which a solid business partnership can be established in Britain.

The British Deputy High Commissioner also promised to hold a follow-up meeting with the Osun State Governor, Sen. (Dr.) Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke in Osogbo, come October 2024, to evaluate the outcome of the Summit and discuss further on his efforts to industrialize Osun State.

In his comments, Rev. Jenyo who enumerated some of the efforts of the State Government to host a resounding Industrial Investment Summit, stated that arrangements have been made to create a meeting point for business leaders across the globe, who will share their wealth of experience and expertise for mutual benefits of diverse investors and the State.

“The Summit will feature key world leaders who have graciously accepted to share their experiences and contribute to our industrial development efforts to accelerate the State’s industrial growth”, he added.

Also at the meeting from the British High Commission team was the Country Director, Department for Business and Trade, Mr. Mark Smithson, Deputy Country Director/Investment Officer, Ms. Morayo Adekunle and the Senior Political Adviser, Mr. Wale Adebajo.