THE TRUEREPORTERS

Rock Blasting: Another Estate in Uluyagbo Tense, Landlords Summon Dortmund and Company Over Destruction Fears. AKURE, Nigeria – A palpable sense of fear has gripped residents of the Better Days Estate in Uluyagbo, off Igbatoro road following recent operational activities by Dortmund and Company which residents claim are endangering their properties. The escalating tension has prompted the Better Days Estate Landlords' Association to formally summon the company to an emergency meeting to address the growing concerns. In a statement made available to newsmen through Mr. Adekunle Asogbon, a homeowner in the estate said the company's recent use of heavy dynamites for rock blasting within the community, reportedly caused significant ground shifting across the community and wreckage to properties. "The whole house shakes". "Cracks have started appearing on my fence, and many of us are now living in constant fear that our homes, our biggest investments, could be irrepar...

Use Your Books And Leave It For Your Junior- State Government Affirms. To re-accredit schools, sanction illegal ones . Bans underage admissions, graduation for Nursery Pupils and JSS 3 students. To reposition the education sector of the state to its former enviable pedigree, the Ondo State Ministry of Education has made some critical decisions to sanitize private school operations and activities in the state.  Part of these decisions includes the prohibition of illegal and unregistered schools, the banning of graduation ceremonies for nursery schools and JSS 3 classes, and the re-accreditation of all private schools for quality assurance. This message was conveyed to the private school owners in the state during a stakeholders' meeting with all proprietors and proprietress in the 18 Local Government Areas. Speaking at the meeting, the Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, noted that the state government is poised to reposition t...

Escalating Tension : Dortmund and Company Limited Boycotts State Government Invitation. Dortmund and Company Limited has declined an invitation from the state government through the ministry of environment to present rock blasting and crushing permits issued to the company in order to determine the environmental impacts of their operations and mitigation efforts in an effort to quench the escalating tension in the Uluyagbo community. The company was invited to attend a peace meeting aimed at addressing longstanding tensions between the firm and the Uluyagbo community. The meeting, scheduled for , was intended to bring all parties to the table for dialogue and reconciliation. The state ministry of environment, however, has expressed disappointment over the company’s action. A senior government official described the boycott as a setback to ongoing peace efforts, warning that the refusal to engage could deepen mistrust and prolong the conflict. The official reiterated the government’s co...

BREAKING : Rufus Giwa Polytechnic to Host New CNG Conversion Centre OWO, ONDO STATE – The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Southwest Zone, has announced the establishment of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion Centre at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo. The project, set to be commissioned next month, aims to drive technical innovation and provide students with practical skills in sustainable energy. The initiative is sponsored by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Ondo State Governor on Student Affairs, Hon. Kevin Solomon Olaolu. According to NAPS, the project aligns with the Federal Government's "Renewed Hope Agenda" and promotes the transition to green energy within Nigerian tertiary institutions. Comr. Obasanya Monday Johnson, the NAPS Southwest Zonal Coordinator, stated that the centre is a key part of his agenda to ensure polytechnic students graduate with practical skills in addition to their academic certificates. "This initiative ...

State Government Launches New Round of Free Hepatitis B Treatment With Focus On Follow-Up Care AKURE, NIGERIA– The Ondo State Government has announced a new initiative to provide free treatment for residents living with Hepatitis B, a move aimed at curbing the prevalence of the viral infection in the state. A key component of this new phase is the dedicated follow-up care for patients who have received treatment in previous government-sponsored health programs. This comprehensive approach seeks to address the chronic nature of Hepatitis B, which requires long-term management to prevent severe liver complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. By ensuring continued access to medical supervision and necessary medications, the government aims to improve long-term health outcomes for affected individuals and reduce the overall public health burden. With a Hepatitis B prevalence rate of 5.4% in Ondo State, which is significant within the national context, this initiative represents ...

State Bans Nursery and JSS Graduation Parties, Restricts Yearly Textbook Changes The Imo State Government has banned graduation parties for nursery and Junior Secondary School (JSS3) students in a bid to ease financial pressure on parents and focus attention on academics. Commissioner for Education, Prof. Bernard Ikegwuoha, announced the policy in a memo dated August 15, 2025, addressed to parents, guardians, and school proprietors. The directive, effective immediately, allows graduation ceremonies only for Primary 6 and Senior Secondary School 3 (SSS3) students, in line with Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 education system. “The Ministry is committed to providing quality and functional education to all students in the state,” the Commissioner said. “Graduation ceremonies and parties for Kindergarten, Nursery, and JSS3 students are hereby abolished. This policy ensures focus on academic achievements at the completion of primary and secondary education cycles.” Ikegwuoha also addressed the yearly cha...

After Days of Backlash: Dortmund and Company Limited Sends Emissaries to Uluyagbo Amidst Blasting Complain. ULUYAGBO — Following several days of intense public outcry and protests from residents of the Uluyagbo community, Dortmund and Company Limited has dispatched a team of emissaries to engage directly with the community leaders and affected locals. The move is seen as an attempt to de-escalate rising tensions over the company's extensive blasting operations in the area. The decision to initiate discussion comes after community members rose strongly against his operations within the community, voicing strong opposition to the continuous blasting, citing significant damage to their properties and a severe disruption to their daily lives. Grievances include cracked building walls, excessive noise pollution, other environmental hazards and growing fears for the safety of children and the elderly. Speaking on phone to newsmen on the remedial measures by the Dortmund company after the...

COALITION HAILS THE COMPULSORY LEAVE HANDED TO UNIMED'S BURSAR The Coalition of Ondo Indigenes against corruption, led by Comrade Love Olawunmi and Jonathan Obatola, has hailed the compulsory leave handed to the Bursar of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Mr. Muritala Shittu, described it as a step in the right direction.  The Coalition stated that the decision would bring much-needed relief to the University community, given what it described as the Bursar’s unbecoming conduct. According to the Coalition, the move, approved by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, is a welcome and necessary decision and a direct response to serious allegations contained in the report of the visitation panel to UNIMED that was submitted to the Government, and upon which the Government's  White Paper was based. The panel’s findings alleged that Mr. MSO Shittu was involved in contract splitting, inflation of contract sums, tax evasion, unwholesome use of cash advances to the tune of hundreds of ...

  Israel Intensifies Gaza City Assault Amid Dire Famine Warnings. Israeli forces have unleashed a wave of intense airstrikes on Gaza City, targeting the residential areas of Zeitoun and Sabra for three consecutive days, according to the territory's civil defence agency. A spokesman, Mahmud Bassal, reported "massive destruction to civilian homes," with rescue efforts for the dead and injured hampered by the ongoing bombardment. The escalating attacks come as Israel's war cabinet approved a ground operation to take over Gaza City, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announcing the "beginning of a new state of combat." While no specific timeline has been given, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to dismantle what he described as the "two remaining Hamas strongholds" in the area. Residents described the shelling as relentless. "It sounded like the war was restarting," one resident told Reuters. Majed al-Hosary, in Zei...

PRESS STATEMENT:  Decision To Withdraw Criminal Complaint Against Ms. Comfort Emmanson And To Address Related Matters. 1. In the last 48 hours, I have been in consultation with critical stakeholders in the Aviation Sector and those involved in the unfortunate incidents regarding the unruly behaviours of certain individuals at our airports of recent. 2. Though regrettable, we think valuable lessons have been learnt by all sides to these incidents and airport security protocol, especially, have been well highlighted for the travelling public. If nothing at all, the episodes have undoubtedly helped to raise public awareness about appropriate conduct within the aviation space. 3. As highlighted in my previous statements on the last two incidents, clear wrongs were committed by both the offending passengers and staff of the airlines involved from all the evidence available to us and those available to the public. It is clear that all the actors involved cannot continue to highlight the ...

Uluyagbo Family Leaders Inspect Homes Damaged by Quarry Blasting, Company Absent. Uluyagbo, Akure, Ondo State— The head of the Uluyagbo family, Chief Adelakun, on Friday led a somber inspection of several homes reportedly damaged by recent blasting operations conducted by Dortmund and Company Limited, a local quarrying firm. The inspection revealed significant structural damage, amplifying residents' fears and frustrations over the company's activities. The tour was organized following a particularly powerful blast on August 2nd, 2025, which sent tremors through the community and caused what residents described as unprecedented damage. Among the most severely impacted properties were the homes of Chief Adetan and an elderly resident known as Mama Fulani. Both houses displayed extensive roof tiles wreckage and while others showed cracks, with some fissures wide enough to see through. For months, the Uluyagbo community has raised alarms about the quarry's blasting operations,...

Ondo Government Wades into Blasting Controversy, Summon Dortmund Company Over Community Outcries. AKURE, ONDO STATE – The Ondo State Ministry of Environment has intervened in the escalating dispute between Uluyagbo community residents, adjacent Imafon community, Igbatoro road following a petition from the residents and Dortmund and Company Limited, a construction firm, over its rock blasting operations in the Akure North Local Government Area.  The state's Ministry of Environment after visiting the site on Friday 1st of August, 2025 has invited the company's management to a meeting on Tuesday 5th August, 2025 following persistent outcries from residents who claim the blasting has caused significant damage to their properties and poses a severe threat to their safety. For months, residents of Uluyagbo community have voiced their frustrations, alleging that the powerful vibrations from the company's quarrying activities are responsible for cracked walls, shattered roofs, and ...

"Our Walls Are Cracking": Uluyagbo Residents Decry incessant Quarry Blasts, Demand Government Action. AKURE, NIGERIA – The ground in Uluyagbo community, adjacent Imafon, along Igbatoro road is shaking, and so is the residents' sense of security. A powerful blast from a nearby quarry, operated by Dortmund and Company, ripped through the neighborhood at approximately 5:40 PM yesterday 2nd August, 2025, shattering the weekend peace and causing yet more damage to homes already scarred by previous explosions. For months, the people of this community in Akure North have lived with the unsettling reality of these operations. The latest incident is the breaking point in a long-simmering crisis, prompting a unified and desperate plea for government intervention. "We are living in perpetual fear," one resident stated, pointing to a fresh network of cracks on his wall. "Every time a blast goes off, our houses shake violently. We worry that one day, our homes will jus...

Breaking: Court Restrains State Government From Appointing Monarch In Ondo Community. A High Court of Ondo State presided over by Justice T. M Adedipe yesterday restrained the Ondo State Government from appointing anyone as Oba in Alagbon Community in the Ugbo area of Ilaje Local Government of the state. Ruling on a Motion filed on behalf of the Claimants by D. J Ayenowo Esq of Sola Ebiseni and Associates in the pending Suit N0 HOK/76/ 2022 the Court granted the following prayers: AN ORDER OF INTERIM INJUNCTION restraining the Defendants by themselves, privies or any person being beneficiaries of their actions thereof from taking any steps towards appointing anyone as an Oba by whatever title or name at Alagbon Community in the Ugbo Area of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State pending the determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction and the final determination of this suit. AN ORDER restraining the Defendants either severally or jointly from taking any step t...