The Secretary to the Osun State Government, who doubles as the Chairman of the Osun State Asset Recovery Committee, Hon. Teslim Igbalaye said the committee would adhere strictly to the rule of law while carrying out its mandate.

Igbalaye disclosed while addressing newsmen at a press conference held at the Exco’s Lounge of the Governors office on Tuesday.

The SSG said due diligence will remain a priority if the committee.

He further stressed that the press conference was called to have a clear picture of the situation, stating that Osun people should not see development as a means to which hunt the past administration.

“It was imperative for the committee to go through due process after the inauguration. Government properties like vehicles, buildings which were illegally possessed must be returned to the Osun state Government immediately”

The Osun State SSG while speaking reiterated critical observations by the Task force in a meeting held on Teusday, 5th March, 2024.

“At its meeting held on Tuesday, 5th March, 2024, the Task Force observed as follows:

i. That due diligence should be done with a view to ascertaining vehicles / assets that were lawfully permissible to be taken home from those illegally taken away;

ii. That the Executive Governor had the prerogative power to allow any political appointee go home with his/her official vehicle, having served for at least a period of two (2) years and payment of some amount of money into the coffers of the government, and if the vehicle was less than four (4) years old, the appointee would pay 10% of the residual value of such official vehicle;

iii. That the approval granted by the immediate past Executive Governor for the release and eventual ownership of the official vehicles (kia cars) allocated to members of the immediate past Osun State Executive Council followed due process; and

iv. That the letter of permission written by the immediate past Head of Service, directing political appointees of the immediate past administration to go home with the official vehicles allocated to them was, however, illegal.”

“Consequently, all government assets/ vehicles that are hitherto in the possession of the political appointees of the immediate past administration, which are not captured in the express provisions of the paragraphs ii and iii above, are deemed to have been illegally carted away, and such must be returned to the Osun State Government immediately.”

Responding to questions of ease and means of of recovery, the SSG maintained that the task force consists of legal and security representatives who are mandated to make sure that operations are carried out in respect to the rule of law.

“We have legal and security representatives. They are on this committe to make sure that the rule of law takes preeminence”, he concluded.

The SSG assured everyone that as another meeting is due in a few days, the public will be kept abreast of developments as events continues to unfold.

The management of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State has suspended 19 students for allegedly engaging in examination malpractices.

The polytechnic also issued warning letters to two other students to desist from such act.

The head of the institution’s Public Relations unit, Yemi Ajibola confirmed this to our correspondent in Abeokuta on Monday.

Ajibola said the students were suspended following the report by the Examination Misconduct Panel on the first semester examination for the 2022/2023 academic session.

Ajibola said, four out of the suspended students will be on suspension for two semesters, while the remaining 15 were placed on suspension for four semesters.


Ajibola said the report showed drastic reduction in the number of students involvement in examination malpractices when compared with the previous reports on the exams misconduct.

The reduction according to him, showed that the efforts of the management of the institution on sensitisation against examination malpractices.

He added that the school’s efforts at moulding students for acceptance in the labour market were also yielding positive results.

“It shows that in the nearest future, there will be no student of MAPOLY involved in such examination malpractices”, he said.

Heavy security presence was on Tuesday observed at the entrance and premises of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, Osun State, where Olalekan Oyeyemi, an ally of Governor Ademola Adeleke is standing trial for killing and terrorism.

Security operatives were within the premises and outside the court. The suspect is also in court.

Recall that Oyeyemi was dragged before the court on a 10-count charge of killing members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and terrorism by the Inspector General of Police.


He, however, pleaded not guilty and was remanded in Ife correctional facility.

The counsel to Oyeyemi, Edmund Biriomoni, had filed a formal bail application on seven grounds which the prosecution counsel, Francis Osie, opposed based on Sections 162 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice 2015.

The presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, adjourned the ruling on bail to today.

The bail ruling is yet to commence as of the time of filing this report.

Dailypost

The Simpathizer is a new HBO original series that will be on HBO and stream on Max. It’s a satirical thriller with an espionage plot. It all plays out at the end of the Vietnam War and the years following.

There are 7 episodes in this limited series, and the cast is rather spectacular. Okay, I’m thinking specifically of Sandra Oh when I use the word "spectacular.”. But really, isn’t she just always great?! Hint: The question is rhetorical, as the answer is always a resounding yes.

I have not read Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, so I cannot speak to whether this adaptation follows the book. However, from what I’ve read about the book and seen in the series, it seems to follow the story fairly well.

The Sympathizer is clearly meant to be satirical, so even though it gets very brutal at times—we do begin at the end of a very deadly war, after all—it has many quirky moments.

This is an espionage thriller where we follow the struggles of the half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy, The Captain (Hoa Xuande). He leaves Vietnam during the final days (moments, almost) of the Vietnam War.

From Vietnam, he goes to the US, where his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles begins. This is also where he finds out that his spying days are far from over. Having the main character be from Vietnam and then placed in Los Angeles does make for quite a lot of cross-cultural satire.

Not least, focus on the fascination with all things "oriental.”. Yes, it irks me whenever a character says "oriental,"  but it’s equally infuriating that no one seems to care whether an Asian person is from Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, or Japan. It’s all the same to them. Some things still haven’t changed!

The Robert Downey Jr. show
Let me preface the next by saying that I’ve always liked Robert Downey Jr., so I was happy to see him starring in  The Sympathizer series. Unfortunately, there is a tonal shift whenever one of his characters is on-screen.

And he does play a whopping four different characters, which I liked, as it plays to the whole “they all look the same”-notion that many people seem to have about people, not of their own race. And yes, white people are particularly bad at this.

My issue with these characters is that they are very over-the-top. Robert Downey Jr. is great, but it does turn into the Robert Downey Jr. show for me whenever he’s in a scene. This is an issue, as the topic is also quite serious.

So, while  The Sympathizer is clearly a very somber yet satirical look at how Hollywood has been obsessing over the Vietnam War for decades, this one has a nice change in the point of view. I mean, we’ve rarely heard anything about the experience from the point of view of anyone Vietnamese.

Whether they are still in Vietnam or immigrated to the US after the war,.

That changes with The Sympathizer, and yet, whenever a Robert Downey Jr. character shows up, we’re right back on the white man’s trail. While I feel that this is part of the point of his characters, it doesn’t quite nail its punchline. Not for me, anyway.

Fortunately, we also have Sandra Oh in a key role, and she always makes me happy. So do virtually all the Vietnamese characters. They are mostly refugees who had full and rich lives in Vietnam and now struggle to embrace their U.S. lives.

In part because they really do not feel welcome. And, largely, they aren’t welcome. I prefer it when the series focuses on them, but I recognize that the whole cross-culture satire requires both Vietnamese and white Americans to be at the center of many storylines.

Watch  The Sympathizer series on HBO and Max
 The Sympathizer co-showrunners are Park Chan-wook ( Oldboy,  Lady Vengeance) and Don McKellar. Of course, we’re big fans of Park Chan-wook here at Heaven of Horror, as we love his genre productions. Obviously, this HBO/Max production is something very different.

In fact, it’s so different that I cannot see or feel Park Chan-wook’s involvement whatsoever. Given that he directed three episodes, this is quite a shame. The remaining episodes are directed by Marc Munden (The Third Day) and Fernando Meirelles (Sugar), who directed three and one of the episodes, respectively.

Even though I found myself disappointed, I have to note that it had more to do with my own expectations than the quality of this series.

Also, I did appreciate seeing a post-Vietnam War world from the POV of the Vietnamese. We see a world divided by race, ideology, and culture, but not from the side of US veterans, as has often been the case. Check it out for yourself and see if it works for you—at the very least, Sandra Oh will!

THE SYMPATHIZER debuts on Sunday, April 14, 2024. It’s on HBO at 9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT and will be available to stream on Max.

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has claimed that Arsenal and Liverpool’s ability to score late goals is helping their Premier League title bid.

According to the Spaniard, this is something his City side don’t have.

Guardiola is looking to win his sixth Premier League title and watched his team hammer Luton 5-1 at the Etihad on Saturday.


But Guardiola believes that constant late shows at Anfield and the Emirates have put Liverpool and Arsenal in control.

He said: “The only biggest difference between Arsenal, Liverpool and us is that they won a lot of points in stoppage-time. A lot. That helped them be in the position they are.

“Of course, all three teams have had incredible seasons. But they won a lot of points for the talent they have because of this [late goals].

“It happened for Liverpool many times in the last eight years and for Arsenal many times, because of their talent. It’s a credit to them, not the opposite.”