The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • How Biden should use Trump’s conviction against him

    How Biden should use Trump’s conviction against him

    Next, it is vitally important that the White House underscore through its actions that as in all judicial matters it plays a hands-off role—that this trial and all other trials involving Trump are not in any way being interfered with for political reasons despite GOP lies to the contrary. (The fact that the Hunter Biden trial begins next week neatly and compellingly provides evidence of that fact.)

    Finally, as the commentator in the Huffington Post noted, there is no need for the president, the vice president, or the White House to emphasize that Trump is a convicted felon because it is a label that has been forever affixed to his name. Those who don’t care, won’t care. But for those to whom it matters, the news was so massive that it cannot be ignored and it will not be forgotten.

    Should the President make passing reference to it when it is relevant? Of course. Should he and his surrogates condemn the orchestrated MAGA GOP attack on the rule of law in America, on the jurors who did their duty, on the prosecutors who diligently compiled and presented the evidence in the case? Definitely. The disgraceful Republican onslaught—coordinated across all 50 GOP state parties—cuts to one of the core issues the White House does intend to emphasize: the threat Trump and his MAGA followers pose to our institutions and to democracy in America. It should be highlighted from dawn to dusk because it is so pernicious and dangerous.

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    But we should also be clear on the fact that campaign 2024 is not solely about pronouncements by the presidential candidates. The public debate will include, thanks to social media, millions of voices. The most prominent of those—and average Democrats with just a handful of followers—on the leading web-based platforms do not work within the constraints that should and do affect the president and other senior officials.

    The fact that Trump is a felon, sexual abuser, fraudster, and a traitor, the fact of all of his 91 felony indictments, the intersection of his criminal and legal record with his two impeachments, and his lifetime of deceit, corruption, and business failure, his role as a coup plotter, as author of the big lie, his theft of national secrets… all these things compose the picture of who Trump is that must be conveyed as Huppke and Sargent and others argue.

    Down-ballot Democrats, senatorial and congressional candidates who see the benefit of hammering home the terrible reality of what another Trump term would mean should definitely incorporate this week’s verdict into their messaging. So too should independent political groups, the producers of the videos and other statements that will populate our information ecosystem from now through Election Day.

    In those cases, it is not merely about presenting the fact that Trump is a convicted felon. It is about weaving that fact into the broader narrative of his shameful character and of the threat another four years in office of this reprobate would mean.

    So, yes, while the president and senior officials conduct themselves with the dignity and responsibilities their offices demand and thus distinguish themselves from their unprincipled opponents, we should hear a chorus of voices from across the entire Democratic Party emphasizing that whereas Trump’s conviction was a historical first, we cannot afford to set another precedent by making Trump the first convicted felon to be elected president of the United States.

    · This article was originally published in www.thedailybeast.com with the headline ‘This Is How Biden Should Use Trump’s Conviction Against Him’

  • Professor Tunji Olaopa and there form struggle in Nigeria (1)

    Professor Tunji Olaopa and there form struggle in Nigeria (1)

    Just as Nelson Mandela in his autobiography, ‘No Easy Walk to Freedom’, described the struggle for the emancipation of his country from the clutches of racist colonialism as his life, Professor Tunji Olaopa, eminent political scientist, accomplished public administrator, engaging public intellectual, bibliophile and life-long student of philosophy, has adopted his obsessive quest for public sector transformational reform in post-colonial Nigeria as his life. It is hardly contestable that a truly modernizing, efficient, effective, result-oriented, purpose-driven and ethically conscious public service is a necessary condition for the realization of Nigeria’s trapped potentials and the fulfillment of her manifest destiny as a developmental lodestar for the black man.

    In his characteristically inimitable self-portraiture to commemorate his 60th birthday in 2019 but published last year by Pan-African University Press and titled, ‘The Unending Quest for Reform: An Intellectual Memoir’, Professor Olaopa documents both the paths of his personal life trajectory so far and also his diverse roles over the last three and a half decades in the intellectual and practical endeavours to deliver on far-reaching and sustainable public- sector reforms in Nigeria. It is not surprising that two of Nigeria’s best and brightest intellectuals, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church and Professor Eghosa Osaghae, renowned political scientist and Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), write the two insightful forewords to the book which runs into 258 pages and is subdivided into eighteen chapters.

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    Dr Kukah, who highlights some of the Kukah Foundation’s collaborative efforts with the author towards achieving desired reforms in Nigeria submits that “The uniqueness of ‘Unending Quest for Reform’ is that it brings together the career trajectory of someone who is both a scholar and a bureaucrat; someone who brought the uniqueness of theory and scholarship to the peculiar profession of the public service. This great work closes the gap between the two”. And Professor Osaghae, who incidentally was Olaopa’s teacher at the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, in the second foreword asserts tersely and unequivocally that “Intellectual autobiographies come as absorbing and engaging as other profound academic works tend to be. Professor Tunji Olaopa’s intellectual memoir is not different and certainly ranks as one of the more profound intellectual autobiographies to come out of Nigeria”.

    Apart from the author’s earlier authorized biography of the eminent economist, Professor Ojetunji Aboyade, titled ‘A Prophet is with Honour: The Life and Times of Ojetunji Aboyade’, published in 1997, which meticulously documents the intellectual influences on the great scholar, I am yet to come across a life narrative in Nigeria that so intricately blends the theoretical and the praxial, the philosophical and the pragmatic, the idealist and the realist as Olaopa’s enthralling memoir. It is instructive that, as Olaopa states in his preface, the choice of his title for the book was influenced by that of the Austian- British philosopher, Karl Popper, whose revelatory self-narrative was titled: “Unending Quest: An Intellectual Autobiography”. That the author had read and was profoundly influenced by Popper is not surprising. The deep, it is said, call to the deep. I am eagerly on the lookout for Popper’s work which I have not read.

    One of the things that emerge poignantly in this book is Olaopa’s intense love affair with books and the enduring impact they have made in shaping the course of his life and the defining cause of his existence. In a way, this book has been prefaced by Olaopa’s slim but pungent and delightful volume titled ‘The Joy of Learning’ published in 2010. In my review of that work at the time, I had averred that “Indeed, Awolowo’s insight helps us to appreciate better Olaopa’s articulation of the imperative of consciously and deliberately encouraging learning as a lifelong process that includes formal training in a specialized discipline but also encompasses what he describes as the sustained cultivation of ethical consciousness, broadness of perspectives and horizon, tolerance, compassion and a high sense of individual and moral responsibility”.

    But then, why write the story of a life that, as at 2019, was still unfolding at 60 when, all things being equal, Olaopa’s personal and career accomplishments in a relatively brief time-span, indicated even more daunting height he was more than capable of attaining in the road ahead of him? His justification is persuasive. According to him, “In convincing myself to publish my life’s story, I have argued that an autobiography is not essentially meant to be written at a life’s end. It could essentially be a summation of what one considers to be significant in one’s unfolding trajectory. In my case, like Aboyade’s, I have lived and I am still living the life of an institutional reformer within the context of the Nigerian state which journey towards nationhood is still evolving”.

    When he penned those words around 2019, Olaopa was unaware that he would be appointed Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in May 2023 after a bitterly fought presidential election. With over 15 full length academic books on public administration and public sector reforms in Nigeria, scores of journal articles, an eventful public service career that saw him rise to the apex of the Service as a federal Permanent Secretary and his post-retirement creative institutional endeavor, the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP), there is hardly any person better placed than the author to occupy that office in an administration that has no choice but to commit to fundamental public sector reforms if it is to break the logjam of what Professor Okwudiba Nnoli describe as the ‘dead-end to Nigerian development’. This book charts the course of how and why Professor Olaopa has become what he is today – an icon in the intellection and practice of public administration in contemporary Nigeria.

    In the first chapter titled ‘Books and Becoming’, he narrates the phenomenal role of books in developing his intellect and outlook, nurturing his character as well as nursing and guiding his ambitions and life projections. But then, there are good and bad books which may exert positive or negative moral influences on the burgeoning mind of youth. The choice of books that nudged the urge to add value to humanity must in itself be a function of the presence of some directing, inner virtue. In Olaopa’s words, “I was practically raised on books. I mean to say that, apart from my paternal grandmother’s notion of physical work as the definition of excellence in life, all others – from my father to my elder brother and the schools I attended – saw the significance of books and were insistent on redefining excellence in terms of how many books I could read”. As he pithily puts it, “I was the one Bertolt Brecht was talking to when he said, “Hungry man, reach for the book. It is a weapon”. The book was a weapon for my coming of age and the compass of my journey through life”.  

  • It was Tinubu’s Positively Exciting week

    It was Tinubu’s Positively Exciting week

    Fanfare or no fanfare, watch out for actions this week, notwithstanding” was the closing line for the piece last week. The week did not betray as had been projected, it was another week of very choked activities for President Tinubu. It was the week of May 29, his anniversary in office and expectedly, ministers were competing to have him commission some of their completed projects that were achieved within his first year of office. So it was from one event to the other, commissioning projects, the fruits of his one year labour. It was hectic, no doubt, but I guess it was a positively ‘hectic’ for him. Having to cut tapes here and there for projects the grace of God has helped him to achieve for the people he lives to serve at the moment.

    The commissioning spree started from the first day of the week, being Sunday, when the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, took him back to Lagos, his own home, to perform the first set of tasks. He was initially scheduled to inaugurate the newly reconstructed Apapa-Oworonshoki-Ojota-Oshodi Expressway, a 36.02km road connecting Nigeria’s premier ports – Apapa and Tin Can Island – to larger parts of Lagos State, as well as virtually inaugurate the recently rehabilitated Third Mainland Bridge. He was however represented at the task by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

    The funding of the Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) Apapa-Oworonshoki-Ojota-Oshodi Expressway was undertaken by the Dangote Industries Limited, under the tax credit method of infrastructure funding, with Hitech Construction Nigeria Limited as the subcontractor. The road is expected to enhance access to the ports, boost commercial activities, and spur economic development.

    Much later he led dignitaries from Lagos and from across Nigeria to the Ahmadu Bello Way end of Victoria Island for the flag-off of the construction of the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a project already described as ‘legacy’ because of its huge economic, social and strategic importance. It will be safe to say of all the several projects commissioned during the week, either personally or by proxy, it was the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway that touched his emotions most.

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    First, this was the project that has mostly come under attack from opposition politicians, some of whom had alleged base reasons. For example, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who contested the Presidency with him last year, has attacked the project, the President and his intents on the project more than once. He once alleged that the project is being rushed, just as he has alleged that it is meant to serve the President’s personal interest.

    However, at the flag-off ceremony, the visibly excited Tinubu declared it his bragging day, apparently giving it back to those who had failed to see the potentials of the project, not just for the people of the nine litoral states the project will cross through, but for the entire Nigerian State, and had weaponised it for political reasons. He went on to point out its benefits

    “I said earlier that it’s my bragging day, we said we will do this road, we’re determined to do it. The way we’re going, we’ll have a road that will outlive all of us here present. That is how to build the future. The project is more than just a mere road, it is a symbol of hope, unity and prosperity. I’ll go on the next ten benefits of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. During the period of construction, the road will provide direct employment to thousands of people and indirect employment to ten of thousands of artisans and more.

    “Economic opportunities for millions are being opened, it will fast-track community development, it will bring development closer to the people and give 30 million people improved access to production and marketing centres. The potential of the road is enormous. The spur to Sokoto is undergoing procurement, let us sped up the financial details being worked out. Don’t be afraid, we will do this road, it will be a success for Nigeria and we will do more. I am a very happy man today. Share with me in the joy today”, the President said.

    The colourful coastal highway, which was graced by the crème of Lagos corporate and political class, as well as the federal might of Abuja, was combined with the virtual flag-off of the nationwide reconstruction and rehabilitation of emergency interventions on 330 roads and bridges across the six geo-political zones of the nation.

    President Tinubu returned to Abuja on Tuesday, resuming another round of very hectic outings. From Tuesday, the man he dubbed the ‘Landlord of Abuja’, that is the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, hijacked him for the commissioning of his many projects. First was the Southern Parkway project, which serves as a critical artery connecting major areas within the city and which has been named after him (Bola Tinubu Way).

    Wike continued with his heist on Wednesday; he got the President to flag off the commercial operation of the FCT Light Rail System also known as the Abuja Metroline, a project. That occasion was another opportunity for Tinubu to show that populist in him. He got the FCT administration to give free rides to Abuja commuters on the Metroline till the end of the year.

    Before he went for Wike’s show, he was earlier at the National Assembly Complex where he commissioned a library. Before the library commissioning he spoke to the Joint Session of the National Assembly, calling for stronger collaboration and strengthening of the nation’s bonds of unity, its diversities rather being binders than divisive tools. Earlier that morning, he had already signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law. That law reinstates the former anthem known as ‘Nigeria We Hail thee’.

    On Thursday, the third consecutive day, Wike had the President again, this time around to commission an engineering infrastructure (over-head bridge) linking Wuse to Wuye.

    The next event after returning from the Wuse-Wuye Bridge commission was also critical for many reasons, but what we might have the space to treat here is one of the pungent points he made during the event. He received leadership and members of the very critical Arewa Consultative Forum (AFC) and seized the opportunity to ring the bell in favour of the local council administration. It was important for him to throw an appeal to the socio-cultural body because of the legal matter between the federal and state governments, to determine the autonomy of that third tier of governance. He needed the voices of those revered across lines, those who can also collectively determine the fate of any politician, whatever position he might occupy.

    “We are running a constitutional democracy. I will appeal to you to summon the governors. I am doing my very best to enhance the revenue base of the country. They must equally be sympathetic, and they must urgently consider the needs of the local people. People reside in the local communities. That is where they work, farm, and live, if the local governments are not effective in delivering services; as leaders, we must not hang on to the numbers. We have 774 local government areas, but are they truly effective? Do they solve problems for Nigerians? Do they coordinate development programming with the state and federal governments? Who is being held accountable for the performance of the 774 local governments? Maybe we should look at recalibrating. What was good four years ago may not be good today. When we want the votes, we go to the locals; when we get the votes, we move to and focus on Abuja”, was his appeal.    

     There were other events, but like indicated earlier, only what could be accommodated will be contained. It was indeed a loaded week and deservedly so.

    By the way, some people have expressed their surprise at the choice of the President of the Senate, Akpabio, representing Tinubu at the commissioning of a project executed by the Executive, wondering what happened to the Principle of Separation of Powers. Although the concerns were not entirely misplaced because those expressing it are not foreigners and it is assumed they are informed enough to know there should be a dividing line between the domains of the Executive and that of the Legislature. What these concerned citizens might not have taken into considering is the fact that the anniversary warranting the commissioning is not peculiar to the Executive, which the President presides over, it was also their anniversary at the National Assembly, the Legislature, which the President of the Senate presides over.

    In fact, Akpabio is a first-timer President of the Senate, except anyone knows when he once led the Upper Chambers before the inauguration of the 10th Senate. Like Akpabio being a first-timer President of the Senate, there are tens of newcomers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, who are also celebrating their first year at their new political station.

    But even much more than it being their mutual anniversary, President Tinubu, who has consistently acknowledged the support of the National Assembly for his administration, considering the level of access he has enjoyed, has attributed whatever amount of success he has had to the legislators’ cooperation, hence making his success theirs as well. So in that philosophy, Akpabio commissioning projects executed by Tinubu’s administration is not just a positive sign, it is also an indication that none of the arms wants to obliterate the other. 

    There are still many more projects lined out by ministers and heads of agencies, even state governors who want to identify with the President. We can only wait to see what the coming week will look like.

  • Kanu’s freedom will bring peace to Southeast, says IPOB

    Kanu’s freedom will bring peace to Southeast, says IPOB

    The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has again reiterated that the release of the leader of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, will end the insecurity in the southeast

    This statement came after Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide President General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, visited Kanu in solitary confinement.

    IPOB clarified on Saturday in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, that Kanu was not involved in criminal activities and did not order the killing of soldiers.

    “Instead, he has consistently advocated for peaceful remembrance of fallen heroes and an end to violence.

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    “The same way we don’t want any Biafran killed is how we don’t want any other person or persons to lose their lives. All lives are precious before God and the freedom for Biafra will mean nothing if we don’t value the lives of fellow human beings,” he said.

    The group blamed the Nigerian Army for past massacres and attacks on innocent civilians, leading to ongoing anger and resentment.

    “IPOB demands Kanu’s release to bring peace to the region,” urging an end to killing and counter-killing.

  • Project management expert stresses need for knowledge-sharing

    Project management expert stresses need for knowledge-sharing

    A renowned project management expert, Adeiza Lawrence has reiterated his commitment to nurturing talent and fostering professional growth within the industry through mentorship programs and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

     Lawrence, an expert with over a decade of experience, gave insight of how he has been propelled to drive change in the ever-evolving world of project management.

    According to the management expert, through strategic expertise and visionary leadership, he has succeeded in establishing himself as a prominent figure, propelling the field of project management to new heights.

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    He disclosed that his unconventional path to becoming a project management professional was driven by his aptitude, strategic acumen, and passion for precision and efficiency.

    He added further that he leveraged cutting-edge tools and methodologies to optimize project planning, expedite scheduling, and foster seamless team collaboration.

    “My approach emphasizes strategic planning, proactive problem-solving, and identifying potential challenges early. Throughout my career, I have implemented solutions that minimize operational risks, enhance project timelines, and consistently surpass client expectations.”

  • FG flags off investment certification programme for Enugu

    FG flags off investment certification programme for Enugu

    •Hails N100bn Enugu/Pragmatic Palm deal

    The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) has launched the Enugu State edition of the Nigerian Investment Certification Programme for States,(NICP), a programme designed to prime the states to attract both local and foreign investments.

    This came on a day the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, said the state was quick to grab the investment certification opportunity co-signed by the Federal Government and the United Nations Development Programme to boost the state’s attractiveness to investors.

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    Speaking during a working visit to the governor on the sidelines of the flag-off programme, the Executive Secretary of NIPC, Aisha Rimi, said the “NICPS aims to identify and promote the unique investment opportunities within each state, enhance the image of the states as attractive destinations for investment, strengthen federal and state cooperation on investment promotion, and improve the services provided to investors, ultimately boosting investment inflows, creating jobs, and increasing state revenues.”

    She said the agency was quick to launch the programme in Enugu State given the vast investment opportunities in the state and the governor’s drive to harness them and also revive the state’s moribund assets.

  • Imo, Egyptian firm sign pact on power supply

    Imo, Egyptian firm sign pact on power supply

    The government of Imo State has signed a pact with an Egyptian power generation, transmission, and distribution company, Madkour Group, for the purpose of solving the perennial epileptic power supply in the State.

    The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Egyptian firm, Madkour Group, which was signed in Government House Owerri on Saturday was the highpoint of months of partnership discussions between the management of the Egyptian firm and those of the Orashi Electricity Company of Imo State, coupled with days of tour of facilities in the State by both parties.

    While the President of the Egyptian firm, Dr. Mostafa Madkour signed for Madkour Group, Engr. Valentine Obumeyan, the Acting General Manager of Orashi Electricity Company of Imo State signed on behalf of the State government, with both parties committing to doing everything humanly possible to “set Imo State on fire”  by January next year.

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    Addressing the audience at the signing ceremony, which included top government officials and key management officers of Madkour Group, the governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma said in pursuit of the development of Imo State, his administration has already “assented to a law on power generation for the State and the law created Orashi Electricity Company Limited for Imo State.”

    The governor noted that the Federal Government supported the state in the establishment of the Company and in finding technical and financial partners.

    Uzodimma added that “the need for partners became necessary because the business of power generation, distribution, and transmission is capital intensive and it is not what the State can carry alone.”

  • Police recover gun, ammunition from fleeing robbery suspects in Enugu

    Police recover gun, ammunition from fleeing robbery suspects in Enugu

    The  Police Command in Enugu State has recovered a gun and ammunition from fleeing armed robbery suspects in the metropolis.

    A statement issued on Saturday in Enugu by the command’s spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, said men from the Awkunanaw Police Division recovered the gun on May 29.

    Ndukwe said that the operatives responded to a distress call of a robbery in a compound at Awkunanaw, Enugu, at 10.00 p.m. and foiled the attack.

    According to him, the police team recovered a locally fabricated double-barreled gun with two live cartridges dropped by one of the fleeing robbers.

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    The statement further said that detectives from the Awkunanaw Police Division on May 30, at 7:30 p.m., also arrested three suspects allegedly connected to the theft of iron rails.

    “Their arrests led to the recovery of yet-to-be-quantified pieces of iron rails vandalised at the pedestrian crossing bridge at Holy Ghost/Ogbete Market, Enugu,” Ndukwe said.

    He said that a discreet investigation was ongoing to arrest other members of the gang, adding that the suspects would be prosecuted once investigations were concluded.

    Ndukwe quoted the Commissioner of Police, Mr Kanayo Uzuegbu, as appreciating residents of the state whose information on activities of criminals made the arrests possible.

    Uzuegbu tasked the residents to continue to support the police by promptly reporting suspected criminals and their activities to the police and other security agencies.

  • Mother appeals to IGP over detained son

    Mother appeals to IGP over detained son

    •Family crisis escalates, husband mentally ill

    A distraught mother, Mrs. Chinwe Obichere, from Achi Mberi in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State has pleaded with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, to intervene and release her 26-year-old son, Stanley Obichere, a medical student detained in Abuja.

    Mrs Obichere told newsmen in Owerri, that Stanley was arrested three weeks ago in Enugu State where he is undergoing his horsemanship and taken to Abuja on trumped-up charges orchestrated by her sisters-in-law.

    The family is embroiled in a bitter feud over properties and assets, with the sisters-in-law allegedly using their influence to manipulate the police against the Obichere family.

    She claimed that her sisters-in-law, led by one Patience, and others are behind the harassment and detention of her son.

    Mrs Obichere alleged that her sisters-in-law have subjected her to slavery and human rights violations since she married into the family.

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    She accused them of taking advantage of her husband’s mental health challenges to seize control of his property.

    “Despite the intervention of the traditional ruler of Achi Mberi, HRH Eze Vitalis Achilike, the harassment has continued. In a shocking turn of events, the sisters-in-law even convinced the Bishop of our church to seize my tithe card to further isolate me.”

    As the family crisis escalated, Mrs Obichere said: “I am calling on the IGP to investigate the matter and release my son from detention.” She also appealed to the authorities to put an end to the harassment and violations her family has suffered.

     ÓNÚRÚBE, a human rights organization, has condemned the weaponization of the Guzape Police Command against the family.

    The case has sparked a wider debate about inheritance rights and the role of women in property ownership in the community.

    The convener of the group, Marjorie Ezihe, has demanded justice for the Obichere family and an end to the weaponization of the police against them.

    “Chinwe Obichere, has been a victim of harassment, having been arrested and detained multiple times on allegations of threatening his aunts. His mother, Chinwe, has also been targeted for abuse and violations by her sisters-in-law since she married into the family, ” she said.

    Efforts to get a response from those behind the harassment failed as they did not pick up their phones.

    However,  one  Njoku, who later answered her calls, said that she did not know who Mrs Obichere was and that she had no brother named Emmanuel Obichere. When pressed further, she said, “The case is with the Inspector General of Police in Abuja. I don’t know what to say again.”

    Contacted on the phone, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Ibrahim DG, said that the police authorities have summoned the parents, lawyers, and others involved in the case to Abuja on Tuesday. “I am the IPO, we have summoned the parents, including the lawyers and others in the matter to Abuja on Tuesday,” he said.

  • Ekiti gov expresses satisfaction with progress on Ado-Ekiti flyover project

    Ekiti gov expresses satisfaction with progress on Ado-Ekiti flyover project

    •Salutes professional role of Works Ministry, OTSD

    The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, accompanied by the Special Adviser and Director General of the Office of Transformation and Service Delivery (OTSD), Engr. (Dr.) John Moyo Ekundayo, conducted an on-site assessment of the ongoing flyover project in Ado Ekiti earlier today.

    During the visit, the governor expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the construction work.

    He commended the quality of the construction and urged the contractor to maintain consistency in their efforts to ensure the project’s timely completion.

    “The progress so far is commendable, and the quality of the construction work is impressive.

    “I encourage the contractor to remain diligent and consistent in their efforts to meet our expectations and deadlines,” the governor said.

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    The governor also praised the expertise of the professionals within the Ministry of Works, noting their significant contributions to the project’s advancement.

    He highlighted the pivotal role of the OTSD, under the leadership of Ekundayo, in monitoring and evaluating the project’s progress.

    Ekundayo, who was part of the governor’s entourage, reiterated the commitment of the OTSD to ensuring the highest standards in project execution through rigorous monitoring and evaluation.

    He emphasized that the collaboration between the Ministry of Works and the OTSD was crucial to the successful delivery of the flyover project.

    The Ado Ekiti flyover is expected to ease traffic congestion and improve connectivity within the city, contributing to the overall development of Ekiti State.