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  • ‘Help me recover my sight’

    ‘Help me recover my sight’

    At the first encounter, it is very easy to regard him as normal without any handicap, being the way he carries himself needing little or no assistance at all. It is astonishing to find him deriving strength and courage from his inability to see. It is true that even in his physically challenged state, Master Holy Ogene has managed to craft a worthy name for himself, struggling to make ends meet, living without his parents’ help.

    Christened Master Holy Ogene by his parents, he lost his sight in highly unfortunate circumstances just five years ago when he was still a student at Baba Fafunwa Millennia Senior Secondary School, Ojota, a government school where both eyes were infected by cataract.

    This didn’t just happen like that. In a recent interview, he recalled how he lost his sight:

    “When I was born, I had short sightedness. I was asked to use glasses but my father refused to let me use them as he believed I was too young to use recommended lens.”

    Tragedy  actually struck when he was admitted to Baba Fafunwa Senior Secondary School at Ojodu Berger where the inability to cope due to large groups of students finally coerced his father to let him use recommended lenses. However, the damage had already been done at the ripe age of 14.

    “It was after I started using glasses upon admission that I got cataract on my left eye and it got serious. My Dad had to take me to Eye Foundation and they advocated surgery as the only solution. I was about 14 at the time and the implication of an eye surgery was much, which included an operation via my brain and the risk being my Dad signing a form if anything happened to me.”

    The delayed decision in undergoing a surgery led to the complete closure of the right eye after cataract covered the second eye.

    The 22-year-old who is an upcoming musician and politician witnessed the death of both eyes after the unfortunate incident. Not willing to concede to defeat, he picked up a singing career due to his current condition.

    Ogene who spoke with our correspondent used the medium to appeal to well-meaning individuals, churches, NGOs, and most importantly government officials and political parties. “I think this is a medium where parties can use my knowledge instead of making me a nuisance in the society to create an avenue where I can get my sight back.”

    Ogene isn’t new to donations. He claimed that he had been given donations in the past but they had been very meagre to pay the bills for the drugs prescribed. “I got only N10 000 to N15 000 with little assistance from people but you know drugs and it has been almost two years and nothing else came. I don’t stay with my parents in Delta State, I have been feeding alone and life has been a little bit terrible and horrific.”

    Ogene who was accompanied by his distraught mother solicits the help of well-meaning Nigerians to save his sight by not letting the light of his dreams die a premature death, at the very tender age of 22.

    His phone numbers are 08104974780 and 08142556716 while his account details are Ecobank, Ogene Holy 3823067769.

  • It’s the 3rd quarter – So how have you fared with your resolutions

    The woman thing: You said no more then you set your eyes upon one “Small pin charger” and …

    It’s September, wow.  Wasn’t it just five-six months ago we were ushering in a new year?

    No, it was nine months ago!  Yes, the year is waxing old, in three months it will be over.

    But remember you made some new year resolutions for 2017.  This last quarter is a good place to give them a review, to see how you are faring.

    Or maybe you didn’t actually make any resolutions for 2017.  That’s ok, chances are you have made one or more resolutions sometime, some year so surely you can relate to these scenarios herein.

    All hypothetical of course – with no one in mind!

    Alright then.  So you noticed you were always rushing around in the mornings, you’re late for nearly everything, worse, you keep missing your flights!

    You resolve to get up one hour earlier in the mornings to have more time to get ready for your day.

    This went beautifully, until the onset of the rainy season midyear.  The next time your alarm ran, you woke up and noticed that the temperature in your room was really cool, almost chilly – it was pouring with rain!

    What, time to get up?  Who can get up in this weather? You decided that even God who made the season, and made it cold would understand.  And so you rolled over, covered yourself up really snug and – that was the end of that.

    Maybe it was the sight of your beer-belly as you struggled in vain to button your shirt that motivated you.  No More Lager, you resolved.

    And you started off really well indeed.  A couple of months later your good friends had a get-together and you went.  There, cans upon cans of beer went past you the whole time, but you kept your cool.  Then, a dozen or so green bottles were placed on the table in front of you.  You looked at the display of lager.  All the bottles were “sweating” in indication that they were perfectly chilled.  You looked at the people around you – everyone seemed to be having some, except you.

    You looked again at the row of bottles.  The bottles were still sweating and you started sweating too!

    Oh well you told yourself, just because this is a party and in order for me to celebrate with my friends, I’ll have one bottle ONLY and that will be it!!

    ‘The Federal Ministry of Health Warns that smokers are Liable to Die Young.’

    Eh! The Federal Ministry?  Of Health? That never knew if you were living or existing; brothering about your lifespan?!  Well, its not only that, but your cough is becoming really embarrassing now.  It’s time to quit smoking For Good.

    One week, eight days pass (i.e January 1st to 8th) I am eight days Dry, you rejoice. But suddenly your mood changes.  And (according to you)… there is only one cure for your moodswings – to light up a stick!  By the time you look again you’ve gone through several packets at a sitting.  More than before you even ‘quit’ smoking!  In frustration, you make a new resolution.  You ‘resolve’ to continue with your Fags!

    Afterall, you have proved that you can keep off of them for ‘over one week’ if you want to.

    Well, you did resolve that in the year 2017, you would lay off The Woman Thing.  You made up your mind you would apply the Obasanjoic ZIP UP and live your life all to yourself.

    No more girlfriends, woman-friends or lady friends for you.  Even to your ordinary Facebook friends you were aloof.  You simply kept yourself to yourself.

    If would have been great for you as a solo-man if not that it appeared that everywhere you turned were girls, girls, and more girls!

    Fine girls, lovely ladies, pretty girls – they even appeared to be “growing” finer every passing day.

    Along, the road – fine babes.  At work, pretty ladies.  Even in your place of worship – more fine girls.

    One day you and your friends went out together to where you would all watch a match.  Even in that all, or mostly all male gathering, you lifted up your eyes and … old boy, see correct “small pin charger”!

    Still, no way to way.  You must forge ahead.  For you, it is No retreat, No surrender (to babes!).

    Of course, at the last meeting you went to, it just had to be an extra fine girl that would be sitting beside you in the meeting room.  You could hardly concentrate on what was being said, she was so fine.

    Brother, didn’t you think that it would have been easier to just change your seat!

    What to do?

    What was to be done?  You decided to play it this way and leave it all to “destiny”.  Just this ONCE, you would ask just this ONE girl out.  If she refuses you, then all well and good, but if she accepts…!  If so, she will be my very LAST girlfriend.

    It’s no more up to me, you say. So you lean over and smile at her.  She SMILES broadly back!  You say h – she beams hi, back. You introduce yourselves, by the end of the meeting you have successfully set up another “meeting” of your own, quite apart from that official one…

    Its been just that One, only One and then ‘ One plus One.  Plus one plus… and on.

    Now its September!

    Now you don’t want to wait.  And resign yourself to fate You could be waiting for a new year to come to make the same old resolutions again.

    Or you could seize the day.  You could step up, and you would meet up.

    It’s all Good, have a wonderful public holiday!

    RESPONSES

    • Following Fashion Blindly

    –        Parents should not let children on Facebook to watch all manner of corrupt posts that lead them to indecent dressing.  The worst of it all is that some parents don’t watch what their wards wear.  Parents should be role models, monitoring and counselling children on what they wear, and watch on tv.  Kids should be denied phones until maturity.

    – Sylvester Ojogbane

    –        As richly endowed as our society is, if we have more “Aunty Mikkys” who, despite being as fashionable as the ones around would not compromise decency in dressing/appearance especially in public, we all shall be happy for it.  You spoke up for several homes against indecent dressing as a way of life.

    – 0807…409

    –        The campaign that you started by speaking out to those concerned against indecent dressing seems to be the most appropriate weapon to deploy on the emerging visual terrorism on our values and way of life.

    – BusariAlade

    –        Having been educated and resided in America for 25 years, I had seen enough indecent dressing!  But never in my wildest imagination and I think that African Women will ever copy westerners to this nauseating level.  It shows low self esteem

    – 0805…9696

    • Warm Water

    –        That same message on warm water was posted on my wall this morning!  I wished them success.

    – 0807…1409

    –        God bless you for bringing up the issue of medical quackery.  We are daily bombarded with do’s and don’ts till one is confused.  We would all be dead by now if all they advise were to apply.

    – Mike Akpan

    Reponses to 07055547031

  • Sule Lamido at 69

    On August 30th,  Alhaji (Dr.) Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa State,  a man I would say has seen both the good and the bad sides of politics in Nigeria, was 69.

    Born in Bamaina, Birnin Kudu in present day Jigawa State, he began his political career in the Second Republic as an elected lawmaker on the platform of the defunct Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) led by the late Aminu Kano, the trendiest and popular politician the continent of Africa has ever seen.

    When the promising Second Republic political experiment was aborted by some military obstructionists in 1983, Dr. Lamido went back to private business where he successfully ran some business concerns which created lots of jobs for the country’s unemployed population.

    At the dawn of the Third Republic which heralded another political opportunities in the country, Lamido returned to national politics where he served as the National Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) which was one of the most popular political parties in the country then. In fact, it has been established that the party which Lamido served as its national scribe was the one that won the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election whose standard bearer was the late Chief MKO Abiola.

    When the military obstructionists led by the late military junta led by General Sani Abacha struck again and disrupted the fledgling democracy, Dr. Lamido resorted to political activism challenging the powers that be; a development that never went down well with the military establishment and subsequently stirred the honest nest.

    As the founding member and national secretary of another newly formed political movement which later metamorphosed in to political party known as Social Progressives Party (SPP), Dr. Lamido delivered the harshest political criticism to the then military and maximum ruler of the country, General Sani Abacha.

    It was the unyielding political struggles of Dr. Lamido for the restoration of Nigeria’s democracy that led to his imprisonment by Gen. Abacha in 1998. As an astute politician, his incarceration did not dampen his political activism and doggedness as he continued with his pro-democracy struggles even in the gulag until God finally called Gen. Abacha. So, for the supporters of Dr. Lamido who were outraged over his imprisonment for political reasons, this is not the first he is facing political persecution for his unquenchable believe in a democratic Nigeria.

    After his release from prison by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Dr. Lamido joined the political activities that led to the founding of the Peoples Democratic Party in which he is not only a founding father, but a strong pillar.

    Because of the role Dr. Lamido played in the emergence of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as Nigeria’s new President in 1999, he was subsequently appointed as the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1999. As Foreign Affairs Minister, he formulated and implemented many far-reaching policies that shaped Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with other countries.

    When the people of Jigawa State finally called on him to become their governor, he yielded and was subsequently elected as the governor in 2007.

    As executive governor who ruled Jigawa State from 2007 – 2015, Dr. Lamido executed unprecedented infrastructural projects and many human capacity development programmes in the state.

    For example, he built several schools and provided basic infrastructure in all the school environments as well as training and retraining of teachers in the state for effective service delivery.

    He executed many housing projects for low and middle income earners in the state using both the Dutse Capital Development Authority and the Jigawa State Housing Authority.

    In 2009, the former governor provided free plots of land and basic infrastructures as incentives to investors wishing to invest in the state’s tourism and hospitality industry.

    Even with little federal allocation to the state, he was still able to build a state university, a world class airport as well as massive infrastructural projects.

    Other milestones reached by Dr. Lamido in Jigawa State include; payment of monthly salary as social security allowance to the aged and disabled persons in the state. The Lamido administration in Jigawa State provided free maternal and child healthcare programme in the state.

    During his reign as governor, the state was adjudged as one of the best states in the country that implemented the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to the admiration of the former United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban-Ki Moon.

    Still on the health sector, the Lamido administration also established the Jigawa State Medical Supply Organization (JIMSO). Under this organization, there were free medical cares for all prison inmates in the state as well as the distribution of free treated mosquito nets to residents in all parts of the state.

    Following the rehabilitation, renovation, construction, completion and equipping of the Administrative Block of the Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital, the Lamido administration embarked on the supply of medical equipments as well as the recruitments of qualified health personnel to render specialized health related services to the people of the state.

    With the introduction of ‘’Ask Jigawa People Health Initiative’’ in the state, the health orientation and awareness in the state became so high that everyone became very conscious of his or her health profile or status. This is not to talk of the payment of monthly allowances to the students in the school of nursing and health technology.

    Other achievements recorded by the Lamido administration in the state were; introduction of free and compulsory education for girls and physically challenged persons in the state, provision of learning materials, school furniture, beds, electronic payments of students allowances to avoid diversion of funds, construction of 31 new hostel blocks for 6, 200 boarding schools, provision of 32 sitter buses for all girls boarding schools, construction of 38 new block classrooms, construction of 70 blocks of science laboratories as well as complete renovation of 48 schools and the sponsoring of 103 students to Singapore to study Information Communication Technology.

    These were great achievements recorded by Dr. Lamido as governor of Jigawa State which are all pointers to what he will do for Nigeria if elected as President.

     

    • Mr. Justice writes from Markudi, Benue State

     

  • The ‘bloom and gloom’ in the Ibadan obaship saga

    Between the Bible and the philosopher, there’s a common ground of agreement that the good and the bad co-habit.

    And that point is repeatedly made and seen on a daily basis in our society. Serious matter this, irrespective of the light joke made of it by the authors of a kiddies programme titled ‘Bloom and Gloom’.

    Bloom defines the world of kiddies; as many of them are immune from the realities of its opposite. They know very little of gloom. At best, the basic understanding of kiddies to the word ‘gloom’ is limited to only when their candies and ice cream lollies are taken off their tender but itchy fingers. One does not need to search far for proof: a kid whose two parents have just perished in a ghastly road crash is totally oblivious of the calamity that has just befallen him; whereas his instant reaction when a chocolate ball or bar is snatched off his hands is akin to someone whose fairy tale world has just collapsed.

    I am too preoccupied with far more serious issues than to get glued to the TV to be watching – of all programmes – kiddies cartoons; the reason why I may not know if the authors of the TV programme are indeed teaching our kiddies the real essence of bloom and gloom in that programme.

    If I have my way, I will choose bloom and reject gloom in my life but mortals don’t have a choice in the manner; and when a share of either, becomes your lot, brace yourself up to face that reality with equanimity. It is a trillion- naira advice especially for Ibadan people on whichever side of the divide they are.

    The recent decision of the Oyo State Government to create many kingships out of Ibadan city is as comical as it is confusing. On the bloom side, some are happy that it is no longer going to be one monarch to be superintending over a vast land mass; so if the number is even 100, the better. One ‘daughter of the soil’ that spoke to me on phone from the United States of American, on the issue, asked rhetorically “ how many Obas do you have in Lagos, to be expressing surprise at the huge number we will now have in “Ibadan ti ‘a”.

    Comical, isn’t it? She has reduced the matter to land mass, forgetting that in the case of Lagos, several ethnic nationalities make up the little enclaves of Lagos with distinguishing claims to their obaships. Eguns and Aworis, for example, monopolise their domains with uncommon grit as to let it be known that no intruder will be permitted an inch in their territory. But will the Ibadans, with their customary and barely cosmopolitan question of “tani baba re n’leyi?” permit the accommodating nature of Lagos that permitted igbiras, ekitis, nupes, otta-aworis, et al, to have a bit of the cake in obaship and baleship matters ? I doubt it.

    The reason why the prospect of expanded obaship in Ibadanland appears to a layman like me, as gloomy; if not now, but later. The foundation for the anarchy that may come has already been laid. Follow me: The incumbent Olubadan, who by the new arrangement, will assume the Imperial Majesty status of an Ooni of Ife or the Sultan of Sokoto and should be happy about the new status, has headed to court while a former governor of Oyo State who eventually ended up as a serial governorship contender in the same state, and a high chief of Ibadan and a beneficiary of the incumbent Governor Ajimobi’s largesse, who by the new arrangement, should henceforth be known and addressed as His Royal Majesty, Oba Rasheed Ladoja, saw a “Greek gift” in all this and vowed to approach the court to assist him disapprove of the governor’s approval.

    The recent decision of the Oyo State Government to create many kingships out of Ibadan city is as comical as it is confusing. On the bloom side, some are happy that it is no longer going to be one monarch to be superintending over a vast land mass; so if the number is even 100, the better. One ‘daughter of the soil’ that spoke to me on phone from the United States of American, on the issue, asked rhetorically “ how many Obas do you have in Lagos, to be expressing surprise at the huge number we will now have in “Ibadan ti ‘a”.

    Comical, isn’t it? She has reduced the matter to land mass, forgetting that in the case of Lagos, several ethnic nationalities make up the little enclaves of Lagos with distinguishing claims to their obaships. Eguns and Aworis, for example, monopolise their domains with uncommon grit as to let it be known that no intruder will be permitted an inch in their territory. But will the Ibadans, with their customary question of “tani baba re n’leyi?” permit the accommodating nature of Lagos that permitted Igbiras, Ekitis, Nupes, Otta-Aworis, et al, to have a bit of the cake in obaship and baleship matters? I doubt it.

    Will the new Majesties now limit their traditional aspiration to just being HRM or they still can, as of old,  aspire to rise to become the more fascinating HIM (His Imperial Majesty) which has hitherto been the ultimate for all Ibadan High Chiefs? Perhaps, an emerging custodian of Yoruba tradition, Oloye Lekan Alabi of Ibadanland can help out here.

    When Military Governor David Medayese Jemibewon from Aiyetoro-Gbede in today’s Kogi State upgraded the Olubadan Baleship stool to full obaship with the first beaded crown ever to be won by any Olubadan in the 70s, the Ibadans saw the bloom in the fly-whisk of the first beneficiary of the government magnanimity and regarded the event as not only unprecedented but unique. Precedent is a good soulmate of politics, do I hear someone say?

    This new development of Ibadan Chiefs assuming obaship status in the Olubadan’s life time while he assumes imperial majesticship over all and sundry, on the surface, should attract greater “jollification” than the one that heralded Jemibewon’s crown then; but is this one to be regarded as a bloom for the people or gloom for the vast territory? The answer is in the womb of time.

     

    ‘Ewure ile o mo iyi ode’

    The marriage ceremony of my step daughter recently in Chelmsford, Essex in the United Kingdom, proved a few points worthy of reflection upon.

    One, the physical presence of two prominent Obas from Nigeria’s premier state, Lagos. Someone walked up to me at the venue, wanting to know more of me and when I asked why, he said he was surprised to learn from one of those at the reception party that I was the facilitator. He expressed surprise again.

    To be sure, I cannot fathom why he felt surprised.  He sounded innocent to me, I must tell. And, that innocent (?) inquiry reminds me of the general behavioural pattern of people in our country; and in the U.K. by mean people who are driven more by envy, jealousy and disguised but mindless pursuit of pecuniary benefits, to behave in ways that clearly tell that some of them went to the Uni. but never allowed the university to pass through them. But the surprise more to me is why people, whether in flowing agbada or buba or gown or cassock, never grow up, such that they always want to look down on people or try to want to re-write people’s history. This category of people perhaps haven’t learnt enough to know that it isn’t good to look down on people, as only God sits up there.

    Some others, because of their love of filthy lucre, even descend from their Olympian height, to contradict themselves at the drop of a hat, speaking from all the corners of their mouths, wrecking homes with their plainly biased and mischievous mouths, in the process. To them, I say: call honey by whatever name, it is still sweet!

    Truth is that, like Haruna Ishola succinctly put it in one of his records, the goat at home doesn’t know the worth and capability of a hunter who would easily have hunted it down and made mincemeat of the goat, were it a habitue of the forest.

    No matter what, whether or not such people like it, they are too little to undo God’s work. The Supreme Being, that made us who we are, is still at work, ensuring that his beloved are preserved for greater exploits and protected from harm’s way.

  • Ogbeha the conscientious politician turns 70

    Tomorrow, Sunday, September 3, 2017, the family and friends of Senator Jonathan Tunde Ogbeha will gather at his parish church in Apo, Abuja, for the birthday thanksgiving service of the retired brigadier-general who turned 70th yesterday, Friday, September 1.

    For Ogbeha, nicknamed Flying Jones in his school days because of his goalkeeping prowess, September 1st and 3rd are very significant days of his life.

    He was born on the September 1st, 1947 and admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on September 3rd 1967 to commence academic and military training as a Regular Course 3 Officer and Gentleman.

    He clocked 70th yesterday and tomorrow, Sunday, September 3rd, will mark his 50th NDA anniversary.

    Both events are deserving of celebration but in the mood of our nation, Ogbeha chose a private prayer at his residence. This is not unexpected given his quiet lifestyle.

    But his family and friends have ‘over-ruled’ his decision, insisting they will  celebrate these milestones “no matter how little”.

    Indeed, Ogbeha is very deserving of celebration at 70th given the commitments, contributions and sacrifices he has made in the lives of many who came his way.

    I met Senator Ogbeha as a civilianized democrat after his retirement from the military through my Uncle (Arc) Yomi Awoniyi, the immediate past deputy governor of Kogi State.

    This was after the 1999 general election when General Ogbeha (rtd) stood as the candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) for Kogi West Senatorial District and won the election.

    This electoral feat, which Awoniyi had strongly supported, was against the views and position held by some of us who come from Kogi West.

    After Ogbeha’s swearing-in in the National Assembly, he emerged as the upper chamber’s Committee on States and Local Government Chairman.

    This position placed a responsibility of seeking the best operational system for local government administration on his shoulders and he took up the onerous assignment with military dispatch.

    As soon as the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration came up with the review of the 1999 Constitution, Senator Ogbeha rose and demanded the autonomy for the local government tier of our federal government.

    His argument was predicated on the conviction that the State/Local Government Joint Account as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution was being mismanaged by the state governors.

    He revealed that rather than adding the constitutionally required contributions to the joint account by the states, the governors were taking advantage of that tier of government and treating it as a ministry, department or agency of the state government.

    He predicted that if the local government tier is not granted her financial autonomy, in no time, the tier of government would be rendered irrelevant in the scheme of governance and could even become comatose. A prediction that has come to pass.

    Expectedly, Ogbeha’s proposed amendment could not be swallowed by many state governors and they mobilized against it as the issue degenerated in the media and public discuss.

    The debate however came up in the then regular ‘review’ of politics at ‘home’ and the nation between Awoniyi and I where we concluded that Senator Ogbeha needed to take his narratives to Nigerians since he had become the apostle of autonomous local governments.

    That way, I met Senator Ogbeha in 2001 and had since discovered him to be a retired but not tired officer and gentleman, a devout and devoted Christian of the Anglican Communion, a peacemaker, a conscientious politician, an apostle of good governance, a stickler to family values, a patriotic nationalist,  reputable and above all, a true friend.

    In his days in the military, despite the despotic nature of the military leadership of our country, he carved a niche for himself as a decent and organized soldier among officers and men as well as civilians.

    He held command positions in the army and had the privilege of serving as the pioneer military governor of Akwa Ibom state laying the infrastructural plans for the future of the state and remaining the darling governor of Ibomites till date.

    The noble role Ogbeha played as the first military governor of Akwa Ibom was well captured in the 70th birthday congratulatory message issued by Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Udom Emmanuel.

    It reads:

    “Thirty years ago, you embodied the collective dreams of the good people of Akwa Abasi Ibom State. You came to a state that was bereft of even the basic infrastructural amenities, but you were undaunted.

    “You went to work and laid the foundation upon which successive Governors have built on to move the state forward.

    “Today, Akwa Ibom State has become the destination of choice with world class infrastructural amenities.

    “The people have arisen and have claimed the faith of their greatness. As you turn 70, on behalf of the grateful people of Akwa Ibom State, I send you our heartfelt felicitations.

    “May the good Lord continue to bless you with good health and may His grace continue to abide with you.

    Happy Birthday, Your Excellency and thank you for your service to our State,” Udom submitted.

    In the old Bendel State, now Edo and Delta states, the story is not different as Ogbeha sterling performances speak in volumes while his management of men and resources still earn him a commendable number of followership in the two states till date.

    It might be needful to tell a story that demonstrates his humility as a military governor in Bendel State.

    He had returned from work and asked the House-keeper for lunch. In shock, the House-keeper said lunch was not ready. Surprised, this military governor requested the House-keeper to provide him ‘garri’ and ‘epa’ (groundnut).

    Rather than make the requested lunch of ‘garri and epa’ available, the House-keeper, who was further scared by such a demand from his military governor, bolted and headed in the direction of senior officers of the state government pleading with them to come and save her job.

    A bewildered Ogbeha, who saw senior officers of the state government trooping into his official residence, demanded to know the reason for their presence.

    When they told him that the House-keeper invited them to intervene on her behalf, he burst into laughter stressing that the House-keeper job was never on the line and asked rhetorically; “so the military governor no fit chop garri and groundnut again?”

    As a Senator, Ogbeha’s constituency projects were built on provision of water, rural electrification and roads.

    He worked closely with then Deputy Chief of Staff in the Presidency, Chief Olusola Akanmode and then Minister of Police Affairs, Maj-General David Jemibewon to secure the construction of the road from Aiyetoro-Gbedde – Iyah-Gbedde -Aiyegunle-Iluke and Suku.

    This road, which was designed to open up Bunuland and link Kogi State with Niger and the  Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had since stopped at Suku, in Kabba/Bunu local government.

    Until the 2017 Budget, nothing was heard of the road again.  The electrification and water projects also suffered the same fate with the road construction.

    The exit of Ogbeha as Senator in 2007 halted their provision while the dwellers of those areas have been left in darkness and inaccessible roads.

    As a conscientious politician, Senator Ogbeha would handover contracts given to him by Kogi State Government to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women groups in his local government for execution and distribution of the proceeds.

    He also jettisoned the offer of first refusal granted him in the 2007 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial primary election.

    He reasoned that two terms of eight years as a Senator was just enough to serve rather than creating unnecessary tensions among the people of his senatorial district by seeking a more term in office.

    He rested his decision on the fact that his constituency is multi-lingua and multi-ethnic stressing that other areas will want to also do their turns.

    He also told supporters who had wanted him to run “another term” that his constituents had shown him enough kindness and he would want to give them the opportunity to elect other senators after his own two terms.

    For this son of a Police officer dad and pastry-maker mum, who was attracted to the Army out of love for the neatness of officers’ in uniform, life has never been just a bed of roses.

    If anything, life, in the last seventy years, has been a mix. While his successful military and political careers are testimonies of the good side, the death of his younger brother, Major Sam Ogbeha, who died in the Hercules C-130 that crashed in Ejigbo in 1992 as well as the death of his wife, Jackie, are unforgettable pains of life.

    In spite of these sad experiences and others that life has brought his way, Ogbeha has kept an abiding faith in God through Christ. And not just that.

    He has continued to give back to the society and kept true to the course of brotherhood and friendship. Ogbeha is ever-ready to take the bullet for his friends. His relationship with his ‘twin-brother’ and friend, the immediate past President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, best illustrates the loyalty of this retired infantry officer to friends.

    In their near-60 years of friendship, not a pin, as the Nigerian cliche says, has been able to come between them.

    As we gather in thanksgiving to God for the 70th anniversary of the birth of this quintessential officer and gentleman, this is wishing Flying Jones many happy returns in good health.

     

    • Ologbondiyan lives in Abuja

  • As Mambila power project takes off

    Wednesday, August 30 approval by the Federal Executive Council, FEC for the award of the contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of the 3050 MW Mambila Hydro Electric Power Project reflects President Muhammadu Buhari’s strong commitment to the development of infrastructure in the country.

    After more than 40 years on the drawing board, the FEC approval for the award of the contact to a consortium of three Chinese companies, Messrs CGCC-SINOHYDRO-CGOCC Joint Venture represents a milestone in the journey for the realization of the country’s long-standing dream.

    The landmark infrastructure project will cost the country the sum of US5,792,497,062.00 inclusive of taxes, environment utilization, works, as well as project land acquisition and compensation to about  100,000 people who will be resettled.

    From 2015 when he took power from the Jonathan-led, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP administration, President Muhammadu Buhari has, in addition to the successful prosecution of the costly war against terrorism and economic sabotage, unleashed a slew of infrastructure projects that would change the face of the country. These projects include railway, roads, airports, housing and agriculture among many others.

    The specific case of Mambila presents an interesting story, given the many years it has taken to leave the drawing boards.

    As far back as 1972, a preliminary study was carried out by Moto Columbus, and confirmed by an indigenous water resources consultancy, Diyam Consultant led by distinguished Nigerian engineer, the late Malam Salihi Ilyasu which recommended the construction of a hydropower project with a rated capacity of 3,960 MW. From then to now, various governments made efforts, or to put it in a better way, pretended to be committed to actualizing the project but nothing came of it.  Sham attempts to develop the project on Build-Operate-Transfer, BOT also failed to achieve the commencement of construction.

    A government revocation of a BOT approved by a former President through an anticipatory approval led to a protracted litigation that stalled the project.

    In 2011, the then administration approved the award of contract for consultancy services for the detailed design and project management and supervision of a revised power output of 2,600 Mambila Hydro Electric Power project at the sum of USD 37,220,068,72.

    The major breakthrough in the execution of this project was achieved when President Muhammadu Buhari initiated discussions at the level of the President of the Peoples Republic of China in the course of his state visit to that country.

    One of the achievements of the visit was the bilateral agreement between the two governments to cooperate on the project and in particular, for the Peoples Republic of China to prioritise Chinese financing of the Mambila Hydro-Electric Power Project using Chinese contractors.

    The formation of the Joint Venture by the three companies, CGCC, SINOHYDRO and CGCOC under the guidance of the Chinese authorizes at the request of our government was significant in breaking the deadlock caused by litigation. It also ended the needless competitor-wrangling.

    Following this development, a series of meetings took place to reduce the cost of the project from the projected USD 6.62 billion to the now agreed sum of USD 5,729,497,062.00.

    The importance of this project is being counted in its capacity to transform the impacted communities in Taraba State and beyond that, the country as a whole.

    To quote the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola speaking on the Mambila project, “it will have a transformational effect on all of Nigeria’s socio-economic development. During its construction and upon completion, and subsequent operation, it will have considerable positive impact on electricity supply nationwide, productivity, employment, tourism, technology transfer, rural development, irrigation, agriculture and food production in the area and beyond.”

    This show-piece infrastructure project by the Muhammadu Buhari administration will therefore chart a new course of prosperity in Taraba, the North-east and the entire country.  It will no doubt help the country’s infrastructure. After construction, it will be the biggest single power project in the

    Considering what this landmark infrastructure project means to the country’s economy, sociology and politics, it is hard to fathom why the past administrations delayed the Mambila power project inordinately.

    Although blame for this is shared by governments over this 40-year period, the ones to take the bigger share are the governments during which tenure the oil sector boomed with oil prices as high as US$ 120.

    That period in question, especially the one preceding President Muhammadu Buhari’s second coming was one of missed opportunity and misplaced priorities. The long overdue investments in power and transport needed to unlock the economy were ignored. Nigeria earned unprecedented dollar revenues. But there is nothing to show for the revenues earned. No major capital project was completed, neither power generation, road development, rail nor agriculture benefitted from the windfall earnings. Rather, the administration presided over the diversion of oil revenues on such a massive scale.

    President Muhammadu Buhari on the other hand has a positive and prosperous vision for Nigeria. A nation in which the natural talent and hard work of the people is  being supported by an enabling environment of  infrastructural development  and policy reforms that will develop a firm future for our nation.

     

    • Shehu is Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity).

  • Ajayi: Exit of a legal titan

    During my school days at Ilesa Grammar School in the late fifties and early sixties, we students always assemble once a day for morning devotion and our Principal’s address in the school assembly hall. This routine was however broken on one faithful Tuesday early in 1959 when we were summoned by our charismatic principal, the late Canon J A Akinyemi to assemble in the hall by 12 noon on that day. We students were baffled at this unexpected instruction. Many thought that we will be giving an unscheduled holiday for the rest of the day probably as a result of a development in the town. On my part, I was happy for the announcement because it saved me from the boredom of a Latin class coming up at 12noon that day.

    On getting to the assembly hall our principal introduced to us a well-dressed gentleman in a fine and well-tailored English suit with appropriate bowler hat to match. He was introduced to us as Dr.  Festus Adebisi Ajayi, an old student who just came from Britain with ‘the golden fleece’. We were told that he came back recently to Nigeria as a lawyer and he had the best student in his university in London. The announcement by our principal was greeted with an earth shaking applause.  He responded briefly by telling us to work hard in our studies. However, in my juvenile mind, I was confused how a man could be a lawyer at the same time a doctor. At any rate we were all happy that an old student of our school located in the interior of the country could achieve such an academic feat. His introduction on that day went a long way to inspire my generation to aspire to great heights in academics and this was further rekindled later in the year during the silver jubilee celebration of the school when the principal put up a big board with a roll of honour. On this board the names of many old students who had achieved academic excellence were inscribed. Prominent names in this board were those of Hezekiah Oluwasanmi, Olu  Ayoola, Yinka Ayoola, E. C. Araka, C. E. Chidozie, Festus Ajayi,  Kayode Eso, Alfa Belgore and others listed with their degrees. Many of us then determined that one day our names would be inscribed on the board.

    Dr. Festus Adebisi Ajayi was one of the most brilliant Nigerians and to his credit he was very humble about his achievements in academic field. After finishing his secondary school education at Ilesa Grammar school in 1943 with yet to be beaten record, he worked in the colonial Labour Department. From there he left for England in 1949 and there he enrolled at University of London for a degree in Law. It was at the university that he showed his prowess as an academic giant. In 1952 he was the only one placed in First Class honour division in the LLB examination of University of London and in that year he carted away all the scholarship and prizes in the university. His record was unbeaten for many years. The scholarship enabled him to pursue his LLM degree which he bagged in 1954. Dr. Ajayi became an Assistant Lecturer at the London School of Economics in 1955. At this prestigious school, he taught the erudite Professor Ben. Nwabueze and Otunba Michael Subomi Balogun, a notable banker and philanthropist. Dr. Ajayi got his PhD degree in law in 1958 and the title of his PhD thesis was ‘ The Judicial Approach to Customary Law in Southern Nigeria’.

    Just before completing the PhD degree, the late Dr. Ajayi was invited by the legendary Chief S. O. Adebo to join the services of the old Western Nigeria as a Senior Assistant Secretary which was a very senior post for a new comer in the service. He was later offered a higher post as the Deputy Commissioner for Law Revision in the Ministry of Justice. Dr. Ajayi’s career in the civil service was as distinguished and glittering as his sterling academic career. The Western Nigeria public service in Dr. Ajayi’s time was reputed to be the best in Africa under the late Chief Adebo and Dr. Ajayi contributed immensely to this reputation. He worked under the civilian administrations of Chief, Awolowo, Chief Akintola and Dr. Majekodunmi and the military administrations of Colonel Fajuyi, Brigadier Adebayo and Brigadier Rotimi. In his days as a public servant, he was apolitical and gave professional advices to his different heads of governments based on law. He was involved at a very close range in events such as the pre- independence political upheavals in Nigeria, the pre- independence constitutional conferences, the 1962, Federal Emergency Administration in Western Nigeria, the controversial Western Nigeria election of 1965 and the ensuing political crisis that followed, the coup of January 1966 and the counter coup of July 28 1966, the Biafra war and other events that put our country at the brink of disintegration. In his autobiography titled ‘IN OUR DAYS’ he narrated in the most succinct way, the intrigues during the Kampala Peace Meeting to end the Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970. He participated in this meeting where a confidential secretary to the Nigerian delegation was abducted and killed.

    The late Dr. Ajayi’s greatest legacy was the revision of colonial laws in Western Nigeria to bring them in line with those required by independent sovereign nation. This aspect of his work was later copied by the federal government, the then other two regions in the country and some African countries. There is no law passed in the old Western Nigeria and Western state between 1959 and 1971 that did not have the input of the late Dr. Ajayi. These laws included those for good governance and those for establishment of institutions such as University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University, Western Nigeria Broadcasting and Television services and the creation of Mid-West Region

    The late Dr. Ajayi retired from public service in 1972 as the Attorney General and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Justice. All in all he worked for 11 different governments. He consistently refused to be made a judge and he was made a Life Bencher and in 1990, after much persuasion, he became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) an honour he refused to take in 1977. After retirement he was offered the post of Professor of Law at the University of Ife by the late Professor Oluwasanmi, the Vice -Chancellor of that University. He refused this offer and instead he went into private practice.

    The late Dr. Ajayi was a rare Nigerian and despite his prodigious achievements in Law and public service he shunned all forms of publicity and ostentations. 1n 1965 he was awarded Order of the Niger (OON) which to me does not adequately reflect his prodigious contributions to law and constitutional development of our country. His life-long friend and class mate, the late erudite judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria,  Kayode Eso described him as ‘a special specie of man who beat all known academic records in white man’s world and in one of the white man’s prestigious universities’. Professor Itse Sagay in 2003 described his brilliance and quiet life thus: ‘he was the first student ever to score 12 straight A’s in all the subjects he studied at the University. His first class degree was therefore unprecedented; a perfect one. That a man of such immense attributes has melted quietly into noisy and brash Nigerian environment for nearly three decades, is a sad loss to law and Nigerian polity as a whole’.

    The above sums up the life of this illustrious, erudite and quiet Nigerian, Dr. Festus Adebisi Ajayi. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

     

    • Lucas, a retired professor writes from University of Ibadan.

  • Morakinyo: Still walking the talk at 60

    He was meeting his boss, Fela Anikulapo Kuti for the first time at the most unlikely place-prison! The legendary musician had been locked away in Benin for falling foul of the Buhari/Idiagbon regime’s stringent foreign currency law on his way to an international engagement in 1984. So here he was alongside Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Fela’s younger brother and Francis Kertekian, the musician’s US based manager at the office of the Controller of Prisons that Saturday afternoon awaiting the arrival of Fela.  The young business manager was introduced to Fela without any formality after which two of the top politicians then serving time in the same prison on conviction on charges of corruption by the regime walked in two former governors- Barkin Zuwo of Kano State and Shaba Lafiaji of Kwara State.  He was surprised hearing Barkin Zuwo actually thanking Fela “for giving the Muslim community in the prison, money to type minutes of their meeting…”

    For Dele Morakinyo, managing the affairs of Fela at such a testy time was onerous but his background came in handy. Born to a school principal, late Christopher Morakinyo of Ijan-Ekiti in Ekiti State and Victoria Morakinyo, also a retired teacher from, Lampese in present Edo State, he attended Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti. His five year stay in the school influenced his artistic inclination as the school provided the right environment for creativity as students had time for extra-curricular activities. He was active in literary studies, drama and scouting.  He taught briefly as a teacher in the primary school before he got admitted to the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University to read Dramatic Arts with specialization in Playwriting. He studied under renowned theatre scholars like Professor Wole Soyinka, the late Dr Carroll Dawes, Sumbo Marinho, Oba Segun Akinbola and Dr Olu Akomolafe among others. He was in the production troupe of the 1st Ondo State Festival of Arts and Culture in 1976 and has produced drama and documentaries for radio and television. He was Assistant director in Jaguar Nana’s Daughter (film), The Turning Wheel (TV) and Prince of the Savanna (film). His feature and opinion articles have been published in The Guardian, Lagos Life, Sunday Concord, The Entertainer and Tempo magazine among others.  He also won the 1st poetry prize in the professional category in the Oyo State Festival of Arts and Culture back in 1980. After graduation he freelanced on radio and newspapers before joining NTA, Ibadan. Moving to Lagos subsequently, the arts community welcomed him with open arms. Indeed, he featured in a popular soap on Lagos Television at the time tagged, Just a Wink …

    Morakinyo who was introduced by Femi Falana, one of Fela’s lawyers to Beko Ransome Kuti for the job settled in easily as Business Manager at the Kalakuta Organization intent on proving his mettle.  Some of his achievements while there include the registration of Kalakuta Organization Ltd to take care of Fela’s business; signing of the contract for the release of Fela’s back catalogue by a recording company and participating actively in the dramatic activities which led to Fela’s release from prison and all the accompanying media hype that took place then.

    “I guess it was a worthy experience which had its own impact on my life,” he reminisces. “I mean working closely with such iconic family could not but be eventful.” Still, he had to leave as soon as Fela was released from prison. On why he did not stay for long with Fela, he says: “From the beginning Femi, Fela’s musician son who was then pivotal in the Egypt ‘80 band during his incarceration did not approve of my engagement. To him I was ‘Beko’s manager.’  And Beko’s peculiar personality was difficult to fathom, and that made working under his supervision a bit uncomfortable, tried as one would. The truth is that he didn’t target you as an employee; that was just him. And then the sudden, but welcome release of Fela from prison which gave Beko a relief, and obviously the need for a third party intervention became needless. There were other details which might form part of a future work.”

    But his foothold in Lagos had been secured. Later he was to publish the Independent Broadcasting News, now rested and served as National Secretary General, National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, NANTAP for two years and ex-officio for three years. Then he joined Videolab/Audiolab Studios, the production arm of BatesCosse, an advertising agency in Ikeja, Lagos as Operations Manager… In 2008, the then governor of his home state in Ekiti, Segun Oni nominated him to the Presidency for appointment as Ekiti State Director of  the National Orientation Agency (NOA) which duly was ratified.

    Inevitably, he relocated to Ado-Ekiti.  NOA was a unique exposure to public service at the very high level for him. The similarity of the mandate of the office with his background in theatre, media, writing and creativity generally made it interesting but equally challenging. As he recalls: “I virtually walked into my role as a mobilizer in the establishment; in fact the management I met on ground actually believed I had prior knowledge of the organization’s duties. I found the job appropriate for my kind of person-gregarious, chatty, creative and perceptive. It was not the normal civil service type of assignment where you were confined to the desk, pushing files across, the contents of which you had very little knowledge of! Here, you carried out the thinking, planned the execution, delegated the duties, coordinated and supervised the process from concept to finish, and ultimately being in a position to evaluate the impact. You only needed to send a report to Abuja through pictorial and audio-visual evidence. And because you felt you were performing, your bosses out there had confidence in you and left you to carry on unhindered, though responsibly within the ambit of the Act which established the agency, and the law of the land.”

    After the tour of duty which lasted four years, he did not bother to return to Lagos. Instead he launched his outfit. He has thus been shuttling between Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Lagos and Abuja in pursuit of business opportunities. In 2015, he founded Niyi Osundare International Poetry Festival where he is the Chief Executive with Tunde Laniyan, a veteran theatre artiste and journalist as festival director to celebrate the peoples’ poet on an annual basis. On what informed the setting up of the festival, Morakinyo says: “The idea was borne out of the inspiration that at a time when Nigeria was reeling under the burden of bad and dictatorial leadership, there was this Nigerian out there garnering literary honors in poetry across the globe. Osundare was, and still is the most decorated poet in Nigeria, and more instructively his poetry is deliberately made accessible to the people about whom he writes, and to whom he directs his message.” Instructively as preparation for the maiden edition peaked, the poet was pronounced the winner of the National Merit Award for Arts which is the country’s highest award for academic excellence.  The annual event which is in its fourth year has been garnering global attention and accolades much to his delight. “It is making an impressive impact because as we speak one or two other attempts are being made to organize something similar. But as we say on the street, Oga na still master; and as founder, I remain proud of the vision. We are marching ahead, yes with minimum funding support for now but with maximum co-operation in the area of contents and attendance,” he beams.

    So how does the restless thespian, TV producer, writer and publisher feel as he clocks 60 this September 3?   “I feel good, thankful for what I have received and working and hopeful of what I still desire from life,” he replies. “The truth is that one cannot stop functioning, and life is like planting, so as long as you plant, you hope to harvest.”

    On regrets, he says with philosophical calmness: “I don’t think it is right to regret while you are still alive. And who says your best is still not on the way? He queries. “I am learning to embrace what I have, overlook what I cannot no matter how well I strive, and work towards realistic goals for as long as I live…”

     

    • Onoko, a veteran journalist writes from Abuja.

  • Agonising mothers and traumatised children

    It is cries of woe and unending agonies all over the place. Mothers running helter-skelter as they scamper into safety dragging their helpless children along with them. The images we see every day on our screens are distressing and the narratives that accompany such pictures are heart breaking. From Iraq to Yemen to Syria to Libya to Egypt to Pakistan and to the recurring Afghanistan is the same gory tale of bloodbath and bloodshed.

    Do people who created these unending agonies for mothers have mothers? Do the blood thirsty world leaders who torment mothers and children have mothers? Were they born by women? Do they have sisters, aunts, nieces and children? If they do not have biological children of their own don’t they see their neighbour’s children? Don’t they see chicks following their mothers?

    When you see the harrowing images of children being daily consumed by cholera in Yemen your heart almost bleeds for those innocent children who are being punished by their country’s selfish and senseless leaders who allowed the notorious CIA to plunge their country into Civil War. Fathers and mothers are not spared by this ravaging cholera that claims a life every two hours! To date 260,000 are reported to have succumbed to the ruthless cholera majority of the victims being children.

    The story of Mosul in Iraq is not different. Blood thirsty and vengeful George Bush woke up one day and thoughtlessly decided that Iraq, the cradle of human civilization must be destroyed. Stories upon stories were invented to deceive the usually ignorant citizens of the USA that President Saddam Hussein, created by the same USA, harboured Weapons of Mass Destruction. To start with the USA has the largest variety of Weapons of Mass Destruction in the world. In fact her own arsenal is larger than that of all the countries of the world combined. The USA has no moral right to question any country’s right to self-defence.

    Iraq before the unprovoked invasion by the USA had the fourth strongest military in the world according to military sources, and she also had one of the best living conditions in the world thanks to her oil money and the socialist policies of Saddam. Bombs upon bombs were ruthlessly emptied from the skies on that country and buildings, rare historical sites were destroyed. Throughout the campaign of bloodletting, mothers and their children went through hell. Hundreds of thousands of children were killed; thousands of women were gang-raped while some had their husbands slaughtered right in their presence. Such was the terrible plight of mothers and children throughout the brutal campaign which continued for several years after the cessation of hostilities. But the war sprang up again with the emergence of ISIS also a creation of the CIA and mothers and their children once again came under the hammer.

    What a horrible sight to behold in Mosul the so-called stronghold of ISIS which was destroyed beyond recognition. However hardened a heart may be, it would melt if confronted with the human tragedy of Mosul. Buildings where mothers and children sought refuge kept tumbling down on their heads killing hundreds and inflicting life threatening injuries on many. Hospitals were destroyed and mothers watched their children die slow painful death due to lack of health care delivery services. Malnutrition and starvation has taken over in Mosul.

    Libya is a sorry tale. That oil rich country had the highest and best living standard in the whole of Africa in Gadhafi’s time. But Gadhafi committed the same ‘sin’ Saddam committed by asking to end the monopoly of the US Dollar as the standard currency of trade. The CIA raised an opposition against him; armed the opposition to the teeth and Barack Hussein Obama completed the dirty and inhuman job by assembling the so-called allies to rain tons of bombs on the beautiful country until every treasure was completely destroyed. In all of these, it is the women and children who suffered the brunt. You can imagine children who hitherto were well fed, mothers who received the best care from their government now scavenging for food in dustbins!! Hundreds of thousands of both Iraq and Libya women are now widows while their children are exposed to a blank and hopeless future.

    It is the same story in Syria where a once powerful and prosperous country is being reduced to rubbles because of the crazy policy of regime change which has been the bane of the US policy since time immemorial. Children and mothers in Syria are a sorry sight as they keep running from one refugee camp to another. A huge number of Syrians now form the bulk of refugees worldwide suffering humiliation and outright rejection in some countries.

    Afghanistan has been serially unlucky. She was for many years the punching bag of the Cold War between USSR and USA. The Taliban took over and the ubiquitous USA believed it was their birth-right to export suffering, humongous suffering to the mothers and children of the God-forsaken country. Women and children of Afghanistan have not known peace in decades. Their woes have also taken root in Pakistan where suicide bombing is a daily occurrence.

    Palestine is in a class of her own. It will be 70 years next year when some Palestinians have been living in refugee camps! Just imagine a life in refugee camp and imagine raising children in such deplorable environment for 70 years!!!

    All the conditions we have been talking about were created by human beings; heartless leaders who stumbled on power and did not know what to do with it. Human cruelty that created hell for our innocent mothers and their children had been predicated by either political drunkenness or some fanatical dogmatism or some myopic racism or a combination of all those silly abstractions.

    While the mothers, wives and children of the wicked ones who export suffering and inhumanity to other lands and other people are enjoying out-of-this-world pleasures, the candidates for hell fire are destroying the lives of others.

    Just imagine for a second the troubles women go through for just being women; they take care of the home, take care of husbands and in-laws, get pregnant, give birth and raise children and remain prayer warriors for their families for life. Imagine what most women go through to have children without mentioning the physicals of carrying the weight of some potbellied partners and inhaling some foul air of drunken husbands, the nine-month of weight carrying and the near-death point of child delivery. Some women go through serious medications just to conceive and after all that some crazy individuals in some crazy country would send bombs to annihilate the women, their husbands and their children

    The questions are worth repeating: do these heartless blood-thirsty leaders have mothers? Do they have wives? Do they have children? Should our dear God the Almighty look the other way while some crazy power drunk monsters destroy His creation?

    Children do not deserve the wicked treatment being routinely meted out to them by the so-called people in power. If the USA wants regime change, she could as well assassinate the leader of the country than destroy the entire country including the innocent citizens of such a country.

    Although a lot might have been destroyed before the wicked suffers the Karma and wrath of the Divine, it is a truism that the wicked shall not go unpunished. Where is the Roman Empire?

  • Ondo, land of brave and virtuous

    This is Ondo State, the land of the brave and virtuous. This is a geographical space richly endowed by nature. This is our collective haven; an impregnable fortress for the protection of the weak and the underdog, a place where everyone is held and treated as important. We are proud inheritors of this enviable heritage from our forebears. We are bold, yet not foolhardy, resourceful, pragmatic and hospitable, but far from being stupid. We show understanding, readily, but resist all attempts by the impetuous and naïve, who mistake the craving for collaboration for the much-needed progress as weakness. We must remain consistent and resilient in the defence of this collective heritage.

    I should, therefore, hasten to admonish that there is indeed little or no time for endless celebrations. These appointments must be seen as a call to service at this critical juncture in the life of our dear state. As our administration renews its pledge to the people to be accountable at all times, there is the urgent need for rededication by all those who serve the public.  We must encourage broad and massive participation of our people in the business of government.

    Government and governance should not be stultifying abstractions, distant and disconnected from the service to which these modern concepts evolved to proffer. Those who lay claims to legitimacy of representation, as deriving from the people, must always keep their focus on this time-tested objective. Governance should not be reduced to a circus show; specious, ostentatious and profligate exhibition of inanities. Any decision or action of acclaimed representatives of the people must be an answer to identifiable socio-economic challenge. Elected and appointed public officials must subject their individual preferences to the collective will. Performance must be measured in terms of its positive impact on the people.

    If development is about the people, all decisions and actions must be for the realisation of this lofty objective. Any opportunity offered for service must be understood in this context. Nobody must consider his/her choice, out of numerous other equally eminent candidates, as an invitation to primitive self-aggrandisement. This administration will not permit it. Any conduct which seeks to perpetuate the misery of the people will be discouraged actively.

    No appointment is “juicy”. Every ministry, agency and established public office is important. This administration shall extend equal attention to all offices. It would be a mistake, with grave consequences, for anyone to act in a manner which negates decency and decorum. There will be zero tolerance for all acts considered unbecoming of patriotic indigenes of this state.  We will simply not allow them.

    As the ship of this administration finally gathers steam to set sail, it is pertinent to acquaint the good people of this state with the true financial situation. We believe it is important that our people should possess this information. This must not be construed as politics and we plead with our media practitioners to subject this information to the crucible of serious scrutiny and analysis.  The knowledge of true financial status of the state government will guide and moderate the craving desires of all and sundry. Expectations of performance from the government must be anchored on reality. Government officials must bear this fact in mind, always.  It will be easy for the people to show understanding when they know the truth.

    The economic condition of this state is precarious, depressingly so. We expend virtually all allocations and the insignificant revenue generated internally on recurrent expenditure. The internally generated revenue is very low. The huge debts owed by the state have been worsened by infrastructural deficit on ground. Yet we strive to discharge our obligations to creditors whose exactions on our very poor revenue militate, significantly, against planning.

    The government is looked upon as the major provider of succour to the people. Times are indeed very hard.  Job creation is a cardinal policy of the administration. We are not unmindful of the cynicism of our political opponents who believe that engaging our youths productively is a tall order.  We are, however, convinced of not only the possibility of making this objective a reality, but our activities will erase the doubts as we progress.  All hands must be on deck.

    This administration at inception met a staggering debt totalling N220,588,125,731.00 (Two hundred and twenty billion, five hundred and eighty-eight million, one hundred and twenty-five thousand, seven hundred and thirty-one naira).

    With a total inherited debt of over N220 billion, it should not be difficult for anyone to know that the government’s capacity for seeming elastic adjustment to cater for the people has been stretched to its limit. There is no gain asserting the obvious; our administration is not in any position for frivolities. All of us must gird our loins for the great task ahead. The picture is not good. Therefore, all acts with the potential of pushing us deeper into economic crisis must be jettisoned. We earnestly promise to provide the needed leadership.

    Despite the challenges encountered by our administration since assumption of office, we have approached governance with resilient determination. Paucity of funds has been a major encumbrance as explained earlier. To put out this quagmire, we have already commenced the process of re-engineering our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) efforts which will soon begin to yield the desired results.  The administration has, however, been able to embark on projects which impact positively on the lives and general well-being of our people. We are beginning to register our presence in the consciousness of the people through our activities in virtually all sectors.

    Imbued with the unshaken belief that an environment with a developed infrastructure is that which is ready for progress, we have been able to intervene to bridge the very wide gap in infrastructural deficit.

    Our intention is to turn our dear state into a hub of socio-economic activities. We are determined to stimulate the economic space for the benefit of our people. The commencement of regular flights from Akure to Lagos, and continuation of Akure to Abuja has been a tremendous boost to the state. Businessmen and women, traders and all those who take investment seriously are trooping into our state with ease. Ondo State is indeed a veritable destination for investors. Air Peace Airline is making this possible. The transparent conduct of this administration and its insistence on discharging its mandate sincerely and courageously make good things happen.

    We promised to make life more abundant for our people. We will continue to strive to keep that vow within the available resources. We can turn things around positively. We only need men and women imbued with the necessary patriotic zeal and determination to do things differently. I enjoin us to make our appointments impactful on the generality of the people in the State. We must approach issues touching on their lives with seriousness.

     

    • …Excerpts of speech delivered by Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu at the swearing-in ceremony of commissioners and Special Advisers.