The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Ondo REC: we’ve learnt lessons from Edo election pitfalls

    Ondo REC: we’ve learnt lessons from Edo election pitfalls

    Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner Akin Orebiyi spoke with Deputy Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on preparations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the governorship election in the state.

    How prepared is INEC for the challenge of October 20 in Ondo State?

    We can confidently say that INEC is fully prepared for the conduct of the governorship election. As we speak, we have been receiving non-sensitive materials from INEC headquarters. We have also done quite a number of meetings with stakeholders. We have rounded up the voter education forum at the local government level. The essence of the voter education forum is to educate the voters on their responsibilities, their duties and also the procedures for the conduct of the election and the election process on the election day. It has been a useful experience and a unique one. This effort is being sponsored by the International Federation of Electoral System (IFES), a partner of INEC in the last 13 years.

    What are the elements of the voters education programme?

    The voter education forum involves two major activities. One, there is a stakeholders’ meeting at the local government level, which runs for three hours. There, the electoral process is explained to the stakeholders, political parties, members of the civil society organisations and officials of the National Orientation Agency and INEC officials in the local government. Questions are taken and answers are provided by INEC. After that, we did a road show and distributed flyers and posters. IFES provided 540,000 flyers and nearly 200,000 posters in English, Yoruba and Ijaw languages for the benefit of the electorate. we have been distributing them at the forum and various religious worship centres. We have presented to the political parties and electorate soft copies of the voters’ register. We have explained to them what to find inside the voters register and how the information could also help them to muster greater efforts in canvassing for votes at the 18 local governments, 203 wards and 309 polling units across the state. We have trained the 334 agents of 13 political parties. We have trained our supervisors for the election. We will have 223 supervisors for the election. UNDP sponsored the second training for party agents. The first one was sponsored by the International Republican Institute (IRI).INEC has also conducted training for presiding officers and assistant presiding officers. The bulk will come from the National Youth Service Corps. Whatever shortfall we have will be filled by students of tertiary institutions.

    What are the rules and regulations guiding the governorship campaigns?

    The first is understanding the process itself. We are urging the political parties and electorate to adopt the electoral process as their own. The campaign started on July 24. It is to end on the eve of the election, October 19. Any other campaign after that is a violation of the guideline. All campaigns must end on Friday, October 19. On election day, there must not be any campaign. There will be no movement around the state on the election day. Each voter will only go to his or her polling unit. Party agents are not allowed to roam about the streets. There is a party agent for a political unit. Government officials and party officials are not allowed to move around. They cannnot carry weapons to election grounds on the day of election . Security will be provided adequately. You are meant to carry to the polling booth only your voter’s card. If you don’t have a voter’s card, don’t bother to come to the polling unit. Accreditation will start 8.am. It is going to be different this time. This means our officials, men and materials would have arrivedat the 309,000 polling units at 7 am. Even, if there is delay, they should be there by 7.30 am. Accreditation will take place between 8.am and 12 noon. After accreditation, voting will start by 12.30 pm. But any polling unit where accreditation of voters does not end by 12 noon, the presiding officer will count the number of people yet to be accredited and he will now ask the security officer on duty to stand behind the last person on the queue, which means nobody can join the line after 12 noon.The implication of this is that voting may not start in some units at exactly 12.30 pm. When voting starts, it does not end until the last accredited person has voted. That means voting will not end at a particular time. After voting, there will be sorting of the ballot papers according to the political parties voted for. There will be counting and after counting, there will be announcement of results. Only results would be announced and no winner will be declared at that level. Voters are free to stay within the vicinity, two or three hundred metres, to watch the entire electoral process on election day. After the announcement of results, voters are advised quietly to return home. We will move from there to the ward collation centre to do the collation of all the polling units in that ward. We announce the result, we don’t declare winner. From there, we move to the local government collation centre. Then, we move to the state collation centre at INEC office in Akure where the final collation will be done and results will be announced.

    How are you responding to the complaints of political parties raising eyebrow about the voters’ register?

    There have been complaints about the voter’s register. We perfectly understand their feelings and they are based on the previous experience they had about INEC as the electoral umpire. INEC officials in the past have been part and parcel of the elections in the past. They have been partisan. But since Prof. Attahiru Jega came in with his new commission in June 2010, INEC has changed completely. It has very fair and unbiased in its activities and all the elections and rerun elections. This will also happen here on October 20. We are going to make sure that every aspect of the election will be laid open in a transparent manner for everybody to see.Concerning the voters register, we have organised a lot of stakeholders’ meeting, enlightening, informing and educating voters and political parties about the voters’ register. Also, we have reverted to the manual voters register as a back up where we are not able to use electronic voters register. Their names will appear this year as an addendum. The only difference is that it will not carry photographs of the voters. INEC is doing its best to ensure that the voters register is credible. After we released the voters register on September 20, I can say that, up to today, no party has officially approached us to complain about the voters register. When a party agent is given a voters register for his unit, he can verify whether the names are those who live in the vicinity or not. What we released last year was tentative. it has been upgraded now.

    When was the voters register displayed by INEC?

    The law says voters register should be published 30 days to election. That was what we did on September 20 when we gave political parties a soft copy each. The point is that the voters register has over 80,000 pages. So, if you want to publish it, newspapers will not be able to finish it until the day of the election.That is why we have the benefit of the soft copy. We have 1.6 million voters. On the day of the election, we will display voters register for the units.

    What special arrangement is INEC making for the conduct of the election in the riverine areas?

    We have two local governments in riverine areas; Ilaje and Ese-Odo local governments.There are one or two polling units by the river in Irele, one island in Odigbo local government. Ilaje local government has 181 of its polling units on water. Ese-Odo has 67 of its polling units on water. What we did was to work closely with security agents. We had had toured the creeks for about four hours, assessing the polling units there, the wards, and meeting with the community leaders there, seeking their understanding and cooperation. So, we have done a lot of assessment concerning the difficult terrain in the riverine areas. In addition, we are making preparation for boats from Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa states. We will also hire boats locally here to complement what INEC is providing. We are looking at not less than 68 boats for the election. We have obtained life jackets to take care of hundred of people in the riverine areas on election day. In order not to get late to the polling units, we are going to move election materials a day ahead for Ilaje local government. Parties’ agents will also accompany them to Igbokoda where we are going to warehouse the election materials until they are moved to the wards.Within an hour or two after opening the 203 wards so that men and materials can get to the 3,009 polling units without delay on October 20.

    What were the lessons INEC had learned from the recent governorship election in Ondo State?

    A lot. We have learned to be open and transparent, explain everything in details to the stakeholders. We must regularly feed them with information at various levels. We have learned to carry all the political parties along in whatever we do. We respond to their questions promptly across the 18 local governments.In terms of the challenges encountered in Edo State like the late arrival of materials to a number of polling units, we want to prevent this here. We will leave by 5 am and within two hours, we are the various polling units, ahead of the 8 am when polling units are expected to open. There was protest about the use of the addendum. We have been telling people since July this year that the addendum will be used. It was rejected in Edo State because they said they did not know in advance. So, we have been telling the people on radio and television.

     

  • Agbekoya warns political thugs

    Agbekoya warns political thugs

    Nigeria’s frontline farmers group,

    Agbekoya Farmers Association has

    embarked on aggressive mobilisation of farmers in Ondo State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

    It also vowed not to allow political thuggery to avoid rigging at the poll as efforts were in place by the group to join hands with security agencies to ensure a peaceful, free and fair election.

    According to a release made available yesterday to The Nation by the group’s National Publicity Security, Chief Olatunji Bandele, the President General of the Association, High Chief Kamorudeen Aremu Okikiola was quoted as saying Agbekoya Farmers Association is a big stakeholder in the agricultural sector of Nigeria and Ondo State and therefore, the group’s position is to support an agriculture-friendly government who genuinely has the love of farmers at heart.

    “We are currently mobilising farmers and educating them on the candidate to vote for in the Saturday election in Ondo State,” the release stated, adding that Agbekoya Farmers Association “has no political afflation with any political party, but we are ready to support any government or governor that supports Agbekoya Farmers Association and our agri-business project.”

    It further said: “In Ondo State, Agbekoya Farmers Association has about 22,000 members spread across all the 18 local government areas of the state, with majority of them languishing in poverty in the rural areas without any financial and technical support from government.

    “On our own we have gone to the financial market to access fund for our agri-business projects. Our mission is to feed the nation and turn Ondo State to the food basket of Nigeria.”

    The release further hinted that the group had put machinery in place to monitor the governorship election. “Agbekoya hereby warns political thugs and hoodlums to steer clear of the polling booths across the state because we are on ground to monitor the election, protect our votes and also to assist security operatives to maintain peace.”

    “We don’t belong to any political party. All we are interested in is to ensure that the man who is genuinely interested in real governance is voted for. We believe it is hightime we get involved in who govern us because as farmers, we are stakeholders,” Bandele added.

     

     

  • ‘Achebe’s book is replete with inaccurate facts, claims’

    ‘Achebe’s book is replete with inaccurate facts, claims’

    The new book by renowned author and literary icon Prof  Chinua Achebe – There was a country – has continued to generate heat in the country.  Former Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing Femi Okunnu (SAN), who was in government between 1967  and 1974, queries the allegations and claims made by the author. He spoke with Staff Correspondent Eric Ikhilae.

    what is your assessment of the new book by Prof Chinua Achebe?

    I have read only newspaper reports and excerpts from the book, (that was published in The Nation on October 5) written by that erudite Nigerian scholar, Professor Chinua Achebe. I am amazed at the extent of the intellectual dishonesty displayed by Prof. Achebe in alleging that the Federal Government under General Yakubu Gowon, in which I had the honour of serving, had a policy of denying our fellow Nigerians, who were trapped in Biafra, relief materials. There is no such policy by the government, in which I was a member.

    Was it true that the then Federal Finance Commissioner Chief Obafemi Awolowo suggested to the government to adopt starvation as a war weapon?

    Right from the declaration of war on May 27, 1967 until the cessation of hostilities in January 1970, to the best of my knowledge, whatever Chief Obafemi Awolowo might have said or said to have said, as reported by Prof Achebe, was not the Federal Government’s position. It was not the government’s policy at all. I say this as the leader or one of the leaders on the Federal Government side during the peace talks. Chief Anthony Enahoro (of blessed memory) led the federal delegation to the preliminary talks initiated by the then Commonwealth Secretary in London early in 1968. The talks shifted to Kampala, Uganda, with the then President of Uganda, Dr. Milton Obote, as the Chairman, who presided over the bilateral talks between the two sides. Chief Enahoro led the federal delegation to the talks in Kampala. I was not a member of either delegation, but I played a key role in the important peace talks, starting from Niamey unto Addis Ababa and Monrovia. In Niamey, Gen Gowon and Chief Awolowo were members of the federal delegation. Colonel Emeka Ojukwu also attended as leader of his own delegation. When the two leaders returned from Niamey, I led the federal delegation to the remainder of the talks, mostly to prepare the agenda for the substantive talks in Addis Ababa.

    What was the focus of the various talks held between both sides?

    The federal delegation left Lagos on August 3, 1968 for Addis-Ababa and the leader of the delegation was Chief Enahoro. I was the deputy leader. Col. Ojukwu attended the first day’s talks. The talks started on August 5 and was presided over by the Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie. After a day or two, Col. Ojukwu left and turned over the leadership of his delegation to Professor Eni Njoku, who was Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos before the outbreak of hostilities. Chief Enahoro left after a week, leaving me as the leader of the federal delegation for the rest of the period.

    The talks ended about the third week of September. And the main topic for our discussion was how to create corridors for the passage of relief materials from Nigeria, but mostly from outside the country, to our brothers, who were trapped within the Biafran enclave. The first week was taken up by political issues – cessation of hostilities and return of Biafra to the Nigerian Federation. When the talks on that issue was suspended, for the next four or five weeks, we were in Addis Ababa, with me as the leader of the federal delegation and Prof Njoku as the leader of the Biafran delegation, discussing various corridors which we proposed for passage of relief materials to Biafra.

    We discussed air corridor, we discussed land corridor; we discussed sea and river corridors, no holds barred. But unfortunately, the various proposals, which we brought forward were turned down by the other side. We couldn’t reach any good conclusion. So, to say that there was deliberate policy of the Federal Government, initiated by Chief Awolowo, is at best intellectual dishonesty. That is not the true position of the Federal Government at the time. And certainly, that was not our position during the peace talks.

    Are there facts to support this position?

    My autobiography contains the full discussions of all the talks. From London to Kampala, Niamey, Addis Ababa, and the last peace talks, which took place, I think in April or May in Monrovia. Let me also say this, Emperor Haile Selassie presided over all the joint meetings we had between the federal delegation, led by me and the Biafran delegation led by Prof Njoku, for all the five weeks. The meetings all centred on how to get relief materials to the Biafran side. There is also this issue which I must emphasise. There were reports and there were incidents of some of the aircraft carrying relief materials to the other side, also carrying arms. There were such incidents. We must be very frank and truthful to ourselves.

    So, my autobiography devotes about 120 pages to nothing, but largely how relief materials would get to Biafra before the cessation of hostilities. Again, the main discussion between us was on the passage of relief materials to the other side. So, I deny completely that there was any Federal Government policy to starve our brothers in the rebel held area during the civil war. In fact, it was Ojukwu, who used hunger as a weapon of war because he denied any agreement on relief corridors. We proposed so many corridors – Lagos to Benin and Asba, across the Niger. That was rejected. Port-Harcourt, by river, to Oguta. It was also rejected. Fom Lagos, directly to the rebel. It was also rejected. Fernandopo to Port-Harcourt; rejected. We discussed different corridors. Air, water and land, they were all rejected. Ojukwu was more interested in Biafra. Having got the support of France in getting its surrogates – Ivory Coast ( now Cote D’Ivoire) and Gabon – to recognise Biafra, and with Kenneth Kaunda of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania recognising Biafra, Ojukwu was more interested in the permanent sovereignty of Biafra. So he used relief materials at a weapon of war.

    How true is Prof Achebe’s description of Chief Awolowo as a selfish and ambitious politician, who saw the war as an opportunity to advance his agenda of capturing political power for the Yorubas

    Well, as an ambitious politician, he was. As a man who wanted power, of course he did seek power and he acquired power in the Western Region. He was a powerful politician. For me, I was on the other side of the divide politically.

    This is because like most young persons and students in London in the early 1960s, we were for a fairly meaningful federal system of government because the regions were too strong. And Chief Awolowo was an advocate of strong regional governments.

    We were for the central government being stronger than the regional governments at that time at least, to be able to hold the regions together. Then, the Premiers were more important than the Prime Minister of Nigeria. Having said that, I agree that he (Chief Awolowo) was ambitious and he sought power. We all know that he built his political power, using the Western Region of Nigeria, largely Yoruba speaking, as his power base. We as young persons, and that is where I differ from him, looked at Nigeria as a single unit. We wanted people who will look at Nigeria and speak to people; seek power from all the people of Nigeria and not just one part of it. We wanted a Nigerian leader, not a regional leader. So, that is the much I can say about Chief Awolowo.

    That he was seeking power for his Yoruba people, well leave that. I think that is rather cheap. That is because, at the end of the day, Chief Awolowo sought support from the minority groups in the North, notably in the Middle Belt and also in Borno area. He also sought and got support from the so called minority areas in the then Eastern Region, notably, what we now call the oil producing states.

    Chief Awolowo built his power not only from the West, but also in the Rivers and Calabar part of Nigeria, and the Middle Belt and Borno. So, to say he wanted power for his own people alone is neither here nor there. Towards the end, he sought power to be the President of Nigeria and he failed. And as Ojukwu himself said, he was the best president Nigeria never had.

    How will react to the author’s argument that the change of currency was meant to weaken the Igbos economically?

    Again, that is very cheap propaganda. When the currency was changed, there were some reasons for it. Before the civil war and during the war, but largely during the war, Central Banks were looted and Nigerian currencies were looted. That itself call for a change of currency by any sensible government. Secondly, I was Gowon’s emissary to negotiate with President Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo, when a plane load of Nigerian currencies landed in Togo. Gowon sent me to negotiate the return of the currencies and the plane. The story is told in my autobiography. So, with Nigerian currencies flying around, any sensible government will change the currency.

    The change of currency affected everybody. Everybody was given a certain period of time to exchange the old notes for the new notes. I think the aim of the government at that time was to try and stabilise the currency of the country because of the looting of the Central Banks. Remember the bank at Enugu was under the full control of Ojukwu. One or two other Central Banks outside the rebel held areas were also looted.

    How credible is the claim that the banning of the importation of stock fish and used clothes was an anti-Igbo economic policy?

    Are they the only one eating stock fish? Are the Igbos the only people that sell and wear second hand clothes? That is very irrelevant, although, in the context in which he wrote his book, it was all part of the attempt to liquidate the Ibo speaking Nigerians. So, outsiders, who do not know who eat stock fish or not , will have the impression that it is only the Ibo speaking who eat stock fish or wear used clothes.

    How true is the allegation that in prosecuting the war, the state’s acted in a manner that could pass as genocide?

    On the issue of genocide, I must confess that there was massacre of Nigerians who came from outside the Northern region after the Unification Decree of the late Aguiyi Ironsi on May 24, 1966, when he abolished the federal system and introduced the unitary system of government by Decree. There was riot all over the place and most unfortunately, many Ibo speaking and other non-Ibo speaking Nigerians were killed in the Northern part of the country. We must admit that fact. I condemn what happened in the North in May 1966. There was reprisal in some parts of the East. I condemn all the killings by both sides. But genocide during the war? No. I remember the incident during which a soldier, I think it was in the Third Div, under Col, later Brigadier General Benjamin Adekunle, killed innocent civilians, the soldier was shot dead on the order of the Federal Government. There was no genocide from my point of view and from my knowledge as a member of government at that time.

    What about the children that were reportedly taken outside the rebel area?

    This was clear propaganda of war. It was a weapon of war by Col Ojukwu to prolong the war and also to make Biafra a reality, a sovereign state. The title of Achebe’s book: “There was a country”, is wrong. There was no country. There was rebellion. As I said at the time, if Lagos declared secession out of Nigeria, I Femi Okunnu, will be on the federal side. There was no genocide. War involves killing on both sides. And both sides killed. I must emphasise that Gen Gowon had a booklet of instructions given to his field commanders to follow Geneva Convention.

    How can the people grow in the face of these contradictions and mutual suspicion among the various ethnic groups?

    We should all learn to be Nigerians. You don’t find a Chinese either inside or outside their country saying he comes from a section of the country. A Chinese is a Chinese anywhere. China has 1.5 billion people, Nigeria has only 150million. And that is why China is almost number two in the world in terms of economic development. Same goes for India. Nigerians should be proud to Nigerians. I do not have problem with the development of culture. These are part of the riches of the country. So, until Nigerians begin to think of Nigeria as a single political and economic unit, and act in that manner, Nigeria will never make it. We only much noise about being the biggest country in Africa, many countries which were behind Nigeria in Southeast Asia – South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia. In the 60s and 70s these countries were far behind Nigeria in economics terms, but now they well ahead of us. We rely only on oil. Palm oil and palm kernel industries are almost gone. Cocoa and groundnut are dead. So, we should make up our mind to return to where we were in term of production of cocoa, palm oil or palm kernel. Nigeria was number one and number three in the production of palm oil and palm kernel in the world. Malaysia, which borrowed palm oil seedling for experimenting in their country, is now exporting palm oil to Nigeria. It is Malaysian oil that we now consume in Nigeria. Back to the point I am making, ethnicity should be dead. We can develop our individual cultures and tradition, but they must not be brought into political arena. We should not allow ethnicity determine our political choice and decisions.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Half way gone, Fayemi seeks special slot in history

    Half way gone, Fayemi seeks special slot in history

    Today marks exactly two years since Dr. Kayode Fayemi became Ekiti State governor. He has broken grounds. Like Oliver Twist, the people are asking for more. That means he has to break new grounds, surpassing efforts of the last two years, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU.

    HIs father’s choice of a baptismal name for him is John, who, in Biblical times, was the pathfinder for Jesus Christ. So, when on October 16, 2010, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi stood on the dais, a Bible in one hand, the other up in the air, he pledged allegiance to the people of Ekiti State and his country, Nigeria, he knew he must find the path for his people.

    The ceremony over, it was time to face the business of running a state, which had lost its glory as the home of the most educated and was occupying almost the least position on the revenue-sharing table.

    When he quit his international engagements and flew back home, Fayemi knew his stint in political office would be tough. He now admits the situation was bad than he imagined.

    He said: “I also had an advantage when I wasn’t in government. We had a split in the House of Assembly. So, my own colleagues in the House of Assembly always had information about what is going on in government, which we also worked on and prepared… But with all that, I didn’t realise the depth of the crisis. I didn’t realise that we had many abandoned projects, for example, or that we have that huge amount of money unpaid to contractors or vendors.”

    The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was so small it could not add much value in an ocean of needs.

    There were other challenges. The state capital, Ado-Ekiti, was not befitting; there were litany of uncompleted projects; schools were dilapidated; roads were death-traps; and things were generally in need of ‘surgery’ in the state of some 2.3 million people.

    The people wanted action and no excuses. Fayemi knew this and avoided giving excuses. He got into action with his team of commissioners and Special Advisers, with the 8-point Agenda as their Bible.

    The eight-point Agenda cover governance, infrastructure development, modernising agriculture, education and human capital development, health care services, industrial development, tourism and gender equality and empowerment.

     

    How Fayemi runs the Fountain of Knowledge

    To accomplish the task ahead, Fayemi, said an aide, does not have a definite closing time.

    There are times he stays in the office till 1am or 2am. And by 5.30am the next day, he is up.

    Aides said when there are emergencies, such as the night when fire gutted the School of Nursing, Fayemi was ready at about 5 am to attend to the matter. The day Ewi of Ado-Ekiti’s palace had a fire incident, the governor was willing to go visit the place, despite the fact that he left the office around 1.30 am.

    He hardly attends parties or social occasions. The few social functions he attends are because of the nature of his work. On most public holidays, he could be found in his office.

    The Nation learnt that when he has meetings to attend in Abuja, he prefers to return same day while his brother governors stay back. Despite the stress of travelling by road, he retires to the office to work. At times, he travels with “Ghana must Go” bags full of files, mails and other documents to treat.

    A source said he is being so finicky because some civil servants deliberately stack up the files to block thorough scrutiny before approval. His speeches, no matter how busy he is, bear his imprints. He typesets his speeches on his laptop.

    The Nation’s enquiries show that talent recognition and usage is a major factor in how Ekiti works under Fayemi. One area in which this is very evident is in the administration’s efforts at developing tourism. He identified an indigene of the state, Mr. Segun Ologunleko who had helped the Cross River State government to develop its tourism products, such as Obudu Ranch Resort and Tinapa. He appointed him Special Adviser on Tourism Development. Ologunleko has been of immense assistance in turning the Ikogosi Warm Spring into a tourism hub, among other efforts at increasing IGR through tourism.This approach of using talents appropriately permeates almost every area of development. The use of square peg in a square hole has led to the plugging of leakages in the system and increase in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    The governor also knows that the people matter. This, said a source, is the logic behind the village square meetings he has held with people in all the 16 local government areas. At the meetings, the people spoke their minds on what the Budget should look like. It was after the meetings that this year’s Budget was presented to the House of Assembly.

    Though a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Fayemi has not allowed his affiliation to affect the growth of the state. Development, to him, knows no party affiliation. For instance, he has related well with the Federal Government, which is controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). From time to time, he has met with heads of federal ministries, departments and agencies as part of his campaign for federal presence in Ekiti State. On this issue, he has met President Goodluck Jonathan, Minister of Works Mike Onolememen, Minister of Water Resources Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, Minister of Education Prof. Ruqqayatu Rufa’i, Minister of Agriculture Dr. Akin Adesina, Minister of Trade and Investment Olusegun Aganga and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, among others.

    Fayemi’s meeting with Onolememen was to get the Federal Government to refund the money spent on the rehabilitation of the Ado-Ekiti township roads and the dualisation of Ado-Ifaki Road, which are parts of the 348km of federal roads in the state. The minister promised to refund the money.

    The meeting with Rufa’i led to the approval to merge junior and secondary schools in the state, which were hitherto separated.

    He got concrete outcomes from the others he met too.

    Determined to deliver on his promises, the governor has also put in place the Office of Transformation, Strategy and Delivery (OTSD), with the mandate of co-ordinating and monitoring the transformational strategies of the administration. He identified a talent in the person of Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, a former Commissioner for Integration and Inter-Governmental Affairs, to run the office.

    His use of talents also manifested in the economic team. He picked a 19-man team of talents. Their mandate: open up new avenues to finance the transformation agenda. The team is headed by Deputy Governor Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.

    The administration’s drive for qualitative education has also shown his knack for using talent. Shortly after assuming office, he set up a Task Force headed by Chief Deji Adegbite to look into the challenges facing the sector. It was this Task Force that paved the way for the Ekiti State Education Summit. The decay in the sector is being corrected with the outcome of the summit.

    Working for 16 to 18 hours in a day means the governor does not have as much time as he would normally have with his wife of 23 years, Bisi.

     

    Improving the finances

    On assumption of office, after a long battle in the law court to regain his mandate, he pledged to restore some order to the state’s public finances.

    The holder of a doctorate degree in War Studies says his efforts are bearing fruits.

    Fayemi has started to tame government expenditure and make reforms. He has also tamed the patronage system, which squanders much of the revenue.

    His room for manoeuvre has resulted in astronomical increase in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue. There is little doubt his success in getting more money for the state is a rarity in an environment where Federal Allocation is all many eagerly wait for every month. In October 2010 when he took over, the IGR was a paltry N109 million. At some point, it grew to N400 million. Now, it is 400 million. His target is N1 billion, which he had hoped to achieve by last June, but failed to. He has this last phase of his first term to actualise that.

    He said: “The feat has convinced us that if we continue this way and block all loopholes and drain pipes, we can make more than that. This is in spite of the fact that we have not introduced personal income tax.”

    The increase in the IGR is helping to tackle the huge recurrent spending that makes Nigeria’s government at state and federal levels one of the world’s most costly. Simply running the administration swallows a huge percent of income.

    Fayemi’s reforms have seen him battle teachers, who found funny his insistence that they must take competency test. Ekiti, for a long time, was seen as the place with the most educated people in the country. This is why it is known as the Fountain of Knowledge. But, over the years things fell apart. Mass failure in public examination is now a norm in a state, which produced first professors in some disciplines. His own approach to making education functional is to ensure trainers are well-placed to do the job through the Teachers’ Development Need Assessment. The opposition dubbed it an attempt to sack teachers. Teachers too claimed that the policy was aimed at sacking some of them.

    The state of infrastructure in public schools also called for concern. Schools had dilapidated walls with roofs blown away by winds and pupils sitting on the bare floor in the classrooms. They are now wearing new looks through the Operation Renovate All Schools in Ekiti (ORASE).

    A renowned poet, Prof. Niyi Osundare, who is an indigene of the state, said public schools which produced great scholars and eminent personalities were in deplorable condition during his last visit to the state. He said he was pleased with the renovation works on public schools.

    Osundare said: “Our state has changed. The last time I was at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti, I almost cried. I saw many classrooms without windows, the schools was in a bad state. Christ’s School is better because of the efforts of the alumni association. I am happy that renovation has begun there and in other schools. Laptop computers given to students, I read about it on the Internet.

    “I have not come here to praise, people say scholars are critics but if you see something good, you have to say it. There is a lot to be done because a lot of damage was done in the past but we are on the right path.”

    Correcting the damage of the past has turned the state to a huge construction site. Fayemi said: “We have turned this state into a huge construction site with road construction going on in towns, villages and remotest settlements in all parts of the state. Many dilapidated school buildings, which had not been touched for 40 years are being demolished and rebuilt with work at completion stage in various public schools.

    “Work is going on in commercial agriculture, health, tourism and other sectors. Our indigent elders are receiving N5,000 monthly.”

     

    Not in it for the money

     

    Born February 9, 1965 in Ibadan, then the headquatres of the Western Region, Fayemi comes from a family of public servant and trader. After demonstrating his brilliance right from elementary school, he held his own at the Christ School, Ado-Ekiti. His records at the University of Lagos, University of Ife and Kings College, London, where he bagged first, second and third degrees, spoke of a man with purpose.

    While studying for his doctorate in London, he was active in the fight to bring the dictatorship of the late Gen. Sani Abacha to an end. He was also involved in seeking a better life for the community he and his wife Bisi were staying in London.

    At the risk to his life, he worked for the actualisation of the pirate radio, Radio Kudirat, which was a nightmare for the Abacha regime.

    Fayemi, whose marriage is blessed with a son, Folajimi Amandla – according to those who know him–

    has never been motivated by wealth. It has always been about service.

    Like many who have been on the good side of life, he owns properties in Lagos, Accra and Kumasi, which he acquired before getting into political office. But, he does not flaunt affluence. By the standards of Nigeria’s champagne-swigging, sports car-collecting public office holder, he’s not extravagant. You can hardly catch him hiring helicopter or chartering an aircraft with state’s fund. You are not likely going to find him on overseas trips with many hangers-on. His mode of dressing is also such that cannot set tongues wagging. You hardly find him arriving or leaving events blaring sirens.

    To some, he is an unassuming man whose quiet demeanour stands out in a nation where success is usually marked by talkative swagger; to the opposition, he is not good enough for the state.

    For Fayemi, being in government should not turn one into a monster. “There is a lot of hallow around people in the executive arm of government… Of course, when you are in government, you get attention. But nothing has really changed about you. You don’t have two heads now. You don’t have four legs; you are still the same person. I think we need to begin to demystify power and casualise it in a way that we will not bend or turn those occupants into swollen heads and people who believe that they are the best things that have happened to the society,” he said in an interview.

    He said his motivation for being in government is not to amass wealth but to leave the state better than he met it. The governor said: “Anytime we found ourselves at crossroads, God gave us direction and God has proved that help comes from nowhere but from Him. We solicit your ceaseless prayers for Nigeria in general and Ekiti State in particular for us to leave this state better than we met it.”

     

    New grounds must be broken

    Fayemi is yet to achieve his aim of increasing the IGR to N1 billion. He is also yet to start work on the building of schools, whose cases are beyond mere renovations. The urban renewal project is still ongoing.

    The projects for which the state floated a N20 billion bond, such as the construction of Lagos Liaison Office, the ultra-modern market and the ultra-modern civic centre, are also areas many expect action in this new phase.

    Many will also look forward to seeing the electronics giants, Samsung establish an Engineering Academy in Ado Ekiti, the state capital as part of its partnership arrangement with the state government.

    A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed to that by the state government and the management of Samsung in Seoul, South Korea in September.

    Fayemi signed for the state government, while Mr. Seongwoo Nam, Executive Vice President (IT Solutions Business), signed on behalf of Samsung at a brief ceremony at the company’s head office in Seoul.

    The collaboration between Ekiti State and Samsung as agreed in the MOU, include e-governance, healthcare, technology park, smart city and safe city initiatives.

    Fayemi said the partnership with Samsung would boost the state government’s ICT plans, especially its e-school, e-payment and e-government projects.

    Not a few will also be watching out for what becomes of the state government’s Computer-per – child initiatives (e-School project), which is designed to put a laptop computer on the desk of every student in public secondary school by 2014. Already, 33,000 laptop computers of the planned 100,000 are being distributed in the first phase of the project.

    Not a few also wait to see how he resolves the impasse with teachers over the compulsory test, which the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is kicking against. The governor has withdrawn recognition of the union and decided to deal with teachers individually.

    All in all, this latter-day ‘John the Baptist’ needs to break new grounds surpassing efforts of the last two years. Only then would he have proved right those who see him as the forerunner.

     

     

  • Ondo progressives task INEC on fair election

    Ondo progressives task INEC on fair election

    The Ondo State Progressives,Lagos chapter have called the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free and fair election in the October 20, governorship polls in the state.

    Addressing reporters in Lagos the chairman of the pressure group, Prince Dele Oduwale said it had become very crucial to ensure that Ondo people freely choose their leader and allowing the best candidate to emerge.

    They maintained that whatever government could do to improve on the security situation in the state that would lead to a free and fair election is welcomed.

    “All we are saying is that we don’t want bloodshed, if it warrants the deployment of soldiers to the state as long as the safety of the people is assured, it will be welcomed.”

    Oduwale explained that Ondo people are well educated people and would not tolerate any act that compromises their rights. “They are always ready to defend their rights no matter what happen. We are living witnessed to previous elections where they have to defend their votes even with their blood.”

    The group membership which cut across party lines, said they would be willing to work any candidate that emerged at the elections as long as the best candidate was produced through a fair election.

    He said: “Why we are calling this press conference is that there has been lot of rumours and controversies in Ondo State that Ondo State progressives Lagos Chapter has followed Dr Olu Agunloye to Labour Party, we need to correct that impression.”

    “What happened is that when he could not get the Action Congress of Nigeria’s ticket we had to re-examine and review the situation. What happened thereafter, was that the association became a divided, split along people who felt we are core ACN members and our loyalty belong to the party and believes ACN is where they align and others who believe in Dr Agunloye and we are following him to wherever he goes.

    “So the situation today is that Ondo State Progressives, Lagos chapter is divided into two, some members of the association followed Dr Agunloye to LP, there are other members of the association who are committed members of ACN and remained with the party, it is imperative that the misconception is corrected.

    “We have resolved that the association will remain indivisible; we might have political difference but remain indivisible such that after the election, we will all come back again and sit down and say okay the election is over let us progress.”

    Primarily our intention is not political, what is important to us we want to uplift through our individual contribution and collective contribution to the progress of Ondo State, we want to contribute that quota, so after the election we all come back together again and work,” the chairman emphasised.

     

  • Plot to sack Kogi Speaker thickens

    Plot to sack Kogi Speaker thickens

    The move to impeach the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon Abdullahi Bello by some of his colleagues is gathering momentum.

    The state government is alleged to have committed a whopping sum of money to ensure that the aggrived legislators have the Speaker impeached at all costs.

    Opposition leader in the House, Hon. Iyori Afolabi described the move by the state government to influence the removal of the Speaker as a wasteful venture capable of undermining the peace and unity in the state.

    Afolabi, also the Minority leader in the Assembly, had alleged that the executive arm, in its desperate attempt to remove the leadership of the House, was dangling N15 million to any lawmaker who consents to the plot.

    But Governor Idris Wada denied any involvement in the leadership crisis rocking the state Assembly.

    His Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Jacob Edi, stressed that the governor is a firm believer in the principles of separation of powers as enshrined in the constitution and would not do anything that would jeopardize it.

    “That’s a wild allegation. And the lies are unfounded. Capt. Wada is too busy to dabble into such issues. The governor will not be distracted by such abnormal lies” Edi stressed.

    Addressing Journalists in Lokoja yesterday, Afolabi described the move as an attempt to pocket the House, but assured that the exercise was a fruitless one, as it would never see the light of the day.

    He noted that majority of the members were solidly behind the Speaker, whom he said, was doing a good job, adding that the plan to remove all the principal officers, just like the previous efforts, would fail.

    The lawmaker wondered why the executive arm of government insisted on destabilising the House, when the resources could be channeled towards improving the living condition of the people.

    He therefore advised the governor to concentrate on how to deliver democracy dividends to the people, warming that any attempt to forcefully remove the leadership of the assembly would meet stiff resistance.

    Afolabi who stressed that over N6 billion was voted for capital projects in this year’s budget, pointed out that so far nothing had been released in that regard, insisting that the administration was yet to find its feet after nine months in the saddle.

    He also warned against forging the signatures of the members in a desperate attempt to get the needed constitutional requirement to remove the leadership, saying such action would be suicidal.

    Edi added that the governor was more concerned about how to put concrete structures on ground for the benefit of all the citizens of the state who gave him their mandate.

    The Special Adviser stressed that the governor was in dire need of fund to execute his programmes, adding that it was mischievous to say that the government had not executed any project.

     

     

     

     

  • Joy as Fayemi showcases stewardship

    Joy as Fayemi showcases stewardship

    Necks were strained with no pain to their owners, all in a bid to catch a glimpse of the important visitor. And the scorching sun of the ‘hostile’ afternoon meant nothing to the jubilant crowd. Surprisingly, umbrellas were on sabbatical. Conspicuously displayed by ecstatic youths, placards bearing their heartfelt feelings competed for space. “Our own Governor Fayemi, we appreciate your intellectual approach to governance,” one of the placards read. The euphoria was infectious.

    With his fists humbly clenched under his chin in bewitching awe, the cynosure of all eyes in the mini-carnival, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi (JFK), beamed his trademark toothy smile in heartfelt appreciation of his hosts who were obviously drunk with joy.

    Exuding palpable sense of fulfillment of sorts, members of his entourage, including commissioners and some legislators, nodded their heads in acknowledgement of the overwhelming reception.

    “I can’t but appreciate your love for me and your unshaking belief in our administration. But I can assure you, this is just the beginning of a largely rewarding relationship,” Fayemi declared, spurring a thunderous applause even from the traditional rulers who graced the occasion. The event was the foundation laying of a trailer park at Omuo-Oke in Ekiti East Local Government Area of the state.

    It was the fifth day of the celebration of Fayemi’s second year in the saddle. The previous day, he had, amid pomp, commissioned an ultra-modern Data Centre and laid the foundation of a Civic Centre and Samsung Engineering Academy among such laudable projects at various locations in Ado, the state capital town.

    An incurable stickler to promptitude, Fayemi, by his tight itinerary that day, this reporter later learnt, never anticipated spending more than five minutes at Omuo-Ekiti. But his hosts caught him off-guard with various captivating gestures, interspersed with songs by various groups, including members of the Dr. Frederick Fasheun faction of the frontline Yoruba self-determination group, the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC).

    The gathering was enlivened the more when, Isalu Awoyo, a legendary masquerade that comes out once in seven years was specially ‘forced’ out to entertain the serviceable governor.

    With head-swelling praise-songs, Egbe Obirin Omuo-Oke, all decked in white lace materials with embroidered caps to match, took their turn. Again, it was a groundswell of prayers for Fayemi and his lieutenants. They capped it up with presentation of gifts to the governor.

    Chief Joshua Adewumi spoke for the community. He hinted: “We deliberately appear in white today to express our love for our governor and his administration.” Looking straight into Fayemi’s eyes, he added amid affirmatory ovation: “You will soon know how much we love you.”

    Obviously touched, Fayemi smiled in response as he rose to address the people. As he read his brief speech, songs of appreciation rocked the scene from every angle. “Omuo-Oke specifically asked for a trailer park and we are here today to lay the foundation for its delivery,” he stated amid deafening chants of “thank you sir.”

    He continued: “What we are doing here today is in agreement with our 8-Point Agenda. On completion, the park will end the era of indiscriminate parking of trailers on the route. The park will accommodate over 100 trailers and smaller vehicles; a petrol station; mechanic workshop, administration buildings; ambulance base, Fire Service Station and a police post among others. And it will create at least, 1000 jobs.”

    Thereafter, with adeptness, Fayemi laid the foundation of the facility with mixed sand and blocks to the pleasant shock of onlookers. In fact, the main jocular poser left unanswered while he left for another location was whether or not the governor trained in bricklaying!”

    In terms of time frame, the foundation-laying of the Life Academy Foundation, Ilu-Omoba in Gboyin Council Area had some semblance with the brief signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of the 27 million U.S Dollar Grand Tower Mall earlier on Wednesday at the Government House before the governor went on the day’s tour.

    The project, billed to be executed at Ado, the state capital, by Golden Towers Plc, is expected to be completed within 24 months at no cost to the state government. It is expected to attract multinationals in the state’s investment drive, attract tourists, and employ no fewer than 500 construction staff with over 1000 post-construction employees.

    Handing the Certificate of Occupancy of the location of the project to representatives of the Grand Towers Company after signing the MOU, Fayemi simply said, “you can move to site immediately.” He waited for no further comment as he embarked on the day’s trip.

    In no time, the governor and his entourage were at Aisegba in Ise/Orun Council area for the foundation-laying of its Enterprise Development Centre.

    Before one could say Jack, the entourage took its business to Ijan for the commissioning of Ilupeju-Ijan Electricity Project. It is in the same council area. That it was a special day in the community was felt even by the blind. Reason: Yes, he might not see the mammoth crowd of indigenes and their neighbours who stepped out to be counted at the moment and the school pupils who dared the hellish sun to welcome their beloved governor; but his eardrums would play host to euphonious traditional lyrics churned out in honour of Fayemi and his cabinet by various dance groups.

    Call it another moment for the characteristic ‘Broom Revolution’ of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), you are right. Members in attendance waved their brooms as they chanted the praise of the governor vis-à-vis of the people-oriented agenda of the party.

    Those who did not turn emergency photographers in desperate attempts to have the governor’s shots were perhaps the infinitesimal few without phone sets. Humans turned horses for others who mounted their backs; many other hanged on boughs and some wonky structures to have their turns at all costs, the inherent risks notwithstanding.

    Some enthusiastic youths took their appreciation of the governor to a mathematical level when after Fayemi cut the tape to declare the project open, they shouted to high heavens: “Four plus four equal eight; not story!” Are you at sea over what that meant? One of the youths told this reporter: “He is doing another four years after this; it is settled!”

    Certainly, it was bold on the faces of the state Deputy Governor, Mrs Olufunmilayo Olayinka and the governor’s wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi that the day would enjoy special mention in their memoirs. So it was for the Chairman of the ACN in the state, High Chief Jide Awe who also made the day with his governor.

    After a thoughtful stare at the new electricity transformer just installed to empower the facility, the Onijan of Ijan, Oba Samuel Oyewole Fadahunsi, who, alongside his chiefs, graced the occasion in flowing robes and complementary beads, was unsparing in words of commendation for the governor for ending their days in darkness.

    All Fayemi told them was that the project was in partial fulfillment of his electoral pledge to the community, stating that more would come the people’s way.

    For Fayemi, having put his hands on the plough, especially as regards the day’s activities, there was no going back. Leaving Ijan, his convoy tore through the Ilupeju-Ijan-Ise Road that is actively undergoing re-construction by his administration. Construction workers were seen sweating it out.

    Within minutes, the convoy berthed at Ijaloke Grammar School, Emure where structures recently rehabilitated by the administration were commissioned, and ditto for Obada High School, Emure Local Government area, where a modern science laboratory was opened for use.

    No thanks to time constraints, the various entertainers that had gathered to do what they know best in appreciation of the governor’s gestures had little or no job to do.

    They probably had not completely left the scenes with their drums when Fayemi, again, was warmly received at the African Church Comprehensive High School (ACCHS), Ikere, where the state government had breathed life into some dilapidated structures. Again, it was full pass mark for the governor by residents who sang his praises to high heavens.

    With good performance by the masquerade, its guide’s day is made, so goes a proverb. That was obviously the picture in Ilawe, a major town in Ekiti South West Council area where about seven buildings in Corpus Christi School were repaired by the Fayemi-led government.

    Traditional rulers, parents, teachers, pupils and residents abandoned their various other commitments to be part of the project commissioning by the widely acclaimed ‘Action Governor.’

    “To the glory of God and service to humanity, today, I declare ….” was all it took Fayemi to suspend the fun for drummers who had dreamt of a rosy day with him on the project which they all agreed, was a major contribution to the “hungry” community by the administration.

    Highly elated High Chief Gbenga Agbona, the Elemo of Ilawe, was effusive in words of gratitude to Fayemi’s administration in its genuine bid to reposition the state. Agbona, also an alumnus of the school, said one could not praise the governor and his cabinet enough for what they had done to lift the community.

    “As an alumnus of Corpus Christi, we have been trying to do one or two things in the area of revamping the school, but not much to show for our efforts. With what the governor has done in this school and two others in our town, Fayemi has proved himself to be a worthwhile custodian of people’s mandate who is there to make meaning out of people’s lives,” Agbona submitted.

    The lengthy Ilawe-Igbara-Odo-Ibuji Road later turned the entourage’s port of call. Again, same task – commissioning. Then, it had become no longer news that residents trooped out in numbers to say “thank you, our dear governor and reliable ambassador.”

    To many a lazy doll, an infirmary would play host to the governor for three days after “over-using” himself like a Trojan horse on that Wednesday. However, it was no shock to most Government House staff who had got used to the fact that he works on all cylinders when, last Thursday, Fayemi was the first to jump into a vehicle to continue the projects commissioning/flag-off in other parts of the state.

    On that day, besides commissioning the rehabilitated Ipoti High School, Ipoti and the Erelu Adebayo Orphanage, Iyin in the Central Senatorial District of the state among many others, Fayemi commissioned ten major roads totaling 103 kilometres in fulfillment of the resolve of his administration to make all the communities in the state accessible with motorable roads by 2014.

    The roads, all located in Ekiti Central Senatorial District, include: 14.3-kilometre Erijinyan-Ilawe; 12-kilometre Odo Owa-Oke Ila; 6.25-kilometre Awo-Iyin; 24-kilometre Ikogosi-Efon; 11.5-kilometre Ado-Ilawe, and five-kilometre Fajuyi-Basiri-Police headquarters.

    Others are 1.65-kilometre Fajuyi-Teaching Hospital Road; 10.75-kilometre Ado-Afao; two-kilometre Ijigbo-Isato and 13-kilometre Osun-Iloro route. Joyful noise welcomed the governor and his entourage wherever the road commissioning took place.

    At the venues of the commissioning of the various roads, the refrain on Fayemi’s lips was that the construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of the roads were informed by their deplorable condition which had given “motorists nightmarish experiences while traversing the roads”.

    He revealed further that the government awarded contracts for the roads, especially those leading to Ado Ekiti, in November 2011, to mitigate the sufferings of motorists and also give the state capital a face-lift. The Fajuyi-Teaching Hospital Road, he added, was aimed at linking the on-going Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki Road with Fajuyi Park.

    To the know-nots, he further disclosed to the pleasure of his hearers, that government was rehabilitating 16 other roads within the township to make Ado an enviable state capital in every sense.

    While commissioning the Ado-Afao Road amid hearty expression of relief by prospective users and resident, Fayemi expressed confidence that the rehabilitated road would undoubtedly be a great relief to motorists, especially those going towards Ikole and the northern part. His reason: It is a shorter link than the Ado-Ifaki Road.

    Fayemi, who recalled that the road was constructed by one of his predecessors, Ayo Fayose, in 2005, lamented that the road did not endure and thus became a haven for hoodlums.

    With its current status, he enthused that the road would enhance the economic activities of the residents along the route.

    His administration’s avowed battle against thirst also led to the governor’s commissioning of five water-treatment plants at various locations across the state. The plants and reservoirs are located at Ipole Iloro, Efon, Ido Ile, Okemesi and Mary Hill, Ado.

    The governor explained that the water projects were to achieve the target of his administration in the area of providing potable water for at least, 80 per cent of the state population, by 2014.

    He hinted that concerted efforts were being put in place to ensure that all the four dams in the state become functional as a bulk of the 2013 budget would be expended on water.

    Today, it is a new dawn Odo Uro, a community in Iyin Ekiti. A nerve-soothing song is being sung by the people as the governor also commissioned a rural electrification project for the community.

    The scope of work done involved about 0.1-kilometre Inter Town Connection (ITC); 1.8 township Distribution Network (TDN); a 300KVA transformer and street lighting.

    To Fayemi, the project was not devoid of cogent reasons. Commissioning it, he explained that his administration realized the importance of good electricity supply to the economic and social development of rural communities, hence its prime place in the administration’s 8-Point Agenda.

    Also, a healthcare centre at Ido Ile and a Skills Acquisition Centre at Iropora Ekiti which were carried out under the State Community and Social Development Agency were commissioned.

    Speak ill of Fayemi today, you risk seeing the “red eye” of the Owa Ooye of Okemesi, Oba Gbadebo Adedeji. He spared no word in commendation of the governor and went further to urge him not to be discouraged by criticisms but to see them as “tonic” that would further commit him to the development of the state on all fronts.

    The traditional ruler lauded Fayemi for the rapid and evenly distributed dividends of democracy which, by his reckoning, had been felt by virtually all communities in the state, saying: “What you have done within this short period is unprecedented; keep it up, our governor.”

    Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, a former legislator in the state and now Commissioner for Information and Civil Orientation was part of the breath-taking tour. He mentioned some of what he termed the administration’s Legacy Projects, which include: Government House (billed for completion in 18 months); Governor’s Office (also to be completed in 18 months); Civic Centre (comprising a library, museum, art gallery and a cinema) to be completed in a year; State Pavillion, like the Eagle’s Square Abuja, where parades and other activities will take place, due to be completed in six months; Samsung Engineering Academy (to be completed within a year); Grand Tower Shopping mall and Life Academy at Ilu-Omoba (an ultra-modern technical school where graduates can go for further technical training in different fields).

    Afuye hinted that the projects so far executed were made happen through the governor’s “incredible passion for hard work and goal getting” and the administration’s judicious use of the state’s meagre resources, including the N20 billion Bond secured by the state for capital projects.

    Far from being an avenue for vain display of extravagance, to the Fayemi-led administration, the anniversary was committed to modestly showcasing the goodies of good governance and taking immediate steps to consolidate on such laudable achievements with one sole aim: To leave a legacy in people-oriented governance.

  • Ondo: Hope after ACN Broom Revolution

    Ondo: Hope after ACN Broom Revolution

    The crowd surged, music blared and loud speakers shook the scenes. Thoughtful messages were delivered with zeal and venom. In Ikare-Akoko where the first major rally by the party took place, the massive crowd that turned out was unprecedented but not unexpected, considering the ever-rising acceptability of the ACN in the troubled state in particular.

    The heavens opened up just about the time the rally was about to start, but it could not dampen the spirits of ACN supporters who were eager to hear from their party leaders and their gubernatorial candidate for the October 20 election, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

    Free-flowing messages of hope and promises of a new day spurred a wind of change that swept through the campaign arena that Tuesday. Suddenly, it seemed like a re-enactment of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) days of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, when politics was the core of people’s existence. Reminiscent of the crowd-pulling rallies of those times, the ACN rallies from Ikare to Ondo town and finally Ore, signaled the re-birth of the political activism for which the South-west is traditionally known.

    If the three Senatorial districts expected a huge turnout for the ACN rallies, it is debatable if they were ever prepared for the massive crowd of fanatic followers and the attendant carnival of songs.

    The leadership of the party did not disappoint it followers. They handed out crisp political messages to their teeming party members. The rallying cry was the need to vote out the inept government of the incumbent Governor Olusegun Mimiko. The leaders not only demanded votes but justified why Mimiko needed to be kicked out with votes.

    On the podium in each of the rallies podium were political heavy-weights. Chief Bisi Akande, the party’s national chairman; Chief Tayo Alasoadura; the man of the moment, Akeredolu; Senator Borofice, Wale Akinterinwa, Lai Mohammed, Governor of the State of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola; the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and several front liners of the party across the country stepped out to be counted.

    The widely-acclaimed ‘Political General’, Asiwaju Tinubu led the onslaught against Mimiko and his Labour Party. But first, he educated the followers about why the ACN is a better alternative. Speaker after speaker took Mimiko to the cleaners and challenged the people of Ondo to embrace the new dawn being ushered in by the ACN. The rendition of political songs preceded most comments and the crowd responded in appreciation.

    Like Siamese twins, Asiwaju Tinubu and Ogbeni Aregbesola threw the crowd into political ecstasy each time they spoke, delivering ‘upper-cuts’ on Mimiko, especially why Mimiko and his party must be voted out of the state Government House. The central message was that if in three and half years and with all the billions of naira received by Mimiko government, Ondo remains a glorified state with snail-pace development, then the electorate need not be told to do the right thing – vote Mimiko out on election day.

    “One hospital, dilapidated roads, massive employment will cease to be your lot if you vote Mimiko out of power,” Tinubu said. He did not stop there as he exposed Janus-faced Mimiko as an ingrate, a modern-day serial political betrayer and one individual who cannot be trusted. Revelations about how Mimiko rode into power, the promises he made and broke, and the funds that secured his victory among others came in torrents.” The best way you can judge Mimiko and settle this score is to get into that voting booth and thumbprint for the party of the broom…”, added Tinubu.

    Mimiko was practically on trial and the crowd listened with rapt attention. The crowd was never disappointed nor tired of such messages. The rallies also showcased the performing governors ACN-controlled states and the push to have Ondo join the Southwest integration train for accelerated development.

    Ondo, it was said, was found missing in the train towards integration which is already in motion in the country. The candidate himself, Akeredolu engaged the crowd. He marshaled arguments to convince Ondo people that it was time for service and that he was a better alternative. His message of renewal, progressive change and massive employment went down well with the mammoth crowd.

    It was another spectacle at Ore, the last stop for the senatorial district rallies of the party. It was, for Labour party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a clear notice that the political battleline had been drawn. The crowd that turned out to embrace the party was massive in every respect.

    What seemed at first like a carnival turned out a political rally of note, with thought-provoking pointed political messages. Ore turned out the biggest recruiting ground for the ACN ahead of the October 20 poll. As the Ore campaign wound down, the ACN and its followers were more than convinced that they had a good song to sing after the October 20 election in the state.

    Today, as the October 20 moment of decision beckons, Ondo people appear eager to reap the fruits of people-oriented governance that ACN is known for.

  • National Honours: My nominations

    National Honours: My nominations

    I woke up too late to realise that the list of those on whom national honours would be conferred for the current year had been compiled. In any case, there is no room for citizen participation in the exercise. I later saw that it was a mix of the deserving and those who could only have brought the nation to disrepute.

    I do not want to go into an analysis on the quality of the minds that produced the list. I am not in the mood for discussing the President, his men or policies today. Rather, I prefer to be charitable. I have come up with some names that I think deserved the presidential handshake more than those assembled for the purpose.

    Chief Onanefe Ibori

    He could be described as the lion of Delta State. For the eight years that he ruled, no one was in doubt he was fully in charge. Anyone who fails to realize his contribution to the development of the state should fix a visit to Oghara, Ibori’s town, on his holiday plan and see the transformation he succeeded in achieving. In fact, President Goodluck Jonathan and the Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio should ask Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to facilitate a tour of Oghara to learn how to give meaning to their agenda.

    Since the terms of qualification for the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger have been liberalized, I suggest Ibori be handed the diadem.

    Cecilia Ibru

    Just a few months in the wilderness, many have forgotten this captain of industry who gave a new meaning to entrepreneurship. The Amazon, as managing director of an indigenous bank, showed leadership. She might have landed in trouble by being ingenious in coming up with her own code of corporate governance, but she showed that she could not be held down by any structure in achieving her personal ambition.

    Till date, she holds the record at showing that someone in the private sector could acquire more than an enterprising player in the public sector.

    Since she was unfairly dragged before a court of law to answer some charges for which she plea-bargained, the socialite in her has taken the back seat. No longer is her name mentioned around events organized in churches along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. A CFR would boost her confidence to do more for our dear nation..

    Farouk Lawan

    He is a man in the eye of the storm.

    He still has charges hanging round his neck in court. Therefore, it may be sub judice discussing this mighty man who meant so much in Kano and the National Assembly prior to the Lawangate. I know many would argue that Lawan ought to be excluded from such awards until his case in court has been laid to rest and he is cleared of the charges. But, is that the trend? Wasn’t madam Etteh handed the award after she had been impeached on grounds of misdemeanor, if not crime against the state? Lawan is a titan at home. He needs something to keep alive his hope of running affairs of Kano in 2015.

    Ayoka Adebayo

    Remember the old woman? She was handed the difficult and thankless job of conducting the Ekiti State rerun election. Many have said she did not conduct herself in a way befitting an old woman with a Christian spirit. But, I disagree. At that age, she sat through the night and, when she discovered that things might have gone wrong with her conduct in halting the process, she retraced her steps and obeyed orders from above. After all, as a public servant, she is expected to be a team player. She deserved the third highest honour-CFR.

    Igbinedion, Dariye, Turaki, Alamieyeseigha

    These are some of the greatest strategist-politicians ever produced in the land. Lucy, Joshua and Saminu could have established a good law firm had they been lawyers. They were governors of their states for eight years during which they showed all what power should mean in an underdeveloped country. Their conducts compelled men to worship the ground they trod. Any sincere political scientist would have leant a lot to boost his theoretical appreciation of power from the services rendered by these former governors of Edo, Plateau and Jigawa States. To the credit of Dariye and Turaki, they won elections to represent their districts in the Senate.

    Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was dethroned, say impeached. He was also convicted, just like Igbinedion. But, what does that mean. The Ijaw Governor General has made efforts to bounce back to reckoning. He is today one of the leaders backing President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He deserves to be honoured for his contribution to the development of his motherland. Besides, the fact that his deep knowledge of the Niger Delta and charisma would be needed for the 2015 campaigns, makes it necessary to confer honour on him ahead of the all-important crusade.

    Alao-Akala, Daniel

    Those who cannot think deep would think that these former governors of Oyo and Ogun States have faded away. This is not really true. Akala, despite the charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has since moved on to greater heights. From serving as governor of the pace setter state for four years, he has stepped up as President. He is now President of Ogbomoso Recreation Club.

    This is a good pedestal to enable him prepare to take a shot at the presidency in future.

    The list is by no means exhaustive. I would have nominated Aare Musulumi Arisekola Alao, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his compatriot, Senator Alli Ndume. Former Governor Ayo Fayose who just retraced his steps to the PDP also deserves honour.

    Over to you, Minister of Special Duties in preparing the list for 2013, It will aid us in the dream of joining the club of 20 most developed economies by 2020.

  • My life experience shaped my leadership style —Okorocha

    My life experience shaped my leadership style —Okorocha

    The leadership style of Governor Rochas Okorocha and his love for philanthropy have been subjects of controversy over the years. But the governor, who celebrated his 50th birthday last Monday, October 8, 2012, told Sam Egburonu, shortly after the grand birthday ceremonies and the 10th anniversary of Rochas Okorocha Foundation Colleges, that his actions are shaped by the bitter experiences he had as a child from a poor family. He told his passionate story:

     

    I was born into a home that is relatively poor from all the definitions of poverty. So, I understand from the onset that I have a task ahead of me and the name of the game is survival. I have to work extra hard to make both ends meet by combining my education with street trading business. So, I didn’t have a straight school experience. While growing up I was involved in street trading business at one point in time or the other. Honestly, there has never been a dull moment in my life. In fact, I engaged in too many things just for the sole purpose of survival.

    I broke even in two stages. The first one was at a very tender age of my life when I was selling used clothes. Then, I was in secondary school. I can say I broke even because I was able to buy a bus. I was able to buy a bus in secondary school and I bought television set in primary school as small as I was from the sale of oranges, coconuts and used clothes. What I do is that if I sell, I post some of the profits and at the end of the year, I buy something with it. So, it has been a worthwhile experience but where I would say I made the first one million dollars, was as a commission agent from the sale of used equipment in Bauchi State where Balfour Beatty was constructing the Balanga Dam. When the company was winding up, I was one of the agents that sold used equipment and I made N1.1 million when it was equivalent to $1 million dollars. I would say that was what saw me through my first break even. And I put the entire money into the business of used cars, then later graduated to the sale of new cars to what they called ‘Rochas Motors” but what made me really rich was top real estate business.

    I was able to cross over from the sale of used clothes, oranges to used cars, new cars, real estate and so on because I don’t miss opportunity in life. When I was selling oranges, I was able to save some money from the sale of oranges. Take for instance, when you sell a bag of orange you use the money to buy four bags of oranges and if you sell another four bags you can now buy 12 bags of oranges. That was how I was able to buy television set in primary school.

    In secondary school, I started selling Okrika (used clothes). I was virtually going to all the village markets in Plateau State and I am very popular in those markets even today. For any market I go to, I found out that all my goods are sold and some people thought it’s a gift from God. So, I have this power of conviction, to convince my customers to buy things from me. One whiteman once told me that I can sell ice to Eskimos.

    I have done the investigation really and it was quite an interesting part of my life because the stages of development were quite sequential. At the age of nine I bought a television set, at the age of 14 I bought a bus, at the age of 19/20 I became head of a commercial school, at the age 22/23 I became a proprietor of a school and I went into cement business (BBC) in Gboko, Benue State. And at the age of 24 plus, I got married, at the age of 29 I became a member of National Constitutional Conference. I became a member of Federal Character Commission thereafter, then I went to contest for governor which failed and shortly after that I ran for presidency. I became a presidential adviser and I ran for presidency again. You see, I moved on and on in life with hard work and challenges.

    Today at 50, I have told the world during the celebrations that I am no longer a boy. I say so because at 50, you should be able to take responsibilities for whatever action you take in life and there is this notion by elders that young ones never grow. In the Nigerian context or in Igbo land, some would say ‘Obi is a boy’, Eze goes to school but Eze must one day be a graduate and Obi must one day stop being a boy.

    I am emphasizing it because I suffered that all my life; this small boy, why would he want to be governor? This small boy, why would he want to be president? He is over ambitious! So, I am no longer a small boy now. I am now qualified to do any business in Nigeria or run for any office in the Federal Republic and I am qualified to take decisions that can affect my people positively.

     

    Plane crashes:

    I had been involved in two plane crashes. One, I narrowly escaped, which was the Belview airline that I was about to board and later turned back because I was feeling dizzy and I was not feeling very good. I was very sick instantly and I was wondering if I was going to make the flight. I hope I was not going to run into problems either fainting in the plane; it has never happened to me before. That was how I got out of that plane. The one of Nigerian Airways was a messy one because we saw the plane crash. It landed and caught into flames in the bush and many people died.

    That was in Kaduna and it was a big experience. We boarded the plane and I took the second row of the seat. The plane was too full that the air hostess had to give up her seat to use the captain’s cockpit seat. And one lady came in and in the attempt for the air hostess to give her a seat, she said she was not going to go and she worked back. Then I said to myself if something happens to this plane then this girl will say she knows God more than myself. And it was during the period Saro-Wiwa (Ken) was hanged in Port Harcourt Prison. I saw it on the news that Saro-Wiwa had just been hanged and I felt very bad. Because anything about death is really worrisome to me and somehow I prayed that God should be with the plane.

    But few minutes after, the plane had problems and smokes were coming out of the aircraft everywhere and some people knew there was danger. The captain didn’t say anything to us but all we heard was the noise from the cockpit and we knew there was confusion and we found ourselves hitting the ground at an unusual speed almost at the end of the one way. There was smoke from all parts of the aircraft and people were dying and I noticed that those who were with me forgot to remove their seat belts and had all turned their heads to death. So, I was hypnotised somehow; I didn’t know what was happening and the doors refused to open for the few that were alive to come out. At a point I heard a voice say ‘Jesus Christ’ and my faith was rekindled and I remembered that I had seat belt on and I removed my seat belt. I went to the door and hit the door, miraculously that door opened and I cannot take the credit because I know that it was God’s doing. So, I was the first actually to open the door but instead of me going down I felt I could render help so I started throwing people that are still living out of the door. But there was this young lady who looked at the depth of the aircraft and could not jump and she held the two doors so I had to hit her to create space for others. It was a messy situation. Eventually, a feeling came to my mind. There was this chemistry teacher that I had, who taught us about the combustibility of gas especially the oxygen used by the plane. So, I remembered and I said to myself ‘this might be serious,’ so, I jumped out and when I jumped out the fire service brigade vehicle that was rushing to save lives, in an attempt to reverse, crushed two persons lying down already who were still alive and they died. When the fire got to the fuel tank the aircraft blew up and what we saw was blood and smoke.

    There are some other ugly experiences that I have had. I had been involved in car crash severally and I had my leg almost amputated for car crashes, so, it has been life from challenges and progress.

    So, for me, life is nothing; life is meaningless. The only thing that makes it worthwhile is what you are able to do for others. My happiness is what I am able to do for other people not in what I have because life is really worthless if you look at it deeply. So, what I celebrated actually was what God has used me to do for the poor people because if I achieved nothing at 50, it’s not worth celebrating.

    This is why I believe that in Imo State, there is no going back on the issue of education and if it means making further sacrifice to make sure education is free for primary, secondary and university, we have to do it. It’s not a convenient thing to do. That means that for everything that I have to do, even the fuelling of vehicles in the Government House, I have to be careful. This is also true of the food that I eat, the water that I drink and so on. Everyday I do that, I remember I have responsibility to offer free education to people. So, with education Imo will be transformed. Infrastructurally, Imo has to be repackaged to make it so beautiful that the foreigners can look at it and want to partner the state. So, what I am doing now is repackaging the entire state such that people can be happy with it.

    So, when I leave here, I want people to remember me as the one that came and impacted on the world and the society. I want to change the world for better, I don’t want to leave the world the way I met it. So for me the world must be better and that is why I said Imo must be better. Let me start with Imo first, Imo must be better and must leave a mark that will be an envy of the whole world. That is my joy.

    It’s no longer in the primitive accumulation of wealth. I am not excited about cars, I am not excited about houses, I am not excited about champaign and drinks. Those for me are old fashion; they are old model. The new model is impacting on the life of others because I thank God Almighty that I lack none of this. So, I am not excited by houses any more, neither am I excited by cars. I am not excited by big living. I am not excited by being called a millionaire. Those things don’t excite me any more.

    I am not excited by being observed by protocol as number one citizen or a man who must take a front seat any time. I am not excited at all. What excites me now is to see the poor people have a smile, kindly reach out to have a handshake with them. Can I embrace them? That is my joy and especially children because I weep for our children if you don’t have future. I have passed through the situation where my nation could not help me, my state could help me, my local government would not help me. My parents did a little they did but they couldn’t help me that much other than birth. So, the Nigerian nation rarely provided scholarship and virtually everything, I had to struggle to do. I would not want our children to go through what some of us have gone through. My nation owes me a duty of care, my state holds me a duty of care, my local government owes me a duty of care, my community owes me a duty of care for as long as I surrendered my power to their leadership. But we are not getting that, that is why I don’t want the future generation to go through what some of us have gone through. If you say I am a citizen, citizenship means that you can claim some rights but we couldn’t get it. So, I want a situation where our children who are coming should not go to war like we went to. Let children not suffer what their parents suffered. It’s only a foolish man that allows his children to go through the pains he went through.