The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southwest

  • Life back at Abeokuta Golf Club as original owners regain control

    Life back at Abeokuta Golf Club as original owners regain control

    It occupies about 75 hectares of land, hilly and undulated. Luscious greenery. It is tucked inside the serene forest of Oke-Mosan, free of noise from human activities and almost overlooking the new secretariat of the Ogun State government.

    Birds chirp endlessly on tree branches. At one end of it are patches water, glittering from the blazing sun and which someone familiar with the area identified as an artificial lake.

    Welcome to the Abeokuta Golf Club, the largely elite resort and sports ground. Life is back at the facility in its full swing as the original owners take control, after many years of being plagued by puzzling controversies.

    Notable Nigerians, military brass, including Senate President David Mark and General Domkat Bali (rtd), have played golf there. It has hosted also the late foremost nationalist Pa Peter Enahoro.

    It is the training ground for Nigeria’s number one professional golfer and the first Nigerian to play at the US Golf Open championship, Lasisi Lateef.

    When in January 1987, it opened its gate to the public for use as a resort of sort and light sporting activity, it was pride of place and article of common heritage, particularly for the residents of the state capital who cherish golfing.

    At its take-off, the club had the late Col. Agunbiade Lawal as first Captain. Mr Segun Oluwaseye served as the secretary to oversee its affairs.

    Its annual general meetings, at which new officers were elected, were observed unhindered after Col. Lawal, the late Ayo Obaseki and the late Chief Siji Koku had equally manned the saddle as captains between 1988 and 1990.

    But soon got mired in controversy over how to elect a successor when the tenure of Mr Segun Oluwaseye (Captain) and Dr. Boye Okuboye (Secretary) lapsed in 1991.

    The Nation gathered that since that time, things began to go awry with the club. It began when a Caretaker Committee, headed by the late Apagun Oluwole Olumide, allegedly overstayed its tenure of six months by over 18 months, coupled with moves made to change the name of the club to Abeokuta Golf International Limited(AGIL).

    The club has had to contend with controversies than harmony, since then resulting from the running of the facility which was largely a one-man affair under late Olumide, who was also believed to have invested his time and some resources into the club.

    The Nation gathered that at a time, the Certificate of Occupancy of the land hosting the club was equally mired in a controversy.

    The founding members alleged that the C of O was substantially altered five months after it was signed by Chief Segun Osoba on October 29, 1992, thus rendering it “invalid.”

    The late Apagun Olumide was even accused of tampering with the original concept of the club house, which resulted in legal battle at the time, and it was learnt that the late Olumide later began to manage the facility in the name of Golf Resort Plc.

    Expectedly, some of the founding members who were not happy with the situation elected to stay away with the attendant dwindling of membership strength and patronage of the facility.

    But in June 2011, Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on his first working day barely 24 hours after being sworn into office, ordered caterpillar into the Abeokuta Golf Club, where it found an ‘unwanted structure’ – a storey building, within the premises and flattened the building  in less than an hour.

    The demolished building touched off another controversy between the then new administration of Amosun and Abeokuta Golf Resort where Olumide, who joined the Abeokuta Golf Club in 1991, was until his death, the chairman.

    The government had claimed it brought down the building because it was an “illegal structure” as it contravened an order served on the owners since October 24, 2010, during the era of Governor Gbenga Daniel.

    According to Amosun’s administration, the ‘illegal’ structure was not part of the Golf Course as it was 3,000 metres away from it.

    Besides, fearing that espionage activities could possibly be carried out from the controversial building against government’s interest by foes, it further reckoned that ”somebody can stay inside the structure and view the activities inside the secretariat. This ordinarily constitutes a security threat to government and we do not think there is anywhere in the world where government would tolerate a private building standing so close to its headquarters which normally houses the most important government documents.”

    But before his death, late Olumide said the building was pulled down out of “vendetta” and also a deliberate ploy by the government to spite him and other share holders of the company.

    According to him, the building was included in the parcel of land allocated to Abeokuta Golf International in 1992, with a Certificate of Occupancy No. 01825, dated January 1, 1992, and signed by Chief Segun Osoba, the then governor of the state.

    In Olumide’s reckoning, the administrative procedures leading to obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy began in 1991, by the then Navy Captain O. O. Joseph, who succeeded Chief Osoba’s administration, with a view to repositioning the project into a world class golf resort facility to be promoted and funded by the private sector.

    But while the controversy over the demolished building was yet to fizzle out, Olumide died one evening. His body was found inside an artificial lake within the Golf Club and at a time no other person was around. His remains were recovered the following day. Although an autopsy was carried out on his body to determine the cause of death, the result has not been made public to enable anxious residents of Abeokuta know what happened.

    However, the state government has since 2012, retrieved the property/club from the late Olumide and handed it over to the surviving founding members and others to manage in public trust.

    Today, the 27-year-old club faces a brighter future. Calm and orderliness prevail while monthly internal competitions are observed to enable members’ handicap to be exposed, tested and adjusted.

    One of the founding members, a business tycoon, Chief Akin Akande, told The Nation that after “much hitches”, which he said are not peculiar to Abeokuta Golf Club, the facility has returned to originals owners to manage.

    Akande said the last two competitions that took place there in 2012 and 2013, drew players from sister clubs – Ikoyi, Ikeja, Sagamu, Ewekoro, among others, who participated with trophies and other prizes carted away by winners.

    He said: “After much hitches, at the end of it all, the club is returned to the original owners. Golf is a game of the mind and those who love golf now come to this place. And we would continue to improve on what we have to make the facility attractive and enjoyable to golfers.”

    Also, the Vice-Chairman of the Club, Dr. Tayo Apampa, said things are looking up at the facility as well as the membership strength since the state government handed over the place back to them in 2012.

    Apampa, who is the proprietor of Korede Hospitals, Abeokuta, said aside the fact that a lot of improvements are going on at the club coupled with the series of golf tournaments that took place there recently, kind hearted individuals and corporate organisations have equally expressed interest in sponsoring worthwhile activities at the club.

    Apampa said: ”The horizon is bright, the government returned the club to the original owners in 2012 and instructed that the Board of Trustees (BoT) should be registered. That has been done. If you check the club’s notice board, you will see the laminated certificate of Board of Trustees and so, we now have a registered Board of Trustees.

    “The BoT have been working with the Working Committee to organise series of tournaments, a lot of greens have been constructed, and we have donors who sponsored the greens. Recently too, Otunba Olusola Adekanola, was invited to the club and the club house renamed after him.

    “He has committed himself to several improvements going on in the club, the enlargement of the greens, improvement of the club house and sponsoring of monthly competition.”

    The seasoned physician noted that what makes the Abeokuta Golf Club course stand out among others are the challenges it pose to players as evidence in the gradient and topography of its course.

    “One of the things people consider about golf course is the challenges it present. We have as members some people that are 82, 75, 70-year old respectively.

    “They all walk at the 18 Hole Course and when you do that you must be assured of your physical fitness. The gradients of the course are the challenges, but at Abeokuta Golf Course, the challenges are the topography.”

    According to him, no fewer than 90 persons are now members of the club, including 82-year old Justice Ademola Bakre (retd), who doubled as its chairman, while Pro-am (Professional-Amateur) competition are expected to be held at the facility later this year under the sponsorship of Otunba  Olusola Adekanola.

  • From evangelism to bottled water

    From evangelism to bottled water

    The Diocese of Osun of The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), seems to be doing more than evangelism and winning souls for Christ. It has gone into a commercial venture to oil the throats and stomach of the people so to speak with the production of bottle water named Aquados.

    The journey to the water business began in January 2010, when the Diocesan board under the leadership of the Bishop, Rt. Rev. James Afolabi Popoola, resolved to invest in some key areas of economy in order to among other things generate more fund for the smooth running of the Diocese.

    Other reasons adduced for venturing into bottling water for sale include creating job opportunity for some unemployed youths and provision of neat and high quality water products, hygienically produced in a neat environment for members of the public.

    The water factory located within the Bishop’s Court at Isale-Aro, Osogbo, commenced full operation in November 2010, as a subsidiary of the Osun Diocese Investment Company Limited. It was commissioned by the Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori on October 9, 2010.

    To make the business run smoothly, a nine member, board of directors was set up to look after the affairs of the factory. The directors, who are successful professionals and business men and members of the Anglican Church in the Diocese include, Chief Jimoh Buraimoh, Chief J. O. Oyayinka, Engr. Seye Adepoju, Mr. Tunji Adeleke, Mr. Ajayi Oladipo, Mr. Pade Odedele and Rev. Moses Badejo, who serves as the General Manager of the factory.

    Apart from obtaining an approval of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to validate the quality of its production, the factory’s 75 and 50cl table water have also been certified by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, a development that was celebrated at the Diocese.

    At a ceremony to present the SON certificate the Bishop, Rt. Rev. Popoola, disclosed that the factory was being patronised by corporate organisations, including hotels, canteens and eateries and Anglican Church members.

    Presenting the certificate, the Osun State Director of the agency, Engr. Dele Ayeni, said they are satisfied with the company’s standard, operation and products.

    The General Manager of the factory, Rev. Badejo, disclosed that the investment employs 18 workers who, according to him, are well paid. He said the factory’s products would soon be sold outside Osun State as the management is already discussing with customers in the northern part of the country.

  • … And this teenager

    … And this teenager

    The killing last Thursday of a teenager by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Ado-Ekiti has added to allegations of extra-judicial killings by the police in Ekiti State, writes SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN

    When four armed policemen besieged a building Ilaja, Ojumose in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, at about 12noon last Thursday, the residents knew there was trouble and before long, they got it in full.

    Wielding guns and looking menacing, the policemen from the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the State Police Command barged into the house shouting: “Where is he? Where is he?” They moved from one room to another, forcing doors open to see if anyone occupied any of the rooms, a task they were said to have found easy as the doors were made of weak wooden planks.

    The armed men were close-ly followed by a man popularly known in the area as Baba White. Fortunately for them, they found a boy, Oluwaseun Awoyemi, reclining on a mat in one of the rooms. Without asking further questions and caring little if he was the one they were seeking, they went for him, held him by his trousers, dragged him out of the room and dealt him blows perhaps, as he had never received in his entire 18-year of existence.

    The band of four armed men and one unarmed man were not alone. Now, with them were two elderly women, one in her late seventies; the other in her early sixties, and one heavily pregnant young woman who were all pleading with them. But their pleas counted for nothing.

    Eye witness accounts maintained that they insisted Seun must follow them to the ‘station’ for a reason they refused to disclose.

    According to the accounts, the boy was able to wrest himself free from their grips after a while and ran into another room but was followed by one of the two elderly women who, following the refusal of the policemen to listen to their pleas, now turned to him appealing that he should follow them (police) with assurance that they would meet him at the police station.

    But, before Seun consented to the appeal, guns rang from two sources: one from the entrance to the room and another from the window. The boy, now riddled with bullets, fell, soaked in his own blood; the other woman who was with him was shot in her two hands. She came out shouting ‘they have shot us.’ Where she was coming from now laid the corpse of the boy that would not need to go to the station again: Seun was dead.

     

    How it all started

     

    At about 9am earlier that day, according to Seun’s grandmother, Mrs. Abigael Awoyemi, the man called Baba White had come to their house, seeking to know who had beaten his son and after some threats, a boy called Taiye confessed to have done it. “Although, we appealed to him, he still gave that boy some slaps to satisfy himself,” Mrs. Awoyemi said.

    She spoke further: “We all thought it had ended there. Surprisingly, about two hours later, he appeared with the police who looked fearful, pointing guns everywhere and forcing doors open. My son just finished eating and lying down in his room there. They went in, held him by his trousers and dragged him out.

    “We even asked Baba White whether Seun was the one that beat his son, he did not reply me till now. He was watching the whole scene. And I appealed to the boy to follow them (the police). My son refused. Suddenly, he freed himself and ran into another room. I followed him inside the room, begging that he should follow them. Surprisingly, they followed him. My sister was the one who had gone inside with my son into the room earlier, saying he should follow them.

    “Not long after they were inside, and while my sister was still beg-ging Seun, we heard the gunshots. My sister ran out, showing her hands where they shot her. I rushed inside and met my son, lying in the pool of his blood. I started crying: ‘they have killed my son, they have killed my son.’

    “Immediately they shot him, they left. Four of them and just a few minutes later, they came back, this time around, they numbered about six. I was still with him, crying. This was a boy I have been nursing since he was one and a half years. He never hurt anyone. His father is my first son.  When they came back, they carried him away and we later learned he was taken to the State Police Command.”

    A statement by the police later confirmed that Seun’s corpse had been deposited at the mortuary of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital. The Police Public Relations Officer, Victor Babayemi said investigation was ongoing and no arrest has been made.

     

    Why was

    Seun killed?

     

    Residents of the area, especially neighbours could not adduce any reason why anyone let alone the police would kill Seun. According to some of them, the boy was apparently killed by the police for “no just cause.”

    One neighbour told The Nation that: “Seun was a model child in this area. He was humble, obedient and hardworking. When he did not want to school again, he stopped and started learning bricklaying.

    “Apart from that, there is no job he was not doing. See all the Igbo people selling on the road, Seun would go there and help them offload their goods. Call him any time he was there, easy going.  Tell him to borrow you some money, he would always give you. He would go for bricklaying in the morning and in the evening when you expect him to rest, he would join other boys to offload trucks out there. That was his life.

     

    Other victims of

    the development

     

    There were other victims of the attack according to one Mr. Peter Olaseinde. He said a 15-year-old boy popularly called Small, who also lived in the area was equally beaten and brutalised, after which they arrested him.

    “Small was also arrested too. They hit him on the head with the butt of their gun. Blood was coming out of his head. Yet, they arrested him. He is now in police station. They took him to the police headquarters.

    Another victim was the heavily pregnant Fatima, who was among those who pleaded for mercies from the invading band. The incident left her traumatised leading to her having a miscarriage and lying critically ill at the hospital.

    She managed to speak with The Nation: “Soon after the ordeal, around 2pm that day, the children started struggling inside and I was rushed to the hospital. When the doctor and the nurses saw that I was dying they forced me to have the children. But one was already dead.

    Supporting Fatima, a nurse at the hospital confirmed, “If the delivery was not induced, the second child and Fatima would have died as well.  Fatima said one of the attackers pushed her.”

     

    Seun’s wife just got pregnant

     

    The Nation learnt that Seun, whose wife Oyewole Opeyemi is pregnant had been preparing for the arrival of the baby who he had boasted would be a male. Unfortunately, he would never see the baby. Opeyemi said her husband had suggested that the two of them relocate to Lagos, promising to take care of her. “I saw him last in the night of Wednesday. He said we should be going to Ekon in Kwara State or Lagos. He was from Ekon. I said I won’t go with him as I don’t have any one there. He gave me N170 being the only money on him. I am pregnant for him now. Where is the father, in the mortuary,” Opeye-mi said.

     

    Tales of similar brutalities by the police

     

    Azeez Alese, who claimed to have been brutalised alongside his wife and a friend said “even those alive don’t get justice let alone the dead. Alese, who lives in the same area recalled that eight mobile police officers came to arrest him with his wife and a friend on October 15, 2013, while he was eating in his room on Sallah Day last year.

    “I was not around when some boys fought. I came round to eat in the afternoon. They (the police) came numbering eight. They were all mobile police officers. They fired tear gas into our house and arrested me and my friend, Gbenga Alese. They never took me to court. They also arrested my wife, Busayo. We spent 36 days in the cell. When they liked, they released me.

     

    The interventions in the case

     

    The Nation learnt that the state government has ordered investigation into the incident, insisting that the culprits must be brought to justice. Also, the Legal Aid Council had also reportedly intervened to ensure adequate legal support was given to the family should the case be taken to court.

    But the father of the slain teenager, Dele Adebayo Awoyemi, had lost all hope of getting justice for his son, saying, “What did they say my son did. Was he caught robbing on the highway? Just last month, I wanted to take him to my farm. But, I thought my mother would need him. He was not even up to two years when she (the mother) took charge of his upkeep. Mama’s efforts have gone to waste.

    Any possibility that the culprits, in the latest extra-judicial killing, will be caught and made to face justice? Azeez Alese said, “such things do not happen in Nigeria. You will hear that the police have done this, they have done that, but that will be all.  Remember, they shot and killed a girl in Orin, in 2011 and in 2012, they killed another boy in Ilupeju. Have you heard of developments in respect of those cases again, impossible?”

     

  • Again, Olanipekun lifts his cradle

    Again, Olanipekun lifts his cradle

    Nobody is remembered for the amount of money he left in the banks. No one is ever remembered for the amount of wealth he accumulated. Nobody is remembered for the amount of money he stole. But one is ever remembered for the positive impacts one made on humanity.”

    These words by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), perhaps put to rest, the minds that had for long, remained hungry for why the courtroom firebrand had remained inseparably wedded to philanthropy.

    It was at the premises of the High Court situated in Ikere-Ekiti, the legal giant’s home town. And the outing was the formal commissioning of the multi-million-naira Wole Olanipekun Bar Centre the frontline lawyer built for the Ikere Branch of the NBA.

    Oyo State-born building expert Yusuf Adeoye, an engineer, who handled the project, told The Nation that he executed the project in five months. “We reclaimed the site because it was waterlogged. Last October, when I started the project, Chief Olanipekun briefed me that he wanted a befitting Bar Centre for Ikere Branch and I set out for it. It has seven toilet facilities, six air-conditioners, plasma televisions and a water borehole. Built with qualitative materials, its premises will easily accommodate 50 vehicles,” he said.

    An architectural masterpiece, the 400-seater structure pleasantly tortured guests’ eyes and lips for moments while the event lasted last Friday.

    On hand to witness the event were notable names in the Bar and the Bench from across the country. They were led the President, NBA, Chief Okey Wali, Senior Advocates including Chief Yusuf Alli, Chief Mike Ozekhome, Funke Adekoya, Niyi Akintola and Dele Adesina stepped out to be counted. They were received by the Ogoga of Ikere, Oba Adegoke Adegboye, accompanied by his chiefs, and Mr Funminiyi Afuye, the state Commissioner for Civic Orientation and Inter-Governmental Cooperation.

    Residents of the ancient town were not left out. They stood in groups around the sprawling premises to behold another index of the trademark magnanimity of their own ‘SAN’ as they fondly address the legal icon. With a groundswell of prayers, they gleefully recalled how he had proved a treasure to the town; how he had been empowering unemployed youths and the elderly. They did not forget his annual Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme for students from across the state and the multimillion-naira vicarage he built for his church, St. Peters Anglican Church, Oke-Kere, which was commissioned last year.

    Before the kick-off of the event, the Chairman, Ikere Branch of the NBA, Olubunmi Olugbade, knew no rest in sheer excitement. He paced up and down pumping hands with visitors as they arrived. “This is my day and Chief Olanipekun made it,” he tacitly told himself. And to him, the donor is a major pillar of the association who, by the gesture, has written his name in gold in its annals.

    Cutting the tape to commission the edifice, Alli was profuse in praises for the donor. He added: “I was there when Chief Olanipekun made the promise to donate this to the association. Now, he has delivered on the promise. The monument will surely produce more SANs and leaders of our noble profession.”

    Adesina, who said he was not surprised in the least by the gesture, said he had known for long that it is in Olanipekun’s character to share his wealth among the needy. “He has continued to express his love for the profession; for this, he remains an inspiration to us,” he added.

    Ozekhome, who recently got off the hook of kidnappers who seized him on his way back to Lagos from his Agenebode, Edo State home, praised Olanipekun for his “uncommon love for his people and home town.”

    With kind words for Olanipekun and the contractor for its enthralling finesse, everyone admired the beauty of the structure as they filed in to inspect it. “This is a wonderful gesture that will be of immense benefit to the branch and its members. It is worthy of emulation,” remarked Chief Benjamin Ogunsemi, a member.

    Afuye described it as “another addition to the long list of value creation to the profession, the community and his family by Chief Olanipekun. The monument will be there for posterity.”

    Another son of the town, an Ibadan-based legal practitioner, Ola Alonge, said: “We can only continue to pray for him (Olanipekun) for all the wonderful things he has been doing for our dear town and its people. He is an asset to humanity and a cheerful giver of no mean order. To us, he is a model.”

    Swell refreshment later took place at Olanipekun’s palatial Iyaniwura House on Moshood Road, GRA. His delectable wife, Princess Omolara was personally in charge, serving the dignitaries. Residents who thronged the place ate and drank without let.

    It was a good outing for a local band that was on stand-by. Though uninvited, its members ate and drank to satisfaction before entertaining all. It was another opportunity for Osekhome to thank God for his safe journey from ‘Golgotha.’ He was the cynosure of eyes as he danced spiritedly, ‘spraying’ the band’s leader with naira notes.

    In his characteristic fashion, Olanipekun did not disappoint the boys. Beaming with toothy smiles, he dipped his hand into his pocket and blessed them with N1000 notes.

    Explaining his passion for the town, Olanipekun said: “I hold the concept of nativity very dear to my heart. I have travelled far and wide, but there is no place like home. Ikere is my cradle; the onus is on me to use my God-given endowments to leave it better than I met it. Nothing is too much for one to sacrifice for one’s cradle. It is my avowed commitment.”

    The town, The Nation learnt, might soon receive another “blessing” from the accomplished lawyer as he is making arrangements to secure a land at its General Hospital to erect a monument in memory of his late mother.

  • Ekiti: The journey to ‘welfare state’

    Ekiti: The journey to ‘welfare state’

    The various welfare programmes of the Kayode Fayemi administration in Ekiti State have earned the government commendations from across the state and beyond including an Award of Excellence from the Senior Citizen’s Care Foundation led by Prince Bola Ajibola, a retired Judge of the International Court of Justice at The Hague who commended the Governor for making Ekiti ‘a Welfare State’. SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN examines Governor Fayemi’s many ‘welfarist’ programmes in the state

    Then former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Prince Bola Ajibola led a delegation from the Senior Citizens Care Foundation to Ado-Ekiti penultimate week to honour the state Governor, Kayode Fayemi with the Foundation’s Excellence Award for 2013, not a few were convinced that it was an honour well deserved.

    The Foundation whose interest lies in the welfare of the aged and elderly says the social security programme of the Fayemi administration for old people in the state is commendable hence its decision to honour the governor.

    In particular, the Award, according to Ajibola was in recognition of the governor’s “pioneering and impressing concern for the welfare of the aged in our communities.” It followed a similar one conferred on Fayemi in 2012 by the Leadership Newspaper which named him its Man of the year on account of his care for the welfare of the elderly.

    Prince Ajibola who came to Ado-Ekiti in company with some directors and members of the Foundation to confer the award on Fayemi said, “I have come to do justice to our vision at the Senior Citizens Care Foundation. We notice that certain things kept happening in Ekiti which are unique and historical, and we resolved that such things must not go down in history without particular recognition.”

    The event attended by the Governor and his wife, Erelu Bisi, was witnessed by ranking functionaries of the state, including the Speaker of the State Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi, the Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Olubunmi Famosaya (MNI), the Director-General, Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES), Alhaji Mojeed Jamiu and other members of the Executive Council.

    Speaking further at the occasion, Ajibola said: “Chief Awolowo became the heir of Western Region and we still remember his many welfare programmes today. We now have someone for the first time in the history of our country aside Awolowo who we can call a Welfarist. This is not politics. This can only come from the heart of someone who has the people at heart. I think Fayemi deserves this recognition.”

    Disclosing that the day was his happiest, Fayemi in his response noted that he chose to accept the Award consequent upon the proven integrity of the individuals behind it, particularly that of Prince Ajibola.

    The governor, who opined that the scheme (for the elderly) was an idea which time had come, described same as a crucial part of his administration’s objective to banish poverty, recalling the Yoruba culture of social justice which “prescribes that the strong in the society must cater for the weak and the elderly in the great cycle of life.”

    He recalled that the programme which started in 2011 had initially registered 20,000 elderly individuals who were certified to be unsupported in any way and were therefore seen as vulnerable to the many consequences of poverty. He said an addition of 5,000 was made to the list last year based on updates of critical necessity.

    He explained that other programmes like the free health missions, free healthcare for the elderly people, for children up to age five, pregnant women up to delivery and the indigent physically impaired individuals were meant to ameliorate extreme wants among the citizenry. All these, according to him, were aside the training programmes and loan packages for teachers in schools, farmers in private concerns, for traders and artisans across the state.

     

    Welfare and Ekiti Development Foundation (EDF)

    The description by Ajibola of Governor Fayemi as a reincarnate of the revered Chief Awolowo so to speak must have struck a chord in the governor who used the occasion to equally brief the visiting team on the welfare programmes through the initiatives of his wife’s Ekiti Development Foundation (EDF), including the Food Bank and Soup Kitchen by which indigent individuals are fed with prepared meals three days in the week and also access raw food items.

    He mentioned other support programmes of the EDF for parents of multiple births through the Multiple Birth Trust Fund and female victims of domestic abuses which all offer complementary supports to the existing regime of freebies by the state government to make life more liveable for needy individuals in the state.

    Fayemi added:  “We have however taken appropriate measures to institutionalise all the initiatives with appropriate legislations with the support of our State Assembly so that administrations coming after us would not be able to undo our legacy. In this regard, we have signed into law the Social Security law 2012, which makes it compulsory for government to sustain the programme regardless of the political affiliation”.

    The day after the Award Ajibola and his team were in Ikere-Ekiti to witness the February payment of the N5,000 Social Security stipend to the nearly 2,000 elderly individuals who benefit from the scheme in the town.

     

    Healthcare delivery as welfare programmes

    Health care remains central to the administration’s whole package of welfare programmes and the government has executed eight free health missions across the state, benefitting a minimum of 1.5 million people and gulping well in excess of N1 billion.

    It would be recalled that the first Free Health Mission which went round the entire 16 local government areas benefitting every category of individuals, was held in December 2010, just few months after Governor Fayemi’s assumption of office.

    Since then, other similar Free Health Missions had been held across the three senatorial zones of the state, aside many other gender specific ones which were held for certain categories of individuals.

    The Nation findings revealed that a special fund had also been domiciled in the Health Ministry to take care of the treatment of individuals who needed other specific and elaborate surgeries/care aside those offered at the health missions. Over a thousand individuals had been assisted through the fund to undergo surgeries both within and outside the state for various ailments.

    Explaining the reason for the Health Missions in a recent programme, the state Commissioner for Health, Professor Olusola Fasubaa maintained that “It serves as practical demonstration of the strong belief of the Governor Fayemi administration that health indeed is wealth and that a healthy populace is a genuinely empowered populace.”

    Prof. Fasubaa added that another reason was to make people take more interest in their health, noting that “experience has shown that once people need to spend money to access care in any way, they become discouraged. This is understandable given the prevalence of poverty among the people.

    “Government then decided to encourage them to care better for themselves by sponsoring the Missions. Today, more people visit the hospitals than it used to be before the commencement of the progra-mme,” Fasubaa said.

    In addition to the wholesale, renovation of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) and the upgrading of its Emergency Care Unit, the state government has lately included a N542.5 million Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements with international investors for the upgrading of medical diagnosis services at the tertiary health institution.

    Fasubaa said: “On completion and when the arrangement comes into force, elaborate medical investigations across all branches of healthcare and specialties of medicine shall be carried out and unearthed at timely turns at the EKSUTH without having to refer critically needy patients to outside health establishments.”

    Receiving the investors regarding the PPP arrangement in his office, Governor Fayemi stated the overall aim was to improve the quality of healthcare services in the state. According to him, the administration’s vision was to establish “a one-stop referral centre that would be a reference in the country.”

    In an interaction with journalists, the EKSUTH Acting Chief Medical Director, Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe noted the task for the improvement in diagnostic services of the hospital arose principally from the urgency to join the trends in latest diagnostic services as a precondition to appropriate and wholesome care for the needy at the  hospital, adding “currently, some of our tests are run manually which affect not only speed of delivery but the amount of care we can cope with on daily basis as investigation remains primary to necessary care.”

    The state also recently completed the overhaul of the entire 18 secondary health facilities in the state, expending over N1billion on their upgrading, renovation and expansion.

     

    Employment generation as welfare

    One of the key welfare programmes of the administration is employment generation. On assumption of office in October 2012, the administration set for itself a target of employing no fewer than 20,000 individuals, graduates and non-graduates alike. Investigation by The Nation revealed that the number had been surpassed by the end of the administration’s third year in office with several successful initiatives across the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    It would be recalled that soon after the swearing-in, the state government employed 5,000 individuals under the Ekiti State Volunteer Aids Corps with various qualifications who underwent training before they were deployed in government offices and those of private concerns in agreement with the state.

    Thereafter, additions had been made to the figure with the drives of the State Employment Agency in concert with or separately from the Ekiti Enterprise Development Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture through the Youth in Commercial Agriculture (YCAD) programme. This is aside quite a large number of unemployed graduates engaged in paid employments through the Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA) and the Ekiti Peace Corps.

    Currently, graduates of YCAD who had since gone into their independent fields of agricultural practice have started employing others and training them equally while their products have begun to flood markets within and outside the state.

    The state government has also supported artisans, individuals in various private agriculture based initiatives in parts of the state as well as commercial vehicle and motorcycle operators with funds at zero interest rates.

     

    Education initiatives as welfare

    The state government has also renovated all the 183 secondary schools, a move considered as unprecedented as the wholesale reversal of the 18 secondary and one tertiary health institutions in the state.

    In the area of education and equally considered an indirect empowerment drive was the distribution of solar-powered, netbook, laptop computers free to a minimum of 40,000 secondary school students while the teachers were also given the laptops at affordable rates.

    While findings have shown that quite a large number of the students who had since concluded their secondary education have taken to vocations which bear direct links with computer and its multiple applications, even the teachers, most of whom were interacting with computers for the first time upon the state intervention now engage in businesses related to the computer.

    A male teacher in one of the secondary schools in Ado-Ekiti, who pleaded for anonymity, explained that teaching has been enhanced with the computer for all Teachers initiative.

    Equally, noteworthy was the move by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) office of the state last year to empower women through the Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme (CCTS). The initiative which the state governor himself described as “intergovernmental collaboration to tackle poverty in Nigeria” saw a total of 2,250 women earning N5,000 every month.

    Concerning other moves by the MDGs office, the Special Adviser to the Governor on MDGs, Mrs Bunmi Dipo-Salami said the strategy was to fast-track development by addressing a whole range of areas including health and economic well-being, education, water/sanitation, and other issues.

    Dipo-Salami stressed that the focus of the administration was to eliminate poverty from the society, make education a right and not a privilege, stating that in spite of the smallness of finances, the state government had consistently paid its own counterpart share of all programmes meant to cushion hardships on the populace.

     

    ‘Focus’ and ‘fidelity’ as explanations of performance

    But the state government has had to battle, and had since been battling, not only a smallness of available funds but equally the desires for personal comfort. The governor who spoke at a gathering had noted: “Good governance which ranks first on the administration’s list of deliverables in the state has been at the centre of all that my administration has achieved.”

    Fayemi spoke further: “Immense faith in possibilities and extreme, even if seemingly abnormal, prudence in managing state resources, have not just explained but have underscored what many still see as magic. Of course, it is no secret that the state borrowed N25 billion from the capital market to finance infrastructure, but what we have given our people today from that borrowing is exactly what most people still don’t believe possible.

    “I tell them it is possible as my lieutenants have accepted the austerity measures that must be in place as a precondition for performance.  I believe, as I often tell them, that personal/individual infrastructure must yield way for an enduring social/physical infrastructure. We would have no excuse to fail in our avowals.

    “I started by subjecting myself to the same condition. Despite my frequent overseas travels, they know I don’t finance my journeys with state money. There is nothing the administration has achieved today which had not been promised the people as far as the 8-Point agenda is concerned. Ours is just a promise kept,” the governor said.

    Clarifying the governor’s position at an inter-religious gathering, his wife, Erelu Bisi, disclosed that anywhere she went, questions regarding how the governor had been able to turn fortunes round for the state despite cash limitations had inundated her.

    She noted: “But I have discovered that the only useful explanation for performance or otherwise of any administration depends on the extent of understanding of the reality of governance as a ‘social contract’.

    “Social contract”, in her opinion, “explains the connection between the electorate and the elected. The bond which came from being elected by the people makes it bounden on the occupant of the office to do what he promised and pledged.”

    Most recently at a gathering in Ikogosi-Ekiti, she explained that only a political will among the leadership could assure needed socio- economic development.

     

  • Behold the first woman traditional ruler in Ijaw land

    Behold the first woman traditional ruler in Ijaw land

    A woman ascending the throne as an oba in some parts of Yorubaland, especially Ondo State, is not new, but among the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta, such has never happened. That has now changed with the
    installation of Princess Joyce Ibimidun Adesola Oladiran-Ebiseni as the Regent of the throne of Kalasuwe of Apoi land. DAMISI OJO was at the palace in Sabomi, the traditional headquarters of Ijaw-Apoi in the Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State and spoke with the Regent

    Kabiyesi, Give us an insight into the history of the Apoi?

    Apoi is an ancient African civilis-ation which consists of nine clans of Kiribo, Sabomi, Oboro, Igbobini, Inikorogha, Ojuala, Igbekebo and Ipoke spreading contiguously from the Apoi Creek in Bayelsa State through Delta State, Okomu in Edo State and the Ese Odo Local Government of Ondo State. The largest concentration of the Apoi is in Ondo State, the seat of the ancient throne of its paramount ruler – the Kalasuwe which in Ijaw-Apoi means “God among humans.’’  It’s a first class traditional institution in Ondo State. Oborowei, the strongest of the Ijaw deities is in Igbobini in Apoiland. Contacts between Apoi and the Europeans particularly the Portuguese dated back to the 15th century.  Next to Badagry and Lagos, Christianity took root in Apoiland in the 19th century. The Igbobini Archdiocese of the Methodist Church covers Ondo, Delta and Edo States. Lord Luggard visited Oba Jubo, the Kalasuwe in the year of Nigerian amalgamation in 1914. Igbekebo had a provincial court in 1915.

    Apoiland is oil producing. Apoi are hard working people with integrity and honour. It is a taboo to associate an Apoi person with social vices. It is unthinkable that an Apoi will be a beggar. ‘Iku ya ju esin lo’. (He will rather die).

    What is the relationship between the Apoi and its neighbours?

    Very cordial. Our neighbours are the Arogbo-Ijaw with whom we share the same Ese Odo Local Government, the Ilaje and Ikale both of which are Yoruba. We are Ijaw evidenced by several aspects of our culture, tradition, deity and festivals and no less deeply rooted in Yoruba tradition and culture so much that the language we speak is Yoruba. You may be correct if you say Apoi are Yoruba speaking Ijaws. We are the only Ijaw whose traditional rulers are called Oba. Thus, in 1924, when colonial authorities first gazzetted traditional rulers in Nigeria, the Kalasuwe was listed as Oba of Ijaws in the Ondo province in the same category with other Obas as Osemawe of Ondo, Amapetu of Mahin, Abodi of Ikale, Ewi of Ado–Ekiti and others.

    Kabiyesi, Apoi names, festivals and language appear totally Yoruba. What is responsible for this total loss of Ijaw language, does it have to do with Apoi’s origin?

    Apoi is an interesting nation of cultural hybridism. As earlier said, most of our family names are distinctively Ijaw, our traditional festival songs of Oborowei or Boabo or when we conjure the spirits of our forebears through Ipatagha to discover the truth are clearly Ijaw practices. In equal measures are Umale or Egungun, Ifa and our language which are unmistakably Yoruba. Language is not static, it evolves and is influenced by several factors so I may not buy the idea of loss tongue. Even among the Ijaw, there are several tongues and we hardly understand one another. I have attended several Ijaw meetings, English is the Lingua Franca.

    The origin of Apoi like other ancient Africa ethnic nationalities like Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Bini etc is shrouded in the bowel of history and in the process of academic reconstruction and discovery. I have read several accounts about Apoi including that of Professor Alagoa which are stories reconstructed, influenced by the prejudices of the authors. We have now assembled Apoi scholars in the continued task of our history and nation building.

    Let us know about your father who was the immediate past Kalasuwe.

    My father, Oba Samuel Adetimehin Oladiran, Ogele dumu III, was recalled home from his position as a manager at the UAC in Osogbo and crowned the Kalasuwe in 1955 at the age of 35. While on the throne, he was elected member of the Action Group as the first representative of the Ilaje/Ese Odo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives in the First Republic. In recognition of his paramount position, he was also president of the Ese Odo District Council comprising the present Ese Odo and part of Irele Local Government. He was also president of the Ese Odo Customary Court. He occupied several other positions including membership of the Western State Committee on Local Government Restructuring in 1974, Chairman, Ilaje/Ese Odo Traditional Council among others. Under him, Ese Odo Local Government was created in 1996, more schools were built, Apoi towns connected with roads and electricity. Traditional head of the nine Apoi clans were upgraded and approved as Obas. Apoi produced more prominent national figures like Mrs Mobolaji Osomo as Minister, Chief Zebulon Otokunrin Oboto of the House of Representatives, Professor Akere at the University of Lagos and later first Vice Chancellor of the Adekunle Ajasin University among several others. He gloriously joined our ancestors in 2007 having reigned for 52 years.

    How prepared were you for your present position?

    In our culture, only men are deliberately trained for the throne. However, I was born on the throne, here in Sabomi and had my Primary and Secondary Education in Apoiland and Irele around here. We all watched Kabiyesi as he presided over the affairs of the kingdom. I later lived with our eldest son in Lagos from where I gained admission to the Federal Polytechnic, Ado–Ekiti and after my OND went to the University of Lagos, where I had a degree in Political Science. Between 2001–2003, I was appointed Special Adviser on Women Affairs and Special Duties to the Chairman of Ese Odo Local Government. I am the Executive Director of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of Exceptional Persons (CREP), which caters for the less-privileged in the society. I am a sports lover, matron of special sports in the state and also serving in a committee for talent hunt of the Ondo State Football Agency. I am an Arsenal fan.  I was appointed regent in March 2011, four years after my father joined our ancestors. I am the first female traditional ruler in the history of Apoi and the Ijaw nation. I learn a lot also from my husband.

    Since you said you are the first female regent, at what point did the culture change?

    Culture is dynamic, influenced by several factors and experiences. In his life time, my father as paramount ruler together with other Apoi Obas agreed to introduce the system of female regency to honour the princesses and probably to prevent self perpetuation which may be the case with men. The Regent would be any of the daughters of the immediate past Oba presented by the ruling family to the Apoi Council of Obas. The local and state governments are thereafter so notified. The practice of female regency occurs in other places especially Ondo, Ekiti and part of Osun state among the Yoruba.

    But only a male can be substantive Kalasuwe?

    Yes of course. The process of appointing a Kalasuwe is more complex. It is guided by our tradition and the Kalasuwe Chieftaincy Declaration. The crown is rotated between two Ruling Houses – Ogeledumu and Ebelidumu of Sabomi and Oboro respectively. The last Kalasuwe my father was of the Ogeledumu, the next one will be from Ebelidumu. The process would have been concluded but for court cases among the contestants. Prominent sons and daughters of our land are already involved in the process of reconciliation which will produce a new Oba and I will happily rejoin my family.

    How do you cope with these large numbers of chiefs, men and women that mill around you?

    The relationship is what tradition dictates, even when as a younger person I try to dissuade them from prostrating or kneeling, they insist.

    How does your husband relate to you?

    My husband is a wonderful person, a lawyer, politician, historian, roundly resourceful. He is my inestimable pillar of support. He gives me all the freedom my new position demands, traveling all over Nigeria particularly the Niger Delta. Whenever I visit our matrimonial home, I still cook for him. He addresses me as Kabiyesi.

    At the end of your regency what will you want to be remembered by?

    That Apoiland and people are more united, nationally celebrated and developed; that the Irele – Sabomi – Igbotu Road which is a gateway to Apoiland and presently abandoned by the NDDC is done. Above all, that I do not disappoint my creator, body of Christ, my kingdom, my lineage and family, that I may discharge my royal assignment with due honour and integrity and leave with the dignity for which Apoi people are known.

  • Seen the campus? Let’s go to the farm

    Seen the campus? Let’s go to the farm

    He is known globally as a lawyer of repute and a philanthropist. Four years ago, he founded a university which, in a short time, has re-defined tertiary education in Nigeria. But few people know about his passion for farming. Seun Akioye went on a tour of Aare Afe Babalola’s farms and reports.

    He has maintained for over 30 years a rigid work routine, which many youths may find difficult to emulate. By 8:00am, you are likely to find him behind his desk, attending to many issues of law and jurisprudence.

    Since 2010, he has added another item to his already crowded schedule – that of administering and building “a world-class educational centre of excellence in academics, character, sports and vocational development.” That was the vision of the baby he birthed four years ago and which he continues to develop everyday: The Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD).

    On Saturday, March 1, 2014, at 9:00am, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) was already at his desk at the expansive ABUAD administrative block. There were files and books on the table and behind his swivel chair were two baskets filled with fruits. The Chief surrounded himself with little airs. There were aides who responded to his wishes but he had little use for them as he was up and about.

    “I work at least 18 hours everyday,” Afe Babalola said with a smile that suggested he attached little importance to such matters.

    At close to 85, he looked at least 20 years younger and had the energy of a 50-year old man. The Aare was clean shaven and looked “boyish” in his black Gants jeans and plaited shirt. He had a blue silk scarf stylishly tied in the Boy’s Scout fashion around his neck A brown straw hat completed his attire.

    Afe Babalola’s story is likened to one served as legends. From a rural background, with no positive chance to get education, he rose above his roots to become one of the most respected legal minds in Nigeria. He is courted by the high and mighty and revered by Presidents; he is an institution, ranking among the greatest legal practitioners Nigeria has ever produced.

    Looking at him, one may be tempted to believe that he was one who had his palm kernels cracked for him by the benevolent spirits, but nothing could be further from the truth. At 10, Babalola unwillingly left the farms for a school. His elementary education dragged because “I really didn’t have much interest in it” and after he managed to complete his Primary 6 examinations, he bid farewell to formal schooling.

    He studied privately and passed his Cambridge School Certificate, GCE O’Level; passed his Advance Level Certificate of University of London and B.SC Economics at the same school. He later registered for the external Law Degree and was called to the Bar in England in 1963. That was not all; he is a member of the prestigious Lincoln’s Inn and the Bar of England and Wales. He has since added several academic laurels to his name, making him one of the most respected voices in local and international law practice.

    The Aare said about his background: “I went to school by accident because I grew up on the farm. In our compound, I was the only one who went to school. There was nobody to look up to in that respect; no one ever went to school. So there was no successful example for me to follow. We had all the food we wanted and in school they even beat you so why should I go? I was ten before I started primary school,” he said.

     

    The lawyer and the farmer

     

    One may be forgiven to think that law is Afe Babalola’s only passion, but four years ago, he founded ABUAD, where he has invested much of his resources and time into building that institution into a world class facility within the shortest time. “I invested my life into this school,” he once told a visitor.

    He has successfully combined his passion to impact knowledge and his love for agriculture. At the university where he spends most of his time now, agriculture has been given a pride of place. He is never tired of telling his visitors to go “see his farms” and then the “massive Faculty of Law” which has been described as the best in Africa.

    The Aare has always been a farmer. Since he was discouraged from taking farming as his only profession; he has remained a farmer through other means, always maintaining acres of farmlands and many livestock. Two years ago, he began to develop the ABUAD farms. His goal is to develop it into one of the biggest farms with the capacity to feed the nation in the future. ABUAD’s farms sit on several hectares of land and have a staff strength of about 85 workers. “There was a day we tried to go round all the boundaries and it took us three hours to accomplish,” Femi Adamo, the livestock manager said.

    So the Aare brought his personal touch to the cultivation of his acres of land and because science must meet farming, he is always experimenting at his farms and bringing out innovations. That was the idea behind the Moringa processing facility.

    “Moringa is super food which contains all the nutrients our body needs. We have already developed several products from the moringa leaf which we plant here. We have the leaf, seed, moringa tea, capsules, hair cream, soap and body butter,” Ajiboye Omoniyi, who is the manager of the facility, said.

    Though the products are yet to be marketed at full commercial capacity, ABUAD may well be the first to fully utilise the moringa leaf into several products. Afe Babalola has also invested heavily in the feed mill, which, according to Adamo, will service about four South western states when fully optimised. The feed mill currently makes food for quails, pigs, geese, snails and the poultry.

    There is a bee farm containing thousands of bees which produce over 30 litres of undiluted honey daily. In the extraction room, a freshly harvested honey comb stood in a bucket with a couple of bees still struggling inside. The manager said a single sting from a bee has fantastic medicinal value. One after the other, the visitors received a sting. At first, one felt nothing, until the poison started to travel down the blood stream, causing a stinging sensation. “Throughout this month, you should forget about sickness,” the manager assured us.

    But one of the main revolutions of the farm is the ongoing construction of a fruit storage barn, which can store fruits for about six months. It is a massive construction with solid concrete base to prevent the entrance of rodents and other animals. According to the consultant, Ian Bennett of The Harvest Protection Network, Pennsylvania, United States, the storage will have three air drying turbine ventilators and will be able to refrigerate, using solar power.

    Bennett decried the culture of wastage in the country, which was caused by lack of storage facilities. “When I drove from Abuja to Makurdi, I saw women throwing out large quantities of tomatoes by the road side. Nigeria loses about 40 percent of its agricultural products because of this problem; that is why this barn makes economic sense,” he said.

    But the barn is not coming cheap and it is in line with the philosophy of the Aare not to spare any expense at achieving excellence. “This is a massive structure and it is very expensive, with all the materials that has gone into it, this is the first of our buildings in Nigeria, I can tell you this university is extra-ordinary,” Bennett said.

    There are over 600 fish ponds, each having a minimum of 5,000 fishes, and massive artificial lakes scattered all over the farms. There is also the mango plantation. There are over 110,000 trees of Tom Atkinson specie of mango, which produces several thousands of fruits yearly. The teek plantation has over 500,000 trees.

    But the farms are not the only massive structures the Aare is putting up; a new administrative building will face directly the school’s massive gates. “As you are coming in, I want people to see the administrative building,” he said. There is also the sports complex and the massive Talent Discovering Centre, which will contain 26 sports on the ground floor and music, press rooms and other skills on the upper floor.

    The Faculty of Law has received generous accolades all over the world. The uniqueness of the Law programme and faculty prompted the Council of Legal Education to grant the university an increase in the students’ intake from 80 to 180. “We are number three in Africa, with the largest number of Law students. The Nigerian Law School says we are a model and they do send universities here to come and learn,” Afe Babalola said.

    But is law the beautiful bride of ABUAD? The founder laughed. Turned around in his swivel chair, pulled open a drawer and took out a letter written by a parent whose child insisted on ABUAD and began to read. The letter indicated the school has an encompassing excellence in all the faculties. When he was done, he put down the letter and turned to his visitors.

    Afe Babalola disagreed with a small frown on his face. “That question has been asked by some people, but as you take a tour round, you will see there are many big faculties too. Our Engineering faculty is one of those,” he said.

     

    A generous farmer and administrator

    It will not be incorrect to say Afe Babalola has invested billions of naira in building ABUAD and making it what it is today. But the investment has paid off – not in cash but in the enormous goodwill it enjoys internationally. It is ranked as the second best private university in Nigeria and number 16 of all Nigerian universities by the World Universities Webometric ranking, after just three years.

    There is also the affiliation with various foreign organisations and schools. This gives the students internship opportunities at foreign universities. The university has also garnered more than 10 awards and recognitions in various fields. Visitors to the university had words of praise for what Afe Babalola has done.

    “The gesture is notably one of the most outstanding individual contributions towards the realisation of the Federal Government’s educational projection, under the Vision 2020-20,” President Goodluck Jonathan said and counselled other “financially endowed compatriots to rise to the occasion and aim at least to match the excellent standards of which we are, today, privileged witnesses.”

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said: “Happy to be able to see at first hand a unique sample of private university, with finesse, purpose, commitment and self-sacrifice by the proprietor. More like this will change the panorama of tertiary institution and education in Nigeria.”

    Others said they were simply overwhelmed, “I came, I saw, I am overwhelmed. ABUAD is a miracle, the facilities are splendid,” Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the power minister, said.

    But large heartedness has been a lifestyle of Chief Babalola. Usually, there is always a long line of people seeking his assistance and he makes it a point of duty to meet their needs as much as he is able. In his office, even at weekends, he receives visitors and, irrespective of their mission, “Baba”, as he is fondly called, ensures they leave bearing gifts. A woman walked in, paid her obeisance and as she was about to leave, Baba reached for the baskets of fruits behind his chair and handed them over to her.

    “ No, take more and have this again,” he said.

    The woman was still expressing her gratitude and saying heartfelt prayers as she was led out of the door.

  • ‘Give to support the less-privileged’

    ‘Give to support the less-privileged’

    For a septuagenarian APC chieftain, Alhaji Abiodun Sunmola shows no sign of slowing down soon.  He has found a past time in developing the future generation by investing in their education.  To achieve greater mileage, he is calling on people of great means to support worthy causes, writes KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE

    A philanthropist and Interim Deputy State Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abiodun Sunmola, has a mission dear to his heart: to distribute two million exercise books to primary school pupils in Lagos State.

    This mission is part of a bigger intervention programme that encompasses creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning in schools in his Kosofe Local Government constituency and beyond; providing financial support to those in need to start businesses, and supporting grassroots politicians, among others.

    However, education has a special place in his heart, given his antecedents in supporting schools, teachers and pupils.  In the past, he has constructed and rehabilitated classrooms, donated school furniture, uniforms and school sandals, distributed writing materials and mid-day meals, and given gifts to retiring teachers.

    Among all these, the school feeding programme stands out.  In Gbagada area, Araromi Primary School has been enjoying the initiative for five years now.  Mrs Abosede Ottun, Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Primary Education, said every school day, pupils of the school are fed nutritious meals at the unit cost of N25.00 per plate.  To date, she said the project has gulped over N20 million, and has been extended to three other schools where pupils are given biscuits and water daily.

    Mrs Ottun, who once served as Head Teacher of Araromi Primary School, testifies to the retention effect of the mid-day meals.  Not only did enrolment more than tripled from 300 to 1,000, the meals helped to check truancy and made the pupils more attentive in class.

    Since the launch of the two million exercise books project on January 24, Pa Sunmola has been moving round the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state to share the books, five per pupil, in addition to pencils and rulers.

    At the distribution of the writing materials to schools in Oke-Odo, Alimosho Local Government Area, last week, the septuagenarian revealed the reason for his passion to help the less privileged get quality education and move up the social ladder.

    Sunmola also said the affluent in the society must complement government’s efforts by being more generous with their wealth.  He flayed the wanton waste of wealth by many rich people on flashy cars and other worldly pleasures which he said would ultimately come to nought.

    He said: “If we all spare some of our resources towards solving problems in our society, the system will be better and there will be improvement in the quality of life.  Some of these children we ignore, by not providing opportunities for them to have good education, often turn out to be drop outs to the detriment of the society.

    ”I know a lot of rich people in this country that waste money.  If a man sits down and counts 10 Jeeps in his garage, and each one costs N10 million, you know that is a lot of money that is being wasted.  I want you to know that it is good to do good.  Take care of your children and those of others,” he said.

    Making a case for support to the government, Sunmola said the problems of the society are overwhelming and herculean for the government to adequately address.  He said poverty undermines government’s intervention and urged people to give to worthy causes.

    Explaining the motive behind the exercise books project, Sunmola said even after providing structures, furniture and textbooks, pupils cannot learn if they do not take notes.  He recalled his experience in a school he visited, where a teacher taught pupils who wrote no notes.  When he asked the teacher, she told him: “What can I do?  They are meant to bring exercise books from home and biros and pencils.  But they did not, I have done my part; I have taught them.”

    The APC chieftain said with the five books distributed to the pupils, they would have a start in solidifying their education.  He urged other well meaning Nigerians to join in the campaign to ensure each pupil has 12 notebooks – which is said is the ideal number they need for school.

    “We have given them five exercise books; they are supposed to use 12.  If people can contribute books, it will be good,” he said.

    In their speeches, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Lateef Ibirogba; Education Secretary, Alimosho Local Education Authority, Mr Isaac Omoregie; Chairman, Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, Mr Augustine Adeoye Arogundade, and Mrs Ottun all lauded Sunmola’s contribution to education and other areas.

  • WEMABOD urges staff to tackle change in property tastes

    Members of staff of Wemabod Estates Limited have been told to prepare for the challenges confronting property business globally, as a result of continuous change in taste.

    The advice was given by the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Olumide Ologun, at the 2014 retreat organised for members of staff held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.

    In a speech titled: “What got us here won’t get us there”, Ologun remarked that the face of property and real estate business was changing all over the world, and as such, new ideas, concepts, touch, designs, and taste had also emerged.

    He insisted that the only way any company that knew its onions in real estate business such as Wemabod Estates Limited could take advantage of such changing ‘face’ was to prepare itself with new ideas and techniques that would not just make it to be ready for such changes, but to also revolutionalise the entire housing sector.

    “The market is changing, the consumers are changing, tastes and social behaviours are also changing and if we must remain in business, we must continue to invent new ideas with the aim of delighting our customers,” he noted.

    “Real estate business has gone beyond rents collection, we must continue to think outside the box, be proactive and always connect ourselves to the needs and demand of the market,” said Ologun.

    But he was quick to point out that the theme for the retreat: “Breaking New Grounds: a strategy for sustainable growth” was carefully chosen because it was in line with the company’s strategy of rebranding, repositioning, diversifying and growing of its business operations outside the normal property management in which rents collection was major, and which, according to him, had made property owners slaves to their tenants.

  • An eye on council health

    Nothing is left to chance. Any time he wants something done well, Chairman of Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos State, Hon. Israel Adekunle plays a leading role. He knows he has competent staff, yet he steps up to ensure everything is in order. At the flag-off of polio vaccination at the council, he slipped on the campaign gear and led a team of vaccinators to every part of the council, even personally dropping the life-saving liquids into the mouths of the kids.

    The chairman was practically everywhere. He visited churches, mosques, markets, schools, among others, just to sink in the vaccination message.

    He harped on cooperation between parents and vaccinators in order for the campaign to succeed.

    A country as vast as China, he told residents, successfully kicked out polio because there was synergy between the people and the determined government. At Alimosho, he continued, his administration is determined to eliminate polio but he requires the support of everyone.

    That policy of cooperation and determination has come to typify the Adekunle administration. Recently, the chairman rallied all his staff at a retreat, demanding the best efforts from them in order to fruitfully implement the council’s over N2 billion budgets for the year. He asked that every officer will ensure that all revenue platforms are effectively monitored so the council will generate the funds it needs to drive growth.

    At the polio campaign, council manager, Mrs A.K Bello stressed that the administration will do all it can to ensure that the health of the people is given priority.

    “The health of the citizenry is the wealth of the nation,” she said.