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Tag: Abiola Ajimobi

  • Oyo’s development linked to peace, says Ajimobi

    Oyo’s development linked to peace, says Ajimobi

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has attributed the state’s development to peace and tranquility measures put in place by his administration.

    The governor spoke yesterday when he delivered a lecture: “Democratic Governance and National Security: the Oyo State Experience’’ at the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) of the Directorate of State Security in Abuja.

    He recalled that before the advent of his administration, the state had become a classic “state of nature” where anyone who went to work in the morning had no guarantee that he would return home.

    “As thugs, abetted by the then government, were shooting guns indiscriminately at Olomi, so were miscreants stabbing themselves on Iwo Road. Vandalism became the norm and investors avoided Oyo State like a plague.

    “We came in with a pedigree of peace and with the help of God, we have changed that typecast and the state is today harvesting the fruits of our peace.

    “Companies and investors are trooping into the state. Our government was able to achieve this as a result of the objective and dispassionate approach to addressing security issues.’’

    The governor said one of the pro-active measures his administration undertook to curb crime and hooliganism was to provide jobs for 20,000 youths.

    “What this means to us is taking away from the streets potential locus of crimes and insecurity.

    “Though fraught with its attendant negatives as many hooligans passed through our screening cordon, necessitating its disbandment and subsequent re-engagement of the youth, this bold step has cleared a substantial number of the youth off the streets.’’

    He added that the inauguration of the State Joint Security Patrol Squad codenamed “Operation Burst’’ in December 2011 was to check the high rate of insecurity in the state.

    “We should remember that peace is the irreducible minimum that any government must offer the people. Infrastructure and other developmental strides can only be built upon the superstructure of peace.

    “Our goal is to achieve an economically prosperous, politically-stable and just society where security of life and property of the generality of citizens and residents is guaranteed.

    “According to the statistics available to us, murder rate, which stood at 121 before 2011 has remained nil.

    “Kidnapping, which was 45, is three till date; robbery that was 261 is four at the moment; arson that was 35 is today nil, grievous harm and wounding which was 1,119, is nil and bank robbery that was eight before we took over office is nil till date.”

     

  • 5,300 Oyo workers get offer letters

    5,300 Oyo workers get offer letters

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has presented appointment letters to 5,300 teaching and non-teaching workers in the 33 local government areas.

    At the ceremony in Ibadan yesterday, letters were distributed to the workers employed from the 11 local governments in Ibadanland.

    The remaining letters are scheduled for distribution in Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa at later dates.

    Ajimobi said the recruitment was unprecedented in the state’s history.

    He said the exercise was part of government’s efforts to improve the standard of education and provide jobs.

    The governor added that over 31,000 teachers had been sent on various trainings and 24,000 have been promoted.

    He said: “Let me congratulate our teachers. I can say it authoritatively that our teachers have never had it so good. They have continued to enjoy salary increase and their appointments have been gazetted.

    “So many schools had been rehabilitated; six models schools are being built.”

    Ajimobi hailed the cordial relationship between his administration and the teachers, saying that the civil service has not had any cause to go on strike since the inception of his administration.

    The Chairmen of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and TESCOM, Busari Adebisi and Abu Gbadamosi, said the recruitment would contribute significantly to the development of education.

    Two of the beneficiaries- Tirimisiyu Damilare and Akorede Balkit-said they would contribute their quota towards attaining the educational standard in the state.

     

     

     

     

  • Oyo hires 5,300 teachers, others

    Oyo hires 5,300 teachers, others

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has presented appointment letters to 5,300 teaching and non-teaching workers in the 33 local government areas.

    At the ceremony in Ibadan yesterday, letters were distributed to the workers employed from the 11 local governments in Ibadanland.

    The remaining letters are scheduled for distribution in Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa at later dates.

    Ajimobi said the recruitment was unprecedented in the state’s history.

    He said the exercise was part of government’s efforts to improve the standard of education and provide jobs.

    The governor added that over 31,000 teachers had been sent on various trainings and 24,000 have been promoted.

    He said: “Let me congratulate our teachers. I can say it authoritatively that our teachers have never had it so good. They have continued to enjoy salary increase and their appointments have been gazetted.

    “So many schools had been rehabilitated; six models schools are being built.”

    Ajimobi hailed the cordial relationship between his administration and the teachers, saying that the civil service has not had any cause to go on strike since the inception of his administration.

    The Chairmen of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and TESCOM, Busari Adebisi and Abu Gbadamosi, said the recruitment would contribute significantly to the development of education.

    Two of the beneficiaries- Tirimisiyu Damilare and Akorede Balkit-said they would contribute their quota towards attaining the educational standard in the state.

  • Ajimobi kicks off second term campaign

    Ajimobi kicks off second term campaign

    • extols Alaafin at 76

    Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has described the Alaafin of Oyo as an enigma with unparalleled passion whose fatherly role and uncompromising commitment to peace, development and equanimity remains a source of inspiration.

    The governor gave the remarks in Oyo town at an interactive forum organised for corps members from the four local governments (Afijio, Atiba, Oyo-West and Oyo-East) that constitute Oyo Federal Constituency.

    The forum was part of activities to celebrate the 76th birthday of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.

    “Kabiyesi has always taken into consideration the safety and welfare of the people and will never compromise their tradition, culture and development.

    “We are celebrating the flagship of royalty, intellectualism, embodiment of knowledge and traditional ruler par excellence,” Ajimobi said.

    The governor, who did not hide his joy for the monarch’s support and sincerity of purpose for his administration, prayed for Alaafin’s good healthy living, long life and prosperity.

    The governor also used the occasion to declare his intention to contest for second term in office.

    Adeyemi, who thanked God for what he described as his divine, fulfilled life, highlighted some of his achievements on the throne.

    These include provision of scholarships from his personal purse to 120 persons to study courses of their choices at the University of Sokoto now renamed Usman Dan Fodio University where he was appointed as Chancellor for three consecutive terms.

    Others are sponsorship of over 60 persons to universities across the country who graduated with Doctoral, Masters and First Degrees as well as transformation and unprecedented development of Oyo and its environs.

     

  • Ajimobi to deliver N5b market in December

    Ajimobi to deliver N5b market in December

    •Traders to get 1,450 shops in first phase

    Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, is to inaugurate another neighbourhood market in Ibadan, the state capital in December.

    The market, whose construction costs N5.5 billion, is located near the old airport at Sango area of the city.

    The facility, dubbed Samonda Business Complex, is a modern neighbourhood market coming after the first one located at Scout Camp, Molete area of the city.

    The project, which is aimed at meeting the needs of the huge number of traders in the city, is being undertaken as a joint project between WEMABOD TAHC and the state government.

    Located at a prime location in the city, the government plans to deliver about 4,000 shops in three phases with social amenities including a modern clinic, police and fire stations, banks, a mini shopping mall, small parks and play area for children, green areas and warehouse.

    Speaking during a visit to assess progress of work at the site recently, the Chairman of WEMABOD Estates Limited, Erelu Angela Adebayo, expressed satisfaction with the extent of work done on the project and assured that inauguration of the first phase would be done in December with 1,450 shops available for traders.

    The shops include blocks of open stalls and locked-up shops ranging from N500, 000 to N1,500,000 each.

    The Managing Director of the partnering firm, WEMABOD TAHC Limited, Mr Kayode Adeleke, lauded the Oyo State Government for embarking on the project, saying it would be one of the largest markets in the country when completed.

    He said the government embarked on the project to provide decent shops for the teeming traders who are warned against trading on the road,

    According to him, the shops would be bought off by owners with immediate issuance of deeds of assignment by the state government.

    He said the second phase would commence next year.

     

  • Ajimobi assures Oyo residents of positive changes

    Ajimobi assures Oyo residents of positive changes

    Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has said that his vision in the next dispensation is to consolidate on his previous achievements and bring the required positive change to the state.

    He made this pledge in a chat with newsmen shortly after observing the Eid-el Kabir prayer at the Agodi Praying Ground, Ibadan on Saturday.

    The governor said that his administration would place more emphasis on aggressive execution of developmental projects that would have direct impact on the lives of the people.

    He said: “Everybody talks of change; this government is a change agent. Stopping of thuggery is a change; we stopped armed robbery, it is a change. Construction and rehabilitation of roads, provision of social infrastructure are all changes. We are talking of positive and progressive change.

    “We want to continue to have progressive change in Oyo State so that the lives of the people will be better. We don’t want our people to experience retrogression in the state. Continuity of progressive change is what we need in Oyo State, not introduction of retrogressive change.”

    He added that youth employment would be accorded priority in the next dispensation, adding that his administration’s target would be to employ more unemployed youths in the state.

    “Some people talk of stomach infrastructure, we are not only doing stomach infrastructure but we are doing the entire body infrastructure, that is, the totality of the well-being of the citizenry. Our workers are now earning salaries than our neighbouring states. We increased their salaries without any strike or protest. We thought it was right to help the workers and they are now very happy,” he declared.

    Speaking on workers’ welfare, he said that his administration was the first in the history of the state to increase workers’ salary without them embarking on any strike or protest.

    In his Sallah message, the Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh Busari Haruna, stressed the need for political and religious tolerance among the people, adding that they should continue to maintain peaceful co-existence among themselves.

     

  • APC stakeholders endorse Ajimobi, Ogunniran

    APC stakeholders endorse Ajimobi, Ogunniran

    MAJOR stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Oyo Youth Forum have endorsed the second term ambition of the Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

    At a sensitisation and mobilisation rally held in Ibadan, the state capital, the youth group also expressed its support to the House of Representatives aspirant in Egbeda/Ona Ara Federal Constituency, Mr. Adewale Ogunniran, while calling on the people of the state to vote massively for the APC in the 2015 general elections.

    The rally, which witnessed a high turnout of party leaders and members, was also graced by the leading lights of Ogunniran’s campaign group, Ogunniran Adewale Movement (O.A.M), who described the aspirant as the best of all the aspirants in the APC.

    The journalist-turned-politician, they argued, possess the track record and the capacity to deliver the federal constituency to APC, in addition to providing the dividends of democracy to the people when elected.

    Speaking at the occasion, the chairman of the local council, Mr. Ismaila Olatunde Akanni, called on the people of the state to vote for continuity by voting for Ajimobi in next year’s governorship election, while Ogunniran on his part, said the governor deserves to be re-elected due to what he described as “his unequal and unparalleled achievements.”

  • ‘APC ‘ll defeat PDP in Oyo’

    ‘APC ‘ll defeat PDP in Oyo’

    Mr. Ademola Solalu is the Special Assistant to Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Information and Orientation. In this interview with Tayo Johnson, he speaks on the Ajimobi Administration and the chance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s elections.

    What are the achievements of the Ajimobi Administration?

    When the governor came on board, his agenda was to restore, transform and reposition Oyo State. Before he came on board, Oyo State was nowhere in terms of developmental projects. The image of the state was so bad that nobody wanted to identify with us. I was living outside the state then. Each time they talk about my state, they talk about negative things. It was either we were celebrating Tokyo or Auxilliary and so on. But, today, we have a lot to celebrate in Oyo State. The peace we are enjoying today is unprecedented. Peace and security are the major duty of any responsible government. We have never had it so good. Since the administration started, things have been peaceful in Oyo State. In fact, people have forgotten and we have to remind them that there was a time in this state that people will tell you not to pass through Iwo Road, Ibadan. I was based in Abuja. Whenever I came home, my father used to advise me not to pass through Iwo Road. In December 2008, armed robbers took over the whole state. In fact, all the banks around Iwo Road were raided. At that time, in front of the police Area Command, the robbers laid siege for more than two hours and nothing happened. I cannot forget it because I lost a cousin in that incident. He was hit by stray bullet. Since Ajimobi came on board, there has not been a single bank robbery in the state.

    There are governorship aspirants, Ladoja, Akala, Seyi Makinde and others, who want to dislodge Ajimobi…

    Let me start from Ladoja. He was governor for four years.  His tenure was the worst, as far as I am concerned. We witnessed unprecedented violence during his tenure. He was impeached because of his conduct. He should not blame anybody, if he could not manage the people that put him there very well. It means he was a failure. When you were campaigning, you asked some people to help you get there. You got there and they became a liability to the state. Whose problem is that? It was his problem. Ladoja’s failure paved the way for the emergence of Akala. If Ladoja did not fail, Akala would not have become governor. I was also involved at that time. Akala would not have nursed the ambition of being a governor, if Ladoja was not impeached. Ladoja is a failure because he could not manage his success very well. As for Seyi Makinde, he is the only person I have not had interaction with among the people declaring that they want to be governor. I have gone through his profile. I don’t think he has what it takes to governor for now. Maybe, he should start from somewhere else, but not as a governor because experience matters in politics. What is his pedigree politically? Oyo State is not  a place someone can come from nowhere and emerge as the governor. People will ask questions. Has he been having interactions with other zones, like Oke Ogun? You just believe you have money to throw around and all that. I doubt, if he will emerge at the primaries. None of the candidates can defeat Ajimobi. Akala is like Omisore of Osun State. He is the easiest person for the APC to defeat in Oyo State. I won’t say more on that, until the time is ripe. Senator Teslim Folarin is no match. We will not lose sleep at all over him.

    APC does not have any senator in Oyo State.  The two senators that won in 2011 have defected to the PDP and the Accord Party. Will this not affect your chances in 2015?

    The fact that the senators are not with us should give us concern politically. But, when we look at it deeply, the problem was that they wanted to be governor and there is no way they can be because Ajimobi is interested in second term. It is not Ajimobi’s problem that they left the party. It is because of their ambition. And there is nothing anybody can do about it. What should be our concern is who were those that left the party with them? I can talk  about Senator Lanlehin because he is in my senatorial district. I am from Ibadan North Local Government. Senator Lanlehin’s defection has not in anyway affected us. Where we are supposed to have problem with Lanlehin’s exit is Ward 2, Ibadan North Local Government, which is his area. I can tell you today, if we conduct election there tomorrow, the APC will win the election. People feel his defection will create problems for us because he is well known. But, looking at it critically, did he move away with people? No, he did not move with his followers. As he was leaving, other people equally joined us. The kind of people I have been able to attract to the APC that are working for us today were people that worked for the Accord Party in the last election. These are not politicians with big names, but they were mobilisers and I am comfortable with people like that than politicians with big names, who will not be able to deliver. They have come to us now and the kind of work they are doing for us at the grassroots is so fantastic that, in 2015, we are hopeful that we will win again.

    Is Oyo APC learning from the electoral misfortune of the Ekiti APC?

    We have learnt a lot from Fayemi’s experience. We have tried to reconcile stomach and physical infrastructure in Oyo State. Before then, Ajimobi has been doing it. I addressed some ‘Yes O cadets’ in my local government sometimes ago. They are almost 1000. I asked them: do you know how much the government spends on the ‘O Yes’ every month? It is not less than

  • Lawmakers pass vote of confidence in Ajimobi

    Lawmakers pass vote of confidence in Ajimobi

    The 32-member Oyo State House of Assembly has passed a vote of confidence in Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

    It was passed after a motion jointly moved by Olusegun Olaleye, Ibadan North II and Ibrahim Bolomope, Egbeda state constituencies at a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Monsurat Sumonu.

    Reading the motion on the floor of the House, Olaleye stated that the “political will and determination of Ajimobi towards the implementation of a people-oriented blueprint for the state deserves applause and should be recognised.”

    He said the governor’s recent decision to increase the salaries of workers across board was laudable, noting that workers create the wealth and they deserved to “share in the fruit of their labour.”

    Temitope Olatoye of Lagelu Constituency, in his contribution, noted that the governor deserved the praise, considering the state’s development in the over three years of the administration.

    He gave kudos to the governor for ensuring peace and security, “unlike previous administrations, which witnessed acrimony, destruction of property as well as damages to lives.”

    The lawmaker representing Ibarapa East Constituency, Adesina Adeyemo, hailed Ajimobi over the state’s educational development.

    He extolled the governor for establishing the Ibarapa Polytechnic, the Saki Polytechnic and for approving the House Bill for School of Hygiene, Eleyele’s upgrading to the College of Health Technology.

    He said the steps taken by Ajimobi would improve the socio-economic development of the areas and attract investors.

    The Speaker thanked the lawmakers for their resolve to pass the vote of confidence, saying the development experienced Oyo State showed “Ajimobi as a pragmatic leader, whose concern for people’s welfare cannot be over-emphasised.”

    She enjoined the people to continue to give their support to the administration.

    Sumonu expressed optimism that the vote of confidence passed on the governor would spur him to greater a height.

  • Reminder to Governor Ajimobi on bursary

    SIR: The decision of Governor Abiola Ajimobi to resuscitate the hitherto moribund Oyo State Scholarship Board was greeted with warm applause from all quarters. Many considered this a good take-off for a leader who is passionate about education and human capital development. It was therefore not surprising when the board delivered its first assignment few months after its inauguration by releasing substantial amount of money for the payment of 2011/2012 Bursary and Scholarship Awards to Oyo State indigent but brilliant students in tertiary institutions. Therefore when the second edition of the awards was advertised in 2013, many students applied, including the ‘Thomases’ who ignored the first edition. Not even the N1,500 application fee could prevent students from applying; many considered it a profitable investment, having weighed the potential benefit of N100,000. Fear however heightened when their hope failed to materialize almost 11 months after the application.

    It is quite understandable that scholarships and bursaries are not rights but privileges. Nevertheless, the plight of the indigent students should not be taken for granted. Almost all tertiary institutions have begun 2013/2014 academic session while Oyo State government is yet to pay 2012/2013 bursary and scholarship which it promised. Majority of the affected students are of the opinion that the payment is being unnecessarily delayed.

    Governor Ajimobi may not be Jesus Christ of Nazareth, neither is he the biblical Simon of Cyrene or Joseph of Arimathaea, but this burden he has already placed on himself must be delivered without failure or further deferment. This is not an effort to malign the incumbent administration, but a passionate appeal to the governor to bear the weight of his highly extolled office in ensuring prompt disbursement of the fund.

    • Kunle Oguntegbe

    Ibadan