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Tag: Ajimobi

  • Ajimobi, Ladoja’s pact collapses

    Ajimobi, Ladoja’s pact collapses

    Signs of a major crack in the political alliance between the Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and a former governor of the state, Rashidi Ladoja, may likely alter the political dynamics in the pacesetter state ahead the 2015 general elections, reports Remi Adelowo

     

    It was ex-governor Rashidi Ladoja that fired the first salvo. In an interview with a national newspaper some weeks ago, he had accused incumbent governor, Abiola Ajimobi, of alleged poor performance in his close to two years in office.

    Amongst other issues he raised in the interview, Ladoja was unsparing in his criticism of the Ajimobi-led administration’s urban renewal programme, infrastructural development policy, construction of a new five-star hotel in Ibadan, to mention but a few.

    Response from the state government was swift. About two weeks ago, the State Executive Council, at the end of its weekly meeting, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to return some properties belonging to the state that were allegedly seized from Ladoja in the wake of his arraignment in court sometime in 2009 for allegedly selling some shares belonging to the state government running into hundreds of millions of naira to private cronies.

    For keen watchers of the state politics, Ladoja’s outbursts were not unexpected. Sources revealed that after initial procrastination, the former governor, following pressures from his supporters, may have made up his mind to challenge Ajimobi for the governorship seat in 2015.

    In the last one year, Ladoja, who is the leader of Accord Party in the state, according to sources, has been busy strengthening his party’s structures across the 33 Local Government Areas in the state.

    Apart from this, his actions and utterances of his party’s spokesman, Chief Dotun Oyelade, against almost every policy of the state government, has turned Ladoja into the main opposition figure in the state.

     

    How the 2011 alliance was struck

    It was one election that was keenly contested. But in the end, Ajimobi, the governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was declared the winner, beating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Adebayo Alao-Akala and Accord Party’s Ladoja to second and third places, respectively.

    The State Assembly election was no different. The ACN won 13 seats, PDP got 11, while Accord clinched 10. According to sources, this scenario presented Ajimobi with no other choice but to reach an accord with Ladoja, who, according to his close associates, was approached by PDP leaders to work with the party in the election to produce the leadership of the state assembly.

    For Ajimobi and his party, allowing PDP to produce the speaker would be akin to committing political suicide. To ensure the stability of his government, the governor allegedly exploited his blood relationship with Ladoja (both are said to be cousins) to cut a deal.

    Compromises were made by both sides. In the end, ACN produced the speaker in the person of Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu, an indigene of Oyo town, while Accord got the deputy speakership slot. In addition, Accord nominated two of its members as commissioners and also got some local government chairmanship seats.

    However, the governor’s deal with Ladoja allegedly did not go down well with some chieftains of his party, who were of the opinion that given a reversal of circumstances, Ladoja would have breached such an agreement. The Nation gathered that those opposed to the alliance were also said to have impressed it on the governor that alliance or no alliance, Ladoja’s ambition to return to the government house overrides any other consideration.

    But the governor refused to bow to this pressure. According to sources close to him, he was never tired of telling critics of his action that his word to include members of the opposition in his government remains sacrosanct.

    In a newspaper interview sometime last year, the governor said,  ‘Agreed that these people (opposition party members) in my administration belong to opposition parties, they are not indigenes of opposing states. So, they are entitled to contribute their quota in our quest to reposition the state.’

     

    How things fell apart

    Sources in the governor’s camp said ambition, rather than any other consideration, is the motivating factor behind Ladoja’s recent criticisms of the Ajimobi-led administration. ‘The man (Ladoja) is obsessed about his desire of staging a comeback to the government house,’ said a source.

    Until Ladoja finally decided to take another shot at the governorship election, opinions were divided among his close associates on whether the former governor should contest again, given his age (he is in his mid-60’s). At some point, said a source, Mr. Bisi Ilaka, Accord Party’s senatorial candidate for Oyo Central in the 2011 elections, was penciled down as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2015 election.

    But majority of the party members allegedly argued that Ladoja remains the best bet for the next election due to his perceived popularity in the state. They won. From this point, AP leaders allegedly resolved to begin a massive propaganda against the incumbent governor.

     

    Ajimobi fights back

    While the governor has tactically refrained from openly exchanging words with Ladoja, he is said not to be taking the challenge from the former governor with kid gloves. According to a source, this latest stance may have informed the state government’ call on the EFCC to speed up the prosecution of Ladoja and Ajimobi’s immediate predecessor, Akala, over corruption charges. While Ladoja’s case has been in court since 2008, Akala’s case began early last year.

     

    His other strategies

    Though the governor has not formally declared his interest in seeking for a second term in office, there are strong indications that he may do so later in the year.

    The governor, it was gathered, has been busy reorganising his party, a responsibility that he assumed, following the death of the ACN leader in the state, Alhaji Lam Adesina. Just last week, the governor met with elders of the party from the three senatorial zones in the state. The parley was preceded by the governor’s meeting with members of the party across the state, including local government chairmen, who, at another meeting, endorsed the governor for a second term.

    Besides redoubling his efforts in the urban renewal programme of his administration, intensification of the infrastructural development across the state, the governor, in a very quiet manner, is also maintaining his cordial relationship with different power blocs in the state and individuals.

    These power blocs, it was gathered, include civil servants and pensioners, traditional rulers and opinion leaders, while in spite of rumours of a friction, the governor’s relationship with powerful individuals like Alhaji Abdulazeez Arisekola Alao and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, seems to be waxing stronger every passing day.

     

  • Ajimobi approves pension payment

    Ajimobi approves pension payment

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has approved the payment of pension to retired primary school teachers under the State Local Government Staff Pension Board, with effect from today.

    He directed that the backlog of unpaid pensions and gratuities should be paid as soon as possible.

    Chairman of the State Local Government Staff Pension Board Chief Lasisi Ayankojo announced this yesterday in a statement.

    Over 7,000 retirees, who left service from July, 2011, till date, had not been getting their monthly pension owing to fraud discovered at the Local Government Pension Board.

    Officials of the board found to have been involved in the fraud were handed over to the police.

  • ‘South West regional integration should be devoid of politics’

    ‘South West regional integration should be devoid of politics’

    LEADERS of the Southwest states on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the regional Grassroots Business and Investments Forum (EXPO 2013) called on all the governments and people to join hands in building a prosperous zone.

    Prince Bola Ajibola, a former Attorney General of the Federation who was chairman at the ceremony organized by Vintage Press Limited, Publishers of The Nation held in Osogbo, the Osun State capital said political tendencies should be deemphasized in plotting the road to the future.

    The ex-Judge at the International Court of Justice, The Hague, was supported by a former governor of Oyo State, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo who called on the governors to close ranks and return the region to the glorious days of the old Western Region.

    The two governors in attendance, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun and Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo toed the same lines in the thought-provoking speeches they delivered. Governor Aregbesola extended a hand of fellowship to Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State who was elected on the platform of Labour Party at a well-fought electoral battle last October. Aregbesola said: “Elections are over now and Its time for us all to come together in the interest of our people. It is about the protection and development of our territory.”

    Ajimobi said: “This is not about party politics. It is about governance. It is about the region. Each of the states has an area of strength. What we need is develop areas of comparative advantage for the overall interest of our people.” Ajimobi  listed the benefits accruable from regional integration and appealed to his Ondo state counterpart to embrace the idea for the benefit of the people of the region .
    Some of the benefits, he said, are consensus based decision making processes, elimination of conflict and unhealthy rivalry, holistic articulation and
    effective mobilisation of varieties of resources , and utilisation of community resources  to facilitate optimal delineation of development roles among
    the integrating units amongst others.
    He said the need for the South West, which used to be a hub of the defunct Western Region and her people to be united under one economic umbrella has
    been on the front burner .
    “It is on this note I want to urge my brother governor in Ondo to join in this unique effort by participating in the regional integration for the
    economic empowerment of our people. He ( governor Mimiko) should not see it as politics because it goes beyond it”, Ajimobi stressed .

    Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State who delivered the keynote address was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Ganiyu Owolabi. He also challenged all the people to brace up for a new era when the people would cooperate rather than see themselves as unhealthy competitors.

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State was represented by the Special Adviser on Agriculture, Mrs. Tinu Shopeju while Babatunde Fashola of Lagos was  represented by  his Special Adviser on Integration, Rev. Tunji Adebiyi.
    Ajibola said the achievements of governors in the zone were good enough to attract investments and  gave kudos to Aregbesola for progressive steps taken since he took  the reins of government in the state, describing him as the Omoluabi of Oodualand.

    Olunloyo said regional integration would correct many things that had been done wrong in the past, advising that politics should be de-emphasised in the agenda because “politics is a waste of valuable time.”
    Aregbesola, said the theme of the programme: “Actualising Economic Development for Regional Growth” was apt, noting that regional integration was meant to harness abundant resources within the South West to promote well being of the people and for socio-economic advancement of the people under responsive and responsible governments.

    He said: “We (new set of governments in the South West) inherited very bad situation. Because many good legacies were lacking, on assumption of office, we have to begin to work round the clock to make amends where necessary. In many situations we have to evolve strategic planning with strong involvement of the private sector and social groups.”

  • Ajimobi plans three model schools this year

    Ajimobi plans three model schools this year

    The Oyo State government would soon begin the construction of three model schools in the state.

    The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Adetokunbo Fayokun, who told The Nation in an interview, said there were provisions for the projects in this year’s budget.

    The secondary schools, which Mrs Fayokun said will be a template of the current administration on the standards of public schools, would be built in each of the three senatorial districts in the state.

    She explained that construction of the schools became imperative in view of the dilapidating structures, poor academic performance, mushroom private schools and other woes that have bedevilled public schools in Nigeria. The commissioner said the model schools would afford the government the opportunity to show how schools should look like and should be run.

    Mrs Fayokun recalled that via concerted efforts by the current administration, the state is witnessing improved performance of pupils in the last West African Examinations Council (WAEC) during which Oyo State moved up from 34th to 23rd position nationwide. Aside rebuilding infrastructures across secondary schools and motivation of teachers in various ways, Mrs Fayokun said the government had also approved payment of the counterpart funds to access funds from the Universal Basic Education (UBE) for projects in primary schools.

    She stated that the government is committed to revamping education in the state, pointing out that this reflects in the manner the administration prioritises education.

    With improved learning environment, extra-mural lessons for final year pupils, free exercise books and motivation of teachers, Mrs Fayokun said government is committed to restoring the glory of Oyo as a pace- setter state, particularly in the area of education.

     

  • Ajimobi and the myth of Iwo Road

    Ajimobi and the myth of Iwo Road

    By all traditional indices and parameters, Iwo Road is qualified to be called “the crossroads that troubles the visitor”. It is a major road with several intersections. A section of the road takes you to Ife; another one leads you to Iwo Town; one also takes you to Oyo via Ojo.

    The other two lead you to “Gate” in the heart of Ibadan and Lagos respectively. Iwo Road also has its own traditional narratives. The myth about the road is that it is the crossroads where deities and other weird creatures converge in the dead of the night; and it is believed that such assembly is good for the state because of its divine returns. In Ibadan, as in other major Yoruba towns, the visit of the gods at any point in time is always a sign of blessing. It is therefore in the interest of the state to allow the deities ascend and descend at will to avoid blessing deficit. It is this myth that was said to have constrained past administrations in Oyo State from lifting Iwo Road from its accustomed labyrinth.

    The convocation of metaphysical agents and forces within and around Iwo Road and the conspiracy of previous administrations in Oyo State, evident in their unwillingness to liquidate this evil assemblage, confirm the cultural indulgence the notorious road had enjoyed in the past years. But whatever may be the myth around Iwo Road should not conflict with its political metaphor.

    Each time I pass through Iwo Road, I see the vacuity of our political leadership, the depravity of humanity and the desperation of a struggling people. I see the rejects of the society that are in the world but as mere walking corpses. I see disgruntled and angry women strapped their future to their back with a loose sash, looking askance into a tomorrow that is already dead to them. I see a colony of malcontents dramatising the vanities and inanities of an unjust society. I see a people with mangled aspirations drooping their heads in total submission to their failed visions and the remnant of their expectations.

    Even in its present appearance of grandeur, Iwo Road remains the theatre of the absurd where people of diverse destinies connect with their existential realities. Iwo Road is the crossroads that leads some people to their destinations and frustrates others from reaching their destinies.

    Iwo Road is home to different human characters: the money changers, hawkers of anything under the sun, madmen and specialists, beggars of diverse tactics, touts and thugs, assassins and apprentices of evil, food vendors and their consuming multitude, jobless graduates roaming around and about, urchins with their tools of crisis, labourers and their implements of grit, security agents and their revenue collectors, street sweepers with their brooms of pity, goggle-eyed intellectuals and their observatory ladders, government officials with their tax files. The list is endless. Then the traffic. This is the major phenomenon of Iwo Road. It is a disservice to grammatical expression to say that what people experience daily at Iwo Road is ‘go slow’. No, it is more than that. Without being hyperbolic, it is a gridlock. On a daily basis, travellers are trapped for hours in the gridlock, workers get late to office because of it. The traffic wardens end up creating traffic stalemate. They stand in the midst of the traffic not knowing what to do, where to start from or who to blame. The confusion begins from nowhere and ends at nowhere. This gridlock is tied to its mystery.

    The Abiola Ajimobi government with its ‘consensual sloganeering credo must have been intrigued by the Iwo Road mystery hence its resolve to unravel it. Ajimobi must have realised that the secret of the success of his administration lies in his ability to deal with this mystery through a systemic despatch of its nuisance contents. The governor, therefore, decided to engage the Iwo Road mafia in a battle of wits which he seems to be winning. The first move was the relocation of the parks. Though, some of them have refused to obey this relocation order, it is not as bad as it used to be. Then, some structures encroaching on the road were demolished while some traders were sent packing. Some of the illegal bus parks are now undergoing beautification and landscaping evolution. Thus, a new Iwo Road stripped of all forms of traditional razzmatazz is emerging.

    No responsible government in this modern age will subscribe to a risible myth or succumb to the fallacy of a witch-cult fantasy. Why should Iwo Road not undergo a revification simply because some weird creatures are said to have turned the place to a midnight eatery where they feast on “appeasement menu” in assorted calabashes brought by patrons of herbalists and promoters of “IÌc¹Ìce”? The best the government can do for them in this regard is to relocate their eatery to places like Dugbe, Yemetu, Orita Challenge, Idi-Arere, Beere, Oje and the rest. Ibadan, and indeed, Oyo State as a whole, does not appear to me like a state that will lack a convenient venue for the convocation and revelry of midnight principalities and other entities of darkness.

    All previous administrations before Ajimobi were unable to solve the Iwo Road mystery because they lacked the creativity to deconstruct its metaphor and understand the contemporariness of its social construct. These days, governance requires depth of ideas, good thinking, poetic logic, political theatrics, oratorical dramatics and above all, divine wisdom. When you lack all these, you lack initiative. Any inspirational and creative administration must understand and appreciate the economic dynamics of roads. When you have gridlock spots where vehicles are trapped for several hours, there is an alarming decline in economic activities and by extension, in revenue. Unrestricted movements of human personnel and the facilitation of their economic goods are revenue-friendly to a government that develops and maintains its infrastructure, especially roads.

    The massive road constructions going on in states like Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Edo and Imo, confirm the linkage between roads, economic growth and other development indicators. Strategic road networking is key to development and is also a major boost to regional integration. Since all the states in the South West are determined to forge ahead with the process of integration, all efforts must be made towards upgrading their infrastructure by making it trade-friendly. This way, they will stimulate and create massive opportunities for their peoples and invariably guarantee their economic prosperity.

    The rehabilitation work at Iwo Road is, therefore, the elixir that the Ajimobi government needs to provoke the inspiration it requires in unlocking the problematics of other projects and similar policy gridlocks.

    With the new law banning street begging in Oyo State, the transformation of Iwo Road is nearing total completion. Besides, the Oyo State Traffic Management and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) have deployed personnel to the road for effective monitoring. These days, movement around the road is somehow smooth and stress-free.

    What Ajimobi is doing in Iwo Road was what Babatunde Fashola did to Oshodi some years back.

    I am not too sure if Oshodi had its own myth but what I do know is that Fashola’s intervention has demystified the notorious Oshodi. Since that intervention, Oshodi has remained quiet, fomenting no crisis, witnessing no trouble and engendering no conflict. The gridlock had since disappeared. Vehicular and human traffic now flows without the stress of the past. Ajimobi and Fashola’s action on Iwo Road and Oshodi respectively exemplifies how visionary leadership and administration should respond to obstacles of development. Myths are obstacles to progress and until they are disparaged and treated with contempt and disdain, our society will be held hostage by mere soporific narratives and antiquated traditions.

    While crediting the Ajimobi administration for its creativity and sagacity in coming up with the magic for the revival of Iwo Road, I am proposing that the government should come up with the mechanisms including legislations, that will give an enduring value to the various measures and structures that are being put in place at Iwo Road.

     

    •Thomas, a former Special Adviser to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a lecturer at the Department of History and International Studies, Lagos State University.

     

  • Security crucial for growth, says Ajimobi

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has described security as “the bedrock of development”.

    He said without it, no meaningful development can take place.

    Ajimobi spoke in Ibadan, the state capital, at a send forth programme organised for former Commissioner of Police Tambari Yabo Mohammed, who is now an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG).

    He said his administration maintained a cordial relationship with security agencies to facilitate growth.

    The governor said this has paid off as the state now enjoys peace.

    He said the peaceful atmosphere has facilitated development in all sectors of the economy, adding that his administration would continue to support security agencies.

    Ajimobi described Mohammed as a dedicated and disciplined officer, “who exhibited a high level of professionalism in the discharge of his duties”.

    The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr. Adeolu Akande, said although Mohammed spent only six months in the state, his stay was eventful as it facilitated improved security.

    Thanking Ajimobi for his support to the police, Mohammed said: “Even though I have served in different capacities in several states, I have never seen a governor who has been so friendly to and supportive of the police as Governor Ajimobi. Throughout my stay here, he made sure that the state command did not lack anything,’’ he remarked.

  • Ajimobi assures workers of improved welfare package

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi yesterday assured workers that their commitment to work would be “handsomely rewarded” this year.

    Ajimobi spoke at the Governor’s Office Car Park in Ibadan, the state capital, during an inter-religious prayer session marking the new working year.

    He said since he assumed office, he had subjected workers to series of challenges and created some stormy sessions to get the best out of them.

    Ajimobi said: “For you to have withstood the pressure we brought to bear on you, our close-marking approach and pyramid of checks and balances, be assured that this year will be a year of reward for you.

    “We have demanded a lot from you and you have given us what we wanted. For those of you who have survived the tsunami of change, which was aimed at instilling discipline in the system and making the civil service service-oriented, you will be adequately compensated.”

    The governor thanked God for the administration’s achievements last year and urged workers to be godly and more dedicated this year.

    He said his administration has great plans for them, adding that the government would build housing estates and arrange for mortgages for workers.

    Ajimobi urged religious leaders to continue to pray for his administration to deliver on its promises and improve the state.

    The Head of Service, Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu, urged civil servants to ensure the successful implementation of the government’s programmes.

    In their separate sermons, Rev. Francis Omolade and Prof. D. S. Noibi urged civil servants to discharge their duties with the fear of God and shun corruption.

    Noibi acknowledged the accomplishments of the administration and hailed Ajimobi for running a government with a human face.

  • Ajimobi to develop infrastructure

    Ajimobi to develop infrastructure

    Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has congratulated the people on the occasion of the New Year celebration.

    He promised that he would redouble his efforts to make life more meaningful for them this year.

    The governor, in his New Year message, assured of a new lease of life, which he said would be brought to the state through infrastructural development.

    He said the development, which would be unprecedented in the history of the state, would cut across all sectors of the economy.

    Governor Ajimobi said the beautification efforts of his administration, which he noted were being acknowledged and applauded, would continue until the state was given a facelift.

    He craved the understanding of the indigenes, particularly those affected by the ongoing demolishing of illegal structures, saying it could be likened to the proverbial circumcision that comes with pains, but whose elegance later becomes a thing of pride.

    The governor said the neighbourhood markets being built by his administration would enable people sell in a safe, secure and decent environment.

    He urged them to support his administration to create a conducive atmosphere for the actualisation of lofty programmes that would ensure the transformation of the economy.

  • Rights group seeks Ajimobi’s help to revive state hospital

    Some group of human rights activists under the aegis of Oyo Development Agenda have appealed to the Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, to provide adequate manpower to the State Hospital, Oyo town.

    This they said would guarantee prompt and effective healthcare delivery to the people.

    While painting a graphic situation in the hospital at a news conference in Oyo town, Adewunmi, said the hospital which serves six local governments (Afijio, Atiba, Oyo-East, Oyo –West, Iseyin and Itesiwaju) could only boast of four medical doctors instead of eighteen, and seventy-two nurses instead of one hundred and fifty.

    Adewunmi stated: “Recently, the hospital had three sets of ghastly motor accidents the same day. The first set came around 3am involving long journey trailer vehicle with about 53 victims. The chief Medical Consultant, Dr. Opabode, was called by the doctor on duty for assistance, whom he obliged. They were yet to finish this one when another set of accident victims were brought involving about 12 people.”

     

  • Ajimobi emerges Ibadan ACN leader

    Ajimobi emerges Ibadan ACN leader

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 11 local government areas of Ibadan land yesterday adopted Governor Abiola Ajimobi as the new leader of the party. The elevation came on the heels of the death of former leader, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina, last month.

    The party also adopted the governor as its governorship candidate in the 2015 election. The state deputy chairman of the party, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, stated this yesterday while reading a communique at a meeting held at the party’s Southwest Secretariat, Alakia, Ibadan.

    Alimi said that members of the party in the 11 local government areas in Ibadan, after series of meetings, passed a vote of confidence on Ajimobi because of his good peformance in the last one and half years in office.

    He said Governor Ajimobi will now continue the work of mobilisation and organisation left behind by the departed leader, Alhaji Lam Adesina. The communique was signed by 11 members representing different zones and council areas in the city. They are Alhaji Isiaq Akeem, Alhaji Ganny Alade, Dr Busari Adebisi, Hon. Oyeniran Oyeniyi, Hon. Awoleye Dada, Hon. Mojeed Olaoya, Alhaji Najeem Abbass, Chief Laoye Sam, Chief Ayo Eniade, Mrs Matel Williams and Chief Jamiu Adewale.

    The communique read in part: “ Further, and in consonance with the tradition of our progressive predecessors and in consonance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we hereby unanimously adopt Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi as the sole candidate of our party in the (11) Local Government consisting Ibadanland in the gubernatorial race for 2015 general election in Oyo State.

    “ We equally pass a vote of confidence on our national leaders, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande (National Chairman) and the entire National Executive of the Action Congress of Nigeria”.

    Alimi appealed to the other five political zones in Oyo State to emulate them.

    In his response, the Chairman, Transition Committee, Ibadan South East Local Government, Alhaji Najeem Abbass, said that the agreement was reached after series of meeting with the representatives from the 11 local government areas in Ibadan, adding that it is not too early to endorse the governor as their candidate given his achievements in the past one year in the state.