Tag: Amosun

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun yesterday rejected what he described as “the label of a new leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest”.

He described himself as a committed party chieftain, adding that he is loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and other party leaders.

Amosun said in a statement that, as a party stakeholder, the interest of the party has remained his guiding principle.

He said: “True leadership cannot be conjured by wishful thinking.

“From the template that we inherited from our forebears, it is usually earned.

“In political parlance, leadership also evolves. If we take this as our guide, even as governor, I have leaders from my state and at the national level.”

Amosun said he had noticed, with consternation, the recurring misnomer and the improper description in political nomenclature, particularly as they related to the politics of the Southwest, and, by extension, the country.

He decried the emerging tendency of referring to him and some party members as “the leader(s) of the Southwest’ or ‘new leader(s) of the APC in the Southwest.”

The governor recalled that, when that phrase was first brought to his attention, particularly during the weeks preceding the Ondo State governorship election, he  ignored it as distractive antics of the opposition.

He lamented that the misnomer stuck and appeared rather more frequently in the media.

Chiding those behind the new descriptions and attributions, Amosun said: “Lies, and misconceptions, when told and asserted repeatedly with gusto, have the tendency to assume the toga of  truth.

“It is for these reasons that I have considered it of critical importance to set the records straight.”

He added: “As the governor of an APC-controlled State,  I am a huge stakeholder in my party.

“In all that I do, in the open and in private, the bigger interest of our party remains the guiding principle for my actions, decisions and alliances.

“I grew up in the old Western Region where loyalty to corporate goal and party supremacy was the hallmark of a true party member, and, indeed, every citizen.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I am not, by any stretch of imagination, the leader or new leader of the APC in the Southwest.

“I am a loyal party member, and, I shall stand by our party and of course, with President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I am also obliged to respect all our leaders, in the state, Southwest and Nigeria.

“This is the minimum that is required of every party member by custom, and by the party constitution.

“I acknowledge that these are rather difficult times in the life of our party, and, in the nation.

“I am confident that we shall overcome and our party, the APC, and our dear country will come out even stronger, more viable and united.”

A female traffic officer, Adekoya Folasade, and a yet -to – be identified street sweeper, were among the five lucky persons rewarded with free houses yesterday by Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
Other lucky civil servants who also smiled home with their house keys include Wole Dosunmu and the Director of Information, Planning, Research and Statistics in the Ministry of Information, Waheed Adesina, and Sule Isiaka attached to the Governor’s Office.
The five beneficiaries were rewarded with two bedroom flats for being diligent.
Amosun announced the gifts yesterday at the presentation of keys to successful applicants of the A.A.K. Degun MITROS Estate at Laderin Abeokuta, the state capital.
According to the governor, he had monitored both the street sweeper and the lady traffic officer for quite a while.
He said the duo were always at their duty posts as early as 5 am.
The three other beneficiaries were however selected from the list of the outstanding civil servants compiled during the last Workers Day in May.
An elated Adekoya told reporters that she started work as a volunteer with “Holy Police” of the Redeemed Christian of Church of God before joining TRACE.
She advised her colleagues to remain dedicated to duty as there is a reward for loyalty.

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has installed Oba Abdul Rasheed Omotayo Salami of the Edagunnodo ruling house, as the new Saderiren of Isoyin Ijebu, in the Ijebu North East Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking at the presentation of staff of office and instruments of appointment to Oba Omotayo Salami, held at Isoyin Grammar School playing ground, Amosun charged chiefs in the town to put their differences aside and work for the progress of their community.
The governor who was represented by the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Jide Ojuko, advised residents of the town to continue to maintain the peace, adding that the only way to move the community forward was to join hands with the new oba.
“Kabiyesi, by your appointment and installation, you have become a member of Ijebu Traditional Council; you are expected to cooperate and collaborate with other obas within the traditional council and mobilise your subjects for effective discharge of their civic and social responsibilities,” Amosun charged.
Hon. Kolawole Onafuye, the Chairman of Ijebu North East Local Government Area, congratulated Oba Abdul Rasheed Salami on his ascension to the throne, charging members of the community to join hands with the monarch to take Isoyin to an enviable heights.

Responding, Oba Abdul Rasheed Omotayo Salami, promised to use his reign to promote developmental projects and provision of basic social amenities through community self-help initiatives.

•Aides defend
El-Rufai, Fayemi

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun described the allegation that he was plotting to rig the election with others as mischievous.
Aides of Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and Minister of Mines and Steel Dr. Kayode Fayemi, also defended their principals.
Amosun’s Spokesman Adejuwon Soyinka said: “There is no iota of truth in such speculations. The governor of Ogun State, like every other faithful member of the APC, is desirous that his party emerges victorious in the Ondo state gubernatorial election.
“Beyond that, the governor has no special interest. He is a true democrat and would not endorse any unfair practice in the quest for political victory. So anyone insinuating anything to the contrary is simply being mischievous.”
An official of the Kaduna State Government, who did not want to be quoted, said El-Rufai did not leave Kaduna on Monday. According to him, it would be improper to say that he attended any meeting in Abuja on Monday.
Fayemi’s media assistant Mr Yinka Oyebode said he “would rather advise Oke to channel his energy towards marketing his manifestoes – if he has any- to the electorate who will decide his fate instead of this recourse to cheap blackmail and endless hallucination.
“Certainly Oke must be living in the past. He needs to be told this is 2016 and the APC-led Federal Government, quite unlike the immediate past PDP government, does not aide or abet rigging.”

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun yesterday presented to the House of Assembly an Appropriation Bill of N221.129 billion for 2017.
Reading the “Budget of Repositioning” before the 26 lawmakers, Amosun said salary and wages would take N62.73 billion, and pension and gratuities N73.93 billion.
According to the governor, the budget proposal increased by 10.5 per cent compared to this year’s N200.200 billion.
He said N102.82 billion was earmarked for recurrent expenditure and N118.30 billion for capital expenditure.
The governor explained that the budget will be financed from expected Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N114.4 billion and N41billion federal allocation.
The balance is expected to be financed with funds sourced from the state’s development partners.
Amosun noted that the 2016 budget achieved 56.2 per cent performance on October 31.
As in the last six years, education takes the lion share (N47 billion, representing 21.28 per cent).
Rural and infrastructural development/employment generation follows with N44.2 billion, which represents 19.99 per cent.
Amosun promised that his administration will reduce cost and increase IGR.
The governor appealed to the people to look beyond the “challenging hard time”, saying “we are taking our destiny in our hands”.
He said all projects would be completed in his tenure.
The Speaker, Suraj Adekunbi, said the House would expedite action towards a speedy passage of the budget.
The event was attended by former Head of Interim National Government (ING) Chief Ernest Shonekan; former Chief of General Staff Gen. Oladipupo Diya (rtd); former Military Administrators Gen. Seidu Balogun (rtd); Gen. Oladayo Popoola (rtd), Navy Commander Oladeinde Joseph (rtd), Navy Captain Kayode Olofinmoyin (rtd), Col. Daniel Akintonde (rtd), as well as the doyen of Accountancy, Akintola Williams as well as traditional rulers.