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Tag: Amosun

  • Amosun pays Dec salary with 10 per cent bonus

    Amosun pays Dec salary with 10 per cent bonus

    The Ogun State government announced yesterday the payment of December salary for its workers with 10 per cent bonus.

    The state’s monthly wage bill, including subventions and pensions, is put at N6.2billion, according to the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.

    The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Taiwo Adeoluwa, who announced this in Abeokuta, the state capital, added that  junior workers had been paid before Christmas.

    Adeoluwa said at the close of work yesterday, the salaries were released to the workers’ banks for onward disbursement into their respective accounts.

    He said the Ibikunle Amosun -led administration believed in the philosophy that a “labourer’s wage should be paid before his sweat dries up” and rued what he called “financial stress” being experienced in the country that engendered the slight delay in payment of workers.

    According to him,  Ogun and Lagos were the only states which paid their workers December salaries together with bonuses.

    Adeoluwa said had Amosun not taken the initiative to grow the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the paltry N730milliion monthly he inherited in 2011 to between N4.5billion to N6.2billion monthly, things would have gone  bad.

    The SSG said the announcement of the payment of the December salary became necessary because of an alleged wrong information earlier passed on a radio programme by the leader of the state chapter of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), Abiodun Olakanmi, who said the workers, particularly those on the senior cadres, have not been paid.

    But when brought before reporters to substantiate his claim, Olakanmi said he meant no mischief, saying as at the time he spoke, he was not aware that the workers had been paid.

  • Amosun gets backing

    Amosun gets backing

    The Senator Ibukunle Amosun (SIA) support group in Ijoko, Ogun State, has called for support for the governor’s second term ambition.

    The group’s spokesman, Babatunde Tajudeen, said: “Ogun State was created 38 years ago. From inception till date, the state has been governed by 15 military administrators and civilian governors.

    “But Governor Amosun‘s administration has achieved phenomenal feats that his predecessors were unable to attain.

    “The building of the Ijoko-Agbado-Akute-Berger Road with several overhead bridges is on-going.

    “More of these overhead bridges, six lanes and sometimes eight or 10-lane roads continue to emerge in various parts of our state.

    “We envisage that about 20 overhead bridges would dot the landscape of Ogun State.

    “Amosun has achieved what we had hitherto been made to believe was impossible.

    “Disgruntled politicians are out to destroy his good works because he has refused to do ‘business as usual’.

    “I wish to advise every indigene to support our governor so that he can take our dear state to the Promised Land.”

  • Amosun, David-West hail APC primary

    Amosun, David-West hail APC primary

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has praised the maturity and statesmanship of aspirants and delegates at the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Wakama, the governor congratulated the winner, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, on his victory, and the APC for conducting a free, fair and credible primary.

    He described Buhari’s election as timely and well deserved, adding that his eventual election next year would restore investor confidence in Nigeria and end insurgency in the nation.

    “With his experience and track record, I strongly believe that when elected next year, Buhari would tackle insurgency and restore investor confidence in our economy.

    “I also hail the statesmanship of other aspirants and the maturity they displayed at the primary. I enjoin all Nigerians to vote for the APC next year. The quantum of development across APC states and the peaceful conduct of the presidential primary are clear demonstration that the party is not only committed to democratic ideals but also passionate about fulfilling its electoral promises.”

    Former Minister of Petroleum Resources Prof Tam David-West also hailed the APC primary as the best election in Nigerian history.

    David-West, who spoke to our correspondent in Ibadan yesterday, said the APC primary brought two paradigm shifts to the country.

    By the primary, he said Nigerians had shown that no amount of money could buy their conscience, adding that they showed that in

    The don  said the development was good for democracy in Nigeria.

    The former minister identified the second shift as “confirming acknowledgment of honesty”.

    He described Buhari’s emergence as victory for Nigeria, stressing that the country’s resources would be better managed, if he wins the presidential election.

    The don said: “The APC primary is the best election ever conducted in Nigeria. It was better than the June 12, 1993 election, which was adjudged to be the best in the nation’s history. It was so transparent and well organised. It was the very best we have witnessed in this country.”

  • Ogun: It’s walk over for Amosun

    Ogun: It’s walk over for Amosun

    The shadow poll in Ogun State will be a walk over for Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who is seeking re-election. He has no rival at the primaries. He is a lone ranger in the race. Perhaps, the chapter is taping from the tradition of conceding the nomination to an incumbent, in recognition of his constitutional right to a second term and his achievements in the first term.

    Two weeks ago, the governor rounded off his “popularity tour” of the local governments. He was endorsed for second term across the three districts. In fact, one of his aides, Soyombo Opeyemi, said Amosun is prepared for 2015. “The governor has lived up to expectation as attested to by his achievements across the sectors. Many people want him to continue beyond 2015,” he added.

    Amosun controls the party machinery at ward, local government and state levels. He is also loved by national party leaders, who believe that he has done the APC proud, owing to his feats across the sectors. A native of Owu, Amosun has been endorsed by Egba monarchs and community leaders for a second term. In Egbado and Ijebu/Remo areas, his works, especially the urban renewal programmes and successful infrastructural battles, speak for him.

    However, after securing re-nomination,   the governor will have to gird his loins. The ruling party is polarised in Ogun. His deputy, Prince Segun Adesegun, and three senators-Alhaji Gbenga kaka 9Ogun East), Segun Obadara (Ogun Central) and Akin Odunsi (Ogun West)-are up in arms against him. The three senators who have defected to the Social democratic Party (SDP) have the backing of the APC leader, former Governor Olusegun Osoba. Some members of the House of Assembly have also deserted the governor. Therefore, while Amosun will not be opposed at the primaries, which will pale into a mere coronation for him, he will have to gird his loins as he prepares for the general election.

  • 2015: Amosun’s Deputy Chief of Staff, three others resign

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Alhaji Shuaib Salisu and three other members of Ogun State Executive Council have resigned their appointments to contest the 2015 elections in compliance with the 2010 Electoral Act.

    Amosun made this known at the State Executive Council Meeting held on Monday in Oke – Mosan Governors’ Office, Abeokuta.

    According to the Governor, the resignation of the quartet was to allow them pursue their political ambitions in the 2015 elections.

    Also resigning from the cabinet are – Dr. Lanre Tejuosho, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Gbenga Otenuga, Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning and Mr. Tunde Sanusi, the Special Adviser on Environment.

    The governor said many other special assistants and appointees have also resigned to participate in next year’s election.

  • What did Pastor Bakare say to Amosun?

    What did Pastor Bakare say to Amosun?

    Recently, Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly marked his 60th birthday in Lagos. The Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was part of the celebration. Pastor Bakare hails from Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. After the exchange of pleasantries, did the pastor say anything further to the Governor, especially at the end of the event?

    I read the elaborate interview Pastor Bakare granted The News ahead of his 60th anniversary (the 27 October, 2014 edition of the magazine). This is the story of the servant of God.

    “I left primary school and my mother looked up and down and said it was better for me to go and learn a trade since she could not afford a secondary school education for me. I was taken to a carpenter’s shed to learn carpentry. While I was learning the carpentry, Mr. Samuel Ade Ogunniyi was my Primary 6 teacher. He went home looking for me, saying: “That boy that passed through my class had a bright future and was extremely intelligent. Whatever it would take, his mother must do everything to make him go to school.” And he took me to his farm. After school, we would work in his farm. Then he became the headmaster and told me: ‘I would be paying you to teach Primary 4 pupils in the evening.’

    “It was the final day. I stood on the platform and our school principal, Mr Martins Oladipo, was giving prizes to brilliant students. And the prizes all had my name. He would mention the name and I would climb to take the prize. Then he said, ‘Why do you go down? All the names I see here are more or less yours. So just stand.’ And then I turned back and to look at my mother; she was crying and I was crying because that life could have been wasted…

    “When my mother turned 100, we had a breakfast meeting at home and she said she didn’t want a party. So I asked her what she liked and she said she wanted me to give 100 scholarships. That was what she wanted and she told me to continue. She said I should not do any funfair when she died but that I should just give back to better others.”

    So, Tunde Bakare could have ended up a carpenter with little education but for the intervention of Mr Ogunniyi! Given this background, as reported in The News and the value the man of God and his mother place on education, it will not be surprising if  Bakare made some remarks to Amosun on the latter’s free education policy, which has given hope and future to thousands of Ogun children, as they parted after the well-attended ceremony in Lagos? But if he did not, then I must admit some failure on our part for the public image of “Amosun as a Governor that Excels majorly in Infrastructure – roads and bridges.”

    This public image has been slanted by the opposition to give the impression that Amosun only stands out in the provision of massive infrastructure, which they mischievously narrow down to roads and bridges. Of course, they would have loved to deny that Amosun ever invested in infrastructure or did anything at all but for the fact that these roads and flyovers in all the major cities are visible to the eyes.

    What about the world-class model schools which have redefined the landscape of Ogun State, narrowed the gap between the children of the rich and the poor and made private schools green with envy? What about the massive land-clearing equipment for mechanised agriculture – the scale never witnessed in the annals of the state? What about the model primary health care, Gbomoro and investment in health care equipment? Why should they always push to the background the state-of-the-art Armoured Personnel Carriers, the very latest technology in the world, imported to Nigeria for the first time by the current Ogun administration and hundreds of Hilux vans fitted with modern communication gadgets, which have  been used by the highly motivated law enforcement officers to restore peace and tranquility to the state and has now led to Ogun State moving from F9 in 2010 to A1 in 2014 in the rating of the global body, the World Bank? Must we not talk about the blockage of the loopholes inherent in the old system, which has moved the state’s IGR from the highest of N730m per month to the current record of N5 billion per month? Must we forget also that the Amosun government is the only one in Nigeria that implemented the Minimum Wage (of N18,250) across board and paid up to Local Government level?

    Yes, it is true that Amosun invested in infrastructure in a scale unprecedented since the creation of the state in 1976. And Pastor Bakare, who is very frugal with praises, acknowledged this when he came to the Governor’s Office sometime ago. “No one would have thought these things were doable,” he said.

    Perhaps it is not so much of failure on our part because, unlike roads, houses, hospitals and bridges, investment in education is not what you can touch with your hands except the school buildings. But the Amosun administration has achieved more in education than any other sector. When people laud his exemplary success in infrastructure, it does not mean he has solved all the problems of infrastructure in the state. In the same vein, when we say the administration has secured outstanding success in education, it does not imply he has solved all the inherited problems in the sector. But today, to the glory of God, Amosun has provided free education to all the pupils of public schools from primary to secondary level, which includes distribution of free standard textbooks. The last time people of the state enjoyed free education was in the second republic under the leadership of Chief Bisi Onabanjo (of blessed memory). That was over a generation ago. So what happened to the children of the poor in the intervening years? How many Pastor Bakares have been lost to ignorance due to the inability of their parents to pay school fees before Amosun became the governor? How many destinies have been aborted, corrupted or destroyed due to lack of access to basic education?

    Very soon, the Model Secondary School, Ogijo will be open to students of public schools in Ogun State. It will be the first among the first 12 – there are 26 of them across the state. It is one iconic gesture by Amosun to smash social stratification; a loud statement against policies skewed against the masses in Nigeria. How then will those who, while in power, shared the resources of the state expect the same masses to vote for them when Amosun, who lifted the social status of their children, is still in the saddle and ready to continue the good work for another four years? Wishful thinking that must be.

    I congratulate Pastor Bakare on his 60th birthday and wish him additional 60 years in the Vineyard of God.

    • Soyombo writes from Abeokuta
  • Ogun 2015: Amosun’s quest for second term

    Ogun 2015: Amosun’s quest for second term

    Despite the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s popularity has not waned. After his tour of 20 local governments, he reiterated his push for continuity at a rally in Abeokuta, the state capital. The visit paled into a partisan popularity walk across the three senatorial districts. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the governor’s second term bid, its prospects and constraints. 

    Brooms filled the air in Abeokuta, the Ogun State state capital, as members of the All Progressives Congress (APC)  celebrated a new dawn in the state. Governor Ibikunle Amosun reeled out his achievements across the three districts in the last three and half years. He received an applause from the crowd. Gazing at 2015, he reiterated his quest for continuity, urging the people to renew his mandate. To many stakeholders, the request was not without justification.

    Egba monarchs led by Alake Aremu Gbadebo paid tribute to the son of the soil, saying he has lived up to expectation. In particular, the royal father was impressed by the transformation of his domain. “We are here to testify that the past three and a half years of Amosun’s government have been like 20 years of development in our state.

    “We have come to appreciate the politics of good roads, the politics of good schools and health facilities. We believe that the person who did all this within this short time will do more if given the opportunity because the best is yet to come,” he said.

    Echoing him, the Osile of Oke-Ona Egba, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, described Amosun as a beloved son of Egbaland, who has changed the face of the state. He urged the people to give him another chance to complete the good work he has started.

    “The work he has started in three and a half years should be completed. If they are abandoned, it will be shameful to all of us. He should be given a chance to return to office to complete his good works,” he added.

    The Agura of Gbagura, Oba Alidu Laloko, said the administration has fulfilled its electoral promises. He described the Amosun as a man of vision, adding that he deserves a second term.

    “Amosun has performed creditably well. He does not need to campaign too much for a second term. His works will speak for him. If he has not done well, we will not come out to welcome him and show our appreciation,” the Agura said.

    The Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu, said: “We are not resting our oars on our support for the governor’s good works. We still want to use our votes to send him on another four years of the rebuilding mission, to fully re-construct our roads and all sectors of the state.

    However, despite the gale of endorsement, the governor has a major challenge. Bickering, intrigues and division in the ruling party have diverted his attention. Unity and cohesion have become elusive. Cracks are bold on the wall. Despite his performance, there are fears that the APC may suffer a set back in next year’s polls, unless the there is genuine reconciliation between the two caucuses led by Amosun and former Governor Olusegun Osoba.

    For three weeks, the governor has been on tour of 20 local governments to assess completed and on-going projects. The visit was also to access the impact of government policies and programmes on the people and appraise their effects on the three zones. Amosun garnered a tremendous goodwill during the visit. But, at home, the house was on fire. As the governor received accolades from traditional rulers, community leaders, professionals, women groups, youths, students, artisans and peasants, his deputy, Hon. Segun Adesegun, who did not accompany him, was firing salvos at him. He accused the governor of monopolising power, stressing that he has not carried him along in the business of administration.

    As many indigenes came out to receive Amosun and endorse him for a second term in those carnival-like rallies in communities visited, aggrieved party chieftains also mounted an effective propaganda against the governor, saying that he has indulged in a politics of exclusion and marginalisation.

    Amosun is bothered by these criticisms. He however, lamented that, despite waving the olive branch, the aggrieved compatriots have not sheathed their swords. He acknowledged Osoba as his leaders, assuring that he was ready to give concessions to his group. Despite the goodwill he garnered during his tours, he said he would work hard to end the division in the ruling party.

    The governor reflected on the gains of his administration. He gave himself a pass mark. But, he quickly acknowledged that the complaints and requests by the communities visited by him would be attended to.

    “We have gone round to see the product of har work in the course of rebuilding our dear state and listened to your requests for further development. We have taken note of all that you have told us. Let me assure you that we will not let you down,” he stressed.

    The governor’s first point of call was Imeko Afon Local Government Area, where he called for a violent free-election. He appealed to the political parties contesting for election there to ensure an exercise devoid of violence.

    “I want to thank all our contestants. There’s something we must do and this is not for the APC alone, but for all the parties in Ogun State; we don’t want violence. Nobody should fight. If you’re running for any office, 50 people can come out, but it is people destined by God that will be there. I am saying this not for the APC alone, but I am saying it for all our parties,” he said.

    At Remo North, he reitetrated his commitment to welfarist programmes. He said: “My mission here in Remo North is for a feedback, to enable us know where to improve and to concentrate. This is not a political rally, but a government visitation to know how its people are feeling.”

    At Odogbolu Council, the governor, who visited a ‘3 by 3’ kilometre cassava farm owned by the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with a Kenyan foundation on Eyinwa Road, which is ready for harvest, said his government had invested heavily in agriculture, where it has comparative advantage. Making a case for agricultural development, he said: “We are going back to the basics and take fuller advantage of our agricultural potential.”

    The governor, who also visited Ipokia Council, appealed to the Federal Government to develop the oil-rich Tongeji Island to avoid losing it to the Republic of Benin. He said the skeletal naval base on the Island should also be expanded to avoid the fate that befell Bakassi Peninsula, which the country lost to Cameroon. He said Tongeji Island has huge potential of increasing the nation’s economy and improving the livelihood of the people.

    “Tongeji Island is of serious concern to me. Each time I see President Goodluck Jonathan, I call his attention to the need to expand the naval presence on the Island, which is rich in oil and other mineral resources, so that it does not go the way of Bakassi.”

    The governor said arrangements have been concluded with a world class tourist outfit to make Akere community, Ipokia Local Government Area, a tourist centre. He promised to construct the 10km Ipokia-Akere road, which leads to the Lagoon.

    “We have the longest seashore in this country. One of the world’s tourist outfits have done the designs and planning on all they want to do here. The investors, who were looking for a place that has sea view and seashore have chosen Akere in this part of the state.

    “They want to make Akere a totally new town. They have done it in other parts of the world. This is their first time in Africa and Nigeria. I’m trying to envision what Akere town would be in the next three years. It would no doubt be the number one destination of tourism in Nigeria.

    “Without any delay, I have directed the immediate construction of Ipokia-Akere road and Agosasa-Ijofin road respectively as well as a bridge before Agosasa to further open up the Local Government Area and fulfill the promise of constructing two rural roads in each Local Government Area of the state.”

    While commending the forebears for the initiative to cite a large expanse of palm trees plantation on both sides of the road to the riverine area, he affirmed that the state government would as a matter of urgency do the regeneration of the old palms.

    He also assured the people that Ipokia Local Government Area would be made to have two Local Council Development Areas, pointing out that one additional model school would be constructed as a starting point to having a full fledge higher institution.

    However, the high point of the grand finale was the popularity walk in Abeokuta. Taking off from Akin Olugbade area, Amosun’s convoy drove through Totoro, Enu Girder, Ago Ika, Oja Igbo, Itoku, Sapon, Isale Igbehin before arriving at Oke Igbehin, which hosts the Government House.

    The beauty of the popularity drive was that the governor was able to feel the pulse of the people and appraise their support for him.

    According to analysts, the visit was strategic and rewarding. But, in spite of the acknowledgment of performance by the masses, the governor has to overcome some hurdles. Community leaders said that the onus is on Amosun to sustain the tempo till the end of his first term.

    The second challenge is that the governor must return to the table of brotherhood with aggrieved chieftains, who are already opening talks with other opposition parties in the state.

    The third challenge is the PDP challenge. The  gladiators in the party are making frantic efforts to close ranks. Former PDO Chairman Chief Joju Fadairo, said the party has learnt its lessons, adding that the mistake of 2011 will not be repeated.

    A party source disclosed that Amosun will soon be endorsed by the APC as the consensus candidate. But, will he get a second term with ease? Time will tell.

  • Labour praises Amosun on infrastructure

    Labour praises Amosun on infrastructure

    Organised Labour   has praised Senator Ibikunle Amosun for what it described as a giant stride in the area of infrastructure in Ogun State.

    The National President of the Chemical and Non Metallic Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (CANMPSSAN), Comrade Abdul Gafar Mohammed at the opening of the union’s 19th Annual National Management / Industrial Relations seminar in Abeokuta said the governor has turned the fortune of the state around within the shortest time he took over the mantle of leadership in the state.

    “As an organised labour, we do not have any political affinity, but we aligned with leaders who are performing. I have been living in Ogun State for the past 20 to 22 years, and people living in the state know that the governor is performing”, he said.

    He noted that but for Governor Amosun’s road construction in Ota, a local government headquarter in the state, he would have sold his property and relocated.

    He said: “But now due to the governor’s infrastructure development, I ride home safe and sound without any stress.

    “I actually do not understand the kind of politics we practise in this country, when you see people that have ruled and now condemning the governor who is performing,  the landmark is feasible for all to see.”

  • Between Amosun and deputy

    SIR: I read yesterday in the newspapers about the complaints of the Ogun State Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun, against the governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun. The complaints concerned the welfare of the deputy.

    It beats my imagination how such a simple and mundane matter could get to the press. Well, we are in the era of stomach infrastructure!

    While I don’t want to be drawn into the politics of Ogun or what ulterior motives, if any, might have informed the  complaints, there is no one in this country who does not know that one of the most frugal governors in Nigeria is Amosun. He’s also one of the most hard-working governors.

    I read in 2011 where he told his people that he and members of his team had come to make sacrifice. He said things were so bad in the state that they could not afford to live big. So I was not surprised when I read later that he slashed the salaries of political office holders.

    The last time I saw the governor in Lagos, I observed he looked like President Obama of US. Work has really taken a toll on him.  His hair had turned grey yet I understand he’s just 50-something. The man, I’m told, works from morning till night and go out almost everyday to inspect projects, trekking in the sun and in the rain for hours. I’m not sure I ever watched on television the deputy suffering with the governor this way. A friend of mine from Ogun confirmed this observation.

    The deputy governor complained of allowances for September and October but everyone in Nigeria knows what is happening at the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC). I’m even surprised that there is no salary crisis in Ogun. For two months, governors have cried out for not getting allocation at all.

    The good thing is that the deputy governor has not accused Amosun of living in luxury while asking others to tighten their belts. He has not accused the governor of constitutional breaches. He has also not complained of paying for his residence because I gathered that Amosun’s aides pay some money monthly from their salaries for the government quarters.

    Nonetheless, the governor should look into the complaints and see what could be done because there are mischief-makers and political opportunists waiting to make a mountain out of a molehill and see a crisis where there is none in order to rig elections.

    I also urge the deputy governor to see the governor and sort things out away from public glare. There’s good news coming from Ogun locally and internationally on a daily basis. They should keep the good flag flying.

     

    • Vincent Adebayo

    Ketu, Lagos

  • APC chieftains hail Amosun over visit to Ota

    APC chieftains hail Amosun over visit to Ota

    Two prominent members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ota, Ogun State, Chief Jide Ojuko, a one-time commissioner in the state and Alhaji Wasiu Dawodu, a member of the advisory committee, have hailed State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun over his visit to the town.

    The duo described the governor, who defied to heavy rain to address party members, loyalists and residents, as a man of the people.

    The governor, who was on a familiarization tour of the 20 local government areas of the state, listed his achievements in Ota and Sango areas of the state.

    Amosun described Ota as an industrial giant and the economic nerve centre of the state, and promised to give serious attention and facelift to areas, such as Agbara, Igbesa and Ota on road, water, electricity and other infrastructural developments.

    The governor appealed to party members and residents to troop out en-masse during the next registration exercise to collect their permanent voters’ card when the exercise kicks-off in November.

    Present at the occasion were traditional rulers, party members and residents of the areas.