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  • The answer

    The answer

    • It’s time to enhance non-oil exports for a better tomorrow

    There is no better time to pay quality attention to the structure of the Nigerian economy than now. The situation is so chaotic that even many educated people, including economists, are at a loss about the state of the national financial system. Despite having the largest population in Africa, the largest concentration of black people, and being one of the most endowed countries, Nigeria is identified as about the poorest in the world. The most recent survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) famously puts multidimensional poverty in the country at 133 million people.

    This is not worrisome to only the government, but the people who bear the brunt. Many in the international community are surprised that a country could be so rich and yet so poor. Rich in human resources, the hydrocarbons, solid minerals and so vast arable land. Experts in the oil sector have cried out that the days of petroleum products commanding so much attention and dictating the economic pace would soon be over. Alternative sources of energy are rapidly attracting the attention of developed countries that consume much of the products. And, even before then, owing to carelessness and criminality, Nigeria has been unable to meet up its OPEC quota in recent years. Production of crude oil stood at barely 1.2 million barrels by the end of 2023. Theft of the product that is so central to national revenue has hardly abated since then, with the security forces daily announcing discovery and destruction of illegal refinery.

    It would not have had so grave an effect on the economy if the oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s had not proved to be so great a doom as successive governments abandoned the agriculture sector that had been the mainstay of the economy in the preceding decade. The four main lines of agriculture, crop production, fishery, livestock and forestry had, in the pre-independence and the ‘60s spurred the engine of development, with the Western Region deriving so much from cocoa, cotton and groundnuts in the North and palm oil with timber in the East.

    In the 1960s, agriculture contributed more than 50 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Today, despite about half the population are still engaged in agriculture, it only contributes a little less than one-quarter to the GDP. Nigeria has more than 70 million hectares of arable land, much of it still fallow, but it depends on importation of critical inputs. The younger population that constitutes more than two-thirds of the demographics has no interest in tilling the soil, leaving only the old and bent in the rural areas to feed the nation through subsistence farming. Herders still roam the forests in the 21st Century.

    Thus, the little products exported are sent raw, no value added.

    Read Also: ‘Provide answers to alleged forgery’

    It is not only in agriculture that little progress has been made. In industry, we lag behind many other countries, even in Africa, as households and firms compete for the less than 4,000MW of electricity being generated, while South Africa is already supplying about 50,000MW to the people. Successive Nigerian administrations have been promising to ramp up production and distribution to 10,000MW since the  inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999. The resultant reliance on imported diesel to power imported generating sets made Nigeria- produced goods too expensive to compete with the imported ones.

    Another impediment to non-oil exports is failure to meet international standards. Whether in Europe, United States or Asia, there are minimum standards for all imports, agricultural or manufactured goods.

    Unlike in the 1950s and ‘70s when the regions had marketing boards that assured standards of the products as well as assisted exporters in packaging, finance and inputs, very little is available today despite having such bodies as the Nigerian Export Promotion Council  (NEPC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria  (SON).

    The Tinubu administration that has promised to raise non-oil exports should ensure that these organisations work in Nigeria’s interest.

    We watch the solid minerals sector with cautious optimism as the minister in charge has pledged to ensure that it is given a pride of place. He deserves all the backing he needs in a bid to catch up with the likes of South Africa,  Canada, Russia, Australia and Japan where solid minerals contribute a huge percentage of their revenue and generate employment. Nigeria’s gold, uranium, iron ore, bauxite, among others, should be officially exploited and sold to boost the economy.

    As the Tinubu administration approaches its first year anniversary, it owes Nigerians a duty of reviewing its plans and reevaluating moves to lift the nation out of the woods, even if it has to jettison prescriptions by the Bretton Woods institutions.

  • ‘God will answer citizens’ prayers’

    GOD will answer Nigerians’ prayers in 2019, General Overseer of God’s People Worldwide Ministry Apostle Ehijiele Unuanyan has said.

    Apostle Unuanyan, who spoke at the end of Christmas service at the church’s headquarter at Illeh-Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area, Edo State, said God told him that He will surprise the citizens by answering their prayers.

    The cleric, who urged Christians not to give up hope on their expectations for 2018, assured that God would bless them in the remaining days of the year.

    He said the electorates should be prepared to elect leaders that would better their lots in the forthcoming general elections.

    “God told me very clearly that  year 2019 is a year He will answer the prayers of Nigerians. That Nigerians are crying. Nigerians are in desperate need of His intervention. They are finding it difficult to believe He can actually answer their prayers. That He is going to answer.

    “God is going to surprise Nigeria by answering the prayers of Nigerians in 2019.”

  • Questioning the answer

    Questioning the answer

    Alhaji Saleh Bayeri, the National Secretary-General and member of the Board of Trustees of the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN), has been speaking to the media. He has been saying things about the problematic Herdsmen Question.

    On the recent carnage in Benue State attributed to herdsmen, Bayeri was quoted as saying:  “There is no country where there are lots of cows including South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, there is nowhere you can tell me that there is a  total ban on open grazing. What is normally available is that there should be open grazing for those people who think it is traditional and cultural to do it because that is their only form of exercise, leisure and pleasure, because that is their culture; we also have grazing reserves for those who would want to start learning how to settle and then the ranches for those who are wealthy and into livestock only for commercial purposes.”

    Is he saying that the country must accommodate open grazing because some people can’t think of any other way, even when their way causes conflict and avoidable loss of lives?

    Bayeri also said: “The Fulani herders in Nigeria are not doing it for commercial purpose, mostly. They keep the animals as their tradition. For instance, if a Fulani man has fifteen cows and all the cows are worth N10 million, even if you triple the amount, the Fulani man will not sell them, because he inherited them as a tradition from his father and he is expected to hand them over to his own children. These animals have been passed from one generation to another; they are not his own. So, I want Nigerians to know that the Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria are not commercial type. They are not traders, they are not doing business; they are rather sustaining their age-long tradition by keeping the cows. No matter how hungry they may be, they will not sell their cows to buy food or shoes; you can see them going about without shoes or homes, they won’t part with the cows for anything because it is a generational wealth they must keep and pass on to the next generation.”

    If there are herdsmen who are not commercial herders, it must mean such herdsmen do other things to make money to keep them going. What else do such herdsmen do to survive without having to sell their cattle?

    Bayeri sounds like a defender who will say anything in defence of Fulani herdsmen. The answer to the Herdsmen Question can’t be left to herdsmen and their defenders.

  • Question and Answer

    Dear Aunty Rita,
    Why do some girls have pimples on their face when they enter secondary school? I am in primary 6 and I am afraid of having pimples on my face.
    Ese T ( 10 years old)
    Staff School, Warri

    It’s good for you to be very observant, did you notice that it’s not only girls that develop pimples, but even some boys do too. It is noticeable among children who are just entering secondary school, because, they are mostly around the age of puberty.

    The age of puberty is the age (often from 9 or 10 years) that girls and boys develop more rapidly. At this age, parts of a girl’s body that was not obvious before begins to develop and show, like breasts, hair under the armpit and in their private part. While boys voice grow deeper and atimes they grow hair on their face, their armpits and private parts also. Girls also start seeing a monthly flow of blood called period.

    Girls, look in a mirror one morning and notice they are taller — and rounder.

    You  start noticing hair in places they never had hair before. You feel ultraconfident, and then super sensitive — all in the same day. What in the world is going on? Welcome to puberty.

    Technically speaking, puberty is nature’s way of transforming a child into an adult, all for the sake of reproduction. While both girls and boys go through puberty, girls reach puberty and sexual maturity at earlier ages than boys do.

    So what’s causing all of these changes? Hormones! Actually, the female hormone estrogen is the main one that’s triggering all the changes in your body. It also make you develop pimples on your face .Let’s look at some of the changes girls can expect at puberty.

    Your limbs grow first, then your trunk. Most girls grow fastest about six months before they start their first period (menarche).

    You’ll probably gain weight in puberty — most girls do. You may notice more body fat along the upper arms, thighs, and upper back. Your hips will grow rounder and wider; your waist will become narrower.

    Breast development is an early sign of puberty in girls. This can happen before age 9 in some girls, but later in others.

    If you are self-conscious, you might want to start wearing a “training bra,” which is a soft bra with no real support.

    Talk to your mom, older sister, or an aunt about buying a training bra. They can help you to make sure you get one that is comfortable and that lets you feel confident in your clothes.

    Ask your mum to tell you more about puberty, so that you will well prepared for it.

    Hope to hear from you, when you actually enter puberty.

    Yours truly,

    Aunty Rita

  • Questions Ladoja refuses to answer

    Immensely dislike it when someone self-titles himself without reflecting on the nuances of that appellation. Our politicians are most guilty of this. Many politicians blissfully preen when called “godfathers” while joyfully oblivious that the pejorative term is actually derogatory. Among several other titles now flying in our political space is “the issue.” Oyo State’s former Governor, Senator Rasidi Ladoja recently gave this new word a fresh meaning in the dynamics surrounding his latest quest to become the state’s governor again.

    Now, about Senator Ladoja. In my observance of Oyo State’s political terrain before now, I found him excitedly refreshing, especially during his infamous tug-of-war with late Lamidi Adedibu during the latter’s halcyon days of single-handedly bearing Oyo’s political fortunes in his pocket. I felt Ladoja’s doggedness and grace under pressure during those trying times marked him as a progressive worthy of favourable continued scrutiny.

    But, the same feat which should have earned Ladoja national greatness, heralds his personal tragedy. Maybe, those incidents which led to his impeachment and ostracisation within his former party apparently aged his spirit, stunted his mindset and failed to broaden his outlook. Since his removal from the gubernatorial chambers, he has not convincingly articulated the formerly-noticed endearing virtues that were associated with him. Bit-by-bit, Ladoja has become ensnared in undesirable traits which he accuses the opposition of.

    This new Ladoja is glaring in the volley of exchanges between him and incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi. The exchanges reveal the former governor’s readiness to stumble over the pits of infamy in order to join the ranks of destructive critics of the governor. This is especially buttressed by his evasiveness in pointedly answering questions posed to him by a group called Oodua Truth Seekers in an advertorial published in a national daily on February 17.

    The group query is straightforward and unequivocal. Some of the questions posed at him are as follows: “Can he tell the people of Oyo State what actually destroyed Trans International Bank (TIB), the only bank with headquarters in Oyo State, owned by indigenes of the state, thereby throwing thousands into the unemployment market? Did his government actually move Oyo State funds out of TIB and into First City Monument Bank Plc. (FCMB)? Does he remember Tola Duro-Ladipo, Dr. Shehu Ladoja, a driver and four policemen who died in an accident involving his convoy? Did he not drive straight to the Governor’s Office, even when the accident occurred, with the dead still swathed in their pool of blood and the injured writhing in pain? Did he wait after the accident that involved the latter to sympathise with and get help to save the lives of these aides of his? Was there a spiritual dimension to these deaths? Did he not abandon the families to their fates? These questions are too simple to warrant an evasion. Once he gives his answers, he would be free in the court of public opinion which thinks otherwise.

    Initially, I viewed Oodua Truth Seeker’s questions as one of the extremes of politicking in our clime. But, that idea became obliterated upon recalling that democracy’s elegance best shines during challenging moments like this as the wheels of political juggernauts criss-cross plains and valleys in scouring for the highest percentage of votes to secure power. Moreover, the public is afforded the chance to know salacious details of wheeling and dealings in quaint demonstrations of freedom of expression which, apart from titillating the masses on the happenings behind the shadowy power curtains, also shapes their voting choices during elections, the ultimate demonstration of expression.

    On that basis, I, alongside many other political watchers, waited with tense expectation for Ladoja’s swift and unapologetic answers to the group’s queries, especially as they are damning enough to hurt his current gubernatorial ambition.

    It never came. Instead, Ladoja responded through the simultaneously-timed issuance of a press release and advertorial. The press release described Oodua Truth Seeker’s advertorial as a “farago of lies and malicious doctoring of facts” and the advertorial introduces Ladoja’s self-title as “the issue” in Oyo politics. What manner of issue? “The issue” that Oyo stakeholders rather want as the recurring decimal is the continuing provision of affordable and qualitative education, sustainable health reforms, employment opportunities, good infrastructure and security. Calling himself “the issue” in order to score cheap political points insults Oyo people’s sensibilities. Nigerians generally have suffered so much and have been betrayed frequently often by those in whom they repose the strongest confidence, that it is natural that they should be suspicious of any whiff of wrongdoing.

    Probably, Ladoja sees himself as “the issue” for, according to him, embarking on road constructions and renovating classrooms eight years ago. But, Ladoja need know that government is a continuum; if he addresses some sectors, subsequent government would not duplicate efforts in focusing on such areas again. Rather, successive administrations would examine new challenges to address. Since Ladoja said his administration tackled all that effectively, it is imperative that Ajimobi tackles areas which the former senator failed to work on, like healthcare reforms.

    However, whatever records Ladoja recorded in office is inadequate reasons for discountenancing answering these latest accusations because the dowry of genius is not limited to Ladoja’s administration. In his advertorial, his Man Friday said “he is a man much loved by the people.” So, Ladoja should abandon this Robin Hood mentality of attempting rousing sympathies with patronising and diversionary references to his performance of normal governmental duties he constantly drones about in justifying his refusal to answer the posers raised in the advertorial. Particularly, he should answer Oodua Truth Seekers and Oyo people their queries.

    Rather than respond to these, Ladoja calls himself “the issue” in Oyo. I am unsure if his handlers are aware of the phrase’s double entendre. Stripped bare of any niceties, its nuances basically mean ‘problem, obstacle, hindrances.’  Judging by recent events, maybe Ladoja means he is synonymous with such negatives in Oyo State.

    While he wallows in self-absorption however, the present “issues” raised by the group are already rife from within crowds at Mapo Hill to traders at Ogbomoso markets and rallying talk among Saki weavers, including all lovers of Oyo State. Ladoja, with his attempt at wishing away these “issues” with his silence, now has giant question marks clouding his much self-vaunted integrity which he should address now, rather than brow-beating Ajimobi’s upward pendulum of progress with accusations and lawsuit threats.  Ajimobi has displayed that the hopes and fears, the hatred and bitterness, of past Oyo rulers are centred upon his shoulders at this time, not distractedly fixed on Ladoja.

    Ladoja’s advertorial says he “is a passionate leader of repute whose integrity cannot be questioned”. He should exemplify these attributes because remaining quiet is certainly not golden now. Ladoja should answer the posers raised against him with cold, hard facts. Now, is time for inflexible discharge of propriety. Act right, Senator Ladoja.

    • Abiola is a teacher.

  • Not the answer

    •Federal Government asking states to seek alternative sources of funds is cynical, to say the least

    For over four decades of the oil boom, Nigeria swam in plenty; revelling in the rent of unearned oil wealth and like prodigals, frittering away most of the petro-dollar earnings. Nigerians lived large and licentiously, developing taste for all the best things in the world and neglecting to lay even the most basic foundations for her development and growth.

    Agriculture, which was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy before the discovery of oil in commercial quantity, was abandoned. Modern infrastructure, the fulcrum upon which great industrial assets are founded, was never developed. Thus, with the advent of the oil boom, Nigeria merely became the shopping complex of the world where exotic goods from all over the world were merchandised.

    More pathetic is that even the huge crude oil and gas deposit did not galvanise the establishment of refining and petrochemical complexes such that the country would stand out today as a global hub for petroleum products. On the contrary, through her years of boom up till this moment, she has been flaring most of her gas deposit and exporting her crude regardless of the myriads of inherent by-products. She also imports till today, all her petroleum products needs.

    Perhaps no other country has been more profligate with her natural endowments. Even when the international prices of petroleum products rose at exponential rates engendering heavy windfall of petro-dollars, the receipts were largely embezzled by a succession of highly corrupt and megalomaniac leaders. They neither invested in the sector nor expanded the base of the economy.

    Today, just as the price of crude oil rose, in like manner it has started to fall in the last few months, moving from a little over $100 per barrel to about $80. As has been predicted, it will continue to plunge because there is a glut in the world crude oil market, as many more countries have discovered fossil fuel. Secondly, viable, cheaper and more efficient alternatives like shale oil have been developed, especially by the United States of America, which is now poised to push her enormous petroleum reserve into the global market.

    The prospects are dim indeed for countries like Nigeria which rely on primitive and non-value-added shipment of crude oil. Has the chicken finally come home to roost? If that be the case, it may not yet be apparent to governments of the day, especially at the federal level; or shall we say there is nothing to suggest that people in positions of authority have been able to come to terms with the seemingly irreversible slide in oil earnings and the attendant recession.

    To buttress this point, at a recent meeting of the National Council on Development Planning (NCDP), the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman, could only admonish the delegates who were state planning commissioners to lead the process of finding alternative sources of funding in their various states.

    According to Suleiman, while his ministry was collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria, “The states are also advised to develop their strategic plans as well as the associated contingency plans to complement the effort of the Federal Government,” he said.

    We aver that Nigeria’s government, especially the Federal Government is still locked in its old lethargic mindset. This situation the country is faced with calls for a complete rethink and restructure of the current fiscal regime. First, the Federal Government must convene an economic summit for the purpose of re-drawing the country’s fiscal map in the face of this new reality. Second, it must free up the huge share of the federation funds it has arrogated to itself so that it could be re-distributed to the states and local councils where they are sorely needed. In addition, the central government must be ready to cooperate with the states in relaxing the laws barring them from exploiting their mineral resources.

    Suffice it to say that years of ineptitude have brought this looming calamity upon the country, but if the pains must be mitigated, governments at all levels must break out of the old mold and go back to the basics.

  • ‘Nation conference is the answer’

    ‘Nation conference is the answer’

    The Chairman of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, in Lagos State, Chief Supo Sonibare, spoke with Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN on the Jonathan Administration, the proposed national conference, and the Afenifere crisis.

    What is your assessment the political situation in the country today?

    There is confusion in the polity. The great confusion is as a result of the inability of principal political parties to have a defined ideology. The moment is simply being that of power brokers or money mongers. This is why there is fluidity in movement among major parties. There is no loyalty to any political party or group. The politics we are playing nowadays is largely self-centred.

    The Southwest has always being the leading group uniting the progressive forces. It normally does this in concert with reliable progressive elements in Northcentral, Northeast, Southsouth and Souteast. Unfortunately, because of the disunity in the leadership of the progressives in the Southwest, it was unable to lead in the traditional manner that we are used to in assessing progressive forces.

    In 1998, with very little resources, we were able to have close to 70 per cent of people’s support in the Southwest. Though the ACN has done its best, but with huge resources, it has not been able to repeat this feat because of disunity among the progressives in the Southwest. If the is unity in the Southwest, it may be possible to offer a Nigerian state better direction that has an ideological bias.

    President Jonathan is planning to convoke a national conference. Do you think this is the appropriate time, given the 2015 general election that is fast approaching?

    The issue of national conference has exposed the disunity among the progressives in the southwest. All progressives agree that the 1999 constitution is a military constitution, that it is incurably defective. When you are confronted with that kind of situation, the obvious alternative is to have the national conference that will bring about the people’s constitution. All progressives should unite in welcoming such an arrangement. Even, if President Goodluck Jonathan has a hidden agenda, the onus is on those who think there should be a new constitution to proffer ideas and methodology that is apt to bring about a new constitution.

    With respect to those who are opposed to it, why can’t the APC and other progressives use this opportunity to suggest the ways and means to hold the national conference. It is wrong to put the struggles for power ahead of putting in place an enduring foundation for the nation state. Enduring foundation cannot came about by piecemeal, that is amendment of the constitution. I know the Southwest is not satisfied with the presidential system of government, with the revenue allocation and lack of transparency in polity. The only way to effect changes is through a national conference.

    How best do you think a national conference can be organised?

    The view of Afenifere is the less contentious division of Nigerian state into six geo-political zones. The quality of delegates from each zone matters a lot.

    Not more than 10 per cent of the delegates should come from labour, students union and other organised bodies. The conference should have a maximum of 600 delegates. These delegates would write a constitution for us. After writing the constitution, the President should put the resolutions to yes or no vote. If it is no vote, it is a failed enterprise. But if it a yes vote, the president will use his inherent powers as contained in the constitution to advise the National Assembly on what to do with the resolutions. The President will execute an order in council in presenting the deliberation and results of the referendum to the National Assembly and also advise the National Assembly to repeal Decree 24 of 1998 that gives the present constitution its authority and to replace it with the constitution written by the Nigerian people.

    It is better to do this before 2015 than to continue with the constitution we are now using after 2015. Now is the best time to lay solid foundation for the nation before 2015.

    What should be the criteria for selection of delegates to the National Conference?

    Ninety per cent of the delegates should emerge through election. There should be an independent conference secretariat, which will be independently funded from the federation account and which will be responsible for putting in place the administrative process and arrangement for the election of delegates by the INEC. It is however, the constitutional conference secretariat which will be headed by a highly reputable Nigerian acceptable to all various groups in the country, including those in power that the INEC will report to. It is this body that will be responsible for the mode and logistics for the election. The NEC will be directed as and assisting electoral body in actualising the arrangement of the constitution conference secretariat. The INEC will also be responsible to the secretariat for purpose of arranging the deliberations of conference and organising the referendum.

    Afenifere is no longer a united body. What was responsible for the split?

    Afenifere leadership is disunited. Apart from our leaders that are no longer with us, such as the late Bola Ige, Alfred Rewane, Otunba Solanke Onasanya and Abraham Adesnya, all the main leaders are still together. The core leaders I am referring to Chiefs Olaniwun Ajayi, Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olu Falae and Chief Reuben Fasoranti. The problem of Afenifere has to do with the dynamics of having core leaders, who are not in government and having governors who are effectively heads of government. At the time of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he wielded the power of the head of government and the leader of Afenifere simultaneously. When he was no longer the Premier, there was the aspiration of becoming the Prime Minister as the leader of the opposition then.

    In the new Afenifere, we have leaders who are not in government and governors who are heads of government. The governors are now supposed to subject themselves to the authority of leaders, who are not part of government. The leaders could only use moral persuasion and cannot compel any governor to do their bidding. That dichotomy of power brought about the discord and the split of the group. This division was managed by, the late Chief Adesanya. His successor, Chief Fasoranti, presided over a meeting without both factions of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). For years, Fasoranti group has been amenable towards reconciliation. May be, one day, before it is too late, the core surviving AD governors will be amenable to encouraging efforts of reconciliation.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Community policing is answer to kidnapping, other crimes’

    Mr. Onoriode Sunday Eromedoghene is the Transition Committee Chairman of Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State. In this interview with Polycarp Orosevwotu, he speaks on his administration, especially on the security challenges.

    What was the most pressing challenge you faced when you came to office as transition committee chairman?

    It was the issue of security, a very serious one that gave not only me but my entire executive serious concern. But with the assistance of the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan who has peace and security as one of his 3-Point Agenda, the Army, police, State Security Service (SSS) and of all the local vigilante groups, we were able to reduce the security tension and other related vices drastically to the barest minimum.

    So do you support community policing?

    Yes, but the must be under the supervision of the police or other security agencies. I saw the need for community polcing because of the recent security problem and noticed that they know the area more than every other person and they were so helpful. It was with the support of the Okpara vigilante and others that we could douse the tension in the area. So, l appreciate all of them and will always support community policing if they are under the control of the police.

    Your Local Government has been tagged as the den of kidnappers by the Commissioner of Police. What is the financial implication of tackling the trend?

    You cannot separate financial implication from most security issues but the only thing l would say was that it did not deviate my focus, as l was still doing what l ought to be doing since my governor was there for me, implementing some of his order to see that there is relative peace in the area. It only slowed the speed of my developmental work.

    How has the ban on motorcycle affected your people?

    It is true that the ban on motorcycle was from the state government. It was because of the incessant kidnappings and other vices in my local government, but all the same, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan did marvelously by donating 20 tricycles to the Delta State University Management to cushion the effect of the ban.

    He did this by considering the fact that Abraka community is a university community housing the state university and he saw that the effect will be too much for the university and donated 20 tricycles to the university and gave another 30 to the local government, which was handed over to the union and without wasting time they went straight to work.

    The local government has also purchased over 30 tricycles and we are still expecting another 15 for different interested persons. And we giving this tricycles out to the cyclists at a subsidised price of N350,000 and we have gotten about 100 tricycles in the last three weeks.

    What is your assessment of the administration of Dr. Uduaghan for over six years?

    l will say he is a quiet achiever, excellent and a proactive governor, who knows what to do at every given time. l must tell you that the things the governor is doing today that we are seeing are not projects for the next twenty years to come but lasting projects that our children will enjoy.

    I believe many of us will not know the developmental projects Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is putting in place until after 10 years and that is when we start appreciating him. We wouldn’t have had a better governor than Dr. Uduaghan who has taken his time to ensure that the state is not behind in the scheme of things.

    We should not forget that if he is not the only one he should be among the few that have embarked on this free maternal health care from zero to five years of age, giving them free maternal health care from his inception of office till date. This is aside the enrolment of students in the Senior Secondary Schools; scholarship scheme to study abroad and other skill acquisition programmes where some of our Delta indigenes have been trained on different fields of endeavour and are today self-employed with equipment generously given to beneficiaries to start life of their own.

    All these we are saying are not part of the dualisation of the Ughelli Asaba road, Eku – Asaba dualisation, the Asaba Airport and a lot of road work that the state government has embarked on both Asaba and other major cities of the state apart from the ones being carried out by the Direct Labour Agency.

    The PDP in Ethiope East recently passed a vote of confidence on you. Is this part of your plan to contest the local government election?

    Well, l don’t know what to say but l think what happened was that in one of our stakeholders meetings in the residence of our leader, Chief Bernard Edewor, l spoke extensively on the journey so far since l assume office as the Ethiope East Transition Committee Chairman and l did not go there with the knowing that somebody was going to applaud me or passed a confidence vote on me but l was surprised that after l gave details of my stewardship within the space of time, they were so happy and passed a confidence vote on me.

    I really was happy because l never expected it but it goes a long way to show that anything anybody is doing he or she should do it well because people are out there watching.

    What would you count as your achievement so far?

    Though short, but within this period, my administration has done a lot; though Ethiope East is a rural local government and we do not expect so much from Internally Generated Revenue, we depend solely on allocation coming to the local government and with that we have been able to stabilise the local government in terms of meeting up our statutory obligation.

     

  • Woman who never took no for an answer

    Woman who never took no for an answer

    She arrived the Ekiti State political firmament unheralded but she left in a blaze of glory after breathing her last on Saturday, April 6 following a long battle with cancer.

    Olufunmilayo Adunni Olayinka was born to Chief Festus Obafemi Famuagun, a native of Ado-Ekiti and Mrs. Grace Adetutu Famuagun, who hails from Ido-Ekiti at Ile-Abiye Hospital and Maternity in the Ekiti State capital on June 20, 1960.

    Having sojourned outside her community on academic and professional pursuits which took her as far as the United States of America where she bagged her first and second degrees and a banking career spanning 21 years, she returned home to serve her father land.

    This writer remembered that day in January 2007 when she was unveiled as running mate to Dr. Kayode Fayemi, at the state secretariat of the then Action Congress (AC) in Ado-Ekiti by the party chairman, Chief Olajide Awe.

    Dr. Fayemi had just won a keenly-contested party primary held in December 2006 and a long search for a credible, exposed, experienced, tested and trusted running mate had just ended.

    Party members who were present at the press conference were confounded by the confidence she exuded that day believing that although she was new in partisan politics at the time, her experience in the corporate world had prepared her for the demanding office of the deputy governor.

    She said: “I may be new in partisan politics but having spent over two decades in the corporate world, I am prepared for the office of the deputy governor and I believe that I will bring my experience to bear

    on the job.

    “Don’t forget that everybody is a political animal and we play politics on daily basis. You know that politics starts in the family when the father decides who gets what, when and how.

    “The children gather together and decide on what to present before the family, do you want to tell me that this is not politics?

    “I am coming from the corporate world into politics and I want to assure you that the experience gained there will stand me in good stead for this job.

    “There is also politics in the boardroom where key players try to influence a decision through arguments and games of wits. I want to tell you that I am well-prepared for this job.”

    Shortly after her public presentation as the AC deputy governorship candidate, Mrs. Olayinka showed the stuff she was made of as a colourful politician.

    Her ravishing and stunning beauty stood her out anywhere she went as she combined brain with beauty in winning the hearts of the electorate who saw her as a competent hand in the Fayemi team.

    She learnt the ropes very fast and adjusted well as a thoroughbred politician of the progressive bloc in giving unflinching support to Dr. Fayemi and joining hands with her “twin sister”, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, to mobilise women on the political field.

    Very proficient in the local Ekiti dialect, Mrs. Olayinka articulated the manifesto of her party and eight-point agenda to be implemented by the Fayemi administration when elected to office to voters and followed her boss to very hamlet in the state to campaign for votes ahead of the April 14, 2007 polls.

    She supported Mrs. Fayemi in organising financial and economic empowerments for women in Ekiti State to help reduce poverty and hunger in the grassroots.

    Having been born by a textile dealer who trades at the popular Erekesan Market, Mrs. Olayinka spearheaded market campaigns ahead of the election urging market women not to disappoint the daughter of one of them.

    It was not a surprise that majority of market women in the state voted for the Fayemi-Olayinka ticket.

    In the absence of Dr. Fayemi, Mrs. Olayinka always took charge of activities at the governorship campaign secretariat and ensured that the place was well run and did not lack anything.

    Anytime she was around, party members would converge on the Old Coca Cola depot building to hold consultations with her and many of them would return home happy because the late deputy governor was a generous and cheerful giver.

    She also took care of young ladies working in the campaign organisation and it was no surprise that she ensured that they and other campaign aides followed her to the Government House after her inauguration as the state number two citizen.

    Even after the mandate given to Dr. Fayemi was twice brazenly and egregiously stolen, Mrs. Olayinka provided a bulwark of support and courage for her principal.

    This writer remembered the mood at the press conference addressed by Dr. Fayemi shortly after the Governorship Rerun Tribunal gave a split decision in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in which many party members wept profusely at what they described as daylight robbery. Mrs. Olayinka who did not betray emotion that day was busy pacifying the party faithful who were crestfallen and disconsolate with the 3-2 judgment which they believed robbed their party of victory after the then Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Olusola Ayoka Adebayo, infamously told the “party to go to court” after the perceived electoral robbery.

    Mrs. Olayinka was a dogged fighter and a firm believer that the stolen mandate would be retrieved hence her recourse to prayers throughout the time she was in the political wilderness with her boss.

    She participated in the various street protests, democracy walks, June 12 Democracy Day rallies, public lectures, interviews in media houses and other activities to force the then interlopers in the Government House to surrender the people’s mandate.

    After a three-and-half-year legal battle to retrieve their stolen mandate, the Court of Appeal which sat in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on October 15, 2010 declared Dr. Fayemi as the rightful winner of both the 2007 and 2009 polls and ruled that he be sworn in.

    Dr. Fayemi alongside Mrs. Olayinka took their oaths of office before a mammoth crowd on October 16, 2010 as the Governor and the Deputy Governor respectively which marked the beginning of a purposeful leadership which has turned the fortunes of the state around for good in all sectors.

    Mrs. Olayinka was loyalty personified and her relations with Dr. Fayemi is a good example of how a governor and his deputy should work together harmoniously for the development of their state.

    Throughout the time she sat on the deputy governor’s chair, Mrs. Olayinka was a workaholic who usually closed from office after midnights attending to files and horde of visitors thronging her office.

    She wanted her targets met and never took no for an answer. She was a stickler for punctuality and always asked about the welfare of her aides and civil servants working with her.

    Mrs. Olayinka as the Chairman of the State Economic Management Team, led other eggheads with backgrounds in the economic and financial sectors to fashion out a blueprint that added value to Ekiti State and brought her out of the woods.

    The late deputy governor would also be remembered for bequeathing a new corporate identity and rebranding of Ekiti which is in consonance with the dream of the founding fathers of the state.

    She was an active player in the process which helped the state to secure bond from the Capital Market with which visible capital projects and infrastructural transformation of the state were carried out.

    Although Mrs. Olayinka is dead, her legacies in governance, politics, women empowerment, philanthropy, gender advocacy, economic development of her home state.

     

  • You ‘ve a case to answer, DPP tells driver

    The 34-year-old Lagos bus driver, who has been in detention for seven months over attempted murder of a Lagos Judge, Justice Adeniyi Adebajo, has been denied bail.

    The decision followed the advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). The DPP said he has a case to answer.

    Magistrate A.O. Adegbite, who read the DPP advice in parts, ruled that the matter be transfered to the High Court for trial.

    She said: “The DPP’s advice got to the court on (Monday), and from the advice, Kasali has a case to answer.

    “Since the DPP has advised that Kasali has a case to answer and going by the offence he was arraigned for, this court lacks jurisdiction to hear the matter.

    “I therefore rule that the matter be transfered to the appropriate court (High Court) for prosecution.”

    Kasali was on March 5, arraigned before Magistrate M.A. Ladipo at Tinubu, on a count of ‘hitting Justice Adebajo with an intent to kill him’, to which the magistrate ordered that he be remanded in prison custody.

    The matter was subsequently transferred to Magistrate Adegbite. At this point, the police amended the charge against Kasali and was re-arraigned on a five-count.

    According to the charge sheet, “Kasali on March 1, at about 11:20am at Moloney Street, being the driver in charge of a commercial vanagon bus marked XA242KLK, drove in a deliberate manner thereby attempted to unlawfully kill Justice Adebajo when he was crossing the road.”

    It said the driver unlawfully intended to harm the judge by hitting him with the bus which caused him injury and grievous harm.

    A tearful Kasali’s wife, Habiba, at the court premises, appealed to Justice Adebajo to forgive his husband.

    She told The Nation that life has been unbearable for her and their new baby since her husband was arrested on March 1, adding that Justice Adebajo should for the baby’s sake, have mercy on Kasali.

    “Things have not been easy for us. I just put to bed and I am not working. We have virtually been feeding from hand to mouth since his arrest.

    “I am begging the judge in the name of God, he should just look at my baby and have mercy on him.

    “I do not know who to run to or where to go for help. I do not even want to know whether he did it or not, the judge should please forgive him and let him return home to his family.

    Kasali was also accused of dangerous and reckless driving on the public highway, without drivers’ licence and without due consideration of other users.

    His alleged offence was said to have contravened Sections 228(2), 242, 243 of the Criminal Laws as well as 29 and 7(1) of the Road Traffic Laws of Lagos, 2011.

    Although the defence counsel, Adedotun Isola-Osobu on several occasions applied for Kasali’s bail, Adegbite did not oblige as she maintained that she lacked jurisdiction to admit Kasali to bail and insisted that she will only take an action after the DPP advice was ready.