The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ekiti residents

  • 6,300 Ekiti residents for skills acquisition programmes

    The Special Assistant to Ekiti State Governor on New Media, Abiodun Borisade, has said 6,300 residents will benefit from a skill acquisition and empowerment scheme of the state government.

    Borisade said the state government, in partnership with development partners, such as the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was offering the training programme in four phases.

    The governor’s aide these will cover vocational training on agricultural business, cosmetology, carpentry, tailoring, bead making, building and other small and medium scale business enterprises that require both little start up capitals and a little bit higher ones.

    He said: “The first thing that should be the responsibility of a government is to develop its people. In the last three months, we have been seeing that happen.

    Read also: ‘We’re working towards improving Ekiti’s economy’

    “We are beginning to see development partners come back into Ekiti, not only the NDE; even the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), among others, have been coming in.

    “The BEDC has been training people in electrical engineering aspect of their business. You know when you look at that, it will take so many people out of the streets. That is what the government has been doing. “

  • Ekiti residents gripped by election fever in build-up to governorship poll

    JULY 14 has become a part of the psyche of the residents of Ekiti State since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) picked the date to conduct the next governorship election. When the electoral umpire settled for the day about one year ago, it seemed like a very long time. But at the count of months, weeks and days, the day is here. A lot has changed about the atmosphere of Ekiti State since the people entered the week of election. Tension, fear and anxiety have been ruling the air as everyone wonders what the election portends for the destiny of the state. In this part of the world, election is not only a civil and constitutional duty, it is warfare, and it must be won by all means, fair or foul. The efforts put into winning elections could be gleaned from the perks and percussions that go with political office in Nigeria, the joy that goes with victory and the agony that goes with defeat.

    Ekiti became one of the states with isolated governorship election dates when the Court of Appeal on October 15, 2010 declared Dr. John Kayode Fayemi of the then Action Congress (AC) as the winner of the April 14, 2007 governorship election and the April 25, 2009 rerun governorship election. His victory was consequent upon a protracted legal battle with the then candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Engr. Segun Oni, who had occupied the office for four years. Oni had been sworn in alongside the other winners of the 2007 governorship election on May 29 of that year and was sworn in again on May 5, 2009 after winning the rerun poll. But the Appeal Court verdict which held that a candidate declared as governor begins a fresh four-year term on the day he is sworn in, altered the election sequence of the state.

    After Fayemi was inaugurated on October 16, 2010, the next election was due for 2014. Mr. Ayo Fayose of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won the June 21, 2014 governorship election in a landslide victory, defeating the then incumbent, Fayemi, in dramatic circumstances.   Different strokes The governorship election means different things to different people in Ekiti State based on the perspective each individual views it from. Some see election as a simple civic exercise that will come and go, some see it as a war to be fought and won. Others see it as a necessary evil; yet some others perceive it as an opportunity to relax or a chance to make some quick money. The poll has formed the plank of discussions in private homes and public places like offices, motor parks, bus stops, newsstands, schools, pubs and relaxation centres, markets and public buses. Depending on the side of the divide where their sympathy lies, watching some members of the public argue on the chances of the various parties could be as interesting as they are lively. The two major markets in Ado-Ekiti, Oja Oba and Oja Bisi, were besieged on Tuesday by both buyers and sellers. The

  • ‘I’ll spend my security vote to feed Ekiti residents’

    ‘I’ll spend my security vote to feed Ekiti residents’

    A governorship aspirant of Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN) in Ekiti State, Senator Bode Olowoporoku, has promised to spend part of his security vote to feed the people, if elected in the July 14 election.

    Olowoporoku regretted that a massive hunger is afflicting Ekiti residents because of the alleged failure of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The politician addressed reporters yesterday in his hometown, Ilawe-Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti Southwest Local Government Area, during a sensitisation rally ahead of the governorship poll.

    The former Minister of Science and Technology promised to immediately address hunger by distributing 100 bags of rice to each of the 177 wards in the state every month for four years.

    To address hunger in a long term, Olowoporoku promised to launch Agriculture Revolution, which will enjoy a huge investment from government with the sole aim of firmly establishing commercial farming.

    The former Senate Committee Chairman on Agriculture said the commercial farming initiative would generate thousands of jobs, create cottage industries and generate revenue into government coffers.

    This, he said, are better ways to tackle hunger than “the three or four cups of rice given to people by Governor Ayo Fayose once in four years.

    Olowoporoku said: “What has he been using to win? Two or three cups of rice. But now, I am saying I will be giving them 100 bags of rice; every ward, every month.

    “Even if you are taking it from the central purse, in seven years, it is not up to what Fayose spent on his useless flyover to nowhere.

    “And this is the money you can get from the security vote and you use the money to feed the people because the state belongs to them.”

  • Ekiti residents get car, cash gifts from APC aspirant

    Ekiti residents get car, cash gifts from APC aspirant

    Some residents of Ekiti State had cause to smile when an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant and former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Olufemi Bamisile, organised a Yuletide empowerment programme for them.

    The beneficiaries received gifts, including a car, after participating in “ayo olopon” competition organised by Bamisile’s campaign organisation as ‘Team Bafemi’.

    The first prize of a Nissan saloon car went to Abiodun Ajisebi from Ijero Local Government. The car was presented to the winner by the Elekota of Kota-Ekiti in Ekiti East Local Government, Oba Emmanuel Ojo Fagbemi.

    The first runner-up, Ayodele Ogunleye from Ido/Osi Local Government won  a motorcycle while the second runner-up, Aderemi Alonge from Ikere Local Government won a deep freezer.

    The prizes were presented at the end-of-the-year party and grand finale of the Ayo Olopon competition which started nine months ago across the 177 wards of the state.

    Local government winners and federal constituency winners also got various cash gifts.

    APC state executive members, led by the Publicity Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Olatunbosun, were present at the event. Olatunbosun commended ‘Team Bafemi’ for the initiative.

    Bamisile said the gesture was to identify with the people at the grassroots and ensure the popularity of his party.

    The ex-Speaker promised to initiate many welfare schemes if elected governor, noting that he possessed the requisite experience to occupy the number one seat.

    Bamsile promised to use his blueprint, the Octopus Agenda, to transform the state and ensure better standard of living for the people.

  • Ekiti residents protest farm destruction by govt agency

    Ekiti residents protest farm destruction by govt agency

    Residents of Obasanjo and Fayose estates on Ado-Ikere Expressway have condemned the alleged destruction of their farmlands by officials of the Ekiti State Housing Corporation.
    They expressed shock that the government agency, last Friday, used bulldozers to destroy their farms under the pretext that they were acting on the orders of Governor Ayo Fayose “without any prior notice”.
    One of the residents said seven workers of the corporation, including a surveyor, destroyed crops, such as yams, cassava and maize.
    The source said the corporation’s General Manager, Babasoji Awe, visited the place on Saturday, saying he was carrying out the governor’s instruction.
    Some policemen at nearby Fayose Estate, whose farms were destroyed, reportedly threatened to shoot any official seen on their farms.
    The policemen said the corporation’s officials were lucky not to meet them at home when they deployed their bulldozer in the area.
    A resident, who spoke in confidence, said: “We were shocked by the government’s action to destroy our farms. This is because the owners of the land gave us the approval to farm on it so that it could be secured for them before they develop the land.
    “This is the same government that said we should go back to the land at a period our salaries are not regular. At least, five of us were affected at Obasanjo Estate; about 20 mobile policemen at Fayose Estate were also affected.
    “The Landlords’ Association was not carried along and there was no prior notice before our farms were bulldozed. We are sad about this development. The loss is very huge.”
    Addressing reporters on the incident, Awe said the housing estates were not meant for farming.
    The agency chief said the residents’ farming on the land was not approved.
    He said the demolition was “in overall public interest”.
    According to him, the action was without malice and political undertone.
    Awe said: “They (farmers) didn’t get our permission before commencing farming on the land. We have to open up the roads to give access to other land owners so that they can have access to their plots.
    “We have a masterplan of the estate, which should not be alerted. The estate is for housing extension; it is not meant for farming. The action has no political undertone. There is no sentiment or malice in what we have done.”

  • Fayose imposes higher levies on Ekiti residents

    Fayose imposes higher levies on Ekiti residents

    …Ado monarch wants crackdown on street urchins

    Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has imposed series of new levies on corporate organisations and private business concerns in a bid to generate more revenue into government coffers.

    Speaking at the weekend during his monthly media chat, ‘Meet Your Governor’, which was aired live by the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES) and Radio Nigeria Progress 100.5 FM, the governor declared that residents must be ready to make sacrifices to ensure the development of the state.

    He ordered all private nursery, primary and secondary schools in the state to pay N150, 000 each to the state government before resumption by the middle of September.

    He emphasised that the payment of the levy is a precondition for any private school to operate in the state.

    The governor also disclosed that any vehicle parked in unauthorised places would be impounded, while the owner is expected to pay a sum of N10, 000 to retrieve such a vehicle.

    One week before the governor’s pronouncement, the order had been in force, with hundreds of vehicles towed and taken to the premises of Ekiti State Traffic Management Authority (EKSTMA).

    During the media chat, Fayose also disclosed that a sum of N1, 000 would be paid on every cow slaughtered in the state-owned abattoirs.

    Also affected by the imposition of new levies are developers of new buildings throughout the state.

    Although the governor was silent on the amount to be paid by private developers, he however warned, “I will not tolerate a situation in which somebody building a house worth N15 million would find it difficult to pay N20, 000 as tax. That will no longer be tolerated.”

    He also put hoteliers, beer sellers, artisans, sawmillers and other business owners on notice, while urging them to be prepared to make sacrifices for the development of the state.

    He stressed that allocations due to the state from the Federation Account has reduced sharply, disclosing that the state got N2.6 billion for the month of July which could barely pay workers’ salaries.

    In another development, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, has expressed concern over the activities of street urchins otherwise known as ‘Area Boys’ and land grabbers in his kingdom.

    While making the appeal on Saturday during the annual Udiroko Festival, the traditional ruler urged the state government and security agencies to clampdown on the suspected criminals in order to allow law-abiding citizens to go about their businesses peacefully.

    Udiroko marks the beginning of a New Year in the Ado Ekiti traditional calendar and is celebrated by indigenes of the communities who paid homage to their king.

    The monarch said: “I am not happy with the activities of these youths; I want to call on our chiefs to be vigilant in all their areas and ensure that their activities are checked. They are not only harassing people, they are taking people’s lands to make money.

    “These Area Boys and Omo Oniles have taken over all corners ofAdo Ekiti and if care is not taken, the situation will get out of hand. Ado Ekiti belongs to everybody and I urge traditional rulers and chiefs to be on the watch and take care of their children.”

    In his address at the event, Fayose assured that no monarch would suffer any form of humiliation under his government, while urging the Ewi to support all the projects being initiated by his government in Ado Ekiti and beyond.

     

     

     

     

  • Hotel’s special security arrangement excites Ekiti residents

    Hotel’s special security arrangement excites Ekiti residents

    Less than four months in the hospitality industry, De Xambdra International Hotel, Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, is making waves and breaking new grounds in the sector.

    The management of the hotel has launched a special security package for its customers in a bid to give them the best treatment they deserve.

    The special security offer is already generating interest in the sector among residents and visitors who had enjoyed the offer.

    The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Dexambdra International Hotel, Mr. Gbenga Bankole, said the package is a new innovation in hotel business in Nigeria which he said was to prove the fact that “customer is the king.”

    Speaking with The Nation on the package, Bankole said security will be provided for guests to any part of the country at their request with full compliments of police escort and other privileges.

    The hotel boss said the offer comes without any additional cost to the expenses of guests throughout the duration of their stay at Dexambdra.

    He added that the security package has also been put in place for those holding parties in neighbouring towns within and outside Ekiti State.

    Bankole said: “If anybody lodges here or uses our facilities, we provide a mini bus that can take you to your destination to and fro with police escort.

    “If they are lodging with us, we do this without any additional cost to lodging fees and we also provide entertainment for our guests.

    “Apart from providing security for our guests within and outside the town, the security stays with them throughout to ensure their safety wherever they go.

    “It is also a safe haven for politicians who want to have private meetings, those who are having big ceremonies like burials and anytime they are going back, they will do so with full police escort.

    “This is an innovation in hospitality industry as far as Ekiti State is concerned and we are doing this because we believe we must give people within and outside Ekiti the very best.”

    Bankole disclosed that Dexambdra’s presidential wing has been equipped to provide special services for families and individuals to give them “home away from home.”

    He said: “The presidential wing is a secure, highly private for families or individuals that want to travel away from home and still enjoy the facilities of home.

    “At our presidential wing, there is a private swimming pool, bar and a club house for only people lodging there.

    “We also have special services for bachelor’s eve, spinsters’ night, honeymoon and those who want to hold special conferences, meetings, seminars and retreats.”

    Bankole revealed that a leading financial institution in the country recently lodged 300 of its staff at the hotel for training because of the special services on offer.

    He said the hotel was his private contribution to the economic development of his hometown, Ado-Ekiti in particular and the state in general having spent about 25 years overseas.

    Bankole said he would always contribute his quota to assist the government in providing employment for teeming youths and carry out corporate social responsibility services for the community, residents and indigenes.

  • Free cataract surgery for Ekiti residents

    About 390 people will benefit from the on-going free cataract surgery at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) in Ado-Ekiti.

    The programme was organised by the Ekiti State government in conjunction with a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Grace Project International.

    Commissioner for Health Prof. Olusola Fasubaa spoke yesterday at EKSUTH’s Ophthalmology Centre, venue of the screening and surgery.

    He said patients were screened at four health centres at Ikun-Ekiti, Ipoti, Ijero and Okeyinmi in Ado-Ekiti.

    Fasubaa assured the beneficiaries that they were being treated by professionals.

    The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi, advised that people should not wait until they develop eye problems before going for eye tests.

  • 400 Ekiti residents get free surgery

    Over 400 Ekiti residents are undergoing free surgeries at three health facilities in the state, courtesy of the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration.

    The beneficiaries were referred for surgery during the seventh edition of the administration’s free health mission in April and last month’s free cancer screening.

    Commissioner for Health Prof. Olusola Fasubaa said the beneficiaries are being treated at the State Specialist Hospital, Ikere; General Hospital, Ijan and the Opthamological Centre at the University of Ado-Ekiti Teaching Hospital.

    Fasubaa said 200 of them are being treated for hernia, appendicitis and other illnesses requiring general corrective surgery, 100 for cancer-related ailments and 100 for cataract and other eye ailments.

    He said the medical intervention was aimed at improving public health.

    The commissioner urged the beneficiaries to use their drugs regularly and adhere strictly to the advice of their doctors on diet and lifestyle.

    He said the eighth edition of the free health mission would hold next month in 13 constituencies.

    Mr. Adesola Otokiti from Ilupeju-Ekiti, Pa Sola Ademilua from Awo-Ekiti and Mrs. Victoria Oluwafemi from Ado-Ekiti, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the government for coming to their aid.