Tag: Ekiti STATE

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Mr. Kehinde Ojo has said that the adult literacy programmes can contribute to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

According to him, with adequate training and enlightenment, “the informal school participants can be empowered to be more active as players in today’s world.”

The Commissioner said this at a six-day training of 111 non-formal education (NFE) facilitators drawn from the 16 local government areas of the state.

In his speech entitled “Revitalising Adult and Youth Literacy Programme in Ekiti State,” Ojo urged governments across the country to give adequate attention to adult literacy programmes, even as he noted that “any government that toys with the training and development of its workforce gets mediocre, unproductive and redundant service.”

He further explained that achieving the goal of education for all (EFA) requires innovation in pattern of teaching of adult education participants, saying “the excluded and marginalised people (out-of-school youth and adults) in our society must be reached and made to participate in the country’s development process.”

He stated that the Ekiti State government entered into partnerships with relevant stakeholders such as UNESCO, NMEC and other agencies to provide teaching and learning materials, vocational equipment and capacity building in favour of youth and adult literacy programme.

He listed the benefits of the training programme to include improvement of the participants’ knowledge on the concept, scope, challenges /constraints of NFE programmes in the state; having a clearer view and meaning of NFE components, behaviours and characteristics, acquiring necessary skills for advocacy, sensitisation, mobilisation, and registration for adult literacy programmes and attaining the EFA goal of being literate before the year 2015.

Welcoming the participants, Chairman, Governing Board of the Agency Chief David Adeyanju, noted that the “psyche of most stakeholders in adult and non-formal education has been steadily traumatised in the past due to inadequate attention, poor funding, lack of motivation, training and re-training of the workforce in the system.

Others in attendance at the opening session were the Owajumu of Omuo-Ekiti, Oba Joseph Ogundeji and Elejelu of Ijelu, Oba Oguntoyinbo Ajayi and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment who represented the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Olu Ogunsinmi.

Ekiti State has pledged to partner and collaborate with United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations, private sectors and others in the development and promotion of child nutrition, family planning, control of infectious diseases and immunisation to ensure overall maternal and child health in the state.

The deputy governor, Professor Modupe Adelabu, gave the assurance at the flag-off ceremony of the May 2013 edition of Maternal and Child Health Week.

She lamented that while effective, low-cost interventions are available, they are not reaching all of the women and babies who need them because many women prefer to deliver at home and rarely see a trained healthcare provider before or after the baby‘s birth.

Adelabu, who explained that the administration of Governor John Kayode Fayemi has put in place a lot of goodies and freebies for Ekiti mothers to enable them have safe births and enjoyable motherhood, urged mothers to patronise primary and tertiary health facilities across the state, which are now well renovated and equipped with required drugs, modern equipment and qualified health personnel.

The Commissioner for Heath, Professor Sola Fasubaa, explained that the week is another moment of obedience to the decision of the Governor’s Forum taken in year 2009 to address the rising maternal and child morbidity in Nigeria, which was the second largest globally then.

He noted that the exercise has yielded positive result since its commencement as most biological and neonatal health issues no longer lead to death, especially among women who patronise health facilities where skilled birth attendants are available to attend to them.

Ekiti State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Wale Fapohunda has called for further collaboration between the state government and the Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT). He made this call when the Secretary to the Southwestern zone of the Tribunal, Mr. Hilary Onwe paid him a courtesy visit at his office in the Ministry of Justice, Akure penultimate week Wednesday

Onwe said: “The purpose of the visit was to sensitize stakeholders in the tax sector and indeed the tax payers on the existence and modalities for bringing appeals to the Tribunal.

“The purpose of the visit was to acquaint the Attorney-General with information on the existence, mandate and procedures for filing appeals in the Tax Appeal Tribunal and indeed to impress upon the Attorney-General the benefits of exploring the Tax Appeal Tribunal window in settlement of tax disputes, to enable him advise the State Government appropriately in matters of tax disputes, as the Chief law officer of the state,”he said.

Onwe recounted the history, policy background and achievements of the Tax Appeal Tribunal so far, which included quick and amicable settlement of a number of tax disputes which would have still been lingering in the regular courts.

He also used the occasion of the visit to commiserate with the Ekiti State government over the loss of its Deputy Governor.

Fapohunda, in his response, thanked the Secretary and his team for the courtesy visit, noting that the visit has certainly ignited his interest in the Tax Appeal Tribunal. He called for further collaborations, especially, with a view to understanding the details of the modus operandi of the Tribunal, so that the state could key in.

He also acknowledged the condolences of the Tribunal, regarding the death of the Deputy Governor of the state, noting that the state is in a sad mood as a result. The visit ended with the presentation of copies of Tax Appeal Tribunal Procedure Rules and Digest to the Attorney-General.

Thereafter the team visited the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service, where the Directors were on hand to receive them. In the interactions that followed, which was anchored by the Director ICT and Planning, Ekiti State Revenue Service, Mr Fola Adebiyi, Mr. Onwe explained to the officers of the Service, the benefits and modalities for approaching the Tribunal, stressing that the Tribunal, as an administrative tax dispute resolution agency is a one-stop-shop for resolving disputes that relate to all the schedule of taxes at the tiers of Government.

Onwe maintained that the Tribunal enures to the good of both the tax authorities and tax payers as it particularly obviates loss of tax revenue through delays in litigation at the regular courts and at the same time it is convenient, inexpensive and fair to the tax payer.

Adebiyi expressed appreciation to the Tax Appeal Tribunal team for the visit and useful expositions on the Tax Appeal Tribunal. He noted that the Service has heard and read about the Tribunal but that with this firsthand information from the Tribunal, certain doubts and fears have been cleared, particularly as it relates to jurisdiction of the Tribunal. He assured that the Service will certainly take advantage of the Tax Appeal Tribunal in settling the myriad of tax disputes in the State Revenue Service.

The team also visited the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ado-Ekiti branch, where they was received by its Branch Chairman, Mr Adewunmi J.O. at the Afe Babalola Bar Centre, Ado-Ekiti. Onwe took time to explain to the members of the Bar , the establishment, vision and nature of the Tax Appeal Tribunal, particularly in relation to Section 251 of the Nigerian Constitution. He maintained that it was crucial for the Bar to understand properly the nature of the Tribunal as an administrative Tax dispute resolution agency which was established to provide a first-line tax resolution mechanism before resort to the regular court, so that they will advise their clients appropriately. Onwe also urged lawyers to take interest in taxation and tax law practice as it is fast becoming a specialty. Questions were fielded on various aspects of the Tribunal functions from members of the Bar, whilst Tax Appeal Tribunal Rules and Digests were distributed.

The Publicity Tour, which lasted two days, featured engagements with other stakeholders in the tax sector, notably the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Integrated Tax Office (ITO), Ado-Ekiti.

The other day – a friend called to sympathise with me on my Kogi colleague’s accident and loss of his ADC. Coming in the wake of the tragic loss of Gov. Ibrahim Yakowa and General Azazi, and the earlier plane crash of Governor Danbaba Suntai, he then added what I guess all my colleagues must be encountering from a wide range of friends and well-wishers. “You people”, he hesitated, “must be more prayerful now because you are now an endangered species” but with the finality of a fatalistic pentecostal preacher, he continued, “I know danger shall not be your portion in Jesus’ name, Amen”.

Although raised in a different context, the remark reminded me of what some friends used to ask when I announced I was going to run for the office of Governor in my state eight years ago. Many asked me then: Why, with all these degrees, a good career and a decent public profile, would you want to go into something dirty and nasty like politics, particularly in a setting as dangerous as Ekiti State, where the incumbent governor was daily accused of murder and mayhem.  Some bluntly asked if I had a death wish.

Down with a nasty flu and forced into a bed rest by Doctors in the last week, I have had a lot of time to reflect on these searching questions too – especially the bit about Governors becoming an endangered species and whether we have a death wish. Why am I in politics? What is the passion that drives what I do? Do I have a death wish? Is partisan politics the only avenue for me to achieve my life’s passion of making a difference in my environment? Given the abuse and unrestrained lies often peddled against public office holders, aren’t the insults too much to take for someone who genuinely seek to serve the people?  Why not just give it all up and live a life in the shadows, albeit still in service to humanity?

The unvarnished truth is that I love life too much to want to celebrate death. Indeed, the loss of any human being is a blight on my own humanity. So, I am not in politics because I have a death wish. I am in politics for the same reasons I became a passionate activist.  It was a selfish desire to live my life in freedom, in peace and in a democracy that transformed the frightened young man that I was into a bold activist against military repression.

It is my belief that another Nigeria is possible – one that embraces democracy, fairness, equity and justice and my faith in the possibility to say what we like, write what we think, participate in the political process without fear of intimidation, make our votes count so that our views will matter – these are the values that have always propelled me in the struggle for a good society.  In a sense, I see my current circumstances as an extension of my activist life and another stage in the struggle to restore the dignity of humankind.

For me, democracy is not an abstract concept.  If democracy is not capable of curbing corruption, guaranteeing transparency and improving people’s well-being and quality of life, it is at best an empty concept, at worst a sham. Poverty and despair, oppression and humiliation, economic and social insecurities are breeding grounds for violence and conflict and as much as Nigerians want democracy, they also want to see concrete evidence of democracy making a difference in their lives. The evidence of the correlation between poverty, inequality and insecurity in our society is stark.

Consequently, everything I have done since assuming office has been geared towards advancing my core values of transparency and accountability (my public asset declaration, passage of Freedom of Information Law, participatory budget making and transparent procurement processes);  Improvement in the Quality of Life of our people (Improved infrastructure, Free and Qualitative Healthcare Programme, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, Social Security Benefit Stipend, Food Bank and Soup-Kitchen, Empowerment Programmes); Education, Enterprise and Human Capital Development (Free Education Initiative, Laptop per child programme, Samsung Engineering Academy, Life Academies, Youth in Commercial Agriculture Programme) Wealth creation and Entrepreneurial Boost of the Local Economy (Creation of the Tourism Hub – Ikogosi, Industrial and Technological Parks, Agro-Processing industries and revival of moribund industries.) and restoration of a sense of purpose and dignity in the average Ekiti person. All of these have not been accomplished without some challenges and criticisms but what is not in doubt is the clarity of our vision, our unrelenting focus, our commitment to change, compassion for our people and sincerity of purpose on the part of government.

This is why my own passion is about the need for a collective rescue mission in Nigeria. If we are determined to get rid of ‘brigands, parasites and unworthy custodians of power and authority’ from public office, we also have a duty not to allow the genuinely committed purveyors of good governance to be hounded out of office in order to encourage a critical mass of decent, disciplined, compassionate, committed, steadfast, visionary and focused individuals to enter that larger movement for change.

I believe we can revive the Nigerian state in a qualitative manner and make democracy more meaningful to the people, democratise governance, build infrastructure, provide jobs for the jobless, improve healthcare, modernise agriculture and reclaim our young people from a future of violence, decadence and despair. That’s the vision we are focusing on in Ekiti: to rescue Ekiti from poverty, help create wealth and restore the dignity of our people.

We are determined to ensure the state empowers rather than dictate, enables rather than control, pushes power down to the people and shares the responsibility of governing with them rather than lead them by the nose.  Through our effective policies of social democracy, we are glad with the delivery of free and compulsory education up to secondary schools, free health care to children, pregnant women, senior citizens and the physically challenged, social security benefit for the elderly, improved infrastructure in the state, evidently modernised Agriculture and a revived industrial sector amongst many developments.

This is my modest vision for a collective rescue mission in Ekiti State, and indeed Nigeria. But I do not claim to have all the answers to the problems. So, every time I am criticised, especially destructively, I am reminded of the immortal words of Teddy Roosevelt, former US President, “It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the [strong] man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them  better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again…who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

So, in answer to my friends and concerned stakeholders, I do not wish to die on this job, but in saying that – I should also add that no price is too high to pay for the rare privilege of public service since I have an unshaken faith in our people, the determination to restore integrity and honour in our land and the commitment to turn Ekiti into a model for all. This is my vision and it is also my unrelenting passion. And may the souls of our faithful departed rest in perfect peace.

Several trained in skills

THE process of rehabilitating orphans and vulnerable children has begun in Ekiti State.

The state launched a comprehensive survey across its 16 local councils, preparatory to having a reliable data base of the needy, especially those requiring urgent help.

The search for the orphans and vulnerable children or OVC began in April and is almost concluded, according to the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment (MWASDGE), Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi

The survey, she said, was conducted by the Ministry in collaboration with Pact Nigeria, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and Ekiti Development Foundation (EDF).

She noted that the OVC were those in their early years who lost either or both parents and have consequently been exposed to certain socially and economically imposed dangers.

The Commissioner noted: “No conclusive figure of OVC in the state has been arrived at since the data from the exercise which was just being concluded would still need to be subjected to further collation, analysis, cleaning and verification across the LGAs” [Local Government Areas].

Fola-Richie said: “The state would not just dig them out from wherever they are or compile their names as an academic exercise. The data generated would be used to reach out to those in the category to enable the state intervene meaningfully and decisively in their lives.”

A one-week training was organised for 40 among the lot at the Pastoral Centre in Ado-Ekiti where Mrs. Richie-Adewusi clarified that the OVC must be taken off the streets and economically empowered to engender and sustain lasting peace in the society.

She added: “OVC now constitute a significant section of out-of-school population the ranks of which are increasing daily across section of the country.

“We all have to be equally concerned about their welfare to be equally safe from unsavoury consequences. Regardless of whatever situation led to their being vulnerable, their situation is critical.”

The commissioner noted that the training was sponsored by the State Action Committee on Aids (SACA) and the World Bank.

She explained: “They (the OVC) are faced with a lot of challenges such as stigmatisation, discrimination, abuse, exploitation and violence. Most of them grew up among dangers and corrosive influences of society such as moral decay and crime.”

“This training will go a long way in giving them the hope and succour needed to face challenges of their situations as well as reduce morbidity and mortality among them.

“Without mincing words or being immodest, the selected vulnerable children participating in this training will surely not be the same again at the end of the exercise which will surely make them better citizens of the state and employers of labour in the nearest future.”

In his goodwill message, the Pact-Reach OVC Programme Officer, Mr. Manji Ephraim explained that the project is being implemented by 10 OVC and seven prevention partners in Ekiti State working in the 16 LGAs

He said Pact is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment and other four ministries alongside NGOs and other agencies

Meanwhile, on the specifics of their training, the Director, Child Development in the MWASDGE, Mrs. Lola Ologuntoye, stated that the 40 selected through the survey would undergo skill acquisition courses in agriculture, animal breeding, poultry production and food storage.

Ologuntoye, the department’s focal officer on HIV/AIDs/OVC, added they would also acquire skills in vocations such as phone repairs, catering management, bread-making/wirework, crafts (stove thread making, detergents production/soap making and others.

She explained: “Ekiti undertook the OVC survey across the LGAs in August, data on which is presently being compiled and out of which the forty have been selected as a first phase.

“It would be the first of its kind to be undertaken by a state government in the country. Only the Federal Ministry of Labour undertook same in 2008”, she said.

However, in further assuring a better fate for the OVC in the state, the State, through the Women Affairs and Gender Empowerment Ministry has yet inaugurated the Child Protection Network (CPN).

At a two-day training organised for stakeholders in CPN by the Ministry at an event held at Pope John Paul Pastoral Centre, Ado-Ekiti including officials of some state Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), concerned Non Government Organisations, the Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and others said it was to further enhance child rights protection efforts in the state.

Participants were taken through subjects such as ‘Aims and Objectives of CPN; Overview on the Ekiti State Child Rights law; Family Court: a Legal Tool on Child Protection; The Child Rights law: a Legal Tool for Child Survival; and Understanding the Roles and Responsibilities of Stakeholders on Child Protection.

In her keynote address at the occasion, the Honourable Commissioner, Fola Richie-Adewusi, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Peju Babafemi, said the Network was to complement the Child rights Law already enacted in and enforced by the state.

She observed that the malaise of the abuse of the child is as old as humanity, common among “all places, races, religions, culture and economic groups (whether rich or poor).

Richie-Adewusi said: “Children are increasingly becoming victims of child abuse both physically and emotionally. Reported cases of sexual abuse of girls are highly embarrassing.

”As the issue of child development in its holistic framework rests solely on the protection theme, it is imperative that more collaborative efforts are intensified to safeguard the interest of the child. A society that neglects the child trades with the future.

“Therefore the care of the child in the real sense is for mutual benefit and corporate survival of the community.

At the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, represented by the Director, Child Development, Mrs Juliet Boluwatife noted that CPN was a coalition of stakeholders whose overall goal is to prevent and respond to exploitation, abuse, violence against and neglect of children.

According to her, CPN would enable the state respond to the many reports on the abuse of the children which she said has gained ascendancy lately, adding that the body is a partnership of UNICEF with the Ekiti State Government expected to work as a network through effective communication and reporting system aimed at redeeming any child felt endangered in any manner and wherever in the state.

Commending the achievements of state government in the area of child rights protection, the Protection and Participation Officer, UNICEF, Mrs. Roselene Akinroye noted the achievements emboldened UNICEF to encourage the government to form the CPN to complement subsisting efforts in protecting the child.

She however noted that while UNICEF might not be able to assist through financing, it would always be on hand to render support in many other regards, stating “CPN is the primary baby of the state government.’