The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ekiti

  • Court of Appeal Ekiti moves to Ilorin

    Court of Appeal Ekiti moves to Ilorin

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has been moved to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

    The relocation, which might not be unconnected with recent politically-motivated unrest in the state in the past weeks, would be temporary, according to a source.

    Hoodlums unleashed a series of unrest within the high court premises, which also houses the magistrate and appeal courts.

    Vice chairman, state chapter of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Gbemiga Adaramola, confirmed the reports at the weekend.

    Adaramola said the relocation would take effect from today.

  • Ayoba Villa: Inside Ekiti’s new Government House

    Ayoba Villa: Inside Ekiti’s new Government House

    Even though it took 200 workmen 20 months to build, the new Ekiti State Government House sitting on the vintage and historical Ayoba Hill has become a beacon and pride for Ekiti indigenes. SEUN AKIOYE, who went on tour of the building, reports that it is a masterpiece

    The first official function to hold at the new and imposing Ekiti State government house located on the historical and fascinating Ayoba hill took place on Thursday 9th October 2014 and it paraded big names in Nigeria’s political landscape.

    It was one of the several events marking the fourth anniversary of the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi and it was the presentation of the Ekiti State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (2014) and the State Magistrate Courts Law (2014).

    Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos who was the special guest had arrived earlier in a helicopter which landed on the specially built helipad located within the compound. His Kano State counterpart, Rabiu Kwankwaso came by road. The hall where the event was held was situated in the basement of the three-storey mansion and it can seat at least 100 guests. Originally designated as a banquet hall, it can also serve as meeting room for large events.

    Fashola spoke about the importance of laws and how it governs our existence from birth till death. He spoke about laws that regulate our conduct on earth and how even in death we are still governed by laws that determine if a corpse is to be buried or cremated; the governor called this circle “everything from our arrival to departure.” The audience comprising mainly of lawyers, members of the state executive council and the media nodded their approval of this insight.

    After the ceremony, the invited guests were conducted round the building by Governor Fayemi.

    The new government house is not just another government building but a multi functional modern architectural construction built with functionality and luxury in mind. It is a building that allows for the smooth running of the organs of government even when the governor is not present in his official office.

    There are other fascinations about the government house; the hill on which it was built had fantastic tales of the supernatural. It was a hill replete with amazing stories of demons and spirit where humans worship the domineering spirits to wade off impending doom on the town. The Ayoba hill was a hill where demons spoke with the voice of men.

     

    Oke Ayoba: The myth and the reality

    Throughout the history of the Ekiti, Oke Ayoba has always held a supernatural fascination for its people. For many years, it served as a dreaded shrine used by Ifa worshippers to appease various gods. Oke Ayoba gods must be worshipped and appeased at different times in the year, failure of which terrible vengeance would be visited on the people by the offended deities.

    There were many myths that gave strength to the supernatural powers of the hill. It is one of the highest elevations among the many hills that surround Ado Ekiti the state capital. There were claims that only the initiated can successfully climb the hill and the uninitiated cannot survive there due to the presence of its thousand demons.

    The hill is surrounded by a densely thick forest with weird trees and dangerous animals. On the hill, shrines had been constructed to the many unknown spirits. Passing through the forest is a frightening and often terrifying prospect which yielded only to the strong and spiritually fortified.

    The coming of civilization did very little to change this perception and role of one of the iconic hills in Ado Ekiti. The consequences of growth and modernization like road and housing infrastructure also seemed to have accorded the hill its due respect. The governor’s office was built at its foot and that was the closest building to it. Many Ekiti indigenes still viewed the hill as sacred and with trepidation. And there are strong adherents of the Ifa oracle who would protect the sanctity of the hill with their powers, some with their lives and they were determined to prevent the new government house from being built on the hill they regard as ‘sacred’.

    The workers who came to clear the ground had ample testimonies of the powers of the secret cult. According to Kayode Jegede, the Special Assistant to the governor on Infrastructure who helped supervise the building, Ifa worshippers almost prevented work on the hill.

    “When we came here to do the ground breaking, many of the workers ran away because the traditionalists had put some (fetish) sacrifice and juju on the hill to prevent the work,” he said.

    But that was not the only last desperate act to stop the construction.

    When it was announced that the administration of Governor Fayemi would commence the building of a befitting government house on the hill, the governor got a shocker. The Ifa worshippers in the state mounted a fierce opposition to the project, warning the governor of dire consequences if the project was actualized. When that failed, they offered him veiled threats and when that also failed they enlisted the support of the National Association of Ifa Worshippers in Nigeria who forwarded a strong memo to Fayemi demanding the cancellation of the project. Their last desperate act was to physically prevent work on the hill through supernatural means.

     

    Inside the house for the future

    The journey to the new government house begins at ground zero by the governor’s office. It is a daunting two kilometers trip to the zenith.  The house itself is sitting at 557 meters above sea level-where the air is cleaner and noise level lower. Towards the foot of the hill, about half the original forest had been carefully preserved to retain some of the original feel of the hill.

    Halfway through the climb are the seven guest chalets to the right, each one built in ascending order but a steady climb of about 1,000 meters still awaits.  The building itself which has been dubbed “Ayoba Villa” is a three-story edifice with two wings. When one stands in front of the building, one can see the whole of Ado Ekiti with its rusty zincs and interlocking hills.

    The first floor serves as the reception. It was designed with luxury in mind yet radiates the greatest simplicity. The room was well lit with a chandelier hanging in the center. There are two pillars which seemed to hold the entire building and behind them are two staircases which led to the other floors. There are two sitting areas facing each other with two large screen televisions. It was designed so that if you sat at the right you watch the television on the left and vice versa.  Behind the column is a door which leads to a large meeting room fitted with projectors.

    The first floor also has the kitchen and the main dining room which can seat at least 40 guests. Next to it is the kitchen which is small but fitted with modern cooking equipments and extremely clean; one wonders if any cooking is ever done there.

    On the second floor is where the governor has his office with office facilities for his immediate staff. The governor’s office is spacious and has a waiting room; on the left wing are other waiting rooms which the governor can link from his office. On October 9th, Governor Fayemi was already at his ‘home office’ as early as 8: am putting finishing touches to preparations for what would turn out to be a very busy day.

    “The idea for this office is to allow the governor to continue working at home with the same facilities as he has in the office. This will ensure that the organ of government continues to function whether the governor is at home or in the office.  As you can see today that he is already in his office very early,” Olayinka Oyebode, the Chief Press Secretary, (CPS) to the governor said as he conducted The Nation around the building.

    The last floor is the living quarters for the governor and his immediate aides. The right wing is the governor’s private quarters. It has a large sitting area and a small dinning at the extreme end. On the day of the visit, the table was set for about ten guests who will have breakfast with Governor Fayemi. A kitchen staff stood near the table waiting for his guests. The kitchen was next to the dinning, it is a small place and no cooking is done there. The Nation learnt that when dignitaries visit the Villa, this is where they meet with the governor.

    A door led to another large sitting room where the governor can yet meet with select group of visitors, and then there is the governor’s private room. The first sitting room led to the terrace where small cocktail meetings can be held. It has a small bar and an amazing view of the city. Standing on the terrace, one can see most part of Ado Ekiti, the streets become distinct and the various landscapes are very visible.

    “This is a vintage point for the governor to view the city, if there is any trouble, the security chiefs can also gather here to monitor the events and coordinate response,” Oyebode said.

    There is no shortage of meeting rooms in Ayoba Villa. Oyebode explained that this is necessary so that the governor can meet with different categories of people at different times in different rooms.

    The basement is an example of this, even though not part of the building plan originally, the reality of the sloppy nature of the hill forced the contractors to cut through hard rock to create the basement. There is one big dining room which can also serve as meeting room in the basement. This was where the first official event in Ayoba Hill took place. Next to it is a small meeting room where the governor can entertain his guests before the commencement of the event. There are two other smaller meeting rooms and a theater which can sit at least an audience of15. The basement can also be accessed from the back of the building with a stunning view of the capital.

     

    The Construction

    Building Ayoba Villa was not a mean task, from conception to the finished work; it was a grueling and intellectually tasking project. The building also cost the Ekiti state taxpayers a whopping N2.7billion. According to Olusola Oyelade, the Principal at Casa Consult and the architect who designed the building, the fact that the building was tucked on a hill presented its peculiar challenges. Oyelade is by no means a rookie when it comes to designs and architecture. An indigene of Ilokuno Ekiti in Ijero local government area of the state, he attended Christ School Ado Ekiti before getting a Degree in Architecture from the University of Lagos and AMDP at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

    Against the allegations that local contractors were not given priorities by the government, Oyelade also designed and redeveloped the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort which has received international acclaim.  Currently he is managing the construction of the Civic Center in Ado Ekiti.

    Working together with Jegede and Kouris Construction ltd, the contractors faced the daunting task of gaining access to the top of the hill.  The place was surrounded by thick forests which had to be cleared to create a pathway for workers. Then another problem surfaced; the steep nature of the hill meant not all vehicles would be able to climb. “We had cases of vehicles actually rolling backwards when they tried to climb the hill,” Jegede said.

    There was also the problem of the soil, Ayoba hill is predominantly rock but this was not visible until the digging began. “Every foundation here was on rock, everything we did here was done by machine nothing by hand. We used compressor to dig the foundation. Before we started we thought the hill was soil, but just beneath the soil is rock.

    “Even when you are driving up you will notice the rocks by the side. So that makes it extra difficult. It is like building on the rock literarily,” he said.

    It was a gruesome task which consumed the whole of 20 months of hard labour and over 200 skilled and unskilled men working tirelessly on the hill. The task of hurling the materials up the whole of the 2000 meters to the hill was daunting while the nature of the hill also was a major challenge; a basement which was not part of the initial design was quickly incorporated due to the sloppy nature of the hill.

    Materials for the construction were sourced mainly in Ekiti while some fittings were imported, the workers too were sourced mainly from the state and the Bureau of Infrastructure supervised the construction.

    The concept of the building is a gateway into Governor Fayemi’s thinking. According to Oyelade, it was the vision of the governor for a befitting government lodge that birthed the “live, work and relax edifice.” The governor was also involved at every stage of the construction and even chose the colors. “The concept of this place is open and formal spaces that take advantage of the beautiful views of the city and the building answers both question of function and luxury,” he said.

    But despite the enormous challenges posed by the construction, the local contractors and supervisors were able to surmount and present to the Ekiti people, a modern piece of architecture that is a source of pride. “Every design and construction has its own peculiar challenges, but God has given us the ability to surmount them,” Oyelade said.

     

    The old versus the new

    But the Ayoba Villa has not been without its controversies, some parties in the state have criticized the building saying it was not what Ekiti needed. Some of the criticism rang from the impossible to the downright ridiculous. Governor-elect, Ayo Fayose described the

    building as a waste.

    But Oyebode said there was no basis for the criticism of Ayoba Villa. “The truth is that Ekiti state never had a government house, where the governor was using is a presidential guest house which was converted to a governor’s lodge. It has only one meeting room. Every visitor to the house stays in one waiting room irrespective of who you are or your position in the society. It is really not befitting for a state and it does not allow for the smooth running of government.”

    Earlier Fayemi in an interview had defended his decision to build a “befitting” government house for Ekiti sate saying that the building is for posterity.

    “I could imagine what some people in the Western Region said in 1959 when Chief Obafemi Awolowo launched WNTV, first in Africa. Is it television we are going to eat? Likewise when he built Cocoa House and Liberty stadium; imagine the foresight. This government house will be there in100 years. Fayemi is not going to take it to his village. It is going to become a tourist monument for the state. I am not aware of any government house in Ekiti in 18 years of being a state. I am living in a presidential chalet for visiting presidents or guests of the governor.

    “What we are building is not just a government house; it is a government house complex. It is a massive office for the governor, a banquet hall for events, a meeting place for dignitaries, and also a gallery for the state. If people do not understand, they should ask questions. In any case, is Ekiti a second class state? We are not a second class people. We are a proud people who want to be treated as decent people.

    “No other governor will have to come here and build. With heavy rain this morning, the whole of this place (Old government house) was flooded. And this is government house. The government house leaks. It cannot even comfortably accommodate a family of five. All that I am doing is for the future of this state.”

     

    The Facilities

    Ayoba Villa was designed as a live, work and relax edifice. Accordingly, the Villa has a tennis and badminton court towards the eastern fringe. There is also the swimming pool which is small but an official said it was meant for the governor and his family. Also the basement has a gymnasium which also leads directly to the swimming pool. The building has a central cooling system and all the function halls have a central microphone. All the meeting rooms have a projector which is manned by competent hands while the furnishings are of the highest qualities.

    But residents of the state capital had watched the construction and the launch of the building with increased fascination. One of them Aioli Ogundeji who spoke with The Nation said he became converted after the construction ended.

    “I am one of the people who criticized this building, I watched everyday as the building began to rise and now that it is completed I agree that we need a befitting structure like this,” he said.

  • Ekiti: Wither the future of the judiciary?

    Ekiti: Wither the future of the judiciary?

    For two weeks, the courts in Ekiti state have remained locked ostensibly on the order and in support of the presidency to prevent the hearing of the integrity suit filed by the E-11 against the  governor -elect, Ayo Fayose. The development has left observers worried on the future of the judiciary, writes ADEBISI ONANUGA

    In the last two weeks, the courts in Ekiti State have  been under lock and key.

    The National Judicial Council (NJC), led by Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Aloma Mukhtar, met to review the development which has been widely condemned.

    NJC directed the police to re-open the courts, protect the judges, and to arrest and prosecute all those who attacked the courts  and beat up a judge.

    But the police, which is supposed to be subservient to the NJC, ignored the directive. Rather, soldiers and the police cordoned off the state High Court premises and turned back judges, lawyers and litigants, including the Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola.

    The police told the Chief Judge that the court premises were not safe for them and that they found a bomb within it.

    Another account had it that the police informed the judges that the courts would not be opened until the height of the fence must have been raised to protect them better.

    It was alleged that the police and the military were acting on a directive from the presidency that they must keep the courts locked up to prevent it from sitting to  hear an integrity suit filed by a group, the E-11, against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor-elect, Ayo Fayose, until his October 16.

    However, observers of political developments saw the situation in Ekiti in the last two weeks or more as a script that was tenaciously written and playing itself out.

    This group described the development as unfortunate for the fact that the judiciary, as the third arm of government, is not being accorded it rightful place.

    Analysts see the attacks on the judiciary as a signals that the country is degenerating into a ‘banana’ republic. They also viewed police’s disregard to the directive that they re-open the courts as an affront against the rule of law.

    The developments show the judiciary is far from being independent. It depends on the corporation of the exective to function, because it is the executive which controls the armed forces. It portends danger for democracy. If the courts can be shut because of one man, then the consequences for the future are better not imagined.

    Analysts say it could get to a time when members of the ruling party or those in power, threatened by the possible outcome of a case, would simply go to court to disrupt proceedings, beat up the judges, and withdraw the security.

    Trouble started in Ekiti when the court presided by  Justice Isaac Ogunyemi declared that his court had jurisdiction to entertain the suit filed by the E-11 challenging Fayose’s eligibility to contest the June 21 election, which he won.

    Suspected political thugs believed to be loyal to the governor-elect threw caution to the wind as the courtroom was turned upside down.

    Chanting war songs, the miscreants took the law into their own hands, smashing furnitures and windows, while the police failed to act, beyond protecting the judges from physical harm.

    The police who was to maintain peace  stood watching as mayhem was unleashed on the court. Not done with the court, the political thugs returned a few days later  to the High Court, broke into the Courtrooms, ransacked offices and  destroyed records. Justice Adeyeye was beaten up and had his suit torn. Justice Daramola’s office was invaded; record books were destroyed and proceedings disrupted as judges, lawyers, litigants and court clerks ran for dear lives.

    The development forced the Chief Judge to order a closure of the courts to safeguard the life of the judges.

    A week later, the NJC directed that the courts  be re-opened to complete hearing in the case before the October 16 inauguration.

    However, rather than the courts been re-opened, the police locked them up, including the Court of Appeal, thereby bringing judicial activities in the state to a halt.

    While  all of these lasted, the presidency so far kept quiet and has not offered any word nor made any attempt to reproach the military and the police for dis-respecting the NJC and for failing in their duty to protect the judges.

    The incident in Ekiti courts, according to observers, pointed to the fact that  the rule of law has completely collapsed in the country and that it is capable of making the common man to lose hope of getting justice.

    They also believe events in Ekiti reflects a steady decline the regard held for the judiciary. Rather than being held in awe, it is now being ridden roughshod over. Analysts say such treatment of an important arm of government is dangerous for democracy’s survival.

    However, pundits are worried about the future of the rule of law and the use of federal might to subvert  the Constitution when it pleases those in power.

    They are also worried about the future of the judiciary in a situation where a court could  be shut down because of one man, simply to prevent a case from going on by all means.

    They are worried whether a truly independent judiciary can be achieved when the executive that’s supposed to provide security is not cooperating to assert the independence of the judiciary as the third arm of government.

    More importantly, they are worried about whether the judiciary is still the last hope of the common man after the latest act of impunity.

     

    Ex-judges, lawyers react

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said it was alarmed by the continued closure of the high court and other courts in Ado-Ekiti.

    Its President Augustine Alegeh (SAN) said there was no basis for the court’s blockade, which has prevented hearings in the suit cases filed by the E-11 and the Citizens Peoples Party (CPP) against the governor-elect Fayose, among others.

    “NBA is alarmed at the barricading of the High Court of Justice Complex, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State by security agencies on the basis of an alleged bomb threat to the complex.

    “Judicial officers, staff and litigants were not allowed access. NBA believes that any alleged bomb threat must have been effectively neutralised by the security agencies utilising their bomb disposal units”, he stated.

    A former Lagos State High Court judge, Justice Ebenezer Adebajo said the Ekiti signals the beginning of anarchy in the state.

    “The judges are there doing the work that is over and above the calling of ordinary human persons. Dedication, integrity, all these are being applied every day by the judges. The work means keeping off the ordinary life of  human beings. It is a tensed work. The judges formed the bedrock of the development of democracy because they embodied the rule of law. If a judge is assaulted, the rule of law is assaulted”, he said.

    Justice Adebajo urged Nigerians to resist any attempt to suppress the judiciary.

    “Every right thinking Nigerian, this is above party politics, must stand up, must stand against that kind of behaviour, they must stand up against the derogation of our social norms, derogation of our social order and prevent it from going into a state of anarchy. We cannot be behind the world.

    “My view from the word go is that the CJN, as chairman of the NJC, should ask the judges to withdraw from the courts and then we wait to see who would swear in the people who assaulted the judges”, he stated adding that he finds it difficult to believe that the police locked up the courts against the judges.

    “I do  not see it as a stand off between the Police and the Judiciary. It can never be. The Police are subject to the judiciary. Whose instruction or directive should they be carrying out? Is it that of the out-going governor or that of the governor-elect who is yet to assume executive power or that the police have been instructed from Abuja? he asked.

    Professor of law, Itsay Sagay said that developments in Ekiti just confirmed the fact that “what we have is a civilian government but we don’t have a democratic government or a democratic system.

    “The rule of law does not really exist in Nigeria and we have totally not a democratic set up in which those who control physical power don’t really care about democracy and would do anything that they think would promote their continued hold on to power”, he said.

    According to Prof. Sagay, ‘some of those in government, the powerful in government, they feel that they need Fayose in government for their power over the country to be complete and they are ready to do anything to make sure that he is in power”.

    A member of the Ogun State judicial Council, Abayomi Omoyinmi described the situation of courts in Ekiti as pathetic and very worrisome for the judiciary in view of intimidation from the government by the non-compliance with the order of the NJC on the reopening of the courts.                                       According to Omoyinmi, the judiciary independence is been eroded by the actions of the executive and real anarchy is looming in Ekiti judiciary and Nigeria if the concept of separation of power is lost in our governance.

    He argued that there is no rational behind the use d use of force against the judiciary and no right thinking government or executive should take the judiciary for granted or a ride as it is been witnessed in Ekiti presently. The different shades of opinion notwithstanding, there  have been demands to bring the perpetrators of the attacks on the Ekiti High Court and its judges to justice.

    Way  Out

    Justice Adebajo (rtd.) insisted in  that the judges should be withdrawn for one legal year in Ekiti “and we would see how Fayose would be sworn in. Because it is only the Chief Judge of a state that can swear in the governor of a state. Nobody else can swear in the governor of a state. That is what the constitution provides”. He said if any other chief judge comes in to swear in a governor from another jurisdiction or outside of that state, that would be challengeable in court. “I believe the judges should be withdrawn from the court and this must be understood by all and sundry that judiciary is a sacrosanct institution. Nobody should mess up with it”, he stressed.

    Prof. Sagay said all now depends on the judiciary themselves.  “The judiciary is very powerful if they would stick to their principles and are determined to sustain the rule of law, eventually, they would succeed because justice  would be on their side, they would be the ones who are right. So it all depends on the judiciary.

    ‘The judiciary should insist that all matters are going on in the court should continue  to completion and not be intimidated because the judiciary itself is a separate arm of government, they have to stand and refused to be intimidated and ensure that all legal process that have been started are continued to their logical end”, stated.                                                                                                                                            Omoyinmi  stated that  the judiciary must condemned the forceful act of oppression in its totality and must insist on reopening of d courts in Ekiti without further delay.

    The NBA  insisted  that the courts must be re-opened to enable the judiciary carry out its adjudicatory functions.  Said Alegeh,  “NBA demands that the High Court of Justice complex should be opened immediately to allow for resumption of work by the courts.“The security agencies should provide a safe and conducive environment for the effective administration of justice and should not create a situation that makes it totally impossible for courts in Ado-Ekiti to carry out their constitutional roles of providing justice for all,” he said.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Photo: Soyinka unveils Ekiti Governor’s lodge

    Photo: Soyinka unveils Ekiti Governor’s lodge

    Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; wife of Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; and Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, during the unveiling of the Governor's Lodge, Ayoba Villa, as park of activities marking the 4th anniversary of the Fayemi Administration, in Ado-Ekiti... on Sunday.
    Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; wife of Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; and Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, during the unveiling of the Governor’s Lodge, Ayoba Villa, as park of activities marking the 4th anniversary of the Fayemi Administration, in Ado-Ekiti… on Sunday.
  • Ekiti: Stop this assault on Judiciary, APC tells Jonathan

    Ekiti: Stop this assault on Judiciary, APC tells Jonathan

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to stop what it calls his administration’s brazen assault on the judiciary by ordering the immediate withdrawal of the security agents deployed to block the resumption of the courts in Ekiti, as ordered by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

    In a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said deploying security agents to prevent the courts from re-opening as directed by the NJC amounts to undermining the Judiciary and the Constitution.

    ‘’The Chief Justice of Nigeria, who is the head of the Judiciary, ordered that courts in Ekiti must re-open and that security personnel should do their jobs by providing security. Instead, the security agents were willfully deployed to prevent the courts from opening.

    This violation flies in the face of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This undemocratic encroachment and erosion portend great danger for our nation and constitute a threat to our democracy.

    ‘’The Presidency is not constitutionally in any role able to second guess, override or reverse the Judiciary. Our constitutional democracy recognises separation of powers, and the constitution clearly identifies the scope of each organ’s powers and the head of each branch. This administration’s conduct in frustrating an order of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the NJC is a new low in lawlessness and illegality. The Presidency is implicitly conveying the message that it is unnecessary to obey the Judiciary. The only result of such conduct is anarchy and chaos.

    ‘’Essentially, the PDP-led Administration of President Jonathan is holding litigants to ransom, preventing and perverting the course of justice, and restricting access to the common man’s last hope. This action is tantamount to arresting a judgment, something the bar and bench consider with the utmost vile,’’ it warned.

    APC said the truth of the matter is that it is the Presidency that is encouraging both the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police and the Brigade Commander to thwart the directives of the NJC by deploying security agents to seal the court, under the pretext of some phantom security report.

    The party said the entire plot is simply aimed at ensuring that the courts will not be opened until Governor-elect Ayodele Fayose is sworn in.

    ‘’The NJC has directed that the case against Fayose, being a pre-election matter, should be completed before he is sworn in on October.16th. The NJC further directed that the same judge that started the matter should complete it, and then asked the Inspector-General of Police to provide adequate security to enable the judge hear and conclude the matter.

    ‘’The Presidency is now hiding under a cunningly manufactured security report not to reopen the court until Fayose is sworn in. This is an invitation to chaos. Never in the convoluted political history of Nigeria has a President openly humiliated the Judiciary as President Jonathan is doing presently. Having destroyed every national institution, the President has now moved to destroy the Judiciary which is the last hope of the common man.

    ‘’But we want to sound a note of caution: Once the Judiciary of a nation is destroyed, then there is nothing left. This is the highest form of impunity. It is a gross violation of the constitution  and an attack on the principle of separation of powers when the executive arm is preventing the Judicial arm from operating.

    ‘’For how long will the courts remain closed. What is the responsibility of the police, the army and the SSS if they cannot protect lives and property. It is wrong for one man to hold the whole state to ransom, simply because he boasts of the capacity to set the state on fire,’’ it said.

    APC said President Jonathan is simply destroying the judiciary by protecting a man who leads thugs to beat up a judge, adding: ‘’When a

    President encourages the desecration of the Judiciary, that President is destroying the very foundation and pillar of not just democracy but of the entire society.’’

    The party called on the international community to prevail on President Jonathan to stop this assault on democracy, peace, stability, law and order.

    ‘’Mr. President, you cannot in one breath claim that you believe in the rule of law and at the same time be humiliating Judges not only by protecting those who are beating them up but even more destructively preventing them from discharging  their constitutional duties.

    Mr President, no one will invest in a country where there is no strong, independent judiciary, not to talk of one in which the President encourages his party men to beat up Judges,’’ it said.

  • Let there be peace in Ekiti

    Ekiti is famed to be a Land of Honour. This appellation is not accidental; it dates back to the history because of the good values promoted by the Ekiti people in ancient period. It is also good to note that Ekiti people have always been known for peace since their union with Ondo people.

    The recent development in the state, in the past few days, calls for sober reflection. If not properly managed, it has the potential to undermine the peace being enjoyed by the people of the state.

    On June 21 this year, the peace loving people of Ekiti State went to the poll to cast their votes for the candidate that will pilot the affairs of the state in the next four years. At the end of the exercise, the people’s choice emerged.

    The election was adjudged to be free and fair by all stakeholders in the country. Jubilation erupted in Ado-Ekiti, the capital city, and all other parts of the state joined in celebrating the winner. The incumbent governor, whose tenure has been adjudged the most peaceful in the history of the state, in the spirit of sportsmanship, congratulated the governor-elect on his electoral victory.

    In the wake of this, it was believed that the peace enjoyed in the state will continue to blossom, not until certain events unfolded recently. Not long after the election, the party that holds sway in the state went to the law court to seek redress on the outcome of the election. In a country like ours, this has become a normal phenomenon, which is expected to be devoid of violence. However, hearing of a suit to determine the eligibility of the governor-elect to participate in the election turned out to be the beginning of rancour and violence in the state.

    For the sake of peace, I implore all parties involved in the case to sheathe their swords and come together to settle things amicably. This is because the peace being enjoyed in the past four years cannot be sacrificed on the altar of political rift.

    Ekiti is for all of us. Building it should be our utmost priority, not bringing it down. Our leaders should remember that whatsoever they do, history will judge them in years to come.

    With the way things are going, necessity dictates that the governor-elect and the incumbent come together, to settle their differences. To those who lost their lives in the fracas, may their gentle soul rest in perfect peace. And to those that lost property, may God replenish you.

    All Ekiti indigenes, home and abroad, should always pray for peace in the state, having in mind that Ekiti is our place of abode and so we must protect it against any act that may tarnish its image.

    Ekiti a gbe wa o

     

    Gbenga, 200-Level Economics, EKSU

     

  • Ikeja NBA wants Ekiti Courts re-opened

    Ikeja NBA wants Ekiti Courts re-opened

    The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, has decried the closure of Ekiti State courts, saying it endangers democracy and rule of law.

    The chairman, Yinka Farounbi said this while briefing reporters after a three-day fact-finding mission to the state following the attacks on judges.

    He  urged the Chief Judge of the state, Justice A.S. Daramola to re-open the courts, saying peace has returned to the state capital.

    Farounbi condemned the attack on judges of the state High Court by thugs suspected to be loyalists of the governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose.

    He said the hoodlums’ action amounted to  threat to the  independence of the judiciary.

    “In view of the fact that our democracy was hard won from long years of military rule, it should be the concern of all well meaning Nigerians, particularly legal practitioners to protect the nascent democracy zealously,” he said.

    Farounbi said their findings revealed that the attacks were clearly carried out with the aim of stopping the court from discharging its lawful and constitutional responsibilities of adjudicating over disputes before it.

    “Evidence abound that the invaders of the courts had clear intention to overawe the court. Their action in proper legal context was treasonable,” he said.

    The NBA chairman held Fayose liable for the mayhem and physical assault of Justice J. O Adeyeye.

    Farounbi said his team spoke with the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawyer Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN);  lead counsel for the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti, Hon. Obafemi Adewale; the Commissioner of Police, Mr F.T. Lakanu; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Wale Fapohunda, among other eye witnesses.

    The fact-finding mission, he said, took place between September 28 and 30.

    He said they discovered that Fayose  “did not  stop” his supporters from assaulting the judges.

    According to Farounbi, the PDP governor-elect  watched his supporters physically assaulting the judge without any attempt to stop them.

    “ Justice Adeyeye was indeed assaulted with fist blows, whips and kicks by about 20 people who were with the governor-elect, as he was  passing by the former’s court.

    “The assault on the judicial officer happened when the judge left his chamber and went over to Fayose, asking him to control his noisy and unruly followers.

    “This led to an argument between the duo and the assault on the judge took place. The governor-elect ‘did not stop his followers,” he noted.

    The branch, therefore, called for the arrest and prosecution of the offenders.

    “Those that may be found to have participated in the desecration of Ekiti judiciary should be made to face the wrath of the law no matter highly placed because the law is no respecter of any person.

    “Democracy cannot survive where there is no rule of law and respect for the judiciary,” he said.

    Fayose denied assaulting or beating up any judge.

  • Lawyers ask Rights’ Commission to probe attacks on Ekiti court, others

    Lawyers ask Rights’ Commission to probe attacks on Ekiti court, others

    Some lawyers involved in the suit challenging the eligibility of Ekiti State’s Governor-elect, Mr. Ayo Fasose, have petitioned the National Human Rights Commission   (NHRC).

    They accused Fayose and his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), of threatening their lives and violating their rights to practice their profession.

    The lawyers, Norrison Quakers (SAN) and M.J. Onigbanjo (SAN), in a petition addressed to NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Bem Angwe, dated September 29, accused the PDP of organising the thugs that invaded the Ekiti High Court premises on September 22.

    The petitioners said the thugs attacked Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, the claimants, lawyers, judiciary workers and others in court.

    The petition reads: “We write to report to your office and formally bring to your attention the barbaric and barefaced violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the claimants (litigants), claimants’ counsel, the judge and other officers of the court by thugs who were organised by the PDP on the September 22, 2014 and invaded the Ekiti State High Court, particularly Honourable Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi’s courtroom.

    “The claimants, having instituted a suit challenging the eligibility of Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose to contest the June 21, 2014 Ekiti gubernatorial election were in court on the said September 22, 2014.

    “On the said date, the claimants were represented in court, the 1st to 3rd defendants, the 4th defendants, the second defendants were all represented , while a handful of Fayose’s supporters, who were sporting Fayose branded shirts, were hanging outside the courtroom, which was full by the corridor.

    “The court, in delivering its ruling, held that it has jurisdiction to hear and determine the substantive matter before it, as striking out the names of the 2nd claimant and 2nd defendant for being non-juristic persons did not affect the substantive suit before the court.

    “The court thereafter stood down the matter till 12p.m for ruling on the application of the 1st and 3rd defendants. After the court rise, Owoseni Ajayi met with the supporters and explained to them what had transpired in court and the implications because shortly after, there were mumblings and arguments outside.

    “Sometime after 11a.m, the police and other security operatives told the gathering in the court premises to leave as they were growing in numbers. Around 11.30a.m, we heard voices from inside the courtroom and upon looking outside the window, we discovered that a light-skinned man wearing a white Yoruba traditional attire, whom we later learnt is one of Fayose’s right-hand men, led the crowd into the court premises and court room. Although the police initially resisted, however, the crowd under the leadership of the light-skinned man prevailed due to their large numbers.

    “Subsequently, the man and a part of his crowd marched into Justice Ogunyemi courtroom where they started to stir trouble by challenging the police officers on their partiality in allowing the claimants to sit in the courtroom and not the defendants. It was obvious that this group of people had another agenda, which subsequently unfolded. One of the litigants was dragged from his seat, assaulted and physically brutalised before forcefully dragging him on the floor out of the courtroom while police officers stood by helplessly.”

    The lawyers added that “in close sequence to coming into the courtroom, outside the window, we saw hoodlums in large numbers carrying cudgels, branches that were snapped off the tree in the court premises, metal objects and other instruments we could not ascertain at that point, they proceeded to harass and assault litigants in the court premises. The hoodlums later came back to the court where we were and were saying ‘awon APC na da’ (where are the APC supporters).

    “Owoseni Ajayi, the lawyer, who appeared for the 1st and 3rd defendants (PDP and Fayose), instructed the hoodlums not to assault any lawyer. He was also heard saying, ‘this kind of thing is bound to happen, you cannot expect the judge to deliver the kind of ruling he delivered and this breakdown will not happen. They are justified to react this way.’

    “We are therefore apprehensive for our safety and that of our legal team’s lives, the dignity of our human persons, our right to practice our profession and our clients’ rights as citizens of Nigeria to seek redress in the court of law. All the foregoing rights mentioned above were clearly violated by the instigated mob, whose objectives included ensuring that the court did not deliver its scheduled ruling at 12 noon and or conduct any other business thereafter and to bully, intimidate and instill fear in the court in an attempt to obstruct justice to the point where the court would be too apprehensive to subsequently hear the case prior to the swearing in of Fayose on the October 16, 2014.

    “Should this unfortunate display of desecration of the hallowed temple of justice, which is supposed to be the last hope of the common man be allowed to persist unprosecuted, we all would be recorded for posterity as the people who sat with arms folded while miscreants and hooligans took over and controlled the administration of justice and overall balance of the society.”

    The petitioners urged the NHRC to use its good office and wherewithal to investigate the matter, with a view to unearthing those behind “this shameful display of banditry and gross violation of human rights with a view to prosecuting and bringing them to justice.”

  • Ekiti: APC spokesmen slam govt’s response

    Ekiti: APC spokesmen slam govt’s response

    The Conference of the All Progressives Party (APC) Publicity Secretaries has condemned Federal Government’s response to the attack on Ekiti State judiciary.

    The group’s Chairman, Joe Igbokwe, said in a statement yesterday: “The response of the Federal Government to the attack on judges and the judiciary in Ekiti State is tardy and regrettable, and in the view of the Conference of APC State Publicity Secretaries (CAPS), there cannot be any other explanation except that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled Federal Government is interested in perverting justice in the Southwest state.

    “Our position is further reinforced by the fact that the sitting governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was on September 29 at a ceremony presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan officially addressed as ‘the former governor of Ekiti State’ without the intervention of the President or any of the government functionaries at the ceremony.

    “This shows PDP’s disregard for decorum, protocol and orderly conduct in preference to its whims and caprices. It shows the PDP has no regard for law and order and is ruled by the same selfish interests that have wrecked the country in its sad 15 years in power.

    “Never before in the chequered history of this nation has a lawful judicial tribunal of three learned judges been disrupted by known persons, who have been allowed to walk the streets and celebrate their crime.

    “Never before has a high court judge, no less a chief judge of a state, been physically brutalised by persons with high-stake political

    interests linked to that of the PDP-controlled Federal Government, and the security agencies controlled by the same government feigned helplessness, while the Federal Government simply listed the chief judges of neighbouring Southwest states for ‘national honours’.

    “’The assailants attacked Justice John Adeyeye, beat him up and ripped his clothes for being allegedly rude to Mr. Ayodele Fayose’, reported Premium Times, an online newspaper. When we expected the highest level of condemnation by a Federal Government that has been astute in bending the machinery of government to serve the nihilistic interests of the PDP, what we got was the listing of chief judges of neighbouring Southwest states, with the exclusion of Ekiti, for national honours. We wonder what else can convince Nigerians that the PDP-Federal Government is complicit in the assault on the temple and officers of justice in Ekiti.

    “The big question is: Did security fail or was it allowed to fail? Were the security agencies acting on instruction or the ludicrous ‘orders from above’ in feigning inaction as the Fayose- led PDP hoodlums and ghouls trampled and desecrated the hallowed portals of justice in Ekiti? Is what happened in Ekiti a state- sponsored act of terrorism targeted at the law to bend it to the desires of the PDP? When we remember that Fayose was impeached, is still facing a murder charge as well as a corruption charge and was seen good enough to be the PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti, we feel certain that what happened with the brazen attack on the judiciary was a premeditated effort to muscle justice and pocket the judiciary and we feel certain that the Jonathan government and the PDP are complicit in this heinous crime against the state.

    “We suspect high level conspiracy in this crime against the judiciary. Our position is reinforced by the suspicious reaction of the PDP-Federal Government to this crime. Its reaction and actions betray a tacit support to this heinous crime and is indicative of its tacit support to the bestial act of Fayose and his thugs.

    “While we demand immediate action to save the judiciary from the hands of commissioned hoodlums, we urge the judiciary in Ekiti and elsewhere to stand firm and resist any attempt to cow it and make it a vassal of the PDP.”

  • ‘Ekiti is formidable in education’

    ‘Ekiti is formidable in education’

    Ekiti State has said the feat attained by 24-year old Oluwadara Olaoluwa as the youngest PhD holder in Physics in Africa and in Mathematics in Nigeria has justified its investment in education.

    The government, at the weekend, described the feat as a reflection of the quality of education in the state and an attestation that Ekiti remained in the forefront in education  in Nigeria and Africa.

    It vowed to provide all necessary infrastructural facilities, educational materials and conducive learning environment in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions to enable the state keep its pride of place in the education sector.

    Governor Kayode Fayemi made the commitment at inauguration of the Main Gate to the College of Education (COED), Ikere-Ekiti, as part of the projects to mark the fourth anniversary of his administration.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, stressed that education, which remained the state’s main industry, has earned Ekiti the Fountain of Knowledge acronym.

    He said the government was proud of the COED as one of the best in the country and with the highest enrolment of students among such institutions.

    His words: “This institution is one of the best you can find anywhere in Nigeria with the kind of educational facilities such as lecture theatres, technical workshops, laboratories that are in place, as well as academic and non-academic members of staff whose capacities have been adequately developed with local, national and international training and workshops to enable them compete favourably with their colleagues anywhere in the country and even be lecturers in universities.”

    The governor said the gate, which will create the first impression on passers-by and visitors to the institution, would add to the good image it has earned through academic performance.

    Praising the provost and the management of the college for the judicious and prudent use of funds and grants, Fayemi advised students to make the best use of facilities provided by the government.

    In her remark, the Provost, Prof. Francisca Aladejana, said the college, which is the state’s oldest institution, was created 34 years ago and has been without a perimeter fence and a befitting main entrance, which has exposed the institution to invaders among other dangers.

    The provost, who thanked the government for restoring the yearly grant to the institution, noted that the main gate was built and several other capital projects implemented from the N155, 455,000 released to the institution by the government.

    Also inaugurated at the weekend were a storey building of six classrooms and a three-classroom block at St. Andrew’s Primary School, Emure-Ekiti and the ultra-modern Early Childhood Development Education Centre (ECDEC) in Ikere-Ekiti.