The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ekiti

  • Atiku to open Ekiti hospital

    Atiku to open Ekiti hospital

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, as part of activities marking the fourth anniversary of his administration, will  lead other eminent personalities to the Oba Adejugbe Hospital Complex in Ado-Ekiti today.

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is expected to be a special guest of honour at the event, will inaugurate the  300-bed hospital.

    Also billed for inauguration are the renovated general hospitals in Ijero and Okemesi by the former Governor of the Old Western Region, Maj-Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd).

  • ‘Ekiti ‘ll vote for personality in 2015’

    ‘Ekiti ‘ll vote for personality in 2015’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant in Ekiti South District Ayodele Adu spoke with  EMMANUEL OLADESU and SINA FADARE on his agenda and other partisan issues.

    You have a flourishing career in the banking world. What attracted you to politics?

    According to a German philosopher, a political illiterate is the worst of illiterates. The inaction of those who do not participate in politics is what causes the social injustices we are all talking about in the society. They don’t know that  not participating in politics make the price of rice in the market to go beyond the reach of the common man.

    If you are not participating in politics, you are killing the economy and not helping the coming generation. As a man, no matter how comfortable you are, you must find a way of contributing your quota to the development of others and see how you can impact into the lives of the people. The zeal to do that has encouraged me to go into politics.

    In my constituency, l see a lot of poverty. Even, at times, it is difficult for people to raise their children’s school fees when l was growing up. So, I made up my mind that, if l have the opportunity, l will assist all those  that are in need. At my private level, l have been trying to give succour to the needy and meet a lot of people’s demand in my little way. If l have the opportunity to serve the people therefore, l will be able to take care of their needs at a global level. For example, l have given scholarship to some people, donated to community projects and assisted in one way or the order, but there is little one can do at an individual level.  That is why l want to be in politics so that l can render more services to my people. If you are in government, you can see to policy formulation and execution, especially policies that have direct positive impact on millions of people. The Senate, which l am aspiring to go, is a place where you discuss the fortune of the country.

    I want to go to the Senate to utilise my wealth of experience in the financial and stock exchange, which I have garnered in the last 16 years, so that the country at large will tap from this opportunity. In the US, erudite lawyers and professionals  are in the Senate to rob minds together and come up with a law that will assist the country in its developments.

    Technocrats are always afraid to swim in the murky waters of politics. What is the motivation?

    There is always a challenge in any area of human endeavour. Politics is not exempted. I have the determination to serve my people in any capacity. That is why l want to go to the Senate. I like challenges and, like l have always overcome them in the past, l will do that of politics and I will have a remarkable achievement at the end.

    Yes, Nigerian politics is murky, but it all depends on the approach and the tenacity of purpose that you put into it. In Ekiti, l have met with the chairmen of the 64 wards. They are more political and intelligent than l expected. I was able to lay my cards on the table and share my vision and dream of giving it all to the total emancipation of my people from poverty and penury that  are ravaging them now. That is why l sold my profile to them. They are very excited about it and majority of them are praying that l will be their senator   next year.

    If you go to the state now and you talk to anybody on the street, they will tell you that that is our next senator because l was able to sell myself to the people and they are very passionate about my credential and humble background. Although the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) will be the party in power next year, that does not change anything because  l parade one of the best credential and the people of the state will want me to represent them in the Senate  without a recourse to any party. Take, for instance, if they want to talk on the issue of finance in the Senate, if l am fortunate to be there, definitely, l will play a major role because of my background.

    How do you think you can make a difference from the previous people who  had represented Ekiti in the Senate?

    My main focus will be the irreversible investment. Ekiti people are agrarian in nature. There is poor economic development. You cannot create market, unless you create institutional changes there. I will try to use my contact, both locally and internationally, to benefit my community and my country at large.

    In the past, the state was unlucky to have some people who are mere on lookers in the Senate and all their constituency allowances were spent on their family. They bought few okada and keke NAPEP. That  is not how to empower the people.  l can assure the people of Ekiti that a new dawn has come and an expert is about to go to the Senate to change their economic fortune.

    What is your chance, in view of the politics of stomach infrastructure, which is in vogue now?

    I still believe that the people of Ekiti did not practice the politics of stomach infrastructure. We have a politically conscious society and the people respect you for what you are and what you can offer, in terms of developmental programmes. They also did not like a situation where you take them for granted. They want you to accord them with little honour. They want to see that you are humble and that you can actually relate with them at any level and that you are accessible to them, especially at the point of their need. For example, l distributed about 30,000 exercise books when I declared my intention officially to my people. I had to give them to students going to school free of charge as my own little contribution to their educational success. This will encourage parents to save millions of naira that could have been expended on these books.

    By so doing,  in my little way, we are re- creating wealth. I donated the exercise books, not for any  reason,  apart for the fact that the students need them at this particular period that they are resuming and it will equally assist their parents.  If that is the only way l can assist my people, l will do it in a million times, if l have the resources. I am always happy and  fulfilled when l put smile on the faces of others.

    What is the assurance that the APC will pick you as its candidate?

    Credibility and high profile that l parade will be an advantage for me. My profile is all over the state and particularly, my senatorial district and it is verifiable. People know my background and the family. This election will not be on party basis. It will be based on personality. It is about the person who is qualified to be there and who will make an ppreciable impact. I have all what it takes to make a difference.

  • Ekiti, at 18, totters on

    SIR: Eighteen years ago, Ekiti State was inaugurated by the Federal Military Government. Our journey has been like a perennial river running through a long route which involves the waters moving fast in one area, sluggish in other parts and virtually at a stand still at others, all along its path.

    Ekiti being a typical unit in the federation shares some of tumultuous journey of the ‘River Nigeria’ (note, not Niger). The political climate, happenings, convulsions, implosions and apparent instability  have a multiplier effect throughout the components of our great country. In fact, in some areas, our state has had more than its fair share of the turmoil that is fast becoming a natural feature of our national life. Some of these can be identified here; political instability, unemployment of the educated youth, capital flight especially of industries and businesses, narrow ethnicity, even nature’s intervention in form of climate change with its devastating effect on geography, agriculture and the environment.

    The above negative forces notwithstanding, Nigeria our beloved country, still stands high in Africa, and with it, Ekiti State. There is considerable improvement in the development of our social infrastructure, (no, not stomach infrastructure!), our roads network are improving everyday, health facilities are showing marginal improvement. But there are also sober issues still confronting our state, in some cases, more and in others less than what obtains elsewhere in the country. The three most outstanding negative phenomena in our society today are; lack of improvement in the standard of education especially as it relates to public examinations. Today, despite government efforts at improving physical features of our schools especially at secondary and tertiary levels, we have sunk to a miserable low in the number of our children who are qualified ‘ipso facto’, for higher education. This is in spite of the efforts of the government at enhancing the capacity of teachers. I think future administrators of our state will have to take a serious look at the welfare and sensitivities of teachers. If government has done what it could in this area, it has not reflected in the result of public examination. As of now, school children especially in the upper classes in the secondary schools are drifting away to privately owned institutions which provide basic inputs into the educational process.

    Secondly, the issue of poverty is getting worse in Nigeria especially in Ekiti where the only employer of labour seems to be, as of now, government. Naturally, unemployment of the able-bodied leads to poverty. Nigeria as a nation has progressively retrogressed from having about 54% of the population under the poverty line till today’s 70 per cent. This means that with a population of about 170 million in Nigeria, 70% million in Nigeria, 70 percent are on the poverty line.

    Finally, one cannot but mention the growing political intolerance in our state. Ekiti, before the present democratic dispensation, was known as homogeneous, even monolithic. As part of the old Western Region and later of old Ondo State, we were known to be our brother’s keeper. With your car carrying the WP plate in the West or ODE in Ondo State, you were safe and welcome to any Ekiti forum throughout the land. With the growing political intolerance leading to inter-personal bad blood, no meaningful development can occur in our land. As we enter a new year of our statehood, let us pray?

     

    • Deji Fasuan,

    Ekiti State

     

  • ‘Ekiti ‘ll vote for personality in 2015’

    ‘Ekiti ‘ll vote for personality in 2015’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant in Ekiti South District Ayodele Adu spoke with  EMMANUEL OLADESU and SINA FADARE on his agenda and other partisan issues.

    You have a flourishing career in the banking world. What attracted you to politics?

    According to a German philosopher, a political illiterate is the worst of illiterates. The inaction of those who do not participate in politics is what causes the social injustices we are all talking about in the society. They don’t know that  not participating in politics make the price of rice in the market to go beyond the reach of the common man.

    If you are not participating in politics, you are killing the economy and not helping the coming generation. As a man, no matter how comfortable you are, you must find a way of contributing your quota to the development of others and see how you can impact into the lives of the people. The zeal to do that has encouraged me to go into politics.

    In my constituency, l see a lot of poverty. Even, at times, it is difficult for people to raise their children’s school fees when l was growing up. So, I made up my mind that, if l have the opportunity, l will assist all those  that are in need. At my private level, l have been trying to give succour to the needy and meet a lot of people’s demand in my little way. If l have the opportunity to serve the people therefore, l will be able to take care of their needs at a global level. For example, l have given scholarship to some people, donated to community projects and assisted in one way or the order, but there is little one can do at an individual level.  That is why l want to be in politics so that l can render more services to my people. If you are in government, you can see to policy formulation and execution, especially policies that have direct positive impact on millions of people. The Senate, which l am aspiring to go, is a place where you discuss the fortune of the country.

    I want to go to the Senate to utilise my wealth of experience in the financial and stock exchange, which I have garnered in the last 16 years, so that the country at large will tap from this opportunity. In the US, erudite lawyers and professionals  are in the Senate to rob minds together and come up with a law that will assist the country in its developments.

    Technocrats are always afraid to swim in the murky waters of politics. What is the motivation?

    There is always a challenge in any area of human endeavour. Politics is not exempted. I have the determination to serve my people in any capacity. That is why l want to go to the Senate. I like challenges and, like l have always overcome them in the past, l will do that of politics and I will have a remarkable achievement at the end.

    Yes, Nigerian politics is murky, but it all depends on the approach and the tenacity of purpose that you put into it. In Ekiti, l have met with the chairmen of the 64 wards. They are more political and intelligent than l expected. I was able to lay my cards on the table and share my vision and dream of giving it all to the total emancipation of my people from poverty and penury that  are ravaging them now. That is why l sold my profile to them. They are very excited about it and majority of them are praying that l will be their senator   next year.

    If you go to the state now and you talk to anybody on the street, they will tell you that that is our next senator because l was able to sell myself to the people and they are very passionate about my credential and humble background. Although the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) will be the party in power next year, that does not change anything because  l parade one of the best credential and the people of the state will want me to represent them in the Senate  without a recourse to any party. Take, for instance, if they want to talk on the issue of finance in the Senate, if l am fortunate to be there, definitely, l will play a major role because of my background.

    How do you think you can make a difference from the previous people who  had represented Ekiti in the Senate?

    My main focus will be the irreversible investment. Ekiti people are agrarian in nature. There is poor economic development. You cannot create market, unless you create institutional changes there. I will try to use my contact, both locally and internationally, to benefit my community and my country at large.

    In the past, the state was unlucky to have some people who are mere on lookers in the Senate and all their constituency allowances were spent on their family. They bought few okada and keke NAPEP. That  is not how to empower the people.  l can assure the people of Ekiti that a new dawn has come and an expert is about to go to the Senate to change their economic fortune.

    What is your chance, in view of the politics of stomach infrastructure, which is in vogue now?

    I still believe that the people of Ekiti did not practice the politics of stomach infrastructure. We have a politically conscious society and the people respect you for what you are and what you can offer, in terms of developmental programmes. They also did not like a situation where you take them for granted. They want you to accord them with little honour. They want to see that you are humble and that you can actually relate with them at any level and that you are accessible to them, especially at the point of their need. For example, l distributed about 30,000 exercise books when I declared my intention officially to my people. I had to give them to students going to school free of charge as my own little contribution to their educational success. This will encourage parents to save millions of naira that could have been expended on these books.

    By so doing,  in my little way, we are re- creating wealth. I donated the exercise books, not for any  reason,  apart for the fact that the students need them at this particular period that they are resuming and it will equally assist their parents.  If that is the only way l can assist my people, l will do it in a million times, if l have the resources. I am always happy and  fulfilled when l put smile on the faces of others.

    What is the assurance that the APC will pick you as its candidate?

    Credibility and high profile that l parade will be an advantage for me. My profile is all over the state and particularly, my senatorial district and it is verifiable. People know my background and the family. This election will not be on party basis. It will be based on personality. It is about the person who is qualified to be there and who will make an ppreciable impact. I have all what it takes to make a difference.

  • ‘Ekiti APC ‘ll bounce back’

    ‘Ekiti APC ‘ll bounce back’

    Hon. Ranti Adebisi is the Chairman of the Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission. The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant in Ekiti North District spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU and  RAYMOND MORDI on his ambition, the transition in Ekiti and implications for the APC’s future.

    Why do you want to go to the Senate?

    Ekiti North Senatorial District comprises of 11 councils. It used to be five local governments, but with the creation of additional Local Council Development Areas, the number has increased to 11. Ekiti North Senatorial District also comprises of two federal constituencies-the Oye-Ikole Federal Constituency I and Moba-Ido/Osi-Ilejemeje Federal constituency II. Currently, the incumbent senator is from Ido/Osi Local Government and we have never had a senator from Ikole Local Government, which is where I come from. Ikole local Government is the largest the local governments in the senatorial district. The last senator from that area was in the 1950s, which was before I was born. Apart from the fact it is our turn to produce the next senator, I believe that I am a grassroots person and I have worked diligently well. I have been a progressive since I came into politics. I was once a governorship aspirant in the state; I contested for the governorship with the incumbent governor at the primary level.  The moment Dr. Kayode Fayemi was picked as the party’s candidate, other aspirants defected to other political parties. I was the only governorship aspirant that remained in the party, out of the 16 of us that contested.

    What  is the greatest problem facing the people of your constituency?

    It is lack of good representation. In spite of the various levels of representation, Tip O’Neill, former United States Speaker, said all politics are local. That is, you have to come down to the grassroots. What we have now, is what I would call an elitist representation that does not really work with the people. We have a senator in the Red Chamber that is very articulate, like an average Ekiti man. When you have a senator representing the people who only appears during the electioneering season, then, it is no longer representation.

    We are lacking a lot of federal presence in our senatorial district. I’m hoping that with my exposure, and with the level of interaction that I would be able to create at the national level, I would be able to bring federal presence.

    The result of the June 21 governorship election shocked many Nigerians. Are you not afraid of a bandwagon effect in next year’s elections?

    There is nothing like bandwagon effect in Ekiti right now. Yes, the result was very shocking, but I’m on ground. That is one of the reasons why we’re asking for a level-playing field for all aspirants to come out, if they are sure of themselves. For me, my popularity cuts across political parties. I’m a household name in Ekiti State. When it comes to what happened on June 21, many people are thinking it was against our party, the APC. But, it is not necessarily so. Governor Kayode Fayemi has performed creditably well, in terms of infrastructural development. We were hearing all these new coinages such as stomach infrastructure. It’s an insult to Ekiti people and those of us in the APC believe that we still have a firm grip of the political terrain in that state and we are not afraid of contesting. There is nothing like bandwagon effect in Ekiti politics. The politics in Ekiti now is the politics of personality. Ayodele Fayose won the election not because he belonged to the PDP. He supposedly won the election because he could identify with the grassroots. Many people have been questioning why our governor conceded the election. We are actually working on our party congress right now. You will be surprised to see the overwhelming enthusiasm from our members. You may be forced to ask, is this a party that just lost an election? But, I would tell you that we never believed we lost an election. We lost the election on technical grounds, which we are going to unravel in the next few weeks.

    How would APC members, including  those holding offices, work harmoniously with a governor who is from another party?

    We are all stakeholders in Ekiti project. Our political system is evolving. Gradually, we would start maturing in our democratic process. For instance, the office that I hold presently, the chairman, Ekiti Local Government Service Commission, has tenure. That means I’m not going with the governor on October 16. Don’t forget, we have a majority in the House of Assembly, which has 25 APC members to one PDP member. So, it might be an opportunity for us to test the constitution. For those of us in the various commissions in Ekiti State, whose tenure has not expired, I believe we can work with the incoming administration because what matters is Ekiti; we are all stakeholders. We would have to work with each other, whether we like it or not.

    What is the assurance that some members of the House of Assembly would not defect to the PDP?

    Well, I will give them the benefit of doubt. It is true, even when there is no crisis; people are defecting on daily basis in Nigeria. It is part of the teething problems we are having in our democratic process. Gradually, things would start changing, but the various parties in the country need to start working on ideological principles. That way, we would begin to see the difference between the APC and the PDP, and the progressives and the conservatives. The way things are now, you will see many progressives in the PDP and many conservative elements in the APC. Very soon, water would find its level.

    What have you done to deserve the position of a senator?

    Well, in my senatorial district, even beyond my senatorial district, I have done so much, working with the grassroots, helping the jobless people and assisting those people who have problem paying their tuition fees. I’m a software engineer by profession. I have trained many people in the areas of developing software programmes. With my performance in the local government system, I have made a mark. When I came on board, the whole system was in shambles. My workers see me as the man who has come to revive the system. I pride myself as the only chairman since the creation of Ekiti State that has always been in his office every day. Most of the previous chairmen were coming on part-time basis, even though they were full-time chairmen. Within 15 months, I have been able to clear the backlog of promotion arrears for 10 years. I conducted promotion examinations that people refused to participate in before I came in. Now, when I call for promotion examinations, my workers are happy. Do you know what I did to accomplish that? Before I set the promotion examination, I usually give them what I would call a seminar, prepare materials for them. The essence of the examination is not to fail them. It is test their ability to understand what is going on, the changes that are taking place within the system. Today, we have conducted more than three promotion exams within a span of 15 months, to clear the backlog. You know, Ekiti is a civil service state. We have also been able to clear the backlog of people waiting for advancement; you know when go for further studies, they expect to be elevated after their studies. We had serious crisis with the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), but today we have cordial relationship with them because of my intervention. Even with the meagre resources available to us, I introduced in-house trainings; on a monthly basis, we conduct two trainings. We have sent some of them on overseas training, which is something that has not happened before. So, we have built the confidence of the workers; people now come to work. We have eradicated ghost workers in the local government system in the state. Currently, what we are working on after the creation of the new LCDAs is the deployment of staff. Within two/three weeks of their creation, we have been able to deploy staff to the new councils. This is because we want it to stay because it is the yearnings and aspirations of Ekiti people. We have equally reached out to the communities, to make sure that these councils survive because the local government system is the closest to the people. We have made sure that the communities have taken ownership of these councils, by donating buildings, materials and money, so that they can augment whatever resources the government has for the take-off of these councils. These are some of the things that I have been able to do that has given me the confidence that I can give a good representation to my people and my party at the national level.

  • Day of rage in Ekiti

    Day of rage in Ekiti

    Hoodlums went on the rampage in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital last week, burning, looting and brutalising people. A judge was beaten up and his suit torn. Courtrooms were turned upside down, provoking outrages across the country. SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN reports.

    IT was not a good week for Ekiti State.  For three days last week, hoodlums were on the rampage, wreaking havoc on the High Court, some judges and politicians.

    It all started on Monday when thugs believed to be loyalists  of Governor-elect Ayodele Fayose stormed the Ekiti State High Court for the hearing of a case bordering on his eligibility to contest the June 21 election which he won. The things disrupted  court proceedings and what after the judge.

    Justice Isaac Ogunyemi, who was spirited away by the Police.

    They returned on Thursday when the election petitioners tribunal was to hear the petition of the  All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging Fayose’s election. They moved into the court premises when the Fayose was allowed in by securitymen. Without wasting time, they went round, ransacking the court rooms, smashing windows and beating up anybody who came their way. They beat up Justice John Adeyeye and tore his suit. In  the night of that day, the immediate past chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Chief Omolafe Aderiye was killed.

    His death sparked last Friday’s skirmish during which properties including campaign office of Governor Kayode Fayemi and the secretariat of his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) were destroyed.

    A dusk-to-dawn curfew has since been imposed on the state to stem the violence. Two days, before Omolafe’s death, the house of former chairman of the Road Transport Employee Association of Nigeria (RTEA) Rotimi Olanbiwoninu aka Mentilo and six of the cars parked in his compound wee burnt. Most parts of Ado Ekiti are gradually returning to life, but in area like Ijegbo and Ikere Federal Polytechnic roads, passerby are being checked by soldiers and other armed security personnel.

    In  the beginning

    That Monday in court, the hoodlum numbering over 100, brandish tree branches and some letter weapon attacked those they regarded as ‘opposition figures’, dragging them on the floor, slapping them and dealing them blow on the head, face, chest and stomarch. They invaded almost all offices in search of their victims. A target, who attempted to escapte through the windwo was pulled back and brutalised. No fewer than 20 men with canes wept in till body became sore. But he escaped.

    The ‘scene’ of the Justice Ogunyemi, who, also escaped, was his rulling early that day on the application of E-11, a social cultural group in the state, assuming the jurisdiction to hear the case on Fayose’s eligibility to contest the June 21 Governorship Election. The group is claiming that Fayose is yet to discharge the burden place on him by his 2006 impeachment by 2/3 majority member of the then House of Assembly.

    The following day peace seem to have returned and people taught the war was over. But Aderiye’s death on Thursday night altered thing is killing in front of his home in Ajilosun in midst of his friend spark violence on Friday as early 7 am hoodlums poused on supposed said on the enemy of the Governor-elect, who they suspected on masterminded the killing of Aderiye who was Fayose’s ally. The hoodlums tourched the offices of APC, shops/business of those identiify with party including Fayemi’s campaign office and party’s main office adjascent to it on Ikere road in Ajilosun.

    THE MENTILO

    CONNECTION

    Olanbiwoninu  aka Mentilo was a target of the mob, but, he escaped.  According to him, the destruction of his house at Oke Ila and burning of his vehicle came as surprise

    Olanbiwoninu, who said he travelled to Abuja two days before Aderiye’s death, stated: “I was his close friend, although we belonged to different transportation unions”.

    He added:“I didn’t know about the development when I was leaving for Abuja on Tuesday and I was there (Abuja) till Thursday evening when I returned to Ado.  My return was even to attend a burial on Friday. I was in my house that Friday around 9:30 am when this multitude came. I did not even think they were coming for me. I just thought they were protesting Aderiye’s death.

    “I was a bit at rest when I saw a police van coming behind them but I could not identify the vehicle’s registration number. At a point I heard them mentioning my name in a song they were singing.

    “I was in front of my house. I overheard them chanting abusive words and singing songs against me. Then it became apparent they were coming for me. I decided to run. But what I sensed was that although the police were with them, the hoodlums were many and the police could not have overpowered them when they were setting my property on fire.

    “In five minutes, they called to inform me my house was on fire, alongside my vehicles. In all they destroyed 11 vehicles. I was not around to salvage even a pin from the house. All I have worked and laboured for in my life is gone. Now, I have continued to receive threats from factions of the transporters that they are still coming for me and that I should be writing my will. I have no hand in the death of Omolafe. Ekiti State Government, the Nigeria Police and all well meaning Nigerians should come to my rescue. I know nothing about the death of Aderiye”.

    On the streets of Ado Ekiti are tell tales of the mayhem-black patches on roads, razed buildings and burnt vehicle. But the curfew imposed in the state seems to have restored sanity. The curfew is being enforced by a  combined team of soldiers and policemen, who are protecting sensitive institution and roads around Ijegbo and Ajilosun. There are also police pick-up vans parked at strategic corners to deter trouble makers.

    There are rumours of renewed skirmish, but troublemakers are warned daily to desist from such action or face the consequences of that action.

  • Desecration of Ekiti State judiciary

    The anarchical conduct of some politicians and their thugs for two days last week, within the precincts of the High court of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, is most reprehensible. Agreed that some politicians in Nigeria are not very different from street hooligans and bandits by their conduct, yet, until last Tuesday and Thursday I had thought that their peculiar madness will not extend to the hallowed grounds of the courts. But obviously nothing is sacred for these characters. To show that our country is not a lawless country, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Kayode Fayemi and the President Goodluck Jonathan must exercise their constitutional responsibilities to defend law abiding citizens and officials of government, in their capacity as heads of the executive arms of government in the state and the federation, respectively.

    Also the governor-elect of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, who has been fingered by Governor Fayemi, as allegedly being responsible for the mayhem that has led to dusk to dawn curfew in the state, after the murder of citizen Omolafe Aderiye, must do all in his powers to clear his name. Otherwise, his tenure as the next Governor would be tainted, even before it starts.  Unfortunately for him, he has a huge task, if the reports that the hooligans descended on the high court officials, lawyers and the general public, following the ruling of Justice Isaac Ogunyemi, that his honourable court has the jurisdiction to determine whether Mr. Fayemi had the locus to participate in the last gubernatorial election, is true. To compound the governor-elect’s challenge, the second round of mayhem last Thursday, again took place the day the governor-elect visited the election petition Tribunal hearing the case instituted by the All Progressive Congress against his election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

    Considering that Mr. Fayose has stridently denied the allegations, there is the need for a thorough investigation of those responsible for disrupting the peace and tranquility of Ekiti State, particularly her judiciary. Regrettably, with the security agencies allegedly compromised, and the state and federal authority, partisans in the crisis, such an enquiry will be a tall order. But regardless, it is in the interest of Ekiti people and our democracy that those responsible for assaulting High court Judges, Justices Akintayo and Adeyeye, within the confines of the High Court premises; and the murder of Mr. Aderiye are brought to speedy justice. For it is better imagined the consequences, if Judges henceforth determine their cases, in a manner to avoid being molested by interested parties.

     

    Re: Rochas and local council aspirants

    The case I made here, penultimate Tuesday, imploring Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, to, as a matter of honour and constitutionalism conduct the long awaited local government election in the state, has elicited some interesting reactions. One of the victims, who reacted anonymously, sent me the time table for the aspirants, starting from 2011, up to this year. I also got some text messages tending to support the status quo. First the aspirant, who wrote:

    In 2011, the aspirants were asked to familiarise themselves with the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA)(then Governor Okorocha’s party) at the grassroots.

    In 2012, the aspirants were instructed to attend ICAPS/IMSU leadership training to be acquainted with legislative rudiments and leadership for 14 weeks. They were given certificates.

    Last year, the aspirants to the position of Chairmen were asked to pay N100,000, under Governor Okorocha’s new party, the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    This year, the same aspirants were asked to pay N50,000, for intent form, N10,000 to Local Government Party secretariat and N5,000 to state secretariat for administrative services.

    Again this year, they were asked to tour the communities within the local government under context, to solicit for votes for mock-election, mobilise membership for the APC and sensitise electorate to come out en mass to register for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permanent voters’ card when it starts.

    The government of Imo State slated September 1, for the mock-election, but the election never held. The mock-election was designated as a prelude to party primary election to determine the party’s candidates.

    According to the aspirant, as at the time he sent the timetable, which in my earlier piece, I had likened to a journey to nowhere, akin to what in local parlance amounts to entering a ‘one chance vehicle’; there is no date for local government election in Imo State.

     

    The other interesting reaction by text, read:

    I thank you immensely for your article on the above subject matter. First of all, I will linked (like) you to know that Local Government in Imo State before the coming of Rochas were conduits of siphoning money that belong to the people. None of this councils executed meaningful projects like what we see in southwest part of this country. Funds for local governments were like personal estates, none of the chairmen live within the local government. All of them live expensively in Owerri, moving around with armed policemen as if they are something else.

    They only appear in LG once it is time to share allocations. There is a local government (LG) headed by a woman. I make bold to say that the husband of this woman was a Senator for good 16 years, with nothing to show for it, yet when allocation is received in LG, it is shared in their bedroom and when he travels everybody must wait until he comes back to base before anything can be done. So, in as much as we want LG elections to be held, we must first of all clean up the system and be ready for it.

     Uzoka  08057875094

  • Photos of the week

    Photos of the week

  • Ekiti unrest: calm returns as soldiers take over

    Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti state on Saturday witnessed some calm, after a series of violent activities by hoodlums and arsonists which rocked the city from Monday.

    On  Thursday, Chief Omolafe Aderiye, former State Chairman, Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) was killed by unknown gunmen.

    Aderiye, in his fifties, was reported shot at close range in the chest and stomach while relaxing in the midst of his friends and associates about 8:30 at his office located at the Ijigbo area of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital by men who were said to have dressed in Mobile Police uniforms.

    His remains had since been deposited at the morgue of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).

    The deployment of soldiers had brought calm to parts of the capital and ensured minimum level of business transaction, especially around old garage area spreading down to Ijigbo. Most shops however still remained locked.

    The soldiers who moved round in trucks  stopped intermittently to observe developments in some areas before moving on.

    Some of them were however stationed at some of the trouble spots, especially Ijigbo, where the office of the slain former NURTW boss was located.

  • Fayemi’s curfew broadcast

    Fayemi’s curfew broadcast

    Full text of the state broadcast by Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi titled The Peace in our Land is negotiable on Friday.

    It has become expedient that I address you today on account of dire happenings in the land of honour, Ekiti State. With tension mounting across the state, Ekiti has been the subject of alarming headlines in the news, following the tragic assault on the judiciary.

    On Monday, September 22, thugs acting on the incitement of an interested party, were involved in the sacrilegious sacking of the court while hearing on a political case was in progress. This happened in full glare of the law enforcement agents with inappropriate response. Clearly, these brigands exceeded the limits of acceptable behavior, even in the most liberal of democracies, and ventured into the realm of blatant criminality with this desecration of the hallowed chambers of the law.

     

    The fact that this assault did not meet with any strong deterring repercussions from the appropriate authorities further emboldened the miscreants. They subsequently attempted to prevent the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal from sitting, yesterday, Thursday, September 25. I am advised incontrovertibly that thugs acting on the command of Mr. Ayo Fayose, who was also present to lend his clout to the travesty, brazenly assaulted a senior judge and urged his thugs to beat him up and tear his clothes.

     

    The court premises was thrown into confusion and those present scurried away in search of safety and security. This was on the back of his specious allegation that the judiciary in the state is compromised and biased against him. And the answer to that was to resort to jungle justice and take the laws into his hands. This has led to the closure of the courts indefinitely due to the inability of the security agencies to guarantee the safety of lives and property in our temples of justice. With the entrenched atmosphere of impunity, violence in the state has escalated with the unfortunate loss of one life and the willful damage to several properties to arson by rampaging thugs.

     

    Since the beginning of this development on Monday, which is unprecedented in the recent history of our state, I have been in touch with the Heads of all Security Agencies at the State and Federal levels, urging them to act quickly and firmly in the interest of public law and order. It is worrisome that the slow and inadequate response has occasioned the avoidable escalation of violence in our dear state.

     

    Against this backdrop, it is understandable that not a few stakeholders have expressed concern about what the development portends for our dear state. The brazen contempt of our hallowed law courts and the use of violence and intimidation to obstruct the course of justice is a clear invitation to anarchy of the scale and texture that characterized Ekiti State some years ago. Ekiti Kete, are those years upon us again?

     

    Already, there is widespread anxiety about this development coming at a time the state is going through the transitioning out of one administration and the ushering in of a new one. This is a very delicate period that all stakeholders must work together to ensure Ekiti State comes out stronger for it.

     

    During periods of transition, vital partners in progress adopt a cautious posture, watching for the slightest portents of the possible discontinuity of the regime of peace and tranquility, amongst other factors that have made our state conducive for investors and development partners. We must not disrupt our very bright prospects for sustained development in our state.

     

    Considering the cases that have triggered the recent spate of violence are politically related, the political elite in our state from all disparate quarters must exercise caution. We must rescue our state from the precarious slippery slope that some have desperately pushed us to. We should not imperil the very people we seek to serve by resorting to violence and brigandage. One does not burn down his homestead to establish his claim of ownership or leadership.

     

    Most assuredly, the course of Justice can only be delayed, but can never be truncated. The independence of the Judiciary is an inviolable tenet of any democracy. Accordingly, I have this morning directed the Attorney General of the state to issue a legal advisory to the Chief Judge of the state and all the parties to the existing cases in the State High Court and the Ekiti State Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal, on the desirability of seeking an alternative venue for the hearing of these cases outside Ekiti State. The State can no longer afford to witness the bizarre spectacle of the beating up of judicial officers and wanton intimidation of lawyers and court personnel.

     

    Now that the security agencies appear to be fully seized of the situation, I call on them not to relent in performing their constitutional role of protecting lives and property in our state. Administrations come and go; politics can be frenetic when the stakes are high; but by the grace of the Almighty God, our state remains for all time, therefore THE PEACE OF OUR LAND IS NOT NEGOTIABLE.

     

    Ekiti Kete, consistent with our history of unity and love, let us work together to make our state a garden of concord where our children and their children will dwell in peace and safety. Even in the pursuit of politics and justice, let us conduct ourselves as kinsmen, bound by a shared love for Ekitiland but differing only in the choice of instruments by which to accomplish the same goal.

     

    Let us then temper our competitive zeal with civility and empathy. Let us deal truthfully with our youth, who are so liable to be led astray by unbridled political fervour, by seeing them as our children rather than as conscripts or fodder for our objectives.

     

    Ekiti Kete, in order to forestall further descent into anarchy in our state, I am taking the very difficult decision to suspend the ‘Thank You’ tour which I’m undertaking as part of our transitioning-out formalities. Also, I have taken the decision to institute a dusk to dawn curfew in the state immediately. Accordingly, there would be no movement between the hours of 7.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m. everyday till further notice. We urge the citizenry to be vigilant and provide the security agencies with details of suspicious activities that can undermine the peace in our state.

     

    Let us work together to stop the violence and brigandage that has brought about serious embarrassment to our state in the last few days.

     

    Let Peace Reign in the land of honour, Ekiti State.

     

    God bless Ekiti State.

    God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.