Supporters of Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, pictured celebrating after the Elections tribunal judgement in Abuja on Monday.
Tag: Ekiti
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Fayemi flags off construction of 41-yr-old abandoned road
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday, flagged off the construction of the 7.25 km Ado-Iyin road which was originally awarded in 1978 by the then military government but later abandoned.
Flagging off construction work on the road as part of activities marking his first 100 days in office, Dr Fayemi said the construction of the new road is long overdue considering the unsafe nature of the existing Ado-Iyin-Igede-Aramoko road which has winding and undulating alignments.
He said the construction of the dual carriageway would be completed within 15 months.
The Governor stated that the proposed road will not only address the problem of alignments and reduce carnage on the old road but also have multiplier effects on commuters who use the road for longer journey.
“This is just one of several abandoned projects we are determined to execute for the benefit of Ekiti kete. Just few weeks ago, I visited the secretariat and inspected another equally important project within the secretariat, a gigantic project at that. I am glad to inform you that One Billion Naira has been earmarked in the 2019 Budget of Restoration that I just signed this morning for the abandoned project to be resuscitated and completed”, he said.
While reassuring that his administration will not abandon any project, the governor said all the ongoing projects of his predecessor, Ayodele Fayose are being given attention for completion for the use of the people.
He recalled that his government between 2010 and 2014 rehabilitated old roads and constructed new roads for the use of the people but the roads were left after he left office and are now in a state of disrepair.
Read Also: 100 Days: Ekiti Assembly passes vote-of-confidence on Fayemi
“As a government, we understand and appreciate the importance of good road network to our economic development. Good road network will not only ease the stress of commuters but will also enhance the marketability of our farm produce which is the mainstay of most of our people. The need for us to constantly rehabilitate old roads and open up new ones cannot be overemphasized”, Fayemi said.
In his address, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works, Mr. Dele Agbede solicited the cooperation of residents along the route especially those whose property may be affected by the dualization project.
Agbede noted that the road on completion, the road will boost socio-economic activities, reduce carnage, road user’s cost and travel time.
He added that streetlight and other aesthetics will be provided to enhance pleasurable driving experience on the road.
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EFCC, ICPC should investigate 2016 audit report – CSO
A civic organization, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI) on Wednesday called on the anti-graft agencies the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission to investigate the 2016 Audit Report.
The organization stated that N2.97 billion meant for 30 critical projects in the country was unaccounted for as stated in the report.
Executive Director of PLSI, Olusegun Elemo, stated these at the launch of its Independent Findings of priority projects captured in the 2016 audit report.
Elomo stated that the organization monitored 19 priority projects in 12 states captured under the report this year and found out that most of them have been abandoned.
According to him, ten out of the projects have been abandoned even when monies have been paid for them.
He noted that only one out of the 19 projects had been completed when PLSI visited the states this month.
The monitored states by PLSI include; Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Adamawa, Imo and Enugu.
Some of the abandoned projects include; construction of mini-water scheme phase two, contract for the construction of small earth dam, rehabilitation of two-township water supply schemes, improvement of Olode water supply scheme under the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority.
Others are construction of Weru bridge fencing of Okene water works among others which was supposed to be implemented by the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority.
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Projects abandoned under the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing include the rehabilitation of Ikorodu road with about N112.8million unaccounted for, also the rehabilitation of 24km Akungba-Ikare-Omuo-Kabba road among others.
Elomo said: “We visited 12 states over the last six months and monitored 19 out of the 30 priority projects highlighted in this report. While one of the projects had been completed, two were not executed, 10 abandoned, three poorly implemented, another two currently ongoing and one now provided for in the 2018 Appropriation Act.
“The major issue for us is how procurement laws and financial regulations are flagrantly disregarded at the risk of public funds and the negative effect on Nigerians, many of which are in rural areas in terms of access to clean portable water, access roads, quality health facilities.
“A total of N2.97 billion is said to be unaccounted for by different contractors on these 30 projects and we are calling on the anti-corruption agencies to quickly investigate these cases in order to ensure deserved value for money is achieved.”
Also, Project Director, TrustAfrica, Chinedu Nwagu, called on the National Assembly to carry out a review of the 2016 report.
He said it is only when a review of the report is done and recommendations forwarded to the Executive arm of government that the anomalies found in the report could be corrected.
Nwagu said: “There is need for the National Assembly to do the needful by ensuring extensive review of the 2016 audit report of the federation. It is only when this is done and recommendations forwarded to the Executive Arm that these anomalies can be corrected.
“Parliament should equally make effort in sending the new Audit Service Commission Bill 2018 to the president for assent. The new law will go a long way in preventing such illegality from occurring again,” he said.
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Ekiti unveils activities for Fayemi’s first 100 days in office
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi will tomorrow open a training and empowerment programme for 6,300 youths as part of activities marking his administration’s first 100 days in office.
Fayemi was inaugurated as Ekiti State governor on October 16, last year.
The administration will be 100 days in office tomorrow.
A statement by the Chairman of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the Central Planning Committee, Mr Yinka Oyebode, said the governor will tomorrow deliver the “State of the State” address at the House of Assembly in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The state-wide address will focus on the governor’s administrative journey in the past 100 days and its plans for immediate and future development of the state.
Other programmes slated for the one-day celebration include kick-starting the New Ado-Iyin road project, a stakeholders’ forum, where representatives of critical stakeholders in the state will interact with the governor and his team.
The 6,300 youths billed to participate in the training and empowerment programme are drawn from the 16 local government areas of the state.
The programme is in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the statement added.
Fayemi, who has opted for a low key celebration, said his vision is to see Ekiti State regain its lost glory through huge investments in education, health care delivery, agricbusiness, youth development, infrastructure and industrial development.
He noted that this can be achieved through effective application of the four pillars of the administration’s development agenda, viz: Social Investments, Knowledge Economy, Infrastructure and Industrial Development and Agriculture and Rural Development.
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Ekiti woos China, business community for development
The Ekiti State government has canvassed the partnership of the government and people of China to achieve sustainable development in the key sectors and delivery of its four-point agenda.
The Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, made the call while addressing the representatives of the Chinese government and business community at the celebration of the Chinese Lunar Year in Lagos.
The Lunar Year celebration also featured a discussion on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and production capacity cooperation between China and Nigeria.
According to a statement on Tuesday signed by his Special Assistant (Media), Odunayo Ogunmola, Egbeyemi spoke on business and economic opportunities available in Ekiti for potential Chinese investors and business community.
Egbeyemi listed areas Ekiti would need China’s support to include training and retraining of workers, mechanized and commercial agriculture, healthcare delivery, development of educational institutions and establishment of industries to absorb unemployed youths.
The forum was attended by Ambassador of China to Nigeria, Mr. Zhou Pingjan; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Director General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Mr. Muda
Yusuf, Director General of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Ayoola Olukanmi, among others.Read Also: Vote against return of treasury looters, Osinbajo tells Ekiti electorate
The deputy governor said the state has both human and inherent natural resources for the development and sustenance of capital investment in the State.
Revealing the intention of the Fayemi administration on mechanized and commercial farming, Egbeyemi, explained that Ekiti State was blessed with vast virgin land and yet to be accessed natural resources that
could boost the economy of the country if properly harnessed.Egbeyemi sought the intervention of the Chinese government in provision of vaccine for immunization and equipment for its hospital to enhance health service accessibility to the people especially those at the
grassroots.This, he said, would reduce infant mortality rate, morbidity and the spread of infectious diseases.
Egbeyemi who revealed plans to partner Chinese government on development of its educational institutions in the State said such development would help produce self-dependent graduates and reduce
unemployment in the State.The deputy governor charged the Chinese government who he claimed had benefitted from award of contracts from Ekiti State government to allow the people of the State feel its presence by establishing companies and investing in the economy of the State.
The four-point agenda on which the Fayemi administration anchors its economic revival plan are social investment, knowledge economy, agricultural and rural development and infrastructural development.
In his address, the Chinese envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Pingjian revealed that the initiative would focus on industrial promotion, infrastructural connectivity, trade facility, green development, capacity building, health care, people to people exchange and security initiative.
Pingjian expressed confident and readiness of China to deepen and sustain cooperation with Nigeria in the realization of the joint construction of the Belt and Road initiative.
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2019: INEC warns against vote buying in Ekiti
The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ), has warned its staff against conniving with politicians to promote the culture of vote buying that has inhibited democratic consolidation in the country.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner(REC) in Ekiti State, Prof. Abdulganiy Raji, explained that INEC staff should not be blamed for the malfeasance but politicians, that many of the commission’s staff do compromise to perpetrate the offence through polling booths arrangement that could facilitate the unacceptable practice.
Raji who spoke on the inability of the Nigerians in diaspora to vote in the 2019 elections, said there was no legal provision backing such policy for now, pointing out that this could only happen if the existing constitution and the Electoral Acts are amended to accommodate electronic voting.
The REC said these in Ado Ekiti on Thursday while delivering a lecture themed: ‘Women Participation in Electronic Process in Ekiti State: What exists, Challenges and Benefits’, at a workshop organized by New initiative for Social Development (NISD)in collaboration with Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room.
Speaking at the forum, Raji said the electoral management body is being challenged with the litigation on the guidelines to use for the poll.
He added that could serve as clogs in achieving success in the forthcoming election.
He stated that many of the new innovations fashioned into the electoral processes by INEC were being hindered by some parties in courts, saying these may create confusion for the commission.
Read Also: INEC clears Buhari, Atiku, Ezekwesili, Okotie, others
“The commission can’t deny the fact that there was vote buying in the system, but this was being done by politicians by way of manipulating the placement of the polling booths so that those voting can be monitored for financial inducement.
“In most cases, some party leaders do coerce or manipulate our staff so that they can be favoured in such arrangement which INEC did not support. INEC is not in support of any action that can affect the actual outcome of elections and that we had told our staff, who are foreigners in most cases”.
Raji advised that political parties may end up having high void votes in the coming elections if INEC staff are stampeded to circumvent the use of smart card readers.
“INEC is no longer using Incident Forms. Whatever votes that will be counted as being valid must be verified and authenticated by Smart card readers, so resorting to other means will not be accepted by our commission.
“If the smart card readers are not working as expected, call for another one because any votes not authenticated by the machine will be regarded as invalid”, he said.
He urged political parties against institutionalising any structures that could manipulate the internal democracy against women emergence for political positions, saying doing so would amount to total infringement on their rights.
“For our electoral system to get it right regarding women’s rights, the constitution must take cognizance of our culture. Women and aged people must be given the rights to vote first, but the present Electoral Acts did not take cognizance of such”, he said.
The NISD Executive Director, Mr. Biodun Oyeleye, said the dialogue was organized to sensitize and conscientise women on the need to to have unity of purpose to fight for their rights in order to remain relevant politically in the country.
Oyeleye lamented that Nigerian men always manipulate the internal democracy of their party to relegate women during primaries, describing this as inhibitive to democratic consolidation.
He urged the security operatives to erect a formidable security architecture that would curtail intimidation, rigging, voting buying and all other forms of electoral threats.
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Buhari mourns Oba Adejana of Iworoko-Ekiti
President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family of the late traditional ruler of Iworoko-Ekiti, Oba Oluwafemi Adejana, on the monarch’s transition.
The President also commiserated with the Ekiti State Government and the people of Iworoko-Ekiti on the demise of the royal father.
Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said “Coming barely a week after the tragic truck accident in a market in his town, which claimed many lives and destroyed several property, Oba Adejana’s passing is particularly sad and regrettable.”
Read Also: Mammoth crowd troop Benin Airport for Buhari
The President, however, urged the community to take solace in the fact that the octogenarian traditional ruler lived a long and rewarding life as he ensured peace and development in his domain.
As the people of Iworoko-Ekiti mourn their revered late Oba, President Buhari prayed Almighty God to console them and grant the soul of the departed peaceful rest.
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Osinbajo chairs NEC meeting
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday presided over the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting which will deliberate on the minimum wage request, among other issues, started around 11.26am when Osinbajo arrived the Council chamber.
After rendition of the National anthem, opening prayer was offered by Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong.
Read Also: We’ve credible plans to get Nigerians out of poverty, Says Osinbajo
Among state governors in attendance included Lagos, Zamfara, Adamawa, Kebbi, Jigawa, Niger, Ekiti, Bauchi,
Among the deputy governors in the hall included Nasarawa and Ogun.
Also in attendance were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed.
Others at the meeting included Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, Minister of Education Adamu Adamu, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefuele.