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Tag: Ekiti

  • Ekiti residents defy Fayose’s order to stay at home

    Many residents of Ekiti State on Tuesday defied the order of Governor Ayo Fayose to stay at home as the All Progressives Congress (APC) holds its final mega rally.

    Fayose had on Monday night directed commercial drivers and motorcyclists to withdraw their services from the roads on a day President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting.

    The governor also ordered that major markets in the city be closed and residents stay indoors.

    Many commercial drivers parked their vehicles at the Government House lawn where Fayose an all night party held. He also promised to give each driver that complied N10,000.

    He claimed that he took the action to prevent the killing of his people by Buhari’s men whom he alleged were ready to spill blood.

    Fayose said the transporters would remain indoors until 4.00 pm when the APC rally would have ended.

    Normal commercial activities went on unabated on Tuesday with a good number of commercial drivers and motorcyclists plying their trade.

    Taxi cabs and okada riders picked passengers at bus stops along Ikere Road, Ilawe Road, Adebayo, Old Garage, Basiri, Old Garage, Odo Ado, Oke Ila, among others.

    Market women had thronged Oja Oba and Bisi Markets as soon as 6.00 in defiance of Fayose’s order that the market be closed.

    Read Also: Court orders Fayose to reinstate sacked TUC chair

    APC members were seen in many parts of the city trooping to the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium venue of the rally.

    A motorist who was apparently angry with Fayose’s late night order said nobody could stop him from pursuing his livelihood.

    He said: “Fayose is only afraid of his impending and unavoidable defeat, and that, that is the reason he is trying to do everything possible to frustrate the opposition parties in the state.”

    An Okada rider said: “Just to ensure that we do not come out to work today, he told us to come to NNPC on Bank Road on Monday night to collect 2 litres of fuel each, he also told us to come to Government House to eat food. This is very ridiculous and low of a state government.”

  • Fayemi warns troublemakers to leave Ekiti

    •APC candidate to clear salary arrears in six months

    Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Dr. Kayode Fayemi has warned  troublemakers enlisted to cause mayhem at Saturday’s election to leave “in their own interest.”

    He vowed that any individual who plans to foment trouble and prevent eligible voters from exercising their civic rights at the poll will be arrested and made to face “the full weight of the law.”

    The APC flag bearer said intelligence report has revealed that some individuals are sewing uniforms of the Department of State Services (DSS), Army and Police to be used illegally at the election.

    Fayemi assured eligible voters of adequate and maximum security saying they should not exercise any fear and apprehension at the election.

    Fayemi’s warning came on the heels of the alleged arrival of suspected militants from one of the Niger Delta States and other hoodlums camped in secret locations ahead of the election.

    The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development said, if elected governor, he will get a moratorium of six months to clear the backlog of salaries owed workers between six and nine months.

    Fayemi, who spoke at a special interview programme on Voice 89.9 FM on Saturday monitored by our reporter said Ekiti found itself in a sorry state because of “unseriousness in governance.”

    The former governor said Governor Ayo Fayose has received many financial reliefs from President Muhammadu Buhari administration, adding he has no reason to be owing workers.

    He listed the financial lifelines to include the first tranche of bailout cash of N4 billion, the second tranche of bailout of N8.9 billion, the Paris Club refund cash twice and the Budget Support Fund of N1.3 billion for thirteen months.

    He said, he is in the race “to rescue Ekiti from its arrested development” and put an end to hardship being experienced by the people.

    Warning potential troublemakers, Fayemi said: “I want to assure prospective voters that Ekiti will be safe, it will be secure, there will be maximum security for this election.

    “Our people should go about their business in peace and they should not be threatened. They should not feel harassed by all we are hearing from those who don’t want free and fair electoral process.

    “We are aware (of this) and every information that we get, we pass it to security agencies. I will like to advise those busybodies who have found their way into Ekiti to leave our state.

    “In your interest, it is in their ultimate interest to even leave unannounced before the election because they will face very severe punishment.

    “The maximum weight of the law will be brought on their head and we will kill an ant with a sledgehammer in this election. In their own

    interest, they should just leave Ekiti because they have no business with the election in Ekiti.

    “But if you are in Ekiti legitimately you have nothing to fear. Those who are sewing DSS uniform, military uniform, police uniform, they will be shocked.

    He aded: “All of them will be arrested and they will not only be arrested, they will end up being forgotten in jail. That is my advice to them.

    “But for our people, our people are naturally law abiding, our people want this opportunity to exercise the rights. They don’t want to be disenfranchised.

    “That is why so much noise is being made about the purported cloning and collection of PVCs, recording of VIN numbers that Fayose and his ilk are promoting.

    “We will not let them subvert this process; this election will hold and it will hold freely, it will hold fairly, it will be credible, it will be transparent and result will be produced.”

  • Ekiti 2018: Ekiti has no alternative to Fayemi – Running mate

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy Governorship candidate for the July 14  election in Ekiti State, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, has said the electorate must kill the continuity agenda being touted by Governor Ayodele Fayose for Ekiti regain its integrity and fasttrack development to the state.

    Egbeyemi said the people of Ekiti must vote for Dr Kayode Fayemi in the coming election, if the dream of making the state to be economically viable and progress in all spheres to be realized.

    Egbeyemi spoke at a rally organized by Ekiti Kete Good Citizen Association(EKGCA) in Ado Ekiti on Saturday to drum support for APC

    and sensitize the people on the heed to jettison Fayose’s candidate, Prof Kolapo Olusola in the election.

    The President of the group, Mr. Ayodeji Babatola, said the group would mobilize the people across the 2,195 on the need to support Fayemi/Egbeyemi ticket  that would bring radical development to the state.

    The APC candidate’s running mate said: “We are happy seeing youths like you embracing our candidacy for this election.

    “We pray that Fayemi is voted for to become our governor in this state to rescue us from poverty. Our state must develop and I know someone

    of Fayemi’s standing will always think of how our state can develop.

    “He can’t embezzle or mismanage our money,  because he is exposed and has integrity.

    “We must work hard to ensure that our party wins. Let me tell you this, Fayemi is ready to accommodate body. With what we have now,

    every Ekiti indigene wants APC to triumph.

    “But as you continue to back our candidacy, we want you to be peaceful and ensure that you conduct yourselves in orderly manner, because what we stand for is the unity of the State”, he stated.

    Babatola  lamented that the PDP years of misrule under Fayose has slowed down the progress and development of the State, saying time

    has come for the people to take their destinies in their own hands.

    “We have this July 14 opportunity to redefine our future as a people. This time, we need a governor that will elevate the people through

    human capital development. We need a governor that will stop treating people  in a beggarly manner, the way Fayose has been doing.

    “We need a governor that won’t put Ekiti in his pocket. We need a governor that will treat workers with dignity by paying salaries as and when due and also incorporate youth employment into governance.”

    Babatola  said what Ekiti witnessed under Fayose was alleged massive looting of the public treasury, saying the people won’t make a mistake by voting for the PDP in the impending poll.

    “The only legacy Fayose has is the flyover. But we had found out that the flyover was supposed to cost N6.2 billion but we later realized that a whooping sum of N17.2 billion. So, PDP has no reason to retain Ekiti considering the way it has run the state down in all facets”, he added.

     

  • Hurray! the Ekiti governorship election is a week away

    It is  exactly a week to the Ekiti governorship election and the worst offence  I believe  any freeborn  Ekiti , with the privilege of a forum like I have courtesy this column can commit, this last Sunday before the election, is to afghanistise, or write on topics far removed from that historic event.

    But first, let me crave my editor’s indulgence to kindly publish this article in its entirety though it is about twice my allowed space.

    I am much obliged.

    I am, therefore, as a concerned Ekiti citizen, and a member of the STRATEGY committee of the John Kayode Fayemi Campaign, even at the risk of repetition, devoting this column today, to reproducing a seminal article authored by Wole Olujobi, the hardworking JKF campaign Director of Media and Publicity, in which he interrogated, to the minutest detail, the four years of Governor Fayemi as governor of Ekiti, 2010 – 2014. The objective is to enable the Ekiti electorate draw a clear distinction between the two academic giants representing the two leading parties – APC and PDP – in the election scheduled for July 14, 2018, and thus be able to vote wisely, especially if he/she is interested in the state’s development.

    While I am doing this for Dr John Kayode Fayemi of the APC, it is my hope that somebody, on the other side, will be perspicacious enough to equally let the Ekiti electorate know what the PDP candidate, Professor Sola Kolapo Eleka, has done for the state in the course of his three and a half years service.

    So critical, in my view, is this exercise, which I have described elsewhere, as a sine qua non, that I have suggested to our candidate that we should have the article translated to a language all Ekiti citizens will understand as well as have it run severally before D-Day on radio, TV and the print media. This should be more urgent in the case of the PDP candidate who, besides having never functioned as a state chief executive, has the added incubus that he cannot be quoted on many key governance issues beyond talking about continuity. So monotonous has this ‘continuity’ overuse become it has led to people asking questions like: is it continuity as in a cannibalised Ikogosi Resort? Is it continuity as in school enrolment which under Fayemi was 98% but now has so plummeted Ekiti State ranks lowest among Southwest states? Or is it continuity as in the Ikogosi-based Gossy Water that is now history?

    I just hope Professor Eleka will appreciate, and commend my drawing his attention to this crucial inevitability.

    However, because we want to come to equity with clean hands, Professor Eleka is permitted to treat Governor Fayose’s achievements as his own. That way, we’ll have a level playing field and a better basis for comparison.

    So let’s go.

    Back then to the piece by Olujobi. Such is the quintessence with which it captured the four years of Governor Fayemi’s administration  that  I’d like to enjoin the reader, whether of  Ekiti extraction, or not, to read it with some solemnity in order to  appreciate, and internalise,  how much an individual with a conscience can, in public office,  positively impact society .

    Happy reading.

    FAYEMI’S ‘FIRSTS IN EKITI DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

    By Wole Olujobi.

    He wrote, mutatis mutandis:

    In the last three weeks, I have had the rare opportunity of traversing the length and breadth of Ekiti State to see, first-hand, the progress, if any, in the development  programmes of the Ayo Fayose-led government.  Worthy of note is that rather  than a leap in development  to add to the accomplishments of former Governor Kayode Fayemi, what I saw  was a reversal of  the state’s fortunes.

    Besides the over-priced 800-metre fly-over show that glitters in the night, all parts of the state are perfumed  in pitch darkness, and our people are daily  at the mercy of night marauders  who stalk residents without let.

    Infrastructural development has grinded to a halt just as economic development initiatives are zero. Health services are priced above the table, poverty is on all fours, while social services have taken  flight.

    Just like in make-shift props for quick-fix solutions to endemic problems, big  lies are now employed as soothing balms   to malignant problems for what has become an unquestioning Ekiti society.

    Everywhere across the state, the socio-economic development brakes that screeched to a thunderous halt on October 15, 2014, remain locked on the same spot.

    Curiously ,  all these negativities are dressed  up as heroic accomplishments,  never  before seen in the state that  the unwary. could  still believe in the make-believe story  that Ekiti State has become an El Dorado. As you read this, but for the Debt Management office, the state debts, like its  Internally Generated revenue, would still have been  shrouded in secrecy, even though it has since climbed to N115B from the N18B Fayemi left on his exit in October, 2014.

    In contradistinction , within a year of his assumption of office, which was a record achievement,  then Governor  Fayemi not only disclosed the state’s revenue profile, he  upped the state’s monthly IGR substantially from N109M to N600M. He achieved this,  not by imposing fresh taxes on the people like governor Fayose did. Nor did he increase the existing  taxes; rather, all he did was block leakages in the state’s finances.

    For the first time ever, Ekiti State in November 2011, adopted visits to  all Local  government Areas for budget planning purposes during which visit every town  presented their preferred three projects to be incorporated in the year’s  budget,  and subsequently, for those that could not be accommodated in the current  year.

    For the first time in the state, a total of 183 secondary schools, and 836 primary schools were renovated, and furnished.

    Forty eight thousand (48,000) laptops were distributed to students and teachers in Ekiti State schools while additional 25,000 pieces were ordered, making it the first time in the state that information and computer technology would receive such a boost. This  yielded dividends  far beyond imagination as manifested in the tremendous improvement in  the 2013 WAEC result in the state. This initiative was long  before JAMB changed  its examinations  to a computer-based system, thus giving Ekiti  students  a head start.

    For the first time in Ekiti State too , teachers received 25 per cent of their pay as  core subjects and rural posting allowances in addition to their monthly  salaries.

    Across the state, and also for the first time, five mini-water treatment plants were commissioned while new pipes were laid to replace the old ones, with 167 modern water fetching points,  nick named  Eyiyato Fetching Points,  constructed in various communities across the 16 LGAs to ease the  hardship of  water shortage while in September 2013,  governor Fayemi signed the Water and Sanitation Bill into Law, marking the first time for such initiative. The percentage of water supply in the state  rose to 52% as against the 25% in place on  his assumption of office in 2010. This  comprehensive approach to water supply crisis increased the state’s rating as one of the  two  best states in the water sector in the country.

    Also, for the first time ever, in the history of  the West African sub-region, 20,000 elderly people were paid a  N5,000 monthly stipend as social security,  while by October 2013, during  his Third Year Anniversary, another 5,000 senior citizens were added to the scheme while the wife of the governor, for the first time in the history of Ekiti State, made sure that no elderly person in the state went to bed hungry. She did that through her Food Bank Programme where the elders were served cooked food in special kitchens across the state.

    All general hospitals in the state were fully rehabilitated  and two new ones were built while 728.365 kilometres of both Federal and state roads were constructed in addition to the 81.2 kilometres constructed in all local governments under the 5 Kilometre Road-per-local-government scheme, the first time that local governments would undertake such initiative backed by the state government.  As much as 902.565 kilometres of Federal, State and Local Government roads were rehabilitated, re-constructed and constructed to last decades unlike in the past where new roads collapsed barely a year  after commissioning.

    Women were empowered through small business schemes while Affirmative Action took root in Ekiti State with many women appointed into senior government positions. The First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, a U N honour recipient for her role in women empowerment in Africa,  brought relief to mothers of triplets through her Multiple Birth Trust Fund where financial assistance and baby items were given to them while also strengthening women empowerment schemes through her gender empowerment programme.

    Fayemi’s administration enacted  a law banning discrimination against women and all forms of violence against women, as well as enacting a law banning abuses against children.

    For the first time too, many communities that had existed for over 200 years without electricity, such as Oke-Ako in Ikole Local Government, were connected to the national grid while many communities were opened up through construction of rural roads and culverts.

    Hundreds of Ekiti youths, which included a trained medical doctor – turned farmer,  were engaged in commercial agriculture under the Youth Commercial Agriculture Development Programme (YCAD) and 117,000 farmers were registered to benefit from the ADP programme.

    For the first time, Ekiti State had both the largest cassava productivity (yield/Ha) and cultivation.. Yield was above national average at 15T/Ha (national average was 12T/Ha).

    Ekiti also had the largest expansion in cultivation in the country in 2012 with the addition of over 1,150Ha by YCAD Programme alone.

    As at October 2013, YCAD critical objective had started to manifest, as Ekiti State had the highest yield in cassava in the country.

    In an amazing manner, Ekiti State started  producing water melon and carrot which were,  hitherto,  exclusive produce from the Northern states.

    750Ha of land was cultivated under the Rice Expansion Programme, where government supported farmers with 100% input for production. 2013 operation alone was aimed at achieving 3,000Ha capacity and government also flagged off N600 million irrigation project under which Ero and Itapaji dams  provided 1,700 hectares of irrigated land.

    For the first time, there was a joint constituency project in irrigation by the three Senators representing Ekiti State with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The irrigated land was at Itapaji and served from Itapaji dam, which also served Iyemero and Gede farm settlements while  that of Ero dam was planned to serve Ikosun, Igogo and Ewu farm settlements.

    To restore cocoa to its prime position as the main cash crop as was the case in the First Republic, 150,000 cocoa seedlings were distributed to 15,000 farmers in 2013.

    For the first time, over 2000 school children and infants in Erijiyan – Ekiti were administered with 137,442 doses of Praziquantel pill to prevent Schisostomiasis, a water-borne disease prevalent in the area.

    In his health programme, no fewer than 400,000 Ekiti indigenes were treated under the free health mission programme during the seven editions across the state while the free health programme of Fayemi’s healthcare took care of the health needs of about 48% of children under five years, pregnant women, the disabled and elderly above 65 years.

    For the first time, another brand of free health mission called ‘Ilera Laafin’ was instituted, which took health missions to the palaces of the traditional rulers and their chiefs, even as more than N130 million was spent on the health care needs of indigent patients for various operations and provision of artificial limbs by the government.

    For the first time, a cancer care centre, the Funmi Adunni Olayinka Diagnostic and Wellness Centre, was established for early detection of cancer and cancer-related ailments to prevent avoidable death, even as the Ministry of Health conducted free medical screening for breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.

    And for the first time, Fayemi’s giant strides in the health sector increased antenatal attendance from 15,254 in 2010 to 79,104 in 2012, reduction of infant mortality rate to 98 per 1000 (the lowest in the country where national average is 189 per 1000) while maternal mortality dropped to 250/100,000 (National average is 545 per 100,000), getting Ekiti and two other states certified as having met the 2015 MDGs health goals.

    From its decrepit state before he became the governor, Fayemi within three years developed Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort into one of the top seven of the natural hospitality destinations in Nigeria and for the first time, an elite Knowledge Zone was also established within the facility for advanced studies in various fields.

    As at 2014, there were 781 completed projects, 558 on-going projects and 134 community projects initiatives on ground. Altogether, there were 1,473 completed and on-going projects in the state from October 2010- October 2013. As revealed during the present campaign, all uncompleted community projects remain exactly where they were at governor Fayemi’s exit in 2014; not a single block has been added to at uncompleted building project since 2014.

    According to the Human Development Report (2012), Ekiti State, for the first time, was described as the most conducive environment to live, for long and healthy living with a life expectancy average of 55 years which was higher than the National Life expectancy average of 50 years.

    Ekiti also had the lowest infant and maternal mortality rate and the lowest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the country while the state had the highest pupils’ enrolment relative to Nigeria’s population and it had the least out-of-school children (less than 2%) in Nigeria.

    For his development and leadership style, Fayemi won ‘Governor of the Year 2012 Award’ for the first time by the Leadership Newspapers on September 18, 2012. He was also named the Governor of The Year 2013 by Champion Newspaper. All these were confirmed in September 2013 when the United Nations invited Fayemi to its session on the basis that his state had met many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), also for the first time in the history of Ekiti State.

    For the first time, SAMSUNG Corporation awarded ‘Best Governor in Africa’ honour to Fayemi for investing heavily in education, while the London Economist’s report on governance in Ekiti State said: “Better governance is creeping beyond the metropolis. When your correspondent e-mails the governor of Ekiti State in impoverished central Nigeria he gets a reply within minutes, with the entire cabinet copied in and being told to assist with a visit.

    “After a six-hour drive north, seven interviews across the capital, Ado Ekiti, are arranged in the space of a few hours. Cabinet members are mostly foreign-educated and highly motivated and have private-sector experience. A new employment agency sends out job advertisements by text message. All secondary-school pupils are getting free laptops with solar panels.”

    For the first time, the state’s official twitter of the Ekiti State Government-@ekitistategov had the highest number of visitors among the states that had accounts on the social media in Nigeria.

    It had 11,624 followers as at September 30, 2013 and it was a platform where the government kept its citizens aware of its programmes.

    Fayemi knew the importance of a knowledge-based economy and he embarked on a venture of making Ekiti the Silicon Valley of Nigeria through Information and Communications Technology with the laying of fibre optics around the state for high speed internet access to homes and offices at affordable price, including wi-fi hot spot around many business areas in the state.

    All these gains, which Fayemi hopes to strengthen if he is elected governor on July 14, 2018, have been reversed in the last three and half years by Fayose who is planning to sustain the tempo of that destruction through a continuity agenda by his proxy, Prof Olusola Eleka, the governorship candidate of PDP.

    Will Ekiti people support the agenda that will reverse their fortune and which holds no promise for their future?

    That is a question to be resolved by millions of eager  Ekiti people thirsting for a government that would no longer arrest the state’s overall development.(concluded)

    Let me now conclude by saying that I feel positive, and cocksure that, having now tasted both sides of the political divide, and seeing the differences between the two very clearly, peace and development loving Ekiti people will, enthusiastically, elect Dr John Kayode Folorunso Fayemi, on Saturday, 14 July, 2018, for development.

     

  • Wife replaces deceased Ekiti cleric as GO

    The wife of the late General Overseer/Senior Pastor of Chapel of His Glory, Rev. (Mrs.) Modupe Salami, has been announced as the successor of her husband, Rev. (Dr.) Kunle Salami.

    President of Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Bishop Wale Oke, made the announcement at a thanksgiving service in the church.

    Oke anointed Mrs. Salami the new GO of Chapel of His Glory alongside the new church council.

    The new council includes: Pastor (Prof) Jacob Oluyege; Pastor (Mrs.) Dupe Bamidele; Pastor (Prof) Oluwole Akeredolu; Prof Gbenga Aribisala and Prof (Mrs.) Adekemi Oluyege.

    The bishop charged them to support the ministry more as the church enters a new era.

    Mrs. Salami’s emergence as the new General Overseer of the church was announced barely twenty four hours after her husband’s remains were interred.

    Salami died on May 14th in Maryland, United States after a brief

    illness at 57.

    He was the host of a popular radio talk, Morning Dew and author of many Christian books in his lifetime.

    Oke said he did not attend Salami’s burial on Saturday because “the father is not expected to attend the funeral of his son” having

    ordained the deceased into the ministry.

    He urged the church to cooperate with Mrs. Salami to succeed in the onerous task of overseeing the church and expanding the work of the Kingdom.

    Tributes poured in for Salami during the funeral service at the Ekiti State Pavilion, New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti.

    Among those who attended the funeral service are former Governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua; wife of Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Janet Olusola; Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Doicese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye and President of Agape Ministries, Bishop Felix Adejumo.

    Fellow clerics, children, church members and other associates of the deceased testified to the good life of the deceased who quit his job as a university lecturer for full time ministry.

    Delivering the sermon at the funeral service, Bishop Mike Bamidele, said the late preacher will be remembered for his selfless service in God’s vineyard and to humanity.

    In the sermon titled “Let your life count instead of counting your years,” Bamidele said Salami was a father and mentor to many, a giver and sponsor of education of many children who were not his biological children.

    Bamidele stressed that human life is like a flower, grass and vapour, which cannot last forever urging the audience to use the period of their existence to positively impact the lives of others around them.

  • My plan for Ekiti, by Olusola

    Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Prof. Kolapo Olusola has unfolded his six-point agenda to reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA was there.

    What is your six-point agenda all about?

    The SHIELD Agenda is continuity agenda. I am part of the Fayose administration and I have inputs into some of the policies. By the grace of God, the coming one (government) we are looking forward to, we will improve on the existing one and do better by the grace of God.

    The SHIELD Agenda, the first letter “S” stands for Security, Sustainable Human Development and Social Welfare. The goal is to have a secured environment, we will ensure adequate security of our people and their property. You cannot have a good environment or an enabling environment without putting in place adequate security measures. You cannot develop agriculture without putting in place security measures that are meant to protect the farmers, investors and tourists from dangers arising from activities of evil men. So, putting in place adequate security measures and deploying ICT is one major area of focus in my agenda, which by the grace of God, I believe will successful. We also have sustainable human development. The word sustainable simply refers to what you can do presently that will not jeopardize the future generation. Presently, serious effort is being put in place when you talk of human capital development. We are talking about giving opportunity to workers, giving opportunity to Ekiti people to get properly trained and also to enable them acquire skills that will make them productive in whatever they are doing. The focus, this time around, will be on civil service, teachers and workers in different sectors. We are in the era of ICT. There is a need for continual capacity building development of the workforce in such a way that it will improve their productivity and effectiveness on their jobs and to give them opportunities to improve academically and professionally. Social welfare, we will put in place measures that will take care of the needs of the vulnerable segment of the population. Stomach infrastructure goes beyond giving out mere rice or food materials, we are talking about programmes that will empower the less privileged, empower the poor. We are talking about people living with disability; there is going to be a special commission that will definitely focus on the needs of the people living with disabilities.

    What about other programmes?

    Then we talk about healthcare; presently, we have identified the gaps. Most of our health centres are not in very good condition especially in the very remote areas. Yes, Ado, Ikere, Ikole and other local government headquarters, comprehensive health centres there are in good condition but if you go to remote areas, you discover that most of those health centres are in dilapidated condition. So upgrading these health centres and giving them the needed facilities is going to be a major concern that is being addressed in our agenda. And also the establishment of cottage hospitals, some of the health centres can be upgraded to cottage hospitals. We want a situation in which some of our consultants in the teaching and specialist hospitals can be drafted to these health centres in the rural areas to consult once or twice in a week on specific days. There is need for upgrading of some facilities in our teaching hospital, for instance the MRI machine. We should also not overlook the welfare of workers in the health sector if given the opportunity in the next administration. Talking about infrastructural development and industrial development; we have a vision of dualising some roads in each of the local government headquarters. Presently this administration has been able to do eleven and the basis of this continuity agenda is that being part of this administration, we will carry these projects forward and complete them and do more of inter township roads by the grace of God. But importantly, we are going to focus on rural roads construction because this has to do with our efforts in developing agriculture and tourism.

    If our farm settlements are not accessible, it will be very difficult for farmers to bring their produce out of the farms to the markets. We are going to deploy resources to construction of rural roads if elected, we have done a lot in the present administration on intra and inter township roads but we are going to work more on rural roads in the next administration. Still on infrastructure, we are going to build on what the present administration has done on urban renewal because if you are going to attract investors, there is need to change the face of the state capital and local government headquarters. On rice mills, we will encourage investors to establish them because you cannot talk of investment without regukar power supply, power supply system is not encourarging. That is why we are going to encourage organisations dealing with independent power projects, to come in and establish industrial hubs and centres. You talk of “E”, education; education is our pride and heritage in Ekiti State and that is why we describe ourselves as Fountain of Knowledge. Unfortunately, when this administration came into office, education was at the lowest ebb, our performance was at the lowest ebb and thank God, we are able to turn things round and we are now doing well. But then there is still a gap and the major gap is lack of ICT being deployed in our schools. Apart from sustaining what we have on ground, we will apply ICT to turn things around. Digital training will be given to teachers and students. “L” stands for learning and governance. We are going to provide qualitative and development-oriented leadership. Our government will involve workers in decision making process and we will make core civil service more functional. The last letter “D” stands for Development of Tourism and Agriculture. Most of our youths are unemployed and one of the ways we can get them off the streets is to involve them in agriculture, mechanized farming and assist them with inputs. Ekiti has signed an Memorandum of Understanding with Lagos State for rice cultivation. About 10,000 hectares of land that will engage about 9,000 youths. Talking about Tourism, the previous approach was wrong, we are goint to partner the private sector that can turn around our tourism belt. It’s not out of place to have Tourist Bus Stops around the state.

    How do you hope to fund your projects and policies in the face of low Internally Generated Revenue?

    If we have more industries here, some of those industries will employ people, they will pay tax, with the establishment of more industries, it will have direct effect in terms of improving the IGR of the state. If you have good infrastructure in place, it will help improve the IGR of the state. I am aware there are organisations providing funds for some of these projects you are talking about.

    Looking at technical education, currently, there is a World Bank grant. We may not be able to complete all the technical colleges but when we complete that, we will apply for more grants from the World Bank to complete others. On funding of projects, the state government may not have capacity to do everything but we may work on partnership with some of these agencies. We have Rural Access Mobility Programme of the World Bank, all we need to do is to showcase what we have done and key into what they have for us and through that we are going to get some funds to implement these projects.

    How do you hope to address the problem of inadequate number of teachers in public schools to make your education agenda succeed?

    We have identified the problem and that is why out of the new workers we are employing, a good number of them will be teachers, especially primary school teachers. So many teachers have retired, we have shortage of teachers in primary schools. SUBEB has made an appraisal of what is going on which they have submitted to us. This time around, the teachers we are going to recruit will be teachers that are ICT compliant. The issue of competence should be addressed from the recruitment stage and then you give them environment they will continue to improve themselves. So, we are addressing the problem of inadequate number of teachers.

    What plan do you have in your agenda for women and widows?

    Women will be part of governance and decision making in the state, we will give women their right of place in the coming government.

    Presently, we are doing a lot to encourage women in this administration and the SHIELD Agenda is a continuity agenda. There are so many policies we are implementing which are carried into the agenda. About women, we will empower women economically and to be self reliant. The issue of upgrading our health centres, the focus there is women because maternity centres will be improved to deliver better services because the women are mostly attended to there. Talk about girl child education, mentoring scheme and of course and establishing of guidance and counseling and referral centres are being constructed by this administration and we will put them into full use in the next administration. Some key officials of this government are women like Secretary to the State Government, Commissioner for Works, so there is continuity.

    Ikogosi Warm Spring was up and running when this administration came in, but it is no longer running. What went wrong and how would you revive it?

    May I correct one impression, there is a difference between Ikogosi Hotels and Ikogosi Warm Spring. The last administration spent over N1 billion to renovate Ikogosi Hotel there bur as an expert in building construction, if you go there now, you will discover that a cosmetic approach was adopted in construction of those buildings. Go there now, you see termites affecting the roof. This is because right from the beginning, if you have done proper site investigation and proper soil test, a termite infested soil, if you don’t start in a right way you will not get anything good out of it. So, the construction of the hotel was not properly done. The warm spring and Gossy Water is being run by UAC and they discovered they are not making profit. It was not the state government that shut the place down, the company running the place was not making profit there. But I keep saying this, that holistic approach was not adopted in developing that place. If you want to develop Ikogosi Warm Spring them develop Arinta Water Falls, the whole of that place forms a tourist belt. Another problem that affected Ikogosi was the issue of power, running on generators is not easy and it affected the Ire Burnt Bricks in which O’dua Investment has the substantial share there. It was the issue of power, when we address the issue of power, so many problems will be addressed as well.

  • Minerals capable of turning Ekiti to rich state, says da candidate

    Democratic Alternative (DA) governorship candidate in Ekiti State Ayodele  Adesua has promised to invest in the  solid minerals sector to create jobs and wealth for the people.

    Adesua said Ekiti is blessed with mineral deposits capable of turning the Fountain of Knowledge to a rich state and an investment destination.

    Speaking on his development agenda with reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital,  yesterday, Adesua described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government as “visionless, lazy and indolent”, as it is surrounded by wealth in minerals, agriculture and human resources.

    He criticised the Ayodele Fayose administration for depending on federal allocations and failing to look into other sectors that can generate revenue into its coffers and jobs for citizens.

    Adesua said the DA administration will be masses-oriented and accountable, promising to always give account of stewardship on monthly basis.

    He said: “Ekiti State is blessed with abundant natural resources such as granite, kaolin, columbite, iron ore, gem stone, gold among others.

    “These minerals are largely deposited in different towns and villages in Ijero, Ekiti West, Ado, Ikole, Ikere and ise/Orun.

    “Most of these resources are left untapped. Our findings reveal that there must be a synergy between the state and Federal Government for maximum exploration of these resources to the gain of our state.”

    “Our government would seek for foreign investors and work with relevant ministry at the federal level in order to have these rich minerals exploited on terms and conditions that would allow for employment opportunities for our indigenes.

     

     

     

     

  • $322m Abacha loot: Cash transfers to poor homes begin in July

    The Federal Government says it will commence disbursement of the recovered 322 million dollars Abacha loot through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) to 302,000 poor households in 19 states in July.

    Mr Tukur Rumar, of the National Cash Transfer Office (NTCO), said this at a roundtable on assets recovery organised by the Swiss Embassy on Thursday, in Abuja.

    The event was organised to intimate citizens and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the efforts both nations were making on asset recovery after the Post-Global Forum on Assets Recovery (GFAR) held in Washington D.C. in Dec. 2017.

    At the forum, Nigeria made commendable commitments on beneficial ownership, tax transparency, asset recovery, transparency management of recovered funds and payments to victims of corruption.

    The states are: Niger, Kogi, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Cross River, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarrawa, Anambra and Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) in Borno.

    According to Rumar, the benefiting households will receive N5,000 monthly and are derived from the National Social Register (NSR) that the 19 states are already on.

    He said the programme was designed to also train beneficiaries on livelihood skills, social skills and other programmes that would change their lives completely.

    Rumar, however, said that NCTO had been making payments to the 46,000 poor and vulnerable households across the 19 states since Dec. 2016, adding that the number had increased to 290,000.

    Mr Iorwa Apera, the National Coordinator, National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), said 503,055 households were already on the NSR register from the 19 states, adding that by July, there would be a social register for all the states of the federation.

    He said that of the Abacha loot, about 302,000 poor homes across the 19 states would be mined by the NCTO to begin to receive the Abacha loot.

    Apera told the participants that the Federal Government would begin with those states, because they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NASSCO to put in place certain infrastructure to empower the national register.

    “Some of the states delayed, but the other ones were quick enough to set up infrastructure that allowed us to start work there, but all the states are now on board as they have set up their state operating offices and donated office equipment to us.

    “As states come on board, we enroll and so they extend to the beneficiary register, and presently we are generating data in all the states now,’’ he said.

    Read Also: EFCC launches probe as $500m Abacha loot goes missing

    Mrs Linda Ekeator of the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment said the Abacha loot was invested in the social investment programme, because it was a programme that was already supported by the World Bank.

    She said that before the money was returned to Nigeria, there was an agreement with the Swiss government that it should be used for alleviating poverty and this was to be done with the supervision of the World Bank.

    The Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Eric Mayoraz said the 722 million dollars of the Abacha family money that was hidden in Switzerland was fully repatriated in 2005.

    He also said that the 322 million dollars that was repatriated in Dec. 2017, was money that was frozen by the Swiss Attorney-General, but was not domiciled in Switzerland, but in other countries, mainly Luxembourg.

    He, however, said measures had been put in place to ensure that Swiss banks were not used to hide stolen funds from other countries.

    “For possible new cases, the Swiss legislation has fundamentally changed.

    “The law in Switzerland does not allow bank secrecy anymore, and all banks and financial institutions have a due diligence duty to ask everyone coming with money where it is coming from.

    “That does not mean that there are no illegal or stolen assets now in Switzerland, but then there is another instrument I signed myself with the Nigerian Ministry of Justice and Switzerland two years ago on mutual legal assistance and this is for new cases.

    “Now, this agreement with our own Ministry of Justice and Nigeria is that there will be direct communication and exchange on mutual legal request and we are really collaborating with EFCC and other agencies in Nigeria,’’ Mayoraz.

    The Executive Director, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, said for Nigerian citizens to not keep spreading rumours about the whereabouts of recovered loots, the government must be transparent in all the processes.

    He also said that CSOs should be given access to the social register to enable it monitor properly whether or not the beneficiaries received what was due to them.

  • Oshiomhole, Lalong, Yari: power ‘ll shift in Ekiti on July 14

    All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders have reiterated their push for power shift in Ekiti State at a rally witnessed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, 12 governors, ministers, and other big wigs. The election will hold on July 14. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU captures the expectations of the party faithful as the campaign train of the flag bearer, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, rolls into the 120 towns and villages constituting the Fountain of Knowledge.

    Brooms filled the air in Ado, the capital of Ekiti State. It was not a rented crowd. Joy was bold on the faces of party members who adorned customized t-shirts and fez caps. They were full of enthusiasm and zeal they danced and chanted party slogans at intervals. As the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Jide Awe, put it, the voters were ready for the July 14 governorship poll.

    Artisans, peasants, youths, professionals, technocrats, women groups, and representatives of Hausa and Ebira communities joined party supporters from 120 towns and villages for the rally. They were in one accord. There was no display of unruly behaviour during the carnival-like rally that lasted for almost nine hours.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) led the national party leaders who stormed the Kayode Oluyemi Stadium for the rally around 2. 05 pm. He was accompanied by 12 governors, some ministers and senior party officers who delivered powerful messages of solidarity and goodwill to Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the governorship flag bearer, his running mate, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, and the Ekiti APC family.

    “Ekiti deserves prosperity. JFK will bring prosperity to Ekiti. On July 14, don’t waste your votes. We are moving forward. We are cooking a good soup for you,” Osinbajo said in Yoruba, assuring Ekiti of a brighter future.

    On the raised platform were Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former APC Interim Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, out-going National Chaitman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, his likely successor and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Secretary to Government of Federation Boss Mustapha, National Secretary Mai Buni, former Governors Bamidele Olumilua, who gave the opening prayer, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Segun Oni, Fayemi’s wife, Bisi, and Mrs. Egbeyemi.

    Tinubu, who saluted the endurance and resilience of the crowd, urged the people not to waver in spirit and focus. He lamented that it is strange that Ekiti is not yet part of the broom revolution. Why is Ekiti different? He asked. Throwing his weight behind Ekiti APC’s avowed commitment to change, the party stalwart said: “We will do this voting together. I don’t have a PVC in Ekiti, but…”

    Urging the people to get their permanent voter’s cards ready, he said: “What is the value of your stay here, if you don’t have the permanent voter’s card? That is the red card. You watch the world cup matches. They have issuing yellow and red cards to players. You should give the PDP the final card on the day of the election.”

    In the mood of excitement were Adebayo and Oshiomhole, who basked in the euphoria of incumbency power wielded by the ruling party. Thus, there was a flash of federal might which may have sent the PDP jittery. “I am not a visitor to Ekiti like our party leaders. I have not much to say. PDP says they don’t want soldiers and police. It is foul of them. On poll day, there will be soldiers and police,” said the Iyin-Ekiti-born politician.

    To Oshiomhole, what goes around comes around. He mocked the PDP over its loss of power, which he said was used to prevent his entry into Ekiti for campaigns four years ago. He said the PDP rigged the 2014 poll. “Many days are for the thief, one day for the owner. 2014 was for the thief. July 14 is for the owner,” he said, urging the electorate to shun fear on election day.

    Reminiscing on his 2014 plight, he said: “Four years ago, I was on my way to Akure, to come to Ekiti, to send a message. Those in power did not allow me. They stopped me at Benin. Tough times don’t last. Those who used power, God took them away.”

    The former labour leader urged the electorate to vote for Fayemi. He said:” Ekiti recorded achievements under Fayemi. You are intelligent. You can’t choose a roadside banana maker. Don’t be afraid. Your votes will count. What is good for Kogi, Kwara, Ondo, Osun, Lagos and the rest of Nigeria cannot be bad for Ekiti.”

    Echoing him, a defector, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, former Minister of State for Works, said the PDP is dead in Ekiti, adding that its leading lights are defecting in droves. He challenged Fayose to repeat the feat of wining in 16 councils on July 14. “PDP is dead in Ekiti. It will not rise again. We have uprooted it. We will not set it on fire. People are decamping on daily basis from PDP. One of the exco members of PDP, as Fayemi knows, has defected. Fayemi will liberate us.”

    To Oyegun, Adeyeye’s defection was long overdue. Presenting the flag to Fayemi, he said: “It is the popular consent of your people that you will be governor. Congratulations. Impressed by the turnout of party faithful, he said: “You can see victory. You can feel victory. Have you not tried two wives? Who is your governor? JFK.” Turning to Adeyeye after receiving him into the fold, Oyegun added: “We have wanted you in the APC. Today, you are with us. To God be the glory.”

    Also, Oni mocked the PDP, saying it is depreciating, adding that a party that had over 30 governors when he served as governor on its platform, now has less than 12 governors. “Ekiti is the od state out in Yorubaland. We should join the progressive camp to be part of development and prosperity,” he said.

    Awe alerted Ekiti to the imminence of a political tsunami, which he said, will sweep away the remnants of PDP from the state. He said the change will open a new chapter in the life of the chapter, adding that it will be a stepping stone to a glorious future. “We lost in 2014. It will not be repeated again. On July 14, come and vote for APC,” he added.

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun was visible at the rally with his familiar hill-top cap. “Ekiti should not come last in the Nigerian project. Having tasted the PDP and the APC, you know the better one. Let everyone take his PVC to vote for FKJ. The loss of 2014 must not be repeated,” he added. His Oyo State counterpart, Senator Abiola was comical, saying: “For you to be fine, you should vote for Fayemi.”

    Their Osun compatriot, Rauf Aregbesola, was hailed by the crowd as he approached the podium. Waving his broom at the crowd, he said in Yoruba: “Ekiti is full of eagerness. We should prepare anew. We must not fail this time around.”

    As if he was reading his lips, Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who added a little drama to his speech, declared: “This is a different time. Fayemi only retraced, only to come back in full force. APC has produced governors in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo. It is the turn of Ekiti.”

    Urging voters to gird their loins, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said: “Ekiti should be part of progressive states. On July 14, let us vote for the APC. Fayemi has been governor before and he was successful. We should vote for him again.”

    Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi State, who directed his message to the youths, urged them to vote for APC in appreciation. “APC is the party that appreciates the youths. It is a party that recognizes the youths. In this dispensation, they gave me an opportunity to represent the youths. The way we won Edo and Ondo is the way we will win Ekiti. We will campaign day and night to win,” he said.

    The governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, hailed Ekiti for their zeal, assuring that the reclamation is far gone. Noting that Nigeria in the last three and half year have been safe in the hands of President Muhamadu Buhari and Osinbajo, he said: “By God’s grace, on July 14, Ekiti will come under the rule of the APC.”

    His Zamfara State counterpart, Abdulazeez Yari, asked the crowd: “Are you ready for change in Ekiti in 2018?” The crowd responded: “Yes”. He said: “The crowd I saw in 2014 is different from that of 2018. That means you are ready for change.”

    Southwest APC Women Leader Chief Kemi Nelson, while charging voters to prepare for the exercise, said: “Go and collect your PVC so that you can vote for Fayemi.”

    Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Presidential Adviser on Political Matters, said the end of the PDP’s rule in Ekiti was approaching. “Oshofo will go. Let’s say bye to him. He will go.”

    A representative of the students, Niyi Odebunmi, reiterated the support of youths for Fayemi. “Students are socio-cultural and political asset. We identify with Kayode Fayemi in his bid to restore our values and secure our future.”

    The vice chairman of the Hausa Community, Mustapha Sheu, said victory is assured, adding: “We are expecting the swearing in of Fayemi, who has been kind to us. We cannot forget him.”

    A leader of Ebira community, Sadiku Ojo, said: “We support Fayemi for a second term. We came to this rally in the bus he gave to our community in his first term. He really empowere our women and traders. We will vote for him.”

    Fayemi said he was humbled by the genuine solidarity of party leaders. Firing salvos at the PDP, he said: “They said they want continuity; continuity of poverty, backwardness and fraud.”

    Highlighting his vision for Ekiti, he added: “Our government will start to pay for school fees, NECO fees and social security. We will provide jobs. Our LCDAs will be back. By God’s grace, July 14 is our day with destiny. It is the day the PDP will be obliterated; a day of restoration of values, decorum and good governance.

    At the rally were Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, his Plateau and Borno counterparts Simon Lalong and Kashim Shetima, Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, APC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, former Ekiti State Deputy Governor Modupe Adelabu, Southwest APC leader Chief Pius Akinyelure, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, Senator Ayo Arise, Mr. Ayo Afolabi, Bimbo Daramola, Dele Faparusi, Kayode Ojo, Emmanuel Adesoye, Bode Oyedele, Akinlayo Kolawole, Ondo APC Chairman Ade Adetimehin, Yahaya Kolade, Hajia Hassan, Afolabi Ogunlayi, Uche Ekwunife, Sharon Ikereasor, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, and Senator Bunmi Adetunmbi.

  • PDP calls for credible election in Ekiti

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the forthcoming Ekiti Governorship election is free and fair.

    The PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus gave the advice when he received Former PDP State Assemblies Presiding Officers at PDP National secretariat on Monday in Abuja.

    Secondus said that any attempt to rig Ekiti election, scheduled for July 14, would be a threat to 2019 general elections.

    He said: “The best that the All Progressives Congress (APC) can give Nigerians is to conduct free and fair election and earn the credit.

    “PDP did it in 2015. We conducted credible presidential election; we lost and handed over power.

    “People should be allowed to test their will. We must allow the will of the people to prevail.

    “If you are popular, test it. Don’t intimidate or harass the people. Tell them the truth.’’

    Secondus expressed optimism that re-branded PDP would regain its lost ground, including the presidency it lost in 2015 general elections.

    He advised security agencies not to subject their loyalty to any political party but Nigerians.

    “ Members of the security agencies should know that the tax payers’ money is so important. You are not being paid by a party. One day, you will give account.”

    He condemned the killing of innocent people in the country and called on the government to redouble efforts in arresting the problem.

    The Chairman of the Former State Assemblies Presiding Officers, Inuwa Garba, urged the party national leaders to ensure that popular and experienced candidates emerge as the party candidates in future elections.

    “Popular and experience candidates that can deliver should be our target’’

    Garba, who canvassed the inclusion of the group members in all activities of PDP, pledged the loyalty of the group to the party to ensure the success its  success in the coming elections.

    Garba commended the Secondus for leading the party well and for the achievements his administration had recorded so far in the face of intimidation.(NAN)