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Tag: Ekiti

  • Ekiti NAPPS sacks President for misconduct

    The Ekiti State chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has removed its president, Alhaji Saka Adeleye, over alleged abuse of office and frivolous expenses.

    Adeleye’s alleged offences, according to the panel, violated Article 17 (A) and (B) of NAPPS constitution.

    A five-member caretaker committee has been inaugurated to run the affairs of the association for three months with Prince  Omodara as chairman

    NAPPS Elders’ Council at a meeting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on Thursday last week, set up an investigation panel comprising five members to look into the association’s financial records under Adeleye.

    The panel had as members Chief Femi Balogun (chairman), Otunba Segun Ola, Mr. Daniel Alabi, Pastor A.G. Ekundayo and Elder Samson Omoboko.

    According to a copy of the resolutions of Elders’ Council made available to The Nation, the state executive will step aside for six weeks to allow for investigation of Adeleye’s tenure.

    It reads in part: “In view of the grave allegations levelled against the President and the executive members and to give room for fair investigation, the state executive of NAPPS should step aside for about six weeks.

    “The terms of reference of the panel are:

    “To examine the seven-point allegations against the President being the major issue that led to the disagreements with the state executive.

    “To examine the income and expenditure profile of the association since the inception of this administration; and

    “To consider the circumstances that led to the award of contracts during the Southwest conference and other incidental and related issues.”

  • Ekiti, Fayemi disagree over UBEC counterpart funds

    Ekiti, Fayemi disagree over UBEC counterpart funds

    The Ekiti State government has accused former Governor Kayode Fayemi of diverting N852.9 million State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) counterpart fund, which has denied the state access to N2.8 billion grant from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

    But Fayemi denied the allegation, saying “Governor Ayo Fayose’s financial recklessness and primitive approach to governance” should be blamed for UBEC’s sanction.

    A statement yesterday by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka, quotes the SUBEB Chairman, Bode Ola, as saying that Ekiti has been blacklisted by UBEC from accessing matching grants for 2013, 2014 and 2015.

    Ola claimed that UBEC Deputy Executive Secretary, Yakubu Gambo, told the Senate Committee on Finance during budget defence that the N852.9million counterpart funds were spent for other purposes.

    Ola said: “N852, 936,713.92 was paid into the SUBEB Access Bank account on January 14, 2014 as counterpart fund for 2012 UBEC projects and on this premise, UBEC released its Matching Grant of N852, 936,793.12 on January 3, 2013.

    “On October 8, 2014, eight days to the end of Fayemi’s tenure, the same amount of N852, 936,713.92 was transferred from the account of

    SUBEB, leaving a sum of N9, 139,691.40 as credit balance in the account.

    “This was done without the knowledge and approval of UBEC and because of this misappropriation, UBEC blacklisted Ekiti State and this has made it impossible for us to access Matching Grant for 2013, 2014 and 2015.

    “UBEC, in a letter dated April 16, 2015, described the withdrawal as criminal act that violated Section 11(2) of UBE Act 2004 and conveyed its suspension of Ekiti State from accessing any further FGN-UBE Intervention Fund.

    Defending his integrity, Fayemi in a statement by his media aide, Olayinka Oyebode, said it was unfortunate that the Fayose administration would falsify discussions that took place on the floor of the National Assembly, all in the bid to justify its ineptitude.

    According to him, Gambo did not accuse the Fayemi administration of misappropriation of UBEC fund but gave details of development that led to UBEC’s decision to sanction the state.

    He explained that the administration had taken a bank loan to be able to make available its counterpart funding to access the UBEC fund.

    But the bank withdrew its money when Fayemi lost the 2014 governorship election for fear that the incoming government might not honour the terms of repayment.

    “The Fayose government is to blame for this. Its crude approach to governance careless utterances and verbal threats to financial institutions shortly after the June 21 , 2014 election made many banks to review their relationships with the state.

    “It will be recalled that Fayose had called bank chiefs to a meeting shortly after the election and warned them that he was not going to repay any loan entered with the then outgoing government.

    “This development, coupled with his antecedence as a highly misguided and mischievous ruler, had made many financial institutions, including the one in question, to review existing relationships.

    “While government is a continuum, the Fayose administration had carried on in the last one and half years as if it is an island and lord unto itself with no regard for institutions.

    “The issue of diversion does not occur, the bank simply withdrew its support because of the negative signal it got from the Fayose administration. So, Fayose should be blamed for everything.”

  • Ekiti Teaching Hospital targets 24-hour electricity

    The Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH),  will soon start enjoying a 24-hour electricity, its Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr Kolawole Ogundipe, has said.

    Ogundipe told reporters in Ado Ekiti that solar power plant and medical gas plants were in the works to make the dream a reality.

    When the two projects come on stream, they will help reduce overhead costs on electricity, he said.

    Ogundipe said his administration had also secured approval for the ugrade of the Radiology Centre to provide CT scan and endoscopy.

    According to him, the step became necessary to halt the suffering of patients being referred outside the hospital in need of such services.

    He said: “On daily basis, three to four patients are being referred outside the hospital to other centres where they have these scan. Some of them will pay as much as this scan on transportation where they are going to.

    “When we have these facilities here, it will reduce the burden on patients and it will help the personnel to timely treat their patients and it will be beneficial to everybody.”

    Ogundipe explained that approval has also been secured from the state government to upgrade the mortuary to a status befitting a teaching hospital. The present mortuary facilities had been in use since the hospital was established as a district hospital before it was later upgraded to a general hospital.

    He added that EKSUTH Maternity Complex will be expanded to provide better and more quality maternal and child health services.

    Ogundipe noted that EKSUTH received 14 accreditation bodies last year which accredited many departments attesting to quality of the services rendered in the hospital.

    The CMD expressed satisfaction that the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has increased tremendously, noting that this has helped the hospital to reduce its debt burden from N416 million as at 31st July, 2013 to N62 million as at 31st December 2015.

    Ogundipe added: “Our staff members are now more committed to our IGR drive because they know that they have roles to play in generating revenue. There is high degree of competition among the staff.

    “People hitherto unable to access training are now being sponsored for further trainings and this will encourage them to do more for the system. “Significantly the management and the unions have been working together in a very cordial way to ensure that labour issues are resolved without degenerating to strikes that can impact negatively on the hospital.”

  • Can Supreme court reverse itself on Ekiti poll?

    Can Supreme court reverse itself on Ekiti poll?

    The shocking revelation by the former Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko, that the June 21, 2014 governorship election was rigged in favour of Governor Ayo Fayose has dominated public discourse. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA examines some salient issues thrown up by the bombshell.

    Dr. Temitope Kolawole Aluko, the erstwhile Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary in Ekiti State, has dominated the airwaves and headlines of major newspapers since January 31 when he appeared on Channels Television to drop a bomb shell on the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the Fountain of Knowledge.

    He claimed that the election, which produced Governor Ayo Fayose of the PDP as winner, was rigged and never represented the wishes of Ekiti people across the 2,195 polling units in the 16 local government areas.

    The university lecturer-turned politician had alleged the use of the military to harass, intimidate and oppress the opposition, thereby giving undue electoral advantage to the PDP. According to him, federal might was deployed to snatch victory from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He also revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan gave Fayose $2 million before the PDP primary and $35 million for the governorship election.

    According to him, the compromised military officers wore special armbands and were given specific areas of operations and targets to ensure that the opposition leaders and supporters were demobilised on election day.

    He said officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were bribed N1 billion to favour the PDP during the contest.

    Aluko’s claims are weighty. They have cast a thick pall of slur on the integrity of elections. Aluko backed his claims with several documents.

    Some watchers of the unfolding drama in Ekiti are of the view that, although Aluko fell out with Fayose over the latter’s refusal to compensate him after the victory, the message he (Aluko) has passed is important for the appropriate authorities to take action.

    A political analyst, Taiwo Olawuyi, said: “The message is very important and no attempt should be made to trivialise this matter. The revelation of TKO (Aluko) is more than enough for any country that is serious to save its democracy from being sabotaged because this is a felony against the State.

    Aluko should be commended for risking his life to come out with these very shocking  revelations and it is not too late to remedy the situation. Although the state government has secured a warrant of arrest against him, but the question remains, did all what he said not happen? The message should be separated from the messenger.

    “The Ekiti electorate have been shortchanged and this (June 21, 2014) governorship election could not pass for an election that pass the test of integrity. The same person (Fayose) could have emerged winner if this electoral coup was not committed against the people.

    “I expect some actions to follow because if this one is swept under the carpet, we should expect more egregious electoral perfidy in the years ahead and the perpetrators must be made to face the consequences of their actions.”

    Aluko was an insider and whatever he said should not be dismissed with a wave of the hand. He was an active participant in the process that started from the party’s congresses and culminated in the election.

    Apart from his vantage position as the PDP Secretary, Aluko was the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee of the Fayose Campaign Organisation. He also served as his party’s Returning Officer during the election, as he was the PDP signatory to the official result sheet at the Collation Centre.

    All these positions he held placed him at the ringside to know what really transpired as he kept custody of documents of the party and committees he was privileged to serve.

    The relationship between Aluko and Fayose predated the political bond between them as the duo grew up in the same neighbourhood in Ibadan, Oyo State in the 60s.

    They are from the same Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area. While Fayose is from Afao Ekiti, Aluko is from Iyin Ekiti. Aluko, although a teacher at the then Ekiti State University supported Fayose to emerge as the PDP candidate and eventually a governor.

    Aluko’s ex-wife, Tosin, was a key member of the Ayo Fayose Foundation and Movement (AFFM), in the run-up to the 2003 governorship election.

    Tosin was later elected as the Chairman of Ado Ekiti Local Government under the Segun Oni administration. She is at present a commissioner in the Local Government Service Commission under Fayose.

    Throughout Fayose’s first stint in power, which ended abruptly in October 2006 through an impeachment by 24 of 26 members of the House of Assembly, Aluko was one of the members of Fayose’s intellectual think-tank.

    As the 2011 general elections drew near, Aluko resigned from the Ekiti State University in March 2010 to contest for the House of Representatives in Ekiti Central 1 Constituency comprising Ado Ekiti and Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Areas.

    Fayose and many members of his political family had moved to the Labour Party (LP) where he (Fayose) ran as senatorial candidate for Ekiti Central, which he lost to the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate, Babafemi Ojudu.

    Aluko did not follow Fayose to the LP as he (Aluko) won the PDP House of Representatives ticket for Ekiti Central 1, but lost to the ACN candidate, Opeyemi Bamidele.

    Having tasted the bitter pill of defeat in his quest for a senatorial seat on the platform of LP, some PDP loyalists, including Aluko, convinced Fayose to return to the PDP in 2011 to take another shot at the governorship seat.

    But, for Fayose to realise the dream, he had many mountains to climb which include getting a waiver to return to the party and hijacking the party structure, which was then dominated by the Segun Oni Campaign Organization (SOCO) elements.

    Former Minister of Police Affairs Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd) teamed up with Fayose to upstage Oni at the PDP congress in March 2012 as their candidates won majority of the members of the State Working Committee (SWC).

    Some key members of the SWC that emerged from the state congress supervised by former Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu Cook Olododo, included Makanjuola Ogundipe (Chairman), Olufemi Bamisile (Deputy Chairman), Aluko (Secretary), Mrs. Busola Oyebode (Women Leader) Kola Oluwawole (Publicity Secretary), just to mention a few.

    With these personalities, most of whom were loyal to Fayose, they had prepared the ground for the former governor’s comeback bid.

    Before the governorship primary election, Aluko spearheaded the agitation for waiver to Fayose which was granted by the National Working Committee (NWC) headed by the former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu and this gave him the green light to run as a candidate.

    Controversies raged over the method to be adopted in selecting the party’s governorship candidate, with a section of the party led by former chairman Ogundipe rooting for consensus option while another section of the party with Aluko as the arrowhead championing the primary option.

    President Jonathan and the national leadership of the PDP were convinced to adopt the primary option. Aluko kept custody of the register of delegates, which was believed to have been tilted in favour of Fayose, hence, his victory at the shadow poll.

    The immediate cause of the feud between Fayose and Aluko was the governor’s alleged failure to honour “office sharing agreement” struck before the election. While Bamisile, the former PDP Deputy Chairman and a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, was pencilled for the deputy governorship slot, Aluko was to become the Chief of Staff.

    Shortly after Fayose secured the ticket, he appointed Dr. Kolapo Olusola as his running mate, a move which angered Bamisile and forced him to defect to the APC. but Aluko stayed in the party, hoping to get the Chief of Staff position. But, that was not to be, as the governor appointed Chief Dipo Anisulowo from Are Ekiti.

    Aluko’s name featured for appointment as Commissioner for Education and later as the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Chairman, given his academic background. But, Fayose gave these positions to Jide Egunjobi and Senator Bode Ola, a defector from the ACN.

    With Fayose consolidating his hold on power, the party structure was his next target and an opportunity came when the erstwhile chair, Ogundipe, was nominated for the chairmanship of the party in the Southwest with the governor nominating his ally, Chief Idowu Faleye, as the acting chairman.

    Aluko and other SWC members kicked against Faleye’s nomination on the grounds that it violated the PDP constitution which forbids two SWC members coming from the same ward. At the time of Faleye’s nomination, the Youth Leader was from the same Ido Ward 1 in Ido/Osi LGA with Faleye.

    Eleven SWC members led by Aluko nominated Vice Chairman (Ekiti North Senatorial District), Tunde Olatunde, as the state PDP Acting Chairman, which polarised the party. Aluko and his group accused Fayose of serial violation of the party constitution and the crisis raged until Fayose with the support of the national leadership expelled Aluko and three others from the party.

    Although the Ekiti governorship election has come and gone, some observers believe that the latest revelations from Aluko on what transpired at the last governorship election are issues that must not be swept under the carpet if Nigeria is to get it right in the sacred responsibility of electing leaders.

    According to Aluko, who said he was part of Fayose’s inner circle during the election, alleged that Jonathan initially gave the incumbent Ekiti governor a first tranche of $2 million in March 2014 for the primary election.

    He noted that this cash was collected at the NNPC headquarters in Abuja and was taken to Fayose’s private house, in Abuja before it was moved to Ekiti.

    “Immediately after the primary election, we collected another $35 million from Jonathan on June 17, 2014. The money was brought to us by the former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.

    “We all assembled at the front office of Spotless Hotel, Ado Ekiti, owned by Fayose. Thereafter, the cash was taken to a Bureau De Change in Onitsha where it was converted to N4.7 billion”, Aluko added.

    Aluko, further alleged that Fayose received about N3 billion cash from  Buruji Kashamu in 2013 to revive the PDP in Ekiti State.

    The Ekiti PDP scribe also gave account on how the military was used to win the election.

    Aluko said: “The former President agreed with Fayose and summoned a security meeting at the Presidential Villa for the purpose of the election.

    “Those at the meeting were the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh; former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen. Kenneth Minimmah; and former National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

    “Others included Fayose, Senator Iyiola Omisore, former Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan and Obanikoro.

    “At that meeting, the former President made it clear to the ex- Chief of Defence Staff that Fayose would stand for him (as Commander-In-Chief) in terms of providing security for the election”.

    Aluko alleged that Fayose, relying on Jonathan’s directive, approached the former Commander of the Army Brigade in Akure, Brig. Gen. Dikko to take charge of the election for the PDP, who refused to cooperate and was replaced after a petition was filed against him.

    “But, Gen. Dikko did not give us audience. He stated bluntly that he would not be available for such operation. So, Fayose filed a petition against him which led to his replacement with Brig. Gen. Aliyu Momoh who was amenable to our plans”.

    Aluko alleged that a total of 64 PDP stalwarts who had knowledge of their local government areas were picked to provide information on opposition members.

    “They gave detailed information regarding names and locations of opposition members in all the local governments, the various routes, areas of strength and weaknesses of the PDP in the 16 local governments.

    “Today, most of these 64 hatchet men are members of the Senate, House of Representatives, state House of Assembly, commissioners, local government chairmen, special advisers and the rest,” Aluko said.

    He continued: “We went into the election with 1040 recognised soldiers and another batch of 400 unrecognised soldiers brought from Enugu by Sen. Andy Uba.

    “In addition, we raised 44 special strike teams; brought in Toyota Hilux buses from Abuja and Onitsha. We made special stickers for the vehicles that conveyed members of the strike teams and black hand bands for each of them.

    “Each strike team was made up of 10 members headed by a soldier. The team was consisted of soldiers, policemen, DSS operatives and Civil Defence corps. They were detailed to attack and arrest prominent APC chieftains in all the local governments.

    “We set up anchorage, mainly residential houses, in every local government where the strike team members collected their welfare and other allowances.

    “To encourage the strike team members, we gave them orders to share money and other valuables they could lay their hands on in the houses of APC chieftains they raided.

    “Then we set up detention camps, mainly in primary schools where most of the APC chieftains were detained. Others were detained in police stations where the DPOs were friendly with us. We let them off after the election was over.

    “A day to the election, we used the military to block all routes in the local governments and prevented APC chieftains, including former Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi from coming into Ekiti.

    “So, we ensured that no APC chieftain was in sight on election day. We provided polling agents for the APC in most of the polling units so we had no problem getting them to sign election results in the units.

    “All these local and foreign observers that described the election free and fair only witnessed the voting exercise on election day without knowing what transpired before the voting”.

    The revelations by Aluko, although coming a bit late has provided a challenge to some institutions like the police, DSS, INEC and the Judiciary to institute a further inquest into the Ekiti governorship electoral scandal which has dented the image of Nigeria in the international community.

    The Army has has led the way by commissioning a probe into the involvement of some officers and men in the Ekiti rigging drama and came up with far-reaching decisions including compulsory retirement of two officers, loss of command by three officers and the prosecution of one for collecting financial gratification.

    Fifteen officers are to be placed on watch list, nine officers to be further investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), six officers to face an audit committee and 62 officers mostly of the rank of Major and below) to be given Letters of Displeasure and to appear before their General Officers Commanding (GOCs) for counseling.

    Human rights activist and lawyer Morakinyo Ogele, who hailed the military for taking the action, said the civilian collaborators like Obanikoro; Adesiyan; Omisore and Chris Uba must be prosecuted for their roles in the rigging scandal.

    Ogele has vowed to approach the Federal High Court to seek a relief that the election should be declared null and void. He urged other well-meaning Nigerians not to keep quiet on the scandal, but to ensure that the electorate who were defrauded get justice.

    He said the secret audio recording of the meeting of PDP chiefs and the military officers led by Gen. Aliyu Momoh is a fresh evidence, which was not looked into by the Election Tribunal, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

    Ogele said: “Criminal matters are not statute-barred, they can be revisited no matter how long they had happened in the past. It is the function of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to take up the matter because he is the chief law officer of the country.

    “Those who perpetrated these acts have committed heinous crimes against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act (as amended) and the full weight of the law must be brought on them.

    “It must be investigated whether the $37 million allegedly spent on the Ekiti election are part of the funds meant for the purchase of arms believed to have been diverted into elections.

    “It is in our electoral law that money should not be used unduly to influence election either to canvass for votes tor o subvert the electoral process. The criminal aspect of what happened at the Ekiti election should be looked into and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.”

  • Ekiti tragedy as Obasanjo’s legacy

    The sickening confession by Dr. Tope Aluko that in effecting what he described as a coup against the people of Ekiti, they “went into the election with 1,040 recognised soldiers and another batch of 400 ‘unrecognised soldiers’ brought from Enugu by a serving senator from the South-East;  raised 44 special strike teams brought in (with) Toyota Hilux buses from Abuja and Onitsha and made special stickers for the vehicles that conveyed members of the strike team with  each of them given a black band for identification” was but a confirmation  of the hijacking of our nation by PDP brigands. For 16 years, PDP and its leaders operated with impunity, engaging in war of attrition and assassination of their members over the sharing of offices and our resources.

    Fayose said we should look at the messenger and not the message. But there are compelling reasons to believe Aluko is a witness of truth. First Aluko confessed he and Fayose have been friends for 40 years. The closer we therefore look at these two friends, the more the possibility of agreeing with the saying by our people that ‘‘it’s only a thief who can accurately identify the foot print of another thief on a stone”.  For lying under oath at the tribunal claiming ‘the election was free, fair and credible’, Fayose wants Aluko committed to prison for three years for perjury. That Fayose’s Freudian slip, in itself, is all that is needed to confirm Aluko’s claim that the election was sham. But Fayose himself is no less guilty of perjury according to his political detractors who reminded us he claimed in his nomination form that he had never been indicted by any panel of inquiry. If the Supreme Court ruled he was not properly impeached, that came eight years after the event and long after filling the nomination form.

    There are other compelling reasons why we cannot doubt Aluko’s claim that Fayose, after purchasing his victory in the primary with Jonathan misapplied $2m state funds, went back to tell the president that there was no way he was going to win the election without the use of the military.  Here was an impeached former governor, chased from pillar to post by EFCC for alleged financial and murder charges and who in his own words, “flee (sic) with all (his) property left in the Government House, and taken to court about 59 times aside the 45 days (he) spent in detention”, pitched without an agenda against a performing incumbent few months after losing a senatorial contest. Little wonder, Fayose was to describe his victory “a rare miracle” and his “return to government as not common in history”.

    But Obasanjo is the source of Ekiti people’s nightmare. Precisely because of his contempt for them and their pursuit of academic excellence to advance in the social ladder, Obasanjo who self-conceitedly claimed he achieved on a platter of gold what Awo could not achieve through a life-long struggle, probably saw imposition of Fayose, considered half-literate by his people, a way to humble the Ekitis. In total disrespect of the feelings of the people, Obasanjo also sent Brigadier Olurin his kinsman to supervise the rigging of the 2007 election. The task was made easy with the exploitation of the intra-party feud in ACN by Obasanjo and PDP. Dissident ACN members, misled to believe they were out to prevent Tinubu from cornering the resources of the state  were armed with large sums of money, vehicles, communication and logistics to aid the rigging of the 2007 election later nullified by the courts. By the time Fayemi retrieved his stolen mandate, nearly all the legacies of Awo and his successors had been erased. The state College of Medicine which professors Oyebode and Oyebola tried to nurture had been traded for Fayose’s fraudulent poultry project. Christ School, one of the earliest and best secondary schools in Nigeria secured less than 30%success in WAEC examination. Other public schools suffered worst fate. This is the genesis of the present generation of Fayose’s area boys, ‘okada’ riders and political thugs. After four years of valiant effort by Dr Fayemi to prevent a repeat of the tragedy that befell a whole generation of our children, Dr. Aluko has now confirmed how he along with Fayose and some other Ekiti people colluded with outsiders to sabotage that effort.

    But Obasanjo and not Jonathan, a master of political subterfuge who merely used Fayose to settle scores with his estranged godfather, should be held responsible for the coup staged against our people. He set the precedent during his 2007 ‘do or die’ Ekiti battle and its rerun supervised by another spineless Egba woman. Jonathan alleged commitment of $37m to his own variant of ‘do or die’ 2014 pacification of Ekiti by all means was only an improvement on the unspecified massive deployment of funds through ACN dissidents in 2007. If  Jonathan and PDP subdued Ekiti with 1,040 recognised soldiers and another batch of 400 ‘unrecognised soldiers’ brought from Enugu in addition to  44 special strike teams brought in (with) Toyota Hilux buses from Abuja and Onitsha in 2014, Obasanjo and PDP in 2007 provided ‘security, logistics and communication’ to break the will of Ekiti people.

    Aluko was only confirming what we all heard and saw on national television when he said ‘we used the military to block all routes in the local governments and prevented APC chieftains, including former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi from coming into Ekiti. So we ensured that no APC chieftain was in sight on Election Day. We provided polling agents for the APC in most of the polling units so we had no problem getting them to sign election results in the units’. It was a known fact that Fayose, Obanikoro, Adesiyan and Chris Uba reduced Ekiti to a conquered territory on Election Day in 2014.

    But as said on these pages two years ago, weep not for Ekiti but for the nation.  Bode Thomas in the fifties canvassed for regionalism in order to save the Yoruba country from the rule of a one-eyed king. The tragedy is that the whole country has been afflicted by a spectre of one-eyed king, a euphemism for incompetent leaders since independence. While the west burned in 1966, Balewa waited patiently for Ahmadu Bello who returned too late from his pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The bungling after the failed 1966 coup by ill-equipped Ironsi led to the civil war. The destruction of the bureaucracy and the university, the two major institutions that sustain the survival of society by Murtala Mohammed and Obasanjo who were ill-equipped to manage society is responsible for today’s corruption in the civil service and the collapse of our university system which once ranked with the best in the world. In 1979, Obasanjo who claimed the best didn’t have to win the election supported Shehu Shagari whose only ambition was to become a senator. Shagari smoked away while the economy of the nation was wrecked by his NPN led by Akinloye. We have had an Ibrahim Babangida whose regime Obasanjo dismissed as a government ‘deficit in honour’. Babangida destroyed all our values and institutionalised corruption.   We have had Abacha, a common thief whose obsession seemed to crudely ferry raw cash with boxes from the central bank. We have had Obasanjo, widely regarded and rejected as a one-eyed king by the Yoruba but wildly celebrated by the rest of the country as messiah. His legacy in the last 16 years is the seizure of our country by PDP brigands headed until recently by Goodluck Jonathan, his godson.

    The way forward is restructuring of our multi ethnic and multicultural society so that each group can decide who manages its affairs. Ekiti must be allowed to decide if it wants to be ruled by Fayose, his thugs and ‘okada’ riders just as Delta should be allowed to choose if they want to be ruled by militants led by Government ‘Tompolo’ Ekpemipolo. The beauty of federalism is that it liberates groups and individuals from the tyranny of the state.

  • Elders’ day of joy in Ekiti

    Elders’ day of joy in Ekiti

    For the senior citizens, it was a day of joy. It was the day St. Andrew’s Anglican Church at Are-Ekiti in Ekiti State, honoured some of its elders as reverence for their old age and hard work.

    The event, tagged “Elders Day of Glory” was established over eight years ago by the church to celebrate members of the church who have attained the age of 70 and above.

    Four oldest members of the church who have also been actively involved in the service of the church were honoured and rewarded for not only living long enough to see their grand children, but also for working hard to serve God and humankind.

    The elders honoured were Chief Oluyemi Olaofe, 87, his wife, Madam Ajoke, 86, Madam Adebimpe Anisulowo (nee Olaofe), 85, and Madam Bobola Idowu (nee Olaofe), 85.

    The four are from the Olaofe household in Are-Ekiti community, while Madam Anisulowo was married to the Anisulowo family where Chief Dipo Anisulowo, Ekiti State Chief of Staff hailed from. Madam Idowu married into the Idowu family, one of the major financiers of the church development projects.

    Explaining the significance of the event, the cleric in charge of the church, Venerable Benjamin Oke Olanrewaju, said: “We organise the elders’ day celebration because many of our elders don’t celebrate their birthdays, many of them are not that educated and enlightened; so we use this medium to celebrate them.

    “We also want to discourage a common practice where children who have neglected their aged parents during their lifetime, now come home to throw lavish parties, rebuild the dilapidated buildings their parents lived in and waste money on big-for-nothing parties.”

    In a sermon he entitled “I’ll honour you if you honour me”, the cleric said God is always concerned about the well-being of the family, adding that God is more interested in “how we bring up our children, the Godly values we impart into them and so on.”

    Continuing, he said: “So, I enjoin all parents to bring up their children in a Godly way and children should make sure they take care of their parents and respect them when they are old. Mothers, especially, should ensure their children are well brought up.

    “What your child becomes in future depends on what you train them. These elders who are being celebrated today are enjoying the goodwill and care of their children.”

    Pa Olaofe, the eldest of the celebrators and patriarch of the Olaofe family, had served as a teacher for many years before he retired in 1996 at St Catholic School, Ondo State.

    Reflecting on the honour accorded him during the event, he said: “It is a thing of joy for me that I’m still alive to witness this day the church and our children are honouring us at our old age and in recognition of our service to the church. I am the Asiwaju of the church, and my role in that respect is to oversee the church’s development projects.

    “I have served in several capacities in the church before now. I have been chairman of building committee, secretary of the church and auditor, among others. Now, I simply oversee development projects of the church.”

    Prof. Femi Olaofe, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) who is the son of one of the celebrators said: “Today is the celebration of our old people. We call it Odun agba, (Elders’ Day of Glory). Some of the old people here don’t usually have anything they celebrate. And we believe a day should be set aside for them to be celebrated. This is because they have done so much for their children and so they too deserved to be honoured.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Health care scheme excites Ekiti community

    Health care scheme excites Ekiti community

    Residents of Ayedun community in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State are excited about a local health insurance scheme initiated by Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) president Dr. Kayode Obembe. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports.

    Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) president, Dr. Kayode Obembe has given his kinsmen in Odo-Ayedun, a rustic community in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State  something to cheer about by making affordable health care delivery accessible to them.

    The people gathered in their thousands at the Comprehensive Health Centre to welcome their illustrious son, traditional rulers, top government functionaries and other guests from far and near who came to witness the official launch of Ayedun Community-based Social Health Insurance Scheme (ACB-SHIP).

    The venue was jam-packed by people of the three communities serving as the immediate catchment area of the ACB-SHIP scheme. The communities are Odo-Ayedun, Oke-Ayedun and Esun.

    The event was attended by Governor Ayo Fayose, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rotimi Ojo; the Owa of Odo-Ayedun, Oba Solomon Ajibade; the Alaaye of Oke-Ayedun, Oba Fatunase Ala; the Elesun of Esun, Oba D.B. Ogunsakin; Acting Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Mr. Femi Akingbade who was represented by Ekiti Zonal Coordinator, Mrs. Adunola Balogun.

    Ayedun was the first community in Nigeria to launch its own health insurance in which registered enrolees contribute N100 every month and have to wait for at least three months before enjoying coverage benefits.

    Obembe was motivated to float the scheme in fulfilment of his desire to assist the indigent and vulnerable people have access to affordable health which they could be denied by lack of money and low level of awareness of health insurance.

    The ACB-SHIP came into existence in 2011 when Obembe introduced the idea of community health insurance programme to the three communities. The programme was embraced by the people.

    To add fillip to the initiative, the three communities set up a Board of Trustees (BOT) which comprises public-spirited, trustworthy individuals, seasoned medical practitioners and other respectable community leaders.

    The BOT, which was given the free hand to run the programme on behalf of the communities, decided that the monthly premium would be N100 per person which makes N1, 200 per annum.

    In his address, the Chairman, BOT of ACB-SHIP, Otunba Dapo Adelusi, revealed that the scheme has 4,977 enrolees who have been given cards confirming their subscription to the scheme.

    Adelusi further explained that the scheme has assisted the beneficiaries to attend to their health needs at the local health centres while complicated, terminal diseases and serious pregnancy cases are referred to the Ikole General Hospital.

    According to him, an enrolee has to wait for at least three months after registration before enjoying coverage benefits.

    Adelusi told the gathering that the NHIS officials visited the ACB-SHIP BOT and acknowledged the efforts the scheme had made in Ayedun and the adjoining communities in the area of health insurance.

    Adelusi explained further: “Other steps were taken to ensure that the programme is well established. An office was opened for the administration and a computer-literate graduate was employed as administration secretary.

    “The BOT meets monthly and the minutes of the meetings are well kept. An account was opened with a commercial bank and all financial transactions are through the bank and clear records of such transactions are properly kept.

    “A benefit package was drawn up by the Programme Manager and the BOT to enable the enrolees to know the coverage of their health insurance. Currently, owing to very limited financial strength, health insurance coverage is at the primary health care level only and for diseases prevalent in the communities.

    “Complicated and terminal diseases, and particularly complicated pregnancy cases are promptly referred to secondary health care at the General Hospital, Ikole. An enrolee has to wait for at least three months after registration before enjoying the coverage benefits.

    “The programmer’s health care providers-doctors and nurses-give health talks to advise the public on what to do when they are sick and where to access medical treatment. They are also informed about preventive measures to keep illness at bay.

    “The premium paid has not been able to meet the programme’s financial needs. The facilitating Programme Manager (Obembe) has been of tremendous technical and financial assistance to keep us going.

    “He has helped in paying the salaries of the staff and constantly securing the services of doctors at the Ayedun Health and Maternity Centre which provides the health care services at the primary level.

    “On this happy occasion, we thank the Federal Ministry of Health through the NHIS for accepting to perform the national launch at Ayedun here.

    He also urged the Federal Government to make health insurance compulsory for Nigerians as a means of fulfilling the Universal Health Coverage (UHC), a component part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

    Obembe said there should be a drastic reduction in pocket expenses on health, hence all Nigerians should utilise the opportunity of health insurance in their quest for quality health services.

    According to him, it is impossible to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through insurance scheme when enrolment is voluntary as obtained under the NHIS.

    To make the scheme practicable, Obembe urged the Federal Government to increase its expenditure from the present five per cent to 15 per cent in line with the resolution of African leaders made in 2000.

    Obembe said: “The socio-economic development of the country depends on the health of her citizens. Ensuring that access to affordable, quality and equitable health care is critical to improved citizen’s health.

    “The NHIS, which has been operational since 2005, has covered only seven per cent of the entire population. The total health expenditure was 6.7 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009, more than the baseline of 4.5 per cent. Out-of-pocket spending is more than 60 per cent total health expenditure instead of the recommended 10-15 per cent.

    “Efforts should be aimed at targeting the poor and the vulnerable groups. Health insurance should be made mandatory. It is impossible to achieve UHC through insurance schemes when enrolment is voluntary.

    “This is the pilot platform that can be positioned in any community in Nigeria and make health care delivery accessible and affordable.

    “Ayedun Community-based Health Insurance Scheme is the solid foundation on which UHC should be erected if replicated all over the country.”

    The Acting Executive Secretary, NHIS, Akingbade, commended the Ayedun community for floating ACB-SHIP, saying the launch will create a platform for “reaching the unreached.”

    Akingbade said: “The inauguration of the community-based health insurance scheme in Ayedun will create the opportunity and platform for reaching the unreached. The scheme is working assiduously to address the vulnerable groups in the society.

    Governor Fayose urged other illustrious citizens to assist their communities by complementing the efforts of the government to make health care delivery available to the citizens.

    He commended Dr Obembe for his gesture in initiating the scheme, urging more residents to enrol to enable them to benefit from the scheme.

     

  • Ekiti primary school teachers begin strike

    Ekiti primary school teachers begin strike

    Primary schools teachers in Ekiti State yesterday began a two-day strike to protest the non-payment of their outstanding September 2014 salaries and 2014 Leave Bonus.

    The industrial action, which they described as “warning strike”, will end tomorrow after which work will resume on Wednesday.

    The state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) urged the government to look for funds to pay the aggrieved teachers.

    The teachers’ body expressed displeasure that primary school teachers were not captured in the bailout funds accessed by the government from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last September.

    The striking teachers defied the directive of the state branch of the Association of Primary Schools Headteachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON) to put the action on hold.

    Pupils returned home as early as 9am as there was no teacher in sight. Some of the schools had their gates locked.

    The strike provided opportunities for male pupils of AUD Primary School, Oke Oniyo and St. George’s Catholic Primary School, Ojido, Odo-Ado to play football on their sports field.

    Some of the pupils, who spoke with our reporter, urged the government to accede to the teachers’ demand.

    The state NUT Chairman, Kayode Akosile, said the teachers have had enough patience.

    Akosile said: “The hopes of our people are fading away and that’s why we believe we should send a signal to the authorities.

    “We have not gotten any positive signals from the government; it has been promises, promises and promises.”

  • Ekiti election ‘fraud’ debacle: What hope for even-handed justice?

    Ekiti election ‘fraud’ debacle: What hope for even-handed justice?

    The dust raised by the June 21, 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State will take more time to settle. In this article, Lagos-based public affairs analyst ADESEGUN OMOLEWA is urging the international community, especially the United States (U.S.), to review their judgment of the poll in view of the report and recommendation of the Army Panel that probed the role of military personnel drafted to monitor the elections and the recent revelation of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Dr Temitope Aluko on the integrity of the poll.

    No election crisis in the history of Nigeria’s political contest has lingered for so long and generated controversies and landmarks like the June 21, 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State between the then sitting Governor Kayode Fayemi, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr. Ayodele Fayose, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Cutting an image of June 12, 1993 presidential election in reverse order, June 21 election still looms large with the main protagonist of June 12 not able to live to fight for his victory while that of June 21 election is still alive with APC insisting that its resolution remains an essential element in the growth and sanitisation of democracy in Nigeria.

    In what has been described as a magic electoral contest between a man who was impeached over alleged sundry crimes, including alleged multiple murders and sleaze, involving N1.3 billion poultry project fraud, and a United Nations award-winning Governor Kayode Fayemi in administrative style and performance, electoral victory for the former was a new political paradigm in political contest anywhere in the world.

     

    Between organised campaign and shoddy preparation

    Besides coming from this baggage of moral deficit and shoddy campaign strategy, Fayose’s victory in that election caught political analysts napping, unable to come to terms with the political sociology that could have explained preference for a man earlier impeached over alleged crimes and with a tattered political camp that could not find its voice among the critical stakeholders during the processes leading to the electoral contest.

    While Fayemi had a comprehensive campaign itinerary, spanning the 177 wards in all the 16 local government areas of the state, Fayose adopted a guerrilla campaign strategy, in which case there was no campaign tour plan, but chose to visit some towns at random and skipped days before visiting other communities.

    At the end of the day, Fayose did not visit one quarter of the state. Neither did he have any manifesto to create election campaign appeal in the few towns he visited in contrast to Fayemi, who was armed with his election campaign manifesto, and flaunting his achievements in each of the community across the state. Fayose’s trump card was the assurance that he would win in all the 16 local government areas, insisting that belonging to the mainstream politics at the federal level would give him victory to enable Ekiti benefit from the Aso Rock largesse. He also called himself the friend of the poor, but what he would do for the poor, he did not tell them.

    With this background of a serious and performing governor and an opponent that had nothing to show to convince the electorate for victory, it was thought that the coast was clear for a landslide victory for Fayemi.

     

    Orchestrated compromise

    But, few days to the election, signs that Fayose had a trick under his sleeve began to manifest.

    In his campaign trail were armed policemen, led by MOPOL Commander Gabriel Selenkere. Selenkere was the officer who led the assault against Governor Fayemi on the streets of Ado-Ekiti a day after former Vice President Namadi Sambo, graced Fayose’s rally at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium in Ado-Ekiti. He commanded his men to tear-gas Governor Fayemi and even threatened to “waste” him.

    During Fayemi’s campaign grand finale, Governors Adams Oshiomhole and Rotimi Amaechi of Edo and Rivers states were prevented by security agents from entering Ado-Ekiti to attend the rally. Amaechi was barred from entering Ekiti State through Ondo State and Oshiohmole’s chattered flight was prevented from taking off at the Benin Airport.

    Prior to the campaign, Fayemi’s research team had conducted several opinion polls on the expected outcome of the election. Their results supported similar independent polls results conducted by research groups, giving victory to Fayemi in the final tally, thus creating optimism in Fayemi’s camp that the election was a walk-over for the sitting governor.

    As earlier hinted, this was not without basis: Fayose had his name in red ink in the hearts of Nigerians, including Ekiti people, over an unedifying past, laced with alleged crimes, including N1.3 billion poultry project fraud and the murder of Dr. Ayo Daramola. Kehinde Fasuba, Tunde Omojola, Ikere College of Education students, include Gbenga Jayeola and several others who lost their lives to the bullets of state-sponsored attackers.

    But, few days to June 21, 2014, signs that book-makers might be wrong in their assertions began to emerge. Precisely on June 19, 2014, around 10am, there was a red alert call from Akure Airport by a certain Fayemi’s sympathiser in PDP hinting of a comprehensive scheme to rig the election in Fayose’s favour.

    On phone, he told Fayemi’s media campaign team consisting of Dimeji Daniel, Wole Olujobi, Hakeem Jamiu, Wale Adeoye, Mojeed Jamiu, Segun Dipe, Ifedayo Sayo and Tunde Adeleke that two cargo planes, loaded with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) materials in crates were in Akure Airport. Inside the plane also were the then Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro; Police Affairs Minister Jelili Adesiyan; Senator Iyiola Omisore and Chris Ubah.

    The caller also confirmed the presence of a bullion van belonging to Zenith Bank and another truck packed close to the planes. The contents in the crates marked “INEC”, according to him, were being off-loaded into the truck and the bullion van. The media team ceaselessly took to the social media calling Nigerians’ attention to this suspicion of the evil plot.

    Late in the afternoon of same day, the same truck, sighted at the Akure Airport, was arrested along Efon-Alaye road by a team of soldiers on routine patrol. The military patrol team was led by Brig.-Gen. Aliyu Momoh, the officer now at the centre of the election fraud facing dismissal from the military over his roles in the poll that returned Fayose as Ekiti State governor.

    While Gen. Momoh told reporters about the arrest of a lorry loaded with 2014 election materials, another set of people were arrested by the Department of State Security (DSS) agents thumb-printing ballot papers at a hotel owned by Fayose’s ally, Dipo Anisulowo, at Are-Ekiti. Anisulowo, who, became Fayose’s Chief of Staff, admitted that he was surprised by the margin of difference between the APC and PDP tallies in the overall results.

    Both Momoh and the DSS promised to hand over the lorry and the men to the police. But, that was the end of the matter as INEC kept sealed lips, even as a more daring plot to rig the polls was in the offing by PDP and security agencies without Ekiti people knowing it.

    On the eve of the election, thousands of soldiers and DSS operatives were unleashed on APC leaders and supporters. Fayemi’s Campaign Manager, Bimbo Daramola, was harassed and forced to flee his Ire-Ekiti country home. But, this was not before his father was arrested in lieu of the son with the policemen pointing gun to his head asking him to disclose the whereabouts of his son.

    Hundreds of APC leaders and supporters arrested were not released until after the end of the election. Several others fled their homes for fear of arrest by soldiers while APC campaign officials were also arrested and party agents’ money on them confiscated by soldiers.

    Also on the eve of the election, armed soldiers were moving from polling unit to polling unit tampering with voting materials, scaring party agents that kept vigil at the centres where voting materials were kept.

    On election day, people went to vote without any incident, but the results that shocked not only APC members, but also PDP members alike, who marvelled at how a candidate that had been deserted by his own party leaders and members, and who scarcely campaigned in one quarter of the state could win election in all the 16 local government areas in the state against a performing governor, supported by his party leaders and supporters.

    Anger was boiling in the perplexed and evidently disoriented APC members. Sensing danger, Fayemi, who was already in possession of intelligence that Ekiti State was meant for forceful take-over by PDP with consequent flow of blood by the Federal Government deployment of the military, quickly made a conditional concession of defeat to avert bloodbath. He had said: “If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti people, I stand in deference to your will”.

    Soon, it emerged that it was not through Ekiti people’s wish that Fayose became the governor, as Capt. Sagir Koli released a secretly recorded audio tape of how President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration used the military to criminally remove a sitting governor from office through a means other than those prescribed by the constitution.

    In the tape were voices of Fayose, Obanikoro, Omisore, Gen. Momoh, Jelili and one Abulrahman, a member of the House of Representatives from Oyo State.

    In the tape, Fayose was heard speaking of how he collected INEC soft copies that he printed to win the election. He also spoke about the seized lorry loaded with INEC materials two days to the election. In the tape, he accused Gen. Momoh of arresting the lorry loaded with INEC material on its way to the collation centre at Efon-Alaye, meaning that the results of an election that had not been conducted were being collated two clear days to the day of election.

    In the tape, Obanikoro threatened Gen. Momoh, saying that he sat on the Army Council responsible for his promotion and so, the Army General must cooperate to enable him get promotion. Obanikoro had said: “General, you know that I sit on the Army Council that approves your promotion. If you make me happy tomorrow night, the sky is your limit….”

    Upon the exit of the man allegedly behind the electoral heist, President Jonathan, the Chief of Army Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Buratai, opened the books to probe the military complicity in the treasonable act of illegal toppling of a sitting governor in Ekiti. Findings at the probe panel confirmed Capt Koli’s allegations contained in his secretly recorded tape. The Army Panel raised to investigate the matter found several officers and soldiers guilty. According to the panel’s recommendations, some are to lose their commands; some will lose their jobs; some will face the EFCC and several others were recommended for further investigations.

    More shocking now are the revelations by the State Secretary of the PDP, Dr Tope Aluko, detailing with documents, how the election was rigged in Fayose’s favour.

    He provided documentary evidence, detailing the names and staff numbers of the officers and soldiers involved in the operation, including the army’s operational details that were clearly in Fayose’s support. He also revealed that state INEC was paid N1 billion to post FUTA lecturers, sympathetic to the PDP to work as, returning officers during the election.

    Though, Lere Olayinka (Fayose’s aide), who also appeared on the same Channels Television programme, sought to reduce the matter to personal issues, he cleverly dodged the questions on evidence of Army’s culpability in the entire election fraud saga.

    Now that some military officers will face sack and imprisonment, the question is: will a ‘small thief’ suffer for the crime committed jointly with a ‘bigger thief’ in the Ekiti epic election fraud that has set tongues wagging since last year? Will the course of justice be served if the prime suspect in a treasonable offence is allowed to enjoy the benefit of his crime while those who only assisted through official complicity of the Federal Government are to bear the consequences of this crime against the Nigerian Constitution?

    It is on this note that necessary actions must be taken by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to ensure that no man, or a set of men, constitute themselves as a threat to the integrity of the constitution and democracy.

     

    Validity of US endorsement of Ekiti poll

    It is also a signal to the international community, notably the American State Department, to withdraw their approval of the election that was tainted with fraud and criminality as revealed in Ekitigate tape and PDP scribe’s testimony, as they will never accept such election under any circumstances in their countries.

    The urgent international community repudiation of their earlier vote praising the conduct of the election has become imperative in the face of Fayose flaunting international reports in the media houses and on the streets justifying his electoral fraud just because the international community approved the election in error.

    Failure to address the Ekiti election fraud squarely to ensure justice is a declaration that the constitution is open to abuses by desperate politicians, who consider themselves bigger than the law of the nation.

  • Ekiti workers decry reversal of salaries

    •Govt: error from service provider
    •APC: Fayose must stop deceiving workers

    Government workers in Ekiti State have decried the withdrawal of their salaries, few minutes after most of them received bank alerts of payment on Friday.

    The workers, many of who are owed three months arrears, had celebrated on receiving the alerts of payment of two months arrears.

    Their joy turned “sour” when they received another alert reversing the payment.

    The development forced many of them to make phone calls to their colleagues to confirm if they had the same experience.

    Some of the workers, who pleaded for anonymity, expressed shock with the development which they said has dampened their morale and exposed them to ridicule.

    A Grade Level 13 officer said: “I was very happy when I received alert that my account has been credited with two months salaries and I started calculating how I would spend it but I was shocked to receive another alert within an hour withdrawing the money paid into my account.”

    Commissioner for Information Lanre Ogunsuyi said the government was sorry for the inconvenience which he attributed to “an error by the firm  handling the computerisation of accounts”.

    Ogunsuyi said: “We are aware of the development and I want to say that government is sorry for the inconvenience this might have caused our workers. Today, everybody will get one-month pay.

    “It was an error by the firm that handled the computerisation of accounts, it was an error by our service provider.”

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned Governor Ayo Fayose to stop deceiving workers.

    In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the APC warned Fayose against persecuting union leaders for demanding for workers’ rights.

    Olatunbosun described the action of crediting workers’ accounts only to withdraw same after media hype as “callous and highly fraudulent”.

    He warned Fayose to “stop playing games with the lives of workers”.

    According to him, Fayose’s inconsistent figures on the state debts and non-transparent manner in the conduct of government’s business were enough for workers to lose faith in him.

    He said: “This is not the first time the governor is doing this to workers. He did it to primary school teachers last year when he learnt that they were to embark on strike.

    “That is what he did last week after learning of strike plan by teachers after they refused to help him in a solidarity rally to save him from Ekitigate probe.”

    “The governor who said the state was broke suddenly paid two months salary after learning that the teachers were bent on protesting the non-payment of their salary arrears, even though he quickly reversed a month salary from their accounts after workers were celebrating payment of two months arrears.

    “As we speak, Fayose is threatening labour leaders for legitimately asking for the rights of workers.

    “He has relocated government business to Afao- Ekiti just as he did when he was about to be impeached in 2006.”