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Tag: Ewi

  • Nigeria will overcome current challenges, says Ewi of Ado-Ekiti

    Nigeria will overcome current challenges, says Ewi of Ado-Ekiti

    • •’Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda transforming Nigeria’ 

    The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, has assured fellow Nigerians that the country will overcome its present challenges.

    Oba Adejugbe spoke at this year’s Udiroko Festival with the theme: Sustaining the Celebrations of Our Historical Heritage and Cultural Essence As A Collective.

    The monarch said Nigeria would become better, if the citizens could exercise patience and the government show commitment to its duty.

    Dignitaries at the festival included Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin; Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele; Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji; Ekiti State Deputy Governor Monisade Afuye, and former Governor Ayodele Fayose.

    Oba Adejugbe urged fellow Nigerians to endure the current pains associated with the economic initiatives of President Bola Tinubu.

    “These pains shall soon be decimated and eclipsed by requisite policy attention of the governments at all the strata of the governance process,” he said.

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    The monarch also advised the government “to put on its policy agenda requisite measures targeting the current trauma of the citizenry”.

    He said eminent Nigerians, including the Senate leadership, were invited to the festival to draw attention to the parlous state of the federal roads in Ekiti State.

    Akpabio assured residents of the state that the Tinubu administration would earmark befitting developmental projects in next year’s budget.

    Jibrin, who delivered Akpabio’s message, said: “The Senate President said we are going to do all within our power to make sure that we attract federal projects to be executed in this state.

    “It is in this regard that he asked me to tell you that in next year’s Appropriation Act, something substantial will be imputed to the budget to be executed in Ekiti State. In fact, if the Ewi has any project in mind, he should tell us so that I relay the message to him (Akpabio) so that that will be implemented.”

    The Deputy Senate President added: “I will go back to tell the Senate President that Udiroko Festival is a wonderful festival and a wonderful tourist attraction.”

    Oyebanji said he would hold Akpabio by his words to ensure the realisation of his promise for the state.

    The governor, who congratulated the Ewi on the celebration, added: “I am so happy that Udiroko Festival is taking an international dimension every year. It will continue to improve.”

    Bamidele said he and Jibrin would deliver the Ewi’s message to the Senate President, assuring that Ado-Ekiti Kingdom would get developmental projects.

    Also, the Eze Ndigbo of Lagos State, Christian Nwachukwu, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is transforming Nigeria and ensuring that the economy works again for the benefit of all citizens.

    Nwachukwu said this when he hosted a delegation of the state’s office of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) at the Lagos State Igbo Community Centre at Okota.

    The visit was part of the agency’s commitments to enlighten people at the grassroots about the efforts and progress of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu in his efforts to reposition Nigeria and make the economically buoyant again.

    Nwachukwu said: “The NOA is a critical organ of the government that carries out its core mandates of mobilising favourable public opinion and support for the government’s policies, activities and programmes and educating Nigerians on their rights, privileges, responsibilities and obligations as citizens as well as propagate the need to avoid all vices in public life, which includes corruption, dishonesty, and electoral and census malpractices.”

    The Igbo leader thanked the delegation for the visit to ensure that Nigerians were well informed about Mr. President’s efforts to make Nigeria great again.

    He said: “I have never doubted the ability of President Tinubu in transforming Nigeria through his Renewed Hope Agenda.

    “Honest Nigerians will attest to the fact that President Tinubu has and is evolving critical economic policies and programmes that are aimed at making Nigeria great again.”

    The leader of the delegation and an Assistant Director and Chief Orientation Mobilisation Officer (COMO) of Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area, Mrs. Helen Chukwuorji, said: “The Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu has made tremendous progress in a bid to make Nigeria a livable place for all Nigerians.

    “I plead with you, as a leader of Ndigbo in Lagos State, to pass this message to Ndigbo in Lagos State so that they will be aware of the efforts of the Tinubu-led Federal Government to make life better for Nigerians.”

    Another member of the delegation, Olisa Ichafilat Adeyinka, who is the Chief Mobilisation Officer for Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), urged all Nigerians to appreciate the efforts of President Tinubu in getting the economy out of the woods.

    Other members of the delegation included Mrs. Ukeh Ogochukwu (Chief Orientation Mobilisation Officer for the Ejigbo Local Council Development Area) and Mrs. Hannatu Akande (Assistant Chief Orientation Mobilisation Officer for Ejigbo LCDA).

  • Udiroko: Ewi rallies indigenes for Ado-Ekiti development

    The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, Aladesanmi III, has urged his subjects to join hands together to develop their hometown.

    The monarch spoke yesterday at a media briefing to herald this year’s Udiroko Festival at his palace in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

    He noted that Udiroko, which marks the beginning of Ado-Ekiti traditional calendar, had contributed to the socio-economic development of the city.

    Oba Adejugbe said Udiroko had become an international festival which yearly attracts not only indigenes but also tourists from other parts of Nigeria and outside the country.

    This year’s Udiroko will be chaired by the Founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, and will be used to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the community.

    A keep-fit session was held on Monday to kick-start activities for the weeklong event.

    It was followed by a special prayer session yesterday, led by the Dean of the Cathedral Church of Emmanuel at Okesa, Ado-Ekiti, Very Reverend Francis Bankole.

    According to him, other activities lined up to mark the festival include a Public Lecture also on Tuesday, Health Talk on Wednesday, Ewi Cup Final on Thursday, Night of Princes and Princesses on Thursday, Jumat Service on Friday, Youth Carnival on Monday and Grand Finale at Palace Square on Tuesday.

    The grand finale on Tuesday will see the Ewi receiving homage from traditional chiefs, palace queens, honorary chiefs and other interest groups.

    The Ewi explained that Udiroko, a festival which is as old as Ado-Ekiti, is an event held annually to thank God and plan on ways to move the city forward.

    He listed the projects that had been attracted to the city through the festival as the Faculty of Law building of Ekiti State University, the Palace Amphitheatre, ultramodern palace hall and the new Erekesan Market, among others.

    The royal father said Udiroko is a one-week event.

    The Ewi also debunked beliefs in some quarters that Udiroko is a festival for idol-worshipping, insisting that there is nothing fetish about the festival.

    He said: “Udiroko is not for idol worshipping or doing anything that is fetish. We are not worshipping any tree. It is our own New Year Day to give thanks to God.

    “Ado indigenes look forward to Udiroko every year and the festival has added value to Ado-Ekiti. We start Udiroko every year with prayers and we end it with prayers. We meet every year to thank God and to plan for the development of Ado.

    “It was during Udiroko Festival we agreed to build more structures in the palace and people have been saying this palace is beautiful.”

  • Afe Babalola, Ewi, others for meeting on herdsmen killings, kidnapping

    A pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, the Yoruba Ko’ya Movement, will on June 14 hold an interactive session with vigilantes and hunters on how to checkmate renewed cases of kidnapping and destruction of farm lands by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Ekiti State.

    The group said it will inaugurate the Lagos State chapter of its steering committee at the event and donate security gadgets, such as patrol vans, raincoats, boots, torchlights and whistles to the vigilante and hunters.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos, Yoruba Ko’ya’s National Director of Organisation and Publicity Maxwell Adeyemi Adeleye said the parley will examine the effects of attacks by Fulani herdsmen on food security and safety of lives and property.

    The statement also said it will examine the causes of herdsmen and farmers crisis in Ekiti State.

    The event, which will be chaired by the Alaaye of Efon Alaaye Kingdom, Oba Emmanuel Adesanya Aladejare, will discuss the options of managing Fulani herdsmen and the crisis they cause to farmers and the effects of their actions on food security.

    The statement also said the group was worried by recent cases of kidnapping around Ekiti and Osun State boundary.

    It stressed that the parley is meant to protect Ekiti State and Yoruba land from being encircled by rampaging Fulani herdsmen.

    The statement said keynote speakers for the event are: the founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola; the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe; seasoned media entrepreneur and Co-founder of Yoruba Ko’ya Movement, Otunba ‘Deji Osibogun; the Iyaloja of Ekiti State, Mrs Waje Oso and others.

    The event, which will hold at Dave Hotel Event Hall, Adebayo, Ado-Ekiti, will start at 10 a.m.

  • APC berates Fayose for ‘uncouth language’ on Ewi

    The Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated Governor Ayodele Fayose for allegedly humiliating the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe Aladesanmi.

    The monarch, in a video clip, urged the governor to carry residents along in the demolition of buildings.

    Fayose fired back in rage, saying nobody could stop him from the demolition.

    The demolition has rendered hundreds of residents homeless and forced many to relocate elsewhere.

    In a statement yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the capital, by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, APC criticised Fayose using “uncouth language” on the frontline monarch.

    The party listed instances where the governor allegedly treated monarchs with disrespect.

    It noted that the incident is not the first in which Fayose scoffed at the office of traditional rulers.

    The statement said: “Fayose, during his first term, assaulted this same Ewi of Ado-Ekiti publicly when he asked the monarch to hang his crown to mount the soapbox to campaign for Ekiti governorship election, simply because the monarch did not support his anti-people policies and his reckless attacks on eminent Ekiti indigenes.”

    The party noted that the governor’s disrespect for Ekiti monarchs contributed to the fall of his administration in 2006.

    Faulting Fayose for demolishing homes of Ado-Ekiti residents without prior notice while paying pittance to victims, APC said the governor was insincere in his assertion that the demolition was imperative to make Ado-Ekiti a befitting capital.

    It said: “All the grandstanding and rhetoric that the demolition is necessary to give Ado-Ekiti a facelift as the state capital is a fluke.

    “The truth is that house demolition is a viable business opportunity for the governor, after facts have emerged that those Fayose has so far paid for losing their homes got a small fraction of the figures the governor quoted for compensation from the Federal Government as refund for the flyover project.

    “For instance, reports have indicated that Fayose allegedly put the compensation responsibility on the contractors (of the flyover project), who are his friends from Ibadan, to pay the victims for losing their homes, whereas the money received by victims is just a small fraction of what was allegedly computed by the contractors to the Federal Government for reimbursement.

    “Ekiti people need to ask themselves whether or not it is politically wise for a politician like Fayose to be demolishing the homes of voters in an election year without prior notice and satisfactory compensation plan.

    “Like Fayose threatened while harassing the monarch in his palace, he will continue to demolish more houses because that is a good business for him to make money as he prepares to serve out his term on October 16, 2018.”

    APC urged the governor to stop desecrating the palace, adding that royal fathers represent the spiritual authority of the people for peace and development.

     

  • Fayose, Ewi row over demolition in Ado-Ekiti

    Residents of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, led by their monarch, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, are angry with Governor Ayodele Fayose for demolishing houses in the city.

    The residents have been trooping to the palace of the monarch to register their displeasure about how their properties were demolished without any prior notice.

    Home owners claimed that the recent demolition was not done with a human face.

    They said many of the houses were brought down with their belongings inside.

    The Ewi invited Fayose to his palace at the weekend and expressed the disapproval of his subjects with the latest demolition.

    The governor reportedly got angry at the meeting and vowed to continue demolishing houses as part of his administration’s urban renewal policy.

    Oba Adejugbe was quoted to have said that Ado-Ekiti residents were not happy that the government did not inform them about the demolition before their homes were brought down for a market extension and a road project.

    Areas affected include Okeyinmi, Oke Ila, Ijoka and residential areas within the market vicinity.

    The Hausa in the Sabo area had been displaced.

    But the Ewi, his chiefs and subjects got more than what they bargained for when Fayose said nobody could stop him from the demolition.

    The governor said it would be continuous.

    Fayose reportedly promised to demolish the shops in the front of the palace and more houses in the city to pave way for his urban renewal project.

    The governor vowed not to honour any royal summons on the demolition saga.

    The footage of the encounter has since gone viral on various social media platforms and has been generating interest within and outside the state.

    In the video, Fayose does not hide his anger towards Oba Adejugbe’s remarks on public outrage on the demolition.

    The Ewi says: “The issue of urban renewal is sensitive. We had anticipated that this will happen and that was why we wrote a letter. You were at the glass shop over there when we said it was likely that houses would be demolished. But we said we should all sit down and be carried along before such houses would be demolished.

    “We know that you are doing your work and we cannot say you should not do your work. But my subjects have been coming to the palace to complain that their structures were being demolished without prior notice. One of them complained that he went to work and the house was demolished with all his belongings inside before he returned. That is the issue.

    “People have been coming here and they have not allowed us to rest. That of Ijoka was the most serious. That is why I said it is compulsory I see you (Fayose), that we should discuss together. We cannot say you should not do your work because we will understand the matter on the ground better in another 20 years.

    “I don’t want you to say that ‘when I wanted to do my job, the Ado-Ekiti people said I should not do my work’. What we are saying is that all of us will sit down together – whatever work you want to do – those to be affected will know ahead of time. Imagine a situation in which somebody goes to work and his house is demolished before he returns.”

    But an irate Fayose, who looks agitated while the Ewi is making his remark, fires back: “Kabiyesi, your position that we should not demolish houses, don’t say that at all; don’t say that again. Please, don’t bring that matter out again! Excuse me, sir! Let us ask for the truth from ourselves. Go out there. We have houses that have been there since 19-something.

    “Those houses are there, but the owners are no longer there. Many of them are living in the GRA, others are residing in America. What they do is that they will create shops out of those dilapidated buildings and they will be collecting rents on them at the end of the month.

    “I want you to know today that I will continue to demolish houses. Let me make it clear to you today. I wanted to extend the demolition to Atikankan; you were the one that prevented me. I wanted it demolished up to Atikankan.

    “At the spot where the demolition stopped, that one is a comma. Invite those house owners and tell them that those houses that serve as hideouts for phone snatchers and bag snatchers will be demolished.

    “We need relative peace. Can we remain in this condition forever? If this palace had remained the same condition you inherited it from your forefathers, who had reigned before you, are we going to have the opportunity of staying in this place? I just came here to honour you today. That is why I am here.

    “That dual carriageway is going through Oke Ila, across like this. Anybody who has structures along that way will have to endure. That is the Panadol everybody will have to take in a time like this. It is God Who stands by somebody; nobody should use the forthcoming election to intimidate me.

    “That Baba said the market is not part of it. Who told you that it is inside the market that demolition takes place? Those structures in front of the palace, I will demolish them. This palace should not be here and all that rubbish is allowed to be there. I want to complete that market in the first week of July, by God’s grace.

    “Everybody who is holed up in those structures should go inside the market so that I can tidy up the frontage of the palace. That will be in honour of my name forever.

    “There is no time we will not fight, but wherever somebody has to go, he will go there. Those who are yet to be compensated will be compensated. I am already processing their compensation. We have done the enumeration and whatever those affected are supposed to get an amount of money, they will get it.

    “That I will not demolish houses, I cannot guarantee that. I also want to tell Kabiyesi that I will not answer this kind of invitation again because I am busy working. I don’t want to be treated any less than the office of the governor that I represent. I don’t want to be so treated.

    “Excuse me, sir. You may not like what I want to tell you: till the morning of the day that I will leave office in this Ado, when you will be saying Fayose ‘bye bye’, I will work till that day. It is not because of you but because of me and my life. Kabiyesi, this is not a matter to be angry about it.”

  • Ewi declares Ado-Ekiti no-go area for land grabbers

    Ewi declares Ado-Ekiti no-go area for land grabbers

    THE Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, Aladesanmi III, has declared his kingdom as a no-go area for land grabbers, known in local parlance as “Omo Oniles”.

    He urged them to embrace agriculture and stop fomenting trouble.

    The monarch said the menace of land speculators in his kingdom was one of the prices to be paid for the change of its status from a town and local government headquarters to a state capital, following the creation of Ekiti State on October 1, 1996.

    Oba Adejugbe spoke yesterday at a briefing to mark the start of this year’s Udiroko Festival, which is celebrated annually to mark the commencement of the New Year in the Ado Ekiti Traditional Calendar.

    Oba Adejugbe declared that any Omo Onile arrested henceforth in Ado Ekiti would be treated as an armed robber and given the appropriate punishment.

    He added that the palace has officially forwarded a letter to the Office of the Inspector General of Police to tackle the Omo Onile syndrome, which he attributed to “the influx of the boys driven away from Lagos”.

    The Ewi said: “The issue of land dispute has to do with the expansion of the town. When Ekiti State was to be created, I told my people that it will attract everybody because it would bring good things and bad things as well.

    “I told them that land speculators will come and buy parcels of land and resell them plot-by-plot and you will remember what I said at Udiroko 2015 when I expressed my concern about our people selling  central buildings and family land to strangers at prices ranging from N20 million and sharing the money at N200,000 and moving hinterland.

    “In this palace, we have a committee in charge of land conflict and such issues are being resolved. But we have the problem of these people driven away from Lagos and the issue of the Omo Onile syndrome has reduced.

    “We wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police and any Omo Onile caught will be treated as an armed robber and that is why we have told our children to embrace agriculture.”

    The grand finale of the festival holds on Tuesday, August 23 and is expected to hold at the new amphitheater constructed at the palace courtyard.

    The monarch urged his subjects and residents to come out in large numbers to participate in the festival, which, he described, as a celebration of culture and tradition of Ado people.

    The festival began with a prayer session by Christian clerics led by the Dean of the Cathedral Church of Emmanuel, Very Reverend Francis Bankole and  Chairman, Ado Ekiti District Church Council (DCC) of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Pastor Olu Eyebiokin.

    It was followed by the festival lecture, entitled: “Ado Ekiti for Greater Tomorrow”, which was delivered by the former Ekiti State Deputy Governor Dr. Sikiru Tae Lawal.

    Oba Adejugbe explained that Health Talk holds today at Pastoral Centre.

    Tomorrow, there will be a visit to the aged, “Ayo Olopon” competition and Jumat service at the Central Mosque.

    According to him, Ado Ekiti sons and daughters will pay homage to the Ewi on Monday morning while Princes and Princess’ Night will be celebrated later in the day.

    The Ewi used the opportunity to disabuse the minds of Christians and Muslims, who perceive the festival as idolatry.  He said: “Udiroko Festival is not fetish as erroneously believed in some quarters.”

    Oba Adejugbe said the festival is used annually to give thanks to the Almighty God, adding that the presence of clerics at the prayer session held in his palace earlier in the day was an indication that Udiroko is not synonymous with idolatry.

  • Ewi, Sultan call for night grazing ban in Ekiti

    The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, have called for a ban on night grazing in Ekiti State, saying this will end clashes between farmers and cattle rearers.

    At a parley  at the Ewi’s palace in Ado-Ekiti, the rulers said grazing should be banned from 6pm to 6am.

    They recommended that committees, comprising farmers, cattle rearers, security agencies, representatives of traditional rulers and councils, should be established.

    The parley, which was organised to settle conflicts over alleged grazing rights and destruction of farms by cattle, was attended by a government delegation, led by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Kehinde Odebunmi; members of the Ewi-in-Council and representatives of the Sultan.

    Present also were the national leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), led by its National President, Alhaji Muhammadu Kirwa Hardon Zuru; representatives of the police and Department of State Services (DSS) as well as farmers’ groups and leaders of the cattle rearers.

    Praising the government for its efforts at maintaining peace, they stressed the need to curb the ugly trend.

    Other recommendations include setting up vigilance groups, taking a census of cattle owners and decentralising the leadership of cattle rearers to comprise an Ardo/Seriki Fulani in each senatorial district with a new head at the state level to be responsible to the national body.

    The stakeholders emphasised the need to reposition the leadership of Miyetti Allah Association for effective control of herdsmen.

    They added that grazing routes and reserves must be developed to serve as a permanent solution.

    Commending the Ewi and Sultan for their role, they noted that the patience, understanding and resilience of farmers’ groups in the state was laudable.

    Odebunmi thanked the monarchs and others for their peace efforts.

  • 2015‘ll bring more joy, says Ewi

    2015‘ll bring more joy, says Ewi

    The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, has said the New Year will bring more joy and fulfilment to Nigerians.

    In his New Year message, the monarch thanked God for His mercies in Ekiti State and for the peaceful conduct of the governorship election.

    He prayed that Nigeria will witness the same peace during next month’s general elections.

    Oba Adejugbe called on the people to resolve to change for the better in the New Year.

    The monarch advised politicians to play the game by the rules and avoid any act that can disrupt the peace.

    He urged parents to take proper care of their children so they would not be used as thugs.

    Oba Adejugbe called for peaceful co-existence among the people for accelerated development.

    He added that the less privileged in the society deserve better treatment from the government.