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Tag: Fayemi

  • Amaechi, Fayemi, Fashola, Onu make ministerial list

    Amaechi, Fayemi, Fashola, Onu make ministerial list

    Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday received the first set of names of would-be ministers to be screened by lawmakers.

    The list was presented to him after plenary at about 5pm by the President’s  Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari and Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on National Assembly Matters Ita Enang.

    On his twitter handle at about 5:20 p.m, Saraki wrote: “I can now confirm that I just received the list of ministerial nominees.”

    The list was submitted in a sealed envelope by  Kyari and Enang.

    The Senate President’s spokesman, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said: “Dr. Saraki, following the tradition of the Senate, decided that the envelope will remain sealed till Tuesday October 6, when during the plenary sitting of the Upper legislative chamber, it will be opened and the list read to Senators.”

    But sources last night said key leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), ex-senators, technocrats and ex-governors are on the list.

    APC chief and former Minister Mr. Audu Ogbeh; Southeast APC leader Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Director General of the Buhari campaign organisation and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi are likely to be on the list.

    Others presented for senators’ screening are former Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti);  former Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mr. Abubakar Malami.

    Three women – a former Ogun State Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan and Mrs Amina J. Mohammed, Special Assistant to UN Secretary General on Post-2015 Development Planning are also ministerial nominees.

    Mrs Amina Mohammed, born 1961, was appointed to her role with the UN secretary general in June 2012.

    The mother of six previously worked for six years with former President Olusegun Obasanjo as Special Adviser on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

    Incidentally, Mrs Adeosun’s name is also on the list of commissioner-nominees sent to the Ogun State House of Assembly yesterday by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

    Amaechi and Fayemi were on the trip to the 70th United Nations General Assembly in NewYork with President Muhammadu Buhari. The delegation returned yesterday.

    Others on the list are  Senator Hadi Sirika, a pilot, who represented Katsina North in the senate between 2011 and 2015. He was elected on the ticket of Buhari’s former party, the Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) and a former Anambra State Governor Chris Nwabueze Ngige. Ngige, a medical doctor, was also a senator between 2011 and 2015.

    There are also Solomon Dalong and Ibe Kachikwu, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), who is likely to be Minister of State for Petroleum.Buhari has announced himself as oil minister.

    Osagie Ehanire, Udoma Udo-Udoma, Ahmed Isa Ibeto, Sulaiman Adamu and Ibrahim Jibril are also on the list, according to sources.

  • Let’s uphold love, says Fayemi

    Let’s uphold love, says Fayemi

    Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has urged Muslims to uphold the lessons of love, loyalty and sacrifice which the Eid-el- Kabir teaches.

    Fayemi, in a goodwill message, said the Eid el-Kabir festival also offers another opportunity for sober reflection, soul searching and spiritual renewal, which Allah demands from the faithful.

    He advised that the lessons of sacrifice and loyalty, which Eid-el-Kabir teaches should not be lost to the pomp and ceremony that accompany the festival. According to him, Allah brought victory and joy to Prophet Ibrahim and his son, Ismail, after the duo demonstrated uncommon sense of sacrifice in fulfilling His will.

    Fayemi, while urging Nigerians to continue to pray and work for peace in the country, urged the Muslim faithful and adherents of other faiths to make peaceful coexistence and harmony their watchwords in the quest for a greater and more prosperous Nigeria.

    “It is only through the fear of God, love for one another and commitment to peaceful living, that we can collectively confront our challenges as a nation and build the Nigeria of our dreams,” Fayemi added.

  • Soludo, Fayemi visit Aso Villa

    Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo and the former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi were separately sighted at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Soludo, who wore a cream- colored kaftan, signed the visitors’ book and went to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, ?Alhaji Abba Kyari around 5:30pm.

    Although it could not be established if he met with President Muhammadu Buhari, but his visit came at a time the President was concluding work on the list of ministerial nominees he would be sending to the National Assembly this month.

    Soludo had been quite critical of the financial management of the economy by the Jonathan administration, accusing it of supervising the leakage of 30 trillion naira from the system.

    He was also engaged in a war of words with former minister of finance, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala who expressed reservations over Soludo’s criticism of the last administration.

    Fayemi, who wore in a dark – colored kaftan with a cap also entered the Chief of Staff’s office about 30 minutes after Soludo.

    The two men waited for the Chief of Staff because he was in the President’s office when they entered the State House.

     

  • Soludo, Fayemi visit Aso Rock

    Soludo, Fayemi visit Aso Rock

    The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo and the former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi were separately sighted at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday.

    Soludo, who wore a cream- colored kaftan, signed the visitors’ book and went to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, ‎Alhaji Abba Kyari around 5:30pm.

    Although it could not be confirmed if Soludo met with President Muhammadu Buhari, but his visit came at a time the President is reportedly concluding work on the list of ministerial nominees he would be sending to the National Assembly this month.

    Soludo had been quite critical of the financial management of the economy by the Jonathan administration, accusing it of supervising the leakage of N30 trillion from the system.

    He was also engaged in a war of words with former minister of finance, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala who expressed reservations over Soludo’s criticism of the last administration.

    Fayemi, who was in a dark – colored kaftan with a cap also entered the Chief of Staff’s office about 30 minutes after Soludo.

    The two men waited for the Chief of Staff because he was in the President’s office when they entered the State House.

  • Atiku, Fayemi, Soyinka, Peterside mourn Mama

    Atiku, Fayemi, Soyinka, Peterside mourn Mama

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi and Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Dr. Dakuku Peterside have described the late H.I.D. Awolowo as ‘epitome of honesty’.

    Atiku, Fayemi and Peterside, in statements yesterday, said the late Mrs Awolowo would be missed.

    Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka also mourned the late Mrs Awolowo.

    In a statement, he said: “An Era recedes. As solace, it leaves in its wake a treasured privilege for those who knew her, who experienced her indomitable spirit at first hand, and drank from her depthless fount of family embrace.”

    Atiku, who shares November 25th birthday with the deceased matriarch of the Awolowo family, said he was already looking forward to celebrating her centenary birthday.

    In a statement by his media office, he eulogised the departed YeyeOba Adimula of Yorubaland and ageless national icon.

    He said: “Mama HID (Awolowo) was mother to all and an epitome of honesty, integrity and dignity. She was a rare gem, a symbol of fineness and firmness, a woman of substantial depth on all matters, a devout and dedicated Christian, a successful business tycoon, a faithful and committed wife, and indeed a case-study for current generation of women leaders and those yet unborn.”

    The former Vice President, who is also the Aare Adimula of the Source, described the grandmother of Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), as “an embodiment of primordial and contemporary history, symbol of traditional norms and virtues, a fashionista of repute and stickler to discipline and transparency; whose indelible imprints on the sands of time would be hard to erase.”

    Atiku urged wives of leaders and aspiring female politicians to imbibe and emulate the legacies of endurance, patience, honesty, integrity and dignity that Mama Awolowo, “jewel of inestimable value”, bequeathed to the nation, and the world at large, in the course of her century-old sojourn on earth.

    “I am deeply saddened and immensely touched to lose a mother, birthday mate, generous adviser and matriarchal legend, but glad that I had the privilege to drink from her fountain of abundant wisdom and knowledge.”

    Fayemi commiserated with the family of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo; the government and people of Ogun State and the Yoruba race on the demise of Mama Awolowo.

    Fayemi described the death of the late matriarch as a glorious end to a remarkable life devoted to the service of humanity.

    Describing Mama H.I.D Awolowo as a woman of remarkable grace, bravery and strength of character, the former Ekiti State Governor said the late matriarch remained a shining example of loyalty and devotion.

    Fayemi recalled the crucial roles played by the late Mrs Awolowo in providing the right support for the late sage during the period of his political activities and keeping the family together after Awo’s passage as well as working tirelessly for the unity and progress of the Yoruba race.

    He also recalled his many encounters with the late matriarch whom he described as a woman of immense grace who had and demonstrated great passion for the unity and wellness of the Yoruba in particular and Nigeria as a whole.

    Fayemi said: “In all, mama put in her very best and remained for us all a shinning example in leadership, courage and loyalty. Mama’s peaceful passage barely two months to her 100th birthday celebration after a fulfilled life, remains a cause for celebration.”

    “While mama would be missed for her wisdom, candour and as the conscience and custodian of the Awolowo dynasty, the fact that she lived a good life, impacted many lives and left a legacy of honour are sufficient reasons to celebrate rather than mourn her passage.

    “On behalf of my family, I want to express our heartfelt condolence to the Awolowo family, the people of Ogun state and Nigerians on the passage of this great woman.”

    Peterside described Awolowo as a great woman of substance said Nigeria will miss her interventions and wise counsel.

    His words: “Among the wives of First Republic politicians, HID was without any doubt, one of the most visible and outstanding women of that glorious era. The sage himself captured her real essence when he fondly described her as ‘My Jewel of Inestimable value’. That apt description, over the years, gave a hint on her real meaning, not just to the Awolowo family, friends and admirers, but to the entire nation.

    “A great Iroko has indeed fallen but like every mortal, she must travel this path. She will be remembered for her resourcefulness and carriage, and for being the pillar behind the great Awo.

    “Without HID, it is very doubtful if Chief Obafemi Awolowo would have become that enigmatic and successful politician who bestrode our nation’s political space for many decades.

    “HID, like Chief Awolowo, will never die. Surely, she will live forever, particularly in the minds of those who benefitted from her husband’s vision in human capital development.

    “She will be greatly missed. And for the living, particularly those in public office, we must all draw from her example of service, consistency and commitment to great ideals. May her soul rest in peace.”

  • Ekiti eviction saga: Fayose revokes Fayemi’s sister’s, aide’s house purchase

    Ekiti eviction saga: Fayose revokes Fayemi’s sister’s, aide’s house purchase

    The Ekiti State government has revoked the sale of the house purchased by the Mrs. Bolu Fayemi-Ayodele, the elder sister of former Governor KayodeFayemi, at the Irewolede (Fajuyi) Estate along Ilawe Road, Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

    Mrs. Fayemi-Ayodele who was served with the letter conveying the revocation order on Thursday vowed to challenge the action in the court of law.

    The former governor’s sister received her revocation barely 24 hours after the Corporation in a letter by its lawyer, Br. Awe,  revoked house sale to the Chairman of Irewolede Residents Association, Ayo Orebe.

    Confirming the receipt of letter revoking the sale of the house she purchased on mortgage in 2011 in a telephone chat on yesterday,  Mrs. Fayemi-Ayodele described the action as “politically motivated.”

    She said: “They brought the letter yesterday (Thursday) it was given to me to sign that I received the original copy. The official who brought the letter said he was carrying out the directive given to him and I can’t blame him for that.

    “The house in question is  not a rented house, it’s my personal house which was purchased on a mortgage which still subsists even though I have not completed payment. I am going to court to challenge this latest action because a case is already in court over the last eviction and  if there is any case in  court, parties are not expected to take any action until the case is disposed of.

    “When I read the content of the letter, I told the bearer that all that was written in the letter are fallacies. I know that the action was taken because he (Fayose) believes that I am a sister to the former governor (Fayemi) and he feels that he can do anything he likes. I believe that action was politically motivated.”

  • How to evolve a new Nigeria, by Fayemi

    How to evolve a new Nigeria, by Fayemi

    Former Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi yesterday identified promotion of merit above ethnicity, value reorientation and punishment for corruption as the pathway to a new Nigeria.

    The governor was delivering a lecture at the maiden symposium of the Advanced Media and Communications Academy (AMCA) at the University of Ibadan.

    The symposium was in honour of two retired ambassadors – Dr Yemi Farounbi and Ayoola Olukanni.

    Speaking on the theme: “Our New Nigeria: Role of Professionals in Government,” Fayemi said the notion of ‘ professionals in government’ had been misconstrued for so long, just as some of the so-called professionals who were in government were unable to perform effectively due to their narrow knowledge and experience.

    According to him, Nigeria must overcome the wrong notion of professionals in politics because most politicians were also professionals. He explained that professionals must open themselves to acquire more knowledge about managing people in order to succeed in governance.

    Emphasising the importance of putting a round peg in a round hole, Fayemi said a new Nigeria would not be born until merit is used in recruitment and promotion in the public service and selection for political appointments.

    The governor was represented by Mr Ayo Afolabi, who is the director of publicity, All Progressives Congress (APC), Southwest Zone.

    Fayemi said: “On the one hand, there are those who believe in merit as the sole requirement for initiating individuals into public service. They believe that the public service should feature our best and brightest. On the other hand, there are those who believe that merit is insufficient as a principle for recruitment and that representing diversity should weigh as much if not more in the constitution of the government. They argue that a strict application of educational qualifications and experience in recruitments would engender the hegemony of certain sections of the country as well as an ethno-regionally lop-sided complexion of the national governmental apparatus.

    “Such an outcome, according to some polemicists, would be grossly injurious to the cause of national unity in a pluralistic society. Advocates of equal opportunity therefore crafted public policies, such as the federal character principle ostensibly to guide the equitable distribution of public sector appointments to reflect the breadth of Nigeria’s diversity and to protect minority communities from domination by majority communities. In an ethnically diverse society, appearances matter and the government must not only represent the people; it must be seen to be representative of the people. This, it is contended, can only be achieved by fostering a sense of belonging by distributing positions to representatives of sub-national constituencies.

    “Some advocates of equal opportunity contend that a desire for professionalism as espoused in the preference for competent individuals and a desire for equality need not be considered mutually exclusive. It is entirely possible to meet both demands. In reality however, over the past few decades the emphasis on representation has been trumpeted significantly at the expense of merit to the point where considerations of competence and integrity are a distant second place or not even any longer on the radar of concern.”

    The former governor said the new government must also battle to redeem the hearts of Nigerians in addition to its anti-corruption crusade if it must succeed in fostering the birth of a new Nigeria.

    His words: “Given the clear commitment of the present administration to fighting corruption, it is also clear that a key component of any holistic anti-corruption campaign should be a battle to redeem the hearts and minds of Nigerians. There are changes that will be accomplished through diligent prosecution of official wrongdoing and reforms in the architecture of our institutions – certainly – the culture of official impunity can be dispelled once it becomes clear that for the first time in our recent history, there is a confluence of the political resolve at the highest levels with refined and strengthened institutional capacity to ensure consequences for bad behaviour. The certainty of punishment is one of the strongest disincentives for official misconduct. But ultimately there also has to be a value reorientation of the society at large.”

  • Fayemi to speak at symposium

    Fayemi to speak at symposium

    Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi will tomorrow be the guest speaker at the maiden public symposium organised by the Advanced Media and Communication Academy (AMCA), at the Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan (UI).

    He is to speak on Our new Nigeria: Role of professionals in government, at the symposium held in honour of Ambassadors Yemi Farounbi and Ayoola Olukanni. The event starts at 2pm.

     

  • Fayose: We are destroying Fayemi’s legacy of betrayal

    Fayose: We are destroying Fayemi’s legacy of betrayal

    Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has said that his government was destroying the bad legacies left behind by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Dr. Kayode Fayemi.”

    Fayose, who was reacting to Fayemi’s interview in some newspapers in which he said that “his legacy was being destroyed,” said no responsible government will sustain a legacy of debt that was incurred on projects with no direct bearing on the welfare of the people.

    In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said it was necessary for Fayemi’s negative legacies to be destroyed. He added: “Even in the APC, his legacy of betrayal of Senator Bola Tinubu, the man who made him governor, is being destroyed.”

    “If he served Ekiti and its people well, why was it that he was roundly defeated in all the 16 local councils in the State in the June 21, 2014 governorship election and his party was also defeated 16 – 0 in the presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections?

    “Even, his own party men described his electoral defeat as the worst in Nigeria,” he said.

    The governor, who said it was shameful that Fayemi, who left two months’ salary and four months cooperative and unions deductions from workers salary, as well as pensions and gratuities unpaid could be talking about his legacies being destroyed.”

    The governor said; “When Fayemi became governor, he chose to close down two universities established by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Segun Oni and abandoned the Oba Adejugbe General Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, claiming that the state could not fund more than one university.

    “The same Fayemi, who said Ekiti had no money to fund more than one university preferred to take N25 billion bond to build a new governor’s lodge, civic centre, pavilion and execute other irrelevant projects.

    “Furniture alone, in the N3.3bn governor’s lodge that he built for himself and his wife cost N604.9 million and Fayemi wants such legacy of profligacy to be sustained in Ekiti? We are sorry to tell him that we won’t sustain such legacy of waste.

  • Fayose: we are destroying Fayemi’s legacy of betrayal

    Fayose: we are destroying Fayemi’s legacy of betrayal

    Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has said that his government was destroying the bad legacies left behind by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi.”

    Fayose, who was reacting to Fayemi’s interview in some newspapers in which he said that “his legacy was being destroyed,” said no responsible government will sustain a legacy of debt that was incurred on projects with no direct bearing on the welfare of the people.

    In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said it was necessary for Fayemi’s negative legacies to be destroyed. He added: “Even in the APC, his legacy of betrayal of Senator Bola Tinubu, the man who made him governor, is being destroyed.”

    “If he served Ekiti and its people well, why was it that he was roundly defeated in all the 16 local councils in the state in the June 21, 2014 governorship election and his party was also defeated 16 – 0 in the Presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections?

    “Even, his own party men described his electoral defeat as the worst in Nigeria,” he said.

    The governor, who said it was shameful that Fayemi, who left two months’ salary and four months cooperative and unions deductions from workers salary, as well as pensions and gratuities unpaid could be talking about his legacies being destroyed.”

    The governor said: “When Fayemi became governor, he chose to close down two universities established by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Segun Oni and abandoned the Oba Adejugbe General Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, claiming that the state could not fund more than one university.

    “The same Fayemi, who said Ekiti had no money to fund more than one university preferred to take N25 billion bond to build a new governor’s lodge, civic centre, pavilion and execute other irrelevant projects.

    “Furniture alone, in the N3.3bn governor’s lodge that he built for himself and his wife cost N604.9 million and Fayemi wants such legacy of profligacy to be sustained in Ekiti? We are sorry to tell him that we won’t sustain such legacy of waste.

    “Even vehicles bought for traditional rulers and political appointees, his government did not pay and uncompleted Oba Adejugbe General Hospital and State Pavilion were inaugurated with fanfare.

    “Today, Ekiti State is under the yoke of debt, courtesy of Fayemi’s mismanagement of the state resources and what we are destroying are those legacies of mis-governance he left behind.

    “One bad news that we must however tell Fayemi is that; we won’t only destroy his legacy of mis-governance and betrayal in Ekiti, we will also make sure that economic devourers like him will never taste power in the state.”