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Tag: governor

  • N37m largesse lifts Katsina students

    N37m largesse lifts Katsina students

    A N37m lifeline has changed the fortunes of 104 indigents students in Katsina State.

    A former Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF)  Mr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, an engineer, provided the money in order to enhance the education of some of the state’s financially challenged students.

    While stating his reasons for instituting “Partnership for Alleviation of Poverty Initiative,” under which he runs his charity foundation, Darma narrated a grim story, revealing the pathetic life of his primary school academic rival.

    Darma said his primary school classmate who was always second whenever he (Darma) was first, earned a living from digging graves because there was no one to fund his tertiary institution.

    His words: “The second motivation is that when I was in primary school, as far as I could recall from my Primary School One to Six, I was always taking the first position in the class. But then there was someone taking second position in the same class.

    “We were in the same class from Primary One to Primary Six, when we left primary school, that person was lucky to get to secondary school in Wusasa, Zaria. But I would say I was not too lucky to get a boarding school, I got Day Secondary School here in Katsina.

    “I saw this my friend who was always taking second position recently. Do you know what he is doing: grave digging. He digs graves for the dead to be buried. I asked him what happened and he told me all sorts of stories and I then realised that no matter how good one is if you don’t give him a helping hand, that person could be the worst person.”

    Presenting N11.5 million cheques at Mariamoh Ajiri Memorial International Schools, Katsina to some private schools in Katsina State for 2013/2014 for the first and second terms school fees under his scholarship scheme, he noted that the best gift an individual or government can present to a child is access to education.

    He described education as a responsibility that must not be left to only government to discharge, urging well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in the educational development of children.

    On the scholarship, Darma said he started it three years ago, meaning to extend it to 29 local governments in the state.

    He said: “It is my belief that some students from poor families, if given a chance and better learning environment, can perform much better than the children of the rich”.

    Asked to state the source of his fund for the scholarship scheme, he said while in office, he commenced the initiative with the belief that 60% of his income should go back to the society. Darma added that he has been spending his pension fund and monetisation benefits on the charity initiative.

    Chairman of the event Senator Umar Tsauri said it is very unusual to have people like Darma in our present setting where most people think of their immediate family alone.

    He said Katsina currently is blessed with two people, the state governor Ibrahim Shema who is a champion of development and Muttaqha Darma an exponent of people’s emancipation.

    He urged the students to utilise the opportunity provided to them by passing studying hard and their examinations with good grades.

    Representative of the schools and proprietor of Mariamo Ajiri International Schools, Alhaji Tajuddeen Babatunde Raji urged the public to assist in educating poor children.

    He said some families who can barely afford to feed their children consider education a luxury.

  • Yobe deputy governor prays for peace

    Yobe State Deputy Governor Abubakar Aliyu has advised the people to pray for the return of peace in the state and the country.

    Aliyu, in his Sallah message, noted that what the country and the state needed were fervent prayers for the return of peace.

    He said: “We are living in very difficult times. The people of the state and Nigeria need to join hands in offering fervent prayers to the Almighty Allah for the return of peace in our country.

    “For Yobe pilgrims in Mecca, we also enjoin them to double their prayers so that permanent peace would be restored to our dear land. We also wish them a successful Hajj and a safe return to the state.”

    The Chief Imam of Yobe Mosque and Islamic Centre, Ustaz Hudu Mohammed, who led the two-rakah prayers, condemned the killing of human beings in the name of religion.

    According to him, the way of life of Prophet Mohammed was an exemplar because he lived peacefully with non-Muslims.

    Hudu urged Muslims to unite against strange doctrines imported into Islam.

    He said: “Islam is a religion of peace.”

     

  • Northern governors seek end to attacks

    The Northern States Governors’ Forum has urged security agencies to “take urgent steps to halt the senseless killing of defenceless citizens”.

    Speaking through its Chairman, Gov Babangida Aliyu, the forum, in a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Danladi Ndayebo, also called for an end to “attacks on places of worship and educational facilities”.

    The forum was reacting to the murder on Saturday, of 38 students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State, and the killing of 15 persons in Zangang, a community in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    “The forum is particularly alarmed that the shooting to death of 38 students of the College of Education; Gujba, Yobe State followed the same pattern as the killing of 22 students and a teacher at Government Secondary School, Mamudo in the same state last July,” it said.

    While commiserating with the families of the victims, the forum prayed God to grant eternal rest to the deceased, as well as quick recovery to those who sustained injuries.

    It called on security agencies to intensify efforts at protecting the lives and property of citizens, and also ensure that those behind the violence in the region, were apprehended and brought to justice.

     

  • My unfulfilled dreams as a governor

    My unfulfilled dreams as a governor

    What is your take on the nation’s current political situation?

    As I said before, Nigeria has always managed to survive. At times, it seems that the nation will crash tomorrow. But from there, it gets up again. So, we will continue to survive but under very big strain. At the same time, we should not take things for granted. See what is happening in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East. One after the other, there were demonstrations in Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Syria and other parts of the world. That means that people are becoming more and more aware of their civil rights.

    And most of the problems are economic. The gap between the rich and the poor is too wide. We are not saying that everybody should be equal, but we must keep that gap close enough. These are some of the things we should not take for granted and believe that nothing will happen. Let us not stretch our luck to the breaking point. Let us ensure social justice and equal opportunities for everybody. These are some of the things that if we do, the country can survive.

    Let us also harness our resources. It is not only oil but also solid minerals. Let us invest enough in agriculture and manufacturing. These are the real sectors of the economy where we should put in enough resources and develop them. We have been talking about electricity for decades and nothing seems to be improving. We cannot develop as long as the real sector is not developing. The real employers of labour cannot employ. The highest employer of labour today is the government. That is very wrong. In the developed economies, the government employs a very small percentage of the work force. Not more than about five per cent. Here, the private sector is almost dead. These are some of the issues we must tackle if the country is to be peaceful.

    What I think is going on is that our nation has been on a continuous drift and that drift has not been halted, and it has affected our lives in all sectors-economic life, social life, anything you can think of. Nothing seems to be working. I think that something needs to be done. Otherwise, we would get to a point where we would not be sure of what is going to happen next.

    Why has it been difficult for people like you to disregard their political affliations and come together to do something?

    Even if the elite want to transform this country under whatever name you give it, they must carry the people along. If you don’t carry the people along, whatever you are doing becomes elitist. Now, the wants of the ordinary people are not so many. They want three square meals a day, ability to send their children to school, attend the hospital when they are sick and secure jobs for their children after they leave school, and so on. So, these are the basic needs of the ordinary man, and no matter what you are transforming, if you don’t carry them along and you don’t try to meet with these needs, you will never succeed. It means you are doing an elitist transformation where only the elite gain.

    So, let us see how we can look very seriously downwards and see what the man on the street wants. We have enough resources to meet these wants.

    We have had almost 40 years of military rule. Will you say the country is moving forward with democracy?

    I would say we are moving forward, but it depends on which direction. We are moving forward, and you should know that there is a learning process. A lot has happened. A new leadership has emerged. The only problem is that we are not as committed as our forefathers-the Ziks, the Awolowos, the Aminu Kanos, the Sardaunas, and so on. In their time, they were so committed and the fight was different. The fight was against the white man and the aim was to gain independence for Nigeria, which they achieved.

    Unfortunately, we have not been able to manage ourselves well thereafter. And this happened because after the white man left, we started fighting ourselves. The struggle for power has been raging since then amongst ethnic groups, political parties, religious bodies, and so on. So, that has been the confusion and the ordinary Nigerian is the worst for it.

    Recently, you raised the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State. What do you think are the chances of the party in Igboland?

    I see a very bright chance for APC. The South-East has followed PDP from the beginning till now and has nothing to show for it. In 2011, we had a body called Igbo Political Forum and we were working seriously towards having an Igbo President elected. Our target then was 2019. Our ambition then was that at the latest, by 2019, Igbo presidency would become a reality. But we scuttled it,

    2019?

    Yes, 2019, at the latest. But we messed it up because of selfish needs. Some people jettisoned the organisation in the last minute and worked for themselves and not for the Igbo. And today, as far as PDP is concerned, there is no plan for Igbo presidency. In APC, 1 think we have an opportunity. I tell the Igbo that if they work hard under APC and support the party, my projection is that by the year 2023, an Igbo man will be President.

    2023?

    Yes. We’ve got to be realistic. I said latest. It is possible we get it in 2015. But my personal projection is that latest by 2023, we will get it.

    After who and who might have ruled?

    The way things are going, whoever rules from 2015, by 2023 at the latest, an Igbo man will get it.

    Even if Jonathan comes back? Are we making an assumption that an Igbo man will become President after him?

    No, I’ve never believed that the next President after Jonathan will be an Igbo man. That has never been part of my plan. Knowing Nigeria the way I do, I don’t want to be over-optimistic and then promise our people what cannot happen. I don’t see President Jonathan handing over to an Igbo man.

    Why is an Igbo leader like you talking this way?

    It is not possible. We know the trend. Even when I was in PDP, I was part of the extended caucus that signed the minutes of that meeting we had in the Villa, where we agreed that after Obasanjo, a northerner would rule and after that, it would come down to the south. So, within PDP, there is no hope that after Jonathan, another southerner or an Igbo man would move straight into the Presidency. This was the calculation we had in 2011, and we told our people then that we had an option. That was the time we met with the northern group under Adamu Ciroma. And we had an agreement. It was in the papers. It was published and we signed.

    Do you actually realise the social implication of what you are saying?

    What is it?

    You are telling your Igbo kinsmen that…

    (Cuts in) I haven’t said anything other than that ‘latest’. The meaning of ‘latest’ here is that they can also have it earlier if they work hard. I want to be on the safe side and I say if we work hard, latest by 2023, an Igbo President would emerge.

    Would emerge?

    Yes.It may be shocking to you, but that is the truth of the matter. Those who promised us 2015, where are they (laughs)? The same people who promised us 2015 are the people telling us today that Jonathan is entitled to a second term. So did they not know in 2011 that he would be entitled to a second term?

    So, when you people were pursuing the presidency in 2015, Igbo wasn’t even in the agenda?

    Yes. What realistically we were thinking at that time was 2019. They promised us 2015, but realistically, we knew that was 2019. I know you are shocked. You will be shocked. You want me to say we will have Igbo president tomorrow. You can’t have it without working for it. What’s the organisation on the ground? What contacts have you made? Or is it that by 2015 an Igbo man will be president?

    Be realistic. We lost 2015 in 2011. If we had followed the programme in 2011, probably we would have had it in 2015 or 2019 latest. This is the truth. I will never believe that a South-South president will hand over to a South-East president. I said then and I’m still saying it today, that it would be impossible in the Nigeria context. So, why not work for something that is possible? There was an interview Chief Edwin Clark granted; I think it was in June. I saw that interview as being frank.

    What did he say?

    He said that the Igbo were not yet prepared for the presidency; that they had not started any move to run for the presidency of this country. He said the South-South started in 2003, and he concluded by saying that when the Igbo are ready, they would help the Igbo.

    So getting prepared to run for a Nigeria’s presidency has now been turned into an ethnic and violent affair? That is the kind of preparation I see the North making.

    No matter the method they use in their own case, the question we are asking ourselves is, what is the method Igbo people are using now?

    Let me return the question to you. What are you people doing to produce a president of Igbo extraction?

    There are many groups. But for those of us in the APC, we look at what is happening today, an Igbo man could probably in 2015 indicate interest. My party has not zoned anything. We have not decided where the presidency is going. So, the Igbo man could have a chance in 2015.

    Assuming he does not make it in 2015, whoever gets there, the Igbo man can now prepare very well and see that by 2023, an Igbo man would be President. That’s the situation.

    Your calculation does not even work?

    Why?

    Because you have assumed that after Jonathan, it will not be an Igbo man but a Northerner…

    Yes. But I didn’t say a Northerner. You didn’t hear me mention any ethnic group (laughs)

    Okay, I concede. Now, it would be any group after Jonathan and Jonathan may end his tenure in 2019 if he is re-elected in 2015?

    You can’t assume. I’m talking from the point of view of APC. And from the point of view of APC, are we expecting Jonathan to be re-elected? No. You are asking me, but I cannot tell you what any other person is doing on the APC point of view. I’m calculating that if the Igbo don’t make it in 2015, we must definitely work hard for it. Nobody will dash you the presidency. It means that the Igbo should come into APC and work hard for it.

    So, your ‘hard work’ is in the context of APC?

    Yes, in the context of APC. That is why I cannot speak for PDP. I’m speaking for APC. For me, the PDP is gone.

    Gone, in terms of?

    I mean our chances in PDP have gone. We lost it in 2011. I tell you the truth, no matter the way you see it, we lost it in 2015. We need to start positioning ourselves through APC to be sure that if we don’t make it in 2015, because my party has not in any way said the presidency is zoned to this side, we must begin seriously to work under APC and achieve it latest by 2023.

    But there is still a problem there?

    What problem?

    A lot of Igbo people see the APC as a Yoruba party.

    Some say it is a Yoruba party, others say it is a northern party. Why can’t we make it an Igbo party? That is why we’ve got to work hard in APC. You can see the baptism it is getting. Some say it is a Yoruba party. Some say oh, it is a Hausa-Fulani party. They just give these tags to scare our people away. APC is a Nigerian party and a lot depends on how you work on it. If in the 2015 election we work hard, I promise you, APC will take a minimum of three states out of the five in the South-East. And that will be the beginning.

    Can you name the states?

    I don’t want to name them. Any of the five is an opportunity.

    Would you take Anambra?

    By the grace of God. That would be the beginning.

    You already have Imo State, right?

    Yes, we have Imo State. So, we will add one more. And I said minimum. Supposing we take all the five. Mind you, it is not the powerful people that vote; it is the grassroots people who would look at the APC as a party that wants to cater for the ordinary people. And by the time we release our manifesto, by the time we start working, start our campaigns, you will see that the ordinary man will see that that’s where his salvation lies. So, he can leave the elite in the PDP.

    We hope to be in control of the centre. For us to execute our programmes, we hope first and foremost to grab the centre. We’re not joking. It’s not a question of dragging people out of the centre. And the group that needs the APC most is the Igbo.

    What makes you think so?

    Yes, I think so because when our states key into the programmes of APC, we will see development in Igboland. That is one. Again, the Igbo presidency we’re talking about becomes more realisable, unlike in the PDP where there’s no programme for it. But some leaders come out and say you will get Igbo presidency tomorrow morning only for them to get ‘settled’ with contracts, etc. When they get these things, as far as they are concerned, Igbo Presidency can wait. We’re not like that in APC. We are quite dedicated.

    Are you going to run for Senate again under APC?

    I can tell you, I took part in the formation of APC. I was one of those who planned the merger, and at the time we resolved that, we took our ambitions and put them in our pockets. By the time we finished merging and the party settles down and everything has been put on ground, you can come up with your ambition.

    So as at today, I cannot say what I’m going to run for. I’ve not even given it a serious thought if I’m going to run for something or not. Our preoccupation as at now is to put APC on the ground. Having been registered, registration is just one step. The next thing is to put it on the ground, and that is what we are all working towards. As for our individual ambitions, everybody has his. But it’s not an issue yet.

    What is your guiding philosophy about life?

    My guiding philosophy about life is to act according to my conscience at all times. Once I consult my conscience, whatever it tells me, that is what I do. And when I do it, I have no regrets. But once my conscience is not clear on an issue, I will not try it. But I believe that we are all human beings. Even when probably you have been placed in a better position, you must try also to help those who are down to get up. These are the things that guide me in life.

    I try to treat my fellow human beings as humans and always regard whatever position I find myself as a temporary position, because no position is permanent. I believe in it so much. You can be there today and tomorrow you are down, next tomorrow you are at the top. But what kills many of us is that when we find ourselves in certain positions, we think that it will last forever. One day, you will come down. If you have that at the back of your mind, it will make you to behave well. It will make you to treat others as you will like to be treated. My philosophy of life is for me to act according to my conscience. That is the summary of my philosophy.

    Are there things you remember today with regrets? Are there things you could have done differently if given another opportunity?

    Of course, yes. For everybody, it has to be. You cannot, with hindsight, review what you did for eight years and find all of them quite in order. There must be a few that you believe that, well, given hindsight today, I would have done them differently. There are always.

    Can you give examples?

    I may not be able to give a lot of examples, but I would say that one of the things that I want to do that I did not do well, was the issue of technical education. I remember it till today. I had a philosophy that I wanted to do real technical education, which meant establishing artisan schools, craft schools. I think that is what we lack. We can have all the engineers in the world, all the doctors, but we don’t have artisans. That is an aspect of my administration that I think that I did not do quite well.

    Secondly, it was my ambition to link up the three cadres of health management; that is the primary, secondary and tertiary health. I did not quite link them up. There were some of these things I failed to do, which I think I should have done. But in any case, lack of resources also contributed to it; not that I did not know that they should be done.

    Another thing I believe I would have done differently is the issue of Imo State University. I thought of establishing two major campuses of the Imo State University, but I could not get them working. The teaching hospital in Orlu, the College of Engineering in Okigwe, I started them but I could not get them to the level I should have got them to before I left. These are some of the things I could not achieve as I desired. Subsequent regimes should be able to continue from where I stopped.

    What did you accomplish during your tenure as governor?

    What makes me feel happy most when I remember Imo State is not the structures on ground, but the human capital I was able to build. To me, that is what makes me feel happy. In my time, I had this poverty alleviation programme and it helped a lot of people. When I go to Imo State today, you see market women I would not even remember recounting what my poverty alleviation programme helped them to achieve. I have had many of such experiences and they gladden my heart. It is not just the issue of structures.

    In my time, we did not have so much money, but we were doing some contracts. We made sure that we distributed them well. It was not a question of getting one contractor to build everything. We distributed them and spread them among contractors from the three political zones, so that the idle youths in the villages would find work to do. This made me happy. I remember the state secretariat in Owerri, which has 10 large buildings. The buildings were given to 10 individual contractors spread among the three senatorial zones in the state. Anytime I visited the construction site, I felt happy seeing youths who would have been idle in their villages working at the sites. These engagements prevented them from taking to crimes. All these made me happy.

  • ‘Our stand on next Lagos governor’

    A group, the Christian Conscience, has said its campaign for a Christian governor in Lagos State is not born out of religious sentiments.

    In a statement at the end of its executive meeting, the organisation’s secretary, Mr. Femi Ilori, said: “Of the over 20 years that the state had experienced democracy, the only time a Christian was at the helm of affairs was during the tenure of Chief Michael Otedola, whose tenure was truncated by the military.

    “We have observed that our leaders play a lot of religious games when putting people in sensitive positions. There is a fraternity game in the corridors of power, making it impossible for people, who are equally capable, to bring to bear their expertise.

    “We are not out to cause trouble and are not advocating anything that does not conform to the law. We are just making a genuine demand. Where are simply asking for fairness in the power game.

    “We urge Christians, who love Lagos State, to brace up for the 2015 elections. This is not the time to sleep or slumber. It is not the time to prevaricate and make empty noises. It is time to participate fully in politics and do our homework as God gives us the strength.”

     

  • Nigeria vs Burkina Faso: Kaduna State governor throw gates open

    Nigeria vs Burkina Faso: Kaduna State governor throw gates open

    •Ticket distribution starts 10 am
    •Security beefed up at Hotels, Stadium

    Kaduna State governor, Alhaji (DR) Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has thrown the gates open for today’s international friendly match between Super Eagles and Stallions of Burkina Faso at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.

    State Football Association chairman, Abdul Kadiri Mogaji said the move was to mobilize fans to cheer Eagles to victory.

    Mogaji told SportingLife the government has purchased thousands of tickets which will be distributed at designated areas across the states from 10 am.

    Going by the plan as stated by Mogaji, residents living around Tundun Wada environs will collect their tickets at the Ahmadu Bello Round-about, those in Kawu, Gwarimi and Amalali will pick theirs at Kabala Costain while people around Sabon Gari will get their own at the Railway Round-about.

    He hinted that adequate security has been put in place for a hitch-free match which has equally been extended to the team’s hotels.

    Super Eagles are lodged at the African Continental Hotel, off Raba road while Burkina Faso are at Bafara Hotel, Yakubu Avenue.

    “I can also tell you that there will be a large presence of armed policemen, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other Para military men. We have done our own part as FA. We are only hoping for a successful hosting Insha Allah.”

    Speaking in the same vein, the commissioner for Sports, Aminu Mohammed Sani said Eagles will be hosted to a Gala night after the match.

    “It has become our tradition to host the Super Eagles to a Gala Night anytime they play in Kaduna. We will do the same tonight,” Sani told SportingLife.

     

  • Jonathan,16 PDP governors in closed-door meeting

    Towards resolving the crisis in the People Democratic Party(PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan Sunday  night met with 16 Governors of the party at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Some of the governors had on Saturday left the venue of the 2013 Special National Convention of the party to form a parallel exco for what they called new PDP.

    The meeting with the President started around 9.26 p.m last night at the First Lady’s Conference room in the State House.

    Even as the agenda of the meeting was not made public, it was gathered that the meeting was not unconnected to the crisis that resulted in the factionalization of the ruling party.

    The State Governors that attended the meeting included Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Idris Wada (Kogi), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Mukhtar Ramallan Yero (Kaduna), Garba Umar (Taraba Acting Governor), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Theodore Orji (Abia), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), and Jonah Jang (Plateau).

    Also at the meeting were the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki and Joe Gazama(SAN).

  • Obiano, Nwoye, Ngige to battle for Anambra governor

    Obiano, Nwoye, Ngige to battle for Anambra governor

    The stage is set for the epic battle for the Anambra State governorship seat, with the emergence of candidates of the three major political parties.

    Yesterday, Chief Willie Obiano emerged winner in the primaries conducted by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)  in Awka, the state capital.

    APGA is the ruling party in the state with Governor Peter Obi elected on its ticket.

    Obiano was a Deputy Director of Fidelity Bank PLC. He hails from Anambra East council in the Anambra North Senatorial Zone of the state. APGA had stated that it zoned the governorship position to Anambra north.

    Obiano got 817 votes out of the possible 1,076 according to the Chairman of the electoral Panel, Chief Martin Agbaso. House of Representatives member Mrs Uche Ekwunife got 150 votes to place second.

    Chief Patrick Obianwu also from Anambra north, stepped down for Obiano, saying his move would keep the dream of the zone producing the next governor alive.

    The remaining six aspirants and their votes are: Chief Paul Odenigbo (49 votes), Emeka Nwogbo (22 votes) John Nwosu (18 votes) Mr. John Emeka whose withdrawal was turned down for his absence, scored one vote. Sixteen votes were voided.

    Also yesterday, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Bamanga Tukur announced Tony Nwoye as its governorship candidate.

    Nwoye emerged on Saturday from the primaries conducted by the national secretariat -recognised Chief Ken Emekayi Group while Senator Andy Uba was elected as the candidate by the factional congress conducted by court and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-recognised chairman of the State PDP, Chief Ejike Oguebego.

    Although the All Progressives Congress (APC) congress is slated for Monday, but following a consensus arrangement announced last week, Senator Chris Ngige has been picked as the candidate of the APC.

    The Monday APC congress will only serve as the coronation of his candidacy.

    Obi told his party members not to relent in their support as APGA was determined to retain the state.

    ‘’For the past 11 years, I’ve being a member of APGA and I have always told people to believe in APGA.

    Obi said “The forthcoming election is a serious one for APGA because we are going into the election with Philosophy of existentialism. For us to exist we must win that election but we must be together. In the next few days we will bring everybody together. We cannot win a medal if we are not together. This state is APGA state and we remain APGA state.

    Obi assured that the party members that all party members would work together to achieve victory.

  • Governor condoles with ex-LASIEC boss

    Lagos State Governor Mr Babatunde Fashola has condoled with the former Commissioner of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Mr Musbau Oyefeso, on the death of his mother, Alhaja Mulikat Anike Oyefeso.

    Alhaja Oyefeso until her death was a devote Muslim and a caring mother.

    The governor’s condolence message was contained in a letter sent to Mr Oyefeso through the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr Olanrewaju Babalola.

    In the letter, Governor Fashola described late Alhaja Oyefeso as a forthright and honest person. “Without doubt, Alhaja was a worthy role model whose forthrightness, honesty and piety must have rubbed off positively on you and your siblings given your most commendable service to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission where you served till recently as an electoral commissioner,” he said.

    He urged the former LASIEC boss and his family to take solace in Allah over the death of their mother.

    In another condolence by the Teachers Shelter Foundation, a nongovernmental organization, sympathizer with the Oyefesos on the dead of their mother. The letter was signed on behalf of the organization by Mr Adetoro Aina.

    “The death of Mama no doubt, is an irreplaceable loss, but we take solace in the fact that Allah giveth and taketh and o Him Mama has returned,” he said.

    Also sending in their condolence letter is the youth wing of Ansaru-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, sympathiosed with the family and prayed for the repose of the late Alhaja Oyefeso.

  • Speller plays governor’s role

    Last Monday 15-year-old Olajuwon Boadley acted as the One Day Governor of Lagos State after emerging winner of the 13th edition of the Lagos State Spelling Bee competition.

    The SS2 pupil of Omole Senior Grammar School, Ojodu started his busy day with breakfast at the State House in Marina.

    His itinerary for the day included visits to corporate organisations such as, Etisalat, Dufil Prima Foods, makers of Indomie, the Lagos Television (LTV), the Lagos State House of Assembly, among others.

    At Etisalat, where ‘Governor’ Boadley was received by Mr Ibrahim Dipo, he learnt all about the communications company and was told Etisalat will continue to support the Lagos State government.

    Mr Deepak Singhal, Managing Director, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, a major sponsor of the spelling Bee competition, was on hand to receive Governor Boadley, who thanked the organisation for supporting the competition.

    The Governor, who was accompanied by members of his ‘cabinet’ (winners of various competitions), said the contest would encourage other children to work harder to make impact. He sought the support from other firms for education programmes initiated by the government.

    “I would also like to use this medium to implore other corporate organisations to partner with the government so as to ensure that there is a continuous boost in the educational sector in Nigeria,” he said.

    In his address, Singhal said the firm was proud to be associated with children, who are leaders of tomorrow, especially those that distinguish themselves.

    He said: “Exceptional achievement like this encourages us to do more in ensuring the growth and secured future of the Nigerian child. That is why we partnered the Lagos State government on the Spelling Bee Competition, which has been a success story for seven years. We would definitely not relent in impacting children positively.”

    At the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Boadley spoke of plans to ensure that public schools record 75 per cent pass in external examinations.

    “Eko project ended this year but I will try to make sure that there is continuity in the project to keep up the standard that it has brought in Lagos State educational system,” he said.

    He thanked the ministry and the New Era Foundation, saying without them, there would be no One Day governor.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs Omolara Erogbogbo, praised the pupils and their teachers and presented the governor with an IPAD and a travelling bag on behalf of the ministry.

    Other cabinet members were Abdulrahman Abolaji (Deputy Governor), the first JSS3 pupil to emerge among the top three in the spelling competition; Ejime Marvellous (Speaker, House of Assembly) and second runner up in the competition, Ejide Temitope (Commissioner for Education), Ajimati Samuel (Information and Strategy), Tijani Toyeeb (Works and Infrastructure), Olajide Olayinka (Secretary to the State Government), and Isreal Okoduwa (Science and Technology).