The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • LASU Crisis: Lagos students seek govt intervention

    LASU Crisis: Lagos students seek govt intervention

    Students of Lagos State origin under the aegis of the National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) have urged the Lagos State government to resolve the ongoing feud between the workers and management of the Lagos State University (LASU).

    If nothing happens in two weeks, they promised to take their agitation “to the streets.”

    They spoke at a briefing in Lagos last Friday where the President of the group, Damiju Sultan, a student of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), urged the government not to play politics with the future of LASU students.

    He expressed fear that the perennial crisis may lead to the closure of the university due to its failure to meet up with the education requirements of a tertiary institution.

    Sultan said: “We believe the government has our best intentions at heart as youths of the nation and leaders of tomorrow and in fact today, so we hope for a positive response from them. We appeal to the Governor, his deputy, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of youths and Sports, State Security Service, Commissioner of Police and all stakeholders of LASU to help our students get the best education.

    “We may have to take our agitation to the streets and clamour for the progress we seek, if our appeals go to deaf ears.”

    Sultan also faulted the refusal of the workers to fulfil their obligations yet expect to be paid and prayed Governor Akinwumi Ambode to order them to resume work immediately.

    The group also passed a vote of confidence on the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof John Obafunwa for a second tenure, in view of his achievements in LASU.

    They sought the following: “That Prof J. O. Obafunwa is allowed to continue with his tenure undisturbed as the vice chancellor of Lagos State University; that the state government should provide all necessary support to the vice chancellor and guide the university against the continued overbearance of the staff unions;

    “That the state government should grant, permit and approve second four year tenure to Prof J. O. Obafunwa to continue his goodwill to reposition LASU.”

    NULASS Vice President, Oluwatoyin Shamonda, of the Lagos State Polytechnic, added: “Since Obafunwa came on board, the institution has enjoyed patronage and high repute in the sight of all Nigerians. Parents were happy to choose LASU as their children’s first or second choice of university. But since this prolonged crisis, everyone has been avoiding LASU. How can this be the lot of the only university owned by the Lagos State government, despite the pride and value of Lagos State?”

     

  • Govt, truck operators meeting ends in stalemate

    Govt, truck operators meeting ends in stalemate

    The stakeholders meeting held yesterday in Lagos on the ongoing strike by truck operators ended in a stalemate.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, at a point, the truck operators walked out of the meeting, held in Apapa, in anger.

    Association of Maritime Truck Owners chairman, Chief Remi Ogungbemi said the meeting would continue today in the office of the general manager of Western Ports in Apapa.

    Representatives of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and two groups of truck owners and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) were in attendance.

    Ogungbemi said the Lagos State government’s restriction of their time of movement was not good for business as terminal operators and shipping companies did not work at night.

    He described the restriction order as “rather biased” against truck operators as fuel tankers were allowed to move at anytime.

    Tin-Can Island Chapter of RTEAN Deputy Chairman Mr Anthony Agbanose accused Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) of unnecessarily going after truck drivers, often times, resulting in accidents.

    Agbanose also blamed the incessant falling of containers off moving trucks on the deplorable state of roads across the city.

    He said it would be better if the restriction order was not on only a selected category of trucks.

    Mr Cajetan Agu, who is in charge of compliance and monitoring at NSC, told truck operators to keep to their agreement with the state government during a meeting at Alausa, Ikeja.

    Agu urged the operators to, henceforth, ensure that they maintain their trucks as the stakeholders worked out the possibility of calling off the strike.

    He said the operators should also be prepared to keep to using the service lane and driving under over-head bridges.

    Agu said government would rescind the restriction order when the operators submit the letter indicating their willingness to keep to the agreement.

    Responding, the operators said they were on their way to submit the letter to the office of the Ministry of Transportation permanent secretary at Alausa.

    Lamenting the shippers’ plight, Lagos State Shippers Association president Mr Jonathan Nicol urged NSC to determine who would pay the demurrage for locked-up containers.

    Commissioner of Police, Port Police Command, Mrs Hilder Ibifuro-Harrison, said the police would ensure compliance with the law, adding that the law banning truck movement during the day had existed since 2012.

    She said the government had the responsibility to protect its citizens, adding that the police would work along that line with human face.

    The commissioner said security would always be provided to free the economy.

    Ibifuro-Harrison said it was not good that work had been on hold for two weeks, adding that it would be demanding for all stakeholders by the time they resumed work.

    A company, FT Global Ltd., represented by Chief Chris Orode, said a “call-up” system must be put in place to ensure sanity in trucks operations.

    Orode said a truck park had been secured, adding that they have been discussing with NPA, NSC and the government to ensure a healthy business environment.

    A representative of Greenview Terminals, Mr Yakubu Abdullahi, blamed truck operators, saying production has been difficult since his company did not get its cargo on time.

    He urged stakeholders to be transparent on all issues affecting them and solicited government’s support to fix the port access roads.

    The General Manager, Western Ports, Chief Michael Ajayi, said it was sad that trucks were falling and killing people.

    He said government was only carrying out its responsibility of protecting citizens by restricting movement of trucks.

    Ajayi said truck operators could seek redress in court since the issue involved an existing law.

  • MASSOB dares govt as police take over Uwazuruike’s home

    •Police parade 43 members in Anambra

    The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has boasted that the Federal Government cannot stop the group’s activities, which it said are non-violent.

    MASSOB’s National Director of Information, Mazi Chris Mocha was reacting to a fresh siege on the Owerri home of the movement’s leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, by men of the Imo State Police Command

    According to Mocha, the renewed attacks against members confirmed government’s plot to imprison Uwazuruike and other senior officials.

    “If Olusegun Obasanjo could not stop MASSOB in the eight years he was in power, Buhari also cannot stop us.”

    The group’s monthly meeting at Uwazuruike’s residence was aborted. It was gathered that as early as 6am yesterday, policemen, in over ten Hilux vans, were stationed at strategic junctions leading to the Ojukwu Memorial Library, the venue of the meeting.

    Chief Uwazuruike said police’ presence at the venue stopped the group’s meeting.

    “We were supposed to hold our national meeting today (Tuesday) but I was informed that policemen have taken over the venue. I wonder what the police is doing there because MASSOB members are not criminals or thugs, they do they disturb anyone.

    “I learnt that workers in the Ojukwu centre could not even access their office,” he said.

    Police spokesman Andrew Enwerem said the action was in line with the Inspector-General’s directive to increase visibility in the states.

    He insisted that the police was not witch- hunting the Movement, but was trying to flush out criminal elements.

    The Anambra State Police Command yesterday paraded 43 members of the Movement arrested during the 16th year anniversary celebration on Sunday.

    Commissioner of Police Hosea Karma said 15 of the 43 were arrested in Ogbaru while the others were arrested in Nnewi. He reiterated that there would be no hiding place for them.

    He urged the people to go about their businesses without hindrance or fear of molestation.

    Two of the paraded members, Ugochukwu Ugwoke and Chinedu Ukoha, denied behaving violently.

     

     

     

     

  • Govt calls for health team’s unity

    Govt calls for health team’s unity

    The Lagos State Government has called for the unity of all members of the health service team to achieve effective medicare delivery in the state.

    The Permanent Secretary Lagos State Health Services Commission (HSC) Dr. Jemilade Longe said this while declaring open the second National Conference of the Association of Medical Laboratory Technicians and Assistants of Nigeria (AMELTAN) and the National Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (NLSCN) Workshop, which held at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja, Lagos.

    Describing medical laboratory technicians as the most underrated in the healthcare chain, Longe said the technicians being the first contact between a patient and the health team, must ensure they comply with basic universal safety precautions and work in unity with other members of the health team to get accurate diagnosis of any medical issues presented to them.

    He said though many in the sector have a wrong impression about the technicians, they (practitioners) are critical as they are the gateway to proper medical laboratory diagnosis.

    He charged the technicians not to be limited by their present calling but to aspire to be the best even in their calling through scholarship.

    Longe who admitted that the profession is fraught with risk, cautioned that the technicians must adhere strictly to basic universal safety precautions to protect their patients and not to be unduly exposed to infections through contacts with dangerous body fluids.

    He charged the laboratory technicians and assistants to think outside the box in riding the profession of quacks, who have found themselves providing illegal services at many hospitals across the country.

    NLSCN Registrar/Chief Executive Officer Prof Anthony Emeribe decried the influx of quacks, adding that about 150 per cent of laboratory technicians who have been trained by the council are still jobless because their places are being filled by people who have no business in medical laboratory services.

    To rid the industry of the menace, Emeribe said the council would be partnering with the Federal Ministry of Justice to intensify inspection of medical facilities across the country and arrest anyone suspected to be operating without the Council’s certification.

    “Six months ago, we arrested a suspect in Delta State and he had been sentenced to six months imprisonment by the courts. We are going to storm Abuja and all the 36 states of the country in our renewed commitment to rid the industry of quacks because the lives of Nigerians are in danger if those who are not qualified continue to issue medical results or open medical laboratory facilities as is being presently done,” Emeribe said.

    He said he was satisfied with the success recorded by the association, adding that technicians and assistants should continue to work together in the interest of the people who demand their services.

    Dr Oloruntoba Ekun of the Department of Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, University of Lagos in his keynote paper titled: Phlebotomy and its associated risk, said because these technicians carry out minor surgical operation procedure which deals with the withdrawal of blood or the introduction from a sample, they are open to several risks.

    Ekun, who was represented by Dr Oluyemi Akinloye said the technicians and assistants must be aware of the risks and mitigate them by putting in place quality assurance programme, ensure availability of medical laboratory consumables and the avoidance of used or contaminated samples.

    Liking laboratory technicians and assistants to a building foundation, Ekun said if the technicians get the diagnosis wrong, everything else would be wrong and the result might be fatal and irreversible.

  • Community urges Fed Govt to tackle N3b landslide

    Community urges Fed Govt to tackle N3b landslide

    Community leaders of Isuochi in Ummunnochi Local Government Area of Abia State have lamented the landslide which has caused much havoc in the settlement, saying it will take over N3b to contain the menace.

    Speaking while conducting reporters round the affected areas the member representing Ummunneochi Constituency at the state House of Assembly, Prince Ikedi Ezekwesili said the landslide was caused by a road project whose contract was awarded by the Niger Delta Ministry.

    Ezekwesili said the community cannot handle the landslide on its own as it will require well over N3 billion to contain.

    The lawmaker  and called on the federal government to either order the contractor back to site of call on the federal ministry of environment to come to their aid.

    Ezekwesili said that the ay the construction company handled the road and drainage construction caused the landslide, adding that the company should come back to site to remedy the situation before more harm will be done to the community.

    He said, “If you look behind you will see the landslide, this landslide was occasioned by improper termination of drainage by the construction company that did this road, ENACO that did this Federal Road between Leru and Nkwoagu.

    It is quit disheartening, you can see it, we appreciated the gesture of the Federal government by giving us his road, but it is very unfortunate and little did we know that the company either they did not do proper Environmental Impact Assessment or they were ordinarily naïve or careless, they could not extend the drainage appropriately.

    If you move down there is a stream, so, if they have extended the drain down properly we would not have seen the landslide that we are seeing today. You can imagine that the length from here now to the road is not up to twenty steps if by the next rain or couple of rains,

    the road will be cut off”.

    Ezekwesili said that despite cutting the road, the Umunnochi Council Secretariat, Isuochi Model secondary school, the  Divisional Police headquarters, the Community’s Unity Square that is under construction and the 7.5MVA Isuochi power Station under the National Integrated

    Power Project (NIPP) are all under the threat of the encroaching landslide.

    He said: “This environment is clearly sandy environment and of cause, a construction company ought to have known the appropriate mechanism or technology or what to do regarding the trend.

    So what we are saying as a people is that the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs should step up immediately to find something to do to stop further landslide and of cause the company, we are no longer pretending about our emotions if we don’t see them within one month from now, we will take other actions which may not stop at legal action”.

    Ezekwesili who is the Minority leader in the State House of Assembly regretted that the road project which should have been a source of joy to the community is now turning out to be a bad omen to his community.

    He said, “The project has come to destroy my community, there are over five communities that would be affected by this landslide, this communities may not last in the next five years from now if something urgent is not done about this ugly situation.

    They may not, five years may be  a long time, if this could happen within a space of two years of this road construction, it means that in the next two years it would have gone further and may wash away the five communities’ .

    In his own reaction the Vice president of Isuochi Development Union, Elder Sunday Ekeh, said that they have we have been crying over danger posed to the communities in these local government by landslide.

    Elder Ekeh recalled that last year the former Senator for Abia North senatorial District, Late Comrade Uche Chukwumereije had to take the photograph of the affected area to Abuja and nothing came out of it.

    He said, “We are crying aloud now because if the rain continues the way it has been raining now, the level of devastation that it would cause the community would be calamitous”.

  • Govt should assist domestic airlines with incentives

    Govt should assist domestic airlines with incentives

    Chairman of Air Peace , Mr Allen Onyema has called on government to design a package of incentives for domestic airline operators who are struggling with a myriad of challenges .

    The airline chief said the challenges are not limited to high cost of operations and an unfriendly investment environment and the re- introduction of import duties on aircraft spares as well absence of tax holidays for fledging carriers .

    Onyema said such package has become imperative to cushion the effects operators go through in their bid provide air transport services around the country.

    Speaking in an interview in Lagos , he said rather than encourage indigenous airline investors , some agencies of government continue to erect obstacles on their way thereby frustrating efforts to development the air transport sector .

    He said government ought to consider tax holiday for fledging indigenous carriers to enable them create more jobs for Nigerians in the transport sector .

    He said there is need to remove unnecessary bottlenecks that kill private business .

    The airline boss said it is important for the regulator of the sector : Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) to mediate between domestic airlines and other agencies to avoid any infraction on airline operations .

    Onyema said rather  than criticize  domestic airlines government should look  at the challenges operators struggle with as it affects the cost of aviation fuel, import duties on spare parts by the Customs which will contribute to make airline business unprofitable.

    He said the harsh operating environment could be reduced through investment friendly policies that would make it conducive for new players in the air transport sector .

    Onyema said government has to create a more enabling environment to allow indigenous carriers benefit from the duty waiver on aircraft spares and parts as the activities of Nigeria Customs Service requesting airlines to pay duties on such items is contrary to the directive of government .

    He said some agencies of government are in constant habit of introducing measures , policies and directives that acts as huge disincentive to operators in a business he said has very low returns on investment .

    Onyema listed the challenges indigenous airline owners grapple with to include prohibitive costs of aircraft maintenance, high cost of securing airport land , difficulty in getting aircraft spares , multiple taxes and unfriendly policies that discourage investment in aviation.                      He said :” Talking about challenges, they are enormous. To start there is the problem of procurement of spare parts for aircraft when it develops a problem.

    “Nigeria is very far away from the sources of these  aircraft spare parts.

    We get aircraft spare parts from either America or from Europe. If you have a snag on your airplane and you do not have that particular part in your store, then you are in trouble.

    “You might wait for about four days to even get that aircraft spares into the country.

    And when it finally arrives, the Nigeria Customs Service  will keep it because you have to pay customs duties.  Airlines are not supposed to pay such duties because in 2009 government approved  import duties waiver on aircraft spare parts .

    “So these are the issues; all these things aggregate to make the running of airline in Nigeria prohibitive.

    “The cost is so prohibitive that it may not be wise to run the business with a loan taken from the banks running at double digit interest rate.”

    He accused some government agencies of frustrating efforts by airlines to expand due to what he described as overzealous attitude to recover revenue through taxes .

    Such agencies he said should design programmes to grow indigenous carriers rather than think of ways to kill the business .

    He said :”  Government is supposed to package incentives for airline owners who provide jobs.

    “They should create enabling environment for those who provide jobs and not the other way round. I am telling you that in America, if you are able to create jobs for 50 people, the government gives you every support you need because you are helping them to curb the state of insecurity and you are helping people to live a good life.

    “Somebody should call the tax agency to order. If not for anything they should rather give tax rebate.

    “That is how it is done, so that we can create more jobs.

    They should be looking at the number of Nigerians we have employed. In the real sense, we have been providing jobs on behalf of the government.

    “Government  agencies should behave responsibly; that is not how to do things, I am really piqued at what the tax agency did by calling on the public not to patronize some airlines over alleged failure to migrate into a tax collection platform.

    “That to me is the height of wickedness in killing private investment .

    And when you express your reservations over such unfavorable conduct you are given names .

    “At times people recommend to government, policies aimed at a particular person they don’t like. We cannot grow as a nation like this

    For us to succeed, in aviation and every other sphere, government must think about job creation actions.

    “Government or any of its agencies  must not act as a disincentive here to job creation. The president should call to order, some of these agencies, they are not acting in the best interest .

    The best thing government should do is to create a conducive environment for entrepreneurs and not strangulate private investment.”

     

  • Ex-Kogi top appointees threaten to sue govt for unpaid pensions

    Ex-Kogi top appointees threaten to sue govt for unpaid pensions

    Five retired Kogi State Heads of Service (HOSs) and 52 permanent secretaries have threatened to sue the government fot the non-payment of their harmonised statutory pension allowances.

    The 57 aggrieved pensioners, under the aegis of Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries, expressed their displeasure in a letter to Governor Idris Wada  yesterday in Lokoja, the state capital.

    The letter by the aggrieved pensioners’ Chairman, J. O. Mesole and Secretary, John Ausa, accused the government of placing them on 50 per cent pension since December, 2011.

    They said the government was owing them N11.3 million monthly.

    The retired senior civil servants regretted that nine of their members had died since 2012 while waiting for their pensions.

    According to them, they had reached the limit of their patience and would take legal action to protect their rights, as enshrined in the Constitution.

    The pensioners said their counterparts, who retired after December 2011, were receiving their full pensions, while 57 of them, who retired before the 2011 harmonisation, were placed on 50 per cent part-payment.

    The letter reads: “Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries are in the management cadre. They are also on consolidated pay (not on salary grade level) and earn 100 per cent of their total emoluments as pension for life.

    “For this reasons, their pensions are to be automatically harmonised to be at par with the pay of their serving counterparts with effect from the date there is pay rise for them. Their own case of harmonisation is different.”

    The association noted that withholding pension or part of it violated Section 210(2) of the Constitution, which states that a pension shall not be withheld or altered to the disadvantage of a pensioner.

    They said: “Asking us to wait until the finances of government would have improved before our request could be granted is as good as saying we should wait indefinitely or that we should forget about the request.”

    The retirees said they were not unaware of the financial position of the state, adding that they would not ask for payment of arrears from December 2011 till date but the approval for full implementation from July 1, 2015.

    They said: “All we are requesting is for Your Excellency to kindly approve, with effect from July 1, 2015, payment of the fully consolidated and harmonised pension of the five retired HOS and 52 permanent secretaries.”

    The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede, acknowledged receipt of two letters from the association on the arrears of 50 per cent of their harmonised pension.

    He called for their understanding, saying the state was going through “a very difficult, excruciatingly painful financial crunch at the moment”.

     

     

  • Govt restricts daytime movement of trailers

    Govt restricts daytime movement of trailers

    It is now an offence for heavy duty vehicles, such as trailers and trucks, to move between 6am and 9pm, Lagos State government has said.

    The government vowed to enforce the law against daytime movement of such vehicles to stem the rising incidence of falling trailers.

    Last week, a cement-laden container fell off a trailer on Ojuelegba, killing three persons in a Sport Utility vehicle.

    Ministry of Transportation Permanent Secretary, Mr Oluseyi Whenu told reporters on Saturday that trailer contravened Section 2 (i) and 2 (ii) of the Traffic Law.

    Government, he said, would, henceforth, go tough against any trailer and long vehicle that contravened the law, adding that the vehicle will be impounded and the owner fined.

    Also at the weekend, transport unions’ leaders rose from a meeting with government officials, pledging to support the fresh measures for controlling traffic.

    At the meeting, Whenu clarified the government’s position on its traffic management outfit (LASTMA), saying LASTMA officials have not been stopped from performing their statutory responsibilities on the road.

    Under the new regime, LASTMA, he said, would pay attention on flawless flow of traffic, adding that offenders will be booked and expected to pay their fines within the stipulated period in line with the government’s covenant with Lagosians to make life easier for them.

    Whenu sought transport operators’ corporation in ensuring the initiative’s success, warning them not to see it as a sign of weakness by attacking LASTMA or any other enforcement agent.

    He said: “The government has also directed that all commercial passenger vehicles should obey all traffic rules and regulations by stopping only at designated bus-stops, close bus doors while in motion among other provisions of the law”.

    Responding, Chairman of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Alhaji Musa Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of other union leaders, pledged their support the government in ensuring sanity on the road.

    In attendance were Prince Tajudeen Adetoro,  Chairman of Taxi Cab Operators and Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, Treasurer, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), among others.

  • Govt’s textile revival effort genuine, says Aremu

    Govt’s textile revival effort genuine, says Aremu

    Labour is upbeat about the Muhammadu Buhari administrations plan to revive the textile industry.

    It was part of its campaign, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) Secretary-General  Issa Aremu has noted.

    Speaking at the 27th Annual National Education Conference in Kaduna, organised by NUTGTWN,  Comrade Aremu, said: “Our chosen theme this year is to assist Buhari’s administration to consolidate on the few gains of the past, avoid policy mistakes of the past and above all, revive all closed factories where past governments, in spite of their efforts, could not stop the free fall.”

    Aremu quoted Buhari as saying:”I have made a promise to Nigerians that jobs will be created as part of efforts to revive the economy and that promise will be fulfilled. We will move as fast as we can to resuscitate the textile and mining industries, and improve production in our agricultural sector. We cannot allow industries and factories to close down. Instead, we should be making every effort to ensure that we re-open the closed ones and attract new ones to reduce unemployment.”

    He also urged President Buhari to ensure that smuggling and counterfeiting of textile materials are  halted, adding that if such socio-economic activities are allowed to thrive, they would rub on his good image.

    Aremu said: “We were encouraged during Gen Buhari’s campaign that he has resolved to revive textile and garment industry as part of his party’s overall strategy to re-industrialise the county and create mass employment for the millions of unemployed.

    “We recall that in the 70s and up to early 80s, (when General Buhari and his patriotic team were in power) Nigeria was the largest producer of different range of textile, garment and carpet products surpassed in production only by Egypt and South Africa. We are willing to partner with his administration to reinvent this sector, which has propelled newly industrialised countries in recent times such as China, India, Balgadesh and Indonesia among others.

    He said 26 out of the 36 states grow cotton of both long and short stable lengths; in addition as an oil-producing country, Nigeria boasts of a large polyester base.

    “Combined with the 170 million population rich in fashion and clothing and huge labour force of some 70 million potential workers, Nigeria has the potential of producing 1.2 billion meters of cloth per year. When we factor the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) sub-regional market, Nigeria is a natural textile destination point in the world.

    “The major threat to the realisation of the great potential of Nigeria in textile production is high influx of counterfeit and smuggled goods. The real acid test of Gen Buhari’s incoming administration’s anti-corruption is how he frontally fight smuggling.

    “Over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s huge market size is dominated by smuggled and counterfeit goods, killing local companies in Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Guzau, Aba and Port Harcourt, and millions of direct and indirect associated local jobs. In addition, smuggling denies the government the much needed revenue in unpaid custom duties. While private sector is the engine of growth, it is the government that must “oil” this engine, failing which it will crash as it has with the textile industry,” Aremu said.

    He said nations want to employ their youths, produce goods and services, overcome poverty and under-development. To this extent, he said every nation protects its own industry, whether the industry is in ‘infancy’ or ‘adulthood’, adding that Nigeria cannot be different under Gen Buhari’s administration, which has commendably raised expectations to fight unemployment and grow the economy.

  • We ’ll form next govt in Ondo, says APC

    Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC), at the weekend, indicated its readiness to mobilise the people ahead of 2016 governorship election to ensure it form the next government.

    Its spokesman, Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya, said this at a “thank-you dinner” hosted by the state’s Coordinator of Buhari Vanguard, Mr. Kayode Fakuyi, for members in Akure.

    Adesanya urged the group to complete the change revolution by joining forces with the party leadership to install the next government in Ondo State in 2016.

    He said: “I am proud of you as worthy ambassadors of change. The regime of deceit and propaganda in government is gradually winding up in Ondo State. You must join forces with us to win the next governorship election.

    “By the grace of God, the people of Ondo State, who the Mimiko-led government has impoverished and subjected to untold hardship, will be rescued by APC.”

    Fakuyi assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari would “uphold the spirit of fairness to all geo-political zones as he continues to steer the ship of the country in the direction of change”.

    He added: “It is time for good governance and your support is needed for the government to succeed. Some leaders have been holding meetings and assemblies on Yoruba and Southern agenda. But should any agenda be bigger than our collective agenda for good governance?

    “They call it strategic agenda, but there is nothing strategic about it. It is just the agenda of a few to blackmail and rubbish the government of Mr. President. We must frustrate their shenanigans.

    “They promoted Southern agenda under Dr. Jonathan for about six years. Please ask them the development it brought to our state. Even in Otuoke, I read in the papers that water is still a scarce commodity. Permit me to use this medium to call on our caring president to help the people of Otuoke with safe pipe-borne water.

    “Mr. President remains a trusted leader and I can assure you that Mr. President will be fair to all zones. There is no alternative to change and I urge you and all Nigerians to continually support our President.”