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Tag: Ibikunle Amosun

  • What is it about political office?

    In the early months of his assumption of office, I was among some editors that met with the out-going governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, for a briefing on his administration’s programmes.

    Amosun’s election was a welcome relief for citizens of the state who were not too particularly pleased with the former Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniels’s political activities which resulted in violence and attacks of perceived enemies.

    I remember asking Amosun what is it about political office that seems to change elected officials from what they used to be before they were elected and makes them to misbehave and refuse to take wise counsel on how to govern their state.

    I noted that the personality of Otunba Daniel before his election gave the citizens of the state a lot of hope when they voted against veteran journalist Chief Segun Osoba. Unfortunately, Daniel turned out to be an emperor who did what pleased him and could not tolerate any contrary views.

    Amosun’s response to my question on the day of the briefing was that whatever the matter is, he would not go the way of his predecessors. He promised to leave a legacy of good governance and be a listening governor.

    I was very impressed when one of his aides said Amosun’s goal in terms of education was to replicate the circumstance that made it possible for the governor to attend a public primary school, secondary school and government higher institution compared with now when private education was the order of the day.

    Eight years after, Amosun is leaving office embattled having failed to get his favourite candidate elected as governor. He definitely would not have won the senatorial election if he had run on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). He sponsored a gubernatorial candidate and federal and state assembly seats against the All Progressives Congress (APC) on which platform he got elected.

    Even if his candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, had been defeated with one vote by Dapo Abiodun of the APC, the verdict would have been a clear vote of no confidence in the governor who had become law to himself and couldn’t be bothered about what the plight of the citizens of the state is.

    Some of his projects were clearly misplaced priority which explains why a number of them like bridges and model schools are in various stages of abandonment.

    Staff of many government institutions and agencies are being owned salaries, allowances and deductions among other infractions committed by the Amosun government. If he thought his last- minute efforts to woo the people he never reckoned with would make them vote for his candidates, he now knows better that power belongs to God and the people.

    Apart from Amosun, there are many other governors and elected officials who have betrayed the trust of those who voted for them like Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State who also paid dearly for their disregard for the electorate in the last election.

    By their actions, many elected officials have confirmed the saying that power in the hands of those who don’t understand it can indeed corrupt. No sooner do they get into office than they become power hungry and forget that someday their tenure will be over and have to seek re-election for themselves or the candidates they support.

    The political setbacks suffered by Amosun and others should hopefully be a good lesson for other politicians to realise that political office is for service and not for personal aggrandizement.

  • Land encroachment: Family sues Amosun, two others

    THE Balogun Oko-Osi/Olubete royal family of Gan-un, Ogun State, have sued Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun to the Ota Division of the State High Court over alleged encroachment into the family landed property situated at Gan-un Village, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

    Ogun State Attorney-General and some unknown persons were joined as co-defendants in the suit.

    The suit was filed on behalf of the family by Chief Nureni Farombi, the family head; Chief Hakeem Balogun, a principal member of the family; Chief Babatunde Adenekan, traditional ruler of Gan-un town and Chief Bisi Ayinde Abass, family secretary.

    In the suit, the claimants alleged that on September 1, 2018, a signpost was erected on the land by Governor Amosun indicating that it belongs to Ogun State Government and that trespassers will be prosecuted.

    They said they were shocked at the governor’s action and that all effort and overtures towards getting him to understand that the land belong to them were unsuccessful.

    Read also: Ogun APC warns banks over Amosun’s alleged loan requests

    The claimants added that the governor’s presence on the land was not caused by them and that they had in no way sold or consented to the sale of the land.

    They added that they were never at any time aware or put in the know or on notice of the interest of any defendants, either on grounds of compulsory acquisition, purchase, allocation and superior title that would have warranted the right to lay claim of ownership to any portion of the land.

  • EFCC: No teams set up to quiz outgoing governors

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)  yesterday said it has not raised  teams to probe or interrogate some of the outgoing governors.

    It said it does not go after anybody, including ex-governors on speculative ground.

    The EFCC, which made the clarifications in a statement by its Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Tony Orilade, said its job starts after investigators have done a thorough job on any individual or firm involved in corruption-related cases.

    The statement said: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been drawn to a lead story of a newspaper of March 31, 2019, titled: “EFCC raises teams to quiz Amosun, Okorocha, Yari as immunity ends.”

    “The newspaper had claimed that ahead of May 29, 2019, handover date to newly elected states helmsmen, the Commission has set up teams to probe some governors accused of perpetuating acts of corruption.

    “It is instructive to note that the reporter did not give the composition and terms of reference of the purported teams set up by the EFCC.

    “The report is a figment of the imagination of the reporter as everything about the setting of the teams ended with the first paragraph without details of such teams being set up.

    “Again, the story is not true, as the EFCC does not go after anybody, including ex-governors on speculative ground.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission only act after the investigators have done a thorough job on any individual or firm involved in corruption related cases.

    “The Commission wants to advise our stakeholders, including our friends in the media to be circumspect and verify their stories before going to press.

    “Members of the public are therefore advise to disregard the story as no team has been set up against any former governor.”

  • Obaseki’s reforms: Facebook, MainOne to invest in Edo, says Opeke

    The Chief Executive Officer of MainOne Cable Company, Funke Opeke, has said that the investment by Facebook and MainOne in broadband network infrastructure in Edo State is as a result of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s ease of doing business reforms and commitment to boosting productivity through technology.

    Opeke, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists, said that the project in Edo is part of Facebook’s mission to connect people around the world via the internet.

    MainOne has been laying fibre cables across the state since November last year, in what is seen as a major step to firm up the state’s burgeoning technology ecosystem, after the launch of the Edo Innovation Hub.

    READ ALSO: Obaseki’s reform: Edo tours forest reserves, decries degradation

    Noting that the investment is part of the 750km open-access fibre infrastructure in Nigeria implemented with MainOne, she said, “The overarching focus for Facebook is improving internet connectivity and empowering partner operators such as MainOne with the tools to build networks to connect more people.

    “With our partnership with Facebook, we have invested in building new infrastructure in states like Ogun and Edo that is open-access and can be used by all operators. You may recall that the major challenge impeding broadband proliferation in Nigeria is the limited access to distribution   infrastructure   to   get the abundant internet capacity available in submarine cables on the Nigerian shoreline in Lagos to the hinterland.”

    She said that the leadership in Edo State prioritises technology development, which is why the project was able to scale through in the state.

    According to her, “Our work brings our team in contact with the leadership in many of the states.  These particular states have leadership that is promoting the development of technology ecosystems and job creation in their states.  When we had the opportunity to engage and share with them our capabilities    and    accomplishments  on  previous  projects  in  places  such  as  the  deployment  of fibre infrastructure for Silicon Yaba  with  CCHub,  the  deployment   of   Express   Wi-Fi   with   Tizeti  in  Lagos  as  well  as  our aspirations for pervasive broadband   everywhere   in   Nigeria, they  welcomed  us  to  build  infrastructure in their states.

    “The Edo State government has prioritised technology as one of the cardinal pillars of the ongoing reform agenda in the state, introducing ICT-compliant pedagogy in primary schools; building the Edo Innovation Hub, where school leavers and graduates undergo beginner and advanced training in technology, as well as revamping technical education to increase productivity. The duo of Governors Godwin Obaseki and Ibikunle Amosun have identified ICT as critical  themes for the transformation of their states and have been supportive of our fibre expansions.”

  • Amosun seeks reduction of registered political parties

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reduce the number of registered political parties to six.

    He said the present arrangement where we have 91 political parties is unwieldy.

    Amosun stated this while answering questions from journalists after casting his vote at Ward 6 Unit 8, Itagbangba, Itoku, Abeokuta South West.

    The governor argued that a reduction in the number of political parties will enhance quick release of results.

    “When you look at the ballot papers, imagine seeing 60 political parties and I believe with just six parties, this will reduce the efforts put into collating and announcement of results.

    “As I am going back to Senate now, I am going to canvases for political parties to be reduced to six. I really think we should do something about it,” he said.

    He added that too much political parties put too much stress on the parties, voters and INEC.

    Governor Amosun also expressed conviction that the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) candidate, Adekunle Akinlade would win the governorship election in the state.

    He said the main reason he campaigned for him was because he believed in his capability to govern the state.

    Amosun was elated that turnout of the electorates have been impressive and far more than was recorded during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    He thanked the people of the state for ensuring peaceful and orderly elections devoid of rancour and acrimony.

    Read Also: Buhari, Amosun meet in Aso Rock

    He said the reports from all local government areas of the state were heart -warming.

    In a related development, a former Minister for Mines and Steel, Sharafadeen Ishola also commended the people of the state for ensuring a peaceful conduct of the election.

    Ishola told journalists after voting at his unit Mokola, Abeokuta the conduct of electorates during the exercise showed that democracy has come to stay.

    He noted that the pattern of voting has also shown that the people have become wiser and can now differentiate between parties and individuals wanting to ride on party platform to victory.

    Ishola also commended INEC for the conduct of a successful election in the state.

  • PDP senatorial candidate, Amusan, 50,000 supporters back APC’s Abiodun

    Former House of Representatives member and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State on Wednesday formally announced his defection from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress(APC).
    Amusan, who represented Abeokuta North, Obafemi Owode and Odeda Federal Constituency for eight years on the platform of PDP, said he is leaving former party for the ruling APC with over 50,000 thousand supporters he has been nurturing in the last 19 years.
    The property magnate, who was also the senatorial candidate of PDP in the last National Assembly election  for Ogun Central, told reporters during a press briefing  in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital that his defection would further boost the chances of Prince Dapo Abiodun succeeding Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
    Amusan said he knows the capacity of Abiodun as a successful entrepreneur and business man, saying he is the type of man the Gateway state required now to run the affairs of the state, urging his supporters and Ogun people to cast their ballot for the APC governorship hopeful.
    He also called on the electorate to support the candidacy of Abiodun and desist from the habit of making unnecessary demand from those who signify interest to serve, saying such attitude would scare away people with genuine desire to serve.

  • Buhari, Amosun meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday met behind closed doors with Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
    Amosun, who won Senate seat during the National Assembly elections in Ogun State, was on Friday suspended by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for anti-party activities.
    Discussion at the closed doors meeting with the President may not be unconnected with the latest suspension.
    Apart from campaigning for the reelection of President Buhari, Amosun has been backing the Ogun State governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Adekunle Akinlade, for the 9th March Ogun State governorship election in the state.

    Read also: ACPN denies endorsing Okowa

    Akinlade, before moving to APM, was governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but lost to Dapo Abiodun, who eventually emerged as the APC Governorship candidate for Ogun State.
    But National Headquarters of the APC is solidly behind Abiodun.

  • We must rescue Ogun workers from Amosun – NLC

    The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it must rescue Ogun workers from some alleged anti-labour practices of the state governor, Mr Ibikunle Amosun.

    Mr Ayuba Wabba, the NLC President made the position of the congress known in a statement on Friday night in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there has been a confrontation between the state governor and the leadership of NLC over non-payment of workers’ salaries and arrears  and the recent sack of the NLC state chairman by the governor.

    The NLC leadership also accused Amosun of non-remittance of statutory deductions from workers’ salaries and his refusal to pay gratuities of retired state and local government workers since 2013.

    Wabba said NLC was prepared for a showdown with the governor if attempts were made to “disgrace the NLC” during its  rescheduled March 5, protest in the state, as reportedly threatened by him.

    He said the decision to ‘confront and tackle’ Amosun had already been taken by the NLC at its 12th National Delegates Conference and that there was no going back on it.

    “The leadership of the NLC has taken cognisance of a statement credited to the Gov. of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, where he threatened to disgrace the leadership of the NLC if the Congress insists on embarking on a protest scheduled for Tuesday March 5, 2019 in Ogun State.

    “This was reported by Premium Times on 1st March 2019 and other platforms. Our Position is that The Nigeria Labour Congress has taken note of the threat by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

    “But we want to assure him that his threats will not deter us from defending the interest of workers in Ogun State whose rights he has been trampling upon.

    ” This is especially on the following issues: the non-remittance of statutory deductions from workers’ salaries for pensions, cooperative, ileya, Christmas etc. over a period of one hundred and five (105) months,” he said.

    He said that Amosun  had refused to pay salary arrears of workers at the Tai Solarin College of Education, according to him, which has accumulated for the past ten years and now grosses to a financial liability of about N9 billion.

    “To make matters worse, Governor Amosun sacked the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress from his employment for standing firm in the defence of the rights of workers in Ogun State.

    “The issues we have highlighted are too grievous to be swept under the carpet, therefore, the decision of the 12th National Delegates Conference of the NLC to confront and engage Governor Amosun will be carried out to the letter on Tuesday, March 5, 2019.

    “We are not unmindful of the fact that even Amosun’s political party has complained of his penchant to violently disgrace other spheres of leadership outside his control and sometimes beyond him.

    “We are not unmindful of the fact that Governor Amosun’s hostility to Nigerian workers is primarily a transfer of aggression

    ” Our confidence stems from the protection and guarantees provided by Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which gives workers and indeed all Nigerians the freedom to peaceful assembly and protest,”he said.

    While insiting on the scheduled protest, Wabba added that “”All that the law requires us to do is to inform the police and relevant security agencies.

    “This we have done. We are ready to peacefully protest the grievous mistreatment by our workers in the hands of Governor Ibikunle Amosun on 5th March 2019.

    “We want to warn Governor Amosun that we will hold him personally responsible for any harm that comes to any worker during our protest on March 5, 2019.

    “We want to remind Governor Amosun that he has already trampled workers on the ground and those who are down need fear no fall.

    “We wish to alert our security agencies to Governor Amosun’s resort to violent threats.

    “We assure him that his immunity cover will soon be removed and he must be ready to answer for his crimes against workers.

    “The NLC can assure Ibikunle Amosun that we will continue to engage him even after he would have been sworn in as a Senator in Abuja.

    “We wish to state that we unequivocally stand with the press statement recently released by our state council on this issue.

    “We urge all our state councils especially those from the contiguous states to Ogun State – Lagos, Oyo, Osun states who are already fully mobilised for the protest not to be sacred one bit by the threats by Governor Ibikunle Amosun. We had dared and won worse tyrants,” Wabba said.

    NAN

  • Suspension of Amosun, Okorocha, will not affect our victory – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the suspension of governors Rochas Okorocha and IbIkunle Amosun of Imo and Ogun respectively, will not affect the party’s victory in the March 9, Governorship and State House of Assembly election.

    Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the APC National Publicity Secretary, gave the assurance while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the development on Friday in Abuja.

    NAN recalls that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) at its Friday meeting, suspended Okorocha and Amosun, alongside the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu and the Minister of Niger Delta Usani Usani.

    “As to the effect it will have in the coming Governorship and State House of Assembly elections, the real negative effect will come when we allow our members who are in position of influence to undermine our candidates.

    “We need to get it clear to every member who supports such actions that the party is watching them, and similar fate may befall them,” Issa-Onilu said.

    He added that the suspension of the governors would not have come to the public as a surprise following their anti party activities over a period of time.

    He recalled that the two governors had been sponsoring candidates against those recognised by the party.

    This, he said, had been ongoing and so the party had to follow the right procedures; taking steps to first get them to see reason why they needed to retract their steps.

    NAN recalls that in Ogun, Amosun is said to be backing AbdulKadir Akinlade, the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against APC’s Prince Dapo Abiodun.

    In Imo, Okorocha is supporting his son-in-law Uche Nwosu, the candidate of the Action Alliance, against Senator Hope Uzodinma, the APC candidate.

    “They occupy the position they are in today, courtesy of the ticket given to them by this party, to now use that opportunity to work against the interest of the party, you do not expect the party to look the other way.

    “More so when you realise that APC is a party of discipline that has come to establish the fact that to deepen democracy, you must subject everybody to the rule of law, and that there must be equality for all before the law,” he said.

    Issa-Onilu stressed that as far as the APC was concerned, no matter what position an individual held, the party would not give him any leverage when he flaunted the rules or the Constitution of the party.

    He added that the party’s leadership had at a point, issued queries to the two governors and cautioned them against their anti party activities.

    He recalled that when the APC presidential campaign train was led by President Muhammadu Buhari to Ogun, they were thoroughly embarrassed by a different party.

    Issa-Onilu said this was done with the support of the governor, who he said, brought in certain elements who were not APC members to the campaign venue to create problems.

    “This actually embarrassed our President, but we thought at that period, we were facing the Presidential and National Assembly Election and that it was not the appropriate time for us to do anything that might be destructive to our course, so we waited,” he said.

    He added that though there was a window for the governors to show remorse and act appropriately to convince the party’s leadership that they would play by the rules, they never did.

    He said rather Okorocha and Amosun came out openly to endorse their choice candidates against the party’s candidates.

    “Which ever way you look at it, that is anti-party activity, it is beyond the limit, and tolerating such, will mean that our change mantra is just a mantra without meaning,” the APC spokesman said.

    He further explained that the VON DG was suspended also, because of his anti party activities in the recent past, which he said had been documented.

    The APC spokesman said that Okechukwu had also engaged in actions that undermined the party’s performance in Enugu, his home state.

    He also explained that the Minister of Niger Delta was also found to have committed the same offence as the others.

    He maintained that it would be injurious for the party to allow such actions to continue, adding that the suspension still stood.

    He, however, said that the duration of their suspension would be determined by the time the report of the investigative committee on the matter was submitted to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

    “I have forwarded the report to NEC, recommending their expulsion, the limit of the powers of the party’s NWC is to suspend; it does not have the power to expel.

    “It is only NEC that can take that action, so we have exercised what the Constitution of the party allows us to do, the report of our investigation will be put in place and passed on to NEC for further action,” he said.

    He added that the APC NWC had also decided to issue a query to Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State for anti party activities, adding that the party already had video evidence against him.

    NAN reports that Akeredolu had earlier been accused by the Ondo Mandate Group, an APC support group, of working against the party and the presidency.

    On the Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu, Issa-Onilu said the party had noted his comments, but had not seen him working against the party.

    He said the minister had his grievance and had the right to express same within the law, but added that the APC, for now, did not have any evidence that Shittu was involved in any anti-party activity. (NAN)

  • ‘NLC to occupy Ogun over Amosun’s hostile policies to workers’

    The National leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Com. Ayuba Wabba,  has declared that he would lead Nigerian workers to occupy Ogun State on Friday, this week, over alleged hostile policies of Governor Ibikunle Amosun towards the state work force.

    The siege christened “Operation Occupy Ogun State,”  Wabba added, is driven by the need to use the planned protest to prevail on Amosun to resolve all pending labour issues between Organised Labour in the state and the Ogun State Government.

    The NLC leadership in a letter addressed to  Governor Ibikunle Amosun, dated 20th February, titled “Re: Notice of Protest Against Anti-Worker Actions of the Ogun State Government Scheduled For 1st March, 2019,” said they would storm the state to protest the anti-worker decisions  and infractions on the rights of workers by the state government.

    He lamented that the Union had at different times drew the attention of the state  government to its  infractions with calls on Amosun- led administration to  respect the collective bargaining agreement entered with workers as regards the last tranche of the Paris Club Fund.

    Wabba noted that by agreement, Paris Club Fund, was meant  to settle gratuity owed workers and unremitted statutory deductions due to workers and trade unions.

    Read Also: Amosun wins Ogun Central

    According to the Union leader, some of the issues they want Amosun to address include reinstating  the state NLC chairman,  Comrade Akeem Ambali and other labour leaders that were sacked by him.

    Others are the liquidation of about 104 months arrears of withheld statutory deductions owed workers and unions in the state;  payment of gratuity owed retirees and settlement of salary arrears owed workers of the Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu -Ijebu.

    Wabba’s letter reads : “Your Excellency, we wish to remind you that the actions of the Ogun State Government under your leadership runs contrary to and undermine Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution which guarantees and protects freedom of association which includes the freedom for trade unions to exist and function freely in any part of the country.

    “Furthermore, as you know, the rights enjoyed by trade unions to respect for collective bargaining agreements and non-interference in their activities is further guaranteed by Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organisation and Freedom of Association. These conventions were fully subscribed to by Nigeria upon the attainment of independence.

    “Given the intransigence of the Ogun State government to respond to earlier entreaties  by the NLC, Organized Labour in Nigeria has no other option left than to keep Ogun State on an industrial lock down until our demands are met.”