The Nation Newspaper

Tag: In Ekiti

  • PDP wins nine National Assembly seats in Ekiti

    PDP wins nine National Assembly seats in Ekiti

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) grabbed all the National Assembly seats in Ekiti State from the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The PDP won all the three senatorial districts and five of the six federal constituencies declared yesterday in the official result released by the electoral umpire in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    The implication of the result is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not have any representative in the National Assembly in the next legislative dispensation expected to run from June 2015 to June 2019.

    Two serving senators- Olubunmi Adetunmbi and Anthony Adeniyi- who are APC candidates for Ekiti North and Ekiti South – lost their re-election bid.

    PDP senatorial candidate for Ekiti North and former House of Representatives member Duro Faseyi polled 50, 023 votes to beat Adetunmbi, who garnered 35, 376 votes.

    Former Deputy Governor Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi clinched the Ekiti South senatorial seat by defeating Adeniyi. She scored 62, 344 votes while Adeniyi could only muster 37, 932 votes.

    Another former House of Representatives member and PDP candidate in Ekiti Central Mrs. Fatimat Rasaki polled 54, 459 votes to beat APC candidate, Gbenga Olofin, who obtained 41, 607 votes.

    In the House of Representatives poll, five APC candidates lost their bid to return to their seats in the Green Chamber.

    Chairman, House Committee on Communications, Oyetunde Ojo, lost to PDP ‘s Olumide Oni in Ijero/Ekiti West/Efon Federal Constituency.

    Oni scored 27, 658 votes to win the seat leaving APC candidate, Ojo with 20, 083.

    House Committee Vice-Chairman on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Bimbo Daramola’s 17, 768 votes was not enough to win him a re-election as he lost to PDP’s Kehinde Agboola, who scored 24, 129 in Oye/Ikole Federal Constituency.

    Another serving federal lawmaker, who lost his seat at the poll, was the member representing Ido-Osi/Moba/Ilejemeje Federal Constituency, who flew the APC flag at the poll, Robinson Ajiboye, who lost to PDP’s Thaddeus Aina.

    Aina, former Ido-Osi council chairman, polled 23, 585 votes to beat Ajiboye who scored 15, 834.

    PDP candidate, Akin Awodumila, beat the lawmaker representing Emure/Gbonyin/Ekiti East Federal Constituency and APC’s, Bamidele Faparusi,  by polling 25, 648 votes while Faparusi obtained 17, 437 votes.

    Incumbent House member representing Ekiti Southwest/Ikere/Ise-Orun Federal Constituency and APC candidate Dr. Ife Arowosoge lost to Segun Adekola of the PDP at Saturday’s election.

    Adekola won the seat by polling 33,288 votes leaving Arowosoge with 19, 432 votes.

    The last House of Reps seat in contention was that of Ado/Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency where PDP candidate, Ayotunde Oladimeji, defeated APC candidate and former Commissioner for Education, Dr. Eniola Ajayi.

    Oladimeji polled 35,494 votes to beat Dr. Ajayi who received 17, 768 at the polls.

     

  • End of an era in Ekiti

    End of an era in Ekiti

    As the tenure of Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi ends today, a new chapter opens in its annals as  Mr. Ayo Fayose takes the baton. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the strange wind of change and peoples expectation about the new governmen

    the four years will linger in  the collective memory of the people. The consensus is that Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has lived up to expectation. The evidence is acknowledged across the 120 towns and villages savouring the impact of the administration.

    As he bows out today, a new chapter opens in the history of the far-flung state. His successor, Ayo Fayose, is on a familiar terrain. He became governor in 2003. But, he lost power in 2006, following his inability to manage his achievements. Five years after, he has regained power, despite the belief that Fayemi has performed.  With the change of baton, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is bouncing back in the Fountain of Knowledge.

    Two issues are agitating watches of Ekiti politics. Will Fayose continue from Fayemi stopped by building on his legacies? How will the governor work harmoniously with a House of Assembly dominated by APC legislators?

    In 2010, Fayemi inherited a divided state, an impoverished and unmotivated civil service and a leaking treasury . The infrastructure battle had been abandoned. The famed confederation was in chaos and pain. Its future appeared gloomy.  A culture of political intolerance, thuggery and brigandage perpetrated by the conservative bloc had converted Ekiti into a jungle of sorts. Families of victims of arson, intimidation and harassment cried for justice. Political instability made governance to suffer and Ekiti indigenes outside the state agonised over its battered image.

    During the campaigns, he told the people that he was embarking on a rescue mission. In fact, in December 2006, he had unfolded an eight-point agenda. The action plan focused on governance, infrastructural development, modernisation of agriculture, education and human capital development, healthcare services, industrial development, tourism and environmental sustainability, and gender equality and empowerment. In the saddle, reality dawned on him that more efforts would be required to reposition the enclave. Many believe that the governor has fulfilled his promises.

    Three achievements stand out. The governor succeeded in restoring peace, tranquility and security. Owing to his disdain for primitive accumulation, apathy to graft and lack of tolerance for corruption, the activist governor presided over a transparent government. However, last week, he told reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, that he will like to be remembered for the security scheme for the old people. It is the first of its kind in the country.

    But, the governor will also be remembered for the roads he constructed, the hospitals he built, the additional councils he created, the Ire Burnt Brick industry he revived, and the development partners he attracted to the state. By blocking wastages and loopholes, he successfully increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N109 m monthly to N600 m. His all-inclusive approach to governance made him to tour the 16 councils to elicit their inputs into the budget.

    In the areas of tourism and promotion of culture, the Fayemi Administration  also made a mark. Within a year, the Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort was transformed. Rural development has also been given priority. Apart from the road construction and electricity projects, over 473 community-based projects were completed across the state.  Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, was given a facelift.  Few days ago, a new Government House was commissioned.

    Many believe that the governor has unfinished business. His plans for the future are premised on his vision for a better Ekiti. He is dreamt about a rail line between Ado and Abuja. He proposed a flyover at Fajuyi Roundabout, Ado, an airport, a modern industrial park, a civic centre pavilion, and  ‘Ekiti Homes Agenda, a 5,000 public-private partnership housing units.  However, he request for a second term was rejected.

    As Fayemi bows out, there are fears that Ekiti may return to its ugly past. The onus is on Fayose to prove skeptics wrong. The change of baton has not been absolutely smooth. The APC office was burnt down by suspected thugs. Fayemi campaign organisation was razed. The courts were invaded by thugs. Now, there are fears that the same tragedy may befall the House of Assembly, which is not controlled by the PDP.

    Will Fayose make a difference? Time will tell.

    t.

  • Violence in Ekiti

    After a Fayose rally in Ado-Ekiti that featured a buy-me-a-crowd enthusiasm, some APC folks followed a gestural tradition of sweeping the debris of their campaign out of town. But the folks were turned into targets of violence, aiming at injuries and death. They even attacked the governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi. The Ekiti election is not only important for Ekiti but for 2015 and Nigeria. The news is rife that the PDP, in spite of President Jonathan’s claim for a fair poll, is plotting to turn the election into a referendum of violence rather than popularity. We want peace, but they should realise in the upper echelons of the PDP that the people of Ekiti will not accept any rigging, for the sake of all. They should not take the people for granted.

  • Extra coaching for pupils in Ekiti

    Pupils in upper primary schools owned by the Ekiti State government are to enjoy extra coaching in three core subjects ____of English language, Mathematics and Basic Science; ____it was learnt at the weekend.

    This is part of efforts to raise teaching and learning standard in the all-important subjects, the local chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) said in a memo.

    In the memo sent to the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof Modupe Adelabu, the NUT said the decision to introduce extra lessons for the pupils was taken in conjunction with the Association of Primary School Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON).

    Mr. J. Ola Idris, who signed the memo as the Principal Secretary of Ekiti NUT, said the lessons would be held three times weekly between 2 and 3 p.m., beginning from this second term.

    The memo reads in part: “This latest effort of the union is to collaborate with stakeholders to raise the standard of education in the state.

    “We hope that the board will provide the necessary support to the programme.

  • In Ekiti, The Drums of Peace beats

    In Ekiti, The Drums of Peace beats

    A SPECTACULAR performance by some pupils of public primary and junior secondary schools in Ekiti State ‘arrested the attention’ of their audience for two hours last Friday at the Adetiloye Hall, Fountain Hotel, Ado-Ekiti.

    The pupils, numbering 81, held the audience in the filled hall spellbound with brilliant displays of the rich Nigerian culture and youthful talents in a play entitled: “The Drums of Peace”.

    It was a command performance organised by the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) as part of activities to commemorate the third anniversary of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi-led administration in the Land of Honour State.

    Among the audience were: Deputy Governor Prof Modupe Adelabu, who doubles as the Chairman of SUBEB chairman, Governor Fayemi’s wife, Olabisi, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Gender Empowerment Mrs Fola Richie-Adewusi, her colleague in the Environment Ministry Dr Eniola Ajayi, Chief of Staff Yemi Adaramodu, Special Adviser to the Deputy Governor Bamitale Oguntoyinbo and leading lights of the movie industry, who also spiced up the night with a performance.

    Staged in the late evening, “The Drums of Peace” was an adaptation of a satire – “The Drums of War”, written by Rasaki Ojo Bakare, a professor of Theatre Aesthetics. Prof Bakare also directed the adapted play.

    The metaphoric play depicted a community under the yoke of a dictatorial leadership and war-mongers. It portrayed the picture of a monarch who relished the abuse of existing norms.

    Rather than succumb to the advice of peace-loving women that it was needless engaging in hostilities with neighbouring communities, the king heeded a wrong counsel by one of his chiefs and dispatched the only heir to his throne to the war front.

    Hit by the death of her only son in the war, the queen committed suicide.

    With his only son and quen dead, the king was forced by his subjects to abdicate the throne, a verdict that forced him to commit suicide.

    In the midst of the confusion created by the exit, peace returned to the community with the entrance of an agent of change and development and the people forgot their years of anguish and pains.

    In a brief remark before the auditorium turned to a make-shift theatre with the effects of the halogen light and other costume, Prof Adelabu, who donned her SUBEB chair cap, said the performance was another effort by the board to identify drama-endowed children.

    She said: “No doubt, the abilities of these children (casts) will be built in oration and self-confidence. Just like sporting activities, it will equally develop social interaction and encourage vocational literacy.”

    Prof Adelabu said the era when theatre was looked down upon was gone for good. “Today, theatre/drama has produced many celebrities, who are only contributing their quotas to the entertainment industry, but making indelible marks in the society,” she said.

    According to her, she muted the idea to organize a theatre workshop for pupils during the long vacation as a way of constructively engage the children from roaming the streets.

    Assuring that such workshops will be organised regularly by SUBEB to help pupils in public schools to fully develop their potentials, the deputy governor restated the Fayemi-led administration’s interest in the total development of children in the state.

    In her own remarks, Mrs Adeleye-Fayemi described the performance as amazing and parents to in addition to educational development of the children, encourage their wards to develop their talents.

    “Parents should nurture the talents of their wards. What happened here tonight is the beginning of future careers,” she said.

    Explaining what spurred him to take up the challenge of sharpening the drama skills of the children, Prof Bakare said it is a way of re-orientating the children and inculcating in them the I-can-do-it-spirit.

    He noted that many talented adults missed it in the past because they had no one to encourage them, hence many of them who could have been self-dependent became liabilities.

    According to him, the Ekiti State Children’s Theatre Workshop was borne out of government’s desire to explore, tap and develop the raw talents and potentials of children in public primary and junior secondary schools towards inventing creativity and self-reliance.

    His words: “This catch-them-young workshop is also geared towards awakening the consciousness of children towards appreciating the positive values of their indigenous arts and culture as well as the various cultural templates of other ethnic groups.”

     

  • In Ekiti, there is food for all and for sale

    In Ekiti, there is food for all and for sale

    It is an agricultural revolution programme built around the youths, many of whom are known to be keen on only white collar jobs. But, somehow, the state government decided to give it a try. And the experiment has paid off. The Youth in Commercial Agriculture Development Programme (YCAD) has hundreds of youths cultivating cassava, cocoa and many other farm produce.

    The state now has both the largest yield per hectare and cultivation. The state’s is above the national average of 12T/Ha). Its yield stands at 15T/Ha.

    Last year, the state was rated as having the largest expansion in cultivation in the country. This can be attributed to YCAD, which added over 1,150Ha. The programme has also made the state have the highest yield in cassava. The harvesting of 1, 500 hectares of cassava has been flagged off.

    It is not all about cassava. Giant strides have also been made in rice production. No less than 750Ha of rice was cultivated under the Rice Expansion Programme. The government supported farmers with all the input for production.

    Steps have also been taken to restore cocoa as the state’s main cash crop. 150,000 cocoa seedlings have been distributed to 15,000 farmers. There are still 350,000 seedlings left for distribution.

    Commissioner for Agriculture Jide Arowosafe said Tyfarms, owned by Nigerian Flour Mills, has offered N180 million for cassava produced by the youths.

    He said: “We have had good successes around YCAD. Generally, when we started this programme, what was thought was that the youths would not be interested. But, the reverse is the case for us. There is none of the youths that cultivated less than 5 hectares in the last season. One of the success stories is that we have a group of youth that did ten hectares last year. They have come together to acquire a moribund farm in Ekiti that they are resuscitating. YCAD participants are coming together to acquire tractors saying the state government cannot service them with the tractors they need. They are operating in the realm of commercial operators. Ecobank has identified with the YCAD programme. They have offered it a platform for cashless operation. We never solicited for it. They saw the potentials themselves.

    “Under our rice expansion programme, immediately after the harvest, we bought over the rice paddy and pushed to processing farms. We have an agency called Fountain Agric Marketing Agency (FAMA) that buys the produce. There is a ready market for farmers. We have invested in land opening. What past administrations were doing was to buy tractors and do photo shoots.

    “Past administrations use FADAMA to support political farmers; people who have nothing to do with farming. We are using the project to support real farmers. We are ending paper agriculture. We are even giving them the counterpart funding to be able to get assistance from FADAMA funds to be able to do massive fund from the field. We have got institutional assistance. Ekiti is in the forefront of walking the talk as far as agriculture is concerned. AGCO is coming to Nigeria. They are partnering with us to establish a College of Technical and Commercial Agriculture.

    “We are also working on irrigation farming in partnership with our senators under their constituency projects. We want to stop rain-fed agriculture and this will be good for our farmers. The state governments in the past procured fertilisers; meanwhile, our farmers never got this fertilisers. They say their land is fertile and they do not use fertilisers.”

    The 600 million naira irrigation project will see Ero and Itapaji dams making available 1,700 hectares of irrigated land. This joint constituency project of the three Senators from Ekiti State is being supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The irrigated land from Itapaji dam will serve Iyemero and Gede farm settlements; Ero dam will serve Ikosun, Igogo and Ewu farm settlements.

    In a bid to further develop competitive commercial agriculture, the government is hosting what it has tagged the ‘Agbeloba Agribusiness Forum’ at the Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort at the end of this month.

    Stakeholders in agribusiness will discuss critical issues that will facilitate commercial and mechanised agricultural operations, using a private sector approach. It will be opened by Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Akinwunmi Adesina.

    The government said about 200 delegates from the public and private sectors interested in partnering, investing and ensuring sustainable development of Ekiti fast growing agricultural and the national agro Industrial sector are expected to grace the forum.