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Tag: kwara

  • Kwara Poly lecturer becomes SAN, asset to nation

    The Kwara State Polytechnic is celebrating a Principal Lecturer, Joseph Sunday Bamigboye, who has been made a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) by the National Judicial Council.

    Bamiboye, who teaches in the Institute of General Studies (IGS), was honoured at a reception organised by the Rector of the Polytechnic, Mas’ud Elelu.

    Elelu said with his new status, Bamigboye would improve quality education in the institution.

    “With this new feat, Bamigboye can best be described as an asset to the polytechnic, the state and Nigeria as a whole. The knowledge acquired so far will be imparted on the students who will use the knowledge for the progress and development of the country,” he said.

    The Rector also advised other members of staff to emulate the hard work and enthusiasm of the new SAN.

    Replying, Bamigboye expressed appreciation for the recognition by the NJC and the polytechnic.

    He also praised the Rector, describing him as a visionary given how he has facilitated prompt payment of salaries, development of physical infrastructures, and provision of conducive learning environment.

    He promised to use his experience to contribute to the progress of the polytechnic, Kwara State and Nigeria at large.

    Some workers of the Polytechnic present at the event, described the new SAN as a bundle of humility, dedication, gentility and exemplary personality worthy of emulation by all staff.

    Meanwhile, the Rector announced plans to set up Anti-Corruption Unit to check the excesses of workers and students and complement the Federal Government’s fight against corruption.

  • Kwara workers begin strike

    Kwara workers begin strike

    •Govt decries action

    Academic workers in Kwara State-owned tertiary institutions yesterday began indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries.

    The non-academic workers last Monday went on strike over the same issue.

    The affected institutions are Colleges of Education in llorin, Oro and Lafiagi as well as the College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies in Ilorin.

    The workers said the government owed them six-month arrears.

    The Chairman of the Committees of Unions of Tertiary Institutions, Comrade AbdulKareem Amuda-Kannike, declared the strike after an emergency meeting with the workers.

    He said the action became imperative, as efforts to make the government attend to their plight failed.

    Amuda-Kannike said government’s directive that the institutions should use their internally-generated revenue to settle arrears was not practicable, adding that the letters and meetings with government’s representatives to avert the strike ended in a deadlock.

    According to him, “since the government has expressed its inability to pay the arrears, following dwindling monthly federal allocation, strike is the next option.”

    Representatives of the unions from the institutions attended the meeting.

    The Senior Special Assistant to Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, condemned the strike.

    He said: “The government is surprised that they have resorted to strike when they know that the non-payment of their subventions was because of the drop in allocation from the Federal Government.”

    Akorede said the allocation to the government dropped from N3.2billion to N1.7billion.

    He said the subventions not paid to the affected states were not for the payment of salaries, adding that the colleges should pay salaries from their internally-generated revenue.

    The governor’s aide described the workers’ plight as unfortunate, urging them to call off the strike because of the students.

     

     

  • Kwara plots way out of financial crisis

    Kwara plots way out of financial crisis

    The Kwara State government is working out ways to resolve its financial crisis. The drastic reductions in the federal allocation to state governments as a result of sustained fall in crude oil prices in the global market has posed huge financial challenges to many states in the federation, Kwara being one of them.

    Determined to overcome these challenges, the state governor Abdulfatah Ahmed signed into law the bill establishing the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS). The law empowers the agency to collect and manage revenue on behalf of the state government and its local councils.

    Determined to expand the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base of the state, Governor Ahmed gave the Service a target of N2 billion for the state every month, as against the monthly average of N700 million it currently generates.

    This according to him would make the state less reliant on allocations from the federal government.

    He said that the monthly federal allocation that comes to Kwara had dropped from N2.2 billion to N1.4 billion, adding that the monthly wage bill of the state is fluctuating between N2.7 billion and N2.8 billion.

    The agency apart from its primary function of collection and management of revenue is also expected to promote policies and actions that will check and block all revenue leakages.

    The agency is also expected to carry out constant checks and balances on finances of the various ministries, departments and agencies in the state, the governor charged.

    Based on the the successes recorded by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) and Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OIRS), the state government recently invited the representatives of both agencies to share their experience in revenue collection and management with the officials of KWIRS.

    It was gathered at the meeting, the officials of LIRS and OIRS shared the scope of their operations with their KWIRS counterparts.

    They also talked about what they have been doing right that has helped revenue collection and tax administration in their respective states. KWIRS is expected to adopt e-payment for revenue collection as no cash payment will be allowed.

    Curiously, the establishment of KWIRS has generated a lot of furore, as many Kwarans view it as a euphemism for another round of heavy tax burden on individuals and businesses.

    The governor has dispelled such insinuations, saying that it was primarily set up to ensure efficiency in revenue collection and management.

    Said he: ”The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service will not impose fresh taxes on individuals and businesses in the state. The agency is only authorised to assess and enforce payment of due taxes, levies, fees and charges in the state. KWIRS will make revenue collection and management more efficient.

    “Given the reality of the present day where the country’s financial earnings from the sales of crude oil has depleted due to a sustained decline in world oil price, expanding IGR base of a state is one big deal that must be taken seriously to ensure the proper and effective running of the state. It is paramount for states to generate more funds to do more projects.

    Against this background, Governor Ahmed has been meeting with various stakeholders in the state to solicit their collaboration and support for the state renewed IGR drive. The first set of people he met were the chairmen of local government councils in the state. There are sixteen local councils in the state and the largest of this council generates N200, 000 as its monthly revenue, it was discovered.

    During the meeting, he charged the council chairmen on the need for them to increase revenue generation in their respective councils.

    He said “obviously, there is a need for us to significantly increase our revenue to further meet the yearnings of our people. I, therefore, challenge you to fashion out innovative means by which you can generate more revenue in your respective councils, as we have a responsibility to increase the quality of life of our people.”

    Also, the governor met with Directors of Finance and Supplies (DFS) in all ministries within the state. At the meeting, it was gathered that the governor told the directors to brace up for the new challenges and work together with the state revenue agency in meeting its targets.

    He also underscored the importance of civil servants to key-into the new scheme of tax administration in the state.

    In another meeting with the heads and bursars of the state-owned tertiary institutions, Governor Ahmed was said to have urged authorities of the institutions to support the state government’s drive in expanding its revenue base.

    He added that no form of blackmail and misinformation would deter his administration from implementing measures that would boost the state IGR.

    His words: “While it is common for some people to resist change, the best interest of the people must prevail at all times. No form of blackmail and misinformation will deter our administration from implementing measures that will boost the Internally Generated Revenue of the State.”         He has therefore directed all the nine state-owned tertiary institutions to open a single revenue accounts for fees and other payments in a pilot exercise that have been extended to all revenue generating agencies in the state.

    He also instructed to close all other revenue accounts maintained in commercial banks across the state. The aim is to enable the government to monitor the management of the institutions’ finances.

    The governor was said to have assured the institutions will continue to receive budgeted funds from the state government at the appropriate time and that the government only desire is to ensure efficiency in revenue generation and management, stressing that the State could only survive the current economic crisis in the country though an enhanced internally generated revenue system.

    Governor Ahmed added that heads of tertiary institutions in the state have an opportunity to demonstrate their managerial skills as they migrate from inefficiency in revenue generation to levels of sufficiency.

    He added that all ministries, departments and agencies are also barred from opening bank accounts or obtaining bank loans without authorization from the office of the Accountant-General.

    Ahmed called on banks to key into the government’s new revenue drive and avoid any actions capable of contravening the new revenue law, saying the government will not hesitate to review.

    Governor Ahmed also tasked traditional rulers in the state to help sensitise their subjects on the issue, describing traditional rulers as symbols of an institution that once thrived on taxation.

    The governor noted that it was important that key stakeholders like the traditional institution assisted the state revenue generating agency in ensuring that the people of the state comply with the increased revenue generation drive by paying taxes.

    “No society can develop and thrive without a robust system for collecting, managing and utilising tax renewed for collective benefit. Consequently, increasing our Internally Generated Revenue is the only way to reduce our dependence on unstable federal allocation”.

    “We also need to raise the necessary funds for infrastructural development and empowering our people, especially the youths. I call on you to be at the forefront of our drive to raise revenue to build higher quality schools, more hospitals, better roads, ensure more reliable electricity and create an environment conducive to our people’s prosperity,” the governor said.

     

  • Kwara workers threaten strike

    Kwara workers threaten strike

    Workers under the auspices of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations (AUPCTRE) in Kwara State have given the government 14-day ultimatum to pay their three-month salary or risk strike.

    AUPCTRE is the umbrella body of workers in the state water corporations.

    The AUPCTRE Chairman and Secretary, Kadir Murtala and Abdulfatai Alkali, said in a statement that the workers’ salaries for July, August and September were yet to be paid.

    The statement added that arrears of cooperative deductions, union check-off dues and others for nine months from January to September were yet to be paid to the appropriate quarters.

  • Kwara unveils list of 10 commissioner nominees

    Kwara unveils list of 10 commissioner nominees

    The Kwara state House of Assembly has unveiled the names of ten commissioner nominees for the state.

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had last week forwarded the names of the nominees to the State House of Assembly for confirmation.

    The nominees are Engr Musa Yeketi (Asa local government), Engr Idris Garba (Baruteen), Taiwo Joseph (Ekiti), Aro Yahaya (Ifelodun),  Rasaq Sheu Akorede (Ilorin East) and Bolakale Ayo from Ilorin West local government area.
    Others are Demola Banu (Irepodun), Hajia Funmilayo Isiaka Oniwa (Moro local government) and Mahmud Babatunde Ajeigbe from Offa local government area.
    Reading out the names, Speaker of the House, Dr Ali Ahmad directed the nominees to appear before the House for screening on Tuesday next week.

    He said they are to appear for screening at 10 am.
    The speaker said the list of the nominees confirms with the constitutional provisions.

    Dr Ahmad subsequently constituted a five man ad-hoc committee headed by the Deputy Speaker Mr. Mathew Okedare to carry out interactive pre-screening exercise for all the ten nominees.
    He said the House would carry out its Constitutional responsibility without fear or favour.

    He urged members of the public to forward their issues, queries, questions and petitions, if any to the Clerk to the House Mr. Simon Ayodele Okedare on or before Sunday 18th of this month.
    The nominees according to the Speaker must complete necessary documentation latest by 4pm on Thursday, this week.

  • 102 pupils get scholarship in Kwara

    102 pupils get scholarship in Kwara

    An organisation, the Engineer Sunday Babalola Foundation (ESBF) has given N2m scholarship award to 102 indigent students of post-primary and tertiary institutions of Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

    The award, said to be first of its kind, will be continuous, the Founder of the foundation, Sunday Babalola said.

    Speaking during the presentation of cash and cheque to the beneficiaries in Omu-Aran, Babalola,  said, “We are starting from this community, later to the local government and if we can, we will extend it to the state level. Good students were selected by their principals; they applied and were interviewed.”

    The founder called on corporate organisations, donors, philanthropists and humanitarian outfits to invest in the advancement of education in Nigeria.

    The petroleum engineer said, “The award of scholarship to students of secondary and tertiary institutions is for me a fulfillment of my dream and desire to contribute my quota to the educational advancement and uplift of students in my locality.

    “God helping me with more resources, I intend to make this scholarship an annual event which will extend to more pupils and students in the local government and even across Kwara State.

    “It is a truism that educational growth is the springboard for societal advancement. So the falling standard of education in the country causes my heart to bleed. Gone appears to have been the days when students took interest in academic competitions. Many of them are today engrossed with internet and video pornography to the detriment of their educational growth.

    “Many of the students and graduates are merely half baked and cannot compete favourably in the labour market as they are unfit either for employment, lacking requisite skills and knowledge for self employment and self-reliance and sustenance. The situation has worsened the living standard of their families who suffered and spent so much to train them, yet they still depend on their families for upkeep and sustenance even after graduation.

    “Many of them have therefore become willing tools for insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes and so become threats to societal peace and wellbeing.

    “We all must save the situation from degenerating further by investing more in the educational advancement of the Nigerian child.

    “While part of the blame goes to the pupils and students, it is also important to note that government at local, state and federal levels have not done enough to ensure quality and accessible education in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

    “Many of the students and pupils attend schools hungry as their parents because of the economic downturn cannot feed them adequately. Some of them even come to school with turn and worn-out uniform while some still do not have sandals, books, lockers and chairs!

    How then can they learn well and past excellently in their examinations in this pitiable condition?

    “Many of the public schools have become hunting ghost, scaring away prospective good students. This situation had therefore made many private schools very academically attractive as only students from rich homes are now availed the opportunity of quality education.

    “What becomes the lot of children from indigent homes? It appears that the government has abandoned its core responsibility of  ensure quality, and accessible education under the guise of dwindling revenue while  the governors, law makers and other political office holders comfortably earn their jumbo salaries and other perquisites.

    We therefore must prioritise our national needs and give education the right pride of place if Nigeria must advance and meet up with the global trend.

    “Governments at all levels must stop paying lip service to education development. There must be sufficient investments in infrastructure provision, human capital development, security of pupils and students and undergraduates. Teachers and lectures must be well paid while incessant strikes and disruption of academic programs should be avoided in our schools, both tertiary and non-tertiary.

    “It is also important for more emphasis to be placed on entrepreneurship development and skill acquisition so as to produce graduates that will create more jobs in the country instead of being job seekers and security risk to the society. In addition, government should address mass failures in external examinations especially in core subjects including English and Mathematics.”

  • NYSC members save lives in Kwara

    NYSC members save lives in Kwara

    Possibly a sign of things to come, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have put many residents of Igbonna and Ikotun communities of Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State out of their health challenges.

    How? They provided free medical service to the residents.

    A medical team of Corps members reached out to ailing members of the communities, giving their time and expertise free of charge.

    The programme is under the NYSC Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers.

    In his remarks during the launch of the weeklong initiative, Oyun local government chairman, Alao Adebayo, an engineer, hailed the ingenuity of the NYSC management for organising the programme and for choosing his council.

    Adebayo urged community leaders to “mobilise our people to come and utilise this free medical offer to better and improve their health conditions reminding them that ‘health is wealth.’”

    He added that: “On our part as a government, we shall within our available resources be ready to provide everything necessary or required to make your five days and operation comfortably worthwhile.

    “The coming of this free medical initiative at a time the nation just celebrated its 55th independent anniversary is to me symbolically auspicious.

    “How else will you describe the sacrifice and commitment of this generation of you medical doctors who could engage in this social service despite other profitable offers that could be opened to them; if these attitudes of sacrifice and commitment are imbibed and sustained by our young ones, our nation will be better for it?

    “Indeed, the medical practice in its entirety by the virtue and sanctity of human life it deals with is seen as a noble profession and the practitioners considered next to God in the work of giving and saving lives.

    “Little wonder then, that this initiative which allows you to go round villages offering free medical services, readily calls to mind the biblical Jesus who was going about healing the sick and delivering the oppressed.”

    Declaring the initiative open, Director General NYSC, Brigadier- General Johnson Olawumi disclosed that the corps would collaborate with World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), federal and state ministries of health to address the health challenges of Nigerians.

    Other specific health partners the NYSC plans to partner with , he added include National Primary Health Development Agency (NPHDA), Society for Family Health (SFH), Family Health International (FHI) as well as non-governmental and international organizations.

    He added that NYSC would also partner with Royal Heritage Health Foundation, Ilorin, Grace Project International, MTN Communications and Guinness Nigeria Plc.

    General Olawumi who was represented by the state Coordinator of NYSC, Mr. Enyinnaya Henry said that the “programme is to mobilize corps medical volunteers in the provision of health intervention through diagnosis, treatment, referrals and proper prevention mechanism, thereby enhancing the general well-being of rural dwellers.

    “Volunteer corps medical personnel, who will form the core of the team, will work as health intervention agents driving the wheel of the health initiative. This one-week health outreach has been designed to address the health challenges of our people.

    “Our confidence in the success of this programme also lies in the fact that we have been able to secure the support of some stakeholders, who are either assisting us with their personnel or providing other material supports in the areas of drugs and medical equipment.”

     

  • Kwara worker missing

    There is fear in Oluseyi, in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, following the mysterious disappearance of a 30-year- old civil servant, Olaniyi Muyideen.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that Muyideen is a computer operator at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) attached to Irepodun Local Government Education Authority, Omu-Aran office.

    He was said to have left his home about 7am on September 30, leaving his door unlocked. His mobile phone and other items  were inside his room.

    A man, simply identified as Femi, who claimed to be his landlord, told NAN last Friday when Muyideen’s parents called from Ilorin to enquire about him. He found that his door was unlocked.

    He said neighbours’ fears were further heightened when a search party, organised to ascertain Muyideen’s whereabouts, found his slippers, clothes and underwear at an uncompleted building a few metres to his home.

    Femi said the matter had been reported to the Divisional Police Command in Omu-Aran.

    “I thought he had left for Ilorin from the office on Wednesday to visit his parents. It was his usual practice.

    “It was when his parents called on Friday asking about him that I noticed he left his door unlocked and I raised the alarm,” he said.

    The Secretary, Irepodun Local Government Education Authority, Mr. Bisi Dosunmu, said his office was working with the police and the town’s vigilance group to ascertain Muyideen’s

  • Fear of attacks: Kwara cancels independence parade

    Fear of attacks: Kwara cancels independence parade

    The Kwara State government yesterday cancelled the 55th independence anniversary parade scheduled to hold at the Metropolitan Square, Ilorin.

    In a statement, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, said the cancellation followed security reports that certain individuals arrived the state overnight to disrupt the Independence Day celebration.

    He regretted any inconvenience the cancellation might cause, stressing that the government considered public safety paramount.

    Despite the cancellation, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said Nigeria had a lot to celebrate.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Governor, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, Ahmed said he was optimistic that the country would overcome the economic, social and security problems.

    He said: “My conviction is driven not by blind hope. My optimism is based on confidence in the indomitable Nigerian spirit, our limitless national endowments and our current leadership’s drive and capacity to positively change our country.

    “However, we can only achieve these if we stand as one and defy the forces that threaten to divide us for selfish benefits. We must unite behind our collective aspirations for greatness, our desire for a better country and support our leadership at all levels to achieve them.”

  • FAAN to partner Kwara on perishable cargo export

    FAAN to partner Kwara on perishable cargo export

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is to partner the Kwara State government to develop a perishable cargo in the state.

    FAAN Director of Cargo Development Dr. Uchenna R. Ofulue disclosed this last week in Ilorin, when he visited Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

    Ofulue noted that the initiative, when implemented, will stimulate the economy of the state.

    He listed some of the benefits of the initiative as employment, improved standard of living for farmers, reduced rural-urban migration, foreign exchange generation, investment opportunities in logistics services and reduced youth restiveness, amongst others.

    Ofulue informed the governor that many incentives aimed at creating a conducive environment for the take-off of the initiative had been put in place by  the Federal Government to encourage investors.

    He noted that FAAN has designated 14 airports as cargo terminals to enhance the seamless movement of agricultural produce within and outside Nigeria.

    Ahmed welcomed the FAAN team, lauded the initiative as one that was capable of adding value to the state and Nigeria.

    He noted that the state is collaborating with farmers from Zimbabwe, Kenya and other agrarian countries to build capacity of farmers and improve their yield.

    He assured the FAAN team that the state was ready to key into the initiative to make the programme a reality.