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  • Protests continue in Kwara over Offa rerun

    Protests continue in Kwara over Offa rerun

    •Ahmed swears in PDP candidate

    The protests over the nocturnal declaration of the result of last Saturday’s rerun in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State entered the second day yesterday.

    The Chairman of the state Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), Dr Uthman Ajidagba, announced the result on the state radio in Ilorin, the state capital, on Sunday morning.

    The announcement has triggered a chain of reactions across the country and the state in particular.

    Members, supporters and sympathisers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state yesterday took to the street for a peaceful rally in Ilorin.

    They called for the reversal of the early morning declaration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate as the winner of the August 31 rerun.

    Also in Offa, the headquarters of Offa Local Government, over 5,000 protesters poured onto major streets and roads to show their grievances.

    The young and the old as well men and women took part in the Offa rally.

    The grouse of the protesters, led by the former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Comrade Sola Iji, was the alleged fraudulent declaration of the PDP candidate, Prince Abdulwaheed Olanipekun, as the winner of the election, instead of the APC candidate, Prince Saheed Popoola, who polled the highest votes – as was evident in the collated results from the wards.

    The protesters grounded human and vehicular movements in several parts of Ilorin. They called the state government and KWSIEC unprintable names.

    The routes covered by the protestors, who took off from the Offa Road office of the defunct Congress Party of Nigeria (CPC), include the Post Office, Emir’s Road, Oja Oba, Gegele, Ita Amodu, Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Unity Road and Murtala Mohammed Road.

    Despite these protests, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed yesterday swore in Olanipekun as the chairman of Offa Local Government.

    Iji described the governor’s action as fraudulent and illegal.

    He said: “We went through the town and returned to where we started. By tomorrow, we will continue until justice is done.

    “That’s a fraudulent swearing-in. As far as we are concerned, they (the PDP) have not won any election. The true result should be given to us. At the rightness of time, we will get our mandate.”

    Speaking with The Nation on phone, an APC member in the House of Assembly from the local government, Olayonu Tope, said the government” “action “is political robbery. It means we don’t have respect for the rule of law.

    “How can somebody who polled about 4,000 votes against the one that scored over 11,000 now become the winner? “That means we are not mature for democracy.”

    After the swearing-in, Ahmed said: “It is a thing of joy that the exercise, which recorded a massive turnout of voters, was adjudged free, fair and credible.

    “Clearly, your victory at the election signals the people’s confidence in your capacity to deliver good governance, given the recent events in Offa Local Government.

    “I, therefore, urge you to take urgent steps to implement people-friendly programmes to restore the people’s faith in democratic governance.”

     

  • Protests rock Kwara over Offa rerun results

    Protests rock Kwara over Offa rerun results

    There were massive protests yesterday in Kwara State following the declaration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Abdulwaheed Olanipekun, as the winner of the last Saturday’s Offa Local Government rerun.

    The protesters, who poured onto the major streets of Offa, the headquarters of the local government area, and Ilorin, the state capital, demanded the official results of the election.

    The protests in Ilorin were led by the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains, including former chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, Comrade Sola Iji; the Campaign Director of the ACN governorship candidate in 2011, Dr Sa’ad Omoya; Otunba Iyiola Oyedepo; Mohammed Dele Belgore’s running mate, Joshua Adeyinka and Rev. Bunmi Olusona.

    The peaceful rally began at 10am at the former Congress for Progressive Change’s (CPC)’s office on Offa Road.

    The protestors marched through the road via Flower Garden to the late General Abdulkarim Adisa Street in the GRA. They came out at the popular Fate Road before berthing at the KWSIEC headquarters on the road.

    Heavily armed riot policemen, with their Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), kept watch at the gate.

    The inscriptions on some of the placards read: “We want out to collect our mandate”; “We demand justice”; “Yoo le koko lote yi”(It would be difficult this time); “Ajidagba is playing with death”; “All we are saying, give us our mandate”; “Ajidagba, ole, Barawo, thief”.

    Addressing reporters, Comrade Iji said the protestors were at the KWSIEC headquarters to reject the results.

    He said: “If you have been following events of Saturday till yesterday and this morning, you will discover that the local government election, which was held in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of the state, on Saturday, the results were not announced at the polling units. The results were collated at all the 12 wards. We approached the local government collation centres, where we expected that the results collated at the wards would be collated for final announcement of the winner of the election.

    “Unfortunately, the Returning Officer, who is the Local Government Electoral Officer of the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), just disappeared. He absconded. We waited there till about 10pm before the materials were moved to the headquarters of KWSIEC in Ilorin that night.

    “We met with the Chairman of KWSIEC, Dr Uthman Ajidagba; he feigned ignorance. He said he didn’t know where the electoral officer was and some of his junior officers. We met with the chairman and about three or four other officers of the commission. They promised that the result would be announced. They said we should return on Sunday morning by 10am. But surprisingly, by around 5am, we started hearing from Kwara Radio the same KWSIEC chairman announcing the false results.

    “It was not in his place to announce any result. The results ought to be announced at the point where the collation ought to have been concluded, which is the local government headquarters of KWSIEC. So, for him to assume illegally the responsibility of the Returning Officer for the election in a local government is not acceptable.

    “We have rejected the results because he knew they were not the results of the election conducted in Offa on Saturday. So, we are here to register our protest, to tell the world that KWSIEC has started on a journey it cannot foretell because our party, the APC, will not accept it.”

    A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, tweeted yesterday: “The APC won the election in Offa (on Saturday). Sadly, it has been announced that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won. If this happens in the 2015 election, Nigeria will burn.”

    The tweet has since provoked widespread comments, with some hailing the politician’s “patriotic” tweet and others cautioning against violence.

    Prominent twitter handles from Kwara, led by @kwhistleblower and @fynebony, have dubbed the Offa rerun fiasco as Ajidagbagate, named after the KWSIEC chairman, Dr Uthman Ajidagba.

    A group, Kwara New Initiatives, said Kwara State, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to prevail on the state government to correct the electoral heist..

    In a statement, the group’s Coordinator, Mr. Atolagbe Ayansola said: “The Radio Kwara announcement of the fake results is delusional, criminal and out of tune with democratic norms and civility.”

     

  • Huge presence of security personnel at Kwara council poll

    The rerun local government election in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State took place yesterday under huge security.

    A combined team of plain- clothed and mobile policemen, officials and men of the Department of State Security Service, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) ensured that it went troubled-free.

    Human and vehicular movements in and outside the local government were restricted.

    Vehicles coming from Osogbo in Osun State to Offa and Ajase-Ipo, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State were diverted to other routes.

    The Police Commissioner, Agboola Oshodi-Glover, was on ground to monitor the conduct of the election.

    He told reporters that the huge presence of security operatives was as a result of the drafting of personnel from other divisions

    Oshodi-Glover said: “We don’t want to disclose the number of policemen that are here but we have enough manpower.

    “We have deployed all our resources and manpower for the smooth conduct of the election.”

    Investigations revealed that sufficient ballot papers did not arrive on time in some polling wards.

    The Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), Dr UthmanAjidagba, advanced reasons for the development.

    He said: “In the process of dispatching them (ballot papers) some officers did not wait enough to collect the sufficient ballot papers.

    “Those areas that initially did not get sufficient ballot papers have been sufficiently addressed.”

    The chairmanship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Saheed Popoola, said: “So far so good, the conduct of the election has been devoid of any hitche save initial short supply of ballot papers. What we want is that the collation centres should not be rough.

    “We want the a situation where security agents will concentrate on the ward collation centres and local government collation centres and the declaration of the result for the councilors at the ward collation centres and the chairman’s result declared at the local government secretariat, not Ilorin.

    “The election is taking place in Offa and it must be declared here. If the election result is collated and declared here the way it is going on definitely I know it will be fair enough.”

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Prince AbdulwaheedOlanipekun, described the conduct of the election as smooth and peaceful

     

  • Kwara Utd/ Warri Wolves Asst. Referee beaten

    Kwara Utd/ Warri Wolves Asst. Referee beaten

    • Match stopped at half time

    Matchday 29 Glo Premier League tie between Kwara United and Warri Wolves was not concluded at the Kwara State Stadium, Ilorin on Saturday after the centre referee, Chrisantus Okoro from Imo State discontinued the game at halftime.

    Okoro in a chat with SportingLife noted that he had to take the action after the Assistant Referee 2 Durunna CIB from Abia State was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance after he was allegedly beaten in the match officials’ changing room at halftime.

    Okoro said it was obvious that the security of the match officials could not be guaranteed at the stadium, hence his decision to call it off to safe himself and the other match officials from further molestation.

    “The game in Ilorin between Kwara United and Warri Wolves was stopped by me at halftime after one of the Assistant Referees(AR2), Durunna CIB from Abia State was beaten by the home fans and was rushed to the hospital.

    “There was no way I would have continue the game in that kind of atmosphere where my life and the remaining match officials is not guaranteed. I don’t know the current fate of the AR2. What has he done to deserve the type of treatment meted out to him? It is so unfortunate. I refused entreaty to continue with the game and my report will be forwarded to the appropriate quarters,” Okoro told SportingLife on telephone.

    The game was goalless before the alleged mayhem was recorded at halftime.

    Warri Wolves’ media officer, Moses Etu who also confirmed the development condemned the ‘win at home at all costs syndrome’ in the league and he has called on the League Management Company(LMC) to come out with a verdict that will show that the league body has the interests of the away teams at heart.

    “The game has been discontinued by the centre referee Chrisantus Okoro from Imo State after one of the Assistant Referees, Durunna CIB from Abia State was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. It was alleged that he was beaten by some fans during the halftime.

    “We at Warri Wolves condemn this act in all entirety and we hope that the LMC will deal decisively with it and not sweep it under the carpet. We shall not lodge any complaint like we did against Akwa United. But we know that the whole world is watching and looking at the action that will be taken by the LMC,” Etu explained to SportingLife.

     

  • Kwara to sponsor doctors’ training on bond

    Kwara to sponsor doctors’ training on bond

    The Kwara State Government has said it will sponsor the training of doctors on bond to produce more doctors for government-owned hospitals.

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed spoke at the Government House in Ilorin, the state capital, when he received the Management Board of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).

    He promised that on graduation, the bonded doctors would serve the state for specified years in fulfilment of the terms of agreement.

    The arrangement, the governor said, would ensure that the state has enough doctors for its health institutions on sustainable basis.

    The governor, who identified decay and deficiency in infrastructure as the major challenge confronting the health sector, said his administration was upgrading facilities in five general hospitals across the state, adding that another specialised hospital would be established in partnership with a hospital in New Orleans, the United States of America.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, the governor said part of his administration’s policy is ensuring access to qualitative health care within 500 metres radius.

    Ahmed said his administration was also pursuing a vibrant drug revolving scheme.

    According to him, the scheme has the potential to reduce access to fake drugs in the state.

    The governor, who described qualitative health care delivery as critical to the actualisation of human capital development, promised that quality of infrastructural development in the sector would not be compromised.

    He also said his administration would carry out regular monitoring of projects.

    Ahmed said the government was ready to partner the UITH in community health care support scheme to create access to the rural communities.

    “We want to make health service delivery at the rural areas a lot more comfortable for medical personnel to encourage them to work in the rural areas,” he said.

  • Why Kwara Utd want league matches aired

    Why Kwara Utd want league matches aired

    kwara United have called on the League Management Company(LMC) to mandate SuperSport, which covers live broadcast of the Glo Premier League matches, to criss cross the entire regions of the country in the interest of fairness and equity.

    SuperSport only limited the coverage of the league to the Western and Eastern part save probably Ilorin and thereby overlooking the North for the perceived fear of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

    Kwara United’s Welfare Officer, Tunde Ogunlana disclosed that the inability of games to be beamed live in the north has not made it possible for the alleged many atrocities perpetrated in the matches played there.

    “The notion of selecting only matches in the East and West and Ilorin give fairness and credence that we are running a premier league. The premier league that sidelined the entire north for over two seasons now from the live coverage of matches is a disservice to other clubs that constantly have their games beamed live.

    “If SuperSport is not ready to take it(league coverage) to other parts of the country, it is better they stop the live telecast of matches in all. It is only those that have witnessed any of the games played in the north that would be able to explain better all the ills that are done for them to win their matches.

    “Look at the game we played against Nasarawa United. We were assaulted by the fans before the game started and while the game was on, the referee was another sorry case.”

     

     

     

  • Kwara to punish students-cultists

    •Council chair attributes ills to corruption

    The Kwara state Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed yesterday vowed to punish anybody or student found culpable in cultism in tertiary institutions.

    Ahmed said his administration has zero tolerance for cultism.

    He said this was the reason it embarked on constant advocacy against the menace.

    Ahmed spoke at the opening ceremony of the 126th Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology (COHEADS), hosted by the Kwara State Polytechnic.

    He said: “I swear by the heavens, if we catch any of you involved in the act, we will deal decisively with that person. There is no escape route for you. We know you. Cultism is an escapist means of catching up with the society. People luring students to cultism are mentally weak.

    “Cultism does not pay. It only brings sadness to those involved in it. Students, don’t allow yourselves to be lured into it. The best thing is for you to follow the path of honour and complete your education. The country needs you.

    “We know that family and religious values have broken down, but Nigeria can still be great. Nigeria can become the place where there will be security of lives and property; where there is religious harmony. This is attainable and doable.”

    The governor urged the polytechnic rectors “to focus on finding solutions to the critical problems of middle-level manpower deficit confronting our nation, especially as it affects our educational system”.

    He added: “Today, our labour markets are sadly saturated with unemployable graduates; youths who cannot clearly express themselves, not to talk of possess the required skills for self-employment. As heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology, who determine the direction of our technological development, there is the need for you to refocus attention on quality education and business skills in order to prepare our youths for successful entrepreneurship on graduation.

    “It is indeed worrying that most new graduates wallow in joblessness because they are either unemployable or cannot find suitable employment. Even more concerning is the fact that a significant proportion of school leavers are unable to proceed to higher education due to limited spaces at tertiary institutions or lack of financial capacity to pursue higher education.”

    The Chairman of the Governing Council of Kwara state polytechnic, Prof Shehu Jimoh said cultism now permeates everywhere, adding that “I hear cult groups are everywhere now including secondary schools.”

    The retired professor of education psychology bemoaned the level of decadence in the country’s educational sector.

    He added: “Today, the situation has changed. In Many polytechnics, student populations have far exceeded the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)-approved carrying capacities. Bookish acquisition of scattered pieces of facts without corresponding practical experiences, not even communication skills. The ivory has oozed away from our towers. Youth unemployment or underemployment is on the increase, just as is criminality among the youth.

    “When things fall apart we blame the teachers; when we seek solution to societal ills, we call upon the teachers. The paradox underscores the importance attached to your position as people whose primary responsibility is to culture the minds of those who will lead this country in future.”

    He traced the ills to the breakdown in the family unit, corruption, sycophancy, ‘get-rich-quick’ syndrome, celebration of mediocrity, crooks and ex-convicts.

     

  • al-Mustapha: Kwara OPC hails Lagos for challenging ruling

    The Kwara State Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) has hailed the decision of the Lagos State Government to challenge the discharge and acquittal of Major Hamza al-Mustapha, the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, at the Supreme Court.

    al-Mustapha had been on trial for about 15 years for the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential elections, Bashorun Moshood Abiola.

    A Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos, last month discharged and acquitted the former CSO of the murder.

    The OPC described al-Mustapha’s freedom as politically-motivated.

    It noted that the case portends grave danger to the country.

    The State OPC Coordinator Salam M. Olanrewaju said the steps taken by the Lagos State Government were in the right direction.

    Olanrewaju said: “In any country where rope is used tie an elephant is unsafe for human habitation. If a court, which has been referred to as the last hope of the common man, has now become an instrument for the manipulation of politicians, then that country is heading towards a disaster.

    “If a personality like Alhaja Kudirat Abiola could be murdered in cold blood and the perpetrators are not brought to justice, then something is wrong with our judicial system. It further shows that the entire country needs to be restructured.

    “The decision of the Lagos State Government to challenge the Appellate Court’s ruling renews the hope of the common man and good citizens of Nigeria to believe in equity and justice.”

    The OPC leader alleged that al-Mustapha’s release was aimed at enabling the Goodluck Jonathan administration to curry the support of the northerners for the 2015 general elections.

     

  • Over 5,000 Kwara pupils for Belgore’s extramural classes

    Over 5,000 Kwara State secondary school pupils are to benefit from this year’s Mohammed Dele Belgore (MDB) Solidarity Team’s programme.

    This year, the MDB Solidarity Team is spicing up the programme, which began in 2011, with computer tablets.

    Each tablet contains past questions running for 20 years.

    The pupils can use the questions to revise and rebuild what they have learnt in various subjects.

    The State Coordinator of the MDB Solidarity Team, Aliyu Ajanaku, addressed reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, at the beginning of the programme.

    He explained that the computer tablets are “complementary to what the pupils have learnt in class”.

    Ajanaku added: “A good use of the tablets will affect the beneficiaries’ performance in a very big way. This is the third year that we are running an extramural programme for secondary school pupils. We did in 2011, 2012 and now this year.

    “To spice it this year, we are bringing in computer tablets, which represent the future of education in the world. There is a tremendous opportunity coming to us as we are the first set of people to utilise this computer tablets.

    “We are starting with the pupils who are running the MDB extramural this year. The programme involves the selection of pupils from various centres. As a matter of fact, we have 17 centres running across the state: in Kwara North, South and Central. Twenty pupils from the three centres will come to this special centre here to learn the rudiments of the computer tablets and their use. We have a software engineer who will run the programme.

    “Today, we are doing the opening ceremony. Totally, over 5,000 pupils across the state are benefiting from the extramural lesson this year and it has minimum teachers per centre.

    “On the whole, we have 187 teachers in the three centres. Among them are professionals, university graduates, job seekers and others who are participating in the programme. The centres are in Kaiama, Patigi, Shao, Lafiagi (Kwara North), Ilorin West, South, East and Asa local government areas (Kwara Central). In Kwara South, we have in Offa, Oro and Oke-Onigbin.

    “The ultimate objective is to make sure that each of the pupils has a computer tablet of his own. But for now, they are going through the training.

    “My advice to the beneficiaries is that they keep their fate with what we are doing as we see them as the future leaders. We are helping to build them for tomorrow. Their peers are all over the place watching television and whiling away their time. These ones are spending valuable time here learning what we are offering them free.”

    On the criteria for the selection of beneficiaries, Ajanaku said: “…The programme came out not necessarily because of politics. The essential thing is that we want to be contributing our own to the society, whether we are in power or not. This is because education is one of our cardinal objectives. We select the benefiting pupils based on merit and good conduct.”

     

  • Rangers’ GM to players Beat Kwara United, get N500k

    Rangers’ GM to players Beat Kwara United, get N500k

    • Flying Antelopes coaches receive balance of last season’s signing-on fees

    The General Manager of Enugu Rangers Paul Chibuzor Ozor has promised players of the Flying Antelopes N500,000 if they beat Kwara United at Ilorin today in matchday 25 of the Globacom Premier League.

    Rangers beat Kaduna United 2-1 on Sunday to rise to 7th on the log with 36 points and Ozor told SportingLife in a telephone chat that he had assured the players they would get N500,000 from him if they shock their hosts, the Afonja Warriors at home.

    The General Manager also told SportingLife that the technical crew of the Coal City side received the balance of last season’s signing-on fees, and that discussions have reached an advance stage for the release of the current season’s signing-on fees for both players and officials.

    Ozor said that because of Rangers players’ gracefulness in defeat away to Warri Wolves in a matchday 23 tie, the players were given N200,000 as motivation.

    He also explained that the players received their outstanding three-match bonuses and salaries for the month of July shortly before the home win against Kaduna United.

    Ozor rounded off by stating that the club still hope to win the appeal they have concluded plans to send to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. It will be filed as soon as they get the go-ahead from the Enugu State Government through the provision of the US$80,000 (about N13million) appeal fees.