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Tag: Mimiko

  • Ondo retirees berate Mimiko for non-payment of salaries, pensions

    Ondo retirees berate Mimiko for non-payment of salaries, pensions

    Labour retirees in Ondo State have berated Governor Olusegun Mimiko for his “refusal to pay salaries and pensions”.

    The Labour Veterans, led by former Labour Union leader, Pastor Oyekan Arije, said this when they visited the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Chairman, Isaac Kekemeke.

    The senior citizens were at Kekemeke’s office to show support for the APC in the forthcoming governorship election.

    Arije was former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Mimiko on Due Process.

    The retirees told the APC Chairman that “never before in the state’s history has public workers gone this long without being paid let alone celebrate the Yuletide bleakfully”.

    They decried their members’ sufferings, saying they helped Mimiko to win in 2009.

    According to the labour leaders, Mimiko is the first governor that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) would endorse and support.

    They, however, declared that since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ruined the state, they have decided to work with the APC by ensuring that the party wins.

    Kekemeke thanked the retirees for their visit and praised their doggedness in their struggle to continue to fight Labour’s cause even after retirement.

    He praised their boldness for supporting the APC and enjoined them to continue to bear the present suffering the PDP-led government has brought on citizens, until “the APC government will come to change our stories for good next year”.

  • Ondo 2016: Mimiko undecided over successor

    Ondo 2016: Mimiko undecided over successor

    Contrary to widespread belief, the race for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not done and dusted yet, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, is in a dilemma of sorts. Less than a year to the end of his second term the crest of a popular mandate, is, not surprisingly, desirous of handing over to a preferred successor.

    Expectedly, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not short of formidable aspirants secretly jostling to succeed Mimiko, even as all those being speculated as interested in the exalted seat have not formally joined the race.

    Sources disclosed that with the governor still keeping his succession plans close to his chest, some of his aides allegedly scheming to succeed him have intensified their consultations across board with a view to clinching the party’s ticket come September when the governorship primary is expected to hold.

    The governor’s decision to stay neutral on his choice of successor, a source informed, is predicated on the need to avoid any crisis that could affect the party’s chances at the governorship poll, which is expected to be a fierce contest between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Some months ago, there were unconfirmed speculations that a Public Relations Consultant, Mr. Adetokunbo Modupe, who is also a close ally of the governor, was the “anointed candidate,” but late last year, the name of Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, the state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, cropped up as the man the governor was allegedly disposed to taking over from him come next year.

    The Nation gathered that at the last count, about six of Mimiko’s closest aides and associates are allegedly putting up political structures across the state, preparatory to the formal flag off of the governorship campaign.

    Beside Jegede and Modupe, the other governorship hopefuls include Mr. Bamiduro Dada, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; his Ministry of Environment counterpart, Chief Sola Ebisemi; a former member of the House of Representatives and ex-Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye and former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku.

    Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is one of the closest allies of Mimiko since his administration began in 2009. He has been the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General and is one of the five people to have remained in Mimiko’s cabinet since April 20, 2009 till date. He is a member of the kitchen cabinet of the governor and performs several sensitive assignments for the governor.

    Although not a core politician, the Akure-born lawyer is however said to enjoy the support of the community leaders in Akure, his hometown, to run for the position. The sentiments working in his favour is that Akure is the only area in the old divisions of the state that is yet to produce the governor of the state.

    Though Mimiko is rumoured to have encouraged him to give the race a shot, there are however reservations to the governor’s likely support for an Akure man, as it is the same senatorial district as Ondo, where the governor hails from to succeed him. Nevertheless, should the PDP ticket be ceded to Akure, Jegede appears to be the favourite to clinch it.

    Kuku’s governorship aspiration has been in the news for close to two years. From the Southern Senatorial District, he has been relevant in the politics of the state, though he belongs to a different political group from PDP and Labour Party (LP), the governor’s former party. Kuku contributed to the massive victories recorded by the party in the Southern Senatorial District where the PDP won all available National Assembly and House of Assembly seats.

    The 45 years old politician came to limelight through his involvement in the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) before he was elected as a Member of the Ondo State House of Assembly where he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Information for four years. He was appointed Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan on the Niger Delta and was the Chairman, Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme.

    Kuku was alleged to have been meeting stakeholders in the PDP across the state to garner support for his governorship ambition and was said to have discussed with the governor who did not discourage him from going ahead before he eventually travelled abroad on a medical trip. However, there are reservations over whether the governor was ready to let the PDP ticket go to the South where it has remained since 1999.

    Ebiseni is another contender for the PDP gubernatorial ticket for Alagbaka house. He is from the Southern Senatorial District also.

    A lawyer, former chairman of the old Ilaje/Ese-Odo Local Government Area and currently the Commissioner for Environment, Ebiseni is not a stranger in the politics of the state. He is believed to command tremendous influence among the political stakeholders in the state.

    A grassroots politician with a deep knowledge of the politics of the state, Ebiseni is regarded as a serious contender who also has the advantage of having the financial wherewithal to run the race.

    The political profile of Gbenga Elegbeleye is similarly impressive. He contested and was elected Chairman, Akoko North-East Local Government Council between 1997 and 1998 and during the same period, he served as a member of the Ondo State Primary Education Board (SPEB).

    He was appointed Chairman, Ondo State Waste Management Authority in 2003, a position he held until 2006. In 2007, Elegbeleye contested for and won a seat at the House of Representatives where he represented Akoko-North/East/West Federal Constituency. A former member of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, during which period he served as the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Sports, Elegbeleye was late 2014 appointed as the Director-General of the NSC by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, but was relieved of the job about five months later.

    From the Akoko area of the state, Elegbeleye, according to sources, stands an outside chance of clinching PDP ticket, as he has been out of circulation since his exit from NSC.

    But speaking on the PDP governorship race and the governor’s game plan, one of his close aides, who spoke to our correspondent, denied speculations of any crisis within the PDP, insisting that what the governor’s priority at the moment is, is the completion of people-oriented projects that are still under construction.

    He said: “Yes, it is true that many names are being bandied about as the governor’s anointed candidate, but that is far from the truth. Those being mentioned as governorship aspirants and are in the state cabinet are yet to resign their present appointments; when they do, then the race for the governorship ticket would kick off.”

    Asked to disclose the frontrunner for the PDP ticket, the governor’s aide disclosed, “There is no frontrunner as we speak. What the party is telling everybody, particularly the likely aspirants is for them to go to the grassroots and work for the party. The governor has not anointed anybody; that I can confirm to you.”

    Who would emerge as the PDP candidate for the 2016 governorship election taking place in November? The answer would be provided not later than September.

  • Who succeeds Mimiko in Ondo?

    Who succeeds Mimiko in Ondo?

    Correspondent DAMISI OJO writes on the succession battle in the Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the chances of the aspirants and the implications of the stiff competition  for the party’s governorship ticket.

    The major challenge confronting Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko is succession. It is critical to the survival of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. Governorship aspirants are warming up for the shadow election in the ruling party. The question is: who will the governor anoint?

    In the All Progressives Congress (APC), no fewer than 30 aspirants are fighting for the ticket. They cut across the three senatorial districts. Unlike the APC, only 10 aspirants are vying. None of the PDP aspirants has made an open declaration. But, they have intensified consultations with stakeholders.

    According to PDP sources, the governor does not want the scramble for power to heat up the party that has already been decimated by defections to the APC. Thus, the aspirants are working underground as they await the time Mimiko will unfold his succession plan. “Governor Mimiko wants to retain the state for the PDP to prove a point. But, there are challenges. The perception is that men of clout like the governor are scarce in Ondo PDP. The governor wants a person who will not give him problem after leaving office. He will support one aspirant eventually and manage the crisis that may be triggered by his choice,” said a party chieftain.

    The majority of the aspirants are members of Mimiko’s cabinet. They include the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Eyitayo Jegede, his Environment counterpart, Sola Ebiseni, former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Hon. Kingsley Kuku, Hon. Bakitta Bello and Hon. Saka Lawal. Others are Mr. Rotimi Jegede, Prince Nekan Olateru-Olagbegi, Mr. Bamiduro Dada and Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye.

     

    Ebiseni:

    He is a lawyer from Ilaje, Ondo South District. He came into limelight as the Chairman of Ilaje/Ese-Odo local government in 1991 on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party [SDP]. He is a grassroots politician. Ebiseni is popular across the state. He is acknowledged as a mobiliser. He also has a fine record of public service, having served as the Chairman of the Ondo State Law Review Commission in 2009 by Mimiko before he was appointed as a commissioner.

    The Ilaje politician is a veteran governorship aspirant. He had contested for the top seat before. He has also aspired to the deputy governor in 2007 on the platform of the Democratic Peoples’ Alliance (DPA).

    However, a source said Ebiseni may only rely on his loyalists to get the ticket because he may not be anointed by the governor.

     

    Kuku:

    He is the former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Kuku is an Ijaw from Ondo South. He came into reckoning when he was elected as a member of the House of Assembly from Ese-Odo Constituency. Many party chieftains believe that he has money to run a state-wide campaign. Kuku is a loyal chieftain. He is consistent. He has always supported the party financially. Age is also on his side. But, he is from a minority tribe.

    Kuku is recuperating from a knee surgery abroad. But, critics said that he ran to the United States to evade arrest by anti-graft bodies, which want him to render accounts as a former presidential aide. His associates are working underground to convince stakeholders that he is a viable candidate. If he returns, he still have to clear his name with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before going ahead with his ambition.

    If Kuku gets the ticket, he will be the first non-Yoruba speaking candidate. He will have to do extra work by convincing the majority Yoruba that he will protect their interests.

     

    Jegede:

     He is a brilliant lawyer from Akure, the state capital. Jegede is not a politician, but a reliable technocrat. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) has deep interest in the race. He believes that he has been learning the ropes since 2009.

    According to party chieftains, Jegede has a bright chance. He is trusted by the governor. The two of them are very close. The Akure Agenda was initiated because he is in the race. Since the agenda was unfolded, prominent Akure leaders have been calling for power shift. Since Ondo State was created, no governor has emerged from Akure. The Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, has said that Akure will support any political party that picks its candidate from the state capital.

    Akure Kingdom is a vast area, which include Ifedore, Akure South and  Akure North. Its voting strength cannot be ignored. Akure votes have always decided who rules the state. However, the civil servants and other indigenes and residents who account for the voting strength are also indigenes of other districts outside Akure.

    Jegede has a big hurdle before him. He is from the Central District like Mimiko. Can Ondo State people vote for another candidate from the Central? This is the question on the lips of party members.

    Since 1999, the state has subscribed to an unwritten agreement on zoning or rotational principle. The late Chief Adebayo Adefarati from the North District served between 1999 and 2003. He handed over to the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu from the South. After six years, Agagu handed over to Mimiko from the Central. The consensus of opinion now is that power should shift to the North.

     

    Adelola:

    The Secretary to Government (SSG)is eyeing the seat. Adelola has been with Mimiko since 2009. He is closer to the governor’s younger brother, Prof. Femi Mimiko. Thus, the scholar is also rooting for him.

     

    Olateru-Olagbegi:

    The Owo prince is not a pushover. He is the Coordinator of the Private/Public Partnership (PPP). He has a structure. In 2007, he was the Labour Party (LP) senatorial candidate for the North District. he was defeated by Dr. Bode Olajumoke of the PDP. In 2011, he also vied for the Senate. But, he stepped down for Senator Ajayi Boroffice. He is loyal to the governor.

    A party source said that he has not been adequately rewarded for his loyalty. Although he was nominated for an appointment under the Jonathan administration in 2011, he was dropped for Dr. Pius Osunyikanmi.

     

    Dada:

     The pharmacist is the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. He is from Ikun-Akoko, Akoko South-West local government. There are some odds his ambition. He is from the same local government with Senator Boroffice and Hon. Victor Olabimtan, who are aspiring to rule the state on the platform of the APC.

    Also,  Akoko South-West is one of the strongholds of the APC. Thus, observers believe that it would be difficult for Dada to politically disarm the APC gladiators from Ikun-Akoko.

     

    Elegbeleye:

    He is the former Director-General of the Nigeria Sports Commission (NSC).

    He served as the Chairman of Akoko North-East Local Government Council between 1997 and 1998. He was also a member of the Ondo

    State Primary Education Board (SPEB). In 2003, he became the Chairman of the Ondo State Waste Management Authority,a position he held until 2006. In 2007, Elegbeleye became a member of the House of Representatives from Akoko-North/East/West Constituency.

    However, Elegbeleye, an indigene of Ikare-Akoko, may not get the blessing of Mimiko for the ticket. He is a grassroots politician. But, he is a member of the old PDP faction.

     

    Bakitta:

    He is the former Speaker of the House of Assembly and A former Speaker and Chairman of Teaching Service Commission.

     

    Bello:

    Bello, an indigene of Oke-Agbe, is a grassroots politician.

    He defeated from the PDP to the LP as a member of the House of Assembly.

  • Mimiko has failed Ondo people, says APC guber aspirant

    Mimiko has failed Ondo people, says APC guber aspirant

    Ahead of the November date for the governorship election in Ondo State, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akin Akingbade, has declared that the state is in dire need of a governor who would be pragmatic enough to deal with the challenges facing the masses in reasonable and logical ways.

    Akingbade, who spoke with our correspondent shortly after meeting some prominent leaders of his party in Akure, the state capital, lamented that the economic woes confronting the state were as a result of mismanagement o the state funds by the Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s administration.

    Akingbade wondered why Mimiko based the financing of the state N118billion 2016 budget on oil money despite the challenges facing the sector.

    “The idea of relying on oil for financing the budget would only push the state into more debt, because when oil money is not enough, the government would resort to loans to finance some of its projects. Don’t forget that the state is still servicing a debt of about $52million.”

    The governorship hopeful noted that the state should start thinking of diversifying the economy by focusing on the agricultural sector, saying the sector remains the only way of survival for the state.

    “Ondo State should stop relying on oil. Let us have a government that is not oil-based at all. You know that before oil came, Ondo State was into agriculture.

    “In 1976, former President Olusegun Obasanjo started a programme called Operation Feed the Nation. During that time, there was so much food in the country.

    “Why can’t we start a similar programme in Ondo State? We are supposed to be the food basket of the nation. We have so many products that can be showcased. We have farm produce like cashew, yam, cassava, cocoa-yam and several others. It is unfortunate that we are living in the midst of plenty, but at the same time we are suffering.”

  • Sheriff ‘to lead’ PDP for three months

    Sheriff ‘to lead’ PDP for three months

    The tension generated by the emergence of Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was on Tuesday doused with key organs of the party approving a three-month tenure for the embattled party chairman.

    The decision was reached at an enlarged meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum, the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), the National Assembly Caucus, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and state caucuses.

    Rising from the meeting, which was held at the Ondo State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, the party leaders said the decision to allow Sheriff stay for three months was a unanimous one.

    Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who addressed journalists shortly after the meeting, said the decision to stand by Sheriff was taken in the best interest of the party.

    He said Sheriff had been mandated to put in motion preparations for the party’s national convention to elect new members of the NWC to run the party.

    Also commenting on the outcome, the Acting Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, announced the concurrence of the BoT with the decision.

    According to him, Sheriff was given two weeks within which to produce a timetable for the next convention to be convened in May.

    He expressed the optimism that the lingering crisis in the party would be resolved within three months.

    On the rejection of Sheriff by the party’s ex -ministers, Mimiko said they are members of the state caucuses headed by chairmen of their various state chapters.

    This, according to the governor, automatically makes them a party to the decision.

    Mimiko, however, said the various party organs would still reach out to the ex-ministers, with the view to bringing them on board.

    Those at the meeting included governors of Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa States.

    Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu; Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio; his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Louis Ogor and Dr. Ahmadu Ali among others, were also at the meeting.

  • Ondo APC chides Mimiko for ‘incompetence’

    Ondo APC chides Mimiko for ‘incompetence’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has said Governor Olusegun Mimiko lacks the economic knowledge to rule the state.

    In a statement by its Director of Publicity, Steve Otaloro, the APC said: “We have been vindicated on our allegation of economic incompetence of the Dr. Olusegun Mimiko-led government, which is not paying attention to the declining status of the state’s economy.

    “The state has not recorded any single capital import into the state in the past four years of the administration.”

    The party recalled that a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics ranked the state as the least among states that have not imported capital.

    Otaloro said “among the oil producing states, Cross-River, Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Edo and Rivers recorded significant amount of capital import to their various states.

    “One may be forced to ask what was the need for all the numerous foreign trips by the governor, particularly when he could not attract any major investment to the state.

    “It is evident that Governor Mimiko has been going on safaris all the while in all his foreign trips and in pursuit of his personal agenda at the expense of the state.”

  • Mimiko advises artisans

    Mimiko advises artisans

    Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has advised artisans to use their skills to create wealth.

    As part of activities marking the seventh anniversary of the   administration  and the state’s 40th anniversary, the governor has been scheduled for interactive sessions with interest groups , including artisans.

    The governor urged them to work hard and utilise their skills for development.

    He assured of his administration’s assistance and support to the group, adding that their cooperation was necessary for peace and development.

    Speaking at a stakeholders meeting yesterday, the governor noted that God has blessed Nigeria with abundant natural resources.

    “Artisans are the bedrock of our economy but must work harder. God has given them the skill to create wealth and to live well. We will strive hard to assist them,” Mimiko assured.

  • Fears in Mimiko’s camp as more aides, associates defect

    Fears in Mimiko’s camp as more aides, associates defect

    These are not good times for the political family of Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State as more of his aides and close associates are not only defecting to the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) but are also making eye popping allegations against his government. Late this week, when four of his close associates left his camp, they said openly that his government has failed Ondo State people.

    The defectors included Senator Ayo Akinyelure (a.k.a All Over); Technical Aid Corps Director- General Pius Osunyikanmi; Mrs. Cecilia Ifayase and Kenneth Olawale a former Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly.

    Osunyikanmi, who has been described as a long time close associate of the governor, had this to say of Mimiko and his government: “He is a governor who has failed our people. He is a man who I have served for years but he has consistently broken his promises.”

    Ripples gathered that since then, all have not been well within the camp of the governor as no one seems to be sure which aide or associate will be the next to decamp.

  • Taxation: Borroffice cautions Mimiko

    Taxation: Borroffice cautions Mimiko

    The Senator representing Ondo North District, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice, at the weekend, urged the Ondo State Government to give its taxation policy in the state a human face in the interest of the citizenry. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, who was reacting to the face-off  between the state government and commercial motorcycle operators over the payment of N20, 000 per head as tax, warned the state government against crippling the economy of the state.

    According to Boroffice, who spoke through his media aide, Kayode Adeniyi, taxation is adopted to drive the economy, redistribute wealth and not to run people out of business.

    He said, “gainfully-employed people, whether civil servants or self-employed, in Ondo State are duty-bound to pay taxes as the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) should be improved upon. In fact, the few good steps taken by the government in this regard are belated; however, extortion of impoverished citizens by the imposition of oppressive pressure through burdensome tax regime is not an option.

    “Therefore, the present administration in Ondo State should exercise caution and restraint. If it is keen on improving revenue generation, the government should devise strategy to attract new persons to pay taxes.

    The statement added that tax net should be diversified to cover many persons in the informal sector, whilst government supports the unemployed populace to create Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

    Boroffice urged Governor Mimiko to create a platform for amiable resolution of the contentious issues on taxation for the benefits of both parties, while the interest of Ondo State is being sustained.

     

  • Aregbesola’s ex-aide hails Ondo at 40, challenges Mimiko over bailout fund

    Aregbesola’s ex-aide hails Ondo at 40, challenges Mimiko over bailout fund

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ondo State, Bola Ilori has joined other well meaning indigenes of the state to congratulate the “Sunshine State” on 40th anniversary of its creation.

    In a statement through his media office, Ilori who is the former Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Environment and Sanitation Matters and indigene of Ondo town said the people can celebrate for living as one peaceful entity since the state was created by General Murtala Muhammed on February 3, 1976.

    The statement said: “It is however regrettable that despite its huge mineral and human resources, Ondo State is now competing with less endowed landlocked states like Ekiti and Osun for the title of highest salary debtor in the South West.

    “As of today, the oil producing and derivation collecting Ondo state owes more outstanding salaries, pension and deductions than any other state in the Southwest,” Ilori said.

    “When other states declared their true debt and got bailout which was subsequently paid to their workers, Ondo state government chose to lie about the real debt profile and is now reaping the profane fruit of deceit as the bailout fund was consequentially sank by a bank because of undisclosed huge outstanding debt.”

    “I  challenge the government to publish how it shared the twenty N20b bailout funds he got from the APC led Federal Government in October 2015.”

    “Nobody has received any salary or pension bank alert in Ondo State since October 2015 till date.” Ilori submitted.

    However, Ilori who admonished the residents to embrace the wind of charge blowing across the country, expressed optimism that there are better days ahead for the state.