The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Olusegun Mimiko

  • Ndigbo seek unity at Ohaneze rally

    Unity was the battle cry as the Lagos chapter of Ohaneze Ndigbo inaugurated its new executive committee.

    Following an election in April, a new crop of leaders was sworn in at the National Theatre Iganmu, Lagos, where the Igbo were urged to come together and speak with one voice.

    Dignitaries who graced the event included former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko; former Vice President of Nigeria, Ebitu Ukiwe; former minister of Information and Culture, Walter Ofonagoro; Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Real Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (Retd), and Yinka Odumakin, among others.

    Chief Ogbonna Aguene Solomon won the election and was sworn in as president after securing 401 votes against Tony Nwakaeze who got 201 votes.

    Mr Fredson Chijioke Okoli (SAN) who administered the oath, stressed the need for executives to discharge their duties in accordance with the constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos and the overall constitution of Ohanaeze Ndigbo nationwide and to avoid conflicts with the constitution.

    The inauguration also included officials of various Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas, women leaders, youth leaders and state executives.

    Chairman, Electoral Committee, Chief Agunze Ikokwu said the election has shown that a lot could be achieved with the unity of the Igbos.

    “Even in a multi-lingual and cultural country like Nigeria, we can achieve unity amongst the Igbos. Hence, the new executives have been sworn to uphold the tenets and value of the Igbo community and they would be held accountable for their efforts,” he said.

    Mimiko said the Igbos have conducted themselves well even in light of the controversy which has rocked the Lagos faction of the group.

    A restructured Nigeria, he said, is possible if all socio-cultural groups are united.

    President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo nationwide and in the diaspora, Chief Nnia Nwodo said: “This election has brought peace to the affairs of Ndigbo in Lagos. The baton of leadership has been passed to Chief Solomon and his team and they have been saddled with the responsibility to pilot the affairs of the group.”

    In his acceptance speech, President-elect, Ohaneze Ndigbo Lagos, and art collector, Chief Solomon said the support of all the factions of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos has made the event a historical one.

    “We also appreciate the support of Ndi-Yoruba who have always stood by us. As we have been voted to coordinate the affairs of Igbo people in Lagos, we pray for continued support and prayers of everyone,” he said.

  • Mimiko’s return rekindles our hope, confidence – LP National Chairman 

    The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, has said the return of Former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, to the party would add greater value.

    Abdulsalam, in his speech at the event marking Mimiko’s official return, said the Labour Party is elated that a social democrat like Mimiko, who through his sterling performances as Governor mainstreamed pro-people and pro-poor policies, programmes and projects, is returning to add value to the party.

    He said “His people’s oriented programmes in health, education, housing, rural development, urban renewal, youth and women empowerment attest to the value inherent in his return to the party. In him, we have an example of what power could be used to achieve on the side of the people”

    Abdulsalam further stated that “our hope and confidence is rekindled by his (Mimiko’s) return to the party to be part of the renaissance of the party and Nigeria. I assure him of our support and commitment at all times.”

    The Labour party chairman also addressed the issue of political power which he said should not be an end but a vehicle for the transformation of the country and that the party is positioned to ensure national cohesion, peace, security, stability and prosperity for all.

    Meanwhile, Mimiko has said his return to the Labour Party was based on the conviction that the party offers Nigerians a better platform for a truly ideologically driven alternative to reposition Nigeria.

    Mimiko, who was speaking while addressing the crowd gathered at his official return to the Labour Party, in Ondo town, on Thursday, said the decision to leave the LP in 2014 was not borne out of any disagreement with LP, either ideologically or operationally, neither was there any personal gain in focus in moving over to PDP at that time.

    “It is our hope moving forward, that working within LP, and hand-in-hand with other Nigerians of like minds, we would begin to sharpen the ideological divide in Nigerian politics, with a view to mainstreaming the welfare and interest of the mass of our people.” He added

    “Our formation considers it perhaps more important to have a platform with which we can begin to sensitize the Nigerian people to the requisite ideological clarity without which governance in the country will continue to operate at the mundane level – serving only the interest of the few, while marginalizing that of the many.” the former Governor said.

    He also stated his conviction that the LP would provide Nigerians with real alternatives and help the electorate in making informed decisions as to which individual or platform to invest with power; and how to hold such to account at all times.

  • Labour Party: Mimiko betrayed us at our darkest moment

    Says Party has no candidate for Ekiti election

     

    The Labour Party (LP) said on Wednesday that former Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko would not be welcomed back, accusing the former governor of turning its back on them at its darkest hour when the party needed him most.

    The party also said that it was not sponsoring any candidate for the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State, saying anybody currently parading himself as the Labour Party candidate should be treated as an impostor.

    Addressing a news conference at the NLC secretariat in Abuja, National Chairman of the party, Dr. Mike Omotosho supported by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba alleged that the former governor was trying to use the party to regain political relevance once again, adding that the part will not allow him do that this time.

    He said “It has come to our knowledge the moves by the immediate past Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to return to the Labour Party. Nigerian workers Wish to put a disclaimer to this ill-fated adventure.

    “The Nigeria Labour Congress is fully aware of plans by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to destabilize the current gains being made by workers to reclaim and reposition the Labour Party. It is very obvious that the sole purpose of Dr. Mimiko’s re-approach to the Labour Party is to use the party to launder his sagging political image.

    “Nigerians would recall that Dr. Mimiko abandoned the Labour Party for the People’s Democratic Party a few days to Labour Party’s October 2015 National Convention.

    “Such a treachery and betrayal of a party that gave the former Governor succor in the darkest hour of his political career especially as manifest in his two term victory on the ticket of Labour Party is to say the least, cheap and callous. it also revealed paucity of knowledge of the philosophy of the Labour Party as a peoples’ rooted party and dearth of class consciousness on his part.

    “The Labour Party is an offspring of the working class family and was midwifed by the labour movement. it is the political vehicle for Nigerian workers and the Nigerian poor.

    Read Also: Mimiko calls for more investment in education

    “It was founded on the cornerstone of ideological clarity and class consciousness to promote and defend the political cum socio-economic interest of the working people. There is no doubt that political journey persons like the former Governor of Ondo had in the past taken advantage of the leadership challenges in the Labour Party to satisfy their fantasies for political opportunism.

    “Well, all those have changed. The labour movement, in alliance with its civil society partners and other patriotic Nigerians, is poised to fully reclaim the Labour Party and restore it as a model political institution that does not only epitomize the Values of the working class family but also capable of contesting for power with members of a failed political class, with whom the former Governor dines and wines.

    “While the leadership of Congress continues to work to rebuild the Labour Party especially through the instrumentality of our Political Commission, we urge all workers and indeed genuine lovers of popular democracy to ignore the political theatrics of people like the former Governor of Ondo State.

    “He has shown Nigerian workers that he cannot be trusted. The Labour Party is no longer a transit bus to strange political destinations particularly under the subterfuge of people like him.”

    Speaking on the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State, Omotosho said the party has no candidate for the election, saying “the Nigeria Labour Congress wishes to categorically disown and-condemn recent posturing and proclamations by some ‘ politicians in Ekiti State that they are the candidates of the Labour Party in the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti State.

    “The Labour Party has no candidate in the July 14, 2018 governorship election in Ekiti State. lNEC, workers and the Ekiti electorate should not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by the antics of political impostors.”

    While asking aspirants wishing to contest election on the platform of the part6 to deal with the Screening Committee of the party only, he warned that “on no account should anyone engage in any form of financial transaction on issues related with the Labour Party with A. A. Salam and Julius Abure.

    “Right now, the Labour Party is pre-occupied with strategic repositioning aimed at re-energizing our capacity as a people for issuebased politics and ideologically driven political contestations.

    “We urge politicians like the former Governor of Ondo State to stay clear of the new Labour Party because we are aware of their gimmicks to lure the Labour Party in the direction of other political parties with the hope of rehabilitating their dwindling political relevance. As they say “once bitten, twice shy”.

    NLC President, Ayuba Wabba said on the occasion that the Labour Party which was registered by Organised Labour and its civil society allies was not a place where anybody can jump in an Court at will, adding that the time when people come in to use the name of the party to earn political gains was over as the “owners of the party”were ready to reposition it to challenge for office in the next elections.

  • Mimiko calls for more investment in quality education

    Former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko has called for significant and sustained investment in quality education as that would help in creating massive development in Nigeria.

    Mimiko said this at the maiden edition of the Education Risk & Governance summit organised by Conrad Clark Nigeria, held at the Landmark Towers in Victoria lsland Lagos. The event tagged  “Learning Strategy, Quality and Safeguarding, and considered issues such as governance, funding, the role of government/regulators, education service providers, regulators and other stakeholders in resolving Nigeria education crisis.

    He said that Nigeria as one of the most resourceful countries in the world, and one which would benefit hugely from a significant and sustained investment in quality education.

    He said that such an investment would create massive development in the country and increase income flow into the economy.

    Mimiko posited that it is the fundamental right of every child to get an education and in ensuring this right; we will become more intentional about building a future for each Nigerian child.

    Read Also: Mimiko calls for more investment in education

    In her words, The Director General, Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs. Ronke Soyombo emphasized the need for schools to adopt the starfish structure of leadership and governance, a structure where every arm of the school is learning and growing at the same pace and where roles are properly defined and carried out accordingly and effectively.

    Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Golden Links Educational Consultants (United Kingdom), Angelina Ikeako addressed the issues of violence, abuse and safeguarding of children.

    She emphasized the need to empower children to speak up when being abused and challenging the norm of being silent.

    According to her, it is time to move from strategic practices to operational practices and also to Implement and monitor the child protection policies already in place to know if they are effectively carried out.

    She insisted that child safeguarding needs to be tackled from the children, staff and management levels in the schools.

    In his paper, The Chairman of Cornfield Group, Dr Tope Agbeyo, spoke on the use – or lack thereof – of technology in Nigerian schools, said that Nigeria is losing bright minds to Education Capital Flight due to absence of quality and technology driven education, and the lack of credibility of Nigerian certificates.

  • Ondo professionals in Edo commend Akeredolu

    Ondo Professionals in Edo State have said that achievements recorded by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State in the past one year have shown that the administration of Olusegun Mimiko was directionless.

    A statement issued to journalists in Benin City and signed by its chairman, Dr. Samson Falana, said the people of Ondo are now breathing the air of freedom, and prosperity as against when they languished in hopelessness under Mimiko.

    Dr. Falana noted that the state economy is bouncing back under Akeredolu following the construction of the largest egg powder factory in Africa.

    Falana urged the people to support Akeredolu as projects commissioned to mark one year in office could be compared to the regime of Governor Adekunle Ajasin.

    The statement reads in parts, “We implore politicians in the state to support Akeredolu to deliver dividends of democracy.”

  • Give more women govt positions to minimise corruption, says Ezekwesili

    Give more women govt positions to minimise corruption, says Ezekwesili

    A former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, on Tuesday said more women should occupy government positions where decisions on the collective good of the society are taken, to minimize corruption.

    She gave the advice at a lecture organised by HID Awolowo Foundation in Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The lecture had as its theme: “Ethical Politics, Development and Security in Nigeria: The Critical importance of Women’s Leadership’’.

    According to her, research has shown that when women are represented in leadership, there is better performance in measurable numbers.

    “Research shows that in Africa, only five per cent of women are CEOs, 22 per cent are cabinet members, 25 per cent are parliamentarians, 29 per cent are managers, 36 per cent are promoted, and some 44 per cent of senior women hold line roles.

    “With Nigeria in the lead, this tells that women have been marginalised and this is evident in the poor governance that the continent has produced.

    “So, men must take full responsibility for the state of affairs of Nigeria and the continent.

    “What this is saying to us is that we need to improve on the participation of women in our political system.

    “We need to have many more women in the local government, state government and centre of authority as well as in the judiciary,” Ezekwesili said.

    She said that a wise society will know that empowering its women is smart economy.

    Ezekwesili stressed that no one is doing a favour to the Nigerian or African woman by involving her in the process of governance on the basis of evidence that data has shown.

    She described barriers militating against women coming into the political space as being cultural, religious, economic, social as well as self-imposed.

    The ex-minister urged women to rise up and disrupt the existing paradigm that says that women must  be held down.

    According to her, women are incredible human resources that must not be put on hold.

    Lady Maiden Ibru, one of the discussants and chairperson of the occasion, urged women to stand up and get out of their comfort zone, for them to be heard.

    “Women have always fought for equality; time has come for women to come to the forefront and say enough is enough.

    “What makes a woman is character, accountability, honesty and these we must bring to governance.

    A former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, said the best way to empower a community is to empower the woman.

    He said: “In a family, if a woman is empowered, you will see the difference in the house, you will see the difference in the children, even the man will see the difference from the dining table.

    “But the other way round, if a man is empowered, his pocket suddenly increases.

    “The empowerment of a woman is very important for the nation to move forward.

    “I have no doubt about that, although it is not always automatic that a woman is necessarily not more corrupt than a man.

    “There is no universal application that a woman is necessarily less corrupt than a man because there are some cultural contexts to it.’’

    NAN

  • We left N20bn – Mimiko to Akeredolu

    We left N20bn – Mimiko to Akeredolu

    The former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko on Thursday disclosed that his administration left N20bn behind in the state’s account as against the claims by Gov Rotimi Akeredolu in a recent speech.

    This is contained in a statement signed by Kayode Akinmade, former Commissioner of Information during Mimiko’s administration.

    In the statement, Akinmade said: “Our attention has been drawn to the speech made by the Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu on the state of finances inherited on February 24, 2017. We are concerned by the figures in the speech and feel obliged to put the records straight.

    “For the avoidance of any doubt, our administration left about N20Billion in the coffers of the State at its exit on February 2017. This include N7.37.Billion in the Current Account; N7.53Billion as Fixed Deposit; N1.2Billion in the MDG Account; $346,000 and 443,000Euro in the Domiciliary Account, including the N825million Sure-P fund at the Local Government Account!

    “The above amount, most of which came late into our tenure was to be used to offset a chunk of owed salaries before the then Accountant General made a curious disappearance.

    “On figures listed as External Debt, it is necessary to state the following. Our administration did not incur any foreign debt in all its 8 years! Also, the External debt stock as at February 2017 was US $ 49,958,268.49, which (if translated at 1 US $ = N305) is N15.23billion. All of these external debt stock was inherited from previous administrations.

    Again, we did not contract any external loan for all of our 8 years! Well aware of the fact that “government is a continuum, we continued to service the debts, some of which spanned over twenty years.

    “Internal debt profile, we aver, stood at N53.159 billion comprising mainly of salary bail out loan of N13.76billion, Excess Crude Account loan N9.79 billion, CBN restructuring FGN Bond N4.13billion, CBN budget support N7.5billion and Ondo State 7-Year bond of N17.6billion.

    “Of all the above listed indebtedness, only the Ondo State 7-Year Bond was directly incurred by our government to build major infrastructure across the State.

    “Yes, we experienced the sad reality of salaries arrears like almost all the States of the federation. That is why unpaid salaries for the period August 2016 to Jan 2017 was N32.40billion, with N20.93 billion owed State Government Workers and N11.469billion owed Local government workers, including political appointees.

    “at that, it must also be clear that we left office on the 24th February 2017 while Federal Allocation for February 2017 salaries was received by the incumbent Government on the 28th of February, 2017. We could not have paid February salaries when we did not receive February allocation before exit.
    On Pensions, a sum of N4.8billion was said to be owed by the State Government and N25.237billion by the local governments. We wonder where these figures came from.

    “At inception, our administration paid N1.5billion out of outstanding pensions and gratuities. All the years of our administration, monthly obligations to pensioners were considered and paid as part of salaries! The N32.40billion salary arrears is therefore inclusive of obligations to pensioners, except gratuity, which is owed both at the State and Local Government levels.

    “While we note that gratuities are outstanding, we state for the benefit of all, that this is one sad development that was not peculiar to Ondo State alone. Almost all States of the federation have defaulted on gratuities in the last ten years or more.

    “On yet another point raised in the speech, we are interested in knowing what N39.740 billion, said to be contractors liability means if outstanding requests at the Accountant General’s office is N5.45billion. We assume this may represent contracts awarded by previous governments which were yet to be completely executed since no clear information was offered in the speech on this figure.

    “What we know is that if this were so, such figures can not be considered as debts until such contracts are executed at specified milestones, stages before which payments are not due. There can only be debts upon performance. What can be considered a debt, in all good conscience, are the outstanding requests at the Accountant Generals Office.

    “We urge the government and interested citizens of our state to avail themselves of the true state of our indebtedness from the Debt Management Office and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). The reports are clear and unambiguous about the fact that Ondo State remained the least borrowed of the Six South Western States and of the 9 Oil Producing States as at our administration’s exit in February 2017. This, in all modesty, must say a lot about our debt management record.

    “We have a duty to set the records straight for posterity. And this we have done with no malice and or ill-feelings.”

  • Princess Oladunni Odu bounces back

    Like the prodigal son retracing his steps back home after years of sojourn in an unknown land, Princess Oladunni Odu has returned to her rightful place on the social scene. The one-time chairperson of the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) had gone off the social radar after her principal, the late Olusegun Agagu, was swept out of office by the storm that heralded the ascension of the immediate past governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko.

    During her heyday as an Agagu loyalist, Oladunni bestrode the social scene like a colossus. As one of the few who had the governor’s ears, she became the deity through whom access to the governor was secured. But all that was before the Hurricane Mimiko swept her and her acolytes way from the stage.

    But like a balloon refilled with air after it was deflated, she has now bounced back on the social scene. She was recently named as one of the new special assistants to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. With a high-profile job once again in her kitty, Princess Oladunni is getting ready to take the Ondo social scene by storm once again.

  • How Olusegun Mimiko’s Mecca became desert

    Success and power can do strange things to people. They can inflate ego and blind people to reality. Ultimately, the sweet thrill of success and power goads men to believe that they are gods. Hubris afflicts the beneficiary of these twin bounties, making them reel in the throes of exaggerated praise and the adoration of sycophants and fair-weather friends. For a short while, such characters coast on top of the world and bask in the thrill of public instant celebrity. But success and power, like life’s best bounties are transient. They often evaporate while life is sweetest for the beneficiary. Things fall apart and they find themselves plummeting back to earth.

    The foregoing is a lesson that would never be lost on former Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko. He must have learnt by now that friendships begun when power is acquired often vanish when power is lost. The same applies to success. As  governor of the Sunshine State, Mimiko’s influence loomed large. He appeared to wield the power of life and death in the state and his Ondo country home became a Mecca of sorts as favour seekers thronged its corridors.

    Now that he is out of office, Mimiko’s Mecca has become a desert. Many of his avowed loyalists have moved on; as you read, many of them are trying to hop on the APC’s bandwagon while Mimiko himself has recoiled into his shell.

  • Boroffice hails judiciary for crushing Olanusi’s impeachment

    Boroffice hails judiciary for crushing Olanusi’s impeachment

    The senator representing Ondo North senatorial district, Professor Ajayi Boroffice has said the judgement of Court of Appeal in Akure which nullified the impeachment of the former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, is consistent with the beliefs of APC members and the vast majority of citizens of Ondo State.

    In a statement issued in Abuja by his media aide, Kayode Fakuyi, the senator said, ” I received the news that the Justice Muhammad Danjuma’s delivered judgement entirely crushed the kangaroo impeachment with utmost delight. However, the judgement is not surprising.”

    “The judgement has merely reinforced my firmly held conviction that the kangaroo impeachment violated provisions of sections 188(2)(b), 188(3), 188(6) and 188(7)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    “Before the kangaroo impeachment, as the Asiwaju of  Akokoland, I had warned ex-governor Olusegun Mimiko against making attempt to frustrate an industrious and prominent Akoko man out of government simply because he exercised his right to defect to another party. The Mimiko-led administration failed to listen and dismissed my warning as the alarm without substance. However, barely few days after the warning, the kangaroo impeachment was executed.

    “Meanwhile, since Justice Muhammad Danjuma has ordered the restoration of the privileges and entitlements due to the Alhaji Ali Olanusi from the time of his removal from office till February 24, 2017, I am confident that the Ondo State government will consider and act on the issue with utmost diligence and swiftness,” the statement read.

    While congratulating the former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Alhaji Ali Olanusi on his well deserved victory at the Court of Appeal, the senator wished him good health and long life so that he can continue to render selfless service to the people of Ondo State in particular and Nigeria in general.