The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ONDO

  • Grants for Ondo schools

    Grants for Ondo schools

    Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has said secondary schools will be paid running grants this week.

    Mimiko made the promise at a workshop for head- teachers by the Ministry of Education.

    The governor, who hailed the teachers’ patriotism, assured them that a minimum of one term running grant would be paid to schools next week.

    He said: “I can assure you that from this week a minimum of one term running grant will be paid.

    “Arrangements will be made on how to pay the subsequent ones.”

    Mimiko said his administration had provided a world-class training institute at Ilara Mokin for training and re-training of workers.

    He said there was need for the government to implement the Land Use Charge to increase its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    The governor called for the teachers’ collaboration to increase the state’s IGR.

  • New tribunal panel in Ondo

    A new tribunal panel has been constituted to hear the petition by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and two of its candidates in Akure South (Festus Aregbesola) and Ilaje II (Gbenga Edema).

    This followed the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure, which ordered the Court’s President to set up a new panel to hear the petitions afresh and set aside the dismissal of the petitions by the Justice Anthony Ogar-led tribunal.

    The Appeal Court held that it was usurpation of the power of the court for the tribunal to reverse its ruling without a successful appeal.

    The tribunal raised an objection to the petitions and thereafter dismissed the petitions without hearing the substantive petition.

    But the Appeal Court ruled that the application for pre-hearing by the petitioners’ counsel, Charles Titiloye, was properly filed under the Electoral Act and the petition ought not to have been dismissed or held to have been abandoned.

    It also ordered the accelerated hearing of the petition before the new tribunal.

    But the tribunal could not sit on Friday because it did not meet the required quorum of three judges.

  • Ondo to pupils: resume with residency cards

    Ondo to pupils: resume with residency cards

    Pupils in public primary and secondary schools in Ondo State must resume for the 2015/16 academic session with their residents’ card (Kaadi Igbeayo), the government has said.

    Proprietors of private schools have reportedly been put on the red alert on the importance of the cards in the distribution social amenities and on development plans by the government.

    The state government said the directive was to set the tone for the implementation of its data collation initiative – the smart card, (a.k.a. Kaadi Igbeayo) in schools as pupils and students resume for a new session this week.

    Information Commissioner, Kayode Akinmade, said in a statement that school’s heads have been mandated to request for the cards from the pupils on resumption.

    The statement reads: “As part of its strategy to ensure that residents comply with government’s directive to obtain the residency card, school authorities in the state have been ordered to request students to present photocopies of their parent’s card on resumption at school.

    “To this end, a meeting has been held with heads of primary and secondary schools in the state instructing them to collect photocopies of the Residency Cards of the parents of their pupils and students as they resume for a new session.

    “Consequently, all parents and guardians who are yet to collect their cards have been advised to do so before the resumption of schools.

    “Already, a meeting has been held with members of the State Chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) on the relevance of the cards in the task of revamping the education sector in the state.

    “The Commissioner said the meeting which was followed up by a sensitisation and enlightenment programme was mainly to sensitise them on the relevance of the card which is in fulfillment of the governor’s promise during his inauguration in 2009 when he promised efficient service delivery to the people of the state by using accurate data of every resident of the state.

    “Although the smart card technology has been deployed by several governments for specific purposes, but to date, there has been no successful multipurpose smart card like the cards.

    “It serves as an interface in all transactions between the government and residents; allows all residents equal access to government’s social and welfare services, allow government to monitor the distribution of such services even in the remotest parts of the state among others.

    “The card would facilitate the systematic development of data-bases for efficient security and surveillance purposes, categorisation of citizens for employment, taxation and financial palliatives, and subsidised consumer products like farm tools and fertilisers.”

  • Ondo Tribunal upholds lawmaker’s election

    Ondo Tribunal upholds lawmaker’s election

    The Ondo state Elections Petition Tribunal Friday upheld the re-election of a member of the House of Representatives representing Ondo East/West federal constituency of the state, Mr Joseph Akinlaja of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The three-man tribunal in its verdict dismissed the petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 28, 2015 House of Representatives election, Mr Olabamidele Olanubi for lacking merit.

    The APC candidate had in his petition prayed the tribunal to nullify the election of Akinlaja on the grounds that the election was characterized with irregularities and non-compliance to the electoral Act.

    In the judgment delivered by Justice A.B. Akogun, the tribunal ruled that the petitioner failed to tender credible evidence, or call credible witnesses to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt that the election that produced Akinlaja was characterized with irregularities.

    The tribunal also held that the PDP candidate scored the highest lawful votes cast in the poll contrary to claim by the APC candidate.

    In their reactions, the APC candidate and his lead counsel Dr Tunji Abayomi expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment, insisting that the verdict would be challenged at the Court of Appeal.

    However, Akinlaja said the judgment had justified that he was duly re-elected by the people of Ondo East/West Federal Constituency to represent them at the National Assembly which is currently doing.

    In a related development, the judgment on the petition seeking the nullification of the election that produced another PDP member representing Ilaje/Ese Odo Federal Constituency at the Federal House of Representatives, Hon Kolade Akinjo will be delivered on October 6, 2015 as the tribunal has reserved its ruling till then.

    The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Ojobor Ogar, fixed the date for the final judgment after the submissions of both parties during the sitting of the court.

    The petitioner, Mr Orimisan Ayedatiwa of the APC asked the court to declare him as duly elected lawmaker, noting that Akinjo of the PDP was not qualified to contest the election under of the platform of PDP because he was still a member of the Labour Party as at when the poll was conducted on March 28, 2015.

    The petitioner, Mr Orimisan Ayedatiwa of the APC asked the court to declare him as the duly elected lawmaker, noting that Akinjo of the PDP was not qualified to contest the election on the platform of the PDP because he was still a member of the Labour Party (LP) as at the time the poll was conducted on March 28, 2015.

    In his submission, Counsel to the APC, Mr Yinka Orokoto said he had submitted enough evidence to show that the PDP lawmaker was not duly registered as the PDP member when he got the party’s ticket on the 6th of November, last year.

    However, Akinjo’s counsel, Mr Olabanji Ayenakin insisted that his client properly left the LP and he was registered by the PDP before he was given the ticket to contest.

  • Ondo PDP: Two years without Agagu

    Ondo PDP: Two years without Agagu

    Former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Agagu had just been appointed into a reconciliation committee by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before he died. Two years after, the Ondo State chapter, which he led, is divided. Many of his supporters have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while some are still in the party. Ahead of next year’s governorship election, both parties have started mobilisation. Has Agagu’s demise created a vacuum in the PDP? What are his legacies? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU revisits the life and times of the politician and the impact of his death on the troubled chapter. 

    Two years have passed like a flash of lightening since Olusegun Kokumo Agagu, former university teacher and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, passed on. As governor of Ondo State between 2003 and 2008, he was the target of the opposition figures. When he died, political differences disappeared as he was mourned by admirers and foes, who testified to his good works, brilliant ideas, tolerance and lack of political desperation. He was 65 years.

    Two years after he left, his party, the PDP, is enveloped in crisis. Many of his supporters, including his younger brother, Femi, former Chief of Staff, and Chief Olusola Oke, former PDP National Legal Adviser, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), following protracted crisis in the chapter.  The defectors have a grouse against Governor Olusegun Mimiko, who had served as Secretary to Government in the Agagu Administration and Minister of Housing before defecting to the Labour Party (LP). In their view, Mimiko had discredited the chapter in the past and made it an electoral liability. Their argument was that, during that turbulent period, they maintained an abiding faith in the distressed chapter. Therefore, they believe that Mimiko has returned to the fold to sideline them.

    The claims and counter-claims attested to the fact that there was no concrete agreement and reconciliation between the old PDP chieftains and returnees, who had sojourned in the LP for almost eight years.

    In 2007, Mimiko had resigned as minister to contest for governor. The coast was not clear for him in the PDP. Therefore, he defected to the LP. At the close of poll, Agagu was returned by the electoral commission. But, Mimiko rejected the result, saying that it was fraudulent. He went to court. A protracted litigation ensured. The Appeal Court acceded to his prayer and Mimiko was dethroned. The verdict drew the curtain on Agagu’s career as governor. His image was dented by the virulent campaigns and media propaganda. His popularity rating dropped. In the senatorial election that followed, the former governor was the PDP candidate for the South District seat, but he was defeated by Senator Boluwaji Kunlere.

    Shortly after the last general elections, Mimiko, a maverick politician,  retraced his steps to the PDP. The move was critical to his future political survival. There was confusion in the party. As governor, he automatically became the party leader. Also, some of his supporters grabbed the strategic positions. Those he met in the party complained of marginalisation. There was a sharing formula for the distribution political offices. Old party members wanted more slots because the governor’s men were dominating the State Executive Council. But, like an astute politician that he is, Mimiko’s criterion was loyalty. Crisis broke out over the sharing formula. Thus, what ordinarily should be an advantage for the ruling party became a burden. Reconciliation is still deadlock.

    Many believe that the situation may have been different, if Agagu were alive. There were indications that the former governor was about to bounce back, following his appointment by former President Goodluck Jonathan as a member of the National Reconciliation Committee. They also argue that Agagu was not likely to object to Mimiko’s return, but both sides would have entered into a pre-defection dialogue that would  averted domination and the feeling of marginalisation in the chapter.

    Agagu was a man of peace. His associates said that he was not too desperate for power. Before he entered politics, he was not a poor man. he has made name as a geologist, university teacher and oil worker. Agagu had borne the vicissitudes of political life with a mixture of shock and philosophical calmness. His demise was trailed by a funeral turmoil as the plane conveying his corpse from Lagos to Akure, the state capital, crashed few minute after taking off from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, claiming some lives.

    Many Nigerians poured encomiums on Agagu for living a good life and making a modest contribution to socio-economic development. More importantly, he was a community man. Thus, his death created a vacuum in Ikaleland. The people of Iju-Odo, his  home town, mourned his departure. The people of the South District lamented the loss of a patriot, role model and mentor. One of his legacies is the Ondo State University of Science and Technology established by his administration.

    Agagu was a Geology teacher at the University of Ibadan in the seventies. He was fond of geological surveys. He was a brilliant student and good example to his students. But, politics was in his blood. the ideas and exploits of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and his associates. In his autobiography, former Governor Adekunle Ajasin of Ondo State recalled that Agagu was one of the young stars who assisted the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) with his expertise in statistics and information technology. Their efforts assisted the party in detecting the pattern of rigging by the proscribed National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

    In the Third republic, Agagu was a chieftain of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). He served as deputy governor in Olumilua government. He was in office for barely 18 months before the collapse of the ill-fated republic. Thhe Olumilua/Agagu ticket defeated the National Republican Convention (NRC) candidate, Chief Ayo Ogunlade. Under the administration, Mimiko served as Commissioner for Health.

    In 1999, Agagu  crossed over to the conservative camp. Many were taken aback because he was a devoted progressive politician. As the PDP governorship candidate, he lost with a slim margin to the Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate, the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati. To compensate him, he was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as  Minister of Aviation, and later, Power and Steel Ministry.

    Luck smile on Agagu in 2003. In the keenly contested poll, he defeated Adefarati. Among the young elements who assisted him to win was Mimiko, who was Adefarati’s Commissioner for Health. Ahead of the election, crisis had broken out in Afenifere/AD. The younger elements were restless. The 2003 poll was keenly contested. Ahead of the election, crisis had seized Afenifere/AD. The tradition in the pan socio-political group  favoured the distribution of political slots based on seniority and record of contributions to the political family. But, the young men in the fold were in a hurry. They left the group in droves. Mimiko later became the Secretary to Government. Much later, the politician fondly called Iroko by admirers became a minister. Party sources said that his boss had no input in his choice. When he challenged Agagu to a duel, it was evident that it was not an empty threat. Mimiko defeated him at the poll.  Agagu never anticipated the turn of events. But, he bored the tragedy with equanimity, knowing that  power was transient. As Mimiko was being sworn in as his successor, he headed for the church for a thanksgiving. Although he also lost his deposit at the senatorial election, he never retired from politics.

    The electoral misfortune did not diminish his leadership of the PDP in Ondo State. Apart from the respect accorded Agagu by former President Joonathan, many chieftains also looked up to him as a father figure and a rallying point. He was an asset to the party in many ways. Only a few has the stature of Agagu in the chapter. Thus, the chapter has missed his guardian.

  • Ondo 2016: APC chieftain counsels electorate

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Dr. Segun Abraham, has explained the reason why the electorate must vote for a credible candidate to take over power from Governor Olusegun Mimiko in 2017.

    He addressed reporters in his home town, Ikare-Akoko, in Akoko North East Local Government when he was invited by prominent indigenes and chiefs of the town for a consultation on why he should contest next year’s governorship election.

    The people, who received Abraham with joy, said they will support him if he contests.

    Abraham said the electorate must vote for a person who would have the fear of God and not a person who would be interested in the seat of power to add to his wealth.

    He said he was worried by the increasing rate of corruption because of bad leaders put in place by the electorate, adding that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration would reduce corruption.

     

     

     

     

  • Ondo APC’s petitions for retrial Friday

    The Ondo State Assembly Tribunal has fixed Friday for the continuation of hearing in the petitions by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    This followed the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Akure, setting aside the verdict of the National and State House of Assembly Tribunal, which originally dismissed the two petitions.

    In a petition, the APC candidate for Ilaje Constituency 11, Gbenga Edema, challenged his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opponent, Coker Malachi, on the outcome of the April 11 Assembly poll.

    His lawyer, Charles Titiloye, confirmed the service of hearing notices

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the election inconclusive because of alleged irregularities.

    The Court of Appeal, in its unanimous lead judgment read by Justice Mojeed Owoade and supported by Justice Danjuma and Justice Abiriyi, found merit in the appeal by the APC lawyer, Titiloye and set aside the order of the tribunal dismissing the petition.

    It mandated the constitution of a new panel to retry the petition on its merit.

    The Appeal Court held that the application made for pre-hearing session by Titiloye was properly made within the contemplation of paragraph 18(1) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

    The court contended that the tribunal erred in law in dismissing the petition as abandoned, saying: “The tribunal was in the third day of pre-hearing session, hence the petition cannot be said to be an abandoned petition.”

    The court held that even if the application for pre-hearing session was made pre-maturely, the respondents were deemed to have waived such non-compliance under paragraph 53(2) by participating in the pre-hearing session, filing applications and arguing same without objecting to the pre-hearing session for three days.

    It noted that paragraph 18(1) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act did not use the word close of pleadings as the basis for application for pre-hearing, stressing that it was wrong for the tribunal to have imported the provision from the Federal High Court rules on close of pleadings, which was not contained in the Electoral Act, to dismiss the petition.

  • Suspected cultists kill 40- year old in Ondo

    Suspected cultists kill 40- year old in Ondo

    A 40-year old man has been reportedly killed by hoodlums suspected to be cultists in Ondo town.

    The incident, which has threw the ancient town of Ondo into mourning happened barely 24 hours after the new Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 11, Mrs. Kalafithe Adeyemi visited the town.

    Sources said the incident happened during the annual Ogun festival which was celebrated by traditionalists in Ondo and attended by people from across the state.

    It was learnt that some members of the “Eiye Confraternity” trailed the deceased from Okegbala area of the town to Fiwasaye Street, where he was macheted to death.

    Unconfirmed report hinted that the deceased was also a member of a notorious cult group in the town.

    The incident, which was reported at the Enuwa Police station, it was learnt caused pandemonium in the town as some youths protested against the killing.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Enuwa Police Division Mr. Kunle Omisakin, who confirmed the incident, disclosed that one person has been arrested in connection with the incident.

    He gave the name of the suspect arrested by the Police as Seto Akinbobola.

    The DPO said the suspect was already assisting the Police in their investigations.

    He added that the suspect has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state Police command in Akure for further investigation.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the state Police command, Wole Ogodo also confirmed the incident.

    He said the matter would be properly investigated and the culprit will be made to face the wrath of the law.

  • Akinrinsola: Ondo needs change, not continuity

    Akinrinsola: Ondo needs change, not continuity

    42-year-old accountant and businessman Odunayo Akinrinsola is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State. He spoke with reporters in Lagos on his ambition, vision for the state, the Mimiko admnistration and chances of the opposition party at the poll. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    Why do you want to govern Ondo State?

    I am passionate about Ondo State, its development, its improvement and how it can move forward. Ondo is ready for change. It wants to move from where it is to where it should be.  I believe there should be a radical departure from what they call continuity in Ondo State to what we call change. Nothing is working in Ondo State. We have a governor. He is doing his bit. But, there are other channels of development we need to explore. Government should be brought nearer to the people. The people should be the focal point of development. The poverty level in Ondo State is at an alarming rate. People want to experience change in their way of living, thinking and all facets of life. Ondo State, which is blessed with natural resources, is lagging behind. All we centre our life on is the allocation from the Federal Government. The question is: do we have a working system? If we have a working system, definitely, we will move away from where we are to where we should be. We need to apply what I call the ‘Samanja approach-system, administration, management, accessibility, neutrality, justice and acceptance. Then, the most important is security, which we are all clamouring for. When these are present, investors will come. When the state is not conducive, how do we bring investors? We need to have a functional system so that when a government is leaving, the next government can build on what it has done. In Ondo State, you cannot project what you will do next month because there is no system. I have a passion for the poor in Ondo State; people who cannot afford three square meals. If I am privileged to govern Ondo State, I will touch the lives of the common people.

    What has been your contribution to the growth and development of your party?

    I am a loyal and dedicated member of my party and I am in touch with the grassroots. But, I prefer to allow the people; the party leaders and members to assess my contributions. But, I am emotionally attached to our great party, its leadership, its organisational structures and its vision for a better Nigeria.

    Could you shed light on the zoning arrangement in your party, if it exists, and the perceived zoning arrangement in the state?

    There are two political parties-the PDP and the APC. The perceived zoning os peculiar to the PDP. In my party, the APC, zoning has not come to play. There is nothing like zoning. We don’t have zoning in the APC. The perceived zoning in the PDP is about sectionalism.

    What is your chance in this race?  Is your district not a disadvantage to you?

    I have a bright chance. There are three senatorial districts-Central, North and South. I am from Ile-Oluji. I am not from the same senatorial district with the governor. The governor is from the Central. I am from the South.

    During the 2012 election, the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) opted for a consensus candidate. Will you support the option or primaries?

    We are preaching change in the APC. Our party is a dynamic party. The APC has gone beyond the option of consensus candidacy. The party is ready to provide a level playing ground for aspirants at the primaries to showcase their potentials, their popularity, their abilities, and their manifestos. If you have a good programme for the state and you able to sell them to the people in the way they understand and they will accept you, definitely, nobody in my own party will go against that. A level playing ground has been provided by the party. Sp, the idea of consensus candidate will not happen again in the party.

    So, our focus is how to improve Ondo State, how to industrialise the state, how to improve the condition of living of the people, how we can create employment, how we can make the state relevant in the country. So, we are not talking about consensus candidate. The APC is a different party. The APC is a reformed party that gives the chance to the people to aspire to leadership.

    What have you done for the people of your state that makes you think that they will vote for you?

    I have sponsored a lot of empowerment programmes which are not known to the media. It is because of my style of not playing to the gallery. I believe in the education and development of people. I have given scholarship to many people. I have extended a duty of care to widows in different capacities. I have impacted on my community without making noise. God has raised us to this level. There are 15 students on scholarship in the university. I don’t know the parents of eight of them. I have been touching the lives of people without publicity; the needy, the widow, the elderly ones. Next month, the empowerment programme will be expanded.

    Governor Mimiko has embarked on some people-oriented programmes…

    These are cosmetic programmes. They are not sustainable. When he started them, he had good intention. But, he later derailed. He lost focus. Mimiko was part of the PDP before. He became governor on the platform of the Labour Party (LP). He had good intention. He had good programmes. But, he is back in the PDP now. The question is: how many people have benefitted from the programmes? How many people are benefitting from Card Igbeayo?    How many people have started using the cards to access the medical facilities? Does it touch the lives of my people in the village? People need food on their tables. People need good medical facilities. Not that they should travel from far places to hospitals. If you have the card, if you are living in Idanre, if you are living in Igbokoda, you must travel down to Akure. How has this touch the life of the common people? That is the question we should be asking. When the system is not working, it is a problem. We need a total and radical departure from continuity so that we can move to the realm of change. That is why my campaign slogan is the wind of change. We are experiencing change at the federal level. We want it to move down to the state. We need change for better life, good living. We don’t need cosmetic programmes that have no effect on the people.

    Could you shed light on the cognate experience that has prepared you for the role you aspire to play? Also, how formidable is your structure?

    I was born with a sliver spoon, but I was not trained with a silver spoon. I picked my life from the side of the gutter. I schooled in Lagos. I have done odd jobs. I was a bus conductor in Lagos. I believe in hard work. I was a casual worker in Boulous. I worked in three different bakeries in Lagos. I have joined labourers on site where they were building houses before. I have always being doing something for money. I have always worked for money. I paid the money for my GCE examination. I got the money from the labourer’s job I did. I rose through the dink of hard work. So, the road has been rough. I studied Accountancy at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. After that, I attended many courses overseas. I did my masters’ programme in the United Kingdom. When I finished, I had no job. I found myself in the position of a graduate doing nothing. I joined my friend in logistic and supply management company. I was doing a voluntary job, trying to under-study him. It was without pay. Sometimes, he will tip me. He believes in me. Most times, he would ask me to lead the team. Later, I developed more interest in the job. The confidence came. The first job I did was with a telecommunication company. That shot me into limelight. I made money. But, I did not squander it. I looked at my future. Then, I started investing. Gradually, the dedication, determination paid off. My experience in the business world has given me enough ability to develop leadership qualities. If you can manage a business, you can manage a state. In the business world, there is no allocation from the Federal Government for you. You source for funds. You made profits. Holding political position is also business, but it is a different business. In business, you fight for contracts. In government, you get allocation, but it must be used judiciously and prudently.  Having gone to this level in the business world, I can use my experience to develop Ondo State. I will use my experience to plan the economy of the state, attract investors, boost the internally generated revenue, and boost the standard of living of our people.

     

  • New political group launched in Ondo

    A new socio-political group to check the imposition of candidates has been launched in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

    The group ”Owena Collectives”, is to ensure that those who are elected into public offices emerged through transparent electoral process.

    A statement issued by its chairman, Theo Adebowale, and Secretary, Kayode Arowosola, said it had begun consultations with the democratic forces in the state.

    The group vowed to ensure the effective participation and monitoring of all political processes in the state to ensure popular polls.

    The coalition, which made up of 10 socio-political groups, said that it would resist the imposition of candidates or any attempt to undermine a transparent democratic process by any party.

    It urged party chieftains and officials to comport themselves with decorum and eschew imposition under any guise or face its wrath.