The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ONDO

  • We’re dying, Ondo electricity workers cry out

    Hundreds of contract staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in Ondo State marched on Akure, the state capital, to protest the non-payment of their severance package.

    The aggrieved protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, such as “We served for over 15 years without payment and benefits”; “Over 70 casual workers are yet to be regularised in Akure business district”; “No regulation, no payment and many of us are dead”

    They said they were laid off verbally and the management had been promising to pay them.

    The contract staff lamented that many of them have served for 15 years, with nothing to show for it.

    A protester, Tunde Bada, said it was very unfortunate that after two years of privatisation they are yet to receive anything from the government.

    “We are Nigerians and how can we serve in our fatherland without pay?

    “Some are dead and it is so sad that they died without receiving their benefits.

    “We are pleading with the government to help us, we are dying, you can see some of these aged people, we have dependents.”

    Jacob Aluko lamented that he could not afford to feed his family again.

    Aluko, who was the head of the Human Resources Department at Idanre, urged the incoming government to listen to their complaints by ensuring they are paid.

  • Fuel scarcity bites harder in Ondo

    Fuel scarcity bites harder in Ondo

    Ondo State residents are complaining of the scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol.

    The scarce product is sold at between N200 and N350 per litre.

    Commercial drivers and motorcyclists are having a field day as they charge exorbitant fares.

    In most of the filling stations in Akure, PMS was not available.

    At the few stations where the commodity was sold, there were  long queues of vehicles and kegs, despite the exorbitant price.

    The situation was the same in Ore, Ondo, Owena and Okitipupa. The situation has affected social and commercial activities.

    The mega station of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) in Akure was locked up.

    It was however gathered that petrol was not supplied to the mega station since last week.

  • How Ondo meets salary obligations, by commissioner

    The Ondo State government has explained how it has been paying workers regularly.

    Commissioner for Information Kayode Akinmade said what the state earns monthly is a far cry from what it spends on salaries and pension.

    Akinmade said last month, the state’s total earnings, including allocation from the federation account and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), was N3.2billion.

    Salaries and subvention paid for the same month was N4billion. The commissioner said the government had to look inwarda to provide the N800million difference.

    He added that for the same month, allocation for local governments was N1.9billion and the wages for the council workers N2.6billion.

    Akinmade said the government had to argument that too, adding that it has been the trend for over a year.

    “There has never been a time that the state’s allocation is sufficient to pay salaries,” he said.

    Besides local government workers, primary school teachers, pensioners and traditional rulers get paid from the local government purse.

    “This clarification became necessary because of the mischievous figures being bandied about as the state’s allocation from the Federal Government.

    “People can ask questions to know the truth instead of misinforming the public, because these figures are in the public domain for people to verify.

    “What each state gets as allocation from the Federal Government is not hidden. It is not a secret thing. These figures are in the public domain and it is pure mischief for anybody or group of people to continually play politics with such a sensitive issue.

    “It is on record that Ondo pays the highest minimum wage of N22,500 to civil servant. Despite all is financial obligations, the government has been able to maintain regular payment of salaries and provide dividends of democracy to other residents.

    “The government’s mega school, free school shuttle buses, mother and child hospitals, Urban renewal programmes across the state, the cocoa revolution, road constructions.”

  • Ondo ex-Speakers sue 22 lawmakers for defection

    Two former Ondo State House of Assembly Speakers– Taofiq Abdusalam and Ayo Agbomuserin– have sued 22 lawmakers for defection.

    They asked the court to declare the  seats of the lawmakers vacant, following their defection from the Labour Party (LP) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the lawmakers defected to the PDP in October.

    In the suit filed at the Akure Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, the duo said the lawmakers should have vacated their seats since they defected from LP, the platform on which they were elected.

    Joined as defendants were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), inspector general of Police, director-general, Department of State Security Service and the House of Assembly.

    The ex-Speakers asked the court to declare that the lawmakers, having left LP for PDP, should automatically vacate their seats.

    Also, they asked the court to declare that the lawmakers ceased to be members of the House from October 8, when they dumped the LP.

    “And that all legislative actions and activities performed, bill passed and other legislative functions carried out by them be declared null, void, unconstitutional and ultra vires.”

    In the written summons, the duo urged the court to grant an order of perpetual injunction restraining the lawmakers from parading themselves as members of the House of Assembly.

    The former Speakers, who are now in the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the 22 legislators defected from LP to PDP, when LP had no division.

    According to them, the lawmakers contravened Section 109(1)of the 1999 Constitution.

    No date has been fixed for the hearing.

  • Ondo: APC, Mimiko shift battle to 2016 governorship

    Ondo: APC, Mimiko shift battle to 2016 governorship

    The impeachment of Alhaji Ali Olanusi as the Deputy Governor of Ondo State last week may have reshaped the battle on who succeeds Governor Olusegun Mimiko come next year, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    Time and again, Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, always prove to anyone who cares to know that he takes no prisoner in his approach to politics.

    Within the last 15 years when the medical doctor-turned politician gained prominence in politics, he has unarguably acquainted himself as a good student of Machiavelli who believes strongly that the end justifies the means.

    The impeachment of Alhaji Ali Olanusi as the Deputy Governor of the Sunshine state by the Ondo State House of Assembly a few days ago clearly attests to the fact that the governor is poised to take the battle to his political opponents, particularly in the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has not hidden its desire to take over the Alagaka Government House come next year.

    Olanusi’s impeachment was not unexpected after all. Shortly after he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a few days to the March 28 presidential election (a move which sources say embarrassed the governor), there were whispers in several quarters that the governor would bid his time before getting even with his former deputy.

    If the governor was initially shocked by his former deputy’s defection, he however did not betray his emotion. In its reaction to Olanusi’s move to APC, the state government in a terse statement by the Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, said though the news came as a surprise, “government acknowledges his (Olanusi) right to determine his political affiliation and wish him well.”

    This move by Olanusi was to receive a boost few days later when the APC in the state swept five of the nine House of Representatives seats, two of the three Senate seats and also defeating the PDP by 299,889 to 251,368 votes in the March 28 presidential election.

    To make matters worse for the governor, notable leaders of the PDP, including the governorship candidate of the party in the 2012 election, Chief Olusola Oke; former Head of Service, Alaba Isijola; former Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Oladunni Odu and Demola Ijabiyi, all joined the APC immediately after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the presidential candidate of APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, winner of the poll.

    Jolted by the outcome of the National Assembly and presidential poll and aware of the consequence of the APC winning the House of Assembly poll, which was just two weeks away, the governor quickly went to work.

    The governor, it was learnt, went on air, pleading with the people of the state to vote for candidates of PDP in the Assembly, arguing that a vote for APC would endanger the peace and stability of his administration.

    That was not all. Sources disclosed that he went further to make personal contact with some aggrieved members of old PDP and his former party, Labour Party (LP), appealing to them to help save his job, which he may lose if the APC wins the majority seats into the Assembly.

    Mimiko had earlier met with a section of civil servants, teachers, market women and men, and artisans in the state to beg for their votes and that of their immediate and extended families.

    The governor’s efforts paid off. The outcome of the assembly polls saw PDP winning 19 of the 24 seats, while APC won five.

    For some days, the governor and the PDP basked in the euphoria of this victory. But the APC cried foul, claiming the poll was marred with brigandage and open inducement of voters before and during election.

    As earlier predicted, the first causality of the fallout of the April 11 poll in the state was Olanusi, whose impeachment process lasted for just one week.

    Battle shifts to 2016 governorship

    With the 2015 general elections already won and lost, and with the governor winding down his two term tenure next year, the next phase of the battle for the political soul of Ondo State has shifted to the 2016 governorship election in the state.

    Handing over to his anointed candidate come next year might turn out to be the governor’s biggest political battle, even as the APC is poised to give Mimiko and his party a run for their money.

    Sources disclosed that the Ondo PDP, which is in the firm grip of the governor, may zone the 2016 governorship ticket to the North Senatorial District made up of Akoko and Owo, in response to the alleged plan by the APC to also cede its ticket to the zone.

    Mimiko keeps everyone guessing

    Who is Mimiko’s anointed candidate to succeed him next year? This is the big question on the lips of many in the state, including the governor’s close aides, all of who are in the dark of their boss’ succession plan.

    The governor’s unpredictable nature, it was learnt, has further made taking a bet on his proposed plan a risky venture that no one in his camp and even outside is prepared to take at least for the time being.

    Take the choice of Mr. Lasisi Oluboyo as his new deputy as a case study. A prominent PDP stalwart, Mr. Saka Lawal, was initially touted as the man likely to replace Olanusi based on his reported closeness to the governor.

    Lawal, who hails from Akoko, was also once mentioned as a possible Chief of Staff to the governor, but that later turned out to be a hoax.

    Despite the governor’s ambivalence on his succession plan, a school of thought argued that his choice of Oluboyo as the new Deputy Governor clearly reveals his thoughts on who is likely to succeed him in 2016. Until his appointment as Deputy Governor, Oluboyo was the Commissioner for Agriculture and was least expected within the governor’s camp as Olanusi’s successor.

    Following his emergence as the new Deputy Governor, attention has shifted to Oluboyo as a likely contender for the number one seat, with some sources arguing that the governor would likely prefer a person with a low key character and profile as his would-be successor.

    But another school of thought has dismissed this scenario in its entirety. The governor, they argued, would hand over to someone in his image who would run with his vision for the state.

    One name being bandied in some circles and who is said to fit this bill is Tokunbo Modupe, a Public Relations consultant and one of the closest confidants of the governor. The governor’s implicit trust and confidence in Modupe, sources say, necessitated his appointment by the former as the Chairman of PDP Presidential Campaign Council in Ondo State for the last general elections.

    Modupe, who hails from Owo in Ose Local Government Area and also the Convener of the Orange Family Initiative (OFI), is alleged to be interested in the governorship seat and is working behind the scene to actualise his ambition.

    Other potential governorship aspirants in the PDP include Victor Olabimtan, a Commissioner in the Federal Civil Service Commission and former Speaker of the state House of Assembly; Sola Ebiseni, former Chairman of Ilaje/Ese Odo Local Government; Tokunbo Kayode, a former Minister of Defense and Senator Bode Olajumoke, to mention but a few.

    Boroffice for APC ticket

    The re-elected Senator representing Ondo North in the National Assembly, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice, who stepped down for Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu in 2012, is one of the frontline leaders in the race for the APC 2016 governorship ticket, The Nation has gathered.

    The public rating of the lawmaker has shot up in the last few years, a development not unconnected to his popularity within and beyond his Ondo North constituency.

    Barring any last minute change in his plans, Boroffice, sources say, would announce his intention to contest the governorship seat before the end of the year. His closeness to prominent leaders of his party may work in his favour, it was learnt.

    Other APC chieftains allegedly interest in the governorship ticket are Mr. Isaac Kekemeke, the current State Chairman of the party and Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, who was the party’s candidate in the 2012 governorship election. An unconfirmed report, however, indicates that Akeredolu may not run for the governorship.

    For Mimiko, PDP and the APC, the battle for the soul of Ondo State may have just begun.

  • Ondo medical varsity now legal

    Ondo medical varsity now legal

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) yesterday issued a letter of recognition to Ondo State University of Medical Sciences.

    The institution is the 40th state university and 139th university in Nigeria.

    Presenting the letter of recognition to Governor Olusegun Mimiko, NUC’s Executive Secretary Prof Julius Okojie praised the governor for establishing the nation’s first university of medical sciences.

    Okojie said NUC will send a team to assess the level of resources at the university before admission starts.

    He said NUC would also write the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to include the new university in the list of universities, candidates can apply to.

    “I wish to congratulate the government of Ondo State for this establishment.

    “With effect from April 22, the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences has been recognised by the National Universities Commission as the 40th state university and 139th university in Nigeria,” Prof Okojie said

    Mimiko said the university was established based on the government’s desire to have a specialised university dedicated to training for service delivery and research.

  • Ondo urges residents to shun local gin

    Ondo urges residents to shun local gin

    The Ondo State government has called on residents to suspend the consumption of local gin, ogogoro.

    Eighteen people have died, following the outbreak of a strange disease in Irele Local Government.

    It was discovered that the outbreak of the disease in the area may not be unconnected with the consumption of the alcoholic substance.

    The government had taken samples of blood and specimen of victims for tests.

    The result of the medical investigations suggest that the victims may have died after consuming  local gin, a development known medically as methanol poisoning.

    Commissioners for Health and Information Dayo Adeyanju and Kayode Akinmade, at a briefing in Akure, yesterday said the result of the tests linked the deaths to methanol poisoning, contrary to the report of pesticide poisoning.

    The government warned the public against consumption of  ogogoro and other herbal mixtures, pending the discovery of the cause of the disease.

    It confirmed that the casualty figure still remains 18;  five people are receiving treatment at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

    “The ministries of Health and Information would continue to sensitise the public to allay fear.”

    Akinmade enjoined the media to keep enlightening the public through accurate information dissemination.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) office in the state has denied media reports that the deaths were caused by pesticide poisoning.

    WHO state coordinator Dr Akinola Fatiregun made the clarification at a briefing in Akure.

    He said the clinical feature and diagnosis carried out suggest methanol poisoning as the cause of the mysterious deaths.

    Dr Fatiregun said the WHO office in Abuja was prepared to address the issue, stressing that his office detected methanol poisoning.

     

  • Strange disease kills 14 in Ondo

    Strange disease kills 14 in Ondo

    An unknown disease has reportedly killed 14 persons in Ode-Irele, headquarters of Irele local government of Ondo state.

    The existence of the killer disease in the community has been confirmed by the state commissioner for health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju.

    He said several others were on danger list, stressing that the symptoms of the strange disease include headache and loss of sight.

    The commissioner said the ministry has swung into action to curb the spread of the disease.

    According to him, the cause of the strange disease was still unknown but said samples had been taken to Lagos to verify the cause of the strange illness.

    Adeyanju said about four other people affected by the disease in the town have been quarantined in a special ward within the General Hospital, Ode Irele.

    However, the commissioner specifically confirmed that the disease was not related to the dreaded Ebola Virus and allayed the fear of the citizenry on the spread of the disease.

    He said the ministry has not verified whether the disease is contagious but said the ministry has been working round the clock.

    The Commissioner said some personnel have been drafted to the local government area while some Personal Protective Equipments have been taken to the area.

    Adeyanju said; “The presentation of the disease is bizarre and this was one of the reasons why the ministry is working round the clock to prevent the outbreak and I am assuring that we will get to the roots within the next 24 or 48 hours.”

    He explained that the disease usually affects the Central Nervous System while the ‎person infected by the disease usually lose their sights and die few hours after losing the sight.

    Adeyanju said local and international health institutions such as World Health Organisation, Red Cross, are already on ground carrying out investigations on the root cause and treatment of the ailment and called on the people of the area to report any case of sudden death or illness to the officials of the ministry in the area.

    ‎He however advised the people of the area not to bury the remains of the affected victims within residential areas since the cause of the outbreak remains a mystery and to curb against the spread.
    ‎
    The Commissioner warned the people against sensationalising issues to avoid creating tension among the people particularly on the social media urging the people to rely on the information from the official sources to avoid creating panic among the people.

    ‎A competent source in the community hinted that the death has spiritual undertone ‎stressing that those afflicted by the disease have gone against the spirit of the land which the commissioner however disproved scientifically.

  • Thunderbolt kills woman in Ondo

    Irun-akoko,  a sleepy town in Ondo State was in shock, following the death of a 35- year-old woman, simply identified as Bisi Ibidapo.

    She was reportedly killed by thunderbolt.

    Eyewitnesses said she was on her farm with an unidentified woman, when the thunderbolt struck. The victim was burnt beyond recognition; her companion was, however, unhurt.

    The development was said to have thrown the community into mourning, as her body could not be buried without recourse to Sango, the god of thunder.

    The regent of Irun-Akoko, Princess Bola Adeusi, could not be reached for comments.

  • How ‘stomach infrastructure’ won Assembly elections for PDP in Ondo

    How ‘stomach infrastructure’ won Assembly elections for PDP in Ondo

    The surprise strong showing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP in the April 11 House of Assembly election in Ondo State in contrast to its failure at the presidential election held two weeks earlier, is being attributed by political observers in the sunshine state to alleged monetary inducement of the electorate by Governor Olusegun Mimiko. DAMISI OJO reports.

    Unlike the March 28 Presidential election which was massively won by Gen Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC),  last Saturday’s State Assembly Election was a rude shock to many residents of Ondo State,  particularly APC supporters.

    In fact, scores of people were seen in groups discussing the outcome of the election in hushed tones because the result fell below many people’s expectations.

    Workers in the state are aggrieved with the present Mimiko’s government for allegedly not putting their welfare on its priority list. Artisans, market women, pensioners and other professionals are not too comfortable with the government of the day either, hence the manner they voted massively for Buhari and APC during the March 28 poll.

    Mimiko, the Southwest Coordinator of the doomed Goodluck Jonathan second term bid nearly lost his Ondo township home base during that election.

    With that earlier victory, APC supporters were jubilant and upbeat as they prepared for the April 11 election with the hope that Mimiko and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would be trounced once again.

    A defeat for the PDP at the House of Assembly election is expected to hasten the departure of Mimiko from the government house as many expects an APC controlled legislature to commence impeachment proceedings against him soon after inauguration, but the medical doctor turned politician was able to outwit the opposition, this time around, winning most of the seats for PDP.

    An observer said Mimiko’s victory at the poll last Saturday with 19 of his party candidates winning their seats as against five seats for APC and two seats declared inconclusive was an indication of the level of poverty in the land.

    According to him, “Mimiko understands Ondo electorate more than anybody else; he knows money is their problem and he has that money in excess to lavish on them especially as the Southwest Coordinator of Jonathan’s campaign.

    “With many people living in penury, the development forced many electorate to succumb to the paltry N1,000 per head being distributed with impunity as inducement in virtually all polling units across the state”.

    Many observers hinted that distribution of money had started since last Wednesday to pauperised individuals, who allegedly thronged the state seat of power at Alagbaka, on daily basis to collect their own share of the common wealth.

    It was also visible at every polling unit on Saturday how money ranging from N1,000 to N5,000 exchanged hands between the voters and those assigned the responsibility of inducing them with the cash.

    Our correspondent who monitored the election at most polling units in Akure and other neigbouring towns observed how the ruling party agents “settled”  prospective electorate who showed them their ballot papers indicating their thumb print on PDP logo even in the presence of security agents.

    At one of the polling units in Akure, one of the PDP cashiers after disbursing half of the money in his possession running into millions of Naira disappeared with the rest.

    It became a mild drama as others pursued him, but he smartly evaded them and bolted away to enjoy his loot.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state described the poll as a contrived fraud aimed at providing soft landing for Governor Olusegun Mimiko who has lost favour with the masses of the state.

    In a statement issued in Akure by the secretary of APC media committee, Charles Titiloye, the party noted that PDP deployed unconventional strategies to rig the Assembly poll in the state.

    It noted that the election was marred with electoral irregularities, swapping of ballot papers to disenfranchise APC supporters in the party’s strongholds, “threats and intimidation of APC supporters, open ballot box snatching by agents of PDP and unprecedented monetary inducement of voters.”

    According to the statement:”In Igbotako, Ijuodo, Odeaye ballot papers/electoral materials meant for other polling units were deployed to the units in the area to ensure that election did not start as scheduled.

    “The outcome of the election was a confirmation of the party earlier warning to INEC and security agents of the plan by PDP to rig the election and use all means to ensure victory for its candidate.

    “Voters were openly harassed and forced not to vote for APC in Akure and PDP buses were stationed near the polling unit to share money to electorate.

    “In Ondo town our party agents were driven away by armed thugs from the polling units. Police looked the other way while all these electoral fraud were been perpetuated.

    “In Ugbo, Ayetoro community, Uteh in Ose local Government and part of Ondo East, armed thugs came after INEC staff and forcefully hijacked electoral materials. PDP desperation was at its extreme on Saturday in Ondo state. Both INEC and Police failed to take pre-emptive steps even when APC alerted them of plans by PDP to use thugs to rig the election.”

    The party said it was studying various reports of the electoral fraud, urging INEC to beef up security in areas where fresh elections would take place.

    However, in a jiffy and without minding negative comments of many people against him, Governor Mimiko immediately after the election organised a thanksgiving service at Government House Chapel, Alagbaka to praise God for his outstanding feat at the poll, describing it as democracy in action.

    With this victory and PDP’s near total control of the next parliament in the state, any plan of Mimiko being impeached before the end of his second term has no doubt been dealt a major blow, according to observers, who are however not ruling out a mass defection of the incoming PDP lawmakers to swell the ranks of the APC.