The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ONDO

  • Ondo residents protest ‘plan’ to relocate poly

    Residents of Ile-Oluji, headquarters of Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, yesterday protested an alleged plan to relocate the proposed Federal Polytechnic in the community to Idanre, a neighbouring town.

    The protesters, comprising youths, commercial motorcyclists and senior citizens, reportedly chased the town’s monarch, Oba Stephen Adedugbe, out of his palace

    The protest began around 9am at the main roundabout in the community and moved to the place.

    The protesters accused the monarch of converting money meant for the town’s development to personal use and hijacking government projects in the community.

    Speaking through one of his chiefs, Oyebade Adeoba, who is the Odofin of Ile-Oluji, Oba Adedugbe debunked the allegations, describing them as blackmail.

    He said the youths came to his palace earlier and asked him about the alleged plan to move the proposed polytechnic to Idanre and he told them he was not aware of it.

    Oba Adedugbe also debunked the allegation that he was hijacking government projects.

    He urged the youths to embrace peace in the interest of the community’s development.

    The protesters barricaded all roads leading into the town and sang various songs.

    They carried placards with inscriptions, such as “Bring back our school”; “Bad leaders, where is our Federal Poly in Ile-Oluji” and “Jegun must react to our demand”, among others.

    The Area Commander of the Ondo Police Command, Hamzat Ameyi, came to the scene, where an indigene told him the protest was not political.

    Anti-riot policemen have been deployed in the area to maintain order.

     

  • Ondo residents decry epileptic power supply

    Residents of Ondo State have decried the epileptic power supply in the state since February.

    It was learnt that the problem was caused by a technical fault at the Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s (PHCN’s) National Distribution Centre in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

    Sources said the company has been trying to rectify the fault to no avail in the last four months.

    PHCN restores light at odd hours, between 10am and 3pm when people are away at work and at midnight when people are asleep.

    Worse hit is Oba-Ile in Akure North Local Government. The community has been in darkness since the beginning of the year.

    In Osinle, Akure, residents were reportedly asked to contribute N10,000 per house before light could be restored.

    Many residents, especially business owners, now depend on electricity generating sets.

    A civil servant, Mr. Adewale Bello, said: “PHCN is erratic and corrupt when it comes to the distribution of metres and power supply. The company only makes electricity available when it is ready to distribute bills or disconnect supply to debtors.”

    Sources at the PHCN District Office, Akure, said the situation would improve when the problem at the Osogbo National Distribution Centre is rectified.

  • Stay firm, Ondo ACN members urged

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the people of Ondo State will get justice at the Appeal Court, the Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor on Environment and Sanitation, Mr. Bola Ilori, has said.

    Ilori spoke with reporters yesterday in Ondo town shortly after the ACN’s State Executive Council meeting at the party’s secretariat.

    He was optimistic that the Appeal Court would reverse the judgment of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which declared Governor Olusegun Mimiko winner of last October 20’s election.

    Ilori, who hails from Ondo town, said the evidence “ignored” by the lower tribunal would be presented to the Appeal Court.

    He urged ACN members and Ondo people to remain steadfast.

    On the All Progressives Party (APC), he said a formidable party would emerge from the merger.

    He said the party would dislodge the PDP from the centre in 2015 and tackle the country’s challenges.

    Ilori thanked Ondo ACN members for their support towards the successful inauguration of the Hassan Olajoku Memorial Park at Gbongan Junction in Osun State last week.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ondo to partner Fed Govt on water

    The Ondo State Government has said it would partner the Federal Government to boost water supply in the state.

    Governor Olusegun Mimiko spoke in his office yesterday while hosting the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe.

    Mimiko hailed the President Goodluck Jonathan administration for completing abandoned water projects, particularly the Erusu Dam in Ondo North.

    He said the Dam would provide adequate water for the people and the Arigidi Tomato Factory.

    Mimiko said his administration would partner the Ministry of Water Resources to complete the Owena Multipurpose Dam.

     

  • ‘Why Ondo council workers haven’t been paid’

    The delay in the salary of council workers in Ondo State was caused by the just concluded staff verification, it was learnt yesterday.

    Some local government workers were last paid in February.

    An official at the Local Government Service Commission (OSLGSC) said: “The government is trying to sanitise councils and eliminate ghost workers before paying salary.”

    When The Nation visited the commission, its officials were compiling documents to facilitate the payment of the two months salary arrears.

    A fraud was discovered recently in seven councils. It was allegedly perpetrated by officials of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and some council workers.

    There were also reports of illegal employment of workers in councils.

    A source in the Office of the Head of Service (HoS), Mrs. Kosemani Kolawole, said all public servants received their April salary last week.

  • CPC candidate: Ondo tribunal’s judgment vindicates my allegation of bias

    •Ehinlanwo urges Akeredolu, Oke to appeal ruling

    The candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in last October’s governorship election in Ondo State, Prince Soji Ehinlanwo, yesterday criticised the judgment of the Justice Andova Kaka’n-led Election Petition Tribunal.

    He said it has vindicated his position that the panel members were biased.

    Ehinlanwo had petitioned the Appeal Court President seeking dissolution of the panel and the constitution of a fresh one.

    He said the tribunal’s judgment, which upheld the election of Governor Olusegun Mimiko, does not reflect the aspiration of the people.

    In a statement, Ehinlanwo said: “It is no wonder that the judgment was greeted with zero enthusiasm, graveyard silence and sober reflection across the state.

    “Like I mentioned in the interviews I granted shortly before the judgment and in the petition I wrote some weeks ago to the Appeal Court President, the CPC and I had no confidence in the panel, as it clearly appeared to have taken a definite position even before evidence were adduced.

    “What other conclusion could one reach about the panel, given the reckless, ludicrous and demeaning conclusions it made about our petition, even before we were allowed to adduce evidence.

    “As sad as it seems, we conclude that the judgment is a vindication of my earlier position and that of the CPC. Many people have continued to encourage me to keep on with the struggle to ensure that our justice system remains a bastion of hope for the common man, which means that justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done.

    “This is based on the unarguable premise that the judiciary is pivotal to building a virile and enduring democracy. In standing against the absurdity that occurred in respect of our matter, I believe we are making our modest contribution to strengthen our judicial institution and enhance its respect by the citizenry.

    “I believe this is the right path to follow and I thank those who have encouraged us thus far. However, a few people have asked me whether it was worth the effort, personal sacrifice and risks I have had to take.

    “To them, I say we cannot hope to build strong institutions and a strong democracy, if we do not demonstrate the courage needed to confront and address the glaring faults and aberrations that we will have to face in the evolution of our democracy.

    “I remain convinced that our people crave for a change from this rudderless government that has been imposed on them. I also believe that the tribunal’s judgment cannot and should not stand in the face of judicial scrutiny by a superior court.

    “I urge Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Chief Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to appeal this judgment in the interest of justice and our dear state.

    “The CPC and I are awaiting the decision of the President of the Court of Appeal on our request for the constitution of a new panel to hear our petition.

    “When the decision is made and communicated to us, we will take the next appropriate step. We remain hopeful that the right decisions will be taken, so that we can have the benefit of presenting our case to a panel that will hopefully examine it dispassionately and on its merit.

    “I assure our supporters and the public that CPC and I remain resolute in our goal to get justice and rid our state of this illegitimate government that has been foisted upon it.”

    Also yesterday, a group, the Ondo Youth Alliance (OYA), said the judgment was a “mirror of the unjust society we live in”.

    In a statement by its coordinator, Mr. Olukayode Adeyemi, after the group’s emergency meeting in Akure, the state capital, OYA said: “The illegal injection of names into the electoral register discredited the election. How do you want youths to comprehend this kind of judgment? Some judges have perfected the art of politicising judgments.

    “The panel has failed to dispense justice in this matter and we will ensure that justice is not only done, but seen to have been done. The late activist lawyer Gani Fawehinmi will be turning in his grave because of this jaundiced judgment.”

     

  • 2,000 bags of Indian hemp found in ‘grave’ in Ondo

    Officers  of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ondo State, have impounded 2,000 bags of Indian Hemp valued at over N20 million.
    The bags of marijuana were confiscated by the NDLEA officials after three days operation carried out in the forest at Ago Dada in Akure North Local Government area of the state.
    The bags were evacuated from a grave-like path of a bush where they were buried to conceal them from being detected.
    The State Commander of the Agency, Mr. Walter Nicholas  said the activities of Indian hemp planters and cultivators have assumed dangerous dimension in the state.
    He explained that the barons have continued to devise new methods of concealing their drugs.
    “It is sad that these barons have continued to devise means of concealing Indian hemp from us. This time around they hid the substance in grave like hole to deceive our men”.
    The NDLEA boss lamented that despite the efforts being made by the agency, drug barons are discovering new methods of hiding the substance from the agency’s officials
    He said, “As an agency, whenever we stumble on any form of strategy adopted by these drug barons, we immediately expose it to the public so that collectively, we can provide surveillance that may lead to the interception of actions.

    He said the agency is aware that most of the drug barons have moved to the forest where most of their activities are now taking place, adding that the command is ready to put up 24-hour surveillance around the state.
    For the illicit to be reduced to the barest minimum, Mr. Nicholas said much is still being expected from the law court despite all efforts that have been put in place by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in trying to make Nigeria a drug free society. “.,

  • ‘We have lost confidence in Ondo election petition tribunal’

    ‘We have lost confidence in Ondo election petition tribunal’

    Soji Ehinlanwo contested as the governorship candidate of Congress for Progressive Change [CPC] in the last gubernatorial election in Ondo State. In this interview with Damise Ojo, he explains why his party petitioned the Appeal Court President to disband Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal and other related issues. Excerpts.

     

     

    You were the candidate of the CPC in the last governorship election in Ondo state. What motivated you to run for the Ondo State governorship?

    Until I ran for governorship, I was working as a senior consultant at the European Commission. From 2007 to 2009 when the appeal court pronounced him winner of the 2007 governorship election, we backed the incumbent, so we could engender significant change in terms of infrastructural development, ensure transparency and accountability in the management of state resources, bring Ondo State to the forefront in relation to industrial growth, stimulate, in an impressive manner, the generation of employment opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths and generally make Ondo State a strong reference point like Lagos in terms of good governance. Unfortunately, a year or two after the inception of this government, it dawned on many, including myself, that our confidence in the ability of the incumbent to bring about the desired change was utterly misplaced.

    It was a case of a government that was simply drifting although obsessed with media spin meant to give an impression it was performing. This state of affairs was not what we had hoped for and many people felt that given my deep and broad experience in public sector change, I should put myself forward to salvage our state

    After the October election, your and your party presented a petition to the Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal challenging the results of that election. What happened thereafter?

    After presenting the petition, it was dismissed at the pre-trial stage by the tribunal in a way that conveyed an hasty disposition to prevent us from providing evidence. Of course, we challenged the dismissal of our petition at the Appeal Court. The appeal court agreed with us that it was wrong to dismiss our petition without allowing us to present evidences and to show in full trial our grounds for disputing the outcome of that election. The petition was then referred back to the tribunal for trial on its own merit

    But, there were reports that after the tribunal resumed sitting a few weeks ago to hear your matter, you refused to appear before it. What were your reasons and what happened after wards?

    When the tribunal gave its judgement, I was in Europe. We referred the judgement to our lawyer at the time and it was agreed that the judges erred in many respects in relation to their decision to strike out our matter.

    A decision was then taken to appeal against the judgement at the Appeal Court. I returned to Nigeria after our victory at the appeal court and then took some time to fully study both the Tribunal and the Appeal Court judgements.

    I was extremely shocked by some of the pronouncements of the tribunal judges in the judgement which they delivered and it became crystal clear to me, my state party chairman and other party members that their pronouncements reflected unacceptable and manifest bias against myself and the CPC, obviously with a view to favouring the respondents.

    We felt fully convinced that it would not serve the course of justice for us to subject ourselves and our petition to a panel which appeared to have already made up its mind about our petition even before we adduced evidences given the wild conclusions they made and the negative and condescending opinions they expressed about myself and our petition which seemingly had no bearing to points of Law.

    Consequently, we presented a petition to the Appeal Court prior to the day we were due to appear in the tribunal, requesting the panel should excuse themselves from adjudicating on our petition or in the absence of this, they should be disallowed from presiding over our petition while a new panel should be constituted to hear our matter.

    That petition is now with the President of the Court of Appeal.

    What specific pronouncements made by the tribunal judges did you find reflected manifest bias as you claimed

    First and foremost, in the judgement, they claimed that I admitted that I scored a certain number of votes as against some number of votes scored by the ACN, PDP and two other parties in a manner suggestive of an affirmation of the results as declared by INEC even before full trial.

    I am lost as to how they came about the conclusion that I made the admission they claimed I made.

    Secondly, they also appeared to me to be deliberately working toward a pre-determined outcome when they questioned the validity of my nomination.

    Thirdly, the panelist veered into the political fray making wild assertions, disparaging remarks and ludicrous statements about myself without basis which appeared to be deliberately targeted at undermining and demeaning the petition and myself in the eyes of my supporters and the general public.

    How this related to points of law still beats my imagination.

  • Ondo: Tribunal upholds Mimiko’s election

    Ondo: Tribunal upholds Mimiko’s election

    The Andoacar Kaka’an-led Election Petition Tribunal in Ondo State has dismissed the prayer of Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, the ACN Governorship Candidate, to nullify the Oct. 20, 2012, gubernatorial election in the state Akeredolu had asked the tribunal the court to nullify the declaration of Gov. Olusegun Mimiko as the winner of the election by INEC on two grounds.

    According to the ACN candidate, Mimiko was not duly elected by the majority of votes cast in the election.

    He also alleged that the election was fraud with corrupt practices, irregularities and non conformity with electoral laws in almost all the local government areas of the state.

    However, Kaka’an in his judgment, said the petitioner had failed woefully to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt.

    According to him, evidences of the witnesses called by the petitioner were contradictory and could not be sustained.

    On the issue of 2012 voters register having more names than the 2011 voters register, Kaka’an said that INEC had made available the voters register to all parties concerned a month before the election, as provided by the electoral laws.

    Kaka’an said, ”The party which knew about the injection of new names in the register could not have disagreed.”

    He said that this could have been a pre-election matter over which the tribunal had no jurisdiction.

    “In view of these, the tribunal has dismissed the petition for lack of merit,” the judge said

     

     

  • ONDO STATE SLASHES SUNSHINE QUEENS SALARIES

    ONDO STATE SLASHES SUNSHINE QUEENS SALARIES

    •Scraps signing-on-fees
    •Cites poor results

    WITH THE first stanza of the Nigeria Professional Women’s League on break, all is not well at the camp of Sunshine Queens of Akure.

    A close source revealed to SportingLife that the Ondo State government has decided to cancel the payment of players signing-on fees which has been attributed to the club’s inability to win any laurel.

    “The government is not encouraged one bit and l do not think you have to blame it for that. This was a club that signed players on N1m which made them the highest in the country. But right now the government views it as a waste of public funds,” our source said.

    Their woes continued with the slashing of their monthly salaries.

    Prior to the pay cut, players earned between N80,000 to N120,000 but now the highest will get N40,000 and below.