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Tag: ONDO

  • APC state congress committee assures of free,fair congress in Ondo

    All Progressives Congress (APC) state congress committee in Ondo State has assured the party members of free and fair congress.

    Mr Matthew Omegara, the committee chairman, stated this after a stakeholders’ meeting on Friday in Akure.

    “APC is founded on true democracy, so we are providing a level playing field for all contestants,” he said.

    Omegara charged all party members to adhere strictly to the guidelines of the congress.

    He advised that only those who have a  role to play in the congress should come to the congress venue to avoid delay in the conduct of the exercise.

    According to him, those who have paid for the forms for all the elective positions will receive their forms tomorrow.

    The committee chairman noted that only women and physically-challenged contestants would get free forms.

    He added that accreditation of delegates would commence by 10a.m.( NAN)

  • Ondo riverine community gets Monarch

    The kingmakers in Igbekebo , headquarters of Ese-Odo Local Government area of Ondo State has elected Prince Dele Dabo as the new Odogun of Igbekebo kingdom.

    The stool became vacant in 2016 following the death of the former traditional ruler,Oba Emmanuel Omotumilara Eginkunyomi who ruled for 23 years .

    The selection process of the new monarch which took place at the Igbekebo Civic Center, Igbekebo was keenly contested among five other princes from the Maga Okotun ruling house and others in Igbekebo before Prince Dabo of Maga ruling house was selected through voting.

    After his selection, Dabo was taken to the palace of the kalasuwe of Apoi land Oba (Prof) Sunday Amuseghan for traditional rites and blessing.

    Oba Ademiluga prayed for the new monarch to live long,stresding that his reign will bring rapid development, not only to Igbekebo, but the entire Apoi land.

    The chairman of the kingmakers, Chief Alex Mehin hailed the new Monarch on his selection and appealed to him to work with other contestants and seek their advice when necessary in the overall interest of the community.

    In his message, the Obateru of Apoi land,High Chief Folarin Dabo hailed the new monarch and prayed for God’s protection on him to lift Igbekebo higher.

    Read Also: Ogun community gets monarch

    His words” As a young man , I wish him well . He should be focus and endeavour to harmonize with with other co-contestants so as to bring the desired development to the community.

    “You should also forget to seek advice from elders when necessary in other to avoid avoidable mistakes.

    The new monarch thanked the people of Igbekebo for their massive support during the selection process .

    He extended his appreciation to the State Government through the Igbekebo Local Government for their support.

    Besides, he extended hands of fellowship to his co-contestants in order to develop the ancient community together .

    Prince Dabo promised to build on the legacy of his ancestors by transforming the cultural heritage, infrastructure and social development of the community.
    I

  • Ondo set to join rice producers, says Akeredolu

    Efforts by Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) to make the state a major player in rice production have received a boost.

    The governor has also pledged to assist farmers to assess loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to enable them cultivate 500 hectares for rice production.

    Akeredolu, who spoke when management of the Sunshine Rice Mill, led by its Managing Director, Mr. Akeem Alade, gave an update on activities of the firm at the Governor’s Office in Akure, the capital, assured farmers that nothing will hinder his administration’s plan to put the state in the league of mass rice producers.

    The governor told the management of the rice mill to visit his office for intervention in case the firm had issues with CBN.

    He said: “If you have problems with CBN, you should let us know for necessary intervention.”

    Akeredolu promised to provide infrastructure, including roads and electricity, among others, to aid the firm.

    The governor said Sunshine Rice Mill, when completed, would not only add economic value to the state but also provide jobs for youths in the 18 local government areas.

    Sunshine Rice Mill is one of the projects the government is promoting to stop importation  and encourage local production.

    Alade said the equipment for the 120 metric tonnes per day rice mill would arrive in the next two months.

    He added that about 250 farmers had been projected to access the CBN Agro Borrowers’ Scheme to scale up their production in rice farming to feed the mill.

  • APC: Parallel LG congresses hold in Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, 4 others

    Police arrest three over killing of man in Lagos

    Kwankwaso, supporters boycott exercise in Kano

    Commissioner escapes death in Edo State

    … Zamfara, Bayelsa, Kwara, Abia also

    In at least seven states, factions elected parallel executives during yesterday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) Local Government Congresses. Reports filed by state correspondents show that some of the states where parallel congresses held yesterday include Enugu, Kogi, Ondo, Zamfara, Bayelsa, Kwara and Abia.

    In Enugu State for example, Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, Special Assistant to the President on Judicial Reviews, Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku and the Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, emerged as delegates. But they were elected from parallel congresses of the Udi Local Council.

    Onyeama and Ibekaku, as well as other key officials of the Udi APC Local Government, were elected unopposed at a parallel congress held at Comprehensive High School, Abia-Udi.

    Okechukwu was elected at a parallel congress held at the Udi APC Local Government office, 9th Mile Corner, Ngwo, near Enugu.

    Okechukwu was returned unopposed likewise two other national delegates, Mr. Charlie Chime and Maureen Anosike, at the same venue.

    Onyeama, while commenting on the congress, said: “But unfortunately, those who want to be elected and the congress team that came here, the chairman, claimed that the National Working Council said they should only meet with the chairman of the state party.

    “The chairman of the state party himself is interested in competing, so you can imagine a situation where they said that the person who is interested in being elected should be the one that should carry out the election process.

    “So, what has happened is exactly what you would expect to happen; he now keeps all the forms for himself and completely excludes everybody else; in fact, he excludes the majority of the people. And we can’t allow that to happen.

    “So we have gone on with the parallel congress. I spoke to the chairman of the congress; I said to him you just impose a democratic process on the state; but he said no, he had instruction from Abuja that he should relate with the chairman, and that he knows is not fair, and that he knows that will just come up with a list without having gone through any electoral process at all.

    “But we are going to fight it today because you’ve seen so many people here, and by God’s grace, their votes must count.”

    The APC National Vice Chairman for South-East, Emma Eneukwu and the Acting Women Leader, Mrs. Oby Nwofor were among the party chieftains from the local government who attended the congress in which the VON Managing Director was elected.

    Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ?were also in attendance at the Udi APC office.

    Reacting to his election as national delegate, Okechukwu assured that he would use the mandate given to him to support the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to improve infrastructure in the South-East geo-political zone.

    At the congress which held at the St. Luke Primary School, Adankolo in Kogi State, the Audu/Faleke faction of APC, elected Usman Mamanlafia and Abubakar Nagogo Maiyaki as the chairman and secretary, respectively, in the 27-man executive.

    The faction is alleged to be sympathetic to the embattled APC state chairman, Alhaji Haddi Ametuo.

    The congress was supervised by officials of INEC, amidst the presence of some operatives of the Special Anti- Robbery Squad.

    But Okene, the faction loyal to Governor Yahaya Bello, led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Ohere, were observed putting final touches for the LG congress, at the popular Lafia Street area, while similar arrangements by Bello’s loyalist, led by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mathew Kolawole, were ongoing in Kabba, as at 2pm.

    In Zamfara State, a group loyal to the chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Kabiru Marafa, yesterday organised a parallel congress across the 14 local government areas of the state.

    The congress, according to a statement by the camp, signed by Bello Soja Bakyasuwa Maradun for the group, said the parallel Congress recorded a large turnout across the 14 local government areas of Zamfara state.

    The camp had last week threatened to block the local government Congress over the alleged refusal of Ambassador Dauda Danladi-led committee to organise ward Congress.

    Marafa’s group accused Ambassador Danladi of pitching tent with Governor Abdulaziz Yari to scuttle the will of Congress members of the party in the state.

    ” Our group is the only faction that fulfilled all the party conditions, having paid the prescribed fees through the designated banks for all our candidates during the just concluded ward Congresses that were held nationwide last week,” the statement reads in part.

    Parallel local government congress was also recorded in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

    Two  factions loyal to a former Governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, and a former Acting Governor, Chief Nestor Binabo, conducted separate congresses.

    Sylva commended the delegates and party members for the peaceful conduct of the congresses.

    But Binabo claimed that the LG congresses conducted by them were the real ones, describing Sylva’s faction as fake.

    Ondo is another state that recorded parallel congresses. At least, two visible factions held congresses across the 18 local government areas.

    One of the factions was loyal to the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and the Acting Chairman of the party, Ade Adetimehin, while the other group supported the embattled chairman of the party, Isaac Kekemeke.

    It was a supremacy battle between the two factions as they struggled for the group that is authentic.

    However, the congresses were devoid of violence.

    Some of the local governments where the parallel congresses were reportedly held included Akure South, Ifedore, Akoko South-West, Ondo West, among others.

    The Acting Chairman, Adetimehin however denied having parallel congress, saying the real congress which was conducted and attended by the congress committee, set up by the national secretariat, Abuja, was the authentic congress.

    Commenting on the exercise, a leader of the APC in Ifedore Local Government and leader of the Kekemeke’s faction in the local government, Bamidele Baderinwa, a federal lawmaker, said the congress was held at the APC secretariat, Igbara Oke, the headquarters of the local government.

    In Abia State, the congresses were peaceful across the 17 local government areas but reports confirmed that parallel congress was held in some areas.

    Our reporter who was at the party’s secretariat in Umuahia, Abia State capital, reports that materials for the congress in all the 17 local government areas of the state were distributed as early as 7:30am including Arochukwu, Ohafia, Isiukwuato, Ikwuano, Umunneochi, Bende, Ukwa East and West, Ugwunagbo, Obingwa, Aba North and South, Osisioma, Umuahia North and South respectively.

    Meanwhile, NAN reports that a faction of the party loyal to Chief Ikechi Emenike also held a parallel congress at Umuawa Alaocha Primary School in Umuahia North LGA.

    The congress, which also adopted Option A4, elected Chief Nelson Udenze (Chairman), Onyebuchi Igodo (Treasurer), Chigozie Oriaku (Secretary) and Mercy Uchechukwu (Women Leader).

    Speaking with newsmen at the end of the exercise, former Deputy Gov. Chris Akomas, who is a delegate and member, Board of Trustees of the party, expressed joy over the peaceful congress in the area.

    In Kwara also, two parallel congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took place across the 16 local government areas of the state yesterday.

    A faction of the party loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and another led by Senate President Bukola Saraki conducted different congresses.

    The congresses were conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.

    Just like what happened during last week’s ward congresses, APC stakeholders in most local government areas in the state picked their executives through a consensus arrangement

    The faction loyal to President Buhari said its grievances against the other faction included maginalisation and inaccessibility to nomination forms.

     

  • Ondo: Abraham’s men allege threat to life

    •Govt: they are attention seekers

    The Segun Abraham Support Group (SASG) in Ondo State yesterday cried out over alleged plans by agents of the government to attack its supporters.

    It alleged that suspected hoodlums had been trailing the Director-General (DG) of the group, Kunle Eko-Davies, whom sources claimed had gone underground for fear of attacks.

    A statement by the group alleged: “It has become necessary for us to let the public and security agencies know the dangerous plans by agents of the government, which are capable of igniting violence.”

    The body accused elements within the Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu administration and the ruling All Progressives (APC) of hiring miscreants to monitor the movement of SASG leaders, with the motive of eliminating them.

    The statement reads: “We suspect this may not be unconnected with the level of litigation against Governor Akeredolu over the outcome of the 2016 APC primary election. The preliminaries of the subsisting case of the flawed primaries are in progress.

    “Their thinking, we suspect, is that once some of our members have been eliminated, our group will be disorganised and the case will be abandoned abruptly.

    “We took the civilised approach of fighting our cause in court.

    We have allowed peace to reign. Any attempt by the government being engaged in the court to attack our members will only spell doom for the state and democracy.

    “We appeal to well-meaning people and security agencies to caution those behind the cruelty. They should embrace the rule of law. They should not set the state on fire, the end of which no one can predict.

    “We also appeal to security agencies within and outside the state, including the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), police commissioner and director of State Security Services (DSS) to ensure that OASG leaders and supporters are allowed to move freely to pursue their lawful businesses within and outside the state without molestation.”

    The government, however, denied the allegation.

    Speaking through the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Segun Ajiboye, the government said: “This statement cannot be true. The whole world knows that it is a lie from the pit of hell.

    “Those behind this unfounded allegation are attention seekers, who wanted to be heard by their paymasters.

    “Governor Akeredolu and ruling APC are busy and focused on the primary assignment of moving the state forward through unprecedented development, without distraction from any quarter.”

  • Ondo Govt tasks residents on tax payment

    Ondo Government on Friday enjoined residents to pay their taxes regularly so that the government can embark on projects to make life more comfortable for them.

    Chief Timehin Adelegbe, the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative Services, gave the advice at a meeting he held with tax collectors in his ministry in Akure.

    According to Adelegbe, Business Premises Inspectors will soon start moving round the 18 local government areas in the state to serve assessment notice of payment to affected individuals for the year 2018.

    He, therefore, called for cooperation from the residents in the state.

    He reiterated the commitment of the current administration to the yearnings of the people of the state, saying government could only meet their needs when there was cooperation.

    Adelegbe advised that the payment should not be made to individuals, but paid directly into government’s account.

    He urged those with complaints to visit the ministry for clarification or call phone numbers on the forms given to them.

    Adelegbe warned that only the accredited officers of the ministry that were permitted to serve the form.

    The commissioner solicited for the cooperation of the residents to be patient with the officials on assignment and urged the tax officials to be serious with their work.

    He commended the business owners in the state for their understanding and prompt payment of their business premises levies in 2017 in spite of the harsh economic situation in the country.

    NAN

  • 30 Corps members to repeat Service Scheme in Ondo

    Thirty corps members who participated in the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) scheme in Ondo State for the 2017 Batch A service year will repeat the programme.

    The affected corps members were found guilty of abscondment during the service year.

    The NYSC Coordinator in the state, Mrs Grace Akpabio said this at the passing out parade for the corps members held in Akure on Thursday.

    According to her, 2,088 corps members successfully passed out, with three getting state awards for outstanding performance during the service year.

    Akpabio said that 17 corps members got extension ranging from two weeks to three months for truancy and other offences.

    The coordinator said the offences were against the scheme’s rules and regulations.

    She stressed that gone are the days of being expectant of a life-time job immediately after service saying‘‘It is deception of oneself if you think along that line, it is better for you to brace up and think of what you can do yourself.

    “Do not align with people that put up attitude as if creative thinking nand individual initiative ended with graduation, this is absolutely wrong.

    Speaking the state Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu congratulated the corps members for their successful service to their father land.

    The governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government,Ifedayo Abegunde said the corps members should look for ways to develop the country.

    He also charged them to bring to bear in future endeavours the knowledge acquired during the service year for their self-dependence and societal growth.

  • Students protest fee hike in Ondo

    Students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), yesterday protested “outrageous school fees”, in Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State.

    The protest paralysed commercial activities.

    The students started the action, about 8 am.

    They carried placards:  “Akeredolu you enjoyed Awolowo’s free education, our parents are poor and can’t afford N200,000″. “Enough is enough Akeredolu”. “Don’t commercialise education” and so on.

    The protesters trooped to Olukare’s palace, council  secretariat and Alapata/NTA Road.

    At Jubilee Road, traders closed their shops, while commercial motorcyclists (Okada riders) and taxi drivers made a U-turn to avoid the demonstrators.

    The spokesman and leader, Sunday Ajibua, called for reversal of the fee, particularly that for old students.

    Police Area Commander Abudulrazak Abdulrauf said: “Our men and officers monitored the peaceful protest to prevent it from being hijacked by hoodlums.”

  • Suspected gunmen kidnap three in Ondo

    Gunmen last night abducted three people at NIROWI Forest on Old Ore/Lagos toll gate in Odigbo Local Government  of Ondo State.

    The victims who were identified as  Chinemere  Okafor , Nnamdi Abor  and Cornelius Udepe  were travelling from Owerri  to Lagos when they were kidnapped by an eight-man  gang in their vehicles –  a Sienna bus and a Honda Accura  SUV.

    It was learnt that the incident was reported to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ore  Chuks  Okugo, who deployed his men to comb the forest.

    It took the combined efforts of the police and the local vigilantes in Ore, who engaged in tactical shooting to avoid a collateral damage.

    An eye-witness described the rate of kidnapping in the area as high.

    He appealed to the state government to do something urgently about the expansive forest that extends to Osun and Ogun states which serve as hideout  for criminals

  • Ondo poly students to pay for N168m damages–Akeredolu

    The N168 million damages caused by protesting students of  Rufus Giwa Polytechnic Owo (RUGIPO) at  the institution would be paid for by them, Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State said on Thursday.

    Akeredolu spoke  in Akure while receiving the report of the Committee of Inquiry on  the violent protest by students of the institution.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the four-man committee was set up on Feb. 5  to look into the violent protest by the  students  on Jan. 22.

    NAN reports that the students destroyed the school’s ICT centre, vehicles and other valuables of the institution while protesting the ‘No school fees, no exam’ policy  introduced by the management.

    The governor, who  expressed surprise at the extent  of damage, said government’s  action would serve as a deterrent to others.

    Akeredolu said that the students were expected to appreciate the  tools of learning put in place  for their sake  instead of destroying them.

    “The ICT centre was already JAMB-compliant. Some of the students were found with computers and the students who are facing trial, if found guilty, will be made to pay for the crimes committed.

    “Whatever it will take, the students will have to pay to the last kobo for it. Either they pay or they don’t come to school again.

    “We will look into the report and agree on what each student will have to pay,” he said.

    Earlier, Oyekan Arije, the Chairman of the committee, had described as unfortunate the  destruction of the institution’s properties  by the students.

    Arije said that the panel met with all the stakeholders involved  to ascertain the cause of the crisis in the school and also received various memoranda to assist it  in its  findings.

    He thanked the governor for the opportunity given them to serve in the  capacity, expressing the hope  that  government would make good use of their  recommendations  to avoid a recurrence. (NAN)