The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ONDO

  • Sheriff’s faction relocates Ondo PDP primary to Ibadan

    Sheriff’s faction relocates Ondo PDP primary to Ibadan

    The faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlled by Senator Ali Sheriff has relocated its governorship primary to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, following security reason.

    The faction was to pick its candidate for the November 26 election in Akure, the state capital, today.

    A statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Yemi Akintomide, said the primaries would now hold at the PDP Southwest zonal secretariat in Ibadan.

    The statement said the Ahmed Gulak-led Committee constituted by  Sheriff had taken over the conduct of the primary from the State Executive Committee, with its Chairman, Biyi Poroye, as member.

    It urged aspirants and party delegates to move to Ibadan yesterday in preparation for the primary.

    The statement said: “We are not aware of any court injunction stopping the primary, as all court pronouncements were in favour of the Senator Alimodu Sheriff-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP.”

    Five aspirants, including Jimoh Ibrahim, Sola Ebiseni, Bamiduro Dada, Niran Sule-Akinsuyi and the only female, Mrs. Abiye, are contesting.

    The Makarfi faction, where Governor Olusegun Mimiko belongs, conducted its primary election last Monday.

    The former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Eyitayo Jegede, won the faction’s election, scoring 760 votes against his opponent, Saka Lawal, who got 22 votes.

  • ‘Ondo needs governor with business experience’

    ‘Ondo needs governor with business experience’

    Dr. Olusegun Abraham is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State. He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on his chances at the primary and preparations for the election.

    How are you warming up for the primary?

    I am warming up very well and things are turning out positively. The whole state has been receptive to my ambition. The response from the grassroots, right from the ward level, has been positive. We set out some months ago. I started my tour of the wards some months ago. No aspirant has traversed the length and breath of the state as I have done. There are some of them that have not been able to do what I have done. The response has been very okay. I am popular in the party at the local, state and national level and people look forward to my emergence.

    What transpired at the screening of aspirants?

    We were informed about the guidelines for the screening. They looked at what we submitted, our credential and they asked some few questions. They asked from us: apart from you, who else do you think can be the governor? These were some of the questions they asked from us.

    Could you shed light on the rumours and denial of rumours of endorsement, in respect of your ambition?

    There have been endorsements in Akoko. In fact, the endorsement cuts across the state. Many things are responsible for this. The Akoko youths realised that, in the last 15 years, I have been assisting them educationally, in terms of school fees, meeting their educational expenses, giving them scholarship. I have been setting up small businesses for the less privileged in the society. I have given scholarship to over 200 people. I have assisted some people to go to school overseas and paid their school fees. Youths and their parents have benefitted from these programmes. When the university authority in Akungba actually sent people packing; some of them were to lose a session or semester for not being able to pay N15,000, I came to their aid. I assisted those who could not pay across the local governments. The endorsement by the Akoko youths is gratifying. When the youths begin to do that, you will know the result. people are happy that somebody is coming to this state who will not steal their money.

    What are your core plans for the state?

    When you look at the problem of Nigerian and Ondo State in particular, you discover that they are two and the two cannot be separated. These are the questions of economy and integrity. Because people don’t have integrity these days, we have lost virtues, we have lost values, we have lost conscience and this has led to corruption. Ondo State is becoming a desert. All the monies that came to Ondo State have been siphoned. They only have cosmetic projects. That is because there is no integrity, and because there is no integrity, there is no value, there is no virtue. You can see that the problem has become more complicated. They can’t add value and the money from Abuja, they siphon it.

    On the economic problem, the state has not been privileged to have a businessman in the saddle who can use business discipline, business acumen and international connection to turn its economy around, to turn the opportunities into productive activities, so that we can earn more revenue, so that the state can be bouyant and prosperous.

    These are the two goals. Other things flow from them. When we are talking about the economy, we are talking about industrialisation. Every local government should have at least on small scale business that will engage the youths and women. The infrastructures in Akure are completely dead. There is pressure on the infrastructure. They cannot cope because everybody moves from the village to the urban centres. Every village is associated with a particular industry in a country like China. The same thing we are bringing to Ondo State. These industries will be set up with the raw materials there. We will train the youths there so that they can be productive.

    The world is now a global village. Our local areas are part of this global village. Whatever is produced here can be used in America and other places. If a cleaner in America works in three hours, the salary is more than the eight naira minimum wage that Nigeria is taking. We must develop our economic activities. A professor in Nigeria may not be able to earn what it takes to feed a dog in America. This must be reversed. The only way is to develop our economic activities and return to values, virtues and good leadership. If I say yes, it must be yes. If I say good morning, it must be morning. There are some people, if they say good morning, yiu must look at your wrist watch before you answer.

    You send your driver to buy fuel, he tries to shortchange you. You get to the filling station, the attendant wants to shortchange you. You can’t develop an economy like that. So, integrity and economy are interwoven. The two are inseparable. Today, Buhari is fighting corruption. Thirty years ago, he fought corruption. When he left, nobody to talk about value and virtues again. That’s why anybody can come to Ondo State and divert half of the money meant for education, health and road and think that he is smart. Today, we are a laughing stock across the globe. That’s why Trump was talking to us like that. people are always stealing in Nigeria.

    What are your plans for education, health and other infrastructures?

    We will revive our education system. We will have a productive education system. We now have certificated institutions; academic people. We have a polytechnic in Owo. It should contribute more to the economy of Ondo State. It should be able to design many things. We will have education without walls. We are going to break the walls. Our educational institutions must meet the needs of the society. Education is about knowledge. If you have knowledge and it is not relevant to the society, it is useless. We should be able to apply knowledge in an appropriate manner.

    We are going to look at health in a holistic manner. It is divided into two. We are going to look at the preventive health care system. Then, we will introduce curative health care system. What you have in Nigeria today is the curative health system. When somebody is ill, you take him to the hospital and you begin to treat him. We will like to prevent illness starting from the food the people eat, their lifestyles, what they must do to make them healthy. We don’t want our people to go through pain. We don’t want our people to lose the productive man-hour.

    We are going to look at the infrastructural system. We will develop our infrastructure, using our local materials. We will reduce the capital flight. Some roads will be done by expatriates. Some roads will be done by our people. We will use the raw materials we have to develop our state. We will invite investors. Investors don’t just come. They come when they know that there is a market for their products. So, we create markets for them.

    We will focus on agriculture. We don’t need fertilizers to grow our agricultural products. Our soil is not polluted with fertilizers. If it is not polluted with fertilizers, then, we can produce organic foods. Organic food is three times more expensive than the normal food. We have the cargo airport that is lying idle. We will use it to export our farm produce so that our farmers can earn dollars. Some people in the civil service will even want to resign to become international farmers. We have a big advantage we can explore. I am not a professional politician. I am a professional in politics. I am an entrepreneur in politics.

    The spirit of enterprise is in me. When I see stone, I see money, granite. When I see weed, I see money. I see money littered on the way. I see the waste her as an incomplete process that can become money. It can be converted to toiletries, fertilizers. We need to change the syllabus of our universities. I read Technology Management. We will change the orientation of our ministries and promote inter-connectivity. Our civil servants have initiatives. We will drive them. We must wage war against corruption.

    The corrupt people have destroyed our youths. Instead of using the money to build industries, they waste the money. We have unemployment and under-employment. We will also try to secure the environment to prevent crime. I am not going there to make money. I am for the upliftment of the people financially and spiritually. If you love your neighbour, you will not steal the money meant for the development of the state. I don’t think people who have stolen millions and billions from the public treasury should have human rights. Do you know how many people have died through that singular action?

    It is your second attempt at seeking the position. How would you rate the process now?

    In 2012, I was working. I was popular. The thing was not zoned to me. I said it was not yet time appointed by God. When they decided in 2012, I was smiling. People asked why I was smiling. I told them it was not yet my time. I believe that power belongs to God. I said God, if you will give me power, give me power so that I can impact on the people; that God should give me power in such a way that it will not destroy my soul so that I can make heaven. I did not want power at all cost. I want to be the governor who has the attributes of God; patience and love. Nigerians should follow the path the successful countries have followed. All I want is the success of our party and the progress of our state.

    Have you been interacting with other aspirants?

    We are talking. We are relating. We crack jokes. We talk regularly. God will make us succeed in life and give us prosperity. We are all qualified. It is a big responsibility we want to shoulder. There is a desire to lead. Not everybody can be governor at the same time. But, we can all serve in different capacities at the same time. Everybody is a building block. Each block has a position. In abroad, you see a driver calling the manager by his name. The driver and the manager sit together. They play complementary roles. Everybody has a duty that is essential and special. All the aspirants, we are equal. God has destined for everybody what he will do.

    What do you expect the leadership of the party to do to guarantee a hitch-free primary?

    The leaders have experienced. They formed the party. They fund the party. They have been holding primaries. Ondo will not be an exception. We should trust the leaders that they will do what is right. We should learn from them. We can only make some suggestions.

    Can an APC candidate from Akoko/Owo axis beat a PDP candidate from Akure?

    These are camouflages. In Akure, you see the people of Akoko, Ondo, Idanre, Ekiti, and others. It is a wrong calculation and we are happy.

    What is your advice to the INEC in respect of the inconclusive elections?

    We must look at the causes. I have not seen anybody jailed for electoral malpractices. The laws should take its course. They are not for decorations. The INEC must prepare. They must be upright. They must promote integrity.

     

  • Ondo indigenes in Ibadan back Abraham

    An Oyo State based group of Ondo State indigenes, the Ondo State Frontliners Group, has urged delegates to the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) slated for Saturday to vote en masse for Dr. Segun Abraham.

    The group, at an emergency meeting on Saturday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, endorsed Abraham because of “his consistency, humane, collaborative and participatory principles”, which he has been demonstrating ever before he was drafted to the governorship race.

    In a statement signed by the president of the group, Prof. Adekaye Olomola, the group noted that unlike some of the other contestants that have jumped from one political party to the other, Abraham has remained with the party from foundation.

    “We would like to remind the delegates that such political leaders that are unstable when pursuing their ambitions always ended up as emperor when they eventually get the position,” the group said.

    The group said it could not replace an emperor with another emperor because it would spell doom for the state.

    The group said its endorsement of Abraham was based on his antecedent as a successful international private investor, industrialist andphilanthropist, who is truthful and has the fear of God.

    The statement added: “It is such antecedents that are needed at this critical time to lead Ondo State back as a shining light among all other states in Nigeria.

    “We implore the delegates not to be threatened by the antics of some of the contestants that are sponsoring violence and crying foul after all their attempts to woo national party leaders failed. The APC since the days of AD has been a formidable party in Ondo State, and those that joined the party in 2012 for opportunistic openings cannot claim to have made the party what it is today in Ondo State.”

  • Ondo APC set for primary after resolving crisis

    Ahead of the September 3 primary of the Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC), its Chairman, Isaac Kekemeke and the league of local government chairmen have resolved to align with the APC national leadership to conduct a free and fair primary.

    This was made known yesterday after a meeting, which was convened in Akure, the state capital  to resolve the grievances that followed rumours of an alleged imposition of an aspirant as the governorship candidate.

    Speaking with reporters, the local government chairmen’s leader, Rasheed Badmus, said his colleagues at the meeting resolved to work together with the state chairman and the party’s national leadership to conduct a free and fair primary election.

    He added that they were never against the endorsement of an aspirant, Dr. Olusegun Abraham, by some APC national leaders.

    His words: “What we were against is imposition, not an endorsement. We know that it is not strange to get endorsements in a political setting. We are united with our state party chairman and our national leadership to conduct a free and fair primary election, where the delegates will together choose a candidate with the most experience to solve the economic crisis in our state and make our party proud.

    “Most of our members in the local governments also understand this fact that endorsement is not a problem. They are even embracing this decision of our national leader, but they also know imposition is not good for the democratic values of our party, and that is why we stood against the rumour.”

    Kekemeke said the chairmen have the right to express their grievances about the rumours of an imposition.

    He said they were now on the same page with the party’s structure to elect a strong candidate, who will win the governorship election come November.

    “Right from the word go, there have been no crisis per se. My chairmen have the right to express their displeasure with the sad rumours of imposition, which was never an issue because there was none.

    “We have met and cleared the air. And for the umpteenth time, we together state that a free and very open primary election will be held to elect the best candidate, who will lead our party to victory on November 26,” he said.

     

     

  • Group to INEC: don’t use e-collation of results for Edo, Ondo polls

    Group to INEC: don’t use e-collation of results for Edo, Ondo polls

    A group, the Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution (CDNDC) at the weekend cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the use of electronic (e-collation) of results in the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

    The Edo governorship election will hold on September 10 while it will be Ondo’s turn on November 26.

    The co-convener of the group, Mr Ariyo-Dare Atoye, said in a statement that it could be prone to abuse.

    The group said it feared that the system could create problem if used for the first time in a major election.

    “We wish to urgently alert Nigerians and all stakeholders in our electoral process to the fact that the planned application of e-collation of results is not backed by the Electoral Act, and that it has not been tested in smaller elections to ascertain its effectiveness.

    ” We fear that it may be hijacked, manipulated and used to undermine the credibility of results.”

    It added that INEC in a similar fashion deployed the “untested Smart Card Readers (SCR) technology on a large scale for the conduct of the 2015 general elections”, in spite of it not being tested in smaller elections.

    But INEC had not said it would use e-collation for the Edo and Ondo elections. INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu said last week that INEC would consider transmitting results from polling units to collation centre in the 2019 elections .

  • ‘Ondo needs governor with business experience’

    ‘Ondo needs governor with business experience’

    Dr. Olusegun Abraham is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State. He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on his chances at the primary and preparations for the election.

    How are you warming up for the primary?

    I am warming up very well and things are turning out positively. The whole state has been receptive to my ambition. The response from the grassroots, right from the ward level, has been positive. We set out some months ago. I started my tour of the wards some months ago. No aspirant has traversed the length and breath of the state as I have done. There are some of them that have not been able to do what I have done. The response has been very okay. I am popular in the party at the local, state and national level and people look forward to my emergence.

    What transpired at the screening of aspirants?

    We were informed about the guidelines for the screening. They looked at what we submitted, our credential and they asked some few questions. They asked from us: apart from you, who else do you think can be the governor? These were some of the questions they asked from us.

    Could you shed light on the rumours and denial of rumours of endorsement, in respect of your ambition?

    There have been endorsements in Akoko. In fact, the endorsement cuts across the state. Many things are responsible for this. The Akoko youths realised that, in the last 15 years, I have been assisting them educationally, in terms of school fees, meeting their educational expenses, giving them scholarship. I have been setting up small businesses for the less privileged in the society. I have given scholarship to over 200 people. I have assisted some people to go to school overseas and paid their school fees. Youths and their parents have benefitted from these programmes. When the university authority in Akungba actually sent people packing; some of them were to lose a session or semester for not being able to pay N15,000, I came to their aid. I assisted those who could not pay across the local governments. The endorsement by the Akoko youths is gratifying. When the youths begin to do that, you will know the result. people are happy that somebody is coming to this state who will not steal their money.

    What are your core plans for the state?

    When you look at the problem of Nigerian and Ondo State in particular, you discover that they are two and the two cannot be separated. These are the questions of economy and integrity. Because people don’t have integrity these days, we have lost virtues, we have lost values, we have lost conscience and this has led to corruption. Ondo State is becoming a desert. All the monies that came to Ondo State have been siphoned. They only have cosmetic projects. That is because there is no integrity, and because there is no integrity, there is no value, there is no virtue. You can see that the problem has become more complicated. They can’t add value and the money from Abuja, they siphon it.

    On the economic problem, the state has not been privileged to have a businessman in the saddle who can use business discipline, business acumen and international connection to turn its economy around, to turn the opportunities into productive activities, so that we can earn more revenue, so that the state can be bouyant and prosperous.

    These are the two goals. Other things flow from them. When we are talking about the economy, we are talking about industrialisation. Every local government should have at least on small scale business that will engage the youths and women. The infrastructures in Akure are completely dead. There is pressure on the infrastructure. They cannot cope because everybody moves from the village to the urban centres. Every village is associated with a particular industry in a country like China. The same thing we are bringing to Ondo State. These industries will be set up with the raw materials there. We will train the youths there so that they can be productive.

    The world is now a global village. Our local areas are part of this global village. Whatever is produced here can be used in America and other places. If a cleaner in America works in three hours, the salary is more than the eight naira minimum wage that Nigeria is taking. We must develop our economic activities. A professor in Nigeria may not be able to earn what it takes to feed a dog in America. This must be reversed. The only way is to develop our economic activities and return to values, virtues and good leadership. If I say yes, it must be yes. If I say good morning, it must be morning. There are some people, if they say good morning, yiu must look at your wrist watch before you answer.

    You send your driver to buy fuel, he tries to shortchange you. You get to the filling station, the attendant wants to shortchange you. You can’t develop an economy like that. So, integrity and economy are interwoven. The two are inseparable. Today, Buhari is fighting corruption. Thirty years ago, he fought corruption. When he left, nobody to talk about value and virtues again. That’s why anybody can come to Ondo State and divert half of the money meant for education, health and road and think that he is smart. Today, we are a laughing stock across the globe. That’s why Trump was talking to us like that. people are always stealing in Nigeria.

    What are your plans for education, health and other infrastructures?

    We will revive our education system. We will have a productive education system. We now have certificated institutions; academic people. We have a polytechnic in Owo. It should contribute more to the economy of Ondo State. It should be able to design many things. We will have education without walls. We are going to break the walls. Our educational institutions must meet the needs of the society. Education is about knowledge. If you have knowledge and it is not relevant to the society, it is useless. We should be able to apply knowledge in an appropriate manner.

    We are going to look at health in a holistic manner. It is divided into two. We are going to look at the preventive health care system. Then, we will introduce curative health care system. What you have in Nigeria today is the curative health system. When somebody is ill, you take him to the hospital and you begin to treat him. We will like to prevent illness starting from the food the people eat, their lifestyles, what they must do to make them healthy. We don’t want our people to go through pain. We don’t want our people to lose the productive man-hour.

    We are going to look at the infrastructural system. We will develop our infrastructure, using our local materials. We will reduce the capital flight. Some roads will be done by expatriates. Some roads will be done by our people. We will use the raw materials we have to develop our state. We will invite investors. Investors don’t just come. They come when they know that there is a market for their products. So, we create markets for them.

    We will focus on agriculture. We don’t need fertilizers to grow our agricultural products. Our soil is not polluted with fertilizers. If it is not polluted with fertilizers, then, we can produce organic foods. Organic food is three times more expensive than the normal food. We have the cargo airport that is lying idle. We will use it to export our farm produce so that our farmers can earn dollars. Some people in the civil service will even want to resign to become international farmers. We have a big advantage we can explore. I am not a professional politician. I am a professional in politics. I am an entrepreneur in politics.

    The spirit of enterprise is in me. When I see stone, I see money, granite. When I see weed, I see money. I see money littered on the way. I see the waste her as an incomplete process that can become money. It can be converted to toiletries, fertilizers. We need to change the syllabus of our universities. I read Technology Management. We will change the orientation of our ministries and promote inter-connectivity. Our civil servants have initiatives. We will drive them. We must wage war against corruption.

    The corrupt people have destroyed our youths. Instead of using the money to build industries, they waste the money. We have unemployment and under-employment. We will also try to secure the environment to prevent crime. I am not going there to make money. I am for the upliftment of the people financially and spiritually. If you love your neighbour, you will not steal the money meant for the development of the state. I don’t think people who have stolen millions and billions from the public treasury should have human rights. Do you know how many people have died through that singular action?

    It is your second attempt at seeking the position. How would you rate the process now?

    In 2012, I was working. I was popular. The thing was not zoned to me. I said it was not yet time appointed by God. When they decided in 2012, I was smiling. People asked why I was smiling. I told them it was not yet my time. I believe that power belongs to God. I said God, if you will give me power, give me power so that I can impact on the people; that God should give me power in such a way that it will not destroy my soul so that I can make heaven. I did not want power at all cost. I want to be the governor who has the attributes of God; patience and love. Nigerians should follow the path the successful countries have followed. All I want is the success of our party and the progress of our state.

    Have you been interacting with other aspirants?

    We are talking. We are relating. We crack jokes. We talk regularly. God will make us succeed in life and give us prosperity. We are all qualified. It is a big responsibility we want to shoulder. There is a desire to lead. Not everybody can be governor at the same time. But, we can all serve in different capacities at the same time. Everybody is a building block. Each block has a position. In abroad, you see a driver calling the manager by his name. The driver and the manager sit together. They play complementary roles. Everybody has a duty that is essential and special. All the aspirants, we are equal. God has destined for everybody what he will do.

    What do you expect the leadership of the party to do to guarantee a hitch-free primary?

    The leaders have experienced. They formed the party. They fund the party. They have been holding primaries. Ondo will not be an exception. We should trust the leaders that they will do what is right. We should learn from them. We can only make some suggestions.

    Can an APC candidate from Akoko/Owo axis beat a PDP candidate from Akure?

    These are camouflages. In Akure, you see the people of Akoko, Ondo, Idanre, Ekiti, and others. It is a wrong calculation and we are happy.

    What is your advice to the INEC in respect of the inconclusive elections?

    We must look at the causes. I have not seen anybody jailed for electoral malpractices. The laws should take its course. They are not for decorations. The INEC must prepare. They must be upright. They must promote integrity.

  • Making Ondo economy self-sustaining

    Four decades after Ondo State was created, she is still breathlessly dependent on Abuja money. This cannot be said to be normal. It’s strange even. The grinding poverty and grim livelihood that is consequent to this heavy dependence on federal allocation attests to this unacceptable insufficiency, which clearly raises the need to immediately create a self-sustaining economy that is key to developing the state and creating better livelihoods for her people. Ondo State has the resources she needs within her purview – both natural and human – to become practically a wealth-generating and job-creating economy that can essentially sustain itself; thereby making oil revenues from federal allocation an added bonus rather than its mainstay.

    But the great reality of the moment is a vivid reflection of the crisis of governance and leadership which have been the bane of our existence in recent time. The monumental challenges of poverty and underdevelopment that rear their ugly heads in our state today are products of several decades of unconscionable governance that was bequeathed to us by the do or die political apostles and their desperate local counterparts. They are hostile to our peace and progress in the times past. Their democratic expediency is replete with an orgy of maladministration, corruption, nepotism, favouritism, politics of exclusion, and a dearth of purposeful and responsible governance. The consequence of all this is a wobbly economy hanging precariously on a mono-product to the detriment of the industrial sector. The consequence of this is also education that has grown old and lethargic as well as teachers that are tired and suffused with the inclement condition of hardship; resulting in mass illiteracy in geometric proportion among the people, coupled with the general social convulsion.

    A report from the Nigerian Socio-Economic Indicators in 2012 said that as a resource-rich state Ondo has no reason to have the extremely high poverty incidence level of 70 percent. Thisis a serious indictment of the state government. There is poverty in the midst of unmatched but concealed wealth. This should not be so. It is high time that the political leadership in Ondo State stoke a reprieve to put everything she has to use in order to make her prosperous and create an economy that is practical, productive and people-centred. This is what the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is all about. How should this be done?

    Judging by the current rudderless political leadership that has perennially missed out on maximizing resources, it is clear that for the Sunshine State to possess a shinning economy, she needs a leader steep in experience in the real practice of making things work; a leader with tenable substance beyond rhetoric. It is high time sentiments are abandoned in the consideration of leadership for this great state. The state needs an experienced leader with business acumen who understands how to leverage on the rich natural resources and the already existing but latent skills and talents of the people. In the past seven years especially, it is clear as daylight that not much has been done to practically use what the state has in order to take her place of pride among growing economies not only in the South-west but in the nation. The situation has become so bad that a recent report has it that Ondo State is one of the worst places to start a business. Apart from the political will needed to make things work in the state, Ondo needs a leader with the requisite experience and refreshing expertise in business to activate her rawness to practical wealth.

    One of the ways to create a self-sustaining economy is by addressing the knowledge deficit amongst the majority of her citizens. There’s a mantra that says you cannot give what you do not have. This mantra simply underlies the truth that the grinding poverty and tasteless economic situation are directly proportional to what I call “ineffective education” that breeds ignorance and joblessness. The way it is right now in our dear state is that the totality of education is not strategically tailored towards our needs. And that is one of the reasons we rely on importing expensive expertise at the expense of our own human resources that only needs a new re-orientation, thus facilitating the economic growth of our state. One of the major ways to accomplish real growth is to “un-isolate” the classroom from the out-of-classroom learning environment in a structured way that integrates real life scenarios with curriculums in an effective way – the idea of schools without walls. Installing this method of learning will empower the people with the practical knowledge on how to look inwards, master the prospects of the wealth around them, and eventually become stakeholders and vital parts of a flourishing economy for self-sustenance.

    We’re blessed in Ondo State with arable land well-suited for agriculture that it irks the mind to see this God-given endowment lying waste and untapped. In this era of oil doom, it is not only wise for government to embark on an aggressive agricultural initiative, but also the right and expedient thing to do to grow its revenue base and create wealth. Most of us didn’t know that when oil prices started to plummet in September 2015, the international price of cocoa rose by about 60% from its current price around the same time.It’s important to bring this point home by stating here that the African country of Cote d’Ivore and its 20 million people depend entirely on cocoa production and export. It’s the major source of earnings that sustains the country and its people. The population of our state is less than four million people, yet we’re still very poor. What is more, the world has gone green and organic; and there lies the wealth of any economy with the right leadership to fuel this new economic trend. Ondo State is uniquely positioned as a major agricultural hub and an alternative to the mono-product oil economy. Aside from merely encouraging people to engage in agriculture, a serious government must practically create the interest by heavily investing in a structure that suits its practice; a structure that ensures mechanization of the processes of creating organic products from the farm produce and their commercialization.

    The aim of bridging the knowledge gap among the people of Ondo State (especially the youths) is to develop a home-grown expertise in place of ineffective education in order to create wealth. This is very pivotal in creating an economy that can sustain itself. We don’t really need to spend borrowed money to import the so-called experts to build our state when we can wisely spend less to develop ourselves and our raw materials, thereby developing our state. For instance, if the government formulates a policy to rehabilitate schools, specific industries should necessarily be set up to provide most of the materials related to rehabilitating the schools with at least 90% of our local content. Developing local expertise via practical 2-3 months trainings is an indicator towards the encouragement of Small Businesses that will serve as the key engine for growth and job creation. Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) and Micro SMEs should be the key focus of any serious administration.

    The amount of foreign investments in Ondo State needs to increase in place of borrowing. Most of the solutions listed above will need government funding to kick start, hence, the need to seek partnership with foreign investors. Getting investors into the state isn’t the main issue. The reason why the state hasn’t enjoyed foreign investments is the glaring lack of integrity within the ranks of the present government. Therefore, without mincing words, the way forward for our dear state is through a healthier, growing, debt-independent and self-sustaining economy.

     

    • Abraham, a frontline All Progressives Congress (APC) wrote from Ikare, Ondo State..

  • Ondo governorship primary for Wednesday

    The Ondo state governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier scheduled for this weekend has been shifted by the party.
    The primary election will now hold on Wednesday in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
    Although no official reason was given for the postponement of the primary, The Nation gathered that the exercise may have been shifted to pave way for further reconciliation of the feuding parties in the state.
    There has been crisis in the Ondo state chapter of the party over alleged imposition of a particular aspirant which resulted in  the national leadership summoning all the aspirants and the party leadership in the state to a meeting.
    The party is yet to inaugurate the committee that will conduct the primary election but it was gathered that the committee is likely to be headed by Jigawa state governor, Mohammed Badaru.
    24 aspirants, including one woman are contesting the APC primary which has generated lots of heat in the last few days.

  • I’ll uplift Ondo, says SDP candidate

    I’ll uplift Ondo, says SDP candidate

    THE governorship candidate of the Ondo State Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr. Olu Agunloye, has promised to bring transformation, if he wins the November 26 poll.

    He noted that with its abundant human and natural resources, Ondo State deserves to be a model among states.

    But he said the state was being hindered by lack of good leadership.

    Agunloye emerged as governorship candidate of the SDP at the weekend.

    He was the sole candidate, and was unanimously adopted by 310 delegates across the 18 local governments.

    Agunloye was a former minister of Power under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was also pioneer Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) corps. marshall.

    He hailed party members and the delegates for finding him worthy to carry the party’s flag in the election.

    “I accept the flag of the party and the responsibility associated with it. I assure you that I will not let the party down and will carry the flag to victory and install it high at the Government House in February 2017.”

    The Chairman of SDP, Chief Korede Duyile, said the primary election was conducted in line with INEC’s guidelines.

    “The directive from INEC guideline stipulates that all participating parties should conduct their primaries between August18 and September 19.

    “This shows our level of preparation for the election and pointer to our readiness for governance.

    “I want to make it known to everybody that Agunloye has been a man tested in public offices in the past and has been successful in all,’’ he said.

    Duyile called on security agencies to take appropriate measures to ensure safety of the people before, during and after the election.

    He called on traditional rulers, elder statesmen, community leaders and parents to encourage other political parties to shun violence.

  • Ondo APC crisis: Southwest APC chairmen back Kekemeke

    Ondo APC crisis: Southwest APC chairmen back Kekemeke

    •Chieftains: party ’ll conduct free, fair governorship primary

    The Forum of State Chairmen of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest Zone has backed its embattled member in Ondo State, Isaac Kekemeke.

    It called for calm among APC members in the state.

    The forum, in a statement yesterday, said it would not support the idea of calling for a new chairman at this critical time because Kekemeke had worked hard for the party’s popularity across the state.

    The statement was jointly signed by the chairmen in the five other states in the zone: Chiefs Oladele Ajomale (Lagos), Akin Oke (Oyo), Gboyega Famodun (Osun), Jide Awe (Ekiti) and Roqeeb Adeniji (Ogun) and the Zonal Secretary, Mr. Ayo Afolabi.

    It expressed concern about the crisis and appealed to members not to allow the fifth columnists to infiltrate the party with the aim of preventing it from winning the forthcoming election.

    Allaying the fears that the primary might be manipulated in favour of any particular governorship aspirant, the forum emphasised that Kekemeke would not have any role to play in the primary because the party’s national leadership would conduct it.

    “We like to state that the party will conduct a free, fair, open and credible primary election devoid of any interference from any quarters as was done in Kogi and Edo states.

    “The state party chairman has no role whatsoever to play in the process and conduct of the primary election as the team to conduct the primary will be put together by our party’s national headquarters.

    “Up till now, Kekemeke had performed creditably well in mobilising the party. He and his state executive had increased and expanded the party’s acceptance to the generality of the people of Ondo State. The party will, therefore, not be favourably disposed to any clamour for the change of its structure and leadership at this critical time.

    “We appeal to all our party members and the governorship aspirants in particular to remain calm, prevail on their individual supporters to allow peace to reign for the conduct of a transparent primary election that will usher in a candidate that will be acceptable to the generality of the people of Ondo State,” the statement read.