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Tag: ONDO

  • JUSUN begins strike in Ondo

    JUSUN begins strike in Ondo

    Members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in Ondo State will today begin an indefinite strike.

    This followed the failure of the government to implement an agreement reached with the union on financial autonomy for the judiciary.

    The State Chairman, Comrade Ilesanmi Dido, said his members would no longer allow the government to disobey the constitution, which grants financial autonomy to the judiciary.

    Dido lamented that judiciary administration has collapsed due to poor funding and non-payment of salaries.

    He noted that if Governor Olusegun Mimiko had implemented the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on financial autonomy for the judiciary, judges and workers would not be owed salaries.

    He added that such autonomy would have addressed what he called “deplorable courtrooms”.

    The JUSUN chairman said during the strike, customary, magistrate and high courts will be shut.

     

     

     

  • APC faults reparation fee for Ondo varsity students

    APC faults reparation fee for Ondo varsity students

    The All Progressives Congress (APC)in Ondo State has condemned the N25,000 reparation levy imposed on students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, as a condition for their return to the university.

    It described the development as a cover up on the part of the government to divert the public’s attention from its negligence to provide adequate healthcare facilities at the university.

    A statement by the Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, said “This levy is uncalled for at this time when government owes most of the parents of these students five months salaries.

    “Where does the government expect them to get such money from at this tough time where workers are moaning and groaning in poverty?

    “We condemn this outrageous levy and see it as a clandestine move by the Olusegun Mimiko-led administration to generate funds to make up for his misappropriation of state resources.

    “We, therefore, enjoin every citizen to rise up against this levy at this time when most parents are finding it difficult to live a decent life.

    “This government is desperate and bent on taxing anything taxable, including the air we breath, to raise money to salvage the debt-ridden administration.

    “This financial reparation demanded by the government from students and the call for it to be paid within a few days is rather laughable.”

  • Ondo gets justice reform team  

    the Ondo State Justice Sector Reform Team (OSJRT) will be inaugurated today in Akure, the state capital.

    It will be a prelude to a three-day retreat for members that will end on Wednesday.

    Commissioner for Information Kayode Akinmade said the inauguration will take place at the State Development and Property Corporation (OSDPC) Event Centre, Ijapo Estate, Akure.

    The team, in partnership with the Justice for All Programme (J4A), will address some of the challenges in the administration of justice in the state.

    The programme will be carried out in conjunction with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC).

  • Akeredolu’s ex- running mate joins Ondo governorship race

    Former deputy governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2012 election in Ondo State Paul Akintelure has declared his governorship interest.

    He said his intention is to serve the people.

    Akintelure said there is no crisis between him and Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), the defunct ACN governorship candidate.

    He added that the people of the southern senatorial district deserve to be given another opportunity to govern the state because of their peculiarity.

    The medical doctor turned politician said there was no iota of truth in the story that he and Akeredolu were no longer friends.

    Akintelure spoke in Akure when he led his supporters to visit the state APC Chairman, Isaac Kekemeke.

    He said: “I’m not fighting with Akeredolu. In fact, I went to inform him about my decision to contest for the governorship election.

    “There is no crisis between us. I just have to obey the clarion call from my people, who are yearning for better representation.

    “The people of the southern senatorial district where I am from deserve to be allowed to govern the state because of their peculiarity.

    “I am in the race to bring meaningful development to Ondo State.

    “Since the governorship ticket has not been zoned to any part of the state, I have every right to show interest in occupying the seat.”

    Kekemeke said the party leadership would provide a level playing field for all the aspirants.

  • Can Agunloye spring surprise in Ondo?

    Can Agunloye spring surprise in Ondo?

    Can Olu Agunloye, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), spring surprise at the poll? At a time, the Erusu-Akoko-born former Minister of Power and was a member of the progressive family.

    He served as the Personal Assistant (PA) to the slain Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige.

    However, after his national assignments, he joined Ondo politics as an active participant under the ’Omoluabi’ platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    He was a governorship aspirant under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2012 and mobilised support for himself and the party. But, following the emergence of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), a frontline lawyer from Owo, as the flag bearer for the election, Agunloye pulled out of the progressives camp and aligned with Governor Olusegun Mimiko and his Labour Party (LP).

    Many observers blamed Agunloye for hurriedly dumping the ACN and embracing Mimiko, who later betrayed him. Agunloye thought Mimiko will give him the LP’s ticket for the Senate, but the ticket was clinched by Prof Ajayi Boroffice, who later dumped the LP for the ACN when he could no longer feel comfortable with Mimiko and his former LP.

    Agunloye has been dreaming of becoming governor on the platform of any political party. but, sources said his inconsistency may hinder his plan. Analysts are of the opinion that he is not serious with his ambition, which they noted, might become a tall dream.

    Few weeks ago, he dumped the PDP for the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Agunloye, who is also a former governorship aspirant of the PDP, said he defected to the SDP because of what he called “power of choice”.

    The former Minister, who was received into the SDP by its National Chairman, , Chief Olu Falae, said he joined the SDP to realise his dream of serving the state.

    He said: “It is from the vantage position of my right to power of choice, my constant and unabated interest in the progress and sustainable development of our state, my perpetual desire for youth employment and women emancipation, all of which have been established over a long period that I see a beacon of hope in the Social Democratic Party.”

    Agunloye said the SDP remains the only party in the state that can proffer solution to the present predicament, dilemma and misfortunes of the people of the state.

    He condemned the administration of Mimiko, saying the PDP led government has failed the people.

    His words: “In Akure here, the seat of government, the situation is even more pitiable and sad. Once you factor out the government house, government offices, single and dual carriage roads erected by current and past administrations, we literarily run aground in a city with no vehicle-worthy roads, no electricity, no water, no sewage disposal system and no drainage”.

    Falae said the SDP would provide an alternative opportunity for politicians, who are frustrated in both the ruling PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He said the party would work towards ensuring that it wins the October election.

    Falae said that the SDP is the party to beat in the state, adding that, after the primaries of the PDP and the APC, many aggrieved aspirants and supporters will join the SDP massively to ensure the party wins this year’s governorship election.

    But, observers said the SDP has no political structure from the ward to state levels, and wondered how it would win the election. One of such observers wondered: “Which magic will the SDP use, even with its national chairman, Chief Olu Falae, coming from this state. Where is the crowd? where are the supporters? What is the antecedent of the SDP in the sunshine? These are the questions on the lips of many people.”

    However, one of its state executive member who spoke in confidence said: “Wait and see, we are mobilising and by the time we absorb the aggrieved APC and PDP aspirants with their supporters after primaries, then you will know the SDP, the party through which the late MKO Abiola won votes across all states of the federation will make history to repeat itself.”

  • Guber aspirant laments Ondo workers’ plight

    Guber aspirant laments Ondo workers’ plight

    Public workers in Ondo State currently reeling under the pains of accumulated unpaid salaries have been urged to expect a new dawn, as the current “reign of darkness” will soon come to an and. A governorship aspirant on the platform of Citizens Popular Party, (CPP) Prince Peter Oyeleye Fasua, gave the admonition in a Workers Day message he issued yesterday.

    Fasua, an indigene of Akure, said it was not only appalling but also disgraceful that despite the fact that Ondo State is an oil-producing state, the state government cannot pay workers’ salaries for upwards of five months.

    “It is tragic and an ironic twist that Ondo State workers have not been paid for five months despite that workers’ salary is only a fraction of the income accruing to the state both as federal allocation and oil derivation revenue. I want to appeal to our suffering workers to endure till we effect the genuine change on the platform of the CPP, which is coming to rescue the people from this modern slavery,” he said.

    Fasua added by appealing to Governor Segun Mimiko to consider the plight of the workers and pay up their outstanding salaries and retired workers’ pension. He also observed that last year, the state government sacked close to 2,000 civil servants, especially newly recruited teachers, yet it has been unable to meet its obligations to the few ones left in its employ.

    The aspirant assured that the CPP administration, if voted in, would first tackle poor power supply, unemployment and hunger.

  • Olateru-Olagbegi: I’ll take Ondo to greater heights

    Olateru-Olagbegi: I’ll take Ondo to greater heights

    Nekan Olateru-Olagbegi is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State. The Owo prince and Coordinator of Public Private Partnership (PPP) spoke with DAMISI OJO on his ambition and other related issues.

    Despite your accomplishments, why did you still venture into politics?

    Truly, if personal accomplishments and contentment is the hallmark of success, I believe I have made an effort, but there is this burden I must shoulder; the task of helping my people out of poverty and want and this cannot be fully accomplished through personal efforts alone. This is what has dragged me into the murky waters of Nigerian politics. To me, politics has become inevitable, if my people must put poverty and misery behind them.

    You are the Coordinator of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Ondo State for the past two years. How has it been?

    We have brought into reality the Akure Mall, which we were able to broker for the state; the developers were able to deliver the project within cost and time and I am glad that a lot of people are enjoying the facility today. Indeed, it has changed the landscape of Akure and it has gradually brought back entertainment and night life to the city. But, that is just one of the things we have achieved in with PPP. Now, we have landed a deep seaport, which, once we finalise the details with the Federal Government, would be a hub for the entire West African coast. This is the Ilaje Deep Sea Port and as we are close to getting the final approval. Once this is done, the promoters are ready to raise the funds to execute the project. It is also tagged the mining port; a solution-port for the mining industry of Nigeria. So, these are well-thought out innovative ways that we have managed to solve the Nigerian mining problems because we have looked at the fact that we have so many ports in Nigeria, but none of them is a mining port. As you know, we always try to make a statement with whatever we lay our hands on in Ondo State. We don’t want to develop just a seaport, we want to change the lives of our people; that will change the life of our people, so that is what the seaport will represent. The Nigerian economy is talking about mining and agriculture, but now even from our own end, we have provided solutions ahead of time. By the time you mine those minerals such as iron-ore, the coal, the granite and all other minerals in neighbouring states, you can easily ship them out through our seaport. With the railroad we are constructing from Ilaje all the way to the Northern fringes of Ondo State and to Kogi Area and dualized roads we are also constructing, it will be easy to bring goods to the port. From Ore to Ilaje, definitely it would open up the entire Southern Senatorial District of Ondo State for investment.

    What about diversification of the economy?

    We are pursuing cocoa revolution here in Ondo State. We already have the chocolate factory in Idanre where we can now use our cocoa beans, instead of exporting everything. Besides, we have developed cocoa agriculture in Ondo State that a farmer can now sell to exporters without passing through middlemen. With these, they would have more profit and better motivations. The list goes on and on. We believe that we need to create jobs for our teaming youths. It is all about jobs for these younger ones, and with all that we have laid down, once it starts rolling, nobody will be able to beat Ondo State. There is no reason for anybody to be poor in Ondo State. The revenues of Ondo State will increase significantly and we would not be waiting for Abuja for money anymore.

    A group of youths recently endorsed your bid for governorship…

    I must appreciate the youth for their observations and for being alive to their environment. We are happy that our little efforts are being acknowledged; we are working day and night to make sure that we industrialise the state. We are working closely with the Governor to make sure that we bring many industries here. This is for no other reason but for the youths, because when Ondo State is able to do that, we will be able to create more employment for our teeming youth. If that is the criteria for appreciating me, they also need to be appreciated for their depth and intuitiveness. This is because the next level in Ondo State is the industrialisation of the state. We have been pursuing this vigorously in the last two years and we have gone far on that project.

    If you are given the opportunity to govern the state, what will be your priorities?

    The biggest assets that I will get as a successor of Dr. Mimiko, if given the opportunity, is the fact that the man has already laid the foundation. The biggest problem is to be able to start up. Just as I have mentioned earlier on, the foundation for urban development in the state has already been put in place, even with the paucity of funds. It is not too big a task, we only have to be creative and get innovative, knowing well that God has blessed us in Ondo State in terms of human and natural resources and if we just look inwards, we just use what we have, I am sure that the sky is our limits. In the areas of forestry alone, for example, where I live in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, called Georgio specific, one of the top corporations in the world, which deals in forest products, is located there. The company has been able to do paper, pulp, paints, gazebos, construct roofing sheets and furnitures, just from forest alone. These are the future we will be bringing to Ondo State.

  • Ondo rejects ICPC report

    Ondo rejects ICPC report

    The Ondo State government has asked the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to correct itself over the misinformation published on the bailout received by the state.

    The government, in a statement by its Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, described the report as misleading.

    He said the government added N50million to the bailout fund before it could meet the payment of outstanding salary arrears till June 2015.

    “The bailout fund collected was N9.443.06 billion, which was augmented with N50millon, which brought the total disbursement to N9.493.91.

    “All relevant document and bank transfers on the disbursement were presented to ICPC officials ,who monitored the disbursement.

    “Each claim of payment was investigated and confirmed to be true by the ICPC investigating team and at the end of its visit the government was commended for its effective operation, clinical and accurate disbursement of the said fund.

    “We, therefore, call on the ICPC to investigate the report and as a matter of urgency set the record straight by reporting its exact findings.”

  • PDP wins Ondo council polls

    PDP wins Ondo council polls

    •Our boycott justified, says APC

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won the chairmanship seats and 202 out of 203 councillorship seats in last Saturday’s council polls in Ondo State.

    Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) Prof Olugbenga Ige said the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPA) won the only councillorship seat in ward nine, Oba-Ile in Akure North Local Government.

    The chairmen-elect are Arowolo Johnson (Akoko North East); Aladetimehin Joseph(Akoko North); Agunloye Babasola (Akoko South East); Ogunbi Abiodun (Akoko South West); Bandele Babalola (Akure North); Adebayo Alarapon (Akure South); Sobijo Timiminiwei (Ese-Odo); Akingbaso Festus(Idanre) and Sola Adu (Ifedore).

    Others are Omowomo Agunola (Ilaje); Gbemigbade Folasade (Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo); Julius Elumaro (Irele); Raphael Ademulegun(Odigbo); Larry Ogunsere (Okitipupa); Akinkuolie Kafaru(Ondo East); Ogunya Victor(Ondo West); Awodeyi Ojo(Ose)and Folahanmi Oluwole(Owo).

    Ige said certificates of return would be issued today at ODIEC’s office in Akure.

    Governor Olusegun Mimiko voted at Unit 20, Ward 07 in Ondo town, saying the exercise was fair.

    He hailed the electoral body for conducting free and fair election, adding that “any individual or political party has the right to boycott elections, since there is no law against it”.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said it had been vindicated by its boycott of the election.

    The Deputy Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, said the election was fraudulent and unconstitutional.

    He urged the people to remain steadfast and prayerful for a better government that would bring them comfort.

    Some civil servants said they could not vote on empty stomachs since they received their last salaries in November.

    The party said the election was a mere selection process as those said to have been elected had been selected beforehand.

    A statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, noted that the PDP was the only party which fielded candidates and contested against itself.

    It said: “Even when it was evident the election is no contest, they still rigged to create the impression of impressive turnout.

    “All the names of the 18 chairmen along with their councillors had been written down and handed over to Prof. Ige, before the election.

    “We are glad to see that our calls for the people to shun the election resonated well with them.

    “The politically discerning people have also come to realise that Mimiko prefers government by oligarchy.

    “This election has turned out to be a charade and a mockery of our democracy where millions of taxpayers money was wasted. We would, however, like to reiterate our position to use all legal means to challenge this illegality as perpetuated by Mimiko.”

    The statement hoped that at the appropriate time,it would right the wrong done to the people by committing these present sets of selected chairmen and councillors to appropriation and also conduct a free, fair and credible local government election.

    A lawyer, Morakinyo Ogele, said the PDP allegedly manipulated the results.

    The lawyer observed that there were no other party agents, except PDP agents, at the various units.

    He praised the people for massively boycotting the whole process, saying the election is rated as the greatest deceit of the year.

    Ogele, however, advised the elected chairmen and councilors to refuse to be sworn-in.

  • Gani Adams must go, Ondo, Kwara OPC state coordinators insist

    Gani Adams must go, Ondo, Kwara OPC state coordinators insist

    Ondo and Kwara states Coordinators of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) yesterday insisted that the National Coordinator, Otunba Gani Adams, must resign.

    Some state coordinators in February passed a no confidence vote on their estranged leader, accusing him of alleged high-handedness and financial malfeasant.

    Consequently, the aggrieved members petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe about 17 years leadership of their former boss.

    Rotimi Akinsowon (Ondo) and Marauf Salami (Kwara) spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at a meeting with members of the group.

    Salami said: “Gani Adams must resign as OPC National Coordinator. There is no alternative because he has caused a a lot of irreparable havoc to OPC and if we fail to push him out of the system today, history will not forgive us tomorrow.

    “He used the OPC to catapult himself from obscurity to popularity. Gani Adams uses the cerebration of Olokun, Oya and other festivals to promote himself.

    “He headed OPC for 17 years but the group cannot boast of anything as he has cornered all. OPC has no account. He is the alpha and omega. He is the pencil and eraser for good 17 years. Enough is enough.

    “We don’t the group to be factionalised. It has happened once and we don’t want a repeat. That is why we are appealing to our members not to engage in any confrontation with those who still believe in him. We don’t to pick anybody now to lead the organisation until Gani Adams steps down from office.”

    Akinsowon added: “Our petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the huge sum of money he received from the late Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on behalf of the OPC is still being investigated.

    “I am confident that in no distance time EFCC will invite Gani Adams for interrogation. We are insisting on his probe because he collected the money in the name of OPC.