The Nation Newspaper

Tag: promises

  • CCSNL rebrands, promises better delivery

    Twelve years after commencing operation as Customer Contact Solutions Nigeria Limited CCSNL, it was a new dawn last weekend as the management of the company announced ‘OUTCESS’ as the new name of the company in commemoration of its 12th anniversary.

    At an elaborate event attended by patrons and stakeholders in the company, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, OUTCESS, Mr. Ikenna Odike, said the decision of the leading integrated customer engagement and business process outsourcing to rebrand and refresh its identity was informed by the need to raise the game and redefine its operation as it prepares to start a new face of service delivery to array of local and international clients.

    “This rebranding is more than just a cosmetic make over. It is our new calling card and the tie that binds our community of partners. It is a guarantee of innovation, fresh thinking, better solutions and exceptional customer experiences. It is our solemn promise to empower people teams and organisations to do more, faster.”

  • Aspirant promises infrastructural development

    A Chairmanship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming local government election in Lagos State, Hon. Adesina Williams, has said she will provide infrastructural projects that will lift the Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA), if she is elected.

    Hon. Williams, who had served a term in the LCDA as chairman, pledged her loyalty to all residents of the LCDA, including women, youths and monarchs. She promised to adjust wherever she had made mistakes during her first tenure.

    She said she would ensure that all the ongoing projects were completed, adding that she would start other projects that would benefit the residents.

    She spoke at a meeting with youths and the women wing of the ruling parting (APC) at her office in Igando.

    She promised to run an all-inclusive government, carrying everybody along to ensure harmonious relationship among party members.

    She said she renovated many roads, schools, hospitals as well as took care of the monarchs within the LCDA during her last tenure. She noted that many of the projects embarked upon were yet to be completed, appealing to the electorate to vote for her to enable her to complete her vision of making the LCDA one of the best in the state.

    She pledged to organise workshops that would enable youths and women to become productive and self-reliant.

    Williams assured the residents of the LCDA that her administration would continue to bring succour to the plights of the residents and do more in infrastructural provision as embarked upon in her first term in office.

    She implored residents, the party’s contestants and the opposition to continue to support Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in his efforts to transform the state to a mega city.

    She urged them to pray for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    She praised Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu whom she described as a great leader and mentor of all members in the party.

  • Akeredolu promises better days for education in Ondo

    Akeredolu promises better days for education in Ondo

    Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN, has declared that an all encompassing Education Summit  would soon be organized by his administration to proffer permanent solutions to the various problems confronting the Tertiary Institutions in the state.

    Governor Akeredolu made the declaration ý while playing host to the Governing Council of the Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko led by its Chairman, Otunba Solomon Oladunni .

    Arakunrin  Akeredolu who said that the Education Summit would have stakeholders in the education sector in attendance , including parents, teachers and students, would provide veritable opportunity towards taking decisions on some contentious issues within the state owned Tertiary Institutions.

    On the issue of the disengaged staff, Arakunrin Akeredolu said  that government was aware of the issue adding  that it would soon be amicably  resolved.

    He assured the council of the University that the February salaries to be paid to Civil Servants in Ondo State will accommodate  the University  as well  as staff of other state owned institutions in the state.

    On the issue of blackout in Ondo North and South Senatorial  Districts, the Governor said the management of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko and  the State  Government should find a  way round the problem by negotiating with the management  of Benin Electricity Distribution Company. He charged them to be creative in their quest for increase Internally Generated Revenue while promising  that his administration will continue to prioritize their welfare.

    Earlier,  the Chairman of the Governing Council, Adekunle Ajasin University Akungbba Akoko , Otunba Solomon Oladuni who congratulated the governor on his inauguration, sought his support in solving some of the challenges confronting the institution.

  • Obaseki and his promises

    On Saturday, November 12, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki will be sworn in as the elected governor of Edo State. There is no prize guessing that the people of Edo State gave him their mandate based on their conviction that he is the most convincing of those who vied for the office in terms of the plausibility of making good promises made. There is hardly any doubt that the task ahead is onerous. However, there is hope that he can deliver on his promise to evolve a practical economic policy from which the state can further prove that it has all it takes to survive above all economic odds. As part of the team that engineered the long term development masterplan for the state’s economic revolution, he is practically condemned to putting up a sterling development performance beginning from the moment he takes over the rein of office.

    In looking up him as a man whose words can be taken as his bond, the people of Edo State are convinced that the governor-elect’s professional capability as an investment expert and his eight year practical experience in governance are not the only qualities that tend to put him in good stead in terms of making good his promises. They are pointing at the earnest manner he commissioned a number of his aides to take an inventory of all the promises he made particularly those coming directly from the people’s demands. That is in addition to the dossier he has of all investable natural resources including where they are domiciled. The implication here is that his administration already has a priority implementation perspective. However, while his commitment is not in doubt whatsoever, he is expected to begin the implementation process with dispatch like a war tested general.

    Thankfully, both the outgoing and incoming governors are not only from the same political family without any known record of friction, they are also on the same development page more because the governor-elect operated as a vitally important part of the administration headed by the man he is succeeding. In other words, the governor elect is not coming in as a greenhorn as he knows so much about resources at the disposal of the state, limited as they are. Therefore, it can be argued that he equally understands how feasible and quickly it is for him to deploy them for the needful in line with his promises.

    The governor-elect made job creation one of the cardinal promises he will fulfil upon assuming office. At a time unemployment is one of the biggest challenges facing the nation, it is obvious that the people agree with him, at least, to the extent that his job creation plan is practically realizable. For them therefore, the time has come for him to walk his talk without any undue delay in the implementation of, for instance, the over 200,000 jobs he promised to create with investments in agro-business. That is perhaps the only way to prove to them that they did not make any mistake in making him the man to succeed the all-conquering Oshiomhole.

    Indeed, in making the point that his job creation policy will be driven in the main by investments in agro-business, the governor-elect needs commendation. The reason is not too far to seek because in the light of the ever-dwindling resources from crude oil, the nation’s sole economic mainstay, diversification is imperative. Therefore, since agriculture offers the most viable option for economic recovery or turn-around, it goes without saying that the state must take advantage of its vast potentials in the sector. As it is the case in other areas where he sought their mandate, the people also seem to be in complete agreement with governor-elect, hence they consider, as a foregone conclusion, the need for him to expedite action in terms of its implementation.

    As enunciated in his campaigns, mechanizing agriculture is the real investment drive that he must accomplish. The people are eagerly looking up to him in terms of making good his promise of creating large scale farms with mechanized processes that will engage the army of young people currently in search of self-actualization.

    While criss-crossing the state during campaigns, the governor- went the extra mile of taking inventory of both the areas that required government attention in terms of infrastructural renewal and what must be done within what time. Obviously, he did this with a view to having requisite knowledge of where his investment drive requires attention in order to deliver on promises made despite prevailing economic realities. For instance, the governor-elect knows so well that the northern part of the state is noted for huge deposit of solid minerals, including limestone, quarry, etc. He is equally aware that besides its innumerable money-spinning tourism potentials, the state is also the home to a huge food and cash crop reservoirs. Albeit so, he must also prove that he knows too well that the people, whose mandate he has, expect him to prove without any undue delay, his ability to inject requisite sustainable economic elixir to banish the nightmare they have gone through in the knowledge that for so long, the state had so much economic rejuvenation potentials in untapped natural resources yet wallows in want. History will be fair to him if, without any undue delay, he sets about enlisting the right investment in all areas concerned.

    The governor elect also promised to employ the use of technology to produce the additional leverage for his administration’s job creation policy. Clearly, the driving force here is how effectively he is able to deploy internet broad band. However, a lot of people will be on the look-out, waiting to see how effectively he takes control of the sector’s inherent opportunities and work his way through the relatively novel concept as a job creation tool. The point he must not lose sight of is that the people are eagerly waiting to experience the end result.

    In the last eight years, so much has been done in the state in the area of infrastructural renewal. For instance, anyone who is familiar with the state both before Oshiomhole assumed office and now that he is leaving will attest to the fact that from its erstwhile comatose state, remarkable infrastructural development has been put in place. The catch-phrase is that if previous administrations had undertaken any worthwhile urban renewal process for the outgoing administration to build on, the state would have become an infrastructural El Dorado. However, even as much has been done, so much still needs to be done in education, road construction and health sector. The governor elect made as much promises which he is condemned to fulfilling pronto.

    For instance, in the education sector where the impressive red roof revolution is well showcased, there is need to re-introduce functionality with technical and vocational trainings. The reason is that unemployment persists mainly because the nation operates an education system that hardly pays any serious attention to specialization. But the need for functionality has become more imperative particularly now that diversification is the key to economic rejuvenation. To achieve any serious breakthrough in the diversification process, there is a more urgent need to create a functional workforce with requisite skills and trainings for emerging jobs. Therefore, the governor elect must fulfil his promise to establish technical schools and other vocational training centres to groom lettered artisans and other technical professionals in readiness for all emerging jobs, including for instance, technical equipment handling. That is in addition to his promise to encourage academic excellence across the state by making scholarship available to indigent but brilliant young people. There is hardly any doubt that this will go a long way in improving his administration’s all round development drive.

    Like other sectors, health also received its fair share of attention from the outgoing administration. In addition to cottage hospitals or health centres, it built functional general hospitals in all the state’s 18 local government areas. However, medical tourism remains one of the issues that emerged from the inadequacies in our health system. The result is that more often than not, medical issues that can ordinarily, can be handled within are taken to such places as India. One of its major implications is that it encourages capital flight. The Oshiomhole administration decided to introduce the 5-Star central hospital concept as part of the long term plan to curtail the trend. Necessarily, the edifice, which has the capacity to deal with a number of major medical issues hitherto referred abroad features enough alluring aesthetic splendour capable of attracting the patronage of both local and foreign, financially well-muscled medical tourists. The general expectation is that alongside the need to build more functional and well equipped health facilities for the general public, the governor-elect must endeavour to construct more of such highbrow medical centres in all major cities across the state. Accruing benefits are innumerable.

  • ‘Failed promises behind your travails’

    ‘Failed promises behind your travails’

    The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to accept that their campaign posters were being destroyed as a result of the party’s failed policies.

    According to a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, the development is a sign of rejection of the ruling party by Edo youths. He said those disenchanted by the APC administration include unpaid local government workers, pensioners, teachers, judicial workers, market women and traders.

    Nehikhare said the PDP has no reason to destroy APC campaign posters, adding that the proliferation of Obaseki’s posters was another sign of the government’s insensitivity to the feelings of Edo people.

    He said the party’s campaign of ‘changing the change’ has been very successful across the state.

    Nehikhare however raised alarm that the APC is planning to arrest a number of PDP chieftains on the eve of the election. The PDP spokesman said no amount of intimidation, arrests and coercion would deter the party from leading Edo people  to victory on September 10.

    He said some youths that attended its (PDP) rally along Akenzua Road in Benin City were arrested by the police over claims that they were cultists who just had an “outdoor meeting”.

    According to the statement, “the same sources also noted that these are all part of the grand plan to intimidate and antagonise our teeming members  and supporters across the state.

    The statement added: “In the light of the foregoing, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Edo State chapter, wishes to reassure its members, supporters and the general public that we are committed to a peaceful election in Edo State, the same way we did last year which gave us the victory in the presidential election.”

  • Between promises and challenges

    Between promises and challenges

    President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have been under immense pressure to deliver on campaign promises. The expectation on Buhari has been high right from the day he was declared winner of the 2015 presidential poll. Many believe that Buhari’s leadership credential and his pedigree will do the magic of reversing the hardship in the country.

    Armed with the APC manifesto, which he coalesced into three broad based areas of tackling insecurity, fighting corruption and revival of the economy, Buhari set about the onerous task given to him by Nigerians.

    Public Affairs analyst Monday Ubani said the assessment of Buhari’s administration in isolation of the challenges of empty treasury and the economy that has virtually collapsed under the past administration would be inaccurate, imbalance and subjective.

    Ubani, former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja branch, recalled that the Buhari administration got the handover notes from its predecessor just four days before the inauguration. He added that this hampered the new government’s effort to have a clear understanding of the situation on the ground before taking the necessary measures to address it. The transition was not smooth, he reiterated.

    The Buhari administration, he said, had its first Appropriation Bill signed into law almost a year after its inauguration. It had all along been operating the budget of the immediate past government.

    “The programmes and projects President Buhari planned to execute in his first year in office are captured in the 2016 budget. It is unlawful and an impeachable offence to spend public fund not appropriated for by the National Assembly. Nigerians are right to demand quick and sustained action in addressing challenges besetting the country but it is important we put things in proper perspective for a better understanding”, the civil right activist posited.

    Ubani noted that Nigeria has never before witnessed transition from ruling party to the opposition. What the country has been accustomed to is transition from one government to another under the same ruling party. The implication of change of guard courtesy of last year’s presidential election is that this is a new learning curve, with its attendant hiccups, he added.

    Civil Rights activist Comrade Mashood Erubami agreed with Ubani. According to him, “in the course of reforming, repositioning and re-establishing the country, the Buhari administration has been confronted with huge challenges which slowed down the speed with which achievements would have been made”.

    Erubami, President, Nigeria Voters Assembly (VOTAS), said: “Evaluating Buhari as a personality, and his government in the last one year requires that we are dispassionate, fair, objective and patriotic. Buhari has started to run a new government of change with strong political will with which he is addressing multiple problems facing the country”.

     

    Tackling insecurity and

    fight against terrorism

     

    Shortly after Buhari’s inauguration, it was evident that tackling the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast was a major priority of his administration. He immediately ordered the relocation of the Nigerian Military Command Centre to Maiduguri, Borno State, the epicentre of insurgency. He made moves to seek help from outside, such as visiting West African neighbours, the G7 in Germany, the African Union during the summit in South Africa and he also visited the United States on invitation of President Barack Obama. All were aimed at restoring confidence in the country’s leadership with allies which had frayed under his predecessor.

    The result is the decision to deploy the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad, on July 30, 2015 to pep up the fight against Boko Haram. This is the same force the past administration could not get off the ground in six years. The U.S. has also pledged  five million dollars assistance for the fight against Boko Haram.

    Veteran politician Dr Junaid Muhammed was full of praises for the Buhari administration in curtailing the Boko Haram insurgents, noting that the blood thirsty group has been decimated by the federal troops.

    “If not for Buhari, God knows, Boko Haram would have taken over some states in the Northeast. The situation was frightening under Jonathan’s regime because of his intransigence and non-commitment towards fighting Boko Haram. The diversion of money meant for purchase of arms to prosecute war against terrorists under Jonathan was inhuman.”

    Muhammed, a member of the House of Representatives in the Second Republic, noted that though the Boko Haram have not been fully eliminated but they have been incapacitated; they lack the strength to embark on full scale suicide mission of wreaking havoc on lives andproperty as they used to do before the advent of Buhari’s government.

    Ubani expressed similar view. He said: “Buhari had incapacitated the insurgents; they don’t have the strength of striking at will any more. Before the assumption of office by Buhari, Boko Haram had taken over some Local governments and hoisted their flags in Borno State. Thanks to Buhari for his military strategies, otherwise the insurgents would have taken over Borno, Yobe and Adamawa by now.”

    However, he observed that the upsurge of criminality in the Niger Delta is political. According to him, the criminals are sponsored to embarrass, distract and blackmail the Buhari administration. “The Federal Government should crack down on the criminals blowing up oil platforms and pipelines. They are saboteurs and should be treated like insurgents. The military should not wait for the President’s directive in dealing decisively with any form of insurgence or terrorism emanating from any part of the country. No section should hold the country into ransom. Hence forth, the military must secure all our vital assets including oil platforms, oil and gas pipelines 24 hours daily”.

    But a youth activist Mr Fidelis Osunbor wants the President to give the Fulani herdsmen invading communities and killing people the same treatment being meted out to the Boko Haram terrorists. He commended Buhari for restoring relative peace in the Northeast.

    The fight against corruption ranks very high on the list of the Buhari’s administration’s priorities. The President realised that without putting an end to the prodigious and sickening corruption in the country, he may not succeed in other areas. That explains why he keeps saying: “If Nigeria does not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria”. To minimise corruption in the management of public funds, Buhari ordered revenue generating agencies to close all illegal revenue accounts and introduced Treasury Single Account (TSA) for remittance of all generated funds. This is a momentous step considering that those multiple accounts were used to siphon public funds. Through painstaking efforts of this administration, it was discovered that out of N8.1 trillion earned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in three years, N3.8 trillion was not remitted to the Federation Account.

    The $2.1 billion meant for purchase of arms and ammunition to fight Boko Haram terrorists were allegedly diverted by the former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki to finance the campaign expenses of former President Goodluck Jonathan; $115 million slush cash linked to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke meant to bribe election officials were unearthed by the Buhari administration.

    As one analyst put it, “the rot in the system inherited by the Buhari administration is sickening; the unfolding drama on daily basis is mind boggling. The President should be commended for working hard to plug all loopholes for siphoning public funds, in addition to recovering looted public funds.

    Muhammed lauded Buhari for appointing Mr Ibrahim Magu Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He said the choice of Magu has largely contributed to the success made so far in the anti-graft war.

    “Magu has been pro-active and made a clear difference since he took over the leadership of the EFCC. He has recovered more money and assets from looters than EFCC did in the past 16 years. This was made possible because Buhari gave the commission free hands to operate and deal with the corrupt elements in the society.

    “Since Buhari’s election on March 28, 2015, Nigeria has been moving fast to regain its deserve place in the comity of respected nations. Leaders who once shunned Nigerians have been inviting, in droves President Buhari to visit their countries”, the Kano born politician asserted.

    A PDP chieftain Alhaji Umar Kura said Nigerians irrespective of political leaning should support Buhari in his anti-graft war.

    “The on-going probe and the startling revelations on how the public funds were misappropriated are in the interest of this country. As a member of the PDP and like many other Nigerians, I couldn’t imagine the kind of financial recklessness that took place during the 2015 general elections. If the funds in question were spent on infrastructural development, we will not be where we are today.”

    Kura, a lawyer urged Buhari not to hesitate to launch a probe into campaign funds of the APC  so that the fight against corruption will not look sectional. He also advised the government to ensure diligent prosecution of the looters. If some of them are convicted, the Nigerian politicians that found themselves in power will sit up because they will realise that one day they will be held accountable for their deeds.”

    In Erubami’s estimation, “the promise made by Buhari is alredy yielding results. Corruption has been made to become an unpardonable offence in Nigeria and those saddled with the fight against corruption are now up and coming in their responsibilities. High calibres of offenders are being raked into detention and being queried on their stewardship and very soon will find themselves in jails where they belong”.

     

    On economy

     

    Despite the laudable achievements of the Buhari administration in fight against terrorism and corruption, Nigerians are not impressed with the non-challant attitude of the administration to the economic hardship they are passing through.

    Public Affairs commentator Dr Etok Bassey said the absence of a clear cut economic direction of the Buhari administration has aggravated the economic challenges in the country. Local and foreign investors are afraid of investing in the economy they are not sure of government’s policy on doing business; many entrepreneurs have closed shops because of high cost of production and laid off workers.

    According to him, “the 2015 World Bank report ranked Nigeria 169 out of 189 countries with ease of doing business. To ordinary Nigerians, the cost of living is unbearable as prices of essential commodities skyrocket on daily basis, yet the government could not provide palliative measures to cushion the effects of the economic hardship.  It took the APC-led Federal APC government almost a year to come out with a clear economic policy”.

    However, The Nation‘s Forum on the Economy held in April, this year provided a platform for  Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to unveil the much-awaited economic direction of the Buhari administration.

    Osinbajo disclosed that the Federal Government’s blueprint would be based on a strategic implementation plan for the 2016 budget under six thematic key areas adding that the plan would focus on about 33 priority actions. The key areas listed are: Lasting changes in the policy environment, national security and governance; Diversification of the economy by fast-tracking industrialisation, agriculture and agro-allied processing, attracting investment into the solid minerals, tourism and entertainment sectors. Others are Priority critical infrastructure, focused on increasing investment in power, rail and roads; restructuring of oil and gas sector and providing enabling environment for ease of doing business in Nigeria.

    Economic analyst Dr Fred Onyeabuchi agreed that the Buhari administration kept the international community waiting for long on its economic blue print. According to him the government inaction could scare genuine foreign investors. On the other hand, he said if the economic policy was released immediately Buhari was sworn-in, it will not make any difference because there was no budget to implement his programmes.

    “Buhari operated the 2015 budget prepared by the former administration till the day the 2016 appropriation bill was signed into law this month. His economic programmes were not captured in the 2015 budget. He has just got his own budget which he will use to implement all projects and programmes contained therein.

    “Nigerians should give the implementation of the budget a chance before criticising the Buhari’s economic policy. I believe if the budget was fully implemented, particularly the capital projects, it will improve the lots of the people. It is an ambitious budget that would transform the country if   implemented accordingly,” he added.

     

  • When promises become wearisome

    SIR: The promise of a better future has never been lacking in the leadership of Nigeria. Just as every woman knows her breast is primarily for satisfying the suckling; promises have been the endowment used by the political class to offer satisfaction. Even the regimes widely considered as bad never for once lacked promises of a better future while the citizens waited patiently as hope frittered away.

    However, enjoining Nigerians to be patient should not always be the follow-up campaign after every presidential election is won. This time around, people voted to see the promised ‘change’ manifest in their time; and not for coming generations. And whoever thinks Nigerians still needed to be schooled on patience is obviously missing out on the magnitude of calamities the people have endured in waiting.

    When would Nigeria cease to be an experimental ground for testing the effect of political promises and citizens’ patience?

    The All Progressives Congress campaigned about a new deal for Nigerians. A deal so good that Nigerians would be offered some ‘change’ from all transactions when they invest their votes in the already-well-perfected APC package. In addition, the APC salesmen kept echoing the unprofitable transactions PDP had let Nigerians into at the national level while proposing the attractive alternatives as the new deal.

    For Nigerians, disappointment is not a new phenomenon. What is a new phenomenon is that no individual in the political class cutting across tribal sentiments has been so trusted to have the strength of character needed to act boldly as Buhari. When the All Progressives Congress (APC) came out with its “Change” slogan, it was not different from so many well crafted campaign promises of other political platforms. The only difference in APC’s message is that it carried its own instrument of enforcing the promise. And Buhari was that instrument widely known and believed to be effective.

    Situations have ways of rewarding persons of exceptionally proven qualities with heroism when their eyes are morally focused on the ball. Providence, not minding Buhari’s age lag for physical activism, has again brought him out for a contest which success could assuage the feelings of his fellow-country men.

    With the amount of Nigeria’s money stolen and stacked abroad, and a dearth of infrastructural needs to propel the economy, the decision to first shop for international cooperation and support could be imperative, but no matter the profound mental activism Buhari is exhibiting in this regard, he must match it up with a greater amount of physical and mental activism at the home front where it matters more and the import of all his actions can be cohesively appreciated.

    After all, the good thing about Nigeria is the ease of identifying where the problems lie. And another established fact is the consensus on the need of force in crushing the different problematic joints of our national life: problems which have become rusty with the silt of corruption and mismanagement – preventing Nigeria from functioning properly and assuming an enviable place in the comity of nations.

    Good enough, Buhari is still demonstrating an unremitting appetite for acting boldly, which is most needed now. However, certain events like the bust and prosecution of high profile corrupt government officials can easily become a daily serial of an entertaining drama with an infectious downside of removing the mind from timeously attending to the other important subjects which get worsened by the seconds.

     

    • Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama,

    Benin City.

  • ‘Ajimobi ‘ll deliver on promises’

    ‘Ajimobi ‘ll deliver on promises’

    Dr. Gbade Ojo is a Political Science teacher at the University of Ilorin. He is also a former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State. In this interview with JEREMIAH OKE, he speaks on the recent Supreme Court judgment, the agitation of the people of Oke-Ogun for power shift in 2019 and other issues.

    What’s your reaction to the recent Supreme Court judgment on Oyo State governorship election?

    The judgment couldn’t have gone otherwise because Governor Ajimobi’s victory was obvious and incontrovertible. As a Special Adviser to the governor, I was an insider and I knew very well that there was no issue of election rigging before, during and after the contest.

    What is the import of this judgment?

    Going to court after election is a way of boosting the legitimacy of the mandate of the person who won the election. This is because when an aggrieved person proceeds to court, and the court delivers judgment that the election was free and fair, then, you are boosting the legitimacy of the government that was formed as a result of that election. Our democracy is still very young and the option of going to court by any aggrieved person is far preferable than inciting their supporters to engage in burning of houses and killing of innocent people.

    What is your advice for the opposition parties, particularly the Accord Party?

    They should go back home to re-strategise and wait for another election. That is the beauty of democracy. In a democratic system, the electorate could vote for a fool they could vote for an incompetent person, as well as a thief. But, they have the opportunity to sack the person they voted for in the last election in subsequent elections

    With this verdict, what should the people expect from the government?

    They should be optimistic that the present administration will deliver all its electioneering promises. The last election was like a payback time for Governor Ajimobi. If he did not deliver, it would have been difficult for him to win the election. Secondly, as at that time, Governor Ajimibi’s party was not the ruling party at the federal level that conducted the election. So, if he was not popular, it would have been difficult for him to win. Therefore, they should expect good governance.

    Eight months after inauguration, there is no commissioner and no elected local government chairmen. What is delaying this?

    After election, the views of the elected leader should be respected. Being a man on the saddle, if he believes that it is proper to delay constitution of his cabinet, it is not bad, primarily because of the financial crunch.

    But, some states have appointed commissioners, despite the financial crunch…

    The financial position of each state differs. For instance, Oyo State will require minimum of N5. 2 billion to pay salaries and wages and when you look at the statutory allocation advertised by Federal Ministry of Finance, there was no month since June last year that Oyo State got up to N2.5billion. If the state could not generate N1.5billion, the two added together is not sufficient to pay salaries.

    The people of Oke-Ogun are agitating   for power shift i 2019. Do you think the zone can produce the next governor?

    I read a report about it recently. It is a reasonable agitation because any zone has the constitutional and fundamental right to agitate for executive power. But, my grouse is the argument being put forward that their roads in Oke-Ogun are not motorable and that their indigenes do not occupy prominent positions in government. The reasons are ludicrous. They also said there is no tertiary institution in the zone. They also go to a ridiculous level of saying that there is no portable water in the zone. But, my take as a political scientist is that much as it is reasonable that they can agitate or demand for power shift, we also need to remind them that Governor Ajimobi believes strongly in a principle of spatial development. The present administration has taken care of all the zones in terms of power sharing. If anybody talks of road, I will tell such person to visit Iseyin which is the gateway to Oke-Ogun; you will see a dualised road that was commissioned by the governor before the election. The issue of tertiary institution in Oke-Ogun, the satellite campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan in Saki was upgraded by Governor Ajimobi to an autonomous Polytechnic of Oke-Ogun with a rector from the region. Not only that. The school of Health Technology in Oke-ho and the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Kishi, both in Oke-Ogun, are tertiary institutions. In fact the best NYSC camp in Southwest, if not in Nigeria, is located in Iseyin, which is also in Oke-Ogun. In terms of water, I am very conscious of the fact that the water works in Igbeti-Saki-Igboho-Agoamodu, all in Oke-Ogun, are all functional. Talking about the positions in the state, the chief judge of the state is from the Oke-Ogun, the deputy governor is also from Oke-Ogun while the minister of communication is also from Saki in Oke-Ogun zone. So, with all this, Oke-Ogun politicians should thank the governor, rather than saying they are marginalized. I can tell you that critical ministries were given to indigenes of Oke-Ogun in that last dispensation. The commissioners for land, special duties, local government and chieftaincy affairs and currently, the Clerk of the state House of Assembly is also from Oke-Ogun. To crown it all, more than 100 political appointees were from Oke-Ogun in the last dispensation. So, with all these positions, nobody can reasonable argue that the zone is being marginalised.

  • ‘Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises’

    ‘Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises’

    Hon. Akintayo Amere is a House of Representative member from Iwo-Ayedire/Olaoluwa Constituency, Osun State. In this interview with SINA FADARE, he says security is a collective enterprise that requires the input of all stakeholders. 

    What impact have you made on your constituency?

    I was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2011 to represent Iwo, Ayedire/Olaoluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State. As a result of my meritorious service to my people within those four years they decided to re-elect me in 2015.

    Along the line, l was able to donate farm implements such as two brand new tractors to my constituents. I also gave scholarships to indigent students from the constituency; empower unemployed youths with millions of naira; sink boreholes throughout the constituency, electrification step down plan aiming at boosting electricity supply and distribution of General certificate of Examination forms (GCE) to the first six students in  three selected schools,

    I also recommendations to the Federal Government on how to complete abandoned federal projects within my constituency. I have also assisted in subsidising the price of fertilizers for the farmers, provided financial assistance for market men and women, artisans.

    In the area of education, I organised campus scope programme at the Reality TV, Iwo. I’ve equally built offices for market men and market women at Odo Ori Iwo and the offices are being furnished with modern facilities, I have built an ICT centre at AUD Araro Iwo.

    What is your assessment of the APC-led Federal Government?

    President Muhammadu Buhari can be described as a messiah sent to save us from the 16 years of PDP mal-administration in the country. As you can see, within Buhari’s few months in office so far, he has done a lot and the good people of Nigeria are heaving a sigh of relief.

    For example, fuel price has stabilised at N87.00 per litre and it is readily available at filling stations across the country. The price of cement has equally gone down, from N2.000 per bag at the tail end of Jonathan administration, to around N1, 200.

    President Buhari also deserves kudos for his fight against corruption. Buhari should be commended as well in the area of job creation, security, especially in the area of taking the battle to the door step of Boko Haram.

    What can be done to put a stop to the insurgency in the Northeast?

    The cooperation of all Nigerians are needed to make the December deadline a reality. Nigerians should try to compliment the effort of the Federal Government and security agencies, by being security conscious, especially in the areas like Abuja, Bornu, Yobe, Adamawa, Lagos and Plateau States. The reality is that government alone cannot do it alone, except through our assistance.

    I also want to use this medium to call on private establishments to assist the government, by creating employment opportunity for the teeming unemployed graduates.

    For instance, we have a lot of potentials in agriculture, which use to be the pivot around which the economy revolved in the early 60s. If our youths can be encouraged to embrace agriculture, the issue of unemployment will become a thing of the past.

    How will you assess the performance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola?

    No matter what anybody says, the reality is that Governor Rauf Aregbesola is a performer. It is only those who are familiar with the state before he became governor that can appreciate what he has done so far. The network of roads that he constructed to open up the rural areas is second to none.

    Besides, the governor sponsored some young farmers to Israel and China, to go and learn the rudiments of modern-day farming. By the time he would be winding up, the state is going to be the food basket of the nation and this will translate to opening the economy of the state; from being a civil service state to one driven by the private sector.

    Most banks have agricultural-related products that the youths can assess, to turn farming into a business. This is a better option than waiting for office work which may never come and in the end, they may be frustrated. This is the time to put on their thinking caps and be more creative to utilise the abundant opportunities in the sector.

    In terms of security, Governor Aregbesola has invested heavily in this regard and that is why the state is relatively peaceful. In this area, he also engages these youths as volunteers and they are also engaged in various sectors, including sweeping the street, traffic monitoring, environmental sanitation officers, and other sundry matters. At the end of it all, the multiplier effect on the economy of the state is very significant.

  • Simon promises more goals

    Simon promises more goals

    KAA Gent and Nigeria winger, Moses Simon is  excited after helping Nigeria qualify for the final round of qualifiers for the FIFA 2018 World Cup to be hosted by Russia.

    The Super Eagles defeated Swaziland 2-0 in Port-Harcourt on Tuesday with goals from Simon and Efe Ambrose as Nigeria edged through 2-0 on aggregate after a goalless draw in the first leg in Lobamba.

    Incidentally, both players scored for Nigeria in the 3-0 demolition of Cameroun in last month’s friendly in Belgium and they repeated same feat against the Sihlangu with Simon catching the eye with a virtuoso performance at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.

    “It was a very hard game but I’m happy we have qualified for the final round of the qualifiers, the hard work starts right now. The Swazi side were really stubborn and disciplined. It was difficult for us to get past their defence ,especially in the first half,” Simon told supersport.com.

    “It was always going to be a difficult game but we were patient the goals will come and it did come eventually. The coach told us not to panic and follow his instructions which we did and I’m happy we won. I give God the glory for the goal but most importantly that we have qualified. I thank Nigerians for their support,”the 20-year-old said.

    Simon also spoke about his free-kick goal which put Nigeria ahead in the game in the 51st minute before Efe Ambrose connected home Sylvester Igbonu’s set piece three minutes before time to set Nigeria on her way.

    The former AS Trecin star said he has been practising on various parts of his game and is happy his set pieces are yielding fruits.

    “I have been practising set-pieces and I’m happy I was able to pull it off and score the goal. You have to be versatile as a player and I’m a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo as I always try to learn from him,”Simon explained to supersport.com.

    “I hit the post with a free-kick in the first leg in Swaziland but I’m glad I hit the target at home. It’s been God’s grace all the way.

    “This is not even the time to talk about that goal. It is time to celebrate that Nigeria has qualified, that is the most important thing. We will continue to do our best and by God’s grace we shall succeed. I want to thank the Port-Harcourt fans for coming out to support the team.  The other players and I appreciate them,” he said.