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Tag: shift

  • We’ll probe INEC on polls’ shift, says senator

    Senator Kabiru Gaya, at the weekend,  said the National Assembly will probe the one week postponement of the 2019 elections.

    Few hours to the presidential and National Assembly elections on February 16, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed the polls, and those of the governorship and state legislatures by one week.

    Gaya, who spoke with State House correspondents, said Kano people voted for President Muhammadu Buhari, although the turnout was low.

    He also said the next Senate would work with President Buhari in the interest of the nation.

    On the postponement, he said “…we will investigate INEC for shifting the election because it caused a poor  turnout. We will find out the reason – if it is funding, we gave them enough funding, if it was security, the security agencies were ready.

    “So why should INEC shift the elections? We are going to investigate that when we come back after the governorship election. But sadly, generally they did what they could do, I could say, it’s a passmark.” he said

    Asked about the Senate in the Ninth Assembly, Gaya said “a humble Senate, a vibrant Senate, and a Senate that will work with Mr President.”

    He thanked Allah for the President’s life, strength and ability to contest for a second term and win the election with a wide margin.

    Explaining why Kano voted for Buhari, he said: “I remember, when I was inspecting one of the roads in Nigeria here, at that time, President Buhari was abroad, I said President Buhari will, insha Allah, commission that road in his first term, and in second term he will do the second part of the road. People doubted me, but thank God, God has done it – President Buhari has ran for election and he has won the election.

    “I am not surprised for him winning the election because he has done much for this country. Take example, in terms of road, I am the chairman, Senate Committee on Works, so I know that the budget for 2014 before the President came in was N22 billion. But when Buhari came into office the budget moved to N220 billion and you can see now the budget is between N300 billion to N400 billion in 2019.

    “…roads that were neglected for 19 years are now motorable. Also… the importation of rice has dropped from 100 per cent to five per cent.

    “So I could say that I am happy President Buhari is back, and the election was peaceful, and Kano State has delivered although the turnout was low. I believe most of the problem was that INEC shifted the elections and people thought the election would be shifted again and they couldn’t come out to vote. We had just about 30-40 per cent turnout all over the country.

    “But …Kano has delivered, we had the highest votes and I think we could say we are part of the determining factors for the President’s re-election because he has done much for us – the dualisation of Kano-Abuja road and the railway project and so on.

    “We are happy the President has done that and we believe we will do better. We, from the National Assembly, I assure you, I am coming in as a senator for the fourth term – 16 years – I am one of the few ranking senators, and I thank God for being in the Senate.

    “…we will give President Buhari the cooperation needed for a smooth ride, a smooth process, a smooth passage of the budget, a smooth oversight and a smooth relation between the executive and the legislature. We hope by God’s grace we will give him that support,” he said

  • Power will shift in Akwa Ibom, says Eta

    •Etiebet: Ekere will be governor

    The Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Hilliard Eta, has urged party members in Akwa Ibom Stateto gird their loins, saying that power shift is possible in the Southsouth state.

    He said APC will build on its feat in Ekiti State to prove that it is a party to beat in next year’s poll.

    Eta spoke in Uyo, the state capital, during ‘President Muhammadu Buhari’s endorsement rally, where a chieftain, Nsima Ekere, was endorsed for the governor by party faithful.

    Observers described the rally as a defining moment for the main opposition party in the state. It took place a week after the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hosted chieftains for a rally. APC leaders said the rally was held to reinforce the fact that there is vacancy in the Akwa Ibom Government House in 2019.

    Also, the APC rally was significant because some big wigs who have defected from the PDP to the party were firing salvos and pushing for power shift. To them, the opposition party is better positioned to form the next government, adding that the PDP structure is ebbing away.

    The rally was attended by former Secretary to Government Umana Umana, former Deputy Governor Nsima Ekere, former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator James John Akpanudoedehe, Presidential Assistant on National Assembly Matters Senator Ita Enang, and former PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) member Chief Don Etiebet.

    The occasion was also witnessed by Senator Aloysius Etok, former House of Representatives member Eseme Eyibo, the Chairman of Cross-River Basins Development Authority, and former House of Assembly Deputy Speaker Uwem Udoma.

    Akwa Ibom has produced three governors in the last 19 years. The governors-Obong Victor Attah, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Udom Emmanuel-belong to the PDP.  The question is: can the Adams Oshiomhole-led APC change the equation? Can Akwa Ibom APC leaders pull the rug off the feet of Akpabio and Udom?

    To Etiebet, change is possible, if the party can field the right candidate. Hailing the endorsement of President Buhari and Ekere, he said: “Today is not a day of speech making. The crowd has said it all. The crowd has spoken. It shows that the people of Ikot Ekpene are ready for Nsima and Buhari.”

    Urging Ekere to prepare for leadership, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources added: “Nsima, go and consider our own call. We have called you to run for Akwa Ibom governor in 2019. With your benevolence and programmes for this senatorial district, consider the plea and resign in due time and run for the governor on the APC platform.”

    Etiebet’s remarks raised some issues. Although the rally was meant for the endorsement of the president for a second term, it also endorsed Ekere, who defected to the party, for governor. A fresh wound was opened over the battle for the ticket between Ekere and Akpanudoedehe, an aspirant.

    Akpanudoedehe once coordinated the battle against former Governor Akpabio in 2011 as governorship flag bearer, but without success. Since he defected to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN), he has been consistent and loyal to the progressive camp.

    In 2015, following Ekere’s and Umana’s defection from the PDP to the APC, Akpanudoedehe complained that he was being edged out. Some chieftains alleged that the senator shunned party activities, owing to the fact that his former foes in the PDP came into the party to outwit him. The bitterness was compounded by the fact that the sharing of positions in the APC did not favour him. Many of the positions allocated to the state went to those who met him in the party. Thus,  when Etiebet endorsed Ekere, there was apprehension and controversy over whether Akpanudoedehe had given up on his aspiration.

    Akpanudoedehe, according to sources, is indifferent to Ekere’s endorsement. He explained that he attended the rally to identify with the president and Oshiomhole.

    The endorsements of Esere, however, in the view of some stakeholders, was a reward for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) boss’ support for the party.

    Oshiomhole’s message to the rally was germane. Against the background of the intrigues that played out, prior to the APC national convention, the national chairman tried to correct the insinuation that he was opposed to some leaders of the chapter. Eta, who represented him, predicted victory for the APC. He said the party will repeat its feat in Ekiti in the Southsouth state, urging members to work in unity.

    The Chairman of the Central Planning Committee, Etok, said President Buhari deserved re-election because he has tried to reposition the economy.

    He added: “The President has repositioned the economy. Although the enemies of progress have decided to kill people here and there, just to distract him, we in Ikot Ikpene Senatorial District are behind him. We must support him  in 2019. That is why you see everybody here. Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District is APC and nobody can challenge that.”

     

     

     

     

  • Labour criticises Ngige over shift in minimum wage implementation

    Workers have expressed disappointment on the statement by the Minister of Labour and Employment Dr Chris Ngige, that the new minimum wage cannot be implemented in September.

    They described the comment as not only insensitive, but also provocative.

    They expressed dismay over  the delay in the implementation of the new minimum wage, noting that the expected increase in salaries would dampen workers’ morale.

    Ngige, who earlier raised the hope of a new minimum wage, also dashed it.

    The minister said going by the work rate of the tripartite committee, it was most unlikely that a new minimum wage would take off in September.

    Ngige said all that could be achieved by the committee was the submission of report to the Federal Government in September while it might take a few months for the processes to be completed.

    Besides, the minister also pointed at the inability of some states to pay as well as the private sector.

    Ngige said there were differentials in the figures that were arrived at by the major stakeholders that ranged between N22, 000 and N58, 000 while the labour movement was holding out for N66, 500.

    Reacting, a female civil servant, Juliet Adaji, who commended the Lagos State government for the prompt payment of salaries,  urged the Federal Government to speed up the implementation process.

    “Our salaries are not enough to take care of the high cost of living. Things are expensive; people are suffering.The government should not extend the September target,” she said.

    Another worker based in Kogi State, Adole Kenneth, said things were difficult for them as the government could not pay its workers promptly, adding that it would be difficult for it to implement a new salary structure.

    “As I speak, the government is owing me up to five months. When I follow up on the debates of the increased wage workers are canvassing, it makes me look as if I am dreaming because even with the meagre N18, 000 minimum wage, Kogi State is still not meeting up. I wonder about the N66,500 new minimum wage workers are clamouring for,” Adole said.

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Ayuba Wabba, said Congress would resist any move to re-negotiate the minimum wage, insisting that the proposed minimum wage must be paid to workers.

    He urged the Federal Government to ensure that federal allocations were not released to states and local governments that refuse to implement the new wage.

    Wabba said: “We are battle-ready against public and private organisations that would refuse to conform to the new minimum wage. At our disposal is the power of our votes. We shall ensure that the government that refuses to pay the new minimum wage will not receive the support of the working class, pensioners and their families.”

    He argued that the N66, 500 national minimum wage would at best meet only the basic needs of the average worker, if inflation were kept at a single digit.

    Struggling to reconcile non-take off of the new wage in September with  declarations by the minister as well as the Vice President, Wabba said there was an urgent need by Ngige to clarify his ‘double speak’ on the planned minimum wage to avoid confusion on the issue.

    Wabba queried the sudden change in the proposed implementation date, noting that Ngige had without any prompting, informed the world that the Federal Government would start paying the new wage in September.

    United Labour Congress (ULC) berated Ngige, adding that it would not accept anything that would affect workers adversely.

    It described the Ngige’s statement as unfortunate, saying he should have consulted members of the tripartite committee on the minimum wage before announcing the wage.

     

  • 2019: A vote for generational shift

    2019: A vote for generational shift

    As the country warms up for the 2019 general elections, Correspondent HANNAH OJO highlights the factors underlying the agitation by youths for roles in governance.

    Former Vice Prresident Atiku Abubarkar stirred the hornet’s nest in a recent Facebook live chat where he described his return to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a calculated move to save the future of Nigeria by creating jobs for the teeming youth population, should he become president come 2019.

    No sooner had he began to speak in a tempered voice that a barrage of comments filtered in from young people. A Facebook user, Excellent Emechebe, threw a salvo at the presidential aspirant asking why the famed politician could not pass his  ambition to a younger person. “You are too old. This is another Buhari in disguise,” Emechebe said. Following in line was another young man, Aziza Uko Douglas who fired a retort: “If you care about the youths so much, at 70, you wouldn’t want to run for president. You would look for a much younger person who is qualified with a vision and put your support behind that person”.

    As the 10-minute live session which generated 9004 comments progressed, it became glaring that the youths are frustrated by their marginalisation in the democratic process. Agitations appear to be growing among young people who are protesting the unwritten rule that defines their role in the electoral system simply as voters with handed down roles of election riggers or bag carrying personal assistants.

    When the House of Representatives passed the NotTooYoungToRun bill in the middle of the year, it was greeted with excitement. However, the snail pace of the constitutional review committee, which took some months before forwarding the bill to the Houses of Assembly soon created doubt.  It was not until some weeks back that the bill was forwarded. Following the transmission to the 36 Houses of Assembly, a minimum of 24 Houses of Assembly must sign their approval before the bill would be signed into law. Kwara and Adamawa have signed the bill into law. Youth Initiative for Advocacy and Advancement (YIAGA), a civil society group which has been putting youths in the heart of participation in the political process stated on its website that it has sent 991 personalized letters to legislators in the 36 state houses of assembly in Nigeria.

    Hamzat Lawal, an activist who is one of the front man of the campaign for young people in politics  is of the opinion that failure to pass the bill before the 2019 elections may lead to voters’ apathy from the youths’ bloc.

    “I believe that come 2019, if this bill sees the light of the day, we should aim at having a young president of the federal republic of Nigeria. I and my friend have started a campaign called TPC which is The People’s Candidate which is about taking power back to the people”, he stated.

    Also, as the campaign for young people to run for public office gathers momentum, Hamzat is also quick to condemn people who believe Nigerian Youths are not capable of being good leaders.

    “The civil society, the entertainment and tech sectors are being led by young people.  I think it is just a conspiracy to limit the potentials of young people to say that they are not ready? if you don’t even give them the opportunity, what yardstick would you use to measure their readiness?

    “If you are 18 and you are eligible to vote someone into office, you should be eligible to be voted into office. Mankind is meant to aspire and the worst thing that has happened to our generation is that we are not even allowed to aspire.

    Recalling the turn of event at a national day of action where thousands of youths marched peacefully in Borno in support of the #NotTooYoungToRun bill, Hamzat also affirmed that the eagerness with which the youths have pushed for the implementation of the bill is a sign that they are ready to take charge of leadership.

    Power, competence and previous results

    Dayo Adeniyi, a Mandela Washington fellow whose outfit, Matadors Leadership Institute has been organizing leadership training wants the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign to be focused on addressing competence and previous results, not just on wrestling power.

    “There’s an experience that could come with age so if someone is old, competent and can deliver quality service, why not? That someone is young does not mean the person will do anything different from what we have always seen. We need young, tested and competent people whose focus is on the service they can render, not the power they seek.”

    One of the factors responsible for young people’s clamour for roles in politics and governance is the unemployment rate, which stands at 14.2 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Again, the trading of Nigerian youths in Libya who got caught up in modern day slavery after trying to escape the hardship at home could also be said to be one of the factors fueling youths’ agitation for participation in governance. Also, the EndSARS campaign on twitter which called for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the police and was followed up with a rally recently may be a signal to the fact that Nigerian youths are beginning to shift from a standpoint of activism to wrestling power from the old political class. To win the battle over gerontocracy in governance, Nigerian youths would first have to conquer the reformation of a system where power often goes to the highest bidder.

     

    Reporting done as part of BudgIT 2017 fellowship

  • Power shift: Ogun West courts Alake, Awujale

    Power shift: Ogun West courts Alake, Awujale

    A Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Adeleke Tella, has said that royal blessings of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, are critical to the achievement of power shift to Ogun West in 2019.

    Tella, who hails from Ilaro in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, said Oba Adetona, Oba Gbadebo and the Olu of Ilaro and paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, have roles to play.

    The aspirant made this known in Ilaro, shortly before declaring his aspiration.

    The founder of the Tribute Television pledged to tackle hunger, create 3000 jobs within the first 100 days through agriculture and another 3000 jobs from the creative industry if given the mandate to govern.

    He lauded Amosun for working for the actualisation of the Ogun West governorship agenda and his rebuilding mission in the state, promising not to consolidate on the governor’s achievements.

    Read Also: We’ll resist attempt to ridicule ex-president – IYC

    He promised to also work in harmony with the APC to ensure its continued unity and victory in future elections.

    Tella said: “Whoever must take the baton from our governor must also be bold, focused and be highly innovative in order to consolidate on what has been gained and continue in the great stride and do even more.

    “The person must be able to manage great change, must be highly disciplined, must be proactive and be able to add strategic value to the state. I am prepared and ready. I am the right choice! “I know the challenges facing Yewa and the rest of the state. Through my wide consultation of over six months now, I know exactly what needs to be done. I want to assure that I will not disappoint the good people of Ogun State. Let’s tell our people that there is money in agriculture.

    “The next billionaires in Nigeria will come from agriculture and agriculture processing industries. This is a sector I am ready to promote with good policies and actions if you choose me. I am good to go.

    “Let me assure the party that I have the utmost respect for the party organ. I have no doubt about the present strength of the party and the labour of the members from the unit to the state. I am ready to cooperate fully with the party and work tirelessly to maintain and foster more unity so that the party organ will prosper greatly,” he said.

  • 2018: Power ‘ll shift in Ekiti, says Orire

    2018: Power ‘ll shift in Ekiti, says Orire

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Dr. Adebayo Orire, has described his party as the hope of the people and the answer to their problems.

    Orire made this assertion in an interview with The Nation in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital. He said the 2018 governorship poll will give the people of Ekiti an opportunity to change what he called “bad governance that has been going on for over two years now.”

    The medical practitioner-turned politician said he was offering himself for service because he had lived in the state and understood the psychology of an average Ekiti man. Besides, he said he has always been a loyal party man, who understood the manifesto of the party.

    He said the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has traumatised and impoverished the people of with bad governance.

    Orire, who hails from Ikoro Ekiti in Ijero Local Government Area, Central Senatorial District, said the increasing number of aspirants jostling for the APC ticket is a positive development for the party.

    This, he said, would afford members of the party and the electorates the opportunity to make their choice. He added: “They should know that the choice they make will make or mar the state in the next four years.”

    Orire blamed what he described as the wrong choice of leaders for the state’s current economic woes, lamentating that the state could not fully realise its potentials. He said the state is bleeding politically and economically under the PDP rule and that he has come to halt the trend.

    He said: “We have eaten our yam set, instead of planting them and that is why Ekiti has remained undeveloped, impoverished and stunted in many aspects, because we have chosen wrong leaders severally.

    “We have had a lot of political misdemeanor, imbroglio and uprising; we have developed a negative side of politics instead of the positive side of life. In all parties in Ekiti State, we have not been able to develop sustainable leadership.

    “What Ekiti needs now by consensus is somebody who has lived with them and shares their problems and aspirations; somebody who understands their body language and semantics and somebody who has proven openly to them that he is responsible and productive.

    “Ekiti people need somebody they have studied for the past five to 10 years. Somebody they know that will be able to cater to their needs. Somebody they had seen how he made his money honestly and had spent it honestly among them.

    “Somebody whose destiny is tied to Ekiti; somebody they can actually vouch for his emotion and maturity at handling issues and somebody who can wash off the shame that Ekiti has been put through and somebody who can redeem the image of Ekiti.

    “We need an urbane, serene, cool-headed, intelligent, humble and brilliant person who can bridge the gap between the high and the low, home and abroad, the good and the bad.

    “We do not need impromptu leaders who just run down because he wants to vie for governorship; we do not need people who want to come and buy off the post. Our party leaders need to put on the cap of neutrality and genuine love for Ekiti people and choose wisely.”

    Orire added: “We must recognise that the future of Ekiti, that of our children and our children’s children is at stake. The APC is the hope of Ekiti people; the APC is the answer to their problems, because the PDP has traumatised them.

    “There is hunger in the land; stomach infrastructure has turned to stomach infraction and the hunger in the land is epitomised by civil servants stealing pots of soup to feed their children.

    “Thuggery has yielded them evil, the bravado has failed and eating boli (roasted plantain) and epa (groundnut) on the streets has not translated to the good life the people expected. Everybody has known that it is all lies.

    “Everybody has known that the PDP has failed Ekiti, debased Ekiti and diminished Ekiti. The teachers are now more informed, with six months unpaid arrears of salaries, despite several financial lifelines in billions of naira received from the APC-led Federal Government, in addition to normal monthly allocations.

    “Local government workers are no more deceived now that they know that their welfare is not paramount to the irumole (ghost) that eats the bailout. Civil servants are groaning, the PDP is fragmented and confused.

    “The APC is the answer and we are ready to make Ekiti good by way of heavy and intensive industrialisation, extensive mechanised farming and a reborn Ekiti spirit of honour and virtue under my leadership by the grace of God.”

  • Call for shift of Ondo ‘guber’ poll irresponsible

    SIR: The Committee for the Protection of People’s Mandate (CPPM) condemns in strong terms the irresponsible, insensitive, callous, reckless, anti-people and anti-democratic call for the postponement of the 2016 Ondo State gubernatorial election by some 20 political parties.

    By this call, these political parties have exposed themselves as unworthy of the description of a political party established with the purpose of contesting election to assume public office for the good of the society.

    The political parties have further lent credence to the long held suspicion that they are mercenaries for hire for political manoeuvring by the highest bidder to the detriment of public good which ordinarily ought to be the focus of their cardinal programme.

    However, we must commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for being resolute, responsible and faithful to its constitutional oath and the Electoral Act by being focused on its commitment to a credible election despite the blackmail, provocation and intimidation by enemies of democracy.

    We also want to commend the security agencies for the professionalism and neutrality exhibited in the discharge of their responsibility and urge that they step up their game to curtail the evil plot to taint the credibility of the forthcoming Ondo State gubernatorial election through the provision and deployment of water-tight security before, during and after the election.

    We call on the electorate in Ondo State to be vigilant, calm, orderly and resolute in the exercise of their civic duty on Election Day and refuse to be used as tools of violence by persons and groups who do not wish our country well.

    We wish the good people of Ondo State a successful and credible election which will go a long way in deepening our democracy and engendering societal peace to the glory of God and benefit of mankind.

     

    • Nelson Ekujumi,

    CPPM, Lagos.

  • Why power must shift in Ondo, by Oke

    Why power must shift in Ondo, by Oke

    Ondo State Alliance for Democracy (AD) governorship candidate Chief Olusola Oke spoke with reporters in Akure, the state capital, on his agenda for the Sunshine  state and issues that will shape the contest. Excerpts:

    Why do you want to govern Ondo State?

    I contested in 2012 to be governor. there were good reasons for me to contest. These reasons have only multiplied, they have increased, expanded and therefore, so long as those conditions are still prevailing and multiplying, I will be failing in my responsibilities not to come out at this time.

    Ondo State is a state generously loved by God. If we look at the resources available to us, we should be leading; a shining example to others in Nigeria.

    I am talking in terms of natural resources, human resources, agriculture resources; whatever resources you can imagine that would help the development of a state, Ondo state has it in abundance: the largest rich human resources, they are all there, but we are not doing well.

    Why is the state poor?

    A critical assessment of Ondo State today would show that the people of Ondo State are poor. They are not poor in their heads but in their pockets. And I have come to appreciate that over time that poverty of the pocket could also affect the poverty of the head.

    If you traverse the entire landscape of Ondo State today; you cannot find one industry that is producing anything. The concomitant effect of that is that employment cannot be generated anywhere. Government has come to a standstill in terms of the employment of its citizens.

    We need to diversify our economy to be able to get our citizens engaged.

    For seven years running, graduates from the universities have come out in their hundreds of thousands every year with no employment opportunities. The effect today and humiliatingly, most of them have become okada riders, drivers, beggars and idling away at cheap joints of the communities. This is not good for us, it is the recipe for revolution any moment and therefore, I cannot fold my arms.

    You look at our infrastructure, they are in a state of decay, industrialization is zero and these are also affecting the educational sector, the health sector and the total being of the citizens of Ondo State. When you have situation like this, it calls on men who have the fear of God, who have vision, who have direction and who have mission to come on the stage.

    How will you solve these problems?

    I believe that, given the opportunity to be the governor of Ondo State, I can start to re-direct the development of the state. And the starting point will be to examine what is on ground. I already have the database on what is on ground; how do we utilize what we have to solve the problems confronting us. Look at the various industries mid-wifed by the last regime which are in different and varying stages of completion that were abandoned. For whatever justification, I do not share the view that those resources should be allowed to waste away. If they are completed, not only would they add value of their own that can be disposed off at anytime for consideration, they will help in solving the problem of unemployment; they will help in creating wealth for our people; they will help in adding value to the communities where they are situated.

    I believe further that anyone who must lead Ondo State at this crucial period must have the fear of God, must be one that is well known to the people and that knows the length and breadth of the state, and I fit into these descriptions.

    That is why I cannot relent until we sing a new song in Ondo State; until we have a new lease of life; until we have a new sense of direction; that is only when I can say okay, let others run. For now, it is a man that fits my description that Ondo State needs.

    What are the issues that will shape the contest?

    The aggregate opinion of the people of Ondo State is that the present situation is no longer tolerable; they want a change. They want a change that will bring about creation of wealth, that will bring productivity back on the table; a place where a labourer will earn his wages for work done; that will see the emergence of industries in this state; not government initiative alone, but private engagement in flourishing business in the state.

    The people want reduction in poverty level; they want job opportunities; they want infrastructural decay to be addressed. They want our schools to wear good look; they want the transport sector to be organized and less chaotic as it is today; they want the coastline resources to be developed and exploited. They want those abandoned industries to come back on stream. So the desire of the people of Ondo State fits into my dream, it fits into my manifestoes and we are on the same page as to the Ondo we desire and deserve.

    How do you hope to achieve all of these lofty ideas and projects?

    We are not unaware that the economy is in bad shape and Ondo State is worse for it. And of course, it has to be so, when we had enough we never build a solid foundation for the future. Lagos State is said on record to have the fifth largest economy in Africa today because while there was abundance, preparation was made for the future. We didn’t prepare and now we have been caught unaware and therefore, we need a lot of vision to be able to bring about all the good things I have said.

    First, the major burden is debt burden. I may not be able to be too specific but I am told and I readily believe that we are down with over #108billion indebtedness in Ondo State. That is a major challenge to the incoming government. But government liabilities are valid assets. Government assets and liabilities are valid assets; no government can take asset and run away from liabilities. But the way to manage it and reduce the effect on what we are doing is to go back to the negotiation table and reschedule some of those debts. Not in terms of the avoidance of liabilities but to give space so that the amount committed to servicing the debt can be reduced and whatever you get from there can be ploughed back to face the challenges of government Two, we have a lot of assets that are wasting away. The various industries or factories started by the last administration which were nearing completion in their different stages, we should do something urgently to complete them. And then we can bring in private investors, after proper evaluation. The truth of the matter is that despite the depreciation of those assets, the state of our economy, that is, the devaluation of Naira has also helped in enhancing their value; am sure today that if they valued, we will still have a lot of funds tied down there. We can bring in private investors, value and then ratio out the equity participation of the partners and that will leave some money for government to run. They are revenue generating ventures; government will be able to get tax from workers, from some of the facilities and help government to raise more money.

    You can’t ask Ondo State people that area already badly affected by the economy to pay more taxes. Even the existing ones on ground presently, we may have to be review to give it human face.

    Now, the Olokola project is there. we intend to bring that back on the table and it will be able to solve tremendously the problems confronting Ondo State at the moment. The cassava processing industry in Ikoya is there. So we look at the entire projects together, they will all help to begin to re-shape our economy. Because all you need to do at all time is to generate wealth for the people. And of course, the micro-economy, that has to be looked at properly because that is what sustains every economy. We will look at the artisans, in what way can we help them to make their job easier. Once there is productivity, those ones will bounce back automatically because the productivity itself has a way to reverberating and touching on every aspects of the economy.

    So, with vision, with commitment, all these are achievable and once they are achieved, Ondo State will smile again.

    How do you intend to work with the Federal Government to ensure that the people of Ondo State enjoy the dividends of democracy?

    That is why you need somebody like me who operated at that national level, who, therefore, will be able to leverage on his experience to synergies with other institutions; other government levels to be able to get the best for Ondo State What is important at this moment is to get a leader with vision, one with a sense of direction who must have a solid foundation at home upon which you want to leverage. Ondo state is part of Nigeria and good enough, I can say that of President Muhamamdu Buhari. we have a President whose politics is nationalistic and therefore the argument that I want to have a government that will not have access to the centre is not correct. Being isolate depends on the vision and direction of the leadership. I have operated at the centre for decades; therefore, I know where it happens there. It is to have the knowledge, the experience to be able to access what belongs to us; to be able to interact. Of course, I am not becoming governor of Ondo State to fight the federal government. Mine is to collaborate, to synergies with government agencies to get the best for Ondo State So what we get from there is not a question of which party you belong but a question of your vision, direction and the sincerity of purpose.

    If the federal government is aware that you are running a transparent system, whatever is your right you get. Some of the time you don’t get what you are entitled to because our system are not transparent, it’s totally translucent so when they cant see through what you are doing, even when you have a right there, you cant access it. The moment you open your books and are accountable and transparent with what you are doing and able to assemble the egg heads in Ondo state together, you will access anything you are entitled to irrespective of whichever party you belong to.

    In a nutshell, it all depends on the type of leadership in a state. The excellence you see in Lagos was attained when it was under the suzerainty of the ACN, not because it was part of the federal government controlled states. That foundation was laid a long time ago. So it’s a question of leadership really. What the leaders of Lagos state saw years ago which we didn’t see is to our chagrin today.

    So, if you have a man with vision, even regional collaboration would assist us to build a new Ondo State. I assure you that rather than being a minus, it will be a plus for us in Ondo State that the AD which had once ruled this state with great achievements is back on stream. Political party is just a platform to win election; performance in government is another thing entirely. It is the personality. An office is made up of the character of the man that is occupying it.

    Why the choice of the Alliance for Democracy?

    All Alliance for Democracy (AD) is our party. It is a party that has ideal; that is built on principle; that is built on vision. Our founding fathers have kept faith with the people of the State; they have keep faith with the Yoruba people and therefore I believe that is a very solid platform at this critical time when we want to critically transit and there are conflicting and irreconcilable philosophies and ideologies which I will not advance the cause of the people of Ondo State.

    I need to seek a platform that is known to them, that believes in them, that is structured to advance and protect their interests, AD is that party I found in the process.

    There is this apprehension among the electorate that the poll may be rigged…

    It is not the people that are scared but the politician that are scaring them by saying that if it is only one vote that is cast, they will be declared as winner.

    This is ridiculous; our electoral process has grown over time with the introduction and insistent on the use of card readers, and how much of manipulations can anybody do?

    I laugh at politicians who believe that this is APC primaries which they can rig with ease. We are talking of election and so this threat of “we will rig and win at all cost” is a misplaced one. I am busy campaigning out there, while they are in the comfort of their homes and offices threatening the people that they will rig.

    People that want to rig election must be ready for the consequences of such. But this election is not available for rigging. Power now resides with the people; they will determine who they want. When you delude yourself believing that you can do as you like and shut the gates of mercy to mankind, the consequences are there for you.

    I have examined the electoral regulations, I have examined what happened elsewhere and I have not seen how the issue of federal might has come to play.

    And we have a President; we must give it to him, who does not believe in this rigging his party members are preaching.

    Those who believe in snatching boxes, they should know that that belong to the past; those who think that results can be manufactured for them to write and announce will face the consequence.

    I am relying on the strength of the people of the Ondo State for this election, that is why till the last day, I will relate with them. Let them come out and cast their vote and let somebody come and attempt to manipulate it. They are jokers, the concept of federal might doesn’t exist anywhere; it is an illusion.

  • Re: Oke-Ogun renews bid for power shift

    SIR: A piece with the above caption written by ‘Leke Salaudeen which was published in the politics column of The Nation of January 18, makes an interesting reading.

    To start-with, the piece claimed that Oyo State is made up of four administrative zones whereas they are seven.  The operating power matrix and configuration in terms of equity and justice are:  Ibadan City and Ibadan Outer cities which comprises of 11 local government areas; Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun I and II, Ogbomoso and Oyo zones.   These seven divisions enhance zonal balancing in distribution of both political offices and infrastructure.

    The claims that the people of Oke-Ogun region of the state are unified in the agitation for the creation of their own state and desire to occupy the number one position in the state come 2019 are quite legitimate and absolutely in consonance with human inclination for progress. But to lay such claims on deprivations, deliberate marginalization cum under-development by successive governments in the state without exception, is uncalled for; whereas, the people of Oke-Ogun are sufficiently aware that the last four years had been really good for them.  All empirical indices pointed to the fact that they never had it so good.  This is due to the fact that Governor Abiola Ajimobi who has been in the saddle as the Chief Executive of the State since 2011 till date is a strong believer in ‘spatial development’.   No zone of the state could complain of marginalization and I am cork sure that in the next four years of his second term he will replicate same feat which was a herculean task to his predecessors.

    The author claims that Oke-Ogun do not have “higher institutions of learning, no tertiary health institution” among others.  The fact on the ground is that between 2011 till date, Governor Ajimobi upgraded the satellite Campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan in Saki to an autonomous Polytechnic while indigene of the zone was appointed Rector.  A School of Health Technology was not just approved but established in Okeho with another school of Nursing and Midwifery at Kisi all in Oke-Ogun region of the state.

    Salaudeen also wrote that Oke-Ogun   lack pipe borne water.  Residents of Igbeti, Saki, Igboho, Iseyin and Ago Amodu all in Oke-Ogun with functional water works would be taken aback by this. While the write-up claimed that there is no articulated policy towards encouraging the teeming youths to take to agriculture as a vocation and business,  Ajimobi administration was well focused from inception on agriculture.  His administration procured the highest number of tractors than any previous ones.  In fact, 10 tractors each were allocated to all the Local Government Areas in Oke-Ogun making a total of 100 tractors from Oyo State government.   Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP) which was moribund as at the time Senator Ajimobi came in was re-animated with the management team ordered to return to Saki.

    It is amazing that Salaudeen does know that the incumbent Deputy Governor of the State – Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo – from Oke-Ogun is the first Deputy Governor ever to be retained for a second term, when it is not in all states that public office holders are allowed to return for a second term in their former positions.

    While claiming further that Oke-Ogun lacks motorable roads, the administration of Senator Ajimobi embarked upon and commissioned dualization of Iseyin township road while Iseyin is the gateway to Oke-Ogun zone.  He also rehabilitated Iganna–Ilero–Otu–Alaga road.  One should not easily target that Okeho–Iseyin road was awarded by Oyo State government before the efforts of the contractor and state government were truncated by the PDP Federal Government, claiming that the road was within its purview.

    ? Still on roads in Oke-Ogun, between 2011 till date, Governor Ajimobi rehabilitated Moniya-Iseyin road, Saki–Ogbomoso road, and Igbope-Kisi roads too. The road dualization in Saki was flag-offf shortly before the 2014 elections, if not for cash crunch the project could have gone far by now.

    On Ikere Gorge Dam which was abandoned by Federal Government, the cheering news is that there is a strong effort by Oyo State Government to engage reputable foreign partners to actualize the purpose for which the Dam was built by Ogun  River Basin Authority (Federal government agency) to generate electricity, irrigation and pipe borne water for Iseyin and its environs. It should be noted too that Iseyin hosts the best NYSC orientation camp in the South-West.

    If any zone of the State is to be appreciative for getting the desired attention in terms of political appointments and infrastructural lip it is the  Oke-Oguns.  In Ajimobi’s first term, Honourable  Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Economic Planning, Special Duties, Health, Inter-governmental Relations, Environment, Local Government and Chieftaincy  Affairs,  Information and Orientation  at different times all hails from Oke-Ogun.  Thus, an avid reader would now see the writer crying wolf where there is none.

    • Gbade Ojo

    University of Ilorin.

  • Oke-Ogun renews bid for power shift

    Oke-Ogun renews bid for power shift

    The people of Oke-Ogun in Oyo State are clamouring for power shift to their zone in 2019. They argue that, since the area has never produced a governor, the move would foster a sense of belonging and ensure even development. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the issue.

    Oyo State is made up of four administrative zones. They are: Ibadan, Oyo, Oke-Ogun and Ogbomoso. Of all the zones, Oke-Ogun and Oyo are the only ones that have not produced a governor under the democratic dispensation. Apart from Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala who hails from Ogbomosho, all the other governors, including the incumbent abiola Ajimobi, are from Ibadan. The late Alhaji Lam Adesina (1999 to 2003) and Chief Rashidi Ladoja (2003 to 2007) are also from Ibadan. Against the background of this perceived injustice, the people of Oke-Ogun are now unified in the agitation for the creation of their own state.

    To actualise their dream for the proposed state, the people of Oke-Ogun under the auspices of the Oke-Ogun Development Council (ODC) had presented a memorandum to the National Assembly, requesting the Federal Government to create the state out of the present Oyo State. The association, while presenting its memorandum through its National Chairman, Professor Joshua Adeniyi, reeled out the various deprivations the people of the area have suffered and continue to suffer. He accused the state governments of under-developing the Oke-Ogun axis of the state.

    Adeniyi said: “Since Independence, the Oke-Ogun people have been neglected totally as whatever visible development you notice in the area is through community effort. Through self-development efforts, Oke-Ogun people have developed themselves and we therefore want the Federal Government through significant inputs from the National Assembly to consider the creation of Oke-Ogun State.

    “In Oke-Ogun, we don’t have higher institutions of learning, no tertiary health institution, the state and federal roads are completely in state of disrepair and there is no pipe borne water in any part of Oke-Ogun. The boreholes sunk were through individual or communal efforts. Where is government? We in this part of the state have not seen the essence of dividends of democracy. The development is concentrated along the Ibadan, Oyo and Ogbomoso axis to the utter neglect of the Oke-Ogun zone. Where is equity? Where is justice? Where is fairness?”

    The proposed Oke-Ogun State, according to Adeniyi, shall comprise Olorunsogo, Oorelope, Irepo, Saki East, Saki West, Atisbo, Itesiwaju, Iseyin, Kajola, Itesiwaju and Iwajowa local government councils. He said the area has all it takes to be a viable state in terms of its 13,537 sq km of landmass; a population of 1.497 million people, according to the 2006 census, abundant economic and human resources endowments. Former National Chairman of Alliance for Democracy (AD) Chief Michael Koleoso and former Deputy Governor of Oyo State Chief  Iyiola Oladokun are part of the struggle for better prospects for Oke-Ogun.

    The zone is made up of 10 out of 33 local government areas in the state, with a population of about 1.5 million (as per 2006 National Census). Oke-Ogun has the largest landmass (about 60 per cent of the entire state), but lacks any noticeable government presence. This, according to the people of Oke-Ogun, is an indication of successive governments’ insensitivity to the plight of the people.

    The zone used to be the food basket of the state, but that is no longer the case, because the younger generation has not taken to farming; most of the farmers in the area today are old, tired and weak. There is no articulated policy towards encouraging the teeming youths to take to agriculture as a vocation and business. Tools for mechanised agriculture is beyond their reach, thus forcing the young ones, many of them graduates, to take to “Okada” riding business. This has often resulted in the loss of lives through Okada accidents because the young lads are always in a hurry in their approach to the business, to maximize their earnings.

    A prominent indigene of Oke-Ogun, Professor Segun Gbadegesin, bemoaned the total neglect of the region.  He said: “Oke-Ogun used to be the food basket of the Southwest until oil wealth took centre stage in governmental thought and action. Roads developed since 1962 literally disappeared. Okeho-Iseyin road is a federal road that has suffered this fate. It has been contracted out for repair multiple times by the previous administrations. Each time, the ruling party gave the contract to its hirelings with nothing to show. Meanwhile, farmers suffer losses because they are unable to move their produce to the market in timely fashion.

    “Water irrigation has been another important variable in viable agricultural revolution. In the Second Republic, one of the initiatives in this direction was the Ikerre Gorge Dam in Iseyin. It was almost completed, but the Federal Government abandoned it. We were told the dam was capable of supplying potable water as well as irrigation water for the whole of Oke-Ogun. However, it remains only a dream, as reptiles inhabit the Ikerre Gorge Dam now. What kind of government invests in laudable projects such as this only to abandon it?”

    The former Minority Leader in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Alhaji Adekunle Rafiu, also  painted a similar gory picture of Oke-Ogun when  he said: “There exists the fear among the stakeholders in the Oke-Ogun project that the existing political equation appears to have put a ceiling to the office to which a citizen of the region can aspire; as if perpetually restrained to second-in-command to the highest political office in the state, budgetary allocation has consistently been below 10 per cent of the state’s total budget, while lack of infrastructure finds permanent abode in the region.

    “Projects usually allotted the region by successive governments are usually mysteriously manipulated overnight by the powerful and their collaborators and moved to other zones. This is in utter disregard to the laid down formula for distribution of developmental amenities which prescribes that Oke-Ogun with 10 local government areas, takes after Ibadan zone with 11 local government areas as indicated in their record.”

    In the educational sphere, Adekunle said that the zone has always been short-changed, compared to other zones. All that Oke-Ogun can boast of is the satellite campus of the Ibadan Polytechnic located in Saki when other tertiary institutions were cited in Oyo, Ogbomoso and Ibarapa. According to him, no indigene of Oke-Ogun has risen to the position of Chief Judge. He added that the pattern is not different from the subsisting scenario as could be seen in other spheres of life.

    A traditional ruler who spoke in confidence said Oke-Ogun will not accept anything less than governor in 2019. He said: “We are tired of playing second fiddle. We want one of our sons to occupy the exalted office in the next dispensation. The other zones that have produced governors did so with the support of Oke-Ogun. In fact, the votes from Oke_Ogun used to decide the winner. If we had assisted other zones in the past to win governorship elections, they should also support our zone in 2019. Our demand is that the office of governor should go round the four zones.

    “Under the present democratic dispensation, it is the right of the people to aspire for any office. It is also the right of the people to decide their socio-political direction, judging from the prevailing conditions, where the Oke-Ogun area has been underdeveloped by successive administrations.”

    However, Gbadegesin blamed the problem of intra-state power shift on prolonged military rule which, according to him, disrupted the growth of democracy in the country and also prevented generation of citizens from active participation in the leadership of political associations and involvement in governance generally. If there had been no lengthy military rule, many individuals and groups would have benefitted, he added.

    On the rationale of power shift demand by the Oke-Ogun zone, Gbadegesin who was recently conferred with a chieftaincy title, the Asiwaju of Okeho, said it is important to note that the progressive development of the state requires all of its parts to share a sense of belonging. He argued that this is only possible if there is genuine expectation that anyone from any part can successfully aspire to the highest political position in the state. To this extent, Oke-Ogun indigenes have a good case for their humble request, he emphasised.

    In the same vein, the Professor of Philosophy did not hesitate to point out the limitation of power shift. He premised his argument on three planks. “First, power shift and zoning are, to all intents and purposes, controversial concepts. For us to ask for power shift from one zone or area to another is to suggest that the proposed beneficiary zone or area is incapable of engaging in a fair contest without the backing of zoning formula.

    “Second, it is important to note that no one gives up power willingly or voluntarily. It has to be struggled for. Third, even when power shift is accepted, the beneficiaries have to be seen as both competent and dependable and they must prove their mettle to all the stakeholders.

    “By and large, power shift or zoning does not necessarily curtail the fierceness of a successful struggle for power. This, notwithstanding, the genuine aspirations of Oke-Ogun indigenes deserves the support of all parts of the state.”