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Tag: Southwest

  • Osun poll may scarify Southwest politics beyond imagination

    If care is not taken, the 2014 and 2015 polls in the Southwest may signpost the collapse of normal politics as we know it. Given the way former Osun State Governor Isiaka Adeleke was choked out of the PDP primary in Osun, it is feared that President Goodluck Jonathan’s plan for Southwest polls may be strewn with all sorts of perils and premonitions. He has placed the unscrupulous Musiliu Obanikoro as his point man in Lagos and empowered him with the position of Minister of State for Defence. Mr Obanikoro has remorselessly begun to use illicit powers to muscle his home state and perceived enemies, and in general to undermine the peace and prosperity of his geopolitical zone.

    The president and his party have also placed the impetuous and coarse Ayo Fayose in Ekiti as a countervailing force to Governor Kayode Fayemi, and are prepared to back their surrogate all the way in furtherance of the president’s determination to take the state from the APC. Dr Jonathan is also preparing to seize Osun by appointing into his cabinet the lachrymose and unconscionable Jelili Adesiyan as the Minister of Police Affairs, a man whose nauseous ties to Iyiola Omisore are well known. Between Mr Adesiyan, who was accused of having a hand in the assassination of former Minister of Justice, Bola Ige, and the overambitious Mr Omisore, a former deputy governor, a web is being spun to suffocate the APC and retake the state.

    Perceptive south-westerners must however be worried about the kind of politics the president is playing in the Southwest. His point men in the zone are all disposed to violence, and they are all backed by limitless federal power. Their brief is to ‘capture’ the zone, and they will stop at nothing to carry out that brief. In other words, if the Southwest escapes the grip of Mr Obanikoro in Lagos, Mr Fayose will grab them by the neck. And if they escape Mr Fayose in Ekiti, the duo of Adesiyan and Omisore will asphyxiate them. Taking Ekiti and Osun is to Dr Jonathan non-negotiable if he is to win the next presidential poll. He has a point to prove, and an axe to grind, for Dr Jonathan has never really hidden his loathing for a zone that appears to him proud, censorious and denigrating of others. But that zone is incidentally the only zone that still gives a semblance of peace and good governance in the country, a zone which he is nonetheless willing to turn inside out whatever the consequences.

    Southwest leaders however appear engrossed with the road to Abuja. They must rethink their strategy if they are not to relive the First Republic all over again, when Obafemi Awolowo embarked on a fruitless journey to the centre and ended up losing the Western Region. Dr Jonathan, I must warn very seriously, is obsessed with taking Ekiti and Osun this year. Since he cannot take them peacefully and on the merit of PDP candidates, he will attempt to take them by force. He will not spare anyone, and he will not care what happens, notwithstanding his sweet words about peace and democracy. The APC must recognise that given the rapid descent to anomie all over the country, the courts are no longer an option as a tool of reclaiming legitimacy. If they do not win on first ballot by making it impossible for Dr Jonathan’s forces to practice their malfeasance, then they should forget it.

    Should Dr Jonathan have his way, the consequences will of course be grim and swift. If, as we know, he shrugs his shoulders at the harvest of deaths in the Northeast and elsewhere, he will be prepared to even numb his arms and legs should the Southwest yield to violence. In addition, he will attribute the disaster, with the connivance of amoral and desperate Southwest factions like Bode George, rump Afenifere and Olusegun Mimiko, to the zone’s APC leaders. Since he is not a democrat, Dr Jonathan will always be poised on the edge of tyranny, eager to romp into authoritarianism at the slightest prompting, if we let him.

  • Town planners present plan for regional integration among Southwest states

    In an effort to provide concise strategies for the integration of South-Western Nigeria, town planners in the region have come up with policy document geared towards development agenda among the six states that make up the region.

    The document, entitled: “South-West Strategic Regional Plan – A case for Integrated Development Agenda”, was presented to all stakeholders including community leaders, commissioners of physical planning in the region, captains of industry, permanent secretaries,  Obas and professionals in Lagos recently.

    Agenda contained in the document encompassed various issues affecting urban and regional planning in the zone, including strategies for cooperation for repositio-ning development within the region.

    Town planners’ representatives from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states were visible at the meeting.

    The document was endorsed by Chairman of South West Forum and Chairman,  Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) , Lagos State, Mr Ayo Adediran; Chairmen  of NITP from  Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti states, Mr Ranti Osoko, Olatunji,  Niyi Olanipekun, Ademola Adesida and Gregory Ojo, respectively.

    Director General, Development Agenda for Western Nigerian Commission (DAWNC), Mr Dipo Famakinwa, said there was need for regional integration of the zone, being a region with a common language, boundary, culture, values and religion.

    He listed various areas such as education, industry, innovation, regional competiveness, agriculture, culture, trade and commerce, and religion  by which  south-western states could integrate for development, saying it makes more sense for states in the region to integrate.

    Speaking, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos, Mr Toyin Ayinde, stated that if the South West states could achieve regional integration plan to drive development, they would be doing Nigeria a lot of good.

    He recalled that regional integration programme was not new to the region, pointing out that the Late Chief Obafemi Awo-lowo, once came out with integrated rural development in 1978, with a plan to have integrated rail system, but regretting that up till now, the region is still grappling with the problem.

    He tasked stakeholders to pursue regional integration for the development of the region, adding that there is need to retrace the value and community spirit system of the region which have totally vanished.

    Former President of NITP, Mr Bunmi Ajayi, said the private sector must partner with government in running the commission to avoid influence by political parties.

    Chairman, WEMABOD Estate Limited, Dr. Adebanjo Adewusi, listed challenges to the regional integration among south west states which must be addressed.

    According to him, commitment of leadership to embrace the implementation of the document must be secured, adding that the policy must look at how the teeming youths would be employed, saying this would require the coming together of stakeholders and leaders.

    He also talked about the issue of sourcing fund for the development of rail system for economic integration of the zone, advising that PPP models must be applied to drive this.

    “There is need for value orientation; our people should stop worshiping money. We must look at our educational system. Ekiti State should do what China did by setting up a location for Free Trade Zone for education,” he said.

    He said the region should see agriculture as the main emancipator, urging the need to embrace agriculture and create a revival scheme for the sector by establishing farm settlements.

    He also tasked government and the private sectors on the need for infrastructure development, saying this is vital to economic integration of the south west states.

    President of Association of Town Planners’ Consultants of Nigeria, Mr Moses Ogunleye, said there was need to look at the area of legislation, saying there were laws guiding railway and power generation.

    He stated that lack of data has always been the bane of development plans for the region while urging for effective communication about plans for regional integration amo-ng the citizens.

    During the presentation of the document, Chairman, NITP’s committee on Strategic Regional Plan, Mr Olubunmi Adeyeye, stated that plans and policies that would be required for the purpose of integration of the region and to be facilitated under the new institutional framework  would include land accessibility and development policy, transport and mobility integration policy; agriculture integration policy; housing, resettlement and migration plan, employment and poverty reduction policy, tourism integration plan, industrial integration plan, trade and commerce integration policy.

    Others include education integration policy, security plan, health policy, energy, power and environmental integration plan, extractive resources plan and governance integration policy.

    For sustainable and effective integration procedures, he suggested that each state must first develops accessible and comprehensive policy on each sector outlined above so that the convergence states’ policies on each sector could be amended, harmo-nised and conceptualised into regional integration policy on specific sector.

    In order to promote effective governance, he pointed out that physical and land use planning in the south west should be such that every state prepares a state regional plan, while every local government should establish a local planning authority and prepare a master plan for major towns and cities to cover its area of jurisdiction within the context of the state regional plan.

    “Also, every state must prepare infrastructural master plan, development planning and development control departments as the main components on physical planning,” he said.

  • Placating the Southwest

    Consequent upon Dr Jonathan’s piquant but desperate cabinet reshuffle, it has been speculated that some of the vacant positions could be ceded to the Southwest. The president has apparently just woken up to the dire electoral circumstances his impending re-election campaign may face. And there are probably enough views and voices in the zone to encourage the president’s cold and cynical calculations.

    But if the zone’s conservative leaders are taken in by Dr Jonathan’s permutations, they must be much blinkered than anyone has cared to acknowledge. Given their unreflective embrace of the national conference and their hopelessly romantic notion of its timing and utility at this point, it will not surprise anyone if they remark and applaud the president’s whimsical acknowledgement of the zone’s importance and value.

    After all, did these leaders not wail over losing the battle for the leadership of the House of Representatives? Like everywhere else, even the Southwest has become depressingly susceptible to the mercantilist calculations of values and is now generally disposed to viewing justice and other noble values through the rose-coloured glasses of ethnicity and sectional parochialisms.

  • ‘Southwest retirees guaranteed good retirement’

    Workers and retirees in the Southwest geo-political zone are assured of a comfortable and rewarding life when they are no longer in paid employment going by their contribution under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has said.

    The six states in the zone are Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and Oyo. They are all at various stages of implementing the CPS with Lagos at the forefront, having contributed about N47 billion as at July last year.

    PenCom enjoined the Southsouth, Southeast, Northwest and Northeast zones in the country to emulate the Southwest by keying into the scheme to secure the future of their retirees.

    According to a report by the pension regulatory body, out of the 36 states in the country, 21 has enacted laws on the CPS while 14 others are at the stage of passing the bill into law.

    Adamawa State is however the only state that is yet to commence any action towards implementing the CPS, PenCom noted.

    While five of the Southwest states have enacted the laws domesticating the scheme, one of the states has a bill seeking to give the scheme legal teeth pening before the state legislature.

    Four out of the five states that have enacted their laws have made significant progress in the implementation of the CPS in their respective states, PenCom added.

    Acheivement by states

    Part of the achievements of the state is the setting up of structures in their respective states to supervise the administration of pensions and other benefits in both the states and local governments areas.

    Following the enactment of the CPS law by Lagos State in 2007, the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) was established. Osun enacted its law in August 2009 and established two distinct Bureaux namely; Bureau of Public Service Pension (BPSP) and the Bureau of Local Government Staff Pension (BLGSP). Ekiti enacted its law in January 2011 and established the Ekiti State Pension Commission (ESPC) while Oyo established the Oyo State Pension Commission (OSPC).

    Acting Director-General, PenCom, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu in the report expressed satisfaction with the full implementation of the CPS in Lagos State.

    She said: “PenCom is impressed and would want the other zones in the country to emulate the Southwest by implementing the scheme. The level of implementation in the Southwest is quite encouraging.

    Lagos State

    While Lagos State has fully implemented the CPS, Osun State is in the process of achieving a full implementation status. Ekiti State has taken substantial steps but is yet to commence remittance of pension contributions. On the other hand, Oyo State only enacted law on the CPS while Ondo State is at the bill stage.

    Mrs Anohu-Amazu noted that in Lagos, a total of 45,730 employees have been registered as at 12 July 2013, while it has remitted a total sum of N46, 495,937,321 into its employees’ RSAs as at July 2013.

    Also, the state has consistently funded the accrued rights of its employees with an additional sinking fund for N100 million every month being invested and managed directly by LASPEC.

    She added that the state issued retirement bonds worth N18.9 billion to its retirees as at August 2013. These bonds were redeemed immediately and the proceeds paid into the employees individual RSAs.

    “As at August 2013, 2,242 employees from the state have retired under the CPS and are currently enjoying their pension. A total of 1,575 retirees are on programmed withdrawals while the remaining 667 of the retirees are assessing their pensions through annuities.

    “PenCom had also actively engaged the state throughout its implementation process and has provided the support and guidance required in resolving several implementation challenges”, she said. .

    Osun State

    Speaking on Osun State, She said: “The state has also made significant progress by registering 45,106 employees under the scheme and is remitting pension contributions on a monthly basis into the various RSAs of the employees. As at July 2013, a total sum of N4,150,907,363 had been remitted as pension contributions.

    “The BLGSP had carried out an Actuarial Valuation to determine the accrued rights of the serving employees while the BPSP was yet to carry out same for the State employees. A total sum of N803,384,604 had so far been remitted to the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund Account (RBBRFA) of the State Bureau while N1,093,175,030.35 had similarly been remitted into the RBBRFA of the Local Government Bureau. “

    To help the state resolve its implementation challenges, Mrs. Anohu-Amazu said, PenCom actively engaged it throughout by providing support and guidance required.

    “In April 2013, the Commission held a training workshop for the accounts and pension desk oficers in the state aimed at building the capacity of the participants on the operations of the CPS. The State had similarly commenced reaping the benefits of the CPS, having raised funds from the pension industry following the issuance of a letter of ‘No Objection’ by the Commission for PFAs to invest in the Osun State Development Bond 2012.

    “The major setback on implementation of the CPS in the State is the failure to renew the Group Life Insurance Policy for the employees in 2013 and failure to carry out actuarial valuation for the State employees to establish their accrued rights, despite the fact that it has only one year left before the employees start retiring under the CPS. The Commission conducted a maiden inspection of the two pension Bureaux in May and June 2013, respectively.

    Ekiti State

    Giving an account of Ekiti State, she said the State has so far registered 37,676 employees under the Scheme but is yet to commence remittance of pension contributions.

    She said: “The State had conducted an actuarial valuation and determined the pension liabilities of its employees under the old scheme, but is however yet to open an RBBRFA with the Central Bank of Nigeria or any of the PFAs for domiciling the funds meant to redeem the liabilities.

    “It also put in place a Group Life Insurance Policy for its employees. The Commission actively engaged the State in its implementation process and has provided the support and guidance required in resolving several implementation challenges. In April 2013, the Commission held a training workshop for the Pension Desk Officers and staff of the ESPC. The workshop was aimed at building the capacity of the participants on the operations of the CPS.

    Oyo State

    In the case of Oyo, she said the State enacted its law in January 2010.

    A copy of the law was received and reviewed by the Commission and its observations and comments were forwarded to the state for necessary action. The state is, however, yet to commence full implementation of the CPS.

    “In order to expedite the process of registering the State’s employees under the CPS, the State was advised to appoint PFAs and allocate MDAs and also give the Commission feedback in this regard. The Commission is, however, yet to receive any response from the state.

    Ondo State

    “Ondo State has only drafted a Bill on the CPS and copy of the Bill was reviewed by the commission and its observations and comments were forwarded to the state for incorporation before the law is enacted. The state is, however, yet to enact the law,” she said.

    Chairman, Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), MisbahuYola, said there is need for all states to comply with the scheme.

    According to him, the association is embarking on enlightenment campaigns and devising measures to get non-compliant states to key into the scheme.

    He added that the structures in place are safe and transparent from the regulator, to the administrator and the custodian.

  • Can divided Southwest PDP bounce back?

    Can divided Southwest PDP bounce back?

    The Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is enmeshed in a protracted leadership crisis. There is no Zonal Executive Committee in place. Its caretaker committee headed by an acting chairman is weak. Following the feud between President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the former leader has not been able to command the loyalty of the dispirited party chieftains in the zone. But, the leadership of the President’s pointsman, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has also been disputed by some aggrieved stalwarts. With Ekiti and Osun State governorship elections  around the corner, the question is, who will lead PDP’s battle against the formidable All Progressives Congress (APC)? What impact can the party make in the Southwest? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the fate of the crisis-ridden party struggling to bounce back in the APC stronghold.

    For the Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), history is about to repeat itself. In 2011, the party, which once dominated the region, was dislodged by the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Unresolved post-primary crises became the party’s albatross during the election. Ahead of the proposed governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun states, the party is held down by a debilitating leadership crisis.

    The PDP army is scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Its leading lights are in disarray and working at cross-purposes.

    Following its defeat in the last general elections, the party was heading for the doldrums in the zone. Many party leaders retreated to their shells. Their supporters were left in the cold. Many of them consequently defected to other parties. Those who stayed back were disillusioned. Others were simply indifferent.

    Worried by the decline in fortune, a chieftain from Ogun State, Prince Buruji Kashamu, picked up the gaunglet. The billionaire businessman started the process of rebuilding the collapsed edifice. His platform was the Omo Ilu Foundation, which gave succour to the people. The empowerment programme was unprecedented in the Gateway State.Thousands received vehicles, motorcycles for commercial purposes and money to set up petty businesses.

    But, today, the embattled Southwest PDP leader is swimming in a pool of controversies. As the Chairman of the PDP Mobilisation Committee in the zone, he does not enjoy the support of some influential anti-Jonathan forces. Obasanjo, who has described him as a drug baron, is annoyed that the President has recognised him as the zonal leader. Some party chieftains in other states are also grumbling that his leadership lacks credibility. But, the politician from Ijebu Division is undeterred. Apart from denying being a drug trafficker, he said that he had worked closely with the former President in the past.

    Kashamu, according to his followers, came with a message of hope. When their morale was down, he urged the party members not to jump ship. He also wooed members of other parties to defect to the PDP. In August 11, last year, thousands of Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) and Labour Party (LP) members defected to the PDP. Among them were Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, former Secretary of the PPN and Commissioner for Education under the Gbenga Daniel Administration, and Otunba Adeleke Adekoya, former PPN chairmanship candidate in Ijebu North Local Government Area.

    At the PDP secretariat in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, thousands also defected to the party. They were led by the former deputy governor and Ogun State ACN chairman, Chief Rafiu Ogunleye. “This great journey started on that fateful day when Prince Buruji Kashamu came to my home in Itele-Ijebu, in company of the PDP chairman, Bayo Dayo, Otunba Ola Kukoyi, Prince Fakoya and Chief Dele Odulaja ,to ask me and my group, Imole, for partnership in PDP,” said Ogunleye, who praised Kashamu for his mobilisation prowess.

    At the event, prominent PDP leaders, including former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu, PDP National Secretary Prof. Wale Oladipo and Otunba Rotimi George-Taylor also applauded Kashamu for rebuilding the party.

    Party chieftains also acknowledged Kashamu’s financial support for other chapters in the region. He has lent support to the state executives and encouraged them to embark on massive membership drive. At a party meeting in Ijebu-Igbo, the former Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Ishola Filani, told the stakeholders that the businessman-turned politician has revived the party in the zone.

    When the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, visited the Southwest in March, last year, Kashamu mobilised members from the six states for the event.

    Also, when President Goodluck Jonathan came to flag off the reconstruction of the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, he mobilised party members who came in lorry loads to cheer the President.

    Kashamu boasted that the PDP will bounce back in the six states. “I’m ready to commit myself to ensuring the success of the PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti State during the forthcoming election. It would be a shame on my part, if I fail to do that. I’m ready to do the same thing in Osun, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Oyo states,” he added.

    Kashamu, it is believed, has risen on the back of the proracted feud between Dr. Jonathan and Obasanjo to the zonal leadership. Vocal and blunt, he has stood shoulder to shoulder with former Governor Daniel. he has also challenged Gen. Obasanjo to a duel. Even, when the Lagos PDP leader, Chief Bode George, frowned at his soaring image in the PDP, he called his bluff.

    In the West, the billionnaire politician is a leading advocate of ‘Jonathan for second term’. “Those fighting Jonathan don’t love Nigeria. Once someone has been elected into office, we must support such a person, until his tenure is over,” he said. He has also been chiding the defectors from the PDP for jumping ship.

    Kashamu has also adorned the cap of a propagandist. He has objected to the carrot and stick approach of Obasanjo, saying that President Jonathan cannot afford to wipe out the troubled spots in the North like Odi. He has also advised the North to negotiate for power shift, instead of making it a ‘do-or-die affair’. he urged the President to declare his bid for continuity, stressing that heaven will not fall.

    Kashamu, who acknowledged that the Southwest has been marginalised, appealed to the President to give the region its dues. “Yoruba men and women should be appointed to key positions by this administration,” he said.

    Many agree that Kashamu is on the prowl in the Southwest at a time the APC is not prepared to yield any ground in the region.

    “PDP has produced many leaders in this zone-Chief Sunday Afolabi, Chief Yekini Adeojo, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, Senator Yinka Omilani, and Alhaji Oladipo. None of them could mobilise the party for victory, until the PDP rigged out the AD under Obasanjo Administration in 2003. But, rigging failed in 2007. The stolen mandates in Ekiti and Osun were retrieved at the Court of Appeal. How can the PDP bounce back now that the Southwest progressives governors are performing?,” asked an APC chieftain.

    A Lagos PDP chieftain, who craved for annonimity, said that Kashamu is a disputed party leader in the zone. “We don’t know him in Lagos. Our chairman, Captain Tunji Shelle, has never attended any meeting called by him. But, I know that he is really trying his best in Ogun State”, he said.

    For now, there is no proper zonal leadership in place. The Southwest PDP congress has not been held. Can Kashamu instal a new zonal executive, if a legal congress holds today? A party chieftain from Ekiti State said that this feat is possible, although he pointed out that no zonal congres can be held now because of the atmosphere of disharmony in the party.

    Across the six chapters, there is tension. Although party leaders were pushing for consensus candidacy at a time, the option has been dropped. There were allegations that the Presidency had settled for annointed candidates. This did not go down well with other governorship aspirants.

    In Lagos, there is the peace of the graveyard. The combatants have deliberately withdrew from the battle front. But, they will soon return during the governorship primaries. In the last eight years, Lagos PDP has been battling with crises triggered by personality clashes and ego war among its leaders. The grouse of the leaders is that George is fond of politics of exclusion.

    In Ekiti, there are caucuses revolving around key leaders, including the deposed governor, Mr. Segun Oni, Minister of Police Affairs Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd) and Fayose. There is an agitation for zoning to the South District. But, the clamour is being resisted by other zones. Some people even believe that zoning is not an issue in Ekiti. They believe that the state is one zone.

    There are over 14 governorship aspirants in Ekiti. Thus, it is feared that the crowded race may be a prelude to post-primary crisis.

    In Osun, crisis is brewing, ahead of the governorship nomination. There is a gang-up against Senator Iyiola Omisore by other governorship contenders. A source said that, if he emerges as the candidate, others may work against him at the poll.

    In Ondo, there is no difference between the ruling Labour Party (LP) and the PDP. The infiltration of LP elements into the PDP has unsettled some leaders. The chapter lacks a dynamic leadership. Pro-Mimiko chieftains of the PDP are not at peace with other party faithful.

    Oyo is also a divided chapter. The leaders -Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, Senator Teslim Folarin, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Afez Gbolarunmi, and Taofeek Arapaja, are nurturing their antagonistic structures, instead of the party.

    Last week, some Southwest PDP chieftains converged on the residence of Chief Richard Akinjide at Ibadan and resolved never to accept Kashamu’s leadership. The former Attorney-General and Justice Minister echoed Obasanjo’s objection, saying that the leaders cannot work with a drug baron. Kashamu fired back, saying that he has been cleared by the court.

    Can the PDP bounce back in the Southwest? Can Kashamu lead the party to victory? Time will tell.

  • We have no Southwest secretary, say Osun monarchs

    • Alayemore: Ooni appointed me

    The Osun Divisional Conference of Obas has said the Southwest Council of Traditional Rulers is yet to have a secretary.

    In a statement by the association’s Chairman, the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Oyedotun, and Secretary, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi, the traditional rulers said they did not appoint any monarch to act as secretary, adding that it is illegal for any ruler to arrogate the position to himself.

    The Osun Divisional Conference of Obas, comprising Osun West and Central, said: “It is strange to see the Alayemore of Ido-Osun, Oba Aderemi Adedapo, parading himself as the secretary of the Osun State Council of Obas and the Southwest Council of Traditional Rulers. At the state level, a civil servant, who is a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, serves as secretary for the Council of Traditional Rulers.

    “No traditional ruler has the right to parade himself as our secretary, unless he is duly appointed through a consensus of members of the Council of Traditional Rulers. As royal fathers, who many noble institutions look up to for leadership, we must respect and encourage orderliness.”

    But Oba Adedapo insisted that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, appointed him Southwest secretary and coordinator of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria.

    He said: “I was appointed in 2011 by the Ooni through a letter he personally signed after the demise of the former Owaloko of Iloko, the late Oba Oladele Olasore. The structure and manner of appointment among traditional rulers is quite different from that of politicians and civil servants. If they have a problem with my appointment, let them go to the Ooni, who appointed me. He is the only one that can remove me.

    “The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, as paramount rulers in their respective territories, co-chair the General Assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria. When the fifth Assembly of this national council was held in Osogbo, where were these obas, who are now talking?

    “Three of us – the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Oyedotun; the Owamiran of Esa-Oke, Oba Adeyemi; and I – were sent by the Ooni to represent the state at the just concluded sixth Assembly in Sokoto. They can continue to query the appointment, if they, as custodians of the Yoruba tradition and heritage, do not recognise the Ooni’s supremacy.

    “It must be said that not all monarchs are members of the Osun Divisional Conference of Traditional Rulers, whose members are drawn from Osun West and Central, so I wonder on what platform they are speaking.”

  • Rivers Southeast elders: zone governorship to us

    Rivers State elders have called for the zoning of the 2015 governorship to the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, to ensure fairness and justice.

    Political parties that would field governorship candidates during the next election were also admonished to consider only persons from the senatorial district.

    Rivers Southeast Senatorial District Elders’ Forum, through its Chairman, Dr. Martin Nwogu, in Port Harcourt, stated that the senatorial district had been denied the governorship since the creation of the state in 1967.

    The senatorial district consists of Andoni, Eleme, Gokana, Khana, Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo and Tai Local Government Areas in Rivers state.

    Nwogu noted that governors and military administrators of Rivers state were produced in the past on the basis of senatorial district, insisting that it was the turn of the Rivers Southeast senatorial district to produce the next governor.

    The forum’s chairman expressed displeasure that the senatorial district had always been subjected to politics of exclusivity in the position of governor in the past, maintaining that the political developments in Rivers state was a plot to scheme out the senatorial district.

    Nwogu said: “The roll call of past governors and military administrators from the other two senatorial districts are Chief Rufus Ada-George (1992-1993), Dr. Peter Odili (1999-2007). Oju Dan Kalio and Ibim Princewill were appointed military administrators in other states by the regime of the late General Sani Abacha and the incumbent governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi.

    “These are persons who have occupied the exalted position of the governor or military administrator from these two senatorial districts in Rivers State. We cannot be treated as political slaves in a state where we have equal stakes as others, even when the economic resources of our senatorial district are second-to-none in the state.

    “Closely watched political events, developments and posturing in our state appear to culminate in a stratagem and plot to scheme out Rivers Southeast Senatorial District for the position of governor in 2015.

    “As a people that have been denied the governorship position in the 46 years history of Rivers State, we collectively, unanimously and categorically demand that the position of governor, come 2015, be zoned to our Senatorial District for fairness and justice.”

    The forum’s chairman also stated that the senatorial district had supported others to produce governors in the past; pointing out that the Rivers Southeast senatorial district was committed to winning the position of the governor in the next political dispensation.

    Nwogu assured that the people of the senatorial district would synergise with other people in the Rivers East and West senatorial districts, who believe in fairness and equity, for their support.

  • Southwest: No consensus on national conference

    Southwest: No consensus on national conference

    The Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference held the second Southwest consultative meeting in Lagos last weekend to collate the views of stakeholders on the agenda for the dialogue. Various groups submitted memoranda on the national question. But there was lack of consensus on the desirability of the conference proposed by President Goodluck Jonathan, reports Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU.

     

     

     

    Since 1993, Southwest has led the agitation for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC). Efforts by the Lagos lawyer, the late Chief Alao Aka-Bashorun, to convoke the conference were truncated by the military. But when the historic 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief Moshood Abiola was annulled by former military President Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, the agitation assumed a new dimension.

    However, when President Good-luck Jonathan proposed to set up a national dialogue, stakeholders in the region were divided. The division manifested at the second consultative meeting organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference headed by Dr. Femi Okurounmu in Lagos. No fewer than 50 interest groups submitted memoranda at the meeting, which was held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island. But it was also evident that many pro-national conference advocates shunned the forum, owing to their lack of faith in the President.

    When the first Southwest Stakeholders’ Forum was held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Labour Party (LP) government mobilised traditional rulers and some opinion leaders for the meeting. However, the Lagos meeting was a wide departure. Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti state governments boycotted the forum. The boycott was in consonance with the position of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on the proposed conference.

    Lagos lawyer, 80-year old Dr. Tunji Braithwaite described those opposing the conference as unserious people, assuring that it will succeed. Also, Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) founder Dr. Fredrick Fasehun suggested that the government and political parties should be excluded from the conference, since it is the “conference of the Nigerian people”.

    Other stakeholders disagreed with them, urging a strategic dialogue before the real dialogue. Apparently reflecting on the division over the representation at the conference, the Coordinator of the OPC, Otunba Gani Adam, warned against excluding the government and political parties from the process. “The parties will be throwing stones at the conference. They have the machinery to fight the conference”, he said, advising the Federal Government to make it an all-inclusive conference.

    The Southwest’s response has been seriously affected by the politics of antagonism in the region. The division in Afenifere came to the fore. At the NIIA, prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, led by Pa Rueben Fasoranti, and civil society groups filled the hall. However, prominent members of the Afenifere led by Deputy Leader Senator Ayo Fasanmi and APC leaders in the zone were absent. Also, unlike the Akure meeting, which was attended by traditional rulers, the monarchs from the five states did not attend.

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, who received the committee members at the State House, Marina, did not endorse the process. Although he acknowledged that a national debate is good, he pointed out that the reports of the previous conferences offered solutions to the national question. He urged the committee and the Presidency to tap from the past recommendations. In the governor’s view, the proposed conference is a waste of time and resources. Okurounmu disagreed. He said the 2005 Conference, of which he was a delegate, was undemocratic because government’s nominees were in the majority. Therefore, he said its report cannot be revisited. Although Okurounmu is bothered by the likely apathy in the Southwest, especially among the APC family, it is doubtful, if he can convince the APC leaders, who were his colleagues in the old Afenifere/Alliance for Democracy (AD), to change their minds. He has visited the party chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, but the former Osun State governor said that APC will not change its position.

    Even, among the representatives of groups that attended the meeting, there was no consensus on issues. Various organisations offered diverse opinions on critical issues, including the size of the delegates, eligibility of delegates, mode of selection, time frame and report ratification. For example, the Campaign for Democracy (CD) recommended a six month duration. Adams suggested that four months would be enough. The Committee of Indigenous Associations of Lagos State suggested six months. Observers however, agreed that the antagonistic ideas were normal.

    Anxious stakeholders temporarily converted the venue into a conference session by raising contentious issues that ordinarily should warrant a national conference. Okurounmu pleaded with them to wait till the conference, reminding them that he only had the mandate to collate ideas on the agenda and make recommendations to the President.

    The groups that submitted memoranda in Lagos include Yoruba National Assembly, Awori Descendants Union, Campaign for Democracy (CD), OPC, Southwest Consultative Council, Oke Ofun Development Council, Ndigbo Council and Coalition of Oodua Self-Determination Groups (COSEG).

     

    Yoruba Assembly

     

    The Convener of Yoruba Assembly, Gen. Alani Akinrinade declared at the meeting that a restrictive conference would be rejected, stressing that “no-go areas” are will not be entertained. In his view, all the issues, including the unity of Nigeria, is negotiable. Akinrinade submitted a 78-paged memoranda.

    The retired General proposed two bills. He said the first bill should give legitimacy to the conference. He said the second should ensure that, after the report has been ratified by the people, the National Assembly will now pass it into law. Akinrinade endorsed the 18 federating units proposed by the Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) in 2005. He suggested that ethnic nationalities should send delegates to the conference. The retired General insisted on referendum, stressing that it is counter-productive to submit the report of the conference to a National Assembly.

     

    Afenifere

     

    The pan-Yoruba group was represented by Mr. Yinka Odumakin. The group reiterated its support for the conference. But it maintained that it is dangerous to subject its recommendations to the National Assembly because many legislators were products of elections marred by apathy. Odumakin said that Afenifere believed in a referendum because sovereignty belongs to the people.

     

    OPC factions

     

    The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and Ndigbo Council said the conference should give room for self-determination and autonomy for the ethnic groups, if they desire them. Fasehun, said: “Any ethnic group that wants to opt out of the federation must have the opportunity to do so”. The OPC leader aligned with the Yoruba Assembly on the need to pass a bill in support of the conference. But he also stressed that, when the report is submitted to the National Assembly for inclusion in the constitution, the legislators have no right to tamper with it. He said the conference should be an all-inclusive conference of ethnic nationalities and social groups.

    However, Adams opposed the idea of putting the destiny of the conference in the hands of the federal legislators. He said that 80 percent of them do not support the conference, warning that “if we ask them to pass a bill the conference is dead on arrival”. The OPC Coordinator proposed a federation with a loose centre, six regions as federating units, devolution of powers, abolition of powers of emergency exercised by the centre, and payment of delegates by government. Adams also suggested that the national dialogue should have “sovereign decisions”.

     

    Ndigbo Council

     

    Echoing Fasehun, the representative of the Ndigbo Council, Dr. Uma Eleazu, said: “We should ask at the beginning of the conference whether we wantto stay together as a country. If the answer is no, that is the end of the conference. The Bible says that ‘can two work together, unless they agree?”

     

    Team of Nigerian Patriots

     

    This is not the popular “Patriots” led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN). This group is led by Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa. The former Alliance for Democracy (AD) Senate Leader spoke on the qualities of the delegates. He said, for Yoruba to be adequately represented, delegates on Yoruba platform should also come from Yoruba in Kogi, Kwara, Edo and Diaspora. “delegates should not be aeesmbled by the logic of money and political power”, he added. Akinfenwa also insisted on referendum for the validation of the conference report by simple majority.

     

    ARG, PRONACO, COSEG and ONAC

     

    The ARG suggested that 30 delegates should represent each administrative region. The group proposed 18 regions, adding that the conference should hold between March 1 and November 30 next year. ARG leader Hon. Olawale Oshun, said that “any ethnic group that does not agree to the conference’s outcome shall be free to seek its own sovereignty’. He added: “Since the conference will produce a new Constitution, we recommend that it be completed before 2015 elections, with a new Constitution to come into force latest by January 2, 2015. We recommend two tiers of conferencing: Administrative Regional Conferencing and the Pan-Nigeria Conferencing. Whatever is agreed at the Administrative Regional Conferencing will be the working document that the Administrative Regional Conference will present at the pan Nigeria Conference and that is what will be negotiated upon.”We are asking that each region should have the opportunity to decide who represents them and to that extent we are suggesting that representation from each region should not exceed 30 and we recommend that an additional 18 persons should be able to join the 30 people from each administrative zone so that at the end of it, we will have a total of 198. We also recommend that under no circumstance should any special interest group be considered, they are all members of the nationality and if they are interested in participating, they should be called from their nationality and within nine months the exercise should be completed”.

     

    Southwest Consultative Forum

     

    The Southwest Consultative Forum (SCF) said that mini-conferences should be held at the state, regional and national levels. The leader of the group, Dr Tunji Braithwaite, said that each local government should elect 10 representatives to the State Delegate Conference, each state in a region should send 10 elected representatives to the regional conference and each zone should send 60 delegates to the national conference. In addition to the 360 delegates, he proposed that non-voting 100 delegates should represent “technical or special interests”, including labour, judiciary, and other government agencies. “It is suggested that the ward consultations, local government conferences, state conferences, regional/zonal conferences and the national conference be held in 2014, and a national refrendum on the adoption of the new constitution be conducted before October 1, 2014, and coming into being on October 1, 2014, signifying the rebirth of Nigeria”, he added.

     

    Oke Ogun Development Council

     

    The group was represented by Real Admiral Amos Adedeji. The group suggested that representation at the conference should be based on local governments.

     

    Awori Descendants Union

     

    Former Lagos State House of Assembly member Hon. Bolwale Olasoji represented the group. The group called for a special status for Lagos State, a state indigenous character commission, the abolition of the Land Use Act, and equal representation by the ethnic nationalities.

     

    CD

     

    The leader of the group, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, warned that Nigeria may sink, if urgent steps are not taken. “Conference must have sovereign powers to make it a peoples’ conference”, she said. On the agenda for the conference, she said it should discuss the national question, especially the restructuring, national security, fiscal federalism, and human rights. Mrs. Odumakin suggested that foreign observers from the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) should serve as observers.

     

    Yoruba Unity Forum

     

    The group is led by Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi. It proposed 400 delegates to be drawn from the ethnic nationalities. The zones should be equally represented, but the Federal capital Territory (FCT) should be proportionally represented.

     

    EMIROAF

     

    The Secretarty-General of Ethnic Minority and Indigenous Rights Organisation of Africa (EMIROAF), Mr. Alfred Ilenre, urged the government to set up a conference of ethnic nationalities. Decisions at the conference, he said, should be by consensus. He said, in addition to the foreign observers, civil society groups can also serve as domestic monitors.

     

    ‘Nigeria O Possible Group’

     

    The group was represented by Mr. Gbenga Adesanya. Its suggestions include parliamentary system, a small government of six regions, abolition of state creation, full autonomy for councils and independent candidacy. Others are part-time legislature, amendment of the Land Use Act, self-sustaining university, citizenship rights, oil theft as treason, abolition of contract employment and the retention of the current centralised police structure.

     

  • How far can Labour Party go in Southwest?

    How far can Labour Party go in Southwest?

    Aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Party (APC) chieftains in the Southwest are courting the Labour Party (LP) as part of their calculations for power in 2015, reports  MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE.

    The Labour Party (LP) came into existence in 2002. For five years, it was a nominal party on the register of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Although LP is perceived as a progressive party with a mass appeal, there is no evidence that workers have even embraced it as an exclusive political platform.

    However, in 2007, the party bounced into reckoning in Ondo State. The PDP defector, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who became its governorship candidate, defeated former Governor Olusegun Agagu. Since then, aggrieved politicians from the PDP have been seeking refuge in the minor party.

    As the polity prepares for 2015, LP appears to have become the alternative platform for politicians as ‘Plan B’. In Ekiti State, sources said that the supporters of the House of Representatives member, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, have opened talks with the LP leadership. The former Lagos State Information Commissioner has declared his interest in the governorship. But the coast is not clear in the ruling APC.

    In Ogun State, the former PDP chieftains loyal for former Governor Gbenga Daniel have defected to the LP from the mushroom party, the PPN. In Oyo, Osun, and Lagos states, LP also exists on paper. However, whenever crises his the major parties, LP’s prospects are boosted.

    However, for now, the success of the LP is limited to Ondo State. Apart from recovering its stolen mandate from the PDP, Mimiko won a re-election last year.

    From its poor showing in the 2007 parliamentary election, where it won a seat in the House of Representatives, LP now has two senators and seven members in the Lower House.

    Senator Ajayi Boroffice, who defected from the LP to the ACN, described LP as a child of necessity and product of political expediency. Boroffice said: “The party is a child of circumstance and people have actually said that it was not actually a party, but a platform created out of necessity for Mimiko to declare his intention to run as governor.”

    A similar circumstance shaped the destiny of the party in Ekiti in 2011. Politicians who were edged out of the parliamentary primaries in Ekiti PDP turned to the LP for survival. They were led by former Governor Ayo Fayose, who contested for the Senate in the Ekiti Central District. They however, crashed at the polls.

    On 2011, a section of the ACN backing Governor Babatunde Fashola for a second term, also gravitated to the direction of the LP, thinking that the governor may be edged out of the nomination process. Some commissioners, special advisers and other functionaries became emissaries between the LP and the governor’s camp. They were later relieved of their posts for disloyalty and anti-party activities.

    It appears that the Southwest has not treated the LP like a leper. Observers point out that it may have survived the broom revolution in Ondo State because the ACN and LP appear to be united in character. In fact, between 2007 and 2009, prominent ACN leaders fought for the restoration of Mimiko’s mandate in the court

    The game changed during the governorship poll in Ondo last year. The PDP tacitly supported the LP to prevent the growing influence of the ACN. The perception is that ‘Mimiko is LP in Akure and PDP in Abuja’. In fact, PDP leaders, including Chief Segun Adegoke, have said that the party was wooing the governor to retrace his steps.

    Sources said that, although Mimiko has not formally defected to the PDP, he is a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan. The LP governor supported the President’s candidate for the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) chairmanship, Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, against Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who won the election.

    However, outside Ondo State, LP is in the cold. Before the 2011 rebellion in the ACN, there was a failed attempt to promote the LP in Lagos. Former Deputy Governor Olufemi Pedro ran to the party in frustration in 2007, following the emergence of Fashola as the AC governorship candidate. He contested as the governor, but without success. When he lost his deposit at the poll, he defected to the PDP after the election.

    Recently, it was speculated that Lagos politician Mr. Jimi Agbaje, who had rejected overtures from the PDP, was considering the option of defecting to the LP. His associates explained that his membership of the LP, if he eventually declares for the party, may not mock his antecedent as a progressive politician. Despite the electoral misfortune that has trailed his political career, Agbaje has fans among the masses.

    Ahead of 2015, LP is warming up. But it is not certain that it will eventually make a mark because it is a ‘fall back party”. In 2011, LP came third in Ogun State. Since then, nothing has been heard about its former governorship candidate, Rev. Jide Awosedo. When the APC chieftain, Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye, wanted to defect to the LP, his supporters faulted the calculation, saying that PDP was better.

    However, sources said that Daniel is working assiduously to re-build the party. His wife, Mrs. Olufunke Daniel, was the chief launcher at the party’s N100 million empowerment programme organised by the LP women’s wing.

    In Osun State, the LP has inaugurated a 10-man congress committee headed by Chief Daniel Afilaka to prepare the party for its forth coming congress this month. The chapter resolved to appeal to its national secretariat to lift the ban placed on some members for anti-party activities to heal the wounds within the party structure.

    Many chieftains are also worried about the protracted court case between the former chairman of the party, Comrade Rufus Oyatoro, and some chieftains. They said the matter should be settled out of court. The national leadership of the party has instituted a ‘Truth and Fact Finding Committee’ to listen to the grievances of the two parties in the dispute. The allegation against the former chairman is that he is hobnobbing with the APC.

    In Oyo State, LP is double dating. A section is supporting the Ajimobi Administration while another section is hobnobbing with the PDP. The acting chairman, Mr. Abdul Adepoju, said the party is the beautiful bride in the Oyo State politics. However, he said that LP is ready for the council polls. “We have put behind our political challenges and repositioned our party in all the 33 local government across the state”, Adepoju said.

    In Ekiti, a drama is unfolding. There is anxiety in the ruling party, following the personality clashes between Governor Kayode Fayemi and his compatriot, Bamidele. To many people, the governor has lived to expectation. Therefore, they believe that he deserves a second term. But Bamidele has said that he will slug it out with the governor, despite his endorsement by the party for a second term.

    Two months ago, Bamidele inaugurated his campaign organi-sation in Ado-Ekiti. He is also holding consultations with leaders across the 16 councils. The feelers suggest that the former commissioner cannot get the APC ticket.

    Bamidele’s posters, which have the logo of the LP on them, have caused some stir. The lawmaker said it is the handiwork of mischief makers within his party.

    He said: “It is an attempt by those who are conspiring against my vision and destiny to preempt and harass me into surrendering on my principled stance on issues.”

    The LP chairman, Mr. Gbenga Daramola, said the former commissioner was not yet a member of the party. But he quickly added that, if he defected to the party, he would be welcomed. “We wish to state unequivocally that he is at present not a member of the LP, let alone its governorship aspirant”, Daramola said.

    However, a party source said that Bamidele is on his way to the LP. He added: “The lawmaker has visited the APC chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, and the leader and his mentor, Asiwaju Tinubu. He informed Tinubu of his ambition. He gave some options. He said he would like to participate in a free and fair primaries. He said he would like to go to the LP to contest and win and later return to the APC. But they said that Tinubu told his boy that, if he leaves the APC, it meant the parting of ways between father and son. We don’t know whether the legislator is still reflecting on his mentor’s advice”.

  • FERMA kicks off Southwest road scheme

    FERMA kicks off Southwest road scheme

    The Chairman, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Mr Ezekiel Adeniji, has kicked off the agency’s South-west (II) Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) Public Works Scheme on the Third Mainland Bridge.

    At the ceremony attended by 10 of the 14-member Governing Board, Adeniji said the FERMA SURE-P Public Works scheme in the Zone actually came into effect earlier in the year, that the launch was only a formally.

    He said about 6, 700 youths have been engaged from communities to take care of federal roads and other critical road infrastructure. They will carry out such routine maintenance operations as vegetation control, de-silting of drains, patching of potholes and sundry road maintenance operations under the supervision of experienced engineers and technicians, he added.

    He noted that the number of participants would increase from the 6, 700 to 10, 000 before the end of the year. He envisaged it to reach 45, 000 participants by the end next year.

    According to Adeniji, President Goodluck Jonathan administration decided to involve communities and youths, not only to employ the teeming unemployed youths, but also as means of committing communities to participate in monitoring and maintaining national road assets in line with the President’s transformation agenda in the roads sector.

    He said the choice of the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos to launch the scheme was in recognition of the vital place of the 13-kilometre facility in the socio-economic life of the nation.

    The chairman stated that necessary equipment and materials have been deployed to formations while necessary measures to safeguard participants against maintenance scene and related hazards have been put in place.