The Nation Newspaper

Tag: unemployment

  • Declare state of emergency on unemployment, says union

    Concerned over the alarming rate of unemployment in the country, the President of Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Comrade Oyinkansola Olasanoye, has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on unemployment.

    Speaking with The Nation, Comrade Olasanoye said  the rate of unemployment was alarming, pointing out  that statistics  by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that over 27 million Nigerian youths were unemployed, while over 70 million people were under-employed.

    According to Olasanoye, the number is more than Ghana’s population and that of Benin Republic.

    “We are looking at a situation where we have a whole nation not employed in some other countries.”

    “So, we have over 27 million who live on less than a dollar per day, and we have over 70 million people under-employed; these are people who are working, but by international standard practice, earn far less than what they ought to.

    “This rate is alarming and notable Nigerians ought to talk about it. We understand that the government has done their bit to help Nigerians in reducing the state of unemployment in the country, but more needs to be done,” she said.

    She noted that Nigerians are suffering, and that the government should look at the issue more critically, adding that it is when the Federal Government declares a state of emergency on unemployment in the country that most unemployed youths would be employed.

    She said: “Young people entering the labour market today face the daunting task of first finding decent jobs and then keeping them when they do.

    “Unemployment rates are on the rise again. Indeed, two out of every five young women and men in the country are unemployed or working but living in poverty.

    “To be effective, however, government finances have to be in relatively good shape. Thus, as recession arrived since 2016, fiscal expansion should be implemented immediately, before the economic downturn itself leads to a significant worsening of the budget balance.

    “An example of such an approach is the Youth Guarantee programme, which was introduced in the European Union in 2014. It is intended to provide young people, who are neither working nor in education, with quality education, training or work. The Youth Guarantee is by its nature countercyclical, expanding during lows in the economic cycle when youth joblessness tends to rise”.

  • ‘Declare state of emergency on unemployment’

    Concerned over the alarming rate of unemployment in the country, President UNIC Foundation, Dr Christopher Imumolen, an NGO, focused on youth, women and children development and empowerment, has called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on unemployment. Imumolen who spoke at a press briefing today, at the foundation’s headquarters in Igando, Lagos, said  that  rate of unemployment is alarming, pointing out  that statistics revealed  that over 27 million Nigerian youths  are unemployed while over 70 million people are under employed.

    According to him, that number outweighs the number of the population in Ghana, it outweighs the population of Benin Republic. “We are looking at a situation where we have a whole nation not employed in some other countries.” His words: “So we have over 27 million who live on less than a dollar per day, and we have over 70million people under employed, these are people who are working but by international standard practice are earning far less than what they ought to earn. This rate is alarming and notable Nigerians ought to talk about it. We understand that the government has done their bit to help Nigerians in reducing the state of unemployment in the country, but more need to be done.”

    He hinted that people are suffering, though the foundation is not blaming the govt, it is saying that the government should look at the issue more critically. Adding that the end power employment, on the website that ought to employ 300people have 2.3 million applying for a job where they will be paid 30 thousand naira a month. This, according to him, “proves we are in a litmus situation, which if not controlled may totally erode our value on education. People see their elders who have gone through education remaining unemployed for over five years, how can they still believe that education is the key to success?

    “The government is trying, but the effect is minimal. The progeny of unemployment in the country which  has over 27 million unemployed, there is  no way it can totally eradicate crime, there is no way it can wipe off armed robbery, insecurity, kidnapping and other vices in the nation. We at UNIC Foundation are asserting that why should the government be spending so much money to eradicate crime rather than killing the prime mover which is unemployment itself.

  • University don proffers solution to unemployment

    The need to strengthen technology, vocational education and training has been proffered as solution to the increasing rate of unemployment in the nation.

    Prof. Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji of the Department of Industrial and Technology Education of the Federal University of Technology, Minna made this assertion yesterday during the 52nd Inaugural Lecture of the university.

    According to him, technology, vocational education and training is the acquisition of the practical skills to be engaged in a certain occupation, which would become a potential solution in overcoming the increasing unemployment rate in the nation.

    Ma’aji attributed the high rate of unemployment in the country to the mismatch in the educational system, pointing out that there is need to restructure the educational system to include technical and vocational training.

    He posited that technology and vocational training is positioned to training entrepreneurial labour force that is needed in Nigeria to generate wealth and help them come out of poverty, stating that the youths, the poor, the vulnerable, the less academically brilliant and school dropouts can benefit from Technology, Vocational Education Training.

    The university don thus recommended the assessment of existing training of vocational education system in the country to effectively link the TVE strategy to other national policies in the area of training, empowerment and socio-economic development.

  • LSETF seeks funding partners to combat unemployment

    The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), an initiative of the Lagos State government, has launched a funding partnership programme targeted at high net worth individuals, private organisations, donor agencies, non-governmental agencies and international development organisations. The Fund, which already has N25 billion commitment fund from the Lagos State government, plans to double the figures through the funding partnership arrangement as it seeks to expand its operations to benefit more businesses and people in the state.

    The LSETF, which is backed by the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund Law 2016, has a strategic target to create and sustain 300,000 direct and up to 600,000 indirect jobs by 2019 and provide loans to at least 100,000 MSME by 2019.

    Commenting on the call for partnership, LSETF’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Akin Oyebode, said: “According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 35% of Nigeria’s productive population are either unemployed or underemployed. This is especially worrisome when the youth, have an unemployment/underemployment rate of over 50%. This means one of every two persons under the age of 35, are unable to access sustainable employment.

    “The LSETF has been working to combat the employment scourge in the state through its various programmes; such as its single-digit interest bearing (5%) loan schemes to help Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) fund their growth and consequently create job opportunities for the people of Lagos state. In addition, youth who have completed vocational trainings can also access loans in the Micro Business Start-Up Program to help them start their own small businesses, whilst the unemployed can get training and subsequent job placements opportunities.

    “However, to ensure the LSETF creates as many jobs as possible, it will require additional funding from individuals, private organisations, donor agencies and other partners.

    “The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has already set the ball rolling in this direction by entering into a $4 million partnership with the LSETF to provide support to its Employability Programme.  The agreement, which was signed in May 2017, will see the UNDP and LSETF commit substantial financial and technical resources to the Lagos State  Employability Support Project between May 2017 and April 2019. This partnership is aimed at training over 10,000 youth in the state.

    “The project will improve the quality of vocational training programmes for the manufacturing, health care, construction, entertainment, tourism and hospitality sectors; upgrade training content to make the labor force more competent; strengthen vocational instructor training and improve the capabilities of the participating technical colleges and vocational training centers (VTCs) to plan and manage the training programmes.

    “The public and private organisations can support the work of the LSETF by making a commitment to donate a specific amount and the LSETF will match this sum and design a lending or employability program to support their target segment. They can also make a grant towards LSETF lending, employability or innovation programmes; commit to employ youths trained by LSETF or to admit LSETF loan beneficiaries as vendors to serve your organisation”.

  • High unemployment rate is disturbing, says NECA

    High unemployment rate is disturbing, says NECA

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has said the latest data by the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS), which revealed that 12 million Nigerians are unemployed, is worrisome, adding that the problem goes beyond being an economic issue.

    At the Annual General Meeting and the 60th anniversary of NECA, its President, Mr Larry Ettah, said the high rate of unemployment has become a social and security issue, which could undermine the stability of the country.

    He said: “Given the scope of this problem, we certainly have to go outside the usual government rhetoric on what we want to do or what we are doing and the unproductive administrative backed up with results.

    “The government must ensure that we embrace a political structure and culture that will enthrone multiple centres of our GDP. We also commend good governance, massive infrastructural development, employment –focused/centred policies and constructive cross sectorial local content development policy and programmes a s helpful agenda that would naturally provide needed millions of jobs in the course of execution.”

    Ettah said the fixed exchange rate dispensation with its attendant multiple rate does not augur well for right pricing and effective means of resources.

    “Though it seems lately to have provided some reprieve for the value of the local currency, it is very doubtful if this is sustainable in the long term,” he said.

    He said evidence from other economies are clear and compelling to the effect that floating exchange rate systems enable economies respond best to declines in the value of the their export and provide a natural adjustment mechanism to preserve forex reserves and change incentives and behavior of economic actors.

    “ This is the reason we are convinced that the way to go is to allow market forces to determine the value of the naira; and consequently abolishing the multiple rates,” he said.

    Ettah said this dispensation of high interest rate was negative to the growth and development.

    He said the association’s concern is not so much the justification for the high cost of fund, but the need for managers of the economy to appreciate that high interest rate is antithetical to growth and therefore the need for concerted and co-ordinated efforts by the government backed by sound fiscal and monetary policies to bring it down to single digit.

    He said beyond this, the government has crowded out the private sector in terms of access to credit , as it seeks to cover budgetary deficit, adding that the current has engendered a rent seeking economy that has encouraged entrepreneurship and wealth creation, with grave implication for jobs creation.

    Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who spoke on the  theme ”The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan’’, said the ERGP is the blueprint the administration intends to use to fix the broken economy.

    He said the  successful implementation of the ERGP will revitalise the economy and put it back on the path of sustained, inclusive, and diversified growth and development.

    He said the ERGP, which is a product of an extensive consultative process with all stakeholders across the country, builds on the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) and sets out government policy direction for the economy over the medium term.

    According to him, the plan is intended, not just to get us out of recession, but to put us on a strong, diversified, inclusive, and sustained growth path.

    “In developing the ERGP we held consultations with the State Governors and Commissioners of Planning and Economic Development of the States.

    ‘’We also held consultations with the leadership and membership of the National Assembly. Amongst others we consulted were our development partners, such as the UNDP, the World Bank and the IMF. We also consulted leading Nigerian economists and development experts. And, most importantly, we consulted the private sector, as this is a plan that requires extensive collaboration with the private sector for its effective implementation,” Udoma added.

  • ‘Entrepreneurship, antidote to unemployment’

    Founder, Ajayi Polytechnic, Ikere-Ekiti in Ekiti State, Dr. Busayo Ajayi, has described entrepreneurial skills as the antidote to high rate of unemployment.

    Ajayi, who urged young graduates to develop an entrepreneurship mindset for their advancement, also challenged Nigerians to learn how to run businesses through Information Communication Technology (ICT).

    He spoke during the institution’s maiden Inaugural lecture titled: ‘Entrepreneurship and basics of business skills’.

    Most young graduates, Ajayi lamented, were either jobless or unemployable because they lack the necessary skills and training. “This is why Ajayi Polytechnic was born to address this shortfall,” the founder noted.

    Ajayi added: “Innovativeness means being proactive and being able to take risks. These are some of the characteristics of entrepreneurship, which the youth must develop.  It has to do with creating businesses and becoming an employer in the larger business world.

    “Aside creating businesses and being employable through the entrepreneurial training, ICT knowledge will help them secure jobs in other countries while resident in Nigeria because we are in a global world.”

    He said the institution is partnering  Samsung and the British Computer Society to enhance its training scope and confer international recognition on the institution.

     

  • “Entrepreneurial skills will minimise unemployment’

    Founder of Ajayi Polytechnic, Ikere-Ekiti in Ekiti State, Dr. Busayo Ajayi, has described entrepreneurial skills as the antidote to high rate of unemployment in Nigeria.

    Ajayi, who urged young graduates to always develop an entrepreneurship mindset for their personal advancement, also challenged Nigeria to learn how to run businesses through Information Communication Technology (ICT).

    He spoke during the institution’s maiden Inaugural lecture titled: ‘Entrepreneurship and Basics of Business Skills’ last week.

    Most Nigerian young graduates, Ajayi lamented, are either jobless or outright unemployable because they lack the necessary skills and training. “This is why Ajayi Polytechnic was born to address this shortfall,” the founder noted.

    Ajayi added: “Innovativeness means being proactive and being able to take risks. These are some of the characteristics of entrepreneurship, which the youths must develop.  It has to do with creating businesses and becoming an employer of labour in the larger business world.

    “Aside creating businesses and being employable through the entrepreneurial training, ICT knowledge will help them secure jobs in other countries while resident in Nigeria because we are now in a global world.”

    He said the institution is in partnership with Samsung and British Computer Society to enhance its training scope and confer international recognition on the institution.

    The institution’s Director of Learning, Mr. Tolu Fagbola, said the seminar was to help students know practical realities of businesses and entrepreneurship skills through ICT as the driving tool.

    Fagbola said: “Sixty per cent of Nigerians are connected to the Internet. There are real opportunities to help people understand how businesses are run today through ICT.

    “It (seminar) is to teach them how to connect business and entrepreneurship with ICT so that they can be globally competitive; to introduce them to businesses they can set up in their rooms and trade Internationally while making the most of business opportunities.

  • Unemployment: N25b Lagos Trust Fund to the rescue

    Unemployment: N25b Lagos Trust Fund to the rescue

    At the last count, 29 million Nigerians are jobless, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. But the Lagos State Government through the N25 billion Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) has launched a massive programme to fund job placement services and training programmes for the unemployed. The initiative, if replicated by other states, could be the wedge to halt the rising unemployment scourge.DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    It was a proactive, result-driven intervention aimed at addressing what is indisputably, a clear danger. Even before last week’s frightening report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which showed that 29 million Nigerians are jobless, the Lagos State Government had articulated an intervention programme aimed at nipping the growing unemployment menace in the bud.

    The state government launched the N25 billion Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), a massive programme for funding job placement services and training programmes for the unemployed. It was one of the interventions to drive its vision of building a robust pool of skilled labour to catalyse positive change in the Centre of Excellence as Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, is called.

    The NBS, on Tuesday, last week released a disturbing report, which indicated that Nigeria’s unemployment rate rose from 13.9 per cent in the third quarter to 14.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2016.

    According to the Bureau’s “Unemployment/Under-employment Report for fourth Quarter of 2016,  the population of unemployed was 27.12 million in third quarter, compared to 28.58 million persons in the fourth quarter.

    The NBS said this showed an increase in the number of unemployed by 351,015 persons. Although the report left not a few Nigerians frightened, the state Government may have seen it coming, which was why it created the LSETF.

    The LSETF was created as part of the state’s commitment to boosting its economy through job creation and access to finance for Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the state.

    LSETF’s mandate also included the provision of training for the unemployed and job placements for the employable; mentorship and support for SME owners and improvement of the policy environment to ensure a conducive operational environment for them.

    Through the scheme, promoters and owners of micro-businesses can get a loan of up to N500, 000 at five per cent  interest rate per annum, while small-businesses can get a loan of up to N5million at five percent  interest rate per annum.

    LSETF is supporting projects that create new employments, support work-seekers and address structural constraints to more inclusive growth. It also facilitates the transformation of the informal sector to formal sector.

    The Fund also aimed at registering, supervising and promoting traditional and social entrepreneurship while also facilitating business and management extension services and consultancy to SMEs, craftsmen, tradesmen and artisans.

    In doing so, the fund seeks to develop inclusive and sustainable partnership initiatives with relevant stakeholders, such as community-based organisations, governments, development partners and the organised private sector.

    The state Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, said the fund launched its online application portal on February 24.

    With the online application portal, known as Programme Application Loan Management –Portal (PALM- P), loan application process is now fully automated, making it easy and convenient for MSMEs in Lagos to send in their applications online and take advantage of the fund’s loan programmes.

    The Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA) President, Mr. Nurudeen Buhari, thanked the state government for the various efforts aimed at improving the productivity of artisans in the state. He said the continuous training had impacted positively on their productivity.

    He expressed confidence that soon, the incidence of artisans from neighbouring countries taking over jobs that could be handled by local artisans especially those under the Tradesmen and Artisans’ Empowerment Programme (LASTEAP) would become history.

    While calling on the state government to continue its assistance for members, Buhari also said that through these various interventions, other artisans who are yet to join the association would be encouraged to do so.

    The Lagos State Tie and Dye Association President, Abdul Rahhed Temitope, said the cottage industry is one of the thriving enterprises that needed encouragement because of its huge potentials for alleviating poverty.

    LSETF, The Nation learnt, was informed by the state’s realisation that without a well-trained, well-paid, continuously improving workforce, it may not compete with other commercial capital cities in the world, let alone remain investors’ destination of choice.

    Having made impressive leap in its efforts to implement its economic blue print, the Governor Akinwumi Ambode-led administration realised that it was still faced with the challenge of finding employment for millions of young people.

    Under the LSETF, which has excited stakeholders in the state and prompting calls for its replication by other states across the country, the state government has been creating jobs for those who cannot find work.

    The state also went a notch higher, creating new infrastructures and reviving existing ones. Already, job seekers in sectors such as leisure and hospitality, construction, manufacturing, banking and retail, are benefiting from the intervention.

    Durosinmi-Etti said the state government established LSETF to tackle unemployment and provide care for the vulnerable. According to him, the state government through the ministry was determined to tackle the menace  especially among youths in the country.

    He added that apart from launching a massive programme on funding job placement services and training programmes for the unemployed, the state government has complemented this with its ongoing process of matching people with jobs.

    The commissioner said that under the skills training programme,  youths who have received certified vocational training can get a loan of up to N250, 000 at five per cent interest rate to start their own businesses.

    The training, which is being done in collaboration with Lagos State

    Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), was aimed at enhancing the productivity of tradesmen and artisans in the state by upgrading their skills. This was to encourage young artisans and tradesmen who are able to transform their ideas into products or services.

    So far, a total of 500 artisans have been retrained and certified.

    Another 1,500 artisans have been lined up for training this year.

    Already, the state government has called on artisans and tradesmen in the state to join relevant associations of their vocation for increased patronage and for easy access to government’s support.

    Some of the beneficiary artisans in Lagos  include boilermakers, fitters, masons, builders, painters, jewellers, glassmakers, goldsmiths, mechanics, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, millwrights, chefs, panel beaters, riggers, shipbuilders and toolmakers.

    Durosunmi-Etti said there was a shortfall of quality artisans in the country hence, the need for organisations and companies to contribute to building skills through increased training and development of both existing and potential employees.

    Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment Permanent Secretary, Dr. Yakub Olajide Basorun, said the ministry has been at the forefront of facilitating beneficial training programmes for artisans as well as providing work places (incubation centres) and relevant information and opportunities to enhance their trades.

    The LSETF is also mandated to provide job placements for the unemployed; mentorship for business owners and improvement of the policy environment to ensure a conducive operational environment for small businesses in the state.

    LSETF Executive Secretary Akin Oyebode said: “Business development support is a crucial part of what we do.”

    He pointed out that it was not enough to just give individuals funds and have them pay back, but also to instil in them the requisite skills to enable them function effectively in their businesses.

    Oyebode said: “The better they (trainees) are  trained as entrepreneurs, the greater the chances of their businesses succeeding and creating sustainable employment opportunities that Lagos State needs. We are grateful to our partners for their efforts in joining us on this journey to move the state to the business hub of the future.”

    The ministry does the training for tradesmen and artisans in collaboration with Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) and other public and private firms.

     

    Massive investment in

    infrastructure

    Durosinmi-Etti said beyond the training programmes for the unemployed, the government was making efforts to address infrastructure and regulatory issues to enable Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and artisans increase their potential to create jobs and boost the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Consequently, the state government, according to the commissioner, has stepped up efforts at building a robust infrastructure to support businesses, especially SMEs. Many roads and bridges across the state are being reconstructed.

    Also, measures are being taken to create new avenues to spur innovation and creativity among SMEs in the state, even as investments are encouraged in alternative energy technologies.

    The commissioner added that as the ministry charged with identifying initiatives and approaches to ensuring job and wealth creation, it has been working with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)to reduce bureaucracy, facilitate business and create required synergies for economic growth and development.

    While emphasising the need for a more dynamic workforce through more targeted education and training programmes for job seekers, Durosinmi-Etti said the government had created various Job Registration/Labour Exchange Centres (LECs) to provide individuals with information about job openings.

    The state government established the LECs to provide various wealth creation and employment services, with focus on career counselling to enable aspiring youths pursue the right career choice according to their attitude and passion.

    Located in five divisions, the LECs are fully functional with  guidance counsellors. They act as real exchange platforms for job seekers and employers.

    The platform provides profiles of job seekers, their skills, traits, helping employers identify people who are  better fit for the positions they are filling. As people connect with work opportunities more efficiently, the state’s economy moves closer to achieving its goal of creating a labour market that works.

     

    Online market for

    artisans

    The Lagos State Government has also established an online artisan marketplace to ensure that tradesmen and artisans are empowered to promote their offerings via multiple channels to determine which works best for them.

    According to Basorun, the online platform would offer Lagos artisans an opportunity to reach a wider audience that may be interested in their works and services.

    He said Lagos-based artisans and tradesmen could use the virtual market place provided by the government to explore opportunities and sell their services to potential customers.

    He said the virtual marketplace represents a fundamental shift that would help broaden the artisans’ horizons and enable them improve their standard of living.

  • Agriculture will help Nigeria tackle unemployment, says Wike

    Agriculture will help Nigeria tackle unemployment, says Wike

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has stated that investments in agriculture  will help the nation  tackle youth unemployment .

    Speaking during a courtesy  visit by the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh and Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri at the Government House Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Wike said agriculture is essential   to the revival of the nation’s  economy.

    He said: “If Nigeria must move to the next level, agriculture  is key. To reduce unemployment, we must focus on agriculture “.

    The governor  lauded the Minister of Agriculture  for displaying  maturity  by ensuring  that the issues  of  food production  are insulated  from politics.

    The governor  said his administration  was developing a public private partnership  model to enhance  the  development  of  agriculture.

    He said: “We are developing the cassava factory to improve  the commercial  farming  of the product.  We are also working  with a private  company to revive our rubber factory”.

    He informed  that his administration  is working  with  the Rivers State University to revive the College of Agriculture  at Onne for the training  of agricultural  professionals.

    Governor Wike said that the State Government  will  collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to improve  key aspects  of  the  State Agricultural Sector.

    In his remarks, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh said unless the youth are reintroduced  to agriculture, the country will always  have security  challenges  as most urban youths are idle.

    He said issues  of agriculture  must be placed above politics in the overall interest of the country.

    The Minister  said that Rivers State  has the potentials to be a major  source of fish for the entire country.

    The Ministers of Agriculture and all the Commissioners of Agriculture are in Rivers State  for the National Council of Agriculture meeting.

  • Ekiti governorship aspirant decries youth unemployment

    Ekiti governorship aspirant decries youth unemployment

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Mr. Yinka Akerele, has advised political office holders to address the growing youth unemployment in the country, before it gets out of hand.

    Akerele made the remark while speaking with reporters after visiting the APC office in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, to declare his intention.

    The aspirant said the number of graduates, artisans and skilled workers out of job is alarming. He also suggested the inclusion of youths in leadership at all levels of government.

    Akerele said: “The youth needs to be more actively involved in the decision-making process; we should always get them engaged in lofty causes. I implore the privileged in society to concentrate on finding ways of creating employment opportunities for the army of the unemployed youths. This could be done by tapping our entrepreneurial skills, and creating business opportunities. This will save the country from an impending danger of the unemployment time bomb.”

    He advised co-contestants to shun acts that can cause animosity among them, adding that what should be paramount in their minds is victory for the party. He said whoever wins still remains a member of the party and it is victory for all.

    Akerele said: “I appeal to my co-aspirants to do everything humanly possible to avoid divisive tendencies preparatory to the primary. Our commitment towards the party’s goal should remain sacrosanct; the mission of wrestling power from the usurpers must dwarf other negative tendencies. Therefore, we must work in unison and remain united until we wrest power from the present government.”

    Akerele spoke about his intention to use the available human and economic resources to develop the state. He stressed the need to return the state to the path of glory. He added: “My priority is returning our dear Ekiti State to the path of glory; the pride of being an Ekiti indigene is being known for righteousness, academic excellence, high moral standard and the other good virtues.”

    The APC chieftain said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government, led by Governor Ayodele Fayose, has run the state aground in the last three years and assaulted the very sanctity of what the state stands for. As a result, he said the people are ready for change.

    He added: “This is time for new beginning in Ekiti; the highest dream of the founding fathers of Ekiti State is to occupy the land with character and ensure it remains a place for the breeding of the virtuous that are exemplary in characters and in deeds.”