The Oyo State government has said the state has not recorded any polio outbreak in the last seven years.
Commissioner for Health Azeez Adeduntan made this disclosure at the weekend during the launch of the first round of the 2017 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) held at the secretariat of Oyo West Local Government, Ojongbodu, Oyo .
Adeduntan said the government would scale up the collaboration between the state and local governments to ensure that immunisation services reach every child.
SIR: The last five years in the history of Olabisi Onabanjo University, (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, have been phenomenal and wonderful. Phenomenal because remarkable achievements have been made in both human and infrastructural development. Wonderful because both staff and students can attest to the serenity of OOU, and are now at ease with learning and welfare. However, these achievements can either be rubbished or incredibly surpassed in the next few years depending on whether right or wrong choices are made especially about who succeeds the outgoing Vice-Chancellor – Professor Saburi Adesanya. Foremost on the minds of most members of the university community is: who comes after the incumbent Vice-Chancellor? The question is crucial at a time like this when the devastating cuts in appropriations as the state struggle to cope with crushing budget deficits. A period of erosion of private support from gifts and endowment income associated with a weak economy. A time of declining state and philanthropic support, and a high rising expectation for higher education on the part of students and the broader public.
The era of the incumbent, has shown that much can be achieved where leadership is transparent and affectionate. OOU at a time was the port of call for everyone in terms of schooling and employment. From inception to late 1990s, OOU distinguished itself in teaching and research such that on several occasions many programmes won laurels at national and international levels, its graduates competed favourably all over the world which deepened the respect accorded OOU. Such gains went into the drains when wrong hands took charge and messed up hard-earned successes of the past leaders. All that changed for better when Prof Saburi Adesanya came into office, and the progress made in that few years is discernible and enviable.
Of course, he is a different person to different groups of people. To the students, he is a great leader. To the staff unions he is a good manager because strikes have been significantly reduced and welfare of the staff has been prioritised. Whatever opinion formed of him and his administration of OOU, he has become very big factor that can never be wished away for several reasons. He has earned himself a solid place in the history of OOU. In addition, those deserving staff that got awards, grants and scholarships to study abroad would be grateful to his open door management style. Of course, he might not be a saint, he might have stepped on many toes while discharging his statutory duties, however, he remains a relevant personality in educational system of Nigeria.
The governor and the visitor to OOU, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, should rise above politics and appoint capable hand irrespective of where he or she comes from – either from OOU or other institutions. Someone who is not after office and the benefits accruable to it, but who possesses the ability to translate vision to reality, that can sustain and build on the achievements recorded in the last few years. The governor should avoid bringing in a ‘yes sir’ administrator who lacks the toughness and candidness required to manage myriads of interests at OOU. For OOU to weather the storm of coming years, a good choice in the semblance of the outgoing VC must be hired. We would be fooling ourselves if we think just anyone is good enough for OOU especially at a time when we are witnessing a systematic, careless withdrawal of concern and support for university education in this country
Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.
The pioneer set of the State GrammaSchool, Itolo, Surulere, Lagos State, have donated items worth about N4 million to their alma mater 30 years after graduation.
The 1986 set built a fully equipped e-library for the junior and senior arms of the school each, renovated structures and provided two generators to power the school, among others.
Chairman of the planning committee, Mr Stanley Bassey, said: “Today we are giving back to our school, because it is right. This school started with us 30 years ago. We want to set an example for the upcoming alumni, that is, the current students, to note that it is good to give back.
“Whatever we have become today, this is our foundation. We need to also educate the students and inspire them to persevere, study hard, remain focused and be diligent.”
President of the association, Mr Zacharias Egbunu, charged the pupils to imbibe good character.
In a speech culled from the school’s motto themed: ‘Knowledge is Light’ and titled: ‘Knowledge and good character: Essential keys to human advancement and development,’ he said: “Students must embrace the fact that to be successful, attain excellence, they must acquire knowledge. Education is paramount to your developmental process. Students must also imbibe good character, which entails- diligence, cleanliness, obedience, listening and carrying out instructions marshaled out by your teachers, as well as self discipline, which is to study regularly, be it at school or at home.”
Tutor General/Permanent Secretary (TG/PS) of Education District IV, Mrs Lola Are-Adegbite, who was represented by the district’s Director of Co-curricular and Technology Education, Mrs Muinat Abimbola, thanked the donors.
“I am always happy to hear about such gesture, because it shows students are appreciative and the reward of teachers is no longer only in heaven but on earth. Your kind gesture would inspire the children to strive to be like you. I also congratulate the principals, staff and students for maintaining good conduct. Students, it is important to be studious and submit yourselves to authority.”
Inuagurating the projects during their reunion, the Olumegbon of Lagos Chief Fatai Lawal who was the father of the day, lauded the group for the feat and called for other old students to emulate them.
Head girl, Zainab Usman was excited about the new developments in her school and promised to ensure that pupils maintained the items donated.
Oshodi Comprehensive High School, Lagos State (OCHS), has celebrated its first reunion 35 years after the school’s establishment.
Alumni Association President, Mr Hamzat Ganiyu of the 1998 set, said contacting many members of the association had been difficult. He began this move since 2011, which finally yielded desired results.
He said alumni associations were important in the growth and development of every institution, especially public schools.
Ganiyu said: “This is our first-ever reunion. It was very tasking and challenging to get this done. Kudos to the ’88 and ’89 sets. It was when one of the ex-teachers, Mrs Odunlami, died that we all converged for her burial and one of our ex-teachers Mr Tela encouraged us to come together as a group so that we would not only meet at such gatherings. The school needs us, and even other members of the association need us. Some don’t have jobs, among other problems. This platform would help us come to their aid.
“The school is made up of individuals who trained us. I can’t forget Mr Oyebade, who inculcated in us discipline. We realised that these people moulded and made us; and having been to higher institutions, we now understand that we were privileged to have been tutored by them. When we saw some who could not afford tuition fees, among others in higher institution, we thought back to secondary school and imagined how difficult it may be for some to afford tuition fees and other examination fees. So, we decided to help government in the management of the school that produced us, despite the tremendous efforts government is making in its schools.”
Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary, Education District IV, Alhaja Amidat Anifowose, urged the alumni to help their alma mater in any little way they can.
“You are a very important stakeholder of the school. The government cannot do it alone. You need to give back to your community. Remember, this is your home. Public schools have many indigent students, come and do something in common for them. You don’t have to have too much money to lend a helping hand,” she appealed.
An alumnus, Mr Olumide Renner of the ’96 set said: “It is very wonderful to reunite with people you never thought you would see again, especially since we had no means of contacting them. We are proud of the school that made us so we thought it appropriate to give back to appreciate the school. The school made us so it was only appropriate that we do things for our foundation and the people that made us.”
Meanwhile, cultural dance and red carpet sessions formed parts of activities during the event.
THE Alaye Ode of Ode-Remo in Remo North Local Government of Ogun State, Oba Adetunji Osho, yesterday, said he would relocate the town’s valuable artefacts to a safer haven for posterity.
The monarch, who spoke to reporters in Ode-Remo, preparatory to the inauguration of his palace, added that the culture and tradition of a people should be protected from extinction.
According to him, the need for ‘’safety” of the “artefacts,” among other things, informed building of phase 1 of a new palace.
The traditional Prime Minister (Lisa) of Ode Remo, Chief Richard Olubodun, said the 304-year-old drums, the Alaye’s two original crowns, among others, would be taken to a safer location.
Olubodun noted that the “crowns, which are venerated and adorned on occasions because of their place in Ode Remo traditional institution, are jealously guarded from the public”.
Nigeria’s power generation hit zero megawatts six times in May, the lowest level since 2009.
ESI Africa, Africa’s power journal, in its report, said industry data showed that power supply to households and businesses dropped significantly in May as the national grid recorded six total collapses and one partial collapse within the period.
The data further revealed that the national grid collapsed 11 times in the first five months of 2016, compared to six and nine times for 2015 and the preceeding year, adding that generation system was failing to deliver. It stated that the most recent total system collapse was recorded on June 1.
It said last Friday that 11 power plants, including the Shiroro Power Station in Niger State, are not operating.
Others are not Afam IV & V, Geregu I, Omotosho I, AES, ASCO, Trans-Amadi, Rivers IPP, Gbarain, Olorunsogo I and II, the report added.
According to the Ministry of Power, the total national power generation stood at 2,604.5 megawatts (mw) as at Friday morning. It came down from a peak of 5,074.7mw on February 2. Generation from Egbin, the nation’s biggest power station, stood at 181mw, down from 1,085mw on March 15, it said.
Shiroro Power Station in Niger State, Olorunsogo II in Ogun State and Rivers and Trans-Amadi IPPs, both in Rivers State, were idle.
Due to an increased mix of gas shortages and pipeline vandalism, the Niger Delta has left about 4,400mw of the nation’s power generation capacity idle as of Friday.
Gas constraints prevented 3,661.1mw from being generated, while 355.6mw and 380mw could not be generated due to line constraints/load rejection by distribution companies (DisCos) and water management/maintenance, respectively.
It quoted the Chairman, Network of Electricity Consumers Advocacy of Nigeria, Tomi Akingbogun, as saying: “We hear that most of the problems arise from the transmission lines because many of them are weak.
“They (power firms) are not concerned about the total system collapse because they are making money whether they supply electricity or not. So, why will they be interested in making sure that we have electricity?” he asked.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, at a recent public lecture, said: “In our roadmap to incremental power, we are looking at what we have and what we can get out of them.
“We have 26 power plants (including the AES plant), three of the plants are powered by water, the hydro power plants in Jebba, Kainji and Shiroro. The remainders are powered by gas.”
“At the best of times, only about 78 turbines are generating power, which gave us our peak of 5,074mw. The problems have been identified as either damaged, unmaintained or unserviced turbines in the hydro power plants; and in the cases of gas plants, it is largely non-availability of gas, coupled with lack of maintenance.”
Do you not see how Allah sets forth a parable of Pleasant Word like a splendid tree which roots are firmly entrenched in the belly of the earth while its branches sprout gorgeously into the firmament of the sky yielding fruits every season by Allah’s grace? Allah talks to men in parables that they may be mindfully alert”. Q.14:24
Preamble
At a meeting of some like minded Muslim brothers, including yours sincerely, in Bodija, Ibadan, last Sunday (April 3, 2016), Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni, the Chairman of Oyo State Muslim Community, sought permission to leave for another meeting scheduled for about the same time.
That other meeting was about the permanent site of Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) Camp (Southern Nigeria Chapter) of Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN).
The latter meeting quickly reminded me of the memorable month of April in relation to the establishment of MSSN in 1954. That was 62 years ago.
Looking back at the cultivation of land, planting and germination of the tree of that formidable society one cannot but reflect deeply on the above quoted verse of the Qur’an with faithful appreciation.
MSSN and NSCIA
Talking about Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) today may be incomplete without reference to the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN).
The two bodies are like Siamese trees of gargantuan nature with sprouting foliage and a formidable stem. Just as it is almost impossible to pluck the fruits of a tree without any recourse to the stem of the tree that carries those fruits so it is to play a significant role in NSCIA without having passed through the MSSN.
The one is like a wonderful edifice built on the solid foundation of the other. Though the founders of MSSN were not initial members of that youth society, the role played by each of them in nurturing its tree of progress to fruition cannot be quantified.
The almond tree
The similitude of MSSN is like that of the almond tree. For those who know it, almond tree is splendid to behold. It is magnificent in appearance just as it is environmentally grandiose. But much more than all these, it is highly curative in substance and almost indispensable in essence. No soil, whether in the forest or in the savannah or even in the desert, is repugnant to this great tree for dwelling. Wherever it is found, almond tree creates a serene environment and serves as a protective umbrella for other living organisms around. It is one unique tree that wears the crown of a king among trees and bears the scepter of a generalissimo among tropical plants.
Parable
The summarised analysis here is not much of almond tree per se but rather about the parable which its existence seeks to interpret. That parable is of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) which is like the almond tree. The Society was planted like a mustard seed on April 18, 1954 and gradually germinated into an enlivening plant with no irrelevant part.
Most Nigerian Muslims of the current generation may not easily recall how MSSN came into existence 62 years ago either because they were not part of the struggle that brought it to bear or because the struggle has now taken a different form which they are unable to relate to the past. Perhaps that is why they can now afford to take it for granted.
A memorable revolution
MSSN is both a spiritual and a social revolution which quietly crept into the Nigerian society at the very right time that a revolution was direly in need for Muslim youths. If Islam enjoys a hitherto denied official recognition in Nigeria today, it is mostly due to that miraculous revolution.
It all started like a dream in April 1954 when a student of Methodist Boys High School (MBHS) Lagos, Tajudeen Aromasodu, now of blessed memory, in a clairvoyance muted a unique idea. He proposed an association of all Muslim students in Nigeria starting with Lagos secondary schools. His intention was to create a forum of unity through a common identity for Nigerian Muslim youths of secondary school age. Such a forum was to enable them to agitate for their rights and defend those rights for their common interest.
Aromasodu’s idea had emanated from a journal of the Muslim Students Association of Burma (Myanmar) which he accidentally came across. He read the constitution of that association in the journal and became fascinated by it. That was at a time when Muslim school pupils could hardly pass through secondary schools in Southern Nigeria without getting forcefully converted into adherents of another religion.
Muslim children seeking Western education in those days were seen as trespassers or usurpers despite paying the demanded fees. Besides denying Muslim pupils their rights to worship according to their belief, the Christian missionaries who owned most schools in those days used the schools as an instrument of forceful conversion. Thus, most of the Muslim boys and girls who attended Christian missionary schools either ended up becoming Christians or were forced to drop out of schools if they rejected conversion.
The Nucleus Team
Aromasodu’s focus at that time was probably not beyond Lagos which was then Nigeria’s federal capital and the seat of the colonial rulers. He quickly contacted a few other Muslim students of like minds in Lagos and, together, they decided to invite two delegates from each of the then seven most prominent schools in Lagos. Thus, fourteen of such students (boys and girls) formed the pioneer membership of what was destined to become a proverbial almond tree of formidable nature.
The seven schools were Kings College, Lagos; Queens College, Yaba; Methodist Boys High School, Lagos; CMS Grammar School, Bariga; Ahmadiyya College (now Anwarul Islam Model College), Agege; Methodist Girls High School, Yaba and Baptist Academy, Obanikoro.
That nucleus body held its inaugural meeting at Ansar-ud-Deen Primary School, Alakoro, Lagos, on April 18, 1954. It was at that meeting that a proposal which had earlier been sent out to the mentioned schools was formally adopted. And, a resolution was taken to draft the constitution of the Society which was ratified thereafter.
First Executive Body
With the constitution in place, some members of the first executive body were elected into office. Dr. Abdul Lateef Adegbite of King’s College was unanimously elected as President while Shuaib Oloritu also of Kings College and Saidat Anibaba (now Professor (Mrs.) Mabadaje (rtd) then of Queens College became first and second Vice Presidents respectively.
Dr. Adegbite’s election was quite timely and coincidental because he was not just the Chairman of the Library and Debating Society of Lagos secondary schools, at that time, which made him a first among equals, he too had been planning a common forum for Muslim students.
Some other officers were also elected and given responsibilities. Duties were delegated with trust and virtually everybody lived up to the trust.
What would have been a major hindrance to the realisation of that dream was lack of funds. But nothing fails at the dream level if it has the hands of Allah in it.
With strong determination and commitment, the young boys and girls levied themselves one shilling each on a monthly basis, which they contributed with dedication from their stipends. Besides, each of them bore the cost of transportation when assigned to a duty outside the immediate environment.
Conferences
If the first national conference of the Society, held in Lagos in 1954, drew the attention of many people to it and attracted many new members, that of 1956 held in Ijebu-Ode was a watershed.
It was at that conference that the Society can be said to have become a real national body. Some members, especially of northern origin, who later became prominent in that body joined in 1956.
These included the late Shehu Musa of Niger State who later became Secretary to the Federal Government, Adamu Ciroma who became the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Jubril Aminu who became the Secretary of Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) and later Minister of Education and Petroleum; Yerima Abdullah and a host of others.
It was about the same year that some other Lagos students like Lateefat Oyekan (now Alhaja Lateefah Okunnu (a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State) joined the Society and boosted its growth with special indefatigable leap.
At this time, Islam was not yet known to have significantly reached what is now called South East or South-South of Nigeria.
The third conference was held in Ilesha in 1957. It was hosted by one Alhaji M.A Smith, a prominent businessman with substantial financial wherewithal.
The fourth and fifth conferences were held in Ibadan and Abeokuta in 1958 and 1959 respectively. In all those places, the conscious attention of local Muslims was drawn to Islam and some of them gladly encouraged their children to join the newly formed society of Muslim youths.
The turn of events
In 1957, Abdul-Lateef Adegbite, the first President of the Society, had completed his secondary school education at Kings College and he wanted to vacate the office for someone else but other brothers would not hear of it. They persuaded him to continue with the leadership showing appreciation for his leadership ability.
However, providence set in to play a role in the life of Abdul-Lateef and that of MSSN simultaneously. He got a job as a researcher at the Historical Research Scheme in Ibadan in which he was engaged while awaiting admission to read English in UCI.
At the time, Adegbite experienced a repeat of fortuitous providence working for him against his wish. He did not succeed in gaining admission into the University College but that was a blessing in disguise for MSSN. If he had been admitted as he wished, he would have had less time for the Society in its infancy and he would not have become a lawyer that he happily became later. He also would have studied English at UCI without any scholarship. His patience and faith paid off as he later got admission into the University of Southampton where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Law before proceeding to the University of London for his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees on scholarship.
Gender Dichotomy
Realising the implications of talking any of the sisters into marriage within the Society, the President himself avoided any act that could set a bad precedent for others.
When it was time for him to choose a marital partner, he made sure that his wife to be (Miss Taibat Yetunde Carew, now of blessed memory) was not a member of the Society. Although he met her at an MSSN forum, the latter merely escorted her friend to that forum.
When he returned into the country in 1965 with a Ph. D degree, Dr. Adegbite was surprised at the growth rate of MSSN across the country. All the Muslim secondary school pupils had fully become members and most of the foundation members had either graduated from higher institutions or about to graduate.
He, therefore, thought of a higher pedestal for the Society’s alumni to operate spiritually. Fortunately, he was appointed Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the Western State in 1967 a position that put him in very good stead.
He was therefore, able to strengthen the MSSN and encourage fellow alumni to join hands in floating another Muslim Society that would be meant for only adults as members.
Today, most of the pioneer members of MSSN are great men and women in various public and private sectors. The current Sultan and President-General of Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, some Emirs, Ministers, Governors, Vice Chancellors, Professors and, even the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua were members of that great Society.
Office accommodation problem
It, however, became disturbing that despite the greatness of this Society and its alumni, there was no permanent office that could be called its national headquarters even by the time its 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2004.
An attempt was once made to site such office in Ilorin being the midway between the North and the South. But that attempt was unsuccessful. It was only when the elders decided to pay attention to the issue of headquarters, recently, that a plot of land was secured for office in Abuja on which work is yet to commence even 62 years after the establishment of MSSN.
Dr. Abdul-Lateef Adegbite’s appointment as Commissioner also helped tremendously in bridging the religious gap between the north and the south, especially in respect of the formation of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) in which he was to play a major role as Secretary-General later in life. As far as Islam is concerned, his was a footprint on the sands of life. Let those who are yearning for a similar footprint be as dedicated to Islam as Dr. Adegbite.
A leadership training ground
Apart from serving as a unifier of Muslim youths in Nigeria, MSSN also started as a potent leadership training ground for Muslim men and women of the future. That many brothers and sisters who passed through the Society are occupying various prominent positions including gubernatorial, ministerial, top managerial and core professional in Nigeria today is an evidence of that assertion. At least not less than five Heads of State or Presidents of Nigeria have been produced by the Association. However, the tempo of leadership agility in of the past seems to have waned tremendously.
Thus, due to the fact that most students of nowadays are immature, some experienced hands at the helm of affairs in the Society continue to hold sway as principal officers thereby hindering the upcoming ones from gaining the necessary leadership and experience that should normally prepare them for the future.
The implication of this is that leadership is no longer by training or experience but by mere incidental assumption. This in itself is a great disadvantage to the growth and development of MSSN as well as a cause of various divisions leading to the emergence of splinter groups. If this Society must progress as expected, a return to the original system that gave it a profitable vibrancy in the past should be a sine qua non.
Ten years after the introduction of the Contributory Pension Scheme, only 10 states have fully implemented it, the Nigerian Lbour Congress (NLC) has said.
Speaking with reporters in Abuja, NLC Deputy President, Comrade Peter Adeyemi, said there was an need for civil servants in the affected states to be enrolled in the scheme.
He said: “Despite the fact that the problem of retired teachers at the state and local government levels, arguably kick-started the agitation for pension reforms in the country, after the return to civil rule, when it eventually became a reality in 2004, public servants in the states and local governments across the country were excluded from coverage.’’
Adeyemi added: “Though the 2014 amendment to the Pension Reform Act rectified the omission in the 2004 Act, the fact that only 10 states out of 36 states have completed the process of legislation, and full contributory schemes are in place as at last quarter of 2015, shows the effect of the non-inclusion of states in the earlier reforms, evenas the Pension Act of 1990, took care to have nationwide coverage.”
Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole is already approaching the twilight of his administration. His first tenure began in 2008 while his second began in November 2012. Oshiomhole would be handing over the baton of leadership to a new governor next year.
Last month, the governor organised a retreat for Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and Special Advisers whose theme was “Finishing Well”.
But doubts persists in the minds of ordinary citizens on whether Oshiomhole would end up like the late Prof. Ambrose Alli who was swept out of Benin City despite numerous achievements he recorded or be praised like Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia whose landmark achievements are still visible? Or is his tenure going to be as unmemorable as that of his predecessor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion?
Governor Oshiomhole assumed power at a time basic infrastructure in the state were either dead or non-existent. Schools were worse than poultry farms that are characterised by leaking roofs, dilapidated buildings and no chairs.
Roads in both rural and urban areas were impassable. Flooding and erosion were a menace to many communities such as the Auchi gully erosion, Queen Ede erosion site, Ekenwan Road erosion and other 108 sites.
Oshiomhole inherited a dirty state capital with Benin-City brimming with garbage heaps at every point. Internally generated revenue (IGR) was leaking with the state getting just about a paltry N300 million per month while individuals and groups rake in more.
In his first budget, Oshiomhole said his administration would focus on roads, flooding, erosion control and education. He promised to build three model secondary schools in each of the three senatorial districts in addition to employing 10,000 youths in public works.
Within three years of his administration, the people felt the wind of change in the state. Bus drivers were barred from driving or picking passengers at the city centre, traders dared not display their wares on the streets or walkways. Citizens felt the presence of government and saw governance in the state.
A N200 million worth of Musical Water Fountain was built at the museum ground at the Oba Ovoranmwen Square, which is popularly called Ring Road. It attracted thousands of visitors every week and raked in revenue as high as N100 million. In pursuit of its policy of urban renewal project, flowers were planted along major streets. Sanity was restored to the busy Ring Road and traffic flowed freely.
Oshiomhole carried out tax reforms and introduced the Progressive Tax system which saw the IGR rise to an average of N1.5 billion monthly.
A visit to the office of Edo Inland Revenue Service revealed several persons waiting to be registered for the Tax Identification Number. Other taxes such as the Consumer Tax and Land Use Charge were introduced.
As at October last year, records showed that 536,463 kilometres of roads, including intra and inter-city roads, have been constructed. All roads leading to Benin-City centre were converted to dual carriage way, except the Ekenwan Road. Several rural communities in the state, especially in Edo North which believed they were under a spell because of the nature of their roads, were opened up.
In the education sector, Oshiomhole built and renovated several primary and secondary schools across the state and also commenced the building of the three model schools as he promised. During the reign of Prof. Ngozi Osarenren as Commissioner of Education, those found guilty of examination malpractices were expelled from the state’s school system and a uniform academic calendar was introduced.
Millions of Naira was pumped into flooding and erosion control. At present, reclamation work on the Auchi, Queen Ede and Ekehuan erosion sites are ongoing with loan provided by the World Bank. A Benin-City Storm Water Master Plan project was designed. Work has either commenced or completed in some areas such as Second West, Airport Road, Okhoro, Five Junction, Lower Siluko and others.
Landlords that fled their residences because of flood in Second West, Lawani Street and some streets around Airport Road have returned home.
The state government, in its efforts to boost agriculture, earmarked over 150,000 hectares of land for farming purposes as well as registered over 300,000 farmers in the state government’s data base.
Last year, four companies namely Ekha Bio-Chemical Nigeria Limited, Industrial Development Group, Obax Worldwide and Wilbahi Investment Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government. They are expected to invest over $500 million in the agricultural sector.
Critics of Oshiomhole are, however, of the view that the people would eventually not benefit from Oshiomhole’s administration, as the governor becomes a sitting duck governor.
Others feel the governor is distracted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) politics at the federal level and is losing touch with the state. His critics say governance is at the lowest ebb since Oshiomhole began his second term.
A drive round the city showed that the once-beautiful city has turned dirty due to sack of street sweepers engaged under the Edo Youth Empowerment Scheme. Traders now display their wares on walkways without fear of arrest while commercial drivers pick up passengers at the city centre. It is now a nightmare to drive through the Oba Market Road which was turned into dual carriage way by Oshiomhole, due to heavy traffic caused by drivers and traders on the road.
Flowers planted are not maintained and many of the flower pots have been broken. What is worrisome to many APC supporters is the present state of the roads in the GRA, Benin-City and their environs. Checks showed that a total of 56 streets were filled with laterite and graded by the Rapid Response Agency while over 90 roads were rehabilitated by the same agency. All the roads are now impassable.
Several primary and secondary schools renovated and built have been vandalised. The only thing left in some of the schools fitted with floor tiles, aluminium windows, PVC ceilings and modern chairs are the red roofs. Many people have been caught stealing schools’ fittings and chairs.
When our reporter asked Elder Sam Egboigbe, a director in the agency, why roads rehabilitated by the agency did not last a single rainy season, he retorted, “you are hungry”.
State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih, is expectedly one of the governor’s most vitriolic critics. He said Oshiomhole would not finish well.
Orbih, who spoke while opening the party’s new secretariat said the PDP would learn from what he termed ‘quantum of mistakes of the Oshiomhole’s administration’ in order to provide good leadership when the PDP takes over the affairs of the state in 2016.
“Can Oshiomhole finish well? He went to Abuja to organise a seminar entitled Finishing Well. The failure of Oshiomhole’s government cannot make him to finish well. The government that is talking about property tax, land use tax cannot finish well. When it was obvious that Edo people have rejected the land use tax, he has gone ahead to say there is no going back,” he said.
The immediate past Commissioner of Transport under Oshiomhole, Orobosa Omo Ojo, in an interview said the APC has not fared well in the past seven years.
A Governorship aspirant of the PDP and former Secretary to the Edo State Government, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in one of his several Facebook page comments said: “Seven years after, a lot of things have happened but poverty has not gone from Edo State, but rather has become worse.”
Pastor Ize-Iyamu noted that cosmetic efforts like the YES programme was not the solution, adding that some industries such as the Uromi Cassavita factory, Urhonigbe Rubber, Bendel Brewery that thrived before the coming of Oshiomhole.
He said the state government has done nothing tangible to promote, encourage or attract private investors let alone creating employment. In another write up, Pastor Ize-Iyamu said it was shocking to learn that the N14.7bn World Bank loan was spent on a non-performing programme.
Some elected local government chairmen under Oshiomhole’s administration did not support the developmental agenda of Oshiomhole in terms of providing needed infrastructure at the grassroots.
At the inception of their administration, all the local councils except Ovia North East got as much as N800 million saved for them by Governor Oshiomhole. Barely six months to the end of the council chairmen’s tenure only Jimoh Ijegbai of Owan East council could boast of boosting IGR from N200, 000 to N16 million monthly. He also inaugurated projects while others could not pay salaries.
Five chairmen were suspended for inability to pay salaries, diversion of IGR and illegal employment of workers.
Nevertheless, the State Treasurer of the APC, Alhaji Salihu Momoh, in a chat with Niger Delta Report said it was time for the people of the state to count the gains of the APC-led administration, especially in the education sector.
Momoh, who presented the score card of Oshiomhole, said one of the realities that confronted the Oshiomhole administration was the complete collapse of the education sector.
Alhaji Momoh noted that steps were taken to invest massively in the sector through a deliberate reconstruction, rehabilitation and re-equipping programme that cost N13.96 billion.
Momoh stated that contracts worth N121.6 billion have been awarded for construction of urban and rural roads amounting to 600kms across the three senatorial districts from 2009 to date.
In the transportation and health sector, Momoh said the APC administration purchased over 100 mass transit buses for the state-owned Edo City Transport Service (ECTS) and embarked on massive construction and reconstruction of general hospitals with major emphasis on maternity wards to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.
“The face of education has changed considerably. Schools with ‘red roof” is now a phenomenon.
“In the area of water and energy, the APC administration has carried out massive lighting up of many rural communities and provision of water, particularly to areas with difficult terrain in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which underlies the bold step to transform the state,” he said.
Commissioner for Environment and Utilities, Prince Clem Agba, said Oshiomhole has several legacies across all sectors that succeeding administrations must build upon.
Prince Agba was optimistic that Oshiomhole would finish well when the resolutions they reached at the retreat are implemented, part of which was that they should complete projects they started.
Agba debunked critics’ views that governance activities have slowed down, pointing out that despite reduction in revenue from the Federation Account, construction works were still going on.
His words: “For almost 40 years, nothing happened in terms of primary drain construction. Lucky road was built with two secondary drains but what is left of the road today? It is gone and already developing a gully because there is no primary drain to receive the water. Most governments run away from building primary drains because they are expensive; a lot of them are not seen to the eyes and are in the outskirts.”
On the present dirty nature of streets in Benin-City, Agba noted that the street sweepers would soon return to work after the restructuring of the YES programme has been completed.
“In the area of forestry, we have improved our nurseries. The capacity has increased from about 220,000 tree seedlings to 665,000. We have more capacity to regenerate our forest. We have recovered a lot of reserve lands that were de-reserve for the rich and mighty. About 109,000 hectares are back to the forest reserve for regeneration. That is a legacy. This government has been able to generate attention. People now speak more about governance. In the education sector, you remember how our schools looked like. Not all the schools have been built but a legacy has been started. This state will never again be seen as a civil service state,” Agba said.
No fewer than 100 textile factories in the country have closed shops between 2000 and 2015, the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) lamented.
The workers said the only surviving garment factory in Nigeria also closed shop recently with about 450 jobs gone.
Its President,Comrade Dele Hunsu, whos spoke at the weekend in Lagos, attributed the frequent closure of the textile and garment factories to importation, smuggling and lack of policies to protect infant industries.
Hunsu expressed displeasure over the dwindling fortune of the sector that used to provide one of the largest jobs as well as serve as economic support for the country during post-independence era.
He said successive governments in recent years did well by imposing ban on the importation of textile products as well as supporting the sector with bail-out funds which helped to stabilise the industry.
He said some of his members accessed the loans and ploughed it into their business, while the frequent smuggling of textile products into Nigeria was to checked by government officials at the border posts when the ban was in force.
He said the bail out fund would have helped in turning around the fortunes of the sector had the Federal Government not lifted the ban on the importation of textile products into the country.
According to him, the removal of the ban on textile products by the incumbent government was very unfortunate and ill-advised, adding that the nation has nothing to gain by allowing its borders