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Ekit State House Of Assembly Saga: This Constitutional And Democratic Rascality Must Stop Henceforth

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The Source
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Ekiti State Logo

**Full Statement By Seven SANs

Ekiti State is globally known as ile iyi, ile eye (land of honour, land of dignity). By all standards, and especially on account of the excellent virtues and priceless values that Ekiti people are primordially known for, it is simply beyond disputation that the sobriquet of ile iyi, ile eye is superbly earned by the State. Credence is, doubtless, lent to this inviolate position by the surfeit of elite, highly distinguished and most exemplary personalities that the State parades as indigenes. Against the backdrop of the salutary status of Ekiti people and State as people and land of honour and dignity respectively, it easily becomes a tragic irony and downright sacrilege whenever the State is in the news for less than honourable and dignifying reason(s). This has disturbingly and disquietingly been the situation in the past few days on the standpoint of the socio-political debacle and shenanigans going on in the State House of Assembly.

By way of a somewhat pedantic proem, it is common knowledge that the erstwhile Speaker of the State House of Assembly, the Rt. Hon. Funminiyi Afuye, transited to eternity on the 19th day of October, 2022. As a sequel to that unfortunate development, a new Speaker for the State legislature had to be elected. The election to produce a new speaker, incontrovertibly, took place on Tuesday, the 15th day of November, 2002. As widely reported in the media, two members of the House contested for the Speakership and at the end of the election, one of the duo, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan, was declared the winner of the election, having polled 15 votes as against the 10 votes garnered by the other contestant, Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba.

The winner of that electoral contest, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan was promptly and duly sworn in as the new Speaker by the Clerk of the State House of Assembly. Thereafter, it was brought to the notice of the general public that a new Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly had emerged.

In a strange twist to the tale, however, news filtered out in the morning of the very next day, 16th November, 2022, that the Ekiti State House of Assembly Complex had been sealed off by the Police.

By the evening of that day, the new Speaker, Gboyega Aribisogan was heard on Channels Television saying that he was not privy to the decision to seal off the Complex by the Police and that when he reached out to the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, he was informed that the step was taken to avert an intended attack by hoodlums on the State House of Assembly.

According to the Speaker, the Police Commissioner had assured him that the situation would be speedily brought under control and normalcy would be restored to enable the House resume its constitutional and legislative functions.

However, to the dismay and discomfort of all peace-loving indigenes of the State, the State House of Assembly Complex remained under lock and key for the rest of that week. What followed was a visibly flustered Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan, the elected Speaker, appearing on Channels Television in the evening of Sunday, 20th November, 2022, to inform the whole world that there were plans to either impeach him as the Speaker or, failing that, assassinate him the following day. Hardly, had the next day broken than the media space became awash with the news that Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan had been impeached and, added to that, himself and six other members of the House suspended.

Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba, who had previously contested and lost the Speakership to Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan, was announced as the newly elected Speaker. One may ask a few stunning questions, that is, who supervised the ‘election’ of Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba as the Speaker?

Was it the same Clerk of the House who presided over the election of Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan a few days earlier, publicly announced the results and declared him as the winner? Be it noted that under the Constitution and any parliamentary practice, the Clerk is the Chief Executive of any Parliament and presides over the conduct of election for the presiding officers. If it was the same Clerk, who mandated him to conduct another election that foisted Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba on the House, in a spectacularly unconstitutional and ridiculous manner? Who are the actual masquerades that prompted the Clerk to act in such an absurd manner? Are they from within or without the House? Was the Clerk aware of the agelong principle of separation of powers, as between the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary, as now enshrined in the Constitution?

Or, were/are the sponsors of this debacle aware of or have scant respect for this sacred principle which sustains democratic governance and governments in the free world? To say the very least, the situation in the Ekiti State House of Assembly should be of extremely grave concern to every decent and discerning mind.

Before going further, it is pertinent to underscore the prime importance of the State House of Assembly in the affairs of any State in the country. It is provided in Section 4(6) and (7) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) that the legislative powers of a State of the Federation shall be vested in the House of Assembly of the State and that the House of Assembly shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the State or any part thereof with respect to matters within the ambit of the legislative competence of the State legislature. Apparently enough, therefore, the imbroglio that is presently ravaging the Ekiti State House of Assembly has effectively denied the State of the benefit of the constitutional responsibilities of the Legislative House and the consequences cannot but be dire on the security and welfare of the people, as well as the general wellbeing of the State and its indigenes.

Meanwhile, under and by virtue of Section 92 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), once elected by the members of the House, as done in the case of Aribisogan, the Speaker shall continue to be in office during the lifespan of the particular House except, inter alia, removed from office by a resolution of the House of Assembly by the votes of not less than two-third majority of the House. From the short background above, it is plain as day that the elected Speaker was not allowed to function in office for the spate of one day before the sealing off of the Complex. Pray, therefore, at what point in time could he have committed any infraction of the constitution, any other law or the Rules of the House to warrant his supposed removal? Assuming without conceding that the Speaker had committed any infraction, was he not entitled to be confronted with the allegation in that respect and given reasonable opportunity to defend himself? If so, when was he accorded that?

Incontestably, election into such an exalted position as the Speaker of the House dictates that a holder of the office must be accorded fair hearing before being removed from the office. The alleged suspension and stoppage of the salaries of the Speaker and six other members of the House are no less misplaced, illegal, illegitimate, null and void. If care is not taken, and if all of us seal our lips, fold our arms and get relaxed on our seats and allow this rascality and impunity to go unchecked, in no distant future, the Governor of the State would be impeached and forced out of office in like manner.

Instructively, or with the benefit of hindsight, one would have expected the dramatis personae in this very constitutionally dastardly act to peep into history, at least momentarily, to learn therefrom, more particularly so that under a certain regime in the State, the then Speaker of the House was purportedly impeached, in a manner not as abrasive and audacious as the one under discussion, and the aggrieved Speaker, with some suspended members of the House, instituted an action against the constitutional aberration, and without much ado, the entire action was declared null and void by the High Court of Ekiti State, presided over by Hon. Justice Abiodun Adesodun, who decreed the reinstatement of the impeached Speaker and suspended members, as well as payment of all their accrued salaries and emoluments.

Taking cognisance of this precedent, the natural deduction to be made from the flagrant actions of the current political gladiators in Ekiti State House of Assembly and their instigator(s) is that they have no respect for  the rule of law. By their actions, they have demonstrated a penchant for political rascality, impunity, brazenness and recklessness of no mean measure.

Let it be mentioned and registered, posthaste, without any modicum of equivocation, that the purported impeachment of Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan as well as the announced suspension of seven members of the House is an exercise in utmost futility and, unquestionably, null and void. The situation is highly condemnable. This is particularly by reason of the fact that the members of the House of Assembly said to have been suspended represent their constituencies in the legislative affairs of the State.

When regard is had to the fact that the House is made up of 26 members (now 25, with the demise of Hon. Funminiyi Afuye), the purported suspension of seven members simply implies that more than a quarter of the membership of the House and the constituencies represented by them are now rendered impotent and unfunctional.

This is absolutely unwarranted, unjustified and condemnable. By way of argument, the sponsors of the charade and their cohorts in the House have foisted on the entire State, a coup d’etat, in the sense that the suspension of more than one quarter of the members of the House equally translates to the fact that members of their constituencies have also been suspended from the State. Going by the clear provision of Section 179 (2) (b) of the Constitution, the Governor, before being declared as the winner of an election to the office of the Chief Executive of the State was expected to have scored/polled not less than one quarter of the votes cast in not less than two-thirds of the Local Governments in the State.

Excising over one-quarter of the Local Governments represented by the suspended legislators from the State, as it were, means that the Governor may no longer be presiding over the Ekiti State on which election that brought him to office was conducted, and/or that the Ekiti State which the constitutionally delineated constituencies from where the suspended legislators were/are produced is not the State now being governed by the Governor.

Without being immodest, Ekiti State parades a good number of the leading lights and icons of the legal profession in Nigeria such as Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN, Founder & Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD and former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos; Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, OFR, SAN, former Attorney-General of the old Ondo State, past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Ibadan; Dele Adesina, SAN, past General- Secretary of the NBA; Olu Daramola, SAN, Femi Falana, SAN, past President of the West African Bar Association (WABA); Dayo Akinlaja, SAN, past Attorney-General of Ekiti State and Gboyega Oyewole, SAN, past Attorney-General of Ekiti State, among several others, under whose auspices this statement is being issued.  In light of this position, it is nothing short of downright insensitivity, unmitigated disrespect, unalloyed affront and deep infra dig for the unconstitutionality and illegality that have emerged from the activities of the concerned political functionaries in the State and their masterminds to be contemplated, let alone so brazenly executed, knowing full well that the message unwittingly sent out therefrom is that there are no legally discerning indigenes of the State that could decipher the illegitimacy and illegality of the purported impeachment and suspension.

Significantly, it is exceedingly unfathomable and difficult to rationalise the basis for the roiling crisis in the Ekiti State House of Assembly on the strength of the fact that the entire members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly belong to one political party (APC). Noteworthy, in 2007 or thereabout, the same State House of Assembly was polarised between two political parties (in equal proportion); this notwithstanding, the House was at peace and not beset by the crisis of the sort being witnessed today. Without any speck of doubt, every person with a sense of justice, fairness and political decency must be scandalised by what is currently going on in our dear State.

As lawyers, we do not want to swallow hook, line and sinker the grapevine information and tales being peddled about for the reasons underscoring the crisis at hand, among the political gladiators in the State, and we do not want to elaborate on the narration given by Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan on Channels Television on 20th November,2022. Be that as it may, we plead with our humble and respected Governor to appreciate the fact that having been sworn in as the Governor of the State, he automatically translates to the Chief Executive Officer of the State, and by extension, the buck stops at his table. His silence in the face of the apparent threat to peace, order, good governance and harmony in the State is not the best, to put it mildly and respectfully. Truth be told, he is the one, rather than the political marauders that will be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order in the State.

Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan informed the entire world in one of his Channels Television appearances that apart from his planned kangaroo impeachment, himself and some marked members of the House were/are to be assassinated. Now, within a week, the State has purportedly produced two Speakers of the House of Assembly, and both of them were also purportedly sworn in by the Clerk of the House.

The Police had placed the premises of the House under lock and key, and we have not been informed under whose authority the Police so acted. Let it be put clearly that the Police has no jurisdiction or power to take any instruction or order in matters relating to the security of the State from any other person or power apart from the Governor of the State.

All said, we unreservedly, unambiguously and unequivocally condemn what is presently at play in the Ekiti State House of Assembly. It is legally and morally unjustified and must be deprecated by anyone with a sense of fairness and decency. In light of this position, we hereby call on all members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly to return to the path of peace, honour and dignity by allowing the elected Speaker, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan, to continue in office without let or hindrance. Anything short of this would amount to persevering in constitutional error and political rascality. May it be emphasized that the Assembly cannot transact any legitimate or legal business under the contrived speakership of Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba.

As often said in legal parlance, one cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand. From the biblical prism, if the foundation is destroyed, there is nothing the righteous can do.

It must be borne in mind that Ekiti State is not all about politics; it is about honour, decency, integrity, diligence, kindness, soberness, pursuit of all that is good and lofty, hard work, fear of God, man’s humanity to man, etc. Put differently, Ekiti State is greater than politics and politicians. The State is also sovereign in her own right, and not an appendage or chattel of any person or persons. On the premise of this position, no one or group of persons or politicians can be allowed to bring Ekiti State to dishonour and disrepute by whatever contrivance and for any ambition howsoever.

Pointedly and succinctly asserted, Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba cannot continue in office as Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, and we plead with her to honourably stop parading, presenting or holding herself out as the Speaker of the State, as her so-doing constitutes not just an illegality and unconstitutionality, but also a perseverance in such an unlawful enterprise. In like manner, we plead with the members of the House of Assembly to allow all Principal Officers of the House, including the Deputy Speaker, the Chief Whip, the Majority Leader etc., continue in office, without making any attempt to impeach or replace any of them. May we remind the legislators and their patrons that come May/June, 2023, the life span of the present session of the House of Assembly will constitutionally terminate.

Therefore, they should exercise some modicum of patience and wait for the next election, whereby they can sponsor their candidates to the House.

Even at that, the Legislators should appreciate the inviolate nature of the sovereignty of the Legislative House, and stop hobnobbing with outsiders or powers-that- be to usurp the powers and jurisdiction, rights and privileges, constitutionally and democratically conferred on them.

And to the Ekiti people generally, and more particularly the political godfathers, we want to admonish that we should do away with the overbearing, ruthless and negatively audacious attitude and disposition of deliberately embarking on any illegal and unconstitutional means or method of achieving any goal, target or objective, as done in this particular instance; taunting and daring the hapless victims of their illegalities to go to court, where it would take them ages to redress the wrong already heaped on them, and during which interlude, their objective would have been achieved and perfectly actualized. Ekiti State, being truly a land of honour and dignity, and equally the Fountain of Knowledge, deserves the highest standard of civility in the conduct of her affairs.

Dated this 23rd November, 2022

*Aare Afe Babalola, CON, OFR, SAN Founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti

*Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, OFR, SAN

*Dele Adesina, SAN

*Olu Daramola, SAN

*Femi Falana, SAN

*Dayo Akinlaja, SAN

*Gboyega Oyewole, SAN

OPINION: How Did Rivers State Get Here?

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The Source
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Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo and Nyesom Wike

By Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo

This situation is shameful, disgraceful and annoying. It is brought upon us by a jester who dances naked all over the country, fighting injustice that exists only in his own imaginations.

He has with him some of his current and past colleagues who troop into the Treasure Base like ants to sugar. They call themselves the “Integrity Group”. But they are led by a tyrant whose knees are on the necks of his people – trapped, suffocated and oppressed.

How for God’s sake, did Rivers State get here? How did Rivers State fall this low? Governed by an unstable mind.

Something has to be done. If not, matters will get worse. Our state will slide further down. We are already a laughing stock in the comity of states. A subject of national ridicule and shame. A people totally misrepresented by their own governor.

Something has to give. Something has to happen and happen very fast. Rivers State must be retrieved, rescued and liberated from the satanic stranglehold of Gov. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike or else what we see now, what we witness now will be a child’s play.

Things will get worse because the person Wike is putting forward as the next Rivers State governor has no identity of his own, no voice of his own and no ideas of his own.

The man was only recently unveiled, like a woman in purdah to Rivers people. He is running and dragged along to consolidate Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (NEW) Rivers Vision. A third term for Governor Wike.

SIM, as Siminialaye Fubara is rightly called, can only transmit what his owner says on phone. Just like a SIM Card, he does not have his own massage.

He can only repeat pre-recorded messages: “the number you called cannot be reached”, “the number you called is switched off” “the number you called is on another call, please call again”. This is all a SIM does- transmitting messages from the owner. It is what Fela Anikulapo-Kuti called no break, no job, no sense. A joro, jara, joro. Zombie!

Siminialaye Fubara will not and dare not say one thing he will do differently. He cannot attend the forum of PDP governorship candidates for fear of Wike. He couldn’t even go for his flag at the PDP national rally.

By primitive force and power, Governor Wike is blackmailing Rivers people into silence. He is stifling the political space, suffocating political opponents. He is determined on foisting his SIM as the next governor, whether Rivers people like it or not.

Nyesom Wike wants to be the Bola Tinubu of Rivers State by installing all subsequent governors. But the question is: Does Siminialaye look like Fashola, Ambode or Sanwo-Olu?

There should be a method to madness.

But Gov. Wike has gone completely berserk. He is on the sprawl.

He is using the courts (which has been described as his supermarket) to disqualify candidates of other parties. He is bent on denying the Rivers electorate their inalienable rights to vote for their choice.

He is closing down businesses of political opponents and cancelling the Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) of political rivals. He does not care the impact on the state economy.

He is stopping political parties from using public spaces for campaigns, including school fields. He is threatening to close down the offices of political parties located in ‘residential areas’.

Observers say that Gov. Wike has rigged the 2023 election already through vote buying. They are referring to the governor’s recent recruitment of over 200,000 persons.

Analysts say that if the 200,000 new recruits get one additional person each, then Emperor Wike has 400,000 votes for his SIM and all his handpicked candidates even before elections. With this, he has rigged the election even before voting. He is doing this with public funds and with impunity.

The worry is that as Gov. Wike commits all these aberrations, government institutions and security agencies are merely watching.

INEC is watching as the governor usurps its role to regulate campaigns in the state. The DSS is watching as the governor abuses his office and instigates situations that could breach the peace. The CJN and the NJC are watching as Wike and the Rivers PDP get conflicting judgements from the courts.

But as the saying goes, let he that wants to settle a fight, first settle the quarrel.

Relevant institutions of state must call Gov. Wike to order now. President Muhammadu Buhari must call the Rivers State governor to order now. All well-meaning Nigerians, including the General Abdusalami Abubakar Peace Committee must come into Rivers State now. All other political parties must come together and discuss this matter now.

In any case, Gov. Wike should be told in very clear terms, that he that sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind. Let him be told that the confusions he is orchestrating in Rivers State and in Nigeria will be his albatross.

All his machinations will end in the same way his wishful and wasteful presidential ambition ended. The thunder he invoked right inside the church will surely take its final pound of flesh. God is a jealous God.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. We have no other state to call our own.

Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo is the Director, Media and Publicity, Accord Party Governorship Campaign Organization in Rivers State

Ekiti Lawyers To Rise Against Impunity At House Of Assembly – Afe Babalola

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

Legal luminary and Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD),  Afe Babalola, SAN, said gladiators in the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ekiti state House of Assembly violated  the principle of fair hearing in the entire process leading to impeachment of Gboyega Aribisogan, as Speaker.

He condemned in strong terms the removal of Aribisogan, within seven days of his election as successor of Funminiyi Afuye, who died recently.

Aribisogan from Ikole constituency one, was elected last week with 15 votes to defeat his challenger Bunmi Adelugba from Emure constituency, who scored 10 votes during the election conducted by the clerk of the house to replace the late speaker, Funminiyi Afuye.

However, in a twist of events, some lawmakers regrouped on Monday at the plenary and elected Adelugba as the new speaker following the reported impeachment of Aribisogan for allegedly sabotaging the passage of the 2022 appropriation bill, among other allegations.

Already, the impeached Speaker has gone to Court to challenge his removal, which he attributed to interest of former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

Speaking during the third Afe Babalola distinguished personality lecture on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, the elder statesman expressed regret over the violations of the principle of fair hearing in the entire process by the political gladiators in the All Progressives Congress.

He explained that Aribisogan, who was elected by the majority of lawmakers last week, ought to have been given enough time to respond to allegations against him before his removal, adding that the impeachment would be challenged in court in the interest of peace in the state and rule of law.

While calling on the state council of traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the state to intervene towards finding a lasting solution to the impasse, he stated that leading lawyers from Ekiti state in the country would in a matter of days release a joint statement on the issue.

“Last week, 15 lawmakers elected Gboyega Aribisogan as a speaker and I was sitting in my house here that within few days, some lawmakers met again to remove the man with lawful votes of 15.

“Is that peaceful and lawful? Before you can have peace anywhere, there must be justice and it is sad that in this country, we don’t obey the laws.

“How can you have this kind of situation when the laws say that you must let the person you are accusing know what he or she was being accused of and be given sufficient time to respond to the alleged infractions? So, let me say that there was no justice for Aribisogan.

“My learning teaches me that there must be fair hearing and full compliance with the rule of law. You cannot impeach someone that has done something wrong without bringing it to his attention; in this case, nothing was done and don’t forget he was removed overnight.

“It is a clear case of breach of the law and fundamental fair hearing. I cannot but believe this was a case of total neglect of the law and people taking the law into their hands

“I have spoken with the new governor (Biodun Oyebanji) and the man elected properly as the speaker (Aribisogan) to find a solution to it and if there is no way out peacefully, then of course there will be an action file in the court of law and I can assure you that in the next few hours, there will be a seriously-worded press statement by the leading lawyers from Ekiti on the crisis in the state Assembly.

“I will advise, suggest and plead with the traditional rulers in the state to intervene immediately to preserve law and order in Ekiti, otherwise the peace we are hoping for might elude us in the state.”

Presidency: Northern Christian Caucus Has Decided To Support Atiku – Former SGF, Babachir Lawal

By
Adesina Soyooye
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By Adesina Soyooye

The arrow head of the Northern Christian Caucus, Babachir Lawal, has disclosed that the Caucus is backing the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party,  Atiku Abubakar.

Babachir,  Christian, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, APC chieftain, and a former close ally of Bola Tinubu, fell out with him and the Party over the Party’s same faith ticket.

He said he had advised Tinubu against a Muslim-Muslim ticket, but was shocked that he ignored the advice.

Along with former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara,  also an APC chieftain, he formed the Northern Christian Caucus which has been campaigning against the Presidential victory of Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima.

The Caucus said it would never vote a Muslim- Muslim ticket. Lawal listed many occasions where Northern Christians had been humiliated and treated as nobodies. He described Tinubu’s choice of Shettima as a collective insult on all Northern Christians, and a deliberate act to divide the North. He dismissed the ticket as satanic.

On Wednesday, November 23, Lawal disclosed that the Northern Christian Caucus has decided to support the candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria.

He said: “PDP discussed with us, and agreed to what we want if we support them,  and we agreed to support them.”

He was, however, quick to add that he would not leave the APC unless President Muhammadu Buhari leaves the Party.

Gov Akeredolu Says Nigerians Yet To Fully Recover From Effects Of COVID-19 Pandemic

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The Source
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Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State
Rotimi Akeredolu

By Ayodele Oni

Government and individuals in the country are still counting their loses occassioned by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, which ravaged the world causing several deaths.

On his part, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, said the advent of the pandemic coupled with insurgency in Nigeria  worsened the problems of insecurity and unemployment.

The Governor spoke on Wednesday  in Akure, while receiving participants of the Senior Course 45 programme of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, who are on Study Tour of Ondo State.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde stated that the 46-man team was led by the Faculty Leader, Commodore Promise Dappa.

Appreciating them for finding Ondo State suitable again for the study tour, Governor Akeredolu noted that the importance of the topic of the Study Tour, “Youth Unemployment and National Security”, cannot be over emphasized.

He explained that the challenges of insecurity and unemployment are hydra-headed not only in the country but in the world at large.

The Governor said the prevailing unemployment in the country has now made some youth to seek greener pastures abroad.

He added that there is correlation between unemployment and insecurity, stressing that all hands must be on deck to address the problems.

Akeredolu reiterated the need for state police, saying the stand of his administration is that a police command in Abuja can not serve the nation of 300 million people.

“In spite of our meagre resources, our administration has recorded remarkable successes in securing the lives and property of people of the State as well as in the area of employment generation.

“Optimal and profitable engagement of the youth cannot be carried out without the enabling environment of which security of life and property occupies a central place.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that security of life and property is the most basic duty of government, without which peaceful coexistence will be hampered.

“It is in the light of the foregoing that our administration instituted a time-tested developmental agenda, with the acronym: REDEEMED.

“The agenda provides the framework for our interventions in the areas of security, education, health and provision of infrastructural facilities, employment creation and so on.

“I am glad to inform you that we have been providing consistent financial and logistic supports to all security agencies in the State, including the Army, Navy, Police, Airforce, Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps etc.

“As the saying goes, “the taste of the pudding is in the eating”, I should like you to experience firsthand the remarkable achievements of our administration in the highlighted sector, as you travel around the State.

“The Study Tour has, therefore, been carefully designed to afford participants opportunities to directly see some of the achievements, particularly with regard to security and employment generation.

“Resource persons have also been carefully selected to do justice to the lectures you will have at our Public Service Training Institute, Ilara-Mokin.

“The State owned Security Agency, the Amotekun Corps, has also been doing wonderfully well.

“The success of Amotekun Corps in Ondo State in particular and South West of Nigeria in general underscores the fact that the security architecture of the country must be decentralized for effective security of lives and properties in Nigeria.

“Apart from the unfortunate carnage that took place in St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, on Sunday, 5th June, 2022 and a few isolated security breaches, there is relative peace in the State.

“The prevailing peace in the State, which is as a result of collaborative efforts of all the security agencies including the State own Amotekun Corps, has led to inflow of people and investors into the State.

“Our administration has also made significant progress in employment generation. Many professionals have been recruited into the State Public Service including health sector, teaching service, agric sector etc.”

Earlier, the Faculty Team Leader, Commodore Promise Dappa, explained that the purpose and objective of the study tour is for the participants to visit selected states every year to study the prevalent socio-cultural, socio-economic and security challenges in those states.

He added that it is to also see the efforts and various actions taken by the various state governments.

He added that it is to also see the efforts and various actions taken by the various state governments towards addressing those prevalent challenges.

“They are also required to establish a nexus between those challenges, the actions taken by those governors and the security of the states and national security as a whole.

“That is why this year, the theme of the tour is “Youth Unemployment and National Security of Nigeria.”

Nigeria Needs a Better Driver – Obi; Adebanjo, 94, Attends Rally,  Says It’s For Justice And Equity

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The Source
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Ayo Adebanjo at Peter Obi Rally in Ibadan

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi has related Nigeria to a vehicle with knocked engine caused by the recklessness and  quackery of its past drivers, saying that a new Nigeria is possible if entrusted into the hands of trained, confident and fully qualified  drivers, Baba Datti Ahmed and himself. Obi said this during the campaign rally at the  Lekan  Salami stadium Ibadan.

Obi who was introduced by the Director General of the Campign, Dr. Doyin Okupe started his speech by paying glowing tributes to late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola. He also paid tributes to the current leaders of the Yorubas, especially Pa Ayo Adebanjo  who was there physically and the Afenifere.

Obi said that by standing on the side of  equity and justice, that Afenefere had stood out as one of the custodians of the conscience of the nation.  He said that  justice, equity and fairness remained the only durable foundation for the future of a prosperous Nigeria.

Dwelling at length on the trajectory of his government, Obi said that their first priority would be to secure and unite Nigeria and Nigerians, move the country from consumption to production. He also talked about bringing  back the greatness of Nigerian cities by building on their strength, thus restoring Lagos as the financial capital of Africa; Ibadan as a strong industrial and educational base; the  vast north as the food basket of the country.

Obi decried the use of tribe, religion and ethnicity as an instrument of division and vowed  that Datti and himself would ignore those distractions and use their experiences as wealth creators to expand the national cake for everybody to equitably enjoy.

Earlier in his speech Pa Ayo Adebanjo whose over 90 years made him an unlikely participant at a political rally,  said he was determined to attend in his desire to  see the birth of equitable, strong and  fair Nigeria, which Obi/Datti’s candidature represented.

While Aisha Yesuf who was present described what is happening as the promise of a great future, said it was about time all those that were manifestly part of the old order cleared  from the road to renewal, which Obi’s quest represented.

In her vote of thanks, the forner First Lady of Anambra  State, Mrs Margaret Peter-Obi urged Nigerians to show  sustained commitment to the movement for renewal by collecting their PVCs.

Obi In Ibadan, Says Doubting Thomases Will Be Shocked

By
The Source
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Peter Obi in Ibadan

The Labour Party Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi has brushed aside the initial hitch of grounding  his campaign airplane and arrived the ancient city, daring doubting Thomas’s who still don’t believe that taking back Nigeria is possible.

Announcing his arrival into the historic city of Ibadan via a tweet, Obi said “ the non- believers will come to believe, we are taking back Naija”

At the rally, a mammoth crowd at the Adamasimgba stadium, Ibadan, Obi paid glowing tributes to past heroes of Yorubaland who made great contributions to the growth of this country and mentioned in particular the iconic leaders, Chiefs Obafemi Awolowo and Akintola.

Obi eulogized the leader of Pan Yoruba Nationality 94 year old Pa Ayo Adebanjo who was physically present at the rally ground to identify with the candidate whom they had earlier endorsed.

Obi told the crowd that the positive results of what Pa Adebanjo and Afenifere are doing will show in future when Nigerians take back their country. He said that Pa Adebanjo and Afenifere are fighting for justice and equity, noting that it’s the only way to take our country back.

“The foundation of future Nigeria will be laid on justice and equity which is what  Pa Adebanjo and Afenifere are fighting for.”

He assured the jubilant crowd who shouted Obi endlessly that when, “we take back Nigeria from consumption to production, the great city of Ibadan will be restored again”

Obi also reiterated that when  Nigeria returns to production instead consumption, there will be jobs and Ibadan will be great again as he and his Vice are great wealth creators.

The LP candidate also assured that under his watch and Datti, Nigeria will be secured because jobs will be created and people will be pulled out of poverty. “When you pull people out of poverty, you reduce crimes and criminality”, he said.

Obi noted that their dream which is realizable is to make Nigerians to be proud of their country so that instead of brain drain, those outside will come back home and everybody will be proud to be a Nigerian.

The LP flag bearer finally thrilled the lively audience with the question whether they will allow a driver who knocked a vehicle to continue driving after fixing the car, to which they shouted ‘No’ in unison.

The Labour Party National chairman, Bar Julius Abure told the crowd to resist the lure of money and vote their conscience to save Nigeria and make it better for all citizens. “Don’t sell your vote, reject their money and save this country by voting Labour Party’s Obi and Datti.

Muslim/Muslim Ticket: Only 2 Christian Vice Chancellors in The North- Lawal

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Babachir Lawal

There are only two christian vice chancellors in all the federal government universities in the north. The rest are Muslims, according to Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The former SGF made the revelation while justifying the decision of christian leaders in the north not to support the same faith ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the 2023 presidential election.
Lawal and other christian leaders including Yakubu Dogara, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives have kicked against the ruling APC Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
Bola Tinubu and Kassim Shetima are the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the party. Both are Muslims.
Speaking in a BBC interview on Tuesday, Lawal said the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket will further lead to marginalisation of christians in the north, noting that only few Government positions are occupied by Christians in the region.
For instance, out of 27 universities and Polytechnics in the north there are only
two vice chancellors and two rectors, he said.
According to him, christians have decided not to vote for APC because of fear of marginalisation.
He said the christian community have chosen to vote for the opposition People’s Democratic party, PDP.
The former federal government scribe, a former ally of the APC presidential candidate, Tinubu, said the former Lagos governor made a big mistake by going for a Muslim running mate.
He said the APC will lose the presidential election next year because of the Muslims-muslim ticket.

Lawal said, “I am not for Bola Tinubu now. I am not for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“It is Bola who did not want to go with us, he chose where he wants to go, and we told him that we will not vote for him if he did a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) discussed with us and they agreed to do what we want if we support them and we agreed to support them.
“You see the problem of the northerners, if you say you are a Christian, it is difficult for us to get a job. You see, of the 27 universities in the north, there are only two Christian VCs and of 27 polytechnics; there are only two Christian rectors, that’s federal, but not to talk of state-owned.”
Babachir complained that the “discrimination” shown to Christians in the North was too much for them, “and you still went ahead to do Muslim-Muslim ticket; that is double blows on us.”

Uzodimma Approves Immediate Promotion Of Imo Civil Servants; No More Sit-at-home In State

By
The Source
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Hope Uzodimma

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has approved the immediate promotion of civil servants who have suffered stagnation for years in the hands of previous administrations.

The Governor gave the directive on Wednesday at the  Imo State Executive Council Meeting of November 23, 2022,  which he presided.

At a recent meeting the Governor had with civil servants in Imo State the workers had complained bitterly that they have not been promoted for years now.

Governor Uzodimma had assured them that he was ready to rectify the situation as a way of encouraging them to put in their best in the interest of the State as his government does not joke with reward system.

Briefing newsmen at the end of the Exco Meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba said that “in line with the Governor’s promise to look into the promotion arrears of Civil and Public Servants in Imo State when he announced the Health Insurance Policy for Imo workers, he has graciously approved immediate promotions of the Civil and Public Servants to clear the arrears/backlog that have existed since 8-10 years.”

He added that the promotions are with immediate effect.

“Again, the Exco noted that in fulfilling the promises to Imo people that construction works on Imo roads will speed up at the commencement of dry seasons, the contractors handling these projects have moved in as promised and currently the MCC/Uratta – Toronto junction road is being asphalted and the same thing is going on in the rural areas in addition to other roads  under construction in the State.”

Furthermore,  Emelumba explained that Government has approved and paid counterpart funding for Livestock production and other resilience support programmes which is a World Bank Programme aimed at empowering rural dwellers who are engaged in different livestock activities.

“What this implies, is that Imo rural livestock farmers will no longer have cause to complain in leveraging such opportunities as their counterparts in other States of the federation.”

Emelumba who was joined at the briefing by the Commissioner for Livestock, Anthony Mgbeahuruike, Commissioner for Niger Delta Affairs, Prince Henry Okafor, the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser,  Oguwike Nwachuku and the Chief Political Adviser/Head Bureau for Political Affairs, Enyinna Onuegbu,  said that “His Excellency’s resilience and dexterity as Governor of Imo State has been recognized by the World Bank and he is to receive ‘Award of Excellence’ on SEFTAS because of the Imo State Openness and Transparency in Budget Implementation.”

He added: ” The Award of Excellence is because the Imo State Budget in the last three years has been open and even translated into local language for the people to participate and access. Besides, the Governor is the first Governor to have gotten the World Bank Award and this has gone a long way in showing that the Governor is running a government that is accountable and responsive to the needs of the people.”

The commissioner equally said that “His Excellency has also been recognized by the United Nation for ‘Peace Award’ given to 10 prominent Nigerians for their contributions at ensuring peace and peaceful coexistence in the country.  The recognition is also based on his efforts at ensuring inter-ethnic and inter-religious coexistence in Nigeria and  this award will be given in Geneva on a date to be announced soon.”

Apparently noting that Imo State under Governor Uzodimma has become a destination point for critical national engagements, Emelumba said the Council also observed that the Best of Nollywood Award will be taking place in Imo State on December 3, 2022 in Owerri “and this shows that Imo is gradually returning to the Tourist Destination of the Nation.”

It was on that score that Government has directed that all courts in the State must resume sitting on Mondays and any other day, and that “all Government establishments should ensure they open their offices to workers and for services.”

“There is nothing again like sit-at-home on Mondays in Imo State.”

Emelumba equally recalled that before the commencement of the Executive Council meeting Governor Uzodimma sworn-in two new Commissioners who were also assigned portfolios.

The newly sworn in commissioners are: Prof. Johncliff Chike Nwadike (Ministry of Education) and Dr. Martins Eke (Ministry of Mines and Solid Minerals).

The Governor reminded them that ‘’to whom much is given much is expected.’’

“Imo is at a cross roads and needs to be saved from the hands of evil men before they do what we may not understand,” the governor told them.

He urged them to deploy the best of their strength, talent and competences to serve the Government and people of Imo State and thanked them for making themselves available to be part of the Shared Prosperity Government.

He enjoined them to synergize with their colleagues to develop Imo State and congratulated all the Commissioners who have been assigned to Ministries before now, reminding them that he considered their capacity and antecedents in their fields of endeavour in assigning them portfolios.

“I have no reason to doubt your ability to deliver,” he said and urged the Commissioners not to relent in their assigned duties  as “the success or failure of the Executive Council is measured by Imo people’s perception and how they see you.”

In his acceptance speech on behalf of his colleague, Prof. Nwadike who is also the  Commissioner for Education thanked the Governor for finding them worthy to be part of the Executive Council and promised that they will put in their best in the service of the State.

He also pledged their loyalty to the Governor.

Wike Pays Atiku In Kind, Gives Him The Jonathan Treatment; Reminds Nigerians How Atiku Treated Jonathan In 2015

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Atiku Abubakar and Nyesom Wike

By Adesina Soyooye

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, reminded Nigerians how shabbily the Presidential candidate of his Party, the Peoples Democratic Candidate, Atiku Abubakar treated a sitting President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

Wike reminded Nigerians of the humiliation Atiku put Jonathan through at the Dorchester Hotel, London.

In an emotional speech which confirmed, almost, that Wike is paying Atiku in same coin the Presidential candidate used to pay Jonathan, Wike said Nigerians forget history easily.

The Governor spoke at the commissioning of the Akpabu-Itu-Umudiogha road in the Emohua Local Government Area of the State by the Governor of Ebonyi State who he invited to commission it.

He narrated that in 2015, Jonathan, a sitting President, had secured the ticket for a second term. Before then, Atiku and former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, had led a revolution, with some other Governors, including Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, against Jonathan. Led by the two men and formerSenate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, they walked out on Jonathan at a PDP meeting. They were six PDP Governors, all in all, plus Atiku and others. They formed what they called the New PDP – NPDP.

When Jonathan eventually secured the ticket of his Party to run for a second term in office, he went to the Dorchester Hotel, London to see Atiku, and to appeal to him to support him in the Presidential race.

But disclosed Wike, Atiku not only refused, he asked Jonathan to relinquish his ticket, obviously, to him, and not to run for the office.

Jonathan did not do that. So, Atiku and his NPDP members dumped PDP and defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC. That move cost  Jonathan a second term, and the PDP the Presidency till date.

Wike: “In 2015, when Jonathan, as a sitting President, Jonathan as a sitting President, I am not talking as a Presidential candidate, I’m saying as a sitting President, when he had won his Primaries, people forget history, Jonathan went to London, in Dorchester Hotel, he went to plead with this our Presidential Candidate today, Atiku Abubakar. He said my brother, come back to the Party, and support me.

“You know the condition he gave to Jonathan? That he should relinquish his ticket, not to run  as the President of Nigeria. That was a sitting President, and a Presidential candidate of  the ruling Party. They gave him condition, telling him to relinquish that ticket for him not to run.

“So, when I see some people, running around, talking rubbish, they forget history.

“Today, we are not saying the Presidential candidate should relinquish his ticket. We are not being selfish.

“We are only saying since you are now the Presidential candidate, let our people take Chairmanship and they say they will kill me. Is it possible?

“When you see some rent seekers from here going around saying they will give me Minister of Finance, they will give me Governor of Central Bank, you haven’t killed an animal, and you are saying women don’t eat it. Kill the animal first to know whether women will eat or not.

“I don’t want that kind of promise. Give my people this one we are talking now. Give us the Chairman so that things can move freely. They come and tell you stories.”

The Governors with Wike are: Samuel Ortom, Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu and Seyi Makinde, Oyo. Along with a number of stakeholders who include a couple of former Governors, they now call themselves, the Integrity Group.

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