EKITI 2018: GROUP MOBILISES SUPPORT FOR BETTER LEADERSHIP IN EKITI STATE.

 Ahead of the 2018 governorship election in Ekiti State, a socio-political group known as Ekiti Heritage Platform has called on the people of Ekiti State to be sensitive in choosing the next governor who will pilot the affairs of the state for another four years after the expiration of governor Ayodele Fayose in office.

The group is established to sensitise the people of Ekiti state on the need to vote for a visionary leadership that will drive the state to her economic haven.

Speaking with Naijanewsonline yesterday, the group’s coordinator, Ayo Fapohunda berated the state governor Dr.Peter Fayose over his attitude towards the state’s economic situation saying the governor has plundered the resources of Ekiti state.

While affirming the group’s recent endorsement of a top contender in the governorship race in Ekiti state,Fapohunda said the endorsement of Akogun Banji Ojo by the group was as a result of a research carried out by a 10-man committee on the aspirants in the state both in the ruling party PDP  and the APC, and having accessed the programmes of Akogun Ojo and his antecedents,EHP resolved to endorse his aspiration.

His words: ‘’Our group is committed to mobilising support for a leadership that is driven by vision and compassion. Ekiti state is at the verge of economic explosion because the state is plunged into debts and it’s our collective  responsibilities to salvage the hands of poor managers of our resources. 

''We cannot fold our arms and watch some people take our resources to a halt. We are prepared for the change of baton which informed our collective decision to endorse Akogun Banji Ojo.’’

Fapohunda said the group has been actively involved in the electoral process and would continue to pursue that which is just and fair among the citizenry.

The group also urged the people of the state to join hands with the group in its drive to make Ekiti a better place.

ABEGUNDE AND ALE ARE COMPETENT TO HANDLE CHALLENGES IN GOVERNMENT....Akeredolu

The Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Friday said the appointment of  Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde as Secretary to State Government and Mr. Olugbenga Ale as his Chief of Staff was made possible because he believed they are men of immense capacity to respond to the expectation of the people of the State.

The Governor made this known during the swearing in of the duo and that of the five Senior Special Assistants, SSA  at the Exco chamber in the Governor’s office, Akure.

Mr Akeredolu said, “The personalities of these two individuals and the high ranking offices they occupy bear testimony to the significance this administration attaches to excellence and best practices. It is also an evidence of our abiding commitment to devote the best of our efforts to our avowed goal of changing the lives of the people.

“With the critical appointments of these gentlemen being sworn in today and that of the five Senior Special Assistants alongside, the business of governance has begun.

“To drive this change process, we believe there is the need for an excellent human resources comprising of experience, competence, vision and confidence.

“In setting out to achieve these lofty goals, our administration is conscious of the fact that Change itself is a process. It is a process that must be clearly thought out, clearly articulated and clearly implemented to produce definite and quantifiable results.

“This exactly is the reason we have taken our time to search for men and women with immense capacity to respond to the expectation of the people.

“Our Secretary to Government Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde has a pedigree that speaks loud for experience, loyalty and vision. He is urbane, exposed and loyal. As you know he is a consummate politician with an enduring and enviable grassroots appeal.

“He served the people of Akure South and North federal constituency as a two time member of the House of Representatives. He is a disciplined party man and an excellent team player whose understanding of the vision and mission of this government convinces us beyond doubt that as Secretary to this government, he will support us to steer the center of government towards effective service delivery. May God help him in his discharge of his duties.

“Chief Joel Olugbenga Ale is not only an accomplished bureaucrat, his vast experience in public service has trained him to be steady, focussed and systematic in finding solutions to difficult challenges.

“He retired from the public service at the peak of his career having taken rounds as a government bureaucracy manager in virtually all the key departments of government. His renown ability as a planner, organiser and enforcer will serve government in great stead at all times in need. May God help him as he discharges his duties.”
Speaking further, the Governor said his government will continue to reward loyalty, dedication, competence and diligence.

“Let me restate to our people in Ondo State, in particularly to members of our party, the APC, that in due course, many more of our people will be invited to hold other key positions of authority at different levels of government, to serve the best interest of our state.

“We urge our people to understand that this state needs help and that as patriots, their sacrifice and service to common good remain the only purpose of their involvement in government.

“While waiting for such opportunities to come, we wish to appeal for patience with government, renewal of faith in our party and a complete dedication to our promises to the people of our state.,” he said.

 

AKEREDOLU RECOGNISES COKER AS SPEAKER OF ONDO HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

The leadership crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly took a new turn yesterday as the Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Friday publicly pitched his tenth with Hon. Coker Malachi, factional Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

Mr. Malachi was recognized as the Speaker of the House of Assembly while he sat next to the Governor during the swearing in of the Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff to the Governor at the Exco chamber, Governor’s office, Akure.

Newsnaijaonline recalled the State House Assembly has for the past weeks been engulfed in leadership crisis following the suspension of its Speaker, Ms. Jumoke Akindele, and other principal officers over an alleged N15 million fraud by half of the 26 members of the Assembly.

The 13-member, 8 of them from the PDP and 5 from the APC, purportedly elected Mr. Malachi and Mr. Ayodele Arowele, as acting Speaker and acting Deputy-Speaker respectively.

The development led to a fracas on the floor of the Assembly resulting in the deployment of armed policemen to maintain law and order and eventual sealing of the complex allegedly on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police.

Former Governor Mimiko was also violently prevented from accessing the Assembly to present the 2017 budgetary proposals and his attempts to have the legislature approve a list of 38 bills was equally rebuffed.

Newsnaijaonline gathered that the recognition of the Malachi-led faction might not be unconnected with the latest intervention of the Mr. Akeredolu to resolve the crisis in the Assembly.

Our reporter gathered that the Governor had last week met with the two factions where he advised them on peaceful resolution of the crisis rather than him supporting a faction of the house.

A source close to the Governor who spoke to Newsnaijaonline on Friday  said the suspended Speaker, Ms. Akindele and her group also met with the Governor in Ibadan on 5th of March during a thanksgiving service held in his honour.

Mr. Akeredolu was said to have told the lawmakers to sheath their swords and reconcile in the interest of the state, adding that there was the need for compromise on both sides to move forward.

We also gathered that the Ms. Akindele’s group during the meeting explained that due process was not followed by the Malachi group in impeaching the leadership of the house.

They also agreed that a peaceful change of leadership in line with the rules of the Assembly would be encouraged after the resolution of the ongoing crisis.

APC GOVERNMENT WILL MAKE ONDO A TECHNOLOGY HUB Says Akeredolu's son, Babajide.

Plans are underway to make Akure, Ondo State capital, the technology hub of West Africa, by creating the needed ambiance for enthusiasts of technical know-how to thrive in the city.

Babajide Akeredolu, an ICT guru and a son of governor-elect of the state,Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), dropped the hint at a meeting organised by “Akure TechUp”,a
growing community of technology start-ups.

He said that technology apart from evolving solutions to myriads of contemporary challenges has the potential to engage thousands of young people and make them solution providers.

Akeredolu who is the secretary, Education and Technology sub-committee of the Strategic Development and Policy Implementation Committee set up for the incoming government of the state, assured that young people will be given a sense of belonging when the father takes over.

“Any government seeking to make impact on the lives of young people must look in the direction of ICT which is not only a veritable employment generation avenue,
but also capable of making them
innovators. I want to commend the “Akure TechUp” for this pioneering move, which deserves the needed government support,“ he stated.

Coordinators of the growing technology community, Joel Ogunsola  and Aboluwarin Kitan David, disclosed that programmes like Emerge West Africa Hackathon, Pitch West and West Africa Tech Summit have been lined up to create an enabling environment for technology start-ups to thrive in the State.

Ogunsola stressed the importance of building a community that will work together to create solutions as well as provide employment opportunities and in turn lead to economic growth.

He said: “Akure Tech up is to bring together relevant stakeholders in the industry, leverage on the peaceful atmosphere and considerate cost of living to raise technology giants. We are exploring all avenues of partnership with the government and private sector in making this a reality.”

WE WILL EMPHASIZE ENTREPRENEURIAL STUDIES – Akeredolu

The Governor-elect of Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has said that his administration will focus on entrepreneurship and skills acquisition at the secondary and tertiary levels.

He added that placing emphasis on the entrepreneurial aspect of the curriculum would enable pupils to develop skills in self-development and self reliance early in their academics.

Akeredolu said this in a statement made available to our correspondent by his Media Adviser, Mr. Yemi Olowolabi, on Thursday.

According to Akeredolu, his agenda for the education sector is to revamp ‘the salient parts of the curriculum’’ which have the potential of turning around the national challenges such as unemployment.

He said, “These aspects have always been in the curriculum but our plan is to emphasise areas of entrepreneurship and skills acquisition from the secondary level. We are also going to revive and revitalise technical colleges to serve the purpose for which they were established. The aim is to equip our pupils with the right mindset and necessary skills to earn a decent living early in their academics.

“Our priority is to ensure that our pupils see entrepreneurship and skills acquisition as noble and not inferior to white collar jobs. This we are going to do by emphasising the salient parts of the curriculum. People have shunned our technical colleges because they have not been serving the purpose for which they were established.  Our plan is to equip and revitalise our technical colleges and teachers at the secondary school level to teach all aspects of entrepreneurship.”

APC CHIEFTAIN SAYS BETTER DAYS AHEAD IN ONDO

As the February 24 handing over of government by the out-going governor of Ondo State to the Governor-elect,Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu of the APC draws nearer,a chieftain of the party and an America based businessman, Samuel Elijah has promised the people of the state  better days with the  in-coming APC government.

The businessman,Engr. Samuel Elijah who made this statement while speaking with newsnaijaonline said the electioneering promises of the APC in the state would be fulfilled.

Elijah said the party has provided the platform for the successful actualisation of  its programmes adding that it would be achievable with the support of the people of the state.

He promised the people that the APC government would be transparent and accountable in its daily activities and urged them to give their support by praying for the governor-elect,Barr. Akeredolu to enable him achieve much especially this time when the economy of the country is in recession.

EX- BEAUTY QUEEN,ADAEZE YOBO WELCOMES BABY GIRL

Ex-Beauty Queen Adaeze Yobo has given birth to her 3rd child, and it is a girl!
The beautiful mom of three (including the newly born baby) and her husband Joseph Yobo already have two boys together and we are sure they are excited about the latest addition to the family.
Congratulations to them!

A GREEN HORN IN NIGERIAN POLITICS

Last year was full of political activities in Ondo State when the date for the  governorship election in Ondo State  was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.Many faces were spotted both within and outside the state in support of their preferred candidates.

Among those prominent faces spotted was an American based businessman and politician,Mr. Samuel Elijah popularly called Georgia by his admirers.

Elijah stormed the political landscape of Ondo State with the sole intention of contributing to the development of his community and put smiles to the faces of the people.

Sagacious,magnanimous,selfless and possessed with unusual leadership qualities and flair for human development,Samuel Elijah was one of the vibrant supporters of the Governor-elect in Ondo State,Barr.Rotimi Akeredolu SAN under the platform of the All Progressives Congress,APC.

Elijah was spotted  as a golden fish through his immerse contributions and mobilisation for the success of the APC at the November 26th,governorship election in Ire-Akari axis of Ose Local Government of Ondo State.
WATCH OUT FOR A COMPREHENSIVE STORY ON ELIJAH SAMUEL

ROTIMI MAKINDE OPENS UP ON HIS RADIO STATION

On Sunday, December 11, 2016, famous actor turned politician, Hon. Michael Rotimi Makinde opened his multimillion naira radio station, Oodua FM in Ajebandele, Ife, Osun State, at a very colourful ceremony. The well attended event attracted dignitaries from all walks of life.
Among the eminent personalities at the grand commissioning were the executive governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, his deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye Tomori, former Commissioner for Art, Tourism and Culture, Sikiru Ayedun, Chief Alex Dudu Yemi, former deputy, Soko Adeleke Adewoyin, Ife Traditional Council, led by the Obalufe, Oba Daniel Adediwura who represented Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja 2) and others.
In this interview, the Ife, Osun born politician took us in the journey of his giant stride as the first African entertainer to own a radio station, why he named it Oodua FM and much more.

How do you feel achieving this feat?
I feel very great and fulfilled for so many reasons. I have many reasons to thank God and will forever be grateful to Him.
Why the choice of the name, Oodua?
This is Ife, the origin of Yoruba and in fact the source. And I love those things that will promote art and culture. Then, thinking carefully, if I look into that name that connotes that and sounds big, I think that’s the only name that fits in.
I studied the history of Oduduwa very well and I concluded that he’s a person that preached unity, love, progress and had tentacles even beyond Nigeria. There’re descendants of Oduduwa in many other countries even as far as Cuba. There’re sons and daughters of Oduduwa all over the land. And I want a kind of tentacle that will spread just like that.
Oranmiyan is known to be limited to Oyo and Ife. So choosing the name Oranmiya though he was a warrior that never lost any war, I still don’t like that much. Moremi was also a heroine but also limited and connected to Ife alone. So, looking in to all these, I don’t want an identity that will be limited to Ife. Even, if I had my way, I want something that will cover the whole of South-West.
So, that’s why I came into conclusion that the radio station should be called Oodua FM. And as God would have it, I applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and I got it registered as Oodua FM. It’s a limited company. And that’s the beginning of the whole thing.
What makes Oodua FM unique?
Oodua FM is going to be different from other private stations because it’s going to be handled by somebody who has soft spot for entertainment. I am the only entertainer to be so privileged to establish something like this in the whole of Africa. So, this should be my own investment in that industry that I cannot divorce myself from. I am known to be an entertainer. And for the first time, this is probably acting interesting to that industry.
So, who can entertain better than an entertainer. I am an entertainer to the core. And that has to be handed very well. I will make sure I will never disappoint my fans. Majority of people know me to be an entertainer. It’s not that I am looking for fame again or money. I have always been very comfortable.

I left a lucrative job for uncertainty, which is politics facing the mucky water. Today, here I am. I have made my name also in politics. The eagerness to continue where I stopped enveloped my heart but if I go back to acting again, people will say he has come back.
But when I looked into what else can I do to carry everyday thing along, that’s why I decided to establish Oodua FM.

Being a top shot in the entertainment industry, are you particularly premising the station on that to advance the industry alone?
Like I told you, Oodua FM is a very big investment. So, it’s not going to be limited to entertainment broadcasting alone. We have a lot of other aspects of broadcasting that are embedded in our programmes. Also, we’re going to go into serious marketing, of movies which has always been a great challenge in the industry which has left many of the stakeholders to be working like elephants and be eating like rats.
But how are you going to tackle piracy which has become the industry’s major headache?
Piracy is a problem and it has always been a problem worldwide, not only in Nigeria. When I was in the House as a member of Representatives, we did a lot to bring the issue of piracy to the table. But it’s just unfortunate that the lack of unity in the entertainment industry hampered the efforts.
I found it difficult to even get backing of that constituency just because there’s no unity. It’s very bad. I would have loved to see a situation where the likes of Fidelis Duker will be dining and wining with Zebrudaya, Jide Kosoko and others. There shouldn’t be anything like Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa.
I like to see the industry under one umbrella. Even, when the issue of former President Jonathan’s N3 billion came, the whole House almost concluded that the money should be shared into three along ethnic divides in the industry, I was the one that moved the motion against it. It’s on record, I insisted that the House must not be seen to further cause disunity in that industry. And I said I don’t want to recognize all these many names or identities in the industry but one Nollywood. And that the money was better taken to Nigerian Bank of Industries registered by the Federal Government.
And anybody that’s qualified should just go there. If not, the House has almost concluded that the Yoruba should have N1 billion and Kennywood, Ibo also. And that’s kind of polarizing the industry. That period also coincided with the time some said they’re celebrating 20 years of Nollywood which I also condemned because the industry was far older than that.
How much did it cost you to put the station together?
To be honest, I can’t say precisely how much I have put into it. I even lost count at a stage. Yes, so many contingencies here and there. As you can see the structure, this is the project I embarked on for almost four or five years. And it would have been the first private radio station in Osun state.
But the politics is this, and without exaggeration, if All Progressives Congress (APC) had not come to power, maybe the project wouldn’t have seen the light of the day. I would particularly want to study what’s exactly the driving force in me despite the fact that I knew I was in opposition.
But God said to me, I have never started anything and failed in my life. I am a go getter, an actualizer, I know for sure that one day, the dream would come to reality or People’s Democratic Party (PDP) government would fall and it come to pass.
There’s this issue of N50 million loan between you and one of the sons of Ife, Chief Kayode Aworinde, which has resulted in a legal battle. What’s the position of the case now?
Thank you so much. That’s one thing that left a perpetual scar in my heart till today. It sent a bad signal to my mind that some people are only having the faces of human beings but they’re animals. This is a person, until recently, I will describe as a very good friend of mine. I loved him so much. But between me and God, he ran into trouble and he solicited for an assistance of N50 million.
And with me sitting as a legislature, I was in a better position to obtain loan than him. And I used my influence to walk into a bank, pledged the collateral of my property and obtained a loan and gave to him as a friend. I have all the documents to that. I wasn’t a fool to have done that. He was equally planning to obtain a loan and he couldn’t get it. And I said this is a small thing as a friend. It’s not only him, there’re lots of people I have assisted in many ways like that. I make bold to say that I gave out more than 100 cars to people, it’s not an exaggeration. You’re free to conduct your independent findings about that.
I can also make bold to say that I had built more than four palaces. All these are perishable things. But what matters most in this issue is that this one I lent you the money as a loan and when it became very difficult for him to pay it back, I also recognized that. But when I now saw that the same money he used to complete a property and you now put the property for sale, and he sold the property for N120 million. I now approached him, “this is the time to pay my money”, he now felt it’s a politician largesse. That he was there with me campaigning. If he had been killed by then, what would have been his reward? That’s why the good intention of many politicians to help people are killed by such people.
That’s why some politicians only like to give to people only what they can dash out and forget which I think is better. What I did to him was what I thought he deserved as a way of assisting him out of his problem.
N50 million is not a joke. And it’s on record that I gave him the money. It’s exactly 10 days that I got to Abuja as a lawmaker that I gave him the money. So, he can’t say it’s a national cake for me. I was sworn-in as a legislature on June 6, 2011 and he got the money on June 16, 2011. But as of today, after exploiting every means possible to get the money back, including family members even up to the level of Ooni of Ife just to persuade him, the community now advised me to go to court.
The case is now in court. So, in court, that’s the story he gave. My own challenge was to prove that I gave him the money which I have succeeded in doing. So, it’s now up to him to come and convince the court those things he did to deserve that N50 million. I want to believe that there’s no way he will win the case.