From: The Nation Published on: Saturday, May 18, 2013
Posted by: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation
The search for the wife of a Supreme Court Justice, Mrs. Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour, yesterday shifted to Ondo and Ekiti states.
The victim, who is the wife of Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, was kidnapped penultimate Friday with her daughter and a driver near Benin in Edo State.
The expansion of the search for the three hostages followed tracking signals that the kidnappers have relocated to some swamps along the two neighbouring states.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Maryam Alooma-Mukhtar, is said to be highly worried by the development and plans to visit Justice Rhodes-Vivour in Lagos where he has been monitoring the rescue effort of the abducted.
According to investigation, the kidnappers have got in touch with some people leading to the tracking of their location by the police and other security agencies.
A reliable source said: “As at the last time the tracking was conducted, the kidnappers were said to be shuttling between the forests in Ondo and Ekiti states. So far, the security agencies and the police have done well.
“The kidnappers have also opened up on their demand for ransom which is about N200million. We learnt that they have got in touch with one officer in charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the police in one of the states on their demand.
“I can say that dialogue is ongoing on how to prevail on the abductors to release their victims unhurt in national interest.
“We have been begging them to let off these victims.”
It was learnt last night that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alooma-Mukhtar might visit Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour in Lagos this weekend to sympathize with him.
The source added: “The CJN, who has been on top of the situation, might go there with some justices to identify with the travails of Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour.
“She might also use the opportunity to consider security reports on the hostages with the family.”
The Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti has postponed its 16th convocation schedule to hold on May 25 due to the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics.
The Rector, Mrs. Taiwo Akande, announced the postponement at a news conference she addressed in Ado Ekiti on Friday.
Although the strike was called at the national level by the two unions, the rector said the Governing Council of the polytechnic arrived at the decision to postpone the convocation after a meeting with the local chapters of the unions failed to yield a positive result.
She said, “Members of the Governing Council met on Thursday for hours with the leadership of the two unions in the school and all efforts to convince them to cooperate and allow the event to hold proved futile.
“Members of the unions are vital to the convocation ceremony because they have roles to play and there is no way the event could hold without their support.
“Moreover, it was discovered that if we go ahead with the event, the security of people may not be guaranteed. There is no point putting the lives of people in danger. We have subsequently informed the minister of education on the latest development and that the event will hold at a later date.”
From: The Nation Published on: Friday, May 17, 2013
Posted by: Rilwan
Ekiti and Anambra states are the only two states that have completed the Peer Review Exercise, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has said.
Its Director-General, Mr Bayo Okauru, spoke at the ongoing Second Nigeria Governors’ Forum (Southwest) Governance Share Fair at the Hotel Bellissimo, Lekki, Lagos.
He said the Governance Share Fair will create the right atmosphere for peer learning among states by enabling them to share good practices, showcase reform and achievements as well as develop areas of collaboration and further networking.
The NGF chief noted that the forum has become more focused on priorities that reduce poverty, enhance development and create better connection between government and the citizenry.
The six governors in the Southwest, who were represented at the event, delivered goodwill messages in which they recognised the need for the region to share information among one another to synergise development and deliver good governance to the people.
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Integration and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr Funminiyi Afuye, said the forum will afford the States to learn what is working in service delivery and good governance which will be beneficial to individual states.
According to him, there is need for regional integration and an exchange of ideas to foster integration at a higher level.
Also, Ekiti State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation Mr Tayo Ekundayo said the state completed the review exercise following the achievements of the Fayemi administration in several areas.
In a lecture, entitled: Governance Matters, the National Programme Manager of the State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC), Mr Joe Abbah noted that good governance cannot be guaranteed where corruption thrives.
He said good governance will result in poverty reduction, equitable economic growth, reduction in unemployment and improvement in human capital, health, education and infrastructure.
The Southwest Regional Coordinator of DFID, Dr Sina Fagbenro-Byron, reiterated the efforts of the global agency in reducing poverty, corruption and delivering good governance in the Southwest.
He urged the states in the region to team up and ensure regional integration that will lead to multidimensional achievements and delivery of vibrant and robust governance.
Representatives of the six states made presentations on their achievements in different sectors with a view to sharing information that would be beneficial to one another.
From: The Nation Published on: Friday, May 17, 2013
Posted by: Our Reporter
The Department for International Development (DFID) has hailed Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi for his strong political will towards institutional change.
The Southwest Regional Coordinator of DFID, Dr Sina Fagbenro-Byron, gave the commendation when he addressed reporters in Lagos.
Fagbenro-Byron, who noted that institutional change is paramount to reforming the society, added that Ekiti State is showing a trajectory in that direction.
He praised the state government’s efforts towards accountability, civil service reform, qualitative education and infrastructural intervention, among others.
The DFID Coordinator expressed satisfaction with the policies of the Fayemi administration on integrating the House of Assembly on the developmental projects.
Fagbenro-Byron said this has been outstanding while the security situation in the state is also commendable.
He, however, advised the government to focus more on indigenes of the state in the Diaspora for an effective partnership.
According to him, there is need for the private sector to key into the vision of the state government.
From: National Mirror Published on: Friday, May 17, 2013
ABIODUN NEJO
Ekiti State Government said it would soon construct three mother and child hospitals in different locations in the state to bolster healthcare delivery.
The Special Adviser, Bureau of Special Projects, Mr. Bayo Kelekun, who disclosed this, said the state government would soon take delivery of the Staff Clinic under construction at the State Secretariat in Ado-Ekiti as part of commitment to workers’ wellness.
Kelekun said in a statement in Ado-Ekiti yesterday that the Mother and Child Hospitals initiative was to sustain the low level of maternal and child mortality being experienced in the state due to functional health centres being put in place by the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration.
In the statement signed by his media aide, Mr. Dare Daramola, the special adviser, who said the Mother and Child Hospitals were billed for Ikere, Ijero and Ikole, assured that all the 18 General Hospitals in the state would be renovated and equipped before the end of the year.
Kelekun said the 35 health centres in the state would also be renovated to complement the services that would be offered by the General Hospitals as he assured workers of more robust relationship and welfare packages.
The special adviser, who described the projects as a follow-up to the Operation Renovate All Schools project of the Fayemi administration, said the Bureau had completed the prequalification exercise to ascertain the contractors that could deliver quality jobs.
From: National Mirror Published on: Friday, May 17, 2013
ABIODUN NEJO
The police have arrested no fewer than five youths in Ikere-Ekiti in Ekiti State following the clash that greeted the protest over outrageous bills by men of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PCHN).
The youths, including commercial motorcycle operators, took to the streets on Wednesday and yesterday to protest what they described as “outrageous bills charged house owners by PHCN despite erratic power supply or even total blackout”.
For the two days, the protesters mounted roadblocks on Ikere- Ado and Ikere- Akure roads, disrupted traffic and forced trading and other commercial activities in the ancient town to a lull.
The police spokesman, Mr. Victor Babayemi Olu, who confirmed the incident, said the five persons arrested in connection with the protest had been detained.
While saying normalcy had returned to the town, he appealed to the traditional rulers to help advise youths to eschew violence.
This is as former Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Abiodun Aluko, a native of the town, urged the protesting youth to exercise caution.
He said the protest had paralysed activities in the town.
Commercial activities were paralysed in Ikere Ekiti as some residents and hoodlums protested against outage and distribution of ‘crazy’ electricity bills.
The protesters, who started the agitation on Wednesday, it was gathered, attacked many officials of Power Holding Company of Nigeria during the demonstration.
The attacked PHCN officials, the protesters alleged, were instrumental in the irregular supply of electricity to the area as well as the distribution of outrageous bills to them.
The protest, which continued on Thursday, also resulted in the attack of a reporter with Adaba FM, Mr. Tunde Akinlabi.
He was reportedly beaten and stripped.
There were bonfires on the roads with markets and offices shut, as many residents refused to go out for fear of molestation by the rampaging youths.
An Ikere Ekiti resident, Mr. Tope Ogunsakin, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone, said the protesters damaged some vehicles and beat up some of the motorists.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Victor Babayemi, when contacted, confirmed the incident but said normalcy had returned to the town.
The command, he said, had arrested five persons in connection with the demonstration.
He also warned youths against making bonfires on the road, saying the police would not tolerate any act of lawlessness.
From: The Nation Published on: Thursday, May 16, 2013
Posted by: Dhikru Akinola
Johnson Ikudayisi and Temitope Orebe, who are Ekiti State students’ leaders studying at in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, escaped death in a road accident. They were returning from Ekiti after sorting out bursary and scholarship payments when they had an accident.
Johnson, 500-Level Dentistry, was the chairman of the Federation of Ekiti State Students’ Union (FESSU) electoral commission, Temitope, 400-Level Law, is the president of the union at OAU.
The duo had gone to Ado-Ekiti to meet officials of the State Scholarship Board and the Governor. After the meeting, the students’ leaders left for Ife.
However, 20 minutes into the journey, the bus they were riding in somersaulted at Igede-Ekiti and rammed into an electric pole. The pole fell on the bus.
Reliving the incident, Johnson said he was typing a message on his phone when “we heard a loud sound and that was the end”.
He said: “A power line fell on the bus and we were not electrocuted. I shouted blood of Jesus. We were 15 in the bus. How we escaped is still a mystery to us. Nobody could say if the accident happened as a result of over speeding.”
Johnson noted that he was in shock before Temitope got a cab to take them to Ekiti State General Hospital, Iyin, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government.
He said at the time they left the scene of the incident and the hospital, some passengers were in coma and they left for Ife that same night.
On the lesson learnt, Ekiti said that he would move closer to God now that he has been saved.
He advised the officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to rid the roads of bad buses that were not road worthy.
The drivers, he advised, should be made to undergo training before they should be given driving licence and periodic training for their staff.
From: The Nation Published on: Thursday, May 16, 2013
Posted by: Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government yesterday said it will tackle unemployment through industrialisation.
The Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, spoke in her office in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, while hosting members of the United Nations (UN) Habitat and representatives of the Anli Plywood Industry Limited.
Mrs. Adelabu said the state is willing to partner investors and development partners to create jobs and make life better for the masses.
She said infrastructural development is part of the administration’s eight-point agenda, adding that the state is peaceful and conducive for investors.
Prof. Oyebanji Oyeyinka of the UN Habitat group said the team would partner Ekiti on urban renewal.
Mr. Hu Chin Yu of Anli Plywood Industry Limited said his company was investing about N500 million in a plywood industry in Ilu Omoba-Ekiti.
From: The Nation Published on: Thursday, May 16, 2013
Posted by: Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government has spent about N2 billion on the Social Security Scheme for the Elderly.
The Commissioner for Labour, Productivity and Human Capital Development, Mr. Oluwole Ariyo, made this known yesterday at a forum in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Ariyo said the government spends an average of N100 million monthly on the scheme, under which about 19,270 senior citizens receive a monthly stipend of N5,000 each.
He said the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration is committed to the welfare of the elderly, adding that the scheme would be reviewed monthly to accommodate more people.
Ariyo said: “The scheme is a major achievement of the Fayemi administration and is the first of its kind in Nigeria. It is believed that more of our elders would register and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the scheme.
“Many have come to realise that the scheme has no political or ethnic colouration. It has contributed significantly to improving the lifespan of the citizenry.
“Contrary to fears among the elders, the scheme will outlive the administration as it already has an enabling law backing its institution.”
Also yesterday, Local Government Joint Administrative Account Fund Committee approved the payment of the salary of council workers attached to traditional rulers, who missed the biometric exercise conducted by the government.
Commissioner for Local Government Affairs Paul Omotoso said the affected workers would collect their salaries manually from their respective local government offices.
The State Teaching Service Commission has directed the bursars of public secondary schools to submit the salary vouchers of their schools to the commission on or before the fifth day of every month.
Chairman of the State Teaching Service Commission Prince Bayo Adeniran also directed them to regularly submit the vouchers for the payment of the allowances of corps members serving in their schools to ensure prompt payment.
He warned that any bursar found wanting would be sanctioned.
The Commissioner for Education, Kehinde Ojo, assured teachers in special schools, who were employed temporarily, that they would soon be considered for permanent employment.
Ojo said the renovation of special schools in Ikoro-Ekiti is almost completed.
He said the government would organise more trainings for teachers.
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