President Tinubu Ammends Niger Delta Development Commission Board And Management Nomination List.

President Tinubu Ammends Niger Delta Development Commission Board And Management Nomination List.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate replacement of the NDDC's Ondo State Representative nominee, Mr. Victor Akinjo, with a new Ondo State Representative nominee, Hon. Otito Atikase .

The President has equally approved the immediate replacement of the NDDC's Cross River State Representative nominee, Mr. Asi Oku Okang, with a new Cross River State Representative, Rt. Hon. Orok Otuk Duke.

Furthermore, the immedate past Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, is reappointed to a second term and will remain in acting capacity, pending the Senate's confirmation of his reappointment.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

September 1, 2023

Ekiti Speaker Assures Assembly Staff Of Better Welfare.

Ekiti Speaker Assures Assembly Staff Of Better Welfare.

.....Commissions PASAN Building.

The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye  has assured the Staff of the legislative arm of his readiness to help pursue their legitimate demands from the state government and work towards ensuring better welfare for them.

Rt. Hon. Aribasoye made this known on Thursday at his first interactive session with the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Ekiti State Chapter at the Assembly complex since he assumed office as Speaker of the Seventh Assembly.

The interactive session witnessed active participation from staff members, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Bolaji Bolaji Egbeyemi Olagbaju , Principal Officers, other Lawmakers, and the bureaucracy of the House. It served as a platform for open dialogue and constructive discussions to address the concerns raised by the PASAN members.

The highpoint of the day was the commissioning of the PASAN Building within the premises of the Assembly Complex which houses a restaurant and the Union's administrative offices by the Speaker to the admiration of other lawmakers present and the staff members.

During the session, the Speaker acknowledged the importance of the staff members' valuable contributions to the functioning of the Assembly and  therefore, emphasized the need for their welfare to be prioritized, as they play a vital role in supporting the lawmakers in fulfilling their legislative responsibilities.

In response to the demands for better welfare, the Speaker announced several initiatives aimed at improving the working conditions and wellbeing of the staff members as applicable and enjoyed by the arm of government.

Rt. Hon. Aribasoye who on behalf of others members promised to seek the understanding of the Governor, Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji on the demands, also promised to further engage the Clerk of the House, Mr Tola Esan and other stakeholders on ways to ensure the demands are promptly  granted.

The Speaker while announcing the approval of palliatives for staff to ease the difficult times occasioned by the subsidy removal, declared that the interactive session with staff members will be held quarterly, and assured of the Seventh Assembly's readiness to move the Legislature to an enviable height.

In his address, the Clerk of the House, Mr. Tola Esan congratulated the leadership of the union for the lofty project they have constructed, stating that it was an effort carried out through diligence and prudent management of resources.

Mr. Esan while appreciating the union for being a friendly one, expressed confidence in its leadership sagacity which has ensured industrial harmony in the legislative arm.

He encouraged the staff members to continue in the right direction and be peaceful in making their demands known, assuring them of victory at the end as the leadership of the House and the  Executive Governor of the state are workers' friendly.

The Clerk further noted that the management of the House has been trying its best to ensure staff welfare was given adequate attention and would continue to do so.

Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the PASAN, Ekiti State Chapter, Comrade Gbenga Oluwajuyigbe, extended the association's heartfelt appreciation to the leadership of the Assembly for granting its request for an interactive session and official commissioning of the PASAN building, describing the gesture as an indication of the lawmakers' commitment to the wellbeing of the legislative arm of government.

Comrade Oluwajuyigbe highlighted the demands of the association to include Approval and Implementation of the Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure, (CONLESS); Creation of more Institutions in the Legislative Arm for growth and development of staff; Full Financial Autonomy in line with Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Re-engagement of the disengaged Staff.

Other demands tabled before the Speaker included Implementation and Approval of #10million for the take off of the legislative service Loans and Board as provided for in the 2023 Appropriation Law; Staff Promotion at Due Date, and the Inclusion of PASAN Retired Representatives on the Assembly Commission Board among others.

The PASAN boss solicited the support of the Speaker and his colleagues in the pursuit of those demands to be achieved.

A health talk was delivered by a Registered Nurse, Reverend Sister Emmanuel-Mary Fadiya during the interactive session.

Council Boss Charges Security Personnel To Be More Effective.

Council Boss Charges Security Personnel To Be More Effective.

The Executive Chairman of Gbonyin LCDA, Hon Damilare Ajayi has called on the security personnel working in the council area to be more effective and efficient in discharging their duties. Hon Ajayi stated this at the council Secretariat in Aisegba Ekiti during the monthly  Security and Intelligence meeting.

In Pic: Hon Damilare Ajayi, The Executive Chairman of Gbonyin LCDA.

The Council boss urged the security personnel to always involve themselves in intelience  gathering in nibbing crimes in the bud in the area.

Ajayi told the people present at the meeting that he is yet to be satisfied with the issue of security considering the kidnapping that happened along Aisegba/Iluomoba road recently.

The chairman  assured the security personnel the readiness of his administration to give neccessary support and logistics in a bid to make the area crime free.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of Nigeria Police Force  Nigerian Army,  Nigeria Security Civil Defense, Peace Corps  OPC and others.

PRESIDENT TINUBU APPROVES INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE FIVE MILLION EYEGLASSES TO NIGERIANS WITH SIGHT IMPEDIMENTS.

PRESIDENT TINUBU APPROVES INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE FIVE MILLION EYEGLASSES TO NIGERIANS WITH SIGHT IMPEDIMENTS.

President Bola Tinubu, on Friday in Abuja, declared his unwavering support for a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Eye Health Programme and the Peek Vision Foundation to provide more than 5 million pairs of eyeglasses to Nigerians with sight impairments.

The President recounted how close to home his first intervention in eye health was as he made a pledge on behalf of the Federal Government during a courtesy visit by the Founder and CEO of Peek Vision Foundation and Co-Founder of the Vision Catalyst Fund, Prof. Andrew Bastawrous.

"My first experience was with my mother of blessed memory. She was ill and she could not recognise me. When I intervened, she was treated and given a pair of glasses.

"The next question she asked me was: I have you, and you are able to do this for me. What about those other women and their children who may not have somebody like you to intervene for them?

"So I made a promise to her that I will pursue the mass provision of eye care vigorously and that I would provide free eye screenings and surgeries to people because of that question my mother asked me and because of her passion to see others healed.

"We eventually impacted the eye health of millions of people in Lagos, and you could see their joy over the immediate sight enhancements when they were given a pair of glasses," the President fondly recalled.

Highlighting the pressing need for improved eye health services in Nigeria, President Tinubu expressed concern about the more than 24 million Nigerians grappling with varying degrees of vision impairments.

"We must act now because sight and vision is critical to economic development and growth," the President said, recalling his visionary "Jigi Bola" programme, which was initiated during his tenure as the Executive Governor of Lagos State in 2001 and provided free eye screening and surgery to Lagosians while setting a new precedent for proactive eye care initiatives in West Africa.

"I am in support of this initiative, and I will encourage the mobilisation of further commitment to see this through and to reach vulnerable people all across our country. Some parents may not pay attention to this, but I will, because I am touched," the President concluded.

Expressing his commitment to the cause, Prof. Bastawrous said:

"Good vision unlocks human potential. It improves earning, learning, and wellness for individuals, communities, and countries."

He shared his personal story and the transformative power of vision care:

"When I was 12, I was told by my teachers that I was clumsy and lazy, but the results of an eye exam explained I had very poor vision. And when I put on a pair of glasses, I saw the leaves on a tree for the first time, and my life completely changed and two weeks later, I was using my first pair of free eye glasses and I saw stars clearly for the first time.

"My grades improved, and the trajectory of my life completely changed, all because of a very cheap intervention that is 700 years old. Had that not happened, I would not be standing in front of you today. I would not be a professor, and I would not be involved in the work I am doing because sight gives opportunity," the Peek Foundation CEO shared.

Professor Bastawrous noted that eye care is still chronically under-resourced in many countries, adding that the estimates in Nigeria show that 0.0002 percent of the health budget is spent on eye health.

"The good news is that President Tinubu has an excellent team in the health sector, and some of them have demonstrated tremendous leadership in the sector. What we would like to offer is to bring our Peek Vision methodology and platform to Nigeria to help unlock resources from multiple sources.

"In the countries where we have worked, Peek in Botswana unlocked 10 million dollars for the school programme, and in Kenya, 17 million Euros. Through the Vision Catalyst Fund, we have secured a donation of 200 million pairs of glasses, and we would like a significant proportion of that to come to Nigeria,” he concluded.

At the end of the event, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate was joined by the Coordinator of the National Eye Health Programme, Dr. Oteri Okolo and the Director of Public Health, Dr. Chukuma Anyaike, as he presented a National Policy Document on Eye Health to the President.

*Chief Ajuri Ngelale*

*Special Adviser to the President*

*(Media & Publicity)*

*September 1, 2023*

EKSG Decries Stoppage of Salaries to Traditional Chiefs, Orders Immediate Payment.

EKSG Decries Stoppage of Salaries to Traditional Chiefs, Orders Immediate Payment.

Following the stoppage of the monthly salaries payable to a section of traditional chiefs in Awo -Ekiti owing to obaship tussle, the Ekiti State Government, has condemned the act, ordering those perpetrating the act to effect immediate payment to restore unity and peace.

The State Government described as wrong and undemocratic, the way some chiefs loyal to Alawo of Awo- Ekiti, Oba Abdulazees Olaleye, had stopped the salaries of 2015 -2019 to these victims for opposing Alawo's selection and ethronement, despite  the release of the money by authority. 

The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, expressed government's position, on Friday, while intervening in the petition written by some Awo-Ekiti chiefs over the stoppage of their monthly salaries.

Present at the parley are the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Hon Ojo Atibioke, Permanent Secretary office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Abayomi Opeyemi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs Olabisi Akindele, and the representatives of the two feuding parties.

The peace parley was convened by the Deputy Governor to resolve the accusation raised by some kingmakers in the town that their salaries were stopped for a period spanning four years on the order of Alawo due to their opposition to his ascendancy.

In her position, Mrs Afuye disagreed with the  defence put up  by Oba Abdulazees that the fund was withheld because the chiefs allegedly abdicated their duties, saying there wasn't sufficient evidence to prove the allegation or showed that they were under  suspension to warrant such deprivation.

The Deputy Governor, also said the claim that the money was used to prosecute a litigation filed against the Kingmakers over the selection of Oba Abdulazees, was tantamount to misappropriation and diversion of funds, since the fund was specially released for payment of salaries.

"Government operates with laws and guidelines and these must be strictly followed. The statutory monthly fund being released by the Local Government to traditional rulers was for their upkeep and it is strictly  for that purpose.

"So, you couldn't have used it for any other purpose without the consent of the petitioners. If they pursue this case against you in court, you will all be charged for fraud. 

"The arrangement to use the money for litigation was  wrong. If you wanted to do that, you should have carried them along. You shouldn't have spent the money without putting the concerned chiefs  into confidence.

"I want you to go and resolve within yourselves how the money will be paid, because it is their entitlements and you have no power to deprive them.

"When you spent government's money wrongly, it is called misappropriation or diversion. I expected you to have spent the money on what it was meant for, which was to pay the salaries of the chiefs, whether they are with the king or not. 

"It could have been a different game now if you showed enough evidence that they were suspended within that period".

Meanwhile, Mrs Afuye has directed the petitioners to release all available documents relating to the town's accounts and minute books to Oba Abdulazees, saying  inaccessibility to those documents prompted resort to diversion of salaries to fund litigation.

"The accounts of the town must be returned to the monarch because he is still in charge pending the determination of the case  at the Supreme Court. The petitioners must do proper handing over of all accounts to the monarch to avert crisis. 

"Kabiyesi should go and summon a peace meeting. He shouldn't  allow division. We thank God that the money between 2019 and now is in the custody of the Local Government. Coming together is the only way your town can have development".

Also lending his voice to the matter, the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Chief  Atibioke, appealed to the aggrievied parties to maintain peace and work hard to sustain the unity of the town. 

Earlier  in his defence of the actions taken by the chiefs loyal to him, Oba Abdulazees, disclosed that none of the chiefs took salaries within that period under contention, revealing that they unanimously agreed to use the fund to prosecute their case in court.

"In the case filed against the kingmakers, those opposed to my enthronement were also joined as defendants that was the reason for the decision by the chiefs to use their salaries to defend everybody, so that they won't go to jail. It wasn't a case of embezzlement".

FUEL SUBSIDY: NLC Declares Two-Day Warning Strike.

FUEL SUBSIDY: NLC Declares Two-Day Warning Strike.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared a two-day warning strike, beginning on Tuesday, September 5, in protest against the Federal Government for failing to address the challenges caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.

This comes barely one month after the union embarked on a nationwide protest.

On August 2, organised labour protested the “anti-people” policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their affiliate unions demonstrated in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and several states, including Lagos, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo.

The NLC followed a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government demanding “the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the federal government including the recent hike in PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers”.

The union also demanded an upward review of the minimum wage from N30,000 to N200,000, saying that since the President’s “subsidy is gone” inauguration speech of May 29, 2023, the peace of mind of Nigerians has gone.

Several meetings between the Presidency and the unions on palliatives for Nigerians suffering hardship in the wake of the petrol subsidy removal proved abortive.

Motorists, Communities Appeal For Urgent Intervention On Damaged Odo-Ayedun-Ayebode Ekiti-Abuja Road.

Motorists, Communities Appeal For Urgent Intervention On Damaged Odo-Ayedun-Ayebode Ekiti-Abuja Road.

Motorists particularly travellers plying the Odo-Ayedun-Ayebode Ekiti road as well as residents of the area have sent a Save our Soul (SOS) message to the Federal and Ekiti State Governments over the completely damaged stretch of road between the two communities.

The stretch which is very important as it serves as one of the foremost options for motorists traveling between Lagos and Abuja, has become a death trap with the road practically cut into two making movement between the two communities virtually impossible.

One of the community leaders in the area, the Ajagunna of Odo-Ayedun, High Chief Abiodun Ogunyemi explained that total failure of the road had become an annual problem, adding that recent spells of heavy rain led to the deterioration of the damaged stretch of road. 

According to him, commuters need to board two different vehicles to undertake the short journey between Odo-Ayedun and Ayebode Ekiti while farmers are facing severe challenges to get to their farms.

Chief Ogunyemi noted that failure to address the situation may lead to serious socio-economic problem in the area as the residents who are predominantly farmers have been forced to almost neglect their farms. 

He therefore appealed to relevant authorities to take urgent steps towards rectifying the situation and save the people from possible famine which may occur because of the forced neglect of the farms.