Impeachment: Ondo Assembly directs CJ to raise panel on deputy governor.

Impeachment: Ondo Assembly directs CJ to raise panel on deputy governor.

The days of Ondo State Deputy Governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa, in office may be numbered. 

The House of Assembly yesterday took another major step in actualising his removal from office.

It directed the Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, to raise a seven-man panel to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct levelled against him.

The House of Assembly’s decision followed Ayedatiwa’s failure to respond to the Letter of Notice served him on September 25 over the allegations. 

The allegations include subversion of his boss, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, corrupt enrichment and waste of public fund, spending N5.4 million to buy tyres and batteries for his convoy vehicles, and purchasing automatic transmission box of Lexus (armoured) SUV Staff car as Acting Governor for N10.548m.

Other allegations are collection of  N2.695m for the purpose of travelling to Ilaje and Ese-Odo, and assault and causing bodily harm on his wife, Mrs. Oluwaseun Ayedatiwa, contrary to Section 20(1) of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law of Ondo State, 2020.

The Speaker said the Letter of Notice transmitted to the deputy governor, was received on his behalf by the Chief Protocol Officer.

Last week, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje set up a reconciliation committee to resolve the crisis between the deputy governor and the House of Assembly. The panel has not visited the state.

Speaking at the plenary session in Akure, Oladiji said the House’s resolution that the deputy governor should be duly served a notice of the allegations was in line with Section 188 of the constitution.

He said: “Concerted efforts were made to serve the Notice on the deputy governor, who for some time was not available for the service, prompting the House to approach the court for a substituted service.

“On 25th of September, a substituted service of the Notice of allegations was made on the deputy governor duly signed by more than one-third Honourable Members of the House as required by the constitution in Section 188, Sub-section 2.”

Oladiji said the constitution stipulated that the Assembly should wait for seven days for the embattled deputy governor to respond, which has lapsed.

A motion calling on the chief judge to set up the panel was moved by the Majority Leader  Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, (Owo 1-APC) and seconded by Felix Afe (Akoko North West 2-PDP).

With an overwhelming  voice vote, the lawmakers gave a nod that the chief judge should constitute the panel, after Speaker Oladiji’s call.

The Speaker subsequently directed the Chief Judge to immediately set up a seven-man panel to investigate the deputy governor on the allegations levelled against him.

Oladiji said: “Distinguished colleagues, I, therefore, wish to seek your opinion to direct the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Hon. Justice Olusegun Odusola, to, in line with this section of the constitution, set up a seven-man panel to investigate the deputy governor on the allegations levelled against him.”

Some Ondo APC leaders said the move by the National Working Committee (NWC) to avert the impeachment of the deputy governor may not succeed because party stakeholders in the state have agreed that Ayedatiwa should go.

However, the state chairman, Ade Adetimehin, said the chapter would work with the national body for the resolution of the impasse.

A source said many aides who sided with Ayedatiwa, especially those already penciled to be deputy governor, Chief of Staff, Secretary to Government by him may be sacked soon.

A traditional priest, Chief Olupelumi Fagboyegun, has urged the party stakeholders to exercise caution. 

Fagboyegun, founder of Isese Life Ministry, United Kingdom, told reporters in Osogbo, Osun State capital, that Ondo State should not thread the path of violence.

He said: “In 1963, political wrangling led to uprising, which my own father, the late Rev Canon Fagboyegun, vigorously mediated, but failed. It led to total breakdown of law and order, resulting to death within Owo and Usho town. It later escalated to what is known as ‘Operation Wet eh’ in Southwest which led to a chain of reactions, which culminated in the termination of the First Republic.”

He added that the same scenario played out in 1983, which led to destruction of wealth and death of many residents of the state.

Fagboyegun added: “Akeredolu should address the whole state to distant himself from all the plotters that are hauling barrage of insults at the deputy governor and Ilaje people.

“If all the suggestions fail, President Bola Tinubu should declare a state of emergency in Ondo State before the issue degenerates into bloodshed.”

Credit: The Nation Newspaper

Ekiti Assembly Screens Nominees For Three Commissions As More Local Councils Render Account.

Ekiti Assembly Screens Nominees For Three Commissions As More Local Councils Render Account.

The Ekiti State House of Assembly has screened nominees for the boards of the Local Government Commission, House of Assembly Service Commission and Audit Service Commission.

The nominees who all appeared at the plenary of the Assembly held on Tuesday were asked some questions after which they took their bows and left and now awaiting their confirmation as chairmen and board members of the Commission at a later date.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, simply asked former Assembly members among the nominees to speak briefly themselves while the lawmakers representing their constituencies of the origin testified to their suitability before they were asked to take bows and go.

Others who were not former lawmakers were asked few questions during the session before they took their bows and left the chambers.

Some of the nominees who were not Assembly members in the past were not asked any questions because of their political pedigrees and statures, achievements recorded and value added to the state in the past political offices handled and sterling performances as civil servants.

Chief Samuel Abejide was screened as the Chairman-nominee for the Local Government Service Commission, a position he held in the last dispensation under the administration of former Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Other members screened for the Local Government Service Commission are a journalist, Mr. Wole Olujobi; former House of Assembly member for Ilejemeje Constituency, Hon. Cecilia Dada; another former Assembly member for Emure Constituency, Hon. Febisola Adewale; former state president of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Segun Onaade; Prince Suyi Aladesanmi and Mr. Olawole Adedipe.

Former House of Assembly member for Ekiti West Constituency 2, Hon. Kayode Fasakin, was screened for the chairmanship of the House of Assembly Service Commission while another former Assembly member for Moba Constituency 1, Hon. Olaniyi Olajide, was also confirmed as a member of the Assembly Service Commission.

Other House of Assembly Commission members screened included former Assembly member for Ado Constituency 2, Hon. David Taiwo; former Assembly member for Ekiti East Constituency 1, Hon. Rotimi Ajidara; former Commissioner for Information and later Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi; former House of Assembly aspirant, Mr. Bidemi Ipinlaye and former Clerk of the Assembly, Rev. Akintunde Famoyegun.

Former state Auditor General, Mr. Adebayo Adeojo was screened as Chairman of the Audit Commission at the plenary with his nomination reuniting him with the Speaker who served under him as an auditor many years ago.

Other board members of the Commission screened were a lecturer at Ekiti State University, Dr. Mufutau Bello; immediate past Auditor General of the state, Mr. Alfred Fasakin; an accountant and grassroots politician, Mr. Jonathan Oluwasanmi and former Assembly Deputy Chief Whip who represented Ijero Constituency, Hon. Ekundayo Akinleye. 

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, extended a rare gesture for Chief Abejide by standing up in his honour describing him as his political father and mentor who had diligently served the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the state in different capacities.

Rt. Hon. Aribasoye eulogized Mr. Olujobi, a former News Editor of Daily Independent Newspapers who served as Special Adviser on Media in the Fourth Assembly and was later appointed as a member of the Local Government Service Commission during the immediate past administration for his forthrightness, consistency and loyalty to the party in turbulent times.

He also lauded former Assembly members Hon. Dada, Hon. Adewale, Hon. Fasakin, Hon. Ajidara, Hon. Olajide, for their service to the state during their stints in the legislature noting that their latest nomination has given them another opportunity to serve the state.

The Speaker described a former Auditor General, Mr. Adeojo as "helper of destiny," recalling the fatherly support he enjoyed from the nominee when he was an auditor under him revealing that he (Adeojo) graciously signed his (Aribasoye's) letter for study leave with pay to proceed to study law.

Rt. Hon. Aribasoye said he never imagined in life that his former boss at Auditor General's office would come back years later to stand before him seeking the confirmation of his nomination for a new position.

"This is a lesson for those who are tyrants in office, those who oppress their subordinates in office and those who use their privileged positions to frustrate others, I think they will learn from this because Mr. Adeojo was a father to me and a helper of my destiny when I was in service," Rt. Hon. Aribasoye explained.

The Speaker also testified to the virtues of another Audit Service Commission nominee who is the immediate past Auditor General of the state, Mr. Fasakin, whom he said assisted his subordinates and was generous to them when he was in service.

Also during the plenary, six local council development areas and local government councils presented their account of stewardship to the lawmakers.

They councils included Igbara Odo/Ogotun, Ado North,  Emure Local Government, Ado West, Ikole West and Ajoni.

The Assembly adjourned plenary till Wednesday, 4th October.

Oyebanji restates commitment to policies that’ll grow businesses in Ekiti.

Oyebanji restates commitment to policies that’ll grow businesses in Ekiti.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has restated his administration’s commitment to prioritizing policies, strategies and programmes that would bring about business growth in the state.

The Governor, who stated this on Tuesday at a meeting with stakeholders and members of the Council on Ease of Doing Business to review strategies that would enhance the economy of the state through technologically-driven innovations that would attract investors.

He stated that for the state to improve on Ease of Doing Business ratings, there must be concerted efforts at ensuring inter-connectivity of the affected ministries and parastatals to ensure a well-coordinated private sector activities.

The Governor also stressed the need to activate the one stop shop where all activities relating to business registration could be done at one point and within a short period of time adding that this would help to attract both national and international investors to the state.

Governor Oyebanji added that in its drive to achieve remarkable progress, government would collaborate with the judiciary in the establishment of small claims courts outside Ado and Ikere divisions to handle commercial disputes that could be disposed of within a short possible period and thereby create enabling environment for the private sector economy to thrive in the state.

Ekiti Residents Benefit From World Bank Malaria Project.

Ekiti Residents Benefit From World Bank Malaria Project. 

 

Residents of Ekiti State will now have access to free anti-malaria drugs as the state government has distributed anti-malaria commodities to two hundred health facilities across the sixteen local government areas of the state.

Speaking at the flag-off of the programme, the state commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Oyebanji Filani noted that the distribution of the malaria commodities would help to reduce cases of malaria and would increase patients access to malaria drugs.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Olusola Igotun, the commissioner urged the benefitting health facilities to judiciously make use of the anti-malaria commodities, saying that the present administration would do everything to ensure that residents have access to quality health care services.

Also, the General Manager, Drugs Management Agency, Mr Michael Oyeniran said the drugs would be distributed to residents for free adding that anybody caught selling or hoarding it will be sanctioned accordingly.

In her speech, the Programme Manager, Mrs Helen Bankole noted that in 2019, Ekiti State was selected alongside five states which are Lagos, Abia, Borno, Imo, and Rivers to be funded by the World Bank on the Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services  Project.

She explained that the state promptly complied by setting aside a counterpart funds as part of the project’s requirements while members of the Program Implementation Unit were nominated and duly approved by the World Bank. 

According to her, the State Steering Committee for the project was inaugurated in 2021 with quarterly meetings held till date.

Mr Bankole noted that as part of the project’s implementation steps, a total of 5 Non-State Actors were shortlisted for Ekiti State and they all submitted their proposals to partner with the state in the provision and distribution of malaria commodities.

Following a transparent technical and financial evaluation of the proposals using a Quality-Cost Based Selection approach, Solina Health submission performed favourably over others and thus adjudged the preferred NSA to partner with Ekiti State.

The project manager said Ekiti is the first state on the World Bank-funded Malaria Project to have concluded the NSA-engagement and payment of mobilization fee culminating in the commodities distribution to 200 Health facilities that were selected based on their target population as specified by the project.

Ekiti LG Poll: Gov. Oyebanji, APC Leaders Welcome PDP Decampees.

Ekiti LG Poll: Gov. Oyebanji,  APC Leaders Welcome PDP Decampees.

Ahead of the December 2nd, local government elections in Ekiti State, the State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji on Monday joined the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barr. Paul Omotoso and other prominent leaders of the party to welcome about 200 card-carrying members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Efon Local Government area of the state who officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The decampees received at the APC Party Secretariat in the local government included former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Femi Ige; former PDP Women leader in the local Government, Hon. Lucia Adetunji and the PDP House of Assembly candidate in the last Assembly polls, Pastor Stephen Olusola, among others.

Receiving the decampees at the APC Party secretariat in Efon Alaaye, Governor Oyebanji welcomed and congratulated them for joining the ruling party with an assurance that they would not regret their action.

Describing many of the decampees as leaders and solid members of the PDP, the Governor assured them that the APC would provide equal opportunities and privileges for both old and new members, adding that the party doors were still open for others to join.

While calling on existing APC members to welcome the decampees with open arms, the Governor enjoined all members of the party to remain united in order to continue to move the wheel of progress of the State forward.

“Those of you coming now are taking a risk. The remaining ones who wish to join the APC will want to see what will happen to them. If the party treats them well others will come. So I implore our party members, this people were leaders where they are coming from, they must sustain their leadership”, The Governor asserted.

Speaking on behalf of the decampees, Pastor Stephen Olusola attributed their decisions to join APC to the good leadership style and excellent performance of the Governor, adding that the achievement of the Governor in less than one year in office was monumental.

While assuring the Governor and the leadership of APC of their maximum support and loyalty, Olusola added that many other PDP members, in their large numbers, would soon join the All progressives Congress.

Labour suspends planned strike for 30 days.

Labour suspends planned strike for 30 days.

The Organised Labour, on Monday night, agreed to suspend its 30-day indefinite strike planned to start on Tuesday.

The resolution followed over five hours of deliberations between the Federal Government and Labour at the Chief of Staff Conference Room of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This is as Labour signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the FG which upheld earlier promises the government made and new deliverables some of which are to be achieved in 30 days.

Announcing the outcome of the meeting to State House correspondents, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, said, “The NLC and TUC accept to suspend for 30 days the planned Indefinite Nationwide strike scheduled to begin, Tuesday, the 3rd of October, 2023.”

Part of the resolutions reached is that a minimum wage committee shall be inaugurated within one month from the date of the agreement.

The FG also agreed to vote N100bn for the provision of high-capacity Compressed Natural Gas buses for mass transit in Nigeria, Lalong revealed.

He noted that provisions were also being made for initial 55,000 CNG conversion kits to kickstart an auto gas conversion programme, whilst work was ongoing on the state-of-the-art CNG stations nationwide.

“The rollout aims to commence by November with pilots across 10 campuses nationwide,” the minister noted.

The Federal Government plans to implement various tax incentive measures for the private sector and the general public.

It also upheld its earlier approval of a wage award of N35,000 only to all Federal Government workers beginning in September pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law.

However, it urged state governments through the National Economic Council and Nigerian Governors’ Forum to implement wage awards for their workers.

“Similar consideration should also be given to local governments and private sector workers,” the memorandum read.

On the leadership crisis rocking the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the purported proscription of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, the Federal Government committed to handling labour matters in line with relevant International Labour Organisation Conventions and Nigerian Labour Acts, adding that a resolution of the ongoing impasse is expected by or before October 13.

The issue of outstanding salaries and wages of tertiary education workers in Federal Government-owned educational institutions is being referred to the Ministry of Labour and Employment for further engagement while the Federal Government promised to increase its initiatives on subsidised distribution of fertilisers to farmers across the country.

Lalong also noted that the FG vowed to take a joint visitation to the refineries to ascertain their rehabilitation status.

“All parties commit to henceforth abide by the dictates of social dialogue in all our future engagements,” he said.

Signatories to the MoU include the NLC president, Joe Ajaero; President, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Festus Osifo; TUC’s Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro.

On the FG’s side, the signatories include the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong; Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, Ajaero threatened to revisit the strike option if the agreements were not implemented.

Asked if the agreements applied to the states, he said the fuel subsidy removal that informed Labour’s action affects all Nigerians, including those in the states and the private sector.

Fall out of promotion examination: Aggrieved senior staff accused NHIA management of nepotism.

Fall out of promotion examination: Aggrieved senior staff accused NHIA management of nepotism.  

Nineteen senior members of staff of the National Health Insurance Authority, (NHIA) that took part in the 2023 promotion examination have cried out, alleging nepotism on the side of the management of the authority.

They further alleged that they were unjustly denied elevation to the next step.

The aggrieved staffs therefore appealed to the Director-general of the authority to wade into the situation, according to a letter of complaint signed by 19 of them and released to newsmen on Monday. 

The senior staff, who are assistant directors and waiting to be promoted to the rank of deputy directors after passing the examination, claimed that their colleagues who took part in the exercise “were selected and promoted while others were unsatisfactorily informed that there is no vacancy”.

This, according to them, was not established before the examination was conducted, arguing that the issue of vacancy is not only an “afterthought,” but also “preemptive.”

“After the 2023 Senior Staff examination and before approval was obtained for promotion, the Human Resources Department posted some staff which seems to us as to jeopardise the chances of some other staff to be promoted,”the letter reads.

“It should be noted that staff were posted from Head office to create vacancy for some and to stagnate others in the State and Zonal Offices,” the statement reads. 

It cited further more irregularities in the promotion process noting that, “there is a staff whose appointment had not been confirmed, but was an Acting State Coordinator yet Assistant Directors who have met the requirement for promotion do not have vacancies for Deputy Director cadre as State Coordinator.

“We got to know that the appointment of this same staff was just confirmed after the examination to keep the position, this is preemptive.”

A report initiated by the office of the Head of Civil Service of the federation titled: “Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (2017-2020)” shows that nepotism in the recruitment and promotion of the Federal Civil Service affects employees’ morale and productivity.

These are the fears of the affected senior staff. According to the statement, they were told that despite passing their promotion exercise, they would only be shortlisted for the 2024 promotion exercise subject to the availability of vacancies.

“It is almost certain that the affected staff will still not be promoted because this current arrangement of consequential vacancy will not change substantially for affected staff to benefit from against the 2024 examination,” the statement adds that the situation could haul the Management of the agency into “administrative disrepute as manifested in some uninformed recommendations that could further deepen needless industrial disharmony in the system.”

The senior staff implored the Director General to note that: There are vacancies for Deputy Directors in the Authority, both at the State offices and Headquarters, but some Assistant Directors who met the requirement to be promoted were not considered in the recommendation for the 2023 Senior Staff promotion to fill those vacancies.

That some Assistant Directors prefer to be promoted with the option of exiting service thereafter than to stagnate at the present level.

That some Assistant Directors prefer to be promoted and be posted to a state office since the Authority is one and staff can serve in any location.

That the issue of vacancy should be considered in its global sense in the Authority. We should not be posting staff from headquarters to state offices and staff cannot be posted vice versa.

They also called on the agency’s Director General to review the decision of the promotion exercise and release letters of promotion to Deputy Directors that substantially complied with the public service rules and requirements for promotion.