President Tinubu directs immediate action plan to combat flooding.

President Tinubu directs immediate action plan to combat flooding.

As another flood crisis threatens to wreck havoc across the country, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed an immediate  plan of action to mitigate its impact. 

A statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Mr Stanley Nkwocha, said President Tinubu also appointed Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, as chairman of the committee.

According to the statement, the committee will produce a road map by harmonising the recent National Economic Council (NEC) report on flood, the 2022 National Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan as well as all other national reports on flood. 

The Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, will serve as vice chairman of the committee which is expected to submit its recommendations within seven days. 

The decision was taken after an emergency meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

President Tinubu gave marching orders to the committee for an action plan on all the reports, saying it was best to be proactive than to be reactive. 

“Based on the submissions by the DG of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, the situation is not that terrible but to be forewarned is to be forearmed. The submissions by the other relevant stakeholders are equally poignant and we can’t afford to take chances. 

“Though the situation is not as bad as we might think, we need to set up a committee so that the report of the Presidential Committee and the 2022 Federal Executive Council – approved broad preparedness plan should be harmonised and  implemented immediately,” the Vice President said. 

Shettima noted that a feasible roadmap would  address the flood crisis in Nigeria, adding that  responsibilities would be shouldered by the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Federal Government. 

He stated: “I deliberately invited the NEDC and NDDC so that with whatever resources that NEMA has, they have to be released to the states so that they can start making preparations for any eventuality. 

“Based on the Presidential directive, I will meet with the Chief Executives of the NEDC and NDDC for states that are under their coverage. There should be interventions from them. For NEDC they can take care of Taraba, Bauchi and Adamawa. For NDDC, they can take care of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River . For states like Ebonyi, Kogi and Benue, we will mobilise from our savings and deploy same to assist them. We have to share responsibilities and hence the immediate need for the roadmap to be implemented”. 

The Chief Executives of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), National Water Resources Institute, National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) all made presentations with reactions from Governors of Bauchi, Kogi, Ebonyi and Cross River States. Akwa Ibom and Nasarawa State Governors were represented by their deputies. 

Other members of the committee include Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of State for Environment, Kunle Salako; Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Muhammad Goronyo; Chief Executives of NEMA,NIWA and NiHSA, among others. 

The Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai, will serve as secretary of the committee.

Credit: The Nation Newspaper

NECO Releases 2023 SSCE Results, Identifies Cheating in 93 Schools.

NECO Releases 2023 SSCE Results, Identifies Cheating in 93 Schools.

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2023 internal Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), with a record of 61.60 per cent of candidates scoring five credits and above, including English and Mathematics.

The examination council also accused 93 schools of whole-school (mass) cheating, while 52 supervisors were recommended for blocklisting due to poor supervision, aiding, and abetting during the examinations.

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed this while announcing the release of the examination results.

Wushishi said that the erring schools would be invited to the council for discussion, after which appropriate sanctions would be applied.

He said that 1,196,985 candidates, representing 616,398 males and 580,587 females, sat for the examinations, and an additional 1,543 candidates with special needs.

“The number of candidates with Special Needs is 1,542, which includes 913 candidates with hearing impairment, 162 candidates with visual impairment, 103 candidates with Albanism, 61 candidates with Autism, 149 candidates with low vision, and 154 candidates with Adermatoglyphia which are candidates with no fingerprints.

“737,308 representing 61.60 per cent of candidates passed with five Credits and above, 1,013,611 representing 84.68 per cent of candidates had five Credits irrespective of English and Mathematics,” he stated.

Oyebanji Receives National Best Teacher Award Winner.

Oyebanji Receives National Best Teacher Award Winner.

.....Harps on conducive environment for learning outcomes.

Ekiti state Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji on Monday received the winner of National best teacher award, 2023, Mrs Elizabeth Adeyemi of SUBEB Model Nursery and Primary School, Omuo Ekiti in his office even as he restated the commitment of his administration to repositioning education sector in the state.

The repositioning, according to the Governor will include the provision of necessary impetus to improve infrastructure and environment in the drive to boost learning outcomes.

Governor Oyebanji, who also received the Principal of St. Louis Grammar School, who won the first runner up in the best public school category, Mrs Funmilayo Ibitoye, congratulated the award winners and assured that his government would continue to invest in education with particular emphasis on content, process and learning and teaching environment.

Governor Oyebanji stressed the need to prepare children for the challenges of the 21st century, stressing that infrastructural development remains an important ingredient in the development of the total child.

The Governor added that his administration would continue to pay due attention to the teaching profession to be able to bring the best out of it saying it is the only profession that could lift a nation out of the woods as all other professions were offshoot of teaching profession.

He urged the award winners to continue to work hard so as to win more laurels for the state.

“This speaks to our mantra of continuity, this foundation was laid and we are building on it, and we discover that human capital development is one of our six pillars and that is why we have a location. I believe strongly that we need to improve learning outcomes and the environment.

“I also believe that the best investment any government can have is to invest in education because it frees you from a lot of things. An educated society is a free society, it’s a game changer.

“So, I keep telling myself that when you want to intervene in education, you have to be concerned about three things, what you are teaching, how it is being taught and where its been taught. These speak to currency of the curriculum development, the teaching techniques and methodology and the environment

“By next year, we are going to into the environment of our schools to make them more pupils-friendly. We must have a template of how a school should look like, the teachers are extremely important to this and since we came on board, we have tried as much as possible to tackle the issue of the welfare of teacher and we will continue to build on the little achievements that we have made”, the Governor added.

Earlier, Mrs Adeyemi, who hailed the Governor’s strides in the education and human capital sector, said the Governor’s deliberate efforts at motivating Ekiti teachers has helped boost the morale of teachers and students in the state.

She said the best teachers award would spur her to put more efforts in ensuring positive impact in the lives of her pupils, stressing that she now believes that teachers’ reward is not only in heaven but also on this earth.

Mrs adeyemi commended the Governor for providing conducive learning and teaching environment in the school system, adding that the attention being given to education would achieve greater results for the state.

Ekiti State Government Embarks on Rural Road Construction Initiatives.

Ekiti State Government Embarks on Rural Road Construction Initiatives.

Ekiti State Government has disclosed its readiness to begin massive construction of roads across the 16 local governments under the World Bank Assisted projects Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Projects (RAAMP).

The state RAAMP Coordinator, Mr. Sunday Adunmo, made this known in Ado-Ekiti at a one-day sensitisation training organised for the workers of the Project.

He said construction would begin on some of the rural roads in the state next month, noting that Ekiti was officially added to the participating states last year August after meeting the conditions for the project.

The RAAMP boss said the engineering designs for 12 roads totalling 77km roads had been received and would be launched by the end of October for construction work to begin.

He added that RAAMP had last weekend opened tenders for consultancy services for the design and supervision of spot improvement of 122km of rural roads as part of phase one, while rural road upgrading would be advertised next year.

The state project coordinator, who said the Project office was not unaware of the transportation challenges being faced by farmers in the state, noted that rural communities would soon become sites for massive road construction.

He said the delay in the commencement of the project was as a result of the need to adhere to the procedures of the donor partner, the World Bank, whose commitment to due process and transparency was irrevocable.

“Permit me to use this medium to inform you that construction work will soon start on some of our road projects. I am aware that Ekiti people have waited for the commencement of the project since 2018 when former Governor Kayode Fayemi indicated the interest of Ekiti State to participate in the project. The delay is not unconnected to the fact that we must follow the necessary procedures for construction works to begin.

Ekiti Traditional Ruler Demands Constitutional Roles For Grassroots Development.

Ekiti Traditional Ruler Demands Constitutional Roles For Grassroots Development.

The Onijan of Ijan Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Aladesuyi, has urged the federal government to grant constitutional roles to traditional rulers in the country to promote rapid development at the grassroots.

He argued that assigning specific responsibilities to the monarchs would enable them to contribute more effectively to the development of their respective communities.

Oba Aladesuyi made these remarks during an event marking his first coronation anniversary in Ijan-Ekiti, Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

He also advised the government to adopt a long-term approach to alleviate the effects of fuel subsidy removal on citizens.

During the well-attended event, over 10 eminent Nigerians were honoured with honorary chieftaincy titles, and nearly 20 sons and daughters of the town were recognised for their contributions to the development of the community, Ekiti State, and Nigeria.

The first-class monarch stated, “I believe we need the federal government to provide traditional rulers with the opportunity to rule and serve, given their proximity to the people and their subjects, as well as their role as custodians of tradition and culture.

Expect consequences for non-performance - Oyebanji tells MDAs at EKPAIR Workshop.

Expect consequences for non-performance - Oyebanji tells MDAs at EKPAIR Workshop.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji on Monday, restated  his administration’s  zero tolerance for any form of indolence or non-performance, saying there will be consequences  for lack of performance going forward. 

The Governor stated this in Ado Ekiti while addressing heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) during the opening session of the Ekiti Performance Assessment and Improvement Report (EKPAIR) workshop, at the Conference Hall, Governor’s Office, Ado- Ekiti. He said if his administration would positively affect the life style of Ekiti people, then government must set bench mark for service and project delivery.

The Governor explained that holding meetings, treating files and organizing programmes without translating them into tangible outcomes would amount to a waste of time, without putting in place templates that would measure performance.

While urging the heads of MDAs to detach emotions in the discharge of their duties so as to perform optimally, the Governor maintained that there would be dire consequence for laxity among MDAs.

He assured the participants that government would play its part by ensuring that all necessary logistics required to succeed are put in place, stressing that  he would not want to leave any project uncompleted at the end of his tenure.

“If we want to positively affect the life style of Ekiti people and we want to make impact as a government, we must set benchmark for service delivery and project delivery. We can continue to hold meetings, discussing or treating files every day, if it does not translate to tangible outcomes for the people, we are just wasting our time.

“I promised you my support and commitment, I can assure you that our people are expecting much more from us because there will be consequence for lack of performance”. The Governor asserted.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Special Adviser,  Office of Transformation and Service Delivery (OTSD), Dr John Ekundayo thanked the Governor for his commitment towards ensuring that his administration’s shared prosperity agenda translates into better life for all the citizen of the state.

Dr Ekundayo said that the workshop would enable the participants to learn the rudiments of putting together building blocks in writing Performance Assessment and Improvement Report (EKPAIR), so as to enable the office of transformation and service delivery know how MDAs are fairing.

Participants at the workshop said they would put the lessons learnt into proper use in the bid to ensure a more excellent service delivery.

Hon. Wale Alade Oba Extends Warm Birthday Wishes to Hon. Steve Olusola Fatoba.

Hon. Wale Alade Oba Extends Warm Birthday Wishes to Hon. Steve Olusola Fatoba.

On this special occasion, Hon. Wale Alade-Oba extends warm and heartfelt birthday wishes to Hon. Steve Olusola Fatoba, the distinguished representative from Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 1.

As the first-ever member of the House of Representatives to be reelected from this constituency, your dedication to public service and your constituents is truly commendable. Your unwavering commitment to representing the people of Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 1 has not gone unnoticed, and your achievements have set a high standard for all.

May this birthday mark the beginning of a new chapter filled with health, happiness, and continued success in your endeavors. Your contributions to your constituency and our great nation are invaluable, and we celebrate you on this special day.

Happy Birthday, Hon. Steve Olusola Fatoba! 🎉🎂🎈