Governor Oyebanji Promises Better Future For Ekiti, As Administration Marks First Anniversary.

Governor Oyebanji Promises Better Future For Ekiti, As Administration Marks First Anniversary.

•••renders account of stewardship at State of the State address, signs five new laws.

As his administration clocks one year on Monday, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has  assured the people of the state of a better future, having successfully laid a solid foundation for the socio-economic prosperity of the state.

He also appealed to the leadership of the trade unions to show understanding and be patient with government as it already addressing the economic situation triggered by the removal of fuel subsidy.

Governor Oyebanji said he is incurably committed to fulfilling the social contracts he signed with the people of the state that he will deliver democracy dividends to them, adding that the welfare and wellbeing of the people would be prioritised.

Governor Oyebanji disclosed this in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, while rendering an account of his stewardship on the floor of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, during the presentation of the ‘State of the State’ Address, to the lawmakers and stakeholders in the state.

Addressing the gathering attended by lawmakers , political and traditional rulers as well as top government functionaries, Oyebanji said he is not unaware of the agitations for  salary  review in view of the removal of fuel subsidy, “But I want to appeal to the leadership of trade unions to show understanding and be patient with me to properly review the situation as it unfolds before coming up to address the situation.

The Governor, who said he had carried out radical restructuring in the system to fortify the economy, added that he had created new Ministries, special agencies and boards, some of whom he personally chaired to spread to deepen groath and development and spread prosperity and progress across the nooks and cranny of the state.

Governor Oyebanji posited that Ekiti State’s internally Generated Revenue has experienced upward movement, having tightened some of the existing loopholes being used to swindle the system, while the 2022 budgetary capital performance as of August, 2023 stands at 60.6%, with revenue performance pegged at 103%.

Governor Oyebanji stated that a sum of N1.5 billion was distributed to equip and rehabilitate the 177 primary healthcare centres in the state to expand access to quality healthcare delivery, while he and his siblings are currently constructing a facility at Aramoko General Hospital in memory of his late mother.

To boost agriculture  and attract youths into farming, thereby curtailing incidences of joblessness and crime, Oyebanji said his government is in the process of  connecting the agricultural zone along Ipao-Oke Ako axis to national grid to propel the state to food security status.

He said the old Civil Service Commission building at the old Secretariat at Oke Ori Omi, had been reshaped and rehabilated to house a new Customary Court of Appeal, which he said gave Ekiti the leeway to have such hierarchy of court for swift and expeditious administration of justice.

To promote education regarded as the most thriving industry in Ekiti, Oyebanji said a total of 2,000 teachers, were recruited and deployed to primary and secondary schools in the last one year to undertake subjects that can bolster Ekiti’s ranking in public examinations like NECO and WAEC.

“Also, we have awarded contracts for the construction of two Model Schools in Ikere and Ikole, so that our children can have more access to education. I am elated that a teacher in Ekiti won the best teacher in Nigeria in 2023 , while the St Louis ,Ikere Ekiti won the best Public School in Nigeria for the second time. These are signs that our government is doing well”.

The Governor applauded Ekiti people for showing love and sharing in his vision and purposeful efforts to lift them out of poverty, while also appreciating his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi for entrenching government of accountability, the path he has been treading to promote progressive leadership in Ekiti.

Oyebanji, who saluted former Governors Niyi Adebayo, Ayodele Fayose and Segun Oni for their contributions to Ekiti’s progress, specifically recounted that the historic role played by Governor Fayemi and his wife, Bisi Fayemi in his emergence brought about intra-party exchange of leadership baton in Ekiti for the first time since 1999.

“In the area of infrastructure and industrialisation, my government has been aggressive in improving electricity supply and construction of access roads because these are the two most important factors in industrial development. As of now, towns in Gbonyin, Ayekire and Ekiti East have been reconnected to the national grid. We have also reconnected Erinjiyan, Ikogosi and Ikogosi Warm springs to national grid.

“We have energised towns like Egbe by connecting light from Ikare in Ondo State while we have connected light from Eruku in Kwara State to Ikun Ekiti. We are also mobilising contractors back to site to complete ongoing road projects like Ado-Iworoko road ,Ilawe- Igbara-Odo road, Ilawe -Igede road,Ikole-Ara- Isinbode road, Ado township road , among others”.

Handing down a verdict of excellent performance on the governor, after evaluating his exploits across his six-point agenda, the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, saluted the governor for running a “focused, inclusive, honest, dedicated, transformative , simple and purposeful governance”, that is passionate about the affairs of the common men.

Aribasoye said: “Your dedication, honesty, purposefulness, and unwavering commitment to development are now serving as a guiding light to all of us. Let me say that Governor Oyebanji has not in any way disappointed and wherever Dr. Kayode Fayemi is now, he will be happy that he has got a good successor.

“Under Oyebanji, we have witnessed transformative governance, dedication to duties, simplicity and respect for elders. I commend you for a job well done, because your relentless efforts have spurred a flame of success and uncommon transformation in our dear state. Today, our local government is enjoying financial independence and our chairmen have been advised to embrace financial discipline.

“In our continued support and collaboration, we want to assure you that this Assembly will foster cordial relationship with the executive arm in a way that will bring the interest of our people to the front burner. I want to say that the existing harmonious relationship between the executive and legislature is highly commendable, since the interest of the masses is our common goal”.

Earlier before the State of the State address, Governor Oyebanji had signed into law five bills recently passed by the state assembly. The short ceremony took place at the executive council chamber of the Governor’s office, was witnessed by all members of the state assembly.

The new laws are: Ekiti State Sports Commission Law; Ekiti State Lotteries and gaming Law; Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (EKDIPA) (first amendment) Law; Ekiti State Electricity Power Sector law; and 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Law.

Shettima to Nigerians in China: there’s light at end of tunnel.

Shettima to Nigerians in China: there’s light at end of tunnel.

Nigeria will overcome its present challenges, Vice President Kashim Shettima said yesterday in faraway Beijing, China.

It was during an interactive session with the Ambassador and Staff of the Nigerian Embassy in the Asian country, where he is representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Third Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Shettima noted that the president in the saddle has outstanding leadership qualities and the wherewithal to lift Nigeria to loftier heights.

The vice president said: “The road that led us to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not happen by chance. This is a man who has shown a precious penchant for aligning himself with the aspirations of the people of Nigeria against all odds.

“He has never been identified with any ethno-religious solidarity but yet known for outstanding leadership qualities and I am telling with all sense of honesty, I have seen the soul of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and he has a clean heart, he means well for the nation and he is willing to work for the nation. All we need to do is to support the president.”

Shettima assured Nigerians resident in China that current challenges confronting their fatherland would be surmounted.

“The country is going through some rough paths economically but the giant of Africa, I can assure you, like the bird gimmicks, will rise from the ashes to greatness. Nigeria shall rise again”, he told his audience.

He urged the ambassador and Staff of Nigeria’s embassy in China to sustain unity among them as he urged them to continue to serve as economic ambassadors of Nigeria in China.

Speaking earlier, Nigeria’s Ambassador to China, Ahmad Jedda, said the visit of the Vice President to China would help boost Nigeria’s ties with China.

“The visit of the vice president would serve as a giant stride for further cooperation and synergy between Nigeria and China. It will provide an opportunity to explore avenues for collaboration that align with our national development priorities such as industrialization, technology transfer, skill development and digital sustainable growth,” he said.

The ambassador said Nigeria and China have a currency swap agreement worth $2.5 billion to boost their commercial ties as well as reduce the use of dollars in their bilateral trade “thereby, improving the speed, convenience and volume of transaction between the two countries.

“It will also assist both countries in their foreign reserve management, enhance financial stability and promote broader economic cooperation between the two countries,” the ambassador added.

The vice president also interacted with Nigerian students in China, where he encouraged them to continue working hard, adding that President Bola Tinubu means well for the youth and will not relent in enhancing their wellbeing.

Credit: The Nation Newspaper.

Declining water resources threat to food security, says Agric minister.

Declining water resources threat to food security, says Agric minister.

Minister of Agriculture and Food security, Abubakar Kyari, has said declining water resources due to climate change, urbanisation and rapid population growth poses a threat to food security, if steps are not taken to curtail it.

  Kyari said there must be a synergy between the ministry  and Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and guarantee that food is produced all year. 

 The minister spoke yesterday in Abuja to mark World Food Day: ‘’Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind’’.

 He said such a threat to water supply has adversely affected not only food production but also livelihoods, with developing countries in particular, bearing a disproportionate burden. 

  The minister said incidences of drought, rainfall variability and desertification pose a greater challenge by putting the planet’s water resources under increasing stress. 

  Kyari noted  the ministry is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to harness water available in producing areas, including River Basins, Dams (around irrigable lands) and other wetlands for multiple cropping cycles. 

 He said the collaboration would be deployed for 2023/2024 dry season farming with priority crops, such as wheat, rice, maize and cassava with a sustainable plan for upscaling and replicating same for other crops, livestock and fisheries.

 Director-general of Food and Agriculture Organisation, QU Dongyu, said governments should design science- and evidence-based policies to capitalise on data and innovation, and coordinate across sectors to plan and manage water better. 

 Dongyu, in a remark read by Head of Office, FAO in Northeast, Al Hassan Cisse, reiterated the need for farmers to become agents of water management and be equipped with the right tools to perform that function sustainably. 

  He said that promoting water governance was critical to boosting business reputation and profits while helping them avoid risks that water scarcity, floods and pollution could pose to operations in the future. “Water, energy and food are inextricably linked, and for policies to be successful, they must often manage competing interests without compromising the health of our ecosystems. 

 ‘’Farmers, forest-dependent people, livestock producers and those working in the blue economy of fisheries and aquaculture already manage water daily,” he said.

 The world food day featured field visits to cluster farms and livestock farms in the Federal Capital Territory.

Credit: The Nation Newspaper.

Israeli-Hamas war: Putin demands ceasefire, cardinal offers self for hostages.

Israeli-Hamas war: Putin demands ceasefire, cardinal offers self for hostages.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the civilian death toll in Gaza could see a “catastrophic increase” and warned of the risk of a regional war, after talking to Iranian and Arab leaders on Monday.

The Kremlin said Putin had spoken to his Syrian, Egyptian and Iranian counterparts as well as Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin would also speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Kremlin statement stressed all the leaders called for “an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian truce to provide urgent assistance to those in need,” it said.

Putin said he was ready to “coordinate efforts with all constructive partners to put an end to hostilities and stabilise the situation as quickly as possible.”

Also, Pope Francis’ representative in the Holy Land said on Monday he was willing to exchange himself for Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas and held in Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, made his comment in response to a question during a video conference with journalists in Italy.

“I am ready for an exchange, anything if this can lead to freedom, to bring the children home. No problem. There is total willingness on my part,” he said.

“The first thing to do is to try to win the release of the hostages, otherwise there will be no way of stopping (an escalation). We are willing to help, even me personally,” he said.

About 200 people were taken hostage and about a dozen of them are believed to be children.

United States President Joe Biden in an interview aired Sunday had told 60 Minutes that it would be a “big mistake” for Israel to occupy Gaza but said that the country had to respond to the Hamas attack last weekend.

CBS News reports that when asked if it was “time for a ceasefire” given the loss of lives, Biden said, “Look, there’s a fundamental difference. Israel is going after a group of people who have engaged in barbarism that is as consequential as the Holocaust. And … I think Israel has to respond. They have to go after Hamas. Hamas is a bunch of cowards. They’re hiding behind the civilians. They put … their headquarters where civilians are and buildings and the like. But to the extent they can separate out … the Israelis are gonna do everything in their power to avoid the killing of innocent civilians.”

Egypt said on Monday that Israel was not cooperating with the delivery of aid into Gaza and evacuations of foreign passport holders via the only entry it does not wholly control, leaving hundreds of tonnes of supplies stuck.

Cairo says the Rafah crossing, a potentially vital opening for desperately needed supplies into the Israeli-besieged Palestinian enclave, is not officially closed but was made inoperable due to Israeli air strikes on the Gaza side.

“There is an urgent need to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters, adding that talks with Israel had not been fruitful.

As Israeli air strikes pounded the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground offensive, the enclave’s residents were getting more desperate by the hour as water ran out, garbage piled up, explosions flattened homes and hospitals struggled to cope.

Desperate to get some drinking water, some people began digging wells in areas adjacent to the sea or were relying on salty tap water from Gaza’s only aquifer, which is contaminated with sewage and seawater, Reuters reports.

Gaza authorities said at least 2,750 people, mostly civilians and among them more than 700 children, had been killed and nearly 10,000 wounded. A further 1,000 people were missing, believed to be under rubble.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday confirmed media reports he would travel to Israel and Egypt this week in the wake of the deadly attack by Hamas militants.

“It is important to me to also express my solidarity with Israel very practically with my visit,” he told reporters, while confirming a “later trip” to Egypt, according to AFP.

Written by Gbenga Oloniniran and Gift Habib with Agency Report

Credit: The Punch Newspaper

Euro qualifier: Belgium vs Sweden match abandoned after two people shot dead.

Euro qualifier: Belgium vs Sweden match abandoned after two people shot dead.

The Euro qualifier game between Belgium and Sweden has been called off after reports of a shooting in the city left two Swedish people dead, BBC reports Monday.

The shooting occurred in Brussels before the game while the gunman was said to have fled the scene and is still at large.

Swedish fans have been told to stay inside the King Baudouin Stadium “for their own safety after the game was stopped” at half-time. 

In its reaction, UEFA stated in a tweet late Monday night, “Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided, after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the Uefa Euro 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned. Further communication will be made in due course.”

The Swedish players told UEFA of their unwillingness to continue the match which was also agreed by the Belgian team, according to Swedish broadcaster TV6.

It is not yet known whether the victims were in Brussels to watch the Euro 2024 qualifier.

Credit: The Punch Newspaper

Blue rail line resumes, targets 74 daily trips November.

Blue rail line resumes, targets 74 daily trips November.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has warned Lagosians that the Blue Rail Line tracks are not a marketplace.

Sanwo-Olu said this on Monday while announcing the resumption of the Blue Line Rail which was earlier suspended at the weekend.

“I am happy to announce that the LRMT Blue Line is back on track energised with an increase in trips from 12 trips to 54 trips per day and this will rise to 74 trips by the end of November, thanks to the hard work of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.

“The first trip starts at 6:30 am and your daily commute has now become even smoother with a schedule you can plan around as well as with the Cowry Card and discounts to help you plan your expenses better.

“We temporarily paused the Blue Line this weekend for your safety, and now we have fully energised the line for a brighter future,” Sanwo-OLu wrote on X via @jidesanwoolu.

Warning against nefarious activities around the rail tracks, the governor stated: “Please do not attempt to access the rail tracks for any nefarious or otherwise activities and it bears repeating that the train tracks are not a marketplace.”

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government, on Monday, ordered the reopening of Mile 12 International Market after it was sealed on Friday.

The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the market was reopened after a thorough assessment, covering various aspects of environmental compliance, waste management practices and general cleanliness within the market.

He noted that issues critical to the environment, public health and safety were not negotiable as the government would not watch helplessly as those values were compromised and eroded by the conduct of a few people.

“We cannot continue to be nonchalant about our environment. Our negative attitude towards the environment must stop.

“The way we treat the environment is the way the environment treats us. We cannot fold our arms and allow the nonchalance of a few to affect the generality of the people.

“Following full compliance with environmental standards and safety measures earlier listed as a precondition for reopening shut markets, the Lagos State Government has ordered immediate reopening of Mile 12 International Market.”

He urged the traders to play by the rules of acceptable standards, by putting a premium on hygiene for their health and that of the public, stressing that the government would not shy away from shutting down any market that returns to the old filthy ways.

Credit: The Punch Newspaper.

Akpabio behind my removal from Senate, Abbo alleges.

Akpabio behind my removal from Senate, Abbo alleges.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Monday, nullified the election of the senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District, Elisha Abbo.

The appellate court declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Amos Yohanna, as the winner of the February 25 senatorial election.

Yohanna had in a petition filed at the tribunal sitting in Yola challenged the declaration of  Abbo, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, as the winner of the poll, arguing that Abbo did not score the majority of lawful votes cast.

He contended that the poll was marred by irregularities, such as false entries, alteration, and cancellation of votes at several polling units, among others.

The appellate court, in its judgment on Monday, upheld Yohanna’s contention and nullified Abbo’s election.

The Court of Appeal is the final court for the determination of disputes arising from senatorial election cases.

Speaking to journalists at his residence in Abuja after learning about his sacking, Abbo blamed his fate on the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

He alleged that Akpabio had a hand in the unfavourable court judgment against him. He alleged further that the Senate President had penciled down four other senators for removal through the court.

“I have it from a reliable source and a very highly placed one for that matter, that myself and four other senators within the fold of the ruling All Progressives Congress would be removed from the Senate through rulings from the courts,  all because of working against emergence of Akpabio as President of the 10th Senate.

“I won’t mention the names of all the four other ones targeted but the next in line is Senator Orji Uzor Kalu,” Abbo claimed.

Faulting the court judgment, Abbo insisted that there was no way the PDP candidate could have defeated him at the poll. He said he was so popular that his margin of victory against the PDP candidate was 11,000 votes.

“The court judgment is strange and the judiciary needs to please remain the last hope of the common man.

“For President Bola Tinubu, I must declare that this is not the democracy he fought for and should please lead in protecting it,” he added.

He, however, appealed to his supporters to remain calm, vowing that he would be back in the Senate in 2027.

Credit: The Punch Newspaper