Ekiti State Government to Disburse Gratuity to Retired LG Workers and Teachers.

Ekiti State Government to Disburse Gratuity to Retired LG Workers and Teachers.

In a bid to honor its commitment to retired Local Government Workers and Primary School Teachers, the Ekiti State Government has announced the upcoming disbursement of gratuity payments. This event, marking the fourth batch for the year, is scheduled for Friday, November 17th, 2023.

The ceremony is set to unfold at Lady Jibowu's Hall, Government House, Ado Ekiti, commencing at 12 noon. The distinguished Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, will preside over the occasion. The anticipation is palpable as this initiative underscores the government's dedication to the welfare of its retired workforce.

To ensure a seamless process, all expected beneficiaries, invited guests, dignitaries, and government officials are expected to be seated by 11 am. This meticulous planning reflects the government's commitment to efficiency in the distribution of gratuity payments.

The disbursement of cheques holds significant importance for the retired workers and teachers who have dedicated their years of service to the community. The government's gesture not only acknowledges their contributions but also serves as a testament to the state's dedication to the well-being of its retirees.

As the clock ticks down to the anticipated event, the atmosphere is charged with a sense of appreciation and gratitude towards the Ekiti State Government for prioritizing the financial well-being of its retired workforce. The occasion promises to be a dignified affair, honoring those who have played pivotal roles in the growth and development of the state's local governance and educational sectors.

Pastor Who Sold Heaven Visa for #310,000 Re-Arrested For Kidnapping.

Pastor Who Sold Heaven Visa for #310,000 Re-Arrested For Kidnapping.

The controversial founder of Christ High Commission Church, Araromi-Ugbesi in Omuo-Oke, Ekiti State, Noah Abraham, who was in the news last year for allegedly collecting three hundred and ten thousand Naira from church members as a ticket to heaven has been re-arrested for more grievous offences

This time around, the controversial Pastor was arrested by the Ekiti State Police Command in collaboration with the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for the alleged kidnapping of over nine persons including minors and impregnating the wife of his choir coordinator.

It was gathered that some of the hostages were children of his members whom he had hypnotized, brainwashed and set against their parents.

Narrating their ordeal, some of the parents of the children who were kept hostage, church members and even the legal wife of Pastor Abraham, who had staged a protest to the Ekiti State Police Command pleaded with the Government and appropriate authorities to assist them in getting their children, wife and relatives out of the captivity of the Pastor.

According to them, Pastor Abraham forced their children to withdraw from school while a 27-year-old man who was already working in an unnamed company where he was given an official vehicle was asked to resign and kept in the camp without a specific mission 

Speaking with Journalists, the choir coordinator of the church, Mr Dare Ikuenayo confirmed that the pastor snatched and impregnated the mother of his three children.

He said: “I joined the church in Kabba, Kogi State but one day, the pastor called me and notified me that my wife had a gift of prophesy that I should allow her to stay with him for a month and work for God which I oblige.

“But suddenly I noticed that my wife was not even willing to see or talk to me. While I was trying to raise eyebrows, the pastor announced in the church that he had taken my wife and no one could take her from him.

“I tried my best but all to no avail until he impregnated her and moved her into his house fully.”

In her testimony, the wife of the pastor, Mrs Mary Abraham said after they came together to Omuo-Ekiti for the aborted heavenly mission, her husband came in one night and asked her to move out because he wanted the wife of the choir coordinator to move in.

According to her, “He said the present work in his hand requires the woman to be with him and that was how he forced me out and denied me access to my three children.

“He withdrew all of my children from school, and made their lives miserable, I wept when I saw my son yesterday after the police brought him here. I am begging Nigerians to help me take my children from him.”

Similarly, one of the pastors working under Abraham, said his son, who was already working in a reputable institution was asked to resign and held hostage.

The Pastor said, “Even when I logged in complaint at the police station, I was offered access to two of my three children but on our way home he called them and asked them to run back which they did.

“He is always telling us that we have different curses and evil spirits working against us, he would ask us to sell our property and bring the money to him. I have invested almost 7 million in the church, I am left with nothing. Even my children don’t want to see me, I don’t know what he did to them.”

Another old woman who is the elder sister to Pastor Abraham alleged that he took almost a million naira from her on different occasions on the account that he wanted to cleanse her of evil spirits.

It was also gathered that there are many other complaints against Pastor Abraham with different stories too elaborate and sensitive for media publication.

Reacting, Pastor Abraham said the heaven ticket saga was his first assignment, saying he was done with what God had sent him to earth to do and he was ready to go back to his creator.

He said he was fulfilled because he had concluded his assignments as directed by God while declining to give any reason for his actions.

Meanwhile, the wife of the coordinator whom the founder impregnated is still at large.

In a chat with journalists, the spokesman for the Ekiti State Police Command, DSP, Sunday Abutu said the investigation is ongoing in collaboration with NAPTIP, saying the police would revert to the next line of action.

Recall that Pastor Abraham was arrested on the 27th of April, 2022 in Omuo-Ekiti after he converged over forty persons in a camp and collected the sum of three hundred and ten thousand Naira from each of them as a ticket fee to heaven but was granted bail at a Magistrate court.

Ekiti Govt Distributes N20m to Disaster Victims, Warns Against Reckless Burning in Dry Season.

Ekiti Govt Distributes N20m to Disaster Victims, Warns Against Reckless Burning in Dry Season.

The Ekiti State Government, has distributed a staggering sum of N20 million to fire and raintorm victims in the state, warning those in the habit of incessant and reckless bush burning to refrain and be cautious of their actions in the coming dry season.

The government lamented that most of the emergency cases causing collosssal losses of lives and property are human-induced, urging the residents to be proactive in taking actions that could avert some of these incidences for the safety of all. 

The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said this in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, while flagging off the distribution of cash grants worth N20 million to 46 victims of fire and rainstorm disasters in the state.

Mrs Afuye assured the victims that Governor Oyebanji would continually respond positively to their cries to cushion the effect of disasters on them, insisting that the current government is more desirous of prevention, rather than taking palliative actions to put a soothing balm on their pains.

Applauding Governor Oyebanji's strides to relaunch some of those who lost their homes and businesses back to reckoning, Mrs Afuye, revealed that the governor had earlier approved a sum of N24.5 million to victims of rainstorm in Oke Ako Ekiti.

She appealed to those in the habit of building their structures across river valleys or waterways to desist , saying such actions would no longer be tolerated by government.

"If we are to rate the governors in terms of display of love for their citizens, Governor Oyebanji ranks best in the country. This money is not for you to go undertake family responsibilities or other extraneous things, but to relaunch your destroyed businesses and homes that got destroyed by fire or storm. 

"The people we selected were carefully enumerated by the State Emergency Management Agency(SEMA) and those who have submitted their claims will soon benefit, it might be before the end of the year. 

"Let me place on record that the present government under Governor Biodun Oyebanji is a progressive and forward looking one, favorably disposed to collaborating with any group or individual, most especially with the federal government that is equally committed to raising the standard of living of the people. 

"I want to appeal to all of us to imbibe the culture of environmental preservation and avoid incessant bush burning during dry season, careless dropping of cigarette tips, storage of Prenium Motor Spirit within the house and always switch off electrical appliances when not in use in order to reduce future occurrence of this type of mishap".

Addressing the beneficiaries, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Head of Operations in Ekiti/Ondo, Mr. Olanrewaju Kadiri, applauded the government for taking actions to mitigate disasters, rating Ekiti as having one of the best in terms of emergency managements and responses in the country.

"Since the advent of this administration, we have enjoyed good emergency management and responses that really complemented our works. 

"If you check very well, we are having increasing cases of disasters. We had ransitorm in Oke Ako, fire disaster at Shasha market, flooding in various places, so we need to buckle up to be able to prevent some of these occurrences". 

Urging the victims to guard against actions that could trigger disaster situations, the Permanent Secretary, in charge of SEMA, Mr. Jide Borode, appreciated the government for speedily approving a sum of N20 million for the victims, saying this had further portrayed Oyebanji as a lover of the people.

The SEMA boss assured that those who had submitted their claims to the state government as victims would soon be attended to, warning the residents, particularly farmers to eschew reckless and unbridled bush burning as the state approaches dry season. 

Present at the event were the Director General, Office of Communications and Community Engagements, Mrs Mary Oso Omotoso, the Permanent Secretary, office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Abayomi Opeyemi , officials of SEMA, NEMA and the beneficiaries.

Describing the gesture as highly commendable, some of the beneficiaries, Mr Ikulayo Oladapo , Abduwahab Abubakar, who is from Kaduna State, Martins-Awomoyi Onyekachi, Mrs Agnes Akomolafe, and Abdullahi Umaru from Sokoto State, said it will go a long way in alleviating their sufferings.

They thanked Governor Oyebanji for being people-centric and passionate in driving some of his policies tend toward making lives more flourishing and bearable for the citizens.

Education, skills development panacea for ending poverty, hunger in Nigeria — Vice President Shettima.

Education, skills development panacea for ending poverty, hunger in Nigeria — Vice President Shettima.                                                                .....Seeks Gates Foundation Support To Enhance Agricultural Sector.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has identified education and skills development as panacea for addressing poverty and hunger in Nigeria. 

He stated this Wednesday during a meeting with a delegation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation led by the President of its Global Growth & Opportunity Division, Mr Rodger Voorhies, at the Presidential Villa. 

Sen. Shettima underscored the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and the urgent need to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices to ensure food security for Nigeria's growing population.

Accordingly, the Vice President urged the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to forge a strategic partnership with the Nigerian government to enhance agricultural productivity, improve nutrition and strengthen the education sector.

He also charged the Foundation to support President Bola Tinubu’s gender empowerment initiatives, noting that the programmes which are focused on the girl child are critical to Nigeria’s drive to alleviate poverty.

Vice President Shettima expressed his appreciation for the foundation's significant contributions to Nigeria, particularly in the areas of polio eradication and primary healthcare delivery.

Highlighting the need for the foundation’s continued support in the Nigerian agricultural sector, the VP said, "We are investing heavily in agricultural innovation and best agricultural practices to enhance productivity. However, we need the expertise and resources of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate our progress."

EKSIEC Trains Staff Ahead Of Next Month's December Council Poll in Ekiti.

EKSIEC Trains Staff Ahead Of Next Month's December Council Poll in Ekiti.

A two-day training of the staff of Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) is underway in Ado-Ekiti as part of preparations for the December 2, 2023 Council Poll in the state.

The theme of workshop is, "Towards the conduct of a free, fair and credible Local Government Election in Ekiti State". 

Declaring open the workshop, the Chairman, Ekiti State Civil Service Commission, Sir Bunmi Famosaya who was represented, described its theme as very apt, timely and could not have come at a better time than now when the nation is seriously yearning for free, fair and credible elections.

Famosaya highlighted some of the challenges facing credible elections in the country and enjoined EKSIEC to conduct next month's council poll with a very high sense of responsibility and in accordance with the electoral rules; thereby engendering peace and progress. 

In his opening remarks, EKSIEC Chairman, Justice Cornelius Akintayo rtd admonished participants which include, Electoral Officers EOs and Assistant Electoral Officers AEOs to make the best of use of the training.

According to him, their professionalism on election day is crucial to the success of the election and therefore urged them to be attentive to experts who are the resource persons as their trainers.

Akintayo announced that the training of the Ad Hoc staff to work with the EOs and AEOs on election day has been scheduled to hold after the two - day workshop.

EKSIEC Commissioners and other management staff of the commission also attended the workshop.

Papers presented on Day 1 are, Critical stakeholders and their roles in the conduct of Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas Election in Ekiti State; Operational Procedures for the conduct of LGAs & LCDAs election in Ekiti State and Professional Ethics and Conduct of Electoral Officials.

Permanent Secretary Emphasizes Prudence and Accountability through Central Audit Management.

Permanent Secretary Emphasizes Prudence and Accountability through Central Audit Management.

In a significant move towards reinforcing financial accountability and prudency in the Local Government System, Mrs. Titilayo Toba-Ojo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission, has charged the Audit Management Committee of the Central Internal Audit Department. Mrs. Toba-Ojo expressed delight in the establishment of the department, emphasizing the pivotal role of financial records and reporting in ensuring accountability and prudency within the Local Government System.

Mrs. Toba-Ojo urged the officers in the department to ensure that data generated for audit-related matters are reliable and meet both local and global standards, including IPSAS, National Chart of Accounts, the Procurement Law, and various other financial instructions.

In response, Mr. Femi Olowolade, the Head of Local Government Administration, Central Internal Audit (CIA), briefed the Committee on the roles of the CIA in streamlining financial records and reporting processes in the Local Government System. Mr. Olowolade sought the support of the Audit Management Committee to achieve the noble objectives of the department.

The Committee's statutory members, including Executive Secretaries in the local government service—Mr. Rotimi Akomolede, Mr. Abiodun Adelupo, Mr. Foluso Akinwumi, Mr. Taiwo Adeojo, Mr. Ganiyu Bello, Mr. Yinka Borisade, and Dr. Kayode Abegunde, Director of Audit—were present at the event.

NDIS6: Nigerian Diaspora To Access About N50Million Housing Loan.

NDIS6: Nigerian Diaspora To Access About N50Million Housing Loan.

As the 6th edition of  Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS), opens in Abuja, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development Architect Ahmed Dangiwa, has launched the Diaspora Housing Scheme with a promise for Diasporas access up to N50 Million Naira loan for mortgage with an interest rate of 6.9%, to be paid over a period of 10 years.

The Minister who initiated the scheme while serving as the MD/CEO of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria described his position as a positive twist of fate.

Dangiwa also added that the Mortgage scheme is set to be formally launched in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States soon, while calling on the Diaspora community to take full advantage of this opportunity and massively subscribe to reap its short and long-term benefits.

“I want to use this opportunity to urge Nigerians in the Diaspora to take advantage of this Scheme which allows them to actualize their dreams of owning affordable homes in Nigeria”, he said.

The Minister assured the Diaspora of his commitment to protect their investments in the sector and his tenure will ensure that relevant incentives are provided as he will willingly support Diaspora initiatives.

Dangiwa also encouraged the Diaspora to prioritize the Diaspora City Project which is in collaboration with NiDCOM, FHA, the Federal Capital Territory Administration and even the Private Sector.

“This city will accommodate Bungalows, Semi-bungalows, Terrace, mansions and other infrastructures for the convenience of the Diaspora “, he explained.

NIDCOM Chairman/CEO, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa explained that the scheme has been in the heart of the Commission and will do all it takes to actualize this mandate hence the launch.

The theme of the 2023 hybrid summit is, ‘ *New Vistas, New Aspirations, New Opportunities: The Diaspora and National Development’.