Governor Oyebanji Engages Traditional Rulers for Enhanced State Security Measures.

Governor Oyebanji Engages Traditional Rulers for Enhanced State Security Measures.

By Olamide Akinwumi.

In a proactive move to address the escalating security concerns in Ekiti State, Governor Biodun Oyebanji conducted a significant meeting with all traditional rulers on Wednesday, January 31. The session, held at the council chamber in Fajuyi area, Ado Ekiti, sought to evaluate the current security landscape and incorporate the valuable input of traditional leaders in the government's efforts to combat criminal elements.

The gathering saw the participation of heads of security agencies in Ekiti State alongside several high-ranking government officials. Discussions primarily revolved around collaborative strategies aimed at clamping down on criminal activities within the state. Governor Oyebanji underscored the significance of leveraging the insights and support of traditional rulers in the collective fight against insecurity.

Upon the meeting's conclusion, a communique was issued, emphasizing the commitment of traditional rulers to bolster the security initiatives of the Ekiti State Government. The document also conveyed gratitude to Governor Oyebanji for his prompt response to the prevailing security challenges.

This engagement reflects the Ekiti State Government's commitment to a proactive and inclusive approach in addressing security concerns. The collaboration with security agencies and the dedication of traditional rulers underscore a collective determination to safeguard the well-being and security of the people in Ekiti State.

I'm Determined to Flush Criminal Syndicates Out of Ekiti, Says Oyebanji in State broadcast.

I'm Determined to Flush Criminal Syndicates Out of Ekiti, Says Oyebanji in State broadcast. 

.....EKSG to fortify conventional, local security networks with high grade equipment.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed his readiness to rally all security apparatus available to fight and flush out criminal elements who might want to make Ekiti a killing field and a safe haven for blood -sucking criminals.

The State government, according to Oyebanji will also reinvigorate the local security outfits to work in synergy with conventional security networks to break the ranks of those perpetrating heinous crimes in the facets of kidnapping, banditry and killings in the state.

Governor Oyebanji gave these assurances while addressing Ekiti people in a statewide broadcast aired on Tuesday night, in response to Monday’s gruesome murder of two monarchs by armed men along Oke Ako-Irele road and abduction of some primary school pupils in Emure Ekiti. 

During the attack, the two royal fathers, the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsakin and the Olumojo of Imojo-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Olatunde Olusola, were brutally murdered by the marauders; while the Alara of Ara (Ikole),Oba Sunday Adebayo O

Fatoba, escaped the murderous attack narrowly.  

Oyebanji said most saddening to him was the fact that he was just emerging from a security council meeting, where strategic and far reaching measures were taken on how to make Ekiti retain its status as the most peaceful and investment- friendly state in the country.

The Governor appealed to the residents not to despair by the horrible trend of events, saying all hands are on the plough to track down the perpetrators of the horrendous acts.

Oyebanji said: "The death of these vibrant, energetic and progressive monarchs is very sad and distressing for me, personally. Before their demise, I enjoyed a very cordial relationship with them in their pursuit of accelerated development for their communities. I have enormous respect for them for their service and commitment to the prosperity of Ekiti at large. May their souls rest in peace.

"Similarly, just same yesterday, we received another disturbing news that some pupils of the Apostolic Faith Nursery and Primary School, Emure-Ekiti and their teachers who were being conveyed home after school, were waylaid and kidnapped between Emure-Ekiti and Eporo. Security agents are currently working hard to rescue them unhurt.

“As your Governor, this new turn of event in our dear State is a very devastating and sad one for me; this is because security has always held a significant priority in our administration and this can be seen in our State being consistently adjudged one of the most peaceful with low crime rate in the entire Federation.

"I have therefore challenged the security agencies with a firm instruction to fish our the soulless murderers who committed this heinous sacrilege on the soil of Ekiti.

"As a follow up to this, Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was on a long call with me yesterday, to commiserate with the State and to give a firm assurance that everything will be done to ensure such a dastardly act never repeats itself. He is mobilizing security resources to help in bringing the killers to book and in rescuing the abducted children and their teachers.  

"I am very thankful to the President for his solidarity and support at this time. I have also visited the concerned communities and the Chairman of Traditional Council to commiserate and also re-assure them of Government’s strong resolve to confront this ugly trend.

"Ekiti Kete, while these occurrences can be distressing, we should not despair or waver in our steel resolve to work together to fight all violent crimes. As the evil men are unrelenting, we too have to collectively confront their evil enterprise with all the resources in our behest. 

"We must all collaborate to share intelligence and organize community based security arrangement to complement the State’s security apparatus. As part of effort to ensure this does not happen again, we will strengthen our supports for the security agencies by further enhancing their capacity through the provision of high grade equipment. 

"We will also strengthen our community based security organizations and other relevant individuals to fashion out a sustainable and workable system to confront this evil monster once and for all. Be assured of your security, even, as we all should be vigilant and security conscious", the Governor added.

Minimum Wage: Tinubu tasks committee on prompt completion, submission of report.

Minimum Wage: Tinubu tasks committee on prompt completion, submission of report.

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, January 30, inaugurated the Tripartite National Minimum Wage Committee, tasking the 37-man team to promptly conclude its assignment and bring in its report and recommendations.

President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, also directed the Bukar Goni Aji-led Committee to ensure their decisions are firmly rooted in social justice and equity.

To guarantee sustainability in all tiers of government, the President said the committee must pay attention to the ability of all parties to pay the new wage, just as he asked the committee members to ensure timely completion of their assignment.

According to the President, the timely conclusion and submission of the report and recommendations of the committee is very important to the take-off of the processes of a new national minimum wage regime.

He, however, informed the committee that he had already instructed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to ensure that the required funding for the assignment is also made available promptly for the team.

“The committee is anticipated to conclude its deliberations promptly and submit its report and recommendations. This timely submission is crucial to initiate the necessary processes for implementing a new National Minimum Wage.

“The Hon. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy has been instructed to allocate the essential funds and logistics to the Committee, facilitating the timely completion of its assigned task,” he said.

He further stressed that the “government’s decision, following the consideration of your final recommendation, will be presented as an Executive Bill to the National Assembly.

“This bill, enriched by the contributions of state governments and private sector employers, will undergo thorough legislative scrutiny before being passed into law,” he added.

On the need to firm up the basis of their activities in social justice and equity, the President said: “Our objective should be to surpass the basic Social Protection Floor for all Nigerian workers, considering the sustainable payment capacity of each tier of government and other employers or businesses.

“I express this viewpoint because the minimum wage represents the least amount of compensation an employee should receive for their labour, and as such, it should be rooted in social justice and equity. I hope that the results of your deliberations will be consensual and acceptable to all parties involved,” the President told members of the committee.

President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s promise to improve the welfare of Nigerian workers and, by extension, the entire nation, saying, “The labour force stands as the cornerstone of the progress of every nation, and ours has been the enduring engine of our pursuit of development.”

Underscoring the significance of the assignment as reflected in the composition of the tripartite committee, the President urged all members to take their new task with all seriousness, even as he directed the committee to employ the principles of full consultation with social partners in all of its deliberations.

Accordingly, he directed that state Governors, Ministers, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, who are members, must personally attend the committee meetings and if they are unavoidably absent, their deputies, commissioners, and Permanent Secretaries should represent them.

“Recognizing the significance of this initiative and to ensure a substantial engagement, I hereby direct that Ministers and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation should personally attend the meeting. In their unavoidable absence, their Permanent Secretaries should represent them.

“Similarly, Governors are expected to attend in person or be represented by their deputies or commissioners where necessary. I urge you to consider the issue of a National Minimum Wage and all related matters with thoroughness and concern, keeping in mind not only the welfare of our workforce but also the impact on the country’s economy,” Tinubu stated.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago, said the states will ensure to be faithful to the report of the committee by finding alternative ways of funding to meet up.

“This shows the willingness of this government to the welfare of the citizens of Nigeria.

“We don’t want to preempt the outcome of this meeting, but you need to understand that the sub-nationals also have challenges and that the federal government, in its own wisdom, has brought the sub-nationals into perspective and this discussion will be done together with the sub-national, so I’m not sure we’re going to foresee any challenge.

“We are looking for alternative ways of funding and we’re assured that with the backward integration in the economy, a lot of us will be able to stand tall to this challenge”, Bago said.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Secretary to Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, urged the committee to give its best, noting that the task before it carries the hopes and aspirations of millions of Nigerian workers.

He said the inauguration of the committee to come up with a new national minimum wage is in fulfilment of the promise of the Tinubu administration to embark on a comprehensive review of the minimum wage for the average Nigerian worker.

On his part, the Chairman of the Tripartite Committee, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, assured the President that the committee would do justice to the task assigned to it.

“We shall, by God’s grace, carry out extensive consultations with key stakeholders to arrive at a new minimum wage that is fair, practical and implementable,” Aji, a former Head of Service of the Federation, noted.

The President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Festus Osifo, said the upcoming minimum wage, from the current process, will stand out, saying the harsh conditions that Nigerians have had to endure will guide them to negotiate the best deal for the workers.

“We’ve had a lot of minimum wage negotiations over the years, but this one will stand out, it will stand out because we have never seen a time like this in Nigeria. So this is a period where people are passing through pains, in fact, the purchasing power of an average Nigerian worker, and indeed the entire Nigerian masses, has been eroded. So we are going to put on our thinking cap we are going to press to get the best for the working people of Nigeria”, he said.

Meanwhile, the Life Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr Humphrey Ngonadi, who is also a member of the committee, has tasked the federal government to find a way to tame the escalating prices of commodities in the market, if the plan upwards review of Nigerian workers would be of any effect.

Ngonadi also suggested that to tame market prices of commodities, the government must first find a way to manage the volatile situation in the foreign exchange market by shoring up the value of the Naira against major foreign currencies, then prices of commodities will be manageable.

“I thank God for this initiative that the government is taking at this particular place, but I’m still being worried. We may remember some time long ago there was a Udoji Award and that was the first time the salaries of workers were increased and immediately after the increment the commodity in the market ran up to meet.

“So while we are talking about minimum wage, I think the government, on its own side, has to think on how to bring down the prices of commodities in the market.

“If a worker is paid N1 million as the minimum wage and a bag of rice is N900,000, the N1 million still has no meaning. So what I think is while we are thinking of minimum wage, to hike the salary of the worker, the government, on its own side, has to think of how that money will have value.

“Having value is if a bag of rice that was N8000 yesterday is now N50,000 and you increase the salary of the workers and the price or price will be N200,000, the salary increase has no value. So I think the government is now going in the right direction, also, while we increase the salary of the workers, let the government work on the prices of commodities to come down.

“If the dollar will step down now, the prices of commodities will step down. My mind is going that way”, he advised.

The 37-man tripartite committee has six Governors, some cabinet Ministers, representatives of the organized labour, and the private sector among its members.

The Governors include Mohammed Bago of Niger State, representing the North Central; Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, representing the North East; Dikko Radda of Katsina State, representing the North West; Charles Soludo of Anambra State, representing the South East; Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, representing the South-West, and Otu Bassey of Cross River State, representing the South-South.

The Ministers are the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. (Mrs) Yemi Esan, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.

Obaseki orders reaccreditation of 6,500 vigilantes.

Obaseki orders reaccreditation of 6,500 vigilantes.

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has ordered the reaccreditation of all operatives of the state’s Security Vigilante Network, numbering about 6,500.

The governor on Monday said it was a renewed effort to strengthen the state’s security architecture to combat crimes and ensure the security of lives and property of residents.

Obaseki gave the order during a security briefing at the Solomon Arase Command and Control Centre in Benin City, the Edo State capital, in the company of all security chiefs in the state.

The governor said, “We are having this security briefing this morning to let the public know the measures that security agencies and the Edo State Government are taking to secure lives and property in Edo State.

“We all are aware of the security challenges in the state this weekend, particularly in Edo North, where in the guise of burial some citizens resulted to arson and assault on security agencies in Oja village.

“The government can’t fold its hands and allow a breakdown of law and order in the state as appropriate actions will be taken and we have resolved to deal with what happened last Saturday. We will not accept a situation where citizens attack members of the security agencies, it’s not acceptable. As a government, we will deal with those involved in the incident.”

On reaccreditation of the vigilante in the state, Obaseki said, “We heard some kidnappers took over a checkpoint and attacked some policemen on patrol, but none lost their lives in the incident, and this has prompted the government to commence a total revamp of the vigilante structure.

“Commencing today, only the vigilante personnel trained in the Nigerian Police Training School under the arrangement with the Edo State Government will be allowed to serve in Edo State. All vigilante groups and persons trained so far, about 6,500 men, are required to report to the Police Staff College where they received training for accreditation. The commander will be issuing instructions on the specific dates for reaccreditation.”

He added, “After the reaccreditation, anybody or group acting as vigilantes without being trained by the Edo State Government will be dealt with like criminals. Come out for the exercise, as we want to re-identify them and put them in our security information system software that we have developed. It will help monitor and track their activities.”

Kebbi spent N9bn in eight months to reposition education -Gov.

Kebbi spent N9bn in eight months to reposition education -Gov.

Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, says his administration has within its first eight months in office spent over N9billion in repositioning education.

He disclosed this at the flag-off of the National Campaign on Out-Of-School Children in the Geo-Political Zones in Nigeria held in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.

A statement signed by his media aide, Ahmed Idris, and made available to our correspondent said the governor explained that the sum was spent on the construction of classrooms, provision of motorised boreholes and hand-pumps, construction of toilets, provision of furniture, renovation of dilapidated classrooms as well as provision of textbooks and writing materials.

The statement read, “2,000 teachers were trained to improve their pedagogic competence for effective teaching in schools, adding that six mega schools were being constructed to provide access to education by Almajiris and other categories of out-of-school children in the state.

“717 Post-Basic Literacy Centres were established across the state for post-basic literacy programme for the Almajiris that had already undergone basic literacy programme under Better Education Service Delivery for All.

“BESDA programme, Kebbi State recorded tremendous success in terms of enrolling the different categories of out-of-school children into schools through the instrument of non-formal learning centres.

“Not less than 3,945 learning centres were established comprising Almajiri, Girl-Child and Nomads Children and more than 500 learners have been enrolled in a basic literacy programme.

“This has let Kebbi attain an enviable position amongst the 17 BESDA participating states in terms of achievement of rewards.”

In his speech, the Minister of State, Education, Dr Yusuf Tanko-Sununu, urged the Kebbi people to appreciate the new administration by supporting its policies and programmes and rendering good advice that would take the state forward.

He appealed to individuals and groups to key into the national campaign on out-of-school children and other issues related to education “as government alone cannot do it.”

Tanko-Sununu advised the state government to establish a strong foundation by constructing more classrooms and recruiting more teachers to make it easy for the Federal Government to come in and assist.

The minister urged the governor to ensure the recruitment of professional teachers who duly registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.

While applauding the governor for increasing allocation to education in the 2024 budget, the minister also advised him to talk to traditional rulers in the state to see how teachers’ respect would be restored.

The Director of Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Falake Olatunji-David, said the programme was the third phase of the several interventions embarked upon by the ministry to ensure a substantial reduction in the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

She lamented that a recent study shows that Nigeria accounts for one out of every five out-of-school children in the world and 45 per cent of out-of-school children in the West African sub-region.

The director appealed to spirited individuals in the state to aid the less privileged in the community by adopting the children and youths “who are of school age and supporting the education of such.”

In December 2023, the governor flagged off the construction and upgrade of 120 secondary schools across the state valued at N8.9bn.

Speaking at the ceremony which was held at Bubuche in Arugungu Local Government Area, the governor said the gesture was meant to reposition the education sector in the state.

He explained that the programme, which was under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment in collaboration with the World Bank and Dominat Engineering Limited aimed at promoting the education sector by providing a conducive learning environment for children.

“This flag-off will occasion the constitution of new schools designed to upgrade 120 schools from primary school to junior secondary and junior secondary to senior secondary schools under AGILE,” he said.

Oyo lists 3,000 households for cash transfer.

Oyo lists 3,000 households for cash transfer.

The Oyo State Government announced on Tuesday that no fewer than 3,300 households would benefit from its COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus programme for the poor and vulnerable residents of the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday.

According to Oyelade, the vulnerable persons, comprising disadvantaged individuals ranging from the aged, chronically ill, physically challenged, urban poor, and widows, were drawn from the 33 Local Government Areas of the state.

Oyelade said, “It should be recalled that in 2019/2020, a global pandemic called COVID-19 ravaged the world, with a large proportion of citizens, especially the poor and vulnerable households/individuals, facing challenges on multiple fronts such as loss of labor, income, food, and security, etc.

“The sum of N10,000 per month is to be given for a year to the Social Transfer component beneficiaries to aid their consumption and reduce stress. The transfer, which is card-based, will be paid N20,000 bi-monthly.

“The beneficiaries were drawn from all the 33 LGAs in the State from the data mined from the State Operation Coordinating Unit. A cash transfer of N10,000 per month to the beneficiaries in the 3rd phase of the program will commence after the ongoing training of the facilitators.”

He further explained that the OY-CARES program was an emergency operation from the Federal Government, which was adopted by the Oyo government and designed to support budgeted programs of expenditures and interventions at the state level.

He concluded that the programme would target “existing and new vulnerable and poor households in the agricultural value chain, as well as Micro and Small Enterprises affected by the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Lack of patriotism, cause of Nigeria’s challenges — AbdulRazaq.

Lack of patriotism, cause of Nigeria’s challenges — AbdulRazaq.

The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has urged Nigerians to always consider the nation first in whatever they do to strengthen unity and promote peace.

He called on all citizens to have an attitudinal rebirth for the country to move forward, saying the Nigerians’ patriotism level has dropped.

The governor gave the advice when the National Institute of Public Relations President, Dr Ikechukwu Neliaku, led a delegation of the institute to the Government House on a courtesy visit.

“We need to look at our heritage and value system. Our core values are fundamental. In a situation where a mechanic converts the seat of an Okada (motorcycle) to carry an AK-47 you will not report it.

“Our values have dropped. Our responsibility includes supporting the security agencies with useful information and acting intelligently to support the security agencies. Those are parts of the issues we should look at in our values,” the governor was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaiye, on Tuesday.

The governor said Nigeria’s challenges could be blamed on a lack of patriotism and a poor value system.

“The challenges we have to do with rebirth and attitude. The insecurity we have has a lot to do with rebirth. The foreign exchange issue is connected to this also.

“Rebirth is about citizens’ education on patriotism and loyalty to the national flag, and commitment to its good.

“Nigerians are no more as patriotic as we used to be. We are only patriotic the day the Nigerian National Football team plays; this has to change.

“The rebirth effort will answer these questions. Our loyalty should be to our flag. Once we are patriotic, many issues will be resolved,” he said.

Speaking, the NIPR president commended the administration’s investments in critical infrastructure and projects that can drive rapid economic growth and make the state a hub.

Neliaku said some of the ongoing legacy projects in the state, such as the Innovation Hub and International Conference Centre, are strategic and would place Kwara on the global map.

“We have noted that you are doing some legacy projects. Some people come, they do projects and all that. But when leaders are not conscious of their legacy after they have left offices, their image goes down.

“And because we are managers of image and reputation, we look out for those who are planting seeds of legacies.

“The projects that really caught our fancy are the ICT Innovation Hub and International Conference Centre, among others. This is very, very important.

“You are building an International Conference Centre in Ilorin. For those who do not understand what that means, you are opening up Ilorin for global attention.

“You are building Kwara state as a regional hub. We also notice your fiscal responsibility and prudence in managing governance affairs,” he said.

AbdulRazaq said the choice of his legacy projects was to position Kwara as a hub for the service economy, which attracts investments and creates jobs for the people.

“What we are trying to do here is to build an ecosystem, a hub for conferencing. You have sold the idea of conferences in just a few words.

“But why are we building a conference centre here? People really need to understand that a conference centre and hotels are a catalyst for national development as it births a strong service economy,” the governor said.