Ekiti NSCDC Recovers Suspected Stolen Phones, Seeks Owners.

Ekiti NSCDC Recovers Suspected Stolen Phones, Seeks Owners.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ekiti State Command, has recovered six suspected stolen mobile phones and two power banks during a stop-and-search operation along the Iworoko axis of the state capital.  

The items, valued at approximately N2 million, were discovered in a bag abandoned by a suspected pickpocket who fled the scene. The recovered phones include high-end brands such as Samsung and Umgidi, among others.  

The Ekiti State Command is appealing to members of the public who may have lost their phones in the Iworoko area or other parts of the state to come forward with valid proof of ownership.  

Victims can visit the office of the Command's Public Relations Officer to reclaim their phones. For further inquiries, the Public Relations Officer, SC Afolabi Tolulope, can be reached directly on 08034603878 or 07043333027.  

This recovery highlights the efforts of the NSCDC to ensure safety and security in the state, while urging residents to be vigilant against criminal activities.  

E-signed:

SC Afolabi Tolulope  

CDPRO

BATSV's GLOBAL CHAIRMAN COMMISERATES WITH PAULINE TALLEN.

BATSV's GLOBAL CHAIRMAN COMMISERATES WITH PAULINE TALLEN.

Ambassador Dr Dare Owotomobi, the Global Chairman of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Solidarity Vanguard, BATSV, commiserates with the immediate past Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen on the sudden death of her only son, Richard Adamu Tallen, 42, which occured today, Sunday 6th October, 2024 in an Abuja hospital after a brief illness.

Ambassador Dr Dare Owotomobi, the Global Chairman of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Solidarity Vanguard, BATSV.

The Global Chairman says BATSV also shares in the grief of the group's State Chairman in Plateau State, Ambassador Ibrahim Kasai, his Executive and indeed the entire membership in the state, as they mourn the death of the only son of their BOT Representative in BATSV.

Immediate past Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen.

Richard Tallen who was rushed to a hospital in Abuja on Friday, was said to have been on oxygen until today when he gave up, leaving behind a wife and three children.

Richard Adamu Tallen

Ambassador Owotomobi prays for the repose of Richard's life  and for God Almighty to give Dame Pauline Tallen and his immediate family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

The former Minister, Dame Pauline Tallen is BATSV 's Board of Trustees Member from Plateau State, who replaced the Late Capt. Din Joseph, who died in 2021.

Ekiti State Bureau of Local Content DG Honored with Outstanding Humanitarian Award.

Ekiti State Bureau of Local Content DG Honored with Outstanding Humanitarian Award.

In recognition of his exemplary humanitarian efforts, the Director General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Local Content, Hon. Olalekan Ijidale, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Southwest Herald Magazine Awards' Outstanding Humanitarian Award.

The award ceremony took place at the SITA Event Hall in Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State, and was chaired by Prof. Dayo Faduyile, OON, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal College of Education, Kotangora. The guest speaker for the event was Hon. Dr. Fasua Gbenga, the Transition Chairman of Akure South Local Government Area, while Pastor J.A. Babalola, the Special Adviser to the Ondo State Governor on Infrastructure, was represented by Engr. F.M. Oluwatayo.

Hon. Ijidale's selection for this prestigious award is a testament to his unwavering commitment to humanitarian service and his dedication to uplifting the lives of the less privileged in Ekiti State and beyond.

As the past president of the prestigious Rotary Club of Iyaganku in Ibadan, Hon. Ijidale has consistently demonstrated his passion for community development and social welfare. Currently, he is sponsoring the education of 18 Ekiti indigent students across universities in the Southwest region of Nigeria, and has also implemented various empowerment programs for the youth, women, the aged, widows, and other vulnerable groups in Ekiti State.

"I am truly humbled and honored to receive this award from the Southwest Herald Magazine," said Hon. Ijidale. "This recognition motivates me to continue my efforts in serving the people of Ekiti State and beyond, and to inspire others to follow in the footsteps of humanitarian service."

The Southwest Herald Magazine's Outstanding Humanitarian Award is a prestigious accolade that celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the well-being of their communities. Hon. Ijidale's unwavering dedication to uplifting the lives of the less fortunate has undoubtedly earned him this well-deserved honor.

Ekiti State Reinforces Local Content Requirements for Immobiliare Construction company.

Ekiti State Reinforces Local Content Requirements for Immobiliare Construction company. 

In an effort to ensure the patronage of local artisans and vendors, the Ekiti State Government, through the Bureau of Local Content, has reiterated its policy requiring construction companies to prioritize the employment of local workers and the use of locally sourced materials.

The policy, overseen by the Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Local Content, Olalekan Ijidale, has been reinforced, particularly for the Immobiliare construction company and other construction companies operating in the state.

During a recent unscheduled visit to an Immobiliare construction site, the Bureau team conducted a headcount to verify compliance with the local workforce and material requirements. This initiative is seen as a crucial component of the state's efforts to boost economic and shared prosperity, as outlined in the agenda of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji.

"We are committed to ensuring that the people of Ekiti State directly benefit from the development projects taking place in their communities," said Ijidale. "By reaffirming the use of local workforce and materials, we are empowering our artisans and vendors, and driving economic growth from the grassroots."

The policy is relevant for the Immobiliare and other construction companies handling projects in the state, which are major infrastructure undertakings. The Bureau has called on all citizens with relevant skills to approach the construction sites and explore the employment opportunities available.

The Ekiti State Government's continued emphasis on the use of local workforce and materials for construction projects, including Immobiliare and other construction companies, is part of its broader strategy to promote sustainable and inclusive growth throughout the state.

Oyebanji, at S/W APC Assembly, urges Support for Tinubu's Reform Agenda.

Oyebanji, at S/W APC Assembly, urges Support for Tinubu's Reform Agenda.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has called on the Yoruba Nation to rally behind President Bola Tinubu’s administration in its bid to implement key reforms aimed at revitalizing the country. 

The Governor made this appeal on Saturday during the Southwest All Progressives Congress (APC) Assembly, held at Eko Hotel, Lagos where past and present officeholders and political leaders from the six states in the region gathered to chat the way forward for the party. 

Governor Oyebanji emphasized that the Yoruba people must play a leading role in defending the transformative policies of the current administration, assuring that the present economic challenges would soon be overcome.

 Stressing that the policies and programmes being introduced by the President are crucial to rescuing the nation from its current difficulties, Oyebanji urged the Yoruba race to seize the moment to demonstrate unity and showcase the region's renowned human capital, rather than allowing negative narratives to prevail. 

“I just want to plead with us, that we have a sacred duty to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. History has put it on our shoulders now to stand by him. We don't have a choice other than to give him our total support. We, from the south West don't have a choice. 

“It is not in our place to criticize this Government. We have access to the President through the Governors, through our party leaders. And if there are things we feel strongly about, we should put heads together and look for the right channel to pass it across to him. This is because we don’t know when we will have this kind of opportunity again.

“I also hope that one of the resolutions of this meeting will be to go back to our various states and replicate this kind of forum at every level.” Governor Oyebanji remarked

In his keynote address at the event, immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, reflected on the historical struggles of the Yoruba people for political prominence at the national level. He encouraged the Yoruba to remain steadfast in the face of present challenges and to continue advocating for their interests within the framework of the country's politics.

Dr. Fayemi also called for a unified effort among political officeholders, particularly those within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), reminding them of their responsibility to the masses, emphasizing the need to create jobs for the youth and address the growing insecurity in the nation.

“While we can be proud of the road we have travelled since 2015, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels as a party or be complacent about anything. It is imperative that we openly and honestly acknowledge current challenges and develop a coherent and comprehensive plan that can enable us to confront them. 

“This we must do by resolutely learning lessons of experience. 

We should also be ready to mobilise ourselves for the urgent and necessary task of rebuilding the hope of our compatriots both in Project Nigeria and in our ability as a party committed to leading the charge against underdevelopment, disunity, and insecurity” Dr Fayemi said. 

Other notable figures at the event included the Coordinator of the Southwest Political Caucus and Chairman, Southwest Governors’ Forum, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ondo State Governor, Lucky Ayedatiwa; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; former Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande; Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila; and former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba who charged the Yoruba people to be patient and to channel their grievances through their governors, assuring them that President Tinubu remains committed to addressing all concerns brought to his attention.

Flooding: Stop Building on Waterways, Oyebanji Warns Developers.

Flooding: Stop Building on Waterways, Oyebanji Warns Developers.

…..Donates relief materials to flood victims.

The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has warned developers against building on waterways, saying this has been the most identifiable snag sabotaging government’s strides to tame flooding.

Oyebanji gave the warning in Ado Ekiti, on Sunday, while inspecting some sections of the capital city and suburbs ravaged by flood on Saturday.

Section visited include Osekita area of the Ekiti State University, where some hostels were overran by water, where he donated food palliatives to students who lost valuable materials to the occurrence.

Addressing the victims, Oyebanji, represented by the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, urged residents to desist from actions that could sabotage the flood-controlled measures being devised by Governor Biodun Oyebanji-led government.

Oyebanji sympathised with the victims, who are predominantly students, and reminded the residents that indiscriminate blocking of drainages and building of structures on waterways, are sabotaging government’s efforts against flooding.

Expressing grief over the sordid event, Oyebanji said some of the issues causing flooding in Ekiti State can be prevented, but due to laxity on the part of the citizens, who often dropped refuse inside canals , drainages and built across waterways haphazardly.

As part of the preparedness of government ahead of rainy season, the governor stated that his government, had been proactive enough, by carrying out dredging and channelisation in flood prone sections of Ado Ekiti and suburbs.

“Let me on behalf of Governor Biodun Oyebanji sympathise with you on this incidence. You can all bear witness to the huge investment this government has made to control flooding. As sad as this situation is, we thank God that no life was lost, that is the most important thing to us as a government.

“In the last two years, we have dredged and channelised places like Elemi and Ureje rivers that crossed some parts of Ado Ekiti. We have also channelised the Agric Olope area , where cases of flooding had been reported.

“We are assuring you that the government will come to your rescue. We have been helping victims of flooding, rainstorm and fire incidences. Just recently, the government spent over N58m for the victims of rainstorm and fire disasters, so we will not abandon you in this critical situation”, he promised.

The governor said the officials of National Emergency Management Agency and Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency will visit all the affected areas for proper enumeration and documentation to guide the government on best way to bring respite to the victims.

The EKSU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Babatola Ayodele, who led the institution’s management team, promised that holistic preventive actions will be taken to avert recurrence of such situation on campus.

The Scholar said the university will embark on aggressive sensitisation of students against securing hostel accommodations in flood prone areas to avert recurrence of this situation.

Prof Ayodele, who appreciated the fact that nobody died during the incident, however, lamented that the students lost valuables like books , foodstuffs and clothing materials, which he said require relief packages to mitigate their sufferings.

“We received the message around 11pm on Saturday that our students were affected by flood and we felt so sad about this. We appreciate Governor Oyebanji for this sympathy visit. We need to do some drainages here to checkmate this kind of occurrence.

“We are also working to have habitable hostel accommodations on campus. The management is assuring you that we will step up efforts to ensure that private hostel owners are made to provide facilities in their hostels.

“We are also going to prevent building on waterways and areas that can be affected by flooding. We can’t allow our students to be witnessing this kind of a bad situation. We are happy for this on- the-spot assessment of the situation and the palliatives being provided by government”.

Applauding the governor for the visit, one of the students residing at HavardHood Hostel ravaged by flood, Adekunle Adeyemi, said the relief materials will go a long way in lessening their sufferings at this critical time.

OYEBANJI: WHEN INTEGRITY IS SINE QUA NON

OYEBANJI: WHEN INTEGRITY IS SINE QUA NON.

_By Segun Dipe_

 _People with good intentions make promises; people with integrity keep them._

-unknown.

_Sine qua non_ is a Latin phrase that means "without which not" or "an indispensable condition." It refers to a necessary condition or element that is required for something to happen, exist, or be true.

In other words, a sine qua non is a crucial factor that is essential for a particular outcome, event, or situation to occur. Without this factor, the outcome, event, or situation would not be possible.

Integrity, on the other hand, implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a high degree. People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Leaders who make integrity their watchword tend to embody trust and create the foundation for long-term success.

Ekiti is a very complex State to govern for the fact that limited resources are often thrown at limitless needs, with the people feeling entitled, it is quite tough to meet every need. It takes the citizens' trust for the governor to be acceptable. In a political landscape like ours in Nigeria, often marred by corruption and self-interest, Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of Ekiti State, codenamed BAO, stands out as a shining example of what it means to be integrity-driven. His unwavering commitment to the betterment of his constituents has earned him a well-deserved reputation as one of the governors driven mostly by integrity in Nigeria today.

BAO's integrity is not an artificial one. He also backs it up with action, and he is consistent with it. In his words: "If I make a promise, I will surely see to its fulfillment." Meaning that he walks his talk, and does it so humbly that one would almost take it for granted as an auto-run venture. 

While declaring open a three-day retreat for the heads of local governments and local council development areas, LCDAs, of the state last June, Gov. Oyebanji urged them to borrow a leaf from his administration by placing high premium on professionalism, discipline, compassion, and teamwork in order to drive substantial improvement in local government administration in the State.

The Governor further said the only way for them to earn the trust of the people was such that they would discharge their civic responsibility with utmost sincerity, integrity, efficiency and professionalism. He encouraged them to uphold the highest ethical standards of honesty and transparency in all their dealings. 

Inconsistency is the antithesis of trust. A person commits the fallacy of inconsistency when he or she makes contradictory claims or when his actions are incongruous with his words. Oyebanji is very consistent in his dealings. He seems to have perfectly rehearsed and perfected his acts as if he knew he would someday mount the saddle. 

Oyebanji does not only govern with integrity, he keeps his ears to the ground to listen to the yearnings of the people. Like he would often tell his aides: "don't try to gag anyone, let them voice their feelings freely and let us endeavour to assuage them." 

It is two years now that Oyebanji canvassed, earned and mounted the saddle to govern Ekiti State. Right down the line, his passion to govern with integrity and prioritise the needs of the people has not waned a bit. He works relentlessly in and out of the box to meet every expectation. While traversing the length and breadth of the State passionately, asking the citizenry to trust him with their votes, Oyebanji made a lot of promises that not a few began to wonder if he was not over-promising. He indeed promised much. For every concern, he had an assurance to give. In general, he promised shared prosperity, that he won't rest on his oars until every home feels the positive impact of his governance. He promised to give every son and daughter of Ekiti a sense of belonging and make them to be proud of their State under his watch. He promised every community a touch of governance in terms of projects and appointments. 

Oyebanji promised the youths, he promised the aged, he promised the women, he promised the children, he promised the royal fathers and the subjects, he promised to make every religion count, he promised the investors, he promised the farmers, he promised the market women, he promised the artisans, he promised the transporters, he promised the teachers, he promised the students, he promised the workers, he promised the retirees, he promised the unemployed, he promised the out of school, he promised the politicians, he promised the apolitical., he promised the indigenes and non-indigenes alike. In his words, there would be something for everyone in his government, and no one would doubt where he stands as the governor on any matter. 

Today, two years into his government, it can be said of Gov Oyebanji that he has not failed any of his promisees. Give it to him that he prioritizes integrity, he regards it as the paragon of his values. He not only preaches it, he embodies it in his official and personal lives. Add to this his non-treacherous nature. He honours all his predecessors in office and continues to value the ladder he climbed to reach the top. 

By swashing about with qualities like honesty, transparency, accountability and by accommodating criticisms of all sorts, Oyebanji has given everyone a reason to trust his leadership and warm up to him. Even his critics today are of the view that the mantle of leadership should rest on him much longer. 

As a leader steeped in integrity, Oyebanji makes ethical decisions, even when grappling with formidable dilemmas like trying to meet conflicting needs. He weighs the ramification of every choice on a broad spectrum and considers the interest of every stakeholder, especially that of a larger community. 

Oyebanji is quick to accept blames. He takes ownership of his actions and tasks himself with shouldering responsibility for his choices. He does not give excuses, he gives results. And in doing so, he demonstrates an unwavering commitment to constant betterment. 

Two of Oyebanji's powerful assets as governor, aside humility and diligence, are diversity and inclusivity. He actively seeks out a multitude of perspectives, fosters an environment where all voices are respected. Such a "no-foe" approach to governance, fuels innovations and augments good decision making. 

Simply because Oyebanji puts his integrity forward, communicates transparently, makes ethical decision and projects shared vision for the people to flourish collectively, not a few have come to believe in his mission and they call for an encore of his tenure, albeit, an uninterrupted second term. The call keeps resonating and increasing by the day. 

Succinctly put, if the people must continue to believe in beautiful soul, kind heart and good energy, then, they must stick to BAO. Though he has spent just two of the first four-year term, a second four-year term is loading already and becoming a surer bet in Ekiti. So far, so good, it's a merited call from the people who are happy with the current situation in Ekiti, made possible by Oyebanji's sincerity of purpose. 

_-Segun Dipe writes from Ado Ekiti._