The Bishop of the Diocese of Ekiti, the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, the Rt. Rev. Christopher Omotunde has described the administration of the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose as waste.

The Bishop’s verdict came today, Sundat, at a thanksgiving for the new deputy governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi in Ado Ekiti, barely a week as another cleric, the Bishop of Ekiti Catholic Diocese, Rt. Rev. Felix Ajakaye also  criticised Fayose’s administration.

Bishop Omotunde said that the progress of Ekiti state was stunted in the last four years of the former governor, describing the tenure as “four wasted years in which life became unbearable for the people and in which hunger ravaged the land without any concrete effort to alleviate people’s poverty.

“The People’s Democratic Party had a golden chance to make a difference in the lives of Ekiti residents but abused the opportunity to the extent that the people became slaves under them.”

He advised the new All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to learn from the mistakes of the immediate past government and to never disappoint the teeming masses looking up to it for meaningful governance.

Omotunde, who delivered his sermon at the Emmanuel Anglican Cathedral, Okesa, Ado-Ekiti, said that ex governor Fayose should be particularly blamed for all that went wrong during his tenure.

The bishop said that Fayose’s daily criticisms and opposition to President Muhammadu Buhari, for instance, denied Ekiti of many benefits.

He said that while ex governor was busy abusing the President, other wiser PDP governors were busy attracting projects to their states and financial support from the Federal Government because of their good relationship with the President.

The bishop, who described himself as “a father of all politicians,” said all members of his church belong to all political parties, and that he was duty bound to speak the truth when the need arises.

Omotunde said that God had given Governor Kayode Fayemi another chance to make the difference in the lives of Ekiti people and he must therefore not fail to do that because the expectations are very high.

The bishop said that now that Fayemi’s party, APC, is in power at the federal level — unlike what obtained during his first tenure — the Federal Government must grant all the requests of the governor to repair Ekiti and assist the state financially for its people to be relieved.

“This our God is a God of another chance. He gave PDP another chance also, but unfortunately, they abused the chance to the extent that people became slaves under them. They rendered everybody hopeless under them.

“God looked down from heaven and visited this state again, opening another door for Fayemi’s government

“Your party (APC) is in power now, let them know that I said it’s a government of another chance and God will try you again and see whether you will be faithful or not. It is left for you to prove yourself.

“Tell me of one youth that the immediate past government empowered! Even though they called it a government of Okada riders, how many Okada did he buy for the youths?

“I was watching the television recently and Ebonyi State governor was listing his achievements in agriculture. He gave the Federal Government credit for his success and my (former) governor was also a PDP governor.

“In many states, Buhari had many achievements and successes to show but the only achievement here was the repair of Ado-Itawure Road. But our former governor would not give him room to work.

“The whole four years under Fayose was wasted; we were retrogressing, going backward. Many states were given opportunities in agriculture, nothing was given to Ekiti and all we needed was for the governor to give them land and banks were ready to finance the projects.

“With hunger ravaging the land, the former governor was collecting N1,000 from each pupil. What did he use the money to do? We did not see what they did with the money.

“Our people are hungry and they are suffering financial difficulties. They have been thrown into poverty so that they will become slaves to the ‘rock,’ but God brought somebody who knows how to break the rock into pieces.”

Addressing the congregation, Egbeyemi called for the prayers and support of Ekiti people for the new government, saying: “The welfare of the people remains the focal point of this administration.”

The service was attended by the wife of the governor, Bisi Fayemi; wife of the deputy governor, Margaret; Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeniran Alagbada and his wife, Kike.

Others are former deputy governor, Prof. Dupe Adelabu; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji; Chief of Staff, Mr. Biodun Omoleye; Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe and other traditional rulers.

Source: NAN.

Special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina has described those who are still talking about the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) certificate of the President in the current political season as idle people.

According to him, Buhari’s certificate issue had since been laid to rest before the 2015 general elections.

Adesina, who spoke to The Nation newspaper, said: “those raising the issue (PDP and others) are idle and they have run out of ideas. They see defeat staring them in the face and they are desperate to cling to any straw. This issue was resolved before the 2015 election.

“It is a matter of fact that when President Buhari and others joined the military, they took their original certificates from them. The military knew where they kept the original certificates of the President.

“In fact, a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alani Akinrinade corroborated that the military collected the original certificates of all its officers. The PDP believes it is going to lose the elections, and they will lose, and it is raising dust over a dead issue.

“The military already said they lost the certificates. But does it mean that it did not exist that the President went to school, sat for examinations and passed; attended military courses and War College.

“It does not change the fact that the President rose through the ranks to become a Major-General in the Nigerian Army and a Military Head of State.

“Didn’t those opposed to President Buhari go to court over his certificate and lost before? They will still lose this time around. It is a dead issue.”

At least three members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria, otherwise known as Shiite were killed today, Sunday along Zuba road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as they allegedly attack the troops of Army Headquarters Garrison on official duty escorting ammunitions and missiles from Abuja to Army Central Ammunition Depot in Kaduna State.

In a statement the Commander of the Army Headquarters Garrison, Major General James Myam, said that the Shiite members attacked the soldiers at Zuba bridge, at about 3.00pm.

The statement said that members of the Islamic sect, who were supposedly on a procession, established an illegal road block denying motorists free passage.

It said that when the troops’ convoy attempted to clear the road block, they met stiff opposition from the sect, adding that they used various objects to barricade the road and also pelted the troops with stones and other dangerous items.

“They smashed both military and civilian vehicles’ windscreens and windows.

“They also attempted to overrun the escorts to cart away the ammunition and missiles the troops were escorting. This led to the troops opening fire to extricate themselves. Consequently, troops of 102 Guards Battalion in whose Area of Responsibility the incident occurred rushed to the convoy’s rescue.

“Unfortunately, during the encounter 3 members of the sect were killed while 2 soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries and are being treated at a military medical facility.”

The statement said that normalcy has been restored in the general area and asked members of the public, especially those plying the Abuja – Zuba Road to go about with their normal activities with the assurance. It warned that Nigeria Army will not allow any individual or group of persons to disturb public peace and launch unprovoked attacks against military convoys.

Demand of N100 Billion ransom for the release of Leah Sharibu by members of Boko Haram, who kidnapped her along with about 109 students in Dapchi, Yobe State, early this year, has thrown the federal government into dilemma.

According to a diplomatic sources who spoke to Sunday punch, while the government is dispose to part with such money to save the girl, it is also considering the other implications of giving such huge sum of money to the terrorists.

The diplomatic sources said that the thinking in the government is that giving such huge sum of money to the terrorist organization could also negatively affect national security ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The sources, which claimed to be involved in the negotiation for the release of the schoolgirl, said there are fears that if given the money, the terrorists could use the cash to acquire weapons with which they would unleash terror on innocent Nigerians in the future.

“It is not that the government of Nigeria is not making efforts at getting Leah Sharibu out of the grips of the Boko Haram.

“But we are aware that the terrorist organisation holding her is demanding N100bn.  Though no amount is too much to get the soul of one innocent person out of danger, I think the government of Nigeria is considering many things.

“We all know that elections are ahead and that the terrorist organisation may also be planning to embark on inflicting damage on the people; government has to be careful and also be diplomatic about it.

“We are pleading that members of the Boko Haram sect be considerate in their demands as well. They should please release the girl to her parents.”

But the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, has reassured Nigerians that the military is making efforts to rescue all the captives of the Boko Haram terrorists, including Sharibu.

Source: Sunday Punch.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has reminded people of the Southwest that the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, who is now promising them that he would restructure Nigeria if Nigerians elected him as president in 2019, was the same man who opposed restructuring when he Vice President under Olusegun Obasanjo.

He stressed that when Atiku was the vice president and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the president between 1999 and 2007, on PDP platform, they opposed restructuring.

Professor Osinbajo, who responded to questions on the state of the nation from the audience after he delivered the ninth public lecture, entitled: Developing the Nation through Youth Empowerment, as part of activities marking the 68th anniversary of the Sigma Club, University of Ibadan said that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) started advocates for restructuring since the 2000 when Atiku was the vice president and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the president of Nigeria, accusing Atiku and his then master of opposing restructuring when they were he in power.

He then asked why Atiku should be talking about restructuring he fought against then.

“If you ask those people now talking about restructuring, none of them has done anything compared to what we have done. So, I am not a latter day convert to restructuring. I am an active practitioner of restructuring, and I have gone to the Supreme Court 12 times to test restructuring.

“If today, somebody is talking about restructuring, ask him what does he mean? And where was he when we were going to court? Were they not opposing restructuring when we were going to court? We were in the opposition then. They were at the Federal Government, and they opposed every step that we took on restructuring.

“Let me explain my position clearly. I am not just an advocate of restructuring; there is no other government in Nigeria that has actively pursued restructuring such as we did when I was Attorney General in Lags State.

“People talking about restructuring; if you ask them ‘What do you mean by restructuring?’ They won’t even know what it means, and that is the problem we have and that we have to face.

“Let me tell you what it is. When I was the Attorney General in Lagos State, we pursued in the Supreme Court, all of the issues of restructuring. We started with fiscal restructuring, which is more of resource control. Should states control their own resources? We went to the Supreme Court. They argued that each state should control its own resources.”

The Vice President said that the states that argued in favour of autonomy of states to control their resources were the oil producing states in the country and Lagos State, and they argued on one side, adding that other states of the federation argued on the other side because every state wants share the oil money.

“So, our own argument was that each state should control its own resources. We lost at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court said no, that you cannot control your resources. If you are an oil producing state, take 13 per cent extra, which is derivation.”

Professor Osinbajo said that Lagos State further argued that it has ports and the ports serve the entire nation, so the state should also take 13 per cent derivation.

The Supreme Court, he said, said no, adding that the argument was pursued further, which has led to the introduction of onshore and offshore law, “which is fast enabling our state to share from onshore resources…

“All this time, this was 2000, some of those people, including the presidential candidate of PDP, who is talking about restructuring, was the vice president then; they opposed every step that we took. Of course, we were taking the Federal Government to court then. They opposed every step.

“The next thing we did was that the states should be able to create their own local governments, which is autonomy of states. So, we created 47 new local governments in Lagos. The president then, Chief Obasanjo, seized our local government funds and said we could not create new local governments. So, they seized the funds they were supposed to allocate for our local governments.

“We challenged the seizure by going to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held that the president had no right to seize the funds meant for local governments of the state, and that we have a right to create local governments. But after hey have created the local governments, the process is not complete. They must still bring the list of new local governments to the National Assembly and the National Assembly will then amend the whole list of the local governments in the country.

“So, our local governments remain. But we could not get the National Assembly’s endorsement. So, we passed the LCDA Law. We created 47 and made them local council development areas. Over $183m invested so far in school feeding programme – Osinbajo Chairman of the occasion, Babalakin stated: “I know that the most significant thing we must address is how to give our youths qualitative education. The time has gone to continue to play the blame game but do the needful to salvage the youths.

“The influx and foray of our youths to foreign universities must be checked to help provide more fund for Nigerian universities. There is no shortcut to it that the government must provide affordable education at all levels.

“We must find a way of funding education robustly and sustainably to salvage the future of the youth and the nation. We cannot but educate Nigerians and we must find a way of doing it in a robust and sustainable fashion.”

The lecture, chaired by a legal luminary, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), and held at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan, was attended by Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Professor Idowu Adebowale, on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka; deputy governor of Oyo State, Otunba Moses Adeyemo, who represented Governor Abiola Ajimobi; and leader of the Sigma Club, Valentine Igbonekwu.

Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to prevent former President Olusegun Obasanjo from “escaping” if he wins re-election in 2019.

“The moment he wins the election, he should close the border so that Obasanjo won’t escape,” the Oba said.

Speaking to news men in his palace in Lagos today, Saturday, Oba Akiolu asked Obasanjo to change his ways.

“An adage says that a deity that we try every possible thing to put in a place of honour that defies all such gestures would expose itself to ridicule at the end of the day.”