The National Assembly is expected to resume plenary sessions on October 9, according to a statement by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mohammed Ataba Sani-Omolori.
In the statement today, Sunday, Ataba said: “this is to inform all Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members that resumption of plenary session earlier scheduled for Tuesday, 25th September has been postponed to Tuesday 9th October due to the activities of the primaries of the political parties.
“All Distinguished Senators and Honourable members are expected to resume plenary session by 10 am on the 9th of October, please.”
The Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would have won the governorship election conducted yesterday, Saturday, if it were not the cancelation of votes in the areas in which the party is strong.
Aregbesola, who spoke today, Sunday, through his Media Adviser, Sola Fasure, said: “if there was no cancellation in those areas, we would have won outrightly without the need for the rerun. We expect to win at the first ballot.
“We believe in the rule of law and due process and democrats, we will abide by INEC’s decision, it is okay by us.
Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led the race with 254,698 votes, 353 votes more than that of Gboyega Oyetola of the APC. The margin was, however, less than the 3,498 votes in the polling units where voting were cancelled.
The INEC’s Returning Officer for the election, Professor Joseph Afuape, declared the poll inconclusive.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately declare its candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke as winner even as the All Progressives Congress (APC), rejected such call.
In a statement reacting to the declaration of the election as inconclusive, the PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan insists that the process was conclusive and that its candidate, Ademola Adeleke, who won a total of 254, 698 votes, is in clear lead and should be immediately declared winner by INEC, having met the requirements of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
According to the PDP’s spokesman, section 179 (2) (a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, (as amended), is clear and very unambiguous in spelling out the conditions for returning a candidate to the office of governor of a state.
He quoted the section as saying inter-alia: “A candidate for an election to the office of Governor of a State shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being two or more candidates – (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of all the votes cast in each of at least two-thirds of all the local government areas in the State.”
He said that the The declaration of the election as inconclusive, by INEC is therefore a sordid robbery of the franchise of the people of Osun State, who participated in the election.
PDP said that it is obvious that having failed in their schemes to alter the final results due to the resistance of the people, the APC had to bear pressure on INEC to declare the election inconclusive so as to pave way for the perfection of their manipulative schemes, which the people of Osun state have firmly resisted so far.
“Instead of yielding to the evil machination of the APC, INEC should have summoned the patriotic courage to immune itself and end this needless controversy by returning the PDP and declare our candidate as the winner.
“It is instructive to state that the PDP will no longer accept inconclusive elections as subterfuge by the APC attain its dubious electoral manipulative schemes in our nation.
“The people of Osun State and the entire nation are already aware that the PDP won this election. They have the authentic figures from the polling units and know the candidate the voters prefer.
“The people by their votes, have overwhelmingly declared for our candidate and we are not ready to accept any attempt by anybody to use any means whatsoever to steal our mandate freely given by the people.
“The PDP is for peace, but we will not hesitate to use every force available in a democracy to face any attempt to subvert the will of the people or rig us out in this election.
“The PDP therefore charges the Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu to avoid the fury of the people by immediately reversing this fraudulent decision of the Resident Electoral Commissioner and declaring our candidate the winner of the election. Anything short of this is definitely not acceptable to the PDP and the people of Osun and it is a direct recipe for crisis.
“Finally, the PDP cautions INEC and the APC to note that the game is up. The people of Osun State have decided in favour of the PDP and that has become a fact that can never be altered.”
But, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in its reaction commended the Osun electorate, INEC, security agencies and relevant stakeholders over the conduct of the inconclusive governorship election which, it said was largely peaceful despite some reported irregularities.
In the statement by acting spokesman of the ruling party, Yekini Nabena, APC said: “while we continue to improve on our electoral processes, particularly correcting some irregularities witnessed in Saturday’s election, the APC commends the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration which has continually exhibited its commitment to ensuring that elections are more peaceful, transparent, credible and acceptable.
“This is a departure from the situation under past Peoples Democratic Party PDP administrations where the people’s will was subverted and elections where manipulated. We hereby reject the PDP’s baseless calls that the inconclusive Osun governorship election is announced in its favour. “In the leadup to the rerun election, we call on the Osun electorate, party supporters and members to remain upbeat and focused on the task of consolidating on the APC Change administration in the state by voting for the victory of our candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Thursday, September 27 for the supplementary governorship election scheduled for Osun State and will accommodate all the 48 political parties that originally participated in the election.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC for the state, Olugbenga Agbaje, said the supplementary elections will hold in one polling units each in Ife North and Osogbo; while two are in Ife South, and three are in Orolu Local Government Area.
The Osun State Returning officer, Joseph Adeola Fuwape, had today, Sunday declared the election inconclusive, saying that Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled the highest number of votes, did not meet the requirement of the election guideline to be declared winner.
Fuwape had said: “According to the election guideline, where the margin of win between two leading candidates is not in excess of the total number of registered voters of the polling units where elections were cancelled, the candidate or a party may not be returned.
“From the analysis of the result that we have, the difference between the two leading parties is just 353 and the number of voters in units where elections were cancelled is 3,498.
“To that effect, unfortunately, as a returning officer, it is not possible to declare any party as the clear winner of this election on the first ballot.
Senator Adeleke of the PDP polled 254,698 votes, while Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 254,345 votes.”
President of the Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki has advised both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to seek for legal interpretation of the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the results of the election held yesterday, Saturday was inconclusive.
Saraki, in a statement today, Sunday in Abuja, expressed dismay over the decision by the INEC to declare as “inconclusive” an election in which a candidate won the highest number of votes and fulfilled the condition for a geographical spread.
The Senate President, who is also Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential Council on Osun State Governorship election, said: “in my lay man’s opinion, the INEC was wrong in declaring the election as inconclusive because the votes in certain polling units were cancelled. The decision of INEC to cancel the election in those areas after voting had taken place means INEC had already excluded the votes in these areas from the election process and therefore those units should have no place in the overall results.
“My opinion would have been different if the election in the affected units did not take place at all, maybe as a result of malfunctioning of the card reader machine or unavailability of the electoral materials. Since the voting took place and was cancelled, only the courts could reverse the initial decision by INEC to cancel the votes in these areas.
“That is why I call on our party and its candidate to seek a further legal interpretation on this decision by the electoral body. One cannot but wonder whether if the places were reversed and the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress was the one leading in the election, the INEC would take the same decision it has taken now.”
Senator Saraki said that it is necessary to also call on INEC to display “courage, boldness, independence, neutrality and patriotism” in order to send signals to the world at large that Nigeria’s electoral system had come of age and that its democracy had matured.
“The electoral body needs to reassure all and sundry that the 2019 election and other elections will be free of manipulations and undue interference.
“The INEC should note that the Osun gubernatorial election is not only about that South-western state. It is about our country and the entire world is watching. Our national interest is at stake. The integrity of our electoral system is at stake. The reputation of the electoral body is at stake. The future of our democracy is on the line.
“The way INEC conclusively handles the Osun election will determine global expectations from our political process. It should, therefore, ensure that the wish of the Osun State electorates eventually prevail.”
Before the advent of the Fashola administration, driving through Oshodi, which I had to do to get to my office then at Fatai Atere Way, was one of the most harrowing experiences I had to go through five days a week.
The two alternative routes to my office, passing through Ikorodu Road to connect Ilupeju By-pass or through the Airport Road to link up Ladipo via Five Star, were to say the least equally unattractive. The traffic on those alternative routes was as hellish as that of Oshodi.
Then, one Sunday after the first New Year of having Fashola as governor, I drove through Oshodi on my way to work and my “flabber was gasted.”
The orderly chaos that was the defining persona of Oshodi was totally absent. I was confronted with a new Oshodi devoid of its characteristic heavy human and vehicular traffic. There were phalanxes of policemen here and there to prevent a breach of the peace after a dawn demolition of illegal structures that also provided habitats for criminals who tormented motorists and passers-by.
That singular act marked the beginning of my romance with Fashola. I became his implacable supporter. He had by restoring order to Oshodi not only reduced my commuting time from home to work, my daily fuel consumption dropped by as much as 55 percent.
In a nation devoid of a standard metric for measuring performance of public office holders, it also set for me a template in assessing leaders.
It is in that light I’m viewing the ongoing crisis of succession in Lagos State being championed by those trying to deny Fashola’s successor, Akinwunmi Ambode, the conventional right of first refusal.
Many reasons have been pushed into the public space on why Ambode must give way to Jide Sanwo-Olu, the favourite pick of Tinubu’s political machinery, the Mandate Group, and they range from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Unfortunately, none of the reasons I’ve come across so far has much to do with majority of Lagosians on whose votes Ambode is in office.
As someone who has lived in Lagos for almost 40 years, I can say that Ambode has added to the building blocks of the foundation laid by his predecessors. Lagos to me is better now in terms of infrastructure and service delivery in some areas than it was before.
The governor has wormed his ways into my heart, and those of millions of others, with the construction of inner road network especially within the Ifako-Ijaiye Alimosho corridor.
Within my Alakuko neighbourhood, there are at least nine ongoing inner road projects. Some of them are in areas where the residents had lost hope of ever feeling government’s presence.
He has made interventions in other areas such as tackling Lagos perennial traffic congestion through the construction of lay-bys, flyovers and pedestrian bridges.
I can’t forget my first day of driving through Ojodu-Berger in a bid to access the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. It was a detour I had to grudgingly make as that route is one I avoid like a plague for its notorious traffic.
But on this day, I had to take my chances as all alternative routes to access the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway through Agidingbi to connect Otedola Underpass were choked with traffic.
Surprisingly, the Ojodu-Berger axis was not only uncharacteristically free from traffic, I could’ve missed my way due to the changed landscape that followed the reconstruction of the area. The reconstruction had not only led to the removal of all traffic impediments, but saw to the expansion of the road.
There is no doubt that while Ambode had done well in the area of infrastructure, his performance has been average in other areas, especially in refuse disposal. Many residents are also not happy with his administration with the hike in Land Use charges.
However, as a property owner, I can say that the hike in the Land Use charges isn’t as hurtful as it was made to be, especially after the governor bowed to public outcry and ordered a review.
Although what I paid as Land Use charges is now far higher than what I had been paying in the last eight years, I don’t need to rob a bank or take a loan to pay up.
But his performance notwithstanding, there has been an intense campaign to ensure he doesn’t return in an election that is his to lose.
The governor has been accused of not deserving a second term for not servicing the greed of APC leaders in the state, among others.
But in all this, where stands the interest of the electorate who put in Ambode in office and whose welfare is the purpose of governance?
Unfortunately, the electorate are being railroaded to rally behind his main challenger for the post, Jide Sanwo-Olu.
Certainly the APC leaders are pursuing a selfish agenda which they are deceitfully dressing as a push for better life for Lagosians. For what it’s worth, Ambode might not have done well in all areas of governance, but he has performed well enough to earn a second term in office.
Those who’re pushing the argument that he should go and test his popularity at the party’s direct primary are being disingenuous in their advocacy. The direct primary, ab initio, has been rigged for him to lose.
That argument would have had any veneer of credibility if all other elective posts had been thrown opened for contest.
So far, I’m not aware that Senators Remi Tinubu and Adeola (Yayi) have any serious challengers for their tickets. That is so because the party establishment has decreed it be.
If it’s sauce for the senators and others, it should be sauce for Ambode.
There is no doubt that the political fortune of Ambode and President Muhammadu Buhari are tied together, which is the more reason why good reasoning should prevail in this matter. More worrisome to me is the economic impact of this needless impasse when all of us know that instability in Lagos would have spiral effects on the national economy.
It’s therefore morally and political expedient to allow the governor finish the good work he has been doing.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on the process of granting Presidential pardon to late Professor Ambrose Ali, former Governor of the old Bendel State.
Governor Obaseki, who spoke today, Sunday, at a memorial service in honour of the former governor, at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Emaudo, Ekpoma, said: “I had an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari while in China and discussed the issue of a presidential pardon for late Prof. Alli.
“The president asked me to meet with the Attorney-General of the Federation. This I have done and I have also written to him.
“The president has subsequently instructed the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to begin the process.”
The governor said that he is optimistic that at the next meeting of the Council on Prerogative of Mercy, the president would officially grant the pardon even as he gave assurance that he is working with his Delta counterpart to ensure that pension due to late Ambros Alli is paid to his widow and the family.
Governor Obaseki lauded the former governor’s development strides in defunct Bendel, noting that the feats were intimidating and accomplished in just one term.
This was even as Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta said that the state would continue to remember Ambros Alli for developing it, adding that the people had a lot to thank him for.
“We are grateful, as his developmental strides can still be seen years after his death,” he said.
The eldest son of the former governor, Andrew Alli, the Ezomo of Ekpoma, regretted that his father is still termed a criminal despite his contributions to the development of Delta, Edo and Nigeria.
My cousin got married in her mid-20s and her wedding was the talk of the town. She had met her husband in the school fellowship at the university and according to the lovers then, it was a relationship led by the Holy Spirit.
They had a strict Christian courtship and we all thought they would both live happily ever after but that never happened. I really can’t say what happened but after three kids the marriage packed up. My cousin’s husband became abusive after she had her first child but she stayed. However, she knew she had to leave when he beat her and she became unconscious for three days. We all thought she was going to die but miraculously she came back to life.
One beautiful morning, she left with her three children to another part of Lagos without giving him her new address. But somehow he figured out where she lived and came every day to harass her. He called her names and every man she saw with her was sleeping with her. Eventually, my cousin filed for divorce and changed address again but her ex found out the place. He continued with his threat and harassment. Her ex-husband so bullied her that my cousin became afraid and many times she had to call the police but he still continued until my cousin had to move out of Lagos. She didn’t have rest until she relocated to another town. I won’t mention where because five years after he is still looking for his wife. He has been stalking everyone who is close to her and trying to get her address. Even though he has not been responsible towards his kids he is still bent on searching for her whereabouts. This ex thinks he owns my cousin.
Certainly, we must have heard many stories of crazy impossible exes and people who have gone through a messy divorce. You will think things will get better when they leave a toxic marriage but no, in some cases things become far worse after separation or divorce. I have heard the story of a couple, who got divorced after two years in marriage and the ex-wife of the man will not let him be. Whenever she finds out that her ex is dating another woman all hell will be let loose. She didn’t stop until the guy got her arrested and locked up. She got cured of her crazy ways when she slept behind bars for three days.
Of course, I really can’t understand the anguish of being in a divorce because I have never been in one but I know that being a rejected partner can be devastating. Some people experience unending grief, ruthless pessimism and a deepening fear that love might never happen to them again.
Honestly, it is normal to feel insecure when you are about to lose something that you really care deeply about. Breakups are never easy but it is expected that after a break-up, you should get the message that the person doesn’t want you again and then move on. Sending incessant texts with threats or trying to get them back is out of place. Grow up and stop sending abusive words or threats to your ex. If your wife or husband doesn’t want you again, get that into your thick skull and move on. Stop showing up randomly at places you know she will be visiting. Stop causing commotion or fight at every given opportunity. It is cruel of you to use manipulative tactics by saying that you will commit suicide if your ex-doesn’t come back to you. Don’t use your children as pawns to get back at your ex. Probably, it is hard for you to process but let me spell this out: your ex left you because she doesn’t love you anymore. So stop obsessing over her or getting into competition with your ex. Get a good hold of your emotions and if you don’t it means you are immature or crazy.
The era of the slave trade is long gone and you can’t own a human being. The love you claim you have for that person can’t be strong enough to chain him down. Your ex isn’t your property no matter how much you have paid as bride price; he or she has a right to leave when they have had enough. So if they make a decision to date another person, let them be. Hey! You are no longer in control so let your ex fall for whoever she/wants to fall for.
A former neighbour once told me about her ex-husband who would drive past her house at random hours of the night. Sometimes, he would just park in front of her house, drunk, for long hours blasting out loud music from his car. My neighbour’s ex-husband tried to break her many times, and he said to her many times: “if I can’t have you, no one will.” She was always afraid and did all she could to make him stop but he didn’t stop until she got some area boys to threaten him. Now my neighbour is happily married – faraway in the US and she is expecting her second child.
Another peculiar characteristic of the obsessive ex is that many of them are in complete denial. They argue even after divorce and say things like: “We aren’t over yet!” “We used to be happy together!” some of them even use religious books to buttress their psychotic behaviour.
The obsessive ex behaves this way because their supply has been cut off, and they need this supply to be in control. You know it is like an addiction and being in control of the lives of their ex makes them get high while they are exacting their vengeance. These people go to any length to lie and manipulate anyone to get what they want. I have a friend who is separated from her husband now and her husband has been going to everyone she knows to say that he left her because he caught her sleeping with different men. He even went to her place of work to assassinate her character and stalks her on social media. He keeps changing his name and picture just because he wants to keep a close tab on her on social media. This is so pathetic. If someone doesn’t want you again, why don’t you just pull yourself together and do the most honourable thing: move on!
However, if you are in any of these situations, never allow your ex to walk over. Don’t let him bully you while you fold your arms watching in terror. If he/she is becoming a threat go and report to the police and alert trusted relations and friends about his every antic. If you both have kids, try as much as possible to let him see his kids and do not badmouth him in front of the children. Never let the drama consume you because if you let that happen, you will be buried in a steaming hot high conflict of filth for the rest of your life.
The immediate past National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Presidential aspirant, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has commended the security agencies for being professionals in the handling of the Saturday governorship election in Osun State.
“Even though there is a lot more improvement needed, I commend the security agencies for being, for the large part, professional in their handling of the Osun election.”
“This is not to say, that they were perfect; but at least the level of impunity and brazen partiality was relatively less than experienced in previous exercises.”
In a statement signed by his spokesman, Muktar Sirajo, the PDP Presidential aspirant congratulated the people of Osun State for the orderly and peaceful manner they conducted themselves during the inconclusive gubernatorial election.
He called on the security agencies as well as the INEC to improve more to inspire greater confidence in the voters, as well as the larger national and international communities.
He appealed to the members and supporters of PDP in the State, especially in those areas where elections are to be repeated, to remain resolute and steadfast by coming out in larger numbers to inflict maximum damage on APC.
He also asked the people of Osun State to be a little patient as their seven years sufferings will soon be over despite delay.
My NYSC year remains my most fun year ever. Maybe because I’m just a lazy girl but 1988/89 was the year I worked the least number of hours in my life. It was the year I had no lecturer’s deadline to meet. It was also, above all, the year I didn’t have to worry about my father’s bell for morning prayers (that big school bell o) and I didn’t have to worry about my mother timing my cooking and grinding pepper for the daily vegetable soup. Yeah, ‘efo riro’ was a daily dose in my family. NYSC bailed me out of them all.
I woke up at 8am or shall I say the aroma of goat meat stew and ewedu of ‘mama ibeji’s next door (buka) woke me daily and I never resisted the temptation of eating ‘amala’ for breakfast for most of that beautiful year. So, it was always a quick shower, then my hot amala before setting out for the School of Nursing, Adewole Estate, Ilorin, where I was a Nurse Tutor (English). I also taught at the School of Midwifery on the other side of town (Moraraba or so) for a few weeks, teaching or tutoring students who were my mother’s age mate.
My tutoring hours were about four hours in a whole week! See why I love my NYSC days. I slept till 8am, ate amala, worked average one hour per day (or less) and then played scrabble till 3am with my flatmates, Tunde and Tolu, in front of our colonial house accommodation, opposite the Outpatient Department of the Old Unilorin Teaching Hospital. I can still see in my mind’s eye the chimney in our kitchen, the table fan I bought with N200 out of my N250 allowee. Oh yes!
But I hated Yikpata, the orientation camp, the biggle man, the dry harmattan and the horrible food. I did the endurance trek though. Well, I returned in the back of a van. One leg of the endurance trek was all I could endure.
So, why am I regaling you with this amala and scrabble (note, I still play scrabble daily till date) story? It’s the sad thing that happened to the immediate past Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.
She did not do the mandatory NYSC year. She missed the fun, lazying away a whole year and getting paid for it too in those good old days when N250 could buy you a fan and you still had change. The poor ‘assort’ (imported babe) returned to Nigeria and was shown the real Nigeria nobody told her existed.
Born and raised in the United Kingdom, the ex-Minister was a ‘Britiko’ who had to obtain a visa to visit Nigeria until she got her first Nigerian passport at the age of 34. When she eventually relocated, she was confused as to where she fitted into the NYSC law and the one-year mandatory service. She wasn’t a Nigerian, officially, until she was 34, by which time she had graduated.
But wait a minute! Didn’t the 1979 Constitution clearly disallow dual citizenship? According to Section 26 (1) of the 1979 Constitution, which was the law in operation when Adeosun returned to Nigeria, she was strictly a British citizen, not a Nigerian when she clocked 30. Therefore, not eligible!
That 1979 Constitution was in force till May 27, 1999 when the 1999 Constitution came into force by which time Adeosun was too old to be a youth corper. Are you shocked or confused or both? Are Americans allowed to do NYSC too in 1979 or it was just something for Kemi Adeosun because by the time she became a Nigerian she was no longer eligible to serve. But then, what do I know, bloody journalist like me meddling in political things topped with law?
So, was she a Nigerian or a British graduate? Did all ‘returnees’ who were born, graduated, lived, worked abroad, pre-1999 constitution, until they relocated to Nigeria and were appointed Commissioners, Special Advisers observe the NYSC year? Aren’t there SAs, commissioners, etc in different states of the federation who only returned to Nigeria in their late 30s or 40s after living all their lives in the US or UK? Did they serve? Should they serve? Should they resign?
Excuse me, I have met a few of them in the course of this job. Though they can now swallow amala and fufu, their accents still give them away.
Were these returnee-Nigerians bound by NYSC law when they graduated at age 22 in Ireland, Dubai or Pennsylvania? Would NYSC have deployed them with their British or American passports and all if they had presented themselves for service just because they have Igbo or Ijebu names?
All those ‘Nigerian’ babies left back in Libya now, when or if they finally make it back here in their 40s, having lived and graduated in Libya and become brilliant architects, accomplished artists, world acclaimed parasitologists with names like Tareeq Adebanjo, Abdullahi Ngige, Aisha Egbemode, Nasredeen Omorodion, what will we do then? Deploy them for NYSC or reject their expertise?
I am, by no means, querying the NYSC law or attempting to give Kemi Adeosun a pat on the back. I’m just trying to understand how far we can stretch this law. I’m also trying to figure out the number of flouters of this law in the system and when they will resign, or if they should resign.
I must also alert the NYSC that there will be an influx of many Kemi Adeosuns in the years ahead, considering the number of Nigerian babies being born, as you read this, in Canada, Ireland, London, U.S and God knows where else. They will grow up there, have great education, graduate at 20, have Ph.D at 30, become big boys and girls at HSBC, World Bank, even FBI, carrying foreign passports, bearing Nigerian names.
What will happen if we need them or we’d never need them because they did not do NYSC? There are up to a million of them already all over the globe, including China and far-flung Australia. Will the next National Assembly take another look at the NYSC law before we ostracize all our brilliant babies the developed world is helping us develop? Or will we protect some and fillet the others and grill them for political dinner when they have served their political purpose?
One more lesson from Kemi Adeosun’s resignation: never delegate what you can do yourself. The Yoruba adage that says “a kii fi ise igbonse ran omo eni” will suffice here. Those who told Mrs. Adeosun they could fix her NYSC problem probably got paid handsomely for the shoddy job. May God also reward them handsomely!
In all, Adeosun has done her bit. Whether she had NYSC certificate or not, she did a few things right as Minister of Finance. We won’t forget that, but today is not the day for listing them.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Thursday, September 27 for the supplementary governorship election scheduled for Osun State and will accommodate all the 48 political parties that originally participated in the election.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on the process of granting Presidential pardon to late Professor Ambrose Ali, former Governor of the old Bendel State.
My NYSC year remains my most fun year ever. Maybe because I’m just a lazy girl but 1988/89 was the year I worked the least number of hours in my life. It was the year I had no lecturer’s deadline to meet. It was also, above all, the year I didn’t have to worry about my father’s bell for morning prayers (that big school bell o) and I didn’t have to worry about my mother timing my cooking and grinding pepper for the daily vegetable soup. Yeah, ‘efo riro’ was a daily dose in my family. NYSC bailed me out of them all.
Tinubu, Please Let Gov Ambode Finish His Good Work, By Yemi Ajayi
Before the advent of the Fashola administration, driving through Oshodi, which I had to do to get to my office then at Fatai Atere Way, was one of the most harrowing experiences I had to go through five days a week.
The two alternative routes to my office, passing through Ikorodu Road to connect Ilupeju By-pass or through the Airport Road to link up Ladipo via Five Star, were to say the least equally unattractive. The traffic on those alternative routes was as hellish as that of Oshodi.
Then, one Sunday after the first New Year of having Fashola as governor, I drove through Oshodi on my way to work and my “flabber was gasted.”
The orderly chaos that was the defining persona of Oshodi was totally absent. I was confronted with a new Oshodi devoid of its characteristic heavy human and vehicular traffic. There were phalanxes of policemen here and there to prevent a breach of the peace after a dawn demolition of illegal structures that also provided habitats for criminals who tormented motorists and passers-by.
That singular act marked the beginning of my romance with Fashola. I became his implacable supporter. He had by restoring order to Oshodi not only reduced my commuting time from home to work, my daily fuel consumption dropped by as much as 55 percent.
In a nation devoid of a standard metric for measuring performance of public office holders, it also set for me a template in assessing leaders.
It is in that light I’m viewing the ongoing crisis of succession in Lagos State being championed by those trying to deny Fashola’s successor, Akinwunmi Ambode, the conventional right of first refusal.
Many reasons have been pushed into the public space on why Ambode must give way to Jide Sanwo-Olu, the favourite pick of Tinubu’s political machinery, the Mandate Group, and they range from the ridiculous to the sublime.
Unfortunately, none of the reasons I’ve come across so far has much to do with majority of Lagosians on whose votes Ambode is in office.
As someone who has lived in Lagos for almost 40 years, I can say that Ambode has added to the building blocks of the foundation laid by his predecessors. Lagos to me is better now in terms of infrastructure and service delivery in some areas than it was before.
The governor has wormed his ways into my heart, and those of millions of others, with the construction of inner road network especially within the Ifako-Ijaiye Alimosho corridor.
Within my Alakuko neighbourhood, there are at least nine ongoing inner road projects. Some of them are in areas where the residents had lost hope of ever feeling government’s presence.
He has made interventions in other areas such as tackling Lagos perennial traffic congestion through the construction of lay-bys, flyovers and pedestrian bridges.
I can’t forget my first day of driving through Ojodu-Berger in a bid to access the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. It was a detour I had to grudgingly make as that route is one I avoid like a plague for its notorious traffic.
But on this day, I had to take my chances as all alternative routes to access the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway through Agidingbi to connect Otedola Underpass were choked with traffic.
Surprisingly, the Ojodu-Berger axis was not only uncharacteristically free from traffic, I could’ve missed my way due to the changed landscape that followed the reconstruction of the area. The reconstruction had not only led to the removal of all traffic impediments, but saw to the expansion of the road.
There is no doubt that while Ambode had done well in the area of infrastructure, his performance has been average in other areas, especially in refuse disposal. Many residents are also not happy with his administration with the hike in Land Use charges.
However, as a property owner, I can say that the hike in the Land Use charges isn’t as hurtful as it was made to be, especially after the governor bowed to public outcry and ordered a review.
Although what I paid as Land Use charges is now far higher than what I had been paying in the last eight years, I don’t need to rob a bank or take a loan to pay up.
But his performance notwithstanding, there has been an intense campaign to ensure he doesn’t return in an election that is his to lose.
The governor has been accused of not deserving a second term for not servicing the greed of APC leaders in the state, among others.
But in all this, where stands the interest of the electorate who put in Ambode in office and whose welfare is the purpose of governance?
Unfortunately, the electorate are being railroaded to rally behind his main challenger for the post, Jide Sanwo-Olu.
Certainly the APC leaders are pursuing a selfish agenda which they are deceitfully dressing as a push for better life for Lagosians. For what it’s worth, Ambode might not have done well in all areas of governance, but he has performed well enough to earn a second term in office.
Those who’re pushing the argument that he should go and test his popularity at the party’s direct primary are being disingenuous in their advocacy. The direct primary, ab initio, has been rigged for him to lose.
That argument would have had any veneer of credibility if all other elective posts had been thrown opened for contest.
So far, I’m not aware that Senators Remi Tinubu and Adeola (Yayi) have any serious challengers for their tickets. That is so because the party establishment has decreed it be.
If it’s sauce for the senators and others, it should be sauce for Ambode.
There is no doubt that the political fortune of Ambode and President Muhammadu Buhari are tied together, which is the more reason why good reasoning should prevail in this matter. More worrisome to me is the economic impact of this needless impasse when all of us know that instability in Lagos would have spiral effects on the national economy.
It’s therefore morally and political expedient to allow the governor finish the good work he has been doing.