TheNewsGuru

Tag: Kwara

  • Toppling of Saraki Dynasty in Kwara, one of my greatest achievement as APC chair – Oshiomhole

    Toppling of Saraki Dynasty in Kwara, one of my greatest achievement as APC chair – Oshiomhole

    The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on Saturday identified toppling the Saraki political dynasty in Kwara State as one of his greatest achievements.

    In his first official reaction to the dissolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, Oshiomhole said he was proud that the party under his chairmanship was able to take over the governance of Kwara State from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

    “I remain proud that we were able to recover Kwara State. That was extremely important to us for reasons I need not to enumerate,” he told reporters in Abuja.

    “I am happy we were able to recover Gombe State. These are strategic states. There are a couple of other things I cannot speak about,” he added.

    Oshiomhole also said he had “accepted in good faith” Thursday’s dissolution of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) by President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that he had no regrets for the actions he took while in office.

    He said he had also directed his lawyers to withdraw the appeal he filed at the Supreme Court over his suspension from the party by his ward in Edo State.

    This is in deference to one of the resolutions at the Thursday meeting that all legal actions against the party by members be withdrawn.

    He said he had directed his lawyers to withdraw the case in the Supreme Court as a mark of respect for President Buhari for his support during his tenure as APC Chairman.

    He recalled how Buhari “graciously invited me to run for the office of chairmanship of the party in 2018, precisely about two years ago,” and told him that “if we do not reform the APC, we can as well forget about the party.”

    He said the reforms were challenging and entailed “difficult decisions.”

    He said he put in his best serving the party.

    Oshiomhole said: “Mine has been a life of struggle and I accepted this and I believe I did my best.”

    Reeling out his achievements, he said: “I am happy that at the end of the day, 2019 elections have come and gone. Thanks to the Nigerian people, our President had more votes in 2019 than we had in 2015. We have more members in the Senate and House of Representatives.

    “Unlike 2015, we were not able to manage our victory in the two chambers such that we had an APC President in the Senate and PDP deputy Senate President.

    “This time, working hard with my colleagues in the NWC and in consultation with leaders of our party across board, we had the kind of unity expected in the governing party in the two chambers of the National Assembly.

    “I am happy that the leadership of the National Assembly is working harmoniously with Mr. President today.

    “The APC under my chairmanship has done its best and the results are there. Of course we have now been dissolved and I have accepted that dissolution in good faith.

    “I am not going into the question of legality or illegality. The bottom line is that the President who invited me to lead the party and who mobilised all the support for my emergence as chairman also presided over the meeting where the NWC has now been dissolved.

    “As a demonstration of my loyalty to Mr. President, loyalty to our party and loyalty to the Nigerian nation, I have decided to accept the decision in good faith and to maintain my loyalty, my respect and admiration for President Muhammadu Buhari.”

    The former Edo State governor was confident that the APC would emerge from its crisis stronger.

    He said: “I want to assure everybody that APC will have peace, and by the special grace of God, President Buhari will achieve his three key principal promises he made to Nigerians, and I will give him all the support that I can give as a Nigerian and as a member of APC and, number three, as a loyalist of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    In keeping with the admonition of the President during the Thursday meeting that all suits against the party by members be withdrawn, Oshiomole said he had instructed his lawyers to discontinue the appeal he filed at the Supreme Court over his suspension by his ward in Edo State.

    He said: “I have instructed my lawyers to withdraw my case that is currently pending at the Supreme Court, which has to do with the issue of my suspension.

    “Sustaining the legal action would be tantamount to disobeying one of the decisions that the President has made, namely, all cases should be withdrawn from court.

    “I believe as a member of APC, I have a duty to live by example. I have taken a bow and accepted the decision of the NEC (National Executive Committee) in good faith, and I want to reassure Mr. President that my confidence in his leadership remains unshaken. My commitment to our party as a member remains unshaken.”

    Responding to a question on his suspension, he said the dissolved NWC had ratified the lifting of the suspension, adding: “I am at peace with my people at home.”

    Asked if he had regrets, Oshiomole was vehement. “I have no regrets. You cannot lead a party as large as APC in a country as diverse as Nigeria and expect that everybody would be happy with you. I have no regrets.

    “At the end of the day, how do you judge the performance of a party? You judge it by its electoral outcome.

    “I believe it is convenient for people to point at a few areas where we had challenges, few states that we lost. But also, there were states that we won.

    “For example, it does not matter what anybody wants to say, I remain proud that we were able to recover Kwara State. That was extremely important to us for reasons I need not enumerate.

    “In life, for every one thing that some people are clapping, there must be those who are not happy.

    “Just look at a football match: when you score a goal, you will see some players almost crying and yet you see some other people jubilant as if that is the end of the world.

    “That is the way life is. You cannot have it both ways. I assure you I do not regret anything.”

  • EFCC uncovers 1000 ghost workers ‘smuggled’ on Kwara payroll

    EFCC uncovers 1000 ghost workers ‘smuggled’ on Kwara payroll

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kwara Zonal Office, has uncovered 1000 ghost workers, allegedly smuggled into the payroll of Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB).

    The Zonal Head of EFCC, Mallam Isyaku Sharu, disclosed this in Ilorin on Thursday, while speaking with newsmen on the commission’s achievements during the lockdown, occasioned by the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

    Sharu said the global health challenge posed by the COVID- 19 pandemic should not be seen as an impediment to the fight against corruption.

    He, however, said the zone would live up to its responsibilities by discharging its duties with strict adherence to social restriction guidelines as spelt out by the Presidential Task Force (PTF), on COVID- 19.

    He said the EFCC also made additional cash recovery of more than N138 million from alleged treasury looters, for the state.

    “You recall that the zone had earlier handed over N374 million to the state Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, on two occasions.

    “The zone has also uncovered alleged diversion of about N750 million from the Light Up Kwara Project.

    “Funds for the project, worth about N72 million, was used in purchasing a property in Guzape area of Abuja,” he said.

    Sharu said another achievement by EFCC within 16 months of its operations in Kwara included the interim forfeiture of eight different residential buildings within Ilorin.

    The properties worth millions of naira, he said, also included two other residential buildings in Ikoyi, Lagos state.

    He said the commission also secured 52 convictions with final forfeitures of some number of vehicles.

    Sharu assured the public that the commission would not relent in its efforts to bring sanity to the society by investigating, arresting and prosecuting corrupt individuals.

    He appealed to the people of the zone to continue to support the EFCC in achieving this goal.

  • Nobody defected from APC to PDP in Kwara – Spokesman

    Nobody defected from APC to PDP in Kwara – Spokesman

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara has dismissed a report that 10, 000 members of the party defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    APC State Publicity Secretary in Kwara, Alhaji Tajudeen Aro, said in a statement on Friday in Ilorin that ” the recent garrulous and spurious rumour of 10,000 defectors from the APC to PDP is nothing but a mirage.”

    “This claim by the PDP is of doubtful success, laughable and a terrible absurdity as it would have been impossible to assemble 10, 000 people in any location at this period of the coronavirus pandemic without the attention of the public.

    “More importantly, the leader of the supposed decamped members is too insignificant to cause any discomfort for the APC or buoy the image of the PDP,” Aro added.

    According to Aro, PDP is resorting to a psychological campaign in the state because of its poor image.

    “The PDP can go on dreaming for the next seven years and there is nothing anybody can do about that.

    “The APC- led government in Kwara State is taking democratic dividends to the door steps of Kwara people with the giant strides in strategic infrastructural development.

    “We recognise the people as our primary constituency and we are prepared to build a greater and prosperous Kwara State.

    “We advise the public to discard the antics of the opposition which is determined to take advantage of the internecine crisis in the APC to paint a false image of its acceptability,” he said.

  • A Memo to Professor Agboola Gambari – Hope Eghagha

    A Memo to Professor Agboola Gambari – Hope Eghagha

    By Hope Eghagha

    It is part of our national dilemma, confusion and uncertainty that the appointment of a new Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari has elicited so much excitement, anxiety and concern that we have forgotten that the CoS is a personal staff to the president. Given our perception, private anecdotes and media presentation of the immediate past Chief of Staff Mallam Abba Kyari, as a man who wielded immense political power and virtually ran the country, whoever was appointed to the position would necessarily generate a lot of interest. It is against this background that the appointment of the 75year-old widely experienced Professor Agboola Gambari as the new Chief of Staff is of national importance.

    One of the very first public statements credited to Professor Gambari when he arrived in Aso Rock was that his is to report and be accountable to his principal, that is, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and not the people of Nigeria. As far as private appointments go, this statement is excellent though it may not have been necessary at this time. But I suppose he was under pressure to make it clear that despite what anyone may have said about his predecessor, he plans to toe the same path created by Abba Kyari that endeared him to the Number One Citizen. A Chief of Staff is expectedly to be loyal to his appointor. Even if he disagrees with his boss, it must never come into the open. He can only give advice in the closet and await his master’s decision. Once a decision is reached, he must pursue it with fervour zeal and commitment as if he was originally for the idea as he relates with institutions and elected and appointed officials.

    In the current dispensation, the perception is that like former American President Ronald Reagan, President Buhari cannot deal with the day to day details and complexities of our political life. As a result, he needs strong and dedicated staff who will read his mind perfectly, initiate and implement policy decisions in the overall interest of the polity. More than ever before, Nigeria needs expert and responsible hands that can effectively balance all the centrifugal forces currently tugging at the ropes of national unity. If the Chief of Staff is that rallying point, it will be dangerous to appoint a neophyte or an ethnic jingoist to that position. If the president had been led in the past into taking decisions that appeared to favour a section of the country, this is the time to gradually steer him back to the paths of national cohesion.

    Professor Gambari as an international diplomat understands the power of perception in governance. Sometimes, it is more compelling than the real facts. The questions is whether he shares he view that there is an ugly tilt in the country in power sharing that has made a vast majority of people in the south very uncomfortable. In the north, both the elite and the ordinary people are worried by the level of violence and insecurity which marauding gangs have unleashed on the land. So, whereas most highly sensitive and politically powerful positions are held by persons of northern origins, this has not translated into anything life-transforming in the region. What can we say of the hometown of a top army chief being overrun by insurgents? The perception therefore is that these appointments favour individuals, not the country. Which is sad.

    As a newly appointed Chief of Staff, presumed to be the de facto president of Nigeria, Professor Gambari has a lot of work to do. If the president has his ears, as I believe he does, there are some urgent tasks to be done. This is the time to diversify the economy. This is the time to tinker with the rules of engagement between the constituent parts of the federation for positive ends. A true federal structure and practice should evolve now. The service chiefs need to be replaced. A new strategy to end the Boko Haram insurgency should be developed. The rogue herdsmen currently ensconced in forests in across the country should be dislodged. If it is true that DPOs are under orders not to arrest and prosecute the Fulani marauders and kidnappers in southern bushes, this is the time to reverse it. Appointments should reflect national character and the regional interests which constitute the country. No one ethnic group is superior to another. The level of disenchantment against the government is very high right now, no matter what the smiling politicians who will troop to the presidency to welcome the new CoS as the best appointment ever made by the president.

    Although Gambari is not accountable to the Nigerian people, at 75, he should be concerned with his legacy and the survival of Nigeria beyond him. Abba Kyari’s obnoxious directive that the Ministry of Health’s budget should be routed through Ministry of Agriculture for whatever reason has been reversed. The judgment that he usurped presidential powers and misled the country is out there. The last trip to Europe to negotiate power issues could have been done by the minister. He did not have to be on the board of NNPC. The leaked memo that he gave orders to service chiefs, sideling the National Security Adviser, thereby making the president look bad and inefficient is in the public domain. The Chief of Staff ought not to be seen or heard. He is not the alternative president. He ought to smoothen the engine of government working in consonance with other government officials. In his tenure, Gambari should encourage the president to ‘seem’ to take charge. An appointee, not recognised by the constitution cannot, should not usurp the office or powers of the president.

    Finally, I congratulate Professor Gambari on his emergence as chief of Staff, an office currently perceived as the de facto powerhouse in the country. All the vicious stakeholders will converge now and try to seize him into their corner. Whatever his antecedents are, good, bad and ugly, it is left for Professor Gambari to use his past to help guide the president and create a better Nigeria than we currently experiencing. The clock is ticking. Nigerians are watching!

    Eghagha can be reached on 08023220393

  • Kwara foils Covid-19 patients’ plot to escape from isolation centre

    Kwara foils Covid-19 patients’ plot to escape from isolation centre

    The Kwara Government’s intelligence network has uncovered plot by some COVID-19 patients to escape from the state isolation centre at early hour of Friday.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and spokesman to the state COVID-19 Committee, Rafiu Ajakaye made this disclosure in a statement in Ilorin.

    Ajakaye said that the attempt was promptly foiled, leading to arrest and return of the patients who had already scaled the fence.

    He said the government was shocked that some of the persons involved were among the imported cases, who intentionally violated the interstate lockdown and entered the state.

    According to him, security has been further beefed up at the isolation centre to avoid future occurrence.

    The state government had noted that COVID-19 was not death sentence and there was no reason for anyone to escape and put their lives and that of others at risk.

  • Coronavirus kills Lagos returnee in Kwara

    Coronavirus kills Lagos returnee in Kwara

    The Kwara Government on Saturday announced that it recorded its first death from a confirmed case of COVID-19 pandemic.

    This was made known by Mr Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and spokesman, Kwara Technical Committee on COVID-19.

    According to Ajakaye, the deceased recently arrived Kwara from Lagos with his wife and a child, after he suffered a stroke at his Lagos base.

    Ajakaye said before the man’s death, the state government treated him, his wife and their child as suspected cases.

    Their samples were taken for analysis.

    “The results of their samples came back positive.

    ” Unfortunately, he died early Saturday morning even before the family got to know about their COVID-19 status.

    “He has been buried accordingly.

    “All the people involved in the burial have now had their samples taken,” Ajakaye said.

    He stated that due the peculiarity of the case, the Rapid Response Team brought all those involved, including the deceased wife and child to the isolation centre .

    “We pray to God to repose his soul.

    “We urge citizens to see COVID-19 for what it is: a deadly and highly contagious virus that requires adherence to all safety protocols, including obeying the lockdown order.

    “We repeat that there is no shame or blame in contracting the virus as this is a global pandemic from which no one is immune.

    “We commiserate with his family on this painful development while also wishing all of our patients quick recovery,” he said.

    Ajakaye stated that the state government also announced four new positive cases of COVID-19 from among those who sneaked into the state from the northwestern axis of the country.

    According to him, this brings to 28 the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kwara State.

    The government spokesman noted that 19 confirmed cases were active while nine others were discharged.

    He added that all active cases were asymptomatic.

  • Police intercept lorry of 200 Almajiris in Kwara

    Police intercept lorry of 200 Almajiris in Kwara

    The Kwara state police command Saturday intercepted a lorry loaded with about 200 suspected Almajiris around Kanbi/Oloru/Bode-Sadu axis of Moro local government area of the state.

    The lorry, with registration No. Kaduna MKA 54 XL, driven by one Shehu Hashim of Manigi in Niger state, was said to be conveying the ‘passengers’ from Funtua in Katsina State.

    Spokespeeson of the state police command Ajayi Okasanmi said that: “On the instruction of the Commissioner of Police Kayode Egbetokun, the lorry and the 200 Almajiri youths were escorted by fully armed policemen to the border of Niger and Kwara states from where they will return to Katsina state they claimed they came from.

    “The command wishes to use this opportunity to solicit the cooperation of inhabitants of border communities in the state to always volunteer information on movements of vehicles/people on illegal routes traversing their communities.”

  • PDP, APC fight over palliative distribution

    PDP, APC fight over palliative distribution

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State are trading blames over the distribution of palliatives, to cushion the effect of the state government stay-at-home directive.

    PDP accused the state government of politicising the distribution of palliatives.

    It expressed its trepidation about the alleged reports from civil society groups and Kwarans that food items and cash donations meant for the vulnerable were shared among the executives and members of the APC in parts of the state.

    PDP spokesman Tunde Ashaolu noted that the state government’s act smacked of insensitivity to the plight of the people

    He said: “Our party is shocked by reports from the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and complaints by Kwarans that the distribution of palliatives in parts of the state was politicised and hijacked by APC members.

    “According to a report from one CSO, N80,000 was spent in each ward by the ward committees and APC ward/LGA party executives as follows: N30,000 for the ward committee members, N10,000 for the APC executives at the local governments and N40,000 for the APC executives at the ward level.

    “It is sad and unfortunate that the state government will consider party affiliation in the distribution of palliatives – most of which were donated by corporate bodies and philanthropic individuals – to cushion the effects of the lockdown on the less privileged. This is height of insensitivity to the plight of the masses.

    “The distribution of food items and donation of cash at this critical period should not have anything to do with party affiliation or sentiment.

    The materials are meant for defenceless persons and not party members. The politicisation of the distribution has only shown that the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq administration cares less about the welfare of vulnerable Kwarans, whose livelihoods have been grounded by the lockdown.

    “We implore the Abdulrazaq-led APC government to admit its partisanship, failure and irresponsibility in the distribution of the palliatives and should ensure that going forward, the materials and cash donations get to the poor, whose daily survival has been threatened.”

    But APC described the allegation as scurrilous, sensational and scathing.

    Its spokesman Tajudeen Aro said in a statement that the PDP employed socio-political tactics to disparage the APC-led government.

    He said: “It should be stated for the records that the reason for the appointment of non-partisan and reputable figures as members of committee on palliatives, headed by the Emir of Shonga, Dr. Haliru Yahaya, was to have a non-partisan approach to the relief material distribution.

    “The committee facilitated a transparent distribution measure, which encouraged non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to monitor the distribution of the palliatives.

    “It is equally worrisome that political actors are playing politics with the situation by painting the Kwara initiatives in different colours. It is in the same light that we view the attempt to discredit the governor before the public for an honest and sincere action to target the poor, who are the worst hit by the government’s directive to stay at home, as part of measures to curb the spread of the deadly Coronavirus disease.

    “It is PDP that is playing politics with this COVID-19 pandemic. History is being made now. How will the leaders want to be remembered for the roles they have played?

    “It will be uncharitable for any patriotic leader in Kwara State to ignore the need for collaboration with the state government for the full restoration of this Coronavirus crisis.”

    Three thousand one hundred and ninety-five youths in Kwara State have enrolled for the first phase of the state government’s virtual digital training class.

    The training began last Thursday and the number has exceeded the initial 2,000 intended figure with 1,195 more than when the exercise was announced.

    The 3,195, who responded to the pre-training survey, were shortlisted from a total of 6,766, who originally applied for the virtual training.

    “It beats our imagination why the distinguished and prominent politicians cannot team up with the Kwara State Government to face this common enemy.

    “It is not enough to state that they had distributed palliatives to their supporters. The fight against this virus, which is a global pandemic, should not be politicised.

    “COVID-19 knows no political party or history. What should bother Kwarans is how to join the government in the fight to flatten the curve and prevent the state and Nigeria as a whole from the spread map of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

    “We pray we are not forced to travel down a painful path because of politics. This is a time for aggressive response. To what extent do the past political leaders consider the state’s interest above their personal pride? A glance around the state during this challenging period reveals self-centred politicians, who care little or nothing about the parlous situation or that of the hapless citizenry.”

     

  • Newly appointed Kwara Commissioner dies in his sleep 48Hrs to Resumption

    Newly appointed Kwara Commissioner dies in his sleep 48Hrs to Resumption

    A newly appointed Commissioner 1 in the Kwara State Local Government Service Commission, Olatunji Abel, has died in his sleep 48 hours to his resumption at his new office.

    Abel, who is from Igbaja in Ifelodun area of the state died on Saturday of a suspected heart attack at his home town on his return from Abia State where ostensibly he made a business trip to.

    The deceased was a Lagos-based businessman and on the side a politician.

    He was touted by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which morphed into the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the running mate to the then gubernatorial candidate of the APC, AbdulRahman Rasaq but it was an ill-fated bid.

    However, success recently came his way in the form of an appointment.

    Gov. Rasaq named him as member of the State Local Government Service Commission appointing him as Commissioner 1 but he passed on two days before he resumed at his desk.

    Unimpeachable source told OrijoReporter that late Abel who until his death held the chieftaincy title; Akayejo of Aiyekojo in Igbaja, died hours after going to bed on his return from Abia.

    “He died at his home town while sleeping. He just came back from Abia and went to bed in the night only to meet his maker in his sleep,” sources said.

    His demise has provoked an outpouring of emotional tributes from his Facebook friends with one Ishola Oluwagbemiga posting: “Rest in peace Egbon Abel Tunji J. Officially, you’re to resume office tomorrow Monday 27th, April after your appointment by the Executive Governor of Kwara State as a Member, Local Government Commission, but death denied you that chance. Continue to rest on. Till we meet to part no more! Today, we just committed your body to the mother earth for the beginning of your everlasting journey.
    Heavy Heart.”

    Another mourner, Kolawole Rukayat, wrote: “I don’t know what to say,I have repeatedly glanced our few days chats over n over. I feel like hearing this news debunked but God knows better. A complete God-fearing,gentle, amiable, dependable and down to earth brother. rest peacefully bros.”

    In his own eulogy, one Lawal Kamaldeen said: “I am shocked when I heard the death of our brother this is so sad and is a great loss for igbaja ward 111, igbaja district and Kwara as a whole, mogba ladura ki olorun, ro mama, egbon, aburo loju, we love him but God love him more than. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.”

  • BREAKING: Kwara discharges two COVID-19 patients

    BREAKING: Kwara discharges two COVID-19 patients

    The Kwara State Ministry of Health has discharged two index cases of COVID-19, after testing negative twice.

    This was announce on Thursday, by the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Dr Raji Abdulrazaq, via his twitter page.