₦airaland Forum

http://www.compassnews.net/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16280:ekiti-rerun-despite-ac-disruption-oni-still-leads-fayemi&catid=43:news&Itemid=63



Ekiti rerun: Despite AC disruption, Oni still leads Fayemi



ARMED political thugs yesterday seized Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, as the result of the Court of Appeal-ordered governorship rerun continued to stream, in from the remaining four local government areas where the exercise was conducted.

Results of five councils - Gbonyin, Ekiti South-West, Ise-Orun, Ijero and Irepodun/Ifelodun - had been released and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Segun Oni, is leading his Action Congress (AC) counterpart, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

That of Oye Local Government Area, where Fayemi hails from, is billed to hold this morning after it was disrupted on Saturday and yesterday by suspected AC thugs.

The belief is that Oye, being a PDP stronghold, will be won by Oni.

In the result declared so far, Oni is leading Fayemi with over 5,000 votes.

But the AC has kicked against it.

It was gathered that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was billed to announce the overall result of the nine councils yesterday, but suspected AC thugs took over some popular streets in Ado-Ekiti before they were dislodged by the police.

Many of the thugs were believed to have been brought to the troubled state from the Niger Delta region by a militant leader, who the PDP accused of being contracted by the AC to supply 20,000 thugs to it to disrupt the election.

They invaded the popular Fajuyi Park where they harassed many people, especially those suspected to be members of Oni’s administration.

Oni’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Segun Ilori, was one of the unlucky people, as his Toyota Camry car vandalised.

Ilori said yesterday: “While I was on my way to Ado, I escaped death from thugs at Fajuyi Park. My car was vandalised and was to be burnt, but for my driver’s fast move. All the policemen looked on as this happened. My driver recognised the man who hit my car with iron rod and other weapons. The evidence is in the Government House.”

The election in Oye was shifted to this morning as announced by the electoral umpire’s spokesperson, Mrs Olubunmi Popoola.

But the state chapter of the PDP yesterday blamed alleged threats to the lives of INEC officials by suspected AC thugs for the cancellation.

A statement by the Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the Segun Oni Campaign Organisation (SOCO), Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said that some leading members of the AC mobilised thugs to the council to hold the officials hostage for hours, describing the action as unbecoming of individuals who lay claim to leadership.

The statement reads in part: “We wish to call on security agencies in the country to come to the aid of the peace-loving people of Ekiti, who are now being held hostage by a group of power-hungry politicians who would stop at nothing to achieve their inordinate ambition.

“The thugs were part of the thousands of miscreants imported into the state to prosecute their evil plan of unleashing terror on the people so that INEC would cancel the election in many of the wards.

“It was this desperation that led to the burning of INEC offices in Ijero and Ido/Osi Local Governments by thugs and the incursion of mercenary voters from Aiyede and Isan into Oye-Ekiti on Saturday.

“We, therefore, call for the immediate arrest of these people and their thugs, who appear to have taken over from the police and other security agencies in the state.

“Power belongs to God and He gives it to His chosen ones.

“Now that all their efforts appeared to have failed, they are planning to set the state on fire, but we appeal that they shelve this plan in the interest of the downtrodden people of Ekiti, who would be left in the cold after they must have abandoned the state as they did when they lost election in 2003.”

Meanwhile, the AC has rejected the result of the rerun at Ido-Osi Local Government, describing it as an “unimaginatively fabricated result”.

A statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the result, which gave the PDP 15,939 votes against AC’s 3,793, “is the most improbable result and could only have been made possible by sheer cooking of figures.”

Mohammed said: “After collation of results from five local governments (Gboyin, Ekiti South-West, Irepodun-Ifelodun, Ise-Orun and Ijero), on Saturday, the AC had 15,026 and the PDP 15,420 votes, without counting AC’s existing credit of 11,000 votes.

“Realising the PDP’s deficiency with results from just four local governments remaining, the collation was suspended till Sunday. Overnight, however, the cooked results - said to have been collated in a police station without AC’s agents in attendance - surfaced, with the PDP winning 15,939 in just one local government!

“That result simply cannot stand: First, it shows that the PDP, in collusion with INEC, simply worked from answer to question, having realised there is no way the PDP could catch up with the AC. Secondly is the improbability of the figure from one local government alone more than all the total votes scored by the PDP in all the five local governments whose results were collated on Saturday!!!”

Ekiti AC also alleged that the Presidency was planning to impose Oni on the state despite the inconclusiveness of the election.

The party said it had uncovered a plan in which the Presidency would ensure that the disputed nine wards in Ido/Osi Local Government Area would be counted in favour of the PDP.

Addressing a press conference in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the state Chairman of the party, Chief Jide Awe, enjoined Nigerians to prevail on INEC not to accept figures from the disputed wards where violence disrupted the collation of results.

Revealing that the crisis that led to the burning down of the INEC office in Ido/Osi was prompted by the attempt to substitute the votes being collated with the ones already thumb-printed in “Ghana must go” bags allegedly brought by PDP loyalists, Awe insisted that the three wards already collated before the violence should be admitted and the rest cancelled.

Disclosing that three policemen on duty at the INEC office were fatally wounded by bullets, a situation he said made people to scamper for safety, the chairman noted that some civilians were also wounded, while the leg of one of the injured was amputated at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ido-Ekiti, yesterday.

In a related development, the leadership of the PDP also yesterday called for the cancellation of the election conducted in Egbe/Iro ward in Gbonyin Local Government, alleging that its supporters were disenfranchised by the opposition.

While addressing a press conference, the party’s spokesman, Lekan Adekanmbi, said elections were not conducted in the ward and appealed to INEC to give the people the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right by ordering a fresh election.

Adekanmbi noted that the situation did not conform with the order of the Court of Appeal that the rerun be conducted in all the 63 wards, which, he said, must be obeyed to the letter.

He stated that the complaint from the supporters of the PDP from the area necessitated the position of the party.

The party also made case for a fresh election in Igbemo ward in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government, where it said the AC used thugs to molest its supporters.

He, however, promised that the party would agree with the outcome of the rerun.

Besides, the PDP also told the AC to stop issuing threats against the nation’s democracy over the rerun.

It described as unpatriotic, a statement issued by the Lagos State Chapter of the AC yesterday in which it threatened that the nation’s democracy would collapse unless its candidate won the rerun.

The National Vice-Chairman (South-West) of the PDP, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, said the AC’s statement was an unfortunate one from a political party, which laid claims to democratic credentials.

The PDP stressed that “no one or political party is greater or stronger than the Nigerian state. No group of people should always believe it could hold the nation to ransom.

“The AC should by now, as a matter of fact, cover its face in shame for the forgery of a police report in Osun State which was uncovered by the Inspector-General of Police last week. Instead of doing this and apologise to the nation, it is compounding its problems by threatening the nation.”

It was gathered yesterday that the chairman of a council in Lagos State (names withheld), who was one of those arrested in Ekiti State on Saturday for alleged thuggery and illegal possession of firearms, and another man who allegedly brought a prepared election results from Lagos, have been transferred to the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The council boss was arrested with 13 suspected AC thugs in Are-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

Dangerous weapons, including guns, axes, machetes and charms were allegedly found on them.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, who relocated to Ado-Ekiti yesterday to personally supervise the Oye-Ekiti polls, has ordered the arrest of the Acting Speaker, Saliu Adeoti, for allegedly leading the people who torched the INEC office in Ido-Osi on Saturday night.

Okiro warned that “anyone who has no business in Oye-Ekiti should stay away” from the rerun today. He visited all the troubled areas in Ado-Ekiti yesterday.

Meanwhile, there was drama at the INEC office yesterday when the result of the election in four councils was about to be released.

Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, insisted that INEC should not conduct the election in Oye-Ekiti. Falana drew attention to Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2006 which provides that the commission was bound to give a 14-day notice to all parties “that a bye-election has been slated.”

He was however booed by PDP members who said that a rerun is different from a bye-election.

INEC National Commissioner, Adedeji Soyebi, countered him, saying there was no way an individual would hold hold the commission to ransom and take a unilateral decision on the matter.

“This cannot be one person’s decision to take,” he said.

The PDP members insisted that the result must be announced.

The Director of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, said that AC members unleashed terror on PDP supporters in Oye with a view to ensuring the cancellation of the polls in the local government.

He alleged that AC leaders housed their mercenaries in Aiyede Ekiti and Isan-Ekiti, Fayemi’s hometown, “with a bid to transport them to vote in the Oye rerun.”

He pleaded with security agents and INEC officials to ensure that the Oye polls is free and fair.

“We want to plead with security agencies to ensure that the plans of the AC to rig and scare away our supporters is nipped in the bud”.

The party urged security agencies to investigate an incident in Ifaki where a certain AC chieftain was caught with a prepared result of the yet-to-be concluded election.

The party noted that the AC member, who came to the state from Lagos, was apprehended by a Squadron Commander, Sam Erhale, in a Mercedes Benz Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) with registration number BR 611 AAA.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web/articles/1534/1/AC-demands-cancellation-of-Ido-Osi-result/Page1.html


[B]AC demands cancellation of Ido-Osi result[/B]


The Action Congress (AC) yesterday rejected the result of the Ekiti State governorship rerun for Ido-Osi Local Government Area.

It described it as an unimaginatively fabricated result that cannot stand any scrutiny.

In a statement in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the result from the Ido-Osi, which gave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 15,939 votes against AC's 3,793, was improbable and could only have been made possible by sheer cooking of figures.

The party called for the immediate cancellation of the result and the institution of a probe into how such result was arrived at.

AC said: ``After collation of results from five local governments (Gboyin, Ekiti South-west, Irepodun-Ifelodun, Ise-Orun and Ijero), on Saturday, the AC had 15,026 and the PDP 15,420 votes, without counting AC's existing credit of 11,000 votes.

``Realising the PDP's deficiency with results from just four local governments remaining, the collation was suspended till Sunday. Overnight, however, the cooked results - said to have been collated in a police station without AC agents in attendance - surfaced, with the PDP winning 15,939 in just one local government!

``That result simply cannot stand: First, it shows that the PDP, in collusion with INEC, simply worked from answer to question, having realised there is no way the PDP could catch up with the AC.

Secondly, the improbability of the figure from one local government alone more than all the total votes scored by PDP in all the five local governments whose results were collated on Saturday.

``In fact, in one particular ward at Ido-Osi, the AC was

disingenuously awarded a zero vote! Therefore, we say that the result from Ido-Osi - and consequently the overall outcome of the re-run, cannot stand; that we will not accept it, and that we will defend our votes with all lawful means necessary.

``We appeal to our supporters to remain calm, but we must warn that there is a limit to which people can continue to stay calm when a rampaging band of thieves and desperate politicians assault their dignity by stealing their votes."

The party wondered why the PDP was so desperate as to cook up such figures.

It said the antics of the PDP in Ekiti had ridiculed President Umaru Yar'Adua's claim to the rule of law and due process.

``How can we ever be taken seriously in the comity of nations, when we cannot organise a free and fair election in less than one-third of a state? How can Nigerian politicians stand up and be counted among dignified and credible politicians around the world, when all that matters is winning at all cost? What legacy are we leaving for our children, when we can come up with the blatant, day-light robbery that the result from Ido-Osi amounts to?

``It is now becoming increasingly clear that if Nigeria cannot run a free and fair election in 63 wards of a state, there is simply no hope for this country,'' AC said.

The Lagos State chapter of the party had earlier described the delay in announcing the results of the election in Ido Osi as a deliberate ploy to rig the rerun.

It said the delay was a ploy to pad the results to pave the way for the declaration of the PDP as winner.

The party warned that should the PDP get away with rigging the election, it should bid bye to the democracy.

In a statement in Lagos by its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, the AC said it did not understand why the result of the election was being withheld for close to 24 hours except that the PDP was trying to close the huge advantage the AC already has going to the rerun.

http://www.compassnews.net/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16210:oni-now-leads-fayemi-by-over-10000-votes&catid=46:sunday&Itemid=186


Oni now leads Fayemi by over 10,000 votes


Gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the rerun election in Ekiti State, Engineer Segun Oni, on Saturday outshone his opponent and candidate, of the Action Congress (AC), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, when he recorded close to 30,000 votes.

Oni's 30,000 votes is over 10,000 more than that of Fayemi in both the rerun and initial election, which had those of six local government areas ratified.

Oni's strongest performance was in his local government area, Ido Osi, where he defeated Fayemi with more than 20,000 votes.

The former governor won in six local government areas while Fayemi took three.

The last of the 10 local government areas where the Court of Appeal ordered the rerun election, Oye, had the election there postponed till Sunday (today) because of unfavourable security reports. Oni won in Ijero, Ekiti East, Ekiti West, Ekiti South West, Ikole and Ido Osi while Fayemi won in Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise Orun and Gbonyin.

It was gathered that the unfavourable security report that led to the postponement of the election in Oye was based on the fear that the insistence of Fayemi to visit the ward of Senator Ayo Arise could lead to a breach of the peace.

Both of them are from the same local government area. In Ijero, reports late last night had it that the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was burnt by a mob suspected to be loyal to the AC.

The mob reportedly came to Ijero from Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

This followed the arrest of some suspected thugs allegedly loyal to the AC.

A former governor of the state reportedly coordinated the attack and burning of the INEC office.

The INEC supervisor for Ido Osi Local Government Area, Alhaji Kuta, was also attacked while collating the results.

A senior member of the state House of Assembly allegedly led the assault on Kuta.

The Ekiti State acting Governor, Rt. Hon. Olatunji Odeyemi, arrested suspected thugs with charms at Ise Ekiti in Ise/Orun Local Government Area.

They were reportedly 'imported' into the state to disrupt the election from Lagos, Ikare Akoko in Ondo State and Isan Ekiti, Fayemi's country home.

Odeyemi handed over the suspected thugs, made up of both men and women, to the operatives of the State Security Service (SSS).

They had ballot boxes in their possession at the time of their arrest.

There are fears that the election in Oye Local Government Area will not hold after all today based on a threat by Fayemi that he could not guarantee the safety of supporters of the PDP during the election.

Over 50 suspected thugs were arrested across the state during the election.

In Ifaki Ekiti, four AC members were caught with prepared results of the yet-to-be-concluded election in the 10 local government areas of the state.

They have been detained at the Ifaki police station.

At Ise Ekiti, a former Senator, Lawrence Agunbiade, who is an AC leader in the area, incurred the wrath of the people of his community for allegedly flouting the electoral law restricting movement during the election.

Agunbiade claimed he left his house to assess the preparation of his party for the election.

He was with his Personal Assistant, Femi Ekundayo, when he was attacked.

But another AC chieftain from the area, Dr. Oluwole Olugboji, said the senator went out in search of fuel when he was attacked.

Oni voted at 9.50 am at Ifaki II, Ward 04, unit 006, Ogbon Iro Town Hall where he expressed optimism that he would win the election.

The Nigerian Compass was at the Ilao Quarters of the former governor where his 95-year-old mum, Mrs. Comfort Aina Oni, could not go out to vote but was seen praying, clutching her Bible.

Meanwhile, two people who identified themselves as Jerry Dosunmu and Muiz from the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) were allegedly manhandled for their inability to provide their identification cards on request by the security agents.

The Nigerian Compass team was also at Usi Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area where the former Minister of Aviation, Prof. Babalola Borisade, complained that the voter register brought to the town did not tally with the ones pasted in three out of 16 units.

A police chopper was sighted hovering over the town at about 10.40a.m.In Ekiti South West Local Government Area of the state, Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, was sighted driving round the town in his Range Rover with Lagos State registration number, RX 906 KJA, with youths waiting to cast their votes raising questions concerning his mission despite the restriction on movement.

Commenting on the conduct of the election, Deputy Inspector General of Police, John Ahmadu, denied the arrest of Arise, adding that the election in Oye Local Government Area was postponed because the atmosphere became hostile.

He said the police apprehended 61 persons for violence.

Ahmadu further explained that 36 persons were arrested in connection with the violence in Oye-Ekiti, with incriminating materials such as charms, bottles of alcohol and other dangerous weapons and another 25 suspected thugs arrested in other parts of the state.

The DIG said the police are "battle ready" for the postponed voting in Oye-Ekiti.

At Ilawe-Ekiti, the home of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ambassador Dare Bejide, located along the INEC Area Office was bombed with material suspected to be explosives on Friday night.

Voting was peaceful in Ward 11 in Ilawe-Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government Area when the Nigerian Compass visited the town.

At Unit 004, Ward C, Igede-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area, Mrs. Florence Odetola, an observer with the Justice and Peace Development Commission (JDPC), described the election as peaceful and commended the security arrangement in the area.

HNIC:
oya tkb417,
1.) What was Alloysius Atuegbu's nickname? Blockbuster
2.) Augustine Igbinabaro played for Nigeria in an age grade competition in which Year? 1985 U20
3.) Samson Siasia had an awesome strike partner at the 1985 u-21 Youth Championship.What's his name? Monday ODIAKA
4.) James Etokebe played for Nigeria in the mid 80s.Where did he play his club football? Calabar Rovers and Leventis United
5.) In which match did former super eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh make his debut for Nigeria? vs Ethiopia in 1993 CAN 1994 Qualifier @ National Stadium, Surulere, LAGOS
6.)What do these Nigerian players have in common, Sunday Oliseh, Peter Nekieten,Yakubu Aiyegbeni,Jimoh Balogun? all Julius Berger Players
7.) what are these Nigerian football players known for;Ayo Ogunlana,Nosa Osadolor and Ajibade Babalaje? Thunderbolt Freekicks

http://www.thisdayonline.com/ncomments.php?id=138801#add


Uzoamaka Nwamaka

03.25.2009 18:01
Your article made me shake my head in despair. It shows how down in the dumps we are in Nigeria that a so-called seasoned journalist is not concerned at the methods in which a government has carried out its policies. As long as the perceived task is done, the praise singers come out and start singing. I was watching a programme on BEN TV in the UK on how Oshodi was transformed. The reporter was asking one of the people in charge how they manage to maintain calm at the overhead bridge that people are now required to use to cross the road, and he replied - we have police men with GUNS there to ensure that people obey the law, we obviously won’t use the gun it is just to scare them!!!! When are we going to start valuing our lives? When are we going to start doing things RIGHT and not cutting corners or taking quick fixes? So Fashola plants some flowers in Lagos yet I am sure half of the children of primary school age in Lagos go to school hungry. We need to get real.

How can you put up fountains when people who live by the fountains don’t have a steady supply of water? Do you expect them not to get water from that fountain? Painting over a rusty metal does not completely solve the problem, you need to treat the rust before you paint over it with a rust resistant paint for that matter!!


Aliyu Garba


03.25.2009 16:58
I do not see the darmacation between politician and technocrat.What is required of politicians and leaders is to make realistic and sincere promises and projections and pursue them with commitment and dedication.We didnt see the darmacations in the first republic politicians and they performed most creditably with the resources they had.


Yomi Babalola

03.25.2009 13:01
Femi Ade God bless you for properly setting out the real yardstick for measuring progress. Its so unfortunate how we suck to these public office holders and their spin machine? What is visionary about resurfacing roads and clearing up drainages and traffick. These things are no big deal if you were born /lived in Lagos in the 70\'s /80\'s one would appreciate the progress of Eko bridge,3rd mainland bridge and competition to win votes in housing b/w Jankande UPN /Whahab Dosunmu /Sultan Ladega Adele NPN through allocation of Jankande estates and Festac /satellite town etc which were reasonably affordable. These \"technocrats\" watched in 8yrs while rents spiralled out of sensibilities aiding it with all sorts of taxes and reward us with concrete roads and perpetually tenancies in the yr 2009 and we hail. Let the likes of Simon play the Fiddle like Nero did watching old Rome burn so he can fix his new Rome and become Landlord Numero Uno. Tell the truth Fashola is not yet the best thing to happen to Lagos yet.Tell me if your rents have not doubled in the past 3 yrs?


kehinde lawal

03.25.2009 07:31
i may be naive but i found this article distasteful for one reason. you spoke of tinubu handling over to fashola as though the electorates had absolutely no choice in the matter. even if that were true, glorifying electral fraud in this way is very, very distasteful. you could have said the same thing in a different manner!


Jack Bini

03.25.2009 02:15
Apparently you have left unmentioned what Fashola has done to improve Lagos. Readers from overseas like myself are wondering what his is? Is it sustainable development? Are jobs being created? Is poverty being alleviated? Is their infrastructural development? this is our hope for lagos and Nigeria.


Femi Ade

03.24.2009 21:50
I think it is wrong to blame Obasanjo for the lack of good performance by Tinubu. I also believe that politics is not an excuse for failure. Remember that Lagos State once had a man calle Lateef Jakande. he was a politicians\' politician and he had a lot of problems with Shehu Shagari\'s government, putting obstacles in his path. But guess what, by all standards, Jakande\'s government has been judged a performing government that achieved much. Remember that he even got Shagari to guarantee the loan for the metro line which was later canceled by the military. The success of Jakande was due to vision and focus and a determination to leave a legacy, the same virtue shared with Obafemi Awolowo.

You also failed to mention the role of the press in killing people with initiatives with negative press. How many Nigerian newspapers shout and scream at Y\'ardua when he started reversing Obasanjo\'s policies. I know THISDAY was the first paper to notice the trend of this government in reversing every policy of Obasanjo\'s administration and spoke out as diplomatically as it was possible.
Our journalists claim to be the defendrs of the common man but when they needed to call this goverment to account about the power probe that leads to nowhere, they failed.
When Obasanjo removed petrol subsidy, everyone called him names and cursed him. Now after spending over one trillion naira on subsidy, the government is now ready to remove the subsidy.
Enough, I could go on and on. My prayer is that both the president and other governors will come and see Lagos and be challenged to replicate Fashola\'s achievement in their various domains.


Yomi Babalola

03.23.2009 12:55
Its rather funny how in our country we invoke that machiavellian argument which sees end as means. Fashola is doing well thank God. Tinubu is super hero. We suffer selective amnesia because we see ends as means. The product of an undemocratic process of selection/individual whim.The party\'s idea of modern day democracy and has ruled Lagos for barzillion years now so why wont they get round to making roads after so long? For Gods sakes Jakande made over 20/30 thousand low income earners landlords in Jakande estates in less than five years and got lots more into schools in that time.Its not as if Fashola has turned Lagos to Tinapa yet. Stop this suck up what they are doing is no mean feat. Jakande thought of metroline over 30yrs ago. Stop this suck up Simon.


kamal

03.23.2009 12:09
when are we going to start asking about education, healthcare and their advancement with technology things that really make people proud to be citizens? I would imagine that has a higher ranking than the current achievements being celebrated.The current progress has perhaps leapfroged lagos into the 1990\'s from one of 1970\'s.Mind U, we are in 2009. I choose to be in a society that is at par with the best in the world - Thanks


S.C.Anthony Jnr, Valencia, Spain.

03.22.2009 10:46
Good write up by the writer but i beg to disagree on the point that Fashola is implimenting Tinubu?s programes. he even went futher to almost giving credit of the archievment of Fashola to Tinubu. I beg to diagree with this conclusion. Tinubu failed in governing lagos state. For this writer to attribute the failure of Tinubus administation to obasanjo is just anoither matter. Why is it that every failure in Nigeria is attributed to Obasanjo. Yes the Obsanjos administration withheld lagos state money which Tinubu and his associates claimed affected governance in lagos state. but the said money is yet to be paid back to Lagos state government but fashola is archieving success is Lagos state. His Excellency, Governor Fashola, deserve has perforemd very well in governing lagos state due to his intellect, good programmes, forsight, forthrightness and focus. His success has nothing to do with Tinubu who was a failure.

switch47:
adebayo playes in the premier league ans he was the second highest goal scorer in the very cometitive league not some home based local champion=========well not everyone knows b the way there is nothing you can do about it----now that adebayo has is  YOU CAN TAKE IT AWAY FROM HIM!!!

[size=24pt]Etim Esin Is A Liar![/size]

Alleges Owner Of Stolen Phone

More evidences are surprisingly pouring in on who to blame on the missing phone allegedly stolen from the house of the former Super Eagles skipper, Austin Okocha last Christmas day.

The guy who claimed he actually owns the missing phone; Prince Jeff Okachukwu called Complete Sports Saturday late Thursday night to air his own side of the story.

Jeff, who is the Managing Director of Primewest Properties in Abuja expressed surprise that Etim Esin claimed in a Punch Newspaper publication of Thursday January 29 that the stolen phone belonged to Okocha who publicly embarrassed him in his house.

"Actually the whole thing has become so embarrassing because I am the owner of the phone to start with" informs Jeff who flew in from London same Thursday.

"It has nothing to do with 'Jay' (JayJay) was not even with us when the phone got missing because he was busy attending to other guests inside.

"There were four of us on the table myself, Junior; my childhood friend, one white guy and Etim Esin.

"And when I stood up to answer a call, I was reliably informed that the only person who stood up from that table after the phone disappeared was Etim" alleged Jeff.

"He, Etim was the only person who had admired that phone immediately I sat on that table and this made him the prime suspect.

"My childhood friend could not have taken it because he aside having the same phone, has the latest brand of it.

"I bought the phone for £1,500 in London and Jay Jay was nowhere near our table when the phone got missing.

"What has however been baffling me is the way Etim is turning the whole thing into a money making venture!

"Jay' was even the one that was calming me down afterwards because I really would have embarrassed the idiot!

"This incident happened on December 25th and not 26th as Etim claimed in (last) Thursday's publication because I was actually at the MTN office on the 26th to retrieve my line.

"This phone thing has nothing to do with Jay Jay and it is unfortunate that it happened in his house.

"When the first publication on this incident came out, I actually ignored it, but the way Etim is turning this incident into 
a money-making venture is to say the least embarrassing.

"It is not the phone; a Bang & Olufsen (serene) that actually matters much to me but the contact numbers that I had therein.

"I would have actually embarrassed Etim the more but for 'Jay' who pleaded that he didn't want the matter to extend further.

"And after he (Jay Jay) begged me, he even gave Etim money to pacify him since the phone was not found on him, but the manner 
He (Etim) has now framed everything on Okocha and the hype surrounding this incident is quite surprising because this incident has nothing to do with Jay Jay. It is just unfortunate that it happened in his house.

"If you want further information on this, please be free to call my line and I shall oblige you" concluded Jeff.

coded guy:
This is really getting complicated.

Who's story are we gonna believe. Okocha's, Toyin's or Etim's. pick your choose

[size=24pt]Etim Esin Is A Liar![/size]

Alleges Owner Of Stolen Phone

More evidences are surprisingly pouring in on who to blame on the missing phone allegedly stolen from the house of the former 
Super Eagles skipper, Austin Okocha last Christmas day.

The guy who claimed he actually owns the missing phone; Prince Jeff Okachukwu called Complete Sports Saturday late Thursday night to air his own side of the story.

Jeff, who is the Managing Director of Primewest Properties in Abuja expressed surprise that Etim Esin claimed in a Punch Newspaper publication of Thursday January 29 that the stolen phone belonged to Okocha who publicly embarrassed him in his house.

"Actually the whole thing has become so embarrassing because I am the owner of the phone to start with" informs Jeff who flew in from London same Thursday.

"It has nothing to do with 'Jay' (JayJay) was not even with us when the phone got missing because he was busy attending to other guests inside.

"There were four of us on the table myself, Junior; my childhood friend, one white guy and Etim Esin.

"And when I stood up to answer a call, I was reliably informed that the only person who stood up from that table after the phone disappeared was Etim" alleged Jeff.

"He, Etim was the only person who had admired that phone immediately I sat on that table and this made him the prime suspect.

"My childhood friend could not have taken it because he aside having the same phone, has the latest brand of it.

"I bought the phone for 1,500 Pounds in London and Jay Jay was nowhere near our table when the phone got missing.

"What has however been baffling me is the way Etim is turning the whole thing into a money making venture!

"Jay' was even the one that was calming me down afterwards because I really would have embarrassed the idiot!

"This incident happened on December 25th and not 26th as Etim claimed in (last) Thursday's publication because I was actually at the MTN office on the 26th to retrieve my line.

"This phone thing has nothing to do with Jay Jay and it is unfortunate that it happened in his house.

"When the first publication on this incident came out, I actually ignored it, but the way Etim is turning this incident into 
a money-making venture is to say the least embarrassing.

"It is not the phone; a Bang & Olufsen (serene) that actually matters much to me but the contact numbers that I had therein.

"I would have actually embarrassed Etim the more but for 'Jay' who pleaded that he didn't want the matter to extend further.

"And after he (Jay Jay) begged me, he even gave Etim money to pacify him since the phone was not found on him, but the manner 
He (Etim) has now framed everything on Okocha and the hype surrounding this incident is quite surprising because this incident has nothing to do with Jay Jay. It is just unfortunate that it happened in his house.

"If you want further information on this, please be free to call my line and I shall oblige you" concluded Jeff.

                  P  W D L F  A  

Cameroon          11 7 1 3 17 13

Nigeria           11 3 1 7 13 17

lucabrasi:
why wont nigeria go in circles when we nigerians collectively have not done anything different??
if you add 5 plus 5 it ll always give you 10 unless you do something different like multiplying it, what have we as nigerians done differently since the 1970s in spite of these politicians raping us and our economy,yet we expect them to suddenly see the light,repent and be born again and stop stealing millions, no country in the world got change simply by wishing for it

SuperPap:
Pat Utomi is not Barack Obama.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/27042008/around_and_about%20.html



" They didn’t know that their rump would be exposed by a mere breath of air. I wasn’t surprised, therefore, that members of that House were reported to have allocated to themselves a whopping N114, 054 for their daily bread. N114, 000 for the man who you say you voted for to eat per day, when you are finding it hard to buy a kongo of rice which costs N400!

It is much more mind-boggling because there are many out there who have not spent as much on their food in their entire life but, then that is not of concern to the Dimeji Bankole-led House. After reading this from a national daily on Sunday, a friend said in consternation that, even if one was to eat a whole elephant, it could not have cost up to that. I think so too.

Pray, what in God’s name would make the Bankole-led House appropriate for each member this ridiculous, insensitive and outrageous amount for food in one day? What were they thinking? I have not found a worse form of gluttony and corruption than this especially from the same people who are fond of pontificating and probing this and that. Another friend has just joked that I should worry less because the Reps allocated so much because they were forward-looking, that soon world prices of food will escalate to the extent that their N114, 000 will be just right. That is simply stealing and it becomes worse that President Yar’Adua had to succumb to the threat from this same House over the budget which the president didn’t want to sign because he said it was skewed in favour of the lawmakers.

The Reps, according to the newspaper report, did not stop there. They are planning to spend N1, 720, 000, 000 on purchase of office equipment while it would also spend another N600 million on computers and Integrated Information Technology Project and Infrastructure. It will spend another N250million on intercom connectivity. Curious spending? Any difference?

The Reps also made provision for N600 million to purchase guest houses for the Speaker and his deputy in “the Lagos area” while about N500 million was allocated for the Speaker’s residence, the same offence over which Olubunmi Etteh was, well, unnecessarily, vilified. Our Reps did not stop at this insensate profligacy. According to this same report, the lawmakers in their 2008 budget earmarked approximately N2.8billion to purchase new vehicles for themselves, notwithstanding that the same amount was earmarked for the same items in last year’s budget!


It is only wonders that shall never end, not the charade by the House of Reps. All foolery must come to an end especially this one, because, as more people go hungry, every gluttonous Rep will vomit every silly morsel of N114, 000 food allowance they are swallowing. They will also go hungry unless they are purged."

GoldCircle:
I totally agreed with the position of the Nigerian government! Enough of this "BIG brother" attitude and posture the rest of Africa is throwing at Nigeria! We need that $30 million like yesterday especially at this point in time of our national life. In a few months, we'll officially be fifty years, no roads, no rail, no good health care and yet we dey host different festivities & tourney like owambe party! Let's face the real issues! In fact, this is one thing baba go-slow has done that really impressed me. . . enough is enough!Haba!

bigmodo:
Could anyone tell me how to kill Yara'dua and become the president of nigeria. I can't wait for this opportunity.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20080803650595

Lagos roads turn gullies, no thanks to rains

ISOLO Road, Surulere Industrial Road, Ogba, Ojuelegba, Ijesa, Igando, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Ogba Retail Market and Ikotun, share a few physical features. Apart from being popular areas in the Lagos metropolis, some portions of their roads are a perfect evidence of degeneration.


Mrs. Bolanle Sadiq, an Ikorodu-based rice trader, had once been a victim of the deplorable state of Isolo Road. Sadiq won a contract to supply 12 bags of rice to a catering service provider engaged for a social event at Ikorodu.

To meet the deadline and beat other interested suppliers already waiting in the wings, she quickly called her customer at the popular Daleko Market to arrange for the supply. Her request was obliged. But as the truck, which was carrying the goods moved out of the market, it ran into one of the potholes dotting the Isolo Road.

All the efforts to get the vehicle out of the pothole yielded only frustration until the vehicle was eventually towed. ”In short, I lost the contract to a colleague who had enough in her shop at Ikorodu because much time was wasted on the vehicle. I doubt if there is any one here who has not experienced such a disappointment,” Sadiq laments.

But Lagos State seems to be listening to the complaints over Isolo Road. Some workers from the Ministry of Works have commenced rehabilitation works on the road. On Tuesday, our correspondent met them filling the potholes with gravel. One of the workers said the work started on Monday. ”And we hope that we have a good weather. If we don‘t have much rain as we had in the past one week, we are going to complete it before the end of this week,” he assures.

Even if the potholes are refilled, it will only achieve a temporary relief to the traffic gridlock that has become a permanent sight on the road. Mr. David Akinola, a retired civil servant and a landlord of over 20 years in the area, made this observation while speaking with our correspondent.

He says, ”The gravel they are using to fill the potholes will soon be washed away by heavy rain. Apart from that, there is a need to expand the road or construct an alternative. The volume of vehicles passing here is increasing daily. That is why we will continue to witness the traffic congestion. But we still thank the government for doing this work.”

The government, to the people of Ojuelegba, especially commercial drivers, does not deserve the gratitude showered on it by Akinola. Their grouse is informed by the perceived neglect of the roads under the flyover at Ojuelegba Roundabout. The state of the road has led to chaotic traffic situations and consequently a waste of productive hours in transit. In view of this, commercial drivers resort to a frequent adjustment of transport fares. Ojuelegba to Ikeja, which used to cost N100, is now N120, apparently to make up for time lost and the damage being done to vehicles.

[b]To a large extent, both Isolo Road and Ojuelegba can be considered a child‘s play when compared to the Surulere Industrial Road (Picture below), which links Adeniyi Jones with Acme Road in Ogba. A part of this road has become a gully, which continues to open up the other parts at an alarming rate, signalling a total break up of the road.

A factory worker, Mr. John Akhigbe, says the gully developed when a part of the road was dug while the drainage was being constructed; the project has not been completed till date. ”The work started two years ago. But the contactor has abandoned it. Nobody can say what has happened. What we can say is that the road has become a big problem to those who pass here,” says Akhigbe.

He recalls an incident where a commercial motorcycle operator fell into the gully. ”To rescue that okada man was a difficult job for us. He was only lucky that some of us were here on that day, otherwise he would have died inside the gully. We rescued him but he was seriously injured,” the factory worker says.

Morning, afternoon or evening, the traffic congestion on this road usually stretches to Adeniyi Jones and Acme. The gully has eaten up the road and made it a narrow path that cannot take more than one row of vehicles. Akhigbe adds, ”Those vehicles coming from Adeniyi Jones side will have to wait for those from Acme Road to pass. That is how bad it is.”[/b]

From Egbeda to Idimu, Ogba to Ipaja, Ajegunle to Apapa, the poor state of the roads in the state has been causing untold hardship to motorists and commuters. Although through the Public Private Partnership Programme of the state, the rehabilitation of roads has been carried out in areas like Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Ikeja, it has done little to assuage the problem.

The Director of Press and Public Relations, Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Fola Adeyemi, however, says the government is tackling the problem. “This government, as it has been widely acclaimed, is for the entire citizenry of Lagos State, irrespective of class or status. The roads are used by everybody. That is why we are giving attention to them because of their sensitive role to commercial activities, which the state is noted for,” Adeyemi says.

He, however, explains that the slow response to the bad roads is due to the current weather. Adeyemi stresses, “The rain factor is what is holding us back on the repair of those roads. We have identified those areas. We are only waiting for the rain to subside before we carry out comprehensive rehabilitation work on them.

“But those we realised are more critical to the economic activities due to the high volume of traffic that ply them, we have already started work on them. But this work is only a palliative measure to serve a temporary purpose until after the rain when we will do a more concrete work on them.”

His assurance may not bring the desired relief to the people because some of the bad roads are federal roads. Adeyemi, however, allays the fear of the public. He says, ”Those considered to be federal roads will also be repaired as we have done in the past.

“We have made a case to the Minister (of Transportation) on these roads. We have made her realise the implication of the poor state of their roads on the citizen. We will do them and get our money from them later. Although they have still not completed the payment of the last one we did, so far these roads are here, we will do something for the sake of the masses.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200808040281456

Lagos promises good roads despite rains

Amidst mounting complaints about the state of roads in the metropolis, the Lagos State Government has said that it will continue to implement its all-year-round road maintenance programme irrespective of the vagaries of weather.

It also noted that the flat terrain and the high water table of the city posed enormous challenge to its efforts to combat flooding and ensure smooth road network.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Ganiyu Johnson, said while monitoring ongoing road rehabilitation works as part of the ministry’s programme during the rainy season that the state government would not relent its effort to make the roads motorable.

A statement signed by Assistant Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Mr. Fola Adeyemi, which was made available to our correspondent on Friday, quoted Johnson as saying that irrespective of the rains; the state government would continue to maintain the roads in order to prevent failure.

He said, “Due to the age of these roads, high water level/marshy nature of Lagos soil, they cannot but be maintained in order to ensure free vehicular movement in the state.”

The statement added that all over the world, road construction works were usually reduced during the rainy season, but that this notwithstanding, the ministry had continued to make use of special mix of materials consisting of crushed stones and cement among others to fill and rehabilitate potholes as remedial measures on some roads in order to stabilise them and further make them motorable.

In addition, it said that some roads had been maintained with the use of quick patch bituminous materials depending on the extent of potholes, nothing that the materials were substitutes for asphalt premix during rainy season, especially when there was scarcity of bitumen for the production of asphalt.

Adeyemi listed some of the roads that had been maintained during the rains to include Alagbole/Odozi road, Ojodu; Emmamuel Street, Maryland; Akanro/Ishaja; Ogunmokun junction, Baba Olosa, Mushin; Baale by Boundary, Ajegunle; and Jibowu by railway line.

Others include Olowora Road, Isheri; Alhaji Kosoko Road, Ojodu; Isolo Road (on going); Asabi Cole, CBD, Ikeja; Ijaiye/Ogba Road; Toyin Street, Ikeja; and Akilo Road, Ogba.

The statement added, “All these networks of roads are continuously and regularly maintained, more importantly due to the high volume of rain and its intensity this year, which has been described by meteorologists as one of the heaviest in recent times.

Johnson, however, assured Lagos residents that immediately after the rains or by the August break, the state government would aggressively continue all the ongoing road projects and ensure that all roads in a state of disrepair were rehabilitated.

Another statement by the Public Relations Officer, Lagos Public Works Corporation, Mrs. Titi Ajirotutu, said all major road projects that were suspended due to heavy rains would be completed after the rainy season.

It said, “Some of these roads include the Funsho Williams Avenue service lane (by Ojuelegba), Isheri-Ijaiye Road, Aka-Kemberi Road, Ajangbadi.”

"the driver claimed" is what the whole story is based on. A dead body in what seems to be an advanced stage of decomposition. Smacks of premeditation, to me. Either someone (not referring to you) is lying or someone was set up. Or people were wrong about either the smell or the time of the accident.

Jakumo:
Anyone who believes that a person or animal can magically mutate into another species is an absolute slowpoke who deserves to be led by the nose forever in a basket-case country ruled by deceitful embezzlers.

Anyone who joins a baying crowd of morons to catch a glimpse of a magical species conversion,  like the bone-heads pictured in Lagos, as shown in the recently deleted thread about "cat women", should be prevented from breeding.

Any person who thinks human cadavers can be converted into free cash-dispensing ATM machines deserves to fall victim to ritual murderers so as to reduce the occurrence of profound ignorance in society.

If anything, Oga Seun's description of Nigeria's superstitious MAJORITY is overly lenient and courteous.  People who are so mentally deficient as to live pathetic lives governed by fear of magic do give idiocy a bad name and should be identified with appropriately descriptive words.