To make learning attractive and conducive for pupils in Ondo State, the state government is set to rehabilitate another set of primary schools in the state.

The State Chairman, Universal Basic Primary Education Board (SUBEB), Princess Oladunni Odu made this disclosure while speaking with The Hope in Akure.

She said at the last count, over five hundred primary schools have gone through complete overhauling in the three Senatorial Districts of the state.

The SUBEB boss maintained that what the state government is doing in the primary education sector is not just putting on structures, but putting a structure with befitting staff room, toilet and playing ground that will attract pupils to primary schools in the state.

She added that the state government has spent fortune in the sector by constructing fence round the rehabilitated schools to ward off miscreants and protect the pupils from any harm.

Odu added that the governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has passion for education in the state, reason he has resolved to make primary schools attractive in the state.

Her words:” In the next two or three weeks, another set of project on rehabilitation of primary schools in the state will commence. We have been given approval and it is what I am presently addressing. We have completed over five hundred primary schools’ rehabilitation in the state. What we are doing is to complete rehabilitation of schools with good staff room, good classrooms, toilet, playing ground, borehole and fencing the schools.”

“We have also given approval to schools in the state to embark on agriculture; this we think will boost food production in the state.”

Speaking on the welfare of primary school teachers, Princess Odu said that the present government has done much in that aspect, promising that the government is ready to do more.

“It gladdens one’s heart that the state government has been paying the salary of teachers as at when due and it is willing to do more as the economy of the state improves.

“Our teachers should reciprocate this kind gesture by putting in their best to impact knowledge on the pupils”.

On monitoring, she disclosed that the board will monitor teachers this year to ensure that they put in their best performances.

source: https://citadelng.com/ondo-rehabilitates-500-primary-schools/

OJODEL10:
will any good thing come out of this summit with these APC govs.?

Yes. That is why they hosted the summit to deliberate on security issues and proffer solutions to the crimes, and killings of herdsmen.

Do you know that there is a Police VGS solution app to cater for crime?

More photos

The South West Security Summit, midwifed by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), has commenced.

The summit is currently ongoing at the Theophilus Ogulesi Hall, Opposite UCH, Queen Elizabeth Road, Ibadan.

The Governors of the six states in the South West, led by the Chairman of the South West Governors Forum and Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, are already in the hall.

This summit is organised following the ugly trend of insecurity in the South West region of the country.

The host Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State gave the opening remark while Arakunrin Akeredolu will declared the summit open.

#SWSecuritysummit

Governors from the South West of Nigeria have been under pressure to put a lasting end to the spate of killings, kidnappings, robberies and other heinous crimes traced to Fulani herdsmen in the region. To this end, they have agreed to hold a security summit, from where residents expect a regional solution to emerge.

Governors Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) will be attending the security summit in collaboration with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, DAWN.

Akeredolu, who doubles as the chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum and convener of the summit, has assured that the proposed security summit would put an end to the activities of marauding herdsmen and address the insecurity challenges in the region.

On the expected results, the Chief Press Secretary to Akeredolu, Segun Ajiboye said: “You know we have held a security summit here in Ondo State and our governor is now taking the initiative to other states in the region.

“Governors of the six states at the meeting will find solutions to the menace. “I want to assure the people of the region that an end is in sight to the spate of insecurity in the South West. There will be a solution to these problems after the summit.”

The summit is coming on the heels of calls by the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum ( AYCF), the Miyetti Allah, and other pro-northern groups to collaborate with the region in solving the herdsmen challenges. The Miyetti Allah even asked for the establishment of Fulani vigilantes in other regions.


These are expected to be part of the conversations. But ahead of this meeting, the governors should realise that they just must not fail with certain expectations on their shoulders.

To begin with, don’t sell out your region. The Fulani are offering security options that we all know they will not possibly consider. The priority is keeping the region safe, and the security measures should rest on mobilising our resources, human, environmental and financial, to protect our people.

The governors should realise that what matters to Nigerians and residents of the region is to have a safe place to live, commute and work. That implies that whoever is working against this peace should be dealt with decisively. It’s not a question of a tribe or ethnic division, but the need to end criminalities on all ends.

Then, we need state security outfits that will complement the role of the military and the nation’s police force. In recent weeks, local hunters and members of the O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC) have expressed their readiness to help tackle the menace. No other group can know the routes and forests in Yorubaland as these two. Leaving them out could amount to shooting ourselves in the leg.

It’s more than certain the Fulani criminals will be particularly afraid of the involvement of these two groups. Since it doesn’t seem we’re ready for state police, the governors’ solutions should include their role.

Lastly, let’s stop the self-delusion, and declare the situation a terrorism emergency. We’ve erroneously kept the mindset that these are mere criminals, but the cost is there for all to see. Before we find ourselves in the shoes of Zamfara and Katsina states, these criminals must be treated with maximum force.

Now that, at last, South West governors realise the need to meet and chart a solution to the herdsmen invasion, Yorubas won’t accept outcomes that lack reality and a specific way forward.

SOURCE: https://qwenu.com/2019/06/24/fulani-invasion-agenda-for-south-west-governors-ahead-of-tuesdays-security-summit/

The long abandoned multi-million naira amphibious excavator (Amphibex 400E) purchased for the clearance of water hyacinth and sea weeds in the riverine areas of Ondo State has been successfully installed and ready to commence work, The Hope has gathered.

The machine was paid for by the administration of former governor of Ondo State, late Dr. Olusegun Agagu and delivered years later but abandoned thereafter.

Updating Government House Reporters yesterday on the state of the amphibex machine, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Tobi Ogunleye, said the machine would soon be launched into the sea for effective clearance of water hyacinth and sea weeds in the riverine areas.

Ogunleye particularly appreciated Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for his uncommon commitments to the well-being of the people of the state which made him to bring the machine back to life through the manufacturer, Normrock Industries Incorporated, led by Norman Grant, President and Chief Executive Officer of the firm.

“Before Governor Akeredolu came in, the multi-million naira machine has laid abandoned and in a complete state of ruins. I thank Normrock Industries Incorporated, Canada, who helped to retrieve the machine after it had been auctioned off by the Nigerian Custom Service.

Basically, this machine is expected to serve the people in the riverine areas of the state. It is good for clearing water hyacinth, sea weeds, and more importantly, the manufacturer told me one hidden function of the machine-it can be used to blow bitumen.

According to Engr (Dr) Pius Omoge, Director, Inland Water Ways, Ondo State Ministry of Transport, the multipurpose machine for a very long time was in a state of dilemma when the machine arrived at the Lagos Airport, just as he lauded the present governor of the state, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, for paying special attention for the installation of the machine.

Earlier the manufacturer of the Amphibex machine, Norman Grant, who explained the numerous functions of the machine said it is good for dredging and general clearing of river weeds and water hyacinth.

He added that local engineers have been trained on the operation of the machine, saying it is very simple to operate and maintain.

SOURCE: https://citadelng.com/odsg-installs-abandoned-excavator/

Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Saturday embarked on an Inspection tour of the ongoing construction of 8.5 Kilometers road in Ipele, Owo local government area of the state.

Arakunrin Akeredolu was welcomed into the community with songs of appreciation and prayer by the people of Ipele community including women group and the immediate past Caretaker Chairman of Owo Local Government, Hon. Adebayo Oke.

They appreciated the governor for fulfilling his promise to the community and also used the occasion to assure the governor of their unalloyed support to enable him deliver more dividends of good governance to the people of the community and the state at large.

Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN, on Friday, received in audience, officers of the Western Naval Command led by the Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji.

Governor Akeredolu said his administration will continue to support and work with the Navy to secure the waterways and rid it of criminal elements.

The Governor noted that since the protection of the waterways has been taken off individual and given to the Navy, calm has returned to the riverine area of the state.

While stressing the importance of securing the waterways in the state, Akeredolu said due to the nature of the coastal area, more attention must be paid to securing the area so as to forestall security breach in the country.

Speaking earlier, the Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Daji, who said he was visiting units under his command, appreciated the Governor for the support rendered to the Forward Operating Bases, Igbokoda in Ilaje Local government area of the state.

He said " The FOB Igbokoda has received tremendous support from the state government in terms of speed boats and operational vehicle. We are grateful."

The Commander also thanked the Governor for being a good host to the FOB Igbokoda and the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Imeri.

"Thank you for being a very good host not only to the FOB Igbokoda, but also the Nigerian Navy Secondary school, Imeri. I was there and I saw the beautiful road your administration has constructed there." He said.

The senior officer assured Governor Akeredolu that with the good work he has delivered to the people, the good people of the state will support him massively for a second term in Office so as to continue to serve the people of the state.

He said " As you are preparing to wind up your First term in Office , I have every assurance and confidence that the good people of Ondo State, having seen the good work you have done will vote overwhelming for you for the second term so you can continue to serve the people. "

The National Economic Council on Thursday in Abuja reconstituted an Ad-hoc Committee to reconcile the Excess Crude Account, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s remittance and related issues.

Gov. Ahmadu Fintri of Adamawa announced this when he briefed State House correspondents alongside Governors Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo and Willie Obiano of Anambra at the end of the Council meeting which was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

He gave the members of the committee to include the governors of Kaduna, Edo, Jigawa and Ebonyi.

According to him, the committee is expected to meet with relevant federal government officials for the reconciliation.

He revealed that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance updated the Council on the balance of the excess crude account as of June 19, 2019 which he said was 144, 01 million dollars.

“Also update on the Stabilisation Fund Account was presented to the Council and as at today the balance at the stabilisation account stood at N17.67billion.

“Update on the Natural Resources Development Fund stood as at today June 19, 2019 is N77.73billion,’’ he added.

In his contribution, Gov. Akeredolu revealed that President Buhari inaugurated the Council where he charged the members to promote projects that would ensure speedy economic growth and development across the country.

“Mr President in his inaugural speech charged the Council among others to pay particular attention to the issue of security, agriculture, education and health.

Mr President charged the Council to bring forward key resolutions that would move the country forward and enhance better security in the nation.

“He told the governors that the federal government would assist the states to access foreign assistances for basic education.

“Buhari implored the states to find ways to improve economic conditions of the poor, take agriculture and health seriously in order to better the lots of the citizens,’’.

SOURCE: https://citadelng.com/nec-reconstitutes-committee-to-reconcile-excess-crude-account/

Ondo State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS) has extended its Land Use Charge sensitization tour to residents of Ore community in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The Director of Property Tax, Mr Henry Akinrinsola while addressing stakeholders at a town hall meeting in Ore said the law began operation in 2017.

He said their commitment in paying the land use charge will make them have moral justification to ask for dividends of democracy for their community from the government.

Responding to some questions from the people, the Head of Land Use Charge, Mr Fidelis Fadugbagbe noted that the implementation was delayed due to its nature before the present administration.

According to him, this has however been addressed by the Akeredolu administration who has given waivers on some if its complicated procedures making it easier for the people to comply with and in making payment.

He disclosed that the implementation has fully begun in some parts of the state and has been very effective .

Fadugbagbe outlined various structures of payment identifying them through the low, middle and high valued areas saying that the lowest payment is a thousand naira while the highest is N10,000 naira excluding the commercial buildings which may attract higher fees.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Hon. Ifabiyi Olatunji appreciated the people for their commitment and presence at the meeting and assured them of dividends of democracy that are due to them.

Olatunji said there was need for government to create other ways of generating revenue to complement the federal allocation which he noted was not enough for developmental projects.

The land use charge, he said, is one of those ways. government has created among many others to meet the dwindling economy of the state and the nation at large.

The Ore Community Chairman, Alhaji Suraju Olayiga appreciated the state government for the initiatives taken so far promising that the people will comply with the payment of the land use charge.

SOURCE: https://citadelng.com/odirs-sensitises-ore-community-on-land-use-charge/

The First Lady of Ondo State, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu -Akeredolu has called on young girls to build careers in Information Communication and Technology(ICT) and solar technology.

Mrs Akeredolu stated this recently while welcoming members of Flourish Bible Church, Akure led by its General Overseer, Pastor Ibukun Oluwatayo who came in company of Ms. Rebacce Huey, an American on a missionary project to Nigeria, to acquaint the first lady of her mission.

Mrs. Akeredolu said that her laudable project, BEMORE, is aimed at impacting knowledge through science and technology.

Emphasising the role of ICT in changing the world, the First Lady said that more young girls should be encouraged to pick up interest in ICT technology and sciences by creating opportunities for them to excel.

She noted that beneficiaries of the project are girls from humble backgrounds who have been taken into the technology-driven world especially ICT and solar technology and impacted with other life enhancing skills.

“One of our girls, Tolu Ehimosan, was one of the girls who participated in BEMORE Summer Bootcamp 2017, she went to the World Energy Conference in Tehran, Iran and came up as 2nd runner up. She is from Okitipupa, a daughter of a roadside corn seller. She is currently studying Computer Engineering at the University of Lagos.

“Another one, Marvelous Jegede, built a solar panel and installed in her house, presently, we are using her project to compete for CNN heroes “

Arabinrin Akeredolu further revealed that no fewer than 750 girls had benefitted so far, as she assured that addition of 400 young girls would be admitted this year. “It is pitiable that most of our young girls are unaware of the digital world and consequently sidelined because their parents do not have wherewithal to provide them with computers or laptops that will create access to this new world.

“That is why I created BEMORE so that our young girls can have interest in Science, Mathematics and ICT, and this is the third year of the project. We are training them to go to areas considered as men’s world and these girls are doing great and amazingly. They are also educated on breast health. In fact, they are advocates of breast cancer awareness.”

The First Lady while appreciating Ms. Huey and her foundation for being one of her followers on her Twitter handle added that training and empowering women is tantamount to nation building. She acknowledged the amazing and immense contributions of the social media to the world, saying it has bridged thousands of miles thereby bringing people together where they can connect easily, affordably and instantly across the globe.

SOURCE: https://citadelng.com/build-careers-in-ict-solar-tech-mrs-akeredolu-urges-girls/

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, says the growth of the Nigerian economy will mostly be driven by technology and not the oil and gas industry.

Osinbajo made this known at the unveiling of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Innovation Experience Centre in Lagos on Wednesday.

The Vice President, who was represented by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, said the centre was in line with the present administration’s plan to improve the ease of doing business, transform the economy and boost technology adoption.

“The PwC Experience Centre is in line with the smart technology initiative of the government. As an administration, we recognise that Nigeria’s future does not lie in oil and gas but more in technology and innovation. This is anchored on moving the economy away from a resource-based to a people-based model. We must take this seriously going forward,” Osinbajo said.

Other guests at the centre including Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Chairman, Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia; and the Regional Senior Partner, PwC West Africa, Uyi Akpata, urged the corporate community to take advantage of the opportunities in smart technology to transform the country’s economy and boost their performances.

Sanwo-Olu stated that the centre reflected the state government’s plan to transform the city’s economy with smart solutions, urging other corporate entities to take a cue from the consulting firm and take advantage of the government’s technology agenda.

“I think the PwC initiative is the way to go. It is in line with what the Lagos State government is doing to boost the economy. I encourage other companies to see it as a challenge and begin to tap into the opportunities the government is creating,” he said.

According to Ovia, who chaired the event, Nigerian businesses stand a chance to triple their growth rate and earnings through innovation and technology.

“The options are to innovate and transform or die,” he said.

Through the centre, Akpata said the firm was expanding its digital services and innovative solution offerings across West Africa.

He added, “The centre, the first of its kind by a professional services firm in West Africa combines creativity, research, existing knowledge and strategic insight with a new structured way of solving problems. This unique, modular, flexible concept supports PwC’s clients’ teams in exploring, designing and building user-centric solutions, ranging from re-imagining customer experiences to fully transforming business models and creating new ecosystems. The use of emerging technologies is pivotal to this designing process.”

Also, Partner and Experience Centre Leader, PwC West Africa, Femi Osinubi, noted, “We are harnessing the power of intelligent digital and we will be asking the tough questions. We will not just be solving client problems; we will actually be building entirely new businesses, whole new platforms that have not been considered before. We shall draw out the value within the market in areas where we can combine business, technology and experience but underpinned by deep customer insights.”

Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Wednesday, June 19th, 2019 received in audience, participants of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) Academy, Ijebu-Igbo, who were on a five-day study tour of the Ondo State.

The participants who cut across the country were led by the Acting Assistant Comptroller-General of Nigeria Prisons, Benson Oluwayiopese,

The theme of the study tour is, "Commercial Cannabis Growing in Ondo State: A Panacea for Economic Emancipation of over dependent on Federal allocation."

Governor Akeredolu appreciated the team for acknowledging all the salutary efforts of his administration to better the lives of the citizenry, promising to do more in fulfilment of his electioneering campaign promises to the people.

The governor who harped on the good use of cannabis, informed that when the oil is extracted it could be used to cure many chronic Illnesses.

He urged the team to research on the medicinal use of cannabis and also educate the populace on it to benefit mankind and improve the economy of the country, adding that Nigeria stands to gain billions of dollars like others countries from the proposed legal and controlled cultivation of cannabis.

Earlier, the leader of the team and Acting Assistant Comptroller-General of Nigeria Prisons, C.P Benson Oluwayiopese, said the Nigerian Prisons Service Academy, Ijebu-Igbo Ogun State, commenced operation in the year 2013 as the Regional Centre for Penal Education and Development in Africa and beyond.

He explained that the state was chosen for the study tour because of its novel and innovative intention towards legal and controlled cannabis cultivation for medicinal and economic benefits, the bill of which was pending before the National Assembly for passage.

Oluwayiopese noted that Canada, Uruguay, America and many other countries have legalised cannabis cultivation for medical treatment and economic benefit, stressing that if legalised at the national level it would drastically improve the economy of the country and address issue of chronic illness which cost alot of money to treat among Nigerians.

A member of the House of Representatives representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has nominated his counterpart from Lagos State, Femi Gbajabiamila, for the position of the Speaker of the House.

Jibrin nominated Gbajabiamila during the inaugural session of the 9th House of Representatives on Tuesday.


This was seconded by a Rep member Lynda Ikpeazu of Onitsha south constituency, elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

She said: “I second the nomination of a nation builder and a man who believes in the unity of this country”.

Gbajabiamila is a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from Lagos State and has been endorsed by the ruling party to succeed Yakubu Dogara.

The Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, is leaving none in doubt of the fact that he’s in government for serious business. The governor has delivered no fewer than 45 kilometer of roads in the last 18 months across the three senatorial districts of the State. In his less than 3years of governorship, Akeredolu has already littered the the face of the state with beautiful projects.

From the south through the central to the northern senatorial districts of the sunshine state, the governor works wonders.

The government of Ondo State under Akeredolu has done a number of many other road projects that are still undergoing construction. In Ondo North Senatorial District, the commissioner listed projects completed to include the 2.5km Jubilee Ugbe road; 1.5km Supare (Oke Afaa) road and 27.5km Iwaro road.

This is apart from the reconstruction of the collapsed three major culverts in Ikare-Akoko. Others are 2.5km Hewlet, Ogbo Omo, Igbadara and Ayegunle road in Ifon. Also completed are the 2.5km internal roads in GRA, Owo; the dualization of adjoining roads in Owo is almost completed. On the planned dualization of 4.3km Ikare township road, 7.1km road in Owo and the 7.8km Akure-Ijoka-A Divison road, the Special Adviser said valuation of the properties across the roads had reached advanced stage.

These include Iyere – ipele – idoani road; access road in Powderize egg factory at Emure; parking lot at Akure airport; construction of Ondo Boys High school internal road network; dualisation of CBN road, akure; construction of Subeb Sijuade road, akure; repair of approach slabs of Alape & Aboto bridge in ilaje.

The government partnered with NDDC and has just awarded 40km Araromi (ondo state) – Lekki (Lagos state) road.

It has also awarded Idanre to ijoka is 16km & dualisation of A Division to ijoka is 8.14km.

The Oke -Alabojuto /Ikare dualisation road project is a wonderment for which the northern constituents of the state has continued to hail the governor. Yet, the works continue unabated across the state.

Projects to include the 1.5km Abusoro road in Akure; 2.0km Iwalewa-Alafiatayo-Hospital-Oshinle road in Akure.

Also completed, according to the governor’s aide, is the 3km Okelisa and Bajare roads in Idanre; Ongoing ones to include Oke-Ogba road in Akure, Alagbaka-High Court-SIB road also in Akure; Gaga road in Aluke; Igbaraoke-Ibuji road; Isharun township roads and Bolodunro-Fagbo road in Ondo town.

Fiwasaye-Airport street light project is also ongoing. Sabomi-Ajagba road was 95% completed, while work is ongoing on Police Station road in Ore. Work has also reached 97% completion on Okitipupa-Ayeka-Irele road.

If Akeredolu continues this way, many among the people will benefit from the people – oriented projects for which he has now become very popular with the people of the state.

In recognition of the infrastructural works he’s doing in the state which has attracted huge luster and acclaim, we hail and confer the award of the Doyen of Democracy on him.

Cpt. Kolapo Ipinsaye, Akure, Ondo State.

SOURCE: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/akeredolu-turning-ondo-state-around.html

The National Deputy Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Lawali Shuaibu, has called for the resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.



This is coming after the loss of Zamfara state to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The ruling party has been embroiled in various crisis before and after the general election, which resulted in the party losing many states.


News reported that Oshiomhole had on Monday set up a five-man committee to look into anti-party activities of members.

The National Chairman has been at loggerheads with chieftains and governors of the APC.

Some of APC governors who are reportedly not happy with Oshiomhole include; Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, amongst others.

In a six-page letter dated May 27th, 2019, and addressed to the Chairman, Shuaibu held that in advanced democracies, people who fail to add value or build over and above what they met on assumption of duty show some civilised examples, “they honourably resign.”

The letter titled “APC: Its fortune and misfortune, time to act!” said: “Please don’t get me wrong, do not think I am saying these about your conduct as Chairman because I want to be Chairman.

“I don’t want to be NationaI Chairman, because I can not be, even if I want to, for as long as President Muhammadu Buhari is in office, having come from the same North West geopolitical zone.



“In advanced democracies, people who fail to add value or build over and above what they met on assumption of duty show some civilized examples, they honourably bow out.

“In that connection, therefore, I want to advise you to take the path of honour, to step aside and allow the Party to embark on the onerous task of reconstruction and rehabilitation in those States it was weakened by the effect of manner the last primary election exercises were conducted or even the task of recreating the party where it is on the path of extinction, arising from the loss of a sitting APC Government, for example in Zamfara State, where you directly personally created the problem leading to the painful complete loss of APC’s electoral fortunes, FROM UP TO DOWN I All these are uncontestable facts. You cannot exonerate yourself from blame on what happened to APC Zamfara State, thereby destroying the hopes and aspirations of 534,541 APC members and supporters, including my good self!”

SOURCE: https://www./2019/05/28/breaking-apc-as-dep-chairman-oshiomhole-to-resign/

The Ondo state governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has directed all MDAs and the Local Governments across the state to fully comply and submit their vehicles for integrity test at the just commissioned Ondo State Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre.

The governor who gave the directive while commissioning the Ondo State Computerised Vehicle Inspection Service, Akure Cente, at the VIO office, Akure, the state capital, assured that his government would continue to ensure the safety of the people of the state on the roads.

At the commissioning, the governor equally set a good example by subjecting his official vehicles to integrity test at the Centre, adding that his personal vehicles would also undergo the same test.

Akeredolu described the state-of-the-art computerised vehicle inspection gadget as a remarkable accomplishment in the overall drive towards realising the positive and effective transformation as envisaged by his administration.

Center would lead to effective transportation system in the state, describing it as modern diagnostic center for vehicles. He said very soon vehicles without road Worthiness Certificates would not be allowed to ply the roads in the state as safety is very important.

He stressed that at the end of the day all the 18 local government areas of the state would have computerised vehicle inspection service center.

Akeredolu described the centre as an Auto Trauma Center where a comprehensive electrical and mechanical check of all kinds of vehicles shall be carried out before awarding the most important road worthy certificate, adding that era of awarding certificate of Road Worthiness without the necessary and mandatory test has gone .

He revealed that with the adoption of the new technology of vehicle inspection in the state, the Ministry of Transport has experienced a paradigm shift from the inherited analogue and manual ways of assessing and evaluating the integrity and profile of vehicles with a view to awarding “Road Worthy Certificate”.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to the governor on Transport, Mr. Tobi Ogunleye, while commending the governor for the laudable initiative, explained that the Centre would guarantee and ensure safety of lives and properties of road users on roads in the state.

The chairman and CEO of Messrs Temple Resources Limited, Segun Obayendo, disclosed that the Centre has the capacity to inspect 120 vehicles per day.

Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has waded into clash between herdsmen and Gedegede Akoko community with their monarch in the state.

The prompt intervention of the state government seemed to have saved the situation that could have led to another bloody clash between herdsmen and the community.

According to Onigedegede of Gedegede in Akoko North West Local Government Area, 0ba Walidu Sanni, reports of incessant destruction of farm produce of farmers from the town made farmers to report to the police in the area which led to nine hefty Fulani men to invade his palace.

He said they came and harassed occupants of his palace.

The monarch said the incident was reported to the police after seizing a gun and cutlass from them. He added that the matter was reported to Divisional Police Officer DPO, Okeagbe, a Superintendent of Police, Johnson Akintola, chairman, Akoko North West Local Government, Elder Samson Akande and his colleagues Obas in the area.

It was gathered that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu immediately directed his Special Assistant on Security Matters, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo to attend a stakeholder’s parley to douse tension and apprehension in the council area. The meeting which was well attended with all security chiefs in the local government. The governor representative, Dojumo said carrying arms and ammunition are prohibited while gracing between 6am and 6pm, adding that under aged children should not be put in charge of cattle.

Dojumo urged Fulanis to live with their host community peacefully, noting that governor will soon invite the stakeholders for discussion and put lasting solution to the perennial problem facing them.

Earlier, Miyetti Allah, Ondo State chairman, Alhaji Sule Bello said Fulani vigilante groups had helped to reduce kidnapping in the state. He urged Fulanis to maintain peace and cooperate with their landlords and host communities to make peaceful co- existence.

The council chairman, Elder Samson Akande commended mediation efforts of Governor Akeredolu and the council of traditional rulers in the area for their support. Dignitaries included Zaki of Arigidi, Owa of Ogbagi, Akala of Ikaram, Elese of Ese, Chief Owolabi Abanikannda, chairman, PCRC, Okeagbe Police Division, Alhaji Usman Bala Special Adviser to Governor on hausa Matters and Alhaji Ibrahim Kilani, chairman, Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIREC) Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State.

SOURCE: https://leadership.ng/2019/05/24/akeredolu-wades-into-herdsmen-monarch-clash/

In furtherance of Ondo State Government's vision to intensify more efforts on rural development and extension services, the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Wednesday presented cheques of a total sum of N516million to second set of 37 communities and 13 vulnerable groups.

This is to enable the beneficiaries to kick-start the implementation of their self-help and empowerment projects, respectively, under the Community and Social Development Project Additional Financing (CSDPAF).

It will be recalled that Akeredolu's administration presented cheques with the total sum of N167million to the first set of 19 communities for the similar purpose in the year 2017.

Speaking at the event held at the International Centre for Culture and Events (The Dome) in Akure, the Governor said this was in line with the unwavering determination of his administration to run an inclusive government, which according to him, involves every citizen and resident of the state in its development plan.

Akeredolu, represented by the Deputy Governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, lauded the state Community and Social Development Agency, saying its has lived up to expectation of facilitating the people to utilise their innate intelligence and indigenous capacity to drive development in the state most especially in the rural areas.

His words, "We appreciate the fact that the Community and Social Development Project utilises the bottom-up community Driven Development approach in its project implementation strategy, involving the projects' end users, particularly in its identification through the participatory Rural Appraisal, a platform for grassroots policy dialogue, implementation and taking ownership of the projects.

"Our administration will not relent in abridging the wide socio-ecomomic gap between the hinterlandsand urban centres as real development can only be actualised and accentuated through the active symbiosis between the two, an understanding predicated on collaboration and coexistence designed for amity and progress

"Let me commend the Special Adviser and the Ondo State Community and Social Development Agency (ODCSDA) for facilitating and impacting into the the lives of inhabitants of 142 communities across the three senatorial districts of the state with 361 projects to date".

In his welcome address, the Special Adviser on Rural and Community Development to the Governor, Rt.Hon. Victor Olabimtan, said ODCSDA was one of the 27 states including FCT participating in CSDP fully certified by the World Bank to operate in the CSDP Additional Financing phase.

Olabimtan noted that the World Bank-assited programme was to improve access to services of human development, while the project developmental objective was to support empowerment of communities and local government authorities for increased access by the poor to improved social and natural resources infrastructure services in a sustainable manner.

He however stressed that CSDP has contributed significantly in achieving the target set by this administration regarding her JMPPR priority policies.

The Federal Government on Tuesday officially inaugurated a 10 megawatts power plant at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

It also inaugurated an Accident Rescue Centre, the NAIA Domestic Terminal D and the Fire and Rescue Station of the General Aviation Terminal.



The facilities, some of which had been in use by airport users and passengers, were inaugurated by the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

The minister stated that the facilities were introduced to not only boost power and safety but to also increase passengers’ comfort at the nation’s capital airport.

The Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Rabiu Yadudu, told journalists that the power plant would end all forms of electricity outages at the Abuja airport.

He said the plant was completed abroad and shipped into Nigeria before it was assembled at the NAIA.

Yadudu, who became head of the authority on Monday, stated that it took about two years for the contractor to complete the power project, adding that the facility had significantly improved power supply at the NAIA.

The new FAAN boss said, “This power plant has a capacity of 10MW and it will definitely put an end to all forms of power outages at the Abuja airport.

“This is because we won’t have to depend on the public power supply and we are sure that it will supply 100 per cent of the electricity we need at this airport.”

When asked to state the cost of the power project, Yadudu replied, “I cannot tell you that but the good thing is that we are now free from power supply problems as a result of the introduction of this plant."

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/fg-inaugurates-10mw-power-plant-others-at-abuja-airport/

The meeting between Ondo State House of Assembly Ad-hoc Committee and other stakeholders in the fire incident at Ugbo-llaje Ojumole Oil Well operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited was yesterday postponed.

The postponement of the meeting was as a result of the failure of lkorigho community, one of the affected communities in the inferno that occurred on April 18 this year to present recognised representative.

Mr. Bamidele Oleyelogun, Speaker of the House said the date for another meeting will be communicated after the on-the-spot assessment to scene of the inferno by the members of the committee.

Oleyelogun, who expressed displeasure over the negligence of chevron towards the fire incident that occurred 35 days ago said residents of the affected communities have been displaced and their properties destroyed.

The issue, which he said must be given adequate attention by chevron is how to put lasting solution to the incident assured the stakeholders not to see legislators at the House as unbiased representatives of people, adding that justice will be done to the fire incident.

The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Abayomi Akinruntan, who alleged the oil giant of using divide and rule tactics in lkorigho community condemned the company for not doing the needful since the incident occurred 35 days ago.

Members of the Committee demanded immediate intervention from the company to put off the fire as well come to the aid of the affected people though compensation.

Speaking, the State Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Mr.Tayo Adeniyi, said upon the various steps taken by the state government, the chevron company did not do the needful to curtail the fire.

Commenting, the representative of OdoNla community, Dr., Akin Akinruntan, expressed worries and said that the prosperity of the people of the affected communities from fishing as source of their livelihood has been vanished as they could not go for their daily economic activities.

According to him, “Where there is oil well being drilled, it causes heart diseases through carbon monoxide released to the air.

“Carbon dioxide from oil destroys lungs and cause cancer”

He demanded the company to pay adequate compensation to affected communities within 8kilometres radius.

Akinruntan also called on the company to address oil field well share with Delta State in order to forestall the break dawn of law

Responding, the General Manager, Chevron, Mr. Esimage Brikihn, said the necessary steps are being taken as more equipment and experts with regulatory agencies are on ground to control the fire.

The Ondo State government is gradually transforming Ore town, the headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, to an industrial hub in order to ensure a solid economic base for the state and to create more employment opportunities.

Prior to the coming on board of the present adminstration of Rotimi Akeredolu in Ondo State, to many, the state is regarded as one of the agrarian states of the federation, which is also populated by civil servants with not enough functional industries across the state.


Most industries put in place by the first civilian governor, the late Adekunle Ajasin, between 1979 and 1984, had gone moribund with no hope of revival for many of them. Some of such industries included the Oluwa Glass in Okitipupa, Ifon Ceramics in Ifon, while the only surviving Okitipupa Oil Palm Company is still struggling for survival.

But as part of his electoral promises during the 2016 governorship campaign, Akeredolu is staying true to his words to industrialise the Sunshine State in line with the best in the country and also to create more employment opportunities.

Aside creating jobs, the establishment of these industries is also to ensure a solid economic base for the state and reduce over-dependence on the monthly allocations from the Federal Government to develop the state.


In mid-2017, the governor embarked on an investment tour to China, where he sealed an agreement and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Linyi Municipal Government of Shandong Province, which gave birth to five of what is now known in the state as the Ore Industrial Park, in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state. This has contributed to repositioning the state and has gradually put the state on the level of becoming one of the leading industrialised states in the country.

At least five different companies have commenced operations at the Ore Industrial Park, which include a paper mill, ethanol plant, medium density fibre board, high density fibre board, plywood and textile company.

The aftermath of the tour to Linyi Municipal Government of Shandong Province by Akeredolu and his team led to the kick-off of 10,000 hectares of the afforestation project, where Gmelina arborea was planted on 1,500 of the 10,000 hectares, which was jointly owned by the Ondo State government and Wewood.

During a visit by the Nigerian Tribune to the new industrial park, it was noticed that all facilities had been put in place for the paper mill factory. According to the Business Development Manager of Weewood Limited, Mr Sun Peng, while conducting reporters round the paper mill company, the paper mill is structured to create more jobs for residents.

He stated that Weewood had prepared for the take-off of the paper mill long before the arrival of machines for the mill in Nigeria, by making the primary raw materials available in large form, saying “this was done through the planting of trees that will form the primary raw materials for the mill.”

He also said: “The trees keep growing and maturing on a daily basis because this is a fertile land. The trees are yielding expected results and we have enough materials on ground even before the take-off of the paper mill company.

“We did not rely solely on the plantation we have here for the production of paper, we also source for materials from local suppliers who specialise in the production of this special wood which is used for newsprint.”

Peng, however, said production is being delayed by power supply to the factory. He disclosed that the project is about 95 per cent completion, and attributed the establishment of the factory and other companies to the proximity to power supply.

Peng said the factory is now about 80 per cent complete, adding that on completion, the paper mill is expected to employ more than 3,000 direct staff, while many more are expected to benefit from jobs created down the value chain.

Speaking on the development, another worker who hails from Ore, Saheed Abifarin, said: “The governor deserves commendation for this initiative. This is a win-win situation for Ondo State and its people. The company has been employing our people and will continue to employ our people on the farm to plant the trees; it will go on to employ many of our unemployed youth in the factory and other auxiliary jobs that would be created. It will improve quality of life here.”

At the Ethanol plant, work had commenced at the site and all facilities have been put in place.

It was observed that farmers, businessmen, and women are already reaping from the indirect jobs created by the ethanol plant. The warehouse is filled with thousands of bags of dried cassava, waiting to be loaded into the machines, while more than 20 trailer-loads of cassava are waiting to off-load several other bags of cassava brought by local suppliers.

Peng explained that in producing ethanol, the company would use cassava for its production. He disclosed that a special specie of cassava is being planted in-between the Gmelina trees, which will be used to feed the ethanol plant.

Noting that test-run of the machines would begin before the end of April, he added: “Already, about 1,000 people have been employed for the ethanol factory for direct jobs. The plant is also expected to provide jobs for more than 10,000 people, particularly cassava farmers and traders.”

He said local and private farmers had been involved and stressed that local farmers, who have been supplying the cassava, are excited about a ready and lucrative market for their goods.

One of the farmers, Shehu Oladapo, who trades in cassava in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state, commended the efforts of Akeredolu for the initiative and said: “I thank Governor Akeredolu for this initiative and it will go a long way to realise our dreams. We come on a daily basis to supply cassava and we are happy with this, as we are paid promptly and this project has turned cassava to gold in this part of the state.”

At the ethanol project, it was observed that farmers, businessmen, and women were already reaping from the jobs created by establishment of the ethanol plant.

The Weewood Plywood/HDF factory is already bubbling with activities The company’s products, high-quality fiberboard plywood, are already in high demand in markets across the state.

One of the workers, who spoke with Nigerian Tribune, said: “The workers are working round the clock to meet the demand of the local market, while there is international demand for the product.” He, however, said that the factory would surely be positioned to earn foreign currency through the export of the product, which has been in high demand.

The WinWin Textile factory also located inside the park commenced production of textile thread a few months ago. This building is workplace for no fewer than 500 workers and this has also helped to solve the problem of unemployment, especially for residents, who for the first time have found a worthwhile venture outside the civil service.

According to one of the managers of WinWin Textile, Ahmed Adeyinka, the textile is presently producing polyester sewing thread. He also disclosed that the textile factory would move to the next stage of producing textile materials like lace, Ankara, among others, very soon.

“Presently, we have 500 people working for us. We now produce all kinds of sewing polyester thread for the local market. In a couple of months from now, the factory will begin to run at full capacity with the production of textile materials of all kinds,” he said.

One of the managers of the wood factory, Oyeye Destiny, explained that the industrial park was located in Ore because of the centrality of the town as the town is regarded as the gateway between the South-West, South-East and South-South geopolitical zones. For travellers going to the South-South/ South-East from Lagos, Ore is the stop-over point where people get refreshed before proceeding on their long journeys.

Being a gateway town, many industrialists have moved to establish one company or the other in the town, as there is the belief that getting raw materials from the hinterland and the finished product to markets in Lagos would be easier.

Aside this, the Federal Government presence in the town through the Independent Power Plant (IPP) established a few years ago made Ore town the destination of many foreign and local investors because of the proximity to the power plant, the absence of which hinders the growth of many industries across the country.

This is one of the reasons the immediate past government set up an IPP in order to distribute electricity to companies which may want to establish in the corridor. All factories are set to commence operations immediately the IPP completes the process to transit power to the industrial park.

More than 3,000 people have been employed by the companies and factories, but the plant is also expected to provide jobs for more than 10,000 people.

However, the Ore Industrial Park which is fashioned after Linyi Municipal Government of Shandong Province in China, will not only turn the state to a model for one-stop industrial parks in the country, it will also help to take unemployed youth off the streets.

And if the experience of the Linyi’s economy, which is based around its wholesale markets and an annual trade volume of 40 billion RMB (US$5 billion), is anything to go by, the administration of Akeredolu may have just set a standard by which governance would be measured in the country.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday presided over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

It started around 10.02am with the rendition of the National anthem.

Muslim opening prayer was said by the Minister of Water Resource, Suleiman Adamu while the Christian opening prayer was offered by the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs.

The Monday meeting, which normally holds on Wednesdays, is part of efforts to successfully end the current tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.


The current cabinet is expected to hold its valedictory session on Wednesday.

Inauguration of the second term tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is slated for 29th of May 2019.

President Buhari went to Makkah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last week to observe Umrah.

SOURCE: https://thenationonlineng.net/osinbajo-presides-over-fec-3/

The inferno which engulfed oil wells operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited in Ojumole communities in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State has continued unabated 32 days after it started.

While the Ondo State Government, community leaders and Chevron are battling to extinguish the fire, some communities from Delta and Ondo, said to be affected by the inferno, are locked in a battle of ownership of the lighted oil wells.

Although the crisis is yet to blow open, the communities sharing the boundaries where the wells are located, are contending over the wells in anticipation of possible compensations coming from the oil company.

It was initially believed that the oil well, located in Ilaje local government of Ondo State, belonged to it. But, Polobubo-Tsekelewu community in Warri North LGA of Delta State have made claims that it is home to the oil wells still on fire.

It claimed that the wells are part of the Ikpalapkala-Bou oil facility in the Ijaw community. It vowed to resist any attempt by Chevron to cede the facility to the Ojumale oil well in Ondo State.

Showdown

The Delta community is threatening a showdown with the contending communities and the oil company.

At a recent meeting held in Warri, Delta State, the Polobubo-Tsekelewu National Council (PNC) noted that Chevron’s position was ‘provocative’ as its operations in the area was having adverse effects in the community.

Speaking through its National President, Ebilate Mac-Yoroki, the community urged the Delta State Government to back its claims on the oil wells and mount pressure on Chevron to put out the fire.

But the Ondo State communities are unrelenting over their claims of the oil wells.



They claimed that Ikorigho, Ojumole, Zion Ikorigho, Otumara, Ajegunle, Ilueri and Bowoto communities in Ilaje were impacted by the disaster.

Mild Intervention

But Chevron has since clarified that only one well is on fire and that is Ojumole Well 1 and it is located in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 49 in NNPC/Chevron Nigeria JV’s Western Niger Delta area of operations. It said this is supposedly plugged and idle with no flow line connected to it.

Leaders of the communities, led by Judah Akinyomi, said some people were parading themselves as leaders, but “were not the appointed leaders of the affected people, and therefore could not speak for them.”

“It is a sad thing that valuable assets, mostly owned by the people of Ilaje land and the environment, have been imperiled by the actions of a few greedy individuals who tampered with the idle well apparently to steal crude oil, thereby leading to this unfortunate fire incident,” he said.



They urged Chevron to ensure the fire was put out as soon as possible. They also called on the company to provide relief materials for the people in the communities destroyed by the fire.

PREMIUM TIMES however gathered that, in the face of the controversy, Chevron had been diplomatic in not making any categorical statement on where the well belongs.

It noted that it was not its duty to determine who owned the land on which the facility was located, and also distanced itself from reports it had ceded the facility to Ondo State.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Government, in a statement , warned that it would not play politics with the lives of its citizens in Ilaje. It urged Chevron to be responsible in providing the needed materials in mitigating the impact of the fire.

The Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, also condemned Chevron for “engaging in obnoxious acts of divide and rule among the communities affected by the inferno.”

The governor noted that the state government had received several complaints from the communities within the Ojumole Oil Well against the committee put in place by Chevron.

“The State Government is aware of the antics of some of the Chevron’s top staffers, who are from Delta State, that are fanning the ember of discord between Ondo State and her neighbouring state, Delta, purposely for their selfish gains,” Mr Akeredolu said.



“There is no controversy over the ownership of Ojumole and Omuro Oil fields in Ilaje local government despite the moves of these top Chevron officers to fuel crisis between these communities by claiming Ojumole Oil field belongs to both Ondo and Delta States.”

Mr Akeredolu attributed the cause of the inferno to the negligence and failure of the oil company to secure the facility it abandoned since the Ijaw/Ilaje crisis of 1998.

He lamented that every attempt to make Chevron re-open the facility had proved abortive, “despite that the oil well is still very prolific and has the capacity to generate up to 10,000 barrels per day.”

The governor added that due to the abandonment of the oil well by the company, oil bunkering activities have been very persistent at the location and this has led to several incidences of vandalisatiom of the facility’s equipment and oil spillages/pollution.

It was however gathered that Chevron is playing safe so as not to cause communal crisis between the Ijaw of Polobubo in Delta State and Ilaje of Ondo State.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State House of Assembly had earlier summoned the company to appear before it to explain its inability to put out the fire promptly.

A six-man committee of the house is looking into the issue in order to find a solution.


Responding to PREMIUM TIMES inquiry on the development, Chevron’s Communications Manager, Adebawo Adesola, admitted that the oil well was still on fire, “but the company was engaging experts to help put out the fire.”

“Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) is currently working with Emergency Response contractors to safely put out the fire as quickly as possible,” Mr Adesola said.

“Due to the peculiar terrain of the well location, there is the need to create an access path to the slot leading to the well head. This will enable the heavy equipment and men required to safely put out the fire, gain access to the well location. We continue to keep all stakeholders, including the communities and regulatory agencies engaged on our efforts to put out the fire.”

He noted that the company was sensitive to the concerns to the affected communities and would do everything to ensure the safety and protection of the environment.

“A Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the site of the incident on Saturday April 20, 2019, by a team made up of regulatory agencies, community stakeholders and CNL, determined that the fire incident was caused by third-party interference. There were protective mechanical components and installed barriers on the well head, which were tampered with by illegal bunkerers,” he said.

SOURCE: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/330647-chevrons-oil-well-fire-enters-day-32-communities-bicker-over-ownership.html

1. Ondo contributes 12% of the total oil production of Nigeria but has little or nothing to show for the God given gift till date.

2. Ondo State has the largest deposit of bitumen on the continent of Africa and the second largest in the world but the state cannot touch the mineral deposit; only Abuja can explore or give approval to explore. Only Abuja can regulate the exploration processes despite that the Nigerian Government spends #300bn on importation of bitumen per annum.

3. Ondo State has the deepest Coastal Line in west Africa, far deeper than that of Lagos, PH and Calabar Ports but the state government, despite its willingness to explore the potentials has been begging FG since 2017 to cooperate and they are still begging. Only Abuja can grant licence on Seaport. Private companies facilitated by the state government signifies intention to build a seaport in the state but the conditions laid down by Abuja can only be met in heaven.

4. Ondo is the largest producer of Cocoa in Nigeria but today, farmers are leaving their farms in drove due to the menace of suspected Fulani Herdsmen. Sadly, the state Governor has no control over the police and No State controlled Police Force to checkmate the Marauders.

5. Ondo, followed by Ekiti State, from my empirical findings, has suitable land for planting of Marijuana or Cannabis and this, if well explored, is projected to fetch Ondo State Government at least, $145bn by the year 2025. Again, the state government cannot do anything unless the Federal Government send an executive bill to the National Assembly to review the NDLEA act which prohibits the planting, cultivation and consumption of marijuana/cannabis in Nigeria.

6. Ondo has the largest deposit of Limestone in Nigeria, but again, the state government dare not touch it.

Now, Which Way Nigeria?

The Panacea to this malevolent development is for us to all join the crusade to get Nigeria Restructured Politically, Economically and Socially for the sake of myself, yourselves, your children and the generation yet unborn. More Powers (resource control) should be transferred to states, being the closer to the people, to fast rack development.

Ire o.

Maxwell Adeyemi Adeleye

Determined to achieve the Minimum Service Package which is one of the nine pillars of Primary Healthcare under one roof and a pre-requisite for assessing the Federal Government’s Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, stakeholders in Ondo health sector are strategising to generate the sum of N23.9 billion to fund the Minimum Service Package in four years.

At the investment planning meeting which was held in Akure, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, said the meeting is to further strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration which is necessary to achieve the Minimum Service Package.

Adegbenro opined that Primary Healthcare caters for between 70-80% of the disease burden of any population, thus it is a very important aspect of the Health Sector that has to be adequately funded and developed.

He added that the draft document on the MSP which had been put together and costed by experts is a four year funding plan that is brought before top level policy makers, government and non government actors to comprehensively and realistically plan the funding and look for investment windows for it.

He harped on the need to look outside government funding as it is over burdened and resources are dwindling.

In his welcome remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Ondo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Francis Akanbiemu said the planning and costing of the MSP started two months ago and it was really a tough and tedious exercise.

Mr Sina Adelakun of the Technical Support Unit of the National Primary Healthcare Agency who revealed that the National Primary Healthcare Act 2013 actually prescribed the Minimum Service Package, congratulated the state for being the first in the country to start from sensitisation to the reality of achieving the MSP.

The Commissioner for Finance, Mr Wale Akinterinwa who was represented by his Permanent Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Adelayi said investment in health is virile as it is targeted at wealth creation.

In his contribution, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Pastor Emmanuel Igbasan who was represented by his Permanent Secretary, Mr Bunmi Alade suggested looking outside government to adequately fund healthcare.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Deaconess Lola Fagbemi who was represented by her Special Assistant, Mr Wole Akinkuotu said her Ministry has always supported the Primary Healthcare Development Agency in terms of finance and would not relent in prioritising its issues.

In his remarks, the Ondo State Head of Service, Barr. Toyin Akinkuotu said Health financing is a global issue as the whole of the state budget cannot adequately fund healthcare, so the most realistic source of funding is Contributory Health Scheme which is about to start in the state.

Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Agboola Alfred Ajayi, receiving the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and his entourage at the Akure airport.

Saraki is in the state for the burial ceremony of Olowo of Owo, Late Oba Victor David Folagbade Olateru-Olagbegi III.

States are to share N649 billion – the final tranche of the Paris Club Refund.

But debtor-states will have to settle their debts soon, Finance Minister Mrs. Zainab Ahmed said yesterday, adding that the Federal Government plans to begin the final phase of the debt refund.

The minister told reporters at a news conference in Abuja yesterday that “the total sum of N649.434 billion was verified by the ministry as the outstanding balance to be refunded to the state governments.”

She also revealed that the payments made by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CNB) as at March stood at N691.560 billion.



“The increase in CBN payments partly arose from exchange rate differential at the point of payment,” Mrs Ahmed said.

The minister, who did not divulge how much would accrue to each of the 36 states, noted that “some states still have outstanding balances, which will be refunded, in due course.”

The minister also stated that N4.8 trillion was shared out to the three-tiers of government between September, last year and April from the Federation Account.

“The sum of N784.7 billion realised from Value Added Tax (VAT) for the same period was also shared.”

On Nigeria’s growing debt profile, Mrs Ahmed stated that the debt increase from N12.2 trillion to N23.0 trillion is by design.”

“The Federal Government,” she said, “designed the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) to reflate the economy to take us out of recession when we came on board and we made an assessment; it was clear that our country was going into recession. When we did a research on the best way to reverse the recession, it was to reflate the economy and that means putting resources in the economy so that consumption will increase.”

Based on the government’s findings, she said, the government “designed the ERGP to borrow in the first, second and third years and in the fourth year the borrowing was supposed to start reducing. That is exactly what we have done.”

Defending borrowing, Mrs. Ahmed said the government “made sure that we borrowed to finance capital projects”. “At the same time, we went into recession, there were other countries similar to Nigeria that went into recession.

“Some of them are still not out of recession, but because of the method we adopted; but the consequence, of course, is the increase in debt and that is why the Ministry of Finance and all its agencies are working to make sure that we increase revenues.”



She reiterated that ‘at 19.09 per cent Debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio we still are the lowest compared to countries like Brazil, South Africa, that all have an average of 56 per cent debt to GDP ratio.

“If you look at our budget, the debt service to GDP ratio is 30%, but because revenues underperformed, it went as high as 50 per cent to 55 [per cent and in some months up to 60 per cent. So, if our revenues perform optimally we are in a good place as far as revenues are concerned.

“I am sure you know that we have issued promissory notes to states that constructed roads on behalf of the Federal Government; we have issued promissory notes to marketers and we are currently preparing promissory notes for businesses.

“However, the government is addressing the issue of the high debt service burden by a combination of substitution strategies, which include refinancing our shorter term, higher cost debts to longer term, lower cost debt.

“The emphasis on increasing and diversifying non-oil revenues from taxes, import duties is already yielding results, the ministry, in close collaboration with the Debt Management Office (DMO), is working on moving from high cost short term borrowings to long term low cost borrowings.”

On revenue, Mrs Ahmed lamented that generating revenue was a problem for the government. To address this challenge, she said since revenue growth is a strategic priority for the Ministry of Finance, the Strategic Revenue Growth Initiative (SRGI), a key aspect of the government’s strategy to improve non-oil revenue through fiscal buffers, and ultimately improve our Revenue to Debt Service Ratio (RDSR) and to improve the ratio of non-oil revenue to non-oil GDP, was initiated.

One of the SRGI initiatives is the VAT expansion programme, which is ongoing and is designed to ensure that “we improve collection efficiency whilst ensuring there is automation of VAT collection at source in some key sectors”.

The minister noted that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) had already begun the VAT automation programme for banks and other large industries. “The target is to improve the VAT collection, which was N148.92 billion as against the budgeted figure of N207.51 billion in 2018. Such digitalisation and transformation initiatives are an integral part of these revenue collection efforts,” she said.

Mrs Ahmed added: “Independent revenues are a critical part of the revenue mix of this country. We have not seen optimal performance yet of independent revenue, but I must say that there has been some improvement.



“The independent revenue that was generated in 2018 was N454.34 billion; this is against a budgeted figure of N847.95 billion, representing 54 per cent performance.”

External Reserves grew from $28.3 billion in 2015 to US $44.69 billion as at May 13, 2019.

“This represents a significant improvement that has helped to stabilise the economy, including stabilizing our exchange rates,” the minister said.

The Foreign Exchange (FX) market, she said, “remains relatively stable because from 2017 to now there is a significant convergence of the NIFEX and NAFEX windows and they have, in fact, merged by the end of November 2018.”

On funding the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) that manages the nation’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), the government hopes “to work with the National Economic Council chaired by the Vice President, with all the states as members, to be able to save on a regular routine basis into the NSIA.”

The minister explained: “Right now, what is provided is the small savings into the stabilisation fund. It takes a lot of time; there is N5.9 billion that has accrued that we will transfer to the NSIA, but we want the savings to be more aggressive

“There is a provision in the NSIA Act that requires that savings is made from the Excess Crude Account (ECA), but we have not been able to attain that but the Ministry of Finance is working to address that, but unfortunately it’s not something that the Federal Government alone can decide because the ECA is an account for the whole federation. So, we have to get the understanding and concurrence of the states to be able to start that routine savings to the NSIA.”

On the national minimum wage, Mrs. Ahmed said: “The financial implications have been worked out by the presidential committee that was set up and they have submitted their report to the President and the President has directed the report to us. We have looked at the report and what we are working on now is how we can finance the new minimum wage.

“Apart from the increase of the minimum wage from N18, 000 to N30,000, there is also consequential adjustment that we have to negotiate with the labour unions.

‘The total financial implications will be determined after negotiations. The negotiation will determine what every other staff that is above the minimum wage will get. It could be a flat amount or a progression.

“The other aspect that should be clear is that there is an increase for the NYSC as well because NYSC, by its Act, is designed that they earn the minimum wage. So, NYSC allowance also has to increase to N30, 000. So, I cannot give you projections right now because the negotiations are not yet concluded.”

On the 2019 Budget, Mrs Ahmed admitted that the document had been sent by the National Assembly to the President.

“It is currently being reviewed to enable the President decide about assenting to the bill. We expect this to happen as soon as possible. I believe the assessment will be concluded this week”, the minister said.

SOURCE: https://thenationonlineng.net/n649b-paris-club-refund-ready-for-states-to-share/

The caretaker chairmen of eighteen local government areas of Ondo State have commended Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for the industrialization drive of his administration in the past two years.


The chairmen, who visited the Ore industrial estate, said they were impressed with the commitment of the Akeredolu-led government to turn the state from civil service-oriented to an industrial hub.

The caretaker chairmen of the eighteen local government areas of Ondo State, under the aegis of the association of local government of Nigeria (ALGON), took a tour of various factories at the Ondo/Inyin industrial park at Omotosho in Ore.



The factories included the paper and textile mills, ethanol plant, and the tricycle assembly plant.

The group, led by its chairman, Augustine Oloruntogbe, described what they saw as uncommon strides towards industrializing the state.

He added that they were convinced that based on strides of the governor in all sectors, another opportunity would enable him do more for the development of the state.

They also commended Governor Akeredolu for his efforts at improving the internally-generated revenue of the state, without additional burden on the people.



SOURCE: http://www.aitonline.tv/post-akeredolu_commended_for_industrialization_drive

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is now collaborating with the Ondo State Government to fight the spread of Lassa fever in the state.

The NDDC Medical Personnel, who are already in the state, are expected to work directly with the officials of the State Ministry of Health and the Local Government Chairmen.

Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Agboola Alfred Ajayi, who spoke on behalf of the State Government while receiving NDDC officials at the Governor's office, Alagbaka in Akure, said the state government sought the support of the commission because it's believed that the disease is more deadly than Ebola.

He said "presently we do not have vaccines to cure this lassa fever and it is the duty of the government to ensure this disease is eradicated in our society.

Ajayi pledged the cooperation of the government for the commission in the fight against lassa fever in the state.

According to the Deputy Governor, "the presence of the chairmen of the local governments caretaker committees at this occasion signaled the determination of the state to take the fight to the grassroots.

"I can assure you that our chairmen here will go back to their respective councils and get prepared for the consultants that will move in with them. They will work closely with them and anything they need, they should be able to provide especially in the area of security, conducive environment for then to operate and carry out their sensitization without molestation of any kind'.

Ajayi, however lauded the NDDC for its intervention programmes in the state which include the ongoing road project that would link the state with Lekki, Lagos State.

The Director of Education, Health and Social Services of the commission, Okejoto Gochua, in his remarks said the commission is donating some items to the State Government.

He diclosed that the items include two ambulances, Hilux and Lassa Fever protective kits.

He hinted that the commission through its consultants would also engage in educating the populace on the scourge.

"It is the wish of the NDDC to support the government and people of Ondo and Edo States with the donation of Lassa Fever protective kits, ambulances, Hilux and by conducting sensitization and advocacy programmes against this deadly disease. This support aims to complement the state government's efforts in the fight against lassa virus to prevent further spread of the disease', he said.

Bishop of Owo Diocese, Methodist Church Nigeria, Revd Solomon Adegbite has urged church members and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the faith-based Wesley University, Ondo to meet its mission in academic lifeline.

The cleric pleaded with all stakeholders to do everything possible to rescue the university’s licence from being revoked by relevant agencies.

Revd Adegbite spoke at the 31st annual Diocesan Synod held at the Methodist Church, Ehin-Ogbe, Owo, in Ondo state last weekend.

He noted that church ministers have always paid substantially to jerk up what was being remitted on behalf of the Diocese.



“Some of us were trained in Methodist Primary, Secondary and even Colleges. Some people contributed to build those schools. What are we contributing as a people and generation to bequeath to the next generation that will add value to them? This University is one of such.

“Let us do our best to make Wesley University a place to be proud of,” he said.

Adegbite reiterated the agreement reached at Aba conference that whatever was paid either by the church or individuals would be turned to shares which to attract dividend in the future.

The cleric thanked all Methodist Church members, especially in Owo Diocese, for their support and cooperation in the past seven years he has been in their midst.

He said though they had not reached their destination by his own vision and projection, but actually started the upward movement to the area.

SOURCE: https://thenationonlineng.net/save-wesley-varsity-from-collapse-bishop-urges/

Low production of tomatoes in Ondo State has been attributed to lack of irrigation to supply water to farms.

A tomato farmer and owner of Great Acres Farm, Mr Femi Adeyemi noted that lack of rain accounted for high cost of the fruit around this time.

According to him, production of tomatoes last for about 120 days adding that it takes four months to harvest the fruit from the time of planting.

“If I am producing for may or June, I must have planted in February and as we all know, there is no rain at this time of the year, so I must make provision for irrigation”, he explained.

He said that it is a common thing for white flies and other pests like caterpillar to feed on tomatoes and reduce the yield at the earlier part of the year before the regular rainfall.

According to him, it is somehow expensive to plant tomatoes to fruition at this time of the year considering the challenges associated with it.

On when Ondo state will be self-sufficient in tomato production, Adeyemi said though it may take time, but it will happen since more people are embracing tomato production in the state.

“Although more than 90 percent of what the state consumes come from the North, we will be self sufficient in tomato production. I may not be able to say exactly when, but I am sure we will, because more people are embracing tomato production”.

He identified lack of fund as another reason why farmers can not expand their production.

He however said that he could not say specifically what challenges farmers in the North are facing.