Mar 17th, 2009
Plight of the poor brought me to politics—Mimiko
I started politics out of passion to get involved in what I call upstream tackling of poverty. As a medical practitioner, I came face to face with poverty in crude form. I saw children who died because their parents at that time could not afford to buy one pint of blood. I saw children die of diarrhoea. I remember those harrowing cries of the mothers when they lost those children. I decided somewhere along the line that even if I do free medical services for everybody, I could not afford to give to everybody that wanted it. I said perhaps, to influence the majority of the people, it’s better to get involved at the policy level – what I call the upstream sector – by getting involved in politics and using the power from politics to impact on lives.
Read the full interview, from Olukorede Yishau, Nation
The night preceding the judgment of the court of appeal, how did you feel?
Naturally, there was anxiety, but because we won the elections, we diligently prosecuted our case, I also had some quite inner confidence. But I must tell you that the night preceding the judgment, naturally, there was some anxiety.
Twenty one months down the line, we want to know your experience. How did you weather the storm?
When our mandate was stolen after the elections, my major concern really was how to ensure that there would be no bloodbath in the state. I knew how deep the feelings of the people were. I also knew very clearly that they were ready to defend their votes and they were ready to go all out, using every means available to them, including resort to self help and violence. Immediately they announced that Agagu had won the elections, you were witnesses to what happened. But we moved in quickly to ensure that the people do not resort to self help. We promised them that we will prosecute the case and we would take advantage of the mechanism of judicial redress, which was what we eventually did. What was uppermost in my mind all those 21 months was how to ensure that violence did not break out because, like I said, I had no doubt in my mind about the depth of the feelings of the people. Like I said, we were confident that we will win. There were lots of undercurrents, people trying to influence the tribunal and they did not succeed. They tried to influence the Court of Appeal. But I thank God Almighty that Justice Abubakar did justice to our case, in spite of the pressure to compromise.
Some few days before your predecessor left office, he granted an interview where he made an allegation that alternative to him was not credible. How would you respond to that?
If you take a child to visit your neighbour and that child sees another child carrying a toy that he likes and grabs the toy from him, when you take the toy back and give him he can cry and say all sorts of things. He knew very well that we won. No question about that because, like he said, he knows us very well. With all sense of modesty, I will say he did not even believe what he said.
What is in this government for the people of the state?
The people should expect quality governance, transparency and accountability. Like I said during my address at the swearing in ceremony, I will take decisions that are in the interest of the majority of the people. I will work with the people. What I have going for me is a social capital which is very strong. With all sense of modesty, I will say that people trust me, I trust them. Their joy is my joy. God forbid it, but if they sorrow, I sorrow with them. So, they should expect a very responsive government. My decisions will be rooted in a very clear philosophy of government. I believe that government has a responsibility to ensure that the weakest in the society is given the opportunity to be able to actualise his potentials. What that means is that we must deliberately create an environment of equal opportuni-ties or at least close the gap of unequal opportunity. That is why we will give free education as a minimum requirement up to second-ary school level.
Why are you doing that?
So that they will be able to compete in the society. Children from age zero to five and all pregnant women from conception to delivery will also be given opportunity to deliver safely by putting at their disposal free and quality health service. We will subsidize housing. We will also create enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and blossom. But we will also not abdicate our responsibility to the weak in the society. Basically, we believe that our people are industrious. All that they need from government is for us to empower them with knowledge, with credit to be able to actualise their dream for a fulfilled and happy life. That is what the people should expect from me. We would ensure that there is food security and our people should be able to feed. Our children should be able to take enough and adequate quantity of protein so that they can develop their brains. It is very important because they are our tomorrow. If you will remember what this nobel winning poet said about the child; that the child is growing today. It is today that his brain is being formed. It is today that he develops his bones. It is today that his blood gets formed. We cannot wait till tomorrow because it will be late.
What other things do you have for the people?
We are going to invest in education and nutrition of our children. This is what the people expect. This is why you see them dancing all over the place. We want a place where people can take facilities of waste disposal for granted. Most of our metropolis is dirty. Look at our drains. Even to dispose faecal materials, you see nylon bags all over the place. We live in a filthy environment. People cannot afford to drink water. These are fundamental responsibilities to our people and this we will provide. I have always said it clearly that I will work for the people. I don’t have the slightest doubt in my mind and I said it.
Why did you join politics?
I started politics out of passion to get involved in what I call upstream tackling of poverty. As a medical practitioner, I came face to face with poverty in crude form. I saw children who died because their parents at that time could not afford to buy one pint of blood. I saw children die of diarrhoea. I remember those harrowing cries of the mothers when they lost those children. I decided somewhere along the line that even if I do free medical services for everybody, I could not afford to give to everybody that wanted it. I said perhaps, to influence the majority of the people, it’s better to get involved at the policy level – what I call the upstream sector – by getting involved in politics and using the power from politics to impact on lives. That was the passion that made me come into politics. I said this morning that my fight against poverty has taken on evangelical proportion. The people have done their own bit. They have shown faith. They voted for us. They brought Labour Party to this state four months before elections. In spite of the shenanigans of INEC and all the PDP did, the truth of the matter is that those people never scored up to ten percent of the votes. If I say this, people will say politicians exaggerate. But if they had allowed the election to go on in a proper, free and fair way, he wouldn’t have scored ten percent of the votes. So, that level of commitment is a great challenge and a burden for me that I have to deliver, I have to work to fight poverty. The people know me and I know them. I know where their shoe pinches. I’ve lived with them for a very long time. I’ve had the opportunity to serve as Commissioner twice and I’ve been an SSG in Ondo State. I am not an unknown quantity. They know what I can do and what I represent. That is why they have given me this incredible level of support and I’m sure, by the grace of Almighty God, because God himself has ordered our affairs in this long battle and I have no doubt in my mind that I will not fail the people.
A Special Adviser to Agagu said that your odyssey in politics shows that you have no political ideology and that it smacks of desperation. What is your political ideology?
I’ve always belonged to the left of the divide. Everywhere I have worked, every party I belonged to, my inclination and policy has been in the direction of my philosophical belief. While I believe that the private sector should be allowed to blossom and grow the economy, I also believe that government, especially in a Third World country like our own, has its fundamental responsibility to ensure that it intervenes in critical sectors of the economy to ensure that the weakest in the societies are carried along. I talk about free education programme, social housing and all of that. Let me give you an example of what I have done. When you look at the political parties in Nigeria, before we talk about ideology in Nigeria, the major problem of our polity is internal democracy of the parties. I was in AD. I was Publicity Secretary of UPN. From there, I was in SDP. I was a member of the Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party. From SDP, I naturally went to AD. That is to tell you some things about my ideological inclination. By the way, when I was a student in University of Ife, I was there when we launched the UPN in 1979 or so. That shows you a trend.
Why did you cross to PDP?
It’s clear. When I was in AD, I wanted to contest election. People talk about desperation. Poverty is a desperate situation and if you really want to tackle poverty, you’ve got to be able to have the instruments. When I was in AD, as of right, I had the aspiration to run. I wanted to run for governor. The process of running for governor was clearly prescribed and defined and I got engaged in the process. But somewhere along the line, the chieftains of the party, the gods of the party said I could not run. They said it’s because there is an anointed somebody. We collected the forms and did all the processes; the day we were to go for screening, they said they had zoned it to Ondo North, which was the zone the incumbent governor then belonged. We started the struggle by saying that because he was an incumbent governor and we wanted to run against him, it should be by secret ballot. They said no secret ballot. It got to a stage and we asked that the cabinet be made the electoral college and let us run. They said we could not run. They shut the door and what did I do? I fought them. We went to court. We lost in the lower court and in the court of appeal. They said it was internal affairs of the party, that the court could not intervene. I moved on in my fight for internal democracy.
I got to PDP. Of course, I was part of the process that made the last governor. When it came to 2007 and I wanted to run, they said I could not run; I could not participate in the primaries. The President insisted I could not run. The governor cornered the party register and put it in his bedroom and I could not run. So, I ran from AD because of internal democracy. I came to PDP and they said I could not run.
So you changed camp again?
Fortunately, it was a multi-party system. When I resigned from the PDP, I took a platform where I will not have problem with internal democracy. The people said I should go and bring any party; even if it is abracadabra party of Nigeria, if there is independent candidature, I wouldn’t have gone to any party. My ideological leaning is actually clear. I belong to the left of the divide. Globalization is good because it opens up opportunities. But the opportunities are unequal. We cannot compete globally because of our limitations. So, I also believe that we should protect some of our industries. All our textile industries have closed down because we cannot compete; there is import from China and all of that. There must be a way we protect our industries and protect our jobs. The mass of unemployed young men and women in this country is a time bomb that is ticking away, and this is why I appreciate the efforts of President Yar’Adua to revive the textile industry to deliberately create jobs. But we still need to do more. My ideology is clear. I belong to the left of the divide and I will use power anywhere I find myself in the interest of the majority of the people.
How do you hope to work with a House of Assembly dominated by PDP?
I have no problem with them. One thing is clear in this state today and I hope I won’t be immodest if I say that; I have the overwhelming endorsement of the people of Ondo State. In the House of Assembly, we have a decent number there and each parliamentarian lives in Ondo State. I’m sure they will cooperate. We will get to talk. They are politicians. So, I’m very confident that we will get to work together.
While the past government was awarding what was considered by your party as panicky contracts, there was this allegation that probably they were embezzling government funds. Have you been looking into the books?
Today is my second day in office. I had a meeting with Permanent Secretaries and General Managers of Corporations today. I’ve given them up to Tuesday to give me situation report in each of their agencies, departments and Ministries. So, I will not be able to tell you the extent of what we have in the kitty. But I said it and I have made it absolutely clear even in my address at the inauguration ceremony that it is only natural that we do financial audit of projects and contracts awarded. It’s not witch-hunting anybody. But we also owe a responsibility to the people to do an audit to ensure that we do not sustain any impropriety of sort that has been built into any project. When we do the audit, which will be open and transparent, what needs to be sustained will be sustained. If we have to invite some individuals to clarify issues, we will invite them to clarify issues. But there is no question about the fact that what we said before we got in here was that the rate at which they were awarding contracts after the pronouncement of the tribunal on July 25th, between that time and the tine of decision of the Court of Appeal, it was absolutely immoral.
You have itemized a lot of projects – free education, free health care and all that. These actually amount to huge financial challenges. Coming to the background of what you just said, do you nurse any fear of failure along the line in the projects?
I think there would be financial challenges to prosecute some of these projects. But I also believe that if we husband our resources more efficiently and creatively look for new ways of generating revenue, deploy what we have efficiently, source from new sources, unleash the creative energy of the people – physical and mental energy, I think we can achieve everything we want to achieve. The greatest wealth of a nation is not under the soil. It is up here and I’m sure that in Ondo State, we have enough up here. With the right leadership, we will get to the sky.
50 Responses to “Plight of the poor brought me to politics—Mimiko”
Although this particular interview is about 3 weeks old, thanks Admin for sharing the contents on this site. It is high time that people take the pains to dig deep and decipher the truth of any given situation themselves. For we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. We homo sapiens are made up of different mental, biological and physical embodiments i.e. compositions. Some of us are rash, some brash, some cool, some hot, some furious, some rock steady and some unwavering. Some are doubtful and negative and some see the positive and support it. The wind of change started blowing in Ondo State. It is still blowing and new and better things are going to happen. Of course when something is bound to be good and successful, it sometimes rocks for satan tries to overturn the boat of success. In Ondo State, all we need do is remain calm, prayerful and supportive of the government of the day. We should also remain steadfast and never allow ourselves to be used by agents of confusion for they are plentiful in our State.
Governor Mimiko has what God wants us to be, in order to be called His children and this is genuine COMPASSION OF THE POOR. Governor Mimiko has WISDOM, yes a very intelligent man. He is not God so not above erring, but even this will never be his way of life, not like Agagu his predecessor. This is why Dr Mimiko will enjoy the love and support of the people for decades to come and posterity will remember him for good.
We thank God for sparing his life last weekend. We thank God for putting a joyful song in our mouths. Your Excellency, you are covered by the BLOOD OF JESUS. Govern on without fear, without rancour, without prejudice and without shame. We cant wait to table your result oriented success driven 12point Agenda for Ondo State and score your points for the whole world to see.
Peace my people. No matter how annoying events could be in Ondo State in the next few months, do not take the laws into your hands. Did God not teach us some real useful lessons about the virtues of patience over the past 22 months? It shall be well
I posted similar write-up below earlier but belief it did not go through.
I read of President Yar`Adua sending back the Local Government Chairmen. This realy `sicken`s me to say the least. Who is this President who can not control his Carbinet and now involving himself with State Mattter that concerns him not. He is being pushed around by his PDP(I call this People`s devastating Party`) fellows. Anyway, let us see what the court will have to say about this illegality of election that brought these chairmen and their Cronies to power in the local governments.
I was intimated with the fact that, these Chairmen went to work under the escort of police and met empty rooms as the workers did not show up and hence nothing to realy work with,good for them but I hope this information is correct.
All remain blessed
Well this Nation Report gives us some details: MY TAKE ON THIS IS THAT THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE PATIENT AND NOT TAKE THE LAWS INTO THEIR HANDS AND PLAY INTO THE HAND OF PDP VULTURES AND ZOMBIES. APART FROM THE FACT THAT WE DO NOT WANT BLOODSHED. WE ALSO DO NOT WANT GOVERNOR MIMIKO TO BE DISTRACTED. WE DO NOT WANT A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN ONDO STATE. THERE ARE MANY MATURE WAYS TO PLAY THIS GAME. WHAT EFFECT WILL LG CHAIRMEN BE IF THE PEOPLE DO NOT TURN UP OR ANSWER TO THEM? YOU GET MY GIST.
Abuja orders police to return sacked Ondo council chiefs 17/3/2009
From Damisi Ojo, Akure
Citing “orders from above”, the Police yesterday paved the way for the return of the sacked 18 local government chairmen in Ondo State.
Governor Olusegun Mimiko dissolved the councils shortly after he assumed office on February 18.
His action elicited reactions, with some people arguing that he was right in taking the decision because there is a case in court on the legality of the reconstituted State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC), which conducted the council polls last December.
Others criticized his action, saying he should have gone to court over the matter.
There was tension in Akure, the state capital, amid reports that the council chiefs were planning to force their return to work.
At an emergency meeting with Directors of Local Government Administration (DLGA), Mimiko urged them to ensure security of lives and property. He enjoined the citizenry to shun violence.
The Police also warned against violence as they claimed to have uncovered a plot to unleash terror on the state.
Police Commissioner Charles Daodu said he had “orders from above” to ensure the safe return to office of the council chiefs.
The “order from Abuja”, he said, directed him to protect the council chiefs.
He said: “I was directed to effect the order handed down to my office in the 18 local government areas of Ondo State and we have directed the Divisional Police Officers (DPO) in the councils to also effect the order”.
Among those who reportedly returned yesterday were the Akure South Council chairman Adedayo Omolaje, and his counterparts in Akure North, Ifedore and Idanre, Alabi Ebenezer, Adewumi Adesoye and Afolabi Adesoji.
Earlier in a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Aremu Adeniran said: “It has come to the knowledge of Ondo State Police Command that some undesirable elements in the state have decided to unleash terror on some innocent and peace loving citizens.”
The command said it would not condone thuggery and violence from any person or group.
It banned the carrying of arms and machetes, saying any body caught with arms and machetes would be treated as a robber.
Directing the DLGAs to maintain law and order, Mimiko said his administration would not condone violence.
His words: “I want to tell you categorically that this administration would resist any act of breaching the peace of the state. The state has been known for peace and any attempt by individuals or groups to cause disharmony would not be tolerated”.
He urged the citizenry to shun violence, stressing that there would be no development in a rancorous environment.
Mimiko reiterated his pledge to allow the court to adjudicate on the controversy over the councils’ dissolution.
In a statement signed by him, Mimiko urged the people to go about their businesses without any fear.
He said due to the freezing of all government accounts, an action which he noted did not affect the payment of salaries and essential services and the councils’ dissolution, the chairmen have sued him and the Attorney-General to court.
He welcomed the development, adding that his administration subscribes to the principle that the law courts must be allowed to adjudicate in all areas of disagreement on issues of law and legality.
His words: “I, therefore, want to appeal to all stakeholders in the matter to resist the temptation to take laws into their hands and resort to self-help and violence. The development for which we yearn in this state cannot take place in an atmosphere of violence and disorder. On our part, we shall continue to take all necessary steps to prevent and arrest the breakdown of law and order.”
Mimiko assured the people that he would look into all disputes and proffer solutions to them as soon he settles down.
He said, “I earnestly plead with you to shun all forms of violence. Let us continue to be our brothers’ keepers; there is work to be done. Let us roll our sleeves. We must be ready to work to raise ourselves out of the clutches of poverty and hopelessness. We will continue to provide the required leadership. We will be fair to all”.
The Nigeria Union Local Government Employees (NULGE) Caretaker Committee Chairman in the state, Comrade Joshua Maigida Irapakob in a statement in Akure, said the union learnt that there were plans by some erstwhile political functionaries of councils to invade the 18 local government councils in Ondo State with arms and ammunition from yesterday.
According to him, to protect the lives of members of the union, “all local government workers are hereby advised to stay at home in their own interest until otherwise directed by the union.
“Workers are to note that the Ondo State government has been notified of this development by the union; therefore, all Directors of Local Government Administration, who are our members, should ensure the safety of local government properties in their care.”
Irapakob enjoined all branch chairmen of NULGE to ensure strict compliance with the directive.
The workers stayed at home, in compliance with the directive. Activities in the 18 councils were paralysed.
The Nation visited Akure South Council Secretariat on Ilesa road and met the premises desolate. Only a handful of policemen mounted security in the area.
At Ifedore local government, Igbara-Oke, Adesoye, allegedly led some people to seize some official cars parked in the premises.
When contacted, Adesoye confirmed that he was in office to resume work, but denied looting the Council’s Offices as alleged.
CHAMPION REPORT:
Probe Agagu now —Gani
LAGOS lawyer and human rights activist Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) yesterday said the victory of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko at the Appeal Court will usher in an era of socio-economic development in Ondo State.
Speaking from his hospital bed in London, United Kingdom, Gani urged security agencies to probe financial transactions of sacked Dr. Olusegun Agagu’s administration with a view to recovering all misappropriated funds.
Said he: “I am very happy from my sick bed. He (Mimiko) won the April 14, 2007 governorship election in Ondo State. We thank God that the Court of Appeal has confirmed the victory.
“Mimiko will bring about good governance in Ondo state and the people will be happy with his government. He is a decent person, he is an honest person and he is a progressive man. I am very happy.
“He should focus on the provision of good education, quality healthcare, infrastructure especially roads, electricity and employment.
“Agagu was a disaster before man and God. I want the security agencies to probe Agagu’s government and ensure that he pays back our money for the development of Ondo state,” Gani told Daily Champion in a telephone chat.
THE VOICE OF REASON, JUST SAW THIS ‘THIS DAY’ REPORT AND IT HITS IT ON THE HEAD. PLEASE READ ON:
Mimiko Accuses PDP of State of Emergency Plot
03.17.2009
Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State today alleged that the controversies over the state of the dissolved local governments administration in the state was deliberately manipulated by elements in the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in order to create an impression of instability and a sense that the state is ungovernable.
The governor in a state-wide broadcast said the goal of the PDP elements was to create a state of anarchy and lawlessness with a view to persuading President Umaru Yar’Adua to declare a state of emergency in the State……………..
JUST WHAT I THOUGHT JUST A FEW HOURS AGO.
I READ THIS IN THE NATION NEWSPAPER JUST NOW. THIS IS A DEFT MOVE BY THE GOVERNOR AND IT SHOWS POLITICAL ASTUTENESS. IT IS GOOD TAKING THE CASE TO THE COURT OF THE PEOPLE OF ONDO STATE THEMSELVES. IT IS NOW THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE VERSUS THE JEGUDUJERA CHAIRMEN OF THE PDP. THIS GOVERNOR SURE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN THE AFFAIRS IN ONDO STATE. MORE GREASE TO YOUR ELBOW.
Mimiko to Ondo people: Don’t be provoked 18/3/2009
My good people of Ondo State, I feel highly honoured to address you today and to further express my profound gratitude for your steadfast support during the 22 months of legal struggle to reclaim your stolen mandate. Throughout the period, you maintained highly disciplined and mature behaviour, you avoided violence even in the face of deliberate provocation by people who insisted on ruling (even when you did not vote for them). You sustained peace and tranquility which we enjoy in the state before and after the Court of Appeal judgment of 23 February, 2009 . I salute you, the peace-loving and forward- looking people of Ondo State .
I, however, wish to bring to your urgent attention today that the peace you have built and cherished is now being threatened by the former PDP Chairmen of local government councils.
You will recall that on November 1, 2007, the Akure High Court presided over by Hon. Justice Lanre Akeredolu gave an order in a case filed by the Minority Leader, Ondo State House of Assembly, Honourable Ifedayo Akinsoyiu and others restraining the defendants, their agents and privies from conducting the local government election slated for December 2007 until the substantive issues raised by the plaintiffs had been resolved. The government then filed an appeal against this court order. Despite the Court order and while the appeal was still pending, Dr. Olusegun Agagu’s government went ahead to conduct the purported elections which were rightly boycotted by the people of Ondo State .
My good people of Ondo State , the dissolved PDP local government executives and legislatures, who usurped office between December 2007 and 2009, are the products of these illegal elections. As a responsible government, it is our duty to dissolve such illegal contraption that the last administration hurriedly put in place.
To all intents and purposes, the dissolved executive and legislative arms of the 18 local government councils did not constitute the elected local government envisaged in Section 7 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the local government laws of Ondo State .
It is significant to note that the dissolution of the local government operatives was widely applauded by the generality of the people of Ondo State . Not a single incident of crisis or violence was recorded across the state. Rather, the people celebrated this definitive return to the path of constitutionality.
On March 14, 2009 , the 18 ousted council chairmen filed an action at the Akure High Court, asking the court to invalidate their removal and reinstate them. This was a commendable act and a display of confidence in the ability of the judiciary to resolve contentious issues relating to the interpretation of provisions of the constitution. Surprisingly, however, reports reaching me indicate that the erstwhile chairmen without waiting for the outcome of the court action which they filed, brow-beat the relevant authorities to mobilise fully-armed security personnel to invade the local government secretariats with a view to forcefully take over the affairs of the local government councils. We also have information that some local government secretariats have been looted while official documents have been distorted and destroyed.
It is obvious that the situation I have outlined above is being deliberately manipulated by elements in the Ondo State PDP who are yet to come to terms with their loss of power in the state in order to create an impression of instability and a sense that the state is ungovernable. Indeed, their goal is to create a state of anarchy and lawlessness with a view to persuade President Umaru Yar’Adua to declare a state of emergency in our dear state. The negative consequences of such an action are unimaginable. At any rate, President Yar’Adau has demonstrated a very high sense of responsibility for peace, rule of law, stability and good governance, not only in Ondo State but indeed in the entire nation at large.
My good people of Ondo State you have been known to be peace-loving, forward- looking and law-abiding. I sincerely appeal that you should not allow yourselves to be provoked to do anything that can impair the peace and stability of our dear state. The development for which we yearn in this state can not take place in an atmosphere of violence and disorder.
On our part, we shall continue to take all necessary steps to prevent and arrest the breakdown of law and order.
Let me assure you that just as the judiciary intervened in a very heroic manner to restore your stolen mandate after 22 months, so will it do justice to all parties in the case brought before it by the former local government chairmen. You are enjoined to remain calm and avoid any form of violence and physical confrontation. Let me reiterate once again that ours is a government committed to democratic ethos, fairness, rule of law and due process. We shall abide by whatever pronouncement the courts make on this issue. Once again, my good people of Ondo State , you should go about your lawful businesses confident that justice will prevail as usual.
Thank you all, God bless Ondo State .
My dear brother Olaniyi Ekundayo, “Ola e a ma niyi ni titi lai, ekun re yio di ayo ni oruko Jesu”. Our Governor has very rightly stated what a man that has God on his side who values human life, and who has the wisdom of Solomon will say. Like Solomon Mimiko will never divide the only surviving child of the true mother because of another evil mother that has slept over her child and killed it. Instead just like Solomon, our Governor Mimiko will test out who the true mother of the surviving child is and make his God given wise judgement – (see 1 KING 3: 16-28). This judgement of Solomon was immediately after he woke up from the dream wherein he asked God for Wisdom and Knowledge and Understanding above riches. God gave him all and also gave him riches. Governor Mimiko has played Moses, Joshua, Joseph and David, now he will play the Godly Solomon and end up as the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ by name JOHN.
Agagu the thief asked only for riches and was not given it, because he had asked amiss and had to steal and steal until he was removed in SHAME. Iroko asked for Wisdom like Solomon and was given Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding to govern Ondo State, and God has also added manifold wealth and blessings and Riches to His promise to Mimiko. All this he will enjoy for many decades to come in Jesus name.
The people must listen to the voice of reason. Yes it is difficult , for even me, my blood boils so much. Yaradua has made a mistake leaving his domain that he had failed woefully in, on the Federal level to dance to the tune of PDP in Ondo State. Period. You can see the hand of Obasanjo at work behind the scene, but then Yaradua is SICK so we dont expect him to be able to use his faculties well all the time. God has brought us this far and God will take us to the promised land in Jesus name. I dont care about anything but the truth. I am not going to hide under any umbrella and colour the truth. Whatever God destines that we shall become in life, we shall get there. God is the giver of all good things and not man. I will not join the camps of Alatenujes who have hidden personal and selfish agenda and will gladly call a cow brother (won a ma pe malu ni buroda), because of what they want to beg for. God forbid. We are in this struggle for the PEOPLE and this struggle has just begun – ALLUTA CONTINUA. Whoever wants now to hind behind the scene is welcome, but we speak the truth openly for we are not politicians but Freedom Fighters.
PDP remind me of the insect called AFOPINA, won a sun ra won jo raurau, nitori omo ina ni o ma wo inu ina lo. God will burn them all and their evil plans to ashes. They have been plotting and planning for a long time now and have always failed and they will all continue to fail. Agagu seems to be trying to withdraw from them, but under the cover, he is the one fuelling the flames that will burn him and all his PDP followers and even all his Ogas, past present and future to Ashes in Jesus name.
Ondo State shall continue to survive, prosper and be FULLY LIBERATED. Governor Mimiko shall in Jesus name govern successfully. He does not need to do anything except wake up daily and pray to God for the Wisdom, Strength and Spirit of DISCERNMENT to go through every passing day. He will take all the right decisions and listen to only voices of reason and never the counsel of the Ahitophels. Governor Mimiko has God on his side and God never starts a case and leave it halfway. Oh not our living God that we serve. He is mightier than all the powerless powers that these enemies of progress and masters of darkness call PDP run to and pay millions to serve. Our God gives freely and we receive freely from Him.
Peace again and again we preach my people. Let the Jos incident and the Bauchi problems recently teach us one thing or two. We do not want a lawless state, and we do not want Governor Mimiko distracted. Patience is the virtue that we all had to hold on to since April 2007, and this same patience is the virtue we need to continue the struggle AND WE SHALL WIN. I love to say this and I will repeat it:
ERIN AKODA DO DABI ERIN ADAGBEHIN
HE WHO LAUGHS LAST LAUGHS BEST. GOVERNOR MIMIKO IS GOING TO LAUGH THE BEST AND ONDO STATE WILL LAUGH JOYFULLY WITH HIM WHILE PDP WILL SORROW NON STOP. WAIT FOR THEIR TOTAL SHAME FROM 2011.
I guess the only time to obey the rule of law for both the Yar`Adua admin and the `People devastating party` is when convenient. I`m very outraged with what`s going on in my State but again , with God on our(the people) side , nothing untowards will happen to neither our God chosen Governor nor the good people of our State.
All remain blessed and be prayerfull
Uncle Fred, Ondo State is destined for greatness and worldwide recognition and the time has now started for this. All the wahala, helluva palava we are seeing is part of the plan of God. Moses waw whala in Egypt and fled to Midian, Joseph saw wahala in Pontifar’s household and ended in prison, David saw wahala from Saul and ended a fugitive. But for these people the end was not the total end, for God took them all out of trouble and used them all to His glory. So it is with Mimiko and Ondo state. Ota nse lasan ni. The enemy will continue to enjoy damnation and misery and shame. We have no fears. Yardy should have remembered OBJ travails since he started on Mimiko and Ondo State. Very annoying but who is thou o mountain in front of Zerubabel? They will fall and be flattened.
Smile even if it hurts.
LIKE I MENTIONED YESTERDAY, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO BEAT FOOLS AT THEIR GAME. THIS EXCERPT IS FROM A NATION ON LINE REPORT AND I AM SHARING THE CONCLUDING PART FOR A SOUND REASON. MY PEOPLE FEEL FREE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE YOU KNOW TO PEACEFULLY WORK TO RULE AND SHUN THE ILLEGAL GOVERNMENT OF THESE SO CALLED BANDIT CHAIRMEN. PLEASE READ:
“…The Police maintained their presence in the 18 council secretariats yesterday.
Though some council chairmen, especially in the riverine area, reportedly forced their way into their offices, the absence of workers frustrated their operations.
In Ondo East, Ondo West, Akure South, Akure North and Ifedore, the secretariats remained deserted.
ONDO STATE HAS SUFFERED FOR TOO LONG AND WE WOULD NOT PLAY INTO THE HANDS OF PDP THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, BUT WE SHALL DO ALL IT TAKES TO ENSURE THAT MIMIKO IS NOT UNDERMINED AS GOVERNOR IN ONDO STATE. DONT YOU JUST FEEL SAD THAT PDP STILL NOT RELENTING IN MAKING THE POOR PEOPLE SUFFER? THEY WILL MEET THEIR EXTINCTION NOT ONLY FROM ONDO STATE BUT IN NIGERIA. GOD IS GOOD.
Please reassure people that all is well in Ondo State, be it in Nigeria or abroad, for I had so many distress phone calls about Yardy’s so called decision to undermine Mimiko in favor of PDP. It takes resolute willpower not to feel dejected. Spirits up people, Governor Mimiko is on top and no weapon fashioned against him shall prosper (amen).
Peace my people
Many council chairmen who came to work spent few hours and returned home. Some reported and left immediately.
The sacked Chairman of Akure North Local Government, Ebenezer Alabi, said he could not enter his office. He stood outside for almost two hours before returning home”.
THIS DAY BRIEF ABOUT OSUN LG SACKING IS ENCOURGAGING:
Court of Appeal Sacks Osun Council Chiefs
03.19.2009
The Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division on Today sacked the elected local government council structure in all the 30 council areas of Osun State and ordered a fresh election in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Justice Chidi Uwa who read the lead judgment upheld all the prayers sought by the aggrieved Action Congress {AC}, in the state which dragged the state governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the Peoples Democratic Party {PDP} and the State Independent Electoral Commission {SIEC} to the lower court and later to the appellate court on the conduct of the council polls on December 15, 2007.
My question for today is this:
Oyo State Governor Akala sacked all Local Government Chairmen and PDP did not complain. So why is Ondo State different?
Answers welcome.
high level politicking is going on here. i really appreciate the memebers of opposition parties by staging walk out on yesterday assebly.
are they aware that agagu flouted court injuction by went ahead to conduct this illegal election?
well yarardua is only disturbed about his 2011 2nd twrm bid becos he knows that he might not have support of south west and gradually PDP is loosing grip of southwest.
God is in control.
let out Governor appoint his commisioners and start working in earnest to silence this greedy PDP.
ANOTHER COMEDY OF ERRORS IN REAL LIFE DRAMA FROM THE HOUSE. WELCOME MADAM ETTEH, DIDNT KNOW THAT IN SPITE OF THE BIG SCANDAL, THE OUTCOME OF WHICH NIGERIANS ARE STILL WAITING FOR, PATRICIA ETTEH IS STILL HOLDING SWAY IN THE HOUSE(NO BIAS AGAINST WHAT SHE SAID THOUGH). DIMEJI BANKOLE IS A DISAPPOINTMENT, THOUGHT HE HAD MORE CLOUT BUT WHY DO I FORGET THAT THESE ARE PDPS? KANO MR LAWAN IS SO FULL OF FALSITIES THAT IT MAKES ME WONDER WHERE THESE PEOPLE CONSCIENCE HAVE GONE. GOVENOR MIMIKO IS RIGHT IN NOT CHANGING HIS MIND ABOUT THIS SACKING OF FAKE LG CHAIRS IN ONDO STATE. MORNING SHOWS THE DAY. POST BELOW IS COURTESY OF NATION ON LINE:
Ondo council crisis: Reps relax stand on Mimiko 20/3/2009
From Onyedi Ojiabor, Assistant Editor and Victor Oluwasegun, Abuja
Members of the House of Representatives yesterday watered down a motion which sought to reprimand Ondo State Governor Dr. Olusegun Mimiko over the dissolution of the 18 local government councils.
When the motion was proposed on Wednesday, members of the opposition parties, led by the Minority Leader, Hon. Mohammed Ndume, walked out of the chamber to protest what they described as an “illegality” and “undue interference” in the affairs of Ondo State.
The political summersault by the House on the controversial issue was not without its drama.
When the mover of the motion, Hon. Farouk Lawan (PDP Kano), and 93 others brought the motion, it had been completely watered down, apparently to pave the way for tranquility in the House.
To further reduce the bite of the motion, two prayers – “that the House should resolve to condemn in strong terms the action of Governor Olusegun Mimiko and urge the governor to rescind the dissolution of the councils and restore the withheld funds to the local government councils” – were abandoned.
In their place, a single prayer – that “the House resolve to urge the governor and other parties involved in the matter to toe the path of constitutionality and not to do anything that would further aggravate the tension in the state” was adopted by the House.
Lawan told his colleagues that he was concerned that Mimiko, “in disregard of constitutional provisions, suspended the statutory allocation to the 18 local government councils”.
He described the action as “the usurpation of the powers of the House of Assembly by the governor.”
He urged the House to note that “the withholding of the local government councils’ statutory allocations and the dissolution of the duly elected local government councils’ amounts to a flagrant abuse of our democratic process and a breach of the Rule of Law and the Constitution.”
The Kano State lawmaker recalled that when former President Olusegun Obasanjo withheld statutory allocations meant for Lagos State local governments, “the House, in a motion, urged the President to release the funds.”
He concluded his debate by urging the House to “consider what is happening in Ondo State dispassionately and ask all parties in the dispute to toe the path of honour and constitutionality in the interest of justice and fair play.”
Ndume said the House should be conscious of its decision on the issues at stake.
The Minority Leader suggested that the leadership of the House should be mandated to go to Ondo State and assist in the resolution of the problem.
He noted that when a similar issue arose in Anambra State, the leadership of the House was asked to go to the state to resolve the problem.
Hon. Muraino Ajibola attempted to raise a constitutional order, apparently to guide the House, but Speaker Dimeji Bankole, reminded him that the House agreed that a constitutional order should no longer be used to interject a debate.
Ajibola insisted on raising the constitutional order, but Bankole stood his ground.
Rather than allow Ajibola to speak, Bankole gave a member from Ondo State, Hon. Alaba Ojomo, the floor.
Ojomo (PDP, Ondo) said that the dissolution of the local government councils was illegal as the action was taken without recourse to the Assembly.
Former Speaker Patricia Etteh, who was itching to speak, did not allow Bankole to recognise her when she sprang up from her seat.
She quoted Order 5(1)(a) of the House Rule and added sarcastically: “Whatever the situation may be, most of us have been here since 1999.”
She noted that it was wrong for Bankole to say that members should not raise constitutional order while a debate was going on.
“I want to point out that the constitution is superior to the House rule,” she said.
To allow tempers to cool, Bankole agreed but added that “it is absolutely true that the constitution is superior to the House Rule but members should demonstrate the superiority of the constitution through their debate”.
He said it was unacceptable for members to interject debate by raising constitutional order.
Some other members wanted to contribute to the debate but Bankole put the matter to vote when he saw the trend of debate.
Those who opposed the motion carried the day at first, but when the question was put the second time the support for the motion was overwhelming.
Also yesterday, the House received the report of the Ad-Hoc Committee it set up to investigate the November 28, 2008 mayhem in Jos, Plateau State.
The report was laid on the table by the Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee, Hon. Isah Idris Umaru.
THIS IS A MUST SHARE READ COURTESY OF NIGERIAN GUARDIAN:
UAD, CNPP fault govt’s role in Ondo crisis
By Bertram Nwannekanma and Mohammed Abubakar (Abuja)
BOTH the United Action for Democracy (UAD) South West zone and the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) have faulted the role of the Federal Government in the Ondo State crisis.
The UAD South West zone has condemned what it called the Federal Government’s interference in the political affairs of Ondo State by reinstating the illegally constituted local councils that were dissolved by the legally elected governor, Mr. Olusegun Mimiko.
The UAD in a statement signed by Mr. Wale Balogun on behalf of its leadership yesterday described the Federal Government’s interference as illegal, crude, barbaric and unconstitutional.
The statement stated: “We would like to use this medium to alert all well-meaning Nigerians and the whole world of the sinister plot of the Federal Government to provoke crisis in the state and thereby declare a state of emergency.
“We stumbled on this high-level conspiracy from “Abuja” that the only way to illegally maintain its grip of the South West states that the judiciary is gradually freeing from electoral robbers of the discredited April 17, 2007 general elections is to cause crisis and impose a state of emergency.
“We are also privy to their plot to extend this same crisis to Ekiti State during the rerun elections so that a sole administrator can be imposed. We are all aware that the Federal Government has so much resources, both men and material that it could dissipate its energy on illegal, wasteful and unconstitutional actions at the expense of pressing societal issues affecting the people. The whole world should take note that we foretold this.”
According to the group, the facts about the dissolved illegal local councils are very clear; apart from the disobedience of a valid court order stopping the elections by Olusegun Agagu, there was also no democratically elected executive governor in office who had the constitutional powers to constitute the state electoral body.
It said, former governor Agagu who constituted the electoral body did it illegally and unconstitutionally because his tenure as the elected governor of Ondo State ended in May 2007.
“As we all know, according to law and based on the Appeal Court judgment recently, whatever actions Olusegun Agagu took as governor of Ondo State after May 2007 amounts to illegality and is thus null and void. In law, you cannot build something on nothing. Consequently, an illegal government constituted an illegal electoral body who in turn conducted an illegal election which produced illegal local councils executive,” it added.
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) criticised President Yar’Adua, for allegedly acting against the rule of law and due process, by ordering the Inspector General of Police to besiege local council headquarters in Ondo State, hence turning the state into a police state.
In a statement yesterday, Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said while it did not support the dissolution of the local councils by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, nor the illegality of conducting local council election in breach of subsisting court order by ex-Governor Segun Agagu, it believed that the court process could have been allowed to prevail, moreso, when the chairmen and councillors whose tenure was dissolved had already gone to court.
“CNPP wishes to warn that the desperation of President Yar’Adua and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to capture Nigeria is the greatest threat to our fledgling democracy. It is painful that PDP leadership are sliding into panic-driven hysteria; which is an ill wind. Otherwise we do not know why a regime, whose mantra is rule of law, is using state power to assault a state government.
The statement warned that the nation was returning back to the despotism of ex-president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who at every turn resorts to state of emergency at will against his perceived political enemies. It advised the president to learn from history, noting that failure to deliver the dividends of democracy, more than any other factor was why South West and indeed Nigerians were contemptuous and distancing themselves from the PDP.
AND THE PUNCH REPORTS IT FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF OLU FALAE. PLEASE READ:
Friday, March 20, 2009 Printer Friendly Version
Falae criticises Reps’ intervention in Ondo crisis
By John Ameh, Femi Makinde and Olusola Fabiyi
The National Chairman, Democratic Peoples’ Alliance, Chief Olu Falae, has said that the intervention by the members of the House of Representatives in the Ondo State political crisis may deepened the crisis.
The crisis was triggered by the dissolution of the 18 local government councils by Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
Falae, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said the action of the lawmakers would be prejudicial since the matter was already in court.
According to him, ” Once a matter is in court it should be allowed to be determined by the court, otherwise, you are pre-empting the court.
“The Labour Party in the state took the matter to court, the Action Congress did the same and my party, the DPA, also filed a suit before the election was conducted.
“Why don’t you allow the court to resolve the crisis? Any other way is unconstitutional, irregular and can lead to crisis and we don’t want anybody to cause crisis for us in Ondo State again.”
The Chairman of Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, also said that the House of Representatives members should allow the law to take its course since all the parties concerned had either filed or were joined in a suit.
But the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Ondo State chapter, Chief Adedayo Omolafe, said that the lawmakers were right to deliberate on the matter.
Omolafe said, “The House of Representatives, according to the law, can intervene in this type of crisis. This argument was raised on the floor of the House and the superior argument prevailed.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has asked Mimiko to follow due process in his determination to dissolve the local governments.
Stating the position of the government in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), said only due process would be acceptable to the Federal Government.
The minister, however, did not expatiate on what he meant by due process.
In another development, tension soaked the House of Representatives on Thursday as members debated a motion on the political crisis.
For the second time in 24 hours, opposition party members would have boycotted the proceedings of the House but for the decision of the majority Peoples Democratic Party members to agree to amend the prayers of the motion.
The motion with the title, “Breach of rule of law in Ondo State “, was moved by the Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Alhaji Farouk Lawal, and 99 others.
The initial two prayers of the motion were to “condemn in strongest terms, the action of Governor Olusegun Mimiko” and to “urge the governor to rescind the dissolution of the councils and restore the withheld funds to the local government councils.”
The Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, presided over the session.
GOVERNOR MIMIKO SPEAKS OUT ABOUT NIGERIAN POVERTY – ESPECIALLY ONDO STATE. SOME ARE OF THE OPINION THAT OUR GOVERNOR IS BARING HIS MIND TOO MUCH AND SHOULD BE MUTER. DO YOU AGREE? IF YOU ASK ME, THE PROBLEM IS NOT ABOUT SPEAKING MUCH OR NOT SPEAKING AT ALL. THE CONTENTS OF WHAT IS BEING SAID WOULD JUSTIFY THE NEED TO SPEAK. IF YOU DONT HEAR FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH, THEN YOU MAY NOT KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE. THESE ARE EARLY AND PDP PERULOUS TIMES IN ONDO STATE, AND COMMUNICATION IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON OF MASS INFORMATION. READ THIS CURTESY OF PM NEWS:
Print version Mimiko Decries Level Of Poverty In Nigeria
March 20, 2009 15:23 (3 hours ago), 52 views
By Gbenro Adeshina
Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state has decried the level of poverty in Nigeria, saying bad governance and bad attitude were responsible for the nation being the second country in the world with the highest mortality rate.
Speaking yesterday, at Akungba Akoko, Ondo state, at a special convocation ceremony for the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree on Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), Mimiko said after India, which has the highest mortality rate in the world, Nigeria comes second.
He said; “There is poverty in the land. Nigerians are suffering. After India, Nigeria has the highest mortality rate in the world. We cannot afford to remain in poverty. God is not happy about our poverty state. I know He is not happy because he has given us resources that we are not managing well. If He wants us to be poor, He would not have given us oil, bitumen and other mineral resources and human resources needed for real development. Please let us change our attitude. Let’s cultivate the idea of hardwork, work, work and work so we can be blessed and leave this poverty. Besides, to solve this sorry situation of our country, government personally must intervene to see that every Nigerian is accommodated in the welfare scheme and our spending.”
Condemning the administration of the erstwhile governor of Ondo state, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, that initially deleted Fawehinmi’s name from those that Adekunle Ajasin University awarded honorary doctorates to, he said a couple of months ago, the authorities of AAUA announced that they were conferring the honorary doctorate on a group of eminent Nigerians, Chief Gani Fawehinmi inclusive. According to him, the community of progressive and decent Nigerians celebrated widely that one prophet was to be honoured at home.
He noted that it was therefore an anticlimax when another statement was hurriedly issued purportedly withdrawing the award due to some non-descript but obviously mischievous reasons, adding that such wanton interference in the affairs of the university by the political leadership of the time and the obvious intellectual equivocation on the part of the university administration received, expectedly, a well-deserved opprobrium across the land.
“On our own part, we felt it was most uncharitable to so treat a man that in other climes should be receiving accolades for a lifetime of service in the cause of justice, a man of impeccable character and uncommon social commitment who unfortunately today, is down with cancer. This was why as soon as we got inaugurated, we tapped the authorities of the universities and assured them of our support if they were willing to retrace their steps,” he said. Mimiko stressed that in order to reposition education in the state for maximum effectiveness, the state government would set up visitation panels after which another committee would be constituted to undertake a holistic examination of the state’s higher education system.
He commiserated with the university community for losing nine students to ghastly accident, urging the students to shun what would harm them. Commenting on the degree conferred on Fawehinmi, Chief Femi Falana stated that the recipient saved the institution from slamming a suit against them, describing the initial withdrawal of his name from those already announced to receive the award as disservice to the nation. He said; “I wanted to sue you to court but Chief Fawehinmi stopped me. He said I should not bother and that I should wait for the right time and that God’s time is the best. I thank God that I am part of the God’s time now.” He described Chief Fawehinmi as a good ambassador of the legal profession as well as Nigeria.
our dear governor,pls kindly reinstate all those who agagu sacked in ondo state civil service because of certifcate problem.because they are suffering too much for agagu greediness to put all ondo state funds in his pocket
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE GOOD MOTHERS OUT THERE IN ONDO STATE AND ESPECIALLY TO OUR FIRST LADY MRS OLUKEMI MIMIKO AND MAMA WA, MOTHER OF OUR EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR. MAY WE ALL REAP THE GOOD FRUITS OF OUR LABOUR AND ENJOY THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING.
PEACE TO MY PEOPLE, AS WE APPROACH THE FIRST MONTH IN OFFICE OF OUR DEAR GOVERNOR, I WISH ONDO STATE PEACE, STABILITY AND PROGRESS IN JESUS NAME.
Dear Governor Mimiko, today marks the first month anniversary of your swearing in. You are a winner all the time and you will overcome all PDP barriers and excel in your governance which by the grace of God will be successful and progress driven for Ondo State. Please remain focussed and carry on with your 12 point agenda for your coming to power is to the glory of God and to the joy and relief of the people. Ondo State is looking unto you just like a child beholds the face of its father/mother. May the good Lord continue to be your shield and stay in Jesus name, amen.
My people this is to say a big thank you for being patient and listening to the voice of reason. The Lord will vindicate us all and reward our patience. PDP wanted to cause confusion but God will not allow them. Instead confusion will reign in their camps, in their midsts, in their homes and in their dealings for a long long time to come.
Remain blessed.
Peace to you all. Vistory is for us in Ondo state and no man can stop it. I know who I serve. PDP is wasting her time in Ondo state. God is on the Throne.
Another story from the people called themselves Akure Agenda..I dont know may be governor mimiko always read what we posted on this site.Gov Olusegun mimiko i want you to take a look at this story and i dont want anybody to destruct your government because i want good for you..look at what happened to PDP..If a party want to stand it will be from Akure people and if party want to fall it will be also from Akure people..how can someone be an Aspirant and Leader of the party..that is wrong my Governor.you shouldn,t allow ABENA to destruct your party.i heard it from reliable source that ABENA want to choose his PA as Caretaker of Akure south Local Government..that is wrong and i also had it that Olori and others were present TUYKANA as Caretaker of Akure south Local Government..that is wrong..TUYKANA is a decampee..what will it be the profit of those people that have been there before.among the Aspirant if they are ready to chose someone as caretaker..i think the man that deserve the caretaker is IROKO KEKERE.i can barely said little about the man..this man really suffered for labour party in Akure.he brought the party from grassroot and to state level.look at what happened in ward 10 rally at Dr Bada house..well i was there that time..this time must be constituency 2 time..we need to make history in mimiko government.constituency 1 has been doing chairman for the past 33years in Akure south local government and they dont work than constituency 2.Vote that came out from constituency 2 is more than constituency 1..i dont want a situation whereby this people will destruct what you have done..They are wicked people and they are only fight for their own pocket,they dont ready to fight for the masses.whoever want to destroy Labour party God will destroy their life(AMEN)..picked OLUWATUYI (TUYKANA) as caretaker chairman of Akure south local government is a wrong thing to me..if they can,t picked IROKO KEKERE AS caretaker is better they give it to neautral person that is not a Aspirant..we dont need commisioner in constituency 2…we only want chairman to come from our side..actually in Labour party today i can said that im Leader too but when you dont have money nothing you can do..im among those who brought it up in Akure south..we are 10 in numbers when we started our meeting in Oja-oshodi but they dont know me..not that im condemmed TUYKANA.im just saying reality..TUYKANA dont deserve the caretaker..if you people want to give it to Aspirant..IROKO KEKERE is the person that deserve it..TUYKANA met him there..even he also met FALAYE there…IROKO KEKERE should be caretaker while FALEYE should be his Vice..all what u want to do dont help party and i dont want you people to destruct this party..pls and pls make Dr mimiko happy and work with him so that he can build for better Ondo state..Akure is big enough to be a Governor but we need unity.AKURE A GBE A OOOO AMIN….we need peace in Akure and Ondo state Generally…i will be happy if i could talk to Mimiko one on one..actually i might young for politics but i have experience to make things better..that is what they called politics. ADMIN PLS MAKE SURE THAT GOV MIMIKO READ MY STORY…. CALL ME ON 08034837079
THIS GUARDIAN REPORT MAY SOUND GOOD BUT IT IS VERY DANGEROUS IN PARTS. THERE IS A REFERENCE TO AN ATTEMPT BY PDP TO “WOO GOVERNOR MIMIKO BACK”. WELL I KNOW OUR GOVERNOR WILL DO BETTER THAN LISTEN TO PDP RUBBISH, WHY BECAUSE PDP DO NOT SHARE THE SAME IDEALS AS LABOUR PARTY AND GOVERNOR MIMIKO – WHICH IS TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE. YOU CAN DRESS A PIG AFTER WASHING IT BUT A PIG WILL REMAIN A PIG. PLEASE READ ON COURTESY OF THE NIGERIAN GUARDIAN:
PDP chieftains shut down Kogi for Mimiko
From Ralph Omololu Agbana, Lokoja
THE recent visit of Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko to Kogi State is significant in many respects. Friends and associates had gathered at Iyah-Gbede, the hometown of Gen. David Jemibewon, to jointly honour Mimiko and former Minister of State in the Ministry of Power and Steel (Gas), Mr Tunde Odusina.
The event which was spearheaded by Mr Dan D Kunle, a former Senior Technical Assistant in the Ministry of Power and Steel and Mr Tunde Ayeni, also served as another forum for leaders from Okunland, and by extension, Kogi West Senatorial District, to discuss their future.
Incidentally, Mimiko, who won election on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) was hosted by mostly members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Those who received him and his entourage, included former Ekiti State Governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West), Hon Dino Melaye, member, House of Representatives for Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, his predecessor, Duro Meseko, Abayomi Awoniyi, Speaker of Kogi House of Assembly, Clarence Olafemi, his predecessor, Segun Simoyan, member, Kogi Assembly (PDP, Yagba West), Philip Orebiyi, pioneer state PDP Chairman, Chief Kayode Ige, former PDP Deputy Chairman and Chief Gbenga Asagun.
Others are former Deputy Chief of Staff (Presidency), Prince Olusola Akanmode, President of the Okun Development Association (ODA), Chief Emmanuel Otitoju, Alhaji Seidu Baido, Director-General, NDLEA, Mr Lanre Ipinmisho, and captains of industries.
The commissioning of the Kogi West Senatorial PDP office at Kabba was postponed for undisclosed reasons. It was gathered that the National Secretariat ordered the cancellation following complaints from top party chieftains in Kogi West, on what an insider described as ’serious protocol breach.’
Senator Adeyemi, said that the strong PDP presence was to woo Mimiko to return to the PDP, “where he use to belong.” He implored Mimiko to return, because, according to him, PDP has since undergone transformation, with the exit of the “Draconian regime.” He said the order from above stopping the commissioning of Kogi West PDP office was a good sign that PDP has gained a rebirth.
Speaking on the agitation for separate states by the Okun-Yoruba and the Igala in Kogi West and East Senatorial Districts, respectively, Adeyemi said the agitation portrays Kogi under the present leadership as “a failed state.” He said during the First Republic, when the area called Okunland did not have a state capital close to them, the people fared better under the old northern region administered from Kaduna, under the leadership of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello.
“If two parts out of the three parts of Kogi are agitating for better deals in new states, it means that the state under the present leadership is a failed state. The third part cannot stay on; it will definitely go.
“We will do everything to ensure we have a state out of Kogi. If you are having one state and it becomes two, you don’t have reasons to be displeased.”
He denied that he had irreconcilable differences with the state Governor Ibrahim Idris. “People make the mistake that I am fighting the governor or Kogi East. The mandate I have is to protect Kogi West. If I am passionate about it, it is just because I don’t want to betray that mandate. If the programmes or policies of federal or state government will go against my senatorial district, I will go against it,” he said.
The President of the Okun Development Association (ODA), Chief Emmanuel Otitoju, harped on the aspiration of the Yoruba speaking people of Kogi to have a state. He asked Mimiko and his peers in the core-Yoruba land to support the agitation because of the affinity of the Okun with their kith and kin in the South West.
Dspite the strong presence of PDP members, Idris and members of his cabinet were absent giving rise to speculations that the gathering might not have enjoyed his support. Hon Meseko however, confirmed to The Guardian that the governor and members of his cabinet were invited.
Wit the cancellation of the PDP programme, prominent PDP leaders in Kogi trooped to the Iyah-Gbede for Mimiko amidst chants of “Iroko,” by his admirers. Mimiko appraised the events culminating in his ascension to the Government House in Akure and concluded that it was God’s doing.
“I think God just wanted to demonstrate that he is God. Nobody can pretend to be God. When God wants to do His things, He just raises men; at every critical juncture. He just positions somebody who will neutralise your Ghana Must Go with a phone call. I want to assure you that because I got to be governor through the grace of Almighty God, I feel challenged to deliver on the aspirations of our people. I will not let the people of Ondo down.”
Mimiko appealed to eminent Nigerians to partner with the state in the oil and gas, real estate, agriculture and other sectors, assuring that the leadership will be ready to facilitate the right climate for enduring investments to thrive. His policy thrust is aimed “to use the resources of the state to energise and mobilise the people to create wealth for the greatest good of the greatest numbers.”
He showered praises on his hosts, and described Akanmode as a rare Nigerian who was the unseen engine room of the Presidency in the eight years of Olusegun Obasanjo. He disclosed that Akanmode has visited Ondo on many occasions recently on his invitation “to give tutorials on those things I thought I knew and what we hope will help to get the new government in Ondo get off the ground.”
In an interactive session with reporters Mimiko touched on the dissolution of Ondo councils. He denied a statement credited to him that the National Assembly was plotting to declare a state of emergency in Ondo. He accused elements in the PDP in Ondo for trying to persuade President Musa Yar’Adua to declare a state of emergency.
“What I said was that some elements within the PDP, having lost power, could not reconcile themselves with that fact and they were trying to use all means to cause a breakdown of law and order with a view to persuading Mr President to declare a state of emergency.” Yar’Adua, he said, has demonstrated that he is not a leader “to be stampeded to do anything against the law of Nigeria.
“I decided to sack the councils based on advise I got from the state Ministry of Justice. The council election was conducted in spite of an order, and in the eyes of the law, those councils do not exist. I had to take such decisions based on legal platforms to ensure law and order and I think I have the responsibility to do that. The correctness or otherwise of my action is not even important because it is already in the court, and I believe in the rule of law.”
Adebayo raised a fresh alarm that the PDP is planning to rig and manipulate the re-run governorship polls in the Ekiti.
Recounting how he was rigged out of office in 2003, he said that he didn’t want to, create confusion, when he was rigged out of office, “so I started to convince our people to accept whatever result that was declared for the state to move forward.
“I have come to the conclusion that when you try to disenfranchise the people on impose people on them, somewhere there will be resistance and that is what has been happening.
“PDP has been rigging since 2003. They are attempting to rig again. On Election Day, if any attempt is made by the PDP to falsify results, Ekiti people will not accept anything short of the popular wish of the electorate.”
reply to Lekan Akure:
i agree with you that TUYKANA is a decampee from AC. i even saw him when he was campaining for the post of akure south chairmansip in 2007.
but could you remember that ABENA was the first person to align with Labour party on the day of lunching labour party at akure town hall old garage.
ABENA is the acredited Akure south labour party leader. he financed labour party and contested under the platform. where was Iroko KEKERE when people are spending their millions for the cause of labour party at tribunal.
did you remember that ABENA won his case at tribunal and he is going to win at appeal for re- run.
dont be myopic. and proof yourself right.
Well im not opposing Abena@fapohunda.im just saying the reallity.If they want to picked someone for the post of Akure south Chairman.Iroko Kekere is the best person to choose.well i know that Abena really work for the Labour party and he finance the party im also praying for him to win@the appellate court..now they has two commissioner in constituency 1 and i think chairman should come from constituency 2.constituency 1 has been doing the chairman for the past 33years and nothing for constituency 2 in every government.if you look at Akure generally,you will see that constituency 1 is well develop than constituency 2..this is a new era.Labour party is a masses party and we are praying for higher position.i know that Gov mimiko will make history in Ondo state and he is ready to work.i will suggest that if Gov mimiko nominate a commissioner and the person doesn,t perform beyond people expectation.may be you should change the person.Im praying to God in heaven that all political appointee that will work with Governor should work beyond people expectation.@fapohunda who do you think is the right person for the post of Chairman in akure south.among the two strong Aspirant we have in Labour party.IROKO KEKERE AND TUYKANA. in my own.iroko kekere should be chairman and Falaye should be his vice.Labour party is a new party and i think our leader will know what to do.we all want good thing in labour party.God almighty will help our Governor to lead his people to land of promise in Ondo State.im 100% sure that Gov Mimiko will work in Ondo State.it’s time to enjoy good governance in Ondo State..Iroko Joo Gbasibe.Ondo State will shine than before. (AMEN)
Tuykana, Abena, these aliases, I assume that’s what they are, sound thuggish to me. I would have thought if you are going to choose an alias you would plump for ones that resonate with class and not ones that suggest you are a leader of bunch of street urchins. And these people are being tipped as local government chairmen? God help us!
Guys, Guys, prayer is the key for only God knows the heart and full capability of any individual. Let us not fall out on this but let us support whoever is chosen and pray that the people of Ondo State benefit in the end.
@T.A. – I actually thought these were real names and not aliases. If aliases maybe they would revert back to their real names when they assume office for yes, if aliases, they could choose better, but if their real names, we kiss and make up and say “whats in a name anyway. lol!
Peace my people.
Lekan, i somuch cherish your contributions as per Akure south agenda.whosoever is appointed should realise that the Era of sitting down a pose as self acclaimed leader is gone in ondo state. he must be ready to work and set a realistic goals for himself.
his past record must be the one that will influence younger ones to aspire to grater height.
Thank you @ fapohunda.the reason why im concerned is that i want good thing to happen in constituecny 2 and we want to make history.it’s time to enjoy good governance in Ondo State.Gov Mimiko is a kind of person that want good for others.im not doubting him.he is ready to work for us in Ondo State.the matters between constituency 1 and 2 is the serious matters and im praying to almighty God to let everything lying down.i dont know reason why we choose a leader to represent us in where we couldn,t have access to be and they will do their own when they get there..thats really bad and i dont like it.all these dont help younger people.you are just selling your birth right.pls stop fighting for your own pocket. pls pls and pls stop all these.if you help others,God will help you..@ TA and omotaylor.these name are alias.Yeah i really support you @ TA.i just dont like cheating and i hate what some of our leader in labour party is performing..it’s not a good ideal.if you dont change.God will punish you(AMEN).you will suffered from generation to generation.we need chairman in constituency 2…constituency 1 has been doing chairman for over 33years can you imaging that @ TA,fapohounda and Omotaylor..calm down my people..the good things of Ondo State will happen in our presence.we shall not die in Jesus name..AMEN. Happy weekend to my Governor,her excellency,my colleaque and brothers in this forum…Thanks for giving me opportunity to be part of this forum..I thank you all.
coutesy of The Nation Newspaper.
Court okays Mimiko’s bid to flush out council chiefs.
For Ondo State’s 18 local government chairmen and their councilllors, a desperate battle to keep their seats collapsed yesterday.
An Akure High Court stopped them from parading themselves as members of the executive and legislative arms of the local governments, pending the determination of the case before it.
Justice Nelson Adeyanju, ruling on the interlocutory application brought by the Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, through his counsel, Mr. John Baiyeshea (SAN), restrained the plaintiffs (the chairmen and the councillors) and their agents from administering or disrupting the activities of the 18 local governments until the case is determined.
Earlier, Baiyeshea had told the court that his client (Mimiko) had written an undertaken that he would not constitute any Caretaker Committee, until the determination of the case.
Mimiko, on March 4, disbanded the executive and legislative arms of all the 18 Local government councils, arguing that the dissolution was as a result of the impending litigations restraining the ousted Olusegun Agagu administration from conducting the local council elections held on December 15, 2007.
But the 18 council chairmen acted on “Order” from Abuja and forcibly entered their secretariats, aided by policemen.
But, Mimiko repeatedly said he would abide by the court order on the dissolution of the councils, which has generated controversy for weeks.
Baiyeshea, moving the motion for the interlocutory application for the restraining of the chairmen from taking over council secretariats by force, said their action, if permitted, was capable of disrupting the smooth running and administration of the various local governments, pending the final hearing of the substantive suit.
He said: “We have filed a reply to the counter affidavit of the plaintiffs and we rely on the affidavit in support and we want the court to determine whether the chairmen are justified on the legal processes that brought them to office. We also refer your lordship to paragraphs 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of our affidavit.
“Also, the status quo we are saying is that the dissolution has taken place and the plaintiffs have seized to be in office since March 4, 2009, which they have accepted. The legal right of the governor is based on section 5 (2) and 7 of the Constitution.”
Mimiko’s counsel went on to say that there was no evidence that local government workers were instigated by the state government and that there was no place in their affidavit that they have been functioning in their offices since the dissolution of the councils.
“My lord, the status quo is that they are out of office, but trying to force themselves into the office. And since they have joined issue in the court, they should not have done any extra-judicial activities by forcing themselves in office again,” he said.
Baiyeshea argued that “the balance of conveniences favour the plaintiffs, in view of the fact that the workers have stayed away since their action and we cannot sacrifice all the 18 local governments for just 18 persons who stand to be compensated for any damage, if the case goes in their favour”.
“My Lord, we have entered into undertaken if at the end of the day they are favoured,” said the lawyer.
But the plaintiff’s counsel, Otunba Kunle Kalejaye (SAN), said he agreed with the position of the application, adding that the interlocutory application was what the defendant wanted the court to determine and nothing more.
He argued that the defendant could not restrain the council bosses from parading themselves as council chairmen, unless the governor agreed that they still occupied that position in which they were to be restrained.
His words: “Our argument is that the status quo is known to law, with the state of affairs before the litigation and not unlawfully contravenes state of affairs before the litigation. My counter submission is that the constitution did not give the governor a blank arbitrary power to dissolve the councils. The governor under the constitution, must act in accordance with the law.”
Kalejaiye urged the court to discountenance the interlocutory injunction sought by the governor and strike it out accordingly.
Justice Adeyanju said the defendant (Mimiko) was right in his application. He restrained the council chiefs from parading themselves as chairmen, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Adeyanju adjourned the case till April 29 for the hearing of the substantive suit.
The council chiefs, who were sacked by Mimiko shortly after he assumed office, are in court fighting to keep their jobs.
They are praying for an order restraining Mimiko from dissolving the councils, which the governor contends were illegally constituted.
The council election had been conducted by the sacked Governor Olusegun Agagu despite the pendency of a suit challenging his constitution of the State Independent Electoral Commissions (ODSIEC).
The chairmen are also seeking an injunction restraining Mimiko from appointing care-takers for the councils.
thank God that they are losing.their plan is to cause problem that will make ondo state a centre of attention which will create relevance for their antics and affects the GOV concentrating on key issues that can affects the society. thank God for our matured and intelligent Governor for toeing the path of truth and justice.
Yeah..they are losing @ fapohunda.Gov mimiko is a matured and intelligent Governor that respect judiciary.we shall see what will happen to them at the end of the court judgment..they are looser and we are a winner.IROKO JOO GBASIBE.
A welcome development, @Omotaylor, what do you think?
@Admin, still expecting e-mail communication from you as previously discussed on this site if ok by the others with you.
All remain blessed.
@Mr Fred, I posted the Vanguard version of the same report yesterday. What do I think? More than a welcome development. I just cant thank God enough for we can see the hand of God in all that Governor Mimiko does and will do in Ondo State. From the very start I had always maintained just the one stand: The Local Government Chairmen so called elections by Agagu was unconstitutional, hence not valid simple. They were impostors trying to force themselves on the state. I also supported and still do, fully Governor Mimiko’s stopping this charade of Impostors in power and when they came back with the Abuja formular, I stated that it is very simple to peacefully beat them at their game i.e. if they have nobody to be chairmen over, they would be more than redundant.
I give glory to God that the PDP do or die ways are boomeraging on them full time. All weapons fashioned against we the children of God in Ondo State will always backfire. With the dissolution of all LGChair seats in Osun State (I think), we have no fears that in Ondo State the courts would definitely decide in favour of the truth, democracy, the people and Governor Mimiko. My concern is that we have not been allowed to put Caretakers in place hence for all LG seats, there is no head. Hence the courts must decide fast on this so that new LG chairs are chosen/elected.
All is going well in Ondo State. Governor Mimiko being a man of sound judgement and focus is settling well. He has chosen his immediate cabinet and these people will deliver. He will chose soon all lesser positions and as usual I have total trust in him and his choice. I just pray that Satan does not borrow the hearts of any of these people, for NO ONE should put Governor Mimiko’s governance, name and integrity into disrepute.
One more thing I would note and beg of our governor is that Ondo State should prioritise all areas of attention, and all commissioners should work well in their positions to ensure that all areas of concern are covered very quickly. If I may suggest the order of priority, pardon me for making this suggestion, I would say they should be in this order:
1. ROADS – MAJOR, MINOR CITY AND RURAL ROADS
2. AMENITIES – i.e. ELECTRICITY& WATER. THIS WILL INCLUDE ALTERNATIVE POWER SUPPLY e.g. Windmill and Solar Power
3. HEALTH – HOSPITALS, DRUGS AND PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE
4. EDUCATION – THIS IS AN AREA OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE AND THE GOVERNOR IS SO SO INTERESTED IN THIS
5. TOURISM + ALL OTHER AREAS OF GAINING ALTERNATIVE ECONOMY TO BOOST THE COFFERS SO DEPLETED BY AGAGU AND CO.
6. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ESPECIALLY IN PUBLIC SERVICE
7. SECURITY
and so on.
Wow there is so much to do, and can they be done? YES YES WE CAN DO THEM ALL.
Peace my people. God is fully and truly in control of Ondo State. Let us prayerfully thank and continue to petition God for non stop guardiance and guidance. Let us remain calm, focussed and peaceful and let us spread the gospel of good news to all in Ondo State. This gospel being that Corruption does not have a place in Ondo State. Complacency will become a thing of the past. There is no more rich getting richer and poor getting poorer. That Governor Mimiko needs 100% support. That Ondo State is now a Sunshine state and lastly that power plays i.e. absolute power that corrupts absolutely is no longer to be tolerated in Ondo State.
Tomorrow is good Friday. Jesus carried a heavy burden for us all. What burden are we ready to carry for Him and for our neighbours? Our selflessness and service will be rewarded well and truly in Jesus name.
Peace
7.
One pertinent thing that I have noticed in you Ms Omotaylor, pardon the title if it doesn’t fit, is your commitment to the cause of overhauling the administration of Ondo state to a position whereby things will work as they should, as opposed to having magomago people in power who end up screwing us all up. I was quite strucked by your mini manifesto above and I believe someone as passionate as you should be in active politics, straight at the heart of things. And I say this with every sincerity
Once again, I like your blue print above and I hope somehow most if not all of it is put into practice. Continue the struggle, or aluta continua as we say in Nigeria.
Dear T.A., the title is very correct, Ms Omotaylor when I am not using my God given title from heaven i.e. EVANGELIST. I thank you for your kind words. Politics in Nigeria is scary sometimes, especially as many hold it as OBJ would want it – DO OR DIE. Heavens forbid we join in the “wetie” politics which I think should have long been buried since the “penkelemesh” or “particular mess” days. I am very and extremely passionate about the plight of my poor people and my integrity. When the poor suffer, I suffer, when they hunger, I hunger and when they needlessly die, something in me dies. Didnt our Lord Jesus Christ Himself say this in the Holy book, that “if you have done it for or to these people (the poor), you have done it for or to me”? In spite of the fact that sometimes the masses are very hard to suffer and work for, things are changing. The masses dont go begging crumbs from under the table as before. They are raising their standards and this is what I want for my people in Ondo State.
I will be too too disappointed if this time around the masses and the generality of my people in Ondo State are not the MAIN GOVERNMENTAL FOCI in Ondo State.
Look at that Man of Calvary whom we say and confess that we love so much. Look at all what He did for us. We must do same for others for this is the JOY philosophy
Jesus First
Others In between
Yourself last.
I wish people will try it and see if it doesnt work. It gives full joy.
Let me give an example T.A., I went to a wedding party at VI in Lagos about 4 years ago. The poor were barred at the gates and they were so so many, begging and a hunger. Inside people were stuffing their guts silly with good food and wine and above all wasting the food. I just sat there and went into a philosophical reverie and before I knew it, I was wishing a role reversal between the poor and the so called rich, even if for one day. I really respect Governor Raji Fashola. He does this all the time, i.e. secretely goes places the poor go and travel the way they do, to feel their plight and do something about it. This is why in Lagos he is doing so well and God has no choice but will have to bless Fashola.
This is what I pray for my people in Ondo State.
Aluta will continua T.A. Ojo Iku lojo isimi, ko de si iku loju omo Olorun for a very long time. Let us all continue in our God given capacities and in our little private corners do the right thing and preach the right gospel. By the grace of God all our labour of love will be rewarded.
As for active politics – we wait and see….. watch out for this space. God will give the right direction and at the right time insha Allau. Na gama yanzu, se watarana.
Peace my people.
Thanks Admin, I will check my mail box again for as at yesterday, your message was yet to be received.
Appreciate this admin but yet to receive the mail. Please resend and probably add `admin` so as to know this is from you. I will also look out for this in my spam.
Remain blessed.
The mail is from the Mahogany Force’s email address, not from me. The group started the website and has me copied. I will ask the sender to resend.
Thank you admin
Testing for update purpose
No big news is good news I suppose.
From all indications, things are going great in Ondo State.
All remain blessed.
Looks so Mr Fred. Ondo State government achievements and results would soon start coming in. Thank God that the Local Government workers have been urged to return to work. Now that the fake Chairmen have been banned from parading themselves, the workers should have no fear for safety of their lives now.
I sort of missed out on the news of Adrian Forty’s death in January. May his soul rest in peace. Ondo State history will remember him for good for his technical expertise that exposed, named and shamed PDP and Agagu.
Thank God..17th commissioner was swearing in today at the Akure township sport Stadium.the people were gather there to witness the ceremony..I congratulate all the commissioners and the special adviser.i want them to work with Dr Olusegun Mimiko with their strenght.they shouldn,t dissapoint him.Gov mimiko can,t do it alone.pls pls and pls.he needs your support..whatever you did today,will make people talk about you.pls let people say good thing about you as they talked good thing about Gov mimiko..you people can become Governor too if u do good job now.pls perform beyond people expectation.we are ready to work with you and God will help you all(AMEN)..I congratulate Dr Adegbenro Adeola(aka liberty)And Pharm Asaolu Kunle)…God will help and he will help you to deliver good thing for your people in Ondo State…Congratulation all.
Congratulations to all the 17 Commissioners sworn in today and prayers that the remaining 2+2 would soon be cleared and sworn in also. Ondo State is a special state, loved by God and held dear in the people’s eyes. Please all should work together first for God and Godly values, then the people and people love, and last for other reasons, as long as these reasons are in accordance to the dictates of democratic and progressive politics. Let us never forget what PDP did to Ondo State and let us all steer clear of corruption, self pocket enrichment, self aggrandisement and powerplays. In doing this, like Lekan Akure said above, your names will be written with indelible ink in the historical archives of Ondo State for posterity to forever bless.
Blessings and peace my people. It shall be well. Very soon we shall be scoring the good points of change and progress in Ondo State even more than Lagos is scoring for Governor Raji Fashola.
Mimiko o jarreeeeee, gba sibe siiiiiiii ni Ondo State. Iwaju Iwaju lopa ebiti e yio ma re si ni oruko ya allahu, our great Jehovah Rohi.
Does anyone know the portfolios of the new commissioners? They have been sworn in since Tuesday, yet the State run website at http://www.ondostategovernment.net has no report on them yet. I believe the site can do a better job.
It is strange that all the information and most of the governor’s pictures listed on the site are sourced from the online news site and this site. The govt site should be the news breaker and a source for fresh updates on government activities. When will this start happening?
List of the new commissioners:
Chief Julius Akinigbagbe – Agriculture
Prince Sola Amodeni – Forest Resources
Adenike Fatogun – Education
Alhaji Sikiru Basaru – Lands and Housing
Dr Kunle Asaolu – Physical and Urban Planning
Akin Akingbesote – Commerce and Industry
Clement Faboyede – Cooperative and Community Development
Mrs Bukola Tenabe – Women Affairs
Wole Akinjo – Employment, Labour and Productivity
Yele Omogunwa – Works
Wale Akinterinwa – Finance
Oye Alademehin – Local government and Chieftaincy Affairs
Lebi Adepiti – Environment
Tola Wewe – Culture and Tourism
Yekini Olanipekun – Youths and Sports
Akin Adaramola – Economic Planning and Budget
Dr Lawrence Adegbenro – Health.
We are hoping, after the state executive cabinet was sworn in a few days ago, that this indeed will be a new era in Ondo state politics. We want to see Fashola’s feat in Lagos state and more replicated in Ondo state. We of the civil society will be watching the government like a hungry hawk in its pronouncements and deeds in the state. We want to believe that the opinion held in some quarters that black Africans are incapable of fashioning/creating a decent, orderly and progressive society is utterly false. If Dr Mimiko fails then there will be every justification to accept this opinion as an absolute truth.
Ondo state indigenes everywhere are watching and waiting for the government to deliver.
T.A, seem we typed messages again at the same time. Dr Mimiko will not fail the people for he has God on his side and
God to answer to. He knows this very well. He was born under a lucky people compassionate star and for this he will deliver the goods. Let us all continue to be supportive. We watch on with positivity and conviction. The individual commissioners, personal advisers and other senior elected officers must remember that their performance will go a long way in restoring or destroying the people’s confidence in Nigerian democracy.
It is well.
THIS IS A GUARDIAN REPORT. SO SO SAD BUT EVERY LITTLE HELPS. MAY GOD CONSOLE THE FAMILIES OF THE DECEASED:
Friday, October 16, 2009
Mimiko gives families of deceased journalists cash, scholarship
From Niyi Bello, Akure
ONDO State Government has offered full scholarship to the children of the two journalists and a driver who died on October 4 when the convoy of Governor Olusegun Mimiko, in which they were travelling, was involved in an accident along the Okitipupa-Akinfosle road.
Aside the offer of scholarship and defraying of all burial expenses, the government also pledged immediate release of N1 million to each of the families, with promise of employment for any of the deceased’s children who has reached employment age.
Mimiko, who personally announced the assistance to the families at the lying-in-state of one of the victims, Elekan Samuel Bolorunduro, at the Press Centre of the Ondo State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) yesterday, described the demise of the officials as devastating.
In an emotion-laden address, the governor said: “We mourn the sudden passing into glory of three professionals in the service of Ondo State Government, whose lives were cut short in a ghastly motor accident while in active service of their fatherland.
“The irreparable loss rattled and devastated the entire state and particularly members of my immediate family and the cabinet members to the extent that all government engagements in and outside the state were promptly suspended in honour of the officers for one week.
“While it could be painful that they departed this sinful world when their services would be mostly needed, we, however, take solace in the fact that they lived exemplary lives. On our part as government, we shall remain committed in our collective efforts to transform Ondo State to a more prosperous state where its citizens will be adequately catered for and protected.”
Expressing the readiness of his administration “not to abandon the families of the deceased at their moments of needs,” the governor announced that he had directed the relevant agencies of government to immediately commence the process of payment of their gratuities and pensions.”
In his address, the National President of NUJ, Mallam Garba Muhammed, condoled with the family of the deceased, the body of journalists in Ondo State and the entire citizenry. He promised that the process of life assurance for journalists in the country would be pursued to logical conclusion.