NEWS
Afenifere Secretary Declares for Ondo 2024 Guber Ambition
From Kunle Idowu
A leading governorship aspirant in the People’s Democratic Party in Ondo State and the Secretary General of the Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere Chief Olusola Ebiseni, has said that this year’s election is going to be a defining moment for the state.
Ebiseni, a lawyer and former commissioner in the state, said that the people of the state know their true leaders.
According to him, “If you follow the trajectory of governance from the Ajasin era, our state, has had a rare privilege of being governed by governors who are not only intellectually suave, grounded in their chosen carriers, thoroughly-bred, and groomed in the ideology of the Awolowo school of thought which defines our Welfarist programmes with which our people and politics have been identified.
“Besides Ondo State are a very proud and having produced Ajasin, Adefarati, Agagu, Mimiko and Akeredolu who were and are men who gave our state delightful corporate image in the comity of governors must always strive, like one of the leaders of the party told me when I visited him on consultations, to maintain such standards.
“Development of our state also requires being fully acquainted with the territory and the people.
“Such knowledge affords the new manager the opportunity of the location of resources, creates wealth therefrom and fairly allocates the same without undue concentration in one or few places.
” From serving as an elected Local Government Chairman, to being Commissioner three times in the strategic Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, we have comparative advantage in the knowledge of the state and the geopolitical distribution of its natural resources.
“These include oil and gas, forestry resources, economic crops, and solid minerals.
“Diversification of the economy of the state from over-reliance on the federation account is the only means of getting out of the woods and must be prioritised.
“There is a creative way of developing our resources within the provisions of the Constitution.
“Certain social services which sets our state apart ideologically and which have been discontinued or totally abandoned must be resuscitated in terms of quality and affordable education and health services including the Mother and Child hospitals which will be fairly extended in the zones and many of such welfare programmes.
“It is a cheap petit-bourgeois mind-set to argue that the state cannot afford such existential programmes. I was privileged to be part of the team that accomplished this for the state.
Ebiseni who was a delegate at the 2014 National Conference said that “as the Secretary General of Afenifere, we shall join forces with progressive forces for restructuring the Federation for true federalism.
NEWS
Kogi Govt Gives 14-day Ultimatum to Illegal Occupants of Confluence Stadium to Quit
The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Mr Monday Anyebe, gave the directive when he led a team to assess the extent of vandalism in the stadium in Lokoja.
Anyebe said the team was in the stadium to assess the extent of vandalism by criminal elements who had carted away some equipment at the stadium.
He expressed concern over the level of vandalism, describing it as ‘worrisome’ and vowed that government would do everything possible to bring perpetrators of the heinous crime to book.
The commissioner, therefore ordered all the illegal occupants to vacate the premises within 14 days, after which they would be forcefully evicted and arrested for prosecution.
He also warned that the government would not allow miscreants to turn the stadium complex into harbouring criminal elements and vandalizing the sports facilities.
“All illegal occupants within the premises and the immediate perimeter fence of the stadium should heed the directive to vacate the premises within 14 days.
“Gov. Ahmed Ododo will not condone any act of criminality in the state; anyone caught will face the full wrath of the law,” Anyebe warned.
Anyebe further disclosed that plans were ongoing to renovate the stadium to a world standard for easy sporting activities in the state.
He, therefore implored the perpetrators to desist from causing set back for the government in its quest to develop the state.
The commissioner stressed that adequate measures were being put in place to safeguard the sports facilities.
Reports says that after assessing the stadium, the commissioner visited the State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He intimated the NSCDC Command of the development and stressed the need for collaboration with the ministry towards providing adequate security for the stadium.
Anyebe appealed to the Command to work collectively with his office in ensuring that personnel of the Corps were posted to the facility to avoid recurrent vandalisation.
In his remarks, the Deputy Commandant, Bala Bodinga, on behalf of the state’s NSCDC Commandant, Paul Igwebuike, commended the commissioner and his encourage for the visit.
He described the visit as timely and assured the commissioner of the NSCDC collaboration to ensure the safety of facilities at the Stadium complex. (NAN)
NEWS
MPC: Ex-CBN Director Predicts Increase in lending Rate
Dr Titus Okunronmu, former Director of Research Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has predicted an increase in the lending rate from its current 24.75 by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Okunronmu gave the prediction in an interview on Monday in Ota, Ogun.
Reports says that financial expert spoke against the backdrop of the MPC meeting scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
He stated that the lending rate would be raised by MPC, as CBN might not want to force it down, adding that until the inflation rate came down, the lending rate would continue to go up.
“It is at the same level of inflation that CBN will net or fix the lending rate,” he said.
According to the former CBN director, the higher the inflation rate, the less profit commercial banks will record. (NAN)
Foreign News
Iran to Hold Memorial Services for Raisi on Tuesday
Memorial ceremonies for President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian are planned in Iran for Tuesday.
Raisi, Amirabdollahian and seven senior Iranian officials died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Local media reported that a ceremony is being planned in the provincial capital of Tabriz in the morning, followed by a ceremony in the religious stronghold and pilgrimage city of Qom.
The date for the funerals of the two statesmen has not yet been announced.
Raisi is to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad.
The helicopter crashed in dense fog on the mountains over East Azerbaijan Province while the deceased were travelling back from a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
(dpa/NAN)