25052018 - BENUE KILLINGS: ETHNIC CLEANSING OR JIHAD? Soyinka, Northern leaders tango

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2018—29
ONDO STATE
AKEREDOLU VERSUS ONDO WORKERS: Who blinks first?
Stories by Dayo Johnson
AKURE—ONE of the
albatrosses of Governor
Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State
is his blunt way of addressing
issues.
In fact, his media handlers
are having a hell of a time
coping with his candid way of
responding to sensitive issues
that relate to
governance.Akeredolu is
always at home spilling it out
no matter whose ox is gored.
He has been engaged in an
unending battle with many
chieftains of his party, the All
Progressives Congress, APC
and National Assembly
members from the state.
The recent crisis over tuition
fees in the state-owned
Adekunle Ajasin University,
Akungba-Akoko, was traced to
his putting the horse before the
cart during the convocation of
the institution few months ago.
Also, during the swearing in
ceremony of his 18
commissioners, many
wondered why the governor
decided to use the occasion to
tell the people of the state how
much debt his predecessor left.
His state address had been
expected by the people few
months after he assumed office
but he thought otherwise.
His bluntness has made
many, especially his party
members and chieftains,
uncomfortable.
On party affairs, he has
offended many by his style of
administration which is
observed as being arrogant.
Recently, Akeredolu told civil
servants in the state of his
inability to pay their leave
allowances, but promised to
only pay them when the state
is buoyant.
Many workers believed that
even if the governor won’t pay,
he ought to have been
diplomatic about it instead of
his hard stance on the vexed
issue.
TUC boss faults Akeredolu
on leave allowance
The state chairman of the
Trade Union Congress of
Nigeria, Ekundayo Soladoye
had earlier, while delivering his
speech said: “The leave
allowance is a right of workers
and not a privilege or bonus
from their employers. It is a
right on which workers
reserved the right to declare a
trade dispute or not.”
THE TEAM
EDITOR: Dayo Johnson
Deputy Editor: Dapo Akinrefon
08023844928 (sms only)
CORRESPONDENTS:
Ola Ajayi
Gbenga Olarinoye
Dare Fasube
Daud Olatunji
Rotimi Ojomoyela
Monsuru Olowoopejo
Adeola Badru
•Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
The governor, in response to
Soladoye, said that the state
has “no money to pay now. It
will only be paid when
government has the money to
pay. So that it would not be as
if I did not tell you.”
Akeredolu’s May Day speech
This statement irked many of
the workers who queried his
bluntness while others praise
him for not playing politics with
such matter.
Akeredolu’s utterances
during the 2018 May Day
celebration did not only pitch
him against the workers, many
of them also made up their
minds about him.
Responding to the workers’
protest, the vintage Akeredolu
said: “It is not a big deal,
ONDO POLITICS: When a Senator dares a governor
AKURE—THE lawmaker
representing Ondo North
Senatorial District, Senator Ajayi
Boroffice has dared Governor
Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State
saying the governor is not a
threat to his return to the Senate
in 2019.
Boroffice said this during his
visit to the Correspondents'
Chapel of the Nigeria Union of
Journalists,
NUJ,
to empathise with the five
members of the chapel injured
by sponsored thugs, who
invaded the parallel state
congress of the APC in the
state. The Senator said: “I cannot
say this is the
reason for this
animosity. You
Ibadan
Osogbo
(Photo)
Abeokuta
Ekiti
Lagos
Ibadan
heard the
governor, on
two occasions,
saying that I
am not a
member of the
A l l
Progressives
Congress,
APC and that
I should go
a n d
register.He
also said he
doesn’t recognise me
It is not a big deal
because it is the
fundamental
human right of
every Nigerian to
protest or disagree
with government’s
decision but I will
continue to act in
the overall best
interest of the state
•Boroffice
as a senator of APC. He is the
only person who can explain.I
have no personal grudge against
him. I don’t see him as a threat
to my ambition but I don’t know
whether he sees me as a threat
to his ambition.
“Honestly, I cannot explain it
but this is part of life and once
you are focused on what you are
doing, you will regard those
because it is the fundamental
human right of every Nigerian
to protest or disagree with
government’s decision but I will
continue to act in the overall best
interest of the state. So, you can
shout, you can protest, it is your
fundamental human right, you
can remain in the sun for days
but I will not change my style in
the interest of the majority. We
are paying salaries regularly,
workers must not be selfish,
allow us to take care of other
people in the state.”
Akeredolu, at the
occasion, decried a situation
where 90 per cent of the N5
billion monthly allocation of the
things as distractions. In a
democratic setting, everybody is
welcome.Whether you agree
with me or not, as much as we
agree on the same ideology, we
can work together in a party.It
is my belief that we all need to
work together in this state to
move the state forward. I believe
I can contribute a lot to this
government but I cannot impose
state is being expended on
salaries, pensions and other
workers’ allowances.He said: “It
will be difficult to meet other
obligations such as employment
of more primary school teachers,
construction of roads, classrooms
and infrastructural
projects.Every month, N4b goes
for salaries and allowances, how
do we address the problems of
shortage of teachers in primary
schools? How do we build
classrooms? How do we provide
transformers for communities
without light? Majority want
their roads constructed. The
current state of affairs is
depressing.”
Ooni of Ife, Oba of Benin to grace
Okitipupa monarch's 20th anniversary
AKURE— THE Ooni of Ife,
Oba Adeyeye Enitan
Ogunwusi will lead other
prominent traditional rulers
in the country to the 80th
birthday and 20th coronation
anniversary of the Abodi of
Ikale land, Oba George
Babatunde Faduyile this
weekend.
Speaking on the activities
lined up for the dual
celebration, the Chairman of
the Central Working
Committee, for the events,
Chief Henry Olatujoye said
that other Obas expected
include the Alaafin of Oyo,
Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and Oba
of Benin, Omo N'Oba N' Edo,
Uku Akpolokpolo, the
Olukare of Ikare, Oba Akadiri
Momoh and Kalasuwe of Apoi
land and Oba Sunday
Ajimola.Olatujoye said the
rich cultural heritage and
unique spirit of the Ikale
community would be
showcased during the weeklong
celebration.
He listed some of the
programmes lined up for the
occasion to include
environmental sanitation,
traditional events and
conferment of chieftaincy titles
on some eminent Nigerians
who have distinguished
themselves in their various
fields and sectors.Olatujoye
said: "On Friday 25th May
2018, multiple activities shall
take place including new
chiefs visit to the Abodi and a
book launch while Jumat
service and football match
will also take place same day.
The grand finale of the event,
however, comes up on
Saturday, 26th May, at Ikoyi
while a thanksgiving service
comes up on Sunday, 27th
May at St. Joseph Catholic
Church, Ikoya."
myself on the governor.If he
needs me, I am always
available. He has never invited
me to any occasion that I turned
down; he has not extended any
hand of fellowship to me that I
rebuffed.
“So, it is difficult for me to say
this is the reason, but it is only
him that can explain why he
adopted this attitude towards
me.What I have been telling
people is that in any situation you
find yourself, you are there to
serve. My capacity to serve is not
restricted to the Senate. To me,
going back to the Senate is not
a do or die affair. I am not so
desperate about it. I am a strong
believer in God. If God and people
want me to go back to the Senate,
nobody can stand against it.”
On the attack on delegates during
their parallel state congress,
Boroffice condemned the
introduction of thuggery noting that
parallel congresses took place in
other states and they didn’t resort
to violence.The chairman of the
Correspondents' Chapel, Ojo
Oyewamide who condemned the
attack on his members said the
introduction of thuggery by the
party in the state was worrisome
and portends grave danger for
2019 elections.