I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love. Spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized but God preserved me. God is the best and in whom ONLY I trust. They will continue to try. WE SHALL OVERCOME!!!
The Kogi Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Oludolapo Ahile, has died in an auto crash.
The Assistant Director, Public Relations, Kogi NYSC, Mr Adedapo Tayo said that the coordinator was involved in a ghastly accident alongside her husband on Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia highway in Nassarawa State.
Tayo said that the accident occurred at Lafia axis of the highway at about 2 p.m on Thursday, May 16, after her vehicle somersaulted twice and veered into the bush.
Tayo added that the late coordinator and her husband with two other occupants were on their way to Tiv land in Benue for the burial/funeral of her father-in-law.
He said that the four occupants of the vehicle were rushed to the hospital and that it was unfortunate that Ahile died the early hours of Friday, May 17.
Tayo disclosed that her husband, Mr Michael Ahile, the driver and the other persons survived the crash but were injured.
He said that the late Coordinator’s husband whose injuries were more severe was transferred to a hospital in Abuja.
According to Tayo, the late Mrs Ahile left Lokoja around 6 a.m on May 16, to join her husband in Abuja in preparation for the funeral of her father-in-law.
”Her husband, Mr Michael Ahile picked her in Abuja and they embarked on the journey to Tiv land in Benue through Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia highway.
”The accident occurred at Lafia in Nasarrawa State at about 2 p.m, and they were quickly moved to the Lafia Specialist hospital for medical attention.
”By 2 a.m this morning (May 17) we received information that she died at the Specialist Hospital Lafia,” Tayo said.
He said that the NYSC management had directed that the husband Mr Ahile, who had retired as its Director, be moved to a Specialist Hospital in Abuja for adequate medical attention.
Tayo added that the NYSC Directorate Headquarters had also swung into action concerning the sad incident.
”Appreciation goes to Gov. Yahaya Bello, who sent Mr Sani Ogu, the Chairman, NYSC State Governing Board and Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, on a condolence visit to the state secretariat of the NYSC.
“Oludolapo Ahile immensely contributed to the growth of the NYSC scheme in Kogi. She initiated the ongoing construction of NYSC Multipurpose Hall project that is about to be completed. She had also pressed on the state government for the renovation of the NYSC camp.
”She was a woman of peace and had brought peace in the management and the staff members of the scheme. She had been a motivator to corps members especially on skills acquisition and general counseling.
The entire corps members in Kogi will really miss her. Her last assignment was to present about six corps members for national presidential and honours award, and she celebrated with them in Abuja at the Presidency recently,” Tayo said.
Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi has granted express approval to the Governing Boards of Kogi State Hospitals Management Board (KSHMB) and Kogi Specialist Hospital, Lokoja (KSSH) to employ more doctors.
Dr. Haruna Saka, Kogi Commissioner for Health, disclosed this on Friday in Lokoja while reacting to the exit of some doctors from the state’s civil service over the past three years.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) on Monday called on the governor to reverse the ‘current internal drift’ of doctors and other healthcare workers in the state.
The Kogi NMA Chairman, Dr. Kabiru Zubair, said over 88 medical doctors had left the state public service under the current administration.
The commissioner, however, said that the doctors left because they secured Post Graduate training in Federal Government’s teaching hospitals, adding that the bulk of them were those recently employed by the state.
“Majority of them had passed the primary examination of the National Postgraduate Medical College and West African Postgraduate College.
“So ab initio, we never expected them to stay for long before commencing their training.
“It has been a recurring trend to see doctors leave state public service once federal government opportunity presents itself such as lift of ban on employment of resident doctors.
“Doctors who have the intention of undergoing postgraduate training usually migrate towards federal service because till date, only very few states have the capacity to train resident doctors.
“To make working condition conducive for doctors in Kogi, the government has taken further measures by giving approval to the state specialist hospital to commence internship training for doctors.
“The specialist hospital will also acquire the capacity to train Resident Doctors with immediate effect,” Saka said.
The commissioner added that the governor had also approved welfare packages for new doctors, including interest-free loan facilities to help them acclimatize when they come in.
He further said that the governor had approved an arrangement for doctors in federal institutions in Kogi to also provide services in state health facilities that were understaffed.
As Muslims in Nigeria join their counterparts across the world to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir, Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has called on Nigerians to be patient with President Mohammadu Buhari as he battles to fix the country’s ailing economy and security challenges.
He said the president had demonstrated unequaled ability in tackling the nation’s economic transformation in the last one year.
“The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) record shows that the economy of the country is growing on a daily basis, so Mr President is doing a good job,” Bello added.
According to him,
“We are doing our best in Kogi State to make sure that we secure the lives and property of the people through the continuous provision of security surveillance.”
Recall yesterday, Sen. Bruce posted that his colleague was kidnapped by some unknown gunmen in a Sienna vehicle when Sen. Melaye was on his way to Kogi State from Abuja.
Well, good news and relief as the Kogi West senatorial district Senator have resurfaced and posted from his Twitter handle to announce his freedom.
See his tweet below;
Later in the day, Melaye’s aide refutes the kidnap story, saying that his boss ran to the bush after an attempt to kidnap him by unknown gunmen.
Barely one week after a constituency project built by Senator Dino Melaye was set ablaze in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, the skills acquisition centre built by the senator representing Kogi West senatorial district in his country home, Ayetoro Gdede, in Ijumu Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State has been vandalised by unknown hoodlums.
According to the National President of Ayetoro Gdede Development Association, (AGDA), Mr. Olorunfemi Ezekiel Adekunle, the dastardly act was carried out last Sunday night.
According to him, the centre was vandalized after several attempts were made to burn down the skills acquisition centre.
Adekunle who described the act as wicked, said the hoodlums who in their dark mind thought that they were destroying Melaye, forgot that they were destroying the community’s asset.
He revealed that the community leaders have officially reported the incident to the Nigeria Police and have also met with the monarch, His Royal Highness, Oba Ehindero, to discuss how to stop further attacks on the centre.
According to him, the services of vigilante have been engaged to watch over the place. He called on the people of the area to report any suspicious movement around the area.
Reacting to the incident, Melaye has said he would continue to provide facilities, and also defend and protect the facilities in Kogi West.
He equally charged the communities to protect the water projects, electricity, schools, training/ skills acquisition centres provided for them.
“On our part, every bit of our political campaign promises shall be fulfilled. No harassment or intimidation can stop us.
“We will continue to promote things that will bring development to our constituents,” he said.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, has condemned in strong terms the burning of the schools and skill centres built by Melaye.
“This type of reprobate and decadent behaviour by a handful of rascals diminishes all of us; collectively. We need to wake up and realize that this could be the beginning of the slide of our community into anomie.
“We must never sacrifice the vaunted high standards and moral values we are known for, on the altar of political expediency. On behalf of those who subscribe to the beliefs I have espoused here, I tender an apology to our Senator Dino Melaye, for the unacceptable behaviour of a few of our misguided youngsters.
“They do not represent who we are in Yagbaland. To those who would hiss and make to dispense of this apology, my prayer for you is for God to open your eyes and infuse you with the understanding that non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which should be the goal of all evolution.
Until we stop harming ourselves, we cannot truly claim to be better than savages. The next few months, will experience a lot of political activity. Let us redeem our image by making sure this aberration does not reoccur,” he said.
Not until after April 28, 2018, failed recall exercise instigated against him by his political opponents, who enjoy privileged political offices, not a few Nigerians believed Dino Melaye, the colourful politician from Kogi State and Senator representing Kogi West in the Senate, could survive the trap set for him.
The cup passing over him did not also come as a surprise to many, who know the man called Dino Melaye. He is a cat with nine lives and a perfect interpretation of the popular cliche – one with God is a majority.
The surprising aspect of Melaye’s travails is the fact that he emerged victorious even while in police detention. Although this scenario had played out before in 2007 when the then chief of staff to Abia Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, Theodore Orji, won the state’s governorship election while remanded in prison. Also, erstwhile deputy governor of Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, also won Ife senatorial seat of the state while in detention.
Melaye’s case is however unique as it is different from the two scenarios above. While Orji and Omisore’s victories were facilitated by powers-that-be in their respective states at that time, Melaye’s attempted recall was apparently instigated by the government of his native Kogi State. So, the odds were against him.
It will be recalled that only 18,742 signatories, representing a paltry 5.34 per cent out of the 189,870 signatories to the fictitious petition for Melaye’s recall, were verified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, April 28, 2018 when the verification exercise held.
In spite of scaling the recall hurdle, he is still facing politically motivated trials in Abuja and Lokoja. The state government in Lokoja and the Nigeria Police both, have an axe to grind with Melaye. The reasons are not far-fetched. The senator is an exceptionally fearless critic, who does not suffer fools gladly.
Consequently, he has decided to return home to his people for appreciation of the Almighty God. Also, some of the numerous projects he directly undertook or facilitated will be commissioned for the glory of God and the beneficial use of the people of Kogi West.
These constituency projects include construction of feeder roads in various communities, rehabilitation of schools and building new classrooms, electrification projects, skills acquisition centres, motorised bole holes, and the first -ever built ultra-modern Constituency Office in Nigeria, among others.
From Wednesday, July 18 to Friday, July 20, the commissioning of projects will take place while Saturday, July 21 will be the grand finale with a thanksgiving service slated for Atiku Square in his hometown of Aiyetoro Gbede, Kogi State.
In this dispensation, only few political office holders can rub shoulders with their constituents. Melaye is one of them because he has delivered his campaign promises, hence the calls on him to contest the Kogi governorship seat come 2019.
Alas! On Wednesday or thereabouts, arsonists struck around the Lokoja axis of the senatorial district and vandalised some of the school projects while burning down a block of two classrooms. However, this will in no way, deter the man, Dino Melaye as all the programmes and events slated for the appreciation tour of Kogi West will go as planned.
As the Kogi Home Boy and strongman of Kogi politics returns home to appreciate God and his people for their support, it is therefore important that his political opponents reflect on the import of Melaye’s gesture and bond with his people and accept him for who he is – a man of the people and a factor in Kogi politics.
The Kogi State Government says huge loan servicing is responsible for its inability to pay the salaries of its workers regularly.
Kingsley Fanwo, the state Director-General, Media and Publicity, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lokoja.
Mr Fanwo said that the loans were taken by the two previous administrations for projects that did not add value to the state.
“Sometimes, we repay between N400 million and N500 million monthly as loans that add no value to the state.
“These loans were taken by the last two administrations and some of them were invested on projects that were never completed.
“When you go out, you will see Kogi Hotels, billions of naira was collected for that project and it was not completed, and it is not adding any value to the state.
“Also, the Kogi House in Abuja has gulped billions of naira, yet, it is not completed, not adding any value to the state,’’ he said.
The DG said the previous administrations collected N200 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) development, which was not used for the purpose intended.
According to him, rather than using the money for SMEs development, some people just shared the money.
“There is no record of anybody given loan and now we are repaying. So all of these have taken its toll on the resources and finances of the state’’
He said despite the poor resources accruing to the state, the government still strive to pay workers’ salaries.
“We cannot shy away from the fact that the resources that is coming to the state now has dwindled due to the loans we are repaying.
“It is increasingly difficult to muster enough resources to pay salaries regularly.
“As I speak with you, we are still owing March and April salaries,’’ Mr Fanwo said.
He said despite the dwindling resources of the state, the government will remain committed in the payment of salaries even if not as when due.
“When you do a comparative analysis of wages in the North Central geo political zone, Kogi pays the highest and despite that, we have been very faithful,’’ Mr Fanwo said.
He denied allegations that workers were being owed 24 months salary.
He said those peddling the falsehood were the people that benefited from the rot in the state in the past.
On bailout funds received from the federal government, Mr Fanwo said that they were used to pay workers’ salaries.
He, however, noted that the bailout funds were not free gifts.
“The bailout funds were not gifts from the federal government, it was more or less a loan, so you have to prioritize what you use your bailout funds for.
“So, we used it basically for salaries and we were the only state in the federation that published how we used that bailout funds.
“Transparency and accountability are the hallmarks of this administration,’’ he said.
Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, has promised President Muhammadu Buhari that the state stands solidly behind him in his ambition to secure another four years in the Presidential Villa.
The president ended months of speculation when he officially announced his intention to seek re-election in the 2019 presidential election during a meeting with the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, April 9, 2018.
While reacting to the announcement, the governor, who was at the NEC meeting, said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Kingsley Fanwo, that the president has responded to the demands of the people to run again.
The governor said the people of Kogi are happy with the president's policies and will deliver more than the 264,851 votes that he got there for the 2015 presidential election.
He said,
"I am a staunch supporter of Mr President and I am proud to be associated with such a great leader and personality. We thank Mr President for listening to the voices of Nigerians who are satisfied with his performance. Kogi people were the first to organize rallies in different towns and cities to call on Mr President to seek re-election.
"As the leader of the state, I wish to assure Mr. President that my people are solidly behind his policies of economic recovery, security and the fight against corruption. Kogi will deliver to Mr President, more votes than the state gave in 2015.
"We are going to focus on the economic recovery of our state and ensure more people are empowered to become productive. That has been the mainstay of our economic policies as a government.
"President Muhammadu Buhari has not lost his magic touch. He is a trusted leader who the masses want as their President beyond 2019. But it is also instructive for us to know that corruption will begin to fight back with renewed vigor to stop the march of the masses. We shall triumph.
A lot of public reactions has trailed the president's announcement, with former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, comparing him to a trespassing masquerade who doesn't know when to stop. She said the president's second term ambition will spell the end of his reign as the nation's leader as well as the end of a "decadent political class."
In the official reaction of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), they said the president's announcement is nothing to talk about until he wins the APC's nomination.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
