...Reiterates commitment to completion of ongoing projects  …incorporates judicial, legislative budgets. Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday, presented the 2022 budget estimate of N100.703 billion, christened "Budget of Legacy and Consolidation”  to the State House of Assembly. The budget which according to the Governor was a product of  wider consultation is made up of N60.686bn recurrent expenditure and N40.067 capital expenditure making a ratio reflection of 60:40 of recurrent to capital expenditures. Dr Fayemi disclosed that the major objective of the budget is to ensure that all ongoing legacy projects including the State Cargo airport and the new Ado-Iyin road and other new road projects were completed to consolidate his administration's plan to transform the state. He added that the budget was designed to reduce unemployment, attract more investors, ensure smooth transition to the in-coming administration, increase the state's  internal generat...

A herdsman suspected to be Fulani, one Abubakar has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Ekiti State.  Abubakar was tried and found guilty on two counts of attempted murder and unlawful possession of firearms. According to the charge which read in part, “On April 9, 2019, at Aba Cotonou, Omu Ekiti, in the Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State, the defendant did attempt to murder one Chief Samuel Amaa and others. Found in his possession were a gun and cartridges on the same day.” The police prosecutor, Taiwo Ajibulu, said the offences were contrary to and punishable under Section 320 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16 Laws of Ekiti State, 2012, and Section 3 (1) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, Cap.R11, Vol.14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The prosecutor called four witnesses. A witness, in his testimony before the court, said, “The defendant was challenged while grazing on the cassava farm; he was angry for being questioned. He pulled out his gu...

• Harps on lawyers joining politics, becoming part of decision-making, solution finding process  The Attorney General of Ekiti State, Olawale Fapohunda has decried the low number of lawyers working on public interest matters in Nigeria. This, according to him, is why limited progress is made in the areas of reforms of the justice sector. Fapohunda made this assertion yesterday during a session on ‘Conversation on leadership and followership’ at the ongoing Annual General Conference of the Nigeria Bar Association held in Port Harcourt.  Fapohunda said a key reason why limited progress is being made in the area of reforms of the justice sector is that lawyers are simply not interested in doing the thankless and not profitable job of championing the required reforms.  He emphasized that another major obstacle to achieving reforms is the limited number of lawyers willing to go into government. According to him “we need to eschew the reasoning that those of us who go into gove...

 As Ex Govr Leaves Before Service Ends  Story By - Kolawole Oguntayo The Archbishop of the Catholic Church, Ekiti Diocese, Bishop Femi Ajakaye has told the former governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, that he is still in the High Court over his case against him while in power. Bishop Ajakaye, while delivering his sermon during thanksgiving of Governor Fayemi's third anniversary in office categorically asked the former governor who sat in front; "am your friend or not?" Though Fayose didn't respond, the Bishop further quipped; "I'm not anybody's enemy. When you offend me, I forgive you and when I offend you I expect you to forgive me but if you don't, it is left for you because I don't even know if you nurse grudge against me." It would be recalled that when Fayose was in government, he introduced a development levy  of N500.00 on pupils in primary schools in Ekiti State. The Catholic Church under Bishop Ajakaye condemned this action, de...

 

 

  I was at Ado just about three years ago with a large team of young persons from across South south Nigeria to  participate in the electioneering campaign of my friend and senior Comrade in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria Dr Kayode Fayemi. It was a  big fight between the 'stomach infrastructure' led regime of Fayose and the more enduring legacy of economic transformation led by Dr Kayode Fayemi. It was clear during the rallies that the people of Ekiti were tired of a shallow economic policy that only feeds the stomach but lacks depth on the future of the society. Today I am excited that the people of Ekiti made the right choice with the success that has been recorded by Dr Fayemi despite the lower than average performance of other states in so many sectors of the economy. Yes, its three years after and when one looks back, I am able to congratulate JKF with pride and sense of satisfaction. On his 56th birthday this year at Ado, I was one of the privilege 'outsiders...

There are complaints about the general state of roads in Ekiti and those leading to it from neighbouring states. People share horrible travel experiences every time, especially about the Ado-Akure road. Why is this so? "Let’s start by saying the road infrastructure in our country today is not in the best of shape. Ekiti is not an island and we have our own share of bad roads. But I must also say that a lot of the roads in question suffer from the invidious confusion brought about by our unique federalism. The major roads that people complain about in Ekiti State today – Ado-Akure road is a federal road adjoining two state capitals; Ado-Ifaki-Otun road is also a federal road; Osun boundary to Aramoko to Ado-Ekiti, also a federal road; Ado-Ekiti to Ikare via Agbado and Aisegba is also a federal road. Uploading: 24110 of 24110 bytes uploaded.Virtually all state roads in Ekiti are fine. But we have also intervened in the federal roads. I will give you the unique example of Ado-Akure r...

  • Calls on FG to face reality, tackle challenges.  The 61st Independence broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, October 1, 2021, further showcases the dishonesty on the part of those governing the country and the disconnection between them and the people they govern. This was the summary of the assessment made of the broadcast by the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere as contained in the press release signed by the organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi. According to Afenifere, the picture painted by President Buhari of the Nigeria situation was at variance with what is on ground. Ajayi began his analysis by drawing a parallel between what the president said last year and this year. “In the 16th paragraph of his 2020 Independence anniversary speech, the president conceded that the country’s major institutions – and by implication, the services they were supposed to render to the nation – were on the decline.“ In his words,...