PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013
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Ex-ALGON chairman, PDP, ACN members decamp to Accord in Oyo From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan
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ormer ALGON chairman in Oyo State, Hon. Ademola Ojo led over 12,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and that of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in three councils of Ibarapa area of the state have decamped to Accord Party(AP). The defectors were received by the former governor of Oyo State and National Leader of Accord, Senator Rasheed Ladoja last weekend at Old Garage, Igboora in Ibarapa Central Local Government. The PDP and ACN members cited neglect by the party and its leaders insensitivity to the plights of the people said; " we have resolved to bury monster party,
the retrogressive party that parading themselves as progressives, they are smart thieves. We have no choice than to dump Association of Criminals' of Nigeria." The National Leader of Accord, Senator Rasheed Ladoja had earlier commissioned newly furnished computerized party office donated by former ALGON chairman and the former chairman of Ibarapa Central, Hon Ademola Ojo. Some of the PDP and ACN decampees were from Ibarapa Central, East and North local governments; Hon. Ademola Ojo, (Central) Hon. Olasunkanmi Olaoniye(Central), Hon Adeoluwa Oyedokun(Central), Franics Ilori(Central), Ogunleye Morenike(East), Ilesanmi
Bolaji(East), Omobola Aladeyelu(East), Oluyeba Omolayo(North), Adegoke Titilayo(North), Ogunleye Bose(North), Oluwatuyi Oyeyemi(East), Aina Bosede(Central), Grace Shitu, Grace Paul (North), Anifowose Sunday (North), Omowaye Rotimi (North), Onileowo Segun(East), Samuel Osanyinlusi(North), Bakare Tobi(East), Aina Sunkanmi (North), Modupe Aderoju (North), former ACN youth leader, Adepoju Owolemi and host of others. Addressing the crowd of decampees dressed in Ankra uniform, Senator Rasheed Ladoja said their decision to join Accord was a right step in the right direction, saying; "more goodies are coming and when these goodies
start to come, you will all partake in them." He assured the decampees that they will be accorded the same recognition as the old members, adding that; "We are not going to discriminate against you. From today, you will enjoy all benefits available to members of our great party." "PDP is dead already and Lam who brought ACN to the state has gone with the party reason for its factional crisis. The only real party is Accord". Ladoja said. Speaking on behalf of the decampees, the two term chairman of Ibarapa Central Local Government and former ALGON chairman, Hon Ademola Ojo said their decision to leave the PDP was as a result of total neglect by the party.
L-R: Chairperson, House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike DabiriErewa, Trinida and Tobago High Commissioner to Nigeria, M, Nyahuma Obika, and House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande Adeola, during a one day capacity building workshop organised by IOM for the Diaspora Committee, yesterday the National Assembly, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa
Elders condemn attack on Benue Minority Whip From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
E
lders of Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State have out rightly condemned the “unwarranted” attack on the Minority Whip of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange. The elders who were at the
residence of the lawmaker at the weekend in Makurdi to commiserate with him over the attack wondered what offence Ikyange may have committed to deserve being attacked in such manner. “Hon. Ikyange was attacked probably because of his vibrant posture in the Assembly. Has it been become an offence in democracy to
voice out one’s opinion on issues? They queried. It would be recalled that Ikyange who represents Ushongo State constituency along with his family only recently narrowly escaped death when two of his cars, a Toyota Avensis, 2011 model and official car simultaneously went up in flames in a suspicious manner. Leaders of the elders, Mr. Isaac
Mtu, Haagher Chubu, Iortim Kpam and 45 others said they will return home and meet with the Ter U Ushongo who is the paramount chief of the area and as well summon all Ushongo sons in government home to clear themselves of any involvement in the incident. The elders urged the Police to thoroughly investigate the matter with a view to bringing the culprits to book.
Gov's wife empowers blind mother of 2 with freezer, generator
T
he wife of Kwara Governor, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed, yesterday, donated a deep freezer and a power generating set to a blind mother of two children, Mrs Emily Ojo. The donation was part of the governor's wife's contribution in her pet project, the LEAH Charity Foundation, aimed at empowering the less-privileged in the state. Other items given to the woman include cartons of assorted soft drinks and bags of sachet water.
Represented by Mrs Bukola Akinleye, the Adminstrator of the foundation, Ahmed said the gesture was to prevent the blind woman from begging for alms. She advised the mother of two to use the deep freezer for commercial purpose, noting that the cartons of soft drinks were to enable her to start business. ``She can use the freezer to chill the drinks and sell so that she can raise money to take care of her two children,'' she added.
The blind mother, a resident of Opeyemi St., Saw-Mill area, Ilorin, was empowered in line with her desired trade. The governor's wife also said that the woman's two children would benefit from the ``Adopt a Child'' programme. She explained that the programme was part of the foundation's education support programme for indigent pupils in the state.Ahmed narrated that
the husband of the woman allegedly abandoned her and the children when she became blind. She added that a NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO), Life Care Health Advancement Initiative, brought the matter to her notice. Responding, the Director of the NGO, Dr Margaret Aina, thanked the wife of the governor for the prompt response to the plight of the beneficiary. (NAN)
Bayelsa prioritizes education, spends N3.1bn on scholarship By Lawrence Olaoye
B
ayelsa state governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, yesterday declared that education remains a priority of his government as he disclosed that his government has begun the process of spending a whopping sum of N3.14 billion on schorlarship this year. According to him, the government had already given scholarhsip to 789 indegenes of the country in various categories to sturdy in 20 countries around the world. Speaking in an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja yesterday, Seriake-Dickson said 137 PhD scholars, 260 Masters, 142 undergraduates and 250 secondary school students are currently enjoying the Bayelsa scholarship in Nigeria and different institutions across the world. He said the total amount budgeted was N3.1billion for the sponsorship of the studies of the scholarship awardees for the 2012-2013 tranche. Dickson said that his administration has also built 400 state of the art primary schools apart from instituting a Teachers' Institute in the state to buoy the quality of education in the state. The governor who spoke extensively on the need for human development not oly in Bayelsa but in the entire country disclosed that of 137 PhD scholarship awardees for the year 2012- 2013, 34 people were in the United Kingdom, 65 in Nigeria and 38 others scattered across the globe. For the Masters Programme, of a total of 260 scholars, 132 awardees were in the United Kingdom, 40 in Nigeria and 88 others scattered across the world. Seriake-Dickson said his administration also inherited undergraduates from the former Bayelsa administrations whose studies were ongoing in Malaysia, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Commenting on the ongoing debate on the autonomy of local government councils and State Houses of Assembly, the governor said he has never argued against local government and state Assemblies' autonomy. He disclosed that he has never deducted any funds, except the statutorily allowed, from the local governments' allocations in his state and would not be meddle with the administration at the local levels. The governor however suggested that the issue of local government should be expunged from the constitution to allow equal development in the federation. According to him, issue of creation of local government should be the responsibilities of the states. He also recollected that state Assemblies' autonomy was passed in the 6th Assembly but was rejected by the state lawmakers themselves just as he wondered why the opportunity they rejected has suddenly come to the fore now.