Issuu

THE NATION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

NEWS

Assembly gets Ambode’s commissioner-nominees •Six ex-exco members, three ex-lawmakers make list

AGOS State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday presented the list of would-be executive council members to the House of Assembly for screening. The governor’s list, made up of top technocrats, politicians and strategists, was read at plenary yesterday by the Clerk of the House, Ganiyu Abiru. There were 36 names, made up of 23 commissioners and 13 special advisers. Included are six former executive council members from the Babatunde Fashola administration and three lawmakers in the Seventh Assembly. Some of the nominees include Ganiyu Okanlomo Sanni, Lola Akande, Dr.

By Oziegbe Okoeki Babatunde Adejare, Adebimpe Akinsola, Agboola Dabiri and Mrs. Yetunde Onabule. Others are Kehinde Joseph, Femi Onanuga, Dr. Mustapha Akinkunmi, Ganiyu Johnson and Gbolahan Lawal. Also nominated were Steve Ayorinde, Dr. Jide Idris, Dayo Mobereola, Seye Oladejo, Kehinde Bamigbetan and Babatunde Humpe. We also have Wasiu Anifowoshe, Benson Akinlola, Femi Odebiyi, Femi Onanuga, Fela BankOlemo and Benjamin Labinjo. The governor also proposed Tunde Durosinmi-Etti, Toyin Suarat and Abdulateef Abdulakeem. The six former executive

council members are former commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, former Special Adviser, Central Business District, Folarin Coker, former Special Adviser Commerce and Industry, Seye Oladejo, former Special Adviser Works and Infrastructure, Ganiyu Johnson and former Special Adviser Rural Development, Babatunde Hunpe. The governor named a relatively young exco with the likes of Mrs. Yetunde Onabolu, Fela Bank-Olemoh, Akinyemi Ashade, a partner in KPMG, former Managing Director, National Mirror, Steve Ayorinde, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, a pharmacist, Kehinde Joseph and Prof. Ademola Abass, a professor

Fasehun seeks national cemetery for heroes By Musa Odoshimokhe

•Fasehun

ODUA Peoples Congress (OPC) founder Dr. Frederick Fasehun has urged the Federal Government to build a national cemetery for its fallen heroes. He spoke yesterday at a thanksgiving ceremony to mark his 80th birthday at the St. Peter’s Church, Lagos. Fasehun deplored the lack of national monuments for the nation’s fallen heroes. “Our country does not encourage us to remember our icons. I suggest that the government build a national cemetery. “A country that lacks heroes, icons and role models is heading nowhere. It would have been a great pleasure to

visit a single cemetery that will contain the tombs of great Nigerians, like Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro and others.” The OPC founder said vilifying former public servants should be avoided, noting that probing public servants should be avoided, if necessary. Fasehun said: “I call on the Federal Government to see Nigerians as partners in progress. Vilifying former public servants should be avoided. “Probe, if and when necessary, should be tacitly and comprehensively carried out or else it wears the toga of witch hunt.” Fasehun added that security operatives and agencies must be counselled to do their work humanely, “always remembering that no position is permanent”. He maintained that life has become so cheap that people are unnecessarily killed be-

cause of security lapses. “This should be a major concern for everyone in this country. Government should be the custodian and dispenser of security for every citizen. Therefore, the environment and infrastructure must be conducive for good living. “It should be the prerogative of government to guarantee right to life by all means necessary. Security of life and property must be emphasised.” The OPC leader said: “Those who feel offended at my little contribution to our country’s history should realise that I could not have done otherwise because the peace, social justice and democracy of this nation are always uppermost in my heart. “The journey to democracy is usually not easy because human nature is more conditioned toward selfish autocracy and egotistical dictatorship. That is why agitators for democracy in any land have a lot to confront to persuade the powers that be,” he said.

Stray animal causes accident in Ibadan

MIDDLE-AGED nursing mother died yesterday in an accident on the Ibadan-Abeokuta Expressway. Her eight-month old baby survived the incident. It was gathered that a Toyota Sienna, with registration number Lagos BFG 113 DE, was travelling from Abuja to Abeokuta, Ogun State, when it landed in a ditch. The deceased was among the seven passengers on board when the accident occurred at Eleso village at 12.15am yesterday. A stray goat allegedly caused the accident. The victim, identified as Mrs Jumoke Sodiq, was travelling for the Sallah celebration. A police officer from the Traffic Section of the Apata Police Station, Ben Onoja, said the vehicle loaded its passengers from Abuja and was headed for Abeokuta, Ogun State. According to some of the sur-

•Nursing mum killed, baby survives From Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan

vivors, the driver was speeding when a goat suddenly crossed the road. “In an attempt to avoid hitting the goat, the driver swerved and skipped off the road. “The vehicle somersaulted several times before it ended in a ditch. We were shouting, unable to open the doors, until a Good Samaritan broke the windscreen. Many other people joined later to rescue us,” a survivor, Mrs Sadiat said. An eyewitness, Lanre Amoo, narrated how the baby and her mother were discovered an hour after other passengers were rescued. He said: “Many of us thought all the passengers have been rescued. “It was more than one hour later when one of the passen-

gers raised the alarm that there was still one more passenger in the car. “So, immediately we rushed back into the bush and saw the woman’s leg trapped. We started lifting her out. “But, we were surprised when her baby suddenly fell from her hand. We took the baby and brought the woman out. She was in a coma when we brought her out. “There was no one at that hour to take her to the hospital, which is far away. We called the Apata Police Station for help, but the officer, Mr Sunday, said there was no fuel in their vehicle . “We later discovered that the woman had died. The baby is still with us here; we are making effort to reach her relatives.” The woman’s remains have been taken to the Adeoyo State Hospital. The baby is still with the police.

of Law, whose ages range between 39 and 47 years. Others include Akintola Benson, former Special Adviser Political and Legislative Powers Bureau, AbdulHakeem Abdul-Lateef, Mohammed Akinkunmi, former member, House of Representatives, Babatunde Adejare, Femi Onanuga, Dayo Mobereola, Ade Akinsanya, Wasiu Anifowoshe, former member of the House of Assembly, Mrs. Lola Akande, Agboola Dabiri, Ganiu Okanlomo Sanni, Anofi Elegushi, Rotimi Ogunleye, Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola, Femi Odubiyi, Musiliu Folami, Adeniji Kazeem, Adeyemi Labinjo, Toyin Suarau, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Deji Tinubu, Mrs. Mudirat Giwanson and former Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Kehinde Bamigbetan and Wale Oluwo. The screening is expected to begin after the Sallah holidays. Ambode also submitted the names of Kabir Ahmed Abdullah as the Executive Secretary of the Water Regulatory Commission and Fuad Alade Oki as the directorgeneral and chief executive officer of the State Safety Commission for confirmation.

Timetable for Ekiti council poll out

HE Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC) has released the time table for the local government elections on December 19. A statement by its Chairman, Justice Kayode Bamisile said campaign begins on September 28. Parties are expected to hold ward congresses to elect their councillorship and chairmanship candidates on October 3 and 10. The statement added that collection of nomination forms, EKSCF 001 and 002 would begin on October 13. The forms are to be submitted on or before October 19. It added that checking and verification of particulars of candidates would start from October 26 through to October 31. The results of the screening will be out on November 2 with the parties given a day’s grace for substitution of any unqualified candidate. Other highlights of the time table include submission of nomination forms on November 10; publication of list of candidates by EKSIEC on November 17. Opportunity to withdraw nomination has been slated for Thursday November 19 and names of polling agents are to be submitted to SIEC on November 25.

Ajimobi: arrears’ll be paid

YO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said all outstanding workers’ salaries will be paid this week. Ajimobi spoke when he made an unscheduled visit to some ministries and departments at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan. He said banks had confirmed receiving the bail out fund from the Central Bank, adding that the payment would be effected this week. The governor told civil servants that his administration would not reduce workers but would effect a re-alignment and reposting of workers for effective performances. At the Ministry of Education where the directors and deputy directors were holding the weekly management meet-

ings, Ajimobi urged them to improve on the standard of education. The governor was conducted round the offices by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Aderonke Makanjuola, who assured him of the ministry’s readiness to do everything possible to improve on the standard of education. The governor also inspected the Office of the Surveyor General where he told the workers to redouble their effort on their productivity and improve on the internally generated revenue. At the Ministry of Lands and Survey Governor Ajimobi urged the officials on duty to define their roles and responsibility and suggest ways to improve revenue.