The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has lauded the scrutiny of the governorship primary election process, by the National Working Committee, and subsequent endorsement of the outcome of the exercise that took place on the 20th of April.
The party viewed the decision of the highest organ of the ruling party as a loud credence to the quality of job done by the Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo-led election committee.
Reports from the party structures across the 18 local government areas and 203 wards show that members of the ruling party conducted themselves in an organised and peaceful manner. Our members’ peaceful disposition is highly commendable.
The chapter expressed deep confidence in the emerged flag bear, His Excellency, Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa, to lead the party to victory during governorship election in November, 2024.
It further affirmed the candidate’s capacity, judging from his wealth of experience in both private and public sectors, to ensure greater strides in the Sunshine’s collective development aspirations for Ondo State.
The state organ expressed appreciation to the security organs, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and all other stakeholders for making the exercise successful.
“For the records, all the aspirants gave good account of themselves, both while canvassing for support and during the primary election. In our estimation, they are all qualified to govern the State, but a candidate must emerge from the array of stars. We salute their individual courage to participate in the process.
“We urge Mr. Governor and flag bearer to be magnanimous in victory and explore plausible avenues to parley with all aspirants on the platform of our party, in the interest of unity and cohesion”, it added.
The State chapter appealed to aspirants and their supporters to accept the outcome of the exercise and team up with the flag bearer. The need to retain the Sunshine State for APC makes synergy and unity of purpose a necessity, ahead of November.
E-signed Alex Kalejaye, Publicity Secretary, Ondo APC
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, on Monday presented Certificate of Return to the Governor of Ondo State, Hon Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, as the candidate of the APC in the November 16 governorship election in the State.
The certificate was presented to the Governor at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja in the presence of members of the National Working Committee of the party.
Presenting the certificate, Ganduje expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the primary and congratulated the Governor for emerging victorious.
Ganduje said he has been fascinated with the trajectory of Aiyedatiwa from Deputy Governor to Acting Governor and to Governor, adding that he will also remain Governor from February 24, 2025.
The National Chairman stressed that continuity is crucial and with Aiyedatiwa continuing as Governor, Ondo State will witness unprecedented development.
Responding, Governor Aiyedatiwa thanked the national leadership of the party for presiding over a successful electoral process that brought about his emergence as the governorship candidate.
The Governor saluted all the other aspirants who participated in the primary, appreciating them for being good sport and urging them to join hands with him in uniting the party towards a good outing in the coming election.
In his opening remarks, the Deputy National Chairman, South, of the party, Hon. Emma Enekwu, said the NWC earlier in the day approved the report of the Primary Appeal Committee and subsequently adopted the outcome of the primary.
In his closing remarks, the State Chairman of the APC, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, said all efforts will be put in to ensure that the party remains united ahead of the governorship election, adding that Ondo will remain a progressive State.
Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ondo State. April 29, 2024.
The Board of Nigeria Football Federation on Monday approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint former ace winger Finidi George as Head Coach of the Senior Men National Football Team, Super Eagles.
His squad edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.
George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. He also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward, who made a scoring debut for fatherland in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos on 27th July 1991, also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe. He assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994.
George had actually scored the goal that took Nigeria to that FIFA World Cup debut, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October 1993. The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.
George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks.
The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.
– Calls for stakeholders meeting to salvage the state-owned outfits
The leadership of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ondo State chapter, has expressed worry over the recent form of the state-owned football outfits Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens in the 2023/2024 league season.
After losing to Shooting Stars away by 2-0 in a South-West derby, Sunshine Stars are currently 18th on the league table with 36 points, thereby battling relegation (with a game in hand), while the female team, Sunshine Queens are already relegated from the top flight of Nigeria Womens Football League (NWFL).
SWAN in Ondo State calls for urgent steps to be taken to salvage Sunshine Stars from relegating from the Nigeria Premier Football League.
While thanking the commissioner for youths and sports development, Mr Saka Yusuf Ogunleye for the steps taken over the short period he assumed office, he has been urged to do all that is possible to save the team from relegation.
Ondo SWAN, however, calls for a stakeholder meeting to fashion out ways the team can move up on the log and win their remaining crucial matches both home and away.
The association reiterated that all hands must be on deck to save the Owena Whales from relegation and eschew any form of disunity and violence at this crucial time.
President Bola Tinubu says collaboration and inclusiveness are invaluable to achieving global food security, addressing collective challenges, and driving innovation across a chain of interests for a more stable and prosperous world.
Speaking during a high-level panel session at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, President Tinubu said “collaboration and inclusiveness”, especially with regard to Africa, are elemental to building a future of hope, peace, and progress for all.
He said capital mobilization, which is needed to spur economic growth and associated advancements in Africa, cannot be overlooked any longer.
The President posited that the continent is richly endowed but that the diversity of its resources must reflect in its wherewithal and economic realities.
“The capital formation that is necessary to drive the economy, agriculture, ensure food security, innovation, and technological advancement must be an inclusive programme of the entire world. No one should be left behind.
“I am glad the world is recognizing the need for cooperation, and that with the type of population growth that Africa is experiencing; the diversity of its resources must be married with economic opportunity. We must collaborate to achieve that,” President Tinubu said.
The President called on global leaders to pay attention to the developments in the Sahel, emphasizing the need for a studied understanding of the vectors of the current situation, while suggesting collaboration in the pursuit of enduring solutions.
“We are encouraging the entire world to pay attention to the Sahel and the other countries around us. As the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, I have wielded the big influence of Nigeria to discourage all unconstitutional change of government. Equally, we have eased the sanctions. We need to trade with one another; not fight each other. It is very necessary and compulsory for us to engender growth, stability, and economic prosperity for our people in West Africa.
“The rest of the world needs to look at the fundamentals of the problem; not just geopolitically, but at the root. Has the world paid attention to the poverty level in the Sahel and the rest of ECOWAS? Have they facilitated the infusion of capital and paid adequate attention to ensuring the exploitation of resources and the creation of opportunities presented by the mineral resources available?
“Are we going to play a big-brother role in a talkshop without taking necessary action? We just have to be involved in the promotion and prosperity of that region in order to see peace, stability, and economic growth,” President Tinubu said.
Detailing the steps taken to set Nigeria’s economy on the path of expeditious recovery, the President said he had to take tough but essential decisions like removing fuel subsidy – with its attendant perils – and managing the nation’s currency, effectively removing corruption-laden arbitrage.
“Concerning the question of subsidy removal, there is no doubt that it was a necessary action for my country not to go bankrupt and to reset the economy and the pathway to growth. It was going to be difficult, but the hallmark of leadership is making difficult decisions when they need to be made.
“That was necessary for the country. Yes, there have been drawbacks. Yes, there was the expectation that the difficulty would be felt by a greater number of people. But, of course, it was the interest of our people that was the primary focus of the government. Along the line, there was an arrangement to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on the vulnerable population of the country. We shared the pain across the board. We cannot, but include those who are very vulnerable.
“Luckily, we have a very vibrant youth population interested in innovation and highly ready to leverage technology, good education, and who remain committed to growth. We were able to manage that and partition the economic drawback and the fallout of the subsidy removal equally; engendering transparency, accountability, and fiscal discipline for the country. And that, to me, is most important, which is focusing on what direction we should head in. I will pursue that rigorously.
“The currency management was necessary, equally to remove the artificial element of value in our currency. Hence, our local currency finds its level and competes with the rest of the world’s currencies as we remove corrupt arbitrage and opaqueness. That, we did. At the same time, that is a two-engine problem in a very turbulent situation for the government. But we are able to manage that turbulence because we prepared for this with inclusivity in governance and rapid communication with the public,” the President concluded.
In her remarks, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva commended President Tinubu for offering insights on how to execute strategic economic reforms.
“President Tinubu has emphasized the right things about what world leaders must consider primary in the execution of strategic economic reform. He said there is a need to ensure that reforms are accompanied by a human touch. The needs of people must be identified and catered to as governments implement tough but necessary reforms,” the IMF Managing Director said.
During the session, the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, who was also on the high-level panel, said: “I am happy that the Nigerian President spoke on the need for inclusive economic growth. Africa is the stage for an expanding middle class. As the growth of the middle class in developed economies stagnate, Africa’s middle class is growing. It is our human resources and not natural resources that make our continent strategic and central to the global community moving forward.”
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Innocent Bariate Barikor as the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
The President has also approved the appointment of Prince Ebitimi Amgbare as the Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority (NDRBDA).
Dr. Barikor is an academic and politician. He was a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 2011 to 2015, while Prince Amgbare is a retired naval officer and former commissioner in Bayelsa State.
The President expects that the new heads of these important agencies will discharge their duties with utmost fidelity to the nation and unfailing adherence to the highest standards of professionalism, accountability, and excellent service to the people of Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Jim Ovia, CFR, renowned banker and businessman, as the Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Mr. Ovia is the founder of one of Nigeria’s leading banks and a respected business leader, with a surfeit of efforts and benefaction towards nurturing and empowering young Nigerians.
He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana.
The National Student Loan Programme is a pivotal intervention that seeks to guarantee sustainable higher education and functional skill development for all Nigerian students and youths.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the implementing institution of this innovation, demands excellence and Nigerians of the finest professional ilk to guide and manage.
The President believes Mr. Ovia will bring his immense wealth of experience and professional stature to this role to advance the all-important vision of ensuring that no Nigerian student suffers a capricious end to their pursuit of higher education over a lack of funds and of ensuring that Nigerian youths, irrespective of who they are, have access to higher education and skills that will make them productive members of society and core contributors to the knowledge-based global economy of this century.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ondo State, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, on Friday launched an educational support fund for children of late journalists and female journalists who are widows in the State.
A total of ten beneficiaries were presented with N50,000 each as by the CPS, who promised that the gesture will be repeated at the beginning of each academic term (three times a year) as long as he remains in office as CPS to the Governor.
Presenting a cheque of N500,000 to the Chairperson of the Ondo State Council of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Tola Gbadamosi, Prince Adeniyan said the gesture was borne out of the love Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has for media practitioners in the State.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, Prince Leke Adegbite and his deputy, Mr. Hakeem Gbademosi, attended the event, held at the NUJ Press Centre in Akure.
They both commended Governor Aiyedatiwa and the CPS for the continous support for media organisations and practitioners in the State.
President Bola Tinubu says bilateral partnerships must be mutually beneficial, transformative, and must translate into real gains for ordinary citizens.
Speaking at the Nigeria-Netherlands Business and Investment Forum in The Hague, on Thursday, President Tinubu emphasized the pivotality of stronger ties between Nigeria and the Netherlands, saying both countries must explore more creative channels of collaboration, whether it is through partnerships, joint ventures, or strategic alliances in order to build bridges that connect markets and facilitate the flow of goods, services, ideas and peoples.
He said his administration is enhancing the business environment in Nigeria to make it very friendly through various reforms, adding that these measures include: “The cleaning up of our foreign exchange market to make it more transparent for seamless business transactions, removal of the fuel subsidy, and the readiness of the Central Bank of Nigeria to provide the necessary window to allow foreign companies repatriate their profits, among others.”
President Tinubu said the improved business milieu in Nigeria is making the country an investor’s paradise, urging businessmen and women to take advantage of these opportunities for mutually rewarding economic partnerships between Nigeria and the Netherlands.
“I am delighted and honoured to be at this occasion of the Nigeria-Netherlands Business Forum. This is a platform that symbolizes the potential for collaboration and partnership between our two nations.
“It is worthy to note that while this forum seeks to highlight and advance the potential of mutually beneficial partnerships, I wish to state here that we must also ensure that the partnerships are creative and transformative in such a manner that the ordinary citizens of our countries can reap verifiable gains.
“It is on record that Nigeria and the Netherlands have established business ties for decades. There is every need to re-invigorate this relationship. This is a call for creativity on the part of all of us,” the President said.
Noting the long history of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Netherlands, President Tinubu called for the forging of even stronger bonds, not just in diplomacy but in commerce, innovation, and enterprise.
“Our countries possess unique strengths and resources. It is through collaboration that we can harness these strengths, unlock new opportunities, and drive economic development.
“Together, we have the potential to create synergies that will benefit our present and future generations. We must endeavour to replicate the success stories of various Dutch companies and enterprises by learning and sharing their experiences and approaches for the benefit of all.
“As the world braces up for today’s economic challenges, which in many ways affect our two countries, a creative approach to the search for investment-minded solutions will prove to be the most viable path to the level of sustainable development that we all desire.
“In line with the above vision, I believe that we must endeavour to push this narrative into our daily business activities and to move toward industrial value addition, agribusiness, innovative technology, green energy, marine economic expansion, as well as solid mineral exploitation and processing,” the President said.
Rounding off his remarks, President Tinubu emphasized that relations between Nigeria and the Netherlands will henceforth set a new tone and foundation for stronger economic ties between both countries.
“As we engage in discussions and negotiations today, let us do so with a spirit of openness, trust, and mutual respect. Let us listen to one another, learn from each other, and find common ground that will allow us to move forward together in pursuit of our shared prosperity,” the President concluded.
Former Deputy governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi has won the Peoples Democratic Party PDP governorship primary election.
Agboola Ajayi beat Six other governorship aspirants to clinch the PDP Ticket with 264 Votes out of the 621 accredited votes, making 42 percent of the total votes.
