THE PAIN, THE GAIN AND THE MEMORY

Permit me to borrow a leaf from this biblical reference in 2Maccabees 6: 18 – 31 “Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh. But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life. Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside, because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king, so that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them. But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs which he had reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Hades.”Such a pretense is not worthy of our time of life,” he said, “lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an alien religion, and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age. For even if I should avoid the punishment of men at present , yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws… “So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation”. Consequence upon the above biblical reading, I like to borrow from the recent incidence in our immediate environs. Recently or all in the past, we read of the efforts of the heroes past. We read of the late ones and the living legends. We heard at a point or the other watched movies about attempts made by some people somewhere in the past to reshape the society. You remember these freedom fighters? Harry T. Moore who was instrumental in registering black voters, giving Florida more African Americans at the ballot boxes than any other state. On Christmas night 1951, the evening of their 25th wedding anniversary, Harry and his wife, Harriette, were killed from injuries sustained in the explosion of a bomb under their house. James Chaney a man who promoted a volunteering for the Congress of Racial Equality? Malcolm X who was killed on February 21, 1965, while on stage giving a speech in Manhattan, he was rushed and shot 15 times by three gunmen? Martin Luther King, Jr. in April 4, 1968, King was shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Nelson Mandela and his fight against apartheid and his imprisonment? Chris Hani, the South African Communist Party, who was eventual assassinated? Steve Biko a founder of the ‘black consciousness’ movement who eventually died in jail? Among them are Azikwe, Awolowo, and Ahmadu Bello till recent MKO who all fought and died. I remember Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Gani Fawehinmi, Enahoro, Beko kuti, Tai solarin among others. Still, there is one man who saved us from the Liberia type of civil war. That type of sierra leaone war. There is one man who did not allow the genocide type we all heard of in Rwanda or the recent Zulus type in South Africa. He is clueless though brave in defeat ,Goodluck is the name. I so ask, among many past leaders, how many of them could have stand tall to save us from the crisis which could have crippled our unity and led us back to another scampering war? We may not give it to him because, of his gentleness though, he saved us many blood. All we have today is nothing defer from greediness. Self-serving,deceit,Pretense and empty promises. It is good and right to quote that the CHANGE PROMISE is fast CHANGING from good transformation to bad. Still, we hope to get it right one day no matter how long it may take. Abraham Olusegun Adeleye Writes from Okemesi Ekiti

Reps probe N52m fraud allegation against CCT chairman

The House of Representatives on Tuesday asked its Committee on Public Petitions to investigate an alleged N44.5m fraud committed by the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Mr. Yakubu Umar. Among the allegations was the payment of N1m in July 2011 from the coffers of the CCT to sponsor his wedding. Umar was also alleged to have spent N15.2m to purchase a Toyota Prado Jeep “without following due process.” The House gave the directive after a member from Taraba State, Mr. Rima Shawulu, laid a petition before the legislature detailing the alleged infractions of the CCT chairman. However, the petition was authored by the Anti-Corruption Network, a non-governmental organisation. The session was presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara. In March 2011, Umar was said to have awarded contracts for the supply of office furniture and fittings in the sum of N11.3m. The contracts were reportedly executed by a “supposedly engineering company and not a furniture or supply company.” He also allegedly paid N4. 2m for the “purchase of welfare items” in a contract executed by a private individual. Another N4.2m for the procurement of external light bulbs was described by the petitioners as “entirely fictitious contract.” Other figures listed against Umar by the petitioners ranged from N1.5m to N3.7m. The document was signed by the Executive Secretary of the network, Mr. Ajulo Ajulo.

Fayose, NEMA donate N1 million, relief materials to Ado Ekiti market fire victims ~ Bola Agboola

Reprieve on Tuesday came the way of traders who lost their wares to the fire incident that ravaged a section of  Oja Oba Market, Ado Ekiti in the wake of the skirmish between the Hausa and Yorubas of Atikankan area of Ado Ekiti as Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose announced the cash donation of N1 million naira to the victims in addition to relief materials made available by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) even as the governor  admonished them to accept the incident in good fate. Governor Fayose who said he shared in the traders' loss and pains as his humble beginning placed him in a position to understand better their sufferings, lamented the financial challenges faced by the government. Ekiti State government got N1.4b as October allocation even as N2.6b was the amount needed to pay salaries and subvention of institutions in the state  per month. Governor Fayose admonished the traders to endure with him this trying times.  Relief materials which value according to Mr. Said Akinyede of NEMA run into millions of naira include bags of cement, kegs of palm oil, matresses, asbestos, nails and roofing sheets. Reacting to the governor’s kind gesture, the traders thanked the him for his words of encouragement, for finding time to personally talk to them as well as his gestures in cash and kind. They prayed for the success of his administration as well as God's guidance and favour in all of his endeavours.  Governor Fayose in a chat with newsmen later urged traders plying their trade at the present Oja Oba to relocate to either Awedele or Agric Olope markets in Ado Ekiti as demolition of the old market will commence by the end of this week, November 8 to be precise.

Fayose's aide to Garba Shehu: We won't let you take Nigeria back to Military era

The statement credited to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, warning Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose to stop speaking on the running of the economy by the federal government has been described as a demonstration of military dictatorship mentality. Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Monday, said it was sad that the presidency could be warning a Nigerian, who is heading one of the country’s federating units on what to say and what not to say. Olayinka, who said he was sure that Garba Shehu must have spoken for himself, and not President Mohammadu Buhari, added that "Governor Fayose will continue to say the truth in interest Nigeria and its people because the Governor is not one of those that will go underground because of political persecution." He maintained that the country’s economy was in serious recession, adding that; “the president himself attested to this when he said that the country was broke and this has also been corroborated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group financial report, indicating that the corporation incurred a total loss of N120.07bn in the months of August and September. "JP Morgan is also removing Nigeria from its Emerging Market Bond Index, a move analysts say would have far reaching implications for the country’s dwindling economy as investors could move their funds to competing countries, resulting in higher lending rates. “It is therefore a sad reminder of the military era that in a democracy, under a federation in which all federating units enjoy some degree of autonomy, the Presidency is warning a State Governor on what to say and what not to say. “Top functionaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including State Governors criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the Presidency did not go about warning them. “Certainly, these people working with the President need to be purged of Acquired Immune Military Dictatorship Syndrome (AIMDS), even as they must be told that Governor Fayose won’t stop speaking his mind and exposing their hypocrisy in the overall interest of Nigeria and its people." Speaking further, the governor's aide said "Nigerians are desirous of the change promised by the APC led federal government, but as it stands, no clear direction yet. "Rather than engage credible Nigerians to help in the revive of the ailing economy, what we have seen from the APC Presidency is appointment of their cronies and political robbers as well as harassment of perceived political opponents with anti corruption agencies and men of the Department of State Security." He said it was not in the interest of the President for his aides to take on Governor Fayose, adding that; "leaving issues and attacking Fayose is like hitting ones head on the rock."

THE JUNGLE,THE STRUGGLE AND THE MEMORY

In the main land I lived The hustle and bustle training Early morning noises and late hour unrest The neighborhood disturbances for pleasure Oh African land of no man! In your world many have grown In you another ruined for known or otherwise When shall others live testimonial life? Where lays the hope of the commoners? Quicken to ask if any. Tomorrow near like yesterday isn't far On the street, the color is yellowish Alight hastened for the fear of impatience pilot Only nature, I mean help of the weak and new comers Curse, the common language. Yea, the accidental landlords and occupants In my land I returned Away from the usual heat From the daily inconveniences Battle for ingenious live Civility, still the best in you The honey pot of the black nations. The hope of the living hustlers Oh, lasgidi, fill your guest emptying pot with treasure Abraham Olusegun Adeleye Writes from Okemesi Ekiti

Economy: Nigeria grinding to halt- Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has raised the alarm that Nigeria is grinding to a halt with the current economic situation prevailing in the country. In a press release yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti, the governor noted that the issue at stake was grievous and not what people should play political propaganda with. He lamented the situation whereby what accrues to all the tiers of government was not even enough to pay workers' salaries. "The month's statutory allocation is the worst in the history of our state. We got a net allocation of N1.4 billion at state level while the salary of workers is N2.6 billion monthly. At the local government level, the 16 council areas got a little over N1 billion, while the wage bill there is over N2 billion monthly. "Payment of salaries at both state and local government levels is impossible with such allocations. And government still have some basic needs to meet. The other time I said the Federal Government should come to the open on the state of our national economy, some people frowned at it. "Now, a national paper has quoted the President as saying that Nigeria is broke and that it might be difficult to pay ministers that will soon come on board. It is vital that the Federal Government tells Nigerians the blueprint it has for the economy. The issue at stake is beyond sheer politics. "If the trend continues, in the next few months, all the tiers of government may not even be able to pay a month salary to workers if three statutory allocations are combined," the governor said. While appealing to the workers in the state to bear with the government, he said a meeting of all stakeholders in the sharing of monthly allocation would soon hold to chart the way forward. "We have been transparent as far as the revenue coming to the purse of the state is concerned. Since we came on board, labour leaders and heads of state agencies have always met where we disclose how much comes in and the people will decide how to spend it. However, I am assuring the people of the state that we will try our best possible and never let them down,"Fayose added.