Politics

Fayemi Signs N100.7bn 2022 Budget Into Law

Published

4 years ago

December 29, 2021

Governor Kayode Fayemi on Friday signed the Ekiti State 2022 Appropriation Bill of N100.7 billion into law, promising to consolidate on the gains of the last three years of his administration
While signing bill tagged: “Budget of Legacy and Consolidation” in Ado-Ekiti, Fayemi said it had a percentage ratio of 60:40 recurrent to capital expenditure.
He said it was designed to achieve the goals of handing over an enduring legacy to the incoming administration.
“It has been designed to ensure we complete most, if not all, of our capital projects, while also ensuring the day-to-day operations of government continue to run smoothly.
“The budget will ensure we complete the projects, including the Ekiti Passenger-Cargo Airport, the Ado-Iworoko section of the Ado-Ifaki Road, renovation of township roads, and finally commence our construction of farms roads across the state.
“It will also ensure we continue to construct and renovate schools, while also providing learning materials for students.
“Also, it will ensure we complete the construction and equipping of our Intensive Care Unit at EKSUTH, as well as various ongoing projects in many of our secondary and primary care hospitals.
“We will continue to focus on the environment, by completing our erosion and watershed management project.
He added that “It will also help in consolidating on our gains in agriculture by investing in more Public-Private Partnerships, to deepen commercial agriculture across the State”.
The governor said his administration would also leverage the budget to lay a solid foundation for long terms transformative projects like the Ekiti Knowledge Zone and the Special Agriculture Processing Zone.
According to him, these two projects will eventually deliver large scale opportunities to thousands of young people.
He said it would give them an opportunity to develop exciting careers without having to migrate from Ekiti.
Fayemi said his administration considered it as a mark of responsibility to build on work done by previous governments and also bequeath a legacy for those coming afterwards.
“This budget has been prepared not just to consolidate on the work we have done in the last three years, but with one eye on the future, to ensure our successor government has a clear blueprint of development to follow, with the minimal burden of unfinished projects.
“We are not just keen to finish well, we are even more focused on providing a launchpad for a worthy successor government to lift Ekiti into a period of sustained prosperity,” he said.
The governor said the administration had been able to restore the Ekiti values, and set the state on the path of sustainable growth.
He said the budgets in the last three years had been tailored and aligned with the government’s five-point agenda.
Fayemi said that the administration had utilised the budgets as instruments to deliver on development objectives.
“Budgets, as you know, are important instruments in delivering on the priorities of the government.
“I am pleased to report today that our five main road projects have all been delivered and inaugurated, with the most recent inauguration of the Ado-Iyin Road, earlier in the week.
“These roads reduce the travel time within the state and improve the productivity of our people.
“I am sure over time, we will see the benefits of improving our infrastructure stock with an increase in commercial activities within Ekiti.
“We have also delivered on our plans to renovate and equip our schools and hospitals in fulfilment of our promise to prioritise human capital development.
“Also, even with the challenging fiscal environment, we continue to fulfil our promises to our workers, and only recently defrayed some of the outstanding obligations owed by our predecessors in office.
“This and the constant investment in our people by completing a number of secretariat blocks and office buildings, show our dedication to our engine room of governance, the civil service,” he said.
The Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum expressed his profound gratitude to members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, especially the Speaker, Funminiyi Afuye, for passing the 2022 Appropriation Bill in record time.
“I appreciate the commitment of the members of the Fiscal Coordinating Agencies in driving our annual budget preparation and execution.
“In particular, I commend the Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning and his team in the Ministry for their dedication, hard work and commitment in the preparation of the 2022 draft estimates,” he said.

Politics

LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A former National Organising Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Clement Ojukwu, has expressed regret that the several legal cases brought against the party since the 2023 general elections have impacted the party’s performance.

Mr Ojukwu, who recently returned to the interim National Working Committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, noted that the party had 34 elected members in the House of Representatives, eight Senators, and 80 members at the state Houses of Assembly after the 2023 general elections.

“Now we lost all of them,” he said. “I don’t think we have as many as five members in the National Assembly.”

The former national officer of the LP talked to journalists in Abuja and said he chose to join the caretaker committee led by Senator Nenadi-Usman because they are now the officially recognized leaders of the Party.

“I chose to work with the caretaker committee to help save the Labour Party, for the benefit of the party. I also want to use this chance to ask my colleagues at the national, state, and local government levels to come together and help rebuild our party.

“Another election is around the corner. We lost everything we have. They have left to other political parties. So I’ll reach out to all my friends in the other group to get together and work on making this party stronger again.

“The caretaker committee has formed a reconciliation committee. Let’s come together and talk so that we can restore the first opposition political party in Nigeria.”

Mr Ojukwu, who was part of the Julius Abure’s group, said there are no more factions in the LP.

He added, “There is a court ruling, and since it is valid, the right people are in the correct positions.”

He urged Barr Abure and others to drop the legal cases they have filed because they are not helping the party.

“Litigations are killing political parties”, he said. “They’ve seen many political parties disappear because of legal battles, and the Labor Party is losing support every day, which makes me feel sad.”

Mr Ojukwu said he did not think joining the Senator Nenadi-Usman’s NWC was a betrayal of the Abure group, describing himself as “the oxygen” of that faction.

“I’m with this group because of the verdict. But I never betrayed anybody. Rather, I was betrayed,” he added.

Politics

2027: NIGERIANS FAULT INEC ON DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP REGISTER DIRECTIVE

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A number of Nigerians have strongly criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its directive to all political parties in the country to submit digitalized membership register within 32 days.

It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following it’s reversed timetable, directed all political parties in the country to submit their digitalized membership registers within 32 days.

Speaking on the reversed timetable in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, respondents said the directive amounted to disqualifying opposition political parties from fielding candidates in all the elections next year.

They said if the directives by the commission is implemented, only the All Progressives Congress (APC) would participate in the elections since it started it’s digital membership registration since February, last year.

Responding, an elder statesman in Rivers State, Chief Sunnie Chukumele, said the revised timetable was okay, but the timeframe for submission of digital membership register was being made at the wrong time.

Chief Chukumele said, for the past two years, all opposition political parties have been battling various issues in court, adding that they did not have the time to embark on membership drive, talk less of digitalizing their membership registers.

“My reaction is that the only issue with this revised timetable is the timeframe given by INEC for parties to submit digitalize memberships register in all the states of the federation, while giving notice of Congresses and convention. That is not possible”, he said.

He said only the ruling APC is likely to meet up with the directive, since it began its registration since last year.

Chief Chukumele, who is also the National Coordinator of Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought (CORSLOT), alleged that the directive of the electoral body may have been targeted to prevent other parties from fielding candidates for the elections next year.

“When you say all the parties should submit digitalized registers of membership in 32 days, how will that be possible to conclude it in 32 days”, he queried.

He noted that “APC used one year ago to do, so APC has one year in the kitty plus 30 days. This is highly regrettable”.

The CORSLOT national leader urged the election umpire to do away with stringent conditions that will make it hard for opposition political parties to field candidates in the elections.

Also speaking, Mr Jacob Enware from Edo State queried the rationale behind the directive, especially when some opposition political parties are still having cases in court.

In his words, ”What opposition political parties are you talking about, is Labour Party not in court or PDP that is yet to resolve their issues?

”For me, INEC should provide a level playing field for all, because aside the APC, no party can meet up this criteria.”

In his own response, Mr Nathaniel Ebere said he was not prepared to vote for anybody whether INEC provides a level playing field or not.

He alleged that his vote would not count, “so I will not waste my time”.

By: John Bibor

Politics

IT’S A LIE, G-5 GOVS DIDN’T WIN ELECTION FOR TINUBU – SOWUNMI

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Sowunmi, has expressed reservations about the political stance of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, while calling for reconciliation among key party figures.

Otunba Sowunmi made the remarks during a television interview on Saturday, when asked about the relationship between Gov. Makinde and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.

He said, “I don’t believe Seyi Makinde. Because I know them all. I’ve been in this party since it was registered. And I’ve been loyal, faithful, diligent with this party from the get-go, and I’ve never left.”

He underscored his longstanding commitment to the PDP, referencing prominent figures who had exited the party at different times: “I’ve had the grace, and the honor, and the dignity of watching even my father, Obasanjo, shed his card. As much as I love him, I didn’t leave the party”.

He added, “I’ve had the privilege of watching my beloved senior brother, Governor Gbenga Daniel, leave the party a few times. As much as I respect his vision and his ideas, I’ve never left. I’ve watched my former principal, Atiku Abubakar, leave a few times. I’ve never left.”

Otunba Sowunmi stressed that his comments were rooted in deep involvement with the party: “So when I talk about PDP, I’m not talking as an outsider, I’m talking as one of their totems, who was actually carrying them.”

He disclosed that he wrote to Makinde during the governor’s last birthday, urging reconciliation among a bloc of five governors who had formed a movement during the 2023 elections.

“At Governor Seyi Makinde’s last birthday, I wrote him a letter where I tried to say, look, you guys, the five of you, succeeded to the extent of creating a movement of your own”, he said.

He added, “And you fought very hard to make a point in the 2023 election. Although I don’t believe you won the election for the president, that’s a lie. They contributed, but I hate when people take the glory of other people’s work.”

Otunba Sowunmi warned that unresolved differences among the group could weaken the party: “You guys, you must go back to your four friends, your five friends, and you guys go and sort it out. Because not sorting it out with your five friends is going to leave the party worse off.”

He added, “But now that you’re fighting, or you’re not agreeing with yourselves, why don’t you go back to that same energy that allowed you to agree, so that you can use that energy inside to agree, and then we can lead the party.”