Fayose regains freedom, flays cleric over comment on tenure
Govt hopeful of youths’ active participation in economic management
FORMER Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, yesterday regained his freedom after fulfilling the terms of his bail conditions.
He is expected to return for the continuation of his trial on November 19, 2018.
His spokesman, Lere Olayinka, shared the news on his Twitter handle, @Olayinkalere.
It reads: “Fayose just regained his freedom. He left the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, a few minutes ago. We will meet @officialefcc at the court from November 19. Thank you Nigerians.”
Justice Mojisola Olatiregun had last week granted Fayose N50 million bail and ordered him to deposit his passport with the court as part of his bail conditions. Meanwhile, Fayose has said that his tenure immensely benefitted the people of the state just as he advised the Anglican Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Rt. Rev. Christopher Omotunde, to remove his cassock and mount the soapbox so that the whole world would know that he
MINISTER of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has said that active participation of young people in the management of the economy would make the country become truly a great nation. He, however, noted that the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari, is determined to create an enabling environment to mobilise local investment and attract has joined politics. Omotunde had while delivering a sermon in Ado-ekiti at the weekend described the tenure of Fayose as “four wasted years in which life became unbearable for the people and in which hunger ravaged the land without any concrete effort to alleviate people’s poverty.”
According to him, “the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had a golden chance to make a difference in the lives of Ekiti State residents but abused the opportunity to the extent that the people more foreign direct investment into the country.
Onu, represented by Bitrus Nabasu, who spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during a dialogue on the Presidential Executive Order No. 5 with people in the South-south region, said: “The Executive Order No. 5 could not have come at a better time than now. It is important to stress that the present administration is determined to empower Nigerians, both young and became slaves under them.”
But Fayose, in his reply to the cleric through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said only a cleric trying to justify the blatant rigging of the last Ekiti State governorship election by the All Progressives Congress (APC) would describe the physical transformation of Ekiti by the Fayose administration as a waste.
“Even the blind feels the good works of Fayose and perhaps Bishop Omotunde and the likes need to change old, to participate actively in the management of the economy.
“The present administration has recognised the use of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), as well as effective participation of our young people, professionals and indigenous contractors and consultants as indispensable, if our dear country Nigeria, is to become a truly great nation.”
The minister noted that the Executive Order No.5 is a rev- their eye glasses to see well.
“The records of the Fayose administration are there for all to see. It organised an education summit that led to great improvement in education in the state. Ekiti State came first back-to-back in NECO exams and we also did well in WAEC. These are public institutions and the records are there for Omotunde to peruse.
“The Fayose administration built the first flyover in the state and it passes besides Omotunde’s church. One wonders if the bishop closes olutionary instrument, which the present administration has deployed to redirect the nation’s economy from its old, unsustainable and inclusive path of being a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation.
He, therefore, expressed hope that with the order, Nigerian companies and firms, in the next 10 to 20 years, will be competing favourably with the very best in other parts of the world. his eyes whenever he drives or passes through that place. If he does not, we pray that God opens his spiritual eyes.
“The Fayose government built a new high court complex, a new Governor’s Office, a new Oja’ba Market; dualised roads in Ise, Emure, Ikole, Omuo, Ijero and Efon,” he said.
Adelusi then said Fayose does not owe the cleric any apology for criticising the obnoxious policies and indecisions of the President, which have brought untold suffering on Nigerians.
GOVERNOR Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State yesterday presented an appropriation bill of N200.7 billion to the state House of Assembly for the 2019 fiscal year.
The estimate, tagged Budget of Stabilization, is lower than that of the 2018 bill by N12.8 billion or by 18.7 per cent, figure of which had stood at N211.4 billion.
A breakdown shows that N148 billion or 73.7 per cent is earmarked for capital expenditure and N52.7 billion or 26.3 per cent for recurrent expenditure.
For capital expenditure, N34.3 billion or 23 per cent is to go for economic sector, N41.7 billion or 28 per cent for social sector, N57.2 billion or 39 per cent for regional development, and N5.9 billion or four per cent for administration.
Others are N5.7 billion (4.1 per cent) for debt servicing, N984 million (0.6 per cent) for judiciary, N515 million (0.3 per cent) for legislature, and N1.5 billion for contingency.
Recurrent expenditure has N22.9 billion (43 per cent) for personnel cost and N16.05 billion (30 per cent) for overhead cost.