News

Senator Yayi vows to continue empowerment programs, denies personalizing govt funded projects

Published

1 year ago

February 15, 2024

Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi), representing Ogun West Senatorial District, has denied personalizing government funded projects declaring that nothing can stop him from empowering Ogun citizens.

This was contained in a statement signed by his media adviser, Chief Kayode Odunaro stating that:

“Our attention has been drawn to a story published in some online newspaper under the title “Group Accuses Yayi of ‘Personalising’ Govt-Funded Projects” on February 14, 2024 edition.

“We would not ordinarily engage a faceless group going by the name of Yewa/ Awori Youth Network with an unknown signatory.

“However, the fact that the story was used to put out what amounts to mis-information of the public tending towards a libelous and fake news compels us to correct the mis-information and enlighten the general reading public.

” Incidentally, the blogs never made any effort to hear from the Senator or his representatives as the profession demands on a ‘statement’ impugning the person of an elected representative by the purported group whose identity cannot be verified or ascertained beyond the reporter.

For the records, the story alleging that Senator Adeola ‘personalized’ government funded projects as his own is planted by over ambitious politicians positioning themselves for governorship and deputy governorship positions in the run up to 2027 governorship election. These are characters that are completely intimidated, spellbound and shamed at the effective representation that Senator Adeola has brought to bear in Ogun West Senatorial District in less than 8 months of representing the district at the Senate with thousands of constituents directly benefitting from Federal Government as facilitated by the senator.

For the avoidance of doubt, two weeks ago Senator Adeola held an unprecedented three days empowerment programme that directly benefitted over 20,000 constituents. The first was the scholarship and bursary award scheme for 1600 students of tertiary institutions from Ogun West. For the effective implementation of this programme funded through the facilitation of the Senator, a Scholarship and Bursary Board chaired by a professor and other eminent academics was set up.

To put lie to the asinine allegation of ‘personalising’, the address read at the occasion of the award to appreciative students and parents by Senator Adeola stated inter-alia, “I am facilitating this scheme in conjunction with Teacher’s Registration Council of Nigeria and the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.”

Again, the programme banner as any programme of the senator, boldly carried the portraits of the President and governor of Ogun state, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to clearly show that the event is in fulfillment of electoral promises made by the party of the Senator in government at state and federal level, APC. How such a public declaration amounts to personalization can only come out of the recess of disturbed minds allergic to good educational development and succor for students being championed by Senator Adeola.

The second facilitation of Senator Adeola for his long-suffering constituents in Ogun West was the empowerment of 5000 Market men and women with financial grants. This was the second time the senator is facilitating such programme to free our traders from debt peonage associated with taking loans for their trade from loan sharks. In that programme that granted each trader, N50,000, the senator has also publicly stated that, “I am facilitating this programme of empowerment tagged “Oloja Yayi” in Ogun West in conjunction with Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), with Start Up Grants for agro-manpower, artisanal manpower and cage culture carp specie restocking for market women and men.”

For the third programme facilitation by the senator which involved empowering 15,000 trained women and youths with equipment and cash grants to start practicing their acquired skills towards income generating self-employment, as well presentation of Ambulances to hospitals, patrol jeeps to security agencies, mini buses for tertiary educational institutions in the senatorial district and books and school furniture, the senator has publicly stated that, “ Today, in conjunction with Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, Federal Cooperative College Ibadan, Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Technology, National Productivity Centre, Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Computer Professional Registration Council, Federal College of Fresh Water Fisheries, New Bussa, Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research, NIFOR, Benin, constituents already trained in various skills and vocation will be empowered with equipment and start up grants as follows: ..”. With such public declarations and acknowledgements that were contained in the programme brochures of each occasion, the least that can be said is that the sponsors of the faceless group are against these benefits for constituent Nigerians coming through the facilitation of Senator Adeola.

And beyond direct benefits to individual constituents, all the 78 infrastructural projects like 156 Classrooms spread across 13 primary and secondary schools, construction of Primary Health Care Centres, Police Stations, Roads and Town Halls facilitated by the senator have visible projects sign posts naming the Senator as facilitator and the government agency executing the projects. So much for the imagined ‘personalising’ of “govt-funded projects”.

The mention of the breach of procurement law and the project tracking organization without any evidence in the statement contradicts the allegation of personalizing government funded projects by the senator. No procurement law was breached in projects well executed and publicized for tracking organizations to monitoring as the statement indicated. `

Beyond facilitating dividends of democracy for his constituents, it is clear that the sponsor of the politically motivated statement attested to the Senator’s legendary generosity and philanthropy. Their grouse against this is equally their legendary stinginess in the act of giving back to the people. The senator owes no apology or explanations for being a renowned cheerful giver or for his unparallel facilitations as he stated publicly at the last occasion of empowerment.

The laughable aspect of the sponsored statement was the call for relevant government agencies like Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, and EFCC to probe the Senator. Unknown to them, was the fact that the senator officially invited ICPC to monitor the three- day empowerment programme and two uniformed officers of ICPC were at the events in Ilaro throughout the programmes, a fact that further attest to the fact that Senator Adeola could not have personalize government funded projects he facilitated.

Those having sleepless night and high blood pressure on the unprecedented and effective representation of the Senator, which has rubbished their lackluster delivery of dividends of democracy and their vaunted political ambitions, should take note that more of the senator’s facilitation of projects for his constituents are in the offing as it is the hallmark of the senator over his years as a legislator par excellence. The tradition continues and no detractor can stop the people benefitting from dividends of democracy.

News

Finally, Senator Shehu Sani Dumps PDP For APC

Published

3 hours ago

February 16, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A former lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central at the 8th Assembly, Shehu Sani, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, welcomed Sani alongside 49 other political stalwarts who defected to the APC at the Murtala Square at a mega rally held on Saturday.

Sani stated that the defectors would enjoy the same rights and privileges as other party members, stressing there was no difference between a party member who joined it recently and those who were in APC ten years ago.

Sani urged the decampees to notify their supporters of the readiness of APC to accept them into the party as their doors were still open to receive more defectors.

According to him, the popularity and acceptability of APC is because of its just leadership at both the state and federal levels.

He said: “Someone who joined APC today and the one who has been a foundation member 10 years ago, they are of the same status. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges.

“Politics is different from governance. We will be fair to all, whether or not they voted for us, because that is the oath of office that we swore to uphold as leaders.”

Governor Sani, who argued that leaders were not infallible and were bound to make mistakes like anyone, pleaded with the leaders to always point out their mistakes to correct them.

The Governor reminded the APC faithful that the leaders would be held accountable hereafter regarding how they led the people God entrusted to them.

Prominent amongst those who decamped to APC were former Governor of the state, Alhaji Muktar Ramalan-Yero, Sen. Shehu Sani, Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi, the gubernatorial candidate of NNPP in the 2023 General Elections, also former gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Sani Sha’aban, Sen. Danjuma Laah who represented Zone three at the Senate on the platform of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, former National Organising Secretary of PDP and Amb. Sule Buba, former Nigeria’s Envoy to South Korea.

News

Gates of Hell to Open in Gaza: Netanyahu cautions Hamas

Published

3 hours ago

February 16, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to unleash devastating consequences on Gaza if Hamas fails to return all hostages, warning that the “gates of hell” will open if the militant group does not comply.

In a joint statement with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel and the US have a shared strategy to tackle the Palestinian militants, and that Hamas’s military capability and political rule in Gaza will be eliminated. The Israeli Prime Minister also expressed his commitment to bringing all hostages home and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

Netanyahu’s comments come as US President Donald Trump has proposed a bold and controversial plan for Gaza’s future, suggesting that the US take over the territory and transform it into a “Riviera of the Middle East”.

First priority for Trump is to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack

The plan, which involves resettling Gaza’s two million Palestinian residents in other countries, has sparked widespread outrage and criticism. Rubio, however, defended Trump’s proposal, saying that it represents a bold and courageous vision for Gaza’s future, one that breaks away from the “tired ideas of the past”.

The US Secretary of State emphasized that Hamas cannot continue to operate as a military or government force, and that it must be eradicated. He also stressed that the first priority for Trump is to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. With tensions escalating in the region, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold, but one thing is clear: the stakes are high, and the consequences of inaction could be devastating.

News

Tigran Gambaryan: A Despicable Agent of Malice Against Ginger Onwusibe ,Colleagues

Published

3 hours ago

February 16, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A group of civil society organizations under the aegis of Alliance for credible legislative conduct has carpeted Tigran Gambaryan, an American personnel of Binance for attempting to soil the integrity and great reputation of some Nigerian congressmen over unfounded bribery allegations

Top parliamentarians from the Nigerian House of Representatives which include, Ginger Onwusibe who is Chairman House Committee on Financial Crimes, Hon Phillip Agbese ,Deputy spokesperson and Hon Peter Akpanke , are beign spotted by the American for alleged sleaze.

According to the group, the American is attempting to use cheap blackmail to hound and payback the lawmakers after they investigated him for various financial infractions and misdeeds in Nigeria

“It is clear that Tigran Gambaryan having made solo attempts on behalf of Binance to commit huge financial crimes in Nigeria, and having failed miserably to have his way, which led to his investigation and ultimate incarceration, has now turned full circle to unleash a pound of flesh against patriotic Nigerian law makers,( who investigated him) which has now manifested in his fictional claims that he was asked to pay the sum of a $150 million bribe while he was in detention”, the group which is an affiliate of the United of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, stated

Alliance for Credible Legislative Conduct in a statement issued and signed by its President, Abdulrasheed Rufai, PhD and Secretary, Benson Alfred Akor, noted that Tigran was a drowning man who wants to drag credible Nigerian lawmakers along

They added that his case is a baffling orchestrated web of malice and a piece of garbage concocted against honourable members of House of Representatives, and as such should be disregarded by Nigerians.

*Below is the full text of the Press statement:*

“Our attention was drawn to the recent allegations of bribery made by Tigran Gambaryan, an American personnel of Binance against Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes; Hon. Philip Agbese, Deputy Spokesperson, House of Representatives, and Hon. Peter Akpanke.

Having looked at the matter painstakingly and exhaustively, we discovered that Gambaryan, who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes; held for months over allegations of money laundering and aiding criminal activities, and was released on humanitarian grounds, after the charges were dropped following U.S. government intervention, is indeed a despicable agent of malice.

It is clear that Tigran Gambaryan having made solo attempts on behalf of Binance to commit huge financial crimes in Nigeria, and having failed miserably to have his way, which led to his investigation and ultimate incarceration, has now turned full circle to unleash a pound of flesh against patriotic Nigerian law makers,( who investigated him) which has now manifested in his fictional claims that he was asked to pay the sum of a $150 million bribe while he was in detention.

Having dissected the position of both the Federal Government of Nigeria, and that of the House of Representatives about the unfortunate saga of Tigran Gambaryan and Binance, we as civil society organizations …… conclude, that what is playing out is a case of baffling orchestrated web of malice and a piece of garbage concocted against honourable members of House of Representatives.

In the light of the above, we hereby use this medium to tell Nigerian people never to fall for the desperate antics of a man already in the pit of disgrace looking for who to rob with his mud.

In condemning this insane, ridiculous and absurd development, it is very obvious that
Tigran Gambaryan is simply on a calculative mission to create unwarranted tension within the National Assembly, embarrass and disrespect the Federal Government of Nigeria. This we will not allow to happen”

Signed:

ABDULRASHEED RUFAI PhD
PRESIDENT

BENSON ALFRED AKOR
SECRETARY