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Garlands for Abiola Ajimobi at 70 | By Festus Adedayo
Tomorrow (16th December, 2019) is my ex-boss, former Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s 70th birthday. I have written so many things about Ajimobi that another would be a repetition; from the negative to the positive.
Like all human beings, Ajimobi’s life is a binary configuration. His foibles are plenty and his greatness huge but one thing you cannot remove from him as an administrator is his passion for development and knack for excellence.
Ajimobi is extremely finicky, so much that if he enters an environment, he will begin to re-arrange its disarranged chairs. You can see this in the quality of infrastructure that his administration laid its hands upon.
As a critique, his undoing, like most Nigerian leaders, was being surrounded by mostly fair-weather aides. For fear of their daily breads, aides of politically exposed persons scarcely tell them what they don’t want to hear and thus, refrained from telling them the truth. Having studied their psychology, I found out that they love to be placed on what Yoruba call the back of the cockroach-horse.
They like their inadequacies to be wrapped with beautiful cellophanes and their praises sang like that of the Kabiyesi in pre-colonial Africa. Having seen through this foible, their aides effectively place them on the back of the cockroach-horse. They tell some of them that the way they talked was exactly how Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe talked.
This is their bane and they are cloaked in the apparel of Super humans. It is only when they leave office that they see how human they are afterall but by then, the fair-weather aides have taken their flights, leaving their bosses to their fates.
Ajimobi is however blessed with a gift: he may be annoyed if you told him a singeing truth but he will later return to you with thanks. The Ajimobi that I knew could not put up with mediocrity but he put up with so many mediocre, for the sake of politics. One thing you can be sure of is that, Ajimobi will not gravitate towards the mediocre for an assignment of grave import.
That was why the mediocre who thronged him in large numbers have found their course now, leaving the few who love him for who he is.
Being with him in the first four years, I can testify that Ajimobi loved Oyo State with a baffling candour. He bent over backwards to ensure an Oyo that was at par with the best. He spent sleepless nights on the Oyo Project and testimonies abound that he out-performed his predecessors during this period.
I
am however not unmindful of criticisms of his hitting his feet against the stone during the second term. I do not have any defence to those criticisms.
Someday, if opportune to do a biography, I will put the two ex-governors I was lucky to serve on a scale. Ajimobi would not weigh low, and certainly, neither will Chimaroke Nnamani, the man who made me to cross many rivers to a land whose people’s language and customs I understood seldom and who gave me a detribalized embrace that is still fresh in my memory.
This is wishing my oga, Abiola Ajimobi, a happy 70th birthday.
The management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced that corps members across the country will soon begin receiving ₦77,000 as their monthly allowance.
The Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General YD Ahmed, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, according to a statement issued by the NYSC spokesperson, Caroline Embu.
General Ahmed emphasized that the welfare of corps members remains a top priority for his administration, noting that arrangements for the payment of the new allowance have been finalized.
The increase in corps members’ allowances is in line with the recent review of Nigeria’s minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, which was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in July 2024.
This development marks the second major adjustment in corps members’ stipends in recent years. In 2020, the NYSC increased the allowance from ₦19,800 to ₦33,000 following the implementation of the ₦30,000 minimum wage.
The latest increment reflects the government’s commitment to improving the living standards of Nigerian youths serving their country under the NYSC scheme.
President Tinubu’s signing of the new minimum wage bill in July 2024 came after months of negotiations between government authorities, labor unions, and private sector stakeholders. The adjustment aims to address inflationary pressures and improve the economic well-being of workers across the country.
The NYSC has assured corps members of its continued commitment to their welfare and development as they contribute to national unity and service.
The Abia State Police Command has demoted a police corporal, Okonkwo Ebuka, to the rank of constable following his involvement in unprofessional conduct and incivility towards members of the public.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the disciplinary action in a statement released on Tuesday.
According to her, the demotion was the outcome of an administrative proceeding where the officer was tried in an orderly room and found guilty of discreditable and unprofessional behaviour.
“The Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, CP Danladi Isa, in alignment with the vision of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to establish a professionally competent, service-driven, rule-of-law-compliant, and people-friendly police force, has disbanded the Command’s Anti-Cultism Unit for unprofessional conduct and incivility towards members of the public,” the statement read.
It further stated that Corporal Okonkwo Ebuka, formerly attached to the Area Command in Aba but deployed on special duty at Isuochi, was demoted as part of efforts to enforce discipline within the Force.
“The Commissioner of Police emphasized the Command’s zero-tolerance policy for any form of unprofessional conduct among officers that could tarnish the good image of the Force,” the statement added.
The Abia State Police Command reiterated its commitment to upholding professionalism and fostering positive engagement with the public in line with the principles of ethical policing.
Queen Waliyat Olabisi, the second wife of the Okere of Sakiland, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Khalid Oyeniyi Olabisi Oyedepo III, has passed away.
She died on Tuesday morning, leaving the people of the ancient town in mourning.
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of her death remains unknown. However, her sudden demise has sent shockwaves across the community.
Many indigenes of Saki have taken to social media to express their grief, sharing heartfelt tributes and condolences for the royal family.
The late Queen Waliyat was celebrated for her elegance and impactful contributions to both the palace and the community.
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