The Ekiti State government Monday implemented the Supreme
Court’s judgment which relocated the headquarters of Ilejemeje
Local Government from Iye Ekiti to Eda Oniyo.
The government said it has no option than to align with the apex
court’s decision, which branded the recognition of Iye Ekiti as the
headquarters of the council since 1996 null and void.
Following the pronouncement of Iye Ekiti as the headquarters
against Eda Oniyo that was contained in the federal government’s
gazette, the Eda Oniyo people had gone to court to contest what
they described as politically motivated relocation of the
headquarters by the then military governor, Col. Inua Mohammed
Bawa.
The Supreme Court in its judgment last year December recognised
Eda Oniyo as the headquarters and ordered Governor Kayode Fayemi to
effect the relocation with immediate effect.
Addressing a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Monday, the Ekiti
State Deputy Governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, said the state took the
step following the advice of the Attorney General and Commissioner
for Justice, Wale Fapohunda, and the report of a fact-finding
committee, which advised that by virtue of the Supreme Court’s
pronouncement, that it will be “illegal, irregular,
unconstitutional, null and void” to recognise Iye Ekiti as the
headquarters of the council.
Egbeyemi said sequel to the judicial decision, the government
proclaimed that “the decision of the Supreme Court, the highest
court in the land, is sacrosanct, inviolable and is binding on the
government.
“That by virtue of the judgment, Eda Oniyo is the only legally
recognised headquarters of Ilejemeje Local Government.
“That the headquarters of Ilejemeje Local Government and its
machinery are hereby relocated by Ekiti State Government from Iye
Ekiti to Eda Oniyo Ekiti,” he said.
Egbeyemi said by virtue of the pronouncement, all government
departments, institutions, organisations, public functionaries,
corporate bodies and others are expected to cooperate with
government to facilitate the smooth relocation.
The deputy governor directed the Chairman of the council, Hon.
Sunday Awolola, and the Commissioner for Local Government, Prof
Adio Folayan, to prepare a schedule for the relocation of the
council to the new town.
The Eleda of Eda Oniyo Ekiti, Oba Julius Awolola, applauded the
government for relocating the council to his domain and for obeying
the judgment of the court.
“I want to appeal to my people not to be over joyous. They
should maintain peace. We have now fought for 23 years. The day
they even took it forcefully, we did not fight. We appreciate the
government for this gesture,” he said.
Awolola appealed to the people of the two towns to be peaceful
and be law abiding, saying adequate security will be provided by
the government to safeguard the lives of the populace.
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Professor Zulum Borno Governor
Gov Zulum Hosts Commissioners to a Retreat in Damasak,
the Reclaimed Boko Haram ‘Caliphate’
Borno’s Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum is currently
chairing his administration’s first retreat for commissioners,
special advisers and more senior government officials like the
secretary to the state government, head of service and chief of
staff in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar local government area in
northern Borno, which has remained a shadow of Itself since it was
occupied by boko haram as a caliphate.
Damasak, hitherto a major agricultural community in the fringes
of the Lake Chad that is less than 10 kilometres away from Diffa in
Niger Republic, was occupied and administered by boko haram from
November, 2014 to 2016 before it was recovered by multinational
forces. Damasak had come under repeated attacks including early
this year. Thousands of citizens who live there mostly depend on
food aide and skeletal businesses.
Zulum, told commissioners in opening remarks on Saturday
evening, that the choice of Damasak, was to bring top government
officials “face to face with the realities” on ground and to remind
them their appointments were not opportunities for luxury but for
the serious task ahead of them.
“By tradition, retreats are held in the most serene and
oftentimes, luxurious environments. However, holding retreats
under serene atmosphere is reserved for those who live and operate
under normal circumstances. Fellow members of the state executive
council, I will like to remind us very strongly that our
circumstances in Borno State are not normal. If we decide to hold
our retreat in Maiduguri, Abuja or perhaps at Obudu Cattle ranch in
Cross Rivers state, we may not totally true to ourselves and
sensitive to the plight of our people. The wisdom of convening this
retreat in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar local government area in
the most troubled northern part of Borno State, is to bring all of
us, face to face with the realities of our challenges in Borno.
Driving from Maiduguri to this place, we have passed major towns
like Gubio and Kareto which have become near ghosts of what they
used to be. We have seen villages that are without human
occupation. We have seen on the road, soldiers at different points,
clearly indicating that all is not normal with Borno”
“Damasak, where we are today, used to be one of Borno’s
agro-economic centres. Damasak used to be a large scale producer
and exporter of farm produce like tomatoes, pepper and other
vegetables. Thousands of wealthy farmers and transporters, other
fellow citizens have been killed, displaced to Niger Republic and
forced to become beggars. We are here to remind ourselves that the
oath of offices we differently took in May, June, August and
September, 2019 is not for luxury. Borno has serious challenges and
we have individually sworn with the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Bible
to do whatever we can in trying to address the challenges facing
Borno State” the Governor said.
Zulum also tasked the commissioners, advisers and other
participants to see Damasak as an example that tells the realities
of the 27 local government areas in the state. He also said
time-lines were going to be created for the attainment of goals
determined at the retreat.
“At this retreat, ladies and gentlemen, we shall not only come
up with ideas that are achievable but insha’Allah, we shall be
setting for ourselves time-lines within which we are to achieve
every goal we aim.We are here to spend only few days in Damasak but
there are thousands of our fellow brothers and sisters, fathers and
mothers, who live here on permanent basis. We are here to feel
their stay and to remind us of their needs for continued safety;
their needs for shelter; their needs for medical care; their needs
for water; their needs for schools; their needs for means of
livelihoods. When we drove into this lodge, we saw hundreds of our
young sons and daughters welcoming us happily. We saw wives,
sisters, mothers and fathers joining they welcome us. Whereas they
all wore happy faces, we know that majority of them are in
distress. We should therefore regard Damasak as an example of the
realities facing all of our 27 local government areas, particularly
those in northern Borno.” the Governor charged.
Before the Governor’s remarks, secretary to the state
government, Usman Jidda Shuwa said the retreat for which he
commended the Governor’s ingenious choice of location, was meant
for top government officials to cross fertilize ideas towards
better service delivery in line with Governor Zulum’s vision and
approach to governance. The retreat had resource persons who
discussed topics peculiar to the challenges facing the state and
suggestions on ways to solving them.