•Declares Commitment To Full Implementation Of TSA

The Ondo State Government has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state to institutionalize the concept of “One administration” and implement the mandates in line with the REDEEMED Agenda of the Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu-led administration.

This, among others were part of resolutions reached at the end of a 3-Day Retreat for Political Office Holders and Accounting Officers in Ondo state public service, held at Mydas Hotel and Resort, Owo, Owo Local Government Area of the state.

Earlier in his Keynote Address, the state Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, explained that the retreat was necessary to ensure that all MDAs key into the REDEEMED Agenda of the Administration; entrench the culture of One Administration; improve their revenue generation and upscale their productivity.

At the end of the retreat which ended on Saturday, participants resolved among other things that effort must be made to attain full implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA).

It was also resolved that Ondo State must fully automate revenue collection, expand the revenue sources and block revenue leakages; while MDAs must prioritize and align capital projects with realistic budgetary provisions to ensure timely completion of key developmental projects.

In the communique signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu and the Head of Service, Pastor John Adeyemo, all MDAs are to adhere strictly to the provisions of Ondo State’s Public Procurement Law (2017), and also engage in peer review with sister agencies both within and outside the State for better performance.

Furthermore, Multilateral and bilateral funding opportunities are to be fully explored for the benefit of the State, even as synergy between political heads and technocrats are to be fostered and adherence to provisions of the regulatory books observed in all official actions.

“State’s Bureau of Statistics should be repositioned for data-driven development of all sectors;

“Public servants should undergo regular capacity building to enable them cascade knowledge gained to their subordinates while ICT competence be made a key qualification for new entrants into the State Public Service;

“Government to sustain its current security effort, particularly the operation of the Ondo State Security Network (Amotekun Corps), for continued protection of lives and properties in the State;

“Government to continue to press for the actualization of the exploration of its vast bitumen reserve, other mineral resources and the development of Port Ondo”, the resolutions said.

Parts of the degraded forest reserves in the State are to be utilized for cash crops for economic benefits, just as Gender mainstreaming and related matters to be continually prioritized by Government.

“Government to institutionalise citizenship engagement and sustain good labour/association relations”, it was added

Are you a business man or woman whose business is not moving fine? Before you begin to think of going to the village to pay someone to start boiling pot (oke-ite) for you, have you thought of re-planning and re-strategizing your business, studying the economic policies of your country of abode and the legal challenges in order to know their effects on your business?

Before setting up your own oke-ite, have you thought of speaking with and listening to your customers? Have you thought of acquiring more marketing skills through offline or online business trainings? Have you thought of marketing your goods online or being creative with your adverts? Have you thought of examining your customer care attitude and principles?

Have you checked if you need to rebuild trust? Some of us are untrustworthy and can lie for Africa. How can your business grow when business partners cannot trust you and when you hardly keep to promises? Before you begin to do oke-ite have you checked if really business is your calling? Or do you think that business is just about buying goods and displaying them? Not everyone can do business and not everyone can be a C.E.O, oga or manager of a business.

Business is about planning, strategizing and maneuvering through challenges and problems. It has nothing to do with magic, sorcery and banking on luck. What you get is what you put in. It is a physical and not a spiritual exercise. It is silly to believe that to resolve business challenges that what you need to do is to visit your village and ask someone to start boiling pot for you. The same is applicable to those who think that paying of tithe or sowing of seed in a Church can open economic doors.

None of the values you enjoy today was built by sorcery or magic but through hard work and perseverance. Even the language you speak today was not developed by the boiling of pots but though hard work. Imagine what the society would become if everyone decides to solve his or her problem today through oke-ite? Imagine that every doctor, teacher, mechanic, carpenter, priest or hotelier begins to set up his or her own oke-ite?

Do you think that there would have been any school, university or research centre today if oke ite was ever used in solving any single human problem? How many pots did the Chinese and Americans boil to make their nations the economic hubs of the world today? Did our forefathers solve any of their economic problems through oke-ite?

Do we even realize the long-term effect that such nasty and imbecilic mentality will have on the psyche of the society and the citizens? The Igbo race did not become one of the most business-inclined tribes on earth by sorcery and magic but by diligence and hard work. The history of evolution makes it clear that the human intellect develops faster by solving problems. What will be the situation of our intellect in years to come if we all take to oke ite? Of course, we shall end up as morons and imbeciles?

I will leave you with one of the wise sayings of our Igbo forefathers: “ihe amuru amu ka ihe agworo agwo.” (A skill mastered by training is far better than a quick-fix medicine.)

Fr Angelo Chidi Unegbu

•‘Getting contest from elite to platinum level by 2024 our top priority’ – Governor

•Dr. Hamzat, Sport Minister, Edo Deputy Governor take part in marathon

At the exactly 8:03am on Saturday, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu crossed the finish line of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, ceremonially becoming the first athlete to breast the final ribbon.

Ethiopia’s runner, Ulfata Deresa, finished the 42-kilometre-long race 11 minutes after the Governor’s arrival and became the winner of the marathon’s 7th edition in the male category. He set a new finish time record of 2:11:58 and clinched $30,000 cash prize.

Sanwo-Olu took off from the State House in Marina, jogging through highways to Eko Atlantic City; he covered 8km distance in 40 minutes.

The Governor teamed up with his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Minister for Sport and Youth Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shuaibu, Lagos Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Shola Aiyepeku, and LSSC Director-General, Gafaar Bolowotan, among other top functionaries, to participate in the symbolic flag-off.

The marathon is an elite-labeled athletic fiesta held in second weekend in February of every year in Lagos and draws participation from local and international teams in the athletic ecosystem. It kicked off at 6am.

Sanwo-Olu said the event had consistently placed Lagos on the global radar, noting that the sporting fiesta had become a yearly ritual for athletes.

The Governor said the marathon embodied the spirit of Lagos, which teaches endurance, perseverance and resilience while toiling through physical strength.

He said: “One of the objectives of this event is to put Lagos on a global platform in the area of sport. Every year, new records are broken and the marathon gets bigger and better. As a Government, we are fully committed to sustaining this noble initiative and leading from the front to ensure that all participants, especially, our youths, get the best from this event.

“I acknowledge the great work which Access Bank and all other sponsors have put in to make this edition a success. The goal of the marathon is to use sport as a tool to promote physical fitness, togetherness, resilience and every virtue that can make human beings progress and live fulfilling life. This is the strongest rallying point for our youths and next edition would be better than what we have had this year.”

Sanwo-Olu pledged his Government would be relentless in raising the status of the marathon to a platinum-labeled event to attract more participants beyond Africa.

This, the Governor said, would open up the State’s economy for more foreign investment and boost tourism revenue for operators in the sector.

Sanwo-Olu said the decision of Kenyan Airways, a global aviation brand, to be part of the sponsors of the event this year indicated that the marathon would bring more tourism opportunities for Lagos if attained platinum level.

“We target the next two years to get this marathon to the platinum level, which means the event would be fully globalised. When this is achieved, every second weekend in February becomes calendarised for this marathon and Lagos would become a place to be and a destination for all sport enthusiasts,” the Governor said.

Presenting the prizes to the winners, Sanwo-Olu encouraged participants from Nigeria to brace themselves for first prizes in the next year’s edition.

Two Kenyans, David Barmasai and Naibe Emmanuel, finished as first and second runners-up in the male category, at 2:13:27 and 2:14:42 respectively. They got a cash prize of $20,000 and $15,000.

In the female category, Ethiopian marathoner, Dagne Siranesh Yirga, won the race at 2:33:50. She received $30,000 cash prize.

Alemenesh Herehaguta and Naomi Maiyo, both Kenyans, won $20,000 and $15,000 as first and second runners-up in the female category.

The President of the Republic of Liberia, Dr George Manneh Weah has conferred the award of “Distinguished Service Order of the Republic of Liberia” on some senior officers of the Nigerian Army(NA) in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL). He made the presentation during the 65th Armed Forces of Liberia Day Celebration held on Friday, 11 February 2022 at the Barclay Training Centre, Camp Johnson Road, Monrovia, Liberia.

While presenting the award, President Weah stated that at every celebration of the Armed Forces of Liberia Day, the government recognizes and awards the” Distinguished Service Order” to individuals whose outstanding contribution have significantly impacted on the growth and development of the Armed Forces of Liberia, the nation and humanity. The President stated that “As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, it is pleasing to duly recognize and congratulate this year’s Distinguished Service Order Award recipients. “The award is in recognition of their Service to Liberia, which has brought honour upon these gentlemen officers” he added.

The awardees also got a letter of commendation from the Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Ambassador Godfrey Anichebe Odudigbo for making Nigeria proud.

Receiving the awards and letters of commendation on behalf of the recipients, Colonel Gbenga Sunday Oyinwola expressed gratitude to the President, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya for the opportunity to have served Nigeria in their various capacities. He stated further that the award will motivate the recipients to be more productive in their service to the NA and the Nigerian nation.

The award was conferred on the senior officers, who were seconded to the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) at different times, as part of ECOWAS Advisory Training Team. They contributed immensely to the building and restructuring of the new AFL.

The officers who benefitted from the awards are, Colonels Aminu Usman Gumel, Gbenga Sunday Oyinwola, Emmanuel Chukwu, Ismaila Sule and Lieutenant Colonel Abdulkadir Abubakar. Other awardees were drawn from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the USA.

The need to give back to the society has always been the hallmark of Christianity and the peak of humanity. Having said this, the people of Akwa Ibom State, located in the Niger Delta creeks of Nigeria have been witnessing an uncommon charity and donation for almost a decade. A non-governmental organization (NGO) Glorious Life Foundation powered by A TOUCH OF GREAT GLORY INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES, UYO, Akwa Ibom State has been in the business of touching the lives of the less privileged in the state especially the orphans and widows.

Speaking to the media, the founder and the General Overseer of by A TOUCH OF GREAT GLORY INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES, UYO, Prophet Peter Daniel said “our widow’s empowerment are done in all parts of the state from Ikot Ekpene to Oron. I, my wife and my staff do share these things. We are extending this charitable work from Nigeria to other part of Africa demonstrating the love of Christ by our giving as led by God. Recently, we empowered over two thousand people, gave some wrappers, foods and supported some who cant send their kids and grand kids to school. We have tried within our capacity to provide for them”. Millions and millions is been put into it to ensures people are fed and we are not discriminating, we have Muslim brothers and sisters that also benefited from our foundation. Apart from giving them food, we also support them with money.

On the need for other people to join them, Amb Peter Daniel said “we are using this to preach the gospel and we are calling on good Nigerians to stand by us and contribute to the upliftment of the down trodden in the society. We are appealing to people of goodwill and good mind to partner with us so as to make this project easy for us to be able to reach out to the poor”.

Looking at the economy situation of the country, there is so much hunger in the land and one of the reasons why we are faced with unforeseen issues like insecurity, bandits, kidnapping, etc. is because of lack of what to eat. In his words ” Once you are hungry, you will be tempted to do what you have not wanted to do”. That is why I and my foundation decides to do the little we can to put smiles on the faces of this downtrodden and we have been doing this for the past nine years.

Prophet Peter Daniel is a God-fearing man whose focus and mandate is to zero out hunger Not only from Akwa Ibom state but also in Africa with the help of the holy spirit and touching the lives of people globally. Above all, Amb Peter Daniel reiterated that he needs prayers from believers all over the world because philanthropist work needs heart. You may have the money and not have the heart for the poor. I have the heart to give to the poor but have limited capacity to do it to the extend of what I have in my hand. I need prayers for God’s provision and open doors.