Electoral defeat: We are undeterred, says Akala

Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, yesterday said that his defeat in the April 26 governorship election would not stop him from continuing with the good work he is doing for the state.

The outgoing governor had christened his campaign: “Ise rere o duro” (The good work continues).

The Director-General of his campaign organization, Chief Ademola Ojo, disclosed this at the inauguration of a vocational training workshop on Waste to Wealth as a means of tackling poverty being embarked upon by the outgoing government

The project is being undertaken by the Association of Local Government Chairmen (ALGON) and the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Ojo is also ALGON chairman in Oyo State.

The three-day training programme will see a minimum of 750 youth from each of the 33 Local Government Areas of the state trained in converting wastes from agriculture products to gum, adhesive and glue. Trainers are to be engaged from the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO).

Apart from empowering unemployed youth in the state, the vocational programme is also intended to reduce filth and waste materials in the environment.

Ojo, who is also the ALGON Chairman in the state, maintained that the training programme which is coming up barely three weeks to the end of the tenure of the present administration “is another manifestation of Governor Alao-Akala’s commitment to youth empowerment and poverty alleviation aimed at making the beneficiaries self-employed and self-reliant.”

He declared, “We have left everything to the hands of God as our principal, Governor Alao-Akala believes that the good programmes he had started must outlive him. And this seminar which is designed in a manner to empower the beneficiaries is aimed at lifting the spirit of the mass followers.”

Mark set for record senate presidency re-election

Some senators-elect from the north central region of the country converged Friday on the senate press centre to address journalists on their preferred choice of senate president for the next senate session.

It turned out that they want David Mark, the incumbent senate president representing Benue South senatorial district, to lead the seventh senate. This declaration of support is coming after the ceding of the post to the zone by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the senators-elect, Mr Mark has led the national assembly successfully. "He was able to introduce the ‘doctrine of necessity' to resolve a near political crisis that almost tore Nigeria (apart) last year through his doggedness and commitment to ensuring that Nigeria moves forward," said one of them, Zainab Kure (PDP - Niger South).

The endorsement of the incumbent senate president to lead the next senate by senators-elect from his region was the climax of a series of public endorsements and antics by the incumbent senate president to ensure his re-election into office, which would be a record.

Mr Mark has had his sight set on leading the next senate from way back as the last quarter of 2010; he has carefully orchestrated his manoeuvres ever since.

His first endorsement came late last year when he supposedly entered into an agreement with the president for mutual support to reclaim their respective offices. The frequency of endorsements has surged since he secured re-election to be a member of the next senate.

Mr Mark is also said to have won the favour of his party for the job following a recent power-sharing deal which doled out the senate presidency to the north central region of the country.