VOL. 9. NO.150 N50tuesday, december 16, 2014

www.osundefender.org THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA

Front Page Comment

•(L-R) Kano State governor, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; Imo State governor, Mr Rochas Okorocha; former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; APC Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd); Sam Nda-Isiah and former Ekiti State governor, Mr Kayode Fayemi during the third National Convention/Presidential Primary Election of All Progressives Congress (APC) at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos State, last Thursday.

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Aregbesola Predicts Victory For APC

Aftermath Of APC Presidential Primary:

•Congratulates Buhari

Tribunal: Aregbesola’s Counsel Protests Newspapers’ Re-

Aregbesola, Amaechi, Others For Honours At ADA 2014Fire Guts Hotel Harbouring Prostitutes In Osogbo CDHR Demands Reduction In Fuel

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Ebola: Personal Hygiene Is KeyThe recent declaration of Nigeria as Ebo-la-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) came as a palatable news for the country. Of course it’s really a great thing to hear from the World

Health body that Nigeria is free of the killer-disease that spreads like the har-mattan fire. For a country where you hardly hear any good news; a country that’s hardly associ-

with anything positive, to have been given a clean bill of health with respect to EVD, is a thing to rejoice over and the gov-ernment and the people of Nigeria deserve to be

on this. And more so Nigeria being the first country in the world to be so declared. Honestly, to regard this achievement as

a feat would not amount to exaggera-tion and it shouldn’t be so considered. This is why we are proud of our governments both at federal and state

pro-active manner with which they approached the Ebola epidemic. And of particular men-tion here is the Lagos state government. In fact, that government really exhibited exem-plary pro-activeness.

Continue on pg5

2OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 15, 2014 News

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s counsel, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), answering question from newsmen after the sitting at the ongoing Governorship Election Petition tribunal over August 9, 2014 governorship between Governor Aregbesola and the defeated PDP candidate in the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, at High Court, Osogbo, last Thursday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Aftermath Of APC Presidential Primary: Aregbesola Predicts Victory For APC•Congratulates Buhari

by kehiNde ayaNtuNji

the governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni rauf aregbesola, has said that the emergence of former head of state, General muhammadu

buhari (rtd), as the presidential candidate of the all Progressives congress (aPc) is the best democratic pill to galvanise Nigerians towards the needed change.

He said the former Head of State is not just the candidate of the APC but that of the entire Nigerians, who have been yearning for a dramatic and total change.

Aregbesola said the decision by all party men and women to elect the former head of state demonstrates the commitment to presenting

a candidate, who would not only win the presidential election, but go ahead to rescue Nigeria from the present quagmire that the anti-democratic and anti-development elements had brought her in more than a decade and a half.

A r e g b e s o l a , i n a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, was

quoted as speaking shortly after the declaration of Buhari as the presidential candidate of the APC after a keenly contested primary held in Lagos.

“We must congratulate N i g e r i a n s f o r t h e emergence of General Muhammadu Buhar i (rtd) as the presidential candidate of our party. T h e e x c i t e m e n t s , commenda t ions and jubilations that have

greeted the elect ion and consequently the announcement of Gen Muhammadu Buhari are clear demonstrations of the fact that Nigerians h a v e b e e n a n x i o u s and now poised for an immediate change in Nigeria.

“It is clear now that Nigerians are determined to jettison their religious, tribal, partisan and other mundane interests to rally

support for our candidate. Gen Muhammadu Buhari. I can confidently say that he is not just the candidate of the All Progressives C o n g r e s s , b u t t h e popular choice of entire Nigerians,” Aregbesola was quoted as saying.

Reminding Nigerians of the urgent need to fix the country, Aregbesola said the outcome of the primary election itself confirmed that the APC has taken transparency, the fight against corruption and graft to a new height.

“People have chosen the best man for the job regardless of all other less edifying considerations. Buhari represents the face of the required battle against corruption. He represents openness and commitment to good governance. For those who consider the awful impact of corruption on our country, the choice of Gen Buhari would easily translate to the readiness of Nigerians to battle against the most deb i l i t a t ing scourge against the country’s growth,” Aregbesola said.

Listing the challenges that lay before an APC government at the centre, Aregbesola reminded Nigerians that the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the centre has spelt economic doom, political complications and social morass.

“We have witnessed the most horrendous crimes against the soul of this country. There has been a mindless rape of the country by a gang of looters, who have made Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of other nations.

“There is needless hunger in a country with many untapped opportunities. All the critical sectors have been bled to states of coma and what we have left as a country is fractured entity gasping for breath.

“With the election of General Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians are assured that a new Nigeria is possible,” he added.

Determination Is Key To Success, Akere Urges Studentsby shiNa abubakar

the immediate-past commissioner for information and strategy in the state of Osun, mr sunday akere, has urged students

in tertiary institutions to make determination their keyword, in a bid to succeed in life.

He disclosed this while speaking at the first reunion programme organised by students residing in Nnamdi Azikwe Hall of the University of Ibadan last week.

Akere said the essence of a university degree is to make a man a better person and create opportunity for himself and others to excel.

He stated that what awaits the students outside school are enormous challenges that require absolute determination and resilience to confront, hence, he urged students to be fully prepared for the life after school to be successful.

He assured them that there are myriad of opportunities awaiting young graduates apart from politics, saying

they should endeavour to pursue their careers before venturing into politics, if they have interest in it.

Akere, who is returning to the hall after 27 years, urged the hall executives to make the reunion p rog ramme a more frequent one and try to reach out to more alumni, who have excelled in their various callings, with a view to sharing their experiences with the students.

Also speaking at the gathering, the immediate-past Special Adviser to Governor Aregbesola on Youths, Sports and Special Needs, Comrade Biyi Odunlade, counselled the students not to be distracted by the campus

activities from become successful individuals in life.

He charged them to strive towards making their dreams a reality by having vision and mission to accomplish such dreams.

C o u n s e l l i n g t h e s tudents on how to confront challenges, Chief M. K. Ajayi, a former resident of the hall

too, said fresh graduates need to have dreams to accomplish greatness in life and must learn to be diligent, humble and trustworthy.

He therefore urged those that secure job early not to be in a hurry to succeed, so as not to fall victim of taking short-cut to success, charging them to take the adequate path and wait for their turn.

He, however, tasked students to ensure that t hey pur sue h ighe r degrees while seeking e m p l o y m e n t , a s well as professional qualifications, describing it as an added advantage for them.

Aregbesola, Amaechi, Others For Honours At ADA 2014the africa digital awards (ada 2014) has

pencilled down the speaker of house of representatives, aminu tambuwal, the

governors of Osun and rivers states, rauf aregbesola and chibuike amaechi respectively, among others, for special recognition at the ada awards slated for december 14, 2014 in Lagos.

Others are foremost ICT entrepreneurs, leaders in the ICT industry and a host of other distinguished Nigerians.

T h o s e s l a t e d for recognition include Pres ident of Niger ia Internet Group (NIG), Bayo Banjo, CEO of

Te ledom Group , Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, CEO of Open Media, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, who is the Chief Host of the event.

Those for honours in the corporate category include Tecno Mobile, Airtel, MTN and Accion Micro Finance Bank, among others.

In the special recognition category, ADA will be honouring the former three-term commissioner in Lagos State, Dr. Muiz Banire , Publ isher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu and Television Continental (TVC).

The event also includes the Africa Digital Forum (ADF), which focuses on the final convergence of the ICT stakeholders in 2014 with the theme: “Broadband: Oxygen for a digital economy”.

Other sub-themes to

be discussed at the forum i n c l u d e : B r o a d b a n d Penet ra t ion , Help ing SME’S grow, Quality of Service, Affordability, A v a i l a b i l i t y a n d Access ib i l i ty among others.

The event will parade the most-celebrated ICT indust ry p layers and investors, decision makers in Federal Government parastatals, state and local governments.

3 News OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16,

•An ongoing beautification of town at Old sawmill, Ola-Iya area, Osogbo, State of Osun, under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, as captured by our cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, last Friday.

by kazeem mOhammedTribunal: Aregbesola’s Counsel Protests Newspapers’ Report•Witnesses Say No Voter Was InducedGOVerNOr rauf aregbesola’s lead counsel, chief

akin Olujinmi (saN), on Friday, protested to the election petition tribunal, what he called “falsehood”

reported by some national dailies about the tribunal proceedings.

He made the protest at the resumed hearing of the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, against the August 9, 2014 re-election of Aregbesola, saying such thing never happened in the court.

One of the newspapers, in its Friday, December 12 edition, reported that “Omisore’s lead counsel established over-voting in Oriade Local Government Council Area of the state,”

while the same path was followed by other newspapers with different captions.

Calling the attention of the tribunal to the report, Olujinmi, who described the report as unfortunate, insisted that what was reported was not the true position of the proceeding, demanding that the reporter should be summoned by the court to explain where he got such report.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime, a lso expressed ser ious

concern about the report, saying that journalists had earlier been warned against “giving judgement on the court proceeding.”

Cautioning journalists to report only what transpired in court, the tribunal chairman said action would be taken on the matter.

Earlier, witnesses called by Aregbesola’s counsel had told the tribunal that no voter was induced to vote for APC on the election day.

T h e w i t n e s s e s w e r e Akinola Sukurat, Ologunde Ademola, Rasheed Mukaila, Peter Adegorioye and Oladeji Mutiu and they were led in evidence by Olujinmi.

Sukurat, who was the APC

agent at Ward 2, Unit 7 of Irepodun Local Government Council Area of the state told the tribunal that nobody was disenfrachised on the election day.

Under cross-examination, the witness said she was accredited and allowed to vote like other voters, adding that as a party agent, she stayed at the polling unit throughout the period of the election.

She said, she witnessed the sorting, counting, recording and announcement of the result for the unit.

According to her, all party agents signed the result form and none of the party agents or voters complained against

the process of accreditation and voting at the unit.

Sukurat also told the three-man panel that nobody was harrased or induced to vote for any candidate.

Ademola, who was also the APC agent at Ward 2, Unit 12 of Irepodun Local Government Council Area also told the court that all eligible voters, who presented themselves, were allowed to be accredited and voted.

He maintained that original copy of form EC8A was countered-signed by party agents after the result has been properly recorded, stamped and each agent was given duplicate copies of the form.

He stressed that there was no violence on the said day, as

securitymen were on ground to maintain peace.

Rasheed, who was the APC agent in Ward 2, Unit 3 and Mutiu, an APC party agent at Ward 1, Unit 2, Irepodun Local Government Council Area, as well as Adegorioye, a voter at Wards 5, Unit 4 of Irewole Local Government Council Area, told the tribunal that the accreditation and voting processes were free and fair.

They said no voter voted twice on the said day, as the process of the election left no room for such irregularity.

Counsel to Aregbesola, after calling five witnesses for the day, requested for an adjournment till Tuesday (today).

Subsequently, the tribunal adjourned the hearing till Wednesday, December 17, 2014.

Fire Guts Hotel Harbouring Prostitutes In Osogbo by kazeem mOhammed

the popular angle 90 hotel harbouring prostitutes in Osogbo, the state of Osun capital, was on Friday wrecked by a fire

outbreak, resulting in loss of items worth thousands of naira.

The inferno, which, a c c o r d i n g t o e y e witnesses, started at about 12.30 pm in one of the rooms and later spread to the rest of the rooms at the upper part of the building, lasted more than three hours.

It took the intervention o f t h e m e n o f t h e Nigerian Security and Civi l Defence Corp (NSCDC), who rose up to the situation before the arrival of the Fire Service operatives.

The cause o f t he inferno was said to be an electrical surge from one of the rooms, which was under lock during the time of the incident.

Sex workers , who were the occupants of the building, were sighted striving to save their personal belongings from

getting burnt.The owner of the

hotel, Mr Akinwumi Akintunde, who was destabilised to talk to

newsmen, was not sure of the cause, but said it could be an electric spark.

Eye witness’ account said people of the area, instead of rendering helping hands to the sex workers, were mocking them probably because of the nature of their job, except for some few youths, who let helping

hands to them.S p e a k i n g w i t h

journalists after the fire incident had been brought under control, a Fire Service Officer, Kolapo Elizabeth, confirmed that her men put the fire under control.

She further stressed that there was no casualty, as all the occupants were

called on a roll as part of safety measures.

Also, an officer of the NSCDC, Olayiwola Rauf, told journalists that they got to the hotel as soon as they were alerted and were able to save some of the items in the building from catching fire.

CDHR Demands Reduction In Fuel Pricesby ismaeeL uthmaN

FOLLOwiNG the drastic fall in crude oil prices in the international market, the committee for the defence of human rights (cdhr), has called for

the reduction of pump prices of petroleum products in Nigeria.

According to the CDHR, the fall of the crude oil prices should automatically translate to reduction in the pump prices of petroleum products in the country.

CDHR Chairman in the State of Osun, Comrade Akinkunmi Asifat, in an interview with OsuN deFeNder on Tuesday in Osogbo, said i t is criminal for the petroleum marketers to continue selling petroleum at N97.

Asifat maintained that the fall in the price of the crude oil in the international market should to the benefit of Nigerians and should automatically translate to downward review of the prices of petroleum products in the country.

The human rights activist stated that Nigeria is the only country where the pump prices of petroleum products are not reduced since the fall in the price of

crude oil in the international market.

He stressed that it is only a callous, wicked and insensible leader that would allow his followers to buy products at higher prices during the time of surplus.

A s i f a t w a r n e d t h e Federal Government against augmenting its loss from the fall in crude oil price from the purses of Nigerians by sticking to the pump prices when crude oil was high on sale.

He said: “We do not need an economist to tell us that when there is fall in the crude oil price in the market, it automatically means the pump prices of

petroleum products should also come down.

“It is irrational and mere wickedness for our Federal Government to stick to the current pump prices of petroleum products, when the price of the crude oil has fallen. What type of economic plan is that for Nigerians?

“The handwriting is very clear and we understand that the Federal Government is not ready to reduce the prices of petroleum products, but we wil l compel the reduction with mass actions across the country.”

Man, 19, Arraigned Over Stealing Of Building Materials

POLice authority in the state of Osun has dragged a 19-year-

old teenager, toheeb azeez, before an Osogbo magistrate’s court for allegedly stealing building materials.

Azeez was accused of stealing some iron rods meant for the construction of a building that belonged to one Mr Ademi lua Oluwatoyin.

T h e c h a r g e s h e e t made available to OsuN deFeNder on Thursday put the value of the stolen iron rods at N600, 000, just as it said the suspect committed the offence on November 7, 2014 at Ido-Osun of Egbedore Local Government Council Area of the State of Osun.

P o l i c e p r o s e c u t o r , I n s p e c t o r A b i o d u n Fagboyinbo, sa id the accused person committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 390 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The suspect however pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of stealing leveled against him.

Defence counsel, Mrs Nnenna Ngwu, applied for the bail of the accused person in the most liberal term, promising that reliable surety would stand for him.

The presiding magistrate, Mr Olusola Aluko, admitted the suspect to bail in the sum of N200,000 and two sureties, before adjourning the case till January 16, 2015 for mention.

by ismaeeL uthmaN

4 OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december

Ebola: Personal Hygiene Is Key continued from pg1

We are indeed proud of her. For with the myriad of prob-lems confronting us as a nation it would have been a disaster writ large for the country should we have failed to contain the lethal disease. With our pop-ulation it would have really been disastrous for us if we failed to deal successfully with the scourge. The question is ‘how many problems would we have been dealing with’? For instance the problem of insecu-rity rather than abate is getting complicated by the day. Quite sad that the administra-tion of President GEJ for the past four years has been preoc-cupied with how to tackle our security challenges. This has constituted a major distraction for his government making his

government’s performance to be at a lowest ebb. Thus wouldn’t it have been unspeakably woe-ful for his administration to be further preoccupied with another big challenge like EVD? This of course is a rhetorical question. However, as we rejoice over this good news we must not go to sleep with the belief that it’s over. Though it could be regarded as being over in Nigeria, we must not forget that some neighbour-ing West African countries are still being ravaged by this deadly disease. Thus our joy could only be complete when we are able to get rid of Ebola from the shores of Africa, nay, the world at large. In view of this there is a chal-lenge before all of us especially at personal level and the chal-lenge is for us to keep to the rules of hygiene. Personal hygiene is very key in keeping Ebola at bay.

Not only Ebola but various types of disease. It’s of course not dis-putable that personal and environ-mental hygiene play a pivotal role in keeping diseases at bay from human community. For this rea-son we must not take personal and environmental hygiene for granted. It’s very important that we adhere strictly to hygienic rules. At personal level we must ensure that we wash our hands regularly especially before eating or putting anything into our mouth. Washing our hands or making use of sanitiz-er and washing our fruits properly before eating, is very important. Not only because of Ebola but it’s the key to warding off certain ailments that can arise out of un-cleanliness. And it’s very important to mention here that we need to educate our little children in this regard. We must ensure that they imbibe the culture of hand-wash-

ing before they eat or swallow anything. Environmental hygiene is next to personal hygiene. We cannot talk of personal hygiene without talking of environmental hygiene. In fact they both go together; hands in glove. For time imme-morial the dictum has been that ‘a clean environment promotes good heath’. This is not disput-able. On the contrary a dirty environment provides habitat for diseases and brings about ill-health. In the light of the above it’s im-perative for us as individuals to live by the rules of personal and environmental hygiene. This is

Road Projects: Foundation For Economic GrowthI am glad to write this

letter with a strong belief that it would be

given positive attention by your credible medium, to air my views on the ongoing infrastructural development in the State of Osun.

I have kept observing for some time now, the ongoing revolution in road infrastructure being currently witnessed in the state, which has resulted into positive effect on the economic development of the state.

I am so glad that all these are happening during Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s tenure, when we, the upcoming generation, had lost hope that nothing good can come out of the current leadership of the nation.

He has proven to us that to be a progressive leader and aspiring to hold any leadership position in

the country, you must be focused and determined.

Things had got to a stage that pessimists were asser t ing tha t good governance was impossible in this country.

Despite the fact that the state is currently receiving the least on the federal allocation

t ab le , Aregbeso la ’s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n h a s deemed it fit to continue on its developmental strides in the state.

Various programmes and policies have also been put in place to attract foreign and indigenous investors to establish their businesses in the state

and boost its economy beyond the imaginations of the opposition.

Favourably today, we have Ogbeni Aregbesola as governor, whose agenda for the state has rapidly and radically unfolded to showcase a new Osun of the dream of its founding fathers.

I have nothing much to say here but to appreciate a n d c o m m e n d t h e governor and his team for the good and purposeful governance they are proving. I also want to commend the peace-loving people of the state for their support in the past years and understanding

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing House Ltd.

Managing Editor – Kola Olabisi (0803-392-7286)

Editor – Kayode Agbaje (0803-388-0205)

Lagos Editor – Kola Odepeju (08023191891) Production Editor – Pet-Kola Taiwo Ibitowa Senior Reporter – Sola JacobsSenior Reporter – Kazeem Mohammed

Magazine Editor – Niyi Olasinde

Reporter – Kehinde AyantunjiReporter – Francis Chukwuma

Photographer – Oluwagbemiga AdeniyiPhotographer – Olushola Aderinto

Admin. Manager – Murtala Agboola

Computer Operator – Saheed AfolabiComputer Operator – Mary AkintolaAssistant Computer Operator – Lukman Oseni OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun.All correspondence to the above mail address.ISSN: 0794-8050Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205Website: www.osundefender.com/index.phpe-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com

that have enabled the governor go this far in his infrastructural development drive.

As h i s f i r s t t e rm is moving to a close, I want to implore the good people of the State of Osun to support the governor the more.

In the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election, we did what was expected of us; to uphold, maintain and sustain the prevailing trend of progress that have been taken place in the state. It is also important for the people of the state to contribute to the development in their own way by maintaining the roads to ensure they last long.

• K A z E E M OLAwALE, Osogbo, State of Osun.

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G i a n t Celebrating Excellence In Service

Aregbesola’s Administration In Retrospect:OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 15, 2014

This last lap in the series bares the remaining part of the laudable achieve-ments of the Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration in the State of Osun. In it, NIYI OLASINDE beams searchlight on other activities of the administration in identified sectors and sub-sectors of life in the state.

•(L-R) Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; wife of the governor, State of Osun, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola; Kwara State Governor Abdul-Fatai Hammed; State of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his counterpart from Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, at the inau-guration venue recently in Osogbo.

6 OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16,

Continued on page 11

Celebrating Excellence In Service (III)magazine

· Continued from last week.

· Local Government, chieftaincy affairs and community development

IN the Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development is our next port of call. This sib-sector witnessed utter debasement and degradation

during the period of the fiery siege unleashed on the state by the erstwhile administration in the state. First and foremost, we have, in earlier parts of this series of this edition, seen how countless number of illegal deductions was indiscriminately made from the monthly statutory allocation of the thirty local government councils and the Ife East Area Office during that inglorious reign.

We also mentioned how local government councils were relegated to a position of mere existence since they could not function in the true context within the statutory provisions laid out for them as the third tier of government in Nigeria. During the days of that administration and its umbrella party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), it became forbidden for local government councils in the state to tar roads or to execute other tangible projects that are vital and that we all know cold impact the lives of people at the grassroots meaningfully. By this sad trend, the monthly statutory allocation accruing to government at the third tier in the state from the Federation Accounts became target for randy politicians in the name of executing a number of projects centrally at the state level. At the end of the day, no particular project which the administration claimed to have committed the monies so deducted to was carried to a logical conclusion. We shall now take a look at some few of such phantom projects and programmes.

It was the practice during those past years for dependants, cronies, sycophants, bootlickers and party faithful of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to adorn the premises of local government council secretariats all over the state at month-ends; especially on pay-days to collect salaries for services not rendered. These unearned salaries caused the payroll of council areas in the state to overbloat; thus leaving the councils practically unable to execute meaningful capital projects for the ultimate benefit of the generality of the people in their domains. So the local government councils merely existed as money machines to satisfy the lustful desires of the categories of people highlighted above.

At the inception of the multi-campus Osun State University (UNIOSUN) in 2005/2006, it was too glaring even to the Oyinlola administration that his administration could scarcely afford the means to finance and sustain a citadel of that grandeur; more so, simultaneously with the burden of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, which it had to co-fund with its partner Oyo State. The next available option for that administration was to turn to local governments for compulsory imposition of levies which were deductible from source upon the arrival of the monthly statutory allocation from the Federation Accounts at the centre. At the beginning, the fraction deducted was 10 per cent. Later it was reduced to 5 per cent monthly. Such were local government councils in the state plundered, in defiance

of voices of dissent raised by patriots and diplomats against the unconventional practice. The ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) itself could not intervene; obviously because the practice had become stock-in-trade for it anywhere it held sway. Clearly, the practice was seen as the easiest way of making cheap money to dole out to its numerous cronies and hangers-on.

Another area where local government councils in the state became victims of compulsory deductions from their monthly statutory allocation from the Federation Accounts was the compulsory N1 Million deduction from the monthly statutory allocation coming to each o the thirty local government councils and the Ife East Area Office in connection with the Songhai Programme. These deductions were made for a period of rime more than a year. The implication, as OSuN DEFENDER Magazine pointed out continuously in those days is that in every month, the administration made from this particular heading of deductions alone a cool sum of N31 Million! Readers are left to sum the deductions up for a year and a half in order to actually determine the huge plunder made out of the local government accounts in the state during the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-led Oyinlola administration.

One measure employed by the ousted administration in order to get through with its heinous agenda with the local government councils in its days in power was that the party (People’s Democratic Party-PDP) manipulated that the administration succeeded in getting a bunch of scarcely educated nominees to clinch tickets into the councils as chairmen and councilors. This ploy was ensured to ascertain that whoever emerged would not be able to hold his own or raise questions concerning any order or directive issued out to him while in office. That explains why the local government political functionaries in those dark days were all prefects and mostly puppets.

Here we are. In today’s State of Osun, the local government councils are functioning with full capacity; even so, more than at any point of time since their establishment. The first thing Aregbesola did upon his assumption of office was to abolish all forms of deductions from their monthly statutory allocation accruing from the Federation Accounts. This was done to enable the government at the grassroots dispense good democratic governance to the people at that level; and to do so to full capacity. Evidences to this abounds all around us today; and they subsist in forms of good motorable roads, potable water provision, environmental sanitation, agriculture, employment generation and youth empowerment, good medical/health delivery services, distribution of free insecticide treated mosquito nets, to mention just a few.

So far in the State of Osun, elections could not be held into local government councils. This is no fault of the government of the day; but attributable to continuous suits filed by the opposition against government. First, it was against the composition of Caretaker Committees at that level. We are all living witnesses to the way that case ended. Today, the case filed by the opposition to challenge the constitution of the State of Osun Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) has been botched. We now have a

fully constituted OSSIEC in place. There are high prospects to holding free, fair and credible local government polls anytime during the next year; especially with the coast clear over there-election of the Rauf Aregbesola administration. What we intend to bring out is that these continuous litigations have caused elections not to be held in the state.

Upon the assumption of office of Ogbeni Aregbesola for his first term in office, he embraced the illegitimate chairmen and local councils he met on ground; in spite of their illegitimacy! This was even against the backdrop that the preceding administration had earlier defied a court injunction ordering those council chairmen and members to quit office. Aregbesola stayed in with those illegal office holders till their ouster came most naturally. Aregbesola assumed office on Saturday, November 27, 2010; the illegitimate council “prefects” of Oyinlola years were ousted, like their grand contriver, on Friday, December 17, 2010, via the justice dispensed through the judgment delivered by the apex court of the land, the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

It has become as clear as the dawning day today that fundamentally, peace and tranquility came to have foothold in the State of Osun as soon as the Aregbesola administration came on board. Prior to the emergence of the administration, tension was high. The state was hot. Insecurity and uncertainty filled the air. Like the Biblical House which divides against itself that will not stand; the ruling party of the day was the cause of the whole tension. The contention for governorship ticket within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the proposed 2011 Gubernatorial Elections was enough to snuff life out of the state and bring its entire people into extinction. Thank goodness, that election never saw the light of day. It became most unnecessary as the earlier-held one (2007 Polls) got upheld for the right candidate in a sudden twist of miracle. Those developments marked the genesis of the trend of progress which we enjoy; relish and savour; and celebrate today.

Lastly, there is all likelihood to suggest that before the horizons lighten for the next year 2015, there shall have been created for the State of Osun not less than additional twenty-seven (27) local government council areas; thereby hastening the pace of progress and development and bringing the government closer to the people.

· roads and infrastructureROADS and infrastructure has been our point of focus

in some of our previous editions. It would be recalled that by the end of the time of the immediate past administration in office, the voice of OSuN DEFENDER Magazine was vehement over the state of disrepair in which virtually all roads in the Osun State of the time were. We remember vividly that most access within the metropolis of Osogbo, the state capital had become erosion paths and courses for drainage. The administration of the time, both at state level and local government levels were simply there doing nothing. Their functionaries were busy siphoning funds from public accounts; while the situation of our roads

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola (right), taking the oath of office. with him are his wife, Sherifat (2nd right); Barrister wale Afolabi (2nd left); the Chief Judge of the State of Osun, Justice (Mrs) Adepele Ojo (left) and one of the governor’s sons during the inauguration recently.

7 OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16, 2014 PhOtOtaLk

•(R-L) National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, APC Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd); State of Osun governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole during the third National Convention/Presidential Primary Election of All Progressives Congress (APC) at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos State, on wednesday.

•Decoration of the venue.

more Pix On all Progressives congress (aPc) 3rd National convention/Presidential Primary election held at teslim balogun stadium, Lagos state, On thursday.

•(L-R) former National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande; Oshiomhole; Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Aregbesola and Presi-dential asspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, during the third National Convention/Presidential Primary Election of All Progressives Congress (APC) at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos State, last Thursday.

8 OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16, 2014 PhOtOtaLk

•Beautification at MDS area of Osogbo.

•Another beautification at Ola-Iya area, Osogbo.

•Beautification of Old Garage/Ola-Iya area, Osogbo.

An Ongoing Beautification Of The Towns Under The Administration Of The State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni rauf aregbesola, as captured by Our cameraman, GbeN-Ga adeNiyi, Last Friday.

•

9 OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december PhOtOtaLk

•Another cross section of lawyers at the court room.

•Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN); (left); Femi Falana (SAN) right and other lawyers at the court.

•PDP counsel, Nathaniel Oke (SAN), answering questions from newsmen.

•A cross section of politicians and newsmen at the court premises.

at the Ongoing Osun Governorship election Petition tribunal Over august 9 election between Governor rauf aregbesola and the defeated PdP Governorship candidate in the state, senator iyiola Omisore, at the state high court, Osogbo, On thursday and Friday. Photo: GbeNGa adeNiyi.

OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16, PhOtOtaLkangle 90 hotel in Osogbo, state Of Osun, Gutted by Fire Last Friday. Photo: GbeNGa adeNiyi.

•Sympathizers at the scene.

•Some of the luggages of the prostitutes at the fire-gutted hotel.

•Part of the burnt hotel.

OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16, PhOtOtaLkangle 90 hotel in Osogbo, state Of Osun, Gutted by Fire Last Friday. Photo: GbeNGa adeNiyi.

•Sympathizers at the scene.

•Some of the luggages of the prostitutes at the fire-gutted hotel.

•Part of the burnt hotel.

10 OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16, PhOtOtaLkangle 90 hotel in Osogbo, state Of Osun, Gutted by Fire Last Friday. Photo: GbeNGa adeNiyi.

•Sympathizers at the scene.

•Some of the luggages of the prostitutes at the fire-gutted hotel.

•Part of the burnt hotel.

13 OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december maGaziNe

Celebrating Excellence In Service (III)continued from page 12

illustrious and impressive. Up till date, the impact of the administration is being felt to the extent that the State of Osun has risen to become the envy of other states in the federation. Any part of the state being visited speaks of changed value system from the ugly horrible sights of the past to a new, well-rebranded land of beauty and high aesthetic value. This measure is well taken as a means of backward integration; so that through our collective carefulness and vigilance, we can take our destinies into our own hands and forestall the occurrence of avoidable diseases. This trend has been achieved. We shall at this juncture do justice to a careful analysis of the achievements of the Government Unusual of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola in other remaining sectors and sub-sectors of the life of the state. It is the consummate attainment of this that OSUN DEFENDER Magazine is now committed.

·Women and Children Affairs and Social Development

IN the area of Women and Children Affairs cum Social Development, the Government Unusual has done so well that we can boldly assert that the best so far has begun to be witnessed in the sub-sector. We place it in record that in recognition of the vital role played in the development and future greatness of our society that Ogbeni Aregbesola in the presentation of the Appropriation Bill Estimate for the year 2013 before the honourable members of the State of Osun House of Assembly, announced the creation of a new ministry with the branding and nomenclature of Ministry of Children and Women Affairs. The inclusion of children in particular indicates that new imprints are about to be left in the sands of time and governance of the state. This trend has begun to be set, not only in name but also in action and programmes. We shall make this crystal clear in due course of time.

The role of and commitment of the incumbent administration in and to the issue of women development have been prominently visible since its coming on board the parlances of governance in the state. Various programmes and supportive schemes have been put in place to organize women into groups with a view to training them and empower them so as to enhance their liberation by reducing their overdependence on then male gender. This feat was recorded through a collaborative, coordinated effort between the two tiers of government visibly on ground within the confines of the state, i.e. the State Government and the grassroots administration called the local government.

Various efforts subsist through which the administration of the day has empowered women, housewives in particular. We place on record various training programmes for widows, puddahs and other groups. Also, professional groups like market women have not been ignored in terms of their needs and requirements that could boost their activities, welfare and prosperity.

Also in this regard, we place on record how the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola has organized and held for the very first time ever, the O’odua World Children’s Day; which was an attempt at the unification of all the Yoruba race scattered all over the place – within Nigeria and yonder, that is, in West Africa, the rest of Africa, Asia, West Indies (the Caribbean), the United States of America, South America and all the rest. At the programme, we had in attendance contingents from nine

good states of the federation, which included the following Yoruba-speaking states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta. Added to these is the tenth, which is the host state, the State of Osun.

Going by the information provided above, the programme was a huge success, as it turned out to be not only a convergence for the children and youth but for adults of all classes, cadres, classes and caste. The greatest achievement of all in the intrinsic quality of that programme is the forum it provided for two frontline traditional rulers in Yorubaland, regarded to be at swords drawn since time immemorial, to sit together and relate as offspring of the same forebears and leaders of the single largest ethnic group among the black race. The Aregbesola administration shall eternally win medals for this feat of acting as a unifying force for the Yoruba race. It has this to its eternal credit.

We shall now dwell briefly on the aspect touching on Social Development, Youths and Sports sub-sector of the whole heading under consideration; particularly, in the sphere of social welfare. Much has been achieved by the administration of Ogbeni since its inception over thirty months ago. In April 2011, the Government of the State of Osun under the dynamic leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola spearheaded the eviction of the state indigenes that were stacked in the war-ravaged Cote d’Ivoire. The cocoa-rich West African country had been war-ravaged for sometime over the sit-tight syndrome exercised by its past leader, Laurent Gbagbo and his blatant, brazen refusal to honour the collective voice and wish of the citizens who overwhelmingly voted for his opponent, Alhassan Quattara in a free, fair and credible general election.

The evicted indigenes, comprising mainly indigenes of Iwo and Ejigbo local government councils of the state were not just evicted but well settled home with donations of money, food items and other materials by the Government of the State. In addition to these good gestures; the respective local government councils complemented by giving their own support too. These gestures were clear demonstration that the people had a government of their own, which had the disposition to guarantee and protect their welfare, well-being and prosperity.

Similar to this was the rescue mission embarked upon by the Government of the State to Bauchi State following the post-Presidential Elections violence which erupted there also in April 2011. The mission of the rescue team was to search for, find and evict the state’s indigenes from the state that had suddenly become heated up with violence and pandemonium, following the announcements of the results of the Presidential Elections held nationwide that April 2011. The mission was successful as the state’s indigenes, consisting mainly of residents who took sojourn there and youth corps members on national assignment were evicted home in droves. Regrettably, the State of Osun had its own share of loss of lives which came attendant to the crisis. Two of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were killed in the mayhem hailed from the State of Osun. As luck would have it, the duo even hailed from the same town of Gbongan in Ayedaade Local Government Council Area of the state. The way the Government of the State of Osun intervened and identified with the bereaved families, communities and entire people by according the two fallen youths befitting burials and giving support and succor to the families showed a government which places premium on the life, well-being and welfare of its

citizens. OSUN DEFENDER Magazine is of the opinion that the blown on the state would have been deadlier, heavier and more fatal if government intervention had not been forthcoming at all; more so, if it had not been timely enough.

In early October 2011, the State of Osun School of Special Needs, located at Powerline Area of Osogbo, the state capital, received a philanthropist gesture from the government of the state when Pharmacist Israel Oyagbile, representing the State Governor delivered consumables and gift items to the students of the school. The items such donated included bags of rice, clothing materials and jerry cans of vegetable oil. The gesture, it was further revealed, was part of the demonstration of the determination of the Government of the State to distribute dividends of democracy evenly throughout the state; class, caste, and state in life notwithstanding.

In a similar vein, local government councils in the state have been in the business of taking turns to cater to the social need of the people in their domains. Our terrain is replete with examples of these gestures. In a nutshell, our thirty local government council areas and the Ife East Area Office have always complemented the efforts of the incumbent administration by taking up the bull by the horns in arresting the challenges of taking care of the elderly in the council areas’ domains.

OSUN DEFENDER Magazine tarries here to document the effort of the administration in putting smiles on the faces of the old and elderly. This initiative in particular is commendable. The care of the elderly in the society is vital; as most of those who constitute the class of elderly must have one time or the other, taken active participation in the building of the society. Giving back to this class of senior citizens in their declining years cannot constitute giving too much. Today, a great number of old and elderly citizens in the state; the poor and indigent in particular is receiving monthly stipends from the government of the day. This care of the old and elderly includes the health and medical care, and it goes a long way to reduce unceremonious deaths, dependency and senility of the old.

•Water Resources

WATER resources a re a v i ta l sub-sec tor in the R e g i o n a l P l a n n i n g a n d E n v i r o n m e n t a l Development Sector of the state’s economy. In the year 2012, the Annual Capital Expenditure for this sub-sector was Five-Hundred and Fifty-Five Million, One-Hundred and Six Thousand, Five-Hundred and Ninety-Five Naira, Twenty-Six Kobo (N555, 106,595.26). In full recognition of the importance of good potable water to forestall and combat outbreak of ailments, diseases and epidemics, the incumbent administration of

•Aregbesola (right), signing the oath of office while his wife, Sherifat (2nd right), watches; second left is Barrister Wale Afolabi while the Chief Judge of the State of Osun, Justice (Mrs) Adepele Ojo is 1st left.

Continued on page 14

OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16, 2014 14

Celebrating Excellence In Service maGaziNe

Continued from page 13•Governor Rauf Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from his ecstatic admirers at the Osogbo City Stadium, venue of his inauguration, recently.

Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola did in the year 2011 earmark and actually committed a whooping sum of Two Billion, Two-Hundred and Fifty-Four Million, Five-Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand, Four-Hundred and Seventy Naira (N2, 254,585,470.00) for the sub-sector. This whooping sum gives an improvement of 306.15 per cent over the expenditure of year 2010 in the sub-sector.

In pursuance of its determination to provide all parts of the state with good potable water, the effort helps to revive the New Ede Waterheads and make it fully functional in water supply to all parts of the State of Osun started in August 2011. It snowballed into the proposal for the award of its contract to the tune of N417 Million for the rehabilitation of the New Ede4 Waterworks with capacity to 100,000 metric tonnes of water per day.

It is expected that fresh construction of water channels shall soon begin throughout the state, while rehabilitation of existing burst pipes and damaged ones have also begun in earnest. As at the time of the last election campaigns, the governor is made fresh promises to the people of Ikire and the entire Irewole, Ayedaade and Isokan local government council areas that the Ikire Waterworks is included among the numerous water projects in the state earmarked for rehabilitation, resuscitation and reconstruction. That promise was on the heels of an earlier one made to a contingent of Ikire indigenes led by the reigning monarch of the ancient town, Oba Olatunde Falabi, Olambeloye III, With these moves, it is evident that the coast is clear for effective water supply to the good health and healthy living of the people of the State of Osun.

· employment and youth empowerment

THERE is hardly any other area where the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola has scored its first excellent mark than the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES). This vital and laudable achievement of the Aregbesola administration is here treated last to detail as a matter of deliberacy. As pointed out in the appropriate segment of this report in earlier editions, rather than lumping this sub-heading with the broad heading of Industry, Commerce, Finance and Cooperatives or that of Human Resource and Capacity Building; OSuN DEFENDER Magazine is singling it out here owing to its all-important nature on the one hand, and the towering influence it has garnered to itself all along. We make bold to assert that there is nowhere in the federation of Nigeria where one makes mention of OYES and people would not have caught winds of it as a thriving youth empowerment intervention initiative of the State of Osun extraction. The programme has so much touched lives that its fame, credibility and recognition have travelled beyond the shores of our country.

The Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), which was rolled out as a powerful, life-changing initiative of Ogbeni himself, began to see the light of day at the very wake of the administration, precisely in December 2010; and before the first 100 days of the incumbent administration in office, it had begun to record gigantic success. By that initiative, which was obviously an intervention [programme to arrest the spate of poverty and unemployment, 20,000 unemployed youths were productively employed in various fields of specialization in a fell swoop. This development marked a great feat which has been, and which shall remain difficult, if not impossible to outwit in decades to come. This fact is even truer, more accurate and realistic as processes have been kick-started for the enlistment of another batch of OYES cadets. The enlistment processes is still ongoing due to some hitches encountered at the initial stage of the call for fresh enlistment. However, the organizers are proving to be on top of the situation.

The enlistment of fresh OYES cadets for the 2013/2015 shift, also numbering up to 20,000 shall soon be completed and concluded. By the year 2015, 40,000 youths would have cumulatively been saved from the horrendous fangs of sloth and unemployment, even as it becomes very certain that the youths are being graduated and absorbed into vocations of their choices at the expiry of their two-year mandatory period as corps cadets of the scheme.

The development is made remarkable in many ways. All indications attest to it that it has never been possible anywhere else in this country to absorb that many into the workforce at a go. For the OYES initiative, the payroll bill monthly adds up to a whooping sum of Two-Hundred Million Naira (N200 Million). Yet the Government Unusual of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is unshaken even as the precedence it met on ground was that of a government acquiring loans and overdrafts from commercial banks to pay the salaries and allowances of regular workforce in the public/civil service employ of the state and even the pension of retirees.

By injecting N200 Million Naira into the economy of the state, via the enlistment of 20,000 youths of the state’s origin, Aregbesola has by this scheme saved more than 20,000 people from above that number of homes from the dastardly negative effects of dehumanization brought about by unemployment and poverty. Also, he has succeeded in mopping up into productive engagements idle hands which hitherto had been the devil’s workshop. Youths who had hitherto been co-opted into odd jobs like thuggery, political brigandage, violence prostitution, drug abuse and other social vices have been provided with more socially acceptable and by far more productive engagements for their respective betterment and for uplifting the status and living standard of the society.

The OYES initiative has contributed in no small measure to the overall welfare, well-being and economic emancipation of the State of Osun. The index of its contribution to the overall prosperity of the state and its entire people is inestimable. Much is this impact that the programme won the nod and commendation of the United Nations’ International bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), otherwise known as the World Bank. The World Bank team that visited the State of Osun sometime during year 2011 came on assessment tour of the state with particular focus on the OYES programme. It was in token of the World Bank’s appreciation for the scheme that the international (global) finance institution decided to throw its weight behind the programme by assisting the government to expand its scope.

One essential feature of the OYES programme is its transitory nature. As at the completion time of the first batch of the scheme, many OYES cadets graduated to other segments of the civil/public service e.g. teaching, clerical/ administrative cadres, while room is being opened to absorb fresh cadets in replacement. Some of the cadets were even sent abroad to various overseas countries for proper adequate training requisite for their full and functional establishment into their chosen life-long vocations. Few months ago, a graduation ceremony was held for the first set of products of the OYES-tech; the technical/technological training wing of the broad OYES scheme, who were integrated into the society in various aspects of computer assemblage, repairs, telephone handsets assembly and repairs and the likes.

On the whole, there is hardly any facet of life where the OYES initiative has impacted lives in the state more than Environ mental Sanitation; and Crowd/ Traffic Control.

By OYES initiative, the State of Osun is being rapidly transformed radically decent and beautiful abode, where disasters associated with environmental degradation are fast-becoming

things of the past. This implies that the chains of awards, encomiums, recognition and commendation being poured on the governor, in particular, the merit award conferred on him during the penultimate episode of the governor’s audience media chat, tagged “Ogbeni till daybreak” by the B Zone of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), where the governor was decorated as the best governor in the area of environment and disaster management in Nigeria for the year 2012 had not been misplaced.

OSuN DEFENDER Magazine accords great recognition for the efforts of Ogbeni Aregbesola and his indefatigable and irrepressible team. It is on that note that the State of Osun was earmarked to benefit from the World Bank/Federal Government Youth Empowerment Fund to the tune of N50 Billion. The fact that the World Bank itself has a sub-agency called Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) complements the ingenuity and creativity of Ogbeni Aregbesola in coming out with the coinage “OYES”.

We have referred to it repeatedly here that recruitment and selection exercise for the next 20,000 cadets into the 2013/2015 batch of the scheme are currently ongoing. It is expected that training and selection processes of the new batch must be completed in due course of time. Already, the first batch of beneficiaries has graduated into jobs, careers and life-long vocations.

On the occasion of first year anniversary of the OYES programme, held precisely on May 5 2012; the scope of the OYES scheme was broadened, as the cadet corps members were divided into various corps, groups, or cadre corps. Thus, the following cadre corps, which had been part of the initial plan of the initiative, became prominently operational. They are:

1. Public Works

2. Green Gang

3. Traffic Marshall

4. Sanitation Czar

5. Teachers’ Corps

6. Sheriff Guard

7. Paramedics.

Development into operative cadres did actually expand the initial concept in response to the exigencies of the State of Osun experience. This new range of additional cadres comprised a new range of products designed to engender entrepreneurship and economic independence in the corps by way of exit strategy; including the OYES-tech (ICT repairs) mentioned above and the e-payment entrepreneurship project. It is hoped that the finances of the scheme would be improved in the future as more and more private businesses and corporate bodies partner with the government. By then, the initial goal of having each corps member possess all the uniforms of the various cadres in order to facilitate rotation of their experience shall be made possible.

Concluded.

15OSuN DEFENDER tuesday, december 16, 2014

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left), presenting a plague to the National President, Nigerian Association of Auctioneers (NAA), Alhaji Aliyu Kiliya (right); deputy governor, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (left); Head of Service, Mr Olayinka Owoeye (3rd left) and former Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Barrister Ajibola Basiru, during the governor’s investiture as NAA Patron at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun, last Sunday.

•Governor Aregbesola (4th left); his deputy, Laoye-Tomori (3rd left); Alhaji Kiliya (2nd right); Osun State Chairman, NAA, Moshood Oladejo (2nd left); Chairman, NAA Board of Trustees, Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar (right) and other dignitaries, during the governor’s investiture as the Association’s Patron at the Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun, on Sunday.

State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni rauf aregbesola, honoured as the Patron Of Ni-gerian association Of auctioneers at the Government house, Osogbo, Last sunday.

•

PhOtOtaLk

tuesday, december 16, 2014

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by ade OLuGbOtemiDU S T h a s f i n a l l y settled on who is to b e t h e s t a n d a r d

bearer of All Progressives Congress A(PC) in the fast-approaching February 14, 2015 presidential election. Before the primary election was conducted, a lot of predictions were made, most of which were ominous, as they painted an imminent end of the main opposition party; and by implication, the end to the threat posed by major opposition that the ruling-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dread so much. Those ominous conjectures have since evaporated with the steam of their boiling concoctions; as General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) emerged from a properly-managed keen contest that has now earned APC much credibility because of the manner the whole exercise was handled right from the beginning to the very end.

That process that produced Buhari as the major contender on the platform of APC for the coveted number one seat in Africa’s most populous country has thrown a serious challenge to both the ruling-PDP, and the electoral body in the land. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must have learnt through her representatives at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos venue of APC primary election, how best a fair, free, and credible election can be conducted, and how rational people can be in their reactions. The transparency involved from the beginning to the end has arguably given the product of that process an edge over and above the sitting President, who has just been given the mandate by his party to run for second full term by default; having spent a year of his joint ticket with the late Head of State Musa Yar’Adua, who passed on after long battle with terminal ailment on May 5, 2010.

The results of the election were overwhelmingly acknowledged as the reflection of what actually happened at the venue by all the contestants; the first time this will happen in the history of Nigeria’s political evolution. Another fact that unravelled was that none of the contestants felt marginalized; not even Mr Samuel Nda-Isaiah, who came last with 10 votes, appeared disgruntled, as his agents told the leadership of the party on the podium that their principal suffered from fatigue overnight, and his representatives (agents) were on ground till the exercise lasted. From Governor Musa Kwankwanso, who came second with 974 votes, to Turaki Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakir, who trailed closely in the third place with 954 votes; to the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, who polled 624 votes; all conceded defeat against the expectation of the stalwarts of the PDP, who had earlier envisaged a doomsday for their archrivals.

The glowing remarks made by all co-contestants about the winner, after they were asked to react to the outcome, gave credence to the fact that they were satisfied, with the promise that they will work for the success of the winner in February election. The same spirit is expected to motivate them to rally massive support for Buhari, who is expected to give President Jonathan the fiercest fight of his political career ever. All APC governors are in one accord, none disgruntled. All the leaders of the party are speaking with one voice, and the concern of every member of the party in how the flag bearer of the party will emerge victorious at the polls, so as to make subsequent elections after February 14, 2015 presidential poll icing on the cake of long envisaged change.

The situation is different with the ruling-PDP, which has many crises to contend with. There is no state in the federation where there are no aggrieved party members as a result of alleged irregularities that dubbed the recently-concluded primary elections. The purported sole candidacy of their

presidential candidate was also faulted because of the undemocratic manner through which President Jonathan was adopted as sole candidate for second term. It was said to have been premeditatedly foisted on the members by printing only one form; thus making it impossible for others who are interested to contest against the president to do so. When the decision was reached to allow for more entries, those who initially wanted to obtain forms were admonished to refrain from doing so in their own interest, even after telling the whole world to the contrary.

Many cases are pending in court for reasons of irregularities in PDP primary elections all over the country, while so many party stalwarts have threatened to dump the party and try their luck somewhere else. Other notable chieftains had already made good their threats by quitting the party that prides herself as one with most formidable internal democracy all over Africa. Parallel primaries have been held in some extreme cases, with each claiming to be representing the interest

of the highest authority in Aso Rock villa. Many analysts are already concluding that PDP have in their hands more crises than they can manage, positing that the party may be heading towards the precipice of disintegration.

INEC would have observed that nobody is interested in

unnecessary contest, over a result that has been adjudged credible and transparent by all; except for reasons of wanting to defraud and inordinately take away sweet victory from the popular choice. The sanity of doing it right must be internalized as been demonstrated by APC in their latest attempt to build confidence in our democratic process. It will be mere foolhardiness to challenge a process that is seen by all and sundry as transparently flawless. That is why people see the attempt by PDP to take away victory that was freely and overwhelmingly given to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun as folly in its raw manifestation.

There must be a great price to pay if any government in power decides to take people for granted. When people clamour for transformation, it is not something that is demonstrated on print and electronic media to duck people’s essence; as if product of transformation is not tangible as to be physically seen, handled or utilized. Transformation can genuinely be measured by the positive quality of life that is felt through value added social amenities, and not propaganda that is intended to promote hegemonic aggrandizement. It is in the least form what drives qualitative lifestyle into homes to radiate life, and drives out famishing attributes of poverty that debase humanity in its natural form.

The main opposition APC only need to consolidate on the recent success that led to the emergence of General Buhari as the candidate in the February election, because all realities on ground now favour a more well-coordinated APC to form government at the center come May 29, 2015, as most Nigerians now see PDP as lacking in democratic tenets, capable of turning around a moribund system that is now scampering for survival, after being run aground politically and economically by successive PDP governments for over fifteen years. That is why Nigerians have become too impatient to see another term of maladministration unleashed on them by individuals, who only showcase achievements in imaginary concepts. It will therefore amount to a great disservice if this opportunity of solid confidence and trust is allowed to slip-off.

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the Managing Editor, KOla OlabiSi, Telephone: 08033927286 (kolaolabisi@yahoo.com); Editor, KaYODE aGbaJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com, kayodeagbaje@yahoo.com. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.

Buhari’s APC Ticket: Matters Arising

•BuHARI