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VOL. 9. NO.049 N 50 50 50 50 50 THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 - See Story On Page 2 - See Story On Page 4 www.osundefender.org THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA PEOPLE FIRST Front Page Comment Who Killed Chief Bola Ige, formerAttorney- General and Minister of Justice? IGE •The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right); former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and his wife, Omolola, as Aregbesola celebrated Easter with the Oyinlolas in their Okuku, Odo-Otin resident, last Monday. Osun PDP Gov Primary: How Omisore Defrauded Party Delegates LAUTECH Strike: Osun Agrees To Pay Oyo State Outstanding Salary Osun Technology Village Out of Engineer Rauf Aregbesola’s State of Osun there is always something trailblazing. In setting the agenda through a list of initia- tives, the symbol of good governance in the State of Osun never stops preparing the people for a better tomorrow.Out of Engineer Rauf Aregbesola’s State of Osun there is always something trailblazing. In setting the agenda through a list of initia- tives, the symbol of good governance in the State of Osun never tops preparing the people for a better tomorrow. Tomorrow is key in the thinking of the symbol of an alternative perspective. When Independent Newspa- pers Limited (INL),publishers of the Independent titles described him as such, they knew what they were saying. The alternative perspective is about making a people competitive; it is about preparing them for Continue on pg5

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Page 1: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

VOL. 9. NO.049 NNNNN 505 05 05 05 0THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014

- See StoryOn Page 2

- See StoryOn Page

4

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

PEOPLE FIRST

Front Page Comment Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-

General andMinister of

Justice? IGE

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right); former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and his wife, Omolola, as Aregbesola celebrated Easterwith the Oyinlolas in their Okuku, Odo-Otin resident, last Monday.

Osun PDP Gov Primary:

How Omisore DefraudedParty Delegates

LAUTECH Strike: Osun Agrees To Pay Oyo State Outstanding Salary

Osun Technology VillageOut of Engineer RaufAregbesola’s State ofOsun there is alwayssomething trailblazing. Insetting the agendathrough a list of initia-tives, the symbol of goodgovernance in the Stateof Osun never stopspreparing the people fora better tomorrow.Outof Engineer Rauf

Aregbesola’s State ofOsun there is alwayssomething trailblazing.In setting the agendathrough a list of initia-tives, the symbol ofgood governance in theState of Osun never

tops preparing thepeople for a bettertomorrow. Tomorrow iskey in the thinking of thesymbol of an alternativeperspective. WhenIndependent Newspa-pers Limited(INL),publishers of the

Independent titlesdescribed him assuch, they knew whatthey were saying.The alternativeperspective is aboutmaking a peoplecompetitive; it isabout preparing themfor

Continue on pg5

Page 2: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

2 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014News

If you have a story or advert for us, contact 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897, 08023191891.

•(3rd Left) RLG Country Director; Ilesanmi Tosin, (4th left) National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Director, Administrationand Human Resources; Mr. Jonathan Olaonipekun and Left Mr. Dejo Olawumi, Assistant Director, Infrastructure and Technical Support Serviceand other dignitaries from NITDA in a group photograph after the accreditation and inspection by NITDA on RLG factory in Ilesa, recently.

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

Osun PDP Gov Primary: How Omisore DefraudedParty Delegates

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

THE politics of deceit and fraud which has becomethe hallmark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)played out itself out during the governorship

primaries election of the party held on April 5 in the Stateof Osun.

Senator Iyiola Omisore,who eventually won theticket of the PDP to contestthe August 9, 2014gubernatorial election in thestate, played his smart cardon the party’s delegates,who were to vote in theprimaries.

Omisore, according tosome of the delegates,allegedly defrauded them,as he refused to pay the sumof N50,000 he promised eachof the delegates, who votedfor him.

Some of the aggrieveddelegates, who spoke withOSUN DEFENDER inconfidence on Tuesday inOsogbo, alleged thatOmisore had initiallypromised to give each of

them N100,000 to buy theirvotes for the primaryelection.

Omisore, however, made aU-Turn as he slashed theN100,000 to N50,000, whenSenator Isiaka Adeleke, whowas part of the PDPgovernorship aspirants,withdrew from the race, a dayto the party’s primaries.

Adeleke withdrew on theground that there werethreats on his life by Omisore

and the current Minister ofPolice Affairs, Alhaji JeliliAdesiyan, who hadallegedly attacked Adelekefew days to the PDPprimaries.

On the day of theprimaries, majority of thedelegates were not given adime, while some were givenN20,000 instead of thepromised N50,000.

As at the time of filing thisreport, Omisore was yet to

pay 70 per cent of thedelegates the promisedN50,000, according to theaggrieved delegates.

OSUN DEFENDERgathered that only threedelegates came to the PDPprimaries from the two localgovernment council areas inEde, as a result of Adeleke’swithdrawal, and that otherdelegates wereimpersonated by Omisore’sloyalists.

The medium alsogathered that the N20,000

given to some of thedelegates from Ajegunlearea, Osogbo engenderedcrisis among the partymembers, who demandedfor their own share of thecash gift.

Failure of the delegates topart with some amount ofthe money resulted to afree-for-all, as the PDPmembers engaged inphysical combat, wheremachetes, clubs, brokenbottles and other weaponswere freely used.

LAUTECH Strike: Osun Agrees To Pay Oyo StateOutstanding Salary By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

THE Government of the State of Osun has agreed tooffset the controversial outstanding salaries owed byOyo State government as part of the counterpart fund

for the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital,Osogbo.

The workers of the teachinghospital last week embarkedon an indefinite strike actionto demand for the outstandingsalaries from the two states,Oyo and Osun.

The Chief Medical Directorof LAUTECH, Professor

Olufemi Fadiora, in an interviewwith OSUNDEFENDER onEaster Monday, disclosed thatOsun government has paid theFebruary salary last Mondayand promised to pay Marchsalary this week.

The contentious salaries,

according to the workers,include last year Decembersalary and two months arrears,which were supposed to bebalanced up by the Oyo Stategovernment.

The salary arrears, it wasgathered, is to the tune of N435million.

Professor Fadiora said: “Weare seriously addressing theissue to ensure that they endthe strike as soon as possible.It is regrettable that the workers

are on strike, considering thefar reaching effects on thepatients who are on their sickbeds, but thank God thegovernment has been soproactive.

“The government has paidFebruary salaries last Monday,that is a week ago and theypromised to pay that of Marchthis week. The contentioussalary now is that of Decemberand the two monthsoutstanding arrears owed us byOyo State government.

“Osun government hasadopted and accepted to payit. It is about N435 million,we approximated it to N450Million. The StateCommissioner for Finance, DrWale Bolorunduro last week,had a meeting with the workersand assured them that Osungovernment will pay the salaryowed by Oyo in three tranches,

which will be N150 million permonth and that the state willpay the money in threemonths.”

“We are in the process ofsigning a Memorandum ofUnderstanding with thecommissioner. I am thereforeappealing to the workers toaccept the government offer ingood faith. Governor RaufAregbesola has demonstratedunprecedented commitment tothe development ofLAUTECH, and I made themto realise that this is first timewe are signing an MoU withthe government,” Fadiora said.

The CMD said discussionwill continue with the workersthis week and optimistic thatthe strike will end soon.

“We all understand that it isnot the making of the governor.The federal allocation comingto the state monthly is nothingto write home about,everybody should try andendure,” he stressed.

Aregbesola Insists On FairnessTo All ReligionsGOVERNOR of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf

Aregbesola, has again given his commitment tocontinue to be fair to every religion and faith in the

state.He gave the assurance on

Sunday while participating inthe Special Easter Service atMethodist Churches in Ilare,Otan-Ile and Imesi-Ile inObokun Local GovernmentCouncil Area of the state.

Represented by his SeniorSpecial Assistant onCommunity Forum,Olatunbosun Oyintiloye,Aregbesola said the fulcrumof his administration hasalways been love, toleranceand fairness to all religionsand faith.

He said these are the idealsthat should be imbibed by allChristians and other religiousbelievers, with a view tosustaining the currentpeaceful co-existence in thestate.

“The purpose of thesuffering and death of Jesus

Christ is for us to live, loveand tolerate, irrespective ofreligion and when all theseare lacking as Christians, weare not working in line withJesus’ preachings.

“Where there is love,religious harmony andtolerance, either in a city,state or nation, there will bepeace, and there will bedevelopment.

“These are what thisadministration has beendoing, as we are showinglove, tolerance and fairnessto all religion,” he said.

Disabusing the minds ofChristians on the allegedplan to Islamise the state, thegovernor said that there wasnever a time he thought oftaking such steps, as allreligions are being giventheir shares in government.

He noted that the rumoursonly emanated frommischievous people, whowant to disrupt the peace ofthe state through religiousdisharmony.

The governor then calledon believers of all religionsto continue to pray forsuccess of the governmentand continuous peace in thestate.

Steer Clear Of South-West- ARG Warns Boko Haram

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

A socio-political organisation in Nigeria,Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), has warnedthe dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram, to

stay away from the South Western part of thecountry.

This was contained in astatement issued by theChairman of the group, MrWale Oshun and madeavailable to journalists onthe heel of the reappearanceof Abubakar Shakau inAbuja, the nation’s federalcapital.

He urged the people tobe vigilant and report any

suspected person to theauthorities, saying the dutyof securing the nationagainst terrorists is acollective one.

It would be recalled thatthe head of the dreadedgroup recently resurfacedin Abuja, challenging theFederal Government toarrest him if it can and

threatened to unleash moreattacks ahead of the 2015general elections.

ARG charged opinionleaders in the variouscommunities in the statesof the South-West tosensitise the people on theimportance of ensuringthat they monitor themovement of strangers intheir communities.

He also stressed theneed to stop acceptingluggage from strangers,who might claim to be in ahurry, saying such luggagemay be dangerous tosecurity of lives andproperty.

Oshun also chargedvarious motor park unionson the need to be thoroughin their dealings withperceived strangers, asmotor parks are nowmajor targets of theterrorist group, with aview to inflicting pains onmany people.

He emphasised the needfor the people to alertappropriate security outfitswhen they suspect anyluggage, particularly nylonbags and sacks, ratherthan inspecting such bagson their own, adding thatit could constitute dangerto their lives.

WorkersResumeAfter EasterHoliday

WORKERS in theState of Osunresumed work on

Tuesday after the Easterholiday.

It would be recalled thatthe Federal Government haddeclared Friday, April 19 andMonday, April 21, as publicholiday to celebrate Easter.

OSUN DEFENDERcorrespondent who wentround Osogbo the statecapital gathered that offices,including the statesecretariat and shoppingmalls were opened forbusiness.

The workers were seen attheir duty post as early as8:am going about their duty.

Some of them who spokewith this medium recountedhow they spent their EasterHoliday visiting their lovedones.

They said the holidaygave them time to rest andcelebrate the death andresurrection of Jesus Christ.

Page 3: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014

•The State of Osun chapter of Royal Shepherd, celebrating the Easter Festival parade within the state capital.

Group Petitions Police Over DCO’s Alleged Assault On RightsActivist, Lawmakers By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

A pressure group, Justice Now Foundation (JNF),has petitioned the Commissioner of Police, OsunCommand, Mr Ibrahim Maishanu, over an alleged

assault on the Executive Secretary of the organization,Comrade Waheed Lawal and two lawmakers in the OsunState House of Assembly, Honourables Femi Fafiyebi, TaiwoAdeyemi and a lawyer, Mr Muyiwa Olanrewaju.

Lawal, Fafiyebi, Taiwoand Olanrewaju wereallegedly assaulted by theDivisional Crime Officer ofDada Estate Police Station,Osogbo on Thursday (April18, 2014) at the station,according to the petition.

The group explained thatLawal was at the policestation to settle a matterinvolving one of hisneighbours, when he metTaiwo, Olanrewaju andFafiyebi with tatteredclothes, which indicatedthet something was amiss atthe station.

Lawal claimed in thepetition: “I interacted withthe lawmakers to know whatactually brought them to thestation and to know howthey came about theirunbefitting dresses. Myself,Fafiyebi, Taiwo andOlanrewaju were at theentrance of the policestation when a policewomanwalked in and startedharassing us verbally.

“The policewoman whowas a two-star officer waslater identified as the DCOof the station. This saidpolicewoman accused us ofshouting at her policestation. I however,cautioned her and told hershe should be conscious ofthe language she used forelderly persons, mostimportantly when we havenot in any way contravenedthe rules and regulations ofthe police station and thatthe police station is actuallya public office and not herprivate station.

“The lawyer wasappealing to thepolicewoman to be calm andat the same time telling usto leave the station.Fafiyebi, Taiwo and myselfleft the police station for ourcars outside but the lawyerwas still with thepolicewoman. Suddenly, Iheard the lawyer screaming.

“I went back to thestation to see that the lawyerhad been attacked by theranting policewoman, as hiscloth had been torn and hisnecklace destroyed. In fact,the lawyer was detained forsome minutes at thecounter.

“I went back to informFafiyebi and Taiwo of thenew development and as Iwas reporting to them, the

aggressive policewomanshowed up and startedpointing fingers at my face.She later hooked me by myclothes. She rough-handledme to the extent that I wasgasping for air. I waspanting, as I could notbreath properly again. Shelater left me to faceHonourable TaiwoAdeyemi, who received the

same underservedtreatment from thepolicewoman.

“The DPO, EbenezerAkinsanya, later came to thestation and we were calledin. The DPO actuallypleaded with us to forgetthe unforgettable andunwarranted treatmentmeted out on us by thepolicewoman, whose sanityis questionable. The DCOwas in no doubt underinfluence.”

The JNF in the petitionmade available to OSUNDEFENDER on Tuesday inOsogbo, condemned theaction of the policewoman,

describing it as inhuman andunbecoming of a policeofficer as is capable ofcasting aspersion on theNigeria Police Force.

According to the group,the DCO’s action wasillegal, unjustifiable,illogical, senseless, speciousand barbaric, adding thather action has furtherbrought the Nigeria PoliceForce to ridicule and that thefading integrity of the policehas been further tainted bya high-ranking officer.

Stating its demandsbefore the policecommissioner, the JNFsuggested that apart from

conducting a thoroughinvestigation into thematter, the police shouldconduct a psychiatric teston the policewoman toknow her state of mind andeligibility as a police officer.

“The police should takea step to know the DCO’shealth status andpsychological problem.Leaving such policewomanin active work wouldundermine the security ofthe society and the safetyof lives and property ofinnocent Nigerians is nolonger guaranteed.

“We demand for justicein a legal and moral formfrom the Nigeria PoliceForce. The policewoman

unjustly trampled on thefundamental human rights ofour comrade without anyremorse or sober reflection.This outrightly contravenedthe 1999 Constitution of theFederal Republic of Nigeriaand the UniversalDeclaration of HumanRights, and mostimportantly, the NigeriaPolice Act”, the group said.

The group said it was notasking for compensation butjustice that would appeaseLawal and cast his mind offthe inhuman treatment hesuffered from thepolicewoman, threatening itwould approach court toseek redress if the policefailed to meet its demands.

Osun APC Felicitates With Tinubu As He Bags LAUTECHDoctorate DegreeTHE All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State

of Osun has described the award of honorary Doctorof Management Science conferred on the former

Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the party,Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by the Ladoke AkintolaUniversity of Technology, (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho as anindication of the forthrightness and uniqueness of Tinubuin the nation’s political landscape.

The state chairman of theparty, Elder AdelowoAdebiyi in a congratulatorymessage to Tinubu issuedby the party’s Director of

Publicity, Research andStrategy, Barr. KunleOyatomi, said Tinubu hasthrough his uprightnessand commitment to

progressivism been oftremendous blessings toNigeria.

He noted that theachievements of the formergovernor while serving asGovernor of Lagos State stillspeak for him even yearsafter he had left office,stressing that Tinubu hasproved to be a goodmanager of both men andresources.

Adebiyi who lauded thepolitical will and sagacity ofTinubu maintained that theperson of Tinubu has in the

last 15 years that democracyreturned to the countrybeen a great threat tomarauders and corruptleaders at the centre.

He added that: “Tinubuhas through his belief in thewelfare of the masses builta niche for himself in thiscountry and in the entireAfrican continent. He hasproved to be a man that hasthe tenacity to lead with hiscourage and stand againstcorruption, inhumanity andselfishness. His political

philosophy has been peoplefirst and himself last.”

The APC boss also hailedthe installation of Tinubu asthe Chancellor of theUniversity, describing it as ahonour well deserved forhim, having built his name inthe sand of time, especiallyin the nation’s politicalscene.”

He said the honour doneTinubu was for allprogressive politicians in thecountry and every one whobelieves in true and genuinedemocracy, adding that hisera as the chancellor ofLAUTECH would bring newdevelopment to theinstitution jointly owned byOyo and Osun states.

He therefore, called on allmembers of the party,especially members of theState Working Committee,members of the state Houseof Assembly, members of theNational Assembly from theState of Osun, all ExecutiveSecretaries in the 30 LocalGovernment areas of thestate and all the leaders ofthe party across the wardsto attend the programme.

He said the attendance atthe programme would serveas solidarity for Tinubu andwould serve as recognitionfor his exemplary leadershipstyle.

Aregbesola Is Committed To Pensioners’ Welfare – SA Budget

THE current administration in the State ofOsun under the leadership of Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, has contributed immensely to the

development of the state and its people through itsvarious programmes and policies.

The Special Adviser tothe Governor on Budgetand Economic Planning,Mr. Bade Adeshinadropped this hint recentlywhile speaking withjournalists in Osogbo, thestate capital.

According to him, if thepresent administration cancater for the aged in thestate through its

programme called ‘AgbaOsun’, OgbeniAregbesola’s governmentcannot but do more toenhance the welfare andthe interest of the seniorcitizens in the State ofOsun.

The governor’s aidefurther stated that theinconsistency and theshortfall in the allocation

to the state from thefederation account isresponsible for somefinancial challenges beingfaced by the stategovernment.

This situation, he added,is not peculiar to the Stateof Osun alone, as somestates are evencontemplating on salarycuts of their workers.

He therefore called forunderstanding from thepensioners, saying thecurrent administration inthe state cannot take withlevity, issues that concernspensioners, especiallywhen most of them have

worked tirelessly for thegrowth of the state.

Adeshina then enjoinedthe pensioners to alwayscheck from appropriateauthorities on any issuethey need clarification andjettison the idea oflistening to propagandabeing spread around bythe opposition camp onmatters bordering on theirwelfare.

He however, urged thepeople of the state tocontinue to support theA r e g b e s o l a ’ sadministartion in order tomove the state to greaterheights.

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

Change Of NameI, formerly known and

addressed as MISSA K I N W U M ITAWAKALIT OPEYEMI,now wish to be knownand addressed as MRST A W A K A L I TA K I N W U M I -ABDULWAHAB. Allformer documents remainvalid. General publicshould take note.

Page 4: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 20144 News

•Children celebrating the Easter Festival at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Osogbo recently.

By BOLANLE BABALOLA

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

PWL Holds Summit For Osun Economic DevelopmentBy KAZEEM MOHAMMED

A civil society organization, People’s Welfare League(PWL) has said that it would set a strong platformthat would compel all political actors in the State of

Osun to articulate serious people-oriented economicmaster-plan against dirty politicking.

The PWL NationalCoordinator, ComradeAbiodun Agboola droppedthe hint in Osogbo onTuesday while addressing apress conference to intimatethe public on the plan of theorganisation to hold anEconomic Summit in thestate, tagged: ‘Orisun Aje2014’.

The summit, schedule tohold in Osogbo, the statecapital between April 29 and30, he said, was aimed atanalysing the economicpolicies of the government,with a view to bringing thedesired impacts on thepeople.

He stated that theorganisation has in the last

40 months been followingthe budget performance ofthe present administration,using indices like revenueallocation modalities andinternally generatedrevenue, level of work doneand economic importanceof programme and policiesof the administration.

According to him, thegroup wants to use thesummit to find out whatbrought the OmoluabiGarment Factory, RLGFactory in Ilesa and AsphaltCompany among otherindustries to the state.

He said: “Having realisedthat some states werestaging their own economicsummit to roll out figures,real and imaginary for thegoverned without rights ofreply, our group chose toundertake Orisun Aje 2014to hear directly from theconcerned stakeholdersand the beneficiaries of anygiven policy.

“This summit is meant toanalyse the economicpolicies of the presentgovernment, what it used tobe and what it is now.

“At the end of this, we

hope that people will bebetter informed, we will beable to find out if the peoplehave actually benefittedfrom the governmentpolicies, and if they havenot, we will be able to callthe attention of governmentwhere necessary,” Agboolastressed.

Noting that the group isself-funded, non-partisanand non-governmental, thePWL Coordinator said thatthe organisation is duty-bound to support anygovernment that delivers onits promises, and riseagainst any governmentthat fails the people.

He was optimistic that allwell-meaning individualsfrom the state, friends andallies would be part of the

summit to project for thefuture after taking the stock.

Among the resourcepersons billed to deliverpapers at the summit areProfessor Ayo Olukoju, arenowned Economist;Professor Mojeed Alabifrom the University of Ilorin;Professor Oyesoji Aremufrom the University ofIbadan and Mr Lekan Sote,a Punch NewspaperColumnist.

Besides, theCommissioner for RegionalIntegration and SpecialDuties, Ajibola Basiru; hisCommerce and IndustryCounterpart, IsmailAlagbada; and Dr CharlesAkinola are billed to lead thestate government’s side.

Oduwale Canvasses SupportFor Aregbesola’s Re-election

AN Ijesa traditional chief, High Chief Jacob BabajideOduwale, the Oba Odo of Ilesa, is canvassing supportfor re-election of State of Osun Governor Rauf

Aregbesola.The traditional chief in a

chat with OSUN DEFENDERin Osogbo on Tuesday saidthe transformation of thestate by Aregbesola’sadministration within the lastthree years was enough toearn the governor anautomatic second termticket.

High Chief Oduwale whosaid Aregbesola was awonderful man hinted thathe was particularly touchedwith the Aregbesola’scontributions to the field ofeducation within so short a

time.He recalled how the

primary school he attendedin 1952 has been rebuilt bythe Aregbesolaadministration withconveniences that cancompete favourably withthose in the advancednations of the world.

His words: “Holy TrinitySchool, Omofe, Ilesa is theschool I attended and left in1952. I was surprised to seethe school that sprang upthere within three monthsrecently.

“We should supportAregbesola for the progressand life more abundant inOsun. It is an appeal.

“I have travelled all overthe world and I found outthat there is nowhere schoolsof Aregbesola’s standardcan be found. He is a spirit.Even the late sage, ChiefObafemi Awolowo, did notperform up to Aregbesola.

“The totality of mysermon is that the people ofOsun should be patient ashe has been performingselflessly. Aregbesola is thebrain behind transformationof Lagos to a mega city. Thatis why Tinubu cannot toywith him.”

The high chief said he wasconvinced by the grace ofGod that Aregbesola wouldbe returned as Osungovernor. He said he couldnot pretend, adding that “itis God that sent Aregbesolato genuinely administerOsun.”

Pa Oduwale who saidOsun would soon become asource of reference to thewhole world hinted thatwhoever is out to createimpediment for the return ofthe Ijesa-born governorwould face the wrath of God.

Osun Babes Deny Edo Queens Crucial VictoryBy FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

AGHOGHO William’s fifth goal in as much as sixgames this current season, was all her team neededto gain the maximum points at home against Edo

Queens.Coach Kehinde Johnson,

made six changes to hisstarting line up as RejoiceIkoyo and Adeleke Ganiat,both returned back to thesquad, after being left outin th last game againstBayelsa Queens in Omoku.

The Federal Polytechnic,Ede Sports Complex, rose toits feet, as the fans couldn’twait for their darling team tostart its first home game intwo weeks.

With the game underway,Edo Queens shaded aneventful opening fifteenminutes, in which theirstriker, Okpaghoro Blessing,enjoyed the best chancewith a low laid shot, for theOsun Babes young goalie,Rita Akarekor, to take on.

After a tentative opening,Osun Babes graduallysettled into the contest andalmost broke the deadlock,when striker Seyi Gbadeboheaded towards the net, butdefender Okadire Ugochicleared it off for safety.

Osun Babes, continuedgathering momentum, aspetit winger, Habibat Agbaji,turned Zogo Pascal in thedefence line of Edo Queensinside out, down the left,before delivering a deepcross to Nkoro Joy, whoheaded narrowly over.

The home team howeverfinished the first half, the

stronger team, as SeyiGbadebo’s drilled shot froma close range was onceagain denied by the FIFA U-17,Costa Rica 2014 goalieOkeke and seconds later, theEdo Queens goalie didbrilliantly to fend away aslow paced shot form

Habibat Agbaji.Osun Babes could have

been given a penalty whenNkoro Joy, who endured aquiet afternoon, waspushed by Oguchi in the 18Yard box but the referee wasrather unmoved.

Only a few minutes later,Edo Queens defenderOguchi was again at fault,as she pulled down HabibatAgbaji.

This time, Edo Queenswere less fortunate, as the

referee pointed to the spotand Oghogho Williams,wasted no time in whippingthe ball past Okeke to giveOsun Babes the 1-0 victory.

Speaking to journalistsafter the game, TechnicalAdviser of Osun Babes,Kehinde Johnson, gaveGod the glory for the victory,stating that the three pointswas very precious for theteam, even though heexpected his side to havescored more goals.

Also reacting to thegame, Chief Coach of theside, Animashaun Wole,hoped the team wouldimprove in their next gameas they travel down to Deltafor their next game againstDelta Queens.

Osun Babes currentlyhave 12 points after playingeight games in the NWPLthis season and arepresently third on the log asat the time of filing in thisreport.

NUJ Honours Osun First Lady On Sanitation

THE Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), State ofOsun Council, will today honour the Wife of theGovernor, State of Osun, Alhaja Serifat Aregbesola,

for being a role model on environmental sanitation andgeneral hygiene to majority of the people of the state,particularly market women.

Also to be honoured byNUJ is Pastor MatthewAshimolowo of KingswayInternational ChristianCentre (KICC), London, forproviding free cloths toover three hundred widowsannually and scholarshipsto undergraduates.

A statement by theSecretary of the StateCouncil of the NUJ,Bamigbola Gbolagunte, saidSkye Bank will also behonoured for being a forcein electronic paymentsystem.

The event, according tothe statement, will hold atFunfield and Event Centre,Iwo Road, Osogbo, State ofOsun capital, by 6.00pm

Other awardees are

Chairman, LadsomEngineering Company,Prince Adeniyi Olaseinde,

who will receive Award ofExcellence in EducationalDevelopment and Dr.Basheer Komolafe ofKomolafe Motors, who willbe decorated as a Patron ofOsun Council of NUJ.

Members of the NUJ, whohave equally distinguishedthemselves in theprofession, will

also be encouraged at theaward night with variousprofessional awards.

Governor of the State ofOsun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, members of theState Executive Council,Heads of the mediaorganizations in the stateand other stakeholders areexpected at the event.

Court Remands Three Over MurderBy BOLANLE BABALOLA

THE three suspects; Sunday Oyedeji 65, OladeleKazeem 35 and Yekini Balikisu ‘F’ 30 have beenordered to be remanded in prison custody by a

Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, the State of Osuncapital.

According to the chargesheet read in court, the threeaccused persons werealleged to have conspiredtogether to commit felony towit; murder and therebycommitted a punishableoffence under Section 324ofthe Criminal Code Cap 34

Vol. II. Laws of Osun Stateof Nigeria.

It stated that thesuspects did kill one PaulAjibola with cutlass, shoveland digger at Papanla ElereVillage, Okini in EgbedoreLocal Government CouncilArea of the state, which

contravened Section 319(i)of the Criminal Code, CapVol ii, laws of Osun State ofNigeria 2003.

It was earlier reportedthat the deceased wasmurdered over a land thathas been under litigationbefore a court about 10yearsago between him and oneAminu Olawale, on whichthe court had fixed forMarch 27 for judgement.

However, Ajibola wasmurdered on 24th of March,2014 before the agreed

judgement dateThe defence counsel for

the three accused persons;Alfred Adegoke, Mrs B.YDada and M.O Sanusipleaded with the court togrant bail to their clients inliberal terms, a plea that wasturned down by thepresiding magistrate, A.AOlowolagba, who orderedthat they be remanded inprison custody beforeadjourning the case till June19, 2014 for hearing.

Page 5: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

5 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2017

Continued from pg1 tomorrow’s vastly differentworld.Initiatives such as theOpo Imo, the knowledgetablet attest to this. Key alsois the coming into being ofthe state’s technology village.The reason for developing thevillage fits in intoAregbesola’s overall strategy. The symbol believesvery much in jobs creatingdevelopment. This is in con-tradiction to the prevailinggrowth without development;for example the garmentfactory earlier set up in thestate testifies to this policythrust. Now fully operational,the factory supplies uniformsto the public schools system.The same process will soonsee durable and affordabletelephone handsets churned

out of the technology village.Partnership between the stategovernment and a Chinese firmhas already produced 23,100Opo Imo computer tablets. Notjust jobs are being created herebut there is also a processfacilitating transfer of skills aswell as technology. For the state, it is a win-win situation. Jobs are beingcreated, there is also a sense ofheightened economic develop-ment and crucially the tax-baseis being widened. There is ofcourse bound to be a multipliereffect arising out of all of this.This is because auxiliary indus-tries and commercial processeswill be brought into effect.More of course will have to bedone to sustain the pace. Someof which is not within thepreview of the state govern-ment. These include a tariff

regime to protect infant indus-tries against unfair, oftensubsidised foreign competition.‘Dumping’ is the correct tradeterm here.Another area to look at is ofcourse the supply of power. Thisis key as it will help to bringdown the cost of production.The state government of coursehas its own commercial powerinitiative and should be encour-aged to see it through.The technology village alsooffers an historical possibilityfor a forward thrust based onlinkages producing a synergy. Thesynergy possibility here is to linkthe unfolding developments inthe public schools sector withthe technology village. By linking the schools withthe technology village, a skills-based educational system can bebrought into play. This will help

to nurture the pupils to acquirethe technological skills tocompete in the future. For intoday’s world paper qualifica-tions are not enough. Today’sworld is skill driven. It is there-fore the skills acquired and notpaper qualifications alone thatwill determine who is fit to gettomorrow’s jobs. We must therefore,acknowledge the import of thetechnology village. The govern-ment of the State of Osun isonce again on the right lineshere. What is needed for thefuture is being addressed. Theseed that is been sown here willbear great fruit in the future.Here the great initiator of analternative perspective throughhis initiatives, the State of Osunis getting the people ready toface the future.

We Are Not Turning Back The Clock In Osun State

WE are not turningback the clock inthe State of Osun;

we are moving forward. Idon’t know about you but Ihave seen and heardenough of Senator IyiolaOmisore’s failed leadershipand the time is now to stophim from bringing shameand disgrace on our state.

Senator Omisore hasdone nothing to make ourstate proud but putting ourstate on a national spotlightfor wrong reasons.However, the on-goingeffort to defeat Omisore inthe August gubernatorialelection has nothing to dowith politics; it is all aboutfighting for the soul andfuture of our state and makeno mistake, there is no OsunState indigene who lovesour state dearly that willpray for the emergence ofOmisore as the governor ofthe state.

It is just a commonknowledge that theemergence of Omisore asthe governor of Osun is alicence to wastefulspending, executive

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing

House Ltd.

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

Editor – Kayode Agbaje (0803-388-0205)

Lagos Editor – Kola Odepeju(08023191891)

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Senior Reporter – Sola JacobsSenior Reporter – Kazeem Mohammed

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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing HouseLimited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust BankGTB, 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: [email protected]

lawlessness andunprecedented politicalviolence. We don’t need ado-nothing, know-nothingpolitician at the helms ofaffairs; not now when thestakes are higher.

In furtherance, it is plainridiculous the way Omisoreis trying to bully his wayinto the State House. Forexample, Omisore is seekingour votes, but he doesn’t

want to talk about his record.In fact, he always resorts tounnecessary name-callingwhen people want to holdhim accountable for hisnefarious actions.

It is just obvious thatOmisore knows he is losingand has no record to run onbut would stop at nothingto rig the next gubernatorialelection in the state.Nevertheless, the just-

concluded PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)primary election in the Stateof Osun brought a lot ofanger, not because Omisoreclinched his party’sgovernorship ticket , butbecause of Omisore’sirresponsible behaviour

Senator Omisore didn’tonly resort to desperatemeasure by chosing thepath of intimidating his

opponents, as the key to hispolitical survival, during thejust-concluded primaryelection, but rely heavily onviolence to win the primaryelection.

I almost fell off my coachlaughing when I overheadmy friends talking aboutSenator Omisore’s campaignpromise to employ 300,000youths within his first 10days in office. Let’s face it,it defies any reasonable

logic for someone to believethat a failed politician likeOmisore, who has donenothing to improve the livesof our people in his politicalcareer, would deliver on hispromise to employ 300,000youths within his first 10days in office.

Senator Omisore maycontinue to lie about hisrecord or making lippromises for political gainsbut Osun people can’t getfooled again. Finally, theforthcoming gubernatorialelection in Osun State is anelection of choice; we needto choose between SenatorIyiola Omisore, a primesuspect in theassassination of Chief BolaIge in the court of publicopinion, once a benchwarmer in the senate, apolitician with questionableacademic records; longrecord of bad behaviourand a governor who ismoving our state forwardwith bold vision and brighthope for the future.

•TAIWO AYANTUNJI,Osogbo, State of Osun.

Osun Technology Village

Page 6: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 20146 INTERVIEW

We’ll Approve More Than Proposed 27 Coun-cils - Osun Lawmaker

Barrister Wasiu Adebayo representsOlorunda State Constituency in the State ofOsun House of Assembly and he is theChairman, House Committee on LocalGovernment and Chieftaincy Affairs.

In this interview with OSUN DEFENDERman, KAZEEM MOHAMMED, he spokeon the pending local government councilcreation bill among other issues. Excerpts:OSDF: Why did you join politics,

considering the fact that you are a lawyer?ADEBAYO: Politics has always been part

of me since my school days and I held certainposts in school politics before I graduatedfrom University of Lagos. Even when I was inLaw School, Abuja, I was the overall Presidentof the Osun State Students Association. So, Ilove politics and that is one of the reasonswhy I’m in politics.

Apart from that, ever since, I had beenthinking of how to contribute my quota to thedevelopment of my state and that is what I amdoing now.

OSDF: Since your coming to thisparliament, about three years now, howwould you say the business of lawmakingbeing like?

ADEBAYO: It is good and interesting andbeing a lawyer, it makes it easier for me.Lawmaking is a course in the law profession,meaning that making laws here would not be aproblem for me.

Beside, this House also serves as a learningground for me, because there are so manything you are not taught in school but youlearn here. We have passed many laws throughwhich I have learnt so much.

OSDF: Which of the laws passed by thisAssembly will you say interests you most?

ADEBAYO: There are many of them. Letme first of all commend this government,because most of the bills we have passed inthis House are executive-sponsored bills.There was a law we made against buildingcollapse, as regards the materials to be usedand the quantity before one can start building.We should not wait until buildings collapse, asit happens in Lagos and some other places.This is one of the laws that I like. Apart fromthat, before now, there is what they calllegitimate child, but now there is nothing likethat. The truth is that it is not the fault of thechild born outside wedlock and we cannotdeny him his rights. Our take is that it is notthe fault of the child, but the fault of theparents and punishment should not be metedon the child interms of having access toproperties and other things.

OSDF: You must have read about the lawsmade by the last Assembly; which of theAssembly will you say is more efficientinterms of making laws?

ADEBAYO: As a someone, who was notpart of the last session and a part of thepresent one, automatically, I would want tosay this Assembly is better, but sentimentapart, this present Assembly is more efficient.In the last Assembly, I did come to observeproceedings on the floor and I can see that inthe present Assembly, we use to have morerobust argument than the last one. Those of usthat were part of the last Assembly have alsotestified to this fact. We have more thanenough professionals and grassroots menamong us and that makes us to have morerobust arguments before any decision istaking.

OSDF: As the Chairman, HouseCommittee on Local Government andChieftain Affairs, what is happening to theLocal Government Creation bill pendingbefore the House?

ADEBAYO: The House is workingvigorously on the bill. However, the issue oflocal government creation is a very sensitiveissue that must be handled with care before wego ahead to pass the law. In doing justice and

equity to the bill as the Speaker, HonourableNajeem Salaam promised, we went round andwhen we did, we saw that there is the need toamend what was brought before us by thegovernor. That is what we are doing now. Wehave to see that certain nerves are calmeddown. Some people, where they were given,once said they wanted two and if they wouldnot be given or vice versa, they must knowwhy. We want to ensure that by the time thelaw is made, everybody is satisfied and torealise this, we must take time to settle theissues arising from it.

OSDF: Are you saying that you are likelyto have more than the additional 27 localgovernment councils proposed by thegovernor in the bill?

ADEBAYO: Definitely, yes. The billcannot be returned as presented.

OSDF: Like how many more are wetalking about?

ADEBAYO: That, I can’t say for now. Weare still discussing issues and the outcome ofthe discussions will determine the number thatwe will have more.

OSDF: Sometimes, you had said thatbefore the end of March, the bill would beapproved...?

ADEBAYO: Sometimes, there is what youcall unforeseen circumstances. By the time Isaid it, that was the plan we had, but wedidn’t foresee that the issues we are havingnow will come up and that is what is delayingus now. Don’t forget that there is also theneed for Osun Independent ElectoralCommission (OSSIEC) to conduct referendum.Apart from the issues arising, paucity of fundis also delaying the referendum, but I have justbeen told that money is now available for thereferendum.

However, the main thing now is that ourreport must be acceptable by the largestnumber of people and in doing that we mustconvince the people that if they need more,they have to be patient. Like the governorsaid, the exercise is continuous and may be inanother on year, we will have anothersegment. We are about to round-off theconsultations and discussion as to the numberwe want to create now.

OSDF: Are you saying that the councilswould be created before the August 9governorship election?

ADEBAYO: Very sure, we will definitelyhave the new councils before the election.

OSDF: When the new councils areeventually created, how does the state intendto fund them, even when federal allocation tothe state has dropped, at least by 40 per cent,considering the fact that there will be morefinancial commitment?

ADEBAYO: I must say that I don’t thinkthere will be more financial commitment,because the allocation for Olorunda forinstance will be divided among the councilscreated out of it. These councils would ratherboost our economy, as they would bepropelled to look inward and develop meansof generating IGR. There are so many areas ofrevenue generation that these councils havenot been able to tap, but this exercise willencourage them to do more, at least for thesustenance of the councils. By the time thecouncils across the state become smaller insizes, there will be better way of monitoringIGR and get more money, rather than waitingfor federal allocations to survive.

Apart from that, some individuals have

pledged to assist the new councils. In aparticular place around Iwo, a man promisedto pay six months salaries of workers whenthe new council is created in his hometown. Itmeans that people are ready to support thegovernment in the exercise.

OSDF: Why is this new council soimportant to this government and how willthat bring more development to the state?

ADEBAYO: One of the reasons is thatmany of the current councils are too big and ifwe have smaller ones, it would enable us toblock all the loopholes. This will also enableus to monitor properly how money of thesecouncils is being spent. Hence, we will be ableto see massive developmental projects at thegrassroots. So, the creation of more councilswould facilitate more development, be iteconomic, infrastructure, educational andmany others.

OSDF: There is this parliamentary systemof government for local governments that theexecutive has proposed in the bill, don’t youthink, it will be against the system ofgovernment we are practising in Nigeria?

ADEBAYO: It will not. Don’t forget thatparliamentary system was in place in thecountry in the 50’s and it worked very wellfor us than what we have now. What we sawwas competitiveness among all the threeregions in Nigeria and that was why there wasdevelopment. I am of the opinion that thepresidential system of government we areoperating in this country is too expensivebecause of the structure, but if we have theparliamentary system, firstly, the moneymeant for salaries of political appointeeswould reduce drastically and that would beused for development.

Apart from that, local government is underthe state and the State House of Assembly hasthe power to make laws for the running of thecouncils. So, the idea is good and I support it.

OSDF: What is your assessment ofAregbesola’s administration so far?

ADEBAYO: Sentiment apart, thisgovernment is performing wonderfully well,talk of security, infrastructural development,education, health, economic development, jobcreation and many more. The peace we haveunder this government has broughtdevelopment in every sector because our livesand properties are secured. Even some policeofficers confirmed that crime rate hasdrastically reduced.

Apart from that, the Osun YouthsEmpowerment Scheme (OYES) alone throughwhich 40,000 youths have now been taken offthe streets is one programme that manyindividuals and organisations, home andabroad have commended, to the extent that theFederal Government in collaboration withWorld Bank are now replicating it. Do you

also want to talk of massive road constructionacross the nooks and crannies of this state, ofwhich no government in this state has everdone, or you want to talk of new schoolconstruction among others. This governmenthas done well and fulfilled its promises to thepeople.

OSDF: But the opposition PDP is sayingthat this government has not performed, whatis your comment?

ADEBAYO: Your enemy will never seeanything good about you. Whether thisgovernment has performed or not, people arethere to judge because we are talking ofverifiable facts. All what we have done arethere for people to see, not as if we are sayingwe built castle in the air.

The irony of it is that these people that arecriticising had been there before, what did theydo? They should point to what they did,nothing.

Even the fact that their National Chairman,Adamu Mu’azu admitted that it would bedifficult to defeat Aregbesola shows that he isperforming. I am now saying it is impossiblebecause people have seen the difference. So,we pray and hope that the people would votefor Aregbesola again in August 9 and by thatwe will continue enjoying the developmentalinitiatives of Ogbeni.

OSDF: There have been allegations andcounter-allegations that some politicians areplanning to cause mayhem in the name ofelection, what is your take?

ADEBAYO: People have been saying it andwe have been seen the signals to show thatthey want to foment trouble, but we are tellingthem that it is not possible, because we arenow wiser. If an aspirant can slap anotheraspirant who happened to be a formergovernor, it shows that that is not a characterthat Osun people want. The information wehave is that they are trying to get fake policeuniforms for thugs to rig the election, but weare not going to take that. We will be onground to defend our votes and nothing more.Any step required of us to ensure that electiontakes place, our votes counted and announced,we will take it.

OSDF: What is your message to the peopleof Osun and your constituency?

ADEBAYO: While I appreciate the peoplefor their support so far, I want to urge thatcome August 9, people should come out tovote, protect their votes, ensure that the votesare counted and results are announced at eachpolling unit.

Also, I want our people to vote APC in the2015 Presidential election, so that what we areenjoying in Osun can be taken to all over thecountry.

•ADEBAYO

Page 7: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014 7

•(L-R) Vice Chanceller, University of Lagos, Professor Rahaman Adisa Bello, presenting an award to the governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, inrecognition of his Distinguished Efforts at Good Governance, during the 6th Reunion Luncheon at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, last Sunday.

•Governor Aregbesola (2nd left); President, University of Lagos Musilm Alumni (UMA), Alhaji Sikiru Lere Alimi (left); Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembley, AlhajaMonsurat Sunmonu (2nd right) and Professor Bello during the programme.

State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Won Good Governance AwardFrom UNILAG Held At Eko Hotel and Suites,Victoria Island, Lagos, Last Sunday.

PHOTOTALK

Page 8: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

8 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014PHOTOTALK

•A cross section of indigenes and non-indigenes of Osun ready to board Osun free train ride provided by the State Government of Osun, back to Lagos State after the Eastercelebration at Osogbo Railway Terminus, last Monday.

Osun Free Train Service Returned State Indigenes And Non-Indigenes From OsogboBack To Lagos After Easter Celebration, Last Monday.

•Another cross section of free train ride beneficiaries at Osogbo Railway Terminus.

Page 9: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

9OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014 PHOTOTALK

•Free train beneficiaries from Osun biding farewell to their relations.

•Another cross section of free train beneficiaries from Osun biding farewell to their relations.

Osun Free Train Service Returned State Indigenes And Non-Indigenes From OsogboBack To Lagos After Easter Celebration, Last Monday.

•Another cross section of the free train beneficiaries waiting to board the train at Osogbo Railway Terminus.

Page 10: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

10 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014

•Workers at the Phone Assembly Hall.

•RLG Products Sales Kiosks.

PHOTOTALK Faces At The Accreditation And Inspection of RLG Adulawo Factory In Ilesa,State Of Osun, By National Information Technology Development Agency(NITDA) Recently. Photo:

ABRAHAM JESUDOYIN

•An OYES-Tech official in the process of phone assembly. •An OYES Tech official working on a laptop.

Page 11: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

11 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014INTERVIEW

LAUTECH Medical Department Is SecondBest In West Africa - CMD

Professor Olufemi Fadiora, ChiefMedical Director, Ladoke AkintolaUniversity Teaching Hospital, Osogbobreaks his silence on a week industrialaction by the workers of the medicalcollege. He explained the stategovernment efforts in fulfilling itsfinancial obligations to the college andother progress recorded in the last threeand half years and the challenges offunding as result of falling federalallocation since July last year in thisinterview with KEHINDE AYANTUNJIExcerpts:OSDF: The workers of

LAUTECH under you haveembarked on a strike action forsome days, what is the situationnow?

FADIORA: The workers ofLAUTECH embarked on strike nottoo long, it now a week. Theyabandoned work as a result of someunpaid salaries which the governmentof the State of Osun has intervened toresolve. We are seriously addressingthe issue to ensure that they end thestrike action as soon as possible. It isregrettable that the workers are onstrike considering the far reachingeffects on the patient, who are on sickbeds. But thank God, the governmenthas been so proactive, the content ofthe salary is February and March. Thegovernment has paid February salarylast Monday, that is a week ago andthey promised to pay that of Marchthis week. The contentious salary nowis that of December and the twomonths outstanding owed us by OyoState and glory be to God, Osungovernment has adopted it andaccepted to pay it. It is about N435million, which we approximated toN450 million. The State of OsunCommissioner for Finance, Dr WaleBolorunduro last week, had a meetingwith the workers and assured themthat Osun government will pay thesalaries owed by Oyo in threetranches, which will be N150 millionper month and that the state will paythe money in three months. We are inthe process of signing a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) with thecommissioner. I am thereforeappealing to the workers to accept thegovernment offer in good faith.Governor Rauf Aregbesola hasdemonstrated unprecedentedcommitment to the development ofLAUTECH, and I made them torealise that this is the first time we aresigning a MoU with the governmentand I hope that soon the strike weend. We all understand that it is notthe making of the governor. Thefederal allocation coming to the statemonthly is nothing to write homeabout, everybody should try andendure.

OSDF: Which of the two states,

Oyo and Osun is defaulting insalary payment?

FADIORA: The challenge of salarypayment default has been recurringsince last year. We had serious issueswith Oyo State government on salarysince last year until the intervention ofGovernor Aregbesola. The mostcontentious salary issue, whichresulted to a strike action now is alsotraceable to Oyo State government,but with a resolution recently passedby the State House of Assembly thatOsun should be responsible for theOsogbo Teaching Hospital workerssalaries from January to Decemberand Oyo State government will beresponsible for that of medical collegein Ogbomoso. With the newarrangement, I hope the controversysurrounding the salary payment wouldbe resolved.

OSDF: Since the end ofownership crisis in 2011, what arethe progresses recorded so far?

FADIORA: LAUTECH hascompletely departed from the oldtrend, in terms of service delivery. Thecapacity of the hospital has increasedbeyond anybody’s imagination in thelast three and half years. Our medicaldepartment is now rated as the secondbest in West African. This is not theissue of Nigeria, we are talking aboutWest African, to understand the levelof improvement. We have procuredseveral equipment, which are nowassisting our medical personnel tocarry out various investigations. Ourpatients are increasing on daily basisas a result of the confidence andefficient service delivery. For instancenow, state and federal hospitals withinand outside the states depend on ouroxygen plants. It is not about bigstructure, it is about innovation andtechnology. The Pharmacists Councilof Nigeria has giving us approval sinceMay last year to be manufacturingdrugs as a supplement. Our drugmanufacturing department has thecapacity to produce 10,000 bottles ofliquid syrup per day for children andadults. The stage we are now is to getNAFDAC approval for some of thedrugs, which is a tedious process, butby the time we got the approval, ourdrugs will be a supplement for the

majority of government and privatehospitals within and outside the state.

Governor Aregbesola hasdemonstrated serious commitment tothe development of the hospital, thefund we are getting annually now isfar above the fund we got in eightyears. It is so evident, in LAUTECHnow, hardly would you find any freebed space. We have secured publicconfidence on our services. Theyrefer patients to us from the North,South East and some other parts ofthe country. Beyond LAUTECH, lookat the new schools the governor isbuilding, the massive roadconstructions across the state, I wasgoing to Ido Osun few weeks ago, ittook the intervention of someSamaritans, who showed me the road.I could not recognise the place again. Ihave been leaving in the state fordecades, we have not had it so goodlike this. Governor Aregbesola is sounique and exceptional. If we are in acivilized world, there should be nocontest at all since the purpose of anygovernment is quality service delivery,there should be no contest.

OSDF: What are the majorchallenges you are facing in thehospital?

FADIORA: Our major challenge isfunding, and is not the making of thegovernor. We have secured severalapprovals to embark on many projects,but there is no cash backing. Despitethe good intention of the governor,there are limitations as a result of thefalling federal allocation. The little we

are getting is out of ingenuity of thegovernor and compassionate affectionfor public health. It is not new that theallocation coming to the state isreducing by 40 percent, which isaffecting every other sector.LAUTECH is not an exception. Thatis why we are appealing to theworkers and other stake holders tounderstand that this is a period ofsacrifice, they should be patient withthe governor, normalcy will definitelyreturn. It is obvious and clear, thegovernment has been so honest andtransparent in this regard.

OSDF: How do you think thecurrent financial crisis in thecountry could be resolved?

FADIORA: The situation is terribleand beyond someone’s imagination.When we are not in war, a countrylike Nigeria is experiencing suchfalling revenue. It will require thefederal government’s political will tostabilise the oil sector and all the 36states of the federation must also lookbeyond oil revenue; they mustencourage industrialization to be self-reliant. Lagos now can survive withoutfederal government’s allocation and Iam very glad that GovernorAregbesola is equally conscious of thisfact. The drive for industrialization inthe state is commendable, especiallythe building of Dagbolu InternationalMarket, where people will bring theirfarm produce to sell and transport it toLagos through rail services. These arethe areas we must begin to look at forthe survival of the federated units.

•FADIORA

Page 12: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 201412 LAW

Alleged Libel: Omisore Lacks Integrity, Court Told

Justice Adebisi Ogunlade of theOsogbo High Court in Osun Statehas adjourned till July 4, a suitbetween former Senator IyiolaOmisore and Vintage PressLimited, publishers of The Nation.The adjournment followed apetition accusing the judge of bias.

Mr. Justice Ogunlade said hereceived a letter from the ChiefJudge, asking him to respond to thepetition within one week.

He said the petitioner allegedthat he might not get justicebecause of the judge’s associationwith a former governor of the state,Chief Bisi Akande.

The judge said he would respondto the petition within two days,hinting that he may no longerpreside over the case.

Editor-at-Large, Mr. SegunAyobolu and The Nation SaturdayEditor, Dele Adeosun, are alsodefendants in the suit.

At Monday’s proceedings, TheNation’s lawyer, Oludare Falana,who said his clients were ready togo on with the case, expressedregret over the petition, which hesaid caused a delay.

He urged the court to awardpunitive cost against the plaintiff,but the judge declined.

Mr. Justice Ogunlade said he wasnot beholden to any party, addingthat he would not lose anything itthe case was transferred to anotherjudge.

Omisore is claiming that he wasdefamed in an article written byAyobolu.

He said the writer insinuated thathe was corrupt and lacking inintegrity, adding that the articledamaged ‘his reputation in the eyesof right-thinking members of thepublic.

In pleading privilege, thedefendants, in their statement ofdefence, said the plaintiff grantedpress interviews and issued a pressstatement where he denied theallegations contained in thepublication; therefore, Omisoredid not suffer any embarrassmentor damage to his reputation.

The defendants added: “Thecomments and views expressed bythe defendants are privileged. Theyhave no cause or any reasonhowsoever to nurse any maliceagainst the claimant and, as such,the publication complained of wasnot actuated by malice.

“The defendants are duty-boundunder the 1999 Constitution todisseminate ideas, opinions andinformation. The publication wasthe writer’s opinion, whichcomments were fair to theclaimant.”

The defendants further stated thatthe Omisore has no reputation toprotect.

According to them, the plaintiff,who served as Deputy Governor toChief Akande, while beingincarcerated in Agodi Prisons,Ibadan in connection with the

murder of the former Attorney-General, the late Chief Bola Ige(SAN), contested and won the OsunEast Senatorial seat on theplatform of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) “withoutdeposing to an affidavit before aHigh Court as required by theElectoral Act.”

“The claimant is given notice toproduce the affidavit deposed incompliance with the Electoral Actbefore he won the seat,” they said.

The defendants also recalled thatwhile in office as Deputy Governor,Omisore was accused of breach ofoath of office and conflict ofinterest.

He was subsequently impeachedby the House of Assembly, havingbeen found liable, the defendantssaid.

They added that the House, onDecember 13, 2002, passed aresolution removing him as DeputyGovernor after the report of theinvestigative panel, which indictedhim, was adopted.

On why Omisore wasimpeached, the defendantsrecalled: “The claimant committedgrave violation of the Constitution... relating to oath of office whichhe subscribed to by granting aninterview reported in The Cometnewspaper of 30th January, 2001.

‘The claimant in the saidinterview divulged the discussionsand deliberations of the stateexecutive in respect of the

utilisation of the US$1.5milIionWater Chemical Fund, contrary tothe provisions of the Constitution.

“The claimant as DeputyGovernor of Osun Statecontravened Section 1 of the Codeof Conduct for Public Officerscontained in Part 1, Fifth Scheduleto the 1999 Constitution byvigorously pursuing the USD$1.5million Water Chemical Funds ina lawsuit against the stategovernment.

“Chrisore Engineering Limited,a company which the claimant asDeputy Governor then was thechairman, joined in Suit No. HOS/28/2001.

“Whatever benefit that wouldhave accrued to ChrisoreEngineering Limited in the suitwould also have accrued to theclaimant as a serving DeputyGovernor.”

To further prove that Omisorehas no reputation to protect, thedefendants said he falsely claimsto be born on September 15, 1960.

According to them, theplaintiff ’s father, in a swornaffidavit dated January 27, 1993,indicates that Omisore’s actualdate of birth is September 15,1957.

This, the defendants said, “is anindication of the claimant’s lies andinconsistencies. “

Besides, they said that asChairman of Chrisore Engineeringwhile also serving as Deputy

Governor, Omisore “accruedpecuniary interest personally tohimself.”

“Notice is hereby given theclaimant to produce the taxclearance certificate of ChrisoreEngineering Limited from 1999 todate and his personal tax clearancecertificate from 1999 to date,”the” defendants averred.

The defendants added: “Theclaimant was arrested, detained andcharged to court with the murderof (former Attorney-General ofthe Federation) Chief Bola Ige(SAN) at the High Court of Oyostate holden in Ibadan.

“But the claimant was dischargedand acquitted as the case wasprogrammed by the FederalGovernment to fail in favour of theclaimant.

“One Alani Omisore, a cousin ofthe claimant, was identified by oneAndrew Olotu (the security guardon duty the night Chief Ige wasassassinated) as the leader of theassassination squad.

“Muyiwa Ige, Chief Ige’s son,who was in the house on the nightof the assassination, identified oneMr Pade Omisore as one of theassailants, who ordered him to liedown on a bed at gunpoint.

“Forensic evidence, either fingerprints or ballistic, did not featurein the investigations.

“The prosecution was notprovided with evidence as basic aswhether finger prints on the sceneof the incident matched those ofany of the suspects arrested inconnection with the assassination.

“All the principal investigators ofthe case ... were redeployed orotherwise taken off theinvestigation long before it wasconcluded and the suspectscharged to court.

“The judge before whom theclaimant was initially arraigned,Hon. Justice Mashud Abass of theOyo State High Court, withdrew-—-’ from the case.

“He attributed his withdrawal tountold pressure and threats frommany quarters urging him to arriveat a particular decision even beforehe listened to the claimant, whowas the accused person.

“The claimant has no reputationfor integrity to be damaged as hehas always associated himself withabuse of office, wanton corruptionand acts of hooliganism, thuggeryand violence.

“If the Federal Government wasgenuinely committed to thecrusade against corruption, theclaimant would not have beennominated as a member of theSenate having been impeached forcorrupt practices.

“The claimant’s suit is gold-digging, speculative, frivolous andvexatious.”

The defendants prayed the courtto dismiss the suit with substantialcosts.

•Culled from THE NATIONOf May 29, 2013.

•OMISORE

•Judge May Withdraw From Suit

Page 13: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

13 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014FEATURE

Spelling Bee Competition, The Osun WayWITHOUT doubt, the Spelling Bee

Competition in Osun has come to stay.This is judging by the number of

corporate organisations which had indicatedinterest in partnering with Sherifat CareFoundation (SCARF); the pet project of theState of Osun First Lady; Alhaja SherifatAbidemi Aregbesola in uplifting the educationsector of the state.

A government that has no plan on how toeducate its citizens invariably plans to destroythe only one resource it has.

Governments at all levels must take it uponitself to provide its citizens with the opportunityto give the best of education at all levels.

This sacred duty is a government trust thatmust be taken with all iota of seriousness.

Little wonder, many Non-GovernmentalOrganisations (NGO), in partnership with somestate governments, have decided to tow thisnoble path and therefore broaden the youngminds of post-primary school students in theirstates.

Down to the issue of broadening the mindsof the young students, there is this popularmaxim of ‘catching then young’ and there is nobetter period to do this than when they are stillat the young stage, where it is envisaged thatthese students have an adventurous mind: A mindwhich seeks to constantly want to know.

Starting from the United States of America,came the idea of the ‘Spelling Bee’. There iseven a popular 2006 film titled: ‘Akeelah AndThe Bee’, and before you know it, thiseducational game caught on.

A spelling bee is a competition in whichcontestants are asked to spell a broad selectionof words, usually with a varying degree ofdifficulty. The concept is thought to haveoriginated in the United States and spelling beeevents, along with variants, are now also held insome other countries around the world Nigeriainclusive, which use imperfect writing systems.

After the success of the competition in theUS, Ghana adopted it and it has since become asuccess in the West African country. This trendis even not surprising as the spelling beecompetition was caught on by the Lagos StateGovernment and was first held in Nigeria throughthe initiatives of the then First Lady; Mrs.Oluremi Tunubu from which the idea of the One-day Governor emerged.

Surprisingly, the competition is still on inLagos and another surprise is that some wivesof local government council chairmen haveadopted the competition resulting in the One-day Chairman.

Funny, it is the wives of governors and localgovernment council chairmen that are using theirpet programmes to fund this competition.

Little wonder, the wife of the governor of theState of Osun, Alhaja Sherifat AbidemiAregbesola through her Sheri Care Foundation(SCARF), in collaboration with Young EducatorsFoundation (YEF) Ghana, introduced theprogramme into educational system of the state.

The Spelling Bee competition for the State ofOsun, which was modelled after the ScrippsNational Spelling Bee of the USA, involved allstudents of Middle Schools from both publicand private schools in the state.

How did the competition kick-off in Osun?Teachers from public and private schools were

trained in a series of workshops, where theywere trained on the necessary skills needed ingrooming their students in readiness for thecompetition.

True to reality, the competition kicked-offthrough the SCARF initiative, Young EducatorsFoundation (YEF), Business InteractiveConsulting International (BICI) and the stategovernment came in through the State UniversalBasic Education Board (SUBEB).

Due to its commitment to education in thecountry, Beta Malt and Indomie and thecommunications giant, RLG were sponsors,which added glamour to the competition.

Equipped with the knowledge from thetraining, the teachers swung into action and theresult was what led to the second round of theSpelling Bee Competition, which was held atthe Christ Apostolic Church Middle School,Gbodofon, Osogbo.

The objective of the second round stage ofthe competition was to test 200 students from40 Middle Schools in the state from both thepublic and private schools and at the end, select120 students, who will be camped for 13 daysfor the final showdown, which would hold onthe 30th of April, 2014.

The schools were drawn from all the localgovernment council areas of the state.

A list of the competing schools included: SaintJames Middle school 2, Osogbo, Saint FrancisMiddle School, Osogbo, Salvation Army MiddleSchool, Osogbo, Laro Middle School, Osogbo,Ido-Osun Middle School, Ido-Osun, ChristAfrican Middle School 2, Osogbo, RoyalComprehensive High School, Osogbo, ADSGrammar School, Osogbo, Baptist Middle

School, Modakeke, Islahudeen Middle School,Iwo, Community Middle School, Obaagun,Origbo Community Unity Middle School,Ipetumodu, Ola Laoye Middle School 2, ADSMiddle School, Erin-Osun, Unity MiddleSchool, Ejigbo, Cherubim and Seraphim MiddleSchool, Ilesa, Obokun Middle School, Ilesa,Mopo Arogun Middle School 2, Ede, BaptistMiddle School 3, Unity School, Osogbo, OnwardStandard College, Iragbiji, Saint James MiddleSchool, Faith International Grammar School, L.A. Middle School, Amuda, Oba-Modakeke, NewHope Model College, Ifetedo, OgbaagbaCommunity Middle School, Ogbaagba, OwodeAdejuwon Middle School, Labim College, Ikire,Iwo Grammar School, Iwo, Holy MichaelMiddle School, Regina Mundi Girls SecondarySchool, Iwo, George Burton Memorial MiddleSchool, Ilesa, Coker Memorial Middle School,Ikirun, Unity Middle School, Iragbiji, Al-FareedCollege, Ede, Olufi Middle School, Gbongan andothers.

On Thursday 17th of April, 2014, studentsfrom all the above schools converged at ChristApostolic Church Middle School 2, Gbodofon,Osogbo.

The day started with representatives ofYoung Educators Foundation (YEF), Ghana; Mr.Emmanuel Afful and Miss Gifty Lampteydistributing speller cards in the presence of theirteachers to all the middle school students withnumbers from 01 to 200 and then distributedinto classes where they were to answer 30multiple answer questions within an allotted timeof 50 minutes.

It was gathered from the organisers that thewinner of the Spelling Bee competition for thisyear would embark on an overseas trip.

Looking at the competition from another view,one would appreciate the sense ofcompetitiveness it offers the students.

It’s also another avenue for the students toappreciate the beauty and usage of English

Language, which is the language ofcommunication in Nigeria and some West Africancountries.

Apart from the everyday class activities,which seems monotonous, the students had thechance of mixing freely amongst their age-matesfrom other schools across the state.

Other corporate organisations likePromasidor/Cowbell are sponsoring the NationalMathematics Language and even some Northernstates are also sponsoring the National QuranicRecitation Competition, it would behove theFederal Government to develop interest in thespelling bee competition and adopt it as aneducation policy, in order to stem the tide ofmass failure, as we have it in English Language.

Some teachers, who were interviewed, werefull of praises and very optimistic of thecompetition and they encouraged the governmentto continue with it.

They were full of praises to the first lady’spet project; SCARF, Young EducatorsFoundation, who they said organised a separatetraining for them and the sponsors of thecompetition for taking it to the second roundstage.

The students were all full of joy too as thisradiated from the faces of the 120 students thateventually made the final lists.

A close interview with the students alsorevealed their expectations and praises for theorganisers of this laudable competition.

The Spelling Bee Competition is a means ofeducating the students, especially now that boththe written and spoken form of English Languageis fast-disappearing among young schoolchildren.

A popular saying amongst scholars is: ‘’Allwork and no play makes Jack a dull boy” andnothings seems to suit that purpose than theSpelling Bee Competition, which serves as aform of inter and intra school competition amongdifferent schools.

Prior to the Spelling Bee, it was only scholarsof higher institutions in Nigeria, that wereexposed to the basics of English Language.

Only a few exposed post-primary schoolstudents really knew that English Language wasa marriage between Anglo-Saxon, Gothic, Latin,French, Greek, Germanic and Old Norse.

With exposure during training for thecompetition, the students were taught somewords, which to them, may be new, but havetheir roots in other languages but incorporatedor borrowed by the English Language.

Sheri Care Foundation (SCARF) and all itspartners have tried their best in upliftingeducation to a very reasonable standard in theState of Osun with little support. Now itbehoves the state government to come into thepicture and in so doing, it should be in a big way.

It should not be left in the hands of SUBEB,but should be a big government involvement.

The Spelling Bee is a fever that has caught onand Osun should be amongst the pioneer statesthat has embraced this.

It’s like an annual festival in Lagos, whichstudents look forward to every year, same tooshould be in Osun.

A very healthy environment should becreated, where students of middle schools cometo slug it out amongst themselves.

More incentives should be attached to it likewe find in Lagos State, where the winner endsup being ‘a one-day governor’.

In the case of Osun, something better shouldbe attached to the first place winner.

The joy on the faces of the students couldnot be hidden under the bushel, as they allradiated delight at the opportunity to compete.

However, the remaining 80 students, whocould not qualify for the second round, betrayedemotions, when some of them openly wept.What else could you expect from children, whoattended such a wonderful competition.

The only consolation for them is toparticipate in another spelling bee competition,hopefully next year, where another chance wouldbe given for them to fully apply the knowledgethey have acquired from this year’s edition.

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

•A cross section of pupils who participated at the programme.

•A cross section of finalists.

Page 14: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

14 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014INTERVIEW

Why Omisore Won’t Win Osun Guber, By OjoComrade Olalekan Jackson Ojo is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and

National Coordinator of the Yoruba Youth Alliance (YYA). In this interview withCORRESPONDENT Gbenga Faturoti, Ojo condemns the PDP primaries in Osun State and theparty’s chances in the forthcoming Osun governorship election among other issues. Excerpts:

AS a chieftain of the PDP and NationalCoordinator of Yoruba Youth Alliance, whatis your reaction to the recently concludedPDP primaries in Osun State?

The PDP primary that was held on April 5was a charade and disgraceful. The wardcongresses that were supposed to producethe delegates that would vote at the statecongress were conducted abnormally,which makes the whole processeslaughable. The processes for selection- wereat variance with the constitution of ourparty and the law. The whole exercise wasquestionable because it was full of illegalityand predetermined in favour of a particularperson. The State Chairman of the party,Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, even makes thingsworse. Olaoluwa and Omisore had pocketedthe soul of the party. In one word, there wasno primary election rather we had selectiveprocess and this is not good for ourdemocracy. It won’t help the country togrow. As a nation, we are supposed to havemoved beyond where we are now. And Ibelieve that all hands must be on deck tomove the nation forward.

Do you think the choice of Senator IyiolaOmisore is a threat to the APC-ledgovernment in the state?

The choice of Senator Iyiola Omisore asthe PDP candidate might be a blessing tothe party because the best in PDP was notmade available and this might force peopleto do with what is available elsewhere. Iheard it on a good authority that some APCmembers were jubilant at the emergence ofSenator Omisore as our party’sgovernorship standard-bearer. SenatorOmisore cannot win the gubernatorialelection for PDP in OsunState at all. I havesaid it several times that I cannot and willnot be a member of APC and on that I standtill eternity but if any of the defeatedaspirants had emerged, it would have beena different story completely. I respectSenator Omisore as a leader, as a senior orelder brother and I appreciate hisachievements in life that is uncommon. Buton the political field, I have not seen him asan alternative to Governor Aregbesola. Hisemergence was a plus for the APC becauseleopard cannot change its clothesovernight.

By the assessment I have made andconducted in the state, Omisore is not athreat to APC in Osun State come August 9.

Do you expect fraudulent practices in thepolls like in the past?

Some people talk of rigging, but it is aknown fact that anybody that bothers torig during the forthcoming governorshipelection, such a person is seriously lookingfor mayhem and we will not tolerate it underthis dispensation. As a criminologist, I amthat nobody can oppress the preparedminded person, and rigging is only possiblewhen people are not determined. Omisoreis rich and popular, but not the type ofpopularity that can win election.

Three governorship aspirants haverejected the choice of Omisore as PDP’sflagbearer and call for fresh

primaries, what is your take on that?The action of the three governorship

aspirants, Hon. Wole Oke, Senator AkinlabiOlasunkanmi and Senator Isiaka Adeleke ishighly detrimental to the success PDP wouldhave recorded during the election. The triohave at one time or the other served thepeople and of course, they enjoy somereasonable followership across the state.Now that they were openly rigged out ofthe primaries, you nave tactically Chasedthose supporters away from the party andOmisore enjoys only four local governmentareas in the state. And whether you like it ornot, ethnicity must come to play. If one willquote Andrew Jackson, the former Presidentof America, he said, ‘If I must stand tosupport merit, I will merit my friends better

than my enemies.’ If ethnicity must come toplay, Omisore should be prepared to lose 26local government areas while he will dividethe remaining four with Senator JideOmoworare.

With Omisore as the PDP candidate inOsun, what are the chances of PDP; do youthink the party would unseat Governor RaufAregbesola of the APC?

I said this sometime ago that the

combination (of parties) that formed APCcannot sustain the party because I knowmost of the principal players and I knowclashes of interest will soon rear its uglyhead and an implosion is imminent withinthe party.

Now, the implosion is in the embryonicstage but growing very fat and robust. Yousee, when people with ego gather togetheragainst you, if you are a wise man, just pray

for the spirits of their ego to manifest andyou will see them fighting themselves withthe entire arsenal they had earlier preparedto fight you.

What are the chances of APC in the 2015Presidential Election?

You have all forms of ideologicalbackground at the top echelon of the APCand I know they cannot work together. Somewere sponsored from another party to goand cause both external and internaleruption and as soon as they achieve this,they go back to their old party. I foreseeserious mutilations and PDP will remainstronger. But in some states, APC will winmassively; also at the legislative assemblies,APC will increase in numbers though forthe presidency, I doubt if the APC wouldnear victory because I foresee imminentimplosion. I am not a pessimist but this ismy periscopic view.

Do you share the opinion that religionshould play a prominent factor in theselection of who takes the Presidentialslot?

Religion and ethnicity is not supposedto be a barrier when choosing our leadersparticularly at the national level. But thathas been a tool some of our immediate pastand present leaders nave satanicallydesigned to use during campaign.

I sat with a respected General of theNigeria Army who is a Muslim and also fromthe North early this year and I was surprisedto see a respected Reverend Father visitinghim to pray with him and we had lunchtogether on the same table. I have travelledto the North several times during Ramadanand after their evening prayer to break theirfast we eat together, and I mean the coreMuslim leaders. I donate money to churchesand mosques as well but our political leadershave manipulated that style and use itduring elections.

MKO and Alhaji Kingibe were bothMuslims but people ignored that and votedfor these two great personalities during theaborted June 12, 1993 Presidential elections.Anyway, the issue of Boko Haram is aserious concern to this issue’ of Muslimand Muslim ticket now as nobody trustsone another again.

•Culled from Daily Independent

•OJO

Page 15: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

15 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, April 24, 2014

Page 16: Osun Defender - April, 24th 2014 Edition

THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014

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

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondenceto the Managing Editor, KOLA OLABISI, Telephone: 08033927286 ([email protected]); Editor, KAYODE AGBAJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail: [email protected],[email protected]. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.

OSUN PDP 2014: A

REPACKAGE OF GARBAGE!

I read the interviewgranted by DiranOdeyemi, the bigmegaphone forSenator IyiolaOmisore the otherday. As I ran throughhis meandering, hisslicing and spinning,his squirming and quackingthrough issues regarding hisboss’ ambition to becomegovernor by fire-and-by-forcein Osun, it was not difficult forme to conclude that all Diranwas trying to do was attempt torepackage the garbage. WhatDiran may have forgotten isthat no matter how much yousuit up a pig, it is what it is-apig. No matter how much youtry to repackage the garbage, itis what it is- the garbage.Anything connected to the PDPin Osun State today ismalodorous garbage. You canbox it up in the best American-made briefcase, you can clad itup with the most beautifulItalian gift wrap, and you caneven soak it in a Frenchperfume and cologne, thestench will still stink to highheavens.

I have asked people close tothe Omisore campaign what theman stands for. None of themcould tell me. They keeprambling that Omisore is aDoctor, he was a senator, andhe helped pay Muyiwa Ige’stuition when he was in theUniversity. Is that it? That’s notwhat it takes to become agovernor. There are thousandsof Osun citizens who hold thePhD degree, there are a handfulof people who have beensenators, and there are millionsamong us who help paypeople’s tuition every day, andmany of them are marketwomen and pure-water sellers.These are not qualificationsyou strap on to wanting tobecome a governor. Besides,we know Senator Omisorevery, very well!

Let me give you a handful ofqualifications that make not justa governor, but a good onewho deserves re-election:1. If 24 out of 38members of your executivecouncil don’t hold the samereligious belief as you do, yetyou appoint them based onmerit, you are a goodGOVERNOR.

2. If in your first 100days as Governor you takeoff 20,000 indolent youthsfrom the streets by trainingand giving them skills thatlast a lifetime, and then putthem in the state workforcewith fair remuneration, youare a good GOVERNOR.

3. If investors from theWestern world arepartnering with youbased on evidences ofquality work you do,not rhetoric and lies,you are a goodGOVERNOR.

4. If the state yougovern hands outcomputer tablets tostudents for free toenhance knowledge thatlast for as long as you live,you are a goodGOVERNOR.

5. When youradministration sets up amanufacturing companyproducing computers,plasma TV, cell-phonesand other electronics, andits first-ever in Nigeriawhere thousands of peoplewill be gainfully employed,you are a goodGOVERNOR.

6. If your state from thebottom is numbered 34 outof 36 in riches andresources, if your statemonthly allocation hasbeen cut in half by spitefulopposition government atthe center urged on by itslocal desperate, cluelessambassadors, and in spiteof the deliberate high-handed pauperizationscheme you are able to payyour bills and keep yourelection promises to thepeople, you are a goodGOVERNOR.These and much more hasRauf Adesoji Aregbesola, theincumbent governor of theState of Osun done! Whothen do we believe,GRABAGE REPACKAGEDor a total package of hopeand verifiable results? Whodo we believe?THIS IS STRAIGHTUPTALK!!!

BY FOLA OJO in HARTFORD WISCONSIN U.S.A

•AREGBESOLA