VOL. 8. NO.152 N50SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2013

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

- See StoryOn Page 3

•(R-L) The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Director-General, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Professor OlusegunAdewoye; Director-General, Office of Economic Development and Partnerships, Dr. Charles Akinola and other dignitaries, during the Innovation Fair and launch of South-WestCompetitiveness Forum and Innovation Cluster Consortium at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, Abere, State of Osun last Tuesday.

Front Page Comment

Labour Party: A Tool of Revisionists

- See StoryOn Page 2

Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-

General andMinister of

Justice? IGE

Osun PDP Plans Destruction Of APCBillboards To Provoke Violence

APC Hails Aregbesola On Council Creation Bill

In the situation in whichwe find ourselves, Nigeri-ans actually need a LabourParty. Political Parties op-erating under the nomen-clature of ‘Labour’ have tra-ditionally fought for therights as well as the en-hancement of the livingstandards of workers andthe defenceless.

These parties haveachieved a lot of progres-sive change in society. Forexample, the operatingmantra of our own ActionGroup in the 1940’s, fiftiesand sixties came straightout of the template of theBritish Labour Party in thepivotal post second world

war and is still today re-garded as the ultimate po-litical party manifesto.

That seminal document,‘Let us face the future in-fluenced social democratssuch as our own ChiefObafemi Awolowo,Ghana’s Dr. KwameNkrumah, India’s Pandit

Nehru amongst a hostof others. The manifestoestablished positionssuch as the concept offree education for all andthe right of access tohealthcare for all. Thepivotal documentchanged the political

Continue on page -5.

2 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013News

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

•Wreckage of a fire outbreak that gulfed the State of Osun Ministry of Information and Strategy hall at the StateSecretariat, Abere last Monday.

Osun PDP Plans Destruction Of APC Billboards To Provoke ViolenceBy ISMAEEL UTHMAN

RECENT investigation has revealed the oneof the opposition parties in the State ofOsun, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

has concluded plans to engage its members andhoodlums in the destruction of billboards andother campaign materials of the ruling AllProgressives Congress (APC).

OSUN DEFENDERfurther learnt that thePDP has embarked onthis alternative in adesperate attempt toprovoke violence andpolitical brigandagethrough thedestruction of APCbillboards, particularlythe ones campaigningfor Governor RaufAregbesola’s secondterm in office.

An impeccable sourcewithin the partyhierarchy in the stateconfirmed to themedium that theparty’s action would beaimed at drivingmembers of the APCinto political violence,as they would betempted to react to thedestruction of theirparty billboards andother provocativeactions from the PDP.

The PDP’s actualintension, according tothe source, was todestabilise the existingpeaceful atmosphere ofthe state, which maymake it ungovernablefor Aregbesola, aheadof the 2014governorship electionin the state.

According tofindings, a leadinggovernorship aspirantof the PDP, who hailsfrom Osun EastSenatorial District, isthe mastermind andfinancier of the heinousplan.

The said PDP aspirantwas said to have beenintimidated byAregbesola’s chain ofachievements, hence hisresolve to embark onthe violent option.

According tosources, the recalcitrantPDP aspirant hasresorted to the use ofviolence across the statein his bid to rubbishAregbesola’s landmarkachievements andincite members of thepublic and thepresidency in particularagainst him.

Having known thathe and othergubernatorial aspirantsin the state are of nomatch againstAregbesola, thenotorious PDP aspirantalso aims to soilAregbesola’s imageand reduce hispopularity among thepeople of the statethrough somec o l l a b o r a t i n gassociations and mediaestablishments.

Reacting to the plan,the Director ofResearch and Publicityof the APC in the Stateof Osun, Barrister

Kunle Oyatomi alertedresidents of the stateto be vigilant and

report quickly to thepolice and othersecurity agencies,whenever they observecriminals trying to pulldown billboards of theAPC.

Oyatomi confirmedthat there was arumoured plan by anotorious politician toprovoke violence

through the unlawfulact of destroying APCcampaign billboardsacross the state.

The APC chieftaintherefore warned thatthe peacefulatmosphere of the stateshould not be turnedupside-down for anyreason, warning thepoliticians within thestate to be civilized in

their approach topolitics.

He stated that: “Onlycowards resort toviolence when theyhave lost theargument.”Osun is aState of the Virtuous,where only virtuoussons and daughters ofthe state can be electedinto offices; notfrustrated people,

whose onlyunderstanding ofpolitical engagement iscriminal acts ofviolence.

“The State of Osunhas moved forward asone of the mostp o l i t i c a l l y - c i v i l i z e dplaces in this country. Itwill not accommodateor tolerate uncivilizedacts like the one beingplanned by the axis ofevil.”

Oyatomi thereforecalled on the police inthe state to keep a closewatch on criminalactivities of thev i o l e n c e - p r o n epoliticians, whose onlylanguage of persuasionis violence”.

“All politicians andpolitical parties in thestate have a duty toconduct themselvesresponsibly, no matterthe provocation, so thatthe good image, whichthis government hasalready establishedand is attractinginvestors from all overthe world, will not bedes t royed .

“The easiest way todrive away investorsfrom Osun is to destroythe peace throughviolence. Thegovernment and thesecurity forces will notallow this. Everybodymust be on the alert.”he submitted.

Osun To Adopt New Strategy On Rural Water SupplyBy KEHINDE OLAIDE

GOVERNMENT of the State of Osun is set toadopt a new approach to rural water supplyand sanitation management, with a view to

sustaining proper hygiene in the state.

Members of the stategovernment delegation toEthopia made thisknown after their returnduring the week.

The delegation wasled by the SpecialAdviser to the Governoron Water Resources,Rural Development andCommunity Affairs, Mr.Adekunle Ige to African

Development Bank(AFDB) study programmein Ethopia.

The team included theState Head of Service, Mr.Sunday OlayinkaOwoeye, PermanentSecretary, Ministry ofWater Resources, RuralDevelopment andCommunity Affairs,

Engineer Lere Oriolowoand ProgrammeManager, Osun StateRural WaterE n v i r o n m e n t a lSanitation Agency(RUWESA), AlhajiBulaymen Adiatu.

Briefing newsmen inOsogbo, the capital of theState of Osun, on thestudy programme, theRUWESA ProgrammeManager, Alhaji Adiatusaid the programmewould go a long way infast-tracking effective andefficient service deliveryin the area of water

supply and management.He noted that the tour

had intimated the agencywith the best practice onhow to implement andsustain rural watersupply and sanitation inthe state.

He however advocatedsetting up of maintenancecommittee in eachcommunity that benefitedfrom the agency’s waterscheme, noting that thecommittee would be in-charge of monitoring,evaluation andmaintenance, as well as

management of suchscheme.,

He added that theagency would not rest onits laurels in the task ofpromoting open-d e f e c t i o n - f r e ecommunities.

The programmemanager explained thatthe agency would alsoemploy community-based methodologyapproach to curtail theact.

Adiatu therefore calledon stakeholders in thesector to use the exchangeprogramme to leverage onthe existing policies in thesector to improve thestandard of living of thecitizenry.

He also lauded the stategovernment for itscommitment towardsprovision of portablewater to rural dwellers toenhance their economicstatus.

Osun Assembly Approves Re-allocation Of2013 Budget Heads By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

THE State of Osun House of Assembly hasgranted the request of the governor, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola for the re-allocation and re-

distribution of some heads and sub-heads of the 2013budget.

The request wasgranted by the stateparliament at its plenarysession on Wednesday,sequel to thepresentation of the reporton the re-allocation ofsome budget heads andsub-heads.

While presenting thereport, the Chairman,House Committee onFinance andA p p r o p r i a t i o n ,Honourable KamilOyedele said that therequest was just for re-allocation of some budgetheads, without affectingthe size of the budget,which isN234,269,308,820.

He said: “This figure wehave given implies that theinitial size of the budgetstill remains, but it is justthe movement ofexpenditure from variousheads and sub-heads thatare affected”.

Commenting on thereport, the Speaker,Honourable NajeemSalaam noted that thetiming for the request bythe governor wasinappropriate, as it couldhave been made earlier.

According to him,though, the request wasborne-out of the respectthat the governor has forthe House and the rule of

law, but such request wasbelated, because the yearwas running out.

“This is not the besttime for us to bediscussing the issue of re-allocation of budgetheads and sub-heads,because the year isalready running out.

“We agreed that thetotal size of the budget isintact, but it could havebeen earlier, because now,we are waiting for the2014 budget in theHouse,” he said.

Subsequently, a motionwas moved by Oyedelefor the granting of therequest by the governorand was seconded byHonourable RasakAdeyemi (Odo-Otin), afterwhich it wasunanimously granted.

Meanwhile, theSpeaker has also urged

the governor and otherconcerned officials of thegovernment to present the2014 budget before theAssembly goes on recessfor 2013.

Osun Law Reports OutNext Year - CJ

THE State of OsunJudiciary will as fromnext year (2014), start

publishing selectedjudgments delivered in thevarious courts in the statethrough the publication ofOsun Law Reports.

This was disclosed by thestate Chief Judge,Honourable Adepele Ojo, ata special valedictory courtsession in honour of the lateJustice Ekundayo Kolawoleat the State High Court,Osogbo.

The CJ stated this, whileresponding to an appealmade by Barrister A.O.Sanusi, the Chairman ofOsogbo branch of theNigeria Bar Association(NBA), urging the statejudicial arm of governmentto start publication of itsLaw Report by next year.

Barrister Sanusi statedthat apart from litigants andcounsel involved in cases,members of the publicshould have ready access toall the judgments deliveredin courts through the LawReports.

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013

•STRUGGLING FOR SURVIVAL: Two young men using all their energy to push a truck at Alekunwodo, Osogbo ascaptured by our cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, last Thursday.

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

Osun Assembly To Penalise Agencies On Extra-budgetary Spendings By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

The State of Osun House of Assembly has statedthat it would start to impose stiff penalties againstany agency or ministry of government that engagesin over-budgetary spending anytime from now.

The Speaker, NajeemSalaam made thedeclaration at the plenarysession of the House onWednesday, whilereceiving the report of theHouse Committee onFinance andAppropriation over the

2013 budget perfomancereview.

Presenting the reportearlier, the Chairman ofthe committee,Honourable KamilOyedele hadrecommended that thepenalty for embarking on

e x t r a - b u d g e t a r yspending should be re-echoed to governmentofficials during theconsideration of 2014budget.

This, according to him,would emphasise thecommitment of the Houseto ensuring strictcompliance with theapproved budget for theyear.

Recommending that

the State InternalRevenue Service shouldbe provided withenabling environment toperform optimally,Oyedele added that theperformance of ministriesand agencies ofgovernment should beused as yardstick for theapproval of funds in the2014 budget estimate.

He noted that theoverall performance of therevenue collection by

government agencies andministries betweenJanuary and Septemberrepresents 36.7 per cent,while the revenue thataccrued from thefederation accountsrepresents 71.1 per cent.

The lawmaker alsoadded that the 2014budget should berevenue-driven, ratherthan expenditure-driven,in line with the globalbest practices.

Submitting, Salaamobserved that from thecontent of the report, ithas shown that theadministration ofGovernor RaufAregbesola has compliedwith the appropriationlaw of the state, despitethe fact that someministries and agencieshave not performedoptimally in the area ofrevenue generation.

According to him,because federalallocation to the state hasbeen cut by over N2billion, the agencies,parastatals and

ministries must lookinward to generaterevenue for thegovernment, so as to beable to meet the yearningsof the people.

The Speaker alsoencouraged ministriesand agencies ofgovernment to organiseawareness programme onpolicies of government,with a view to giving aclear picture into theactivities of thegovernment.

He also added that theAssembly would write aletter to the State Head ofService to change anyofficial of government thatis not performing up toexpectations in his or herrespective agency.

The Deputy Speaker,Honourable AkintundeAdegboye, HonourableRasak Adeyemi (Odo-Otin), Honourable IpoolaBinuyo (Ife North), andHonourable SamsonFafiyebi (Obokun), in theirrespective submissions,commended thecommittee for a good jobdone on the budgetperformance review.

LAUTECH Health Workers Protest Non-paymentOf Salaries, Others

MEMBERS of the Joint ProfessionalHealth Workers, Ladoke AkintolaUniversity Teaching Hospital, Osogbo,

have staged a protest over non-payment of theirthree months outstanding salaries by Oyo Stategovernment, their non-inclusion in pensionscheme and inadequate welfare package for

members of staff.They staged a

peaceful protest at theState of Osun House ofAssembly Complex onMonday to expresstheir grievances.

Speaking on behalf ofthe coalition of threeregistered trade unionsin the teaching hospital;Nigerian Union ofAllied HealthProfessionals, Medicaland Health WorkersUnion of Nigeria andNational Association ofNigeria Nurses andMidwives, ComradeOlumide Faniran saidthe health workersstaged the protest topress home theirdemands for paymentof their outstandingsalaries and inadequatewelfare package amongothers.

Faniran noted thatthe government of theState of Osun paid thehealth workers’ salariesfrom January to June,2013 in compliance withthe existingarrangement betweenthe two states, that arethe joint owners ofLAUTECH, but Oyo

State failed to fulfill itsown part from July tilln o w .

He further lamentedthat the health workersof LAUTHTHC,Osogbo are notincluded in any of thepension schemes andneither are theybenefiting from theNational HealthInsurance Scheme(NHIS).

“It is unfortunate thatOsun has honoured theagreement by payingour salaries fromJanuary to June, butOyo, which is supposedto pay from June toDecember, has not paidup till now.

“Instead of Oyo,Osun had to pay for ourJuly and Augustsalaries and as at now,we are still being owedthree months’ salaries.

“Apart from that, 13years after theestablishment of theOsogbo TeachingHospital, we have notbeen included in any ofthe pension schemes.

“Also, our welfare isnothing to write homeabout, to the extent that

we cannot even benefitfrom the NHIS,” hesaid.

Comrade Faniranhowever appealed tothe state parliament tointervene and findlasting solutions totheir predicament.

Addressing theplacard-carrying healthworkers, HonourableAjibola Akinloye, whospoke on behalf of theSpeaker of the statel e g i s l a t u r e ,Honourable NajeemSalaam thanked themfor staging the protest

in a peaceful manner.Akinloye, who stated

that the stategovernment does nottake whatever concernsthe health of the peopleof the state with levity,noted that governmenthas been holding seriesof meetings to findlasting solution to theproblem.

He howeverpromised that the statelegislature would lookinto the issues raised bythe workers and proffersolutions to them.

APC Hails Aregbesola OnCouncil Creation Bill

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in theState of Osun has hailed Governor RaufAregbesola on the presentation of the bill

for the creation of additional 27 Local CouncilDevelopment Areas (LCDAs) to the State Houseof Assembly.

In a statement issuedand signed by itsDirector of Publicity,Barrister KunleOyatomi, APCdescribed thegovernor’s move as “agreat step in imprintinghimself in the hearts ofthe people.”

Stressing that thegovernor had fulfilledall his electioneeringcampaign promises, the

party said: “Aregbesolais changing the face ofpolitics from that ofdeceit to unimaginablecredibility within ashort period of threeyears.

“Aregbesola is notjust about to create newcouncils, but setprecedence by makingthem more cost-effective to run througha parliamentary system.

“This is the typical ofa leader that is thinkingoutside the box; ablessing for whichOsun people aregrateful to God.”

According to theparty, the new councilswill bring governancecloser to the people andmake it moreparticipatory.

In anotherdevelopment, the APCin the State of Osun hasalleged that somepoliticians in theopposition wereplanning to destroy thebillboards of itsaspirants, while urgingresidents of the state tobe vigilant and reportbillboard vandals tothe police.

Aregbesola Committed ToProvision Of Health Facilities

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

THE Special Adviser to the Governor of the Stateof Osun on Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu hasreiterated the commitment of Ogbeni Rauf

Aregbesola to making quality healthcare delivery tothe populace of the state.

The governor’s aidegave this commendationduring a monitoring visitby members of the StateHospitals ManagementBoard to the StateHospital in Ilesa.

To this end,government is takingvarious steps towardsrehabilitating all thestate-owned hospitals inthe state, as well asproviding newequipment, with a view tomaking the hospitalspeople-friendly in termsof providing qualityservices.

Dr. Isamotu added thatwhen the rehabilitationworks going on in all thestate hospitals are fullycompleted, the people ofthe state would have

easy access to health-caredelivery in the state.

Speaking furtherduring the monitoringvisit, the governor’s aidesaid since the restorationof healthy living is one ofthe Six –Point IntegralAction Plan of OgbeniAregbesola, theadministration would notrelent in its efforts aimedat ensuring that the sectoris accorded a pride ofplace in the scheme ofthings.

He, therefore, enjoinedhealth workers to ensurethat the environment oftheir various hospitalsand health centres arekept clean always, as it isa well-known fact thathealth is wealth.

In her address, thePermanent Secretary,Hospitals ManagementBoard, PharmacistOmolara Ajayi urged theworkers to be alive to theirresponsibilities in theirvarious places of work, asthe currentadministration in the statewould not tolerate any actcapable of sabotaging itsefforts that are directedtowards ensuring goodhealth for the people of thestate.

She disclosed thatlateness to work will notbe tolerated whatsoever,while imploring all healthworkers to always resumeat their duty posts on time.

He monitoring tourtook the team to the StateHospital, Ilesa, GeneralHospital Ijebu-Jesa,Comprehensive HealthCentre, Ikeji-Ile and StateHospital, Ipetu-Jesa,among others.

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 20134 News

•Special Assistant to the State of Osun Governor on Health Matters, Pharmacist Gboyega Oladele (standing), presentinga speech on behalf of the Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola during the Biomedical Science ConferenceWeek at the Main Auditorium of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Stateof Osun, recently. Photo: SHOLA ADERINTO

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

PUBLIC NOTICEThis is to inform

members of the publicthat OGUNDELE .I.IBUKUN andI F E O L W AO G U N D E L EIBUKUN is the sameperson asO G U N D E L EI B U K U NIFEOLUWA. Generalpublic should take note.

House For Sale:

A Storey Building atIgbonna, Ago-Wande Area,Osogbo and Another atOladipo Street, PrinceCourt Hotel Area, Ila-Orangun are for sale.Contact the Solicitor on08036084655.

Group Commends Aregbesola On Osun New LG BillBy KEHINDE OLAIDE

A socio-political organisation, OsunDevelopment Agenda (ODA) hascongratulated the people of the State of Osun

on the proposed Local Government Creation andAdministration Bill 2013 presented before the StateHouse of Assembly on Monday by Ogbeni RaufAregbesola.

The bill, according tothe group, has furtherdemonstrated the clearunderstanding of thep r e s e n t

administration on theurgent need to expandgovernmental structuresat the grassroots toimprove desired economic,

social and infrastructuraldevelopment.

A statement by thePublicity Secretary of thegroup, Comrade KehindeAyantunji stated that themove was a giant strideto re-define, re-positionand stabilise goodgovernance at thegrassroots, which is thebasis of any democraticgovernment.

The state statement

reads: “The necessity forcreation of new localgovernment councils inthe state is longoverdue; it is noti n a n y c o n t e n t i o n ,considering the widegeographical spread andthe developmentchallenges.”

“The beauty of the bill,if passed into law, isthe resuscitation ofparliamentary system of

government at the localgovernment level, whichwill end indolence,corruption and reduce thecost of governance tothe barest minimum.

“It will also strengthendemocracy andfoster quality representationin the system.

O D A t h e r e f o r ecommended the stategovernor forp a i n s t a k i n g l yresponding to the popularagitation of the peoplefor the creation ofadditional localgovernment council areasfrom the existing ones.

The group furtherstressed that GovernorAregbesola has by hislatest move, againproved his commitment todeliver greatest

happiness to the peopleby laying the foundationof governance that will bedemocratic, transparent,efficient and sovereign atthe grassroots.

ODA therefore urgedmembers of the stateparliament in the exerciseof their constitutionalr e s p o n s i b i l i t y , i naccordance with sections7 and 8 of 1999Constitution, asamended, to hasten theprocess as fast and legallyas possible in the generalinterest of the state andadvised the benefitingcommunities to managethe successes with allsense of responsibilityand patriotism byd i s c o u r a g i n gunwarranted communaldisputes.

Submit Your Budget ProposalsOr Miss Out, Alimi Warns LG

THE State of Osun Commissioner for LocalGovernment and Chieftaincy Affairs, BarristerKolapo Alimi has observed that the formulation

of the Year 2014 Budget of local governments is verycrucial to effective governance and therefore requiresseriousness of all major stakeholders in the state.

Osun Judiciary Pays Tribute To LateJustice Kolawole

ACCORDING to Williams Shakespeare inJulius Ceaser: “When beggars die, there areno cornets seen. The heaven themselves blaze

forth the death of princess”.This assertion can best

describe the honour,which the State of OsunHigh Court gave the lateHonourable JusticeEkundayo Kolawole (rtd)at a special valedictorycourt session in hishonour.

In his tribute, the StateChief Judge, JusticeOyebola Adepele Ojo,described the late JusticeKolawole as a brilliantlawyer, a jurist ofimmense stature and arole model.

According to the stateJustice Ojo: “It is anincontestable fact thatsome are born great, someachieve greatness andsome have greatnessthrust upon them. To thesecond category belongedthe late Justice EkundayoKolawole, a brilliantlawyer, a jurist ofimmense stature, eruditeretired jurist of the StateHigh Court bench, arenowned scholar, a goodlistener and a perfectgentleman.”

Justice Kolawole diedon September 8th, 2013 atthe age of 86 years. Hewas one of the pioneerjudges of the state. Heserved as a Magistrate,

Deputy Chief Registrar,and Chief Registrar in theold Oyo State before hisappointment as a Judgein the Old Oyo State

Judiciary, before he movedto Osun State in 1991,when the state wascreated.

In his own tribute, theState of Osun Attorney-General andCommissioner for Justice,Barrister Wale Afolabidescribed the late JusticeKolawole as a fearlessand incorruptible judgethat served the state with

all he had.Barrister A.O. Sanusi,

Chairman of OsogboBranch of Nigeria BarAssociation (NBA), in hisown tribute, said the lateJustice Kolawole wouldbe remembered andcherished for everythinghe did on the benchthrough his judgmentsand rulings delivered.

Present at the eventincluded the former ChiefJudge of the state,Honourable JusticeOluborode, HonourableM.B.O. Ibraheem of theState House of Assembly,Solicitor General of thestate, Mrs Adewemimo,and host of others.

Barrister Alimi disclosedthis at the Conference Hallof the Ministry of LocalGovernment andChieftaincy Affairs duringthe stakeholders meetingwith all local governmentcouncils’ ExecutiveSecretaries in the state.

He noted that it was verydisturbing and alarmingthat many localgovernments are yet toturn-in their budgetproposals, despite beingaware of the deadline.

He, however, chargedthe all the council bossesthat failure to submit theirbudget proposals mayjeopardize thecommencement of theexercise.

Barrister Kolapo Alimifurther stated that toforestall possible delay inthe commencement ofbudget formulation, allLocal GovernmentExecutive Secretaries in thestate should submit theirbudget proposals to theSecretary of the LocalGovernment BudgetCommittee without furtherdelay.

Present at the meetingwere the Special Adviser toGovernor on LocalGovernment andChieftaincy Affairs,Honourable Bisi Odewumi,Permanent Secretary in theministry, Mr. OyelekeOluwadare and topgovernment functionaries.

More Troubles For Osun PDPAs Oyinlola’s AG Joins LP

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

THERE seems to be no end to the lingering intra-party crisis rocking the rattled PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) in the State of Osun,

as the party has again lost another chieftain to thecrisis.

A former AttorneyGeneral andCommissioner for Justicethat served under formerGovernor OlagunsoyeO y i n l o l a ’ sadministration, Mr NiyiOwolade has justdumped the PDP for theLabour Party (LP).

Former Secretary to theState government andformer chairman of thePDP in the state, AlhajiFatai Akinbade had fewweeks also defected to thesame LP to pursue hisgovernorship ambition.

OSUN DEFENDERgathered that thedefectors, who are eyeingthe governorship ticket ofthe PDP were frustratedout of the party by thecamp of a notoriousgovernorship aspirant,who is seen to be favouredby the presidency and thenational leaders of thePDP.

The frustrated defectorssaw the handwriting onthe wall that thegovernorship ticket of thePDP has already beenpenciled down for thepolitician, who does not

play politics by the rules.Owolade, in an

interview with newsmenrecently, said he wasforced to leave the PDP,due to its internal crisis,claiming that hisambition could only berealised in a progressiveparty like the LP.

He joined the party tocontest the 2014governorship election inthe state, it was learnt.

According to him, thePDP lacks internaldemocracy, hence hisresolve to seek hisambition under the LP,which he further claimedcomprise of progressive-minded Nigerians.

It will be recalled thatthe former PDPcommissioner was amember of the ActionCongress (AC) before hedropped the party for thePDP in 2006 after thegovernorship primaries,where the incumbentGovernor RaufAregbesola was picked tofly the party’s flag for the2007 gubernatorialelection.

Owolade had aspiredto contest thegovernorship electionunder the AC, but hecouldn’t secure theparty’s ticket, as the partyleaders were convincedthat Aregbesola was morecompetent and reliable toentrust the party’s futurewith than Owolade.

5OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013

Labour Party: A Tool of Revisionists

Cartoon

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Continued from Page - 1.

discourse forever, and in a posi-tive direction.

The operations of the ‘LabourParty’ in Nigeria is in contradis-tinction to this. What we call a‘Labour Party’ in Nigeria has noth-ing to do with workers rights or so-cial democracy. This is why thedogged, indomitable fighter forworkers rights, Adams Oshiomholeis not a member. Those who oper-ate within this political formationare in it strictly for themselves. Forexample, no social democrat can inreality find satisfaction with Gov-ernor Olusegun Mimiko’s conser-vative, pro-PDP government inOndo State.

Compared to, let-us-say the stateof Osun, there has been no discern-ible social advance in Ondo State.It is difficult to point to much byway of pro-people policies. In real-ity, Mimiko’s administration is justa clone of the PDP or PDP by an-other name. Dangerously Mimiko’sgovernment (or is it in reality a con-traption?) has not, will not and can-not identify with the need for truefiscal federalism. This cannot be inconsignance with workers rights orsocial democracy.

More alarming is that the LabourParty has now become the operat-ing vehicle for carpetbaggers andopportunists of all hue. For ex-ample, Opeyemi Bamidele’s tragic-comic defection to ‘Labour’ in EkitiState

is an indication that the party isnow a vehicle to be used as a Tro-jan horse to forment trouble inYorubaland.

Fortunately, the politics of theTrojan horse is not going to work.The template set out by the progres-sive governments in the South Westhas decisively altered the territoryof debate. The populace of theSouth West have set a benchmarkof what they want. And it is clearthat what they want is at variancewith the crass opportunistic inter-vention of inappropriately named‘Labour Party.’

No one needs the powers of clair-voyance to know that for examplethere will be a ‘Labour Party’ in-tervention in next year’s

gubernatorial election in OsunState. A spectacular failure awaitsthis vehicle of opportunism. This isbecause the electorate has becomefar too sophisticated to take this sortof anti-people Trojan horse seri-ously. The light of enlightenmentnow covers the state of Osun and itcannot now be extinguished!

Nigeria of course needs a LabourParty, as of now what it has is ananti-people Trojan horse.

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 20136 FEATURE

The Obasanjo - Jonathan Imbroglio

•JONATHAN •OBASANJO

THIS is a season of festivities inmost parts of the world,because Christmas and New

Year celebrations are already in theair. It is a season for exchange of giftsby friends, relations, colleagues,business partners and politicalassociates. It is a season that remindsus about how deep God’s love forhumanity is, by giving us his only Son,so that we shall not perish, but haveeternal life. So, it is a season ofhappiness, joy and celebrations.

In Nigeria however, it has turned toa season of letters. Letters thatcontain grievous allegations and bitterdiatribes against the recipients. First, itwas a letter from the Central Bankgovernor; Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to thePresident of the Federal Republic ofNigeria, alleging that $49.8billion oilproceeds was not remitted into theFederation Account by the NigerianNational Petroleum Corporation(NNPC). Although, the allegation wasmade against the NNPC, which hasbeen making serious efforts to explainto Nigerians that no money has beenmissing, the President cannot beabsolved of blame, if it eventuallyturns out that oil money is missing,because the bulk stops at his desk. Hepresides over the affairs of the nationand he is accountable to Nigerians.For this reason, the President shouldnot keep silent over this issue becauseit bothers on transparency,accountability, good governance,responsiveness and the integrity of hisadministration. More so, that stategovernors have been complaining overshortfalls in their monthly allocationsfor sometime now.

However, my grouse with thegovernor of the Central Bank ofNigeria over this matter is; How didhis letter to the President become athing of public knowledge? Iremember I heard him sometime ontelevision saying he didn’t want asecond term in office. My question is;if he had desired a second term, wouldhe not have been more circumspectand thereby play along like asycophant? Even if money is beingstolen, would he not have lookedaway?

I am not doubting the integrity ofSanusi Lamido Sanusi. What I amsaying in essence is that manyNigerians in positions of authority andat the corridors of power havebecome sycophants and they playalong with the “Ogas at the top”, soas to protect their own positions. Infact, the “Ogas at the top” would noteven bring anybody, whose loyalty tothem is in doubt, to theiradministration. Loyalty to the “Ogas”is considered more important thanloyalty to the nation among Nigerianselfish politicians, who perceivegovernment as an extension of theirprivate estate. So, any politicalappointee, who cannot do theirbiddings, would have to go.

When I heard over the radio thatChief Olusegun Obasanjo wrote aletter to President Goodluck Jonathanon the state of the nation, my initialreaction was that it was a godfather–godson or mentor-mentee palaver. Itherefore dismissed it with a wave ofthe hand as something not important. Ifelt that the issue would definitelyborder on politics and the PeoplesDemocratic Party, and since I am not

a politician, I said to myself, ‘let themplay their politics’.

However, the following day, I cameacross the contents of the letter in anational newspaper I bought and Ipainstakingly read it. It was then Irealised that the issues raised in theletter should be of concern to allNigerians, irrespective of politicalleanings, professions, religiousaffiliations etc

Some of the issues raised by ChiefOlusegun Obasanjo in his letter were;2015 presidential election andPresident Goodluck Jonathan’sineligibility to run for election on moralground, because he had promised tospend one-term in office; Jonathan’santi-party activities, especially hisinvolvement in Ondo and AnambraStates’ governorship elections;security problems confronting thenation; promotion of ethnic politics bythe government; training of snipers bythe government and keeping over 1000Nigerians on political watch list;repression of political opponents;presidential assistance for a murdererto evade justice and abuse of securityapparatus by the government etc.

If one remembers that ChiefOlusegun Obasanjo has been involvedin the recruitment, selection, electionand installation of Presidents inNigeria since 1979, one would not take

his criticism of a sittingPresident lightly. Even by hisown admission, Chief Obasanjosaid in his letter; “On twooccasions, I have hadopportunity to work for mysuccessors to the governmentof Nigeria…I worked for bothPresident Shagari and PresidentYar’Adua…”. Elsewhere in theletter, the Chief Obasanjo said;“Mr. President, you have on anumber of occasionsacknowledged the role Godenabled me to play in yourascension to power”.Therefore, it is important forthe President to handle thismatter with utmost carebecause those who have thepower to make can alsounmake, unless the Presidentcan mobilise the citizenry to hisside against this powerfulgroup.

My advice to the President isthat, he should reply ChiefObasanjo’s letter by himselfand make his reply public, sothat Nigerians can judgebetween his accuser andhimself. The President cannotafford to keep silent or ignoreChief Obasanjo over grievousand damaging allegations asthese, because his reputationand integrity are at stake. Thepresident must also watch his

back because unconstitutionalmeans may even becontemplated to settle thedisagreement.

However, Chief OlusegunObasanjo deserves ourcommendation, if his letter waswritten out of patriotic zeal forgood governance, survival ofour beloved country andgenuine concern for a menteethat has not lived up toexpectation. But, if his intentionis to publicity disgrace arecalcitrant mentee, get him outof the way, and install anotherstooge, who will be moreamenable to his control, then Icharge Nigerians to shine theireyes very well, because by hispresent action and admission,his mentee has failed, he toohas lost the moral right tochoose, anoint and install aPresident for Nigeria again.Nigerians should thereforerefuse to join the fray, but beresolute in taking their destiniesin their hands and elect aPresident of the people in2015. This can be done if themasses are determined.

•Comrade Olutobi is a ChiefLecturer at the Dept. ofGeneral Studies, The FederalPolytechnic, Ede, the State ofOsun.

By COMRADE JIDE OLUTOBI

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013 7INTERVIEW

Osun Can’t Afford To Lose Aregbesola - LawmakerHonourable Johnson Ojo, represents Ede

South State Constituency in the State House ofAssembly and he is the Chairman, HouseCommittee on Lands, Physical Planning andUrban Development.

In this interview with our reporter, KAZEEMMOHAMMED, he spoke on the benefit of theseparation of structures on the road setbacksand the commitment of the state government totransform the state. Excerpts:-

OSDF: Tracing your background, itis discovered that you have alucrative private business as an

Estate Surveyor, why did you abandon itand join politics?

OJO: The motivation has started rightfrom my school days. I was Secretary, EdeStudents Union, Obafemi AwolowoUniversity (OAU) branch for quite anumber of years and when I finished inthe university, that urge to participate inpolitics was still there. Apart from that, theurge to contribute to the development ofmy town has always been there and thatis the major reason I joined politics.

OSDF: You were a member of thisAssembly between 1999 and 2003; howwill you compare the business oflawmaking then with what is happeningin the House now?

OJO: The situation is not the samething. I was in the House in 1999 underthe platform of APP, a member of minoritygroup and if you want your impact to befelt in such environment, you must studyvery well. When you stand up to sayanything, what comes to minds was thatyou want to counter the government,even though you didn’t want to.

Now, we are all in the majority in theHouse and it means that it is easier nowfor your opinion to scale through thanthat time. It is because, we are targetingthe same goal and we are all committed tothe success of the government of the day.So, the business of lawmaking now ismore interesting, because you have agovernment that is committed to thedevelopment of our state and that makesit easier.

OSDF: As the House CommitteeChairman on Lands, Physical Planningand Urban Development, how is theHouse coming in to settle all the landownership crisis between communitiesthat we have in the state today?

OJO: Dispute on land is almosteverywhere, even within families, townsand states. For instance, Osun has landdisputes with all its neighbouring statesand that is why the government set up acommittee on land dispute to make surethat if you have any complaint on landdispute, the parties will be called and thematter would be settled. Land issue is adelicate matter and one doesn’t justdabble into it anyhow, but then, thegovernment has agencies in place thathandle the issue and we are helping themto succeed. It is only if those agenciescannot handle it that we will come in. But Ican tell you, this government is doingeverything it can to settle those landdisputes and ensure that we live togetherin peace without any rancour.

OSDF: Recently, we see governmentdemolishing some structures along themajor highways, what are we expectingfrom this?

OJO: We are only separating thestructures that fall within the road-setback. Everybody knows that the townplanning law has been there for a longtime and it is as old as the law itself thatyou must maintain a specific distance tothe major road. Some people are cunningto the extent that when they are puttingup their structural plan, they will put theright thing to get approval, but when theyget to site, they do something else andthat is the problem. It is a law that must be

followed, but it is unfortunate that ourpeople don’t follow the law. The truth isthat, if this government doesn’t do ittoday, another government will cometomorrow to do it.

However, when the structures were firstmarked for separation, the governmentannounced that whoever has genuinedocument, as to the location of thestructure, should show up, but you can’tbelieve it, 99 per cent of those who havetheir houses separated did not come. Thatmeans that many of them knew that theyhad gone beyond what they should have.

So, the separation of the structure is forthe benefit of our people and we need toassist the government in that regard. It isjust for our people to comply with the lawand if we do that, nobody will come to saywe want to demolish and if they have to, itmeans they have to pay fullcompensation.

OSDF: You were once a civil servant;how will you compare the then civilservice with what we have now intermsof effectiveness and execution ofgovernment programmes and policies?

OJO: Our people don’t want to workagain. Also, so many people are notinterested in what they are doing. Theydon’t care whether the government theyare working for succeeds or not, oncethey can get their salaries. When we wererecruited into the civil service in the oldOyo State, we had interest in the civilservice job and everybody was committedto it. We were doing our work the way weshould do it, but now, people aredisillusioned. If you are not interested inthe job, there is no way you can do it verywell.

Though, we still have some civilservants that are seriously committed totheir jobs, but the percentage is so lowand it is only when we show interest inwhat we are doing that we can really getthe result that we want in the civil servicejob.

OSDF: The opposition is saying thatthis government is only making noiseabout its achievements and that therehas not been any reasonableachievement, how will you react?

OJO: We all know it is politics. You canhardly see a party praising another party,because they believe that if they shoulddo that, there is nothing they will use tocampaign. Everybody knows that thisgovernment is working and in the historyof Osun, we have not had this kind ofperformance. They are only playingpolitics with realities.

When you talk of infrastructuraldevelopment, education, health,agriculture, security and other sectors,this government has done well. In myconstituency, there are schools that arebeing constructed and I told people thatthroughout the seven and half years ofthe PDP, all the school buildings theyconstructed are not up to one of theschools being constructed by thisgovernment. And the schools are beingconstructed all around. Do you want totalk of O’Meal that has now beenextended to primary four from primary twowith quality food as against what we met?Also, if you visit our health facilitiesacross the state today, you will see thatthey are now wearing a new look intermsof physical outlook and service theyrender. There are drugs in the hospitals

now as against what we met. Look atOSBC, is it what was there that we havenow? There is no local government andeven town that we don’t have one roadconstruction or the other going on orcompleted.

If you go to any facet of development,it is a thing that you can see. The truth isthat this government is doing everythingto standard and if PDP can say that we arenot doing anything, people know it ispolitics.

Between 1999 and 2003, when Chief BisiAkande was the governor and I was anhonourable member, we constructed thestate secretariat, but for seven and halfyears of the PDP, nothing was added towhat we had on ground. Now, Aregbesolahas been adding beauty to the secretariatand when you get there now, you will seethe difference, it is not hidden. Peopleknow that they are only playing politicswith the reality on ground. Every facet oflife, we have progressed and we have notstopped, we are still moving and we willget there.

OSDF: As a lawmaker, which area ofdevelopment do you think still requiresmore attention?

OJO: In my own view, as much as thegovernment put money into agriculture, ithas not manifested enough and thegovernor should see to it. It may bebecause our people are not interested inagriculture again, but I think the efforts ofthe government are enough to attract ourpeople to farming. The efforts of thegovernment is to ensure that we are ableto feed ourselves, but if the efforts are notmanifesting the way we want, then, thereis need for us to pay more attention to it.The plan of the governor is to see thatthis state becomes a basket of the nationand make our people wealthy. I am notsaying it is not yielding, but it has notyielded up to our expectations. Thegovernment should define several othermeans of bringing more people intofarming.

Besides, the government should alsosee to cash crops like cocoa, kolanut,palm trees and others. Cocoa was used todevelop this region and if the governmentsees to the growth of cocoa and assistcocoa farmers, we will become richer. Weare lucky that we have fertile land and thatis the opportunity we need to use todevelop our state.

OSDF: With all what you have justsaid, do you see Governor Rauf

Aregbesola ruling Osun for a secondterm?

OJO: He will definitely do by thegrace of God. We are living among ourpeople and we know what theircomments about this government are.Aregbesola has done more than whatpeople expect. There is somethingunique about him; he embarks ondevelopment at the same time acrossthe state. Some people were saying thatthe governor should be doing it little bylittle, but I asked; ‘will you say thatyour community should be steppeddown for the other? They said no. Weall voted for him, he promised everyonewhat he is doing now and you wantyour own town to be developed firstand leave my own. Thank God we havea governor that thinks about everybodyand we should commend Ogbeni forwhat he is doing. If not the fact thatwe have a committed leader, schoolconstruction, road construction,qualitative healthcare delivery will notbe going on round the state at the sametime; it is unique. When Oyinlola wasdoing his own, he started from Ile-Ife,he went to Okuku and it was when hecame to Ede that he was sacked. Withthe situation we have now, everybodywants Aregbesola to complete thedevelopmental programmes going on intheir areas. Who will want Aregbesolagovernment to go and allow anotherone, which might not be interested insuch project? Aregbesola is running aunique system of governance andnobody will want him to stop the workhe is doing. People would rather wanthim to continue.

It is God-sanctioned that Aregbesolais a man that people want and he wouldserve another term here in Osun.

OSDF: What is your message to thepeople of your constituency?

OJO: While I thank the people fortheir support for me and thegovernment of Aregbesola, I also wantthem to be peace-loving and be patientwith this government. This governmentmeans well for the people and as theirrepresentative, I will do my best toensure that development does not eludethem. I also want them to be prayingfor this government and subsequent tothat, be expectant of more good thingsto come.

•OJO

8 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013PHOTOTALK

Women Empowerment/Exhibition Programme For Physically-Challenged PersonsBy The State Government of Osun In Osogbo Recently.

•State of Osun Commissioner for Health, Dr (Mrs) Temitope Ilori (left); Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere (3rd left standing); Alhaji Waheed Lawal(standing 2nd right); Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Adetoun Adegboyega (2nd right) and others during the programme.

•A cross section of the physically-challenged persons at the programme.

•Culutral troop displaying at the event. •Participants at the programme.

9OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013 PHOTOTALK

Distribution Of Dividends Of Democracy To Selected People In Ilesa-East Local Govern-ment Council Area, Held At The United Anglican Methodist Grammar School, Ilesa, StateOf Osun Recently. Photo: SHOLA ADERINTO

•(R-L) Executive Secretary, Ilesa-East Local Government Council Area; Hon. Ibraheem Olarewaju; Wife of the Governor, State of Osun, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola and StateCommissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Prince Wale Adedoyin during the event.

•Some of the distributed items.

•(L-R) Wife of the Governor, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola; Leader of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Timothy Owoeye; Hon. Lanre Balogun presenting a plasmatelevision to APC Chairman in Ilesa-East Local Government Council Area, Mr. Korede Idowu during the programme.

•(R-L) All Progressives Congress (APC) Acting State Chairman, Elder ‘Lowo Adebiyi;the Acting Treasurer, Mr. Kunle Odeyemi; the State Commissioner for Local Govern-ment and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Kolapo Alimi and the State Secretary of APC,Prince Gboyega Famodun, during the programme.

10 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013FOR THE RECORDS

Making Government Count At The Grassroots

Continued on page 11

•AREGBESOLA

Text Of Address Delivered By The Governor Of The State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, AtThe Presentation Of The Local Government Areas (Creation And Administration) Bill, 2013 OnDecember 16, 2014

Protocols

INTRODUCTION

WE are here today to be partof history that will foreverimpact on the life of our

people. The courageous step we aretaking today is in fulfilment of ouravowed belief that the purpose ofgovernment is to deliver the greatesthappiness to the greater number of thepeople. There is no gainsaying that theonly way a government can deliver thegreatest happiness to its citizenry is itslevel of closeness to the people. It isbeyond contention that the closestgovernment to the people should bethe Local Government. Can we trulysay that the existing LocalGovernment system we have in theState of Osun is a true reflection ofthe desire of the citizens of the state?Are the councils in all honesty closeenough to the people at the grassrootsto enable them deliver the requiredservices expected of a localgovernment? The answer of course isno. If they are, why do we haveagitations for more local governments?

The reality, as we have found outsince our assumption of office in thelast three years, is that many LocalGovernments as presently constitutedare too large in size as regards thearea they cover; the size of itsworkforce as well as the quality ofrepresentation needed at thegrassroots level. These have hinderedthe smooth running of our LocalGovernments to the extent that theymerely survive to pay salaries andnothing more. The statutory duties ofthe local governments have beenneglected so much that people hadactually forgotten their existencewithin their locality.

In view of the popular agitation ofour people for new local governmentsand with a view to repositioningexisting ones for the optimum benefitof our people, I inaugurated a 10-manOsun Local Government CreationCommittee headed by ProfessorMojeed Alabi as the Chairman andMr. Adeyeye Francis Olatoye, formerPermanent Secretary in the OsunState Civil Service as secretary. Indoing this, we are committed tocomplying with the clear provision ofSections 7 and 8 of the Constitution ofthe Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999as amended.

At the inauguration of thecommittee, we gave it the mandate toundertake a comprehensive review ofLocal Government Councils in thestate and recommend new councilareas as demanded by the people withthe objective of laying the foundationfor governance that is democraticallyelected and sovereign. The committeewas charged with the task ofsubsequently preparing and presentinga report for a Bill for a law to theOsun House of Assembly for thepurpose of creating new LocalGovernment Areas in conformity withSection 8 of the 1999 Constitution ofthe Federal Republic of Nigeria.

After the committee submitted its

report and in further desire toensure full compliance withletters and spirits of theConstitution, Law and Procedure,our government constituted a Sixmember Review Committeeheaded by the Secretary to theState Government, AlhajiMoshood Adeoti, to look into thereport of the Osun LocalGovernment Areas CreationCommittee.

The Review Committee wassaddled with the responsibility toreview the reports of the LocalGovernment CreationCommittee; advise on therecommendations of theCommittee to the LocalGovernments to be created; comeup with programmes and adviseon further steps to be taken toactualize the creation ofadditional Local Governmentsand to ensure the actualization ofLocal Government creation.

The Review Committee tooktime to critically study the mainreport of the Local GovernmentAreas Creation Committee andwas unanimous in appreciating

the Committee for thoroughlydischarging its duties asencapsulated in its terms ofreference. However, the reviewcommittee true to its namepicked the proposal and therecommendation one after theother and made justification forrecommending a particular localgovernment or citingheadquarters of such localgovernment in a particular place.The Review Committee, in somany instances, agreed with thecreation of some localgovernments as recommendedand in very few cases madeoutright rejection for reasonsranging from unviability of someand in other instances the need tomaintain peaceful coexistence.All those justifications arecontained in the main reportsubmitted by the ReviewCommittee.

The outcome of the reviewCommittee was itsrecommendation of the creationof additional 27 LocalGovernments.

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTAREAS (CREATION ANDADMINISTRATION) BILL, 2013

I am here before this august andesteemed Assembly to presentthe Local Government (Creationand Administration) Bill 2013.This Bill is the culmination of allthe aforementioned efforts.

This historic Bill, when passedinto law, will provide for theestablishment of additional 27Local Governments in the state.The Bill expressly states that the27 Local Government Areas arecreated in addition to the 30Local Government Areasspecified in the Constitution ofthe Federal Republic of Nigeria.

One significant aspect of thisBill is that the existing 30 LocalGovernments co-exist with thenewly created local governments.As a matter of fact, section 3 ofthe Bill clearly provides thatpending the passage of an Act ofthe National Assembly to listthem in the constitution as LocalGovernment Areas, the 27 newLocal Government Areas shall be27 Local Council DevelopmentAreas (Local Counties) in theState with the names specified inschedule II of the Bill. Thisprovision clearly takes care ofconfusion that might have arisenshould there be a controversy asto the status of the LocalGovernment if the existing andthe newly created Local CouncilDevelopment Areas are lumpedtogether as 57 Local GovernmentAreas in the state. We have doneour best to act within the existinglaw in this regard.

UNIQUE FEATURESThis Bill has some unique

features that are meant to makeLocal Government administrationcost-effective, people-orientedand development-based. To thisend, the Bill proposes toestablish a parliamentary systemof government at the localgovernment level. Theimplication of this is that theChairman and Vice Chairman ofthe Council would be an electedcouncillor from the party havingmajority seats in the Council withother relevant qualifications. It isour firm conviction that this willinevitably reduce cost ofgovernance; enhance quality ofrepresentation at the grass-rootslevel and ensure smooth runningof the local governmentadministration.

It is clear that despite the acutepaucity of funds available to localgovernments, the amount spenton over-head and personnelalready gulps all the Councilallocation. This proposed systemwould ensure transparency,probity and a more

11 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013INTERVIEW

Continued from page 10

•AREGBESOLA

Making Government Count At The Grassrootsproductive local government

administration system in the State ofOsun. In furtherance of the foregoing,it is important to state that politicalfunctionaries at the Local Governmentlevel must be prepared to make asacrifice by getting reducedemoluments in the short-term for thebenefit of the system.

Section 17 of the Bill furthercreates the office of the CouncilManager who shall be theAdministrative Head of the LocalGovernment Council. He or she shallbe designated as “Council Manager”who shall be a civil servant not abovegrade level 14. The Council Managershall be the highest level of officer inthe Local Government Council. Inmaking this Bill, we are not obliviousof the career progression concern ofofficers above grade level 14 in theLocal Government Council. Affectedofficers in the employment of theLocal Government, uponadvancement beyond Grade Level14, shall be deployed by the LocalGovernment Service Commission inconjunction with the Civil ServiceCommission to any Ministry,Department or Agency of governmentas they may so deem fit.

This provision is to remove someobvious constraints to localgovernment administration,particularly the challenge of fundingtop-heavy bureaucracy and toinvigorate the administration bydeploying officers who still have theircareer dependent on theirperformance at the Council.

LOCAL GOVERNMENTECONOMIC PLANNING

BOARDAnother area we are also working

on in reengineering our localgovernments is on a Bill for thecreation of Local Government

Economic Planning Board. This is inpursuant to Section 7[3] 1999Constitution. The Board will act inadvisory capacity and shall performthe following functions:

ü To develop economicBlueprint for the LocalGovernment Council taking intoconsideration the peculiarity ofeach Council;

ü To develop a frameworkfor infrastructural and sustainableDevelopment of the Council Area;

ü To advice the localgovernment council on theenhancement of commercial andtrading activities in the localGovernment;

ü To develop the parametersfor agricultural development in theLocal Government;

ü To advise on any otherancillary or relevant matter passedto it by the Council.

The Local GovernmentEconomic Planning Board is not,and shall not be animplementation Body; its reportshall be submitted to the LocalGovernment Council forimplementation; and it shall notbe involved or take part in theday-to-day running of the LocalGovernment.

Honourable members of thisdistinguished Assembly, I presentto you a bill for a law to re-engineer our Local Governmentsystem. This Bill when passedinto law, shall not only ensure avirile local government, it wouldplace this House in the hall offame of progressive andinnovative Legislatures of alltime in our dear state inparticular and nation at large.

I thank you all for your kindattention.

Osun a dara!

OPINION

‘Why Osun Needs More Councils’THE 1976 Local GovernmentReform was a systematic anddeliberate reorganisation of local

government administration in Nigeria.The military needed a link betweentheir centrally-controlled politicalsystem and the people at thegrassroots to mobilise the people toget their support with the aim oflegitimising their illegitimate regime,after they have edged out ademocratically-elected government.Ever since, the local government hascontinued to remain a vibrant andquintessence form of government,both the 1979 and 1999Constitutions guaranteedemocratically-elected localgovernment council officials.

Today, the total number of localgovernments recognised by the 1999Constitution are 774 in number.However the 1999 Constitutionempowers the state Assembly tocreate new local government but mustbe forwarded to the NationalAssembly for ratification for thepurpose of including such a localgovernment in the Constitution.

In 1999, when the democraticallyelected government was ushered in,Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, formergovernor of Lagos State, wasuncomfortable with the 20 localgovernment council areas he met inLagos. Tinubu could not comprehendhow Lagos State, with a populationof 15 million at that time, would begiven only 20 local governmentcouncil areas, when Kano was having44 local gvernment council areas,

despite the fact that Jigawa State hadbeen carved out of it, which almostdoubled local government councilareas in Lagos State. For instance,Alimosho Local Government CouncilArea alone, both in population andland mass was bigger than BayelsaState with eight local governmentcouncil areas.

The military leaders were mastersof deception. They knew theimportance of local government, andthey utilised the creation to benefittheir states of origin; knowing that themore the numbers of localgovernment, the more the FederalAllocation would be given to theirlocal government council areas. Heimmediately set in motion necessarymachineries to increase the numbersof the local government council areas.At the end of the exercise, thenumber of local government councilareas remained 20, but 37 new LocalGovernment Developmental Areas(LCDA) were created.

Lagosians welcomed thedevelopment, praising Tinubu for suchvision. But the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) condemned the newly-created developmental areas. ThePDP-led Federal Government seizedthe monthly federal allocations tolocal government areas. And theaction was challenged in the court inthe celebrated case of AG Lagos

versus AG Federation. At the end ofthe case, the Supreme Court held thatthe House of Assembly is empoweredto create local government councilareas in their states but must forwardtheir newly-created local governmentto the National Assembly for thepurpose of adding them to the existinglocal governments and for thepurpose of enlistment and allocationof fund to the local governments. Thatalthough, the newly-created localgovernments in Lagos State were inorder but, “it is Inchoate,” until it isenlisted in the constitution by theNational Assembly. It held further thatthe Federal Government has nopower under the Constitution towithhold allocation to any part of thestates in Nigeria.

Why Osun needs more localgovernment council areas?

Osun is located in the Western partof Nigeria. It covers an area ofapproximately 14,875 squarekilometers.

According to the NationalPopulation and Housing Censusexercise conducted in 2006, Osunhas a population of 3,423,535. As anagrarian area, there is the likelihoodthat its annual population growth willbe around 5 per cent.

In the next few days, the governorof the state of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAdesoji Aregbesola, may give thestate a Christmas gift of new LocalGovernment Developmental Areas

(LCDA), in accordance with thepower vested in him, and to anextent, the State House of Assembly.It is important to solicit for thecooperation of the people of the stateon the exercise, as the new LCDAmay not satisfy all the interest groupsin the state. But it is incontrovertiblethat a local government bringsprogress and development to itspeople . However, the viability oflocal government is vital to its runningand sustainability.

Apart from the constitutionalfunctions of a local government,grassroots politics will beencouraged, as government will bebrought closer to the people. Themuch-desired development in thestate will further be pronounced.

It is important that the people of thestate cooperate with theadministration of Ogbeni Aregbesolaand support the LCDAs and toensure that nothing is to disturb theexisting peace reigning in the state,irrespective of political or religiouspersuasion. We are one and must seethe need to continue with thedevelopmental agenda in all areas ofour state.

•Obaditan wrote the piece from

Osogbo, the state capital.

•Culled from THE NATION

By YOMI OBADITAN

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 201312

A Memorable Quote From A PDPAspirant In The State Of Osun

“Recently, Chief Bola Ige cameon radio here (Osogbo the state

capital), to insult me and myfamily. THAT IS THE LASTTIME HE WOULD INSULTME. He was beaten yesterday.

The people of Ile-Ife beat him upand he was crying like a baby, as

they removed his cap andglasses. If it had been at a politi-cal gathering, he will be dead bynow..... In fact, what the people

wanted to do was more thanremoving his glasses and cap....”

-IYIOLA OMISORE. •Culled from Vanguard Newspaper.

IN RETROSPECT

13 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013FOR THE RECORDS

Afenifere Renewal Group: Governance Assessment Committee ReportOn State Of Osun, November 2013.

1. PreambleThe Governance Assessment Committee was inaugurated by the AfenifereRenewal Group at its May 19, 2013 General Meeting.The committee’s task is to assess the performance of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesolaand present its report to the public as a way of providing verifiable and reviewableinformation that could help in making informed decision.

2. MembershipThe committee is composed of the following distinguished Nigerians and eminentYorubas:i. Chief Olusegun Odegbami, MON Chairmanii. Mr. Ayo Osunloye Memberiii. Mr Opeyemi Agbaje Member

3. Procedurei. The committee commenced its work immediately and after concerteddeliberations on how best to assess the performances of the two governors,’ itsettled for the six criteria on Minimum Irreducible Demand on governancecharter, which was adopted by the Yoruba Assembly.ii. The criteria are: Education, Healthcare, Wealth Creation,Infrastructure, Civil Service, Governance & Regional Integration, and WaterSupply. These criteria sum the expectation of the Yoruba people from theirgovernments, especially at the state level.iii. Thereafter, an independent research was conducted by a leadingresearch, policy, and advisory consulting firm, Resources and Trust CompanyLimited. The company provided a comprehensive report on the performancesof the two governors.iv. The committee then met to deliberate on the report. The impact of allthe policies and projects listed under each criterion was discussed critically.This was done to ensure that the assessment reflects tangible results thatresidents can attest to. In essence, what the committee has done is to assessthe governors from the perspective of their citizens in terms of the impact oftheir policies and programmes

4. FindingsThe zeal and optimistic attitude that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola brought to bearin governing the State of Osun has set him apart for global recognition. Afterwinning a prolonged legal battle, he quickly found his feet amidst rancour anddivisive politics.The summary of his performances based on the Minimum Irreducible Demandsare presented below.

5. State of OsunEducationThe State embarked on numerous initiatives like the New School System,O’Meal, Omoluabi Garment, Opon Imo, O’KITS, etc, to improve access, qualityand infrastructure in education with tangible results. These initiatives alsocreated several thousands of new jobs, especially in the agricultural sector.HealthcareTo ensure widespread implementation of its Free Health Policy, the State built74 new Public Health Centres and invested significant resources in drugsprocurement, training, and infrastructure. The results of these include reductlonin infant mortality, 84 per cent immunization coverage and 50 per cent reductionin malaria cases.Water SupplyThe state’s initiatives in the water sector are projected to result in productionof 730,000 litres of water daily. This will meet 70 per cent of the state’s dailyrequirement. The state complements this with drilling of boreholes and supplyof potable water to communities through water tankers.InfrastructureThe state’s proactive investment in the dredging of 123km of waterways ensuredthe state was flood-free last year when many states in Nigeria were groundedby flood leading to colossal loss of lives and properties.For better inter-state access, a new 75km highway is being constructed to linkthe state to Lagos and another 45km highway is being constructed to link thestate to Kwara, thereby opening up better access and commercial opportunities.The state has embarked on 185km highway beautification, construction of 61township roads totalling 128km, 20 inter-city roads covering over 294 kilometres,and 10km roads in each Local Government Area.Wealth CreationThe performance ofthe State of Osun under Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in termsof wealth creation is impressive and unprecedented since the days of WesternRegion under late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The State of Osun, according toNational Bureau of Statistics, has the lowest unemployment rate and leastpoverty index ratio in Nigeria. The state government has created more than40, 000 jobs through various schemes - OYES, OREAP, etc. These schemes,

according to our research have buying power to the tune of N200m monthly.The state government provides a social security scheme for the vulnerableelders; trained over 5000 youths in specialised ICT skills; and empowerednumerous citizens in agriculture.Civil Service, Governance, and. Regional IntegrationThe State of Osun has domesticated the Fiscal Responsibility Law 2012 andhas passed the Debt Management Law 2012. The government has improvedits IGR to N1.6bn monthly from a paltry N300m. The state is strongly committedto the” southwest regional integration agenda. The impact of government onthe environment is laudable and the approach to governance is people-orientedand creative.

Observations1. Ogbeni Aregbesola came into power after a laborious legal battle andwas sworn in amidst a politically tensed ambience. He managed to brave thepolitical tide against him and restored democratic governance.2. When he was sworn in, Osun was cracking under a huge debt profilethat was unsustainable for a state with a paltry N300m/month IGR and one ofthe least in terms of federal allocations. He met an economy that was heavilydependent on federal allocation and civil service jobs. But in the space of threeyears, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola had restore hope for a moribund state throughdemocratic governance.3. He has pursued his Six Point Integral Action Plan with fervour andboldness that could be felt. The committee observes that each of the six actionpoints have received equal attention in terms of innovative, proactive, andpragmatic policies. This sets Ogbeni apart as a man with a heart for the welfareof his people and his policies are geared towards unleashing their potentials.

Recommendations1. The state government should take faster action on regional integration agendaon economic development to help them leverage on regional economic potentials.2. They should also promote true federalism ideals and decentralizationsof current political structure, which prevents states from exploring their potentialsto the maximum.

Conclusion1. Indeed, our blessed heritage in the Western Nigeria shaped ourphilosophy about governance. Any Yoruba man knows that governance is notjust haphazard award of contracts and implementation of projects, done just tomassage ego and encourage exhibitionism. But it a laborious and complexprocess of thinking and planning for the greater good to create such anenvironment that unleashes the potentials and prosperity of the people.2. As we anticipated, Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 restored ourregion to that path of people-oriented developmental governance but this wascut short in 2003 when politics of violence and rigging invaded our land, held ushostage and disrupted progressive development.4. But it is our joy today to announce that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola hasbrought back that developmental focus to governance. There is no gainsayingthat education is a top priority for this administration, which has taken thissector from the parlous state it was before to an enviable state it is now. It ispleasing to us that before this administration came in, just about three percentof secondary school leavers made into higher institutions. But now, havingremoved the financial impediment and having created an effective learningprocess, every child in Osun has a chance of higher education. That this statehas the highest density of primary healthcare centres in Nigeria says a lot aboutits health policy. We can also talk about the administration’s policies on wealthcreation, and social security for the aged, but we are much more impressedwith Ogbeni Aregbesola’s style of engendering development at the grassroots.A lot of the government’s policies are designed to trickle down to grassroots ata quick pace, making its impact felt at the most critical level.5. We must also mentioned the massive projects of the Ring Road, Cargoairport, and water works, all of which have the potential to drastically changethe fortune of this state. With what we have seen in the last two days, AfenifereRenewal Group believes that it will be a great disservice to young and evenunborn generations of the State of Osun if Ogbeni Aregbesola is not re-electedto oversee the complete implementation of ongoing policies. We are not justtalking about projects and contracts, but policies that will positively shape thefuture prosperity of this state for generations.6. It is now left for us to jealously guard and protect this heritage thatOgbeni has brought back to us. Afenifere Renewal Group believes that, givenanother term in office, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola will break several records ingovernance and set new ones previously thought unattainable.7. Therefore, we endorse him for re-election and enjoin residents of theState of Osun to vote massively for him in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.We believe that the future of the State of Osun in terms of development andprosperity is guaranteed with Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

14 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013

Job Vacancies In Nigeria

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Application Deadline 31st December, 2013.——————————————————May & Baker Nigeria Plc Job Vacancies in NigeriaMay & Baker Nigeria Plc - We are committed to applying our resources and science to improve the quality of life. Weprovide quality and affordable medicines, food and beverages to those who need them.May & Baker Nigeria Plc is recruiting to fill the below position:

Job Title: Admin AssistantJob Ref.: AALocation: Lagos, NigeriaDepartment: General ManagementJob Description:Reporting to the Business Head, the incumbent will be expected to provide support services in carrying out Admin &Accounts functions for the business.The applicants must possess good analytical skills with an eye for detail.RequirementsApplicants must not be more than 28 years old, must possess an OND in Accountancy or related field with a minimumof two (2) years work experience.Job Title: Quality AnalystsJob Ref.: QALocation: Lagos, NigeriaDepartment: Quality OperationsJob Description:Reporting to the Quality Assurance Manager, the incumbent will be responsible for manufacturing of products ofstandard quality through prompt and accurate chemical analysis.

RequirementApplicants must possess a B.Sc in Chemistry with a minimum of two (2) years instrumentations knowledge (HPLC, GC,etc).Job Title: SecretaryJob Ref.: SECLocation: Lagos, NigeriaDepartment: General ManagementJob Description:Reporting to the Personal Assistant to the General Manager, the incumbent will be expected to provide first classsecretarial support befitting the General Manager’s office.

RequirementsApplicants must be within the ages of 28 – 35 years and must possess a minimum of HND in Secretarial Administration.Computer proficiency with working knowledge of MS Word and Excel is a pre-requisite.Applicants must be top flight Secretaries with good oral and written communication and inter-personal relations skills.Job Title: Engineering Technicians (Ota)Job Ref.: ETOLocation: Ota, Ogun StateDepartment: EngineeringJob Description:Engineering Technicians (Ota) Reporting to the Maintenance Engineer, the incumbent will be responsible for themaintenance of the company’s equipments.

RequirementsApplicants must not be more than 30 years old and possess a National Diploma in Mechanical/Electrical Engineeringwith at least two (2) years experience or City & Guild certificate in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering with at leastthree (3) years experience preferably from a pharmaceutical manufacturing plantJob Title: Utility / HVAC TechnicianJob Ref.: UHTLocation: Lagos, NigeriaDepartment: Quality OperationsJob Description:Reporting to the Engineer, the incumbent will be responsible for the effective operation and maintenance of HVACsystem, Chillers & other utilities to meet the required production capacity.

RequirementsCandidates should not be more than 32 years old and possess a National Diploma in Mechanical EngineeringAt least two (2) years relevant experience or City & Guild certificate in Mechanical Engineering with at least three (3)years relevant experienceMethod of ApplicationInterested and qualified candidates should:http://www.may-baker.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=62

Application Deadline 31st December, 2013——————————————————Job Vacancies in a Construction Company in Lagos, 19th December 2013Deangelo - Our client, a major player in the construction industry located in Lagos requires suitable and qualifiedcandidates to fill the following position. Successful candidates will be required to practice and implement our corevalues.Job Title: Asphalt Products MarketersLocation: LagosDutiesKey responsibilities include business and market development; market research, competitive analysis and planning;strategic direction for promotion and advertising; coordination and execution of projects in coordination with businessdevelopment activities; and leading the marketing staff to ensure alignment with company’s strategic goals and mission.Qualification/ExperienceB.Sc. marketing or any degree in Humanities and must possess natural ability to sell.

Experience in working in construction company/ Real Estate Firm.Job Title: Pay Loader OperatorsLocation: LagosDutiesPerform daily preventive maintenance, record and inspect machines to include fuelling, cleaning, checking and addingfluids when needed.Disconnect all electrically operated machines from power source after use.Clean plat area.Monitor machine operations and adjust pressure, temperature and other controls to ensure products match specification.Possess a good technical knowledge of machine he operates.Obey and implement safety measures/ procedures provided.Qualification/ExperienceO’ level or its equivalent.Must have at least 3 year experience in Pay Loader OperationJob Title: Paving Machine TechnicianLocation: LagosDutiesPerform tasks involving physical labor in paving operation.Clean and prepare.paving machine tools.Qualification/ExperienceO’ level or its equivalent.Relevant work experience in Asphalt paving work.Must have at least 3 year experience paving machine operationJob Title: Paving Machine OperatorsLocation: LagosDutiesPerform daily preventive maintenance, record and inspect machines to include fuelling, cleaning, checking and addingfluids when needed.Disconnect all electrically operated machines from power source after use.Clean plant area.Monitor machine operations and adjust pressure, temperature and other controls to ensure products match specification.Possess a good technical knowledge of machine he operates.Obey and implement Safety measures/ procedures provided.Qualification/ExperienceO’ level or its equivalent.Relevant work experience in Asphalt paving work.Must have at least 3 year experience paving machine operationJob Title: Asphalt Plant Operators & TechnicianLocation: LagosDutiesMaintain proper and efficient working condition in the Asphalt production workshop.Ability to manage all necessary equipment.Good interpersonal and communication skills.Ability to keep inventories and maintain record keeping.Qualification/ExperienceOND or its equivalent.Relevant work experience in Asphalt plant equipment and production.Skilled in related Asphalt production test.Must have 5 years hands-on experience.Not more than 30 years of ageJob Title: Asphalt Plant ManagerLocation: LagosDutiesOperate the Asphalt Plant optimally.Inventory and other materials and fuel supplies.Managing expenditure and budget.Assessing risks.Adhering and enforcing safety regulations.Implementing Preventive maintenance program.Train subordinatesQualification/ExperienceB.Eng. Mechanical / System Engineering.Experience in operations of Asphalt Plant.Team Leadership ability.Mastering safety policies and best safety practices.Strong organizing and time management skills.Good interpersonal and communications skills.Minimum of 7 Years hands-on experience.Job Title: Plant Technician (Mechanical)Location: LagosDutiesInspect and test equipment and do initial diagnoses.Maintain and repair Mechanical related faults.Follow manufacturer’s specifications and standards as regards mechanical installations.Ability to keep inventories and maintain record keepingQualification/ExperienceOND or its equivalent.Relevant work experience in heavy duties equipment and automobile.3years experience.Not more than 26 year old.Minimum of 3 years hands-on experience.Job Title: Plant Technician (Electrical)Location: LagosDutiesInspect and test equipment and do initial diagnoses.Maintain and repair electrical related faults.Follow manufacturer’s specifications and standards as regards electrical installations.Ability to keep inventories and Maintain record keeping.Qualification/ExperienceOND (Electrical Eng.) or its equivalent.Relevant work experience in heavy duty equipment and automobile.Not more than 26 years of age.Minimum of 3 years hands-on experience.Job Title: Plant Maintenance ManagerLocation: LagosDutiesDesign maintenance progress.Research for new equipment.Implementing preventative maintenance programs.Adhering to safety regulations.Performing human resources responsibility.Plans, communicates follow ups, and monitor and control the entire daily activities of the workshop.Assessing risks.Managing expenditure and budgets.Follow manufacturers’ specifications and standards.Qualification/ExperienceB.ENG. Minimum of 10 Years’ experience.Knowledgeable in CAT Equipment and Other Heavy duty equipment.Managerial Experience.Team Leadership ability.Mastering of safety policies and best safety practices.Budgeting and spare parts management skills.Good interpersonal and communication skills.Job Title: Plant Maintenance ManagerLocation: LagosDutiesDesign maintenance progress.Research for new equipment.Implementing preventative maintenance programs.Adhering to safety regulations.Performing human resources responsibility.Plans, communicates follow ups, and monitor and control the entire daily activities of the workshop.Assessing risks.Managing expenditure and budgets.Follow manufacturers’ specifications and standards.Qualification/ExperienceB.ENG. Minimum of 10 Years’ experience.Knowledgeable in CAT Equipment and Other Heavy duty equipment.Managerial Experience.Team Leadership ability.Mastering of safety policies and best safety practices.Budgeting and spare parts management skills.Good interpersonal and communication skills.

Method of ApplicationAll interested candidates should forward their C.V (Microsoft word only, and not more than three pages) to:ddeangelo97@gmail.com . Please make the position applied for the subject of your mail. Only successful candidates willbe shortlisted

Application Deadline 31st December, 2013——————————————————

15 OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, December 21, 2013

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2013

ORDINARILY, this Christmasseason ought to usher-infestive mood at the Presidency

in Aso Rock, but whether this is so ornot is debatable.

As if the whole country has conspiredagainst President Goodluck Jonathan,the Academic Staff Union ofUniversities (ASUU) held on to itsstrike for six months, which wassuspended last Tuesday. This is evenagainst the background that nopresident has ever engaged lecturers innegotiation, but Goodluck did it for 13hours. It is also pertinent to note thatAcademic Staff Union of Polytechnics(ASUP) is already on strike, which isyet to be resolved. The challengesbesetting the Jonathan administrationtranscends the academia. At the twilightof suspending the ASUU strike, theNigeria Medical Association (NMA),the umbrella body of Nigeria medicaldoctors served notice of embarking ona nationwide withdrawal of service,which started a day after ASUUsuspended its strike. Before Nigerianscould really understood the import ofwhat was happening, the National Unionof Petroleum and Gas Workers Union(NUPENG) has also signified itsintention to go on strike early next year,if the attempt by the FederalGovernment to auction the refineries isnot aborted.

The series of crises within the polityis enough to challenge any tough leader,when you consider it against thebackground of the Boko Haraminsurgency and the crisis within the rulingPeoples Democratic Party (PDP).

To compound matters, there weretwo letters received from two prominentand highly placed Nigerians to thePresident, which cannot bediscountenanced.

The first letter done by the CentralBank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusiwas to the effect that the sum of $49.8billion, which ought to be remitted bythe state monopoly, Nigeria NationalPetroleum Corporation (NNPC) for aperiod spanning eighteen months intothe Federation Account was unremitted.The letter, though written in Septemberand addressed to the President foundits way into republic domain inDecember.

The second, which has generated alot of furore was the open letter doneby the erstwhile President, OlusegunObasanjo to Jonathan. Besides theissues contained in the epistle, somepeople have questioned the rationalebehind it. While some suggest it wasborne-out of personal interest, othersargue that it was based on frustrationexperienced by the former helmsman,because all his tentacles in the rulingparty and the government have been cut.

Some Nigerians have evenquestioned why a letter, when Obasanjohas unlimited access to the President?That, even when the erstwhile leaderexpressly stated in the openingparagraph of his letter that he wasconstrained to make it an open letterbecause of past experience, did notassuage their feelings. In a nutshell, suchpeople are alluding to the fact that ChiefObasanjo has committed a treasonablefelony, which of course can only bedetermined by a competent court of law.Again, there is divided opinion in thecontent of the letter. While a section ofNigerians strongly believe thatObasanjo has no moral duty to

A Season Of Letters

AUDACIOUSEXPLOIT

withMURTALA AGBOOLA

TEL: 0806-119-7897E-mail: murtalamuag@yahoo.com

www.osundefender.org

pontificate to Jonathan because he hasdone grievous things than Jonathan,others share the opinion that BabaIyabo did the right thing.

Some have even gone further todistinguish between the messenger andthe message. To critical analysts, theissue we should concern ourselves withis, whether the issues raised therein arecogent or not? Closely related to this,is the fact that if Obasanjo has the earsof Jonathan, but the president is notready to listen to advice, should he keepmute forever? In view of this, this classof Nigerians strongly suggests that evenif Obasanjo is a devil’s reincarnate, asa Nigerian, he should be allowed toexpress his personal feelings, which ishis fundamental human right guaranteedunder the Constitution.

As a Nigerian, I have listened toarguments on both sides of the divide.Before I make my comments known,I wish to state categorically that thiscolumn is not a fan of the Egba-OwuHigh Chief. The issues raised inObasanjo’s letter were in the publicdomain before he added his voice. Theonly one which a lot of Nigerians foundstrange was the training of snipers andthe placing of 1000 citizens on politicalwatch-list. These are people who maynot be on the same page with thePresident on national issues. Be that asit may, that allegation is weighty enoughto attract prompt response from the

•JONATHAN

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 (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.

president. However, we should notforget to remember that Obasanjo wasa one-time Head of State and equallyelected president for two terms inoffice. He therefore has a qualifiedprivilege to get information, which manyNigerians may not be privy to.

Besides, the letter made the newsbecause of the personality involved. Ifother Nigerians have said it, it wouldnot have been newsworthy, but comingfrom a former Commander-In-Chiefmakes it worthy of being seriouslyconsidered.

It is the view of this that this columnstates that the baby should not bethrown away with the bath water,simply because Obasanjo did not dowhat he ought to do during his tenure.The President, to my mind, shoulddigest the letter and provide the desiredresponse in no distant time. ThePresident can choose to ignore theletter based on some ill-advice offeredby his aides. That, however, would beto his own detriment. That brings us tothe Sanusi letter. That letter ought tohave been sent to the NNPCleadership by the presidency and theresponse should have engenderedreconciliation of accounts amongst thestakeholders such as the NNPC,Central Bank, the Federal InternalRevenue Service (FIRS) and theDepartment of Petroleum Resource.

Rather than getting the desired result,

nothing came out before awhistle-blower madeeverything bare, which hasnow cast the government in abad light. Are the governmentofficials positing that a 3-month period is not adequateenough for the CBN and NNPCto have reconciled theiraccounts? Of course, someaides may have advised thePresident to ignore theobservation made by the CBNgovernor, the backlash hassmeared president and not theadvisers, because the buckstops on the president’s table.

Whatever it takes, thePresident should brace up forthe challenges confronting thenation and courageously tacklethe problems. Some of theactions or inactions of thepresident do not portray himin a good light. The issue ofOduahgate, involving theMinister of Aviation, MsStella Oduah on the allegationof over-inflating the prices oftwo BMW cars is yet to bemade public to Nigerians. Theissue of corruption, which isthe cankerworm destroying thecountry, has elicited marginalreaction from the presentgovernment. The Jonathanadministration can certainly domore. For the first time inNigeria, the governmentseems to be working at crosspurposes and against itself. Itshows that the President is notin full control, which is verydangerous. It is my humbleopinion that it is not the numberof years one spends in powerthat matters, but the impact itis able to make in the lives ofthe citizenry.

The Presidency should comeout better to the citizens of thecountry because ultimately itis the people, who hold thesovereignty, which hastemporarily been surrenderedto elected officials. Nobody isarguing that Obasanjo is asaint or the messiah we arewaiting for, but the Presidentshould see accountability andresponsibility as ingredientsof democracy.

Nigerians are no fools andat the appropriate time, theywould give account of whateach leader did while inpower. The present situationcalls for sober reflection andappropriate response. In ademocracy, everybody isneeded, provided such afellow can vote, hence the needto accommodate everyone.

Jonathan should not see theissues raised in Obasanjo’sletter as the usual PDP familyaffair, but national issues,which need to be attended to.

In conclusion, Jonathanshould provide answers toquestions raised inObasanjo’s letter and shouldnot be swept under the carpet,thinking that after sometime,Nigerians would forget it anddeal with other issues.