VOL. 9. NO.024 NNNNN5050505050TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014

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Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-

General andMinister of

Justice? IGE

•(L-R) Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Adefulure; the deputy governor, State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; his wife, Sherifat;Chairman of the occasion/Chairman,Independent Newspapers Limited (INL), Alhaji Gambo Lawan; Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State,during the Investiture of Aregbesola as the 2013 Man of the Year, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos last Friday.

Aregbesola Clinches IndependentMan-Of-The-Year Award With A Bang

Osun Govt Accepts White Paper Report On Uwaifo’s Commission

Omisore’s Empty Campaign PromisesIyiola Omisore, for longnicknamed ‘Mr. Moneymiss-road’ eventuallylaunched his governor-ship campaign onSaturday in Osogbo,the state of Osuncapital after a peacedisturbing prelude tothe event.

His campaign launchwhich was purely agathering of miscreants,thugs and hoodlums ofall hues plus somerented crowds waswhat has been de-scribed as nothing but acharade by those whowitnessed it. And to

justify this description is thefact that even many of hisrented crowds who wouldnot hesitate to call a spadeits name did testify much tothis.The launch was so de-scribed – charade – be-cause it was full of inane

talks, lies, emptyboasts and unreal-istic campaignpromises.For a start how onearth could anysane person claimthat Ogbeni has notContinued On Pg. 5

2OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Investiture Of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola As The Independent Newspapers Ltd 2013Man Of The Year In Lagos Last Friday.

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola displaying his INL 2013 Man of the Year Award; Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti (right) and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, during theinvestiture of the governor by Independent Newspapers Limited at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, on Friday.

Governor Aregbesola delivering his acceptance speech during the investiture last Friday.

PHOTO NEWS

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OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

Aregbesola Clinches Independent Man-Of-The-Year Award With A Bang

THE Hall of Eko Hotel and Suites was filled to capacity lat Friday in honour of the State of Osun governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

It was indeed a grand oc-casion spiced with all thegrandeurs and razzmatazztypical of celebration ofachievement, hardwork andsuccess.

The crowd on its owntold the story of a people,gathered with common in-tention, who came to cel-ebrate an achiever, a leaderwith a course, a progressive,who runs people-orientedgovernment.

Thus the roll called in-cluded people of diversebackgrounds from adminis-trators to governors, sena-tors, scholars, politicians,media icons and entertain-ers.

They all converged on thelush hall of the highbrowhotel to witness the investi-ture of Aregbesola as theMan of the Year 2013 con-ferred on him by the Inde-pendent Newspapers Lim-ited.

The governor, in his ac-ceptance speech entitled:‘Encourage to do More,’said the award was a testi-mony of apparent outstand-ing performance of his ad-ministration in all sectors ofgovernment.

The highly-elated gover-nor described the award asa big challenge and clarioncall for him to be more deeplycommitted to guaranteeingpeople’s welfare, well-beingand security of lives andproperty.

He stated that by givinghim the award, the Indepen-dent Newspapers Limitedclearly demonstrated that itwas in support of nothingbut excellence, achievementand dedication to hard workby leaders.

The governor therefore,

commended the newspaperfor standing with a vast ma-jority of people who, con-tinue to express profoundappreciation of the uncom-mon good governancethrough which his govern-ment is re-engineering thesocio-economic conditionsof the state.

Aregbesola said: “In in-stituting this award and re-maining consistent with it,the Editorial Board of theINL demonstrates its com-mitment to promoting excel-lence and the virtues of hardwork, dedication andachievement, particularlyamong political office hold-ers.

“Thus, in celebrating ourground-breaking feats in thedifferent sectors of publiclife in Osun, you prove yourutmost concern with theprogress and developmentof our people.

“For me, this award is anotable gesture that willdeepen my resolve andcommitment to guaranteefreedom and make life moreabundant and meaningful tothe ordinary people as apolitical leader.

“It will motivate me to bemore devoted to theprogress and developmentof humankind. It is in viewof this that I accept theaward wholly and whole-heartedly.

“The award I am beinghonoured with today is inrecognition of the verifiablyunprecedented feats that wehave achieved in the areasof human welfare promo-tion, education, job cre-ation, and physical infra-structure development.

“It is only those, like youat INL, who were well famil-

iar with the near total ab-sence of governance inOsun prior to our coming tooffice that can properly ap-preciate the considerablechanges that my administra-tion has effected in all thesectors.”

Delivering a paper en-titled: ‘Nigeria, 1914 - 2014,The Amalgamation, the Af-termath,’ the guest speaker,Professor Itse Sagay, as-serted that for the stabilityand peace to reign in thecountry, all the major ethnicgroups, which had hithertoenjoyed independence be-fore the amalgamation of thecountry, must be given con-siderable autonomy.

Sagay, who stated that theamalgamation was for thebenefit of the British colo-nial masters, regretted thatthe development laterturned to competition andconflicts among the majorethnic groups in the coun-try in a bitter struggle forpower.

He therefore, advocatedfor addressing the nationalquestion in such a way thatautonomy would be grantedto the federating units,which had been enjoyingindependence before theforceful marriage.

The don frowned at apseudo-federalism the na-tion operates, lamenting thatthe traditional practice,whereby states run to Abujafor handout fees is grosslyanti-development.

“The amalgamation of Ni-geria by the British colonialmasters was self-serving.They did it to benefit theirown interests. Since the exitof the colonialists, the coun-try has struggled from onepolitical crisis into another.

“The situation has nowdegenerated to the extentwhereby every ethnic na-tionality struggle with an-other for power. The situa-tion needs to be addressed

and one of the solutions isfor the nation to revert to atrue federalism, where allfederating units are grantedconsiderable autonomy.

“Federal governmentshould content itself withthe general powers such asmaintaining its own Policeforce, customs and immigra-tion, defence, currencyprinting and internationalrelations.

“A tradition, whereby thestates are summoned toAbuja by an almighty cen-tral government for alloca-tion to run their states wouldnot bring the desiredprogress.

“The states should be al-lowed to control their re-sources and contribute cer-tain percentage to the Fed-eral Government. This wasthe situation during the FirstRepublic,” Sagay said.

He canvassed the oldsystem in which state con-trolled their resources andcontribute certain percent-age of it to the centre as thebest that could help the na-tion develop.

In his opening remark ear-lier, the Chairman, Indepen-dent Newspapers Limited,Alhaji Gambo Lawan, saidAregbesola’s choice as theMan of the Year 2013 by thepaper was borne out of hisoutstanding performance ininfrastructural and humandevelopment in the State ofOsun in the last three years.

According to him,achievers are to be encour-aged, so as to ginger themto do more, adding that theaward will surely bring thebest out of Aregbesola, whohe described as a lover ofservices to humanity.

In his remarks, one of thediscussants and a memberof Presidential AdvisoryCommission on NationalConference, Mr. TonyUranta, commended the g

Osun Councils Creation, A Done Deal - OSHA

THE State of Osun House of Assembly has describedthe proposed additional local government councilcreation in the state as a done deal.

The Chairman, HouseCommittee on LocalGovernment and ChieftaincyAffairs, Honourable WasiuAdebayo made theassertion on Friday duringthe committee’s tour to theproposed headquarters ofthe new councils.

The tour in its third daytook the committee to Ilarein Obokun LocalGovernment Council Area,Imo in Ilesa-East LocalGovernment Council Area,Banuso in Ilesa-West LocalGovernment Council Area,Iwara in Atakumosa -EastLocal Government CouncilArea, Ifewara inAtakumosa-West LocalGovernment Council Areaand Ipetu-Ijesa in OriadeLocal Government CouncilArea.

The lawmaker said thatsince the bill, seeking tocreate new councils isseeing as part of the stategovernment efforts to bringdevelopment closer to thepeople at the grassroots, thebill would go through.

Also, the Leader of the

House, HonourableTimothy Owoeye, urged thepeople of the state tocontinue to maintain peace,with a view to achieving thepurpose for which thecouncils are to be created.

Owoeye also urged thepeople to allow love andpeaceful co-existence to betheir priority,notwithstanding, thecommunities where theheadquarters of theproposed new localgovernment areas arelocated.

While appealing to theresidents of thecommunities to encourageand support the governor,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, hestressed that the stateparliament would considerthe speedy passage of thebill for the new councils.

In their remarks, theObanla of Ilesa, High ChiefMathew Ogedengbe;Adimula of Ifewara, ObaHezekiah Adeniyi; Awara ofIwara-Ijesa, Oba AdewaleKazeem and the Owalare of

Ilare, Oba EmmanuelAdejoro, urged thelawmakers to give the bill forthe creation of new councilsa speedy passage.

Commending thegovernor for coming up withthe idea of creating newcouncils, the monarchnoted that the councilswould further enhancedevelopment at thegrassroots.

Osun Govt Accepts White Paper Report On Uwaifo’sCommission •Leases Out Hassan Olajokun Park

GOVERNMENT of the State of Osun hasaccepted the report of the White Papercommittee on the State Truth and Reconciliation

Commission.The report was accepted

during the sixth meeting ofthe State Executive Councilin the year presided by thegovernor, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, last week.

It would be recalled thatAregbesola had after hisinauguration in office set upthe commission headed byHonourable Justice SamsonUwaifo to review cases ofhuman rights abuses in the

state from 2007 to 2010, whilethe scribe was Mr NurudeenOgbare.

The White Papercommittee headed by theState’s Attorney-Generaland Commissioner forJustice, Barrister WaleAfolabi, submitted an 85-page report out of the 205pages submitted by thecommission.

It was also agreed that

another committee be set-upto recommend togovernment amount to bepaid as compensation tovictims of various abuses inthe state during the saidperiod.

The White Papercommittee includes theState Commissioner forRegional Integration andSpecial Duties, Barrister.Ajibola Bashiru, Salimon A.W. Esq, and Senior SpecialAssistant to the Governoron Legal and JudicialReforms, Mr Ibrahim LawalEsq.

Similarly, the government

has signed a Memorandumof Understanding withWaiters Limited on themanagement of HassanOlajokun Memorial Park.

The agreement would seegovernment earningN7.5million from the lease ofthe main hall, its extension,conference room, viewingcentre and guest charlet forfive years after which theagreement is renewable.

It was also agreed thatthe period of lease for theproperty should not exceed20 years after which fullownership is returned to thestate government.

Some Of The Dignitaries At The INL’s 2013Award For Governor Rauf Aregbesola

Governor Kayode FayemiGovernor Rotimi AmaechiLagos State Members in the NationalAssemblyOsun Speaker, Hon. Najeem SalaamAlh Lateef JakandeEngr Sola AkinwumiSenator HuseinOsun Head of Service, Mr Sunday OwoeyeSenator Jide OmoworareOdunmbakuChief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega OyetolaAll Osun Commissioners and Special AdvisersAlhaji Kola YoungCol. Eni-Ibukun (rtd)Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi-Laoye Tomori, OsunDeputy GovernorMrs Orelope-Adefulire, Lagos Deputy GovernorAlh Ibrahim Musa, represented Kano StateGovernorMr Bimbo Ashiru, represented Ogun StateGovernorAlh Gambo Lawal, Chairman, IndependentNewspapersPastor Ize Iyamu, represented Edo State GovernorOshiomoleAlhaji Sheu Musa GarbaChief C.J EziguroRt. Hon Adeyemi KuforijiHon Alhaja Ayo OmidiranMany Obas and Chiefs from OsunHon Ajibola FamurewaHon AgunbiadeHon Gafar AmereHon Lasun yusufHon Lateef Ibirogba, represented Governor RajiFasholaExecutive Secretaries From OsunMr Sam OmatseyeLulu EreboyoObashekiBarr Femi IfaturotiTed Iwere, MD, Independent Newspapers LtdMr Tony Uranta, Member, National DialogueCommitteeProf Itsey SagayRotimi DurojaiyeHon (Mrs) Abike Dabiri-ErewaMr Kunle OdeyemiOtunba Lai OyeduntanHon Kola AkanjiHon Tunde IbirogbaHon Bayo OyekanmiMr Soji FadehanHon KomolafeBarr Kunle OyatomiOgbeni Kola OlabisiMr Gbenga AdebusuyiBarrister Kunle AmosBarrister Gbenga Akano

overnor for institutionalising de-mocracy which now yields abundantdividends for the majority of thepeople.

“I have heard that Osun govern-ment feeds its pupils and I have heardof the education reforms in Osun. Ifthose are the only achievements of t

he government in Osun and hedoes not do anything more, Gover-nor Rauf Aregbesola has performed,”the social commentator said.

Uranta said further that he wasdazzled with the chanting of Osunanthem, adding that "the develop-ment shows that there is still hopefor federalism in Nigeria"

They however declaredthe support of theircommunities to thegovernor towardsachieving his second termbid.

Highlight of the tour wasthe inspection of buildingsto be used as offices for thelocal councils in the areasvisited.

4 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (arrow) acknowledging cheers from pupils during the formerpresentation of the milk of knowledge in aid of the O’ Meal Programme organised by Sheri Care Foundation(SCARF) under the Office of the of the Governor of the State of Osun, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola, at Nelson MandelaFreedom Park, Osogbo, State of Osun, last Thursday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Change Of NameI, formerly known as

A D E A G B OS U N D A YOLUWOLE, now wishto be known andaddressed asA D E A G B OSUNDAY. All formerdocuments remain valid.General public shouldtake note.

Change Of NameI, formerly known as

O D E S O L AMATHEW, now wishto be known andaddressed asO D E S O L AM A T H E WOLUWASEYI. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic should take note.

Osun School Debate Winner To Be One-day Governor•Golden Cup Winner Gets N1m Price By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

ANY secondary school pupil who comes first in theSchool Debate Competition to be organised byOmoluabi Support Group in collaboration with the

Government of the State of Osun will be a ceremonial one-day governor in May this year.

Honourable Bisi Yusuf,Member of Lagos StateHouse of Assembly, whospoke on behalf of thegroup said on Thursday atthe State GovernmentSecretariat, Osogbo duringthe official cashpresentation to the winnersof the 2013 Osun GovernorsGolden Cup.

He stated that the group,in collaboration with theState Ministry of Education,will organise a schooldebate to educate the publicon Governor RaufAregbesola’s philosophyon education, which hedescribed as monumentaland complete departurefrom previous collapsed andredundant system.

Yusuf explained that theInter-unity State Debate willenlighten the pupils, andother stakeholders on thereligious intriguesintroduced by “the tinypopulation in the state toderail the globally-acknowledged educationrestructuring in the state.

He said the debate will beorganised in May this year,while the school that maycome first will get N700,000cash prize, while the groupwill also distribute onemillion exercise books to theschool pupils.

The lawmaker noted thatthe debate is to support thegovernor’s giant strides inthe state and demonstratethat what Osun intends tobe producing are first-classpupils, who will be able tocompete in technology,economy, legal and medicalprofessions and all facets oflife.

President of the group,Olu Alagbe, speaking earlierduring the presentation ofcash prizes to the winnersof the Governor’s Gold Cup2013, said the effort of thegroup is to rally support forthe second term ambition ofGovernor Aregbesola.

According to him,Governor Aregbesola hasdemonstrated uncommonzeal to develop the statethrough functionaleducation, mass roadconstruction and steadysecurity in the last three anda half years.

The group presented N1million cheque to OroluLocal Government Footballteam that came first,N500,000 to Ede-South FC,which emerged first runner,N300,000 to the secondrunner, Ede-North, whileIlesa-West got N100,000 asthird runner up.

The most valuable player,Kareem Sadiq, from Ifon-Osun, Jegade Bolatoro, theBest Goal Keeper of thetournament and highestgoal scorer, Tijani Ismaila,were also presented goldenboots and cash prizes.

The 30 local governmentcouncils and the AreaCouncil participated in thetournament last year.

Governor RaufAregbesola, speaking afterthe cash presentation,expressed gratitude toOmoluabi Support Groupand other collaborating

organisations forsupporting the vision of thegovernment to make lifemore abundant for thepeople.

He said: “It is our visionto build Osun economy tobe able to compete withLagos economy, and wehave started it. In 1999,Lagos Internally GeneratedRevenue (IGR) was N600million and now, it isbetween N20 - N30 billion.We are also moving fast inOsun. Before, it was N300million, now it’s betweenN1.2 to N1.6 billion.”

“We are determined togrow the state economy tothat level and withorganisational productivity,it is possible. It is for thispurpose that people of thissimilar ideals are workingtogether to get the desireresults.”

The governor said he wasoverwhelmed with the one-day governor proposal,which, according to him, willencourage the schoolpupils to work harder andjustify the government’shuge investment oneducation.

He however took a swipeat the opposition for “beingmischievous on the debtprofile of the state to misleadthe people. Their claim iscompletely out of commonsense.”

He said: “I always laughat them and imagine theirlevel of ignorance, whenthey roll out figures on thestate debt profile. The recentone they claimed was N600billion. I don’t know of any

bank that has that capacityto offer such loan. Evenwhen Federal Governmentwanted to borrow N150billion to finance the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Project,about 20 banks cametogether to source for themoney, which means nobank has such capacity.”

“How it is now possiblefor any bank to lend Osun,even N100 billion? This is astate with less than N64billion revenue in four years,after the payment of salariesand pension allowances.No bank will do that. NoAfrican magic in banking

industry”.“But regardless of their

ranting, the people acrossthe world are noticing ourefforts. The DailyIndependent Newspaper ispresenting Governor of theYear Award to me, not onlyon our success inconventional governance,but on alternativeperspective to governancethat puts the people as themajor focus of ouradministrations.

“In the continent ofAfrica, we are the onlygovernment that presentedlearning tablet of knowledgeto the pupils in secondary

schools. We are also theonly government feedingthe school pupils at theelementary level, apart fromthe employment of 10,000teachers, we have alsoactively engaged 40,000youths.”

“For the first time, Osunis having Armour PersonnelCarriers procured by thestate government and to theglory of God, we are doingthis not at the expense of thepeople,” the governor said.

In his votes of thanks,Lagos State DeputySpeaker, who is a member ofthe group, HonourableTaiwo Kolawole, describedt

Osun Communities Give Commitment To Sustain Proposed CouncilsBy KAZEEM MOHAMMED

COMMUNITIES in the State of Osun have expressedtheir commitment to sustain the proposed localgovernment areas when eventually created in their

areas.Leaders of the communities

stated this on Thursday duringthe tour by members of theState House of AssemblyCommittee on LocalGovernment and ChieftaincyAffairs to the proposedheadquarters of the proposedlocal government council areasin the state.

The communities visitedwere Ola, Inisa, Oguro, Ife-Odan, Masifa Isundunrin andIlawo in Ejigbo LocalGovernment, Ido-Osun inEgbedore Local Governmentand Sekona in Ede South LocalGovernment.

At Inisa-Ejigbo, the Onisaraof Inisa, Oba Job Babalola saidthat about 21 communities thatfall under the proposed councilin the area have agreed to site itin the ancient town.

Calling for the approval ofthe House, the monarchstressed that every effortwould be made to sustain theproposed council, if eventuallycreated.

At Ola, the Asiwaju of OlaLand, Professor Layi Olapadeaffirmed the importance of thenew councils, saying thecouncil would further enhance

development at the grassroots.The spokespersons of the

other communities alsocommended the state governor,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola forproposing the new councils ina bid to bring development to

the grassroots.They however gave their

commitment to continue tosupport the policies andprogrammes of theadministration.

In their separate speeches,the Chairman of the committee,Wasiu Adebayo; Leader of theHouse, Timothy Owoeye;members of the committee,Abiodun Awolola, Johnson Ojoand Yemi Taiwo appreciated

the communities for theirsupports to the government.

They said that though thecouncil cannot be createdwithout the approval of theHouse, but since the bill for thecreation of new councils hasbeen found to bedevelopmental, it woulddefinitely go through.

The lawmakers then chargedthe residents of thecommunities to encourage the

governor and support himbefore, during and after theforthcoming governorshipelection in the state.

Meanwhile, the lawmakerswere welcomed by thecommunities amidst pumpsand pegeantry.

All the communities visitedhave also made provisions forsecretariat buildings of theproposed councils if eventuallycited in their communities.

Aregbesola Urges FG To Complete Ilesa Water DamBy KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

THE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, has urged the Federal Government ofNigeria to fastrack the Ilesa Water Dam project located

at Kajola to provide potable water in the ancient town.The governor said the long

suffering of the community onprovision of water requires theattention of the FederalGovernment, which the waterdam will address, if completedtimely.

The governor tasked theFederal Government onThursday while receiving theFederal Minister of WaterResources, Mrs Sarah RengOckekpe, at the GovernmentSecretariat, Osogbo, during acourtesy visit by the minister.

Aregbesola said: “For thepast 40 years, Ilesa has not gotpublic portable water and since1951, it has been one of the 12major cities in Nigeria. Weappreciate the project because

we are also committed inproviding potable water for thepeople.

“The state government willwork together with the FederalMinistry of Water Resources toensure that there is result forhuge resources invested in thatwater dam and prevent anyform of abuse of the project.”

Also on the tourismpotentials of the water dam, thegovernor promised to visit theproject site alongside theMinistry of Tourism andTourism Board to evaluate theopportunities and determine thestate’s area of intervention.

Speaking earlier, the Ministerof Water Resources, Mrs Sarahsaid the ministry’s team was in

the state to inspect the waterproject, which is about 90percent completed.

She said the FederalGovernment will work incollaboration with the stategovernment on the second phaseafter the completion of the firstphase to increase the watersupply capacity in the city andits environs.

The minister pleaded with

the government to closely workwith the community inprotecting the facilities on thesite, saying the contractor hasassured that the project will bedelivered this year.

The water dam project inKajola is being handled by theRCC with 18 months’completion period. Ifcompleted, it will have 35million litres of water pumpingcapacity on daily basis.

News

he governor as a rolemodel in governance,saying the group willcontinue its support toensure that he returns to theGovernment House for asecond term.

Other members of thegroup include: HonourablesMuyiwa Jimoh, TayoOlaitan, Babatuntde Ayeni,Barrister Kayode Tinubuamong others.

Dignitaries at the eventincluded the Chief of Staffto the Governor, AlhajiGboyega Oyetola,President, Oranmiyan WorldWide, Prince FelixAwofisayo, former NFFSecretary, Chief TaiwoOgunjobi, among others.

55

done anything in the state in spiteof the visible unprecedenteddevelopmental strides that havetaken place under hisadministration? Isn’t only ademented mind that would saythat? For Omisore to say thatOgbeni Aregbesola hasn’t doneanything in the state is the height offalsehood, nay, dementia and thatspeaks volume of his character asliar, an hypocrite and a politicianof no shame.

Today in the state of Osun it’s onrecord that Ogbeni Aregbesola’sachievements within just threeyears plus of his administration byfar surpass that of PDP’s govern-ment of seven and a half yearseven as Ogbeni is still on themarch – not relenting in his effortsto put Osun on the world map ofdevelopment – in spite of all themonetary challenges he is facing.The exodus of people fromOmisore’s party, PDP to OgbeniAregbesola’s party, APC, on daily

basis in the state today, is a demon-stration of the love the people havefor Ogbeni for having served themwell and it is also a testament to thefaith they have in him as a leaderseen to have what it takes to takeOsun to greater heights.

If Omisore's inane talk that OgbeniAregbesola has not done well in thestate is ridiculous, more laughable ishis promise to create 300, 000(three hundred thousand) jobswithin ten days of his administrationat the rate of N75,000 per head.Lo and behold! Like the Yorubawould say; ‘blood doesn’t oozefrom the mouth of a liar’. Howfeasible is this in a state that has thechunk of its income coming fromfederation account and whoseallocation is hardly enough to settleworkers’ salary and pension? Eventhe foetus knows that this purelyunrealistic. Let Omisore thereforetell that to the marine.

Osun people are too intelligent to

be swayed by that unrealistic cam-paign promise. But for Aregbesola’singenuity and prudent management ofthe available meagre resourcesaccruing to the state, it would beimpossible to achieve all this muchwithin a period of three years.

And we must emphasise it here; totake Osun to where it is now has notbeen a tea party. It is a product ofAregbesola’s vision and his prudentmanagement of resources. For ittakes a visionary and prudent leaderofAregbesola’s ilk, not a prodigal andvisionless politician like Omisore totake Osun to where it is now havingbeen badly managed by bad manag-ers for seven and a half years.

And on this score Osun people arewont to ask him; what did he do forthe state when he was a Senator?Other than using his ill-gotten wealthto breed thugs what did he do for theyouths? In what way did he impactpositively on their lives?

All these and more are the ques-tions begging for answers.

As a Nigerian Omisore has theconstitutional right to contest for thegovernorship seat of his state andany other elective office except ifpronounced unfit by the court oflaw. But much as we agree with thisposition, we feel it’s absolutelyillogical for him to continue to usehis tongue to rubbish Aregbesola’sachievements in the state. If hebelieves in himself and his ability tolead the state let him engage in issuebased campaign and constructivedebates.

Rubbishing Aregbesola’s globallyacknowledged achievementscannot, and it will not help him inthe least.

The Osun electorate cannot beswayed by empty promises. Thepeople have tasted good gover-nance under Aregbesola and theyare not ready to waste their vote byvoting for a candidate who will onlycome to draw the hands of clock ofdevelopment backward.

APC’s Soaring Prominence: Good Fortune For NigeriaTHANK God for this fresh

opportunity in the NewYear 2014 to air my

opinion in your highlyreputable and widely-readnewspaper. I wish to commendyour noble efforts in the past;while admonishing you to carryon undeterred in your fight atwrestling our people free fromthe fangs of intellectual andideological enslavement. Someof us out here recognize andappreciate the weight of yourselfless service to our state andthe nation at large. I only wishto express my sincere hope thatmy choice of your medium isnot misplaced as I nurse nodoubts in my mind that youwill find a space for itspublication, and soonest too.

For some time now, I havekept under close observationthe trend of events andhappenings in the politicalcircles of our nation and truly,there has been a particulartrend which I personally findmost attractive and quiteinteresting. The trend has beenunfolding in phases, like aprogrammes sequence. Firstwas the metamorphosing ofthe defunct Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN), alongside someother three or four formerpolitical parties into a megapolitical party in the name ofAll Progressive Congress

(APC). This massive mergercum transformation andpooling of ideas and ideologiesalone came as the single wonderof the modern political terrainof Nigeria; as the hithertoprided political enclave, whichhad enslaved the people andtheir collective prospects ofaccessing good livingconditions is manifestation toanswered prayers. At last, theprayers and pleas of the masseshad reached the highestheavens and God has given His

assent to them. At last, it isobvious that our foistedcaptors are about to lose theirvicious grip of their “empire”.In actual fact, the developmentseemed to me the triumph ofthe masses of Nigeria.

As if the foregoing was notenough, we began to witnesswonders as various politicalgroups, apparently consideredincompatible decided to burytheir differences and unite tochart one common cause forthe forward-movement of the

nation and snatching it from theabove-referred-to vicious grip.I honestly confess that it tookdivine intervention for some ofthe sub-groups in the alliancewe now have on ground to havejettisoned their strongly-helddistinct political viewpointsand get them lost in thecommon will to rescue the poormasses from their tormentors.

No sooner these feats wererecorded than we saw the giantoppressor and self-pridedlargest political party in Africa,

the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)melting and crumblingunder the huge pressure andfierce force of change which thenation Nigeria, at its best mustwitness at this stage of itsnationhood.

I have come across o hordeof pessimists who predictedthe wave of change as notdestined to last. Another cross-section of pessimists viewedthe success of the trendimpossible. I married these twosimilar schools of thought

together and filtered them outto a conclusion that both ofthem were hinged on anerroneous conviction that theformer ruling party was farstronger than any collection ofparties could unseat. Thisthought is as foolish as daringthe omnipotence of God.

Today, we have seen howfar and well the various playershave gone in the alliance. Notonly this, we are seeing howthe new group is gaining weightand enlargement, not mindinginhibitions and hindrances. Wehave seen how various politicaloffice holders across variousparty convictions and acrossvarious arms of governmentdump their old associations forthe new alliance. We, in shortare viewing with pride from thehorizons a brighter Nigeria;with promise of better, morepeople-oriented governance forthe entire country.

As the good drama continuesto unfold, I pray that the bondof the new-found alliance waxstronger, so that we for once inNigeria could witness on anationwide scope godgovernance and the life ofabundance it engenders.

Long live Nigeria!

•LAYI ODETOLA, TaiwoRoad, Offa, Kwara State.

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Omisore’s Empty Campaign Promises

6 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014

FinanceOSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014

High Expectations; Rekindled Hope (IV)

Still ahead on the consideration of the year 2014 Appropriation Bill, whichcurrently undergoes "surgical operation" snowballing into its assent by theState of Osun House of Assembly; NIYI OLASINDE embarks on the vividtreatment of the speculative mood of residents on what goodies the budgetdocument has to offer them. He does this with a sector-by-sector perusal.

2014 Budget Of Growth, Enhancement And Development

•Build-up To Approaching Polls

•Representative of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Mr Bade Adesina (2nd left), answering questions from newsmen after the budget presentation. With him are, State Commissionerfor Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere, (3rd right); Special Adviser to the Governor on Agric and Food Security, Mr Agunbiade Festus (left); Special Adviser to theGovernor on Tourism and Culture, Mr Oladipo Soyode (at the back 2nd left ) and other dignitaries.

7 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014 MAGAZINE

High Expectations; Rekindled Hope (IV)

Contiuned from page 6

Contiuned on page 11

· Continued from last weekLIGHTS eclipsed on the last edition just

at the stage where we were startingto do justice to sending feelers out to

capturing the exact speculative mood ofresidents, people and patriots of the Stateof Osun as to what goodies to expect fromthe finished documents o the year 2014Appropriation Act, which shall any momentby now be enforceable; having passed theongoing litmus test statutorily provided forit before the honourable members of theState of Osun House of Assembly. We haveso far considered what the contents, thrustand delivery of the budget documents forthe previous years in the entire life of theincumbent administration looked like. Inother series of OSUN DEFENDERMagazine editions, we had, time and againbefore taking the plunge into the waters ofthese seas of issues; given consummateconsideration to the numerousachievements of the administration inpractically all spheres of life. It is obvious,without mincing words that underdemocratic governance, the achievementsof any administration at whatever levelspring from annual provisions loaded in theoperational budgets / Appropriation Billsof the administration. It becomes thereforea task engaged in, in stating the obviouswhen we decipher it that the Aregbesolaadministration had been, and is still anembodiment of good promises to the peopleof the state. In sharp contradistinction withsome earlier administration in the state,which spelt disaster for the state and itsteeming people, the administration came onboard to revive the ailing state. It is thereforenot going to be a misplaced trust to expectthat the 2014 State of Osun AppropriationAct would be a perfect consolidation andconsummation of the achievements of theearlier years; just before another round ofelections would signal for the administrationanother turn of service-oriented term inoffice. We now start this edition in the serieswith a recap of the latter part of the lastedition:

“THE presentation of the draft budget /Appropriation Bill for the year 2014 hadbeen a set of careful and well-packagedprogramme set on course since the middleof the just-ended year 2013. These sets ofactivities however snowballed into theofficial presentation per se at the very endof the year. The presentation of proposedbudget documents, especially to thehallowed chambers of the State House ofAssembly is a practice which enjoys ampleprovision and has illustrious precedence inlaw. It is therefore a matter of greater

•Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam, during thebudget presentation.

•ADEGBOYE: Deputy Speaker

consequence than mere formality when thebasis for the official presentation by thegovernor or his accredited representativeis brought up for discussion year after yearin the chambers of the State House ofAssembly.

Time and time again, justification wasmade for the staging and timing of publicpresentation of draft budgets at a time whenthe new financial/calendar year had started;so far as the draft budget had reached thedesk of the hallowed chambers prior to theend of the concluded year. In earlier yearsfor instance, the governor, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola and members of the State Houseof Assembly spared no effort in quotingrelevant portions of the Constitution of theFederal Republic of Nigeria to prove thatthe timing was still in order. Relevant andappropriate records show that Section 121(1) of the constitution states that:

“The Governor shall cause to beprepared and lay before the House ofAssembly at any time before thecommencement of each financial year,estimates of the revenues and expendituresof the state for the next following financialyear”

It had been on the basis of this provisionthat administrations after administrationhinged their compliance without breach.Particularly, in his budget presentation ofthe 2013 Appropriation Bill to the StateHouse of Assembly, the governor madereference to this justification just as headduced to the fact that the document thatwas being officially presented at thebeginning of the New Year had been laidbefore the house long before the end ofDecember 2012 He then pointed out thatthe presence of the executive arm ofgovernment at the hallowed chambers ofthe House of Assembly on that date was inresponse to invitation of the Assembly topublicly present the budget, in line with theopenness and transparency policy whichmarked the guiding principles of hisadministration.

It needs be stressed for the purpose ofrecords that in earlier years of hisadministration, Governor Aregbesola hadalways predicted as his years in office woreon, his administration would be movingtoward total compliance with the accuratepractice of effecting al full approvalprocedure and implementation of thebudget for the New Year at the very start ofthe calendar year on January 1. A clearattestation to this claim is the fact that theProposed 2014 Appropriation Bill wasplaced and presented before the State Houseof Assembly by the end of 2013. The officialpresentation therefore came slightly earlier

than that of the previous year. This is animprovement; as it is hoped that insubsequent years into the second tenureof his administration, the state shall beexperiencing total adherence to thatstipulated principle.

On Tuesday, December 31, 2013, thegovernor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAdesoiji Aregbesola presented theproposed budget 2014 before the hallowedchambers of the State of Osun House ofAssembly. The presented budget is of thesize Two-Hundred and sixteen Billion,Seven-Hundred and Forty-Five Million,Two-Hundred and Thirteen Thousand, Two-Hundred and Sixty Naira (N216,745,213,260.00).

Presenting the budget on behalf of thegovernor, the Special Adviser to thegovernor on Budget and EconomicPlanning, Mr. Bade Adesina extrapolatedthe details and breakdown of the proposedbudget. According to the presented details,the budget comprised a total amount of One-Hundred and Nineteen Billion, One-Hundred and Thirty-Six Million, Nine-Hundred and Thirty-Two Thousand, andSix-Hundred Naira (N119, 136,932,600.00) inCapital Expenditure, which constitutes 55per cent of the Total Budget Expenditure.The Total Recurrent Expenditure is sized atNinety-Seven Billion, Six-Hundred and EightMillion, Two-Hundred and EightyThousand, Six-Hundred and Sixty Naira(N97,608,280,660.00), representing 45 percent of the Total Expenditure for the year.

It was bared at the presentation that thebudget for the year is tagged “Budget ofGrowth, Enhancement and Development”;and that the budget, like its earlier ones ispremised on the Six-Point Integral ActionPlan of the Mr. Governor’s administration.Osun Defender Magazine shall find it mostappropriate at this juncture to quote excerptsfrom the budget speech presented at theaugust epoch-making occasion:

“The budget is about growth,enhancement and development. It clearlyshows the ratio that is of best internationalpractices, in terms of recurrent and capitalexpenditure. That is why our capitalexpenditure is far higher than the recurrentexpenditure.

“Part of our agenda is to drive the IGRmore critically in the 2014 fiscal year. Wehave to use initiative financing withadequate measure to provide necessaryfinancial structure for most of ourdevelopmental projects.

“We will focus clearly on Public –Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives,which is the practice going round all overthe world now”.

A critical look at the budget for the NewYear revealed that the budget size is a lowerthan that of last year, which was sized atabout N234 Billion. The analysisaccompanying the presentation observedthe budgets as similar documents, as theyboth reflect the reduction in the oilbenchmark from $79 per barrel to $77.5 perbarrel and the numerous cases of oil theft.

The next edition(s) shall bare theremaining details of the occasion of thepresentation, the responses trailing thepresentation and the general expectationsfrom the budget implementation for the year2014.”

In keeping faith with our promisesresounded so eloquently in the paragraphabove, we now begin this edition withfeelings about the proposed AppropriationBill at the point of its presentation on thevery last day of year 2013.

In his response at the occasion, theSpeaker of the State of Osun House ofAssembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam gavethe assurance that the state parliamentwould as expected do justice to the budget;while the people’s interest would be madeto prevail. Sounding a note ofcommendation, the Speaker applauded theperformances of the Governor, hisindefatigable team and the entire cabinet inthe implementation of the Budget 2013, theperformances of which he described asabove expectations. He went further toexpress hope that the 2014 proposedAppropriation Bill, when eventually passedinto law, would be executed to meet thedemands, yearnings and aspiration of thepeople. In addition to this, the Speaker inhis comments on the ongoing considerationof the proposed appropriation bill duringthe recently-held episode of the audienceparticipation programme organized at theinstance of the incumbent administration,held during the penultimate week at Ikire,the headquarters of Irewole LocalGovernment Council Area of the state,promised that the hallowed chambers whichhe chairs would do proper, detailed andconcise “surgical operation” on thedocument in order to make it impact morepositively the lives of all and sundry in theState of Osun. The episode of GbangbaD’ekun, held for the people of the Ayedaade/ Irewole / Isokan federal Constituency inthe State of Osun took place at AyedaadeGrammar School, Ikire. These expressionsof avowed determination of the house bynone less than its Speaker are enoughtestifiers to it

8 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014 PHOTOTALK

State Governor Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s Associates In Lagos, Celebrated HisINL’s Man-Of-The-Year-Award Last Saturday At A Reception In Ikeja.

(L-R) Deputy Governor State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori; wife of the governor, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola and member, House of Representatives, Honourable AyoOmidiran, during the reception for Governor Aregbesola.

•(L-R) Hon. Olu Agunsoye; Assistant Chief of Staff to the Governor on Legal Matters,Barr. Gbenga Akano and interim Secretary, All Progressives Congress, Osun Chapter,Prince Gboyega Famodun, during the reception.

•Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun Chapter, Elder Adebiyi Adelowo (left)and the Deputy Spaeker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Taiwo Kolawole (right),during the reception.

•(L-R) Chairman, O’School, Otunba Lai Oyeduntan; Special Adviser to the Governor on Millennium Development Goals, Mr Abdullahi Binuyo and another dignitary during areception Party, organized by the Mandate Group in honour of Governor Aregbesola after his conferment as Man of the Year 2013 by Independent Newspapers Limited, Lagos, lastSaturday.

9 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014PHOTOTALK

State Governor Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s Associates In Lagos, Celebrated HisINL’s Man-Of-The-Year-Award Last Saturday At A Reception In Ikeja.

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola (with mic on the podium), addressing his admirers, during a reception in his honour on his conferment as Man of the Year, 2013 by IndependentNewspapers Limited, Lagos, last Saturday.

•Former Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Leke Pitan (right) and Chieftain, AllProgressives Congress (APC), Mr Ayokunnu Akande (left), during a reception organizedby the Mandate Group in honour of Aregbesola, on the occasion.

(L-R) Chairman, Badagry Local Government, Mr Moses Husitode; Chief of Staff to Gov-ernor of Osun, Mr Gboyega Oyetola; All Progressives Congress (APC) interim organizingSecretary, Lagos State, Mr Kola Predgneno and Chairman Yaba Local Council Develop-ment Area (LCDA), Hon. Jide Jimoh, during a reception for Aregbesola in Lagos lastSaturday.

(L-R) Member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Tejuoso Funmilayo; Deputy Speaker, Hon Taiwo Kolawole and Secretary, Ojudu Local Government, Hon. Abayomi Tijani, duringthe reception.

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014PHOTOTALKInvestiture Of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola As The Independent Newspapers Ltd 2013Man-Of-The Year In Lagos Last Friday.

•Guests who rose in commemoration of the conferment of the award.

•Aregbesola being congratulated by the State Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola and the Speaker, Hon. Najeem Salaam shortly after the investiture.

•(L-R) Lagos Deputy Governor, Mrs Orelope-Adefulire; Osun Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori, INL Chairman; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his wife,Sherifat, on the occasion.

11 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014 MAGAZINE

High Expectations; Rekindled Hope (IV)Contiuned from page 7

Contiuned on page 12

•AREGBESOLA •LAOYE-TOMORI

that all hands are already on the deck tohand in a credible budget document whichthe people would be proud of; and whichwould multiply the dividends of democracyamong the people of the state.

In a similar development, the Chairmanof the State of Osun house of AssemblyCommittee on Finance and Appropriation,Honourable Kamil Oyedele observed thatthe executive arm had prepared the budgetwithin the current reality of the revenue baseof the state. Upon this, he still expressedoptimism that the 2014 Budget would work,vowing that the legislative arm ofgovernment would be on the neck of all theagencies of government to perform betterin the area of revenue generation. Alongthis direction, readers are reminded that theState House of Assembly owes it a duty todischarge its oversight duty and obligationover the successful implementation ofAppropriation Bills for each year.

Since the official presentation of theproposed 2014 State of Osun AppropriationBill before the members of the hallowedchambers of the State House of Assembly,reaction have been trailing the documentsas a large cross section of residents of thestate express their hopes, expectations,yearnings ant aspirations for the year, mostespecially, within the context of the budget.Results of surveys conducted by OSUNDEFENDER Magazine news crew revealedthat optimism of good success trailed thepresentation, as the good work of theadministration remain visible all over thenooks and crannies of the state. Most ofthe people who spoke with our crewexpressed their optimism that all worksalready kick-started during earlier years ofthe administration, and which are still inprogress would be brought to final stage ofcompletion within the provision of thebudget.

In many quarters, results of findingsshowed that people express confidence overthe ability of and trust in the administrationto roll out yet another batch of numerousprojects which would be in the overallinterest of the good people of the state.OSUN DEFENDER Magazine now turnsto a sector-by-sector analysis ofexpectations from the 2014 AppropriationAct of the State of Osun.

•Agriculture and Rural Development;Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and FoodSecurityMUCH transformation has been

witnessed in this sub-sector sincethe advent of the Rauf Aregbesola

administration in the State of Osun.Recently, the announcement came live onthe state-owned media stations of names offresh allottees for farming on the various

farm settlements within the confines of thestate. These same announcements wererelayed on the pages of some renownednational dailies. The effort is another in thelineup of exertions to boost agriculturalproductivity, integration and sustainablefood security; as well as boosting the state’sinternally-generated revenue base of thestate. This effort is in itself has come asfulfillment of promises ad a ready-madeanswers to desires and expectations fromthe 2014 Budget still in the theatre omidwifery. Agriculture is the mainstay andprime sustainer of our economy in the South-West in particular; and in the Nigerian nationin general. It is on this note that we boldlyassert that the overwhelming importance ofthis sub-sector to our socio-economic lifeand our overall prosperity cannot beoveremphasized. This is more so becauseabove 70 per cent of our working populationis engaged in this industry and all forms offarming enterprises. In full cognizance ofthis fact, the Rauf Aregbesola administrationhas vowed not to renege in its determinedefforts at investing massively in foodproduction, food security and agriculturein entirety. The activities of government inthis regard have transcended mere lip-service. The Osun Rural Enterprise andAgricultural Programme (OREAP) has takenoff effectively. It had, during the yearspreviously under review, given birth to suchother programmes like O’Beef, O’Fish,O’Honey and chicken production. Thenumber of “O” programmes in thisconnection is still counting. As the 2012Budget contained much promise in the areaof agriculture, so it was that at the end ofthe year, the trust of the people for a fruitfulyear of bumper harvest was not betrayed.This position is true of the state and of theincumbent administration up till date.

The incumbent administration under theleadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola hadin 2011 embarked on various programmesgeared towards boosting agriculturaloutput in the state. One of such was theland validation exercise carried out in fourout of the nine farm settlements in the state,to determine the status of the performanceof the settlers. While doing that, thegovernor did promise that the exercise shallbe extended to all other farm settlements inthe state. Ogbeni has made good his promisein the past year by fully validating the otherfarm settlements and funding them all intofull capacity, as well as restoring them totheir pride of place of old. Gladly, we openedour documentary of numerousachievements in this sub-sector in thecurrent year with the mention of recent giantstrides on our state-owned farm settlements.Needless to say; this current year 2014promises to bring in the best of bumperharvest for the state and launch it ahead to

a place of prominence and greater economicprosperity among the comity of states inthe federation. Greater laudableachievements are still expected as the yearunfolds. The government on its parspromises to keep faith with its avowedpledge to make life more abundant for thepeople and transform their living standardsthrough sustainable agriculturalprogrammes and projects; especially, bymoving the state upward from its stagnantposition below the poverty line to a higherpedestal of higher per capita income.

In order to facilitate the transportation ofagricultural produce from the farms, as muchas a total of 45-kilometre access and 25kilometre feeder roads were constructedduring the year 2011 to link farm settlementswith the urban centres. According togovernment sources, the list of affected farmsettlements includes Mokore, Era Oke / EsaOdo, Iwo / Patara and Orile Owu and AgoOwu. The willingness and readiness of theGovernment of the State manifested in itsintensified efforts at providing access /feeder roads in the rural areas in thesubsequent fiscal years – 2012 and 2013 inparticular. Today, there are a high numberof these local roads under construction; andthe government at the state and local tiersare collaborating to work assiduously tobring these projects to safe and logicalconclusion within the remaining time for thecompletion of the administration’s firsttenure in office. On its own part, the Stateof Osun House of Assembly is intensifyingits oversight function to ensure that allprojects of road construction adhere strictlyto, and abide by safety and qualitystandards. This year however, expectationsare high among the populace that theseroads shall be ready for use and handedover to the people, for whom they wereconstructed. The hope is high that by thetime of their completion and delivery, thecoast would have been clear for a rapidtransformation of the agriculture sub-sector;and that of the fortunes and economicprosperity of the people of the State of Osun.

In the area of empowerment of farmers, atotal of 3,776 farmers’ cooperative societieswere registered in the 2011 fiscal year; outof which 66 benefitted from N153 Millionloan disbursed by the Government of theState under its quick impact interventionprogramme. The year 2012, it is placed onrecord, also witnessed bumper productionof broilers through the Osun Poultry GrowerProduction Scheme; a tripartite arrangementinvolving the Government of the State, anagric concern (Scheme Manager) and thePoultry Association of Nigeria. It was alsoto the awareness and the gladdening delightof all stakeholders in the field of agriculturein the state in the years under review thatmore than N40 Million out of the N1 Billionobtained under the Commercial Agriculture

credit Scheme, as early as the first quarterof the year 2012. A large number of poultryfarmers in the state who had benefitted fromthe scheme in year 2011 were alsoopportune through the scheme to expandthe scope of their poultry farms under a well-guaranteed market for their broilerproduction in year 2012. The effort had sincewitnessed an upward swing.

Equally worth of note is the fact that atotal sum of N621 Million was releasedduring the year 2011 for the procurement ofmodern agro-inputs which included 3,580metric tonnes of fertilizer; 14.68 metrtic tonesof improved maize and rice seeds andvarious quantities of agro- chemicals. Apartfrom the 42.50 per cent subsidy providedby the Government of the State, farmers werealso granted loans pending harvesting andmarketing of their produce to be able to buyfertilizer. The Government of the State didpromise and did actually redeem the promisein the just-concluded fiscal year to givenecessary encouragement to farmers bymaking fertilizer available to them atsubsidized rates.

In the unfolding of the variousagricultural policies for the year 2013 andthe previous years; the governor reasonedthat the State of Osun is an agrarian economywith arable fertile soil, which can only bemoved forward positively by revolutionizingits Agriculture. As all indications around ushave shown, the focus and pursuits of theadministration since inception have driftedtoward this inclination. The foregoing camein affirmation of our earlier claims that theGovernment Unusual of Ogbeni RaufAregbesola prioritizes agriculture and seesit as a vital means to attain its lofty ends ingovernment. It further confirms the claimslaid to it above that the helmsman of theState of Osun accords great emphasis tothe Six-Point Integral Action Plan of hisadministration, on the basis of which hemade his pact with the people of the stateduring his election campaign prior to the2007 Gubernatorial Elections. True to hispromises and pact, the administration ofOgbeni has been proving well its worth andmettle by prompt, consummate and accuratedelivery of his (Ogbeni’s) election promises.Staunch evidence to this is found in theassessment of his administration for the year2012 and earlier years; in terms of priorityattention given to the sector and its varioussub-sectors, huge yearly budgetaryprovisions, provision of infrastructuralamenities aimed mainly to open up ruralareas to urban areas, employmentgeneration and youth empowerment, amongothers. Excerpts of his speech regarding thisarea run as follow:

“In the out-gone year, under the FarmSettlement Scheme, we provided land for

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014 MAGAZINE 12

High Expectations; Rekindled Hope (IV)

Continued from page 7

•A cross section of members of the State of Osun House of Assembly during the budget presentation.

potential farmers in the state. Theprogramme covers nine different locationsacross the state with a total of 3,456settlers cultivating 17,280 hectares offarmland. Access/feeder roads of thesettlements received priority attention withthe construction of a total of 77.2 kilometreroads in settlements, namely Mokore, Ago-Owu, Ogedengbe/Ago-Owu, Esa-Oke/Esa-Odo, Iwo and the link road between Ago-Owu and Ijebu-Igbo. As part of the presentadministration’s efforts to banish hunger,150 hectares of virgin farmland werecleared and allocated to 30 prospectivefarmers in Akinleye, Iwo farm settlementsand Mokore cooperative farm at Ago-Owuunder the aegis of Osun Rural Enterpriseand Agricultural Scheme (OREAP). In ourefforts to boost food production, O’REAPYouth Academy was established. Already,48 youth have been selected for trainingin Germany under an exchange programmewith the State of Saxony Anhalt. Theprogramme, as conceptualized, aims atproducing modern-day farmers equippedwith modern technologies in agriculturethereby ensuring food supply atsustainable basis. The programmerecruited 610 O-YES cadets at 20 per LGAand 10 from Ife East Area Office to kick-start the programme in the State of Osun.The participants of the programme arecurrently receiving intensive training innine training centres.”

OSUN DEFENDER Magazine is at thisjuncture committed to unveil theactualization of the promise of theadministration just bared above, concerningthe training of the selected youths of thestate’s origin in the German State of Saxony.Today, it is highly commendable that theAregbesola administration has sent thevibrant youths, numbering upward to aboutfifty, selected from the length and breadthof the nine Federal Constituencies whichthe state comprises. The youths, who hadbeen selected in just, fair and objectivemanners, are receiving a three-monthintensive training in virtually all areas ofagricultural endeavour, which includeanimal husbandry, soil science, croppropagation, agroprocessing, foodpreservation, feeds milling and others. Thiseffort came courtesy of the StateGovernment’s intervention innovationcalled Quick Intervention Programme.

Since the arrival in batches of trainees inGermany of the state’s contingents oftrainees in various fields of agriculture, weexpect that their acquired expertise beingput to practice shall be brought to bear onthe state’s agricultural productivity andtransformation from crude practice tomodern farming approaches. Thesubsequent training programmes organizedand conducted by these competentGermany-trained personnel shall furtherreduce the spate of unemployment in thestate; especially among the youths. Finallyon this sub-sector, it is noticed that sincemost agriculture-oriented programmes are

perennial or long-term in nature, they takelong time to mature. It is therefore hopedthat the Aregbesola administration shallcontinue assiduously in its pursuance ofits already-initiated programmes andprojects; nourishing them to a logicalconclusion thereby.

It was revealed that during the same yearunder review, 97 hectares of land was putinto cultivation by the participants of theprogramme and that efforts were in top gearto form the participants of the academy intoregistered cooperative groups withassistance from the government as part ofthe exit strategy for the OYES cadets inJanuary/February 2013. This goal has bynow been realized, as the 2010/2012 Batchof OYES cadets have already beengraduated into the labour market. Also,already, another batch of OYES cadets, i.e.the 2013/2015 Batch, comprising 20,000vibrant unemployed youth has beenrecruited; a substantial part of which is toreceive functional training in areas offarming, animal husbandry and dairyfarming and entire agriculture practice.

In addition, Mr. Governor’s assessmentof his government’s performance in theprevious year in the field of agriculture wasrevealing of the following facts:

“In order to inculcate the virtue ofdignity of labour in our young schoolleavers as well as make a career inagriculture in the face of non-existing jobsin our society, 47 secondary schools acrossthe State of Osun were assisted with inputsof piglets and cockerels under Agriculture-In-Schools-Programme. A total of 100hectares of farmland was cultivated bythese schools for the production of cassava,maize, red cocoyam and vegetables. It isexpected that proceeds from theprogramme, especially, red cocoyam, willbe extended to the Elementary Schools’Feeding Programme. Also, efforts would bemade in the current year to expand thescope of the programme.”

In pursuance of the foregoing, incentivesare already being provided by governmentin the current year for actual practisingfarmers; especially through their registeredfarmers’ cooperative societies Also, thefollowing exploits and feats were made invarious sub-sectors of agriculture duringthe period under review; with high promiseof greater performances this current yearand during the entire life-span of theAregbesola administration:

“In the area of seedlings production,100,000 and 40,000 seedlings and oil-palm respectively were raised and sold atsubsidized rates. In addition, 1,796plantain suckers, 24,473 cashew seedlings,1,531 potted root stocks for budding wereraised in 2012. Moreover, 221,930 hybridcocoa pods from hand pollination wereproduced. Under the capacity building ofmodern-day cocoa production, 22 farmers’field schools were established while 20,000sachets of fungicide, 13 solo pumps and136 litres of avestrin were distributed tofarmers. In the area of livestock

development, 115,515 animals comprisingcattle, sheep, goats and pigs passedthrough the nine control posts in the state.”

The following other feats and exploitswere recorded during the year under review:Under animal diseases control we were madeto realize that 135 surgical cases wereattended to while 8,268 samples fromvarious animal species were sent forconfirmatory test. Also 50,128 animals ofvarious animal species were investigatedand diagnosed for various diseases, 84,844fowls were inoculated against variouspoultry diseases. It also came to the forethat under veterinary epidemiology, 5,581dogs and 2,168 cats were vaccinated againstrabies infection while 25,000 sheep andgoats were similarly vaccinated against kata.Active surveillance of birds andsensitization were also stepped up in theyear to check-mate trans-boundaryemerging diseases from the neighbouringstates, especially, Avian Influenza (AI). Thesub-sector also received a boost during theoutgone year with the implementation of theOsun Broilers Outgrowers ProductionScheme (O’BOPS) under OREAP. A total of1,186,860 Day-Old Chicks Broilers wereproduced and supplied to 224 participatingfarms as at 22nd November, 2012. Theassessment of the scheme, according toGovernor Aregbesola revealed that over 783jobs were generated with an estimated 7,830farmlands empowered indirectly.

The governor accounted that under thesub-sector 3, fish farm estates wereestablished at Esa Odo, Iwo and Okuku,each on a 50 hectare of land to boost proteinintake of the citizens of the state as well asgenerating employment to reduce youthrestiveness in the state. As far as the currentyear is concerned, the governor promisedthat over 3,000 ponds would be dug andallocated to over 3,000 interested fishfarmers when the project is fully operational.An impressive revelation that came to thefore is that in government’s efforts to boostfish production, the government is incontinuous collaboration with a privatescheme manager in Okuku Osun FishOutgrowers production Scheme (O-POPS)on fish production. The scheme was definedas one that is aimed at promoting fishproduction as well as providing trainingground for youths in Osun. Under thescheme, 120,000 catfish fingerlings stockedin July 2012 were said to have reached 1kilogramme each by the middle of December2012 for cropping and sale. It was furtherrevealed that 24 OYES cadets were currentlyundergoing training in fish production atthe centre in Okuku. These cadets are partof the recently-graduated first batchbeneficiaries, and are already self-employedthrough assistance from the government.

It was also placed on record howgovernment engaged in the provision ofagricultural inputs in the outgone year, tothe extent that the state distributed 2,160metric tones of fertilizer to farmers. Otherinputs made available to farmers included10,242 metric tones of maize seeds,1,283kilogrammes of solid and 2,902 litres of liquid

herbicides/insecticides, 89 tubes ofinsecticides, 24.16 kilogrammes offungicides at subsidized rates. Regardingthe implementation of the Third NationalFadama Development Project (FADAMAIII), government was said to have releaseda sum of N196.3 million as counterpartfunding, The project, it was revealed, hadassisted rural communities in the provisionof infrastructural facilities such as accessroads, cold rooms as well as productiveassets like tools, agro-processingequipment, livestock and fisheries facilities.The Government of the State of Osun thenrenewed pts avowed support to theprogramme to ensure its success.

In his final assessment of theperformance of the sector for the year 2012,the governor had the following remarks tomake:

“There is no doubt that agriculturalsector in 2012 witnessed tremendousimprovement vis-à-vis the huge investmentby the Government. In the current year,Government will definitely improve on thisas new programmes/projects have beenfactored into 2013 budget to furthersustain the current achievements, if notsurpassed. Those programmes/projectsinclude: Arable Crop NurseryDevelopment; Feeding African Project;Young Farmers Club; Multiplication of RedCocoyam, and Best AgriculturalPractices.”

To facilitate and enhance the gesturementioned earlier on in the course of thisdiscourse, an independent committee ofexperts was constituted in 2011 with a viewto advising government on the distributionof fertilizer to genuine practising farmers aspart of government’s resource optimizationstrategies. In validation of this, thegovernment confirmed that the statecurrently has reserve of fertilizer and agro-inputs for active genuine farmers. Given theimportance attached to agriculture and ruraldevelopment sub-sector, a total sum of N5.6Billion was provided in the 2012 Budget tofund the various government programmesin agriculture and rural development in thejust-concluded fiscal year (2012). Theprovision set aside and implemented for theyear 2013 was higher than this. Going bythe above analysis of feats in the area ofAgriculture, Food Security and RuralDevelopment, it is much fervently hopedthat this year 2014 shall be one of greaterconsolidation of achievements and loftygrounds already gained. In the light of this,the Government of the State of Osun isexpected to devote greater budgetaryprovisions to this all-important sub-sector.Also, since the government had not, in thepast years, been out with its entireexhaustive list of intended programmes,policies and schemes in this area, more ofnew innovative programmes are expectedto be rolled out in the current year, 2014.

To be continued

Continued from page 11

13 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014INTERVIEW

AREGBESOLA BOMBS OMISORE

Osun 2014: Omisore, PDP AreDay-dreamers – Aregbesola

Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has described the plan by a former deputy governor of the state,Senator Iyiola Omisore and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to dislodge his administration in the cominggovernorship election as mere day-dream.

The governor, who spoke through his Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, BarristerAjibola Basiru, said both Omisore and the PDP are just raising unrealistic hopes in their quest to win theforthcoming governorship election slated for August.

Senator Omisore, who is eyeing the state governorship seat, had in an interview published last weekend bySaturday Sun, accused the governor of sundry allegations.

In this interview with VINCENT KALU, Basiru said Omisore is a personality at home with falsehood, accusinghim of being a pathological liar, who has nothing to offer the people of the state. Excerpts:

Osun guber election is few monthsaway, what is the state of affairsthere?

Since the advent of Rauf Aregbesolaadministration, the state has witnessedmassive development in all sectors ofthe society, mostly in the areas of roads,infrastructure, health services,education, employment, legal reforms,and social welfare to our people. It is apromise kept.

Former deputy governor and PDPguber aspirant, Senator IyiolaOmisore has been accusing thegovernor of running the stateaground. What is your reaction?

Senator Omisore has nothing to offerthe state, so what he can only do is totell lies, which are shameful anduncoordinated. Come to Osun and seethe massive development going on, yetsomebody is saying there is nothing onground, that the state has beengrounded. It is either the person is apathological liar or has not been in tunewith the people of the state. As I speak, a world-class primary school is being commissioned by the governor in Ilarawhere Omisore comes from. Thirteenof such schools across the state havebeen completed. This is a standardschool that leading private schools inNigeria will struggle to meet.

Even in Ife where he comes from,several roads that are very essential tothe people have been completed. But,for seven and half years of PDP in thestate, those roads were not done. Rightnow, the administration has completedover 3,500 kilometres of road in thestate. When Senator Omisore madepublic declaration to run forgovernorship, he stayed at NelsonMandela Freedom Park developed bythis administration. Is it not ironical forsomebody to stay in such a beautifulplace to make his declaration to turnaround to say the state has beengrounded? Is not a bare-faced lie?

His campaign is predicated onfalsehood. He said he is on rescuemission, but you only rescuesomething that is in a state ofjeopardy.

For now, what Aregbesola has doneis to rescue the state from gloom andjeopardy it was during the PDP rule.

Before we took over government,flooding was a major problem butwithin a short time, we did massive

channelization and dredging andflooding became a thing of the past.Last year, and year before last thatthe country witnessed swriousflooding, there was no flooding inOsogbo, Ilesha and other areas. Doeshe want to set the state back to its pastravaging flood?

In the area of education, the NationalBureau of Statistics, which is a FederalGovernment agency said, the state hasthe highest number of public schoolenrolment. The same agency also saidthat when it comes to tacklingemployment that we are the second,after Niger. Again, when it comes toHuman Development Index, which iscritical particularly in MillenniumDevelopment Goal (MDG), Osun israted best. We didn’t release thestatistics.

Coming to the critical areas, all thathe said were embedded in falsehood.For instance, he said only 900 Opon-Imo computer tablets were distributedto students in the state. As at today,23,100 Opon-Imo have been distributed.It is either he is not in tune with hispeople or he is just a liar for him to sayonly 900 were distributed. We intendedto distribute 150,000 Opon-Imo butbrought in 50,000, alreadymanufactured. The intention of thegovernment is to produce the remaining100,000 in the state so that we can havetechnology transfer and be able to growour economy and create employmentfrom that massive investment we aredoing in that sector.

Another lie is that he said N8 billionhas been spent on Opon-Imo. Atpresent, only N1.2 billion has been spent

on Opon-Imo and this includes about N8million to Macmillan for supply of textbooks to schools.

He also shamefully lied when he saidthat school uniforms cost N400. Evenin the market, the lowest grade ofmaterial is China cotton, which costsbetween N250 and N300 per yard, andexcept for a toddler, I don’t know whichpupil or student will use one yard to sewschool uniform.

If SS students should use about threeor four yards of even the lowest grade,the cost of such uniform will not be lessthan N1200 and yet Senator Omisoresaid only N400 was used for uniform,his lie was not even intelligent. This issomebody who was Chairman ofAppropriation Committee of the Senateto come up with such an unintelligentposition. These are just examples toshow that that he is

Continued on page 14

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OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014 14INTERVIEW

predicating his campaigns on falsehood.

Contrary to the falsehood that Omisoreis peddling that the government wasmaking N2000, there are three sets ofuniforms; one for elementary school,grade1 to 4 is N1,500, the one for middleschool is N1, 750; the one for SS1 – SS3, is N1,950. How can the governmentmake N2,000 out of every uniform, whenthere is no uniform in Osun that is morethan N2,000?

By bringing this uniform project, wehave empowered at least 3,000 peoplewho are employed in the garment factory.To appreciate the economic sense of thisuniform project, the Bank of Industrysupported the garment industry withN500 million loan. He should bury hishead in shame for such lies.

How is the debt profile of the statebecause Senator Omisore said it wasfrightening and above N80 billion?

This is part of the unfortunate aspectof the Nigerian society. Somebody likethat who had served as chairman ofSenate Appropriation Committee does notknow what budget deficit is. It is whenyour projected revenue is far less thanyour projected expenditure. Go and lookat the budget of Osun from 2011 to 2014,ours has been balanced budget becausethere is no point in time that our projectedrevenue was less than our projectedexpenditure. Even, he doesn’t know therudiment of budgeting even though he hadoccupied a high office.

His claims of what the state owes iseven ridiculous. He said the state owesN430 billion and later the state chairmanof his party, who is semi-literate said weowed N623 billion.

You cannot get facility more than yourcapacity. The carrying capacity of Osunbased on IGR and statutory allocationcannot be more than N60 billion perannum. So, which financial institutionor investor will lend you that kind ofmoney of the tune of N430 billion orN623 billion as claimed by them?

When we went to capital market, wepublished details of our financialmanagement and raised N30 billion. Howdid they arrive at these bogus claims?Somebody who claims that schooluniform costs N400 will lie aboutanything.

He and his political party were amazedover the massive development in Osunand the only thing they can do is to lieabout everything. If we had taken N430billion, where is it, in private account thatthe Federal Government, CBN, EFCC andICPC have not discovered it. It just showsthat a man bereft of ideas will tell lies toventilate his aspiration.

Go to the website of Debt ManagementOffice and see if you will find any supportfor their claims.

As far as this government is concerned,we are committed to financialtransparency. In this regard, we havemade four important laws – The DebtManagement Office law, FiscalResponsibility Commission law, we alsohave Bond Note law, which regulates ouraccess to the capital market and theConservation Fund law, which we haveset aside N4.2 billion for the purpose ofensuring that the state is never cashstranded. Under this, we have futuregeneration fund, infrastructure fund andstabilization fund. When you look at this,it shows an administration that is not onlyconcerned about the present generation

but also the future.

What was the financial situation as atthe time we took over? The state wasborrowing almost N1 billion to be able tooffset salaries. As at the time we tookover, the IGR was between N320 millionand N350 million, but now, it is aboutN1.2 billion without burden of taxes.

This fact shows that the so-calledOmisore’s rescue mission is one that ison reverse gear to take our people to thelevel of retrogression, darkness of thePDP administration.

Omisore said the OYES programmeis degrading and dehumanizing theyouths. Your take on this?

The World Bank sent representativesof the Federal Government and otherstates to come and under study the OYESprogramme.

The OYES programme by the FederalGovernment was borrowed from OYESin Osun and to the extent that other statescopied it. He is a member of the rulingPDP that saw something good in theprogramme and copied it.

Also, the World Bank adopted OYESas a model for critical youth engagementin Africa. We now have the second batchof OYES. The first batch were 10,000people and out of this, some have beenengaged as artisans and some in civilservice.

Ask him how many persons wererecruited into the civil service for theseven and half years his party was ingovernment.

Secondly, we have also trained OYESpeople in technology to give manpowersupport to our technology institute,

already commissioned in Ilesha. Some ofthem are training in Germany on modernagricultural practice. So, the visionbehind OYES is to create employment andempowerment for the people.

What was his party doing for sevenand half years that they couldn’t providejobs? For the jobs they provided throughtheir programme, they were payingN5000 to the people.

For you to see the foolery of his claims,as at the time we advertised before theprogramme came into being, we didn’tmince words that we were going to payN10,000 and we told them the specificassignment. It will surprise you that250,000 youths – graduates, undergraduates etc applied.

This shows that as at the time PDPreigned in Osun, it was a state ofhopelessness in terms of employment.Because of our allowances, we were onlyable to take about 20,000. If 250,000 applied for a job advertised for 20,000,you can only imagine the state ofhopelessness in terms of unemploymentthat we inherited.

He said OYES is dehumanizing thepeople. It is unfortunate, one has to takeposition with evidence but he has none.

This shows a man without profoundthinking who just opens his mouth to sayanything.

At his declaration, he said he has eight-point programme and how does he wantto achieve it? This is a person when hewas in the Senate as a leading member ofPDP, they left Osun in a hopeless stateand it is now transformed to state of hopeand prosperity.

Senator Omisore has warned any

bank in Osun to collect their debtbefore August as he would not pay suchdebt. What has been the reaction ofbanks to this?

This goes to show him as a mere day-dreamer. It is only people who don’t havedeep-rooted thinking, humility and the fearof God, who puts anybody in power. Itshows the kind of bad image they aregiving to the Presidency because he hasbeen going around telling people that hehas federal power to lord it over them.

Osun people are dignified, we don’tallow thugs and violent people to lord itover us. He cannot even win in his wardand polling unit in an election. In 2011,after eight years in the senate, hecontested to go back to the Senate, butlost in his ward. From the results, he wonin his polling unit with three votes. Itmeans, if we wanted to go by Option A4system, he was not even qualified tocontest for councillorship election.

For somebody, who could not win inward to be directing banks to collect debt,is an insult on the psyche of financialinstitutions. It shows he is not committedto the progress of the state. An electionis coming in August and you are nowthreatening financial institution. Osunpeople know he does not have anythingto offer and that is why he is makingnoise.

How true is the allegation thatAregbesola is good at rigging, that heexported rigging to Anambra and thatis what he plans to do in Osun?

From all what Omisore has said, ifdegrees were awarded for lying, hewould have been a professor of lies. In2011, he contested election and didn’t winin his ward. He didn’t go to tribunal.There are 10 local governments in hissenatorial district and he didn’t win there.

Check the law report in 2007 about thisman making allegation of rigging. TheAppeal Court nullified his election onaccount of rigging.

In the case of Oyinola and Aregbesola,the court was able to find evidence thatone PDP secretary signed the result ofmost of the 11 wards in Ife Central. So,who is the rigger?

Nobody was even arrested in Anambra.They said they arrested some people eventhree days before the election not inAnambra. This is part of the Omisore’sfalsehood.

The only avenue anybody who claimshe was rigged out in an election is tribunal,why didn’t he go to tribunal in 2011?

PDP says Aregbesola didn’t win, thatcourt gave him victory. This time round,do you think he could face the PDPfederal might?

Every election terminates within thecountry’s justice system. Their positionis an insult on the judiciary. There wereevidences that the election was rigged byPDP, particularly in Omisore’s localgovernment. Even his own election wasnullified.

The residents of Osun would counterwhatever evil machination anybody wantsto unleash. It is also very shameful thatpeople who are using the resources ofthis country will be thinking of unleashingterror in order to impose an unpopularcandidate on the people.

Culled from THE SUN

Osun 2014: Omisore, PDP AreDay-dreamers – AregbesolaContinued from page 13

•AREGBESOLA

15OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, February 25, 2014

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014

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

By FUNSHO BAMIDURO“Welfarism is anattempt ingovernance to bringhealth, wealth andhappiness to all”

THERE is thispervasive viewof politics in this part of

the world that claims thatpolitics is all about interest ofindividuals, or groups and thebest ways to achieve this self-interest, however it is true thatgood governance is one thatstrives to please all,notwithstanding religious orsocial affiliation, while alsomaintaining social order andupholding societal values.

The above task looks sosimple on paper andespecially, when beingdebated upon in the worlds ofpublic opinion and socialevaluation, but as a student ofpolitics, I know it just happensto be a daunting herculean taskto bring about consensus andprovide general welfare forall. I believe it is obvious tothe most-biased of politicalminds that the State of Osun,under the welfaristic auspicesof Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,has carried out the bestwelfare oriented governmentsince the great AWO in the 60swith many positive changesand strategy orientedvisionary programmes that, ifduly-followed, will not onlytake Osun to greater height, butput the humble Ogbeni on thesame historical pedestal withthe likes of AWO and othergreat progressive minds. It isvital to note that the key to asound politics of welfarism issound strategic planningwhich Baba Awolowo utilisedwith great grace and onewhich the South West willcontinue to enjoy.

However, it is onlycourageous and boldindividuals like our amiableOgbeni that can choose totranscend the petty “play safe”

politics of Nigeria and insteaddecide to be a statesman, whowill do all in his power,according to the rule of law,to ensure and secure the futureeven, at the risk of losing so-called political points gradedby biased opposition. But Iam sure the good people ofOsun know better. CHANGEis the accepted creed ofprogressives and a changeforward is what Osun mustembrace.

In the history of politicaldevelopment of nations, it isimportant to note that anynation or state that will be

economically and sociallybuoyant has to go through aperiod of revolutionary uneasychanges. One I can liken to aprocess involved in “Roadconstruction” where signssuch as “SLOW DOWN,CLOSED, and DIVERSION”are boldly inscribed to warnroad users of the changesgoing on. For road users, thisperiod often takes greatmeasure of patience, due totraffic, longer diversion routesor closed pathways, but whenthe road is done, everyone ishappy. Aregbesola’sadministration has partedways with the status quo in

many ways, as he hastaken seeminglyimpossible albeit boldsteps to redeem the imageof our dear state and allhe is asking for is patienceand another chance, asevery step taken

culminates into a promisekept. There are many so-called truths being peddled bysome biased minds, but thereal truth is that; althoughOgbeni is not there yet, but heis on the right track andclosest to the best welfareoriented governor we havehad in decades. It is real topoint out that asking forpatience from the good peopleof Osun is a big demand sincepast administrations haveshown that government issimply not to be trusted.Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is notdisconnected from this truthand pain of the people and thatis why he has been doing manythings at once, trying toconvince the good people ofOsun that he will deliver onall his promises. Todiscerning and unbiasedminds, he seems to realise thatto whom much trust is given,much services are alsoexpected, hence his down-to-earth, open-door policy, andcharismatic public displayapproach backed up bystrategic, welfare orientedgovernance.

Ogbeni asked for ourmandate before, secured it,was denied and eventuallyfought to claim it, and he hasshown that the State of Osuncan go places if strategic plansare followed; He has beenwidely-acclaimed andawarded on his numerousprogrammes. In fact, he hasdone well, and we can onlystrive forward to achieve themuch-needed changes, whichcan only be achieved when wegive him another chance at thepolls to finish this unravellingwonderful politicalwelfaristic strategicmasterpiece.OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence

to the Managing Editor, KOLA OLABISI, Telephone: 08033927286 (kolaolabisi@yahoo.com); Editor, KAYODE AGBAJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com,kayodeagbaje@yahoo.com. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.

Aregbesola: The Poli-tics Of Welfarism

•AREGBESOLA