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VOL. 9. NO.079 N 50 50 50 50 50 THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014 www.osundefender.org THE 5TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA PEOPLE FIRST Front Page Comment Who Killed Chief Bola Ige, formerAttorney- General and Minister of Justice? IGE •The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (with mic), addressing a mammoth crowd of his admirers during his re-election mega rally in Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in the State of Osun, held in Ibokun last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI. We ‘re Not Owing Workers’ Salaries - Aregbesola •As People Defy Rain At Ibokun Mega Rally - See Story On Page 3 The allegation of planning to cause violence during the coming gubernatorial election in the state of Osun by the PDP gover- norship candi- date, Omisore's figment of imagination former Senator Iyiola Omisore against the state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is to say the least ridiculous. Com- ing from Omisore we see this as the most irresponsible and prepos- terous allegation to levy against O g b e n i Aregbesola, a personage widely known for his pacific inclination. Continue on pg6

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Page 1: Osun Defender - July 3rd 2014, Edition

VOL. 9. NO.079 NNNNN 505 05 05 05 0THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014

www.osundefender.org THE 5TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA

PEOPLE FIRST

Front Page Comment Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-

General andMinister of

Justice? IGE

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (with mic), addressing a mammoth crowd of his admirers during his re-election mega rally in Obokun/Oriade FederalConstituency in the State of Osun, held in Ibokun last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

We ‘re Not Owing Workers’Salaries - Aregbesola

•As People Defy Rain At Ibokun Mega Rally- See Story

On Page3

The allegationof planning tocause violenceduring the comingg u b e r n a t o r i a lelection in thestate of Osun bythe PDP gover-norship candi-date,

Omisore's figmentof imagination

former SenatorIyiola Omisoreagainst the stateGovernor, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola,

is to say the leastridiculous. Com-ing from Omisorewe see this as themost irresponsible

and prepos-terous allegationto levy againstO g b e n iAregbesola, ap e r s o n a g ewidely knownfor his pacificinclination.

Continue on pg6

Page 2: Osun Defender - July 3rd 2014, Edition

2 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014Phototalk

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

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Re-election Mega Rally In Obokun/Oriade FederalConstituency In The State Of Osun, Held In Ibokun Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI And SHOLA ADERINTO.

•Governor Aregbesola (2nd right); His Deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (left); Alademore of Ibokun, land, Oba Festus Awogboro (right) and others.

•A cross section of traditional rulers at the palace of the Alademure of Ibokun, Oba Festus Awogboro.

•Governor Aregbesola (on the top of a bus) acknowledging cheers from his supporters.

Page 3: Osun Defender - July 3rd 2014, Edition

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (on top of a bus), acknowledging cheers from the crowd duringhis re-election campaign in Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in the State Of Osun, last Tuesday.

Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

We ‘re Not Owing Workers’ Salaries - Aregbesola•As People Defy Rain At Ibokun Mega RallyTHE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf

Aregbesola, has assured the people of Ijesa NorthFederal Constituency on Tuesday that his second term

will be dedicated more for developmental projects that willmake life more abundant for the people of the state.

Aregbesola said he is seekingpower for the public welfareand transformation of thesociety that will be of pride tothe yet unborn generations.

The governor said thisduring the Ijesa North FederalConstituency mega rally heldat Local Authority PrimarySchool, Ibokun, headquarters

of Obokun Local GovernmentCouncil Area of the state.

He said his performanceduring his first term in office isjust the beginning of the state’sjourney to greatness and urgedthe people of the area tocollectively vote AllProgressives Congress (APC)

in the August 9, 2014governorship election.

The governor also clearedthe air on the non-payment ofworkers’ salaries, saying hisadministration has paid Maysalary and has commenced thepayment of June salary, addingthat non-payment of salariesis a rumour being peddledaround by the opposition todiscredit his administration.

Aregbesola also alerted thepeople that the recent anticsof the opposition is religioussentiment with a view to

causing disharmony among thepeople and urged the people toresist any form of religiousincitement and provocation thatmay be coming from theopposition Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP).

He commended the peoplefor trooping out for the rallydespite the heavy rain.

Few minutes after thegovernor mounted the podiumto address the crowd, who hadstormed the venue sincemorning, there was heavydownpour, the governor, his

deputy, Otunba (Mrs) GraceLaoye-Tomori, Senator IsiakaAdeleke, Secretary to the StateGovernment, Alhaji MoshoodAdeoti and other dignitariesdefied the rain to address thewaiting crowd, while thepeople also stayed inside therain till the governor completedhis address.

Aregbesola, earlier at thepalace of Alademure of Ibokun,solicited for the continuouscooperation of the traditionalrulers before and after thegovernorship election.

Speaking, the Alademure of

We Have Offered The Best To The People OfOsun - Aregbesola By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

THE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, on Monday said his administration haskept all his electioneering campaign promises and

pact with the people of the state.Aregbesola, in audience

with the Osun StateChristian Association ofNigeria (OSCAN), at theCAN secretariat, alsopointed out that the statehad spent N9 billion on theOsun Youth EmpowermentScheme ( O-YES)programme.

The governor stressedthat despite the position ofthe state as number 34 onthe list of federal allocationto states of the federation,none of the top states on thelist can attempt what Osunhas attempted in terms ofdevelopment in less thanfour years .

Aregbesola held thatevery right-thinkinggovernment ought to be

concerned about howhunger and poverty will bebanished or reduced to thebarest minimum, in order toextract the full potentials inindividuals.

He added that in the areaof education, his governmentnot only decided to make itfree and accessible, butequally strived to take outsome of the burdens of somehouseholds, which affectassimilation by pupils, whichexplains the reason for theschool-feeding programme.

According to thegovernor, “My mission ingovernment is to restoreopportunity for our people toprogress. We have kept ourpromises and pact with thepeople of Osun as contained

in this green book, whichwas formulated even beforeour coming to power.

“We have lived up to oursix-point integral actionplan. Hardly is there a familyin the state that has notbenefited from ouradministration because oursis people-oriented.

“From November, whenwe came on board, tillDecember 2013, we havespent N9 billion on O-YES,which has become averitable tool for engagingyouths positively andbringing peace to the state,”the governor told thegathering.

Aregbesola also addedthat his administration hasbeen able to sustain theresources of the state dueto his creative and financialre-engineering.

He pointed that Osun, atthe commencement of hisadministration, was able toswap a painful N18 billionloan by the formeradministration, which hedescribed as the first of itskind in the country.

In his words: “What weare doing in Osun is evenbeyond our owncomprehension, as it couldonly be God. Our financialingenuity and Him isresponsible for the growthOsun is witnessing.

“When we were receivingexcess crude oil money, wewere saving for the rainingdays, so also was the issueof our late appointments ofcommissioners that affordedus to equally save. Theseamong others gave OsunN35 billion ,” Aregbesolamentioned.

The governor revealedthat he was initially sad with

the way the re-classificationof schools was perceived bysome few who broughtreligion into the well thought-out policy to rescue the poorlevel of education in the state.

Aregbesola told theChristian gathering that he isonly seeking re-election tocomplete all the good workhe has started in the state,saying his second term inoffice would be a greater callto service.

In the health sector, thegovernor announced thatrepair work is currentlyongoing in all the healthfacilities of the state, while 74new primary health centreshave been built since theinception of the presentadministration.

Ogbeni Aregbesola, whostated that by December thisyear, new schools that havethe capacity for hundredthousand students, wouldhave been built, added thatthe present administrationhas so far spent N7.2billionon the school feedingprogramme.

Speaking earlier, theChairman of Osun ChristianAssociation of Nigeria,Reverend Elisha Ogundiya,noted that the session wasset up to hear fromgovernorship candidates inthe state what they have forthe state.

He posited that twogovernorship candidates ofother parties have been inaudience with theassociation.

Ogundiya charged thegovernor and othercandidates to ensure thatpeace reigns before, duringand after the election.

Ibokun Agog ForAregbesola’s Campaign Rally

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola’s re-election campaignmega rally for Ijesa North Federal Constituency washeld amidst fanfare in the ancient town of Ibokun.

Ibokun, Oba Festus KayodeAwogboro, on behalf of IjesaNorth traditional rulers, saidIjesaland is the home of thegovernor and assured him ofmassive support from thefederal constituency.

He reminded the governor ofhis earlier promise to facilitatea private university in Ibokunand urged other traditionalrulers to work seriously for there-election of the governor andensure that peace reigns in theirdomains before and after theelection.

The federal constituency,comprising of Oriade/ObokunLocal Government CouncilAreas, was agog as residents andparty loyalists came out enmasse to be part of the re-electionprocess.

Ibokun, known for itsprogressive background, was thefulcrum of activities, the venueof the event was filled by partyloyalists and admirers ofGovernor Aregbesola, all in a bidto show him their love andsupport.

Streets in the ancient townwore colourful look, as males,females and children dressed in achosen lemon-green Ankara clothfor the rally.

Yet, various political groupsalso dressed in various poloshirts with inscription tosupport the second termambition of the governor.

Like in the previous rallies,Nollywood actors and popularmusicians graced the Ibokunrally and entertained the crowdin their respective ways andadded glamour and glitz to theprogramme.

The road leading to the venueof the event was filled with foodvendors and other traders in thecommunities, making the townreflect a typical market day.

Addressing the gathering, theState Commissioner forInformation and Strategy,Honourable Sunday Akere,appealed to the teeming massesto remain calm and vigilant, asthe gubernatorial electionapproaches and should notexchange their voters’ cards foranything.

He implored people of thefederal constituency and partyloyalists across the state tocome out en masse and vote on

August 9 and stand by theirvotes till they are counted.

A party leader, Alhaji FataiDiekola, disclosed thatAregbesola is a people-friendlygovernor, whose dedication toserving them is immeasurable.

He urged the electorate not tobe afraid of anyone on August 9,saying the security operativeswould be around to maintainpeace and security.

Speaking at the rally, ElderPeter Babalola commendedOgbeni Aregbesola for his effortsaimed at entrenching peace in thestate since he assumed power in2010, adding that prior to thatperiod, the state was in anarchy.

Some party supporters, whospoke with OSUNDEFENDER, said they were notaffected with the developmentin Ekiti State, saying they are notready to sell their votes foranything at the expense of goodgovernance.

Aregbesola’s entrance into thevenue at about 4:09 pm wasgreeted with ecstasy, as thecrowd elegantly displayed theirbrooms in response to thegovernor’s gesture, who wasdisplaying his broom whilestanding on the vehicleconveying him.

The entire venue was injubilant mood as moresupporters followed him fromthe palace, where he had paid acourtesy call on the Alademureof Ibokun, Oba FestusAwogboro, to the campaignground.

Despite the downpour, theteeming party loyalists at therally waited for the governor toaddress them before theydispatched for their variousdestinations.

PDP Destroys Aregbesola’s BillboardsBy SHINA ABUBAKAR

SUSPECTED members of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Ilesa have been alleged of destroying billboardsand posters belonging to the ruling-All Progressives

Congress (APC) and Governor Rauf Argebesola erected andpasted in Ilesa ahead of the forthcoming governorshipelection.

OSUN DEFENDERinvestigation in Ilesadiscovered that some posterspasted in Ilesa township weredefaced, while others were tornoff and the medium learnt theact was perpetrated during thenight.

It was gathered that sinceabout a week ago, somemiscreants have launched anonslaught on the billboards of

the governor located at HolyTrinity area, Omi-Adie alongOsogbo road, as well as hisposters in the town and no onehas been arrested for the actsso far.

Some areas where thebillboards are still firm areeither close to a police stationor in front of residential house,effectively monitored by partymembers in the areas.

Meanwhile, some residents,who spoke under anonymity,told the medium that thebillboards were in perfectcondition the previous night,adding that it was surprisingto have found them destroyedthe following morning.

One of the residentsstressed the need for police toinvestigate the issue andpunish the perpetrators, so asto forestall violence in thetown.

According to the source, ifthe perpetrators of the actwere allowed to escape withthe dastardly act, others maywant to seek vengeance; hence,police must rise to the

occasion and ensure justice isdone in the matter.

Similar situation wasreported in Boluwaduro LocalGovernment Council Area inthe build-up to the re-electioncampaign in Ila, headquartersof the federal constituency.

It was reported thatmembers of the PDP inBoluwaduro were caught indaylight destroying billboardsand posters erected in Otan-Ayegbaju and were reported atthe Police Station in the areafor proper action.

However, the perpetratorswere arrested and taken to OsunState Police command inOsogbo and later taken to court.

Page 4: Osun Defender - July 3rd 2014, Edition

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 20144 News

• (L-R) First civilian governor in the State of Osun, Senator Isiaka Adeleke; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his wife,Sherifat, during his re-election mega rally in Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in the State of Osun, last Tuesday..

Osun’s First Raw Gold To Be Presented BeforeEnd Of The Year - Australian Mining CompanyALL is set for the mining of the first gold in Ilesa, in

the State of Osun as the state governor, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, has signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with an Australian mining firm,Andalusian Mining Industry.

This was as the leader of themining firm, Colin Miller,disclosed to the governor thathis company would present thefirst raw gold to the people ofthe state before the end thisyear.

The signing ceremony tookplace at the GovernmentHouse, Osogbo last Sundaywith a moderate ceremony, withthe governor in attendance.

The governor said theAustralian mining firm hadconducted a geological survey,which confirmed that there is ahuge deposit of gold in Ilesa.

Aregbesola stated that thediscovery has presented thestate with wonderfulopportunities to partner withAndalusian in the breakdown,

exploration and mining of goldin the state.

He said the people and thestate look forward to havingmaximum advantage of themining firm’s presence in thestate

The governor described goldmining in the state as a majorbreakthrough to thegovernment and a businessopportunity for the state.

He stated that governmentlooks forward to speedyoperation and intervention inthe prospecting for gold beforethe end of the year.

The state helm manexpressed hope that the statehas joined the league of miningof non-oil mineral-producingstates in the country.

“With your partnership ingold mining, which will in-turncreate wealth for the immediateenvironment and the entirepeople of the state, you have afull partner with us.

I am joyous for theopportunity that our state willjoin the comity of states thatnow mine mineral deposits.

“To our dear state, we areon the move to actualise ourdream as model of peace,progress, opportunity andgrowth,” Aregbesola said.

He then tasked the companyto be conscious of not hurtingthe people, their means oflivelihood and the environmentin the course of prospectingthe gold deposit at Itagunmodiin Ilesa.

In his remarks after thesigning of the MoU, ColinMiller said that the summit inAustralia on gold miningencouraged his firm to come to

Urban Development: AregbesolaTo Pay N2bn Compensation•As Property Owners Pledge SupportFor Governor’s Second Term

THE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, has promised to pay a whopping sum ofN2billion as compensation to the affected property

owners, whose properties were affected by the urban renewalproject of the state government before the end of the year.

The affected peopleincluded landlords and tenantsalong the popular MDScorridor, Fakunle-Olaiya axis,Old-Garage-Igbona-Ayetoro,Ogbaagbaa,-Okefia-Rasco,Ajegunle-Moshalashi Gaji toOrita Baba Onisekere, as wellas Railway Line axis, all inOsogbo, the state capital.

Aregbesola commended thepeaceful manner with whichthe affected people conductedthemselves, while theseparation exercise lasted.

The governor observed thathe understands the pain andhardship the urban renewalproject has brought to thepeople.

According him, thedevelopmental strides of hisadministration, especially theurban renewal, is not anattempt to cripple people’sbusinesses or inflict pains ontheir means of livelihood, butto further open the state to theinternational world fordesirable investment.

“As at today, theadministration has paid aboutN812 million as compensationto some of the affected people.

“I have also approved a sumof N2 billion as additionalfunds to those whoseproperties were affected.

“We promise that before theend of the year, all affectedpeople would have been dulycompensated,” Aregbesola said.

Speaking earlier, theCommissioner for LandsPhysical Planning and UrbanDevelopment in the State ofPsun, Architect Muyiwa Ige,disclosed that various sums ofmoney had been paid to pettytraders, whose shops wereaffected.

He stated that about 1,500shops have already beenallocated to owners ofproperties along the MDScorridors.

In his remark, therepresentative of the propertyowners, Mr. Moshood Oladejo,appealed to the government tofulfil its promise to the affectedpeople.

He also reaffirmed thepeople’s support for thegovernment and the re-electionbid of the governor.

Many of the propertyowners commended thegovernor for being forthright inhis promise to the people,saying they understood theneed for sacrifices, in order toensure the transformation of thestate.

Osun 2014: Protect Your Voters’ Cards - Bayo SalamiAN All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in the

State of Osun and the Chairman, CampaignCommittee for Osogbo/Olorunda/ Irepodun/Orolu

Federal Constituency, Senator Bayo Salami, has urged allregistered voters in the state to protect their voters’ cards,alleging that agents of the opposition parties are now movingaround buying voters’ cards, while some are collectingpeople’s voters’ cards’ Identification Numbers (VIN) and thePolling Unit Number (PUN).

This was contained in apress statement issued andsigned by the Osogboconstituency campaigncommittee’s spokesman,Prince Adekunle Benson.

Salami further stated that itis obnoxious and criminal foranyone to be asking forinformation on people’svoters’ cards and deceivingthem that they will be givenmonthly salary if theysurrender their voters’ cards.

He therefore, called on theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC)Chairman, Professor AttahiruJega, to make sure that no evilis done to the voters’ register,as some agents of an

opposition party in the stateare going about collecting VINand PUN of people’s voters’cards, believing that federalmight will be used, so thatnames of the affected APCvoters would be automaticallydeleted from the voters’register.

The Osun APC therefore,called on voters in the state toneither sell their voters’ cardsnor revealing their VIN andPUN to anybody.

The committee chairmanalso enjoined those voters thathave not collected theirPermanent Voters’ Cards(PVC) to go and do so beforethe deadline, so as to allowthem perform their main civicduties.

Osun.Miller said his company’s

visit to the site of theprospective gold mine has alsoencouraged them to partnerwith the government for miningoperation for upward of fouryears.

Hetherefore thanked thegovernor for his foresight andvision for the state, promisingthat before the end of this year,gold will be struck and the firstraw gold presented to thepeople of the state.

“We are looking forward foran enduring partnership withyour state. Our presence at thegold mine will createemployment opportunities forthe people of the state.

“With this joint venture forthe considerable resource inIlesa, we promise that beforethe end of the year, we wouldbe together both with gold inour hands,” Miller promised.

Osun 2014: Ijesa North Pledges Full Support For AregbesolaBy FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

AS the train of the mega rally for the second term re-election of the candidate for the All ProgressivesCongress (APC) for the gubernatorial election in the

State of Osun and governor of the State, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, berthed in Ibokun, the headquarters of ObokunLocal Government Council Area, the people of the statehave once again pledged their commitment towards thesuccess of the poll and the re-election of the APC candidatein the election.

As expected, the people,armed with their brooms, bothfrom Oriade and Obokun LocalGovernment Council Areas hadtrooped out en masse to thevenue of the mega rally held atLocal Authority School,Ibokun to demonstrate theirsupport for the governor in thecoming polls and to showappreciation for the peace andtranquility they had beenexperiencing during the pastthree and a half years ofAregbesola’s administration inthe state.

First to speak with OSUNDEFENDER; OmolaraOlufunmilayo, an indigene ofItiya, in expressing her joy withthe governor bringing hiscampaign to Ibokun, said thatsince 2011, things had not beenthe same for citizens of thecouncil area.

She particularlycommended him for his youthempowerment scheme, whichshe revealed she and otheryouths in Itiya werebeneficiaries.

Also, another programme ofOgbeni Aregbesola that shepraised was the health packageenjoyed by the people, addingthat there was no need for themto travel a long distance beforethey could get medicalattention.

In his words, HonurableAjibola Famurewa,representing Ijesa NorthFederal Constituency in theHouse of Representativesrevealed that the crowd andturn-out of the people wasn’ta surprise to him because theman of the moment, OgbeniAregbesola, had and alwaysbeen a man of the people andthe people at the grassroots.

As per the election, hehinged the victory of thegovernor on his performance,which he described asunparalled and also the love hehas for them, which hadspurred him to work hard.

He also advised theelectorate to defend their votesand not to trade theirpermanent voters’ cards formoney because that would

amount to mortgaging theirfuture.

Mrs. Fatima Mustapha, anAPC chieftain in Oriade LocalGovernment Council Area,stated that the governor hadvirtually broughtenlightenment to the State ofOsun, as he had broughtdynamism to the style ofgovernment administration.

She hinted that all hisprogrammes like good roads,O’Meal, O’School, O’REAPhad ahieved a 100 per centsuccess.

“Peace has also been a mainingredient of his administrationand it is my prayer thatwhatever would rob us of thispeace, God would not allowthat to happen.”

Mrs. Felicia Adepoju was ofthe opinion that anybody, whohas worked deservedcommendation from those hehad served and in her words,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, so inthat wise, deserved a secondterm.

She stated that unlike the

APC, which had been verytransparent in its campaign, themain opposition had beenrather carrying about theircampaign in a clandestinemanner and in the processbuying voters’ cards in orderto disenfranchise the electorate.

“If PDP think they have thestuff in them, they should comeout in the open and fight fairlyand not going about onmotorcycles and wooingpeople with money. They willnot be able to give them againonce they grab greedily thepower they crave.

“Massively, the governorhas worked and I really don’tthink these people haveanything new to offer. Theyshould just wait and try theirluck again in the next fouryears.”

Meanwhile, the governorhad been called upon tocontinue the good work oftransformation, which hadcharaterised his governmentfrom the very first day andwhich had touched the lives of

both the rich and poor in thestate.

Continuing in their supportof the administration of OgbeniRauf Aregbesola, KolapoAdekoya, an Eti-Oni indigene,stressed that the governor,apart from being an Ijesa son,had succeeded in winning thehearts of the people of Oriadeand Obokun LocalGovernment Council areas.

According to him,attendance at the mega rally wasa pointer to the fact that thevote for Ogbeni Aregbesolawould be across board, becausehis administration had touchedeverybody in the state,irrespective of the politicaldivide.

“The man has virtuallytransformed Osun to aclassless society, where boththe rich and the poor have thesame public standing.”

He praised the decision ofthe organisers of the mega rallyto schedule it in Ibokun,describing it as a very wise one.

“Come to think of it, when

you go around Osun today,you would see the hand ofgovernment in virtuallyeverything. Where thegovernment is not visible, youwould see the governmentpartnering with corporatebodies to bring meaningfuldevelopment to the people ofthe area.

“This is novel and sincerelyMr. Journalist, it takessomebody with a dream andhardwork to do such and as weare speaking, I don’t thinkanybody can replicate this,except, of course, RaufAregbesola and based on this,he should be given anotherchance.”

A cross-section of the crowdat the venue of the mega rallyall clamour for the governor andalso attributed the downpourat Ibokun to an omen that Godhad endorsed the victory ofOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola asgovernor of the State of Osunon Saturday, 9th of August,2014.

Page 5: Osun Defender - July 3rd 2014, Edition

5 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014

•(R-L) The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori andChief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, during the governor’s meeting with members of landlords andtenants affected by separation of buildings as a result of road dualisation in Osogbo at State Government House, lastSaturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Osun 2014: Lawmaker Tasks INEC,Electorate On Free, Fair Poll

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

AHEAD of the August 9, 2014 gubernatorialelection in the State of Osun, electorate inthe state have been urged to vote their

preferred candidate for the seat, based onperformance and credibility.

A member representingOrolu Constituency in theState House of Assembly,Honourable KamilOyedele, gave the advicewhile addressing AllProgressives Congress(APC) members in OroluLocal Government CouncilArea of the state.

Oyedele, who observedthat the incumbent, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola, hadperformed well in the lastthree years, however,maintained that the votersshould demand for morefrom the candidatespresenting themselves foroffice as the electionapproaches, maintainingthat Governor Aregbesolawould do more if given thesecond mandate.

The lawmaker alsoappealed to theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission(INEC), to ensure a free,fair and crediblegovernorship election inthe state.

Oyedele urged INEC toremain an impartial umpireduring the poll, saying thatwould rekindle theconfidence of theelectorate in thecommission’s ability to

conduct a free and fairelection.

Also speaking at theevent, All ProgressivesCongress (APC) Chairmanin the council area, AlhajiIbrahim Ganiyu, warnedthat the party would notallow rigging during theelection and charged INECto ensure that all

stakeholders play thegame according to therules.

Alhaji Ganiyu, whileappealing to INEC to allowthe electorate vote in anorganised free, fair andcredible election, alsoimplored securityoperatives to ensureadequate protection forpeople during the poll.

NAN Boss Commends OSUN DEFENDERBy SOLA JACOBS

THE Managing Director of the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN), Mr Ima Niboro, hascommended the professional stance of OSUN

DEFENDER tabloid towards differentadministrations in the state but urged the mediumto do more in its reportage of events and people atthe grassroots.

He made this commentwhen the nationalexecutive members of theNigeria Association of

Women Journalists(NAWOJ) led by itsPresident, Mrs IfyOmowole, visited him on

Thursday in Abuja.He added that as one of

the readers of the tabloidon the internet, in his bidto keep abreast with newsand events as they unfoldin the State of Osun, heurged the tabloid to domore in its reportageacross the length andbreadth of the state.

The NAN bosscommended the

contributions of womenjournalists to thedevelopment of Nigeria inthe last twenty five yearsof its formation,postulating that twenty fiveyears is a long period ofachievements in anyorganisation, adding that heis very proud of theassociation.

Niboro applauded thewomen journalists as they

have taken the leadershiprole in all aspects of themedia.

He added that in most ofthe vibrant societies acrossthe world, women docontribute in no smallmeasure to thedevelopment and growth,which he urged Nigerianwomen in all spheres of lifeto follow suit.

The media boss said partof the challenges faced inall spheres of the nation’sdevelopment is the issue ofhuman capacity buildingand the only way out istraining and retraining ofpersonnel.

He therefore, pledgedthe support of hisorganisation to the trainingof women journalists in thenation, but enjoined themto train their malecounterparts, especially inreportage of genderissues.

Niboro opined that the

various tiers ofgovernment need to investin information sector, witha view to overcoming thechallenges that the nationis currently facing,especially that of security.

Earlier, Mrs Omowole,the President of NAWOJ,had solicited for acollaborative synergybetween NAN and theassociation for training ofits members nationwide.

She also sought thesupport of the agency inthe celebration of its silverjubilee which would comeup later in the year.

Other activities duringthe visit included the visitof the NAWOJ executivesto the various units of theagency.

Some of the membersof the National executivesduring the visit includedMrs Timi Idoko, LadiAdams, Ruth Absalom,Sola Jacobs, Helen Udofiaand Chisom Anyawa.

Osun Assembly Calls ForInvolvement Of More Local Contents

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

THE State of Osun House of Assembly has calledfor involvement of more local contractors inthe execution of infrastructural development

projects, as the state government has always beendoing.

Chairman, HouseCommittee on Works andTransport, HonourableAbiodun Awolola, gave thecharge at a meeting withteam members of theOsun Special ProjectsOffice.

According to Awolola,though the stategovernment has beeninvolving local contractorsand labourers, but there isthe need to do more, witha view to ensuring that thepeople of the state benefitthe more and further feelthe impact of thegovernment.

Responding, the leaderof the team, EngineerAbiodun Isola, said thestate government would

continue to involve localcontents, and followfinancial regulations anddue processes in theexecution ofi n f r a s t r u c t u r a ldevelopment projects inthe state.

According to him, in allthe projects that the officehas been handling,scientific approach isbeing used, as all thenecessary tests andinteractions withstakeholders are carriedout.

Isola also hinted that theoffice has initiated theprocess that would ensurethat the state governmentgets reinbursement for allthe federal roads executedby the state government.

He noted that in the past,officials of the Ministry ofWorks had not beeninvolving federal ministryofficials in the executionof federal road projects bythe state, saying theSpecial Project Office haschanged the trend.

Expressing optimismthat the state would nowbe getting reinbursementfor the federal roads beingexecuted, he said if thiscould come, it would go along way in doing morefor the people of the state.

He then reiterated thecommitment of the presentadministration to theprovision of massiveroads, either federal orstate roads for the use ofthe people of the state.

Isola further noted thatthe officials of the ministryhave been empowered andgiven the mandate of beingin-charge in the area ofquality control, monitoringand supervision.

Osun 2014: Stop DraggingUs Into Politics, OsunWorkers Warn PDP, Omisore

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

CIVIL servants in the State of Osun haveasked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)and its candidate in the forthcoming

gubernatorial election, Senator Iyiola Omisore,to stop blackmailing them in his efforts to rulethe state by all means.

They expresseddissatisfaction with theway the PDP and itscandidate have beenmocking their names inorder to secure cheappolitical gains.

The civil servants, whospoke with OSUNDEFENDER under thecondition of anonymity,lambasted Omisore andhis party for draggingthem into the murkywaters of politics.

One of themsaid: ”Yes! We are awareof the way SenatorOmisore has beenboasting around that hewill win this election basedon the support ofmembers of organisedlabour.

“I think he should wakeup on time and go get histhings done by himselfbecause we are notinvolved.”

He however,confirmed the speculationof bribery allegationsagainst some corrupt andweak civil servants thatdo not have minds of theirown within the union to betrue.

“It is true that few ofus have already sold theirvotes to the PDP formonetary inducementsand promises ofappointments and juicydepartments.”

In the words of anothercivil servant: “To becandid, OgbeniAregbesola is the only

governor that we haveseen that will sit downwith the workers,irrespective of their ranks,ask them to access thegovernment and makesuggestions to improvequality of life andservices.

On the delay onpayment of salaries, shesaid: “Civil servants arenot ingrates. We knew itwasn’t his fault becausewe enjoyed promptpayment of salaries formore than three yearsuntil early this year thatthe dwindling allocationfrom Abuja started tellingon the state.”

She confirmed thatallocation to states acrossthe federation haddropped unexpectedlyaround July/August lastyear, but the governorensured workers werenot adversely affectedand even received 13thmonth full salary for 2013calendar year.

“This is the best youcould expect for nowfrom a governor that islaying good and solidfoundations in all othersectors of the economyas well.”

When asked aboutAregbesola’s victory atthe poll, she smiled andsaid she remained neutralas a civil servant but sheheard her family, friends,relatives and neighbourssaying all their votesbelong to OgbeniAregbesola.

News

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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 20146

Omisore's figment of imagination

Apart from virtues of hardwork, humility, dedication,commitment to service

, one other quality OgbeniAregbesola possesses which en-dears him to people is his pacificnature. More often than not mes-sages of peace always come outfrom his mouth.

But he (Ogbeni) doesn't onlypreach peace, he also walk the talk.Even when his mandate was stolenby the PDP in 2007 rather than en-courage his supporters and partymembers to engage in violence hecontinued to appeal to them to toethe line of peace. As a peace lovingindividual he headed for the Courtwhere he finally got justice after threeand a half years of perseverance.And even after regaining his stolen

mandate he never avenge in spite ofall the persecutions he went throughin the hands of electoral bandits. Hepreferred to forgive his tormentors.

Thus isn't it the height of mischieffor anyone to come up with allega-tion of planning to cause violenceagainst a personage of this nature? Ofcourse it is! And even if such a wrongallegation would come from anybodyit shouldn't be Omisore whose stockin trade is perpetration of violence andwho derives so much joy from dis-turbing public peace. We see this asa case of the pot calling the kettleblack or a situation whereby the thiefstarts to catch the farm owner be-cause the farm owner is slow in catch-ing the thief.

In his figment of imagination or outof deliberate mischief Omisore hadalleged that "the governor had bought20 Armoured Personnel Carriers(APCs) which would be used to

cause violence during the coming gov-ernorship election". He had alleged fur-ther that "Aregbesola has a premedi-tated strategy to release these APCsduring the election". What a spuriousallegation?

For those who care to know or bet-ter still for the purpose of public en-lightenment the reason for the purchaseof the said APCs is for further distribu-tion to the security operatives to aidthem in their responsibility of maintain-ing peace in the state. We recall herethat the governor had earlier distributedsome APCs and about 120 patrol vansto security agencies in the state. Thatwas in April 2013 at a ceremony wherethe Inspector-General of Police wasrepresented and the governor didpromise on that occasion that morewould still come.

Thus if there are APCs in governmenthouse why the fuss about their pres-

ence? We believe common senseshould simply tell anyone that theseAPCs are not purchased for anyother ulterior motive other than tobe given to the security personnel infulfillment of the governor's promiseto further empower them to maketheir job easier.

But at Osun Defender here we arenot in the least surprised that this al-legation is coming from Omisore'scamp. Being a serial liar that he isno serious-minded person shouldtake him serious at all because moreoften than not, lie, and nothing butlie are the words that come out fromhis mouth.

Ekiti Election: Mortgaging The Future To Rice And Cash

I have deliberately keptmute on the pre, duringand post just-

concluded Ekiti electionissues. I did this on twogrounds, firstly, to avertthe attacks of my goodfriends who are APC/PDP/LP apologists.

Secondly, I don’t wantto influence some voters,who may wrongly believein my judgement. Anyway,the election has come andgone and Ayo Fayose isthe governor-elect.Congrats! The election, tomany pundits, includingour dear PresidentGoodluck Ebele Jonathan,was free and fair, but tome, it’s far from beingcredible.

Pre-election violence,arrests and harassments ofsome key political figures,denying some politicalbigwigs entry visa (If thereis need for one) into EkitiState even 48 hours to theelection, sieging the statewith military personnel/police and other para-military organisations andshamelessly distributingrice to voters even on the

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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing HouseLimited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust BankGTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun.All correspondence to the above mail address.ISSN: 0794-8050Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205Website: www.osundefender.com/index.phpe-mail: [email protected]

queue with inscription of acandidate’s name duringelection and obviousallegation of buying voterswith N5000, which one ofthe candidates evenalleged are few issues thateroded the election’scredibility.

It’s inexplicable that thesupposed FOUNTAIN OFKNOWLEDGE voterscould be purchased with

rice and N5,000. What for?Poverty? The mind of theoppressed is truly the toolof the oppressor.

In a sane society, acontroversial person ofFayose’s stature wouldeither be in prison or beashamed of holding apublic office in Nigeriaagain, considering hisescapades when hemanaged the state. Butalas! this is Nigeria, where

criminals rule andinnocents rot in jail.

All ruling parties inNigeria have badlydamaged our ever nascentdemocracy but withoutapology, the PDP has doneit more harm. What isJonathan’s interest in whobecomes what in everypart of the federation thatmakes him/PDP thisaggressive, especially

towards cripplingopposing voices?Presidential ambition? Isthat why the stateallocation is perpetuallydepleting monthly, whichhas nearly crippled thestates?

Is that why some states(especially, oppositionruling states) get nocapital project in the 2014budget? Is that why the

security situation is dailydeteriorating (Our girls arestill missing and somewere recently abductedagain)?

As much as I wouldn’twant to dabble intopolitics, it is expedient andimperative to sensitiseNigerians on the power oftheir thumbs to effectpositive change in thecountry, if we are ready tolive by democraticprinciples and ethos tomove Nigeria forward.

I also urge Osun votersin the August 9, 2014governorship election inthe state not to beinfluenced with rice,kerosene, money etc invoting for any candidate.This amounts tomortgaging your futureand those generationscoming after you, butrather, vote based on thecredibility of thecandidates. God blessNigeria!

•JIDE AFOLABI,Coordicator, ChristianFoundation, Jos.

Continued from pg1

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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014 7

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8 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014PHOTOTALK

•A cross section of Aregbesola’s supporters.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Re-election Mega Rally In Obokun/Oriade FederalConstituency In The State Of Osun, Held In Ibokun Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI And SHOLA ADERINTO.

•Governor Aregbesola addressing a mammoth crowd during the rally.

•Some of the Aregbesola supporters on top of a tree to catch a glimpse of the governor.

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9OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014 PHOTOTALK

•Aregbesola (on top of a bus), acknowledging cheers from his supporters and admirers.

•Governor Aregbesola (on top of a bus), acknowledging cheers from the crowd.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Re-election Mega Rally In Obokun/Oriade FederalConstituency In The State Of Osun, Held In Ibokun Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI And SHOLA ADERINTO.

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10 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014PHOTOTALK

•The damaged campaign billboard of Governor Rauf Aregbesola by hoodlums suspected to be Peoples Democratic Party’s hoodlums (PDP) along Ilesa-Osogbo, Ilesa, roadlast Monday.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola's Vandalized Billboards By Suspected PDP Thugs InIlesa, State Of Osun, Last Monday.

•One of the vandalized Governor Aregbesola’s billboards in Ilesa.

•Another damaged Governor Aregbesola’s billboard in Ilesa.

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11 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014FEATURE

Osun State And The Return Of AregbesolaSINCE her creation, the Governor

of the state of Osun, OgbeniRauf

Adesoji Aregbesola’s passionto develop the state of the livingspring is legendary and unequal.

His impressive performance as theCommissioner for works, during theera of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu asthe governor of Lagos state was nodoubt the elixir he needed to turn astate like Osun around and make itthe envy among other states of thefederation. More importantly was theavalanche of ideas and information athis disposal to make Osun great longbefore he assumed power.

Indeed, with the physicaldevelopment across the nooks andcrannies of the state, Osun State canbe said to be fortunate to havesomeone that is fully prepared totransform the state and take it to agreater height as it manifests in theimplementation of the six-pointintegral action plan of Governor RaufAregbesola in Osun State in the pastthree years.

Of particular note is that, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola came into office withthe determination to banish poverty,hunger and unemployment; restore ahealthy living, promote functionaleducation, and enhance communalpeace and progress.

According to him, his commitmentand determination is to make lifeworthy of living for the people of theState hence his introduction ofprogrammes that touch the lives ofevery individual in the State.

Therefore, the unacceptable stateof education in the State when theAregbesola’s administration came intothe saddle of governance informedthe call for an education summit,attended by great educationists andintellectuals of all persuasions.

Professor Wole Soyinka made outtime to personally attend the summitand made recommendation on whichbasis a complete overhaul of theeducation system of the state wasdone.

The most important conclusion ofthe summit was the restructuring ofthe system into three basic categories,Elementary, Middle and High schools.Primary 1–4 is the elementary school;5–9 is the middle school, while grade10–12 is the high school.

But for the effect of the change thenew policy brought, it led tomisunderstandings, and some havetried to mischaracterize the reforms ashaving a religious undertone. Whereas, the major features of thenew education reform that attractedcriticism are: the introduction of asingle school uniform to each of thethree categories of schools throughoutthe state, the merger of single sexschools with mixed sex schools, themerger of Christian schools withMuslin schools and vice versa, thetotal wipe out of some schools, theuse of hijab in “Christian schools” andperceived change in the names ofschools.

Critics of these reforms particularlyargued that the introduction of singleuniform to schools is capable of

causing indiscipline as it will bedifficult for schools to identify theirstudents. Old students of phased outschools were afraid of what might betheir lot in case there is need for themto come to their Alma Mata fordocumentation or even the agony ofhaving their history wiped out.

Also advocates of single sexschools felt that the sanity in theschools might be eroded apart fromthe loss of identity while somereligious leaders argued that theirschools should be made to retain theirnorms as stipulated in their religion,hence the resistance that no femaleMuslin should be allowed to wearhijab in Christian schools.

However, government has arguedfor its actions and made remedieswhere necessary. For example, thefear of loss of names of the schools isno longer there as government hasensured that the schools maintainedtheir names with little modifications,hence we have Salvation ArmyPrimary School, AlekuwodoOshogbo changed to Salvation ArmyMiddle School, Alekuwodo,Oshogbo, Baptist Primary School,Ilare, Ile-Ife is now BaptistElementary Primary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife.

On the issue of single uniform forthe three classes of schools,government wants parents to enjoycheap procurement of schooluniforms and further assisted bydistributing school uniforms free to all

students across the state.To solve the issue of identity,

government has disclosed the plan toproduce badges for each school andsmart cards for each student of publicschools in the state for easydocumentation and identification as itis being practiced in some countrieslike Brazil, Malaysia Ghana, BeninRepublic etc.

The most pronounced problem thatgreeted the reform is the allegation oftrying to Islamize the State bygovernment by encouraging the use ofhijab in Christian schools.

Meanwhile government hasconsistently debunked the allegationinsisting that hijab was never part ofthe uniform distributed to studentsmore so that the matter is already incourt for adjudication.

Besides, Government has beenemphatic on the fact that all publicschools belong to government andthat it is out of its magnanimity thatwhatever is left of any religion inschools are allowed.

Recently, at the commissioning ofschool buildings at the BaptistElementary Primary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife on 18th February, 2014,Governor Aregbesola charged thepeople of the state to support the neweducation policy of his administration,which he said was for the good ofboth the children and the parents.

Aregbesola in his speech at thecommissioning ceremony which hadthe Ooni of Ife, Oba OkunadeSijuade and other dignitaries inattendance said the new policy of thestate government on education has no

religious sentiment.He warned the critics of his

administration and the educationpolicy in particular to exercisepatience till the policy begins toproduce good results, which he saidwould be beneficial to all and sundryin the state.

He stated that the hallmark of thenew education policy in the state wasthe enhancement of better welfare forboth the teachers and students of allpublic schools in the state. He alsosaid that the government was beingmotivated by the ideal ofdevelopment of young individuals inthe state; hence the huge amount ofmoney committed into the educationsector.

Aregbesola who has consistentlyinsisted that the philosophy of hiseducation policy is the developmentof a new man intellectually, sociallyand morally maintained that theeducational reform policy of hisadministration would achieve thedesired objective in due course.

According to him, Government hasthe plan to build 20 new high schools,50 middle schools and 100elementary schools. Each of theseschools will be equipped to state-of–the-art standards, especially withdigital learning aids, electronicboards, functional and contemporarylaboratory equipment, sports facilities,clean water and large powergenerators.

True to his words, the elementaryschool commissioned by theGovernor at Ile-Ife apart from beingunique in outlook, has facilities knownto be peculiar to private schools suchas recreation, sports, laboratory andlibrary facilities all duly equipped.

The only way to provide thesefacilities at affordable costs is to makethe maximum use of the availableresources at the disposal ofgovernment, hence the need to mergesmall, poorly equipped schools, intolarger schools where all the facilitiescan be provided to large numbers ofstudents using economies of scale tomaximum advantage.

It need to be emphasized here thatOsun State Government hascommitted the larger part of itsfinancial resource to education withthe free launch provided to class 1-4on a daily basis that costs N 3.6billionannually, provision of free uniform tostudents across the state withN900Million, the N1.2 Billion spenton the provision of tablet ofknowledge, N14.8 billion expendedon construction of school buildingsunder its O’ School programme.

Besides, government has recruitedno fewer than 10,407 teachers topublic schools

Won’t you rather allow the goodworks in the education sectorcontinue? Asks Remi Odewale

•Odewale writes from Ifetedo,Ife-South Local Government

•Culled from CHAMPIONNewspaper

•AREGBESOLA

By REMI ODEWALE

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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 201412 FEATURE

False Analogy Between Ekiti And OsunTHE outcome of the governorship

election in Ekiti State which wentin the way of former Governor

Ayodele Fayose, took not a few people,especially the progressives, by surprise.

The details showed that 360,000votes were recorded with Fayose,beating 17 other candidates, garnered56 per cent and his closest rival, theincumbent Fayemi, a paltry 33 per cent.Coming in a distant third is OpeyemiBamidele who barely scraped five percent.

Since the result came in bits andpieces from Saturday evening toSunday morning when it was officiallyannounced, reactions to Fayose’svictory has been that of consternation,perplexity, befuddlement, shock andoutrage.

In an election that is adjudged tohave fulfilled the minimalist demand offreely casted polls and honestly countedballot, the outcome is against the run ofreceived wisdom that Ekiti peoplewould ordinarily vote a party paradingthe likes of the incumbent, Dr KayodeFayemi. This is not just on the strengthof his achievements in office, but alsothe quality of their personalities.

Many meanings have expectedly beenread into this development. The first isthe resurgence of the PDP in the SouthWest. Of course, this victory was wellsavoured with pictures of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan and party chieftainsbeaming with smiles and clinkingglasses of the choicest wine. Thepresident evidently had a resurgence ofhope that his dipping electoral fortunesin the South West might be reversed.

But then, the flipside is that thisvictory will soon turn to ashes for himsince it signposts the defeat of anincumbent by the most unlikelychallenger. Let him then be sober. Forindeed, Fayemi was considered aperforming governor whoseprogrammes were considered to bewell-conceived, well executed and wellreceived and yet he lost. This is insharp contrast to Jonathan who is seenlargely as a clueless tourist ingovernment whose only capability issadistic preying on opposition, theweak and easy targets, even as hisfailures continue to mount ininability toprovide security, unmitigatedcorruption, grinding poverty anddimming hope for Nigerians.

The second assumption, flowingfrom the first, is that this trend mayextend to the August 9 governorshipelection in Osun State. Everything iswrong with this assumption. With thebenefit of political science, we knowthat no two elections are the same andthat two months is still a long time toconsolidate or inverse a political trend.

Every election, to be credible, musthave an element of ‘boundeduncertainty’. This is the assumptionthat in-so-far as the election has notbeen conducted, the people coulddecide to go one way or the other in theexercise of their sovereign right todecide who governs them. Thisassumption of ‘uncertainty’ is howeverwithin certain boundaries of rationalityand subject to scientific evaluation andtherefore prediction, and in most cases,with pin-point accuracy.

Osun is not like Ekiti in manymaterial respect and therefore cannotbring the same outcome. The first isthat the PDP does not have as muchgrip in Osun as it does in Ekiti. Indeed,the projection before the election wasthat Fayemi would do well in EkitiSouth, split the Centre and make the

required 25 per cent in the North.Whereas in Osun, PDP has no

stronghold in the West, Central orSouth. Virtually all its heavyweights inthe state have joined APC. Ede, the lastbastion of the party, fell when formerGovernor Isiaka Adeleke defected toAPC and has since joined the campaigntrain of Governor Aregbesola.

The two main governorshipcandidates, Governor Rauf Aregbesolaand his challenger in PDP, SenatorIyiola Omisore, are from the sameOsun East, Ijesa and Ife constituencies,respectively. While Ijesas will deliver 90per cent of the votes for GovernorAregbesola, not only because he is theirson, but also for the many programmeshe executed in the zone, including 15township roads which werecommissioned recently, SenatorOmisore will count himself lucky if hecan get 30 per cent of the votes in Ile-Ife. This is in light of theunprecedented crowd that welcomedthe start of his campaign, in the ancientcity, the effusive royal blessings andendorsement he received from ObaOkunade Sijuade and also the projectshe executed in Ile-Ife.

On the contrary, Senator Omisore,when asked, could only point to oneproject, the Airforce Training School inIpetu-Ijesa which has since beendisputed and credited to former CDS,Air Marshall Oluseyi Petinrin and

former Minister of State for Defence,Erelu Olusola Obada.

Secondly, Osun did not join thetragic bandwagon of 2011 in the SouthWest when the whole region regrettablyvoted for President Jonathan. It wasthe only state that saw the future andvoted for the presidential candidate ofthe then Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN), Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu. Of course,it is a moot point that in spite of hisliving in denial, President Jonathan isthe most hated politician in the SouthWest today and it flies in the face oflogic that Osun that soundly rejectedhim in 2011 will now endorse his partyand candidate in 2014. What on earthhas changed that could have endearedhim or his candidate to them?

Thirdly, if the point is on grassrootssupport and connection. Aregbesola isfar ahead of his closest competitor.There is no artisan or trade union groupthat has not endorsed him and openlysupported his second term bid. Anydoubter should take the local cab(korope) or a commercial motorcyclist(okada) and start discussion on‘Aregbe’ and gauge the political moodin the state.

Fourthly, most of his projects are ofdirect mass munificence. Take theOsun Youth Empowerment Scheme(OYES), through which 40,000 youthswere taken off the streets with the firstbatch of 20,000 given soft landing inemployment and empowerment invarious schemes. They are fanatical in

By SOLA FASURE their support of the governor. Thebeneficiaries of other programmes likeO’REAP and other ‘O’s are also rootingfor their benefactor. Also, the parentsof the 300,000 school children givenfree meals every school days, the750,000 given free school uniforms,the 10,000 given computer tablets areall touched at the grassroots. We mustalso not forget the thousands of theelderly and vulnerable citizens that arereceiving free healthcare services andmonthly stipend from the government.What do we make of the thousandswho enjoy free train rides every festiveperiod? These are all grassrootsimpacted programmes that will count inpolitical decision making at that level.

Lastly, Ekiti and Osun are notoperating from the same moral valueswavelength. The ethical revolution thatgave birth to the Omoluabiconsciousness in Osun will serve as abulwark against the philistinic wholesaleceding of electoral birth right for amess of pottage as witnessed in Ekition Saturday. Osun people value honourand integrity and have always voted onprinciple. They have withstood themost rampaging dictatorships and havedefied the most brutal siege to make aforthright political statement.

We will be looking forward to a freeand fair election and, of course, thereturn of Oranmiyan.

•Fasure lives in Osogbo.

•FAYEMI •FAYOSE

•AREGBESOLA •OMISORE

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13 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014

‘Omoluabi Fund Has Aided Osun’s Financial Stability’As the race to occupy the Osun State Government House draws nearer, accusations and counter accusations have

continues to trail political camps each passing day. The Chairman of Aregbesola Campaign Committee for Ijesa-North Federal Constituency, who is also the State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Dr.Wale Bolorunduro addressed some journalists where he took a swipe at the Gubernatorial candidate of the SocialDemocratic Party, Mr. Segun Akinwusi who was also a former Head of Service in the State, especially at theinception of Aregbesola’s administration. He took time to explain the management of state resources, dispellingalleged huge debt as well as other sundry issues. Correspondent Gbenga Faturoti was there. Excerpts:

WHAT is your take on the SDPgovernorship candidate’saccusations of the present

administration considering his involvementin it at inception?

An honest man would not pickinformation and intentionally misinterpretit for cheap political points. Neither SocialDemocratic Party (SDP) nor its gubernatorialflag bearer, Mr. Segun Akinwusi has goodrecognition within or outside the state todissuade the good people of Osun aboutthe need for continuity of good governanceand excellent leadership of the currentadministration in the state. Though therecent comment of Mr. Akinwusi on thefinancial transactions in the state, as usualis mischievous, malicious, laughable andworthy of no attention, for the purpose ofenlightenment however, I wish to re-emphasise that the guiding principle of thecurrent administration in the state istransparency and accountability.

How has the state been able to cope withthe prosecution of its programmes ofactivities in the face of economic downturn?

To start with, the Osun Stategovernment, like any other goodadministrator, leverages on present valueof money, plans her cash flow and managessame efficiently for optimal financialbenefits. In order to hedge against spiralinflationary trend in the country, and thecost implication on same, the governmentinnovatively and intelligently leverages onits robust relationship with the financialinstitutions in the country. The unparalleledfinancial strategies of the currentadministration has been receiving lots ofcommendations with several awards andemulated by some other visionary leadersin and outside the country. Effectivefinancial planning supported withingenious financial management andleveraging is certainly the pillar of economicdevelopments in advanced countries likeGreat Britain, Canada and other Westerncities.

Are there any observable lapses in theprevious administration’s approach on theeconomy?

It is rather unfortunate that Mr. Akinwusiwho had ample opportunity to counsel thePDP administration in the state during histime as Head of Service failed to advise theprevious administration to save the extrarevenues the state collected from ExcessCrude Federation Account (amounting toover N40 billion). Instead, the fund wasfrittered away while Akinwusi was aprominent member of the Funds AllocationCommittee of the state. It was learnt thatMr. Akinwusi couldn’t have offered anysincere advice given that he also benefitedthrough many proxy companies andprojects (such as Staff DevelopmentCentres etc).

What do you see as a mark of differencein the two administrations?

In contrast, Ogbeni Rauf AdesojiAregbesola denied himself and saved theexcess crude funds for the state andencourages the local governments to alsosave theirs. The total savings built up toabout N30 billion. The governorconsequently created OmoluabiConservation Fund to take care of futuregeneration, infrastructure needs andshortfall in revenue. It was the saving edgethat was used to create a deposit draw backfacility that was used to finance the salarypayments promptly on 26th of every monthfor three years, despite the delay of one ortwo months before receipt of federationrevenue. This edge allows the state to swapand minimize the interest to three percent

per annum. With this creative structure, thestate was able to roll out its infrastructureswithout delay. Also, it was the savings thatwas used to augment the revenues, whenallocations from federation accounts fell by40 percent. This drop in revenue started inMay 2013 and without the referencedsavings, the state wouldn’t have been ableto keep its tradition of prompt salarypayment till December 2013, at the same timepay end of year bonus.

How would you react to accusations ofhuge debt of about N350billion leveled bythe oppositions, especially SDP and PDP?

The fabricated huge debt portfolio ofN350billion always mentioned by Mr.Akinwusi is quite amusing. As I hadmentioned earlier in several interviews andpublic addresses, the whole banks in thecountry put together cannot afford to lendsuch a colossal amount as loan to a singleborrower, and neither can any state in thecountry be adjudged buoyant enough toaccess such huge amount from thecountry’s capital market. This is so giventhe regulatory frameworks guidingborrowing from money and capital market,as well as state’s financial transactions.

You were quoted as saying that all themonitoring agencies cleared the state fromthe highly indebted states?

For instance, the Central Bank of Nigeriaprescribes certain limits known as “singleobligor’s limit” for commercial banks,benchmarking the total loan a singleborrower can take as loan from commercialbanks as a proportion of a bank’sshareholder’s funds. In the same direction,the volume of loan any state can accessfrom the capital market is also tied to itstotal revenue and current indebtedness tocommercial banks. Going by the aboveclarifications, and considering the state’scurrent level of revenue both from theFederation account and internally generatedrevenue, it should be seen that Akinwusi’scomments are mere guess work. Foravoidance of doubts, details of each state’slevel of exposures to both local and foreigncreditors can be accessed from the Federal

Debt Management Office and FiscalResponsibility commission.

How have the state being coping withpensioners’ problems on arrears?

On the issue of the N1 billion loanaccessed by the state for pension liabilities,aside from that the state’s huge pensionliabilities were product of the lastadministration under Akinwusi, it should benoted that this money was credited directlyabout five weeks ago to the savingsaccounts of the pensioners, as furtherpayments to them. So it is quite laughablethat some charlatans would call thisprovision for forthcoming polls.

Would you expatiate because you madesome reference to the former Head ofService who is now the SDP governorshipcandidate on the issue of gratuity?

I am sure Akinwusi would have learnt thetenets of responsibility under Aregbesola,and this is why am surprised that a man,who collected his gratuity upfront andconverted his outstanding leave to cash,could be this ungrateful to his master. Allthese benefits he processed before his lastdays in office despite his failure to runefficient, transparent pension scheme andfollow contributory pension law of the state.He could not also save to take care of thesurge in the pension despite hisintroduction of Contributory pensionscheme. His intention for forcing manyworkers to leave the state’s service withoutproviding for the surge could better beimagined. Osun currently has the biggestpension bill that is next to Lagos as a resultof lack of foresight and sense ofresponsibility.

A bank guarantee is proposed to beissued in favour of Federal Mortgage Bankof Nigeria (FMBN) to support Civil Servantsthat are willing to access Mortgage Loansdirectly from FMBN at incredible single digitinterest rate. A financially sound mindshould know that this is a contingent liabilitythat would not involve any disbursementof funds into the State Government coffersbut directly to the civil servants that appliedindependently for the Mortgage Loans from

FMBN. The state government will onlyguarantee repayment to support theconcerned Civil Servants. This is what theformer “Head of Service” referred to asMortgage loan! It is unfortunate to notethat Osun is the only state in the countrythat has not for once accessed the FMBNmortgage loans due to the failure of the PDP-administration to support its workers withguarantee for the mortgage. An irresponsibleHead of Service had allowed thisopportunity to escape the good workers ofOsun.

Federal Government of Nigeria providesfinancial support for primary basiceducation in a counterpart fundingarrangement with the State Governments.This implies that the Federal and StateGovernments provide 50% each. Althoughthe UBEC sum of N860.0million representsvery negligible portion of the fundscommitted to education reforms in the State,it is not out of sense to leverage this. Moreso, that usage of the intervention fund underthe arrangement is well guided by dynamicsthat make diversion practically impossible.Under Akinwusi, Osun was never up to datein providing its counterpart funds andtherefore could not improve its educationalinfrastructure.

With the dwindling federal allocation,how have you been able to pay workers?

One also wonders why the state’sconcern and effort to pay salary beforereceipt of the monthly allocation from theFederation is being viewed as electionfinancing. The usual delay in receipt, andunprecedented dwindling in the monthlyallocation from the Federation account is anational issue and trivializing this issue forpolitics shows that SDP candidate is anunserious technocrat.

But Mr. Akinwusi made commentsalleged that there is renegotiation ofobligations?

On Akinwumi’s comments on thepurported renegotiation of existingobligations. Assuming there is need forrenegotiation, the Nigerian money marketis perhaps one of the most volatile, andefficient management of loan portfoliorequires some very rare savvy andingenuity, such that may not becomprehensible to Mr. Akinwusi. How isrenegotiation for more favourable terms beinterpreted as fresh loan for electionfinancing?. I wish to use this medium toreemphasize that the current administrationdoes not need to spend a fortune to facilitatere-election of Ogbeni Rauf AdesojiAregbesola; his tremendous andunprecedented achievements over the last42 months are convincing testimonies. It isvery obvious that Mr. Segun Akinwusi whocould not easily interpret simple financialindices and understand the rationale behindsome financial strategy definitely lacks themental capacity to administer the rapidlygrowing state of Osun.

All opponents certainly have realized bynow that the PDP administration of sevenand half years, is nothing but a siege againstdevelopment and good governance. Theveil of blindness has however been liftedand no amount of blackmail and campaignof calumny could any longer blindfold thecitizens of the State of Osun. They seeclearer and clearer by the day. Ofcourse,There is a clear difference between light anddarkness. Rebirth of Social Democratic Party(SDP) in the State of Osun is a ‘still birth’.Bye Bye forever to deceit, oppressions,killings, sabotage, recklessness andineptitude. Rest in Peace, SDP, PDP, and allother oppositions to development andempowerment of the good people of Osun.

•Culled from DAILY INDEPENDENT

•BOLORUNDURO

INTERVIEW

Page 14: Osun Defender - July 3rd 2014, Edition

14 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014

•OMISORE•AREGBESOLA •FAYOSE

Although the Osun State governorship election is around thecorner, speculations about the possible influence orbandwagon effect of the Ekiti election on that election mustconsider the realities of Osun politics. Three things are clear:Osun is not Ekiti. Rauf Aregbesola is not Fayemi. And IyiolaOmisore is not Fayose, although they both caught the samebolekaja figure. Aregbesola’s popularity in Osun is not a fluke,while Omisore’s negative baggage tops his positive attributes.In a way, Aregbesola has Fayose’s mass appeal, but withoutFayose’s negative baggage. True, Aregbesola has delved intosome controversial projects, but the controversies werepolitically motivated, being drummed up by the opposition,precisely for its possible electoral value. The truth is thatAregbesola’s policies, programmes, and projects are as widelyaccepted as he is popular.

’•Culled from The Punch of July 1, 2014.

A Meta-commentary On The Ekiti Election

- By NIYI AKINNASO

FOR THE RECORDS

Page 15: Osun Defender - July 3rd 2014, Edition

15 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 3, 2014 PHOTOTALK

•A cross section of members of Oranmiyan group.

•Some of the little children waving to Aregbesola.

•Some of the Aregbesola supporters waving to him.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Re-election Mega Rally In Obokun/Oriade FederalConstituency In The State Of Osun, Held In Ibokun Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI And SHOLA ADERINTO.

Page 16: Osun Defender - July 3rd 2014, Edition

THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014

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

By ADE OLUGBOTEMIA slip into the pit bya

compatriot is alesson

for others to takeheed, so that multiplecalamities will not betide.It may not be apparentnow, but the victoryalluded to the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)in Ekiti State is a major setback todemocratic evolution in the country.The arrogance that was fast waningamong the political gladiators in theruling-PDP suddenly rebounds to theextent that it is now consideredfashionable. This may portend a greatdanger for our democracy that hasalready been battered, unless it isstemmed right on time before thedamage becomes irreparable.

Our political umpire that has beenbrand-coded INEC (IndependentNational Electoral Commission) mayhave her officers; includingCommander Attahiru Jega, basking inself-adulation, the fault they did not see,or feigned ignorance of may become atime bomb, which detonation mayconsume even the innocent that havenothing to do with the grandconspiracy that is now drifting thecountry towards the precipice ofpolitical oblivion. We need to also actfast so that what betided Ekiti State andher people will be averted in the Stateof Osun. Also, as we are preparing forthe 2015 general elections, possiblemachinery must be put in motion toensure that an entity called Nigeria isnot reduced to historical relics.

The first question we need to askourselves is what percentage ofregistered voters actually voted in thejust-concluded Ekiti State gubernatorialelection? Secondly, why was it that theproportion of disenchanted onlookersoutnumbered the jubilant ones?Incontrovertible answers to these twoquestions will definitely remove the fogthat is beclouding our political horizonat the moment. My findings need tofind space for themselves here so thatNigerians and the people of Osun inparticular may know that the time isnow to act against what may constituteserious debacle to all attempts at selfemancipation and discretionaldetermination so far.

The distribution of kerosene byopposition PDP in the State of Osun afew months ago was greeted withwidespread condemnation, not onlybecause of the traffic gridlock thatinnocent road users experiencedthroughout the period the exerciselasted along Gbongan road in Osogbo,but also because kerosene scarcity wasartificially brought on innocentNigerians. A sizeable proportion of taxpayers’ money goes into kerosenesubsidy but the benefits of keroseneutility go to a few opportunisticNigerians, who believe that they mustcontinue to oppress the majoritythrough instruments of governance thatare accessed through fraudulent meansand are applied indecorously.

The same instruments were used inEkiti so that so many potential voterswere disenfranchised through what

people call money-for-voter’s cardusage. People believed to be loyal to theruling-All Progressives Congress (APC)in Ekiti State were made to part withtheir voters’ cards for a token so that itbecame impossible for them to vote atpolls. The implication of this was thatmajority of people, who voted werePDP members and sympathizers,whose voters’ cards were notwithdrawn, even though they also gottheir own part of the largesse. That iswhy a polling unit that has fourhundred registered voters could havehad only seventy nine people thatactually voted. At the end of theexercise, less than five hundredthousand people actually voted in Ekitigubernatorial election.

Heavy presence of armed securitypersonnel all over Ekiti State prior toand during the election also playedsome tricks on the voters, especiallythe older ones, who had the

consternation that they might harmthem. They deliberately stayed indoors,believing that it was better to do so thanto go out to vote and meet theiruntimely death. This is likely to happenin the State of Osun election, unlesspeople make up their minds to resistbeing disenfranchised by any pranks orploys from the Federal Government.

It was alleged that a high-tech fraudwas masterminded by PDP inconnivance with INEC, wherebythumbprints got obliterated after aperiod of time, whereas the box in frontof PDP logo would carry predesignedthumbprint, as if PDP was the party ofchoice. This was said to have beenresponsible for the single vote recordedfor All Progressives Congress in formerGovernor Segun Oni’s polling booth,where he went to vote alongside twelveof his supporters. The securitypersonnel were also alleged to havedanced to the tune dictated by the party

at the centre. The veracity ofthese claims will be unravelled bythe court of law.

The same methods are beingallegedly contemplated in the Stateof Osun. In reality, many peoplehave already been made to partways with their voters’ cardsthrough pittance, with thepromise that they will be

handsomely rewarded on, and after theElection Day. Some of these peoplehave been recruited into a brandedVanguard that now has staplefoodstuffs shared in their rendezvouson regular basis. As a matter of fact,many voters’ cards were confiscatedfrom a PDP Stalwart in Boripe LocalGovernment Council Area of the Stateof Osun much earlier, but we have notheard the conclusion of the matter tilldate.

I do not believe that Osun people willcondescend so low that the future willbe mortgaged in their own eyes. Theyouths in particular must realize thatthere is a remarkable differencebetween someone just making promisesand someone who has already matchedhis words with action in the area ofyouth recruitment and empowerment.PDP candidate in the fast-approachinggubernatorial election in Osun was atwo-term Senator of the FederalRepublic, but he could not boast ofempowering the youths of the miniaturecalled his senatorial district. How thencan we entrust the future of ourteeming youths in the whole of Osuninto his care?

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola promised theyouth employment and empowerment;today they have been empowered andmany of them are in governmentemploy as civil servants. If he nowoffers himself for second term inoffice; so that the good works he isdoing can continue, we all have noreason to say NO to this request. Weonly need to take four years (assuminghe has even completed this term) out ofthe twenty three years of the existenceof Osun as a state and make unbiasedcomparison of the two. Yourconclusion is as good as mine on thismatter, if only a rational juxtapositionand comparison is made.

Circumspection must gain currencybefore Lovers of progress and peacesettle down on what to do come August9, 2014. The people of Ekiti State mustreceive their fate under a PDP governorthat was voted in by stark minority ofpeople for four years after the tenure ofGovernor Kayode Fayemi; unless thetribunal rules otherwise. No minoritygovernment has ever performed tosatisfy the majority because it is alwaysimprinted in their sub-consciousnessthat they need not satisfy the majoritythat never voted them in. Osun peoplemust therefore avoid any pitfall thatmay likely draw us backward bycritically considering the credentials ofthe two major contenders before votingdecision is finally made.

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

Ekiti Election: A PresageFor Osun People

•JEGA