VOL. 9. NO.054 NNNNN5050505050TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

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Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-

General andMinister of

Justice? IGE

•All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande (left), presenting an award of The Most Innovative Nigerian Governor in first term to thegovernor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left). With them are his wife, Sheriaft (3rd right); Chairman, Business World Newspaper, Mr Laisi Omidiji (2nd left);Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam (2nd right) and the Guest Speaker, Professor Pat Utomi (right) at the presentation of the award to thegovernor at Zenabab Hotel, Ilesa, State of Osun, last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI

PDP Ready For MajorAttack On Osun – Osun APC

Girl, 12, Wins Osun First Spelling Bee Competition

•Plan Concluded At A Senator’s House In Ibadan•To Fake GMT, OYES Cadets As Thugs

Omisore’ MalevolentPolitics (1)

Iyi Omisore is tobe pitied andcertainly notenvied. Hisquixotic run forthe governorshipin the state ofOsun looks moreand more bizarreby the day.

T o s h o wmagnanimity it is notentirely all of hismaking though.Defeating a proven

achiever andperformer such asthe Ogbeni governoris never goingto beeasy.

Aregbesola’s vast

achievementsspeak for itself.Furthermore,accolades inrecognizanceof this continueto come in fromhome andabroad.

Continue on pg4

2OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014

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News

•The governor State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his wife, Sherifat (6th and 5th right), in a group photo-graph with some of the traditional rulers in the state during the presentation of an award of Most Innovative InNigeria In First Term to the Governor at Zenabab Hotel, Ilesa, State of Osun, last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI

PDP Ready For Major Attack On Osun – Osun APC

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has alertedthe security agencies and the citizens and residentsof the State of Osun that any time from now, the state

chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will unleashterror on the cities and towns of the state.

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

The party further statedthat credible information atits disposal revealed thatplan for this terror attackswas concluded during ameeting at the residence ofa former Oyo State senator

in Ibadan few weeks ago.According to the party,

in attendance at thatmeeting were said to includethe former senator, anotorious road transportkingpin in Ibadan and some

Osun PDP chieftainsamongst others.

The plan is to clothethugs that will be assembledby the transport kingpin inthe uniforms of both OsunGovernor ’s MonitoringTeam (GMT) and the trafficsection of O’YES to give theimpression that they werestate-sponsored thugs.

These uniforms were saidto have already been sewnby the Osun PDP.

“However, the plannedterror is to begin anytimeafter an the Osun PDPchieftain would havetravelled out of the country,to provide an alibi, so thathe will not be associatedwith the planned violenceeither.

“The PDP chieftain isscheduled to travel out ofthe country early this week,and his trip will be the triggerfor the terror attack to start.”

The APC has, by thisinformation therefore,alerted the securityagencies to watch out forcriminals, who will beimported from neighbouringstates, dressed in uniformsof Osun O’YES and GMTofficials, with a mission tocreate chaos and spillblood.

In a statement from theAPC party’s Directorate ofPublicity, Research and

Strategy and signed by itsDirector, Barrister KunleOyatomi, and made availableto the media in Osogbo onSunday, the party advisedOsun citizens to stay atmaximum alert to help thepolice and other securityagencies to ensure thatpolitical criminals aresuccessfully checkmatedand prevented fromdisturbing the current peacein Osun.

Aregbesola Bags Most-innovative Governor InNigeria Award

Aregbesola DistributesBuses To StateTertiary Institutions

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

•Akande, Utomi Hail Governor

GOVERNOR of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, on Saturday, bagged the award of theMost Innovative Nigeria Governor in First Term

from Business World, a leading business and economynewspaper in Nigeria.

At a colourful event heldat Zenabab Hotel and Resortin Ilesa, Chairman of theBusiness World, DaisiOmidiji, said out of the 36states in Nigeria, Osun is thefastest-growing state interms of innovation.

Omidiji stated that thenewspaper conductedsurvey in the six geo-political zones of thecountry and selected sevenbest states including Kano,Delta and Osun emerged asthe best of the seven statesselected.

Business World chairmanadded that innovations andtransformation in the statewithin three years isunprecedented in thehistory of Nigeria.

The Guest Lecturer,Professor Pat Utomi, saidthe basis of government isto administer the human andeconomic resources of anysociety, to ensure security,harmony and development.

“The primaryresponsibility of anygovernment is to improvethe quality of life and createenabling environment thatwill make man to beproductive to make lifebetter, anything fall short ofthis, such government mustbe told to leave.

“For any meaningfuldevelopment to take place,government must giveutmost priority to educationand health. Thetransformation ofAregbesola in the two

sectors has demonstratedhis competence andseriousness. I don’t justpraise people, but it isobvious that Aregbesolahas done well.”

Utomi added that Osun isthe fastest-growing state inpublic school enrolment,while the government isequally addressing thechallenges of poor qualityteachers throughtechnology.

“One of the majorchallenges in theeducational sector is thequality of teachers, whichrequire new training andmodern skills, which Osungovernment is addressingthrough innovation andtechnology. The Tablet ofKnowledge (Opon Imo) isone of the best technologyto improve the quality ofteachers and knowledge ofthe students,” Utomi said.

Utomi however, assertedthat the world is moving veryfast and people of Nigeriamust also move fast to feelwhat the nation has missedin terms of development.

Chairman of the occasion,Chief Adebisi Akande, theAPC Interim NationalChairman, describedAregbesola as one of thebest governors in the world.

“He is an achiever and allof us will continue toidentify with him and byAugust 9, we shall all behere to vote for him.”

Responding afterreceiving the award,

Governor Aregbesola saidpower is only meaningful,when it is used to advancethe cause of the people.

He said APC manifesto isdesigned to advance thecourse of long neglectedpeople of Nigeria anddedicated the award to thepeople of the state, mostespecially, those thatstruggled and supportedhis emergence since 2005 toNovember 26, 2010.

Aregbesola commendedthe Business WorldNewspaper for consistentlymonitoring the innovationsand development in Osun.

He said: “What we havedone in Osun is whatwhoever that is entrustedwith power must do. Poweris responsibility to serve thepeople. We painstakinglystudied the challenges ofour people and addressingthem with passion, visionand strong political will.

“The innovations wehave engendered aremanifesting through OponImo that have beendistributed to secondaryschool pupils, O Meals andElectronics Smart IdentityCards for the workers.”

The governor added thateducation is the first priorityof his administration, sayingthe difference betweendeveloped and developingcountries is education andtechnology.

He explained that theOYES scheme, whichemployed 40,000 people,has been recommended forother states by the WorldBank and urged the FederalGovernment to address thecurrent risingunemployment.

According to him: “As a

matter of urgency, thegovernment must addressthe economic debaclethrough emergencyprovision of jobs forunemployed youths. If thereare jobs, Boko Haram wouldbe a thing of the past withinsix months.”

Through innovation,according to the governor,Osun Internally GeneratedRevenue has beenincreased from N300 millionto N1.6 billion withoutincrease in tax, adding thatOsun economy is the 7thlargest economy in thecountry and second highestGDP per capital, despite thepoor federal allocationcoming to the state.

Aregbesola however,promised that his secondterm in office will not be atime to rest, rather a time towork harder for thebetterment of the people.

GOVERNMENT of the State of Osun on Fridayreaffirmed its determination to continue to takesteps aimed at providing quality, affordable and

accessible education to all and sundry.Governor of the state,

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,noted that despite thescarce resources at hisadministration’s disposal,he will continue tomassively invest ineducation to secure betterfuture for the state.

The governor stated thiswhile distributing four 18-seater buses to thestudents’ unions of thefour state-owned tertiaryinstitutions at an event heldat the Government House,Osogbo.

The institutions wereOsun State Polytechnic,Iree; Osun State College ofTechnology, Esa Oke; OsunState Colleges of Educationin Ilesa and Ila-Orangun.

Aregbesola urged thestudents’ leaders to justifythe state governmentcommitment by efficientlymanaging the buses andusing them for the purposefor which they were meant.

He however, warned themagainst violence, recklessdriving, impunity and anyother acts that may bringdisrepute to theirinstitutions.

Earlier in her welcomeaddress, the SpecialAdviser to the Governor onTertiary Education, MrsMulikat Bello, described asunprecedented, the various

efforts of the Aregbesolaadministration in thepursuance of standard andqualitative education in thes t a t e - o w n e d - t e r t i a r yinstitutions.

Bello said the gesturewould soon be extended tothe National Association ofOsun State Students(NAOS) and NationalAssociation of NigerianStudents’ Joint CampusCommittee,(NANS/JCC).

Chairman, NANS/JCC,Osun Axis, Awowole Samuel,stated that theadministration of OgbeniAregbesola is a completedeparture from the trend ofthe former administration,when the tuition fees wasexorbitant and unbearable,adding that the students’body was pleased with thepresent administration’sefforts aimed attransforming the state.

Awowole, while appealingto the governor to find alasting solution to the on-going industrial action inthe state-owned tertiaryinstitutions, alsocondemned the abductionof school children in BornoState and charged theFederal Government toensure safe release of theinnocent school girls andcurb the menace of BokoHaram insurgency.

Girl, 12, Wins Osun First SpellingBee Competition

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

A twelve-year-old pupil of Unity Middle School, MissOlawale Zainab, has emerged the champion of themaiden edition of Sheri Care Foundation Spelling

Bee Competition.She emerged after a

rigorous 14-round contestamong forty-five pupilsfrom various public schoolsacross the state.

The teenager spelt‘Marathon as thechampionship word toemerge the first winner ofthe programme.

The event was thebrainchild of Sheri Carefoundation (SCARF), a non-

governmental organisationanchored by the wife of thestate governor, Mrs SherifatAregbesola.

Miss Olayiwola Ameeratemerged second aftermissing two differentopportunities of winningthe competition.

The duo, who were fromFakunle Middle School inOsogbo, went into the 11th

round as potential winners,

only for Ameerat to miss theopportunity to win the tripto the United States ofAmerica as a guest of thespelling bee.

The third place winner,Master Olatunji Damilare, apupil from a public schoolin Modakeke, howevercontrolled his emotion afterlosing out in the 10th round.

Having emerged thewinner of the competition,Zainab is billed for a trip tothe United States of Americaas a guest of the spelling bee,aside a cash reward ofN250,000 by the wife of thegovernor, while Ameerat gotN150,000, just as Damilaregot N100,000 for his efforts.

•Plan Concluded At A Senator’s House In Ibadan •To Fake GMT, OYES Cadets As Thugs

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

•State of Osun Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Ilori being assisted by Chairman, House Committee onHealth; Hon. Ogunsola Leke and GM, Cipla-Evans Medical Nigeria Limited; Pharm. Kunle Ademola, in cutting thetape of the anti-malaria drugs donated to the state government recently.

Aregbesola Alerts Osun People Over Planned Violence

GOVERNOR of the State of Osun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, has again encouraged the people of thestate to always be at alert to prevent attempts by any

politician to disrupt the current peace of the state in thename of political ambition.

He spoke through his SeniorSpecial Assistant onCommunity Forum,Olatunbosun Oyinloye, onFriday, while joining Muslimsto observe Jumat Service atIragbiji Central Mosque, BoripeLocal Government Council Areaof the state during a publicenlightenment at the grassroots

on government policies andprogrammes.

Warning that the youngerones should not allowthemselves to be used forviolence because of theambition of some politicians,who are hell-bent in occupyingthe governorship seat, he saidthat all the developmental

programmes being executed bythe present administration wereonly made possible because ofthe peace reigning in the state.

On the alleged plan to sackworkers in his second term, thegovernor stated that theallegation was the making ofdesperate politicians andpolitical party, who are jitteryof the achievements of hisadministration, saying; “we arenot sacking any workers, wewill rather employ more ofthem.

“Through our efforts ingovernance and approach toissues of workers, it should be

clear to everybody that we arenot ready to sack any worker,but our political enemies are justspreading such wicked rumoursand lies to set workers againstus.

“I am sure that our workforceconsists of intellectual peopleand they cannot be deceived byany politician, who has nothinggood to offer them and the entirepeople of this state.

“Another lie they arespreading is that we want tostop commercial motorcyclingbusiness, all in their efforts togain the favour of the people,having realized that they have

nothing to justify their ambition.We are not stopping thecommercial motorcyclists, butwe will make them moresuccessful through ourprogrammes and policies,” headded.

The governor then noted allthe lies and rumours were meantto set people against him andhis government, with a view totriggering violence and rigging,through which they intended torealise their ambition.

Speaking on the pensionarrears owed the pensioners bythe government, he said that thegovernment, out of itsmagnanimity, had recentlyreleased N1 billion for thepayment of the arrears, inspitethat the pension crisis was the

making of the lastadministration.

Aregbesola added that hisadministration would continueto execute programmes andpolicies that would make lifemeaningful to the people of thestate.

In his response, the Aragbijiof Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-RasheedOlabomi, urged religious leadersand parents to continue to echoit on the younger ones that theyshould not allow themselves tobe used or bought for thepurpose of violence.

Describing Aregbesola as apeaceful leader, who has donewell in his efforts to transformthe state, the monarch said;“such a leader should besupported and encouraged to domore”.

Osun Lawmaker, Parents, Students Appeal ToASUP, COEASU Over StrikeSOME parents and students have appealed to members

of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic and Colleges ofEducation in the State of Osun to call off their six-

month old strike action.It would be recalled that the

Polytechnic lecturers have beenon strike since October 2013,while their counterparts inColleges of Education startedtheirs since December 2013.

The unions were protestingthe refusal of government tomeet their demands for bettercondition of service andenabling teaching environment.

Mr FolorunshoBamisayemi, Chairman ofOsun House of AssemblyCommittee on Educationappealed to the strikinglecturers to have mercy on theinnocent students and returnback to the classrooms.

Bamisayemi, who noted thatgovernment was doingeverything possible to meet thedemands of the strikinglecturers, urged the lecturers toreturn to the classrooms, whilenegotiation could still becontinued.

He said due to the strikeaction, students had wastedmore that a semester.

A parent, Mrs FunkeAjibola, appealed to theacademic unions andgovernment to find a commonground to resolve the crisis inthe interest of the students.

Ajibola said for the sake ofthe innocent students, theunions should call-off the strikeand continue the negotiationwith government.

“I want to passionatelyappeal to the unions to pleasecall-off the strike. It is close tosix months now when thepolytechnics and colleges ofeducation were shut and thestudents had been sitting at

home.“I know the lecturers were

fighting for better workingcondition among other things,but all the same, they shouldput the future of these youngstudents into consideration”.

Miss Omolayo Akinwumi,a student of Osun Polytechnic,Iree, also appealed to the state

government to meet thedemands of the strikinglecturers for the reopening ofthe institutions.

Akinwumi, who said shewas about finishing her HigherNational Diploma (HND)when the strike started, said shehad wasted a whole semesterdue to the strike.

“I want to appeal to bothgovernment and the strikinglecturers to have mercy andreturn back to classrooms. Weare tired of staying at home,”

Akinwumi said.Another parent, Mr Jide

Akomolafe, said it was painfulthat the lecturers andgovernment allowed the striketo prolong till now.

Akomolafe said many of thestudents could not participatein the one-year mandatoryNational Youth Service due tothe strike.

He, however, appealed tothe striking lecturers to call-offthe strike for the sake of thefuture of the innocent students.

LAUTECH HospitalWorkers Suspend Strike

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

WORKERS of Ladoke Akintola University TeachingHospital, Osogbo, have suspended their one-weekindustrial action, which had earlier paralysed ma-

jor activities in the hospital.The workers, after an agree-

ment with the representativesof the Government of the Stateof Osun to pay their outstand-ing salaries, agreed to suspendthe strike action.

Various workers’ unions, in-cluding the Non Academic StaffUnion( NASU), on Monday,held a congress at the premisesof the hospital, to inform theirmembers of the various unions’decisions to end the strike.

This was contained in acommuniqué signed at the endof the meeting with the stategovernment representativeschaired by Honourable LekeOgunsola, Chairman, HouseCommittee on Health, the StateCommissioner of Finance, DrWale Bolorunduro and ChiefMedical Director ofLAUTECH, Professor OlufemiFadiora.

The government and thelabour unions agreed that theshortfalls that arose from thepayment of salaries and allow-ances for the months of Sep-tember, November and Decem-ber 2013, and the allowancesowed by the Oyo State wouldinstalmentally be paid in threemonths.

They also agreed that thewelfare of the workers wouldbe sorted out, including the ac-

cumulated interest on loans ob-tained by staff of the hospital,with a promise that Osun gov-ernment will continue to pay thehospital regardless of joint own-ership.

Those who signed thecommuniqué were, ComradeFaniran S.O, NANNM Chair-man, Comrade Moronkeji M. A,NUAHP Chairman, ComradeOlukayode Ibitoye, NASUChairman and other top man-agement staff of the hospital.

Speaking to OSUN DE-FENDER after the union con-gress, Ibitoye commended thegovernor for his proactive re-sponse over the industrial dis-pute.

He said: “The governor hasdone it again. His commitmentto the hospital is unusual. Weall appreciate the governor andby God’s grace, on August 9,we will not only vote for him,we are mobilising our membersto vote massively.

“We are not politicians, butit is all evident in theinfrastructural development inthe hospital, procurement ofnew equipment, while welfareof workers must continue.

Ibitoye maintained thatunions have confidence in theagreement they have signed andhoped that government willimplement it as and when due.

Cipla Evans Partners Osun In War Against Malaria

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

•Donates 132,000 Doses Of Anti-malarial Artemef

IN a bid to curtail the spread of malaria, the administrationof Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has instituted bi-weeklyenvironmental sanitation, distribution of free insecticide-

treated nets to the populace, free malaria testing anddispensing of malaria drugs in state health facilities, whichhas morbidity and mortality.

This was made known by theState Commissioner for Health;Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Ilori, onthe occasion of the donation ofantimalarial drugs by CiplaEvans (Nig.) Limited to theGovernment of the State ofOsun last Wednesday.

She maintained that the kindgesture was in support of theefforts of the stateadministration to achieve one ofthe six-point integral actionplan, which was; ‘therestoration of healthy living’ toher citizens.

The commissioner hintedthat the donation perfectlycoincided with the season of theWorld Malaria Day.

In her words, “the WorldMalaria Day is observed on the25th of April of every year.

“Malaria is a disease that killsmore than 600,000 people every

year world over.“Each year, we take stock of

the disease, what has been doneto contain it and what still needsto be done.”

She disclosed that childrenare most likely victims ofmalaria and most of them live inLatin America, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where the mostdeadly strain of the disease wasfound.

She observed that malaria stillremains major threat to publichealth of the good people ofNigeria, undermining socio-economic development andcausing the nation billionsannually in treatment andpreventive costs.

In his speech, the GeneralManager of Cipla Evans;Pharmacist Kunle Ademola,explained that his companydecided to partner with the state

government after carefullyobserving the administrationand was impressed on the level

of development.He commended the State

Ministry of Health staff for the

Alleged kidnapping: Jungle Justice Lands 12 In Prison

NO fewer than twelve persons were on Wednesday ordered to be remanded in prison custody by an OsogboMagistrate’s Court for allegedly participating in the

unlawful killing of three suspected kidnappers in Osogbo, theState of Osun capital.

success it had achieved inimplementing the health policyof the state government.

He used the avenue to solicitfor more government patronageby the state government.

The accused persons, accord-ing to the charge sheet, burnt thethree suspected kidnappers aliveat different locations within thestate capital.

According to the charge sheetread in court, the suspects andothers believed to be currentlyat-large conspired to commit thecrime between April 24 and 26,2014 in Osogbo.

The accused persons were:Lawal Ismaila (22), AndrewSimeon (27), SurajudeenSulaiman (35), Taye Taiwo (20),Abolaji Mathew (30) andKamorudeen Seidu (25).

Other are: OgundeleOluwatosin (40), OlasunkanmiHammed (20), Sule Yahaya (23),Akande Ibukun (22), Ajibola

Samuel (21) and OlanrewajuOlawale (21).

According to the chargesheet, Ismaila, Simeon, Sulaiman,Taiwo, Mathew and Seidu onApril 25, conspired to kill oneSegun Adewale (an alleged kid-napper) by beating and settinghim ablaze alive.

The charge sheet allegedOluwatoyin, Hammed, Ibukun,Samuel and Olawale of con-spiracy and killing of AliuMohammed (another alleged kid-napper) by also beating and burn-ing him to death on April 26, atDugbe Police Station Area,Osogbo.

According to the chargesheet, Yahaya and other suspectsat-large, also killed one Seun

Gbenga, who was suspected tobe a kidnapper by beating andsetting fire on him alive.

The actions of the accusedpersons were contrary to Sec-tion 316 and punishable underSection 391(1) of the CriminalCode, Cap 34 Vol.11, Laws ofOsun 2003.

However, the pleas of the ac-cused persons were not takenbecause of the capital nature oftheir offence.

Chief Magistrate LasisiMuhammad, who presided overthe case, then ordered that theaccused persons be remanded inprison custody.

Muhammed further directedthe police prosecutor, PromiseAkanwa, a Deputy Superinten-dent of Police, to forward thecase file to the Directorate ofPublic Prosecution, Ministry ofJustice, Osogbo, for legal advice.

The case was later adjournedto June 11, 2014 for mention.

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

4 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Omisore’ Malevolent Politics (1)

why Iyi Omisore is sodisorientated. Hecannot say thatAregbesola has notperformed. That wouldbe ridiculous for theempirical evidenceabounds. It is there forall to see. As clear asdaylight.

In addition, Omisorelacks the diligence, theintellectual preparationas well as theseriousness of intent toput together analternative programme.His recent perfunctoryattempt to submit a“manifesto” to the presswas not surprisinglysimply laughed out ofcourt.

With the people of thestate of Osun indifferentto his governorshipambition, Omisore isnow in a quandary. Witha performing governorin place and no inspiringalternative programmein place. What does hedo next?

There are no prizes forguessing what he will donext. Omisore willsimply slip back intowhat for him comesnatural. What comesnatural for thediscredited formerSenator is obvious. Thisis the politics of bloodand thunder. The politicsof malevolence and ofviolence. Omisore’sright hand man andenforcer is now in

charge of the policingsystem.

This has not happened byaccident. It is all part of agrand scheme. Thescheme is centeredon themilitarization of politics.This is the use ofintimidation and fear tocower and coerce thepopulace. It translatesinto if you can’t win theirhearts get nasty withthem.

We are already seeingthis in place elsewhere.For example, the ministerof state for Defense,Musiliu Obanikoro hasalso been malevolentlythrowing his weightaround. They are allthrowing their weightaround. They are all thesame. Peas from the

same pod. They do notthrow their weight aroundto develop their people.Far from it. The idea isto brow beat the peopleinto submission.

Instead of producing adevelopmental agenda,they want to destroy.Fortunately, it is not goingto work this time around.In the course of theA r e g e b e s o l aadministration, the stateof Osun has witnessedprofound and irreversiblechanges. The peoplehave witnessed thedifference betweenreactionary interlopersand a progressivealternative perspective.

On his part, Aregbesolahas to use the words of

APC’s Nationwide Spread – Life More Abundant For AllREMEMBER that I wrote to

you on a similar topicearlier this year. This

second letter is for the purpose ofemphasis – at least, to drive mypoints home. Events unfoldingsince the first letter have judgedme right. The All ProgressiveCongress (APC) has since beenexpanding in size, composition,geographical spread anddominance. These developmentsare indicative of good electoraloutings now and henceforth. Foronce, Nigeria can rest and beassured that people-orientedservice would circulate round thelength and breadth of their nation.I’m the gladdest for it.

Thank God for this emergingopportunity. I also appreciate theprivilege to have my opinionsaired in your highly reputable andwidely-read newspaper. I wish tocommend your noble efforts inthe past; while admonishing youto carry on undeterred in yourfight at wrestling our people freefrom the fangs of intellectual andideological enslavement. Some ofus out here recognize andappreciate the weight of yourselfless service to our state andthe nation at large. I only wish toexpress my sincere hope that mychoice of your medium is notmisplaced as I nurse no doubts inmy mind that you will find a spacefor its publication, and soonesttoo.

For some time now, I have keptunder close observation the trendof events and happenings in the

political circles of our nation andtruly, there has been a particulartrend which I personally find mostattractive and quite interesting.The trend has been unfolding inphases, like a programmessequence. First was themetamorphosing of the defunctAction Congress of Nigeria(ACN), alongside some otherthree or four former politicalparties into a mega political partyin the name of All ProgressiveCongress (APC). This massivemerger cum transformation andpooling of ideas and ideologies

alone came as the single wonderof the modern political terrain ofNigeria; as the hitherto pridedpolitical enclave, which hadenslaved the people and theircollective prospects of accessinggood living conditions ismanifestation to answeredprayers. At last, the prayers andpleas of the masses had reachedthe highest heavens and God hasgiven His assent to them. At last,it is obvious that our foistedcaptors are about to lose theirvicious grip of their “empire”. Inactual fact, the development

seems to me the triumph of themasses of Nigeria.

As if the foregoing was notenough, we began to witnesswonders as various politicalgroups, apparently consideredincompatible decided to bury theirdifferences and unite to chart onecommon cause for the forward-movement of the nation andsnatching it from the above-referred-to vicious grip. I honestlyconfess that it took divineintervention for some of the sub-groups in the alliance we nowhave on ground to have jettisoned

their strongly-held distinctpolitical viewpoints and get themlost in the common will to rescuethe poor masses from theirtormentors.

No sooner these feats wererecorded than we saw the giantoppressor and self-prided largestpolitical party in Africa, thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP)melting and crumbling under thehuge pressure and fierce force ofchange which the nation at its bestmust witness at this stage of itsnationhood.

I have come across a horde of

pessimists who predicted the waveof change as not destined to last.Another cross-section ofpessimists viewed the success ofthe trend impossible. I marriedthese two similar schools ofthought together and filteredthem out to a conclusion that bothof them were hinged on anerroneous conviction that theformer ruling party was farstronger than any collection ofparties could unseat. This thoughtis as foolish as daring theomnipotence of God.

Today, we have seen how farand well the various players havegone in the alliance. Not only this,we are seeing how the new groupis gaining weight and enlargement,not minding inhibitions andhindrances. We have seen howvarious political office holdersacross various party convictionsand across various arms ofgovernment dump their oldassociations for the new alliance.We, in short, are viewing withpride from the horizons a brighterNigeria; with promise of better,more people-oriented governancefor the entire country.

As the good drama continuesto unfold, I pray that the bond ofthe new-found alliance waxstronger, so that we for once inNigeria could witness onnationwide scope goodgovernance and the life ofabundance it engenders.

Long live Nigeria!

•LAYI ODETOLA, TaiwoRoad, Offa, Kwara State.

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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: osundefender@yahoo.com

St.Francis of Assisibrought harmony wherethere was once discord.The end of discord hasresulted in profounddevelopment strides.Schools have beenrefurbished. Roads havebeen constructed. Jobshave been created. Abright future beckons forthe people with hoperenewed.

All of this must befrustrating for thegovernorship wannabeIyiola Omisore.Nevertheless, hisfrustration should notlead him to rekindle thepolitics of malevolence.For no amount of controlof the security forces onOmisore’s part is goingto threaten the populace

The profound gainsthat have been madein the past three yearsacross all sectorswillbe resolutelydefended. The peopleare aware that there isno alternative. Theydo not want to goback to a dismal andunedifying past. Theywill do everything toprotect the gainsmade in the interest oftheir children as wellas generations yetunborn.

The sooner IyiOmisore and hissidekicks realize this,the better. In the stateof Osun, the peoplehave drunk from thewell of liberty andprogress. They aretherefore resolute asthey say NO! toOmisore’s malevolentpolitics!

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InfrastructureOSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The Benefits (III)Still in the mood of copious celebration of harvest of road infrastructure projects, Governor of

the State of Osun, South West geopolitical zone of Nigeria, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola,penultimate Monday commissioned a network of fully constructed accumulated road projects,numbering to almost twenty-one and stretching up to about thirty kilometres across the lengthand breadth of the metropolis of Osogbo, the state capital. This edition celebrates this laudableachievement in grand style; even amidst the commotion of well-deserved merit awards heapedon the seasoned administrator and socio-economic change-agent of our time. In this specialcommemorative package of OSUN DEFENDER Magazine, NIYI OLASINDE compiles full,comprehensive list of the road projects within Osogbo municipality, as a prelude to laterpublications on other ones recently commissioned in other parts of the State of the Virtuous.

Ona Baba Ona In The State Of Osun

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (arrowed), acknowledging cheers from his admirers during the inspection of the roads at Oluode, Osogbo, few days.INSET: One of the completed 21 roads by the governor, at Oroki Estate, Osogbo, during the commissioning.

6 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014MAGAZINE

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The Benefits (III)

Contiuned from page 5

Contiuned on page 11

•Continued from last week.

THE all-important nature of good, motorable roadnetwork to infrastructural growth and all otherfacets of all-round development of a society cannot

be overemphasized. Lots of volumes of work had, inthe past, been devoted to bringing to the fore theinvaluable place occupied by good road provision in thesocio-economic advancement of societies. In thisconnection, OSUN DEFENDER Magazine has neverreneged in its avowed commitment to showcasing thelaudable efforts of the incumbent All ProgressiveCongress (APC)-led administration of Ogbeni RaufAdesoji Aregbesola at fixing not all the urban roads butall the rural access roads within the nooks and cranniesof the entire state as well. In this grand, noble and loftyproject, clearly spelt out in the Six-Point Integral ActionPlan of the administration, roads in n the category ofthe Rural Access and Mobility Projects (RAMP), apartnership project among states, the FederalGovernment and the World Bank are not left out. Thesuccessful exploits of the Government Unusual ofOgbeni Aregbesola in this direction have been our focusof celebration for some time now. Without mincing wordand without attempts at procrastinating, we now movedeftly to present the full roll-call of all the recentlycommissioned roads within Osogbo, the state capital.As no account of this nature could attain a 100 per centof accuracy, we present the list to the best of our ability,ensuring as usual that there are no embellishments orexaggerations whatsoever.

•Igbonna / Ago Wande / Oke Onitea / Winners’Chapel / Ring Road Project

THIS road project, inherited by the administrationof Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from the immediatepast administration in the state, was at inception

time of the administration at the state of abandonment,neglect and disuse. As a matter of fact, tongues werewagging that the road project and the possibilities of itscompletion had become a farce. That was even as itbecame glaring that the fund for its construction hadbeen released, either in part or in full to the contractorin charge of the work. It was startling and stunning tofind the contractors of the project fully mobilized backto site.

The road was constructed up to the stage that it wasmacadamized, with the culverts, bridges and drainagesproperly fixed, at least to make the road reasonablymotorable. This same road it was that was jocularlyhandled by the erstwhile Governor Olagunsoye Oyinloladuring one of the latter editions of his monthly audience-participation propaganda programme, branded GbagedeOro. One particular complainant had approached thegovernor with a plea for the completion of that particularroad project. Specifically, the complainant dwelt on thebridge over the stream at the precincts of C.A.C.

WOSEM; which he complained that apart from itsimpassable nature, was so narrow that it could not taketwo pedestrians at a go. To this complaint, Oyinlolaonly replied with his usual jestive candor when he said“akuko Mecca ga to bayii; alhaji e re e le…” meaningthat it was an exaggerated. That was all! The road wasnever fixed till his unceremonious ouster from office.

Upon the assumption of office of the Aregbesolaadministration in November 2010, work resumed onthe project, and it was brought to completion beforeChristmas time that year. The first test of the usefulnessof the road came during the Christmas festivities of2010; precisely on the Christmas Eve on December 24,when due to traffic congestion on all access roads (allof which were then in a terrible state of disrepair), theroad under consideration came to the rescue of motoristsas the only escape route to the West Bypass (popularlycalled Ring Road). Since that time, it became clear thatif all other linking roads in the state capital could befixed, the problems and challenges of traffic congestionwould have been flung overboard.

The case of this road is just only one instance amongsimilar ones which were reopened by the newadministration of Ogbeni Aregbesola all over the Stateof Osun. Today, all the roads have been made perfectlymotorable.

•Olu Alabi / Anaye Market Link Way

THIS road was totally in a state of disrepair at thetime of the inception of the incumbentadministration. The situation of the road was

worsened by the presence of a bridge which had cutoff; thus making smooth crossover difficult forpedestrians, not to talk of motorists. Residents of thearea, especially those who were mobile with one modeof transportation or the other did not find the situationamenable at all.

The drainage situation of the area was an eyesore.There were no clear-cut drainages at the road ends. Toworsen matters, the supposed gutters and beds andbanks of the stream which criss-cross the area becamerefuse dumping grounds for residents who could notfind any better alternative for their refuse disposal needs.Because of this prevailing situation, the area becameperennially flood and erosion-prone; as fortunes ofproperty and several lives were lost to the annualrecurrence of erosion torrents.

One sorry sight in the area, which deservesmentioning, was indiscriminate defecation along theadjoining railway and its sides. The identified cause ofthis practice was the absence of toilet facilities in mostresidential houses, market stalls and complexes whichdotted the area. This unhygienic practice has become athing of the past today, via the proactive interventioneffort of the Aregbesola administration.

Time and again during the time of the fiery siege, thesearchlights of OSUN DEFENDER Magazine beamedon the ugly spectacle presented by this very area and

the untold hardship which its residents were made toundergo. The disastrous floods of 2009 and 2010 inparticular still remain fresh in our memories; as wereckon that the horrible experience is not what theresidents of the area could forget in few years to come.

Today, the wave of Rauf Revolution has beamed tothat area of the Osogbo Metropolis; not only in the areaof road construction, but also in the area ofenvironmental sanitation. The area under focus isexemplary of good sanitation practice today. The roadand drainages are now perfectly well fixed. Aside this,the road is a shortcut from the earlier-mentioned one;and it also serves to avert unnecessary trafficcongestion. Again, this good work came, courtesy ofOgbeni Aregbesola’s administration in the State of Osun.

West Bypass a.k.a. Ring Road

THIS road had been in existence since the time ofsome military administration in the state. It washowever brought to the present level of

conceptualization by the administration of Chief BisiAkande. The road, stretching from the Mobile PoliceHeadquarters Junction /rare of Osogbo City Stadium tolink the Osogbo-Iwo Road at Dele Yessir area spansbetween 15 and 20 kilometres. It also presents a stretchof good motorable road to motorists who intend to avoidthe hustle-bustle of the township traffic. This, to a largeextent, serves to reduce traffic congestion of the statecapital.

Before the coming on board of the incumbentadministration, the purpose of constructing this roadhad been almost defeated, as various forms of illegalstructures had begun to litter both sides of the road.Being a new road, various forms of workshop hadoccupied the roadsides and junctions. As if theseactivities were not enough, many residents of themetropolis found the patches of bushes at the edges ofthe road as ample refuse dumping ground. Activities ofsome motorists, especially the trailer drivers were alsocontributing to the deteriorating condition of the road.Burning of tyres on the road, especially at nights, witha view to draw attention of other road users to damagedvehicle spots, contribute to damaging the road.

Also, other human activities like human defecation,gathering of earth and sands for building projects andselling to tipper operators and indiscriminate mountingof kiosks, stalls and other forms of movable structuresfor commercial activities contributed to unnecessaryrapid congestion and overcrowdedness along the road.Incursions and trespasses were made into the roadboundaries/limits in an indiscriminate fashion. To cap itall, the street lights installed by the immediate pastadministration were just like mere decoration polesadorning that stretch of road. They never really providedlight at night. Thus, the stretch of road provides amplehideouts for hoodlums, gangsters and criminals to carry

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right), commissioning the completed 21 roads in Osogbo. With him; his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori(2nd left); Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (left) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) RATCON Construction Company, Mr Elias Zaad (2ndright), during the occasion when the governor commissioned the completed roads in Osogbo few days ago.

7 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014 PHOTOTALKPresentation Of An Award Of Most Innovative Nigerian Governor In First Term ToThe Governor, State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, By Business World NewspaperAt Zenabab Hotel, Ilesa, State Of Osun, Last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•(L-R) All Progressive Congress (APC) Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his wife, Sheriaft, at the event.

•(L-R) House of Representatives’ members, Alhaja Ayo Omidiran; Honourable Ajibola Famurewa and Chairman, Business World Newspaper, Mr Laisi Omidiji on the occasion.

•(L-R) Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam; Guest Speaker, Professor Pat Utomi and Chief of Staff to State of Osun Governor, Alhaji GboyegaOyetola at the event.

8 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014 PHOTOTALKPresentation Of An Award Of Most Innovative Nigerian Governor In First Term To TheGovernor, State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, By Business World Newspaper AtZenabab Hotel, Ilesa, State Of Osun, Last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•A cross section of traditional rulers at the programme.

•Governor Aregbesola and his wife, Sherifat (3rd right) in a group photograph with some members of State of Osun House of Assembly on the occasion.

•Another cross section of traditional rulers at the event.

9 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014PHOTOTALK

•(L-R) State of Osun Interim APC Chairman, Elder Lowo Adebiyi; Honourable Babatunde Komolafe ; APC interim State Treasurer, Mr Kunle Odeyemi and interim StateSecretary, Prince Gboyega Famodun at the event.

Presentation Of An Award Of Most Innovative Nigerian Governor In First Term To TheGovernor, State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, By Business World Newspaper AtZenabab Hotel, Ilesa, State Of Osun, Last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•(L-R) Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga;State of Osun Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye and Senator Bayo Salami.

•A cross section of guests at the event.

•(L-R) State of Osun Commissioners; Youths, Sports and Special Needs, Barrister StephenKolabalogun; Environment, Professor Bukola Oyawoye and Women and ChildrenAffairs, Mrs Adetoun Adegboyega.

10 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014PHOTOTALK

•Some of the dignitaries at the programme.

Presentation Of An Award Of Most Innovative Nigerian Governor In First Term ToThe Governor, State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, By Business World NewspaperAt Zenabab Hotel, Ilesa, State Of Osun, Last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•Another cross section of the dignitaries at the event.

•Governor Aregbesola (arrowed) dancing with some of his admirers during the programme.

11 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014 MAGAZINE

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•AREGBESOLA: Governor, State of Osun •LAOYE-TOMORI: Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Education

out their nefarious activities under the guise ofnocturnal darkness.

Today, all these anomalies are being radicallyaddressed. Potholes and other accidentals whichconstituted persistent causes of road carnages are beingfixed and incidences of carnages are being reduced tothe barest minimum. The roadsides are being preparedfor ornaments, while the street divides too are beingprepared for the same purpose. The street lights arealso made functional as the road is now well-illuminatedat nights. Also, designated bus stops and pedestrianwalkways are being planned for construction along thatroad.

•Bisi Bamikole Road / Owoeye / Apostolic Faith /Pepsi Cola / Obelawo Axis

THIS stretch of intercity roads links Oke Oniteawith Omo West Area of the city. It provides anotherveritable shortcut to count down on unnecessary

traffic congestion and aid easy, smooth human andvehicular movement within the state capital. Before theintervention of the Aregbesola administration, the stretchof linkways was in a horrible state. The roads were apersistent source of chronic headache for pedestriansand motorists alike.

As has been mentioned for other roads earlier in thisreport, the roads included in this segment were alsoplagued with sanitation challenges before theadministration of Ogbeni Aregbesola came up with itsvarious intervention efforts. The absence of defineddrainage facilities made the areas prone to water erosionand flooding to the detriment of residents. Also, residentswere in the habit of indiscriminate refuse dumping.Indiscriminate defecation and emptying of sewage wasteon the road were habits which had eaten deep into thefabric of the people.

Upon the approach of the intervention efforts of theGovernment Unusual, people were most prevalentlypessimistic that the intervention would be pervadingenough, especially, as the guise in vogue, which wasthe poser used by the previous administration was thatthe state was cash-squeezed; being a civil service state.But the pessimists were dumbfounded eventually, asthe incumbent administration has, by its performancesbeaten the wildest imagination of all the people.

Not only did the intervention efforts see to the fixingof roads, but also the gutters and drains were fixed.The sanitation needs of the entire area have also beenattended to promptly. The area today is a masterpieceof decency and good habitation.

•Oke-Fia / Alekuwodo / Olaiya Junction

THIS road was initially constructed by the firstmilitary administration of Colonel Leo SegunAjiborisa in the state. Subsequently, it received

facelift from the first and second civilian administrationsof Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke and Chief Bisi Akanderespectively. Still, the road appeared like that of a glorifiedrural settlement. Its overriding importance, apart fromthe fact that it is situated in the heart of the state capital,is corroborated by the fact that almost all workersmaking it to the state capital from Iwo, Ilobu, Ejigbo,Ede and other axes of the state; even Ikirun/ Ila Orangun

axes, en route Ring Road must pass through this roadfor one reason or the other. This road is therefore acrowd-puller, sort of.

It is in apparent recognition of the foregoing fact thatthe administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola pickedinterest in the refurbishment and rehabilitation of theroad to make it more effective and more useful to theteeming populace.

Long before now, efforts had been made by previousadministrations in the state to decongest the road,especially by attempting to relocate the AlekuwodoMarket, but these were all to no avail. Along the line,another market sprang up there. This was a market inbuilding materials cum sawmill and plank market. Allthese compounded the problems associated with thecongestion of the area.

There were two additional challenges closely knit tothese afore-mentioned ones on this road. The first wasthe problem of poor channelization of drainage and watercanals; while the second is the encroachment on theland acquired for use by the Nigeria RailwayCorporation. Closely woven to the former wasindiscriminate erection of building structures onwaterways and its attendant disasters of perennialflooding; causing wanton destruction of lives andproperty.

All these calamitous situations have been reversed bythe Government Unusual of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesolawithin the space of three years of its dominance on thelandscape of politics and governance of the State ofOsun.

First, the markets have been relocated withconsummate ease; and without harm, injury or prejudiceto affected traders. Secondly, the affected buildings onwaterways have been demolished, with duecompensation paid to affected property owners. Thirdly,proper channelization of canals and waterways has beencarried out. These measures have helped to forestallthe calamities associated with water flooding, erosionand the attendant annual disaster of destruction of livesand property. Also, the problems associated withcongestion, which adversely affected human andvehicular movement have been averted.

Above all, the Oke Fia / Alekuwodo / Ola Iya JunctionRoad has today been rehabilitated. This has been sowell one that what remains of the popular AlekuwodoMarket has been fenced out from the road. The plankcum building materials market has been relocatedelsewhere. The road today is so widened that there areenough tolerances for pedestrian walkways, bus stopstalls/ sheds, roadside drainages and ample fencing ofresidential and shopping buildings from the main road.This has so much eased tension of traffic in the axisthat Alekuwodo is now an envy of all in the city. Thesanitation needs of the area having been promptlyattended to, the residents are today heaving sighs ofrelief, as they have been salvaged from the disastrousfangs of flooding and water erosion. In addition to this,the rod is now well lit to make nocturnal traffic andsecurity easy and smooth.

•Orita Sabo / Orita Elelede / Igbonna / Owode /Oluode

THESE networks of roads were not so good at thetime of the ascension of power of the incumbent

administration. As their major features, they weretoo narrow and devoid of drainages for easy flow andpassage of erosion water. Few kilometres down the OritaElelede axis down Ahmadiyyah Junction down toObalende could be found the ever-troublesome RiverGbonmi, which was a perennial cause of water flooding.

The roads today have been fixed, with deep and widedrainages. Also, the roads are wide enough to allow forconvenient roadside parking spaces for motorists. Weneed to emphasize it at this stage that the roadsconstructed so far are solidly made of asphalt andlimestone dust to ensure durability. The emphasis andphilosophy of the incumbent administration hinge onconstruction of durable roads that would be able to standthe test of time. In addition to ensuring this, theadministration has, for the first time in the annals of thestate, established the State of Osun Roads MaintenanceAgency (OSROMA) which is intended to see to ensuringthat the roads are kept in good conditions at all times aswell as ensuring that they are not willfully damagedthrough actions and inactions of users and residents onvarious guises.

•Orita Gbaemu / Isale Aro / Our Lady of SaintFrancis Axis Road

THIS road was in a deplorable state before theemergence of the administration of Ogbeni RaufAdesoji Aregbesola in the saddle of governance in

the State of Osun. That stretch of road was not wideenough for two vehicles to share at the same time. Asthe case was with almost all the so-called roads in thestate, the road was also devoid of drainage cum sewagesystem. Since two oncoming vehicles could not maketoo convenient a use of the road, it is needless to recountthe predicament which pedestrians would be facingduring their daily hustle-bustle and toil on the road.

It is this road that the administration of OgbeniAregbesola rehabilitated as one of its earliest projectsupon assumption of duty. One major importance of theroad is its location that is close to the heart of the townand the ample kink it provides with important locationsin the city. For instance, the link it provides with theking’s palace, the shrine of Osun river goddess, majorfirst-generation churches and some crowd-pulling state-of-the-art schools places the stretch of road in a placeof high prominence. We also reckon that the presenceof the headquarters of Osogbo Local Government atOke Baale; the Main Campus of the multi-campus StateUniversity at the same Oke Baale; and the exit to Ijesalandthrough Oke Ijetu requires proper alternative routewhich the link this road provides with Odi Olowoaffords.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the Aregbesolaadministration took adequate and abundant care of thisroad upon its assumption of duty and service as theproprietor of the state. Today, the good quality of theroad is still on ground to attest to our claims. To a largeand reasonable extent, these roads provide wide rangeof access opportunities for all – pedestrians andmotorists alike, within the state capital of Osogbo. Wefully appreciate the construction and rehabilitation ofthese access roads, more so as they were done inadvance of the commencement of the reconstruction

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014 MAGAZINE 12

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The Benefits (III)

Continued on page 13

Continued from page 11and rehabilitation of Major Township and federal

roads; so as to smoothen passage of traffic within thecity.

We place on record how the state capital had playedhost to events, religious and otherwise, of national andglobal significance. In April 2013, the Nigerian BaptistConvention’s Centenary Annual Session was hosted inOsogbo. It was this good network of motorable roadsthat came to the rescue; otherwise, the mammoth crowdthat graced the occasion would have beenunmanageable. Other similar events which were held inquick succession include the annual conference of AnsarUd Deen Society, the Lion’s Club and the Stategovernment’s hosting of the first-ever Oodua WorldChildren’s Day celebrations in May 2013. It wasdemonstrated through these programmes that a goodnetwork of motorable roads is crucial to developmentin all facets.

•Odi Olowo / Baptist High School / Gbodofon /Aregbe Axis

THIS access road, an obvious exit from and link tothe ever-busy Gbongan Road from the interior ofthe city was in a complete state of disrepair as at

the time the Aregbesola administration came on boardin the state in November 2010. The administrationswung promptly into action in carrying out thereconstruction of that important road. Pessimists weredazzled as it transited from one stage to another untilcompletion. Today, that road provides good ample linkbetween the interior of the town and the exit GbonganRoad; obviously, the one and only aside the Olaiya/ OdiOlowo Road..

A practical demonstration of the importance of thisroad came in April 2013 during the afore-mentioned 100th

Annual Session of the Nigerian Baptist Conventionhosted by the Osun Conference of the denomination.The Main Venue of the Convention Session being thepremises of the former Baptist Girls’ High School (nowBaptist High School), Gbodofon, Osogbo, the delegateswere helped to easy movement and punctual attendanceat events due to the good state of our roads. Also, thenon-delegate public coped amenably well with the crowdof the period through the assistance of these newly-constructed roads. Today, the roads remain useful andinvaluable for our convenience and easy movement inand out of the state capital.

•Ola Iya / Odi Olowo Junction Opening

SHORTLY before the unceremonious exit of PrinceOlagunsoye Oyinlola from office as governor ofthe state, traffic lights were introduced to some

major junctions in the state capital. One of such junctionswas the Orita Ola Iya/ Odi Olowo Junction. Other pointswithin the state capital were the Old Garage Roundaboutand the Oke Fia Roundabout. It was initially conceived(erroneously though) that the congestion of the timewas due mainly to huge vehicular movement in and outof the city. The emergence of Aregbesola, a trained andseasoned Mechanical Engineer, tested and trusted, inthe saddle of governance discovered other concretecauses of this unnecessary congestion.

Within the three years of the administration’s giantstrides in the saddle, the Ola Iya Junction has beentransformed; having been opened up with many link

mouths with the main road. This has facilitated smoothand easy movement of vehicles a great deal. It has alsoeffectively counted down on the huge volume ofcarnages at that junction. As at the time of compilingthis report, work is earnestly in progress on the side ofthe defunct Ola Iya Petrol Station. It is certain that theremaining work on this side and those on the other sideof the road (the Apostolic and Odi Olowo Junction)must have been completed by the end of year 2013.

•Oke Fia / Rasco Cinema / Old Garage Opening

THIS axis constituted one of the gravest troublespot in Osogbo metropolis, especially in yearspreceding the emergence of the Aregbesola

administration in office. In terms of environmentalsanitation challenges; in terms of water erosion andflooding; in terms of indiscriminate waste disposal; thechallenges were too rife to cope with. Residential andcommercial structures were indiscriminately erectedwith gross violation to all known rules.

Beyond the Railway Crossing toward the Old Garagecentre was especially perilous in all ramifications; evento the average pedestrians. The goriest event in livingmemory at that railway crossing is the carnage involvingone intra-city commercial mini bus (korope) and alocomotive train. That accident recorded one casualty,and it is just one of the many which occurred in thecity.

At the Old Garage end from Oke Fia; just after thelevel crossing, there also was the presence of trafficlights. But these traffic lights were not just the panaceato the myriads of problems militating against residentsand passers-by of our roads. The Aregbesolaadministration wielded the magic wands, as it saw thetimely need for broadening of the roads. Today, theroad has been broadened to ease off traffic for thoseexiting toward the old MDS area without unnecessarydelays and hiccups. Work is rapidly progressing on othersides of the road.

It is hoped that before the year shall reach its veryend, the road at that point must have been completelyfreed of all hiccups, bottlenecks and lockjams.

•Freedom Park ( a.k.a. Nelson Mandela FreedomPark)

AS far as the stretch of area hitherto referred to asOld Garage in Osogbo, the state capital isconcerned; the Freedom Park is clearly the

greatest accomplishment of the Rauf Revolution. Beforethe wave of success which brought the revolution cameabout, there was a slum patch of rickety shops andstalls where itinerant traders sold odds and ends. Rightand left, at the roadsides, haphazardly-located shopsand stalls, which were clearly efforts taken in theuglification process of a state capital, littered all availablespaces. Before now, the Osun Capital TerritoryDevelopment authority and other town planningauthorities merely existed for the fun of it.

The genesis of the evolution process which broughtthe Freedom Park into being derived from the masterplan contained in the policy document of OgbeniAregbesola. In that policy document, where hehighlighted the Six-Point Integral Action Plan with whichhe vowed to govern his people; and which formed hispact with them; the seasoned administrator vowed to

revamp the rail transport system as a veritable mode oftransportation. For that plan to materialize properly, therailway terminus in the centre of the state capital mustbe standardized, cleared and provided with well-befittingwarehouses.

Hence, work started on the clearing of the massiveexpanse. Already, the occupants knew themselves asviolators and trespassers of Land Use Act; since thestretch of land belonged ever to the Nigeria RailwayCorporation. Really, it was upon the actual clearing ofthe expanse left and right that the unsuspecting publicrealized that the area was so spacious!

Today, the ensuing Freedom Park is not only beautifulto behold; but also presents an ample space for decentassemblies, congresses and other forms of rendezvous.All these events being held at the venue are staunchsources of revenue for the proprietor of the space, theGovernment of the State of Osun. As part of thepurposes of the park, motorists who have businessesto transact at the New Orisunmbare Market or elsewherearound the centre have ample spaces to park theirvehicles without disturbing the flow of traffic.

•Rasco / Railway Station / Old Sawmill / Ola IyaLink

BEFORE now, making passage from Rasco Cinemaend via a shortcut to Ola Iya Junction wouldpresent a spectacle of ghettos and residential

buildings ready to collapse at any time or be subsumedby the spate of apparently unavoidable perennial flooding.This stretch of land as well is the property of the NigerianRailway Corporation. Funnily, yet pitiably, many morestructures were springing up daily in the area as if theycould be built with impunity!

Most of these structures looked dilapidating and theywere annual hosts to water flooding. During rainyseasons, many of the occupants fled to other places,pending the time when the floods would subside!Beyond the river, both at the Railway Station side andat the side overlooked by the Dugbe Police Station, therewere patches of bushes which appear dangerous as theycould be ready hide-outs to hoodlums and drug addictswho could be the same bunch of criminals unleashingvarious shades of terror on residents.

Still beyond the stream at the side of the RailwayStation, was located the old Salvation Army PrimarySchool, one of the schools chosen as demonstrationsites for the State Government’s intervention initiativeefforts branded the State of Osun Schools’Infrastructure Development Project (O’SCHOOLS).Today, the new, ultra-modern Salvation Army ElementarySchool is standing tall and imposing, to the pride andadmiration of all progress-loving indigenes and residentsof the State of Osun. Even passers-by from other placescannot hold back rendering spontaneous prayers forthe administration that has deemed it fit to rehabilitatethe hitherto dilapidating structures of public schools inthe state.

The Government Unusual did not terminate itsreconstructive efforts with the rebuilding of schoolsand provision of befitting furniture; but also all buildingsand structures which could pose impediments to smoothteaching-learning processes were demolished withcompensations paid as and when due to owners of suchstructures.

•A newly-commissioned road at Oroki Housing Estate, Osogbo.

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Continued on page 14

Continued from page 12Concerning the markets and sawmill / building

materials market earlier mentioned in this edition, theGovernment Unusual has so reorganized things that thesawmill / building materials market has today been relocatedto somewhere along the Osogbo / Iwo Expressway –somewhere in the axis of the famous Osogbo GrammarSchool. On the day dedication prayers were held at thenew site of the market, the traders were full of prayers forthe Government Unusual for the provision of a morespacious and far more befitting market arena for them.

For the traders at the broad Alekuwodo Market, theGovernment of the State of Osun has fenced their temporarymarket out of the road; pending the time when they,alongside with the traders at the old Orisunmbare Marketand the MDS Market would be relocated to their new marketbases along the same earlier-mentioned Osogbo/ Iwo Road.In a nutshell, the expanse of land between former RascoCinema and the famous Ola Iya Junction is now free, clearand it is hoped that apart from effecting a possibleexpansion of the newly created Freedom Park, GovernmentUnusual would fashion out other befitting uses for thespace created. Apart from ensuing work of beautification,the Government has through this intervention effort saveda proportion of the populace from the ravenous fangs ofannual devastating flood and its attendant disasters.

•MDS / Railway Station / Ola Iya Access Way

THE earlier-discussed stretch of land in-between theold Rasco Cinema and the famous Ola IyaRoundabout is a different ballgame from the present

area of discourse. We now dwell on the area between theRailway Terminus per se and the Ola Iya Junction; with theinclusion of the roadsides (left and right) of the popularMDS area.

We have earlier bared our discussion on the FreedomPark, initiated and put in place by the incumbentadministration at the Railway Terminus situated at the areahitherto referred to as Old Garage. Right from the RailwayTerminus Building to the Ola Iya Junction, work in progresshas currently reached advanced stages. The provisionsmade at that place include an overhead pedestrian bridgeacross the rail; obviously to avert occurrence of hithertopersistent rail accidents.

The remaining strand of land to the side of Ola IyaJunction is meant for the provision of various amenitieslike conveniences, police post, eateries, recreational spots,and camp / retreat avenues and other social amenities forthe benefit of all.

At the sides of the main road linking the Old Garage withthe Ola Iya Junction, work is in progress to clear both sidesof the road of obstructions to free human and vehicularmovement and free flow of water during the rains.

The other side of the MDS area occupies the NewOrisunmbare Market, a brainchild of the Bisi Akandeadministration in the state. The prevailing lethargy overmaking effective use of the ultra-modern market complexsince its erection and completion in the early 2000s speaks

volumes of the disservice dispensed to the state and itspeople by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-ledadministration of Brigadier-General Olagunsoye Oyinlola(rtd.). To God be the glory, the market complex today isbeing put to utilitarian use. OSUN DEFENDER Magazinein one of its recent editions presented an account of a voxpop conducted with a cross section of traders displacedfrom various illegal locations within the metropolis of thestate capital. One of the respondents was Mr. SundayJonathan, who confessed that he was all prayers for theadministration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. This, accordingto him, was due to the unquantifiable benefits accruingfrom his relocation from his former location at Ayetoro tothe new shop he occupies at the New Orisunmbare MarketComplex.

The case of Mr. Jonathan is just one out of many wehave around us in recent times. As a matter of honesty andsincerity, many of the relocated traders never realized theirrelocation as blessing in disguise until they got to theirnew locations. Earlier parts of this particular edition hasreported how traders relocated from the Ola Iya /Alekuwodo sawmill were full of prayers for the GovernmentUnusual on arrival at their new location. These areindications to it that the government of the day in the Stateof Osun means well for the entire citizenry.

WHEN the incumbent administration is through withits urbanization efforts, not only would the Stateof Osun be entirely turned around; but the state

capital, Osogbo, in particular, would have transformed intoa state capital in the true context of it. Before now, theappearance and features of the city had been that of aglorified rural settlement. Thanks and gratitude to theadministration of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola fordeeming it fit to give facelift to the state capital in order tomake it more befitting and able to stand contest with otherstate capitals in the country and yonder.

Also before now, Osogbo, the state capital was notedfor narrow roads, illegal structures, unplanned terrains andindiscriminate bus stops and motor parks. The rowdinessand clumsiness which surrounded the city was not justifiedby the population; especially when it is considered thatpeople are just beginning to troop in into the city on theimpetus of the new vibrant and viable industrial cumcommercial drive of the incumbent administration.

•Rasco / Railway / Old Sawmill / Olaiya Link

THIS was the point at which we drew the curtains onthe last edition. We traced the activities that had takenplace along the expanse of area between the Rasco

Cinema end of Oke Fia / Old Garage axis to the Olaiya area,bordering the railway line. We placed on record how thearea had become a slum or ghetto; and how it had beenthat persistent occurrence of water erosion and floodinghad made the adjoining environment not only unfit, butalso unsafe for human habitation. In spite of that fact,people kept defying all safety rules and danger signals asillegal structures kept springing up day-in day-out in thearea. Also, it was placed on record how the area had becometrouble spot in view of the dilapidating structures andhideout spots for criminals. For the areas directly bordering

the railway, people had found a convenient spot fordumping of refuse and indiscriminate defecation. Upon thefresh creation of the State of Osun in 1991, a portion of theaffected area was initially used as Motor Park / Terminusfor the defunct Osun State Transport Corporation (OSTC).That stretch had become desolate. In consequence, illegalstructures had begun to spring up in the area. In a nutshell,the entire area had become an eyesore to all; and it had allalong awaited the arrival of a focused and well-intentionedgovernment to put it back in good shape.

The canal end of the area also had long required properchannelization. The natural river course had grown bushyand obstructed by refuse dumped indiscriminately byresidents and traders in the area.

Today, the entire expanse has been cleared. The rubbishoccupying the area has been ridded. The buildings andstructures obstructing the river courses have beendemolished. The river courses have been properlychannelized. All the ghetto areas which had hitherto servedas hideouts for hoodlums and criminals have been openedup and exposed. The area now looks befitting and free forhuman and vehicular movement. Work is still ongoing inthe area. It is however certain that by the time thegovernment is through with its effort on the area, thereshall be provided a link; a sort of shortcut between the OldGarage area and the Old Olaiya Junction / Alekuwodo.

One significant event worthy of mentioning which havetaken place in the area since the time of compiling the lastedition has been the broadening and dredging of the rivercourse at Rasco end. It is a highly commendable landmarkachievement on the part of the Government of the State ofOsun that the perennial problems of water erosion andpersistent flooding in the area have been arrested. Thickand heavy as the rains have been this year (2013); residentshave been full of praises and prayers for the administrationof Ogbeni Aregbesola for coming to their aid by rescuingthem from the ravaging and horrendous calamity of waterflooding and its ugly after-effects; which had hithertobecome a recurring decimal in the area. Today, the entirearea has been opened up. Even mere physical inspectionshall reveal that the area and its residents have received anew lease of life and a clean bill of health; courtesy of theAregbesola administration.

•MDS / Railway / Olaiya Access Way

THIS stretch is the expanse that is parallel to the areaexamined above. It is the area due to the other stretchof the railway, closer to the main road linking the Old

Garage of the Olaiya Junction. The stretch had hithertobeen befallen by much the same predicament as the otherstretch considered above. In addition, it was dotted withillegal structures; mainly shops, kiosks, stalls and almanners of movable structures for trading activities, whichconstituted obstruction to free human and vehicularmovement. In consequence, the area became rowdy,clumsy, ugly and unplanned. Instead of having in place alayout befitting of the heart of a state capital, all mannersof occupants just erected structures after their patterns ingross violation of all rules of building and town planning.What an ugly and horrible spectacle it was!

•Newly-commissioned road at LAMECO Area, Osogbo.

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014 14MAGAZINE

The patch of bushes in-between the road and the railway;which had not been developed was carelessly used for refusedumping and human defecation, making the entire area stuffy,smelly and uncomfortable for passers-by. A greater portion ofthe bushy area was used as hideouts for hoodlums, hooligans,criminals and hemp-smokers. It was obvious that no meaningfulattempts had been made by the previous administrations in thestate to convert the area into some meaningful use. It is this areathat the incumbent administration is now utilizing for profitableand more beneficial purposes.

In the grand plan for the area, various amenities are to beprovided in a matter of next few months for the maximum benefitof the generality of the citizenry of the state. Such amenitiesinclude park (already constructed), pedestrian bridges and railcrossing aid for cyclists (currently under construction), policestation, conveniences for ladies and gents, warehouses, eateriesand other facilities that could enhance enjoyment of all.

•Ajegunle / LAUTECH / First Bank / Station Road Link

IT had been long that this major link between the maintownship road (Old Garage / Igbonna Road) and thepopular Station Road, which form major exit to Ilesa and

Ijesaland had craved for reconstruction. The way it was, the linkserved as access to the main entrance of the Ladoke AkintolaUniversity Teaching Hospitals (LAUTECH-TH) Complex(formerly State Hospital). This hospital facility and its Collegeof Medicine is a fond legacy and joint asset between the State ofOsun and its sister-state – Oyo State; and had been sited inOsogbo since the time of old Oyo State which comprised the twostates. In view of the lucrative nature of a tertiary health institutionof that magnitude, the hospital facility had attracted to itself animpressive number of shopping outlets. What is not impressiveabout it all was the fact that the shopping outlets were located ina fashion that violated every rule of a modernized market layout.This situation had particularly been horrible and ugly more so atertiary health institution is located in that area. It is important tonote that the site of a hospital should have an aura of sacrednessand sanctity around it. A good, clean and serene environment fora hospital is in itself an effective healing therapy. More so, theaccess provided by that road draws heavy human and vehiculartraffic such that the area is almost always congested. This was afrightful barrier to easy access to service delivery in times ofemergency. Even in normal times, the congestion constituted strongbarriers to easy movement.

It is this ugly situation that the incumbent administration inthe State of Osun seeks to rectify by venturing into therehabilitation of that road. The road which links the popularStation Road; which importance in the state capital has beenunderscored above; and which shall be the subject of ourdiscussion at a later segment of this discourse. Today, all illegalstructures dotting the roadsides and all such ones dotting allunallocated parcels of land in the stretch have been demolished.This development has paved way for easy human and vehicularmovement in the area. Great kudos to the administration of OgbeniRauf Aregbesola in the State of Osun!

•Station Road

THE stretch of road linking the Old Garage Area to thecentre o the city, the Palace Area, popularly calledOja Oba; which also plays host to the Central Mosque; is

the road under review in this segment. It is the same road that hasbeen referred to in the just-concluded segment above. As has beenpointed out earlier, it is this same road that projects further to

Oke Ayepe / Oke Ijetu / D.O. Area of the city; and which exitsinto the Ijesaland axis of the state. From the Palace Area, there isa diversion of the road to the left hand-side towards Ibokun, theseat of Obokun Local Government Council Area of the state.Apart from this, this road connecting Oke Baale Area plays hostto some significant places in the state capital. It is the mainjunction to the Main Campus of the multi-campus Osun StateUniversity (UNIOSUN). It is also the road leading to theheadquarters of the state-owned media organization, the State ofOsun Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) – Radio and Television.In addition to these, the road is the access to the headquarters ofone of the first-generation local government council areas in thestate – the Osogbo Local Government. This is not to talk of thepresence of the Federal Secretariat, which is under constructionalong that route. We can go on and on, but all we know is thatthere is huge presence of many places of note along that routewhich provides attraction to great crowd. The ancient residenceof the late icon of culture, the Austria-born Susan Wenger is alsolocated there. A great number of hotels, guest houses andhospitality places is located in the axis. Constructing a goodmotorable road to access such an area could not be a misplacedpriority.

To the right hand-side of the junction from the Ataoja PalaceJunction is the road linking Isale Osun, which plays host to themain Groove of the Osun goddess. The internationally recognizeddeity of Osun, from which the state derives its name and identity,draws lots of adherents, worshippers, admirers, tourists andvisitors from all parts of the world annually. On the basis of thisfeat, the Osun Groove got listed in October 2005 on the worldtourism map; and the United Nations Educational, Social andCultural Organization has listed the Groove as a world tourismcentre. In effect, year after year, the Groove attracts increasingvolumes of crowd; placing the irresistible demand on anyresponsible and responsive government to pave wide roads allaround the place.

All along, before the Palace Square end of the Station Road, thestretch of the road from Gbaemu Junction is strewn with placesof note – schools, arts and culture centres, churches and otherworship centres; all of which contribute to make the place abeehive of activities. On the whole, fixing the Station Road inOsogbo is a major breakthrough achievement of the RaufAregbesola administration in the State of Osun. Right from theOld Garage Area of the state capital, the Station Road is anextension of the commercial nerve-centre of the city. With theproposed relocation of the Oja Oba and the location of the twomajor city centres along this stretch of road; that is, the OldGarage and the Palace Square areas, the ground is set for thedramatic transformation of the state capital, which had hithertoremained a semi-urban centre into a highly urbanized city.

•Old Garage / Orisunmbare / MDS

THE other side of this stretch of road has already beencaptured in an earlier segment of this report. Thatportion is that which centred on the MDS / Olaiya axis.

The stretch of road from the Old Garage through the Post OfficeJunction to the New Orisunmbare Market Complex is coveredunder this sub-heading. The former feature of this entire expanseof road, as is the case with the Station Road just considered isnarrowness; which has caused vehicles to be parked at roadsides;thus further narrowing down the road.

With the ongoing broadening of these roads and the relocationof street hawkers to new organized market locations within themetropolis, the stage is set for the transformation of Osogbo intoa real state capital – spacious, beautiful and well laid out.

•Olaiya / Odi Olowo / St. Francis / Asubiaro / Ita Olookan

WHILE it is true that this stretch of road had beenconstructed by an earlier administration, it is truerthat the state of the road upon the assumption of the

reins of power by the incumbent administration was not goodenough. The road had become damages and the rate of congestionwas higher due to wrong u-turn points. The importance of thisroad cannot be over-emphasized. It constitutes a faster link fromthe Iwo /Gbongan roads end of the city with the Ilesa Road. Italso aids faster access to the Palace Square city centre. Aside this,the road links such other vital places of note as the famous OsunGroove and the State Hospital Asubiaro. It also provides accessto the famous Our Lady of Fatima / St. Francis Hospital; somenotable schools and worship centres. It is therefore a great workof ingenuity that this road has been properly fixed. With thestreet median properly fixed and the street lights fully functional,the city life of the state capital has not only received a boost, butalso the economic importance of the road has been maximized.The trouble spot at the junction of Fagbewesa Road has beenblocked so as to enhance smooth vehicular movement.

•Fagbewesa Road / Station Road

IN spite of spurious efforts by the immediate pastadministration in the state to fix this road, nothingsignificant happened to it at the end of the day. Immediately

upon the assumption of office of the incumbent administration,however, frantic steps were taken to restore the road to propershape. These efforts paid off well at the end of the day. TheFagbewesa Road today offers a smooth safe ride to motorists andcyclists while pedestrians too enjoy a nice walk. The road, withthe additional access it has from the Old Garage / MDS axis is agood shortcut. It also provides ample link with Egbatedo andIsale Ijebu areas of the city.

•Aregbe / Akindeko /Capital Hotel

IN spite of the location of a proposed housing estatesomewhere along this route by the immediate pastadministration, the access roads at that entire area were not

fixed. The major problem that bad plagued Osogbo city life allthis while had not been that there had been too many motorvehicles; it had been that apart from the major roads, there hadnot been alternative routes. In effect, the major roads wereoverused and overstretched. The incumbent administrationhowever gave a timely diagnosis to this problem and respondedto it promptly. Today, the stretch of access from OppositeAregbesola Campaign Office / First Bank Gbongan Road throughAkindeko to Capital Hotel has been fixed right. This has saved alot of traffic congestion within the state capital.

•Capital Hotel / Tinumola / Boorepo /Ring Road

DIRECTLY opposite Capital Hotel lies a stretch of roadnetwork covering the entire expanse of area to theopposite side of Technical College along Iwo / Ibadan

Road of the city. In times past, these roads had been in an absolutestate of disrepair. The importance of roads in this area is quiteinestimable. With this road, taking exit from Capital Hotel areatoward Ikirun / Offa, Iwo, Ilobu and other relevant places wouldnot necessarily require passage through the ever-busy Oke Fia.The road network at this end has actually solved much of thetraffic problems in this part of the state capital.

•To be continued.

Counting The Costs; Celebrating The Benefits (III)

•Another recently commisssioned road in Ilesa.

Continued from page 13

15OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, May 6, 2014 FOR THE RECORDSState Of Osun Govenor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Presented Buses To Students’ UnionGovernments Of State-owned Tertiary Institutions At The Government House Lawn,Osogbo, Last Friday.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left); his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (left); Special Adviser to the Governor on TertiaryInstitutions, Alhaja Mulikat Bello (2nd left) and other dignitaries, during the commissioning of four 18-seater buses for the Students’ Union Governments (SUG) of the state-owned tertiary institutions at Government House Lawn, Osogbo, State of Osun last Friday.

•Governor Aregbesola (2nd right), presenting an 18-seater bus key to the president, Students’ Union Government (SUG), Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, ComradeSaheed Badmus (right), during the presentation of four 18-seater buses to the SUG of the state-owned tertiary institutions at Government House Lawn, Osogbo, State of Osun lastFriday.

•Governor Aregbesola (2nd right), presenting another 18-seater bus key to the President, Students’ Union Government (SUG), Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, ComradeElusakin Feranmi (left), during the presentation of four 18-seater buses to the SUG of the state-owned tertiary institutions in Osogbo last Friday.

TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

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

By ADE OLUGBOTEMIWE need nof u r t h e rtes t imonia ls

any more afterconvincing evidenceshave been tabled beforejurists to either plead forexoneration for theguiltless, or for theoffender to be summarilyhammered. It is true that even thevilest offender will desire to pleadhis way out of condemnation, butthe meticulousness of an impartialJurist will not allow the guilty tobe exonerated; even if the throat ofthe offender turns dry in an attemptto prove case out of perfidy.

I still do not understand why wemerit the kind of leadership that thepeople of this country have at themoment. If we are sinners, I believewe have Intercessors, and with thepeople that are genuinely standingin the gap for us, our God ismerciful enough to avail us betteroptions, and give us people withmodicum of mere pity to be at thehelm of affairs. I don’t think the leftoption is for us to be stripped ofour toga of compassion that we areknown and cherished for; allbecause inordinate obstinacy hassubtly crept into our ethos andusages.

Flagrant exhibition ofheartlessness has never been asmanifest in our creed and characteras is presently evident in our

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

Why Jonathan, PDP Must Go

national life. We are known to beour brothers’ keepers; withcompassion wafting all around us.It is alien to have unbridledimpunity displayed so much that allother people now see us as

epidemically callous. No evidenceis germane anymore when thePresident disdainfully disregardedscores of lives that perished in thehands of heartless miscreants atNyanya Motor Park, the outskirt of

the Federal Capital Territory.

President Goodluck EbeleJonathan displayed the highestlevel of insensitivity, whenless than forty eight hoursafter Nyanya incident, heconsciously, albeit flagrantly,

went on political jamboree toKano, dancing to the hurts ofconcerned individuals, who werenever at the scene of the ugly event,but mourned and groaned for lives’extermination that just took place.Mr President was physically therewith some of his kitchen cabinetmembers, appearing sober withmelancholic and mournful look.

He feigned compassion when heput on hold the planned trip toIbadan to felicitate with theOlubadan of Ibadanland on theoccasion of his centenary birthday,only to appear at PDP’s politicalrally in Kano raining abusive wordson the state governor. He laterappeared in Ibadan, where mereemotion initially prompted arestraint that later became aderelict, as if nothing calamitousrecently took place; when in facthundreds of Nigerian citizens arewrithing with pains in varioushospitals all over the Federalcapital.

There are some people inNigeria that can succinctly beregarded as thoroughly bred andGate-Keeper Democrats throughtheir antecedents. Such never hadmilitary background that mighthave shrouded their proclivity forfull adherence to democraticnorms. Mention cannot be made ofthe first ten people in this categorywithout due reference to PresidentJonathan; for having occupiedalmost all available politicaloffices in the land. They must haveunderstood that in democracy, it isnot possible that all voters will votefor one amongst many contestants.Where a contestant is not knownto any voters, one of them willmake mistake to inadvertently votein his\her favour. The winner mustknow at the end that he\she has wonfor all.

It is now a known fact that moststates of the federation aregroaning under fund starvation thatthe man at the centre deliberatelyemployed to stifle opposition. MrPresident has no justification forthis because our revenue has notdwindled. This is not what obtainsin developed democracy.

•A soldierattempting tokill a peacefulprotester inOsogbo, State ofOsun, duringthe statewideprotest againstthe rigging of2 0 0 7governorshipelection inOsun.

•JONATHAN