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VOL. 9. NO.126 N50 50 50 50 50 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014 www.osundefender.org THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA Front Page Comment - Pg 3 •All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential aspirant, General Muhammadu Buhari (3rd right); State of Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola (4th right); his deputy Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd right); former Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Bello Masari (3 rd left); former Bayelsa State Governor Timpre Sylva (4th left); Senator Hadi Sirika (right); an Osun APC Chieftain, Senator Bayo Salami and other dignataries, during a courtesy visit to the governor at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun, recently. - See Story On Page 2 - See Story On Page 3 Confusion In Osun PDP As Omisore Opts For Senate Osogbo Gets New Chief Imam - Pg 2 - Pg 3 Osun Gov Tribunal Dissolved, New Panel Constituted Cleric Likens Journalists To Light In Society Aregbesola Flags Off New Town Weeks before the August 9th gubernato- rial elections which was won by the pragmatic Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of the APC, it was obvious we were up against forces other than the people of Osun state which naturally should be the determinant of how the elections will swing. The All progressives Congress (APC) still smarting from its shocking defeat in the previous Ekiti elections had literarily sworn it will lose Osun over its dead body. The murderous villain fielded by the Peoples Democratic The War Called The Osun Elections-By Segun Tomori Party (PDP), outrightly unpopular with barely a few dozens of people trailing him at cam- paigns however worethe confidence of a Gover- nor-In-waiting. He they didn’t care a hoot about the people’s wish, all that matters was the full compli- ment of the para- phernalia of State activated by an imperial President though utterly clueless, but desper- ate to add Osun to his conquest in further- ance of his still-born second term bid. So lo and behold, the die was cast!I have not been emotionally attached to any elections in Nigeria as I was with the Osun elections, maybe June 12, 1993 Presidential elections presumed to have being won by my President, M.K.O Abiola could be an exception. It wasn’t because I had affinity with anyone in Ogbeni’s government or because I enjoyed any form of patron- age but because Continue on pg5

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Page 1: Osun Defender October 21st 2014, Edition

VOL. 9. NO.126 NNNNN5050505050TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014

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

Front Page Comment

- Pg 3

- Pg 9

•All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential aspirant, General Muhammadu Buhari (3rd right); State of Osun Governor, RaufAregbesola (4th right); his deputy Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd right); former Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji BelloMasari (3rd left); former Bayelsa State Governor Timpre Sylva (4th left); Senator Hadi Sirika (right); an Osun APC Chieftain, SenatorBayo Salami and other dignataries, during a courtesy visit to the governor at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun, recently.

- See StoryOn Page 2

- See StoryOn Page

3

Confusion In Osun PDP AsOmisore Opts For Senate

Osogbo GetsNew ChiefImam - Pg 2

- Pg 3

Osun Gov Tribunal Dissolved, New Panel Constituted

Cleric LikensJournalistsTo Light InSociety

AregbesolaFlags OffNew Town

Weeks before theAugust 9th gubernato-rial elections which waswon by the pragmaticOgbeni RaufAregbesola of theAPC, it was obviouswe were up againstforces other than thepeople of Osun statewhich naturally shouldbe the determinant of

how the elections willswing. The Allprogressives Congress(APC) still smartingfrom its shockingdefeat in the previousEkiti elections hadliterarily sworn it willlose Osun over itsdead body. Themurderous villainfielded by the PeoplesDemocratic

The War Called The OsunElections-By Segun Tomori

Party (PDP), outrightlyunpopular with barely afew dozens of peopletrailing him at cam-paigns however woretheconfidence of a Gover-nor-In-waiting. He they

didn’t care a hootabout the people’swish, all that matterswas the full compli-ment of the para-phernalia of Stateactivated by an

imperial Presidentthough utterlyclueless, but desper-ate to add Osun to hisconquest in further-ance of his still-bornsecond term bid. So loand behold, the diewas cast!I have notbeen emotionallyattached to anyelections in Nigeria asI was with the Osunelections,

maybe June 12, 1993Presidential electionspresumed to havebeing won by myPresident, M.K.OAbiola could be anexception.It wasn’t because Ihad affinity withanyone in Ogbeni’sgovernment orbecause I enjoyedany form of patron-age but because

Continue on pg5

Page 2: Osun Defender October 21st 2014, Edition

2OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014 News

•(Setting from left to right) Pa Omowunmi, an APC leader in Olorunda Local Government Council Area of Osun, MrSolagbade Oladepo, an aspirant for Osogbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives under the APC;his wife and Alhaji Fatai Oyedele, Diekola, another aspirant during the declaration of Oladepo at Nelson MandelaFreedom Park recently.

Confusion In Osun PDP As Omisore Opts For Senate

CONTRARY to the bold-face being put up bychieftains of the State of Osun chapter of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) on the ongoing litigation

at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo, thestate capital, OSUN DEFENDER can authoritatively revealthat the leadership of the party has all along been playingon the fellow party members’ intelligence.

The medium gatheredfrom impeccable sourcesthat unknown to most of theparty members, thecandidate of the party in theAugust 9, 2014gubernatorial election heldin the state, Senator IyiolaOmisore, has discreetlyobtained the form of intentfrom the party secretariat toreturn to the senate.

Omisore was reported to

have decided to obtain theform after what he claimedto have been a wideconsultation with his coresupporters within the party.

According to an insidersource, the defeatedgovernorship candidate hadconfided in some of hispersonal aides on his lackof confidence in the case atthe tribunal but wasprevailed upon by some

party leaders on the need tokeep the party memberstogether ahead of the 2015general elections.

The proponents of thelitigation had premised theirargument on the need tokeep the bulk votes of theparty supporters forPresident GoodluckJonathan as an avenue toget their own share of thepresidential largesse thatwould be released to theparty ahead of the election.

The source furtherrevealed that Omisore hadreportedly got across to theparty hierarchy in the stateon his decision to return tothe National Assembly, ashe could not stand

politically idle for anotherfive years.

Recent findings by themedium have also givencredence to informationsupplied by the insidersources, as most of thebranded vehicles used forhis gubernatorial electionhave suddenly disappearedfrom the streets in the state,just as they were gatheredto have been taken to alocation in Lagos wherethey would be branded tosuit Omisore’s newaspiration.

Responding to thedevelopment, a politicalanalyst, Mr GbengaOlanrewaju, said he wasleast surprised by the PDP

candidate’s politicalsummersault, as he wasnever known to enjoy hislife outside the corridors ofpower.

“If you observeOmisore’s personalitycarefully, you will notice thathe has never imaginedhimself staying outside thecorridors of power for too

By OUR REPORTER

Osogbo Gets New Chief ImamA new Chief Immam has been appointed for Osogbo,

the capital city of the State of Osun, in the person ofSheik Musa Animashaun, who had since been

installed as the 17th Chief Imam of the city.

Engineering Graduates Challenged ToMaximise Skills

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

GRADUATING students of Engineering have beenchallenged to excel and to stand out and continue toachieve and seek new opportunities the way they

have been taught during the course of their studies.They have been also

charged to resolve not to letthemselves get lost in theshuffle thereby makinguseful application of theirknowledge, so as not togrow complacent andbecome mediocres.

This advice formed partof the speech delivered bythe President of theNigerian Society ofEngineers (NSE) at the 9thinduction ceremony ofgraduating students ofengineering of LadokeAkintola University(LAUTECH), Ogbomosorecently.

The NSE President, whowas represented by theOsogbo branch chairman ofthe society and SeniorSpecial Assistant to theGovernor, EngineerAdemola Isaac Olorunfemiaka Kilomodemo imploredthe graduands not to dwellon their laurels but to lookahead to their next goal.

According to him, thefield of engineering is wideand it afforded theprofessionals a level playingfield to practicaliseeverything they were taughtin the school.

“Apart from the benefitsof contributing towards the

development of the country,the engineering professionalso affords the practitionerinsights on how to fullyappreciate theirenvironment and seek forways to better and make lifeworth the living for fellowhuman beings.”

Kilomodemo commendedthe efforts of the Ibadanbranch of the NSE forinitiating and collaboratingwith the Faculty ofEngineering andTechnology of theuniversity for endeavouringto organise the inductionceremony on a yearly basis.

The Osogbo NSE Chairencouraged the youngengineers to register asmembers of the society via

their online portal asgraduate members, addingthat being registered carriedwith it numerousadvantages.

He pleaded with theauthority of the universityto always forward the namesof graduating engineeringstudents to the NSEnational headquarters forproper updates.

Ladoke AkintolaUniversity of Technology

(LAUTECH), Ogbomoso isan institution that is jointlyowned by the governmentsof Osun and Oyo States.

The ceremony wasattended by the stateGovernor Rauf Aregbesola,the Asiwaju Musulumi inYorubaland, Alhaji TundeBadmus and other Muslim

leaders across the state andbeyond.

The 78-year-old clericsucceeded Sheik MustaphaAjisafe, who died onSeptember 8, 2014.

Speaking at the ceremonyalso attended by members ofthe League of Imams andAlfas in the Southwest, theChief Imam of the Universityof Ilorin, Professor Abdul-Ganiyu Oladosu, urged thefederal, state and localgovernments to correct theimbalance against Muslimsin appointments into publicoffices.

He also called on allcitizens to learn to livetogether in peace andharmony.

“We all hope today thatas Muslims and Christians,we will work together for aUnited States of Nigeria,which has been the dreamof our founding fathers.

“And since God did notcreate humans to belong toone religion, everybodymust respect the beliefs ofothers.”

Badmus urged Muslims,Christians and traditionaliststo work together for thenation’s development.

Osun To Release Water FromDams, Urges Residents Not To Panic

long.“That is one of the major

reasons why you see himquite often jumping from onepolitical platform to theother and embarking on theunimaginable to ensure hisrelevance in the scheme ofthings.

“To me, he could best bedescribed as a politicaldesperado,” he stressed.

THE State Government of Osun has disclosed that itwill release water from its dams across the state toavoid imminent collapse of the dam structures as a

result of the heavy rainfall witnessed in the state in thepast few days.

A statement released bythe State Commissioner forInformation and Strategy,Mr Sunday Akere called onthe residents of thestate not to panic, as littleflood may occur incommunities hosting thedams when the water isreleased.

According to thestatement, weather expertshave predicted heavyrainfall as the 2014 rainyseason is gradually windingup and if governmentrefuses to allow theexcess water to be eased offgradually, the water becauseof the heavy volume mayforce flow from the damsleading to dangerous flood.

It stated that the heavyrainfall witnessed in the pastweeks has led to excesswater lodging inside thedams and if it is not released,

it may lead to terribleflooding

The statement furtherdisclosed that residents ofcommunities such as Ede,Iwo, Ejigbo, Okinni andmany communities arounddams in the state should beaware that little floods mayoccur between now and nextweek, as the water is beingreleased, assuring them thatit is nothing to worry about.

Furthermore, thestatement disclosed that theState Water Corporationwould be releasing waterfrom the dams to give reliefsto the dams and avoidforced flooding.

It also urged residents ofthe state to cooperate withgovernment in its effort tocurb flood incidents in thestate by ensuring that theydo not dump wastes inwaterways as well as insidedrainage across the state,while paying their waterrates promptly to assistgovernment in getting fundto sustain and maintainwater infrastructures at thedams.

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

•Standing from third left is Engr. Ademola Isaac Olorunfemi (aka Kilomodemo) and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AdeniyiGbadegeshin in a group photograph at the 9th induction ceremony of graduating engineers of Ladoke AkintolaUniversity of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Oyo State.

Page 3: Osun Defender October 21st 2014, Edition

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Change Of NameI, formerly known and

addressed asNWAOBASI JOSHUA/NWAOBASI EMEKAJOSHUA, now wish to beknown and addressed asNWAOBASI JOSHUAEMEKA. All formerdocuments remain valid.Osun State Polytechnic,Iree and general publicshould take note.

Osun Walk-To-Live Programme Promotes Healthy Living - Akere

THE Commissioner for Information and Strategy inthe State of Osun, Mr Sunday Akere, has describedthe monthly walk-to-live exercise of the state

government as a way promoting healthy living and reducethe risk of untimely death among the citizens.

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

He disclosed this at awalk-for-life exerciseorganised by the New EraLions Club in the state onSaturday at Old-GarageArea of Osogbo after thewalking exercise.

The commissionerdisclosed that the stategovernment understandsthat only a healthy mind is

capable of contributing tothe development of thesocio-economic activitiesof the state, hence, thedecision to introduce theidea of exercising the body.

He said Ogbeni RaufAregbesola is determined tomake State of Osun a modelfor other states in thefederation, which informed

his novel ideas in all spheresof governance during hisfirst tenure of office, sayinghe is determined to breaknew grounds whenever hebegins his second term ofoffice.

Akere commended theLions Club for emulating thegood idea of exercisingamong its members, sayingit is the best way to refreshthe body after a week oftedious work and reduceunnecessary exposure toavoidable health problems.

Speaking at theprogramme, the Secretary of

Nigeria Olympic Committee,Mr Tunde Popoola,disclosed that the goodthing everyone can do fortheir body and soul is toregularly embark onexercise to keep fit at alltimes.

He also charged residentsof the state to cultivate thehabit of exercising regularly,especially walking for atleast twelve minutes in aday and be mindful of thetype of food they eat.

President of the clubpledged that the walk-for-live exercise would be aregular event for the club,as its contribution towardscreating a healthy society.

He reiterated thedetermination of the LionsClub to serving humanitythrough service provisionand continuouslyenhancing human towardscreating a crisis-free society.

2015 Elections: Oladepo Declares InterestIn Osogbo Federal Constituency Seat

AS the 2015 general elections draw nearer, variousaspirants have begun to show interest in contestingfor various political offices in the State of Osun.

The latest to join the racefor the Federal House ofRepresentatives and alsoaspiring to representOsogbo FederalConstituency under theumbrella of the AllProgressives Congress(APC) is Oladepo Atanda

Solagbade.At his formal declaration,

which took place at NelsonMandela Freedom Park,Osogbo, Oladepo remarkedthat the APC remains thebest political party foranybody to realise theirambitions politically.

He ascribed the successof the party in the State ofOsun to the lofty dreams ofthe governor, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, who had comeout from the onset of hisadministration straight towork and has beenachieving results.

Oladepo praised all theparty leaders in the state forencouraging an atmosphereof peace and fair play withinthe APC and also pleadedwith the party members andthe electorate embracepeace as the party is onethat arbours violence.

The Osogbo FederalConstituency aspirant usedthe opportunity to enjointhe people in theconstituency, whichcomprises of Osogbo,Olorunda, Irepodun andOrolu Local GovernmentCouncil areas of the state.

According to him: “I wantthe people in myconstituency to back myambition because my tenure

would not be business asusual, as I promise to givethem equal and adequaterepresentation.”

Oladepo assured thatunlike previous candidates,who represented the peoplefrom the constituency inAbuja, he would make surethat qualified graduates aregainfully employed as soonas the opportunity presentsitself.

Speaking at the event,another aspirant for thesame position and a friendto Oladepo, Alhaji FataiOyedele Diekola,corroborated the earlierstatement that the APC is aparty that embraces peaceand that there is noanymosity between him andhis childhood friend.

Diekola also pleaded withparty members to allowpeace to reign at all timesbecause success could onlybe achieved in anatmosphere, where peace isallowed to reign.

He maintained that theonly desire he and Oladepohad was to make sureOsogbo local governmentwon the right to put up acandidate to represent thefederal constituency comeFebruary, 2015.

In his words, “Osogbopeople are fighting for whatrightfully belongs to thembecause even in theNational Assembly,representatives fromconstituents that have thestate capital are always fromthere.

So, in that wise, Osogbopeople are the ones thatmust produce the nextcandidate that will contestunder the APC and therebyrepresent the people inAbuja.

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

Cleric Likens Journalists ToLight In Society

THE role of journalists in the society has been likenedto light, for the society would have been in the darkif not for their efforts.

By MARYAM AFOLABI

The Chief Imam ofTemidire Estate Mosque,Osogbo, UstazBurihaanudeen Sunusiy,made the description in hislessons at the monthlyMuslim prayers of theNigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ), Osun council, held inOsogbo on Thursday.

He stated that thewatchdog role of mediapractitioners has assistedthe country in making thelittle headway it has made,adding that if not forjournalists, the nationleaders would have beenmore reckless.

“Journalists sustain the

world, and if not for theirroles in the society, ourleaders would have beenmore reckless. Even thewhole world would havebeen in the dark.

“News gathering anddissemination have been inexistence since the creationof the world and Chapter 27verses 20-26 of the HolyQuran testify to this.”

The cleric then regrettedthat inspite the importantroles of journalists inmaking the society better,their freedom to operatefreely is being hindered,especially by Nigerianleaders.

This, he further stated,has made the professionmore dangerous thanexpected, saying thatinspite of being appreciated,journalists are rather beinghaunted for playing theirroles.

He however urgedjournalists to remainsteadfast and continue tosupport government byassisting them in their questto developing the nation andcall their attention to errorswhenever the governmentcommits them.

He also advised them toput God first in all theirendeavours and intensifyefforts on worshipping andpraying to God to strengthenand protect them.

Highlight of theprogramme was a prayersession for members of theNUJ in the state and Nigeriaas a whole, led by the cleric.

Osun CJ To Declare Magistrates’ Retreat OpenTHE Chief Judge of the State of Osun, Justice Oyebola

Adepele Ojo, will today declare open a four-dayRetreat Programme for all magistrates in the State

of Osun.

•AKERE

This was contained in astatement issued by theChief Registrar of the StateHigh Court, Mr AyoOyebiyi.

According to thestatement, the retreat is

schedule to hold betweenTuesday 21st October toFriday 24th October, 2014 atWestern Sun InternationalHotel and Events Centre,Aisu/NYSC Camp Road,Ede, State of Osun.

Oyebiyi said the retreat ispart of efforts of the ChiefJudge at improvingproductivity and efficiencyin the state magisterialBench.

The theme of the Retreat,according to the statementis “Towards A More EfficientMagistracy in Osun State”.

Dignitaries expected tograce the opening ceremony

of the occasion on Tuesday21st October, 2014 includethe State Chief Judge, theState President ofCustomary Court of Appeal,Judges of the State Highand Customary Court ofAppeal, State Attorney-General and Commissionerfor Justice, and otherimportant dignitaries of theBar and the Bench.

Osun Gov Tribunal Dissolved,New Panel Constituted

HEARKENING to the demand of the All ProgressivesCongress (APC) to dissolve the State of OsunGovernorship Election Petition Tribunal, the

National Judicial Council has equally appointed a newthree-member panel to sit on the petition filed by thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the election,Senator Iyiola Omisore.

The new members of thetribunal are Justice E.N.Ikpejime from Benue State,who is the chairman; JusticeV.I Ofesi from Delta Stateand Justice Kutigi from theFederal Capital Territory(FCT), Abuja.

Former chairman of thedissolved panel, Justice

I.M. Bako, had earlier beenwithdrawn from the panel.

APC, in a statement by itsspokesperson, Alhaji LaiMohammed, kicked againsthis withdrawal and called forthe dissolution of the panel.

Bako’s withdrawal wassaid to have been predicatedon initial complaints by theAPC in the state.

Mohammed said theparty was not satisfied withthe removal of Bako aloneon August 27.

Other members of thedissolved panel wereJustices A.M. Awwalu andBenson Ogbu.

Governorship candidateof the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) in the election,Senator Iyiola Omisore, iscontesting the votes ofGovernor Rauf Aregbesolain some local governmentcouncil areas and seekingthe cancellation of theresults.

Aregbesola Flags Off New TownGovernor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,

will on Thursday, 23rd October, 2014 perform the officialground breaking/ flag off of the Oranmiyan New Town atthe proposed Polo ground.

The administration with aview to creating aconducive environment forHealthy living, and aharmonious builtenvironment, has PreparedA COMPREHENSIVEDEVELOPMENT PLAN OFA NEW TOWN,“Oranmiyan New Town”within capital territory, Stateof Osun.

According to the state’sCommissioner for Lands,Physical Planning andUrban Development, Arc.Muyiwa Ige, OranmiyanNew Town is located withinthe capital territory of theState of Osun, within theprecinct of the StateSecretariat and the OsunGrove.

It is made up of Sevenneighborhoods and has a42m right-of-way main

boulevard that cuts acrosssix neighborhoods.

He stressed that the newtown boasts of a botanicalgarden; commercial stripsof plots along the majorroads; serviced plots; aD o w n t o w n / C e n t r a lBusiness District (CBD)with varying land uses (religious, educational,commercial and parking).Interestingly, a three ArmsZone has been created toaccommodate the House ofAssembly (legislature);Proposed High Court andJudiciary Quarters(Judiciary) and theGovernor’s Office(Executive), in addition tothe proposed NewGovernment House. Thebeautiful streetscape bragsof sidewalks and bicyclepaths on all major roads and

handsome landscaping.Recreational features are notlimited to parks and gardens.Adequate provision hasbeen made to accommodatea lawn tennis club, Squashclub, 18 hole Golf course anda Polo Ground.

Oranmiyan New Town

prides itself of over 3000residential plots with thesmallest plot being 1000square metres. It is expectedto cater for an estimatedpopulation of over a 100,000people. It is indeed a modernnew town that is livable andenjoyable, by all standards.

Page 4: Osun Defender October 21st 2014, Edition

4 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The War Called The Osun Elections-By Segun Tomori Continued frompg1

I just couldn’t imagine my home State go back to the disastrous“years of the locust”. I had participated actively n thecampaigns, interacted with the people, felt their pulse and thestory was the same – Osun has never had it so good, the peoplevowed to defend their votes by all means possible! From thatmoment I had made up my mind to give my all and put myselfat harm’s way if need be to ensure we form a bulwark ofresistance against the machinery of State to be deployed tothwart the people’s wish.

When I was about to proceed on my journey to Osogbo, theOsun State Capital on Monday preceding the elections Iprepared for the worst. Few associates privy to my trip advisedstrongly that I removed any APC sourvenir from myluggage,any ID card that can associate me with the partyamongst other security tips. They were right to be apprehensive,soldiers, officials of the Department of State Security(DSS)including the hooded ones,lorry loads of mobile policemen hadsince being deployed across the nook and cranny of Osun State.Bearing in mind the desperation of their paymasters, we knewthey could stop and search vehicles and abduct anythingsynonymous with APC, so I took all the precautions. I took offon the journey which in itself was dramatic.

As we got close to Oshogbo, a discussion ensued in the bus andI found out I was not alone in the Save-Osun initiative. Most ofthe passengers shared the same sentiments with me and werealso natives of the State. They spoke emotionally and fiercelyabout their determination to ensure Aregbesola’s victory. Speakerafter speaker reeled out programmes and interventions of theGovernor that has brought smiles to the faces of the people.They concluded he was the best thing to happen to the Statesince its creation. The menacing apparatus of State thensuffocating the enviroment will not deter them, they thundered!“Ko si ohun ti soja o se, a ma duro gboin gboin lati dibo Aregbe”they said in yoruba dialect meaning “there is nothing Soldierscan do, we will stand firmly to vote for Aregbe”. I thought tomyself, we are about to witness mass resistance unequally inour national history if anything go against the people’s will.Hopefully, the soldiers we met on the various check-points didn’tstop and search, they just peeped through the bus windows andpassed us on. I heaved a sigh of relief when I arrived Osogbosafely late in the evening.

I have attended rallies, mega-rallies , name it, but what I saw onTuesday at the grand-finale of the campaign was frightening. Astadium whose capacity can’t be more than 60,000 almost cavedin due to pressure from an unprecedented mammoth crowd. Everyspace on the covered stands were over-filled, the main bowl of theStadium was virtually unpassable. My associates and I had to holdourselves to navigate our way through the crowd, it took us aboutan hour from the entrance of the stadium to find somewhere toperch! Yet thousands more extend to adjoining roads outside thestadium. It was the APC mega-rally and to say it was awesomelymega is an understatement! We even heard that the Lord of Aso-rock caught an instant migraine seeing the magnitude of the rally!The effect of that was seen in the sealing off of the freedom parkthat was supposed to host workers rally the next day by “hoodedsoldiers” They got the now familiar, albeit emergency “ordersfrom above” to forcefully if need be halt the Nigeria LabourCongress (NLC) and its affiliates endorsement rally for the Ogbeni.

Co-incidentally, Wednesday, 6th August was my birthday but Iwas in no mood for celebrations of any kind. I told my well-wishers, family and friends that you don’t clink glasses in a battle-front! Interestingly, one of my compatriots who was also a major‘battle-axe” and good friend’s birthday was 8th August so I toldhim we’ll do a birthday plus victory party on the 10th, a day afterthe elections,when we triumph at the polls. We know we had thepeople behind us, we never gave defeat a thought! By Thursday,preparations had reached feverish pitch, the towns, hamlets andvillages was now massively flowing with uniformed men of allhues and shades. Some DSS operatives came to the restaurant wewere having dinner, Thursday evening, apparently on surveillancemission. We got the message and we left in a jiffy! On our wayto our location, we noticed a car trailing us, so we had to take adecoy to a bar. As we turned to the bar, the car also turned inanother direction. Their mission still remains a mystery. ThankGod for little mercies!

When we arrived our abode, we swung into action to put finishingtouches to our master-plan which was to run a co-ordinated andeffective live broadcast of the elections on social and online mediain collaboration with the APC situation room which was to startfrom Friday evening till the announcement of the results onSunday. This was necessary because leaking the plans of ourdevious opponents was key to frustrate their rigging machinery;announcing results online as we get it directly from our agents wasalso crucial to frustrate any manipulation at the collation level. ByFriday afternoon, I had to tactically separate from my friendswho then proceeded to a high security location. The curfew wasgoing to start around 5-6pm. By 4pm, I arrived at my own securelocation and quickly moved to set up. I surveyed the enviromentto assess the possible threat level. I saw that it was negligible so Isettled down for the task ahead.

By Friday evening we got intelligence report that notorius electionrigger, Chris Uba was in town with a unit of 50 soldiers attached tohim. We sent that out and made sure it went viral. Later that night,information about the arrest of our leaders ranging from APC PublicitySecretary, lai Mohammed, the Attorney-general Of Osun State, barr.Wale Afolabi, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on media, Mr Sunday are,Commissioner for Agric among others were swiftly publicised withdispatch. The far-reaching effect of the noise we made contributedin no small measure to the release of most of those picked up bySaturday morning. We discovered by Saturday morning that fakesoldiers and policemen had surfaced in many locations. Their logowas a red ankara tied to their left hand. Quickly we activated ourinstant alert to our people,through all means possible. That againthwarted efforts to manipulate the elections from the beginning.

The elections started peacefully however in most locations withaccreditation going on smoothly. The only snag was the continuedharassment of APC leaders across the State. The case of the 1stCivilian Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke was quiteinstructive. After failing to assasinate him over-night due to resistanceby his security aides, he was trailed from the polling unit to his mother’sresidence where he went after accreditation. He escaped the siegeby the whisker after he was discreetly notified. He couldn’t comeback to exercise his franchise. The results started trickling in byafternoon and the PDP demolition squad sensing their rejection quicklyswitched to a plan B to disrupt the collation process. We instantlyalerted the public about their norturnal meeting and evil plot. Whatreally helped the APC apart from the determination of the peoplewas our access to classified information. We were always a stepahead of them and that frustrated the election riggers.

I got an anonymous call from a patroitic police officer around 8pmwho claimed he was at a location at modakeke and that results beingcollated was about to be altered. You could detect the fear in his voiceas he asked me to ensure his cover. He was an igbo officer deployedfrom other states, he wasn’t familiar with the terrain but what wasgratifying that there could still be few men of integrity in thecorruption-ridden Nigeria Police Force. In order to confirm theauthenticity of his Statement, I asked the Apapa Local GovernmentChairman who was with me to speak to him. He sounded credible, heconcluded. So I made some calls to the authorities and sent textmessage to our men to act immediately.

Before 11pm, we already had all the results and we had won, thoughunofficially. What sealed the deal for us and put paid to anymanipulation the PDP had in stock was the unexpected congratulation

of Aregbesola as the winner of the election around 9.40pm by theOoni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade. Omisore according to oursources had already informed Aso-rock that there was fighting inhis home-town of Ile-Ife because according to him, the results wewere circulating were fake and he was actually leading in the“original” results. The Ooni swiftly debunked that, not onlycongratulated the Governor-elect, but also stated that nobody wasfighting in Ife! That took the sail out of the wind of Omisore andhis treacherous gang.

If we thought the threats have been subdued, we were in for ashocker! The returning officer whose task it is to announce thefinal result was under pressure to collect a whooping N1b andannounce Omisore winner! They were ready to damn theconsequences and ask us to go to court. So we had to practicallygo on our knees! I salute the indefatigable people of Osun State,they were resolute, they stood like a rock, stayed on the streets allthrough and formed a human shield around the collation centre.Then the returning officer came in around 1.35pm. The results ofall the local governments were announced before 5am. Then wenow witnessed dilly-dallying of the highest order. It got to a pointaround 7am, anxious journalists and people started singing askingfor the results. Lo and Behold, at about 7.10am, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola was finally pronounced the winner!

There was instant jubilation across the nook and cranny of Oshogbo.Never in the history of elections have I seen such spontaneousexcitement pervade the landscape because of resultsannouncement. Within the twinkle of an eye, the whole town wentagog with people clutching their brooms- symbol of the Governor’sparty, congratulating themselves, okada riders driving menacinglyin such euphoric ecstasy and finally we could say hurray! Wewon! We didn’t win an election, we won a WAR with a stone likethe biblical david. Goliath came to battle with the best arsenal athis disposal but we came with the will of a determined people thatvowed that never again shall they go the road of perdition theyonce trodded. Who says the voice of the people is not the voice ofGod? Because ultimately the hand of the Almighty saved the dayand gave us victory. Osun ti dara ooooooo.

Segun Tomori

Nigeria Needs A Uniter, Not A DividerIN 2011, almost all the

regions in Nigeria cametogether with one voice

to elect Goodluck Jonathanas President. Muslims andChristians called himhumble, a source ofinspiration, an intellectual, aprayer warrior and the firstPh.D holder to ever becomepresident in the country.Pastors from both orthodoxand pentecostal hues usedhis life story as sermonillustrations because it wascompelling.

Mothers named theirbabies after GoodluckJonathan. If I had a sonaround that time, I wouldhave named him Goodluck,which means: “Youencounter good fortune,especially by chance”, notnecessarily by merit. In hislife’s story, he has recordeda fleet of good luck since thedays he said he had noshoes on his feet. AnAssistant Senior Prefect insecondary school who, wewere told, became the SeniorPrefect, Deputy Governor,later became Governor;Vice-President and now

President. After the bitterdivision the countryexperienced when UmaruYar’Adua wasincapacitated, Nigeriansbelieved that Goodluckwould unite Nigerians.Today, the discernible sournote in the polity is that weare more divided now thanwe were even during theNigerian civil war.

From Shehu Shagari to

Baba Obasanjo, and MusaYar’Adua, my country hasnever been this torn-apartand polarized.

A very high percentage ofthose who supportPresident Jonathan for re-election in 2015 are fromeither the South-South orthe South-East. An equallyhigher percentage of thosewho can’t stand himrunning are from the South

West and the Northern partsof Nigeria. These twogroups are very passionateabout their stands for andagainst, and it’s getting verypersonal in many cases.The dins and quibblesabout Jonathan’sgovernment, governanceand competence to leadNigeria out of the doldrumshave grown wilder and wider,and the polity is heated-up

pretty bad.Our security outfits have

become the megaphonesand foot-warriors of theruling party, PDP.Jonathan’s yet-to-be-announced candidacy andpresidency have pushedNigerians far apart into theirisolated individual tents.Politicians who slap anddisrobe judges are pushedto exalted seats, while

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing

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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]

lawmakers who are carryingout their constitutionalduties but happen to be inthe opposition are harassedand shot at in broaddaylight by securityoperatives hired by rulingparty goons.

In spite of these brazenacts of utter disregard forsanity in government andgovernance, the presidencyis keeping mum. I am surethis will get worse as wedraw closer to February2015, and mark my word, itwill begin from Ekiti, whichis gradually becoming abreeding ground forlawlessness and dystopia.Ekiti State, the land of thelettered, is now chaperonedby a generalissimorapscallion and bumptious,bombastic, blowhardvarmint. We shall see whatwe shall see.

Nigeria shouldn’t bewhere she is today. We, as amatter of urgency need auniter, not a dividerpresidency we have today.

THIS IS SMACKDOWNSTRAIGHTUP TALK!!!

•FOLA OJO, UnitedStates of America.

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RenaissanceSchooling Made Easier, More Comprehensive III

The intention of this edition is to close chapters on the relevance of the schools’reclassification exercise of the incumbent administration to the inculcation andpropagation of the concept of Omoluabi in the present-day State of Osun. NIYIOLASINDE concludes the series as an opener to further issues to come on theOmoluabi ethos.

The State Of Osun Schools Reclassification:

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014

•Ejigbo High School in the State of Osun under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

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6 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Continued from last week.

WE find it most apt once again to maintain a linkwith the last edition in order to maintain a flowof facts in such a manner that no single aspect

of idea brought to the fore is lost, hence we drawreference to the following relevant portions of the closingparts of the edition:

Following the declaration of a state of emergency inthe education industry in the state, the administration ofOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola swung swiftly into action whenin February 2011, the first-ever Education Summit wasput together for the State of Osun. The agenda and thrustof the summit was to actively engage a rich pool ofideas, skills, experiences and expertise of participants;drawn from diverse and related disciplines from Nigeria,Africa and the Diaspora in order to fashion out lastingpanacea to the multifaceted hydra headed challenges thathad hitherto plagued the sector.

As part of the findings and recommendations of thesummit, which was chaired by no less a personalitythan the academic icon and internationally reputed NobelLaureate in Literature, Professor Wole Soyinka, theteaching-learning environment was identified to be ofhigh preponderating and contributory influence on impactof delivery, efficacy and good outcome. It would notbe a mismatch, therefore, to attribute the emergenceand evolution of the State of Osun Schools InfrastructureDevelopment Project, known for short as O’SCHOOLSto the numerous landmark breakthrough achievementsof the inaugural Education Summit for the State of Osunheld in February 2011.

Another in the list of programmes rolled out by theincumbent administration sequel to the State of OsunEducation Summit is the ongoing Schools Reforms andReclassification. By the tone of the reclassification, noschool was going to, in nomenclature or identity losethe name given to it by its initial owners before the take-over of the mission schools by the government inSeptember 1975. Also by it, the speculation that somepupils or students would have to trek long distances toand fro schools on daily basis is off-track. It is also anunfounded fallacy that government has the ulteriormotive of partial or massive retrenchment of teachersat the back of its mind by initiating the programme. Inaddition to this, the calculated lie fabricated that theGovernment Unusual has embarked on the massdemolition of school structures claimed to have beenerected by the immediate past administration is bothunsystematic and irrational. The governor hascontinuously spared no available medium to debunkthese rumors. The Deputy Governor, who also doublesas the State Commissioner for Education has neverrelented in disabusing the minds of citizens and residentsand insulating them from believing these bunches of

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Schooling Made Easier, More Comprehensive IIIMAGAZINE

lies. Below are excerpts from responses by Otunba LaiOyeduntan to questions bordering on these maliciousinsinuations:

On the negative protestation against the whole essenceof providing the public education sub-sector with brand-new infrastructure, this response provides the most aptresponse:

“Osun Schools Infrastructure Development Committeeis the Project Management Office (PMO) of SchoolsInfrastructure Development Project for the State of Osun.The Schools Infrastructure Development Project is anintervention mechanism, one of the interventionmechanisms introduced by the government of OgbeniRauf Adesoji Aregbesola to revamp the education sectorof the state. Our project is essentially to superintend thedevelopment of the most decayed and largely dilapidatedstructures in the schools for basic education in our state.I don’t know whether I will agree with you that the publicdoes not know. If anything at all, we have had a lot ofexposure in terms of what we stand for, what we do,how we do it and even the activities that we have beenengaged in. The name, the coinage ‘’O’SCHOOLS’’has been the name for the committee to the extent thatmany of us have had to answer to the name‘’O’SCHOOLS’’. O’SCHOOLS is the alias of thecommittee.”

The impetus for the new infrastructural developmentis here given in lucid terms:

“Firstly, there’s no difference. It is a development. Itis an enhancement. It is an enhancement of theenvironment where our teaching and learning functionstake place. Why I say there’s no difference? One, thesetting on which we are doing our intervention is basedon the existing schools. The schools are there, but theyhave deteriorated so badly that they had becomedysfunctional. Yes, some people started that idea in thepast, and it is time to improve on it, to modernize it, tobring it up to track with modern Twenty-First Centurystandards. So what we’ve been making is atransformational projection of what we have been doingand bringing it up to track with the best practices allover the world.”

Reacting to the insinuation that demolished schoolstructures are strong edifices that are legacies of theimmediate past administration in the state, the chairmanresponded as follows:

“Well, the truth is that we have had to removedangerously dilapidated structures from our schools. One,at the beginning of this committee’s assignment, wetoured the schools and found structures that constitutedimmediate danger to the users of the premises and thismade us to invite the heads of the schools; that is theheadmasters and the principals to give us reports andfile their returns and give us details of such structures

in their premises that are considered to constituteimmediate danger to students. We received their requestsand we found out that four thousand and fifty five(4,055) structures were noted to be dangerouslydilapidated. You must know, for emphasis, we only goto remove those structures that have been identified bythe schools. So we only go to those schools on invitationby the heads of the schools to help remove dangerouslydilapidated structures. What that means in essence, isthat whatever structures we remove, would have noadverse effect on the capacity of the affected school tofunction the morning after; because we are only invitedto come and remove structures that were not in use as atthe date of removal. So it is not true that the intentionwas to put the schools and the users in hazard ordifficulties; the intention was not haphazard. Thestructures were demolished based on the specificationof the users. It was structured and it was mapped out.”

The devilish notion contrived that the administrationintended through the O’SCHOOLS or theReclassification exercise to make pupils or students ofschools to trek long distances to and fro schools isdebunked with this response:

“It is not true. It is not possible. It is not practicalthat we ever moved pupils/students from Ipetu-Ijesa toIjebu-Ijesa or any of such locations. First of all, I’vethrown a challenge to the public. Anybody who canidentify a structure that was removed without theinvitation of the affected schools should please let usknow or contact us. I don’t want you to confuse anattempt by a committee in the Ministry of Education toimplement the new schooling structures. That is adifferent thing entirely. That was a recent event and thegovernment is on top of it to make sure that this is doneproperly. For us as O’SCHOOLS, our relics, purview,our mandate is to superintend the introduction ofinfrastructure in our schools, and nobody has sufferedany deprivation as a result of our activities. The onlywholesale demolition we witnessed so far are those schoolstructures marked for demolition for the purpose ofimmediate redevelopment; and as of today, twenty-four(24) of such schools have been developed.”

Lastly in this edition, we shall refer to the Chairman’sresponse to questions bordering on speculated schools’merger and the imminent submerging of initialownership. Also, this response allays the fear of teachers’retrenchment:

“I would have to clarify certain things. The policy ofrestructuring the schooling system, the policies of eventhe average size, optimum size of these schools are notarbitrary. They are not new and they are not even far-fetched. The results of that reorganization will justify

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7 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014 MAGAZINE

Schooling Made Easier, More Comprehensive III

•AREGBESOLA •LAOYE-TOMORI

the exercise. Right now, most of these schools arealready of that same size. We have primary schools withthe population in excess of one thousand (1,000) allover the state. We have secondary schools with populationin excess of 2,000 plus all over the state. But what doyou have? In one premises, you have three, four schools.In one premises, you have several schools. All we aredoing is rationalization; which is optimizing theallocation, the application of resources. Part of theresources is the teachers, and they are on top of thechart. Why do you have schools with two teachers, threeteachers; four teachers; five teachers; and they havetwo or more schools in that same premises? Why notaggregate them and reschedule them and make the timetable and allocation of teachers a lot easier? Then comesthe issue of maintaining the schools. The environmentis very, very important for the development of the mind.That is even more so for the young mind, the youngimpressive mind. That is the budget and that is what weare aiming at - That the environment should beconducive; and be of support to a developing mind thatis learning and maturing into wholesome personality.”

These question and answer sessions were held at atime when the schools’ reclassification exercise had notbegun to take effect. At the time the responses weremade, the idea of reclassification had not yet beenpublicly known it was then at the conception stage. Yetthe responses are still found apt and relevant! This showsthe depth and extent of the preparedness, commitmentand consistency of the Government Unusual to itsprogrammes and policies.

The programmes and policies of the incumbentadministration in the Sate of Osun are mutuallyreconstructive. They are integrative, well-knit,symbiotic, interdependent and interwoven.

OUR last edition closed at the point at which we wereclarifying issues that had come up in previous editionspertaining to the events and happenings in the publiceducation sub-sector in the State of Osun. The previousedition had sought out to dig deep in to the crux of thematter that constituted rot, decay and deterioration inthe sub-sector; to the extent that as at the time of take-over of the reins of power and governance by theAregbesola administration, the public education sub-sector in the state had so deteriorated that it wasbecoming almost extinct. It was in that regard that weset out at the earlier stage of that edition to trace theevents which constituted the antecedents of the man

Aregbesola in power, his determination and deep-seatedinterest in assuming the responsibilities of power andgovernance of the state, his election campaigns and hispact with the people of the state. There is a relevantportion of this pact which has become a sort of termsof reference for us in virtually all editions pertaining toongoing reforms in the affected sub-sector. Owing tothe down-to-earth relevance of that particular portionof the Pact, OSUN DEFENDER Magazine shall heredraw reference to it all over again, at least for thepurposes of emphasis and reminder. It runs as follows:

“My mission and ambition are to restore to the people,a state of peace, opportunity, for progress and room forthe pursuit of prosperity in our time under a peoplefriendly government.

I give you Six-Point Integral Action plan, to the intentthat they constitute my actions of faith concerning whichI want to be held accountable at any time during mystewardship.

SIX POINT INTEGRAL ACTION PLAN· Banish Poverty· Banish Hunger· Banish Unemployment (Create Work/Wealth)· Restore Healthy Living· Promote Functional Education· Enhance Communal Peace and Progress”Further in the line of drawing specific reference, we

have the following:CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS

“There is the need for a civil service reform thatwill not lead to any loss of jobs as I Rauf Aregbesolado not believe in laying people off in the name ofreforms.

Our reform will make the work environment moreconductive, stimulating and development oriented.

Bonuses, incentives and regular awards shall beinstituted to promote a culture of excellence in the civilservice along with the prompt payment of salaries,allowances, leave bonuses and year end performancebonuses.

Promotions and comprehensive salary reviews andincreases shall be regular.

Internal and external training, work exchangeprogrammes and overseas training shall be activelyreinstituted for comprehensive human development inthe civil service.

New Tutor General/Permanent Secretary Cadre shallbe created for Teachers in new education districts for

better school administration. We shall institute Home Ownership Scheme for

public servants and also support and encourage theirbackyard food production business ventures.

We shall do a comprehensive review of civil servicenames and conventions as part of our efforts to create apeople- friendly civil service.

Appropriate nomenclature will enhance accountabilityand promote public access to the services of the ministry.A citizen with a complaint of blockage of drainage willfind a Ministry of Roads and Drainages easier to identifywith than Ministry of Works, a Ministry of HumanResources and Development will more appropriatelycommunicate its services than a Ministry ofEstablishment.”

WE now swing to the Education sub-heading of thePact, which we quote as follows

PROMOTE FUNCTIONAL EDUCATIONVision: Eradicate the frustration of youths caused

by education that does not lead to employment.“To achieve this, the government of AC under Rauf

Aregbesola shall:· Provide free education at all levels in Osun

State. Focus on functional education. Education thatmakes one useful to himself and society.

· Improve incentives to teachers and work withthe NUT to restore the dignity of the teaching profession.

· Restructure administration of schoolmanagement and create Tutors-General (PermanentSecretary Cadre) from among Head Teachers in threeEducational Districts which we will establish.\

· Fix all collapsed educational infrastructures inall the schools.

· Support with modern teaching aids and well-stocked libraries.

· Ensure cooperation with parents and teachersto improve discipline and morality.

· Introduce non-partisan community-basedgoverning boards for all schools.

· Reduce number of students per classroomimmediately.

· Introduce home development plans for teacherswho wish to build houses in their home towns, throughaccess to special mortgage packages.

· Promote mass adult literacy and numeracyprogrammes.

· Promote and support Special programmes thatgive special attention to education of girls and women.

Continued from page 6

Continued on page 11

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8 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014 PHOTOTALK

Honourable Olubukola Oyewo (BUKOY) Declared His Intention For State Of OsunHouse Of Assembly To Represent Irepodun/Orolu State Constituency Under The AllProgressive Congress (APC), At Ilobu, State Of Osun, Recently. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•(L-R) State of Osun House of Assembly member representing Irepodun/Orolu StateConstituency, Honourable Kamil Oyedele and Oyewo during the programme.

•Honourable Olubukola (with Oranmiyan cloth) with a mammoth of crowd during the programme.

•Olubukola (right); Governor’s Liaison Officer in Orolu and an APC leader, AlhajiKelani Orisawale (2nd left) and the APC Chairman in Orolu Local Government, AlhajiGaniyu Ibrahim (left) and other dignitaries on the occasion.

•Oyewo (left), welcoming one of the state exco members of the Labour Party, Honourable Adeyemo Razak (middle) to APC. With them is Mr Raji Kolawole.

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9 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014PHOTOTALK

•Governor Aregbesola (middle); his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left); Dr. Dore (2nd right), Ige and Chief Country Programme Coordinator of AfricanDevelopment Bank, Mr. Andoh Mensah, during the visit to the governor in his office, Abere, Osogbo, State of Osun.

A Team From African Development Bank Paid A Courtesy Visit To The State Of OsunGovernor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, In His Office At Abere, State Of Osun, Recently.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left), exchanging pleasantries with the Country Director, African Development Bank, Dr. Usman Dore, while SpecialAdviser to the Governor on Rural Development and Community Affairs, Mr. Kunle Ige, watches, during a visit to the governor in his office, Abere, Osogbo.

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10 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014PHOTOTALK

State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Received An Excellent PublicAdministrator Award At The 6th Prince Bola Ajibola Annual Lecture Series At ObafemiAwolowo University, Ile-Ife, Last Wednesday.

•(L-R) Prince Ajibola; Governor Aregbesola; his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori; Chairman of the occasion, Professor Nurudeen Adedipe; the Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti, Oba Adegoke Adeyemi and President, Magnacuria Chambers, Mr Akinwole Ayodele, during the 6th Prince Bola Ajibola Annual Lecture Series at Obafemi AwolowoUniversity, Ile-Ife, last Wednesday.

•Former President, International Court of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola (left), presenting an award to the governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, as an Excellent PublicAdministrator 2014, during the 6th Prince Bola Ajibola Annual Lecture Series at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, last Wednesday.

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11 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014 MAGAZINE

Contiuned on page 12

Continued from page 10

Schooling Made Easier, More Comprehensive III

· Establish institutions that impart life-long skillsfor all, in and out of formal schooling.

ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND UNIVERSITY· I am committed to ensuring that an Osun State

University takes off on a sound footing and becomes afirst-class institution with linkages to renowneduniversities in the developed world.

· I will make every tertiary institution in OsunState an independent degree-awarding one.

· Encourage use of services of retired, but nottired dons and administrators, from reputableinstitutions.”

After the introductory and background aspects tracedabove, the last edition went ahead to dig deep andpungently the assiduous and dedicated efforts of theadministration at turning the tide around in the publiceducation sub-sector immediately after assuming thereins of power and governance in November 2010. Inthe light of this, we traced the declaration of a state ofemergency in the entire sector and the holding of thefirst ever State of Osun Education Summit, aconvergence which was convened to brainstorm andrub minds over the numerous challenges which hadplagued the Education sub-sector of the Social ServicesSector of the state over time. We then perused thearchives as we brought out relevant words of wisdomconcerning the rich, resourceful and time-tested policiesand programmes of the incumbent administration.

Particularly, it was at the clarification of issuesbordering on the much speculated proposed merger ofschools and the ensuing insinuated effect of pupils havingto be given the untold hardship of trekking long kilomtresdistances to and fro their schools daily that we drewcurtains on the last week edition. That speculation wasconfirmed to be untrue, unfounded, baseless and quiteillogical.

One of the first proactive and decisive steps taken inthe direction of stemming the tide of rot and deteriorationwhich befell our public schools was the revival andrejuvenation of the schools’ learning environment. It wasa worthy; deserving and apposite step that if educationwas humanized by developing befitting environment, thataction alone would go a long way in reviving the spateof decline in the entire education industry in the state.These reactions by the Chairman of the State of OsunSchools’ Infrastructure Development Committee Project,Otunba Lai Oyeduntan gives the background of theimpetus for the schools’ develo0pment in infrastructureas pursued by the incumbent administration:

“There is no maximum figure, and governance is acontinuum. That means until all schools are brought up

to par with the set standards, government should notrelent in this direction. So we designed and redesignedour schools and they have not changed within the fundingcapacity of the government. Since funding is limited,we can now only go for what the government can affordand that is why we are limiting our projections to thestated figures. Well, I have this to say that no schoolproject is being left untouched, why? It is because theconcept of dilapidation and reconstruction is precise.Every school taken into consideration will not beabandoned.”

Commenting on the number of units of these schoolstructures to be constructed, the Chairman had this tosay:

“There is no maximum figure, and governance is acontinuum. That means until all schools are brought upto par with the set standards, government should notrelent in this direction. So we designed and redesignedour schools and they have not changed within the fundingcapacity of the government. Since funding is limited,we can now only go for what the government can affordand that is why we are limiting our projections to thestated figures. Well, I have this to say that no schoolproject is being left untouched, why? It is because theconcept of dilapidation and reconstruction is precise.Every school taken into consideration will not beabandoned.”

On the plans ad intents of the administration at theinitial stage, vis-à-vis the reality on ground as at thezero hour of implementation, this contribution representsthe mind of government:

“Yes, the practical it is. I mean it’s not just theoptimists; even the realist should have cause to behopeful. Why? Our plan is a minimum delivery of atleast 50 Elementary schools, 33 Middle schools andbetween 10 to 20 High schools, within the next 15months. I said 15 months because the high schools is amuch bigger project which are projects that will take alonger time to accomplish or complete. And we havestarted. Out of those numbers, twenty-four sites arealready under construction and some of them would bedelivered in a matter of weeks. It is possible and it isnot exceedingly optimistic that people are expectant.Government of the State of Osun is committed and weare, on our part as committee, we share the passions ofthe governor; we share the vision of the governmentand we are committed to that delivery of quality serviceand programmes for which this government is renowned.”

The reality has not been denied; neither has theadministration drifted from its promises to deliver thisand that number of these structures for the variouscategories of schools. Reporting the plans of action ofthe State of Osun Schools’ Infrastructure Development

Committee, OSUN DEFENDER Magazine oncedocumented as follows:

“At its inception, O’SCHOOLS as the ProjectManagement Office (PMO) of the Government of theState of Osun was set out for the purpose of thedevelopment of infrastructure in Osun schools. In thebeginning of its assignment, the primary mandate wasto take all necessary steps to build and deliver within24 months:

· 100 elementary schools (2,100 classrooms);· 50 (62?) middle schools; and· 20 high schools

Though the committee has not in any way waveredfrom its commitment to deliver its initial mandate to thepeople of the State of Osun, exigencies of the presenttime, governed by limitations imposed by availablefunds and time has caused it to streamline its efforts toimmediately affordable units of structures. Accordingto Otunba Lai Oyeduntan, the O’SCHOOLS Chairman,in a chat with OSUN DEFENDER Magazine crewearlier in the outgoing year, the immediate mandate ofthe O’SCHOOLS Committee is a minimum delivery ofat least:

· 50 elementary schools;· 33 middle schools; and· Between 10 and 20 high schoolsAll within the next 15 months! The Chairman also

revealed that out of these figures of school structures,work had started and was already progressing on 24units; with high hope that some completed units shallbe delivered latest before the winding of the 2012/2013academic session.”

In September this year, at the occasion of the officialcommissioning of the first in the list of 900-seater ultra-modern schools built throughout the length and breadthof the state, the governor of the State of Osun, OgbeniRauf Adesoji Aregbesola made a declaration whichconfirmed that the claims adduced to by Oyeduntan inthe above-quoted response has not turned out to be afarce eventually. The declaration as reported earlier inone of Osun Defender Magazine editions is recapped asfollows:

“With the present effort of the Government Unusualin the Education sub-sector of the state, we owe theadministration nothing short of our kind understanding,support, cooperation and prayers. Let it be noted thatas at the time of compiling this report, thirteen (13)units of Elementary schools; fifteen (15) of Middleschools; and ten (10) of High schools are underconstruction throughout the nooks and crannies if thestate. But once again, if anyone would kick against any

•One of the classrooms at AUD Middle School, Araromi, Iwo, State of Osun .

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13 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014MAGAZINE

•Building of AUD Middle School, Araromi, Iwo under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

It is the core policy of the Aregbesola administration tomake sound quality control mechanism the hallmark of allprojects executed with the taxpayers’ money. In roadprojects, school buildings, hospital facilities and virtuallyall physical projects put in place by the administration; allhands are always on deck to ensure that they are durableand of long-lasting quality. This claim is lent credence to inthis response by the O’SCHOOLS project committeeChairman:

“O sure, yes! O yes! Look, the essence of havingO’SCHOOLS as Project Management Office is to ensurethat our office is to help the contractors deliver - not justbeing there to supervise, we help them to deliver highquality jobs. In all that we do, we are not compromising onquality at all. Our mechanisms for control and supervision,both before, during and after the construction exercisesare superb. In fact, I am very proud to say that we haveinvolved a lot of supervision professionals acrossconstruction industries. We have approached the NigerianInstitute of Architects, the Nigerian Institute of Engineers,the NIB - the Nigerian Institute of Builders, and Institutionof Surveyors - Institutions that control professionals inthe building industry to work with us in supervision. Fromtheir members, we have appointed people we call TSRs -Technical Site Representatives whose duties are likened tothose of site engineers they are resident on the sites, theymonitor the construction processes, and that is withoutprejudices! They hammer on standard professionalrequirements of supervising consultants as well as our owntechnical-in-house technical capacity to monitor andsupervise work done; to supervise construction work onthe site.”

Concerning the abolition of special schools and single-sex schools, I think this is to the best advantage of all; thestudents in particular. Classification of schools as schoolsof science, commerce, arts and /or other branches ofknowledge, to me, is unnecessarily discriminatory, and assuch should be done away with. Also, single-sex schoolsimpair and retard the development of students inheterosexual relationships, especially in later life. As aqualified teacher and expert in the field of education, I havelong had my reservations over the expediency of entrustinga child to a single-sex school. Thank God that we now havea responsible and responsive government who thought itlikewise.

ON the whole, OSUN DEFENDER Magazine has thefollowing concluding remarks to make. Concerning theunfounded speculations of schools’ merger, the goodgestures of the Government Unusual deserve much ofpraises than denigration. With the few cases of completednew school facilities that we have seen, the old names ofthose schools have not been lost in the process. The mostvisible case in hand is that of Salvation Army Middle Schoolat Alekuwodo in Osogbo, the state capital. At a time in the1980s, precisely during the Buhari / Idiagbon militaryregime, when the merger of schools was earnestly in vogue,

nobody dared question the wisdom of the administrationsthat carried out the reforms in the old Oyo State of whichwe in the present-day State of Osun were part and parcel.

We have spoken extensively on the pitiable conditionsof public schools that were inherited by this administrationupon its assumption of office three years ago. During thetime of the immediate past administration in office, thesituation of our schools deteriorated so badly that we whoare proud products of those public schools could not holdback our tears for our various Alma Mater. But the oldproprietors of those schools (Christian missionaries,Muslim missionaries and communities) never decried thespate of rot, neglect and abandonment which the schoolswere made to witness. There was apparent conspiracy ofsilence as our schools were turned into public toilets, arenafor social parties, Indian hemp joints, hide-outs forhoodlums and the rest of worst things that a school shouldrepresent.

Upon this background, it is true and sacrosanct that hewho blows the trumpet should be the one dictating thetune. It is also wise to admit that whoever sits in the driver’sseat determines the motion and movement of an automobile.In times past, some administrations in the state had managedthe meager resources at the disposal of the state so badlythat activities of government were almost dragged to agrinding halt. Also, some governments had failed woefullyin the dispensation of social and other responsibilities tothe governed. In these areas, they had the shortcoming ofbeing counted among the list of responsible and responsivegovernments. A case in hand is that of the immediate pastadministration; during which time in office, subterfuge andprofligacy stank to high heavens. Like the scriptures attest,we are all living witnesses to these contrasts.

The Rauf Aregbesola administration in the State of Osunhas so much impacted positively that it constitutes brazenshow of ingratitude and wicked selfishness on the part ofany person or group of whatever political leaning to attemptat castigating it just on the grounds that it has succeededin blocking leakages from the treasury and for making mostefficient use of our resources. The administration has alsosucceeded in increasing the revenue status of the state.These are supposed to be pluses on the ground that theadministration should be awarded the highest pass markwhen compared with any of the previous ones we everhad; or all of them put together.

Though we on the crew of OSUN DEFENDER Magazinemay not be in government; holding brief for the governmentof the day would not constitute an act of mischievousmeddlesomeness. We have the constitutional right like anyother citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to expressour take and opinions on issues bordering on welfare, well-being and prosperity of our people. As responsive andresponsible news media agent, we owe it a duty to directthe thought and mindset of our teeming readers along theright positive values. Today, if all our old schools shouldbe returned to their initial owners, how many of theseowners would be able to cope with all the present challenges

of ownership in the Education sub-sector?

With the present effort of the Government Unusual inthe Education sub-sector of the state, we owe theadministration nothing short of our kind understanding,support, cooperation and prayers. Let it be noted that as atthe time of compiling this report, thirteen units ofElementary schools; fifteen of Middle schools; and ten ofHigh schools are under construction throughout the nooksand crannies if the state. But once again, if anyone wouldkick against any policy rolled out for revamping the publicschools by government as proprietor of the schools, suchone also has the right so to do. But then, let us ask him anddo the necessary verification if the accuser has any ward inthose schools. It is only those who have wards in thoseinstitutions that are genuine stakeholders. It is only thosewhose children are in those schools who truly know howthe experience had been, so they can now best comparewhat and what constitute the difference. After all, he whowears the shoe knows where it pinches!

We on the crew of OSUN DEFENDER Magazine are notprophets. But sounding prophetic at this stage could notbe sinister. In view of this, we foresee that as the morningshows the day, it is only political stability that can enableprogress. Our students are a part of the society just like allthe rest of us. The Aregbesola administration is on coursedoing its best by providing a conducive environment toenable them achieve their goals. Therefore, all must tryhard to create that environment because that will reducethe rate of distraction in the surroundings. We agree verymuch with this submission by one of our sages.

So far, we have devoted time and space to discussionson ongoing State of Osun Schools’ Redesign andReclassification. The next one month plus shall beinteresting and eventful in the state. This shall be sobecause the administration of Ogbeni Rauf AdesojiAregbesola in the state shall be celebrating its fourth yearanniversary in office. The administration and the entirecitizenry; most especially those who are progress-lovinghave every cause to celebrate. At the instance of thisoccasion, the administration shall be commissioningmanifold projects; while new ones would be rolled outafresh. We on the OSUN DEFENDER Magazine crew areproud to be part of this celebration – celebration ofexcellence in administration.

We therefore promise you a juicy special anniversarypackage; more so when the anniversary shall definitely beushering in another eventful tenure of four years durationfor the administration. Weeks ago, we have begun to makeseries of prelude to the anniversary package. We imploreour teeming readers to be on the look-out for thecommemorative package that would soon hit the newsstandwith an amazing thunderous thud. We shall soon carry onwith the earlier-started mid-term assessment on the giantstrides of the administration. We mutter our happyanniversary wish to all patriots in advance. Osun a dara o.

Concluded.

Continued from page 12

Schooling Made Easier, More Comprehensive III

Page 14: Osun Defender October 21st 2014, Edition

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014 14

The People’s Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, wouldbe inaugurated on Thursday November 27, 2014 for his second term.

There is no denying the fact that Ogbeni Aregbesola has warmed himself intothe hearts of the people of the State of Osun with his massive developmentalprojects.

His impact has been felt in all the nooks and crannies in the state while he hastouched every aspect of our lives in the State of the Virtuous.

What else could we do as individuals or corporate bodies on this auspiciousoccasion if not to identify with him by congratulating him.

Your popular soar away grassroots tabloid, OSUN DEFENDER Newspaper, isdoing a supplement to congratulate the workaholic governor of our time incommemoration of the inauguration. Individuals, corporate bodies,institutions, and well-wishers can avail themselves with our low advert ratebelow:

ADVERT RATE

Full Page Colour - N150,000

Full Page Black & White - N120,000

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Any of these phone lines can be contacted: 08033927286, 08033880205,08061197897 and 08023191891.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Inauguration

- Management

FOREIGN NEWS

U.S. Hospitals Gird For Ebola Panic As Flu Season LoomsA

young woman complaining of abdominal pain andnausea who had traveled to Africa arrived at a LongIsland hospital fearful that she had contracted

Ebola. She did not have the virus, but the pregnancy testwas positive.

The woman had been toSouth Africa, more than3,400 miles (5,400 km)from the three West Africancountries enduring theworst Ebola outbreak onrecord, and the trip endedsix weeks prior, or twicethe potential incubationperiod for Ebola infection.

“It tells you how readyfor panic we can getourselves,” said Dr. BruceHirsch, an infectiousdiseases specialist atNorth Shore UniversityHospital in Manhasset,New York. “There’s a lot ofanxiety and the answer toanxiety is information andtraining.”

The woman’s fear wasemblematic of panic acrossthe country since Liberiantraveler Thomas EricDuncan became the firstperson diagnosed withEbola in the United Stateson Sept. 30. Two of thenurses who treated him ata Dallas, Texas hospitalhave since become infected,and several hundred morepotential contacts, bothdirect and indirect, havebeen tracked.

Already dozens of falseEbola scares have beenreported by hospitals eventhough the virus is spread

through direct contact withbodily fluids from aninfected person and thevirus is not airborne.

With the annual fluseason looming, hospitalsand doctors are preparingthemselves for emergencyrooms that may becomeflooded with patients whofear Ebola but instead haveinfluenza, which can causesimilar symptoms in the

early stages such as feverand body aches.

But fear often trumpscommon sense, eventhough people should befar more worried about theflu given the toll it is knownto take every year, doctorssaid.

“You’re far more likely todie at this point from notreceiving a flu shot,” saidDr. Sampson Davis, anemergency medicinephysician at MeadowlandsHospital Center inSecaucus, New Jersey.

The severity of the fluseason, which varies fromyear to year, and any spreadof Ebola in the UnitedStates, will be criticalfactors in how strainedhospital resources maybecome. And while thereare tests for influenza andscreening protocols beingput in place for Ebola,hospitals could also facepatients with all sorts ofailments looking to allaymisplaced fears.

“I think there will be anincrease of people whowant to get checked out just

because of the fear factor,especially if we start to seemore of a spread of Ebola,”Davis said.

INFLUENZA’S TOLL

Flu season typicallybegins in November andpeaks in January orFebruary. More than200,000 people arehospitalized on average forflu-related complicationseach year, according to theU.S. Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention(CDC). Annual U.S. fludeaths have ranged as low

as 3,000 and as high as49,000.

Doctors and publichealth officialsinterviewed by Reuters saidmany hospitals areimplementing protocolsthat limit Ebola testing topeople who had directcontact with the disease,such as a healthcareworker, and recenttravelers to Liberia, SierraLeone and Guinea.

Fears that Ebola mayspread in the United Statesintensified when it becamepublic this week that thesecond Dallas-based nurseconfirmed with Ebola hadtraveled on two domesticcommercial flights daysbefore she was diagnosed.U.S. health officials insistthe likelihood of anoutbreak here remains low.

“Outside of West Africayou are just not at risk,”said Paul Biddinger, headof emergency preparednessat Massachusetts GeneralHospital in Boston. Travelscreening “ is by far andaway the most importantpart of our frontlineintervention.”

Ebola symptoms thatmirror flu include fever,muscle aches, nausea andgeneral weakness.

But most flu sufferers“also have cough, runnynose, scratchy throat, verycongested,” which can helpdifferentiate the twoillnesses early on, said Dr.

S. Korea: 2 Koreas Exchange Gunfire Along Border

NORTH Korean and South Korean troops exchangedfire Sunday along their heavily fortified border inthe second such shooting in less than 10 days, South

Korean officials said.South Korean soldiers

broadcast warnings andfired warning shots atabout 10 North Koreansoldiers who wereapproaching the militarydemarcation line insidethe Demilitarized Zone thatbisects the KoreanPeninsula, according to astatement from SouthKorea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Two shots believed tohave been fired by NorthKorean soldiers were foundat a South Korean guardpost, and South Koreansoldiers fired toward theNorth, the statement said.

South Korean defenseofficials said the NorthKorean soldiers returned tothe North after theshooting lasted for about10 minutes. There were noreports of casualties.

On Oct. 10, the twoKoreas also traded gunfirealong the border afterSouth Korean activistsfloated balloons carryinga n t i - P y o n g y a n gpropaganda leafletstoward the North. Therewere no reports ofcasualties from thatincident either.

North Korea has

repeatedly demandedSouth Korea ban activistsfrom sending leaflets,which often urges NorthKorean citizens to rise upagainst leader K im JongUn. South Korea hasrefused, saying activistsare exercising freedom ofspeech.

North Korea has warnedit would take unspecifiedstronger measures ifleafleting continues. SouthKorean activists said theywon’t yield to the North’sthreats and vowed to floatmore leaflets across theborder. One activists’group said it will sendabout 50,000 leaflets onOct. 25.

The latest fire exchangesserve as a reminder of long-running tensions betweenthe Koreas despite earlierhopes of easinganimosities after a groupof top North Koreanofficials made a rare evisit to South Korea earlythis month and agreed toresume senior-level talks.

Only days after the NorthKoreans’ visit, navy shipsof the two Koreas alsotraded gunfire near theirdisputed western seaborder, the scene of severalbloody maritimeskirmishes in recent years.Military generals from thesides met at a bordervillage last week in theirfirst military talks in morethan three years to discusshow to ease tensions, butthe meeting ended with noagreement including whento meet again.

Page 15: Osun Defender October 21st 2014, Edition

15OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, October 21, 2014 FEATURE

The Reign Of Terror By PDP As SupervisedBy The Nigeria Police Force

By TOBI IDAOMI

•JONATHAN •ABBA

NIGERIA is bleeding so badlyfrom the current level ofimpunity, mediocrity and

corruption, as our leaders do notgive a damn (apology to GEJ) if thecountry should burn to ashes.After all, most of the so-calledleaders have stolen so much,while their wards are livingflamboyant lifestyles around theworld.

The current PDP madness is nowtaking a new dimension, with theactive backing of police officerswho are meant to be protectinglives and properties. PDP memberswere able to display their reign ofterror and madness in both Ekitiand Edo States recently. Like anadage in Yoruba that says that“someone is referred to as a thief, yethe’s dancing with a stolen goat.” WhenAyo Fayose was declared winner in theEkiti governorship election, manypeople I came across with describedhim as a thug. Some were wonderinghow his likes could be given such highresponsibility of a state governorbecause when he was there between2003 to 2006, they argued hemismanaged the resources of the statebefore he was eventually impeached.

It has now become clear to me thatindeed some ajjectives used indescribing Fayose might be true afterallwith the abomination he committedwhen he led some PDP thugs to theState High Court in Ado-Ekiti toshowcase their madness by beating upone of the judges, while the others tookto their heels. The question was: Wherewere the Policemen, DSS and othersecurity operatives, who wereresponsible for protection of lives andproperties? Alas! I was told they werenot just turning blind eyes to thesacrilege, they also gave a helping handin perpetrating the evil acts.

Since PDP leaders have graduallytaken their madness to the judiciary,with the backing of some police officers.When the institution of justice was beingassaulted by Ayo Fayose and his thugsand nothing was done about it; thepresidency could not give a damn, thenwe are in trouble.

That was the first time that kind ofmadness and brigandage was beingdisplayed in the history of our country,and since then, neither the President noranyone from the presidency hasdeemed it fit to condemn the barbaricact, Nigerians should not be takenunaware when our President will alsolead some PDP thugs to the SupremeCourt to assault the Chief Justice of thenation. After all, “show me your friendand I will tell you whom you are”. Nowonder, the incumbent police boss hasnot be confirmed because woe betideshim if he dares condemn any of theseevil acts or the madness beingdemonstrated by the ruling party and

its thugs.

Just as the nation is yet to recoverfrom the Ekiti madness, little did weknow that greater madness and terroract were in the offing in Edo State? Thecomrade governor of Edo State hasbeen doing everything possible to lureinvestors to the state, while the enemiesof progress are trying unsuccessfully tobring the state backward to the era ofdarkness that it was before theemergence of Adams Oshiomhole.

The President was in Benin few daysago to lay the foundation of a multi-million dollar investment, which wasbrought to the state by the governor,only for a PDP man that called himselfa pastor leading some thugs to theairport, throwing some innuendoes at astate governor, while some of his aideswere rough-handled. While all thesewere going on, the police looked awayand up till now, no arrest was made andwoe betides the Commissioner of Policein Edo State if he dares make any arrest,he would be retired prematurely, that isthe level of impunity we have foundourselves today, when we voted for aPresident that has no shoes. Theimpunity metamorphosed into a

reckless bloodbath that no one everenvisaged the following day on theOctober 11, 2014.

The reign of terror by the Edo StatePDP and its thugs was taken to theclimax. According to some eyewitnesses, these thugs who were morethan 100 and led by some policeofficers, stormed the legislators’quarters and shooting sporadically atanything on sight. More than 40 carswere damaged, buildings were notspared either, as they sprayed live bulletthrough the windows, doors and anyavailable areas the bullets couldpenetrate with a view to killing theirtargets. Unfortunately, they could notfind any of their targets.

The entire Ihama road, where thelegislators’ quarters were located, wasturned to a war zone. The informationgathered was that the Commissioner ofPolice was duly informed by the chiefsecurity officer of the state and even bythe Speaker of the Assembly before theattack took place. When the attackerswere within the quarters, the policecommissioner was called by theSpeaker and informed, but an order-from-above stopped the police bossfrom carrying out his constitutionalduties to save lives and stop arsons.

In all these show of madnessdescribed above, not even a word fromour President nor from any of his spinsdoctors. What type of a country arewe living in? The level of impunity goingon around the country is worrisome andunless this Federal Government puts anend to it, we should expect more tocome in the days ahead. In orderwords, Nigerians should brace uptowards 2015 elections.

Mr President, we want peace and wewant it now. The PDP should be toldthat nom one has monopoly of violenceor thuggery, but for the fact that we inEdo State want peace and we want tolive in peace without fear. However,there is a limit to human endurance. Inorder words, to be fore-warned is tobe fore-armed.

We appeal to Mr. President to callhis attacking dogs in Edo State to orderbecause our state has neverexperienced this level of thuggery beingunleashed on Edo people by the PDPand its thugs.

Permit me to end this with a soundof warning that when Edo peoplesneeze, the nation catches cold. A wordis enough for the wise.

Page 16: Osun Defender October 21st 2014, Edition

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014

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

By ADE OLUGBOTEMIIT has been proved theworld over that humanwants are insatiable,

while needs are apparentlylimited. Up till now, nobodyhas been able to disprove thefact that as one pressingdesire is met; the urge foranother is already opened up,begging for attention. Whensuch crave is life-threatening,it becomes inevitable; and thestatus is changed from that of want toneed. In Nigeria however, our needs aretoo numerous that the desire for merewants has almost fizzled out of everyrational being on the street. The rulingclass has almost removed the very thinline that separates the duo; leaving themajority in a dilemma of preference.

It may happen that people mustnurture their patience over a fairly longgestation without allowing for attendantdespondency that characterizes similarscenario. This is not going to be amisnomer, if the end product of theirendurance will be concrete benefits thatadd value to their life after the long wait.This is a luxury to most Nigeriansbecause the longer we wait, the morewe pile up more on dashed hopes andunfulfilled promises. We have almostturned natural phenomena into elementsthat can easily be manipulated. It mayalso not be long when our leaders willsucceed in turning day to night, andordinary Nigerians may have no choicethan to fall in line with them, as is usuallythe case.

We have gotten to a point now wherethings that are globally knownaberrations will be referred to as normaland something that appeals to universalrationality would be downplayed withinthe confines of our geographicalboundary. Other nations that consider itan anathema to walk against the tidesof time are always branded as foes,when the leaders are themselves theenemies of the nation. Because ourperpetual underdevelopment is a delightto those developed nations of the world,they now appear indifferent to our plight;necessitating a home-grown solutions toour multifarious problems that havereduced us to unfortunate folks.

It is now very important to seriouslyx-ray what has brought us to where weare and why. Most Nigerians now feelconcerned that deception has becomeemblematic in the art of governance.People are concerned that exemplaryleadership is not known to most of ouryouths; such that truth is comical asbeing read in novels and books of tailsthat are told. The value system that isnow known is such that defy anyappearance of rationality. The toga of athird world country that is attached tous is localized to mean that we cannotdo anything positive. We are now seenby other people of West African sub-region as giants with dwarfish mentality.

Many Nigerians are yet to come toterms with the yardsticks beingemployed to measure our own economicgrowth. Our own parameter, as definedby successive Peoples Democratic

Party (PDP) governments, is quitedegrading and dehumanizing. It is herein Nigeria that we lay claim to economicgrowth without corresponding benefitsto the citizenry. Life expectancy ratio isreducing everyday; the latest figurebeing 42 years, according the UnitedNations. Our human capitals are notmeaningfully engaged withunderemployment smearing us in theface. Ordinary Nigerians cannot feel theimpact of any economic growth becausethe so-called growth is a figment of ourleaders’ imagination.

Many people have concluded that weare in a crisis situation; and they may beright in a logical sense. The truth of thematter however, is that we are not thereyet. The effect of our systemicdislocation is still shrouded in certainhidden reality that we need to reveal toourselves. The fact that the succour ofthe cushion effect being provided by thefew meaningfully engaged persons,which is still dousing tension, is thereason behind the erroneousgeneralization that all is still well. Thosefew, who are supporting the mass ofunemployed persons (youths and adults),will soon be out of active service; andthey will also need to be supported. That

is when we will realize the actualproblem we are into.

Going to the specifics, we have topoint to certain ills that government underPresident Goodluck Jonathan hasplunged Nigerians into. Nigerians havecontinued to groan under the misrule ofPDP, but the trauma has not beenharrowing as is presently felt. Nigerianshave been so dehumanized that we areassumed not to have senses of our ownto differentiate between good and bad.It is so bad that it is assumed ingovernment circle that Nigerians canonly see what the leaders want us tosee. If something is black and they tellus it is white; it is assumed that our levelof rationality will make us agree withthem intoto.

Budgeting in Nigeria is now mereannual ritual which intent and purposehave been overshadowed by leaders’whims for greed, avarice, andmisappropriation. It is just a means toget money out of the vault, only to bespent on items that never originated fromthe codified budget estimates. Themoney is afterward either laundered inforeign banks or used to acquirepersonal properties overseas. That is

why an ordinary minister in Nigeriawould go to Berlin, Germany toacquire a property that the GermanChancellor cannot afford. Capitalflight under this regime is grosslyunprecedented.

Investments on the realeconomy would have absorbed alot of utility gap that has now been

created in our critical sector. Thehopelessness that now forms the ids’contents of our youths would have beenaverted. Crimes would have beenreduced to the barest minimum; and thegeneral social maladies that nowpermeate our national life would havebeen non-existent, if the presentadministration of President Jonathan hasbeen honest with budget implementation,which is always the factor of economicgrowth and development. Unfortunately,monitoring and evaluation under thisregime is mere window-dressingexercise that has no root in objectivity. Idon’t think Nigerians are prepared tocontinue with failure.

The South-West is now the mostmarginalized. There is no federalpresence, to say the least. The onlyproject that is ongoing i.e. Lagos-IbadanExpressway is under a concessionaryarrangement that is taking little or nothingfrom the federal treasury. All otherfederal roads are in bad shape; most ofwhich have been awarded andabandoned after the contract sums havebeen collected. That is why people(through the recently-conducted opinionpoll) have resolved that if the AllProgressives Congress (APC) can fielda credible presidential candidate, theywill have nothing to do with the rulingPDP. The only option will be to boycottthe polls, should APC field a wrongcandidate.

Electricity tariffs have gone up twiceunder President Jonathan without anyimprovement in electricity supply. Powersupply is still epileptic, and the cost ofutility remains very high; taking mostbasic products out of the reach ofordinary Nigerians. The stupendouslywealthy Nigerians can no longercontinue to dictate the pace, as if themajority are destined to rot in thequagmire of harrowing impoverishment.The time of reckoning is now beingpatiently awaited.

It is hoped that this resolve to have itright after a long period of marginalizationwill not be punctured by the power ofpecuniary inducement that has been thehallmark of successive ascension topower in this country. If it will be possiblefor Nigerians to decisively defy thepower of money, so that objectivity isallowed to play a dominant role in thechoice of leaders come February 2015,a new era of responsive governance canthen be heralded unfettered. It will alsobe possible to call to question policiesthat are not people-friendly, as it is donein many countries of the world, wherepublic opinion drives the vehicles ofgovernance.

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. Allcorrespondence to 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.

Why Nigerians May Not Re-turn Jonathan Come

2015

•JONATHAN