April 21, 2016, osun defender edition by OsunDefender

www.osundefender.org thursday, April 21, 2016

The eventful life of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is worth assessment. In looking at his input and achievements we cannot but recall the observation of the Roman poet Aeschylus that-

“Some men they think about things that have happened and they ask why? For myself, I chose to think about those things that never were, and then I ask myself, why not? “. When

a dispassionate

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Asiwaju at 64

assessment of our era is done, historians will ponder as to how Asiwaju Tinubu answered the question “why not? “. In answering that question he was certainly

When a dispassionate instrumental in rescuing a Republic in peril of disintegration Future generations will praise him for so doin. For Tinubu played

VOL. 11. NO.038 a decisive role in midwifing what is essentially our own equivalent of an “ Historic Compromise” between suspicious potential allies managing to set aside age old prejudices and suspicions..

The feat, for that is what

N100

it is, must not be underestimated. For the historic compromise achieved is exactly the tantalising formula for national cohesion sought since pre-independence It has proved d is as tr o u s l y e lusive until the astute ...continue on pg5

Dasukigate: PDP Scribe Offers To Refund N75m Looted Fund

- Pg 3

Osun Assembly Orders Govt Loan Recovery Drive - See Story On Page 2

•State of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, acknowledging cheers from the crowd after the Jumat prayer at Central Mosque, Oja-Oba, Osogbo, State of Osun, last Friday.

Oluwo Pronounces Self An Emperor

- Pg 2

Osun To Partner NIPOST On Revenue Generation

- Pg 4

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osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

Dasukigate: PDP Scribe Offers To Refund N75m Looted Fund

•Approaches Court To Evade Investigation By kehinde ayantunji The National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Wale Oladipo, has offered to the Federal Government of Nigeria to refund his own share of the looted arms procurement fund, which he collected from the former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dansuki. Oladipo also pleaded Yemi Osinbajo, in which to be excluded from the he sought to be excluded trial, adding that the from prosecution. The willingness of funds were received in error and offered to Oladipo to refund the refund the total amount money was contained of N75 Million received in the suit he filed at the Federal High Court, from Dasuki. T h e I l e - I f e P D P Abuja. The PDP National Secretary’s request was contained in a letter to the Secretary, in a supporting Vice President, Professor affidavit, said he wrote

the Vice President on his intention to refund the money he received from the Office of the NSA, without knowledge that it was a proceed of unlawful dealings, with the understanding that he would be shielded from prosecution. The suit filed by his lawyer, Babs Akinwumi, is seeking among others, to restrain the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation (AGF) and four others from arresting, detaining and prosecuting him. He also seeks to

•Risks 20-Year Jail - Lawyer

restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Department of State Services (DSS) from holding him. Oladipo, who claimed to have received an anonymous message on his telephone, inviting him for interrogation, urged the court to, among others, restrain the respondents from

•Admirers haling State of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, after Jumat prayer at Central Mosque, Oja-Oba, Osogbo last Friday.

moving against him. He alleged that the respondents were being used by agents of the ruling-All Progressives Congress (APC) to harass, intimidate and persecute him, being a key opposition figure. However, the respondents faulted Oladipo’s letter, arguing that his letter could not shield him from investigation and prosecution. “Assuming without conceding that Exhibit 1 (the letter) exists, it is our further contention that the exhibit cannot come to the aid of the applicant because a letter written to the Vice President to return N75 million cannot act as shield from investigation and possible prosecution, rather, it is suggestive of corruption, requiring investigation,” ICPC said in its objection to the suit. Other respondents faulted the suit and urged the court to dismiss it on the grounds that Oladipo was merely seeking to hide under a spurious text message, whose source he failed to establish, to prevent statutory established bodies from performing their responsibilities. “It is clear that the applicant has failed to discharge his duty of establishing nexus between the 3rd respondent and the so called witch-hunt of APC against him.

Fajuyi, A Patriot, Symbol Of National Unity - Ooni

By sola jacobs The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has described the first Military Governor of the Old Western State, the late Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, who was killed alongside the former Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi, on July 29th, 1966 during a military counter-coup, as a patriotic Nigerian and symbol of national unity. Oba Ogunwusi stated its Executive Secretary, this recently during a Mrs Desola Olajuyigbe visit by the delegation of (Fajuyi’s daughter) to his Adekunle Fajuyi Educa- palace. tion Trust Board led by

The monarch also commended both dead and living patriots of Yoruba race, who he praised in glowing terms for haven sacrificed themselves for the future and the growth of the nation. The spokesman of the delegation during the visit, Mr Patrick Doyle, said the purpose of the visit was to intimate the

frontline monarch with plans on the 50th commemoration anniversary of the former Military Governor of the Western Region, which has been slated for a date in July in Abuja and the activities of the board. He revealed that the theme of the commemoration anniversary is “Heroism and Yoruba

kingdoms. He disclosed that he would ensure that all development partners in Iwoland are given adequate cooperation in their bid to contribute to the progress of the empire, adding that no one would be discriminated against. The self-proclaimed emperor added that he is

on the verge of creating a public assistance vehicle that would allow the rich and elite in the society to contribute to the wellbeing of the commoners and enhance their living standard. According to him, in major areas of the town, there would be containers, where rich people could drop clothes and food items, from which the needy would draw their needs without having to beg for them as practiced in developed countries. He also pronounced the Vice-Chancellor of BOWEN University as the Baale of the University community, giving him the freedom to select his chiefs in due course.

Oluwo Pronounces Self An Emperor

By shina abubakar The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, has declared that he is to be addressed as the Majesty, Emperor of Iwo Empire, being the paramount ruler in the ancient city and its adjoining towns. Speaking at a public empire and his new function in the town, leadership would strive the monarch disclosed to create unity among that there are about 28 all the towns and bring other monarchs in the about development in the

Change Of Name

I, formerly known a s a j i bo y e ol u w a t o y i n elizabeth now wish to be called and addressed a s ol a d i p u p o ol u w a t o y i n elizabeth. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Change Of Name I, formerly known as adedokun a d e n i k e oluwaseun now wish to be called and addressed a s f a bo w a l e a d e n i k e ol u wa s e u n . A l l former documents remain valid. General public

Change Of Name

I, formerly known as miss adeyemo o m o w u m i racheal now wish to be called and addressed as mrs oladosu o m o w u m i racheal. All former documents remain valid. General public should

Race”, positing that there is false perception of the Yoruba as cowards, when in reality, majority of the Nigerian heroes are Yoruba. He added that the Trust intends to correct this false perception during the commemoration lecture and anniversary. Also speaking at the visit, Mrs Desola Olajuyigbe said her late father placed much premium on education and in line with his dream, the board had assisted the less-privileged to get educated and hopes to do more, if assisted by well-meaning Nigerians. The widow of the deceased, who was also in the entourage, commended the good gesture of some Yoruba leaders, especially, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for touching the lives of the immediate family members of the deceased. Ooni Ogunwusi however pledged his full support to the Trust in its quest to uphold and promote Yoruba race. He also accepted to serve as the Grand Patron of the Trust.

“The applicant, in anticipation of possible invitation by the 3rd respondent (ICPC) to answer questions with respect to the N75 million, which, he said, he received from officials of the PDP, has come to this court to twist the arms of the law and challenged the statutory powers of the 3rd respondent in carrying out its constitutional duties and ultimately escape from criminal invitation. “It is submitted that the applicant’s suit is incompetent, misleading, lacking in merit and should be dismissed. We urge the court to so hold and strike out or dismiss this suit,” ICPC said. In his response to the suit, the AGF, Abubakar Malami (SAN), argued that Oladipo only raised unsubstantiated allegation of persecution and harassment against the respondents “on account of funds he received from his party members and is thus seeking to restrain the respondents from performing their constitutional duties”. He denied taking any steps against Oladipo “in respect of money received by the applicant, either from party members or other sources”. “Even the alleged invitation by the 2nd respondent (EFCC) did not state that the applicant was invited because of funds, which he received. “The applicant, on his free volition and admission, wrote to the Vice President, wherein he offered to return to the Federal Government funds which he received. “Rather than comply with the invitation, if indeed it exists, to clear his name, the applicant, via the instant suit, resorted to engage the instrumentality of the law to stop or frustrate his investigation and possible prosecution,” the AGF said. The judge adjourned hearing to May 19 to enable ICPC file its responses. An Osun-based legal practitioner, Adekunle Ibraheem, while speaking on the matter, said the suit was an abuse of court process, saying it was an attempt to evade investigations and arrest from the anti-graft agency to answer questions. Ibraheem said: “The case is before the court and I will not like to comment on the matter, but the offense is criminal in nature and if any suspect is to be convicted in connection with the fraud, the penalty attracts 20 years imprisonment.

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osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

Osun Assembly Orders Govt Loan Recovery Drive By kazeem mohammed The State of Osun House of Assembly has directed the appropriate Ministries, Department and Agencies of government to embark on intensive loan recovery drive to ensure the repayment of loans that have been secured from the government. It gave the order when C o o p e r a t i v e s a n d the House Committee Empowerment met with on Commerce, Industry, officials of the ministry

at the Assembly Complex on Monday. The Chairman of the committee, Honourable Babatunde Olatunji, read riot act over the poor attitude of the people towards the repayment of the loan they secured from the government.

According to him, due to the failure of the defaulting beneficiaries to repay the loans, it has prevented others who were entitled to also benefit from the schemes. He gave the ministry six months ultimatum to ensure the recovery of

the loans. He said, the government needed the money stuck outside to come in, with a view to further using it for the development of the state and empowerment of more people. Responding, the Coordinating Director of

•President Muhammadu Buhari (3rd left) in a group photograph with some Chinese government officials during his visit to China, rcently.

Fuel Scarcity: Commuters Groan Over Hike In Fare By ojo oluwasegun

Commuters in the State of Osun have continued to groan, as motorists n o w c h a r g e between N60 and double of the old N80 for a route fares in the state where they used f o l l o w i n g t h e to charge between fuel scarcity. N30 and N40 S o m e o f t h e before the current c o m m u t e r s , fuel situation. mostly within He said, once in O s o g b o a while, he had metropolis, who t o t r e k a l o n g spoke with OSUN distance before D E F E N D E R , boarding the city s a i d t h e n e w bus, with a view charges of fares to reducing the were becoming fare. unbearable. Also, Mr Wale This, they said, I s o l a , a n o t h e r have forced some commuter, said of the residents of h i s j o u r n e y t o the state capital Ibadan, Oyo State and other major used to cost N300, t o w n s i n t h e but it has now s t a t e t o r e s o r t being increased to trekking, just t o b e t w e e n b e c a u s e t h e y N500 and N600, could not bear the depending on the burden of the new motorist, saying charges. the situation M r I s m a i l has increased A d e g b o y e g a hardship on the d e s c r i b e d t h e people of the state. situation as F i n d i n g s u n b e a r a b l e , however, showed saying, city mini- that the fares from buses, popularly Osogbo to Ilec a l l e d K o r o p e Ife, Ire, Iwo, Ede, n o w c h a r g e Ilobu, Ikirun and

the increase in fare to the scarcity of fuel across the country, saying, “It is a serious problem to get fuel”.

He said, where the fuel is available, it was being sold for between N200 and N250 per litre, as against

By sola jacobs As world marked Down-syndrome Day recently, parents with down-syndrome wards have been urged to enrol them in schools, as they can be useful in the society, if properly catered for. A parent with a down- syndrome child and a teacher at School of dress up themselves and Children with Disability, correct them when they Mrs Abibat Adesiyan, make mistakes, rather narrated this during an than not allowing them interactive session with to do such simple tasks. “Still speaking about OSUN DEFENDER. She said, children with their traits, they are down- syndrome could outgoing personalities live a normal life like any a n d t h e y l o v e t o other children, except socialize. Parents with that they learn slowly such children should and they have difficulty endeavour to allow them in identifying letters and to socialise with other kids under parental figures. She stated further supervision”. She then advised that that showing them love, acceptance and if children with downperseverance in teaching syndrome disease are them, make learning educated and trained in vocation, they easier for them. Mrs Adesiyan added could contribute in no t h a t p a r e n t s c o u l d small measure to the engage them in simple d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e domestic chores such as society. A cleric and teacher, sweeping and cleaning Sister Jovita Obiakor, in of the house, as well as encourage them to her own contribution,

carpeted the society for not taking the education of the physicallychallenged children seriously. She agreed that parents with physicallychallenged children pay more to get them educated, which only could be afforded by few Nigerians. Sister Obiakor therefore, called on the government to invest more on the education of people living with disabilities. As educationist, she advised that children with down-syndrome could speak if they are raised with normal children, but in most physically-challenged schools in the state, they communicate with them in signs and language code, which affects them adversely. She added that if enrolled in hospitals for speech therapy,

some other towns in the state have increased by over 100 per cent. A mini-bus driver, Mr Adeleke Jegede, attributed

the ministry, Reverend Abimbola Osho, said there were series of loans given out during the administration of Chief Bisi Akande, 1999 to 2003; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, 2003 to 2010 and the present Rauf Aregbesola’s administration, saying the largest percentage of these loan were not repaid. He noted that textile dealers, farmers, transporters and traders among others were empowered, but a large number of them have been defaulting, bemoaning the attitude of the people towards the repayment of the loan. Osho noted that some have repaid up to 60 or 70 per cent, some have repaid to about 30 per cent, while some have decided not to repay back at all. “The intentions of the government were very excellent, but the attitudes of our people have been that of an ingrate. “The defaulting beneficiaries have shown that they are ingrates in the sense that they obtained loan and they don’t want to repay for other people to benefit. “We have given ourselves a six-month period of intensive loan recovery drive. Though, we have financial challenges, but we are overcoming it to do the work with all it required. “With little or nothing that we have, we are moving all out, because government needs this money to come in, for it to be able to meet its obligations,” he stressed.

Parents Make Case For Down-Syndrone Children

they could speak and communicate well. She therefore, called on the government and the society at large to defend the rights of the physically-challenged, as they can contribute to the development of our nation if their potentials are effectively nurtured and harnessed. Down-syndrome Day is often observed on March 21st of every year to celebrate people living with down-syndrome trait which is often caused by incomplete chromosome in the formation of individuals with such genetic defect.

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osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

Osun To Partner NIPOST On Revenue Generation

Earlier, the Area its drive towards an A d e n i y i a l s o and services. By kehinde ayantunji i m p r o v e d I n t e r n a l l y Manager of Nigeria Postal commended the people “It is our collective In his bid to rejuvenate the state’s economy, Service, Mrs. Adedoyin of the state for their belief that despite the Generated Revenue. the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf He therefore, charged Adeniyi, who expressed continuous patronage n e w t e c h n o l o g y o f Aregbesola, has declared his readiness to partner the Ministry of Lands, profound gratitude to which, she said, had communication that has with the Nigeria Postal Service, (NIPOST) to Physical Planning and the state government encouraged the potentials taken up everywhere increase the state revenue base. on its prompt support of the organization today, the Nigeria A r e g b e s o l a a l s o o f b a s i c t h i n g s t h a t Urban Development to and collaboration in provide land capable of He said: “We salute Postal Service in Osun commended the officials would fast-track smooth spite of the state’s lean your enormous work is doing very well, as housing a Post Office in o f t h e N I P O S T f o r operation, as we believe r e s o u r c e s , p r o m i s e d in this state and for us, being manifested in our enhancing their services that your organization the state secretariat as continued quality service this has enhanced the outward output”. being requested by the with the application of would aid the state in delivery in the state. officials of NIPOST. patronage of our products modern technological facilities. Aregbesola gave the hint while playing host to the management team of the Federal Governmentowned organisation in the state, who paid on a courtesy visit to his office, at Government Secretariat, Abere. He lauded NIPOST for its forthrightness, doggedness and u n w a v e r i n g commitment in the face of mobile technological advancement, saying the thriving of NIPOST has encouraged global competition and rivalry in information dissemination. Aregbesola, who noted that the post office used to be the central meeting point of people in the past, expressed delight that despite the global trends of information a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n •Mr. Kehinde Popoola, A newspaper agent (2nd left) during his installation as an elder at Glorious Apostolic Church, Isale-Osun, Osogbo, by technology, NIPOST Pastor Zachariah Adeniyi, recently. was able to maintain its standard. According to him, the NIPOST advancement in area, some residents, who are mainly unemployed By our reporter the place. modern technology has youths, hence they keep In its investigation on preferred anonymity, enrolling more youths Residents of Tinumola Estate in Osogbo have really placed the agency said unless the state govatop, which, according called for the demolition of shanty shops located the incident that occurred ernment calls on Ibikunle into their fold in the area. Some shop owners to him, has improved the on a parcel of land situated close to a private school, on Sunday, OSUN DE- and other families conFENDER learnt that a services rendered to the which has been serving as a drug joint where a cult- member of a rival cult cerned to rid their land of around the area who also ists’ clash resulted to the death of an unidentified spoke with the medium public. group, who was said to shanty shops in the area, confided that they reguyouth on Sunday. sanitize the community curbing the incessant cult Aregbesola, who have been an ex-convict, In a chat with OSUN larly give leaders of cult promised to partner DEFENDER, some of through demolition of came on a revenge mis- clashes in the area will be groups money periodishanties and incessant a mirage. with the agency, said his the estate residents, who sion on another factional cally to prevent breaking They stated further of their shops. government has resolved berated the incident, said raids of the black spot, leader over the issue that that politicians in the area On the effort of the to improve the revenue that it was high time for with a view to discour- led him to prison. aging cultists and drug Proffering solution to did not help matters, as security agents to curb base of the state through appropriate authorities addicts’ convergence at criminal activities in the they funded cultists who criminal activities in genuine partnership and to take steps that will the area, residesaid that collaboration. some security personnel, “I commend the who residents in the area management and staff left me in the hospital. I are also members of the of the Nigeria Postal knew his plan was that I group, therefore, it is Service for improving difficult for men of the By ismaeel uthman and constantly curses should die in the hospital Nigeria Police only to on their products and but God saved me. An Osogbo Customary Court has dissolved them. Please, save me tackle the menace. services in the face of “He didn’t even It was also recomthe new communication the marriage between a commercial bus driver, from her and dissolve bother to check me at mended that some undetechnology that has taken Rafiu Bakare and his wife, Kehinde, following the our marriage.” I n h e r d e f e n c e , the hospital and I was veloped parcels of land over almost all forms of divorce application filed by the former. the back of the shanty Kehinde admitted all seriously sick. But for at communication. accused her of lack of B a k a r e h a d shops should be combed my sister that took care “Though, the post approached the court respect and constant the accusations levelled by security officials, so as office in those days used seeking for divorce as he pressure. a g a i n s t h e r b y h e r of me, I would have died. to rid the area of crimito be a rallying point for accused his wife of have Speaking in the court husband, saying that he I just got home from the nals. hospital three days ago many people across the threatened to turn him on Wednesday, Bakare pushed her to the wall. Since the incident hapcountry, until the advent into an imbecile through said: ”I had to leave the A c c o r d i n g t o h e r , and it was his divorce pened on Sunday, the of modern technology fetish means. house for her when she Bakare asked her to letter that brought me groups had since withdrawn to their cells, meetthat has eroded the He told the court that he threatened to turn me go for abortion after here”. Kehinde however, ing in the house of indic o m m u n i c a t i o n could not take the threat into an imbecile. After impregnating her but parlance, but regardless lightly hence, he resorted sleeping in mosque for d u m p e d h e r a t t h e a g r e e d w i t h t h e viduals to evade arrest. of this, NIPOST has to sleeping in the mosque some days, now I sleep hospital, where they had d i s s o l u t i o n o f t h e i r Change Of Name continued to strive and and sometimes in his in my brother’s shop, gone to terminate the marriage. Consequently, continuously made itself brother’s shop, ever since even when I have my pregnancy. I, formerly known as relevant in matching his wife threatened to own house. But, she still She said: “It is true the President of the ajibola abiodun modern communication deal with him by turning disturbs me there. I threatened him and Court, Chief Popoola morenikeji now technology. “She even promised cursed his parents but Bolarinwa, dissolved the him into a moron. wish to be called and “For this impressive Bakare added that to damage my bus the he was the cause of nine-year-old union with addressed as adejare s t r i d e , t h e p r e s e n t there was never a time last time she confronted everything. Recently, immediate effect. nasimot. All former a d m i n i s t r a t i o n w i l l he enjoyed peace in his m e . A p a r t f r o m a l l he asked me to abort documents remain valid. continue to look for matrimonial home, ever the problems she is a p r e g n a n c y w h i c h means to support NIPOST since he got married giving me, she also almost took my life but General public should through the provision to Kehinde, just as he disrespects my parents he neglected me and take note.

Aftermath Cultists’ Clash: Estate Residents Call For Shanties Demolition

Commercial Bus Driver Divorces Wife Who Threatens To Turn Him To Imbecile

Asiwaju at 64

continued from pg1

intervention of a man of great political sagacity in the Asiwaju. Had the same much needed comprise been obtained much earlier the story of our country would have been different and better. This is because Nigeria unlike countries such as India, Ghana and the Republic of South Africa never had a natural “party of independence”. In the absence of one, a vehicle had to be built to achieve a new national governing majority. For his examplary persistence in helping to create this new national majority we give the Asiwaju great Kudos.

For the alternative could have imploded the Republic. The continuation of the ancient regime under the PDP would certainly have bankrupted the nation, for what we are hearing from Dasuki and other ‘Gates’ constitute only the tip of a sordid iceberg. What is clearly more dangerous is that the ‘reelection’ of Jonathan, given the fragile nature of our nascent democracy would probably have triggered of a Nasser type ‘free (junior) offices coup’. Before this Asiwaju had put in a stellar performance as the governor of Lagos State. Here he put in a stellar performance by weaning the state of dependence on

an overbearing and suffocating federal government. This was done at a time when the then federal government had virtually declared war on the state. By building up the internal resources of the state he resilience to withstand the federal onslaught. This template is now being modified in other states as the only means of survival particularly in this difficult economic downturn. Once again Kudos to the innovative managerial sagacity of Asiwaju Tinubu.

people were reading the story of attacks against some dignitaries during the Sallah prayers in another state, it was serious prayers and praises for Ogbeni Aregbesola

in Osun. The shout of Omoluabi and Oranmiyan rented the air, as Aregbesola drove round the state capital. Many women, artisans, commercial motorcycle riders, youths and gaily-

dressed holiday makers showered praises and prayers on Ogbeni. The genuine wish of the people is that Ogbeni will succeed and complete all his ongoing projects.

rian political landscape has been a big blessing not only Nigeria as a nation but to the entire black continent as his tentacles have also spread to a few African countries where he has made some remarkable political impact also.

There are of course still many more miles to go and through all of the twists and turns the cerebral input of this great man will always be needed. We therefore thank him for times past and the good work done as we wish In view of Asiwaju’s positive him many more fulfilling contribution to our political development so far, it’s instructive to mention it before we conclude this piece that his appearance on the Nige-

Osun Just Loves Aregbesola ove him or hate him, Governor Rauf Aregbesola remains simply popular here in Osun! Come and see Osun people during the recentlycelebrated Sallah festival! No doubt, it’s trying times, yet Aregbesola is loved. Despite desperate disparaging disinformation and outright defamation continually disseminated by despicable Osun PDPigs and their sympathisers, Osun people remain solidly with Aregbesola. While Osun

osun Defender Thursday, April 21,

projects, passion and piety bound him with the real Osun people. How truthful and nice will it be if The Punch and Tribune headlines will capture the real feelings of Osun who massed out to show love for Ogbeni and not just only the view of haters. May the prayers for Ogbeni by young and old for successful completion of projects be fulfilled.

While some media houses such as The Punch (a beloved paper) and Tribune newspapers with many online publications rain •BOLA ILORI, a b u s e s o n t h e Osogbo, State of g o v e r n o r d a i l y, Osun. yet Aregbesola’s

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osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

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osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

A Farewell To Election Peti tions A Farewell To Election Petitions The decision of the Supreme Court on the Rivers State governorship tussle will for a long time confound many. In this summary of a review of the judgment, PROF ITSE SAGAY concludes that it amounts to bidding farewell to election petitions. In this summary, I make comment on the important issues raised by the Supreme Court in that case. 1.

On Card Reader he S u p r e m e C o u r t , i n rejecting the use of the Card Reader adopted its earlier views on the matter in Okereke v. Umahi S.C. 1004/2015, that the use of the Card Reader would ‘dethrone’ and ‘depose’ the Voters’ Register “whose judicial roots are firmly embedded or entrenched in the self same Electoral Act from which it (Voters’ Register) directly derives its sustenance and currency” – per Nweze, JSC. The question may be asked, how does the Card Reader ‘depose’, or ‘dethrone’ the voter’s Register. After verification by the Card Reader, the voter’s name still has to be identified in the voters’ Register and ticked before he can vote. It must be noted that both the Tribunal and Court of Appeal emphasized that, the Card Reader was intended to and did strengthen the application and efficacy of the Electoral Act, by ensuring a credible election for the benefit of Nigerians. The Election Tribunal stated expressly that “the usage of the Card Reader was complimentary to the usage of the voters’ register. In other words, the two work hand in hand towards ensuring credible elections. The voters’ Registers properly come to play where a prospective voter has been screened by the Card Reader. The sum total of the role of the Card Reader is that it is complimentary to the usage of the Voters’ Register.” So where in all this did Nweze, JSC, discover the ‘deposition’, and ‘dethronement’, of the Voters’ Register by the Card Reader? Absolutely nowhere. What Nweze, JSC, had simply done was to give the Card Reader a bad name in order to subject it to judicial execution. Has the Card Reader eliminated the voters’ Register? No! Has it brought integrity and transparency to the voters’ Register and the whole electoral process? Yes! All the Card Reader does is to act as a gate man for the voters’ Register. There was no dethronement and deposition here. There was only a step forward towards free, fair and credible elections – a procedure for sanitizing our elections and for eliminating fraud, dishonesty and rigging from our electoral process. Should any Supreme Court anywhere in the world resist and reject such a beneficial development in the electoral process? No! The law as stated in Section 49 has not in any way been altered by the Card Reader. After being accredited through the Card Reader the voter still has to have his name checked in the Voters’ Register, and to have it ticked before voting. Without the process of identification and recording by the Card Reader, the old system of free ticking of all names in the Voters’ Register followed by thumb imprinting in thousands to match the number ticked will continue and

Judicial Division put it brilliantly in this passage from the judgment of Dongban-Mensen, JCS, inOgboru v. Uduaghan [2011] 2 NWLR (Pt. 1232) 538. “In Imana v. Robinson (supra), Aniagolu JSC delivering the unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court, approvingly adopted the exposition in Phipson on Evidence (supra) as the Nigerian law on the subject: “The burden of proof, in this sense, rests upon the party, whether plaintiff or defendant, who substantially asserts the affirmative of the issue. It is an ancient rule founded on consideration of good sense, and it should not be departed from without strong reasons’. It is fixed at the beginning of the trial by the state of the pleadings, and it is settled as a question of law, remaining unchanged throughout the trial exactly where the pleadings place it, and never shifting in any circumstances whatever. If, when all the evidence, by whosoever introduced, it is in, the party who has this burden has not discharged it, the decision must be against him. e have no reason whatsoever for departing from this eloquent exposition of the law. In our view, that is a correct restatement of the consistent posture of the Supreme Court on this question, see, Elemo&Ors v. Omolade&Ors (1968) NMLR 359; Atane v. Amu (1974) 10 SC 237; Fashanu v. Adekoya (1974) 6 SC 83; Kate Enterprises Ltd. V. Daewoo Nig. Ltd. (1985) 2 NWLR (Pt. 5) 116, etc. There is no gainsaying in the fact that we are bound by these illuminating decisions of the apex court. Hence, we are under obligation to ignore any other decision, including decisions of this Court, which, to employ the apt expression of the Supreme Court, fail “to distinguish [between] the two distinct and frequently confused meanings which have always been attached to the words ‘burden of proof’”, see, Elemo & Ors v. Omolade & Ors (supra) at 361. Unarguably, any contrary decision of any other court on these two distinct meanings of the expression “burden of proof” could be, justifiably, classified as a decision reached per incuriam. It is from this perspective, therefore, that we are endorsing the submissions of the counsel for the appellants. We, entirely agree with him that having regard to the above negative averments which the appellants made in their pleadings that no elections known to law were conducted on April 14, 2007, the respondents, who positively asserted that elections were duly conducted, had the burden of proof on the pleadings to plead the constitutive activities that define an election, namely, accreditations, Ajadi v. Ajibola (2004) 1 LRECN 255, 355 – 356 ETC. In this regard, they had the burden to plead Form EC25, a form which shows that result sheets were issued; Form EC40C, a form which

W •wike •contined from page 6

•Entrance of the Supreme Court, Abuja.

our elections will simply be fraud writ large. o all this talk of superseding and dethroning, has no bearing whatsoever on Section 49 of the Electoral Act 2010. There is no provision of the Electoral Act banning or prohibiting the use of Card Readers. It is wrong of any one to assert that the use of Card Readers is electronic voting. It shows that such a person cannot distinguish between accreditation and voting. Section 15 of the Electoral Act clearly empowers the INEC to issue Regulations, guidelines and manuals for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of the Act and its Administration thereof. Introduction of Card Readers is doing exactly that. By law, the guidelines thus issued are as potent as the permitting law, i.e., the Electoral Act itself. Ultimately, on the Card Reader issue, the only valid questions a Court of Justice ought to raise are as follows: (i) Was the voters’ Register instituted in the Electoral Act to promote and ensure free, fair and credible elections? (ii) If this is so (and it necessarily must have been so) did the introduction of the Card Reader enhance the capacity of the Voters’ Register to produce clean, fair and credible elections? (iii) As all the Courts, even the Supreme Court,have admitted, the Card Reader has sanitized and brought transparency and integrity to the election accreditation process. The sum total of the usage of the

Card Reader therefore is that it is complimentary to the work of the Voters’ register. “The two work hand in hand to ensure a credible election” – (The Tribunal) It follows that if all the Card Reader does is to enhance, improve and promote the capacity of the Voters’ Register to ensure or guarantee, free, fair, credible and transparent elections, the Card Reader could NOT in any sense have ‘deposed’, ‘dethroned’ the Voters’ Register as Nweze, JSC, wrongly asserted in Okereke v. Umahi. Helping and enhancing the Voters’ Register’s capacity and efficiency cannot be classified as ‘dethroning’ or ‘deposing’ it. It is still there as the ultimate source after the clean up of the process by the Card Reader. The Voters’ Register could only be regarded as having been dethroned and deposed if its purpose in the Electoral Act was to promote fraud, rigging and massive irregularities. In other words, it is only when its role and purpose is in conflict with that of the Card Reader, that it can be said to have been dethroned and deposed by the Card Reader, because the two would then be working at cross-purposes with each other. But in the circumstances of this case, they were working together towards a common positive objective. It is really incredible that the Supreme Court threw in the towel to the existing and debilitating culture of election fraud, violence and rigging, when the Law and Justice were pointing in the opposite direction.

part from all the above, the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2015 specifically empowers the INEC to introduce innovations like Card Readers to promote the credibility and sanctity of an election. By Section 52 of the Act, “voting at an election shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission.” This gives INEC separate and extra powers to introduce processes into the election process in order to enhance its accuracy, transparency and credibility. 2. Substantial Non-compliance The Supreme Court also asserts wrongly that in order for an election to be nullified, the Petitioner has to establish that not only (i) was there a substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, but additionally (ii) the Petitioner must show that the substantial non-compliance affected the result of the election. This is wrong. By Section 139(1) of the Electoral Act, 2010, “An election shall not be liable to be invalidated by reason of non-compliance with this Act if it appears to the Electoral Tribunal or Court that the election (i) was conducted substantially in accordance with the principles of this Act and (ii) that the non-compliance did not affect substantially the result of the election: It is clear that the provision on

•Contined on page 7

substantial compliance in section 146 of the Electoral Act, 2006, is conjunctive in nature. For an election not to be invalidated, (i) it must comply substantially with the provisions of the Act and (ii) noncompliance, (whether substantial or insubstantial) must not affect substantially, the result of the elections. n other words, any election has to clear two hurdles in order to be valid; (i) it must comply substantially with the provisions of the Act; (ii) where there was any non-compliance, no matter how insignificant, it must not have substantial effect on the result. Therefore a petitioner will succeed if he can establish either of the following: (a) Substantial non-compliance with the Act, only or (b) substantial effect on the result by any degree of non-compliance, no matter how trivial. I repeat, the petitioner need only establish one of these two situations in order for the election to be invalid, namely 1. Substantial non compliance with the electoral Act including the schedules and regulations. or 2. Substantial effect on the election result of any infraction of the Electoral Act, schedules, regulations etc no matter how trivial the infraction. Therefore, Kekere-Ekun, JSC, was absolutely wrong when she stated at page 67 of her judgment that in addition to establishing substantial non-compliance, the Petitioners were also obliged to also establish

•peterside

that the non-compliance also affected the result of the election. This is an error that some Justices of the Supreme Court have been repeating again and again inspite of corrections that have been offered several times. The authority on this issue is Morgan v. Simpson [1974] 3 All ER 722. This is what Lord Denning said in Morgan v. Simpson: “(1) If the election was conducted so badly that it was not substantially in accordance with the law as to elections, the election is vitiated, irrespective of whether the result was affected, or not. That is shown by the Hackney case1, where two out of 19 polling stations were closed all day, and 5,000 out of 41,000 voters were unable to vote. hus once there is substantial non-compliance, the election is invalid CaditQuaestio! There is NEVER any further enquiry whether or not the non-compliance affected the result of the election. It is only when the non-compliance is not substantial, that its impact on the election is considered. 3. Polling Unit to Polling Unit Thirdly, the Supreme Court wrongly asserts that to establish non-compliance, the Petitioner has to provide evidence from polling unit to polling unit throughout the State. Again this is incorrect. In Hackney Case, Gill v. Reed and Holmes (1874) 2 O’M & H 77, 31 Lt 69, a leading English case, it was shown that only two out of 19 polling stations (units) were closed on election day and 5,000 out of 19,000 were unable to vote. The election was invalidated for

substantial non-compliance with the relevant election law. an an election that was marked by killing, extensive blood shed, intimidation, mayhem and chaos require a meticulous examination of polling unit after polling unit, to establish non-compliance? No. The elections were canceled by outright violence involving, killings, election materials seizure and intimidation of voters as was overwhelming established at the tribunal. Where there was effectively no election, it is futile going from polling unit to polling unit, looking for what never existed in the first place. In Buhari v. Obasanjo [2005] 2 NWLR (Pt. 910) 241 at pp. 520 – 522) Nsofor, JCA, nullified the whole presidential election based on events In 7 States out of 36 States. Clearly a petitioner does not need to establish substantial noncompliance in all aspects of the election or in all places in which election was held. It is not the individual (polling unit by polling unit) that matters. It is the impact of the totality of allegations, the trend they establish and the totality of the perception they create. 4. Presumption of Validity The Supreme Court also stated that there is a presumption of validity in favourof INEC declared results and the Onus is on the petitioner to prove that the declared outcome is wrong. This is not always the case. Where the Petitioner’s case is that there was no election, the onus is on the Respondent who asserts the positive, i.e., that there was an election. The Court of Appeal, Benin

•Contined on page 11

phototalk

osun Defender Thursday, April 21,

A-Day Summit On ‘Innovative Approach To Construction/Renovation/Rehabilitation Of Public School Buildings,’ Organised By State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), At Local Government Service Commission, Osogbo, Recently. Photo: GBENGA

•State of Osun governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left); his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (left); Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (2nd right) and Permanent Secretary SUBEB,, Alhaji Fatai Kolawole.

phototalk

osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

Nigeria Postal Service, Osun Territory Area Manager, Mrs Adeniyi Adedoyin, Paid A Courtesy Visit To State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, In His Office Recently. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•Governor RaufAregbesola (2nd right); his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left); Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (right); NIPOST Area Manager, Mrs Adeniyi Adedoyin (left), during the visit.

•(L-R) Senior Manager, Operation, Osun NIPOST, Mr Orofin Adeniyi; Principal Manager, Finance, Mrs Agbelekale Mujidat and Marketing Manager, Mrs Adeyemo Bosede.

Dinner Party In Honour Of Former Osun Commissioner For Regional Integration And Special Duties, Dr Ajibola Bashiru Ph.D (Property Law), University Of Lagos, At Aurora Events Centre, Osogbo, Recently.

•A cross section of dignitaries at the programme.

•(L-R) Commissioner One at SUBEB, Alhaji Kamardeen Adekunle and Barrister Femi Faturoti at the event.

•A cross section of government officials at the event.

•State of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left) in a handshake with Dr Ajibola Basiru during the programme.

•Dr Bashiru (3rd left) in a group photograph with his relations.

health

law

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10 Health Benefits Of Mangos A Farewell To Election Petitions osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

angos taste so good that people forget they are also healthy! Discover how the “king of fruits” can help you, plus why monkeys eat mango seeds and a few mango cautions and concerns. Health Benefits 1. Prevents Cancer: Research has shown antioxidant compounds in mango fruit have been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. These compounds include quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat, as well as the abundant enzymes. 2. Lowers Cholesterol: The high levels of fiber, pectin and vitamin C help to lower serum cholesterol levels, specifically LowDensity Lipoprotein (the bad stuff). 3. Clears the Skin: Can be used both internally and externally for the skin. Mangos help clear clogged pores and eliminate pimples. 4. Improves Eye Health: One cup of sliced mangoes supplies 25 percent of the needed daily value of vitamin A, which promotes good eyesight and prevents night blindness and dry eyes. 5. Alkalizes the Whole Body: The tartaric acid, malic acid, and a trace of citric acid found in the fruit help to maintain the alkali reserve of the body. 6. May Help with Diabetes: Mango leaves help normalize insulin levels in the blood. The traditional home remedy involves boiling leaves in water, soaking through the night and then consuming the filtered decoction in the morning. Mango fruit also has a relatively low glycemic index (41-60) so moderate quantities will not spike your sugar levels. 7. Promotes Healthy Sex: Mangos are a great source of vitamin E. Even though the popular connection between sex drive and vitamin E was originally created by a mistaken generalization on rat studies, further research has shown balanced proper amounts (from whole foods) does help. 8. Improves Digestion: Papayas are not the only fruit that contain enzymes for breaking down protein. There are several fruits, including mangoes, which have this healthful quality. The fiber in mangos also helps digestion and elimination. 9. Helps Fight Heat Stroke: Juicing the fruit from green mango and mixing with water and a sweetener helps to cool down the body and prevent harm from overheating. From an ayurvedic viewpoint, the reason people often get diuretic and exhausted when visiting equatorial climates is because the strong “sun energy” is burning up your body, particularly the muscles. The kidneys then

•sagay •contined from page 7

become overloaded with the toxins from this process. 10. Boosts the Immune System: he generous amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A in mangos, plus 25 different kinds of carotenoids keep your immune system healthy and strong. Nutrition by the Numbers One cup (225 grams contain) contains the following. Percentages apply to daily value. · 105 calories · 76 percent vitamin C (antioxidant and immune booster) · 2 5 p e r c e n t v i t a m i n A (antioxidant and vision) · 11 percent vitamin B6 plus other B vitamins (hormone production in brain and heart disease prevention) · 9 percent healthy probiotic fiber · 9 percent copper (copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes plus production of red blood cells) · 7 percent potassium (to balance out our high sodium intake) · 4 percent magnesium How to Prepare a Raw Mango For Fancy and Practical Eating

1. Hold the mango on its side and cut down on either side of the central seed. You will end with two big “halves” plus the central seed. 2. Place each half on the cutting board with peel facing down and cut the exposed flesh in a horizontal and vertical pattern, taking care not to cut too deep through the skin. 3. Then invert the whole half to push out the cubes as shown in the photo above. Mangos for the Skin: Externally: Just blending up the mango and applying to the face is fast and easy. Mangos contain beta-carotene, which is converted by your body to vitamin A. That and vitamin C are crucial to skin self-repair. This Mango Mud Mask has all the benefits of mango plus the exfoliating benefits of oatmeal and almonds. Internally: When eaten, mangos can aid in reducing skin problems, including pimples. Extract the large pit or seed from green mangos. You can eat this seed raw or cooked, or try a recipe like this Cucumber-Mint-Mango Lightness. Do Monkeys Know Something

We Don’t? onkeys eat the seed from the green mango, which Ayurvedic healers suggest gives the monkey its energy and powerful strength to jump in the tress. Cautions: 1. If you have a latex allergy, a reaction is possible with mangos, particularly green mangos. This reaction develops because of anacardic acid. 2. Mango peel and sap contain urushiol, the chemical in poison ivy and poison sumac which can cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. Mangos are ripened by some dealers using calcium carbide, which can cause serious health problems (one more reason to buy organic). If you do have inorganic mangos, wash them properly before consuming or soak overnight in water.

shows that the said result sheets were distributed before the results in EC8A were recorded; Amgbare v. Slyva (supra) 60-63; voters’ register, Nweke v. Ejims (1999) 2 LRECN 84, 99; Nwakanma v. Abaribe (2010) All FWLR (Pt. 505) 1767, 1880; Form EC8A which is the primary evidence of votes cast in the election; the foundation or base on which the pyramid of the election process is built” Clearly since the case of Peterside and the APC was that due to the violence, carnage and war conditions on 11th and 12th April 2015, there were no governorship elections known to law, the onus fell on Wike and the PDP to establish that there were valid elections on those dates. Not only did the Supreme Court overlook the law in this regard, but Kekere-Ekun, JSC, went so far as to say that even if Wike and the PDP had confessed that there had been no election, it would have made no difference. This is simply unbelievable. 5. Proof Beyond Reasonable Doubt The insistence that in a civil case, which is what an election petition is, the petitioner must prove his case beyond reasonable doubt if the commission of a crime is involved, is wrong. If the killer, or maimer or character engaged in violence during an election is actually on trial, then proof of his offence, which may send him to prison,must be beyond reasonable doubt. 6. S o m e M a t t e r s o f Significance It is of great significance that the elections into 23 Seats out of 31 in the Rivers State House of Assembly were nullified by both the Legislative Houses Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. Those nullified

•mahmud

“elections” were conducted in the same polling units, by the same INEC Officials on the same day (11th April 2015) and at the same time as the Governorship election. hey were all voided for reasons of violence, mayhem, killings, chaos, ballot snatching, intimidation, gross violations of the Electoral Law, Massive irregularities, etc. They ‘Voters’, polling units, Election Officials and all other factors and personnel were exactly the same as those that applied to the governorship election. Yet going by the implications of the Supreme Court decision, the election was perfect with regard to balloting in the governor’s case, but massively irregular when it came to the House of Assembly balloting – same polling unit, same voters, same INEC Officials, same date, same time! Only the Supreme Court was able to salvage a valid governorship election from the ruins surrounding all the other elections at the same polling units, at the same time, at the same date, by the same people involved in the House of Assembly elections. It is also significant that all the elections to the Senate (3 Seats) and all of the House of Representative (6 seats) from Rivers State, this time held on 28 March, 2015 were nullified for the same reasons as the House of Assembly elections were nullified by the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. And so we have the following situation: elections to 23 House of Assembly seats were nullified by Legislative Houses Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. All elections to the Senate and House of Representatives were nullified by the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. The governorship election was nullified by the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. n the midst of all this, the Supreme Court snatched the

osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

of Rivers PDP and the Federal Government were in total control, and the PDP simply wrote out any result it wanted and the heavily compromised and partisan Rivers State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner rubber stamped any result she was given by the PDP. What an election? What a war victory? The Wike v. Peterside Supreme Court decision constituted the most devastating judicial blow on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Free, Fair and Credible Elections this country has ever seen. Not only have incredibly high and insurmountable barriers against election petitions been erected by that decision, it also gives an indomitable rock like status to anyone, who by blood, mayhem, violence, massive irregularities, fights his way on to the governorship seat; indeed, any electoral office. He is assured of unshakeable, solid tenure for 4 years. The full implication of the Supreme Court’s decision in Wike v. Peterside is: “when you prepare for Elections, prepare for War”. This judgment constitutes, “A Farewell to Election Petitions”. Reflecting on another oddity, g o v e r n o r s h i p e l e c t i o n f r o m all Supreme Court decisions on the devastation and massive governorship elections, were irregularities upheld on all other unanimous: 7/7. This is very elections held at the same time, on unusual in an institution made up the same day, at the same venues, of top jurists and intellectuals. In 1979, in the Awolowo v.Shagari by the same officials. How could the governorship election smell like case, the vote was 5/2. Eso, fresh roses, whilst all other elections JSC, dissented openly. Obaseki conducted together with it, smell agreed that Shagari had not won like sewage and refuse? This is a 122/3 States, but had performed puzzle that will never be resolved. substantially in accordance with the In addition to the above, when re- relevant law. In 2007, in Atiku v. run elections were to be held to fill Yar’Adua and Buhari v. Yar’Adua, the Senate, House of Representatives the Supreme Court split, 4/3 with and House of Assembly seats in Mariam Mukhtar, Oguntade and Rivers State on 19 March, 2016, the Onoghen, JJSC, dissenting. What really happened this time? Federal Government flooded the (Footnotes) State with Soldiers, well-armed 1 Hackney Case, Gill v. Reed Policemen and DSS operatives. The & Holmes Police alone constituted 6000 men. (1874) 2 O This was intended to discourage and ’ M & H 77, 31 LT, 69. deter the private armies of Rivers State from frustrating the holding of the elections. What happened? Days before the election and in total disregard of the Federal Armed Forces brought in to enforce peace and establish stability, the Rivers State private army emerged again, commenced killing, not only innocent civilians, but even army and police officers brought in to enforce peace. They not only neutralized the Federal armed forces, but caused so much violence, mayhem and disorder and instability that the elections were cancelled in a large number of Constituencies and the INEC has refused to go back to Rivers State to conduct fresh elections until peace and stability can be guaranteed. f Wike and the Rivers State PDP could plunge the State into so much violence in the presence of such a large Federal Armed Force, it does not take much to imagine the State of affairs in the State for the APC on 11th April 2015, when the Rivers Private Armies had the backing of the Federal Forces at that time. The combined Forces •Culled from The Nation

opinion

Should More States Be Created?

he Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, recently constituted a twelveman 50th Anniversary Committee for the celebration of the creation of Lagos State on the 27 th May, 2017. This Committee has as its Chairman, the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, and my Egbon, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, former Minister for National Planning, as the Co-Chairman. Other members of the Committee are: Honourable Habeeb Fasinro, Chief Olawale Cole, Mrs. Sarah Boulos, Mrs. Abimbola Obafunwa, Professor Mrs. Senapon Bakare, Mrs. Chika Balogun, Mr. Folarin Coker, Professor Ademola Abass, Bolanle Austen Peters and Mrs. Olufunmilayo Balogun, who is the secretary of the committee. I am sure the Governors of Kano, Kwara and Rivers states will set up similar committees before next year. In creating the twelve states on May 27th, 1967, General Yakubu Cinwa Dan Yuma Gowon (81) made the following announcement; “the twelve new states, subject to marginal boundary adjustments, will therefore be as follows: NorthWestern State comprising Sokoto and Niger Provinces; North-Central State comprising Katsina and Zaria; Kano State comprising the present Kano Province; North-Eastern State comprising Bornu, Adamawa, Sardauna and Bauchi Provinces; Benue/Plateau State comprising Benue and Plateau Provinces; Lagos State comprising the Colony Province and the Federal Territory of Lagos; Western State comprising the present Western Region but excluding the Colony Province; Mid-Western State comprising the present Mid-Western State; EastCentral State comprising the present Eastern Region excluding Calabar, Ogoja and Rivers Provinces; SouthEastern State comprising Calabar and Ogoja Provinces; Rivers State comprising Ahoada, Brass, Degema, Ogoni and Port Harcourt Divisions.” There was a major error in General Gowon’s announcement on that day. West Central State made up of River Niger and Ilorin provinces, which came to be known as Kwara State, was omitted in the broadcast of General Yakubu Gowon. The state was eventually created, when the decree on state creation was later promulgated by General Yakubu Gowon. He then named the following as the Governors of the new states: Benue-Plateau State, Chief Superintendent of Police, Joseph Decchi Gomwalk (1935-1976); East-Central, Anthony Ukpabi Asika (1936-2004); Kwara, Brigadier David Femi Lasisi Bamigboye (75); Lagos, Brigadier Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson (80); North Central, Brigadier Abba Kyari (78), North-East, Brigadier

osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

By eric teniola

like a minority. This reinforces the contention that we should not return to the system of winnertakes-all. No section should be made to feel perpetually enslaved like second-class citizens.” y friend, Senator Joseph Sarwuan Tarka (19321980) told me in London in 1978 that if Gowon had not created states, his United Middle Belt Congress, which was inaugurated in 1955 and signed an alliance with the Action Group of Chief Obafemi Awolowo on May 6, 1957, will be still be fighting against oppression. According to him, “the states creation saved Nigeria”. I am sure if the states were not created, many Adaka Boros would have emerged by now. That being so, the Igallas, the Nupes, Ijaws, Tivs, Idomas, Ibibios, Junkuns and all other minorities should celebrate the creation of states next year, as a date for their own independence too. Although we still have the issue of minority within the states but if an Annang man like Chief Godswin Akpabio could be Governor of Akwa Ibom and an Igbira man, Yahaya Bello, could be Governor of Kogi State, there is hope that someone from Oke-Ogun could be Governor of Oyo State someday and an Idoma could be Governor of Benue State and other minorities could be elected governors in all the states in future. The relevant question now is will new states ever be created? My answer is why not. Economic buoyancy has never been the major criteria for the creation of states. Of the five military rulers that have created states in Nigeria (General Gowon, May 27, 1967; General Murtala Muhammed, February 3, 1976; General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (74) September 23, 1981; General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, August 27th, 1991 and General Sanni Abacha (1943-1996) October 1, 1996, states none of them has explained that they created the because of economic viability. If we are to talk of buoyancy, how many states in Nigeria today could boast of complete economic independence? As of today, all the states are indebted. I believe agitation by the people determines whether a state will be created in spite of section 8 of the Constitution. It is the constant agitation by the people that will determine whether Okun, Idoma, Ogoja, Ibadan, Ijebu and other areas will become states in the future.

•gowon

Musa Usman (Air Force); NorthWest, Police Superintendent Usman Faruk (81); Rivers, Lieutenant Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff (Navy); South-East, Brigadier Jacob Udoakaha Jacob Esuene (1936-2004) Air Force; Police Commissioner, Audu Bako (1924-1980), Kano and West, Brigadier Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (88). s for Mid-Western State, there was initial delay in the appointment of a governor. Major Albert Okonkwo of the Biafran Army was administrator of that state by then. The state was later liberated by Lt. Col. Murtala Ramat Mohammed (1938-76) and he eventually named his friend, Lt. Col. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia (83) as Administrator. After 57 days, General Gowon, under pressure and appeals, later confirmed the appointment of Lt. Col. Samuel Ogbemudia as Governor. The very day General Gowon created the twelve states was the day he declared state of emergency throughout the country. It was also the very day that he assumed full powers as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Head of the Military

Government. To me, the creation of states in Nigeria on that day was the first major coup by the minorities. For the man who created the states, General Gowon, is an Angus from Pankshin, in the present day Plateau State. The man who wrote the memo on the creation of states was a Kanuri, Alhaji Ibrahim Maina Damcida (1933-2012), who was as that time a Federal Permanent Secretary. And the Chairman of the Committee of Federal Permanent Secretaries that submitted the list criteria to be used for the creation of states at that time, was Chief allison Akene Ayida (85) is from the present Delta State, who later became Secretary to the Government of the Federation. t was the creation of states in May 1967 that liberated the minorities in this country and gave them a platform and a voice. In his book titled: “Rise and Fall of Nigeria, Chief Allison Ayida, wrote that, the minorities form about 45% of the total population in the country. The political arithmetic is that in any democratic process, one of the major groups needs the support of the minorities to gain power. Besides, any group temporarily out of power feels

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osun Defender Thursday, April 21,

Job Vacancies In Nigeria

Lecturer I (Environmental Biology) · Lagos, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sector: Academic · Posted by Lagos State Polytechnic on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 · Reference: 157061 Job Details Employer: Lagos State Polytechnic The Lagos State Polytechnic, formerly known as the Lagos State College of Science and Technology,was established by the promulgation of the Lagos State Edict No. 1 of 1978 with retroactive effect from June 1, 1977. On the 24th day of September, 2012, the original law to provide for the Lagos State Polytechnic, to make provision for its power etc. was assented to by the State Governor.

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for this position Candidate Requirements · Candidates must possess a Doctorate degree or a good Bachelors degree and Masters degree in the relevant discipline plus at least nine years teaching/research/ industrial experience with NYSC discharge Certificate. Apply before Sunday, June 19, 2016 - 62 Days left Companies may expire jobs at their own discretion. ……………………..end………………………… Front Desk Receptionist · Abuja, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sectors: Admin, Call Centre, Graduate · Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 · Reference: 157060 Job Details A leading Publishing Company is seeking qualified candidates to fill the vacant position: Responsibilities: · Answer phones and operate a switchboard. · Route calls to specific people. · Answer inquiries about company. · Greet visitors warmly and make sure they are comfortable. · Call persons waiting for visitor and book them a room to meet in. · Schedule meetings and conference rooms. · Make coffee and set out food. · Ensure reception area is tidy. · Coordinate mail flow in and out of office. · Coordinate office activities. · Handle phone calls from people calling in sick. · Gather personal and insurance information. · Hand out employee applications. · Arrange appointments. · Cash out people when necessary. · Validate parking tickets. · Give visitors badges and direct them to where they can sign in. · Issue parking passes. · Send email and faxes. · Collect and distribute parcels and other mail. · Perform basic bookkeeping, filing, and clerical duties. · Prepare travel vouchers. · Take and relay messages. · Update appointment calendars. · Schedule follow-up appointments. Candidate Requirements · BSc/HND/OND in relevant field · verbal and written communication skills · professional personal presentation · customer service orientation · information management · organizing and planning · attention to detail · initiative · reliability · stress tolerance Apply before Friday, June 17, 2016 - 60 Days left Companies may expire jobs at their own discretion. ……………………………end………………………… Lecturer III (Physics/Electronics) · Lagos, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sector: Academic · Posted by Lagos State Polytechnic on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 · Reference: 157059 Job Details Employer: Lagos State Polytechnic The Lagos State Polytechnic, formerly known as the Lagos State College of Science and Technology,was established by the promulgation of the Lagos State Edict No. 1 of 1978 with retroactive effect from June 1, 1977. On the 24th day of September, 2012, the original law to provide for the Lagos State Polytechnic, to make provision for its power etc. was assented to by the State Governor. Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for this position Candidate Requirements · Candidates must possess a good Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in relevant discipline plus at least three years teaching/research/industrial experience with NYSC discharge Certificate. Apply before Sunday, June 19, 2016 - 62 Days left Companies may expire jobs at their own discretion. ……………………………end…………………………. Creative Assistant · Lagos, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sector: Admin · Posted by Poise and Etiquette on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 · Reference: 157058 Job Details Employer: Poise and Etiquette Poise and Etiquette - Our client, a leader in the fashion industry, is looking to fill this position Job Description · If you are fashion forward with a very creative mind and will like to grow with one of the country’s best, then this is for you. Candidate Requirements

· Eligible candidate MUST know how to sketch perfectly · Should know about fabrics and knowing how to sew would be an added advantage · Must be female and preferable Married · Should have good written and oral communication · Should have a mature mind · Should be between the ages of 27-35 · Please do not apply if you don’t know how to sketch Apply before Saturday, April 30, 2016 - 12 Days left Companies may expire jobs at their own discretion. …………………………..end……………………… Web Designer/Programmer · Lagos, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sectors: Design Services, IT, Technology, Graduate · Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 · Reference: 157055 Job Details A leading Publishing Company is seeking qualified candidates to fill the vacant position: Responsibilities: · Program, test and debug all web applications. · Design, develop, test and deploy web applications. · Code pages, files, test, debug and deploy. · Develop appropriate code structures to solve specific tasks. · Coordinate with other designers and programmers to develop web projects. · Collaborate with staff and teams to develop, format and deploy content. · Assist and support in the upkeep and maintenance of web sites. · Research and propose software programs that are compatible to the future technologies. · Initiate periodic testing and implement contingency plans in case of systems failure. · Prepare and coordinate intranet web updates and intranet website changes. · Fix bugs, troubleshoot and resolve problems. · Assume ownership of code throughout development, staging, testing and production. Candidate Requirements · They must be proficient in using web design software, such as Adobe Photoshop or Dreamweaver. Apply before Friday, June 17, 2016 - 60 Days left Companies may expire jobs at their own discretion. …………………………..end…………………………… Hospital Representative · Niger, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sector: Sales · Posted by Hot Jobs on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 · Reference: 157095 Job Details Employer: Hot Jobs A reputable company, is recruiting to fill this position Candidate Requirements · Must be Registered Nurse (RN)/Registered Midwife (RM), Health Science, B.Sc in Science. · Experience: minimum 3-5 years experience. · Computer Literate: Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point. · Valid Driver Licence. Apply before Saturday, June 18, 2016 - 61 Days left Companies may expire jobs at their own discretion. …………………….end…………………… Brand and Marketing Executive · Abuja, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sectors: Advertising, Marketing · Posted by Hot Jobs on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 · Reference: 157097 Job Details Employer: Hot Jobs Our client is a leading indigenous, downstream oil and gas business with its branches around the country. The company is committed to delivering the most efficient energy solutions to its clients. The organisation and its people conduct its business based on integrity, with a strong focus on innovation, stewardship, value creation for its clients and respect for the individual.Our client recently embarked on an ambitious transformation project and would like to recruit individuals with excellent professional and academic credentials, a strong focus on results and developing value to customers in this position.Responsibilities · Evaluates the market landscape, monitors changes in market dynamics and competition to contribute to business and product development strategies · Develops and executes innovative stakeholder communications strategies to educate and inform current supporters about activities and accomplishments. · Conducts market research, analyse brand performances of company’s products and services, develops response strategies and reports market trends in profitability and pricing to CEO/GMD · Drives business development activities and manages existing relationships to grow sales portfolio · Supervises the activities of marketing teams; puts in place measures to effectively monitor performance towards achieving marketing targets/goals · Establishes and manages a best in class and attractive web presence with on line contents and marketing materials to generate traffic and allow easy user interface on company’s webpage. Candidate Requirements · First Degree in any relevant discipline · MBA or related Master’s degree and some International work experience could be an advantage · Minimum of 7 years relevant experience. · This role demands a resourceful and creative individual with demonstrated capacity to engage stakeholders, strong experience in marketing and brand management as well as ability to leverage social media to improve company visibility. · The role also calls for good leadership, networking social skills, confident disposition, written and verbal communication skills, in-depth knowledge of the company’s activities, industry and competition. Apply before Saturday, June 18, 2016 - 61 Days left Companies may expire jobs at their own discretion. …………………………end………………………….

You can subscribe to Job Vacancies in Nigeria, Jobs in Nigeria via your e-mail: www.jobszilla.ng

technology

osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

5 Reasons Why You Should Use BlackBerry Protect

rotecting information on your BlackBerry® smartphone and finding it in case you misplaced it is made easier thanks to the BlackBerry® Protect™ app. This free application allows you to take advantage of several features such as automatic backups of your contacts, calendar entries and more. It is a great way to help ensure you do not lose important contact information; for example, if you happen to lose your BlackBerry smartphone. Today I’d like to show you five reasons why you should be using BlackBerry Protect if you haven’t set it up already: 1. Automatic Backups You can use BlackBerry Protect to automatically back up your data daily, weekly, or monthly. When you turn on the automatic backup feature, BlackBerry Protect backs up your data at the specified frequency when your BlackBerry smartphone is connected to the wireless network and you are not using it currently. If your smartphone is turned off or not connected to the wireless network when a scheduled backup is due, BlackBerry Protect backs up your data the next time that your smartphone is turned on and connected. Note: Password Keeper and Wi-Fi® Network Profiles will be available for backup on BlackBerry®

7 smartphones only. If you use BlackBerry® 6 or earlier, please make a backup using BlackBerry Desktop Software to ensure Password Keeper and Wi-Fi Network profile information is backed up safely. 2. Protect your Information If you ever misplace or lose your BlackBerry smartphone, there are several features offered by BlackBerry Protect to help you protect your information. One setting in particular that’s extremely useful is the ability to display a message on a BlackBerry smartphone that can include your contact details in case someone finds it. 3. Find your BlackBerry smartphone

Recently I couldn’t find my BlackBerry smartphone and thought I might have left it at a friend’s after leaving a party the night before. Thanks to BlackBerry Protect, I was saved a trip across town – I was able to log in to the BlackBerry Protect website and view my BlackBerry smartphone’s current location, which indicated it was in my house somewhere. Then, instead of spending time looking around my house, I used the “make my BlackBerry smartphone ring” feature which helped me find my BlackBerry smartphone (in between the cushions of my living room couch!). 4. Switch BlackBerry smartphones BlackBerry Protect makes it easier to switch to a new BlackBerry smartphone, such as the recently-

released BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone. All you need to do is perform a backup using BlackBerry Protect on your current phone, followed by logging into BlackBerry Protect on your new BlackBerry smartphone and selecting the restore data option. 5. Remote Backup In addition to performing automatic backups on a set schedule, you also have the ability to perform a remote backup. This setting is very useful if you have misplaced your BlackBerry smartphone and a backup hasn’t

been made recently. Just visit the BlackBerry Protect website, where you can perform a remote backup that can be followed by a remote security wipe to remove your personal information, in case you cannot find your BlackBerry smartphone using the location features provided.

Nokia’s Science That Changed Your World

SPOO, Finland – You’ve seen how Nokia Research Center celebrates 25 years of innovation that has changed the lives of billions of people… by introducing concepts like GEM and HumanForm that will influence the next few decades. They also made this video, narrated by Harry Potter Dumbledore star Michael Gambon, to remind us of the game-changing impact this creative group of scientists has had on the mobile technology industry and the way people communicate. Nokia Research Center explores new frontiers of mobility and solves scientific challenges so that Nokia can bring you the mobile experiences of the future. Founded in 1986, NRC is Nokia’s corporate research arm and from its beginnings in Helsinki, it has established laboratories worldwide, at leading universities, research

institutions and industrial partners. Now, as well as Finland, NRC’s global research network is based in five main labs with 500 people operating from 12 locations worldwide in America, the UK, India, China and Africa. Over the last 25 years, the center helped Nokia to make market-changing innovation, including: the first handheld mobile (1987), the first digital GSM call (1991) and internal antenna (1998, Nokia 8810), the first commercial SMS services (1993), the browser technology that brought the web to our mobiles (1997), the first 3G call (2001), Wi-Fi access (2007, Nokia N95) and HD quality calling (2009). Nokia NRC spokeswoman Fred Slezak said: “The world not for some of the technological would, quite simply put, be a developments which have come different place today if it were out of the Nokia Research Center. “NRC has been behind some of the fundamental advances which we today take for granted today, ranging from the first handheld mobile, to internal mobile antennas to the first device to access WiFi internet.” And because of its global spread, Nokia is able to invent solutions to challenges posed by differing demands from people and their mobiles all over the world. Fred added: “Nokia Research Center has 12 labs around the world across four different continents. By understanding the wide variety of cultures, environments and skill-sets across these diverse geographies, Nokia Research Center creates innovations that make a difference.”

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sports

Borussia Monchengladbach Hoping To Extend Andreas Christensen’s Stay

osun Defender Thursday, April 21, 2016

Oluwaseun Ajayi-Obe Sports Reporter

Borussia Monchengladbach want to sign Chelsea profit of €21m. defender Andreas Christensen on a permanent contract once his loan ends in 2017, sporting director Max Eberl has reiterated. Christensen, 20, is a run of away defeats, currently on loan at the they trail fourth-placed Bundesliga club from Hertha Berlin by four Chelsea until 2017, after points, and have a sixjoining on a two-year point lead on Wolfsburg, deal last summer, and the first team outside the the Blues have no option Europa League positions to recall the youngster. if Werder Bremen do not Speaking at the annual win the DFB Pokal. members’ meeting on Despite several M o n d a y , E b e r l s a i d promising performances, that they want to tie the G l a d b a c h f i n i s h e d Denmark international to b o t t o m o f t h e i r the club beyond the end C h a m p i o n s L e a g u e of his loan spell. group with Manchester “You can be sure that C i t y , J u v e n t u s a n d we will do everything we Sevilla. can to sign him on a longHowever, their first term contract,” Eberl told p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t h e the club members. group stages of Europe’s Christensen has not biggest club competition m i s s e d a m i n u t e o f has seen their turnover action since the arrival rise by €38 million to of coach Andre Schubert a record of €160.6m in •Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has yet to hit his fullest potential, says Per Mertesacker. i n S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 , the business year 2015. and has featured in 35 They also posted a record competitive matches this season. He has struck three goals, and created Flying Eagles coach, Emmanuel Amunike has international pointed is to re-enact the form one more. The Foals are currently expressed determination to ensure sustenance of out that the task ahead that made them win the of him and the 2015 World U-17 Youth Cup one of several teams the team’s pedigree in world youth football. Amunike made this statement in a telephone chat with our reporter, stressand more challenging Golden Eaglets players for Nigeria for a record competing for the C h a m p i o n s L e a g u e ing that the Flying Eagles one, where past deeds that would make the fifth time. The junior Eagles Flying Eagles final squad playoff place. Following job is an entirely different don’t count. coach said all matches The erstwhile Nigeria

Amunike Plans Big With Flying Eagles

Chairman Declares Maiduguri Safe For El-Kanemi Opponents Chairman of El-Kanemi Football Club, Alhaji Zana Mala Mohammed Kakaje has declared Maiduguri safe ground for visiting teams, allaying fear that any team travelling to the city risk being attacked by Boko Haram terrorists. The Borno State club Premier League Week 12 chairman made this state- match between Shooting ment in Ibadan after a Stars Sports Club (3SC)

Royal-Unity Cup Gets Underway

And Nokia Research Center is continuing to drive innovation which is changing the way we communicate with one another. “From context-aware computing to nanotechnology, Nokia Research Center is at the forefront of technological breakthroughs which will change the way we interact with the world around us for years to come,” said Fred. You only have to look at some of our previous posts to know this. Conversations has been given exclusive access to some of the leading figures of the Nokia Research Center and will be bringing you a series of fascinating interviews over the next few weeks. For example, now a top Nokia scientist is predicting a telepathic phone.

and Heartland of Owerri, stressing that his club would never handle the safety of his club opponents with levity. He said Borno State people love football and are always delighted to

see footballers coming to play their darling team, adding that the entire people keep close watch on all El-Kanemi opponents as they are greatly concerned about their well being while in the city.

Maiden edition of the Royal-Unity Cup is scheduled to hold later this year, as organisers of the event disclosed that arrangements had reached top gear to ensure success of the epoch making event. N i g e r i a F o o t b a l l youngsters, while servCoaches Association and ing as the tounament’s Capital 3 Ltd, who are ambassadors throughout prominent among organ- the event.. isers of the event stated, It was also disclosed after a meeting in Ibadan that scouts would be that it was a systematic invited to spot highly talent hunt programme, talented players, who •Ikorodu United in a group photograph. aimed at discovering and would be exposed to top helping budding talents clubs that could nurture in Nigeria to realise their them to stardom in fudreams. ture. The competition, which “We are presentis meant for Under-20 ing something big and The play of Mesut Ozil can lead to up to thirty players will take place worthwhile, which will goals a season, according to his Arsenal and across the 774 Local Gov- no doubt benefit young Germany teammate Per Mertesacker. Ozil has eight goals Year award. ernment areas in Nigeria. footballers in the country. Media and Publicity This tounament is real and 19 assists for Arsenal Even with that honour, Committee of the event, and promises to be best in all competitions this Mertesacker said he feels led by Mr Jare Ajayi, who of its kind, as quite a lot season, leading to him his compatriot is still spoke after the meeting is being put into it”, Ajayi being shortlisted for improving. the PFA Player of the said youth clubs have concluded. “I felt that when he begun registration for the was fit, he would be at tournament at each state his best — that was my NFCA office, adding that prediction,” Mertesacker the tournament would told Arsenal Player. be unveiled in Lagos on “I hoped that he would Tuesday, April 26, 2016. stay fit so we would get The Committee also the best out of him, that disclosed that fabuwas just my simple idea. lous monetary reward, You could feel he would running into millions help us win games. of Naira and insurance “He is [progressing], coverage for players are especially in the final at stake. third. We try to give him Known names in footthe ball to make the final ball are already being •Seun Akinyemi and Joseph Nathaniel of 3sc challenges decision or make the final contacted to motivate the Nwiawu Stephen of Ikororodu United. ball because we know that is where he is at his

Mesut Ozil Contributes To 30 Goals A Season For Arsenal - Per Mertesacker

Kakaje said though his club had not much money, it had made extra budget provision for security of teams playing against the Maiduguri based team. He then commended the state government for giving moral and financial support to the team, while also thanking the League Management Company for reposing confidence in the club’s ability to ensure safety of lives of visiting teams. Speaking on his club’s ambition, Kakaje said El-Kanemi would play to remain in the Premier League while waiting to grab any opportunity to secure an African club championship ticket. “We are focused, we shall continue to play well against all the teams in the Premier League, if eventually we get continental ticket, we will be delighted, but we are not under pressure to play continental championship next season”, he said.

would be played with seriousness and no opponent would be under rated, as his team focuses on qualifying for the African and World Youth Championship, where it would aim to surpass the country’s past achievements. He stated further that the players were already re-oriented and training hard to achieve excellence in their career, knowing well that hard work and discipline would make them realise their objectives. Amunike described the spirit in camp as high and encouraging, ahead of the team’s clash with Burundi, next month, saying that they would play to win the first leg in Bujumbura and make the second encounter at home a formality. “We are already familiar with the players and we are trying to include equally quality players to make the fight for jersies more serious, the essence is to build a formidable team that could stand any opposition in the world”, he said.

•Arsene Wenger spoke about his frustration after Arsenal’s draw with Crystal Palace, and hinting that their title chase is over.

www.osundefender.org

THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA

Thursday, april 21, 2016 “Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil”——-Thomas Paine ould it be true that the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Wale Oladipo, was begging Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to find a way of shielding him from criminal trial as a result of his readiness to return his share of loot from Dasukigate? No, I can’t believe that a Professor Oladipo could beg the President he once described as an illiterate for mercy! So, guilty conscience could make a man with fleet of degrees kiss the canvass of those who have no “certificate”? Life has phases and a careful analysis of the phases could be interesting. Even if I chose to play doubting Thomas’ character, the PDP scribe has confessed to have shared from the Dasuki’s bazaar, and he has thrown his hands up in surrender with a promise to pay N75 million he collected for doing nothing back. It may appear like a Nollywood script, but the entire drama of death and absurdities is real. Was I surprised when I read the story of self-confession by Professor Ladipo? No, but I was provoked to think aloud on how we have found ourselves in that magnitude of impunity, and I must say without apology that history would never be kind to former President Goodluck Jonathan for superintending the most wickedly corrupt administration, which saw to the death of thousands of Nigerians before he was pushed out. I was at a meeting at the instance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in 2013, when the picture of this impunity was in its negative copy, and the man lamented that Nigeria was in state of war; insisting that Nigeria was bleeding so badly, and that the bubble would soon burst, and everybody, irrespective of position or status, would be in trouble. Honestly speaking, none of us at the meeting, except the governor, understood the magnitude of the looting spree. While the state of anomie painted by Aregbesola began to manifest, Boko Haram that was at a formation stage began to kill in hundreds, bombed churches, and ambushed

war, Dasuki was prosecuting electioneering campaign. I do not intend to appeal to emotion, but even if Ladipo and others who shared the blood money return their loots, can we ever return the lives lost? How come none of the PDP chiefs and their accomplices who shared the blood money lost the tinge of humanity in them? So, Shekau was not just boasting; he knew for sure that there would never be fund to buy weapons to fight his satanic sect, as long as Jonathan was in power; he knew that money voted for military equipment would continue to be shared, as long as Dasuki remained NSA. What a country! afarawa , f o r m e r Governor of Sokoto State got N2 billion for spiritual purpose; Raymond Dokepsi of AIT/Ray Power media group got over N2 billion from Dasuki; Metuh got over N400 million, Fani-Kayode, Jonathan campaign spokesman, got N850 million, Professor Ladipo got N75 million, and the roll call continues, at the detriment of the innocent lost souls and at the expense of a nation. Because of Ladipo and his comrades-in-crime, 219 innocent girls are passing through harrowing experience in the hands of terrorists and are yet to be found as you are reading this piece. Today, the dragnet of anti-graft agencies are sharpened for fight against the wicked looters, but they could not afford to lose their comfort; so they want to return their loots, but the question that is yet to be answered is; are they going to return the lost souls of the innocent ones, whose crime was that they came from or reside in the North East? Are they going to return the souls of the students slain in their schools, whose crime was that they answered the clarion call of a nation for a “total person”? Are they going to return the livelihoods of the millions, who had become refugees in their own country? Honestly speaking, Nigeria needs a complete purge with iron hand that can only be deployed by President Muhammadu Buhari, but it is a pity, the so-called advocates of “rule of Law” who are sharing from the shared loots cannot understand that what comes around goes around. Anyway, the looters are returning their loots, and that presents some semblance of hope. But?

•dasuki

traders. Remember, it was Ali Modu Sheriff, the current National Chairman of the PDP, that was in power as the governor of Borno State when the terrorist network called Boko Haram was formed, and I recalled that he once responded to a reporter’s question on the criticism over his lifestyle, that majority of the voters in Borno are not literate. So, they would not read the arguments of his critics. And when the then NSA before Dasuki dropped the bombshell that PDP’s politics amplified Boko Haram activities, he was fired and got killed in a chopper crash. The rest is history. hen, Colonel Sambo Dasuki came on board, and being a man from the North, and a Prince in the Sultanate, the assumption was that he would deploy his religious and regional connections to gather information about the festering sore in the North East, and tame the terrorists, but we were wrong because under his watch, Boko Haram began to open caliphate and gaining territories. Thence, there was need to launch a full war, and it became the business of the military. Oh, you

By goke butika

want to say that Jonathan was not a man with military background? Well, he was the Commander-inChief, and he must have presided over security meetings; he must have been made to approve funds for technologies and weapons to fight the war. However, the latest confessions from Metuh and Ladipo and co have shown that instead of prosecuting war as citizens were made to understand then, Dasuki was prosecuting electioneering campaign. a! The hearts of men are full of wickedness, as it was written in one of the religious books. Scores of boys in government school were slaughtered before dawn in 2014 in Buni Yadi, Yobe State; 257 young and promising girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, also in Borno State were kidnapped, several villages and towns were sacked in Adamawa State; scores of traders from Oyo State killed in Maiduguri; scores were killed in bomb blast at United Nations House in Abuja and so on. But, instead of prosecuting

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the Managing Editor, Kola Olabisi, Telephone: 08033927286 (kolaolabisi@yahoo.com); Editor, KAYODE AGBAJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail:

osundefender@yahoo.com, kayodeagbaje@yahoo.com. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.