www.osundefender.org SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2014
THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA
VOL. 9. NO.047
Front Page Comment programmes he Who Killed in stock to reposition Omisore: Manifesto, not the state better than it Chief Bola Ige, armchair criticism please is now. That’s if he formerAttorneygovernment of Ogbeni had any. This is what good governancewhat Aregbesola is our General and should be his main people expect of focus here. preoccupation for now him,not undue that election is knocking Minister of For a candidate who at the door is to roll out criticisms of has something to offer Justice? his manifesto; what Continue on pg5 he state in terms of
Mr. ‘money miss road’ who recently emerged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore, like a comedian, will not stop to make people laugh. His armchair criticism of the progressive
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August Governorship Election:
Stay Off Osun, APC Warns Obanikoro - See Story On Page 3
•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (6th left); Chief Segun Osoba (7th left); Dr. Tokunbo Dosumu-Awolowo; Chief Bisi Akande (4th left) and other dignitaries at the book presentation titled: ‘Yoruba Elite and Ethnic Politics’ in Nigeria at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, on Thursday.
Easter Celebration: Osun Provides Free Rail Services
- See Story On Page 3
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
August Governorship Election: Stay Off Osun, APC Warns Obanikoro
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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun has warned that there will be problems if the Minister of State for Defence, Musliu Obanikoro, replicates his gangster intervention in Ondo by-election, come
August 9, during the f o r t h c o m i n g governorship election in the state. The APC said it was
aware that the Ondo State by-election incident was a test-run of what Obanikoro and his counterparts plan to do in
Osun. However, as the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ondo said of that event, those
•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (3rd right); Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Engineer Sabitu Amudah (3rd left); Director, RATCON , Engineer Dany Mikhael (right) and other dignitaries during the official commissioning of fifteen roads in Ilesa township by the governor last Tuesday.
Osun Same School Uniform, Best For Unity Among Children - Soyinka By ISMAEEL UTHMAN
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OBEL Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has described the introduction of same school uniform for public schools’ children in the State of Osun, as a right step to foster unity among the children of different faiths. According to Professor Osun on Fundamental Soyinka, the recent school Imperatives of reclassification policy of cohabitation: Faith and the state government was Secularism. meant to bring all the He said: “Religion, as students together without a separation factor, must seeing themselves be cancelled. There is differently either by need for unity in the religion or sex. children. That is why I The renowned literary accept the school icon contended that uniform and school children at various reclassification policy of their levels should not be my dear Aburo,made to believe that they Governor Rauf were superior to one Aregbesola. another for them to be “We do not want our able learn in a class-free children to be conscious environment of their differences in According to Soyinka, religion. There should not the children should not be be variation in the school allowed to discriminate children. Nigeria is a among themselves multi-religious society. because of their religious There are guiding differences saying: “What principles for the society. they need now is an We are not only speaking atmosphere, where they of cohabitation, but can learn without mutual understanding and distractions.” principles. Soyinka stated this at According to him: “I the closing ceremony of have heard some the three-day All-comers arguments based on the Colloquium organized by fact that the school the Centre for Black uniform will reduce the Culture and International children’s sense of Understanding and the individualism. I asked, State Government of who says this is what
these children need at this tender age? I think they will be able to decide that when they grow up.” Preaching tolerance and accommodation among the various religious believers, Soyinka said tolerance and cohabitation are essential to national unity, maintaining that the best
chance of achieving good is living together peacefully. “We preach tolerance and peace. We need to practice it. Every religion condemns violence. Violence is not particular to a religion. We are just evading the reality in Nigeria. What we are
witnessing in Nigeria is not a local problem. It is a complex problem. “It started with the mind and it must end with the mind. The minds of those who are killing have been worked on for several years. Extra-judicial killing is a crime and u n a c c e p t a b l e everywhere.”
who tried to influence and corrupt the electoral process including the minister ‘soiled their hands’. In Osun though, ‘they will burn their fingers’, the APC said. The APC, in a statement by the Party’s spokesman, Barrister Kunle Oyatomi, drew the attention of the public and security agencies to the confusion and destabilisation, any attempt to use military men, police or armed youths to corrupt the electoral process will result in. The party therefore, urged the Federal Government to reign-in individuals, who are bent on breaking the law, by unlawfully using federal institutions for criminal purposes. The party recalled, that the action of the Minister of State for Defence in Ondo State is already reported to be causing unease within top military circles, and if nothing drastic is done to prevent a repetition of that incident, as the PDP plans to do in Osun, ‘peace will be seriously threatened and democracy will be at risk’, the APC said. The party therefore called on the people of Osun to stand firm and be prepared with their votes to elect their choice of leaders, regardless of blackmail and intimidation by those who want to bypass the democratic process to unlawfully and violently capture power.
Osun Govt Advocates Clearing Of Gutter, Debris
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S the annual heavy rains set in, in the South-Western part of Nigeria, indigenes of the State of Osun have been urged to clear gutters, culverts and other waterways within their vicinity. The state experienced so far this government also year may not have advocated clearing of carried the wastes and growing bushes, sands far away, domestic wastes and therefore, it would be sands, with a view to necessary to clear the preventing flooding debris to allow free normally associated flow of water. with period. He added that the Special Adviser to r e c e n t l y - r e p o r t e d the State Governor on cases of flooding, Environment and collapsed buildings, Sanitation, Mr Bola fallen electricity Ilori, alerted the cables through heavy people in an interview winds that have with journalists in claimed human lives Osogbo, the state in some parts of the capital South-West, was a According to him, signal for the few rains p r e c a u t i o n a r y
measures amongst the citizens. Ilori further disclosed that, now that the heavy rains have begun to set in, citizens of the State of Osun need not to wait for the government to declare bi-monthly cleaning and sanitation exercises, before mobilizing themselves to free the gutters. He further disclosed that the c u r r e n t administration in the state has enhanced efforts towards ensuring clean and f l o o d - f r e e environment by providing refuse bins and deploying the
services of private refuse collectors and refuse trucks to the nooks and crannies of the state, especially the urban and denselypopulated areas. While assuring that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration in the state will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that all parts of the state are free from flood and other hazards, Ilori enjoined traditional rulers, community leaders, civil servants, religious leaders and other stakeholders to mobilise the indigenes and residents, to ensure a clean and flood-free environment.
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
How To Stop Religious Crisis - Osun Govt, CBCIU T By ISMAEEL UTHMAN
HE three-day All Comers Colloquium organised by the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding and the State Government of Osun ended on Wednesday with the provision of analytical recommendation that could possibly solve the problem of insecurity and religious crisis in Nigeria. Based on series of To end and avoid presentations and religious crisis, the discussions, the colloquium colloquium recommended submitted that only mutual that government should respect for and desist from continued understanding of the intervention and religious differences in sponsorship of religious Nigeria could promote unity affairs, including among different faiths and sponsorship of pilgrimages ethnic groups in the either to Mecca or to country. Jerusalem, considering the
existence of a diversity of religious faiths. Given the fact that Nigeria is a multi-religious country, the colloquium held that there is a need for continued cohabitation with tolerance and accommodation, as well as acceptance of the peculiarities of other faiths. It noted that peaceful cohabitation would be facilitated through the promotion of justice, fair hearing, attitude of humility and a development of the spirit of forgiveness. Reading the communiqué
of the colloquium on Wednesday, Dr Wumi Raji, one of the raporteurs of the programme, said the conference was held against the background of perceived religious war going on in the northern part of Nigeria and the religious tension in some states, including Osun. According to Raji, religion is not antithetical to progress, as it has contributed to development in Nigeria by sponsoring education, saying no religion preaches violence and any attempts to force
other people to accept other religions by force is wrongheaded and totally condemnable. The communiqué recommended a programme of inter-religious education, where children will be made to learn the tenets of different religions within a comparative framework. It also urged the government to establish a centre for the study of interreligious faiths, where it would be possible for scholars to carry out sustained research in comparative religions.
•(L-R) Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Engineer Sabitu Amudah and Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, at the official commissioning of fifteen roads in Ilesa last Tuesday.
Aregbesola’s Achievement Is Not An Accident – Akere By SHINA ABUBAKAR HE Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the State of Osun, Honourable Sunday Akere, has described the achievement of the governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, as a product of well-planned vision, prior to his assumption of office. He disclosed this at a scourge is not only seminar organised by the encouraging corruption, Centre for Nigeria Election but has the potential to Study (CNES) of Obafemi breed social disharmony Awolowo University, held at among the teeming the Conference Centre populace in the country. located within the “Political clientelism has university campus in Ile-Ife over the years brought to with a theme: Political the fore, the increasing level Clientelism, Social Harmony of penury, political and Quality of Governance instability and social in Nigeria. disorder in Nigeria since According to the elective office holders pay commissioner, the governor more attention to highhad prepared ground for his ranked elites of the society administration, even before than the electorate that gave the commencement of the them the mandate,” he said. political process that led to He therefore charged the election in 2007. political office holders to be He stressed that the six- committed to their point integral action plan of electioneering campaign the current administration in promises to the electorate the state is a product of and make it a duty to be collective discussion among accountable to them, saying stakeholders on the way to it is capable of endearing move the state forward and development in all sectors. make it a pride for the “Governor Aregbesola’s Yoruba nation. achievement is not an He blamed the increase in accident; it is a product of political Clientelism on the detailed, careful and problem of bad governance purposeful preparation and poor leadership style in since 2005 towards making the country. the State of Osun cum According to him, the Nigeria, the pride of the
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Blackman at home and in diaspora. It is only through such visionary and purposeful leadership that we can tackle the menace of political clientelism, especially at the federal level. “The State of Osun has been witnessing social harmony for almost four years because government
is making the electorate the fulcrum of its policies, hence, it remains accountable to them, because we know we shall return to them to seek their votes,” he maintained. He also charged the academic community on the need to extend its research outcome to the political circle, as a means of translating its theories into
real life situation. The coordinator of the centre, Dr Samuel Afolabi, said the seminar was organised to bring politicians and academics together, with a view to sharing their experience and make the political clime conducive for good governance.
According to the communiqué, there is the need to introduce and enforce the concept of compulsory education, which will make it mandatory for children between the ages of six and sixteen to be in schools. The communiqué further stated that it is necessary to keep young people positively engaged by providing them training and education, and by providing them with gainful employment following their graduation from schools. “There is a material dimension to the crisis (national insecurity) as seen in mass unemployment, lack of provision by the state for the education of young people and children,” the communiqué noted. It also condemned extrajudicial killing with a call for its jettison, maintaining that justice and fairness are sine qua non for peace. “People should be accorded equal treatment before the law and the process of trial should be swift, firm and fair,” the communiqué stated. The communiqué therefore urged government to pay attention to aspects of its programmes and policies that have continued to cause agitations and generate tension among adherents of opposing religions, with a view to eliminating ambiguities and contradictions in such policies and actions. The communiqué clarified that secularism does not oppose religion or religious beliefs, but only preaches respect for and appreciation for diversity of religious beliefs and that no religion should be elevated to the status of state religion. The colloquium titled: AllComers Colloquium with the Theme: fundamental Imperatives of cohabitation: Faith and Secularism was declared open by Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Monday at the CBCIU, Abere and declared closed on Wednesday. Professor Wole Soyinka, who is the Chairman of the CBCUI board, was also the chairman of the colloquium.
Easter Celebration: Osun Provides Free Rail Services
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N its effort to ease transportation difficulties for indigenes of the state that are residing in Lagos, Oyo and Ogun states during the ongoing Easter festivities, the government of the State of Osun has provided free rail service to convey them from Lagos and its environs to Osogbo, the state capital. Since the assumption of while the final return of the Governor Rauf Omoluabi train from Osogbo A r e g b e s o l a ’ s to Lagos would take place administration in 2010, the by 10.00am on Monday April government has been 21, 2014, via the same route. The commissioner providing free rail services therefore urged citizens of during festive periods. A statement by the State the state, who reside in Commissioner for Lagos and its environs, and Commerce, Industry, are willing to join the Cooperatives and Omoluabi train for Easter Empowerment, Mr Ismaila celebration to be at the Jayeoba Alagbada stated terminus to avail themselves that the train would depart of this free rail transport. It would be recalled that Iddo Terminus on Friday, April 18, 2014, while adding the current Aregbesola that the train would stop at administration in the State of all stations on the route to Osun, since its assumption pick and drop passengers, of office, has been providing
free train services to indigenes of the state that are residing in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states during festive periods. This programme, according to the medium’s
findings, has gone a long way in assisting several families the opportunity to spend the festive periods with members of their immediate and extended families.
Security Tip In Osun The government of the State of Osun has procured special security numbers for use by people in distress. The numbers are: 08100000481, 08100000482, 08100000483, 08100000484, 08100000485, 08100000486. All the numbers became operational since August 17, 2012. Please, note and call to assist Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the elected governor of the State Of Osun, in sustaining a peaceful and crime-free environment. - Management
If you have a story or advert for us, contact 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897, 08023191891.
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
Infrastructure: Aregbesola Deserves Commendation - APC By ISMAEEL UTHMAN “GOVERNOR of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, deserves to be congratulated by all men and women of goodwill for the marvellous work he has done so far and continues to do on infrastructural development of the state. “Especially so, the recent only a component of about commissioning of 15 500 roads already township roads in Ilesa last completed out of the 700 in Tuesday has given a clear the works. “When we take into indication that Osun is moving even faster than it account, the knock-on is estimated on socio- effect on the economic activities of the state, its economic development. “These roads agricultural and even health commissioned in Ilesa are impact on the lives of the
people, the overall worth of these road projects, becomes even more striking because it makes the attractive to investors. ‘It is the reason the enlightened and informed people from within and outside Osun see the environment as business friendly’. The above is the view of the state’s chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), expressed in a statement issued in
Osogbo. According to the party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Barrister Kunle Oyatomi, “any individual or group of individuals, who keep denying the value and impact of these roads network and infrastructure development by Ogbeni Aregbesola must be suffering from a severe human intelligence deficiency. “But worse of all is the
obsessive determination of the PDP candidate in the August 19 governorship election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who said he would reverse everything Aregbesola has done in the state”. The APC therefore urged the good people of the state to decisively register their emphatic support for the good works of Aregbesola by turning out massively to endorse him at the polls and put to shame those agents of destruction, who want to drag Osun behind again, as they did between 2003 and 2010. “How can anyone
imagine Osun without the several roads Aregbesola has constructed so far?”, the APC asked, adding that on that aspect of development alone, a lot of joy has been brought to the homes of Osun citizens. “There is no local government council area in the state, where at least 10 kilometres of roads have not been constructed, and all of these were done by local contractors, bringing to them so much economic advantages. “Aregbesola is touching lives, and even the environment feels his impact”, the APC said.
Monarchs Advocate Religious Tolerance
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•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (3rd left); Chief Bisi Akande, APC Interim National Chairman (2nd left) and Chief Segun Osoba, former governor of Ogun State (2nd right), at the book launch titled: “ Yoruba Elite and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria by Wale Adebanwi at AGIP Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, last Thursday.
ROMINENT traditional rulers in the State of Osun have charged religious leaders to always preach tolerance, as a way to ensure peace and stability in the society. The Orangun of Oke- maintained that tolerance is Ila, Oba Abolade Abolarin the key to peaceful and Olufi of Gbongan, coexistence of people in Oba (Dr.) Adetoyese any society, enjoined the Oyeniyi, in their separate people to learn how to chats with journalists gave accommodate others. the charge at the second Citing I Peter 2:17 as a day of All-Comers guiding principle, which Colloquium on preaches honouring all Fundamental Imperatives men, love for others and of Cohabitation: Faith and fear of God, he Secularism, which was condemned the act of held at the Centre for using religion as a political Black Culture and tool to divide the people. I n t e r n a t i o n a l The prominent monarch Understanding, Osogbo, lamented the degeneracy in the state capital. the religious circle, saying Oba Abolarin, who some people have turned religion into a commercial venture, which is against the wish of God and the government staff will have doctrine of the holy books. The royal father tremendous impact on the therefore advocated the output and productive involvement of traditional capabilities of staff. rulers, being the According to him, the custodians of customs and training was among other values in their domains, in measures necessary to governance. forestall the application of Also, the Olufi of obsolete ideas and methods Gbongan commended the with current trend globally. governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for returning history to the secondary school curriculum. The two men were He therefore advised the alleged to have paraded government to return themselves as licensing religious studies to the officers, falsifying and school curriculum, while producing fake Lagos calling on individuals to number plates, an act hold on to their belief constituting an offence, without interference into people’s faith. which was punishable other He added that religious under the law of State of violence is alien to Yoruba Osun. race and blame parents for The accused persons encouraging religious were later granted bail in superiority among the the sum of N50,000 each young children, which he with sureties, while the described as a dangerous for the case has been adjourned till dimension May 5, 2014 for further development of the society. hearing.
LGSC Boss Reiterates Productive Civil Service By KEHINDEAYANTUNJI
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relevant skills and necessary information that will enable them deliver qualitative and efficient services to implement government policies related to grassroots development. He further promised that the commission will not
XECUTIVE officers in the various local government council areas in the State of Osun have been charged to improve on their performances by contributing positively to the growth and development of their various council areas. The Chairman of Local participants would have Government Service been be equipped with Commission, Dr. Peter Babalola, charged the workers while declaring open a one-day workshop By ISMAIL OLADOSU on Public Administration, Personnel Management, -four- man robbery gang was on Tuesday Ethics and Accountability, arraigned before an Ilesa Magistrate’s Court held at the Local I, presided over by Mrs. Ahmed, for alleged Government Service stealing, house breaking and being in possessing C o m m i s s i o n ’ s of stolen items. Multipurpose Hall, The accused persons: operations at Methodist Government Secretariat in Aderbigbe Kunle, Saka Grammar School area, and Osogbo, the state capital. Biodun, Adedigba Tosin 39, Isokun Street in Ilesa Babalola said seriousness and Olorunnisola Gbenga where they carted away and competency are were accused of breaking various items such as required to complement into one Mr. Olufemi Nokia phones, carpets, the state government Olagbooye’s house at Ileri- DSTV decoders, DVD efforts aimed at attaining, Ayo area in Ilesa on April players, and “Opon Imo” its goals as captured in the 3, 2014 and stole which belonged to the worth Government of the State of six-point integral action valuables Osun. plan of Governor Rauf N936,000. The accused persons, According to the charge Aregbesola. According to him, the sheet, the stolen items who had destroyed a part workshop was designed included a wrist-watch of the building to gain for executive officers to worh N110,000; a pair of entrance, also removed improve their female sandals worth parts of the interiors to performances in routine N70,000; two bottles of detach a plasma TV from general administration and perfume, N40,000; a the wall. Luck however ran out phone, registry management at the Blackberry on them, when some N70,000; one SBC Bike local government council gun; a barrel gun, and cash neigbours got wind of the level. incident and alerted the He noted that at the end amounting to N600,000. They were also said to police. of the workshop, have carried out similar The accused persons
relent in its policy of training and retraining the staff as soon as the economic condition of the state improves. In his welcome address, the Chairman of Stephen Jolaolu Global Consulting, Mr. Wole Faguyitan, stated that the training of local
Police Arraign Robbery Gang In Court
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however pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defence counsel, Mr. Sunday Agbeseyi, prayed the court to admit his clients to bail, since the case was a bailable one, saying the accused persons were still presumed innocent until proven otherwise. The State Prosecutor, Corporal Tunde Olabamiji, however opposed the bail application and urged the court to remand the accused persons in prison. The court therefore ruled that the accused persons be remanded in prison for two weeks, while the case has been adjourned till May 5, 2014. Similarly, two middleaged men, Olasupo Kayode and Ajayi Kehinde were also arraigned before Magistrate Ahmed for impersonation, conspiracy and issuance of fake Lagos number plates.
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
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Omisore: Manifesto, not armchair criticism please Continued from pg1
performing government that do not even help his cause. While the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola continues to receive accolade both at home and away for its entrenchment of good and progressive government and for recording unprecedented strides in the state, only Senator Iyiola Omisore would not see anything good in Aregbesola’s government even as responsible members of his party who would call a spade its name, are giving kudos to Ogbeni day in-day out for his good work in the state.
That Omisore would continue to turn a blind eye to the good work going on in the state is no surprise to us because like the avatar Chief Obafemi Awolowo
once quipped; ‘only the deep can call the deep’. For it takes only people of honour - people with a sense of appreciation - to recognise and appreciate a good thing. A person who in his life has never represented anything good will simply find it difficult to appreciate what is good even if he sees it.
Omisore represents a negative ideology. So, that he refuses to appreciate good governance that has found abode in the state under Ogbeni Aregbesola, is just a normal thing for his ilk, and more so because of his desperation to become the governor. Even if his eyes can see, by his nature he simply lacks the attribute to appreciate. This is why he cannot say anything good about Aregbesola’s administration; a government that has become a reference of good governance for the rest of other states in the federation today.
If PDP stalwarts like Senator Chukwumerije and former governor of Abia state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu could give kudos to Aregbesola for his pro-people programmes then who is Omisore to rubbish Aregbesola’s good work? Does he think people take him serious? Or does he think rubbishing Aregbesola’s work is the ticket to Abere come November?
Needless pointing it out to ‘Mr. money miss road’ that winning election - which is an absolute impossibility for him - is the only ticket he needs to sit on the number one seat in the state. To believe that rubbishing Aregbesola’s good work will guarantee him victory in the coming governorship election is to continue to live in fool’s paradise. But who will tell Iyiola Omisore not to continue to fool himself that he can win the coming election? After all, he has enough money to throw around.
All the billions of naira he illegally appropriated to himself as the former chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation are still available for him to spend. And he just have to spend them for, he cannot spend the money in pursuit of any good cause. So those who will collect the billions from him have surrounded him and they are nudging him on. And as a desperado who wants to become the governor at all cost, that desperation has blinded him to the point that he cannot realise that he is just being deceived by those following him around.
Until election day when Omisore will see himself in the mirror; when he will see how dirty is the cloth he is putting on; the cloth with which he dances in the market place and gallivants around the town then he may not know that elections are not won by mere using one’s tongue to rubbish a good work. No!
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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the above mail address. ISSN: 0794-8050 Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205 Website: www.osundefender.com/index.php e-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com
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FEATURE
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
Of Osun APC Primaries And Aregbesola’s Unanimous Adoption
•Governor Aregbesola (with mic), addressing the delegates after winning the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship primary nomination election at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, recently.
•A sea of heads at the programme. By KAZEEM MOHAMMED
might not be out of place to say IT that the last Saturday’s governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun could eventually be a deciding factor for the August 9, 2014 governorship election, considering the large turnout of voters for the primaries and the glamour that greeted the exercise. The primary election, which took place in all the 332 wards of the 30 local government council areas and Ife East Area Office in Modakeke of the state was unanimous, as against what was applicable in other political parties. Of the 355,729 registered members of the APC in the state, 269,931 participated in the primaries and they unanimously voted the incumbent governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s candidate. The votes were collated at the ward level, local government level and finally at the state level. Peaceful conduct of party members was a noticeable feature of the exercise. Rather than engaging in bickering and misunderstanding, which usually characterise such exercise, the joy on the faces of the ruling party
members was something to behold. The event, which eventually took place at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Square, Osogbo, the state capital, where the overall result of the primary was collated and declared in accordance with Article 20 of the party’s constitution, was another event to behold. While party members, dressed in uniforms, gathered in thousands, there was mammoth crowd of sympathisers and on-lookers gathered to witness the glamour of the primaries. The triumphal entry of Aregbesola to the park added more colour to the event, as the shout of his name and different kinds of political songs greeted his arrival. A team of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Ibrahim Maishanu were on ground to observe the process of the primary election. Presenting the Certificate of Return to Aregbesola, the APC Interim Deputy National Secretary and the Chairman, Osun APC Governorship Primary, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai stated that the primary election committee led by him visited many parts of the state and was satisfied with the arrangement put in place by the party at the state level.
While adding that the governor deserved the victory, El-Rufai said that the Interim National Executive Committee of the party is proud of the programmes and policies of the governor, as he added that when the APC takes over the government at the centre in 2015, some of the programmes like Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), educational reform under O’School and Opon Imo among others, would be adopted in all the 36 states of the federation. El-Rufai, who described Aregbesola as a credible candidate, said: “The other party of criminals and thieves has given the ticket to the person they think can rig the election in this state and it is our duty to make sure that nobody rigs election in Osun. “On the election day, we will all be back, not only to vote, but to protect our votes. Nobody should think that he can come to the South-West and rig elections, because those that did it in 1964, something happened to them. This, they should remember,” he said. When it was the turn of Aregbesola to speak, the entire environment of the event turned into dancing arena, as he mounted the podium with series of political songs. In his address, titled, ‘Building a New Nigeria’, he said the task before
every patriotic Nigerian is to ensure that a new Nigeria is built by voting the PDP out of power at the centre in 2015. He said the results of the leadership of Nigeria under PDP since 1999 are insecurity, unemployment, power failure and poverty among the people of the country, stressing that APC will create wealth through job creation and restoration of power supply, security, sound education and human dignity for Nigerians. “The challenge facing Nigerians and all patriotic Africans is to rescue this nation from the hand of those who are bent in destroying it. Since 1999, the party in power has done nothing but wrecked Nigeria. “The party, made up of destroyers, criminals and brigands, ripped our nation so badly that today, we amount to nothing in the world. Inspite that by the destiny of Nigeria, our nation is the country, destined to lead all the blacks out of humiliation, under-development and poverty,” he said. Aregbesola charged the electorate to begin the process in the Osun’s August 9, 2014 governorship election, by massively voting against the PDP. He added that it would be difficult and impossible for the PDP to unseat his administration, warning that anyone, who causes violence, would be seriously dealt with. Aregbesola said that in his second term, he would compliment his developmental efforts by building more schools, markets, roads and introduce more initiatives that would better the lots of the people of the state. Also, the Secretary of the APC primary committee, Sir Olisamekah Akamukali, noted that working against Aregbesola was like working against a moving train and working against a moving train is like working against the wish God. He then charged the electorate to stand by their votes and prevent the rigging of the election. Earlier, the interim Osun APC Chairman, Elder Adebiyi Adelowo said the developmental strides that have been achieved by the present administration was a manifestation of the painstaking socio-economic engineering that the APC-led government had been undertaking in the last 40 months. “The British Parliament, United Nation agencies and other responsible and fair-minded observers worldwide have not only noticed these achievements, they have commended the APC government for the landmark achievement in short period of time with limited resources. “We are confident that this primary election is the first process of returning our governor to the Government House for a second term, which will overwhelmingly give the picture of how all roads will lead in August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun. Present at the event were the deputy governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam, his deputy, HonourableAkintunde Adegboye and other members of the state parliament, as well as members of the State Executive Council. Other government functionaries, party leaders, among others, were also in attendance.
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
PHOTOTALK
Turning Of Sod Ceremony For The Construction Of An Ultra-modern Central Abattoir At Olupona, State Of Osun, Last Friday. Photo: GBENGAADENIYI.
•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, laying the foundation of an ultra-modern central abattoir at Oluponna, State of Osun, recently. With him is his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left) and other dignitaries on the occasion.
•Some of the butchers welcoming Aregbesola to the event with ecstasy.
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PHOTOTALK
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
Official Commissioning Of Fifteen Township Roads In Ilesa By Governor Rauf Aregbesola Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.
•An asphalted road at Amuta, Ilesa.
•Another asphalted road at Ikoyi, Ilesa.
•Another completed road at Oke Opo, Ilesa.
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
PHOTOTALK
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Official Commissioning Of Fifteen Township Roads In Ilesa By Governor Rauf Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI. Aregbesola Last Tuesday.
•Governor Aregbesola (right) after his address during the programme.
•Another cross section of dignitaries at the event.
•(L-R) Elder Alade Adekunle; Director, RATCON Construction Company, Engineer Dany Mikael and Enigineer Joseph Chagontay, at the event.
•(L-R) Engineer Charbel Ghosn; Engineer Fonad Howayek and Engineer Alao Bashiru during the programme.
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PHOTOTALK
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
Turning Of Sod Ceremony For The Construction Of An Ultra-modern Central Abattoir At Olupona, State Of Osun, Last Friday. Photo: GBENGAADENIYI.
•(L-R) Managing Director, Hanfirqul Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Kolawole Aresa; State of Osun House of Assembly members, Honourable Adeyemo Adedibu and his counterpart, Honourable Akinloye Oluseye, during the programme.
•A cross section of dignitaries at the event.
All Progressives Congress (APC) In Iwo Endorsed Governor Rauf Aregbesola For Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI. Second Term In Office Last Penultimate Friday.
•(L-R) Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori; Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Otunba Bayo Aremu at the event.
•Some of the traditional rulers at the event.
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
Job Vacancies In Nigeria New Job Vacancies in Nigeria at Airtel Nigeria Airtel Nigeria (Airtel Networks Limited), a leading mobile telecommunication services provider in Nigeria and a member of Airtel Africa Group, is committed to providing innovative, exciting, affordable and quality mobile services to Nigerians, giving them the freedom to communicate, rise above their daily challenges and drive economic and social development. 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Active involvement in community relations issues Ensure effective and periodic security surveillance Conduct periodic risk assessment, threat analysis and security reviews and submit written recommendations to management Produce monthly report on security fleet nationwide Effective management of employee communications on security matters Manage security awareness and regular security briefing sessions and security alerts for employees Design and implement efficient security logistics systems nationwide Effective collaboration with other functions and Groups, to achieve national goals and objectives Desired Skills and Experience Educational Qualifications & Functional/Technical Skills First degree in any discipline Security investigations and intelligence skills Professional qualification will be an added advantage Ability to monitor and prosecute cases Proven ability to maintain contact and relationships with state and national security agencies/ officials Strong supervisory skills Paramilitary/Military experience would be an added advantage. Relevant Experience Five years of relevant working experience in telecoms or related industry Relevant security experience/background Other requirements Ability to work in a dynamic team, with seniors, peers and subordinates towards achievement of corporate goals Multi skilled and versatile Interested and qualified candidates should Job Title: Manager, Talent Development and Engagement Location: Lagos Job Description Job Purpose To implement talent learning and development and employee engagement to enhance skills and competencies of the workforce and ensure sustenance of Airtel Nigeria Culture and achievement of corporate goals. Key Accountabilities Implement various Learning & Development initiatives Implement & deliver the Company’s Learning & Development Initiatives in line with approved Training plan and organizational focus. Source and schedule Learning interventions Ensure all employee training records are up to date Source training materials including external training providers when required. ITF Reimbursement Ensure training implementation & documentation is aligned with Industrial Training Fund (ITF) guidelines Effective implementation of the Change Management process Champion the change process Carry out periodic organization assessments and make recommendations for change Implement various corporate transformation & Communication initiatives Implement the Company’s Organizational Development Initiatives in line with HR philosophy and in alignment with Airtel Culture Support the Employee Engagement survey (Airpulse Survey) – monitoring, tracking, solutions implementation process. Support and in some cases champion employee communications and events e.g. Airtel employee branding, Employee Communication Forum (ECF) , Annual Operating Plan (AOP) Cascade etc. Support the Corporate Communications function in clarifying & reinforcing the Airtel Nigeria purpose and mission/values to inspire and engage the workforce Desired Skills and Experience Educational Qualifications & Functional / Technical Skills Bachelors Degree A professional qualification from any of CIPMN, CIPD, SHRM would be an added advantage Possess demonstrated ability to analyze complex problems, organizational or customer requirements, situations or dynamics and to recommend and develop appropriate strategies or interventions to address them Ability to design communication documents using, MS Word, Power point, excel ,movie making, Flash, and Graphic design applications will be an added advantage Ability to manage projects effectively and taking initiative and using sound judgment; to maintain confidentiality and ethical interpersonal behavior. Knowledge of the mission, strategy, structure, lines of authority, financial position and systems of the organisation. Knowledge of career development principles and practices Relevant Experience At least 5 years working experience A minimum of two years in Training and Development (the area of competency definition and Instructional design at an organizational level). Experience with employee opinion surveys, exit surveys, etc. Other requirements A flexible team player with a proven ability to work successfully in a matrix reporting environment. Ability to build strong working relationships, internal and external to the organization. Creative, forward thinker. Interested and qualified candidates should Application Deadline 29th April, 2014 ——————————————————————————————————————— Latest Job Updates in Nigeria for Management Trainees A Reputable Company is recruiting to fill the position of: Job Title: Management Trainee Responsibilities: The management trainee’s primary responsibility is to participate in training experiences, learn new skills, and to demonstrate increasing proficiency and expertise with managerial responsibilities. The management trainee program should prepare you for the decisions you will be making, and the actions you will be taking in the areas of people management, operations management, and merchandising management when you assume the role of store manager. Qualifications / Experience: B.Sc degree with a minimum of second class honors lower division in any of the following areas: Arts; Applied and Natural Sciences; Social and Management Sciences; Engineering and related discipline. Hands on attitude and self-starting disposition. Have good oral and written communication skills. A master’s degree would be an advantage. Evidence of having participated in the National Youth Service (NYSC) or exemption Not more than two (2) years of post graduation experience. Method of Application Interested and qualified candidates should send their Curriculum Vitae (CV) and scanned copies
of relevant credentials via email to: multress@gmail.com Application Deadline Friday, 9th May, 2014 —————————————————————————————————————— Recent Nigerian Jobs at Cornerstone Information Ventures Cornerstone Information Ventures - We deliver exemplary strategic management advisory services, best IT solutions; e-commerce management; clients’ staff training in the area of IT, Accounting, System Audit. Over the years we have provided good tailored strategic advisory solutions to businesses; government entitles, churches and individuals. We are a fast growing ICT/Laundry company with eye for expansion and offering opportunities to qualified applicants in the following Area: Job Position: ICT / Telecommunications Expert Location: Lagos Requirement Candidates must possess experience in VSAT, Radio installation, Router/Microtik configuration. Job Position: Training Consultant - (Part-time) Location: Lagos Requirements Candidates must possess a minimum of 5-10 years working experience. Candidate must have experience or management/human resources/ICT courses. Good communication skill. Job Position: Secretary Location: Ibadan Requirements Candidates must possess a minimum of OND in Secretariat Studies or any related courses. Candidates must be ready to work in Ibadan. Must know how to use Corel Draw, Word, Excel and other applications. She must speak English fluently with 2 years working experience. Job Position: Receptionist Location: Ogun Requirements Candidates must possess a minimum of OND or Diploma in any related courses. Qualified candidates is expected to work around Arepo in Ogun State. Must be friendly. She must speak English fluently, with 2years working experience. Job Position: Accounts Officer Location: Lagos Requirements Candidates must possess a minimum of HND/B.Sc. in Accounts or Finance and skills in accounts reconciliation, preparation and balancing, accounting packages and software use. At least 3 years working experience. Job Position: Sales / Marketing Executives Locations: Lagos/Ogun/Ibadan Requirements Candidates must possess a minimum of first degree in relevant discipline with a minimum of second class upper division/upper credit. Minimum of 3 years working experience in any reputable ICT organization. Candidate must be computer literate. Candidates must be below 30 years. Job Position: BDM Location: Lagos Requirements Candidates must possess a minimum of first degree in relevant discipline with a minimum of second class upper division/upper credit. Minimum of 6 years working experience in any reputable ICT organization(s). Candidate must be target driven, a goal getter, intelligent and be computer iterate with proficiency in relevant applications. How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should forward their applications to: info@cornerstoneiv.com Note: Candidates must be able to deliver and work with less supervision. 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(Five years for Transport Superintendent) Job Code: TSD 009 Remuneration: Very attractive Method of Application Interested & qualified candidates should forward their hand written application quoting the code of position applied for at the top left corner of their envelope together with a comprehensive Resume to: GPO Box 13133, Dugbe-Ibadan Note: All these positions are to be filled immediately. An attractive remuneration package plus accommodation (but not for all positions) and excellent career opportunities await the successful candidates Application Deadline 29th April, 2014 ——————————————————————————————————————
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FEATURE
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
Raising Enrolment Through Free Meals
•Some of the pupils taking free lunch in an Osun public school.
Home Grown School Feeding and Health Programme (HGSFHP), launched in 13 states as a pilot project in 2005, was designed by the Federal Government to, among other things, address the high rate of out-of-school children. Since then, only Osun State could carry on, writes eggs, 400 tons of fresh fish and we him. MOJEED ALABI. among others, investigation revealed Isola Adam and EIGHT-year-old his six-year-old sister, Opeyemi Adam, had never been to school. They had lived with their grandmother in the remote village of Aaje in Orolu Local Government Area of the State of Osun, where their mother had taken them to after their father’s death. Their mother, Mrs Juliana Adam, is one of the labourers standing every morning at Railway Line at Old Garage Area of Osogbo, to be picked up by bricklayers in need of daily workers. She lost her husband, a commercial bus driver, barely four years into their marriage; and since then, life has been very difficult for her. Hence, the decision to take the children to her mother in the village, so that she could face life challenges alone. However, with the modified school feeding project in public primary schools in the state, Adam had brought her two children to town and enrolled them in Grade 1 at the St. Michael Elementary School, Agowande, Osogbo. Similarly, Ilias Sarafa, upon the completion of his participation in the mandatory National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC), recently visited his hometown, Ilobu, in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state. He had made the unscheduled visit to his siblings, who were schooling at home since their parents live in Ondo State where they are engaged in farming. But what Sarafa found out surprised
“I had some money on me when I visited them and I was afraid I might not be able to meet their needs because I expected them to have exhausted their foodstuffs and pocket money. But I was surprised to see them looking well-fed while also attending to their homework without being prodded. “Even their kerosene was not exhausted, and their elder brother, who is in secondary school, said the food being served his three younger ones who attend Ansar-U-Deen Elementary School, Laaro, had sustained them. He said sometimes, when they could not finish their food in school, they bring the rest home,” Sarafa explained. The story is the same in Ile-Ife, where 10-year-old Daniel Temitope was withdrawn from a private school in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital and was enrolled at Baptist Central Elementary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife, because his parents felt children of their neighbours attending the public school in the town were doing well. Daniel, who was in Primary IV in Abakaliki, was placed in Grade II in Ile-Ife, when he could not pass the test conducted for him to be admitted. Asked what his opinion was about the new school, Daniel said; “They give us food here and they don’t teach us in Pidgin English.” In all the state’s primary schools, especially in the rural communities of Kuta, Ile-Ogbo, Oba-Oke, Obaagun, Ogbaagba, Ifon-Osun,
astronomical increase in primary school enrolment; the development was predicated on the state’s food project, which has been rechristened Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’Meal). According to the deputy governor, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education, Otunba Grace LaoyeTomori, the education summit organised in 2011 and chaired by the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, formed the basis upon which the investment in education stands, especially the repackaging of the school feeding project. She said: “When we assumed office in 2010, what we found the kids being fed with was not attractive to us. “Apart from the cocoa drink which was very good, the food wasn’t rich enough and to address that, we asked nutritionists and dieticians from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and the Osun State University, for professional recommendations on food that will be ideal for children in their formative years. “That was meant to address the stunted growth we discovered among the kids, especially those in the rural areas and recommended were foods with carbohydrates, protein and fruits on a daily basis. “Apart from feeding them, we also dewormed them every six months. Statistics as at the end of July 2013 showed that on a weekly basis, we use 15,000 chicken; 7,800 crates of
also slaughter 35 heads of cattle for them. “So we spend N14.9 million on the school feeding project on a daily basis.” According to her, the government now spends N3.6 billion annually. Investigation also revealed that the effort is already yielding results, especially in the areas of reduction in hunger among the children; improvement in their nutritional status; increase in school enrolment, attendance and retention in the classroom. All these measures, the state government said were aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Investigation also showed that the programme, which started across the state’s 1,378 primary schools on April 30, 2012, with 155,318 pupils, increased enrolment by almost 25 per cent within a month. By May of that year, the figure had increased to 194,258; a total of 38,000 pupils had been rescued from the streets.UNESCO’s report of January 2012 stated that Osun was the second state with the highest number of out-ofschool children in the South-West with Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states clearly ahead. But by July 2013, report of the National Bureau of Statistics recorded that Osun has the highest figure of primary school enrolment. Confirming the situation, a class teacher at Saint Michael Elementary School, Mrs Fasilat Ajiboye, told New Telegraph that the Continued on page 13
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FEATURE
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
Raising Enrolment Through Free Meals
•Another set of pupils taking free lunch in an Osun public school. Continued from page 12
enrolment in her class at the beginning of the session was 40, but by the third week, it increased to 50. “As you can see, those pupils who are not putting on their school uniform are some of the pupils just admitted and that is because they have not been allocated their uniform, since it is given free by the state,” Ajiboye said. Similarly, one of the cooks, Mrs Eyinade Adebisi, said the initiative had helped the pupils greatly. According to her, on Wednesdays, when eggs are served on rice, the pupils eagerly look forward to their lunch time. “For us too, we are enjoying it. When we cook for the pupils on weekdays, we also work as caterers on weekends and that brings us extra money,” Adebisi said. The former Minister of Education, Professor Chinwe Obaji, during whose tenure the school feeding project was in realisation of the central role of nutrition to education. According to Obaji, that informed the partnership with the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other International Development Partners (IDPs) to initiate it. Apart from resolving hunger crisis among children, retention in class, and other benefits, the former minister told New Telegraph that the initiative was also meant to promote local agriculture that benefits rural farmers by using locally-sourced foods, providing regular orders and a reliable income for local farmers. True to Obaji’s claim is the situation in Osun, where a total of 3,007 women were appointed as food vendors by the state, and 1,000 farmers drawn from across the nine federal constituencies of the state were assisted to plant red cocoyam. The red cocoyam, nutritionists advised the state government, is more appropriate for the kids than other types of yam. According
to the Operation Officer of O’Meal, Mrs Olubunmi Ayoola, about 90 women farmers were recently trained in modern method of cultivating cocoyam and were offered financial support after their graduation to commence their farming job.Ayoola added that the eggs being produced in the state were no longer enough for the supply required to feed the kids and that the state had also encouraged farmers to bring their products for the ready-made market. She said: “To further enhance this programme, the governor recently signed the Osun State Elementary School Feeding Transition Strategy Plan document with the representatives of the Board of the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) of the United Kingdom.” The development, Obaji said, was what the Federal Government had targeted when it introduced the project in the 13 states selected from the six geo-political zones and Abuja in 2005 on a pilot scheme. They are Bauchi, Cross River, Enugu, Imo, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Nasarawa and Yobe states. “I am very sure if the other states had not backed out, the same effects being experienced in Osun now would have been recorded in all the other states, and the case of the 10.5 million out-of-schoolchildren would not have arisen at all. “That may have also helped in curbing the insurrection currently being experienced in some northern states, because I could remember Yobe in particular was added then,” Obaji said. To justify the importance of food to education, a recent visit by our correspondent to Makoko, a slum in Lagos, revealed a countless number of children who claimed they had never been to school because they hawk for their parents. Ayomide Muka is a 12year-old girl and only child of his mother, who said she was not allowed to attend school because she had to take fish to Agege market every day.
The former Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji, during whose tenure the school feeding project was introduced, said the idea was in realisation of the central role of nutrition to education. According to Obaji, that informed the partnership with the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other International Development Partners (IDPs) to initiate it. Apart from resolving hunger crisis among children, retention in class, and other benefits, the former minister told New Telegraph that the initiative was also meant to promote local agriculture that benefits rural farmers by using locally-sourced foods, providing regular orders and a reliable income for local farmers. True to Obaji’s claim is the situation in Osun, where a total of 3,007 women were appointed as food vendors by the state, and 1,000 farmers drawn from across the nine federal constituencies of the state were assisted to plant red cocoyam. The red cocoyam, nutritionists advised the state government, is more appropriate for the kids than other types of yam. According to the Operation Officer of O’Meal, Mrs Olubunmi Ayoola, about 90 women farmers were recently trained in modern method of cultivating cocoyam and were offered financial support after their graduation to commence their farming job, while adding that the school feeding projects had helped in no small measure to achieve such feat. Also, the President, Federation of African Nutrition Societies, Professor Tola Atinmo, said the school lunch programme had been in place in the United States as far back as 1946, saying the initiative had helped the country greatly. Atinmo, who was part of a training programme on nutrition for school teachers in Lagos recently, advised teachers to encourage parents to always provide for their wards. Commenting on the danger of neglecting children, the Executive Secretary of Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiatives, an Abuja-based non-governmental organisation, Mr Olalekan Oladapo, said it was unfortunate that in the midst of widespread corruption staring Nigerians in the face, many states could not introduce school feeding project on account of funding challenge. Oladapo said his organisation would not hesitate to sue government, both at the federal and state levels, to ensure the initiative in Osun was emulated. He said: “We need to encourage these kids to go to school these days, especially with the high rate of unemployment in the country.”
“My mother will not allow me to go to school because she says I must work for what I would eat,” Muka said. But according to the former Dean of the Postgraduate College, University of Lagos, Akoka, Prof. Aloy Ejiogu, nations with the best education policies do not toy with the quality of education offered in their basic schools, regarded as the foundation of learning. Ejiogu, who cited Finland, United States of America and India as nations where educational revolution had tak- Sanctity of Truth Tuesday, My mother will not allow me to go to school because she says I must work for what I would eat Obaji Ayoola Atinmo Ejiogu Aregbesola Laoye-Tomori UNESCO’s report of January 2012 stated that Osun was the second state with the highest number of out-of school children in the South-West with Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states clearly ahead. But by July 2013, report of the National Bureau of Statistics recorded that Osun has the highest figure of primary school enrolment. Confirming the situation, a class teacher at Saint Michael Elementary School, Mrs Fasilat Ajiboye, told New Telegraph that the enrolment in her class at the beginning of the session was 40, but by the third week, it increased to 50. “As you can see, those pupils who are not putting on their school uniform are some of the pupils just admitted and that is because they have not been allocated their uniform, since it is given free by the state,” Ajiboye said. Similarly, one of the cooks, Mrs Eyinade Adebisi, said the initiative had helped the pupils greatly. According to her, on Wednesdays, when eggs are served on rice, the pupils eagerly look forward to their lunch time. “For us too, we are enjoying it. When we cook for the pupils on weekdays, we also work as caterers on weekends •Culled from and that brings us extra money,” Adebisi TELEGRAPH said.
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FOR THE RECORDS
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
A memorable quote from Senator Isiaka Adeleke on the PDP candidate in the State of Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan and another PDP chieftain in the state, Sogo Agboola. Omisore, Police Minister Beat Me Up - Adeleke “On entering the hall, I saw Omisore, Adesiyan, Sogo Agboola sitting together. I went to Adesiyan to complain that police officers and DSS operatives were holding party men outside. But, instead of listening to me, he jumped over a table before him and hit me with a blow on the chest. Sogo Agboola also attacked me. Before I knew what was happening, Omisore hit me with a blow from the back. About seven guns corked were pointed at me,” Adeleke asserted. •Culled from Nigerian Tribune, Thursday April 3, 2014
•OMISORE
•ADELEKE
•ADESIYAN
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PHOTOTALK
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, April 19, 2014
Turning Of Sod Ceremony For The Construction Of An Ultra-modern Central Abattoir At Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Friday.
•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left), laying the foundation for the construction of an Ultra Modern Central Abattoir in Osogbo, State of Osun, last Wednesday. With him are, his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left); state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Wale Adedoyin (3rd left); SubConsultant, Hanfriqul Nigeria Limited, Mr Dapo Ademosu (4th left) and other dignitaries.
•(L-R) Governor Aregbesola; Managing Director, Hanfriqul Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Kolawole Aresa and Adedoyin, during the turning of sod ceremony for the construction of the ultra-modern Central Abattoir in Osogbo, State of Osun last Wednesday.
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T
HE latest bomb blast at
Nyanyan Garage, a suburb of the nation’s capital, Abuja has further exposed the unpreparedness of Nigeria to tackle a fundamental issue as the security of life. Since the first bomb was detonated with at the Eagles Square, Abuja in October, MURTALA AGBOOLA 2010, it has become so predictable that TEL: 0806-119-7897 one can easily predict when the next E-mail: murtalamuag@yahoo.com blast would take place. The President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s response too has also been quite predictable. He moves to the spot immediately, condoles with the families of the bereaved and promises his countrymen and women that the situation would soon be brought under control. After that, the Police, the Department of the State Security (DSS) follow suit, not only to tell us what we are familiar with, but to threaten that they would soon fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and deal with them accordingly. It has always remain what it is; promise. Unfortunately, we •A scene of recent bomb blast in Abuja. have kept on doing the same thing always, but We cannot do the same thing always we expect different results, which to my Some analysts have concluded that such and expect to get a different result. mind is impossible. As Nigerians, we appreciate the fact statements are meant to mislead people, Recently, the governor of Borno that security is the responsibility of all as if something serious is happening. State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima was in It is so predictable that one can easily of us to ensure that the Nigerian Aso Rock, Abuja, where he told the sit down and guess when the next bomb community is a safe environment to live bewildered journalists that the blast would take place. Rather than the in and do business. insurgents seem well-motivated and Terrorism is a global threat to insurgents being cowed by the military properly armed. This, certainly did not humanity. Their inhuman act is a cause and other security operators, they have go down with the security top brass, for concern throughout the world. What rather become more audacious and who felt that Governor Shettima not only is different however, is our own daring. They brought their wicked slighted them, but also unappreciative approach. A lot of security experts have exploits to Abuja to tell our officials that of their efforts. talked about intelligence gathering and Abuja may be far from the North-East If the truth must be stated, we are the synergy of efforts by security geo-political zone, the bastion of their trudging behind these armed bandits, activities, the people in the nation’s officials. regardless of the reasons. In Nigeria However, it is sad that it is only when capital are not safe. Protection of life today, it is an obvious fact that the fear blast occurs that one sees the meeting and property are the fundamental duties of these terrorists is the beginning of of minds of security chiefs. All within a of any government, hence if the wisdom. If it is possible for these short period of time brings about a government fails to perform it, it has terrorists to churn out policies and the seeming complacency on the part of no business being in government. government contradicts same, I am At this juncture, we need to tell the security officers, while allowing the under no illusion that many Nigerians ourselves the bitter truth, which means insurgents to restrategise. would be prepared to follow the Statements like we are on top of the the government’s present best is not dictates of these terrorists. situation; we shall soon bring the good enough. Our lives seem to have This is not to state that the culprits to book and we shall deal no meaning. Visiting the injured in the government is not working, but from with them have become a refrain, hospitals and paying condolence visits every factual point of view, the which is meant to be a soothing balm. to the homes of the deceased are good, insurgents are slightly ahead.
AUDACIOUS EXPLOIT
How Precious Is Our Life?
but some of these are preventable, if we take proactive measures. The energy we expend on our political opponents in some cases and the deployment of security officials, especially the military, as was alleged by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State recently against Ambassador Musliu Obanikoro is, to say the least, most unfortunate. Obanikoro is the Minister of State for Defence, who was alleged to have used soldiers wrongly during the recentlyc o n d u c t e d inconclusive byelection into the Ilaje/ Ese-Odo House of Representatives. If the allegation is coming from an independent body, it must be taken with all the seriousness is deserves. The allegation should be properly investigated and if found to be true, the Minister should be properly sanctioned. We should enumerate policies that would give meaning to our lives. We should all be concerned, but those whose primary responsibility is to protect us should be up and doing. It is my fervent hope that something serious should be done and very fast too. It is instructive no state that these are preventable situations. We have not talked basic common diseases such as malaria fever, typhoid fever and other common diseases. Diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other diseases cannot be effectively tackled, since a large proportion of the people live from hand to mouth. Many Nigerians can resort to prayers after taking their imbalanced diet, hoping that the Almighty would always keep them alive till their economic situation improves. In the face of harsh economic adversity, Nigerians keep on with live boisterously, hoping that the next day would be better. This explains why there are few instances of suicide. It is however dangerous and terrible when their lives are cut short as a result of somebody’s madness
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