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SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2014
The allegation of planning to cause violence during the coming gubernatorial election in the state of Osun by the PDP governorship candidate,
VOL. 9. NO.077
Front Page Comment
Omisore's figment offormer imagination is to say the least Senator Iyiola Omisore against the state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,
ridiculous. Coming from Omisore we see this as the most irresponsible
and preposterous allegation to levy against O g b e n i Aregbesola, a personage widely known for his pacific inclination. Continue on pg5
Who Killed Chief Bola Ige, formerAttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice?
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IGE
My Administration ‘ll Never Sack Any Worker - Aregbesola - See Story On Page 2
•A mammoth crowd at the 8th edition of lnteractive Public Feedback Programme (Gbangba D’ekun) in Ijesa-North Federal Constituency held at Ijebu-Jesha, last Thursday. INSET: (L-R) Otunba (Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori; Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Senator Jide Omoworare and Honorable Nathaniel Agunbiade.
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
My Administration ‘ll Never Sack Any Worker - Aregbesola By KEHINDEAYANTUNJI
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HE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has assured the people of the state his administration’s resolve never to sack any worker despite the falling allocation from the federation account. The governor accused Before, we used to get N4.6 the Federal Government of billion monthly, but now, Nigeria of deliberately they give us N2.6 billion or weakening the federating below and they will not units, especially the states even pay us on time. under the opposition All Sometimes, they pay by the Progressives Congress third or forth week of the (APC) with a view to following month. However, strangulating them by God’s grace, we have financially for political paid May salary to reasons. workers,” he said. Aregbesola stated this Aregbesola said despite while answering questions the falling allocation , his during the eighth edition of administration will continue Gbangba D’ekun, a state to pay the workers government public regularly. interactive programme, held The programme was in Ijebu-Jesa, headquarters attended by over 60 of Ijesa North Federal traditional rulers in Ijesa Constituency on Thursday. North Traditional Council. According to him: “My On the four state-owned pact with God and the tertiary institutions’ striking people of the State of Osun lecturers, the governor said is not to sack any worker. If as a government, his we can retain the glaring administration has offered enemy, why are we going to the best to the workers, sack workers, who never adding that the state lacks offended us or neglected the financial capacity of the their jobs. Those peddling close to N90 billion pension such rumour are ignorant or fund they are requesting for mischievous. and urged the stakeholders “It is important to know in the state to appeal to the that it was never the lecturers in the general character of our interest of the people. administration to delay The governor also workers’ salaries, but the assured the people of delay started since the Ipetu-Ijesa that the Osun Federal Government messed State University campus at up the federal allocation. Ipetu-Ijesa would not only
remain, but equally be upgraded to Aeronautic and Aviation School contrary to the relocation rumour. He assured the people of Imesi-Ile, Esa-Oke, Ira of the completion of their roads and building of new elementary, middle and high schools in their various communities. The royal fathers, who threw their weight behind the governor on behalf of their communities, while speaking at the programme, included the Akeji of Ikeji-Ile, the Olura of Ira-Ikeji, Oba Julius Olukayode, and Oba Felix Taiwo Aribisala, the the Elekuruu of Ijebu- Ijesa, who was represented by Odofin of Ijebu Ijesa, High Chief Olutola. The Owamiran of Esa-Oke, Oba Akanbi Adediran, said Osun election would never
be like that of Ekiti, stressing: “We are grateful people. We are strongly behind the governor and I urged the people to also replicate the good gesture of the governor by voting for him on August 9.” He urged the governor to resolve the industrial action embarked upon by lecturers of the state-owned tertiary institutions, which according to him, has affected the economy of Esa-Oke, neighbouring towns and other institutions hosting communities. The monarch also expressed concern over the low pace at which the contractor handling the Otan-Ile, Esa-Oke to IjebuJesa road and urged the governor to liaise with the
people to interact with the government on ongoing developmental projects and other areas of improvement. Dignitaries at programme included deputy governor, Otunba (Mrs) Grace LaoyeTomori, Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, the Speaker, State House of Assembly was represented by Honourable Taiwo Adeyemi. Others were Honourables Yinka Ajayi, Nathaniel Agunbiade, members of the Federal House of Representatives, Honourable MBO Ibraheem of the State House of Assembly, Mr Taiwo Fatiregun, Executive Secretary of Oriade Local Government Council, among others.
Obokun, Oriade Residents Turn Gbangba D’ekun To Carnival By SHINA ABUBAKAR
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ESIDENTS of Obokun and Oriade Local Government Council areas of the State of Osun, host of the eighth edition of Gbangba D’ekun, turned the interactive programme into a carnival to garner more support for governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. Stakeholders and opinion As early as 10.00am on moulders in the various Thursday, residents of the communities also trooped various communities in the en masse to the venue with area thronged the Ijebu-Jesa a view to making their High School, venue of the impulse about governance programme, to wait for known to the state’s governor’s arrival.
Come Out And Campaign - Osun APC Challenges PDP
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contractor on how to fasttrack the road project. Earlier in his address, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere, said the eighth edition of Gbangba D’ekun in Ijebu-Jesa was postponed on several occasions as a result of circumstances that beyond the control of the organisers. He saluted the traditional rulers, opinion leaders, religion leaders and political leaders for trooping out enmasse for the programme and promised that the current administration in the state will continue to make life better for the people of the constituency. Akere said Aregbesola’s government would continue to create a platform for the
The APC said the PDP should recognize that Osun is a different ball game completely. “That it happened somewhere else in the West doesn’t mean it can happen in Osun. At least, we demonstrated that in 2011, when the rest of the West voted for Jonathan but Osun voted for Ribadu. “Ekiti may have fallen but Osun stands firm; and we are demonstrating it already in the campaign trail,” the APC
stressed. “What the PDP made possible in Ekiti will be impossible in Osun, because the circumstances are different in every material particular,” the APC said, challenging the PDP “to abandon its back-door and sinister campaigns, which rely more on a rigging plan than an open contest. “If the election was not rigged in Ekiti, it cannot be rigged in Osun,” the APC declared.
helmsman. Traditional rulers in the two council areas were among the first set of people to arrive the venue and patiently waited for the governor to register their views about governance in their respective domains. The venue was filled to capacity, as various groups strived to outshine one another, in a bid to register their unfailing support for the All Progressives C o n g r e s s - l e d administration in the state. They were all led to the venue of the programme by the President of Ijesa-North Traditional Council, the Arakeji of Ikeji, Oba Adebayo Ogunmokun, while openly declaring their support for the governor’s second term bid. He also urged other monarchs in the state to continue to support the governor and pray for his success regularly in a bid to
HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has thrown an open challenge to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State of Osun to hit the campaign trail and demonstrate its grassroots support for the public to see how credible its claims are to unseat Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the August 9 election. The APC claimed it is smoking. “That is because they curious that 45 days to the crucial election, the PDP and know they lack the support its governorship candidate, to mount a challenge against Senator Iyiola Omisore, are Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,” not visible on the campaign the party claimed. trail, saying they are only loud with the lies they propagate in the media, and the false claims of support that is non-existent in cities and towns of Osun. However, in contrast to the disappearance of the PDP from the campaign trail, the APC stressed, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is roaring with unprecedented crowds that demonstrate massive grassroots support, which is only reminiscent of Obafemi Awolowo’s political campaigns of the 70’s and 80’s. According to the APC, Aregbesola’s campaigns have been swelling in crowd participation right from IleIfe to Ikire, to Iwo and Ikirun with such enthusiastic multitude of supporters that even the media is taking particular notice. “We challenge them to come out of their coven of fraud, lies and false claims”, the APC said, adding that even with the encouragement they have from APC’s loss of Ekiti, the PDP still cannot summon the courage to hit the campaign trail “running and •A mammoth crowd during Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s 2014 re-election rally in Ikirun last Tuesday.
turn the state into a paradise for all. It was evident that the people, particularly party faithful and supporters at the venue were there to rekindle their passion for the governor in the face of dampened morale, as a result of the outcome of Ekiti State gubernatorial poll. Part of their objective, according to leaders of various groups, was to show the people of Osun that the state is different politically from Ekiti and would not revolt against the governor. Various groups in the area added glamour and glitz to the event, as the popular highlife musician known as Buga entertained the crowd. Members of the State Executive Council, lawmakers from both state and federal levels, Executive Secretaries in the area were also on seat to listen to the governor’s intention for their areas.
Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
Popularise Gender Instrument For Development - Osun Women Urged By SOLA JACOBS
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OMEN in the State of Osun have been urged to popularise gender issues for their development in the state as the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, since its inception, had designed the issue to generate employment, improving efficiency and participation of women in planning and decision-making in the state. The State Commissioner equality through its sixfor Women and Children point integral action plan. Affairs, Mrs Mofolake Mrs Adegboyega said Adegboyega, disclosed this steps taken in ensuring at a-day awareness gender balance in the state programme organised in include promulgation of Osogbo, the state capital on laws towards abolition of all forms of discrimination Wednesday. She stated that Against Women, such as Against A r e g b e s o l a ’ s Protection administration is taken giant Domestic Violence Law strides towards the 2013. The Child Right Act 2007, realization of the MDG goals as regards to gender which stipulates that 18
years is the minimum age for marriage and betrothal, as well as Matrimonial Causes Act and many more for the betterment of the women in the state. Presenting a paper at the workshop, the guest lecturer, Professor Anthony Oladoyin of the Department of Public Administration, University of Ilorin, in his paper titled: ‘Gender Equality: Core Value For Transforming The Society,’ posited that despite the significant number of women in the country and their abundant intellectual endowment, the country’s development process is only being slowed down by their marginalisation in the
decision-making process and it is general belief that the Nigerian women are exploited and marginalised. Dr Oladoyin affirmed that since the nation’s independence till date, the story of Nigerian women in the political scene has been that of struggle, as they are fairly represented in key positions as party executives, elected officers and political appointees. According to him, Nigerian women have encountered a number of problems while venturing into politics as a result of the patriarchal nature of Nigerian society, as men often than not, constitute a larger percentage of
membership in all the existing political parties in the country and this tends to affect women, when it comes to selecting of candidates for electoral process. The guest lecturer however did not fail to mention that the Nigerian government equally provided some stimulus to the education and selfdevelopment of women, as women are expected to be sensitive to governmental policies, react positively to national issues and make significant contributions to national issues and nation building strategies but their response has been low. In his word: “Women have continued to be audibly and visibly silent on key national issues. Only a few have come out to participate politically at the transitional and gladiatorial level.” He concluded the lecture by calling on women to rise up to the challenge and popularise the gender instrument among their folks for self-development, so as to contribute their quota to the development of their nation and the
betterment of themselves. The awareness programme provided participants at the different sessions to exchange ideas on issues affecting them generally. In one of the sessions titled: “Elimination of all forms of gender discrimination, Mrs Bola Adeniji educated participants how to seek redress in civil matters, as it affect their rights in marriage. A participant at the workshop, Mrs Mubo Akinyemi, stated that it is needful to have such seminars as the nation is gearing towards election of their leaders, especially at the federal level and that women should endeavour to select credible leaders with their votes, knowing that their vote is potential weapon to effect positive change in the country and above all, they should seek elective posts, with a view to contributing to governance in the nation. Personalities at the workshop included the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Adebimpe Ogunlumade, directors in the ministry and various women groups across the state.
Women Determine Men’s Success - Mrs Aregbesola By SHINA ABUBAKAR OMEN have been described as powerful tools used by in shaping the lives of their husbands. WGod
•The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign bus crushed by an articulated vehicle at Iba Junction near Inisa, in Photo: ABRAHAM JESUDOYIN Iba, State of Osun, last Thursday.
Trailer Crushes Omisore’s Supporters In Odo-Otin By ABRAHAM JESUDOYIN
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While speaking with newsmen at the scene of the accident, the Ikirun Unit Commander of the FRSC, Mrs. Olayiwola Titilayo, confirmed the incident, but claimed that
RAGEDY has befallen the camp of the Osun chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday, as six commercial motorcyclists, popularly called Okada riders, who were supporters of Senator Iyiola Omisore, the party’s governorship candidate, were injured in an accident involving a trailer. The Okada riders with Omisore’s branded vests, were waiting for their principal with a view to being part of his campaign train in Inisa, when the By KAZEEM MOHAMMED accident occurred. According to an eye HE State of Osun Tertiary Institutions Retirement Age witness, Mr. Oyekanmi Bill has passed through the second reading before the Paul, the victims were state House of Assembly as lawmakers gave their backing waiting to welcome to the quick passage of the bill. Omisore when a Dangote The governor, Ogbeni truck, loaded with cement Rauf Aregbesola, had in a reading of the bill and was by the Chief and paints veered off the letter dated March 18, 2014, seconded Whip, Honourable Ipoola road and hit about ten of forwarded a bill to the state Binuyo. the waiting motorcyclists. parliament, seeking the The Speaker, Honourable Six of them were extension of retirement age Najeem Salaam, said the injured, while others of the academic staff of the speedy passage of the bill escaped unhurt. state-owned tertiary was germane towards He added that the injured institutions from 60 to 65 meeting the demands of the motorcyclists were later years. staffers of the state-owned The state legislature, had tertiary institutions. rushed to an undisclosed hospital for medical during a meeting with NonHe was optimistic that the Academic Staff Union of the striking teaching and nonattention. tertiary teaching staff of the When OSUN state-owned institutions, promised that institutions would DEFENDER visited the scene of the accident, they would be included in appreciate the passage of the bill and call-off the strike policemen and Federal the bill. At its plenary on as soon as the bill is passed Road Safety Corps Tuesday, of the into law. (FRSC) officials were House, the Leader Honourable He urged his colleagues seen on ground managing Timothy Owoeye, moved a not to do anything that the situation. motion for the second
nobody died. She cautioned pedestrians to be conscious and urged motorists to be careful while driving, especially during this election period.
Osun Tertiary Institutions’ Staff Retirement Age Bill Passes Second Reading T
would
foot-drag
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passage of the bill in the interest of the state and its people. Owoeye, while moving the motion earlier, said the quick passage of the bill would go a long way in meeting some of the demands of the teaching and non-teaching staff, who are presently on strike. Other members, including Kamardeen Akanbi (EdeNorth), Wasiu Adebayo (Olorunda) and Folorunsho Bamisayemi (Ife-South) also spoke in favour of speedy passage of the bill. According to them, experience on any job gets better with age, saying the bill would assist the staffers to do better on their jobs. With its second reading, the Assembly is expected to move into the consideration of its provisions before its final passage into law.
This was disclosed by wife of the Governor of the State of Osun, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola, in the State of Osun at the grand finale of the 2014 Osun Province 1 Good Women Convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God held at the church’s Breakthrough Cathedral in Osogbo, the state capital. She said the success of any man lies in the tongue of his wife, charging women not to relent in their efforts in being the strong pillars and efficient planners that shape the lives of their husbands’ positively. She advised that wives should complement the efforts of their husbands in their respective homes. Mrs Aregbesola, who was at the event with the state Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori and wives of other political office holders in the state, stressed that the roles that women play at home and in public life are crucial to the development of the home and the nation at large. Mrs Aregbesola, who described herself as a fulfilled woman, said
whatever any man will become in life lies in the tongue of his wife and God Almighty. She added that women should always rally round their husbands at all times, while further charging them to always pray for their children and husbands in order to allow the dreams of the respective families to be fulfilled. In her goodwill message, the deputy governor, said the current administration in the state is a productive government and not a destructive one, dispelling the rumour going round in the state that the present administration would sack some teachers after the election. She urged Christians to pray for the safe returns of the kidnapped Chibok girls by the Boko Haram sect. Highlight of the Good women Convention was the presentation of gift items to outstanding good women in the church, presentation of special numbers, cutting of cake and thanksgiving section led by Mrs Aregbesola and Mrs LaoyeTomori.
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
Osun 2014: Electorate Charged Not To Be Intimidated By KAZEEM MOHAMMED
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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised the people of the state not to allow anybody to intimidate them in the cause of choosing their desired leader during the August 9 governorship election in the State of Osun. The lawmaker representing Orolu/ Irepodun State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Honourable Kamil Oyedele, gave the advice at the APC rally in Ifon-
Osun, headquarters of Orolu Local Government Council Area of the state on Monday. Members of the party and people of the council area defied the rains and trooped out en-masse to
be part of the campaign. He pointed out that Governor Rauf Aregbesola has performed excellently during his first tenure and the only way the people can make him do more is to vote for him for a second term, so that he can continue his developmental projects in the state. The lawmakers appealed to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a free, fair and credible governorship election in the state. He also urged INEC to remain an unbiased umpire during the election, saying that would rekindle the confidence of the electorate in the commission’s ability to conduct a free and fair election. Also speaking, the APC
Chairman in Orolu Local Government Council Area, Alhaji Ibrahim Ganiyu, said the party would not allow rigging during the election, charging INEC to ensure that all stakeholders play the game according to the rules. While appealing to INEC to allow the electorate vote through an organised free, fair and
credible election, he urged the security operatives to ensure adequate protection for the electorate during the election and prevent electoral malpractices. He also urged the electorate to go out enmasse and vote for Governor Aregbesola, stressing that their vote is their right to elect the leader of their choice.
Parents Counselled To Care For Their Children By SOLA JACOBS ARENTS have been advised to attend to welfare of their children by ensuring that their wards attend school in neat and smart school uniforms, together with necessary writing materials in order to give them right sense of belonging with their mates, so as not to hamper their learning ability, which might emanate from such denial. Deputy Governor and unusual embarrassment Commissioner for they might be exposed to Education in the State of from their mates, adding that Osun, Otunba (Mrs.) Grace the motive behind the move Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, gave was to complement efforts this advice recently while of the state government, fielding questions from which distributed over newsmen after she 750,000 school uniforms to successfully distributed pupils of public elementary, new school uniforms to middle and high schools in indigent pupils in public the state. She said the gesture was Elementary and Middle Schools in Osogbo and devoid of any political, or religious Olorunda Local Government ethnic affiliation, but one aimed at Council areas of the state. Mrs. Laoye-Tomori, who sustaining the good of the described the gesture as her people of the state. The visits, which were personal contribution towards the enhancement unscheduled but with the of the educational policy of sole purpose of bringing the current administration in succour to indigent pupils, the state and a quick were turned to carnival-like intervention to reducing occasions, as both teachers burden of parents, who and pupils could not hide could not afford financial their joy when the cost of replacing their wards’ benefitting pupils were tattered school uniforms adorned with their new with new ones, said the uniforms. About 150 elementary distribution was targeted at and middle school uniforms pupils from poor homes. The deputy governor said together with numerous 60the move became imperative leaved exercise books were during the to her so as to save the distributed exercise. affected pupils from
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•State of Osun deputy governor, Otunba (Mrs.) Grace Titi-Laoye Tomori (2nd left); wife of Osun governor, Mrs. Sherifat Aregbesola (middle) and wife of the Provincial Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Osun Province 1, Mrs. Olagboye (4th left), during a programme titled: “Fulfilled Women” in Osogbo, last Sunday.
Osun 2014: Protect Your Voters’ Cards, Monarch Urges Osun Electorate By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO
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the State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, enjoined the people not to be intimidated by the presence of security personnel at polling booths
HE electorate in the State of Osun have been advised to protect their voters’ cards, which represented their weapon in their choice of who governs them. Speaking while receiving Speaking earlier, Dr the Ijesa North Aregbesola Bolorunduro, who is also Re-election Campaign Team led by Dr. Wale Bolorunduro in Ibokun, headquarters of Obokun Local Government TATE of Osun Head of Service, Mr Olayinka Owoeye, Council Area of the state, has observed that pension matters is an issue of life the Alademure of and death to an average civil servant, hence, Ibokunland, Oba Festus whosoever is put in-charge of the fund must possess the Awogboro, urged the required knowledge and skill to manage it effectively. people to ensure that their Owoeye made the new pension is not without votes count. observation in Osogbo, the teething problems, the Head The monarch, who state capital, while declaring of Service disclosed that a pledged the support of his open a three-day workshop committee, comprising of subjects for Aregbesola’s for Pension Desk Officers representatives of labours second term re-election bid, under the New Contributory unions and relevant said his community had Pension Scheme. government officials, had Speaking on behalf of the been set up in the state to benefitted immensely from Ogbeni Aregbesola’s State Head of Service, the address the challenges in the various developmental Permanent Secretary in the arising Ministry of Human implementation of the programmes and projects. He specially Resources and Capacity scheme. Mr Sunday He then charged the acknowledged the efforts of Building, Olajide, posited that if Pension the governor at ensuring nothing had not been wrong National that peace reigns supreme with the old pension Commission to be serious throughout the State of scheme, there would not with its duty of routine Osun, adding that under have been the need for the verification of the various Bureaux of Public Service Aregbesola, Osun remaines new one. the most peaceful state in Among other things, he Pension in all states of the identified the need to federation in order to the country. the rough edges He told the team that his address the cause of smoothen of the scheme. backlog of pension arrears people were fully prepared Earlier in his welcome for the election, adding that owed workers, as a address, the Director, Public necessity for the new they were politically Service Pension in the state, scheme. conscious of the essence of pension While admitting that the Pastor Yemi Oyeleye, who democracy.
but rather to come out en masse to vote for Governor Rauf Aregbesola. He added that it was only by voting for Ogbeni Aregbesola that the good works he had embarked upon would continue and ongoing projects would be completed.
Manage Pension Fund Properly – Osun HOS Charges Consultant
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advised the workshop participants to approach it with all seriousness, pointed out that the programme was designed to impact participants with the basic
skills needed for effective pension administration. The workshop, which was organised by the Bureau of Public Service Pension, in collaboration
with the National Pension Commission, had all Pension Desk Officers, as well as Pension Fund Administrators as participants.
Man, 22, Arraigned For Raping Girl, 20 By BOLANLE BABALOLA
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NE Ogundare Temitope (22) was on Tuesday arraigned before an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court for allegedly raping a 20-year-old girl. According to the charge committed was contrary sheet read in court, the and punishable under accused person had Sections 249 and 357 of unlawful carnal knowledge the Criminal Code Cap 34, of one Bakare Aderonke Vol 11 Laws of the State The charge stated that of Osun, 2003 the suspect alledgedly The defence counsel, committed the offence on Barrister Dada Bose, 3 rd June, 2014 at about prayed the court to grant 10:30 am around Otan-Ile her client bail in the most in Obokun Local liberal terms, while Government Council Area promising that if granted, of the State of Osun her client would not jump The charge further bail. stated that the offence Police prosecutor,
Sergeant Elisha Olusegun, however, did not oppose the plea of the counsel, saying that only the court could decide. The accused person however, pleaded not guilty to the count charges of rape and indecent assault slammed against him The presiding magistrate, Olusola Aluko, however granted the accused person bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties before adjourning the case till August 20, 2014 for mention.
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
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Omisore's figment of imagination
Apart from virtues of hard work, humility, dedication, commitment to service , one other quality Ogbeni Aregbesola possesses which endears him to people is his pacific nature. More often than not messages of peace always come out from his mouth. But he (Ogbeni) doesn't only preach peace, he also walk the talk. Even when his mandate was stolen by the PDP in 2007 rather than encourage his supporters and party members to engage in violence he continued to appeal to them to toe the line of peace. As a peace loving individual he headed for the Court where he finally got justice after three and a half years of perseverance. And even after regaining his stolen mandate he never avenge in spite of all the persecutions he went through in the hands of electoral bandits. He preferred to forgive his tormentors.
Thus isn't it the height of mischief for anyone to come up with allegation of planning to cause violence against a personage of this nature? Of course it is! And even if such a wrong allegation would come from anybody it shouldn't be Omisore whose stock in trade is perpetration of violence and who derives so much joy from disturbing public peace. We see this as a case of the pot calling the kettle black or a situation whereby the thief starts to catch the farm owner because the farm owner is slow in catching the thief. In his figment of imagination or out of deliberate mischief Omisore had alleged that "the governor had bought 20 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) which would be used to cause violence during the coming governorship election". He had alleged further that "Aregbesola has a premeditated strategy to release these APCs during the election". What a spurious allegation?
For those who care to know or better still for the purpose of public enlightenment the reason for the purchase of the said APCs is for further distribution to the security operatives to aid them in their responsibility of maintaining peace in the state. We recall here that the governor had earlier distributed some APCs and about 120 patrol vans to security agencies in the state. That was in April 2013 at a ceremony where the Inspector-General of Police was represented and the governor did promise on that occasion that more would still come. Thus if there are APCs in government house why the fuss about their presence? We believe common sense should simply tell anyone that these APCs are not purchased for any other ulterior motive other than to be given to the security personnel in fulfillment of the governor's promise to further empower them to make their job easier.
But at Osun Defender here we are not in the least surprised that this allegation is coming from Omisore's camp. Being a serial liar that he is no serious-minded person should take him serious at all because more often than not, lie, and nothing but lie are the words that come out from his mouth. is only o
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e word to describe the planned collaboration between the government of the State of Osun and the German State of Saxony Anhalt to boost the state’s agriculture: heartwarming. Undoubtedly, it is an attestation to the fact that the painstaking work undertaken by the Rauf Aregbesola-led administration to attract not just investment, but expertise in critical areas of the state’s developmental needs, is finally bearing fruits. Viewed within the context of its declared commitment to improve agricultural practices and to boost food security, it is an important signal that the administration’s avowed mission to banish poverty from the state is well on course.
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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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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
Taxation As A Veritable Source Of IGR
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IGERIA has for a very long time been operating a mono-cultural economy. Her major source of foreign earnings and revenue for many years has been oil. Oil revenue accounts for over 80 per cent of government’s incomes. Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) constitutes a major part of government taxes. Experts predict that in the next 15 to 20 years, the oil wells may dry up and there is need to source for other means of running the government. Countries all over the world are run mainly through taxation and laws governing taxation are held sacrosanct and religiously too. All the developed and emerging economies like the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China, among others use tax to develop. Seeing the importance of using tax revenue to grow, Nigeria is currently developing mechanism necessary to improve the tax revenue system in the country. One of the problems is that Nigeria has not been able to document its tax payers, thereby making it difficult to have a database of those who are supposed to pay tax. As a result of this, millions of naira is lost to nonremittance of taxation. For now, it is mostly salary earners that pay tax. Big companies and businesses do not pay much because there are many tax holidays they enjoy. There is need to ensure that tax continues to play its major role in providing sustainable revenue for government. Fluctuations in crude oil earnings can affect public expenditure adversely and taxes have become a veritable avenue, the proverbial egg that lays the golden eggs, and its importance cannot be overemphasized. For instance, the Minister of National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, once said that Nigerians would need about $3 million to build the public infrastructure in the next 30 years and that more than half of the amount would be financed from the nation’s coffers. It is expected that the bulk of that fund will come from tax revenue. To achieve this, the federal government is hoping to toe the line of the Lagos State Government, which has leverage on its bustling population to finance its major public infrastructure through its tax collections. Lagos is one of the few financially independent states in the country Internally generated revenue from the seven tax types in Lagos has moved from a monthly average of about N600 million in 1999 to approximately N17.5 billion in 2012 thereby making Lagos State less dependent on proceeds from the federation account. The problem that the government has in this area of revenue generation is that there are still far
“With government spending rising, it is important for revenue administrators to devise ingenious means of improving tax collection. One sure way of doing so is automation of the tax collection process. Recently, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) announced ongoing efforts to automate tax collection by 2014 with the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS). The primary goal of this project is to reengineer the tax administration service delivery, eliminate gaps and redundancies in the current administrative assessment process by leveraging technology in line with global best practices ultimately leading to simpler taxpayer compliance. The objective is to transform the tax administrative systems and optimize its contribution to national development.” By PROF A.S ASAJU
low many tax-dodgers. And they come from the top echelons of the society. This class is the most critical of the efforts of government; yet it is the least willing to discharge its own obligations to society. The question is not whether they can afford to pay their taxes or not- the truth is that they prefer to use what is due to the government for other purposes. Tax-dogging or tax evasion is not only unlawful, it is immoral and unfair. There is the need for a new drive to bring into the net all those who have so far avoided paying tax or paying the correct tax. In this connection, the long arms of the law cannot be stopped even by the death of the tax-evader. Where it is discovered that a citizen did not fulfill his tax obligation before his death , a claim will be made on his estate and such a claim will be given priority over those that may be made by other creditors. Section 48(i) of the personal Income Tax Law provided that “ where an individual dies, the amount of (a) tax in respect of income of his arising before the death and (b) any tax for which, but for his death, he would have been answerable in respect of other incomes so arising, shall be payable by the person administering the deceased’s estate out of the assets
and amongst the state and local governments, between states, between the state and federal government, between the state and its citizenry and residents. The real focus should be on deepening and widening the entire revenue base; the focus should be more on the quantum of collection and how to grow that quantum and allocate it, than on merely who collects it as such narrow focus sub-optimises what can be collected, and how monies are utilized. Indeed it accentuates the challenges of multiple taxation which is not only unconstitutional, but exacerbates the problem of the tax payer and electorate who get increasingly frustrated at the numerous amount of taxes borneformal and informal, for which a clear solution needs to be articulated and implemented by all of the state governments on behalf of both state and local governments as provide for in the constitution There is the need for a tax policy in the country. Hitherto, even through tax policies have existed in various documents, these have not been coordinated and harmonized into a documented tax policy that clearly articulates how to use taxation to drive development not just at the national but at the sub-national level. The state governments need to enact clear laws on the taxes and rates chargeable by the local governments to reduce the incidence of multiple taxation. Multiple taxation is a major barrier to effective collection of legal taxes. It is injurious to the economy. This is because it increases the cost of doing business in the country, discourages local trade and investment and also gives a negative perception of the Nigerian business environment. With government spending rising, it is important for revenue administrators to devise ingenious means of improving tax collection. One sure way of doing so is automation of the tax collection process. Recently, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) announced ongoing efforts to automate tax collection by 2014 with the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS). The primary goal of this project is to re-engineer the tax administration service delivery, eliminate gaps and redundancies in the current administrative assessment process by leveraging technology in line with global best practices ultimately leading to simpler taxpayer compliance. The objective is to transform the tax administrative systems and optimize its contribution to national development.
of the estate. With respect to Pay As You Earn (PAYE), the defaulters are largely companies who deduct income tax from their employees’ salaries but fails to pass the deductions to the tax authorities as required by law. Internal effort on revenue and expenditure is the main prop on which any administration stands. It is the centre-piece of financial management. The key to the success of any administration in all fields of endeavour is the prudence of financial management. If there is no money, it will be difficult to execute programmes. Excellence comes out of sacrifice. We all want our state to be one of the best cities in the world to live in. It can be. But we must make our own contribution towards making this dream come true by paying our taxes. It is our civic responsibility. It is the law. For each state in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, building a viable state in this context means exactly what is required at the national level and more; a burning desire to build a viable state in the shortest possible time; developing those sustainable development parameters within each state to focus on having sustainable sources of revenue that would drive sustainable development; an unrelenting focus to achieve revenue and developmental targets •Prof, A. S Asaju wrote in from so as to achieve the set goals, the Federal University of collaborative arrangements within Technology, Akure, FUTA.
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
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PHOTOTALK
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
8th Edition Of lnteractive Public Feedback Programme (Gbangba D’ekun) By Governor Rauf Aregbesola In Ijesa North Federal Constituency Held At Ijebu-Jesa, Last Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI. Thursday.
•A mammoth crowd at the programme.
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•(L-R) State of Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) Secretary, Prince Gboyega Famodun; State Treasurer, Mr Kunle Odeyemi and former Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Professor Mojeed Alabi.
•(L-R) Honourable Yinka Ajayi and State of Osun Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Honourable Sunday Akere.
• (L-R) Coordinator, De Rauf Group, Comrade Amitolu Shittu and Executive Secretary, Obokun Local Government Council Area of the State of Osun, Dr Gbenga Ogunleye.
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
PHOTOTALK
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8th Edition Of lnteractive Public Feedback Programme (Gbangba D’ekun) By Governor Rauf Aregbesola In Ijesa North Federal Constituency Held At Ijebu-Jesa, Last Thursday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.
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•Governor Rauf Aregbesola (right, in white), acknowledging cheers from his admirers and supporters, during the 8th Edition of an lnteractive Public Feedback Programme tagged: ‘Gbangba D’ekun’ in Ijesa North Federal Constituency at Ijesa-Jesa High School, Ijebu-Jesa, State of Osun on Thursday.
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• •The Governor Rauf Aregbesola (on a stage) addressing the crowd during the 8th Edition of Gbangba D’ekun (Public Assesment) by Governor Aregbesola in Ijesa-North Federal Constituency, State of Osun last Thursday.
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PHOTOTALK
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
8th Edition Of lnteractive Public Feedback Programme (Gbangba D’ekun) By Governor Rauf Aregbesola In Ijesa North Federal Constituency Held At IjebuJesa, Last Thursday. Photo: GBENGAADENIYI.
(R-L) Governor Rauf Aregbesola; his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori and Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti.
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•(L-R) Senator Jide Omoworare; Honourable Nathaniel Agunbiade and State of Osun Commissioner for Finance, Dr Wale Bolorunduro.
• •A cross section of traditional rulers at the event.
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
Job Vacancies In Nigeria Maersk Line Job Vacancy for a Graduate Operations Officer in Lagos Maersk Line is the world’s largest container shipping company, serving customers all across the globe. Maersk Line has 25,000 employees across 325 offices in more than 125 countries. As a leading provider of container shipping services, Maersk Line’s mission is to provide opportunities in global commerce. Maersk Line helps customers source goods from anywhere in the world, creating efficiencies in their supply chains, and making it possible for commodities to reach new markets more quickly. Maersk Line sets the standards in ensuring continuous and consistent reliable and quality service to its customers and is regarded amongst the most reliable carriers in the world. The Maersk Group comprises A.P. Moller - Maersk A/S and subsidiaries based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Group employs about 89,000 people in around 135 countries across the world. Maersk Line is recruiting to fill the position of: Job Title: Operations Officer Location: Lagos Ref.: ML-049330 Key Responsibilities Successful candidate would be on a sequential job rotation in the operations department. Rotation would be in the following order; 1.) Marine & Terminal Operation Assist the Mariner and Terminal Operations manager in adequately manage all areas within the marine and terminal operations department: Internally in terms of proper planning of operational tasks and implementing and continuously refining and updating procedures to improve overall efficiency and profitability for the Line. Externally in terms of stakeholder management with service providers and authorities; maintain a dialogue with main suppliers and authorities in area of responsibility on general and principal marine and terminal operations. Monitoring set performance measures for external vendor deliverables and follow up on performance. Assist the Mariner and Terminal Operations manager in conducting regular ports/terminals performance review to ensure that contractual productivity targets are met. Ensure visibility on performance management for all relevant KPIs for CWAOPS. 2. Equipment, Intermodal & EMR Assist the Equipment, Intermodal & EMR Manager in overall supervision of Equipment Management and Intermodal Operations within CWA cluster (comprising Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Niger). Assist daughter countries in equipment flows, dwell-time and turn-time management including timely evacuation and securing of required space allocation. Assist the Equipment, Intermodal & EMR Manager in conducting regular ports/terminals and ICDs related infrastructural capacity reviews to ensure that the Line takes proactive actions to avoid any bottlenecks. This should include keeping an eye on the dwell time of import cargo within the cluster. Ensure visibility on performance management for all relevant KPIs for CWAOPS. 3.) Projects Create and deliver project work plans and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements. Monitor day-to-day operational aspects of the project(s). Ensure project documents are complete, current, and appropriately stored. Work closely with relevant stake holders to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the project(s). Align projects to business goals, managing stakeholders, and communicating project status, milestones, and unexpected difficulties effectively. Any other function as assigned Upon completion of rotation, the incumbent shall become part of operations team within any of the above work streams depending on requirements and aptitude. Requirement Who we are looking for Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in economics, finance or Business related course 1-2 year work experience Knowledge of shipping industry would be an added advantage Detail oriented individual with excellent analytical skills Possess good communication and interpersonal skills Strong team player while taking responsibility for own performance Strong MS Office Suite skills Method of Application Interested and qualified candidates should Click https://jobsearch.maersk.com/vacancies/publication?pinst=005056A52F591EE3BEF34465FF681044 Application Deadline 8th July, 2014. ———————————————————————————————————Maersk Line Lagos Jobs for Operations Executive Maersk Line is the world’s largest container shipping company, serving customers all across the globe. Maersk Line has 25,000 employees across 325 offices in more than 125 countries. As a leading provider of container shipping services, Maersk Line’s mission is to provide opportunities in global commerce. Maersk Line helps customers source goods from anywhere in the world, creating efficiencies in their supply chains, and making it possible for commodities to reach new markets more quickly. Maersk Line sets the standards in ensuring continuous and consistent reliable and quality service to its customers and is regarded amongst the most reliable carriers in the world. The Maersk Group comprises A.P. Moller - Maersk A/S and subsidiaries based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Group employs about 89,000 people in around 135 countries across the world. Maersk Line is recruiting to fill the position of: Job Title: Operations Executive Location: Lagos Ref.: ML-049337 Key Responsibilities Successful candidate would be on a sequential job rotation in the operations department. Rotation would be in the following order; 1.) Marine & Terminal Operation Assist the Mariner and Terminal Operations manager in adequately manage all areas within the marine and terminal operations department: a.Internally in terms of proper planning of operational tasks and implementing and continuously refining and updating procedures to improve overall efficiency and profitability for the Line. b.Externally in terms of stakeholder management with service providers and authorities; maintain a dialogue with main suppliers and authorities in area of responsibility on general and principal marine and terminal operations. Monitoring set performance measures for external vendor deliverables and follow up on performance. Assist the Mariner and Terminal Operations manager in conducting regular ports/terminals performance review to ensure that contractual productivity targets are met. Ensure visibility on performance management for all relevant KPIs for CWAOPS. 2.) Equipment, Intermodal & EMR Assist the Equipment, Intermodal & EMR Manager in conducting regular ports/terminals and ICDs related infrastructural capacity reviews to ensure that the Line takes proactive actions to avoid any bottlenecks. This should include keeping an eye on the dwell time of import cargo within the cluster. Ensure visibility on performance management for all relevant KPIs for CWAOPS. Assist the Equipment, Intermodal & EMR Manager in overall supervision of Equipment Management and Intermodal Operations within CWA cluster (comprising Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Niger). Assist daughter countries in equipment flows, dwell-time and turn-time management including timely evacuation and securing of required space allocation. 3.) Cost Control & Economy Assist Cluster Cost and Efficiency Manager in optimizing existing operational processes with particular focus on reducing cost and increasing productivity and efficiency. Assisting Cluster Cost and Efficiency Manager in ensuring NOPS accuracy for CWA Cluster by proactively identifying estimation issues and taking measures towards timely resolution To assist in ensuring compliance to various contracts and service level agreements in terms of costs to the line, operational efficiencies, volume rebates / discounts, productivity incentives and any penalties arising out of non-compliance. To assist in ensuring all required statistics are captured throughout the year and are available to monitor performance of suppliers to effectively monitor their performance and compliance to various service level agreements. 4.) Projects
Create and deliver project work plans and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements. Monitor day-to-day operational aspects of the project(s). Ensure project documents are complete, current, and appropriately stored. Work closely with relevant stake holders to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the project(s). Align projects to business goals, managing stakeholders, and communicating project status, milestones, and unexpected difficulties effectively. Any other function as assigned Upon completion of rotation, the incumbent shall become part of operations team within any of the above work streams depending on requirements and aptitude. Requirement Who we are looking for Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in economics, finance or Business related course Possess good communication and interpersonal skills Strong team player while taking responsibility for own performance Strong MS Office Suite skills 2-3 years work experience Knowledge of shipping industry would be an added advantage Detail oriented individual with excellent analytical skills Method of Application Interested and qualified candidates should Click https://jobsearch.maersk.com/vacancies/publication?pinst=005056A52F591EE3BEF3D755B370D075 Application Deadline 8th July, 2014. ——————————————————————————————— Jobs at Unilever for an R&D Assistant Manager in Oregun, Lagos Unilever Nigeria Plc - Our brands are trusted everywhere and, by listening to the people who buy them, we’ve grown into one of the world’s most successful consumer goods companies. Unilever Nigeria Plc is recruiting to fill the below position: Job Title: R&D Assistant Manager N&H Job Number: 14000BNU Location: Nigeria-Lagos State-Lagos-Oregun Job Description Unilever Nigeria is looking to hire an Expert in Nutrition & Health management The employee contributes to growth by driving Nutrition & Health (N&H) for brands, categories and corporate. Based on local market insights manages N&H risks and opportunities wrt portfolio and claims and deploys centrally developed N&H communication packages / initiatives. Main Accountabilities Understand brand / category strategy and N&H environment (policies, consumers, markets, competitors, health influencers) and share these with GDC or RDC to identify nutrition and health opportunities (key cells). Accountable for N&H soundness of related local communications for health influencers, media and consumers. Champion USLP Health & Wellbeing commitments by driving quality of nutritional data in our databases, monitoring portfolio status and identifying and flagging issues and opportunities. The above mentioned accountabilities apply also for local jewels, but country N&H manager is responsible for design and clearance of N&H claims and communication materials. Leverage expertise, best practice and learning across countries and brands via relevant networks (e.g. Unilever Nutrition Network) Contribute to the claims co-generation process by identifying risk / opportunities and sharing these in early stages with the GDC / RDC. Proactively manage associated risks of centrally agreed claims by creating a local support for our claims, preparing spokespeople to deal with external Qs and by monitoring issues and timely involving relevant stakeholders. Deploying centrally developed N&H communication approach and materials for both “health influencers” (experts, health care professionals, NGOs, GOs, media, social networks and customers) and consumers aimed at influencing local consumer behaviour to create demand for Unilever products in an effective way. Relevant Experience Required: 3 years of relevant working experience in a relevant discipline such as R&D, Nutrition & health in FMCG, Public Health, Communication, Science. Method of Application Interested and qualified candidates should: https://unilever.taleo.net/careersection/external/jobdetail.ftl?job=14000BNU&lang=en Application Deadline 2nd July, 2014 ——————————————————————————————————— Jobs for Sales Managers/Engineers in a Power Services Company based in Lagos A Lagos based Power Services Company specializing in the sale, repair and servicing of Generator products is seeking to recruit the services of Sales Managers/Engineers with experience in selling either generator or automobile or industrial products. Job Title: Sales Managers/Engineers Location: Lagos Responsibility Successful candidates will be responsible for aggressively generating sales of diesel engine generators in line with set target, provide market survey, presales technical support, manage client accounts, manage a sales team and report on sales activity. Qualifications Candidates are expected to have a minimum of first degree HND/BSc, in Business Management, Marketing, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering or equivalent technical degree with proven sales track record of automobile or industrial products. Must have a strong marketing flair and a good understanding of the technical market terrain. Good interpersonal skills are essential with the ability to work with little or no supervision. Applicants should not be more than 35 years old Suitable candidates must have minimum of 3 years post-graduate experience in selling technical/industrial products preferably Diesel Engine Generators, installation and support services. Method of Application Qualified candidates should send in their resume to: pplrecruit@yahoo.com Application Deadline 8th July, 2014 —————————————————————————————————— Current Vacancies in an International School in Lagos An International School that is starting at Ogba by September invites applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the position of: Location: Lagos 1.) An Experienced School Secretary Requirement HND Secretarial Studies, HND Business Administration, or HND Accounting. 2.) Nursery Teachers Requirement NCE/B.ED in any discipline with vast experience in early years and foundation stage education. Montessori knowledge is an added advantage. 3.) Experienced Marketers Requirement HND Marketing/BSc Marketing. 4.) An Experienced Caregiver Method of Application Interested and qualified candidates should submit handwritten application with CV to: collegeemploymentvacancy@gmail.com Application Deadline 8th July, 2014 ———————————————————————————————————————
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FEATURE
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
Double Tenure; Double Goodies – Aregbesola’s Re-assurance Of Quality Governance
•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (waiving broom), acknowledging cheers from his ecstatic admirers during a mega-rally for his re-election in Ikirun last Tuesday.
Instead of detractors' wish for the fold of progressives in the State of Osun, it was a tumultuous crowd that trooped out last Monday to demonstrate their support and acceptance for the second term bid of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in office. Following the defeat suffered by the fold in neighbouring Ekiti State last weekend, apprehension nursed and expressed in some quarters had been that the spill-over effect would cast shadows or dampen the morale of the progress-loving people of the state, as a vibrant subset of the volatile South-West. In Ikirun however, NIYI OLASINDE was part of the events which played out. He succinctly captures it as the beginning of a line-up of redoubled efforts in the collective bid to clinch Ogbeni's governorship ticket and his return back to the Government House, come August 9.HIS election season is becoming has witnessed monumental progress, appellation after one of the illustrious not been prominently felt.
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more and more interesting. Obviously, as the coast is becoming clearer, things are getting better. The campaigns preceding the Gubernatorial Elections in the State of Osun have gathered momentum. As a matter of fact, it is an undertaking in stating the obvious that we are midstream into a fresh round of elections. The moment of decision is round the corner. In a matter of a month and few days, we, I mean all eligible adults who had registered as voters and who had collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shall be exercising their franchise; through the power of the thumb. Now, it is becoming more down-toearth that the thumb is more powerful than force of arms; especially if and when it is used to poll majority votes cast for a particular candidate and / or his political party. It is in reasonable response to this stark reality that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has recently intensified efforts at massive voter education and awareness creation as it roves round the nine federal constituencies into which it is delineated, with the intent of reaching the electorate in their domains and present them with the programmes and policies the party has in stock for them. Over a period of time spanning almost four years now, the state
growth and development, measured with the widespread developmental projects springing up, jumpstarted and bankrolled under the aegis of the Government Unusual spearheaded by the indefatigable team of achievers led by Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. The landmark achievements of the administration are many. So plenty are these ground-breaking feats that making an attempt at reducing them to writing would require a voluminous work! This medium has done that over and over again. Yet in our avowed determination at providing the public with true, unbiased, accurate and authentic information we shall not shy out at this crucial stage to re-emphasize the joy of having a competent government in place at the helm of affairs. It is safe here to conclude that this Government Unusual is working. This is the truth that is quite visible in every stratum of life in the State of the Virtuous. At a time like this, prior to the Gubernatorial Elections of year 2007; a young, vibrant, enterprising and promising gentleman – an engineer by profession - expressed interest in providing the kind of leadership the state had long thirsted for. Unfortunately, since the creation of the state in 1991, this kind of administration had been a matter of desideratum, i.e. necessary but missing. The man, who christened his campaign
legendary forebears of the Yoruba race, Oranmiyan, stormed the entire political landscape with rallies, campaigns and public forums with which he intimated the populace with the innovations he was about to bring to bear in government, should he be given the mandate. Not to bore my readers with too much of wellknown details, I hereby venture into adumbrating the entire election promises in the presentation of his Six-Point Integral Action Plan, encapsulated in the pact he made with the people of the state: · Banish Poverty · Banish Hunger · Banish Unemployment (Create Work/Wealth) · Restore Healthy Living · Promote Functional Education · Enhance Communal Peace and Progress Today, we all are living witnesses to it that he has kept faith with his promises. Little wonder that the first civilian governor of the state Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, did at the Ikirun Mega Rally name the achiever behind these countless projects in Ibo as Ekwueme, meaning a man of his words; or better, a man whose word is his bound. Aregbesola has, within his almost four years in office touched the lives of the citizenry in all facets. Boldly, we assert that there is no household, sector, class, caste or stratum of the state where the hand of his administration has
It is in appreciation of this kind gesture; so magnanimously bestowed that people troop out in their droves whenever the call is made on them to give of their time, attention, interest, love and support. In most cases, most of these variable constructs, which the people of the state possess in abundant dosage, are given unsolicited. Naturally, it is a matter of one good turn that deserves another. But the people insist on giving more than these. They are fully committed to doing it all over again for Ogbeni and his administration so that the good work could continue. So far, five mega rallies have been held in five out of the nine federal constituencies in the state. Aside this, local campaign rallies are ongoing all over the corners, nooks and crannies of the state, all at the instance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to publish the policies and programmes which the party and its candidate have in stock. This fact is against the backdrop that some other parties in the contest are not being noticed as convening any gathering at all. Some of them do not appear to have any well conceptualized manifestos! Aside these rallies organized by a wellknown, widely accepted political party, other gatherings are being held on daily basis by groups of diverse interests, adopting the Continued on page 13
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FEATURE
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
Double Tenure; Double Goodies – Aregbesola’s Re-assurance Of Quality Governance
•Governor Rauf Aregbesola (on top of a bus), acknowledging cheers from his supporters and admirers at the Ikirun mega rally. Continued from page 12 candidature of Ogbeni and endorsing his stay in office beyond year 2014. At all the mega rallies held so far, the experience has been awfully wonderful. The surging crowd of supporters that trooped out to grace these rallies is astonishing. Little wonder that members of the leading opposition in the state marvel to the extent that they carelessly mistake the explosive figure of attendees for hired cronies from other lands. Once, I overheard some of their idlers arguing on how the statistics of a single political party at just one of its rallies could appear to surpass the aggregate population figure of the entire state! To such ones and others who are similarly confounded, I give this candid answer: Time will tell, or better still, our votes shall soon tell. It is as simple as that. THE recently-held mega rally at Ikirun has multiplied the already numerous woes of traducers. Since the rally day, I for one have not been able to come out with a self-satisfactory solution to the puzzle in my mind. The puzzle is whether or not the Reinhard Bonnke crusade which first opened the venue to mammoth crowd was as large as this political convergence it drifted into of late. Speaker after speaker, including Senator Isiaka Adeleke and Governor Aregbesola himself could not hide their rapturous amazement at the turnout of people at the event. The petrifaction of doubting Thomases caused their lower lips to droop. The story is told of how some of them began to develop high blood pressure; while those who had long been afflicted had their cases aggravated. WHY? Because they thought, in their wildest imagination, that the charade of Ekiti would cause a setback for camp of progressives. Gladly, they are disappointed. The mega rally held in Ikirun, the seat of Ifelodun Local Government Council Area of the State of Osun was convened at the instance of the Ifelodun Federal Constituency, comprising three local council areas, namely, Ifelodun, Boripe and Odo-Otin. Every component of the rally, including the huge turnout, the
spacious and expansive venue and the orderliness which pervaded the atmosphere spoke of work of ingenuity in planning and events management. Thus, one could not but appreciate the grand homework done by the Aregbesola Second Term Campaign Committee for the constituency, under the distinguished chairmanship of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola. As early as eight o’clock on that day, the ancient town of Ikirun had already woken up to the frenzy atmosphere that was destined to last all-day. The streets fast became beehives of activities as crowds built up rapidly for the great event. At the centre of the town, especially, Oja Oba and areas adjoining the Akinrun’s Palace, attitudes of traders, commercial motorcycle operators (popularly referred to as okada men) and the presence of security men indicated that the stage was being set for an interesting event. At Total Area, down to Station Road, up to Monday Market and across the Ofa / Osogbo Expressway to Akinorun Grammar School, the situation was as if the weekly Monday Market was going to be extended one more day. This was also the situation at the popular Oja Alamisi Junction. The popular Eko-Ende Road did not take exemption from the hustle-bustle. The apparently most affected area was the old Inisa Road, stretching from the old Mobil Junction, through Labaeka / Emiloju Area down to the Coker Memorial High School, overlooking the venue of the great meet. Entrances to the town were not spared. Outskirts along Inisa, Obaagun to Coker, Obaagun via Oke’ba, Iragbiji / Ada end, Eko-Ende and the rest were beefing up with congestion. The Osogbo end of the outskirts had expectant people attracted to it as they expected the appearance of their beloved emancipator – Ogbeni Aregbesola. Motor Parks in the town were not spared. Unions of public transport operators also organized themselves into groups with which they set out to identify and solidarize with the man who turned their fortunes around
positively in a dramatic fashion. Student bodies, market men and women and various trade unions and associations used the ample opportunity provided by the august occasion to troop out and make their gratitude and support known. Needless to say, multifarious political groups and associations struggled to outdo one another as they registered their presence at the rally. On arrival at Ikirun, the first port of call for the governor and his entourage was the palace of the monarch of the town, where all the royal fathers were already seated, waiting for the arrival of the man in who they are well pleased. The host, Akirun of Ikirun, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rauf Olayiwola Olawale Adedeji, led others to receive the governor on arrival as prayers were rained on him and the success of his second term bid. Thereafter, the governor made straight for the venue of the occasion. The mammoth crowd that heralded his arrival at the palace, the ones that lined all the streets, and the cumulative crowd that accompanied him all the way to the venue suggested the expectation and arrival of one of the prophets of old, say, Mohammed or Jesus Christ. Already waiting at the venue was another large crowd. It was indeed a glorious occasion. Speeches after speeches were made at the occasion. The high point was the speech of the governor, the man of the moment. Aregbesola thanked the people for the continued faith in, and their support for his administration, even as he solicited their massive votes on the Election Day. He brought out the unique and intricate elements which distinguished the State of Osun and its politics from Ekiti; just as he cautioned the electorate to spurn all forms of intimidation and troop out in droves on Election Day to perform their civic obligation. He also counseled law enforcement agents to endeavour in their operations to dwell strictly within the ambit of constitutional provisions; as that was the only proviso for the people to stretch olive branches to them. Most impressive was how Aregbesola
recounted his list of achievements; just as he promised to do more in his second term. According to him, he was seeking re-election, not just for the sake of it, but to do better in terms of good governance and service delivery to the people, In his words at the occasion, his seeking reelection was governed by the doctrine of “double tenure; double goodies”. By implication, the benefits derivable from giving him mandate to serve another term in office shall outstrip those already derived from the first tenure. Among dignitaries who graced the occasion are former governor of the state, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, Wife of the Governor, Alhaja Sherifat Abidemi Aregbesola, Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs.) Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori and the visiting Wife of the Governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun. Others include the rank and file of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun led by the Acting Chairman, Elder Adelowo Adebiyi and Acting Secretary, Prince Gboyega Famodun. Among the members of the State Executive Council in attendance are the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti, Chief of Staff to the Governor, who doubled as the Chief Host at the event, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Honourable Sunday Akere, his Justice Ministry counterpart, Mr. Wale Afolabi and a host of others. Also in attendance are federal and state legislators, executive secretaries of local government council areas, political bigwigs, representatives of trade and professional associations and groups and others. Nollywood actors and musicians were not left out as usual. The chief entertainer at the occasion was King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (K1). Leading the Obas at the Akinrun’s Palace are their Royal Majesties, the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Abdul-Rauf Olawale Adedeji (Ifelodun); the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi Odundun IV (Boripe); and Olokuku of Okuku, Oba Samuel Abioye the Oyebode Oluronke II (Odo-Otin).
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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 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
15
PHOTOTALK
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, June 28, 2014
8th Edition Of lnteractive Public Feedback Programme (Gbangba D’ekun) By Governor Rauf Aregbesola In Ijesa North Federal Constituency Held At Ijebu-Jesa, Photo: GBENGAADENIYI. Last Thursday.
•Another cross section of traditional rulers at the event.
•Another cross section of ecstatic crowd during the programme.
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SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2014
T
HE Ekiti 2014 gubernatorial election has come and gone. It has been viewed and analysed in different ways. Some, particularly the stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have said they have arrived to take over power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South West zone of the country. There were certain facts that were established with the Ekiti election. First and foremost, it is an incontrovertible fact that the election was very peaceful and orderly. However, I would prefer to add my voice to those who opine that if we can mobilise such security forces to Ekiti for election, what stops the same number of security forces or more making it to Sambisa forest to free our abducted school girls. Secondly, if we have to mobilise the level of security apparatus to achieve a credible election in Ekiti, what then happens in 2015 when there would be general elections? For now, the general mood of the people is that President Goodluck Jonathan and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under Professor Attahiru Jega, has conducted the best gubernatorial election in Nigeria. Much as I do not want to go against the general perception or reality on ground, I prefer to tarry a while and raise certain some salient questions. A lot of analysts, who spoke on the said election, have made reference to the fact that the out-going governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, a gentleman by every standard and who conceded defeat swiftly, is accused of running an elitist government. They alleged he was disconnected with the people (voters), hence his total rejection on the polling day. On the other hand was Mr Ayodele Fayose, the Governor-in-waiting, who was downright with the people and whose tenure was a huge success, even though he was impeached by the then State House of Assembly. If Fayose was leveraging on his past achievements, what happened to him when he contested election on the ticket of the Labour Party to be a senator? This question is pertinent because that election like this came after his impeachment. A related question and which is germane to the election being discussed is what happens to an executive that is impeached? Or furthermore, what happens if there is a court case against somebody, who desires to contest? From available evidence in public domain, there was a murder charge hanging on the neck of the PDP standard-bearer before he contested and won the election. Deliberately, I refrained from adding corruption because it is a non-issue in Nigerian politics, inspite of the establishment of anti-corruption
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My Reflections On Ekiti 2014 Election
•FAYEMI
agencies of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practics and Relative offences Commission (ICPC). In an advertorial placed in The Punch newspaper on Wednesday, July 25, 2014 p. 23 by Prince Burruyi Kashamu, it stated inter alia “The results of the Ekiti State Governorship election now prove beyond doubt that the APC has never won any election in Ekiti State. Infact, in Oni’s polling booth at Methodist Polling Unit, Ifaki-Ekiti, his new party got just a vote as against PDP’s 51". Is it true in reality that former Governor Segun Oni could not muster just two votes in his polling booth? This simply means that it is either the erstwhile governor did not vote for his new party or that his wife did not find his new party worthy of a vote. This is not factoring in the immediate members of his family and some of his personal aides.
Before putting down his weekly column, I had an encounter with somebody that talked about the Oni’s issue. The person’s explanation was simply that what transpired in Ekiti state was scientific rigging. In law court what is needed is evidence and since this columnist is neither a learned man nor has any evidence to prove to the contrary what INEC has proclaimed, one needs to let it rest like that. However, it is important to reiterate the fact that may be later but certainly not now, everything would be made bare. Governor Fayemi conceded defeat and congratulated the winner, Fayose. He invited the Governor-elect to his office a day after and set out how to handle the hand-over to the new governor. This is commendable, considering the fact that this is the first time a candidate in an election not the party, would congratulate his opponent. We wish it would be the beginning of such good things to come in Nigeria. It also explains the erroneous
impression people like Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State have about the progressives. He had stated during the last campaign rally of Fayose in Ado-Ekiti that the PDP, of which he is the chairman of the Governors Forum, has assembled a team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to defend their candidate because he knew the APC would seek refuge in the court of law. All said and done, some analysts would rationalize what has happened to justify the results. All Nigerians are happy that there was no violence and crude rigging, at least like the one we know of. A member of the South-West PDP was on Channels Television, Lagos monitored in Osogbo recently, where he made certain assertions. The said official, one Mr Segun Sowunmi, a former Director-General of the Jonathan-Sambo Campaign team in the last presidential election, said amongst other things that the South-West PDP under the able leadership of Prince Kashamu complemented the efforts of Fayose. He admitted that rice, kerosene and money were freely offered to voters in Ekiti State during the electioneering campaigns. In justifying the huge difference in votes between a sitting governor and a former governor contesting, Sowunmi asserted that they employed 25 mobilisers for each polling booth and each turned in 4 voters that voted for the party. This, among some other strategies, which he failed to disclose, worked in favour of the PDP. He went further to state that the PDP is ready to take over the South-West from the APC. To a question, whether the politics of stomach, which is immediate and ephemeral, is better than infrastructural development? Sowunmi could not give a satisfactory answer. He only said that is the politics of reality on ground in Nigeria today. It is quite unfortunate that the SouthWest of today will need pittance and things which have very short value to destroy our future. Is it because of poverty of mind or of money? Was the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo known for the number of bags of rice or kerosene he distributed or the enduring legacies he left behind? It is unfortunate that the beneficiaries of Awo’s legacies are the very people who have descended so low to now see politics as cash and carry. I agree with Sowunmi that the stomach should be taken care of because the Yoruba say okun inu lafi gbe tita, which simply means people should be fed before any other thing. We should however, all think about the future and remember that except Lagos State, the PDP has ruled all the other states at one time or the other and there are living witnesses to tell what the story was.
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:
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