Osun Defender - September 13th 2014, Edition by OsunDefender

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 Weeks before the August 9th gubernatorial elections which was won by the pragmatic Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of the APC, it was obvious we were up against forces other than the people of Osun state which naturally should be the determinant of

VOL. 9. NO.110

Front Page Comment The War Called The Osun Elections; By Segun Tomori

how the elections will swing. The All progressives Congress (APC) still smarting from its shocking defeat in the previous Ekiti elections had literarily sworn it will lose Osun over its dead body. The murderous villain fielded by the Peoples Democratic

Party (PDP), outrightly unpopular with barely a few dozens of people trailing him at campaigns however worethe confidence of a Governor-In-waiting.

He they didn’t care a hoot about the people’s wish, all that matters was the full compliment of the paraphernalia of State activated by an

imperial President though utterly clueless, but desperate to add Osun to his conquest in furtherance of his still-born second term bid. So lo and behold, the die was cast!I have not been emotionally attached to any elections in Nigeria as I was with the Osun elections,

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maybe June 12, 1993 Presidential elections presumed to have being won by my President, M.K.O Abiola could be an exception. It wasn’t because I had affinity with anyone in Ogbeni’s government or because I enjoyed any form of patronage but because Continue on pg5

Governorship Election:

Osun APC Counsel Engages Tribunal Over Petition To NJC •... Seeks Removal Of Tribunal’s Chair

- See Story On Page 2

Presidency Turns Against Omisore On Tribunal - Pg 3 Osun: PDP Lawyer, Minister’s Brother, Causes Stir At INEC - Pg 4 Office •Roughhandles APC Counsel

•Body of the late Chief Imam Of Osogboland and President-General, League of Imams and Alfas, South-West, Edo and Delta states, Sheik Mustapha Ajisafe, being carried by well-wishers during the special prayer for him at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun, last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Chief Imam Of Osogbo Laid To Rest •It Is A Big Loss - Aregbesola- Pg 2

Presidency Turns Against Omisore On Tribunal

- See Story On Page 3

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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Osun APC Counsel Engages Tribunal Over Petition To NJC •... Seeks Removal Of Tribunal’s Chair By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

HE Chairman, Osun State Election Petition Tribunal, Justice Sulaiman Ambrusa, was confronted by counsel to Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Kunle Adegoke, on Tuesday over the party’s petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) against the composition of the newly-constituted tribunal. This was just as the tribunal chairman vowed that nobody would compromise his panel, no matter the amount such person offers. These came up at the sitting of the tribunal in Osogbo, hearing the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the August 9, 2014 governorship election, Iyiola Omisore, against the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his party, APC, at the election. Adegoke argued that there

was a petition sent to the NJC by the APC against the constitution of the panel, saying that based on this petition, confidence in the panel was in doubt. The petition, he noted, was written to the NJC, following the constitution of the new panel, after the first tribunal, headed by Justice I.M Bako had been disbanded, based on a petition written against it by Accord Party (AP). According to him, when confidence in the tribunal is

being called to question, the way out for the chairman and members of such panel was to excuse themselves from the matter. While responding, the tribunal chairman said since the APC had forwarded a petition to the NJC, the decision of the council would be awaited before any decision is taken, saying the tribunal could not disqualify itself based on mere allegations. He noted that the tribunal is ready to step down, should there be need for it, but assured that the tribunal would ensure it follows the law and evidence presented before it to arrive at its decisions. “Nobody has asked me to do anything for him on this case and nobody can enforce his wishes on me, except to determine the

case before us according to the law and evidence before us. “We are not here for anybody and I can assure you that nobody can compromise this tribunal for anything. “I prefer to die of hunger, rather than collecting money from anybody to do his wishes on this case,” he insisted. Meanwhile, counsel to Aregbesola and the APC, Adegoke, had asked the court to reverse the initial order of the tribunal, that granted the PDP application for the inspection of election materials. Moving the application before the court, Adegoke stated that the petitioner’s counsel did not follow the precedence laid down for such request to be granted. He said the order was granted

because the tribunal was oblivious of the defect in the motion, stressing that the order should be set aside. Ruling on the application was adjourned till Friday, August 12, 2014. Earlier, the tribunal had granted an exparte application brought by Omisore and the PDP counsel, Mr Afolabi Fasanu (SAN), asking the court to allow them serve Governor Rauf Aregbesola with a copy of their petition through alternative means. The chairman of the tribunal in a ruling directed that a copy of the petition should be pasted at the gate of the State Government House. A similar order was also granted the counsel to the Accord Party, Mr Bisi

Adedayo, as the court directed that his client’s petition should be dropped at the APC Secretariat in Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo. Addressing journalists after the tribunal sitting, Adegoke said he was satisfied that the tribunal chairman was able to make some explanations on the issues he raised about confidence in the panel and promised to do justice to the matter. He assured that the APC would take the tribunal chairman by his words, and expressed his optimism that the panel would do justice to the matter before it. Also, counsel to the PDP, Fasanu said he has confidence in the tribunal that justice would be done to the matter.

Orolu Celebrates Aregbesola’s Victory By ABOSEDEAKINPELU

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, addressing the civil servants, who trouped out en-masse to rejoice with him after his victory for second term in office. With him are: From left, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam; State Head of service, Mr Sunday Owoeye; Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola; Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti and other dignitaries, at the Governor’s Office, Abere, State of Osun, on Wednesday.

Chief Imam Of Osogbo Laid To Rest •It Is A Big Loss - Aregbesola By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

HE remains of the late Chief Imam of Osogbo land, Sheik Olayiwola Ajisafe, was laid to rest on Wednesday in Osogbo, the state capital, after Jenazah prayers was held at Osogbo City Stadium. The body of the late showed that he loved his President General of the Nigeria community and state dearly. League of Imams and Alfas He said that the death of arrived into the waiting arms Sheikh Ajisafe was a big loss of Islamic scholars, Muslism to the Muslim Ummah in Ummarh within and outside the Osogbo, as well as the entire state, which included the state because he preached Chairmen, League of Imams peace and unity while alive, from Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, adding that his preachings at Edo and Delta states. home and his gospel of Islamic The governor of the State of scholarship would be greatly Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, missed. his wife, Alhaja Serifat While praying for the Aregbesola, led the state repose of the soul of the late government delegation and cleric, Aregbesola urged other important dignitaries to members of various Muslim the prayer for the repose of the societies to continue the good soul of the late Ajisafe. works Sheik Ajisafe started, Thousands of Muslim adding that it is the only way faithful and Ummarh, who to immortalise the departed were at the stadium, when the cleric, who he described as the casket bearing the body of the pride of Osun in particular and of the Muslim leader was Nigeria as a whole. driven in around 11.05 am, The governor, who cited could not hold back their tears. various verses from the Holy The remains were later Quran, said the death of Ajisafe taken to the residence of the was a lesson to all human late Imam for final burial. beings that regardless of The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji human status in the society, Mohammad Saa’d was death is inevitable. represented by Professor Daud He said: “Every part of Duribi, the Executive Secretary, human life, including South West Muslim Ummarhs. greatness, is the wisdom and Speaking at the programme, blessing of God. Once it is Governor Aregbesola described certain that one day, we are the late Imam as a very going to die, that is why we knowledgeable man, who was must always have the fear of always looking for ways to God. This is another clear uplift the religion and his state. evidence that there is no one He recalled how the late that will not die, regardless of cleric was always praying for our status.” the peaceful conduct of the last In a lecture delivered by the gubernatorial election, which Chief Missioner of the Ansar-

-Ul-Deen Islamic Society of Nigeria, Sheik Dr Abdulram Ahmad, he described death as inevitable. He pointed out that it was very certain that all human beings must die, while urging all and sundry to live everyday of their life as if it is their last day on earth. The missioner, admonished

the gathering to see themselves as pilgrims on earth, saying that evil doers should forsake their evil ways and live a holy life. Also speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by Professor Daud Noibi, stressed the need for all human beings to strive to serve Allah till the end time. He prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive the late Iman of his sins and grant him Aljanna Fidaus .

HE ancient town of Ifon-Osun, headquarters of Orolu Local Government Council Area of the State of Osun, recently went agog, as mammoth crowd and sea of heads, as leaders, members, supporters, party members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in IfonOsun gathered last Sunday to celebrate the victory and reelection of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for a second term in the just-concluded gubernatorial election in the state. The Orolu APC used the administration executed in the occasion to thank God and the last 46 months. He also said that the people entire people of Ifon-Osun that contributed one way or the of Orolu have proven some other to the success story of people wrong, as PDP was the APC before, during and mercilessly defeated during the after the election, irrespective election. He therefore pleaded with of the heavy militarization, victimization and harassment the governor and the perpetrated by the PDP leaders government of the state to help finding lasting solution to some and members. While speaking at the event, state roads linking Ifon to Janta-Ikunsin, State Deputy Treasurer of the Ilawe, APC, Prince Adekunle Benson, Okuniletu-Owode and the pointed out that the purpose inherited Ojutu Bridge, of the event was to show purposely to bring rapid appreciation to God and all development to the people of party members for the conduct the area. The Orolu APC leader, of the poll. Benson also stated that if Alhaji Kilani Orisawale and not for the overwhelming Orolu APC Chairman, Alhaji support of the people of the Ganiyu Ibrahim, eulogized state and divine intervention, Ogbeni Aregbesola for his the victory would have been unusual achievements and urged the people of the state difficult to get. The State House of to continue supporting APC in Assembly member the forthcoming elections. He said: “The victory representing Irepodun/Orolu Constituency, Honourable recorded by the governor in the Oyedele Kamil, attributed last governorship election has Aregbesola’s victory to his been attributed to the show of unprecedented developmental love and commitment by the projects, which his people of the State of Osun.”

Ebola Virus Is A Security Challenge To Any Country - Aregbesola

HE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday highlighted not only the health, but the the security challenges posed to any country by the scourge of Ebola virus. The governor, who conveyed a state security council and stakeholders’ meeting on the prevention of Ebola virus disease, at the Government House Banquet Hall, held that any country under the threat of the epidemic, risks losing its sovereignty. Aregbesola pointed out that all hands must be on deck on how to checkmate the disease from entering the state, saying the state’s meagre resources should be concentrated on bringing about massive economic development. The governor stressed that most of the countries affected are almost losing their sovereignty because of the Ebola. He said: “We should not see the disease as an ordinary health

challenge, but a situation that can be seen as a security problem for a state or a nation. That is why I have called all the security chiefs and all stakeholders to this meeting. “I am happy that we now have a big relief in the state against the rumour of the virus in the state. God forbids it, I have been troubled ever since the news broke. How could we have coped with the little resources of the state? You should now go out to tell the world that there is no Ebola in Osun and that we will prevent its manifestation here at all cost. “With all these countries around us, there are countries like Liberia, Sierra-Leone, Guinea and Congo that we need to support because they are too

close for the comfort of our country. Our prayer is that the disease will not have place to stay in our land,” the governor prayed. Speaking at the meeting, the Special Adviser to Governor Aregbesola on Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, noted that the state health ministry is prepared for the disease. “We have set up various committees, comprising five ministries, meeting and sensitising peo ple on what to do and we have distributed personal protective equipment to hospitals in the state. “The ministry is not leaving any stone unturned on the issue of this Ebola virus. Personnel of our ministry are out to sensitize market women, members of National Union of Road and Transport Workers and other artisans. Jingle and enlightenment programmes are also on radio and television on how to prevent it,” Dr. Isamotu said Also the representative of

the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Olaniyi Onayemi, said the university community is happy that the governor is interested in making the state Ebola-free. “The rumour that Ebola entered Osun through the university is false. In OAU, we have set up committees on campus and also had a seminar on Ebola in school. We have forms for them to fill that will give a lead to where they have been before resumption. “It was in the process that we got a lady, who came out to say that she had contact will a victim in Port Harcourt. She was taken to Lagos and the first test result showed that she is Ebola Negative. “Foreign students have been asked to stay back for the session, while those around, who have not gone out of the country have been screened. As of now, the reported lady is Ebola-free,” the university don told the meeting.

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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Presidency Turns Against Omisore On Tribunal time for all of us in this great By ISMAEEL UTHMAN party to focus on getting the ENATOR Iyiola Omisore, the candidate of the Peoples president re-elected. Any Democratic Party (PDP) in the last gubernatorial other thing is counterelection in the State of Osun, is currently at productive.” loggerheads with the Presidency over his resolve to He referred to the PDP’s challenge the victory of Governor Rauf Aregbesola at the primaries in Adamawa State, election petition tribunal. where the party reThe Presidency, legal procedure to change considered the Acting according to sources, has the outcome of the result as Governor, having withdrawn its support for a distraction. This is not the disqualified him earlier, as a Omisore’s petition, which it time for distractions. It is sign of the president’s described as a distraction to the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan. According to impeccable sources, President Jonathan and the national leaders of the PDP wanted all litigations instituted by any By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI PDP chieftain, including the election petition at the Osun HE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Tribunal, to stop, to avoid Aregbesola, on Wednesday attributed his victory distractions that can lead to during the August 9, 2014 governorship election to the destruction of the the wish of God, saying the Peoples Democratic Party-led president’s ambition. (PDP) Federal Government used every available force to A national leader of the unseat him through the backdoor PDP, who pleaded He disclosed that the election. Governor Aregbesola anonymity, confirmed the government at the federal Presidency decision, while level deployed 93,000 said this in Osogbo on while speaking with OSUN security agents to the state, Wednesday DEFENDER on Monday in not for protection of lives addressing state workers at and property, but to cripple the Government Secretariat, Osogbo. The PDP chieftain said: the leaders and supporters Abere, who organised a All Progressives reception to welcome the ”Many of us now see of governor back into office Omisore’s pursuit of any Congress (APC) in the state after the last governorship

resolve to ward-off any distractions on his second term ambition. According to him: “Omisore’s petition at the tribunal is not suitable to President Jonathan’s ambition. The money to be spent on the litigation could be used to mobilize electorate for the president. Enough money had been

expended on the election. There is no need to waste more. “President Jonathan is battling with so many challenges on his second term ambition and he wants everybody that is interested in his re-election to be focused and avoid any distraction. President Jonathan considers

Omisore’s petition as a distraction to his second term bid. “The president has however directed all the party leaders not to expend any resources on the Omisore’s matter at the Osun Election Petition Tribunal. It is perceived a serious distraction for the party ahead of the 2015 general elections.”

Osun Workers Welcome Aregbesola To Office

•93, 000 Security Operatives Deployed For Civilian Coup In Osun - Aregbesola

and rig the governorship

election. He assured the civil servants of more commitment to their welfare and working environment during his second term in office and urged them to always discharge their duties with all sense of responsibility and shun partisan politics. Aregbesola said: “By God’s grace, no harm will come to any civil servant through me for holding opposing views. It is the beauty of democracy, except those who violated the civil

•An ongoing East By Pass road project in Osogbo, State of Osun, under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola as captured by our cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, last Wednesday.

Osun Cautions NURTW, RTEAN Members Over Ebola By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

OMMITTED to checkmating any incidence of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Osun, the state government committee on the monitoring and prevention of the scourge recently organised a sensitisation workshop for leaders of transport unions in Osogbo, the state capital. Addressing participants ascertaining the cause of at the workshop, the death, as a precautionary Director of Primary Health measure to prevent Ebola Care (PHC) and Disease disease. Control in the State Ministry Ogunniyi, who of Health, Dr. Kayode underscored the need for Ogunniyi, charged effective hygiene among all commercial vehicle drivers stakeholders in combating against movement of the Ebola disease, corpses from outside the described the transport State to Osun, stressing that unions as key integral parts such practice is capable of of the society, stressing that aiding the spread of EVD to it was imperative for them to the state. collaborate with He advised members of government and relevant National Union of Roads agencies in the fight against and Transport Workers the EVD. (NURTW) to request for According to him, the death certificates of any virus is more contagious corpse, with a view to among dead bodies than the

living, adding that the people should desist from moving close to corpses. In her remark, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Ilori, said the essence of the workshop was to teach the officers of the union on measures to prevent the scourge from getting into the state. Participants at the workshop included leaders of the NURTW, RTEAN, Cooperative Transport owners, ACOMORAN among others. Responding, leaders of the unions described the workshop as a timely one and that the information they got from there would be forwarded to other members across the state. They assured that with the information they

obtained from the workshop, their members would adhere strictly to the recommendations put up by the state government through the Ministry of Health and Directorate of Primary Health Care and Disease Control.

service rules and ethics that we need to talk to on the reason why they must not be partisan, to protect the sanity of the civil service.” “How do you explain a situation where a teacher in the state civil service served as the party agent of a political party? How do you trust such person that he or she will not divulge the secret of the government that he swore to protect? We need to talk to them to have a change of attitude for the civil service to progress.” He said with the intervention of God and the determination of the people to protect the mandate of APC during the last election, there is no need for revenge. According to him: “Our victory is the wish of God and not by our might. They deployed 93,000 security personnel; not to protect the people, but to cripple our party members and take over Osun by all means it required, but the will of God and the will of the people prevailed at the end. That is why we can be here today to celebrate the victory.” “If you add 93,000 security personnel to those who were here before and we have less than 4,000 polling units, it means we are going to have more than 25 security men at a polling unit, which could make it easy for them to rig the election for the PDP. “To understand the degree of our predicament, an 80-year-old man, a lawyer, Pa Fakayode in OkeIla, was arrested and transferred to NYSC Camp Ede, the military base, during the election, before he was taken to DSS Office, Osogbo. He was not allowed to ease himself when they were coming to Osogbo from Oke-Ila and the old man was defecating in his body. He was arrested

for no reason than supporting the APC. “Despite the immunity guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution, which protects me and my deputy from arrest, the deputy governor was arrested but not detained. Around 1.00am on Thursday, they attempted to attack the Government House but our security men were up to the task. My Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice was arrested and many others. This was our predicament, but God in His mercy protected us from their evil,” Aregbesola said. He urged the civil servants to resist desperate politicians, who may force them to have unholy alliance with the opposition, saying with dedication and hardwork, every civil servant would reach his desired peak in the service. Speaking earlier, State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Francis Olatunji, said they organised the reception to appreciate the commitment of the governor to the welfare of the civil servants and pledged the support of the workers to the current administration. The State Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye, said Governor Aregbesola has demonstrated unusual commitment in making life more abundant for the workers in the state and urged the civil servants to discharge their duties to ensure the success of the second term of his administration. Owoeye described the occasion as unprecedented. “No governor has ever been welcomed to office by workers. This shows that for every action, there is a reaction. This is a show of workers’ reaction to the numerous good things that Osun workers have enjoyed under your administration.”

Osun Vaccinates, Distributes Kits To Pilgrims

S part of preparations for successful and hitchfree Hajj this year, the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, State of Osun, has commenced vaccination and distribution of free bags and clothes to intending pilgrims to the holy land of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. to ensure The Secretary to the pilgrims board, Alhaji Tajudeen successful Hajj this year. He therefore advised the Adelabu, said the governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf pilgrims to display ethos of Aregbesola, has made Omoluabi, as it is the adequate provision for hallmark of the state in Saudi

Arabia. Also speaking, leader of medical team, Dr Ogundipe Busiroh, urged the intending pilgrims to cultivate the habit of hand-washing and other hygienic habits always. He also advised them to desist from hand-shaking and hugging while in the holy land, as people from other countries of world would be converging to perform the same rites at the same time.

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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Osun: PDP Lawyer, Minister’s Brother, Causes Stir At INEC Office •Roughhandles APC Counsel

HE inspection of election materials used for the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the State of Osun was temporarily put on hold on Wednesday, as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counsel, Kehinde Adesiyan, forcefully prevented the recording of the inspection at the premises of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Osogbo. The inspection of the to an eye witness, sighted a election materials, which member of APC team entered its second day on recording the proceedings Wednesday, had started on and ordered him to stop. a peaceful note, when Kehinde Adesiyan is Adesiyan, who is a lawyer younger brother to Mr Jelili in the PDP team, according Adesiyan, the Minister of

State for Police Affairs. This caught the attention of APC lawyers, who disagreed and insisted that there was no law preventing them from recording the proceedings. The disagreement generated arguments between the two parties, a situation that propelled one of the APC lawyers, Daud Akinloye, to take over the video recording of the

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED inspection. teams were called into a Infuriated by the action of peace meeting by an INEC the APC counsel, Adesiyan, chief to resolve the matter. according to an eyewitness After series of arguments flared up, rushed to where at the meeting, it was the counsel was standing unanimously agreed that and grabbed him by the nothing stops any of the neck. parties from recording the This caused commotion in inspection, with a caveat the INEC office, and it took that it must be limited to the the intervention of other inspection proper and not members of the two teams individuals. before normalcy could be One of the APC counsel, returned. Mr Yomi Aliu, confirmed S u b s e q u e n t l y , that Akinloye was grabbed representatives of the two by the neck and roughhandled by Adesiyan. He said the PDP insistence not to record the inspection has raised

suspicion that they have something to hide on the matter. He added that the PDP team also has the right to record the proceeding if they so wished, saying: “If they forgot their camera at home, it does not mean we should not do our own job.” Also, the PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Bola Ajao argued that the PDP team decided to stop the recording because it was not part of the order of the tribunal. He added that if the recording is allowed, it could be manipulated and used by the APC.

Osun APC Petitions INEC Over Ife Results By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

•Coordinator, De Mobilizers Group, Honourable Wasiu Abiona (3rd left) and other members during their celebration of the victory of Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, over the August 9, 2014 governorship election held at APC State Secretariat, Osogbo, recently.

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the results from eight local government council areas in the recently-held governorship election in the State of Osun. Special Adviser to the “In all, the APC is Governor on Environmental contesting results of eight Matters, Bola Ilori, broke the council areas because of news recently in Osogbo, what happened during the the state capital. election in these areas. According to him: “We “So, people should not be have written to the surprised that votes Independent National counted for the PDP would Electoral Commission be deducted.” (INEC) about the Ilori said it was clear to manipulation of votes by the the voters that Omisore PDP in the four wards of the wanted power not in the Ife South Local Government public interest but to serve Council Area. his selfish and inordinate ambition. “People of Osun are not fools. They know Omisore was pretending to love fact presented to the court them, while his heart was far away from the state. by the prosecutor If Omisore is accusing the Lasisi sentenced the of Ogbeni convict to three-month administration Rauf Aregbesola of capital imprisonment with an flight, the people know who option of N5,000 fine. their friend is and who is boosting the economy of the state and who is doing the opposite. All the policies and programmes of the Olode Police Station. Aregbesola administration OSUN DEFENDER have brought about a investigation at Olode multiplier effects that Police Station confirmed significantly reflect on the the incident but refused to quality of lives of the comment further, as he residents.” Ilori said the PDP would claimed that the matter had been referred to the be surprised that some of votes counted for state headquarters of the the Omisore would be deducted Police for further at the conclusion of the investigation. tribunal sitting.

Man, 20, Bags 3 Months Jail Term For Stealing Ram By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

Code, Cap 34, Vol.11 Laws of Osun, 2003. The convict had pleaded guilty when his plea was taken. Defence counsel, Mrs Nnena Ugwu, prayed the

court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing the convict. The presiding magistrate, Mr Adebayo Lasisi, convicted Morufu based on his plea and the

20-year-old Tunde Morufu was on Wednesday sentenced to three months jailed term by an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court for stealing a ram. Morufu bagged the offence that contravened sentence when he pleaded section 430 of the Criminal guilty to the one-count charge of stealing proffered against him by the police and he was 17-year-old girl was raped to death at Adereti the assailants. subsequently convicted It was further revealed Village near Garage Olode in Ife South Local by the court. Government Council Area of the State of that school girls have now Following the guilty plea Osun last Thursday. formed the habit of going of the accused, Police around in groups with recent times in the villages A source at the village, prosecutor, Inspector around Garage-Olode, in elderly people to avoid Isiaka Ajadi, presented the who simply identified the which some of the victims being assaulted. deceased as Rebecca, a fact of the case as daughter of a prophet at the have always kept mum The father of the contained in the charge village, was said to have since the Police or the deceased is a widower and sheet before the court. been gang-raped by a community have not the matter was said to Ajadi told the court that group of unsuspected apprehended or unravel have been incidented at the convict committed the assailants, who are offence on Tuesday at currently at-large. OSUN DEFENDER about 5p.m. at Ayekale investigation revealed that area of Osogbo. By SHINA ABUBAKAR According to Ajadi, Rebecca, on the fateful Morufu stole a ram in the day, had just returned from HE Nigeria Police Command in the State of Garage Olode, where she vicinity of where he was had gone to sell her wares, Osun has arraigned one Taye Razak before apprehended, adding that only to return to cook an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court for allegedly he could not give any lunch for his octogenarian committing burglary. cogent reason as to how father, before returning to The charge sheet clothing materials, he came about the ram in the market, when she met disclosed that the accused including 10 pieces of with her untimely death in his possession. person unlawfully entered native dresses with total the hands of her assailants. The prosecutor stated Further investigation into the house of one value put at N45,000 and that Morufu was caught revealed that Rebecca’s Ramat Kolade, which is pieces of male native by residents of the area, lifeless body was found contrary to and punishable dresses, 10 pieces of headwho questioned how he later in the day inside under sec. 411 of the ties with seven caps worth came about of the ram in cocoa plantation, which criminal code cap34. N45,000 and one HTC his possession. revealed that she was Vol.11 laws of Osun state handset value N25,000, He stressed that the gang-raped, which might Nigeria 2003. properties of Ramat convict had no evidence to have resulted to her death. It also alleged that the Kolade. show that he was the It further stated that the Further investigation suspect, having entered owner of the ram. into the incident also into the house of the offence is contrary and Ajadi maintained that revealed that there had been complainant, stole a leather punishable under Section Morufu has committed an series of rape cases in box containing assorted 412 of Criminal Code cap

Girl Raped To Death At Adereti Village

Man In Court Over Burglary

3 of vol. 11 laws of Osun State Nigeria. The charge sheet disclosed that the accused person committed the offence on August 25, 2014 at Ofatedo Area of the state capital. He (accused person) however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him by the police. Defence counsel, Barrister Raji Abiodun, urged the court to grant the accused person bail in the most liberal terms, saying the offence is bailable in nature. He said the accused

person was presumed innocent before the law till he is proven otherwise, adding that he would provide credible surety to guarantee his readiness to face trial. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Fagboyinbo Abiodun, however did not oppose the bail application, saying the court had the discretion to grant bail as it pleased. Presiding magistrate, Mr M. A Lasisi, granted him bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety and adjourned the case till October 21,2014 for hearing.

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

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The War Called The Osun Elections; By Segun Tomori Continued frompg1 I just couldn’t imagine my home State go back to the disastrous “years of the locust”. I had participated actively in the campaigns, interacted with the people, felt their pulse and the story was the same – Osun has never had it so good, the people vowed to defend their votes by all means possible! From that moment I had made up my mind to give my all and put myself at harm’s way if need be to ensure we form a bulwark of resistance against the machinery of State to be deployed to thwart the people’s wish. When I was about to proceed on my journey to Osogbo, the Osun State Capital on Monday preceding the elections I prepared for the worst. Few associates privy to my trip advised strongly that I removed any APC sourvenir from my luggage,any ID card that can associate me with the party amongst other security tips. They were right to be apprehensive, soldiers, officials of the Department of State Security(DSS) including the hooded ones,lorry loads of mobile policemen had since being deployed across the nook and cranny of Osun State. Bearing in mind the desperation of their paymasters, we knew they could stop and search vehicles and abduct anything synonymous with APC, so I took all the precautions. I took off on the journey which in itself was dramatic. As we got close to Oshogbo, a discussion ensued in the bus and I found out I was not alone in the Save-Osun initiative. Most of the passengers shared the same sentiments with me and were also natives of the State. They spoke emotionally and fiercely about their determination to ensure Aregbesola’s victory. Speaker after speaker reeled out programmes and interventions of the Governor that has brought smiles to the faces of the people. They concluded he was the best thing to happen to the State since its creation. The menacing apparatus of State then suffocating the enviroment will not deter them, they thundered! “Ko si ohun ti soja o se, a ma duro gboin gboin lati dibo Aregbe” they said in yoruba dialect meaning “there is nothing Soldiers can do, we will stand firmly to vote for Aregbe”. I thought to myself, we are about to witness mass resistance unequally in our national history if anything go against the people’s will. Hopefully, the soldiers we met on the various check-points didn’t stop and search, they just peeped through the bus windows and passed us on. I heaved a sigh of relief when I arrived Osogbo safely late in the evening. I have attended rallies, mega-rallies , name it, but what I saw on Tuesday at the grandfinale of the campaign was frightening. A

stadium whose capacity can’t be more than 60,000 almost caved in due to pressure from an unprecedented mammoth crowd. Every space on the covered stands were over-filled, the main bowl of the Stadium was virtually unpassable. My associates and I had to hold ourselves to navigate our way through the crowd, it took us about an hour from the entrance of the stadium to find somewhere to perch! Yet thousands more extend to adjoining roads outside the stadium. It was the APC mega-rally and to say it was awesomely mega is an understatement! We even heard that the Lord of Aso-rock caught an instant migraine seeing the magnitude of the rally! The effect of that was seen in the sealing off of the freedom park that was supposed to host workers rally the next day by “hooded soldiers” They got the now familiar, albeit emergency “orders from above” to forcefully if need be halt the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliates endorsement rally for the Ogbeni. Co-incidentally, Wednesday, 6th August was my birthday but I was in no mood for celebrations of any kind. I told my wellwishers, family and friends that you don’t clink glasses in a battle-front! Interestingly, one of my compatriots who was also a major ‘battle-axe” and good friend’s birthday was 8th August so I told him we’ll do a birthday plus victory party on the 10th, a day after the elections,when we triumph at the polls. We know we had the people behind us, we never gave defeat a thought! By Thursday, preparations had reached feverish pitch, the towns, hamlets and villages was now massively flowing with uniformed men of all hues and shades. Some DSS operatives came to the restaurant we were having dinner, Thursday evening, apparently on surveillance mission. We got the message and we left in a jiffy! On our way to our location, we noticed a car trailing us, so we had to take a decoy to a bar. As we turned to the bar, the car also turned in another direction. Their mission still remains a mystery. Thank God for little mercies! When we arrived our abode, we swung into action to put finishing touches to our masterplan which was to run a co-ordinated and effective live broadcast of the elections on social and online media in collaboration with the APC situation room which was to start from Friday evening till the announcement of the results on Sunday. This was necessary because leaking the plans of our devious opponents was key to frustrate their rigging machinery; announcing results online as we get it directly from our agents was also crucial to frustrate any manipulation at the collation level. By Friday afternoon, I had to tactically separate from my friends who then proceeded to a high security location. The curfew was going to start around 5-6pm. By 4pm, I arrived at my own secure location and quickly

moved to set up. I surveyed the enviroment to assess the possible threat level. I saw that it was negligible so I settled down for the task ahead. By Friday evening we got intelligence report that notorius election rigger, Chris Uba was in town with a unit of 50 soldiers attached to him. We sent that out and made sure it went viral. Later that night, information about the arrest of our leaders ranging from APC Publicity Secretary, lai Mohammed, the Attorney-general Of Osun State, barr. Wale Afolabi, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on media, Mr Sunday are, Commissioner for Agric among others were swiftly publicised with dispatch. The farreaching effect of the noise we made contributed in no small measure to the release of most of those picked up by Saturday morning. We discovered by Saturday morning that fake soldiers and policemen had surfaced in many locations. Their logo was a red ankara tied to their left hand. Quickly we activated our instant alert to our people,through all means possible. That again thwarted efforts to manipulate the elections from the beginning. The elections started peacefully however in most locations with accreditation going on smoothly. The only snag was the continued harassment of APC leaders across the State. The case of the 1st Civilian Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke was quite instructive. After failing to assasinate him over-night due to resistance by his security aides, he was trailed from the polling unit to his mother’s residence where he went after accreditation. He escaped the siege by the whisker after he was discreetly notified. He couldn’t come back to exercise his franchise. The results started trickling in by afternoon and the PDP demolition squad sensing their rejection quickly switched to a plan B to disrupt the collation process. We instantly alerted the public about their norturnal meeting and evil plot. What really helped the APC apart from the determination of the people was our access to classified information. We were always a step ahead of them and that frustrated the election riggers. I got an anonymous call from a patroitic police officer around 8pm who claimed he was at a location at modakeke and that results being collated was about to be altered. You could detect the fear in his voice as he asked me to ensure his cover. He was an igbo officer deployed from other states, he wasn’t familiar with the terrain but what was gratifying that there could still be few men of integrity in the corruption-ridden Nigeria Police Force. In order to confirm the authenticity of his Statement, I asked the Apapa Local Government Chairman who was with me to speak to him. He sounded credible, he concluded. So I made some calls to the authorities and sent text message to our men to act immediately.

the deal for us and put paid to any manipulation the PDP had in stock was the unexpected congratulation of Aregbesola as the winner of the election around 9.40pm by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade. Omisore according to our sources had already informed Aso-rock that there was fighting in his home-town of Ile-Ife because according to him, the results we were circulating were fake and he was actually leading in the “original” results. The Ooni swiftly debunked that, not only congratulated the Governorelect, but also stated that nobody was fighting in Ife! That took the sail out of the wind of Omisore and his treacherous gang. If we thought the threats have been subdued, we were in for a shocker! The returning officer whose task it is to announce the final result was under pressure to collect a whooping N1b and announce Omisore winner! They were ready to damn the consequences and ask us to go to court. So we had to practically go on our knees! I salute the indefatigable people of Osun State, they were resolute, they stood like a rock, stayed on the streets all through and formed a human shield around the collation centre. Then the returning officer came in around 1.35pm. The results of all the local governments were announced before 5am. Then we now witnessed dilly-dallying of the highest order. It got to a point around 7am, anxious journalists and people started singing asking for the results. Lo and Behold, at about 7.10am, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was finally pronounced the winner! There was instant jubilation across the nook and cranny of Oshogbo. Never in the history of elections have I seen such spontaneous excitement pervade the landscape because of results announcement. Within the twinkle of an eye, the whole town went agog with people clutching their brooms- symbol of the Governor’s party, congratulating themselves, okada riders driving menacingly in such euphoric ecstasy and finally we could say hurray! We won! We didn’t win an election, we won a WAR with a stone like the biblical david. Goliath came to battle with the best arsenal at his disposal but we came with the will of a determined people that vowed that never again shall they go the road of perdition they once trodded. Who says the voice of the people is not the voice of God? Because ultimately the hand of the Almighty saved the day and gave us victory. Osun ti dara ooooooo. Segun Tomori

Before 11pm, we already had all the results and we had won, though unofficially. What sealed

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INTERVIEW

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

How Not To Conduct Election - Osun Attorney-General Osun State Attorney–General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Wale Afolabi, was in Owerri, Imo State for the 2014 Nigerian Bar Association Annual Conference. He shared his experience with journalists, in the hands of security operatives, leading to his alleged disenfranchisement at the last governorship poll in the state. The Guardian’s Charles Ogugbuaja, was at the briefing. Excerpts: AY we share your experience in the hands of security operatives during the last governorship elections in Osun State? Thank you very much. On the eve of the election, that is the 8th day of August, 2014, I went to my Local Government to prepare for the election. I am from ward 7 of that Local Government. Around 8 p.m., in the evening. The collation agents for the ward, the chairman of the ward, the Council of the ward, they were at the collation centre, expecting electoral materials to come from INEC. They told me, because of what happened two or three days previous to that day, in fact, they will prefer to keep night vigil and watch when the materials will arrive. That they wanted to stay there and make sure nobody tampered with the materials. As they were there, somebody called me that combined team of soldiers, police, SSS and Civil Defence; that they came there; that they interrogated them; that they were arresting them. I quickly called the chairman of the council who was with me that he should go there and intervene and explain to the security operatives that those guys are not thugs. That they are members of our party; that the chairman of the Party is here, the councillor of the ward is here and the collation agents. The chairman of the council, executive secretary, immediately went there and interface with the security officials. They came back to inform me that after talking to them, they insisted to arrest those people and that they may likely take them to Osogbo, but before taking them to Osogbo, the capital, they will find a convenient place to camp, to interrogate them. If they discover they are not thugs, that they will release them. If they are thugs, they will take them to Osogbo. After about five minutes, those ones called me, that from their countenance, they were taking them to Osogbo. That it was better I come and intervene. I asked the chairman of the council to join me in my vehicle. I drove my car myself. As I was going to town, I saw a convoy of about four hilux vans. I waved them down, they stopped. I came out of my car. The chairman introduced himself. The chairman had earlier met them. They now asked me, are you the commissioner for Justice, I said yes. They now told me, the head of the team had left for Osogbo, that I should follow them to Osogbo. I said please, I have job to do here. I cannot follow them to Osogbo. They took my car key from me. They pushed the chairman of the council into one of the hilux vans. When they took my car from me, they pushed me inside the back seat. One of them by my right, one by my left, two in front. They drove us straight to Osogbo. I now asked them, am I under arrest? They said not necessary, but I have to go with them to Osogbo. I told them I am the Commissioner for Justice. I am a lawyer. They said no problem I should follow them to Osogbo. When we got to Osogbo, some of them were masked so that you cannot even identify them. Because I am a lawyer, I have been a lawyer for more than 30 years. I was afraid. I thought they were going to kill me. But then, I had to cooperate. They asked me to go inside. When I got there, I met over 200 party members lying down in the floor outside, the grass, in the cold. But may be because I am a commissioner, they kept me in the room. When I got into the room, I met the Commissioner for Agric, a colleague of mine from Ilesa. He was arrested too and brought there. Later the head of the team asked me to put down something on paper. He said I cannot go anywhere. That I have to stay there. They put me inside a room with 10 other people. As I was there, a man from Ogba Local Government was arrested and brought to that place. Later on, there was M

•AFOLABI a High Chief from Igboko. The regent of Igboko. The Oba of Igboko is dead. We call him High Chief Omokaya. He was arrested and brought there. We were inside the room through out the night. The second day, that was on the 9th the SSS person from Abuja said they told her that the Commissioner for Justice is here and that was why she was here to see me. She now called me outside. She asked me why I was arrested. I narrated the story that brought me there. After that she told me she did not mean to embarrass me. That she apologized to me. That I should leave, that I should not even talk to the press. That I should just keep it like that. Before, I signed papers. She invited the other commissioner too. She said two of us should go. I told her. I cannot leave. There are others in that room. They are leaders of our party. What will I say that happened to them. She now said that she was going to release them to me. Eventually, she released eight of them to me. I now told her again that we have about 200 people here. I don’t know if they were inside cell. She said that she did not have the power to release any person again. That her mission was to come and see me and interface and see the possibility of releasing me. That those ones she could not do anything about them. Before I finish filing the papers and all the other documentations, it was almost 1 p.m. There was no way I could go back to my local government. Even if I went back, they would have finished accreditation. That was why I was not able to vote that day, for the first time. I had been voting for a long time when I was a Councillor. I was a Local Government chairman, Speaker of the House of Assembly as Honourable member, before I became the Attorney- General. That was the first time in my life, I could not vote. Did you have signs before then? About a week before the election, we had information that some of us, leaders

of the party, would experience this. When we heard that information, we went to court to get an injunction that they should not arrest anybody for any frivolous allegation. We did that. So after the arrest and detention, harassment, we decided that the best thing for us to do is to go to court to challenge the infringement of fundamental rights of our people; to challenge the unlawful arrest of our people. We had enlisted the services of Femi Falana (SAN) to go to court on our behalf, and as I speak with you now, we have about 700 people that could not vote, that were arrested, detained, humiliated, tortured. About 700 of them now, we are filing cases for them. Before I left Osogbo, we had filed about 500 cases. I am sure by the time I get back to Osogbo, they should have filed about 200 more. So, about 700 of us are going to court to challenge this infringement. Even before this election, our party had gone to court to protest that the President should not deploy unnecessarily soldiers, SSS and Police to disturb the election. How about a case of fake DSS officer reportedly arrested? That is the point we are making. That during that election, they brought in so many fake police, so many fake SSS men to Osun state to cover the election. One person was arrested at Ile Ife. That is the town of the candidate of the PDP, Senator Omisore. I have requested my lawyer to take over the file from the Police. They have taken over and I have gone through the file. The man said himself and five others came all the way from Ekiti and they were fake SSS men and police. That police were able to arrest only him. Others escaped. They have charged him to court. He is on bail. He is on remand in prison custody in Ilesha. I cannot remember when we fixed the hearing of the case. When we get back to Osogbo, we are going to commence hearing. I have decided as a government and as party we will go to court. That is why we

are now in court. Like I said, our fight is for 15 Local Government Areas. We are not saying the security operatives should not come to Osun, but the point we are making is that they don’t have right to arrest people unnecessarily. Their duty is to maintain law and order. Why should they arrest somebody like me? Why should they arrest somebody like the Commissioner for Agric and many of our leaders? Since that time they have not charged anyone to court. You arrested about 700 people and you have not charged them to court, because you know you don’t have any case against them. Since your party won the election, Why are you still taking the Federal Government to Court? We want to make a statement to them that you cannot trample upon the rights of the people unnecessarily without any just cause. We want to correct that. Two, you don’t have to arrest people unnecessarily. They arrested me in my Local Government. I could not vote, even our leaders did not also. What do you think warranted the heavy deployment of security officials? That is the point we are making. And if you don’t challenge and correct it now, it is going to be very dangerous. What we are saying is except there is a commission of serious crime, you cannot just go and arrest people. Some people were arrested in their homes. If we don’t correct it now, it may be dangerous in the next election. Before the election, we had gone to court to challenge the power of the President to deploy people anyhow. We are not saying he does not have power to deploy, but not anyhow to go and arrest people and intimidate and harass them. The first four years, the government touched so many lives. The governor has done so many people-oriented programmes. In education, he is doing good. Some of the students, he feeds them on daily basis, with good food in good locations. In Agric, he has done many things. In employment, he employed 40,000 youths. In our OYES scheme, 3,000. He has decided to employ another 20,000. So we have intervened like no other government in so many areas. Also, we pay elderly people in our state, the highly vulnerable, we pay them N10,000 per head. Construction of roads. He has constructed roads in all the Local Government Areas, in all the nooks and crannies of our state. All these have made people to love our governor very well. We are saying that they brought over 20,000 police men to Osun state. Over 6,000 Civil Defence. It was too much. Before the election, when they came, they were shooting in the air, sporadically. The job of these people is to prevent crime and not to go to polling units, they were not supposed to arrest people unnecessarily. Just to come and maintain peace. Osun is about three million. What about the issue of rule of law? For me as a person, I believe the rule of law should be fully entrenched. My state in Osun, there is no court judgment we do not respect. All court rulings, all court judgments, we abide strictly by them. How do you pay the number of youths you have engaged and still do some capital projects? In Osun any money we have, allocation, IGR, we spend them on people. Even if we have very lean resources, we still have many programmes, lots of projects. If we give you a job of N1 billion, we give you about N10 million, when you finish the job, we pay you the balance. That is how we have been able to do our projects. Culled from GUARDIAN Newspaper

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

PHOTOTALK

Special Prayer For The Late Chief Imam Of Osogboland And President-General, League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West, Edo And Delta, Sheikh Mustapha Photo: Ajisafe, At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Wednesday. GBENGA ADENIYI.

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•(L-R) The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; representative of the Sultan of Sokoto, Professor Daud Naibi and Head of Department, Islamic and Arabic Studies, University of Ibadan, Dr. Kamil Olosho, during the prayer rites for late Chief Imam of Osogboland and President, League of Imams and Alfas, Southwest, Edo and Delta States, the late Sheikh Mustapha Ajisafe, at Osogbo City Stadium, State of Osun, on Wednesday.

•(R-L) Governor Aregbesola; Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam; Chief of Staff to State of Osun Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola; National Missioner, Anzar-U-Deen, Sheik Raman Hammed; Dr Olosho and Professor Naibi.

•World Preacher, Alhaji Muideen Bello (left) and other Islamic clerics at the event.

PHOTOTALK

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Special Prayer For The Late Chief Imam Of Osogboland And President-General, League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West, Edo And Delta, Sheikh Mustapha Ajisafe, At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•(L-R) Deputy Governor,, State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori; wife of the State of Osun Governor, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola and Chief Judge of the State of Osun, Justice Adepele Ojo.

•(L-R) State of Osun Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye; Acting State Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Elder Lowo Adebiyi and Assistant Inspector-General of Police ZONE 11, Mr Ibraheem Maishanu at the programme.

•Some of the family members of the Late Chief Imam of Osogboland, Sheik Mustapha Ajisafe, being consoled by their friends during a special prayer for the late Ajisafe at Osogbo City Stadium.

•(L-R) Chief Imam of Offa, Kwara State, Alhaji Muideen Hussain and Mallam LereYusuf during the programme.

PHOTOTALK

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Special Prayer For The Late Chief Imam Of Osogboland And President-General, League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West, Edo And Delta, Sheikh Mustapha Ajisafe, Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI. At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Wednesday.

•A cross section of Muslim faithful at the programme.

•A cross section of Muslim clerics at the event.

•A cross section of Women Muslim faithful during the special prayer.

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Osun Workers Rejoiced With The State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, In His Office On Monday After His Victory In The August 9, 2014 Governorship Election.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, addressing workers, who trouped out en-masse to rejoice with him after his victory for his second term in office. With him are, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam (2nd left); Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye (left); Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titi LaoyeTomori and other dignitaries, at Governor’s Office, Abere, State of Osun, on Wednesday.

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•Governor Aregbesola (right), acknowledging cheers from workers that trouped out en-masse to rejoice with him after his victory for a second term in office, at Governor’s Office, Abere, State of Osun last Wednesday.

FEATURE

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

A Compromised Security Outfit: Marilyn Ogar At It Again disappointing THE constant statement being issued by the Department of Security Service through their flamboyant spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, is worrisome. The image maker of the security outfit is at it again when she called a press conference concerning Steve Davis revelation; it is not different from that of the position of the spoke man of PDP Olisa Metuh. The DSS spokesperson has already made up her mind that the opposition is responsible for the numerous bombings going on around the country by her statement on national television, when she dismissed Mr Davies theory. Even if Boko Haram comes today to name their sponsors, Marilyn Ogar would still not believe that theory. The Australian hostage negotiator, Dr Steve Davies, was appointed by the Federal Government under the leadership of Dr Goodluck Ebere Azikwe Jonathan, who Femi FaniKayode once described as “a lamb president without balls”. This government has not demonstrated enough courage to see to the end of this insurgency. Considering the amount of damages done with the killing of children by Boko Haram in Damaturu, the slaughter of many Nigerian troops by Boko Haram in Borno State recently, that led to the retreat of our military men to Cameroon, or have we forgotten the massacre of school children in Borno State by this same Boko Haram two years ago; the mass murder of no less than 10,000 Nigerians by Boko Haram in the last three years, the 219 kidnapped Chibok girls and the raging war that is going on in the North Eastern part of our country between Boko Haram and our military today, the series of bombing and killing of innocent in Abuja by this evil group. There are many who will certainly agree that in a matter of urgent national concern, our security outfit has been compromised and our president is not helping matter because of his concentration on his second term agenda. Many will also agree that the Jonathan administration seems hard of hearing on this insurgent matter because it keeps on using the same failed tactics over and over with lack of results. Those who keep trying same things and have the same results and yet continue to do the same things to invariant results are either too dumb for words or are completely confused. The Chibok girls’ parents have been waiting patiently for the safe return of their wards for months now with no hope coming. This has led the parents to demand the return of their missing girls dead or alive, but rather than heeding to a wise counsel, the presidency is busy bankrolling the reelection campaign through the so called TAN. Let me borrow from the statement of Femi Fani-Kayode, a PDP chieftain he said “....It appears that simply because those kids were northerners, this President just”doesn’t give a damn”. What a tragedy! Whether Christian or Muslim, Northern or Southern, these are only children and

•OGAR By MIKE OGUNDELE

they are NIGERIAN children, each of whom is entitled to the full protection of the Nigerian state. I have said it before and I shall say it again, Nigeria has become an abattoir of human flesh and blood under the tenure of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and all those who support him should bury their heads in shame. The blood of all those innocent people is on his hands because he swore to an oath before God and the Nigerian people to protect them from such evil”. Nigerians are tired of accusations and counter accusations. The ruling party is quick to accuse the opposition of being responsible or sponsoring the insurgents without any evidence and this is the only direction the DSS is looking at without no iota of evidence to back it up but quick to re-echo the baseless accusation been made by Olisa Metuh. Matter of national security should be handled more seriously and not the way Marilyn Ogar is reading from a script prepared by PDP. One would had expected the DSS to swing into action immediately Steve Davies gave some useful information about those behind Boko Haram but I’m sure many concerned Nigerians would be amazed and dumb-founded listening to the DSS spokeswoman, Marilyn Ogar on national television exonerating Rtd Gen Ihejirika without acting on that security information. What is information? Information is knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or

circumstance. Another definition says that information is knowledge gained through study, communication, research, instruction etc. It seems the DSS does not know how powerful information is to a successful investigation. In any crime investigation, it is the handling and collating of information that usually give the breakthrough. But in this case, no investigation, no arrest was made but it was quick of her to dismiss the information as rubbish and referred to Steve Davies as selfappointed. What baffles me again was when she said “it is absurd to link Rtd Gen Ihejirika with the scourge of Boko Haram, just because in her words, he was a former Army chief that fought to combat the terrorists”. What came to my mind straight away was that this country is finished with the type of compromised security outfit we have and with the like of Marilyn Ogar ready to take instructions from PDP and reading a well-concocted speech prepared by Olisa Metuh. I said to myself this woman again! After her show of shame with regards the unconstitutional and partisan role the DSS played in Osun election but failed to achieve. Marilyn Ogar claimed Ali Modu Sheriff had already been invited twice in the past. Can this woman please explain to Nigerians what happened to the investigation carried out then? Was he cleared then? She also said the former governor would be invited for questioning again based on the new information. Can someone ask Marilyn

Ogar why the double standard? The duo of the ex-governor and the ex Army General were accused together, while the DSS spokeswoman is exonerating the ex-Army chief but wants to question the ex-governor. After all, what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Where is the intelligence sense of the DSS? How can alleged suspect based on the position he held in the past be exonerated and not based on investigation? Whose script is the security outfit playing with regards to fighting terrorism? How can you question one person and leave out the other, based on the same premise? If this is how the DSS, as represented by Ms Ogar, conducts its operations, then the war against insurgency cannot be won. With this latest show of shame by Ms Ogar exonerating Ex-chief of Army Staff without carrying out the statutory investigation as required, it has become evident that the war against insurgency has been given ethnic colouration by the authorities. This is cruel, wicked, uncivilised, criminal and unprofessional and it must be condemned by every right-thinking Nigerian. What it required is for all security agencies to swing into action and make use of this information from Steve Davies, because every lead must be thoroughly investigated, if truly we are serious in winning the war against terror. Lest we forget, the late National Security Adviser (Patrick Aziza) confirmed that there are Boko Haram members amongst the PDP cabinet, who are providing some kind of support for the insurgents. President Jonathan also confirmed it that there are moles in his government, who are supporting the insurgents. Has Marilyn Ogar forgotten so soon how the foreign troops that came to help rescue the missing school girls refused to share information with the Nigerian authorities for lack of trust? Or has she forgotten about the disaffection within the military circles? In all of these, one will wonder, what is our Commander-in-Chief doing to correct this grave national security embarrassment. Let me end with a statement by Femi FaniKayode about our president “Permit me to end this contribution with the following observations. As crude and unpleasant as it may sound, the question must be asked – does our President have any balls? Is he really a man? Does he have what it takes to fight a war against terror or is it that there is more to this than meets the eye? Is there a sinister and diabolical conspiracy and plan to ensure that elections do not hold in the northeast and the northwest in 2015 given the fact that those areas are very hostile to the suggestion that Jonathan should return to power that year? Is this whole thing planned and contrived or is it a case of chronic incompetence, ineptitude and weakness”? May the almighty God come to our aid in this country.

INTERVIEW

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Working With Aregbesola Is My Pleasure – Princess Shadiat Princess Shadiat Afolashade Aremu is a woman of many sterling qualities. Born and bred in far-away Abidjan, capital of Cote D’Ivoire, her long sojourn in the far-away French territory has not robbed her of her joy, pride and glory of belonging to a home rich in culture, traditions and dignity; as well as the legacies of development and progress with which her home state is renowned. Beautiful in and out, Princess Shadiat exudes the ambience and charm of someone with positive dreams which are in tandem with those borne by Ogbeni Aregbesola, the incumbent governor of the State of Osun. As founder and National President of the Cote D’Ivoire Chapter of Oranmiyan Worldwide, the campaign outfit of the Symbol, Shadiat demonstrates her blue-bloodedness and nobility in perfect blend with modern democratic ideals. Her strides and achievements so far are just a tip of the iceberg, as she has an unhidden predisposition for higher grounds. Her recent chat with NIYI OLASINDE speaks volumes of her dreams and political package; as well as her strong resolve to remain an undeterred partaker with the Governor Aregbesola, the wonderful undertaker. OSDF: Kindly get yourself properly introduced. PRINCESS AREMU: Thank you. I am Princess Shadiat Afolashade Aremu. I am an indigene of Ejigbo in Ejigbo Local Government Council Area of the State of Osun; though I was born and bred in Abidjan in Cote D’Ivoire. I lived all my early life in the cocoarich country, as you know that Cote D’Ivoire is home away from home to most Ejigbo indigenes. Well, the fact is that we live our normal lives as Nigerians and Yorubas in particular in that country. So, we are deeply interested in life at home, including politics, economy and development. In the light of this, I feel honoured to be the President of the Cote D’Ivoire Chapter of the Oranmiyan Worldwide, the campaign organization of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. To cut the story short, I am an indigene of Ejigbo, having hailed from Ile Oloro from Ayegbogbo Quarters. OSDF: What motivated you into pitching tents with Oranmiyan Worldwide? PRINCESS AREMU:In true Yoruba spirit, we at Cote D’Ivoire admire anything progressive; anything development-driven. So when Ogbeni came on board, we like many other indigenes were expectant of what would happen to our state and her people. We were thrilled by his very first steps. He started with OYES. Then other programmes followed! And he never relented till now! We are amazed. There are certain qualities that you cannot take away from our people back in Cote D’Ivoire. One is awareness. Even though we are hundreds of kilometres away, we are current with happenings and development at home. Secondly, we love impressive performance, especially by government. When you sojourn in a foreign land, you are deeply engrossed in your business because you want to justify why you crossed many rivers to be there. Equally, you are interested in your home, your final resting place, so you wish and work out the best for your home country. That’s the attitude of we Osun indigenes who are Cote D’Ivoirians. Lastly, we have built confidence in Ogbeni Aregbesola through his noble performances in office. Look, we knew well what governance used to be before his final emergence in 2010. Till date, we know too well what the experience is in other states of Nigeria and at the federal level. Boldly, I assert that none of our rulers at different levels has made such meaningful impact as Aregbesola has made. That is what has spoken for him in the last Governorship Elections. That shall continue to speak for him in the future. On behalf of myself, family and our entire people at home and in Cote D’Ivoire, I congratulate Ogbeni and his wonderful team, as well as the entire people and residents of the State of Osun on the victory we won during the last election. I wish the state greater progress. OSDF: You mentioned it that you are the President of the Cote D’Ivoire Chapter of Oranmiyan Worldwide. Our readers would wonder how this came into being. PRINCESS AREMU: Yes. Let me start by saying that Aregbesola warmed his love into my heart; likewise into the hearts of the teeming others back there in 2011, during the heat created by the civil war created by Laurete Gbagbo. If there was any other, it was Aregbesola that first provided rescue mission for citizens of his state in that war-torn country. We were amazed. We were exceptionally glad; and we thought it out that we owe him more than mere gratitude. That is why you could notice that many of us there came home during the last voters’ registration / verification to ensure we were eligible to vote. The man has lots of noble ideas which must not be allowed to die. Back to the issue on hand, when I got back to Cote D’Ivoire after peace had been restored, I instantly formed a group which I named Aregbesola Supporters Fans Club. It was a solidarity group which was intended to create and deepen awareness about the trend of progress currently being witnessed at home. It was intended to showcase the impressive performance of Ogbeni and his team. It was also a confidencebuilding group. We did this awfully well there and we mobilized massive support for the government and aspiration of Aregbesola. This

•Princess AREMU is to the extent that Aregbesola has become a household name in Abidjan and the entire country. OSDF: So how has that translated to Oranmiyan Worldwide? PRINCESS AREMU: Thank you. In December 2013, my group and I decided to bring our activities to the man at the centre himself, that is, Ogbeni Aregbesola. Luckily, the effort paid off well. I met him on December 31, 2013, prior to the New Year Eve event held at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park. I presented my cause to him. I showed him pictures of our gatherings at Cote D’Ivoire. Instantly, he became favourably disposed to it and he changed the name to Oranmiyan Group. So, he ordered that the group should become the Cote D’Ivoire Chapter of his campaign organization. OSDF: What have been your activities since then? PRINCESS AREMU: It has been a nonstop chain of events. The official launch of the Oranmiyan Group took place at Abidjan on June 3 this year. It drew to itself movers and shakers in the Aregbesola administration and in the rank and file of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun. I have mentioned earlier that lots of our people got involved in voters’ registration at home. That involved our mobilization efforts. That would be meaningless if they were not here for actual voting. Believe me that they still crossed the many borders to vote on August 9. That was the doing of God through our efforts. Now as we prepare for the re-inauguration of Ogbeni for the second term on November 27, we are buckling up to move in en masse to grace the occasion. We also propose to celebrate the victory in Cote D’Ivoire any moment from now. We shall need to exchange diaries with the Governor and know when he shall be free to attend personally, as many people look forward to seeing him in that country. OSDF: You mean our governor is being very much sought after in Cote D’Ivoire? Princess Aremu: Let me tell you, the First Lady of Cote D’Ivoire, Lady Dominic Quatara looks forward to host a reception in honour of Aregbesola. I also wish to inform our readers that out of the Nigerians residing in Cote D’Ivoire, statistics show that Yorubas from the State of Osun dominate with about 70 per cent. The figure is about 2 millions and it is still increasing! Though there are deaths on

daily basis, there are also births and there is continuous influx of new immigrants into that country. The birth rate and rate of inflow of immigrants outstrip the death rate. So we are many there an all are admirers of Ogbeni and his good works. OSDF: You mentioned the launch of your chapter last June. What was the thrust of the programme? PRINCESS AREMU: I wish to appreciate the magnanimity of our governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who filled the programme with strong representation and who made it a huge success. The line-up of attendees, who contributed in no small measure to the success of the events is too numerous. I shall here, on behalf of members of my chapter, endeavour to mention them. I appreciate the First Lady, Alhaja Sherifat Abidemi Aregbesola, the Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs.) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Olalekan Adeoti and the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola. I appreciate the Chairman, Oranmiyan Worldwide, Prince Felix Awofisayo, the Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Right Honourable Najeem Mofolasayo Salaam and the senator representing the Osun West Senatorial District in the Senate of the Federal Republic, Senator Mudasiru Hussein (both Salaam and Hussein are our kith and kin in Ejigbo). OSDF: Are there others you would want to acknowledge? PRINCESS AREMU: Yes. I wish to appreciate the former Speaker of the State of Osun House of Assembly, Right Honourable (Professor) Mojeed Alabi; my leaders who stood firmly by me in Alimoso Local Government Council Area of Lagos State, the Chairman of my Ward at Egbeda in Alimoso, Mrs. Akhigbe, Alhaji Y.Y. Keye from Alimoso, Alhaji Abdullahi Enilolobo, Chief Edward Obisesan, Party Chairman, Gani Quadri alias Obama, Fatima Ibrahim (Iya Abati), Honourable Bisi Yusuf and others too numerous to mention. Going back to Abidjan, there is the Oba of Abidjan, Kabiyesi of Abobo in Abidjan who is the one who took delivery of Oranmiyan at its inception, Alhaji Rasaki Babalola. He is from Aberinjo Compound in Ejigbo. I need to mention and sincerely appreciate him for his fatherly role, his love and warmth. Another in the list, the one who is our Patron, Alhaji Alli Ayanniran

and Party Chairman for All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cote D’Ivoire, Mr. Rafiu Ajao. He solidly stood by me, to the extent that we carry out the entire task together. OSDF: You bear the title of a princess. Are you a princess in the lineage of Ogiyan or through marriage or how? PRINCESS AREMU: Thank you. There is a sectional kingship stool that we are entitled to at my place of birth in Ejigbo. That is called the Oba Olowu of Ayegbogbo. The title is rotationally taken among the communities of Olowu, Oyo, Ajaawa and Ayegbogbo. The stool is currently vacant. The deceased Oba was from my ruling house while the next would be from Oyo. The deceased monarch is Obe Adekeke. OSDF: Your sudden mention of Lagos compels me to ask if you’ve ever lived in Lagos… PRINCESS AREMU: Yes. My family is in Lagos, so I usually have a stint in Lagos. But I am actively here at home in Osun in order to contribute my quota to the government, politics and development of my state. OSDF: So in what capacities have you been functioning in the government of the State of Osun? PRINCESS AREMU: For now, I am deeply engrossed in politics. But I will take delight to serve the government and people of the state in whatever capacity that the governor deem fit for me. I swear, Aregbesola is pleasant to work with. He is a great achiever. He is the only clear achiever of our time. Mouth cannot describe how we hold him in high esteem back in Cote D’Ivoire. I once mentioned his rescue mission of 2011. Since then, he has taken time out to visit us there and we received him warmly. Back home, the beautiful works he is doing in all sectors fills the heart with pride and admiration. Sincerely, I won’t mind working with him to make our state a greater place. OSDF: We like to take your comments on Oranmiyan Worldwide. PRINCESS AREMU:Oranmiyan is a good, great and veritable organization. It is prolific and positive. It is realistic and truly progressive. I have no regrets pitching tents with the group. Thanks for the astuteness of Baba Awofisayo and his team – Mr. Dele Ogunsakin, the one I was initially handed over to, Mr. Niyi Aluko, the Director of Administration, Mr. Lanre Opadeyin, Director of Mobilization, Mr. Toyin Orungbe, Director of Finance and others. OSDF: Politics is a terrain considered by many as a no-go area for women. How do you cope and survive; given the fact that you operate purely amidst men? PRINCESS AREMU: A woman who can hold her own would have no problems in politics. All that one requires is discipline. Your reputation must not be dragged in the mud for whatever reasons. One needs to ensure that she is without blemishes. There is no human venture that a woman cannot endeavour with success. Hard work and resourcefulness are chief agents of empowerment. Like I said earlier, I am ready and willing to work assiduously I any capacity deemed fit for me. In this area – politics or government, my family fully trusts and understands me. I enjoy their maximum cooperation. OSDF: Your pieces of advice for the women folk? PRINCESS AREMU: Discipline, hard work, integrity and virtue should be their core values. OSDF: What are the dreams of your chapter in Abidjan for the State of Osun? PRINCESS AREMU: Our dreams and aspiration are that Osun should be moved to the top among other states. I hereby call for collaborative efforts to rally round and make our state great. Government on its part should create enabling environment for all to express their God-given talents. We are grateful to Ogbeni for all that God is using him to do. We however expect to have him in our midst back there very soon, preferably, before his reinauguration date in November.

FOR THE RECORDS

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

Blow By Blow Account Of The Proceedings At The Tribunal On Thursday President of the Court of Appeal which called for 1. The PDP’s application to questioning of the intervention serve the Governor of Osun by by the President of the Court substituted means was heard by of Appeal. the Tribunal and it was ordered to be pasted on the walls of the 5. Based on clear assurance government House. How they by the Chairman and the panel are going to paste a petition and members, Adegoke withdrew witness’s statement of 800 the issue in the interim and pages baffles the imagination. moved his pending application This was due to the defect in whereof he asked that the their application as that was the Tribunal should set aside its prayer they made to the earlier order by which PDP was Tribunal. The application also allowed to conduct inspection. contained lots of falsehood as According to him, the order of they claimed to have attempted the Tribunal was premised on service on the Governor in the a defective application which past. did not seek necessary leave to move the application outside 2. Our application for the the pre-hearing session. Chairman of the Tribunal to Counsel to the PDP and its recuse himself from the Petition candidate, Mr. Fashanu, argued was heard later. Counsel to their counter-affidavit and APC, Mr. Adegoke, insisted that urged the Tribunal to strike out the Chairman should recuse APC’s application in this himself and was armed with regard. The Court adjourned legal authorities showing that the matter till August 12, 2014 once a litigant made clear and to rule on the application. unambiguous statement showing that he has no 6. The Tribunal then called confidence in a judge, it is the on Mr. Adegoke to move his best for the judge to recuse other motion seeking to set himself from the case. aside the service of the Petition of the PDP on the APC. 3. Not wanting Adegoke to Adegoke complained that the press home his case, the PDP served APC its petition Chairman of the Tribunal in Osogbo rather than the insisted that he had always been party’s headquarters in Abuja fair and could not be bought by some few days before. He anybody. He maintained he was said, however, that the PDP in Osun to do justice and had taken to correction when Adegoke insisted that based on it saw APC’s motion seeking the experience of APC in the to set aside the service and has hands of the same Judge in the now served APC in its Abuja case of Audu v. Wada in 2012, office yesterday, the 10 his client had no confidence in August, 2014. He, therefore, the judge’s ability to do justice insisted that where Mr in the case. Fashanu, SAN, could admit that APC had just been served 4. The application of Mr. on 10 August, he, Adegoke, Adegoke generated a lot of would be withdrawing his furore as the Chairman had to motion to set aside the service. justify his integrity and was assisted by other members of Mr. Fashanu did not object the Tribunal who tried to to Adegoke’s application and persuade Adegoke to drop his same was withdrawn and was application. Adegoke rather struck out by the Tribunal replied that the petition of PDP accordingly. based on which the former The Tribunal shall be sitting Chairman of the Tribunal, on Friday, September 12 to Justice, Bako was removed was deliver its ruling on the other treated with dispatch by the application. By IBRAHIM LAWAL

OPINION

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

The Media Should Be Wary Of Omisore W

HILE it is generally agreed that no medium exists without its own bias, the greater truth is that the media is a public trust and its hallmark is integrity established by truth. When a medium publishes falsehood, either deliberately or inadvertently, it undermines the basis of its credibility. This is the trap that the defeated candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, set for the Nigerian media before, during and after the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the State of Osun. Senator Omisore asked for the removal of the State Resident Electoral Commission, Ambassador Rufus Akeju, alleging that Akeju is a card-carrying member of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which later metamorphosed into the All Progressives Congress (APC). He did not offer any evidence. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Akeju’s employer, asked him to substantiate his claim, since he who asserts must prove. Almost four years down the line, he is yet to come up with anything. But the media, regrettably, has been amplifying this false allegation for him. Again, he has been fulminating that INEC conducted the 2011 general elections against a subsisting court order. He trumpeted this lie with a demonic frenzy, regrettably with the help of the media. The truth however is that the PDP went to court asking for an interlocutory injunction preventing Akeju from conducting the 2011 elections. INEC agreed and was preparing to replace Akeju when PDP went back to the same

•OMISORE By GOKE BUTIKA

court and asked for a ‘stay of execution’. The judge, Babs Kuewumi, was scandalised. He told them that their demand defied logic since it’s the loser that asks for an injunction against an injunction, not the winner, who should be savouring the fruits of his victory. He then granted the stay of execution of the injunction he had earlier granted. It is inconceivable that Omisore will now turn round to accuse INEC of flouting court order. The media reported this falsehood with reckless abandon,

election. Indeed, the EO for Obokun was suspended for diverting election materials and arrested by the police while doing so. What INEC did not mention was that the news actually broke on the eve of the election, how vigilant youths in Otan-Ile had apprehended the EO while taking the materials to the residence of a PDP chief in Ilase and how he was released by police to a PDP national officer from the state. The second EO for Osogbo was actually suspended following the petition written against him for attempting to manipulate the election against APC. He hid the accreditation tags of APC party agents and did not release them until after accreditation had taken place. He also hid form EC8C in a waste bin and caused the delay in compiling the result for Osogbo until about 2.00 am the next day. How then could the two EOs have rigged for APC? Interestingly, the same media had reported these events when they occurred. All they needed to do was cros-check with their own record. However, the report was written by the media handlers of Omisore and handed to the media with a little inducement. The public had been badly served. The irony is that each time the public read a report in the media that is patently false, instead of Omisore, it is the media that gets discredited. There is no amount of money that can compensate for the loss of credibility for the media. Believability is the media’s daily bread and once it is lost, nothing is left. Omisore is a mere bird of passage, who should not be allowed to destroy the media that have been built over time with the sweat and blood of our patriots and heroes of the profession.

without cross-checking the facts. Then again, the media on September 2 were awash with an interesting news item – a report that INEC had suspended two Electoral Officers (EO) for Obokun and Osogbo Local Government Council Areas. The report gleefully and recklessly claimed they were suspended for helping APC to rig the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the state. The next day, INEC came out to rebut the story. INEC was categorical in denying that the two EOs were •Ayandele writes from Osogbo, State of suspended for helping APC rig the Osun.

Congratulations The People’s Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has been re-elected to carry on for another term of four years. Ogbeni Aregbesola recorded a resounding success in the justconcluded election. The election shows that the Governor is well embraced by all the people of the State of the Virtuous. In view of this, your popular grassroots tabloid, OSUN DEFENDER newspaper, is doing a supplement to congratulate the People’s Governor. Individuals, corporate bodies, institutions and well-wishers can avail themselves with the pocket-friendly advert rate of OSUN DEFENDER newspaper.

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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 13, 2014

HE 2015 general election is fast-approaching. In six months time, elections would hold in the country into parliamentary and executive positions. In spite of the abundant resources in the country, Nigerians continue to wallow in abject poverty. Our past leaders, except very few, have vision and mission in government. For a leader to lead his people successfully, he needs to have vision, which would inform what he needs to accomplish for them. After he has identified the vision, he must have a sense of mission to carry out his plans. In most cases, we choose people based on primordial sentiment, either based on ethnic affinity or religion. This, in the past has not helped us. Such leaders have abused the privileges given to them because they were not qualified for the job. They could not deliver the requisite service because they do not have what it takes to lead. One cannot simply give what he or she does not possess. With good leadership, Nigeria would have gone very far by providing positive leadership in the African continent. Nature has endowed us with human and material resources but we are unable to harness the resources for our benefit. We need leaders, who have ideas and not money. We need leaders, who are proactive and not those, who will give excuses for their inadequacies. Nigeria needs leaders, who will turn our abundant and potential resources into a meaningful asset for the people. Nigeria has a growing population with majority of youths unemployed. Products from our tertiary institutions these days are usually in their 20s, helping to compound the unemployment situation. There is a need for concerted efforts by the government to ensure that there are plans not only for the present generation but the future ones as well. If we fail to plan, then as the dictum goes, we certainly plan to fail. What is the net result of the revenue we made from the black gold? We boast about money not being our problem, but how to spend it. Today, is money the problem or how to spent it? Since the middle of last year, revenue due to states has been

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Time For Leader With Vision

•JONATHAN

slashed by 40 per cent without any cogent and identifiable reasons. The federal authorities have not been convinced on the slash. The activities of pipeline vandals are not strong enough. If the security agencies,

especially the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are maintained by state to oversee the pipelines, then one expects that they should do their job effectively. Besides, some Niger-Delta militants were reported to have earned big

contracts to oversee the pipelines in the creeks. If all these measures are not strong enough, then the states and by extension, the people, should not be made to suffer for it. The forthcoming election therefore gives Nigerians the ample opportunity to elect the right candidates. It is only by so doing that we can turn things around. Candidates must present their manifestoes to the people upon which they should be assessed. In the 2011 election, the President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, tactically withdrew from the general media debate organised for the presidential candidates, but chose to attend the one organised by the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA). Jonathan would have been in power for more than four years by next year, when the election would take place. He should talk to Nigerians how he handled the issue of insurgents, unemployment, fuel subsidy and general governance. If he is able to do that successfully, Nigerians should return him to power. If otherwise he should be rejected. “With good leadership, Nigeria would have gone very far by providing positive leadership in the African continent. Nature has endowed us with human and material resources but we are unable to harness the resources for our benefit. We need leaders, who have ideas and not money. We need leaders, who are proactive and not those, who will give excuses for their inadequacies. Nigeria needs leaders, who will turn our abundant and potential resources into a meaningful asset for the people.” them the prophet had gone to the great beyond. It is only Allah that would never die. The good deeds of Sheikh Ajisafe would follow him to the grave. Some Muslims and nonMuslims alike may consider the third day for his janazah as usual. It is the maximum (72 hours) allowed for a deceased to be made to lay before being interred. May Allah grant him Aljanat Fridaos.

Adieu Sheikh Ajisafe

HE Chief Imam of Osogbo, who doubled as the President-General League of Imams and Alfas, South West, Edo and Delta states gave up the ghost last Monday at the ripe age of 85 years. Ajisafe breathed his last at his Arikalamu residence in Osogbo after brief illness. The late Muslim cleric would be sorely missed for his level of

intelligence and erudition. The information about his death came like a bolt from the blues. We never expected it, but like every mortal, Ajisafe tasted the bitter pill of death. After the death of Prophet Muhammad, some Muslims were of the belief that he should not have died, but Khalifa Abubakar told

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

OURNALISM is a very noble profession when it is properly conceived in terms of its role as the Fourth Estate, a term reportedly first applied to the press by Edmund Burke in a parliamentary debate in 1787 on the inauguration of press reporting of the British House of Commons. Ever since then, the press has maintained its role as the public’s watchdog, by keeping a watchful eye on the three traditional estates of the realm and informing the public about their activities. Historically, the three estates of the realm consisted of the clergy (Lords Spiritual), the nobility (Lords Temporal), and the common people (Commoners). Today, however, we tend to think of the three arms of government — the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary — as the three estates. Journalists, who constitute the bulk of the fourth estate, engage in a variety of tasks, including photographing, reporting, writing, editing, and broadcasting news stories. Such stories are usefu in informing and educating the public, in keeping government officials in check, and in providing material for commentators. In the course of performing these functions, a rough division of labour has developed among journalists. A group, consisting largely of reporters and correspondents, goes to the field to gather news stories and write reports on them in newspapers or speak to them on television. Photographers often work hand in hand with them to provide still or motion pictures of some of these events. Broadcasters often read edited versions of news stories on television. Reporters and broadcasters are expected to tell authentic and true stories. The best way to achieve this goal is to verify their stories by cross-checking facts and viewpoints and by interviewing as many participants in, or eyewitnesses of, the events they report on. When reporters are so good at tracking down a story and following through on as many leads as come their way, we call them investigative reporters. Their goal is not just to tell stories but to sensitise the public to the implications of the stories they tell, by highlighting their impact on people’s lives. Miss Toyosi Ogunseye, Editor of Sunday Punch, is such a reporter, whose thoroughly researched and investigated reports have won many local and international awards. Sadly enough, however, many a reporter these days hardly report stories accurately because they often fail to investigate available sources. Instead, they take their one and only source as sacrosant and run with it. This is due partly to competition, especially the struggle for first place, or not to be left out, in reporting a particular story, partly to inadequate training and equipment, and partly to sheer laziness. A one-time journalist even told me that financial inducement may well be an additional factor. It was a combination of these factors that led to the contradictory reports about two officials of the Independent National Electoral

By NIYI AKINNASO

Reporters And False Reports

Commission, who participated in the Osun governorship election on August 9, 2014. The main outline of the two related stories is simple. In one case, on August 8, a day before the election, vigilant All Progressives Congress youths observed an INEC official and his driver moving suspected sensitive election materials around the local government. They were tracked down and handed over to the police. Upon investigation, the official’s phone log indicated that he had been contacting a chief of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state. At the end of the day, INEC itself stepped in and got the two persons released. It also issued a press statement, arguing that the officials were only moving non-sensitive materials to the registration areas centres. In the second case, on August 9, on Election Day, the APC protested that its polling agents were not given their party agent tags, whereas other party agents were given theirs. The error was immediately corrected. At the conclusion of the election, the same official, who initially denied the APC agents of their tags, refused to produce the Form EC8C

customised for the Osogbo Local Government Area, on which the collated results of the various wards in Osogbo were to be recorded. Upon the APC’s complaint, the INEC official was queried and given an ultimatum to produce the form. He eventually complied. These events were widely reported, especially online, as soon as they happened. The bottomline is that the APC was the complainant in all the cases as it was on the receiving end of all the problems. Then, came September 3, 2014, when newspapers were again awash with stories about the same INEC officials, indicating that INEC had suspended them for their alleged involvement in electoral malpractices during the August 9 governorship election in the state. All the stories cited a source “close to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Iyiola Omisore”. Citing the same source, the officials’ offences were said to include “sale of ballot papers to the APC, manipulation of Form EC8 series to favour the APC and voiding of PDP votes counted in favour of the APC.” Finally,

the source claimed, “INEC headquarters tried them and found them culpable of working for the APC to rig the election.” These false stories prompted INEC to quickly issue a press release to tell its own side of the story. The release reads in part, “It is pertinent to clarify and also set the record straight that the two electoral officers (EO), Mr Funsho Tope Fabunmi (Osogbo Local Government) and Mr Anthony Olusegun Esinoye (Obokun Local Government) were not suspended based on alleged collusion with the All Progressives Congress to manipulate electoral process in favour of the party in Osogbo and Obokun local government councils respectively.” The following clarification was further added: “They were neither culpable of selling ballot papers to the APC nor manipulating Form EC8C to favour the APC and voiding of the PDP votes counted in favour of the APC. Fabunmi was suspended based on administrative lapses occasioned in the course of discharging his duties.” What is worrisome about the reports of September 3 in which many reporters literally chorused one another in dishing out a spurious story is the total lack of professionalism. Why run with a story as told only by a PDP chieftain, when the APC, INEC, and Police officials were available to cross-check the story? Why not even interview the INEC officials at the centre of the stories? And why did all the reporters lack memory about the same INEC officials in their stories on August 8 and 9, 2014? I have taken pains to follow these stories for one major reason. Reporters will complicate the political landscape in 2015, if they fail to report events accurately as happened many times in Osun State, for example, with the Hijab and school reclassification stories and the numerous distortions paraded as fact by the PDP candidate during the campaigns. They must know that, unlike columnists, who comment on media stories, reporters cannot take sides. Columnists can argue in favour or against a particular policy or programme or even endorse a particular candidate for election.They can condemn bad practices or commend good ones as well make suggestions for modificiation or improvement. Reporters do not have such latitude, when reporting a story. True, columnists and other media commentators are often “attacked” by intolerant readers or viewers, who disagree with their position. What such readers or viewers fail to recognise is that democracy is advanced by weighing dissenting views. It takes maturity to know that you do not condemn the other person for holding a contrary view or for supporting a different candidate. Be that as it may, it is incumbent on reporters to provide accurate information, especially at this period in our national history when we face Boko Haram insurgents, Ebola outbreak, and are preparing for general elections. Culled from THE PUNCH

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

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