Osun Defender - September 18th 2014, Edition

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www.osundefender.org THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 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

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

PEOPLE FIRST

VOL. 9. NO.112

imperial President Front Page Comment though utterly clueless, desperate to add The War Called The Osun but Osun to his conquest in furtherance of his stillElections; By Segun Tomori born second term bid. didn’t care a hoot 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

about the people’s wish, all that matters was the full compliment of the paraphernalia of State activated by an

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

Osun Guber Election:

Osun PDP Chair Escapes To London With Election Fund •Diverts Trailer-loads Of Omisore’s Rice To Wife’s Shop Osun Poll: Again, Court Remands Fake DSS - Pg 2 Official In Prison

- See Story On Page 2

Osun Assembly Passes Bill For Teaching Of - Pg 4 Yoruba In Schools

Osun APC Replies Accord Party’s Election - Pg 4 Petition Why Prof Olawoyin-led Council Should Be Sacked – UNIOSUN ASUU Chair

•(L-R) Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; representative of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mallami Maccido (Ubandoma of Sokoto); State of Osun governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Serikin Yorubawa of Sokoto, Alhaji Isiaka Usman and a member of the General Purpose Committee of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni, during a condolence visit to the governor on the death of President-General, League of Imams and Alfas in the South-West including Edo and Delta states, Alhaji Sheik Mustapha Ajisafe, held at Government House, Osogbo, last Saturday.

- See Story On Pages 6&7

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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

Osun PDP Chair Escapes To London With Election Fund •Diverts Trailer-loads Of Omisore’s Rice To Wife’s Shop

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NKNOWN to many of the party members and supporters, feelers ahead of the August 9, 2014 governorship election held in the State of Osun had already shown that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, was heading for defeat at the poll, as prominent members of the party were merely on self-serving mission.

OSUN DEFENDER Progressives Congress gathered from authoritative (APC) and incumbent sources that very few of governor of the state, Omisore’s trusted aides Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s genuinely believed in his political stature. candidature or his According to an personality, as being impeccable source within enough to win the election the party, majority of those against a formidable claiming to be loyal to candidate of the All Omisore’s candidature

were actually having their focus on the cash to be released by the Presidency for the prosecution of the election, which in their calculation would run into several billions of naira.

When the first tranche of the presidential largesse arrived the state, it was reported that the State Chairman of the party, Mr Gani Olaoluwa, had been rest assured that he would be the one to distribute the money to whoever he wished.

Trouble however started, when Omisore suddenly

turned against the idea and assumed the role of being the one to share the cash to those he deemed fit.

This, according to sources, nearly led to altercation between the two party men but was eventually resolved in Omisore’s favour, but the party chairman was reliably gathered to have reluctantly shifted ground.

To have his own pound of flesh, Olaoluwa was gathered to have sworn to whoever cared to listen that he would have his last laugh

against Omisore.

Not quite long after the encounter, the PDP candidate ordered for fifty trailer-load of rice for onward distribution to party faithful and supporters, directing the party chairman and other members of his executives to handle the distribution as they deemed fit.

The trucks that brought the rice into the state however, arrived in the middle of the night and it was the party chairman the drivers called, who directed

•Managing Editor, Osun Defender Newspaper, Mr Kola Olabisi (3rd left); Editor of the newspaper, Mr Kayode Agbaje (4th left); Administrative Manager, Mr Murtala Agboola (2nd left); Pastor Fola Ajala of Deeper Life Bible Church, Ife Region (4th right); Pastor Wole Osunlana, Osogbo Region (3rd right) in a group photograph with Osun Defender staff and some members of the Church during a courtesy visit to Osun Defender office in Osogbo ahead of the visit of their General Superintendent (GOS), Pastor Williams Kumuyi, to the State of Osun tomorrow. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Osun Poll: Again, Court Remands Fake DSS Official In Prison

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

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just handed over to him by the police in the court room.

Badiora therefore, urged the court to grant him adjournment to study the case file for proper prosecution.

Magistrate Aluko, however, ordered that the accused person be remanded in Ilesa prison custody

22-year-old suspected thug of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Victor Aladegolu, who was accused of impersonating as an officer of the Department of State Security (DSS) and the police during the last governorship election in the State of Osun, has again been sent back to prison custody by an Osogbo magistrate’s court.

Police authority in the court that the case file of state had on August 21, the accused person was 2014 arraigned Aladegolu before Magistrate Olusola Aluko on the charges of impersonating the DSS and terrorizing members of the public in Ile-Ife before the Saturday, August 9, 2014

By KEHINDEAYANTUNJI gubernatorial election.

Aladegolu, with his HE Deeper Life Bible Church on Monday said the accomplices, who are various challenges facing Nigeria, including Boko currently at-large allegedly Haram and Ebola outbreaks, require spiritual wore hood and T-shirt with intervention from God and urged the people to move closer an inscription of police in the to God in this end-time. front and DSS at the back, The church also stressed Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo on the and carried guns in their hands with an intention to that there is the need at the forthcoming International create fear in the minds of moment for leaders in Crusade tagged: Explosion position of authority to of Supernatural Miracles, to the electorate in the area. their efforts in be presided over by the Magistrate Aluko, while double eradicating poverty, which Church General ordering the remand of the is fast growing in the land. Superintendent, Pastor W. F. accused person, directed It said the persistent Kumuyi. counsel to Aladegolu, Mrs terrorist attack in Nigeria The state overseer, who Nnena Ngwu, to file a bail has spiritual, social and was represented by Pastor application before the court, economic foundation.

Fola Ajala, Overseer, Ife saying the suspect could The State of Osun Zone, who led other not be released on oral bail Overseer of the Church, members of the church application.

Pastor John Adeniran, said during the visit, said most of When the case came up this on Monday during a the happenings in the world at the court on Monday, courtesy visit to the Head today are the evidence of the of OSUN end-time. state prosecution counsel, office He said: “All what is Mr Biodun Badiora, told the DEFENDER Newspaper,

again.

He subsequently adjourned the case till September 30, 2014 for hearing, while the bail application would be considered on September 19, 2014.

Aladegolu had on the first day of arraignment entered a not-guilty plea to

the two-count charge of conspiracy and impersonation levelled against him.

The charge sheet read to the accused person in the dock maintained that the charges were contrary to and punishable under Sections 107 and 517 of the State Criminal Law.

them to offload a sizeable number of trailer-loads of the rice at his wife’s shop, which was gathered to be big enough to accommodate several tonnes of rice.

Omisore was gathered to have been marvelled over the development and reportedly expressed his displeasure over the chairman’s action of diverting the rice to his wife’s shop.

A twist was however, introduced to the drama, when few days after the rice was delivered, burglars reportedly entered the chairman’s wife’s shop in Osogbo and carted away all the tonnes of the rice.

The matter could not be reported to the Police, as the chairman could had been the first suspect to be arrested and detained over the incidence but rather decided to treat the issue as a PDP family affair, in view of the negative press it might generate before the election.

The medium further gathered that numerous party chieftains refused to disburse various sums of money given to them to lobby voters on the election day, just as many of them vanished into thin air after the party lost the election to the APC with their loot.

As one of the female chieftains of the PDP who hails from Ora-Igbomina in Ifedayo Local Government Council Area of the state, was escaping to London with her own share of the money, she was heard telling some of her party men around that she had had her own part of the national cake and whether the party likes it or not, she would have been out of reach before they would know what has hit them.

It would be recalled that it was reported by this medium recently how the state chairman of the PDP misappropriated N500 million election fund in his care to the surprise of the chieftains and members of the party in the state.

As at the time of filing this report, Olaoluwa was said to have travelled to the Great Britain to enjoy his loot.

Boko Haram Requires Spiritual And Social Solutions - Deeper Life •As Kumuyi Arrives Osogbo Tomorrow For International Crusade

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happening requires God’s intervention. It is a strong signal of the end time. It is like a track race, when it is about to end, the competitors will double their energy. Those in the Devil’s kingdom are also doubling their energy this time to win more souls. That is why it is important to be born again and accept Jesus Christ.

“A time is coming that human minds would be unable to imagine all these calamities, and the religious leaders must also continue making efforts to ensure that people are moving towards God for salvation.”

On the missing Chibok school girls, Pastor Ajayi said the Deeper Life Bible Church is concerned and worried, stressing that that

is why the church always conduct special prayers every Friday for the safe return of the girls.

Ajayi said the church is expecting all Christian denominations at the programme, adding that they are so confident of good testimonies after the crusade.

He revealed that the church has concluded accommodation, security and other logistics for the international crusade holding at the Deeper Life Church Camp, Agunbelewo Area, Osogbo from tomorow till Monday.

Responding, the Managing Editor, OSUN DEFENDER, Mr Kola Olabisi, tasked religious leaders to be more

committed to prayers to save the country from various challenges, which include diseases and insecurity.

He said Osun is blessed with leading spiritual leaders, which includes Pastor W F Kumuyi, Pastor Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the late Pastor Obadare among others, adding that Pastor Kumiyi’s visit would be another turning-point for the people.

The Managing Editor also pledged the support of the newspaper to the leadership of the church to give adequate publicity to the crusade, while Pastor Ajayi also led a prayer session for the success of the establishment.

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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

How OSPOLY Lecturers Retard Academic Development – Investigations

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

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ACTS have emerged for the current low quality of graduates being chunned out by the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, as the school system is said to favour loyalty at the expense of merit for promotion and recruitment of academic staffers into the school system.

Investigations conducted by OSUN DEFENDER inside the institution showed that despite government financial commitment to the school to ensure high standard, the authority is sabotaging the effort on the reasons that it prefers staffers that would pledge loyalty to them than contributing immensely to the capacity development of the school.

It was gathered that unlike in the past, when lecturers with required credentials and wherewithal to impact knowledge into students, which was the reason for high attraction of prospective students from within and outside the state, contrary is the case of the institution at the moment.

This, according to a former Senior Lecturer in the school,

was responsible for the quality of its alumni all around the country, but quickly added that the trend is no longer impressive, as most of the graduates the school turned out these days are rejected for higher degree programmes in universities in the country.

Findings revealed that trend of recruitment in the school in recent times is to first employ prospective lecturers on contract basis, after which they are either employed permanently or frustrated out of the system.

It was gathered that some departmental heads are not comfortable with the credentials of some of the

graduates that applied for teaching appointments because most of the older lecturers employed as HND holders have refused to upgrade themselves and would not want young lecturers’ lord over them.

Presently, the school has a lot of university graduates as part-time contract lecturers, who have either completed their second degrees or on the verge of completing it, cutting across various departments.

However, these categories of lecturers’ appointments may never be regularised despite holding credible credentials and their potentials.

This has been ascribed to the

fact that if their appointment is regularised, the young graduates may become senior lecturers ahead of their older colleagues, who were employed as technicians and were converted to academic staffers based on their “loyalty” to the authority.

Checks revealed that most lecturers, who were employed in the last decade, were employed as technologists or chief technologists, only to manoeuvre their ways to become academic staffers, yet, most of this set of lecturers still possess the qualification with which they were first employed.

Findings however, showed that the development is already taking its toll on the students, as these lecturers care only for the cash reward they get from sales of mandatory hand-outs to students and abandon the class after having allotted the courses to themselves as senior lecturers.

Meanwhile, whenever the issue of accreditation crops up, the school authority would present the part-time lecturers

with university degrees as their main staffers to protect its credibility, meanwhile, most of them only assisted the main lecturers, who possess lower certificates.

Some of the young graduates are not even allotted courses so as not to understand the “tick money” generated from the sales of hand-outs to students, while HND graduates, who finished from the school are allowed to take courses even for HND classes against the NBTE regulations.

A source within the administrative building confided in the medium that the irregularities permeate through the whole school system including the management, whose language is loyalty, rather than merit in an academic environment.

The source added that except tangible steps are taken by the government, the school may be churning out political thugs, rather than building human capacity to develop the state and the country, saying as things stand now, the school is politically polarised and is taking toll on the students.

Driver In Court For Driving Recklessly

By LATIFATADEPOJU

A •Owode to Oluode Market road in Osogbo rehabilitated under the administration of the governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, as captured by our cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, last Saturday.

Inability To Rescue Chibok Girls, Enough Reason To Vote Out President Jonathan - CDHR

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HE State of Osun Branch of Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has said that the inability of President Goodluck Jonathan to rescue the over 200 abducted Chibok girls by the Boko Haram was enough ground to vote him out as president in the 2015 general elections.

The group stated that on time, they would have been President Jonathan has failed rescued.

“The president and security in his constitutional duties of protecting lives and property agencies waited for two weeks of the citizens, having failed to before believing the abduction rescue the girls five months of the girls,” Uthman stated. after their abduction.

He stressed that the inability The State Publicity of the president and the Secretary of the CHDR, security agencies stated in clear Comrade Ismaeel Uthman, terms how insecure Nigerians stated this in Osogbo on are in the face of the security Sunday in a press statement challenges.

Uthman said: “Today, issued to commemorate the five months #BringBackOurGirls September 14, marks five struggle. months of the abduction of the Uthman chided the Chibok girls.

CDHR Presidency for “mocking” the commiserated with the family #BringBackOurGirls struggle of the girls and we pray that with a campaign billboard for God, the comforter, will President Jonathan inscribed comfort them and bring their “#BringBackJonathan. girls back to them.

“It is only a Nigerian According to Uthman , the ineptitude of the president and president that will feel the compromise of security comfortable with the five agencies were responsible for months abduction of teenagers the insecurity challenges facing and instead of concentrating on the country. the rescue efforts, the “Had the president been President’s attention is proactive and responsive to the basically on how to return to abduction of the Chibok girls office for second term.

“The Presidency has even Change Of Name gone senseless to the point of mocking the I, formerly known and #BringBackOurGirls struggle addressed as DEJI by erecting FOLUKE GRACE, now #BringbackJonathan billboards wish to be known and in Abuja. That tells us the level addressed as ADEWALE of insensitivity and FOLUKE GRACE. All lackadaisical attitude of the former documents remain president to the rescue of the valid.

Osun State girls.

Polytechnic Iree and “We accused President general public should Jonathan of complicity in the take note.

insecurity of Nigeria. We strongly believe that the president is playing pranks on the security situation. The president is protecting the sponsors of the insurgency.

“How would the President explain his trip to Chad, a country suspected of aiding and abetting the Boko Haram, with Senator Alimodu Sherif, who has been accused and indicted in several revelation and documents of being the brain behind the insurgency?

“The President’s trip to

Chad with Sheriff was another way of telling the Department of State Security ( DSS) that is investigating the former Borno State governor to stop their investigation,” Uthman said: “If the president refuses to acknowledge his inefficiency and ineffectiveness on the abducted girls, that is even enough to vote him out in the 2015 general elections.

“We cannot continue to have a president that does not care about the citizens’ security and welfare.

35 year-old driver, Monday Chuks, was arraigned before an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court last Tuesday for driving in a reckless manner on the public highway.

The charge sheet disclosed of Nigeria 2004, as applicable in that the accused, who was in- Osun State. charge of a Toyota Hiace bus, The charge sheet also drove on the public highway, disclosed that the offence took in a reckless and dangerous place on August 24, 2014 at manner, which led to the death R.C.C Area along Ilesha/Ibadan of one Boniface Njoke, 50, Expressway, Ipetumodu at about thereby committing an offence 2.00am. that is contrary to Section 5 of Defence counsel, Mr Okobie the RTA, cap115 vol.6 laws of Najite, urged the court to grant Osun State. his client bail in most liberal It also added that the terms. accused, on the same day, drove However, the police on the public highway recklessly and negligently in a prosecutor, Inspector Isiaka manner which was dangerous Ajadi, in his appearance, did not to the public, having no regard oppose the bail urged by the to circumstances on the use of defence counsel.

Presiding magistrate, Mr highway and the amount of traffic, which might recently be M.A. Lasisi, thereby granted him expected to be on the highway, bail in the sum of N100,000 with which caused the death of two sureties, directing that the Boniface of No 56, Oshodi Area sureties must swear to affidavit of means and produce evidence of Lagos State.

It further stated that the of means of livelihood with two offence is contrary to and passport-sized photographs.

The case was then adjourned publishable under Section 7 of the Federal Highway Act till October 20, 2014 for cap.13 vol.6, laws of Federation mention.

Women, Catalyst For Development, Sustenance Of Democracy - Osun Gov’s Aide

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

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OMEN have been eulogised for their active roles in the sustenance of democracy and deepening of electioneering process, especially in the State of

Osun.

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of the State of Osun on Community Forum, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, made the commendation at the 2014 Women League Anniversary of the St Mark’s African Church, Diocese of Ijesa, Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Council Area of the state.

Acknowledging that women constitute largest percentage of voters, Oyintiloye said the voting strength of women, especially in Osun, played a very significant role in the reelection of Governor Rauf Aregbesola during the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the state.

Also highlighting the support of women for the administration, the governor’s aide stressed that this has further encouraged the administration to do more in developing the state and empowering women in particular.

Describing women and children as vulnerable in the society, he noted that this was part of the reason the present administration established Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to efficiently handle issues relating to women and children.

Oyintiloye further reiterated that aside their political value, women remain the cornerstone

of economic development in trade and agriculture.

He maintained that their roles both in formal and informal sectors of the economy, especially in the supply of labour for economic prosperity, cannot be overemphasised.

This, he said, was the basic reason thousands of women have been empowered in terms of skill acquisition, soft loans, direct employment among others, of which, widows and aged women were not left out, noting that this gesture had started yielding positive results on the economy of the state.

Expressing delight on the commitment of Aregbesola’s administration to the enhancement of women status, he maintained that the administration would continue

to ensure that women have sufficient access to key resources such as education, health, empowerment and human capacity development.

Also acknowledging the roles of women at homes and in nation building, he said that their participation in politics would further strengthen the system, as they play significance role in the survival of any society.

He then called on women to continue to support the administration of Aregbesola, which he described, as their own.

Also speaking, the Ministerin-charge of St Mark’s African Church, Esa-Oke, Venerable Lawrence Oriowo, lauded the governor for his performance and promised that Christians would support Aregbesola in the second term of his administration.

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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

Osun Assembly Passes Bill For Teaching Of Yoruba In Schools

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

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HE State of Osun House of Assembly has passed a bill for the compulsory teaching of Yoruba Language, culture and tradition, civic education, as well as physical and health education in public and private schools in the state.

The bill was passed Atolagbe explained that after a motion moved by the bill is seeking to the Deputy Leader of the promote the use of House, Honourable Yoruba language, culture Afolabi Atolagbe, and and tradition among seconded by member students.

According to him, the representing Egbedore State Constituency, teaching of Yoruba Honourable Abiodun language is gradually fading out in schools, Awolola.

Reading the policy trust saying that this has been of the bill, titled: “State of ridiculing the Yoruba Osun Education culture and tradition.

He canvassed that the Amendment Bill 2014”,

bill should be given an accelerated passage, with a view to ensuring that sanity is restored within the Yoruba nation, which is the hallmark of Yoruba culture and tradition.

H o n o u r a b l e s Folorunsho Bamisayemi (Ife South), Johnson Ojo (Ede South); Kamardeen Akanbi (Ede North), Ajibola Akinloye (OlaOluwa), Kamil Oyedele (Irepodun/Orolu) and the Deputy Speaker, Akintunde Adegboye (Osogbo) among others, supported the quick passage of the bill.

In their separate submissions, the

lawmakers argued that the bill would help to prevent the language from going into extinction, regretting that virtually all private schools do not teach Yoruba language any longer.

They maintained that the physical and health education introduced as part of the bill would enable students to be physically fit, while civic education would expose the children to their rights and responsibilities to ensure a better society.

In his remark, the Speaker, Honourable Najeem Salaam, said the bill was not to discriminate

against any religious practice, but to promote, culture, tradition and Yoruba language.

According to him: “What we are trying to do is to promote our culture and tradition and imbibe in the younger ones, our culture and tradition.

“Also, the physical and health education are no longer being taught in schools again, while civic education is also no longer there and we need to correct all these”, he said.

Mr. Salaam also pointed out that the state parliament would soon set aside a day to conduct a

•SCARCITY OF KEROSENE: Residents of the State of Osun queuing for kerosene at NNPC Mega Station, Lameco Area, Osogbo, on Tuesday.

Photo: SEGUN ADEJUMO

Osun Lawmaker Counsels Youths On Leadership Character

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

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empowering the people to improve on their living standards, rather than using their offices to amass wealth and enrich their purse.

He urged the organisers of the programme not to relent in organising such programmes, while calling for the replication of such programme in other constituencies, where representatives in political offices can give account of their stewardship.

While giving account of

IGERIAN Youths have been advised to shun acts capable of truncating their glorious future as the country’s future leaders.

The member and pray for sons and representing, Irepodun/ daughters of the Orolu State Constituency, constituency in political in the State of Osun House offices to succeed and not of Assembly, Honourable over-burden them with Kamil Oyedele, gave the trivial issues that are more advice in Ifon-Orolu, of selfish interest. headquarters of Orolu Honourable Oyedele also Local Government Council urged politicians to always Area, while addressing prioritise developing their youths of his constituency constituency and during a round table discussion tagged: “Leadership and Followership” organised

by Young Changers International to give account of his stewardship.

S Governor Rauf Aregbesola prepares for his Oyedele pointed out that second term administration, the people of the position of a leader is Imesi-Ile in Obokun Local Government for people of noble Council Area of the State of Osun have appealed to character, integrity and the governor to add more to the development of good virtues, hence the the ancient town in his next four years. need for the youths to The people, who the town to boost the exhibit these virtues.

He urged them to be a c k n o w l e d g e d economy of the state and good ambassadors of their A r e g b e s o l a ’ s add to the tourism values community, state and the d e v e l o p m e n t a l of the state.

A community leader, country, wherever they achievements in every nook and cranny of the Honourable Tunji find themselves.

The lawmaker also state, specifically appealed Adesokan, who spoke at a called on members of his to the governor to speed thanksgiving ceremony constituency to support up the development of the organized by the All Kiriji War Site located in Progressives Congress

what he has done for the constituency during his seven and a half years in the State House of Assembly, Honourable Oyedele said he gave scholarship to 22 students studying in different fields and schools, paid for 2013 and 2014 NECO/GCE certificates examination for 425 secondary school students, as well as empowered youths in skill acquisition training such as agriculture, hairdressing,

fashion designing, beadmaking, wire works, among others.

For the constituency developmental projects, he stressed that he engaged in self-help projects such as drilling of motorised boreholes in some c o m m u n i t i e s , construction of sheds at Ifon Motor Park and facilitated six state projects to the constituency including road and electrification projects.

business of the House in Yoruba language, as a way of promoting the language.

Section 18, Sub-section 2 of the State Education Law, provides that any person being the proprietor of a public or private schools, who fails to comply with the law, shall be liable to a fine of N10,000.

Osun APC Replies Accord Party’s Election Petition

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HE State of Osun chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), has filed a reply to the petition of the Accord Party (AP) governorship candidate, Mr Niyi Owolade, seeking the nullification of the reelection of Governor Rauf Aregbesola as the winner of the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election.

The AP is praying the court to look into the result of the election, which according to the petition, was not free and fair.

Addressing newsmen shortly after filing the reply at the State High Court in Osogbo, lead counsel to the APC, Mr Kunle Adegoke, said while the AP 17-page petition contains only 14 witnesses to prove that the election was rigged in 30 local government council areas, the APC is presenting 30 witnesses to prove that in most parts of the state, the election was free and fair.

According to him, the petition lacks the basic requirements that must be met by a petitioner.

He further stressed that the removal of the former Chairman of Election Petition Tribunal, Justice I.M. Bako, which was instigated by the Accord Party, ought to have been carried out with recourse to some other parties involved in the petition.

The counsel noted that the APC has enough evidence to prove before the tribunal that the petition lacks merit.

Imesi-Ile Residents Charge Aregbesola On More Development In The Community

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(APC) in the town to celebrate the Aregbesola’s victory in the August 9, 2014 governorship election, said the community needs good roads, potable water and other infrastructures.

Adesokan, who is also the leader of the APC in the town, also called on Governor Aregbesola to appoint indigenes of the town into key political positions in the interest of fair play and justice.

In his own speech, the State Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Dr Ademola Ekundayo, said the people of Imesi-Ile believe in the government of Aregbesola, hence their resolve to vote massively for him in the last governorship election.

Ekundayo recalled that the people of the town were intimidated and victimized by the opposition parties before and during the election for supporting Aregbesola, saying that God eventually

gave them victory over the opposition.

He stressed the need for Aregbesola to come to the rescue of the town in the area of infrastructures, stating that the community has been in the progressive camp since the era of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

He said: “The people of Imesi-Ile appreciate quality in Aregbesola and thank God for the success of the last election. We stood firmly behind him and God did not let us down, because He is a God of truth and justice.”

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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

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 checkpoints 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 grand-finale 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 master-plan which was to run a coordinated 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 56pm. 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 far-reaching 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.

T

ostensibly to manipulate the result. He brought out the forms only after a petition had been written to INEC and stern warning issued to him by his boss.

The EO for Obokun, Mr Anthony Olusegun Eshinoye, was suspended for illegally diverting election materials before election day and was on the way to a PDP leader’s house in Ilase, prompting vigilant youths to stop him and he was arrested by the police.

Strangely, he was released to a PDP national leader from the state.

Curiously, immediately they were suspended by INEC, PDP twisted the facts and smuggled a story into the media, that they were suspended for rigging for APC. INEC was forced to categorically deny this and make public the real reasons they were suspended.

Their suspension was meant to be an in-house affair, now it has been blown open and all eyes are now on INEC. They will not come out smelling of roses. They thought they were working for the PDP, but now they have been ditched and their career is on the line.

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,

How Not To Rig Election For PDP HE travails of the Electoral Officers for Osogbo and Obokun Local Governments of Osun State are a lesson on how not to help the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The two officers have been suspended by INEC while investigation into their misconduct is ongoing.

The Electoral Officer for Osogbo, Mr Tope Fabunmi, was suspended for the ignoble role he played before and during the August 9 governorship election in Osun State. Complaints were lodged against him that he was asking for the political affiliation of registered voters who had come to collect their permanent voters’ cards and would find a way to deny those who identified with APC. He was also reported to his superiors by the APC for not releasing the identity tags for the party’s agents on election day.

He only released 70 tags out of 240 and only grudgingly released the rest after a petition was written to his superiors and the intervention of EU observers. But by then, accreditation had passed. The most egregious of the allegation against him was that he dumped the form EC8C, where result for Osogbo Local Government would have been recorded, in a waste bin, thereby delayed the collation of result in the council area till the wee hours of the next day. This was done

though unofficially. What sealed 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 Asorock 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.

The same applies to some misguided civil servants, especially two permanent secretaries and a director who took on the garb of partisanship during the election, throwing decency and all rules in the book to the gutters. They were openly campaigning for the candidate of the PDP and were seen distributing his vests. One even stood for him as a party agent. It is the height of insanity for civil servants to be so brazenly partisan.

These civil servants naively believed the assurances of the PDP that they had wrapped up the election and at worst, the result would be written and announced from Abuja. To their regret and eternal shame, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola won in a landslide. The affected civil servants have since been thrown into panic and unspeakable grief after Omisore lost the election. They cannot face their colleagues again and are sorely afraid of the inevitable consequences of their indiscretion.

The just retribution that awaits these ignoble conducts are a good lesson for those who may be tempted to align with the devil at the expense of professionalism and integrity.

•REMI ADEBOWALE, Osogbo, State of Osun.

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6

INTERVIEW

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

Why Prof Olawoyin-led Council Should Be Sacked – UNIOSUN ASUU Chair Dr Abiona Oluseye of the Department of Chemical Sciences, Osun State University, UNIOSUN, Osogbo, is the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIOSUN chapter.

He spoke on sundry issues affecting UNIOSUN in this interview during his courtesy visit to OSUN DEFENDER office in Osogbo recently.

Q

UEST: The Pro-Chancellor said that ASUU-UNIOSUN is being instigated against him by the Vice-Chancellor. What is your take on this?

Ans: Speaking on behalf of ASUU, I wish to say that this is a gross misrepresentation of facts and a grotesque misunderstanding of the philosophy, ideals and principles which ASUU stands for.

There is no iota of truth in that allegation and we consider that statement an insult to ASUU. ASUU is the collective body of academics, thinking beings who cannot be led by the nose by anybody including the Pro-Chancellor, the ViceChancellor or Management. We discuss issues appertaining to the academic and general welfare of our members. We engage Management, Council and Government on the direction and future development of Osun State university.

ASUU is a body of robust scholars.

We are not robots as Prof. Olawoyin is trying to portray us.

Quest: Do you have any personal grouse against the Pro-Chancellor.

Ans: Professor Gabriel Olawoyin may have personal grouse against me.

I do not have any personal grouse against him. I am a culture Yoruba person. I will also not be part of any system that will foster a system of corruption, irresponsibility and disregard for due process in the University.

I will answer your question directly.

First, it is not true as Prof. Olawoyin had claimed that I was promoted to Lecturer I in 2014. My promotion was with effect from October 2012.

Second, I responded to an internal and external advertisement for appointment into Senior Lectureship cadre based on additional publications since 2012.

Appointment is another channel of elevation in the university system. I do not want to join issues with the ProChancellor on my appointment but will provide salient points on how he has been undermining UNIOSUN and how UNIOSUN has been witnessing brain drain under his watch.

Without any iota of doubt, Professor Olawoyin is not interested in the academic development of the university in any sense. Rather, he is sending experienced academics and researchers away from UNIOSUN through his draconian policies on appointments and promotions. For instance, when the Appointments and Promotions Committee (Academic) recommended Dr. Adebisi Tajudeen Adewumi of the Faculty of Education for appointment as Senior Lecturer,

•Dr ABIONA

Professor Olawoyin rejected the recommendation. It is a common knowledge that Dr. Adebisi was subsequently appointed as a Senior Lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Is Professor Olawoyin claiming to be upholding higher promotional standard than OAU? In fact, brain drain has hit UNIOSUN given the number of UNIOSUN academic staff moving to other universities. For example, Dr. Adewole Atere, an Associate Professor of Sociology with UNIOSUN was recently appointed a Professor of Sociology at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, (FUOYE).

Similarly, Dr. Ajiboye Abiodun Hakeem recently left for the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti. In the same vein, Dr. Senayon Olaoluwa, the literary guru and one of the leading scholars in postmodernist literature was poached by the authorities of University of Ibadan.

I also wish to point out the case of Dr. Moruf Olayiwola of the Department of Mathematics who was recommended by A & PC for Senior Lectureship position but was stepped

down by the all-knowing Prof.

Olawoyin. It may interest you to know that Dr. Olayiwola has been appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Port-Harcourt.

Quest: Is the Appointments and Promotions (Academic) the ViceChancellor’s Committee?

Ans: That is another falsehood being spread by Prof. Olawoyin.

Appointments and Promotions Committee (Academic) is a joint Committee of Senate and Council.

Though the committee is headed by the Vice-Chancellor, it has representatives from the Senate, Council and Faculties.

Under Prof. Olawoyin’s watch, Council is represented in the A &P (Academic) Committee by two external members in whom he has great trust and respect.

These gentlemen are Professor Akinyinka Omigbodun of the University of Ibadan and Prof. Gabriel Adegboyega of the Faculty of Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. If the A&P (Academic) Committee consisting of Council’s representatives recommend a staff for promotion and appointment

and Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin thinks otherwise, the blame should not be heaped on the Chairman of the Committee. Prof. Olawoyin is the alpha and omega, the oracle of UNIOSUN Council.

Quest: What is your position on the non-payment, promotion and salary increment arrears of staff members by the Council and Management?

Ans: The welfare of our academic staff member is our primary responsibility. A labourer deserves his wage/salary. If a staff is due for promotion and annual salary increment arrears, we expect the Council and Management to prioritize that. The total amount necessary to pay the outstanding arrears is roughly N21 million only which is within the capacity of the university to pay. We did not embark on strike in July because of the then forthcoming August 9, 2014 governorship Election. We did not want to be branded as agent provocateur.

We respected the peace of UNIOSUN, the peace of Osun State.

However, Prof. Olawoyin is always on war path with the academic staff.

He does not need any rocket science to know the financial status of the University or to pay our salary arrears before the September meeting of Council. He must have a very special reason for postponing all academic and staff welfare matters till September 30, 2014. We thank God that Governor Rauf Aregbesola has been re-elected for a Second Term. The Chairman of Council certainly has a very sinister agenda for the Management and select academic staff members of the State of Osun University.

Quest: What is the Position of Professor Olawoyin-led Governing Council on sustainable funding of UNIOSUN? Ans: The primary purpose of any Governing Council is to attract men and women of good will to provide sustainable funding and financial support for the university. Indeed, when the Second Governing Council was inaugurated on November 27, 2014, Governor Aregbesola charged the Council to be very proactive on funding: “On funding, I want a clear departure on tuition and subvention from the owner state. It is immoral to pass the burden of full cost on the students.

While we will not fail to fulfill our obligation to the university but rather improve on it, we want your major task therefore, to be repositioning the institution for better endowments, income from intellectual outputs like patents and innovative business ideas.

Continued on page 7

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

INTERVIEW

7

Why Prof Olawoyin-led Council Should Be Sacked – UNIOSUN ASUU Chair Continued from page 6

Since the society is the first beneficiary of university graduates, it is also necessary that the larger society be part of the funding of the university ... You must therefore task individuals, enterprises and corporation for the funding of the university”.

Since the Olawoyin Council was appointed by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, it has not generated a dime for the university. It has not attracted any goodwill, benefaction, bequests or endowment to the University. We have good examples of Pro-Chancellors who invested in the universities they presided over. A good example is that of Aare Afe Babalola, the erstwhile Chairman of UNILAG Council, who donated the Afe Babalola Multipurpose Auditorium to the university of Lagos. Another good example is Chief Wole Olanipekun, Pro-Chancellor, former University of Ibadan, who donated 400capacity lecture theatre at Ajibode to UI. He further directed all his entitlements be converted to a scholarship scheme and he gave indigent students of Law, Medicine and Computer Science Annual Scholarship.

He also donated generously towards programme accreditation of Law Faculty. And when the August 26, 2011 flood disaster in Ibadan damaged substantial property in the University of Ibadan, Chief Olanipekun personally donated the sum of N10 million towards ameliorating the suffering of the institution.

Both Chief Afe Babalola and Chief Wole Olanipekun remain veritable model and compass for any ProChancellor seeking enduring legacy. We just hope that it is not already too late for a Council that is always at war with the Management, Senior Staff Association (SSANU) and ASUUUNIOSUN. The only association which Professor Olawoyin has love for is the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

Quest: Do you have any other programmes already suspended by the Pro Chancellor?

Ans: I wish to plead with all education stakeholders in the State of Osun to prevail on Professor Olawoyin to allow the Senate to run the academic affairs of the university. Again, the Chairman of the Council has stopped the take-off of our Professional and Academic post-graduate programmes, in spite of the fact that NUC approved the establishment of four professional programmes which are germane and relevant to manpower needs of the nation. These programmes are Professional Master in Disaster and Risk Management, Professional Master in Environmental Management, Professional Masters in Intelligence and Strategic Studies and Professional Masters in International Studies. The university also received NUC blessing for four academic programmes: M.A. History and International Studies, M.Sc

•Dr ABIONA

Biochemistry, M.Sc Microbiology and M.Sc Geography.

The council under Professor Olawoyin refused to give approval because he does not believe in human development. It is the responsibility of the Vice-Chancellor to ensure that adequate staffing is provided to run our PG programmes. As I speak to you, other sister universities have advertised postgraduate admissions for the 2014/ 2015 academic session. Applications for PG studies are on-going at the University of Ilorin, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, among others.

These are samples of advertisement for your perusal. The Professor Olawoyinled Council should be sacked. The council under Professor Olawoyin has failed in its primary responsibility of promoting good governance and of providing sustainable funding for the university.

Quest: The Pro-Chancellor approved that IJMB should run for only one year. What is your position?

Ans: Again, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Professor Olawoyin lied to the public on this. He has a very superficial understanding of the role of Governing Council in the university system. Senate regulates the academic activities while the Governing Council deals with policy-making and

superintends over the assets (estate, property and finances of the University).

His stoppage of IJMB, is an erosion of the powers of the Senate as enshrined in Osun State University Law 2006 and in the law of other Nigerian universities.

For clarity, the Senate of the university at its meeting held on January 16, 2014 unanimously approved the operation of IJMB programme with effect from 2013/2014 session. IJMB is An ‘A’ Level Programme intended for candidates aspiring to gain admission into any Nigerian universities through direct entry.

In February, 2014, the university management advertised the programme and sought the council’s approval for the appropriate school fees to be charged. Professor Olawoyin openly told the council members and university community that the programme would not receive his blessing. It was after a lot of entreaties and pleadings that he reluctantly accepted that the programme should run for one year only.

Quest: How valid is the claim by the Pro-Chancellor that the IJMB programme is not being run by universities in the South-West?

Ans: Again, Professor Gabriel Olawoyin has little knowledge about IJMB and the Nigerian University System. IJMB is an A level programme, a pre-degree programme being run in Osun, Ogun and Ondo states. You may

seek clarification from the ViceChancellor of Bowen University, Iwo. IJMB is also being run at the Federal University of Technology, Akure. The programme was established during the tenure of the highly respected former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebisi Balogun. The programme currently runs under the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) headed by Professor J.O. Okunola. At FUTA, IJMB is known as the University Advanced Basic Programmes. Furthermore, IJMB is being run at the Federal University of Agriculture, FUNAB, Abeokuta. You may also wish to confirm this from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole and, who incidentally is also the President of Associations of ViceChancellors ofAfrican Universities. The IJMB programme in FUNAB has Professor Francis Showemimo as the Director. At Kwara State University, IJMB is run under the KW ASU Advanced Basic Studies (ABS) programme. IJMB is also accepted as basic qualification for Direct Entry at university OF Ilorin, the best ranking University in Nigeria. What kind of academic standard is Professor Olawoyin projecting? He needs adequate and correct information about the Nigerian university system.

Quest: The Pro-Chancellor claims that students who enroll on IJMB Programme but who are unable to gain admission to the university are usually core of the cultists in universities. What is your take?

Ans: I am not aware that Professor Gabriel Olawoyin has done any empirical or scientific research on cultism in Nigerian universities. He speaks from a very high level of ignorance and leading sociologists and university administrators will confirm this. IJMB is a pre-degree or basic studies programme. Indeed, Foundation Programme, Cambridge A level, Pre-Degree Programme and IJMB are run in most Nigerian universities and those who could not gain admission through the mode in a particular year try other avenues at the next academic session.

UNIOSUN runs Pre-Degree Science Programme in our Ejigbo Campus and there has not been any incidence of cultism since its establishment in 2007. We also ran Foundation Programme successfully for a number of years until NUC directed that the programme should be stopped. OAU runs pre-degree programme at its Moro Campus and it is a highly successful exercise devoid of cultism.

It is indeed illogical to link the IJMB programme with cultism. Cultism and gangsterism is an evil in Nigerian university system which requires the collective action of all stakeholders.

8

PHOTOTALK

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

Congratulatory Visit To Governor Rauf Aregbesola On His Victory In The August 9 Gubernatorial Election By Some Political Parties In The State Of Osun Held At Government House, Osogbo, Last Saturday.

•(L-R) Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Chairman National Conscience Party (NCP), State of Osun Chapter, Alhaji Waheed Lawal (right) and other dignitaries.

•

•(L-R) Chairman, United Peoples Party, State of Osun chapter; Dr. Idowu Omidiji; Chairman, United Democratic Party (UDP) Osun Chapter, Prince Adesoji Adeleke; Governor Aregbesola; Chairman, Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP), Osun Chapter, Chief Adetoro Babatunde; Chairman, New Nigeria Peoples Party(NNPP) Osun Chapter, Prince Adegoke Adefore and African Peoples Alliance (APA) Chairman, Alhaji Azeez Agboola.

Condolence Visit To Governor Rauf Aregbesola On The Death Of President-General, League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West Including Edo And Delta States, Alhaji Sheik Mustapha Ajisafe, Held At Government House, Osogbo, Last Saturday.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left) in a warm handshake with the representative of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mallami Maccido (Ubandoma of Sokoto).

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

PHOTOTALK

9

15th Annual Women’s Week 2014 At Nasrul–Lahi-Fathi Society (NASFAT) International Prayer Centre, Mowe, Lagos State, Last Sunday.

•(L-R) The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; National President, NASFAT, Alhaji Sherrif Yussuf and National Women Affairs Secretary, NASFAT, Alhaja Nofisat Arogundade.

•(R-L) Deputy Chief Missioner, NASFAT, Alhaji Abdul-Azees Maruf; lecturer in Lagos State University, Dr. Lateef Mobolaji Adetona and Chief Missioner, NASFAT Worldwide, Sheikh Alhaji Abdullahi Akinbode.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s, Condolence Visit To The Family Of The Late Vice Chairman, The Sun Newspapers, Mr. Dimgba Igwe, In Lagos Last Monday.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola signing the condolence register.

•(R-L) Governor Aregbesola and widow of the deceased, Mrs. Obioma Igwe.

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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

FEATURE

11

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

A Government Full Of Lies: Reuben Abati And Olisa Metu As Agents WHEN a government keeps on lying to its populace, then the whole country is in trouble. For the past three years now, we have been witnessing all sorts of lies from the presidency.

Let me start with the latest lie by the presidency through one of his spokesman, Reuben Abati, who Femi Fani-Kayode once referred to as amateur and cheeky. Mr Abati claimed that the security agencies are still investigating Sheriff and that the President will not interfere.

Mr Abati also claimed that the President did not travel together to Chad with Sherrif and any contact between the duo was only at the airport, when Sherrif accompanied some dignitaries to the airport to receive the President.

Does Mr Abati or the office he is representing know the meaning of conflict of interest? What message is the Presidency sending to the already compromised security agencies about alleged Boko Haram sponsor? When a President that is directing an agency to investigate a suspect, and the same President is now exhibiting a shocking act of indiscretion by hobnobbing with the same suspect, how do you expect the security outfit to carry out its duty without fear or favour?

Is the Presidency aware of an offence called “an accessory before the fact, or accessory after the fact, which the President can also be charged for immediately he loses his immunity?

If truly Modu-Sheriff is been investigated, as claimed by Reuben Abati, how was he able to find his way to Chad? Why is he still in custody of his international passport or diplomatic passport? A crime as severe as terrorism should not be treated with a kid gloves, because we were all aware of the incident of the former CBN governor, Lamido Sanusi, when both his international and diplomatic passports were confiscated by the highly compromised DSS even for a lesser offence of mismanagement. ModuSheriff has been indicted by different bodies and countries, would the Presidency pretend not to be aware of this? This accused fellow should not be allowed to leave the country because a sponsor of terrorism is as dangerous as the terrorists themselves.

Reuben Abati lied that Mr Sheriff only met the President at the airport, but with the indicted photographs in circulation showing the suspect together with the President in a meeting with the Chadian President has blown on the face of Mr Abati.

The APC spokesman threw some

•JONATHAN

By TOBI IDAOMI

posers at the Presidency, which up till now, no one has the courage to reply, except a jester known as Olisa Metuh, who is known for his lousy statement with no substance, with his propaganda style of leadership.

The posers were: Why would the President even allow Sheriff into the venue of his meeting with the Chadian President? Can anyone just go and be sitting with President Jonathan in a meeting with the Chadian President just because the fellow happens to be in the Chadian capital at the time?

What happened to security clearance, protocol etc?

What message is the President sending to the security agencies by circulating the picture of the accused with himself? Is that subtle message to the security agencies that the accused is a friend of the President, hence he is untouchable?

The action by President Jonathan confirms that he either knows more than he is willing to admit on the issue of those who are behind the Boko Haram insurgency or he is willing to sacrifice the battle against terrorism on the altar of political expediency.

Either way, this action by the

President is the height of indiscretion at best or a palpable exhibition of callowness at worst. Whichever way we look at it, President Jonathan can be charged for both accessory and conspiracy after his tenure. Just as Mr Fani-Kayode quoted in one of his writes-up “Abati should shut up and let his boss speak for himself on this one.”

Another latest lie by this government is the issue of the controversial harsh tag designed for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan. The #BringBackJonathan harsh-tag, which has blanketed different parts of the country, with banners and billboards, has provoked outrage within Nigeria and abroad because it mimics the harsh tag of bring back our girls for the abducted girls who have been in captivity for more than 150 days.

This annoying harsh tag has-been in circulation for more than two weeks, which was started by the Presidency through one of his overzealous spokesman, Doyin Okupe. Only for Mr Abati to claim that the Presidency was not aware of the offensive harsh tag. Who is Reuben Abati fooling? He should please respect the doctorate degree he is parading, even if he does not care about his reputation and his

family name.

In 2013, when Saharareporters reported about the 600-man delegation President Jonathan took to UN General Assembly, Mr Abati denounced the story as lacking in substance. Lies may travel a thousand miles, but truth will always catch up with it”. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Wali, had just corroborated that story that President Jonathan did lead a 600- man delegation to the United Nations General Assembly last year. This disclosure was made while he was addressing heads of ministries, departments and agencies. Reuben Abati, where is your conscience?

During one of the media chats of President Jonathan, he claimed that Transparency International noted that Nigeria was the second most improved country in the effort to curb corruption. The group immediately replied by disowning Mr. President’s claim.

The President claimed that Nigeria is generating 5,000 MW of electricity; the Transmission Company of Nigeria debunked that claim and said that at no time has the country electricity generation capacity reached a peak of 5000MW. A road project (known as five junctions), which was executed by Edo State government under Adams Oshiomhole, the Federal Government was trying to be clever by half by showcasing as one being undertaking by them.

The government always tell us that they are on top of the situation in curbing the menace of Boko Haram, only to be hearing the killing of innocent students in Mubi, marathon of bombing in Abuja and the abduction of the Chibok girls.

Only last year,, the government was telling us it has created 1.3 millions jobs. When the minister of Finance was asked where the ghost jobs were, she could not lay her hands on any.

Let me also borrow from one of the PDP chieftain, Mr Fani-Kayode, he said: “Permit me to make a painful observation here. I was thoroughly appalled about the fact that when our lamb President was asked about the latest round of killings during his live “Presidential Media Chat” programme on Sunday evening, he not only told a lie to the world by claiming that only “21 or 22 students were killed” at a time when the BBC and CNN had confirmed that at least 45 bodies had been found” This PDP-led Federal Government lives on lies, feed on lies, and operate on lies.

12

FEATURE

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

Osun 2014: Who Is Fooling Who?

•JEGA

OMMENTARIES have been C made concerning the Osun 2014 governorship election convincingly won by the APC flag bearer, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

There were losers, who have the right to either raise their voices in favour or against the conduct of the election. This was the path of honour taken by the Labour Party and its flag-bearer, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, who conceded defeat and congratulated Aregbesola. What a true democrat Akinbade is?

However, the major opposition party in Osun, the PDP, has been crying wolf where there is none.

Again, they are entitled to freedom of expression as enshrined in our Constitution.

But through their utterances and actions, Osun PDP is standing truth on its head to whip up sentiment. But one is happy that despite the odds put on the ways of the Osun electorate, before and during the election, with the deployment of the so-called federal might, PDP was denied victory.

In order to give a dog a bad name, to justify hanging it, the Osun PDP has gone to town to wrongly assert that the two officials suspended by INEC, on one allegation or the other, connived to ‘rig election’ in favour of the APC. And in a jiffy, a press release was sent out by the Osun PDP to confuse the

•AREGBESOLA

By OLUMIDE LAWAL

electorate on the issue.

On the eve of the election, the Electoral Officer (EO) for Obokun Local Government, Anthony Olusegun Eshinoye, was said to have been arrested while allegedly attempting to divert some electoral materials to the residence of a PDP big-wig in the council area and he was promptly handed over to law enforcement agents. But what happened thereafter is better imagined.

Be that as it may be, one is happy that the Public Relations Officer of INEC in the State of Osun, Mrs Adenike Tadese, has categorically stated that the suspension of the two INEC officials has nothing to do with electoral malpractices to favour APC, as the action resulted from “administrative lapses” on the part of the officials, who are still under further investigation.

Having tried all kinds of behind the scene maneuver, ranging from a call to change Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador Rufus Akeju, which was effected ahead of the poll, to the issue of deployment of battle-ready security operatives, which failed woefully, Osun PDP has resorted to painting APC as the tormentor and intimidator in the election, whereas that is exactly what the Osun PDP showcased.

Osun PDP should stop its

•OMISORE

campaign of calumny against INEC and APC and go to the tribunal to prove its case. If the Osun electorate refused to be cowed into submission by the PDP, is it right for the party to continue to insult the collective intelligence of the people, who stood solidly behind their darling party-APC-and gave it the muchdesired victory on August 9?

The APC thoroughly prepared for the election relying on God and the good works of Aregbesola, who positively impacted on the peoples’ lives, whereas the opposition party just wanted power for its sake and to satisfy the yearnings of an individual. They forgot that ultimate power belongs to God. But one good thing the national leadership of the PDP did on the election was that it congratulated APC. Ditto President Jonathan.

What therefore is the “stolen mandate” that Osun PDP wants to reclaim? Again, the tribunal will resolve the matter.

During the poll, many commissioners, the first civilian governor of Osun, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, among other APC members, were intimidated, harassed and arrested by the security operatives brought to Osun for no just cause. So, who were the hunters and the hunted?

The slogan of “we are going to war to capture Osun” by some PDP big wigs fell flat.

The Osun electorate was there

for the APC and Aregbesola 24/ 7 and shall continue to.

If I were Jeleel Adesiyan or Musiliu Obanikoro, I would have resigned as minister, following the defeat handed to them by the enlightened electorate who, like the biblical David, messed up these GOLIATHS in their raw and forceful manner of wanting to capture Osun.

Jonathan should, by now, know that these two ministers are paper-weight politicians back at home, who could not win their polling units, as shown in Adesiyan’s case at Ago-Igbira polling unit, Odeomu where his party lost the election.

I will like to appeal to APC teeming supporters to remain like the Rock of Gibraltar behind Aregbesola.

Whatever impediments the opposition may wish to create in the battle concerning the election petition tribunal shall be overcome.

I praise my boss, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, for being a game changer going by the good performance he recorded at the August 9, 2014 governorship election.

His experience at an hotel in Osogbo, sometime ago, has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him and the APC.

13

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

Job Vacancies In Nigeria Current Jobs in Abia State in a Plastic Manufacturing Company A Group fast growling and expanding plastics Manufacturer Company requires to fill the following positions in the subsidiary Companies in Abia.

Job Title: Factory Manager Qualification B.Sc, HND or equivalent in Mechanical or Electronics/Electrical Engineering or Productions Engineering Experience Not less than 5 years in reputable plastics company.

Having background knowledge of techniques of machine bias in Mechanical and Electrical preferable.

Job Title: Office Assistant Qualification B.Sc, HND, ND in Officer technology or equivalent secretariat course from recognized institutions.

Experience Not less than 5 years in a reputable organisation as secretary or Officer Assistant. Computer literacy will be an advantage.

Job Title: Production Manager Qualification B.Sc, HND or equivalent in Polymer and Textile, Production Engineering or Production technology Experience Not less than 5 years in a reputable Plastics industry a Production Staff and/or Technical.

Computer literacy will be an added advantage.

Job Title: Asst. Quality Controller Qualification B.Sc, HND or equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Bio - Chemistry, Chemistry etc. from a reputable institution.

Female with experience and exposure required.

Experience Not less than 5 years in a reputable paints, Chemical, and Allied Industries.

Knowledge of Quality and quantitative testing and quality confirmation is required.

Job Title: Sales Representative Qualification B.Sc in Economics, Marketing, or equivalent in Social Science and Humanities Experience Not less than 4 years in a reputable organisation with skills in selling and brand promotion Job Title: Asst. Manager Qualification B.Sc, HND in Marketing or Economics or Social Science, Chemical Engineering or Psychology.

Experience not less than 5 years in reputable organisation, such as the multinational corporations, as sales or marketing staff with bias in export process and procedures.

Job Title: Professional Painters Qualification 5 years or more as a Professional painter with knowledge of Satin Emulsion, Marble Pattern and special coating application Remuneration Very attractive but negotiable How to Apply Interested candidates should forward their CV to: The Advertiser, P.O. Box 1345, Aba, Abia State.

Or E-mail: jobvacancysept2011gmail.com Application Deadline 28th September, 2014 ——————————————————————————————— Qatar Airways Job in Lagos for a Finance Assistant Qatar Airways - Welcome to a world where ambitions fly high, From experienced pilots to dynamic professionals embarking on new careers, Qatar Airways is searching for talented individuals to join our award-winning team.

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Qatar Airways is recruiting to fill the below position of:

B.Sc/HND Accounting Proficient in English language (oral & written) Good knowledge of MS word/excel/power point & accounting software Minimum of 3years experience in a manufacturing company Strong analytical, interpersonal & negotiation skills How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should send their CVs: careers@giantbeverages.com Application Deadline 30th September, 2014 ————————————————————————————————— Jobs in Ota, Ogun at Abraham and Sarah Beverages Nigeria Limited Abraham and Sarah Beverages Nigeria Limited (Formerly O & T Nigeria Limited) is a private limited company, a manufacturer of Good Tame drinks and Premium Table Water. We provide products that add value In terms of price. quality, and availability and are supported by a dedicated well trained team. Our products are available all over the states of the federation and along the west coast of Africa.

Abraham and Sarah Beverages would requires the services of: Job Position: Sales Reps Location: Ota, Ogun Requirements B.Sc/HND/OND Good Knowledge of Lagos and Ota Territory.

Ability to work without supervision Position: Sales Coordinator Location: Ota, Ogun Requirements B.Sc/HND in Social Sciences 3 years experience in FMCG Valid Drivers License Good Knowledge of Lagos Territory Method of Application Interested and qualified candidates should send their applications to: HR@goodtimebeverages.com.ng Application Deadline 20th September, 2014 ———————————————————————————————————— Jobs in Abuja for Ticketing and Reservation Executives at Findrex Travels and Tours Limited Findrex Travels and Tours Limited, a leading travel agency with IATA certification, with headquarters in Lagos. We currently desire competent, resourceful and highly talented individuals to join our team. We offer opportunities for advancement and competitive remuneration for our staff.

Findrex Travels and Tours Limited is recruiting to fill the position of: Job Title: Ticketing and Reservation Executive Location: Abuja Educational Qualifications/ Requirements: Possession of minimum of OND. Possession of a Certificate of training from a reputable Aviation School Should be between the ages of 24 – 30 years old.

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Note: Only those whose applications are being considered will be contacted. No phone calls please.

Application Deadline: 22nd September, 2014 ———————————————————————————

Job Title: Finance Assistant Job Title: Production Manager Ref No: QR6050 Location: Lagos Job Function: Commercial Job Description In this role you will be responsible for the verification and accounting of invoices, payments, sales, refunds, deposits and claims in line with QR policies and IAPs. You will also be responsible for preparation and accounting of journal vouchers as per IAP; timely sending of documents to outsourced centres and immediate escalation of the exception cases.

Requirement To be successful in this role you will need a minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from a reputed university.

You will be able to work independently with minimum supervision.

You must be an excellent communicator with fluency in written and spoken English.

You will have a minimum of 3 years accounting experience with at least 1 year with an airline.

You will have a strong aviation specfic profile in either expenditure or revenue accounting. You will be experienced in any major ERP with a good working experience on spreadsheets.

How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should: http://careers.qatarairways.com/qatarairways/VacancyDetail.aspx?VacancyID=82567 Note: you will be required to attach the following: Resume / CV Copy of Passport Education Certificates Application Deadline 12th October, 2014 ——————————————————————————————————— Latest Jobs at Giant Beverages Limited for an Account Officer in Lagos Giant Beverages Limited is recruiting to fill the position below: Job Title: Account Officer Location: Lagos Job Descriptions Processing & posting of accounts vouchers/documents Administration of staff expenses & petty cash Preparation of monthly bank reconciliation statement.

Management of accounts payable receivables Organization & tracking of purchase orders invoices Assist with administration payroll, taxes & pension Any other duties assigned by Acct. Manager Qualifications

Location: Ibadan, Oyo Job Description: The production manager is involved with the planning, coordination and control of manufacturing processes.

He / She ensure that products are produced with the right level of Efficiency, Cost, quantity, quality Responsibilities: Planning & organizing production schedules.

Estimating, negotiating, and agreeing budgets / timelines with suppliers & related line managers.

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Overseeing selection, the repair & routine maintenance of production equipment.

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Ensuring production are timely, and are of good quality.

Monitoring product standards, implementing quality-control programs.

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Bachelor degree in Pharmacy At least 3 years in production Manager Capacity in related firm or FMCG Not more than 35 years Organization Interpersonal Skills Problem solving skills IT, Communication How To Apply Qualified candidates should mail in their Curriculum Vitae and brief profile electronically (in excel format below) to: job@saroafrica.com.ng using the position as the subject of the mail Surname | FirstName | DOB | Gender | Years of Experience | Institution | Grade | Course | Year of Graduation | Professional Qualification | Job Experience (please state your last 3 recent job) | Phone No | E-mail Address | Application Deadline 19th September, 2014

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

14

HEALTH

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

Why Ebola Is So Dangerous T

HE Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world’s deadliest to date and the World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency as more than 2,100 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria this year.

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhoea and - in some cases - both internal and external bleeding.

The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.

It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.

Healthcare workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.

Where does it strike?

Ebola outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, says the WHO. Bushmeat - from animals such as bats, antelopes, porcupines and monkeys - is a prized delicacy in much of West Africa but can also be a source of Ebola It was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976 since when it has mostly affected countries further east, such as Uganda and Sudan.

Ebola deaths since 1976 This year’s outbreak is unusual because it started in Guinea, which has never before been affected, and is spreading to urban areas.

From Nzerekore, a remote area of south-eastern Guinea, the virus has spread to the capital, Conakry, and neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.

A man who flew from Liberia to Lagos in July was quarantined on his arrival and later died of Ebola - the first case in Nigeria. One of the nurses who treated him and an official who came into direct contact with him have since died.

Ebola casualties Up to 7 September 2,226 Ebola deaths - probable, confirmed and suspected 1,137 Liberia 557 Guinea 524 Sierra Leone 8 Nigeria The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the outbreak is “unprecedented” in the way the cases were scattered in multiple locations across Guinea, hundreds of kilometres apart, and says it is a “race against time”

to check people who come into contact with sick people.

Ebola: Mapping the outbreak Ebola: Why is it this disease we fear?

Can cultural practices spread Ebola?

Ebola is spread through close physical contact with infected people. This is a problem for many in the West African countries currently affected by the outbreak, as practices around religion and death involve close physical contact.

Hugging is a normal part of religious worship in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and across the region the ritual preparation of bodies for burial involves washing, touching and kissing. Those with the highest status in society are often charged with washing and preparing the body. For a woman this can include braiding the hair, and for a man shaving the head.

If a person has died from Ebola, their body will have a very high viral load.

Bleeding is a usual symptom of the disease prior to death. Those who handle the body and come into contact with the blood or other body fluids are at greatest risk of catching the disease.

MSF has been trying to make people aware of how their treatment of dead relatives might pose a risk to themselves. It is a very difficult message to get across.

All previous outbreaks were much smaller and occurred in places where Ebola was already known - in Uganda and the DR Congo for example. In those places the education message about avoiding contact has had years to enter the collective consciousness. In West Africa, there simply has not been the time for the necessary cultural shift.

The

virus

detective

who

discovered Ebola

What precautions should I take?

Avoid contact with Ebola patients and their bodily fluids, the WHO advises. Do not touch anything - such as shared towels - which could have become contaminated in a public place.

Washing hands and improving hygiene is one of the best ways to fight the virus Carers should wear gloves and protective equipment, such as masks, and wash their hands regularly.

The WHO also warns against consuming raw bushmeat and any contact with infected bats or monkeys and apes. Fruit bats in particular are considered a delicacy in the area of Guinea where the outbreak started.

In March, Liberia’s health minister advised people to stop having sex, in addition to existing advice not to shake hands or kiss. The WHO says men can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to seven weeks after recovering from Ebola.

Fighting the fear and stigmatisation surrounding Ebola is one of the greatest challenges health workers face.

But health workers themselves are becoming scared of treating patient, and are demanding better protective clothing when exposed to patients.

Ebola has already claimed the lives of dozens of doctors and nurses in the Ebola-hit region, including Sierra Leone’s only virologist and Ebola expert, Sheik Umar Khan.

This has put a further strain on the health services of these West African states, which have long faced a shortage of doctors and hospitals.

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.

Advert Rate Full Page Colour Full Page Black & White Half Page Colour Half Page Black & White Quarter Page Colour Quater Page Black & White Any of these phone lines can be contacted: 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897 and 08023191891

-

N150,000 N120,000 N80,000 N70,000 N50,000 N40,000 - Management

OPINION

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, September 18, 2014

15

Metuh, PDP’s Broken Megaphone P

OOR Olisa Metuh. In him, we see a man who derives perverse enjoyment in publicly demonstrating that he occupies a position that is much too big for him.

Through his own actions, he is found wanting. Through his own words, he shows that silence would be his best policy.

In his latest tirade, Metuh seeks to criticize the APC because of the party’s reaction to the departure of the dour yet overly ambitious Tom Ikimi from the APC. Strange that Metuh feels he must leap to the rescue of such a ruthless and shameless political fighter as Ikimi. Stranger still is that Metuh seems more concerned about the Ikimi departure than the APC is as a party. Ikimi suffers from delusion of grandeur and in the Fop he will find his co-travellers. He needs his ego constantly fed and in pop he will be lucky not to have it starved.

His recent attempt to denigrate the leadership of the APC, its leadership and the person of Bola Tinubu is merely the ranting of an ant. It falls within the same time worn and tenuous arguments. It offers no fresh thinking, but simply offends our nostrils. Like, his paymaster, Olisa IS shadow boxing where there are no shadows. He is engaged in dynamic inactivity. His feeble attempt to talk down Tinubu is easily dismissible. If not for the pop that gave him a job, his ilk will never have such temerity to speak the garbage they spill out.

Metuh seems to occupy a strange universe where the personal feelings of Ikimi are more important to him and his mission as PDP mouthpiece than are the national security and welfare of millions of our people. Strange man.

Strange party. The PDP represents everything that is wrong with Nil7eria. A party of ill-breds and career politicians. Metuh s babysitting services is more needed by a cruel Presidency that profits from the misfortunes of the

BySUNDAY DARE citizens.

The fact of the matter is that Metuh thought Ikimi’s departure would be a bombshell, fatally wounding the APC. He was set to take advantage of the matter.

He may even have huddled with the carpet bagging Ikimi to help him craft his evil epistles against the APC. However, the bomb Metuh expected turned out to be a small, damp firecracker that could not even illicit a spark much less an explosion.

Investing hope that Ikimi’s departure would seriously injure the APC, Metuh was not only barking up the wrong tree, he had entered the wrong forest. Metuh had entered deep into fantasyland. Thus, let us endeavor to give him a piece of reality so that he might stop these flights of fancy and actually devote some time to the serious questions most Nigerians now ask of his party, PDP when it comes to their security and economic welfare.

In a sane party, Olisa Metuh would be confined to the fringes. But here he is given a national platform to insult the sensibilities of millions of Nigerians with his twisted logic and rationalization of the actions of Nigeria’s most inept and clueless leadership. Rather than face up to the

failures of the PDP government, he seems have been placed on full time detail attacking the APC and its leaders. When you have no positive account of your own, and then attack that of the other party. This seems to be his motto and strategy. It is both naked and corrupt.

Olisa Metuh represents the pettiness and arrogance that has made this government blind to the fact that unprecedented tragedy had occurred on their watch while they were busily preening themselves and reveling in the sweet soft things that hi office provides to those who care mostly about themselves.

While Boko Haram attacks us with guns, bombs and bullets, our very government fights us with deceit, trickery and lack of moral courage. Boko Haram assaults the body but this government and ruling party ambush our national spirit. So that we may reach our finer destiny, both need to go and to take their broken megaphone, Olisa Metuh, with them.

It would behoves the errant messenger of the errant ruling party to waste less time in his sophomoric examination of the APC internal dynamics and spend more time trying to figure out and explain the grand failures of policy and promise committed by the party to which he is so proudly a member. Why hasn’t this government rescued the girls of Chibok who have now

‘While Boko Haram attacks us with guns, bombs and bullets, our very government fights us with deceit, trickery and lack of moral courage. Boko Haram assaults the body but this government and ruling party ambush our national spirit. So that we may reach our finer destiny, both need to go and to take their broken megaphone, Olisa Metuh, with them’

been missing for nearly SIX months? It seems we are no closer to their freedom then we were the day they were abducted from their families.

Why did the government deploy so vast an array and arsenal of security forces and weaponry, including hooded gunmen, to intimidate and scare people during the recent elections in Ekiti and Osun? Is this a harbinger of what is to come during the 2015 general elections? If government musters such an energetic armed presence in peaceful states, how come it can’t deploy such a massive contingent in order to checkmate Boko Haram advances in northern Nigeria. Book Haram appears to be gaining ground daily, even declaring a caliphate. Yet, Metu is Silent to this momentous challenge to national sovereignty and safety. Yet, his pen drips with poison because some APC members and Tinubu tell the truth about Ikimi.

The APC is undergoing a winnowing process. Those whose personal views or ambitions are incompatible with the party will leave. Instead of hurting APC, this helps the party because it makes it more coherent and united to her core principles. That the PDP can be home to anything and anybody no matter how craven is not a virtue. The ability of the PDP to be an indiscriminate receptacle only shows the party’s moral bankruptcy; it is not evidence of ecumenical appeal.

In this winnowing process, numerous people may depart but again the APC will be the Detter, more harmonious for it. Ikimi left and the APC still stands.

•Dare is Special Adviser, Media to Asiwaju Tinubu.

•Culled from THE NATION

NEWS

ASUU Uniosun Faults Governing Council On Undue Interference

T

HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIOSUN Chapter, has faulted the claim made by the Chairman of the University Council, Professor Gabriel Olawoyin, that its Chairman, Dr. Abiona Oluseye, was personalising the union’s demand.

In a refutal signed and made available to OSUN DEFENDER at the end of their congress by its Chairman; Dr. Abiona Oluseye and Secretary; Wande Olaosebikan and other members of the union executive council, the union declared that the report accredited to Professor Olawoyin as a manifestation of mischief, malice and a calculated attempt to divide the union.

They maintained that ASUU is a union of intellects, which could not be used for pursuing personal agenda, adding that anybody, who thought along that direction was indeed out of tune with university administration of modern days.

According to the congress: “It is also very strange to read that Professor Olawoyin-led council accused Dr. Abiona and others yetto-be-named as agents being used to perpetrate the culture of corruption, when the council itself is an embodiment of fraud.”

They therefore, challenged the Prof.

Olawoyin-led Council to give reasons why it had to prepare sitting allowances for Mr. Remi Olowude even when he did not attend Council meetings.

“We give kudos to people of integrity as represented by Mr. Remi Olowude for rejecting cheques raised in his name for such purposes. What can be more fraudulent than this?”

The union accused Prof. Olawoyin of the followings: Stoppage of Internally Generated Revenue driven programmes of the university which included Postgraduate programme, IJMB and Part-Time Degree which had been duly

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Refusal to approve the recommendations of the university management on the payment of promotion arrears of staff members.

Cancellation of Prof. Temi Ologunorisa led panel report in favour of Prof. Wale Omole panel’s report which was doctored to deal with some targetted personalities in the university and Illegal cancellation of appointments of internal members of staff who repsonded to the advertisements and after going through the due process were found appointable by the Appointments and Promotions Committee of the University which was a committee of Council duly constituted by law and referring to it as the Vice – Chancellor’s Appointments & Promotions Committee.

Describing it as unjust, UNIOSUN ASUU stated that its leadership would not fold its arms.

They challenged the Council under the leadership of Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin to a public debate on the issues at hand so as to prove its assertion that the university management was using ASUU – UNIOSUN’s leadership to foster a culture of corruption, irresponsibility and disregard for due process in the university.

“The onus is on him to prove these grievous allegations; after all he who asserts must prove”, it added.

They also called on Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, Governor of the State of Osun and Visitor to the young university to call the Governing Council to order or get them removed if they had nothing to offer the university.

August 9, 2014 Governorship Election Victims If you were harassed, arrested, detained, assaulted by any suspected agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whether in uniform or mufti, during the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the State of Osun, visit our office, opposite Guarantee Trust Bank, OgoOluwa, Osogbo, or call either of these phone numbers – 08033927286 and 08033880205.

We are interested in your plight by recording it for history.

- Management

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 fashionable today for IT is “Men of God” to put on an emblem of distinction, with a view to according them respect and treat them like second-incommand to the Creator.

This in itself was heavenlyordained because as Messengers of God, they are to be referenced. They are to be holy at all times, so as to be found worthy by God to receive divine instructions that will subsequently be delivered to other human beings, who are incapable of gaining insight into the celestial realm because they are ‘not ordained’ to do so. However, the attitude of some of these people of God recently apparently calls to question the claim that they have minds that can wait on, and receive from their Maker.

In the early days of human existence, the priests were usually consulted to choose leaders for the people of God. The priest would then consult God by fervently praying for directives that will guide them to pick the person ordained to lead the people.

When there were no clear-cut directives, lots would prayerfully be cast, so that the chosen one would have the lot falling on him. In all cases, the choice would be right because of strict abstinence from extraneous influence capable of modeling personal thoughts towards undue subjectivity.

Any leader that emerged through such a neutral process, usually had no choice than to work in tandem with people’s expectations.

Our clergies today take to untoward means to chart a course for the people, who are blindly following them. Most of them have become mere prognosticators, who draw counsels from sources other than God’s to pave way for contemporary speculation of man that leads many astray. They project the message as if it has emanated from God and often compound the problems of undiscerning folks that see them as super medium to know the mind of God. Because of the special respect people have for them, they have led so many to reasoning wilderness, which is basically a realm of confusion and a parallel line to the path of divine inspiration.

The recently-concluded State of Osun gubernatorial election really gave credence to this standpoint, when desperation pushed people in the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to employ all antics to win voters to their side. They turned so fallacious that they almost exhausted the contents of lies’ repository. The whole process was unprecedented in the history of electioneering process in Nigeria.

Added to this was the profundity of the whole mess coming from PDP’s arsenal. Strange multiplication of ‘doubting Thomases’ pervaded the entire political atmosphere of the state; to the end that the bravery of the valiant literally evaporated from them.

By ADE OLUGBOTEMI

fasted and prayed that God should manifest His power. That was exactly what happened on August 9, 2014, when against all odds, God proved His deity as a God of war against injustice, before Whom all powers must bow.

The good people of this state must be aware that those men of God have begun a new process of satanic prayer to overturn what God perfected on August 9, 2014. They have gotten another gratification that is propelling their energy to have them ruled by their minds. They are seeking for helping hand in human judgment at election tribunal, and I am sure they will find one at the end of their arms.

At the end of the whole process, they will find out that God’s arm is mighty, and that it is powerful enough to compliment the frailties of man.

People, who love progress, must daily pray for God’s will to manifest upon the adjudication of man that is often misguided by emotional whims.

We are at the verge of revival in our chequered history. We are hoping that the ecstasy that greeted the declaration of August 10, 2014 will not be punctured by any human error that has branded our country as a nation of despots, whose discretions have permanently condemned us to a realm of Lilliputians that supports a notion of retrogression in global moves towards socio-political emancipation. For our recalcitrant clergies to get it right and fulfill God’s mandate upon their lives, they must quickly respond to their primary ministry of praying for the good of their ‘Jerusalem’( which in this case is Nigeria) that is currently enmeshed in multifaceted crisis.

It is in Nigeria’s prosperity that the clergies’ fulfillments lie. Nobody in his right senses will feel satisfied with the current situation in which most Nigerians are ready to flee the country The case was made worse by the of the State of Osun has been for any more economically-viable tacit support and backing given the lies withdrawn from Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji countries of the world. We must look fabricators by some ‘men of God’ who Aregbesola. Inciting handbills were beyond any religious consideration to virtually turned the altar of God to an distributed by so many pastors, while have our problem fixed and advance instrument meant to also fabricate and many of them ordered their church propagate lies. The tenacity of their members to have nights of vigil to pray steadily to a bay of safety. If Nigeria remains in her problem, no pastor or applications sent serious confusion against Aregbesola’s victory at polls. bishops, or whatever any titles they across and beyond the state that Insightful text messages found their carry, will worth any while. They must people started wondering whether ways into people’s handsets; many of there was anything profitable in them declaring war against the person therefore be apolitical in their duty to seek God’s face, so that Nigeria can positive innovation that has become of Aregbesola. The barrage was attain her full potentials under any the hallmark of governance in the endless. political party or politician.

State of Osun of late. Devil’s agents It is noteworthy to recount how As we move towards year 2015, behind the pulpits recklessly fed their many of us were vilified and which many people consider as a year congregations with spiritual junks from castigated. Without sounding of destiny, we must be courageous to hell. They openly told their members sanctimonious, we only desired that critically examine our situation and see that Governor Aregbesola had been the Will of God be established. Some rejected by God because of his antiof us who were openly branded never where we have been missing the point all along. If Peoples Democratic Party Christ posture; praying that the mighty received a dime from any quarters. hand of God might come heavily We only developed passion for positive and Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan are not the media of greatness and against him. change that will show that God is political emancipation, as some of us Many fake Spiritualists in invented merciful and good to us. We are sensing, they should develop large cassocks became prayer warriors demanded that God should shame hearts to accommodate what God against the incumbent governor. They those who were going about to fan entered into marathon fasting on hills mischief and errors, so that people will intends to do; so that we can all begin to enjoy together and subsequently and mountains and descended after know their true God, Who brings His feel proud of an emerging Nigeria, days of dry fast, white fast, and all counsel to pass in the midst of His where it becomes possible to make full manners of fast to vaunt themselves, people. We never went to any prayer proof of individual innate talents. and boast about that the government mountains, but with faith in God, we Enough is enough with our being OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB,unnecessarily Gbongan Road,sentimental.

Osogbo, State of Osun. All

Clergies, Where Lies Your Integrity?

“Many fake Spiritualists in invented cassocks became prayer warriors against the incumbent governor. They entered into marathon fasting on hills and mountains and descended after days of dry fast, white fast, and all manners of fast to vaunt themselves, and boast about that the government of the State of Osun has been withdrawn from Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. Inciting handbills were distributed by so many pastors, while many of them ordered their church members to have nights of vigil to pray against Aregbesola’s victory at polls. Insightful text messages found their ways into people’s handsets; many of them declaring war against the person of Aregbesola. The

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.