Osun Defender - September 20th 2014, Edition by OsunDefender

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 Weeks before the August 9th gubernatorial elections which was won by the pragmatic Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of the APC, it was obvious we were up against forces other than the people of Osun state which naturally should be the determinant of

VOL. 9. NO.113

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

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

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

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

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

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

Revelation On Osun Governorship Election:

How Accord Party Gov Candidate Owolade Voted For PDP - See Story On Page 2

Osun Parliament Alerts OSSIEC- Pg 3 On Referendum For New Councils

Don’t Become A Political - Pg 3 Nuisance - APC Tells Osun PDP

•(L-R) Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti; State of Osun governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Chief of Staff to State of Osun Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola and Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Laoye-Tomori during the 8th Day Fidau for the late Chief Imam of Osogbaland and President-General, League of Imams and Alfas, South-West, Edo and Delta states, at Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State of Osun, last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Mutiny: Don’t Kill Soldiers Of Conscience, Kill Corruption - Pg 4 - Osun NGOs To FG

Aregbesola Flags Off Construction Of 225 Kilometre Roads •Says Agriculture Is The Magic Bullet For Osun Economy

- See Story On Page 4

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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Revelation On Osun Governorship Election:

How Accord Party Gov Candidate Owolade Voted For PDP

N spite of parading himself as the gubernatorial candidate of the Accord Party (AP) in the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election in the State of Osun, Barrister Niyi Owolade has been gathered to have voted for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Iyiola Omisore, during the election. OSUN DEFENDER support for all the roles he gathered from an was being used to play. As a matter of fact, the authoritative source that all along before the election, source stated, it was Owolade had been acting Omisore’s idea that he Omisore’s scripts, (Owolade) first moved to irrespective of whatever the Labour Party (LP), political groups he belongs when he (Omisore) initially and receiving financial reasoned that some of the

disgruntled members of the PDP, who might not feel satisfied with his emergence as the PDP flag-bearer in the state, might opt to join the LP. However, things did not go as planned, as another decampee from the PDP, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, who was equally threatened out of the party, got to the LP before the duo of Omisore and Owolade could start executing their plans to hijack the party for their sole

purpose of ensuring victory for Omisore at the poll. Without even notifying the Accord Party national leadership, Owolade was reported to have gone ahead to print posters, informing the electorate of his ambition to vie for the governorship seat in the state. It would be recalled that two weeks to the August 9 governorship election in the state, when Owolade had already kick started his

electioneering campaign, the AP national leadership announced to the public that the party had no governor candidate for the Osun election. How Owolade was then able to still emerge the party candidate was left to the people’s imagination. While he was observed to be criss-crossing the state on his electioneering campaign, Owolade was also gathered to have been part of Omisore’s inner caucus, who decided on who would get what, should Omisore get the people’s mandate at the poll, while a commissionership position had been reserved for him. To justify the closeness of the duo, the source called the medium’s attention to the recent role played by

Owolade, who on Omisore’s order, wrote a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) to effect the removal of the former Chairman of the Governorship Election Tribunal, Justice I. M. Bako. Question on the electorate lips when the news of the petition broke was: Why should the NJC give audience to a candidate that scored less that a vote per polling booth in an election? It was also a common knowledge that Owolade exhibited his ballot paper and announced openly at his polling unit that people should bear him witness that he was casting his vote for the PDP. It would be recalled that Owolade scored only 385 votes in the election throughout the state.

NUJ Worries On LG Administration In Nigeria

•Ilare Elementary School in Ile-Ife constructed under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, as captured by our cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, recently.

Aregbesola Advocates Peace, Fear Of God •As Muslim Umma Hold Fidau For Late Ajisafe Abubakar He said: “Whatever we Sahad By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

HE Osogbo Township Stadium on Wednesday was filled to the brim as children, family members, well-wishers and people of Osun, trooped out in thousands for the eight day Fidau for the late President-General, League of Imams and Alfas, South-West, Edo and Delta states. It was a gathering of has used him for our state; Ulamas, Islamic scholars, we must all continue politicians and Muslim from this noble act of the faithful across the states in departed. the South-West including “Osun has lost a great Edo and Delta states, as professor of knowledge. people gathered to pay May God grant him Altheir last respect to the late jannah firdaus. May God Chief Imam of Osogbo, grant the family and the Alhaji Mustapha Ajisafe. entire state, the fortitude The governor of the to bear the loss. We must State of Osun, Ogbeni take a cue from Baba’s Rauf Aregbesola, thanked love for peace and unity the people of the state for among people of different trooping out en masse for faiths,” the governor the prayer programme held noted. in honour of the late cleric. Earlier in his sermon, He charged clerics and the Chief Imam of Offa, others present on the Sheik Muhydeen occasion to continue Saliman, described death where the late Ajisafe as a necessary end for all stopped, noting that every human beings, Muslim and non-Muslims irrespective of their alike must be preachers of status. peace and unity, as the late He urged everyone at Islamic leader did while the Fidau to desist at all alive. times from acts that could According to him: lead them astray, saying “Death is inevitable. there is actually a better Everything has to do with life in Aljanah than God. It is a must that whatever the world could every being must die. God promise.

are doing here on earth, we must remember that there is a better place for us in Aljana. So while on earth, we must strive to obey the instructions of Allah. “We must also learn and pray to God to grant unto us the spirit of forgiveness, humility, act of doing good among other attitudes, because these are the attributes of someone seeking God’s mercy on the day of resurrection. Alhaji Ajisafe was born in Arikalamu’s Compound, Owo-Ope area, Osogbo on 5th May, 1927 to the family of Pa Alhaji Tijani, who was Ajanosi for Osogbo. He started Quranic education under his father and completed it in 1937. He started learning Islamic and Arabic studies from Alfa Bello Arikalamu, before he finally proceeded for further studies in Ilorin under the tutelage of Sheik Kamal-deen Al-Adabiya from 1937 to 1949. The event was attended by governor of Ogun State, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Professor Ganiyu Olatunde, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad

represented by Professor Daood Noibi, National Missioner of Ansarudeen, Imam AbdulRahaman Ahmad among other dignitaries.

HE Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Zone -B, comprising South-West and Kwara states has expressed concern over the current spate of lack of civil rule in the third tier of government in some states of the federation. A statement signed by for the people to enjoy more the NUJ Vice President, dividends of democracy. Zone B, Dele Atunbi, in The union said handAkure, said the zone is of picking of people to run the the opinion that lack of affairs of local government democratic rule at the local without the legislative arm government level in a at that level to check the democracy is not in the best excesses of the executive, interest of the country. leads to lack of policy It said that the framework to drive the development is responsible budget of councils. for the stunted growth at The union stressed the grassroots level. further that the trend is the The NUJ posited that the bane of development running of the affairs of the third tier of government resulting into rural-urban by unelected officers has drift with the attendant resulted into lack of fiscal effects of urbanisation. It advocated a deliberate policy and planning, which policy to transform the rural are pivots of development. It therefore, advocated communities in the country for the democratisation of with premium on harnessing the third tier of government the economic potentials of for speedy development at each community for the the local government level growth of the country.

Adeleke Absents At Panel, Says He Was On Medical Trip Abroad By ISMAEEL UTHMAN ENATOR Isiaka Adeleke on Wednesday failed to appear before the Panel of Enquiry On Disturbance of Public Peace set up by the State Government of Osun. Olayiwola. Adeleke, who was billed When the case came up to open his case against the at the resumption of the Minister of Police Affairs, panel on Wednesday, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, his counsel to Adeleke, Mr. aide, Sogo Agboola and the Ladoja Taiwo, informed the defeated governorship commission that Adeleke candidate of the Peoples had travelled abroad for Democratic Party ( PDP) in medical check up and was the August 9 governorship yet to return. election, Senator Iyiola Adesiyan, Omisore and Omisore, on Wednesday, Agboola were also absent at said he was on medical trip the panel sitting, just as outside the country. they were not represented The Chairman of the by any lawyer. panel, Justice Moshud Taiwo however, urged the Adeigbe, at the previous panel to adjourn the case for sitting of the commission, the petitioner to appear granted Adeleke leave to before it. open his case on Justice Adeigbe Wednesday August 17, subsequently adjourned the 2014, following a prayer by matter to October 7, 2014, his counsel, Mr Lekan while warning that the case

would be struck out should the petitioner fail to come for the hearing of his case. Meanwhile, the secretary of the panel, Mr Bisi Babalola, has urged the people of the state to approach the commission on any issue they have against individuals, government or authority. Babalola stated that the people are free to submit their petitions in the prescribed form to the secretary of the commission at the state High Court, Ilobu Road, Osogbo. He also debunked the rumour that the commission was set up to witch-hunt certain individuals, saying that the commission was set up to foster peace, as one of the integral action plans of the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola-led administration.

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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Osun Assembly Nods Creation Of Special Offences Court By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

Adegboye; Honourable Kamardeen Akanbi (Ede North), Kamil Oyedele (Orolu/Irepodun), Folorunsho Bamisayemi (Ife South) among others supported the quick consideration and passage of the bill. In their separate submissions, the lawmakers consented that

HE State of Osun House of Assembly has given its nod to the establishment of Special Offences Courts in the state. This was just as the state reduce the burden of work parliament, at its plenary on regular courts, while sitting on Tuesday, calling for speedy passage considered the bill titled: of the bill into law. “State of Osun Special The Deputy Speaker, Offences Court Bill 2014” Honourable Akintunde and took the bill through the second reading. The bill is seeking the creation of special courts to try environmental By ABOSEDE AKINPELU offences and such other HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State offences, and other of Osun has advised the Peoples Democratic Party connected purposes, (PDP) to stop constituting itself into the political pursuant to the enactment nuisance that it is fast becoming. of the House. The party was reacting to Reading the policy trust However, it accused the of the bill, the Leader of the latest complaint by the PDP of becoming paranoid against the over the personality of the House, Honourable PDP National Ambassador Rufus Akeju Timothy Owoeye, said the Independent Commission who the PDP has been purpose was to ensure Electoral (INEC’s) decision make persecuting for over a year speedy administration of the exercise of to ballot now by falsely accusing the justice. materials’ inspection by man of bias for the APC, He also said if the bill is both parties thorough and without producing a shred passed into law and special incontrovertible. of evidence.Inspite of this, offences court is created, According to the PDP, Prof Attahiru Jega went out it would bridge the gap this critical decision by INEC of his way to pacify the PDP created by regular courts. was allegedly influenced by by easing Akeju off the Owoeye further argued the APC. But the APC conduct of the August 9 that the establishment of denied any connection with election. After Iyiola Omisore and the PDP lost the court would also the INEC decision.

the bill could not have come at a better time, saying that the bill would reduce crime rate in the state. They further argued that when the offences covered by the bill are committed and the offenders are summarily tried and punished, it would serve as deterrent to others and bring sanity to

the society. In his remark, the Speaker, Honourable Najeem Salaam, said that the bill has set out the checks and balances on whoever that would be hearing the cases arising from special offences as spelt out by the rules and procedure contained in the bill.

He also noted that it is important for the state legislature to work speedily to ensure speedy passaged of the bill. However, the Assembly at the committee of whole, considered the bill and made necessary corrections from clauses one to 12 of the bill.

Don’t Become A Political Nuisance - APC Tells Osun PDP

that election, they blamed Akeju’s replacement, Mr Segun Agbaje, for aiding the APC to ‘rig’ the election. Now that Akeju is back on his job, the PDP is again accusing the man of slowing down the inspection of ballot materials’ process, to assist the APC. The APC therefore, asked: “who will satisfy the PDP with Omisore’s desperation to become governor in the State of Osun?”. According to the APC: “it would appear that even if Jega himself supervised the process, the PDP will still accuse him of bias. This attitude of the PDP has

become psychological and is getting out of control”, the APC added. The APC therefore, advised the PDP that except the process is thorough and incontrovertible, justice cannot be served. “It is therefore in the interest of both parties, that the inspection exercise is not only thorough, but it should be seen to be thorough and which can’t

be manipulated”, the APC said. “The decision to make the exercise thorough is certainly not within the purview of the PDP or APC. It is the responsibility of INEC, and the PDP can’t teach the commission its job. “The PDP must allow reason to prevail, otherwise it will be constituting itself into a political nuisance”, the APC concluded.

Osun CJ Promises Judiciary’s Cooperation With FRSC

HE Chief Judge (CJ) of the State of Osun, Honourable Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo, has reiterated judiciary’s support with Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) towards proper adjudication of traffic-related cases, in order to reduce road accidents in the state. The CJ stated this while for its support and playing host to the state cooperation, urging it not to Sector Commander of relent in its efforts. He noted that road users FRSC, Mr Husaini Mohammed, who paid her in the state are law-abiding, a courtesy visit at the State saying that the level of traffic High Court, Ilobu Road, regulation compliance in Osun is about 70 per cent, Osogbo, the state capital. according to him, is She assured the FRSC which, “commendable” boss of the state judiciary’s to some statescompared in the readiness to continue Northern part of the country. working in harmony with He used the avenue to the FRSC in order to curtail advise motorists on the traffic violation through danger of putting undermobile and regular courts. aged children in front of In his own address, the cars, saying: “Survey FRSC State Sector revealed that under-aged Commander appreciated children were more involved the State of Osun Judiciary in accidents last year.”

Education Development ‘ll Cut Across Osun - Dep Gov By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO •The Chief Judge, State of Osun, Hon. Justice Oyebola Ojo (right), receiving the State Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr M. A. Husaini, in her office, last Wednesday.

Osun Parliament Alerts OSSIEC On Referendum For New Councils By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

HE State of Osun House of Assembly has directed the State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) to put finishing touches to its preparation to conduct referendum for the creation of additional local government council areas in the state. It gave the directive before the House for the when the management of creation of additional 27 the commission appeared local government council before the state areas in addition to the parliament at its plenary existing 30 council areas. sitting in Osogbo on The Speaker of the Tuesday, saying the House, Honourable OSSIEC would soon be Najeem Salaam, directed commissioned to carry the commission chairman out the referendum. to liaise with the House The state governor, Committee on Local Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Government and had on December 16, Chieftaincy Affairs on the 2013, presented a bill conduct of the

referendum. Najeem also urged the commission to give level play-ground for all the political parties that would participate in the forthcoming local government council election. Speaking on the preparation of the commission, the Chairman of the commission, Otunba Segun Oladitan, said the commission was only waiting for the state legislature to give its directive on the number of LCDAs to conduct the referendum. He said staff of the

commission had visited the headquarters of the proposed LCDAs to ascertain their preparedness. According to him, the commission had conducted in-house and external training for its staff on the peaceful and accurate conduct of the referendum. He further noted that the commission had travelled to neighbouring states, where such exercise had been conducted, to learn from their experiences. On the conduct of the local government elections, Oladitan said the commission was ready to conduct free and fair election in the state.

HE Deputy Governor of the State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, has assured that every community would benefit from the ongoing educational development projects in the state. Tomori also added that the state government would take construction of ultra-modern schools to all the council areas in the state. In her words:”Ogbeni Aregbesola has expressed his resolve that he would stop at nothing to transform the state and bring smiles to the faces of the people, with provision of socioeconomic infrastructures.” Tomori, who is also the State Commissioner for Education, said the government had completed an appreciable number of primary and secondary school projects in Osogbo and other major towns across the state. She revealed that some of them would soon be completed, while the next phase would reach out to other parts of the state to facilitate even development and quality education.

Tomori stated that Aregbesola’s administration was equally committed to personnel development in the education sector and would not relent in training and retraining of teachers and non-teaching workers. “This administration will definitely dish out dividends of democracy to our people, who have shown to the world that they appreciate what we are doing by voting massively for the re-election of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. “We shall not relent in making our people happy. As a caring government, this administration cannot afford to fail them. We will not fail them,” she added. The education commissioner advised the people to continue to give their support to the administration and assist the government by fulfilling their own share of responsibility for societal development.

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OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Aregbesola Flags Off Construction Of 225 Kilometre Roads •Says Agriculture Is The Magic Bullet For Osun Economy By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

HE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday said that modernising Osun agricultural practices would be a magic bullet with which his administration hopes to deal effectively with many of the major social and economic problems currently confronting the state. The governor made this up by road. disclosure at the official launch “Our effort in this area has of the Osun Rural Mobility fortunately attracted the Project and the flag-off of the attention and assistance of construction of 225 kilometre development partners, who roads in the state at Ira Open have been doing a lot to enhance Square, off Ilesa-Akure our road infrastructure Expressway. development in the rural areas The Rural Access and of Osun. Mobility Project (RAMP) is a “These projects, supported tool for rural transformation, by the World Bank and French which addresses the basic needs Development Agency, have of transporting goods and gone a long way in furthering services in the rural areas. our objective of linking our food Aregbesola pointed out that production centres in the rural with the development of areas with their supply centres agriculture, the festering cancer mainly located in the urban of hunger, unemployment, areas, both within and outside poverty and poor education the state,” the governor told the could be dealt with. gathering. He said: “Indispensable to He emphasised that for ease this agricultural revolution of administration and more programme, is according effective implementation, the necessary development 225-kilometre roads have been attention, that had long been organised into four lots covering denied our rural areas. This four different parts of the state. crucially involves opening them The governor noted that the

first Lot is in Iwo region and covers 58.74 kilometres, the second Lot in Ife region will cover 58.40 kilometres, adding that the third Lot also in Ife region, extends over 53.87 kilometres, while the fourth will be in Ilesa region, with 53.61 kilometres of road. Aregbesola stated that the RAMP road projects will greatly enhance the area coverage of the already massive road construction and rehabilitation exercise that his administration has embarked upon. The governor said: “Winning a second term in office is not an excuse for indolence or for

relaxation. Indeed, it is an opportunity to accelerate the pace of work, so that we can cover as much ground as is humanly possible within the time available to us. “It is an opportunity we intend to maximise for the development of Osun and the well-being of our people. Indeed, for us, politics is over. Governance and development must continue, even at a faster rate than before. “The mandate given to us is for all the people, all our communities and it covers every inch of our soil. It is our fervent desire to bring the blessing of God on all our people and make

Ebola: Osun Calls For Religious Leaders’ Support By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

HE State Government of Osun has called on religious leaders across the state to brace up to the health challenges posed by the importation of the Ebola virus into the country, in order to avert it from being spread in the state. The state government, religious leaders have vital roles through its Committee on Ebola, to play in ensuring that the set up to prevent the virus from dreaded disease did not rear its spreading into the state, said head in the state.

•Ikoyi road in Ilesa, State of Osun rehabilitated under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, as captured by our cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, recently.

Mutiny: Don’t Kill Soldiers Of Conscience, Kill Corruption - Osun NGOs To FG By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

HERE has been outrage over the death sentence passed on 12 soldiers convicted for mutiny by the Nigeria Military Court marshal on Tuesday. Civil society groups and the convicted soldiers was N o n - G o v e r n m e n t a l based on the corruption that Organizations in the State of has eaten deep into the Osun have described the death Nigerian Armed Forces. The human rights group sentence as the most irrational in the fight against terrorism and maintained that the Federal Government and Army insurgency facing Nigeria. The soldiers, who protested authorities should “kill the inefficient provision of arms corruption and not the soldiers and ammunitions and of conscience, who put their misappropriation of funds lives on the line to protect the meant for the soldiers fighting citizens of the country.” CDHR stated that the Army Boko Haram militants in Borno State, were court-marshalled authority should investigate and convicted on the account of the compromise of its senior criminal conspiracy among officers in the fight against the and the other offences, which was said insurgency to be inimical to military service. misappropriation of funds The Committee for the meant for the soldiers fighting Defence of Human Rights the Boko Haram. Also, the State of Osun (CDHR) in the state on Thursday said the killing of the chapter of the Youths Initiative soldiers would demoralise the for Global Peace condemned rest of the soldiers and weaken the death sentence of the their morale on the fight against soldiers, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene the Boko Haram insurgents. The State Coordinator of the and secure freedom of the CDHR, Comrade Akinkunmi soldiers. The group argued that Asifat, appealed to the Federal Government and the Nigerian killing the soldiers, who Army to reverse the death sacrificed their enjoyment and sentence, saying the protest of peace to combat the evils of

our state the model of responsible leadership and public administration,” he stressed. Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural and Community Development, Mr. Kunle Ige, stated that the state government has decided to embark on the construction of rural roads, in a bid to improve the lives of the rural people, who depend on farming to earn a living. He commended the efforts of RAMP, saying its collaboration with the state government of Osun in the construction of rural roads will go a long way in banishing poverty, which is one

of the major goals of the present administration in the state. Also, the National Coordinator of RAMP, Engineer Ubandoma Ularamu, said the official launch of Osun RAMP and ground-breaking ceremony for the commencement of the rural road construction, is very significant because it will go a long way in alleviating poverty among the rural people. According to Ularama: “Today’s official launch of construction and rehabilitation of 225km of road is very remarkable and the Federal RAMP has also concluded arrangements on how to quickly commence the next batch of 300km roads in each of the RAMP states,” the RAMP boss said.

terrorism that has besieged the country, shouldn’t be the next action. According to the coordinator of the group, Mr. Charles Adeyemi, in a statement on Thursday in Osogbo, the state capital, the decision of the military court martial to terminate the lives of the soldiers was inimical to the effective fight against terrorism. Adeyemi said: “We believe that human is so valuable to humanity and plead that the soldiers’ lives should not be terminated because of their misconduct. “We wish to remind the Federal Government and the Supreme Military Council that Nigeria as a country is going through the worst period in the annals of our history, never have we been faced with this kind of security challenges “We urge the President, who is the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and the military authority to reverse this retrogressive judgment and focus on what could have motivated the soldiers’ action against their G.O.C “While we are not begging for their forgiveness, we demand that those soldiers be given lesser punishment and rehabilitated, for

it is not reasonable to destroy those that are destroying our enemies. “If young soldiers who made up their mind to live and die for Nigeria are put to death by the military council of the same country, what shall be done to sponsors and financiers of Book Haram and corrupt politicians, who siphon nation’s wealth in broad daylight?” The group also stated that killing the soldiers would discourage the foot-men at the war front against terrorism and thus give Book Haram the cause to jubilate, alleging that the death sentence was a revenge from the G.O.C and not administration of justice

Addressing participants made up of Islamic and Christians adherents and traditionalists during the sensitization programme, organized by the committee, the State Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Professor Olubukola Oyawoye, advised them to be conscious of the pandemic by observing personal hygiene at all times. Oyawoye, who acknowledged the roles religious leaders play in the development of any society, said they should complement the effort of the state government towards making the state Ebola-free. Emphasizing efficacy of prayers, Oyawoye stressed that citizens of the state should be more prayerful, adding that prompt reporting of cases of observable symptoms to health officials was of the utmost important. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Ilori, while echoing a similar view, said the current epidemic, which had taken the center stage in the country and some other African countries, requires adequate and consistent sensitization. Ilori urged religious leaders to adequately sensitize their people on the need for them to be proactive and strengthen environmental health in their immediate domains. The health commissioner said though the state has not recorded any case of Ebola since its outbreak in the country, the state government, under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, inaugurated the committee saddled with the responsibility to work on how to prevent the spread of the disease in the state. She urged the participants and the entire people of the state to be proactive in terms of environmental hygiene since the disease could easily be transmitted through the body fluid of an infected person In his presentation titled:”Ebola Virus infection and prevention,”Dr. Kayode

Oguniyi, Director of Primary Health Care and Disease Control in the State Ministry of Health, said there was need for all and sundry to be up and doing in terms of environmental hygiene. Oguniyi explained that Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever was first noted in Zaire, currently, the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976, when the original outbreak was in a village near the Ebola River, after which the disease was named. He added that the virus was identified in person-to-person contact transmission, stressing that out of the 318 patients diagnosed with Ebola, 88 percent died, saying that, since that time, there have been multiple outbreak of the virus in that country. Oguniyi, who corroborated the two commissioners, also laid emphasis on the earlier symptoms of Ebola, which according to him, typically include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, abnormal pain among others. He added that, the symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola virus, saying, though 8-10 days is most common. He therefore charged people on the need for them to heed to abide by medical advise given to them in order not to fall victim to the viral disease. Responding to the sensitization programme, the representatives of the religious groups, Chief Folaba Fagbongbe, Reverend Testimony Oriade, Chief Atanda Awofisade Abegunsola, Chief Adifase of Ife, the Naibu Imam of Osogbo among others, eulogized the state government for organizing such an enlightenment programme, saying Aregbesola deserves commendation over his efforts at making the state habitable for all. The highlight of the event was the demonstration of handwashing led by the Commissioners of Environment and Health, which was later demonstrated by one of the participants.

Court Jails Man Over Goat Theft By SHINA ABUBAKAR

AGISTRATE Olusola Aluko of an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 26-year-old man to three years’ jail term for stealing a goat.

The charge sheet alleged that the suspect had in his possession, a goat at Oba-Oke in Olorunda Local Government Council Area of the State of Osun and could not give an account of how he got it. According to the charge sheet, the offence is contrary to and punishable under section 430(1) of the state criminal law 2003.

The suspect, who was not represented by any counsel, had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge levelled against him. While briefing the court on the details of the case, the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Isiaka Ajadi, disclosed that the culprit was caught with the goat by one Kazeem and had been caught with goats before the current case in the court.

He added that the suspect was arrested and during the cause of investigation, he wrote a confessional statement, but did not state where the goat was stolen. The prosecutor further disclosed that the goat could not be brought to court because it has been sold, as there was no one to take care of it and tendered the N3000 in court as exhibit. He, however, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, saying he would not repeat such act again, if given a second chance.

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

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

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

Before 11pm, we already had all the results and we had won, though unofficially. What sealed the deal for us and put paid to any manipulation the PDP had in stock was the unexpected congratulation of Aregbesola

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INTERVIEW INTERVIEW

6OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Aregbesola’s Second Term ‘ll Be Better Than The First - Osun Speaker OSDF: Tellfrom us your on Continued page experience 6 the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the State of Osun? SALAAM: What happened on the eve of the election and prior to that day were quite unfortunate. Like a week to the election, the people of Osun witnessed what we have not been used to in the anal of elections in Osun. We had a situation whereby the whole of the state was militarised. We had heavy deployment of soldiers, fake and real, masked and unmasked fake and real SSS operatives, as well as policemen, fake and real, all in the name of election. The state was militarised to the extent that the people across the state were scared of going on with their businesses. The experience was too terrible. On the eve of the election however, people were indiscriminately arrested and molested without committing any offence. People were arrested in their houses, business places and relaxation centers and detained. We had some instances whereby they were tortured. The night before election day proper was a kind of war in Osun between the forces of the Federal Government and the electorate of Osun and APC members. Because we envisaged that, considering what happened in Ekiti, our party members planned in such a way that there was no way they could have arrested every leader of our party at the same time, for they planned their movement. At the end of the day, we thank God that the will of the people prevailed and we eventually won the election, but I must tell you, it was a terrible experience that we have never witnessed in Osun. OSDF: You are claiming that your party, APC members were harassed, but eventually your party won the election, would you now say that the election was free and fair? SALAAM: The election process, I mean voting proper was free and fair, as people were not denied voting, but the activities that surrounded the election were not fair. They used federal forces to harass APC members, but because we have more than enough support of our people to give us the mandate, the harassment appeared as if it did not happen. If the people were not harassed, we could have garnered more votes than what we had, because there are very large number of our supporters, who could not go out to vote for fear of being arrested and molested or even shot. In fact, the PDP was inducing voters with money while queuing to vote, but at the end of the day, the will of God and the people eventually prevailed. OSDF: Is there any danger that this “over militarisation” of election poses to Nigerian democracy? SALAAM: It poses serious danger to our democracy because it exposed the military men to politics more than necessary. Due to the fact that the military are being used to get to power by all means, they might also be thinking of using the same method, which could eventually truncate our democracy. The involvement of

•SALAAM •SALAAM

Speaker of State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam, in an interview with KAZEEM MOHAMMED, spoke on the August 9, 2014 governorship election, over-militarisation of elections and the successes of the Assembly. Excerpts:military could lead to another coup d’état in our country, which we are not praying for. OSDF: The INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega recently said masked men and even overmilitarisation would not be allowed in

the 2015 elections, can you take him for his words? SALAAM: I don’t know whether Jega is sincere with his statement and if he is sincere, it means that they have also seen the danger we are foreseen that over-militarisation might truncate our democracy. The other way round is

for us to think that maybe, they don’t want security to disturb them when a script of their boss is being played in 2015. Not until when the time comes that we can determine their intention. But presently, I want to believe that every reasonable Nigerian would know that militarisation of election is not good for our democracy. We will be on the lookout on the next script they want to play in 2015. Even if they want to militarise the 2015 general elections, where will they get the kind of number they used in Osun, when elections would be going on in all the states of the federation at the same time. The question is when they know that overmilitarisation election Continued on of page 7 is dangerous, why did they use it in Ekiti and Osun? Why did the decision not taken before the Osun and Ekiti elections,

“If you see the vision of Aregbesola, you can see that four years cannot be enough for him. He is a man that wants to write his own history and believe in transforming the society. He doesn’t believe in amassing wealth to himself. A person of his character cannot misuse his second term in office because, he hates betraying trust. He has also promised that his second term would be better that the first term and we know that he is a man of his words. Let us all be rest assure that we have not seen anything, more development would come in the second term of Aregbesola.”

INTERVIEW

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Aregbesola’s Second Term ‘ll Be Better Than The First - Osun Speaker Continued from page 6

used to, but when it is turned to stomach infrastructure, you wonder what is it about. PDP did not believe in developing any area, they only believe in sharing rice, kerosene and money only during the election to get people’s votes. When you talk about Osun, the PDP did not achieve their aim because the social infrastructures being provided by Governor Aregbesola are enough to ensure his return to power. So, people rejected the idea of stomach infrastructure and they went for social infrastructure. I want to believe that the number of votes the PDP had was as a result of their belief in stomach infrastructure, as some people were given rice, beans, kerosene and money, but I must tell you that the overall result of the election was as a result of unprecedented development that has come to Osun through Aregbesola. OSDF: In the 2011 elections, your party, APC, swept all the elective posts, but considering the number of votes that the PDP garnered in the August 9, 2014 governorship poll, do you still have confidence that you can have that kind of chance again? SALAAM: There is no way they can garner such votes again because our people are not fools. Apart from the fact that people would want to vote a party that has a performing governor, those that would contest that election would be people from the same localities. More so, the stability that we have in Osun is uncommon and this has brought development, because if you look at some other states, you will see lawmakers at either the state or national level being at loggerheads with the executive. We don’t have that in Osun because we believe we are one family and we are all interested in the development of the state. People appreciate all these and the only time they can appreciate this more is during the 2015 elections. OSDF: The PDP has gone to tribunal now, do you entertain any fear as regards that? SALAAM: Very far from that! When you go to court, you must have genuine evidence, which I know they don’t have. People came out freely and voted for Governor Aregbesola. What they are trying to do is to keep their members, so that they don’t leave before 2015 election. It is a political strategy that everybody is used to. They know themselves that there is nothing in the petition and we want to believe that the judiciary will maintain its integrity and would not allow itself to be used by any politician. All the tribunal members have their names and integrity and they must be ready to protect it. They must be independent and be fair and if this happens, one must be rest-assured that there is no case for PDP, they are just crying wolf. The votes are the genuine mandate of the people and there is no point in entertaining any fear. OSDF: There is always this fear that when a governor is returned, there is tendency of that governor not to perform. Do you see

•SALAAM

this coming? SALAAM: If you see the vision of Aregbesola, you can see that four years cannot be enough for him. He is a man that wants to write his own history and believe in transforming the society. He doesn’t believe in amassing wealth to himself. A person of his character cannot misuse his second term in office because, he hates betraying trust. He has also promised that his second term would be better that the first term and we know that he is a man of his words. Let us all be rest assure that we have not seen anything, more development would come in the second term of Aregbesola. OSDF: The tenure of the present parliament of which you are the Speaker would end in June 2015, what

are the things you are planning to do, like the important bills you are working on and would intend to pass before the tenure ends? SALAAM: We have so many bills that are very important that we are working on and we will want to pass before this session ends. We have a bill on urbanisation, primary healthcare, bill against the roaming about of goats and the rest. We also have a bill that has to do with dredging of sound and many others. We could have done most of them, but there is need for public hearing on some of the bills, so that we will listen to the people and see how best we can make the law to serve them. For us to have a public hearing, we need support from the executive and we can all see that the state is

financially handicapped for now. We have a record of how many bill have been passed by the former and the present Assemblies. The highest so far before we can were 29 bills passed by the second Assembly, the last Assembly was able to pass 21 bills, but as I am speaking, we have passed 24 bills and we still have about 17 bills pending, meaning that by the end of this session, we would have broken the records of the number of bills passed. These bills are the bills that touch lives of the people. We want to leave the legacy that would encourage subsequent Assemblies to want to do more. OSDF: What is happening to the local government creation bill? SALAAM: The bill will take-off any moment from now. We suspended the action on it before election because we didn’t want to mix the election with a referendum, but now that the election is over, the referendum would take place any moment from now and just few days after that, the local government would be announced. OSDF: Some people consider this Assembly to be a rubber-stamp House, what is you reaction, just as we want you to tell us the secret behind the current peace pervading in the House? SALAAM: Why those people think the way they do is because they don’t see us fighting the executive. Why there is peace between us is that the governor himself knows and appreciates the roles of separation of power theory. He gives room to the House to operate freely on its own. Except the fact that we don’t have financial autonomy, there is no other thing that the governor interfere with in the House. With these, why do we need to fight him? When we have issues, we address them and the executive listen to it, do we have to fight him unnecessarily? The purpose of our being here is to work together to ensure development, and we are achieving that because we are all interested in developing our state and not for our personal selfish interest. As to the peace reigning in the House, there will definitely be peace, when you have people who know what they are doing; professionals of different fields, matured men and leaders that are transparent. Greed is one of the things that cause crisis where you experience such, but I know that the leadership of Osun Assembly is sincere in the little way it can. That is the respect they give me because they know that I am an open person. You have crisis in some states because Speakers in some of these states forget that they are just an honourable member like others in the House and when you begin to feel superior to your colleagues, there will definitely be crisis. Secondly, we have credible leaders in our party that do not disturb the peace in the House. Most of the places where you have crisis have to do with power tussle in the party and spread to the House, but we thank God that there is nothing like that in Osun. Apart from that, prayer is the key to success and that is what we have been doing.

PHOTOTALK

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Eighth Day Fidau For The Late Chief Imam Of Osogbaland And President-General, League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West, Edo And Delta States, At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) in a handshake with the President, Osogbo Progressive Union (OPU), Ambassador Razak Siyanbola, while other dignitaries watch.

•(R-L) Deputy Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Akintunde Adegboye; State All Progressive Congress (APC) Acting Chairman, Elder Lowo Adebiyi and Head of Market Women in the state, Mrs Awawu Asindemade.

• •(L-R) Justice Bola Babalakin (rtd); Professor Daud Naibi; Comrade Amitolu Shittu and State of Osun Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye at the event.

PHOTOTALK

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

•A cross section of traditional rulers at the event.

•A cross section of guests at the programme.

•A cross section of Islamic clerics during the programme.

PHOTOTALK

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Eighth Day Fidau For The Late Chief Imam Of Osogbaland And PresidentGeneral, League Of Imams And Alfas, South-West, Edo And Delta States, At Osogbo City Stadium, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola (right), exchanging pleasantries with Islamic scholars, during the fidau.

•Some of the Christian clergymen at the event.

•A cross section of Muslim faithful on the occasion.

FOR THE RECORDS

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Address Delivered By The Governor Of The State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, At The Ceremony To Mark The Official Kick-Off Of The Construction/Rehabilitation Of 225-Kilometre Rural Roads Under The Second Phase Of Osun Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP II), Held At Ira Open Square, Oriade Local Government, On Thursday September 17, 2014.

The Good Works Must Continue Protocols, T is most pleasing for me to I preside over this ceremony to mark the official kick-off of the Osun Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP II). This is one project that is very close to my heart as the head of government in Osun at this particular time in the history of our dear state. My special interest in RAMPstems from the fact that it has to do with the road infrastructural development in thoseparts of our state that have received less attention but in dire need of it in road expansion and improvement. There is no gainsaying the fact that rural areas have generally suffered a disproportionately greater degree of neglect in infrastructural development over the years. Indeed, this is partly responsible for the reverses and setbacks that we have experienced in terms of our socio-economic advancement. In this respect, the importantage-old business of agriculture has particularly been hit hard. This has culminated in the progressive decline in agricultural production with dire consequences for our capacity to feed our rapidly increasing population. It has had other equally serious negative ramifications in unemployment, mass poverty,decline in education and widespread incidence of hunger among many other ills with which the land had been pervaded. On our assumption of office we saw the problem in its all-ramifying dimensions and we set about tackling it as a matter of urgent priority. The major policy means we adopted in dealing with these problems is to revitalise our agriculture and modernise it; hence our agricultural revolution programme. It is our belief that modernising our agricultural practices would be a magic bullet with which we can deal effectively with many of the major social and economic problems with which we were confronted. With the development of agriculture the festering canker of hunger, unemployment,

•AREGBESOLA

poverty, and poor education can be dealt with.However, indispensable to this agricultural revolution programme is according necessary development attention that had long been denied to our rural areas. This crucially involves opening them up by road. This we have pursued with all the vigour and vitality that we can muster. Our effort in this area has fortunately attracted the attention and assistance of development partners who have been doing a lot to enhance our road infrastructure development in the rural areas of Osun. The RAMP I – and now RAMP II – projects, ably supported by the World Bank and French Development Agency, have gone a long way in furthering our objective of linking our food production centres in the rural

areas with their supply centres mainly located in the urban areas both within and outside the state. Our prudence and impressive performance under the RAMP I made it quite easy for our development partners to choose Osun as one of the four states eligible for the RAMP II, which we are today formally kickstarting. Under the RAMP II, there are 500 kilometres of rural roads to for construction and rehabilitation. But these will be done in two phases. The first phase of the RAMP, which we are commencing today, will cover 225 kilometres of rural roads. The design and other preparations for the remaining 275 kilometres will begin in a matter of short time from now, with the prospect of opening up even more parts of our hitherto

neglected rural communities. For ease of administration and more effective implementation, the 225-kilometre roads have been organised into four lots covering four different parts of the state. The first (Lot 1) is in Iwo region and covers 58.74kilometres. The second(Lot 2) is in Ife region and will cover58.40 kilometres. The third(Lot 3), also in Ife region, extends over 53.87kilometres. The fourth(Lot 4) will take place in Ilesha region and will cover 53.61kilometres. This RAMP II road projects will greatly enhance the area coverage of the already massive road construction and rehabilitation exercise that our administration has embarked upon. The significance of the RAMP roads will be better appreciated when the fact is considered that about 75 per cent of the total road network in Osun is actually rural roads. This is one of the ways in which we want to continue to demonstrate our unceasing commitment to continue with works of development that we have been doing. For us, winning a second term of office is no excuse for indolence or for relaxation. Indeed, it is an opportunity to accelerate the pace of work so that we can cover as much ground as is humanly possible within the time available to us. It is an opportunity we intend to maximise for the development of Osun and the well-being of our people. Indeed, for us, politics is over. Governance and development must continue, even at a faster rate than before. The mandate given to us is for all the people, all our communities and it covers every inch of our soil. It is our fervent desire to bring the blessing of God on all our people and make our state the model of responsible leadership and public administration. I thank you all for listening. Osun a dara!

FEATURE

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

The Late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo Gave Us A Son; Rauf Aregbesola I

T is a truism to assert the fact that the late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory gave us a son; Rauf Aregbesola, when he bade this world a farewell. Meanwhile, Rauf Aregbesola, as people may think, might not necessarily mean a biological son of the late sage but can be admitted as one, without any fear of contradiction, having transparently seen some exceptional attributes of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. There is no doubting the fact that Awolowo was one of the most cerebral of the great nationalists in Africa’s colonial and post-colonial history. Many words and phrases have been used to capture his essential greatness. He has been ‘Titan’, ‘Legend’, ‘Sage’, ‘Colossus’, ‘Awo, the Great’, Mystic’, ‘Patriarch’, ‘Papa’, ‘Immortal Awo’, ‘Nigeria’s man’ of 29th Century’ and even ‘Eternal Spirit’. The man who the former British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson said during Awo’s life time that he (Awo) “could lead the United States or Britain, he came too soon for Nigeria”. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo has been the first outstanding individual and idealist among public figures in Nigeria and on the continent of Africa. His knowledge was deep; so was his consciousness of events. His positive direction of the mind for proffering solutions to human problems was unparalleled in the contemporary history of Africa. Among his contemporaries and compares he stood out as a leader who has been able to combine active political achievements with intellectual pursuits, as exemplified in his many articles and books, all of which are addressed to contemporary political problems of our society. As destiny had it, some of his dreams remain unfulfilled, but as a matter of fact, many of the policies he advocated have become the received policies of the day. Of Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, ‘The symbol’ as popularly called by his admirers, is a man who simply wishes to be addressed as ‘Ogbeni’, in the avoidance of sentiment, has in him, the sterling qualities as the late legend. He is a man of dedicating mind, humane, suave, articulate, sensational, focused, committed, high flyer and a visionary leader. Rauf is simple and down-to earth that he can mix easily and effortlessly in a crowd without attracting any attention. He is a man who is very much in tune with the yearnings of his people. Rauf Aregbesola is a true democrat, a strategist and restive activist, an effective organizer and mobiliser, a rigorous logician and neat thinker. His actions are full of reminiscences of the late Matriarch. In many ways, Rauf like Awolowo’s political enterprise can be analyzed and understood within Gramsci’s theory of practical, political

•AWOLOWO By FOLARIN LAWAL

action in the transformation of a society. However, Rauf in liken to late sage comparatively and relatively is a performer; in the area of education which Obafemi Awolowo took as first of his many priorities of all his developmental precedents during his leadership of the Western Region, the first of its kinds was the free education at all levels, which Rauf Aregbesola has maintained and sustained with the inclusion of other new educational policies such as: O’meal, tablet of knowledge (Opon Imo), re-classification of schools, infrastructural development of public schools and educational policy of 9:3:4. In the same vein, when one takes a critical assessment of Obafemi Awolowo in terms of infrastructural development such as roads, bridges, Cocoa House and other development projects that are numerous to mention, Ogbeni, in his developmental strides alike, has done much on roads rehabilitation and construction with standard drainage works across the state, as a channel for economic growth and development. As this will encourage free accessibility of state to other towns and villages, so also, will make at ease the contribution of every person to the economy. On security, Obafemi Awolowo’s security measure on lives and properties of the citizens can be likened to Rauf Aregbesola’s efforts to curb the menace

•AREGBESOLA

of criminalities, corruptions and other social vices in Osun. He established Robot, SAS, empowered vigilante groups, community policing etc. In the history of Osun as a federating state, she has never witnessed criminal-free environment as we experience now. All residents of the state now sleep with their two eyes closed, business thrive in such a peaceful environment which has helped the socio-economic development of Osun. “Health is wealth” was a regular singsong of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo during his life time. He took no chances against ill-health of his people, as these witnessed free healthcare services during his time as Premier of Western Nigeria. However, in order to complement the efforts of the late sage, Ogbeni could be understood to be singing the same song with the late Patriarch. Besides his free healthcare services delivery, he provides Osun Ambulances across the state for quick conveyance of accident victims to hospitals for urgent attention, health programmes and all other health facilities on welfare of the people of Osun. The late Awo had been making a clarion call before leaving this world to the great beyond over the empowerment of the youths through employment opportunities to reduce the idle minds as known to be the devil’s workshops. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Executive Governor, in his efforts, is seeing to have been yielding to the call by instituting meaningful social and economic progress through employment of 20,000 job seekers under a programme called

(O’YES) or Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme. During Awolowo’s democratic governance as the Premier of Western Nigeria, Nigeria experienced cocoa pyramid. He provided the farmers with farm inputs at a highly-subsidized rate to boost agricultural production. These agricultural outputs had a significant contribution to Nigeria Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as at that time. This gesture has been replicated by this present government under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. Osun farmers in their various groups / associations have been severally helped and assisted by the state government through a programme called (O’REAP) otherwise known as Osun Rural Enterprises and Agriculture Programme. With these and all other initiated farsighted projects and programmes of relevance and significance for the citizens by the late Sage as Premier of Western Region, which have been replicated by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Executive Governor of the State of Osun, who also in his giant step, has resuscitated the railway transportation and has under construction, the local airport, building of international markets and lots more, as his contributions to socio-economic development of the State of Osun. Like father, like son of same spirits in transforming a society. •LAWAL wrote in from Ile-Ife, Osun, Nigeria.

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Job Vacancies In Nigeria Latest Jobs in a Cocoa Processing Factory in Akure, Ondo State Plantation Industries Limited, a best in class cocoa processing factory in Akure requires outstanding and experienced professionals for immediate employment. We provide excellent career opportunities for self- motivated, commercially oriented professionals with initiative and passion to succeed.

Skills, Interests and Values: Ability to consult manufacturers’ manuals, reading and interpreting circuit diagrams, blueprints and schematics to determine tests and maintenance procedures for instruments used for measuring and controlling flow, level, pressure, temperature, chemical composition and other variables in manufacturing and processing.

Job Title: Accounts Officers Location: Akure, Ondo State Requirement Fresh NCE, Polytechnic and University graduates in relevant disciplines are required to be trained in Account Payables, Receivables, General Ledger, Treasury and Inventory control. Qualification in Economics is desirable for Account Officers, Cognate experience of minimum of 3 years in a reputable manufacturing company is important for all positions except Account officers where no experience is required Right candidates must be able to work efficiently in a team environment and have good communication and interpersonal skills, as they have to work in operations as a team, and must be very good at creative problem solving and be able to work with high level hardware and software. Good business skills and commercial awareness are a big virtues, as is the ability to motivate others. Deliver on-time, in-budget, to-specification and contribute to Food Safety and Business Quality Management System Development are very important. Project management skills will become important after a few years of experience. Job Title: HVAC Technician Location: Akure, Ondo State Job Description: Assembles, installs, repairs and test industrial Chillers, Refrigerators, Heating, Ventilating and Air conditioning Equipment. Diagnoses malfunctioning systems, apparatus, and components. Locate the cause of a breakdown and correct the problem.

Qualifications Diploma, C&G, FTC and Degree in electrical or electronic engineering, with an emphasis on courses that include control and instrumentation modules for Instrumentation and Control; C&G/ FTC in Refrigeration and Air conditioning unit; and OND/HND/NCE/DEGREE in any Social Sciences for the position of Personnel Officers/Supervisors. Right candidates must be able to work efficiently in a team environment and have good communication and interpersonal skills, as they have to work in operations as a team, and must be very good at creative problem solving and be able to work with high level hardware and software. Good business skills and commercial awareness are a big virtues, as is the ability to motivate others. Deliver on-time, in-budget, to-specification and contribute to Food Safety and Business Quality Management System Development are very important. Project management skills will become important after a few years of experience. Job Title: Control and Instrumentation Superintendent

Duties and Responsibilities: Ensure that HVAC activities meet the technical specifications and good practice. Keep temperatures in the processing, packing and finished goods storage sections within specifications. Take reasonable care of own health and safety and that of others in the workplace to avoid incidents. Qualifications Diploma, C&G, FTC and Degree in electrical or electronic engineering, with an emphasis on courses that include control and instrumentation modules for Instrumentation and Control; C&G/ FTC in Refrigeration and Air conditioning unit; and OND/HND/NCE/DEGREE in any Social Sciences for the position of Personnel Officers/Supervisors. Right candidates must be able to work efficiently in a team environment and have good communication and interpersonal skills, as they have to work in operations as a team, and must be very good at creative problem solving and be able to work with high level hardware and software. Good business skills and commercial awareness are a big virtues, as is the ability to motivate others. Deliver on-time, in-budget, to-specification and contribute to Food Safety and Business Quality Management System Development are very important. Project management skills will become important after a few years of experience. Job Title: System Manager Location: Akure, Ondo State Job Description: System manager will plan, coordinate, and direct computer-related activities in the organization. The person will determine the information technology goals of the organization and are responsible for implementing computer systems to meet those goals. Job Responsibilities: Evaluating user needs and system functionality and ensuring that ICT facilities meet these needs, contribute to organizational policy regarding quality standards and strategic planning, developing and implementing the ICT budget, obtaining competitive prices from suppliers to ensure cost effectiveness. Scheduling upgrades and security backups of hardware and software systems; Researching and adopting new applications for the smooth running of all ICT systems, including anti-virus software, testing and modifying systems to ensure that that they operate reliably including print services and email provision at all times. Providing secure access to the network for remote users, securing data from internal and external attack, implementing and managing security or integrity and backup procedures, and offering users appropriate support and advice Providing user training, support, advice and feedback; mentoring and training new ICT support staff and keep up to date with latest technologies and applications. Ensuring that software licensing laws are adhered to. Prevention of crisis situations, which may involve complex technical hardware or software problems. Skills, Interests and Values. Analytical and problem solving; Organization, teamwork and time management, Interpersonal, communication, Management and leadership skills. Good understanding of Sage Evolution or similar ERP. Qualifications Diploma, C&G, FTC and Degree in electrical or electronic engineering, with an emphasis on courses that include control and instrumentation modules for Instrumentation and Control; C&G/ FTC in Refrigeration and Air conditioning unit; and OND/HND/NCE/DEGREE in any Social Sciences for the position of Personnel Officers/Supervisors. Right candidates must be able to work efficiently in a team environment and have good communication and interpersonal skills, as they have to work in operations as a team, and must be very good at creative problem solving and be able to work with high level hardware and software. Good business skills and commercial awareness are a big virtues, as is the ability to motivate others. Deliver on-time, in-budget, to-specification and contribute to Food Safety and Business Quality Management System Development are very important. Project management skills will become important after a few years of experience. Job Title: Instrumentation and Control Technician Location: Akure, Ondo State Job Description: An Instrumentation and Control Technician repairs, maintains, calibrates, adjusts and installs industrial measuring and controlling instrumentation. This instrumentation makes sure that all machines in a plant are safe and running correctly. They regulate the water flow in equipment or check the air quality in a mine. The operation and safety of the plant relies on these instruments so the Instrumentation and Control Technician is very important as they constantly monitor and calibrate these instruments. Inspect and test operation of instruments and systems to diagnose faults using pneumatic, electrical and electronic testing devices and precision measuring instruments. Repair and adjust system components, such as sensors, transmitters and programmable logic controllers, or remove and replace defective parts. Calibrate components and instruments according to manufacturers’ specifications. Perform scheduled preventive maintenance work, test and write maintenance reports. Install and control and measurement instruments on existing and new plant equipment and processes. Consult with and advise process operators, and perform scheduled maintenance work and complete test and maintenance test report. Observing safety in accordance to government and company standard. Instrumentation and Control Technicians work mainly indoors, on the plant floor and often in cramped conditions. They may be required to stand for prolonged periods of time and be exposed to high noise, fumes and heat levels. Because this is such an important job, they must pay close attention to safety and may be called out in emergencies. Constant learning will be required to keep up with new technology.

Location: Akure, Ondo State Job Description: Control and instrumentation Superintendent plans, designs, develops, implements and manages equipment used for controlling and monitoring different engineering machinery, equipment and processes. Main responsibility will be to make sure that all the processes and tools are functional, efficient, and safe for users. Skills, Interests and Values: Our Control and Instrumentation Engineers must have an excellent understanding of operational processes and a good knowledge of programmable logic controllers (PLC), distributed control systems, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), and advanced process control (APC). High level skills in managing and operating Windows server and XP edition, Siemens S7 PLC Hardware, Siemens step 7 software and programming, Siemens S7 safety Plc, Industrial Ethernet and TCP in IP Networks, ECS (FLS Automation process control system) and Proface HMI Displays and Profibus DP Networks. Qualifications Diploma, C&G, FTC and Degree in electrical or electronic engineering, with an emphasis on courses that include control and instrumentation modules for Instrumentation and Control; C&G/ FTC in Refrigeration and Air conditioning unit; and OND/HND/NCE/DEGREE in any Social Sciences for the position of Personnel Officers/Supervisors. Right candidates must be able to work efficiently in a team environment and have good communication and interpersonal skills, as they have to work in operations as a team, and must be very good at creative problem solving and be able to work with high level hardware and software. Good business skills and commercial awareness are a big virtues, as is the ability to motivate others. Deliver on-time, in-budget, to-specification and contribute to Food Safety and Business Quality Management System Development are very important. Project management skills will become important after a few years of experience. How to Apply Interested qualified candidates should forward their applications with C.V. stating position to the following address: The Advertiser, P.O. Box 2770, Apapa - Lagos Or The Advertiser, P.O. Box 2397, Akure-Ondo State Application Deadline 30th September, 2014 ——————————————————————————————————————— Medical Consultants Jobs at Abia State Ministry of Health Abia State Civil Service Commission - Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced candidates to fill the vacant post of Medical Consultants in the Abia State Civil Service as underlisted: Job Title: Consultant Ophthalmologist Location: Abia Qualification Prospective Candidates must posses MBBS, plus Fellowship of the National and or West Africa Post Graduate Medical College in relevant specialities. Job Title: Consultant Obstetrician Location: Abia Qualification Prospective Candidates must posses MBBS, plus Fellowship of the National and or West Africa Post Graduate Medical College in relevant specialities. Job Title: Consultant Pediatrician Location: Abia Qualification Prospective Candidates must posses MBBS, plus Fellowship of the National and or West Africa Post Graduate Medical College in relevant specialities. Job Title: Consultant Physician Location: Abia Qualification Prospective Candidates must posses MBBS, plus Fellowship of the National and or West Africa Post Graduate Medical College in relevant specialities. Job Title: Consultant Surgeon Location: Abia Qualification Prospective Candidates must posses MBBS, plus Fellowship of the National and or West Africa Post Graduate Medical College in relevant specialities. Condition of Service As applicable in all government Health Institutions. Method of Application Prospective Candidates should submit 12 copies of typed CV and application. Photocopies of relevant credentials including First School Leaving Certificate, Birth Certificate and Local Government of Origin must also be attached. Submission of Application All applications should be addressed to: The Chairman, Civil Service Commission, Umuahia. Application Deadline 30th September, 2014.

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NEWS

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

Court Remands Man In Prison Over Reckless Driving O bail if granted and would provide credible surety to guarantee his readiness to face trial. Police prosecutor, Inspector Isiaka Ajadi, did not oppose the bail sought by the defence counsel. The presiding magistrate, Mr Olusola Aluko, thereby urged the defence counsel to present a formal bail application for his client and ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison custody. He then adjourned the matter till October 28,2014 for hearing.

By MARYAM AFOLABI NE Daniel Bafoe was arraigned before an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday over reckless driving. The charge sheet read in in charge of one Ford the court disclosed that the Explorer with registration accused drove recklessly on number LAGOS AKD 48 a highway, which is contrary AW. to and punishable under Meanwhile, the accused sec.28 of the RTA cap115 pleaded not guilty to the vol.6 laws of Osun State charges levelled against 2003. him. It added that he drove in Defence counsel urged a dangerous manner, which the court to grant his client led to the death of six bail in most liberal terms, unidentified people. saying he would not jump The charge sheet further read that the accused person caused serious injury on the body of Apeh By LATEEFATADEPOJU Boniface and other 13 NE Wale Adepoju , 38, was arraigned before an Osogbo unidentified passengers. Magistrate’s Court last Friday over alleged case of The charge sheet further disclosed that Daniel fraud. The charge sheet read in of Osun capital, at about caused damage to one Toyota Hiace Hummer Bus, the court disclosed that the 12.00noon. Meanwhile, the accused fraudulent which value was put at accused about N3.5million, the only obtained N35,000 from one pleaded not guilty to the property of Boniface, an Bunmi Badmus under the charges preferred against offence punishable under pretence to secure a room him by the police. Defence counsel, Mr. Section 451 of the state apartment for her, which he knew to be false, an offence Francis, urged the court to panel code. It also added that the contrary to Section 419 of grant his client bail in most accused drove recklessly on the Criminal Code cap 34 vol. liberal terms, saying the the public highway without 11 laws of Osun State offence was bailable and his client should be given the an approved driver’s Nigeria 2003. privilege. The charge sheet also licence; he thereby Police prosecutor, committed an offence added that the same person, Inspector Isiaka Ajadi, contrary to Section 7(1) of on the same day, stole the standing brief for Sergeant RTA cap146 laws of Osun sum of N35,000 from same Elisha Olusegun, did not Bunmi Badmus, an offence oppose the bail application. State. The charge sheet further punishable under Section Presiding magistrate, Mr stated that the accused 390(9) of the state panel Olusola Aluko, granted the committed the offence on code. suspect bail in the sum of The charge sheet further N20,000 and one surety in July 28, 2014 at the Rain Oil Filling Station, Ipetu-Ijesa, disclosed that the accused the same sum before along Ilesa-Akure committed the offence on adjourning the case till Expressway at about 11:20 March 8, 2014 at Alekuwodo September 28, 2014 for am, while he was the driver Area of Osogbo, the State mention.

Man In Court Over Fraud O

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

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

PHOTOTALK

OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, September 20, 2014

World Bank/French Development Agency Delegation Paid A Courtesy Visit To The State Of Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola, At Government House, Osogbo, Last Tuesday.

â&#x20AC;˘The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right) with the Team Leader, World Bank/French Development Agency, Mr Mohammed Essakali, during courtesy visit to the governor at Government House, Osogbo, State of Osun, on Tuesday.

â&#x20AC;˘Governor Aregbesola (centre); Essakali (2nd left); National Coordinator, Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP), Engineer Ubandoma Ularamu (2nd right); Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola (left) and other dignitaries in a group photograph, during the courtesy visit.

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

AUDACIOUS EXPLOIT

S the general election beckons, this is the time for the masses (electorate) to assert their powerful asset, which unfortunately they do not realize. In democracy, the electorate are the masters, while the people, who solicit for their votes and occupy public offices are the servants. What this fundamentally means is that the voters have the right to install (elect) and remove (recall) elected public officers. Unfortunately in the past, rigging and manipulation of votes had made nonsense of this power, capability and relevance of voters might. With the reforms going on now in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the power of the voters is being restored. The electorate therefore need to be aware of this power and use it well for their own benefit. This translates to the fact that nobody, however mighty, powerful or intelligent can hold power without the contribution of the voters. The society continues to advance, which comes up with its challenges. It is for this reason that we need to get into authority, people who are either highlyendowed or have developed themselves to cope with the challenges of the current realities. We need leaders, who are proactive and can peep into the unseen world and make prediction of the future and how the challenges that would come along with it would be tackled. We can as well look at the present crop of leaders, who have identified societal challenges and have proffered solutions to them. Nigeria cannot continue to make do with leaders, who are chosen or appointed on sentiments. Leaders that are meant to fill geographical quotas or chosen because their people have been marginalized in the past. Our people need to be in tune with current realities. The world is now a global village and things are changing fast, hence we cannot afford to stand aloof. Modernity has come with challenges like Ebola, which we are fighting frantically to contain. Fruit bats have been with us since time immemorial until it was alleged to be responsible for Ebola Viral

with MURTALA AGBOOLA TEL: 0806-119-7897 E-mail: murtalamuag@yahoo.com

Still On Nigeria's Leadership

•JONATHAN

Disease (EVD) in the Republic of Congo. One of the largest concentrations of bats in Nigeria today is on the campus of one of the prestigious universities in Africa, the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. It has never caused any challenge, either to people living on the campus as students or workers. The EVD, which was brought into Nigeria by the Liberian-American, Late Patrick Sawyer, has caused untold hardships. It is a credit to the Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, who took proactive steps to contain the spread of the viral disease. While one is not discountenancing the role of the Federal Ministry of Health, one must be quick to admit the

invaluable role of Fashola. The Boko Haram insurgency could have been nipped in the bud if the federal authorities have been proactive. Initially it was considered as a local problem but by the time it went the whole hog, the country could not contain it. As a Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Goodluck Jonathan ought to have assembled his commanders to the warfront to confront the terrorists. The President not only failed to take the ample opportunity but even doubted the Chibok school girls that were captured by the terrorists. The maidens that were captured since April 15th have been in the terrorists den. Maybe, if the leadership had been proactive and look beyond narrow confines of office and the perquisite of office, something

tangible would have been achieved. The challenges of modern society demand vision, focus, commitment and foresight on the part of the leadership. We cannot continue to do the same thing every time and expect to get different results. The February, 2015 general election affords us ample opportunity to elect leaders with ideas and not people with means to rule us. It is idea that rules the world. The idea of Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) going about soliciting signatures from the people to endorse Jonathan is not only archaic but out of tune with current realities. What Jonathan has done since he assumed the mantle of leadership after the demise of his late boss, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua should speak for him. There is no reason on earth why public funds should be expended on organizing people to bring people together to endorse him. We need to progress and provide leadership for Africa and the Black race. We can only do that if we have the right leadership. Incumbency factor could be an asset or liability depending on how it is used. If the leadership is right, everything will follow. Our leaders should stop at being excuse-givers to charting ways for new things. Since July last year, the revenue due to states has been slashed by forty per cent. Besides the lame excuse given, nothing concrete has been done to assuage the feelings of the citizens that ought to have benefitted from the projects that would have been established. For purpose of argument, what happens tomorrow, if there is no oil revenue again? This can happen if there is an alternative to oil or other countries are producing for our major importers? This is the time for us to put on our thinking caps and ask our would-be leaders next year what alternative measures they have in stock supposing the unexpected happens. However, if we allow this opportunity to slip by, then we would have ourselves to blame. Maybe it is when there is no petrodollar revenue again that we would realize the economic misfortune for Nigeria, the 6th world’s biggest producer of crude oil to import refined petroleum products.

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

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