Osun - Defender April 28th, 2015 Edition by OsunDefender

www.osundefender.org Tuesday, april 28, 2015

After sixteen years of misrule which epitomised under the administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan the far from being

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VOL. 10. NO.040

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LessonsMarch For28,APC From Failed PDP 2015 as

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) finally met its waterloo at the presidential poll held on

Gen. Muhammad Buhari (retd), who was the presidential candidate of

All Progressives Congress (APC) and now President-elect trounced the incumbent president with a wide margin.

learn from the downfall of the PDP at the centre. The incoming And therefore it’s government of APC that will take our considered opinion to warn the over power from the PDP come May incoming govern29th, 2015, has a ment Continue on pg5 lot of lessons to

We Won’t Stop O’Meal - Aregbesola

•Says, Allegation Baseless; The Scheme Has Come To - See Story On Page 2

•(L-R) Nigerian President-elect, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari, in a handshake with President Goodluck Jonathan during a close door meeting between the President and Buhari at Aso Villa, Abuja, last Friday.

If You’ve Looted Nigeria’s Money, You Must Return - Pg 4 It - Says Buhari - Pg 4 Shun Partisanship, Be Professional, APC Tells Acting I-G Osun - Pg 5 NLC Gets Factional Leaders

‘Buhari’s Victory Makes Mothers Told To Immunise - Pg 4 Awo’s Vision A Reality’ - Pg 3 Against Polio

UNIOSUN: Panel Blames Administration Lapses On Varsity Crisis- Pg 2

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osun Defender Tuesday, April 28, 2015

We Won’t Stop O’Meal - Aregbesola

•Says, Allegation Baseless •Says, Allegationo f Baseless; The Scheme Has Come To Stay b r a i n s t o r m i n g a n d state under his O’MEAL women and over 10,000 of Stories By kazeem mohamovernor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has denied the alleged plan by his administration to stop the Osun School Feeding Programme (O’MEAL) initiated by his administration, saying the allegation is false, unfounded and baseless. The denial came through put a stop to the school a statement by Aregbesola’s feeding programme. media aide, Mr. Semiu According to the Okanlawon, on Friday, in statement, Aregbesola noted reaction to a story published that his government had, at by a national daily that the no time, set up a committee state government might to work out a review of the stop the programme, saying school feeding programme, the administration has no saying the report was a mere plan of stopping any of its concoction of the writer. policies that have brought He also noted that the laurels to the state, let alone a l l e g e d n i n e - m e m b e r

committee reported by newspapers to be working on the review of the state’s school feeding programme for children is not known to the present administration. It wondered how a responsible government that has improved the economy of the state by feeding elementary school children would wake up overnight and scrap a programme that has brought it several awards. Admitting that labour unions in the state came up with the idea

suggesting alternative sources of revenues for the state, especially in times of national revenue crisis, he said the gesture could not have been interpreted to mean a plan to stop any scheme that has improved the state’s commerce, education and employment generation. It recalled that Aregbesola, among many other commendations, had been lauded at an event at the British House of Commons for implementing the school meals across the

programme. “OMEAL has been one of our most socially impactful programmes. How can a responsible government like ours think of reviewing a programme that has been adjudged as one of the best to come out of the country? Does that not stand logic on its head? “We have been able to improve our state’s economy through the school feeding of over 250,000 elementary pupils every school day. The programme has directly employed 3,007

•Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano State (left) and Professor Jibril Aminu getting ready to participate in the destruction of fake, counterfeit and illicit drugs worth more than N250m at the premises of NDLEA in Kano, recently.

UNIOSUN: Panel Blames Administration Lapses On Varsity Crisis •Recommends Review Of Institution ‘s

By kehinde ayantunji

anagement and staff of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) has been urged to work harmoniously to preserve the visions of the institution, aimed at moulding and shaping minds of youths in the state as nation’s future leaders. Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, lauded the efforts of made the call on Thursday members of the panel for while receiving the report discharging their duties of a five-man panel set up effectively within the by the state government stipulated time frame. to investigate the crisis Chairman of the panel, rocking the university in P r o f e s s o r D a r a m o l a recent time. Adebiyi, in his remark, The panel was headed said the crisis rocking the by Professor Adebiyi institution has nothing Daramola, Vice Chancellor, to do with religion as Federal University of being speculated in some Technology, Akure and had q u a r t e r s , s a y i n g t h e Professors Jacob Ladipo, university administrative Omotoye Olorode and Mr. lapses were responsible for Babatunde Adebayo as the major crisis. members. Adebiyi advised the The governor, who was s t a t e g o v e r n m e n t t o represented by his deputy, constitute a far reaching Otunba (Mrs.) Titilayo visitation panel that would L a o y e - To m o r i , s a i d re-examine the law that Aregbesola’s determination set up the university, to revolutionize education noting that the crisis at the informed his decision to set institution was dated back up the committee that will to its establishment. restore peace and normalcy He appreciated various in the university. stakeholders within the Aregbesola however, university for furnishing

the panel with useful information, which made their job easier and successful. Aregbesola, had on February 10, 2015 inaugurated the five-man panel to look into the crisis at the institution. The university has been in crisis for the past few months over the suspension of the VC and two other p r i n c i p a l o ff i c e r s b y

the Governing Council over alleged financial misappropriation and abuse of office but the VC has dismissed the allegations and described the suspension as illegal. Aregbesola, while the inaugurating the panel, admonished the members to investigate the basis of the simmering crisis and the misunderstanding between the management

and the council in the university, with a view to finding a lasting solution. He equally tasked them to determine the roles of individuals and groups in the crisis, with a view to recommending appropriate steps to arrest the ugly situation and prevent a reoccurrence in future.

farmers in the state. “The programme has impacted positively on school enrolment with an increase of 38,000 pupils, representing 25 percent in four weeks of its introduction in the state. The enrolment of pupils increased from 155,318 on May 31 to 194,253 by June 30th 2012, and December 2012, government decided to extend the programme to cover pupils in primaries 1-4, bringing the total number of pupils being fed to over 252,000. “Osun is attracting local and international attention for implementing an initiative that has not only increased enrolment in its primary schools, but has also provided employment opportunities for farmers, majority of whom are women. “In May 2014, Aregbesola was the cynosure of all eyes as he reeled out the secrets of the successful implementation of the scheme in Abuja before a team of high-ranking government officials and international observers. “In January of the same year, he was guest of the Partnership for Child Development in conjunction with the Imperial College, London, where he explained the successes of the scheme. “Delta State Government last year dispatched a highpowered committee on food and nutrition to Osun to understudy the school feeding programme in order to replicate it in the state,” he emphasised. He however, noted that the in-coming All Progressives Congress-led (APC) Federal Government has seen the many benefits of the scheme and is planning to adopt it natiowide. Aregbesola averred that with Nigeria’s focusing on a school feeding programme that will boost local food production, create empolyment and boost enrollment and thereby enhance learning, the scheme has come to stay.

Ifedayo Lawmaker-elect Assures Constituents By shina abuabakar Of hGood Governance The lawmaker promised Ifedayo have shown that e l a w m a k e r- e l e c t f o r I f e d a y o S t a t e

Constituency in the April 11 State Assembly election, Honourable Azeez Olanrewaju, has assured the people of Ifedayo Local Government Council Area of his commitment to good governance and ensure that it is delivered to them. A statement issued by have deep trust in the APC him disclosed that the as well as its candidate, trust reposed in him by which was the reason they the people would be made voted for it despite being to count by the quality lured with money to vote o f r e p r e s e n t a t i o n h e for other parties, saying the would bare when the state trust of the people would parliament is inaugurated not be compromised. in June this year. According to the He said, the electorate statement, the people of

the APC, apart from being a progressive party , is the only party that has the interest of the masses at heart and will continue t o s t a y b y t h e p a r t y, irrespective of attempt by the opposition to influence and buy their conscience. “We, as a party, know the trust the people of the constituency had in our party, hence, we would not do anything to hamper the responsibility the electorates repose in us,” he added.

to rededicate himself to serving the people better and commit himself to quality lawmaking that can enhance the lives of the masses, especially in his constituency. He commended the people of Ifedayo, as well as the campaign committee for standing by his side despite all odds in the buildup to the election, saying, he would repay them by working to ensure good governance does not escape the area.

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osun Defender Tuesday, April

A regbesola Hails NGE President’s Re-elec tion

overnor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has reminded the media of its crucial roles in building and sustaining a virile democratic culture in the country. Aregbesola in his m e d i a c o l l a b o r a t e immediate reaction to and co-operate with the reelection of the t h e g o v e r n m e n t i n President of the Nigerian building, sustaining and Guild of Editors, Mr. protecting the nation’s Femi Adesina, said the democracy. Guild has the task of Accordi ng t o t he ensuring that journalists governor, the “ Fourth a r e a l i v e t o t h e i r Estate of the Realm must responsibilities to the uphold the principle society. of fair hearing, engage The Osun governor, in investigative and in a statement by the i n - d e p t h r e p o r t a g e Director, Bureau of of events and ensure Communication and an egalitarian society Strategy, Mr. Semiu where all shades of Okanlawon, said the re- interests and opinions election of Adesina, is are given opportunities a clear testimony to his to air their views.” astute leadership trait The statement read and prudent knowledge i n p a r t : “ Yo u r r e in the management of election as the President affairs of people. of Nigerian Guild of While commending Editors has come to Adesina for his all- us in Osun as another inclusive running of the landmark achievement. Guilds affairs tasked “This is so not only him on ensuring that because you are one of the media does not the best hands in your detract from its role as profession, which has watchdog of the society. earned you a return to The governor noted this exalted position that the Guild should but also for the fact that work assiduously in you have done us proud making sure that the as a true ambassador of

Osun. “Your re-election must certainly be hinged on your leadership qualities and successes you have recorded

as a thoroughbred professional. “It is my wish that your association will always put the nation, its democratic experiment

and progress at the forefront in all your activities. “The significance of media to national development cannot

New Academic Term Commences In Osun Schools - PS Education

By sola jacobs

he Permanent Secretary of the State of Osun Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr Lawrence Oyeniran, has stated that the third term of the current academic session in all public and private schools commenced yesterday as academic works would start immediately at the resumption. Oyeniran said this pupils should take their w h i l e c o u n s e l l i n g academic work seriously. all school heads and He added that the p r i n c i p a l s t o s t a r t government of the State academic works at the of Osun is committed resumption date, while to quality and moral cleaning of the school education of the students premises should be done to make them better within shortest time and leaders of tomorrow. not at the expense of Furthermore, he lectures and classes in advised the parents to the schools. see to the welfare of T h e P e r m a n e n t their wards and children secretary also advised by providing them with the parents to be dutiful basic items such as to their responsibility clean school uniforms by encouraging their and sandals, as the state children to attend schools government has provided promptly and that

them with conducive atmosphere for learning through provision of free school uniforms, stateof-the-art classrooms, quality teachers and provision of meals for pupils from grades 1-4 in elementary classes in all the public schools in the state. Oyeniran also reiterated that the State Ministry of Education will not condone indiscilpine, truancy and loitering of pupils during school hours, as he advised the pupils to abide with this directive strictly. Meanwhile, some private schools in the state have resumed for the third term of the current academic session since last Monday.

‘ Buhari’s Victory Makes Awo’s Vision A Reality ’

By kazeem mohammed

be underestimated. Therefore, it is hoped that you will, at all time, pursue what is beneficial to the country, government and its democracy’s

unalloyed support for his administration, which resulted into massive votes for APC in last year ’s governorship election in the state and the last general election. Chief of Staff to the governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola at the event said the coming of APC government

into governance in Nigeria is the beginning of a new dawn in the country, adding that welfare of Nigerians would be given high priority by the coming administration. Oyetola said, corruption, which had eaten deep into the fabric of governance

of the nation, will become a thing of the past, as APC government across the states of the federation is known for probity and accountability while Buhari is a man of accountability.

A visit to some public schools across the state revealed that some of them are overgrown with weeds, while renovation exercise continued in some in preparation for the new academic session and the newlybuilt schools such as Community Middle School along Ondo Road in Ile-Ife and blocks of classrooms at Ansar-Uddeen Elementary School at Ifetedo have been completed. In a related development, as schools in the state prepare for the commencement of the new academic session, some parents who spoke with the medium have lauded the efforts of the state government for the provision of free functional education for the pupils in the state. They counselled that with the paucity of funds in the state and the love of the government to give the best and quality education for their wards, the government should not hesitate to call on parents if need be to collaborate on any issue affecting the academic development of their wards, as even in advanced climes, the

he Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the electoral victory of Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari in the March 28, 2015 presidential election has made the aspiration of Chief Obafemi Awolowo to have the progressives at the helms of affairs at the federal level in Nigeria a reality. He spoke while playing federal level. He then thanked people host to members of the o f the state for their Buhari Action Group (BAG) who were on a thank you visit to the governor for the roles he played in the election which culminated in victory for APC. Aregbesola, who was represented by his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, said the era of flagrant use of office, wastage of human and material resources together with impunity in governance among political office holders is now a thing of the past. He said, employment opportunities will be made available to youths, while provision of infrastructural facilities, free and compulsory education and viable health sector would be given priority by the Buhari-led administration . The governor also said the APC government at the federal level is poised to give real dividends of democracy to Nigerians. He also assured the people that some of the peopleoriented programmes of his administration such as •Nigeria Vice President-elect, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (2nd left) and other dignitaries on the high table during the convention of Guild of Editors O-Meals, Oyes and O-Reap in Lagos last Friday. would be replicated at the

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osun Defender Tuesday, April

Shun Partisanship, Be Professional, APC Tells Acting I-G

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged his new capacity with the does not need to pander to making the rounds that they will not allow anyone, the new Acting Inspector-General of Police, supplementary elections the President or the ruling the new Acting IGP was whether in uniform or not, Mr. Solomon Arase, to approach his new task coming up in Abia, Imo party in carrying out his appointed to facilitate to either prevent them with a high level of professionalism, while shunning and Taraba states. We do duties. All he has to do is victory for the Peoples from exercising their crass partisanship, which it says, has dragged key hope he will not allow the to make sure the police Democratic Party in those franchise or to collude with politicians to ensure that national institutions of state, especially the police, police, under him, to be carry out their statutory supplementary elections. “In any case, whatever their votes do not count,” into the political fray. used to thwart the will of duties in accordance with the people in those states or the law and without fear or may be the reason for his it added. This was contained in appointment, he should favour,” APC added. a statement in Abuja on states just to mention a few. to give cover to those who The party said it did realise that Nigerians have will engage in violence. ”Now, Mr. Arase faces Thursday by its National “Any IG, worth his salt, not believe the rumours now reached a level where Publicity Secretary, Alhaji perhaps the biggest test in Lai Mohammed. The party further advised the Acting IGP to learn from “the fate that befell his predecessors who, under their watch, turned the police into the enforcement arm of the ruling party, thus allowing the institution to be wantonly used to thwart the will of the people and act in ways that negated its constitutional mandate of maintaining law and order.” It said irrespective of the reasons for his appointment as the Acting IGP at this time, Arase must realise that he would be judged solely by the direction to which he takes the police, which the party described as “one of the most-abused national institutions” by those who had been at the helm of the nation’s affairs since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999. “We do not know the reason for the sacking of •Members of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) protesting xenophobic attacks on African immigrants at the MTN office in the immediate-past IGP, Kaduna last Thursday. but we have read, just like other Nigerians, that it might not be unconnected with the role he either played or did not play in Secretary in the State Ministry this feat. I want to implore tine immunization services. By francis ezediuno the last general elections. This fact, according to of Health, Dr. Temitope Ol- mothers and caregivers to “What we do know ‘Health is wealth’ and by this reason, the Government Ogunsola, had helped the adele, in his welcome address, take advantage of health care is that the police force, of the State of Osun, through the Ministry of Health, has state to be free of any disease stated that Osun was proud to services provided by our good celebrate the event with the governor. under the former IG, was a kicked off the second round of National Immunization Plus outbreak. “As health workers will be He mentioned that health rest of the world. major actor in the massive Day and commemoration of African Vaccination Week Dr. Oladele therefore, moving from house-to-house against Poliomyelitis. workers were busy always in rigging and violence that Speaking at the programme, which was at the Primary on held Health of the State their different locations, that’s called all parents and care- throughout the 30 local govcharacterised the elections Health Centre, Odi-Olowo, mittee ernment council areas and the representative of Osun House of Assembly, why there has never been any givers to see immunization the Area Office in the state, in some parts of the country, Osogbo, of the governor, Honourable noted that there were 1,038 disease outbreak or epidemic as a free gift of life and en- kindly bring out your children sure that their children were especially in Rivers, Akwa Leke Ogunsola, who is also government health facilities of recorded like other states. for vaccination,” Oladele Meanwhile, the Permanent immunised. Ibom, Sokoto and Gombe the Chairman, House Com- which 838 were offering rouadvised.

Mothers Told To Immunise Against Polio

“I thank all mothers for

If You’ve Looted Nigeria’s Money, You Must Return It - Says Buhari

resident-elect, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari the past few years and (rtd), has assured Nigerians that his determining how much government will recover much of the monies had been misappropriated looted from the treasuries of Nigeria with an within the period. One of the APC top initiative he will put in place. notchers, who was in Buhari said by the time monies generated by the attendance at the brief his government’s anti- Nigerian government in meeting in Daura, said corruption programme is unveiled, those who stole blindly from the government coffers would By SHINA ABUBAKAR cough out every kobo that he crisis rocking the national leadership of the have been stolen. Nigeria Labour Congress seems to be spreading “Stealing is now across the states of the federation, as some states held corruption and nobody their congresses giving way to factional leaders to emerge will be allowed to go including the State of Osun. The state chapter of the body. free with our money,” he NLC last Thursday held two This was coming despite insisted. congresses with the Wabba- assurance by the national Buhari made this known led faction in the state holding leadership of the labour in Daura recently when at the Osogbo Stadium, while congress to settle the rift responding to entreaties the other faction held its own between the warring factions from supporters of the at the Government Technical and restore unity in the APC who urged him to College in Osogbo, the state organisation. capital. The Adekomi-led keep to his promises to It was gathered that the executive committee, after Nigerians and not take Wabba-led faction elected the election, pledged to ensure the war against corruption Comrade Adekomi of the that welfare of workers is not NULGE as its chairman, while compromised for anything, with levity. According to him, he the Ajaero faction elected saying the glorious days of Gambi Yusuf as its the NLC would be restored is set to put in place a Comrade own chairman for the same through effective service committee to probe the

the President-elect was optimistic that those who stole from Nigeria in all tiers will return what they stole very soon. He said, Buhari was of the view that while he would not go all out to

initiate a process to jail looters of the treasury, anyone who failed to cooperate with measures to be put in place for recovery of looted funds will have to face the consequences.

delivery to its members. He stressed the need for cooperation among member organisations of the union, saying the vision to restore the glory of the union requires collective action. The new executive committee said the state chapter of the union is renowned for its vibrancy, assuring members that its standard would not be compromised and the executive members would not disappoint those that gave it the mandate. Also, the Ajaero faction also pledged commitment to the protection of workers’ welfare, adding that the NLC will make sure that the rights of workers are respected by

their employers. According to him, the NLC have enormous task in improving the standard and services offered the members and the public at large. Yusuf said: “You will agree with me that since Comrade Adams Oshiomole left the congress, his successors ha v e fa ile d to a d d re ss any labour issue such as irregular payment of salaries, corruption, insecurity and casualisation. “I want to assure all Nigerians that all itemised issues will be strongly addressed by the Ajaero-led team.”

Osun NLC Gets Factional Leaders

He stated that the flag-off of the second round of immunisation exercise, which started on Saturday 25th will end today; 28th of April, marked the beginning of the end to Polio in Osun and other states in the country. The PS revealed that houseto-house strategy would be employed within those days and that health workers had been trained for the campaign, adding that everybody should join hands together to make the State of Osun Polio-free forever. “The two drops of OPV will be dropped into the mouth of each child within the age bracket of 0-59 months. “This builds our children’s immunity against Poliomyelitis”. He recalled that the March edition, which held from March 18th through 21st, 2015, had a coverage of 117 per cent, having immunised over one million children.

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Osun Defender Tuesday, April

Lessons For APC From Failed PDP Continued from pg1

to be headed by GMB to watch its steps so the fate that befell the PDP will not be her own lot within a short period. The victory that has come to the side of the APC is a great one; an opportunity that must be savoured. On no account should they give the PDP or the Nigerian people the cause to say to them; “It’s true that you know how to obtain a great victory, but you do not know how to use it” just like the great Roman General, Marcus Aurelius had cause to tell his formidable foe, Hannibal of Carthage. Of course this must serve as a cautionary note to the APC. And the only way not to give room for the PDP or anyone at all to utter this statement to them like Marcus told Hannibal is for them to provide good governance. Good governance is the key. Lack of good governance

under the PDP is the party’s undoing. It’s what is responsible for its downfall. So the APC government must learn from this. They must know how to savour this great opportunity. It’s not enough to win election, neither is it enough to present a good manifesto. To fulfill your campaign promises is most important.

Like an age-long adage says that ‘to whom much is given much is expected’. The Nigerian electorate has given much to the president-elect and his party by giving them their mandate. They did this because of the confidence they reposed in Buhari based on his record of integrity and also because of the trust they have in his party based on her performance in the states it governs. Thus the onus is on the party not to betray the trust the Nigerian people have in her. The incoming APC government cannot afford to disappoint Nigerians like PDP did. It must be careful not to take Nigerians for granted like the PDP which believed that once you are in power then you can do and undo;

forgetting that power actually belongs to the people while ultimate power belongs to God Almighty.

as some houses within the estate do not have toilets. Such houses are still making use of undeveloped plots of land in the area, especially houses close to the stream separating Tinumola

from Temidire for defecation. Moreover, most of the people living in the high-brow area of Oroki Estate have refused to hand over all their wastes to the waste management agencies, just as they

along the road median in the estate, despite the inscription that they should not drop their wastes on the median I therefore appeal for night policing and

arrest of culprits who dispose wastes along the road median in the estate, as they are proving to be unpatriotic elements While I commend the effort of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola

Thus the incoming APC government must try as much as possible to put things right. It must pass in all the areas that the PDP has failed. In fact, light, security, employment generation, education, good health care system and infrastructural renewal are very important to making life better for the people. The APC government must therefore get its priorities right and ensure the pursuit of pro-people agenda.

For sixteen years under the PDP Nigerians knew what extreme poverty is. For sixteen years the PDP could not guarantee adequate supply of electricity for the people despite sinking billions of naira into the power sector. Sixteen years of PDP in power it could not fix our refineries, it couldn’t fix our roads that have become death traps, it couldn’t guarantee affordable housing for the people, it couldn’t provide good health care and worst of it all our security system collapsed completely under its watch.

Like we said earlier the APC government must learn from PDP’s downfall. A yoruba adage says that ‘he who falls into a pit teaches others a lesson’. Thus for APC to stay longer in power it needs to endear itself to the people by running a people-centred government. We are now in the era where the people’s votes count and therefore no government can ride on the people roughshod any longer.

In fact, we cannot point to one single area that the PDP government has excelled. The party has destroyed all facets of our life. By her inability to fight corruption - even in spite of her anti-corruption crusade - and her mismanagement of our resources and financial recklessness the economy has been brought to comatose. Without mincing words sixteen years of PDP’s rule has been a woeful story. It hasn’t

Let’s Maintain Clean Environment capital, respectively, prefer to put them i n p r o m o t i n g w a n t t o

congratulate the entire residents and indigenes of the State of Osun on the wind of change that had recently blown across our nation. I t i s h o w e v e r, saddenning that some people will always revert to their old dirty habit in the state despite the state government efforts and sensitization on the need to promote healthy habit, so as to live a healthy life in the state. I want the O’Clean Marshals to step up enforcement exercise at Tinumola and Oroki sstates of Osogbo, the state

brought good for Nigerians.

healthy living and environmental sanitation, I want to appeal to our people on the need for attitudinal change so that we can all enjoy the dividends of democracy. So, let the ‘Change’ reflect in our attitude, as this is the era of positive change • ‘ P o j u Abolubode, Oroki Estate, Osogbo, State of Osun.

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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the above mail address. ISSN: 0794-8050 Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205 Website: www.osundefender.com/index.php e-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com

osun Defender Tuesday, April feature OLUSESI ISAAC, just returned from Otuoke, Bayelsa State, posits, the statesmanship of Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan could be no statesmanship for his sporadic superficial slickness, or could be just self-serving like a dog’s digging because there is a bone to lick; enthusing however that, Jonathan’s astute insight into what the votes were counting, with lucid profundity of his concession of victory to his opponent in the last presidential election dramatizes a moral conscience of statesmanship in the president.

Where Is Jonathan’s Statesmanship? I s it sportsmanship? Flexible and undiplomatic, like Anne Robert Jacque Turgot (1727-1781), a French statesman of liberal view who was all powerful but was severely circumscribed by selfidosyncrsy to cope with his innumerable duties, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan is, abinitio always forthcoming in his persistence on being exceptionally lucky a Nigerian to be a state deputy governor, governor, vice-president, acting president and president, all in a short span; unknown to him that he has put enormous demands on his management skill. Achcha! His six years at the helm of the nation’s affairs to now, only present a tragic dilemma of self-preachments of self-eulogy, generous in self-impressions with their allusiveness and qualifying modulations that are a self-indulgent arabesque and abrasive personal efforts to plant self in the moral psychology of progressive Nigerians with cultured sensibilities. But at all times, Jonathan is incapable of effective actions, expected to have caused significant improvements in the welfare of Nigerians, as he’s weighed down more often by the overwhelming special privileges, perks of office, vested interests and coded corruption. And Nigerians took side against him in the last March 28 presidential election. He lost. Pronto! He conceded victory to his opponent, the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Mahammadu Buhari. And many have applauded his acceptance of defeat as the superb tale of an old Cuban fisherman’s courage and accomplishment in Earnest Hammingway’s “The Old Man and The Sea” (1952). But the free rascals within Jonathan’s ruling political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the Ayo Fayoses, the Godsday Orubebes and the Nyesom Wikes with the gift of mental and verbal in-dexterity as arrowheads, fixing up the image of raw, uncultured fellows and exposing the decadence of PDP, countered in closet Jonathan’s concession to the landslide victory of Buhari, the president-elect, as an account of loneliness of an orphan boy, or the frustration of a close-circuited, the Faraday caged slave who escaped and drifted down on a raft, encountering a myriad of turbulent reactions. Confusion, disagreement and violence at first; and then, compassion, sympathy and understanding in that order. In the Orubebes, the Fayoses and the Wikes of PDP, emerged the inverted optimism and ferocious hatred for Jonathan’s courage that conceded victory to his opponent, while the Orubebes alone, firing from all cylinders in a furry, assaulted and stunned the global view of Nigeria’s electoral process. The Orubebes’ language was brigandage; entourage, barbarian; talk, balderdash; eyeballs, barbaric; comportment, riotous; plotting, inept; gesticulations, inciting; aim, vindictive; objective, malevolence; philosophy, malicious; demands, mauling; reward, shameful publicity; and new name, the gutterboy, and no longer church elder. But the scenario was saved by the nation’s electoral chief, Attahiru Jega, who maintained his cool with psychological acumen. The PDP’s dramatization of the concession to the - Buhari victory – thesis and the anti-thesis, alternated between groups within the party, pointing up the tradition of tragic decay of the party and the uninspiring, condemnable ambition of the party men that found vent in the political space, has in fact illuminated a

in-excusable farragos, and are not arcane in the least, not infrequently the result of his sporadic superficial slickness, have taken statesmanship away from him. The carriages of Jonathan, both as president of Nigeria and national leader of the ruling PDP, with tremendous sway have only ushered the party into contending constantly with crises, some of which, unresolved and irresolvable, most often orchestrated to settle scores with party men. In the main, the statesmanship of Jonathan is further ruptured by his presidential pressure on the party, structure, personnel, administration and discipline and his politics of exclusion and imposition, bemoaned and groaned by the majority of party members.

•jonathan

permanent strain in PDP and engendered another round of revolting crisis in the party, that has also resulted into incessant and restive mass defection of PDP barons and followers, unprecedented in the nation’s party politics and politicking. Jonathan, the centre-piece, the harbinger of the sure collapse of PDP, was born into the Otuoke humble, very poor family in Balyesa State, Nigeria, and was methodically prepared for a missionary life in the church, according to family sources who spoke with the writer. A devout member of the laity, he abandoned the priestly career for academics. But by accident of fate, he found himself in politics and moved like a thunderbolt up the political ladder to the peak, and was inaugurated the nation’s helmsman. Before the final eclipse of PDP from the nation’s political horizon, is Jonathan’s concession of victory to his opponent truly statesmanship? Can one point up elemental integrity, patriotism, nationalism, sincerity, wholesomeness, and broadmindedness in defeat to describe Jonathan as a statesman? Expectedly, Jonathan’s mind that houses his thought, the essential thing of human mind was coherently glued to his television, while the national counting of the votes in the presidential election lasted. His body, occupying his television room cannot think; but his mind can. It is his mind that encases his thought, un-extended in space and having explanatory role this way. Jonathan’s reflex mind activities such as judging, inferring, and deciding as he simultaneously sat by his television that continued to reel out votes from the federated states of Nigeria, exemplified his thought, that also explains his extempore body conduct that reportedly sat him up, pushed him to reach for his cell phone, and on the phone, he conceded victory to his opponent, Buhari, the dubiety of the motivation to do so, notwithstanding. And to the extent that Jonathan’s body and mind cannot be logically independent of the other, his judging the votes counting on his television, inferring and deciding

as his mind reflex responses to the stimuli from his television are sportsmanship. With his astute insight into what the votes were counting, he shrewdly depicted it with lucid profundity and responded to it by conceding victory to Buhari, the clear winner of the presidential election. Jonathan’s judging, inferring and deciding as his non- distinct mental faculties, indeed dramatize the moral conscience of statesmanship in Jonathan. He is a statesman in the steel cast of Abraham Lincoln, a famous American statesman. Nigeria’s Jonathan is worthy of, or is befitting a statesman in matters of electoral integrity, electoral wholesomeness and electoral large-heartedness.

ut, I am afraid! His statesmanship could be self-serving like a man’s digging, explainable by his thinking that there is gold in the ground. Or, a dog’s digging, thinking there is a bone to lick. Not wanting to go the self-consuming way of Samuel Doe of Liberia and Laurent Gbagbo of Cote –d’ Ivoire who took law into their hands and incited their supporters to follow suites, Jonathan did not opted for the Gbagbo option and declared the presidential election result unacceptable simply because he didn’t carry the day. He know heat of the action might consume him. Of course yes, Jonathan would not. As Nigeria’s acting president some six years ago, he mobilized other West African leaders to forcefully oust Gbagbo who refused to relinquish power after he lost the presidential election. Jonathan knows, his choice of enviable, honourable exit from office can fetch him very important national and global engagements, ad hoc, with the prestige, honour and stipends that come with such briefs. He already has a place with the very mighty in the global scenes. However, Jonathan cannot be said to be a complete statesman. In politics and politicking as well as public affairs management, he is certainly not one. His

nd whatever is left of Jonathan’s statesmanship is finally punctured by his politics of fractionalization and religion as he reneged on his agreement to be a one-term president, to shift power back to the North. The vacillation, with his emergence as the sole candidate of PDP for the 2015 presidential election divided the North as some leaders from the lower fringes of North central, the Middle-Belt also urged him for a second term, but the vacillation weighed down the entire North voting population against him. Jonathan publicly acknowledged the one-term agreement at Kampala international forum in Uganda, and which he replicated at his PDP 2011 Eagle Square, Abuja, Nigeria convention/presidential primaries where his former godfather and predecessor, Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria enthused: “Whether he (Jonathan) knows it or not, his acceptance of one term of four years in office as president is a sacrifice as it is statesman-like.” Jonathan cannot be a statesman by his failure to deliver on his manifesto and his deliberate refusal to implement his party’s numerous peace making recommendations, plunging the party in turmoil and divisions that torn the party apart; by his tacit support for the split of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) over calls for the resignation of Bamanga Tukur, the erstwhile PDP national chairman, and suspension of some PDP governors; by leaving the country broke, with multiple cases of corruption and scandals under his nose and wasted dollars on gullible church leaders, gluttonous monarchs and voracious key indigenes; and by fuelling resurgence, and issuing guns to militant groups to harass and kill people. Indeed, his statesmanship is evaporated finally by his un-statesmanship remarks: “If by default, somebody won the election. Of course, I will go back to my village, Otuoke. The country is not my father’s estate,’’ he told the Qatarbased international television station, Aljazeera. It is no wonder that he led a non-performing administration just because the country is not his father’s property. Patriotism lost. Nationalism lost. Indeed, his statesmanship is deceitful, insincere, unwholesome and self-serving, after all. •OLUSESI is Assistant Director, Directorate of Publicity, Research & Strategy, All Progressives Congress (APC), State of Osun

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osun Defender Tuesday, April

Faces At Official Commissioning Of Wolid Quarry Complex At Iwoye, Egbedore Local Government Council Area, State Of Osun, Recently.

•Representative of Osun governor and former Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Natural and Mineral Resources, Prince Tunde Ajilore (middle); Managing Director, Wolid International Services Limited, Engineer Ayanbamiji Oluwole Idowu (right), presenting a car key to the Oluwoye of Iwoyeland, Oba Alhaji Rasheed Ademola Oyeweso, during the official commissioning of Wolid Quarry Complex at Iwoye, Egbedore Local Government Area, State of Osun, recently.

•(L-R) Ajilore; Idowu and the Oluwoye during the official commissioning of Wolid Quarry Complex at Iwoye, Egbedore Local Government Area, State of Osun.

•(L-R) Acting Executive Secretary, Office of Natural and Mineral Resources, State of Osun, Mr. Kayode Lanlehin; Prince Ajilore, member representing Egbedore State Constituency in the State of Osun House of Assembly, Hon Biodun Awolola and Engr Idowu, during the commissioning.

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osun Defender Tuesday, April

50th Birthday Ceremony Of Former All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman In The State Of Osun, Elder Lowo Adebiyi, At Yessy Event Hall, Owode, Ede In The State Of Osun, Last Saturday.

•(L-R) APC State Chairman in the State of Osun and his wife, Prince and Mrs Gboyega Famodun; Leader of the House, State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Timothew Owoeye and the celebrant, Elder Lowo Adebiyi and his wife, Patience, at the event.

•(L-R) Wife of the Chief of Staff to State of Osun Governor, Mrs Kafayat Oyetola; Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti; representatives of former APC National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, Dr Temitope Ilori and Mrs Tina Afolabi.

•(L-R) Former Attorney-General, State of Osun, Barrister Wale Afolabi in a discussion with former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Honourable Sunday Akere, at the event.

•A cross section of guests at the programme.

•(L-R) APC Chairman in Ekiti State, Honourable Jide Awe; Honourable Toogun Oguntola and Honourable Muhammed Olatunji

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osun Defender Tuesday, April

At Sugar’s 70th Birthday Anniversary Last Saturday.

•The celebrant, Pa. Abdulramon Adekola (Popularly known as Sugar) and his wives (middle); All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Osogbo, Alhaji Oduola Baruwa (2nd left) and other dignitaries in a group photograph during the 70th birthday ceremony of Sugar Osun at Presidential Hotel, Osogbo, State of Osun, last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Abia State Conclusive Governorship Election Last Saturday.

•A cross section of Electoral Officers, voters and security officers at ward 12, Ogbor-Hill, Aba.

•Police Officers and voters at ward 8, unit 3 Umola.

Mr Sulaiman Hashimu Who Trekked From Lagos To Abuja Met The President-elect, Alhaji Muhammed Buhari, In Abuja Last Friday.

•Sulaiman Hashimu, the young man who reportedly trekked from Lagos to Abuja in commemoration of Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari’s election in a handshake with the President-elect in Abuja, last Friday.

Good Governance osun Defender Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Aregbesolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Second Coming:

Fresh Tenure Well Deserved! V Still on the series in vogue, NIYI OLASINDE advances discussion on the many positive impacts of the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration in various sectors and sub-sectors of life during the first tenure it spent in office. With this background well set, the next effort shall be to capture expectations, hopes and desires for the second tenure.

â&#x20AC;˘Newly-asphalted Oroki Estate road in Osogbo, State of Osun.

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Osun Defender Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Fresh Tenure Well Deserved! V

•A newly-commissioned road at Oroki Housing Estate, Osogbo.

Continued from last week. Y the time we conclude the milestone achievements recorded by the administration in various areas of life of the state during its first tenure in office, the stage must have been set for projecting and predicting hopes and expectations of residents for the second tenure. Roads and infrastructure is our next port of call. It would be recalled that by the end of the time of the immediate past administration in office, the voice of OSUN DEFENDER Magazine was vehement over the state of disrepair in which virtually all roads in the Osun State of the time were. We remember vividly that most access within the metropolis of Osogbo, the state capital had become erosion paths and courses for drainage. The administration of the time, both at state level and local government tiers were simply there doing nothing. Their functionaries were busy siphoning funds from public accounts; while the situation of our roads worsened. Many of the roads were plunged into such state of disrepair that they ceased to be motorable. Even as state capital, all access roads linking Osogbo with other states were not dualized. The administration of the time excused itself on the premise that those interstate roads are federal roads; even as it was the ruling party at the federal level, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that held sway in Osun, the concessioning deal could not be sealed by governments at the two levels. The only one so concessioned was the Akoda/Old Garage/Ikirun/Ila-Odo/Erin-Ile, Kwara State Boundary road; which was billed for reconstruction in two phases. Unfortunately, the administration spent its entire years in office on only the first phase of that road; the stretch from Akoda to Old Garage. It is the Aregbesola administration which is of another party that is now carrying out the reconstruction of the other phase of the road. Even the first phase constructed by the erstwhile administration cannot be certified as fully constructed. It was haphazardly done! The road had begun to have trouble spots long before its purported completed completion. It is placed on record that the road project commenced by the immediate past administration in the state was brought up to standard and eventually completed by the Aregbesola administration. If it is possible or rather expedient to accord an area of specialization to an administration; then it would not be exaggerative to pin-point road project as the major area of specialization of the incumbent administration in the state. In virtually all parts of the state, road projects measuring various lengths of kilometres have been initiated since the commencement of the administration’s tenure of office in November 2010. These roads have today reached various levels of completion, while many that have been completed are ·

either awaiting delivery or commissioning. In addition to these, various local government road projects have been constructed by the thirty (30) local governments in the state and the Ife East Area Office. Sometime ago, upon one of the fresh re inauguration exercises for the executive secretaries of the local government councils in office, the governor charged them how important it is for them to take the construction of the 10-kilometre road project in their respective council areas serious; amidst other indices of good governance. The State of Osun Urban Renewal Project of the incumbent administration, which entails the reconstruction of roads in and modernization of ten kilometer radius of city centres in nine major cities in the nine zones of the state, is already in progress. The cities are Osogbo, Ikirun, Ila Orangun, Iwo, Ede, Ejigbo, Ilesa, Ikire and Ile Ife .Osogbo, as he state capital shall have two city centres: Oja Oba/Palace area and Old Garage. The city centres shall be provided with good modern amenities like post offices, police stations, recreational centres, parks and gardens, eateries and the likes to give the places the desired face-lift that shall make them conform to modern-day standard of cities.

part from these efforts, episodes of the several Federal Government road projects are currently ongoing in the present-day State of Osun. This has been made possible through the process of concessioning. The rumour making the rounds amidst a segment of the people in the society is that the roads are federal roads and so, none else could wield the magic wand of reconstructing such roads except the “Almighty” Federal Government; more so, when such roads are being dualized. The source of this rumour is not hard to discern. The governor of the State of Osun during one in the list of episodes of live audience participation programme, a brainchild of the incumbent administration branded “Ogbeni Till Daybreak” did not mince words while responding to a pool of questions fielded, which were related to this kind of insinuation. His response was that if an administration which was led and powered by the ruling party at the centre (referring to the People’s Democratic Party - PDP); and which stayed in office and held on to power for an upward of eight years could not reconstruct Federal Government roads within its area of jurisdiction; then it could not be true that an ousted administration or a Federal Government that had been hitherto coplagued by inertia could now come back to do the reconstruction. The fact of the matter is contained in this analogy, that if you refuse to take care of your own house, premises or vicinity; it will be vain wish to expect someone from the neighbourhood to come and take care of it for you.

This analogy depicts the mindset which governed the resolve of the incumbent administration to seek the concessioning of all Federal Government roads in its vicinity and get them rapidly transformed into welldualized and macadamized roads. In Aregbesola’s opinion and feeling, it is shameful to observe that all access roads leading to the State of Osun from adjoining states are narrow, single-track roads. Osogbo in particular as the state capital has been bereft of good roads; which cause frequent traffic congestion in the metropolis. It is on record how OSUN DEFENDER Magazine had frequently bemoaned the sorry sight presented by poor access roads in the state.

oday, work is earnestly in upper swing in getting reconstructed the Osogbo/Ila-Odo/Erin-Ile, Kwara State Boundary road. It is expected that the completed road shall be delivered before the end of the second tenure of the administration reaches its first half. The contract for the reconstruction of Osogbo/ Iwo/Ibadan Road; also a dualization project has been awarded and work has started on the road project. Not only these, work on the Gbongan/Orile-Owu/ Odeyinka/Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State Boundary road has reached an advanced stage – also a contract awarded by the incumbent administration. Gbongan/Akoda end of the Gbongan/Osogbo Expressway is also not left out of the massive reconstruction in roads, currently ongoing in the State of Osun. Work is also going on, on the construction of Igbajo/Imesi/Ekiti State Boundary road. The Gbongan/Orile-Owu/Odeyinka/Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State Boundary road is important as it provides a shortcut to cosmopolitan Lagos State without having to go through the unnecessary headache of traffic congestion which is the normal feature of Ibadan/Lagos axis. Already, the Ikirun/Iree/Ila-Orangun road project has been completed. There are other road projects currently going on in the State of Osun. Within the metropolis of Osogbo the state capital alone, practically all the inner access roads have been reconstructed. These roads are damn too numerous to mention. Of recent, the East Bypass, stretching from Ido-Osun end, through Isale Osun/Ita Olookan bursting out at Ikirun road had its contract work awarded and work has commenced in earnest. This is not to talk of the work that is ongoing at the Old Garage Area of Osogbo, which, apart from being a work of beautification, is intended to make that heart of the city more spacious, healthy and more befitting. The West Bypass, popularly referred to as Ring Road, constructed by the Alliance for Democracy (AD)-led administration in the state is currently witnessing a facelift.

Continued on page 12

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osun Defender Tuesday, April 28,

Fresh Tenure Well Deserved! V Continued from page 11

We have so far done justice to events and happenings in the Roads and Infrastructure sub-sector of our state. We were able to bring out the revolutionary transformation already recorded in that sub-sector up till the point of this eve of the termination of the administration’s first tenure in office. We now deem it most convenient to forge ahead at the exact point where we paused. Apart from the entire massive road projects mentioned as monumental achievements of the “Government Unusual” of Ogbeni Aregbesola, there are still left more road projects which constitute the full list of difference as at date, between his administration and that of his predecessors. Our exact stopping point was where we were considering the ongoing local government road projects in the State of Osun, measuring ten kilometers at a go. During the time of the ousted administration in office, little of nothing was found on ground with regards to the Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP). This was even as the project is a collaborative effort between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Bank. In spite of the fact that that ousted administration was controlled and run by the same party that held sway at the centre, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); the State of Osun did not fully access this facility which was provided with the auspicious intent of opening up of our rural areas to urban centres for the purpose of accelerated industrial growth and all-round development. Readers would agree that little or nothing could be achieved in the area of activating the industrial drive of any administration or even developing its agricultural policies without developing road infrastructure to the fullest. It is with pride that we place on record that the Rauf Aregbesola administration has since inception been pursuing all Rural Access Mobility Projects (RAMP) approved for the state faithfully and assiduously. This is to the extent that barely a year into the lifetime of the administration, over 500-kilmetre roads in the category of Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP) had been constructed in the state, under the execution and supervision of the incumbent administration. This trend came, regardless of the fact that the administration of the state today is in the hand of a different party, the All Progressive Congress (APC). About mid-2013, it was in the news that another batch of these RAMP roads was approved for selected states of the federation. The glad part of that news was the inclusion of the State of Osun as part of four or five benefitting states. With this trend of events, our state is certainly on its fast-tracked surge to the top among comity of states, especially, in terms of access to farmlands as a way of boosting agricultural productivity, industrial development and overall good living of our people. Since that first frantic step was taken at the inception of the administration, the Government Unusual of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has been impacting

•A newly-asphalted road in Ilobu.

positively on the lives of the citizenry of the state in many diverse ways; most especially, in the area of provision of road infrastructure. Till date, the Rauf Aregbesola administration has not relented in its efforts at bequeathing the legacy of good motorable roads to all nooks and crannies of the state. Apart from the many roads which have been completed and instantly put to use, many other road projects subsist at various stages of completion, and which await official commissioning at any date from hence. OSUN DEFENDER Magazine shall at this stage shift focus to the in-depth consideration of these numerous projects so as to serve as documentation and reminder for all, to attest to the fact that that the administration is working. We now turn to the apt consideration of these numerous road projects.

or the purpose of conservation of space and time, we here take Osogbo, the capital of the State of Osun as focal point. The administration has embarked on the construction of such road projects as: Igbonna / Ago Wande / Oke Onitea Road; Olu Alabi / Anaye Market Link; West Bypass modification; Bisi Bankole / Owoeye / Apostolic Faith / Pepsi Cola ; Oke Fia / Alekuwodo; and Orita Sabo / Orita Elelede / Oluode Road. Others include Orita Gbaemu / Isale Aro / Our Lady of St. Francis; Odi Olowo / Baptist High School /Gbodofon / Aregbe; Ola Iya Junction Opening; Oke Fia / Rasco / Old Garage Opening; Freedom Park; and Rasco / Railway / Old Sawmill / Olaiya Link. Others are MDS / Railway Station / Ola Iya Access Way, Rasco / Railway / Old Sawmill / Olaiya Link, MDS / Railway / Olaiya Access Way, Station Road, Ajegunle / LAUTECH / First Bank / Station Road Link, Old Garage / Orisunmbare / MDS, Olaiya / Odi Olowo / St. Francis / Asubiaro / Ita Olookan and Fagbewesa Road / Station Road. We also have Aregbe / Akindeko /Capital Hotel, Capital Hotel / Tinumola / Boorepo /Ring Road, New Gbongan Road, New Iwo / Ibadan Road, Ilesa Road, East Bypass, Old Garage / Ikirun-Ila Odo-Erin Ile-Kwara State Boundary Road, Testing Ground /Aderin / Orita Sabo / Onisekere Road, Gbongan / Akoda Road and Ife/Ibadan / Gbongan Junction Trumpet Road. The list is apparently endless! It is fervently hoped that even if no new road projects are initiated in the current year, the already existing ones shall before the arrival of the last quarter of the New Year be brought to a stage of total completion; fully delivered and officially commissioned for use. Roads and infrastructure has been our point of focus in some of our previous editions. It would be recalled that by the end of the time of the immediate past administration in office, the voice of OSUN DEFENDER Magazine was vehement over the state of disrepair in which virtually all roads in the Osun State of the time were. We remember vividly that most access within the metropolis of Osogbo, the state capital had become erosion paths and courses for drainage.

The administration of the time, both at state level and local government levels were simply there doing nothing. Their functionaries were busy siphoning funds from public accounts; while the situation of our roads worsened. Many of the roads were plunged into such state of disrepair that they ceased to be motorable. Even as state capital, all access roads linking Osogbo with other states were not dualized. The administration of the time excused itself on the premise that those inter-state roads are federal roads; even as it was the ruling party at the federal level, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that held sway in Osun, the concessioning deal could not be sealed by governments at the two levels. The only one so concessioned was the Akoda/Old Garage/ Ikirun/Ila-Odo/Erin-Ile, Kwara State Boundary road; which was billed for reconstruction in two phases. Unfortunately, the administration spent its entire years in office on only the first phase of that road; the stretch from Akoda to Old Garage. It is the Aregbesola administration which is of another party that is now carrying out the reconstruction of the other phase of the road. Even the first phase constructed by the Oyinlola administration cannot be certified as fully constructed. It was haphazardly done! The road had begun to have trouble spots long before its purported completion. It is placed on record that the road project commenced by the immediate past administration in the state was brought up to standard and eventually completed by the Aregbesola administration.

f it is possible or rather expedient to accord an area of specialization to an administration; then it would not be exaggerative to pin-point road project as the major area of specialization of the incumbent administration in the state. In virtually all parts of the state, road projects measuring various lengths of kilometers have been initiated since the commencement of the administration’s tenure of office in November 2010. These toads have today reached various levels of completion, while many that have been completed are either awaiting delivery or commissioning. In addition to these, various local government road projects have been constructed by the thirty (30) local governments in the state and the Ife East Area Office. Upon the fresh re-inauguration of the executive secretaries of the local government councils for the last lap of their time in office sometimes last year, the governor charged them how important it is for them to take the construction of the 10-kilometre road project in their respective council areas serious; amidst other indices of good governance. The State of Osun Urban Renewal Project of the incumbent administration, which entails the reconstruction of roads in and modernization of ten kilometre radius of city centres in nine major cities in the nine zones of the state, is already in progress. The cities are Osogbo, Ikirun, Ila Orangun, Iwo, Ede, Continued on page 13

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Fresh Tenure Well Deserved! V

•Another rehabilitated road in Erin-Osun. Continued from page 12

Ejigbo,Ilesa, Ikire and Ile Ife .Osogbo, as the state capital shall have two city centres: Oja Oba/Palace area and Old Garage. The city centres shall be provided with good modern amenities like post offices, police stations, recreational centres, parks and gardens, eateries and the likes to give the places the desired face-lift that shall make them conform to modern-day standard of cities. Apart from these efforts, episode of the several Federal Government road projects are currently ongoing in the present-day State of Osun. This has been made possible through the process of concessioning. The rumour making the rounds amidst a segment of the people in the society is that the roads are federal roads and so, none else could wield the magic wand of reconstructing such roads except the “Almighty” Federal Government; more so, when such roads are being dualized. The source of this rumour is not hard to discern. The governor of the State of Osun during one of the live audience participation programme, a brainchild of the incumbent administration branded “Ogbeni Till Daybreak” did not mince words while responding to a pool of questions fielded, which were related to this kind of insinuation. His response was that if an administration which was led and powered by the ruling party at the centre (referring to the People’s Democratic Party - PDP); and which stayed in office and held on to power for an upward of eight years could not reconstruct Federal Government roads within its area of jurisdiction; then it could not be true that an ousted administration or a Federal Government that had been hitherto co-plagued by inertia could now come back to do the reconstruction. The fact of the matter is contained in this analogy, that if you refuse to take care of your own house, premises or vicinity; it will be vain wish to expect someone from the neighbourhood to come and take care of it for you. This analogy depicts the mindset which governed the resolve of the incumbent administration to seek the concessioning of all Federal Government roads in its vicinity and get them rapidly transformed into welldualized and macadamized roads. In Aregbesola’s opinion and feeling, it is shameful to observe that all access roads leading to the State of Osun from adjoining states are narrow, single-track roads. Osogbo in particular as the state capital has been bereft of good roads; which cause frequent traffic congestion in the metropolis. It is on record how OSUN DEFENDER Magazine had frequently bemoaned the sorry sight of poor access roads in the state. Today, work is earnestly in upper swing in getting reconstructed the Osogbo/Ila-Odo/Erin-Ile, Kwara State Boundary road. It is expected that the completed road shall be delivered before the middle of next year, 2015.The contract for the reconstruction of Osogbo/ Iwo/Ibadan Road; also a dualization project has been

awarded and work has started on the road project. Not only these, work on the Gbongan/Orile-Owu/ Odeyinka/Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State Boundary road has reached an advanced stage – also a contract awarded by the incumbent administration. Gbongan/Akoda end of the Gbongan/Osogbo Expressway is also not left out of the massive reconstruction in roads, currently ongoing in the State of Osun. Work is also going on, on the construction of Igbajo/Imesi/Ekiti State Boundary road. The Gbongan/Orile-Owu/Odeyinka/Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State Boundary road is important as it provides a shortcut to cosmopolitan Lagos State without having to go through the unnecessary headache of traffic congestion which is the normal feature of Ibadan/Lagos axis. Already, the Ikirun/Iree/Ila-Orangun road project has been completed.

here are other road projects currently going on in the State of Osun. Within the metropolis of Osogbo the state capital alone, practically all the inner access roads have been reconstructed. These roads are damn too numerous to mention. Of recent, the East Bypass, stretching from Ido-Osun end, through Ilesa Garage end; bursting out at Ikirun road had its contract work awarded and work has commenced in earnest. This is not to talk of the work that is ongoing at the Old Garage Area of Osogbo, which, apart from being a work of beautification, is intended to make that heart of the city more spacious, healthy and more befitting. The West Bypass, popularly referred to as Ring Road, constructed by the Alliance for Democracy (AD)-led administration in the state is currently witnessing a facelift. Judging from the way things are as at date with regards to road infrastructure in the State of Osun, it is fast becoming easier for any traveller to cover any part of the state with absolute ease within a day. From Osogbo, the state capital for instance, it is more of a reality than possibility to make it to and fro to any part of the state with all convenience. It is fully appreciated the degree of administrative convenience this development shall contribute to governance and other productive activities in the state. In a nutshell, the first citizen of our dear state, Ogbeni Aregbesola has actually matched his words with action. Upon his assumption of office, Aregbesola promised to take road infrastructure transformation throughout the state as a matter of urgent and utmost priority. At a point in time, he even said that with him on the seat of governance, the State of Osun has been privileged to have Ona Baba Ona, meaning “road that surpasses road”. Today, this promise has nearly completely matured into a fully accomplished mission. One more point to stress before moving to the next point is the fact that Aregbesola’s antecedents are clearly speaking for him. Readers are here reminded

that the same enigma it was who played prominent roles in road transformation in his days as Commissioner for Road Infrastructure in cosmopolitan Lagos State during the tenure of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Governor of that state. It is therefore important to draw attention to how important it is to always consider the antecedents of aspirants before entrusting the task of leadership and governance in their hands. Through his this present outing in the State of Osun, Aregbesola has not disappointed the good people of the state who voted massively for him at the Gubernatorial Polls of April 14, 2007. It is certain that entrusting the task into his hands for a repeated term in office shall not be tantamount to disappointing destiny. This feat has been copiously displayed all over again in the August 9 2014 Gubernatorial Polls which returned the governor into office. IN like to the foregoing are the efforts so far made by the administration of the day in the area of Environment and Sanitation now beg for our attention and searchlight. There is no time that OSUN DEFENDER Magazine would write about this sub-sector that the pains and agony of the past years of the massive flooding terrains and their attendant enormous loss of lives and property will not reverberate in our memory. As the years of the immediate past administration in office wore on, the dastardly and horrendous effects of environmental degradation, environmental pollution, water pollution and contamination, indiscriminate waste disposal, water erosion and flooding became more and more devastating. This became worse and worse to the extent that –practically all places within the state capital – drains and gutters, street/road divides, major streets and junctions; not to talk of banks and beds of rivers, streams and springs became refuse dumping sites in those dark years. As the years rolled by, the people of the entire state were reeling and languishing under the full negative effects of unkempt environment improper waste disposal and lack of drainage channelization. Of all towns, cities and settlements in the state, Osogbo, the state capital was the worst-0hit by the menace of degradation and flooding and the leftovers of their attendant after-effects. In those days, OSUN DEFENDER Magazine never relented in drawing attention to many untoward situations which portended threats of grave epidemics and other health hazards for citizens. We used to draw prompt attention to incidences of pollution emanating from hospital mortuary morgues which were inadvertently kept; decomposing animal carcasses and human corpses on our roads; refuse heaps which constituted eyesore and offensive stenches at Continued on page 14

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Fresh Tenure Well Deserved ! V

•An ongoing road project at Stadium area, along Ikirun road, Osogbo. Continued from page 13

vantage places even within the state capital; and the devastation effects of water erosion and flooding on our communities. These did not exclude the devastating effects of wind erosion and rainstorms which annually removed roofs and rafters of residential houses and structures of institutions in the state. In some cases, what we had was a complete pull-down of structures that had been weakened cumulatively due to poor maintenance culture.

nough talks had been held; while vibrant debates had also been made in the past concerning what horrible fates befell the huge provisions coming from the Federation Accounts to our state in form of Ecological Funds during the Oyinlola years of fiery siege. These enormous sums of funds, cumulatively summing up to several tens of billions of naira were released to states and local government councils as second and third tiers of government respectively to prevent, mitigate and remedy the devastating effects of natural disasters within their territories of governance. Unfortunately all the monies went elsewhere, suspiciously, into the private coffers of some mighty men in power in those days; and got committed to causes for which they were least intended by the releasing authorities at the federal level of governance. As clearly demonstrated earlier, the ugly effects of environmental degradation, pollution, indiscriminate waste disposal, water contamination and water erosion/ flooding became more pronounced as the Oyinlola administration progressed in office. In year 2009, the state and its people reeled helplessly under the destructive yoke of erosion and flooding. The flooding incident of July 10, 2010 was the climax for the state in entirety and for Osogbo in particular. It also sang the Nunc Dimittis for the Oyinlola administration and that of the local administration in the town. The Ataoja of Osogbo of the tome, Oba Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi II joined his ancestors barely a month after that flood wreckage; precisely on August 5, 2010; while an end came to the seemingly-endless Oyinlola siege barely five months later, precisely on November 27, 2010. Honestly, had an end not come to that administration in our state; what remained of it as at 2010 would have been completely washed away by the rains of 2011 and the supposed Gubernatorial Elections of that same year! By the time of turning around of captivity in November 2010, both threats had their mouths agape; with their venomous fangs outstretched; ready to devour the state and its people; thus bringing the corporate existence of the state into total annihilation and extinction. But God had not designed the state and its people for the gastronomical intents of these devouring spirits. That is why our salvation came in the fullness of time! Thank God for His saving grace!

One of the very first areas of priority attention of the Aregbesola administration upon its coming on board the saddle of governance in the State of Osun was the Environment and Sanitation Sub-Sector of our economy. Since that very first effort made by the administration in that direction; it has so far not relented; neither has its strength and means abated. Governor Aregbesola has clearly demonstrated his avowed determination to rid the State of Osun of dirt and filth. Not only that, he has shown that he has all it takes in terms of knowledge and wherewithal to convert our weaknesses into strengths; and convert our threats into opportunities by making the state prosperous – even by turning waste into wealth. This last feat has been record3ed recently by the administration through the launch of the O’Clean Plus. The earlier intervention efforts in the direction of purging the state of dirt, filth and horrible sites kickstarted when Governor Aregbesola in February 2011, barely three months into his career in the governance of the state, declared a 90-day emergency in the Environment and Sanitation Sub-Sector. Alongside this, the State of Osun Environmental Sanitation Scheme, nicknamed O’Clean was rolled out. Much earlier, as early as the first week of December 2010, call had been made to young, vibrant, unemployed, yet interested residents of the state who were either university graduates or polytechnic Higher National Diploma holders to apply free online for employment into the Osun Youth Employment Scheme, known for short as OYES. The response was impressive, and the strides made so far in that sub-sector is reserved fie another segment of this report. All that needs be said in passing here concerning the OYES programme is that the first major area of its impact; apart from youth empowerment and employment generation has been the area of Environmental Sanitation, beautification, crowd and traffic control, ambulance and rescue operations as well as paramedics. Thus the OYES programme of the Aregbesola administration has impacted well on the health and sanitation needs of residents of the State of Osun; so much that the OYES and the O’Clean intervention efforts have become the envy of other states in the federation, as well as the Federal Government and other interest groups like the international communities and organizations such as the United Nations and its World Bank. The first 90-day of emergency in the Environment and Sanitation Sub-Sector of the State of Osun having been completed, the sanitation efforts were not given up; neither were they relaxed. Up till the time of filing this report, a mandatory bi-monthly environmental sanitation exercise is being observed throughout the length and breadth of the state; and this has so positively impacted the sanitation and health needs of the state that Osun has become the land of healthy citizens where all

threats of deadly epidemics have been made not only to lose their grip but also to disappear for good and all! Apart from the regular general mandatory bi-monthly environmental sanitation exercise being observed throughout the State of Osun, there are other types of similar exercises earmarked for other categories of people on weekly basis. For instance, the civil servants and offices have theirs on Wednesdays; the traders, artisans and ship-owners have theirs on Thursdays, while commercial motorists and motor parks hold theirs on Fridays – all between the hours of 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. Also, that of bi-monthly general sanitation also holds on second and fourth (last) Saturdays of every month, between the hours of 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m.

ince the rolling out of the sanitation exercises in the State of Osun; the efforts and the O’Clean outfit have so far impacted so positively that asserting that the people have internalized the virtue of cleanliness is stating the obvious. The Government Unusual in its own part has been doing things that are unusual in the usual way! Vehicles, equipment and waste disposal vans were procured to facilitate the work, while townspeople across the state are made to embrace the practice of dropping their refuse at accredited points and centres in order to make their lifting much easier. Also, Central dumping sites have been so located at town and city outskirts that they could not constitute any threat of pollution to residents Also upon the recent launch of O’Clean Plus, an obvious downward extension of the initially-launched broad O’Clean intervention; it is clear that not all the waste materials that are combustible shall be set on fire, as some of them shall be used to generate some alternative sources of energy for household use. This, as said earlier on, is a source of wealth to the State of Osun. It is highly imperative to point out that the achievements of the incumbent administration in the state in this area have been highly illustrious and impressive. Up till date, the impact of the administration is being felt to the extent that the State of Osun has risen to become the envy of other states in the federation. Any part of the state being visited speaks of changed value system from the ugly horrible sights of the past to a new, well-rebranded land of beauty and high aesthetic value. This measure is well taken as a means of backward integration; so that through our collective carefulness and vigilance, we can take our destinies into our own hands and forestall the occurrence of avoidable diseases. This trend has been achieved. We shall at this juncture do justice to a careful analysis of the achievements of the Government Unusual of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola in other remaining sectors and Continued on page 15

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sub-sectors of the life of the state. It is the consummate attainment of this that OSUN DEFENDER Magazine is now committed.

IN the area of Women and Children Affairs cum Social Development, the Government Unusual has done so well that we can boldly assert that the best so far has begun to be witnessed in the sub-sector. We place it in record that in recognition of the vital role played in the development and future greatness of our society that Ogbeni Aregbesola in the presentation of the Appropriation Bill Estimate for the year 2013 before the honourable members of the State of Osun House of Assembly, announced the creation of a new ministry with the branding and nomenclature of Ministry of Children and Women Affairs. The inclusion of children in particular indicates that new imprints are about to be left in the sands of time and governance of the state. This trend has begun to be set, not only in name but also in action and programmes. We shall make this crystal clear in due course of time. The role of and commitment of the incumbent administration in and to the issue of women development have been prominently visible since its coming on board the parlances of governance in the state. Various programmes and supportive schemes have been put in place to organize women into groups with a view to training them and empower them so as to enhance their liberation by reducing their overdependence on then male gender. This feat was recorded through a collaborative, coordinated effort between the two tiers of government visibly on ground within the confines of the state, i.e. the State Government and the grassroots administration called the local government. Various efforts subsist through which the administration of the day has empowered women, housewives in particular. We place on record various training programmes for widows, puddahs and other groups. Also, professional groups like market women have not been ignored in terms of their needs and requirements that could boost their activities, welfare and prosperity. Also in this regard, we place on record how the administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola has organized and held for the very first time ever, the O’odua World Children’s Day; which was an attempt at the unification of all the Yoruba race scattered all over the place – within Nigeria and yonder, that is, in West Africa, the rest of Africa, Asia, West Indies (the Caribbean), the United States of America, South America and all the rest. At the programme, we had in attendance contingents from nine good states of the federation, which included the following Yoruba-speaking states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Edo

•Aregbesola

and Delta. Added to these is the tenth, which is the host state, the State of Osun. Going by the information provided above, the programme was a huge success, as it turned out to be not only a convergence for the children and youth but for adults of all classes, cadres, classes and caste. The greatest achievement of all in the intrinsic quality of that programme is the forum it provided for two frontline traditional rulers in Yorubaland, regarded to be at swords drawn since time immemorial, to sit together and relate as offspring of the same forebears and leaders of the single largest ethnic group among the black race. The Aregbesola administration shall eternally win medals for this feat of acting as a unifying force for the Yoruba race. It has this to its eternal credit. We shall now dwell briefly on the aspect touching on Social Development, Youths and Sports sub-sector of the whole heading under consideration; particularly, in the sphere of social welfare. Much has been achieved by the administration of Ogbeni since its inception over thirty months ago. In April 2011, the Government of the State of Osun under the dynamic leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola spearheaded the eviction of the state indigenes that were stacked in the war-ravaged Cote d’Ivoire. The cocoa-rich West African country had been war-ravaged for sometime over the sit-tight syndrome exercised by its past leader, Laurent Gbagbo and his blatant, brazen refusal to honour the collective voice and wish of the citizens who overwhelmingly voted for his opponent, Alhassan Quattara in a free, fair and credible general election.

he evicted indigenes, comprising mainly indigenes of Iwo and Ejigbo local government councils of the state were not just evicted but well settled home with donations of money, food items and other materials by the Government of the State. In addition to these good gestures; the respective local government councils complemented by giving their own support too. These gestures were clear demonstration that the people had a government of their own, which had the disposition to guarantee and protect their welfare, wellbeing and prosperity. Similar to this was the rescue mission embarked upon by the Government of the State to Bauchi State following the post-Presidential Elections violence which erupted there also in April 2011. The mission of the rescue team was to search for, find and evict the state’s indigenes from the state that had suddenly become heated up with violence and pandemonium, following the announcements of the results of the Presidential Elections held nationwide that April 2011. The mission was successful as the state’s indigenes, consisting mainly of residents who took sojourn there and youth corps members on national assignment were

•laoye-tomori

evicted home in droves. Regrettably, the State of Osun had its own share of loss of lives which came attendant to the crisis. Two of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were killed in the mayhem hailed from the State of Osun. As luck would have it, the duo even hailed from the same town of Gbongan in Ayedaade Local Government Council Area of the state. The way the Government of the State of Osun intervened and identified with the bereaved families, communities and entire people by according the two fallen youths befitting burials and giving support and succor to the families showed a government which places premium on the life, well-being and welfare of its citizens. OSUN DEFENDER Magazine is of the opinion that the blown on the state would have been deadlier, heavier and more fatal if government intervention had not been forthcoming at all; more so, if it had not been timely enough.

n early October 2011, the State of Osun School of Special Needs, located at Powerline Area of Osogbo, the state capital, received a philanthropist gesture from the government of the state when Pharmacist Israel Oyagbile, representing the State Governor delivered consumables and gift items to the students of the school. The items such donated included bags of rice, clothing materials and jerry cans of vegetable oil. The gesture, it was further revealed, was part of the demonstration of the determination of the Government of the State to distribute dividends of democracy evenly throughout the state; class, caste, and state in life notwithstanding. In a similar vein, local government councils in the state have been in the business of taking turns to cater to the social need of the people in their domains. Our terrain is replete with examples of these gestures. In a nutshell, our thirty local government council areas and the Ife East Area Office have always complemented the efforts of the incumbent administration by taking up the bull by the horns in arresting the challenges of taking care of the elderly in the council areas’ domains. OSUN DEFENDER Magazine tarries here to document the effort of the administration in putting smiles on the faces of the old and elderly. This initiative in particular is commendable. The care of the elderly in the society is vital; as most of those who constitute the class of elderly must have one time or the other, taken active participation in the building of the society. Giving back to this class of senior citizens in their declining years cannot constitute giving too much. Today, a great number of old and elderly citizens in the state; the poor and indigent in particular is receiving monthly stipends from the government of the day. This care of the old and elderly includes the health and medical care, and it goes a long way to reduce unceremonious deaths,

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eneral Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) will be riding on the goodwill of Nigerian voting majority to power in a couple of weeks after unprecedented intimidating and scary opposition from the outgoing administration, headed by Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, whose occupation of the highest seat of power in Nigeria has rewritten the political history of Nigeria. Against all odds, Nigerians’ determination gave the President-elect a leverage to launch out and do what many will regard as impossibilities to redirect our dear nation to the course of greatness, after long period of misadventure into administrative wilderness. Mr President-elect is therefore expected to prove so many doubting Thomases wrong that Nigeria can never find correct bearing in the comity of nations anymore; and the ‘Change’ slogan of the party that guaranteed Buhari a ticket to contest and win against the sitting president is a mere charade. Many reasons were put forward by the outgoing ruling-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to convince Nigerian electorate as to why General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) should not be considered a better alternative to President Jonathan, when indeed it remains incontrovertible that his regime is the most corrupt in Nigeria’s existence as a nation. Unwarranted allegations that were forwarded against Buhari to puncture his electoral value eventually became his strength at the polls. Nigerians were looking forward to having a President that will curb corruption, create jobs for our teeming youths, diversify our economy, and put in place stability in the moribund power sector. The President-elect promised all these while the campaign lasted, while PDP busied herself with character assassination against Buhari, the only man they perceived as clog in the much orchestrated desire to rule Nigeria for at least 60 years. It is considered ill-conceived by the President-elect to quickly conclude and tell the whole world that it will amount to mere waste of time to probe the administration of the outgoing president when in fact, some people voted for him based on his promise that no corrupt Nigerian will go unpunished. I was aware of the fierce fight put forward by various campaign organizations of President Jonathan against the statement made by Buhari that perpetrators of corrupt practices against the nation would be sent to prison. It even became a slogan in various campaign rendezvous championed by the First Lady Patience Jonathan that people should not vote in Buhari so that her husband will not go to gaol. Mr President was overwhelmed by the quest to jail corrupt politicians by Buhari that he said on many occasions while the campaign lasted that stealing is not corruption. Many wonder then what corruption is if stealing is not. Nigerians have spoken through the votes cast that if all PDP stalwarts (including Jonathan) will all be hulled into prison for the evil they have committed

By ade olugbotemi

Where The Presidentelect May Get It Wrong

the continuation of past ills that have perpetually tied our nation to the stake of backwardness. The President-elect has every opportunity, goodwill, and moral suasion to initiate a paradigm shift from the way things are being done to the way things are supposed to be done. General Buhari must realize that if this opportunity is allowed to slip bye, the supreme God that made him what he is now will not take kindly to such a costly omission. Most youths, especially those who are less than 40 years old that voted for General Buhari on March 28, 2015 might not know too well the episode between December 31, 1983 and August 27, 1985 when he was the military Head of State. Most of them are however aware the kind of controversy that era generated, which was used excessively to campaign against the then All Progressives Congress presidential candidate by PDP. Most of them got fascinated by that history that chronicled the kind of discipline exhibited by him (Buhari), which he equally inculcated in all Nigerians. They were intrigued by the rare feat of just 20 months; and it became a winning formula for the people’s General, even though the opposition meant it otherwise by painting odious pictures of him. They saw a man that would be honest and transparent in handling the affairs of the country from May 29, 2015, as well as bring to book those who have plundered our wealth to deprive them (the youths) veritable means of survival that would have availed through gainful employment.

T •buhari

against the country, so be it. Nigerians will not consider it a waste of time, if the incoming administration put together a commission of inquiry that will pry into the immediate-past and come up will findings and appropriate punishment that would be seen by Nigerians as strong enough to serve as deterrent to any other person(s) that have developed the consciousness that participating in government activities is a means of amassing wealth inordinately. Nigerians are tired of having things done the same way; a practice that has made us retrogressive for decades. We need to move forward, and the incoming President has all opportunities on earth to set the ball rolling. The outgoing President would never have been given any consideration of possible ascendancy to the coveted seat of Nigeria’s President due to the ethnic composition of this country; he is from Ijaw tribe, which population size could

not have been so huge to push for power contention, with Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo (the triune) that are always at one another’s heel to wrest power not ready to let go. That accounted for unholy alliances between any two against the third in the past, while other ethnic groups that are said to be over 250 in number naturally follow any on either side of the divides. Dr Jonathan therefore has been availed the rare opportunity to prove to the whole world that anybody from any tribe has the attribute to administer the country in the best possible way; but he has failed woefully to do so.

e all have the future to contend with; but there is no future without the present. Whatever we do to the present will determine what the future will bring. Glossing over past malfeasances will only lead to the incubation of inordinacy that will engender

hose who have reduced our hospitals to mere consulting clinics; those who have brought about multiple carnages on our roads because the money earmarked for their construction and/or upgrading has been sentenced into gaol of individual pockets, and those who abandoned awarded projects after they have been well mobilized- all should be meticulously probed and be made to return what they have gotten illegally into Federal Government coffers. This move will convince Nigerians that indeed, a new era beckons. Apart from sanity this will bring to governmental processes, it will prevent those in power forthwith from having unbridled appetite for greed and avarice; whereby people amass wealth that they do not need, which only propels self and impious aggrandisement. Our incoming president needs to maintain a balance between compassion and administrative imperatives. He has the right and liberty to forgive those who genuinely repent of their past misdemeanor, but such should be accommodated within the scope of rationality, which people perceive to be domiciled only in restitution for the overall benefits of our fatherland. We have nothing much to gain from being vindictive, but there is joy in heaven for a sinner that repents. The ill-gotten wealth to be recovered must be made public, and those who return them must ask for forgiveness before they can escape the wrath of the

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.