VOL. 9. NO.097 N 50 50 50 50 50 THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014 www.osundefender.org THE 5TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA PEOPLE FIRST Who Killed Chief Bola Ige, formerAttorney- General and Minister of Justice? IGE Front Page Comment Aregbesola Collects Certificate Of Return - Pg 4 - Pg 3 •Dedicates Victory To Osun People - See Story On Page 3 •(L-R) National Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ambassador Muhammed Wali; Secretary of the Commission, Mr Oladapo Oladipo; Acting Director, Legal, Mr. Ibrahim Bawa; Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori, at the presentation of Certificate of Return to Governor Aregbesola and his deputy at INEC headquarters, Osogbo, State of Osun, on Tuesday Aftermath Of Osun Poll: PDP, Presidency Plan To Unleash Terror On Osun - See Story On Page 3 Osun 2014: Police On Election Duties Protest Non-payment Of Allowance In Osogbo Osun Residents, Traders Throw Parties Over Aregbesola’s Victory Osun Poll: Federal Might Has Failed - Council Boss - Pg 4 The victory of the All Progressives Congress, APC in last Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Osun State reinforces the opposition against a seemingly rampaging political train of Presi- dent Goodluck Jonathan Osun and 2015: The game changer It was a welcome relief to the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Those who saw him yesterday morning as the result of the Osun State governorship poll was declared said they saw a man greatly relieved but reinforced for the battle ahead. Besides being an elixir to the opposi- tion that was badly traumatized by defeat in Ekiti a month ago, the Osunvictory acts as a spring orheopposition towards the 2015 presidential prize Continue on pg6
www.osundefender.org THE 5TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA
PEOPLE FIRST
Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-
General andMinister of
Justice? IGE
Front Page Comment
Aregbesola CollectsCertificate Of Return
- Pg 9
- Pg 4
- Pg 3
•Dedicates Victory To Osun People - See StoryOn Page 3
•(L-R) National Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ambassador Muhammed Wali; Secretary ofthe Commission, Mr Oladapo Oladipo; Acting Director, Legal, Mr. Ibrahim Bawa; Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesolaand Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori, at the presentation of Certificate of Return to Governor Aregbesola and hisdeputy at INEC headquarters, Osogbo, State of Osun, on Tuesday
Aftermath Of Osun Poll: PDP, PresidencyPlan To Unleash Terror On Osun - See Story
Osun Residents,Traders ThrowParties OverAregbesola’s VictoryOsun Poll:Federal MightHas Failed - Council Boss
- Pg 4
The victory of the AllProgressives Congress,APC in last Saturday’sgubernatorial election inOsun State reinforcesthe opposition against aseemingly rampagingpolitical train of Presi-dent GoodluckJonathan
Osun and 2015: The gamechangerIt was a welcome reliefto the national leader ofthe APC, Asiwaju BolaAhmed Tinubu.Those who saw himyesterday morning as
the result of the OsunState governorship pollwas declared said theysaw a man greatlyrelieved but reinforcedfor the battle ahead.Besides being an
elixir to the opposi-tion that was badlytraumatized by defeatin Ekiti a month ago,the Osunvictory actsas a springorheoppositiontowards the 2015presidential prize
Continue on pg6
2 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014
If you have a story or advert for us, contact 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897, 08023191891.
3 News OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014
By OUR REPORTER
•A mammoth crowd during, Walk-To-Live, the monthly exercise in Osogbo, State of Osun, recently.
Aftermath Of Osun Poll: PDP, PresidencyPlan To Unleash Terror On Osun
FOLLOWING the defeat it suffered from the lastgovernorship election, the rattled PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) in the State of Osun has
allegedly concluded plans to unleash terror on the peopleof the state, with the sole aim of making the stateungovernable for Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Osun 2014: Police On Election Duties ProtestNon-payment Of Allowance In Osogbo
By SHINA ABUBAKAR
REGULAR and Anti-riot Policemen deployed to theState of Osun for the special assignment of policingthe just-concluded governorship election in the
state, last Monday barricade the Oke-Fia GRA road, inprotest of refusal by their superiors to pay their allowances.
The security personnelwere angry that three daysafter the conclusion of theirassignment, they were yetto be paid their dues and nosuperior officer bothered toexplain what went wrong,only to be abandoned totheir fate.
According to findingsaround the state policecommand at Oke-Fia andDugbe Police Division inOsogbo, where the protestbegan around 9.00am, themen, mostly deployed fromDelta State, have beentaking care of themselvessince they came into thestate last week.
It was learnt that those atthe Dugbe division wereprotesting the non-paymentof their over N1 millionallowance after they hadeffectively completed theirassignment and had todisrupt the division for overthirty minutes.
However, a source insidethe police division said theallowance was just aboutN500,000 and it was not thefault of the superior officersat the division, as no cashwas deployed to thedivision to offset theallowances.
Meanwhile, as the protestgradually died down at thedivision, the combinedforce of both regular andanti-riot policemen at Oke-Fia were creating scenes, asthe medium gathered thatthe security personnel werenot just protesting non-payment of theirallowances, but were alsonot happy with the mannerthey were treatedthroughout their stay.
Investigations showed
that the policemen, sincetheir arrival, were left to takecare of accommodation,feeding and logistics ontheir own, yet, the refusal topay them off afterconcluding theirassignment in the state.
The angry officers weresaid to have waited patientlyfor someone to, at least,offer an explanation for thedelay in the payment,believing they ought tohave returned to theirvarious points of duty sinceSunday evening.
After seeking explanationthat was not coming, theywent haywire, barricadingthe road, smear it with dirtand stopped vehicles frompassing through the road,thereby creating a gridlockon the road for over an hour.
They (protesting officers)also demanded that theirallowances be paidimmediately, saying ferryingthe cash from Abuja shouldnot be a problem.
Journalists from twobroadcast media houses,who were at the scene to dotheir job fell victims, as theircamera was seized and oneof them whisked away bythe police.
Meanwhile, not happywith the development, thesuperior officer in the stateran into action andcommenced the process ofgetting money to pay theprotesting officers and savethe Police from nationalembarrassment.
It surprised the angryofficers that within twohours, they were allsummoned to get theirmoney in cash and were toldto return to their various
points of duty.One of them confided in
the medium that reformwould not be possible in thenation’s Police Command
until rank and file form aunion to protest theexcesses of their superiorofficers.
Aregbesola’s Victory Opens New Chapter OfDevelopment - Oranmiyan President
By KAZEEM MOHAMMED
PRESIDENT of Oranmiyan Group Worldwide, PrinceFelix Awofisayo, has stated that the victory ofGovernor Rauf Aregbesola in the last Saturday’s
governorship election has opened another chapter forfurther development of the State of Osun and its people.
Awofisayo, who is theChairman, Osun StateUniversal Basic EducationBoard (SUBEB), also saidthe poll has shown that thepeople of the state wouldnot for anythingcompromise their supportfor the administration.
Oranmiyan is thepolitical group ofAregbesola and he is theGrand Patron of the group.
Saying that he was notsurprised of the victoryrecorded by Aregbesola atthe election, Awofisayonoted that within the lastthree and half years, he hasbeen able to transform thestate and its people withinthe very limited resources.
“With the support of Godand of the people on ourside, we knew that nothingwould stop the victory,even when the Federalpower laid siege to ourpeople.
“One signal that thisvictory has sent to theentire world was that Godis supreme, no matter thefederal power.
“We have beenvindicated that in the firstterm of Ogbeni Aregbesolaadministration, Osun hasbeen placed on a right pathof development andprosperity, which has madeit a reference point to thewhole world,”, Awofisayostressed.
Noting that theperformance of Aregbesolain his first term was just afoundation for what towitness in the second term,he stated that Osun wouldwitness more tremendousdevelopment in the second
term of the administration.Appreciating the people
of the state for theirsteadfastness andcommitment to the courseof progressivism, he alsocalled for their support forthe administration to beable to realise its dream forthe state.
He them called onAregbesola’s contendersto shelve partisan politicsafter the election and comeon board to join him indeveloping the state.
Some chieftains of thePDP, who spoke with OSUNDEFENDER undercondition of anonymity onMonday, in Osogbo, thestate capital, confided in themedium that the party hascontracted the violencemission to a notoriouspolitical thug, known asSunday Igboho.
According to thesources, the PDPgovernorship candidate,Senator Iyiola Omisore andthe Presidency are still verymuch committed to crushingthe All ProgressivesCongress (APC)government in the state,
even after they lost thegovernorship election.
“All they are planning isto terrorize the state, makeit unsafe for the people andungovernable forAregbesola. The PDP andpresidency are planning todeclare state of emergencyin the State of Osun. Theydo not want Aregbesola tocontinue governing thestate”, the sources said.
The impeccable sourcesdisclosed that chairmen ofthe party in all the 31 localgovernment council areas ofthe state, including the AreaOffice, were called to ameeting on Sunday evening
at Omisore’s country home,Ile-Ife, where they were giventhe mandate to recruitwarlords that could assistIgboho’s team.
The sources furtherhinted that some leaders ofthe PDP were called toOmisore’s campaign office inOsogbo on Monday toreview the evil plan and howto make it a success.
It was further gatheredthat Igboho’s team wouldlaunch its first attacktomorrow (Friday) in Ile-Ife,with the help of some otherPDP thugs residing in theancient town.
Some notable APCchieftains and their residentshave been allegedly markedfor attack, which does notleave out commercialmotorcyclists, known asOkada riders, and shopowners at popular areasacross the state.
Aregbesola Collects Certificate Of Return•Dedicates Victory To Osun People
GOVERNOR of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, onTuesday evening dedicated his certificate of returnto the entire people of the state for their steadfastness
and unflinching support in voting for the continuation ofhis government.
Aregbesola made thededication in his remark at theIndependent National ElectoralCommission’s Headquarters inOsogbo, shortly after thepresentation of the certificateof return to him by the
He commended INEC forconducting a largely free andfair election which he scored ashigh as 75 per cent in
performance.Aregbesola however,
advised INEC to guardjealously vital electoralmaterials against beingtampered with.
According to the governor:“I want to advise INEC to takeseriously the security ofelection materials, they shouldbe extra vigilant with thematerials they used in election,
we appeal to you to be alertand more determined to securematerials to avoidcompromised staff to tamperwith the materials.
“I also want to commendother contestants who enrichedthe country’s democraticprocess, they must all come tous on how we can moveforward our state. For thosewho are embittered, we are inno way inducing them not tochart the legal way to redress.
“We must add that while
they are seeking redress incourt, they can still join us onhow we can give meaningfullife to our people”, thegovernor stressed.
Aregbesola averred that nodemocratic mandate is inferiorto the other, noting that fordemocracy to be meaningful,whatever honour gi ven to thepresident must be extended toanyone that is democraticallyelected.
On the conduct of thetroops drafted to the state,Aregbesola lamented that someof them acted in a mannercompletely contrary to thenation’s constitution byturning themselves into aterror gang shortly before andduring the conduct of theelection.
He condemned in strongterms harassment, intimidationand arbitrary arrest ofmembers, supporters andchieftains of the All ProgressiveCongress on the eve of and theday of the election.
He advised the securityagencies to always sievebetween genuine and wrongorders so as to know which oneto carry out and one to turndown.
Aregbesola continued: “Imust commend the securityagencies for their commitmentto making the election a hugesuccess and violence-free.
“However, one must notfail to mention theoverzelousness of few of thesecurity agents, who in thename of obeying orders, ranriot and clamped down oninnocent chieftains, membersand supporters of our party.
“As security personnel,your constitutional role is tomaintain law and order as wellas protect the people of
Nigeria.“It is therefore, criminal for
any law enforcement agent tomolest, harass or intimidateinnocent people let alone killinga Nigerian.
“You must from now ondevelop the attitude of resistingwrong orders, which areantithetical to what constitutionpermits.
“Any order that is giving andwhich is not supported by theconstitution is inimical to goodgovernance and the rule of law.
“Therefore, whatever orderthat violates the constitution ofNigeria is criminal.”
The Resident ElectoralCommissioner of Osun, Mr.Olusegun Agbaje, charged thegovernor to be magnanimous invictory for the benefit of thestate and its people.
Agbaje described the August9 election as one in which INECwas determined more thanbefore to conduct a free, fair andcredible election, saying INECstands tall with the way theelection had gone in Osun.
He admitted that the electionwas not completely smoothbecause political leaders werenot too careful in theirutterances, which unnecessarilyheated up the polity before theelection proper.
He said: “We, at INEC, bythe judgement of internationalcommunities and observers arepleased that the Osun electionis adjudged as the best in thecountry, though it was notcompletely smooth because ofutterances that overheated thepolity among other allegationsagainst INEC.
“Not bordered on these, thecommission focused onconducting a free, fair andcredible election, we ensuredthat the distribution of electionmaterials were done withoutany hiccup, so also voting andaccreditation were donewithout any hitch.
“We will continue to doeverything possible to makeINEC one of the best in theworld. Political leaders mustshun all election vices, theymust educate their peopleagainst this, there is a pressingneed for unity among politicalleaders and others,” thecommissioner pointed out.
He commended the peopleof Osun for coming out enmasse to vote for their candidatewhich lent credence to whatINEC has stressed on people’svotes that will represent theoutcome of election.
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 20144 News
•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle), European Union Election Monitoring Coordinator,Mr Paul Edwards (left) and Ambassador of Kingdom of the Netherlands,Mr John c.m Groffen, during a courtesy visitto the governor at Government House, Osogbo, on Sunday.
By ISMAEEL UTHMAN
Osun Residents, Traders Throw Parties Over Aregbesola’s VictoryBy KAZEEM MOHAMMED
CELEBRATION for the victory of GovernorRauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun in theSaturday’s governorship election continued
on Monday, as residents and traders in Osogbo, thestate capital and other parts of the state threwparties.
In virtually all the streetsof Osogbo, Fuji and Jujumusicians were seenentertaining the joyous
people, as they werewining and diningtogether.
At the popular Ajegunle
Auto Spare Parts Market,it was party time, astraders were sighteddancing to life musicsponsored by the tradersat about six joints withinthe market, eating anddrinking.
Since morning till about8.00pm, traders were stillbeing sighted within themarket celebrating the
victory.Situation was the same
at Ogo-Oluwa/Ola-Iya;Alekuwodo/Ola-Iya, Old-Garage/Station Road/Oja-Oba, Old-Garage/Oke-Fia,Igbona/Ayetoro/Stadiumstretches of Osogbo, aswell as Oja-Oba, Ibokunroad, Owode area and somany other parts of thestate capital.
Reports across the stateshowed that the situationwas not different in Ikirun,Ejigbo, Iwo, Ilesa, Ile-Ife,Ede, Inisa, Ila, Ikire,Gbongan, Modakeke, andso many other parts of thestate.
One of the traders atAjegunle Market, MrIsmail Kolade, said thecelebration was necessaryto appreciate God andshow that Aregbesola’sadministration isacceptable to the people ofthe state.
According to him, thepeople of Osun haveshown that Aregbesola hasmet their yearnings andclose to ordinary man onthe street, saying, that was
the main reason the peopleof Osun love him.
“The truth is thatAregbesola has met theyearnings of the people bybringing himself closer tothe people and providingbasic infrastructureneeded for them to excel.
“Some voted for himbecause they want him tofinish the developmentaljobs he has started, somevoted for him because theylike his approach togovernance and somevoted for him because heis the best option amongall the candidates.
“This calls forcelebration because inspite of all the forces, thepower of Almighty Godreigned supreme,” Koladesaid.
Osun Poll: Federal Might Has Failed - Council Boss
GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola’s victory at thelast governorship election in the State ofOsun has been described as the will of God
that could not be crushed by any force or voice ofopposition.
“The federal might, thePeoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the Presidencyhave failed woefully ontheir mission to stopAregbesola,” said theExecutive Secretary,Ayedire Local GovernmentCouncil Area of the state,Mr Gbenga Ogunkanmi.
Ogunkanmi, in acongratulatory messagesent to the governor onMonday, describedAregbesola’s victory asresounding and deservedto a man that hascommitted all what he hasto serving the people of thestate by delivering goodgovernance.
The council boss statedthat Aregbesola’s victorycould be described as‘unshackling the shackles’that the PDP andPresidency had placed onthe opposition governors inthe country.
According to him, theoutcome of thegovernorship electionwould further strengthenNigeria’s democracy andreduce to barest minimum,the politics of inducingelectorate with rice,
kerosene and cash to buytheir votes.
He said: “Osun electionhas come and gone, but weneed to restate the need todeepen our democracy.The election appeared tobe free and fair, but it isfar from being credible.Like I said before theelection, voting, collation,counting, announcementof results and declarationof winners are parts of
electoral processes.“Putting a state under
siege with 75, 000 securityagents; arrest of key APCleaders, harassment of andintimidation of electoraterobbed the election of itscredibility.
“The turnout of voterswas encouraging andimpressive, consideringthe militarization of thestate and other anomaliesduring the electionprocess.
“Congratulations to thepeople’s governor, Mr.Rauf Aregbesola and thegood people of the State of
Osun, who stood up fortheir right to participate ina democracy.
“Aregbesola’s victorymarks the beginning of thenew era in Nigeria and agood day for democracyin our dear state.
“I salute the courage andbravery of our people whorisked their lives to voteand fought successfully toprotect their votes. Wehave won a great victorybut our victory isincomplete withoutrenewing our support forthe Aregbesola’sadministration.
Ebola Virus Disease: OsunPuts Residents On Red Alert
THE State of Osun Commissioner for Health,Dr (Mrs) Temitope Ilori, said onWednesday that residents of the state have
been put on red alert to avert the spread of theEbola virus.
Ilori told newsmen inOsogbo, the state capital,that health education wascrucial in checking thespread of the disease.
The commissionerstated that although thestate had no record of thedisease in spite of itsproximity to Lagos, it wasimportant to put residents on red alert.
She urged residents tobe more proactive interms of environmentalhygiene, since the diseasecould easily betransmitted through thebody fluid of an infectedperson.
Ilori also said that thestate government wascommitted to healthyliving in line with its uniquehealth policy.
“It is indisputable thathealth education is highlygermane for thepromotion of health andreduction of diseases in
any population.This informed our effortsto embark on incessantawareness programmes.In spite of the fact that wehave not recorded incidence of the diseasein our state, there is needfor our people to bevigilant and moreproactive in the area ofpersonal andenvironmental hygiene.The means oftransmission, which isbasically through the bodyfluid of the carrier, makes it compulsory forus to take our personalhygiene seriously,’’ shesaid.
Ilori, however, called onchurches to be carefulabout keeping Ebolainfected persons in theirpremises for spiritualhealing, describing suchact as ”dangerous andinimical.’’
“We are appealing toour men of God to quicklyreport any case of Ebola-infected person to theappropriate authority andnot keep such persons intheir churches formiraculous healing.
“In as much as we arenot doubting the power ofGod, the Ebola virus is toodeadly for an infectedperson to be kept in aplace without thoroughmedical attention,’’ shesaid.
She further advisedresidents to desist fromeating bush meat for now,especially carriers of thedisease like bats andmonkeys.
By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO
Osun Osogbo 2014: Aregbesola Charges People OnPeaceful Celebration
GOVERNOR of the State of Osun, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola, has charged the people ofOsogbo and traditional adherents to display
high level of hospitality towards influx of tourists,who would be coming to celebrate 2014 OsunOsogbo with them.
Ogbeni Aregbesola, whowas represented by thrPermanent Secretary,Ministry of Home Affairs,Tourism and Culture, MrsOlajumoke Bello, at AtaojaPalace during the path-cleansing called ‘Iwopopo’,which marked thebeginning of 2014 OsunOsogbo festival.
The governor assuredthe people of the stategovernment continuedsupport in the celebrationof World Osun Osogbofestival and all othertraditional festivals in thestate.
In appreciation ofgovernment gesture, theAtaoja of Osogbo, Oba
Jimoh Oyetunji OlanipekunLarooye 11, congratulatedthe governor on his victoryat the election for thesecond term in office,which he said coincidedwith the celebration of2014 Osun Osogbo, whilepraying for resoundingsuccess.
Oba Jimoh Olanipekunthen solicited forgovernment support in thecelebration of OsunOsogbo and appreciategovernment efforts atmaking Osogbo a befittingstate capital.
He also prayed for
Osogbo people, State ofOsun and Nigeria at large.
Highlights of the eventwere royal movements andblessings of people fromGbaemu junction to Ataojapalace, royal homagesfrom Olori’s, High Chiefs,Iyalodes, Iyalojas,Baloguns and culturalentertainment fromOludare cultural group.
Present were Directorsand staff of the StateMinistry of Home Affairs,Tourism and Culture,Ologi of Oogi, High Chiefsand hundreds of sons anddaughters of Osogbo.
5 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014
•Nigeria Police Force (NPF) officials at State of Osun Headquarters attacked MuriInternational Television (Mitv) cameraman, Mr Kamal Jamiu, working in the State lastMonday.
Aregbesola’s Victory Is Well Deserved - ACPPTHE Alliance of Collaborating Political
Parties (ACP) has joined has congratulatedGovernor Rauf Aregbesola on his “well
deserved” victory in the last Saturday’sgovernorship election, described as free and fair.
ACPP applauded thepeople who came out enmasse in all the localgovernment council areasof the state to peacefullyand freely exercise theirdemocratic rights, notminding the militarizationof the state andintimidation.
Acting Chairman of theACPP, Alhaji AdetunjiOyolola, in acongratulatory messageto Aregbesola onTuesday, said the outcomeof the election reflectedthe free will of the peopleto re-elect Aregbesola forsecond term.
Oyolola stated thatAregbesola’s victory wasan indication that thepeople of the state wereindependent in decision-making and appreciativeof good governance beingrendered by Aregbesola’sadministration.
He said that thedecision of the electorateto have Aregbesola for asecond term wasinformed on the need to
ensure that thegovernment of the statedoes not fall in the handsof the people that wouldmisgovern the state.
Oyolola said: “TheACPP and the electoratedo not want the recurrentof the dark era, stagnantdevelopment witnessed inthe state between 2003 t02010, when the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)
was ruling the state,hence their resolve tovote for the continuity ofA r e g b e s o l a ’ sadministration that hasbeen transforming thestate.
“The ACPP and Osun
people could not afford tohave a stop or slow downon the rapid development,sustainable peace,promotion of functionaleducation and good roadsin the state pioneered byA r e g b e s o l a ’ sadministration and opt forself-centred personalities
and that is why we re-elected Aregbesola.”
He, therefore, urged thegovernor not to let thepeople down in his secondterm, saying that theexpectations from thepeople of the state arehigher and valuable thanduring the first term.
By ISMAEEL UTHMAN
Aregbesola Should Fulfil His Promise ToElectorate - NCP
By ISMAEEL UTHMAN
THE National Conscience Party (NCP) hascongratulated Governor Rauf Aregbesola for hisvictory in the last governorship election, describing
the victory as a call to more service to the people of theState of Osun.
NCP in a congratulatorymessage by its DeputyNational Chairman, South-West, Comrade WaheedLawal, urged the governorto continue fulfilling hiselectoral promises and thedelivery of goodgovernance.
Lawal commended theelectorate in the state formaking a right choice in spiteof the threats; harassment,intimidation and seductionfrom some politicians, whoattempted to foistthemselves on the people ofthe state.
According to Lawal,Aregbesola’s victory is anindication that the electorateare sophisticated and moreenlightened to becompromised by some
individuals who attemptedto frustrate free, fair andcredible election processes.
The NCP chieftain,however, called onAregbesola to remember thesacrifice, trust andconfidence reposed on himby the electorate to get himre-elected, and make surethat they have no cause toregret voting him for anotherfour years.
He stated thatAregbesola was able to earnthe people’s trust and votesbecause of his wellestablished passion for thedevelopment of the stateand the continuity of hisdevelopmental projects.
“Aregbesola shouldremember that he is from thepeople, among the people
and governing the people.He is from ideologicalbackground and that is whywe in the NPC areassociating with him. Thepeople love him because he
delivers good governance inhis first term.
“The governor shouldplease, remember thesociety that produced him,the people that voted for him
and people that stood byhim against the intimidationand threats from the powerthat be. Aregbesola shouldnot let the electorate downand he should not relent onhis efforts to transformingthe state,” he said.
No Birthday Gift For Sambo From OsunTHE August 9 governorship election
in the State of Osun has gone theway the people of the landlocked
state wanted it. They enthusiasticallyaffirmed their approval of the candidateof the All Progressive Congress (APC),Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The appreciativepeople of the state rewarded him with asecond term of office for his numerousindisputable achievements and unusualperformance. Prior to now in Osun, theywere not as generous as to return agovernor for second term. This time, thejinx was broken because of theindisputability of the sterling performanceof Aregbesola.
But as the electioneering gatheredmomentum and attained its finale, mind-boggling demands and insultingexpectations were made and vocalised.One of such visible demands, nayunjustifiable expectations, was the onemade by President Goodluck Jonathan tothe crowd that thronged the Osogbo CityStadium for the final mega rally of thePeoples Democratic Party.
After he revealed the ruggeddetermination of his fecklessadministration to unconstitutionallymilitarise the state, apparently for wantof any meaningful thing to say, thePresident then in his characteristic draband dour fashion announced to the barelybubbly crowd that same day, Saturday2nd of August, was Vice-PresidentMohammed Sambo’s birthday. And therethe demand was made: Vote for SenatorIyiola Omisore and you would have givenVP Sambo a memorable birthday gift.
Not minding the fact that his party, bothin governments at the centre and in thestates under its control, is yet to affectthe lives of Nigerians in remarkably
positive ways, the president gravely askedthat his VP’s birthday be celebrated witha gift of victory for Senator Omisore atthe polls. This untenable demand and therevelation of the unprofessional use hewould put the army to in Osun formedthe crux of President Jonathan’s torturingutterances at the rally to which he led adelegation of questionable characters.
Alas! The wise and thoughtful peopleof Osun have no birthday gift for VPSambo. If the people who provideleadership for them at the centre areprofligate, inconsiderate, and inured to
making awful demands, the large majorityof voters in Osun are not careless enoughas to give their votes to unprofitableleaders and governorship candidate witheverything but the core requirements ofleadership. Omisore has lost and thereforethere is no birthday gift for VP Sambofrom the Osun electorate.
In many ways, the electorate in Osunare not like people who continue to glidefrom one sphere of appalling policy toanother domain of policy summersault.Unlike President Jonathan and other topbrass of his cabinet, who oftendemonstrate inaction in the face of urgentnational matters, the Osun people knowthe right decision to make with their votes.Although President Jonathan would beunduly tardy in doing what isconstitutionally expected of his office,make wrong moves, and abuse thepowers of his office, the people of Osununderstand the seriousness of election andthe power of their votes. Hence, they willnot vote for unelectable persons, and asin the case with the PDP in Osun, theywill not overlook the questionablecharacter and lack of viable programmesof Senator Omisore. For the Osunpeople, therefore, elections mean votingfor people like Aregbesola who can domore to affect their lives for good.
Moreover, the point must be made thatthe victory of Aregbesola is a loudtestimony of his genuine acceptance bythe people of Osun. His popularity withthem is no fluke. He is deeply connectedwith the people and is widely approvedof by them. His reelection is a rewardfor the positive ways he has through theinstrument of governance affected thepeople. They love his unusual
governance, warts and all. They areconvinced that he will widen the spaceof development if given another chance.The people would rather rewardperformance than to gift Abuja with anundeserving birthday perquisite.
Need it be emphasised here again tothe PDP wastrels that the successful andconvincing reelection of Aregbesola is yetanother piece of evidence that he wasindeed the winner of the 2007governorship election and that the AppealCourt that affirmed that was notmonetarily induced as advertised by fairweather democrats?
One has the feeling that come Februarynext year Osun will once againdemonstrate its ringing disapproval ofanything PDP and President Jonathan’sundemocratic behaviours. One can onlyappeal to Nigerians in other part of thecountry to prepare to put an end to thepain that is Jonathan reign of terror anddeliver democracy from the vice-like gripof the PDP. Let us deny VP Sambo abirthday gift next year – he shouldcelebrate August 2, 2015 outside publicoffice.
While I heartily congratulate GovernorAregbesola for his deserved victory,particularly over the dark forces of theFederal Government of Nigeria, I shouldhonestly like to appeal to him to stay thecause, improve massively on his feats inoffice in first term. In addition to addingenduring value to the inhabitants of Osun,Aregbesola has a bounden duty to usethe instrument of excellent delivery ofgood governance to make the return ofPDP in Osun permanently impossible.
Congratulations to the people of Osun.May it always be morning for democracyin Osun and, of course, Nigeria.
By BIDEMI ADEKUNLE
•SAMBO
News
Feature
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 20146
Osun and 2015: The game changerContinued from pg1
that was being considered a foregone bootyof the ruling Peoples Democratic Party,PDP. The message yesterdaywas that 2015 is still within play. Despiteearlier claims by the APC that the presi-dency was determined to rig the election infavour of the PDP’s Senator Iyiola Omisore,the outcome of the election showed thelimit to which President Goodluck Jonathanwould go in forcing his will on the elector-ate.
Overwhelming presenceThe overwhelming presence of security menin the state in the days ahead of the poll didnot impede the electorate from exercisingtheir will on who governs them. Thatindeed, is a reassuring sign for manyNigerians and the international communitythat the 2015 election could be a free andfair election.Indeed, ahead of the polls last weekend, theAPC and its flag bearer, Aregbesola, had inthe face of the strong presence of securitymen around the state betrayed clear signs ofunease. The APC’s national spokesman,Alhaji Lai Mohammed in statements paintedthe impression of the determination of thepresidency to rig the election in a cleardetermination to reshape the politicalconfiguration of the Southwest ahead of thedecisive 2015 election.Such panic caused the opposition party tosummon all its elected office holders andpolitical appointees from across the countryto show presence in Osun State from lastTuesday as a way of boosting the morale ofits supporters in that state.The PDP’s candidate was also lifted by the
presence of strong detachment of the securityforces whose presence helped to suppresswhatever advantages the incumbency factorwould have given to Aregbesola.Omisore also had his friends from the Senateincluding Senators Enyininnya Abaribe, EhigieUzamere and some others to lift his heart. Butthe most decisive factors were the voters onground who at the end of voting on Saturdayshowed their preference for the incumbent.The outcome was, however, not a rout as theAregbesola camp had predicted it would bewithout rigging. That underscored the agitationamong some PDP loyalists who had sought foran alternative candidate. Omisore, a formerdeputy governor of Osun State had before thiselection been on the winning side of all thegubernatorial elections conducted in OsunState. He was deputy governor to Chief BisiAkande, strongly supported the immediatepast governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola in2003 and 2007, but, however, came short indelivering himself into an office he had in thepast helped others to enter.Though a very lively man with soundeducation, the factors against Omisore weremostly fanned by perceptions about himarising from his trial for the murder of ChiefBola Ige, a former attorney general of thefederation. Omisore who was acquitted ofcomplicity in that murder, however, did littleto clear that perception. Besides, his politicalfoes helped to fan the negative perceptionabout him.Oyinlola, the immediate past governor of thestate who himself had a grudge against thePDP rubbed in the Ige wound on the peoplewhen he questioned why President Jonathanhad surrounded himself with all those who werequestioned over the murder of Ige.“The candidate of the PDP was arrested forkilling Ige. He was arrested and detained. “The
national secretary of the [PDP], Professor WaleOladipo, was also detained in connection with thekilling. The Minister of Police Affairs, JeliliAdesiyan, was also detained.“The chairman of the party in this state,Ayobami Olaoluwa, was also arrested. So, why iseveryone who was in detention given appoint-ment or put in a position of authority? We needto ask the government,” Oyinlola said.Great minusLinking anyone or party with the death of Igewas a great minus especially given the adorationthat Ige continues to draw from most parts ofthe state. The election was also an opportunityfor political enemies in the Southwest to hit athim. Tinubu had by every indication mounted theplatform of political leadership of the Southwestwith the dominance of his party in five of the sixSouthwest states. After the loss of Ekiti, hispolitical empire was trimmed to four states andthe prospect of losing Osun, had in the last weeksof the campaign become an exciting lure forTinubu bashers in the region.Internal dissentIt was especially so, given that Aregbesola wasgenerally considered the closest of the APCgovernors to Tinubu.The internal dissent to Tinubu in the Southwestwas especially fanned by vestiges of Afenifere,the socio-political organization through whichTinubu, himself emerged as governor of LagosState in 1999. But the former governor’s allegedrole in splintering Afenifere after his emergenceas governor helped to create animosity thattoday irks many Yoruba leaders.Even though many Afenifere leaders did notcome out openly to antagonise Tinubu andAregbesola ahead of the election, some of themwere enthusiastically waiting to celebrate thedownfall of the APC in Osun.Celebrating the downfallAPC leaders who learnt from their laxity in Ekiti
were well prepared for Osun and went out ofthe way to woo known and unknown enemies.PDP on the other hand did not help itscandidate with the clear animosity towardsrebels in the party. The treatment of Oyinlolaand another former governor of the state,Senator Isiaka Adeleke subsequently proved tobe one of the major problems for the PDP onElection Day.Though Oyinlola did not muster enough votesto win his booth, Adeleke’s grip on Ede, one ofthe largest towns in the state helped to firmlydeliver the town to the APC. After being luredinto the PDP gubernatorial contest, theformer governor was allegedly forced out bywhat he claimed to be impediments put on hisway. That was the beginning of his defectionto the APC, a move the PDP would now regretnot to have stopped.One APC source revealed that Adeleke was thecandidate the party feared most could troubleAregbesola. But even after he withdrew, thePDP hierarchy in the state failed to soothehim giving him room to defect. Tinubu, theAPC national leader and the many presidentialaspirants in the party would be very gleefulwith the outcome of the polls. Yesterday, asource said Tinubu was himself very bouncy ashe saw the result as a vindication against theaspiration of his internal foes in the South-west. For the presidential aspirants, theoutcome of the election gives hope that theirpermutations of forging a Southwest andNorthern alliance against the PDP remainsfeasible.For President Jonathan, the permutation mayhave been that whatever loss of support hemay have suffered in the North would begained in the Southwest. Now, it is back tobasics.By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor is
WAEC And Mass Failure In Maths And English OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing
House Ltd.
Managing Editor – Kola Olabisi(0803-392-7286)
Editor – Kayode Agbaje (0803-388-0205)
Lagos Editor – Kola Odepeju(08023191891)
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Senior Reporter – Sola JacobsSenior Reporter – Kazeem Mohammed
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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing HouseLimited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust BankGTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun.All correspondence to the above mail address.ISSN: 0794-8050Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205Website: www.osundefender.com/index.phpe-mail: [email protected]
THE West Africa ExaminationCouncil (WAEC) onTuesday, released the result
of its May/June 2014 WestAfrican Senior School CertificateExamination (WASSCE) results.Mass failure was recorded inMathematics and EnglishLanguage with only 31.28%obtaining five (5) credits andabove, including EnglishLanguage and Mathematics.There is a marginal decline in theperformance of candidatescompared to 2012 (38.81%) and2013 (36.57%).
This is not surprising becauseof daily decline in the quality ofeducation in the country. Duringthe period, ASUU, ASUP,COEASU, NASU, NUT and otherteaching and non-teaching labourunions were on strike, due toneglect of the sector by thePresident Goodluck EbeleJonathan-led government andvarious state governments in thecountry.
However, I cannot solely laythe blames at the doors of ourgovernments; parents as well
should take responsibility for themass failure. How are they faring insupporting their wards to succeedacademically?
Also, the students have their ownshare of the failure story. Students’nowadays spends more and qualitytime on social media services likeFacebook, 2go, Twitter, Whatsappetc. than they do on studying. Howcan you spend the whole day on
chatting and expect to pass? Never!Manna is no longer falling; you areNigerians and not Israelites.
However, the buck stops at thegovernments table. How do youexpect students to pass when theyfeel unsecured? How do you wantthem to pass when the facilities andteaching aids are short in supply ornonexistent? How do you expectthem to pass when the teachers arenot motivated? How do you expect
them to pass, when their parentscannot afford their fees withunfriendly economic policies? Howdo you expect them to pass, wheneven the leaders are Torontocertificate holders? How do youexpect them to pass, when theirbrothers and sisters are still at homesearching for admission even withbrilliant O’Level results? How doyou expect them to pass, when their
brothers and sisters, whograduated with goodresults are still roaming thestreets without job, yearsafter graduation? Andjokingly, don’t you thinkthat “the bloods you aresharing” will affect them?
Anyway, education remains thebedrock for meaningfuldevelopment and that is why there isurgent need for our government atvarious levels to prioritise educationin the country especially, publiceducation. Save Public Educationfrom Doldrums Now!
•JIDE AFOLABI, Jos, PlateauState.
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014 7
8 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014PHOTOTALKMore Pictures On Jubilation In Osun State After INEC Declared Governor RaufAregbesola The Winner Of 2014 Governorship Election On Sunday.
Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.
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•A cross section of Aregbesola’s supporters during the jubilation.
•Aregbesola’s admirers on a trailer trying to catch a glimpse of of the governor in Osogbo.
9OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014 PHOTOTALK
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•Another supporters of Aregbesola on waiving to him in Osogbo last Sunday.
•Another cross section of supporters displaying their support to Aregbesola on the occasion.
More Pictures On Jubilation In Osun State After INEC Declared Governor RaufAregbesola The Winner Of 2014 Governorship Election On Sunday.
Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.
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•Joyous APC supporters on a car.
10 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014
11 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014
The People’s Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,has been re-elected to carry on for another term of four years.
Ogbeni Aregbesola recorded a resounding success in the just-concludedelection.
The election shows that the Governor is well embraced by all the peopleof the State of the Virtuous.
In view of this, your popular grassroots tabloid, OSUN DEFENDERnewspaper, is doing a supplement to congratulate the People’s Governor.
Individuals, corporate bodies, institutions and well-wishers can availthemselves with the pocket-friendly advert rate of OSUN DEFENDERnewspaper.
Advert RateFull Page Colour - N150,000Full Page Black & White - N120,000Half Page Colour - N80,000Half Page Black & White - N70,000Quarter Page Colour - N50,000Quater Page Black & White - N40,000
- Management
FEATURE
Congratulations
The President’s False Self-congratulations!THE gubernatorial election of Saturday
August 9, 2014 in Osun was asignificant
event in many ways. It was one of themost peaceful in the history of elections inNigeria. It witnessed massive voters’ turnoutand palpable good conduct on the part of theelectorate and the competing politicians,particularly those in the camp of theincumbent governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
After putting the nation on edge in whatwas the longest wait for result declaration, theIndependent National Electoral Commission(INEC), announced Aregbesola as the winner.This was followed by a gale of congratulatorymessages, including, surprisingly, fromPresident Goodluck Jonathan, whose messagehas the sinister inference of self-congratulations for allowing the opposition towin. However, the circumstances surroundingthe conduct of the polls clearly suggest that,contrary to the false self-congratulations,nothing so good can be said of the role of thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP) controlledFederal Government, whose duty it is, thanksto our warped federal system, to providesecurity and all other logistics for the poll.
Under the guise of carrying out its securityobligations, the government at the centreplaced the state under siege. Nobody, whetherresidents in or visitors to Osun, during theperiod, would be able to dismiss the thoughtof being in a war zone.
The situation was that of a completelockdown, in which the state was crawlingwith security personnel of different hue andilk – DSS, police, civil defence corps, soldiersand others, all armed to the teeth. There wereat least 5,000 DSS agents alone deployed tothe state during the election period.
Thus, as the polls came to a peacefulconclusion, the Federal Governmentimmediately went to the media to take adevious advantage of the situation. It quicklycongratulated the incumbent and winner of theelection and expectedly went on tocongratulate itself as the unbiased umpire inthe electoral game.
But a more careful and diligent dissection ofthe facts of the situation would give a differentpicture. Contrary to what obtains in theadvanced democracies, there is no institutionof state in Nigeria that is capable of asserting
any institutional independence from thePresidency.
It is common knowledge that ourinstitutions are simply appendages of andtools in the hands of the Federal Government,which happens to be partisan in the Osunelection.
Hence, we must differentiate fact fromappearance for the sake of clarity. There is aqualitative difference between providingsecurity and imposing a state of siege. Therequirement of security at elections is toassure voters of their safety and democraticfreedom. It is thereby meant to enhance theirparticipation in the process.
On the other hand, placing the electorateunder siege betrays a badly disguised intent tointimidate and bully them, in order to makethem shy away from exercising their franchise,which was the case in Osun.
When we put this together with other factsin the election, it gives a clearly differentindication of the real motive of the Jonathan-led administration. How, for instance, does theFederal Government explain the harassmentand arrests of several All ProgressivesCongress (APC) members by its securityagents on the nights before the election,including members of the incumbentgovernor’s cabinet?
At least, 200 of the APC bigwigs werearrested without any charges whatsoever onthe night preceding the poll, only to bereleased without any reasons or explanations.
What plausible reason can the Jonathan-government give to rationalise the embeddingof Niger Delta militants in the ranks of theDSS agents deployed to Osun; they weredistinctly wearing balaclavas to cover theirfaces, while most of their colleagues weregoing about their business, and mingling withpeople, without any face coverings.
How does the President explain thepresence of Asari Dokubo in Ilesa or that ofTompolo in Osogbo, the state capital, duringthe election? Were they in Osun as tourists ata time when the state was in a securitylockdown by the Jonathan government? Or isit the case that they came as part of the teamto carry out the ulterior and dastardly plan oftheir pay master?
What about the deliberate bombardment ofthe Osun government with false intelligenceregarding ballot paper stealing and thump-printing by PDP members throughout thenight prior to the election day? The falseinformation is a tale that accords withwidespread expectation that the PDPcandidate is incapable of winning in any freeand fair manner.
However, the real purpose of theintelligence is to tempt the opposition intotaking precipitate action, which would then beused as an excuse to use the security agentsfor the real objective of their deployment;pacification.
It would then have paved the way for thePDP candidate to emerge victorious from theorchestrated chaos. The sitting governor andhis party would have been blamed for bringingabout disorder and for losing the election.
But thankfully, it all failed. Reason andrestraint prevailed in the opposition camp;they refused to take the dangerous bait of thepowers that be. The PDP candidate lostmassively and incontrovertibly.
Consequently, the claim by the FederalGovernment to the effect that PresidentJonathan is a benevolent democrat wouldcertainly ring hollow. We have all read ThePrince. We are very familiar with that tactic. Itis classic Machiavelli: make yourself appearvery generous and magnanimous, whileharbouring grievously evil intention.
The Osun election is not a tribute toPresident Jonathan’s magnanimity. Far fromit! It is a victory to the good people of Osun,who defied all the bully and show of force tocome out and exercise their democratic rightand freedom.
They refused to be intimidated orbrowbeaten by the gunpoint magnanimity ofPresident Jonathan. They trooped out onelection day; they conducted themselves in amost orderly and peaceful manner; and theyexercised their inalienable rights to freelychoose their own leader.
The people of Osun refused to have aleader foisted on them. They taught us all auseful lesson in democracy: that, with theirpower to wield the ballot paper, they cantrump the power of the Federal Governmentto wield the guns.
•Ogundele lives in Osogbo.
By BIDEMI ADEKUNLE
•AREGBESOLA
Any of these phone lines can be contacted: 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897 and 08023191891
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 201412 INTERVIEW
Saving Lives Is Our Priority – Dr SojiAkinloye
Dr. Soji Akinloye is the General Manager, the State of OsunO-Ambulance Services. He speaks with OSUN DEFENDERreporter, WOLE OLAYIDE, on how far the agency has gone insaving the lives of people and how it has changed the face ofhealth care delivery in the society.
OSDF: You have been at the helm of affairsat Osun Ambulance Services, also
knownas O-Ambulance for the past twelve
months. How has it been?AKINLOYE: To God be the glory since the
scheme was launched on the 4th of February2013 by Governor Rauf Aregbesola with threefundamental objectives. First is the reductionof carnage along our highways by rapidmedical response and prompt relief to accidentvictims. The second one is to encourage goodreferred system that is, transferring ofpatients from primary to tertiary healthfacilities for specialist intervention, and third,to take care of medically challenged elders.
It has not been so easy in the beginning,just like any other new organization. Theinitiator, the governor, made available fundsrequired to set rolling the operation. Werecruited staff and they were made to undergonecessary training; the drivers, the paramedicsand so on.
Initially, we were faced with problem ofappropriate operation discharge schedule, butwithin a very short time, we overcame theproblem. There were some time when peoplewill call me from all corners of the state toconfirm from me about our operation. Therewere sleepless nights for me but gradually,through awareness, our operation hasimproved tremendously. Our staff all over canhandle things. Kudos to effectivecommunication, they are used to the job now.In all, I thank God Almighty.
OSDF: You are a medical doctor working atthe LAUTECH Teaching Hospital before yourappointment to the present office. What isyour assessment of ambulance and emergencyoperation before the advent of O-Ambulanceand after it was formed?
AKINLOYE: Yes! I think I am in the bestposition to speak on the change that hasoccurred. When we want to talk of emergencyservice before now, when there was no O-Ambulance agency; one, the number of peoplethat were in need of emergency service werenot as much as we have now. Many peoplewill lose their lives at the scene of accidents,as no one will help accident victims that timethere was the fear that the victims may die inthe process. Sometimes before they could getsomeone to help, it would have been too late.On getting to the hospital, they will be told itis BID (Brought In Dead). It then becomes aburden on the neck of those who assist intaking the victims to the hospital. Effectiveemergency service operation is a necessity forany society that cares.
The second reason is that there was littlepublic awareness regarding the steps one hasto take when there is accident or anyemergency situation. Today, we were on air tosensitize people on how to save lives usingemergency service, what to do at the scene andhow best to make use of services.
What we have today is a large number ofvictims being taking to the hospital everydayas people are now aware of the accessibility tothe emergency service. All our hospitals arereceiving patients, who are in need ofemergency services day in day out.
Our hospital workers are wondering whysudden rise in the number of victims ofaccident and emergency. It is not the case thatthe situation just arises, but due to theprovision and high level of awareness, peopleare now making use of services. The result isthat the number of people that are saved hasincreased.
OSDF: From your record, can you give us abrief statistic of operations that your agencycarried out.
DR. AKINLOYE: In the last twelvemonths, we have had more than 21,352invitations or emergency calls. Out of these,3,840 patients have been successfully rescuedand were taken to the nearest health facilitiesin the state. Due to the current free healthservice programme of the state government,they were all treated free-of-charge; somebefore their relatives would show up.
Between 320 to 330 victims are beingrescued every month with the highest numberin the month of December with 562 victims.This has reduced remarkably, carnage on ourhighways, coupled with road renovations andreconstruction. 75% of the rescues were roadtraffic crashes involveing motorcycles.
OSDF: Can you remember one or twoimportant operations you have carried out?
AKINLOYE: We take every rescueoperation as important since all lives areimportant. Sometimes, it is after a patient isrescued, taken to the hospital and becomes
conscious that we realize that he/she is arelative of who is who in our society. Therewas a case of a pregnant woman we rescuedalong Ibadan –Gbongan road. She was comingfrom Lagos with her two-year old baby. Sheconvulsed in a commercial vehicle. She had akind of status; epilepticus, indicating a stateof continuous seizure activity lasting for asignificant amount of time or having frequentrecurrent seizure without regainingconsciousness in between them. Immediatelythe driver saw one of our ambulances andcalled their attention of rescue operators, shewas taken to the hospital unconsciously, whilethe baby was taken to the motherless homefor some days. Our staffers were shuttlingback and forth between the hospital, wherethe mother was receiving treatment andmotherless home, where the child was beentaken care of. It took us about three days toconnect with her family after she had regainedconsciousness. The driver could have droppedher by the road and run away.
There was another case of journalists fromOyo State NUJ, who were coming from Abujalast year. They had an accident in Ilesa. It wasour team that resued the survivors. If wecontinue to mention, we won’t leave this placetoday. At times, it is until when a patientbecomes conscious that we will get to knowhis/her identify as I have said. Our priority isto continue to save lives. We will not allowcomplacency.
OSDF: It is a known fact that rescueoperation is highly demanding. How can youdescribe the attitude of your staff to the duty?
AKINLOYE: Yes, I can describe theirattitude as being positive so far. There are lotof factors that are responsible for this; thecommendations that came from people. Imeant the people they rescued and theirfamilies are some of the motivating factors. Inmost cases, the people that they rescue aretheir people. You know we are related oneway or the other in this part of the world.
So while doing their job, they have it at theback of their minds that it could be myrelative or any of their colleagues. Sometimes,you cannot identify patients in a pool ofblood until he/she has received treatment atthe hospital.
Other factors and most importantly is thatwe have a government that really supportsthem. There a lot of incentives; a kind ofpositive motivational influence; good workingenvironment, job security and a feeling ofpersonal worth of saving lives of people inneed.
OSDF: Is there any assistance from anyother agency?
AKINLOYE: When we talk ofassistance, agency such as Federal RoadSafety Commission (FRSC) helped to trainour drivers on how to safe-drive in case ofemergency. Apart from FRSC, our securityagents are partners also; they provide securityfor our operators, especially at night. Themedia organizations have also helped a lot, asthey are assisting us in their own way. Alsocollaborating with us in rescue accident andemergency victims is (OSEMA) Osun StateEmergency Management Agency.
We are also working together with the StateMinistry of Health, and HospitalManagement Board, especially in the area oftraining of our paramedics. All have been goodpartners.
OSDF: What is your take on general healthsector?
AKINLOYE: On assumption of office, ourgovernor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has takenseriously the development of the health sectoralong with others. Under this government, wehave free health services, the O-cleanprogramme, renovation and reconstruction ofhospitals, recruitment and immunization.
I mentioned O-clean because there aremany things that are prerequisite to humanhealth. A good environment promotes goodhealth. Even on the issue of security of livesand properties, you can now sleep with yourtwo eyes closed. You can imagine what isgoing to happen to an hypertensive patient,who is worried about his own security andthat of his/her properties.
Coming down to our agency, we haverescued a lot of people and save them fromuntimely death. Our referral service hasimproved, especially from primary tosecondary or tertiary health institutions.Maternal mortality has drastically reduced.People are now much more aware about theirhealth and how to help in time of emergencythrough our public awareness programme onradio and television.
OSDF: … And other sectors generally?AKINLOYE: The government of Ogbeni
Aregbesola has improved tremendously theliving standard of the people of the State ofOsun. There is even development in all thesectors and all are working together topromote general living standard. When youhave good roads, the number of road accidentswill be reduced to the minima and if there isaccident, it would be easy access to thehospital. What I am trying to say is thatgovernment has touched all aspects of humanlives and is not relenting in its effort todevelop our state.
There are good roads all over, good healthfacilities, reconstruction of schools and generalinnovation in education sector (O-meals,reclassification and staff recruitments).Generation of employment through innovativefarming policy is applaudable. Thousands ofyouths are now gainfully employed inagricultural sector in which they are happy.We have O-Reap, loan schemes for youngentrepreneurs, control of flood in oursettlements and so on.
Look at the new market (Ayegbaju) thateveryone is marvelled at. Security of lives andproperty, payment of stipends to the widowsand aged, OYES Scheme and so on are some ofthe landmark achievements of the currentadministration in State of Osun. You don’thave to crack your brain to assess thisgovernment. All you need is to look aroundand you’ll see government efforts. Eventhough you’re a blind person, once you haveears, you must appreciate that God has reallybeen kind to the people in the last three yearsor more.
OSDF: Let us come back to your agency.Are you in anyway incapacitated by eitherhuman or material resources? And how do youensure there is discipline among your staff?
AKINLOYE: I must say this that we havedetermined as an agency of government toserve people with all our strength. When Icame in as the General Manager, the notion ofsit-and-control from office got removed. I am aman full of energy. I receive calls 24 hours aday; more in the night and that is what the jobdemands. If I, their manager, don’t sleep, whywill any staff not abide by the rule of thegame. That is that on discipline.
On the issue human and material resources,we have 400 paramedics and some other staffcall dispatchers.
Fifty high-tech ambulances were procuredand to this effect, Osun Ambulance ServicesAgency has the highest number of ambulancesin the emergency ambulance service in thecountry followed by another state that has 25ambulances. Nineteen of these ambulanceswere allocated to strategic points along ourmajor highways.
Our ambulances are being furnished withwalkie-talkie and also CUG (Close UserGroup) phones; these serve as dual means ofcommunication for the agency staff. The calldispatchers at the control centre receive allcalls from our clients through two hotlines:
07080601212 & 07080601313 and call theambulances that are at the closest distance toscene of accident or where our service areneeded.
OSDF: Apart from those you havementioned, what other facilities are in place tomake your service more effective?
AKINLOYE: Recently, eightultramodern ambulance ports were built bythe state government, which are second tonone, for our ambulances on the highways andfor quick first aid, if necessary, before a victimis transferred to the nearest hospital.
OSDF: Do you have collaboration withyour sister agency in other parts of thecountry?
AKINLOYE: When we talk of emergencyservices, we have it in Lagos fully establishedlong time ago; we have in Ogun also. Initially,we understudied Lagos to learn from theirexperience, but today, if you can do yourinvestigation, we are second to none. We arefar ahead of them. Apart from road trafficcrash, which is common, we have introducedinto our system, the referral operation, whereparties are moved from one hospital toanother for better treatment. We have facilitiesto attend to those who collapse. these areinnovations peculiar to our system only.
Sometimes while we are on air, people callfrom neighbouring states to commend us.Anyone who had enjoyed our services beforewill appreciate government effort in healthcare delivery. Some go as far as using abusivelanguage against their state governments, whenthey see how useful we are to the society.Don’t ask me the names of those statesplease. By referral, I meant a situation wherepatients or their relatives call us from onehospital to move them to another in the caseof someone calling from General Hospital,Awo for instance to be transferred toLAUTECH in Osogbo. We are the only onerendering such service. Our presence is felt inall nooks and crannies of the state.Occasionally, we extend our services toneighbouring states’ boundary towns.
OSDF: What are the problems facing byyour agency?
AKINLOYE: There are few problems butthank God, we have overcome some of them.In the beginning, there were cases of attack onour workers by hoodlums. I think that hasbeen resolved with the cooperation of securityagencies.
Another problem is that some politicalfanatics want to bring politics to the issue ofsaving lives. There was a case when onepolitical party was involved in an accident.When our team got there, they refused toallow our ambulance to convey them to thehospital, and eventually, a life was lost.
OSDF: Are you getting financial supportfrom other sources apart from government?
AKINLOYE: Not at all. Government aloneis the sole financier of our operations.
•AKINLOYE
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014
More Pictures On Jubilation In Osun State After INEC Declared Governor RaufAregbesola The Winner Of 2014 Governorship Election On Sunday.
Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.
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•Aregbesola’s supporters during the jubilation.
•A cross section of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s supporters on the car.
•APC supporters on the street.
PHOTOTALK
14 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014POLITICS
Triumph Of People’s WillOsun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola Has Braced All Odds To Secure A Second Term In Critical Election That
Has Affirmed The Relative Commitment Of The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) To TheSecurity Of The Ballot Box. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU Writes On The Lessons Of The Poll.
For seven and half hours, there was suspenseat the Independent National ElectoralCommission (INEC) office on Gbogan-OsogboRoad, Osogbo, the Osun State capital. That wasbetween 12 midnight on Saturday and 7.30 onSunday, when the people anxiously waited forthe announcement of the final result of thegovernorship election by the Chief ReturningOfficer, Prof. Bamitale Omole, the ViceChancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU), Ile-Ife.
Hours before the Local Government CollationOfficers (CO) returned to the INEC office from30 local governments, there were jubilations inmany parts of the state, particularly Osogbo,Ede, Iwo, Ejigbo, and Ilesa, Based on the reportsof the All Progressives Congress (APC agents,party’ chieftains were also in celebration mood.But, the celebration of the governor’s victorywas suspended, following the delay by theuniversity don.
At 1.51 am, Omole, who was accompaniedby the INEC National Commissioner,Ambassador Mohammadu Wali, the NationalCommissioners for Election Operations, NuhuYakubu, Osun State Resident ElectoralCommissioner (REC Olusegun Agbaje and hisOndo State counterpart, Akin Orebiyi, begun toreceive the results from the local governments.As the case begun to submit the results one afterthe other, there was no panic and no eyebrowwas raised by any of the political parties’representatives. However, tension rose when ittook Omole a long time to announce the winner.
Party leaders from far and near bombardedthe electoral agency with phone calls and textmessages. Suddenly, the rumour of likelymalpractice and distortion of the final result atthe final collation spread like a wild fire. Manyhad kept vigil as they were glued to televisionsets monitoring the collation Sources said thatAregbesola, who had returned to the GovernmentHouse, Osogbo from Ilesa, where he had gone tocast his vote, was restless. At the APC SituationRoom, a party chieftain shouted: “I suspect afoul play. It appears that they wanted to rig theelection, even at this stage.” Nobody couldassuage that shared fear.
When the rumour spread to the final collationcentre that midnight, many people wereenveloped in anxiety. Reporters, security agents,party agents and others were discussing in hushtones. “Is it true that there is an order fromabove putting the announcement on hold, “aparty chieftain asked some reporters. There wasno answer. One of the chieftains of a smallerparty alleged that a notable Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) gladiators from the Southeast hadadvised the Federal Government to deploy moretroops to curtail any violent reaction, if the PDPcandidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, was declaredwinner. The allegation could not be substantiated.But, a misleading statement in the social mediaby a former minister that PDP chieftains andfollowers were also celebrating victoryheightened the tension.
The APC agent at the collation centre, Hon.Oladosu Rasak, was worried by the turn ofevents. He noted that the submission of resultsby 30 LGA COs could take time because of thedistance between some local governmentheadquarters and the state capital. But, he saidthe delay in final collation was suspicious. Askedto read to the allegation that the ‘loser may bedeclared the winner he said: “I have had thattoo, but how it can be possible is what I don’tknow.” Another APC chieftain, AjibolaFamurewa, a member of the House ofRepresentatives, said: “At this stage, it is toolate to rig. We will wait for the pronouncementby the chief returning officer.’ But, InformationCommissioner Hon, Sunday Akere, wasconfident that the verdict will not be aborted.“We have voted ‘and the people have decided.We know the result already. We are only here forvalidation and affirmation by the INEC,” he said.
Around 7a.m, reporters and party agents wererunning out of patience, “All we are saying, giveus the result,” they chorused in protest. TheRO was not indifferent to their protest. Urgingthem to exercise more patience, he said: “I thankyou for your patience: Give me two minutes toround up and announce the result.”
The OAU Vice Chancellor was conscious ofhis historic duty. The work of a Returning Officeris sensitive. Apparently, he scholar was not
unaware of the suspicion of the INEC bystakeholders. He wanted to make sure that thefinal collation was neatly done and right figureswere released. The old teacher shunned thecalculator and opted for manual calculationOmole did not request for any assistance frommathematicians and statisticians from the OAUand the University of Ibadan who were LocalGovernment COS. The manual calculation wasdone for almost three and half hours. Duringthat suspense, anxiety and tension had brew.The announcement of Aregbesola as the winnerby Omole doused the tension in seconds.
Aregbesola’s victory became the PDP’snightmare. The party had invested much in theexercise. Party chieftains, including the candidate,Omisore, the Minister of Police Affairs, JeliliAdesiyan, Minister of State for Defence, SenatorMusiliu Obanikoro, and South West PDPContact and Mobilisation Committee ChairmanBuruji Kasharnu, were full of bravado. Unableto reconcile expectation with reality, the PDPagent at the collation centre, Hon, Bolu Ajao,was downcast. When the Chief Returning Officerasked him to sign the result sheet, he refused.“We have notified the commission about thelapses in the election. We have issue with theintegrity of the process. Our candidate is in thebest position to take an appropriate action,” hetold reporters.
According to the result, the governor, whowon convincingly in 22 local governments,scored 394,684 votes, beating his mainchallenger, Omisore, who polled 292,747 andsecond runner-up, Fatai Akinbade, who got8,898. Omisore won in eight councils. Theanalysis confirmed the two-party pattern inOsun State and underscored the weakness ofsmaller parties merely warming the INECregister. But, the outcome of the poll also hasimplications for 2015 general elections. If thispattern is sustained, the PDP may dislodge someAPC legislators in the House of Assembly andthe National Assembly in next year’s election.
For Aregbesola, the road to victory was lacedwith thorns. Ahead of the poll, the PDP, basking
in the euphoria of its victory in Ekiti State,boasted that the governor’s days in office werenumbered. The campaigns were hot and chaoticin some areas. Lies and fabrications were reeledout on the podium by the opposition to discreditthe government and get an upper hand. The ideaof stomach infrastructure also came on the frontburner, with the PDP chieftains urgingprospective voters to ignore performance andembrace transient cash gifts and foodstuffs. Thegovernor was portrayed as a recklessadministrator who had plunged the state intodebt. Many PDP chieftains also incited civilservants, motor cyclists, artisans and peasantsagainst him, saying that he was their lives wouldbe in jeopardy in his second term.
Omisore also relied on the federal might.Under the pretext of maintaining order, soldierswere deployed to Osun. The PDP flag bearercopied the style of his Ekiti State counterpart,Ayodele Fayose, by going populist. He rode onokada to rallies and bought roasted com andbanana on the road, projecting himself as theman to beat. Few days to the poll, formerGovernor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a defector fromthe PDP to the PDP, put spanner into hiscalculation. Describing Omisore as incompetent,he warned the people against voting for an ex-Agodi Prison detainee.
Aregbesola ran an issue-oriented campaign.His strength lied in his achievements, power ofideas and courage. In every local government, hepointed at development projects completed byhis administration. He said he needed a second aterm to consolidate his service delivery to 30local governments.
Many observers pointed out that the pollwas largely free and fair. Throughout the state,only results from three polling booths weredisputed. The Collation Officers cancelled themand notified the REC. Thus, many party leadershailed the electoral commission for theircommitment to the sanctity of the ballot box.However, selected party agents had an axe togrind with the INEC on poll day. Theycomplained that they were not allowed to
monitor voting by INEC officials and securityagents, owing to their lack of identification tags.To douse tile anxiety, Agbaje, directed that someofficials to issue the tags to the affected agents.The REC later explained to reporters that thenon-issuance of tags to the agents was notdeliberate. Agbaje said: I have received calls fromparty leaders on the complaint. Many partyagents did not show up with their tags. Theydid not go to the polling booths with tag. Wehave directed that the specific electoral officershould return to the INEC Office to release thetags to them.”
From 8 am to 4pm, movement was restrictedacross the state. Nature was kind to the State ofliving Springs. The weather was benevolent.Voters stormed polling units for accreditationwithout fear of intimidation by thugs. Owing tothe huge turnout, accreditation could not becompleted at noon. However, prospective voterswho came late were not allowed to join the queueby polling officers and security agents. Aheadof the poll, sensitive and non-sensitive pollingmaterials had been deployed to the localgovernments by INEC.
Unlike the controversial 2007 poll, there wereno complaints about shortage of voting materials,late coming by polling officers, absence ofaccreditation materials, lack of voters’ registerand harassment and molestation of voters bysecurity agents. Also, there was no case of ballotsnatching by thugs. Unlike the eve of the election,when APC leaders were harassed and arrestedby policemen, there was respite on poll day.The only chieftain who was harassed was formerGovernor Isiaka Adeleke. But, when policeinvaded his polling unit at Ede, he escaped beingarrested. Therefore, he could not vote. His aideswere not lucky as they were arrested and takento Osogbo.
The pre-election experience of some APCchieftains created doubts about the possibilityof a credible poll. Alarmed at the massive presenceof soldiers, Aregbesola cried out that the PDPwanted to stage a civilian coup, adding that thestate is under the siege of the gun. It was anunderstatement. No fewer than 50 chieftains andsupporters were arrested and detained. Amongthem were the Attorney-General andCommissioner for Justice, Hon, Wale Afolabi,his Ministry of Agriculture counterpart, WaleAdedoyin, Mr. Tijani Oladosun and partysupporters. Another chieftain, Hon, Bamisaye,a legislator from Ilesa, had to run into the bushto escape arrest Bamisaye, who spoke withreporters on phone, said that’ hired policemenhad chased APC members into the bush in Ijesaarea”. He added: “I can’t reveal where I am now.I escaped into the bush. Many of our leaders arein the bush; wounded. We don’t know whetherthey are policemen or fake police.”
Adedoyin, who was released around 11.30am, said the arrest of party leaders wasunfortunate narrating his ordeal, he said:“Around 9.15 pm, some people were bangingmy gate in my house at llesa. They said I shouldopen the gate. I reported to the SSS. The SSSsaid that I should not open. After 15 minutes,one of them jumped the fence into my house.They said that, if I don’t open my door, theywill blow up my house. They said they wantedto interrogate me at their office in Osogbo.”
During the door-to door campaign by theAPC, party followers were educated on now tohandle the ballot papers, to avoid another”photocromic” experience. Former APC InterimNational Chairman Chief Bisi Akande objectedto the decision by some INEC staff to stopvoters from folding the ballot papers after voting.He said they had the constitutional right to doso. Akande added: “Voters are at liberty to foldthe ballot box before dropping it A voter caneven put the ballot paper inside his pocket andrefuse to drop it” Akande also berated thesecurity agents for molesting APC supporter.
Decrying the arrest, Aregbesola said that itwas part of the flawed process that heralded thepoll. “The problem is not with the people, butwith the institutions charged with the conductof the election The crackdown on APC leaderswas unwarranted. They were molested,brutalised and incarcerated. Osun is under thesiege of the gun. What does the FederalGovernment want? Do they want to force theircandidate on the people or they want the peopleto exercise their right to vote. The want to stagea civilian coup in Osun.”
•Culled from THE NATION
‘Aregbesola ran an issue-oriented campaign. Hisstrength lied in his achievements, power of ideas andcourage. In every local government, he pointed atdevelopment projects completed by his administration,He said he needed a second a term to consolidate hisservice delivery to 30 local governments’
•AREGBESOLA
15 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, August 14, 2014 PHOTOTALK
All Progressives Congress (APC) In Ajegunle Community, Osogbo, Celebrated TheRe-election Of The State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, At AjegunleMarket, Osogbo, Recently. Photo: SHOLA ADERINTO.
•(R-L) Alhaji Rasheed Adebisi; Alhaji Sule Aderemi and Alhaji Wahab Oyewale, Chairman All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ajegunle Community with other dignitariesat the event..
•A cross section of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters at Ajegunle during thecelebration.
•A cross section of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters at Ajegunlerejoicing and dancing.
•A cross section of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters at Ajegunle cooking at the event.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014
www.osundefender.org THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA
By ADE OLUGBOTEMIWE need no furthertestimonials anymore after
convincing evidences havebeen tabled before jurists toeither plead for exonerationfor the guiltless, or for theoffender to be summarilyhammered. It is true that eventhe vilest offender will desireto plead his way out ofcondemnation, but themeticulousness of an impartialJurist will not allow the guiltyto be exonerated; even if the throat of theoffender turns dry in an attempt to provecase out of perfidy.
I still do not understand why we meritthe kind of leadership that the people ofthis country have at the moment. If we aresinners, I believe we have Intercessors,and with the people that are genuinelystanding in the gap for us, our God ismerciful enough to avail us betteroptions, and give us people withmodicum of mere pity to be at the helm ofaffairs. I don’t think the left option is forus to be stripped of our toga ofcompassion that we are known andcherished for; all because inordinateobstinacy has subtly crept into our ethosand usages.
Flagrant exhibition of heartlessnesshas never been as manifest in our creedand character as is presently evident inour national life. We are known to be ourbrothers’ keepers; with compassionwafting all around us. It is alien to haveunbridled impunity displayed so muchthat all other people now see us asepidemically callous. No evidence isgermane anymore when the Presidentdisdainfully disregarded scores of livesthat perished in the hands of heartlessmiscreants at Nyanya Motor Park, theoutskirt of the Federal Capital Territory.
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathandisplayed the highest level ofinsensitivity, when less than forty eighthours after Nyanya incident, heconsciously, albeit flagrantly, went onpolitical jamboree to Kano, dancing to thehurts of concerned individuals, who werenever at the scene of the ugly event, butmourned and groaned for lives’extermination that just took place. MrPresident was physically there with someof his kitchen cabinet members, appearingsober with melancholic and mournfullook.
He feigned compassion when he put onhold the planned trip to Ibadan tofelicitate with the Olubadan of Ibadanlandon the occasion of his centenary birthday,only to appear at PDP’s political rally inKano raining abusive words on the stategovernor. He later appeared in Ibadan,where mere emotion initially prompted arestraint that later became a derelict, as ifnothing calamitous recently took place;when in fact hundreds of Nigerian citizensare writhing with pains in varioushospitals all over the Federal capital.
There are some people in Nigeria thatcan succinctly be regarded as thoroughlybred and Gate-Keeper Democrats throughtheir antecedents. Such never had militarybackground that might have shroudedtheir proclivity for full adherence todemocratic norms. Mention cannot bemade of the first ten people in thiscategory without due reference toPresident Jonathan; for having occupiedalmost all available political offices in theland. They must have understood that indemocracy, it is not possible that allvoters will vote for one amongst manycontestants. Where a contestant is notknown to any voters, one of them willmake mistake to inadvertently vote inhis\her favour. The winner must know atthe end that he\she has won for all.
It is now a known fact that most statesof the federation are groaning under fundstarvation that the man at the centredeliberately employed to stifle opposition.Mr President has no justification for this
because our revenue has not dwindled.This is not what obtains in developeddemocracy.
IN liberal democracy, where noconstituent unit is allowed to suffer inthe overall interest of the whole,
systemic collapse is considered grave; itis seen as a misnomer that should begrossly repudiated. This is at variancewith what we have at the moment inNigeria under President GoodluckJonathan, where the party at the centreseems poised to see that all states beinggoverned by opposition continue ineconomic quagmire, as if they are not partof Nigeria, to create wrong signals thatunless people in those states change theirminds to vote-in PDP’s candidates, theycannot perceive the aroma of democraticdividends.
The President recently confirmedpeoples’ impression of him as beinginsensitive to aggregate of opinions,when he cancelled the weekly FederalExecutive Council meeting, for his cabinetmembers to commiserate with Vice-President Namadi Sambo over the loss ofhis junior brother in a motor accident.Nobody would have raised any eyebrowif similar concern was exhibited whenscores of innocent lives wereexterminated in recent Nyanya bombblast. Another blast in the same area inthe night of May Day was responded towith mere verbal condemnation, and theassurance to those billed to attend aninternational conference in Abuja thatthere was no cause for alarm.
Recent appointments in which twoministerial nominees from the South Weststates were given the portfolios of theministries of Police affairs and Defence as
Minister and Minister of Staterespectively have further accentuatedpeople’s consternation that the Presidentis resolute in his attempt to recapture thestates that were lost to opposition in thefast-approaching elections. The tworecently-confirmed ministers have alsonot helped matters because the way theyhave reacted to issues in their respectivestates of Osun and Lagos left much to bedesired. Jelili Adesiyan recently allegedlymaltreated a former governor of the Stateof Osun in a hotel in Osogbo, using hispolice orderlies; while MusiliuObanikoro’s first official assignment wasto stop those working in a State’sHousing Estate in Lagos with soldiers onthe prowl.
The President should be happy thatsome governors somewhere, though inopposition, are working in tandem withhis well-taunted transformation agenda.He ought to have developed a very largeheart to make the states that are workingsome sort of reference models to those inhis party (PDP) with the culture of cake-sharing that has labelled us “Profligateswho are not poor”, (as the President hasemphasized severally) but cannot providefor the basic needs (as opposed to wantsin Economics) of the populace. This is totell us that the much-orchestratedTransformation Agenda is a fluke after all.
Recently, the Minister of Finance; andthe coordinating Minister of the economycame up to tell the whole nation that therecovered money from Late Head of State,General Sani Abacha has been spent todevelop the rural areas. Nigerians are yetto know what exactly the money was usedfor in the rural areas that depictdevelopment. As a rural dweller, I am yetto feel any federal impact that may justify
the position of our ‘Super-powerfulMinister’. The minister owesNigerians explanations as to themodality applied to pick selectedareas, and in which states of thefederation the areas are located.This is part of corruption perexcellence that has becomepermanent stain on our chequeredstatus in the comity of nations.
The recently-concluded WorldEconomic Forum has been said to
have injected into our economy billions ofdollars, the manifestation of such benefitsmay never be felt by ordinary Nigeriansbecause we only hear with our ears, andthe more we look, the less we see. We arenow in an era when money is chameleonicand occasionally grows wings to fly tounknown destinations. The World Bankexpertise in our supervising minister hasonly availed us illogical explanation aboutissues that appear comical on missingbillions of foreign currencies that oughtto have given our economy survivalimpetus.
We may appear boastful about ourdemocracy that has been in place foralmost fifteen years now; the question weneed to ask ourselves is: what democraticvalues have we really imbibed? Not eventhe ruling Peoples Democratic Party canboast of valuable democratic tenets. Theruling PDP still believes in rigging as a‘legitimate’ means of winning elections.They do not believe in the rule of law, andto them, the principle of separation ofpowers remains a sham; yet, we say thereis democracy in place.
Recently, a PDP stalwart was arrestedwith voters’ cards that must have beencollected either from the owners formoney, or our electoral umpire withfinancial inducement. Members of PDP inthe State of Osun have ubiquitouslybecome boastful that their flag bearer willdefeat the incumbent governor in theAugust 9 poll. It is now crystal clear thatthe confidence they have is in riggingmastery that will be aided by thatunscrupulous source that made itpossible for voters’ cards meant for manyvoters to get to a politician, to be usedagainst opponents illegally. ManyNigerians will not be too surprised if theculprit is let off the hook and the case isunheard of till eternity comes.
There is no way a country can developif the leadership is corrupt. Our owncorruption has reached the crescendo ofepidemic, and unless the present crop ofleaders in the ruling PDP are eased out ofpower, Nigeria may never have a modicumof progress and peace which can only beavailed by genuine and functionaldemocratic culture. It is only in big-for-nothing Nigeria that a non-performingcentral government will be audacious toboast that they will defeat a performingstate governor, since the power to hireand fire electoral umpire is vested in anautocratic President.
Given the current security challenges,which the ruling PDP has failed to tacklein the past three years, the failed promiseson power, transportation, employmentgeneration, and economic meltdown thathas brought excruciating devastation,there is no more justification for PresidentGoodluck Jonathan and PDP to eitherremain in power beyond 2015, or aspire totake over any of the states currentlybeing governed by opposition. Peoplehave been bombarded with numerouspromises since 1999 and all the promiseshave failed. There is nothing wrong intrying another political party, so thatNigerians will be able to also assess thealternatives that are available in all thetiers of government, so as to knowwhether we have respite somewhere or weshould send all political gladiatorspacking.
OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. Allcorrespondence to the Managing Editor, KOLA OLABISI, Telephone: 08033927286 ([email protected]); Editor, KAYODE AGBAJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail:[email protected], [email protected]. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.
