VOL. 9. NO.076 NNNNN 505 05 05 05 0THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2014

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Front Page Comment Who KilledChief Bola Ige,former Attorney-

General andMinister of

Justice? IGE

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (waiving broom), acknowledging cheers from his ecstatic admirers during a mega-rally for his re-election in Ikirun lastTuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

- See StoryOn Page

2

PDP Should Forget WinningOsun - Aregbesola

•Says Omisore ‘ll Be Ridiculously Defeated

August 9 Governorship Election:

Omisore's figmentof imagination

The allegationof planning tocause violenceduring the com-ing gubernatorialelection in thestate of Osun bythe PDP gover-norship candi-date,

former SenatorIyiola Omisoreagainst the stateGovernor, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola,

is to say the leastridiculous. Com-ing from Omisorewe see this as themost irresponsible

and prepos-terous allegationto levy againstO g b e n iAregbesola, ap e r s o n a g ewidely knownfor his pacificinclination.

Continue on pg5

2 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014News

If you have a story or advert for us, contact 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897, 08023191891.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (arrowed), acknowledging cheers from the crowd during his re-election mega rally as governor, State of Osun, in Ikirun last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

Aug 9 Gov Election: PDP Should Forget Winning Osun - Aregbesola•Says Omisore ‘ll Be Ridiculously Defeated

A sea of heads adorned the streets of Ikirun, headquartersof Ifelodun Local Government Council Area of theState of Osun on Tuesday, to support the second term

ambition of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The campaign rally inIfelodun/Boripe/Odo-OtinFederal Constituency was incontinuation of the campaigntour of the nine federalconstituencies across the stateby the ruling-All ProgressivesCongress (APC) ahead of theAugust 9, 2014 governorshipelection.

There was a traffic gridlockalong major streets of theancient town, as traders,artisans abandoned their worksto cheer the governor and showtheir unalloyed support for theAPC in the forthcomingelection.

People trooped out from allthe nooks and crannies of thetown in their different attires,bearing ‘Aregbesola for secondterm’ inscriptions, raising flagsand banners to show theirsupport for the governor.

Security agents and traffic

managers encountered seriousdifficulties in managingvehicular movement on theever-busy Ikirun to KwaraState boundary expressway, aspeople were moving in drovesto the campaign ground, locatedat the back of the School ofScience, along Old Inisa Roadin Ikirun.

Governor Aregbesola,alongside the State First Lady,Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola, andher counterpart from OgunState, Mrs Olufunso Amosun,Osun Deputy Governor,Otunba (Mrs) Grace TitilayoLaoye-Tomori, first ExecutiveGovernor of the State of Osun,Senator Isiaka Adeleke, theAPC State Chairman, ElderAdelowo Adebiyi, passedthrough Ada, Ororuwo, Iragbijiroad to the palace of Akinrunof Ikirun to pay homage to thetraditional rulers in the federal

constituency.All the major traditional rulers

in the three local governmentcouncil areas in the constituencywere present at the Akinrun’spalace to welcome the governor.

The royal fathers wereAragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi; the Olokukuof Okuku, Oba SamuelOyebode; the Aree of Iree, ObaJimon Olayonu; the Alaagba ofAagba, Oba Rufus Ogunwale,the Oloyan of Oyan, the OluInisa of Inisa, the Olona of Ada,the Olobagun of Obagun amongothers.

Speaking on behalf of thetraditional rulers, the Akinrun ofIkinrun, Oba Abdul-RaufOlayiwola Olawale Adedeji,said the governor need little orno campaign, saying hisperformance in the last three

years is already speaking forhim.

The monarch described thefederal constituency as thehome of the governor andassured him that the people ofthe constituency will vote forhim on August 9.

Responding, Aregbesola saidhe was seeking re-election tocomplete the various ongoingdevelopmental projects andassured them that Osun electionwould be a different ball-gamefrom that of Ekiti.

Aregbesola, who arrived thevenue amidst wild jubilation,assured the people of the statethat August 9 election wouldclear all doubts that the PDPhas no root in the state.

He said: “I laugh at themwhenever they are bragging thatthey will knock Osun down in

the August election. Winning inEkiti was never an assurancethat they would win Osun. In1999, our people in Lagos votedANPP at the federal level andvoted AD at the state level. In2011, PDP lost all the states andNational Assembly seats andACN presidential candidate,Nuhu Ribadu won only inOsun.

“Ekiti people have chosenwhat they wanted. That isdemocracy. PDP was never thechoice of our people. Theyshould forget winning Osun. ByGod’s grace, on August 9, theywould be ridiculously defeated,”Aregbesola said.

The governor commendedthe people of the federalconstituency for coming out enmasse and urged them to votefor APC and jealously protect

their votes.Aregbesola, while debunking

the rumour of planning to sackcivil servants, said hisadministration has employedmore workers in the last threeyears and has never sacked anyworker, while advising thepeople to ignore such rumour.

He also assured Okada ridersthat his administration has nointention of scraping theirbusiness, and urged them not tolisten to the opposition’sdeception.

The governor added: “I am amessenger of God, and we havejust started the work of God totake Osun to the greatest heightand we are going to continue forthe next four years. We have notcompleted road projects, whilenumerous school projects areongoing. Work is in progress andwe must continue,” Aregbesolasaid.

Osun 2014: Ikirun Federal Constituency Assures Aregbesola Of VotesBy FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

WITH four mega rallies held for the re-election ofOgbeni Rauf Aregbesola of the All ProgressiveCongress (APC) for a second term as governor of the

State of Osun gone, the train of the fifth rally has moved toIfelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency.

as there was no doubt that whenvoted for a second term,Aregbesola would fulfil all hispromises because they were notjust political speeches, but plansborne-out of a mind that wishesto serve the people, especiallythe down-trodden.

Responding to the questionof alleged purchase of permanentvoters’ cards by the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) todisenfranchise majority of theelectorate, Alhaji Sunmonuagreed that it was true, but hewas surprised that the securityagencies did not take any step tocurb it.

He also added that card-buying syndicate is stillconducting its sinister business,with each card going for N10,000.

The community leaderdescribed it as unfair and a signthat the type of politics the PDPwas indulged in was a dirty onejust in the bid to grab power atall cost.

He advised other eligiblevoters not to fall prey of thisscheme, which he described asevil and mortgaging of one’sdestiny for a meagre fee, anaction which would be regrettedin the nearest future becausewhen they come into power,they would get back the moneythey used to buy-off theelectorate from the very peoplethey bought it from.

Mrs. Aina Shobowale, anindigene of Ororuwo, on herown, stated that for once in thehistory of Osun, there is all-round peace experienced in thestate and that she was not readyto compromise that foranything.

According to her, “If not forthe fact that the governor is anagent of peace, you and I wouldnot be able to stand withoutfear.

“I appreciate peace a lotbecause with it, there would besmooth trading, religioustolerance, fear of God wouldpersist. There would be influxof investments both foreign andlocal.”

“I have told my friends thatEkiti and Osun are differentstates. If PDP could go awaywith their rigging in Ekiti, we inOsun are more enlightened.

“We will never permit thetype of high-handedness thatoccasioned the Saturdayelection to prevail in Osun at allbecause we know whattranspired in Ekiti.

“Ekiti was pure daylightrobbery. Remember the 2007election in Ekiti, at the end ofthe day, the rightful winner gotthe mandate and peacefollowed.

“I am appealing to all eligiblevoters in Osun to come outenmasse to vote for Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, a man whopromised and fulfilled it. A manwho has worked positively tomake sure that Osun attains aglorious height.

“Considering the work he hasdone in the state which covers a

wide range, it’s a testimony thatthings are going well in the stateand the people must identifywith this.

James Ayoola, an indigene ofEekosin, was of the opinion thatthere should be a mehanism forthe APC to reverse the wickedlies that the PDP had succededto sail through.

He specifically mentionedthe issue of the alleged masssack of the state’s civil servants.

“The governor should, as amatter of urgency, address theissue of sacking of civilservants, the issue of ban ofcommercial motoryclists (okadariders), and the closure of statetertiary institutions.

“He must address thesethree because the lies thesepeople have concocted is justtoo much. They have succeededin brainwashing the people andnot only that, they have spentfederal money to buy them over.

“Once the governor canaddress these issues and debunkall those lies, he would be safeagain. Over time, I have realisedthat Nigerians are the easiestpeople to convince but whenyou leave them out, they can bea hard nut to crack.

“I am also happy to hear thatthe governor had begun thepayment of salaries of civilservants and pensioners. Thisis great news and he should berest assured, the prayers of theelders are with him.”

He dismissed all allegationsthat the crowds that had beenthronging all the venues of themega rallies were all rented,saying that rented crowds

would not waif for that long andthat it was love, support andsolidarity for Ogbeni RaufAregbesola that has been makingthe people throng out in largenumbers to see their governor.

Oluwakemi Adeshinaexpressed delight at being ableto see the governor in personafter seeing all the works he haddone, espeially the schools’renovation, construction and re-construction of major roads,reviving of O’Meal, OYESamong others.

She stated that hergrandmother was one of thebeneficiaries of the Aregbesola’sadministration in the area of freeeye surgery and ‘Agba Osun’scheme and that the old womanhad received a breath of new lifesimply because a governor thatcares is in the saddle.

“Considering all the aged andhelpless people thisadministration has helped, I amvery sure that their prayers onlywould make him to get a secondterm come August 9thnotwithsatnding the magnitudeof lies that the PDP isformenting.”

“He did not allow my oldgrandmother to be miserable andput to shame. In that wise, hisenemies that are planningagainst him, God would putthem to shame.”

Altogether, from the supportthe governor and APC aregarnering from the mega rallies,the people interviewed wereoptimistic that Ogbeni RaufAregbesola would come back tothe Governor’s Office, Abereafter August 9th.

APC Alerts People OverFake Tax Collectors

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State ofOsun has alerted the people of the state over the anticsof those it described as enemies of progress, who are

sponsoring some agents to cough out N10,000 each frominnocent shop owners in the name of tax collection.

The Interim State Chairmanof the party, Elder AdelowoAdebiyi, raised the alarm inIkirun on Tuesday at the party’sgovernorship campaign forIfelodun/Boripe/Odo-OtinFederal Constituency.

Addressing the mammothcrowd of APC supporters, hesaid the government has neversent any of its officials outunder whatever name to collectsuch tax from anybody.

“We have learnt that somepeople have been movingaround to extort people ofN10,000 and issuing them fakereceipts.

“If you see such personagain, quickly report them tothe police, because they are notsent by our government.

“They have also been lyingthat we will sack teachers, wewill not sack any worker, wewill rather employ more ofthem,” he said.

Also speaking, the StateCommissioner for Informationand Strategy, Mr SundayAkere, alerted the electorate onthe antics of those who arecollecting voters’ cards formoney.

He called on the electoratenot to joke with their voters’cards, with a view to enablingthem to vote Aregbesola forsecond term.

The commissioner alsocharged those who have notcollected their PermanentVoters’ Cards to do so, to beable to participate in the votingprocess.

He encouraged electorate notto entertain any fear during theelection day, saying the securityoperatives that would bedeployed are meant to defendthe people.

In his own address on theoccasion, an APC leader, AlhajiFatai Diekola, said since thecreation of the state, nogovernment had done whatAregbesola has done.

According to him, “When wewere campaigning forAregbesola’s first term ofAregbesola, we promised tobring development to Osun andwe have all seen that thatdevelopment has come.”

He then expressed confidencethat the development thatAregbesola has brought to Osun

is enough to give him secondterm in office.

While also speaking, theChairman of the Campaigncommittee in the area, MrGboyega Oyetola, called on thepeople to cast their votes forAregbesola and stand by it.

By doing this, he said, wouldenable the people of the stateto enjoy more of thedevelopmental initiatives ofAregbesola’s administration.

At the second term re-election mega rally, which washeld at the open field oppositeCoker Memorial High School,along Old Inisa Road, theatmosphere was electrifying, asparty members, differentpolitical organisations,students, market women,secondary school students,NURTW, ACCOMORANmembers and security men,registered their presence.

Majority of the people, whothronged the open field, venueof the second term re-electionmega rally, expressed supportfor the Ogbeni Aregbesola-ledadministration and hope thatthe August 9th gubernatorialelection in the state would bepeaeful, free and fair.

As usual, the support forthe candidate of the AllProgressive Congress andincumbent governor of theState of Osun was massive.

A community leader inObaagun, Alhaji AkeemSunmonu, categorically statedthat for the fact that the roadlinking Ikirun to Iree, whichpasses throught his town, wasrehabilitated by Ogbeni RaufAregbesola’s administration, hehad bought over the supportof his people.

He expressed optimism thatother parts of the state wouldsee reason and vote continuity,

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014

•One of the newly-built Middle Schools in Ikirun under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, as capturedby our cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, last Tuesday.

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

APC Intensifies CampaignO n O s u n G o v P o l l

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

SUPPORTERS of Governor Rauf Aregbesola andmembers of All Progressive Congress (APC) in theState of Osun have been charged not to be weigh down

by the result of the governorship election in Ekiti State,but rather forge ahead in sensitising the people andcanvass for votes.

This charge dominatedthe talks at the Ijesa NorthAPC Campaign for theAugust 9 governorshipcampaign held at Ibokun,Obokun Local GovernmentArea on Monday.

The Chairman of theCampaign committee, Drwale Bolorunduro and theSecretary, Mr BosunOyintiloye, whileaddressing the APCsupporters, said there is nopoint in doubting thevictory of Aregbesola in theelection.

According Bolorunduro,though, the developmentalprogrammes thatAregbesola has institutedwere enough to give himvictory, but the APCmembers and supportersshould intensify theirefforts, so as not to giveany chance to theopposition to penetratetheir ranks.

He charged the electoratenot to be deceived by theantics of the oppositionpoliticians, who arespreading lies against thepresent administration inthe state.

Oyintiloye also notedthat Aregbesola’sperformance in education,health, agriculture,infrastructural developmentand job creation amongothers are worthy to besustained.

To be able to do this, heurged those who have notcollected their permanentvoters’ cards from theIndpendent NationalElectoral Commission

(INEC) to do so, with a viewto enabling them vote forAregbesola during theelection.

Oyintiloye also urged theelectorate to vote forAregbesola and defend theirvotes by staying aroundtheir polling units until theirvotes are counted andannounced.

Also speaking, thelawmaker representingObokun Constituency in theState House of Assembly,Honourable SamsonFafiyebi, sensitised theelectorate not to be deceivedinto selling their voters’cards for money.

He added that theelectorate should not beafraid of security operativeson the election day, as theyare meant to protect theelectorate and their votesfrom being snatched.

Earlier, the campaign trainof the committee had movedto the palaces of sometraditional rulers in ObokunLocal Government CouncilArea of the state, whorenewed their supports forAregbesola’s re-election.

Among the monarchsvisited were Oba of Ibokun;Alada of Ada-Owode, ObaIsrael Adesola; Alase of Ase-Ijesa, Oba Gabriel Oyekanmi;Akinyinwa of Ikinyinwa,Oba James Adeyemi;Olupasi of Ipasi, Oba EzekielOludare; Oniponda ofIponda, Oba A.A Omoseebiand Apetu of Ipetu-Ile.

The monarchs, who allgave their royal blessings tothe second term bid ofAregbesola, assured thatthey would do their best inensuring his re-election.

Ikirun Rally, A Festival

Don’t Be Discouraged With Ekiti Gov Election•Osun APC Leaders Tell Electorate

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

LEADERS of the All Progressives Congress (APC)in the State of Osun have taken their time to analysefactors that worked against the party in the June 21

governorship election in Ekiti State, with a submissionthat the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola is notunder threat.

The APC leaders, whilespeaking at the Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin FederalConstituency campaignrally for Aregbesola’ssecond term on Tuesday inIkirun, called on the peopleof the state to remainresolute and vote forAregbesola in the August 9,gubernatorial election.

The Osun CentralSenatorial Leader of theAPC, Alhaji G.O Lawal,urged the electorate and thegeneral masses of the Stateof Osun not to bediscouraged by theoutcome of the Ekiti Stategubernatorial election.

Lawal said the two statesare not comparable and thepolitical situations of thetwo states are totallydifferent, adding that thePeoples Democratic Party

(PDP) and the Presidencycould not match on thepeople of Osun and the APClike they did in Ekiti.

According to Lawal,Aregbesola has alwaysbeen friendly with andaccessible to the people,adding that the governorhas worked for thedevelopment of the state,and thus merit a secondterm as the governor.

The septuagenarianpolitician maintained that allthe indices of a developingstate are now present inOsun, compared to the 2003to 2010 period, when thestate was stagnant andcrying for development.

Lawal stressed that noneof the political factors thatworked against GovernorKayode Fayemi of EkitiState was present in the

State of Osun, stating thatwhat the electorate neededwas to mobilize otherpeople and vote forAregbesola and defendtheir votes.

He enjoined members ofthe APC, loyalists andsupporters of GovernorAregbesola not to bedeterred with the Ekitidevelopment, and not to bepersuaded by the sweettalks and misinformationbeing circulated around bythe Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP).

In his address, theChairman, LocalGovernment ServiceCommission, Elder PeterBabalola, popularly called‘Peter Action’ said: “Youdon’t need to fear in Osun.In fact, there is no fear inOsun. I had worked with thePDP candidate. We did notdo well at all. Osun did notdevelop for the seven and ahalf years. We wasted thetime of Osun State. Osun willnever vote for a rude

politician.“Go out and vote on

August 9, 2014 forAregbesola. Osun is not likeEkiti. Aregbesola is blessedwith knowledge. He is amessiah to Osun people.The PDP candidate is not athreat to Osun; in fact, he isa mismatch. Don’t compareOsun with Ekiti.”

Alhaji Fatai Diekola said:“We are professionalpoliticians; we do not haveany other job than politics.We know what happened inEkiti. We know what wentwrong in the state.Authoritatively, we aresaying that we will notwitness what happened inEkiti in the State of Osun.

“I had told the PDP in2007 that ACN would winthe governorship election,and we won. I am saying itnow that Aregbesola willwin the August 9 election.Aregbesola will winOsogbo, Ila, Iwo, Ife, Ikire,Ikirun, Ede, Ilesa, Iree, Ilobu,Ejigbo and all localgovernment council areas of

the state.“We have tested

Aregbesola and he passed.I am telling you thatAregbesola will win hiselection. I urge theelectorate not to sell theirvoters’ cards to anybody. Itis their rights and the cardto elect their leader. Theyshould vote for Aregbesolafor second term.”

Chief of Staff to theGovernor, Alhaji GboyegaOyetola said: “We did notrent crowd to this rally.People came here becausethey love Aregbesola andthey appreciate hisdevelopmental projects.Aregbesola will win thecoming election.

“Do not disturbyourselves with whathappened in Ekiti. Osun isdifferent from Ekiti. Theachievements of GovernorAregbesola are speakingfor him and the people arein support of his secondterm. What we need is to goout and vote massively forAregbesola.”

Professor Sola Adeyeyesaid: “Some people killedBola Ige because theywanted to rule. Thosepeople are also wishing togovern Osun. We wouldnot forget how theyunderdeveloped the State

of Osun. They areresponsible for thebackwardness of the state,but we thank God forAregbesola that haschanged Osun for good.

“Osun is not Ekiti. In 2011presidential election, NuhuRibadu was the candidate ofthe ACN. Ribadu came lateto Osun during hiscampaign. Out of the 36states in Nigeria, Ribaduwon only Osun State.

“We have shown them forlong that Osun is not likeother places. Osun is notEkiti. Osun is resolute. Youpeople here are forAregbesola. It is not a rentedcrowd. Aregbesola is themessiah. You only need togo out on election day andcast your vote forAregbesola.”

The first executivegovernor of the state,Senator Isiaka Adeleke said:“What happened in Ekiti isdifferent in Osun. We wantto tell you that Aregbesolawill win the election. We donot need to campaign forAregbesola. Hisachievements arecampaigning for him.Aregbesola has a listeningear.

“We urge you to continuesupporting Aregbesola andbe patient with him.Aregbesola will not make apromise that he will not fulfill.He is a man of honour.”

•Supporters Affirm ‘Osun Is Not Ekiti’

GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola’s re-election campaignmega rally for Ikirun Federal Constituency was heldamidst fanfare in the ancient town of Ikirun.

The federal constituencycomprising of Ifelodun, Boripeand Odo-Otin LocalGovernment Council areas ofthe state was in carnival-likemood, as residents and partyloyalists came out en masse tobe part of the re-electionprocess.

Ikirun, known for itsprogressive background, wasthe fulcrum of activities, as thevenue of the event was filledby party loyalists and admirersof Governor Aregbesola, in abid to show him their love andsupport.

Streets in the ancient townwore colourful look as males,females and children, dressedin a chosen lemon-green Ankaracloth for the rally.

Yet, the various politicalgroups also dressed in variouspolo shirts with inscription to

support the second termambition of the governor.

Like in the previous rallies,nollywood actors and popularmusicians graced the Ikirunrally and entertained crowd intheir respective ways.

The road leading to thevenue of the event was filledwith food vendors and othertraders in the communities,making the town reflect atypical market day.

Addressing the gathering, theState Commissioner forInformation and Strategy,Honourable Sunday Akere,appealed to the teeming massesto remain calm as the situationin Ekiti State is impossible tohappen in the state of Osun.

He said the people of Osunwould not sell their future fora bag of rice and a token ofN10,000 like it happened in

Ekiti.According to the

commissioner, Ikirun is a townknown for supporting theprogressive politicians sincethe Action Group days.

He counselled that thevoter’s card is the power theelectorate have to decide whogoverns them and how they aregoverned.

An All ProgressivesCongress (APC) chieftain,Alhaji Fatai Diekola, disclosedthat Aregbesola is a people-friendly governor, whosededication to serving them isimmeasurable.

He urged the electorate notto be afraid of anyone onAugust 9, saying the securityoperatives would be around tomaintain peace and security.

Speaking at the rally, thecurrent Chairman of the StateLocal Government serviceCommission, Elder PeterBabalola, commended OgbeniAregbesola for his effortsaimed at entrenching peace in

the state since he assumedpower in 2010, adding thatprior to that period, the statewas in anarchy.

Some APC supporters, whospoke with OSUNDEFENDER, said they werenot discouraged by whathappened in Ekiti State, addingthat they were ready to votefor Aregbesola and stand byhim till the very end.

Aregbesola’s entrance intothe venue at about 4:12pm wasgreeted with ecstasy, as thecrowd elegantly displayed theirbrooms in response to thegovernor’s gesture, who wasdisplaying his broom whilestanding on the vehicleconveying him.

The entire venue was injubilant mood as moresupporters followed him fromthe palace, where he had paidcourtesy call on the Akirun ofIkirun, Oba Abdul Rauf Adedejibefore proceeding to thecampaign ground.

Some women at the rallywere heard saying the governorhas done them a lot of good byproviding free lunch for theirchildren in school.

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 20144 News

•A cross section of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s admirers at the Ikirun mega rally last Tuesday.

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

Aregbesola Has No Plan To Ban Okada, Korope Operators - Omoworare

THE Director General, Ogbeni Aregbesola Door-toDoor Campaign Organisation (OD2D), Mr SegunOmoworare, has urged the people of the state not to

believe the rumour being spread around by the oppositionparties that Governor Rauf Aregbesola would ban commercialmotorcyclists known as Okada and the intercity commercialbuses called ‘Korope’ operators during his second term.

Omoworare averred thatAregbesola, who has beenenjoying the supports of thecommercial motorcyclists andthe mini-bus drivers wouldnever place a ban on theirbusinesses, saying that doingsuch would resort toimprovising poverty andhunger in the state, which thegovernor has successfullyreduced to the barest minimumwith series of empowerment

programmes in the state.According to Omoworare,

the opposition parties,particularly the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) wasthe architect of the falseinformation on the Okada andKorope ban with a deliberateattempt to incite the peopleagainst Aregbesola and soil hispopularity.

The Ile-Ife born politicianstated this on Tuesday at the

mega rally of the AllProgressives Congress (APC)for the re-election of GovernorAregbesola, held in Ikirun, theheadquarters of Ifelodun,Boripe and Odo-Otin FederalConstituency.

Omoworare maintained thatthe opposition parties arejittery of the supports of thepeople for Aregbesola and thegovernor’s popularity, hencethey resorted to telling lies andmisinforming the general publicwhat does not exist to discreditAregbesola.

“Aregbesola would not putburden on the people of thestate and would not ban theOkada and Korope operators,being the only commercialtransportation system in the

state.He said: “Okada riders are

major supporters ofAregbesola, likewise theKorope drivers. We will neverforget their contributionsduring the struggle to reclaimAregbesola’s mandate between2007 and 2010. We will neverforget the victimization theywent through in the hands ofthe PDP government, simplybecause they stood behind thetruth; Aregbesola’s mandate.

“Aregbesola is not aningrate. It is only an ingrate thatwill not appreciate the supportof the Okada riders and theKorope drivers. Aregbesolawill not repay their supportsand loyalty with hardship orany unpopular policy. Thegovernor will not ban the

operations of the Okada ridersand the Korope drivers.

“The information is nottrue; it is a lie and politicalgunshot fired by theopposition parties led by therattled PDP. How would agovernor that is trying so hardto banish poverty and hungerplace a ban on the Okada andKorope operations in the state?We know those are the meansof survival for a sizeablepopulation of the state, so thegovernor cannot stop theiroperations.

“I urge the people not tobelieve the false informationand continue to reposeconfidence in the administrationof Ogbeni Aregbesola. They arethe ones that electedAregbesola and they fought thebattled to reclaim his mandate

with him. We appreciate theirsupport so far and we promisemore dividends of democracyfor them.

“The Okada riders, theKorope drivers, the informalworkers, the civil servants andother people of the state shouldplease verify any informationconcerning the presentadministration from reliableindividual, so that they wouldnot be misled by thepoliticians, who had terrorizedthe state for seven and halfyears.”

Omoworare pleaded withthe people to re-electAregbesola for second term,promising that his second termwould be more beneficial to thepeople and the development ofthe state than the first term.

APC Kicks Off Local Rally In Ifedayo

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State ofOsun last Monday took it re-election campaign rallyto the rural communities in Ifedayo Local

Government Council Area of the state, urging the ruraldwellers to vote for Governor Rauf Aregbesola again.

Among the communitiesthe campaign train, led bythe Ila FederalConstituency CampaignCommittee Chairman,Honourable Sunday Akere,visited included Isimi-Olotu, Alagbede, Idi-Odan,Irepodun-Enle and Ayetoro.

Dwellers in thecommunities visited by theparty committee troopedout en mass to welcome andlisten to the electioneeringpromises of the party, ratherthan going to their farms.

While speaking with thepeople, Honourable Akeresaid Governor RaufAregbesola is committed toimproving the lots of thepeople in the rural areas bycreating access to thevarious communities andmake it easy to move theirfarm produce to the market.

He said in the last threeand half years, the governorhas ensured theconstruction of medicalfacilities in ruralcommunities in the councilarea, as well as extension ofelectrification projects tomake life easy for them.

According to the

commissioner, the governorunderstands that the majormeans of livelihood for therural dwellers is farming andit is only when the producegets to the market thatfarmers make money, hence,the construction of accessroads and quality roadslinking various communities

to the major towns.In addition, Akere

disclosed that GovernorAregbesola is seeking re-election to allow himcomplete the project to takeOsun to greater height,which started in 2010,assuring the masses that hewould not let them down.

He then pledged that thegovernor is workingtowards extendingelectricity to other ruralcommunities in the area thatare yet to be connected tothe national grid.

Responding separately,the community leadersurged government toprovide moreinfrastructures for theirareas, saying their voteswould be used in theinterest of development ofthe communities in theforthcoming election.

They also assured thecampaign train of theirreadiness to vote for theAPC, as long as they arepromised the transformationgoing on in the majortowns.

Osun 2014: Perish Thought Of CapturingOsun In August, APC Chieftain Tells PDP

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Ayo Akande, has told the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) leaders to perish the thought of capturing

the State of Osun like they did in the just-concludedgovernorship election in Ekiti State.

Following the victory ofits candidate, Ayo Fayose,the PDP had vowed toreclaim Osun from APC’sgrip in August to befollowed by the entire SouthWest in the comingelections.

In a statement recently,Akande, who described theloss of Ekiti to PDP ascostly, said the APC will re-strategise and learn from the

Ekiti experience to preventincidence of harassmentand intimidation of partyofficials and voters bysecurity agencies.

“State of Osun will haveno setback and PDP shouldforget capturing it like theyhave been boasting. OgbeniAregbesola has impactedpositively on the lives of thestate, especially the down-trodden.

“The people will not beintimidated, but wouldinsist on their fundamentalrights as enshrined in thecountry’s Constitution.

“APC will need to re-strategise. That experienceof Ekiti is too costly. Apartfrom security intimidation,there was a poor turnout,with a governor gettingelected with just 200,000votes,” Akande said.

He also condemned theharassment of GovernorsAdams Oshiomhole of EdoState and Rotimi Amaechi ofRivers State by securityoperatives drafted to Ekiti tomonitor the election, saying

it was an approach toanarchy.

“The action suggests asemi-military rule. Whichlaw precludes any citizenfrom being in any part of thecountry during elections?

“It was done in bad tasteand an approach to anarchyand it is dangerous to ourdemocracy. These areoppressive tendencies ofthe PDP-led FederalGovernment in recent times.

“And it was seen in thecase of the barring ofAmaechi and Oshiomholefrom entering Ekiti and theclampdown on the ‘bringback our girls’ protesters,”the APC chieftain said.

By SOLA JACOBS

OAU Students RefuseTo Vacate Campus

SOME students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ifein the State of Osun, have refused to vacate theircampus despite the indefinite closure of the institution

by the university’s authority.Students were seen

barricading the gates of theinstitution, while some ofthem hanged on the gatewall, refusing the entry andexit of workers or visitorsinto the institution.

Some of the students whospoke with the medium, saidthat the closure of theinstitution should not be aresponse to their protest onthe hike of tuition fees bythe institution.

They refuted the claimsthat the students locked upthe Vice-Chancellor of theinstitution, Professor TaleOmole and some keyofficers of the institution atthe Senate House onWednesday.

They carpeted theinstitution’s decision,which led to the closure ofthe institution, claiming thatthey only embarked on apeaceful protest, whilenormal academic, as well asadministrative works stillwent on in the institution,while stressing that theclosure of the institutionwas unjustified, but ratherthe institution’s authoritiesshould rescind its decisionto hike the tuition fees.

Others who spoke withOSUN DEFENDER said thehike in the tuition fees in therecent past has not

benefited the students inany way, as the varioushalls of residence are stillovercrowded, while theconveniences and otherbasic amenities in them arein sorry state.

They bemoaned thedecision of the institution’sauthority and vowed toremain on the campus till theinstitution and well-meaning Nigerians willattend to their petition.

They then appealed tothe Federal Government notto make universityeducation an exclusivereserve of few individuals tothe detriment of the wardsfrom poor families.

They reminded thegovernment that youthrestiveness and BokoHaram menace stemmedforth as a result of makingeducation the exclusivereserve of few individualscoupled withunemployment rate in thecountry.

An entry into theuniversity through Road 7in Ile-Ife revealed thatworkers were using the gateand the Obafemi AwolowoUniversity TeachingHospital Complex, whilesecurity was beefed up notto allow non-staffers entryinto the institution throughthe gate.

However, normaladministrative workcontinued in the institution,while few students wereseen packing theirbelongings from the varioushalls of residence.

Efforts to put phone callthrough to the institution’sPublic Relations Officer, MrBiodun Olanrewaju, provedabortive, as his numbercould not be reached.

Meanwhile, othermembers of the institution’scommunity such as tradersand shop owners in theinstitution have difficultiesgetting to their shops, ascommuter buses were beingforced to drop them at theuniversity gate.

They therefore, appealedto the government todialogue with the studentsto resolve the matteramicably soonest.

5 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014

Apart from virtues of hard work,humility, dedication, commitment toservice

, one other quality OgbeniAregbesola possesses which en-dears him to people is his pacificnature. More often than not mes-sages of peace always come outfrom his mouth.

But he (Ogbeni) doesn't onlypreach peace, he also walk the talk.Even when his mandate was stolenby the PDP in 2007 rather than en-courage his supporters and partymembers to engage in violence hecontinued to appeal to them to toethe line of peace. As a peace lovingindividual he headed for the Courtwhere he finally got justice after threeand a half years of perseverance.And even after regaining his stolen

mandate he never avenge in spite ofall the persecutions he went throughin the hands of electoral bandits. Hepreferred to forgive his tormentors.

Thus isn't it the height of mischieffor anyone to come up with allega-tion of planning to cause violenceagainst a personage of this nature? Ofcourse it is! And even if such a wrongallegation would come from anybodyit shouldn't be Omisore whose stockin trade is perpetration of violence andwho derives so much joy from dis-turbing public peace. We see this asa case of the pot calling the kettleblack or a situation whereby the thiefstarts to catch the farm owner be-cause the farm owner is slow in catch-ing the thief.

In his figment of imagination or outof deliberate mischief Omisore hadalleged that "the governor had bought20 Armoured Personnel Carriers

(APCs) which would be used tocause violence during the cominggovernorship election". He had al-leged further that "Aregbesola has apremeditated strategy to releasethese APCs during the election".What a spurious allegation?

For those who care to know orbetter still for the purpose of publicenlightenment the reason for the pur-chase of the said APCs is for furtherdistribution to the security operativesto aid them in their responsibility ofmaintaining peace in the state. Werecall here that the governor had ear-lier distributed some APCs and about120 patrol vans to security agenciesin the state. That was in April 2013at a ceremony where the Inspector-General of Police was representedand the governor did promise on thatoccasion that more would still come.

Thus if there are APCs in govern-ment house why the fuss about theirpresence? We believe commonsense should simply tell anyone thatthese APCs are not purchased forany other ulterior motive other thanto be given to the security person-nel in fulfillment of the governor'spromise to further empower them tomake their job easier.

But at Osun Defender here we arenot in the least surprised that this al-legation is coming from Omisore'scamp. Being a serial liar that he isno serious-minded person shouldtake him serious at all because moreoften than not, lie, and nothing butlie are the words that come out fromhis mouth.

We Are Vessels Of HonourAs one of the

Omoluwabi youths ofthe state, I want toappeal to youths in theState of Osun not to beused as vessels ofhooliganism andthuggery by selfishpoliticians before,during and after thef o r t h c o m i n ggubernatorial electionin the state.

My appeal becomesimperative as theelection is fastapproaching in thestate and as a HighSchool pupil in thestate and based ondiscussions with myage mates, I noticedthat some politicianshave started poisoningthe minds of youthsagainst theadministration in thestate.

Their propaganda

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing

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included the one thatOgbeni Aregbesola’sgovernment hasbastardized thes c h o o l s ’r e c l a s s i f i c a t i o nexercise, which to thebest of myknowledge, is a ruse.

As a pupil of high

school in Osun, in mypersonal observation,no government hasinvested in theeducation sector ofthe state as Ogbeni hasdone. The building ofs t a t e - o f - t h e - a r tschools, the freedistribution of tabletsof knowledge,

otherwise known asOpon-Imo anduniforms, are secondto none in the historyof the state.

Also of note is thepayment of WASCEfees for all final-yearpupils in all publichigh schools, as well

as provision of chairsand tables for eachpupil in the state.

In view of all theseand much more, it isevident that Ogbeniloves us and has a planof a brightertomorrow for us asfuture leaders.

We should

therefore, be wary ofpoliticians, who haveindirectly beenpromising bleaktomorrow and areready to useunsuspecting youthsto their lies, whilethey keep theirchildren away fromthe state.

We are vessels ofhonour and not ofdestruction. Let themknow we areOmoluabis and notOmolangidis, that noone can use forungodly acts.

Up Osun YouthsUp Omoluabis

• A D E F I S A Y OTINUOLA, OlubuseMemorial, GrammarSchool, Ile-Ife, Stateof Osun.

Continued from pg1

Omisore's figment of imagination

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 20146 FEATURE

Why Aregbesola Deserves Four More YearsLIKE most Nigerians, I am utterly

disenchanted by politics. Afterspending two and a half decades

outside the shores of this country andhaving seen good governance in actionin other climes, I should be forgiven forregarding our politicians as liars, egotisticparasites, feeding off our collectiveignorance and apathy, and our currentpolitical system as nothing more thancrass bureaucratic channels offormalising the embezzlement of ourcommon wealth by the corrupt politicalclass.

I can’t but marvel at the uncannysimilarity between our current politicalsystem and the corrupt state of politicsin Britain some 360 odd years ago. Thedifference is that they had the likes ofOliver Cromwell who was prompted todeliver a scathing attack on the Rumpparliament on April 20, 1653 in whichhe bawled out the whole House ofCommons as “... you havedishonoured (the House of Commons)by your contempt of all virtue, anddefiled by your practice of every vice.Ye are a factious crew, and enemiesto all good government. Ye are a packof mercenary wretches, and would,like Esau sell your country for a messof pottage, and like Judas betrayyour God for a few pieces of money.Is there a single virtue now remainingamongst you? Is there one vice youdo not possess? Ye have no morereligion than my horse. Gold IS yourGod. Which of you have not barteredyour conscience for bribes? Is therea man amongst you that has the leastcare for the good of theCommonwealth? Ye sordid prostitutes,have you not defiled this sacredplace, and turned the Lord’s templeinto a den of thieves, by your immoralprinciples and wicked practices? Yeare grown intolerably odious to thewhole nation. You were deputed hereby the people to get grievancesredressed, are yourselves become thegreatest grievance”.

It will not be out of place to surmisethat the above description refers topresent day Nigeria. I wanted to set thisarticle in context as a political observerand commentator who has no partypolitical affiliation. In a country bereftof credible and genuine servant-leaderpoliticians, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola hascaught my fancy and is a refreshingexception to our so-called leaders towhom the above sweeping but aptopprobrium should be directed. As asocial entrepreneur and a student ofpolitics, I can’t but make reference tothe key social evils of most societies likeours which any well-meaninggovernment would seek to tackle withevery ounce of energy and resource attheir disposal. Aregbesola, from hisprogrammes and published plans, has avision of social reconstruction and socialprogress.

The most debilitating and crippling ofall the dreaded evils that are ravagingour society today is poverty. This is thekey social problem which affects all theothers and aggravates their effect.Aregbesola, through his “banish hungerand poverty programmes” as part of theimplementation of his six point agendaprogramme is addressing this giant evil.The provision of a safety net forvulnerable older people in the form ofwelfare support under the” Agba Osun’programme is a laudable initiative. I waspleasantly surprised when my uncle inIlesa showed me his share of a heap 0corn grains (seeds for growing?) whichthe government distributed to all farmers

in his cooperative.Adopting a preventive approach to

health through the “Walk to Live” andthe “Bi-monthly sanitation” initiatives aregood measures to encourage a healthyliving lifestyle amongst Osun stateindigenes. With this positive start, I willbe disappointed if the government doesnot adopt the National Health InsuranceScheme in order to improve healthoutcomes for the citizens of Osun state- especially for the most vulnerable. Theprovision of meals for primary schoolpupils through the O’Meal programmeis also another preventive initiative inaddressing health inequality andwellbeing.

Education is the main antidote toignorance. The government’scommitment to accessible qualityeducation is evident in its variousprogrammes on education. In the wordsof Aregbesola himself, “Well-educated

children will have the confidence to facethe future and remake their world in theirown image. Uneducated or badlyeducated children on the other hand arenot only easy recruits for violent gangs,they are incapable of conceiving beautyand all that is good about man, theenvironment and the good life. They arenaturally predisposed to nihilism” Theintroduction of “Opon Imo” is a brilliantand laudable initiative which promisesto open the imagination of the state’ssecondary school students to technicaladvancement and encouraging them tobecome technological whizzes.Computer skills have become afundamental part of education anddespite the inevitable potential of abuseand misuse, Opon lmo provides that highlevel interactivity between students,teachers and subject matter whilst at thesame time developing the students’cognitive and creative abilities.

Given the unacceptably high level ofunemployment in the country, the

government of the State of Osun ismaking strides in the creation ofemployment. The openness of thegovernment to new ideas and to thinkoutside the box in order to createemployment and improve the economyof the state is there for all to see. Mostimportantly, the recognition that thegovernment needs to work inpartnership with the private and thevoluntary sectors to create jobopportunities and attract investment intothe state is one of the outstandingleadership qualities that theadministration has displayed.

Many of our inner cities and townsare looking like slums as a result of poorplanning, unauthorised buildings and out-buildings and our poor attitude toenvironmental sanitation. Thegovernment’s renewal and regenerationstrategy is therefore bound to beunpopular since they involved thedemolition of some of these aestheticallyunpleasant structures within our innercities. I do hope however, that thegovernment will seek out privateproperty developers to partner with inorder to provide affordable socialhousing for the growing population ofthe state.

The government’s commitment tophysical infrastructure development andmaintenance is visible in terms of roadworks. I was at first critical of thegovernment’s slow start in this area butI have been impressed - as with millionsof others who have visited the staterecently - with the pace and geographicalspread of road construction in the state.Amongst the projects in thegovernment’s infrastructure strategywhich I hope will be jettisoned becauseI remain unconvinced of its economicand commercial viability is the MKOAbiola International Airport. A jointproject to expand the airport in Ibadanor construct Oil” with Ekiti and OndoState located between Ilesa and Akurewould be a better idea and better wayof spending the state’s resources.

A government that encouragesinnovation, promotes socially inclusivepolicies and thinks outside the box iswhat any progressive state needs. Onethat cares about job and wealth creation,security of its citizens, social justice anda general enterprise! In a federal systemlike ours where there is too muchreliance on the centre for monthlyfederal allocation and its attendantwhimsical arbitrariness of the sheerweight of presidential power, the needfor state generated income cannot beoverstate. Aregbesola is doing a lot inthis regard in calling for, and supportingbusiness and social ideas withtransformative potentials for the state -as is typified by the cultural sector.

The first four years of Aregbesola area good pointer to what lies ahead in thenext four – if given the chance. In mypersonal view, he deserves to be giventhe chance - he has earned it! Giventhe state of affairs of the state when hetook over, especially the state of theeducation system and the roadinfrastructure and what he has been ableto achieve, he should be allowed tocontinue. He has succeeded in creatinga feel-good factor in the state which heshould be’ allowed and supported tosustain and translate to improvedeconomic, social, health and educationaloutcomes for all and sundry in ourbeloved state of Osun.

•Olukiran, is a London-basedManagement Consultant.

•Culled from THE NATION

‘A government that encourages innova-tion, promotes socially inclusive policiesand thinks outside the box is what anyprogressive state needs. One that caresabout job and wealth creation, securityof its citizens, social justice and a gen-eral enterprise!’

By AKIN OLUKIRAN

•AREGBESOLA

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014 7

•

All Progressives Congress (APC) 2014 Governorship Mega Rally In Ikirun, StateOf Osun, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI; SHOLA ADERINTO And ABRAHAM

JESUDOYIN.

•

•

•(L-R) State of Osun APC Chairman, Elder Lowo Adebiyi; Honourable Yinka Ajayi; Chief of Staff to State of Osun, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola; Secretary to the StateGovernment of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti and Speaker State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle), in a discussion with the Akirun of Ikirun, Oba Abdul-Rauf Olayiwola Olawale Adedeji (right) with thedeputy governor, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (left) at Akinrun’s Palace before the mega-rally in Ikirun last Tuesday.

•(L-R) Laoye-Tomori; first civilian governor in the State of Osun, Senator Isiaka Adeleke; Governor Aregbesola; his wife, Sherifat and wife of Ogun State Governor, PrincessFunmilayo Amosun at the Ikirun mega rally.

8 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014PHOTOTALK

•Another cross section of the crowd in Ikirun.

•

•

All Progressives Congress (APC) 2014 Governorship Mega Rally In Ikirun, State OfOsun, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI; SHOLA ADERINTO And ABRAHAM JESUDOYIN.

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his wife Sherifat at the Ikirun re-election campaign last Tuesday.

•Some of the Aregbesola supporters hailing the governor.

9OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014 PHOTOTALK

•Some of the PDP members hailing Aregbesola in Ikirun.

•

•A cross section of school pupils struggling to catch a glimpse of the governor in Ikirun township.

All Progressives Congress (APC) 2014 Governorship Mega Rally In Ikirun, State OfOsun, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI; SHOLA ADERINTO And ABRAHAM JESUDOYIN.

•

10 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014PHOTOTALK

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola (on top of a bus), acknowledging cheers from his supporters and admirers at the Ikirun mega rally.

All Progressives Congress (APC) 2014 Governorship Mega Rally In Ikirun, StateOf Osun, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI; SHOLA ADERINTO And ABRAHAM

JESUDOYIN.

•

•

•Governor Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from his ecstatic numerous supporters at the Ikirun APC mega-rally last Tuesday.

11 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014ISSUE ANALYSIS

Aregbesola’s Passion, Care ForWomen, Children And The Vulnerable

Before the inauguration of the present administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the State of Osun, he undoubtedlycame up with a popular six-point integral action plan; banish poverty, banish hunger, banish unemployment (creatework/wealth), restore healthy living, promote functional education and to enhance communal peace and progress, whichthe Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and other government agencies keyed into, and according to thecommissioner, Mrs. Mofolake Adetoun Adegboyega, “all these centered on women, and are issues that concern womenvery much”. This administration in its effort to forestall events and restore confidence to the people of the state inpromoting functional plan and programmes to the longing and aspirations of the people in the state, brought aboutcaring attitude of the Ogbeni’s developmental plans. The Ogbeni’s success story begins with the people of the state whereevidences of his government are felt, and have changed their lives positively. The environment has yielded the dividend ofhis peculiar administration even; the atmosphere in the State of Osun is filled and charged with peace, tranquility, andsecurity. One can say that his administration’s agencies are interwoven for delivery purposes:-

Subvention To Orphanage Homes

THIS administration has providedplatform to assist and encouragecommitted and selfless operators of

registered orphanage homes in the stateas a token from the governor of the Stateof Osun. Fund was approved and releasedas subvention by his administration. Firstquarterly meeting of registered orphanagehome operators was held at thedepartment for close monitoring andevaluation of practices and to uphold bestpractices in orphanage activities. Throughthe ministry, one of the registeredorphanages, named Covenant Orphanage,Moro was chosen and presented differenttangible gift items by Osogbo CBN staff.

School Social WorkIn line with the six-point integral action

plan of Governor Aregbesola, schoolsocial work is engaged as a tool tofacilitate the followings:

·enhancement of communal peace andprogress

·To reduce cases of mal-adjustedbehaviours among school children

·restoration of sound moral values intoschool pupils/students

·Social case work to foster familycohesion

·To identify peculiarities and challengesof each pupil, utilizing mechanism ofschool social work to intervene in a wayto ensure the welfare of such pupil.

·To stem the tide of cultism amongststudents/pupils of primary and secondaryschools.

·To organise preventive programmes inschools through collaboration of stakeholders

·To uphold academic strength ofstudents/pupils by encouraging academicaided culture, habits and principles.

·To unite students/pupils and theirhome fronts in the interest of theiracademic pursuits.

·To stem the scourge of vulnerability inschool children

·Holding counselling retreat for theschool guardians and career counsellors

·Fund was approved and released byGovernor Aregbesola for activities ofschool social work. Social cases treatedacross the six (6) geo-political zonesinclude: counselling, Interview, lectures/talks, Home visit, case conferencing,referral-peculiar cases across the zones.

Reconstruction and Renovation ofCollapsed Fence and Dilapidated Buildingof the Children Rehabilitation Centre

Reconstruction of collapsed fence tosafeguard the lives of the children andprevent encroachment into the childrenRehabilitation Centre, the Ministry hadbeen requesting for fund to reconstructthe collapsed fence since 2005. Severalletters for inspection and bill of quantitywere written to Ministry of Works andTransport. The fund was not released but

when Mr. Governor, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola came on board, fund wasreleased for the reconstruction ofcollapsed fence, which was handled bythe Ministry of Works and Transport. Thecompletion of the reconstruction of thefence and construction of gate house wasincluded in the 2013 Budget Estimates

The renovation of building conforms tothe State Child’s Rights Law, which statesthat all categories of children in difficultcircumstances should enjoy the following:Rights to good health and environment,right to development, right to survival andright to life.

Establishment of vocational unit in theChildren Rehabilitation Centre

In conformity with four of the six-pointintegral action plan of the presentadministration, the ministry rehabilitatedchildren in conflict with law, who haveconstituted nuisance to the society andthreatens the peace of the land byempowering them with vocations thatwould make them to be self-reliant anddependent. Fund was released for theestablishment of vocational centre byAregbesola’s administration. First phaseof the vocational training unit had beencompleted, it comprises of snailry,

(already stocked with snails), equipmentwas also purchased for tailoring andshoe-making materials.

Children End of the Year CelebrationThe Oodua World Children’s Day was

celebrated in the State of Osun onMonday 27th May, 2013 at the State SportStadium Osogbo. The theme for thecelebration was “Treasure OurChildren”. Part of the activities organizedby the ministry to observe the day wereessay, march past competition among thestudents from the state and students frominvited Yoruba-speaking states in Nigeria,calisthenics was displayed by schoolchildren. The State of Osun CulturalTroupe also contributed their quota to theactivities. Top traditional Yoruba Obasfrom far and near including Ooni of Ife,Oba Okunade Sijuwade; the Alaafin ofOyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and othernotable Obas from Diasporas were inattendance.

The Year 2013 End of the Year Party forthe children of the State of Osun wascarried out on Monday, 23rd December,2013. The programme was jointlyorganized by the Ministry and Office ofthe Wife of the Executive Governor, Stateof Osun.

The party is celebrated annually

purposely to bring all categories ofchildren, irrespective of their religion,social background and ethnic grouptogether to interact, move closer, dine andwine with Her Excellency, Mrs. SherifatAregbesola, wife of the ExecutiveGovernor of the State of Osun, who wasthe Chief Hostess and Mother of the Day.

Distribution of Nutritional andEducational Materials to VulnerableChildren

The Ministry in collaboration withOsun State Agency for the Control ofAIDs (O-SACA) distributed nutritionaland educational to support 400 vulnerablechildren, who were in dire need ofassistance in public primary and publicsecondary schools.

The programme was held at the hall ofMoremi Creche New Secretariat Complex.The objective of the distribution was toalleviate the challenges faced by thesechildren in their schools and at home.

Assistance for individuals in need:A seven year old rape victim was

financially supported with the sum ofN100,000 for surgical operation, twowomen diagnosed of cancer of the breastwere assisted with the sum of sevenhundred thousand (N700,000.00) forchemotherapy treatment O’YES Corpsmembers, who are couple that gave birthto a set of triplet were supported withtheir medical bill fully settled andempowered to be able to carry on with themaintenance and sustenance of theirchildren; A one-year old girl of destituteparents, who was diagnosed of criticalmal-nutrition and dysentery was referredby the Ministry to a registered NonGovernmental Organization (NGO), Ebun-Oluwa Foundation for further in-depthmedical examination; A mother of tripletwith chronic Tuberculosis infection wassupported by this administration to getoptimum medical attention, while herchildren received essential foodsupplements for a quick recovery.

An adopted child in need of support isbeing sponsored educationally by theGovernment of the State of Osun topursue her University programme. Acritically ill widow from Osogbo zone, whois a mother of three, without any source ofincome was empowered to start-off with atrade of her choice.

Adoption (local) Visitation87 homes of Adopters were visited

across the Federation for follow-up andupdated reports on adopted children byZonal Welfare Officers and reportsgathered on adopted children revealedthat there was no negative report on anyof the children. Homes were fostered inlove. Intervention and psycho-sociosupport was given to a battered younglady.

•AREGBESOLA

By MOSES BOBA

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 201412 FEATURE

Ekiti And PDP Anticipated IllusiveVictory In Osun Gov Election

Continued on page 13

THE Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has won a big shot. It addeda feather cap to its wings, when

majority thought PDP was losing thefeathers one-by-one. Bewildermentcrowded Ekiti and other neighbouringstates when the information filtered roundthe state that Mr Ayodele Fayode of thePDP had won the June 21 governorshipelection, even before the IndependentNational Electoral Commission (INEC)made the official announcement. Alas!INEC declared Fayose as the winner witha landslide. Fayose polled 203, 090 votes,while the incumbent governor, Dr KayodeFayemi of the All Progressives Congress(APC), polled 120, 433. The returningofficer, who happened to be the ViceChancellor of the Federal University, OyeEkiti, Professor Isaac Azuzu said: AyodeleFayose of the PDP, haven certified therequirement of the law and scored thehighest number of votes, is herebydeclared the winner and is returnedelected.”

Fayose won his first governorshipelection in 2003 and was impeached in2006 by 24 out of 26 members of the StateHouse of Assembly. He is currently facingcharges of corruption filed against him bythe Economic Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC) at a High Court.Fayemi won his governorship election in2007, but was not declared winner until2010 by the Court of Appeal. Fayose, aformer governor is now a governor-elect,while Fayemi, the incumbent governor isnow ascribed a former governor.

The outcome of the Ekiti governorshipelection stunned loyalists and supportersof the APC across the globe. They couldnot believe PDP could wake up from thedead to win a governorship election in theSouth-West, where it was believed theparty was going into extinction. But,politics played itself.

While observing the election process,it was discovered that the PDP bought thelarge chunk of its votes from the

electorate. In some local governmentcouncil areas like Moba, Ido-Osi,Ilejemeje, Ekiti-West, where OSUNDEFENDER observed the election, therewas no violence and the election was fairand transparent. However, some of theelectorate confided in OSUN DEFENDERthat the PDP gave them money to vote forFayose. Both the PDP and LP memberswere also financially mobilized to work forFayose’s victory, it was learnt. Evenwhere the PDP had no strong base,Fayose polled spirited votes.

The medium discovered that there wasan alliance between the Labour Party andthe PDP: the two parties fought for acommon goal, which was to eject Fayemifrom the Government House. Thecandidate of the LP, Opeyemi Bamidelehad severed ties with the APC, a platformhe used to win the House ofRepresentatives election in 2011 andpitched his tent with the LP to contest thegovernorship election. Investigationrevealed that the LP agents in somepolling units on the election day werePDP members, and there was directive toall the LP members to vote for PDP. TheLP hardly had 10 votes in some of thepolling units, and its agents wereundisturbed. Historically, LP has alwaysbeing receptive to the PDP.

Some of the factors that worked againstFayemi, according to some politicians,were the established Bamidele’sdissentient to the governor’s secondterm; Fayose’s popularity, Fayemi’s elitistcharacter and politics of isolation, asdefined by many people. It was said thatFayemi had no strong structure like thatof Bamidele and Fayose, and that thegovernor does not have a goodrelationship with the people at thegrassroots.

The jubilation for Fayose’s victory waswild: It cut across the entire state. It was a

landmark victory for the PDP family. Whilereturning from Ekiti, OSUN DEFENDERran into a crowd in Ora-Igbomina in theState of Osun. The crowd was jubilatingover the PDP victory in Ekiti State. Thegeneral talks from the PDP fold were that“‘Osun is next’, we will reclaim Osun,Aregbesola should start packing.” ThePDP members have the impression thatOsun APC will suffer the same fate withthat of the Ekiti. They also rely on thehelp of the Federal Government, whichfinanced the larger part of the Ekitielection. Already, Osun PDP is imaginingits uncertain victory in the August 9, 2014governorship election in the state.

But, some factors that worked againstAPC’s victory in Ekiti are not present inOsun, and they will never surface,considering the leadership style ofAregbesola. It would be a miscalculationfor the PDP to rely on the strategyemployed in the Ekiti election for Osun;reason being that the politics of the twostates differs.

The National Chairman of the PDP,Alhaji Adamu Muazu, had warned thePDP governorship candidate in the state,Senator Iyiola Omisore, that it would bedifficult to defeat Aregbesola in thegubernatorial election. Aregbesola is apolitician of repute. He is loved, not onlyby the politician, but by the electorate andother people. Aregbesola’s structure cutsacross every local government councilarea of the state. Aregbesola is a noble inOsun politics. He is a schemer, a politicalanalyst, a charismatic leader, a managerand a team player. Aregbesola buildspeople around him and does notdisconnect himself from the structuresthat fought the struggle with him.

Ever before he became the governor, hehas been enjoying the support andloyalty of the people. He has thecredibility that sold all the candidates ofthe then Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) to the electorate in the 2011

By ISMAEEL UTHMANelections, and all of them won. He isrunning an unusual government. He walksin the midst of thousands of people of thestate every month in his Walk To Liveprogramme. He has a feedback mechanismthat is very effective; Ogbeni Till DayBreak and Gbangba D’ekun as examples.He has informants that that keep himupdated on all issues in the state.Aregbesola never allows any of the APCstructure to crumble. He has 31 Executivesecretaries that are loyal to his cause, andthese politicians have influence in theirvarious council areas.

An undisputed fact is that majority ofthe professionals, artisans, traders andlabour unions are strongly in support ofthe governor. The Iyalojas, a platform thatwas not viable before Aregbesola’semergence, is now a force to reckon with.The Iyalojas, a grassroots structure,according to findings, are majormobilisation structure for the APC.Aregbesola has also empowered theartisans, who are majorly apoliticalpersons through the Osun SchoolInfrastructural Development Committee(O’ Schools). The traditional institutionsare also in good accord with the governor.Also, the governor has empoweredtraders through their cooperativesocieties with loans.

Frankly speaking, Aregbesola’sachievements are unprecedented in thestate, and the electorate appreciate seriesof developmental projects that have so farbeen executed. Recently, the Osogboindigenes awarded Aregbesola with atraditional titled of ………, to appreciatethe development of the state capital. Nocommunity and no household in the statecould lay claim that it has not benefited inone way or the other in his administration.Each of the 31 local governments has atleast 10 kilometer tarred roads and modernschools. The 20, 000 OYES cadets alsohave influence in the governorshipelection.

•Governor Aregbesola (right), addressing the ecstatic crowd during his re-election mega rally in Iwo.

13 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014FEATURE

Ekiti And PDP Anticipated Illusive Victory In Osun Gov ElectionUnlike Ekiti, scores of PDP chieftains

have been defecting to the APC. Therecent is that of Senator IsiakaAdeleke, the first executive governorof the state. Adeleke is an influential andstrong politician in the state. He left PDPfor APC because he was beingthreatened. All his structures, loyalistsand supporters in all nooks andcrannies of the state followed him tothe APC. Notable PDP chieftains thatjoined APC with Adeleke included:State Deputy Chairman of the PDP,Alhaji Basiru Tokunbo Salami, formerchairman, Irepodun Local Government,Kamorudeen Ajisafe, former chairman,Boripe Local government, Mr BimboOyedele, former Chairman, AyedireLocal Government, Alhaji Musa Bilau,former Commissioner for LocalGovernment , Prince Adesoji Baderin,former Chairman, Iwo LocalGovernment, former vice chairman,Ede-South Local Government, AlhajiRasheed Adio, former leader, Ede-South local government, Hon BayoAminu, Chief Adeleke Okinni, EngineerLambe, Hon Nathaniel Adetona, HonAkeem Bello Atanda, Waheed Oni,Jimoh Oyekanmi and Sikiru Olayiwola,among others.

Aregbesola’s campaigns havealways being greeted with mammoth

crowd. All the communities andconstituencies in the state are veryreceptive to the Aregbesola’s campaignrally. The okada riders and membersof the Nigerian Union of RoadTransport Workers (NURTW) and theRoad Transport Employer Association(RTEAN) do not hide their support forAregbesola.

PDP in the State of Osun is suffering

from internal crisis. The party is inshambles, according to observation.The governorship ticket of the party haspolarized it. Former Secretary to theState Government, Alhaji FataiAkinbade, former Attorney General ofthe State, Mr Niyi Owolade andAdeleke left the PDP due to the crisesthat engulfed the party on thegovernorship ticket. Omisore’s faction

is now left with the PDP. Osun PDPhas no structure to win election like thatof Ekiti PDP. The party, if at all wantsto form alliance with other oppositionparty, has not strong party to align with.The Labour Party candidate, AlhajiFatai Akinbade left the PDP becauseof Omisore.

Omisore is not a popular politicianamong the electorate in the State ofOsun. He is not as popular as Fayose.He lost his senatorial election toSenator Jide Omoworare in 2011general elections. Omisore’santecedents pose serious threats to hisambition, said Mr Adelani Baderinwa,the Senior Special Assistant to theGovernor on Information andStrategies. One major shot that hasbeen working against Omisore is thedeath of the former Attorney Generalof the Federation, Chief Bola Ige.Omisore was arrested, remanded inprison custody for his allegedinvolvement in the Ige killing, but theIle-Ife born politician was dischargedand acquitted of the allegation. “Itwould have been a different ballgamein Osun politics had the PDP presenteda credible candidate, unlike Omisore,”Adelani said. The PDP victory in Ekitistate does not affect Osun, even whenthe party continues to imagine its illusoryvictory in the forthcoming governorshipelection in the state.

•FAYEMI •FAYOSE

Continued from page 12

How PDP Influenced Fayose’s Election With N10bn;Earmarks N28bn To Influence Osun Gov ElectionFRESH facts on how the Peoples Democratic

Party (PDP) influenced the election of Mr AyoFayose as the governor-elect of Ekiti State, last

Saturday, have emerged.Investigation by OSUN DEFENDER showed that

to a large extent, the result of the election which DrKayode Fayemi, the incumbent governor, thegovernorship candidate of All Progressives Congress(APC), was far from being categorised as credible.

The first indication to show that the Ekitigovernorship election was not credible was the arrestand detetention of some members of GovernorFayemi’s cabinet and some APC bigwigs in the statewho had one or two things to contribute towards thesuccess of their party at the polls few hours to theconduct of the election.

It would also be recalled that the Rivers Stategovernor, Barrister Rotimi Amaechi, who is an APCgovernor, was prevented from entering Ekiti Statethrough Ondo State.

All entreaties by some of the national leaders ofthe APC to the soldiers who were carrying out theexercise of preventing Governor Amaechi fromentering Ekiti State, fell on deaf ear, predicating thedevelopment on the order from above.

Governor Amaechi who went back withdisappointment while some of the soldiers threatenedto shoot him if he should advance further got anothershocker of his life when his chattered plane wasimpounded at the Akure Airport. The Rivers Stategovernor had to go back to Lagos by road from wherehe went back to his state.

If Amaechi was lucky to make it to the boundaryof Ondo and Ekiti states, his counterpart from EdoState, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was not allowedto make the journey as his chattered plane wasgrounded at the Benin Airport.

Further investigation indicated that all the PDP

governors were tasked to raise N10 billion, part ofwhich was spent to prosecute the Ekiti governorshipelection.

It was learnt that the students of University of Ado-Ekiti and Adekunle Ajasin University were mostly usedto unduly influence the election.

Each of the prospective voters were promisedN30,000 with N20,000 paid in advance while theremaining N10,000 was paid to those who partookin the ignoble role.

It was gathered that the voters’ cards were collectedfrom the contractor-voters and given to them the dayPresident Goodluck Jonathan led a mega-rally forFayose’s governorship aspiration in Ado-Ekiti.

That was the reason the contractor-voters weretold to show their voters’ cards at the rally to convinceJonathan that the money arranged for the Fayosepolitical abracadabra was judiciously used. The illicitelectoral activity was said to have started during theregistration of voters’ cards.

It was also learnt that while the Ekiti Stategovernment gave a directive closing the tertiaryinstitutions few days to the election, Fayose electedto feed them for the period, with a directive that theyshould not go to their various homes.

The militarisation of Ekiti State shortly before andafter the election is considered a flagrant breach offundamental freedom of movement.

If the sum of N10 billion was used to undulyinfluence the choice of the voters by the PDP in theEkiti governorship election, investigation revealed thatthe national leadership of the party has earmarkedN28 billion to prosecute the August 9, 2014governorship election in the State of Osun.

It was learnt that the PDP leadership of the party

decided to hike the largese for dubious contractor-voters because of the undisputable popularity ofAregbesola in Osun.

Investigation showed that N100,000 has beenearmarked for each of the contractor-voters in Osun.Sixty-thousand naira is to be given to each of thedubious voters before the exercise while the remainingN40,000 would be paid after the election.

It was also gathered that those who have submittedtheir voters’ cards to the PDP candidate in the electionhave already been given N10,000 while some whowere not so lucky were given between N4,000 andN5,000.

Like they did in the Ekiti election, when they cameto campaign for Omisore, the dubious voters wouldalso be asked to show their voters’ cards; this is thebasis of the bravado of the PDP members in Osun.

In furtherance of this, the PDP has its moles in theAPC who have been saddled with the responsibilityof causing disaffection among the rank and file of theAPC members.

It was also learnt that some of the legworkers ofthe Omisore political aspiration have infiltrated theOYES, the Academic Staff Union of Universities,students of tertiary institutions like the College ofEducation, Ila-Orangun; College of Education, Ilesa;Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and College of Scienceand Technology, Esa-Oke.

To convince Omisore and the PDP that they wereloyal to him, the Presidents of the affected students’unions, have been staging sponsored protests againstthe Aregbesola administration with the buses boughtfor them by Aregbesola.

The association of teachers of tertiary institutionsin the state who have been on strike before now arenot likely to call off the strike at the instance of Omisoreuntil after the election.

By ALANI IFAGBAMILA

FEATURE

14 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014FEATURE

•OMISORE •ADELEKE •ADESIYAN

A memorable quote from SenatorIsiaka Adeleke on the PDP candidatein the State of Osun, Senator IyiolaOmisore, Minister of Police Affairs,Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan and another PDPchieftain in the state, Sogo Agboola.

Omisore, Police Minister Beat Me Up - Adeleke“On entering the hall, I saw Omisore, Adesiyan, Sogo

Agboola sitting together. I went to Adesiyan to complainthat police officers and DSS operatives were holdingparty men outside. But, instead of listening to me, hejumped over a table before him and hit me with a blowon the chest. Sogo Agboola also attacked me. Before Iknew what was happening, Omisore hit me with a blowfrom the back. About seven guns corked were pointed atme,” Adeleke asserted.

•Culled from Nigerian Tribune,Thursday April 3, 2014

15 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, June 26, 2014 PHOTOTALK

•

•A mammoth crowd at the rally.

All Progressives Congress (APC) 2014 Governorship Mega Rally In Ikirun, State OfOsun, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI; SHOLA ADERINTO And ABRAHAM JESUDOYIN.

•Okada riders during the rally.

•Former governor of the State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, waiving to GovernorAregbesola at Ada on his way to Ikirun rally last Tuesday. •Public school pupils welcoming Aregbesola to Ikirun.

THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2014

www.osundefender.org THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA

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 (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.

Fayose intoxicated by accidental victoryFayose intoxicated by accidental victory

Fayose intoxi-cated by acci-dental victory

The Governor ofOsun, Ogbeni RaufAregbesola, has de-scribed the outburstof the Ekiti StateGovernor -e l ec t ,Ayodele Fayose, asan 'over-reaching eu-phoria of a coinci-dental victory.'

Fayose on Thursday said Aregbesolais 'dangerous to Nigeria's democracy' forallegedly calling on his All ProgressiveCongress (APC) supporters to dear se-curity agents during elections.

Aregbesola, in a statement by the Di-rector, Bureau of Communications andStrategy, Office of the Governor, Mr.Semiu Okanlawon, said Fayose is onlywhipping a dead horse by referring to amedia report which had been refuted withthe retraction published by the samenewspaper that published it.

A newspaper had last week publisheda news item wherein it claimed thatAregbesola asked his supporters to daresecurity agents during election.

Okanlawon, disclosed that the misrep-resentation of what the governor saidhad, the following day, been refuted in awell-explained response to the newspa-per.

He said that Fayose, in an over-joyouscelebration of a victory, which subtlycame through a yet to be ascertainedmistery, need to demonstrate that his vic-tory at the poll on June 21 is not a fluke.

The statement said : "we think that af-ter his so-called victory, Fayose shouldbe busy with and worry more on howhis government hopes to contend withsustaining and surpassing the hugeachievements recorded by the KayodeFayemi administration before the peopleof

Fayose

"Whatever transpired during that elec-tion may be hidden today. Nothing canbe hidden permanently from the people.

"But it is germane to say that whathappened in Ekiti has no bearing or ef-fect on Osun. Here, we are different;the terrain is different; so are the peopleand politics.

"We are not in anyway perturbed bythe phyrric victory in Ekiti. Ekiti is Ekiti;Osun is Osun. The two are not thesame neither are they comparable.

"Therefore the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) and Ayodele Fayose andtheir ilk should continue to dwell in theirillusory world of 'as it is in Ekiti, soshall it be in Osun."

Okanlawon reiteratedthat the governor onlycalled on the police todo their job of protect-ing rather than intimidat-ing the people, whowant to exercise theircivic duties.

He stated that while the people are ex-ercising their civic responsibilities includ-ing voting, soldiers and police men andmen of other security agencies have theconstitutional right to protect and notto bully or cower them into submittingto the whims and caprice of some self-ish politicians.

The governor's spokesperson notedthat the people of Osun, for the pastfour years, have enjoyed peace underAregbesola's government, saying that inas mush as the people wouldn't engagein any act that will tamper with or sapthe atmosphere of peace, the securityagencies also have a duty to comple-ment the efforts of the peace-lovingpeople by not taking side with any groupor political party or being overzealousin carrying out their lawful duties.

According to Okanlawon, it thereforeamounts to a contradiction for anybodyto think that daring the security agen-cies would be the ideal thing to do forthe peace-loving people of Osun.

He continued: "Asking the people todare soldiers or any security agency atthat, will amount to promoting anarchywhich a governor like Aregbesola willnot do.

"The governor is a lover of peace andhis government has never treated secu-rity issue in the state with a kid's glove.

"Osun did not become one of themost peaceful state in the country over-night but for the diligent efforts of Gov-ernor Aregbesola in promoting harmo-nious rapport between the citizenry andthose who have the constitutional du-ties to protect them.

"To put the record straight, the gov-ernor only directed the people acrossthe state to go out en mass to vote, pro-tect their votes and not to be intimidatedby security agents or members of theopposition political parties before andduring the election."

Ekiti get impatient with him."But for the lopsided democracy en-

trenched in this part of the world, in-dividuals like this, who have no busi-ness in front of a Government House,would have today through a sleuth ofhand find themselves in position of re-sponsibility, which they once had andfrittered away.