VOL. 10. NO.028 N100Tuesday, March 31, 2015

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

Front Page Comment

- See Story On Page 2

Buhari Sweeps Osun, APC Clears 3 Senatorial, 7 Reps Seats

Presidential, NASS Elections:

•As Omisore, Adesiyan, Oyedokun Lose Polling Units

Asiwaju At 63: Aregbesola Says Tinubu’s Sacrifice, Vision Have Advanced Nigeria’s Democratic Ideals - See Story On Page

5

Buhari,Tinubu And The New National MajorityWith the last dying gasp

of the old order, a new society is been midwifed. The presidential election on the 28th of this month will be pivotal alright but what else does it portend? In a way, it makes us to recall a famous quip by the legendary manager of

Liverpool Football c lub B i l l shank ly. Pressed as to the real essence of footbal l , shankly memorably stated,” football is not a matter of life and death, actually, it’s much more important than that”.

Paraphrasing shankly, this is not just an electoral cycle and its not just another election, actually it’s much more important than that. The highly respected awujale of Ijebuland alluded to this recently. Out of

p r e s u m a b l y exasperation, he was to state that in over a fifty-year electoral cycle, he had never seen an election of this intensity. The awujale was being c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y polite. In this election, the

agents and privees of the outgoing regime have thrown the kitchen sink not just at Muhammadu Buhari but also at the social cohesion of the Nigerian state.

religion, ethnic divide, everything has been used

to contrive a divide based on destroying the social solidarity of the Nigerian state.

The intensity says it all, that there is more than an election at play. In essence and there are echoes of 1993 here. What is in construction here is a

Continued on page 6

2osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31, 2015

By kazeeM MOhaMMed

By shINa aBuBakar

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, casting his vote at ward 8, unit 01 ifofin, Ilesa during the Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives’ general elections last Saturday.

Osun APC Clears 3 Senatorial, Seven Reps Seats•As Omisore, Adesiyan, Oyedokun Lose Polling UnitsThe all Progressives congress (aPc) has cleared all

the three senatorial seats and seven out of the nine house of representatives seat of the state of Osun.

Senator Olusola Adeyeye was returned for Osun Central with 137,379 votes, while his PDP counterpart scored 82, 529 votes; Senator Babajide Omoworare defeated his PDP opponent Mr Francis Fadahunsi in Osun East with 101,352 votes, while Senator Isiaka Adeleke defeated Akinlabi Olasunkanmi of the PDP in Osun West with 133,009 votes.

F o r t h e H o u s e o f Representatives, the APC cand ida t e s i n O s ogbo F e d e r a l C o n s t i t u e n c y, Lasun Yusuff; Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency, Yinka Ajayi; Ila Federal Constituency, Femi Fakeye; Ijesa-South Federal Constituency, Ajibola Famurewa; Ede Federal Constituency, Professor

Mojeed Alabi; Iwo Federal Constituency, Gafar Amere and Irewole/Ayedaade/Isokan Federal constituency,

Ayo Omidiran were declared the winners of the election.

The PDP candida tes in I jesa-North Federa l Constituency, Wole Oke, defeated his APC opponent, Nathaniel Agunbiade, while Albert Adeogun of the PDP defeated the incumbent APC

candidate in Ife Federal C o n s t i t u e n c y, R o t i m i Makinde.

Meanwhile, the duo of the Minister of State for Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan and the PDP candidate in the August 9, 2014 governorship election were defeated in their various polling units

in Odeomu, and Ile-Ife respectively.

Fadahuns i , t he PDP senatorial candidate in Osun East was said to be able to secure such much votes as a result of his alleged attack on APC members and supporters on the election day forcing voters to vote

for him.Also , former deputy

National Chairman of the PDP, South West, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun reportedly lost his polling unit in Inisa, Odo-Otin Local Government Council Area of the state.

News

Low Turn-out Mar Poll In Osogbo Federal ConstituencyeLecTOraTe in Osogbo Federal constituency of the

state of Osun thronged to their various polling units to perform their civic duty of voting for a presidential candidate of their choice and members of parliament as the rescheduled general elections commenced on saturday.

H o w e v e r, u n l i k e t h e governorship election last year August, turn-out in most polling units visited by the medium was average, as some voters stayed back at their various homes, while those that travelled did not bother to come home for the poll.

It was observed at various

polling units in Osogbo, the state capital, that voters were conscious of the fact the senatorial election may have issues, particularly as the PdP candidate, Mr Oludaisi aina, had embarked on inducing the electorate to vote for him at other local government council

areas, hence their resolve to ensure that the result from the Osogbo and Olorunda council areas neutralised the outcome from others.

At most polling units in the state capital, voters were observed confirming outcome of the poll from other parts of the senatorial district with a view to knowing how to mobilise more supporters for the APC senatorial candidate.

L i k e d u r i n g t h e l a s t governorship election in the state, one of the strategies deployed by the PDP to conquer

the determination of the people and ensure that they voted for it was promising the people of payment of the sum of N2000 to N3000 per voter a day to the election and on election day.

Also, parts of the strategy was t he ea r l y morn ing clampdown on community leaders, APC chieftains, polling agents and identified youths in APC strong base in the state.

However, the strategies worked against the party, as the youths and some elderly people saw the money offered them as their share of the national cake, while others simply rejected it and voted for the candidate of their choice.

O s u N d e F e N d e r observed in the federa l constituency that residents in the area thronged the polling units as early as 7.00am, waiting for the commission ad hoc staff and when they appeared with card readers, the electorate were elated.

The card readers were functional in most parts of the federal constituency, but some failed to read fingers of the prospective voters and incident forms were filled for such voters.

At Owode Ward 6, Unit 2, where the State Deputy Governor voted, i t took

her about 60 seconds to be accredited and she returned to vote at the unit around 3:39pm, and similarly, Honourable Wa s e e u A d e b a y o w a s accredited within 30 seconds.

PDP members in the state capital were surprised with the trend of voting even before ballot counting commenced, as many of them thought the money they distributed, as well as food items would work magic for them, but it only got them some votes below their expectations.

As at the time of filing this report, the Senator representing Osun Central and who is also a candidate, Professor Sola Adeyeye, was coasting home to victory, as results from Boluwaduro, Osogbo, Olorunda, Ila, Irepodun, Odo-Otin, Ifelodun council areas were in his favour.

Similarly, the member for the current House of Representatives, Honourable Lasun Yusuf, was also in comfortable lead, as the result from all the council areas in the zone was in his favour.

Aregbesola Adjudges Election PeacefulGOVerNOr of the state of Osun, Ogbeni rauf

aregbesola, has adjudged the conduct of the presidential and National assembly elections process

where he voted as commendable and peaceful.He spoke while addressing the press shortly after casting his

By kazeeM MOhaMMed

vote with other members of his family in Ifofin Ward 8, Unit 1, Ilesa-East Local Government Council Area of the state at about 1:58pm on Saturday.

The governor, who had earlier done his accreditation at about 10.40am before returning to cast his vote, said the conduct of the exercise was an indication that the nation’s democracy has improved greatly.

According to him, with the reports from around the state, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be commended for reacting promptly to few hitches which arose from the card reader operation.

According to him, the hitches in the card reader operation were minimal that it could not affect the conduct of the poll.

He noted that despite the little complaints on the card readers, INEC must be commended for introducing the system, saying it has improved the efficiency of the process.

The governor added that Nigerians should be commended for allowing the electoral process to go on hitch-free, saying it was an indication that the nation is getting better by the day.

He however, said Nigerians must keep watch on the processes to ensure that the election is eventually concluded

successfully, saying, “we must all ensure the success of this election and we must get it right this time, so that we will not be a laughing stock before the whole of Africa and the world”.

He also raised concern that the combination of the presidential and National Assembly elections made the process cumbersome that it might result to too many voided votes.

The security operatives, he added, were more decorum and exude dignity that should be in their operation during the exercise.

“We must give it to those that introduced the use of card readers in this election, because the introduction has improved the processes in terms of efficiency and credibility.

“In terms of security, the situation in Osun now is different from what happened on August 9, 2014, when hooded men, terrorists were deployed to intimidate the people and people still refused to be intimidated.

“In this election, the security men have learnt to be decorum, they exude dignity that should be in the security operations,” he added.

By shINa aBuBakarOsun Deputy Governor Commends INEC, VotersThe deputy Governor of the state of Osun, Otunba

(Mrs) Grace Laoye-Tomori, has commended the people of the state for showing their love and support for the

all Progressives congress (aPc) by voting for its candidate in the March 28 elections.

She s ta ted this whi le speaking with journalists after casting her vote at her polling unit in Owode Ward 6 in the state capital.

The deputy governor also lauded the maturity with which the people handled issues during the election, the support enjoyed from them by security operatives and INEC staff and making the entire process a success.

L a o y e - To m o r i t h e n a c k n o w l e d g e d t h e overwhelming support the people of the state from all the local government council areas gave the governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, as he emerged victorious at the poll, saying the governor would repay the good by rededicating himself to serving them better.

She disclosed that the wind of change that is blowing in the state would soon spread to the whole of the country as results from all states began to filter into the INEC headquarters.

She then called on the

teeming populace to continue to live with one another peacefully, saying the period of politicking is over and every resident should live in harmony and be part of

developing the state and take it to greater height.

In the same vein, the l a w m a k e r r e p r e s e n t i n g Olorunda State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, after voting at his Oluode Unit disclosed that the card readers was an improvement on the electoral process, affirming that it would curb the act of electoral malpractices by politicians.

He also commended the people of the area for standing by the APC despite being induced by the PDP with cash, expressing satisfaction with the turn-out of the poll.

He also urged the people to turn out en mass on April 11 to show support for the party and vote for its candidate in the State House of Assembly.

Speaker, Prof Alabi Laud Card ReadersPeaker, state of Osun house of assembly, honourable

Najeem salaam has lauded the innovation of smart card reader introduced by Independent National

electoral commission (INec) saying that the device, despite some justifiable challenges associated with any innovation, was a success story.

Speaker Salaam spoke to journalists in Ejigbo after his accreditation at Ward 4, Unit 6, Oke Odo Ilupeju, said it took less than 10 seconds to be accredited and primed for voting; noting that it was a radical departure from the cumbersome process of the past.

Speaker Salaam reiterated that with the Permanent Voter’s card and smart card reader, the nation was moving close

to almost flawless election in the future.

Speaking on the security situation in Ejigbo, Speaker Salaam observed that the security agencies have not done badly, but called for vigilance on the part of the electorate at different polling stations across the state.

A l s o , P r o f e s s o r Mojeed Alabi, a House of Representative candidate of the All Progressives Congress

(APC) for Ejigbo/Egbdore/Ede North/Ede South Federal Constituency, commended INEC for the use of the card reader.

Alabi, who cast his vote at Unit 2, Ward 2, Ejigbo said: “The card reader has been fantastic. I did my accreditation with the card reader in less than one minute. The accreditation was fas te r than manual accreditation.

“The card reader no doubt added to the credibility of the election. With the card reader, fake voter cards could not be used and election results cannot be manipulated. The card reader is good omen to credible and civilized electoral system of Nigeria.”

By IsMaeeL uThMaN

3 News osun DefenDer Tuesday, March

•Deputy governor, State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori, cast her vote at Owode Unit 2, Ward 6 at Olorunda local government area of the State of Osun during the Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives’ general elections last Saturday. Photo: SHOLA ADERINTO.

By FraNcIs ezedIuNOElections: Large Turnout Of Voters Recorded In EdeThOuGh every where wore an ambience of serene

silence, the electorate were observed as early as possible trooping out en masse and making their

ways to their polling booths in ede township.Some of the polling booths visited at Sagba Abogunde, Ologun Agbaakin Ward 04

(Muslim Grammar School), Station Road, Oja Timi, Atapa, Oke Gada all in Ede North Local Government witnessed large turnout of eligible voters.

In some of the units visited, accreditation was observed to have started on the hour of 8:00am but many of the electorate complained of the card reader as the machine malfunctioned and they were finding it difficult to get accredited, meanwhile accrediation in some units went on smoothly.

Security was tight as men of the Nigerian Army, Police, Civil Defence Corp could be observed on the major junctions like Timi Agbale roundabout, NYSC Junction, Akoda Junction.

At Alajue 1, Ward 4, Ede South Local Government Council Area, accreditation started at 8:00am and the electorate were observed going about the business of the day with ease and in a peaceful manner.

Adedayo Olayinka, at Alajue 1, noted that the INEC Staff were on hand on time and accreditation of eligible voters commenced on time.

A v o t e r, C l e m e n c e Romoke, who said she had been at the polling station before 8:00am and her accreditation and that of others went smoothly and the INEC Ad hoc staff at the polling unit made it known that actual voting would start by 1:00am.

At Seventh Day Adventist Grammar School, Ede, the same thing was observed, as many of the voters initially complained of the card reader, a situation which was later resolved and accreditation went on smoothly.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) electoral officer interviewed at Ward 4, Ede South Local Government Council Area revealed that the problem with the card reader machine was because the protective sticker that came with the machine was yet to be taken off.

He also explained that the commission had made provisions in case their accreditation did not sail through for an Incidence Form, which was another option.

He however, maintained that all the materials they needed were made available from the INEC Headquarters in Osogbo.

At Agip Area, a voter, Ahmed Adesola, disclosed that the exercise had been calm and despite the fact that they were positioned far from each polling unit, the security operatives had carried themselves in a civilized manner.

In all the polling units i n E d e N o r t h L o c a l Government Council Area, voting started at exactly

1:00pm except at Oba Laoye, Alajue 1, Ward 4, Unit 4, where voting started by 2:00pm due to logistic concerns.

In Ede North, around Sagba, Olaogun, Ologun Agbaakin, Elerin, Poly Junction, voting commenced on the hour of 1:00pm and it was observed in some polling units that pregnant women and the physically-challenged were seen being separated from the able-bodied voters.

A voter, Mrs. Balkis A d e b o l a , a t S a b o Agbangudu, Ede North, maintained that the election and voters came out enmasse to exercise their franchise.

She expressed hope that since the exercise was conducted without fear, the people would be respected and subsequent elections would not be rigged.

There was a reported case by Olawale Abogunde of the INEC card reader developing e lect ronic issues, which el ici ted negative comments from the voters against the adhoc staff at Oja Timi, within 30 minutes, the problem was corrected and accreditation went on.

Abdulateef Marian from Sagba, on her own, said she had never had it as calm and peaceful as this, as it further indicated that Nigeria could conduct a free and fair election.

On further verification, it was learnt that the reason for taking this action was to prevent them from being exposed to the sunlight.

A general stroll through the major streets and roads in Ede North and South local government council areas revealed that the streets were deserted and some children were spotted using the opportunity to play game of football.

Some others chanced on

the opportunity and were engaged in brisk commercial activities like frying bean cake, selling of various brands of soft drinks, cooked food and sale of recharge cards.

Meanwhile, for their civility in carrying out their duty, kudos have gone the way of security agencies engaged in the election

exercise.Speaking to newsmen

shortly after casting their votes in their wards, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Osun West, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke (Sagba Abogunde, Ede North) and Alhaja Idiat Babalola, former Special Adviser to the State of Osun

Governor on Federal and Liaison Matters (Alajue 1, Oba Laoye, Ward 4) d e s c r i b e d t h e v o t i n g exercise as perfect.

They commended the INEC officials and the secur i ty agenc ies fo r conducting the exercise in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

The Osun electorate were also commended for

conducting themselves in an orderly manner, even when in some units, the INEC card reader machine failed initially to accredit them but they exercised patience after which voting commenced peacefully.

Osun Electorate Vote Amidst Relaxed SecurityBy IsMaeeL uThMaN

eLecTOraTe in the state of Osun on saturday trooped out en-masse to vote in the presidential and National assembly elections, in a very limited

presence of security operatives.Unlike the August 9, 2014

governorship election in the state, where heavy presence of securi ty operat ives witnessed in every nook and cranny of the state, the security was relaxed as there were no check points not barricade in large part of the state.

In some local government council areas like Osogbo, Olorunda, Egbedore, Ejigbo, Ede, Iwo and Ayedire visited by OsuN deFeNder, there was no secur i ty checkpo in t and some vehicles were seen on the road without being checked by anybody.

From Osogbo down to Iwo, there was no security checkpoint, likewise from Iwo down to Bode-Osi and other parts of Ola-Oluwa Local Government Council Area.

OsuN deFeNder v i s i t e d E j i g b o a n d discovered that a barricade manned by three soldiers was at the entrance of the town, but there was no any other security checkpoint till the medium got to Ola, a town under the Ejigbo Local Government Council.

It was also noted that there was a checkpoint of two soldiers at the entry point of Ile-Ogbo, Headquarters of Ayedire Local Government Council Area of the state.

The medium also noted that some polling units visited in Egbedore, Ejigbo, Ola-Oluwa and Iwo Local Government Council Areas

of the state were not manned by any security operative, while some had only an officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps.

At Unit 8, Ward 11, Ejigbo Local Government, no security personnel or FRSC officer was at the polling unit when OsuN deFeNder visited the place around 12pm.

A t u n i t 4 , Wa r d 7 O b a m o r o / I l e - O g o i n Olaoluwa local government, there was no securi ty personnel at the polling unit while there was only one FRSC officer at unit 3

of the same ward and local government.

The non-presence of security personnel on the major roads across the state raised fear in the minds of the electorate and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who were thinking of possible attacks from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A l s o , t h e r e w e r e challenges of crowd control in some polling units, where only one FRSC officer or policeman or civil defence was present, as the electorate were not orderly and at the same time rude to the lonely security agent.

T h e d e v e l o p m e n t a l m o s t d i s r u p t e d t h e accredi ta t ion exercise at Unit 6, Ward 10, Iwo

Local Government Council Area and Unit 1, Ward 4, Ogbaagba II, Olaoluwa Local Government Council Area, where there was only a single female FRSC officer and a policeman respectively.

However, the medium was informed that policemen were later deployed to some of the polling units, where there was no or one security agent in Ola-Oluwa local government at pass 1pm.

OsuN deFeNder observed that there was little compliance with the no vehicular movement in Iwo, Ejigbo Ile-Ogbo and Ede, as some cars and motorcycles were seeing on the roads moving freely.

Non-militarisation Will Eliminate Voters’ Apathy In Nigeria – AkereThe just-concluded general elections witnessed the

least security presence in the state of Osun since 1999, which according to observers, was responsible

for better turnout in most parts of the state. Our reporter who monitored the election in Ila, Boluwaduro,

Boripe, Odo- Otin, Boripe Local Government Council Areas observed that only one unarmed security personnel was deployed to each of most of the polling units.

From Ikirun to Ila, there was no single road block by the Nigeria Military or Police detachments, while only a team of Civil Defence Corps with a Toyota Hilux Van was patrolling the major towns in the area.

The military men were only sighted at Iresi junction in

Otan Ayegbaju checking the vehicles going to Iresi, Oke-Irun, Igbajo in Boluwaduro Local Government Council Area. The security personnel at the poling units included immigration officers, prison services officers, Federal Road Safety Corps among others.

However, there are reports of card reader failure in Oke-Ede, Ward 9, Ila Orangun, Unit 5 ward 10 in Iresi, ward 6, Igbajo, ward 9 Unit 7, Iree among others. Voting

commenced very late in most of the areas where the card readers had hitches.

It was however, discovered that in the areas where there were challenges, most of the corps members did not understand the configuration of the card readers but INEC experts rose to the occasion.

In Iresi Ward 10, Unit 5, Ikefin, they resulted to manual accreditation after the failure of the card reader, while in some polling units, the manual and card reader accreditation were combined.

S p e a k i n g o n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t , O s u n former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere, said non-militarization of the election responsible for larger turnout of the electorate.

Akere, while speaking in Igbajo after accreditation said: “We recorded higher turnout than the gubernatorial e l e c t i o n . T h e r e a r e several reasons to it; non-militarization of the process, the fear created by the military personnel before the August 9 scared some voters away, but you can see that people trooped out willingly and voluntarily.”

On the ca rd r eade r, Akere commended the timely intervention of INEC to various complaints on the card reader, saying the introduction of the technology has made “overall process open, credible, fair and the turnout is impressive.”

By kehINde ayaNTuNJI

4 osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31, 2015News

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

By IsMaeeL uThMaN

•Professor Yemi Osinbajo preparing to cast his vote during the Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives general elections last Saturday.

By rasheed FaTIMOT

Electorate Hail Card Reader, Peaceful ElectioneLecTOraTe in the state of Osun have expressed

their satisfaction with the use of card reader for accreditation of voters by the Independent National

electoral commission (INec) in the 2015 Presidential and National assembly elections.

The electorate in an in te rv iew wi th OsuN deFeNder at several polling units in Osun West Sena tor ia l Dis t r ic t on Saturday stated that the use of the card reader has put a stop to the use of fake voter cards being used by some politicians to rig election.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e electorate, who commended INEC and his Chairman, Professor Attairu Jega on the poll, they stated that the use of the card reader for

the accreditation of voters would greatly reduce the manipulation of election results.

Though, in some polling units, the card reader failed to work, while in some other units it refused to work for sometimes before it was fixed.

Common compla in ts of the card reader by the electorate was that it was not authenticating fingerprint of some voters, but it read the Permanent Voters cards as

being authentic.One of the card readers

at Polling Unit 009, Ward 2, Osogbo, Olorunda Local Government, did not work, a situation that threw the electorate and party agents into confusion.

At polling unit 11, Ward 07, Ago Ogunmode Molete 3, Iwo, Iwo local government, one of the card readers also failed to work.

H o w e v e r , O s u N deFeNder learnt that

other card readers were deployed to the polling units after some hours, and it hastened the accreditation exercise at the unit.

A voter at Polling Unit 2, African Church Primary School Open Space, Ward 4, Ileogbo, Ayedire Local Government, Mr Israel Alabi maintained that the use of the card reader added to the credibility of the general elections.

Alabi stated that people

that wanted to manipulate e l e c t i o n r e s u l t s h a d abandoned the plan with the use of the card reader which automatically registered the number of accredited voters and send it to the INEC data base.

Another voter at Polling Unit 1, Awo/Adodo Ward, Awo in Egbedore Local Government, Mr Bamidele Salam, a t tes ted to the goodness of the card reader for the accreditation of the

voters for the conduct of the election.

Mr Bayo Ajayi who voted at Polling unit 1, Ward 9, Garage Ikire, Irewole Local Government also lent credence to the usefulness of the card reader for the actualization of free, fair and credible election.

Ajayi stated that the use of the card reader made the voting process transparent which is acceptable to all the electorate.

INEC Cancels Elections In Two Polling Units In Iwo

By IsMaeeL uThMaN

The Independent National electoral commission (INec) has cancelled the elections at Polling unit 2, Oke-adan 3, Ward 6, and Polling unit 5, Gidigbo Ward

3, in Iwo Local Government council area of the state of Osun.OsuN deFeNder gathered that some thugs hijacked ballot

box at Unit 2, Oke-Adan Ward 6 in Iwo when the electorate were casting their vote.

The thugs, according to eye witnesses, were armed with cutlasses, axes, charms, broken bottles and clubs ran into the polling centre, harassed the electorate and INEC Ad-hoc staff including the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) member and snatched the ballot box.

It was learnt that there was a single unarmed policeman at the polling unit; hence it was not possible for him to confront the hoodlums.

Nemesis however caught up with two of the thugs as they were arrested by security men on patrol.

The election in the polling unit was cancelled by the Electoral Officer, in line with the guideline of the Electoral Act.

At Polling Unit 5, Gidigbo Ward 3, in Iwo, some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) allegedly harassed the electoral officers and subsequently pulled down the tent under which the electoral officers were sitting.

The electoral officials reportedly scampered for safety, when the alleged PDP members pulled down the tent on them, a development that

disrupted the voting process.Subsequently, the electoral

officer in the unit announced the cancellation of election, and the INEC Ad-hoc staff left the polling unit.

Commission Established To Find Facts Not To Adjudicate - Justice Adeigbe

The chairman of commission of Inquiry on disturbance of Public Peace set up by Governor rauf aregbesola, Justice Moshood

adeigbe, has emphasised that the duty of the commission is to find facts and make recommendation based on the facts but not to adjudicate.

Justice Adeigbe made this known at the resumed sitting of the commission at the Ministry of Justice Conference Hall, while reacting to preliminary objection raised by a counsel.

Barrister Gbadegesin Adesina, counsel to the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, who is

the third respondent in the petition, raised an objection that the petition before the commission was already in the High Court, therefore, praying the commission not to hear it.

The Kanpe and Binuyo families had petitioned the Commissioner for Justice

and Attorney-General in the state, the Ataoja of Osogbo, Osogbo Local Government Chieftaincy Committee and one other, over Iyalode and Otun Iyalode chieftaincy titles.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e petition, the two families are claiming exclusive rights over the title.

The chairman however, said that for the fact that the matter is in the court of law does not stop the commission from carrying out its job, saying that the commission is just to find fact and not a court of law.

He said, the sole aim of the governor for setting up the commission was for

peace to reign among the people of the state.

J u s t i c e A d e i g b e therefore, overruled the objection and adjourned the matter till 16th of April, 2015 for hearing.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the commission, Mr Bisi Babalola, has called on members of the public that have any grievance with either government or individual, that the commiss ion, be ing a standing one, is still open to receive petitions.

EOs, Voters Coerced To Vote PDP In IlaseBy kazeeM MOhaMMed

There was an alleged intimidation of voters to vote for the Peoples democratic Party (PdP) in Ilase, Obokun Local Government council area of the

state of Osun, the hometown of the party’s senatorial candidate for Osun east senatorial district, Mr Franchis Fadahunsi.

A source told OsuN deFeNder that electoral officials in the town were

also coerced to allow those with fake voters’ cards to vote in favour of the PDP.

It was gathered that the electoral officials were able to ascertain that some of the holders of the cards were not the true owners, as the cards were neither meant for the unit, nor matched the pictures of the holders.

It was also learnt that the electoral officials initially dissallowed those with fake voters’ cards to be accredited, but when they were being threatened with attack in the presence of security operatives, they could not help the situation other than to agree with them.

Also in the town, PDP members were threatening their APC counterparts and other voters to either vote the PDP or be dealt with.

While addressing the press in his unit in Ilase, Fadahunsi wondered why the cards readers should be used for such general elect ion, saying those managing i t were not “masters”.

“I wonder the type of the very low result we will have for this election because of

the failure to accredit people due to the failure of the card reader.

“Infact, some NYSC members have taken laws into their hands, telling us that those that have not been accredited should go home.

“The corps members they brought here are very daft, they are one-way traffic and they will always tell you unless they hear from above. I wonder whom they are serving.

“For me oh, Jega and his people realy want to shortchange the South because the South-West is the darling wife of the nation now.

“Al l t he s ame , my expectation is high. You can see the massive turnout in this small town, very encouraging. If you are popular with your people, you will gain, no matter the fraud against you.

“What is happening here is happening everywhere and I know that at the end of the exercise, it shouldn’t turn otherwise,” he said.

Omoworare Declared Winner Amidst Tension, Tight SecurityBy kazeeM MOhaMMed

seNaTOr representing Osun east senatorial district of Osun state, senator Babajide Omoworare, was declared the winner of the election in the senatorial

district amidst tension on Monday.He defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr Franchis Fadahunsi, with

101,352 votes to 99,162 votes.

The INEC Returning Officer for the Senatorial District, Professor Mabayoje Aluko, announced the result of the election at the collation centre in Ilesa Grammar School, Ilesa amidst protest and ins is tence by PDP members that their party should be declared the winner of the poll.

Some thugs suspected to be loyal to Fadahunsi had reportedly abducted the Electoral Officer of Ife Central Local Government in the late hour of Sunday on the way to the collation centre in

Ilesa and mutilated the result of the election.

T h e S t a t e R e s i d e n t Electoral Commissioner, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, confirmed what he called,

replica of kidnap, saying the result of Ife-Central was indeed mutilated, and the commission would resort to the copies of the results given to the parties and the police to conclude the collation.

When the copies of the result for Ife-Central given to parties were being expected, m e m b e r s o f t h e P D P mobilised themselves to the collation centre, protesting

that Fadahunsi must be declared the winner of the poll.

They threatened to throw caution into the wind if their candidate was not announced.

There was heavy presence of securitymen, as INEC declared the result.

It was the securitymen who diverted the attention of the PDP supporters by telling them that Fadahunsi had

been declared to rescue the electoral officials, journalists and APC supporters out of the collation centre.

5555 osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31, 2015News

Blow-By-Blow Account Of Elections In If-The saturday general elections in the four local

governments of Ife including the Area office in Modakeke were relatively peaceful but with few

skirmishes at Olomu Village in kere ward of Ife-south Local Government council area of the state where it was reported that a politician from the village allegedly besieged the serene village around 11 15pm on Friday evening with armed men and scared away the villagers, OsuN deFeNder was informed.

A source at the village, put a distressed call to the medium who was at Olode on election eve alleged that a politician besieged his village with armed men threatening potential voters that they would not vote in the Saturday elections.

The source continued that both men and women in the village had taken cover under cocoa plantation.

According to the source, he alleged that the politician arrived the village in a red Volvo car with registration number AX649FEE with ful ly armed men in a Motorcycle convoy and moving from one hut to the other and that he had to take cover inside the bush with his wives and children.

In view of the claims of the source , OsuN deFeNder put a phone call through to a PDP chieftain in Olode, who affirmed that a member of his party had also put a phone call through to him, alleging that unknown gun men had shot a member of the PDP as well in the same village and everyone had run for cover in the bush as well.

One Mr Sijuwade, a resident in the village, also spoke with the medium that the attackers as well riddled his fore-runner jeep with bullets and shattered its windscreen.

OsuN deFeNder investigation continued that at around 4.30am on Saturday morning, it was gathered that one man, Dauda, Baba Kafayatu, who is an aide to a politician identified as Hon Kamoru Adebisi, a former local government chairman in Ife-South local government, was allegedly shot dead by an unidentified gunman in the ensuing gun duel in the village.

M e a n w h i l e , v o t e r s still trooped out to vote in the village despite the skirmishes that ensued on the election eve, the medium was reliably informed but it was gathered that the larger number of voters, mainly women and children who fled the village did not return to the village to cast their votes for fear of unknown, the medium reliably gathered.

Also, the medium could not ascertain whether the body of Dauda has been deposited in the morgue or any arrest made in connection with the killing as at the time of filing this story.

At 8.10am, at unit 002,

ward 7 situated at United Anglican Middle School, accreditation exercise had commenced and more than 100 voters were on the queue to perform their civic responsibility.

The presiding officers and

voters at the unit expressed their pleasure at the conduct of the exercise.

The medium’s visit to AUD, Isale-Alawusa, as well as Olode Unit 003 showed that there were massive turnouts and the exercise was without any hitch.

At 9.30, the medium arrived AUD Elementary School at Ifetedo, the party agents; Mr Hussein Akinyoade of the PDP, Mr John Adetoye of APC and Mr Olapade Akinlolu of LP all expressed pleasure at the conduct of the election as

accreditation process was on at the time.

At Ayetori unit 003 in the town, the voters were orderly, wait ing to be accredited by the INEC officials Potential voters at the unit said the card reader was functioning but it was slow to catch the fingerprints of the voters.

OsuN deFeNder also visited Aye-Oba and the two units situated at Oba Adesoji Aderemi Memorial College, the INEC officials at the unit said the exercise was smooth .

A visit to Yekemi and

Erefe wards showed that the voters were already through with the accreditat ion waiting to cast their votes.

The medium arrived at Ife East Local Government at 12.54pm at Saint Philips Anglican Middle School accreditation exercise was over, voters were waiting to cast their votes. At Okiti polling unit, the medium met the Executive Secretary of Ife East local government Hon Taju Lawal, as well as former Minister of Water Resources, Hon Bashir Awoteorebo who attested to the smooth conduct of the

exercise..So also at Aladelatan,

Wunmonije and Edena polling units, accreditation continued without hitching but the security men had an hectic time controlling the voters. At Ilode polling unit situated at All Saints E l e m e n t a r y S c h o o l , miscreants sacked the polling unit immediately after the accreditation and the policemen were seen dispersing them with teargas.

OsuN deFeNder also visited Ijio unit 5 where there was smooth conduct

•Former Nigeria President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo being accredited by INEC official at Ota, Ogun State during the Presidential, Senate and House of Representative general election last Saturday.

Hitches In Card Reader Won’t Affect Election Cred-ibility - Akere, FamoodunThe all Progressives congress (aPc) chairman in

the state of Osun, Prince Gboyega Famoodun, and the former commissioner for Information and

strategy in the state, Mr sunday akere, have expressed optimism that the hitches recorded with the usage of card readers for the last saturday election would not affect the credibility of the poll.

T h e d u o s p o k e i n Igbajo, Boluwaduro Local Government Council Area, their hometown after being accredited by electoral officials.

Famoodun sa id the a l t e r n a t i v e m a n u a l

accreditation of eligible voters has resolved the hitches in the use of card readers, saying this has shown that the INEC indeed prepared well for the poll.

He was hopeful that the credible process with which

the exercise was started would be followed till the end of the election.

Akere said, the turnout of voters was a clear indication that Nigerians have decided to take their destiny into their hands by electing their leaders.

“The turnout today was impressive and people came out willingly to cast their vote and this is a clear indication that Nigerians have taken their destiny into their hands.

“Apart from little hitches recorded, accreditations have been going on very well, as the INEC officials were able to manage the hitches conveniently.

“We must commend the INEC for the exercise and it has shown that our electoral process is improving.

“I don’t see how the challenges of the card readers would affect the credibility of the election because there was alternative manual accreditation. Rome was not built in a day and hitches like this are expected in anything being used for the first time.”

He said, his expectation was that the APC candidates would win at all levels in the state, considering the popularity of the party.

Electioneering Process Getting Better In Nigeria - Omoworare

By sOLa JacOBs

By kazeeM MOhaMMed

By kazeeM MOhaMMed

The senator representing Osun east senatorial district, Babajide Omoworare, has said electoral processes are getting better in Nigeria, going by the

peaceful conduct of last saturday poll.Omoworare, who was seeking re-election, spoke at his Ile-Ife residence after casting his vote,

saying the use of card reader has improved the credibility of the electioneering process.

He expressed hope that the stakeholders would maintain the peaceful situation through

the remaining period of the exercise.

“I am of the view that electoral processes are getting better in Nigeria. There is need for improvement and we are ready to improving the

process.“So far, so good, the process

has been okay, and I hope that the processes of the election are peaceful till the end.

“Even after we might have completed the voting and returning process, we must ensure that there is no annulment and ensure that the people asking for coup or interim government do not

succeed, otherwise, this whole process has failed, if the end result is not right.

He said, the new approach introduced to electioneering process has reduced the friction that used to happen in the area during elections.

Also , the immedia te-past Special Adviser to the Governor on Youths, Sports and Special Needs, Comrade Biyi Odunlade, commended the INEC for the conduct of the exercise.

He said, the use of card reader was a success and the little hitches recorded were manageable that they could not affect the result of the election.

He however hinted that he has received messages on how members of the APC were being attacked by hoodlums in Ife South Local Government Council Area of the state.

Asiwaju At 63: Aregbesola Says Tinubu’s Sacrifice, Vi-sion Have Advanced Nigeria’s Democratic IdealsThe Governor of Osun, Ogbeni rauf aregbesola, on

sunday described the former Governor of Lagos state asiwaju ahmed Bola Tinubu, as a formidable

political warrior, whose exploits have advanced the cause of democracy in the country.

Aregbesola, in a special birthday greeting in honour of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, said the present and future of Nigeria’s democracy would depend largely on the sacrifices already made by the likes of Tinubu.

In a statement on behalf of the Governor by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola extolled the virtues of Tinubu, whom, he said, had been visionary, perseverant, and committed to the institution of good governance and enduring democratic ideals in Nigeria.

“At 63, he represents the most formidable bundle of energy in the fight for the installation of a true democratic society in our country. From a humble professional beginning, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has emerged as the most creative public financial manager of all times that I have met.

“He has equally emerged a giant political figure whose contributions have enriched our political history.

“The history of Nigeria’s modern democracy would be incomplete without the struggles and sacrifices made by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.”

Aregbesola sa id , the battle for the institution

of a culture of transparent and credible elections in Nigeria has not been without the robust contribution of Asiwaju Tinubu, adding that he has been very consistent in his opposition against the

government at the centre because of its anti-people policies.

Aregbesola prayed for long life for the former governor adding that Nigeria would continue to reap from his unmistakable commitment to the good of the common man.

6 osun DefenDer Tuesday, February 31, 2015

Buhari,Tinubu And The New National Majority

continued from pg1

new national majority. a victory for the all Progressives congress (aPc) will, in effect, set a new template different in large measures from what we have seen since the ‘restoration` of democracy in 1999.

It is understandable that the old post-1999 order has run its course. This is not surprising. For in spite of record earnings from crude oil sales, the much anticipated ‘dividends of democracy’ has turned out to be a mirage. In many ways the new national majority being put into play is actually a way of slaying the beast of the often cited ‘Nigeria Paradox’. The conventional wisdom defines this paradox as the puzzling inability to translate record oil earnings into, at least, a marginal increase in living standards. On the part of the Nigerian people, expectations have been quite minimal. This is why the disappointment has been so very, painfully pronounced.

kudos have to be given to those who have, against the odds, put together what is transmitting from a conventional ‘opposition’ to a government-in-waiting. It is quite an achievement as well as a saving grace for our somewhat fragile democracy. The alternative to this would have been a response at variance with democracy. In a multi- ethnic, multi-religious society, this sort of reaction would have been disastrous. Those who provided an alternative deserve all the kudos.

For the valiant efforts of Buhari, Tinubu, Okorocha, amaechi, atiku and co, two choices now face the republic. It is either we continue on the path of under-achievement and disappointed expectations or we change course. changing course means a decisive and irreversible break with a dismal past. There is no middle path.

The shift also comes at a time of declining oil income.

For this reason, a new national majority will be required to unite the progressive, national and democratic forces and tendencies behind a banner of national reconstruction and re- generation in order to save the republic.

This is imperative because the economic outlook is unfavourable.

The outgoing PdP has not only mounted the most divisive election in Nigeria’s political history, it is also at the tail end carrying out a scourged earth policy. In the process, we have gone from wholesale to retail looting. The outlook is dire!

Fac ing the fu ture means the construction of a new unifying national ethos to effect the re-adjustment that must be done. capital has to be redirected from consumption into production. Luckily, or is it providentially, we have in GMB the man with the fiscal rectitude to do so.

GMB terrifies the outgoing ancient administration precisely because of this. The days of financial lawlessness will be put behind us. Frankly, in our present situation, there is no other alternative. a new national majority will also ensure that the country develops a real market-propelled economy.

On the contrary, what the out-going administration promotes is croynism. This sort of system was denounced by the great afrobeat exponent, the late Fela anikulapo-kuti as ‘paddy, paddy’ government. The system has worked

hand in glove with corruption to stifle the nation’s economy.

By promoting sweetheart deals and preferential treatment to a favoured few in the corridors of power, costs have been skewed against the consumer and competition stifled. Anticipated new pro-competition and anti-trust laws and a strong regulatory body will soon put an end to this debilitation. For example, no competition authority no matter how incompetent, can conceivably tolerate the corruption-induced use of import duty waivers. since these waivers have been depriving the country of tax revenues and stifling competition, this will be a real gain.

The dying gasp of the old order is predictably vicious. It has to be for it signals the end of unearned privileges fuelled by a sense of entitlement. This has denied the majority of their economic rights and led to increasing mass poverty.

a new opportunity for national rebirth beckons i t presents an opportunity to build through what is in essence an historic compromise a new society. We should seize this opportunity with both hands and not

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing House Ltd.

Managing Editor – Kola Olabisi (0803-392-7286)

Editor – Kayode Agbaje (0803-388-0205)

Lagos Editor – Kola Odepeju (08023191891) Production Editor – Pet-Kola Taiwo Ibitowa Senior Reporter – Sola JacobsSenior Reporter – Kazeem Mohammed

Magazine Editor – Niyi Olasinde

Reporter – Kehinde AyantunjiReporter – Francis Ezediuno

Photographer – Oluwagbemiga AdeniyiPhotographer – Olushola Aderinto

Admin. Manager – Murtala Agboola

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

Ayegbaju Market: An Aregbesola Creative InitiativeI salute your effort in the

a r e a o f i n f o r m a t i o n d i s s e m i n a t i o n , m o s t

especial ly, your honest and accura te repor tage of activities, events and programmes concerning the giant strides of Ogbeni Aregbesola in the State of Osun. I remain one of your most regular readers. I found out long ago that getting committed to a task like you have at hand could not have been possible without the spirit of courage and patriotism. By the grace of God, your strength, courage and intellect will not diminish.

I have been observing with keen interest for close to two years now; particularly when Ogbeni Aregbesola laid the foundation stones of three separate markets within Osogbo metropolis. The markets are the Ayegbaju Market, the Aje Market and the International Market at Dagbolu. At that time of inception, I was wondering how those gigantic projects could be funded to completion stage, not to talk of how they could solve the problem of poverty plaguing our society. To be direct, I felt that siting markets around had nothing to contribute to solving our problems.

Now, I know better. With the recent completion and official commissioning of the new Ayegbaju International market, I begin to view the State of Osun as a fulcrum of trade, commerce and industry. I begin to visualize Osogbo, the state capital being restored to its old place of glory as the commercial nerve-centre of the O’odua states.

I watched the programme of official commissioning of

the market live on television. When I saw the market women raining prayers and encomiums on Ogbeni, his family, life endeavours and his administration, I came to a conclusion that those praises and prayers are deserved. This is because he has removed the veil of obscurity from many of them and brought them to limelight.

Locating a market of that status in Osogbo at a time like this is like fulfilling an agenda of bringing Osogbo

fully up to the status of a state capital. Not only that, Osogbo has since Aregbesola’s arrival become what a ststae capital ought to be in the entire nation. By extension, the State of Osun is beginning to find its foot as a land of prosperity. In other words, by the time Ogbeni’s agenda for commerce, industry and cooperatives comes into full swing, poverty and unemployment would have

been completely banished, in fulfillment of one of the tenets of his Six-Point Integral Action Plan.

I foresee Osun as a state that offers equal, brighter opportunities to all citizens. The traders that were earlier displaced due to ongoing transformation projects in roads and urban renewal can now heave sighs of relief as they become permanently settled at decent, serene, dignifying and vantage market

complexes. Petty and itinerant traders can now broaden the scope of their operation by accessing credits at the new Osun Micro Credit Scheme. Now they have state-of-the-art market places where they can daily display their wares conspicuously without harassment or risks of auto accidents. Young unemployed school leavers can now safely venture into various trading enterprises. Above all, employment opportunities of sorts are being created for the people of the state.

In sum, the State of Osun is set for the skies, its starting limits, as regards growth and development. I call on all citizens to rally round the incumbent administration so as to attain success in all its efforts at fully transforming the state.

Osun a dara o!

•FeMI JayeOLa, Ogo-Oluwa area, Osogbo, state of Osun.

5557

2015 Presidential, senate and house Of representatives’ General elections In The state Of Osun, Last saturday. Photo: GBeNGa adeNIyI.

•Wife of the Governor, State of Osun, Mrs Sherifat Aregbesola casting her vote at Ifofin, Ilesa.

•Some INEC officials at the polling booth around 7:am at ward 5, Alekuwodo, Osogbo.

•Former governor of the State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (left), being accredited by INEC officials at ward 1, Court Hall, unit 3 in Okuku.

phototalk

8 osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31,

2015 Presidential, senate and house Of representatives’ General elections In The state Of Osun, Last saturday. Photo: GBeNGa adeNIyI.

•Wife of former governor of the State of Osun, Princess Omolola Oyinlola, being accredited by INEC officials at ward 1, Court Hall Okuku.

•Mobile Police parading the road in Osogbo around 6:50 am before the election commenced last Saturday.

•Voters checking their names on the wall at Ila-Orangun.

phototalk

•Soldiers blocking the road in Ikirun during the elections.

5559 phototalk osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31,

•Voters on the queue at ward 4, unit 3 in Ikirun Ifelodun Local Government area of the state during the elections.

•A cross section of voters at Iragbiji.

2015 Presidential, senate and house Of representatives’ General elections In The state Of Osun, Last saturday. Photo: GBeNGa adeNIyI.

•Another cross section of voters at ward 5, Isedo, Ila-Orangun, units 3, 4 and 5.

10 osun DefenDer Tuesday, March magaziNe2015 Presidential, senate and house Of representatives’ General elections In The state Of Osun, Last saturday. Photo: GBeNGa adeNIyI.

•A presiding Officer of INEC addressing voters at Kobongbogboe in Osogbo during the elections.

•An old woman walking with stick, on her way to cast her vote at ward 13, unit 2, Inisa Odo-Otin Local Government Council Area of the State.

•Voters on the queue at unit 7, ward 5 Tinumola area, Osogbo. Photo: SHOLA ADERINTO.

•A presiding Officer counting ballot papers after the election around 5:pm along Ibokun road, Osogbo.

55511 magaziNe osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31,

Hopes, Expectations Rekindled! VWe relish the victory in waiting from the just-concluded polls. In

pursuance of this, NIYI OLASINDE continues the series on the hopes and expectations of residents; and the wish of observers across the country, expressed visibly through their voting patterns in the first round of the 2015 General Elections.

Fresh Tenure Well Deserved:

•Osun Elementary Schools Feeding and Health Programme (O’Meal) in action.

G o o d G o v e r -osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31, 2015

12 osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31, 2015magaziNe

Hopes, Expectations Rekindled! V

Continued on page 14

Continued from page 11

•Aregbesola in Okuku feeding fish

· Continued from last week.THE last series of edition gave full concentration to

the perusal of the education thrust of the Rauf Aregbesola administration in the State of Osun. The resounding victory and success recorded in the elections of last Saturday provided fresh impetus and springboard to go further and further in the exposition. Thus we go further:

The first part of this series of osun DefenDer Magazine edition conducted an expository chronicle of the exertions, activities and events undertaken by the committee set up by the Rauf Aregbesola administration to revive the ailing education sub-sector in the State of Osun i.e. the State of Osun Schools Infrastructure Development Project Committee, known for short as O’SCHOOLS. At the opening of the said edition, our teeming readers were taken down the memory lane, as we went through the spate of rot, decay and abandonment which our public educational institutions were made to witness in the past decade or thereabouts; particularly, during the time of the fiery siege unleashed by the immediate past administration of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. We availed the ample medium offered by that edition to explore the multiple ugly side-effects of the careless neglect of the time and the extent and depth of dungeon into which the state had been plunged.

We further went through the details of devastation; the extent and intensity of damage and the resultant effects of the declined quality on the state, its people and the products of the rotten system directly. Part of this was the abysmally poor academic performances of the state’s candidates in annual external examinations, to the extent that it was becoming increasingly difficult for the state’s candidates to fill their allotted spaces for admission in federal tertiary institutions, due to dwindling performances. Also, admission into state-owned institutions became difficult due to much the same reasons. As a result, rate of dropout became very high. This presented a sharp deviation from long-known traditions whereby our state was one of the leading light in the area of Western Education in the nation.

Fortunately, the coming on board of the Aregbesola was a timely development; which brought with it timely relief to all and sundry in the state. Rather than moaning and groaning under the yoke of the colossal loss suffered by the state and its people over the years, the progressive and dynamic administration of Ogbeni Aregbesola knew what to do and when exactly to act. This, according to Otunba Lai Oyeduntan, the Chairman of O’SCOOLS, in a recent interview with our crew was due to long time of planning and deep-seated interest which the Symbol of the struggle for the revival of Osun, Ogbeni Aregbesola has in the education of youths in the state and bringing back quality to it. Talking on the factors which provided impetus for the first ever State of Osun Education Summit; and which added credence to the O’SCHOOLS project, Oyeduntan attributes the decisive steps taken so far and the huge success recorded to early recognition of requisite elements for effective learning, accurate diagnosis of the affliction which had bedeviled the sub-sector and recognition and

proper application of efficacious therapy. Excerpts:

“Well, I’m sorry to say that I’m not aware that anybody has criticized that summit. I have not seen any fellow doing that! The summit was widely attended. It was widely graced from all over the world by people who are knowledgeable in education, policies, and even in intellectual aspect of it. I am going to answer that question simply because I was involved, both in planning and implementation; and the after-effects. How did we come about the summit? Long before Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came into office, right from the moment he indicated interest and was given the ticket to contest, he had shown a lot of interest in education. As far back as 2004, he sponsored a remedial programme for Osun boys and girls preparing for external examinations. That time, 2,000 candidates were involved. Extra-mural classes were organized in Osogbo, in Iwo, in Ilesa - about 2,500 candidates I think. And Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola picked the bill to fund the classes, paid for their school certificate entry fee and paid them (the candidates) allowances. When the results came, it was disappointing! It was obvious that there was a lot more wrong with the education sector than trying all these cosmetic approaches for a solution. So between 2005 and 2011, there were so many committees he instituted focusing on education! That is why it was possible that within the first 100 days of his being sworn in, an education committee - a summit chaired by no less a personality than Professor Wole Soyinka took place; inviting resource people from all over the world; many of them, our own people, who had made marks in the United States, in Europe, in the Americas and other parts of the country and Africa. Okay, the summary of the findings at that summit identified that it takes more than the teacher, it takes more than the pupil, it takes more than all of these to have all the impact that it requires to increase the fortunes of the education sector. One of these is that the teacher who will teach must be made more efficient. The students must be well prepared, and of course, the environment must be made more friendly and befitting - more enabling! So, the environment must be properly taken care of and that led to the uniform concept introduced by the Government of the state to encourage and of course to motivate the pupils. Teachers are being recruited and being retrained via programmes of training, retraining and promotion courses. Now, we are talking of the environment - we have the O’MEAL programme, we have O’UNIFORM, even O’TEACHERS, so to say, all came as a result of experts identifying and pointing out the crucial steps to take, to set the sector back on track.”

As a matter of fact, the impact of the incumbent administration on the education terrain of the state has been fat and colossal. Today we see the hand of a government that works in all sectors. With our focus on education, never in the annals of the State of Osun has the education sector fared better than it is doing now!

Following the declaration of a state of emergency in the education industry in the state, the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola swung swiftly into action when in February 2011, the first-ever Education Summit was

put together for the State of Osun. The agenda and thrust of the summit was to actively engage a rich pool of ideas, skills, experiences and expertise of participants; drawn from diverse and related disciplines from Nigeria, Africa and the Diaspora in order to fashion out lasting panacea to the multifaceted hydra headed challenges that had hitherto plagued the sector.

As part of the findings and recommendations of the summit, which was chaired by no less a personality than the academic icon and internationally reputed Nobel Laureate in Literature, Professor Wole Soyinka, the teaching-learning environment was identified to be of high preponderating and contributory influence on impact of delivery, efficacy and good outcome. It would not be a mismatch, therefore, to attribute the emergence and/evolution of the State of Osun Schools Infrastructure Development Project, known for short as O’SCHOOLS to the numerous landmark breakthrough achievements of the inaugural Education Summit for the State of Osun held in February 2011.

These points having been asserted and established, we shall now draw our focus back to the exact point where we drew the curtains on our last edition; which is the first part of, and forerunner to this. That point was where we were tracing the purpose of establishment, mandate and strides of the State of Osun Schools Infrastructure Development Project (O’SCHOOLS).

ACCORDING to information at the disposal of osun DEFENDER Magazine, to achieve the mandate set for it, the O’SCHOOLS committee assumed the ordinary meaning of infrastructure in this context to be, but not limited to:

a) School buildings as designed and approved;b) External works as designed and approved;c) Landscaping as designed and approved;d) Furniture for students and staff;e) Library, laboratory and workshop equipments;f) Sporting facilities; andg) Any other facility, structure and equipment that

may be considered necessary for effective teaching and learning in the schools.

It was further revealed that the mega schools are intended to be large enough to attract necessary amenities and facilities to make learning and teaching environments more conducive and at par with modern-day schools.

As it was pointed out in the last edition, the O’SCHOOLS project committee is domiciled in the Office of the Governor. Little wonder then that the Governor is found prominently on top of its administrative chart, in the following order:

The GovernorO’SCHOOLS Committee ChairmanInternal AuditorsHead, Administration and SupplyHead, Technical Department (Planning, Works and

Supervision)Others listed on the chart, whose essential services,

according to Oyeduntan are crucial to building and construction work anywhere; more so to the construction

55513 magaziNe osun DefenDer Tuesday, March 31,

Hopes, Expectations Rekindled! V

Continued from page 12•Ilare Elementary School.

Continued on page 15

and rehabilitation work on hand in the State of Osun are architects, quantity surveyors, surveyors, structural engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers, technical assistants and other support staff. It is the active involvement of this myriad of competent staff that guarantee quality service delivery for the committee on all its projects. Other supportive staff includes secretary, sub-committee and Head, Finance and Accounts.

The organizational imperatives set aside for the team are:· Organizational Flexibility· Technical Capacity· Administrative Capacity· Logistic Supply· FinanceThe capacity requirements for the O’SCHOOLS project

are predicated on the need to accomplish the set mandate efficiently and timeously. In view of the foregoing, the committee needs, at all time to:

i. select for governor’s approval the sites for the new schools;

ii. select for governor’s approval and after complying with all due process requirements the contractors for the schools;

iii. supervise the construction works;iv. certify works done and claimed by all third

parties;v. approve and recommend payments for work done

and services received by the committee pursuant to its operations;

vi. hand over the schools on completion.To maximize the residual benefits of the huge investment

in schools infrastructure to the economy of Osun, the O’SCHOOLS project committee seeks to:

· Patronize as much as possible local contractors, labour, material vendors and service providers without compromising quality and standards

· Make the project n impetus for capacity building enhancement and expansion as well as development of some strategic industrial and commercial enterprises with enduring beneficiaries

Beyond the project, the following are the intentions of the committee:

· Visual documentation of the status quo ante of all schools in the state

· Proper and complete documentation for all proposed schools

· Breakdown of each project sites to its components such that different contractors/service providers e.t.c. can work on different aspects of the whole site

· Registration of local suppliers, service providers and contractors

· Standardization of materials, services and construction methodology

· Effective dissemination of standards and specifications among prospective vendors and contractors

· Regular interactive sessions with contractors, vendors and services providers, agents and stakeholders

to share experiences and harmonize practicesThe prime objective of the O’SCHOOLS project is to

ensure that each site is built to conform to the approved designs using approved quality, quantity and standard specifications of materials and process.

Concerning its layers of control, the O’SCHOOLS special presentation contains the following:

· O’SCHOOLS Committee: overall day-to-day project management

· O’SCHOOLS key men: members supervising projects in federal constituencies

· Domestic Technical Staff: Comprising that in-house technical team of:

ArchitectsEngineersQuantity Surveyors andBuilders e.t.c.

· Has the responsibility for planning day-to-day supervision and quality assurance of works.

· Technical Site Supervisor/Clerk of Works: is responsible for the day-to-day quality assurance of works on his site.

· Community (CDA) buy in: We plan to explore the possibility of annexing the inherent, loyalty, commitment and goodwill of the community and the party leadership to ensure proper community relations

· Each level of supervisory service providers will be remunerated within the range of fees and acceptable –practices in the construction industry. These fees and incidental costs are part of the cost of each site and are recognized in the Bill of Quantities.

· The implementation strategy is predicated on a well structured committee with adequate administrative and technical capacity.

In the review and identification of schools for the implementation of the new school structure, there were listed initially 650 elementary schools, 100 middle schools and 50 high schools. In the review and identification of schools for reconstruction and rehabilitation, we have 127 elementary schools, 62 middle schools and 21 high schools. Also of note is the emphasis given to:

· Review and appraisal of designs and prototype· Photo documentation of existing schools· Preliminary technical work· Acquisition of survey plans for high schools· As-Built survey sketch (high school sites)· Topographical survey (high school sites)· Preliminary site work· Demolition and removal of structures on affected

sites.In conclusion, the activities of the State of Osun Schools

Infrastructure Development Project (O’SCHOOLS) Committee have been that trailed with astonishing impact and landmark monumental imprints. It is indisputable that with its activities and operations still in top gear, our state is clearly heading for the golden heights dreamt and

designed for it by its founding fathers. This view becomes established in one of the responses of Otunba Oyeduntan to our numerous questions. Asked if the figures released for the units of school buildings to be constructed were the maximum, the Chairman responded:

“There is no maximum figure, and governance is a continuum. That means until all schools are brought up to par with the set standards, government should not relent in this direction. So we designed and redesigned our schools and they have not changed within the funding capacity of the government. Since funding is limited, we can now only go for what the government can afford and that is why we are limiting our projections to the stated figures. Well, I have this to say that no school project is being left untouched, why? It is because the concept of dilapidation and reconstruction is precise. Every school taken into consideration will not be abandoned.”

Time and again during the years gone by, we brought to the fore the numerous achievements of the incumbent administration in the state in the aspect of development of schools infrastructure in the state. This is talking in terms of the activities of the State of Osun Schools Infrastructure Development Project (O’ SCHOOLS). In September 2013, the first in the numerous ultra-modern schools building projects of the O’ SCHOOLS project was officially commissioned and delivered for use. The Salvation Army Middle School, Alekuwodo, Osogbo, the state capital is a 900-seater state-of-the-art complex, which put to rest the insinuations of detractors that all of the school building projects of the administration were destined to be abandoned in the midstream. The school is one out of the fourteen in its category that are being put in place by the Rauf Aregbesola administration in the State of Osun. The school building has since been put to use; while other school building projects initiated by the administration are almost completed / at various stages of completion and almost ready for official commissioning / delivery.

The year 2014 started and ended pretty well indeed! From the start of the year, the hope had been high that more and more in the line-up of public schools being erected in the state shall be officially commissioned and delivered. This hope has not been betrayed during the first quarter of the year. During the month of February, the first in the list of completed elementary schools in the state was officially commissioned and delivered for use. The Baptist Central Elementary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife, which official commissioning was held on Tuesday February 18 witnessed massive turnout of residents of Ile-Ife, members of the political class and the entire people of the State of Osun – all of who were full of joy and prayers for the governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his team. The elementary school is one of the thirteen (13) units of its sort being put in place in the state.

The governor and other members of the State Executive Council present at the occasion of official commissioning

14 osun DefenDer Tuesday, March magaziNe

Hopes, Expectations Rekindled! V

appeared in the uniform of elementary schools in the state; another initiative of the administration.

In his address at the occasion, Governor Aregbesola said:“The ongoing monumental transformation of education

in the State of Osun is unstoppable. Nobody can stop us.“Even if we have to step on toes, we shall continue to

build a solid future for generations yet unborn. The school is not for Muslims, Christians or traditionalists but rather for the people of the State of Osun.

The education of our children must be taken seriously and we must not play pranks with it under any guise to secure the future of our state and society at large”

In renewing his affirmation for the turnaround of the education sub-sector of the state, Aregbesola stated that the vision of his administration was to build an educational system that would produce great men and women in the society. In addition to the afore-mentioned data of thirteen (13) elementary school and fourteen (14) middle school building projects, there are still twelve units of high school building projects ongoing in the state. The governor however promised the delivery and official commissioning of all the projects before the end of his administration’s tenure of office.

In his graphical analysis conducted at the occasion, Governor Aregbesola made it known that his administration was spending on annual basis a whooping sum of N27.1 Billion on teachers’ salaries and pension, while the Opon Imo project had so far gulped N1.2 Billion. He put the capital expenditure so far on education at N31. 1 Billion.

In her earlier speech at the occasion, the Deputy Governor of the State of Osun, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education, Otunba (Mrs.) Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori revealed that the school has twenty-five (25) classrooms, with capacity to accommodate one-thousand (1,000) pupils with other modern facilities like two (2) staff common rooms, one (1) office each for the headmaster and assistant headmaster, and a dining room. Others are modern sports field, and other features that make the school able to compete favourably with private schools anywhere in the contemporary Nigeria. She further had the following to say:

“The school symbolizes possibilities and that change is inevitable. Despite the fact that some people are mischievous about the project, the government is right on top of the situation and we shall continue to work towards better future for our children”

Consequent to the first-ever Education Summit held for the State of Osun referred to above, there was conducted a wide-covering inspection of schools and their facilities throughout the state; as well as requisition given to all principals and head teachers to give the roll of dilapidated structures in their respective schools; so as to give government the cues to follow in its demolition cum reconstruction bids via the instrumentality of the

State of Osun Schools Infrastructure Development Project Committee (O’SCHOOLS). The committee, an intervention initiative of the incumbent administration aimed at reducing and even totally eradicating the untold risks of life to which users of the infrastructure (teachers and pupils alike) had been hitherto exposed. According to the Chairman of the committee, Otunba Lai Oyeduntan, by the end of the administration’s first tenure in office, most of the newly reconstructed school buildings shall have been delivered, completed and ready for official commissioning. This feat has been achieved as at date. As at the time of toll-taking and commencement of the reconstruction work, nothing less than four thousand and fifty-five (4,055) dangerously dilapidated structures had been demolished throughout the entire public schools in the state, as they constitute terrible risks to the lives of their users.

Responding to questions bordering on allegations of indiscriminate demolition of school building structures from the camp of die-hard opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP); the Chairman made it known that there were only few cases of wholesale demolition of structures; which was carried out only in places where the schools were billed for immediate reconstruction. In furtherance of his exposition, Oyeduntan revealed that there were only twenty-four (24) of such cases. It was also emphasized by the chairman that there was no case of demolition that was not immediately replaced with outright reconstruction of a modern, state-of-the-art classroom building.

According to Oyeduntan, one of the major motives which served as impetus for the massive reconstruction of schools in the state; apart from saving the lives of users from the horrendous fangs of dilapidated structures was to make our school structures, furniture and other infrastructure compliant with the standards and requirements of the Twentieth Century. This goal is also being currently achieved.

Other achievements of the government of the day through the State of Osun Schools Infrastructure include the massive use of local contents – local contractors, local suppliers of materials, local patronage of suppliers through procurement of manufactured materials from their sellers within the state; as well as the productive engagement of craftsmen and artisans with a view to injecting enormous cash into the economy of the state for the betterment of all. According to him, as the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) has been injecting about N200 Million into the economy of the state on monthly basis; so the O’SCHOOLS is doing valiantly to wrestle the state and its residents from poverty, penury, sloth and woe.

As mentioned earlier on, the first fruit of dividends in this regard came about with the official commissioning of the Salvation Army Middle School, located at the Oke Fia / Alekuwodo area of Osogbo, the capital of the State of Osun. That was done in September 2013. Second was the commissioning in February of 2014 of Baptist Central

Elementary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife. During the month of March, same year, another ultra-modern school building project in the category of elementary school, the A.U.D. Government Elementary School, Isale-Agbara, Isale-Osun, Osogbo was officially commissioned. More recently, more and more of these projects have been commissioned in Ikirun, Ila, Iwo, Ikire and other parts of the state. The events of last year’s fourth year anniversary of the administration and the accompanying celebrations of the re-inauguration of Ogbeni certainly witnessed the official commissioning of more of these projects. The list is still counting! This rate of completion has put wagging tongues into silence. It is sure that many more in the list of schools infrastructure projects, especially those located in Osogbo, Iwo, Ede, Ejigbo and other parts of the state shall soon mature for official commissioning.

The series continues from here to give consummate consideration to other intricate aspects of the giant strides of the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the few editions to come. OSUN DEFENDER Magazine however implores the people to keep date with the administration and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and vote massively for the House of Assembly member candidates of the party in the state in the forthcoming April 11 State House of Assembly Elections; as this shall bring consummation to the God-given victory we won last year. God bless the State of Osun.

To be continued.

Continued from page 14

•Blocks of shops at Aje International Market, Osogbo.

55515 osun DefenDer Tuesday, March

Buhari’s Massive Votes In OsunContinued from back page

•jONATHAN•BUHARI

adults of voting age who were set to keep appointment with democracy and destiny.

The streets, including the stretch of major roads across the capital of the State of Osun and other parts of the state were bereft of vehicular movement, save for few vehicles on election and / or other critical as-signments like ambulances, security operations, fire fighting and others. The pedestrians, who dominated the scenery of streets were businesslike, as they took determines steps to use their thumbs to influence their destinies. Not even the fear of un-certainties of failure of recognition of smart card readers deterred them. The determination was strong, to the extent that a meticulous over-hear-er could guess what party or who among the contestants, the likely choices and preferences of certain groups were.

As at 8 o’clock, queues were formed for accreditation. These queues were of varying lengths. At some polling units like the one at Baruwa Junction and few others around Onward Area, the lines were amazingly long. Surprisingly however, there were no unwarranted struggles, scrambling or breaking of ranks. The events of accreditation went on in an orderly fashion.

At Aregbe Bus Stop Area in Gbodofon Area, it was a peaceful atmosphere that pervaded the air. The weather of that morning was generally clement, as the cloudy sky suggestive of impending rain gave way into a bright sunny day.

On and on, the serenity continued to Olaiya, through the famous Old Garage Area to Ayetoro Area. At Olaiya end, curiosity took osun DefenDer crew to the Baptist Primary School at the precincts of the Union Baptist Church, Odi-Olowo. Inside the premises of that school were two separate polling units. Both units were filled to capacity. However, there were no struggles or wrangling. People conducted their affairs in an orderly way.

Back to the premises of St. James African Primary School at Gbodo-fon, the spacious arena was mod-erately populated with prospective voters, who waited patiently for their turns to fulfill the vital obliga-tion. Inside that spacious premises too, there were two polling units. The events at the two voting points were conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner. On and on the crew went to places along Odi-Olowo / Asubiaro / Isale Osun areas. The events were good and voting went on free, fair, transparent, orderly and credible.

When accreditation exercise was through, lots of people were seen waiting enthusiastically; not minding the scorching sun, for the approach of the 1:00 o’clock

deadline for arrival for the voting proper. Though some still left for their places of abode either for reasons of some form of engage-ment or to fill boredom, the polling stations still had people around in considerable numbers.

During the periods already men-tioned; even as long as voting ex-ercises lasted, lots of categories of voting umpires and officials were seen plying all the voting units, inspecting the exercise and mon-itoring the entire exercises. Those involved in all these overseeing activities included law enforcement agents, security operatives, election monitors (local and / or foreign), civil liberty groups, delegates of international communities and all other manners of dignitaries.

As at one o’clock, preliminary talks commenced at many centres; consisting in enlightening the elec-torate on the nitty-gritty of conduct-ing the next phase. It regards the manner of thumb-printing, drop-ping the respective thumb-printed ballot papers in the correct ballot boxes and the process of waiting the time of vote-counting.

It is highly commendable and worthy of note that in all voting units visited by osun DefenD-er crew, there were no cases of vi-olence or disturbances whatsoever, save for an attempted case of vio-lence at Unit 8 of Ward 4, Osogbo Local Government stationed at the afore-mentioned St. James’ African

Primary School, Gbodofon, where prompt intervention of elders at the scene averted further degeneration prior to the arrival and intervention of law enforcement agents.

Much earlier, the smart card readers were used at all visited polling units on accredited voters during the accreditation stage. There were no hiccups or noticed lapses; neither were there reported or noticed cases of failure in the performances of the devise. Voters were accredited in turns, and they all spoke in applause of the new-ly-introduced devise. Part of added strengths noticed in the devise is the length of duration of its battery. There was no observed battery fail-ure for any of the devise while the accreditation lasted; neither were there cases of failure to recognize cards or thumbprints as complained in some places.

At the end of the entire exercise, precisely at around 5 o’clock in the evening votes were sorted, separat-ed and counted in the full glare of all present electorate and with their full participation in the process of counting. It was with no fight nor expressed acrimony that the results were accepted.

At both polling points at St. James’ African School at Gbodo-fon, i.e. units 7 and 8 of Ward 4, Osogbo Local Government Coun-cil Area; the All Progressives Con-gress (APC) emerged victorious with a landslide margin. At the time

the rigorous exercise ended, the bright sunny day was already giv-ing way for twilight. Figuratively, the dusk of that evening heralded the fading of the glory of some con-scienceless powers-that-be; who the results of the just-concluded elections were destined to depose from office.

The elections for the day were held for the highest political office in the government of the land, that is, the highly esteemed office of the President and Command-er-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; and legislative offices of senators and honourable members of the Federal House of Representatives.

As at around 7 o’clock in the evening, many of the polling units around Ogo-Oluwa area of Osog-bo, state capital of Osun, were either still voting or busy counting votes. The attitudes of residents of houses around the polling units re-flected demonstration of maximum cooperation; without suggesting undue influence, prejudice or at-tempt at scuttling the transparency of the process.

As at the time of compiling this report, the central counting and col-lation processes of both elections in the state were yet to be completed. However, all indications point to the fact that the pendulum of victo-ry is swinging toward the direction of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

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By NIyI OLasINde

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the Managing Editor, KOla OlabiSi, Telephone: 08033927286 (kolaolabisi@yahoo.com); Editor, KaYODE aGbaJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com, kayodeagbaje@yahoo.com. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.

Buhari’s Massive Votes In Osun

•BUHARI

HAD it been easy to smoothly conduct three rounds of

general elections in a fell swoop, count, collate and declare the results in quick and smooth succession by appropriate authorities - within twenty-four hours of successful conduct, then the people of the State of Osun would have been all out on Sunday, waving their victor’s palm for the divine intervention that brought success their way at the polls.

All the same, the people had a good Palm Sunday, even in the ab-sence of a fully authenticated result, as they thanked God for a peaceful experience at the polls. Reported cases of pockets of violence and hiccups in some parts of the state regardless; the Election Day went, on the overall, down the record as the day that the people expressed their franchise as guaranteed in the constitution of the land without harassment, panics, intimidation and threat. Thanks to the Almighty God for answered prayers. Thanks to God for the gift of vigilance. Many were the antics of the main opposition, but God revealed, ex-posed and exhausted them all prior to the d-day.

In many ways, March the 28 and the days preceding it were remark-ably different from the days pre-ceding the August 9 Gubernatorial Election of last year. It was expect-edly so. Predictions had gone ahead of that day concerning how events would unfold and how voting would play out. One of the bases for the multifarious hypotheses is the fact that unlike the last August 9 expe-rience when providence and destiny singled out the State of Osun for an election that would have come up in the next fortnight, the election of few days ago went on simultane-ously in all the states of the federa-tion – the Federal Capital Territory inclusive. The implication of this is that the huge presence of security apparatus drafted to the state for apparently sinister motives a week ahead of last year’s polls was logi-cally and practically impossible for the kind and magnitude of election under review. Another inference de-ductible from the predictions is that the spate of indiscriminate arrest of singled-out actual and perceived members of the opposition by the instrumentalities of the ruling Peo-ple’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its high-handed presidency was now absent. It would be remembered that

almost two days to the last year Au-gust 9 Gubernatorial Elections in the state, the dare-devil black-clothed marauders, mostly masked and veiled and armed to the tooth, invad-ed the residences of their adjudged political adversaries and effected lots of serial arrests; apparently aimed at inflicting palpable fear in prospective voters and preventing their victims from exercising their franchise as provided in the laws of the land,

It is fortunate that the elections held last year came and left in the way they unfolded. More fortunate is the reality that the Gubernatorial Elections came as eye-opener to how deadly and desperate the main opposition can be! Earlier than that

election last year, a similar election took place in the neighbouring Ekiti State; which was destined to be a harbinger to what may likely unfold in the State of Osun. Thank goodness! The Ekiti experience birthed developments replete with experiences which prepared the minds of Osun leadership and cit-izenry toward what was likely to be expected from their own turn of elections scheduled for less than two months afterwards.

Last year’s Guber’ Polls in the State of Osun left after it indelible tracks and footprints that can hardly be covered. It came to make stron-ger and consolidate our practice and assimilation of democracy. The way it went, it approved and

reinvigorated our perception of what our duties and respon-sibilities should be; especially in times when fresh choices are about to be made into public offices. As a matter of fact, the series of experience gar-nered last year could be most easily likened to the Biblical

proverb of purification therapy for raw gold, which process deserves its being made to pass through the fiery furnace. The people of Osun, and discerning others across Nige-ria were unconsciously prepared to confront and resist, without the counter opposition of the force of arms any manipulative tendencies of the opposition, its Federal Gov-ernment and their agents to suppress the legitimate expression and mani-festation of the collective will of the people expressed through the power of the thumb.

The way the first batch of this year’s (2015) General Elections turned out more than suggested, but gave express assurance to it that an end is in view to many of the inadequacies that had long beset the nations’ democratic move. The impressive turnout for the polls and the peaceful and orderly conduct of the electorate as observes are clear attestations to this claim.

THE experiences of last Satur-day’s elections are a proof enough to the fact that finally; democracy has come to stay in our strands. Since 7: 00 o’clock in the evening of the eve to the election, the metropolis of Osogbo, the state capital had begun to register the arrival of yet another event, which promised to be an epoch opening up fresh positive destinies for residents: indigenes and non-indigenes alike. Weeks to the election date, preparations had been observed to be going on among residents of the state capital and other parts of the state, regard-ing uncertainties surrounding what the likely outcome of the elections may be.

No sooner had the Election Day set out than indications started to attest to it that much of the fears and apprehension that the people nursed may not come into manifestation. As early as the break of day, peo-ple started to troop out, in apparent move to get to their polling units in good time. A walk through all the ar-eas adjoining both sides of Gbongan / Ibadan Road at Ogo Oluwa / Africa / Ataoja Axis of the state capital found out that the residents found on the streets constituted mainly Continued on page 15