Osun Defender Online Version of May 25, 2024

We’re Ready For Credible LG Election – OSIEC

THE Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) has assured residents of the state that it will not compromise in delivering a credible Local Government elec on in the state.

OSUN DEFENDER reports that OSIEC had announced that the local government elec on in the state will be held on February 22, 2025.

However, the state Inter-Party Advisory Council has accused OSIEC of a emp ng to manipulate the forthcoming elec on, saying they do not have trust in OSIEC to conduct a credible poll.

But the chairman of OSIEC, Barr. Hashim Abioye, debunked the allega on, saying that the commission is following due process and working to ensure that the 2025 LG elec on is not nullified like those conducted during the administra on of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola.

Abioye, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER on Tuesday, said about 14 poli cal par es have shown interest in par cipa ng in the elec on, adding that the insinua on that IPAC was not being carried along in the process is not true.

He said: “About 14 poli cal par es have registered to par cipate in the LG elec on. IPAC is not talking about my capacity and competence to deliver, they are rather talking about manipula on of the process, saying they are not being carried along which is not true.

“All we are working for is that there should be jusfica on for the value of what is being invested in OSIEC. We don’t want the funds to go down the drain like it was in 2010 when the Supreme Court nullified the LG elec on conducted in 2007 and also the one conducted by the Oyetola’s administra on in 2022.

“The basic thing is the no ce of elec on. In the past, a no ce of the elecon would be done two or three months before the elec on. But we have started early and there is ample room for enough prepara ons. We give out a year no ce and poli cal par es ac vi es will commence in July.

“That is when the pares will submit their nomina ons for chairmanship and councillorship posions. So, the me for that has not even come, but we’ve been working at our end to make everything easy.

“The poli cal par es have not done their parts for them to be accusing

OSIEC of a emp ng to manipulate the process. They have not even done primaries or given us names of candidates, we have not go en to that stage, so,

what brings the issue of manipula on?

“Let me assure them again, we have been carrying them along and we are going to con nue to do

that. Our interest and goal are to have a credible local government elec on.”

Speaking on the prepara on for the elec on, Abioye said efforts are in top gear to ensure a free, fair and credible elec on.

“Our prepara ons are in top gear. The office has go en a huge faceli compared to what it was during the last administra on.

“When we came in, there was no situa on room, no opera onal vehicle, no internet facility and just one laptop. The infrastructure was nothing to write home about with bushy environment.

“So, if not that we must give a year no ce, even if it is just 150-day no ce, we will s ll conduct the elecon as we are always ready and working,” he added.

Aregbesola Has Tremendous Contributions To Infrastructural Development – SDP Flagbearer

THE governorship candidate of the Social Democra c Party (SDP) in the 2022 gubernatorial elec on, Arch. Goke Omigbodun, has declared that the immediate past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has tremendous contribu ons to infrastructural development in the state.

According to Omigbodun, Aregbesola’s contribu ons on roads and educa onal facili es are remarkable.

Omigbodun spoke in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday.

He said: “I’m quick to celebrate Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on his 67th birthday and I wish him many

more years in good health - Amen!

“I met Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for the first me ever in the residence of Uncle Bola Ige, both of us visi ng differently and just three of us, including my wife, with Uncle Bola in his si ng room in Bodija, Ibadan. That was just a few weeks before the gruesome murder of Uncle Bola Ige.

“It was our host that introduced us to one another, with the addi onal no ce to me that Ogbeni, then a Commissioner in Lagos, was intent on contes ng the governorship of Osun.

“Since that first meeting, I have come to appreciate Ogbeni as a passionate Awoist and someone

who had read so much about social welfarism and true federalism for good governance, especially of a mul -ethnic State like Nigeria.

“Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was not a perfect Governor of Osun State, but he made tremendous contribu ons to the infrastructural development of the state, par cularly roads and educa onal facili es.

“Ogbeni has done very well for himself in poli cs, having been a veritable leader of thought, a Lagos Commissioner, Osun Governor and Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I definitely admire his grassroots appeal and friendly disposi on to people of all social statuses. I always wish him well!”

Ogbeni, A Heart Of Gold Triumphs Over Shadow POEM

AOranmiyan Worldwide Celebrates Aregbesola @67

Asocio-political group, the Oranmiyan Worldwide, has described the immediate past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as a colossus and symbol of good governance in the Nigerian poli cal space.

The group, in a statement to congratulate Aregbesola on his 67th birthday, stated that Aregbesola’s stellar records in government and polics stand him out as an exemplary leader and an ambassador of progressive poli cs.

Titled ‘A Poli cal Colosus At 67’, the statement which was signed by the Oranmiyan management, reads: “It gives us pleasure, with a heart of gra tude to God, to congratulate our leader, the symbol of good govern-

ance, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aremu Aregbesola, on your 67th birthday.

“We quickly state that even when darkness fell on the poli cal space, your principle, uprightness, and dedica on to genuine causes for a ainment of life more abundant to mass majority of people; lightened the way, and through you comes the light for a guided direcon.

“Indeed, yours is a life dedicated to impressive and worthy services to God and humanity. Your stellar records in both poli cs and public office spaces stand you out, not just as an exemplary leader but a worthy poli cal colossus.

“Not many people have the ability to movate others through their words and works. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, with your unwavering willpower, integrity and great humility, you have con nued to inspire your followers and younger genera ons to push for higher standards.

“You’re a strong leader, an example of determinaon and courage for everyone.

“It is our prayers that the goodness and mercy of God will con nue to flourish in your life.”

NGO Launches OsunOpenLG, Seeks Increased Development At Grassroots

AS part of efforts to further the campaign on the funconality of the local government in Osun State, a non-governmental organisa on, Insight Ini a ve for Community and Social Development, on Thursday launched the Osun Open Local Government Project.

fulfill the developmental yearnings and aspira ons of the people.

Stressing that the project is not to cast aspersion on the government, Tiamiyu added that it is aimed to promote responsible leadership and development at the grassroots level.

It also officially inaugurated its 66 advocates, including six people living with disabili es, to spearhead its civic engagement with stakeholders in the 30 local government areas of the state.

For every test, makes you stronger s ll, And in the end, your heart, will fulfill. So, hold on ght, to hope’s sweet hand, And know, dear one, you are not alone in this land.

For those who care, ma er and those who see, Are stand with you, in solidarity.

leader true, with heart of gold, Betrayal’s s ng, your spirit’s grown old. Though darkness falls, and shadows lie, Your kindness shines, like a beacon high. In mes of strife, your strength we see, A great man, weathering humanity. The weight of pain, you bear with grace, And s ll, your heart, with love, finds space. Though treachery, may seek to bring, Your spirit down, and make your heart sing, The blues of sorrow, and the pain of shame, Know this, dear boss, you are not to blame. Like a phoenix, from the ashes rise, Your triumph, will, open, surprised eyes.

The Execu ve Director of the organisa on and Team Lead for the OsunOpenLG, Mr. Jare Tiamiyu, stated that the project is to complement the efforts of government at making the council areas

He explained that the four cardinal goals of the project are accountability, civic engagement, grassroots development and entrenching good governance at the grassroots.

Tiamiyu stated: “The selec on of 66 local government advocates, including six people living with disabili es, is a testament to the project’s commitment to inclusion. These advocates will engage with stakeholders, includ-

•Continued on page 6

67 Hearty Salute To The Symbol!

HE gives us great pleasure to say a hear elt happy birthday to an avatar who has come to symbolize the progressive thrust in Nigeria’s poli cal firmament.

The acknowledgment ma ers. For in the past turbulent decades, the country and indeed much of the African con nent have had to make critical decisions choosing from limited opons.

The Italian poli cal philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, pointed out about a century ago that “Poli cs is about direc ng the territory of debate in the direcon of one’s project”. This is crucial.

We recall that a decade ago, The Independent Newspaper of Nigeria, in conferring the tle of “Man Of The Year” on Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, stated that he represented an “Alterna ve Perspec ve”. The country was at the me at a cri cal juncture because of a failed way of doing things which had not delivered posi ve results and the need to find an alterna ve way out of the quagmire. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola found a way out by providing a convincing alterna ve. The beneficial effect of this con nues to resonate. If you seek to know what he has

“This is a clear acknowledgment of the position of Rauf Aregbesola which is that fiscal stability should be the pathway toward the achievement of social justice”

achieved, come to The State Of Osun and look around you. Change is not just about physical structures; it is about the redirec on of thought and processes.

Today, it has become “The convenonal wisdom that the state has a pivotal role to play in the affairs of the populates, this should be in a direc on of “Making Life More Abundant”. Significantly, the manifesto of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023 stated that the party is commi ed to building a “Social Market Economy”.

This is a clear acknowledgment of the posi on of Rauf Aregbesola which is that fiscal stability should be the pathway toward the achievement of social jusce.

Today, on his 67th birthday, the country is again in a state of transi on, whereby cri cal choices have to be made in other to make a posi ve advance.

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola must be at the epicenter of a new posi ve advance. He has all the a ributes, exper se, and experience. He must heed this clarion call for another bout of service. We wish the man who always put the interest of the people first great decades ahead. Many Happy Returns.

The Discourse

Progressive Politics, Aregbesola And Posterity

ALL over the world, the two most influen al poli cal ideologies that have survived over the me are progressivism and conserva sm. While some of the other known ideologies like anarchism, corporatism, fascism and liberalism seem to have faded and no longer prac ced by many leaders in this 21st century, another poli cal ideology that was embraced by few leaders of some na ons and s ll surviving today is naonalism. The poli cal philosophy and ideals of most of the par es par cipa ng in democra c governance today can easily be linked to either progressive or conserva ve ideological leaning, depending on the belief, ideals or philosophy of the groups that came together to form such a movement or party.

For example, in United States, the two major pares: the Democrats and the Republicans are offspring of these basic ideologies. The ideological beliefs of the Democrats are rooted in progressivism while Republican’s ideologies are more inclined to conserva sm in words and prac ce. Same can be said of Liberals and the conserva ves of the Bri sh parliament.

Poli cal ideologies have two dimensions: the first is the goals which focuses on how society should be organized and administered while the second is the methods to be adopted and applied in the most appropriate way to actualize this goal. Both are cri cal in driving the poli cal ideology of a group or party which will later influence how the affairs of a na on will be managed.

As a poli cal philosophy, Progressivism is concerned about ideals, plans and programmes that seeks to improve the human condi on, through social reforms which are primarily based on an cipated development and improvement in social organisa on and ci zens’ welfare, irrespec ve of class or social status. In fact, records have it that most of the world leaders with monumental performance and achievements belong to progressive ideological school of thought.

In Nigerian poli cal history, the late avatar, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, remains the foremost and legendary leader of Progressivism whose record has not been surpassed ll today. His vision, mission and passion for an egalitarian Western Nigeria were driven by very strong progressive will. This made his achievements as the premier of the Western Region to cut across boards and every stratum of governance. From the free educa on to physical development, the establishment of farm settlements and government forest reserves in the agriculture sector, free healthcare service, transporta on and establishment of first television sta on, the commerce and industry sectors were not le out. The progressive ideology of the Ac on Group provided the opportunity for the government of the western region under Baba Awolowo to score many firsts in Nigeria. Progressives believes in using the instrument of poli cal leadership to make a solid impact and create everlas ng legacies that will make life more abundant for the people.

Since his days as a student union leader, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has been radia ng with very brilliant progressive ideas. His progressive revival mission for Osun started in the early 2004 with the birth of Oranmiyan group, a pla orm that later served as rallying point for the progressives in Osun to stage a comeback to government. Ogbeni endeared so many people to himself with his revolu onary approach to the struggle; and one of the tac cs was the producon of an handbook tled “

My pact with the people of Osun” which we referred to as the Green Book. The book highlighted the details of his six points integral ac on plan. Also, in 2006, when the progressive revival mission took us to Kaduna where the SYMBOL (Ogbeni) was hosted to a grand recep on by the Yoruba community, one of the Yoruba leaders at the event who was a enve to Ogbeni’s manifesto for Osun asked a ques on “ E joo, se gbogbo nkan yii yo see se sa? (Can all these be achieved?) and Ogbeni answered: “With God on our side, we will achieve them.” With strong determina on and his inbuilt pro-

“Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has secured his own place in history and posterity will be kind to him for the apparent fact that his programs and achievements were humanity inclined”

gressive zeal, typical of any focused leader alike, he vigorously pursued his words, translated to ac on and ac ons later transformed to verifiable legacies throughout the Osun landscape. No sector was le untouched; there was where the impact of governance was not felt. The Aregbesola era brought an atmosphere of hope for the masses where children of the poor in their primary school were ea ng from the government prepared meals while si ng in the comforts of their classroom, wearing a government provided school uniform in a beau fully landscaped compound of government elementary School across Osun. The Rauf era brought unprecedented educa on infrastructure development in Osun with the construc on of the government High (Mega) schools, where children of the poor received same quality of learned and training as their counterparts in private schools.

Apart from educa on, the physical infrastructure development of witnessed a giant upli ment. Before 2011(20 years a er the crea on of Osun), Osogbo, the state capital, could hardly pass for a local government headquarters. Nothing on ground in Osogbo signposts a state capital but the progressive vision of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola through his urban renewal agenda transformed Osogbo in a fashion similar to Augustus, the Emperor of Rome when assessing his rule, said: “I found Rome a city of bricks and le it a city of marble”. The Oba Adesoji Aderemi circular road speaks for others in this regard.

The “O” series social interven ons programmes of Ogbeni were all aimed at wealth crea on and employment genera ons. There are countless numbers of people that started to earn living through their par cipaons in O’ YES, O’ MEAL, O’REAP and others. Such is the hallmark of a visionary and ideal lrogressive leader. The social interven on programs while genera ng employment also prevented crime and criminali es in Osun.

In his true version of a progressive and a welfarist, Ogbeni took the same spirit to Abuja as the minister of interior. His genuine passion and concern for humanity made him to secure a future for the inmates in Nigerian prisons with opportunity to write JAMB and further their careers in the open university while serving their jail term, a feat that earned him an award from the na onal body of the Na onal Parent Teachers Associa on of Nigeria.

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has secured his own place in history and posterity will be kind to him for the apparent fact that his programs and achievements were humanity inclined.

OSUN DEFENDER

Publisher – Moremi Publishing House Ltd.

Deputy Editor – Ismaeel Uthman

Produc on Editor – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa Reporter – Yusuf Oketola Reporter – Kazeem Badmus

Photo Journalist – Olushola Aderinto

Computer Graphics – Zainab Olalere

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB), Gbogan Road Osogbo, State of Osun

ISSN : 0794-8050

Telephone : 0809-301-9152

Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php e-mail : osundefender@yahoo.com osundefenderbank@gmail.com

All correspondence to the above email addresses.

As the Symbol clocks 67, it is my wish and prayer that Almighty God shall con nue to preserve him for the good of humanity and I will conclude this piece with my late mother’s usual prayer for him.

“E maa ba mi ki Ogbeni o” “Gbogbo ohun won ba nfe ni Olohun yoo ma ba won fe o”

“ Aarin awon a Olohun Oba ko nii daru o” And I say big Aaameeen.

Congratula ons and happy birthday to our own legend, Ogbeni.

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2024 - THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2024

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Thread Oyetola’s ‘Destructive’ Path, Political Scientist Warns Adeleke

Yusuf Oketola

Apoli cal scien st at the Obafemi Awolowo Universi-

ty, Ile-Ife, Emmanuel Adedapo, has warned Governor Ademola Adeleke not to follow the ‘destruc ve’ path of the All Progres-

sives Congress (APC) led by former governor Adegboyega Oyetola which caused the downfall of the party in Osun, in 2022.

Adedapo, in an open le er to Adeleke a er the defec on of some former members of Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) to the

APC, urged the governor to address the crisis within the party with seriousness to prevent further defecon.

The poli cal scien st, in the le er made available to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, urged the PDP leadership to focus on ensuring the party’s progress beyond the current euphoria.

According to him, the Governor has also begun to walk on same path threaded by Oyetola in 2022, due to the poli cs of segrega on he played.

He noted that the PDP benefi ed from the APC’s misfortune before the 2022 elec on.

Adedapo noted that some former Commissioners under Oyetola were preoccupied with chasing members from the party with their poli cal arrogance while referring to some founding fathers of the APC as inconsequenal (Erun run Akara)”. He wrote: “When someone leaves your camp or poli cal party, do

Osun Lawmaker Barred From Defending Client In Court

AFederal High Court presided over by Jus ce Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel in Osogbo, Osun State, has struck out a suit filed by Mr. Kanmi Ajibola, in which he sought to be allowed to con nue appearing to defend his clients a er becoming a lawmaker.

In the suit, registered FHC/OS/CS/42/2023, Ajibola, who is now a member of the Osun State House of Assembly, sought to be allowed to con nue to defend clients (pro bono), even as he remains a lawmaker and public servant.

In his ruling on Thursday, the judge said it was against the 1999 Cons tuon of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) for public servants to engage in self-serving ac vi es or businesses, which would earn them income.

He said though Ajibola stated in his applica on that he would be rendering pro bono services in criminal cases involving the indigent, the law does not allow him to perform other ac vi es outside his public office.

Ayo-Emmanuel said that the lawmaker, in the affidavit a ached to his applica on, stated that an opposing counsel told him in 2023 that a er his swearing-in as a lawmaker, he (the opposing counsel) would stop him from prac cing.

He maintained that Ajibola’s claim was inconsequen al in the face of the cons tu on.

Although the lawmaker appreciated the decision of the court, he, however, vowed to take the case to

the Court of Appeal. Ajibola became the lawmaker represen ng Oriade Cons tuency in the

assembly on the pla orm of Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) during the 2023 general elec ons.

Osun Youths Task Adeleke On Commencement Of Imole Youth Corps

THE Na onal Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Osun State Chapter, has urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to expedite ac on on the commencement of the proposed ‘Imole Youth Corps’.

Adeleke had on February 16, 2023, dissolved the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O’YES).

About 20,000 OYES cadets were laid off by the government as a result of the cancella on of the scheme.

The government immediately announced the replacement of OYES with the Imole Youth Corps. But the government is yet to flag-off the new scheme 15 months a er.

The NYCN, in a press statement signed by its Caretaker Chairman, Comrade Abdulmajeed Oyeniyi and Public Rela ons Officer, Emmanuel Adebisi, appealed to Adeleke to see to the commencement of the scheme as a ma er of urgency, saying the youths are the backbone of any society.

The statement reads partly: “The NYCN takes this opportunity to urge Governor Ademola

Adeleke to expedite the inaugura on of the Imole Youth Corps, an ini a ve to engage and empower the youth of Osun State through various developmental skills and played community service.

“Its swi commencement will not only secure employment for the youth but will provide them with valuable skills and experiences, and also contribute significantly to the socio-

economic development of the state.

“The youth are the backbone of any society. By inves ng in their development, we are securing a brighter future for Osun State. We plead with Governor Adeleke to priori ze the launch of the IMOLE Youth Corps to harness the poten al of our vibrant youth popula on, reduce unemployment and make life more easy for some of

the youth.

“The NYCN remains commi ed to advoca ng ini a ves that promote youth empowerment and development. The council is confident that with the support of the state government, programs like the Imole Youth Corps will create numerous opportuni es for young people to contribute posi vely to their communi es and the state’s overall growth.

NGO Launches Osun OpenLG,...

•Continued from page 2

ing poli cal officeholders and the public, to educate, retrieve informa on, and promote collabora on for grassroots development.

“A er a rigorous process, 66 advocates were chosen from 168 applicaons received, with six of them being people living with disabili es. This demonstrates the project’s dedica on to inclusivity and equal opportuni es.

“The advocates will undergo intensive training before heading out to the various local government areas to engage with key stakeholders, including poli cal officeholders and ci zens. Their primary responsibility will be to edu-

cate, gather informa on, and encourage collabora on between the government and ci zens for grassroots development.

“The Osun Open Local Government Project is a bold step towards promo ng responsible leadership and development at the grassroots level. By suppor ng this ini a ve, ci zens, government officials, and other stakeholders can contribute to the growth and prosperity of Osun State.

“Our project is not to witch-hunt or expose the government nega vely but to seek the development of our people through transparency and accountability at the council level.”

Corrobora ng him, the Project Manager of the Osun Open LG project, Engr. Onaolapo Kolade reiterated that the project supported by internaonal partners through the Nigeria Youth Future Funds (NYFF), is designed to promote transparency, accountability, and public engagement in local government administra on in Nigeria, star ng from Osun.

Kolade added that in the coming weeks, the team would embark on media engagements, advocacy to the stakeholders, organise a town hall mee ng, as well as other programmes to facilitate an impac ul journey.

not perceive it as a negave occurrence. If you could not persuade them or provide compelling reasons for them to stay, do not view them as adversaries.

“They are human beings, and once they feel their interests are no longer secure, it is natural for them to move where they feel be er protected.

“I read in the media about many individuals leaving the ruling party (PDP) for the opposi on or forming a rebellion against it. A serious leadership of a ruling party should address this seriously to prevent further defec ons because democracy is a game of numbers, and understanding the arithmec of it is crucial.

“Therefore, it is impera ve for the PDP to resolve its internal polical turmoil promptly before it is too late. History offers invaluable insights; as it is said, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

“Before the 2018 elecon, the APC was a formidable force in the state. It seemed almost illusory to think any party could defeat the APC when Aregbesola was Osun State Governor.

“I recall how Aregbesola defeated Omisore by over 100,000 votes in the 2014 governorship elecon, an unprecedented feat in our recent democra c history. However, this same APC failed to win any House of Representa ves seats in the last elec on.

“A ra onal poli cal analyst or thinker would ask, what changed? The logical answer is that the party failed to address its internal issues, leading members to leave for where they felt their interests would be be er protected, and this resulted to the party’s loss in many elec ons.

“Instead of the PDP following the destruc ve path of the APC, the party leadership should focus on ensuring the party’s progress beyond the current euphoria. Elec ons are not won on the elecon day; the pre-elec on atmosphere and poli cal climate significantly influence the results.”

That I was formerly known and addressed as MISS OGUNBIYI KAFILAT OLAWUNMI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ADEWUYI KAFILAT OLAWUNMI. All former documents remain valid General public should take note.

Building Flyovers Across Osun Is Arrant Nonsense – Omigbodun

Arch. Goke Omigbodun, a public affairs analyst, an educationist and governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2022 governorship election in Osun State spoke with Kazeem Badmus on his assessment of Govenor Ademola Adeleke’s administration so far. Excerps:

WHAT is your impression about Gov. Ademola Adeleke’s Administra on?

To start with, Governor Ademola Adeleke came in and started to pay the backlog of salaries owed civil servants. I applaud him so much for that. I’m saying this because I have observed that people just want to cri cise and say things that ought to be done but are never done, but those things that were also done should be acknowledged. So, the fact that Adeleke was able to pay the backlog of the salaries of civil servants in Osun is a great achievement.

However, I am going to start my cri cism straight away from that. I know during the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administra on, the federal alloca on to Osun nosedived. That was why he was unable to pay full salaries and he went for modulated salary. During the last administra on of Mr Gboyega Oyetola, both the alloca on from the federa on account and the figure of the state budget connued to improve, and as gradually as it was improving, whatever Oyetola felt he needed to do, he was doing it. But we all felt that Oyetola could have done be er and start the payment of backlog of salaries and made the economy of the state a li le bit easier on the people.

During the third year of Oyetola’s administra on, his total alloca on from the federa on account was N36billion and with that, he was managing to do what he could which we thought was not enough. By 2022, when we had the elec on, the en re alloca on from the federaon account that year was N41.53bn and that year, there was a budget of N130bn in Osun. The salaries and wages of workers in the state have been fixed earlier than that and s ll have not increased.

So, coming back to Adeleke, in 2023 when he was completely in the saddle, the alloca on that came into Osun jumped from N41.53bn in 2022 to N141.5bn. That’s more than three mes the previous alloca on and yet, the salaries and wages of workers are s ll the same. Also, the budget of Osun state last year moved to N138bn and one would have thought that is the end of it.

For this year alone, they have go en almost N100bn in the first five months of the year and the budget of the state for this year is N264bn which is about two mes of the 2023 budget and yet, workers are s ll taking the same amount.

But the issue is that some loyalists of the government would not allow us to talk and I do not blame them because the people from the opposi on All Progressive Congress who come to cri cise the government are not coming with facts and figures and a lot of mes, they say fables.

What do you think Governor Adeleke should have done be er?

The economy of this state would have been be er under a good governor who knows what he ought to do with the addi onal funds coming from the federa on account and the Internally Generated Revenue that should have increased and improved, if there was a very smart governor in the state now.

If I were to be the governor of Osun State today, there are certain things I would first do. I would not be looking out to go and start breaking down already good roads in city centres. Like in Osogbo, we had rela vely good roads. Oke-Fia and Alekuwode road were good and then Adeleke came in and started digging potholes on those roads because he wanted to make flyovers. Are flyovers the next thing that can improve the economy of the state?

I would have expected the government of Adeleke to look at how the state can generate its electricity.

Well, I may not know, there were insinua ons that he is not doing that because he doesn’t want to compete with his brother on the issue of power genera on.

If things now become issues of personal affairs and choices not to create compe on for home enterprises, then you don’t have the masses of Osun state at heart. If you are going to do anything about roads at all, if I were to be the governor; I would look into rural roads to make sure that agricultural produce gets transported from those rural areas to other communi es easily. There would be a me in the future and we will even-

tually come back to build all the flyovers in Osogbo, IleIfe, Ilesa, Ede and Ikirun. For now, we do not have the kind of economy that can generate the traffic that necessitates those flyovers. We could have done it in future.

What we should have done now is how to generate electricity which will make Osun state the Silicon Valley of Nigeria, which will bring more people into the state and in turn, there would be the need for people to consume more food which will be beneficial to the farmers.

Unfortunately, because they wanted the family of the deputy speaker to have access to about N10bn of the resources of the masses of Osun state, they went about doing flyovers which, to me, is arrant nonsense because we do not need them now.

Like what we have at the Federal level with an overbloated cabinet, the same is happening in Osun. Governor Adeleke has about 30 commissioners and 50 Special Advisers and that is how the money of Osun is being spent. It is not about par san poli cs. The evil that the APC government is doing at the Federal level is being replicated here in Osun. Too much commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, and others.

What do you feel should be done for those affected by the ongoing infrastructural projects?

I’m an Estate Surveyor and Valuer, so, I know about compensa on and I know that every project that impinges on social, physical and economic life of the people should a ract some financial compensa ons for any inconveniences that they may have suffered. Those people who have legi mate reasons to be in loca ons where they have been displaced should be compensated.

The Governor, through the state House of Assembly, has reversed some policies of the previous administraons, what is your take on this?

Adeleke should stop reversing what the previous state governors had done. He is now building statues all over the place. I would not have minded if he stopped at every other person, but he included even his own. That is immodest. He should go and remove it.

The Governor has forgo en that all of us are stakeholders in Osun and I’m saying this authorita vely. Once you are not a member of the PDP, you cannot do anything in this state. I have sought to do things that are purely professional and I was told I am not a member of the PDP. What concerns being a member of the PDP with professional affairs when we are talking of intellectuals? All of us are taxpayers and stakeholders. So, for goodness’s sake, they should not make everything about the PDP.

Anybody that is not a member of the PDP is not listened to. Ipade Imole, a supposed public engagement with the government is a party affair and many people have a ested to that. You dare not go there if you are not a PDP member.

The execu ve is not the only steering controlling the vehicle of the state, what is your impression about the House of Assembly, and its members?

I have not felt their impact other than throwing away certain laws that were made before this administra on. I have never been an advocate or even an opposer of the State of Osun. To me, I have no issue with Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola coming and changing the name, that’s his business. Has that changed the price of petrol or the exchange rate? Somebody now comes again and just wants to negate everything that every governor who came before him had done.

Honestly, I don’t want to comment much about the performance of the House of Assembly members. I have not really had much about them and I don’t know much about their individual performances. Honestly, I have not seen much about them to impress me. It is when people ar culate arguments that you will know them. I don’t even know their names. They are not ar cula ng any argument that is in favour of the people. They are only taking contracts.

You were a member of Alliance for Democracy (AD) before moving to the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) and later to Social Democra c Party (SDP), what necessitated your poli cal movements?

My poli cal movements have been purely dictated by

Afenifere. The only me that I did not listen to Afenifere was when I moved from the Ac on Congress (AC) to the PDP, by which me Afenifere was divided. There was an Afenifere of Chief Bisi Akande and there was another Afenifere of Senator Akinfenwa. Some people later gathered together and called themselves Afenifere Renewal Group.

I moved from the AD to AC and le for PDP when I saw that certain things were being done that were not fair. In 2007, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was one of those who scored 93 points during the screening to contest for governor and he got his cket. Prof. Sola Adeyeye wanted to be a senator and he scored 93 points and was given his cket.

I wanted to contest for the State House of Assembly seat and I also scored 93 points in my category, but I was not given my cket. Some people were saying because I’m a Pastor and a Chris an, Osogbo people would not vote for me and that a Muslim should replace me. I protested and I called all the leaders including Baba Bisi Akande and Rauf Aregbesola and Baba Dosu Oladipo to intervene and do the right thing, but nothing was done. I scored 93 points and the nearest to me in that category scored 70 points from another cons tuency. The nearest to me in my own cons tuency scored 65.

I decided that I was not going to stay in that party because of the chea ng, then the PDP people called me. They told me they don’t discriminate and gave me enough reasons to believe that because I saw their lineup in government then.

I gave the AC one week to return my cket, but I was not given the cket. So, I le the party. That was my first journey out of a poli cal party and it was purely based on principle. I will not cheat anybody but I would not allow you to cheat me and get away with it. Whatever I might have missed in that party, I do not care because that was chea ng. When I was running around and was detained, they didn’t recognise that I was a Chris an. In fact, the PDP government detained me the moment they came in. I remember some of the AC leaders were asking if I was going back to the people who detained me and I told them, ‘I will feel be er with them’. So, that was why I le AC and went to join the government of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and he made me a Special Adviser.

While in the PDP, somebody who also associated with us in the Afenifere wanted to be the na onal chairman of the party. That was Professor Tunde Adeniran. One event followed another and with a lot of permuta ons, he lost to Uche Secondus. The leadership of Afenifere said we own the Social Democra c Party, and we have not done much about it because it was newly registered then. So, they asked Tunde Adeniran to move to the SDP with the Afenifere members. That was why I move to the SDP, and I eventually became the flagbearer of the SDP in Osun State. Shortly a er, Iyiola Omisore joined us in the SDP and the rest is history. The SDP has been hijacked by the APC. The people who are in the na onal secretariat of the SDP right now are not the real Afeniferes. They are not the ones who understands abundant for all. They are not the ones who understands good governance.

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2024 - THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2024 VOL. 19 NO 19 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com

GENERALLY, the Aregbesola government endured a lot of skewed and horrible repor ng; and hos le editorial ar cles by newspapers that should know be er; and many mes too, brazen and unfair commentaries from these adversarial segments. But Aregbesola and his government would not be the first – or maybe even the last – to receive such treatment.

In 1955, the Western Region, under Chief Obafemi Awolowo, started free, universal and compulsory primary educa on. But the hos le press tried to shoot down the scheme. Though the programme came a er intricate planning that dated back to 1952 when the proposal was first muted in Parliament, all the hos le media saw was increased taxes (to fund the scheme), which it whipped up in a frenzy. It also spread deliberate falsehood: by that scheme, it claimed, the Awolowo Ac on Group (AG) government was denying farmer-parents cri cal farm hands. That was the government’s mo ve, it swore, by the regional law that made it compulsory for kids to a end free public schools. West African Pilot led these nega ve campaigns. It was the official voice of the Na onal Council of Nigeria and Cameroons (NCNC: later Na onal Conven on of Nigerian Ci zens), the Western Region leading opposi on party. The AG would lose the first elec on a er the introduc on of free primary educa on (the federal parliamentary elec on of 1956) before the people realized the developmental potency of the scheme.

History repeated itself in the Second Republic (1 October 1979 - 31 December 1983), under Alhaji Lateef Jakande (1929 - 2021), newly elected Governor of Lagos State. He had declared free educa on at all levels, in line with the four cardinal principles of his party, the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN); and had mobilized scarce resources to expand facili es. But as it was under the Awolowo experiment, all a segment of the media saw were “poultry sheds”, in reference to the rather modest emergency classrooms, put together to kick-start the scheme. By the way, rather humble-looking school buildings were among the barbs the opposi on NCNC and its media threw at the Awolowo scheme. Beyond anger at “poultry sheds”, the media, from 1979, did not inform anyone that those structures were temporary, pending permanent ones in the works. It would take the succeeding Air Commodore Gbolahan Mudashiru (1945 - 2003), Military Governor from January 1984 to August 1986, to start that project, in a ra of school villages all over Lagos State, a er the overthrow of the Second Republic.

Even at the start of the Fourth Republic in 1999, when Governor Bola Tinubu, also of Lagos, embarked on a chain of reforms,

“From what I saw in Osun, the schools built by the state Governor amazed me. I have travelled to virtually all the states in Nigeria,” he noted. “[But] I do not know of any state government that has built such schools of such Europeans standards”

By Kunle Abimbola B.A.C.K.S.T.O.R.Y

Ogbeni: The Osun Renaissance Years

Ogbeni: The Osun Renaissance Years is a book written by a seasoned journalist and columnist, Mr Olakunle Abimbola, on the only two-term governor of Osun State and immediate past minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The literary work, which will be launched soon, profiles Aregbesola; innovations, developmental strides and controversies that characterized his eight years administration. A chapter of the book talks about how Aregbesola swam in the ocean of unfriendly media. Below is an excerpt from a chapter named ‘Media Hostility’

ernor himself was always ultra-passionate and zes ully drama c in pushing his views. He dubbed his administra on “Government Unusual”. He threw away the conven onal prefix of “His Excellency” for the stark “Ogbeni” – simply Mr. Governor: no frills, no thrills; except with the hoi polloi in the streets, who claimed him as one of their own and always roared their approval at sigh ng him. His comba ve intellectual jous ng made him no friends, even among the band of rigorous thinkers -- except the few that could stand their own. Aregbe, went the popular grumble, knew everything! Neither did his spare dressing style win him any fresh elite friends. Nor did his beard: an unfazed stamp of his proud Muslim essence and heritage, which made not a few – most of whom did not even know him – to dub him an Islamic extremist. Yet, as Governor, he ran the most liberal faith policy in the history of Osun – if not of any other state in Nigeria: equal state access and recogni on to every faith and creed and their adherents. An unusual Governor, running a Government Unusual, cut the picture of an execu ve iconoclast. That might well have put the media on the edge; and fuelled the condemnable bias against him, all through his eight-year tenure. Yet, he ran the most audacious development government of his me, anywhere in the country, anchored on radical progressive principles. His progressive strides and unapologe c pro-people policies and programmes were next only to the golden achievements of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, as Premier of Western Region, in pre-Independence Nigeria.

all his government got, from a sec on of the media, was ridicule and scorn. When Oracle – the digital public service pay soluon – was being hatched to arrest notorious “ghost workers” and digitally secure public sector workers’ service records, the hos le media could not understand why Tinubu and his Alausa “oracle” were piling so much discomfort on the workers. Also, the Tinubu government’s efforts to introduce refuse bagging for orderly collec on, by the public waste disposal u lity, only earned the experiment the tag of “Tinubu’s smelly bouquet of flowers” – or something like that. Yet, that refuse-clearing reform rid Lagos of its notorious mountains of filth; while the Oracle pay system purged the Lagos public services of its age-old pay rackets.

So, all through Nigerian poli cal history, each me a government had to do something fresh – what the Aregbesola order dubbed “Government Unusual” in Osun – the media o en tried to shoot down the

a empt. There appear yet no conclusive sociological studies to establish why the media o en frets when it senses the disrup on of the conven onal and the mundane by any government. But it would appear media managers and the reporters under them o en share the anxiety of their fellow elites – always the first to balk at any change, because they don’t know how that change would impact their se led lives. But again, the same media that screeches and bawls at the change it did not ini ally understand –or was even too arrogant to even try to – is o en the first to regale in its sweetness if it turned out well. Nigerians, generally having short memories, easily forget things. So, the media moves to its next mischief, knowing full well that hardly anyone would remember its last impassioned tantrums – no matter how brazen or shockingly misguided.

But even with this background, media hos lity to the Aregbesola government was benumbing – maybe because the Gov-

To put his O’School reforms in historical context: whereas the earlier experiments of Chief Awolowo and Alhaji Jakande started with truly humble schools, Aregbesola aimed at building ultra-modern schools to replace the ruins he met as Governor, in his grim race against me to give a new lease to Osun public educa on and its army of children from poor families. What was more?

The old Western Region (one of the three giant regions in the parliamentary federaon in which Chief Awolowo operated) and Lagos State (inheritor of the assets – and liabili es – of the former federal capital) had far be er resources. In contrast, the Osun public purse was far drier: Osun being a struggling upcountry state. Yet, Aregbesola and his braves dared to dream; and to bequeath Osun gli ering and futuris c public educa on facili es.

A writer touring Osun on a South West observa on mission, sponsored by a body he called “a regional professional body”, wrote of Aregbesola’s O’School projects: “From what I saw in Osun, the schools built by the state Governor amazed me. I have travelled to virtually all the states in Nigeria,” he noted. “[But] I do not know of any state government that has built such schools of such Europeans standards.”

The writer was Adewale Adeoye, a seasoned journalist on human rights, development and allied beats. He quoted local tes monies to back his eye-witness account: “I won’t deceive you. We have never had it so good in Osun,” his source, who he simply called Akanni, told him at Ikire, a town in Osun and headquarters of the Irewole local government. “When falsehood becomes a recurring decimal, it becomes the odd truth.” Quo ng the Partnership for Child Development, PCD’s endorsement of O’Meals (the Osun homegrown school feeding programme: the social infrastructure segment of the O’ School interven on), he gave the Osun budget for each child’s mid-

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