VOL. 9. NO.052 NNNNN 505 05 05 05 0THURSDAY MAY 1, 2014

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•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (arrowed), acknowledging cheers from his admirers during the inspection of the roads at Oluode, Osogbo, last Tuesday.INSET: One of the completed 21 roads by the governor, at Oroki Estate, Osogbo, during the commissioning. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Osogbo Stands Still•As Aregbesola Commissions 21 Road Projects•Blames Omisore For 2011 Pre-election Murder

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Osun Economy Will Be The Largest In Nigeria By 2020 - Aregbesola

Omisore And Osun'sImaginary Debts

Going by the freneticpace of project deliv-ery across the state, acasual observer wouldnaturally wonder howa state that was only afew years ago con-signed to the backwa-ters of developmenthas become the toast ofinvestors and develop-ment partners alike.

The story of how astate which the hurriedlydeparting PDP adminis-tration left prostrate andbankrupt has within threeyears not only receivedthe kiss of life, but has

become a pace-setteracross the board astransformation has obvi-ously remained a com-pelling one. Clearly, theresounding verdictacross the federation is

that the State ofOsun currentlyranks tall among thestates where thingsare happening.From the towns andcities now adorningnew looks courtesyof the Aregbesola'surban renewal initia-tives,

Continue on pg5

2 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014News

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•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right), commissioning the completed 21 roads in Osogbo.With him; his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (2nd left); Secretary to the State Government of Osun,Alhaji Moshood Adeoti (left) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) RATCON Construction Company, Mr Elias Zaad(2nd right), during the occasion when the governor commissioned the completed roads in Osogbo last Tuesday.

Osogbo Stands Still•As Aregbesola Commissions 21 Road Projects•Blames Omisore For 2011 Pre-election Murder

By KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

IT was jubilation galore on Monday as theresidents of the state capital, Osogbo, celebratedthe new face of the city with Governor Rauf

Aregbesola, who commissioned 21 township roadsin the state capital.

Early in the morning,when the news filteredround that the governorwould tour the new roadswith a view tocommissioning them,residents in their hundredshad lined up along majorstreets, anxiously waitingfor the governor.

“This is a day we havebeen waiting for,”said anoctogenarian, Pa AdenihunBolarinwa, a communityleader at Tinunmola Estate,who described Aregbesolaas a blessing to the state.

People were so excitedthat traders abandonedtheir shops, just as publicand private schools childrenwere not exempted, as theyall stood waving at thegovernor.

The residents around OldGovernor’s Office,FOMWAN School andHeritage, in their largenumbers, stopped theconvoy of the governor toappreciate his good works.

Aregbesola linked thenew roads throughFagbewesa, inside anopen-roof SUV, clad in hisa attire, waving back at themassive crowd and in lessthan five minutes, EbenezerStreet to Station Roadbecame rowdy with trafficgridlock.

The shout of “Aregbe”rented the air, as thegovernor’s convoy movedthrough Boorepo to EleledeJunction; Elelede to GbemuRoad; Gbodofon to GbemuJunction Road; and IlobuRoad to GRA Road amongother roads listed forcommissioning.

The wife of the governor,Mrs. Sherifat Aregbesola,the Deputy Governor,Otunba (Mrs) Grace TitiLaoye-Tomori, Secretaryto the State Government,Alhaji Moshood Adeoti,Chief of Staff to theGovernor, Alhaji GboyegaOyetola, State Head ofService, Mr SundayOwoeye and othermembers of the StateExecutive Council movedwith the governor.

The situation was notdifferent at Oroki Estate,the commissioning venue,as the place was filled tocapacity with topgovernment functionaries,members of the StateHouse of Assembly led bythe Speaker, HonourableNajeem Salaam, Chairman,House Committee onWorks, HonourableAbiodun Awolola, NationalAssembly members,Honourables Ayo Omidiranand Lasun Yusuf graced theoccasion.

The event also recordedthe highest turnout of thetraditional rulers in thestate, led by the Ataoja ofOsogbo, Oba JimohOlanipekun; the Akinrun ofIkinrun, Oba Abdu-RafiuAdedeji; the Olu of Inisa,Oba Joseph Olarinde; theOloyan of Oyan, ObaAdekeye Oyebamiji; theElerin of Erin-Osun, ObaYusuf Omoloye; theOloogi of Ogi, Oba JamesAdeleke; the Olona of Ada,Oba Abimibola Abioye; theOlu of Sekona, ObaAdebola Waheed and theOlufi of Gbongan, Oba DrAdetoyese among others.

Various political groupsincluding, Adaba Projects,De Young Mandate, OsunPositive Force,Progressive TouchBearers, De Raufs, DeIntegrity, Itesiwaju,Dynamic Group, Womenin Action, OranmiyanDemocrats, AsiwajuGrassroots Movementamong others equallystormed the venue in theirhundreds.

Other professionalbodies in attendance were:Motor Dealers Associationof Nigeria, NigerianAutomobile TechniciansAssociation of Nigeria(NATA), Road TransportEmployees Association ofNigeria (RTEAN) andMarket WomenAssociations.

State Interim Chairmanof the All ProgressivesCongress (APC), Elder

Adelowo Adebiyi led theleaders of the party,including the interimSecretary, Prince GboyegaFamodun, interim StateDeputy Chairman, AlhajiMuraina Iyiola, interimState Women Leader, AlhajaKudirat Fakokunde,Assistant State PRO,Apostle Samson Oyebode,Osun Central Senatorialleader, Alhaji G. O. Lawal,former Chief of Staff, ElderPeter Babalola, Alhaji WaleLasisi and other leaders.

It was all commendationsfrom the professionalbodies, royal fathers and thecommunity leaders, whocould not hide their joy forthe completion of the roadprojects.

When the stage was setfor the governor to addressthe crowd, his moodsuggested readiness to replyopposition’s criticisms onthe performance of hisadministration in the lastthree years.

The governor lambastedthe Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP), saying thecommissioning wasorganised to put them toshame and show the wholeworld the result of”ingenuity and purposefulleadership.”

He said Senator IyiolaOmisore, the PDPgovernorship candidate, isthe least competent tocontest any election addinghe “lacks all the politicalcredentials to contest forpublic offices.”

Aregbesola said: ”Iassure the people of thestate of your protection oflives and properties. Youmust not fear the charlatans

in choosing the governorof your choice. Theircandidate, Omisore, whowas unable to vote forhimself in 2003 and in2011, his electoral doctoredfigure was nullified by thecourt.

“He was in prison whenhe emerged as a senator. Hewas unable to vote forhimself not to talk ofcampaigning. INEC andpower that be in Abujadoctored figures for him tobecome a senator.

“Also in 2007, when hecontested with JideOmoworare, the courtnullified his election onaccount of irregularities,but when we clearlyunderstood that theirintention was to kill oursupporters, we boycottedthat election. He thencontested against himself.The 2011 election was notalso different, as they killedfive people at Isale-Agbaraarea of Ile-Ife before theelection and despite that, helost his ward.

“ Our victory is not byhuman power, but byGod’s grace. God hasgiven us victory since 2007and handed over the victoryto us in November 26,2010. God removed aretired army general, whofought war in Somalia, notto talk of a prisoner, whodoes not deserve to be acouncillor.

“You must not fearthem. God is by our sideand for those who sentthem on vendetta missionin Osun from Abuja,Kaduna or anywhere, theyhave invested on a failedproject and by God’s

grace, they would fail,” thegovernor said.

Aregbesola stated that hewas not perturbed by thehuge amount of moneycommitted into the roadprojects, because theywould have unquantifiablebenefits on people.

He added that at theinception of hisadministration, he had avision of progress forOsun, of which roadi n f r a s t r u c t u r a ldevelopment was a vitalcomponent.

The governor stressedthat because of theparamount importance ofroad transportation for themovement of people andgoods in Nigeria, includingOsun, governmentaccorded it a priorityattention in its developmentschemes.

Aregbesola pointed outthat his administration didnot allow it to bediscouraged by the littledetails of short-terminconveniences butfocused on the big pictureand the long-term value ofthe sacrifices it’s makingtoday.

He said: “When westarted these roads, ourtraducers scoffed andmocked the projects,claiming that we wouldnever have the funds or thepresence of mind to seethem through. But to theglory of God and theireternal shame, we havedelivered on our promise.

“We are not resting onour oars; our greater visionis to tar every road in thestate, since we cannotconceive of a beautifulenvironment without goodroads.

“We will therefore

continue to convert ourvisionary road map forOsun into a concrete andenduring legacy of asphalticsurfaces for theengendering of socio-economic development,progress and prosperity forour people.”

He averred that, as thestate capital, Osogbotownship road developmentproject stands out as aproduct of a visionary roadmap, intentionally aimed atmaking Osogbo, the trulymodern state capital itdeserves.

The governor stressedthat the roads weredesigned to easetransportation within thecity, as well as in and outof it, adding that the totalnumber of roads beingcommissioned in Osogbowas 21 with a stretch of26.31 kilometres.

The commissionedroads included: StationRoad to Ebenezer HotelRoad; Boorepo to EleledeJunction Road; Elelede toGbemu Road; Gbodofon toGbemu Junction Road; andIlobu Road to GRA Road,Oja Oba Road toPlantaintion Area; BalogunBiiro to Oke Baale Road;Alafia Street to ChurchStreet, Awolowo Way;Coca-Cola to Capital HotelRoad; Oke Onitea Road toAnaye Market Junction;Okefia to Ita Olokan Road;the Road from OppositeCapital Hotel to OrokiRoad; Oroki Estate to IlobuRoad; Odetoyinbo toHeritage Hotel Road withSpur; and Kola BalogunRoad Junction to FiwasayeOlohunosebi Junction.

Others are Osunbukolato Ede Road; John MackayRoad to Oke Baale; theroad from Tanisi to KejiAdigun Street; AdamsStreet to Mercy Land andRoad Spur; Steel RollingCamp to Kabelo FillingStation; and RehabilitatedIfeloju Omo-West Road.

In a goodwill message,National Chairman, Radioand Television WorkersUnion (RATAWU), YemisiBamigbose, said thegovernor had demonstratedu n p r e c e d e n t e dcommitment to thedevelopment of the state.

Bamigbose said out ofthe 36 states he had visited,no state has recorded suchrapid development within ashort period of time,especially on roads andi n f r a s t r u c t u r a ldevelopment.

The Ataoja of Osogbo,Oba Jimoh Olanipekun,said the quality of the workdone by the contractorwas a manifestation ofAregbesola’s creativity andcompetence, adding thatthe governor’s good workshave already campaignedfor his re-election.

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right), presenting Smart I.D Card to State of Osun Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye;with them are: Sir Demola Aladekomo (2nd right) and Arowoogun (left) at the event during the launch of the State Of Osun Civil Servant Smart I.DCard and Biometric Automation of I AM ALIVE by the governor last Thursday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

Osun Gov Election: PDP’s Plot To Kit Thugs With Police Uniform ExposedBy KAZEEM MOHAMMED

ALLEGED fresh plot by the State of Osunchapter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and its governorship candidate,

Senator Iyiola Omisore, to kit political thugs withpolice uniform with the intention of eliminatingprominent leaders of the ruling - All ProgressivesParty (APC) and implicating them have beenexposed.

Exposing the plot at apress conferenceaddressed by politicaloffice holders under APCfrom Ifeland on Monday,the senator representingOsun East SenatorialDistrict, BabajideOmoworare, alleged thatthe plan is to use thugs whoare in the Omisore YouthsSupport Forum (OYSF) tocarry out the heinous act.

Flanked by otherpolitical office holdersfrom the area, Omoworaresaid part of the plans wasto execute the kidnappingand disappearance ofnotable APC leaders.

He further alleged thatthe thugs have also beeninstructed to plant guns inthe homes, vehicles andproperties of some APCleaders, who willsubsequently be arrestedand detained.

Expressing worry overOmisore’s efforts tounleash mayhem on Ile-Ifeand some other parts of thestate and blame APCleaders for it, he stressedthat the PDP candidate andhis party have disregardedthe concerted efforts of theOoni of Ife, Oba OkunadeSijuwade, to broker peaceamong politicalstakeholders in the ancienttown.

“We owe thegovernment and people ofNigeria, as well as theelectorate and lawenforcement agencies thatwe make it clear to thepublic, words reaching usfrom the grapevine on thestrategic establishment ofOmisore Youths SupportForum (OYSF) and thecoincidental emergence ofMr Jelili Adesiyan as PoliceAffairs Minister.

“Their plans are to kitthe OYSF across the statewith police uniform,police/presidency officialnumber plates, arms andammunitions during thecampaign and upcomingAugust 9 gubernatorialelection in the state.

“The gang will executethe kidnapping anddisappearance of notableAPC leaders; and guns will

be planted in the homes,vehicles and properties ofAPC leaders, who will bearrested and detained,” headded.

Recalling the melee thatensued in Ile-Ife during the

recently-concluded voters’registration exercise,when members of APCresisted an attempt tomanipulate the exercise,the Federal lawmakeralleged that in the process,one Alhaji Amuda Lawal,father of the ExecutiveSecretary of Ife-EastLocal Government,Tajudeen Lawal, wasattacked.

He identified those whoperpetrated the act as AyoDoherty (Waska),Funminiyi Eluyera

(Artillery), Rasheed fromGbodo Compound, BisiKalejaye (Elelede), BashiruEgbeze also from GbodoCompound, SegunOmololu (Experience),Marcus Fadehan, FataiFaworaja and severalothers.

Omoworare also allegedthat there was an attemptto implicate the sameTajudeen Lawal and someAPC members by linkingthem with the murder ofone Mr Taiwo Ogundele,who was shot on February

12, adding that heaping theblame on them wasdiversionary and intendedto shield the actualperpetrators of the crime.

Stressing that they werenot out to send panickysignal on the forthcomingelection to the people, hesaid, that the group wasjustified by the recentstatement credited to VicePresident Namadi Sambo,who said the election inOsun and Ekiti stateswould be a ‘war front’.

Calling on the well-

meaning Nigerians andsecurity operatives to callthe alleged characters toorder, he cautioned that thematurity of APC leaders andmembers should not bemistaken for cowardice,lethargy and timidity.

Omoworare alsoencouraged indigenes andresidents of Ife and Osunin general to remainsteadfast, watchful andunintimidated by exercisingtheir civic responsibility ofvoting without any fear.

Labour Party Leadership Crisis: Court Adjourns Hearing

JUSTICE Jide Falola of an Osun State High Courtsitting in Ikirun has adjourned the three-in-oneLabour Party (LP) suit before him till Thursday for

continuation of hearing.

It would be recalled thatseveral factions of the partywent to court to vent theiranger over leadership tusslethat has engulfed the partysince last year.

The presiding judgehowever counselled thewarring factions to sheaththeir swords and thread thepath of peace in the interestof the future of the party.

He advised the aggrievedparties to find an alternative

means of settling theirdifferences amicably andallow the party be part ofthe forthcoming electoralprocess in the state.

Speaking on the day’sproceedings, the counsel tothe parties disclosed thatthe judge was trying toensure that the suit wasdealt with in time andd i s p a s s i o n a t e l y ,commending his stance onresolving the crisis.

Mr Biriomoni disclosedthat it is a general belief thatjustice delayed is justicedenied, hence, the decisionof the court to ensurespeedy dispensation of thesuit before it.

He added that the processof electioneering is close andthere is a need for the partyto conduct its primaries afterdeciding the propriety of itsleadership issue, saying itwas paramount for the partyto have a governorshipcandidate.

According to anothercounsel, the judge’s stanceon peace was commendable,hence, it was believed that

party members would heedthe court’s counsel tothread the path of peace andresolve the crisis internally.

He maintained that thecourt’s wisdom was toensure that the party didnot further disintegratebefore the election, hence,its advice to embrace peace.

The LP had since lastyear been in a mess ofleadership crisis, leading tothe dissolution of theparty’s primaries held earlythis year, invalidating theemergence of its purportedgovernorship candidate,Alhaji Fatai Akinbade.

Change Of NameI, formerly known

and addressed as MISSKAREEM OMOWUMIDAMILOLA, nowwish to be known andaddressed as MRSA D E S U Y IO M O W U M IDAMILOLA. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic should take note.

Osun Economy ‘ll Be The Largest In Nigeria By 2020 - AregbesolaBy KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

GOVERNOR of the State of Osun Ogbeni RaufAregbesola had stated on Tuesday that his vision isto banish poverty, hunger and unemployment

through economic and social transformation.He added that it is not the

destiny of the people of thestate to remain in poverty,while pledging that hisadministration will continueto improve infrastructure,security and create enablingenvironment for investment.

The governor gave theassurance while deliveringhis keynote address duringan Economic Summit onCrux of EconomicDevelopment Master planpowered by the PeoplesWelfare League (PWL), asocio-political organisation.

Aregbesola said hisadministration is conscious

of the impact ofinfrastructure in economicdevelopment, which hasbeen a pointer for locationof any physical project.

According to thegovernor, over threehundred kilometres of roadswere constructedstrategically based on theireconomic importance withhigher concentration onrural areas to increase foodproduction.

The governor said theairport, internationalmarkets, abattoirs beingconstructed are to createwealth and make the state

economically-independent.He said: “We have signed

an agreement with NigeriaAir Force to maintain theiraircrafts in this state. Wedon’t have a single AircraftHanger in the whole Sub-Sahara Africa, and in Osun,by the grace of God, we arebuilding one for helicopterand another one for Aircraft.With this, Osun will be great.That is our vision.”

“That is why I’msurprised that some people,out of ignorance, want thestate to remain in penury.They are so mischievousabout our borrowed fundsthat we are using toconstruct the roads. If theyare not senseless, are theyexpecting us to leaveGbongan to Osogbo road asdeath trap?”

“If we are not

constructing alternativeroad to Lagos, throughOrile-Owu and Araromi-Owu, if we are notconstructing the road fromGbongan to Osogbo, whowill come here? No one willcome here to invest. This isthe connection betweeneconomy, wealth andi n f r a s t r u c t u r a ldevelopment”.

There is no nation thatcan develop withoutinfrastructure. That is whywe prioritised theinfrastructure. Foravoidance of doubt, we arenot borrowing to over-burden the state, but tominimise resources inproviding timely socialservices that will make lifebetter for our people.”

The governor added thatthrough ingenuity and

consciousness of the state’sfinancial limitation, hisadministration has borrowedwith highest sense ofresponsibility with thecheapest interest rate andlongest period of repayment.

A former Speaker of thestate’s parliament, ProfessorMojeed Alabi, in his ownaddress, said the struggle forpower is a struggle foreconomic control and urgedthe people to ensure the re-election of GovernorAregbesola on August 9 tosustain the current economicdevelopment.

Coordinator of thePeoples Welfare League,Comrade Abiodun Agboola,said the summit was amongothers, aimed at providingan organised platform for thestakeholders in the economyto brainstorm on how tomake the state viableeconomically.

He said no economy cangrow without takingcognisance of thecomponents units in whichOsun is one saying: “Whenthe National Bureau ofStatistics (NBS) rated Osunas a best-governed state andseventh largest economy inthe country, we feel weshould lay our hands on thereality checks by bringing allstakeholders in theeconomic sector togetherand asses the truesituation.”

He added that theworkshop evaluated otherinvestment indices thatguarantee stakeholders’interest and the political willon the side of government.

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 20144 News

•(L-R) Chief of Staff to State of Osun Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola; Representative of Chief Executive Officerof First Bank, Mr Timothew Arowoogun and Secretary to the State Government of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti,during the launch of the State Of Osun Civil Servant Smart I.D Card and Biometric Automation of I AM ALIVE bythe governor, last Thursday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI

‘N3.7bn Township Roads ‘Ill Boost Socio-economic Growth’By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

THE Special Adviser to the Governor of the State ofOsun on Works, Engineer Sabitu Oladepo Amuda,has said that the newly-commissioned 15 township

roads in Ilesa, at an estimated N3.7 billion, would go a longway in promoting social and economic development in thetown and other adjoining communities.

He noted that thecommitment of Ogbeni RaufA r e g b e s o l a ’ sadministration in Osun wasaimed at putting in placeinfrastructural facilities,capable of giving allcommunities new lease of

life, which would enhancesteady growth in allramifications.

Amudah, who stated thisduring the officialcommissioning of the roads,contended that “preciselythree and a half years back,

when our administrationcame on board, the state ofour roads were deplorable.The intra and intercityroads were in a state ofdisrepair, such that theeconomy of Osun was at thelowest ebb; fell to a levelthat investors were notattracted due to bad roads.

In addition, farmers foundit difficult to transportagricultural produce to theurban centres”.

The newly-commissioned township

roads included ToshoObembe-General HospitalIlaje, Kayanfanda Street,Lejoka Fadahunsi Avenue/Old Ife Junction, Oke-Opoc o m m u n i t y / G R A -Iyemogun/Ilesa East localgovernment secretariat;Irojo (Sabo Junction)-Agboworin Crescent-Boluwaduro, Ilerin/Leventis-Obokun Avenue,Old Omieran Road, Ibala(Community PrimarySchool)-Oke Omiru-O t e k u n r i n - O s o g b o

junction.According to

him:”Several roads are invarious stages ofconstruction across thestate. Of particular interestis the construction ofN17.5km dual-carriagewaynamed Oba Adesoji Aderemibypass, which has acompletion period of 12months at the cost of N14.5billion.

“It includes oneoverhead bridge andunderpass across therailway at Ofatedo; twobridges over River Osunand an interchange at theAtaoja School of Science,Osogbo. The road is of veryhigh standard in modernroad construction and hasattained 25 percent completion.”

Jungle Justice: Mob BurntThree Persons To Death

By SHINA ABUBAKAR

TWO persons last week fell victims of jungle justiceby a mob in different parts of Osogbo, capital of theState of Osun, after they were suspected to be

kidnappers.The unfortunate incident

started on Friday afternoon,when a middle-aged man wasbeaten to a point of coma bya mob at Olaiya junction onthe allegation that he wasattempting to kidnap a childand was also alleged to haveconfessed that there wereother ten persons in the statecapital commissioned for thesame job.

It took the intervention ofpolice to rescue the manfrom being killed on the spot,but it was gathered that helater died at an undisclosedhospital as a result of thebeating by the mob.

Later in the night at about

9:30pm, another man wasalleged of attempting tokidnap a child and wasbeaten to pulp before he wasburnt alive by irate youthsaround Igbonna Market inthe state capital.

Before anyone couldrecover from the shock ofthe incident, another womanwas also alleged ofattempting to kidnap andpretending insanity alongPepsi-Cola Area and beforeanyone could come to herrescue, she was set on fireby some commercialmotorcyclists.

According to theperpetrators of the act, thewoman was unable todisclose her details to themafter she had been beatenand stripped naked beforeeventually setting her on fire.

She was caught andbeaten beside a fillingstation, which is about 50metre from a police outpost,located beside ObelawoFactory, yet, policemen didnot arrive the scene until thebody was burnt totally andthe first set that arrived intwo vans turned backwithout raising an eyebrow.

It took the intervention ofmen of the Department ofSecurity Service, anti-riotpolicemen to disperse thecrowd arrested mainlyinnocent people, who werenot even at the scene of theterrible act.

Investigations, however,revealed that the burntwoman was not a kidnapper,but a mentally-derailedperson, who often regainsanity and hawk drugswhenever she felt good.

Omisore, PDP Lure Electorate With Empowerment FundsBy ISMAEEL UTHMAN

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and itsgovernorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore,have begun fresh moves to lure unsuspected

members of the public into the party.OSUN DEFENDER

investigation revealed thatOmisore has initiated a newempowerment fund targetedat eligible voters; those whohave voters’ cards, eitherpermanent or temporary.

The empowermentprogramme, which startedsome months ago, is beingrun through the OmisoreYouths Support Forum.

Those who want tobenefit from the programmewere asked to register in abook with the OYSF andlater given a form to fill.

Inside the form, thepotential beneficiaries willenter the VotersIdentification Number oftheir various voters’ cards,voting unit, ward and localgovernment council area, aswell as their phone numbersand addresses.

Some of the people, whohad filled the forms, havebeen registered for variousvocational trainings liketailoring, carpentry, hairdressing among others.

According to theparticipants, Omisore hadearlier promised to buythem their working toolsimmediately after theycomplete their training.

Omisore had alsopromised to give themsubstantial amount ofmoney a week to thegovernorship election, saidthe participant.

However, some of the

people that put in for theprogramme have been

withdrawing on the groundthat the PDP agents aremonitoring their movementsand day to day activities.

The aggrievedbeneficiaries, who spokewith the medium onTuesday in Osogbo, claimed

that the programme wasoriginally designed tomobilise the unsuspectingpeople for the PDP.

They alleged that the PDPagents were requesting fortheir voters’ cards with theaim of using them to

manipulate the forthcominggovernorship election.

Basically, the participantssaid the empowermentprogramme was to lure theelectorate to the PDP forthem to vote for itsgovernorship candidate.

PDP Develops New Electronic Rigging Method - APC Cries Out

A new strategy is allegedly under way by the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) to rig the June 21 and August9 gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun states

respectively.According to the All

Progressives Congress (APC)in the State of Osun,information at the disposal ofthe party revealed that thePDP has concluded plans tohack into the IndependentNational ElectoralCommission’s data-base, witha view to penetrating andcorrupting the voters’ registerand disenfranchise thousandsof voters, by eliminating theirnames from the register.

To effect this plan, the APCfurther alleged, the PDP inOsun is already deceivingunsuspecting voters to collectthe PIN numbers of theirvoters’ cards.

“They (PDP) chieftains arereported to have accessed thetelephone numbers of thevoters and are pretending to becalling from INEC’s office inOsogbo that prospectivevoters should confirm theirvoters’ cards’ PIN numbers forsecurity purposes.

“But the actual reason is toeliminate the voters’ data fromINEC’s data-base after it musthave been hacked into andcorrupted,” the APC alleged.

These information werecontained in a press statementfrom the Directorate ofPublicity, Research andStrategy made available to themedia in Osogbo and signed by

the party’s Director ofPublicity, Barrister KunleOyatomi.

The APC therefore alertedthe INEC of the latest in theseries of dastardly plots by thePDP to rig elections in bothEkiti and Osun states.

The party likewise alertedand cautioned citizens of Osunto disregard any person calling

them on phone, purportedlyfrom INEC office, to confirmtheir voters’ card pin number.“They are PDP fraudsters,”the party warned.

Finally, the APC requestedthat for INEC to effectively nipthis latest PDP rigging plan inthe bud, the commissionshould use its Card Readers inthe conduct of the electionprocess in the two states. Thatis the only full-proof methodto stop the fraud.

The APC recalled that only

recently, it alerted the publicthat the PDP was buying upvoters’ cards to manipulate theprocess.

“Now that they have seenthe futility of buying up voterscards, they have come with amaster plan to hack intoINEC’s data-base and corruptthe register.

“INEC must not allow itsefforts to be frustrated bycommon criminals,” the APCstressed.

Osun PDP Closes State SecretariatBy ISMAEEL UTHMAN

THE state secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the State of Osun has been closed forunknown reasons.

OSUN DEFENDERobserved that the entrance gateof the PDP secretariat locatedon the ever-busy Gbongan/Ibadan Road, Osogbo remainedclosed both during the day andat night.

It was learnt that the PDPmembers had deserted theparty’s secretariat since lastweek Wednesday precisely.

According to some of theresidents of the area, whoprayed not to be named, theclosure of the PDP secretariatwas followed by therepositioning of its entrance

gate.Some sections of the

residents however claimed thatthe secretariat had beendeserted by the PDP membersprior to the reconstruction ofthe entrance gate.

When OSUN DEFENDERvisited the secretariat onTuesday morning, it was underlock and keys, as nobody wasseeing around it.

A state executive member ofthe party told the medium thatthey deserted the secretariatsince there was no seriousactivity to do there.

The secretariat wasformerly meant for PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’scampaign office before it wasconverted to Osun PDP statesecretariat.

The renaming of thesecretariat followed the falloutof the intra-political crisis thatengulfed the party after theresignation of its former StateChairman, the late AlhajiAdemola Rasaq and the laststate congress of the party.

A faction of the PDP led bySenator Iyiola Omisoreabandoned the former partysecretariat located at DadaEstate, Osogbo and convertedthe President Jonathan’scampaign office to the newstate secretariat.

The closure of the PDPsecretariat is another indicationthat the party is in disarray andnot formidable enough to giveGovernor Rauf Aregbesola aserious run for the August 9,2014 gubernatorial election.

Barely three months to theelection, the secretariat wasexpected to always have heavypresence of enthusiastic partymembers, particularly the bigwigs of the party, who shouldbe busy on the electioneeringprocesses.

The conclusion was based onthe fact that in an election year,party secretariats are abodes forpoliticians, who do meetregularly to discuss andstrategise for the comingelection.

5 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2017

Omisore And Osun's Imaginary Debts

to the physicaltransformationdueto the massiveroad constructiongoing on acrossthe state; from theoverhaul of theeducation sectorto the emerging in-dustrial landscape;the tourism sectorcurrently beinggiven a new lease,the integration ofinformation tech-nology into thelearning and gov-ernance processand the on-goingrevolution in agri-culture, the statehas since emergedas a clear leaderamong its peers in

the federation.

However, if thepeople are baskingin the exultationthat finally thepeople's money isworking wondersfor their benefit, orthat a focused ad-ministration trulycommitted to theirwelfare is finallymaking govern-ment money to de-liver full value forevery naira spent,the crowd of revi-sionists from thePDP - are appar-ently far from im-pressed. Not thatwe expect them tobe - anyway. Notwith the pace of

development leavingthe PDP breathlessand confused.However, to cookup some phantomfigures on what issupposed to be theextent of the state'sindebtedness obvi-ously comes to usas a new low in theparty's desperatesearch for relevance.

What to make ofthe utterly laughableand false claim bythe PDP gubernato-rial wannabe, IyiolaOmisore that thestate owes N630 bil-lion? Even if we ex-cuse the PDPcandidate's well-known penchant toelevate lying to

Ekiti, Osun 2014: The War Sambo Would Want

VICE-President ofNigeria, ArchitectNamadi Sambo,

was quoted as saying:”Weare going to war front and(to) bring back our stolenmandate; everybodyknows that Ekiti belongs toPDP; they used allinstruments to take it awayfrom us…. Osun is PDP.Osun was stolen from us.The end of stealing hascome.”

Although Vice- PresidentSambo went further torestate the federalg o v e r n m e n t ’ scommitment to free andfair election, his earlier warthreat had taken away thewind from the sail of hisseemingly patriotic butreluctant words whichcould only sound, at best,as an after-thought ormere window-dressing.

What was loud and clearin his speech, as PDP’scampaign committee

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing

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chairman, was adeclaration of Ekiti andOsun states as war-frontsrather than a theatre forfree and fair election; andhis listeners /readers fromthe two states should, bynow, perhaps, countthemselves lucky not tohave been caughtunawares.

In response, the APCcandidate in Ekiti State, DrJohn Kayode Fayemi, hasdescribed his declarationof war as “unbecoming ofa Vice-President” but heshould have added: “evenas a campaign committeechairman “becausepreparing the voters’minds for war in Ekiti and

Osun was not onlyoutrageous but inciting andcounter-productive to thespirit and intents ofdemocracy.

Moreover, by claimingthat Osun and Ekiti stateshad always been PDPstates, Sambo was onlyunsuccessfully trying totwist the facts while he

succeeded largely inreminding the people of thetwo states of the sheernauseating brigandagewhich had seen the pastPDP governors into officein the traditionallyprogressive South-west.

Snatching of ballotboxes with the aid ofshameless armed

policemen, stuffing ofsuch ballot boxes withthumb-printed ballotpapers right in theconfines of the policestations only for theobvious result to beannounced to astounded,robbed voters; such werethe methods of electoralconquests then and suchwas what the judiciaryeventually reversed withits judgments in Ekiti andOsun states.

Could it be the samekind of war that Sambohad intended to wageagain in Osun and Ekitistates this year, going byhis words which had beenspoken from theabundance of his heart? Ifso, would INEC, the Ekitisand Osuns be expected tosimply fold their arms andallow the PDP to come andrough-ride again, using thepolice?

•JIDE OGUNTOYE,Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Continued from pg1 PDP is clearly

their poor under-standing of whatgovernance is allabout. Not for themthe years of pains-taking preparation,or the labour oflove that public ser-vice entails; ormore still, the ap-preciation of the fi-nancial re-engi-neering needed toturn things around;not for his ilk, theiron discipline thathas brought thestate thus far.

As it is, citizensof Osun obviouslyhave far betterthings to engage inthan dwell onOmisore's fables.

an art, the revela-tion that a man whoseeks to take overthe running of thestate of Osun notonly knows next tonothing about pub-lic finance ought toprovide the citizensof our dear statewith something tochew upon.

Good citizens ofthe state only needto recall theOmisore's egre-gious claims aboutawarding contractsfor some state roadswhile serving as asenator when hewas not theministerof works toappreciate his infi-nite capacity totrade in untruths!

Lest we forget, theother well-knownpathology sufferedby the PDP candi-date is hallucination.It refers to a condi-tion of assumingwhat is not there.The truth of courseis there is no N630billion debt any-where. If it exists atall, it must be in hisfecund imagination.Or could the PDP bereferring to the N30billion bond issuedin two phases to fi-nance critical infra-structure which arealready being paidback by the stategovernment?Thetrouble withOmisore and his

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 20146 FEATURE

Mr. Man, Who Is This Ogbeni?“Ogbeni”, a word popularized by

Rauf Aregbesola, Executive Governor ofthe State of Osun, simply means -“Mister” in Yoruba. But why does Raufprefer to be called “Ogbeni” rather than“Your Excellency”?

FRANKLY, the word “Ogbeni” givesus a window into the soul of a man,who sees his role as governor as one

amongst the governed. As simple as it isplain, “Ogbeni” reflects the governor’scharacter, his nobility, his humility, hisaccommodating nature and hisunpretentiousness. Unlike previousadministrations, intoxicated by thetrappings, pomp and circumstance ofpower, he is more concerned withgovernment making meaningful change inthe lives and fortunes of ordinary peoplein the State of Osun.

That said, beneath his unassumingsimplicity lies a steely resolve andunshakeable belief that it is not unnaturalfor the wealthy to be few. However, it isnatural that prosperity is for all.Obviously, Ogbeni understands that youcan’t solve all problems for all people allof the time, but governance meanscreating and sustaining conditions whereall can prosper and poverty can bealleviated. This is indeed the hallmark ofOgbeni’s administration.

As many Osun indigenes will verifyand acknowledge, our state is verydifferent today. It is a more peaceful,prosperous and better place to live, learn,earn, rest and play in, than it was underthe previous administration. That is not tosay Ogbeni has won over all detractorsand critics. To some, Ogbeni’s sterlingqualities and progressive views aregrotesque, defective and deficient. Somehave accused him of always playing tothe gallery. Some detractors would havepeople believe that the man is an enigmawith a stigma. They distort andmisrepresent his steadfastness forstubbornness, his tenacity for dogmatism,his vision for delusion, and his policiesfor extravagance. But above all Osun hasrisen; the beautiful ones are here in Osun,apologies to the popular Ghanaian author,Professor Ayi Kwei Armah. Indeed, Osunti n dara!

His first major decision was to set upthe Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme(O’YES) employing 20,000 youths, in hisfirst 100 days in office, to provide someessential services to the people of thestate. Today, the first set of 20,000 O’YESgraduates are now gainfully employed.The result is that Osun now has thelowest unemployment rate in the countryas well as the second lowest poverty ratein Nigeria (Source; National Bureau ofStatistics). But that’s not all, the FederalGovernment in conjunction with theWorld Bank launched a programme largelybased on the O’YES template and invitedOgbeni to speak at the occasion. INFACT,he was the only Governor invited tospeak. As O’YES, effectively goesnational 740,000 direct jobs will beCREATED; 3.7 million indirect jobs will beGENERATED; these will INJECT N7.4billion into the economy monthly. A clearproof that there is dignity in hard work.

In creating a new state identity, newlogo, state anthem and slogan, he has seta trend that is being followed by otherGovernors. Interestingly, the PDPGovernor of Bayelsa, the President’s Stateof Origin, was one of those who havefollowed the trend set by Aregbesola increating new identity for his people. Thispolicy largely criticized but eventuallycopied!

In creating the Sukuk (Islamic) Bond inthe state, he introduced a new affordableand manageable means of raising financefor capital projects. It was so successful

that the Bond has been oversubscribed.The British Government recently decidedto introduce Sukuk bonds. Need we saymore about the islamisation intent? Toadd spice to it, the Sukuk Bond recentlywon an award in far away Dubai, UnitedArab Emirates. At the award night ofworld acclaimed Islamic Financial Newsmagazine, Osun Sukuk won the ‘Deal ofthe Year’ award.

By making the day of Hijrah in theIslamic calendar and “Isese Day” stateholidays, Ogbeni has preserved thecelebration of core traditions and the richand diverse culture in Osun, the cradle ofcivilization for one in four Nigerians andover one hundred million people of thisdescent in the Diaspora. It is no surprisethat Osun is only one of two states inNigeria that can boast of a United NationsWorld Heritage site.

The introduction of “Opon Imo”(tablets of knowledge) to students insenior secondary schools in the state haspropelled Osun into one of the leadingstates in ICT-driven education. Hundredsof millions of naira that would have beenspent in buying textbooks for thestudents have been saved. Meanwhile,the state government has receivedaccolades at home and abroad forintroducing Opon Imo. This same e-learning educational delivery device wonthe United Nations World Summit Awardas the best in 2013 in e-content andcreativity. Need we say more about thisendless list of proven achievements?

On transportation infrastructure, today,the reconstruction and dualization of the47-kilometre highway to the border ofKwara State is ongoing; the dualization of27 kilometre Akoda-Gbongan Road with aflyover is visibly ongoing; about 61township roads covering 128 kilometreshave been upgraded while 20 inter-cityroads covering 294 kilometres areundergoing massive upgrading.

Under this, the Governor recentlycommissioned 15 township roads in Ileshacovering 29.71 kilometres; in Osogbo, 21township roads are being rehabilitatedand constructed; in Ede, 13 townshiproads have been repaired; 79 kilometres ofintra-city roads under construction in thestate; while there are 20 other roadscovering 294.27 kilometres are atadvanced stages of completion.

Still under road construction, theAregbesola administration is constructingsix selected roads in the six geo-politicalzones in the state covering 74.1kilometres; the eight road rehabilitationprojects inherited from the Oyinlolaadministration covering 44.29 kilometresare all almost being completed; works isgoing on seriously on the Gbongan-OrileOwu-Ijebu Igbo Road while the Ogbeniadministration has begun construction ofthe Osogbo East Bye-pass road covering17.5 kilometres which when completed willnot only have a railway underpass atOfatedo, but will also have an interchangeat Ataoja, with two bridges across OsunRiver.

The forward-looking educational policyis the latest initiative. The quality ofeducation is a function of the facilitiesand inputs that go into teaching our kids.Hungry children do not learn as well. Newschool buildings are being built bygovernment, pupils in public primaryschools enjoy free nutritious lunch,students are given new and free schooluniforms, the government has increasedfunding of education in the state while thegovernment has been paying WAEC feesof students. The process of teaching andlearning has taken a whole newdimension.

The school reforms programme of theAregbesola administration has amongothers: raised primary education fundingfrom N7.4 million a year to N424 millionannually; secondary school funding hasbeen increased from N117 million to N427million annually; Opon Imo (tablets of

knowledge) are being distributed tostudents of senior secondary schools inthe state; public school students arebeing kitted with 750,000 free schooluniforms; the government is buildingmodel elementary, middle and highschools respectively throughout thestate; over 180,000 elementary school kidsare fed daily with nutritious lunch whichmenu include fish and egg. Aside theimprovement of the nutritional and healthstatus of kids, this effort has stimulated ageometric increase in school enrolmentand development of small and mediumscale enterprises for those who directlyprovide these services.

Within three years of Ogbeni’smonumental revolution in the educationsector, 1,724 classrooms have been builtin 39 schools across the length andbreadth of the state. The government hasstarted commissioning the state of the artschool buildings across the state. 100 ofsuch buildings are meant for theElementary Section, 50 buildings will bebuilt for the Middle Section while 20 havebeen earmarked for the Senior SchoolSection, all making a total of 170 modernschool buildings to be built for studentsin the state. The modern school buildingswill each accommodate 1,000 pupils at theElementary and Middle levels while thatof the senior cadre will accommodate3,000 pupils each. In addition, eachbuilding has 28 classrooms, hall, sickbay,staff room, grassed courtyard, recreationaltoys, basketball court with an area fittedwith children play swings, and other toys.

This year alone, 15 middle schools, 13elementary schools and 10 high schoolswill be delivered by the Aregbesolaadministration. Worthy to note thatthrough the school reform programme,3,000 caterers have been empowered toprovide meals for elementary schoolpupils in the free meal programme whilethe free school uniform programme hasled to the empowerment of over 3,000tailors. The recognition of Ogbeni’seducational reforms by UNESCO andother international agencies has furtherenergised him to do more in this veryimportant sector.

Critics have leveled allegations againsthis policies and initiatives. His signature,Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme(O’YES) programme was labeled as givingstipends and handouts to graduates forperforming “menial” and ‘undignified’jobs. When Ogbeni changed the identityof the state, created a new logo, stateanthem and slogan, he was accused ofsedition and fomenting secession. Whenhe introduced the Sukuk Bond anddeclared the day of Hijrah in the Islamiccalendar as a State holiday, he wasaccused of Islamizing the state. When hedeclared the “Isese Day”(the traditionalnew-year) as a state holiday, he wasaccused of idolatry. When he introducedthe ‘Opon Imo’ (Tablets of Knowledge) todigitize the classroom for students, hewas accused of creating a white elephantproject. When he merged schools toimprove service delivery, he was accusedof destabilizing the education system inthe state.

Perhaps his detractors in theopposition have most to lose. For themhis ability to persevere and prevail timeand again against their party’s formidablejuggernauts in Osun- in the face ofimmense rigging, institutional opposition,intimidation, assassination of his closestsupporters and attempts to assassinatehim, incarceration and protracted litigation- is enigmatic.

In the final analysis, he survived allefforts to silence him and prevent him

Continied on page 11

•AREGBESOLA

By ABDULLAHI BINUYO

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014 7

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

•Another commissioned road at Oroki Housing Estate, Osogbo.

Commissioning Of 21 Roads In Osogbo By The State Of Osun Governor, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGAADENIYI.

PHOTOTALK

•Another commissioned road at LAMECO Area, Osogbo.

8 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014PHOTOTALK

•Some of Governor Aregbesola’s admirers during the inspection of the roads.

•Some of the pupils at Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Osogbo, greeting Governor Aregbesola.

Commissioning Of 21 Roads In Osogbo By The State Of Osun Governor, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from his supporters.

9OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014 PHOTOTALK

•(L-R) Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam; Deputy Governor, State of Osun, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori; Chief Executive Officer(CEO), RATCON Construction Company, Elias Zaad and Governor Rauf Aregbesola at the event.

•A cross section of market women at Oluode Market, Osogbo, showing their appreciation to Aregbesola.

Commissioning Of 21 Roads In Osogbo By The State Of Osun Governor, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•Another cross section of pupils of St. Benedict Catholic School, Isale-Aro, welcoming Aregbesola.

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014

•Governor Aregbesola (3rd left); his wife, Sherifat (2nd right); Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori (left); the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun (3rd right); SpecialAdviser to State of Osun Governor on Works and Transport, Engineer Sabitu Amudah (right) and Zaad (2nd left).

•One of the Commissioned roads at Oke-Onitii Area of Osogbo.

PHOTOTALK

•Governor Aregbesola acknowledging cheers from his admirers during the commissioning.

Commissioning Of 21 Roads In Osogbo By The State Of Osun Governor, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGAADENIYI.

11 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014FEATURE

FEATURE

Mr. Man, Who Is This Ogbeni?from taking up the victorious mandate

the People of the State of Osun gave himin 2007. Victory in the Court of Appealvindicated victory at the polls, albeit threeand half years late. Stigmata rather thanstigma come to mind as a moreappropriate and arguably the moredeserved metaphor! His detractors willhave another chance to have their say atthe polls in August 2014.

But before talk of elections, let usreview Ogbeni’s progressive andadmittedly aggressive policies for whichhe has been criticized, in some casesvilified, and assess these against hisperformance and the acceptance orrejection of his initiatives.

2014 and Beyond;Tired of the politics of bitterness and

terror, Osun indigenes have, underOgbeni, grown accustomed to provenresults and do not want a return to themurder, mayhem, insecurity and under-development of the dark pre-Ogbeni days.One does not need to be a sycophant or asugar-coated praise singer to applaud thestrides made in these few years. ThatOgbeni’s initiatives in Osun are beingreplicated and celebrated at home andabroad is a positive proof thatprogressive policy and disciplinedimplementation is common sense, notpolitics. Simply put, it is plain goodgovernance. If imitation is the highestform of flattery, then the PDP flatters thisadministration- the so called opposition,by adopting its programmes - the O’YESreplication at the federal level, a vividtypical example.

As the All Progressives Congress

(APC) alliance forges ahead, Osun, underOgbeni’s leadership, has led the way byits example. The state is not only thespiritual, ancestral and geographicfountain of one in four Nigerians, but has,under Ogbeni, become the heartland,pioneer and incubator for nationalprogressive politics and inclusive socio-economic developments. The state has

not witnessed the spate of varied,integrated and inclusive developmentsince its creation twenty-years ago as itdid in the last three years under Ogbeni’sleadership. Osun remains a forward-looking state, proudly steeped in itsculture and history, comfortable with itselfand hungry for more development. It willunder Ogbeni’s leadership continue to bea worthy model for the rest of the country.

With the recent APC primaries and theunanimous choice of Ogbeni’s continuedleadership, the “Ogbeni Express” hasgone far but there is still plenty left to do.It has one more electoral stop to make inAugust 2014. All are invited aboard. Thisis never the time to turn the clockbackwards and allow the juggernaut, thatoffers little else but “blood, death andtears” - their “consistent trademark”-apology to Fela Anikulapo Kuti- to derailthe hard won progress.

Further to the above, I found itexpedient to undertake a personal studyto situate the “Ogbeni Phenomenon”within some established foundations(academic, theoretical or ideological -whichever) but I have come to aconclusion that Ogbeni himself representan ideology that requires critical study.

Beyond that most of my quests stillneeded to be presented within theaccessible confines of immediatepracticality for the average spectator.These were therefore satisfied withseveral submissions mostly on federalismwhich were not limited to those ofProfessors Isawa Elaigwu, I.E. Sagay(SAN) and others including Hugo Black.With further review of politicalarrangements, systems of government and

the contradictions that becloud issues ofpluralism (of socio-cultural and/or ethno-religious nature), I reckon the State ofOsun under Ogbeni has evidentlyexplored federalism to accord individualsand groups their due recognition.

Exhibiting a near-perfect understandingof the fact that every majority is a minoritysomewhere and every minority is amajority elsewhere, Ogbeni has created asustainable platform for duerepresentation of “all” as a tact to containthe subversion that the existence of“others” may give rise to, ultimately in thecollective interest of the people of Osunirrespective of political or religiousleaning. This is the hallmark of Ogbeni’spolitical dexterity, magnanimity and hisimpeccable understanding of the simpledepth of federalism.

Paraphrasing the words of an Irishlabour leader Jim Larkin- “Those we seetoday as giants may not necessarily beone, the difference between them and usis; while we walk on our knees, they walkon their feet”. Ogbeni surely walks on hisfeet!!!. Let’s all rise and join him in a bid tofinish the job he started just over threeand half years ago. And, with God’s help,the will of the people of Osun will prevailand this simple, pious and dedicated manwill be returned to the State House forfour more years.

•Binuyo, Senior Special Assistant(MDGs) to the Governor of the State ofOsun, writes in from Osogbo.

Continued from page 6

•AREGBESOLA

X-Raying APC’S Manifesto And Code Of EthicsRECENTLY, the All Progressives Con

gress (APC) reaffirmed its principalobjective to provide Nigerians with

an alternative political choice, as the partyunveiled its manifesto and Code of Ethics.The content of the document underlines thecommitment of the party towards the cre-ation of a new Nigeria. The party noted thatthe Code of Ethics is a declaration of whatthe members believe in, which highlightsthe guiding principles and ideology thatbrings the membership together and under-pins its ideology and actions. The Code ofEthics was also announced as a Roadmapto a New Nigeria, symbolizing the party’scontract with the entire nation.

The Roadmap details the party’s priori-ties in fixing the failings of successive gov-ernments since the dawn of civil rule in 1999,in order to bring hope and succour to thelong-suffering people of Nigeria. The un-veiling of the roadmap, which the party said,was a product of an empirical and painstak-ing process is a departure from the old prac-tice of packaging such documents on awhim. It attracted thousands of party del-egates from across the nation, including allits national leaders as well as governorsand National Assembly members.

Kicking off the event with a welcome ad-dress, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola ofLagos State, noted that the unveiling of theparty’s commitment to Nigerians whichpromises good governance, security andjob creation is a novel affair that had neverbeen seen in the annals of Nigeria’s politi-cal history. The governor observed that di-visive politics does not angur well for na-tional peace and urged Nigerians to em-brace the APC which, as a party, has cho-sen sustainable peace, prosperity and jobcreation as its core mandate. While empha-sizing the importance of the Code of Ethics,the governor noted that when the party’spathways become hard to navigate, the setof principles being unveiled must remain aguide and that the set of principles differ-entiate the party from the others.

The party’s mission states that it is aparty that is committed to a Nigeria thatachieves its full potential and promises towork towards building a nation that is eco-nomically and socially vibrant, peaceful,

By PROF. A.S ASAJU

just and secure. Listed alongside the party’smission are ten principal commitments bythe party to the Nigerian people these in-clude the party’s commitment to preservethe Nigerian people which it believes to bethe nation’s greatest asset and pledges todo everything possible to protect and pre-serve human life and dignity. The partycommits to upholding a Nigeria bound bythe principle of freedom, justice, peace,unity and the rule of law and promises topursue its objective of increasing economicopportunity for all citizens, social welfareand progress through a government- ledand private sector driven economy and re-states its respect for every individualschoice of faith under - God.

The party’s roadmap to a new Nigeriaalso contain its commitment to uphold andrespect the interest of one person, one votegrounded in free and fair election at all lev-els as well as to uphold and respect theinterest of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groupsand to recognize the country’s strategic roleon the African continent with a commitmentto the pursuit of a foreign policy that pro-motes peace, security and national interestFurthermore, the APC restates its commit-ment to a strong system of government atthe federal, state and local levels as the mosteffective vehicle for harnessing Nigeria’sdiversity and preserving its unity, notingthat as a viable political alternative to Nige-rians, it has no tolerance for corruptionand promises to manage Nigerian resourcesresponsibility with a commitment to ac-countability and the pursuit of the greatestgood for the greatest number of people. Theroadmap also states that the party rests onthe foundation of democracy, fairness andpursuit of opportunity for all citizens predi-cated on economic activity, fair competi-tion and the bridging of inequalities. Lead-ers of the three legacy parties which mergedto become the APC were present at the oc-casion.

On specifics, the first item on the APCmanifesto is job creation. The party ob-served that roughly one in four Nigeriansand half of young job seekers are unable tofind work, adding that the number of people

whose jobs do not cover the cost of foodand housing is even greater. To this end,APC promises to create 20,000 jobs in eachstate of the federation immediately for thosewith a minimum qualification of SecondarySchool Leaving Certificate and who partici-pate in technology and vocational training.The party plans to encourage state gov-ernments to focus on employment creationby marching every one job created by thestate government with two jobs created bythe Federal Government.

APC promises to provide direct condi-tional monthly cash transfers of five thou-sand naira to the twenty-five million poor-est and most vulnerable citizens upon dem-onstration of children’s enrolment in schooland immunization, in order to help promotejob empowerment. APC also said it will es-tablish technology industrial estates whichwill be fully equipped with ICT, power andother support across the country to attractand encourage small scale technology busi-ness and other entrepreneurs. Allowancesare also to be provided to discharged butunemployed Youth Corps members for 12months while they seek jobs or acquire train-ing and skills for job placement or entrepre-neurship. Other job creation strategies bythe APC includes the establishment ofplants for the assembly and ultimately themanufacture of phones, tablets, computersand other devices. It also said it will pay aguaranteed indexed-link price to farmers toensure that there is always a ready mademarket for their produce. The party also saidit will provide one meal a day for all primaryschool students which will create jobs inagriculture, including poultry, catering anddelivery services.

The second item on the manifesto is thefight against corruption. APC promises toshow zero tolerance for official and/ or pri-vate sector corruption. APC promises free,relevant quality education based on freeand comprehensive primary and secondaryeducation. It pledges the provision of freetertiary education to students pursuing sci-ence and technology engineering and math-ematics.

Other major items on the APC manifestoinclude the review and restoration of thecountry’s agricultural sector as well as theconstruction of one million low cost houses

within the first four years as part of its agri-culture and housing policies. Free qualitycomprehensive health care based on na-tional health insurance scheme is promised.The party also pledges to stop all foreigntravels at government expense for the pur-pose of medical treatment.

Having agreed on the basic principlesoutlined earlier, it behoves the APC to takethe next step, namely, to agree as to com-mon methods in the application of thoseprinciples. This is a very important step,because even though people may agree asto principles, if they don’t agree as to meth-ods of application, it could not be possiblefor them to work together. In order to evolvethese common methods, some members ofthe party should be commissioned to pre-pare papers not only on government de-partmental subjects but also on the organi-zational problems of the APC. It is gratify-ing that the APC believes that free enter-prises should be encouraged and fosteredwithin such limits as will be laid down bylaw.

This writer commends the APC for com-ing out with its Manifesto and Code of eth-ics. All other parties should follow suit. Letall political parties go forth and present theirprogrammes to a waiting nation and marchforward without looking back. They shouldargue hard, if necessary, for words breakno bones. Let all parties go out and win thehearts of men and women to their cause,persuade but not coerce. Parties shouldpursue national interests, and shun self-seeking. Let all parties put behind the pastand march positively into a dynamic newNigeria, a new society characterized bypeace, unity and progress.

In order that she may attain her naturalbirthright and destiny, Nigeria must be madeand re-created. Every aspect of her exist-ence must be revolutionized- her agricul-ture, industry, trade, and other tertiary ser-vices, the attitude of her sons and daugh-ters to life as well as their education andupbringing- all must be revolutionized. Thisis the task which all relevant political par-ties must be determined to accomplish.

•Prof. Asaju wrote in from the FederalUniversity of Technology, Akure (FUTA).

OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 201412 FOR THE RECORDSSpeech Delivered By The Governor Of The State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, At The

Official Commissioning Of The Osogbo Metropolitan Road Projects, Held At Oroki Estate, OnMonday April 28, 2014.

A Visionary Road MapProtocols

I want to start today’s commissioningceremony on a note of

congratulationto the people and State Government

of Osun. This stems neither from asense of vanity nor an attempt tocelebrate frivolity. Rather, it arisesfrom a feeling of concreteachievement at transforming ourvision into reality.

As an administration, we haveoperated on the notion thatgovernance is inescapably about vision– a clear conception of where youwant to go from where you are. Butthe vision would amount to nothingwithout actually moving from whereyou are in the direction of yourconceived destination. This means thatvision must be translated into concreteachievements on the ground.

In effect, at the inception of ouradministration, we had a vision ofprogress for Osun, of which roadinfrastructure development is a vitalcomponent. Because of theparamount importance of roadtransportation for the movement ofpeople and goods in Nigeria, includingOsun, we also accorded it a priorityattention in our development scheme.

Consequently, we came up with amap for the comprehensivedevelopment of our road network.These encompass rural and localroads, intra-city and inter-city roads,as well as inter-state roads. This roadplan cuts across the length andbreadth of Osun.

But we conceived our roadinfrastructure development plan in thefull consciousness that people do notcommute on road maps; they travel onactually marked-out asphaltedsurfaces. Consequently, we embarkedon giving concrete effect to what wehave conceived in our mind andmapped out on paper.

All over the state we commenced inearnest the construction of new roads,the reconstruction of some others, andthe repair and rehabilitation of old anddilapidated ones. In the Six Geo-political Zones of Osun, we selectedsix roads extending for over 74.1kilometres.

Likewise, in the state’s FederalConstituencies, we chose forconstruction and rehabilitation intra-city roads which cover 79 kilometres.In the road map being executed, thereare also 20 inter-city roads that extendover a distance of 294.27 kilometres.

Included in the road plan underimplementation are 10 kilometres ofroad construction in each of thestate’s local council areas includingthe Area Office. These are in additionto the eight road rehabilitation projectsthat we inherited from the immediate-past administration, with a totalcoverage of 144.29 kilometres.

There are of course the big ones,the massive road projects that connectvarious parts of Osun to other stateswith which we share borders. Theseinclude the 36.85-kilometre dualcarriageway road we are constructingfrom Osogbo to Ila-Odo on the state’sborder with Kwara State, and theGbongan-Orileowu-Ijebu Igbo Road,which is also a dual carriageway.

Then, there is the OmoluabiMotorway, being reconstructed into a

dual carriageway, from Akoda toGbongan Junction, where it will have aTrumpet Interchange named after ourelder statesman and former governor,Chief Bisi Akande.

The township roads component ofthe plan includes different towns andcities in the state in their coverage.They have been completed in Ede, inIlesa, and now in Osogbo. As the statecapital, the Osogbo township roaddevelopment project stands out as aproduct of a visionary road map. Theyare intentionally aimed at makingOsogbo the truly modern state capitalit deserves to be

In view of this, the roads aredesigned to ease transportation withinthe city, as well as in and out of it.Together the roads stretch for 26.31kilometres. They are a total of 21roads that we are commissioningtoday. They include: Station Road toEbenezer Hotel Road; Boorepo toElelede Junction Road; Elelede toGbemu Road; Gbodofon to GbemuJunction Road; and Ilobu Road toGRA Road.

Others include: Oja Oba Road toPlantain Area; Balogun Biiro to OkeBaale Road; Alafia Street to ChurchStreet, Awolowo Way; Coca-Cola toCapital Hotel Road; Oke Onitea Roadto Anaye Market Junction; Okefia toIta Olokan Road; the Road fromOpposite Capital Hotel to Oroki Road;Oroki Estate to Ilobu Road;

Odetoyinbo to Heritage Hotel Roadwith Spur; and Kola Balogun RoadJunction to Fiwasaye OlohunosebiJunction.

There are also the Osunbukola toEde Road; John Mackay Road to OkeBaale; the road from Tanisi to KejiAdigun Street; Adams Street toMercy Land and Road Spur; SteelRolling Camp to Kabelo Filling Station;and Rehabilitated Ifeloju Omo-WestRoad.

A closer look at these roads wouldreveal a deliberate pattern of an InnerRing network of roads within Osogbowhich connect and complement theexisting Outer Ring Road around thecity.

The Inner Ring Road takes off froma point directly opposite First Bankalong Osogbo-Gbongan Road, fromwhere it winds through Gbodofon toJaleyemi and Gbemu Junction Road,and up to Isale Aro. This stretchcovers 1.79 kilometres. It then cutsacross the Oja-Oba Road to connectGbemu Junction to Oluode Marketthrough Elelede Junction and AbakuRoad, and on to Boorepo, covering adistance of 1.47 kilometres.

From there, it links up with theongoing dual carriage Osogbo-Ikirun-Ilaodo Highway. From across theHighway, another stretch of the roadruns from Church Street to BisiBankole/Anaye Market Street,through Alaafia Street to Oke Onitea

Road and up to Anaye MarketJunction, to connect with the existingWest Bypass Road. Here it covers2.08 kilometres and loops into a semi-circle inside Osogbo.

Another 1.35-kilometre section ofthe Inner Ring continues from GRARoad to Adesina Crescent and up toOsogbo-Ilobu Road around LamecoJunction. From here it branches offinto the dual carriageway Oroki Lane.Up this lane, an L-arm of the road turns right to connect with WestBypass at Jerry Paul Filling Station.

The other arm goes up throughOroki Estate onto Tinumola/Wonderful Road to intersect with theIwo Road to Okefia, at a point directlyopposite Capital Hotel. Another spanof the road goes in from besideCapital Hotel to Alekunwodo rightthrough Coca-Cola.

This 2.33-kilometre section burstsout onto Osogbo-Gbongan Road, butthis time beside First Bank, fromacross the point where it took off, tocomplete the Inner Ring Roadformation in the Osogbo Road MasterPlan.

These roads are constructed to lastbetween 15 and 20 years. Theyfeature drainages that are fortifiedwith iron and concrete thickness ofbetween 60mm and 70mm. Theaccompanying drainage channels willfurther enhance the life span of theroads by draining flood water awayfrom the roads and thereby preventingtheir being washed away by erosion.

To improve the engineering integrityof the roads, they have beenconstructed with various layersconsisting of laterite, stone base andasphaltic overlay of 50mm. Theirasphaltic thickness is of the samequality because they will be plied byall grades of vehicles.

All these roads put together havecost us tens of billions of naira. Butwe are not perturbed by the hugeamount of money we have committedinto the road projects, we have ourminds on the unquantifiable benefitsthey will have on the lives of ourpeople and the overall socio-economicdevelopment of Osun.

In what we do, we do not allowourselves to be detained by the littledetails of short-term inconveniences;that is for small minds to get in a stewover. Instead, we focus our mindsstoutly on the big picture and the long-term value of the sacrifices we aremaking today.

When we started these roads, ourtraducers scoffed and mocked theproject, claiming that we would neverhave the funds or the presence ofmind to see them through. But to theglory of God and their eternal shame,we have delivered on our promise. Weare not resting on our oars; ourgreater vision is to tar every road inthe state since we cannot conceive ofa beautiful environment without goodroads.

We will therefore continue toconvert our visionary road map forOsun into concrete and enduringlegacy of asphaltic surfaces for theengendering of socio-economicdevelopment, progress and prosperityfor our people.

I thank you for being attentive.Osun a dara!

•AREGBESOLA

13 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014FOR THE RECORDS

Before It Is Too LateBeing the text of a Press Conference addressed on Monday April 28, 2014 by Ile-Ife Political

Office Holders on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), on the recent politically moti-vated violent onslaught of Senator Iyiola Omisore and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

WE, the political office holders of both, elected and appointed status on the platform ofthe All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ife land on behalf of ourselves, the APCand the peaceful Ife indigenes and residents wish to bring to the attention of the

Federal Government of Nigeria, Government of the State of Osun, Ife Traditional Council,Security agencies, general public end most importantly Ile-Ife and its neighbouring towns, theuntoward political developments in Ile-Ife and its environs at the instance of Otunba IyiolaOmisore and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

We are constrained by the current political development in Ile-Ife in particular and State of Osunin general; and the unrepentant posture of Iyiola Omisore and to some extent the oppositionparty PDP, who disregarded concerted efforts of His Imperial Majesty, Oba Okunade Sijuwade,Olubuse II, the Ooni of Ife and his Traditional Council to broker peace among political stakeholdersin Ile-Ife. Realising that efforts of Kabiyesi and elders have not been appreciated by IyiolaOmisore and the PDP, we are left with no option but to call on all well-meaning Ife Indigenes tocall him to order and unsuspecting general public to be aware of this condemnable politics ofacrimony from the PDP and Iyiola Omisore.

It is important to let Nigerians know that a melee ensued in Ile-Ife during the recently completedvoter-s registration exercise. This emanated from our position of forthrightness. During theprocess, our members rejected and stoutly resisted the. PD~’s attempt to manipulate the votersregister, collect voters cards by proxy, register children and register non-residents of Ile-Ife.While we believe in ensuring a huge voter base for Ife land, we remain steadfast with ouradvocacy of transparent, violent free, credible and one man-one vote elections. We have it onrecord that disagreements during the exercise received the intervention of the Police, the State ofOsun Commissioner for Tourism and Culture and the Ife East Local Government CouncilExecutive Secretary.

We also have it on record that a condemnable attack was unleashed on Alhaji Amuda Lawal(popularly known as Ike-Owo), the 89 year old father of Hon. Tajudeen Lawai, the ExecutiveSecretary of Ife East LGA. Those who perpetrated the violence include but not limited to thefollowing: Ayo Doherty a.k.a. Waska, Funminiyi Eluyera .c.k.o. Artillery, Rasheed from GbodoCompound in Ile-Ife, Bisi Kalejaye a.k.a. Elelede, Bashir Egbeze also from Gbodo Compound;Segun Omololu a.k.a. Experience, Marcus Fadehan, Akin Akinsolugba, Fatai Faworaja, andother notorious thugs called Kako, Dudu, Oloka and several others. Please note that this wasreported at the Division “C” Police station along Ogudu road, Aganhun in Ife East LGA. As wespeak, all the perpetrators still walk the land of Ife like they have committed no crime andboasting that the new Minister for Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan a.k.a. Jalo is available to covertheir tracks. We hereby request that higher Police formations take keener interest in this case.

It is also of disturbing concern that there is a desperate attempt to implicate Hon. TajudeenLawal and some of our party members by linking them with the murder of Mr. Taiwo Ogundelewho was shot, on 12th February 2014. While sincerely extending our condolence to the familiesand friends of the dead and pray that God will grant them the fortitude to bear the loss, we arecalling on the Nigerian Police and other law enforcement agents to expedite actions on theirinvestigation and not to let this go the way of several other unresolved murder cases. Thisshould also not be used to hound the leadership and members of our party in Ife East LGA. Weemphasize that neither Hon. Tajudeen Lawai nor any of our party member is connected with themurder. Heaping the blame on them is, absolutely diversionary and intended at shielding theactual perpetrators of the crime. The Nigerian Police is therefore implored to look beyond thespurious claims of PDP to arrive at a justifiable conclusion.

In addition, we stress the grand design of Senator Iyiola Omisore to unleash mayhem on Ile-Ifeand the State of Osun, create an atmosphere of fear in certain circumstances; all designed toimplicate us. He has even said that there is an attempt to murder him. This we see as an alibi fora motive still unknown to us. We therefore appeal to all, even friends, families, followers andpolitical associates of Iyiola Omisore regardless of party affiliation to bear this in mind andremain watchful, as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty at this period. We should and wouldnot be held responsible for the fate of anyone that is a victim of Omisore’s Machiavellianorchestration. These set of politicians are not ready to resign their fate to reality that they havebeen completely rejected as political leaders in the State of Osun. They have strong faith inviolence and their track records attest to this fact. To them, no blood is too sacred to shed in theirquest for power.

We owe it to the government and people of Nigeria as well as electoral and law enforcementagencies that we make it clear to the public words reaching us from the grapevine on the strategicestablishment of Omisore Solidarity Youth Forum [OSYF] and the coincidental emergence ofMr. Jelili Adesiyan as Police Affairs Minister. Their plan is that:

· The OSYF will across the State of Osun be kitted with police uniforms, police/presidency official plate numbers, arms and ammunitions during the campaign and upcominggubernatorial election of August 9, 2014;

· The gangs will execute the kidnapping and disappearance of notable APC leaders; andGuns will be planted in the homes, vehicles and properties of APC leaders who will be arrestedand detained.

We do not intend to send panicky Signals on the forthcoming election to our supporters andpeople but our experience in the last elections is sufficient to justify whatever alarm we mayraise now. We are constantly reminded and we will not forget the antecedents and the culture ofviolence and several unresolved election period killings like that of Samson Olarewaju in IsaleAgbara/Ojoyin of Ife Central LGA in 2007. On the eve of 2011 senatorial election, five innocentchurch worshippers were murdered in the same Isale Agbara, while residences at LambuaEstates on Ibadan Road and those of Hon. Biyi Odunlade and Prince Felix Awofisayo in ParakinObalufe were riddled with bullets.While that election was going on in Ife South LGA, Mr.Hammed Afolabi, our chairman in Kere ward was mysteriously killed.

Our alarm about the violent tendencies of Omisore and his sorts was recently confirmed by theformer Governor of the State of Osun and PDP gubernatorial aspirant Senator Isiaka Adelekewho was quoted in the Tribune of Thursday April 3, 2014 as follows: “On entering the hall, Isaw (Senator Iyiola) Omisore, (Police Affairs Minister) Jelili Adesiyan, So go Agboola sittingtogether. I went to Adesiyan to complain that police officers and DSS operatives were holdingparty men outside. But, instead of listening to me, he (Police Affairs Minister Jelili Adesiyan)jumped over a table before him and hit me with a blow on the chest. Sogo Agboola also attackedme. Before I knew what was happening, Omlsore hit me with a blow on the back. About sevenguns, corked were pointed at me”.

Senator Isiaka Adeleke also said that on the said day, about 45 (forty five) policemen were in the

entourage of the Police Minister. Upon enquiry at the State Police Command, theCommissioner of Police informed him (Senator Adeleke) that the policemen were not fromthe State of Osun. May we ask rhetorically - are these the Omisore Solidarity Youth Forum[OSYF] thugs kitted with police uniforms carrying arms and ammunitions? We demand toknow how many Policemen are assigned to a Minister. Otherwise, we are at liberty toassume that those men are OSYF thugs armed and dressed in police uniforms.

Similarly, we have noted the emergence of Ayo Fayose as the gubernatorial candidate of PDPin Ekiti State and the mayhem he is already perpetrating in that state. We also recognise thebrigandage of the Junior Minister of Defence Musiliu Obanikoro with the recent disturbanceof construction work with soldiers in Ilubirin in Lagos State and the disruption of the Houseof Representatives by-election in Ondo State. The emerging PDP strategy seems to be tocause fracas and pandemonium in Southwest, hither-to the most peaceful geo-politicalregion in Nigeria. We have it on good authority that State of Osun PDP has perfectedschemes to perpetrate breakdown of law and order in our State with thugs imported fromoutside the state. Our position is corroborated lately by the Vice President His ExcellencyArc. Namadi Sambo, who said the gubernatorial elections in Ekiti State and the State of Osunwill be “war front”. Therefore, we call on well meaning Nigerians to call all the aforementionedcharacters to order and remind them of our indelible history that since the 19th century, theYorubas have strongly abhorred, resolutely resisted and staunchly repelled efforts toperpetrate injustice, rig elections, usurp power and enthrone unpopular governments withinour geo-political zone.

Finally, we are informed of the inflaming statements and infuriating actions of a few traditionalchiefs with PDP inclination crediting misleading political. instructions to the person andstool of our esteemed and revered Ooni at different strata of “ipade omo-ile” in-r-ecenttimes. For the avoidance of doubt, we are committed to protect the sacred stool of HisImperial Majesty, the Ooni. Several times Kabiyesi, Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade hasaffirmed and proven his fatherhood to all and we have an undiluted trust and unfetteredconfidence in the political neutrality of the Oonirisa. The PDP must search for an alternatein-road to securing votes in Ife land other than intimidation of the farm tenants and residentsof Ile-If e and adjourning towns especially on Ife South LGA form lands.

The maturity of the members and leadership of our party APC should not be mistaken forcowardice, lethargy or timidity. We equally want to assure all Ife people that we cherish andwill not relent in our effort and composure to sustain the current inestimable peace, politicaltranquility, infrastructural and unprecedented economic development which is returning Ifeland to its place of pride and prosperity. We equally encourage indigenes and residents of Ifeland alike to remain steadfast, watchful and unintimidated and we implore them to exercisetheir political right, their constitutional obligation and civic responsibility by coming out en-masse to vote, knowing that the eventual volume of votes count a lot in infrastructural, policyand decision making.

Our appreciation goes to the Governor Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola and the Governmentof the State of Osun for the numerous unprecedented developmental strides in Ifeland withthe attendant maintenance of peace, security of lives and properties. Note-worthy is thecommencement of work on the notorious Omi-Okun road, which was a conduit pipe forfraud and corruption when PDP held reign of governance. We reaffirm our commitment andthat of Ife people to reciprocate this gesture appropriately when the time comes.

Long Live Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Osun a dara o!

Ife a gbewa o!

14 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014 FOR THE RECORDS

•OMISORE •ADELEKE •ADESIYAN

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

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

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

•Culled from Nigerian Tribune,Thursday April 3, 2014

15 OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, May 1, 2014 PHOTOTALKTwo-Day Osun Economic Summit Tagged: Orisun Aje 2014 At Osogbo Holiday Inn,Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Tuesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•(L-R) Professor Alani Fawole; Comrade Hassan Sunmonun; Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the Coordinator, Peoples Welfare League (PWL), ComradeAbiodun Agboola.

•(L-R) Professor Fawole; Comrade Sunmonun and Governor Aregbesola.

•(L-R) Comrade Waheed Lawal; Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Dokun Abolarin and SpecialAdviser to State of Osun Governor on Youths, Sports and Special Needs, Comrade BiyiOdunlade.

•A cross section of participants at the programme.

THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014

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

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondenceto 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.

“PDP DEVELOPS NEWELECTRONIC RIGGINGMETHOD”- APC CRIES OUT

A new strategy is alleg-edly under way by thePeoples DemocraticParty (PDP) to rig theJune 21 and August 9 gu-bernatorial elections inEkiti and Osun states re-spectively.

According to the AllProgressives Congress (APC) in the State ofOsun, information at their disposal revealedthat the PDP plans to hack into the Indepen-dent National Electoral Commission’s data-base in order to penetrate and corrupt the vot-ers register and disenfranchise thousands ofvoters by eliminating their names from the reg-ister.

And to effect this plan, the APC further al-leged, the PDP in Osun is already deceivingunsuspecting voters to collect the PIN num-bers of their voters’ card.

They (PDP) are reported to have accessedthe telephone numbers of the voters and arepretending to be calling from INEC’s office inOsogbo that prospective voters should con-firm their voters’ cards’ PIN numbers for se-curity purposes.

But the actual reason is to eliminate the vot-ers’ data from INEC’s data-base after it musthave been hacked into and corrupted, the APCalleged.

The State of Osun recorded another first in the deploy-ment of technology for administrative efficiency with thelaunch of State of Osun civil servant smart identity card andbiometric automation tagged 'I am Alive.'

The smart card launch, which is another first of its kind inthe country, carries the data base of all civil servants in thestate and will also serve as credit card, debit card and alsoserves as staff identification, carrying their profiles.

During the launch, the Governor of the State of Osun,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in his speech titled: 'Identifyingthe Living', said the civil servant smart card is to furtherintensify the state's use of information technology for ad-ministrative efficiency.

Aregbesola said the introduction of the smart card will behighly beneficial to both government and the workers in thestate. According to the governor, the smart ID card is elec-tronically personalised with biometric features to each of itsusers.

This, the governor stated that It will add immense valuesto the activities of workers and will equally improve thecapacity and cost of administration by government.

He said: "To be sure, it was through the application ICTto our tax administration and revenue collection that en-abled us to increase our internally generated revenue by100 per cent within the first few months of our administra-tion.

"We have since intensified our effort to make ICT aninherent part of our public administrative system.

The introduction of this new smart electronic identitycard is another component of that overall effort. "It willexpectedly bring about many benefits to all of us; the indi-vidual civil servants and the government. It will be given toall workers across all Ministries, Departments and Agen-cies, including Local Government Council workers.

These information were con-tained in a press statement fromthe Directorate of Publicity, Re-search and Strategy made avail-able to the media in Osogboyesterday, and signed by theparty’s Director of Publicity,Barr. Kunle Oyatomi.

The APC therefore alertedthe INEC of the latest in the

series of dastardly plots by the PDP to rig elec-tions in both Ekiti and Osun state.

The party likewise alerted and cautioned citi-zens of Osun to disregard any person callingthem on phone, purportedly from INEC of-fice, to confirm their voters’ card pin number.“They are PDP fraudsters,” the party warned.

Finally, the APC requested that for INEC toeffectively nip this latest PDP rigging plan in thebud, the commission should use its Card Read-ers in the conduct of the election process in thetwo states. That is the only full-proof methodto stop the fraud.

The APC recalled that only recently it alertedthat the public that the PDP was buying up vot-ers cards to manipulate the process. Now thatthey have seen the futility of buying up voterscards, they have come with a master plan tohack into INEC’s data-base and corrupt theregister.

“INEC must not allow its efforts to be frus-trated by common criminals” the APC said.

."

The governor also promised that by June this year, allschool pupils from age 1 - 6 years will have personalisedcard that contains all their bio data .

In his reaction, the Director of ICT, State of Osun, Mr.Bambo Bashorun, said the smart card came at a time ofsecurity challenges and dwindling resources in the country.

He said that the issuance of the card will guarantee properaccountability and plug holes through which resources arewasted.

"Creating a data base of all civil servants in the state is soimportant especially at this time of our challenging nationallife from increased level of insecurity to dwindling resources.

"With the data base created, the ID card issued and I AMALIVE process automated, the state had ensured that nosingle kobo is wrongly allocated to undeserved person in thestate," Bashorun said.

In his own remark, the Group Managing Director ofCharms, Mr. Ademola Aladekomo, said the state of Osunhas broken another ground in the ICT word in Nigeria.

Aladekomo said the smart card will be given to all civilservants in the state.

According to him, the smart card can be used not only inOsun but also within and outside Nigeria and anywhere inthe world.

He noted that the card also carries the fingerprint of cardholder with which he can identify him or herself.

For the representative of the Managing Director of FirstBank, Mr.M utairu Akinfolarin, said the idea of the cardcould only be a product of hard thinking.

He commended the governor for successful pioneering ofthe card, saying First Bank is very proud to be part of Osuntechnological success.

"The smart ID card is electronically personalised, with biomet-ric features, to each of its users. It will add immense values to theworkaday functioning of workers and will equally improve thecapacity and cost of administration by government."

Identifying the numerous benefits of the smart card, Aregbesolarevealed that the card will help eliminate many sources of financialwaste and leakage employed to deprive government of neededfunds as well as helps create an accurate and reliable database forpayroll administration and salaries’ payment.

Besides, he averred that possibility of defrauding any workersof the payments due to them is now difficult with the introductionof the card. Again, through this smart card system, the workerscan get their monies paid directly to their accounts instead ofthrough any intermediary points.

Aregbesola continued: "Leave bonuses for example are nowtied to each worker’s birthday and paid to their accounts auto-matically on that day.

"With this smart ID cards, there cannot be mistaking identity inthe payment of monies due to the workers. In this system, iden-tity is completelyindividualised and electronically personalised.

"For the pensioners, it removes the stress of going throughmultiple verification to get their payment and also blocks themeans for cheating them out of their money.

"By clearly identifying the living from the dead, this systemensures that ghost will no longer mingle with our workers or haveaccess to our payroll in Osun. It keeps them where they belong –in the grave. It stops the dead from coming to steal money fromthe living. It makes certain that only retirees who are ‘ALIVE’receive payment. This affirms the sense in the project’s title, ‘IAM ALIVE

One very interesting feature of this card is that it is linked to acredit or debit card and gives the owner access to his or her salaryaccount, which he use to withdraw up to 20 per cent of the salarywith or without money in their account.

The smart card is a tripartite arrangement among the OsunGovernment, Charms Plc and the First Bank Plc.

" Aregbesola Launches smart identity, credit card for civil servant

Omisore