VOL. 9. NO.135 N50tuesday, NOVember 11, 2014

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

Front Page Comment

•(L-R) Acting Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Dayo Oyebanji; State of Osun governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; State Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye and Deputy Managing Director Infiniti System Enterprises, Mr Bode Oluyemi, during the launching of Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate by the governor in Osogbo last Thursday.

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Osun Governorship Election, Best So Far - JEGA

Osun Gov Tribunal: Owolade Requests Long

Boko Haram Principle Is Against Islamic Tenet -

Osun Speaker Lashes Nigerian Leaders Over Crashing Economy

Oyinlola, Adeleke, Babalola, Oye-duntan Pick APC Senatorial Forms

General election sea-son dawns inexorably upon us. It’s in the air everywhere: the flood of posters and billboards; the endless chatter of radio and television jin-gles.The social media is as well abuzz with activities – every day we wake up to politi-cians and their campaign teams showing their fac-es on Twitter,

and minions and “vol-trons” circle the waters frantically, looking for whom to devour on behalf of their principals. Regard-ing those principals, there are two camps: Those who are doing it because they stand a chance of triumph-ing, and those doing it because it is the best way to position yourself for the crumbs that will drop

Pushing Democracy Forward, One Step At A Time -By Tolu Ogunlesi

after the dust has set-tled. This second group are the ones who know that the best way to get considered for a commis-sionership post in Nigeria is to make loud noises

about the governorship, get noticed, and then offer to drop your ambition in the spirit of sacrifice, and in exchange for some not-too-bad compensation. (You just have to love this country – nothing is ever what it seems!)

Elections will hold in 28 states; only in eight of these will incumbents be seeking re-election. The other 20 are coming to the end of their terms and will be seeking to anoint their successors, to the chagrin of other contestants.

Several governors will be looking to be-come senators, and several senators, gov-ernors. Already about seven ministers have resigned, to aspire for the governorship in their various states. Not all of them will suc-

Continue on pg5

2OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November 11, 2014 News

•Honourable Lawrence Babatunde Ayeni (with broom), acknowledging cheers from his supporters after he collected House of Representatives’ Expression of Interest form at All Progressives Congress (APC) State Secretariat, Osogbo, last friday. Photo: SHOLA ADERInTO.

by bOLaNLe babaLOLa

Osun Governorship Election, Best So Far – JEGAFurther confirmation has emerged that

the governorship election of August 9, 2014 conducted by the Independent National

Electoral Commission (INEC) is a landmark in the nation’s fledgling electoral process and the most credible since 2011.

This confirmation came from Professor Attahiru J e g a , C h a i r m a n , Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in an interview he granted a national newspaper recently.

T h e p r o f e s s o r was quoted by the newspaper as saying: “Look at what we did in Osun State….In Osun, we had the best election conducted so far. The

best election we have conducted so far as a commission since 2011.”

Besides, unfolding events in Osun appear to corroborate the INEC chairman’s assertion, as no contrary findings have been made in the course of inspection exercise of ballot papers and electoral materials

so far concluded in about eight of the 17 local government council areas where the de fea ted PDP candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is contesting the validity and credibility of the election results.

According to reports from INEC office in Osogbo, inspection done by both parties (APC and PDP) of electoral materials used during the August 9, 2014 governorship election has so far c o n f i r m e d w h a t

Professor Jega said because they were all flawless.

The local government council areas in which the inspection exercise has been concluded i n c l u d e O s o g b o , Olorunda, Irewole, Obokun, Atakumosa-West, Ilesa-East, Ilesa-West and parts of Ejigbo. The exercise continues this week.

Professor Jega also stated that apart from being the best election INEC has conducted since 2011, the Osun State governorship

e l e c t i o n , w h i c h Ogbeni Aregbesola won irrefutably, also recorded the highest number of votes in governorship elections conducted within the period 2011-2014.

W h e r e a s o t h e r elections recorded below 30 per cent, and that of Ekiti State slightly higher, the Osun governorship election was in excess of 67 per cent voter turnout,

notwithstanding the m a s s i v e s e c u r i t y operatives that people thought would have scared voters.

The INEC chairman therefore, argued that contrary to popular fears, security beef-up for the election neither prevented nor disenfranchised voters.

“What happened in Osun State on August 9, 2014 therefore, was

Aregbesola’s Aide Declares For NASSthe Senior Special Assistant to Governor

Rauf Aregbesola on Education, Mrs Latifat Giwa, has signified her intension to contest

the House of Representatives election for Ede-North, Ede-South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Giwa, while declaring open her ambition to the APC members in the four local government c o u n c i l a r e a s o n Thursday, stated that her ambition was borne out of her readiness to deliver selfless and humanitarian services with effective lawmaking to people of her constituency.

S h e s a i d : “ M y mission and ambition is to offer the people of the four council areas of my constituency an opportunity for progress and prosperity. I pledge to represent with high sense of responsibility.”

According to her, Nigeria would have been a different country, if the laws and policies were being made to benefit an average Nigerian and

particularly to give them sense of belonging to

their fatherland.Giwa promised to

pursue and facilitate laws that would not only benefit the people, but also add value to the State of Osun and her constituency.

T h e E d e - b o r n politician stated that she was familiar with the

socio-economic activities and living condition of her const i tuents , hence, her resolve to pursue improved and better living standard for them though effective l a w m a k i n g a t t h e National Assembly.

She maintained that

she was in the pursuit of complimenting Governor rauf Aregbesola’s six-point integral action plan at the National Assembly by making laws that would promote the programme and in result benefit Nigerians at large.

Osun Gov Tribunal:Owolade Requests Long Adjournment•Tribunal Grants 10

by kazeem mOhammed

the Accord Party governorship candidate in the August 9, 2014 election in the State of Osun, Mr Niyi Owolade, on Friday

shocked the Election Petition Tribunal, when he requested for a 10-day adjournment to put his house in order before commencing hearing on his petition.

The tribunal granted the request and adjourned till Friday.

Owolade is challenging the election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola before J u s t i c e E l i z a b e t h Ikpejime-led tribunal.

The t r ibuna l had earlier read the pre-trial

report , wherein two issues were formulated, which include whether the tr ibunal has the jurisdiction to entertain the petition and whether the election was vitiated by reasons of corrupt practices, irregularities and substantial non-c o m p l i a n c e w i t h the Electoral Act, the INEC manuals and the guidelines for the conduct of the election.

Af ter reading the report, the petitioner, through his counsel, passionately appealed to the tribunal to grant him a long adjournment, an application, which the counsel to both first and second respondents ( A r e g b e s o l a a n d APC) Kunle Adegoke and Aderemi Abimbola opposed.

According to Adegoke: “This kind of petition, where the petitioner’s house is in disarray, ought to be struck out. Election petition is sui generis and time is of the essence”.

Abimbola, on the other hand, insisted that if the court was minded to grant such adjournment, it should be on terms that their 14-day must be inclusive of the 10 days requested for.

“The application for adjournment to say the least is insultive and should not be granted beyond Monday,” he argued.

The tribunal in its ruling then adjourned the case to Friday, November

Oyintiloye, Kehinde Pick APC House Of Assembly Forms by kazeem mOhammed

the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of the State of Osun on Community Forum, Mr. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has picked

Expression of Interest Form to contest for Obokun House of Assembly seat in 2015 under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).

He obtained the form at the state secretariat of the party in Osogbo, the state capital on Friday.

Oyint i loye said his intention to contest for the seat was borne out of his commitment to further serve the people of his constituency.

He said his desire is to give quality representation to the people of h i s constituency and ensure

that they enjoy the much-des i red d iv idends of democracy the more.

“My reason to vie for this position is service, service and service, because I believe that my people are supposed to get more than what they are getting.

“I am in politics to serve humanity and I believe if I am given the opportunity, it will give me a leverage to be able to render more service to my people,” he

said.The aspirant recalled

that in his constituency, he has been able to impact positively on the lives of the people, saying, his tutelage under Governor Rauf Aregbesola in the last seven years has assisted him in this direction.

He noted that it was based on these that his people encouraged him to contest , promising to further convert his experience into reality if elected.

In a similar development, Mr Cormelius Olutayo Kehinde, has also picked expression of interest form for Ife-East State

constituency seat in the State House of Assembly.

Kehinde who hails from Modakeke said the present political arrangement in his constituency was in his favour to clinch the ticket.

He said he was spurred with the desire to improve the lots of his people.

K e h i n d e s a i d h e was hearkening to the voice of his people for quality representation in the assembly in the interest of equity and even development of his constituency.

3 News OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November

•former governor of the State of Osun, Barrister Olagunsoye Oyinlola, answering questions from newsmen after the sitting at the 2014 Governorship Election Petition Tribunal at State High Court premises, Osogbo last Thursday. Photo: GBEnGA ADEnIYI.

Boko Haram Principle Is Against Islamic Tenet - AregbesolaGOVerNOr of the State of Osun, Ogbeni

Rauf Aregbesola, has stated that Boko Haram principle is not the way to exhibit

Islamic tenets.

by kazeem mOhammed

He spoke in Osogbo, the state capital, on Friday while commissioning the State House of Assembly Central Mosque and shortly after observing Jumat service at the mosque.

He said, the evidence of being a true Muslim is by exhibiting good character and not the way Boko Haram sect is doing it.

According to him, Islam is a religion that requires fear of God, respect for human lives, good character and working in line with God’s directives.

“What we are doing today is the way to fight for the course of Allah, not the way the Boko Haram sect is doing it,” he said.

Commend ing t he state lawmakers and

the Assembly’s Muslim communi ty for the construction of the new mosque, he said the gesture was a good legacy for all responsible

leaders.He also added that

t he s imp l i c i t y and functionali ty of the mosque are two attributes that a Muslim must copy in their development of worship centres, either on individual, community

or association basis.T h e S p e a k e r ,

Honourable Najeem Salaam, appreciated the governor for his wisdom in running the affairs of the state.

He further pledged the support of the House for the governor in his efforts to transform the

state.Earlier in his sermon,

the Chief Imam of the Mosque , Ustaz Abdul-Fatahi Adebisi, commended the governor over his commitment to transform Osun, saying that his performance was the reflection of his re-election in the last

Osun Speaker Lashes Nigerian Leaders Over Crashing Economyby kazeem mOhammed

the Speaker of State House of Assembly of Osun, Honourable Najeem Salaam, has said that the present leaders of Nigeria do

not have the idea of how to manage the economy. He said it is only when the country has leaders

Oyinlola, Adeleke, Babalola, Oyeduntan Pick APC Senatorial Forms by kazeem mOhammed

twO former governors of the State of Osun, Senator Isiaka Adeleke and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, have

obtained the All Progressive Congress (APC) Expression of Interest (EOI) form to vie for Osun West and Osun Central Senatorial seats respectively at the senate in 2015.

Adeleke, the first civilian governor of the state, obtained his form on Thursday, w h i l e O y i n l o l a , the immediate-past National Secretary o f t h e P e o p l e s Democratic Party (PDP), obtained his on Friday at the APC Secretariat in Osogbo, the state capital.

The duo defected from the PDP to APC before the August 9, 2014 governorship election in the state.

Also, the former Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Oyinlola, Elder Peter Babalola, and Chairman, Osun School Infrastructure D e v e l o p m e n t

(O’School), Chief Lai Oyeduntan, on Friday obtained EOI forms to represent Osun West and Osun Central Senatorial District respectively.

S h o r t l y a f t e r obtaining the form, Adeleke advised those eyeing any political position under the PDP not to bother to contest because none of them would win any election in 2015.

He was optimistic that in 2015, the APC would win all the elective positions in the state.

Adeleke said his decision to vie for the seat was borne out of his intention to give quality representation to the people of his senatorial district and the state in general.

He recalled that when he represented Osun West Senatorial Dis t r i c t be tween 2007 and 2011, he introduced some bills that passed through first reading, but the bills could not go further because he was not re-elected in 2011.

He said a lot of

people benefi t ted from him when he f i r s t went to the senate, ranging from award of scholarships to indigent students and empowerment of people.

“When I came into politics, I was very young and everytime I try to contest election, people support me and that is why I am asking for their support again to be able to give back and continue to serve humanity,” he said.

with focus for the country that its economy could be diversified and developed, so as to survive the looming economic crisis.

Salaam in an interview

in Osogbo, the state capital, said the fall in the price of crude oil at the international market poses a threat to the nation‘s economy.

He said: “Our leaders

don’t have the idea of how to manage the economy. They are not creative. They don’t have the thinking on how to alleviate the sufferings of the people.

They only add to it.“ T h e F e d e r a l

Government get the largest par t of the economy, yet, they don’t have impact anywhere, Osun in particular,” he added.

Due to the heavy reliance on oil and subsequent fall in the price of crude oi l , Salaam sa id many states are now finding it difficult to pay their workers’ salaries due to reduction in the federal allocation.

He said government must start to invest in agriculture and other non-o i l sec to r s to prevent the economy from total collapse, noting that agriculture, which is supposed to be one of the main sources of income for government had been neglected.

“Total dependence on oil as the only source of income is abnormal. It is sad that our economy largely depends on oil and due to the fall in price, our economy is being threatened.

“Adequate care must henceforth be given to the farmers by giving them necessary farm equipment and ready-made market for their produce.

“It is not too late for us to diversify the economy and government can start doing that now before the situation goes beyond control,” Salaam stressed.

4 OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November

Pushing Democracy Forward, One Step At A Time -By Tolu OgunlesiContinued from pg1

prospects of compensation when – or if – the Peoples Democratic Party retains control of the Federal Government. Some of them might return as ministers, others, ambassadors.

All of the politicking – amplified by news headlines and newspaper columns and the internet – makes you ask yourself, in quieter moments, to what end? Are we doing politics for the sake of politics, solely for the bitter battles and the control of the mechanisms of patronage, or is all of this happening for a larger purpose: to better the lives of millions of ordinary Nigerians.

Looking back at 15 years of democracy, is this where we should be? Should our genera-tors still be this loud in their nightly crying? Should our First Lady or the governors still be rushing abroad for medical treatment?

Travelling around the country it is easy to be disappointed by how little distance we have covered, in terms of development, in 15 years. There are culprits at every level.

In the case of the Federal Government, its continuing neglect of important inter-state roads is tragic. (I’ll leave the electricity discus-sion for another day).

In the states, a good number of governors are, to say it the Nigerian way, “trying.” Stan-dards of performance for the 2007/2011 set of governors appears to be somewhat higher than what we saw with their predecessors. But even then, we still have many governors for

whom almost nothing good can be said. In Benue State, Governor Gabriel Suswam is confidently heading to the Senate on a rather dismal record: public primary schools in the state only recently reopened after eight months of strike, while there is a three-month backlog of civil servants’ salaries. But he seems assured his Senate seat is already waiting for him. There are others like him, confident even in their similarly mediocre performance.

The local governments are the worst. If they were scrapped today, the only difference would be in the relief to be enjoyed from citizens thankfully rid of their thug-enforced revenue collections (radio and TV licences, car towing fees etc).

Unfortunately, there is almost no partisan competition at local government level anywhere in the country. The party in power in the state automatically assumes control of the local government structure; opposition parties stand almost no chance of making a dent. Armed with their SIECs, our governors become mini-tyrants when it comes to local government matters, con-cerned only about political control, not service to the people.

One of the next milestones of our slow demo-cratic journey should be the enthronement of real democracy at the local government level.

Sometimes, these things seem like wishful thinking, but I’m convinced that change is possible in our politics. It might be annoyingly slow, but things change. Already, we are getting used to the idea of having relatively free and fair elections, aided by the presence of technology in the form of mobile phones and social media.

Electoral victories are also no longer being taken for granted. I remember 1999, when the

Alliance for Democracy, riding on the back of the Awolowo mystique, swept the South-West. The joke back then was that if the AD had fielded a goat or monkey, it would still have won. It seems like we have come a long way since those days.

Now, the electorate are becoming more sophis-ticated and discriminating, it would seem, and are more likely to give, in their decision-making, as much weight to individual candidates as to politi-cal party symbols.

While there are still some states that are virtual one-party states, like Enugu and Ebonyi (where I spent the weekend), which are firmly in the grip of the PDP – in these states, the PDP governorship primaries will be the real election; the polling in February 2015 will be no more than a formality – elsewhere things are changing.

Take the example of Rivers State, which, until last year was one of the biggest pieces of the PDP’s landslide-dispensing electoral juggernaut. Months ago, while on a visit to Port Harcourt, I was told by one resident that “the All Progressives Congress had no chance in the state. Rivers has always been a PDP State, bla bla”. It was easy to believe back then. But recent events seem to be casting a strong doubt on that anti-APC confidence, and now no one is sure anymore. The turnout at the recent Governor Chibuike Amaechi mega rally was for me a big surprise. Amaechi of course took advantage of this to taunt the President, saying: “The President says we exist only on posters and billboards. So, we brought a large billboard for him. If the President is not watching (the rally), they will give him security report.”

Scenarios like the one in Rivers are a welcome development for me because I believe that electoral uncertainty should be one of the cornerstones of any democracy. There’s no point to democracy if

one side is always guaranteed a win, regardless of its levels of performance, or of the quality of the credentials of its candidates. And for too long, sadly, that is how Nigerian politics has been. The PDP has taken for granted its ability to win the Presidency, as the APC has its ability to win Lagos State.

Regular upsets would be more than welcome. While I continue to stick to my arguments that the APC and PDP are in the strict sense not (yet) real political parties, and are to a large extent eas-ily interchangeable on account of an absence of true ideological foundations, it is still important to realise that they – whatever you might want to call them – are the building blocks of our democracy. If one of them was to vanish, we would be stuck with a one-party state, and no democracy. Give me two imperfect parties over a perfect monopolising one any day.

The fear of the loss of power is the beginning of political sensibleness, I believe. If a party realises that it can always be dumped by voters then it is more likely to seek to put its best foot forward. And in those conditions, a war for talent between our political camps – like the ones we see in the European football leagues – is likelier. That, as far as I see it, can only be a good thing for our burgeoning democracy. Going along with that argument, I think the most exciting electoral scenario of 2015 would be the APC losing Lagos, and the PDP losing Aso Rock.

Wishful thinking – or solid possibility?

Media And Osun Election Tribu-A section of the media

has not served the cause of truth and has

rather shown unconscionable partisanship on the State of Osun governorship election and its aftermath.

While it is generally agreed that media houses have their biases, their ultimate responsibility is to serve the cause of truth and promote democratic development in the land, irrespective of their bias.

I t i s d i s h e a r t e n i n g however that some media organisations, either out of laziness or mischief or both, are fond of taking news report written by Osun PDP media minders and slamming it on their f r o n t p a g e s w i t h o u t crosschecking its veracity. This unprofessional conduct has caused confus ion and portrayed the media concerned as liars and unreliable entities.

Not long ago, an appellate court in Akure made a ruling on jurisdiction in a long standing suit on the 2011 elections in Osun.

This means the trial of the suit proper is set to begin. However, in a bizarre twist, PDP rewrote the ruling and claimed that all elected legislators, state and federal, have been sacked and should vacate their seats. Almost all newspapers reported it as such. A few tried to ‘balance’ it with the reaction of Osun APC.

One would have thought

that the newspapers have their reporters in court and would rather rely on their own report. When their reporters are not in court, they should have obtained the certified true copy of the ruling and refer it to their legal departments for interpretation and meaning, in case the editors cannot understand court ruling.

Now, the truth eventually came out that it was a

preliminary ruling and to further put the media in shame, the PDP has now withdrawn the original suit. How low can the media sink in the partisan quagmire?

Again, Osun PDP spurned an infernal lie that 100,000 invalid votes had been discovered among Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s lot in the ballot and this would mean that Senator Iyiola

Omisore would be sworn in on November 27. The report also claimed that Aregbesola for this reason has asked for a re-run election. This evil report found its way into the website of AIT and the pages of Nigerian Tribune. Several internet rodents latched it and feasted on it with frenzy. The election petition tribunal was so incensed that it warned of

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dire consequences if such false reports were to appear in the media again.

AIT pulled down the report and apologised on the same websi te . Nigerian Tribunetoo has also apologised. It is really instructive what has now become of the legacy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

The question we should be asking ourselves are: one, how much could PDP have paid that is worth the integrity of a newspaper? Secondly, why would media organisations deliberately inflict such pain on its audience that look up to it for the promotion of truth and justice?

It is my sincere hope that media organisations will protect their name and integrity from being sullied as a result of Osun PDP fruitless desperation.

•MIkE OGunDELE, Osogbo, State of Osun.

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G i a n t Landmarks Of Excellence

The remaining parts of the series shall bear new headlines. This is due in part to the gradual approach of the d-day of inauguration and an attempt to save read-ers the monotony of having to be fed with the same line-up of editions for weeks on end. The next successive editions are however in the same series as the earlier ones; and shall run till the time of inauguration. Owing to its all-important nature and the quality attention given to it by the incumbent administration in the State of Osun; nIYI OLASInDE kick-starts this particular edition with accounts of more happenings, events and innovation in the Education Sub-sector.

Aregbesola’s Mid-Term Assessment Report:OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November 11, 2014

•The newly-commissioned ultra-modern school building of St. Stephen’s ‘B’ Middle School, Modakeke, State of Osun.

6 OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November

•An aerial view of Baptist Elementary Central School, Ilare, Ile-Ife, State of Osun, commissioned by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola sometime ago.

•Continued from last week.

THE terrains of public education in the years preceding the advent of the Rauf Aregbesola administration was far from being attractive or alluring. This is true as all

indications pointed to a situation of rot, decay, abandonment and devastation in the sub-sector; so much so that parents and guardians were repelled with fear and disgust from committing their wards to the care and tutelage that that category of schools dispensed. Needless to say, the only category of parents and guardians who were left to the mercy of those schools were those who due to certain limitations imposed by economy or other factors, had no alternative than sending their wards there as a last resort. In other words the segment of the populace who gave patronage to those schools in those dark days comprised those who looked up to God and prayed ceaselessly for deliverance and rescue to come their way some day.

In our series last year and in years before, OSun DEfEnDER Magazine has devoted lengthy writing to the spate of rot and decay which the sub-sector witnessed during the period under reference. We therefore would not have to subject our numerous readers to the boredom, drudgery and monotony of having to recast the ugly events of those years. We also have, time and time again given details of the poor score sheets of candidates of the state who were produced through the ugly system in public examinations. In honest terms, the performances were not only persistently poor but also abysmally woeful and disheartening. In terms of enrolment figures, the statistics had dwindled drastically. In terms of schools’ physical structures, materials, equipment and textbooks, the scoring was simply nothing to write home about. The quantity and quality of teaching and non-teaching personnel in those schools had been another point of concern. In most cases, the teachers were not just there. Where they were present in some numbers, it was not usually in the right quality. Recruitment and selection exercises for teachers in those days were fraught with fraud and irregularities, hence, the teachers (so called) were mostly engaged in an attempt to pacify political hangers-on, cronies and boot-lickers.

Since the coming on board of the Rauf Aregbesola administration however, a wave of change, unprecedented and unimaginable – confounding to distracters - has rippled the public education sub-sector of the state. In all ramifications, the sub-sector has been virtually overhauled. Apart from the free, functional and qualitative education package wielded by the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola in the State of the Virtuous, other components of good service delivery, which could make learning much easier, attractive, effective and efficient have been put in place. Among the multiple “O” programmes initiated by the Government Unusual, the education industry has taken a substantial number. We can easily talk of the O’ Uniform programme under the auspices of which the administration distributed school uniforms and badges free of charge to all students in public schools in accordance with their levels; whether elementary, middle or high school. Not only this, the O’ Meal programme ensures free feeding of pupils in primary school classes one to four on daily basis Continued on page 11

Landmarks Of ExcellenceMAGAzINE

with nutritious and highly enriched food varieties so as to enhance their intellectual development and prepare them adequately for future challenges. The O’ Calisthenics is a programme in physical cum affective and psychomotor domains. Through it, the government of the day has exposed the students, drawn mostly from the middle school rung of the educational ladder to more productive engagements of their time, talents and latent potentials.

The O’ SCHOOLS intervention initiative is an area that is almost of exceeding importance of all. This is so as no meaningful and impactful teaching-learning process can take place in poor physical environment. The State of Osun Schools Infrastructure Development Committee, known for short as O’ SCHOOLS is out to effect the demolition of all existing dangerously dilapidating structures in all our public schools and replacing such with modern, befitting and more durable ones that can favourably compare with the demands of the Twenty-First Century. We have discussed issues relating to this to detail in some of our earlier editions in this series. We only need to add in passing that “infrastructure” in the context of O’ SCHOOLS mean a wide variety of components which include:

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

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

Also, by the plan of the O’ SCHOOLS Committee, we realize that the government intended at the initial stage to build and deliver:

· 100 elementary schools (2,100 classrooms);· 50 (62?) middle schools; and· 20 high schoolsIn view of limitations imposed by the economic realities

on ground, the first phase of the programme could however accommodate the minimum delivery of:

· 50 elementary schools;· 33 middle schools; and · Between 10 and 20 high schoolsAs at the end of last year, the statistics of these schools

which were almost ready forofficial commissioning and use was put at about fifteen

(15) elementary schools; thirteen (13) middle schools; and ten (10) high schools.

The figures are still counting, as the programme is continuous through the life of the administration. Latter part of last year and early this year marked the official commissioning of the first fruits of the O’ SCHOOLS project and their delivery to their respective intended end-users. The last academic session ended on a glorious note with more and more of the completed schools construction projects being commissioned and put to use, to the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind.

First in this regard was the official commissioning of the Salvation Army Middle School, located at the Oke

Fia / Alekuwodo area of Osogbo, the capital of the State of Osun. That was done in September 2013. Second was the commissioning in February of 2014 of Baptist Central Elementary School, Ilare, Ile-Ife. During the month of March, another ultra-modern school building project in the category of elementary school, the A.U.D. Government Elementary School, Isale-Agbara, Isale-Osun, Osogbo was officially commissioned. More recently, more and more of these projects have been commissioned in Ikirun, Ila, Iwo, Ikire and other parts of the state. It is an event that is certain that the ongoing fourth year anniversary of the administration and the celebrations of the re-inauguration of Ogbeni shall witness the official commissioning of more of these projects. The list is still counting! This rate of completion has put wagging tongues into silence.

We have observed through the lifetime of the incumbent administration how our public schools have flourished prolifically with massive employment of trained, qualified, competent and highly experienced teaching personnel. We have also witnessed how the administration has made the teachers in public schools highly motivated by attending promptly to all their needs, not only in terms of salaries and fringe benefits, but also other needs bordering on entry and terminal points as well as elevation of high echelon personnel in the teaching profession to the exalted status of Permanent Secretary. Hence we now have three Tutors-General; one for each Senatorial District of the state.

Central to the free education programme of the administration of the day is the free book distribution exercise embarked upon. By this, the sufferings of the masses have been alleviated a great deal through free distribution of exercise. The climax of this is the introduction of the Tablet of Knowledge, known as Opon Imo. This device is one of the most laudable efforts of the Aregbesola administration in the Education Sub-sector. The Schools Reclassification Programme and Schools Discipline Initiative are other effort made to revive the sector from the horrible state it was in at the take-over time of the administration. We shall now swing forward to give concise consideration to Opon Imo and all that it entails.

When the newly-inaugurated administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came out with the idea of holding the first-ever State of Osun Education Summit in February 2011, detractors wagged their tongues in outright condemnation of the programme which they considered as sheer waste of time and resources. Today, the summit has justified itself; as it has translated to meaningful life-impacting transformation in the Education Sub-sector of the state; most especially the public schools, to which the government remains proprietor and financier.

We know for sure that quite a number of interesting packages has begun to be rolled out as aftermath of the summit, which was chaired by none less a personality like the academic giant and famous Nobel Laurel, Professor Wole Soyinka. Notable among such educational rebranding efforts of the administration which are wielding potent reforms in the education industry of the state owing to their purposeful and faithful implementation are the O’

7 OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November 11, 2014 PhOtOtaLkFirst Civilian Governor In The State Of Osun, Senator Isiaka Adeleke And Other All Progressive Congress (APC) Aspirants Collected Expression Of Interest At Party Secretariat In Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Thursday And Friday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI And SHOLA

•(L-R) Prince famodun; former Governor of the State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Elder Peter Babalola; Otunba Lai Oyeduntan during the collection of Expression of Interest forms at the APC State Secretariat and othe dignitaries.

•Senator Isiaka Adeleke (right), receiving Expression of Interest form for Osun-West Senatorial Election from State of Osun APC Chairman, Prince Gboyega famodun (left) while State Secretary, Honourable Razak Salensile (middle) watches.

8 OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November 11, 2014 phototalk

(R-L) The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Acting Chairman, Osun Internal Revenue Service, Mr Dayo Oyebamiji and Director, Medium, Tax Department of federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr Peter Olayemi, during the launch of Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate (E-TCT), at Leisure Spring Hotels, Osogbo, State of Osun, on Thursday.

•(L-R) Governor Rauf Aregbesola; State of Osun Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye; Special Assistant to the Governor on Budget, Mr Bade Adesina and Deputy Managing Director, Infinity System Enterprises, Mr Bode Oluyemi at the event.

•(R-L) President-General, Market Women Association, State of Osun, Alhaja Awawu Asindemade; Governor Aregbesola; State Commissioner for finance, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro and other dignitaries, during the launch of Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate (E-TCT), at Leisure Spring Hotels, Osogbo, State of Osun, on Thursday.

Launching Of Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate By State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, In Osogbo Last Thursday.

9 OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November phototalkLaunching Of Electronic Tax Clearance Certificate By State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, In Osogbo Last Thursday.

•Another cross section of dignitaries during the programme.

•Prince Omolade Binuyo, Commissioner II, Internal Revenue Service (IRS)(middle); Adeola Adekunle Commissioner I, IRS and Guest Speaker and Director, Medium Tax Department, federal Internal Revenue Service, Mr Peter Olayemi.

•Governor Rauf Aregbesola answering questions from newsmen at the event.

•Some of the dignitaries at the event.

OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November phototalkAssociation Of Beggars And Disabled In Osun Celebrated With Fanfare The Re-election Of The State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Last Friday.

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd left), acknowledging cheers from the Disabled and Beggars, during a party organised by them in celebrating Areg-besola’s re-election in Osogbo, State of Osun. With him are his Deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori (left); Senior Special Assistant to Governor on Arewa Matters, Imam Bashir Mohammed (3rd left) and others on friday.

•Governor Aregbesola (middle); Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Arewa Matters, Imam Bashir Mohammed (right) and Leader, Osun Beggars and Disabled Associa-tion, Mallam Idris kano (left), during the party organised by the association in celebrating Aregbesola’s re-election in Osogbo, State of Osun, on friday.

•A cross section of disabled women on the occasion.

11 OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November 11, 2014 MAGAzINE

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•AREGBESOLA •LAOYE-TOMORI

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Landmarks Of Excellence

Uniform, O’ SCHOOLS, O’ Meal and O’ Calisthenics; and such others as we have discussed above. The particular ground-shaking and epoch-making entrant into the scene is the Tablet of Knowledge, known popularly as Opon Imo.

The Opon Imo initiative has come, like its earlier-introduced counterparts to demystify school learning and make public school learning more attractive; thereby restoring its old-lost glory, honour, sanctity and rectitude. By virtue of the line-up of these intervention efforts, it is no longer a dreadful event to send a child to public schools. On top of these attractive packages; education in our public schools is free, qualitative and functional. What this latter point implies is that a good proportion of parents who had been made victims of coughing out enormous hard-earned resources in order to get their wards educated in private schools; or rather who could scarcely afford that costly facility for their wards are now afforded the rare privilege of good education free of charge, courtesy of the quintessential leader of our time, Ogbeni Aregbesola.

Through the introduction of Opon Imo, the burden of spending enormously on textbooks either by parents or government has been relieved. We remember with nostalgia the old good eras of free education as introduced and successfully operated in the defunct Western Region by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the premier of the Region. The same feat was replicated during the Second Republic with late Chief Bola Ige at the helm of affairs as Governor of the old Oyo State. We also remember the good efforts of Chief Bisi Akande in his days as Governor of the present-day State of Osun.

During the entire period under reference, tuition, textbooks and notebooks were entirely free! The free education scheme afforded many school children especially those from humble socio-economic background the opportunity of access to quality, functional education. By the standards of those periods, school children were provided with textbooks and notebooks free of charge. But the standards of the current time place the demand on government to find another device which can present volumes of books of different sizes in a very light, easy-to-access gadget, which an average learner can carry about with much ease and which can provide learning anywhere and anytime without the burden of carrying bulky bags around.

Another advantage of the Opon Imo is that it saves the government the perennial burden of procuring sets of books. According to Governor Aregbesola while responding to critics that his administration is deemphasizing the use of books, he enumerated the economic benefits of providing easier alternative as consisting in saving enormous costs for the state which can be expended on other viable life- changing programmes and projects. The governor said that over a period of ten years, the devise would save government a whooping sum of about N50.25 billion; were the state to engage in the physical purchase of hard copies of textbooks for the 17 subjects taught in our public schools, hard copies of 51 audio tutorials, hard copies of JAMB and WAEC past

questions and answers and the rest.Aside these, the Opon Imo device can be solar-powered.

It also has the capacity to record audio lessons, thus saving students the trouble of copying notes. It also spares them more time to learn.

Another benefit confirmed for the device is that it facilitates the incumbent administration’s free education programme through its cost-saving nature. We would all agree that a truly qualitative and functional free education programme is usually a crowd-puller. The populist nature of such programme therefore would require its provider to find means of making learning easier, fast and all-reaching within a limited space of time. OSun DEfEnDER Magazine is of the assurance that the Aregbesola administration has done this sufficiently well.

The governor has continuously emphasized the bold resolve and determination of his administration to focus thrust on the making of the total student – so the preparation of conducive learning environment, which consists in the construction of befitting classrooms and equipping such with good furniture, shall win the priority attention of his government. He has never reneged on his promise that his administration will not waver or get derailed from the pursuance of these lofty courses of action.

Further on the issue if textbooks, Aregbesola reasoned that since textbooks are made from wood which is obtained from forests cultivated on wide expanses of land; the introduction of a devise like Opon Imo, which reduces the dependence on books, will help in the conservation of our forest resources, hence reducing risks associated with environmental degradation.

It has been a reasonable argument from the point of view of Ogbeni Aregbesola that since a student must have been exposed to textbooks from kindergarten, offering him something different at his high school age would do him much benefit. In other words, he should be offered with the kind of learning that brings him in conformity with his colleagues and counterparts in the present world order through exposure to digital-based instruction that makes him ICT-compliant.

In Governor Aregbesola’s definition, the Opon Imo devise is a first of its kind standalone learning tablet in the world for self-paced study. It provides three major content categories vis-à-vis e-library virtual classroom, and an integrated test zone. The virtual classroom category contains 63 e-books, covering 17 academic subjects for examinations conducted by WAEC, NECO and JAMB as well as non-academic life-enriching subjects such as History of the Yoruba, Sexuality Education, Civic Education, Ifa on Ethics and Morals, Enterprise Education, hints and tips on passing SSCE and How to Live a Healthy and Happy Life. It was further revealed by the Governor that this section also contains an average of 16 chapters per subject and 823 chapters in all, with about 900 minutes or 15 hours of audio voiceovers.

In the integrated net zone of the devise, there are more than 40,000 JAMB and WAEC practice questions and answers dating back to about 20 years. It also contains mock

tests in more than 51 subject areas, which approximates to 1,220 chapters, with roughly 29,000 questions, referencing about 825 images. Recent revelations from the State of Osun Deputy Governor, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education, bare it that the Opon Imo devise can accommodate update, upgrade, additions and enrichment; especially in line with mew discoveries and changes in the ever-dynamic world. On this note, the tablets are turned in at the end of each academic year to allow for this upgrade and to allow for incoming sets of students to make use of them as some most senior set graduates. However, it is possible for parents who want their wards to have the devise for permanent retention to book copies.

The tablet, as it has turned out, is in design, use and purpose more than a learning devise. It is a revolution that individualizes learning and brings the school to the child. No wonder that Governor Aregbesola said that in the old order, the pupils went to school to study, but that with Opon Imo, they henceforth learn!

Opon Imo has also been defined as entailing democratization of learning. This is so, because Opon Imo provides equal access to every child, irrespective of his or her background. Pupils in the remotest village now have access to the same body of knowledge as their counterparts from the most cosmopolitan city. No wonder that OSun DEfEnDER Magazine drew reference to the coincidence of the Opon Imo launch with the June 12 celebration, vis-à-vis the mention above of the democratization aspect of the device. We pause to reflect that the annulment of the results of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Elections which was widely, convincingly and overwhelmingly won by the late business mogul, captain of commerce and symbol of the collective cause for democracy, late Bashorun Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola poised monumental set-back to the nation and the development of its segments and institutions. Had the democratic experience of that time been allowed to thrive and materialize, the nation would have advanced well today. This is more so if it is viewed against the back drop that the achievers of today – Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Babatunde Raji Fasola and our own Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola – were parts and parcel of the struggle in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). If our return to democratic governance had started from that time; honestly, we would have gone very far by now.

Opon Imo, by containing all subjects, is a veritable tool in the making of the rounded student. It was revealed that a science student has access to textbooks on arts and social sciences and vice-versa.

We also learnt that there is a business side to the tablet. According to Governor Aregbesola, a factory for the assemblage of computer tablets is already in the pipeline in the State of Osun. The factory will provide jobs for our youths and provide revenue to the government. He said that by that singular move, the foundation is being laid for

OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November 11, 2014 magaziNe 12

•A side view of the recently-commissioned Salvation Army Middle School, Alekuwodo, Osogbo.

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Landmarks Of Excellencethe making of Osun as the IT hub of the nation. The

governor expressed the hope of his administration that Opon Imo would spread to other parts of the nation from the State of Osun.

In rounding up his speech at the launch of the devise in June 2013, Ogbeni Aregbesola viewed the addition of Opon Imo to our education as another turning point in the public school system in the State of Osun. He expressed his strong belief that the history was in the making on that day with the official launch of the devise; and that the real significance of the day in the history of education in Osun will be appreciated in the fullness of time.

History was made in June 2013 through the events culminating in the official unveiling of the iPod-like computer devise; customized to demystify learning for students at the senior secondary level of our public school system in the State of Osun. Branded simply as Opon Imo, which translates into Tablet of Knowledge, the devise, a brainchild of the Aregbesola administration had earlier come under severe criticisms from the camp of detractors on many grounds; the last of which was that the programme had been clandestinely launched in Lagos.

Earlier, detractors had tongue-lashed the project as sheer attempt at wasting the financial fortunes of the state; attempting to deify the oracles by the introduction of what they chose to call Opon Ifa; and an overall attempt at making the youths of the state tow the path of fetishism. As time advanced, further accusations came that the Opon Imo project sought to deemphasize the use of textbooks; and most recently, critics of the project cried foul that it had been launched in Lagos, rather than the State of Osun for which it was designed and meant.

At the end of it all, the administration of the day, under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has proven itself to be well above all situations aimed at distracting it as the Opon Imo initiative has eventually seen the light of day.

In his state-wide broadcast heralding in the New Year 2014, the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola elucidated on the numerous achievements of his administration in the past years. In his speech titled “Reflections on Our Policies and Programmes”, the Governor detailed the achievements, which bordered chiefly on the giant strides recorded in the education industry. While commenting on the whole essence of his aspiration to become the helmsman of the state in the first place, the governor had this to say:

“As we begin this great year, I reflect on the last year and even the last three years since the Almighty God, by His grace and mercy, brought me to this seat as your Governor. Permit me to say that the only reason why I aspired to be governor was to get an opportunity to improve the lot of the masses of our people.

“I know how dehumanizing poverty and lack of opportunities can be. I know how illiteracy can truncate the destiny of a person and a society.

“This is why every day our focus as an administration has been (and is) on how to improve the lives of the majority

of our people. “My firm belief is that government exists to protect life,

liberty and pursuit of happiness, provide an environment for commerce to thrive, for the young and economically deprived to be educated, for the sick who cannot afford medi-care to be taken care of, for the provision of security for all, and for the enforcement of the rule of law and maintenance of law and order.

“All of these must be premised on the truth that all men, regardless of means, religion or ethnicity, are created equal by God and must be enabled where they are unable to access the means for decent and humane existence.

“The question I ask myself about any policy we propose to make is simple: ‘How will this benefit the poorest in the State of Osun’?”

On the justification behind the introduction of the O’ Meal programme, the Governor made the following comments:

“It is this philosophy that has guided and inspired all of our policies as your government. We put in place the O’Meals programme for feeding all elementary school children daily because we know that a large number of our people find it difficult to feed themselves and their children. We know that undernourishment and calorie deficiency is a major cause of physical and mental underdevelopment of children and young people.

“It has been scientifically confirmed in many countries that provide lunch for their children in school that it significantly improves the academic performance and health of the pupils. We are finding this to be the case in our state.

“Additionally, the programme has increased elementary school enrolment in Osun from 150,000 to 380,000 children. We now have the largest elementary school enrolment in the country.”

Of particular note is the reference we intend to draw to the last quoted paragraph above. On the overall, it is the aggregate of the comprehensive and integrative package of initiatives in the education sector of the state that contributed to the upsurge in enrolment statistics of public schools in the state, to the effect that there was a swelling of more than double only within the space of three years! Now after four years of running with the vision, the feats are still on.

Commenting on the Opon Imo initiative, the Governor traced the purpose of its introduction and the impact it had made so far, when he said:

“Our provision of ‘OPON IMO’ (THE TABLET OF KNOWLEDGE) which contains all the textbooks and teaching aids required in high school is because we know that most parents in the state simply cannot afford the cost of textbooks.

“Again we believe that all of our children, regardless of the financial means of their parents, must have equal access to books and other materials for effective learning. The introduction of this electronic tablet is to bring our children, no matter how remote their location may be from the centres of digital advancement, to familiarity and currency with cutting-edge technology.”

The Governor appraised the overall education policies and programmes of his administration in lucid terms in the following words:

“The same is true of our educational reform policy. You will recall that when I was sworn in as Governor in November 2010, the schools were in a shambles. Hardly any school in the state had facilities of any kind. We then called for an education summit, attended by great educationists and intellectuals of all persuasions.

“Professor Wole Soyinka, our own Nobel Laureate, made time out to personally attend. The summit recommended a complete overhaul of our education system.”

He particularly appraised the outcome and effectiveness of the first-ever State of Osun Education Summit as follows:

“The most important conclusion of the summit was the restructuring of the system into three basic categories, Elementary, Middle and High schools. Grades 1–4 are the elementary school, Grades 5–9 are the middle school, while grades 10–12 are the high school.”

Concerning the State of Osun Schools’ Infrastructure Development Committee (O’ SCHOOLS), the Governor affirmed our claims when he said:

“In the high school, we focus on preparing the children for both internal and external examinations. Our plan is to build 20 new high schools, 50 middle schools and 100 elementary schools. Each of these schools will be equipped to state-of–the-art standards, especially with digital learning aids, electronic boards, functional and contemporary laboratory equipment, sports facilities, clean water and large power generators etc.”

Making justification for the merger of schools, the Governor made the following clarifications:

“The only way to provide these facilities at affordable costs is to merge small poorly equipped schools into larger schools where all the facilities can be provided to large numbers of students using economy of scale to maximum advantage. This is what we have done.

“Sometimes, this policy has been misunderstood and some have tried to mischaracterize the reforms as having a religious undertone. This is most unfortunate, wicked and untrue.

“The philosophy of our education policy has been the development of a new man intellectually, socially and morally. This new man is placed in the centre of society

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Landmarks Of Excellence

and views his own development as part of and for the development of society.

“This is a non-parasitic and non-oppressive man, who views his existence in the context of the growth of others; he views whatever he acquires to be subsumed in the overall interest of others. He is a man in himself and a man for society.”

Governor Aregbesola refuted claims by a segment of people that he is bent towards favouring one religion against the other. He also told the story behind the education reforms initiated by his administration:

“There are some who may genuinely feel that the education reforms might affect their missions. This is an unfounded fear. Only an irresponsible person will attempt to rubbish or remove the legacy of missionaries in education in Osun and even in Nigeria. I attended mission primary and secondary schools here in Western Nigeria and I proudly display that on my resume.

“But let me take us back into a bit of our fairly recent history. Everyone knows that mission schools were taken over by the government of the Western State almost 38 years ago. This means that since 1975, all mission schools were owned, funded and run by government. But the successive state governments ensured that the names of the schools were not changed, in order to maintain the legacies of the founding missionaries.

“Therefore, as we rebuild the schools and expand their facilities, we also have not and will not tamper with their names. We believe that the missions and missionaries, who founded the schools, must be immortalised by retaining the names of the schools. For example, one of the completed middle schools in Osogbo is the Salvation Army Middle School at Alekuwodo.”

On the prospects of returning mission schools to their initial owners, the Governor said:

“I am also aware of the agitation of some missions to have schools returned to them. Although, as I have said before, the schools have been owned by governments since 1975, our administration is not foreclosing the prospect of returning some of the schools upon the completion of our new schools.

“I wish to emphasize that this process can only begin upon completion of the schools we are currently and aggressively building all over the state. The process of return of schools must be well planned and executed because of the various implications, especially the fact that their ownership had changed almost four decades ago.”

On the newly introduced Omoluabi Corps and Instilling discipline in school children of the state the Governor said:

“Osun is a state which will be a model of peace and tolerance. I would like to say that religious, political and ethnic tolerance is the basic foundation of our Omoluabi heritage. We must promote this culture of tolerance and civilized conflict resolution with all our might.

“This is why we have decided to establish an Omoluabi Peace and Conflict Management Commission. This is to be a standing commission where communal, religious, ethnic or other social disputes can be resolved by a body of respected elders from across Yorubaland and even other groups.”

Aside the free, functional and qualitative education programme of the incumbent administration in the State of Osun under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola; there are numerous other mutually reconstructive, integrative programmes, policies and packages that are not only in tandem with, but also complementary to the orientation and philosophy of Omoluabi which has formed the core value and bent of the overall exertions of the administration. In all its programmes and policies as well as the execution of all projects, the administration has so far been guided by fairness, justice, equity and fair-play; giving unto all strata and groups across the state as much as is reasonably required, in relation to what is desired within rational limits and within the affordable reach of available means. This is done with profound magnanimity; even in the face of dwindling monthly revenue allocation from the Federation Accounts. Today, honest analysts and unbiased observers would agree with OSun DEfEnDER Magazine that this administration has no equal among the ones that had come in earlier years in terms of contribution to the life of the state and the well-being of its residents in all ramifications. The immediate past administration, taken as case study only extorted from and sapped the economy of the state beyond the marrow, such that by the time the knell was sounded for its inglorious exit, the state had almost been dragged into an absolute state of insolvency. The case and fate of the state was as terrible as that! It is therefore shameful, disappointing and pitiful to hear insinuations peddled here and there; time and again by members of the leading opposition in the state: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attempting to denigrate the giant strides of the Rauf Aregbesola administration and the tangible, visible and all-encompassing achievements which are so glaring that they cannot be controverted. In pragmatic terms, the State of Osun has in the past four years shed off its old image. The state has acquired new name, new status, and new destiny – all to the extent that her fortunes have changed for the better! This development came as fulfillment to the predictions we made at the beginning of the launch of the new underlying philosophy in year 2011. During that time under reference, OSun DEfEnDER Magazine postulated that the state’s acquisition of new name, sobriquet, logo / coat of arms, flag, anthem and all the rest transcended mere name-calling and or other superficial underpinnings. We predicted at that early stage that the names and other symbolic representations would speedily begin to speak aloud for the state; such that it would sooner than later be transformed into the envy of all other states around, both in Nigeria and yonder. We are glad today. We can

stand tall and beat our chest that Osun is well on course to reaching the Canaan of her dreams.

The promise to the effect of transforming the state into conforming to the old ethos, values and orientation of our forebears was first rolled out in the policy statement of the candidate for the Action Congress (AC) of the time. In his blueprint on his proposed programmes and policies, titled “My Pact With the People of Osun State”, Engineer Rauf Aregbesola made it categorically clear that he would effect overall transformation in the entire spheres of life of the state. To detractors and critics of all sorts, those promises appeared too good to be made true. Even upon the delivery of nearly all of these promises, these detractors still find it a hard pill to swallow – coming to terms with the astounding realities on ground within the short span of time the administration has spent in office.

As early as February 2011, the rebranding process for the state had been in full swing. With this rebranding, the state shed its old name “Osun State” for “the State of Osun”. The state also took new anthem, coat of arms, colours and flag. Above all, the sobriquet of the state, which had hitherto been “the State of the Living Spring”, changed to “the State of the Virtuous”, translated in Yoruba to mean “Ipinle Omoluabi”. It is the whole range of issues, connotation and impact of this concept of Omoluabi that shall form part of the task of this series. We now start with running the background of events as they were met on ground by the incumbent administration upon its assumption of office.

The State of Osun that we know today has a long and eventful antecedent. Its recent experience, exploits and achievements have been the most impressive and significant since its coming into being – even since its existence in the various forms it had been known prior to its statehood. It is the whole truth when it is asserted that the state has never had it as good as it is faring these days. Since its creation on Thursday, August 27 1991, the State of Osun, amply located in the South West geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has had its own fair share of the good, the bad and the ugly. Up till November 2010, the state had been witnessing stunted growth owing to the misfortune of bad, purposeless leadership. It is true that a new state has to undergo some years of planned developmental phases, yet in the case of the infant State of Osun, it was hardly offered the opportunity of making a headstart with meaningful phases of development. Safe for the period of time between May 1999 and May 2003 when the state came under the progressive governance of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), under the able leadership of Chief Bisi Akande, it had been having a wobbling movement that could not be rightly termed a forward march.

The time of creation of the state was the military era of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, with Colonel Leo Segun Ajiborisa (rtd.) as the first Military Administrator. The democratization process started by the Babangida administration saw to the emergence of Alhaji Isiaka

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

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Landmarks Of Excellence

•Another recently-commisssioned road in Ilesa.

Adetunji Adeleke in the saddle of leadership in the state. But that administration could scarcely afford the state the desired pace of progress it desired or deserved. The military interregnum between 1993 and 1999 brought it under the rulership of several military administrators – Colonel Anthony Udofia; Colonel Anthony Obi; and Colonel Theophilus Bamigboye took their turns to govern the state before the return to civil rule of 1999. As at the start of the return to civil rule in 1999, the state appeared to be battling vigorously with existence and survival. If anything, it had not been offered the best kind of governance required and requisite for its surge to its place of prominence among the comity of states. The emergence of the Alliance for Democracy (AD)-led administration of Chief Bisi Akande in 1999 came as a soothing relief; and the administration did make a proper start in the direction of making the state a model of excellence. But the administration did not last! The seizure of the South West by the conservative People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2003 polls in the name of aligning the zone with the government at the centre brought about a change of baton that sealed the coming on board of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the state’s helmsman. That was the situation until four years ago when the courageous judges of the Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State in a unanimous judgment declared the election of Oyinlola for the second term in the 2007 Governorship Elections in the state null and void. In corollary, the election of Engineer Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola of the Action Congress (AC) was upheld. Since then, things have started to turn around positively for the state; hence, the cause of our celebration this time around.

Before now, OSUN DEFENDER Magazine had never been mute to conveying the true picture of situations as they unfold. It had been part and parcel of our creed, since the tome of the struggle for the reclamation of the stolen collective mandate of our people to always bring to focus the multiple damages with which the state was inflicted and afflicted in the past. The damages are beyond what could be reduced to writing or what series of editions of our Magazine editions could accurately approximate. What we can do; and that we have resolved to do; given the limitations imposed by the space at our disposal is to conduct a broad overview of the numerous damages inflicted on our state, its sectors of life, its infrastructure, its people and their entire living conditions; in terms of their extent and intensity. As we have always emphasized, the extent and gravity of the dastardly damages are of so large a magnitude that ordinarily, they could have required an upward of half-decade to remedy. But thank goodness! God has been so merciful and benevolent to us that He provided a way out of our numerous challenges. Fortune has smiled on us; such that today, like a piece raw precious jewel which has passed through the test of fire, we are emerging purer, more beautiful and more dignified. Thank God for giving us the privilege of progressive governance provided through the auspices of the All Progressive Congress (APC)-led administration of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. Today, we can proudly stand tall and beat our chest to sing praises and adoration to God Almighty, as we have clearly never had it so good.

Since the focus of this series of editions is on the Education sub-sector of the Social Services Sector of our state’s economy; we shall concentrate greater focus to issues and events bordering on the education industry, most especially, as they touch on the public (government-owned) institutions at all levels, vis-à-vis the Schools’ Reclassification cum the Omoluabi concept. Expectedly, the reforms and reclassification which we take these editions to celebrate affect the public schools most directly. The effects they have on the private counterparts as partners-in-progress are spill-over. We shall begin to point these specific effects out in the fullness of time. But before we proceed, we intend to refer our readers to the specific portions of the pact which the Governor made with his people, the virtuous people of the State of the Virtuous, way back 2005. These promises rolled out were contained in the Six-Point Integral Action Plan of Mr. Governor. Relevant portions of the plan which have direct bearing on education are here recapped:

“My mission and ambition are to restore to the people, a state of peace, opportunity, for progress and room for the pursuit of prosperity in our time under a people friendly government.

I give you Six-Point Integral Action plan, to the intent that they constitute my actions of faith concerning which I want to be held accountable at any time during my stewardship.

SIX POINT INTEGRAL ACTION PLAN

· Banish Poverty

· Improve incentives to teachers and work with the NUT to restore the dignity of the teaching profession.

· Restructure administration of school management and create Tutors-General (Permanent Secretary Cadre) from among Head Teachers in three Educational Districts which we will establish.\

· Fix all collapsed educational infrastructures in all the schools.

· Support with modern teaching aids and well-stocked libraries.

· Ensure cooperation with parents and teachers to improve discipline and morality.

· Introduce non-partisan community-based governing boards for all schools.

· Reduce number of students per classroom immediately.

· Introduce home development plans for teachers who wish to build houses in their home towns, through access to special mortgage packages.

· Promote mass adult literacy and numeracy programmes.

· Promote and support Special programmes that give special attention to education of girls and women.

· Establish institutions that impart life-long skills for all, in and out of formal schooling.

ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND UNIVERSITY

· I am committed to ensuring that an Osun State University takes off on a sound footing and becomes a first-class institution with linkages to renowned universities in the developed world.

· I will make every tertiary institution in Osun State an independent degree-awarding one.

· Encourage use of services of retired, but not tired dons and administrators, from reputable institutions.”

The promises contained in this pact were made in swift and timely response to a situation which was in every way far from good and positive. The spate of decay, rot, abandonment, devastation and neglect which characterized the dark era under reference is indescribably huge. So huge that if we devote time to its description, space will rob us more interesting task of documenting the numerous achievements of the government of the day: the Government Unusual of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. However, we shall not fail in our duty to succinctly paint the picture of what things looked like exactly at the time of change in baton of leadership on Saturday, November 27, 2010.

· To be continued.

· Banish Hunger

· Banish Unemployment (Create Work/Wealth)

· Restore Healthy Living

· Promote Functional Education

· Enhance Communal Peace and Progress”

Further in the line of drawing specific reference, we have the following:

CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS

“There is the need for a civil service reform that will not lead to any loss of jobs as I Rauf Aregbesola do not believe in laying people off in the name of reforms.

Our reform will make the work environment more conductive, stimulating and development oriented.

Bonuses, incentives and regular awards shall be instituted to promote a culture of excellence in the civil service along with the prompt payment of salaries, allowances, leave bonuses and year end performance bonuses.

Promotions and comprehensive salary reviews and increases shall be regular.

Internal and external training, work exchange programmes and overseas training shall be actively reinstituted for comprehensive human development in the civil service.

New Tutor General/Permanent Secretary Cadre shall be created for Teachers in new education districts for better school administration.

We shall institute Home Ownership Scheme for public servants and also support and encourage their backyard food production business ventures.

We shall do a comprehensive review of civil service names and conventions as part of our efforts to create a people- friendly civil service.

Appropriate nomenclature will enhance accountability and promote public access to the services of the ministry. A citizen with a complaint of blockage of drainage will find a Ministry of Roads and Drainages easier to identify with than Ministry of Works, a Ministry of Human Resources and Development will more appropriately communicate its services than a Ministry of Establishment.”

WE now swing to the Education sub-heading of the Pact, which we quote as follows

PROMOTE FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION

Vision: Eradicate the frustration of youths caused by education that does not lead to employment.

“To achieve this, the government of AC under Rauf Aregbesola shall:

· Provide free education at all levels in Osun State. Focus on functional education. Education that makes one useful to himself and society.

Continued from page 13

15OSun DEfEnDER tuesday, November 11, 2014

The People’s Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, would be inaugurated on Thursday November 27, 2014 for his second term.

There is no denying the fact that Ogbeni Aregbesola has warmed himself into the hearts of the people of the State of Osun with his massive developmental projects.

His impact has been felt in all the nooks and crannies in the state while he has touched every aspect of our lives in the State of the Virtuous.

What else could we do as individuals or corporate bodies on this auspicious occasion if not to identify with him by congratulating him.

Your popular soar away grassroots tabloid, OSUN DEFENDER Newspaper, is doing a supplement to congratulate the workaholic governor of our time in commemoration of the inauguration. Individuals, corporate bodies, institutions, and well-wishers can avail themselves with our low advert rate below:

ADVERT RATE

Full Page Colour - N150,000

Full Page Black & White - N120,000

Half Page Colour - N80,000

Half Page Black & White - N70,000

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Quarter Page Black & White - N40,000

Any of these phone lines can be contacted: 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897 and 08023191891.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Inauguration

- Management

R o u n d - T a b l e Osun Defender Round-Table chat is a platform for all aspirants in the State of Osun to espouse their programmes for the electorate.

It is a forum where activities aspirants intend to embark upon are brought bare to the people.

It exposes the real person of the aspirant, his values and his plans for his constituency. This forum is open to serving public officials as well as those who intend to contest.

For any additional information on the above issue, any of these numbers should be contacted: 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897 and 08062207954.

– Management

tuesday, NOVember 11, 2014

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

by ADE OLuGBOTEMIAL L e y e s a r e s e t o n t h e f a t e - d e c i d i n g February 2015 general elections, which are going to factorize the momentum of politics and politicking in the mean time, and eventually the survival or otherwise of the entity called the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is not new after all, as all players of the game, who go by the nomenclature ‘politicians’ have ceaselessly exhibited their intrigues and manipulative tendencies, that most of the time pitch ordinary watchers of events in utter bewilderment and debilitating perplexity. Most politicians may be seen to be keeping their cool, but the mechanism of palpitation that many of them are contending with is better imagined than the pangs of the contenders.

It is very good that we have been reminding ourselves that it is fifteen years already that one uncertainty was foisted on innocent Nigerians. That improper and blind heralding of democratic norms and ethos without a compass that would have made navigation into the future very determinate has today plunged us into hopelessness that may take ages for our efforts to assuage. No wonder, we have so many people who bother less about the political journey that has led us nowhere, but today has made us more confused than ever; and we cannot blame them. That journey that began in 1999 was never prepared for; and it is now that we are coming to terms with the need to reassess the exigencies that brought about that journey, because chance favours only the prepared mind.

We have suddenly found ourselves in a strange world, where nobody is ready to take responsibility for personal faults and failures, and bulk passing has generally become a stock in trade. We are good at pointing accusing fingers, when others are seen to have faltered, but at the point of taking blames for personal misdemeanour, unwarranted rationalization is allowed to hold sway. The whole world now have a common perception of Nigeria as a country that is peopled by some peculiar individuals, who are ready to trade-off integrity, but will only assess situations irrationally on the basis of what they stand to rake as gains; as against the global best practice of giving credence to rationality, honesty and probity.

So far, successive leaders have been far from proffering recipe that would have brought relative relief to the distressed majority, who feel concerned about our state and deep-necked in thought over what we have done to merit such fate as betide. Unfortunately, international laws have constrained concerned individuals from foreign lands that they cannot interfere in our internal matters without the eyebrows of human rights crusaders and freedom fighters being raised; even when it is not so logical to do so. Non-existent home

grown solutions have become evidently inevitable, but experience has shown that those who felt obliged and acted in apparent response to compelling demands have not left encouraging remarks behind.

It is becoming a misadventure to explore the electronic media because of the junks in the name of advertorials that some faceless individuals promote on daily basis. They often paint blooming pictures of a country that has developed the needed infrastructure, with our President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as that change agent that has ensured the repositioning of welfare indices even greater in scope than what obtain in the almighty United States of America. One of the bodies involved in the fallacious publications is the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), which is directly financed with the taxpayers’ money. According to this body, Nigeria under President Goodluck Jonathan is the best place anybody can wish to be in the universe. However, pundits have come to the conclusion that if the present condition is the ultimate that can avail under a President vaunting himself as the best Nigeria can have, then, Nigeria

is already a doomed state.

It is all lies, lies, and lies from the seat of power in Abuja. To them, all Nigerians, except the power brokers in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seem to have lost touch with the reality of what real development indices should be. They seem to know the definition of change and development apart from the conceptual understanding that is globally acclaimed. Only PDP and their supporters understand what people should admit as good living standard. They seem to have aggregated Nigerians to mean only those party members who perpetually draw funds from government vault; that is why they can tell the whole world that Nigerians have never had it as so good as it is at the moment. Nigerians are paying more for electricity, goods and other services. Lives are no longer secured in any part of the country because those who legitimately make wealth are not allowed to enjoy it, and to derive maximum utility there from by the have-nots, who are in the majority; these are apart from joblessness engendered hopelessness that has become the lot of school leavers.

It is noteworthy that a segment of the Nigerian nation; precisely, the people of the State of Osun have shown that if we don’t slack at planning, we will succeed in whatever we set out to do at the point of execution. August 9, 2014 governorship election has become an event we cannot forget so quickly. The voting populace in

the state really demonstrated unusual resilience and determination that neutralized the desperation and rigging antics of major opposition, and the intention to overrun Osun as they did to Ekiti State shortly before then. Unless there is another exhibition of naked power through the tribunal (which I believe the same people will be prepared to resist), it is now certain that Osun people will have it their own way for another four years.

I r r e spec t ive o f t he ongo ing propaganda all over electronic and print media that appear to have reduced Nigerians to a people devoid of ability to objectively decipher, Nigerians must resolve to exert their larger influence on a few individuals that have succinctly constituted themselves to destiny moulders without whom Nigeria will not be able to survive. Peoples’ collective will must reflect in what the umpire (Independent National Electoral Commission) give as the aggregate of voters’ intentions in February 2015 elections. It happened in the State of Osun, it can happen also in the whole country if only Nigerians can put their hearts and actions together to ensure that minority rule has no abode in this country anymore.

It is a known fact that an unpopular government will never seek to fulfil the demands of popular mandate, while it will be pretty difficult for a minority government not to fly the kite originating from under the tutelage of her crony-members. It is only a government conscious of her enabling popular mandate that will seek to pursue policies and programmes meant to satisfy the yearnings of the entire populace. Again, we have this fact truly showcased within the length and breadth of our own State of the virtuous. This is the fallout of what the governor saw as response to legitimate expectations from the majority of people who reposed confidence in him to hold their popular mandate in lien. That mandate has again been generously entrusted; it is certain that Ogbeni Aregbesola cannot consider it anomalous if people demand for more democratic dividends after inauguration for second term come November 27. We have to decide on what we want for our future now before we finally make up our minds for the choices to make during February 2015 elections; most especially on who to occupy the seat of number one citizen after May 29, next year.

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

Beginning With The End In Mind

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