osun defender - august 26th 2014, edition

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VOL. 9. NO.102 N50 50 50 50 50 TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014 www.osundefender.org THE 6TH MOST-VISITED NEWSPAPER WEBSITE IN NIGERIA Front Page Comment •Arugba Osun on her way to Osun groove (3rd left) during the 2014 Osun Osogbo festival last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI - See Story On Page 2 - See Story On Page 2 - Pg 3 Osun Governorship Poll: 15 Detainees Sue SSS, Army, Police •Demands N1.5bn Damages Group Dismisses Reports Seeking Cancellation Of Osun Election Osun Poll, Best Ever - INEC APC Group Attributes Aregbesola’s Re-election To Performance - Pg 3 Osun 2014: OAU Students Congratulate Aregbesola - Pg 3 The victory of the All Progressives Congress, APC in last Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Osun State reinforces the opposition against a seemingly ram- paging political train of President Goodluck Jonathan It was a welcome relief to the na- tional leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Those who saw him yesterday morning asthe result of the Osun State gover- norship poll was Osun and 2015: The game changer declared said they saw a man greatly relieved but rein- forced for the battle ahead.Besides being an elixir to the opposition that was badly trau- matized by defeat in Ekiti a month ago, the Osunvictory acts as a spring for the opposition towards the 2015 presidential prize that was being considered a foregone booty of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The message yesterday was that 2015 is still within play. Despite earlier claims by the APC that the presidency was determined to rig the election in favour of the PDP’s Senator Iyiola Omisore, the outcome of the election showed the limit to which President Goodluck Jonathan would go in forcing his will on the electorate. Continue on pg4

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15 Detainees Sue SSS, Army, Police . Demand N1.5bn Damages .Group Dismisses Report Seekin Cancellation Of Osun Election

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Page 1: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

VOL. 9. NO.102 NNNNN5050505050TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014

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

Front Page Comment

- Pg 9

•Arugba Osun on her way to Osun groove (3rd left) during the 2014 Osun Osogbo festival last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI

- See StoryOn Page 2

- See StoryOn Page

2

- Pg 3

Osun Governorship Poll:

15 Detainees SueSSS, Army, Police•Demands N1.5bn Damages

Group Dismisses Reports Seeking Cancellation Of Osun Election

Osun Poll,Best Ever- INEC

APC GroupAttributesAregbesola’sRe-election ToPer formance

- Pg 3

Osun 2014: OAUStudentsCongratulateAregbesola

- Pg 3

The victory of theAll ProgressivesCongress, APC inlast Saturday’sgubernatorialelection in OsunState reinforces theopposition againsta seemingly ram-paging politicaltrain of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan

It was a welcomerelief to the na-tional leader of theAPC, Asiwaju BolaAhmed Tinubu.Those who saw himyesterday morningasthe result of theOsun State gover-norship poll was

Osun and 2015: Thegame changer

declared said theysaw a man greatlyrelieved but rein-forced for the battleahead.Besides beingan elixir to the

opposition thatwas badly trau-matized by defeatin Ekiti a monthago, theOsunvictory actsas a spring for

the oppositiontowards the 2015presidential prizethat was beingconsidered aforegone booty ofthe ruling PeoplesDemocratic Party,PDP. The messageyesterday was that2015 is still

within play. Despiteearlier claims by the APCthat the presidency wasdetermined to rig theelection in favour of thePDP’s Senator IyiolaOmisore, the outcome ofthe election showed thelimit to which PresidentGoodluck Jonathanwould go in forcing hiswill on the electorate.

Continue on pg4

Page 2: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

2OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014 News

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Agbesola, addressing journalists after a meeting of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in Abuja, lastThursday.

Osun Poll: 15 Detainees Sue SSS, Army, Police•Demands N1.5bn Damages

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

15 persons, who were arrested, detained andharassed during the August 9 governorshipelection in the State of Osun have sued the

Department of Security Services (SSS), NigerianArmy and Nigerian Police Force for their illegalarrest and detention.

In an application for acourt order enforcing theirfundamental rights, slatedto be filed before a FederalHigh Court in Osogbo, thestate capital, the detaineespray for an order directingthe respondents to payN100 million each asdamages and tender publicapology to each of them.

The detainees are HighChief Sola Ogunsanya,Isaac Onajide, BabatolaSegun, Ogungbangbe

Suliman, Obayemi Ayo,Awopetu Odunayo, EstherOlamijulo and eight others.

The four reliefs soughtby the applicants arecontained in an originatingsummon pursuant toSections 34, 35 and 46 ofthe 1999 Constitution andArticle 5, 6, 12, 13 and 20of the African Charter onHuman and People’sRights, Cap A9 Laws ofthe Federation of Nigeria,2004; Order, II Rules 1, 2and 3 of the Fundamental

Rights (EnforcementProcedure) Rules, 2009.

The applicants, in thefirst relief, are seeking thedeclaration of the courtthat their arrest anddetention wasunconstitutional, illegal,null and void and inviolation of their right topersonal liberty.

They also prayed thecourt to declare that theirarrest and manhandling byofficers of the respondentsconstitute a violation oftheir freedom from torture,inhuman and degradingtreatments.

While arguing that theirarrest and detention

prevented them fromexercising their franchisein the August 9governorship poll and votefor candidates of theirchoices, they prayed thecourt for an order directingthe respondents to payaggravated damages/compensation of N100million each and tenderpublic apology to each ofthe applicants.

In an affidavit he sworeto, in support of theapplication, one of theapplicants, High Chief SolaOgunsanya, who is theRegent of Iloko-Ijesa anda registered voter, said thathe was arrested on August8, 2014 by armed officers

of the respondents in hishouse, while otherdetainees were arrested onAugust 9, 2014 at Iloko-Ijesa and Ijebu-jesa.

He claimed that after thearrest, himself, and twoother applicants weretaken to the DSS office inOsogbo and Iloko PolicePost, where they weredetained, stripped nakedand ordered to lie down forseveral hours in the openwithout allowing them tomove an inch.

According to him, thedetainees weresubsequently beaten,tortured and humiliated, assome of the officers werecursing, abusing them and

querying their effrontery tosupport the candidature ofGovernor Rauf Aregbesola,who was the AllProgressives Congress(APC) candidate at theelection and the declaredwinner of the poll.

According to him,throughout the period oftheir detention, they werenot accused of committingany offence, exceptsupporting Aregbesola,only to be released at about6.00pm of August 9, 2014without being charged tocourt for any offence.

As contained in thestatement of fact filedalong with the application,the detainees argued thattheir arrest, torture andinhuman treatment, towhich they weresubjected, were based ona frivolous allegation ofloitering, as later disclosedby the DSS Spokesperson,Mrs Marilyn Ogar, in aninterview on ChannelsTelevision, saying suchoffence is unknown to law.

Their inhuman treatmentwithout any order of courtor legal basis whatsoever,they claimed, constitutesgross violation of theapplicants’ rights undersections 34 and 35 of theConstitution.

In the issues formulatedby counsel to theapplicants, it was arguedthat the aim of the arrestwas to terrorise theapplicants and restrict theirmovement in anatmosphere dominated bysheer state terror andcomplete impunity, whichis totally unjustifiable inlaw.

The illegal arrest anddetention, he said, wasagainst the order of anOsogbo High Courtrestraining the respondentsfrom engaging in arbitraryarrest of members of APC,saying, unless theappropriate sanction isapplied, such harassment,intimidation, detention, andcrass impunity againstother members of thesociety and the applicants’violated rights would bewithout remedy.

Group Dismisses Reports Seeking CancellationOf Osun ElectionAN election monitoring group, Justice and Equality

Organisation, has dismissed a report seeking thecancellation of the just-concluded election in the

State of Osun, which was published by Premium Times.The group described the

report as false, saying thatat no time did it authorisethe press conferencereported by the newspaper,while describing theelection as free and fair.

In a disclaimer signed inAbuja by the Chairman ofthe organisation, S. BFafunsho, and madeavailable to OSUNDEFENDER newspaper, thegroup demanded immediateretraction of the story,describing it as misleading.

It reads: “Our attentionhas been drawn to thePremium Times publicationof 14th August, 2014,claiming that Mr JamesOkoronkwo on Wednesday,3th August 2014, seeks the

cancellation of Osun Stategovernorship election overuntrue alleged malpracticescommitted by APC.

“The press conferencewas not organised byJustice and EquityOrganisation, as claimed inthe publication and MrJames Okoronkwo was notaccredited and never amember of Justice andEquality Organisation.

“Hence, we hereby notifythe INEC in particular andgeneral public that thepurported press conferenceand the various allegationsof electoral malpracticeswere false, malicious andmisrepresentation of factand Osun State electorate.We hereby dissociate our

organisation from suchobnoxious publication,” thestatement said.

The group also gavePremium Times sevendays’ ultimatum to retractthe story and apologise tothe Justice and EquityOrganisation.

According to Bafunso,the group had already

submitted its report to theIndependent NationalElectoral Commission(INEC) and stronglyconvinced that the August9, 2014 election was free, fair,transparent, credible,peaceful, successful andrepresent the wish of thepeople.

He rated the election as

the best INEC everorganised in Nigeria.

It would be recalled thatthe Premium Times haspublished a story attributedto James Okoronko seekingthe cancelation of votes inthe local governmentcouncil areas, where healleged variousmalpractices.

Osun 2014: Ita-Olokan APC Fetes Members

STILL basking in the August 9, 2014 Osungubernatorial election victory of the AllProgressives Congress (APC) and Ogbeni Rauf

Aregbesola, the Ita-Olokan, Osogbo party membershave dedicated the victory to the grace of God andthe willingness of the people of the state to defenddemocracy at all cost.

Stating this at a get-together held to felicitatewith APC members in Ita-Olokan, Osogbo, the APCleader, Taofeeq Shittu,stated that the victory of

APC was divinely-inspiredbecause since the peoplewere with OgbeniAregbesola, the approvalof God was sure.

He stated that despite

the lies and propagandaspread around by thePeoples Democratic Party(PDP), the people knewwho they wanted and theyrightly cast their votes forthe right candidate.

While calling on all partymembers to cometogether and work for thesuccess of the governor,Shittu noted that OgbeniRauf Aregbesola has nowonce again become thegovernor of all Osun and

not only of the APC.Party leaders present at

get together included AlhajiFatai Oyedele Diekola,Honourable AjibolaBashiru, Alhaji TeslimIgbalaye and Alhaji LiadiGbadamosi.

The wife of thegovernor, Alhaja SherifatAregbesola also donatedcash gifts towards thewelfare of APC membersat Ita-Olokan area of thestate capital.

Page 3: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

3 News OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014

•BATTLE FIELD AT OSUN GROOVE: A Nigeria Police Officer and area boys fighting at Osun Groove during the 2014 Osun Osogbo festival lastSaturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Osun Poll, Best Ever - INECBy KEHINDE AYANTUNJI

THE Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman,Independent National ElectoralCommission, Mr. Kayode Idowu, has said

that the recent governorship election in the Stateof Osun recorded the highest number of voters’turnout in the history of Nigeria.

Idowu, who disclosedthis in a telephoneinterview with OSUNDEFENDER during theweek, said promptness ofthe voters to the pollingunits, retrieval system and

conduct of the voters,among others, were usedas judging parameters forconclusion.

He noted that the stategovernorship poll was thebest the INEC had ever

conducted in the historyof Nigeria.

While comparing theelection with that of EkitiState, he said despite thefact that Osun has morelocal government council

areas than Ekiti State, theINEC encountered lesserdifficulties than whatwere obtained in EkitiState.

He said: “By everyparameter, the Osun Stategovernorship electionwas the best we haveever conducted in recenttimes. In terms of the timeof opening of the pollingunits, by 8.00am, a largepercentage of the votershad already turned out.

“In terms of theconduct of the people, itwas the best we haveever had. There was nocase of violenceanywhere. If you look atthe total turnout, it was 56per cent of the registeredvoters. If you count thenumber of people whopicked their cards, theywere up to 76 per cent. Itwas the highest inNigerian history.

“If you look at theretrieval system thathelped us in assessing thedeclaration of the results,it was smooth. In EkitiState, where we dealtwith only 16 localgovernment council areas,it was not as smooth aswhat we had in OsunState with 30 localgovernment councilareas.

INEC has beencommended for improvingin the area of provision oflogistics and promptnessof its officers to pollingunits during the poll, whilethe state electorate weresaid to contribute in nosmall measure to thesuccessful conduct of thepoll.

APC Group Attributes Aregbesola’s Re-election To Performance

CELEBRATION of victory for the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesolacontinued on Friday, as the Chief Rufai

Oyebamiji group of All Progressives Congress(APC) in Irewole Local Government CouncilArea of the state celebrated the success with aspecial Jumat service.

By KAZEEM MOHAMMED

The Octogerian, ChiefOyebamiji, who was atwo-term lawmaker in theold Oyo State, is a leaderof APC in the localgovernment council area.

He describedAregbesola’s re-electionas a reward for hiscommitment to thedevelopment of the stateand divine work.

Saying that the purposeof the Jumat service andthe prayer session was toappreciate God foranswering theirsupplications for thesuccess of Aregbesola atthe poll, Oyebamiji addedthat if not for prayers, thestory would havechanged.

According to him,considering theantecedents of the majorcontender at the poll andthe federal might that wasintroduced into the race,no one could ever thoughtthat the poll could be heldwithout any bloodshed.

He also saidAregbesola’s passion andaction towards thedevelopment of the statealso spoke volume during

the election, as the peopleof the state votedmassively for himbecause they wanted theongoing reformation tocontinue.

“What Aregbesola didin his first term weremilestones and he hasintroduced manyinitiatives to governance,which would foreverremain reference pointsto the whole world.

“ A r e g b e s o l a ’ si n f r a s t r u c t u r a ldevelopmental initiativesare so massive that nogovernment had everdone anything like this inthe history of Osun andthe same thing ishappening in othersectors.

“In the area ofeducation especially, weare happy thatAregbesola stepped intothe shoes of ChiefObafemi Awolowo,which saved the WesternRegion from illiteracy.That is why we remaincommitted to his course,”he said.

Chief Oyebamiji thenurged the people,especially members of

APC, to remaincommitted with theoptimism that they wouldall benefit from theadministration.

The women leader ofthe group, Mrs Kemi

Oladele, hoped thatAregbesola’s secondterm would be better thanthe first term, saying thathis performance in thefirst term facilitated hisre-election.

He therefore urged thegovernor to furtherstrengthen his efforts atdeveloping the state, toensure that he leavesgood legacies for thecoming generations.

Osun 2014: OAU Students Congratulate Aregbesola

STUDENTS of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, State of Osun, have sent their congratulatorymessages to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who emerged

the winner of the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election inthe state.

By FRANCIS EZEDIUNO

Aregbesola, whocontested under theplatform of the AllProgressives Congress(APC), won the electionflawlessly by taking the leadin 24 local governmentcouncil areas out of the 30in the state.

Despite the ongoingshutdown of academicactivities on OAU campus,the students managed tokeep themselves relevant inthe state by felicitating withGovernor Aregbesola.

In a chat with this medium,Olanipekun Jaleel, a 300-levelstudent of Political Science,stated that OgbeniAregbesola had been testedand trusted.

“I congratulate OgbeniRauf Aregbesola on hissuccess in the just-concluded gubernatorialelection. He has been testedand trusted by the people ofOsun; his efforts in makingOsun a better place isundeniable.

“These facts are not

hidden to all students,teaching staff and non-teaching staff of OAU,that’s why he won on OAUcampus,” Jaleel disclosed.

Also congratulatingGovernor Aregbesola wasAkande Omotayo, a 400-

level student of ChemicalEngineering, who clearlystated that Aregbesola wonthe contest based on hisrelentless effort indeveloping Osun and alsonoted that OAU studentsstand to be non-partisan toany political party but thevoice of the people.

According to him:“Ogbeni remains thegovernor of the statebecause he has provedhimself to be a true leader in

the state.”“The generality of OAU

students still remain non-partisan to any politicalparty. Ours is a neutral bodythat will always support thegood and not the bad.”

O S U NDEFENDER gathered thatstudents were glad thatOgbeni emerged the winnerbecause he was worthy tobe the next governor ofOsun and that was why thepeople gave him their votes.

Court Remands Man 40 For Raping Girl, 8

AN Osogbo Magistrate’s Court sitting on 22August, 2014 has ordered that one BabalolaTunde be remanded in Ilesa Prison custody

for allegedly raping one eight-year old KomolafeKemi.

The presiding MagistrateOlusola Aluko, who gavethe order, said the accusedperson should be in prisoncustody because of themagnitude of the offence,pending when the formalbail application will bepresented by the defencecounsel

According to the chargesheet read in court, the

accused personcommitted the offencearound Aga, Ido-Osun, atabout 1.00p.m, Osogbo,the State of Osun capital.

It was stated that Tundeunlawfully had canalknowledge of oneKomolafe Kemi forcefully,knowing the absence ofher parents, who happenedto be his neighbours.

The accused however pleaded not guilty to theone count charge of rapeslammed before him.

According to the chargesheet, the offencecontravened Section 218of the crimal criminal codeCap 34 Vol. 11, Laws ofOsun State of Nigeria 2003

Magistrate Aluko did notaccept the plea of theaccused, while he orderedthat the defence counsel,Barrister Nnena shouldpresent a formal bailapplication of her client,while he further adjournedthe case till October 13,2014 for mention.

By BOLANLE BABALOLA

Page 4: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

4 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Osun and 2015: The game changer

Continued from pg1

Overwhelming presenceThe overwhelming presence of security menin the state in the days ahead of the poll didnot impede the electorate from exercisingtheir will on who governs them. Thatindeed, is a reassuring sign for manyNigerians and the international communitythat the 2015 election could be a free andfair election.Indeed, ahead of the polls last weekend, theAPC and its flag bearer, Aregbesola, had inthe face of the strong presence of securitymen around the state betrayed clear signs ofunease. The APC’s national spokesman,Alhaji Lai Mohammed in statements paintedthe impression of the determination of thepresidency to rig the election in a cleardetermination to reshape the politicalconfiguration of the Southwest ahead of thedecisive 2015 election.Such panic caused the opposition party tosummon all its elected office holders andpolitical appointees from across the countryto show presence in Osun State from lastTuesday as a way of boosting the morale ofits supporters in that state.The PDP’s candidate was also lifted by thepresence of strong detachment of thesecurity forces whose presence helped tosuppress whatever advantages the incum-bency factor would have given toAregbesola.Omisore also had his friends from the Senateincluding Senators Enyininnya Abaribe,Ehigie Uzamere and some others to lift hisheart. But the most decisive factors were the

voters on ground who at the end of voting onSaturday showed their preference for theincumbent.The outcome was, however, not a rout as theAregbesola camp had predicted it would bewithout rigging. That underscored the agitationamong some PDP loyalists who had sought foran alternative candidate. Omisore, a formerdeputy governor of Osun State had before thiselection been on the winning side of all thegubernatorial elections conducted in OsunState. He was deputy governor to Chief BisiAkande, strongly supported the immediatepast governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola in2003 and 2007, but, however, came short indelivering himself into an office he had in thepast helped others to enter.Though a very lively man with soundeducation, the factors against Omisore weremostly fanned by perceptions about himarising from his trial for the murder of ChiefBola Ige, a former attorney general of thefederation. Omisore who was acquitted ofcomplicity in that murder, however, did littleto clear that perception. Besides, his politicalfoes helped to fan the negative perceptionabout him.Oyinlola, the immediate past governor of thestate who himself had a grudge against thePDP rubbed in the Ige wound on the peoplewhen he questioned why President Jonathanhad surrounded himself with all those who werequestioned over the murder of Ige.“The candidate of the PDP was arrested forkilling Ige. He was arrested and detained. “Thenational secretary of the [PDP], ProfessorWale Oladipo, was also detained in connectionwith the killing. The Minister of PoliceAffairs, Jelili Adesiyan, was also detained.“The chairman of the party in this state,

Ayobami Olaoluwa, was also arrested. So, why iseveryone who was in detention given appoint-ment or put in a position of authority? We needto ask the government,” Oyinlola said.Great minusLinking anyone or party with the death of Igewas a great minus especially given the adorationthat Ige continues to draw from most parts ofthe state. The election was also an opportunityfor political enemies in the Southwest to hit athim. Tinubu had by every indication mounted theplatform of political leadership of the Southwestwith the dominance of his party in five of the sixSouthwest states. After the loss of Ekiti, hispolitical empire was trimmed to four states andthe prospect of losing Osun, had in the last weeksof the campaign become an exciting lure forTinubu bashers in the region.Internal dissentIt was especially so, given that Aregbesola wasgenerally considered the closest of the APCgovernors to Tinubu.The internal dissent to Tinubu in the Southwestwas especially fanned by vestiges of Afenifere,the socio-political organization through whichTinubu, himself emerged as governor of LagosState in 1999. But the former governor’s allegedrole in splintering Afenifere after his emergenceas governor helped to create animosity thattoday irks many Yoruba leaders.Even though many Afenifere leaders did notcome out openly to antagonise Tinubu andAregbesola ahead of the election, some of themwere enthusiastically waiting to celebrate thedownfall of the APC in Osun.Celebrating the downfallAPC leaders who learnt from their laxity in Ekitiwere well prepared for Osun and went out of theway to woo known and unknown enemies. PDPon the other hand did not help its candidate with

the clear animosity towards rebels in the party.The treatment of Oyinlola and another formergovernor of the state, Senator Isiaka Adelekesubsequently proved to be one of the majorproblems for the PDP on Election Day.Though Oyinlola did not muster enough votesto win his booth, Adeleke’s grip on Ede, one ofthe largest towns in the state helped to firmlydeliver the town to the APC. After being luredinto the PDP gubernatorial contest, theformer governor was allegedly forced out bywhat he claimed to be impediments put on hisway. That was the beginning of his defectionto the APC, a move the PDP would now regretnot to have stopped.One APC source revealed that Adeleke was thecandidate the party feared most could troubleAregbesola. But even after he withdrew, thePDP hierarchy in the state failed to soothehim giving him room to defect. Tinubu, theAPC national leader and the many presidentialaspirants in the party would be very gleefulwith the outcome of the polls. Yesterday, asource said Tinubu was himself very bouncy ashe saw the result as a vindication against theaspiration of his internal foes in the South-west. For the presidential aspirants, theoutcome of the election gives hope that theirpermutations of forging a Southwest andNorthern alliance against the PDP remainsfeasible.For President Jonathan, the permutation mayhave been that whatever loss of support hemay have suffered in the North would begained in the Southwest. Now, it is back tobasics.By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

THANK you forkeeping the goodwork alive. Like

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,your medium is keeping faithwith its avowed mandate ofpromoting the tenets ofdemocratic ideals throughthe entrenchment of thevirtues of progressivegovernance.

I find in your medium amost reliable ally I canentrust with the message oftruth I have for thegenerality of our people.Your auspicious role in thepast, most especially duringthe struggle for thereclamation of the people’sstolen mandate, has provenyou tested and trusted.

Now that thegubernatorial election forour state is over, we canwork together all over againto appeal to the sensibilityof our people, so as to gearthem up towards making theone and only wisestdecision to make our stategreat.

The area I find irresistible

to focus on this time aroundis the beautification cumurban renewal programmeof the administration. Forsome time now, we have allwitnessed the new lookworn by our entire state viathe dramatic transformationbrought about by theinstrumentality of the Stateof Osun Urban RenewalP r o g r a m m e

(O’RENEWAL).Firstly, I intend to laud the

efforts of our governor,Ogbeni Aregbesola, in thevarious ongoing projects inthe state; most especially,the massive road projects,the schools’ infrastructureprojects, the agriculturalrevolution, and particularly,the Urban Renewal project.At last, we, in the State ofOsun can beat our chest and

feel confident that we havesafe, beautiful and befittingabode. We owe sincereappreciation to Aregbesolafor taking this bold step.

The State of Osun UrbanRenewal Project, known forshort as O’RENEWAL is aproject aimed at givingfacelift to our towns andcities and bringing them up

to the standards of today’surban centres. In this regard,nine selected major towns inthe state chosen on thebasis of their centrality intheir respective federalconstituencies are mappedfor rebuilding and upgradein features and amenities.These cities includeOsogbo, the state capital,Ikirun, Ila-Orangun, Ejigbo,

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing

House Ltd.

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

Editor – Kayode Agbaje (0803-388-0205)

Lagos Editor – Kola Odepeju(08023191891)

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Senior Reporter – Sola JacobsSenior Reporter – Kazeem Mohammed

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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing HouseLimited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust BankGTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun.All correspondence to the above mail address.ISSN: 0794-8050Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205Website: www.osundefender.com/index.phpe-mail: [email protected]

Iwo, Ede, Ilesa, Ile Ife andIkire. More towns-shall becovered by the effort infurther phases of the projectin future.

With this step,development isdecentralized; as it is spreadlarge and wide across thestate. The step taken by thegovernment of the state inholding wide consultationswith community membersand stakeholders is well-conceived and highlycommendable.

While I cannot buttongue-lash the critics ofthis administration; I enjoinall and sundry to give theirrallying support to theadministration in order toensure that success isattained in all itsprogrammes and projects. Ibet that we shall all be betterfor it in a non-distant futuretime.

•SEGUN ADEROJU,Lagere, Ile-Ife, State ofOsun.

It’s Now Time To Support O’Renewal The More

Page 5: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

5555

AnniversaryBeginning Of New Beginnings

For the State of Osun in the South-Western geopolitical zone of Nigeria, this is a season of celebrations.Following the victory of the incumbent governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in the recently-held gubernato-rial election, the state has been in the mood of celebration. Back to back, the celebration of the annual IseseFestival and the annual Osun Osogbo Festival were marked before the August 27 date; the anniversary ofthe state's twenty-third year of existence. NIYI OLASINDE devotes this series to the celebration of thecurrent monumental achievements recorded for the state and its people by the Government Unusual ofOgbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. He joins the fold of patriots in concluding that the people have all causesto celebrate.

The State Of Osun At 23

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014

•Laro-Timehin Middle School, Isale-Osun, Osogbo, recently built under the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Page 6: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

6 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Beginning Of New Beginnings

WEDNESDAY, August 27, 2014 is another historical datein the life of the State of Osun, which has the appellation ofthe State of the Virtuous (which translates into IpinleOmoluabi) in our indigenous language. Exactly on thatdate in 1991, the state was carved out of the old Oyo state,which was indeed one of the largest states in the federation.The new creation was widely accepted. In the affected area,the creation, apart from giving relief and satisfaction to thepeople, residents and indigenes alike, also issued out anew hope of faster, undisturbed progress and developmentto the people. After all, that is one of the rationales behindcreation of new states anywhere.

Twenty-three years into the creation of the new state, itis historically and developmentally worth the while to sitdown and reminisce on the achievements of the state, interms of provision of infrastructure and improvement inpolity and socio-economic lives of the people, with a viewto charting the course for the future of the state. This pieceis devoted mainly to conducting that assignment. That wasjust what the governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf AdesojiAregbesola did on the august occasion which took placein the month of August last year. He was forthright and upand doing in highlighting the journey so far in ourstatehood; as well as enunciating, from the stage at whichthe baton of leadership of the state was handed over tohim, the many unprecedented achievements of theGovernment Unusual. The broadcast speech was indeedreplete with these achievements. In the State of Osun oftoday, the achievements speak for themselves. They arelofty and too visible for all to notice, Even the blind couldnot ignore the fact that lots of developmental projects aregoing on in the state. This have been attested to by worstcritics of the incumbent administration, especially some ofthem who still have some degree of tolerance for objectiveanalysis

In a state-wide live broadcast to commemorate last year’soccasion, Governor Aregbesola traced the course of thedevelopment of the state and how well it had fared in thehands of its leaders. In an objective and transparent manner,he traced the activities of regimes and administrations thathad come the way of the state one after the other. He didnot mince words to emphasize the significance of fewinstances in the state’s span of life when it had beenprivileged to fall in the hand of progressive governance.The Chief Executive underscored the numerousachievements of the administrations of Chief Bisi Akandeand his own incumbent one which came on board throughthe judgment delivered by the courageous judges of theFederal Court of Appeal sitting at Ibadan, Oyo State capitalon Friday, November 26 2010. So far, it is evident that thatjudgment delivered that historical day has brought justiceand sanity the way of the state and its people. As a matterof fact, it is a matter of one good turn deserving another.Why? The people had earlier demonstrated their resolvefor change in the baton of leadership when they voted enmasse for the progressive Action Congress (AC) of thetime. Though the party had metamorphosed on twooccasions and has now come to be known as the All-Progressives Congress (APC); the philosophy ofprogressive governance has not been eroded from itspolicies, principles and agenda. So and so, the governorrolled out the giant strides of his administration andexpressed the avouched determination not to renege on its

team’s resolve to better the lives of the masses of peopleinhabiting the State of the Virtuous.

Earlier than that grand occasion of state-wide broadcast,the celebrations of the state’s twenty-second anniversaryof its creation had started. On Sunday, August 25 adherentsof Christian faith congregated with the state’s DeputyGovernor Otunba (Mrs.) Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori andher team at All Saints Cathedral, Balogun Agoro Osogbo toappreciate the goodness of God so benevolently showeredon the state and her people over the years. The stateservice, which was graced by eminent clerics of the Christianfaith across the state, was well attended. At the service,Otunba Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori did similar task to whather boss was to do barely two days later when sheenunciated on the dividends of democracy which theirgovernment had dispensed to the people. She howeverwent a little further to enjoin the people of the state tocontinue to accord maximum cooperation to the incumbentadministration and all its activities, policies andprogrammes.

In her speech, the Deputy Governor further imploredthose adversely affected by the numerous developmentprojects ongoing in the state to kindly bear with theadministration, urging them to see their sacrifice, especiallyin the various separation projects as part and parcel oftheir contribution to the success of the Project Osun andthe actualization of the dreams, yearnings and aspirationof the founding fathers of the state.

On the heels of this, the Jumaat Service commemoratingthe creation of the state was held at the Osogbo CentralMosque on Friday, August 30, 2013. The service wasattended by a large cross section of adherents of Islamicfaith. In attendance at the programme was the governorhimself flanked by his entourage. Prayers were held for thepeace and progress of the state; while supplications wereheld for the success of the incumbent administration in itsdrive to lift the standard of living of all and sundry in thestate in all ramifications. This year also, the governor joineda host of other worsjippers tp observe the Juma’t prayersat the Islahudeen Central Mosque at Alekuwodo Area ofOsogbo, the state capital.

Thus were the celebrations commemorating last year’sepisode for the creation of the State of Osun observed.The whole essence and justification for these celebrationsderives from the fact that the state has been revived fromslumber, sloth and lethargy, evident in her retarded growth.We as a people have been rescued from the venomousfangs of captors who were desperately hell-bent to consumethe fortunes of the state to a point of extinction.

This year also, the celebrations have kicked off as usual.As pointed out in the introductory note to this edition, theState of Osun is in the midstream of celebrations thisseason. It is not contestable that we have causes tocelebrate; especially, judging from how prosperously thestate has fared in the hand of the incumbent administration.The event of the peaceful conduct of the GovernorshipElections which held recently is enough cause forcelebration. The focus of the entire world was on the Stateof Osun; and the expectation was that the elections wouldculminate in a tug of war. The glad disappointment is thatthe elections held peacefully and the popular candidateemerged winner at the end of the day.

Having dealt satisfactorily with the events of the

celebration of the creation of our state, our commonwealth,we shall now shift focus to other matters having to do withstates and their creation, especially the deriving benefits inNigeria, and the experience of our state in her statehoodstatus.

WE would recall that the State of Osun, nicknamedinitially as the State of the Living Spring came into existenceon Tuesday, August 27, 1991. This year makes it exactlytwenty-three years that the state was created. The nameOsun derived from the personality of the Osun goddess.Prior to the eventual creation of the state, the name Osunhad long been an identity for the people in this part of theold Ibadan Province of the old Western Region. Thatdevelopment earned the people of the area the identity ofOsun people. Going by this record, it becomes clear thatOsogbo had a long record and reputation of sub-provincialheadquarters, commercial hub and haven of culture. Thisimplies that the city had for long been destined forgreatness, especially as the host to the administrativeheadquarters of a state. More to the city’s advantage is itscentrality being clustered by a reasonably wide expanse ofreasonably large villages, towns and cities. Unfortunately,this her envisioned greatness could not be fully accesseduntil a state of her own was created,, barely fifteen yearsafter it was created into the old Oyo State. More unfortunateis the bitter truth that the state has, since her creation fallenvictim of purposeless and directionless administrations andregimes.

The creation of the State of Osun in 1991 coincided withthe year’s episode of the annual international festival heldin honour of the river goddess, since that year of thecreation of the state, that coincidence has been an annualoccurrence, since the Osun Osogbo Festival is annuallyheld towards the end of the month of August. In 2011, itwas placed on record how the events of the grand finalecoincided with the exact date of creation of the state, whichwas August 27.

In the year 2012 however, the grand finale of the occasionof the annual Osun Osogbo International Festival, whichclimaxed a two-week eventful, action-packed and impressivebundle of programmes was held on Friday, August 24. Thisyear’s occasion took place last Friday, August 22; and isbeing followed this week with the celebration of the state’sFounders’ Day.

As has always been the practice with OSUNDEFENDER Magazine, we celebrate with peoplecelebrating, in consonance with the popular Biblicalinjunction in that regard. That explains the reason whyOSUN DEFENDER Magazine was part and parcel of theearlier-reported in this report. For the purposes of record-setting and reminiscences, we shall turn to tracing theantecedents of state creation in the country, the events ofstate creation which brought luck the way of the state onTuesday, August 27, 1991 and how well-off (or worse-off)the state has fared ever since creation. We also intend tocapture the real essence of our celebrations, that is, howwell-off the state fares today under the incumbent dynamicleadership of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola and hisindefatigable team. Finally, it is intended to take amicroscopic, periscopic and kaleidoscopic view of thefuture, with the aim of making projections and predictions

•AREGBESOLA •LAOYE-TOMORI

MAGAZINE

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7 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014

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8 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014 PHOTOTALK2014 Osun Osogbo Festival At Osun Groove, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Saturday.

Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•Some of the Yeye Osun at the programme.

•A sea of heads at Osun Groove entrance.

•Chief Yemi Elebuibon (left) and other dignitaries at the Osun Groove, last Saturday.

•A cross section of traditional chiefs receiving blessing from the Ataoja of Osogbo, ObaJimoh Olanipekun.

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9 OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014PHOTOTALK2014 Osun Osogbo Festival At Osun Groove, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Saturday.

Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•Masquerades at the event.

•A crowd at Osun Groove.

•Eyo masquerades at the event.

•Some of the Osun worshippers at the shrine.

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OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014

2014 Osun Osogbo Festival At Osun Groove, Osogbo, State Of Osun, Last Saturday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

•A cross section of Osun worshippers on their way to Osun Groove.

•The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun (middle) and his wives at the event.

•A mammoth crowd on their way to Osun Groove.

PHOTOTALK

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Beginning Of New Beginnings

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•ADELEKE

about the future of the state. As the case usually is, weshall precisely make predictions into a foreseeable futuretime the trend and scope of progress which we envisagethat the state shall witness in practically all sectors of life.

Prior to the time of its gaining political independence onOctober 1, 1960, Nigeria had assumed several forms in termsof its polarization, partition and division for administrativeconvenience. These divisions, obvious creations of thecolonial imperialist, could be aptly described as mere humanefforts at maximizing the best gains for each division, fromthe available (massive) resources with which the countryhas been long-endowed. But the fact must be stressed alsothat the nation had also been endowed with a God-givendivision/ polarization, which formed the people/ ethnicgroups into their different locations within the country.This natural division is a creation from the letter “Y” whichthe major natural rivers which flow through the length andbreadth and entire massive expanse of the country. Themajor rivers, Niger and Benue, enter our land through theWestern and Eastern extremes of the Northern parts of thecountry respectively; meet in a confluence at Lokoja beforeflowing in unison to empty with many tributaries into theAtlantic Ocean at the Southernmost part of the landscape,called the Niger Delta.

As a build-up to the political independence of the country,what had been in vogue for decades since the nation cameunder colonial administration in the 1860s had conformedto the natural division mentioned above, according to letter“Y” structure, the three existing structures then were theNorthern Region, the Eastern Region and the WesternRegion. This arrangement was maintained till 1953/54 whenunder the McPherson Constitution, another region wascarved out of the existing Western Region. Thus, Nigeriasince then began to be a four-region country. This structurewas maintained through the Independence Era to thebeginning of the Military Era in 1966.

The year 1966 alone ushered in for Nigeria a watershedof two bloody military interventions. On the night of Sunday,January 15, 1966, a group of young revolutionary armyofficers led by Major Kaduna Chukwuma Nzeogu staged amutiny with a view to taking over the reins of power andgovernance of the country. The coup-de-tat, which wasinitially staged at Kaduna spread to other parts of thecountry like Ibadan, Lagos and Abeokuta. But since thereal impact was not much felt in Lagos, the administrativecapital of the nation as at the time, the coup flopped andended in power being handed over to a neutral hand. ThePrime Minister and Head of Government of the time, Alhaji(Sir) Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (CON) and his Minister ofFinance, Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh having been kidnapped,Chief Nwafor Orizu, the Senate President on advice of theCouncil of Ministers at an overnight meting handed overpower and governance of the country to the Armed Forceson the dawn of Monday, January 16, 1966.

Thus, the first indigenous General Officer Commanding(GOC) of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and the most seniorindigenous military officer of the time, Major-GeneralJohnson Thomas Umunakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was called uponto take over the rulership of the nation. Some fatal lossesattendant to that January 1966 military take-over includedthe death of top-ranking military officers and eminent

politicians which included Alhaji (Sir) Abubakar TafawaBalewa, the Prime Minister of Nigeria; Chief (Sir) FestusOkotie-Eboh, the Minister of Finance; Alhaji (Sir) AhmaduBello (Sardauna of Sokoto and the Premier of the NorthernRegion); and Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, Premier of theWestern Region. The top-ranking military officers sweptoff by the intervention included Majors Maimalari, Sodeindeand Ademulegun. In a nutshell, General Aguiyi-Ironsibecame the first Military Head of State and Head ofGovernment of independent Nigeria. Thus was the stageset for the threatened unity and peaceful coexistence ofNigeria; even at that infancy stage of her independencestatus and republican nationhood.

The coup-de-tat of January 1966 was to be trailed aboutsix months later by another mutiny led by a group ofreactionary military officers of Northern extraction. On July29, 1966, another bloody coup was staged, which made thebaton of leadership of the country to change. By it, theonus of leadership of the country fell on the shoulders andlaps of General Yakubu Gowon (rtd.), GCFR. The rest ishistory. The relevance of the brief historical backgroundlies in the issue of state creation. It was the regime of GeneralYakubu Gowon which on May 27, 1967 changed the statusof Nigeria from a four-region status to a twelve-statefederation. As it was, Nigeria on that date had four regionsnamely, Northern Region (with Colonel Hassan Katsina asGovernor);; Mid-Western Region (Major David Ejoor);Western Region (Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi); andEastern Region (Colonel Chukwuemeka O. Ojukwu). Nigeriathus began to have twelve states on May 27, 1967.

Upon the ouster of General Gowon in 1975, a newdispensation came on board which brought the late GeneralMurtala Ramat Mohammed to the mantle of leadership asthe Head of State. At his instance, came for the first time inthe annals of our nationhood, much reform. His reforms, inevery stratum of our national life, shook the nation to itsvery foundations. Corruption, nepotism, regionalism andother vices were frowned at with stiff punitive – so muchthat Nigeria was set on the right course to a positiveturnaround. Most remarkable and with the deepest andmost indelible imprints were the Local Government Reformsand the state creation exercises of those days. GeneralMohammed created more states, accompanied by boundaryadjustments. Under his military regime, Nigeria became afederation of nineteen states. With this structure, realindigenous formation, outlook and identity began to formshape for Nigeria.

At the time of Murtala’s assassination on February 13,1976, Nigeria had become a country of nineteen states. Allthrough the military regime of Mohammed’s successor,General Olusegun Obasano (rtd.); the Second Republicdemocratic tenure of Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari;and the military regime of General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd.),which aborted the Second Republic on December 31, 1983,the nineteen-state structure stood stuck. One fact thatneeds be stressed at this point is that in spite of thisnineteen-state structure, the old regional structure was stillexerting its influence on the fabrics and affairs of ourcountry. This was most prominently felt during the SecondRepublic, which spanned between October 1, 1979 andDecember 31, 1983. As a matter of fact; outlook,philosophies and membership of political parties under thatdispensation reflected regional affiliation. Admission and

appointment policies into schools, colleges, institutionsand civil/public services were woven around politicalunderpinnings. The afore-mentioned Buhari/Idiagbonregime had its tenure lasting between December 31, 1983and August 27, 1985.

On August 27, 1985, a bloodless palace coup broughtGeneral Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.) to the reins ofpower. Babangida thus became the first military presidentin Nigeria. Other military leaders before and after him wereknown by the title of “Head of State”. But Babangidaadopted the title of “President and Commander- In-Chief ofthe Armed Forces”. Along the line of state creation,Babangida’s policy came in two phases. In 1987, Babangidacreated two additional states to make the total number ofstates add up to twenty-one (21). These two states suchcreated were Katsina State and Akwa-Ibom State.

On August 27, 1991, President Babangida announced ina nationwide presidential broadcast commemorating thesixth year anniversary of his regime, the creation of nine (9)new states. On that date, Nigeria became a thirty (30)-statefederation. The states such created were Kogi State, createdfrom the old Kwara State; Yobe State, created from the oldBorno State; Adamawa and Taraba states, created from theold Gongola State; and Kebbi State, created from the oldSokoto State. Also created were Enugu State, created fromthe old Anambra State; and Abia State, created from the oldImo State. Others such created were Jigawa State, createdfrom the old Kano State; Edo and Delta states, created fromthe old Bendel State; and finally the State of Osun, createdout of the old Oyo State. This state creation exercise broughtthe State of Osun, as it has come to be known today, theState of the Virtuous into existence.

The creation twenty-three years ago is the central causeof celebrations this season; and the antecedents, eventsand aftermath of it, plus the hope of the moment and theanticipation for the future are being chronicled in this seriesof OSUN DEFENDER Magazine.

The next and the last in the series of state creation inNigeria came five years after the previous one of 1991. Inhis thirty-sixth (36th) Independence Anniversary broadcaston October 1, 1996, the late General Sani Abacha, who wasthe Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the ArmedForces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of the time,announced the creation of six (6) additional states. Suchstates created in 1996 were Zamfara State – created fromthe old Sokoto/Kebbi states; Gombe State – created fromthe old Bauchi State; Nasarawa State – created out of theold Plateau State; Bayelsa State – created out of the oldRivers State; Ebonyi State – created out of the old EnuguState; and Ekiti State – created out of the old Ondo State. Itwas this state creation exercise by the late Abacha thatbequeathed the thirty-six-state structure which Nigeria hason ground till date to it. Nigeria as at 1966 had risen fromthe status of a four-region nation that it was atindependence in 1960 to a thirty-six state structure.

ON Tuesday, August 27, 1991, it was jubilations galorethroughout the streets of cities, towns and villages locatedwithin the precincts of the areas hitherto known as Osun,Ife/Ijesa and Osun North-East divisions of the old IbadanProvince (or the old Western Region/State Oyo State). Thejubilations were over an issue which had been pursued bythe people since the 1940s. The pursuance was for self-

•AKANDE •OYINLOLA

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expression, self-identity and self-governance. The peopleof the area had continuously clamoured for the creation ofa state of their own, thereby bringing the machinery ofgovernance closer to the people at the grassroots, thusfacilitating and enhancing the pace of socio-economic andinfrastructural development and progress of the area andof its people.

Prior to the state creation of 1991, the area covered bythe present-day State of Osun of Nigeria was part of theold Oyo State, created in 1976, with the capital city inIbadan, the largest city in Black Africa (or Africa South ofSahara); which in turn was part of the old Western Region.At the time of the creation of the State of Osun in 1991, theold Oyo State had as constituents a total of forty-two (42)local government council areas, namely: Afijio, Ayedaade,Ayedire, Akinyele, Atakunmosa and Boripe. Othersincluded Ede, Egbeda, Egbedore, Ejigbo, Ibadan, Ibarapa,Ido, Ifelodun, Ifedayo and Ifeloju local government areas.We also had the Ife Central, Ife North, Ife South, Ila, Ilesa,Iseyin, Irewole, Irepo, Irepodun, Iwo and Kajola. Alsoincluded were Lagelu, Obokun, Odo-Otin, Ogbomoso, OgoOluwa, Ona Ara, Ola Oluwa, Olorunda, Oluyole, Oorelope,Oriade, Oriire, Osogbo, Oyo and Surulere local governmentcouncil areas. All these local government council areasformed the nucleus of the old Oyo State and witnessedattendant growth, development and multiplication whichtheir creation symbolized.

However, the number and impact of these localgovernment areas did not deter the founding fathers of theemerging “Osun State” from carrying on with the strugglefor the actualization of the establishment of their own state.Let it be made known in passing that the struggle for thecreation of a state called Osun predated Nigeria’sindependence in 1960. The credit and glory for its eventualcreation; therefore transcend what could be ascribed onlyto those who lived to witness its actual creation in 1991. Itinvolved a large number of others who were long-gonebefore its actual creation saw the light of day.

With the state creation of 1991, the infant Osun State,which was carved out of the old Oyo State, had twenty-two (22) of the forty-two (42) first-generation localgovernment council areas that had first existed; while theremaining twenty (20) went to the emerging Oyo State. Thefirst set of local government council areas which fell on thesoils of the new Osun State were Ayedaade, Ayedire,Atakunmosa and Boripe. Others were Ede, Egbedore, Ejigboand Ifelodun local government council areas. It alsoincluded Ife Central,, Ife North, Ife South, Ila, Ilesa, Irewole,Irepodun and Iwo. Also, Obokun, Odo Otin, Ola Oluwa,Olorunda, Oriade and Osogbo were among the councils inthe new Osun State. The old Oyo State, which was itsparent-state, started in 1976 with twenty-four (24) localgovernment areas. Its sister-state, the surviving Oyo State,was left with only twenty (20) local government areas in1991. In spite of the ratio today is 30:33 for Osun and Oyostates respectively; it is still worthy of praise for the Stateof Osun in the twenty-three years of its existence andsurvival. The fact that between 1991 and year 1996, (a periodof five years); the number of local government council areashad increased from twenty-two (22) to thirty (30) is highly

commendable. This is not to talk of the Ife East Area Office,situated at Modakeke, which came about in year 2000 as achild of necessity. Today, arrangements (legislative,administrative and otherwise) are in top gear by theincumbent administration of Ogbeni Rauf AdesojiAregbesola to create more local government councils/areadevelopment councils for smoother, more effective anddevelopment-driven administration of the State of Osun.

THE State of Osun as could be easily suggested, got hername derived from the Yoruba goddess of water, worshippedin some parts of South West Nigeria and yonder. The statewas carved out of the old Oyo State on August 27, 1991.Osun State had as its totem “the State of the Living Spring”.This sobriquet got changed to the State of the Virtuous(Ipinle Omoluabi) in February 2011 as part of the reform(rebranding) agenda of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola,upon his ascending the reins of power and governance inthe state. In addition to change of sobriquet, the state alsogot brand-new Anthem, logo/crest, flag and colours, whichall culminate in total rebranding, reengineering andrenaissance.

The State of Osun covers an area of approximately 14,875square kilometers, lies between longitude 04 00"E and 0505"E and latitude 05 558" and 0807" and is bounded byKwara State in the North, Ekiti and Ondo States in the East,Oyo State in the West and Ogun State in the South. Thestate is peopled entirely by the Yoruba-speaking people ofseveral sub-ethnic groups, namely the Ifes, the Ijesas, theOyos, the Igbominas and the Ibolos. Though the Oyos,Ibolos and Igbominas are often referred to (mostsarcastically) as the Oyo Proper.

The 1991 National Population Census put the PopulationCensus put the population of the state at 2.2 million. Thereare more than 200 towns, villages and settlements in thestate. Results of the 2006 National Population Censusrevealed that the state’s population had increased almostby double, as the figure was put at 3,423,535. This populationsurge is due partly to the developmental after-effects ofthe state creation which came fifteen (15) years earlier; asthe 1991 Population head-count was conducted barely twomonths after the state creation exercise i.e. in October 1991.However, there are strong indications that the populationof the state as at date must have surged up to 3.7 million orslightly above, especially, owing to the industrial drive andother development efforts of the incumbent administration..

With some of the major towns including Osogbo, Ile-Ife,Ilesa, Ikirun, Iwo, Ede, Ila-Orangun and Ikire, others thatare fairly large are Ipetumodu, Ejigbo, Ilobu, Gbongan, Inisa,Ijebu-Ijesa, Ipetu-Ijesa, Okuku, Iree, Ifon-Osun, Iragbiji etc.

The political delineation of the state goes thus: 3senatorial Districts, 9 Federal Constituencies and 26 StateConstituencies. The state has 30 Local Governmentcouncils and one Area office that comprise more than 300wards. Having specified the indigenous sub ethnic groupsof the state so succinctly, non-indigenes from all parts ofNigeria and foreigners reside in the state, living together inharmony. Yoruba and English are languages of the peoplefor official and business transactions. The state of Osun isendowed with highly literate and articulate populace, whoconstitute a virile and productive workforce.

Traditionally, the people engage in agriculture and

produce sufficient food and cash crops for domesticconsumption and as inputs for agro-allied industries andfor exports. Reasonable segments of the populace are alsotraders and artisans. Other occupations of the peopleinclude hand weavings, mat making, dyeing, soap making,wood carving, among many others.

The people of the state of Osun have a rich culturalheritage which is eloquently demonstrated in all areas oftheir lives. Their cultural heritage finds expression in theirarts, literature, music and other social activities. It ismarvelous being among the people and savouring thebeauty of their well acclaimed cultural inheritance.

The physical environment is quite auspicious as thereare roughly 8 to 9 months of rainfall annually, with dryharmattan spell of about 3 months. This annual variation inclimatic elements, coupled with abundant fertile soil favourthe growth of a number of food crops, including vegetables,yam, orange, banana, plantain as well as cash crops likecassava, cocoa, rice, kolanut, and palm trees etcetera. Thereis expanse of grassland scattered across the state whichfavour animal husbandry.

Tourists in the State of Osun are guaranteed maximumhospitality as there are standard hotels in all the major townsin the state which cater for the basic needs. They providesuitable accommodation and render other hotel/ cateringservices at moderate charges. It is hoped that an ultra-modern, seven-star state-owned hotel shall soon be put inplace by the incumbent administration to fill the vacuumcreated by the previous one put in place by the Alhaji IsiakaAdeleke-le administration, almost brought to completionby the Chief Bisi Akande administration; but demolished ata whooping cost of close to N14 million by the PrinceOlagunsoye Oyinlola-led administration in the state.

The State of Osun also boasts of a modern golf course atMicCom Golf and Holiday Resort, a serene settlementlocated in the traditional town of Ada in Boripe LocalGovernment Area of the state, as well as Royal Park at Iloko.Others beautiful hotels include Leisure Spring, Royal Suite,Brymour Hotels, Zarah Guest House and Royal Spring, allin Osogbo, the state capital.

The State Government of Osun accords great importanceto tourism, as an emerging vital source of income andrevenue generation. All issues pertaining to culture, tourism,recreation and hospitality are handled by the Ministry ofHome Affairs, Culture and Tourism, the State of Osun; incollaboration with subsidiaries, agencies and parastatals,such as the Tourism Board of the State of Osun; the Councilfor Arts and Culture of the State of Osun; and the Pilgrims’Welfare Boards separately for Christians and Moslems. Ina nutshell, hardly is there any single state in the federalexpression called Nigeria that is as amply endowed as faras culture, tourism, hospitality and recreation areconcerned, as the State of Osun. Osun Osogbo Grove hasbeen recognized by the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a WorldHeritage Site since July 2005; while the Osun OsogboFestival has been listed as an international festival. TheUNESCO has also established the Centre for Black Cultureand International Understanding in Osogbo, the statecapital.

•A recently commisssioned road in Ilesa.

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Continued from page 12

Colonel Leo Segun Ajiborisa was the pioneeradministrator of the state from August 27, 1991 to Decembersame year. E wielded both executive and legislative powers.He was succeeded by Alhaji Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, thefirst democratically elected Governor, who ruled fromJanuary 1992 to November 17, 1993. With the take-over ofthe government of the entire federation by the military onWednesday, November 11, 1993; the state was administeredfrom November, 1993 to May 1999 by a succession ofmilitary administrators. They were Colonel AFK Akale (whogoverned in the capacity of Acting Military Administratorfrom November 17, 1993 to December23, 1993; immediatelyfollowing the truncating of the civilian administration);Navy Captain Anthony Udofia, December 23, 1993 toAugust 22, 1996; Colonel Anthony Obi, from August 23,1996 to August 6, 1998; Colonel Theophilus OladapoBamigboye, August 7, 1998 to May 28, 1999.

On Saturday, May 2, 1999, Chief Abdulkareem BamideleAdebisi Akande of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) wassworn in as the Second Executive Governor of the state.He was succeeded four years later by Prince OlagunsoyeOyinlola of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who ruledfor an entire four-year term from 2003 to 2007. He contestedfor a second term and assumed office through fraud,maneuvre and ploy from May 29, 2007 to November 26,2010 when he was recalled by the Federal Court of Appealsitting in Ibadan, Oyo State; which declared Mr. RaufAdesoji Aregbesola of the defunct Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN) as the valid and authentic winner of April14, 2007 Gubernatorial Election in the state. Consequently,Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola was sworn in on Saturday,November 27, 2010 as the fourth Executive Governor of theState of Osun.

PROMOTION OF TOURISM ARTS AND CULTURE

The Government of the State of Osun, Nigeria aims atcreating a world-class resort. The state is the foremostrepository of Yoruba customs and traditions. TheGovernment of the state of Osun is aware of the fact thatYorubas in the diaspora are highly conscious of their rootsand heritage and has done a lot to maintain, protect andproject the rich Yoruba cultural heritage. The state of Osunis reputed for its works of arts and crafts, which have gainedinternational recognition. Furthermore, two historicfestivals; Osun-Osogbo and Olojo Festivals are marked inthe state of Osun. There are lots of tourist attractions inthe state of Osun capable of attracting the attention of theworld as well as making tourism a worthwhile venture.

TOUR PROMOTIONS

The Government the state of Osun is supporting andpromoting the staging of international Conferences andSeminars on Culture and Tourism. The events would enablethe international community, particularly lovers of culture,arts and craft to visit for the purpose of acquaintingthemselves with the rich cultural heritage of the black racein the State which is regarded as the cradle of black race.The state has a rich cultural heritage which shows in theirmusic, art, dances, dresses and cultural festivals. They arewell known for their talking drums and bata music.

They are also known for their excellent works of art.Some tourist attractions in the state of Osun include

·The famous Ife bronze

·The Oranmiyan Staff which is believed to be the fightingstick of Oranmiyan, the son of Oduduwa who was a greatwarrior and

·The popular Osun-Osogbo cultural festival.

·The Ife Museum,

·Obafemi Awolowo University Zoological gardens, Ile-Ase

·Yeyemolu Shrines and Oduduwa groove Ile-Ife

·Osun Osogbo Sacred Groove- venue of theinternationally recognized Osun Osogbo festival and aUNESCO, world heritage site

·Adunni Susan Wengers Centre,

·Genesis Arts Gallery

·Nike Arts Gallery,

·Jalumi War Site, Inisa

·The Olumirin Water-Falls, Erin-ijesa, Igbo-Sango at Edeand the Ayikunugba Water-Falls at Oke-Ila.

Popularly known as Igbo Edun (Monkey Forest), theforest is the abode of primates that came to Ibodi with ObaIsadele Oloja and Aramofe spirit from Ile-Ife. Although, theuncultivated forest is near Ibodi town, the monkeys stilllive happily with the people and see themselves as part ofthe community.

The State of Osun enjoys heavy presence of commercial,development, merchant, mortgage and microfinance banks.Branches of these financial institutions are located atOsogbo the state capital, zonal and local governmentheadquarters, as well as other major towns in the state.These institutions render local and international services.The Central Bank of Nigeria equally has got a branchestablished and has effectively begun operation in the state.The permanent edifice for the branch office has currentlyapproached its completion and official commissioning.

Both the electronic and print media are well representedin the state. Broadcasting Corporation of Osun State(OSBC) operates radio and television stations, numberingfour, all of which are clearly received within and outsidethe state. A fifth and recent addition is the radio segmentof the Reality Radiovision Service (RRS), located in Iwo,and which is branded Odidere 93.6 FM. The TelevisionService of the station awaits official opening. For the federalbroadcast outfit, a station of the Federal Radio Corporationof Nigeria (FRCN), called Gold F.M. (Frequency Modulation)100.1 Frequency is located at Ilesa. In addition, twotelevision stations of the Nigerian Television Authority(NTA) are located in Osogbo and Ile-Ife. The two state-owned radio stations are OSBC Radio, Living Spring FM104.5, Ile-Awiye, Oke Baale, Osogbo and New Dawn

Television (NDTV) Channel 33 UHF, Ibokun. A third state-owned television station in the state is the RealityTelevision Station (RTS) Channel 35 in Iwo. Of recent, theradio and television owned stations in Ile-Ife and Ibokunhave been specialized to transmit culture and agricultureand education respectively. All national newspapers havetheir correspondents’ offices in the state capital and someof the major towns. This has made media coverage of socialand economic activities in the state highly effective. Thereis the attendance of privately-owned media stations in theprint and electronic categories in the state. Prime amongthese are the Moremi Publishing House Limited, Publishersof the OSUN DEFENDER titles and the UNIQ FM 103.1Radio Station (ARA Station) located at Ilesa.

As has been pointed out earlier, formal education isone of the most prevalent and predominant engagementsof the residents and indigenes of the state convinced thateducation is the key to complete human emancipation, theState Government in succession have worked hard to keepthe torch burning and have committed enormousresources to the Education sub-sector of the SocialServices’ Sector. Privately owned institutions also co-existwith government schools at all levels. Today, the AllProgressive Congress (APC)-led administration of OgbeniRauf Aregbesola is operating a fully-fledgedcomprehensive, broad-based, free and qualitativeeducation throughout the nooks and crannies of the state.

As at year 2010, statistics revealed that the state had inits kitty 1,460 primary and 330 secondary schools. Therewere 24 state-owned technical colleges and two collegesof education, a polytechnic and a college of technologywhich are also run by the state; while a federal polytechnicis also located in the state. The state is also a joint ownerof Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosowith Oyo State. The College of Medicine of the Universityis located in Osogbo. The State of Osun too, hassuccessfully established its own university, the Osun StateUniversity, a.k.a. UNIOSUN. It is a multi-campus systemwith campuses in Osogbo, Okuku, Ikire, Ipetu-Ijesa, Ejigboand Ifetedo. Bowen University, Iwo, owned by the NigerianBaptist Convention operates in the State of Osun, whilethe permanent site of the Redeemers University is locatedin Ede, also in the State of Osun. In addition, HijiraUniversity is located in Ede, while Fountain University isin Osogbo. There is equally Joseph Ayo BabalolaUniversity (JABU), Ikeji Arakeji. Aside, there is the ObafemiAwolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, a federal institution.Other privately-owned institutions include UniversalCollege of Technology, Ile-Ife, Interlink Polytechnic Ijebu-Ijesa, Igbajo Polytechnic, Iresi Polytechnic and ThePolytechnic Ikirun. The state also has a good number ofschools of nursing and schools of midwifery; in all, thereare about 17 institutions of higher learning in the state, arare feat which is unbeatable in the Nigerian nation.

Since the inception of the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesolaadministration in November 2010, there has been recordedan astonishing feat of ground-breaking and net-crackingachievements that are laudable and impressive, especiallyin the education sector.

To be continued

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

Page 14: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014 14

Aregbesola’s Finest Hour

IN the heat of the global humancarnage that was the Second WorldWar, Britain’s famed politician and

war-time leader, Winston Churchill,gave a famous speech on the floor ofthe House of Commons to update theHouse on the progress of the war. Headdressed many themes and thenrounded off on the pungent rallying noteto his compatriots: ‘Let us thereforebrace ourselves to our duties, and sobear ourselves that, if the British Empireand its Commonwealth last for athousand years, men will still say, “Thiswas their finest hour.”’

And on this very note, Churchill gavea significant new insight into the affairsof humankind. He facilitated ourcapacity to see that every human being,irrespective of his stations in life, musthave some moments in his existencethat can truly be adjudged to be ‘hisfinest hour’. The only difference is that,more often than not, famous men andwomen enjoy the privilege of publicinquest and assessment into their lives,such that it is they alone who are mostfrequently thought to have suchmoments in their lives.

But the truth is that such moments ofindisputably outstanding performancein whatever one does is far from beingthe exclusive preserve of the famousand the celebrated of human species.Rather, even the most lowly-placed andunassuming do have such moments intheir lives. The crucial distinction is thefact that such moments in the lives ofthe ordinary man are unknown to thepublic and are therefore left unsung.

But then, it is one of those uncannysociological realities of human life thatwe cannot all have the same share of

limelight and public glory. It does notmean that many of us do not haveachievements in our little lives that areworthy of celebration; it is just that mostof us will have such achievementsunnoticed and uncelebrated. But thiswould not also detract from the truththat the famous and the celebrated dohave achievements to their credit thatare worthy of laudation. And so it iswith the governor of the State of Osun,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola –a manwhose character qualities have earnedhim a deserved place in the sun.

At a distance, he is most likely to giveyou an impression of a non-personableindividual and one of those typical ilkof Nigerian politicians. But a closecontact with him would reveal a manof strong character and amiability. Onewho knows exactly what he wants andgoes for it. He aims high and matchesthose high aims with steelydetermination and doggedness. He isan engaging speaker, whose highintellect contrasts sharply with whatyou tend to see from afar. He is a manof deep conviction, who stubbornlyclings unto his beliefs.

Perhaps this explains why he has thecapacity to attract opposite emotionsin equal measure of intensity. Thosewho love him are unflinchingly loyal.Those who don’t are die-hardopponents. But in fairness to the man,and contrary to what one might betempted to deduce from his politicalactivist posture, he is someone withgenuinely accommodating spirit. Heengages with the people across allsocial strata right from the political

‘treetop’ to the grassroots.

All of these have come into play inhis political career in recent years. Hisrise to the governorship seat occurredin extraordinary circumstances thatwere filled with mortal dangers andhigh-wire political intrigues. It took overthree years of resolute and relentlessbattle through the courts to prove hisvictory at the 2007 polls. His re-election for a second term of office onSaturday August 9, 2014 happened inno less intriguing political fashion.

The election was a battle for the soulof Osun and by extension that ofNigeria in its present politicalconfiguration. In a significant way, theOsun governorship election outcomewould affect the electoral contest forAso Rock in 2015 between the twoleading political parties in the country,the PDP and the APC. Accordingly,having achieved a largely unforeseenvictory at the Ekiti gubernatorial pollbarely two months ago, the PDPbecame emboldened to emasculate theAPC in its strongest-hold, the South-West, which would have beenachieved with victory in Osun.

Hence, the PDP-led FederalGovernment threw everything at it,including placing Osun under a securitylockdown, not to mention theinexplicable and inexcusable arrests ofAPC party functionaries, along withmembers of Aregbesola’s cabinet onthe night preceding the election. But thepeople of Osun stood firm. They didnot succumb to intimidation and theFederal Government’s unwarrantedshow of force. They voted massivelyfor the incumbent to reaffirm his genuinepopularity among his people.

But Aregbesola’s greatest momentwas to come the day after the electionon Sunday, when he rode triumphantlyto the Nelson Mandela FreedomSquare to address his supporters.Incidentally, he was formally declaredthe winner by INEC on that Sundaymorning after hours of waiting. Theannouncement was greeted by aspontaneous outburst and tumultuousgathering of mammoth crowds all overOsogbo, who then converged on theOlaiya intersection, as the Governor’sconvoy emerged from OkefiaRoundabout.

It was some of the biggest crowd Ihave yet seen assemble just to welcomeonly one man. As I watched the manand his crowd inch their way towardsFreedom Park at Old Garage, Iremembered those memorable wordsof Churchill’s. However, as humans, itis in our nature that until we actuallycease to breathe, it is difficult todefinitively say that we’ve had our mostglorious moments. So Aregbesola mayyet have greater days of glory ahead ofhim.

But this much can be said– thatirrespective of what greater glory hemay still step into in the days, monthsand years to come, Aregbesola’striumphal entry to Freedom Square onSunday, August 10, 2014 and his grandreception by an enthusiastically massivecrowd, would go down in history asarguably his ‘Finest Hour’.

•Jimoh is a graduate student ofPolitical Science, University ofIbadan.

By FOLABI JIMOH

FEATURE

•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, thanking the people at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo, recently for their support and the mandate freely givento him despite the security agents’ siege to the state.

Page 15: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

15OSUN DEFENDER Tuesday, August 26, 2014

•Chief Rufai Oyebamiji (2nd left) and some other APC leaders shortly after the Jumat service.

•Some of the members of the group.

•A cross section of APC leaders and members in a special prayer session at the IkireCentral Mosque during the Jumat service.

Chief Rufai Oyebamiji Group Of All Progressives Congress (APC) Held A SpecialJumat Service And Prayer Session To Celebrate Governor Rauf Aregbesola Re-election In Ikire On Friday.

•A cross session of APC women members shortly after the Jumal service.

PHOTOTALK

Page 16: Osun Defender - August 26th 2014, Edition

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014

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

By ADE OLUGBOTEMIWE must appreciate

God for ouruniqueness that

distinguishes us from thewhole lot. The white mancame and found us so; thatis why they marginalized usand gave undue preferenceto the Northern and Easternparts of the country, so thatall political alliances that haveever been, got consummated betweenthe duo. The West was always madeto go it alone, so that the conspiracy-engendered marginalization would beeasily hatched to make inefficiency-laced administration subsist.Incidentally, the West has alwaysconstituted the stabilizing factorbecause there are certain internalmechanisms that restore normalcy.Nobody is thus left in the dark thatwhatever would become of an entitycalled Nigeria is predicated on what theWestern part of Nigeria is able tofashion.

Leaders from other parts of thecountry have always instigated internalwranglings by trying to put our politicalleaders on collision course. Peoplegenerally get confused at times, butwhen it appears as if we areapproaching the breaking point,solutions that are beyond humanknowledge will suddenly unfold, and wequickly put the ugly situation behind us.We can imagine the number of timeswe have been pestered to getfrustrated, but without success becauseof our resilience. This has always beenthe saving grace; and this is what othersdraw from to also muster strength fortheir survival. That is why people alwaysdraw the conclusion that the West holdsthe key to the continued survival of thecountry.

Another miracle took place thepenultimate Saturday, when an election,that was earlier speculated to bring withit serious upheaval, suddenly wentpeacefully: another hand of God atwork! The consternation wasunderstandable, as no other election inthe history of Nigeria’s nationhood hadattracted so many security Personnelto a State prior to any elections. That iswhy we feel the historians need to toilon their area of specialization and findout whether it has ever happened in anynation of the world, so that ours willform part of the contents in the GuinnessBook of Records. The siege was surelyunprecedented; so much that peoplefelt heaven was going to fall on the Stateof Osun, as it is known today.

Residents were inundated with callsprior to, during, and after the electionthat sent jitters down the spines of mostpeople in the state. The only people thatwere spared the trouble of the unusualheavy presence of security personnel

were the party faithful of the PeoplesDemocratic Party’s (PDP) extraction,who peradventure had the premonitionof what has generally been consideredalien in our political evolution. While themajority were treading with caution,PDP members were visibly unperturbedbecause the masterminds of that uglyscenario were Jelili Adesiyan, theMinister of Police Affairs and MusiliuObanikoro, the Minister of State forDefence, who earlier threatened toreclaim Osun by all means.

One thing I have noticed over theyears is that our kinsmen have alwaysbeen instruments in the hands of ouradversaries. They used some of uswhen they wanted to demystify the lateObafemi Awolowo, even to the end thathe only became the best presidentNigeria never had. They used some ofus against the late M.K.O. Abiola, andNigeria has never remained the sameagain after he was denied the privilege

of using the mandate that wasoverwhelmingly given at the polls. Theyare now also making use of some of usto disrupt the peace that has becomeentrenched in the State of Osun, so thatthe visionary leadership at work, andall plans and programmes aimed atchanging the face of our environmentfor the better will be circumvented.What is sacrosanct however is thatbetrayal and rebellion are doorways tothe peril of their hatchers.

For a long time now, successive rulershave always paid lip-service todevelopment. This is the first time in thelast thirty years that concrete stepswould be taken to massively attend toinfrastructural problem that hashampered developmental prospect ofthe whole nation. This is currentlyhappening in all the South-West statesof Nigeria, and I think what every right-thinking Nigerian must be interested inis to rally support for all those who areadding value to governance across the

South-West geo-political zone.That is the reason behind theoverwhelming support that peopleare according the All ProgressivesCongress (APC) governors,irrespective of what happened inthe recently-concluded Ekitigubernatorial election.

Osun gubernatorial election has comeand gone; and it has been generallyadjudged to be free, fair, and credible.Whatever is left of its imperfectionshould be excused on the altar of humaninfallibility. I am not sure some peoplecan be satisfied should it be God thatcame down from His heavenly abodeto conduct our election for us. PeoplesDemocratic Party’s (PDP) candidate,Iyiola Omisore, preferred to take toAhithophel’s counsel to go to ElectionTribunal to challenge the Election; thehighest level of exhibiting desperation,one would say. I know the will andwishes of the majority will prevail.Omisore should however learn toaccept what betides, so as not to fightthe Creator that has given him the graceof recognition to have emerged acandidate.

Osun people have now known thatOmisore is after something other thanthe mandate the people could give. Thefact that it was jubilation galore all overthe place would have prompted a reflexaction by which he would manage tomuster a congratulatory message to thevictor. Probably, the man forgot that itwill take some time for the FederalGovernment to recover from the excessspending spree that gave him so manyquanta of Osun’s votes. Omisore oughtto have convinced his principal in Abujato release half the amount spent to bribevoters, so that voters would getconvinced through executed projects ofthe need for more of federal presencethrough Jonathan’s PDP.

The entire State of Osun was reducedto fearsome military zone; just becausePDP wanted to reclaim Osun by force.Our people must be praised for theuncommon courage they exhibited whilethe occupation lasted. They showed thecourage of true patriots, who areresolute to see a new society evolving.The intimidations of security agentsnotwithstanding, they defended theirvotes and ensured that the umpiresreleased the results emanating from thevarious polling units. This is a greatlesson for us all not to get deterred byany intimidations that may come as ployto disenfranchise people. Without anyintention to rig, people can now restassured that when God is behind us,no power, no principality can thrive.When God is for us, who can be againstus?

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. Allcorrespondence to the Managing Editor, KOLA OLABISI, Telephone: 08033927286 ([email protected]); Editor, KAYODE AGBAJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail:[email protected], [email protected]. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.

When God Is For Us …

•AREGBESOLA