Osun Defender Online Version of December 3, 2021

Gunmen In Police Uniform Attack Bank In Ikirun Page 6

Oyetola Didn’t Give Chance For Reconciliation – Baderinwa Page 5

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 03 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021

Osun 2022: Lasun Yussuff Obtains Gov. Nomination Form Page 7

VOL 16 NO 47

How Osun Govt.

Officials Manipulated Kingmakers Akinrun Throne:

- Page Page 2

•Oyetola Refuses To Install Controversial Candidate •I Was Under Spell For Saying Govt Officials Compromised Us - Olukotun

•(From right) Chief Judge of the State of Osun, Justice Adepele Ojo and other judges during the 2021 Legal Year Service, held at The Cathedral Photo: Shola Aderinto Church of All Saints, Balogun Agoro, Osogbo on Tuesday

COVID-19 Omicron Variant: Govt. Wants Osun Residents To Take Personal Responsibility

Page 7

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 03 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021

2

News

Akinrun Throne: How Osun Govt. Officials Manipulated Kingmakers Our Reporter

F

RESH facts have emerged on how some officials of the State Government of Osun manipulated six of the seven kingmakers who are responsible for the selec on and presenta on of the new Akinrun of Ikirun.

Inves ga ons by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that the Commissioner I of the State Universal Basic Educaon Board (SUBEB), Chief Moshood Oluawo, popularly known as Mosadek is the architect of the manipula on process.

The medium gathered that Oluawo who is a strong member of IleriOluwa Apex body, co-opted other government officials, among who are the lawmaker representing Ifelodun Cons tuency in the House of Assembly, Hon. Mulikat Abiola, Commissioner for Local Government and Chie aincy Affairs, Prince Adeleke Adebayo, Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Rasaq Adeosun, Caretaker Chairman of Ifelodun Local Government, Mr Hassan Okanlawon into suppor ng his favourite candidate, Prince Yunus Olalekan Akadiri for the Akinrun stool.

Findings revealed that the government officials contacted the kingmakers with the support of the Elemo Aga of Ikinrun, Chief Bamidele Onifade.

According to OSUN DEFENDER’s inves ga ons, the six kingmakers are: Rasheed Raji Diekola Toogun (Odofin); Atoyebi Oluwole (Ojomu); Oseni Agboola (Olukotun); Sulaiman Olaore (Oluawo Onifa); Raheem Okunlola (Jagun) and Murtala Azeez (Oba’ale), who represented Mr. Raheem Adebayo (Baale Oke’ba).

The kingmakers were conveyed to Osogbo in an unregistered white bus on Thursday, November 18, 2021. They were first taken to the Government House on the pretence that Oyetola wanted to meet them.

They were welcomed to the State House by Oluawo, a er which they were later taken to a hotel by the roadside along Ilobu road, Agunbelewo, Osogbo.

At the hotel, the Commissioner and Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government addressed the kingmakers, asking them to ‘work for the governor’s interest’ with a promise that they would be rewarded handsomely, according to Chief Olukotun in a recorded phone conversa on with one of his rela ves.

The government officials told the kingmakers that Governor Adegboyega Oyetola was interested in the candidature of Akadiri who is from Obaara Ruling House

as the new Akinrun.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the Eesa of Ikirun, Chief Lawal Adetoyese who is the Chairman of the kingmakers was deliberately le out of the deal because he was already suppor ng Prince Ismail Olasunkanmi Adeyemi who is also from Obaara Ruling House.

At the mee ng, the kingmakers were tutored on the

vo ng process that would produce Akadiri. They reportedly signed a paper in favour of Akadiri during the mee ng with a promise that they would be given N2.5m each.

According to findings, the kingmakers slept in the hotel on Thursday and were taken to Ifelodun Local Government Council Secretariat around 4pm on Friday, No-

vember 19, 2021.

It was gathered that the caretaker chairman of the local government, Mr. Hassan Okanlawon called Adetoyese, the Eesa of Ikirun on phone, informing him that there was a meeting to be held at 2pm.

Adetoyese, according to sources in the council, arrived the secretariat few minutes to 3pm and waited

ll around 4pm when the six lawmakers were brought to the council.

A er their arrival, the council chairman and other officials of the local government, informed everyone at the mee ng that an elec on was going to hold for the selec on of the new Akinrun and that Akadiri and Adeyemi were the nominated candidates from Obaara ruling

house.

As planned, the six kingmakers voted for Akadiri while the Eesa voted for Adeyemi.

Akadiri’s name was announced as the Akinrun-elect and his name was forwarded to the Ministry of Local Government for installa on.

The six kingmakers were therea er returned to the hotel in Osogbo where they spent another three days.

However, Akadiri’s selecon was rejected by stakeholders and indigenes of Ikirun, par cularly princes and princesses from Gboleru Ruling House which is originally supposed to produce the new Akinrun.

Oyetola Refuses To Install Controversial Candidate

•Speaker, State of Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye, in handshake with former APC National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande during the conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degree award in Political Science by Igbinedion University recently.

Teachers’ Recruitment: List Of Successful Candidates Out Next Week - Bamisayemi Kazeem Badmus

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HE government of the state of Osun has disclosed that the list of successful candidates in the ongoing teachers recruitment exercise will be out next week.

The disclosure was

made in a release signed by the state commissioner for Educa on, Folorunsho Bamisayemi, on Thursday in Osogbo.

According to the release, the recruitment will be done in batches to ensure sustainability of re-

munera on.

The release also disclosed that out of the 3,170 successful applicants, the first combined list of 1,000 most successful applicants will be drawn in 6 cri cal subjects of English, Mathema cs,

Symbol’s Quote “Any security agency operating within a national space that disregards the support of the people is simply doomed in its mission of defence and security.”

Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Agriculture.

The statement reads in part: “Ministry of Educa on informs the general public par cularly applicants for the teachers’ recruitment exercise that the list of successful applicants who scored a cumula ve of 50% and above in the test and proficiency interview conducted is ready.

“A total of 11,068 applicants par cipated in the interview out of which 3,170 applicants scored 50% (cumula ve) and above.

“To ensure sustainability of remunera on, the recruitment will be done in batches hence it is out of the 3170 applicants that the first combined list of 1000 most successful applicants will be drawn in 6 cri cal subjects of English, Mathema cs, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Agriculture.

“This list will be out in the public domain by next week. Subsequent batches will follow later.

Thank you for your pa ence and support as we reposi on Osun Educa on,” the statement concluded.

The controversial selecon was done by the government officials with a belief that Oyetola would ra fy it and order the installa on of Akadiri as the new Akinrun, the following Monday, November 22, 2021.

But Oyetola was out of the state and did not return ll Wednesday, November 24, as gathered.

OSUN DEFENDER learnt that the government officials solicited the support of Prof.

Olu Aina, who is a friend to Oyetola, asking him to talk to the governor on the need to accept Akadiri’s candidature as the new Akinrun.

Aina reportedly turned down their request on the ground that there was no need to put pressure on Oyetola on the new Akinrun.

Upon his return, Oyetola reportedly declared that he did not send anybody to shop for candidate for Akinrun’s throne, neither did he has an anointed candidate.

The governor was said to have frowned at the manipula on of the selec on process by the officials.

Oyetola’s rejec on of the manipula on process doused the tension in Ikirun as aggrieved people believed that the governor would allow due process to take its cause.

Both Adebayo and Oluawo did not respond to enquiry made by this medium on their alleged involvement in the ma er, while other men oned could not be reach on phone.

Court Processes

This was followed by an injunc on of a State High Court on Thursday, November 25, 2021, restraining the Obaara and Adedeji Ruling Houses from nomina ng candidates for the Akinrun throne, just like the kingmakers, local and state governments were also barred from accep ng candidate from the ruling houses.

According to the gaze e, Gboleru ruling house was to produce the new Akinrun af•Continued on page 7

PEOPLE FIRST

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 03 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021

3

Review & Outlook

BY WALE BOLORUNDURO Model And The Current Near-Miss The Skyrocketing Price Of Gas Lagos Of Opportunities In Osun - Part III HE hyperinfla on is pro“Air pollution in the

T

nounced. In a very cri cal sector like the use of cooking gas, it has grave consequences, not least for the environment.

Environmental concerns propelled the inducement of widespread use of cooking gas in the first place. Usage has moved down from ini ally the middle - class into widespread acceptance. This is a gain and should be encouraged.

This is why the current price disequilibrium in the gas market calls for concern. Everything will get worse. Air pollu on in the urban sector will become more pronounced, leading to greater stress in an already under equipped public health sector. In addi on, the despolia on of the forests will now accelerate. Already, there are media reports of increased freigh ng of firewood and charcoal to consumers who for affordability are switching from the use of gas.

We have to move away from

urban sector will become more pronounced leading to greater stress in an already under equipped public health sector. In addition the despoliation of the forests will now accelerate”

this nightmare with vigorous countera ack. It is disgraceful that gas flaring is s ll going on and the poli cal will to implement a structured plan to end it is now a necessity. Furthermore, a temporary scaling down of gas exports and reduc on in tariffs on imported gas is now inevitable. This is a er all a state of emergency.

In the long term, the painful lesson to be learnt is to ensure both na onal self sufficiency as well as compe veness in cri cal sectors.

Hope The Current Update On Teacher’s Recruitment Not A Gimmick? be published and

D

EAR Editor, Residents of the State of Osun in the early hours of yesterday woke up to news about developments on the lingering teachers’ recruitment process in the state which commenced two years ago. We hope the statement this me from the Educa on Commissioner is not a gimmick.

Prior to yesterday’s statement, there had been countless promises from the state Ministry of Educa on on the teachers’ recruitment which made the hope of applicants rose.

Unfortunately, the prom-

ises are not forthcoming.

The commissioner in the statement again promised that 1,000 shortlisted applicants out of 3,170 will be made available to the public next week.

This is good news anyway, but we hope and are op mis c that the promise would eventually come to reality in the coming week.

We also hope that the remaining names of other successful applicants will

mobilised to class any me soon.

On the other hand, it was recorded that 11,068 applied for the exercise in which 3,170 were successful a er scoring 50% and above, which means 7,898 applicants were unsuccessful in the process. We beseech the state government to create enabling environment for them to thrive on their own through various kind of empowerments.

They should not be le alone to decide their own fate.

•Kolawole Ajewole, writes from Osogbo.

(Pensioners’ Protests)

•Continued from last week S pointed out above, there have always been backlogs of pension and gratui es since the creaon of Osun in 1991 as follows: 1. Pensioners who worked and re red in legacy state (Oyo) who were deported in 1991 to new Osun with their monthly pension liability and outstanding gratui es liabili es; 2. Military administra ons who ruled Osun for almost a decade started ra oning funds for gratui es using first -in-first-out basis, which led to backlogs of humongous gratui es liabili es in excess of N4bn for state and N3bn for local government on over 6,000 state re rees and over 3,000 local government re rees, which Aregbesola had to clear and pay in his first term.

3. Review of pension basis by former military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, who raised the pension basis by 142 percent, resul ng in pension liability outstanding of N3.6bn because successive governments since then refused to pay un l Aregbesola paid N2.5bn out of the outstanding amount in 2014 and subsequently paid close to 75 percent before he le .

4. There were challenges inherited from the previous administra on of Oyinlola, when it domes cated the Pension Reform Act, 2004 (new pension scheme). This led to the exit of many workers prematurely, who had chosen to exit the civil service. The re rement, which crystallised during the first term of Aregbesola between 2011 and 2013, made the number of state re rees, under the old scheme to increase from 6,000 to 9,500 and the local government re rees increased from 4,000 to 6, 500. So, what could Aregbesola do? Was he expected to stop the rights of the workers to re re or break the cons tu on of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which places pension under the exclusive list? He did what could be done by dedica ng more resources to pension to take care of this premature re rement.

This singular factor was responsible for the increase in monthly pension under the previous administra on from about N200m to N400m. For a state whose annual re rees had never been more than 300 per year to shoulder a surge of 4,000 and 3,000 State and local government re rees respec vely at once, it was a lot of work to bite the bullet and pension-rolled all of them. This legacy problem made the monthly pension of Osun the highest in South-West and even higher than Lagos at N300m monthly pension for re rees under the old scheme.

While the monthly pension was properly caged, the humongous gratuity could only be spread over me. It was in the neighborhood of N8bn for state and N7bn for local governments as at November 26, 2014 and based on the claims of those that had been pension rolled. Despite the fact that the previous government didn’t set aside funds for the resul ng gratui es, Aregbesola had to devote addi onal funds to defray part of the outstanding gratui es.

This is the key issue that the current government needs to address like items 1 to 3, which had been cleared by Aregbesola.

5. Despite the challenges and the fact that the contributory pension scheme had started since February 2010, it was Aregbesola who got the state to comply with key elements of the regula on in 2012 and started fulfilling its monthly employers’ responsibili es, which include employees insurance coverage for all the employees under the scheme. When a worker re res under the scheme, there is also a lump sum amount to be backed by a bond for the re ree. The upside of this scheme is that government do not have to pay monthly pension again for this category of pensioners and the number of re rees is “way below” the number of re rees under old scheme (item 4 above).

Under Aregbesola, payments on item 1 to 5 on a monthly basis at peak month in his first term was N750m, comprising of N404m for Pension (state workers); N120m for Gratuity (state workers); N140m contributory pension and N86m Pension subven ons (Local Governments staff and Primary school teachers). So, when we read the monthly press release from the current administra on of Governor Oyetola and the a ending grandstanding, that a pension amount of N708m or N720m has been released, we know the breakdown and we are happy, it has not come down significantly from the amount which Aregbesola was releasing monthly. But one is sad that the amount has not increased to take care of the outstanding gratui es as discussed in item (4) above and the main reason for the protests. It is also expected that since the current governor is a prac oner in the insurance industry, a one- me solu on to the humongous monthly pension of N400m, through annuity, which Ogbeni “ nkered” with, can be resuscitated to bring down the monthly cash requirement.

Since Aregbesola had already pension-rolled all the re rees, what would be interes ng and cri cal to hear from the current government is its effort, which has been channeled to clear the gratui es of re rees under the old scheme and the re rement bond of re rees under the contributory scheme. When a problem is defined and well dimenPublisher – Moremi Publishing sioned, it becomes easy to solve, not House Ltd. all these self-aggrandising moments Deputy Editor – Ismaeel Uthman from officials and the needless black(0805-121-2204) mailing of the pensioners, who have Produc on Editor – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa rights to protest and proffer self-help Reporter – Yusuf Oketola to their problems.

Reporter – Kazeem Badmus The above treatments are needed urgently to make pensioners Photo Journalist – Olushola Aderinto happy and to prevent further embarComputer Graphics – Zainab Olalere rassment to the government of the OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing State of Osun.

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OSUN DEFENDER

House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB), Gbogan Road Osogbo, State of Osun ISSN : 0794-8050 Telephone : 0805-121-2204 Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php e-mail : osundefender@yahoo.com osundefenderbank@gmail.com All correspondence to the above email addresses.

•Concluded.

•Wale Bolorunduro, Ph.D, a former Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, State of Osun writes from 6B, Lase Ogunleye Street, off Fadahunsi Avenue, Ilesa, State of Osun.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 03 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021

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News

Hope Rises For Salinsile’s Faction Of Osun APC As Court Sacks Ganduje’s Imposed Party Executives Ismaeel Uthman

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EMBERS of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who belong to Hon. Rasaq Salinsile led fac on of the party in the State of Osun are op mis c that the court case ins tuted against the na onal secretariat of the party on the conduct of the ward congress in the state will favour them.

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, on Tuesday, sacked the execu ve of the APC in Kano State produced by a fac on loyal to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, during the last ward congress of the party.

Jus ce Hamza Muazu of the court upheld the parallel execu ve members produced from the congress held by the facon loyal to former governor of the state, Ibrahim Shekarau.

Delivering the ruling, Jus ce Muazu granted all the reliefs by the Shekarau’s fac on which sought for a declara on that Ganduje-led group failed to conduct congresses at both the ward and local government levels.

Trouble started for the State APC chapter when both fac ons held paral-

lel congresses with Abdullahi Abbas emerging chairman of the Gandujeled group, and Ahmadu Haruna Zago emerging chairman of the Shekarau-led group.

Not sa sfied with the outcome of the congresses, Shekarau took the ma er to court to determine the authen c fac on of the party in the state.

In his ruling, Jus ce Muazu held that the Shekarau fac on was the “duly, valid, proper, authen c and democra cally elected and ought to be recognised by the defendants as the duly elected ward execu ve commi ee members for each of the 484 Wards in Kano State.”

The Kano case is similar to that of Osun APC’s congress which is now a subject of li ga on.

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola-led IleriOluwa and Salinsile led fac ons of the APC held parallel ward, local and state congresses.

The IleriOluwa fac on had insisted on producing the execu ves of the party through consensus while Salinsile fac on said it wanted an elec ve congresses.

A er producing par-

•Comrade Waheed Saka posing with his wife after receiving an award of Excellence in Political Affairs from Osun Youth Ambassador. allel execu ves of the party, members of the Salinsile fac on of the APC approached a Federal High Court, si ng in Osogbo, to challenge the congress held by the IleriOluwa fac on.

The APC members who are 2,157 in number are demanding for the cancella on of the Ward Congress conducted by the party through the Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye led commi ee.

According to the plain ffs, they were wrongly excluded or pre-

vented from par cipa ng by vo ng or being voted for in the congress by the party.

They argued that the supposed congress held by the defendants was

totally in conflict with the guidelines of the exercise and the spirit of jus ce and fairness expected of the conduct of such programme.

The plain ffs are seeking a declara on that all of them and all other aspirants/candidates who individually paid the prescribed fees by the party for the procurement of nomina on forms for the ward congress are the only eligible aspirants and emerged unopposed.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER in a telephone interview yesterday, one of the lawyers on the case, Mr. Kolapo Alimi said: “The court posi on on the APC congress in Kano State is a posi ve signal. It reinstates the saying that court is the last hope of common man to correct any anomalies, most especially from

Badmus Lauds Oyetola, Says Gov. Impacted Positively On Osun Kazeem Bamus

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OMMISSIONER for Regional Integra on and Special Du es in the State

of Osun, Engr. Olalekan Badmus has lauded Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for his commitment to developing the state.

Incessant Cult Attacks Worries Poly Students, Ede Residents Sodiq Yusuf

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TUDENTS of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede have bemoaned the increasing rate of cultist ac vi es among their colleagues on the campus.

The ac vi es of the cul sts, according to the students, have also become a nightmare for the residents of the school community.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that cul sts believed to be students of the school recently demonstrated and displayed their fraternity’s iden ty with diverse slangs, colour and pictures inside the school premises.

A short video watched

by OSUN DEFENDER recently showed some final year students of the polytechnic, who are members of a cult group, displaying their iden ty in front of the Administra ve Building on campus.

Some of the cul sts drove in exo c cars while others trek while displaying their iden es in the video.

Some students and residents of Ede who spoke under the condi-

on of anonymity expressed concerns that the management of the school has not taken decisive ac on on the idenfied students.

“The management was aware of the cul sts

display right in front of the Administra ve building and no ac on was taken to arrest them. Are we safe?” the student asked.

He added: “Just imagine, robbery everywhere, thugs and cul sts are at-

Sacrilege: Traditionalists Cancel 1m walk Against Oluwo, As Oyetola Intervenes Kazeem Badmus

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RADITIONAL ISTS in the State of Osun under the aegis of Tradi onal Religion Worshippers Associa on (TRWASO), on Tuesday called off its planned protest march against the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abulrosheed Akanbi.

It would be recalled that the tradi onalists had given the Oluwo a 21-day ul matum star ng from November 9, to apologise to them over what they

described as desecraon of Yoruba dei es or face a one-million man march on November 30.

TRWASO in a statement by its President, Dr. Oluseyi Atanda, on Tuesday, however, said the group decided to abort the march following interven on by the State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.

According to the statement, the planned protest would have come to pass had the governor not waded in.

The statement reads

some people who think they can do away with impunity.

“Our case is similar to that of Kano. So, we have every hope that without prejudicing our case, we shall get jus ce.

It is a posi ve signal to our case. A si ng Governor has been defeated in Kano State, and we are also challenging a si ng governor on similar case.

So, we are posi ve that impunity here too will be fought and jus ce will be fulfilled.”

When the case came up on Monday, counsel to the respondents, Mr. A.B Adekilekun said a mo on has been filed to challenge the jurisdic on of the court on the matter.

The case was adjourned ll December 8, for the two par es to address the court on whether it has jurisdic on to hear the case or not.

in part, “The planned million march protest would have come to pass as we collec vely promised.

“However, the state government under the leadership of our able Governor, Gboyega Oyetola has waded into the crisis.

“As peace loving religious tolerant orisa adherents that we are, we will let sleeping dogs lie and honour Mr Governor for his personal interven on. We will walk away today, but we are watching as events un-

tacking students anyhow.

The cul sts’ violent ac vies are troubling; they go around with guns.”

“I witnessed one around my hostel last week, where the cul sts a acked a guy believed to be one of them. They just cons tute disturbance in the community and throw stones at their colleagues’ apartment who refuse to come out. If the management remains silent, then the members of the management are involved.”

The Public Rela ons Officer of the school, Mr. Sola Lawal, while debunking the report, described it as a sheer figment of imagina on of those alleging cult ac vi es on the campus, saying such insinua on remains totally unfounded.

He further explained that the Polytechnic has a long history of peaceful co-existence with strict policy against any form of cul sm.

According to Badmus, Oyetola has performed and achieved more beyond expectaon in the last three years.

He stated this in a press release issued to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of Governor Oyetola in Office.

Badmus said since his assump on in office, Oyetola has rolled out programmes and policies that are beneficial to indigenes and residents of the state.

The commissioner said: “I would like to remind us that his first move back in November, 2018, was a thank you tour that helped him compile detailed needs of the people of Osun and to a large extent, he has addressed those needs.

“The essence of his style of leadership is to have a definite priority.

Those who are clamouring roads, if given a market, would never appreciate it. So, we try to give to the people exactly what they want.”

Badmus said Oyetola’s achievement cut across all the sector with road, health, educa on, mining taking the centre stage.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 03 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021

Interview

5

Oyetola Didn’t Give Chance For Reconciliation – Baderinwa

“There is nothing sacrosanct about resolving the problem. But I know that if there’s the willingness on the part of the elders, they will resolve the matter and we are ready for any form of resolution that is not going to put us at a disadvantage. We know we have more members than the governor’s group”

Adelani Baderinwa, a former Commissioner for Informa on and Strategy, is the Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun. He speaks on the crisis rocking the party and the way forward. Excerpts:

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RE you ready to se le the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC)?

The crisis within the APC is a family feud, which we know we are capable of se ling at any point in me.

What are the chances of the APC if you go to the poll as a divided house?

Before we go to the poll, definitely we will resolve the issues; I am very confident about this.

The crisis took another dimension recently when your fac on conducted parallel congresses. Do you think your fac on will be recognised at the na onal secretariat of the party?

Well, ordinarily, there are procedures for conduc ng congresses. But such procedures were not followed by the other side. So, the truth of the ma er is that there is no other way the na onal secretariat will look at the ma er except through such laid down procedures. Incidentally, it was the same na onal secretariat that sold forms to the Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s camp that also sold forms to us. So, you can’t have one cake and give it to two children and allow them to struggle for it. Ab ini o, the party has gone into slumber before The Osun Progressives (TOP) came in. The APC was sleeping because of the way it is being run; that was the reason that brought us out. We have been part of the struggle before 2010 and it brought the progressive government in 2010. We cannot be watching the party going astray. We came out to restructure the party so that we can prepare it ahead of the 2022 governorship elecon. We had a seven-point agenda.

We were going to consult everybody but unfortunately, they decided to make enemies out of us. We were insistent because we know what it takes to be on the barricades. Many party members are s ll aggrieved because of the way the

“For whatever that it is worth, it is the person who speaks to you and asks for your support that you will give your support. You cannot “dash” your support, because it is a very serious thing in politics. So, if somebody is not asking for it, will I go and beg him to support him? It doesn’t make sense. So, I am telling you in clear terms that we are talking about support, but he is doing everything to annihilate us; they have been attacking us consistently either at the ward level, local level or even at the state level”

•Baderinwa

party is being run and that is the reason we are gaining more supporters on daily basis. When we started, some of them were making statements that were incoherent about the situa on of things. When we had ward congress and had exco members in 332 wards, they came to the reality that we are no longer a few disgruntled elements as they earlier described us. During the local government congress, we had 36 exco members from 30 local governments and the area office. But, at the state congress, they couldn’t show the crowd which they had at the stadium.

They were so much incensed, even when they had the plan of disrup ng whatever we are going to do; they hatched a plan at the government house the night before the state congress. As at the me we went for state congress, they were yet to put in place their excos at the ward and local government level, they were just using the power of government to stabilise and hold things together. Our goals are very clear; the reformaon, the rehabilita on of the Osun APC. I believe we are achieving that because many people that would have gone to the PDP are not going, but coming to our side. We are making progress.

Will your fac on support Governor Oyetola for a second term?

For whatever that it is worth, it is the person who speaks to you and asks for your support that you will give your support. You cannot “dash” your support, because it is a very serious thing in poli cs. So, if somebody is not asking for it, will I go and beg him to support him? It doesn’t make sense. So, I am telling you in clear terms that we are talking about support, but he is doing everything to annihilate us; they have been a acking us consistently either at the ward level, local level or even at the state level. Less than two weeks ago, he sent people to come and disrupt our mee ng, even to do more if it would have been possible. He has not asked for our support;

he doesn’t need it. A state commissioner under Governor Oyetola once said they don’t need our support for Oyetola to emerge; so basically, they don’t need us.

How many aspirants have indicated interest to vie for the governorship cket in your group?

Within our fold, I am aware that the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Moshood Adeo and former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam have signified their interest in the cket. There are other people. We have a choice to make between the two, and whosoever is willing before the closure of the sale of the nomina on forms.

Have you ever nego ated with Governor Oyetola?

He did not give us the chance at all. As a father, he was expected to carry everybody along.

He was not expected to be one-sided, even if he believes our grievances are not genuine.

What do you think can bring a las ng soluon to the crisis within your party?

The party structure has to be reworked; it has to be renewed. There is a need for the party to do what is needful. For the past four years, the state execu ve has not held a mee ng, not to talk of rela ng with execu ves at the local levels. Without a doubt, I don’t know how they will mobilise with such a state of affairs.

Can you iden fy what should be considered in resolving the crisis?

Anybody interested in resolving the crisis, let them talk about reworking the party first. Those who know the intricacies of running the party should give proper advice, and then there will be a resolu on. We need inclusiveness because what they have been doing in the last three years is the mutual exclusion of members by throwing people out. This is an aberra on in poli cs.

Are you demanding the harmonisa on of the congress list?

There is nothing sacrosanct about resolving the problem. But I know that if there’s the willingness on the part of the elders, they will resolve the ma er and we are ready for any form of resolu on that is not going to put us at a disadvantage. We know we have more members than the governor’s group.

Are you now demanding posi ons at the party level or government?

We have always been talking about the party level; forget about the government. There’s nothing in government any longer that we are interested in.

(Culled from The Na on, Wednesday, December 1, 2021.)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 03 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021

6

Religion

I

seek refuge in Allah from the devil the accursed and I start in the name of Allah, The Most Gracious The Most Merciful. I tes fy that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. I also tes fy that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is His Messenger. May the benedic on be upon his soul, members of his household, his companions and those who follow his By ways ll the Last Day. IMAAM RAJI, Promise is defined as a wri en or spoken undertaking to do or not to do. While breach, is defined MUSA MUSA OLADAPO as breaking or neglect of a rule, duty agreement etc.

Promise therefore is one of the acts upon which human interpersonal chemistry revolve. If such is broken it pains the affected individual to the marrow. Because Islam knows how painful is, if a person is reneged in his promise, it warns against breaching one’s promises and even threatens the broker of promise with se- zles; when he talks he lies; when he promises he flouts it; and when he quarrels he starts abusing. (Bukhari/Muslim). vere punishment as we shall see later.

I believe that we all know what hypocrisy means. A good MusAllah says: “O you who believe; why do you say that which you lim will not like to be remembered with such a trait. According to do not do?

Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not some commentators; each of the four characteris cs represents twenty five parent 25% of a person. Should a person have any of do” Q61:2-3 the traits, one quarter of his personality is gone. Unless one is not Allah says: “O ye who believe! Fulfill your undertakings” Q5:1 a sincere Muslim, no reasonable and sincere believer will want his “And keep the covenant lo! Of the covenant it will be asked” personality be wear away just like that. It is the duty of all of us Q17:34.

At this junc on, I draw the a en on of my esteemed readers therefore, to jealously guard against being falling prey of any of the to the last two quoted verses Allah sounds so impera ve in them four traits. Most especially the one under discussion i.e. breach of i.e. Fulfill and keep, that is to tell us how Allah Himself counts it promise.

In another tradi on, on the authority of Hazrat Abu Sa’eed worthy as an act capable of propelling and promo ng peaceful coKhudri (RAA) who relates that the Prophet (SAW) said: Every existence among the human race. breaker of promise will have a standard fixed over his back on the The Prophet (SAW) on the authority of Ibn Mas’id, Ibn Usman and Anas Bin Malik (RAA) said: for everyone who breaks his prom- Day of Judgment, the height of this standard will be according to ise, there will be a flag (to mark him out) on the Day of Judgment, the size of his breach of faith. Listen and beware! There is not bigand it will be announced that this flag is the symbol of the breach ger culprit of breach of promise than a ruler (who is not true to his people) (Muslim) of promise by so and so.(Bukhari/Muslim).

Also, Hazrad Abu Hurairah (RAA) reports that the Holy Prophet The above illustra on made in the hadith by the Prophet (SAW) said: Allah the Most High, says: there will be three persons (SAW) on what would happen to the broker of promise is dreadful enough for anybody who professes his faith in the oneness of Allah against whom I shall fight on the Day of Judgment; one, the person to keep any promise he makes. Because what is the essence of an who makes a promise with an oath in My name and then breaks ac on that turns out in the life to come, as a shame and catastro- it; two, the person who sells a free man as a slave and appropriates his sale proceed and three, the person who engages a workphe for its doer.

Aside from the above hadith, Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr bin Al man and having taken full work from him fails to pay him his dues.

Anas (RAA) relates that the Holy Prophet (SAW) said: There are Bukhari.

Looking at the last two divine quota ons, one would be confour (habits) which if found in a person then he is a perfect hypocrite. If one of these treats is found in a person, then he has one vinced of the grievous consequence wai ng for whoever flouts his promise.

In fact, the second one speaks directly to our leaders at sign of hypocrisy, un l he leaves it. These four characteris cs of a hypocrite are when he is entrusted (with something) he embez- various levels who take an oath in Allah’s name upon assump on

JUMAT SERMON

Breach Of Promise

of offices, but at last, pay lip service to it. Allah declares His readiness to fight the culprit Himself. I, therefore, enjoin whoever reads this piece not to trivialize any promise he makes because no one ever dares Allah and goes scot free.

Our poli cal leaders are found of making empty promises to the electorates. I submit here that, if truly they want to serve their people sincerely, there is no need promising heavens and earths, as there is no person in life who can perform beyond his best ability. This is also applicable to all the levels of life such as couples, friend, master and his servant parents and their children.

It is on record that when the Prophet (SAW) was alive he made a promise to one of his companions Hazrat Jabir (RAA) that he would give him some amount from the revenues from Bahrain but the Prophet had died before the me. The Hadith goes thus: Hazrat Jabir (RAA) relates; the Holy Prophet (SAW) promise to me.

On receipt of funds (revenues) from Bahrain, I shall give you so much and so much. But before the money from Bahrain was received, the Holy Prophet (SAW) had passed away and Hazrat Abu Bakr (RAA) was installed as his caliph. When the money reached, the caliph announced that anybody to whom the holy Prophet (SAW) had promised to pay something or owed anything should come forward. Accordingly I went to him and said the Holy Prophet (SAW) had promised to me thus and thus. Hazrat Abu Bakr (RAA) then took out double handful of money and gave to me. When I counted the same, it was 500 Dirhams, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RAA) then asked me to take twice as much more”. (Bukhari and Muslim).

In the above quoted hadith, prac cal meaning of the verses;” Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allah.”Q61;2& 3. ‘And of the covenant it will be asked.”Q17:84.

Were demonstrated, despite the demise of the Prophet (SAW) Abu Bakr (his successor) s ll went on to fulfill the promise he (Prophet) made during his life me. One will easily infer then, that Abu Bakr (RAA) knew the enormity of such promise and that was why he fulfilled it.

In conclusion, my faithful brothers and sisters, let us a ach a great importance to any promise we make and stop paying lip service to it. Most especially our poli cal leaders who take an oath in Allahs name falsely. They should know that Allah is watchful over them and they shall be accountable for their ac ons and inac ons.

The close of our request is Al hamdu liLLahi Rabbil aalamiin.

• Imaam Musa Oladapo Raji The Chief Imaam of Telemu Land Ola Oluwa LGA, Osun State.

Crime

Grandfather, Father, Rape 13-Year-Old Girl In Osogbo

Grandma, Teenagers, Others Docked For Selling, Smoking Indian Hemp

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HE State of Osun Police Command has arraigned a 58-year-old grandmother, Folashade Ambali, three teenagers and 12 other residents of the state before an Osogbo Magistrate Court for allegedly displaying cannabis sa va popularly known as Indian hemp, and smoking it in public.

The accused persons were said to have gathered under the ongoing Olaiya Flyover, Osogbo, to perpetrate the act, before they were arrested.

Others arrested include, Taofeek Babatunde (18); Ezekiel Adeyemi (19); Adediran Abdulrahaman (18); Samson Tola (51); Shewu Usman (26); Yakubu Saliu, Gbenga Rasaki (30); Awokoya Ayuba (22); Ayodeji Muyiro (26); Olamilekan Oyinlola (28); Jamiu Abdulazeez (65); Ariyibi Oluwaseun (42); Adris Adeniyi (34); Oladipupo Yusuf (23); and Adebisi Omotosho (40).

According to police prosecutor, Inspector Kayode Adeoye, the defendants and others at large, on November 15, around 7pm under the bridge at Olaiya

Yusuf Oketola

HE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Osun Command, said it has arrested a father, Lukman Adebayo and a grandfather, Atere Adebayo, for allegedly raping their 13-year-old daughter/granddaughter.

According to the Public Rela ons Officer of the NSCDC, Osun Command, Mr. Daniel Adigun, the suspects were arrested on Friday, November 26, a er they were reported.

A press release signed

by Adigun and made available to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday said: “The corps received a p-off from an informant who disclosed that the girl opened up to her that the grandfather and father have been having carnal knowledge of her.

“The corps immediately swung to ac on and arrested the father.

“Upon inves ga on, the girl said that her father had been having carnal knowledge of her since two years ago. She also said that she had been living with her maternal grandmother at the age of three before she was taken to her paternal

grandfather at the age of five.

“She said that her father and mother are separated and that was why she was entrusted in the care of her grandparents at different mes.

“The girl also stated that

at some point, she was molested by her grandfather but she could not s ck to her allega on, owing to the fact that she was s ll living with him.”

Adigun, however, added that both the father and the grandfather had denied raping the girl.

He said that the corps

has taken the girl to the state Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, pending the conclusion of invesga on on the ma er.

The PRO said the NSCDC Commandant in the state, Emmanuel Ocheja, has directed that appropriate inves ga on be carried out on the alleged incest.

Gunmen In Police Uniform Attack Bank In Ikirun Yusuf Oketola

S

OME yet-to-beiden fied armed men, on Tuesday, a acked a microfinance bank in Ikirun, Ifelodun Local Government of Osun.

The gunmen carted away an undisclosed amount of money from the Automated Teller Machine, according to residents of the area.

The residents who claimed to have witnessed the bank robbery, said that the robbers arrived at the bank premises in police uniform, and ed the two security men

guiding the bank.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the armed robbers, who struck around 2am of Tuesday, engaged some security men in a gun duel before fleeing with their loot.

The armed robbers, according to spokesman of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun Command, Daniel Adigun, were unable to access the microfinance bank but damaged a Wema Bank’s ATM in front of it and carted away undisclosed amount of money.

“Uniden fied robbers a acked Ifelodun Micro-

finance Bank with Wema Bank ATM machine, located at Thursday Market, along Oke-Aafo and robbed the ATM at about 2:15am on 30th November, 2021,” Adigun said.

The Command’s spokesman said that there was no casualty in the robbery a ack.

It was gathered that a bullion van was sighted within the Ifelodun Microfinancial Bank premises on Monday.

Three new generaon banks in the town have shut down due to incessant robberies by the men of the underworld.

Kazeem Badmus

T

area, Osogbo, conspired and displayed for sale and also smoked cannabis sa va, known as Indian hemp, which they knew was not fit for human consump on and caused fear to passersby.

Kayode added that the the accused persons armed themselves with dangerous weapons and threatened to a ack residents and people plying the area.

The prosecutor said the alleged offences are contrary to Sec ons 516, 430, 60, 86, 64, 249(D) and punishable under Sec on 70 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34 Volume II Laws of Osun State, 2002.

The defendants however, pleaded not guilty to the charges slammed against them while their counsel, T. B. Ayodele, prayed the court to grant them bail, explaining that the defendants.

Magistrate A. O. Odeleye granted bail to the accused persons in the sum of N100, 000 with one surety each, adding that the surees must be blood rela ves of the defendants with proof of tax payment.

The ma er was adjourned ll December 17, 2021 for hearing.

PEOPLE FIRST

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 03 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021

7

News

COVID-19 Omicron Variant: Govt. Wants Osun Residents To Take Personal Responsibility Yusuf Oketola

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HE State Government of Osun has urged residents of the state not to lose guard as the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic is s ll raging.

The government charged ci zens to take personal responsibility for their safety, saying that the development makes it impera ve for those yet to take the COVID-19 vaccine to do the needful.

This follows the discovery of three cases of the new Omicron variant of the Coronavirus pandemic by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, on Wednesday.

Ci ng the World Health Organisa on (WHO), the Commissioner for Informaon and Civic Orienta on, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, said the new variant has a large number of muta ons, and early evidences suggested an increased reinfec on risk which is of concern to global health bodies.

Egbemode said: “According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, genomic surveillance has iden fied and confirmed Nigeria’s first cases of the B.1.1.529 SARSCoV-2 lineage, now known as the Omicron variant.

Samples obtained for the s pulated day-two test for all travellers to Nigeria were posi ve for this variant in three persons with a history of travel to South Africa.

“By implica on, a new

brand of risk has been unleashed, demanding every ci zen to review his commitment to the safety protocols against COVID-19. To give an idea of the severity, countries like Canada and even Indonesia are beginning to take stringent measures, which also include imposi on of travel ban on a number of other countries including Nigeria.

“While the government of the State of Osun understands the implica on of another lockdown especially considering the fact that the State is s ll grappling with the effects of last year’s episode, it is coun ng on ci zens to take personal responsibility for their safety in manners that afford the liberty to conduct their trades within safe boundaries.

“Those who have taken the two jabs of the vaccine should note that the vaccine reduces their suscep bility but doesn’t rule out their chances of contrac ng and infec ng others who have not been vaccinated. Everyone should protect himself at all mes by pu ng on a face mask in public places, avoiding crowded spaces, disinfec ng hands and surfaces with alcohol-based sani zer.

“The government of Adegboyega Oyetola places premium on the safety and security of ci zens, and will con nue to take cri cal steps that protect ci zens from actual or poten al threats”, the statement stated.

•Muslim faithful observing the Janazah prayer for the late Naibul Imam of Osogboland, Sheik Haroon Adediran on Wednesday.

Osun 2022: Lasun Yussuff Obtains Gov. Nomination Form Kazeem Badmus

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HE poli cal game on the 2022 governorship cket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun has become more interes ng and charged.

A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representa ves in the 8th Na onal Assembly, Hon.

Lasun Yussuff, yesterday, obtained the APC Expression of Interest and Nomina on forms ahead of the governorship primary of the party.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Yussuff who had on November 13, 2021 declared his inten on to contest the 2022 gubernatorial elec on, obtained the form at the APC Na onal

Secretariat, Abuja.

The Ilobu born poli cian is the first to obtain the nomina on form among all the APC governorship aspirants, including Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

Addressing newsmen at the party’s na onal secretariat in Abuja shortly a er picking the forms, Yussuff acclaimed that he was short-changed in the 2018 APC gubernatorial

How Osun Govt. Officials Manipulated Kingmakers...

•Continued from page 2 ter the demise of Oba Abdulrauf Olawale who was from Adedeji ruling house.

But some people from Adedeji ruling house argued that the late Akinrun belonged to the matriarchal side of the ruling house and should not have been considered for the throne in the first place.

Based on that argument, the aggrieved people said Adedeji should be allowed to produce the new Akinrun before Gboleru Ruling House.

In a suit registered HIK/9/2021, Prince Wahab Amoo and two other people from Adedeji Ruling House, asked the court to nullify the nomina on and appointment of late Oba Olawale and also rule that their ruling house be allowed to present candidate for the throne.

In its ruling on November 5, 2021, Jus ce Jide Falola of the Ikirun High Court, held that the case was belated, maintaining that Adedeji Ruling House had taken its turn in producing Akinrun and it is now the turn of others to do same.

Falola also stated that Gboleru ruling house should

produce the next Akinrun, just as he advised members of the ruling house to nominate one person to be appointed for the kingmakers.

The judge gave a 14-day ul matum for the Gboleru ruling house to produce candidate for the Akinrun stool, failure of which Obaara ruling house would be allowed to make nomina on for the throne.

But Gboleru ruling house was unable to meet up with the ul matum as more than seven candidates were contes ng the throne.

A er the expira on of the ul matum, the kingmakers approached Obaara ruling house for the nomina on of candidate for the Akinrun throne.

Un l November 19, Prince Ismail Olasunkanmi Adeyemi was said to be the only candidate from Obaara ruling house.

It was even alleged that the judgment of the court was made to favour Adeyemi’s emergence as the new Akinrun.

But Adeyemi was outsmarted by the Ekerin of Ikirun who allegedly raised a new candidate and manipulated the kingmakers for his

own candidate.

We stand by the choice of Akadiri as Akinrunelect- High Chief

The Elemo Aga of Ikirun, High Chief Bamidele Onifade denied the report that the kingmakers in Ikirun were influenced to select Akadiri as the Akinrun-elect.

Onifade also said the kingmakers stand by Akadiri’s choice, saying he remains their choice, having won the majority of votes during an elec on held by the kingmakers under the supervision of officials of Ifelodun Local Government.

The High Chief who spoke with newsmen on Tuesday said Akadiri’s nomina on followed due process and all tradi onal rites leading to the selec on of an Akinrun.

Onifade who is also the Oluomo of Ikirun said no government official or poli cal office holder influenced any of the kingmakers, stressing that the choice of Akadiri was as a result of Ifa divinity.

He said the Kingmakers are not ready to succumb to any threat from any quarter regarding the selec on process.

He therefore urged the state government to expedite ac on on the appointment and inaugura on of Akadiri as the Akinrun of Ikirun in the interest of peace and harmony in the town.

I Was Under Spell For Saying Govt Officials Compromised Us - Olukotun

However, one of the kingmakers, the Olukotun of Ikirunland, Chief Oseni Agboola, yesterday, said that he was under spell during a recorded phone conversaon with a rela ve where he confirmed the manipula on of the selec on process by the government officials.

This is coming five days a er the audio has gone viral on the social media.

Admi ng that he was the one who spoke in the audio, the kingmaker explained that he was not conscious of his u erances in the conversa on.

Agboola had claimed in the audio that the government officials, among who are Commissioner for Local Government, Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government, Chief Moshood Oluawo, manipulated them

into adop ng the candidature of Akadiri.

He stated in the audio that they (the six kingmakers) were taken to the Government House where they held a mock elec on in favour of Akadiri before the real elec on the following day.

But Olukotun retracted his claim while speaking on a private radio sta on, Fresh FM, yesterday, saying: “Yes, I was the one who spoke in the audio. However, I was not conscious that I said it un l the audio came out. I was under intense pressure from family members to do what I did. It was not even clear that I had said that.

No official of government took us to Osogbo.

“I was under spell. Honestly, I did not know how I said that. I did not par cipate in the said elec on in Osogbo. The government did not whisk us away for four days. No poli cian made us to sign any agreement. I retract what I said in the audio. I learnt that there is a voodoo hanged at the front of my residence. I cannot even go into my house now. It is that bad.”

primary that produced Oyetola.

According to him, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovio Omo-Agege, who supervised the Osun APC governorship primary elec on in 2018 was compensated with his current posi on for manipula ng the primary in favour of Oyetola.

The former deputy speaker said the confusion of direct or indirect primary started in Osun in 2018 with the sole aim of rigging him out of the governorship race.

Yussuff said the APC and Oyetola had a poor ou ng in the 2018 governorship elec on because they rigged him out at the primaries.

He expressed confidence that he would pick the APC cket and win the July 16, 2022 elec on in the state.

PUBLICATION AKINPELU MICHEAL AKINTOLA That I was formerly known and addressed as AKINPELU MICHEAL A. Now wish to be known and addressed as AKINPELU MICHEAL AKINTOLA. All former documents remain valid.

Access Bank and General public should take note.

MRS. ODETAYO KAFAYAT ADEOLA

That I was formerly known and addressed as ALABI KAFAYAT ADEOLA. Now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. ODETAYO KAFAYAT ADEOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

ISSN : 0794 - 8050

Crime

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2021 VOL. 16 NO 47 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com

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HE framers of the 1999 Cons tu on of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had, in the process of pu ng it together, envisaged that the task of governing a sprawling and diverse en ty called Nigeria will be very daun ng for a single individual to accomplish.

To make the job simple and seamless for the President, the wise men who came together to forge the na on’s Ar cle of Faith inserted some clauses into it to compel whoever is saddled with the job of leading the country to look for competent hands to assist him in the day-to-day task of managing the country.

The privileged individuals who are drawn from the 36 states making up the naon’s geo-poli cal en ty called Nigeria are to manage different strategic sectors of the country as domiciled in the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Like all others, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was sworn in as a minister of the Federal Republic in 2019 upon the re-elec on of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term.

A er the swearing-in formali es sequel to confirma on of the Senate, he was appointed to man the strategic Ministry of the Interior to succeed the former holder, Lt.-General Abdulrahaman Danbazzau (rtd.) who held the post in Buhari’s first term.

The announcement came as a surprise to many as tongues wagged in some quarters regarding whether someone with no background in military or paramilitary services would func on well as the head of the ministry.

Well, three years down the line, opinion held by these skep cs has somehow changed, due to the laudable strides of the Ijesa-born poli cian who seems to have quickly learnt the ropes on how the ministry func ons vis-a-vis the numerous problems associated with the na on’s internal security.

Aregbesola has not only iden fied the numerous challenges in the ministry as they relate to internal security, he has come up with numerous solu ons to them in a manner that has con nued to draw accolades to himself from those who were formerly skep cal of his ability to deliver.

To ensure quality service performance, the Ministry of Interior has introduced Quarterly Performance Reviews for Agencies and Service Providers within its purview, something that is considered a novelty.

For instance, the current leadership in the Ministry of Interior under his supervision has ensured that a lot of work is done in the area of ensuring credibility and respectability to the na on’s passport.

It has increased greater access of Nigerians to the document by issuing 2,742,207 passports to Nigerians in the last three years. A breakdown of the figures revealed geometric rise over a period of me. In 2015 the figure was 795,373; 838,298 (2016); 872,864 (2017); 1,036,682 (2018).

The figure has risen since then to show that between December 2020 and March, 2021, 790,000 passports have been supplied and that the figures will eventually surpass the one recorded for the year before. Conversely, a total of 40,009 passports have not been collected by applicants.

This feat has been achieved via a combina on of measures that have been put in place by the agency involved, the Nigeria Immigra on Service (NIS) such as opening of more front offices as well as introduc on

Teachers’ Recruitment: List of Successful Candidate To Be Out Next Week - Bamisayemi Page 7

Perspective

By Ileowo Kikiowo

A Renewed Hope For Homeland Security, Global Respectability of state-of-the-art equipment for the process of passport issuance.

It is interes ng to note that new passport capture and produc on centres have been opened across the country with platforms to link data collected in Nigeria to global databases with the aim of curbing interna onal crime.

This upgrade has some posi ve effects on the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria and has the poten al to a ract more Foreign Direct Investments that will in turn create direct and indirect jobs for unemployed Nigerians in the long run.

The NIS under his supervision has also ensured the credibility of the document in the interna onal arena by bringing new measures and features into the process of issuance.

This it has done by adding some security and informa on genera ng features to it and the feat has been achieved with collabora ve support of friendly interna onal agencies and countries as well via public, private sector par cipa on.

Perhaps, Nigerians in the Diaspora will now heave a sigh of relief with the measures the ministry, through the NIS, has put in place to facilitate prompt issuance of the document in their places of abode abroad.

Only recently, the enhanced e-passport was launched at the Nigerian High Commission in London, the United Kingdom to the apprecia ve Nigerians resident there.

Nigerians in the Diaspora who have either lost their passport or got it expired before renewal and need to travel home now have the benefit of obtaining the oneway Temporary Passport. The document is ICAO-Compliant and it is a Nigerian version of a Temporary Passport A lot of work has been carried out on streamlining entry of foreigners into the country in a manner that would ensure that

“A lot of work has been carried out on streamlining entry of foreigners into the country in a manner that would ensure that visitors wishing to come in will be genuine ones who are expected to contribute to Nigeria’s development”

visitors wishing to come in will be genuine ones who are expected to contribute to Nigeria’s development.

The efforts made are tailored towards ensuring that the process of procurement of visa and stay are done in a more relaxed and responsible manner in line with global best prac ces.

In this, the NIS has fully implemented biometric visa at all entry points into the country just as it has also deployed Migraon Data Analysis System (MIDAS) at all entry points in the country.

For those wishing to stay, the NIS has unveiled the Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) 2020 in compliance with the Presiden al Execu ve Order 1 (EO1). Added to this is the direc ve to the NIS to issue passports to Nigerians at the various airports in the country.

In the area of security, NIS has launched the Advanced Passenger Informa on System (APIS) fully to have full details of all incoming travelers into the country even before arrival. Also, about 14 fully equipped Border Patrol Forward Opera on Bases (FOB) have been set up at various land borders across the country.

Aregbesola has also ensured that the NIS becomes a responsible organisa on for informa on gathering and sharing with sister security agencies. To this end, the NIS has uploaded over 153,000 lost and stolen Nigerian passports a er connec on to its database with that of Na onal Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol police database domiciled with the Nigeria Police.

Since coming on board, Aregbesola has ensured that numerous reforms were carried out in the Correc onal Service in a manner that would give some new fillip to the work of the various facili es housing awai ng suspects as well as convicted inmates.

For instance, it is to the credit of the Minister that President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law, the Nigerian Correc onal Service Act, which repeals the Nigerian Prisons Service Act. The move completes the steps that were taken by his immediate predecessor in office, Lt.-General Danbassau who ini ated the idea.

With the move, the Nigerian Prisons Service is now known and addressed as the Nigerian Correc onal Service. The act is to ensure that a new approach is put in place by the government for those being held at the different holding centres by not criminalising but rather to reform them.

This means that convicts who are serving jail terms would now have to enjoy the privilege of being properly reformed via voca onal training and provision of educa onal opportuni es before being reinte-

“Aregbesola commissioned the Female Armed Squad Unit of the NSCDC. The objective is to provide female guards to protect schools in line with the Safe School Initiative policy directive of the minister which is aimed at keeping children safe in schools” grated back into the society.

As at the me of wri ng this report, about 465 inmates are currently running various degree programmes at various ins tu ons of higher learning. About 85 of them are running post – graduate degree programmes.

Four of them are undergoing doctorate degree programmes within the custodial facili es. In the same way, 560 inmates have been enrolled for WAEC/NECO examina ons, and 2300 for Adult Literacy Classes in several Custodial Centers.

Voca onal training of inmates is another top priority for the NCS under the minister and this is evident in the establishment of a Public Private Partnership for the establishment of N5bn shoe and garment factories in Kano and Abia States respecvely.

Added to this, the NCS has reac vated many of the custodial farm centres for large scale agricultural produc on.

Upon assuming office, Aregbesola ensured the take-off of the Non-Custodial Measures Service Directorate in the service.

With the support of the Nigerian Correc onal Service (NCS) and the Ministry of Jus ce, the Ministry of Interior introduced the virtual counsels/courts sessions in the Nigeria Custodial Centres to ensure unhindered jus ce delivery while s ll adhering to the COVID-19 pandemic protocols, a move aimed at deconges ng correc onal facili es in the country.

To address the situa on of prison conges on, the NCS has launched 3,000 modern capacity custodial centres in each of the six-geopoli cal zones making up the country.

Unlike Ministers before him, Aregbesola’s tenure as Minister has con nued to witness the incidence of jailbreaks and to address such, he has carried out Captured Biometric Details of all inmates, working with INTERPOL to help curb the incidence as well as to gather needed data base for the country and for intelligence sharing.

The NCS have also captured the biometric informa on of all inmates in all its facili es with aid of the Na onal Iden ty Management Commission (NIMC). The efforts also helped in determining the ra o of male to female inmates in the custodial centres at 98:2.

Specifically, the total number of convicted female inmates is 256 while 58 of them are on death row. There are 1,019 female inmates as Awai ng Trial Persons (ATP). They form the total number of inmates put at about 69,680 out of which 50,223 are Awai ng Trial Persons and 19,457 are convicted inmates.

•Read full article on www.osundefender.com •Ileowo Kikiowo writes from Abuja.

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