Osun Defender Online Version of December 2nd, 2022

Students Urge Adeleke To Reverse Conversion Of OSCOED To University Of Ilesa

Aree, Akinrun Palaces Shut As Owa’s Remains Open

TIsmaeel Uthman reportedly sealed on Wednesday by policemen who ushered out the newly appointed Aree of Iree, Prince Ponle Ademola.

HE palace of Aree of Iree and that of the Akinrun of Ikinrun have been shut in line with the direc ve of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

Aree’s palace was

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Akinrun’s palace was unoccupied, making it

easy for the police to shut.

However, the palace of Owa of Igbajo was reportedly opened as of the me of filing this report yesterday.

The newly installed Owa of Igbajo, Oba Gboyega Famodun, was said to have remained in the palace in spite of the Governor’s direc ve.

Governor Adeleke had on Monday ordered that the Aree, Akinrun and Owa’s palaces be shut with further direc ve that security agents should take charge.

The Governor’s direc ve was contained in his 5th Execu ve Order which reads: “All appointments of tradi onal rulers made by Osun

State Government a er 17th July, 2022, are hereby ordered to be reviewed to ensure there was strict compliance with due process of chie aincy declara ons and nave law, custom and tradi on rela ng to such chie aincies.

“In the case of Ikirun, Iree and Igbajo, to avoid further breakdown of law

and order, the appointments of Akinrun of Ikinrun, Aree of Iree and Owa of Igbajo are hereby put on hold pending review. Subsequently, the palaces of Akinrun of Ikirun, Aree of Iree and Owa of Igbajo should remain unoccupied, while security agencies are hereby ordered to take charge.”

Residents Welcome, Express Worries On Adeleke, PDP’s Govt.

protect his administraon from nega vity. He is popular but when his party members begin to cause violence in the state, people will withdraw their support for his administra on.

Speaking with the medium, Mr Biola Adewale, expressed his worries over what he described as ‘nature of PDP’s government, pleading with Adeleke to be strict in preven ng any breakdown of law and order.

Adewale who resides in Ileogbo, Ayedire local government of the state, said: “What I know with PDP is that they are always power drunk. They don’t respect the law. They act with impunity. That is why I am afraid of the PDP government. But Governor Adeleke can change the view of the people on that.

According to Olawale, it would wrong for anybody to ascribe violence to PDP, saying the party is known for peace with eminent personali es.

Olawale, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday said: “This administra on of Governor Ademola Adeleke will be known for peace, maximum security of lives and property, prudency and transparency. The PDP is a party of peace, so it is wrong for anybody to ascribe violence to it.”

THE Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) has come to rule the State of Osun again, following the inauguraon of Governor Ademola Adeleke on Sunday, November 27.

Adeleke’s inaugura on signaled a new dawn in Osun, ending the 12-year reign of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Residents of the state have been expressing their concerns and expecta ons from the PDP government, calling on Adeleke to live above the board in governing the state.

Top of the concerns of some of the residents of the state who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday are violence and recklessness.

According to the residents, Governor Adeleke needs to ensure discipline among the PDP members who are always power drunk whenever their party rules the state.

They cited the violent ac vi es of members of the Na onal Union of Road Transports Workers (NURTW) on Monday in many parts of the state and the reported a ack on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ifon, Orolu local government area of the state as a prelude to what to expect from the PDP government.

One of the residents,

Mrs. Kudirat Afolabi, said the PDP government is always characterised with violence and recklessness, no ng that members of the party are fond of abusing power while poli cal func onaries behave with impunity.

Afolabi who resides in Ila, said: “My concern about the PDP government is that they are always violent. They believe they can do anything because the government will always protect them. My experience with the PDP government has shown that members of the party cannot do away with violence and

recklessness.

“The new Governor should try to change the impression of people in that regard. We love him; he is a popular governor. He should not allow some members of his party to ruin his administra on.”

Another resident of the state, Mr. Bayo Oladele, urged Adeleke to read riot act to his party members who may want to foment trouble because their party is ruling the state.

Oladele, a resident of Ilesa, said: “Violence is not peculiar to a parcular party. People who

Workers Salary Will Be Paid Soon – Adeleke

GOVERNOR Ademola Adeleke has assured workers in the state civil service that their salaries will be paid soon.

Adeleke who sought the understanding and support of the workers, said the temporary delay of the workers salary would soon be over, saying the freezing of the government’s accounts is in the best interest of everybody.

The Spokesperson of the Governor, Mallam Rasheed Olawale, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, said: “The Governor had assured workers that the temporary delay will soon be over. I mean very

soon.

“The freezing of state accounts is in the best interest of everybody. The labour unions themselves understood that reality. But the situa on will be normalized.”

Olawale said Adeleke has ordered the submission of the salary schedule to relevant offices within 24 hours.

According to Olawale, the Governor issued the the direc ve a er taking briefing from the Ministry of Finance.

He said Adeleke frowned at the delay in the payment of November salary and instructed the desk officer to ensure complete submission by outstanding agencies.

cause violence are members of the public. But the PDP does not have a good reputa on when it comes to violence. People believe members of the party, whenever in government, always misbehave.

“Governor Adeleke should look into this and

“The Governor should act dispassionately in ensuring that there is no room for poli cal brigandage, violence and abuse of power. Twelve years is enough for the PDP to learn the act of governance.”

Allaying the fear of the people, Mallam Rasheed Olawale, the Spokesperson of the Governor, said Adeleke’s administra on will be peaceful and devoid of any violence.

Gboleru Prince Lauds Adeleke On Move To Review Appointment Of Akinrun

Aprince from Gboleru Ruling House of Ikirun, Ifelodun local government of the State of Osun, Prince Kayode Oyetunji, has lauded Governor Ademola Adeleke over what he described as a bold step to ensure jus ce, equity and obedience to rule of law in filling vacant stool of Akirun of Ikirun.

Oyetunji said posterity will always be kind to the Governor, “for the due regard being accorded tradional ins tu ons in Osun, and special concerns for peaceful co-existence of the people of Ikirun and other communi es that recently engulfed in crisis due to perpetra on of injus ce in selec on and appointment of an individual to fill the vacant stool.

The prince commended Adeleke for se ng up a review panel on the appointment of some tradi onal rulers, just as he urged him to ensure that jus ce prevails on the Ak-

inrun stool.

He mourned the death of a member of his Gboleru Ruling House, Prince Lukman Olatunji, who was killed during on November 23, during an a empt to force the Akinrun palace open for the newly installed Akinrun, Oba Olalekan Akadiri.

Oyetunji prayed to God to give the whole family the for tude to bear the loss, and for God to give departed soul a perfect rest.

He also expressed worries on the killing and destruc ons of new buildings in Akirun palace, saying: “For whatever reason, no appointment or posion, or cause, warrants killing of innocent lives and destruc on of property. ”

Oyetunji lamented that the absence of jus ce and respect for the tradi onal ins tu on is responsible for unrest in Ikirun, saying that crimes and other criminali es reign in a society where injus ce prevails.

Speaking on the violent ac vi es of the NURTW members, Olawale said: “The State Governor has launched mul ple strategies to calm the situa on. The isolated incidents of skirmishes in some motor parks were a ended to by Governor Adeleke through formal and informal channels.

“Security agencies are already on top of the situa on based on strict instruc on of the Governor. Secondly, various back channels are being deployed to reach the stakeholders in the motor parks. These steps are yielding desired results. The recent flare up is due to pent up issues arising from policies of the previous government.

“Oyetola government deliberately nurtured thugs and street urchins and unleashed them on the people of the state. We all know how poli cal thugs were empowered and even granted official recogni on at state funcon. Banks were forced to close shop in many towns. Street violence was major hallmark of the last regime.

“So, we assumed office five days ago. Expectedly there will be spill overs. But these have been contained. Osun state should expect a peaceful and secured Osun state.”

On the residents’ concern on recklessness, Olawale said: “I doubt if any resident expressed such fears. The reason is that the governance banditry witnessed under Oyetola indeed set the state back by more than a decade.

“The last PDP administra on performed creditably well. Osun people should be rest assured that Governor Adeleke is commi ed to the implementa on of the fivepoint agenda. This will clear the present mess.”

• R-L: Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Idris Isah Jere; Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Mr. Adeyinka Asekun at the Commissioning of the Passport Production Centre in Ottawa, Canada, on Tuesday

Ismaeel Uthman

Ismaeel Uthman

Ismaeel Uthman

The Need For Cohabitation

AFTER his first mee ng with the new Governor of the State of Osun, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Speaker of the Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye, stated that an agreement was reached that henceforth the Assembly will be carried along by the execu ve in all decisions pertaining to the running of the state. This show of maturity is welcome; it is a posive development and a decisive and hopefully irreversible break from the childish a tude of the now departed administra on of the former governor Gboyega Oyetola who was emo onally challenged and fixated on strife, discord, and disharmony.

As a poli cal term, cohabita on ini ally associated with France is the process whereby par es of different ideological orienta ons in control of the execuve and legisla ve branches willingly agree to work together for the common good in spite of

“As a political term, cohabitation initially associated with France is the process whereby parties of different ideological orientations in control of the executive and legislative branches willingly agree to work together for the common good in spite of partisan differences”

par san differences.

There are of course no ideological differences of an unbridgeable kind separa ng the APC and the PDP, so a cohabita on is feasible. Moreover, a democracy is best operated within the framework of conven ons, informal agreements and democra c persuasion.

The next few years will be difficult for all the sub-na onals; it will require an atmosphere of give and take to navigate stormy weathers as well as seas of turbulence. Perilous mes require statesmen as opposed to raging bulls searching for strife and conflict. A cohabita on in Osun state is a welcome relief.

OPINION B Y BY T O N Y TONY

A D E M I L U Y I ADEMILUYI

Data Mining As The New Oil – Case Study Of Stears Business

Iwas privileged to a end Kings College Lagos – the only Federal Government College or Unity School for boys at the me when the Nigerian elite s ll had faith in the public school system in the country. In our final year as was customary, we all wrote what we wanted to do a er we le the pres gious school. Many naturally men oned popular courses like law, medicine, economics, finance, engineering etc but I recall an ex-classmate said he wanted to become a sta s cian. That was the first me I ever heard about that profession and I probed further what it meant as Google hadn’t yet gained trac on in the country at the me. He said he was going to work with big data and help the country and Africa solve its huge data challenge for more effecve public policy decision making. He said the profession was one for the future and that one day it will be the next big thing.

How Prophe c when I look back though it didn’t make sense to me then!

Nigeria and Africa have a huge gap when it comes to accurate data collec on which is crical for effec ve decision making in both the public and private sectors. American Media Giant – Bloomberg is ac vely present in the country and con nent using its immense resources at its disposal to tackle the challenge. However, who can solve this challenge be er than a Nigerian or African firm as the solu on must be autochthonous or home grown for it to be more effecve as nobody can tell the African story be er than the Africans themselves.

Stears Business iden fied this data gap and is led by extremely brilliant minds – Preston Ideh who is the CEO, Abdul Abdulrahman, the COO and Michael Famoro who serves as the Head of its Data and Intelligence Arm. They all met at the London School of Economics and Poli cal Sci-

OSUN

ence (LSE) where they all studied a combina on of law, engineering and economics and moved back home rejec ng the more convenient ‘japa’ op on to use the popular street lingo for a permanent reloca on to the West.

Stears began its opera ons in 2017 and was smartly modeled a er American poli cal media company – Real Clear Poli cs. The American website provides highly informed poli cal commentary but beneath the visible analysis on its pla orm does a lot of data mining which is its actual bread and bu er. Stears does incisive and cerebral analysis on the Nigerian Economy and Polity which is wri en by a network of experts who are its members of staff and some mes are backed by guest contributors. Behind the scenes, it has a robust data arm where it does data mining for clients in the private and public sectors which is what obviously brings home the bacon.

The media globally is going through a rough patch as a result of the disrup on and blue ocean strategy by the duo of Google and Facebook. Adver sing revenue is the ancient revenue model of the media but this business model has been greatly threatened by this duopoly as they have cornered a huge chunk of the adverts due to the fact that they reach billions of people daily leaving the crumbs to be scrambled for by the remaining media houses. So powerful are they some western countries are now regula ng social media in order to safeguard the con nued existence of the tradi onal media whose existence is now under a great threat. As reported by Al Jazeera, Australia passed a law last year compelling Google and Facebook to pay for news as a way of protec ng the economic interests of its local media - h ps://www.aljazeera.com/ news/2021/2/25/australia-passes-law-makingfacebook-and-google-pay-for-news. As reported by the BBC, the UK technology watchdog, CMA has compelled Meta the parent company of Facebook to sell Giphy which it owns as a way of discouraging an -trust and promo ng compe onhttps://www.bbc.com/news/ technology-63302179.

These behemoths have made adver sing revenue unsustainable making many media houses to now go behind a paywall to stay afloat. Foreign ones like New York Times, Washington Post, The Economist, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times etc have all gone behind a paywall. Locally, the likes of The Africa Report, Business Day and even Stears Business with them going under a paywall in 2020 have followed suit.

There will always be a high

“Nigeria and Africa have a huge gap when it comes to accurate data collection which is critical for effective decision making in both the public and private sectors”

Interview

Good Governance Is Assured Under Adeleke,

YOU were at the forefront of restructuring the PDP in the State of Osun six years ago, how do you feel now that the party is now in power?

I am very elated. I feel accomplished. I feel fulfilled because it was a journey that ended up well, in spite of the challenges. The restructuring, refocusing and reposi oning struggle was aimed at ge ng the party to be acceptable to our people in Osun a er the 2014 governorship elec on. It was a journey I spearheaded by the grace of God. It was energe c, money gulping, energy and me consuming. So, I feel very elated, very happy, very accomplished and very fulfilled, and finally the PDP is back to rule Osun.

Report had it that the restructuring agenda was aimed at dislodging Senator Iyiola Omisore who was a major player in the PDP then. How true is this?

Otunba Iyiola Omisore was one of the big wigs of the PDP then. He was the gubernatorial candidate of the party in 2014, and the a ermath of that elec on spiraled into 2015. We lost at the na onal level, we lost the presidency and the state cons tuencies. That was one of the reasons that led to the call for a rebirth, rebuilding the PDP; and the need to strengthen its membership. What happened then was that some of us did not believe in him (Omisore) coming back for the second run; we did not believe in his ability and capacity to win the governorship elec on; so, we did not want him to have the cket of the party for the second me. It was more like a clash of interest. We wrestled for the interest, we saw that we squandered the opportuni es we had; we had a lot of things that were wasted. We saw that things could be done be er. It was just more like disagreement in principles with respect to approach; and why things should be done in the party going forward and we knew that if certain things were not addressed, the party would not progress. The way some of us viewed, it was going to be difficult to sell PDP to the grassroots and the people of the party a er the 2014 show. In my interac ons with people at the grassroots in the state, it was important for us to rebrand the PDP. So, if that was supposed to happen, there would be a clash of interests. Otunba Omisore was not willing to let go of the candidacy that he had. He wanted to run again and some of us said no, let us rebrand the party, the party must be formidable enough to a ract so much and so many others in it if we go on this way. How and why he le PDP, I am sure he can handle explain that. But he exited PDP in 2017 for SDP and from SDP, he cross carpeted to APC. But the good thing is that the journey we started then has ended well, irrespec ve of whoever the candidate is.

How will you address the arbitrary defec ons of Nigeria poli cians from one party to another in spite of differences in party ideology?

I think it is absurd. Our poli cians lack integrity. It shows we do not poli ck for ideology, it shows they are in there for what they just want to benefit and gain; and that is why leadership is a major bane for us in Nigeria ll date, because people lack quality leadership. Poli cians just throw money around, sweet-talk people, make empty promises and at the end of the day, they cannot deliver because they do not have the capacity or the virtue to make them commit themselves to the transi on of change in the lives of the people. Nigeria is suffering now not because we do not have resources, the management of the resources is the issue. You keep having people who do not have the capacity and moral sanc ty to understand that they are commi ed to the future of their own coming genera on. Whatever you do today, you are not doing it for today alone, it is going to be part of the founda on of what will affect tomorrow. Unfortunately, as Nigerians, we have not come to understand that leadership for us is not about the promises people make, it is about the pedigree, integrity, character and the antecedents of what makes the person. People must also come to understand that leadership is about service and sacrifice. If you cannot lead not just by example but lead in serving and sacrificing for people, then, you are just going to end up having the same circle of people that you have now.

To what will you a ribute the July 16 victory of the PDP to?

So many factors. Osun people are red of so many wrongdoings. Osun people are red of bad governance. You can only measure a government by the economic performance. If life is comfortable for the average ci zen, they will support the government irrespec ve of whoever or which party is there. APC has not done well. They did not do well. So that gave us the window to be victorious. My

•Oduoye

sincere desire is that we will meet the expecta ons of the people. We would do so well with unity, and the unity can bind us together to achieve a greater good for the common people.

One of the factors that led to the defeat of the outgone governor, Oyetola, is bad governance. The unity within PDP with a determina on that whatever it is, APC must go irrespec ve of our differences. We had this mindset that whatever your views are, just go and get APC out. Whatever is le , we would come back to the table and resolve it. That is what I preached to our people. You cannot tell me your differences is that deep to allow Oyetola to come back for a second me, what would you have achieved? 100% of nothing. That is the second factor. Then the third factor is the public sympathy. They knew we were robbed in 2018 and the people stood firmly behind us in 2022. We also thank INEC for BVAS. If not BVAS, history might have repeated itself. What happened in 2018 might have reoccurred. People also know that the Adeleke family is well to do. They do not have anything to take from government. They just want to sacrifice themselves like a sacrificial lamb. There were a lot of factors that culminated in the victory of the PDP and the defeat of the APC.

There was insinua on few weeks to the governorship elec on in July that you ordered your supporters to support the second term bid of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola. How true is that?

That is not true. It is an insinua on, so I am debunking it now. It is a wrong insinua on. It is nothing but a figment of some innocuous imagina on. You know in life, percepon is about beliefs. As I speak with you now, the God of heavens is my witness, the last me I set my eyes on the former governor was when he a ended the Fidau of the late Akinrun. That was a public place where he greeted me and that was the last me I saw him. I have never had any discussions with him. I do not have his contact. Of course, as a poli cian, efforts were made to make me work for his interest, but that would not work. Just like we lured some of them to join us, they wanted to lure me too but I never gave into it. All my life, I have never supported or voted

PDP – Oduoye

Excerpt:

for APC ll we speak. If I don’t believe in something, I would not support it. A er the 2018 governorship elecon, you appear to have maintained a low profile, what is responsible for that?

Poli cs is a combina on and conglomera on of so many ideas, beliefs, concepts from people of different backgrounds, opinions and views to issues. I realised that over the past years ll 2018, God has enabled me to build a poli cal stature that has posi oned me to be a threat in the face of some people. I stepped down my governorship ambi on then because I believed that the party must be united. We must adopt an a tude and approach that will not disintegrate the unity of the party. If truly, there is a conceptual belief that Osun West should produce the next Governor, then, why should I run? Why will I want to ruffle feathers when I know that that is not what the majority wants, the clarion call was for the West, so everybody from Central should just go and support the West. So, I stepped down carefully and joyfully for the support of the West and that is why you saw that all through 2018, I was with the Adelekes, and even ll now, I have been backing the candidacy that eventually emerged as the Governor of the state.

We believed in the West agenda and by the grace of God, Senator Ademola Adeleke from Ede, Osun West senatorial district, is now the Governor of the state, with the support of every member of the party and most importantly, the people of the state. I want to assure you that Governor Adeleke will do very well. One of our dearest concerns and prayers is that we must not disappoint Osun people. We must be er their lives. That is why we are in poli cs. So, whatever I am bringing to poli cs should be my contribu ons and thank God that Senator Adeleke is also from a family that is well to do. So, he is not there for the crumbs. He is also coming there to bring something to the table. So, my appeal to all members of the party, whether aggrieved or not, as long as you are a card-carrying member of the party, we must support this government. This government must be successful and this government must meet the yearnings and expecta ons of Osun people. It is very key for me, because that is what would make a meaning of the journey we started six years ago.

If Osun West Agenda was what you supported, then, why did you not support Prince Dotun Babayemi? Why the choice of Adeleke?

So many reasons. All the while up ll this moment, I have only supported the Adeleke family. All my life since I have been a poli cian, I have only supported the Adelekes. Let me take you down the memory lane. In 2014, late Senator Isiaka Adeleke also contested in the primaries. I did not support Senator Omisore but I gave Omisore my full support a er he became the candidate of the party. I am a party person. My convic on has been with the Adelekes for long. Why? We have been family friends for long. My father enjoyed a fabulous rela onship with Late Senator Isiaka Adeleke (both of blessed memories now). My father commi ed me to the project, even before he died. I have known Senator Isiaka Adeleke way back 2003, when my father and him contested for gubernatorial cket where Oyinlola emerged. So, there is that emo onal commitment, there is that family rela onship that we cannot wish away. I am like a child to them, irrespec ve of whatever anyone wants to believe or say. I believe that I owe that family my commitment. These are the people we have been together for long. I respect them and poli cs did not even affect the rela onship. That is why I did not support Ogunbiyi or any other person in 2018 and 2022.

By the me we were rigged out in 2018, we came back to the table and said we had to give it a shot again. I enjoy a fabulous rela onship with Senator Adeleke, Dr. Deji Adeleke and Chief (Mrs) Dupe Adeleke-Sanni. These are individuals that if you have a one-on-one with them, forget the public percep on or impression, they are likable people. So, with the personal rela onship I have had with

Read full interview on www.osundefender.com

Mr. Kayode Oduoye is a young businessman and politician from Ikirun, Ifelodun local government of the State of Osun. In this interview with SODIQ YUSUF, he x-rayed the internal and external factors that returned PDP to power in the State.

“Unfortunately, as Nigerians, we have not come to understand that leadership for us is not about the promises people make, it is about the pedigree, integrity, character and the antecedents of what makes the person”

Advert

Osun Deputy Gov. Quarters Looted – Adewusi

Yusuf Oketola

THE Deputy Governor of the State of Osun, Mr. Kola Adewusi, has revealed that the official quarters of the Deputy Governor was looted before the arrival of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administra on.

Adewusi said the quarters was stripped of all valuable things, noting that the affairs of the state was nothing to write home about.

The Deputy Governor made this known on Tuesday, at the inaugura on of the review commi ees and panels cons tuted by Adeleke as contained in

his Execu ve Order 6 released on Monday.

Adewusi called on the review commi ees to do jus ce to the assignment before them as soon as possible, saying that the government is expecting quality reports from them.

He said: “The present affairs of the state is nothing to write home about. A lot has happened during the last administraon. The deputy governor quarters was looted and stripped of all valuables.

“All members of the commi ees should move into ac on as quickly as possible to get the job done”.

Governor Adeleke had on Monday issued the Execu ve Order which aimed at se ng up Review Commi ees on staff audit, appointments and promoons.

The review committees are also to review state assets, inventory and recovery, contracts, Memorandum of Understanding,

agreements and chie aincy, as well as appointment of tradi onal rulers.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, has said Adeleke’s review panels were an a erthought and one designed to arrive at predetermined outcomes.

The party, in a statement signed by its Director of Opera ons, Sunday Akere, called on the governor to se le down to study the handover notes so as to prevent him from commi ng blunders.

Adeleke, Osun Assembly On Same Page Over State Name Reversal – Spokesperson

Yusuf Oketola

THE Spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke of the State of Osun, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, has said his principal and the leadership of the State House of Assembly have met to resolve issues surrounding the reversal of the state’s name to Osun State from the State of Osun.

Speaking on Chan-

nels Television’s Polics Today on Tuesday, Olawale said there is a cordial rela onship between the state execu ve and legisla ve, maintaining that Adeleke’s Execu ve Order to revert the state’s name to Osun State remains.

He said: “The Speaker of the House and the Governor of the state just met; there is a very cordial rela onship between the legisla ve and the execu-

ve and on the State of Osun, the execu ve order is very clear. We are rever ng to Osun State, State of the Living Spring and that has been resolved.

“The issue of Osun State and State of Osun has been ongoing for a long me; there is a court process about it, and we don’t want to be drawn into it because we are not the ones that took the State Assembly to the court and to secure the judgement.

“But the situa on of things, as of today, is that the State Assembly and the execu ve arm are on the same page on almost all other issues.”

Adeleke had during his inaugura on ordered a reversal to Osun State from the State of Osun which was adopted by Rauf Aregbesola’s administra on.

However, the state House Assembly hours countered the move on Monday, maintaining that the adop on of the “State of Osun” is “a ma er of law”.

We Will Take Governance Back To The Grassroots – Adeleke

Yusuf Oketola

THE Governor of the State of Osun, Sen. Ademola Adeleke has reiterated his promise to take governance back to the grassroots.

Adeleke said local government is the closest layer of government to the people and as such, cri cal a en on must be given to it.

He stated this on Tuesday, while receiving the Heads of Local Government Administra on in the 30 local governments and Area Councils, at the State Secretariat, Abere.

The Governor said: “Without development at the grassroots, the essence of any government will not be felt and this informed the reform of the local governments. This forms part of our five thema c areas that we promised to address as a government.”

Adeleke further charged the HLAs to brace up to play their part in the rebuilding process that will soon

begin in all the local governments in the state.

“Whatever is needed to make the local government return from its lost glory as an impactful er of government, this government will do it and I urge you as seasoned professionals to support government ini a ve and desire to make the closest layer of government to the people more accessible and responsible to the people”, he submi ed.

Welcoming the HLAs, the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi, said the new administra on is interested in delivering good governance to the people at the grassroot, no ng that the workers will play an important role in making it possible.

“You are all seasoned professionals and we expect you to give your support to this administra on’s quest to bring government to the people at the grassroot. That is why we have you here and asking you to

put everything into the success of this administra on,” he noted.

Mr. Adewale Adedapo, who responded

on behalf of other HLAs, appreciated the Governor for his assurances, saying this has strengthened their faith in his

government.

He pledged that the HLAs will work relessly for the success of the government.

Data Mining As The New Oil – ...

demand for data and so the business model of Stears being heavily involved in data mining is a sturdy way of not only staying afloat but prospering in a harsh economic climate not par cularly friendly to the media.

This data mining business model has strategically posioned itself as the beau ful bride as it has greatly helped it raise funds from investors on two occasions so far.

As reported by Tech Point, it raised $600,000 in 2020 to build Africa’s ‘Bloomberg’ - h ps:// techpoint.africa/2020/04/22/ nigerian-media-startup-stearsraises-600000-in-seed-funding

As previously reported by Nairametrics, they went ahead to raise $3.3 million to expand into some other African countries - Deal: Stears, Nigerian data and intelligence company, raises $3.3 million in seed round.

Deal: Stears, Nigerian data and intelligence company, raises $3.3 millio...

Samson Akintaro

Stears, a pan-African data and intelligence company, has closed a seed round of $3.3 million. The funding was le...

Deal: Stears, Nigerian data and intelligence company, raises $3.3 millio...

Samson Akintaro Stears, a pan-African data and intelligence company, has closed a seed round of $3.3 million. The funding was le...

Aspiring media entrepreneurs have a lot to learn from Stears in building a model that can stand the test of me as adver sing revenue is shrinking due to the aforemen oned reasons. It is now so bad that the likes of the foreign Guardian UK, Conversa on and coming home, Premium Times and Daily Trust have adopted or incorporated the dona ons model to survive and stay editorially independent. Data mining is a bulwark as life is dynamic and so data mining has to be constantly updated as the needs of the target market of any ins tu on change. This

model is a sturdy way to scale and a ract much-needed investor funding as one of the banes of the local media is underfunding. With the media in Nigeria having a rather high mortality rate due to a plethora of factors most notably paucity of funds, data mining should be the direcon of media owners who desire to not only run profitable media enterprises so that we change the ancient narra ve that the media is mere charity.

The data mining business model from Stears Business is thus highly recommended as the media can only perform its noble func ons of educa ng, entertaining, and informing the public if it is adequately solvent and free from the economic apron strings of s fling as well as malevolent interests.

•Tony Ademiluyi is a Lagos, Nigeria based Freelance Journalist and Writer and can be reached at +2348167677075 and anthonyademiluyi@yahoo.com

The Assembly, in a statement by the Chairman of the House Commi ee on Media and Publicity, Kunle Akande, said: “The usage of the state anthem, crest, and the flag is an enactment of the law and as such, its usage is a ma er of law and not choice.

“The enactment of ‘State of Osun anthem, crest and flag law, 2012’ assented to on the 18th of December, 2012, contained in Schedule I, II, III, IV, and V, which carefully details every component of this law is not in ambiguity.

“Schedule I is the State Anthem, Schedule II has to do with the State Crest, and Schedule III is the symbolic significance of elements in the Flag.

“Lastly, while we are aware of a court judgment in effect recognising ‘Osun State’, the Assembly, pending the determina on and exhaus on of all legal means would not be drawn into this ma er.

“However, the State shall and will con nue to be described as the state of the virtuous (Ipinle Omoluabi).”

•Adewusi

•Members of the Adetunji family of Igbaye in Odo Otin Local Gov- ernment area of Osun, during the burial ceremony of Late (Chief) J.A. Adetunji, in Igbaye, recently

News

Students Urge Adeleke To Reverse Conversion Of OSCOED To University Of Ilesa

Yusuf Oketola

THE Na onal Associaon of Nigerian Students (NANS), has urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to reverse the conversion of Osun State College of Educa on, Ilesa to a university by former governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administra on.

In a statement signed by its Deputy Senate President, Comrade Segun Ekundina, on Tuesday, NANS noted that the upgrading process ought to have undergone due scru ny by the Osun House of Assembly.

NANS frowned at the non-involvement of the students’ body in the enactment and upgrading process of the college.

It urged Adeleke to temporarily halt the upgrading exercise to allow smooth and cordial dialogue between all stakeholders, including the students and workers of the college.

The statement reads in part: “Sequel to the conversion of Osun State College of Educa on, Ilesa, into a fully-fledged Degree awarding ins tu on by the Oyetola-led Osun State Government on the 23rd of September, 2022, findings revealed that the State

OSUN Osogbo Sacred Grove is located in Osogbo, a tradi onal town in the South-western Nigeria. It is a living and historic sacred grove of about 75 hectares of rainforest vegeta on, large area of undisturbed primary forest with numerous species of plants and animals. It is an excep onally rich herbal pharmacy.

House of Assembly seems to have overlooked and underes mated the legisla ve processes and un-

derpinnings as regard the upgrading process.

“The proper processes for the enactment of any bill

into law include the introduc on stage, 1st reading, 2nd reading, report stage, commi ee stage, 3rd read-

ing, execu ve assent, e.tc. Even if these processes took place, it is evident that they were so done under undue

poli cal influence without recourse to the overriding interest of the Nigerian Students.

“More so, the Public Hearing stage, which is the most important part of a bill as required by the ground norm of the State, the 1999 Cons tu on of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) (as amended), was equally not done.

“This negligence and flagrant disregard for due cons tu onal process and interest of the generality of students by that government is tantamount to undermining the sweat of taxpayers that birth the Osun State College of Educa on as far back as 1977, alongside the efforts of our forefathers.

“As students, we totally frown against all of these, and we therefore demand temporal halt of the upgrading exercise of Osun State College of Educa on, Ilesa, to allow smooth and cordial dialogue between the students’ leadership, the state government and other concerned bodies.

“The immediate review of all appointments within the governing council made in the wee hours, especially those who replaced officials whose tenure are yet to expire.”

Osun: The Miracle Water Oyetola Left N76bn Salary, Pensions Debt -Osun Govt

The grove is of historical significance as it is the Origin of Osogbo where the early founder of the town – Oba Larooye Gbadewolu and Olumehin the great elephant hunter, first se led a er their sojourn from Ipole omu in about 1570AD. The grove is a tradi onal sanctuary where different sculptures, shrines and structures have been erected to honour, worship, celebrate and remember Osun and other Yoruba deies. It is the repository of the fundamental values of tangible and intangible heritages of people and so daily, weekly and annually, devotees and adherents of different dei es in the grove conduct worships.

In the month of August every year, an annual fes val is held in the grove to commemorate the mys c bond of associa on and ins tu on of Kingship and Kingdom between the Osun goddess, the devotees and people of Os-

ogbo.

According to Yoruba cosmology, Osun was said to have metamorphosed into a river as a result of a misunderstanding between her, Oba and Oya her co-wife of Sango. The Osun river takes its source from Igede Eki , meanders through Eki and Ijesaland to Osogbo town and emp es itself in the Atlan c Ocean. Her “waters of life” are strongly believed to have healing, divina on, protecve and fer lity powers. But it is also believed that the goddess inhabits in the grove located inside one of the meanders of the river, nearby Osogbo: the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.

Osun’s image of water signifies a rela on between nature, spirit and human being, as water in the Yoruba cosmology expresses divine

ac on and symbolises life. Thus, mys c natural and metaphorical significance in natural processes is a ached to it. The waters of this river are thus sacred, and it is believed that they can make barren woman pregnant; heal various diseases, ward off evil machina on of the enemy, and open the door to prosperity and great success.

Moreover, the fish of Osun River was said to have been used by Osun, the goddess as a messenger of peace, blessings and favour da ng back to the pact between her and the founders of Osogbo. The annual ritual reenactment of this episode is the hallmark of the Osun Osogbo fes val which links the Ataoja (King) of Osogboland with the grove.

In spite of the non-point pollu ng source typified by

the refuse dump, the nutrient level in the River Osun is s ll found to be within the acceptable limits for tropical rivers.

Examina on of the planktonic, floris c and faunis c composi on revealed that it consisted of seventeen (17) green algae, eleven (11) diatomic, and five (5) ro feric and 300 planktonic species. Twenty one (21) fish species belonging to seven (7) fish families were also recorded in Osun River within the grove. Ten (10) species of fish were found to be herbivorous, while seven (7) were omnivorous and four (4) were piscivorous.

Finally, the river is so sacred that during and immediately a er the fes val people struggles to fetch the water for their healing and spiritual purposes.

THE Government of Osun on Thursday, said the immediate past administra on of Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola le N76bn debt in salaries, pensions, and insurance commitments.

A statement by the Spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said the revela on was made by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Bimpe Ogunlumade, while briefing officials of the new administraon on the financial status of the state, today.

Olawale said that the disclosure was contrary to the claim by the former Governor that he le N14bn in cash for the new government.

According to Olawale, the disocvery is “among other bogus claims that have

now been found to be an outright falsehood.”

He said according to the breakdown of the salaries and pensionrelated liabili es, N29,875,191,128.64 is for salary, while N45,375,237,693.40 was the debt for pensions with N554,644,028.97, being the debt incurred from Group Life Assurance Scheme.

The Spokesperson said the figures released, is not the total debt le by the past administra on as briefings on other sources of liabili es will con nue today, Friday.

PUBLICATION

OLAJIRE RASIDI BABATUNDE That BABATUNDE RASADI OLAJIRE, BABATUNDE RASIDI BOLAJIRE AND OLAJIRERASIDIBABATUNDE are the same person, but now wish to be known and addressed as OLAJIRE RASIDI BABATUNDE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Adesiyan Emmanuel

Adesiyan Emmanuel

•Chairman, Egbe Atunluse Ile Ìjèsà, Prof. Olubunmi Adeniyi Obe, presenting an Award to the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The award was received by Aregbesola’s Spokesperson, Sola Fasure.

•Osun Devotees

Workers

HAVING been sworn-in as the 6th elected Governor of Osun by the Chief Judge of the State, Jus ce Oyebola Adepele-Ojo, on Sunday, 27th November, 2022, at Osogbo Township Stadium, the new Governor, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke of the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) in the 39th paragraph of his inaugural speech said, “Consequently, I hereby issue the following direc ves which will be backed up with appropriate Execuve Orders:

“Immediate freezing of all government accounts in banks and other financial instu ons. Immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets. An immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate past administra on taken a er the 17th July, 2022. An immediate reversal to the cons tuonally recognized name of our state, Osun State. All government insignia, correspondences and signage should henceforth reflect Osun State rather than State of Osun which is unknown to the Nigerian cons tu on.”

Since this proclama on by the Governor, especially with respect to reversion from State of Osun to Osun State, the social media have been agog with insinua ons that Senator Ademola Adeleke of the PDP released the salvo to a ack former Governor Rauf Aregbesola legacy in the state. Note that it was Aregbesola -APC-led administraon that coined State of Osun between 27th November 2010 and 27th November, 2018.

As far as I am concerned, Mr. Governor revert to Osun State is no big deal; it is simply a change of nomenclature just like the former Governor Aregbesola unusual government changed Osun State to State of Osun and invented state anthem among several innova ons. As a ma er of fact, the name change was very controversial and its reversion cannot be taken seriously as an attack on Aregbesola’s legacy. A poli cal party is supposed to be an associa on of people with similar ideas to promote specific ideological or policy goals. As a ma er of fact, the immediate past APC administra on led by Mr. Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola did worse to a ack his former boss’s legacies especially in the educa on sector. For instance, Mr. Oyetola cancelled Aregbesola’s single uniform policy, reverted to the 6-3-3-4 system with consequent return to old school names, rubbished mega schools and actually threatened to conduct integrity test on the buildings, sugges ng that they were of low quality, threw into dustbin the table of knowledge – Tablet – (Opon Imo) for SSS3 school children among others. Despite the fact that his campaign was hinged on connuity of Aregbesola’s legacy, he refused to complete the Eastern Bypass ring road that

“In fact, the name, State of Osun was hardly used throughout Oyetola administration. Perhaps, if he had won the July 16 gubernatorial election, Oyetola could have been more emboldened to further attack Aregbesola legacies including this very name change”

What Is In Nomenclature?

encircles Osogbo, Ona baba ona, which Aregbesola couldn’t complete for lack of fund despite the fact that Oyetola’s administraon received Federal Government refund of all federal roads project embarked upon by outgone Aregbesola’s administra on, which Oyetola was part of. He refused to pay arrears of salaries owed by his predecessor during financial meltdown despite the fact that resources were available to pay. How many Adepele’ teeth do I count? In fact, the name, State of Osun was hardly used throughout Oyetola administra on. Perhaps, if he had won the July 16 gubernatorial elec on, Oyetola could have been more emboldened to further a ack Aregbesola legacies including this very name change.

If same APC-led administra on with its campaign and its flag bearer championed by Governor Aregbesola in 2018 could revert his legacy projects, how does a mere change

STRIKER

Letting It Be

“ LET IT BE” is the tle of the immortal classics by The Beatles, a song where Legendary John Lenon and Paul McCartney speak of “Mother Mary” appearing to them and reassuringly speaking “words of wisdom” on the goodness that should be. It is the English Rock band’s 12th and final studio album released on May 8, 1970, and the lead song’s central inspira on is that of posi vity.

Le ng goodness be has become a recurrent clarion simply because doing the right things has become rocket science not only for governments but most people world over. The assurances that all will be well soon, through repeated change of captains of society, have waned. It con nues to amaze how making the majority of the people profitably produc ve and taxing their earnings to deliver ameni es and social condi ons that will guarantee life more abundant for all have become impossible. Perhaps not actually impossible but a goal that most ruling elites are unconcerned with; being only interested in the enrichment of a few at the expense of impoverishing the majority.

The transi on to a new government happened in Osun at the very beginning of this week. There was as much hope as there were worries about the incoming government, never minding that it rode to power on the gale of a popular demand for the discon nuity of the

of name by former opposi on but now ruling party becomes a big deal?

What should preoccupy any serious government at all levels is how to inject real educa on and skills acquisi on required in this modern me for self and societal development as against cer ficated but useless educa on for the youth and our workforce. Majority of our young ones are hooked on drug with knowledge for crimes and criminali es as they have nothing posi ve to offer themselves and the society. Very few of them who make efforts to imbibe knowledge and skill get frustrated and find their way out of the country as a result of unfriendly socio-economic environment. What should be paramount to any serious government is huge investment in infrastructures like good roads network, func onal rail system or waterways; quality healthcare system for the populace as only healthy people could

be produc ve; crea on of enabling environment for job and wealth crea on; crea vity in exploring, exploi ng and industrializing our areas of compara ve advantage for new jobs and development – agriculture and agro-allied industrializa on. This alone has capacity to engage our teeming unemployed youths having been properly trained with modern skills and equipment.

Having rendered their mandates to a poli cal party and candidate of their choice, what the ci zens expect is a government that will guarantee their freedom, life and property and happiness. Most o en, however, when the poli cians get to power, they quickly forget the people who voted them to power and make their lives miserable. The power and lust of office over me, get into their heads and they start misbehaving, forge ng that the ci zens and electorate will payback once every four year. But we cannot be wai ng for every four year. The civil society groups and the media must rise up to the challenge of pu ng government and poli cal office holders on their toes, alerting them of their responsibility to the people from me to me. Changing a useless, miserable and bad government every four year in ten mes is equal to forty years. If one is privileged to survive a miserable life of forty years of poverty and penury, his/her life span would have expired as hunger, starva on, unhealthy life, etc would have shortened his/her life span. Government and governance should not be en rely le with the poli cians alone, non-governmental organiza ons and the fourth estate of the realm must be proac ve in playing their historic role in the society.

charade that it replaced. From the inaugura on ground and for first few days in government, the ac ons of the new Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, is a mixed bag of the hopes and worries indeed; the right and the wrong, projec ng a seeming lack of grasp of the real goals of governance, and le ng be its sweet harvest. Perhaps, this is not the actual characteris cs of the new government, perhaps the inten ons of the ac ons are for goodness sake, perhaps these are only the excited counterpunches to an outgone CEO that stagemanaged a most malicious exit and an “unwelcoming” welcome for the new government, perhaps all is well and will be well in good mes as we listen to the whispers of wisdom; me will tell.

In the mean me, it is worth reminding ourselves and the new government especially, that there is a true essence to governance everywhere, and the expecta ons are clear in our own locality: people simply want peace, freedom, happiness and prosperity. How can it be delivered to the majority in Osun, as best as possible in the next four year? That should be the focus of the new government. Nothing else. Generally speaking, peace can only be guaranteed sustainably by ensuring equal rights and jus ce; freedom, by guaranteeing and enforcing the rule of law; happiness and prosperity by guaranteeing that the people are produc vely engaged and their commonwealth deployed accountably into social protec on programmes and developmental projects.

For an underdeveloped state in an underdeveloped country where all that every State CEO does is await money from the Federa on Alloca on Accounts to even be able to breathe much else do anything, and for Osun being one of the recipients of the lowest amount from that “na onal cake,” for the unlimited expecta on of 4million people of the state for good life in that tenure, and for a tenure that will expire in four short years and need revalida on on the basis of how sa sfied or dissa sfied the people are, there is no me to waste on drama and distrac ons!

Rigorous check and review on state assets and liabili es, ingenious financial calcula ons, robust strategies and policies to mul ply the produc vity of the people, and harvest the taxes to mul ply the state IGR exponen ally – these are the needful of the hour! Once the direc on and body language of the government speaks loudly to these, everything and everyone will fall in line and behave themselves: cizens, poli cians, everyone, simply because all these are clearly for the common good. It will shape the poli cs and goodwill of the state in favour of the government in no me at all, and guarantee the delivery of sweet dividends in no distant me. That will be le ng it be. For now, the people can only take consola on in Mother Mary’s whispers of words of wisdom that “when all the broken-hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer; let it be.”

Striker is not the opinion of the Columnist featured above