Osun Defender Online Version Of July 07, 2023

Staff Audit: Osun Workers Stage Walk Out Over ‘Poor Human Relation’

•Continued from front page

One of the workers at yesterday’s audit exercise said: “We were there today for the audi ng exercise; what I first no ced was that the woman (consultant) was being rude to everybody. We had judges among us today and the consultant could not accord those special and honourable people the desired respect. She walked out on everybody, complaining that the government doesn’t provide security for her.

“She later came back to apologise; it was at that me that we also staged a walkout, we insisted we were not connuing with the exercise again. We had been informed of her poor attude by our colleague who she had earlier attended to. She is not fit for that serious exercise.”

When contacted, the Chairman of Trade Union

• Abandoned waste truck at michanic work shop, Abere.

Congress (TUC), Osun chapter, Comrade Adekola Adebowale, confirmed that the workers

walked out of the hall because of the a tude of the consultant.

Adebowale who ab-

How Social Economic Factor, Sexual Abuse Cause Mental Illness In Children - Expert

AConsultant Psychiatrist at Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Dr. Adeola Oduyebo has revealed how socioeconomic factor and sexual abuse lead to mental health illness in children who are within zero to 17 years.

According to Oduyebo in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, a child can develop depression when she suffers neglect or depriva on as a result of her family’s inability to cater for her.

The expert also noted that both physical and sexual abuse on children by their parents or caregivers can also lead to depression which can degenerate to mental health illness in them.

She disclosed that there are various kind of mental health illness in children like au sm, a en on deficit, among others.

Oduyebo stressed that children that are said to be difficult in behaviour are more at risk of facing mental health challenge than those that are easy going.

She said: “There are different factors that can cause mental health illness in children who are within the age of 0-17. These include gene c factor which means there’s something in the gene of that person or the composi on of that person’s gene that is different and makes the person

predisposed to having that kind of problem.

“There are different kinds of mental health illness in children like au sm, a en on deficit and other that have found to have gene c disposi on, including some other ones when people have psycho c problems and others.

“It’ is said that some children that are said to be difficult in behaviour are more at risk of facing that kind of problem than children that are said to be easy. It is said that those who are difficult children have tendency to have some more behavioral problems than those that are said to be easy children.

“We also have some of them that have inhibited temperament. That means they are fearful and easily upset. You will find out that some of those people may have tendency to have depression.

“Another one is Social economic factor. This is a problem when the family is large and there’s a lot of overcrowding and there is no proper care. These are issues that affect the social economic state that put the child in a state of neglect or depriva on or the child is being physically abused by a significant person, a caregiver, parent, scapegoating and all that or sexually abuse.

“All those can become a reason for a child to expose to stresses that can pre-

disposed to mental illness problem.

“In some cases, one of the parents will have mental disorder; if the mother for example has mental disorder, the care of such child will have problem and the mother will relate to the child in the cause of experience she’s having”.

solved the state government of any wrongdoing in the audi ng exercise, said the consultant needed to improve herself on manners, declaring that she needed to stop trea ng the workers as her employees.

The TUC Chairman, in a telephone interview with OSUN DEFENDER, said: “It is true that the workers walked out on the consultant because they were not being treated nicely.

The state government doesn’t mean any harm on the staff audit; the Governor needs to know the actual number

of workers, where there is shortage of staff and which sector he needs to recruit more workers for. I can tell you that the Governor is not planning to sack anybody or slash our salary.

“However, the consultant on this audi ng exercise has not been doing well on her approach. She really needs to improve on her manners. She is not our employer, we subject ourselves to the government’s direcve, not hers. She is always been rude to the workers.”

However, the consultant, who spoke

Again, Osun Community Calls For Dredging Of Aigbe Stream As Flood Continues To Wreak Havoc

Yusuf Oketola

RESIDENTS of Okinni in Egbedore local government of the State of Osun have again called on the state government to dredge Aigbe stream in the area for free flow of water.

The residents noted that the blockage of the stream has made it difficult for free flow of water whenever it rained.

The Aigbe stream takes its source from Ayekaale, Olude area of Oke-Onitea and flows directly to Okinni.

The recent appeal is the third of its kind in 2023, as the residents had on two different occasions called on the government to save their lives and property from flooding as a result of blockage of Aigbe stream.

OSUN DEFENDER visited the community yesterday and observed that buildings close to the stream were being affected by flood.

The state government recently announced that it had dredged 25 streams

and rivers to avert flooding in the state, but the Aigbe stream is le out, despite the con nuous appeal from the people of the area.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a vic m of flood, Engineer Abdulazeez Adetunji, lamented that the situa on is ge ng out of hand as the residents were experiencing flooding repeatedly.

According to Adetunji,

with OSUN DEFENDER through her Personal Assistant, Mr Adesola Adepeju, said some elements were trying to sabotage the staff audit exercise, sta ng that she has always been professional and diligent in her duty.

Adepeju explained that the staff audit came with lots of controversies which requires that security should be put into considera on for the consultant during the exercise.

According to Adepeju, the state government was yet to provide adequate security for the exercise which will guarantee her safety and that of her staff as agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding.

Explaining what transpired yesterday, Adepeju said: “We had been witnessing some kinds of unpleasant behaviour since Wednesday. The exercise didn’t start un l around 1pm on Wednesday, and the consultant le around 10pm without any security details. This is a serious exercise that came with lots of controversies. Her safety should be considered.

“On Thursday, we thought everything would be smooth as we were expec ng maximum corpora on from our people. But that is not the case. The consultant wasn’t at the venue ini ally. She was called by her staff who reported that the place was rowdy and they were frightened.

the ongoing construc on of Okinni township road was also contribu ng to flood occurrence in the area, no ng that the erosion coming from the drainage was directly channeled to their community. He said the residents of the area have approached the contractor handling the road with no posi ve result.

“She came to the venue, met some magistrates and went on to attend to them in a private place to honour them. At that me, the place was not se led s ll and the rowdiness was already becoming a threat. The workers were singing aluta songs. She politely told the magistrates that she could not con nue with the exercise for security reason.

“She stepped out in an a empt to make phone call to request for security. That was when the workers started displaying.

“In all this, we suspected that some elements are trying to sabotage the exercise. Some people might be expecting that the consultant should share them part of the money she collected for the exercise (even when she is yet to be paid) while some others might bring poli cs in.

“We appealed to the workers to corporate with us.”

Photo : Shola Aderinto

Yusuf Oketola

DECADES ago, the Bri sh Rock Band the Rollong Stones famously said in “Changing Times” that “you can’t change me but me will change you”. The observa on is actually more relevant today within the context of the fourth industrial revolu on as well as the changing pa erns of interna onal trade and in general social and economic rela onships. Overall the “ mes have changed” and there is no rolling back the de.

Even before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the very concept, and des na on organisa onal methods of the workforce had changed. “COVID” accelerated the profound changes.

With the forced change in consump on pa erns because of the elimina on of the fraud propelled “fuel subsidy “ the Modus Operandi of the workplace is now on the front burner!

Sadly, there is no coherent response from Nigeria’s governing class, on the contrary they are pulling in different direc ons. The Governor of the State of Osun for example has indicated a cut in the amount of working days in addi on to the provision of free public transporta on for public servants; in contra dis ncon, Kwara State is flip-flopping going back on an ini al pledge to cut the amount of working days. The

The Changing Nature Of Work

•Responding To The Crises

“The public service should have been working towards the incorporation of “paperless” offices for increased efficiency. They have to now, there is no reason in today’ south industrial revolution why the bulk of the public service need to be physically present at work more than three days in a week” stable doors a er the horse had fled.

The current incoherence is a reflec on of the lack of strategy to modernise the public service in Nigeria. This is disturbing as it will con nue to make the economy uncompe ve.

•Adeleke, AbdulRazak: Discordant tunes

response is incoherent na onwide.

This is disturbing. Apart from the need to ameliorate a cost-ofliving crises, it is obvious that we are running very outdated processes. A grim consequence is the

glaring inability to use the tools of modern technology as a preempve measure to fight corrup on and strengthen internal controls. For this reason, figh ng corrup on is now largely farcical based on closing the

The Discourse

The public service should have been working towards the incorpora on of “paperless” offices for increased efficiency. They have to now, there is no reason in today’ south industrial revolu on why the bulk of the public service need to be physically present at work more than three days in a week.

The current crisis is an opportunity for a reboot. The opportunity is there to modernise processes and methods leading to a leaner more effec ve public sector. We must seize the opportunity.

Tough Economic Decisions: Between Charles De Gaulle And Bola Tinubu

Tony Ademiluyi

IT is no news that the naira has been devalued by about 15 per cent. Basic economics teaches that the raison d’etre behind any devalua on is to massively encourage exports that thrive be er with a weaker currency.

However, it is economically suicidal for it to happen in an import-dependent economy like ours. We are so import dependent that we even shamelessly import toothpicks.

The naira has fallen to over 800 naira to 1USD as at the last me I checked yesterday which portends a dangerous signal for the frail economy.

It is not in doubt that President Bola Tinubu means well for the country but is clearly misunderstood to be somewhat sadis c given the short-term pain his policy of fuel subsidy removal is currently causing. I want to assure Nigerians that the pain is only for a short while which will be overshadowed by the gains of saving of funds from the funds that would hitherto have been spent on the subsidy.

About 400 billion in less than two months has already been saved from subsidy which is a very good sign of great things to expect from the Bola Tinubu-led administra on.

Many cri cs of the ‘abrupt’ subsidy removal cri cize Tinubu for not providing his countrymen with some pallia ves.

I daresay even though I haven’t met Asiwaju in person that he has nothing but good inten ons for his people. ‘Bolekaja’ Economists and hustler ‘public policy analysts’ who dote the social media landscape as well as having a huge presence online portray Asiwaju’s lack of provision of pallia ves as an -people.

I vehemently disagree with the palliaves op on as it only works in much smaller countries and economies.

The pallia ves which include condional cash transfers was a gargantuan flop in India and China, so why should Tinubu implement a failed policy on an equally large popula on like Nigeria’s?

Cri cs can only be jus fied to say that Asiwaju is inept and incompetent if the 400 billion naira saved from the previously planned subsidy payment is fri ered away or siphoned like is the norm with ‘governance’ in Nigeria.

Charles De Gaulle of France and Tinubu share some similari es. They were both liberty fighters albeit of a different hue. De Gaulle was a dis nguished soldier and fought many ba les most notably World War II where together with the other allied forces of the United States, United Kingdom and the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics defeated the Axis forces led by Nazi Germany. Tinubu was a pro-democracy fighter who joined the barricades from the streets of Lagos. They both fled into exile to the UK. De Gaulle went on a self-imposed exile to the UK on June 15, 1940, because he refused to accept the

French government’s armis ce with Adolf Hitler’s Germany. Tinubu also fled to the UK because the then-murderous General Sani Abacha-led government marked him for assassina on because of his commi ed involvement in the June 12 de-annulment struggle. They both made effec ve use of

the radio during their years in exile. De Gaulle used the enormous reach of the Bri sh Broadcas ng Corpora on to rally support for France during World War II and he famously told his countrymen on June 18 1944 that “Whatever happens, the flame of French resistance must not be exnguished, and it will not be ex nguished.”

Tinubu used Radio Kudirat to rally the pro-democracy forces both in the country and Diaspora for the mandate of the late presumed winner of the June 12 elec on, Chief M.K.O. Abiola to be restored and for the military to immediately return to the barracks where they truly belong to.

They both emerged as leaders at a me both countries were at their lowest ebb.

OSUN DEFENDER

Publisher – Moremi Publishing House Ltd.

Deputy Editor – Ismaeel Uthman

Produc on Editor – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa

Reporter – Yusuf Oketola

Reporter – Kazeem Badmus

Photo Journalist – Shola Aderinto

Computer Graphics – Zainab Olalere

De Gaulle famously said: “How can you govern a country which has 246 varie es of cheese?” to aptly describe the terrible economic, and poli cal situa on of France which necessitated the need for a strong leader. Tinubu also emerged under similar circumstances in Nigeria, no thanks to the inept poli cal leadership of his predecessor and economic hara-kiri of Godwin Emefiele unarguably the na on’s worst CBN Governor.

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB), Gbogan Road Osogbo, State of Osun

ISSN : 0794-8050

Telephone : 0809-301-9152

Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php

e-mail : osundefender@yahoo.com osundefenderbank@gmail.com

All correspondence to the above email addresses.

De Gaulle had to take decisions that were first perceived as economically unpopular but later viewed by pundits as well as economic historians as being in the best interest of France.

From March 22nd to May 2nd 1968, there was civil

Continued on page 6

“Tinubu is facing something similar to the aforementioned and like De Gaulle, the initial pains will definitely give way to long-lasting gains, especially in the area of the economy”

Students To Adeleke: Address Infrastructural Deficit, Exorbitant Fees In Osun Tertiary Institutions

Yusuf Oketola

STUDENTS in the state-owned terary ins tu ons in State of Osun have idenfied poor infrastructure and exorbitant fees and extor onate charges by the school managements as challenges milita ng against their academic progress.

According to the students, in a le er written by the Na onal Associa on of Nigeria Students (NANS), SouthWest Zone, to Governor Ademola Adeleke, the ter ary ins tu ons are ba ling with dilapidated buildings, insufficient classrooms, outdated facili es and poor roads.

NANS noted in the le er dated July 2, 2023, that the condi on of the ins tu ons was disheartening, calling on Adeleke to invest in educa on infrastructure by embarking on construc on and renova on of schools and provision of modern equipment.

The le er which was signed by Assistant General Secretary of the student body, Comrade Olatunde Aboke, was made available to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, in Osogbo.

A part of the le er reads: “The state of infrastructure in our terary ins tu ons in Osun has become a pressing concern. It is disheartening to witness dilapidated buildings, insufficient classrooms, and outdated facili es that hinder the learning environment for students.

“We implore you to priori se investments in educa on infrastructure, including the construc on and renova on of schools, provision of modern equipment, and

adequate learning spaces. By doing so, we can create an atmosphere conducive to effec ve teaching and learning”.

NANS also raised concern over what it described as exorbitant tui on fees being paid by students in the stateowned ins tu ons, claiming that many students are unable to access higher educaon due to the fund required.

The student body urged Adeleke to see to the reduc on of the fees and put an end to “extoronate charges by the school management.”

“The financial burden being faced by students and their families in pursuit of quality educa on cannot be overstated. Many of our students are unable to access higher educa on due to exorbitant tui on fees and extor onate charges by the school management.

“We respec ully request your interven on in this ma er by implemen ng policies that ensure a reduc on in tuion fees across all levels of educa on and an end to extor onate charges.

“Such a step would enhance accessibility to educa on, promote inclusivity, and create opportuni es for more individuals to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for their personal growth and our state‘s development”, said NANS in the le er.

The students body also called on the state government to put in place Governing Councils in all the state-owned ter ary ins tu ons in Osun to checkmate the excess of Rectors, Provost and Vice-Chancellor in various schools.

Osun Residents, Group Demand Transparency On Boreholes

Kazeem Badmus

RESIDENTS of the State of Osun have demanded accountability on the construc on of boreholes across the 332 Wards in the state by Governor Ademola Adeleke.

The residents asked Adeleke to tell the general public the amount expended on the project.

This is just as a civil society group, Centre for Social Jus ce and Public Protec on (CSJPP), commended Adeleke for priori sing the welfare of the ci zens of the state, just as it charged the Governor to come out in details on the financial implica ons of the project.

There had been insinua ons that each of the

Succour As Govt. Provides Transformers For Communities

Kazeem Badmus

THE government of the State of Osun has provided succour for two communies who had been living in darkness for years.

Addressing their plight, the government procured two 500KVA transformers for the Peace Community, Ede Road in Ede North local government and Oke Eran community, Ilobu Irepodun local government.

The gesture, according to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development and Community Affairs, Mr Richard Oyegbami, was

part of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s efforts to light up every part of the State.

Oyegbami while inspec ng the installa on of the transformers on Tuesday, said Adeleke knows the importance of regular power supply to the growth of small businesses which is the bedrock of any form of economic development.

While appealing to the communi es to make proper use of the transformers, Oyegbami assured that the gesture will be extended to other communies soon.

Reac ng, a commu-

nity leader at Oke Eran, Mr Olasupo Abdulasisi, who lamented that the community had been in darkness for more than eight years, appreciated Adeleke for coming to their aid.

boreholes was awarded at a sum of N14m.

But the Spokesperson of the Governor, Rasheed Olawale, described the claim as false, no ng that each borehole cost far less than the amount insinuated.

According to him, full details of the cost of the project would be made available during the ‘Ipade Imole’, an interacve accountability platform of the state government. He noted that at the Ipade Imole, civil society, the media and all stakeholders will have sufficient me to read, appraise and ques on projects and policies of the Adeleke’s administra on.

The medium noted that the Ipade Imole which was scheduled to hold last month’s ending didn’t come up with no explana on from the state government as of the me of filling this report.

However, the state government on Monday, announced the distribuon of power genera ng sets to power the bore-

holes. The distribu on of the generators triggered reac ons from members of the public, as some of them joined the call for transparency on the project.

In interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, the Secretary of Centre for Social Jusce and Public Protecon (CSJPP), Comrade Naheem Olaore, said there are many things yet unknown about the project.

According to Olaore, apart from the contract amount, the state government needs to explain who will be responsible for fueling and maintaining the generator, no ng that it is necessary for the benefi ng residents to know what they are in for.

Olaore said: “We want to commend Governor Adeleke for running a people-centred government so far. We will like to ask to enjoin the Governor to be more transparent, especially on the borehole project. The governor should come out in details on the financial implica ons and how the procured generators will be fueled and maintained.”

In his comment, a resident of Owode-Ede area of the state, Samuel Olabiyi, berated the state government on the borehole project, saying it was shrouded in secrecy.

Olabiyi noted that the government has not come out clean on the amount expended on the project, saying that is not

expected from a Governor that rode on the peoples votes to power.

He said: “This borehole project is done in secrecy and it is not encouraging. How will the government claim to have done a project months ago without giving a proper account of it?

“We don’t know how much was expended on the boreholes. There was a rumour that each of the boreholes cost N14m and ll now, the government has not come up with the actual figure of the contract sum.”

In her view, Mrs Mariam Ademola, a member of Peoples Welfare League, Osogbo, said procurement of generators to power the boreholes was not ideal, especially with the hike in price of fuel.

Ademola noted that the sustainability of the project was not guaranteed especially with reports from some quarters that some of the boreholes were not funconing.

“I don’t think the state government had a deep thought before deciding on buying generators to power the boreholes. Who will be responsible for buying the fuel needed for the generators?

“Also, I have my fear for the overall maintenance of the project. We all know people’s a tude to maintaining government proper es and before you know it, some of the boreholes will be abandoned,” she said.

•Presentation of insecticide treated nets to Nafisat Azeez, at Áárómi area of Ilobu, Irepodùn Local Government, Yesterday.

Photo: Shola Aderinto

Albino Mulls Suicide Over Stigmatization, Poor Treatment From Father

Ismaeel

Uthman

•Mother Kicked Out Of House, Children Suffer Deprivation

the children and completely neglected them.

‘

THE sun and society are hos le to the albinos’, said Prof. Anezionwu Okoro, a dermatologist at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, in his ar cle tled ‘Albinism in Nigeria. A clinical and social study’. The statement summarises the agony and challenges of people with albinism in Nigeria.

Apart from the fact that albinos called afin in Yorubaland had to contend with health-related challenge, they also have to developed thick skin and emo onal balance to weed off inferiority complex as a result of s gma sa on and social discrimina on from some members of the public.

For Mariam Yusuf, a 13year-old female albino in Ilobu, Irepodun local government of the State of Osun, the sun and society are not hos le to her, her biological father could be described as epitome of hos lity against an albino. Mariam is currently undergoing trauma for being an albino, and this had made her to contemplate oncommi ng suicide.

The society, in her case is even helpful and providing support for an albino. But her father, Mr Yusuf is the harbinger of sorrow, discrimina on, s gma saon and unpleasant experience in her life. Mariam is not alone in the challenge, her nine-year old sister, Alimat Yusuf, was also suffering same fate. It is a case of total rejec on from their father. They are ba ling against discrimina on, stereotypes and psychological issues.

Mariam, in an emo on laden voice while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, said her father rejected both Alimat and her because they are albinos. According to her, their father ejected their mother from his house a er the birth of Alimat. His excuse, according to Mariam, was that albinism doesn’t run in their family, as none of his rela ves never had an albino.

She said: “My dad has been behaving badly to me. He does not even associate with me because I am an albino. My dad has refused to take any responsibility on me and my sister, Alimat, because he believes we are not his children. He claims he is not the one who gave birth to me because there has never been any albino in his lineage.

“My dad is ashamed of me and my sister. He doesn’t want people to see him with us. If any of his friends come to look for him, he won’t allow us to get close to him. It is that bad. It got to a point I wanted to commit suicide. The trauma was too much for me to bear. My dad has been trea ng me badly because I’m an albino.

“My sister and I have been surviving on our own. I hawk fufu for people, and some mes they give me six or four raps of fufu with N200. Some mes, we would have fufu but there won’t be any soup to eat it. There was a me we ate fufu with just groundnut oil. That’s how we have been surviving.

“Some mes, I would go to construc on site uninvited just to work as labourer for me to get money to eat. My face wasn’t like this before. The sunburns and other dark spots on my face showed up when I was hawking fufu and working at construc on sites.

“My mum has always been struggling to cater for us. She works as a labourer too. There was a me she had an accident and it became serious challenge for us. I am red of this suffering. I didn’t create myself.”

Mariam appealed to well meaning members of the public to come to their aid.

Her mum, Mrs Yusuf, could not complete a sentence without tears dropping from her eyes. She was full of emo on.

She told OSUN DEFENDER that her first child is not an albino, but could not ques on God for the two albinos given to her. Mrs Yusuf said she is a pious woman who doesn’t engage in infidelity.

According to the mother of three, her husband was a ‘normal person’ un l she gave birth to her second child, Mariam, who turn out to be an albino.

She said: “I got married to my husband in a normal way. My first child is not an albino. It is my second child, Mariam who is an albino; and that’s where all the problems started. He believes I cheated on him, and that is why I gave birth to an albino. He said no one in his family has ever had an albino. He refused to take responsibility on the child and even told the child to her face that he is not her father.

“However, the situa on became worse when I gave birth to our third child, Alimat who is also an albino. That is when he kicked us out of the house in the middle of the night. An aged woman accommodated us in the middle of the night. We spent four days at her house. On the fourth day, my husband called the grandma’s son and threatened him, so the grandma had no choice than to send us out of her house.

“Since then, it has been really hard for me and my children to survive because their father has completely neglected us.

“The problem started in 2010 when I gave birth to Mariam, but it got worse in 2014 with Alima’s. I was s ll carrying my youngest child, Alimat when their father angrily kicked us out. He claimed that there has never been anybody living with albinism in his family. He even used to say that a woman without a male child doesn’t deserve a place in her husband’s house. Consequently, he refused to take responsibility for

“I work as a labourer at construc on sites with my daughters. Some mes, I would collect payment in advance so that my children could eat. I even tried to withdraw my eldest child, who is now a Chrisan, from school because I couldn’t afford to sponsor her. It is a teacher in Osogbo that volunteered to sponsor her educa on. She just gained admission, but I haven’t been able to pay her school fees or provide her with accommoda on.”

Nine-year-old Alimat had already felt the pains of being an albino. In her conversa on with OSUN DEFENDER, she affirmed that her dad has never taken any responsibility on her because she is an albino. “It is only my mother that has been taken care of us; paying our school fees. My daddy has not been paying our school fees”, she declared.

Asked if she would go back to her father, Alimat said: “I can’t go back to our father because he has maltreated my mother.”

At her tender age, Alimat, a Primary 2 pupil, has been hawking fufu in Ilobu. “My mother is the only person bearing all the responsibility. She makes fufu and I help her to hawk. We are staying at our maternal grandfather’s house at Akinnu’s compound in Ilobu. I want people to help us”, she appealed.

Explaining how a family could come about an albino, a lecturer in the Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University, Mr Damilare Adeyemi, defined albinism as a gene c condi on or informa on that could be transferred from one genera on to the other.

Albinism, according to Adeyemi, is characterised by lack of pigment that is responsible for coloura on of the skin, hair and usually eyes.

He stated: “Albinism occurs as a result of defect to some of the genes that are responsible for the coloura on of these parts of the body. For instance, there is a protein or hormone responsible for the blackness of our skin, hair and other superficial parts of the body called Melanin. In albinism, there is either reduc on or total absence of melanin producon. Hormones or proteins are produced by genes in their specific cells meant for the produc on. Therefore, there could be a defect in the genes of the cells that are producing this substance, melanin, responsible for black coloura on of the body.

“So summarily, albinism is a gene c defect that might have existed in the heritable informa on of the family (from first genera on ll the present generaon) or a defect that occurs along the way of living which could be influenced by some of the factors I men oned above.

“Meanwhile, many condi ons or lifestyle pracces/exposure could result to this gene defect. Exposure to muta ng agents, toxins, chemicals, radia on and many other unknown factors could damage the genes present in the cells that are producing this hormone thereby compromising its func ons.”

Adeyemi explained further, “If a family that has no history of albinism born an albino, they should check themselves, where they are living, what they are eating, the water they are drinking. Their lifestyle, generally, could influence gene c altera ons but it’s not something that happens in the immediate. It would be something that has been occurring persistently over a period of me and eventually form gene c condi on.

“In fact, let me add this, as a researcher, we have come across situa ons whereby the requisite hormones/proteins needed for body func ons would be produced but there wouldn’t be enough receptors that would bind to it for readily usage. So, no one should blame or s gma ze anyone living with such condi ons.”

•Alimat

•The albinos and their mother

RTEAN, Ex-Osun PDP Scribe At Loggerhead Over Land Ownership

Ismaeel Uthman

THERE is a brewing land dispute between the Road Transport Employers Associa on of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Iree, Boripe local government and former Secretary of the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) in the State, Chief Yinka Adeojo.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Adeojo is laying claim to the ownership of the land on which member of the RTEAN are opera ng in Iree.

Adeojo, according to the RTEAN members, have asked them to vacate the land, a development that has been genera ng controversies.

RTEAN is also laying claim to the land which is beside Iree’s Post Office, sta ng that it was given to them by the local government in 2010.

The RTEAN said it got approval to make use of the piece of land 13 years ago via a le er made available to them by one A.O Fatoye which was dated May 19, 2011 and signed on behalf of the then chairman of the local government.

According to the Iree branch Chairman of the union, Sunday Adeosun, Adeojo had once laid claim to the ownership of the land around 2011/2012, forcing the union to take legal step on the matter.

Adeosun said the union won the court case at the Ikirun High court in Suit Number: HIK/4/2012.

However, Adeojo, according to Adeosun, has again come back to lay claim to the land.

He said: “To our surprise, Adeojo in connivance with leadership of Iree Progressive Associa on (IPA) came with another claim immediately the Supreme Court of Nigeria declared Governor Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke as the authen c winner of 2022 Osun gubernatorial elec on.

“They claimed that because there was a robbery incident in Iree that affected the two commercial banks in the town in 2021, we should no longer use the place as our motor park.

“Let us even assume that we consider the reasons given as plausible, which one poses security threat between our motor park that is 11 buildings away from the commercial banks and the Oluomo Shopping Complex where there are business en es including a filling sta on, salon, a car wash, a game center, laundry?

“Will it be possible for someone who is not our member to park his vehicle at our motor park without being ques oned? The answer is ‘no’.

“We know that Governor Adeleke will not allow injus ce because some of our members are already of a considered opinion that Chief Adeojo is planning to

get what the court denied him through the backdoor. We have more than 100 members and so many lives are a ached to ours for livelihood.

“We urge the governor to cau on the local government officials and others who are planning to send us packing ostensibly at the instance of those interested in the piece of land, which is even a setback”

“We are law abiding cizens, we are not par sans, we believe in the administraon of Governor Adeleke and we will con nually pray for the success of his administraon.”

Dismissing the claim of the RTEAN, Adeojo said the it was Boripe local government that requested that the union should vacate the land, stating that he as an individual did not give any direc ve.

According to Adeojo, the vaca on request was part of the condi ons for resumpon of opera ons of the two banks which were robbed last year.

He said: “I did not issue out any direc ve to the union; it was Boripe local government that sent letter to them, reques ng that they should vacate the place for economic development of the town.

“The truth is that, we stakeholders in Iree communi es met the managements of the two banks which were robbed last year. They requested that, as part of the condi ons to resume opera ons, the car wash near the banks and the motor park of the RTEAN should be relocated.

“The Iree Progressive Associa on called a meet-

ing of extended stakeholders, including police, civil defence, the transport unions and others. We all agreed to make the relocaon and we signed Memorandum of Understanding.

“I don’t know why the union members are trying to blackmail me. It is a community ma er and the local government is the one that wrote them to vacate the place.”

In a statement made available to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, the Iree Progressives Associa on warned the RTEAN members not to poli cise a community ma er, saying that their ac ons so far on the land issue amounted to deliberate falsifica on and manipula on of facts and cheap blackmail.

The IPA, in a statement signed by the President, Aare Oluwole Taiwo, and Secretary, Bayo Afolabi, Esq affirmed that the land being occupied by the union is a setback given to Adeojo by Aree in council.

The community associa on said the reloca on of the motor park was necessary to bring back the commercial banks.

Tough Economic Decisions: Between Work On N24bn Osogbo-IwoIbadan Road Suspended

Yusuf Oketola

WORK has been suspended at the State of Osun secon of the 91-kilometre Osogbo-Iwo-Ibadan road reconstruc on project.

However, work is going on the Oyo State sec on of the road, although at a slow pace.

It would be recalled that governments of the two states flagged off the road’s rehabilita on on October 28, 2022 at Dele-YesSir area of Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun.

The road was expected to be completed in 18 months.

The cost of the 55km Osun sec on of the road was put at N11.3bn while Oyo axis which is 36km was awarded at the cost of N12.5 billion.

Checks by OSUN DEFENDER showed that work on the Osun sec on had stopped for about five months.

It was gathered that former governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administra on paid 30 per cent of the contract sum before its exit on November 27 last year.

OSUN DEFENDER observed that preliminary work was ongoing on the Oyo State sec on from IwoRoad, Ibadan en route Iyana-Church, Olodo, LaluponEjioku to Erunmu axis.

Stone-based works have

been done around Foodco, Vanguard, Monatan, Owu Crown, 7up, Iyana Church, Olodo, Ejioku, Lalupon and parts of the road.

Also, it was observed that drainages, culverts and kerbs have been laid in major parts of the flood-prone axis.

Addi onally, atlan c carpet, a 6-by-4 cover, is also been worked on at Olodo, to prevent flooding which had always been a problem with the por on of the road.

Reac ng on the slow pace of work, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, blamed it on heavy rains.

Olanrewaju dismissed insinua ons that work was slow on the road because of paucity of fund.

He said although the road is a Trunk A, Governors Makinde and Ademola Adeleke were commi ed to seeing it through within the shortest possible me.

The governor’s spokesman appealed to motorists to exercise pa ence as pallia ve works were on to ease the challenges they face plying the route.

Olanrewaju said: “I just want to plead with our people to please exercise some pa ence. Later in the year, hopefully, by September or October, work will resume and before long, that project will be com-

pleted.

“That the project will be abandoned is not an op on for Governor Seyi Makinde. The governor, just like his counterpart in Osun State is concerned about what will benefit the people of the state.”

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has, however, pleaded with the State of Osun government to complete its own sec on of the road.

Oba Akanbi advised that poli cs should not cause work on the project to be stopped.

The monarch said: “Work has stopped on the road, I don’t know what happened. I have mobilised my subjects to return to the road as we use to do before for repair but it is not enough. The por on of the boundary with Oyo State is worst.

“I want to plead with the government to ensure that they complete the road, they should not use poli cs to stop the road rehabilita on.

“Iwo is the most marginalised community in the whole of Osun State because nothing is coming here at all; nobody is trying to help us. It is like we are being dealt with inten onally. I don’t know why. But it seems we are just unlucky and nobody wants to do anything for us.”

•Continued from page 3

unrest in France. Demonstra ons and protests began in major French ci es. Protest waves were accompanied by violent suppression efforts from the French authori es. Demonstrators united around the problems of a just country, a conserva sm of the university system, increased unemployment, and market globaliza on. Ques ons bothering the new genera on included the American army’s presence in Vietnam in 1968, the limited scope of acons for the universi es in France, racial segregaon, etc. The civil unrest that started in Paris quickly spread to other provinces of France. Ten million people rebelled. The metro stopped in Paris. Airports were closed. Ships with red flags appeared on the coast of France, and railway and sea traffic were disrupted. Big ci es were in danger of starva on.

Charles de Gaulle’s answer to the protest was simple: yes to reforms, no to chaos. The general appointed snap parliamentary elec ons. The French preferred peace to revoluon, and de Gaulle won once again.

Tinubu is facing something similar to the aforemen oned and like De Gaulle, the ini al pains will definitely give way

to long-las ng gains, especially in the area of the economy.

I conclude with the eternal words of O o Von Bismarck, the former German Chancellor which is the Locus Classicus for strong leadership for the ul mate common good.

“The posi on of Prussia in Germany will not be determined by its liberalism but by its power [...] Prussia must concentrate its strength and hold it for the favourable moment, which has already come and gone several mes. Since the trea es of Vienna, our froners have been ill-designed for a healthy body poli c. Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great ques ons of the day be decided—that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849—but by iron and blood”.

Bringing it closer home, the iron and blood of the subsidy removal will be felt in the nearest future in the form of gargantuan gains in the best interest of the economy and polity.

For the courage to yank off subsidy which his predecessor lacked the courage to do never mind the gibberish u ered by Garba Shehu is the sign that indeed a Daniel has come to judgement.

•Dilapidated Road at Laaro Area of Ilobu In Irepodùn Local Government area of Osun State.

Photo: Shola Aderinto

•Tony Ademiluyi is a Journalist and Writer based in Lagos. He is the CEO of Buzz Times Media and can be reached on anthonyademiluyi@ yahoo.com and +2348167677075

Sevilla Faces €90M Debts, Put Entire Squad On Transfer Market

SEVILLA have made their en re first team squad available on the transfer market due to financial issues ahead of next season, it has been reported.

A er a disappoin ng season in La Liga where the club flirted with relega on at mes, the campaign ended on an immense high for Sevilla as the club secured their seventh Europa League tle. They defeated Jose Mourinho’s Roma on penal es back in May.

It was a win which should have meant Los Nervionens-

es and their fanbase looked ahead to Champions League football next season, with the aim of progressing and developing the squad.

However, a new report claims that the reality of the situa on is a stark contrast to the hope and posi vity they should be feeling, with alarming claims made over the state of the club’s finances just weeks a er the season concluded.

According to Radio MARCA’s Pedro Pablo Parrado, club president Pepe Castro in-

formed Sevilla boss, José Luis Mendilibar, that the club had fallen into €90million worth of debts.

The report claims that, as a result, every single member of the Europa League-winning squad had been declared ‘transferable’ during the summer transfer window.

The report went on to state that the Spanish club ‘need’ to sell in order to solve their financial issues and that ‘one or two’ major exits would not be enough to solve the problems.

Barcelona Sign Martinez From Bilbao

SEVILLA have made their en re first team squad available on the transfer market due to financial issues ahead of next season, it has been reported.

A er a disappoin ng season in La Liga where the club flirted with relegaon at mes, the campaign ended on an immense high for Sevilla as the club secured their seventh Europa League tle. They defeated Jose Mourinho’s Roma on penal es back in May.

It was a win which should have meant Los Nervionenses and their fanbase looked ahead to Champions League football next season, with the aim

of progressing and developing the squad.

However, a new report claims that the reality of the

situa on is a stark contrast to the hope and posi vity they should be feeling, with alarming claims made over

Major names such as Youssef En-Nesyri, Yassine Bounou and Lucas Ocampos are listed as the first players who could be sold, with the la er already being linked with a move to Premier League side Fulham.

The club have reportedly contacted clubs all across Europe, with specific reference to Manchester United, the side they beat on their way to the European triumph, in a bid to accelerate the rate in which they can offload their talents.

PSG Issues Warning To Mbappe Over New Contract

FRENCH football powerhouse, Paris Saint-Germain, have issued a warning to their striker, Kylian Mbappe.

PSG reiterated that Mbappe must sign a new contract or risk being sold this summer.

Last month, Mbappe wrote a le er to the Ligue 1 champions, making it clear he won’t extend his deal beyond June 2024.

This means that if PSG don’t sell him before next season, they risk losing the France forward on a free trans-

fer.

But the club’s president, Nasser AlKhelaifi, speaking on Wednesday, stated that Mbappe will not be allowed to run down his deal.

“We do not want him to leave for free in 2024. Our posi on is clear. If Kylian wants to stay, we want him to stay.

“But he needs to sign a new contract. We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free. It’s impossible,” Al-Khelaifi said.

3.6m Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets Distribution Starts In Osun

DISTRIBUTION of the 3.6m Inseccide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs) has commenced yesterday across local governments in the State of Osun.

The ITNs will be distributed to households in the state between July 6 and 17, 2023.

Speaking during the official flag-off of the net distribu on held at the State Secretariat, Abere, on Wednesday, the State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, admonished residents to collect and use the nets as a matter of necessity, urging them to make themselves available during the exercise.

Adeleke who was represented by his deputy, Prince Kola Adewusi, noted that malaria remains one of the foremost killers of children worldwide, adding that his administra on was ready to deepen ac vi es to reverse the trend.

He said: “Malaria remains one of the foremost killers of children worldwide. Osun State

under our watch is ready to deepen ac vi es to reverse this trend.

“We, therefore, welcome every support towards malaria control in our State. We have the poli cal will and commitment.

“We will con nue to judiciously u lise resources we receive and to complement them with resources of our own. Our team are commi ed professionals who are delivering on the mandate.”

Earlier in the campaign team advocacy visit to the Governor on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Engineer Funsho Adebiyi, sought the assistance of the state government in co-financing the control of malaria in the state.

Adebiyi who was represented by Mr Chukwu Okworonko, stated that the state needed to provide 15 per cent of the total fund support which amounts to N266m annually.

He appealed to the state governor to ensure that residents of the state do not only collect the net but also ensure its proper

usage. He said: “We need your support. We requested that there should be a co-financing from the state government and that co-financing is about 15 per cent of the total grant money including the cost of these ac vi es.”

The Net Ambassador for the state, Chief Mrs Ti lola Adeleke, promised to mobilize all the Net Advocates in the local government areas who will in turn mobilise the people at the grassroots to collect the nets.

“I am delighted to stand in your midst as the Net Ambassador for Osun State. I promise to use different channels and resources to disseminate messages on the use of the insec cide mosquito nets to ensure that families protect themselves from mosquito bites by sleeping inside the nets every night.

“I urge you the people of Osun State to make yourselves available at home, provide correct informa on to the mobilisers and distributors, be

registered and given nets,” she stated.

The Campaign Manager for the distribu on, John Ocholi, urged the beneficiaries to spread the net under shade for 24 hours before using, adding that they were safe and effec ve to protect all members of the family from mosquito bites which transmit the parasite that causes malaria.

In their separate remarks, Dr Emma Obi of Catholic Relief Services and Dr Anthony Nwala, Assistant Chief Programme

Quality Officer of Society for Family Health called on residents to ensure they use the insec cide treated nets a er collec on, saying its health benefits cannot be underes mated.

Speaking with the medium, one of the beneficiaries in Iwo, State of Osun, on Thursday, Alhaja Ganiyu Lateefat, appreciated the donor for their gesture, promising to make proper use of the nets.

A resident of Kuta in the Ayedire local government of the State, Sodiq Adebanjo, noted that he was also a beneficiary during the last exercise, adding that he had not been treated for malaria since he started sleeping inside the mosquito net.

TAIWO ZACCHEAUS OLUKAYODE

That I was formerly known and addressed as TAIWO ZACCHAEUS OLUKAYODE, now wish to be known and addressed as TAIWO ZACCHEAUS OLUKAYODE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Kazeem Badmus

HOW is Osun faring? Compare and contrast June 2011 and June 2023.

In June 2023, the Ademola Adeleke government clocked six months. In June 2011, the Rauf Aregbesola government — the one he dubbed “government unusual” — had reached that same threshold, a er assuming office on 27 November 2010.

In those first 100 days, Aregbesola had delivered OYES — Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme — his government’s volunteer scheme to put graduate and non-graduate youths to work; and give Osun’s sleepy economy a wake-up jab.

OYES rolled out 20, 000 youth volunteer jobs in 98 days. But OYES was only the flagship for other development policies and programmes:

— O’Meal: free school daily feeding for the first four years in public schools.

— O’School: the most comprehensive moderniza on of public educaon infrastructure (school buildings, atmospherics and teachers’ re-tool) in Osun history.

— O’Ambulance: a free and ready public ambulance service, for emergency auto crashes; and to offer support medical care for Osun’s poor, frail and helpless elders.

— Agba Osun: an old age health and welfare scheme for the poorest of Osun elders, scien fically picked, with a monthly s pend of N10, 000.

Then, an integrated road-bridgecanal system, urban and rural, that boosted the economy and salvaged the environment.

From OYES came the World Bank’s YESSO: Youth Empowerment and Social Support Opera on.

YESSO would birth the Nigerian Social Register (from which the Muhammadu Buhari government paid N5, 000 to Nigeria’s poorest na onwide, under its condi onal cash transfer (CCT) programme. The World Bank also used that register to extend US$ 800 million to fund Nigeria’s post-subsidy pallia ve payments to the poorest of the poor.

OYES would also preface the NPower na onal graduate volunteer job scheme, with its ini al 500,000 beneficiaries bigger than the federal civil service (then put at 88, 000).

Much of these are captured in Ogbeni: The Osun Renaissance Years, a book on that era (by yours truly) that should be out before this year runs out.

That was Osun 12 years ago. But

PERSPECTIVE

Osun On The Move Again!

cket, to win the Osun West senatorial seat; and come back in 2018 to contest the governorship against APC’s Gboyega Oyetola, amidst a clangorous Osun West clamour: Oyetola was from Osun Central.

Though Oyetola would win with a wafer-thin margin a er a run-off, that elec on badly splintered the Osun APC.

Many of its leading lights from Osun West (most notably, the Shehu: Alhaji Moshood Adeo , from the Iwo progressives bas on) rebelled to push for personal glory.

a ves that the APC ousted, a er threeand-a-half years of crunchy legal challenge — aside the blood and gore that drenched the 2007 heist, which President Olusegun Obasanjo then dubbed “do-or-die.”

In the ensuing war of a ri on, the Oyetola government lost the potent social capital — from the poor-friendly developmental policies — that fetched the Osun progressives 12 uninterrupted years in power.

now — June 2023?

Unlike the developmental cla er all through Aregbesola’s first six months, drawing study visits from all over Nigeria, what defines the evolving Adeleke era?

The governor and a former senator, trying each other out for space, at the Osogbo Eid prayer, during the 2023 Ileya (Eid-el-Kabir) Muslim fes val! What a sink!

Former Senator Ajibola Basiru, PhD, was Aregbesola’s A orney General and Jus ce Commissioner. His ministry gave teeth to that era’s developmentfriendly policies.

Governor Ademola Adeleke was an opportunist senator, on account of the sudden death of his be er-known brother, a former senator too and Osun’s first elected governor (January 1992-November 1993): Isiaka Adeleke, aka Serubawon.

Adeleke’s willy-nilly insistence to replace his dead elder brother, within Aregbesola’s APC on which cket Serubawon was elected senator (though a la er-day defector from PDP), created the first succession chink of the Aregbesola era.

Adeleke would go ahead, on PDP

Osun APC hardly ever recovered. The Osun Progressives debacle was born!

On his own, Governor Adeleke (with all due respect to his high office) was never a perceived serious figure, beyond inherited family privileges.

“Ade Dancer”, his dismissive and irreverent moniker, all but says it all. So, hardly anyone expects the world from his government — in any case, not when compared with the policy Olympus of the Ogbeni years; or even the more placid Oyetola era.

But dancer or no dancer, Adeleke would hand Governor Oyetola a hat trick of electoral thrashing, star ng with Oyetola’s gubernatorial ouster, though that was a close race.

But as si ng governor, PDP’s Adeleke would inflict a severe doublewhammy: first, in the 2023 presidenal elec on: APC’s Bola Tinubu lost to PDP’s A ku Abubakar — the first APC candidate’s loss in Osun, since the 2010 progressives’ take-over.

Then, in the state legislature elecon: Adeleke wiped out the APC Osun legislature presence: from 23 seats to a solitary one, in a 26-seat assembly! In this terrible hat trick, each follow-up drubbing was more hideous than the previous one.

Enter, the Osun progressives meltdown, perhaps even more severe than the 2003 Alliance for Democracy (AD) fiasco — which the defunct Ac on Congress (AC) stepped in to correct and erase from 2007, though a blind PDP vote-steal wouldn’t allow a reclaim of power ll November 2010!

Why the debacle, though?

Oyetola, all through his four years, benchmarked himself against a government in which he was Chief of Staff; and not against the Osun PDP conserv-

Ogbeni himself blundered into an unfortunate verbal a ack on his longterm mentor, President Bola Tinubu — a tragic brawl that pitched hitherto beloved ideological son against a no less do ng ideological father.

That a ack has risked, for Ogbeni, isola on from his progressives family. The Yoruba progressives aren’t the most forgiving, once they are charged!

Yet, for Osun, that’s a clear path to perdi on: those who screech for blood lack street value. Those whose blood they crave are undisputed champions of the street!

It’s a peculiar mess that could well doom the Osun progressives to perennial future electoral slaughter — except, of course, more clinical minds break this cycle of happygo-merry mutual destruc on, on a lightning-fast emo ve lane.

While the gladiators will sort selves out, it’s paradise lost for the Osun masses.

In November 2018, Osun placed second (behind Yobe) in SOML — Save One Million Lives Programme for Result (SOML-P-for-R), a World Bank-Federal Government na onal public health contest, on child health and maternity care. The state won US$ 20 million as prize, to further invest in its public hospitals.

In March 2020, Akintade Abdullahi, a product of the Aregbesolaera mega model public schools, was Nigeria’s best schoolboy scien st, earning a university scholarship up to PhD, as his win.

Will Osun ever repeat such feats — as Nigeria’s best schoolboy scien st — with the humdrum of governor and senator brawling over si ng spaces at Eid?

Osun ronu — think!

“Oyetola, all through his four years, benchmarked himself against a government in which he was Chief of Staff; and not against the Osun PDP conservatives that the APC ousted, after three-and-a-half years of crunchy legal challenge — aside the blood and gore that drenched the 2007 heist, which President Olusegun Obasanjo then dubbed “do-or-die”

“It’s a peculiar mess that could well doom the Osun progressives to perennial future electoral slaughter — except, of course, more clinical minds break this cycle of happy-gomerry mutual destruction, on a lightning-fast emotive lane.”