Osun Defender Online Version of June 7, 2024

Oyetola Abandoned 80% Infrastructural Projects - Adeleke

OSUN State Gover-

nor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has claimed that his administra on inherited more than 80 per cent infrastructural deficit from the immediate-past administra on of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

Adeleke made the disclosure at a programme organised by the Osun Development Associa on in Lagos recently.

The Governor who was represented by the Group Managing Director, Odua Investment Company Limited, Chief Lai Orilowo, said that he worked assiduously to solve the infrastructure problem, which is yielding posi ve results.

He noted that almost all the projects not completed by his predecessor had been completed.

Adeleke said he had also ended the regime of “half salary” for workers, no ng that workers and pensioners are being paid as and when due.

He said: “We are paying

•You Are Running A Govt Of Falsehood – APC Tells Governor

back the diverted contributory pensions of our senior ci zens. Our pensioners are registered for health insurance scheme with the state paying the bills.

“We have reformed the public service and have ensured regular payment of salaries and promo on arrears.

“In Osun, there is a

nexus between the formal and informal workforce. So, taking care of public servants boosts, enlivens and strengthens the informal workforce in the state.”

Mr Owolafe Nicholas, President, National Association of French Teachers, Osun State Chapter (NAFT), Mrs Gbenro Olagunju and Mr Adekanye Ayinde presenting ambassadorial award to the student of Our Lady of St Francis Catholic College, (OSCCO) Sangolade Stephen as the best French Speaking student in the State at this year Francophone Day Photo Shola Aderinto

Adeleke added that the comple on of all inherited projects was in line with the commitment of his administra on to ensure accelerated development of

Politicians Using Thugs Responsible For Security Threats In Osun, NigeriaAmotekun Commandant

THE Commandant, Osun Amotekun Corps, Brig. Gen Bashir Adewinbi, has asserted that it will be difficult to combat insecurity as long as poli cians con nue to use thugs for elec ons.

Adewinbi noted that the thugs being used for elec ons by poli cal pares are the ones terrorising communi es, states and the country at large.

Bu ressing his asseron, Adewinbi stated that whenever a thug or some thugs are arrested, policians will intervene and influence their release.

The Commandant spoke with OSUN DEFENDER recently when the medium sought for his reac on on the reported prevailing extor on, harassment, daylight robbery and abduc on of residents of Osogbo, Osun State capital, by hoodlums.

Adewinbi said: There are so many thugs in Osun now; all the thugs used for elec ons, both le and right, there is nothing for them again. The only thing they (thugs) think of doing is to go to town to commit any crime; they believe they have the backing of some poli cians, and that is the reality of it.

“They have the backing of some poli cians, and when they are arrested, you see people calling here and there to seek for their release. This is the challenge we are facing;

•Advocates Banning Of Political Parties That Use Hoodlums

undue poli cal interference in security system. This is greatly cons tu ng to insecurity. “Is it compulsory to use thugs for elec ons?

Is it part of the electoral system? We need to take hard decision at the high-

About 50,000 People Living With HIV In Osun – O’SACA

•Agency Distributes HIV Prevention Tools

THE Osun State Agency for the Control of AIDS (O’SACA) has disclosed that about 50,000 residents of the state are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Of the 50,000 HIV paents, only 28,000 of them are already receiving treatment, according to the agency.

Speaking at the distribu on of HIV preven on tools to stakeholders in Osogbo, on Tuesday, the Execu ve Secretary of

O’SACA, Dr. Adeniyi Oginni, urged residents of the state living with HIV to come out for tests in order to receive adequate treatment.

Oginni said the HIV preven on tool is part of efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

He noted that the distribu on of the commodi es to all the 31 Local Agency for the Control of AIDS (Laca Managers), Network of People Living with AIDS (NEPWHAN), Implementing partners, CBOs working on HIV, Civil Society working on HIV/AIDS (CiSHAN)

and some ART clinics in the state, was part of efforts of governor Ademola Adeleke to stop further spread of the disease.

According to Oginni, “Available sta s cs show that the prevalence of HIV in Osun state is 0.9%. With an es mated popula on of 5.2 million people, this translates to about 50,000 persons living with the virus in the state.

“Twenty-eight thousands of them are already on treatment for HIV. There are s ll so many that have not come out to be tested. What we are saying is to

•Continued on page 4

est level to address this, so that everybody will be safe.

“Some thugs are imported, and they will not go back a er coming in. They will be influencing the ones within, conniving with them to commit all sorts of crime. Is it compulsory to use thugs during the conduct of elecon? Can’t we blacklist any party that uses thugs for elec on? Is it not possible, if we are really serious with security in this country? Na onal Assembly should look at that and start taking step for hard decisions to combat insecurity in this country.

“We have to just close our eyes and do the right thing. They (thugs) will soon be a acking us (the rich people in Nigeria). They will not know who is who again. The best thing is to close them up. No poli cal party should use thugs for elec on. Any poli cal party that uses thugs should be blacklisted for 10 years. Everybody will sit up. Let us try it. There is nothing impossible in Nigeria. Let us eradicate thuggery.

“Thugs are now making big money; They see thuggery as a business. Some hoodlums will gather and declare that they are in charge of a par cular area; they are doing that because they have the backing of some people. That is not the way to go.”

the state.

“We live it and act it. I retained all contractors inherited from my predecessor; none of those contracts was terminated. No contractor was fired. My only insistence was that they must deliver on what they signed with the state.

“I am also comple ng most of the abandoned projects inherited from my predecessor. The IkirunOsogbo dualisa on is completed and I am going to complete the road up to the border with Kwara.

“The Osogbo Ring Road is being completed, while the Osogbo-Iwo road is ongoing”, he stated.

Responding to the Governor’s claim, Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), accused Adeleke of running his administra on with falsehood.

Chairman of the APC in the State, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Informa on, Chief Kola Olabisi, asked Adeleke to state things as they are without necessarily resor ng to fabrica on of lies.

Lawal reminded Adeleke that his immediate predecessor, Oyetola, never reneged in paying the full salaries of the government workers throughout his tenure of four years.

The state APC chairman challenged Adeleke to be a man and truthful enough to disclose that it was Oyetola’s predecessor who incurred the half salary regime which affected only 25 per cent of the state government workforce.

He explained that workers on levels one to six cons tu ng 75 per cent of the workforce were collec ng full salaries, while those on levels seven upward were the ones affected by the modulated salary during the Aregbesola’s administra on.

Lawal said: “One would have thought that Governor Adeleke would have disclosed to his Osun Development Associa on’s event audience that his administra on had collected more than N300 billion Federal Government’s alloca ons since the incep on of his 18 months’ government which is far more than what exGovernor Oyetola collected in his four-year tenure.

“We consider the disclosure of Governor Adeleke at the Osun Development Associa on’s event that his administra on has been paying promo on arrears as another fallacious statement spewed to score an unmerited poli cal point as this is far from what is obtainable.”

Yusuf Oketola

Ismaeel Uthman Kazeem Badmus

Reworking A Debacle

THE process through which we have tortuously gone through the process of negoa on of a new minimum wage has in no way deified this country called Nigeria. On the contrary, it confirms a percep on of a dysfunc onal state. Amidst the uncertainty, we have gone from “tragedy into farce.”

In naviga ng a way out of the imbroglio, circumspec on is needed, using words such as “saboteurs” is provoca ve and uncalled for. We have to look for a way out and answer the ques on “what is to be done?”.

For a start, the actors in the poli cal economy must see the issue of a minimum wage as a trajectory for the economy as a whole. Purchasing power is too low, resul ng in unsold goods and services which is already resul ng in massive layoffs in the manufacturing sector, as well as companies leaving the country.

This is not surprising; for sustainable development requires a cri cal mass of millions of consumers empowered with a living wage in order to have the purchasing power to keep producon moving, leading to shared prosperity. This is the tried and tested route.

The o en cited example is the decision in 1957 of the regional government of Nigeria’ Western Region to pay a minimum wage 18% more than that of the federal government and 23% more than the Eastern and the Northern region. At first glance, it looked like economic suicide, on the contrary, it turned out to be an astute investment drive.

“The

process must now be speedily concluded based on the provision of a living wage and expanded access to education, health insurance and pensions”

With bigger purchasing power parity on offer, the Western Region a racted investments which would have gone elsewhere. It is a cau onary tale as well as a salutary example.

Part of the problem is that a significant part of the poli cal establishment s ll see the economy from the perspec ve of low skills and low wages, this is destruc ve for such an economic format will never be compe ve in a globalised world.

The process must now be speedily concluded based on the provision of a living wage and expanded access to educa on, health insurance and pensions. There is no alterna ve if the country is to build a sustainable and compe ve economy. Frankly, it in no way shows a commitment to the quest for sustainable development if this country is paying below $100 as its minimum wage; the inky kind of investments we will be attrac ng we will be hot money and vulture capitalists. The discussion must now be wider.

We must not mix up the issues. We have a cost-of-living crisis as well as “growth without development”, they are separate issues but interwoven, a mul -pronged approach is impera ve. The current adversity should present the opportunity for a reboot.

The

Discourse

The Democratic Get-Together

WHAT is the founda on of Democracy and its basic assumpons? Simple: that the wishes of the majority should prevail. What are the wishes and common interests of the majority? Not far-fetched at all - a roof over the head, clothes on the body, food on the table, educa on for children, good roads, access to health services and security to life and property. Freedom caps it all: freedoms of expression, movement, associa on, believe; which are rights equally accessible to all across gender, cultural, religious and poli cal divides.

Democracy is, therefore, not an end in itself. It is a means to achieving those stated ends. It is why Democracy as a method of government is hailed as the best form of government on earth because of the goals, not because of the name. Democracy, however, does not operate itself, human beings operate it. Whether democracy works or not is, therefore, not the fault or favour of democracy, it is kudos or knocks to its operators.

Who are then the best sets of humans to operate Democracy? They are called Democrats - those who believe in Democracy. So, before you judge the successes or failings of democracy anywhere, ask yourself, is it being operated there by democrats? If not, why do we expect that devils can deliver heaven? It is like handing over an independent country to colonial masters to run and expec ng the prosperity of the na ves. How best do lions know as to taking care of lambs?

Fundamentally and personally, there is the need to ask ourselves “how much of a democrat am I”? Every good thing in the world begins with one person thinking it out and pu ng it into ac on. Considering the goals of democracy outlined in the opening paragraph, measure yourself on the democra c scale by simply judging how commi ed you are, in thought, disposi on and especially in ac on to the collec ve good and the prosperity of the majority - not just yourselves and your clique. That is how much of a democrat you are.

Democracy is battered when people

“Fundamen-

tally and personally, there is the need to ask ourselves “how much of a democrat am I”? Every good thing in the world begins with one person thinking it out and putting it into action”

who would rather run a slave camp hide behind its fancy name to pursue selfserving ends. Nondemocrats come in several categories and are usually successful behind their masks and decep ve make-ups. However, they generally do not believe in the universal equality of all cizens before the law, nor do they believe in separa on of powers between execu ves, legislators and judiciary. For them, the execu ve is almighty and the other two arms are to be manipulated, punished or rewarded to the degree of their compliance. Non-democrats in those other arms too (legislatures and judiciary) understand very well, and make successful careers out of “compliance” by scheming to eventually get to execu ve posi ons. Non-democrats would have you know that they can guarantee “freedom of speech, but not freedom a er speech”! If you feel it is a man’s world and that every man should be for himself and God should be for us all, you will make a poor democrat indeed.

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 – Olushola Aderinto

Computer Graphics – Zainab Olalere

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.

Unfortunately, because of our long years under feudalism, colonialism and military rule, the majority of Nigerians, young and old, men and women, are nondemocrats. They would rather lord it over others and have their ways and ends - woe be unto others! It is when these ordinary undemocra c Nigerians get to leadership of any organiza on that you now see the trait. Unfortunately too, only democrats can come together and form poli cal pares commi ed to democracy and make a success of running governments in a democracy. Their poli cal par es will be different only as per strategies and tac cs for achieving democra c dividends, conserva vely or progressively. It should be clear what is to be done - a democrats’ gettogether within all organiza ons, instu ons, poli cal pares; to rescue the organiza ons, instu ons, democracy and governance, and more importantly, to rescue the naon from clear and present danger of implosion.

Jide Afolabi

Bring Back Osun Armoured Personnel Carriers, Group Tells Adeleke

ACivil Society group, Centre for Social Jus ce and Public Protec on (CSJPP), has tasked Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to bring the Armoured Personnel Carriers procured by the administra on of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, back to ac ve service.

The group expressed worry that none of the APCs was working as of the me of a press statement signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Akin Akanji which was made available to OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday.

According to the group, the APCs have been grounded since the administra on of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola, while Adeleke has not also shown any move to make the security vehicles opera onal.

The group chided the state government, security agencies and other stakeholders for allowing the contractor handling the Oke-Fia/ Lameco road to dig a drainage around the APC sta oned in front of the Government House without moving it from the spot.

OSUN DEFENDER visited the area on Wednesday, and it was observed that the APC has been rendered immovable, because of the drainage dug in front of it.

The ac on and inacon of the state government on the APC in front of the Government House, according to the group, has shown that the Adeleke administra on did not take security ma ers seriously.

CSJPP noted that even if the APC was not func oning, the government should have moved it away instead of allowing the digging of a drainage in front of it.

The group urged the state government to take the security of the state as priority, adding that it should provide more equipment for security agencies to fight crime.

“We want to call the a en on of the state government to an embarrassing scene at the front of the government house where one of the Armoured Personnel Carriers procured during the administra on of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was sta oned.

“It is unfortunate that the contractor

handling the Oke-Fia/ Lameco road could dig and also dump a heap of sand in front of the APC, thereby obstructing its movement from the spot.

“It is more saddened that the number one ci zen of the state and his cabinet members, as well as stakeholders, are seeing this almost on a daily basis and they could not see anything wrong with it.

“Our security agencies lack adequate vehicles and equipment to fight crime and, unfortunately, this administraon is not managing the ones on ground well, just like the administra on of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

“As a group, we want to appeal to Governor Ademola Adeleke to make the APCs operaonal to enhance security of lives and properes.

When contacted for reac on, the Special Adviser on Security, Barr. Samuel Ojo, in a terse text message, said: “We

are doing something about them.”

It would be recalled that the former two-term governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola

has part of his administra on’s effort to migate crime, procured 25 sophis cated Armoured Personnel Carriers, and 125 patrol vehicles.

The move paid off as Osun was rated the most peaceful state during his me as the governor.

However, since his exit in office, the where-

abouts of some of the APCs are not known whole some of them are faulty and abandoned by the Oyetola’s administra on.

Why There’s Food Price Inflation In Osun - Traders

•Cite Bribery Of Security Agents, Hike In Fuel, Fertiliser Prices, Others

TRADERS in Osun State have reported that bribery of security opera ves, hike in fer lizer and fuel prices are some of the factors responsible for the infla on in food and commodity prices in the state.

The traders, during a fact-finding survey conducted by the Federal Compe on and Consumer Protec on Commission (FCCPC) in Osun, said they could not extort residents of the state by arbitrarily infla ng food and commodity prices.

The officials of the FCCPC inspected markets in Ayedaade and Orolu Local Government Areas of the state last Friday.

Speaking at the market, the FCCPC SouthWest Zonal Coordinator, Mrs Janet Odo, explained that the visit was to interact with traders’ associa ons and marketers to ascertain factors responsible for the con nuous hike in food prices in the country.

According to Odo, the commission is commi ed to gathering all relevant informa on to present a comprehensive report to the Feder-

al Government, adding that the report would serve as a basis for formula ng policies in the areas of compe on and consumer protecon.

She stated that findings by the commission revealed that there

were conspiracies on the part of the market associa ons and unions across markets in Nigeria, thereby contribu ng to the price surge.

She said: “We are here in Gbongan market, boundary between Oyo and Osun states. FCCPC

About 50,000 People Living With ...

•Continued from Page 2

let people come out to be tested. If you know your status, you will start treatment immediately and you will get to a level where you are no longer a threat to yourself or the community.

“Right now, the Anretroviral Therapy medicine being used can get to a level where the virus can no longer destroy the immune system and can no longer transmit to another person.

“As part of the efforts of the state government to enhance preven on of the disease and a step towards achieving ownership of the HIV response for sustainability in the state, His Excellency, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke approved the procurement of preven on tools and test kits by the State Agency for the Control of AIDS (O’SACA).

“We distributed preven on commodi es

geared towards the preven on of transmission of HIV infec on from one person to another. These tools include condoms that prevent transmission during sexual ac vi es, lancets that are used to do the test, and gloves that we use to protect individuals from biohazards sacks.

“They also include sharp boxes that are used to destroy any sharp instrument that has been used on clients in the community. There are medical consumables like methylated spirit, co on wool and biomedical waste.

“The aim is to prevent further spread of HIV. Governor Ademola Adeleke gave us approval to procure the equipment as a mark of commitment.

“We hope that this will go a long way in moving the state towards achieving the goal of zero new infec ons and contribute to the global goal of ending HIV and AIDS by the year 2030.”

has been engaging in a fact-finding mission to understand why there is high cost of food commodi es in the market.

“We are in the Gbongan market to carry out our fact-finding mission to interact directly with those in the food shape, especially distributors, wholesalers, and retailers to gather our facts as to why there is a hike in food commodi es at this par cular me.

“This is a survey that is going on across the country, we collate our facts and send them down to serve as points of advising the Federal Government.

“Sec on 17b of our mandate says we should gather facts, review them, and from the facts advise the government on the policies that have to do with compe on and consumer protecon.

“From our surveillance, there has been a purportedly conspiracy in the market, price indulging carried out by associa ons and unions, which is why there is an escalaon in food prices.

“As for what we gathered from market execuves which are Iyaloja and Babaloja, their asseron is that infla on affected the price of food.”

The Iyaloja of Gbon-

gan, Chief Temilade Adewale put the blame on the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying it has resulted into an exponen al increase in transporta on costs for goods.

Adewale disclosed that the cost of transpor ng a single bag of rice from the North was increased from N2,500 to N6,500.

She also accused some customs officials of demanding bribes before allowing goods to pass through, a prac ce she alleges has led to an increase in the price of rice.

Adewale said: “What caused the hike in prices of food commodi es is the removal of fuel subsidy; another thing is the bribe on commodi es, especially on rice by men of Nigerian Customs Service. The security operaves on our roads collect bribes, all these tell on prices of commodi es.”

A consumer, Mary Adetoye, who was in the market to buy food items, said foodstuffs are gradually becoming unaffordable for the common people in Nigeria. Adetoye appealed to the government to urgently intervene in the skyrocke ng prices of food items.

Kazeem Badmus

Yusuf Oketola

Osun APC Jittery Over Omoluabi Progressives’ Membership Registration

THE Omoluabi Progressives’ membership registra on flagged off by the immediate-past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in Ilesa, last Saturday, has sent jitters down the spine of the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that the leadership of the APC which could not hide its ji ery, convened an emergency mee ng at the party secretariat on Tuesday to discuss Aregbesola’s poli cal move, especially the Omolaubi Progressives registra on exercise.

The APC declared that it would soon commence its own membership registraon.

The Omoluabi Progressives had unveiled its website, which will allow members the opportunity to follow its ac vi es, as well as register for its membership all over the world.

Addressing the stakeholders a er registering his membership of the caucus, Aregbesola stated that notable forces in determining the electoral fortune of the state are with the group and its ac vi es.

Aregbesola urged the

•We’ll Not Be Distracted By The Ranting Of The Naysayers – Caucus

members not to relent in their mobilisa on efforts, especially at the grassroots, saying that is key to achieving the vision of the caucus.

“There is no one who has not felt the wind of the Omoluabi Progressives in the state. Those who knew what we did to them as opposi on have started talking to us because they know our capacity and the fact that we are the real poli cians who deeply connect with the grassroots.

“There is no doub ng

the fact that God is with us. By the me we unveil our direc on, everyone else who shares in our vision will come on board. I want to assure you that God is with us.

“I want to charge you to con nue to mobilise for us and bring heavyweight poli cians into the Omoluabi Progressives. It is factual that all the people of Osun love, adore and are behind us. We must, however, not relent and con nue to propagate our virtues and core ethos.”

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that members of the APC are already iden fying with the Omoluabi Progressives and have commenced their registra on with the caucus, a development that has unse led the APC leadership.

To dissuade members of the party from the caucus’s registra on, the APC leadership resulted to describe Aregbesola’s move as anparty, warning members not to associate with his group.

The APC leadership,

Advert

led by its Chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, asked members of the party to steer clear of any membership registra on by any group in the state, saying the party would roll out its membership registra on next week.

Reading the communique of the mee ng, Lawal said: “The mee ng also clarified that the party has not started any membership registra on in the state and any form of registraon on behalf of the party is unknown to any organ of the party and therefore, the party members should ignore such registra on in whatever form.”

In his remarks at the mee ng the State Secretary of the APC, Mr. Kamoru Alao, said: “We are discouraging our members who are loyal party member not to register with Aregbesola’s group because Omoluabi as a group is not a member of our party in Osun state.’

Reac ng to the APC, the Publicity Secretary of Omoluabi Progressives, Comrade Abosede Oluwaseun, described the party’s posi on as an a empt to distract the caucus from its goals and focus.

“When Aregbesola le the affairs of APC to his successor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, the structure of the party was intact but that cannot be said again years later.

“They have failed two mes when they plo ed to suspend Aregbesola in his ward in Ilesa East Local Government Area of Osun State. We are not distracted to reposi on the party, APC, so that we can reclaim the state from Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) in 2026.

In between Saturday, June 1st, 2024 ll today, Wednesday June 5th, the volume of good people of Osun and beyond who have trooped in en-mass to register with the Omoluabi Progressives either via our website omoluabiprogressives.com or through the manual process at the Ward level is encouragingly enormous.

“We thank those who we started the journey together, we appreciate those who have joined us, we encourage those who will join us to make haste while the sun shines. We’re •Continued on page 7

Ismaeel Uthman

FRIDAY, JUNE 07, 2024 - THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2024

6 Religion

ALL praise is due to Allah the Lord of the universe, the Sustainer and Cherisher of our lives. He whom Allah guides is rightly guided, but he whom He sends astray for him he would find no one guiding friend (waliyy) to lead him (to the right part). I testify that there is no diet worthy of worship except Him and I also testify that Prophet Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. May the peace and mercy of Allah be upon His soul, member of His household, His companions and those who follow him till the day of accountability.

JUMAT

SERMON JUMAT SERMON

By Sheik Musa Oladapo Raji

By Sheik Musa Oladapo Raji

There is no doubt that ‘idul-adha and hajj exercise are interwoven because (wuquf on Arafat) stand on Arafat could be described as a harbinger of ‘idul-adha. Arafat is on the 9th day of Dulhijjah while ‘idul-adha is on the 10th day.

A scholar once said that: “Indeed Allah has three different tens: i.e the first 10 days of Muharam (the first lunar month), the last ten day of Ramadan (the ninth lunar month) and the first ten day of Dhul-Hijjah (the twelfth lunar month) those periods are full of various degree of meritorious acts of worship. Muslims are enjoined to grasp the advantages of each whenever it is around. Ibn Abbas (RAA) relates that the Holy Prophet (SAW) said: There is no other days during which virtuous action is so pleasing to Allah as the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. The companions submitted: “O Messenger of Allah, not even fighting in the cause of Allah? He (SAW) answered: yes! Not even Jihad in the cause of Allah except in the case of a person who goes on Jihad along with his life and property and does not come back with either. (i.e he is martyred in Jihad). Having understood the importance of these 10 days, it is pertinent to state here that the hajj exercises actually kick-start on the eight day of the said month, otherwise known as Yaomu Tarwiyya. Because all the pilgrims would leave the city of Makkah for Mina (about three miles east of Makkah) where the Pilgrims will remain for five to six days to perform some rites of Hajj. The tenth day is the day when the Pilgrims will throw the pebbles at the designated place, known as jamratul kubrah, with slaughtering of the rams to atone sins they might have committed during the exercise. Those that are not there on the other hands are also slaughtering their rams across the Globe. known as Ileya to us. Eleventh to thirteenth days are also used to throw pebbles at designated places and slaughtering of sacrificial lambs by the Muslims across the world.

When the injunction was first mentioned by the Prophet, His companions inquired to know what would be their gains and he said, it was the reawakening of the Sunnah of their forefather Ibrahim (AS). It is also enjoined that throughout the period, Allah’s name should be magnified and glorified after obligatory prayers. The period is known as “Ayyamu tashreeq”.

It is enjoined by the Prophet that anyone who intends to offer a sacrificial lamb for the sake of Allah should not cut his/her hair or clip his/her nails between the first and 10th days of the month. What Type Of Animal Can Be Sacrificed And What Is The Position Of Shari’ah On It?

To start with it, it is an established Sunnah, binding on anyone who can do so irrespective of age and status. For the feast day, immolation of a ram is preferred to a sheep. He goat is also preferred to the she one. Same rule applies to both the cow and camel. However, it is not permitted to select a one-eye or sick animal, nor a lame one whose ribs show, nor an emaciated one with no fat, nor one with any kind of defect. Neither is it permitted to select one with a slit ear, unless it is only slit a little; the same holds for one part of the ear cut off. An animal with a broken horn is not permitted if it is bleeding but if it is not, it is permitted. It is recommended that any Muslim that wants to do this important rite should do it by himself instead of using a proxy. When he is about to slaughter it in the case of sheep or pierce at in the case of Camel, he should say “Bismillah Allahu Akbar, Allahuma haadha minka walaka” “in the Name of Allah, the greatest. O! Allah this is from you and for you”. When they asked the Prophet of what benefit would be for them (the immolation), He respond-

Hajj And (Ileya) ‘Idul-Adha

ed that for every hair of the slaughtered animal is goodness for them. They asked further how about the wool? Then he said: for every wool of the slaughtered animal is goodness for them. It must be noted here that one should cut both the larynx and jugular veins properly. Any cut less than is not enough. Care must be taken that one should not remove his hand/knife until he is convinced that he cuts it properly, for if he removes his hand and returns it back to continue the cutting such animal should not be eaten.

Abu Ya’ala bin Anas (RAA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said; “Undoubtedly, Allah has ordered good behaviour with regard to everything, if you will kill, kill it nicely. If you slaughter, slaughter it nicely. Let each one of you sharpens the edge of knife properly and make the slaughtered die quickly.” Muslim related it.

It must also be noted that time of slaughtering should be after one is sure of the slaughtering of Imam for anybody does his before that of Imam is not regarded as Ileya slaughtering.

Muslims are enjoined to fear Allah in everything they do, because He Allah accepts only from the pious (Muttaqin). Allah says: “It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him”. Quran 22:37.

Allah has equally given us the direction on how to distribute the meat when He says:“ … eat thereof, and feed the poor who does not ask (men) and beggars who ask (men) thus have we made them subject to you that you may be grateful”. Quran 22:36.

What Are The Derivable Lessons From ‘Eidul-Adha?

Attempts have been made by many scholars to drive home lessons from it. Prominent among the lessons are:

1. Total obedience to the commandments of Allah as demonstrated by Prophet Ibrahim (AS).

2. Total obedience to one’s parents and perseverance as demonstrated by Prophet Ismael (AS).

3. Allah tests (Balaa) His Servants from time to time.

4. Fulfillment of promise as did by Prophet Ibrahim (AS).

5. Importance of (Al-ihsaan) goodness and generosity to ones neighbours.

6. Importance of prayer and

7. Importance of remembrance of Allah (Adh-dhikr).

Some of the etiquettes of the ‘id prayer

1. These days (Ayyamu tashreeq) are days of dine and wine and remembrance of Allah the Mighty.

2. We should not eat before we leave for the ‘eid praying ground until we returned home. That was the practice of the Prophet, He would not leave for ‘id during ‘idul-fitri until he eats, and he would not eat on Ileya day until when he returned, He would then eat from the liver of his slaughtered ram.

3. Taking of ritual bath, applying scent and wearing of one’s best cloth. The Prophet had directed us (for the two ‘id) to wear the best of our clothes, to use the best scent available and to slaughter the expensive ram.

4. Exchanging of pleasantries. Islam teaches us to greet and congratulate ourselves. It even recommended the manner of greeting, it goes thus: “Taqabala Lahu minna wa minka. May Allah accept it from us and you”

On a final note however, I want to draw our attention to innovation recently introduced to ‘idul-adha. tagged as ‘Ileya carnival’, where we see some youths, not necessarily Muslims, barricading the road, with a view of extorting money from the road users and in most cases, doing so under the influence of alcohol. If this goes on unchecked, the incoming generation may consider it as part of “Ileya” festival. I therefore, appeal to our fathers, Chief Imams, scholars of great repute and preachers to vehemently oppose this move during their various sermons on ‘id day as well as on Fridays’ Khutbah. Let them realise that it is an alien custom to Islam, let us also encourage our youth to see the importance of dignity of labour instead of looking for shortcut through rituals killings kidnapping and internet fraud of all kinds. It is only Allah that is worthy of reliance on.

Until the close of our request, will be AlhamduliLlahi Rabil‘alamin.

•Imaam Musa Oladapo Raji

The Chief Imaam of Telemu Land Ola Oluwa LGA, Osun State.

Customers Storm Heritage Bank As Security Officers Trade Forms In Osun

Yusuf Oketola

CUSTOMERS of the liquidated Heritage Bank stormed the Sta on Road, Osogbo, Osun State branch of the bank to claim their monies, on Wednesday.

OSUN DEFENDER visited the bank around 10am and observed that customers were filling forms given to them by some officials of the bank.

The medium noted that security opera ves at the bank took the advantage of the situa on to make photocopy of the downloaded form and sell them to intending claimants at the rate of N200.

Customers were asked to fill the form which the security claimed to have been printed online and made photocopies to save people from the pain of

going to cyber cafes.

“We printed it online. If you cannot buy, go to the cyber cafe to download and print it. The site where you will download is pasted on the wall,” a security officer said to the customers.

It was also observed that a no ce to depositors, no ce to creditors, no ce to the stakeholders of Heritage Bank and revoca on of the banking licence were con-

spicuously pasted on the bank.

The no ce to depossitors reads: “Defunct Heritage Bank operated as an insured ins tu on under the provisions of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corpora on Act, 2023. The corpora on will pay all its depositors their insured deposits up to the statutory maximum of N5,000,000.00 per depositor for Deposit Money Banks (DMBS)/mobile money subscribers.

“However, depositors with funds in excess of the insured deposits will be paid as and when the assets of the closed bank are realised.”

The bank was shut while collec on of the form was carried out at the security post in front of the bank.

Maiden Edition Of South-West Youth Baseball Tournament Commences In Osun

THE Maiden Edi on of “Nigeria SouthWestern Youth Baseball 5 Tournament” commenced at Osogbo Township Stadium, Osun State, yesterday.

The compe on is scheduled to hold between Thursday, June 6 and Sunday, June 9, 2024.

This is contained in a release issued by the Public Rela ons Officer of the Sports Council, Mrs Funmilayo Moradeyo.

The compe on, organized by Nigeria Baseball & So ball Associaon in collabora on with Osun State Sports Council, is aimed at discovering and selec ng baseballers that will represent Nigeria at the 2024 West Africa Youth Baseball 5 Tournament coming up later in the year.

Speaking at a meeting held with the Sports Council management on Wednesday, one of

‘We Are

Sthe officials from Ogun state, Mrs Ugo Obodosie Jenifer thanked the management for their supports by accep ng hos ng right, adding that the baseball has come to stay. Responding, the

General Manager of the Sport Council, Mr Ro mi Dunmoye, commended the organisers for their efforts in promo ng the new game, assuring them that all necessary arrangements have been put in place.

Why Mbappe Didn’t Ask For No. 10 Jersey At Real Madrid

KYLIAN Mbappe is reportedly expected to wear the No 9 shirt at Real Madrid next season, OSUN DEFENDER learnt.

The Frenchman was confirmed as a Real Madrid player on Monday. It brought an end to one of the longest transfer sagas in modern football.

It comes a er the 2018 World Cup winner decided not to trigger a one-year extension with Paris Saint Germain. Instead, he fulfilled a boyhood dream by playing at the San ago Bernabeu.

The Frenchman is expected to wear the No. 9 shirt despite having a personal preference for the No 10.

There is a classy reason, however, as to why he won’t be wearing his preferred number during the 2024- 25 season.

Mbappe and his camp didn’t ask Real Madrid to get the No. 10 shirt, due to his respect for Luka

Modric. Modric has been the No. 10 at Real Madrid since the 2017-18 season. This was a er it had previously been worn by James Rodriguez and Mesut Ozil during his first five seasons at the club.

Un l 2017, he had been wearing the No. 19 shirt. The Croa an midfielder, now 38, was set to be out of contract this summer. But he then signed a new one-year contract on a lower salary.

Tired Of Using Sachet Water To Cook’, OAU Students Lament

TUDENTS of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), IleIfe, have expressed their displeasure over persistent scarcity of water at Moremi hostel of the ins tu on.

The students who lamented that having access to water has become a major challenge for them.

According to the students, the scarcity of water has forced them to resort to alterna ve means which is expensive and unhygienic.

Some of the students who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER on Thursday said they have been using sachet water for cooking, and fetching water from nearby hostels and dams.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the water scarcity started some weeks ago. Sources in the university said the borehole supplying water for the hostel has been malfunc oning for some months.

The sources noted that those in charge of managing the hostel have been giving excuses for the scarcity of water.

Speaking with the medium on how the students were coping, an occupant of the hostel, Feyisola Adeyemi, stated that some of her colleagues have resulted to fetching

water from nearby hostels, using sachet water to cook and fetching dam water for other ac vi es.

According to her, “Occupants of Moremi Hostel have been fetching water from wells and trekking to nearby hostels to get water. Although there was a slight relief when the dam water was made available last week, the borehole remains unreliable.

“Unfortunately, some blocks in the hostel s ll have no access to clean water, forcing them to use sachet water for cooking.”

Another student in the hostel, Blessing Oluwatobi, confirmed that the hostel’s borehole has been func oning intermi ently.

Oluwatobi added that they have been making do with the li le water supply from the borehole, which only yields a small amount of water occasionally.

She said: “We have been experiencing water scarcity for about two weeks, but the pressure went down last week and there’s a kind of relief now, because the dam water is available. And as for the borehole, we have been managing the few amounts of water from it. I can say that it’s ring. And making the en re hostel ring to live in.”

A student execu ve

of the hostel, Yemisi Owolabi, noted that the inadequate water supply has been causing significant stress and inconveniences for the students.

According to her, “The borehole issue has been a persistent and frustrating problem for several months now, causing significant inconvenience and hardship for the occupants.

“Ini ally, we were informed that the pumping machine was not funconing properly, resul ng to lack of water supply. Later, we were told that the dry season was the reason, but even a er the seasons changed, the problem persisted.

“Finally, the borehole stopped working, leaving us without a reliable source of water.

“As a result, occupants have been forced to seek alterna ve and o en costly solu ons. Some have resorted to using sachet water for cooking, which is not only expensive but also unsustainable.

“Others have started fetching water from other hostels, which is me-consuming and inconvenient. Some have even turned to using well water, which may not be safe for consump on. Meanwhile, others have no choice but to use the dam water which poses health risks.

“Despite the challenges, the Execu ve Committee (Excos) has been working relessly to address the issue. They have engaged with the Hall Warden and School authori es, who are all aware of the situaon and the urgent need for a solu on.

“The occupants are simply demanding a reliable and safe water supply, which is a basic necessity. We hope that a solu on will be found soon to alleviate the stress and hardship caused by this prolonged issue.”

Osun APC Jittery As Omoluabi Progressives Registers Members...

•Continued from Page 5

invi ng everybody to join the Omoluabi movement in a bid to make Osun great again and recover the lost glory.

“We make no discrimina on based on ethnicity, religion, occupa on, economic status, and any circumstance of birth, except in adherence to our core values and character. We are open to all people, young and old, rich and poor, educated or otherwise, traders and blue collar, landowners and tenants.

“We urge our teeming followers, lovers and followers not to be distracted by the ran ng of the nay-

sayers to the progressivism ideas as laid down by our poli cal fathers. This same set of poli cal novice had ran down the progressive party and lost power under their watch in 2018.

“At Omoluabi Progressives, our mission is to empower communi es and champion progressive ideals to create a more just, equitable, and prosperous society. Omoluabi Caucus is dedicated to upholding the ideals of progressivism as exemplified by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Chief Bola Ige, and other visionary leaders who have shaped our poli cal heritage.”

Kazeem Badmus

FRIDAY, JUNE 07, 2024 - THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2024 VOL. 19 NO 21 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com

THE brief that Governor Aregbesola gave Gboyega Adeeyo, chartered engineer and consultant-in-chief for the Osun schools interven on project, was a furious race against me. Adeeyo was the overall consultant under whose guidance all the new schools were designed, constructed and delivered.

When I started the job, the Governor told me he had 356, 000 students he had to put in classrooms – and that was 12 years ago. When I came, there were really no schools. I went around, took pictures and I showed him. Every school that I went to was dilapidated. Some didn’t even have roofs. Some had collapsed roofs, but students were studying with them. So, he said he wanted as many classrooms as possible. But we only built 11 mega-schools that could house 3, 000 each. Three thousand mul plied by 11 only gives you 33, 000. What’s 33, 000 out of 350, 000? You have not even scratched the surface! So, when people say the schools are too big – too big for what?”

That was how stark and near-hopeless the Osun public educa on horizon looked. But despite the constraint of me and funding, something else was sacred and must not be breached: every material must be sourced from Osun. Not only that: everyone that worked on the project, from the consultant-in-chief himself, must either be an Osun indigene or must work in the state. The idea, the Governor told Adeeyo, was for the massive school projects to give the local economy a massive kiss of life. For too long, that economy had been in a limbo.

Adeeyo himself, though now a global ci zen based in the United States, as cosmopolitan as they come, was a na ve from Ede. But all the other professionals and resource persons he would hire – architects, quan ty surveyors, engineers, masons, carpenters and allied building technicians, from the highest expert to the lowest arsan – must be Osun-based. The Governor wanted the locals to benefit from the crucial hands-on training that such a massive interven on work could offer, to be er drive whatever they did in the future. By that, he reckoned, their capacity would be greatly enhanced; and the Osun economy greatly deepened.

“Can I, at least,” Adeeyo wanted to know, “bring in my immediate deputy?”

“No” was the flat response from the Governor.

Then, the Governor made an otherwise casual remark which nevertheless struck a chord with Adeeyo; and switched his sympathy towards the Governor’s vision.

“Look at you” he told him. “Everyone here likes you. They love the way you speak. Even if that is the only trait you can pass to those to work under you, you would have made my day”!

As it turned out, many of Adeeyo’s recruits, later turned professional wards, took away much more than the Governor’s cherished Adeeyo elocu on. There was a par cular one, a female professional, then married with a child who had, all her life, never even stepped out to Lagos.

“She had never seen the lagoon, or such a large body of water. But in the course of our work, we had to come to Lagos for a mee ng, and that was when she first saw the lagoon. On the Third Mainland Bridge,” Adeeyo recalled her goose pimples, “she was so anxious and fidgety!”

Ruth Opatola was another charge that used O’School as a stepping stone to selfimprovement. Adeeyo dubbed her an “Osogbo babe”. Ruth, who had earned a first

A REVIEW

“Ogbeni: The Osun Renaissance Years is a book written by a prominent Nigerian columnist, Olakunle Abimbola. The book details the administration of former Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and the ideological leanings that shaped his approach to governance. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 10 of the book”

O’ School And Opon Imo

degree in Architecture, from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, was hired as one of the project architects. She was the quintessen al na ve: born and bred in Osogbo, schooled in Osun and climaxed her educa on at the nearby OAU. Again, to Osogbo she returned, for her career and professional nourishment. But while working on the project, she applied for post-graduate studies at a university in the United States and she got admi ed. Adeeyo served as her guardian and guarantor, paving her travel path and guiding her professional dreams. Eventually, Ruth got to travel -- for the very first me, outside Nigeria.

“She graduated with a higher degree and she now lives in Silicon Valley,” Adeeyo gushed, 12 years a er the project that linked the guardian with his protégé. “Everyone knew her back then as Osogbo babe. But if you see Ruth today, even from the way she speaks, no one can call her an Osogbo babe again.”

S ll, Aregbesola’s strict policy of sourcing project personnel and materials from Osun did not always end well. Take the collapse, for instance, of the ceilings of the school hall, at the newly completed Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo. It was the very first of the mega model schools, delivered in 2014. Adeeyo blamed the accident on substandard steel. It could not support the dead weight of the ceiling. So, the ceiling came crashing down.

No thanks to that policy, those materials were bought in Osogbo, while be er quality ones were readily available in Lagos. That accident provided furious fare for the Osun poli cal opposi on supported by their media confederates, eager to badmouth the school projects. But the accident led to a re-design: reducing the structures’ dead weight to what locally available steel in Osogbo could carry. Though that accident was unan cipated and unfortunate, Adeeyo said the slew of projects was planned with con nuous feedback and design amendment mechanisms. That way, the project team could make correc ons as the projects advanced; and more schools were constructed and delivered. For the collapsed hall, however, the consultantin-chief took full responsibility. He pulled down the structure and rebuilt it from scratch – all from his own pocket, without cos ng the state government a dime. But he redesigned the schools built a erwards to the strength of the locally available materials. So, there could be no future talk of collapse, or structural failure, of any of the schools.

“Engineering,” he explained, “is the only field that boasts deduc ve logic. I can say two plus two equals four. I have added two plus two, so it must equal four. With

that I can confidently walk away,” he declared, adding that a doctor that performs a surgery was less sure of its success than an engineer that puts up a structure. He, therefore, pooh-poohed any sugges ons that the model schools, par cularly the high-capacity high schools, could have suffered structural impairments. From the Ejigbo experience, they should have failed much earlier, if they were to fail due to any design error. In any case, it would appear ludicrous to him that the solu on to a structural challenge, neither glaring nor fully proven, was a sugges on to demolish the building!

Adeeyo is a 1984 graduate of Civil Engineering from the University of Lagos. As a pupil engineer with Morgan Monitoring, an engineering firm, he was involved in the design and delivery of the university’s high rise Senate Building; among other projects he had been involved in, home and abroad, in his storied professional career. That has taken him all over the world, from his base in the United States of America.

Despite that accident at the Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, Adeeyo declared the school interven on projects as hugely consequen al: for boosting public educa on in Osun, developing willing local professionals and giving the once comatose state economy a healthy jab. S ll, he decried the general work culture: “People steal too much around here,” he rued. “You literarily had to stay up 24-7 to check such the s!”

Indeed, Governor Aregbesola was in a hurry to deliver those schools; and get Osun pupils in them. But conven onal buildings took me – for the cement to set, the frames to properly fit in, not to talk of the plumbing and internal décor to be carefully put in place. In his hurry, some contractors sold to the Governor a pre-fab concept, which could deliver a mega-school in six months, at most. The eager Governor jumped at that prospect; and that explained the three pre-fab mega-schools: in Osogbo, in Ilesa and in Iwo. The Iwo one ironically was not completed due to hosle local poli cs. A er much earth work had been done at the Bap st High School original site, the Bap st Mission rejected the idea. As a result, the Iwo community suggested that the project be moved to Iwo Grammar School. That was done. But the money sunk into the aborted site le a permanent hole in the school’s funding, since the money available for the project was fixed – a Sukuk bond, with its rigorous terms – with no augmenta on from elsewhere. That explains why the Iwo megaschool project remained uncompleted, some four years a er Aregbesola’s exit from government.

At Ejigbo, however, the pupils clearly

“That gloomy survey influenced the new Aregbesola government to take steps to radically “influence the structural environment”; and make schools attractive to Osun children and youths again. That explained the O’School concept of transformative public schools – a sweeping departure from the routine add-up of three-classroom blocks to an already run-down school environment”

shared the Governor’s impa ence to move into the new classrooms. While the policians were planning a grand ceremony to inaugurate the newly completed Wole Soyinka Government High School, the local pupils simply flocked in to occupy the classrooms! Such was their ramshackle school experience that they couldn’t wait to experience life in the gli ering, new school complex.

O’School Commi ee

Otunba Layi Oyeduntan, chair of the O’School Commi ee, relived the cherished but vanished memories of his own schoolgoing youth, in Osogbo and nearby towns. O’School, a project management committee under the Osun Deputy Governor’s Office, from 2012, worked closely with Adeeyo and his team of consultants and contractors to deliver the schools: brand new, redesigned or refurbished.

“When we were small children, schools were the most beau ful structures in the neighbourhood – the only painted buildings, in fact. They were a model: an attrac on for pupils to want to go to school.” Not anymore.

Otunba Oyeduntan recalled a par cular troubling instance: “I had pictures of some of the schools built by Oyinlola two years before then. In a par cular one, goats had le gaping holes in the walls, a er scratching and rubbing their bellies on them, in search warmth! That showed poor and shoddy work, when those schools were built. I went to school here,” he stressed, “and such rickety structures wouldn’t have been fair to either the teachers or the pupils of our day.”

That gloomy survey influenced the new Aregbesola government to take steps to radically “influence the structural environment”; and make schools a rac ve to Osun children and youths again. That explained the O’School concept of transforma ve public schools – a sweeping departure from the rou ne add-up of threeclassroom blocks to an already run-down school environment.

But from rural Osun came even a more depressing sight, with rural poverty writ large on scrawny, hungry-looking children and their odd uniforms: “You’ll go into schools and find pupils wearing buba ankara [na ve fabric tops] tucked into a khaki short; or blue shirts tucked in sooro [Yoruba na ve pair of trousers]. Forget everything else,” he declared, “it was rural poverty with capital ‘R’!”

Then, the screaming hunger at lunch me, the near-hopelessness of it all in a cramped class and the heavy toll on the poor teachers! “The kids leave home without ea ng. The female teachers would cry because of the plight of the children. Many of them were forced, despite their own modest means, to buy food for their starving pupils.”

•Read full article on www.osundefender.com

OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the Deputy Editor, ISMAEEL UTHMAN, Telephone: 0809-301-9152. ISSN: 0794-8050. Website: www.osundefender.com Email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com, osundefender@yahoo.com