Osun Defender Online Version Of June 30, 2023

Drug Abuse On The Increase In Osun - NDLEA

THE Na onal Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has revealed that consumpon and use of illicit drugs especially by the youth is on the rise in the State of Osun.

According to the NDLEA, drug abuse is prevalent among the younger genera on of people of the state, describing it as a menace.

The NDLEA said the consequences of consump on and use of illicit drugs is fast becoming a threat than an cipated among young people in the state.

Speaking with newsmen on Monday in Osogbo, State Commander of NDLEA, Nnadi Chidi, said the agency has consistently been wagging war against drug abuse, consump on, trading and planta on of illicit drugs in the state.

Chidi, who spoke on the 2023 Interna onal Day Against Drug Abuse, disclosed that the agency between June 2022 to June 2023 arrested 315 drug related offenders and seized a total of 4,776.38kg illicit drugs in the state.

The NDLEA boss stated that 3.3 hectares of Cannabis Sa va farm was also destroyed at Owena Area in Oriade Council area of the state during the period under review.

According to him, the 315 suspects made up of 279 males and 36 females.

He said: “A total of 315 suspects, comprising 279 males and 36 females were arrested for drug related offences while the illicit drugs seized weighed 4,776.38644kg.

“Seventy-five of the arrested suspects were counselled and reintegrated back to their families, while 70 suspects were successfully prosecuted and convicted.

“The seized drugs included; 4,735.033kg Cannabis Sa va, 7.909kg Diazepam, 4.896kg Tramadol, 0.40956grms Methamphetamine, 0.413grms Rophynol, 160grms Benazine, 12.713kg Skushies, 0.011grms Molly, 1.8kg Codeine and 47grms Cocaine.”

Chidi explained that the Interna onal Day Against Drug Abuse is marked on every June 26, sta ng that this year’s theme is “People First: Stop S gma and Discrimina on, Strengthen Preven on”.

He said based on this year’s theme, the focus is on the need to be unbiased and not judgmental about drug users and drug

dependent individuals, so as to hasten their recovery and a ain the goal of a drug free society.

“The society is thus charged to eschew s gma sa on of drug users, discrimina ng against them discourages users from seeking help and making recovery difficult and a burden to the individual, family and society at large.

“Amid global strategy to curtail the menace of drug abuse, cases have remained on a rise in recent years. Consequences of drugs are fast becoming more threatening than an cipated especially among young people in Osun State.

“The aim of 2023 campaign is to raise awareness about the importance of trea ng people who use drugs with respect and empathy, offering alternaves to punishment, priori sing preven on and leading with compassion,” Chidi said.

The NDLEA boss charged Nigerians to eschew s gma sa on of drug users, saying discrimina ng against them discourages users from seeking help and making recovery difficult, which becomes a burden to the individual, family and society at large.

He said the command has been ac vely engaging the public through its enlightenment and has recorded successes in its drug demand suppression

“The command, through the WADA campaign, carries out rallies at market places, sensisa on in schools, work places, religious houses and communi es, with the aimed at educa ng the people about drug abuse and prevailing consequences.” he said.

He said NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja has established a drug abuse call centre to broaden access to treatment and rehabilita on.

The commander added

that the public can reach the Agency to connect with counsellors and mental health professionals through its 24/7 helpline number 080010203040.

Govt Tasks Parents To Join Fight Against Drug Abuse

The State Government of Osun has tasked parents in the state to join the fight against drug abuse by offering parental cares.

According to the government, illicit use of drug will be put at barest minimum if the parents perform their du es and

ensure that their children receive proper care and a en on.

Director of Public Health in the State, Dr. Akeem Bello, stated this on Monday in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER to mark the 2023 World Day Against Drug Abuse.

Bello disclosed that drug abuse is prevalent among youths as a result of peer group influence, no ng that when a young person is introduced to consump on of illicit drug by his colleague, it is always difficult to stop such person.

According to Bello, bro-

Practitioners, NGOs Map Out Strategies To Improve Healthcare In South-West

TSodiq Yusuf organised by BudgIT with support from the Skoll Founda on.

HE need for stakeholders in the healthcare sector in SouthWest, Nigeria, to jointly address the challenges facing the sector has been reemphasised.

According to the stakeholders, there is the need for reforms in the healthcare sector to meet the expecta ons of the people.

The stakeholders recommended that the reforms should centre on human resource management, preparedness for an epidemic outbreak, pu ng in place a proper governance structure in the health system, improvement and access to healthcare facili es as well as government accountability.

This was the crux of a mee ng tagged ‘Se ng Agenda For Health Sector’ High-Level Mee ng In South West Nigeria’,

The mee ng which was a ended by Execu ve Secretaries, Chief Medical Directors, Permanent Secretaries and Directors of Public Health Services of healthcare sector in the South-West was held in Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun, on Monday.

The programme is part of Budgit’s Southwest #SaveOneSaveAllcampaign to further set agenda for the healthcare sector in Nigeria to ini ate be er healthcare accessibility, accountability, and service delivery.

Some of the recommenda ons as contained in the communique endorsed by all stakeholders at the mee ng are that there is need to adequately recruit skilled health personnel, invest in training and suppor ng recruited medical

staff across the board for an increase in efficiency and professional prac ce.

The stakeholders also recommended “Improve the welfare packages and incen ves for health workers, such as sponsorship for trainings and workshops, mortgages on new houses and cars.

“Engage in regular (quarterly or biannually) audits of facili es for epidemic preparedness (infrastructure, trained personnel, equipment, and disease surveillance). Develop and implement a policy document on the minimum staff required to work at each level of the health sector ins tuons and design a holis c framework for healthcare assessment, implementing a strict accredita on system for health ins tuons.”

According to the stakeholders, there is need for

the Ministry of Health to formulate policies for departments and agencies.

They also suggested that opera onal autonomy should be given to departments and agencies without prejudice to the regulatory role of the Ministry of Health.

The stakeholders said government should ensure that at each poli cal ward, there is at least a func onal Level 3 Centre to respond to any health challenge of the ci zens and establishment of an accountability forum that is community-led.

According to them, the is need to provide a conducive work environment, adequate security to discourage healthcare workers from migra ng to other countries, and insurance systems to drive service delivery to reduce out-of-pocket Health expenditure.

ken homes have not been helping the fight against drug abuse among the young people, saying that once father and mother are separated, it is always difficult to put the children under control.

Bello stated that if both father and mother live together in peace and harmony, it will reflect on their children as they will have parental care which will guide them against social vices.

He said: “Drug abuse is a misuse of drugs and consump on of illicit drugs. It is common among our youths because of peer influence. Peer influence is a ached to the drug abuse, once they are introduced to the use of drugs, they are going to find it very difficult to stop it.

“Parents should be very careful and be willing to provide care for their children. They should look at the way their children behave; if there is any change in a tude, in the behavior of their children, they should know and take acon instantly.

“When you have children that don’t stay with you, maybe they stay in the hostel, you have to be looking a er them and make your children your friends, so that you can easily talk together and advise them on what to do.

“In majority of homes where there is disharmony; if the parents are figh ng each other, there will be problem and the children will not be happy, and by the me they move outside and begin to stay with their friends, they may start doing drugs and it will affect them. So parents have lots of roles to play here.”

•Former Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, exchanging banters with fellow Muslims after observing the Eid-el-Kabir Prayer at The Old Sectariat Opposite Police College, Ikeja on Wednesday. advocacy, also known as (WADA – War Against Drug Abuse).

Yusuf Oketola

OSUN DEFENDER, the newspaper whose founding mission is always to “put the people first” is delighted to note that our highly esteemed readers have had a rejuvena ng spiritual upli Kent in the recent past. The two-day break is also highly appreciated in order for Nigerians to have a respite from grim reality due to the painful but necessary long delayed reforms which can no longer be postponed.

Today, the first day a er the break, we are back to reality and it is daun ng. The 42% devalua on of the Naira in conjunc on with the inevitable abroga on of the corrup on propelled “fuel subsidies” has induced a harsh escala on in the costof-living, many people are now in reality subsis ng in a country in which 133 million people were already trapped in mul -dimensional poverty with the official sta s cs indica ng a seven-year high.

The issue is as always not to bemoan our fate but to answer the queson what is to be done?

In doing so, we must face the painful reality that a change of mindset on the part of the poli cal establishment is required. For to state the obvious, the fault lies in ourselves and not in our stars to paraphrase William Shakespeare.

The sub-na onals must now take center-stage for they are closer to the people than the central government. For a start, they are in a relavely stronger posi on. The 42% devalua on of the Naira has increased money from

Social Consequences Of The Reforms

“At the Federal Government level, the Oronsaye report must be implemented in full, the establishment must demonstrate their commitment to make sacrifices too.

A key thrust is to endure the conversion of all public transport vehicles into gas propelled. The small operators do not have the funds and the government must pay for it. This is why amongst other reasons cuts in the cost of the machinery is crucial.”

the federa on account accruing to the state government. This is almost like a windfall. However, it must be sensibly u lised. The Federal government on its part should emulate the template set by Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, who when she was the Federal Coordina ng minister for the economy made sure that alloca ons made to the state governments were published in full for reasons of transparency. It was resisted then and will be resisted now, it however has to be done!

A New Deal For The Excluded COVID-19 discredited the use of the concept of “pallia ve” forever, mercifully so, much of it was ill thought out and became interwoven with corrup on. Greater rigour in thinking of designing and protec ng the weakest sectors is now required. Commonsense must be interwoven with thinking outside the box and transparency via key. State alloca on from the federa on account must be published because the state

houses of assembly have been turned into rubber stamp. Transparency is crucial if what is effec vely a windfall via to be effec vely u lised as a new lease of life for the overwhelming majority and their families and not just a few.

New funds in this new deal must be used to reinvigorate the rural areas. Investments must be made in rural roads. The calcula on of the World Bank and Goldman Sachs is that the construc on of one kilometre of rural roads had a mul plier effect of mes ten. In addi on to this, rural roads lead to increased produc on, more income for the subsistence farmers and cuts post-harvest losses.

Furthermore, the state governments must use the new funds to use cooperaves to build Commodity Exchange and Boards. Inducing this will help to build price modula ng mechanisms and facilitate storage facili es and crop insurance against unancipated losses. It will also in the long term induce the se ng up of co age industries. This is what “pallia ve” should be all about - the construc on of game changing

EXPLAINER

•Discarding Palliatives For A New Deal.

•State Governments Must Take Center Stage By Tackling The Root Cause Of Poverty.

•Need For Commodity Boards And Exhange To Regulate Price Fluctuations

•Reducing The Costs Of Government.

•Federal Government Intervention

In The Conversion Of Public Transport Vehicles To Gas Propelled.

OSUN DEFENDER

life enhancing frameworks. In addi on, the extra funds must be used for greater access to health and educa on facili es. The states must go for bust to increase the numbers involved in contributory health insurance schemes. They must also ensure sustainability by making holis c cut to the costs of the machinery of the government. This is unavoidable now. At the Federal Government level, the Oronsaye report must be implemented in full, the establishment must demonstrate their commitment to make sacrifices too. A key thrust is to endure the conversion of all public transport vehicles into gas propelled. The small operators do not have the funds and the government must pay for it. This is why amongst other reasons cuts in the cost of the machinery is crucial.

Nigeria must turn a crisis into the opportunity for an advance, at a cri cal intersec on there is no choice!

“The state governments must use the new funds to use cooperatives to build Commodity Exchange and Boards. Inducing this will help to build price modulating mechanisms and facilitate storage facilities and crop insurance against unanticipated losses. It will also in the long term induce the setting up of cottage industries”

Aregbesola Calls For Adequate Funding Of Public Education

Ismaeel Uthman

IMMEDIATE past minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has renewed his advocacy for a func oning public educaon system, saying Nigeria and the Southwestern part of the country must restore the standard educa on it was known for in the past.

Aregbesola called for adequate funding of public educa on, saying there is no alterna ve to a sound public founda on educaon.

The former governor of the State of Osun maintained that no ma er how a rac ve private schools may be, they will never be able to displace government funded public founda on educa on schools.

He stated this at a recep on organised for him by the Na onal Associa on of Old Students of Akoko Anglican Grammar School, Arigidi Akoko, Ondo State, last weekend in Akure.

Aregbesola noted that the quality of educa on he received while growing up in the South-West s mulated his educa on reform when he was the governor of the State of Osun.

•Says No Alternative To Sound Public Foundation Education

He said: “I must also men on however, that the schools across Western Region at the me taught and ins lled ethics, social e que e, morals and leadership and produced these great people.

“This is a testament to a remarkable public educa-

on policy and programme of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his people oriented poli cal pla orm.

“When I became governor in Osun, I sought to replicate this idea. Our administra on built 11 state of the art 3,000 capacity model secondary schools,

in addi on to rehabilita ng and upgrading the exis ng ones.

“Each school has 72 classrooms which can each comfortably accommodate 49 students and six rooms for study groups. It is equipped with six laboratories, 36 toilets separated

Osun To Get Over 3m Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets

Kazeem Badmus

THE State of Osun will get a total of 3.6m

Insec cide Treated Mosquito Net which will be distributed to various households in the State.

Na onal Coordinator of the Na onal Malaria Elimina on Programme, Dr. Perpetua Uhomoibhi, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Osogbo, the State capital, on Monday.

Uhomoibhi who was represented by an official of the agency, Mrs. Chinbututu Margaret, announced that the distribu on would take place between July 6 and 7 this year.

He explained that the NMEP had designed an effec ve mechanism that incorporated the locals, tradi onal and religious ins tu ons, to ensure that the distribu on reached the remotest part of the state.

He said: “Although there was evidence of a reduc on in malaria burden in Nigeria to 22 per cent against 49 per cent in 2010, the federal government and its collabora ng partners were determined to ensure that the burden was reduced more significantly.

“From the last survey we did in 2001, Osun State recorded the lowest u lisa on rate of the mosquito net. So, it is impera ve for all of us, par cularly the media to heighten our

efforts in ensuring that the people are aware that the net is to be used and not kept in their homes”.

Speaking at the programme, the representaves of one of the collabora ng partners, The

SUBEB Chairman Chides Oyetola Over Poor Maintenance Of Public School Buildings

Yusuf Oketola

THE Chairman of the State Universal Basic Educa on Board (SUBEB) in the State of Osun, Mr. Ibukun Fadipe, has chided former governor Adegboyega Oyetola on the deplorable state of public school buildings in the state.

Fadipe said Oyetola failed to maintain the school buildings in spite of resources of the state expended on edifices, lamen ng that the former governor did not do well in the educa on sector.

He stated this during an interac on session with newsmen in his office on Monday.

According to Fadipe, Osun educa on sector is in comatose and needs urgent a en on, no ng that his leadership will bring back the lost glory of basic educa on in the state.

The SUBEB chairman said: “It’s undeniable fact that our educa on in Osun is in the state of comatose and something must be done urgently to arrest the situa on.

“The previous administra ons in the state didn’t do well as far as educa on is concerned and so, we have a burden to turn the ugly

trend around for the good of our children.

“It saddened my heart seeing the deplorable condi on of our school buildings despite the humongous money spent on the edifices. Unfortunately, the administra on of former governor Oyetola failed to maintain these buildings”

The former Ilesa West Council chairman said he was working on how to revamp basic educa on sector, where he said there has been acute shortage of basic infrastructure and manpower.

He noted that the administra on of Governor Ademola Adeleke is commi ed to providing good leadership in delivering on the promises he made during the elec oneering period.

Society for Family Health, SFH Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Gbue, pointed out that Nigeria alone accounted for one out of four malaria burden in Africa.

Gbue said the burden was much among women and children as 30% of Child and 11 per cent of maternal deaths in Nigeria were caused by malaria.

“In addi on to the direct health challenge, malaria scourge also exerts huge socio-economic burden on our communies and country. Billions of naira are lost to malaria annually inform of treatment cost, preven on and loss of man-hours”, he added.

Gbue appealed to the media to consider the fight against malaria as a key component of their health campaigns.

He also called on the private sector to incorporate malaria preven on into their social responsibility agenda by suppor ng government at all levels in the campaigns.

Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Manager of Osun Malaria Elimina on Programme, Dr. Olufemi Oroge, urged the media to support the government in the campaign to eliminate malaria by using their various pla orms to enlighten the people.

Oroge promised the state government’s commitment to ensuring the u lisa on of the treated mosquito net.

equally for boys and girls, two libraries for science and arts each, facility manager’s office, a bookshop and a sick bay.

“We introduced Opon Imo the tablet of Knowledge; a digital educa on tool, ethics and discipline in public schools and even established a state-wide agency on public school discipline. We introduced calisthenics and school feeding and health programme.

“The first one we put into use was Wole Soyinka Government High School in Ejigbo, in 2015. By the me we le in 2018, 11 were fully opera onal. With each school gradua ng 1,000 students every year and a combined output of 11,000, we should have not less than 44,000 world beaters now, if the programme had been sustained.

“These schools were designed to produce world beaters and the fruits were already coming out. A student from our school topped the Senior Secondary School Examinaon while another topped JAMB examina on shortly a er we le . But our successor regre ably couldn’t con nue with the tempo.

“Nevertheless, our commitment then was from the understanding that there is no alterna ve to a sound public founda on educaon.

“All governments must therefore know that no ma er how a rac ve private schools may be, they will never be able to displace government funded public founda on educaon schools, if we really want to provide educa on to all the children and s mulate development from bo om up. It is a dream we must never give up on.”

Aregbesola Hasn’t Reached His Peak In Nigerian Poli cs, Governance - Owaale of Ikare

Speaking at the event, the Owaale of Ikare, Oba Adefemi Adeleke Adegbite, said those who think the end has come for the former minister of interior in Nigerian poli cs and governance will be disappointed eventually.

Oba Adegbite maintained that Aregbesola has not reached the peak of his poli cal career, no ng that the former governor s ll has many years to shine in Nigerian poli cs.

According to Oba Adegbite, Aregbesola has an innate Omoluabi virtue which makes him an outstanding public figure and a humanist.

Oba Adegbite said: “Aregbesola is a rare poli cian with innate Omoluabi

virtue. He is responsible, transparent and humane. He is a blessing to many genera ons.

“Let me state that the end has not come for Aregbesola in Nigerian poli cs and governance. Those who thinks the end has come for him will be disappointed eventually. He has not reached the peak of his poli cal career. The road to farm will not be blocked to a farmer that has God and cutlass. We shall all be alive to celebrate another good chapter of his life.”

The Na onal President of the Na onal Associa on of Old Students of Akoko Anglican Grammar School, Arigidi Akoko, Mrs Grace Ajayi, described Aregbesola as an icon, a man of vision, honour and integrity.

According to Ajayi, Aregbesola was celebrated for his outstanding performance in all the public offices he had occupied.

She said: “We are here today to celebrate an icon, a man of vision, honour, integrity, a generous man full of humour, a highly intelligent industrious man, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, ‘Areshow’ as he was called back in the school.

“Ogbeni is one, out of the many old students of the school who had occupied prominent posi ons at different levels of government in Nigeria. It is gra fying to note that he has always demonstrated tremendous love and uncommon commitment towards the development of the school and has equally projected the image of the school posi vely.”

In his remarks, the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Ro mi Akeredolu, described Aregbesola as a courageous man, full of energy and passion for development of Nigeria.

Akeredolu was who represented by his Commissioner for Educa on, Pastor Femi Agagu, said Aregbesola and Akeredolu share same traits of being a courageous man, energe c and outspoken.

He commended the Na onal Associa on of Old Students of Akoko Anglican Grammar School, Arigidi Akoko, for the recep on, describing it as a show of affec on.

“I want to appreciate ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for his service. He is someone we know very well as a commissioner in Lagos state, as a governor in Osun and even as a minister. He has not disappointed us. And we are all very proud of him. Aregbesola is a poli cian that is proud of being a poli cian.

•L-R: Commissioner for Education, Pastor Femi Agagu (representing Governor Rotimi Akeredolu) Aregbesola and the Owaale of Ikare, Oba Adefemi Adeleke Adegbite, at the event.

MISCREANTS have taken over some streets in Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun,findings have revealed.

The thugs, apart from threatening and robbing residents of the State capital, also extort commercial motorcyclists, known as Okada riders by forcefully collec ng money from them.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the thugs some mes hire Okada riders to take them around the town and refused to pay them a er delivering the service, threatening to harm them if they insist on collec ng money.

Notably among places where the miscreants are opera ng, according to findings are; Odi-Olowo, Akindeko, Old-Garage, Aiyegbaju and Isale Osun, Oke Baale, Oke Onitea, Oke Ayepe, etc.

According to sources, the thugs operate by stopping motorcyclists who come to their area, especially, the ones carrying suspected Yahoo boys and ladies.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, an Okada rider who was a vic m, Olugbenga Ojo, told the medium that the thugs threatened to harm him when he asked for payment a er taking them around the town for almost three hours.

He said: “Last week Saturday, three of the thugs stopped me at Old Garage; they asked me to convey them to Okinni area. I told them I would collect N1,000 but they said they were going to pay N800.

“When we got to Okinni, they asked me to wait while they discussed with someone supervising an uncompleted building. A er 20 minutes, they came back and told me I would be taking them to Ota Efun with a promise to add N1,000 to my charge.

“I took them back to Odi-Olowo around 6pm and a er dropping, I asked for my money which they refused to pay. I insisted on collecting my money but one of them brought out a dagger and threatened to stab me if I didn’t leave the place. I swallowed my anger and le “The thugs are really distribu ng us. It is like they are in all parts

of Osogbo because no ma er where you go, you will meet them demanding money or asking us to take them

around the town.”

Another vic m who iden fied herself as Modupe Abayomi told OSUN DEFENDER that

the miscreants collected her phone in the Egbatedo area of the state capital.

According to Abay-

omi, the thugs stopped the bike carrying her and asked the Okada rider and to give them money.

“The bike man gave them N500 but I declined to give them money”, she said.

She claimed that the thugs harassed her and collected her phone with a claim that they were the ones ruling the street.

Abayomi said: “I am a vic m of these hoodlums. My phone was forcefully collected from me because I declined to give them money at Egbatedo area on Saturday around 8pm.

“It is so embarrassing that these people have turned themselves to authority in our dear state and the most painful part is that no one is checking the excesses of these thugs.

“The police and the state government should act fast before these thugs turned to kidnappers and hired killers. The state is no more safe for the lawabiding ci zens.”

Thugs Take Over Osun Streets, As Okada Riders, Passengers Fall Victim Osun Records 1,537 As NPC Registers 49,000 Deaths In Six Months

NO fewer than 49,917 deaths have been registered with the Na onal Popula on Commission in Nigeria.

Of the 49,917, the State of Osun has 1,537 deaths on the register.

The figure is contained in an app called RapidSMS designed by the NPC.

The RapidSMS funcons as a data collec on and repor ng pla orm for online and offline birth registra on and death registra on.

Checks by OSUN DEFENDER yesterday showed that 49,917 deaths have been registered with the NPC this year so far on the app.

A breakdown by gender showed that 32,746 of the dead were male while 17,171 were females.

The app’s record further revealed that 29,701 deaths were cer fied while 20,216 were uncer fied.

On the causes of death, the record indicated that 7,400 people died as a result of fevers/typhoid; 4,041 died as a result of accidents/injuries; 1,227 died from childbirth; 968 from HIV/AIDS, and 36,281 from other ailments.

For male deceased,

765 of them aged below one year; 866 were between one to four years; while 31,115 were five years and above as of the me of their death.

The record also showed that for the female deceased, 585 of them aged below one year; 757 were between one and four years of

Again, APC

age while 15,829 were five years and above as of the me of death.

The record further revealed that Ogun State had the highest death registra on of 7,211, followed by Lagos with 7,082; and Abia, with 4,473 registered deaths.

Plateau State recorded 1,388; Yobe,

369; Taraba, 246; Sokoto, 450; Rivers, 1,171; Niger, 694; Kwara, 2,221; Kebbi, 20; Katsina, 1,583; Imo, 2,609; Kano, 663; Kaduna, 3,754; Jigawa, 3,896; Enugu, 597; and Ebonyi, 501 deaths.

Also, Borno recorded 1,024; Benue, 85; Akwa-Ibom, 17; Anambra, 3,661; Bayelsa,

1,024; Edo, 1,731; Eki , 341; Ondo, 842; Osun, 1,537; Federal Capital Territory, 11; and Kogi, 698.

Checks by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that Zamfara, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Oyo, Gombe, Delta, Adamawa and Cross-River states were not listed in the documents.

Vice-Chairman Accuses Omisore, Adamu Of Squandering N30bn Party Funds

THE North-West Vice-Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has again accused the party’s Naonal Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Secretary, Sen. Iyiola Omisore, of squandering N30 billion the party realised from the sale of forms during the 2023 general elec ons.

Lukman made the allega on recently in a statement tled; ‘Rebuilding the APC to Reform Nigerian Poli cs: Task Before President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’.

Lukman accused Adamu and Omisore of reckless spending without recourse to any form of budget as

required by the APC cons tu on.

According to him, Adamu and Omisore have not been accountable to anyone

or commi ee in the party.

He accused Adamu of running the party like a dictator.

Lukman accused

Adamu of rela ng “with his colleagues in the NWC just like his appointees”.

He said, “In their name he meets other leaders of the party and seeks to manipulate party decisions to suit personal vested interests that are only known to him.

“Beyond all these is also a clear case of reckless financial management of the party.

“With more than N30 billion realised during the sale of forms for the 2023 elec ons, Sen. Adamu and Sen. Omisore have embarked on spending extravaganza based on their discre onary decisions without any form of budget as required by the APC cons tu on.”

•A near death trap as a result of erosion at Akindeko bridge, Osogbo.

Photo: Shola Aderinto

•Adamu•Omisore

Kazeem Badmus

Yusuf Oketola

Yusuf Oketola

ALLpraise is due to Allaah, and may His peace and blessings be upon the final Messenger, His pure family, noble companions, and all those who follow them with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.

Riba is an Arabic word that can be roughly translated as “usury”, or unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business under Islamic law.

JUMAT SERMON JUMAT SERMON

By Sheik Musa Oladapo Raji

By Musa Oladapo Raji

In Islamic Finance, riba refers to interest charged on loans or deposits. Islam forbids riba, even at low interest rate, as both illegal and unethical or usurious. Islamic banking has provided several workarounds to accommodate financial transactions without charging explicit interest.

Usury is charging a rate of interest upon lending money. It is forbidden in Islam and it is clearly stated in Qur’an. Only trade is permissible.

In the Shari’ah, or Divine Way of Islam, riba is the name Allaah Almighty gave in the Qur’aan to any increase of a debt or a loan until its repayment.

Islaam is a way of life. It governs every aspect of a Muslim’s life from spiritual, cultural, social to even economical. The Islamic economic principles regulate economic activities in accordance with the Shari’ah. Riba is the most prominent element among various prohibitions under Islamic commercial law. While trade is permitted, riba is prohibited.

Conventionally, trade is defined as the exchange of goods or services for other goods and services or money. It is not different in Islam. A sale (ba’y) is an exchange of an item for another.

Allaah Almighty has permitted the exchange of goods and services (ba’y) not only to enable individuals make livelihoods but also because human needs are interdependent. Merchants engage in trade transactions to make profit.

Riba (commonly translated to denote interest) literally means an increase, excess or surplus.

The Oxford Dictionary (1989) defines riba (interest) as “money paid for the use of money lent (the principal), or for forbearance of a debt, according to a fixed ratio (rate per cent)…”

Technically, riba refers to any predetermined excess over and above the credit amount advanced to the debtor in relation to a specified period of time.

According to the Shari’ah, a surplus of commodity or an increase in return without a counter-value (‘iwad) is riba. Islam does not differentiate between interest and usury. The term Riba is used interchangeably to denote an illegal excess from a loan transaction. The Shari’ah does not recognize such thing as acceptable and exorbitant riba.

Islam encourages individuals to invest their excess capital so that money rotates in the economy and earns them profit rather than lending it for interest. The most preferred, however, is helping the needy and giving out interest-free loans (qard al hasan). Dealing in interest is one of the greatest sins in Islaam.

The Qur’an 2: 275 legislates:

“Those who consume interest cannot stand (on the Day of Resurrection) except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, ‘Trade is (just) like interest.’ But Allaah Almighty has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allaah Almighty. But whoever returns to (dealing in interest or usury) - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.”

There are various essential differences between ribh (profit) and riba (usury). The above definitive (qati’) verse permits trade (as a mode of earning profit) but strictly prohibits interest.

Briefly, ribh (famously translated to mean profit) refers to a mark-up put above the cost price of a product or service. It is designed to compensate traders for their expenses, effort and time. Riba, by contrast, is an additional amount added to a credit facility and not to product costs.

The amount of riba from a transaction is usually calculated, as a percentage, in advance. Thus, the amount of payable interest depends on the advanced facility and the rate of interest. Profit, conversely, is uncertain. The amount of profit is post-determined after the trade transaction is done. It might be posi-

Religion Riba, Prohibitive Transaction In Islam

vestment. Riba, on the other hand, is unearned income. The lender does not have to put in any effort to earn interest. Lenders simply gain revenue by offering money which in itself cannot generate income. Money in debt-based economies is simply an end in itself.

Trade transaction is executed immediately an item is exchanged and money (profit) earned. In a riba-based transaction, the debtor has to consume the money, reproduce it (if lucky) and then pay it plus interest. Even so, the interest can still be compounded until paid in full. Thus, a debtor runs double risks in a ribabased transaction.

Term deposit accounts offer a good example of contemporary form of riba. Depositing at a bank for a specified period against a specified interest is definitely usurious. The depositor earns riba during the term without working or taking any risks.

This is equally evident in contemporary Murabaha (cost-plus financing) and Bai Muajjal (sale with deferred payment). Some Islamic banks (IBs) undertake these transactions in a typical ribabased manner. Whereas the Shari’ah assumes that IBs actually buy and possess the items before selling them to customers, most IBs do not fulfill this requirement. Islamic Banks enter into fictitious deals which guarantee themselves a predetermined profit exactly equal to the conventional interest rate margins. These IBs in fact do not even deal in real goods nor share any real risks!

tive, zero or negative (loss).

Profit is earned through investing actively in the real economy. Businesses trade to meet people’s needs in order to make profit. Interest, by contrast, is earned passively. Moneylenders do not take any risks in the monetary economy. The loans are collateralised and interest earned without any real investment or participation in trading.

Profit is halal. Riba is haraam. In Islam, wealth can only be generated through active work. The Shari’ah favours gains proportional to work done. Profit is earned through effort and risks. It is consideration for the entrepreneurial effort and risks incurred in an in-

From the foregoing, we realize that business in Islam is not about making profit only. It is an opportunity to please Allaah Almighty more and establish a halal way of life. Profit, is paramount, but should come second after Allaah Almighty. Businesses ought to put Allah Almighty before profits. Implement Islamic values (of social justice, honesty and truthfulness) and business will boom.

May Allaah Almighty make this sermon a beneficial one for me, the writer, the readers, and the entire Muslims. And our last prayer, is praise be to Allaah Almighty, Lord of the worlds.

•Sheik Muhammad Abdulalimi, is the Mudiru Ad-Da’wah Wal-Irshad, Obaagun, State of Osun.

Again, Sitting Arrangement Causes Commotion At Osogbo Central Eid

Ismaeel Uthman

HISTORY repeated itself at Osogbo Central Eid Praying Ground, Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun, on Wednesday, where Muslims gathered to pray in commemora on of the 2023 Eid-el-Kabir (Ileya).

There was commo on on the Eid ground which forced Governor Ademola Adeleke to leave the place angrily without observing the special prayer.

Findings revealed that the commo on started when ex-spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Ajibola Basiru, allegedly occupied the space reserved for Adeleke at the front roll.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that some Governor Adeleke’s aides asked Basiru to leave the par cular space, asking him to find his seat elsewhere.

An eye witness told the medium that Basiru shi ed a bit, leaving a space open, but Adeleke’s

aides were not sa sfied.

The development generated arguments which later led to commo on before the arrival of the Governor.

It was gathered that all efforts by the Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta, Chief Tunde Badmus, to se le the ma er proved abor ve as Basiru’s supporters and the Adeleke’s aides led by Alhaji Muniru Raji were about to throw punches.

Adeleke, according to eye witnesses, arrived the Eid Prayer Ground at 10:02am and met the commo on.

According to the eye witnesses, Adeleke was welcomed by Badmus popularly known as TUNS, but the Governor could not proceed to the front roll where a seat was reserved for him as a result of the commoon.

When it was apparent that the ma er would not be resolved on me, the Governor le he Eid

Prayer Ground with anger.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kehinde Longe, immediately sent a team of policemen to arrest Basiru, a development that led to the closure of entrance gate of the Eid Prayer Ground.

According to eye witnesses, the policemen accosted Basiru and asked him to follow them to the State Command.

The eye witnesses said Badmus intervened in the ma er and followed the policemen in his own vehicle conveying Basiru to the police headquarters.

Badmus later apologised to Governor Adeleke for the incident and called on Protocol Office to take charge of the governor’s si ng arrangement at events rather than leaving such in the hands of favour seeking poli cians.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that the Wednesday incident was the sec-

ond me there would be a commo on at the Eid Prayer Ground because of si ng arrangement.

It would be recalled that similar incident occurred during the Eid el Kabir prayer held on September 1, 2017 at the same Eid Prayer Ground. Basiru, who was the A orney General of the state then, was reportedly harassed for allegedly occupying the space reserved for Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta.

The former commissioner for Regional Integra on and Special Dues, who was not on good term with Badmus then, was asked to leave the reserved space, a development that led to commo on.

The interven on of some Muslim leaders at the prayer ground saved the situa on from degenera ng into a full blown ba le between supporters of the Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta and Basiru.

•Adeleke Angrily Leaves Before Prayer

Post 2023 General Election: Stakeholders Demand End To Electoral Violence

Kazeem Badmus

STAKEHOLDERS in the Nigeria elec oneering process have called for an end to violence which usually engulfed elec ons in the country.

The stakeholders, who spoke during the Second Naonal Dialogue Post 2023 General Elec ons in Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun on Tuesday, said Nigeria can only move forward when people have faith in the elec oneering process.

They added that violence can be stopped if the country’s leadership provide economic opportuni es for everybody to thrive, adding that electoral offenders must also be brought to book.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Na onal reconcilia on and strategies of violence prevenon ahead of the off-cycle elec ons, a media consultant, Prince Kanmi Ademiluyi, said violence can only be prevented when the country developed a posi ve economy where people have opportuni es to develop themselves and be what they wanted to be.

Ademiluyi said one of the problems of Nigeria is lack of produc on which has made it to be a rent-seeking country.

He added that in the absence of economic opportunies, poli cians will con nue to use the jobless Nigerians to perpetrate violence for their selfish gains.

Ademiluyi stated: “The 1959 elec ons which ushered in independence in Nigeria, the voters’ turnout was 75 per cent. In 1963, the voter turnout was 83 per cent. We now moved on from having these figures to having an elec on in Anambra State with a total turnout of just seven per cent.

“There must be a correlaon between the number of people who turnout in elecon in the development of democracy and the development of a country itself.

“If you look at it, countries like Brazil and Australia where vo ng is mandatory, there is a correla on between the level and quality of governance and the number of people who par cipate in the democracy.

“This country has gone back in me and if we don’t fix our electoral process, we can’t get to an advanced stage. One of the problems is that the country has turned to a rentseeking one where there is no produc on and one of the results is the electoral violence.

“Poli cs is a voca on and not a career. What we have in Nigeria is the absence of economic opportuni es which the poli cians are banking on.

“Unless you develop a posi ve economy in which people have op ons, violence will con nue to engulf our electoral process. We must have a deterrent. People have to be shown the consequences of what they are doing.

“But the real thing is not

•Tasks INEC On Logistics Improvement

gone unpunished.

“Nothing destroys a naon more than the feeling that jus ce will not be done by the aggrieved. If the aggrieved feels very strongly that no ma er how he obeys the law, it shall s ll not get jus ce, nothing destroys a na on more than that.

“The problem we have today is the total refusal to bring those who have visited violence on our electoral processes to book. The me has come for us to urgently cons tute an elec on tribunal, so that those who perpetrate violence before, during and a er elec ons can be apprehended and dealt with.”

The team lead, Kimpact Development Ini a ve (KDI), Bukola Idowu, had earlier in his welcome address, urged electorates to stop giving much respect to those with untraceable incomes.

•Ademiluyi addressing participants at the programme held at Osun Mall, Osogbo on Tuesday.

about the morality play thing we are fixated upon; we cannot end electoral violence in this country unless you have a different kind of economy where people have opportuni es to develop themselves and be what they wanted to be.

“Poli cs has become a transac on in the country and that is why you have poli cal par es that are not based on any ideological differences and you see poli cians moving from one party to the other.”

In his address, a broadcast journalist, Mr. Olufemi

Olanipekun who spoke on ‘Se ng the agenda ahead of the 2023 off-cycles elec ons’, said there was the need for the Independent Na onal Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix its logis cs issues which was an intractable problem.

Olanipekun, who is the Sta on Manager of Rave FMradio sta on, Osogbo, said Nigeria has not been learning from past mistake, no ng that the turnout of voters has persistently been declining in every elec on.

He said: “We do not learn from our mistakes as a coun-

try. If you check the data, our voter turnout has been dropping since 1999. We have been retrogressing as a na on.

“Going forward, the issue of logis cs which seems to be an intractable problem for INEC will need to be fixed. It is evident that we have logis cal problems. It is at the core of INEC’s failure or success.

“If you bring an Angel to lead INEC with the current structures, I’m afraid, we will have the same issues. We need to begin to iden fy the problems and look at ways to fix them.”

In his keynote address, an Associate Professor of Economic Historian and Public Affairs Analyst, Dr. Adetunji Ogunyemi, opined that violence has been an instrument used by policians to win elec ons.

“Whenever we have an elec on in Nigeria, violence has been one of the instruments in which poli cians sought to gain power”, he stated.

Ogunyemi added: “All those who commi ed infrac ons, par cularly, those who visited violence on their compatriots, all of them have

Idowu said: “Electoral offenders must be punished. We should stop to give much respect to those who do not have traceable incomes.

“Some of the people we called poli cians don’t even have a company they run on their own. They can’t even manage a company and yet, our educa on, security, economy, and infrastructure are in their hand.

“From our findings, elecon violence has a direct link with poverty. We must address unemployment and ques on projects that have no economic value.”

How We’re Navigating Hardship Of Subsidy Removal - Osun Residents

Kazeem Badmus

SOMEresidents of the State of Osun have explained how they are naviga ng through the effect of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) which resulted into hike in pump price of fuel.

The residents, among who are civil servants, ar sans and commercial transporters, lamented that the fuel subsidy removal has brought about a hellish living condi on which is eroding their various living standard.

According to the residents, the current economic hardship is threatening their daily ac vi es and living condi on.

To keep their daily endeavours ongoing, the residents said they have devised means to keep their body and souls together and as well keeping faith with their daily engagement.

A minibus (korope) driver, who iden fied himself as Nureni Owolabi, told the medium that he has abandoned the commercial transporta on because the business was no longer profitable for him.

According to Owolabi, the increment in pump price of petrol has dras cally reduced the daily income of every commercial driver, while increment in transport fare has also discouraged people from traveling and other ou ngs.

Owolabi said the owner of the minibus he was driving was not ready to compromise on his daily

remi ance, hence his decision to quit the commercial transport business.

He said: “The person that owns the minibus (korope) I was driving was not willing to reduce the daily remi ance as the current reality demands. Before the hike in petrol price, if I bought fuel of N3,000, I usually made between N9,000 and N11,000 daily. I will pay N4,500 to the owner of the bus as remi ance a er deduc ng the amount I used to buy fuel. The remaining sum was my gain.

“But everything changed nega vely when the subsidy was removed and the price of petrol went up. There was a day I bought N10,000 and I made N8,300. I tried to explain my plight to the owner of the bus but he wasn’t ready to reason with me.

“The owners expected us to double the amount of transport fares but that will be too much as people were not even okay with the 50 per cent increment. Passengers have reduced on the road as a result of the increment.

“When I discovered that the business was no longer profitable for me, I dropped the bus key with the owner and face my farming squarely. I have full concentra on on my farming now and there is prospect in it. We will survive this period.”

Also, a frozen food seller at Ota Efun, Mrs. Victoria Samuel, said she has dropped her car and resorted to public transport to

save herself from the cost of fuel.

Samuel who said she resides at Fagbewesa area of Osogbo said she could not bear the cost of fueling her car which according to her gulps a minimum of four litres daily.

“A litre of petrol is selling between N510 and N515; mulplying that by four is N2,000 and that will be four six days, making N12,000 in a week. I cannot afford that! that’s why I opted for public transport which costs me just N500 daily and N3000 a week”, she said.

Mr. Adisa Omobolaji, a Manager at one of the Microfinance Banks in Ilesa, told the medium that he has stopped travelling with his car to long distances due to the high cost of petroleum.

Omobolaji who said he no longer uses air condi oner even when driving within Ilesa, his residen al city, said he needed to reduce fuel consump on of his car in any way possible.

“What I do now is that whenever I’m going outside Ilesa, I will drop my car at the office and use the commercial transport.

“Though the commercial drivers have also increased the transport fares, it is s ll economical compare to travelling with my own car.

“Even when driving within Ilesa, I don’t put on my air condi oner to save fuel. I have been trying to reduce the fuel consump on of my car, at least that will save a little amount for me.

“At home, we don’t put on the generator like we use to do before. I only on the generator if the work I wanted to do is very important and it won’t be on for more than an hour.”

A barber at Odo-Ori area of Iwo, Alfa Mukaeel Adeniyi, said the hike in fuel price has led to a decrease in his daily income.

Adeniyi who said he increased his service price in line with the new price of petroleum, added

that people now preferred wai ng for electricity to barb their hair because of the difference in prices.

He said: “Since the fuel subsidy was removed, I have not been making sales like before because people are not ready to pay higher amount to use generator to cut their hair.

“Before the subsidy removal, I charged N300 and N500 for teenagers and adults respec vely whether I used a generator or not.

“But with the increment in price of fuel, more than double what we are buying before, my charge has increased from N500 to N700 if I am going to use generator to barb customer hair. Unfortunately, people stopped patronising me for that. Only few persons will even come when there is electricity.

“However, I have purchased rechargeable clipper and that has saved me from pu ng on the generator to barb my customers’ hair whenever there is no electricity.

Photo: Shola Aderinto

Protocols,

IT gives me great pleasure to be at this very dis nguished and joyous gathering. I must therefore thank exceedingly the leadership of the Naonal Associa on of Old Students, Akoko Anglican Grammar School, Arigidi Akoko, for the Welcome Home Recep on being organised for me. This is about the third of such recep ons being organised for me a er I completed my assignment as Nigeria’s Minister of Interior. I had barely le office when my friends and polical associates in Osun ambushed me with a recep on in Ilesa and Osogbo. The share size of the people who trooped out to receive and welcome us was overwhelming and I will be eternally grateful to them for their effusive outpouring of love.

I had barely gone over that when the South West Muslim community dragged me to Oyo and in no small measure treated me to an unforge able recep on. Here I am today being treated to another welcome party by the Old Students of my alma mater.

Going down memory lane, I could recollect that the end of my stewardship in Lagos as Commissioner was without funfair. I was in the throes of the li ga on for the recovery of my mandate in the 2007 Governorship Elec on in Osun. That effort was all consuming and it almost lasted a whole term before victory came our way in November 2010. We served a record two-term in Osun and handed over to a successor from our party. I remember being treated to a recepon a er I completed my assignment as governor, before I was tapped once again to be Minister of Interior.

I thank God for enabling me to serve with dis nc on, honour and integrity as Minister and returning home to these recep ons and tumultuous celebra ons. The outpouring of love by the people, friends and associates fills me with the deepest emo ons and never ceased to draw tears from eyes.

Today, I am happy and fulfilled. It is by the grace of God and a great privilege to have been in a posi on

ORATION

BY OGBENI

RAUF AREGBESOLA

I Am Just A Rave…

of leadership three mes and to have le indelible footprints on my paths and be celebrated in this manner.

This par cular recep on by the Old Students of my school is very touching. Though the school is not within a cosmopolis and could even be termed rural, but it is a legend of sort. When I became a student, it was already a world beater. We were challenged by three former students whose exploits in external examina ons were boldly displayed on boards throughout the school. Miss Catherine Adepate Adebisi (Now Mrs. Ajayi) recorded the best result in the first School Cer ficate result written by the school in 1967. She made a dis nc on with Aggregate 09. She is now a Chartered Accountant and former Director General, Chartered Ins tute of Bankers of Nigeria. The second was Mr. David Adeoye. He recorded the best result in Mathematics in West Africa in the 1968 School Cer ficate Examina on. He is now a dis nguished Architect and Pastor. The third was Miss Margaret Ologun who recorded the best result in Health Science in West Africa in the 1968 School Cer ficate Examina on. These feats were possible then because of the quality of educa on in Western Region at the me.

The conspicuous display of the names of these students in our school then was an inspira on to us and to me in par cular. The school has since then produced stars that will fill a galac c world.

These stars include but not limited to:

1. Engr. Dr. Bernard Olumuyiwa Aliu CFR, former head of the Interna onal Civil Avia on Organisa on (I.C.A.O), Montreal, Canada.The Akure Interna onal Airport has just been named a er him by the Federal Government. It is now officially called; Dr Bernard Olumiyiwa Aliyu Interna onal Airport, Akure.

2. Chief Akin Adaramola, former Head of Service, Ondo State.

3. Prof. (Mrs.) Laolat Adesanya, a renowned educa onist.

4. Prof. (Mrs.) Lara Olusi, of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

5. Mr. Adewole Saba, a Computer Scien st and former bank execuve

6. Mrs. Moji Ajayi, a re red Per-

manent Secretary in Ondo State.

7. Mrs. Funmilayo Oni, a re red Permanent Secretary in Ondo State.

8. Mr. Olusade Adesola, the current Federal Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria.

9. Prof. Abidemi Oyinlade, a Professor at the University of Nebraska, U.S.A.

10. Late Mr. Samuel Babafemi Bello, former Execu ve Director, African Petroleum.

11. Chief Abraham. Adebiyi, rered Permanent Secretary, Ondo State.

12. Alhaji Yekini Olanipekun, former Commissioner in Ondo State.

13. Mr. Richard Olaitan Ayeni, former Commissioner for Special Dues, Info State.

14. Engr. Charles Agunloye, former Technical Manager, I.T.T. (Alcatel).

15. Brig Gen.(rtd) Olubunmi Akintola, of the NIgerian Army.

16. Late. Dr. Feyi Momoh, a renowned medical prac oner in Oyo State.

17. Mr. Hezekiah Olusegun Adekunle, an Educa onist and former President of the All NIgerian Confedera on of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Ondo State.

18. Mr. Foluso Aminu, former Chief of Staff to the governor of Ondo State.

19. Prof. Duro Joseph Oyedele, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

20. Prof. Richard Oladele Abiola, Federal University of Technology, Akure; among other dis nguished alumni.

I am just a rave, but these and many more dis nguished ex-students are the stars who deserve even greater celebra ons and it will be unfair if I don’t men on them and their place in the school’s universe.

What of our facul es; Pa Olugboja pioneer Principal and Chief H T Adelegan, the Principal during my me, who introduced us to interna onal poli cs with his daily briefing on the Yom Kippur war; an Arab-Israeli war which occurred between October 6th and 25th 1973. Fantas c teachers and administra ve staff

I must also men on however, that the schools across Western Region at the me taught and ins lled

ethics, social e que e, morals and leadership and produced these great people. This is a testament to a remarkable public educa on policy and programme of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his people-oriented poli cal pla orm.

When I became governor in Osun, I sought to replicate this idea. Our administra on built 11 state of the art 3,000 capacity model secondary schools, in addi on to rehabilitating and upgrading the exis ng ones. Each school has 72 classrooms which can each comfortably accommodate 49 students and six rooms for study groups. It is equipped with six laboratories, 36 toilets separated equally for boys and girls, two libraries for science and arts each, facility manager’s office, a bookshop and a sick bay.

We introduced Opon Imo, the tablet of knowledge; a digital educa on tool, ethics and discipline in public schools and even established a state-wide agency on public school discipline. We introduced calisthenics and school feeding and health programme.

The first one we put into use was Wole Soyinka Government High School in Ejigbo, in 2015. By the me we le in 2018, 11 were fully operaonal. With each school gradua ng 1,000 students every year and a combined output of 11,000, we should have not less than 44,000 world beaters now, if the programme had been sustained.

These schools were designed to produce world beaters and the fruits were already coming out. A student from our school topped the Senior Secondary School Examina on while another topped JAMB examina on shortly a er we le . But our successor regre ably couldn’t con nue with the tempo.

Nevertheless, our commitment then was from the understanding that there is no alterna ve to a sound public founda on educa on. All governments must therefore know that no ma er how a rac ve private schools may be, they will never be able to displace government funded public founda on educa on schools, if we really want to provide educaon to all the children and s mulate development from bo om up. It is a dream we must never give up on.

I will remain apprecia ve of all my friends and associates that have followed me unflinchingly in my career in poli cs and public administra on in Lagos, Osun and across the country.

I thank most sincerely the leadership and members of this associa on and all who made today’s event such a roaring success. I owe you a debt of gra tude.

I thank all my friends, poli cal associates and supporters who have come here to honour me from far and near.

I thank you all for your kind a enon.

“We had fantastic teachers and administrative staff. Worthy of mention is the fact that a couple of exstudents have had the privilege of being Principal of the school”

SPEECH BY OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA AT THE HOMECOMING RECEPTION ORGANISED FOR HIM BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF OLD STUDENTS, AKOKO ANGLICAN GRAMMAR SCHOOL, ARIGIDI AKOKO, ONDO STATE, ON SATURDAY JUNE 24, 2023