Osun Defender Online Version of March 4, 2022

FRIDAY, MARCH 04 - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 VOL 17 NO 09

Review & Outlook

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OR the maestros of the pay-per-sentence crowd, recent events in the State of Osun have proved to be a very good payday as in Christmas come early. Good for them, as in all in a day’s work.

In a more cri cal context, the poli cal crises in Osun go beyond what a former Bri sh Prime Minister, Harold MacMillan, in a not dissimilar situ-

Page 4

Aregbesola Page 2 Revisited

OAU Student’s Death: Court Remands Adedoyin, Others Amidst Heavy Security P. 6 Address Rising Insecurity In Osun, Traditional Rulers, CSOs Urge Govt, Police P. 5

a on described as “just a li le local difficulty”.

Trivialising the crises cannot mask the fact that in Osun, there is a clear diversion of opinion as to the interpreta on of the issue of party supremacy and the ideological core of the party.

Perhaps there was an inevitability about the tussle. For many of the party apparatchiks, the All •Continued on page 3

Fuel Scarcity Bites Harder In Osun •PMS Sells For N400, N300, N250 Per Litre •Consumers Lament, Sleep At Filling Station

PDP Reschedules Osun Gov’ship Primary To March 8 P. 4

Ife North Residents Groan Under Nine Months Power Outage P. 7

Kazeem Badmus

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OTORISTS and residents of the State of Osun are finding it more difficult to get Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol to power their vehicles, ma•Continued on Page 2 chines and power genera ng sets.

FRIDAY, MARCH 04 - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

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News

Fuel Scarcity Bites Harder In Osun •Continued from Page 1 The scarcity of PMS is bi ng harder on the people of the state as many of them sleep overnight at filling sta ons to get fuel.

This is just as some filling sta ons in the state have increased the pump price from N162/N165 to N400, N300, N250, and N200 per litre.

It would be recalled that queues returned to petrol sta ons in the country about a month ago due to the importaon of adulterated fuel, leading to the shortage of PMS. Some filling sta ons in Osogbo have been without fuel as the available fuel at various depots are being ra oned. Most of the filling sta ons in Iree, Ikirun, Iwo, Ede and Ila were shut.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that there has been irregular selling of fuel in many parts of the state by few filling staons that were able to get fuel at the depots.

It was also noted that the scarcity of fuel has led to increase in pump price in many filling staons across the state with the commodity selling between the price of N200 - N400 per litre at some private filling staons.

The medium observed that all the independent marketers in the state were selling at the normal price of N162/N165 per litre and this has led to heavy queues at the sta ons.

Some residents of Osogbo, Ilesa and Ile-Ife, do sleep overnight inside their vehicles at filling sta ons to be able to buy fuel at early hour of the day. The affected residents are majorly commercial transporters.

Other people who need fuel have also been enduring the scorchy sun to get fuel at the filling sta ons.

The independent marketers selling at the normal pump price in spite of the scarcity are Bovas, Matrix, A.A Rano, NIPCO, Mobil, Total and Enyo.

Bovas filling sta ons in Osogbo and other part of the state are always full to the beam whenever PMS is available as motorists and petrol users struggle to buy fuel at the rate of N162 per litre.

The situa on has

been causing gridlock around Olosan area, Gbongan/Ibadan road as motorists occupied a half of the road to queue for fuel.

Also, Matrix filling sta on, Osogbo, usually witness a large number of people wan ng to buy

the commodity as the sta on is also selling at the normal price of N165 per litre.

Some of the consumers who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER on yesterday said they passed the night in their vehicles parked at the sta on to

get fuel.

They appreciated the owners of both Bovas and Matrix for being faithful and considerate on the pump price in spite of the scarcity, just as they recommended them for na onal awards.

The consumers also

appealed to the Federal Government to find a las ng solu on to the fuel scarcity in order to ease the suffering of the masses.

However, some filling sta ons in Osun were selling between the price of N200 and N400 per

•Chief Imam of Offa, Sheikh Muyideen Salman Usein, giving lecture during the 8 days fidau prayer of late Alhaji Abdulkarim Adedayo Ojo, held at the deceased school premises, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, on Tuesday.

PDP Accuses The Osun Masterminds’ Of Fraudulent Activities Yusuf Oketola

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HE State of Osun chapter of the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) has described the ac vi es of the Osun Masterminds, an Osunbased civil society group as fraudulent.

According to the PDP, The Osun Masterminds, have affilia on and working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administra on in par cular.

In a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Ayodeji Areola, the PDP accused members of the group of being the leaders and at the same me followers of many ‘mushroom Civil Socie es Organisa ons with which they allegedly dupe poli cal par es, governments and unsuspec ng individuals.

The PDP was reac ng to a press statement issued by the group to condemn the killings and violence that greeted the Ward Congress of the party last week.

It would be recalled that The Osun Masterminds had in a statement last Saturday, charged parcipa ng poli cal par es in the July 16, 2022 gubernatorial elec on in the state to scru nise individ-

uals they are presen ng as their party’s candidate for the gubernatorial office to ensure capability of delivering quality leadership.

The group, which explained that poli cs was beyond the theatrics of archaic poli cking, singing and dancing, added that it should be more about debate of ideas.

Reac ng to the statement, the PDP asked the group “to desist from arroga ng to itself any garment of a watchdog as the characters involved were mere seasonal recliners who pop up with slander and blackmails for purpose of patronage a er cra y underhand biddings.”

The party said the group lacks the moral standings to condemn such a great democra c exercise.

The statement reads in part: “The group and the cons tuent characters expec ng the good people of the State to take them serious on their voyage is akin to convoluted illusion when these same people were in the State as APC and their warlords were openly plan ng seeds of terror around with ins tuonalised thuggery under the appella ons of ‘State Boys’ and the likes.

“Rushing to the media only a er the successful conduct of our congress merely gave out the Mas-

terminds as masterminds of mischief and belly filling busybodies.

“Our great party has sufficiently distanced itself from any APC orchestrated violence on the day of our congress and we believe security opera ves are on the trail of the perpetrators with a view of unravelling the unscrupulous masterminds of the isolated fracas in Iwo and Ife North local government areas.”

The party advised The Osun Masterminds to face the heat enveloping the APC, warning members of the group to desist from inglorious ac vi es.

“This warning is made in good faith as our great party has seen through the shenanigans of the

unscrupulous elements disguised as a civil body to confuse our people, and we would not hesitate to expose their shameless an cs to the whole world.

“These elements of three or four characters we have found out, are the leaders and at the same me followers of the many mushroom CSOs with which they used to dupe poli cal par es, governments and unsuspecting individuals.

“Such elements in our view, must not be allowed a con nuous reign of causing unwarranted disaffecon in our society for the purpose of lining their pockets against the general wellbeing of the good people of the State,” the party concluded.

litre, a development described as extor onate by the consumers who called for the closure of the affected petrol staons.

A popular filling staon in Osogbo, Adolak, was selling fuel at N250 per litre, while Cisse, a filling sta on at Rinsayo Area, ring road, Osogbo, was selling at N220 as of yesterday.

OSUN DEFENDER learnt that a filling staon in Ikirun, Okanlawon, has also reportedly increased it pump price to N280 per litre.

Also, some filling staons in Iragbiji, Aagba, Ororuwo and Ikirun on Wednesday sold fuel at N240 per litre.

Few filling sta ons who have fuel in Ede yesterday were selling the commodity at N250 per litre.

In Ile-Ife, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that PMS was being sold between N280 and N300 per litre in most of the filling sta ons.

The medium gathered that some petrol sta ons in Ilesa have also increased their pump price to N400, the highest so far in the state.

A facebook user, Olanipekun Busuyi Lawrence said he bought a liter of PMS at 400 on Sunday at Alesh filling sta on, Ilesa.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on the increment in petrol pump price by the sta ons, a motorist, Mr. Abass Oladapo, said filling sta ons selling above the normal price should be sealed off.

According to Oladapo, it is barbaric and inhumane for the petrol staons to be selling beyond the normal price, adding that most of them selling at a high rate are the ones who do not enjoy patronage on a normal day.

He said: “It is an act of wickedness for someone to be selling above the normal price and if you look at those doing that, they are the filling staons that does not enjoy patronage during the normal period.

“The economic situa on of the country is bi ng harder on people already and this callous human beings s ll add to it.

“I want to urge the task force in charge to rise up to their du es and seal off those filling sta ons”.

PEOPLE FIRST

FRIDAY, MARCH 04 - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

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Review & Outlook

BY KANMI ADEMILUYI Jega Agonites!!!

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WO Two key events during this week gave a clear indicaon that the 2023 presiden al and general elecon will be in the words of a former Chairman of the Independent Na onal Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor A ahiru Jega “epochal”.

That Prof Jega was not being hyperbolic was confirmed in a projec on by the Interna onal Monetary Fund (IMF) released days earlier. Alarmingly, the IMF projects that by 2023, Nigeria will be spending about 92kobo of every naira it earns on servicing its growing debt, only 8kobo will be le for the purpose of development.

Facing a stark reality, Prof Jega addressing a conference said the country faces the possibility of “total collapse”. 2023, from his perspec ve, could be the “make or break moment”.

Jega’s anecdote to the crises is to call for “a broad alliance of progressive forces for na onal rescue to get Nigeria out of the present unwholesome predicament in which it finds itself “.

Prof Jega is proffering a sensible solu on here.

The build up to the 2023 has been hitherto most uninspiring. The focus has been on the search for a redeeming figure to clean up the Augean stables. Unfortunately for this school of thought, the great man theory of history was discredited ages ago.

Attahiru Jega “epochal”.

That Prof Jega was not being hyperbolic was confirmed in a projection by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released days earlier. Alarmingly the IMF projects that by 2023 Nigeria will be spending about 92 kobo of every Naira it earns on servicing its growing debt only 8 kobo will be left for the purpose of development.

The country does not need a “great man”, it needs a very well worked out, rigorously costed program of social and economic reconstrucon. This is the only way to confront its myriad of existen al crises on many fronts.

Jega is also correct to call for a coalescing of progressive forces around such a reinvigora ng program. It is difficult to project a feasible alterna ve to Jega’s posi on and it should be explored, fine-tuned and deepened. We are really up and against it.

Aregbesola Revisited •Continued from page 1

Progressives Congress (APC) formed out of the merger of various poli cal tendencies in 2014 will always remain a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). There is a reflec on here of the inability of the party itself having obtained power at the center to coalesce into an ideologically coherent poli cal forma on. The divergence of opinion is reflected in the State of Osun.

For the hangers on who gravitate towards wherever power is, there is no need for ideological orientaon than just share the booty. This is clearly the opera ng basis in Nigeria’s rent collec ng poli cal economy.

Rauf Aregbesola for long associated with a different perspec ve of the interpreta on of poli cs expectedly holds a different posi on. Poli cs as a voca on must be anchored on a clear ideological orienta on, in his case that the essence of poli cs is to ensure benefits to the overwhelming majority of the popula on and their families. Or in the eternal battle cry of the Ac on Group in the early nineteen-fi ies, the quest to “make life more abundant” is the sauce, the raison d’etre for poli cal ac vity.

This is where the divergence lies and history will be on the side of Aregbesola for assiduously maintaining his interpreta on of poli cs.

As an ac vist in the pitched battles for the restora on of democracy in Nigeria and as a very innova ve pro-people governor of the State of Osun, Aregbesola embodied the posi on of the Italian philosopher, Antonio Gramsci that “the key essence of poli cs is to change the direc on, the territory of the poli cal debate in favour of one’s own posi on “.

“Paid hacks vilifying Aregbesola cannot obscure the real issue.

This is that the core beliefs of the progressive movement must be reignited as the country faces stormy weather ahead and even existential threats on a number of fronts”

This he did with great determina on and aplomb.

He emerged as a countervailing force to the established an -people current of the now largely discredited Structural Adjustments Program (SAP). By using the levers of the state, a framework could and indeed was created in Osun to protect living standards and at the same me expand output in the economy in the process inducing a remarkable synergy of direct benefits to the majority.

Examples of the efficacy of this policy direc on includes the widely applauded and imitated schools feeding program as well as informal pension benefits for the senior ci zens.

The atmosphere created through this redirec on was used by the nascent APC in 2014 to show that there was a clear alterna ve posi on to the hardly beneficial social and economic policies of the then government in office at the center. The shi con nues to resonate. Aregbesola is correctly regarded as symbolising the emergence of this “alterna ve perspecve”.

Paid hacks vilifying Aregbesola cannot obscure the real issue.

This is that the core Publisher – Moremi Publishing beliefs of the progresHouse Ltd. sive movement must be Deputy Editor – Ismaeel Uthman reignited as the country (0805-121-2204) faces stormy weather Produc on Editor – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa ahead and even existenReporter – Yusuf Oketola al threats on a number Reporter – Kazeem Badmus of fronts.

Photo Journalist – Olushola Aderinto Rauf Aregbesola has Computer Graphics – Zainab Olalere made history in preexOSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing is ng condi ons and not House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite in situa ons he will necGuarantee Trust Bank (GTB), Gbogan Road Osogbo, essarily have wanted.

State of Osun He deserves kudos for ISSN : 0794-8050 redefining the poli cal Telephone : 0805-121-2204 territory in thought and Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php ac on. He con nues e-mail : osundefender@yahoo.com and will remain relevant osundefenderbank@gmail.com for decades to come.

All correspondence to the above email addresses.

OSUN DEFENDER

FRIDAY, MARCH 04 - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

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News

Those Who Hurt Aregbesola Ask For Reconciliation, Not Him – APCGM Ismaeel Uthman

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HE All Progressives Congress Grassroot Movement (APCGM), State of Osun Chapter, has said that those who offended and hurt the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, are the ones making effort to reconcile with him and not the other way round, as some people are mischievously specula ng in the media.

According to the APCGM, those who are making effort to reconcile with Aregbesola know that the party might lose the coming governorship elec on if the APC house is not put in order in the state.

The group said individuals who offended Aregbesola and at the same me need his support for their poli cal ambi ons, especially as Osun elecon is drawing nearer were struggling to bring him back to their circle.

•Calls For Amicable Resolution In Osun APC

•2nd right, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the State of Osun, Hon. Adelani Baderinwa and other members of the family during the burial ceremony of their late mother, Chief Mrs. Eunice Olobide Baderinwa, held at All Saints African Church , Ikirun last Saturday.

The group in a statement issued by its Director of Publicity and New Media, Mr. Wiliams Akinola,

PDP Reschedules Osun Gov’ship Primary To March 8 Kazeem Badmus

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HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fixed a new date for the governorship primary elec on of the party in the State of Osun.

The primary, according to a le er sent to the Independent Na onal Electoral Commission (INEC), will now hold on March 8, 2022.

According to the party in the le er signed by its Na onal Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu and Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, the primary could no longer hold on March 7 for logis cal challenge.

The major opposion party will be electing its candidate who will be slugging it out with the incumbent Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other candidates in the July 16, governorship elec on.

The candidates vying for the PDP’s cket are Senator Ademola Adeleke, the party’s flag bearer in the last governorship elec on in the state, his cousin, Mr. Dele Adeleke, former Secretary to the State Government,

Alh. Fatai Akinbade, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, Dotun Babayemi and Hon. Sanya Omirin.

described the intervenon of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on the ri between Aregbesola and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as a welcome development.

Akinola said APC stands to gain a lot if Tinubu and Aregbesola could reconcile their differences, maintaining that none of them can be

wished away.

He however, dismissed the insinua on that Aregbesola was the one who went to the tradi onal rulers to seek reconciliaon.

Akinola said: “In as much as we are lovers of peace and we really want our house, APC, to be in order, we also need to ensure clarifica on and set the record straight on the

ri between our referred leaders, Tinubu and the Minister, Aregbesola.

“We need to state categorically as revealed by our findings that it is those who hurt Aregbesola, those who a empted to bring him down poli cally, those who were figh ng him on false assump on of presiden al ambi on are the ones that want to reconcile with him.

“Those who offended him, those who were badmouthing him but now realised that they need his support are the ones that ‘silently sought’ for reconcilia on.

“As a group promoting unity and progress of the APC, we will not allow any misinforma on that may want to scu le the ongoing peace process to reconcile our leaders.

“As a ma er of fact, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, summoned Ogbeni to the mee ng held at his house in Ibadan, on Monday. We believe that as an Omoluabi, Aregbesola cannot and will never turn down any invita on from any of our esteemed tradi onal rulers.

He has regards for them.

“We know that APC stands to gain a lot if Asiwaju and Aregbesola could reconcile. We cannot wish any of our leaders away.

They are valuable to us in the South-West polics. We hope the two of them come back together for the be erment of we, their followers.”

“We commend our tradi onal rulers for taking it upon themselves to foster peace among the two leading poli cal leaders in the South-West.”

Residents Kick As Road Becomes Death Trap In Osogbo Yusuf Oketola

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ESIDENTS of Adetona Street, opposite State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo, has expressed their dissa sfac on over the deplorable state of their road.

The residents accused the state government of several fake promises, saying that successive administra ons have refused to a end to the road.

The road which serve as an alterna ve route for those linking the state hospital from Isale-Osun, OjaOba and Sango-Orioke is now in a awful condi on.

According to the residents of the area, the road is now a death trap for motorists and motorcyclists plying it, saying that there have been couples of accidents which resulted to loss of lives on the road.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that an elderly man fell of the commercial motorcycle conveying him on the road some mes in November last year and died this year due to the injuries he sustained from the accident.

Economic ac vi es in the area has also paralyzed as many business owners have been forced to close their shops and pursue economic prospect elsewhere

due to low patronage.

OSUN DEFENDER visited the area on Wednesday to find out the condi on of the road and speak with residents of the area.

The medium noted that the road has gone bad beyond spot-patching and needs reconstruc on.

According to some of the residents of the area who spoke with the medium, the road was constructed during the old Oyo state, adding that no government in Osun has ever rehabilitated it ll now.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Governor Adegboyega Oyetola had visited the road on mul ple occasions to inspect levels of damage and promised to reconstruct it.

It was learnt that the Commissioner for Regional Integra on and Special Du-

•A portion of the road.

es, Hon. Lekan Badmus, also visited the community with a promise that the government would rehabilitate it.

Speaking with the medium, Mr Afeez Hamzah, a resident of the area, said the community has resorted into self-help as successive governments have refused to fulfill all promises made in reconstruc ng the road.

Hamzah noted that the poor condi on of the road may lead to flooding in the area as the raining season approaches.

He said: “Governor Oyetola had visited this road on different occasions to inspect the level of damage and he promised to reconstruct it.

“Recently, we learnt that a bulldozer was working on a street close to ours and we were hoping that

the bulldozer will get to our street but we did not see anything.

“Government official were here four months ago.

We also heard that our road was among those approved to be repaired by governor Oyetola but we are not sure of anything un l it happens.

We have also made effort to make the road accessible for residents and passerby by filling it with laterite on different occasion.

“The raining season is around the corner; the road will get worse and it may lead to flooding in this area.

The poor condi on of the road has also affected business ac vi es in the area.

We can only pray the state government remembers us and do the needful”.

Another resident of the area, Mr Muideen Azeez, accused the Oyetola’s ad-

ministra on of playing polics with the road.

He said: “The state government has promised us on several occasions that this road will be repaired but nothing has been done ll now. Recently, the community had to contribute money and get laterite to fill some por ons on the road since the state government is not making any effort to repair it.

“There is nothing we can do other than to beg the state government to come and rehabilitate the road.

This current administra on has even been using the reconstruc on of this road as a campaign strategy. We can say the government is only deceiving us with fake promises.

“It is now difficult for people to come into their homes because of the condi on of the road.

Economic ac vi es of the community have also collapsed. Many have locked up their shops because of low patronage. We ar sans are also experiencing low patronage. Nobody wants to bring his or her vehicle for repair here again.

“There is nothing we can do, we can’t fight the government. We can only appeal to them to repair the road”.

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News Address Rising Insecurity In Osun, Traditional Rulers, CSOs Urge Govt, Police Ismaeel Uthman

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RADITIONAL rulers in the State of Osun have urged the state government and police to address insecurity in the state, saying the spate of killings is worrisome.

This is just as Osun Civil Socie es Coali on and Commi ee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) decried incessant cult clashes and thuggery ac vi es in the state.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that there has been an upsurge in cult related killings and thuggery ac vi es in the state, par cularly in Ilesa, Ede and Osogbo.

A notorious gang led by one Rasidi Oko-Ilu has been having running ba le with another gang and a sec on of Oodua Peoples Congress in Ede, a situa on that has turned the peaceful town into a ba le field.

The Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal, last Thursday, raised the alarm over the spate of killings by hoodlums in the town, calling for an urgent government interven on.

Oba Lawal said killings and other violent ac vi es of the hoodlums in the town was becoming unbearable, saying insecurity was very alien to the people of Ede un l recently.

He expressed concern that undisclosed personal grudges between individual members of OPC, Na onal Hunters Associa on, Vigilante Group and cul sts metamorphosed into the crisis the community was witnessing.

The tradi onal ruler urged Federal and state government and the police to address the insecurity in his town, saying that security

of lives and property is the primary responsibility of the government.

Also, the commander General of the Harmonised Vigilante Group, Ridwan Hussein, urged the state Governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola to intervene and end killings and other criminal ac vi es in Ede. Hussein while speaking to newsmen yesterday noted that Ede has come under series of a acks lately, which have resorted in loss of lives and destruc on of property.

He absolved members of his group in the criminal acts, saying that those behind the current mayhem must be apprehended and dealt with.

Reac ng to the incessant cult clashes in Ilesa which has claimed many lives, the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, called on security agencies in the state to be alive to their responsibili es.

Oba Aromolaran while speaking with newsmen recently, described the recent killings in Ilesa as disturbing and unacceptable.

He condemned the incessant menace of bloody cult a acks, especially on innocent resident, saying that it was high me security agencies restored order to his domain.

The monarch refuted claims in some quarters that he was trea ng the issue of cul sm with a kid glove, appealing to the tradi onal rulers, chiefs and poli cians to support the law enforcement agencies in effort at restoring peace in the land.

Similarly, the Osun Civil Socie es Coali on (OCSC), yesterday declared that Osun was no longer a safe state it used to be.

The OCSC in a press state-

•Oba Munirudeen, Timi of Ede.

Gov’ship Primary: Osun APC Faction Alleges Plan To Pervert Justice On Appeal Ismaeel Uthman

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•Olokode, Osun CP

ment signed by its Chairman and Vice Chairman, Comrades Waheed Lawal and Wale Folaranmi respec vely, said the rate of killings in the state was alarming.

A copy of the press statement reads in part: “We are not unaware of the growing threats to security of lives and property of the people of Osun State. We state categorically that Osun is no longer a safe state that it used to be. There is a growing trend of insecurity with a side a rac on of poli cal violence.

“Recently, the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi declared a dusk to dawn curfew because of the incessant armed robbery in the city. The Aree in Council in Iree, the hos ng community of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree also declared curfew because of armed robbery, kidnapping and ritual killings in the town few weeks ago.

“Cul sts and hoodlums have been terrorising Ilesa and Ede consistently, leaving nothing less than eight people dead. Osogbo, the state capital is now an abode for both cul sts and thugs. The rate at which thugs are ‘growing’ in Osogbo is alarming and this calls for concern from all ra onal residents of the state.

“All the security agencies in Osun state should please act fast in restoring the lost glory of Osun as one of the safest state in Nigeria.

We specifically called on the Commissioner of Police to rise up to the core duty of policing.

“There is need to do more on the police ac vies as regard preven ng and curtailing violence and other crimes, inves ga ons and prosecu on of the real perpetrators of crimes.”

Reac ng to the ac vi es of the cul sts in the state,

the Secretary of Committee for Defence of Human Right (CDHR), Comrade Emmanuel Olowu said cult clashes and thuggery ac vies are a threat to the security of lives and property and the peace of the state in general.

Olowu accused the government and police of paying lip service to addressing the menace of cul sm and thuggery in the state, saying the security agencies know the sponsors of the criminal elements but turned blind eye to them.

According to Olowu, Osun state was gradually losing the glory of a peaceful state sequel to the sudden engagement of thugs by poli cians He therefore, urged the police to build and invest more in its inves ga on and intelligent gathering unit, just as he warned policians to stop any act capable of causing unrest in the state.

HE Hon Rasaq Salinsile led fac on of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) in the State of Osun, has alleged plan to pervert cause of jus ce on the pe on against the governorship primary elecon of the party held on February 19, 2022 in the state.

One of the governorship aspirants in the party, Alhaji Moshood Adeo , had pe oned the na onal secretariat of the party, alleging irregulari es in the primary.

According to the APC fac on, the Na onal Secretariat was yet to cons tute the Appeal Committee to entertain Adeo ’s pe on.

However, the facon said it was surprised when it read on some online pla orms that Adeo ’s pe on had been dismissed by the appeal commi ee.

A press statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the APC facon, Com. Abiodun Agboola reads in part: “We read with trepida on for the integrity of the APC on Monday, a news item to the extent that the appeal against the manipulated Osun APC governorship primary elec on has been dismissed.

“The story seems an authen ca on of an earlier story published in few online media which had earlier broken it. And we had on Sunday issued

•Oba Aromolaran, Owa Obokun of Ijesaland.

a rebu al to the extent that the Appeal Committee was yet to be set up, not to talk of si ng and deciding on the pe on against the elec on.

“However, we are not surprised on this development as it cons tutes another of regular occurrence of manipulaon, abuse of office and suppression of truth by Governor Gboyega Oyetola as a member of the Na onal Caretaker and Extra Ordinary Convenon Planning Commi ee of the All Progressives Congress.

For this appeal matter, we put on record that Alhaji Adeo ’s lawyers were at the Na onal Secretariat to inquire about the development on the ma er from Wednesday ll Friday, last week and the affirma ve answer they got was that the Appeal commi ee was not set up yet.

“It thus became a surprise to read on thenaononline.net sta ng authorita vely that the pe on was dismissed by a named commi ee and the reasons why it was dismissed.

“We believe that those named as committee with this inglorious act will deny it for the sake of their integrity and their essen al beings, otherwise we pray karma to deal with all workers of iniquity.

“So, it becomes obvious that it is Governor Oyetola’s spin doctors that were direc ng the movie in which lawyers were told that no committee was set up while an unsigned story emerged all of a sudden to make claims to the contrary.

“In a firm request, we wish to be furnished with details of when the commi ee was cons tuted, its me of working and when it rounded up its si ngs “In an equitable dispensa on of jus ce, it would have been that the commi ee, if it sat at all, asked Alhaji Moshood Adeo to supply them with those par culars rather than throwing away the baby with birth water.

“It is fundamental to note that impunity can only go for a li le me, when its expira on comes; it will fall like pack of cards.”

FRIDAY, MARCH 04 - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

6

A

Religion

LL praise is due to Allah, and may His peace and blessings be upon the final Messenger, His pure family, noble companions, and all those who follow them with righteousness un l the Day of Judgment.

Brothers and sisters in Islam, we shall By be talking to one another on Tawheed, Sheik Muhammad Muhammad the Islamic monotheism, which is the Makanjuola firm belief in the oneness of Allah. Abubakr Makanjuola Tawheed is the pillar of Islam, the founda on of its ethics and philosophy of life and the basis of its systems and ins tu ons.

Tawheed simply means believing in Allah alone as God and Lord and a ribu ng to Him alone all the a ributes of Lordship and divinity. It is explained as believing that Allah is One with no partner or associate in His Lordship (ruboobiyyah), divinity (uloohiyyah) or names and a ributes (al-asma’ only one Lord for all the universe, Who is its Creator, Organizer, Planner, Sustainer, and the Giver of wa’l-sifaat).

Tawheed begins by saying the word of confes- security, etc, and that is Allah.

(B) Tawheed-al-Ibaadah – Maintaining The Onesion, that is, “Laa Ilaaha Illallah, Muhammad-urRasuul-Allaah” (None has the right to be wor- ness of worship of Allah. This is to believe convincshipped truly but Allah, and Muhammad is His ingly that none has the right to be worshipped (e.g.

Messenger). Allah says: “And your Ilaah (God) is praying, invoking, asking for help from the unseen, One Ilaah (ilaahun waahidun) (God — Allah), Laa swearing, offering sacrifice, giving charity, fas ng, Ilaaha illa Huwa (there is none who has the right pilgrimage) but Allah.

(C) Tawheed-al-Asma’ wa Sifaat – Maintaining to be worshipped but He), the Most Gracious, the oneness of the Names and A ributes of Allah: This Most Merciful” Quran 2:163.

“Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘Allah is to believe that: (1) We must not name or qualify is the third of the three (in a Trinity).’ But there is Allah except with what He or His Messenger has no Ilaah (god) (none who has the right to be wor- named or qualified Him, (2) None can be named shipped) but One Ilaah [ilaahun waahidun] (God or qualified with the Names or Qualifica ons of Al—Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, lah; e.g. Al-Kareem, (3) We must believe in all the verily, a painful torment will befall on the disbeliev- quali es of Allah which, as stated in His book (the Quran) or men oned through His Messenger Muers among them”. Quran 5:73.

It has been no ced that most mankind, who hammad, without changing their meaning or ignorembrace Islam, do not understand the reality of the ing them completely or twis ng the meanings or meaning of the first fundamental principle of Islam likening them (giving resemblance) to any of the which is Tawheed. So, I consider it essen al to ex- created things.

It is also essen al to follow Allah’s Messenger, plain its meanings and types of Tawheed.

Tawheed (Islamic monotheism) has three as- Muhammad and it is a part of oneness of the worship of Allah. This is included in the meaning, “I pects: (A) Tawheed-ar-Rubuubiyyah – Maintaining The tes fy that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger and Oneness of Allaah -: This is to believe that there is this means “None has the right to be followed a er

JUMAT SERMON

Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism)

Allah’s Book (the Qurann), but Allah’s Messenger, may the peace and blessing of Allah Almighty be upon him”. Allah says: “And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever He forbids you, abstain (from it). Quran 59:7.

Allah also says: “Say (O Muhammad to mankind), if you (really) love Allah then follow Me, i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah, i.e. legal ways of the prophet, Allah will love you and forgive you of your sin”. Quran 3:31.

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), as narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari (7372) and Saheeh Muslim (19), said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Mu’aadh ibn Jabal to Yemen, he said to him: “You are going to people from among the People of the Book, so let the first thing to which you call them be belief in Allah alone (Tawheed). If they accept that, then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers every day and night. If they pray, then tell them that Allah has enjoined them zakaah from their wealth to be taken from their rich and given to their poor.

If they agree to that, then take it from them but avoid the best of people’s wealth.”

Islam is built on five (pillars): belief that Allah is One, establishing regular prayer, paying zakaah, fas ng Ramadan and Hajj.

What is meant by Tawheed in all these texts is affirming the meaning of the tes mony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, which is the essence of the religion of Islam with which Allah sent His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) May Allah make this sermon a beneficial one for me, the writer, the readers and the en re Muslims.

And our last prayer, is praise be to Allah Almighty, Lord of the worlds.

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

Crime

OAU Student’s Death: Court Remands Adedoyin, Others Amidst Heavy Security Ismaeel Uthman

T

HERE was heavy presence of security opera ves at the High Court Complex, Osogbo, State of Osun, yesterday when the founder of Oduduwa University Ile-Ife(OUI), Dr. Ramon Adedoyin was arraigned before the court over the death of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU. Adedoyin, who owns Hilton Hotel and Resort, Ile-Ife where Adegoke lodged and died, was arraigned alongside six workers of the hotel before High Court 1 being presided over by the Chief Judge of the state, Jus ce Adepele Ojo. The workers of the hotel who were arraigned with Adedoyin are: Adedeji Adesola, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwale Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem and Adebayo Kunle The accused persons had earlier been arraigned before a High Court in

Abuja which remanded them in correc onal centre on allega ons of murder, conspiracy, unlawful interference with a dead body, altering and intent to destroy evidence.

But counsel to the family of the deceased, Femi Falana, SAN, had wri en to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba asking that the ma er be returned to Osun, where the crime was allegedly commi ed.

Consequently, the accused persons were transferred to Osun on Wednesday for onward arraignment at the court yesterday.

Before the arrival of the accused persons, se-

curity opera ves, majorly of policemen, have been posi oned strategically at the High Court complex.

The entrance gate of the court was also manned by many heavily armed policemen and some plainclothes security men, suspected to be opera ves of State Security Service.

People going in were thoroughly searched and made to iden fy themselves before they were allowed into the premises.

Adedoyin and six workers of his hotel were arraigned on 11 countcharge bordering on murder, conspiracy, intent to destroy evidence

•The accused persons in the dock.

and unlawful interference with dead bodies.

But they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Counsels to the accused persons, K.K Eleja and Mr Kunle Adegoke, both SAN, pleaded with the court to release the first to sixth defendants on bail, saying that they were presumed innocent un l contrary is proved in a court of law.

The seventh accused person, Adesola Adedeji who was just added to the charge, had no legal representa on.

The prosecu on counsel, Mr. M. Omosun objected the bail applicaon on the ground that the charges against the accused persons carried capital punishment.

In her ruling, Jus ce Ojo ordered that the defendants be remanded in Ilesa Correc onal centre and adjourned the case ll today, Friday, March 4, for the argument of bail of the seventh accused person.

Woman Arraigned For Allegedly Stealing 70 Crates Of Eggs Bolanle Lasisi

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45-yearold woman, Adunni Komolafe, has been arraigned before an Osogbo Magistrate Court for allegedly stealing 70 crates of eggs.

Komolafe was said to have fraudulently obtained the crates of egg valued N113,000, from one Adewumi Obamuwe.

According to the charge sheet obtained by OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, Komolafe committed the offence in September,2021 at A ba Estate, Osogbo.

The offence, according to the police prosecutor, Inspector Adeoye Kayode, contravened Sec on 419 and 383 and punishable under Sec on

390 (9) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, laws of Osun state of Nigeria, 2002.

But the accused person pleaded not guilty to the two counts charge of fraud and stealing pressed against her.

Defence counsel, Okobe Najite, prayed the court to admit the defendant to bail in the most liberal term, promising that she would stand her trial.

The presiding magistrate, Adekanmi Adeyeba, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N70,000 with a surety.

Magistrate Adeyeba said the surety must either be the accused person’s husband, children or biological siblings.

The case was adjourned ll April 7, 2022.

FRIDAY, MARCH 04 - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

7

News Yoruba Referendum Posters Flood Osun Ismaeel Uthman

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HE agita on for the conduct of a referendum in Yoruba land has been gathering momentum in the State of Osun.

Posters to create awareness and sensi se the people on the need for the referendum have flooded Osogbo, Ilesa and Ile-Ife. The posters were sighted at Dele Yes Sir roundabout, Old Garage, Ilesa Garage, Africa and Stadium in Osogbo.

It was gathered that the posters were also pasted at May Fair and Lagere, Ile-Ife and Roundabout in Ilesa.

The Yoruba referendum, being championed by a group, Yoruba Referendum Commi ee is based on the agita on to have a referendum that will bring about true federalism in which Nigeria will be governed by members of a Federal Presiden al Council.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday, a member of the group, Barr. Shenge Rahmon, said their ac vies are aimed at popularising the idea of restructuring among the people of the South-West region such that the people will influence the decision-makers in bringing this to reality.

He said: “Yoruba Referendum Commi ee is a group on its own, it was brought into being to create awareness and campaign for the popularisa on of the need to have popular acceptance of the ques on of restruc-

turing of Nigeria. Of course, it cannot be done in a violent manner nor can it be done by the unilateral declara on of just one person or a group of persons.

“The ques on of selfdetermina on of any people will only come as a result of the self-exercise for selflibera on of the people, not the pompous or arrogant declara on of a few persons. The people must be involved.

“We are not secessionists, the content of the posters shows what we want to do to get popular approval by way of a referendum of the real federalisa on of Nigeria and we cannot wish away the existence of the poli cal establishment: governors, legislature and political forces while seeing the people as a dominant factor in this process.

“It is le for the poli cal forces to align with the demands of the people when we have actually got our people to accept the idea to seek a referendum in such a manner that it will be impossible for the poli cal contestants in Yoruba land to disregard or show indifference to the real ques on of the day — self-determina on.

“We have seen series of examples like this in Catalonia, Ireland, Scotland, of course, ours is a non-violent one.

“From the benefits outlined in the posters, we said we want Nigeria to be governed by a Federal Presiden-

•Former Secretary to the State Government Of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Addeoti receiving an award after being turbaned as Baba Adini of AROSHIDIYYAN TIJANIYAH Society in Iwo recently. al Council instead of one single president. Each region will choose its candidate in the Presiden al council and you will discover that over the years, one single federal elec on at the centre has always been a cause for a terrible struggle to outdo each other which has always involved mindless violence, killings, abuse of power and occasional cause to the extermina on of opposi on forces and we think enough is enough.”

According to Rahmon, only a referendum within the Yoruba states in the country will ignite a driving force for the self-determinaon agita ons as the current structure is weak to respond

to the yearnings of Yorubas for development and all-inclusion in the present na on state arrangement.

He said the Yoruba Referendum commi ee wants a “Federal Nigeria, through a valid Federal Cons tu on, to be known as The Union of Nigerian Cons tuent Naonali es, with a Federal Presiden al Council, whose members will be selected or elected from each of the Na onali es as Federating Units and from whom a Head of State will be selected or elected as the primusinter-pares with an agreed term.”

Rahmon added: “We want Yorubaland, geo-poli cally known as the Oduduwa

Ife North Residents Groan Under Nine Months Power Outage Yusuf Oketola

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ESIDENTS of Ife North local government of the state of Osun are groaning under nine-month-old power outage which has thrown the communi es into darkness.

Communi es under the local governments have been without electricity since June 2021 as a result of a faulty 7.5MVA transformer that supplied power to them.

The affected communi es, known as Origbo mejeeje are: Moro, Ipetumodu, Asipa, Isope, Edunabon, Akinlalu, Yakoyo.

The Osun State House of Assembly had intervened in the power outage and summoned the Ibadan Electricity Distribu on Company (IBEDC).

But the IBEDC said it did not have capacity to repair the faulty transformer, saying that it would cost about N90m.

However, the state gov-

ernment had in January this year donated the N90m for the rehabilita on of the transformer.

The transformer, it was gathered, had been evacuated for repair last week, but there was no me frame for the restora on of electricity to the affected communi es.

A resident of Ipetumodu, Damilola Olalekan, who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, lamented that the power outage has wrecked his job, saying he has not been able to do major work since the transformer had developed fault.

Olalekan, a welder, wondered why it would take IBEDC and the state government to repair a faulty transformer over a month.

According to Olalekan, many businesses have paralysed in Ipetumodu because of the power outage which both government and IBEDC were not taking serious un l recently.

He said it is a sign of underdevelopment as a state and country for seven communi es to be without electricity for over nine months.

Olalekan said the a tude of the IBEDC and the government exposed them that they are not sensi ve to peoples plight and welfare.

He stated further: “We have no electricity in these communi es for the past nine months and our government and IBEDC think that is a good thing. We have members of House of Assembly, Senator and House of Reps member and we are s ll experiencing darkness for over nine months. This is a sign of underdevelopment as a state and country. We now know that our government and IBEDC are just paying lip services to our welfare.

“To the government officials among us, you have failed the people who voted you into power. Posterity will judge all of you.

It has now been on record that the whole Ife North local government was put into darkness due to the negligence and nonchalant a tude of IBEDC, poli cal leaders, and our representa ves”.

Reac ng to the power outage, a resident of Akinlalu, Mrs Oluwabunmi Francis, said it is unfortunate that the Origbo mejeeje have been thrown into darkness for the past nine months, a development that has nega vely affected the wellbeing of residents and economy of the communi es.

Francis accused Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administra on of delayed interven on for poli cal reason.

She said: “A year ago, Ayeepe did not have electricity supply, now it is the turn of Ife North local government. The inten on of the government is probably to restore the electricity back when elec on me is near. So, they can use it for campaign.”

Region and consis ng of the present states of Eki , Eko, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and all Oodua lands in Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta States to become an autonomous Naon in a Union Of Nigerian

Cons tuent Na onali es and recognizing all persons in the Diaspora, of African descent who claim Oduduwa/Yoruba ancestry, either through cultural affilia on or genealogical connec on.”

Osun NSCDC Calls for Synergy Among Security Agencies To Curb Insecurity Kazeem Badmus

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HE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Osun Command, has called for synergy among security agencies and the public in the fight against criminal ac vi es and maintenance of law and order in the society.

The NSCDC appealed to residents of the state to always share mely and credible informa on and intelligence that would help curb insecurity with it.

Mr. Emmanuel Ocheja, the Commandant of the NSCDC in the state made the appeal on Tuesday, in Osogbo during the 2022 Internaonal Civil Defence Day. According to Ocheja, mely informa on sharing and intelligence would aid the command in opera ng a safe and secure security apparatus that would tame all vices in the state.

He said: “I believe if we are able to share proac ve informa on, some of these miscreants, hoodlums and mischievous individuals causing mayhem would be tamed, and the state will be safe and free for all.

“There is nothing you can do without synergy. What we do in Civic Defence, especially in the area of volunteers, is that once they give us any informa on, we work on the informa on and give it out to other sister agencies”.

Ocheja also charged men of the force to work hard in defending the people of the state, adding that failure to do so means negligence of

•Ocheja duty.

He said the command would not relent in carrying out its established mandate, which is the protec on of lives and property in the state.

“As we are celebra ng this day, my call today is that we must manage our en re environment. It is our mandate to be there for everybody. If we are not defending the en re populace, then we are not doing our work”.

“The command is trying its best in ensuring a safe community and we are not going to make it easy for criminals out there as we are not relen ng in the protecon of lives and property”, he added.

CHANGE OF NAME RAIMI MUJIDAT MOJIRADE

That I was formerly known and addressed as AZEEZ MUJIDAT now wish to be known and addressed as RAIMI MUJIDAT MOJIRADE. All former documents remain valid. Union Bank and General public should take note.

ISSN : 0794 - 8050

News

FRIDAY, MARCH 04 - THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 VOL. 17 NO 09 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com

Those Who Hurt Aregbesola Ask For Reconciliation Page 4 – APCGM

J

USTICE has to do with just behaviour or treatment. It has to do with giving each person what he/she deserves.

Jus ce and fairness are iden cal twins.

Any society where jus ce and fairness are absent is doomed. In a recent instalment of OBSERVATION (22 – 28rd February, 2022) tled, “APC Primaries: “Victory” Built On Sand” I wrote, “It is instruc ve to note that Governor Oyetola who was one of the aspirants contes ng in the primaries is a member of Governor Mai Mala Buni led APC Caretaker Extraordinary Conven on Planning Commi ee {CECPC), which was organising the said primaries.

If Governor Gboyega Oyetola knew that he wanted to contest in an elec on that would be conducted by that CECPC in which he is a member, he supposed to have resigned from the Mai Mala Buni led APC Caretaker Extraordinary Conven on Planning Commi ee (CECPC) four weeks earlier. APC cons tu on is very clear on this when it states in ar cle 31(iii) of its cons tu on, “Any Party office holder interested in contest for an elec ve office (whether party office or office in a general elec on) shall resign and leave office 30 days prior to the date of nomina on or party primary for the office he or she is seeking to contest.”

Since that publica on, I have received WhatsApp messages and telephone calls from those who loved it on one hand and those who detested it on the other hand.

Anyway, we cannot all think or walk in same direc on. Moreover, what appears as six (6) to one person could appear as nine (9) to another, depending on where one is posi oned.

However, jus ce and fair play have no coloura on; you’re either served or denied. For the benefit of those who may not know the ni y gri y of the issue at stake, the following is the list of APC Caretaker Extraordinary Conven on Planning Commi ee (CECPC) members as cons tuted by Na onal Execu ve Commi ee (NEC) at its mee ng held at the Presiden al Villa, Abuja on 25, June, 2020: 1.

Governor Mai Bala Buni (Yobe) Chairman; 2. Isiaka Oyetola, Governor Osun (South West); 3. Ken Nnamani (South East); 4.

Stella Okorete (Women Rep); 5. Governor Sani Bello (North Central); 6. Dr. James Lalu (Physically challenged); 7. Sen. Abubakar Yusuf (Senate Rep); 8. Hon. Akinyemi Olaide (House of Reps); 9. David Lyon (South South); 10. Abba Ari (North West); 11. Prof. Tahir Mamman (North East); 12.

Ismail Ahmed (Youths); 13. Sen. Akpan Udoedehe (Secretary).

This Mai Bala leadership has been in charge and organising Osun APC primaries from Ward to Local and State. It is the same leadership that conducted and supervised 19th February, 2022 open primaries to elect the party candidate from three aspirants –Isiaka Oyetola (Governor); Moshood Adeo (Ex-SSG) and Lasun Yussuf (Ex-Deputy Speaker, House of Reps).

On 18th January, 2022, exactly four weeks to 19th February, 2022 primary to elect Osun APC flag bearer for 16 July 2022 governorship elec on, the Rebirth Group, a pressure body in the APC had called for resigna on of Governor Oyetola from CECPC ahead of the primary elecon via a statement from its leader, Mr. Aliyu Audi which established that Oyetola con nuous membership of the committee contravenes Sec on 183 of the 1999

Perversion Of Justice In The Pipeline Cons tu on as amended which states, “The governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other execu ve office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.”

Before then, the Aregbesola/Salinsile led APC leadership in the state had met with Senator Abdulahi Adamu led Na onal Reconcilia on Commi ee on Saturday, 8 January, 2022, with a pe on that Governor Oyetola should resign from Buni led CECPC if he was interested in contesting at the forthcoming primaries. Instead of heeding the merit of the pe on, it was waved aside by the Secretary to Oyetola/Famodun led APC Congress Commi ee, Mr. Sunday Akere, saying, “The

STRIKER

“

TOP members have no right whatsoever to dwell on issues that do not concern them as their demand for resigna on of Mr. Governor from the APC Na onal Caretaker Commi ee connotes.” Now, the primaries had come and gone, CECPC has refused to cons tute an appeal commi ee to look into any grievances of any aspirant at the primaries two weeks after. A school of thought is of the opinion that Governor Oyetola is using influence of his CECPC membership to delay cons tu on of appeal commi ee so as to frustrate those who have grievances and in the process, head to court to seek jus ce.

Should his contenders – Adeo and Lasun – head to court to seek redress, court will

Those with grievances on the primaries should be diligent in presentation of their case to the party constituted appeal committee even if it is headed by Governor Oyetola himself before heading to court for prosecution if dissatisfied with the outcome. Anything short of this by rushing to court will lead to perversion of justice which will be unacceptable to members of the party whose votes at the primaries were not made to count rule that it has no jurisdic on as internal party machinery to redress grievances had not been exhausted. Hence, a pyrrhic victory for Oyetola.

This is why jus ce perversion is inevitable when one is a judge in his/her own case. Those with grievances on the primaries should be diligent in presentaon of their case to the party cons tuted appeal commi ee even if it is headed by Governor Oyetola himself before heading to court for prosecu on if dissa sfied with the outcome. Anything short of this by rushing to court will lead to perversion of jus ce which will be unacceptable to members of the party whose votes at the primaries were not made to count.

Striker is not the opinion of the Columnist featured above

The Wages Of Alienation

HOW e take concern me?” is one of the popular sayings of the typical Nigerian. Another prominent one, a selfish prayer, is “however much they sell it, may God just provide me with the means.” These are signs of loss of hope in social processes and tendencies towards self-help in pursuit of “happiness” largely to the detriment of others. We forget that no man is an island in the society and the consequences of individual disposi ons and ac ons, even at the family level, inevitably reverberate all around the community and the na on at large.

Arriving at this nega ve, self-centred temperament did not happen in a day.

In summary, government not based on taxa on but almost en rely on oil money is basically the cause. Government ought to be based on taxa on on the produc ve efforts of its empowered ci zens at the local government level, which is supposed to be the founda on of state and na onal government. Two factors, the discovery and explora on of crude oil and military rule that centralised the federa on into a unitary state, did devasta ng damages to democracy and produc vity. The civilian elite, dominated and redesigned by the military juntas, became reliant and self-sa sfied to centrally collect the oil rent money and simply distribute to selves and spend as they wish at the federal, state, and local government levels.

Whatever projects they deem fit to

throw around in their “magnanimity” are seen as “government” projects: government schools, government roads, government stadia, government transformers, government houses, government this and government that; there is neither sense of ownership by the ci zens (as individuals or as community).

Oil money was used to execute them and not taxes from people’s produc ve engagement. The oil money is not seen as proceeds from the explora on of our common patrimony, oil money belongs to government and not the people; and the elite sustained that false narra ve.

A er military rule, their civilian twins - along with fellow military brass now in flowing robes - ins tuted a democracy based on a cons tu on that retains all the elements of unitary and dictatorial rule in which THE PEOPLE (men oned three mes in the popular defini on of democracy) are removed from having a voice in determining government policies but reduced to mere voters in premanipulated elec on processes. The end result remains the same as under military rule, with only the grace of absence of naked brutality.

THE MAJORITY can be subs tuted for THE PEOPLE in defining democracy.

However, the import remains the same.

The majority in any society remains the workers, students, women, children, arsans, farmers, traders, etc - the masses in general. The elite who are the most

connected, exposed, successful, educated and rich cons tute a minority whose interests also ma er BUT WHOSE INTERESTS HAVE NOW BEEN TURNED TO THE DOMINANT INTEREST against the spirit and le ers of democracy. The clear outcome is underdevelopment and na onwide distress.

Democracy, however disfigured, s ll offers the best opportunity for THE PEOPLE to redress the social contract of Democracy. Of course, widespread poverty and ignorance make the goal challenging indeed. Nevertheless, organisa ons of the masses need to wake up from their slumber and take on the challenges of redefining democracy - in form and content. The wages of aliena on are increasing poverty and ignorance with consequent escala on in crime and violence to the propor on of insecurity challenges worse than even what is being witnessed today.

Only a return to true federa on (in which every federa ng state is autonomous with what it owns); ci zen producvity on a massive scale; and taxa on for governance by a government elected truly by the majority; can restore prosperity and guarantee law and order. Only then can we say bygone to the days of ethnicity, religious bigotry and all forms of extremism and, as a genuine FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, finally realise the goal of our na onal mo o: unity and faith, peace and progress.

Osun DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarnaty Trust Bank (GTB), Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun.

All correspondence to the Deputy Editor, ISMAEEL UTHMAN, Telephone: 0805-121-2204, usmanismail001@yahoo.com. ISSN: 0794-8050.

Website: www.osundefender.com Email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com, osundefemder@yahoo.com