Lauds Adeleke On Osogbo-IkirunIla-Odo Kwara Boundary Road

THE Na onal Ikirun Progressive Union (NIPU) has commended Governor Ademola Adeleke for con nuing the reconstruc on of Osogbo-Ikirun-Ila-OdoKwara boundary road.

According to NIPU, the reconstruc on has not only made the road motorable and comfortable for motorists but has also beau fied Ikirun town. NIPU made the commenda on in a statement jointly issued by its President, Dr. Mustafa Olawuyi and Secretary, Mag- istrate Lateef Ajala, in apprecia on to Adeleke a er the commissioning of the second phase of the road termina ng at popular Alamisi Market Juncon in Ikirun.

The union recalled with nostalgia, the former deplorable condi on of the road a er being abandoned for years before Adeleke’s interven on; no ng that it was full of potholes which had hitherto made smooth driving from Osogbo to Ikirun impossible and always caused several avoidable accidents.

The Na onal Ikirun Progressive Union, while apprecia ng the good gesture and hand of fellowship Adeleke extended to the indigenes and residents of Ikirun, following the con nua on of the road construcon; equally lauded the present administra on for embarking on reconstruc on of sta on road - Akinorun Grammar School road.

The union urged Adeleke to prevail on the contractors handling the roads to expedite ac on to ensure mely comple on of the two ‘important projects’, while praying for the administraon to be successful in all its endeavours.

Amotekun Arrests Hoodlums Terrorising Osogbo, Recover Firearms

OPERATIVES of the Western Security Network codenamed Amotekun in the State of Osun have arrested two hoodlums terrorising residents of Osogbo, the state capital.

The suspects, Afeez Olaniyan (27) and Ismail Wahab, (23) were arrested on Wednesday.

Olaniyan and Wahab were allegedly attacking inhabitants of Ita-olokan area of Os- ogbo and its environs when they were arrested.

A locally made pistol gun was recovered from the suspects, according to the Chairman, Osun Amotekun Corps Board, Brig. Gen. Bashir Adewinmbi, who confirmed the arrest.

Adewinmbi said:

“The suspected hoodlums were arrested on Wednesday a er receiving a distress call from some people on the ac vi es of the suspects who were un- leashing a ack on residents of Ita-Olokan Osogbo and its environs.

“Our opera ves swung into ac on instantly a er the complaint was made and the culprits were arrested with a locally made pistol gun was found on them.

“Upon inves ga on, they confessed to commitng the act and using the firearm to protect themselves.”

The suspects have been handed over to the police for subsequent inves gaon and prosecu on.

FOR the progressives, the situaon is dire. A er the loss to the PDP in the presiden al elecon and the loss of all federal legisla ve seats, a further hammering took place during last week’s elecon to the state house of assembly, and the nightmare con nues.

The State of Osun urgently needs to build an alterna ve perspec ve to the PDP. The state’s finest hours have been associated with interven ons from the progressive tendency. The phrase “alterna ve perspec ve “ was coined by a former governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and reflected his administra on’s social democra c interven on which by pu ng the people first navigated a new poli cal economy in which the state made real advances in access to health and educa on. Aregbesola decisively altered the territory of both the discourse and opera ons in a posive direc on, bringing the benefits of democra c governance into the reach of the overwhelming majority of the popula on and not just a few.

The policy of inclusiveness ought to have been expanded upon and intensified. On the contrary, a selfserving crew did their very best to roll back the de of progress. The result is the catastrophic elec on results. The results are not a fluke, it represents a clear rejec on by the electorate of a poli cal formaon that has lost in the state of Osun its very reason for existence.

A review must now be done. A football team engaged in a delega on dog fight sensibly looks and reposi oned from the base. It must return to its original founda on of pu ng the people first and must act as a change agent.

A contemporary example is important to use here. When the agent Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola went back to his base in Alimosho in Lagos, he was a game changer in a fiercely contested elec on. Aregbesola had an emo onal connecon, and empathy with the everyday concerns of the people and it made a difference, it changed the atmosphere as well as the poli cal calculus. We must learn from this.

AMIDST uncertain es, disputes and the new bugbear of inconclusive elec ons, it is a difficult task to make a final call on the efficacy of the advantage conferred on the incumbent seeking a second term. In the context of Nigeria, there is an addi onal factor. This is the spectre of the outgoing termbarred Governor seeking to impose a surrogate as successor. For analyses, the surrogate might as well be classified as the “incumbent seeking an addi onal term through the backdoor.

Does incumbency confer an advantage? The jury is s ll out. Many incumbents were returned such as the Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Nassarawa, Borno. The Zamfara Governor was not so lucky and it’s all systems go in Adamawa where the fate of the incumbent hangs in the balance.

The surrogates did quite well too winning in Delta, Rivers, Kaduna but got trounced in Kano (spectacularly so) and Plateau.

Quite a mixed bag. Incumbency was at a me the decisive factor. In sub-na onals with hardly any legisla ve oversight, the si ng Governor led all ace. With poverty weaponised holding the purse string is key. Campaign finance laws are observed in the infringement, meaning that control of the state’s finances counts. Much more so when there is no oversight or independent monitoring ins tu ons.

Controlling the purse string also makes a difference in the grim reality of the weaponisa on of poverty. Lacking an ideological thrust money becomes the essen al mo vaonal tool in voter mobilisa on and support.

For this reason, a comparison with contemporary experience in India might help. There are similari es of course such as landmass, differ- at the ability if the head coach to marshal men and materials and to coordinate strategy. With the grim reali es of relega on staring them in the face the decision as to whether to change course has to be made. The ra onal course is to change the manager (s).