Osun Defender Online Version of March 31, 2023

Fresh Crisis Looms In Osun APC

Ismaeel Uthman

FRESH crisis is brewing in the State of Osun chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

There is a grand plot to suspend some members of the party, OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered.

The planned suspension, according to some top party chie ains, was to serve as punishment for some members of the party who were allegedly involved in an -party acvi es during the just concluded general elec ons.

According to the APC chie ains, some core loyalists of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola, were pushing for the suspension of the party members, believing that the step will sani se the party.

The sources confided in the medium that the Oyetola’s loyalists have called for the submission of names of party members suspected to have worked against the party during the presidenal, na onal and state assembly elec ons.

OSUN DEFENDER stumbled on a message sent to some WhatsApp groups which were exclusively for Oyetola’s loyalists in which there was a call for the submission of names of party members alleged of anparty to the party secretariat.

The message sighted on a group being administered by a young former commissioner and a strong member of Oyetola’s cabinet, reads: “A en on Please! I am directed to inform you that we should collate the names, address and the ward of the party members, no ma er of his/her hierarchy in the party that has commi ed an -party ac vi es in the just concluded general elec ons. Such names collated should be forwarded to the state party secretariat latest Tuesday, March 28, 2023.”

However, inves ga ons showed that no name has been submi ed to the Secretariat as of the me of filing this report yesterday.

A source at the party secretariat said: “I am aware that some people in the party are making move to suspend some party members because of an -party. But no name has been submi ed at the secretariat. However, I don’t think that move is on the right path; it is a wrong move.

“This is not the me to suspend members on frivolous allega on. We cannot con nue to deplete membership of the party. We need to learn from our mistakes but some selfish policians are ready to collapse this party for their selfish interests. And these are people who were not with

us un l recently. And people who are misinforming former governor Oyetola just to bu er their bread.”

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the suspension move is not targeted at only loyalists of the minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

“There are some members of the party who worked against the APC because they did not like

the candidate of the party. These set of people are also penciled down for punishment”, said the APC chieftains.

The medium learnt that the poor show of the APC at the last general elec on, par cularly at the state House of Assembly poll pained Oyetola and his supporters, hence the need to search for scapegoats within the party.

It would be recalled that the APC lost all the three senatorial, nine House of Representa ves and 25 House of Assembly seats to the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP).

The electoral loss, it was learnt, has further exposed the poli cal weakness of Oyetola and his followers before the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu.

Commen ng on the

suspension move, a member of IleriOluwa caucus of the APC who prayed not to be named told the medium that the people behind the plot were those who do not want the party to se le for them to sustain their relevance.

The poli cian who was a commissioner under Oyetola’s administra on said they have advised the former governor and the

party leaders not to support any move that will further plunge the party into crisis.

“Unfortunately, Oyetola has lost the control of these self-styled poli cal strategists. Oga (oyetola) is at the mercy of these selfish people. some of us are not happy with what is happening; the fact that some of the people misinforming and misdirec ng oga were not with us in 2018 even put their sincerity on party affairs into ques on.

When contacted, the Director of Media of Osun APC, Mr. Kola Olabisi, said he was not aware of the move to suspend any party member.

Olabisi said: “I am not aware of any colla on of names, or suspension move by anybody. You are just telling me that.”

Asked the step being taken by the party to address members issues surrounding an -party, Olabisi said only the party chairman has the authority to speak on that.

This is just as the Acting Chairman of the party, Chief Tajudeen Lawal, was not reachable on phone.

Canada-Based Foundation Donates N3.5bn Medical Equipment To Osun Hospitals

Kazeem Badmus

ACanadian based Nongovernmental organizaon, Shola Agboola Goodwill Ambassador (SAGA) Founda on, has donated medical equipment worth N3.5bn to some health facili es in Boluwaduro/Ifedayo/Ila Federal Cons tuency of the State of Osun.

Presen ng the equipment at the State General Hospital, IlaOrangun on Tuesday, the founder of the NGO, Shola Agboola, said the dona on was a result of his painful experience while growing up.

Agboola said he lost his father at the age of 13 due to non-availability of tetanus injecons at the hospital he was rushed to a er he accidentally stepped on a nail at a construcon site.

According to him, “This medical equipment was donated to SAGA Founda on by the government of Canada through an organisa on called Interna onal Hope Canada and we have been doing this for the past 10 years all over Nigeria.

“The reason why

I’m doing what I’m doing today is that I lost

my father at the age of 13 because there was no tetanus injec on in the hospital.

“I grow up with a lot of pain and disappointment in my heart and I made a covenant with

NDLEA Recover 105.45 Kg Of Cannabis Sativa, Drugs In Osun

Yusuf Oketola

THE Na onal Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Osun Command, said it has recovered 105.45kg of Cannabis Sa va and other related drugs in the state.

This was made known by the Public Rela ons Officer of the Agency in the state, Charles Odigie, in a

press statement made available to OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday.

According to Odigie, 94.450kg of Cannabis Sa va belonging to one Idowu aka ID at Ife South and 11kg of the substance was recovered from Taofeeq aka Jagunlabi at Ede North area of the state.

Odigie stated that invesga on was ongoing to ar-

rest the owners of the seized exhibits as the suspects were s ll at large.

He said the state commander of the Agency, Chidi Nnadi, has promised to make the state inhabitable for drug merchants.

The statement reads:

“The Osun Command of Na onal Drug Law Enforcement Agency has recovered 105.45kg of Cannabis Sa va and other related drugs in the state. Inves ga on is on to arrest the owners of the seized exhibits.

“The state commander of NDLEA, Chidi Nnadi, has promised to make the state inhabitable for drug merchants”.

Also, the NDLEA has warned footballers in the state on the effects of drug abuse on their career.

The agency gave the warning during a sensi saon programme, War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) footballers at the Osogbo Township Stadium last weekend.

Speaking at the programme, Odigie warned the players that hard drugs will truncate their football career, urging them to do everything possible to avoid it.

God that if He blesses me, I will make sure this will be my focus and for the past 10 years, we have been doing it without collec ng a dime from anyone in Nigeria.

“The worth of this hospital equipment is 7.3 million dollars and I want to appeal to the beneficiaries to make good use of it”.

Responding, the Governor of the State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, thanked the foundaon, promising to create an enabling environment for philanthropic groups to thrive.

“I commend Shola Agboola Goodwill Ambassador Founda on, SAGA for this wonderful gesture. Our government will consider introducing a policy framework to provide an enabling environment for the philanthropic groups to thrive”, the Governor stated.

The equipment donated includes slac bags, ambulance stretchers, crutches, examina on tables, gurneys, hospital beds with ma resses, Oxygen concentrators, scalers, walkers, and wheelchairs, among others.

•Some of the medical equipment donated by SAGA Foundation to State health facility in Boluwaduro/Ifedayo/Ila FederalConstituency, State of Osun.

•The recovered canabis

THE official commissioning of the Ilesa passport center on Tuesday this week was more than a rou ne event. It embedded the infusion of technology to enervate administra ve processors, thereby lessening bureaucra c bo lenecks.

It is a breakthrough for which the federal government and the can do Federal Minister for Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola deserve great kudos.

With the inaugura on of the facili es, Ilesa has joined the list of places such as Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Katsina, Zaria, Daura as well as Nigerian missions in overseas countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Canada among others where the enhanced e-Passport system has been rolled out recently for easier access by Nigerians.

It was more than the commissioning of another rou ne “project”, it demonstrated a con nuing commitment to the devolu on of processes nearer to the people. For Aregbesola, it was a tumultuous homecoming for the returning homeboy in whom his immediate cons tuency is very well pleased.

Governor of the State of Osun, Senator Ademola Adeleke rose above par san divides and reflected the mood as well as the conven onal wisdom while addressing Aregbesola said “No ma er the party you are, a

A Happy Homecoming For The Favourite Son!

•Multidimensional intervention by the interior minister

abandoned and I promised during the elec on campaign, that I would complete them. I have started doing that.

“No ma er the party you belong to when you see progressives, you must key into them. Aregbesola is the man of the people and I will connue with the abandoned projects.

do the commissioning and be the first person to pass the night there.”

The governor very commendable here rose above contrived pedestrian par san divides of the type that destruc vely obscures the real issues and breakthroughs.

Aregbesola’ entry into Ilesa and the tumultuous recep on he was giving confirms the observa on made during the pitched ba les for the restoraon of democracy in Nigeria by a one me governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukuemeka Ezeife that “ the placards that men wear are in their hearts”.

progressive is a progressive. If you are doing what the people want, you are a progressive. When Aregbesola was the governor, he loved Osun, he loved his people. All the projects he did for his people were

“I am assuring you (Aregbesola) that this is your state, I am issuing an Execu ve Order, this is your state, nobody can chase you away. You are welcome at any me. Very soon, I will move to the Government House but I am going to fix it up a li le bit. The magnificent building that you started, I am going to complete it and you will

The recep on giving to the returning avatar wraps it all well. Aregbesola with his to-people social interven on has endeared himself into hearts for all me. He has earned this and those who have a empted to rewrite and sell for immediate pecuniary benefits are now le looking u erly ludicrous. The jury is no longer out, it is confirmed that Aregbesola posi vely seized his opportunity in history and helped to reinstate the posi on that government must be for the benefit of the overwhelming majority of the popula on and their families.

The avatar is indisputably at the heart of the rebuilding of the progressive project in Osun and we wish him the very best in the momentous decades ahead!

The Discourse Yoruba! What Is To Be Done?

WHEN the revolu onary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was compelled to write the seminal trea se “What is to be done?” it was not an academic exercise, it was an existenal issue. He had to flee Russia a er the failed coup of 1905. Lenin was a marked man and tens of thousands of his comrades had their lives on the line. A review of strategy and tac cs was not just impera ve, it had become a ma er of life and death. The current discussion about the “ownership” of Lagos and assorted issues about the direc on of the Yoruba na on must be placed in the context of “What is to be done?” Blame trading and the hurling of brickbats and paranoia about other ethnic groups is unhelpful, as it only obscures what is now an existenal issue. There are real demographic problems to contend with and this will increase exponenally in this decade, the decades ahead. The margin of error and the space for manoeuvre is ght, a strategic impera ve is urgently required.

In an ideal world, a “Durbar” of the type that was held a er the release of Chief Obafemi Awolowo from incarcera on in 1967 will have been ideal. Such a conference will have been a review and outlook to work out a scenario projec on encompassing the immediate, short, medium, and of course the long term. It is however debatable as to whether a leadership ready to do such a review is in place. Leadership is the crucial issue, and much of the perceived problems of today, originated from the lack of focus, projec on, and planning. Sadly, we are not in 1967. The basis of any review must ac-

cept that for the Yoruba, “the fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves”. Intellectual honesty dictates this, as the star ng point. Raising other ethnic groups as bogeymen completely misses the point. It is also hideous and as objec onable as the United States pro-segregaon of yore pain ng lurid images of African Americans as the be all of all the problems of the world. It inferred that pu ng the negroes in their place will ignite President Theodore Roosevelt’s hope of “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage”. No such economic advance happens because of ethnic cleansing. We have a big structural problem. It will take a structured 15-20-year plan to get out of it, and for us to avoid social cataclysm. We must admit that the Yoruba are at their weakest economic base since the signing of the treaty which ended the Yoruba civil war. The treaty of Kiriji ushered in, a reconstruc on and triggered a renaissance in every aspect of our life. The economic impact is seminally preserved for all mes in “The Red Book of West Africa “ which was published in 1925, and is now unacceptably out of print. The Red Book documented with pictures and case studies a Yoruba entrepreneurial dominance right across West Africa. The ques on that must be answered is; why was the dominance and the zeal not sustained? Answering that ques on begins to unravel the puzzle and constructs the foundaon for tackling the root causes of our predicament of today. The renaissance triggered off a massive investment by communi es and families in educa on. This had been ongoing for decades before, then a trickle turned into a flood. This gave the Yoruba a huge lead ahead of any other groups in West Africa. One beneficial aspect was the forma on of the West African Student Union (WASU) in London, in the1920’s by Ladi Solanke and thirty Yoruba law students. It was a game changing trajectory.

WASU was a mul dimensional powerhouse, part students’ union, part coopera ve society, part high powered research ins tute as well as elite training ground. Unfortunately, since it formally dissolved in 1960 nothing has replaced it, with predictably disastrous effect. Ladi Solanke

has not been given his deserved accolades by succeeding Yoruba leadership which tells a lot about our absence of focus and sense of history. As part of our ins tu onal memory, the life and mes of Ladi Solanke must be acknowledged in the pantheon of the greats. This must start with financial, moral and archival support for the ongoing documentary project. Many of those who contributed to development in Yoruba land cut their teeth with WASU. WASU turned out to be a leadership development cadre as well as molding and mentorship system. From the system came big hi ers such as H.O. Dav-

OSUN DEFENDER

Publisher – Moremi Publishing House Ltd.

Deputy Editor – Ismaeel Uthman

Produc on Editor – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa

Reporter – Yusuf Oketola

Reporter – Kazeem Badmus

Photo Journalist – Olushola Aderinto

Computer Graphics – Zainab Olalere

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

ISSN : 0794-8050

Telephone : 0809-301-9152

ies (Queen Counsel, like our Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN) QC, Ro mi Williams QC, Bode Thomas, Fani-Kayode QC, Obafemi Awolowo, S. L Akintola etc. The organisa on was pan-West Africa as the name implies, there were students and ac vists from a cross the sub-region such as Kwame Nkrumah, Archie Casely-Hayford, Joe Appiah from Ghana as well as Milton Margai from Sierra Leone. The organisa on was program driven. The program as well as the organisa onal structure of the Bri sh Labour party was of great interest. The input of WASU was important, as it incorporated the main thrust of the Labour Party such as access to health, educa on and welfare, out of which the Ac on Group’s “ Life more abundant “ policy thrust was induced. It can be said that the research of WASU aligned with the social democra c thrust of the UK Labour party.

Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php

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

All correspondence to the above email addresses.

Across the na onalist movements in West Africa, WASU shi ed the territory of the discourse in the direc on

•Continued on Page 5

•Ladipo Solanke: An Iconic figure who founded the agenda - setting West African Students Union in the 1920s.

“It is important for us to go back to the draw ing board and put re gional integration at the heart of the reconstruc tion of Yoruba Land”

“The avatar is indisputably at the heart of the rebuilding of the progressive project in Osun State and we wish him the very best in the momen tous decades ahead!”

Bamidele Ademola-Olateju

4 Feature A Path, Effort That Never Ceased

Ismaeel Uthman

THE term ‘development’ does not just happen. It requires a consistent painstaking effort to meet the peoples’ need and achieve prosperity. Developing a state requires strategic planning, strong poli cal will, judicious dispensary of resources and provision of both physical and social infrastructure and programmes to make life ‘more abundant for the people’.

To say that the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is commi ed to the development of Nigeria, and his state, Osun, is an understatement. He has, years before his emergence as the governor, envisioned greatness for Osun. This he planned towards through the implementa on of his six point integral ac on plan christened ‘My Pact with the people of Osun’, his manifesto. In spite of the pollical onslaught on his legacy, Aregbesola’s projects and programmes will con nue to linger in the memory of the people of Osun. His footprints are everywhere!

Aregbesola’s passion and commitment to ease the suffering of Nigerians have con nued to guide his steps as the Minister of Interior. This is evident in various innova ons that have reshaped the ministry and agencies under it. Osun is a beneficiary of the ministry’s ongoing strides, courtesy of Aregbesola.

The Correc onal Service Headquarters, Osun Command, was commissioned in Osogbo in July, 2021. Aregbesola also facilitated the establishment of Zonal

Fire Service Headquarters in Ilesa and equally procured and deployed stateof-the-art fire-figh ng trucks in Osun towards preven ng and combating natural disasters.

The construc on of the Na onal Ins tute of Domes c Security Building in Ilesa is currently ongoing. The Osun Command headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has been built in Ido-Osun, Egbedore local government and will be commissioned soon. The construc on of a 3000capacity correc onal centre is also currently ongoing in Ilesa. This is to men on but a few of projects so far facilitated by Aregbesola to his dear state.

A ground-breaking facilita on of the minister is the Passport Front Office and Produc on Centre, sited at Iyemogun road, Ilesa. The project was commissioned on Tuesday, March 28. The office is equipped for biometric capturing of applicants and produc on of their passports. The office is to compliment the Osogbo capturing office of the Nigerian Immigra on Service.

But the front desk is not an express centre, said Aregbesola during the commissioning event. “It is also not a fullfledged passport office like the ones in Osogbo, Ibadan or Akure. However, a front office is where applica on will be made and biometric data of the applicant will be collected. It is a non-judgemental centre, meaning that

FROM the announcement of his coming, a large number of the people had prepared to welcome Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to the State of Osun. It was his first visit to the state a er he was a acked by poli cal hoodlums in Osogbo on February 14, 2022. The poli cal atmosphere of Osun was charged, as followers of the Minister of Interior and other residents of the state were eager to receive him. ‘Aregbe is coming, Symbol is coming, Oranmiyan is coming, Leader is coming rented the air from Monday ll Tuesday morning. His coming to the state actually unsettled some poli cians who had wanted Aregbesola to stay away from Osun.

Then came the homeboy, the first eight-year governor of Osun! He landed at his residence at Amuta in Ilesa around 10am. Wai ng to receive him were some leaders of the APC and residents of Ilesa. It was a loud welcome. The premises of the house were fully occupied by excited residents. Local drummers were also on ground, entertaining people with different poli cal songs. Aregbesola was in his usual beau ful smiling face as he acknowledged cheers from the jubilant crowd.

A er mee ng with some poli cal leaders and other guests at his residence, Aregbesola set out for the commissioning of the Passport Front Office and Produc on Centre, Iyemogun, Ilesa. There was no smooth ride for the minister from the gate of his house. The jubilant people, among who were passersby, commercial

no decision will be made here, but the applica on and biometric data of the applicants will be collected and forwarded to the NIS for processing and issuing”, the minister explained.

Aregbesola noted that increasing number of appli-

ca ons necessitated establishment of more passport front offices across the country, saying it is born out of the determina on of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administra on to further make the process seamless.

He stated: “The Passport Front Office we are commissioning today is one of the ways we are responding to increased demand for passport, especially to reduce the wai ng me for biometric data capture. We have opened this front office in Alimosho, Katsina, Zaria, Daura and in several Nigerian missions abroad in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, where the enhanced passport is being rolled out.

“We need as many centres as possible to accommodate the huge number of those applying every day, day and night, on our online pla orm, to reduce the

•Continued on page 5

THE HOMECOMING

motorcyclists, poli cians and other residents of the area, obstructed Aregbesola’s convoy as they trooped out to greet him.

The minister was standing on his open roof vehicle waiving at the large crowd of residents who were hailing and jubila ng at seeing him. Aregbesola con nued his demonstra on amid singing by his followers. The roadshow pulled so much crowd that there was traffic snarl along the Amuta to Wesley Guild hospital road.

Officers of the Nigerian Immigra on Service, Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had hec c me in controling crowd at the venue of the event. The place was filled to capacity. Moderators of the programme did not also find it easy to coordinate the event, as people did not cease to sing praises of Aregbesola. Popular Osogbo-based Disc Jokey, Oluwaseun Ekundayo popularly known as Bassman was fully on ground servicing the people with different apala music of late Ayinla Omowura and Fuji music by Saheed Osupa. Ekundayo actually knew the right music to play to charge Aregbesola and his followers and supporters. There was no dull moment at all at the programme.

As the programme was about to start with the Na onal Anthem, informaon filtered that Governor of Osun, Ademola Adeleke was on his way to the venue. It was a suspense! Many people did not believe un l the Deputy Governor, Mr. Kola Adewusi, came in. Few minutes later, Adeleke

arrived with the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye and Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye. The crowd became more charged as the people were vey excited to receive Adeleke. Aregbesola was also excited, even as he stated that he did not make any personal call to invite the governor to the programme.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that former governor Adegboyega Oyetola refused to a end all the official programmes of the minister during his tenure. The only programme a ended by Oyetola was in 2019, when the Ministry of Interior held its management retreat at the Zenabab hotels, IjebuIjesa, a few months a er Aregbesola became Minister.

The icing on the cake was when Governor Adeleke, in his humility, prostrated for Aregbesola to greet

him. The minister had to hurriedly bring him up.

Adeleke stole the heart of many people with his gesture. Both Aregbesola and Adeleke exchanged warm gree ngs. They also took me to dance together, a development that has sent jilter down the spine of their individual traducers.

Adeleke extoled Aregbesola’s virtues and acknowledged his love for the people of the state as well as his efforts in developing the state. The Governor assured Aregbesola of maximum protec on, just as he issued an Execu ve Order in that regard. He declared that nobody can chase the minister away from his state. Adeleke’s presence added glamour to the event.

A er the commissioning of the project, Aregbesola led the Controller General, Nigeria Immigraon Service (NIS), Isah Jere

Idris and other top officers of the service to the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Dr Adekunle Aromolaran. The minister and his entourage were received by the monarch, his wives and chiefs. The former governor of Osun informed the tradi onal ruler of his efforts to develop Osun and Ijesaland through facilita on of projects and programmes in his capacity as the minister. He specifically explained that the Passport Front Office and Produc on Centre was sited in Ilesa to ease the stress of the people in the area and other neighbouring states.

Oba Aromolaran thanked Aregbesola for being a worthy ambassador of Ijesaland, declaring that he is proud of him. The monarch showered encomiums, royal blessing and prayed that he will con nue to excel in life.

It was indeed an homecoming for Aregbesola.

•Continued from front page

•Aregbesola, flanked by Governor Adeleke (left) and CGI of NIS, Idris during the commissioning of the passport office

Family Of Osun Indigene On Death Row Begs For Amnesty

THE dream of every parent is to see their children excelling in life, bring fame to the family, live a quality life and have a lovely family. To achieve this, parents make lots of sacrifices in caring for the children and striving to give quality life to them, believing that they will become responsible fellow in life. Parents take pride in knowing all the invested me, energy and resources actually paved the way for their children.

But this is not the case for Mr. and Mrs. Olanrewaju Olowookere of Oyan, OdoO n local government of the state of Osun. The current condi on of their only child, Segun, is sha ering their dreams. The parents have for the past 13 years been living with emo onal distress, hopelessness, uncertainty and fear. How would somebody whose only child is on death row will feel? Their fate is hanging in the balance.

Segun, a 27-year-old son of the Olowookeres is on death row, since eight years ago. He was 16 years old when he was arrested for allegedly robbing a poultry farmer of two fowls and eggs in April 2010. The owner of the farm was said to be a rela ve to the Olowookere family. There was neither gunshot, nor assault on anybody during the alleged robbery opera on. But the convicts were accused of arming themselves with a cutlass. Segun was arrested alongside one Sunday Morakinyo.

•The

Both Segun and Morakinyo were arraigned in court, convicted and sentenced to death in December 2014 by Jus ce Jide Falola of a State High Court, si ng in Okuku then.

In his judgement, Falola recommended that the Governor of the state could decide to commute the death sentence to 10 years imprisonment, considering the age of the convicts. Segun was just 20-year-old when he was convicted.

However, 9 years a er the convic on, Segun and Morakinyo were s ll trapped in prison. His appeal suit is taking ages at the Court of Appeal in Akure. No governor or organisa on has considered the recommendaon of Jus ce Falola as well.

Segun is at Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Lagos State.

Segun’s parents have not given up, but their endless hope is fain ng. They are making all effort to get their only son released. As part of their efforts, the Olowookeres have appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke to grant amnesty to their son.

In an interview with OSUN DEFENDER on Monday, the convict’s father, Olanrewaju, lamented that the appeal filed against the judgement of the high court has been lingering for long at the appeal court.

According to him, Segun was implicated by the police, maintaining that his son was innocent of the armed robbery charge he was con-

victed for.

He said during the trial of the case, the Inves ga ve Police Officer told the court that his son was not involved in the crime.

According to him, the owner of the said poultry where the convicts purportedly stole the fowls is his cousin, adding that he specifically told the court that the convicts were not the ones who stole from his farm.

He said: ‘’My son was not involved in the stealing of fowls. Contrary to the false claim, my son was never arrested along with those at the crime scene. He was arrested a day a er the crime in my house.”

Olanrewaju appealed to Adeleke to intervene in

the ma er, saying all his effort to get his son freed has proved abor ve.

“I appeal to Governor Ademola Adeleke to please help our son. He is the only child we have. He is spending his 13th years in prison for an offence he did not commit. All we want is his freedom.

“He is a coolheaded person and he never stole from anyone. He has been in the prison since age 16. It has not been easy for me and his mother. We have been living in the shadow of ourselves.

The Governor should help us on this ma er”, he pleaded.

Lawyer to the convict, Mr. Abdulfatai Absulsalam, told OSUN DEFENDER that the brighter hope for Seg-

un’s freedom is amnesty.

Absulsalam said he applied for Segun’s amnesty during the administra on of former governor Rauf Aregbesola but he was told that the convict just spent few years in prison then.

He said: “We have filed an appeal on the case already but it is s ll pending. However, the brighter hope is amnesty because of the legal deep inference of the case. I have applied for it severally and will s ll do.

“I applied for it during Aregbesola’s administra on and almost got it. According to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Jus ce and the Amnesty Committee, I was told he just spent few years in prison then. I’m hopeful during this administra on of Governor Ademola Adeleke”.

OSUN DEFENDER visited the Ministry of Jus ce, Government Secretariat Abeere on Tuesday to make enquiry on the amnesty program.

According to a legal prac oner in the Ministry who spoke with the medium on the condi on of anonymity, only the Governor of the State that has the cons tuonal power to grant amnesty to inmates through the Preroga ve of Mercy Commi ee.

The legal prac oner noted that the commi ee wasn’t set up throughout the four years administraon of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

He added that he is opmis c that the current administra on of Governor Adeleke will cons tute the commi ee as soon as possible.

A Path, Effort That Never Ceased

•Continued from front page 4 wai ng me before data capture to the barest minimum. Our target is to reduce the wai ng period for biometric data capture to not more than one week, a er applica on.

“In recent years, there has been an upsurge in passport demands by Nigerians. The first factor in this upsurge was the COVID-19 pandemic that affected our produc on schedule, due to restric ons on human movement. This created a backlog that we were trying to clear when an unprecedented number of Nigerians now decided to travel outside the country and applied for passport, thereby compounding the backlog challenge.

“Then of course, the panic buying syndrome kicked in. Many people who had no immediate need of passport then started applying, crea ng a deluge of applica ons. Thankfully, that is behind us now. The backlogs have all been cleared and we are producing on schedule in all our centres.

“Fresh applica on will take six weeks a er biometric data capture, while renewal requires just three weeks. To respond to the challenge, we increased our produc on capacity. In 2021, we produced one million booklets. Last year, we increased produc on to 1.8 million, nearly doubling our efforts. We shall keep working at it to ensure that we provide for as many Nigerians that are desirous of the passport.

Aregbesola further stressed that since his incep on at the Ministry, the Nigeria Immigra on Service (NIS) has been reposi oned especially in the engendering of a passport produc on system and process that is in compliance with global best prac ces in technology.

The minister said: “The reforms we have introduced to passport administra on are meant to ease operaon and confer integrity on the Nigerian passport. We are also linking passport with other iden ty pla orms, in line with the na onal policy of crea ng a central iden ty database, for ease of na onal administra on and na onal security.

“This is why NIN is linked with passport applica on. It is important therefore that applicants’ data, including order of name and date of birth sync with their record with NIN. Any discrepancy will stall their applica on for passport, un l they are able to resolve it.”

Earlier in his address, the Controller General, Nigeria Immigra on Service (NIS), Isah Jere Idris, commended the leadership of the Ministry of Interior for providing transforma onal leadership for the service.

Idris said in the last few years, efforts have been concerted to make sure that Nigerians are able to easily access the passport and other services, in guaranteeing internal security in the most convenient way.

At the event was the Governor of Osun, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, who described Aregbesola as a visionary leader.

Speaking, Adeleke commended Aregbesola for being a worthy ambassador of the state, reassuring him of the state’s support in all ramifica ons.

Adeleke noted that Aregbesola developed Osun and is loved by the people of the state.

He said Aregbesola’s administra on le behind projects which ought to have been completed by his successor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola.

The Governor promised to complete all the projects le behind by the Aregbesola’s administra on.

Adeleke said: “No ma er the party you are, if you are doing what the people want, you are a progressive. When he was governor, Aregbesola loved the people and the people loved him. All the projects Ogbeni le behind were abandoned for years by his successor. I promised the people during my campaign that I am going to con nue the projects, and that is what I am doing.

“As a civilised person, no ma er the party you are, you will always love progress. That is what I will always con nue to do, to ensure that all developmental projects are con nued. As a federal minister from the state, we are proud of your achievements and we will con nue to be proud of you.

“Mr. Minister, I am assuring you, that this is your state, nobody can chase you away. This is your state, you are welcome at any me. Even, you can come around to the Government House. When I complete all of the structures I am currently working on at the Government House, I will personally invite you to commission it, and you will be the first person to sleep in the building.”

There is no gainsaying the fact that Aregbesola has reposi oned the ministry of interior and enhanced the development of the state of Osun through that as well. He is not an accidental poli cian or public servant. He is a progressive, a well-grounded socialist who brought the benefits of democra c governance to the reach of the overwhelming majority of the people of Nigerians and the State of Osun in par cular, when he was the governor.

Aregbesola has not ceased in his efforts to develop Osun. He has con nued to tow the path of development.

Yusuf Oketola

Olowookeres

Madman Apprehended In Osogbo After Molesting Married Woman

Ayoung man who has for long been known to be a madman was on Wednesday apprehended by residents of Golf area, Osgbo, capital of the State of Osun.

The madman who later iden fied himself as Olu was mobbed a er he reportedly forcefully molested a married woman in the area around 9am.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Olu poured substance like alcohol on the woman and therea er forcefully fondled and dipped his fingers in her private part.

According to residents of the area, it took the interven on of commercial motorcyclists, who were watching the scene to save the woman from the man.

He was apprehended and beaten by the commercial motorcyclists who subjected him to thorough search.

Some monies, both local and foreign currencies, as well as two mobile phones, three Subscriber Iden fy Module (SIMCARDS) were reportedly found on him a er he was searched.

Residents of the area who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER said they had been monitoring the madman’s movement when he started suspiciously roaming aimlessly in the early hours of the day.

An eye witness, who idenfied himself as Eniola, said: “This morning around 9:00 a.m, we saw the guy roaming

aimlessly around the area.

“He then suddenly approached a woman who was innocently passing by, poured captain jack jin on her face, grabbed her and started fingering her.

“The woman, a er re-

gaining her strength pushed him and held him down, calling on the people around the scene to come to her aid.”

He added that the suspect was beaten and almost lynched before the police rescued and whisked him away.

Another resident of the area who claimed to have witnessed the incident, Mrs. Yemisi Korede, disclosed that the mad man had two months ago molested a woman at Igbona, Osogbo.

Korede added that Olu

PUBLICATION

descended on the woman and a empted to finger her before she was rescued.

It was gathered that the suspect had been seen on the streets of Osogbo roaming around for the past two years.

Avehicle belonging to the Nigeria Correc onal Service yesterday hit a minibus popularly called Korope at Olaiya, Osogbo.

The minibus driver alongside a passenger sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment.

The incident caused commo on around the area as commercial drivers and some youths protested at the scene of the accident.

That I was formerly known and addressed as SAHEED WARIZ ORIYOMI. Now wish to be known and addressed as MUHAMMAD SAHEED ABDULWARIS ARYASHI.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

and fired teargas into the protes ng crowd.

A traffic official at the scene of the incident said the correconal bus driver defied the traffic light stop signal, hit the minibus and injured the driver and one other passenger.

“The driver of the minibus sustained serious injuries on the face and ankle while his passenger, a woman, also sustained serious injuries at her waist.

A24-year-old woman, Oluwadamilola Adegoke, has been arraigned before an Osogbo Magistrate Court for allegedly mismanaging a sum of N2.470.000.

Adegoke, a manager at Christopher Woman Development Ini a ve Property Microfinance Bank, Osogbo was accused of stealing the said amount belonging to the company.

According to the charge sheet obtained by OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, Adegoke commi ed the offence on March 27, 2023 at about 17:45 pm at Ota-efun area of Osogbo.

The alleged offence, according to the police, contravened Seccons 383(1) and 390(7) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State, 2002.

But the defendant pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge

bordering on stealing leveled against her.

Counsel to the accused person, Kehinde Adepoju, prayed the court to admit her to bail on a liberal term, sta ng that she would provide reliable sure es.

In his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, M.O Olatunji, admi ed the defendant to bail in sum of N2.4m with two sure es.

The case was adjourned ll April 26, 2023 for hearing.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that men of the Nigeria Police Force mobilised to the scene

“Both the driver and the passenger have been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment”, he said.

PUBLICATION

IBRAHIM MUSIBAU

MRS. AISHAT YUSUF BAMIGBOLA

That I was formerly known and addressed as MISS BAMIGBOLA AISHAT OLAMIDE. Now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. AISHAT YUSUF BAMIGBOLA.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

That I was formerly known and addressed as IBRAHIM MUSIBAU BOLA. Now wish to be known and addressed as IBRAHIM MUSIBAU .All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Yoruba! What Is to Be Done?

•Continued from Page 3 of progressive philosophy and social democracy. The work of WASU provided the road map for the tremendous advances made by the Ac on Group in the Western region. The AG government realised the debilita ng effect of the short-term focused AngloSaxon banking model. They set up the Coopera ve Bank to modernise agriculture, as well as the Western Nigeria Development Corpora on (WNDC), the Western Nigeria Finance Corpora on, as well as the pioneering thrust of the Investment Promo on Council. Admirably, the Western Region virtually induced the concept of public, private partnerships. Crucially, a er a long ba le, the public accepted the need for progressive taxa on. The advance was immense. By 1961, people demonstrated against proposed tax cuts having accepted the efficacy of taxa on and its benefits to the society as a whole. The schism of 1962 within the AG was disrup ve but nevertheless there was the endorsement that the purpose of government is to cater for the overwhelming majority of the popula on and

not just for a few. The policies of the UPN governments in the second republic parcularly that of Lateef Jakande reflected this. At the me, those in government had the understanding that social and economic capital are interwoven. The low-cost housing provided by Jakande in a monthly rent-to-own basis reflected this. This was a con nua on of the six es thrust of the Lagos Economic Development Board (LEDB) and of Adeniran Ogunsanya as Federal Minister of Housing and Surveys. We must now face the real issue of where it all went wrong.

Where It All Went Wrong

The schism within the Acon Group in 1962 disrupted orderly evolu on and the development of a succession pa ern as well as the development of leadership. The. overall development plan was also truncated. Long term plans for the transi on from primary to processed value-added products were truncated, and the development of an iron and steel plant in Ijebu-Ode was and is s ll stalled. For example, the plan for a ban of exports of raw cocoa beans and its replacement with internal

EXPLAINER

• The Yorubas must focus on capital formation.

• Regional Integration must now be on the front burner.

• Explore opportunities provided by new technologies.

• Draw up a long term plan to regain competitiveness.

processing plants was forgotten. In contrast, Brazil took that route later, and created 400,000 jobs directly and indirectly from the processing of raw cocoa into chocolate. Made in Brazil chocolates are now available in supermarkets in Osogbo, Chicago, Paris and Liverpool. Western Nigeria would have stolen a match on Brazil. The biggest casualty was the neglect of the need to construct social capital as the route to sustainable development and the crea on of an ever-increasing middle class. The monthly rent-to-own schemes pioneered by the Lagos Economic Development Board (LEDB) and extended no ceably by Lateef Jakande was disrupted. The concept of long-term capital providers and public, private partnerships were put aside. The end result is that the Yoruba lost their compe ve edge. All this went hand in glove with

the under-investment in educa on and access to health. The fault is not in any ethnic group but in the Yoruba leadership which had undermined its own core values and failed to deepen its cultural values.

For example, German economic anthropologists who studied the Esusu capital mobilisa on process in Ijesa Land and elsewhere in Yoruba Land used it as plank in the evolu on of Germany’s very effec ve and widely admired “Lander” (community banking) system. The norms of the past played a role in the forma on of the Coopera ve Bank, the marketing boards, and the structure of markets with the ra onale of inducing long term capital providers. Did any ethnic group stop the Yoruba leadership from using the tools of economic anthropology fit the purpose of capital forma on and development? We can use the analy cal tools of eco-

nomic anthropology to invesgate the structure of markets and how to modernize and infuse capital to reinvigorate markets, create shared prosperity and make the Yoruba a dominant force again. It is not rocket science. The fault lies in ourselves. Whoever is “dragging” Lagos with the Yoruba is doing it from a posi on of advantage. Capital has not been built up and without capital no group will ever be compe ve, let alone be at an advantage.

It is important for us to go back to the drawing board and put regional integra on at the heart of the reconstruc on of Yoruba Land. To his credit, the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu has consistently advocated the resuscita on of the commodity boards for over a decade, using modern commodity exchanges. This must be a priority from day one of his presidency. In addi on, I recommend that all states in the Southwest waive all fees associated with laying fiber op c cables in our ci es and towns. This will lead to the crea on of many tech hubs and innova on centers. We are all witnesses to the transforma on of Yaba due to this. The bene-

fits of taking electricity and the railroads out of the exclusive legisla ve list can only be done through regional integra on instruments. The WNDC must be reintroduced. There are eminent Yoruba development experts that can chair it. We must promote the leasing of land and ge ng tle to all family lands. Lack of land ownership will deepen the emerging structural poverty among the Yoruba. It is obvious that we are going to be demographically outgunned and without the empowerment of capital as an armour, we will lose it all. It is me for a Southwest twenty-year development plan which will be all encompassing. In addi on, we must encourage the crea on of Credit Unions to enable our people access cheaper credit. This is the way out, not the hurling of insults. Those who luxuriated on a low skill, low income economic format for Yoruba land must accept responsibility for this debacle. Time is now, for a structured plan.

•Bamidele AdemolaOlateju, is a Policy Analyst, wrote from Akure, Ondo State.

Ali Ibrahim

Kazeem Badmus

Yusuf Oketola

MUHAMMAD SAHEED ABDULWARIS ARYASHI

Kazeem Badmus

DESPITE the disbursement of cash of different denomina ons to customers at both on the counter and Automated Teller Machine (ATM), commercial banks in the State of Osun are s ll witnessing long queues, findings have revealed.

This was just as the customers lamented their inability to carry out online transac ons due to glitches in the mobile banking network.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had last week Thursday began the disbursement of old naira notes to Deposit Money Banks in an effort to end the bi ng currency scarcity that has inflicted pain on millions of bank customers na onwide.

However, a visit to some commercial banks in Osogbo, capital of the state, showed that long queues persist as most of the banks’ ATM machines were dispensing less than N50,000 to each of the customers.

Also, a lot of people were besieging the banks to complain and resolve their failed electronic transac ons, with many lamen ng that their account would be debited while the beneficiary’s account will not be credited.

OSUN DEFENDER also gathered that some of the commercial banks had changed their USSD code for transac ons, a situaon that le many customers unable to transact on their mobile phones.

Speaking with the medium, a Point of Sales operator, Lateefat Opeyemi, said she had lost thousands of naira due to the poor online service of her bank.

According to her, some credit transac ons carried out by people who came to withdraw money from her were reversed hours a er they had le , adding that only a few came back to credit her account again. She said: “Nigeria is

•Governor Ademola Ademola received the US Consular-General and his team in his office in Abeere, on Wednesday.

not ripe for this cashless policy at all. I have lost about N30,000 due to the poor network of my bank.

“Last week Saturday, some people came to withdraw money from me and most of them transferred to my account. I got the alerts but my account was not credited. I understand that most of the transac ons were reversed.

Astalwart of the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) in the State of Osun, Mr. Funmiso Babarinde, has expressed his inten on to contest the state chairmanship in the forthcoming congress of the party in the state.

Babarinde who is from Unit 05, Ward 05, Ife North Local Government, served as an Execu ve Assistant to ex-governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

He declared his interest in a le er sent to the state PDP Caretaker Chairman, Dr Akindele Adekunle, on Wednesday.

“There was no way I could get the customers back because they were not known people. It was only two people who came back to do the transac ons again a er the reversal”.

Speaking at the premises of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), located in Olonkoro area, Osogbo, on Wednesday, Mariam Kayode, told the medium

The chairmanship aspirant said his experience in private and public service as a civil servant and a poli cal office holder, “together with his understanding of the poli cal terrain in and outside Osun state” makes him eligible for the posi on.

He added that his aspira on stemmed from his commitment to the PDP project and passion to support the current PDP administra on-to be a nexus between the government, the party and the good people of Osun state.

The le er which was obtained by OSUN DEFENDER yesterday

Adeleke Elevates Two Baales To Second Class Obas

TYusuf Oketola This was contained in a press release signed by the Director of Chie aincy Affairs, Mr. Bashir Oladipupo on behalf of the Coordina ng Director of the Ministry of Local Government and Chie aincy Affairs, Mr Femi Ogundun, on Tuesday.

HE Governor of Osun, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, has approved the eleva on of Oba Kareem Owolabi Aderinto, Iseiku II, Olu of Idigba in Ejigbo local government and Oba Taiwo Amuda Taofeek, Alabogunde of Abogunde in Egbedore local government to Second Class status in the State Council of Obas.

The eleva on, according to the statement, takes immediate effect.

While congratula ng

the monarchs on the new feat, the state government urged them to use their offices as custodians of culture and tradi on of their different domains to foster love, unity and development without fear or favour, ill will or affecon.

The government further prayed for their successes on the throne of their forebears.

that she came to complain a er the debit transac on she authorised was not successful and her account was debited.

Kayode who was visibly angry said she sent money to her suppliers to deliver some goods but the supplier didn’t get the credit alert while her account was debited.

She added that she waited for five days for

reads in part: “My wealth of experience in private and public service as a civil servant and a poli cal office holder, together with my understanding of the poli cal terrain in and outside Osun state, especially as a founda on member of Osun PDP, a est to my eligibility and informed my

the bank to reverse the money without a posi ve result.

“I am a trader and I deal in cassava flour. I got my goods from Saki and most of the me, I transfer to my supplier who sent me the goods a er receiving the alert.

“I transferred money to her last week but when I called her, she told me she didn’t receive any credit

strong belief that by the grace of God and the support of dis nguished stakeholders and members of our great Party, make a difference and contribute reasonably to the overall growth of the PDP in Osun State and beyond.

“I acknowledge and commend your franc efforts so far. We

alert. I ini ally thought it was due to the network.

“On the second day when the situa on was the same, I persuaded her to go to her bank and when she got there, they told her that her account was not credited, and that my bank should be approached for refund.

“This is the sixth day and they are yet to refund the amount debited in error. I don’t have enough goods in my shops due to what happened and I just hope they will rec fy the issue today”.

In his words, a commercial bus driver who iden fied himself as Muda told the medium that a passenger duped him with a fake alert.

According to him, the passenger who boarded his bus from Ila Orangun and was going to Osogbo purportedly transferred the transport fare of N1,000 to his account.

He said he got the alert before the passenger alighted but was surprised when he checked his mobile applica on and found out that no transac on of such appeared in his account.

Fake Alert, Poor Network Service Top Customers Complaints As Queue Persists In Banks Oyinlola’s Ex-Aide, Babarinde Declares Interest To Contest Osun PDP Chairmanship

would not be where we are today if not for your transforma onal leadership which is also my view of leadership and style.

“In keeping with the stated view, my aspira on stemmed from my decades of commitment to the PDP project and my passion to support the current PDP administra on - to be a nexus between the government, the party and the good people of Osun state.

“In closing, I wish to add that I will abide by all rules and necessary ac ons. guiding my aspira on and that I am prepared to work with our highly regarded leaders to have a hitch-free congress for our party in Osun state.

“I, therefore, look forward to your kind considera on and support for me to achieve my set goals and objec ves as a step forward in this journey to serve my people in the capacity of the next Osun State Chairman of the People’s Democra c Party”.

Kazeem Badmus

•Babarinde

SINCE Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola assumes office as the Federal Minister of Interior a er the expira on of his two-term tenure as the Osun Governor between 27th November, 2010 and November 27, 2018, he has brought a lot of innova ons and crea vi es to the Ministry. I will only restrict my piece to the goodies he has brought to Osun table via his Ministry. For the records, he facilitated the hos ng of a 5-Day Ministry of Interior and its agencies Management Retreat in Ilesa that greatly expanded economic vistas in the state; he distributed millions of relief materials before, during and a er COVID-19 pandemic; he facilitated the building of an ICT centre, toilet facili es and renova on of laboratories of Ogedengbe School of Science, Ilesa by Huawei to provide conducive learning environment for staff and students; he established Zonal Fire Service Headquarters in Ilesa, procured and deployed state-of-the-art firefigh ng trucks towards preven ng and rapidly responding to natural disasters in the state; he built and inaugurated Correc onal Service Headquarters in the State capital, Osogbo; he facilitated the building of Ultra-Modern Hospital in Ilesa Correc onal Centre; he facilitated a Digital Nigeria Centre (DNC) in the state that has expanded the fron ers of universal access and service that has ensured service provision to unserved and underserved areas of the Nigerian economy – first of its kind since the modifica on of the project; he has facilitated employment of thousands of Osun people into several ministries and agencies; he is currently building Na onal Ins tute of Domes c Security in Ilesa; and building of the Osun Command Headquarters of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ido-Osun, Egbedore local government area to be commissioned soon. On this very day, Tuesday, 28th March, 2023, he inaugurated a Passport Produc on Hub in Ilesa to serve Osun, Ondo and Eki States in order to reduce passport produc on wait me and pressure from the South-West Produc on Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital.

Unlike the previous inaugura ons of some projects where the state execu ves invited snubbed and refused to iden fy themselves with them, the 28th March event was different. For example, despite the fact that the former governor Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola, the former Commissioner and the former Special Adviser on Educa on in the state, Hon. Folorunso Bamisayemi and Hon. Jamiu Olawumi respec vely were officially invited to the commissioning of Ogedengbe School of Science educa onal facili es sponsored by Huawei in 2020, apart from the outgoing Speaker, Hon. Timothy Owoeye who attended, it was snubbed by all government of-

This is exactly what Governor Ademola Adeleke has demonstrated this day – a PDP Governor attending APC commissioning with full house. It is a rare leadership quality in our clime, which should be emulated by others. If Governor Ademola Adeleke continues with this style of leadership, the sky will be his beginning in this game of bourgeois politics

Game Of Politics

ficials. To demonstrate his abhorrence to the Minister and the project, Mr. Educa on Commissioner simply sent his Personal Assistant, the least person in hierarchy, as spite, to represent him. This was a programme a ended by former APC Na onal Vice Chairman, South-West Zone, Chief Pius Akinyelure, the Minister himself, Huawei General Manager, Deputy GM and Public Rela ons Officer from Abuja, amongst other dignitaries. Aregbesola’s sole objec ve was to commit Huawei to building a standard Chinese Model High School in Ogedengbe for the benefit of Osun pupils. The absence of the state execu ves doesn’t portend seriousness of the beneficiary; hence, the idea became a s llbirth.

The inaugura on of the Passport Produc on Hub in Ilesa by Aregbesola was attended by Governor Ademola Adeleke with his Deputy, Mr. Kola Adewusi, Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Teslim Igbalaye and Speaker, Osun Assembly, Hon. Timothy Owoeye with numerous poli cal func onaries in both APC and PDP. The Governor didn’t only grace the occasion with his en-

tourage, he openly promised and affirmed his administra on resolve to complete all developmental projects of the former governor Rauf, which were abandoned by the immediate past APC administra on and extended an invite to the Minister to commission them a er comple on. This will be the first official ministerial assignment in Osun since Governor Adeleke assumed office. This event has demonstrated one thing – poli cs has no nexus with enmity, discrimina on and aliena on. It is all about who gets what and how. Li le wonder that William Clay said to the events of detente, “This is quite a game, poli cs. There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interest.” Detente simply means the relaxing of tension; it was used in the late 1960s and 1970s to douse Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union – the then superpowers – which could have triggered World War III. Hence, there is no need for hatred or war as far as local and interna onal poli cs are concerned.

Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua

was the President of Nigeria between 2007 and 2010. He contested under the PDP platform in the presiden al elec on held on 21 April, 2007 and was sworn-in on 29 May, 2007. Mr. President confessed that the elecon that produced him had flaws and cons tuted the Uwais Commi ee on electoral reform as a roadmap for conduct of credible elec on in the future that would meet every standard. Although, successive governments under the pla orm of PDP and APC have not given the panel recommenda ons holis c a en on, they have not thrown them away or abandon them completely either; they have been making use of them bit by bit which has resulted to the level we are vis-a-vis our electoral law today. The lesson here is that power is transient while government endures. It doesn’t make sense to throw a baby away with the bath water. Leadership comes with responsibility. A leader is someone who is in charge of organising, guiding and managing others. He/ she mo vates his/her team to get desired result. A hole may be dug in the process of poli cking; it must not be made bo omless as one could not determine who becomes its vic m. It doesn’t ma er which leader or party ini ates lo y developmental project; what ma ers is comple on and con nuity of such project by successive government in order to deliver democracy dividends to the people, notwithstanding poli cal party affilia on. This is exactly what Governor Ademola Adeleke has demonstrated this day – a PDP Governor a ending APC commissioning with full house. It is a rare leadership quality in our clime, which should be emulated by others. If Governor Ademola Adeleke con nues with this style of leadership, the sky will be his beginning in this game of bourgeois poli cs.

STRIKER Striker is not the opinion of the Columnist featured above

INSPIRED by outcome of recent “homecoming” of Ogbeni Aregbesola to Osun, let us begin this piece spiritually. The ba le between Good and Evil started even before the crea on of Man. Almighty God and all His Angels were in heaven and all was well, with the angels happily, con nually glorifying God. Then, one of the angels said to himself, figura vely speaking, “What the hell?” and, pursuing his own self interests, recruited other angels to rebel against God’s will; thenceforth, the birth of Good and Evil.

The Good is easy to define: those content to do God’s will and obey His commandments - summarised in the Golden rule, which is the core preaching in all religion: do unto others as you would have them do unto you and do not unto others as you would not have them do to you. They are the Best. Evil is simply defined too: those who disagree with above, and would rather, like Lucifer their ancestor, pursue their selfish goals o en detrimental to the collec ve good. They are the Worst. As preached by the Holy Quran, Allah has given all a field day on Earth, those who make the most effort will be granted success, whatever their choice. However, it is in heaven that He will eventually sort them out and reward each accordingly. The perplexing ques on is why the Best are having it rough on Earth while the Worst are having a rollercoaster?

The Best and Worst abound in Nigeria, across tribes and religions. The Worst seem to have made Poli cs their lucra ve des na on, having unlimited la tude while recrui ng disciples for Hades in millions, as they suffocate the few Best. In the first paragraph of his famous apocalyp c poem “The Second Coming” William Butler Yeats wrote, “Turning and turning in

The Best And The Worst

the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer; things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, the blood-dimmed de is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned; the best lack all convic on, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” Yeats appears to be talking about Nigeria more than elsewhere, despite the fine label Late Prof. Dora Akunyili tried in vain to s ck on us, ‘Good People, Great Na on.’ We will revisit the Good people, the Best, in our next piece. However, let us give the Worst (in Osun especially) some piece of advice, despite their hardened heart and hellbent inclinaons on two things that dominate their heart: pride (without team spirit) and vindic veness (ingra tude, even when done a wonderful turn).

Firstly, William Shakespeare in Act 3, Scene 1 of his Julius Ceaser has Ceaser saying “I could well be moved, if I were as you; if I could pray to move, prayers would move me. But I am as constant as the northern star, of whose true-fixed and res ng quality there is no fellow in the firmament... So in the world: ‘ s furnished well with men, and men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive; yet in the number I do know but of one that, unassailable, holds on his rank, unshaked of mo on; and that I am he. Let me a li le show it, even in this – that I was constant Cimber should be banished, and constant do remain to keep him so.” Addressing his compatriots, I and Me said so many mes in such a short speech! Then follows the fall on the Ides of March. On that morning at the Capitol steps, Ceaser s ll boas ully shouted

out that the Ides of March are here, to which the Augurer reminded him, “Aye, but not gone.”

Secondly, the Jew against the Merchant - in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1. The lawyer to the Merchant delivered a meless plea: “The quality of mercy is not stained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from above upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; it blesseth him that gives and him that takes... It is enthroned in the hearts of kings; it is an a ribute to God himself; and earthly power doth then show liketh God’s when mercy seasons jus ce. Therefore, Jew, though jus ce be thy plea, consider this, that, in the course of jus ce, none of us should see salva on: we do pray for mercy; and that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deed of mercy. I have spoken thus much to mi gate the jus ce of thy plea; which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice must need give sentence ‘gainst the merchant there.” The recalcitrant Jew insisted on taking his pound of flesh from the body of the merchant, refusing mercy as a considera on. However, when finally confronted with the order to take his pound of flesh, not an ounce more or less, just exactly one pound, the iniquitous brain of the Jew underwent a holy reset, as he in turn became the man in deep trouble.

Clearly, the Worst, “full of passionate intensity,” are never likely to listen to homilies, doomed as they are to the pursuit of vanity. The Best, hesitant in their lack of convic on, may s ll embrace ac on in the interest of the eventual victory of Good over Evil. We return in the next instalment, God grace, to avail them some hints as Nigerians and Nigeria’s poli cs seriously need the Best today.