Osun Defender Online Version of September 10, 2021

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 VOL 16 NO 34

Sultan, Ooni, Akande, Ex-administrators, Others Speak On Osun @ 30 Ismaeel Uthman

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RADITIONAL rulers, among who are the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi have expressed their views on the 30th anniversary of the State of Osun.

Also, former governor Adebisi Akande and ex-military administrators who had governed the state made posi ve remarks about her development, commending

•Osun Is Bigger Than Any Individual - Ooni the founding fathers of the state for their dreams and accomplishment.

This is just as Governor Adegboyega Oyetola described Osun as a full-grown en ty that had surmounted its challenges with stoic resilience over the years of its existence.

They all spoke at the 30th anniversary colloquium of Osun yesterday.

Speaking at the event, Abubakar who was the Chairman of the occasion, said he was not surprised that Osun has produced a galaxy of stars in all the sectors and areas of human endeavour within her 30 years of statehood.

Abubakar lauded Oyetola who he described as a gentleman, man of peace, honour, a statesman, a bridge builder, a lover of development and a believer in one •Continued on page 6

- Page Page 2

Doctor Affected

By Flooding Dies

•The State Government of Osun has commenced the rehabilitation of the flood-damaged Ibu-Amo-Awosuru bridge behind First Bank, Fakunle Branch, Osogbo. OSUN DEFENDER had in its last edition published the near-collapsed bridge.

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Osun APC Heading For Factionalisation

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

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Osun LG Elections Will Be Presidential System – OSSIEC Kazeem Badmus

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HE Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) has stated that the next council elec ons in the state will be Presiden al, as against the Parliamentary system held in 2018.

The Chairman of OSSIEC, Otunba Olusegun Oladitan, stated this on Tuesday, during the commencement of a 3-day retreat for management staff of the commission.

Oladitan said the State Assembly has enacted laws to accommodate the change and the commission shall start working on existing legisla ons.

He said: “Before, the local government administra on in the state was Parliamentary system. But before the inaugura on of this commission last year,

the State Assembly has amended that provisions of the legisla on. You cannot blame the Assembly, since all the states in the country are opera ng Presiden al and Osun must not be an aberra on.

“So the coming elecons will be Presiden al and we shall be having two ballot papers as against one had in 2018.”

When asked when the elec ons will hold, Oladitan said: “As you can see, we have started the process with this retreat. Elecon is a series of ac vi es and the commission has started working on that.

The law says the commission shall give 90-day noce. As soon as I do that, the process has begun.”

Speaking on the importance of the retreat, the elec on umpire said the 3-day retreat was or-

ganised for the commission members and the Management Staff to have a robust service delivery and promote efficiency in OSSIEC. He added: “The retreat is designed to awaken members of the commission and the Management Staff to their responsibility and ginger them to effecvely perform their roles at the forthcoming Local Government Elec ons in the state.

“It could also be described as a panacea to have an efficient and effec ve Elec on Management Body (EMB).

“The focus of OSSIEC is to have a free, fair and credible local government elecon in the State of Osun. And this could only be achieved where the commission members, management staff and other categories of staff are fully aware of their responsibility.”

•Oladitan, OSSIEC chairman.

Doctor Affected By Flooding Dies

By Ismaeel Uthman

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HE damage caused by flood, as a result of downpour on August 4, 2021 in Osogbo, State of Osun, is yet to be over.

Just as some vic ms of the flood are yet to recover from their losses; OSUN DEFENDER has discovered some fresh vic ms of the flood whose lives and businesses have been lost to the disaster.

A medical doctor working in the State Government of Osun Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo, Dr. Ganiyu Shi u, popularly known as Olawore, was part of the residents of the state capital who were sacked from their various homes by the flood.

Shi u, an ophthalmologist, had his house around Rasco area of Osogbo, where he and his family were living un l the heavy downpour forcefully evicted them on August 4, 2021.

According rela ves of Shi u, the perimeter fence of his house was pulled down by the flood, crea ng an unhindered access to the en re house around 8pm.

Shi u, who sensed danger, evacuated his family and se led them at his private office, located at Ayetoro area of Osogbo.

All the property in Shittu’s house was damaged by the flood and nothing was le for him, said peo-

ple who were close to the doctor.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Shi u’s office had since been converted into home, as he was trying to fix the flooddamaged house.

However, the doctor reportedly developed sickness and was taken to the Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo on Tuesday, August 31.

Shi u’s condi on, according to some workers of the hospital, became worse on Monday, September 6, when he could no longer breathe very well and had to be placed

on oxygen.

It was gathered that he finally gave up the ghost at the wee hours of Wednesday at the hospital.

One of the people who worked with Shi u spoke with OSUN DEFENDER under condi on of anonymity yesterday.

The female worker said: “Doctor was very healthy. We did not no ce any sign of sickness on him. What I know is that his house was affected by flood in August, he and his family moved to the office and they have been living there since. Things were not that okay since then,

because, as you know, somebody that had been living large in his house will not be comfortable in the office.

“So, I think he developed shock and was taken to Asubiaro (Specialist Hospital) where he worked. Things became worse and he was placed on oxygen. But he could not survive. He died in the midnight of Tuesday.”

Also, a pe y trader, popularly known as Iya Rodo at Akepe area of Osogbo, was reportedly found dead in her room a er being flooded on August 4.

Symbol’s Quote

Iya Rodo had earlier been declared missing before her body was later found under a cabinet in her apartment.

According to one of her neighbours, Mu at Sanni, the flood fell the wardrobe on the poor old woman and she possibly drowned in the flood because she was a short woman.

Similarly, a 26-year-old Olatunji Omotayo said he was evicted by the flood and had been sleeping in his shop since August 4.

According to Omotayo, a resident of Akepe area of Osogbo, he and his co-tenants le home for their safety when the flood ravaged their house.

He said: “I le the house for my shop a er the first flood disaster. I have been sleeping in the

shop for over a month.

My co-tenants and I had to run for safety when the flood ravaged our building.

“Those who live in one of the nearby houses have packed out. They did a er the first downpour killed an old woman in that house. The rainfall was quite heavy. It was very high. I was almost immersed in it. It almost reached my head.”

Also, Mrs. Simbiat Mayomilegbe and her daughter, Bilikisu, along with her tenants at Obate area of Osogbo were also displaced by the torren al rains that fell in August.

The mother and daughter sought shelter from some acquaintances in Kasimo and Sabo areas of Osogbo and have been living separately since then.

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Publishing house based in Osogbo, state of Osun urgently requires an experienced computer graphics operator who is versed in In-Desgn, Pagemaker, CorelDraw, Photoshop, etc.

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PEOPLE FIRST

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

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Feature

Osun APC Heading For Factionalisation

•Crisis Rocks IleriOluwa Group •TOP Claims Victory In 27 LGs •Why We Didn’t Hold Congress In Boripe

•Famodun

•Oyetola Our Reporter

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HE All Progressives Congress in the State of Osun is heading for fac onalisa on, following the parallel ward and local government congresses held by The Osun Progressives (TOP) and the Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s group, IleriOluwa.

OSUN DEFENDER noted that the Osun APC, which had been under one Chairmanship of Prince Gboyega Famodun with Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile as the Secretary, could not save itself from imminent sharp division because of yet-to-be reconciled differences among some key players, which have sha ered the peace of the party.

From all indica ons, the State Congress of the party, which will be held any moment from now, will follow the same pa ern of ward and local government congresses. That will result to producing two chairmen of the APC in Osun.

Governor Oyetola, Famodun and some other party leaders have been hell-bent on using consen-

sus method for the congresses, while Salinsile, former Chairman of the APC, Reverend Adelowo Adebiyi and some other leaders of the party, who belong to TOP have also refused to shi ground on elec ve congresses.

Members of the APC who belong to TOP par cipated in the ward and local government congresses by elec ng their party execu ve members through Op on A4, while the Oyetola-led caucus went on consensus by submi ng names of candidates to the Congress Commi ee as new execu ve members of the party.

TOP contested all the 17 party posi ons in 27 councils of the state in the last Saturday Local Government Congress of the party.

All the APC members put forward for the party offices by TOP were elected unopposed, as the IleriOluwa group boyco ed the elecons.

Crisis In IleriOluwa Group The local government congress has again turned members of the

•Salinsile IleriOluwa group against one another in some local governments of the state, in spite of the consensus agreement by their leaders.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that members of the group in the affected local governments could not agree on the consensus list in their various councils, a development that has put the name of the party execu ves from their end in controversy.

It was gathered that the posion of the party chairman generated controversies in Isokan Local Government, where a sec on of the IleriOluwa group was calling for the zoning of the Chairman to Ikoyi, while some other members insisted that the posi on be le in Apomu.

The APC Chairman in Isokan Local Government has been residual in Apomu for close to 16 years, according to sources in the IleriOluwa group.

They argued that the posi on be zoned to Ikoyi, a community that has no poli cal office holder ex-

cept the Caretaker Chairman of the Isokan South Local Council Development Area, Mr. Wasiu Oyelami.

But the other group insisted that since it had been agreed at the state that all the party execu ve members be returned, Apomu should retain the Chairman of the party, Mr. Bashiru Osunlakin.

The disagreement held the IleriOluwa group stands ll at the DC Grammar School, Apomu, where they gathered to draw the consensus list.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Adegboyega Alabi, intervened in the ma er around 5pm and pleaded with the members of the group in Ikoyi to allow Osunlakin to con nue as the Chairman of the party for the local government.

According to the aggrieved members, they grudgingly agreed to let go the chairmanship posi on in honour of the Deputy Governor.

In Olorunda Local Government, the IleriOluwa group reportedly lost •Continued on page 4

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Feature

Osun APC Heading For Factionalisation the APC during the si ng of the Ward Congress Appeal Commi ee at the Government Secretariat, recently.

The sources confided in the medium that each of eight hoodlum gangs commissioned to do the hatchet job was mobilised with a sum of N500,000 in cash.

It would also be recalled that about 11 members of the APC were reportedly injured during the ward congress in Iree, Boripe Local Government of the state.

Violence marred the congress in Wards 9, 10 and 11, as hoodlums a acked members of the party who were on the queue, hoping to have elec on for the congress.

We Contested, Won 27 Councils, One Area Office, Says TOP •Members of the APC in Egbedore LG displaying their membership cards during the congress.

one of its key members, Abiodun Tijani, to TOP during the local government congress process.

It was gathered that Tijani, who was the local government Secretary of the party, was replaced by another person and given Assistant Youth Leader.

According to APC members in the local government, Tijani rejected the Assistant Youth Leader offer on the ground that if he could not be retained as the Secretary, he could not serve in any capacity lower than the scribe.

As at the me of filing this report, the consensus lists of the IleriOluwa group in Obokun, Orolu and Ayedire local governments of the state were yet to be resolved because of the disagreement between two fac ons of the group.

It was gathered that the Hon. Olatunbosun Oyin loye and Pharm. Olasiji Olamiju’s fac ons of the group could not agree on a consensus list in Obokun LG.

Why Elec ve Congress Didn’t Hold In Boripe LG There was no elec ve congress in Boripe Local Government, where Governor Adegboyega Oyetola hails from.

Boluwaduro and Ila local governments were also excused from the elec ve ward and LG congresses.

Inves ga ons by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that the leadership of The Osun Progressives advised members of the APC not to par cipate in the congress for security reasons.

It was gathered that some poli cal office holders in Boripe LG had commissioned some hoodlums to a ack members of the party who wanted to par cipate in the elec ve congress championed by TOP. According to some sources, the poli cal office holders had a day to the congress housed the hoodlums and had given them venues to be used by the APC members who belong to TOP for the local government congress.

Speaking with the medium, a former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor under the immediate past administra on, Barr. Gbenga Akano, confirmed that elec ve congress did not hold in Boripe Local Government because of the threat to some people’s lives.

Akano, who hails from Iragbiji, the hometown of Governor Oyetola, stated that some government elements were ready to violently a ack members of the party anywhere they gathered for the congress.

He said: “We did not have elec ve congress in Boripe Local Government because of security reason. Some government elements have marked some of us for a ack. These people are evil and they are feeling threatened by the popularity of TOP. “You should know that they also planned to a ack the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and some leaders of TOP during the funeral of Pa G.O. Lawal about two weeks ago. The plot is s ll very much in place and they thought they could carry out the a ack on some of us during the congress.”

OSUN DEFENDER had exclusively reported how Aregbesola averted the repeat of 2006 Oroki Day a ack by refusing to a end Pa G.O. Lawal’s funeral in Ikirun on Saturday, August 28.

Aregbesola and members of TOP were to be a acked by hoodlums who were commissioned by some government elements at the funeral.

The medium gathered that the government elements, among who are Commissioners in Governor Oyetola’s cabinet and Caretaker Chairmen in some Local Government Councils in Ifelodun/Boripe Odo O n Federal Cons tuency, held a mee ng on Wednesday preceding the week of the funeral in Iragbiji, where they concluded on attacking Aregbesola and TOP members.

Part of their plans is also to blackmail Aregbesola, turn the case against him and misinform the public that he was the one that came to foment trouble, like it was done on the attack on members of

Barely 24 hours a er the comple on of the congress, The Osun Progressives claimed victory in the 27 local governments where its members par cipated in the congress.

According to TOP Chairman in a press release on Sunday, Reverend Adelowo Adebiyi, members of the APC who belong to group contested and won 27 councils and one Area Office in the local government congress.

According to Adebiyi, delegates of the APC who were largely members of the party elected as execu ves in the last Ward Congress came out on Saturday to elect their party officials at their various local governments.

Adebiyi expressed happiness at the large turnout of members of the party at the congress, describing it as impressive.

The former Chairman of the APC in the State noted the huge turnout signposts the desire of the members to really recreate the APC for a more useful purpose and take it away from the near abyss in which it had been taken recently.

He thanked the APC faithful for sharing the laudable desire of a reinvigorated APC that will stand the test of me and be a perennial elec on winner, which is what the TOP stands for.

The former APC boss congratulated the new execu ves in the 27 LGs and one Area Office where TOP par cipated and urged them to be good ambassadors and change agents for the party.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

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Feature Osun APC Heading For Factionalisation He urged them to make hay while the sun shines, just as he called for coopera on of members of the party with the new execu ves by being loyal, ac ve, suppor ve and abide by all rules and regula ons guiding the opera ons of the party.

Thugs A ack APC Members In Ede North Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were a acked on Saturday by armed poli cal thugs during the congress in Ede North Local Government of the State of Osun.

About eight people sustained injuries in the a ack which was carried out by a gang of notorious hoodlums in Ede. The thugs, according to eye witnesses, stormed Film House, NITEL area, beside Pere Police Sta on, Ede around 9am with guns, cutlasses and other weapons with which they a acked members of the APC. OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the hoodlums started shoo ng sporadically on ge ng to the venue of the congress.

The APC members who belong to TOP were beaten with clubs and canes by the hoodlums.

A former Chairman of Ede North Local Council Development Area, Comrade Mukaila Uthman, confirmed the a ack, saying that he was a witness.

Uthman said: “The hoodlums came around 9am and started shoo ng sporadically. They beat out peo-

•Former Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Special Needs, Hon. Biyi Odunlade and other members of the APC in Ife Central during the congress.

ple mercilessly. The hoodlums confided in me that they were mobilised by government officials in Ede.” However, the APC members con nued the elec ve congress some hours later and new party execu ves were elected for the local government.

Adebiyi, Elegbeleye Disagree On Congress Outcome

•One of the victims of the attack

•Another victim of the attack

A former Chairman of the APC n the state, Reverend Adelowo Adebiyi, has faulted the claim of the Chairman of the Local Government Congress Commi ee of the APC, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, that there was no parallel congress in any part of the state.

Elegbeleye had during a press conference on Monday said there was no congress in Osun on Saturday, other than the one the committee conducted and that was monitored by officials of the Independent Na onal Electoral Commission (INEC) and security opera ves.

According to him, the commi ee was not informed of any other congress except the one its members witnessed and supervised across the state.

Reac ng to the statement, Adebiyi described Elegbeleye as a procured man that came to the state to do hatchet job.

According to Adebiyi, it is only a purchased character like Elegbeleye that would con nue to carry about the air of “all is well” as he had done so far.

He said it could not surprise any discerning mind that Elegbeleye commi ee served the hatchet job for which they were procured with all his inglorious ac vi es so far in Osun Congress affairs.

Adebiyi noted that the conduct of Elegbeleye will be his future albatross and great undoing as Karma will surely catch up with him, even as he stated that his an cs will come to naught when truth confronts it soon.

The former Chairman said: “Before Ward Congress, we had reported that we are not party to any consensus arrangement. Elegbeleye commi ee came and had mee ng with the

IleriOluwa group of the party and called it a stakeholders’ meeting. The Secretary of the party, Hon. Rasaq Salinsile, myself and a lot of leaders of the party were not invited for any mee ng by the Elegbeleye commi ee.

“The same thing happened in the last Local Government congress. We had also reported that we are not party to any consensus arrangement.

The Elegbeleye commi ee, which had been camped at the Government House

by Governor Oyetola, did not reach out anybody.

“A day to the congress, on Friday, Elegbeye held mee ng with the IleriOluwa group amidst heavy

security and presence of hoodlums. We were not invited to the mee ng.

“If you want to invite people, you send a text message to me or through le er to a end the stakeholders’ mee ng, that is the usual pracce. The Secretary of the party is in charge of the Secretariat and the issue of sales of forms and conduc ng the procedure of congresses and all modali es should be handled by the Secretary of the party.

“We sent out messages to no fy the party members and Na onal Secretariat that we were going for elec ve congress, not consensus. And we par cipated in the congress and won 27 local governments and one area council.

“Elegbeleye came to witness imposi on of candidates in the name of consensus, while we held congress witnessed by INEC, DSS, Police and NSCDC officers in different local governments. We had an open contest – elec ve congress as directed by the Na onal Secretariat.”

•Elegbeleye

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Oyetola Started Politics Of Segregation After S’Court Judgement – Alimi Yusuf Oketola

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former Commissioner for Local Government and Chie aincy Affairs in the State of Osun, Barr.

Kolapo Alimi, has pointed accusing fingers at Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, saying he was responsible for the division in the party.

According to Alimi, Oyetola embarked on poli cs of segrega on a er his mandate was affirmed by the Supreme Court in July 2019.

Alimi, who featured on a private TV Sta on in Lagos on Monday evening, claimed that the governor had been segrega ng everybody that has connec on with the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Areg-besola.

He said: “The Governor, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, immediately a er the July 5, 2019 Supreme Court judgement started his poli cs of segrega on. The moment you have a connec on directly or indirectly with the former Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, you are bound to be segregated from the party.”

The Legal Adviser to The Osun Progressives (TOP) was on the TV to speak on the Ward and Local Government Congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

He said the Governor had taken all the leaders of TOP as perceived enemies.

When asked about the local government congress, Alimi said: “I am only aware of the congress we (The Osun Progressives) par cipated in. I am saying that because the last Saturday’s congress ordinari-ly supposed to be a delegate congress. The party members were elected at the last Ward Congress, the ward execu ves and the local government delegates were the ones that were supposed to vote during the last local government congress.

“The only ward execu ves that I know are the ones that were properly elected. So, we par cipated in the local government congress of the party in 27 Local Governments and one Area Office and we have our results which we are sending to the Na onal Secretariat of our party.

“Though, I read in the news that some groups loyal to the Governor, the IleriOluwa group, also conducted their own congress, maybe that is why people are talking about parallel Congress. As far as we are concerned, the only congress that took place in Osun is our own and it is the legal congress.

“If you could recollect, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye was the one who came to conduct the Ward Congress and during that period, we contacted him, we thought he would be an arbiter, to let him know that we also obtained forms.

“During that period, what the Governor did was to pay

a sum of N28.6m with a single teller of UBA bank to purchase all the forms brought from the Na onal Secretariat.

So we made efforts to get in touch with the people that brought the form. They said the Governor wanted to buy all the forms to whoever he likes, and that the Governor actually wanted a consensus.

We said if that was the case, everyone should be carried along. We then approached the Na onal Secretariat of our party.

“Our people contributed money individually and we bought forms. Elegbeleye came on the eve of that congress and went straight to the Governor’s lodge, where they organised a stakeholders’ mee ng and agreed on consensus. They held the stakeholders’ mee ng and none of us was invited. We contacted him that in a situa on whereby two or more people have obtained forms, you cannot say you are doing consensus by virtue of Ar cle 20 of the party cons tu on.

“Hon. Rasaq Salinsile, the Secretary of the party in Osun today, has been le out of all the ac vi es of the party. The moment you have a connecon directly or indirectly with

•Members of Nigerian Institute Of Internal Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos presenting Award of Excellence to Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday. the former Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, you are bound to be segregated from the party.

“Based on that one, he (Elegbeleye) knew who and who to be invited. I as a per-

son have never been invited for anything. Salinsile has also been le out of the party ac vi es.

“Let us now assume and agree that even if all of us, the stakeholders, were present at

the Government House, but a party member in a par cular ward has obtained form and the Na onal Secretariat had issued a form to the person, for that posi on alone, we cannot say we want to im-

Sultan, Ooni, Akande, Ex-administrators, Others Speak On Osun @ 30 •Continued from Page 1 strong and indivisible Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi, paid glowing tributes to the past and present leaders in the State, adding that Osun is now be er than how it was at crea on.

Oba Ogunwusi said: “Osun is be er today than it was when it was created.

What we are having here today a ests to this fact.

The journey of 30 years began with some people’s efforts and we appreciate the founding fathers, past administrators and incumbent governor, for their contribu ons to the growth and development of Osun.

“Osun is greater than every single individual, and it has become necessary to stress this fact for our

•Sultan of Sokoto

people to be careful not to allow poli cs and other interests to disintegrate us.”

In his keynote address, former governor Akande applauded the founding fathers and past leaders of the State for what he described as achieving an op mum community and laying a founda on for the prosperous future of the state.

Former military administrators of the state, General Leo Ajiborisha (rtd.), Captain Anthony Udofia (rtd.) and Theophilus Bamigboye, in their separate remarks felicitated the government and the people of the state on the anniversary, urging all to con nue to sacrifice for the growth and development of the State.

Speaking at the event, Governor Oyetola said:

•Ooni of Ife “This colloquium has been designed as the intellectual arm of the 30th anniversary of our state to interrogate the performances of the state so far, examine possible gaps and project for a sustainable future that we all crave for as a people and desire to bequeath to our posterity.

“We are confident that just as the founda on laid by our forefathers 30 years ago has earned us a viable place in the na onal and interna onal space, our decision to lay bricks of contemporary govern-

ance structures will build a prosperous and sustainable future.

“This 30th anniversary is the end of a phase and the beginning of another: the beginning of sustainable governance and development, the beginning of a new era for a genera on of Osun ci zens that will ride on the wings of knowledge, technology and entrepreneurship to realise their poten al, shut the door against unemployment, create wealth and radically transform the economy of the State.”

pose a con-sensus. What we are going to do is elec on.

That is what the cons tu on states.

“Consensus is when you all agreed. In a situaon whereby thousands of people have obtained forms and Elegbeleye now came and said they had agreed on consensus and went ahead to about three local governments, that is fraud.

“The meaning of consensus is that they wanted to impose some candidates, their surrogates and when they got to the venue of the congress and presented the list, the people rejected it and we held proper congress. We sent the informa on to the Na onal Secretariat, which cons tuted an Appeal Commi ee.

“Let me point this out that we have wri en pe ons against Hon. Elegbeleye. If you had come for this kind of assignment, the first point of call is for you to address the press and to announce to the whole world that you have arrived. Elegbeleye did not do that. The Governor has taken all the leaders of TOP as a perceived enemy. But as at today, the only properly conducted Ward Congress in Osun is the one we conducted.

“If truly the Governor is not afraid of elec on, he should let us have an elec on.

If a governor should be afraid of internal elec on within the party, you should know what is happening. Party people in Osun are aggrieved and saying that ‘we want our party back’.

“People actually want to choose their leaders. The Governor wants to have imposion. He is using his posi on as a member of the Na onal Caretaker Commi ee of the party to sort for people who could do his bidding. But we will let the whole world know that his impunity will not stand.”

PEOPLE FIRST

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Review/Outlook BY BAMIDELE ADEMOLA-OLATEJU

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Osun: What Next?

HE hear est of congratulaons goes to the good ci zens of the State of Osun, its denizens and all those who have steered the ship through its mes stormy waters.

It has been quite a journey and there are miles to go. The cri cal issue today is to face an uncertain future and map out a route for sustainability. The brainstorming of ideas zoomed yesterday from Osogbo is a good ini a ve, however it must not be just another talk shop.

Out of the exercise must evolve something akin to the development plans of yore. The state like every other sub - naonal faces a youth demographic bulge which has to be turned into an advantage. The state also faces declining produc vity in the rural economy largely as a result of an ageing workforce, outdated farming prac ces and cri cally the absence of modernising Commodi es Exchanges to act as modula ng buffers and stabilising mechanisms.

The various impediments must now be fused into an opportunity for an advance.

The State of Osun which

“The state like every other sub-national faces a youth demographic bulge which has to be turned into an advantage.

The state also faces declining productivity in the rural economy largely as a result of an ageing workforce, outdated farming practices and critically the absence of modernising Commodities Exchanges to act as modulating buffers and stabilising mechanisms” shares borders with six other States must develop and use a digital economy to revitalise the rural economy and in the process turn itself into an agro processing, agro - industrial value addi on powerhouse with a long term plan to be involved in agro - industrial exports.

Fundamentally money must be sourced to fund research in crea ve partnerships with the excellent local universi es. To translate the intellectual property obtained from research into commercial viability, jobs creaon, revenue genera ng gains, the enabling environment must be created to a ract long - term private capital from both home and abroad. Capital goes to where it is welcomed which means that the agencies of the state must up - the - ante on the ease of doing business.

We wish the state frui ul years ahead!

7

Osun At 30: Education •Being a contribution to a discourse on the State of Osun

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HE key to sustainable strides in educa on lies in increasing school enrollment. Ọṣun blazed the trail through the school feeding program, and that was a masterstroke. It solved a lot of problems on various fronts at once. The guarantee of a nutri ous meal a day, in exchange for educa on, has made the poor an offer they cannot refuse. The incen ve worked! Ọṣun school enrollment skyrocketed in geometric proporons. This policy thrust has been copied in many states, and at the federal level.

It has also led to increased agricultural output by ensuring that the government act as guaranteed off-takers, in addi on to limi ng post harvest losses. The ini ave of Mrs. Folorunso Alakija in building the Ọṣun state University Teaching Hospital, as well as her other contribu ons and interven ons, is a a call to existence, to the large reservoir of high net worth Ọṣun individuals, at home and abroad, to contribute.

The state of your economy in the next twenty years depends on the state of your educa on today. It is me to invest in be er teacher educa on for be er outcomes. Ọṣun can take the lead in educa on because you have a springboard in the big schools that have been built and equipped. The a rac ve school buildings have excess space. Part of the excess space should be turned into Stem Centers where children from a very young age, can learn coding, etc.

Youth Corp members can be dra ed and given two years contract extension to work in those centers. As Sir Winston Churchill said, “We shape our buildings a er which our buildings shape us.”

A rethink is needed for futuris c projec ons in terms of science, innovaon, and Informa on Technology. How can Ọṣun plan to harness educa on for quick yield? This can be done by creating a basket of hubs. Hubs are effec ve knowledge centers for ideas, products and services. Through hubs, you can establish the connec on and linkages be-

“Osun can take the lead in education because you have a springboard in the big schools that have been built and equipped.

The attractive school buildings have excess space. Part of the excess space should be turned into Stem Centers where children from a very young age, can learn coding, etc”

tween educa on, human capital development, and the global knowledge economy.

You can democra ze the meaning and forms of educa on by breaking it down to knowledge hubs. What does this mean in concrete terms? It means educa on or knowledge hubs can be broken down into three main areas of specializa on of philosophy, innova on and teacher training.

The philosophy hub is for the produc on of thought; knowledge, philosophy and culture. The innova on hub is for technical, technological and scien fic exploraon, research and produc on. Educa on and the teacher training hub is for the basics of teaching. Ọṣun is blessed as the most urbanized of all Yoruba states and Yoruba center for the art. Ọṣun is uniquely posi oned to be the Yoruba base for Oodua civiliza on, Oodua philosophy, and Oodua thought, where Professorial chairs in Philosophy can be endowed to help us build a strong, compe ve and virile region. Knowledge hub is the new nomenclature of educaon that will shape the next 50 years, globally. Ọṣun has what it takes to be at the forefront of this new realignment of the purpose, nature, and dynamics of educaon.

Ge ng these done requires funding and a healthy dose of crea vity. Your Excellency, you can take the bold step of commi ng close to 25% of your budget to educa on as recommended by UNESCO. Break away from feeding bo le universi es by looking for Public Private Partnerships, endowments and taxes as ways of raising funds.

These are my prescrip ons for long term development of educa on in Ọṣun state.

Publisher – Moremi Publishing Thank you for the opporHouse Ltd. tunity to contribute to this Deputy Editor – Ismaeel Uthman discussion. May God bless (0805-121-2204) and prosper Ọṣun state.

Produc on Editor – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa Reporter – Yusuf Oketola • BAMIDELE Reporter – Kazeem Badmus ADEMOLA-OLATEJU is Photo Journalist – Olushola Aderinto a Creative Writer, AuComputer Graphics – Zainab Olalere thor, Digital Strategist and Trend Analyst with OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing Versatile Background in House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Technical CommunicaGuarantee Trust Bank (GTB), Gbogan Road Osogbo, tions. She is the Convener State of Osun - Circle of Hands, a youth ISSN : 0794 – 8050 development and advocacy Telephone : 0805-121-2204 organization and the New Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php Initiative For Civil Devele–mail : osundefender@yahoo.com opment with focus on Civic osundefenderbank@gmail.com Education and Community All Correspondence to the above email Addresses.

Organizing.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 VOL. 16 NO 34 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com

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IIA is a foremost na onal think tank with global renown for excellence. This ins tuon has been a crucible of na onal policies on foreign rela ons and even on how domes c poli cs affect interna onal standing. Pu ng this course together is therefore another demonstraon of the relevance of the ins tu on and invaluable contribu on to na onal development.

The topic you have asked me to speak on: ‘Insecurity and border management in Africa: Developing a new border security management Architecture’ is most apt at this moment.

I will begin by no ng that the primary challenge to border management in Africa comes from the land, not air border. Most interna onal air borders are well controlled and well primed for emergency challenges. Smuggling of persons, illegal migra on, smuggling of arms and weapons, trafficking in narco cs, infiltra on by enemy combatants and transmission of infec ous diseases are well controlled at the air borders, making the challenges from this source to be minimal.

However, the land borders in Africa are a different ke le of fish because of their ar ficial nature. Africa borders do not follow the convenonal pa ern of border delinea on with water, people and natural landforms. The borders, for most part, strangely fall on human se lements, in which in many cases, ci zenship is arbitrary. These boundary people can therefore decide to take any ci zenship that catches their fancy. These are the people referred to by Prof Ashiwaju as ‘Par oned people”. There is this anecdote of a tradi onal ruler in Nigeria whose bedroom strangely fall across the boundaries of Nigeria and Benin Republic. This means that whenever he sleeps, one part of him will fall in Nigeria while the other will fall in Benin Republic.

The borders are simply amorphous and ar ficial, hardly following any logical pa ern. This is largely due to colonialism. Before colonialism, Africa had city states and large empires with clearly defined boundaries. But Nigeria’s borders with Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Cameroon and Chad follow this amorphous pa ern.

The Yoruba of the Western Nigeria are same people in the Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and Sierra Leone in West Africa. The Hausa and Fulani are also sca ered in Niger, up ll Senegal, along West Africa. The Ijaw, through their fishing vocaon, are se led along the coast of Africa, down all the way to Gabon.

In East, Central and Southern Africa, it is the same story of amorphous ethnici es spread across several na ons but united with the same Swahili language.

These people have families and rela ons who are ci zens in different countries and as wars, famine and poli cal instabili es ravage one country, they move to another. In this circumstance, their patrio sm is difficult to define and assume and even more difficult to exact.

Some of the security challenges at the border emanate from the boundary people. It is among them that the challenges of smuggling, arms and weapons inflow, transborder banditry and interna onal transmission of infec ous diseases are rampant.

The main and the most important effort at security at the border should therefore be directed at this unique challenge in Africa.

What we have been trying to do therefore, is to engage the border communi es, especially the ones that fall within our na on. We have directed government a en on on the need to empower them and especially get them engaged in other jobs. The government is also re-orienta ng them on their civic obliga ons on promo ng peace, security and law enforcement. We let them know that though we are the same people historically and share the same culture and language with our neighbours across the borders, but we belong to different countries and therefore have different

News Oyetola Started Politics Of Segregation After Supreme Court Judgement – Alimi

Perspective By Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Modern Security Architecture For Border Management Challenges In Africa

•Migrants illegally crossing the border des nies.

The second challenge is the old pre-colonial trade routes in Africa. These include but not limited to the West African coast trade route, transSaharan trade routes, trans-Sudan trade and pilgrimage route, trans-East Africa routes and the trans-South African routes, among others. In West Africa, this was how ci es such as Kano, Timbuktu, Gao, Agadez, Sijilmasas, and Djenne emerged.

Sea port ci es such as Marrakesh, Tunis and Cairo also developed in North Africa. These routes were also notorious for slave trade and have stubbornly remained for centuries, as whole economies, cities, peoples and cultures have been built around them. They will prac cally be hard to dismantle for these reasons.

What we can begin to do is to remove the factors that make them amenable for criminal and untoward ac vi es and convert them for good purposes. These factors include the absence of effecve governance and the rugged and insalubrious natural terrains like mountains and deserts that make human habita on difficult. Where we have good governance and law enforcement, the criminal ac vi es along these routes will be reduced.

A third factor in border security in Africa is (in combina on or separately) the incidents of armed conflicts, poli cal instability, poor governance and natural disasters. Arms and weapons inflow into Nigeria, for instance, have been a ributed, among others to the conflicts in Libya and at some me in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire. The civil war in Chad has also seen rebel soldiers cross into Nigeria on land or through the Lake Chad to commit crimes.

People fleeing wars cross into neighbouring countries for survival and many of them commit crimes in the process. Infec ous diseases like Ebola and COVID-19 are also transmi ed across borders,

usually land borders, by people who move freely, undetected and unregulated.

Another challenge in Africa is having and sharing a common database on people, movements and criminals.

Before the advent of technology, land and sea borders management was manual. Border officials use language and physical look to screen interna onal travellers across borders. But the stakes were raised with the advent of photography. Pictures of criminals were circulated across borders.

This was a quantum leap in border management as the circula on of pictures of poten al troublemakers leads to their arrest and entry denials, but this is easily beaten with disguise and make up ar stry.

But with digital imaging and its accessories of fingerprint, re na scan and voice print, iden ty disguise is nearly impossible.

Also, having a data bank and data processing centre provides access to informa on at the touch of a bu on. This makes it possible to monitor all entries and exits at borders and have real me informa on on all migrants. Regre ably, this is s ll unavailable in most African countries that s ll rely on Euro-America for important informa on on persons of interest who may be passing through their borders.

Happily, Nigeria stands tall to be counted among the na ons of the world to have acquired this capability. The Nigeria Immigra on Service has ac vated the Migra on Informa on and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) which enables the agency to coordinate movement of persons at the four airport borders and directly transmit informa on on missing and stolen passports to INTERPOL Headquarters in Lyon.

The main challenge now is on how to effecvely patrol the 4,047km land borders which com-

Page 6

“Arms and weapons inflow into Nigeria, for instance, have been attributed, among others to the conflicts in Libya and at some time in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire. The civil war in Chad has also seen rebel soldiers cross into Nigeria on land or through the lake Chad to commit crimes.” prise of 1,690km with Cameroon, 87km with Chad, 1,497 with Niger, 733 with Benin Republic and a coastal line of Gulf of Guinea with 853km. But we are working hard at this and we shall soon crack the nut.

The Ministry of Interior has reached an appreciable level in the e-border programme with Huawei that will require the installa on of surveillance equipment. A pilot e-border system is already connected with the newly commissioned NIS Data Management Centre at its na onal headquarters in Abuja. When the project is completed, we will have six mega control posts, 16 medium control posts, 64 mini control posts, totaling 86 border posts with command-and-control centre in the technology building. We believe strongly that it will largely address the security threats we are facing from land borders.

In addi on, the Ministry has reduced the period of stay for migrants before registering with NIS from 90 days to 30 days. Also, immigra on has been directed to concentrate more on the borders by deploying 50 per cent of its personnel to border outposts.

In August 2019, Nigeria closed land borders with Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic. While humans s ll move freely, goods were not allowed. The reason for this was to stem smuggling, which was hur ng the Nigeria’s economy. Again, at the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, Nigeria closed the border against movement of goods and persons. These measures, especially the halt in human movements, came with difficules, but have had posi ve impact on the Nigerian economy. Agriculture products, especially rice and poultry farmers came back to business big me and the industry has received a big boost since then.

But the fundamental lesson in this is that Nigeria’s produc on is s ll low, making us to be at the receiving end of trade, requiring border closure to correct the imbalance. If we have surplus trade in goods and services with our neighbours, we will be loath to close our borders. It is therefore a na onal call to increase our produc on and be a dominant player in African trade.

This by no means vi ates the need for vigilance and taking preven ve measures in checking influx of arms, narco cs, unhealthy foods, spread of diseases and trafficking in persons, associated with transna onal movements across borders.

I thank the NIIA once again for invi ng me here and wish the organisers and par cipants a frui ul and successful mee ng.

I thank you all for your kind attention.

•The above was a Keynote Address By The Minister Of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, At The International Security Management Course, Organised By And Held At The Nigerian Institute Of International Affairs (NIIA), Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, On Monday, September 6, 2021.

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

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

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