OSUN DECLINESEDUCATIONPUBLIC Pg. 7Modakeke, Iwara-Ife, Masifa, Iperindo Get New Traditional Rulers FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 01, 2022 VOL 17 NO 33 Pg. 2 ArContractor Threatens To Sue Osun Govt. Over AirportN570mDebt Any Writer, Scholar That Fails To Speak The Truth Does Not Deserve The Title – HaneefahPg. 7g. 7 Pg. 6g. 6 Pg. 5g. 5 3 Security TheftArraignedGuardsOverOfCablesWorthN2.2m NEWS INTERVIEWCRIME NEWSNEWS Osun Govt. Bans RoadSide WifeOnAfterTradingAttackGov’s Pg. 2 Pg. 4 Yahoo Boys Kill Friend, Say ThemMoneyMadeHeMoreThan Tribunal: 8 SANs, Adeleke,Counsels45ToDefendPDP •State Ranked 36th In WAEC Performance •Bring Back Opon-Imo, Educationist Charges Governor-Elect Pg. 5
•L:R - The Chairman Nigerian Institute of Public Relations NIPR Osun Chapter: Mr. Adesoji Ademola, Osun PPRO DSP: Opalola Yemisi, Osun NIPR Public Relations Executive (PRE): Comrade Abisola Ariwodola, Olori of Ataoja of Osogbo: Adedoyin Oyetunji, Force Public Relations Officer FPRO: CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Secretary Osun NIPR: Comrade Funmi Adekoya, and Osun NIPR Vice Chairman: Alhaji Muideen Adeleke in a pose at the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations NIPR: Citizens Summit For National Integration, Peace and Security, 2022 AGM held at International Conference Center Abuja , recently.
32%
State
OSUN DEFENDER notes that the investment of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administra on in educa on sector was responsible for the remarkable improvement in the quality of public educa on in the state. Before Aregbesola’s emergence in 2010, the highest performance of Osun public school students in WAEC was 15.68%. The state recorded 10.91 in 2006, 6.86% in 2007, 10.11% in 2008, 13.98% in 2009, 15.68% in 2010, 21.9% in 2011, 22.21% in 2012, 20.54% in 2013, 18.55% in 2014 and 21.64% in 2015. The performance of the state improved to 45.5% in 2016 with a short decline of 43.50% and 40.85% in 2017 and 2018 respec vely. However, there was laudable improvement in 2019 May/June WAEC performance as the state recorded 50.16%. But the law of diminishing return seems to have set in for the state as it descends from 2019’s 50.16% to 4.78% in 2020 and 32.55% in 2021. According to some educa onists, the NBS’s reports show that the educa on policy reversal embarked upon by Governor Adegboyega’s Oyetola’s administra on, has contributed nega ve impact in the quality of educa on in the Thestate.educa onists summited that the Oyetola’s administra on has done more damage to public educa on than good, saying the confusion it creates students that sat for WAEC was 16,248, a sharp drop from 36,171 students in 2018.The figure also dropped in 2020 as only a total of 14,324 students sat for WAEC in public schools. In 2021, the total number of students that undertook WAEC in public school declined to 12, 443, Ismaeel Uthman
OSUN DEFENDER had in its February 22 and March 11 edi ons, reportR ESIDENTS of Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government of the State of Osun have decried the spate of motorcycle snatching by robbers along Ipetumodu-Odeed how traders and ar sans had taken over walkways and roads in Osogbo, turning them into their sales ground.Egbemode stated in the release issued on Tuesday, “Osun state government is worried about the increasing danger that roadside display of wares is posing to its residents and ci zens. The State Execu ve Council today set up a Special Task Force to stop the trend. “This team will pay unscheduled visits to the markets and arrest those obstruc ng traffic with their wares. The team will work with the Federal Road Safety Corps and other law enforcement agencies to ensure safety in our“Themarkets.state can no longer fold its arms while some traders in our markets, especially weekly markets, take over the motorways and pedestrian walkways with their wares. The ugly and unsafe trend must stop. “This direc ve has become per nent in view of increasing bo lenecks and security breaches along market corridors, with vehicular and pedestrian traffic now contending for space amid trading ac vi es on the same spots.“Traders and ar sans who have encroached on the main road and walkways with their wares are hereby directed to vacate such unauthorised trading spots with immediate effect.“This move is in the interest of all residents, as the safety of Osun ci zens remains a priority of the government. It is, therefore, necessary for all concerned to work with the government to end this unsafe prac ce.” OmuTheroad.road, according to the residents, has become a deathtrap as some robbers have been using the route to perpetrate the evil act of snatching motorcycles from owners. Some of the residents accused the police patrolling the road of extor ng the road users, especially motorcyclists, instead of securing the route for them.Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a resident of the area, Emmanuel Adegoke, said the case of motorcycle snatching is now rampant along the Ipetumodu-Ode-Omu road, disclosing that some robbers have turned the route to hideout.Hesaid:
T HERE is a no ceable regression in the Public Educa on in the State of Osun. The retrogression is confirmed in the performance of the public school students in both internal and external examina ons. Inves ga ons reveal that there is a sharp persistent decline in the performance of public school students in the West African Examina on Council (WAEC) from 2019 to 2022.The sta s cal analysis of the Na onal Bureau of Sta s cs on WAEC performance of students of both private and public schools in each of the state indicates that Osun has been witnessing a worrying setback in student performance since 2019. The NBS’s analysis is based on the number of students that have five credits and above, including Mathema cs and English Accordinglanguage. to the NBS analysis, Osun has also been recording sharp reduc on in number of students that sat for WAEC in public schools since 2019. In 2019, the total number of public school which is the lowest for over 16 years.Osun was ranked 32.6% to come 36th posi on among states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja whose public school students had five credits and above, including mathema c and English language, in the 2021 WAEC result. The state has steadily been maintaining 40% and above performance in WAEC OSUN DEFENDER notes that the state had its best record in WAEC performance between 2016 and 2019.This is just as the state recorded 113% improvement in WAEC performance in a 10-year analysis of 2006 and 2016. In 2016, Osun recorded 45.5% and 50.16% in 2019, the highest performance in the history of the state. Osun was ranked 24th posi on in a five-year (2014-2018) analysis of students’ performance in WAEC by two researchers in the Department of Mathema cs, Federal College of Educa on (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State. In the analysis tled, “State Based Analysis of Candidates WASSCE par cipa on And Achievement Of Five Credits Passes And Above Including Mathematics And English Language In Nigeria”, Osun had remarkable improvement from the abysmal state it was in 2010.The report was published in June 2020 by Interna onal Journal of Advanced Academic Research (Sciences, Technology and Engineering), Vol.6, Issue 6. However, retrogression began in 2020 as it recorded just 4.78%. Only 686 of 14, 324 students that sat for WAEC in the public schools had five credits and above, including mathema c and English language. Of the 12,443 that sat for the 2021 WAEC, only 4,051 had five credits and above, including mathema c and English language, cons tu ng 32.55%. The 2022 WAEC performance analysis is not yet published.
“The Ipetumodu-Ode-Omu road has always been a deathtrap. Some unscrupulous people mostly use this route to perpetrate their evil act of snatching mmotorcycles from owners. This has been on for over a year. “It will be good if our local security personnel can be strategically placed around the area. It will really Anotherhelp”. resident of Odeomu, Adekunle Adeleke, also lamented that the rate at which robbers were snatching motorcycles was alarming, calling on the police to be up and doing in securing the route for its users.Adeleke suggested that there should be check point at connec ng boundaries of Ipetumodu and Ode-Omu, saying it will go a long way in addressing the problem. Also, Olayinka Oyetunbi, a resident of Ipetumodu, urged the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of town to send his team on patrol on the road, especially at Isasa bridge, noting that the step would help to checkmate the nefarious act.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 01, 2022 2 News
•The Isasa bridge on Ipetumodu-Odeomu road.
T HE government of the State of Osun has banned roadside trading on the roads and walkways in the state. This is just as the government said it has set up a task force to enforce the ban and arrest violators. This is coming a er Mrs. Kafayat Oyetola, the wife of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, was a acked by some hoodlums on Friday, August 19, 2022 at OwodeEdeInmarket.apress statement signed by the Commissioner for Informa on and Civic Orienta on, Funke Egbemode, the government said the ban became necessary due to the growing traffic snarl and danger to everybody using the markets.
WAEC
•Continued on page 7
Osun Public
Osun Govt. Bans Road-Side Trading After Attack On Gov’s Wife Residents Lament Rate Of Motorcycle Snatching Along Ipetumodu-Ode-Omu Road Kazeem Badmus Yusuf Oketola Education Declines, Ranked In Performance
OPINION
3 FIRSTPEOPLE FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 01, 2022
“The Opon-Imo should have been built upon. The ingreadjustmentnowadministrationincomingmustmakethebudgetforcod-totakeo ff from the primary school level within a year of inception. Nothing else will be acceptable. If they do this their names will be written in gold” T HIS is not the me for scoring points and the hurling of brickbats; the situa on is too dire for that. The WAEC results pertaining to the State of Osun require deep reflec on and thinking necessary to effect urgent correcve measures. A key lesson here is the need for consistency and con nuity of policies. The government of ‘Gboyega Oyetola, instead of con nuing the much commended educa onal policies of the preceding government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, went on a dismantling rampage which sa sfied some people’s emo onal needs. Unfortunately, the collateral damage done to the innocents is reflected in the WAEC result which is a repudia on of not only the advance thrust made, not just by the Aregbesola led administraon but the theme of the administra on of Western Nigeria from 1952 laid down by the avatar, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.Theremust be a reboot in the face of this disaster. The incoming government of Ademola Adeleke must look into and revive the ins tu onal memories of the past which was so effec ve and beneficial.This has nothing to do with par san divisions; it is common sense. It’s catch up me! For example, it is painful that Kenya, two weeks ago made a policy pronouncement that Coding for pupils will begin from the age of five. This commitment by the Kenya government reflects the need to build a compe ve economy for tomorrow. As has been said o en, “the strength of an economy in twenty years me is reflected in the quality of today’s educa on” – Commonsense,Statereally.ofOsun and not Kenya should have blazed the trail. The Opon-Imo should have been built upon. The incoming administraon must now make the budget readjustment for coding to take off from the primary school level within a year of incep on. Nothing else will be acceptable. If it does this, its names will be wri en in gold. be rewri ng history just to make people feel good? That’s not history, that’s psychiatry.” Koch
•Abiodun Akanji writes from Iragbiji.
Ed
After The WAEC Debacle
B BYY A B I O D U ABIODUNNAKANJIAKANJI 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 Website : www.osundefender.com/index.php e-mail : osundefender@yahoo.comosundefenderbank@gmail.com All correspondence to the above email addresses. Backward March To Opposition (1) “Should we
IT is necessary to bring to record for the sake of clarity and future reference, the blow by blow account of the return of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun, back to the opposi on under the failed leadership of Prince Gboyega Famodun, a er 12 glorious years as the rulingTheparty.tragic loss of our dear party on 16th July governorship elec on is no doubt the worst calamity that befell the party in the recent mes, a situa on that dumped all good party leaders, men, women and youths in mourning mood. It is the worst chapter in the history of the progressives in Osun and a very painful development that will take a long me to overcome. Since the unfortunate incident, there has been different accounts and shameless a empts by various individuals to rewrite the history of series of events that brought the downfall of APC in the elec on, especially from the a en on-seeking media handlers and those poli cal scavengers around Prince Famodun, who from their various narra ons have exposed their very low-level thinking wrapped with ignorance of the facts and hatred for the truth. Through these characters, one can easily understand why and how a ruling party conveniently somersaulted into opposi on through Famodun’s leadership without focus. Prelude Every reasonable mind will s ll remember clearly, how the party had a very narrow escape during the 2018 governorship elec on, a situaon that was later twisted and a ributed to several factors by some poli cal nitwits’ handlers of Gov. Oyetola in conjunc on with visionless leadership of AccordingFamodun.tothem, the narrow escape was caused by decline in Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s popularity, some bad policies of his administraon, people’s near rejec on of APC, the half salary issue, among others. None of the nitwits was reasonable enough to think about the wrong poli cal manipula on that produced the worst product for the party to sell in the person of Gov. Oyetola and how people felt aggrieved with his emergence, because their emo ons and loyalty were taken for granted. The “unsellable” nature of the candidate himself and the decision to force him down the throat of the party members as the candidate of the party against a popular agita on for the “West Agenda” then was an everlas ng error. The rest is history. Oyetola’s candidacy was a very wrong decision which caused a very deep crack in the party structure and shook the unity of the party to its root across Osun. Majority of his colleagues in the state execu ves council were not happy with the decision, the State House of Assembly was sharply divided, the party structure at the state, local government, wards to units level was cracked and fac onalised so much that the state execu ve of the party broke into two and a side suspended Prince Famodun as the State Chairman.The unfortunate situa on in the party forced some of the gladiators who were also aspirants together with their supporters, to leave the party in annoyance while others who believe in party supremacy and leadership trust stayed back. There was total breakdown of orderliness in Osun APC house because of Gboyega Oyetola’s imposi on. Repackaging Oyetola: A Difficult Task In order to ensure that the party retains its ruling status beyond 2018, all the APC poli cal warlords were sent back to their various areas of control and influence with the near impossible task to repackage and win for Oyetola. One person who deserved to be pi ed most was the then Speaker of the State Assembly, Rt.Hon. Najeem Salaam who was to handle Osun West for the party and to make the people understand why Oyetola was be er than him to have emerged as the candidate and why his own people should join hands with him to vote Oyetola as the Governor. Sadly, Najeem Salaam was the first vic m of Oyetola’s deadly hidden mo ve a er he won the elec on, as many unsuccessful a empts were made to castrate Najeem Salaam poli cally with different moves by OyetolaAgainstthen.all odds, mission accomplished and victory delivered. Oyetola became the Governor and the journey back to opposi on commenced immediately for Osun APC. During this period, Famodun was comfortably sleeping as if all is well with the Whatparty.atragedy? To be con nued...
“Against all odds, mission accomplished and victory delivered. Oyetola became the Governor and the journey back to opposition commenced immediately for Osun APC. During this period, Famodun was comfortably sleeping as if all is well with the party”
“Then his wife had to go from Modakeke to Ipetumodu to search for her husband in all the hospitals there. She searched ll around 10pm and when she couldn’t find him; she went back home.”
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the deceased’s phone was called severally before it was picked by one of the suspects who said Oguntade was involved in an accident at awasvolvedthethesaidpickrepeatedlyshehimlate,specthouseday,terest.saletosomemorningband.wifehisfriendsSodiq,theanyhospitalsinModakekecordingOguntade’sIpetumodu.wife,ac-tothesource,letoIpetumodusearchofherhusbandinbutdidnotfindaccidentvicminallhospitalvisited.ItwasgatheredthatoneofOguntade’swhoparcipatedinkilling,alsojoinedtheinsearchofherhus-Thesourcesaid,“Ontheofthatincident,ofhisfriendscametellhimaboutalandforwhichheshowedin-Around4pmonthathiswifesaidhelethewithhisbiketoin-thesaidland.“Whenitwasgengthewifewasexpecngtohavereturnedandtriedtocallhisnumberbuthedidn’tthecall.Atapoint,shesomeonewascungcallbutlaterpickedit.“ThepersonwhopickedcallsaidWasiuwasin-inanaccidentandreceivingtreatmentathospitalinIpetumodu.His
Police Recover Body 4 Days After
Police Fume Over Rising Kidnapping Rate, Attacks closed that the deceased, on ge ng to a certain area in Modakeke, abandoned his own motorcycle and joined another motorcycle owned by one Ataare who took him to inspect the land.Inves ga on by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that the family of the deceased reported at a police sta on brought out guns and asked us to move into the bush. We trekked for some minutes inside the bush un l they stopped us and asked us to bring out whatever valuables we had on us. “I submi ed my big phone to the kidnappers but I kept the small phone I was using to speak with my parents in my pocket without ending the call, so they could hear we were in danger. We were doing that when suddenly, we heard the siren of the police and that scared the abductors who were heavily armed and spoke in pidgin English. They ran away and le us there.” When contacted, the spokesman of state police Command, Yemisi Opalola, said, “Combined efforts of the police and hunters rescued the vicms.”Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the State, Olawale Olokode, has expressed anger over worsening ac vi es of kidnappers and poli cal thugs across the state. Olokode, in a statement issued by the command’s PRO, Opalola, said he gave stern order to other top police heads in the state to intensify policing and restore order.The statement reads, “consequent upon de of a acks and counter a acks by individuals, poli cal par es/supporters, transporters and act of thuggery a er the governorship elec on in the state, the State Command is miffed with the trend by unscrupulous elements to disturb the peace of the State.
wife asked the exact hospital they took him to but the person didn’t disclose.
Yusuf Oketola Yahoo Boys Kill Friend, Say He Is Making Money Than Them
•The late Wasiu. •The suspects. A25-year-old suspected internet fraudster, Wasiu Oguntade, has been gruesomely murdered by four of his friends in Modakeke, Ife North East Local Council Development AuthorityOguntade,(LCDA).according to inves ga on by OSUN DEFENDER, was killed by his close friends, Ayobami Adegoke and Wahab Hammed, behind an uncompleted building at Alaro area of Modakeke, on Sunday, August 7, 2022. In a short video obtained by the medium, the friends confessed to killing Oguntade because he was making more money than them in the internet fraud business.According to the suspects, Oguntade was macheted to death. The decease, according to a rela ve, was lured out of his house by his friend who called him for a land business around 4pm. The rela ve who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER under condi on of anonymity disclosed that the deceased’s pregnant wife, Mary Oguntade, tried to reach his husband on phone around 7pm on the day of the incident when she no ced it was ge ng late but could not get him.
“In view of this, the Commissioner of Police, Osun State, CP Olawale Olokode, has re-engineered the security template in the state by giving ac onable order to the Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and Tac cal Commanders to embark on rigorous/ intensive opera ons and intelligence led policing to ensure the public place are not taken over by the criminal minded individuals and group(s) thereby stemming the de of this unwarranted trend. “The CP, while giving the command’s security ac on plans to his lieutenants to tackle all forms of crimes in the state, admonished the poli cal gladiators to play the game according to the rules.”
The rela ve further dis•Ewaoluwa. in Ipetumodu that Oguntade was missing. But the case was not well a ended to, according to the family. The case was later reported to the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) which led to the arrest of Ataare, the motorcyclist who came to pick the deceased and was the person that called him last. Another family source said: “Upon no cing that Ataare was the last person who called Wasiu on phone as overheard by his wife, he was immediately arrested and locked in the VGN cell. We went back to Modakeke to search Ataare’s house, thinking that the deceased was“Butkidnapped.wecouldn’t find him alongside the lady motorcycle he went out with. On ge ng back to the VGN office in Ipetumodu, we found out that Ataare had escaped from the cell through the window. “Few minutes later, we got a call that he has been re-arrested at nearby street where he was trying to steal cloth on a dryer. “That was when we concluded that definitely, something is fishy and that the guy is a suspect. Then they took him to the police sta on where he was locked up. A er that, some set of people went to the police sta on to threaten him.“At that point, he menoned the name of Sodiq who is a close friend of the deceased and when the situa on was ge ng tense, they transferred the case to the State Criminal Inves ga on Department in Osogbo.“Onge ng to the State CID, Ataare confessed that it was Sodiq who told them that the deceased was financially buoyant and making more money than him, and they have to kill him.
“We discovered that Wasiu has been killed since that Sunday he le home. Then, Ataare took the police to where his body was. Wasiu was killed inside one uncompleted building and his body was abandoned there. We found the body on Thursday, four days a er he was killed. “The deceased’s motorcycle was found in one of the suspect’s house. It is only his phone that was not found. He was macheted to Policedeath.”Public Rela ons Officer, Osun Command, Mrs. Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the incident, disclosing that the suspects would be charged to court soon.
Kazeem Badmus A19-year-old admission seeker, Ewaoluwa Oluwatofunmi, alongside 12 others were last Sunday, rescued by the officers of the Nigeria Police force, Osun Command and the hunters.Oluwatofunmi, a resident of Ilesa, State of Osun, boarded a bus going to Ilesa at Ilesa garage, Osogbo and was abducted by gunmen who pretended to be Narrapassengers.nghow the incident happened, Ewaoluwa, during an interview said she boarded a bus going to Ilesa at Ilesa Garage park, Osogbo around 1.30pm on Sunday.Midway into the journey, Ewaoluwa said three out of five, all men passengers that sat at the back seat of the bus told the driver to stop the vehicle because they wanted to ease themselves. She said, “Around 1:30 pm on Sunday, I went to Ilesa Garage in Osogbo to enter a bus going to Ilesa. When I got to the park, I met five men and some ladies inside the bus. We moved a er the bus was filled, but on ge ng to a bushy area in-between Osogbo and Ilesa, three of the men si ng at the back seat told the driver to park for them to urinate.“The driver obliged them and when they got down, they asked others inside the bus to also come down and urinate. But we told them we are mature enough to know if we wanted to urinate. Later, one of them lied to the driver that one of the bus tyres was deflated. The driver got down and the other people in the bus also went down. “Few minutes before that would happen, I was on the phone with my father speaking and I didn’t end the call as I came down from the bus. As soon as we came down from the bus, the men • •
Osun Police, Hunter Rescue Admission Seeker, Others From Abductors
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 01, 2022 4 NewsNews
Atotal of eight Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) have been hired by the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) and Governorelect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, to defend them at the governorship elec on peon tribunal, si ng in Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun.No fewer than 45 other lawyers are reportedly in T
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 01, 2022 5InterviewInterview
OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered that the legal team of the PDP and Adeleke will be led by popular elec on legal experts like Alex Ezion, SAN; Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN; Chief Nathaniel Oke, SAN; Mr Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN; Dr Paul. Ananaba, SAN; among others.The Deputy Director of Adeleke Campaign Council, Barr. Kolapo Alimi, told the medium yesterday that the PDP has assembled his legal team to ‘thrash’ Oyetola’s pe Accordingon. to Alimi, Oyetola’s pe on at the tribunal is just a waste of the ‘preHaneefah Abdulrahman is a writer, an interviewer, spoken poetry ar ste and a podcaster from Nigeria whose work has appeared on Nigerian Review, Wisprout Project, Arts MuseFair, and elsewhere. She is a 2021 fellow of Ebedi Interna onal Writers Residency and also a Pioneer fellow of Imodoye Writers’ Residency and a Columnist at DailyTrust Newspaper. She is the Author of Shades of Becoming. She is the 2021 Winner of The Arewa Rising Literary Star. Born in Kaduna, Haneefah is an indigene of Kogi State. She is a student of English Literature at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She is the Chairperson of Kaduna Branch, Hill-Top Crea ve Arts Founda on, the 2021/ 2022 Chairperson of the Crea ve Writers Club, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria – Nigeria, and the Assistant Editor of Literature Voices (LITVO). In this interview with OSUN DEFENDER she speaks on what it takes to be a writer and or a scholar. Excerpt: I a ended, I witnessed a cri c throw a paper at someone who presented his work and he looked the person in the face and asked, “Who told you that you have the chance to be a writer? Your work is trash.” Watching the cri c do that to a writer and seeing that nobody objected his harsh mode of correc on should have discouraged me but I wasn’t. I was determined to send my work to their email because I wanted to be heard. Fortunately, my write up was loved and applauded and I kept on wri ng and a ending workshops. I kept becoming facing the challenges etc. There are mes people pick on me for no reason but as it is said, they are those things that comes with success. My Dad has been very suppor ve. For instance, when I graduated from secondary school and I told him I wanted to work for a year before I proceed with school, although he wasn’t comfortable with it but he allowed. I let him know that I wanted to feel the struggle, I wanted to survive on my own out there. There are actually so many stories of my struggles and successes. Everything boils down to being courageous, prayerful, persistent and consistent to achieve my goals especially in the wri ng area. It has always been self-mentorship for me - reading, learning, unlearning and relearning. What is your view of the idea of Residency for writers and your experience as a Writer-In-Residence of both Ebedi and Imodoye?
The communique which was made available to OSUN DEFENDER yesterday reads in part, “Our Dear Governor Gboyega Oyetola, the main objec ve of this royal address is to appeal to Your Excellency not to relent in the laudable effort that you have started over a year ago and to please kindly approve the rehabilita on and reconstruc on of the Osogbo-lwo road up to the Osun-Oyo State boundary.“The road is in a serious state of disrepair, full of potholes of various sizes, with parts of the road already being washed away by heavy erosion. Traffic frequency has become so low that motorists groan in pains to their bodies and vehicles.
The Truth Does Not Deserve The Title – Haneefah
“So many commercial transporters, especially those plying OSOGBO to IWO and vice versa, have been deprived of their vehicles because they have to keep repairing the vehicles due to the damages being impacted on the vehicles requiring heavy costs each me.“So, several of them have had to park the vehicles at homes or abandon them at mechanic workshops“This painful state of the road has equally affected commercial ac vi es in this area as so many vehicles have abandoned the road for Osogbo.”
Haneefah When it was me for secondary school, I had to be transferred to town, a mixed school, it was exci ng for me. I got there and met press club. The first placed I presented my work physically was in crea ve writers’ club. The first day Ismaeel Uthman Kazeem Badmus
SCHOLARS have failed to put pen to paper and the result of which we are having brutes in different sectors of our lives being terrorised with banditry, corrup on and mis-governance. Don’t you think the reading culture is blame able and do you think our writers could be exonerated from all of these mishaps? One of the major purposes of scholars and writers is to speak the truth through research and wri ng. Once that purpose isn’t fulfilled, they are no longer worthy of thetles. A friend once asked me why I love to read and write; and I replied, “Reading teaches me how to wield the sword of life and wri ng sharpens the sword each me I slay life’s issues with my pen.” When one decides to become a writer or a scholar, he or she has decided to tell the truth no matter what, and try to right the wrong. It doesn’t ma er if what he or she writes is fic on or nonfic on. Any writer or scholar who has failed to put pen to paper is not a real writer or scholar, as such they shouldn’t even be honoured with the tle. Most writers are harassed for wri ng freely yet they con nue wri ng because they know their purpose. For instance, some days back, Nnedi Okorafor, the Nigerian American award-winning author of Afrojujuism made a Facebook post about some teachers in Nigeria telling young people not to read her book because they are full of witchcra . She added that it wasn’t the first me it was happening. This didn’t stop her from wri ng. The truth is that even though Nnedi’s works are fic on, they are inspired by reality. Before colonialism, most Nigerians prac ced juju as a form of religion. Presently, there are people prac cing Juju and witchcra . We find writers pu ng their lives in danger by wri ng the truth, some are even arrested and tortured, for instance, the likes of Ngugi Wa Thionga, Amma Ata Aidoo, Wole Soyinka, Nawal ElSadaawi, Kofi Awoonor and others. Writers can never be exonerated from any situa on in the country, be it corrup on, mis-governance or good governance, etc. Writers do not have any choice but to write and fight through. Every writer has the power of helping the people to voice out their worries, pains and joy inclusive.Thepoor reading culture has very big nega ve effects in the society. It causes poor understanding, indiscipline, fear, etc. This nega ve effect becomes bigger and the youths grow with it when they don’t get to be encouraged to read, thus corrup on, ignorance and other mishaps. It is not very common having female writers in the North squaring it out ac vely with male writers in the country generally. What has been your driving force and contributory power behind your success in the literary world? It has been me. I have been working hard, praying, consistent, taking risks and persis ng. Every success, no matter how li le, always comes with challenges but the ability to keep working and praying keeps one going. Apart from being a Writer, I have been in leadership posi ons in the literary space where I led and work with men, and people even way older than me. You know, taking challenges has always been part of me as a child. It also involves mindset, when you tell yourself you can do it, you can. Put in the effort and try. I have sleepless nights working. Wri ng itself is a form of discipline. As human, it is only natural that some challenges do scare me but then I try and try. I grew up in a slum-like area. Educa on was not really appreciated there, I wasn’t surrounded with intellectuals. It has always been self-mentorship for me. I have always had the mindset of not allowing society or age to restrict my passion or cage my Thedreams.primary school I a ended was a Hausa speaking one, even the teachers in class had to speak Hausa most of the me before my classmates could grasp what they teach. I learned to read my English and verbal reasoning text books ahead of the teachers, especially during break me, since I didn’t enjoy playing ten-ten, skipping and those primary school games. The head teacher loved me for that and applauded me publicly very o en. My classmates were not happy with that so they bullied me but it didn’t make me stop reading or doing what I love to do.
RADITIONAL rulers in Osun West Senatorial District have urged Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the State of Osun, and his counterpart in Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, to reconstruct the roadsarchs,bothforcondiclosedtheObareadsignedIbadan-Iwo-Osogbodilapidatedroad.Inacommuniquejointlyby15monarchsandbytheOluwoofIwo,AbdulrasheedAkanbi,tradionalrulersdis-thatthedilapidatedonoftheroadcallsurgentaenonfromstategovernments.Accordingtothemon-thebadstateofthehashinderedtheecoTribunal: 8 SANs, 45 Counsels To Defend Adeleke, PDP Osun Monarchs Urge Govt To Reconstruct Ibadan/Iwo/Osogbo Road the legal team of both the PDP and Adeleke who are second and third respondents in a pe on filed by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola against Adeleke’s declara on as the winner of the July 16, 2022 governorship elec on in the state.
Any Writer, Scholar That Fails To Speak
News Read full article on www.osundefender.com cious me’ of the judiciary. It would be recalled that the PDP had on Tuesday filed and submi ed its defence to Oyetola’s pe on at the tribunal, praying the court to dismiss the pe on. According to the PDP, the governor’s pe on is frivolous and baseless. The response was submi ed to the tribunal by the Caretaker Commi ee Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Adekunle Akindele.Akindele told the tribunal that Adeleke convincingly won the elec on and was duly declared the winner, sta ng that there was no over-vo ng in any of the polling units being challenged by Oyetola and the APC. He asked the elec on tribunal to dismiss Oyetola’s pe on, describing it as frivolous, baseless, and unmeritorious.Maintaining that the elec on was free, fair and credible without any iota of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022, Akindele said the allega ons listed in Oyetola’s pe on are lame andAkindeleimaginary.concluded that the pe on filed by Oyetola and the APC is me-was ng and effort in fu lity, no ng that Adeleke, the governorelect, fulfilled all qualificaon criteria and condi ons to run for the elec on. nomic ac vi es of the area.
By SheikAbdulalimiMuhammad
OMOTUNDEPUBLICATIONCOMFORTABISOYE That I was formerly known and addressed as OFILI COMFORT ABISOYE Now wish to be known and addressed as OMOTUNDE COMFORT ABISOYE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.
Arraigned Over Theft Of Cables Worth N2.2m 55-Yr-Old Man In Court For Allegedly Selling Community Land T HE State of Osun Police Command has arraigned three security guards before an Ede Magistrate Court for stealing cables worth a sum of N2,200,000 in Ido-Osun.Thesuspects, Abdullaeef Sulaimon (40), John Babatunde (29) and George Nnamdi (22) were accused of stealing 25ms of 150mm and 20ms of 70mm of cables belonging to theirAccordingemployer.to the charge sheet read in court on Tuesday, the defendants commi ed the offence between August 15 and 18, 2022 at G.S Agriculture L.M.T Ido OsunThebranch.alleged offence contravenes Sec ons 516, 390 (9) and 515 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State, 2002.Defence counsels, Kasia Mobi Nwoke and K.A Adepoju prayed the court to admit the accused persons to bail on liberal term, promising that they would provide reliable sure es. In his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, I.R Ladipo admi ed the defendants bail in a sum of N300,000 and two sure es each.The case was adjourned ll October 13, 2022 for hearing.
Woman Bags A Month Jail Term For Injuring Neighbour In Ilobu
Religion Islam And The Rights Of Neighbours
Three Security Guards
Aoluwawoman,35-year-oldIfe-Ibiyemi, has been sentenced to one-month jail term by an Osogbo Magistrate Court for inflic ng injuries on her neighbour in Ilobu, State of Osun. The convict was said to have assaulted one Ojo Funke, her neighbour, by inflic ng injury on her jaw and bi ng her le Ifeoluwahand. was convicted by the court a er she pleaded guilty to the twocount charge of assault levelled against her.She commi ed the offence on August 22, 2022 at about 0900 hours at Atura area in Ilobu.The offence, according to the police, contravened Sec ons 351 and 355 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of the Federa on, 2004 Telling the court the cause of their disagreement, the nominal complainant, Ojo Funke, said the convict has been consistently hurling abusive words on her and also accusing her of being a witch, a situa on that resulted into physical combat between them. In his ruling, the David AdeyemiOsundeyiRaheem
ALL praise is due to Allaah, and may His peace and blessings be upon the final Messenger, His pure family, noble companions, and all those who follow them with righteousness until the day of Judgment.Islaam puts a deep emphasis on our individual duty to our neighbors. Five of the obligations include: 1. You must help him if he asks for your help, 2. Give him relief if he seeks your relief, 3. Lend him if he needs a loan, 4. Do not block his air by raising your building high without his permission and 5. Do not harass him. Being Muslims, we have a duty to be attentive, kindhearted and loving neighbors, regardless of who lives in our community. Taking verses from both the Holy Qur’aan and Hadiths of our Prophet, Islamic traditions teach us to take care of those around us. Let us consider verses of the Holy Quran, as well as the Hadiths of our Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which remind us that in order to be true worshippers of Allaah , we must care and love those around us in this world: Surah an-Nisa, Quran 4:36 says: “Serve Allah and ascribe no partner to Him. Do good to your parents, to near of kin, to orphans, and to the needy, and to the neighbour who is of kin and to the neighbour who is a stranger, and to the companion by your side, and to the wayfarer, and to those whom your right hands possess.”When asked what the rights of the neighbour are, the Prophet Muhammad answered: “The least of a neighbour’s rights on him is that if he asks him for a loan he should grant it to him. If he asks for help, he should help him and if he wants to borrow something from him, he should lend it to him. If he needs him to donate something to him, he should do so. If he invites him, he should accept his invitation. If he gets sick, he should go and visit him. If he passes away, he should attend his funeral procession. (Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, 2:79) Al-Hasan was asked about the neighbour and said: “The term ‘neighbour’ includes the forty houses in front of a person, the forty houses behind him, the forty houses on his right and the forty houses on his left.” (al-Adab al-Mufrad, 06:09). Those who fulfill the rights of neighbours are blessed. After describing the rights of neighbors, the Prophet Muhammad is reported to have stated: “Listen to what I tell you. Only a few people who are blessed by Allaah’s Mercy fulfill the rights of neighbours. Allaah enjoined on me the rights of the neighbour to the extent that I thought He would appoint him as an heir.” (Mustadrak al-Wasa’il,Respecting2:79)neighbors is a duty upon Muslims
The Prophet Muhammad stated: “Whoever believes in Allaah and the Final Day should not trouble his neighbours.” (Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, 2:78-79). Be kind to your neighbors Abu Shurayh al-Khuza’i reported that the Prophet, said: “Anyone who believes in Allaah and the Last Day should be good to his neighbours. Anyone who believes in Allaah and the Last Day should be generous to his guest. Anyone who believes in Allaah and the Last Day should say what is good or be silent”. (al-Adab al-Mufrad,Helping06:02).outa neighbor in need may end up helping you as well Treating one’s neighbours with kindness and being a good neighbour will result in an increase in one’s share of daily bread and the development of towns. (Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, 2:78-79). Not troubling your neighbours. The Prophet is reported to have stated in regards to not troubling or intimidating one’s neighbours: “The neighbour because of whom one locks the door, out of fear for one’s family and wealth, is not a believer. (Tafsiri-Namunah, 3:380-381). You must not bother your neighbors Abu Hurayra said: “The Prophet, may Allaah bless Him and grant Him peace, was asked, ‘Messenger of Allaah! A certain woman prays in the night, fasts in the day, acts and gives sadaqah, but injures her neighbours with her tongue.’ The Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah said” ‘There is no good in her. She is one of the people of the fire.” They said, ‘Another woman prays the prescribed prayers and gives bits of curd as sadaqah and does not injure anyone.’ The Messenger of Allah said: ‘She is one of the people of the Garden”. (al-Adab alMufrad,Islam06:19).means helping your community and neighbours. A man is not a believer who fills his stomach while his neighbour is hungry. (al-Adab al-Mufrad, 06:12). May Allaah Almighty make this sermon a beneficial one for me, the writer, the readers, and the entire Muslims. And our last prayer, is praise be to Allaah Almighty, Lord of the worlds.
FRIDAY, JULY 08 - THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022 6
•Sheik Muhammad Abdulalimi, is the Mudiru Ad-Da’wah Wal-Irshad, Obaagun, State of Osun.
By SheikAbdulalimiMuhammad
presiding sentencedAdekanmiMagistrate,Adeyeba,herto one-month jail term with an op on of N4,500 fine. of fraud and breach of peace.According to the charge sheet obtained by OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, the accused persons started selling the community land in 2020 up ll The2022.alleged offence, according to the police, contravened Sec ons 81 and 249 of the Criminal Code, CAP 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State, 2003. But the defendant pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge levelled against him. Defence counsel, Kasia Mobi Nwoke, prayed the court to admit the accused person to bail on a liberal term, no ng that reliable surety would stand for him throughout theIntrial.his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, I.R Ladipo, admi ed the accused person bail in a sum of N300,000 with two sure es. The case was adjourned ll October 13, 2022 for hearing.
“Al-Hasan was asked about the neighbour and said: “The term ‘neighbour’ includes the forty houses in front of a person, the forty houses behind him, the forty houses on his right and the forty houses on his left.” (al-Adab al-Mufrad, 06:09)”
Anuoluwapo Owolabi Olamide Adeboyejo Zainab Abisola Tolulope Babatunde Crime
A55-year-old man, Niyi Adebiyi, has been arraigned before an Ede Magistrate Court for allegedly selling some parcels of land belonging to a community in Ede.Adebiyi was accused of selling 724 plots of land belonging to Akola area of Ido Osun. He was arraigned on a two-count charge
JUMAT SERMON JUMAT SERMON
“The older ones amongst the public schools’ teachers are so afraid of shoddy treatment in re rement now that the best from them is given for addi onal payments from private schools, against the rainy days of delayed or non-payment of gratui es and“Thepensions.public schools’ teachers are not well monitored to ensure their full delivery of curriculum, lesson plans/notes and produc ve co-curricular s mulus varia on ac vi es for the “Thestudents.incoming administra on of Senator Ademola Adeleke should dust up the so content of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s “Opon-Imo”, and deploy online to students who may rely on media devices of their school libraries and parents at home, for easy regular access, and probable interac ons. “Schools without elearning fi ed libraries should be thus provided by the government, concerned old students, faithbased organiza ons and other non-State actors. Dilapidated structures of classrooms and laboratories may also be thus refurbished.”
Oyetola Destrucvely Handled Educa on System – PDP Reac ng to the 2021 WAEC performance, the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP) in the State condemns Oyetola for what it describes as ‘destruc ve handling of the educa on system’.The PDP said Oyetola’s poor handling of the educa on system culminated into the very shameful placement of the state in the recently released performance ranking by the West African Examina on Council (WAEC). The PDP, in a release signed by its Caretaker Chairman, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, asked Osun government to apologise to the people of the state on the outcome of the 2021 WEACTheresult.party recalls how it had severally advised Oyetola on the need to prio se curriculum based teaching policy over ego massaging or ar ficial policies which had accumulated nega ve impacts on the school system in the state.
Badmus
Regression Hits Osun Education,...
T HE State of Osun Police Command has condemned the increasing rate of child molesta on and indecency going on in the state lately. In a press statement issued and signed by the Police Public Rela ons Officer, Mrs Yemisi Opalola, and made available to OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday, the police noted that the case of sexual harassment of children is now rampant in theThestate.police warned unscrupulous elements behind the act to desist or face the wrath of the law, just as they advised parents and guardians to monitor their children/wards and beware of some people pretending to be friends, rela ves and assistants who might want to abuse the rela onship to carry out their evil plans. The statement reads, “The Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, Olawale Olokode, is using this medium to condemn in totality, the de of child molesta on in the state and gives stern note of warning to the unscrupulous elements in the act to desist or face the wrath of the law. “It would be noted that, T HE contractor handling construc on of the MKO Abiola Interna onal Airport at IdoOsun, State of Osun, JM & AS Limited, has demanded the payment of a sum of N570.2m from the state government as debt expended on the project or be ready for court ac on. The firm gave the state government two weeks to pay the debt, following reports that the airport has been handed over to the Nigeria Air CounselForce.forthe firm, Mr J. J. Usman (SAN), in a le er to the governor, frowned on the handover of the airport to the NAF which it described as a unilateral decision.Hesaid it was improper for the state government to abandon the agreements reached with the company on the job without paying for jobs done. The le er reads in part, “It is instruc ve to note that the sum due to our client and outstanding debt has remained unpaid a er several demands, leading our client to vacate the site since it became impossible
Contractor Threatens To Sue Osun Govt. Over N570m Airport Debt
A renowned educaonist, Arch. Goke Omigbodun, has charged the Governor-elect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, to revive the tablet of knowledge known as Opon-Imo, which was innova vely introduced to the public educa on by Aregbesola’s administraOmigbodunon. who was reac ng to the poor performance of Osun in the 2021 WAEC, expressed his displeasure in the ranking of the state.
In a statement made available to OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday, Omigbodun a ributed the decline in the quality of public educa on in the state to discouragement of teachers and lack of monitoring on the part of the state government. He said, “Public School Teachers are not encouraged enough. Chants about outstanding half-pays of serving public schools teachers, and gratui es/ pensions of the re red ones, now sound like repeated lyrics of broken radiogram record discs. Yet, unl the issues are addressed, only some Private Schools in the State will con nue to engage the public schools’ teachers as adjuncts to get the best from them.
•Continued from page 2
“Our client further informed us that having served the government noces of inten on to vacate the site due to government failure to pay, they indeed vacated the site some mes in 2017.“While our client was wai ng for the government to comply with the terms of the contract by paying for Cer ficates Nos 4 and 5, and to enable them return to site and con nue with their work, the state government has curiously and purportedly re-awarded the contract or handedover the site to a different company other than Awol Interna onal Limited as contained in the MoU despite the subsis ng of the contract of our client, which has not been terminated.“Itis our client’s instrucon to us to demand and we hereby demand from you the following: The immediate payment of our client’s outstanding balance of N570,231,101.94, being the balance for the interim Cer ficate No. 4 and Interim Cer ficate No. 5 outstanding as contained in the final account.” “And also your government to provide the enabling environment for our client to mobilise back to site as our client’s contract is s ll subsis ng and our client is willing, able and capable of comple ng the construc on of the Moshood Abiola Interna onal Airport Osogbo, Osun State.
Modakeke, Iwara-Ife, Masifa Iperindo Get New Traditional Rulers
•Members of the 7th Assembly of Osun State House of Assembly, in a group photograph with the Speaker, Rt.Hon.Timothy Owoeye during his 50th birthday ceremony in Osogbo on Wednesday.
The statement reads, “For long, the state government had rebuffed all wise counsels to employ competent professionals to fill exis ng vacancies in key subjects in almost all Public Secondary Schools in the state, in a bid to avert the present disaster.
“In view of this, the Commissioner of Police enjoins the general public to partner with the Police, by providing adequate and useful informa on that will enable the command nip in the bud such nefarious act before being carried out. “Parents and guardians are hereby advised to monitor their children/ wards and beware of some people pretending to be friends/rela ves/assistants to enable them carry out their evil plans.” Yusuf
“The State government had also, over me, under our Mr “silent achiever”, appeared more comfortable rigmaroling with unprofitable cosmetics in the system, instead of developmental ini aves, capable of assis ng school principals and the teaching staff to aide students’ learning. The result we witness today can therefore not be a magic of the“Whatdevilmore, Oyetola is happy expending parts of the funds expected to be used to revamp badly bleeding educa on sector in the state on illegal local government elec on that will surely fall flat. These are steams of misplaced priori es for which innocent students are being made to suffer heartache and bleak future through faulty educa on.”
in recent me, there are reports of child sexual harassment in some parts of the state and as such, the police in the state will not fold its hands and allow these misguided elements con nue abusing our children.
in educa on sector was responsible for the poor performance in WAEC. All the educa on polices put in place by the Aregbesola’s administraon to ensure quality educa on delivery were reversed by Oyetola. Bring Back Opon-Imo, Educa onist Governor-ElectCharges
•CP Olokode. for our client to con nue with the work, owing to the failure and refusal of the government to pay the outstanding debt.
of Iwara-Ife in Ife East Local government, Prince Josiah Adeleke Oyewole Awolade as Olaaresa of Masifa in Ejigbo West Local Council Development Area and Prince Adedeji Olusegun Isaiah as the Tirimi of Iperindo in Atakumosa East Local Government of the State. According to the commissioner for Informa on and Civic Orienta on, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, the appointments were approved at the State Execu ve Council Mee ng held on Tuesday. It would be recalled that the Ogunsua’s stool became vacant following the death of Oba Moses Oladejo Oyediran on March 13, 2022. Also, the Obawara’s stool became vacant on August 12, 2018, following the death of Oba Olayiwola Adere , the late Obawara of IwaraIfe. The Olaaresa’s stool became vacant on April 23, 2018, following the death of Oba Dr. Mathew Olayiwola Oyekale, the Late Olaaresa of Masifa. Tirimi of Iperindo’s stool became vacant on February 1, 2017, sequel to the judgement of a State High Court which set aside the appointment of Prince Joseph Folorunso Olowu Ifayemiwo.According to Egbemode, the appointments of the tradi onal rulers followed due process, disclosing that each and everyone of them had majority votes of their various kingmakers.
KazeemOketolaBadmusKazeem
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 01, 2022 7News
T HE State Government of Osun has approved the appointment of Chief Joseph Olubiyi Toriola as the new Ogunsua of Modakeke in Ife East Central Local Council DevelopmentThisArea.isjust as the government also approved the appointment of Prince Samuel Oluwasegun Adedire as Obawara
Police Bemoan Rate Of Child Molestation In Osun
The tendency in most democracies in so called underdeveloped countries is to blame the visible operators of the democracies, the government and the poli cal elite without a deeper look at the major stakeholder - the ulmate beneficiary or vic m, as the case may
STRIKER Striker is not the opinion of the Columnist featured above
Barbarism In The Midst Of Supersonic Civilization
Where Are The People?
“Despite our huge potentials, we are far away from attainable modern and decent world and refined human being. We behave like pristine dwellers of the cave during the formation and development of homo sapiens”
OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarnaty Trust Bank (GTB), Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the Deputy Editor, ISMAEEL UTHMAN, Telephone: 0809-301-9152 or . ISSN: 0794-8050. Website: www.osundefender.com Email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com, osundefemder@yahoo.com Police Bemoan Rate Of Child Molestation In Osun Pg. 7FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 01, 2022 VOL. 17 NO 33 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com 8050-0794ISSN Crime
T HE world has drama cally changed especially in the last 20-25 years to the extent that what used to be rocket sciences have been very simplified. Un l 2006, we used to have nine planets in our Solar System: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Now, it is established that a er Neptune and Pluto, there are dwarf planets, dozens of moons, millions of asteroids, comets and meteoroids. Today, the Solar System is the gravita onal bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it. Research established that it formed 4.6 billion years ago from gravita onal collapse of the composi on in the sun. The Solar system consists of star, sun, and everything bound to it by gravity. Earlier, space experiments explored the use of large orbi ng satellites as passive reflectors of signals from point to point on earth with signals sent from ground, electronically processed and sent to another ground sta on. However, space explora on today allows human beings to prove or discard scien fic theories developed on earth like the earlier thoughts on the solar system, the magnetosphere, the atmosphere, fluid dynamics, and geological evolu on of other planets, amongst others. For instance, it made us know that mars is the fourth planet from the Sun; that it is dusty, cold, desert plain with a very thin atmosphere. It is the only planet in our solar system to which rovers have been sent by United States, former Soviets Union, China, United Arab Emirates, India and Europe to roam the landscape to study its geology and climate. Mars is about half earth size with a radius of 2,106 miles (3,390 kilometers). Space explora on has too numerous goodies for humanity: it allows us have breakthrough in our challenges on assump ons and stupendously expand our horizon of knowledge for further discoveries hitherto unknown - on security, agriculture, informa on, transporta on and communica on; it improves every aspect of our lives as experiments performed in space make us have be er understanding of our Earth challenges to proffering solu ons; it simplifies difficul es of our day-to-day ac vi es such as weather forecast, mass movement of people from one point to the other and global communica on; it provides high-tech jobs for the young and old; it enhances safety on earth as satellites data could be used to alert on impending natural disaster so that provisions could be made for emergencies and relieves materials amongstAlthoughothers.the world survives on interdependence as each country produces en-masse on its areas of strength for its domes c use and exporta on and imports what it lacks as every country is differently endowed, a smart country will ensure it develops poten al in virtually all areas of life, especially on staple food and consumables for its ci zen; technology and armament to protect itself against external aggression and interna onal sanc ons among others. Hence, every serious na on will move to space to explore scien fic wonders for be er life and protec on of its people. Russia had the first satellite launch in space on October 4, 1957 and sent first human being, Yuri Gagarin, into space on April 12, 1961. It was the first shot in the ensuing scramble to put man on the moon. Since 24th February, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the avoidable war that has killed many led to massive displacements of people with a endant socio-economic disaster worldwide, US and NATO sanc ons against Russia has not had major impact on it. Instead, it has boomeranged and had affected cost of living in the west. Could the US accept that one of its neighbors, Mexico for instance, join a military alliance with Russia that allows Russia to put a military base in Mexico? How does it expect Russia to accept Ukraine joining NATO and having NATO military bases next door to Russia? Discuss on this is for another day. However, what should be noted is that Russia is able to overcome “crippling” western sanc ons because of its history, tradi on and scien fic explora on and development. Russia has capacity to invent and develop armament at half the cost of the product in the west; it has commi ed soldiers who not only know how to kill but how to die in war front. Nigeria has a communica on satellite – NigComSat-2. Its earth observa on satellite, NigeriaSat-2, has passed its expiry date, although s ll func oning. If this satellite collapses, Nigeria capacity to access space for development and security will be jeopardised; although, Nigeria Naonal Space Research and Development Agency has, in 2011, launched Sat 1R with a lifespan of 15 years which will expire in 2026. Despite our huge poten als, we are far away from a ainable modern and decent world and refined human being. We behave like pris ne dwellers of the cave during the forma on and development of homo sapiens. Space technology that we have refused to harness has capacity to monitor and protect our 400,000 barrels of crude oil worth $1.9bn stolen every day, according to Melee Kyari, Group Chief Execu ve Officer of NNPC Limited; it can locate vandals and terrorists abode, iden fy them and deliver havoc that could obliterate them very fast and unprepared. What do we have instead? Terrorists threatening to kidnap our President! They have forced farmers out of farmland which has hugely contributed to soaring prices of foods. They have made fool of presidency in nego ating prisoners exchange without fulfilling their side of agreement. They have killed young and old and con nued to kill even a er collec on of ransom from the vic ms’ families. We produce virtually nothing of great worth but desire to consume almost every good thing of life. We cannot survive a month economic sanc on from US or any advanced na on we now heavily depend on. Who will buy our crude oil, refine it or send us consumables, including common toothpick?Themain area of strength we have demonstrated is building religious centers in almost every street; having relaxa on centers and short rest hotels where pepper soup and various liquors are sold, surrounded with sex workers. For how long shall we con nue with this? Our Universi es where researches are to be conducted for development have been shutdown for over six months as a result of government indifferent a tude, as the wards of majority of poli cians school abroad. Our cashless policy and e-Naira are a mirage. Bandits and herdsmen have chased farmers out of farms which has led to skyrocke ng prices of staple foods and other consumables. As we move to 2023 general elec ons, none of the leading poli cal par es has ar culated a manifesto on providing any be er offer to our people and the na on; some lesser par es that so did have been scrapped by INEC. There is an urgent need for progressives and patriots to come together, irrespec ve of tendencies, to redefine the poli cal paradigm in the interim, and eventually forming a mass poli cal party that will salvage this messy situa on and take us to the Promised Land. Enough should be enough of 18th Century life in 21st Century!
D EMOCRACY has been more specifically defined as “majority rule.” However, its most popular defini on, availed by Abraham Lincoln, remains “government of the people by the people and for the people.” Emphacally men oned thrice in that defini on, “the people,” or “the majority,” remain centrally critical to democra c ideals and prac se. It is the goal of democracy that the wishes of the majority will prevail and that for such to be the case, the majority of the people will be instrumental. All democra c governments are founded on the above principles and the Cons tu ons that guarantee the rule of law start out unequivocally in their opening statements with “We, the people...,” not only to demonstrate basic consensus but to further reiterate the place of “the people” in the opera ons of democracy. However, democracy and good governance that it supposes to deliver do not become automa c reality simply upon proclama on. They are desires and goals that must be achieved by no other party in the deal than “the people,” “the majority.” Herein lays the duty and responsibility of ci zens of any na on, ahead of the guarantee of their rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
be - the people. The maxim – every people get the kind of government they deserve – simply highlight the ul mate responsibility of the people in a democracy. Their ac ons, inac ons and general disposi ons to governance are the key indicators of how the ruling elite relate with them, either by taking the people seriously or taking them for granted a er the people have periodically surrendered their sovereignty in elec ons to public officers. Periodic changes in personali es in government amongst those paraded by the poli cal par es, good for democracy as it is, guarantee li le or no changes to the system of governance and dividends delivery unless “the people” ensure that those promises of changes for the be er are delivered. They must demand accountability and delivery on promises and oaths taking by execu ves, legislature and the judiciary, including heads of all agencies of government. When undelivered, they must ensure there are consequences, just as they need to applaud when delivered. When serious issues that legi mise and compound criminality and corrup on (and consequent decay and underdevelopment of society) are trivialised into comic relieves and the culprits go away unpunished, the ruling elite are only emboldened to con nue in their reckless, destabilising and impoverishing policy choices and carefree responses to devasta ng results.Inpreceding weeks, there was the report that The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund told no other body than the Senate that termites had ea ng away the vouchers of how they spent N17.1bn public fund! Many similar reports of such - snakes and monkeys swallowing millions of naira of public funds, and so on - have become commonplace in public governance in Nigeria: bizarre, exaspera ng stories that should normally trigger massive outrage and indigna ons, leading to peaceful protests and civil disobedience in the very least. What are Nigerian commonplace responses? Trivialisa on into comic relieves or passive agonising, wailings and cri cism at best. Of course, individual ci zens have limited powers of impac ul protest. However, the people, the majority (women, children, and youths) exist in numerous socie es, organisa ons and associa ons (trade and professions, students, cultural, social, community, etc). Members of these organisa ons must hold leadership of the mass groups accountable to rela ng with social and na onal reali es cri cally and ac vely by all means necessary to right almost every wrong and achieve the promise of democra c dividends. Un l “the majority” swing into organised ac ons on this basis rather than agonising, the only prospect will be increasing misery and misfortune amongst the majority since there is much to profit from bad governance and people’s misery and tribula ons by the an -democra c and mean minority that have taken charge of the democra c process.
