Osun defender, september 25, 2016 edition

www.osundefender.org SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2016 The ‘do or die’ affairs that elections have been turned to in our country is a thing that calls for serious concern. That a simple process of electing people’s representatives which should be free of rancour and acrimony - let alone shed-

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Panacea To Electoral Violence

ding of blood - has now become a lethal exercise that sends people to early grave, is enough to make rational beings to shout blue murder.

When we cast our minds back and reflect on the

countless number of lives that have been lost to elections in this clime we cannot but weep for our country in this regard. The trend is quite disturbing and saddening.

For instance the unnecessary waste of lives during the governorship and legislative elections that took place in Rivers state recently, including the killing of a Corps member who was amongst the

Youth Corpers used in conducting the exercise, still continues to saddens the mind. Even the rerun legislative election in IleIfe in our own state of the Virtuous here was not without violence. All this

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tells us that much is still very wrong with our democracy and for this, there is need for urgent solution to curb this ugly t r e n d .

And the solution we have in mind is not different Continued on page 6

Osun Moves Dredging Machines To Flooded Areas

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Hope Rises For Osun Flood Victims

•As NEMA, OSEMA Plan Relief Materials For Them - See Story On Page 2

•President Muhammadu Buhari (middle) on Friday met with the best of Nigerian professionals residing in the United States of America. The meeting was facilitated by his Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters and International Relations, Mrs Abike Dabiri (left). Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwumi Ambode (right) was also present. Among the professionals were top flight aeronautics engineers, physicians, I.T experts, a judge, a top policewoman, entrepreneurs, an import specialist at Customs and Border Protection, professors, two students, and many others.

OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

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OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

•2 (L-R) Representative of Oramiyan Chairman, Prince Yele Alabi; former Senior Special Assistant to Governor Aregbesola on Sports, Honourable Kola Ajao; Project Coordinator, Honourable Lawrence Ayeni and Representative of Football Association Secretary in the State of Osun, Mr Adebiyi Tunde at a press conference on oncoming of Governor Aregbesola Golden Cup 2016, in Osogbo last Wednesday, organized by Friends of Aregbesola in conjunction with the State of Osun Football Association.

Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Hop Rises For Osun Flood Victims

• As NEMA, OSEMA Plan Relief Materials For Them The National Emergency Management or provide with relief Agency (NEMA) and the Osun Emergency materials.

Management Agency (OSEMA) are working to He reiterated what provide relief materials to victims of flood Governor Rauf disaster in the state.

Aregbesola said, that Mr Olanipekun request and providing the flood was caused by Olanrewaju, the photographic evidence indiscriminate dumping General Manager, of the affected or of refuse in the OSEMA on Thursday in damaged property, it waterways and water Osogbo, disclosed that would be difficult for channels by residents. agency to the agency in the According to him, the collaboration with determine who to assist disaster should have NEMA is working to bring succour to the victims.

Olanrewaju said that OSEMA, which is saddled with the responsibility of Towards stemming the tide of flooding, which providing relief materials to victims of recently ravaged a part of the state capital, Osogbo, the Osun State Government has moved disaster, had already sent official report to to dredge further areas prone to flooding as its NEMA, through its machines continued work on Wednesday.

At the sight of the as areas of focus for the Zonal Headquarters in machines, which dredging at the state Ado-Ekiti.

He said, with the moved to site again, capital.

He said: “As we are assistance of the state residents applauded government and the state Governor Rauf all aware since 2011, the present government has Aregbesola, on his NEMA, OSEMA would dredging provide relief materials proactive steps to save being to victims of the flood the state from flood waterways in different areas across the state to disasters. disaster soon.

The Project prevent flooding and The general manager, contractor, Engineer other natural disasters. however, said there Tope Awodiji, led a “We have started were procedures to team on the dredging again to ensure that all follow for the work. our waterways, distribution of relief Awodiji assured the drainages and canal materials. residents of proper systems are cleared just He explained that clearing of all the as heavy machineries victims of the flood waterways in the state, have been deployed in have to formally adding that the various areas of the request and present machines had been state to ease the flow of their cases to the strategically deployed water.” agency with to achieve the goal.

Awosiji cautioned the photographs of their Awosiji listed areas people of the state property that were such as Gbonmi, Alie- against what he called Fiwasaye, indiscriminate dumping damaged during the Agbede, Obatede, Old Garage, of wastes, adding that disaster attached.

Alekunwodo and Ita- the nature and character Olanrewaju said, without making Olokan, all in Osogbo, of the waste excavated

been avoided, if people of the state disposed their wastes properly.

He said the state government was embarking on dredging and rechannelling of blocked waterways, canals and rivers in the state.

Olanrewaju said that structures along or on

the waterways, obstructing free flow of water would all be demolished soon.

He said, OSEMA has been sensitising the people of the state to the dangers of blocking rivers and waterways with refuse.

The general manager equally called on residents to change their habit and attitude,

urging them to stop dumping refuse into the waterways and drains.

It would be recalled that five communities were flooded on Sept.

13 in Osogbo, while a middle-aged man was reported to have lost his life in the flood incident, after his vehicle was drowned in a river.

Aregbesola has been so wonderful to citizens as his government has been successfully prioritizing our welfare as citizens.

“Every individual would attest to it that this government has

tried in flood control since inception.

“Take for instance, since the recent flooding, the government has been working round the clock to avoid a future recurrence.”

Osun Moves Dredging Machines To Flooded Areas showed that residents need more education on their waste disposal culture.

When asked about the sustainability of the exercise, Awosiji promised that it would go a long way to prevent the flood as it was aimed at facilitating free flow of water.

Some of the residents who expressed satisfaction over the dredging, said widening the waterways would definitely ensure permanent prevention of ecological challenges in the state.

Some of the residents of Alie Agbede OkeBaale axis of Osogbo – Oladimeji Adenle, Oyewola Olowookere, Muhammad Musbau and Adegoke Fadilulahi – commended the state government for embarking on the clearing projects.

According to Fadilullahi: “Governor

Free Vaccination To Nursing Mothers In Osun

The State of Osun Government has started giving free tetanus vaccination to nursing mothers in the state in order to prevent infection.

The permanent Dr Akinyinka Esho, Permanent Secretary, secretary urged women Osun Ministry of of child-bearing age to Health, announced this visit the nearest health in Osogbo through a facility to receive the tetanus vaccination. statement.

He commended Esho said in the Rauf statement that the Governor for vaccination was meant Aregbesola for all nursing mothers providing the necessary logistics and facilities to from ages 15 to 49.

He said, that the ensure healthy living vaccination was free of for all residents of the charge and would be state.

The PS further said given to nursing mothers in the 15 local that the exercise which government areas of started on Monday, would end on Sunday. the state.

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OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

•Some of the Omoluabi school buses presented to public schools by Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration in the State.

Aregbesola Equips, Treats Mentallychallenged Persons

Having the right attitude and commitment in response to situation, and being responsible by displaying love and support have been described as one of the ways of eradicating mental challenge in the society.

The governor of the Needs, Comrade Biyi State of Osun, Ogbeni Odunlade, stated that Rauf Aregbesola, made “we are all guilty of this known at the having people with closing ceremony on mental disability in the vocational training society, due to programme for selected negligence of such treated mentally category of people”, challenged persons but that “prompt and without employment, adequate care can put together by the salvage the mentallyMinistry of Women, challenged people”.

Children and Social Congratulating the Affairs, held at treated and healed O m o l a u b i mentally-challenged Rehabilitation Centre, persons who were Ilobu. fortunate to benefit A r e g b e s o l a from the largese of ,represented by the treatment from the immediate past Special government of Adviser to the Aregbesola, he governor on Youths, emphasized that the Sports and Special height of commitment of the government in Change Of Name taking care of the I, formerly known as mentall- challenged in AYENI ADEWUSI the state has been WILLIAMS, now wish hindered by paucity of to be called and funds, hence, such addressed as AYENI category of people ADEWUSI IDOWU. won’t be seen on the All former documents street. remain valid. GTbank Describing brain and general public injury, depression, should take note. violence effect, Change Of Name untreated malaria, I, formerly known as tetanus infection, AKANO SUNDAY family problem, among OYEWALE, now wish to others, as one of the be called and addressed pointers of mental as AKANO SUNDAY challenge, he also TEMITOPE. All former implored all to be documents remain valid. attentive and lend FIRST Bank, UBA Bank helping hands to those and general public should in similar situations. take note.

geared towards transforming lives of every category of people in the state, irrespective of social class.

She affirmed that the government had, so far, treated about 300 destitutes within the state, including those repatriated from other states such as Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Ekiti and Ondo and they have been treated and certified mentally fit and re-integrated with their families.

Dr. A. Ibigbami, a psychiatrist consultant,

in his sensitization talk emphazised that psycosocial support of victims hasten healing and that collective support and responsiveness of people and government is also an added advantage.

He stated that stigmatization and neglect of depressed persons worsen situation and that there is no mental disorder that cannot be treated, but that God is the ultimate healer, and he charged them to adhere to doctor’s

prescription for healthy living.

The selected treated mentally-challenged persons were empowered in tie and dye batik making, bead making, cream making, soap making and stove wick making.

Highlight of the ceremony was the accolades and appreciation of Aregbesola by families of the treated mentallychallenged persons, and presentation of finished products of items produced through the training.

By LOVETH USIDEME The project coordinator for Governor Rauf Aregbesola golden competition, Hon. Lawrence Ayeni, has asserted that the competition which started since 2014 has helped in a long way to solve some of the problems encountered by State of Osun football clubs.

He made the to all the teams that assertion recently took part in every during a press edition which had conference held at helped the clubs to go Oranmiyan House in a long way in their Osogbo, State of Osun.

According to him: “Apart from the fact that many talented players were discovered by different professional football clubs across the country, cash prizes were always given to the victorious teams” Ayeni added that kits were always provided •AYENI

performance.

He further stressed that the competition had created a platform that took most of the youths off the streets by engaging them in sporting activities as against social vices.

The event was recorded to have started since 2014 where Oranmiyan in conjunction with Omoluabi Support Group put it together to celebrate the governor’s re-election in office.

More so, it was also noted that the 2015 edition was put together by the Oranmiyan and Mandate 31 However, it was

disclosed that Orolu Football Club was the eventual winner in the 2014 edition while Osogbo Local Government Council won the 2015 edition.

He mentioned that this year’s edition was created to celebrate the second year in office of Governor Aregbesola.

Ayeni explained that this year’s edition would commence on October 6, 2016 at Osogbo Township Stadium while the final match and third place would come up on November 26, 2016 at the City Stadium.

He added that the award prize is going to be #600.000 for the eventual winners.

He used the medium to assure Osun workers of better times ahead, and urged them to endure as well as be committed to their duties and service delivery.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Affairs, Pharm.

(Mrs.) Omolara Ajayi, in her address, appreciated Governor Aregbesola for his limitless passion and unrelenting efforts

Aregbesola Golden Cup Competitions Enhance Sport Development In Osun - Ayeni

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OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

•Guest Lecturer, Comrade Wale Adebisi (9th right at the second roll): representative of Peace Corps of Nigeria, State of Osun chapter, Mrs Kemi Olaoye (5th right at the last roll,) in a group photograph with other paramilitary officer and other dignitaries during the 2016 International Peace Day in Osogbo last Wednesday. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.

Osun To Pay LG Workers’ Arrears Earlier in his welcome address, the host Auditor-General of the State of Osun, Mr Emmanuel Kolapo, commended the state government for carrying local government along in all its programmes.

He said, the theme: “IPSAS ACCRUAL: A Panacea for Fiscal Transparency and Economic Recovery”, was carefully chosen to address the current problem being faced by the country.

The Chairman, Forum of Council Managers, Yinka Odewale, lauded Governor Aregbesola for bringing government nearer to the people at the grassroots with the creation of additional 31 LCDAs.

• As Party Submits Name To INEC

party in trust for all of you. I am not perfect.

No one is. But I will make up for my imperfections by drawing from your collective strength.

Together we shall work in one accord to achieve success in the November 26 g o v e r n o r s h i p election.

Now is the time to pool our energy and resources and rescue our state from misery and misrule of the Peoples Democratic Party-led government.

United we stand.

United we shall be victorious, Akeredolu declared.

The APC flag bearer also thanked the Election Committee led

by the Jigawa State Governor Muhammed Abubakar Badaru and security agencies for creating an enabling environment for a free and fair contest as attested to by the NWC now.

Oyegun and the secretary, Mai Mala Buni endorsed A k e r e d o l u ’ s nomination form which was later taken to INEC by the party’s organising secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso at about 5.03pm.

This development has finally put an end to lingering controversy, claims and counterclaims that have trailed the outcome of the party’s governorship primary in Ondo State.

The State Programme Officer of the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEAL) , Mrs Olubunmi Ayoola, has charged food vendors in the state to always provide quality food and fruits for pupils in public elementary schools.

Mrs Ayoola ,who was administration is represented by Operation spending huge resources Officer, Mr Olabode on school feeding and Akinjogbin gave the this has earned the state charge while on international recognition inspection tour to and a model for other elementary schools in states.

Egbedore, Ede-North and Mrs Ayoola therefore, Ede-South Local warned food vendors to Government areas of the always serve fruits as state. provided in the menu She said, Ogbeni Rauf table.

Aregbesola-led In their separate

remarks, the Head Teachers in Community Elementary School, Olorunsogo, St George RCM, Ofatedo, Agbonran Model Elementary School and YTD Elementary School, Obada, Ede, commended the state governor for providing free food for the school pupils.

They then said it has g r e a t l y increased enrolment in schools.

Part of the inspection team were Mrs Taiwo F. O, Messrs Kunle Alao, Femi Opatayo, among others.

By ISMAEEL UTHMAN integration among our Plans have been concluded for the payment people in the Southof all outstanding salary arrears of local West.”

He noted that series government workers in the State of Osun. of trainings have been Chairman of the our governor. conducted for workers Local Government “This programme is Service Commission, coming at the right time in various level at the Elder Peter Babalola, and a right step in local government for has disclosed that all fostering regional effective performance. outstanding debts of the local governments staff in the state would be paid soon.

Babalola stated this at the Local Government Service Commission Hall, Abere, on Following the affirmation of the election of Thursday during the 12th Conference of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Auditors-General in the Federation, South- Congress (APC), the party has submitted his name to the Independent National Electoral West Zone.

Babalola who Commission (INEC) as the APC’s flag bearer in commended local November 26, gubernatorial election in Ondo government staff for State. their perseverance and Former President of with 471 votes. dedication, stated that the While Abraham, Nigerian Bar the government of Association, NBA, Boroffice and other Ogbeni Rauf Rotimi aspirants accepted the Akeredolu, Aregbesola is aware of SAN, has described his results and their support and affirmation as the c o n g r a t u l a t e d endurance.

Oke g o v e r n o r s h i p Akeredolu, He assured that plans candidate of the All p r o t e s t e d , have been concluded to alleging some pay all outstanding Progressives Congress, discrepancies. He filed money, owed the local APC, in the November a petition before the governorship government staff in the 26 Appeal election in Ondo State Election state. by the National Committee.

The local government Barely 24 hours later, boss, who also Working Committee both Abraham and attributed the inability (NWC) of the party, as Boroffice made a u-turn of the state the work of God. “What can I say than and submitted petitions government to pay the Appeal workers’ salaries to the to thank God who has to economic recession, done it again? God Committee, calling for hinted that plans are in does not abandon his outright cancellation of top gear to salvage p r o j e c t s the election.

In upholding Osun from the present notwithstanding the Akeredolu’s election, condition. challenges that may the NWC struck out He described the arise” Akeredolu said conference as a right in a statement issued the report of the Appeal step, especially at this by the Aketi Media Committee which had earlier recommended time of economic Group. the cancellation of the recession, promising Akeredolu had won September 3 election. that he would continue the September 3, The party’s apex to strive for the wellbeing of local Governorship Primary decision-making organ Election which took averred that Appeal government staff.

Babaola said: place in Akure by Committee’s report “ R e a l i z a t i o n , polling 669 votes and was prejudicial and Olusegun largely perfunctory as harmonization and defeated development of our Abraham who scored its decision was based 635 votes and Olusola on unsubstantiated common heritage in the and South-West is the Oke with 576 votes. allegations reason for championing Senator Robert Ajayi- spurious claims of regional integration by Boroffice came fourth e l e c t o r a l

Akeredolu Grateful TO APC - NWC manipulations.

The APC g o v e r n o r s h i p candidate thanked members of the National Working Committee especially APC national chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun, national leader of the party Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President Mohammadu Buhari for making sure that justice was done to all parties in dispute.

“I make bold to say to my co aspirants in the APC, that we are all winners.

None is vanquished. We are all victors. None is a loser.

I hold the ticket of

O’Meal Director Charges Food Vendors On Quality Food

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OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

Panacea To Electoral Violence Contiuned from page 1

from what late Human Rights Lawyer and Activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi of blessed memory, advocated for during his lifetime and that is to reduce the salaries and allowances of political office holders to a level that makes political offices no longer attractive. By this, elections will seize to be a do or die affairs as all this desperation to win elections at all cost would no longer be there. Political offices would therefore be vacant only for people who genuinely want to serve the people but not for crops of self-serving desperados and greedy politicians who are ready to step on people’s blood to enter political office as we have many of them representing us today.

No doubt it’s obvious that ma-

jority of those who are representing us today in one capacity or the other at the political level are nothing but self-serving elements who are there to promote their own selfish interest alone.

In the lexicon of many of them the word patriotism is conspicuously missing. Very few of them have the interest of the people at heart and that’s why they are padding the budget to suit their selfish interest at the expense of the people. It’s quite obvious that majority of them are not in sync with President Muhammadu Buhari on his Change agenda; being the reason why they are working at cross purposes with the President on the budget issue.

For this country to move forward democratically we need only

Cartoon

patriotic people at the helms of affairs. And the only way to ensure that patriots take over our political leadership at whatever level is to adopt the option we mentioned above. As long as our political office holders continue to earn huge amounts as salaries and allowances so long will there be political killings and election violence. And as long as this trend is allowed to continue then we have nowhere to go as a nation. This is why every right thinker must speak up now against the present trend. To keep silent is to allow evil to f l o u r i s h .

Finally, apart from making political offices non-attractive by drastic reduction in the salaries and allowances of political office holders, another sure way of

curbing election violence is to punish perpetrators of election violence and their sponsors. This will definitely serve as deterrent to others. There is honestly no end in sight to electoral violence as long as its perpetrators are not made to face the music.

•This piece, already used in one of our previous editions, is repeated due to popular demand.

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PERSONALITY

OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

Untold Story Of A Leader

Tinubu: My Struggles Through Life •Continued from last edition.

Shonekan was eventually announced as the Head of the Interim National Government. We also learnt that the military had promised Shehu Yar’Adua that they would unban the old politicians and that he would have the opportunity to run six months after Shonekan.

They were also touting Obasanjo’s name, but suddenly Shonekan’s name was announced. I remember that I went to Ayu and he said he had been invited and I said: ‘Didn’t I tell you that they would not make you the interim head of government?’ I advised him that the best thing was to challenge them. We were in his house playing and I told Yar’Adua that there was no way the military would make him anything.

I advised him that he would have built a great structure to succeed Abiola after his four-year term, and that he would only be 54 years then.

I pleaded with Yar’Adua not to abandon the ship. I took my mother, Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, to Abuja to appeal to IBB and there is a picture where she removed her head-tie, using her grey hair to plead with IBB to restore Abiola’s mandate.

It was on the front cover of Newswatch. I mobilised them to go and appeal to IBB. On the day Shonekan was to be sworn in, I was in Ayu’s house to pin him down, so as to prevent him from attending the ceremony. They left the chair reserved for him for a while, before inviting Joseph Wayas to sit. They claimed he was Senate President, whether past or present.

There was a disagreement within our group. They offered me a ministerial position, which I rejected.

They offered Sarumi a ministerial position and he said he would accept.

We were in the hotel room on the day he said so. He is still alive to confirm or deny what I have said. I begged him and told him point-blank that it would be the end of our relationship because we should not betray the cause we started. I told him I gave up the senate presidency for Abiola to contest as president. I told him that was not acceptable and I begged Yar’Adua, too. I fell out with Shehu on the matter and I told them that none of us could predict the end of the game. I pleaded with him to be consistent and stand firm.

He said I had no guns and tanks and that I was incapable of facing the military.

The floor of the Senate was very hot. There was a sharp division in the National Assembly. Thereafter, Ayu was removed as Senate President; I was almost killed. There was a plan to assassinate me, but luckily, Akintola Benson and my late driver, Mustapha, walked into a discussion where the plot was being hatched to terminate my life. That was unknown to the people planning the assassination. I was to be taken out of the hotel. The assistant head of security at the hotel brought a chef uniform to dress me up as a chef, while he asked a driver to wait for me. I escaped and headed for Lagos in the chef uniform.

Abiola travelled to the United Kingdom to start the campaign for the de-annulment of the election and restoration of his mandate and Kingibe was there as deputy to continue to coordinate the rest of us

•TINUBU at home. I had a choice to go back to my job, because I was on a leave of absence. People advised me to abandon the struggle because of the risk involved. They advised me to go back to my work.

Q: When were you arrested?

A: I said we would continue to struggle until we had democracy.

We had a group of 30 senators called the G-30. The G-30 was determined to actualise the mandate on the floor of the Senate. Suddenly, Abacha came and General Oladipupo Diya and Babagana Kingibe were also running around. Diya was one of the most respected and credible military officers then, and he later approached us that there might be change in government. Abiola was around. General Chris Alli met us and said there would be a change of government, which would be in favour of June 12, because they were tired of the shenanigans of the ING. That night, Abacha changed the government.

He outsmarted everybody. They met with me, Dele Alake, Segun Babatope and Doyin Abiola. We were asked to write the terms and conditions, which they would broadcast after a change of government. We wrote it and gave it to Diya. They are all alive.

On the night the government was to be changed, Abacha outsmarted everyone and installed himself.

These people I mentioned are all alive to testify to what I have said. I can say categorically that I was even called to leave my office because, as they claimed, that night was a dangerous night for them and that everyone’s life might be in danger.

Abiola was told not sleep at home until the broadcast had been made.

We were all fooled! Big time deception.

When we heard the broadcast the next day, there was no mention of June 12 and no proclamation of Abiola. I was mad, but was still determined. I rushed to Diya and he was still saying that there was no problem and that they were planning to announce the cabinet containing eminent June 12 people. Abiola said what? I said no, announce Abiola’s victory.

Diya told me that I didn’t know

the military and that things were not done like that in the military. But I insisted that it was deception. I said I know the military. I called Okadigbo to my office in Lagos and I put the plan before him that we had to confront the military and we had to declare Abacha himself illegal. I got members of our group together; we wrote the script declaring Abacha’s government illegal. Since we could not get to the National Assembly, we opted to hold our session at the Tafawa Balewa Square.

We had gotten Dele Alake to be the media coordinator. We told him to get the CNN and other foreign media ready. I put the coat of arms on a rod! That was the mace. We created our own mace.

We reconvened the Senate here in Lagos and declared Abacha illegal before the international media and others. My colleagues had scattered.

After we assembled, and having drafted the resolution, they still didn’t know where we would hold the session. I told them to relax, this is Lagos. After the broadcast, everybody took off, because the SSS and other security agents were combing everywhere for us. I went underground, using the 090 mobile phone. I was still granting press interviews to foreign media. The military people were mad. I became a thorn in their flesh and they arrested some of my colleagues, including Abu Ibrahim, the late Polycarp Nwite, Ameh Ebute and Okoroafor. I was still underground, holding press conferences. The military declared me wanted.

Suddenly they granted bail to the arrested senators. I thought I would be a beneficiary, but I was not. Then, there was a manhunt for me by the police and the SSS. Meanwhile, my late uncle, K.O Tinubu and the present Oba of Lagos, Oba Akiolu, who was then a police officer, were pressuring me to disclose where I was. My uncle called to ask where exactly I was. I did not disclose my whereabouts. I told Akiolu that even though he is my relative, I would still not tell him where I was since he was a police officer! He said: ‘Ha!’ My uncle advised that the military would kill me if they found me

underground and no one would be able to locate my whereabouts. He said it was better I surrendered myself because he wanted me to be alive. I told him that I would call him back, that I was to hold a press conference at the time. And he shouted in amazement: ‘You are holding press conference when your life is in danger.’ I told him I would surrender, but would not tell him when.

I disguised perfectly, dressed like a malam, and went to the police at Alagbon. The officers didn’t even know me when they saw me. I went in, deposited my phone and my charger. Senator Abu Ibrahim was with us. The officers were wondering why I, a Mallam, could not speak Hausa! I removed my turban, showed up at the front desk and declared that I had come to surrender.

And there was pandemonium among the officers, as to how I got there.

The AIG then was very nice and they put me in the cell. They poured water into the cell room and said, ‘sleep there’. That was the nastiest experience I had within first 48 hours that I was there. It was on a weekend. I told them I would embark on a hunger strike. The late Anthony Enahoro was on the stairway and Beko Ransome-Kuti was at another angle on the stairway.

They brought me out repeatedly for interrogation. They asked me to renounce but I said no, I would not recognise Abacha. They took me and my colleagues to court. People who were supposed to meet their bail conditions were stopped from doing so immediately they saw me. They cancelled everybody’s bail because they could not isolate me.

They gave an order that we should be taken out of court, but kept in the police custody at Alagbon. They kept about eight of us in a photocopying room, an eight-by-eight room. We were sleeping across one another. It was a matter of the first to sleep would maintain the position. If your head was this way, your leg would be there and so on. It was a nasty experience.

There were a lot of interrogations, with a lot of carrot and stick. I can never forget the role and determination and sincerity of a compatriot at that particular time.

They made an exception to uphold the earlier bail granted to Senator Abu Ibrahim. He was asked to go.

He was the only Hausa-Fulani man with us. The late Hassan Katsina had intervened. But Senator Ibrahim said he would rather stay, except every one of us was granted the same bail conditions. He said he would not leave his colleagues behind.

He is a courageous and a detribalised Nigerian, who had a vision of what Nigeria should be. He refused to accept an isolated bail.

They started sending emissaries to us in detention, offering us all sorts of appointments and opportunities to renounce our positions, but we refused. The judiciary was still very courageous then. We went to the Court of Appeal. An incident occurred at the lower court. Market women turned out hugely to support us when we were brought to the court. The day they refused my bail, •Continued on page 11

PHOTOTALK

8

OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

Some Of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Chain Of Achievements In Osun State.

•Oroki Estate road in Osogbo.

•Ongoing Oba Adesoji Aderemi Road, popularly known as ‘Ona Baba Ona’ in Osogbo.

•Alekuwodo road in Osogbo.

PHOTOTALK

59

OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

Some Of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s Chain Of Achievements In Osun State.

•Ejigbo Government High School.

•Udofia Government Elementary School.

•Multi-purpose hall at Ataoja Government High School, Osogbo.

FEATURE

10

T

HE parliament is the most democratic of the tripod, the executive, legislature and the judiciary. This is so because it is made up by only elected representatives of the people.

The function of the parliament otherwise known as the legislature is so paramount that without it, there is no democracy.

It is the only arm of government put in abeyance whenever there is military interregnum. They are closer to the electorate than all other organs of government. By the operation and structure of the parliament, each member is expected to have a constituency office manned by people paid to do so.

In addition, the office is meant to be a place where members would bring their challenges for the legislators to help find solutions to them.

Whether it is being strictly adhered to is another thing. It is no longer news that Nigeria is already in recession, but it is hoped that the situation would not degenerate to depression.

What Nigerians expect is a synergy of efforts on the part of all the organs of government to bring out solution. However, it is disappointing to note that even some elected members are criticising the government of which they are a part. Criticism may be good, but where there is any, should be treated in-house rather than make it a public issue.

It is human to think that we shall not get out of this precarious situation. In truth and reality, recession is part of the capitalist system which should be expected. Unfortunately, in our case, we had the opportunity to avoid it, but through our actions or inactions, we find ourselves here today.

The National Assembly made up of the 360 members of the House of Representatives and the 109 senators and most Nigerians expect them to churn out legislations that would ameliorate the present situation.

However, to most members of the National Assembly, they are being singled out for destructive criticism. Plausible as that may seem, the electorate is disenchanted with their level of commitment to state functions.

Many people have come to associate them with people who earn much but put in very little.

Granted the fact that their duties cannot be assessed in tangibles like the executive, yet, people expect that they should exhibit some modicums of patriotism.

For now, many Nigerians see them as a bunch of opportunists who exploit the common man.

Among the reasons adduced

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Now That The National Assembly Has Resumed

•SARAKI

against them is the fact that they are among the highest paid legislators in the world.

HIS has not been debunked even though it has been in public space for sometime.

As bad as the economy is today, critics expect them to come out with their pay package and the sacrifice they are willing to make.

As if that is not bad enough, any disagreement on the floor of the hallow chamber is about selfish ends.

The other time some selected members of the Senate purchased SUV cars worth over N31 million per one. This happened in the face of the economic adversity resulting in the non-payment of civil servants in the country. The available records show that 28 out of 36 states cannot pay the salary of civil servants conveniently and as such, many states are indebted to its workforce. It is during this time, that the Senators chose to procure the SUVs. In the House of Representatives, the furore generated on the issue of budgetpadding made by the immediate

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past chairman of Appropriation Committee, Abudlmunin Jubrin, is yet to subside. The whole world is watching how it would unfold.

Will assigning the task of probing Jubrin for dragging the name of the House in the mud end the controversy? Some have alleged that when issues like this is given to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, that is the end of the road. Some critics have said, our legislators operate as if they are from another planet and not part of us. This has led some people to say that we need parttime legislators. Besides, they argue that we can do with less parliamentarians.

OW that the Assembly has resumed from recess, Nigerians expect them to collaborate with the executive to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.

Waging war against graft is very good and commendable.

However, for the war to have a meaning and be enduring, it must be entrenched. If the economy improves and people are engaged in doing something

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OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

meaningful to earn a living, corruption would reduce drastically.

If people without jobs far outweigh those engaged there would be tendency to go beyond the bound. I am not rationalizing or justifying bad deeds, it is just that one is being realistic.

The call of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt (Hon) Yakubu Dogara, on President Muhammad Buhari to address the joint session of the National Assembly is a welcome development.

The President should seize the opportunity to enunciate plans to bring us out of the woods. This would be extensively debated and the people would have input.

If people are involved in the decision making process and know what is transpiring, they would hardly complain.

Except for mischief makers, Nigerians know that the current economic malaise is not the making of the current government. There is no way; reference would not be made to the past for the state of the economy. Yes, they were not elected to make excuses, but they have to work with what they have.

It is a fact that the Niger-Delta Avengers are destroying the pipelines in the creeks. It is also a fact that the price of crude oil, the mainstay of our economy, has nosedived.

HESE facts cannot be wished away. It only goes to reinforce an opinion made earlier in this column.

Should we just stand akimbo when leaders in government are leading us astray? There should be a mechanism where people outside the government can act as a check on government officials.

It is my opinion that we should not stay helpless like most of us do. Under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, the country generated high revenue yet, there is nothing to show for it.

Former President Olusegun Obasanj was one person who stood up to be counted when he wrote a personal letter to Jonathan. He was criticised and condemned by many. The then president referred to Obasanjo covertly as a thug: He said, some people behaved like motor-park tout obviously referring to him.

Before the advent of the General Badamosi Babangida regime, civil society organisations (CSOs) were very strong and acted as a check on the government.

Babangida’s “settlement syndrome” finished the CSOs such that today, many CSOs are struggling for appointment in government hence, cannot offer any criticism.

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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 Managing Editor, KOLA OLABISI, Telephone: 08033927286 (kolaolabisi@yahoo.com); Editor, KAYODE AGBAJE, Telephone: 0803-388-0205, E-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com, kayodeagbaje@yahoo.com. ISSN: 0794-8050.Website: www.osundefender.org.

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PERSONALITY

OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

Untold Story Of A Leader

Tinubu: My Struggles Through Life

•Continued from page 7 some of the market women appeared naked and so they stopped taking us to the court. The court sessions were usually interesting for us because of the scenes. At Alagbon, we bathed in the open between 4 and 5 a.m.

The condition started improving when they began to bring officials of the failed banks. Those ones contributed money to repair the generating set at Alagbon and we started enjoying electricity a little longer than we used to. It was during the time that the protest became intense. Nigeria was playing at the World Cup then. Italy defeated Nigeria and the security people lied to us that it was otherwise. Eventually, the Court of Appeal courageously granted us bail in enforcement of our fundamental human rights. Our passports were confiscated and deposited with the court. Later, the High Court ruled that our passports be released to us.

That night, they finally announced our bail and conditions attached to it. The presiding judge then is today the Emir of Ilorin, Sulu Gambari. We heard that they put so much pressure on him (Clement Akpamgbo was the Attorney-General) not to release us, but he ordered our release. They were going to re-arrest me and I suddenly went underground to continue my protest.

They would throw bombs and say it was us. Mobil called me to come back to my job, but I refused. They bombed my house, but luckily, my wife and children had been evacuated. I would not want to reveal how they were evacuated because there was a diplomatic involvement. They told me that my life and those of my family were in clear danger.

Suddenly, they announced that I was wanted again. They alleged that I was going to bomb the NNPC depot at Ejigbo. Ah! I was still being tried for treason, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment, and I was again accused of trying to bomb an NNPC depot. I couldn’t go back because my photograph was all over the place that I was wanted. A diplomatic source advised me that I should leave the country if I wanted to continue the struggle. Dan Suleiman, Alani Akinrinade were in danger. We asked Bolaji Akinyemi to leave the country and promote the struggle at the international level.

Q: That was the National Democratic Coalition then…

Q: Yes. I was at the forefront of the struggle at that level. When I went to see my uncle, K.O Tinubu, at home, he shed tears that night. He said he didn’t want to lose me and that I was about to be killed. He begged me to leave Nigeria and affirmed that, being a former police officer, he was sure I would be killed.

He said that I couldn’t return to my house since they had bombed it.

I went to a friend’s house. Before then, there was an incident that made them believe that I was at Ore Falomo’s hospital. They went to the hospital to look for me. Eventually, I left Nigeria for Benin Republic by NADECO route.

Q: How did you make it across the border?

Q: I disguised with a huge turban and babanriga and escaped into

•TINUBU Benin Republic on a motorbike. My old Hausa friend gave the clothes to me. In fact, when I appeared to Kudirat Abiola, she didn’t know that I was the one! I gave her some information and some briefing. I left at 1 a.m. While in Benin Republic, I was still coming to Badagry to ferry people, organise and coordinate the struggle with others on ground. We put a group together, ferrying NADECO people across. It was a very challenging time. I can’t forget people like Segun Maiyegun and other young guys in the struggle. I would come from Benin to hold meetings with them and sneak back.

The military created a whole lot of momentum around me. They took over my house, guest house and carted away all my vehicles and property to Alagbon. That is why today, I don’t have old photographs.

They took eight of my cars away.

My wife and my two toddlers were dropped in a bush; nowhere to go. Beko and the diplomatic missions came to our aid and ferried my wife and kids to the United States. I was still in Benin Republic.

Besides, I didn’t have a passport and couldn’t have been able to travel. At a stage, they discovered our routes, because they had spies all over, including Benin Republic. Twice I was caught and I fortuitously escaped. They traced me to one dingy hotel I was hiding.

The day they came for me at the hotel, I had gone out on an Okada to buy amala at a market, where Yorubas are dominant. I was also to meet Akinrinade and the rest of them. The spies went to the hotel and as I was approaching, I saw two people wearing tajia (skull caps) at the front desk, asking questions. The man attending to them at the reception (I had been very nice to the receptionist) winked to me and I turned back. I contacted a friend in Benin Republic, who was an architect, and had very strong sympathy for us. Professor Wole Soyinka and Alani Akinrinade, who lodged in a better hotel, were fortunate to have escaped that night, too. The people on their trail pursued them to the hotel, but fortunately missed them.

Then the British High Commission

got proper information through the Consular-General that my life was in danger. He stamped a visa on a sheet of paper and did a letter, authorising the airline to pick me from Benin Republic to any port of entry in Britain. I didn’t know how they got to me. A lady just walked up to me and handed me an envelope. She said I had been granted an entry into the United Kingdom. She said I could be killed if I failed to leave in the next 48 hours. It was Air Afrique that took me from Benin Republic to London.

Meanwhile, my wife was still in the United States. I landed in Britain and worked my way back to Benin Republic. I picked up my passport from somewhere. I went to an African country and through their connections, they gave me a diplomatic passport as a cultural ambassador.

Q: What country was that?

A: No, please! The African country that helped us with the diplomatic passport was showing gratitude for the help Abiola had done to its president before. So, you can make your deduction. Then, I was shuffling and coordinating our activities in the UK, Benin Republic and Cote d’Ivoire. I used the passport to travel to Cote d’Ivoire to hold meetings at the Hotel Continental, because we were planning to make another broadcast that would be aired in Nigeria. By the time I returned to the hotel, the military assailants had broken into my hotel room and taken away my briefcase and diplomatic passport. They dropped a note, saying: ‘You cannot be twice lucky.’ I was taken over by panic. Fortunately, in my back pocket, I had the photocopy of the sheet of paper on which the British had stamped a visa for me to travel out of Benin previously. I took that to the British High Commission in Abidjan. They listened to my story and asked me to come back at night.

They did all their verification and found my story to be true. I returned to them and they gave me another sheet of paper and wrote the number of the flight that would take me out of that country.

But I had no money. Somebody suddenly drove in. The person is a

well-known name I don’t want to mention. I met him and explained my condition. He had a traveller’s cheque, but the money was not enough. I went back to the British High Commission and the woman said she could assist me with her own personal money to bridge the shortfall in cash.

We founded and coordinated Radio Kudirat and Radio Freedom and we continued to organise. I didn’t see my family for two good years. They were in America. Bayo Onanuga, who also was part of the struggle, joined us there in December 1997. The law of political asylum stipulates that your first country of landing and acceptance is the safe haven, so it’s not transferable. That was how Cornelius Adebayo was stuck in a United Nations camp. My wife had to invoke a family clause that exists in America to fight for her husband to join her before they granted me a special privilege to leave UK to join my family in the United States.

Q: Where were you on 8 June 1998 when Abacha died?

A: I was shuttling between the United States and UK. We were working really hard as NADECO. We went to our NADECO meeting in the UK to finalise the second leg of the strategy to make a broadcast and enforce certain actions. Before then I was reading Jubril Aminu’s interview in The Punch, where he said Nigerians should not worry about Abacha’s transmutation into a civilian president; but they should be worried about what followed. We were persuaded during a brainstorming session that we should get nearer to Nigeria to do something about it. It was agreed that we should stop him, even if we would have to start guerrilla warfare to achieve that.

Tunde Olowu had been with me in my flat for a couple of weeks and on the night Abacha died, we were just eating when a phone call came through that Abacha had died. We could not believe it until we saw on TV his body being taken out in a van. And that changed the texture of the struggle. Suddenly, there was this news, announcing General Abdulsalami Abubakar as the head of state. We started analysing General Abubakar.

I wish to state that out of all the military generals I met through Abiola while he was lobbying for the restoration of his mandate, Abubakar was the most sincere and straightforward. He pointedly told Abiola that no military officer would want to help him to realise his mandate, unless the military general wanted to get himself into trouble.

While other generals we had met lied, Abdusalami was different. He simply said: ‘Look, I am a professional soldier and I want to retire a general. I don’t want to be involved in politics. I cannot help you. I don’t want to be involved.’

When we heard that he was the head of state, I challenged the rest of us to interrogate Abubakar’s sincerity. Good enough, he was straight-forward. When we met him, he told us that he wasn’t going to spend more than nine months because he was not interested. He •To be continued.

HEALTH

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OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

Understanding Premature Ovarian Failure

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REMATURE Ovarian Failure (POF), also known as Ovarian Hypofunction, is defined as a loss of normal ovarian function before the age of 40. Some people think that POF is premature menopause, but menopause is a natural process the female body goes through as it ages. During menopause a woman’s body will gradually, over many years, stop producing mature follicles (eggs) for ovulation.

Estrogen and progesterone levels naturally decline causing the menstrual cycle to come less often until eventually it stops.

The normal age range for women to naturally go through menopause is 45-55, with the average mean age of 51.

Unlike menopause, POF is not a naturally occurring process for a woman’s body. There are different reasons a woman may be diagnosed with POF; these are broken down into two categories: follicle dysfunction and follicle depletion.

Throughout a woman’s life her ovaries contain thousands of follicles, and these follicles contain eggs. The pituitary gland begins releasing FSH at the beginning of the menstrual cycle and the release of FSH signals some of the follicles in the ovary to begin maturing. As the follicles begin to mature they are supposed to release and increase estrogen over time. The rising estrogen level signals the pituitary gland to curb the release of FSH. If the follicles do not mature, the body continues producing FSH and the FSH levels remain high. Women with POF show high levels of FSH. This is why the doctors perform FSH tests, to see if the levels are too high.

In a normal functioning follicle, the estrogen levels rise and signal the pituitary gland to release Lutenizing Hormone (LH). LH signals the follicle to open and release the mature egg at ovulation. When the delicate communication between the pituitary gland, the ovaries and the follicles does not work properly, ovulation does not occur.

Let’s look at different reasons POF may happen under those categories.

Follicle Dysfunction Follicle dysfunction happens when your follicles are not responding properly. Here are some possible causes…

Autoimmune Disorders: An autoimmune disease happens infrequently, but is on the rise.

Autoimmune diseases in some cases may damage follicles; by the woman’s body producing antibodies that attack the ovaries and in turn may harm and damage the follicles.

Doctors are not sure why this occurs, but some say it may be due to an exposure to a virus. When a follicle becomes damaged it can no longer produce estrogen properly which is the key hormone it releases to communicate with the pituitary gland.

The use of Systemic Enzymes may prove effective in helping with autoimmune disorders.

Follicle Depletion: This is defined as low or few follicles responding to the signal of the FSH being released.

These follicles still exist in the body, they just don’t communicate. Over time they begin to die off and diminish as the entire reproductive system begins to suffer. The communication and proper function of the reproductive system is fragile, one that depends on all of its parts

to operate accurately to maintain vitality. If the follicles do not mature, ovulation stops happening and the menstrual cycle becomes irregular or stops completely. When this happens the muscles in the uterus and ovaries begin to atrophy.

Causes of follicle depletion · Environmental toxins including pesticides, herbicides, cigarette smoke, pollutants, chemicals · Exposure to a virus · Chromosomal defects, including Turner’s Syndrome and X syndrome · Genetic predisposition, this may run in some families, accounting for 10% of POF cases · Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are some of the leading causes of POF and follicle depletion HILE we cannot control genetic factors, or situations where we have had to make hard decisions like choosing chemotherapy or radiation to fight other health problems, we can work toward avoiding toxins.

Here are some tips for avoiding toxins…

1. Buy organic foods whenever possible! Non-organic foods often contain pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, hormones and antibiotics. Though we may want to deny the facts, it is stated on many medical based websites like the Mayo Clinic’s state that toxins play a role in POF. 2. Avoid using pesticides or herbicides in your yard, garden or surrounding areas.

3. Avoid synthetic-chemicalloaded-mainstream body products including make-up.

4. Avoid using feminine products that are not made from organic cotton, contain plastic or are made from rayon.

5. Drink filtered water, avoid tap water.

Symptoms of POF Symptoms of POF are similar to those of menopause, but may be more extreme. · Irregular periods (Note: other conditions such as PCOS also have this symptom) · Night sweats · Hot flashes · Brain fog – inability or difficulty in focusing · Irritability · Vaginal dryness · Unexplained infertility · Low libido All of these symptoms are similar to other fertility issues, which makes self diagnosis incredibly difficult. If you have missed your period for over 3 months and are over the age of 35, you may want to talk to your doctor about testing for POF. I don’t want to scare any of you, but it is important when dealing with fertility issues to have a good solid diagnosis so that you can know where to go from there; a starting point in options.

How is POF Diagnosed?

POF is usually diagnosed by

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having your estrogen and FSH levels tested. Extremely low levels of estradiol (estrogen) and high levels of FSH are signs that the ovaries are no longer responding to the FSH signal to the follicles to produce and increase estrogen levels.

Ultrasound imaging may be helpful in that it can show if the ovary is the right size and shape. This kind of scan may help to see the follicle count and if the ovary is atrophied.

There is also a blood test that measures the levels of AMH (AntiMullerian Hormone) also known as MIS ( Mullerian Inhibiting Substance) which is produced directly by the follicles. AMH levels correlate with how many antral follicles are in the ovaries. Women with low levels of AMH typically have low levels of follicles.

What if I have already been diagnosed with POF? First off, I would like to say that my heart goes out to you, this can be a devastating diagnosis. It is pretty much a consensus across the board that POF is a difficult condition to properly diagnose. If you have already been given a diagnosis of POF it is important to have clear communication with your doctor about the tests you have been given for this conclusion. A definitive diagnosis of POF usually means that you will have extreme difficulty getting pregnant; though women with POF may still become pregnant, so do not give up hope if you have not yet had a child because it could still happen.

ATURAL Ways to Support the Body In the Prevention of Premature Ovarian Failure Remember, these will only help in supporting the body’s natural functions and cannot cure POF or prevent POF from happening if there is a genetic factor or chromosomal defects. Focusing on Improving Egg Health, nourishing the endocrine system and maintaining optimum health of the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus are vital. Below are some ways to support all of these important parts of fertility.

Natural Fertility Diet Nutrition plays a big roll when it comes to having a healthy body and reproductive system. The building blocks for hormones are found in the foods we eat. Antioxidants which help to protect the eggs and tissues of the reproductive system are found in the foods that we eat. What we eat each day is the foundation for our health and those foods have a great impact on our fertility. Eating a whole foods based fertility diet is the first step to helping the body and your fertility function at its best.

Maca Maca is a nourishing food for the endocrine system, aiding the pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid glands (all involved in hormonal balance). This superfood works to protect the body from the damaging effects of stress, supports egg health and has been shown to increase libido.

Shatavari Shatavari is an Indian herb that has been used for thousands of years in the healing practice of Ayurveda.

Its main constituent is steroidal saponins, giving rise to the conclusion that Shatavari has the ability to act as an estrogen modulator that may help regulate the menstrual cycle. This herb has

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adaptogenic and immunomodulating properties, meaning it may be helpful with women who have stress related or immunemediated fertility issues.

Vitex Vitex supports hormonal balance in the body by having an effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis (hormonal feedback loop), correcting the problem at the source.

Vitex, also known as chaste tree berry, is usually the first line of defense in a woman who is experiencing irregular periods, helping to regulate communication of the entire reproductive system.

Royal Jelly EGULAR consumption of highquality Royal Jelly has been shown to help balance hormones. This makes it beneficial to those individuals that suffer from a hormonal imbalance, as it helps to provide support to the endocrine system. It can also help with problems that are related to hormonal imbalance, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome or irregular menstrual cycles. Some studies have shown that Royal Jelly has the propensity to mimic human estrogen, which can help those that suffer from low estrogen levels.

Royal Jelly is rich in amino acids, lipids, sugars, vitamins, and most importantly, proteins. It contains high levels of vitamins D and E, and also has ample levels of iron and calcium, all of which are essential to proper health and organ function.

Systemic Enzyme Therapy Systemic enzymes have been shown to greatly reduce an overactive immune response, the activity in some people’s bodies in which antibodies attack with intent to destroy our own tissues or that of another person’s (sperm or a fetus).

Self Fertility Massage This type of massage may promote hormonal balance by strengthening the hormonal feedback loop, increasing circulation to the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, bringing fresh, oxygenated, and nutrient rich blood to the eggs, improving uterine tone, as well as aiding in the body’s elimination of toxins. Self Fertility Massage can be performed on yourself in the comfort of your home.

Exercise A sedentary, inactive lifestyle does not promote an environment with which to naturally cleanse the body of excess hormones and toxins.

Exercise gets our hearts beating faster which in turn pumps more fresh oxygenated blood to the entire body; mainly our vital organs – each playing a vital role in our body functioning properly. This increase in circulation also helps with the elimination of toxins. Additionally, exercise increases body temperature triggering the sweat glands to produce sweat to cool us down.

Sweat is another way our bodies remove toxins. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week.

Closing Thoughts It is never too late to begin to think about the future of our health.

Premature Ovarian Failure shows us how intricately connected our reproductive system is connected with our brain and entire body and how environmental toxins play a huge role in infertility. Now is the time to work toward supporting the entire body’s health for the future by supporting its natural functions through diet, exercise, clean water and supportive natural therapies.

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FEATURE

51 3

OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

How Sanusi, Soludo Laid Foundation For Nigeria’s Current Economic Crisis •Continued from last edition.

What are the measures to get us out of the recession and government’s intention to come up with a bill to shorten the procurement process coupled with the absence of chief executives in most of the government agencies where the spending will actually take place.

Unfortunately, I don’t agree with you because we have cabinet members and most of these agencies are headed by Ministers and we have people who are working in acting capacity. There are other people who are there as Executive Directors, and I do know that once we are able to shorten the procurement process, the absence of Chief Executives will not hamper spending.

Q: On the alignment between the monetary policy that you are driving and fiscal end of it. You are talking about more spending and on the fiscal side driving at more revenue through taxation. How do you align the monetary with fiscal so that you can drive common purpose?

A: Let me thank you but also assure you that both the monetary and fiscal are working together and that is why you could see a situation where today even where we have revenue shortage or deficit, the monetary authority is trying to bridge the gap. We said that we can give you a bridge to go ahead and spend when you obtain the foreign loan or when your revenue improves you can repay the bridge that we have created for you in order to stimulate spending.

That is a practical case of collaboration between the monetary and fiscal authorities.

Now, when you talk about increases in taxes, there has been a lot of proposals presented to the federal government that for instance that VAT should go up.

And I must confess that taxes in Nigeria, particularly the VAT is among the lowest in the world. In spite of that government has been very reluctant to increase the VAT rate because it really understands the suffering and the yearning of the Nigerian people.

But what the government admitted of which you and I also know is that there are so many people side tracking and avoiding payment of VAT taxes thereby hampering the implementation of VAT regime. However the government is working to widen the scope horizontally so as to capture more people to pay their taxes. That is what I’m aware the government is doing.

Q: You have explained how external shocks contributed to the recession in Nigeria but you have not addressed the issue of internal problems arising from the delay in putting in place the necessary structural adjustments which may have slowed down the economy right from the onset of this recession. For instance, marketers are talking about stopping the importation of fuel, because of the impact of the fall in the value of the Naira. Also there’s need for rethink

•SANUSI

about the TSA that’s currently being sterilized in the CBN, of which some of the money could be used to spend our way out of recession.

A: I will take the issue of TSA first…As far as I’m concerned TSA is a program that several governments in the past have tried to implement but unfortunately they did not have the will to do so.

And I will give you an example…

Is it fair that the government allows ministries and agencies to release its money to the banks and those banks don’t pay any interest to the government. At best they pay 1 or 2 per cent but at the same time when government wants to borrow by selling treasury bills, government goes back to these banks and these banks use the liquidity that the government gave through ministries and pass back to the federal government at 122 13 or 14 per cent. This is colossal waste of resources on the part of government. So, people believe that because TSA is sitting in the central bank it is part of what is causing the crunch, it is not true.

When government was going to withdraw the TSA, the monetary policy committee also looked at its own ways of releasing some funds into the system through the CRR that was held so that the money cycles back into the CBN so that the government gets its money back. So, I do not agree that the TSA is a major issue here.

Secondly, on the necessary structural adjustments, again, it is unfair to blame this government for not taking decisions on structural adjustments and I will tell you this, normally when you have an adjustment in currency worldwide, those adjustments must be followed with structural reforms.

Just as the President talked about, in 1984 when we went into SAP… SAP was meant to build structural adjustments or structural reforms but when the crude price started to improve, everybody abandoned the structural reforms and that was why we could not see to effectively diversify the economy.

There was a government that came at that time and said let’s pursue green revolution, and

•SOLUDO

another government said everybody should go the farm. But immediately crude prices started going up, everybody abandoned green revolution, everybody abandoned the back to farm project. And that’s why we are saying now that yes, an adjustment is going on, adjustment in the currency has happened and there is a need for us to follow through with some structural reforms that would lead to diversifying the economy. How? For instance that we are lucky that we have somebody who has decided to invest in a refinery with the capacity for 650, 000 barrels per day. We are lucky the same person has decided to invest in petrochemical, and fertilizer. These three projects alone will cost nothing less than $11 billion. And these three products, that is petroleum, petrochemical and fertilizer take nothing less than 35 per cent of our import bill. What happens by the end of 2017 to 2018 when we stop the importation of these products? You will see that we are able to conserve our reserves because the demand for foreign exchange for these items will reduce…

I have told you the successes we have attained. I can say that for the first time I’m seeing a toothpick that is produced in Nigeria. Vice President Osinbajo gave me a sample of that toothpick on Wednesday. And what does it take to produce toothpick, bamboo and the machine you need to produce toothpick is less than $50,000 to buy. The machine can be installed in a room that is half the size of this place we are right now. We must embrace structural reforms to the extent that you must tell yourself that lessons have been learnt…

You also talked about petroleum products pricing. Petroleum pricing is something that citizens have taken passionately. I think Nigerians love and trust Mr President that is why despite the increase in the prices, Nigerians accepted it. Why, because they found out that because of shortage of foreign exchange, marketers stopped importing the product.

NNPC was saddled entirely with the responsibility of importing

petroleum products. Of course, it became so bad that it became embarrassing to the citizens to the point that elsewhere people were buying fuel at N86 while others were buying as high as N150 a liter and at N200 in different parts of the country. People began to agitate that if I could buy at N200 or N1502 well, just make it available.

That now informed the decision to increase the pump price from N86 to N145 per liter so that people can move around to conduct their business. Hence, at that rate, it will be possible for them to source their foreign exchange at a price not less than N280 to the Dollar.

It is unfortunately this has attracted high rate of inflation.

With the rise in petrol price from N86 to N145, which is about 80% increase. Imagine a wholesaler from Jigawa or Zamfara, by the increase in petrol price, it means the transporter has no choice than to increase the price of transportation fare by 80%. That tomato lands in Ketu or Wuse market. By the time it lands there, the retailer gets to the market to buy tomatoes and the wholesaler sells to her plus 80%.

That’s the second leg of the 80%.

The woman carries the basket of tomatoes to Ketu bus stop and takes taxi. The cabman takes another 80% increase in transportation from Ketu to Obalende, which is increment number three. The tomatoes get to Obalende where the woman begins to resell. When you and I now go to buy from her, you can imagine how the 80% scenario has come to affect the price vis-a-vis inflation. If you go to the restaurant, for instance you go to Obalende to buy tomatoes, when you buy the tomatoes the lady who is buying increases the price by 80% and it is used to cook food for the restaurant, what you call ‘mama put’ right? This is four.

Definitely the plate of rice laced with tomatoes and meat that you are going to buy, the price will also go up by at least 50 %. So in the transmission mechanism, the price goes up 5 times as a result of the Adjustment from N86 to N145.

That is why the adverse impact on prices has been so colossal on our people and government will continue to do its best to moderate and we the monetary authorities will look for our own way to inject liquidity so that what has gone up through the exchange rate the manufacturers can get it through moderated interest and improved industrial capacity…

Q: The TSA issue appears to be a case in which you have got everybody in through one door and none is coming out. How will the Government avert this looming petrol crisis?

A: I am telling you that with the arrangement put in place; and I mean the agreement between CBN and NNPC to ensure that dollar is available to the importers of petroleum products, all the IOCS selling dollars have been directed to channel to marketers to import fuel. This a mechanism created by

•Continued on page 14

FEATURE

14

OSUN DEFENDER Sunday, September 25, 2016

How Sanusi, Soludo Laid Foundation For Nigeria’s Current Economic Crisis •Continued from page 7

CBN and NNPC. At the time this programme started we were told that they could procure forex at no more than N280 to the dollar and the price should not be more than N145 per litre. In working out the effective price of N145 the template provide for nothing less than N30 per litre margin for the marketer.

You can quote me on this. That template is available. By making N30 per litre available to the marketer what this does is that even if the marketer does not find the product at N280 to the dollar and he finds it at a price close to N300 to the dollar or N305 or even N310, that marketer will still make a profit even though it could be a reduced margin. That is the template that is currently in place and I am optimistic that it will work. Based on this arrangement between CBN and NNPC we will see to it that IOCS are not compelled to sell at a fixed rate, we will see to it that they sell at the average of the interbank rate of the previous day which means where the marginal rate is N305, and some are selling at N310 or N315 the rate will then be between N305 and N310. If the marketer procures Forex at and average of N305 and N310, they will still make a profit and sell that petroleum product at not more than N145 per litre.

Q: I want to know what you are looking at in the short term and on the bridge funding arrangement to stimulate the economy? Again you once talked about the need to sell some assets in the oil industry and just yesterday (Saturday), Aliko Dangote also spoke to CNBC, talked about selling some of the assets the government is holding onto in order to raise money. But the impression one is getting is that Government is not looking at that advice.

A: What I am saying is this.

Government can stimulate demand by spending to fund its budget and we as the monetary authority have told the fiscal side that if the need arises to the point where they need a bridge fund we will provide that.

We are not there yet and I would imagine that that should not bother you at this time.

Government is working to stimulate the economy by spending. That’s why as you heard the minister of finance talking about, the fact that N420bn and another N370bn to N400bn is being made available this week, is certainly an attempt to stimulate the economy through spending. The most important thing now is that we need to stimulate the economy and the fiscal authority is alive to its responsibilities in achieving this objective.

On the sale of assets in oil industry, you will recall that April 2015 I granted an interview to Financial Times of London where I suggested that in order to raise money to fund its capital expenditure, government needed to sell between 10% to 15% of its oil and Gas assets. At that time oil price was about N50/N55 per barrel, and our consultants did the

•SANUSI

•SOLUDO

numbers and told us that we could raise between $25 to $35 billion. I would imagine that that option is still on the table because more people even in the cabinet have made the same suggestion and if it happens, that will be fine, including the option to buy back the assets at some premium if we contemplate buying back when the crude prices move up and the assets value also move up. You know that in government there are those against and those in favour. The argument in favour of selling the assets has gained a lot of credence recently.

Q: We’ve noticed the inconsistency of CBN in the resumption of sale of forex to BDCs after you stopped that in January this year. Secondly, some of the $1bn you said has started flowing in, don’t you think these are hot money which may be dangerous for the economy?

A: CBN is not inconsistent. And I will tell you how. As at January 2016, CBN was the only central bank in the world that was selling forex cash to BDCs and we felt that because of the hemorrhage on our reserves we needed to stop. At the time we said that we were stopping, go and read the speech, we said that the CBN would seek to open other windows where the BDCs could continue to do their business. By this current arrangement, we are saying that the diaspora funds coming in through money transfer operators should form a substantial part of what should go to fund the BDC market. This is not a reversal. It is certainly not a reversal. It only took us about six months to eventually say let’s look at this window as a way to channel the funds coming.

In any case we are being told that over $20bn comes in annually in diaspora money. If some portion of this diaspora money comes in, we might as well channel a little of it towards meeting the needs of citizens who need retail cash who want $5,000 and below. It is by no means a reversal but in consonance with what had been said at the time we contemplated that the CBN was no longer going to put cash into the market.

Now the question of whether the inflow of about $1bn is not hot

money, you see the template that we designed for the new flexible forex market regime is the template where we said that that we will introduce not just spot but also futures. Futures encourages more and more importers to push their FX demand into the futures with varying maturity profiles. What I mean is that we are in the valley now and we have put in place a document that provides for a single exchange rate determination mechanism, we put in place a system that reduces the level of volatility where it pushes demand that would have been stuck in the spot market into the future.

Because that system is seen to be a credible system, they are coming at a time when you are in the valley I don’t think it can be worse than where it is right now. So what am I saying? You will find a situation where naturally there would be maturity of these investments. As many are coming in others are going out and if the net effect is a negative we dip into our reserves to plug in. If the net effect is positive it goes to boost the reserves.

That’s the way it is supposed to work…

Q: What we know of getting countries out of recession is that governments fraternize with the private sector. During the President’s visit to the US we were told that he was not favourably disposed that they were on the trip.

Secondly when you introduced the flexible exchange rate it was supposed to close the gap between the official and black market rates, but that is not happening yet.

A: That report was untrue. It is false that the President was unhappy with the private sector people who attended that event albeit as you used the word ‘uninvited’. It is untrue and I want to use this opportunity to correct the impression and to put it bluntly that Mr. President was cracking a joke and if you watch that video after he cracked that joke everybody laughed. Again I am aware that President Buhari has been meeting with private sector leaders to encourage them to work with government to get us out of this situation and that is being done. Only last week the economic

management team met leaders of the private sector to talk about what role the private sector would play. On Monday, the day after tomorrow, the economic management team is going to meet with the private sector in Abuja.

That is not a government that does not want to fraternize with the private sector.

Secondly, the flexible forex system is supposed to close the gap.

But don’t forget that we are coming from a very wide gap situation. I am aware that there are two rates in the market. The CBN rate and the interbank rate. I am also aware that some people are operating in the parallel /Free funds market; which by Nigeria’s Foreign exchange laws is an illegal market.

That market is very shallow and we often stressed that the rate in that market should not be used as a barometer for determining the value of our currency. Now, talking about the interbank rate which today varies between 305 and the other rate at about 320. I am optimistic about it and I am saying this for the records that as more flows come in, the market rate will close. Again, on the Parallel market, it is unfair to use the shallow market as a basis for determining the value of our currency. No one uses the Travelex rate at Heathrow to determine the exchange rate for the pound in the United Kingdom. So it is unfair to use that to determine the value of our currency. Those who are dealing in the market are doing so illegally. We should not be encouraging the tendencies of those people who are involved in capital flight, or those who want to conduct foreign exchange business without providing necessary documentation.

Q: But Mr. Governor that illegal market is the one that controls the prices that you at CBN are trying to moderate.

A: And I repeat to you sir. The monetary policy committee that has responsibility for looking at the exchange rate management will not look at this as the basis for determining the value of the naira.

Q: You said with respect to the recession that we have bottomed out. Now when do you think this recession will be over?

Let me repeat myself, we are already in the valley, the only direction is to go up the hill and the government is doing everything possible to ensure that we move up the hill. I am optimistic that based on the actions being taken by government, based on the pronouncements of President Buhari that we must think out of the box, the monetary and fiscal authorities are working together and I’m optimistic that, the 4th quarter results will show evidence that we have started to move in the direction of the hill, and out of the recession. And I repeat, the worst is over. The Nigerian economy is on the path of recovery and growth.

So, please if you are a bystander or sideliner you are losing. Join the train now before it leaves the station.

•Concluded

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N Thursday, September 1, 2016, P r e s i d e n t Muhammadu Buhari chose to visit Osun among eleven states celebrating the silver jubilee of their creation in 1991. He did so for a number of reasons.

The public script focused on his visit to some newly built elementary, middle, and high schools, capped by the inauguration of the Osogbo Government High School.

The occasion was my third visit to the same school since the commencement of its construction.

Having visited many other secondary schools in the country, I concur with Mohammed Haruna that, in terms of learning space and facilities, Osogbo Government High School “must be one of the largest, most beautiful and most well equipped secondary schools in the country” (“Education: Aregbesola as an exemplar”, The Nation, September 8, 2016). It is a 3000 student capacity school, divided into three wings, each housing 1000 students. In addition to three principals, each manning a wing of the school, there is an overall supervising principal. Overall, the school has 72 classrooms, a 1000 capacity hall, a large ICT room, a spacious library, and various playing grounds.

So far, 13 mega High Schools of the same size have been completed or are almost completed. Adapting a similar template to elementary and middle schools, 28 Elementary Schools have been completed or renovated, each with a capacity of 900 pupils, while 22 Middle Schools have been completed, each with a capacity of 1000 students.

The underlying script for the President’s visit, however, is the fascination with the progress of Aregbesola’s primary and secondary education project in Osun, especially the state’s Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme, which provides a reference point for a similar programme by other states and even by the Federal Government. Intended to provide a nutritious hot meal for over 24 million primary school children and, in the process, create over one million new jobs and boost the local economies across the country, the Federal Government’s school feeding programme was launched in June, 2016, as one of five projects under the N500b Social Investment Plan. It will be recalled that after flagging off the Federal Government’s HGSF programme, a federal delegation visited Osun state in July to understudy the successful implementation of the state’s school feeding programme, styled O’MEALS. Many other states, including Kaduna, which flagged off its own programme in January, 2016, have equally visited Osun.

By PROF NIYI AKINNASO

Osun: Where The Mind And The Body Are Being Educated

socially well-adjusted”. He added that calisthenics also helps to inculcate “the values of unity, harmony, discipline, teamwork, hard work and creativity into the school children”.

It is important to stress that school construction, school feeding, and calisthenics training are ongoing in Osun, despite dwindling resources and unjustified criticism leveled against Aregbesola’s education programme.

Today, the worthlessness of the criticisms is brought into sharper focus by the national and international profile of the programme.

T is important to recall some of those criticisms, if only to highlight their wrongheadedness.

For example, when Aregbesola reclassified schools into Elementary School (primary grades 1-4), Middle School (primary grades 5&6 plus JS 1-3), and High School (SS grades 13), he was roundly criticized for violating the 6-3-3-4 education policy.

Yet, the Osun education system remains based on the 6-3-3-4 education policy, while the new classification was done mainly to create room for feeding children in elementary grades 1-4, that is, 6-9 year old pupils, who need a healthy head-start in school, and to separate them from other primary pupils, who will not be fed in school.

Similarly, the merging of schools, in order to maximise the benefits of infrastructural development and achieve cost effectiveness, was grossly misunderstood, due to false reporting, as mergers of Muslim and Christian Schools. Yet, the schools were never merged across religious boundaries. What was often ignored in the criticisms is the predominance of Muslim students even in many Christian schools in the state. The concocted hijab crisis found a basis in these distortions. In Baptist High School, Iwo, for example, where the hijab crisis was planted and nurtured to death, well over 60 per cent of the student population is Muslim.

The school feeding programme was not spared from criticism. Some said it was a fluke, while others ridiculed the government for some items on the menu, such as cocoyam, without caring to find out about its nutritive value.

Worse still, when political opponents saw the calisthenics training sessions of the pupils in 2012, they immediately alleged that Aregbesola was training the youths as armed militias, who would be used to assist his state in seceding from Nigeria!

True, the reward for Aregbesola’s educational revival in Osun may take some time to manifest. Nevertheless, a solid foundation has been laid for successive administrations to build on.

I

•AREGBESOLA

Osun remains the only one among 13 participating states in the pilot HGSF programme in 2005.

Aregbesola resuscitated the programme in 2012, and it has been running uninterrupted ever since.

Today, nearly 300,000 pupils are served one hot meal per school day by over 3000 food vendors. In addition to improving the nutritional and health status of the pupils, the programme has contributed directly to increased enrollment, which has nearly doubled since 2012, when 155,318 pupils started with the programme.

HE multiplier effects of the programme are noteworthy. It has generated employment and created wealth not only for food vendors, but also for farmers, food produce sellers, and transporters. In addition to improving the nutrition of school children, who are its direct beneficiaries, the programme also enhances the nutrition of the immediate community of the food vendors, who are empowered to provide catering services in their respective communities.

In the year in which Aregbesola began the school feeding programme, he also initiated a physical education programme, focusing on calisthenics, with the assistance of a Cuban duo, Francis

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Rodriguez and Raiza Guerra.

Calisthenics are physical exercises, using gross motor movements often to attain interesting rhythmic formations with others in a group.

In addition to improving psychomotor skills, such as balance, agility, and coordination, calisthenics also helps to achieve group cohesion and discipline.

HE Cuban duo initially trained a total of 8,000 athletes drawn from 24 schools and 60 coaches from the nine federal constituencies in the state. The group that performed four years ago, during the 21st anniversary of the creation of Osun, was drawn from this pool.

The coaches trained by the Cubans were the ones who trained the next generation of pupils, who performed to wild applause during the commencement of the state’s 25th anniversary celebrations on Saturday, August 27, 2016.

The Osun calisthenics programme is integral to the reorganisation of the education system in Osun as it helps in the pupils’ physical development. As Aregbesola emphasized in his speech, “the calisthenics programme is not only an out-of-school sports activity but a lifestyle-change project for building a new generation of students who are physically fit, mentally sound and

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