www.osundefender.org THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 The recent show of shame by Senator Dino Melaye, the Senator representing Kogi West in the Senate, on the floor of the Hallowed Chamber is quite embarrassing and unparliamentary. His verbal attack on Sena-
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VOL. 11. NO.066
Dino Melaye’s Show Of Shame
tor Oluremi Tinubu and his threat to beat her up, smacks of gross indiscipline, lack of decency and high level insubordination. His misconduct has further confirmed the pub-
lic opinion that some of those representing us at the different levels of government in this country really needs psychiatric test. We are of course in total agreement with this standpoint. For how on earth would a whole
National Leader of your party, an elder statesSenator - who is sup- league for that matter, if man widely respected posed to be a good not that something is ce- across the length and example of excellent rebrally wrong with him? breadth of our country conduct - descend so And the deuce of the and beyond. Needless low to the level of whole scenario is that to point out at this threatening to beat up the female colleague juncture that an insult on another man's wife; concerned happens to and a female col- be the wife of the - Continued on Page 5
Osun Govt Appeals To LAUTECH Students On School Reopening
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CAC Lauds Aregbesola For Improving State IGR - See Story On Page 2
•State of Osun governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (5th right); Chairman, TUNS Farms Nigeria Limited, Chief Olatunde Badmus (4th right); Leader of the delegation and Kebbi State Commissioner for Animal Health, Husbandry and Fishery, Mr Adamu Ibrahim (5th left); Director, Kebbi State Veterinary Service, Dr Bala Kakale (3rd right); and others, during the Kebbi State Agriculture experts’ visit to the governor on how to develop agriculture in the state, held at the State of Osun Government Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo, recently. Photo: GBENGA ADENIYI.
Osun APC Chairmen Accuse Saraki Of Humiliating Senator Omoworare
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
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CAC Lauds Aregbesola For Improving State IGR By KEHINDEAYANTUNJI HE Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria (CAC) has commended the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, for adopting policies targeted at stimulating higher internal revenue generation for the state. The commission also economic and political lauded the administrative affairs of the state, in spite the prevailing ingenuity of the of administration in economic challenges. The commission’s managing the socio-
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leadership stated this during a courtesy visit by the management team of the commission led by the new Zonal Head, Barrister (Mrs.) Theresa Ehi Omijie, to the governor in his office at the State Government Secretariat, Abere. Omijie assured the state of absolute collaboration
in boosting her revenue base, saying the commission would not rest on its oars in the provision of accurate statistics for the state on the number of registered e n t e r p r i s e s , organisations, agencies, companies and industries across the state. She decried the current
•(L-R) Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris with Chief of Army Staff, Ltd General Tukur Buratai during the Acting I-G’s courtesy visit to the Chief of Army Staff in his office recently.
economic challenges faced by all tiers of government in the country, assuring the state of symbiotic relationship capable of achieving greater economic growth and development. The Corporate Affair Commission boss, who described the commission as a partner in progress, said one of the ways to increase the state internally generated revenue through taxation was to partner the commission, which according to her, possesses accurate data of registered companies, businesses and others. She said: “It is our joy to be here with Mr. Governor on this familiarisation visit, as our commission was not unaware of the greater strides being made by the current administration regardless of the present economic crunch. “On our part as a constitutionally instituted commission, we are ready to support the state in its bid to jerkup its revenues through prompt and consistent taxation.
Fear Of Allah, Panacea To Corruption - Offa Chief Imam By MURTALAAGBOOLA N Islamic cleric, Alhaji Muideen Salmon, has attributed corruption in Nigeria to covetousness and wickedness on the part of political leaders. Alhaji Salmon, who is nothing but corruption, the Chief Imam of Offa adding that corruption Central Mosque, Offa festers because in Kwara State, made contracts are not the declaration at the awarded on merit and end of 2016 Ramadan competition but on lecture held at the State sentiments, which House of Assembly gives room for Complex, Osogbo. kickbacks. The lecture was He noted that organised by the State authorities who award House of Assembly contracts certify Muslim Community, shoddy jobs okay comprising the House because the contractors of Assembly, Nigeria have been made to pay Television Authority gratification, which (NTA), Africa definitely affects the Independent Television quality of jobs done. (AIT) and Independent “Hospital structures National Electoral are not meant to last Commission (INEC). long, while the The fearless Islamic necessary manpower preacher examined are not recruited to corruption, causes staff them, nor are they effects and its well stocked with solutions. drugs. This is why our In his analysis, the political leaders easily renowned Islamic travel overseas for scholar identified five medical check-up at the categories of people slightest ailment. engaged in corruption “The wealthy people in the society, who in our midst are also according to him, are purveyors of the political leadership, corruption because they the wealthy people in collude with the the society, religious political leadership to leaders and the swindle the representatives of the unsuspecting members led. of the public. The scholar said the By being present political system collaborators of the in the country breeds powers that be,
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according to Alhaji Salmon, the wealthy exploit the ordinary masses, while the masses also encourage corruption. The fiery preacher did not forget to castigate religious leaders for being part of the rot in the society, noting that corrupt leaders draw religious leaders to themselves and settle them at the detriment of their followers. He enquired: “Are religious leaders not supposed to protect the interest of their followers?” Even amongst the followers, according to him, those chosen to represent the larger segment also exploit them. He stated the causes of corruption to include over-ambition, covetousness and above all, wickedness. To him, most politicians are overambitious, wanting to do what is not within their capabilities and competences, stressing that covetousness is one vice among political office holders. As they want to grab excessively, not only for themselves and their families, but for their generations yet
unborn. In the process, he said, they engage in projects which they cannot maintain when they are out of office. Individuals buy exotic cars worth millions of naira and build expensive mansions, just as they engage in rat-race to outdo themselves in the mad rush to acquire properties. He wondered how one grabs for children yet unborn, when a lot of people wallow in abject poverty, if not for wickedness. The cleric stressed that by their activities, political office holders help to spread poverty. The scholar stressed that the on-going revelations about the huge sums of money being retrieved from previous office holders has helped to buttress his submission. He recommended the fear of Allah as the solution to the problem, saying if politicians have genuine fear of Allah, they would know that as leaders, they are accountable to Him for all their actions. “If only our leaders can remember that death will come one day, they would hardly
engage in corruption. “Remembering the last day is enough to know that all these worldly acquisitions will amount to nothing after our death.” He chastised the political leadership for not only engaging in corruption but institutionalising structures which will enable their offsprings to continue the subjugation and exploitation, which to him, should be resisted. In his final submission, he strongly advised that in the next political dispensation, the electorate should vote for personalities, rather than political parties. He said, previous experience has shown that the leadership of political parties has foisted unpopular people on the people, all in the name of popularity.
PUBLIC NOTICE This is to inform members of the public that I am the one bearing these names i.e. KAREEM A B D U L L I A D I OLAWALE, ADEKUNLE OLAWALE KAREEM, ABDULKAREEM ABDULLIADI OLAWALE and KAREEM OLAWALE LIADI. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.
In his remarks, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who canvassed for a clear sustainable synergy between the state government and the commission, said his government is ready to establish a mutually beneficial relationship in stimulating her economy. Aregbesola, who attributed regular exchange of information between the officials of the commission and the State Internal Revenue Service, as a panacea to economic greatness, however, said the time has come for all agencies of government to mobilize the resources for revenue drive. He lamented over what he regarded as lack of alternative sources of revenue over the years, saying the nation wouldn’t have been facing the current economic crises, if the needful had been done. According to him: “We must intensify efforts to source for alternative revenue, as we believe that such positive economic projection would in greater measure help in solving some other problems facing the country. “We must struggle to deepen the economy, expand it in various ways, so that the abject poverty, which larger percentage of Nigerians are subjected to, will be reduced, if not totally eliminated. “We must all build the resources we need. We must all work to eliminate poverty and vices ravaging our country. “Government must be responsible for creating an enabling environment towards achieving economic growth and development. Aregbesola frowned at the poor relationship currently existing between the commission and the government, stating that no effort would be spared in building a symbiotic relationship between the corporation and the government. He condemned the mono-economic nature of the country, saying lack of interest by previous rulers and the ruled led the nation to the present economic mess. Aregbesola, who sought for periodic sharing of data of registered organisations, companies, enterprises among others in the state through CAC, said the gestures would in no doubt help the state in fast-tracking stimulated Internally Generated Revenue for the state.
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Aragbiji, Don Advocate Religious Understanding T By KEHINDEAYANTUNJI HE Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba AbdulRasheed Olabomi, has called on all Nigerians to subscribe to religious understanding and accommodation, rather than tolerance, which was previously preached in the country. Aragbiji stated this at Concept. a Post-Ramadan The Aragbiji, who Lecture of the Guild of said he was only Muslim Professionals in spreading the message the State of Osun. The of the leader of the lecture was titled: Muslims, Sultan Sa’ad ‘Tolerance in Islam, a Abubakar, stressed M i s u n d e r s t o o d that Muslims and non-
Muslims must learn to accommodate one another for peace to reign in the country. “Tolerance applies, when one grudgingly accepts what should ordinarily be rejected or repelled, but understanding is accepting the other person for what he is, including his strengths and deficiencies. “Hijab is a way of life
for Muslim ladies and women, which is worn at home and in public places, without which they are not complete as Muslims; hence nonMuslims must accept and accommodate it as part of the fundamental human rights of Muslim ladies to their existence and religious expression,” he said. In a keynote address, the General Manager,
expected. It is never too late to retrace your steps and unite the warring factions. “We do not think that a father would allow his children to kill oneanother or drag themselves to security agents and court before he would settle the crisis within them. The father should be willing to compromise and make sacrifice to ensure peace among his children. “We want to commend the effort of the security
agencies in the state on the matter and equally urged them to be more professional on the NUJ crisis. We all hold the society the responsibility of promoting peace and unity in our various capacity. “We are using this medium to call on the National Working Committee of the NUJ to act fast on the Osun NUJ matter, and that they should not allow the crisis to destabilize the public peace of the state.”
Osun NUJ Crisis: CDHR Appeals To National President
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HE State of Osun chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has described the crisis rocking the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as unpleasant and shameful to the pen profession. CDHR in a letter sent to DEFENDER on Tuesday the National President of reads: “CDHR, Osun Chapter, is the NUJ, Mr Waheed State Odusile, on Monday, said compelled to write you on that it was disheartening the unpleasant and that the highly-respected disgraceful events in the and intellectual union Osun State Council of the Union of has been subjected to Nigeria derision; humiliation and Journalists, following the harassment of members controversial annulment by security agents, of the council election unnecessary uproar and held on February 11, 2016. treacherous actions. “While we are The letter dated July 22, avoiding dabbling into 2016 was signed by the the matter, because we Chairman and Secretary see it as a family affair, of the organization, we will be committing Comrades Akin Asifat moral injustice to remain and Adebola Fabiyi silent and enjoy the respectively. reprehensible unfolding According to the events in the Osun NUJ, human rights most especially, when it organization, the NUJ has become a public crisis was an affirmation matter and gradually of the degeneration and degenerating to breaking loss of moral value in down of law and order by every profession and members of the union. society at large, “Mr President sir; with maintaining that the all modesty, the crisis respected pen profession should not have escalated has been subjected to to the point where men ridicule because of greed, and officers of the Nigeria Police, NSCDC and DSS nepotism and vendetta. A copy of the letter would be intervening, made available to OSUN had you acted rightly as
Osun State Capital D e v e l o p m e n t Authority, Dr Maruf Hassan, advised Muslims to be always just and never to deny people’s rights, just as they should not hesitate to claim or demand their due rights as Muslims, particularly when such rights are being denied or infringed upon. The Guest Speaker, Professor Is’haq Lakin Akintola, who is also the Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), noted that Muslims in Hijab from the Southern part of Nigeria are experiencing serious challenges in exercising their fundamental rights and enjoying social services. He urged that the earlier those issues are addressed, the better for peaceful coexistence in the South-West. “Millions of female Yoruba Muslims were disenfranchised during past voters’ registration exercises
•At the scene of a petroleum tanker that exploded at Cele Bus Stop, along OshodiApapa road in Lagos last Monday.
Osun Govt Appeals To LAUTECH Students On School Reopening T Osun APC Mourns Fasakin T
HE State Government of Osun has appealed to the students of Ladoke Akintola University Of Technology, Ogbomoso, to bear with the Governments of Osun and Oyo states, pending the final solution to the current challenges that caused the close-down of the institution. The state government salaries to the staff of the also appreciated the university, as and when peaceful conduct of the due. The Permanent students’ protest in the state, noting that their Secretary also made a conduct showed humility passionate appeal to the students for their and respect. The Permanent understanding of the Secretary, Ministry of challenges currently Education, Science and facing the governments Technology, Mr Festus and pleaded for their Olajide, stated this, while cooperation. While assuring the addressing the protesting students that their students in Osogbo. Olajide maintained agitation would be that the economic passed to the Governor of recession in the country is the State Of Osun, he also the cause of the inability disclosed that the of the owner-state governor, Ogbeni Rauf governments of Osun and Aregbesola, is passionate Oyo to fulfill their about education and financial obligations in would be ready to terms of payment of address the issue in due
Samuel appealed to the government of the two owner-states to reopen their school which has been closed since May this
year and later handed over to the Permanent Secretary a letter addressed to Mr Governor.
HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun has announced and commiserated with the Fasakin family, people of Ifon Orolu and the entire APC family in the state over the demise of Honourable Yinka James Fasakin, describing his death as sudden, untimely, sorrowful and big loss to the APC family in Irepodun/Orolu Constituency and the state at large. This was contained in ruling party or in the a statement issued from opposition. The deceased was a the Directorate of Publicity, Research and member and Chairman, Strategy of the Osun APC. House Committee on The statement Finance, Commerce and while described Honourable Industry, Fasakin as a man of peace represented Irepodun/ and a progressive to the Orolu constituency in the core, who was a bridge Osun State House of builder and a conciliatory Assembly in 1992 until force, who had helped to the military took over bring together his people, power in 1993. He also served as a irrespective of their political differences and Caretaker Committee Chairman of Orolu Local whether they were in
Government Council Area, Ifon Osun, between 2002 and 2003. Until his death early Sunday morning, he was a Commissioner II in the State of Osun House of Assembly Commission and Chairman, Orolu APC Elders’ Forum. Fasakin, 55, died on Sunday morning at his Ifon-Osun home and had been buried. He is survived by a widow and three children. Osun APC therefore, prayed to God to grant the late Fasakin eternal rest and give his family and the entire people of Ifon-Osun the fortitude to bear the loss.
course. Speaking on behalf of the other students, Eseremu Indubisi and Akande
for 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 elections on account of their use of hijab. They were told the machine could not ‘capture’ their faces if they wore hijab. Whoever wanted to vote very badly among them had to disrobe. “It amounts to dehumanisation of the highest order and tantamount to publicly undress a Muslim woman when, she is asked to remove her hijab in public.” Reacting to the recent judgement of Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, which affirmed the right of female Muslim students to use hijab as part of their school uniform, Akintola said, the judgment restored hope in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man and that the verdict was a victory for the rule of law. “The fact that the judgment was unanimous and only two of the five judges were Muslims leaves a firm stamp of authority on the legality of the use of hijab, not only by female Muslim students, but also by all Muslim women in the country.” He warned officials in public and private institutions, who are in the habit of flouting such court orders for personal reasons, to desist forthwith and allow Muslim sisters to exercise their rights. Professor Akintola also warned that Muslims should not be pushed to the background when it comes to sharing the dividends of democracy, saying the freedom to use hijab in any public place, including schools, is one of the dividends of democracy and that whoever denies it has committed a crime not only against womanhood but against humanity as a whole. The First Vice Chairman of the Osun State Muslim Community, Alhaji Mustapha Olawuyi, commended the GMP for providing a platform to unite the ranks of Muslims and enlighten them about their rights. “We have never had an occasion in the State of Osun, where professionals would come together to organise an event of this nature. All Muslims, irrespective of their association, must work together as one, in order to fight for our rights, but we must be peaceful and lawabiding,” he said.
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Aregbesola Charges Corporate Bodies, Private Individuals On Healthcare Delivery
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S the nation continues to grapple with deteriorating healthcare system, the State of Osun governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has declared that all tiers of government need help of corporate organisations and wellmeaning individuals to deliver standard healthcare. The governor made the call while receiving
donation of a Diabetes Screening and Treatment Centre, built within the premises of State Hospital, Ede, State of Osun, by Lions Clubs International Foundation as 2014-
•A scene of an accident around Ilobu area in the State of Osun recently.
2015 Lions year project of Lions International Foundation and Lions Clubs District 404B-2 Nigeria. The governor, who was represented by Dr Simeon Afolayan, said despite his administration’s huge investment in the health sector, more still needs to be done to put the sector in best shape, adding that the N50 million Diabetes Screening Centre will go a long way in assisting government fulfil the responsibility of keeping its citizens in sound health. He noted that a pharmaceutical company, Akol, just recently donated drugs worth N6.4 million to the state and assured that the facility would be put to best use to achieve aims of the donors. Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Chairman of Local Organising Committee of the
Osun APC Chairmen Accuse Saraki Of Humiliating Senator Omoworare C By ISMAEEL UTHMAN HAIRMEN of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ife-Central and Ife-East Local Government Council areas of the State of Osun, Honourable Adeleke Enitilo and Mr Kayode Ogundele, have berated Senate President Bukola Saraki on the recent reshuffle of the Senate leadership. Enitilo and Ogundele had never been condemned what they comfortable since described as deliberate Omoworare ‘was humiliation of Senator mistakenly’ made the Babajide Omoworare, Chairman of the ‘most who was removed as the strategic committee of the Chairman of Senate Senate’. Committee on Rules and They stated that Saraki Business and made had been making serious Chairman of Legislative moves to remove Compliance Committee. Omoworare, maintaining According to the APC that the reshuffle of the leaders, Legislative senate leadership was Compliance Committee purposely to remove did not exist in the Omoworare Senate, noting that Saraki “With this step, Saraki was fighting Omoworare and his cabinet members because of his loyalty to have shown their hatred the APC and the National for independent Leader of the party, mindedness; party Asiwaju Bola Ahmed d i s c i p l i n e , Tinubu. professionalism, The APC chairmen brilliance and loyalty stated this in a press which Omoworare statement they jointly represents. issued and signed on “How will one explain Saturday. Omoworare, a situation where a who hails from Ile-Ife, is Senator from the APC representing Ife/Ijesa with 14 years’ legislative Senatorial District among experience is deployed to which are Ife-East and Ife- a non-existing committee Central local government of the Senate only to be council areas at the replaced by a Senator senate. with just six months’ Describing Saraki’s legislative experience? action as punitive to “This disdain for Omoworare, the APC Asiwaju Bola Ahmed chairmen stated that the Tinubu and everything Senate President and associated with him is members of his cabinet being taken too far by the
Senate President and his people. “We wish to explore this medium to remind the Senate President and his cabinet that their deeds are before the public to document and they can only remove him as the Committee Chairman but he cannot be removed as Senator of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria,” they said. The APC chairmen commended Omoworare for standing for the truth and being a man of integrity, saying that the senator is proudly representing the people of the Osun East Senatorial District with uprightness and humility.
By SHINAABUBAKAR c o m m i s s i o n i n g welfare include; Eye ceremony, Mr. Sunday and Cornea Transplant Akere, commended the Centre in Ota, Ogun initiator of the project, State; Mercy Home at University PGD Abiodun Adeniji, Lagos Hospital for his commitment Teaching (LUTH); LCIF Cancer towards seeing the Screening and effort to fruition. He added that the Treatment Centre, also body recognised that located in LUTH, Lagos to mention but government alone few. cannot meet all needs He also revealed of of its people and urged plans to donate a good-spirited people, Dialysis Machine and especially within Accessories to some political circle, to be tertiary hospitals within part of noble courses District 404B-2 Nigeria and impart positively as soon as on the society. collaboration with an In his remarks, past organisation in United District Governor, States of America is Lion, Abiodun Adedeji, concluded and called said some of the areas for support by all to of intervention of the stakeholders group in the past to successfully implement issues relating to all the programmes of people’s health and the body.
Osun Assembly Mourns Ex-lawmaker
By KAZEEM MOHAMMED HE State of Osun House of Assembly has de scribed as a rude shock, the sudden death of a member of the Assembly’s Service Commission (OSHASC), Honourable Olayinka Fasakin. The Speaker, between 1991 and 1993 Honourable Najeem Sa- during the state first Aslaam, stated this during sembly and a one-term the burial of the late board member of the Osun Fasakin, who died sud- State Broadcasting Corpodenly at the early hour of ration (OSBC), as well as Sunday at his home in a former Caretaker ComIfon-Orolu, Orolu Local mittee Chairman, Orolu Government Council Local Government CounArea of the state at the age cil. As at the time of his of 55. In a statement by the death, the late Fasakin Chairman, House Com- was a permanent member mittee on Information of the Osun Assembly Serand Strategy, Honourable vice Commission and a Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, member of the All the state parliament Progressives Congress noted that the death of the (APC). Describing the late late politician would create a vacuum in the politi- former lawmaker as a versatile and grassroots polical space of the state. The deceased was a tician to the core, the Asformer member of the sembly said his contribuState House of Assembly tion to the progressive fold has entrenched him in the political space of his environment and the state in general. According to the parroyal entourage; it was liament, the interest of the awesome. late legislator has always “We spent over five hours at the White House, been peaceful co-existwhile the Ooni and his ence within the progresadorable wife had a sive fold and the developclosed door meeting with ment of his environment, President Barack Obama. saying, this had given his “Indeed, this event followers confidence in confirms the Ooni as a him. It also added that the spirit and not an ordinary being, being the first deceased’s contributions African monarch to have to the running of affairs visited the American in the OSHASC has played a significant role power house. “We went to the White in the successes recorded House with our drums by the commission so far, and flutes, as we beat our stressing that he would drums and sang our be greatly missed. The Assembly then traditional songs to the admiration of officials at condoled with the dethe state house,” ceased immediate and political families, as well Oladotun said. The Obaleesun of Ife as the state legislative arm maintained that the trip of government, especially afforded the Ooni to his colleagues in the cominteract with array of mission, urging them to investors and convinced take solace in the fact that them to come and invest he had left a landmark in Nigeria and Ile-Ife in than cannot be rubbished by anyone. particular.
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Ooni Is A Spirit - Obaalesun T
By KEHINDEAYANTUNJI HE Chief Priest of Obatala (Obaleesun), Chief Olaolu Oladotun, has described the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II), as a spirit, and not an ordinary mortal. Oladotun disclosed Peace to Ooni Ogunwusi this in Ile-Ife, in an in recognition of his interview with newsmen outstanding quest for discussing the recent peace in Yoruba land and United States of America Nigeria as a whole. Oladotun added that a tour embarked on by the US-based organisation, Ooni. He said, posture, African View, also gave understanding, wisdom him an award as an of the Ooni within and “African Spirit” for his outside Nigeria are all excellent prowess and testimonies of his skills in appeasing gods of Obatala and spiritual nature. The chief priest said Eledumare. “Our trip to the USA the warm reception accorded them in the US with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan was far beyond their Adeyeye expectations, adding that Ogunwusi, will forever remain evergreen and the trip would forever remain a reference point indelible in our memory. “We did not expect the in the history in Nigeria kind of attention and and African Continent. hospitality we got from He further disclosed American that American the Government gave an government, as we were award of Ambassador of treated as real African
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Continued from Cover Asiwaju Bola Tinubu's wife is an insult on the respected national figure himself. Thus isn't it madness or awkward upbringing that will make anybody to launch such anti-social and anti-culture behaviour against somebody of Senator Remi Tinubu's caliber? But even if it wasn't Remi Tinubu, irrespective of who might have been involved, it's against the spirit and letter of our constitution to launch attack on
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Dino Melaye’s Show Of Shame
female folks; not even your own housewife as violence on women is an aberration according to the law of our land. Beating up a woman isn't in any way a show of strength on the part of male folks but a sign of weakness and act of irresponsibility. We know that our female folks by their nature are given to provoking men. However, no matter the level of provocation men must be able to stay atop female provocation. Man must always show maturity
and calm himself in the face of female provocation. But to turn yourself to a pugilist at the slightest provocation from a woman is not ideal. It's a sign of weakness and an irresponsible behaviour.
As we insinuated above the Dino Melaye's misconduct and other shows of shame being exhibited by our so-called law makers on the floors of our different Hallowed Chambers - from local to state and state to national - call to
question the integrity of those we elect as leaders in this clime. It's really unfortunate and shameful that elements of this nature are the ones representing us as leaders. But in all intellectual honesty little can we blame the Nigerian electorate as majority of these candidates are imposed on them by party leadership. Once party leaders raise up a person's hand as the candidate of the party then voters have no alternative but to vote for such a person even if he/she is
School Feeding: A Global Tradition
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UDOS to Osun’s Rauf Aregbesola for making Nigeria proud member of a caring world. A school meal or school lunch typically in the middle or beginning of the school day, provided to students at school. Countries all over the world have various kinds of school meal programmes. Millions of children from all standards and grades get their meals at their respective schools every day. Scientifically and medically, school meals are regarded as an essential component of children’s upbringing and growth. School meals provide high-energy food with high nutritional values for free, or at economical rates. The benefits of school meals vary from country to country. While in developed countries, the school meal is a source of nutritious meals, in developing countries it is an incentive to send children to school and continue their education.
In developing countries, school meals provide food security at times of crisis and help children to become healthy and productive adults, thus breaking the cycle of poverty and hunger. In all cases, school meals allow children to focus on their studies, without hunger as a distraction. Free school meals
Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia are among the few countries which provide free school meals to all pupils in compulsory education, regardless of their ability to pay. Many governments in developing countries are increasingly using free school meals to improve attendance rates and reduce malnutrition. In high-income
countries, free school meals are usually available to children who meet income-based criteria. (The exception is Australia, where free school meals are not available). In April 2012, the State of Osun in Nigeria pioneered a statewide school meals programme for all public elementary school pupils. It is called
the O’Meals programme (anacronym for the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme). As of July 2014, it was providing lunch to over 252,000 children in 100% of Osun’s elementary schools. In addition to staples such as rice, beans, and yams served with stews, soups, and vegetables, the programme provides
daily fruits. Its estimated cost is N50 (USD $0.31) per child per day. All food items are sourced locally from farmers and others on the supply chain, enhancing employment within the state. Addressing child malnutrition has raised students’ academic performance, and has increased school enrolment by 24% compared to figures from before April 2012. In 2015, the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) advocated for the adoption of a nationwide free meal plan. Since he became President, Muhammadu Buhari has made the implementation of this policy one of his foremost priorities. A national School Meals programme is the subject of a budgetary proposal before the National Assembly. Also, the government of Kaduna State has implemented a school feeding programme. • K H A B I R A T ZAKARIYAH, Osogbo.
a rogue, thief or assassin. This is bad for our democracy and the future of our country. In conclusion, our position with respect to this ridiculous show of shame on the floor of the Hallowed Chamber as exhibited by Dino Melaye is that the Nigerian public must intensify our call for Independent Candidacy now and ensure that the National Assembly amends our constitution to accommodate and recognise independent candidates
in our electoral process. The Nigerian people must be able to choose their representatives on the basis of their merit; on zero-party basis. What obtains now is party leadership imposing candidates on the voters through party platform and as long as this kind of dictatorship is allowed to continue, so long shall we continue to have barbarians, duelists, riffraff, rude, indecent, indiscipline, irresponsible, uncultured elements and others who need psychiatric test like Dino in the National Assembly.
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Lukman Ussein Mary Akintola
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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun. All correspondence to the above mail address. ISSN: 0794-8050 Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205 Website: www.osundefender.com/index.php e-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com
INTERVIEW
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Osun Has Created Good Legacy With Omoluabi Mortgage Bank - GM Mr Ayodele Olowookere is the General Manager, Omoluabi Mortgage Bank, a bank known to be an asset and inheritance of the State of Osun government, its local government councils and some private investors. In an interview with KAZEEM MOHAMMED, he spoke on the activities of the bank, the role of the government in its operations and the economy of Nigeria. Excerpts:-
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don’t know why everybody comes SDF: This Bank is no doubt to us for partnership, but I know an asset of the people of the that naturally, we are endowed, State of Osun, tell us what there is something everybody is you do and what the people of Osun seeing and we are supporting them. stand to gain from your banking We are providing mortgages as low system. as 6 per cent per annum, for as a OLOWOOKERE: Government long as 20/25 years. If you look at of the State of Osun is a critical all these, we are adding value in stakeholder, but not the only terms of job creation, when these shareholder. We have private projects are being carried out, investors; we have individuals; the which we are just starting. 31 local governments in the state. OSDF: What is the different If you look at the ownership between your former Saving and structure, you will see that we have Loan system and the present all the necessary ingredients to Morgage Bank and also what is the make the organisation well-funded difference between your system and and operate and that also state the the conventional banking system? fact that we are a Public Liability LOWOOKERE: We have Company (PLC) and our stock are been doing mortgage for traded on the floor of the Nigerian some years now. In the Stock Exchange (NSE). We are hierarchy of banking, we have closely related to the state Deposit Money Bank, which are the government, but we are not an commercial banks you see. Their appendage of the state capitalisation is N10 billion for you government. The bank is a separate to be a regional deposit money entity, which is businessbank and N25 billion to be a concerned, driven by the passion to national deposit money bank and add value in our own way and also next you have Mortgage Bank. to make profit and give dividends Deposit Money bank can do to shareholders. everything, including mortgage, So, we are a Mortgage Bank, tied •OLOWOOKERE to the state government, because if local government, have invested, developing their own houses or but the only thing they cannot do you look at our history, at a time, it just like they do in infrastructure, buying houses, we are supposed to is to give out loans for house at 6 was solely owned and moderated with the foresight that when people provide residential housing per cent rate from the Federal by the state from 1993, from the use these roads, it will improve the solutions; provide mortgages; Mortgage Bank as we do. We are years of Living Spring Savings and economy. For example, there is support those that want to buy land the only ones that are placed to do Loans to the years of Omoluabi Land Use Charge, which are and build by themselves; support that kind of business. Then, we are Savings and Loans Limited to the charges on people based on those who want to buy already to make sure that 70 per cent of years of Omoluabi Savings and availability of infrastructure built up units; we are supposed to our business is focused on Loans Plc, and now to a Mortgage around them, which is an support and partner with mortgages and supporting property Bank Plc. investment with the thinking that developers to develop units and development financing and the In 2013/2014, there was a government will also derive when that dream comes through, remaining 30 per cent can do what recapitalisation that increased the revenue. So, the value we add, we look at buyers and give them any normal banks can do. Before, we were trying to be shareholders fund to N2.5 billion which is beyond the investment morgage to buy it off. Also, we are and that was what brought in other they have made, is that across the supposed to look at other property everything to everybody, but later partners and investors, so that it is South West states, that is Ogun, development initiatives, which is on, we realised that we need to not only the state that is carrying Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, up to Kwara, Edo not particularly housing, like choose where we want to play. the burden. Therefore, the demand and Delta, except Lagos, we are the people in hospitality business and Deposit Money Banks can do for accountability, transparency, only functional Mortgage Bank in companies that want to build mortgage too, but it is only that the profitability and performance is that space. That tells you the legacy housing for their staff and tertiary money is higher. OSDF: How do you do your own even much more thing that makes it stringent. We must different? know that we are OLOWOOKERE: regulated by the Government of the State of Osun is a critical stakeholder, but What makes it Central Bank of not the only shareholder. We have private investors; we have different is that we Nigeria, our licence have dedicated unit individuals; the 31 local governments in the state. If you look at can be collected and that focuses on taken away and by the ownership structure, you will see that we have all the creation of mortgage the fact that we are a necessary ingredients to make the organisation well-funded and and support housing PLC, we are also development regulated by the operate and that also state the fact that we are a Public Liability financing and most of Stock Exchange and Company (PLC) and our stock are traded on the floor of the our development are the Security Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). We are closely related to the targeted. We also E x c h a n g e have current and Commission. state government, but we are not an appendage of the state saving accounts, just OSDF: As you said, government. The bank is a separate entity, which is businessas what we have state government and what we call local governments are concerned, driven by the passion to add value in our own way “karakata” for petty critical stakeholders, and also to make profit and give dividends to shareholders. traders. meaning that OSDF: Is Osogbo taxpayers’ money are the only outlet that being used to carry the you have or you have burden of ownership, of the state government and its institutions that want to build what do the people of Osun stand foresight. hostel facilities and housing for branches across the state and how to gain? What we are supposed to be their staff among others and these specifically do you make your OLOWOOKERE: The doing is to look at the people that are some of the things we do. government, both at the state and are interested in having homes, So, we are well-positioned. I •Contined on page 10
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SPECIAL INTERVIEW
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Oniba Of Iba: One Kidnap, Much Agony •It's a Taboo For A King To Be Abducted In This Manner - Son
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ORMALCY is yet to return to Iba community in Iba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, as anxiety and apprehension still pervade the air in the community. It is now four days since the traditional ruler of the community, the Oniba of Iba kingdom, His Royal Highness Oba Yushua Goriola Oseni, was whisked away by suspected militants. It will be recalled that the armed men stormed the community at about 10: 30 pm last Saturday, shooting sporadically into the air to announce their presence, before abducting the royal father. The attack, which unfortunately claimed the lives of a security guard who was on duty at the palace that night and that of another resident of the community, saw the monarch’s wife, Kuburat, sustaining gunshot injuries. However, for many residents and sympathisers, trying to come to terms with what happened that night is as difficult as the realisation that the Oba is yet to return to the community. To the residents, the manner in which the traditional ruler was whisked away is a major concern for everybody in the community, with a middle-aged man describing it as an abomination. It was learnt that the suspected militants, numbering about six, burst into the bedroom of the royal father after they had successfully overpowered the palace security. They met the traditional ruler who was on his way to the bathroom, and four of the armed men dragged him out, while shooting at anyone who attempted to rescue him. While describing the attack on the palace and the abduction of the king as a taboo, Comrade Saheed Oseni, the second son of the monarch, described the act as shocking. “In Yorubaland, we all know that this is a taboo; for a king to be abducted in this manner,” the prince said. However, narrating his experience, Mr Jimoh Lawal, who had been working in the palace for the past 17 years as a security guard, explained that security within and around the palace had been near perfection over the years and no one would ever have thought that the palace could be attacked in the way it was. “What happened is just so painful; the Oba is a very jovial person, and he relates with everybody well. You would hardly know that we work for Baba, because he took all of us as his own children.
discuss the incident, with one middle-aged man who gave his name as Olu, charging security agencies to rescue the traditional ruler. “This is really shocking to have happened in Yorubaland, and every hand must be on deck towards ensuring that the traditional ruler is returned to the palace safe,” Olu said. Another sympathiser who gave his name as Taiwo, described the situation around the palace since the abduction as worrying, said: “Everybody is in a state of shock; nobody is happy at all and we are all waiting for positive news concerning the king. “It is so unfortunate that we have allowed the situation of the country to degenerate to the situation where kings are no longer respected but are targets for kidnappers,” Taiwo said. OR another resident, Fatai Adebule, the kidnap of the royal father should serve as a wakeup call to everybody, particularly the government, that the security situation in the country is deteriorating everyday. “Nobody is safe in the country anymore; when we sleep in our homes, we fear that criminallyminded people will come to attack us; when we go about our lawful businesses, we don’t know who will come to attack us. “Everything, however, boils down to the fact that things are not good for the country economically. Our leaders have failed to use our wealth to provide for the citizens, and that is why we have this type of incident happening. “What we want now is for the security agencies to rescue Baba, and then guarantee his security,” Mr Adebule said. Suggesting that those who kidnapped the royal father could have been the same set of militants disturbing the peace of the people at Ikorodu township, a trader in Iba, Madam Suliat Ramoni, said most of her relatives who live close to the water in Ikorodu have all abandoned their homes because of the activities of these militants. “We expect that the security agencies, particularly the navy, will start manning the waterways, but we are yet to see this. “If the navy had deployed its officers to the waterways since the Ikorodu crisis started, there was no way the militants would have been able to abduct the royal father,” Madam Ramoni said, while calling on the Federal Government to come to the rescue of the Lagos State government in the area of security.
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•The Oniba of Iba, Oba YUSHUA GORIOLA OSENI. arrest the situation, then things By GBEMI SOLAJA
“Everybody is still in a state of confusion; in fact, it is like a dream to me. I cannot believe that this is happening. If you look at the palace, within his own capacity, Kabiyesi did everything to secure himself, but of course, God is the utmost security. What we are praying for now is for him to be rescued,” the security guard said. PEAKING on what could have been the motive for the kidnap, Prince Oseni revealed that, “this is not the first or second kidnap attempt in this area. We have been hearing that there had been series of kidnap attempts around this Ojo/ Badagry area, but we hope the security agencies will be able to unravel this mystery,” Prince Oseni said, while revealing that the kidnappers are yet to contact the family to demand for ransom. Speaking further, Prince Oseni, who is the Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, (SSANU), Lagos State University (LASU) chapter, blamed the security situation in the country on the economy, saying that if nothing is done to
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will get worse. “While blaming people who engage in this kind of evil acts, the truth is that the government is not rising up to its responsibilities because, in a country where there is high unemployment rate, where university graduates can’t find anything doing, and where the employed are losing their jobs on a daily basis, then such things are bound to happen. “Having said this, I am not encouraging this kind of heinous act, but it is high time government rose to its responsibilities; I believe community leaders, as well as traditional rulers are also trying in their own little ways to improve the lots of their subjects. “I am, therefore, using this opportunity to call on the abductors to release the king as he is a man of the people; many people depend on him for survival, and it is even a taboo for a royal father to be so kidnapped from his palace,” Prince Oseni said. At the vicinity of the palace, residents of the community could be seen gathering to
If you look at the palace, his own capacity, Kabiyesi did everything to secure himself, but of course, God is the utmost security.
•Culled from Nigerian Tribune.
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PHOTOTALK
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Inspected The Ongoing Construction Of Chief Adebisi Akande Trumpet Interchange Bridge Of Omoluabi Dual Carriage Motorway, At Gbongan Junction Recently.
•Governor Rauf Aregbesola (right) in a discussion with the Site Engineer, RATCOM Engineering Construction Limited, Engineer Vouad, during the inspection.
•Workers at the site hailing Aregbesola.
•Aregbesola inspecting the ongoing bridge construction.
•Picture of the ongoing construction of Chief Adebisi Akande Trumpet Interchange Bridge.
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PHOTOTALK
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Beautification Of Osogbo At Night Under The Administration Of State Of Osun Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, As Captured By Our Cameraman, GBENGA ADENIYI, Last Monday.
•Beautification of Osogbo with street light along Abere road.
•Another beautification of Osogbo with street light along Ogo-Oluwa road.
•Beautification along Ola-Iya/MDS road, Osogbo, with street light.
INTERVIEW
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Osun Has Created Good Legacy With Omoluabi Mortgage Bank - GM •Contined from page 6
profit? OLOWOOKERE: There is the head office here in Osogbo and we have Osogbo branch, which shares the facilities with the head office. In Ejigbo, we have a branch, in Ilesa, we are building a branch that will come up in the next few months. HE difference between us and the commercial banks is that there is a mindset for us. As a mortgage bank, the kind of money you earn is not that very aggressive. We too, we are aggressive, not that we are complacent, but we are mindful of the need we want to fill in the society. If we give money for 20 years, we will still be collecting interest on it and we are contented with that. We also give people for one year; we give overdraft for six months, but our focus is to be able to give for up to 25 years. We are fulfilling different needs in the society and that is our own calling. OSDF: Who are the category of people that are qualified to benefit from your mortgage system, is it for civil servants alone? OLOWOOKERE: Everybody that can prove that he or she has stable income and can prove that he has potential to continue to earn stable income is qualified. We used to have much focus on the civil service, but now, we have diversified. Before, we used to have about 8,000 account holders here, about 90 per cent of which were civil servants, but since I joined this bank, we have added about 2,000 account holders, 95 per cent of which are private individuals, business owners. OSDF: What do you think should be the way out of the current economic crisis in Nigeria? O L O W O O K E R E : Diversification is the answer, which is already happening. We should not continue to think the same way we were thinking that put us into this crisis. The truth is that, there is a limit to what we can get from oil and also with this Niger Delta Avengers, we don’t have any other choice than to diversify our economy. Secondly, the electorate must know that election should not be business as usual; we must bring in leaders that have visions. For instance, look at what is happening in Ekiti State, where the governor is saying, ‘there is nothing I can do, unless you want be to sell myself and my wife’. Come to Osun, of course, we don’t have a perfect situation, but you see a governor that will keep telling you, ‘we are still digging’. Osun is collecting less allocation than Ekiti State, but Osun is still executing projects. You can see that Osun is paying full salary for civil servants on levels 1 to 7 and half for level 8 upward for civil servants based on agreement with them and it has been paid up to April, but a state like Kwara has not paid a dime this year, Ondo
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State has not paid anything this year, Ekiti State paid last in January, the last time Oyo paid was January, Ogun State paid last in January. People from Imo and Benue States came to Osun few weeks ago to study the Modulated Salary that this state agreed with the NLC and it was after then they agreed on that structure and adopting it too. The problem with the Federal Government is that they did not know the extent of damage that was caused by the last administration. It was during Goodluck Jonathan era that Nigeria was the only country in the world, whereby citizen advertise crude oil on social media because they were just stealing it. That is to tell you the extent of damage. It was a huge revenue loss everyday for six years. During the period, corruption affected every aspect of the economy, they were stealing money from source running to billions of dollars. So, we need to shift our focus. I
pray that we continue to have problem in the sale of oil, so that people will stop singing let’s go to Abuja for allocation. Now, everybody is now looking at how to increase IGR and intensify efforts on tax collection. OSDF: We are talking about diversification of the economy, where and what do you think we should be looking into? LOWOOKERE: There are lots of economic development potentials in the housing sector. For example, a 3-bedroom flat apartment would have about 13 doors and for us to do a 14,000 units, imagine the number of doors needed. That is about six ship loads of doors and if we have companies here manufacturing these doors, is anything wrong with that? It also means, we will need over 15,000 locks and for this number of locks, we need 80,000 screws, we are not talking of keys, windows, air conditioning, refrigerators, televisions and so many other things
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The difference between us and the commercial ‘banks is that there is a mindset for us. As a mortgage bank, the kind of money you earn is not that very aggressive. We too, we are aggressive, not that we are complacent, but we are mindful of the need we want to fill in the society. If we give money for 20 years, we will still be collecting interest on it and we are contented with that. We also give people for one year; we give overdraft for six months, but our focus is to be able to give for up to 25 years. We are fulfilling different needs in the society and that is our own calling.
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needed for housing development. So, if government concentrates on this and look for cheap funding which is housing, it will grow our economy. To build a unit, you need bricklayers, carpenters plumbers, electricians and they will use different materials. Imagine the kind of impact it will have, if we are manufacturing all these materials in Nigeria. In Nigeria, we don’t have a single tile manufacturing company, meanwhile we need to use them, we need to hang curtains and so many others. For your information, we have 16 million housing deficit in Nigeria and if we have different companies in this country to concentrate on manufacturing the materials needed, it will grow businesses, there will be job creation and it will help the economy. In the past, every weekend, people used to do what they call ‘Freedom’ after learning one job or the other, but now that has faded away, we now import everything, that was what killed our economy. We need to industrialise and bring in companies that will invest here, after all, we have the market for all these things. OSDF: Some funds are now being recovered by the current Federal Government through the fight against corruption, how do you think these funds should be applied into the economy? OLOWOOKERE: Firstly, there is deficit in our budget and these funds should help us finance the deficit. Secondly, beyond the President in this fight, we should institutionalise transparency, if not, the same way the money came in, the same way they will go into the pocket of some people. The fight is good, the focus is good, but we must institutionalise it, so that in the ministries, departments and agencies of government, everybody will know that there is procedure in doing things. Look at the War Against Indiscipline, of the Muhammed Buhari military government then, immediately he left, the thing just died. Let ministers come to tell us details of their activities every month and if that is done, whoever wants to lie should keep lying and at a point, they will use it to finish him. OSDF: What is your message to the people? OLOWOOKERE: I am here because the stakeholders believe that we can turn things around and we have received their support. At Omoluabi Mortgage Bank, things have changed for the better. The things we said we want to do, we will achieve them by the grace of God and we have the capacity and the financial wherewithal. Also, lets support the government, where necessary, we should criticise objectively to help the government and not subjectively. Also on our daily activities, let us be examples of what we want our leaders to be.
HEALTH
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Health Benefits Of Watercress T
HE health benefits of watercress are providing nutrition, boosting immunity, cancer preventive, and thyroid support. These health benefits begin with a single serving of watercress as a dietary supplement. Watercress is a cruciferous plant grown for centuries as a mineral rich green leafy vegetable. A brassica family member of plant genus, Watercress has the health benefits of other brassica’s. This health benefit is obtained from the high content of vitamins and minerals and the antioxidant properties of the phyto chemical structure of watercress plant. Nutritional value of Watercress Weight for weight, watercress contains more vitamin C than an orange, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach and more folate than bananas. Each phyto nutrient is where the health benefits of watercress are contained. These phyto nutrients and their benefits will now be discussed. Watercress contains vitamin A, vitamin B6, B12, iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus which are all required for a healthy body. Health Benefits of Watercress Watercress as Anti-carcinogenic Breast Cancer: Watercress has such effective cancer preventive phytonutrient that even eating a single salad shows increase of molecules into the body’s circulatory system that may prevent and stop the recurrence of breast cancer. Based on a study those who ate at least 80 grams of watercress on a daily basis were shown to have beneficial results. Another study on the anti carcinogenic abilities of watercress showed great benefit when added to the diet as a cancer preventive for stomach and lung cancer as well as breast cancer. Watercress is shown to be effective in reversing DNA damage to white blood cell. This study of cigarette smokers who participated in eating 85g of fresh watercress daily had a 22.9 percent decrease in cellular structure damage. Also the cells were more able to protect themselves as shown when hydrogen peroxide was introduced to the cells and the damage was 9.4 percent lower than expected. These studies suggest that the phytochemical compound that gives watercress and other cruciferous vegetables is also what gives them their bitter flavor. This phytochemical stimulates the bodies’ natural defense promoting cellular protection, The same study states that the anti-carcinogenic benefits may be from the antioxidants lutein and beta carotene since these were determined to be at elevated levels in the blood stream of participants. These studies conclude that there are benefits in the addition of watercress to the everyday diet including preventing the recurrence of breast cancer as well as preventing onset. Watercress is rich in vitamin C that may also be beneficial in reducing oxidative stress caused by cancer in high concentrations and preventing tumors. Folate also is associated with low risk of cancer. Daily increased consumption of folate over a ten year period by women showed results in of a 22% reductions in breast cancers. The increased daily consumption of folate did not pose any health risks and proved most beneficial protection against estrogen negative receptor breast cancer tumors rather than estrogen positive receptor
•Watercress Vegetable tumors. Colorectal cancer: Though studies have shown mixed results, many have concluded that the dietary intake of folate over as part of a daily diet may act as a preventive against colorectal cancer. This benefit was seen more often when folate was taken for 15 years or greater. Thyroid health: Watercress is a member of the brassica family of cruciferous vegetable which hasve shown beneficial effect in thyroid health. 8 Watercress like other brassica’s may work by reducing thyroid hormone production and are most beneficial when eaten raw. Water cress may also lightly steamed so not to lose nutritional value. Cardiovascular health: In addition to the nutrient content of watercress many secondary metabolites that may help lower risk of many chronic diseases. Cruciferous plants like watercress are shown to be beneficial in lowering LDL-Cholesterol which reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis and other chronic heart disease. Watercress contains vitamin C which works as an antioxidant and help in reducing heart tissue damage caused by oxidative stress. Vitamin C is active in the process of embryonic cells developing into cardiac myocyctes and improving heart health. ONE health: Studies show that inclusion of calcium rich food such as watercress works in reducing risk of osteoporosis. 5 Calcium works in repairing and building bone by effecting the increase in the production of osteoblasts, the cells responsible for this beneficial activity. This benefit of calcium is essential for the aging population though the youthful population may also benefit if their lifestyle sedentary which promotes bone density loss. Watercress is also a good source of folate which plays a direct role as an interactive nutrient in maintaining bone density. Postmenopausal women may have benefit from folate in their diet as a preventive against osteoporosis. Watercress and Calcium: Many researchers agree that calcium through dietary intake is necessary and perhaps most beneficial in the prevention of many diseases such as cardiovascular, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension. Calcium through food sources such as watercress is also shown to be safe against adverse cardiac effects which is a concern for some that take high
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dose supplements. If supplemental calcium is added to the daily diet 500 mg daily is enough for most women to supplement their daily food intake. Though amounts up to 1000 mg daily are taken by some risks of calcium deposits and resulting health problems may occur. Overall food sources remain the best way to maintain healthy levels of calcium in the body. Many other studies have shown that the benefit of regular consumption of watercress may be from secondary metabolites and other phyto nutrients which repair cellular damage and work effectively as a preventive against certain cancers, cardiovascular, and thyroid disease. Watercress and Folate: Folate is an essential nutrient that plays a role in preventing birth defects and in daily health maintenance.4 Folate levels are affected by alcohol consumption. A diets rich in folate containing foods such as watercress and other cruciferous vegetables may work as a preventive and even to resolve certain health conditions. Intake of folate containing food such as watercress may help in reducing risk of depression, stroke, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and neural tube deficiency in babies. Antidepressant: Low folate levels may cause by lack of dietary intake or excess alcohol intake. A metaanalysis of studies 19 studies, inclusive of 15,315 participants, showed that low folate level increases risk of depression. Folate works with the neurotransmitters pathways of the central nervous system effecting production of such neurochemical such as serotonin. With depression affecting a significant percentage of the world populations the addition of foods with high folate content such as watercress is an important dietary supplement in reducing risk of this chronic disease 1 Stroke prevention: A cross sectional study of 662 adults showed beneficial results of foods fortified with folate in preventing stroke. If not eating fortified foods, large amounts of folate containing foods such as watercress would need to be consumed in order to reach the same level of beneficial nutrient status and health benefit. Pregnancy: Folate is important to the development of a healthy embryo as it plays an important role in normal cellular division.
Additionally, consumption of at least 400mcg of folate daily by pregnant women is shown to reduce incidence of neural tube deficiency. Watercress with its high content of folate may help in reducing risk of ailments such as neural tube deficiency during pregnancy. Cognition: Folate may act a preventive against cognitive decline. Results of a study, of males aged 50 -7- years of age, showed that participants given 800 mcg of folate daily were shown to have beneficial effect on cognition and verbal fluency. Inclusion of watercress which has a high folate content may protect against the cognitive decline. Watercress and Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin which indicates that it is excreted through urinary excretion on a daily basis. Studies have shown both dietary and supplemental daily intake may have benefits to preventing disease in and treating many physiological systems when vitamin C is kept in high concentrations in the blood. Water cress contain higher amounts of vitamin C than an orange and is beneficial to providing and maintain blood levels of vitamin C necessary for beneficial health effects. Intake of vitamin C rich food such as watercress is beneficial in repairing brain tissues, reducing risk of blood cell damage and common cold. RAIN: Consumption of vitamin C rich foods may be beneficial in preventing cognition changes as related to Alzheimer’s and aging and protecting and repairing brain tissue. It also works to reduce bleeding when stroke has occurred. Other results have shown that those having sustained traumatic head injury often have lower blood concentrations of vitamin C. These studies suggest that daily intake of vitamin C rich food such as watercress may benefit in preventing damage and improving the outcomes of brain injury and function. In fact high concentrations of vitamin C may play a role in neuron building activity. Blood: Research study suggests that vitamin C along with vitamin E is effective in reducing oxidative damage to red blood cells.2 Though study is based on supplements it is also suggests that consumption of foods such as watercress with these nutrients may be beneficial to health. 2 Eyesight: A European sturdy suggests that vitamin C might be effective in reducing risk of cataract development. 3 Inclusion of watercress with good amount of vitamin C may be beneficial in protecting against cataract. Common cold: Vitamin C rich food is an effective remedy of common cold. 3 A study on this the immune protective ability of vitamin C shows that consuming food rich in vitamin C may reduce the risk of cold by 66 %. 2 Watercress is a good source of vitamin C and its intake may help in reducing risk of cold. Pediatric Asthma: A study on children with asthma’s showed results of significantly increased forced expiratory volume expiratory (FEV) with vitamin C of at least 0.2g daily.4 These results varied with each child’s history of mold and dampness exposure. 4 Those having no exposure with 37% increase and those with exposure a 21% increase of FEV per second. 4 Intake of food such as watercress may provide relief from pediatric asthma.
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TECHNOLOGY
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Reasons Why Android Is Better Than iPhone/iOS
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N all stories, android, budget phones, feature phones, features, hardware, ios, lists, long form, mobile os, operating systems, opinion editorial, phones, smart phones Like any widely-used technological product, both iOS and Android have their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Both OSes have their ardent fans and equally vociferous opponents. Fanbois, iSheep, iSheeple, these are just some of the words one camp calls the other than can be reprinted in a safe-for-work website. In any online forum discussion regarding the merits and demerits between the two, the conversation usually descends into name calling and general allround chaos. We here at Gizmoids love Android and iOS equally. We are lucky to get the opportunity to play with both operationg systems in the course of our work. That disclaimer out of the way, we list some of the shortcomings of Apple’s platform that you should keep in mind if you were planning to shift from Android and test the iOS waters. 1. No drag-and-drop This is by far the biggest complaint iOS users have about their phones. Everything from synching contacts to photos to mobile apps is handled via iTunes on the iPhone, and it can be a big nuisance for those who prefer the good ole’ drag-anddrop Android simplicity. Of course, you can still jailbreak your phone but that’s another story. 2. No sharing files with phones on other OSes via Bluetooth Usage of Bluetooth to share files with other phone is declining with the rise of cloud services and other alternatives, but Bluetooth is still an important feature for mobile phones. While iPhones have offered Bluetooth from the start – and even Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) before most – you can’t use it to send or receive files from anything not running iOS. 3. Multitasking Power users love multitasking on Android, working on two separate apps at once. iOS, in its bid to conserve battery life, doesn’t offer multitasking, although there has been rumors of Apple offering this feature soon. That said, iOS does manage to seamlessly transition between open apps for the most part thanks to its smooth optimization.
4. Google’s services Even discounting the mighty Google Search, Mountain View offers a plethora of important services, and most of them are free. If you are using Gmail like the majority of the world, Android offers the best platform to make it all come together in sync. 5. Siri Smart and snarky may be good for laughs and have a sparkling personality, but it is no match for Google Now when it comes to providing clear information. Microsoft’s Cortana and the new Facebook Messenger are also great personal assistants that endeavor to provide you the same services, so they’re worth taking a look too. 6. Affordability HE cheapest, no, leastexpensive iPhone officially on sale right now is the iPhone 4S that retails for $450 without a carrier contract. Apple currently has four variants of the iPhone on sale right now. In contrast, there is a sea of Android handsets to choose from, ranging from sub-$100 barebones machines to $800-plus top-end flagships with all the bells and whistles. If you don’t have an iPhone, you don’t have an iPhone but there’s an Android for every pocket. 7. Customizability Everybody loves customizing their favourite devices, be it something as simple as wallpapers or as advanced as custom themes and launches, and even more. With iOS, you get a polished system that works great out of the box but can also get old and boring pretty fast. iOS offers no way to fully customize your phone according to your personality unless you jailbreak
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it. Android, however, is built for such shenanigans. 8. Cloud services Google’s cloud services are far more generous than Apple’s iCloud. While Google Drive offers 15GB of cloud storage, iCloud offers a mere 5 GB which is grossly inadequate to store your documents and images online. And if you need additional storage and are ready to pay for it, Google is again cheaper, at $2 per month for 100GB ($24 for the year), whereas Apple charges $100 per year for 50GB. 9. Maps After the public relations disaster that was Apple Maps upon its launch, it has made massive strides but it is still a far cry from the gold standard that is still Google Maps. 10. Expandable storage When you buy an iPhone, you have to decide beforehand how much storage you will be needing later. And if you run out of storage space later, you have no recourse other than to upgrade to another iPhone. Most Android phones, on the other hand, comes with expandable memory card slots, which means that you can keep upgrading them as and when necessary. 11. File system This is closely tied to the iTunes and drag-and-drop problem that we mentioned earlier. Apple offers no way to view your files and folders in a hierarchical way like you are used to on a desktop. On an Android, it is as simple as connecting your phone and pointing and double-clicking. 12. Notifications With iOS 8, Apple made a lot of changes to its Notifications settings, but it is still not as customizable as their Android
counterparts. 13. Multi-user support An iPhone is meant for one user and one user only. On an Android phone, you can set up multiple user profiles so that the entire family can use one single devices if needed and still have the phone set up for their specific needs. 14. Open source Much has been written about Apple’s walled garden vis-à-vis Google’s open-door policy in regards to their operating systems. While there are certain benefits to living in a walled garden – like the high-quality curated apps and timely updates – the world needs more open doors, both metaphorically and literally, wouldn’t you agree? 15. Flash support Steve Jobs famously vowed to drive Adobe Flash to the ground, and he, along with other companies, have now finally succeeded. The much-reviled internet relic is almost dead, but there can be times when you need it still, and for that you still have to turn to Android. 16. Stylus support Love them or hate them, phablets are here to stay. And despite their benefits, it is still a pain typing with two thumbs on any surface larger than 5 inches, and that’s where we need styluses. Styluses are also important input devices for creative professionals. iOS, atleast for now – that might change with the introduction of the rumored iPad Pro any day now – has no support for styluses unlike Android. 17. Universal sharing HARING a web page from your browser, a map in your navigation app or a photo in your gallery to an app or a social network is much easier on Android than iOS, although it has become easier than before on the latter too, of late. 18. Back button Android’s back button provides a really simple and helpful way to return to a previous screen no matter where you are. The button even works across apps. On the iPhone, you can use only app-specific navigation or hit the home button to end up back on the home screen. That’s a lot more swipes and taps that waste your time. 19. Better NFC Apple finally incorporated NFC into the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but you can only use it for Apple Pay. But for several years now, all Android phones have come with NFC (near field communication) chips built in, and they work in all the ways NFC was meant to.
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FEATURE
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Justice Oloyede Folahanmi: The Beginning Of The End Of A Judge
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HE standing tall tree of Nigeria Judiciary wobbled on June 24, 2015 with an outlandish petition sent to the House of Assembly, State of Osun, by a serving judge, Justice Oloyede Olamide Folaranmi, who presided over cases at Ikire High Court. Justice Folahanmi was not known until she put up a petition, calling for the impeachment of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his deputy, Otunba (Mrs) Titi-Laoye Tomori, for bad governance and misappropriation of the state resources, among other allegations. Justice Folahanmi, in her petition dated June 23, 2015, said, among other things, that Aregbesola and Laoye-Tomori deserved to be impeached for nonpayment of salaries, pensions, “mindbugling loans”, and financial indiscipline. She tongue-lashed the House of Assembly, civil society groups and journalists in the state for keeping silent on what she described as the “unfortunate situation” of the State of Osun under the Aregbesola administration. The media; social and conventional, became drenched with the news of the Folahanmi’s petition, and opinions were divided on the eligibility; competence, morality and legality of the petitioner to put her arguably plucky pen to author the controversial petition. She was celebrated by the opposition party and became known across the world. The Aregbesola administration’s antagonists supported Folahanmi’s course. The PDP became the major plank of her struggle. Encomiums were poured on her by a very minute segment of the society. She was called so many titles and beautiful names of past brave women traditional and social activists. Her news dominated the media space for months. Some ascribed the title of the most popular and brave Iyalode of Ibadan, Chief Efunsetan Aniwura to Folahanmi. Yes; she was courageous, blunt and daring, but Aniwura was callous; cruel and notorious, according to history. She was a murderer, who killed her slaves at will for any wrongdoing. She formed her own kingdom and became rude to the Aare Latosa. Her insubordination was damning. When she was confronted by the Aare Latosa, Efunsetan Aniwura committed suicide eventually. That is not a good end and nobody (a right-thinking) would want to associate with her. But as she was celebrated, so was she (from sizeable number of people) chided for the petition. Legal practitioners, among which were Femi Falana; Professor Itsey Saga, Cheif Emeka Ngige (all SANs) condemned Folahanmi’s action, calling it a sacrilege and a sign of decadence in the Nigerian judiciary. The APC in Osun said Folahanmi’s petition was politically-motivated and that the judge had embarrassed the judiciary with her petition. The Alliance of Collaborating Political Parties (ACPP) said it was unbecoming of a sitting judge to write a petition, saying that the judge had compromised and brought the judiciary to the cleaners. The Osun Civil Societies Coalition (OCSC) said it could not stay silent and watched the judiciary dabbling into political arena with Justice Folahanmi’s action. The OCSC wrote a petition dated June 28, 2015 and forwarded it to the National Judicial Council (NJC), calling for the investigation of the judge. The OCSC led by Comrade Waheed Lawal said: “It behoves on us to say that the words and language in the petition are unbecoming, maladroit and ungainly for the high standard of conduct expected of any judicial officer in this country. The magnitude of impropriety, of the form, dimension and concealed message of the petition violates every ethical standard devoted to the status of a judicial officer. If appropriate action was not meted on her (Justice Folahanmi) a floodgate will be opened and every
•Justice FOLAHANMI willing and available judicial officer would soon become an instrument of use for the purpose of partisan politics.” In spite of the knocks and kudos, Folahanmi’s petition received the attention of members of the House of Assembly. A seven-man committee was set up to treat her petition and investigate the allegations raised against Aregesola in it. The committee was headed by the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Akintunde Adegboye. The committee sent a letter to the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Adepele Ojo, to confirm whether Folahanmi was actually a serving judge or not. The CJ issued a query to Folahanmi to confirm the authorship of the letter and the latter confirmed that she wrote the petition. The committee invited her on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 to provide additional information to her petition, since she failed to attach documentary evidence to it. The judge refused to appear before the panel but was represented by her lawyer, Mr Lanre Ogunlesi (SAN). Ogunlesi told the committee that the appearance of Folahanmi would be predicated on having the copy of the response of Governor Aregbesola to her petition. Ogunlesi did not submit any evidence to support Folahanmi’s petition to the committee. Responding to the petition, Aregbesola said it was frivolous, baseless and political. Aregbesola said: There was no basis for the petition. It is all lies. She is a judge that does not know herself as judge. You can only see a judge and they are not to be heard. She does not have any substance in the petition. She lied against me.” However, the House Committee completed its task and observed that: “(i) The petitioner, being a serving judge in the state judiciary, has acted contrary to the provisions of the Judicial Code of Conduct because she was not qualified in the first instance to forward such petition; (ii) that the petitioner did not follow due process in the presentation of her petition. The mode of presentation was contrary to the provisions of Order 26 of the State of Osun House of Assembly Standing orders and Rules. The petition was not presented by a honourable member and every page of the petition was not signed as required by the House Rules; (iii) that, contrary to the provisions of Order 26 (5) (a) of the House Standing orders and Rules, the petition of Justice Oloyede written with vitriolic, caustic and offensive
By ISMAEEL UTHMAN language; (iv) that the petition submitted by Justice Oloyede was an embodiment of emotions and political partisanship.” The committee recommended that Folahanmi’s petition should be dismissed because she abandoned her claims by refusing to appear personally before the ad-hoc committee to substantiate the various allegations levelled against the governor and the deputy, and that her lawyer could not produce any document to substantiate the allegations during their appearance. According to the committee’s report, Folahanmi’s petition was against all known legal norms and ethics for a sitting judge to publicly take a political position, saying that her action was unprecedented. HE committee also recommended Folahanmi for disciplinary action by the State Judicial Service Commission, maintaining that her action was unethical and unbecoming of a serving judge in the state judiciary. When the report of the committee was submitted to the House on August 5, 2015, the lawmakers deliberated on it with keen interest. The late Minority Leader of the House, Honourable Makinde Oladejo, admitted that Folahanmi was not qualified to forward such petition. Oladejo, however, observed that the committee did not proffer solutions to some of the issues raised by the petitioner. After much argument, a motion was moved by the Majority Leader of the House, Honourable Timothy Owoeye, for the adoption of the committee’s report. The motion was seconded by Honourable Abdullahi Gbadebo. The House of Assembly thereafter resolved: “That having critically examined, reviewed and investigated the various allegations levelled against the Governor and the Deputy Governor of the State of Osun in the petition submitted by Justice Oloyede Olamide Folahanmi, the State of Osun House of Assembly hereby resolves that the petition should be dismissed and that the State Judicial Service Commission should institute necessary disciplinary action against Justice Oloyede Olamide Folahanmi, having observed that her attitude is unethical and unbecoming of a service judge. The Speaker of the House, Honourable Najeem Salaam, directed the
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Clerk of the House to forward copies of the Committee’s report, the House Resolution and other supporting documents to the State Chief Judge, the State Judicial Service Commission, the National Judicial Council, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant agencies. Folahanmi challenged the resolution of the House in court, praying that it should be quashed by the court. The case was dismissed by Justice Justice Moshood Adeigbe of Iwo High Court on Friday, April 29, 2016 for lack of jurisdiction. On December 7, 2015, the NJC sent a letter to the Osun Civil Societies Coalition, intimating the group that the NJC had set up a three-man panel to investigates its petition against “Honourable Justice Olamide, Oloyede Folahanmi. The panel comprised the Chief Judge of Cross Rivers State, Justice Ikpi Itam, a Federal High Court Judge, Justice Ibrahim Auta (Chairman), and Mrs Inga (member of the council). The petitioners were invited to come appear before the panel on January 12 and 13, 2016. Chairman of the OCSC, Waheed Lawal, led other members of the group to the panel. An Abuja-based lawyer, Mr Tijani Yusuf, appeared for the petitioners before the panel, while former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Joseph Daodu, Lanre Ogunlesi (both SANs) and one other lawyer represented Justice Folahanmi. The petitioners led by Waheed Lawal presented their grievances against Justice Folahanmi before the panel. AWAL said: “Osun Civil Societies Coalition read in the newspapers that the respondent wrote a petition and request that the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, and his deputy be investigated and impeached by the House of Assembly. We read it in various newspapers. When we read it in the newspapers, we asked: could this be true? We then looked for the hardcopy of the petition. And when we read the petition, we had the impression that this type of document could not have emanated from a judge, but when we saw that it was signed, the only thing we could do was to put forward a letter to NJC to request for investigation on the matter. That was the reason why we sent the request letter to NJC. In a simple language, it is said judiciary is the last hope of the common man. A judge should not dabble into politics. There are many political statements in the petition and we want justice to be dispensed accordingly on the petition. That is all!” Under cross examination, Daodu asked Lawal whether he wrote the petition as a politician or as an activist and Lawal answered that he wrote the petition as a civil society person. Daodu further asked: “As a thorough-bred civil society and human rights activist, is it an offence for a citizen to write to the House of Assembly bearing his/her minds out on any issue affecting the state? Responding to the question, Lawal said: “No. it is the right of every citizen to do so. The petition was addressed to the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly. So many people and agencies were also copied including international organizations. ICPC, EFCC, United Nations on Drug and Crime, Transparency International and Amnesty International were copied. There are some languages used in the petition that are not befitting of a judge. A judge should not be seen to be biased or partial. A judge must be seen as a neutral person.” Justice Folahanmi did not enter her defence on that day and the case was adjourned till January 25. However, on April 22, Folahanmi entered her defence with six witnesses. Folahanmi’s witnesses were: Bishop •Continued on page 15
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OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Job Vacancies In Nigeria In - House Dietician · Abuja, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sector: Medical · Posted by Mayfield Specialist Hospital on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 · Reference: 189815 Job Details Employer: Mayfield Specialist Hospital Mayfield Specialist Hospital, Abuja is a multi-specialty hospital emphasizing mainly on trauma, orthopedic, nephrology, cardiology and other surgical specialties providing world class healthcare facility.Our strength is the team of highly qualified and experienced consultants who have proved their professional caliber at their respective fields supported by well trained nursing professionals and paramedical staff.We urgently require trained and qualified personnel to fill this position. Candidate Requirements · B.Sc Nutrition and Dietetics. · Minimum of 5 years experience. Apply before Friday, September 23, 2016 - 60 Days left ……………………end…………………… ICU Intensivist · Abuja, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sector: Medical · Posted by Mayfield Specialist Hospital on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 · Reference: 189814 Job Details Employer: Mayfield Specialist Hospital Mayfield Specialist Hospital, Abuja is a multi-specialty hospital emphasizing mainly on trauma, orthopedic, nephrology, cardiology and other surgical specialties providing world class healthcare facility.Our strength is the team of highly qualified and experienced consultants who have proved their professional caliber at their respective fields supported by well trained nursing professionals and paramedical staff.We urgently require trained and qualified personnel to fill this position. Candidate Requirements · MD, DM. · Minimum of 5 years working experience. Apply before Friday, September 23, 2016 - 60 Days left ……………….end…………………….. Procurement Manager · Lagos, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sector: Procurement · Posted by IMS One World on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 · Reference: 189813 Job Details Employer: IMS One World IMS One World is an innovative staffing and recruitment firm whose customized services help companies and staffing firms source talent for opportunities at home and abroad. Our Global Recruitment Services and Expatriate Services are tailor made for every client’s needs, which is a blend of traditional recruitment services and creative solutions to gain foothold in the market and helps them mobilize their human resource value chain.Our expertise in recruitment sector and dealing with international clients is consolidated with the fact that we are an ISO 9001:2008 certified organization and are affiliated with Empresaria Group plc. At One World, we have an environment which supports innovation and creativity. This keeps us on the edge of exploring new opportunities for your business. Job Description · Procurement of Sesame, Cashew, Ginger, Cocoa etc in Africa market. · Should have experience in working in Nigeria. · Responsible for physical procurement, operations and exports sales and marketing. · Fundamental analysis of Commodities to determine Supply & Demand for proper procurement and trading decisions. · Vendor development and management for procurement across the country. Candidate Requirements · Candidates should possess relevant qualification · 2-4 years experience · Procurement, · Purchase, · Agro Commodities Apply before Monday, September 26, 2016 - 63 Days left ……………………..end…………………….. Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon · Abuja, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sector: Medical · Posted by Mayfield Specialist Hospital on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 · Reference: 189812 Job Details Employer: Mayfield Specialist Hospital Mayfield Specialist Hospital, Abuja is a multi-specialty hospital emphasizing mainly on trauma, orthopedic, nephrology, cardiology and other surgical specialties providing world class healthcare facility.Our strength is the team of highly qualified and experienced consultants who have proved their professional caliber at their respective fields supported by well trained nursing professionals and paramedical staff.We urgently require trained and qualified personnel to fill this position. Candidate Requirements · MS · Minimum of 5 years working experience. Apply before Friday, September 23, 2016 - 60 Days left Companies may expire jobs at their own discretion. …………………….end……………………. Oncologist Consultant · Abuja, Market Related · Job Type: Permanent · Sectors: Medical, Consulting · Posted by Mayfield Specialist Hospital on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 · Reference: 189811 Job Details Employer: Mayfield Specialist Hospital Mayfield Specialist Hospital, Abuja is a multi-specialty hospital emphasizing mainly on trauma, orthopedic, nephrology, cardiology and other surgical specialties providing world class healthcare facility.Our strength is the team of highly qualified
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FEATURE
OSUN DEFENDER Thursday, July 28, 2016
Justice Oloyede Folahanmi: The Beginning Of The End Of A Judge
•Contined from page 13 Seun Adeoye, the editor of the PDPsponsored defunct Osun Mail Newspaper; Mr Alimi Sulaimon (Alawo), the self-style comrade and Coordinator of Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun; a retired High Court Assistant Chief Registrar, Mr Koleoso Kolawole. Others are: Messer Ebenezer Oladapo, Olukanmi Yemi Ayodeji and Sola Olojede who were all supporters of the PDP. The witnesses told the panel that all what Folahanmi raised in the petition were true, even as they failed to provide evidence or concrete statement to substantiate their statements. N her statement of defence, Justice Folahanmi said she wrote the petition as a private citizen and in direct reaction to the “parlous living and working conditions of Osun State at the material time”, arguing that she could not understand “why in spite of the recent good fortune of the state and local government councils, before the very recent economic meltdown, I could neither draw my medical allowance nor access medicare in the state’s hospitals, as the doctors were perpetually on strike, due to non-payment of their salaries.” She added: “All our statutory to be provided (rent, medical, special assistance and security allowances), which had never faltered, started to flounder, until it stopped permanently in November 2014 and has remained outstanding till date. Ditto my official car as a judge and the money for my official robe. That I therefore felt constrained to write the petition, which is meant to have been a privileged document to the Osun State House of Assembly, the arm of government constitutionally charged with the responsibility of appropriating the state’s funds, monitoring expenditure and performing oversight functions on the activities of the Executive by virtue of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” Justice Folahanmi prayed the panel to dismiss the petition against her, describing it as frivolous, baseless and insincere. During cross examination, counsel to the OCSC, Mr Oghenovo O. Otemu, asked the judge how she submitted the petition. Justice Folahanmi replied: “I submitted petition through the House of Assembly. The House was on strike and then. I called the Clerk of the House to collect the petition. I did not submit to the stakeholders. I mailed some, and I sent my P.A to distribute others. I mailed to the EFCC.” Otemu accused the judge of writing the petition because she was angry with the governor, but Folahanmi refuted the allegation saying: “I wrote the petition because his administration is inimical to my interest and that of the general people in Osun state.” She explained that she did not write the petition because she was not close to Aregbesola as insinuated, stating “Why will he (Governor) be close to me? All I want is my salary.” Admitting that she had not written Governor Aregbesola personally before writing the petition, Justice Folahanmi, just as she said she was unable to check the Rules of the House of Assembly because the workers were on strike then. When she was accused of being a PDP member or loyalist by the counsel, Folahanmi denied saying that she does not belong to any political party, stating that she was a very objective person. Asked on her aim for copying the former governors and the foreign agencies, Folahanmi said: “To appeal to the governor to pay our salaries. I did not copy any foreign agency. I wrote their names but I did not copy them. I wanted the governor to pay us. I wrote the EFCC\ICPC to put the governor under pressure.” Responding to a question on whether she considered the several languages used in the petition benefiting
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•Justice FOLAHANMI of a judge, Folahanmi insisted that she did not write the petition as judicial officer but as an ordinary citizen because she was on strike then. In the final address submitted to the panel counsel to the OCSC submitted that: “Complainant agrees that a citizen of Nigeria is entitled to freedom of expression as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the person of a judge is circumscribed by the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, which prohibits the person of a judge from certain activities. It is not contestable that a Judicial Officer is the personification of the Judiciary. It is as a result of this that every Judicial Officer in Nigeria is enjoined in the preamble of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers to observe a “high standard of conduct, so that the integrity and respect for the independence of the Judiciary may be preserved.” “It is our humble submission that the level of propriety, modesty, etiquette and decorum expected of a Judicial Officer is in all activities but not restricted to official activities. The implication is that the person and office of a Judicial Officer are the two sides of a coin and cannot in any respect be separated. Therefore, whether in judicial and extrajudicial activities, a Judicial Officer’s conduct in words and deeds must display probity, civility, and the high standards outlined in the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers. Acting otherwise will expose the judiciary to public ridicule and opprobrium. We therefore submit that Judicial Officers must imbibe the culture of paying due reverence and regards to the provisions of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, the very foundation upon which the independence and impartiality of the judiciary is hinged. “It is the contention of the Respondent that her petition was written in her personal capacity as Oloyede Olamide Folahanmi. That leads us to a fundamental question viz- who is Oloyede OlamideFolahanmi? How is she addressed in her private capacity? Is it Mrs, Miss, Chief Professor or Justice? Oloyede Olamide Folahanmi is a Judicial Officer, having solemnly sworn to be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria as Judge of the of the High Court of the State of Osun. She is at all material times addressed as Justice, even when she retires. Furthermore, as a Judicial Officer, the Respondent at all material times must be conscious and wary of the nature and manner of her conducts, in order to avoid a diminution of the vast powers of the court, the image of the judiciary and the exposure of the powers and authority of the judiciary to ridicule. “Again, reading the petition (Exhibit A), the wordings, attitude and
disposition of the Respondent, the strangeness of the request that the Governor and Deputy be removed on her terms and conditions because the governor’s activities is inimical to her interests offends the rigid separation of power, which the Nigerian presidential system is anchored. The Respondent overstepped her ethics of office that demands that non-involvement in political matters. If all Judicial Officers decides to act in the way and manner the Respondent has acted, there will be chaos and political instability. It is submitted that The Chief Judge of Osun State High Court as the head of the Judiciary is the primary point of contact between the Executive and the Judiciary. It is therefore an affront for the Respondent to by-pass the Chief Judge to communicate directly with the legislative arms to terminate the tenure of the head the Executive on matters of no interest to the judiciary. “A judge should be seen to maintain and enforce high standards of conduct and should personally observe those standards, so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved. That we submit is the noble goal of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.” N his final address, J.B Daodu argued that the petitioner, by writing the petition against the Governor and Deputy Governor, did not commit any judicial misconduct, saying that the complaint of judicial misconduct did not arise from the discharge of her adjudicative or administrative duties as a High Court Judge. According to Daodu, Folahanmi was exercising her fundamental human rights of freedom of thought, opinion and expression as guarantee under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, noting that she did not cross the line and fail to preserve the dignity of her office and independence and impartiality of the judiciary. He argued that the petition was not signed by the judge’s virtue office or using the imprimatur of her office as a judge of the State High Court, adding that the petition was written and signed in her private capacity as an indigene of the state. The NJC in its 77th meeting, which held on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th of July, under the chairmanship of the Chief Judge of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, considered the report of the panel set up on Folahanmi and recommended her for compulsory retirement, having found her guilty of the judicial malpractices leveled against her. According to the NJC’s Acting Director of Information, Mr Soji Oye, the council took the decision to recommend Folahanmi because she was found to be
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undone by findings during the investigation into allegations contained in petitions written by OCSC. Justice Folahanmi, according to the council, conducted herself in a manner inimical to the dignity of her office, as well as impartiality and independence of the judiciary, when she wrote the petition against Aregbesola and the Deputy and also circulated the petition to 36 persons and organizations. “The petition was said to contain political statements, unsubstantiated allegations and accusations aimed at deriding, demeaning and undermining the Government of Osun State, the person and character of the Governor (as one who is cruel, a liar and a traitor), his deputy and aides”, it said. The NJC concluded that the petition bore statements made with the intention of inciting the people of Osun State against the state government and its elected officers. Hon. Justice Oloyede crossed the fundamental right of freedom of speech and created a negative perception of the Nigerian Judiciary to the public. The allegations against the Hon. Judge constitute a misconduct, contrary to Section 292 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended and Rules 1 (1) and 5 of the 2016 Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the NJC stated. HE NJC has suspended Justice Folahanmi from office pending the approval of its recommendation for her compulsory retirement by Governor Aregbesola. The Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers in Nigeria states: “Whereas an independent, strong, respected and respectable Judiciary is indispensable for the impartial administration of Justice in a democratic State: And whereas a Judicial Officer should actively participate in establishing, maintaining, enforcing, and himself observing a high standard of conduct so that the integrity and respect for the independence of the Judiciary may be preserved. And whereas the judicial duties of a Judicial Officer, which include all the duties of his office prescribed by law, take precedence over all his other activities: And whereas it is desirable that standard of conduct, which a Judicial Officer should observe be prescribed and published for the information of the Judicial Officer himself and the public in general so that the objectives set out in this preamble may be achieved: Therefore, this Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is hereby adopted.” Reacting to the recommendation of the NJC, a former Executive Secretary, Ayedire Local Government of the State of Osun, Mr Gbenga Ogunkanmi said: “NJC has taken a decisive and correctional decision to defend the impartiality and independence of judiciary. The action of Justice Oloyede is unbecoming of a judge. If all the judges in Nigeria turn to petition writers, who else would adjudicate on cases again? Aside that, the content of the petition she wrote was very distortional, abusive and discourteous. Justice Folahanmi brought the esteem pride and dignity of a judge to the cleaners with the ‘gutter, street and foul languages’ he chose in writing the petition. The Code of Conduct for Judicial Officer is very clear on what is expected of a judge. The NJC has acted rightly in the interest of the common people, who believe in the sanctity of Judiciary as the last hope of the masses.” Whichever way people view it, Justice Folahanmi has made history with her petition. She is the first Nigerian judge to write a petition against her State Governor and the Deputy with a call for their impeachment.
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THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016 The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina, was on Radio Continental on Friday, July 22,2016, and responded to salient issues affecting the nation. Excerpts: ALLEGED LOPSIDED APPOINTMENTS HAT I would like to say is that this government takes feedback very serious. The feedback that has come on appointments in the last few weeks has been well noted. They are being processed and would inform what is going to happen going forward and be assured that the processing would come with something good for every part of the country. That is not to say that those appointments do not have their merits. All of them can be defended, but the feedbacks are well noted. Under the presidential system, there is what is called presidential prerogative, and there are some appointments the President can make and he does not necessarily have to consult. Not all appointments are subject to federal character, as there are some that can be done by presidential prerogative. HARD TIMES IN THE LAND We know that things are very difficult in the country. But that is not peculiar to Nigeria, as a number of countries like Venezuala are going through tough times. Nigeria is not immune from that because it is part of the global system. In the recent past, on a radio interview, I had been asked: ‘Does government know that people are suffering and that people are complaining?’ I answered that government is aware of what the citizens are passing through, and the radio station went further to ask if I know that a man exchanged his son for a bag of rice? And I responded that I wasn’t aware, but that the support base of this administration is still very strong, and people who are ready to pass through this difficult times patiently are more than those who criticize the government. But a mischievous person went on social media and twisted my comment, claiming I said only a few Nigerians are hungry. That particular station re-ran the interview for clarification, but of course, the wailers would prefer to hear their own mindset and not the clarification. I didn’t lose sleep over it because that wasn’t what I said. I also live in this society, people have that erroneous feeling and belief that when you serve in a government, you are in a cocoon and far removed from reality, which is not true. Our wives and children go to markets, we also feel the harsh situation. Yes, Nigerians are passing through tough times, but tough times don’t last , only tough people do. I said, and I repeat again, that the tough times we are going through are the consequences of the past. But some people say they don’t
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want to hear about the past. How can you not want to hear about the past? How do you determine the future if you don’t want to hear about the past? BUT THE GOVERNMENT HAS LESS THAN THREE YEARS TO SPEND NOW Yes, even one week in government is a long time. The times would change and those who believe it would see it. Those who are ready to be patient would eat the fruit of the land. A lot is being done to make life better for Nigerians. The Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, says technically, Nigeria is in recession. Why do we have government? Government is there to alleviate the plight of the people and make things better. The onus is on the people to then be patient, knowing that this government is out for their interest and cares for them. It is not a magic wand that can be waved and everything happens. It is a process, and a painstaking one that something good would come out from. PRESIDENT BUHARI’S PLAN Almost at every forum, the President would talk about agriculture and solid minerals. Agriculture would take two to three planting seasons before you see the dividends. It has been said repeatedly that by 2018, Nigeria would not need to import some agricultural produce again because the policy being put in place and the empowerment being given to farmers in different parts of the country would ensure that by that year, things would have changed. What we are passing through can only be temporary. There is also a timeline that would see that we don’t import fuel again by 2018 and by 2019, we would be exporting. If we have these time-tables, why don’t we trust, believe, pray and join hands with government so that these come into being? CASH CRUNCH/ NIGER DELTA AGITATIONS Let me start first with your statement that there is no cash in the economy, by giving this information. In 2014, this country was making averagely $3.2 billion from petroleum every month. The last statistics that I have available is that of April, 2016. Do you know how much we made? $550 million, compared with $3.2 billion in 2014. Now, it was after April that the sabotage went up in the Niger Delta, and instead of 2.2 million barrels of oil daily, we are exporting about 1.6
By FEMI ADESINA President said in Kaduna that funds recovered would be used for infrastructure. The Vice President has also repeated the same. The recovered funds would be used for roads, electricity and other infrastructure. Whether it is already in use, it is the people in the Ministry of Finance that would know about that. On the issue of amnesty for those people who return money voluntarily, it does not mean that there will be a blanket amnesty, but each case would be taken on the recommendation of the Attorney General of the Federation. Each case would be taken and the recommendation of the Attorney General will be very important. ARMY CHIEF AND DUBAI PROPERTY HAT I would say is that this government does not just pounce on people and drag them to court, so that it can be seen or heard that it is fighting corruption. It follows a due process. The last I heard on that case is the Code of Conduct Bureau coming out to say that yes, the houses in Dubai were declared in the name of one of the wives of Lt Gen Tukur Buratai. So, if the Code of Conduct Bureau is satisfied that no law has been breached, then that is it. Don’t forget what the President said recently: We are on this war, and anyone who is indicted will answer for it. I will just say, let’s hang on the words of the President. Investigation is not necessarily an indictment, however. POWER SUPPLY In a recent interview granted by the President to THE INTERVIEW magazine, he was asked why he entrusted three key ministries in the hands of one person, and he said it was a question of capacity; that when he sees that someone has the capacity, he will assign task to him and that was why those ministries were handed over to Mr Babatunde Fashola. He said the reward for hard work is more work. I visited Mr Fashola in his office recently, and I went away very glad and hopeful. My hope was rekindled in the country. The Minister referred to when he was governor of Lagos, and that people did not hear much from him in the first year, because he was planning. But by the second year was when people began to see much development. He said by the second anniversary of this administration, we would see results of what he would have done in the three ministries. He told me that the government priority roads: LagosIbadan Expressway, Abuja-Lokoja, and Port Harcourt-Enugu, would be done, that we should wait and see how far they would have gone by May next year. These are the kind of things that we should love to hear as Nigerians but some people are just cynical. Rather than cynicism, we should be hopeful. As a person, I am positive that this government would deliver, and deliver well.
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•BUHARI million, and you can imagine how revenue has dropped. If it was $550 million in April, you can imagine what it would be if the sabotage continues. The onus is on everyone to know and realize that this is our country and whatever we do to it, is what we get from it. The government is not aversed to negotiation. Even when things are done through force of arms, at the end of the day, they would be concluded through negotiations. The President specifically instructed the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to engage in dialogue with the militants. One problem is that there are scores of groups in the Niger Delta, not just a group. When they meet with one, the rest would say they are fake and a particular one is the real one. This is a major challenge. CORRUPTION WAR OU will always have complaints and allegations that the fight is tilted towards witch- hunting or at a particular group. The outgoing American ambassador to Nigeria said the anticorruption war is proceeding well and that America is happy with it. While we don’t need the US to validate the war, it is still instructive. Naturally, people who are affected will not keep quiet. In terms of strategy, anybody that has questions to answer would be called in, irrespective of who he is. The President is also fair-minded enough to say if anyone has not been indicted, no one should be tarred with the brush of corruption. It is not true that when you serve in government, you become automatically corrupt, it is not. RECOVERED MONIES About recovered funds, the
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