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News
OSUN DEFENDER Saturday, August 9, 2014
Army Chases Osun Workers From Freedom Park •NLC, TUC, NULGE Endorse Aregbesola For Second Term By KEHINDEAYANTUNJI
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N another show of intimidation on the peace-loving masses of Osogbo, the State of Osun capital, men of the Nigerian Army on Wednesday took over the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, located in the heart of the state capital, to prevent the various labour unions from endorsing Governor Rauf Aregbesola for second term in office. Residents of Osogbo woke relaxing. on Wednesday morning to the People, who without sight of stern-looking military knowing what was going on, men that were fully-armed at tried to pass through the the Nelson Mandela Freedom premises for one reason or the Park, barricading the whole other, were given the beating place and preventing passers- of their lives and made to pick by from walking along or dirts with their bare hands.
Some residents, who spoke with newsmen, expressed their total displeasure at the situation, which they described as infringement on the people’s freedom of movement. A businessman, who deals in clothing materials directly opposite the park, Mr Ndubuisi Akabueze, expressed dismay at the way the Federal Government is going about its preparation towards the Osun gubernatorial election. He said the bombardment of Osun with heavy security
speaks volume about the manner in which the party at the centre is planning to rig the election. The army has not disclosed the reason for the invasion but the officers and men at the park said it was an “order from above” However, despite the setback, members of the labour union in Osun, under the aegis of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which comprise of all the civil servants and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) headed
•The governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (with mic), addressing a mammoth crowd of his supportersduring his re-election governorship campaign at Garaji Olode in Ife South local government area of the State of Osun last Monday.
to the Government House, Oke -Fia, Osogbo in their thousands to show their support for Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. The workers, who were all in their white T-shirts, with the inscription: “Aregbesola for second term” marched from the park to the Government House. Speaking on behalf of the workers, the Permanent Secretary, Local government Loans Board, and former NULGE Chairman, Dr Oyeboade Olowogboyega, explained that workers in the state have no choice than to support the governor because he has done creditably well in the state. He noted that there is so much difference in the administration of the state before Aregbesola became governor and after he assumed office. He said all the workers in the state are solidly behind the governor for a second term, adding that the difference in governance is so clear for all eyes to see, as Osun can now be ranked above beyond its peers. He explained that workers in the state have never had it so good under any administration in the state, as workers now enjoy better welfare packages since the coming of the current administration. He appreciated the governor for approving and increasing car and housing loans for workers in the state, despite the paucity of funds that the
Hold Obanikoro Responsible For APC Members’ Death In Osun - Aregbesola •Launches Student Smart Card By KEHINDEAYANTUNJI
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HE governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Wednesday said should anything happen to any member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun during the August 9, 2014 governorship election, the Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, should be held responsible. The governor stated this at stiff resistance of APC will be the launch of the students’ destroyed. smart identity cards at “We want to use this Salvation Army Middle medium to appeal to our School, Alekuwodo in Osogbo, security agencies not to allow the state capital, while noting themselves to be used by these that he learnt it on good PDP candidate and the two authority that Obanikoro in ministers, whose party before conjunction with the Police this administration had been Affairs Minister, Mr. Jelil terrorising the good people of Adesiyan, have instructed our state. security personnel to shoot and “I am using this medium to kill two of APC members. tell the security operatives that He charged security agents Osun people are law abiding, to play by the rules, saying that they have always been with what happened at the contributing to the payment of Nelson Mandela freedom Park your salaries and you are not on Monday morning, where supposed to harrass them with people, who were supposed to the guns, which were bought campaign for APC, were turned for you with their money,” the back by security agents, while governor said. same security agents allowed On the smart identity cards Peoples Democratic Party for students, the governor (PDP) to campaign at noted that Information Alekuwodo in Osogbo. Communication Technology Aregbesola questioned what (ICT) is among other promising Musiliu Obanikoro is doing in paths his administration has Osun, noting that members of chosen to tread in the march APC have been told to be law- towards realising the state’s abiding but with the resent development dream. level of provocation, when He said with the launch of pushed to the wall, people may the smart identity cards, Osun react. becomes the first state in He said: “How could a party Nigeria to provide its students like the PDP be this desperate. with a card that contains all Obanikoro with Jelili Adesiyan information that may be told the security agents that by required on the student. the time two members of the Aregbesola held that in the APC are shot and killed by the history of human inventions, police, other members will there are not too many that are learn from it, and with that, the as useful as ICT in terms of its
efficiency and effectiveness at providing solutions to human problems. He added that ICT is the solution that his administration has embraced in order to solve and ease the problems associated with public administration in the state. The Osun student smart identity card will have all the biometric, personalised identifying features of the workers’ smart ID cards, but without the ATM enablement. “With the card, each student is a uniquely identifiable individual that cannot be mistaken for another person, while government can equally identify all the genuine students in all the public schools, and have access to their information at the push of a button. Aregbesola said: “The O’MEALS and other supplies to pupils will be checked off through this smart card, adding that it will give government the exact number of beneficiaries and eliminate fraud and accounting error of any type. According to the governor: “We have applied it to our revenue collection and tax administration, which gives us a good results, immediately we deployed it to our revenue collection system, our internally generated revenue jumped by 100 per cent from N300 million to N600 million. “We have deployed it to our salaries and pensions payment system, with very happy results for all. It has helped eliminated situations where our hard-working civil servants are short-changed in the payment
of money due to them. “In a similar vein, we have applied it to our pensions system in a manner that makes it possible to eliminate the stress and troubles that our retired elderly citizens are subjected to,” the governor noted. Aregbesola pointed out that the technology has removes the usually untoward intervention of intermediaries in payment to workers and pensioners that often makes underhand dealings and cheating possible. He also added that his administration has recently applied ICT to the identity system of all its workers in Osun, saying it is the same scheme that is being extended now to the students. Aregbesola revealed that with the new identity cards, workers now have a small smart card that can identify them as authentic Osun workers without the possibility of impersonation. “The same small smart card enables them to cash money at the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), as well as gives them the capacity to cash up to 20 per cent of their salaries before they are paid. “The card eliminates for all time the possibility of ghosts rising up from their graves to collect salaries and pensions in Osun,” the governor told the audience. Speaking earlier, the deputy governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, who also doubles as the State Commissioner for Education noted that ICT is the solution that Aregbesola-led
administration has embraced, thus making governance easy and productive in the state. “We cannot but continue to pray for the governor for what he has done in the state. This is a governor, who is committed to the development of education. Presently, this administration is feeding close to 300,000 elementary pupils among others. “With this innovation now, Osun becomes the first state with this kind of identity cards. Every information needed on each pupil is contained in the card,” the deputy governor averred. The Group Managing Director, Chams PLC, Mr. Charles Aladekomo, in his remarks on the occasion, commended the governor for building of ultra-modern schools and developmental strides in the education sector in the state. He said: “I am proud and astonished that Osun is feeding pupils of elementary schools. This is a very serious business. It will gladden me the more, if we have other state governments tapping into feeding pupils. “What we are doing here is the first of its kind. This is more than an identity card because we have their full details and their family trees. It is with this that government will be able to plan for them. “This will also afford the government of Osun the opportunity to plan its programmes as they affect students and education,” the Chams boss emphasised.
state is facing. He said: “There is so much difference between this government and the previous governments we have been witnessing in this state.” “The difference is so clear for all to see that our dear state is getting better in terms of our economy and the development of infrastructure in all nooks and crannies.” “No government has taken interest in the education of our children like the Aregbesola administration. He is building new schools and at the same time, feeding our elementary school children.” “This is why we have decided to throw our weight behind your second term bid because we want you to continue to secure our future for us. We have tried you and we trust you. We know you cannot fail us.” In his response, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola expressed appreciation being the first governor that civil servants will openly show their endorsement for, while promising that he will not let them down in all their expectations from him. He told the workers that what his administration has been able to achieve in the last three and half years was just a foundation of what will come up in the next four years, as his administration would build more roads and more schools and make life better for the people of the state. While assuring them that no worker will lose his or her job, Aregbesola enjoined workers in the state not to listen to mischief makers, stressing that his administration values and respects the welfare of workers at all times. He noted that the delay in the in the payment of salaries was as a result of the delay and reduction in the federal allocation from N4.6 billion to N2.6 billion, explaining that despite not getting June allocation till now, his administration has already paid July salaries. He said: “We are committed to the welfare of our workers and we shall continue to take steps that will make life more comfortable for you and the people of Osun generally. “A government that does not love workers will not do anything that will make life easy for them. Our government is worker-friendly.” “What you have seen is just a foundation of the good things to come in the next four years. We are determined to continue to make life easier for our people. “I urge you not to listen to mischief makers. They have framed us with all sorts of lies like accusing us of giving all the contracts in the state to people who are not from this state. I am telling you it is all a ploy to destroy the good things happening in the state.” On the issue of security operatives harassing and stopping people from using the Nelson Mandela Freedom park for rallies, the governor condemned the act, saying it was absurd. He explained that security operatives are not supposed to harass members of the public whose tax money are being used to pay their salaries and buy the guns and uniforms they use for their job.