I was in Osun, Osogbo precisely for the gubernatorial election that held on August 9, 2014. I was in the State of the Living Spring before, during and after the election. Before the election the people of Osun had spoken. Everywhere I went the message was simple. From Freedom Park to Dada Estate (in Osogbo) and from Ikirun to Odeomu the message was the same. “A o go. Aregbe la fe. Bi won ma pa wa ni ki won pa wa” In English this interprets to mean “we are not fools. It’s Aregbe that we want. They can kill us for all we care.” The kill here refers to the heavy presence of police, army and DSS.
In a random opinion sampling I tried to find out from the people why they “want to die for Aregbesola?” I got almost the same answer from all my respondent. An old woman (Alhaja Muyinat Akinbade) who obviously is above 80 but says she doesn’t know her date of birth responded thus, “from the days of old Oyo State Aregbesola is the second governor after Late Bola Ige whose performances and government has impacted so much on the lives of the people. When I mean the people, I am talking of people like me and not the people living in Abuja. As far as Osun State is concern he (Aregbesola) is one of the few politicians we can really trust. Majority of them (politicians)are criminals, rascals, liars and strangers whose upbringing and lifestyle do not have bearing with our culture and political ideologies.  Aregbesola is homely, respectful and God fearing, that is why we want him to continue his good works.”
The election result was a proof that the words of Alhaja Akinbade who is a textile dealer represents the mindset, interest and wishes of almost all Osun indigenes and residents. It is a pointer to the fact that indeed every other political party in the August 9 poll lacked credible candidates, of course including the PDP. That is the crux of this matter in this piece. Perhaps a credible candidate would have closed the gap in the election result and made things more difficult (for the APC) and interesting as far as the outcome of the election is concerned.
From the look of things the APC will continue to have the upper hand in any election in the state for a long time to come until and except the other political parties field a candidate that the appeals to the people. Election in Nigeria is taking a new dimension. From Anambra to Ekiti and now Osun, it is all about the candidate and personality. It is no longer about the party. It is no longer a guarantee that a candidate will ride on the crest of his or her party. In fact he or she has to work his or her ass up and this means the candidate will be someone very close to the people. He or she must be a grassroots person, a familiar face and a popular identity.
You can’t just come from the moon and win an election in Nigeria. The voters must know your background, your parents, your pastor or Imam, the schools you attended, your classmates and peer-group. That is the new face of Nigeria’s democracy and elections. If Senator Iyiola Omisore contested the August 9 election with Gov. Aregbesola over and over again, the former will be defeated flat because Aregbesola knows virtually every town and street in his state just as he knows the people residing in the streets.
Omisore is perceived by many in Osun as tough and perhaps rough. Despite his innocence he seems to be hunted by the anger of those who still believe that he had a hand in the death of Chief Bola Ige. Before the election the people on the streets of Osogbo kept chanting all manners of demeaning songs against Senator Omisore, implying that he has a lot of questions to answer concerning Late Chief Ige. One Biobaku Ologe who resides on Ola-Oluwa road said, “only Omisore knows those that removed the cap of Late Chief Ige at the Ooni’s Palace and after that drama, it was just a matter of time for Chief Ige to be slained. That episode remains fresh in the minds of Osun people and it has continued to hunt Omisore up till this election and even in the future.”
The average Osun person believes that Chief Ige if alive today would have been the political light and godfather of Osun State and since his demise only Gov. Aregbesola has the leadership qualities near those of Chief Ige. It is only natural therefore that they vote him back into office for a second term. This means that once Aregbesola finishes his second term in office, surely the people would need to be convinced beyond reasonable doubt about another candidate even if Aregbesola presents any as expected to be his successor or godson.
This is why the PDP must commence the search for a credible candidate now. It is better to start preparing for the 2018 election now than wait till things gets late especially when it is considered that Osun is a peculiar state. The PDP if really it wants to take control of Osun after the exit of Aregbesola in four years, it has to go after a young man or woman who knows Osun and the people also know him or her. Preferably a civil servant with transparent lifestyle and modest family upbringing and background should be groomed from the middle class and projected to the people.
NATIONAL WEEKENDER

Osun peoples’ preference for the incumbent governor, Rauf Aregbesola in the just concluded gubernatorial election in Osun State could be called the triumph of reason. There is no doubt that Aregbesola in the last four years has impacted on all sectors of Osun State in an unprecedented manner. His feats were more pronounced in the provision of physical infrastructure like roads, parks, classrooms, etc. His performance in education sector was equally remarkable in spite of uproar occasioned by his government’s decision to merge schools and wearing of hijab by Muslim girls. Knowledge tablets, Opon Imo, school uniforms and meals were given to students free of charge, to mention but a few.

As should be expected, opposition banked on perceived weaknesses of Aregbesola government like demolition exercise to aid road expansion, reclassification of schools, refusal to throw money around and distribute foods items (stomach infrastructure) etc, to discredit his government during their campaigns. Even to practicalize their “love” for the grassroots people, opposition parties brought large quantities of materials like foods, rice and beans, detergents, kerosene amongst others to distribute free of charge to the electorate.

At the end of the day, the result of the election showed the people’s preference for reason. This is the ability of a healthy mind to think and make judgment, especially based on practical facts and rejection of stomach infrastructure. As a matter of fact, Osun has laid a foundation that will be difficult for time to destroy, that is, performance would be rewarded. Aregbesola may not be perfect, but in terms of performance, even passersby in Osun State would testify to the changes wrought in the state by Aregbesola.

How Osun’s preference for performance as against stomach infrastructure would influence other remaining states in the southwest where elections are pending is a conjecture.

However, Osun has laid a good example which one would wish others to follow by making performance the only yardstick for electing people into government and reject mundane, deceitful and perishable materials. This is the only way to enjoy the dividends of democracy which, to me, is the right to choose who will govern one and to sack such person if he fails to deliver.

Adegbite writes from Apake, Ogbomoso

PRIME CHRONICLE

Osun State government said it has created four quarantine centres for suspected persons with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the state.

The Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Environment and Sanitation, Hon. Bola Ilori, disclosed this on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 during a parley with the staff of the state Ministry of Environment and Sanitation on the victory of Aregbesola in the state governorship election.

According to Ilori, the centes are located in Osogbo, the state capital, Iragbiji, Ilesa and Ejigbo.

Although the state has not witnessed any case of Ebola infection and is working on preventing the deadly disease from spreading to the state, Ilori emphasised the need for the centres to be created.

He maintained that the ministry has set up four committees that will ensure that the state is Ebola free adding that the committees would ensure that suspected Ebola patients are quarantined once detected.

He maintained that tourists outside the state should not attend this year Osun Osogbo Festival in other to curtail possible spread of the infection to the state.

He also warned adherents of the festival who might be having Ebola virus against bathing in the Osun river in order to get cure stressing that suspected Ebola infected persons will be quarantined in the state.

GAZELLE NEWS

AS activities marking the 2014 edition of the annual Osun Osogbo Festival advance, notable individuals in Osogboland have commended the support from Goldberg, a high quality lager brand from the stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc., describing the support as enormous and encouraging.

First to shower encomium on Goldberg for its support was Oba Olanipekun, who noted that Goldberg’s involvement and planned leveraging activities have surpassed that of last year, which was the brand’s maiden effort.

On his own part, Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon, the Araba of Osogboland and member, Advisory Committee for the Osun Osogbo Festival, lauded Goldberg’s involvement with the festival, describing it as very good and welcome development.
He said: “I have personally observed that Goldberg’s involvement with the festival this year is actually taking the long-standing support from Nigerian Breweries Plc. to a new level with their planned activities. A look around the palace today tells me they are ready to do some outstanding things this year and I think that is quite good for the brand”.
According to the Araba, Goldberg is already gaining more market share around town since they started associating with the festival last year.
He said, “I noticed that a lot of beer consumers around here have switched to Goldberg since they started sponsoring the Osun Osogbo Festival. The reason is simple; anybody or corporate organisation that shows interest in what the people are passionate about will gain the people’s loyalty. Osun Osogbo is one thing Osogbo people are passionate about”.
Trailing the same path, Ayo Olumoko, Managing Director, INFOGEM Ltd., Official Consultants for the Osun Osogbo Festival also gave kudos to Goldberg Team for their level of involvement with the Osun Osogbo brand this year.
Olumoko said: “In the 26 years of Nigerian Breweries’ sponsorship of this festival, I have not seen the level of corporate presence that Goldberg is bringing to the festival this year. Their branding is unprecedented. Their presence is practically swallowing those of the other stakeholders. People around here are quite impressed with what they are doing”.
Mr Mfon Bassey, Brand Manager, Goldberg, Nigerian Breweries Plc. thanked the monarch and the people of Osogbo for giving the brand the privilege to be a part of the prestigious Osun Osogbo Festival this year, adding that the sponsorship is part of the brand’s policy of associating with and supporting events that are of traditional values to people around Nigeria.

The Guardian

Osun State has declared today a public holiday in commemoration of the yearly Isese Day.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, in a statement, said the day was set aside by the United Nations (UN) as the “Day for Indigenous Religions” globally.
He added that the day, since last year, has been part of the effort of the Aregbesola’s administration to ensure equality among all religions.
He said: “Traditional religion worshippers usually set aside the week running to August 20th every year for celebrating with their own adherents while the day usually witness parades, lectures and display of other traditional apparels to attract tourists from other parts of the world.”

Being the text of the acceptance speech by the governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on the occasion of the presentation of certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election in the state.

I say without equivocation that those, on whose behalf, I receive the certificate of return, are the great people of Osun, who against all odds, stood by us and made this possible. Otherwise, if the wish of powerful forces prevails, we would have by now been eased out of the Government House, even though it is illegal by law because our tenure will end by November. Glory be to God and the people of Osun, who sacrificed everything; who risks everything, to stand and support us. I dedicate this certificate to you. I thank you. Through you, God delivered this to me, not by my might, not by my strength, not by my power, it is solely because of your zeal, commitment and total sacrifice and amazing support, under the direction of God, that I am happily today qualified to receive this certificate of return. I thank you.

I thank the leadership and members of my party all over Nigeria, most especially in Osun, for their support and diligence displayed before, during and after the election. Inspite of evil forces, you were determined to survive the will of the people. I thank all our party faithful and sympathizers across the globe; the human rights organizations, progressives in general, international and local observers, including but not limited to African Union (AU) and also to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). I congratulate you for the successful conduct of the election.

I have said it before and I will say it again, that we must not fail to remind INEC the obvious lapses, which could have marred the election. Without doubt, I scored INEC 75%. However, INEC must in future elections, take seriously, the security of election materials. Please, it is still right and appropriate to be extra-vigilant with election materials. We were victims of the similar poor management of election materials, which is more reason it is important to emphasize this. In 2007, the current Speaker, Rt. Honourable Najeem Salaam from Ejigbo, Honourable Abiodun Awolola, from Egbedore, and current Deputy Speaker, Honourable Akintunde Adegboye, from Osogbo, were victims.

In 2007, the election that was conducted, without any sin, had to be voided because of the compromise of some junior staff of INEC, who were custodians of those election materials. Some unscrupulous elements influenced them to tamper with the electoral materials, which led to the loss of electoral mandate. A recent reoccurrence happened in 2011, when Honourable Nathaniel Agunbiade was almost denied of his position, but for the wisdom of the judges, who refused their tricks. He still retains the office because during the examination of the facts available, it was discovered that some unscrupulous elements in INEC voided some of the ballots after election, but God caught them. The ones they voided did not match the serial numbers of the ones they originally used during election. Otherwise, there would have been a rerun in that constituency. That is why we are appealing to INEC to please to be on alert, extra-vigilant and more determined to secure the election materials. If you do not guard those materials, they are open to all sorts of manipulations. If the integrity of the organization, as important to us as it is important to you, you should be able to protect the materials. I trust that you will do your best to prevent compromise, manipulation and tampering of election materials.

The election was largely successful, with the exception of some wards in Ife Federal Constituency, where by our own reports, a large section did not even have any election at all. Except these inadequacies, you have conducted a successful election. I congratulate my opponents, who participated in the election. I thank them for the spirit with which they contested the election. It is my belief that electoral process is an expression of a democratic process, so we must commend those who took the pains, who made the effort to strengthen our democratic process. I pray that in the same spirit of Olympic, in which they participated in the process, let them all come to us to advance the interest of our state and provide to our people, a better life. For those who chose legal option, we are not in any way inducing them not to pursue to any length the litigation of the election, but we are so confident that such process will further convince them beyond any doubt that we won the August 9, 2014 gubernatorial election fair and well. But even as they pursue the litigation, lets us all come together to advance the cause of our people by guaranteeing peace for our people, progress for all of us and ensure development.

I have no reason, since 2004, to be involved in this process, if not for the progress and development of black man on earth. It is my zeal and passion to use my God-given talent to give meaning to the black race, which today is underdeveloped internationally. I believe I can use my God-given talent, within this small pace, to make a difference in leadership. That is why since 2004, when I have privilege and opportunity that will make the world to know that the blacks are capable of effective leadership and I am proud to say that our 44 months in power has demonstrated what purposeful leadership could do. Who would ever thought that school children of close 300,000 could be eating delicious meals everyday? Who could have ever thought that 40,000 unemployed youths could be taken off the streets and made to serve their communities and yet get some remunerations or who could have ever taught that schools worthy of highly-wealthy children, could be built for children of ordinary people? Who could have ever thought that Osun could guarantee buses for our students and subsides the buses? Could anybody imagine that elderly persons, who are vulnerable, without fear, will get from government, monthly stipends? Who could have thought that every community in Osun will have sufficient government attention to make them feel that they are part of government? Who could have taught that farmers will need not to worry about money to buy agricultural inputs? Who could have taught that every child in our public schools will have their data on a computer base that will be permanent? Who could have ever thought that Osogbo, the state capital, will be gradually turning to be the Dubai of Nigeria and by 2018, by the grace of God, Osogbo will be so much transformed that any visitor, who has been away for a year, will certainly miss roads and this will not be limited to Osogbo alone; we are working on an ambitious nine-city urban renewal projects. US Habitat told me that there is no place in the world, where any government had ever embarked on the urban renewal of the size we are embarking on. We are not only developing Osogbo, we are doing Iwo, Ikire, Ede, Ila, Ilesa Ikirun and Ejigbo. Because of the predominance of Ejigbo people in French countries, that is why we take special interest in Ejigbo in addition to whatever support we are getting from the UN habitat. Also in Ile-Ife, and when I talk about Ile-Ife, besides urban renewal, there is an historical assignment we must do in Ile-Ife.

Ile-Ife is the source of all Yorubas across the globe, and there are over 33 million in the world. As the origin of our race, we are because of this rebuilding Ile-Ife. We will trace the history of Yoruba 500 years back before the contact of white men, and we are going to project where we want to be in the next 500 years. This historic assignment will be called Yoruba International Heritage City. We are going to start the project. There is no way we can complete it in four years, but with this, we are going to show the people of Ile-Ife that we are not parochial; that we are committed to the development of Ile-Ife, and we are going to see Ile-Ife in its historic and cultural context. We all go to Mecca, we all go to Jerusalem and in no distant time, we are going to have Ile-Ife that we will be proud of. At the same time, we are not going to relent in our efforts to meet other essential needs of our people. Our six-point integral action plan still stands to ensure that peace and harmony reign supreme; that we sustain sound health, qualitative and functional education.

We are grateful to God that we won this election and we want to assure our people that whatever we have done or we have seen is just the foundation of what is coming in the next four years. As I was saying, we want all, who are genuine in their profession; who are genuine in their commitment; who are genuine in their vision for Osun, to come to us, to collaborate with us to make Osun a model of progress, a model of development, a model of dignity. I thank you for your time. I pray that by the time we will be handing over again in 2018, there will be every reason to thank God.

OSUN DEFENDER

As the annual Osun-Osogbo festival gradually comes to an end, efforts are being directed towards crowd-control mechanism to minimise the risks of the contagious Ebola Virus which is affecting some countries in West Africa especially at the grand finale.

This is in view of the mammoth crowd, local and foreign being anticipated at the festival whose grand finale comes up on Friday, August 22, 2014.

According to a statement issued by the organisers, “It is not a ruse but a fact that Ebola is here in Nigeria but our sincere prayers and hope is that it will not get to the State of Osun before it is nipped in the bud by the Federal Government of Nigeria with the assistance of the Government of the United States of America in which a relationship in ensuring that the cases we have in Nigeria are attended to. As enumerated by the State Government of Osun, we want to support their efforts and admonish our people to please inculcate the prescribed hygiene measures put in place as neither anybody nor religious group are being intimidated in performing their religious obligations.

To this end, we want to implore each and every one of us to ensure that we moderate our reception of our visitors, either from overseas or most especially from other states within Nigeria, where cases of this deadly disease are being managed. Also, we the organisers of the festival are in total support of the State Government’s crowd control measures being put in place to minimise the risks of the spread of this disease during the Osun-Osogbo Grand Finale coming up on Friday, August 22, 2014.

We want to thank the press for the steadfastness in the coverage and reportage of the newly packaged Osun-Osogbo Festival since 2002 which earned the Osun Grove the enlistment by United Nations Educational Scientific Organisation(UNESCO) at Durban, South Africa, on 15th July, 2005. We reiterate that the Osun-Osogbo Festival is the way and life of the Osogbo community and its organisation and presentation has been accepted by all, not only in Nigeria, Africa, but in the whole wide world.

Photos of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola,  his Deputy, MrsTiti-Laoye Tomori and the  1999 Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) during a congratulatory visit to the Governor on his victory in the 2014 governorship election at Government House, Osogbo

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); his Deputy,
MrsTiti-Laoye Tomori (2nd left); Chairman, 1999 Association of Local
Governments of Nigeria (ALGON),Osun Chapter, Alhaji Kareem Afolabi
(2nd
right); Public Relations Officers of the association, Alhaji Rasheed
Oyedele (right) and others, during a congratulatory visit to the
Governor
on his victory in the 2014 governorship election at Government House, Osogbo

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); his Deputy,
MrsTiti-Laoye Tomori (2nd left); Chairman, 1999 Association of Local
Governments of Nigeria (ALGON),Osun Chapter, Alhaji Kareem Afolabi (3rd
right); Public Relations Officers of the association, Alhaji Rasheed
Oyedele (2nd right) and others, during a congratulatory visit to the
Governor on his victory in the 2014 governorship election at Government House, Osogbo

“In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better”. Harry Truman

The Governorship election in the State of Osun has come and zoomed off. All the hoopla and hullabaloo in the media and by party people on both sides of the isle about who was going to be hacked and bombed to death became a mere musing. No drop of blood was shed as I predicted two weeks ago. I know some politicians who relocated temporarily from Ibadan to Ilorin and Lagos because of their envisaged spill-over of pandemonium to contiguous states. Many families who worked and lived in Oshogbo escaped from the ‘belly-of-hell’ far away from a possible AK-47 attack that had been predicted would come without any shadow of doubt.

But there were still thousands of people who stood firm to have their voices heard. In the thick of it all, I too stood defying several warnings from my loved ones not to touch Oshogbo. Many prayed with and for me as if it was going to be my last weekend on the face of the earth. Some thought I came all the way from the US to die in a process from which I have never benefitted either as a contractor or a politician. I just believed that I was doing the right thing by my people in Osun, for this is my home. Here we are still in the guide of our God who alone has the power to kill and make alive. He is always our shepherd.

Whenever there is a missing puzzle in the lives of a people, God provides a filling. Anytime a people yearn and thirst for water that will never run dry, God springs forth water in abundant proportion, and many times from unusual sources. When there were problems for the children of Israel in Egypt, God raised a Moses; when there were problems in the hands of the Midianites, He raised a Gideon for Israel. God even raised a man who neither served nor worshipped Him, a heathen, unbeliever king called Cyrus, and He called him “my anointed”, to fulfill a purpose. (Isaiah 45). God is not interested in frivolous mind-sets of men; where there is a leadership vacuum, He installs a person who will carry out His agenda and bring about a relief. God will use anybody.

Now that the election is over, we should be able to express how we feel without any assumption of prejudice. My wholehearted belief is that RAUF AREGBESOLA, the man who won Saturday’s election, was born for this time, and it’s about destiny. Not all governors are leaders, and not all who occupy leadership seats can be called such. Many are dealers. Rauf is more than just a Governor, he is a leader. After Saturday’s election, he became a Nigerian fore-front leader. Any Governor who is able to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence is not just a governor, he is a leader. With him, it’s the people first.

Rauf’s work is not just noticed outside of Nigeria, it is reverenced. No governor in the history of the State of Osun and possibly in Nigeria has ever been invited to address the prestigious British House of Commons in London. In recognition of the O-MEAL food project in Osun, Rauf was asked to address the House in January this year. He is a governor out-of-the-box catching a lot of global attention. Rauf, the work-horse is not a hoax. This work-horse is tried and tested. This was some of the things that Osun people remembered on Saturday. Is Rauf Aregbesola a perfect man? No. Has he been a perfect Governor of the State of Osun with no errors and mistakes? No. Has he equally impacted every city and village in Osun? No!Is life in Osun State better under Aregbesola than it was in the preceding years? Absolutely yes! And voters remembered this last Saturday.

They remembered the free computer tablets preloaded with different tutorial notes, past examination questions, and textbooks on 17 subjects freely distributed to students to optimize learning. They remembered free protein-rich meals served to 300,000 elementary School students (Grade 1-4). which costs this government 3.6 billion Naira annually. They remembered N84, 000 have so far been spent on each elementary student and N30, 000 on each secondary school student. They remembered 750,000 pieces of new uniforms that have been distributed free to students. They remembered the brand new factory producing computer tablets, cell phones, plasma TV in Ilesha that will offer employment to tens of thousands of unemployed youths and help them raise a family. Anyone can disagree with Aregbesola on personal style and mannerism, but voters agreed that this governor has achieved so much in so short a period that he easily passes as one of the best governors in Nigeria today. These are some of the reasons why he won last Saturday’s election.

Every word Aregbesola promised during campaign Osun people believed. They have come to see him as the Messiah of this time. When people from this part of the country mark you as a liar, they are through with you. When they certify that you fight their fights and fight for them, they will stand with you. Old people crawled and limped to the polling booth to express their unalloyed support for the man who pays them 10,000 Naira per month regularly for many years now; they felt they couldn’t have done otherwise. It was difficult for those who live in big cities and small villages to close their hearts against the man who tarred their roads and gave their unemployed children jobs through several youth empowerment programs. It was almost impossible for members of the National Union of Road and Transport Workers (NURTW) to walk away from the man who gave them 70 new Toyota Hiace air conditioned buses for interstate transport services. What about the beneficiaries of the over 2,000 shops, stalls and warehouses at Ayegbaju Ultra-Modern Market? It was difficult for them to say ‘O-NO’ to Aregbesola, so also was it for the 800 displaced Oshogbo train station traders.

I drove around town during the week and counted 27 groups of people with a minimum of 17 people per group shrouded up and scattered all over Oshogbo with CD players and heavy loud speakers blaring into the streets in a continued celebration for the reelection of their governor. This man’s popularity has shot through the roof here. There is so much joy in this state, and that’s why the people said “O-Yes’ to Aregbesola last Saturday. What’s next now that the people have said ‘O-Yes’ to Aregbesola? A lot in this guy’s agenda. Stay tuned.

BIOREPORT