There is no way a judge would spew such banalities on a state chief executive if, indeed, she was not consumed by hate and it is rather a shame that we still have such bigoted individuals, with the power of life and death, adjudicating in our hallowed courts of justice
No matter in which university her worshipful majesty, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, read her law, she could never have passed through the likes of Professors Okunuga, Ijalaiye, Kasunmu or Olawoyin, the way she completely desecrated the judiciary by her ill- advised petition against the Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, which petition, it is obvious, she must have written out of some deep-seated bitterness. There is no way a judge would spew such banalities on a state chief executive if, indeed, she was not consumed by hate and it is rather a shame that we still have such bigoted individuals, with the power of life and death, adjudicating in our hallowed courts of justice. Reading this woman’s petition, you would not think that any other state, besides Osun, has a backlog of unpaid salaries.
Meanwhile in Benue State, for reasons not unconnected with non-payment of workers’ salaries, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja temporarily froze the state’s accounts in Skye Bank, Zenith Bank, First Bank of Nigeria and First City Monument Bank while for the same reason. The Daily Independent of May 16, 2015 reported that workers in Plateau State sacked the entire state 24 lawmakers from sitting over their failure to prevail on the state government to pay their salary arrears running to about seven months.
While this is the situation in at least 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states we have the words of the Edo State governor, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole, to the effect that President Jonathan “could only be said to have paid wages only to the extent that Okonjo-Iweala borrowed from the Central Bank; from various bond instruments including drawing down over N3 trillion from pension funds. It was in realisation of this truly pervasive problem that governors of both the APC and the PDP approached the federal government for a bail out which was granted. Unfortunately, given Yoruba’s historic bad belle and pull-him-down syndrome, things were bound to be treated differently in the Southwest, especially in Osun State, where a particular individual, forever wanting to be governor, was sure to find ‘agent provocateurs’, ready to pull his chestnuts out of the fire for him. This, I suspect, is where this judge, who has subsequently been thoroughly excoriated for desecrating the judiciary by legal juggernauts like Chief (Mrs) Folake Solanke, SAN and Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, comes in.
It  is  also with  this  macabre circumstances in mind, this complete disregard for judicial norms  as well as  everything that can be  considered  decent, and respectful, that Adewale Adeoye, a CNN African Journalist Award winner,  decided  to weigh in on Oloyede’s monumental faux pas. His views are presented, mutatis mutandis:  “Governors should, by all means, be held accountable for their deeds.  All the same, Justice Oloyede erred.  Her petition is curious, suspicious and raises serious issues about the separation of powers just as it is a complete negation of the prescriptions of the code of conduct as it concerns judicial officers.  As one, it is obviously not in Justice Oloyede’s place to initiate impeachment proceedings against the governor.
Her petition is novel, has never been known to happen; not here nor in the advanced democracies. This Judge has no history of being a radical and so must have acted at the prompting of politicians, or of a political party.  That she did so publicly is as dreadful as it is bizarre.  No judge, not even in a banana republic, should be seen acting in such a rash and repugnant manner. Why, for instance, has the Chief Justice of the Federation not written such a petition to the Senate calling for the impeachment of former President Goodluck Jonathan when the federal government was borrowing in trillions to pay salaries?  Without doubt, her action demonstrates a gross lack of professional etiquette and so she can justifiably be described as a threat to the judiciary.
We have heard that a section of the judiciary stinks with corruption and by this, she has confirmed that such corruption is not limited to financials only; it could very well be attitudinal.  Her inability to check and moderate her sentiments smells to high heavens, exposing her as being extremely weak and unable to rein in her impulses. She demonstrated a flirtatious display of reactionary alliance with the roguish PDP; a party which has spared no effort in making governance in the State of Osun impossible.  Without a doubt, that  party is from whence came the contents  of her petition and it is meant to distract  a governor who is doing his best to ameliorate the effects of their party’s  unrestrained looting which ensured that trillions of naira that should have ended up in the federation account  never got there in the first place.  Nigerians must thank God PDP et al, have been dispatched to political Siberia to rot.
Judges are neither police nor expected to be politicians. Judges are there to interpret the law based on evidence before them. They are not prosecutors, nor can they be judges in their own case. This misdirected judge quoted figures that are confidential to the state even when she did not get them, leveraging on the FOI law, which obviously means  that she has either been personally spying or has agents  leaking state secrets to her.  Clearly, Justice Oloyede is a remnant of the old order, a rookie of the political clan, planted in the judiciary; a clan that wishes to see Nigeria remain a fiefdom of ineptitude, run by a rogue cartel wishing to dominate government for selfish ends.
It is the responsibility of any society that wishes to uphold the separation of powers, that intruders like her must not go unpunished by the appropriate authorities.”  Were Justice Oloyede a woman of principles, or a citizen who truly means well for her state; if she were a woman of her word, she should have promptly resigned her appointment except she still cannot see the difference between her high office as judge,  and that of  a mere busy body who has obviously been playing  ‘Edward Snowden’, on the state’s  official secrets .
The State of Osun, I think, should proceed to make her have her day in court for this profanity. In concluding, let me say a word for the poor, suffering Nigerian worker.  Nothing can be worse than not getting paid for work done and it becomes more excruciating when this situation continues for months on end.  And, given Nigeria’s parlous circumstances, this situation could go on for years. Or how many times can state governors run to a federal government that is, itself living by its shoestrings? This is why I think the Nigerian Labour Congress should now quit adversarial relationship with the different arms of government. Labour should set out to properly serve the interest of Nigerians workers by posing and finding answers to questions that are crucial if they hope to take workers out of their present cul-de-sac.
For instance, labour’s insistence on uniform salary in all states of the federation is unhelpful because states are not equally endowed.  Also, if the federal government will not perpetually come to states’ assistance in the payment of salaries, then it must quit negotiating salaries and allowances on behalf of other tiers of government. It is absolutely fallacious to think that states like Ebonyi, Ekiti, Osun etc, can comfortably pay the same salary as Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Akwa Ibom, for instance. States must be allowed to pay salaries it can afford based on honest negotiations between Labour and government. For instance, Osun did not have its current problem until the senior workers union arm twisted the government to extend the minimum wage agreement to all categories of staff. From that point on,
Most states discovered they could no longer afford their monthly salary bills. It must be pointed out that in any state of the federation, the public service does not cater to more than about 10 percent or thereabouts of the population. When this small fraction takes everything a government earns in a month, what is left for government to do anything else?  Only this past week the House of Representatives decided to investigate why the capital component of the current budget is not being implemented.  Should any serious body go into such things when even a kindergarten knows why?
Labour must do this hard work on behalf of workers or give states a free hand to determine their staff strength.
THE NATION

Going by the objective of this piece, one of the articles I wrote some six years back could be described as the first of a two-part piece. The article, titled ‘Options Before the Opposition‘, came at a time the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, was not only in control of affairs in Nigeria, it also held five of six states in the Southwest by the jugular. Osun, the-then ‘State of the Living Spring’ was one of them.

While the grip lasted, Osun State was not only regarded as PDP’s world, the party’s word was also law. At the helm of affairs were impertinently capitalistic and haughty hawks in whose eyes progress was measured only by what went into their pockets. Emergency democrats of Hitlerian antecedents hijacked power and the best they could offer was the mortgage of the state’s fortune for thirty shekels of silver. A strange amalgam of contradictory traits, PDP became law onto itself, eloquently ridiculing humanity with blatant contradictions and comical sincerity. The ‘do-or-die’ party ruled the state with titillating indignation and it was as if tomorrow was a thousand years away.

Nothing, as the saying goes, lasts forever! Like a broken-winged bird that could no longer fly, PDP lost power in Osun State and its fortune immediately took a nosedive. Trends turned and fates twisted: the ‘Power‘ party not only lost in terms of men and materials, its loss also became the gain of the new party on the saddle. But, unlike the wasteful son who, when he came to himself, penitently went back to his father, PDP’s attempt at seeking righteous repentance after a downward spiral and crash has in the course of years past taken some dangerous twists, the latest being an incautious haven in the ‘financial crisis bedeviling the whole of the federation which Osun State is part of.’ Regrettably, rather than treat the current salary challenge as a national crisis which demands collective prayers and efforts to resolve, PDP has seen it as an opportunity to blackmail Governor Rauf Aregbesola as well as discredit whatever dividends of democracy his administration has delivered to the people.

“Politics”, according to Henry ‘Groucho’ Marx, “is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.” Recent events in Osun State tend to have confirmed the worrisomely volatile nature of politics which Mao Zedong once described as war without guns. As a matter of fact, that PDP as the main opposition party now blames others for its misfortune is not any surprise. After all, Nigeria’s ‘Five Majors’ blamed the ten percenters for that unforgettable insult on our national psyche while Yakubu Gowon and his band blandly blamed Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi for what eventually befell his (Aguiyi-Ironsi’s) gang. Olusegun Obasanjo blamed ‘Unknown Soldiers’ for the murder of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and, when he again failed as president, he simply asked us to take our case to God. When Olusegun Agagu lost at the Tribunal, he attributed his loss to the work of some invisible hands in government, even when he was an integral part of that government. PDP blamed Card Readers for its woes at the 2015 General Elections while Goodluck Jonathan, its presidential candidate, blamed unfriendly friends for his inability to keep a promise. Remember Godsday Orubebe? He blamed his embarrassing outbursts on frustration!

Adam blamed Eve for eating “of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden”; and Eve blamed the serpent for deceiving her. Patriarch Isaac blamed Rebecca for swapping Esau’s blessing with Jacob’s; and Esau blamed faintness for the mortgage of his birthright. Judas Iscariot blamed the Sanhedrin for “betraying the innocent blood”; and the Sanhedrin refused to put the money back into the treasury because, to them, it was [now] “the price of blood” and would rather use it to purchase the “Field of Blood” for the burial of strangers. From the foregoing, is anyone disconcerted by Justice Folahanmi Oloyede’s failure to substantiate her allegations which, in any case, are as far removed from decency and truth, against the governor?

But, opposition’s inherently defective and incurably incomprehensible distractions notwithstanding, it is a transparent fact that Aregbesola’s name remains untainted; his record, impeccable; and his popularity, unswerving. Unlike others who have drunkenly adapted to the exigencies and the contingencies of living in denial, the governor is a man of demonstrable accomplishment who sees the salary challenge as an unfortunate pass which would soon “smoke off in the state”. Little wonder he has set timelines for the completion of most of the outstanding projects initiated by his administration. For example, the Akoda-Gbongan-Ede Road is expected to be completed before the end of next year while the airport project at Ido Osun will become a dream-come-true before his Second Term expires. He’s given his word that Osogbo will attain its promised world class Capital City status while the School Feeding Scheme will not be sacrificed on the altar of wicked politics.

On a personal note, I refuse to accept the notion that the sole reason behind Osun State’s inability to meet its salary obligations to its workers is the ‘deduct-from-source’ loans problem. In my considered opinion, it is the inability of Nigerians to comparatively scrutinize certain premises that the people are this confused. For instance, interrogating the debt status of‎ other states in Osun’s situation in relation to monthly deductions from their Federation Account allocationswould have led us into why they are also in salary default to their workers. Peradventure, its outcome would have allowed for an appropriate classification of their governors either as prudent or reckless managers of resources – as Aregbesola is being unfairly labeled.

In any case, these are trying times for the ruling party in Osun State. Understandably so! We also know that the race to 2018 actually began the day 2014 governorship election was won and lost. And with an opposition party as desperate for power as PDP, docility in whatever shape or form on the part of the ruling party is not always a viable option. In other words, while we concede that the opposition reserves the right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable, its penchant for mischief should neither be underestimated nor its capacity for treachery overlooked. Also, while APC, as it is presently constituted, may be a collection of sincere, vested and strange minds; and that it may take some time before the wheat is separated from the tares, events on our hands present a lucrative opportunity for holistic evaluation of possible roles played, in particular, by fifth columnists and ‘enemies within’ as this will go a long way in repositioning the party.

Which brings me to the all-important issue of internal democracy. For APC to remain the party to beat in Osun State, especially, within the context of the Nigerian socio-political landscape, it must continue be guided by the fundamentals of democratic tradition. For a fact, we should not delude ourselves into thinking that crushing the drama and the trauma of the Justice Oloyede-compliant ambush automatically translates into the suppression of the opposition’s penchant for devilish logic. No, not at all! Since they aren’t unsophisticated in their agenda, PDP and its agents have only temporarily switched into a ‘retreat and re-strategize’ mode! This is the more reason why some suggestions as canvassed by Jacob Adekomi and Obisesan Daramola at a summit recently organized by Osun Legislators’ Forum on how to move the state forward may not all be wished away. Gleaning one or two lessons from aftereffects of Bisi Akande’s downsizing of the state’s workforce in the early 2000s may also be helpful at a time like this. The culture of internal democracy and involvement of younger blood in the scheme of things are equally essential ingredients of democracy which the ruling party must continue to embrace.

As we all know, building an active governance competence requires tactics-savvy, innovative and proactive APC leadership. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Saul saw an opportunity to become king but wasted it. Blind Bartimaeus and Naaman the Leper not only grabbed the opportunity which came their way but also made the best use of it. After all, it’s only the wise who enjoy their wealth till old age.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us the strength to defend our common values!

*KOMOLAFE writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)

A seven-day curfew will begin after the remains of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, must have been buried on Friday, the town’s chiefs have said.
The spokesperson for the chiefs, Chief Dejo Adejobi, told our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday that the restriction of movement for the rites would start from 4pm today and would past for the next seven days.
But asked what the chiefs would do to ensure that the curfew would not affect visitors who would attend the burial, Adejobi said, “I understand you. Yes, we cannot invite people for the burial service and still restrict their movement. But you should understand that the service will start by 10am and the restriction of movement will start from 4:pm.”
Meanwhile, the burial rites which would herald the interment of the late monarch continued on Thursday as town criers from the palace moved round the town to enforce the chiefs’ order.
A resident, who witnessed the scene, Wunmi Adeoye, told our correspondent that the town criers beat their gongs as they moved round, warning residents not to come out tomorrow because movement would be restricted to enable the chiefs to carry out the remaining rites.
The town criers, according to him, warned violators of the order to be ready to face the consequences of their action.
He said, “Around 9.30am some persons from the palace came to Oja Titun and started beating traders and driving away traders. They said the people knew the burial rites still continued but came out to dare them.
“They have shut down the market and they said the rites would continue for seven days.”
Speaking with our correspondent, a resident who said she had visited Itakogun Market to buy some things, said some palace messengers went round ordering traders to immediately close their shops and vacate the markets in compliance with the order.
At Sabo Market, which is mostly populated by non-indigenes, traders hurriedly closed their shops as the news of the closure order of markets reached the place.
Some residents frown on the way the palace messengers flogged traders and those who crossed their path, saying they palace chiefs ought to have gone to the radio station to inform everybody that markets would be closed for seven days.
The announcement of movement restriction may confusion among those who were invited for the interdenominational service which would be held for the monarch before his remains would be interred at the palace.
The interment, which would take place inside the palace, it was gathered, would only be witnessed by some traditional chiefs.
The gates of the Ooni’s place were ajar when our correspondent visited the place on Thursday. This, the chiefs said, was one of the signs that the Ooni had left the world.
Preparations were also in top gear for the burial as workers were seen clearing the bush from Ife Junction to the main gate of the Obafemi Awolowo University on Thursday.
PUNCH

A serving judge of Osun State Judiciary, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede has been issued a query by the Osun State Judicial Service Commission, SJC, over her petition against Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
This was disclosed by Oloyede’s counsel, Mr. Lukman Ogunsetan, yesterday during a chat with newsmen.
He added that the embattled judge was expected to respond within seven days to the query, ending next Monday.
Also an Osun State High Court, sitting in Osogbo, yesterday failed to hear an ex-parte application filed before it by Justice Oloyede.
Oloyede was in court to challenge the dismissal of her petition against Governor Rauf Aregbesola by the Osun State House of Assembly.
Justice Oloyede’s counsel, Mr. Lukman Ogunsetan had on Monday filed a motion exparte supported by an affidavit of urgency, sought an order of the court to file an application for an order of Certiorari to quash the recommendations of the Osun Assembly’s Ad-hoc committee that dismissed her petition and also recommended her to SJC for further disciplinary action.
However, the application that was supposed to be heard by the vacation judge, did not get a mention, as Justice Aderibigbe after the day’s proceedings only announced that his next sitting would be next week Thursday.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after proceedings, Ogunsetan explained that when he approached the judge, he was told that the file had not been read.
He added that Aderibigbe also told him that he could not give a definite date for the hearing of the application yet.
Ogunsetan further explained that hearing of the motion and granting of the order to file the substantive application of Certiorari would have put a temporary stop to issue connected with and to the case pending the final determination of the issues thereon.
He called for early hearing of Oloyede’s application in the interest of justice.
EMPOWERDNEWSWIRE

The State of Osun wishes to announce that our Royal Father, His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse 11, has joined his great ancestors.

The Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, received the news today Wednesday August 12, 2015 through the Traditional Council.

The Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, joins other sons daughters of Osun to celebrate the translation of this highly reverred monarch whose era brought prestige, honour and dignity to traditional institution in our clime, his reign brought tremendous development and increased global attention  to his domain.

Ooni Sijuade was a study and model in royalty. He embodied the best in traditional pomp and pageantry. He exalted the place of the royalty among our people. His contributions towards maintaining a place of pride for the Yoruba race on the world is huge.

A loss though, we are, as a people, consoled by the fact that our Imperial Majesty lived a fulfilled life; one happily hallmarked by the great impact on his subjects, the entire state, region and nation.

On behalf of my family, the great people of the Land of the Virtuous, I extend our heart-felt feelings to the immediate royal family of Oba Sijuade, the ruling houses of Ile-Ife, all the princes and princesses of Ile Ife, royalties far and near, and Yoruba people of the world.

Ajanaku sun bi Oke, Erin Wo.

Signed:

Semiu Okanlawon

Director, Bureau of Communication & Strategy,

Office of the Governor,

Osogbo, State of Osun

Pictures of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Receiving an Award of Excellence and Recognition from the President Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Kashim Ali, during the  24th Engineering Assembly of the  Council, at International Conference Centre Abuja on Tuesday 11/08/2015.

Aregbesola Receives Award of Excellency from Council for Regulation of Engineering

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle); Receiving an
Award of Excellency and Recohnition from President Council for the
Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Kashim Ali (left)
and Representative of the Speaker, House of Rep. Hon. Ali Wudil
(right), during the 24th Engineering Assembly of the Council, at
International Conference Centre Abuja on Tuesday 11/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and President Council
for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Kashim
Ali, after the presentation of an Award of Excellency to Gov.
Aregbesola, during the 24th Engineering Assembly of the Council, at
International Conference Centre Abuja on Tuesday

AN ADDRESS BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OSUN, OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA, TO THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OSUN ON THE TRANSLATION OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, OBA OKUNADE SIJUWADE, OLUBUSE II, OONI OF IFE, ON WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12, 2015.
 
ERIN WO
My good people of Osun,
I have just been formally briefed by the traditional Chiefs of Ile-Ife of the translation of a foremost royal personage in Yorubaland, Arole Oodua, Oonirisa, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, the Ooni of Ile-Ife. It was the end of a glorious era. The translation of the Ooni is a great loss to the people of Ile-Ife, the State of Osun and the Yoruba race at large.
He was a great king, a monarch’s monarch and a king to whom other kings bow. In his lifetime, he was a man of prodigious means and resources who reigned in majesty and splendour. His influence went beyond his immediate kingdom in Ile-Ufe to the far reaches of Yorubaland, our kith and kin in Niger, Edo and Delta States, the Yoruba Diaspora in Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, United States, Britain, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, The Caribbean, Australia, Polynesia and indeed, other parts of the world with Yoruba people and those who have had contact with Yoruba civilisation.
Oba Sijuwade succeeded Oba Adesoji Aderemi in 1980 and reigned for 35 momentous years straddling two transitions from civilian to military on December 31, 1983 and back to civilian rule on May 29, 1999, during which he saw the coming and departure of 10 civilian presidents and military heads of state. He also saw the splitting of the old Oyo into two and the creation of the State of Osun in 1991 with the reign of 14 governors and military administrators, including the incumbent (six in Old Oyo and eight in Osun). Indeed, he was one of the movers for the creation of Osun; it was a dream fulfilled for him when the state was created in 1991.
Oba Okunade Sijuwade was an inestimable cultural Icon, a truly regal epigram of Yoruba aristocracy. He brought into the royalty elegance, splendour, colour and panache. Ooni Olubuse used his huge wealth to promote traditional institutions to an all time enviable height. A very successful businessman before ascending to the throne, Oba Okunade devoted his time, energy and resources to raise the status of the monarchy in Yorubaland. A well travelled man, who used his global network to expose the beauty of Yoruba monarchy, culture and people to the world. The value that his tenure added to the institution of obaship in our clime will forever be appreciated and remembered.
During his reign, he was able to bring a lot of development to Ile-Ife in addition to his advocacy for greater Yorubaland in the Nigerian nation.
He was a man of great diplomacy, building bridges across all lands, nations and peoples. He was one of the pioneers of North-South inter-ethnic and inter-faith dialogues for peace building, mutual understanding and mutual respect.
He was of invaluable assistance to our administration, just as he had been to previous administrations, in offering godly counsel, words of wisdom, trouble shooting and conflict resolution. He was a man of peace. He never failed to appear in public to openly identify with our cause, even when he was advanced in age and his health was failing.
The chiefs and priests in Ile-Ife and other traditionalists across Yorubaland have commenced the traditional rites of the celebration of his translation. We ask, in accordance with our tradition, that we all cooperate with them during the brief period this will take. As we join the great people of Ife to celebrate this great life, we enjoin all our people to go about their daily normal activities without fear or doubt about their security and safety. The State of Osun in general and Ile-Ife in particular are safe, as security agencies have been mobilised to reinforce all necessary arrangements to prevent any threat to life and property.
We expect our people as Omoluabi to exhibit the best in our culture and attitude at this moment.
The State Government, the good people of Osun, my wife and I stand with the wives and family of the departed king, the traditional council and the people of Ile-Ife, State of Osun Traditional Council and all Yoruba people at home and in the Diaspora.
Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II lived a very successful life deserving praise and encomia from all and sundry. As it is said in Ife at a moment like this: ‘Eku Ayo, Ooni to f’ese pa. Erin wo, ajanaku sun bi oke!’
 

Osogbo, the Osun State capital, has, since, August 9, been abuzz as its biggest export, the yearly Osun Osogbo festival begun with an ambitious touch.
In the next two weeks, the Osun sacred grove will see a milieu carnival-like activity. Colours, crowd and verve will heighten the enthusiasm of spectators. And the click of camera shots, chants, energising drumbeats of surging crowd, led by the Ataoja and a virgin maiden Arugba from the royal clan trekking through sacred paths that terminated in the Osun Grove, which is now World Heritage Site (WHS) the centre-piece of attraction and celebration, where theAtaoja will sit on a stone stool to perform the animal rituals to appease the ancestors will be recreated. The cultural fiesta is organised by the state government, with the support of National Commission for Museum and Monument (NCMM) and many private sector bodies.
The list of sponsors for this year’s event include: MTN Nigeria, Nigeria Breweries (Goldsberg) Seamans Royal, and Kasepreko (Alomo Bitters).
Participants from eleven countries have already indicated their readiness to be in Osogbo to take part in the two-week long cultural fiesta.
A release from the organisers is to the effect that participants and tourists from Trinidad and Tobago, Austria, the Philippines, Brazil, France, Cuba, and Germany may have arrived Osogbo on Sunday.
South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda are also among the expected participants at the festival. Already, organisers of the fiesta have released a list of activities. Iwopopo (cleansing of road) holds on August 10. FTAN’s forum is slated for August 11, with Ataoja football tournament final. Festival art exhibition and opening ceremony holds on August 12. Also lined up in the programme are lighting of Oloju-Merindinlogun 642 year’s old lamp at the palace on August 13. Educational quiz competition final comes up on August 14, and Osun festival trade fair holds on August 16.
Other events are Iboriade, Ataoja’s crowns assemblage and FUMAN’s performance day, Arugba’s berth andANTP/TAMPAN’s performance nite for August 18. Sussane Wenger’s sacred colloquium is slated for August 19. Osun children cultural fiesta and Ayo olopon contest (native ayo game contest) holds on August 20, while the grand finale of the festival will come up on August 21 at the Osun Grove, where people offer sacrifices, in form of money, goods, kola nuts and birds, as well as vows to the river goddess by the worshippers at the river bank, while other various traditional groups and professionals like traditional chiefs, royal families, traditional devotees, market women forum, and cultural troupes pay homage to the Atoja of Osogbo, the paramount ruler of the town.
Also, according to the programmes of the event rolled out, recently, in Lagos, by the festival consultant, and the Managing Director of INFOGEM, Mr. Ayo Olumoko, this year’s edition of the 600 years old festival will be celebrated with pomp.
Present at the festival programme unveiling were the representative of His Royal Majesty, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Ola­nipekun, Larooye 11, the Ataoja of Os­ogbo land, the Otun Eesa of Osogbo land, Chief Moshood Adeyemi Aremu, the Olo­ri and chairperson women development Ataoja Palace, Mrs Jelilat Oyetunji, the President/Chairman of Council Insti­tute of Directors Nigeria (IoD), Mr Yemi Akeju, Senior Brand Manager, Seaman, Mr Olayinka Amuwo and Marketing Manager, KASAPREKO, Mr Peter Ad­ekho and the Corporate Communication Manager, Mr. Patrick Olowokemi.
Last year’s Osun Osogbo festival was tempered by the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) and short of suffering cancelation by the government but the people still rolled out the drums in what was a low key celebration to observe the event. Dating back to 370 AD, the festival is held yearly in honour of the founding fathers of the town and a veneration of the goddess of Osun, the kindred spirit of the town to whom the people own their existence and hold the strong belief that she is the goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the people.
For this, the sons and daughters of Osogbo both at home and in diaspora come together yearly to re-enact this ancient celebration and pay homage to their forbearer, the goddess of the Osun and the Ataoja amidst celebration and feasting in a swarming procession of indigenes, strangers and tourists, led by the Ataoja and a virgin maiden Arugba. The crowd goes into a frenzy of prayers and supplications with devotees who rush to fetch Osun water into jerry cans, after the Ataoja have completed the ritual feeding of the Osun. The recharged water of Osun is believed to heal diseases, promote fertility in women and virility in men.
Interestingly, the festival has, in the recent times, developed into a socio-cultural event not only celebrated by the people of Osun, but, also, by the people of the entire South West and others event with attendance from across the world. It has also grown to be a big leisure and entertainment event with many entertainment packages and sports built in to attract patronage and followings.
DAILY TIMES
 

It was a gathering of representatives of every spectrum of the society, including traditional rulers, prominent indigenes, present and past government officials, leaders of formal and informal business unions, market women, students union leaders, opinion leaders, religious leaders, artisans, leaders of state civil service, civil society Organisations, Labour Union Leaders and all other relevant stakeholders in the
They all spoke frantically on issues bothering their minds, relating to governance generally in the state.
Chairman of the conference who was the first Secretary to the State Government and Head of Service, Chief Moses Inaolaji Abowaba said participants at the summit came upon their belief in the seriousness and commitment of the Aregbesola government. “For once we see somebody who is passionate about the development of Osun. We are here without any sentiment but because if anybody has done well we should acknowledge it, he said.

Mr Abowaba noted that governor Aregbesola demonstrated foresightedness by his action plans, through which the state reached curent level of development.
Governor Rauf Aregbesola who declared the conference open recalled that former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola had earlier on broached the idea of a gathering where stakeholders would discuss development in the state. “That is why, when the idea was later suggested by our people from the House of Representatives I advised them to communicate with former governor Oyinlola as an adviser, Governor Aregbesola said.
He urged participants to discuss without any fear of intimidation.
He however cautioned against any fowl discussions. He added that the gathering was “another open forum where everyone should be free to say it as he sees it without any fear of intimidation.”
Summary of the deliberations was captured in a communique which was ratified by the gathering.
– That the infrastructural development of the State of Osun is essential, irrevocable and should go on without compromise within the limit of available funds.

– Government should evolve all possible policies and programmes by which the economy, hence revenue realisable by the State of Osun could grow.
– In the face of dwindling revenue from the federation account, all Osun people must resolve to collectively ensure that there is tremendous improvement in the internally generated revenue.
– All the people and businesses in the State of Osun must patriotically pay their taxes and rates before being compelled to do so.
– Loopholes in the way revenues are collected should be blocked.
– There is an urgent need to review the cost of governance particularly to ascertain accurately the Cost of the various components, salaries, allowances and overheads encompassing recurrent expenditure of the Government of Osun.
– There should be feedback mechanism on government policies and programmes so as to evolve prudence, transparency and accountability in fund management.
– Government should consider diversification of the state economic base. There should be an improvement in the on-going efforts in the area of agriculture, mining and tourism.
– Government should embrace Public Private Partnerships (PPP) where the State has comparative advantage especially in the Areas of Agriculture, Mining and Tourism.
– There should be more efforts at ensuring that government patronises more competent and efficient local contractors so as to create more wealth within the economy of the State of Osun.
– The state Public and civil Servants should cooperate with government with a view to ensuring efficient and effective service delivery.
– In line with the objective to revisit the cost of Governance, Government should follow up with the declared readiness of Labour leaders to allow verification and audit of staff strength in the state with a view to confirm actual number of workers and the salary bill.

– Public servants in the state should be motivated to work efficiently as would be expected of them while reduction in the use of consultants should be exploited.
– Parents through the platform of Parents Teachers Association (PTA) should be made to contribute token to augment the laudable free education policy of the state government.
– Government is commended on its efforts on growing commercial activity within the economy of the state through the micro-financing programme through the provision of soft loans to small and medium enterprises. Government is encouraged to do more in this respect.
– Commended Government for its various youth empowerment programmes.
– The conference commends the Osun Legislators’ Forum for its effort in organising and sponsoring this conference and enjoins them to make it an annual event.

Bashiru Ajibola, a lawyer, is a former Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration in the State of Osun. In this interview with Gbenga Faturoti, he spoke on recent summit conveyed by concerned stakeholders saying economy of Osun is vibrant despite challenges of unpaid salaries to workers in the state. Excerpts:  

A group called Osun Stakeholders recent planned summit as a way of  addressing the current financial crisis in the state of Osun, what is your take on this and what necessitated the convocation of the summit?

In the first instance, I don’t believe that there is any such group as Osun State Stakeholders. What I mean is that a pocket of individual who are working for the defeated governorship candidate of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore thought that they could laugh on the national crisis by trying  to re-organise the opposition in the state of Osun and therefore there is no such thing as Osun State Stakeholders.

The question which you should have asked them is that ‘where were they before June 2015?’ Secondly,  when you look at the three dramatic personalities that said they are the stakeholders; you look at what are their antecedent and what do they represent? One there was one Segun Akinwusi who was our Head of Service and presided over the bastardization of the new pension reform scheme adopted under the old administration; we also saw Akinwusi who contested on the platform of Social Democratic Party (SDP) against Mr. Rauf Aregbesola and got less than 600 votes statewide and he is now coming around to say he represents Osun State Stakeholders. He presided over Osun Civil Service Structure that has a population of between 22,000 and 25,000 and yet in general election in Osun he recorded less than 600votes, this shows the kind of person behind the summit.

What are the kind of persons he has mentored during the time he was in the leadership of civil service for close to decade and cannot even garner 1, 000 votes? . Second is Niyi Owolade who was the Attorney-General in this state that was even slashed out at the Court of Appeal in my presence that he does not know how to cite a case. Also you are talking of somebody like Yinka Odumakin; we know the antecedent of Odumakin, he was one of the people going around praising  Goodluck Jonathan and lying to him and these are people that led the man to become failure. The other person, Dr. Muyiwa Oladimeji, the man saw that the summit is not okay and he withdrew from the scheme. So when you have three people coming around and say they are stakeholders, it speaks of what kind of stake they have.

They were hired by failed politicians in the state. Niyi Owolade also contested the governorship election last year and he did not get up to 300 votes statewide. So the so called Osun State Stakeholders is not a group but a pocket of individual seeking to re-organise the opposition possibly ahead of the next election.

 What impression do you have about the summit?

Now talking about summit, I know that journalists were present at the summit and the number of journalists that attended the so called summit were more than even the partakers at that summit. We saw the pictures of the people who were at the high table; we saw Akinwusi, we saw Yinka Odumakin; we saw Niyi Owolade, he said Chairman is the retired Supreme Court Judge and he was not there. They said they invited former governors and how many former governors were present? How many former Commissioners were there? How many former and current State Assembly members were there? How many top civil servants were there? This is just an amalgamation of disgruntled individual seeking to laugh on the national wage crisis which the present administration both at the state and national level are already addressing. If that is what they called summit I reserve comment for such.

This so-called stakeholder just wanted to laugh off on the plight of the workers to launch themselves politically. They don’t even have the genuine interest of workers at heart. They have not  come up with any possible solution about the issue of workers but only want the state to go down because they want to profit politically from it but as God will have it, the state is striving and it will continue to excel and. As Rauf Aregbesola said on November 27 2010 that our journey to greatness has resumed and we are not going to go backward in that regard.

One of the conveners, Odumakin has denied the claim that the summit was not being sponsored by Omisore, what is your take on that?

What do you expect him to say? I know him very well Odumakin has only been hiring instrument of whoever can pay him and I can defend that. Before he was in Afenifere, later he moved to Afenifere Renewal Group when Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was the leadership at that time. At a point he went to join General Buhari as his spokesperson, he abandoned General Buhari because of the pedigree; integrity and peculiar purpose, he left to join Jonathan Campaign train and now that Jonathan has failed, he has come down to Osun to come and collect the bill from Iyiola Omisore. So he will naturally deny that. The question you should have asked him is that why sudden interest in Osun? He is now claiming to be the son of the soil and in what way has he ever makes any contribution to the politics and development of the state of Osun. So he is a political hiring instrument as far as we are concern.

There is an allegation that Governor Aregbesola sponsored thugs to dislodge the conveners of the summit, what is your stake about that?

I think that is a lie from the pit of hell if these characters can say that. You can go to the hotel where they said they booked. The hotel management has come out that they don’t even tell the hotel management that they wanted to hire the hotel for summit. They lied that that they wanted to do wedding and some sort of other ceremony. Secondly, knowing full well that they don’t even have people to attend because eventually they said they relocated to Ile-Ife, In Ile-Ife, like I said how many governors or former governors attended? Who are the dramatis  personae that have played critical roles? How many traditional rulers were present? How many top civil servants; how many technocrats were present? These are just comedians as far as we are concern to talk about summit. Then they claimed that the police were there? Police did not arrest anybody. I also heard them saying pensioners were attacked, pensioners were killed, let them come with the names of the pensioners that were attacked and that were killed. The reality is that this characters are just liars, had been paid and that is just what they know how to do best.

But the group claim that the idea came up when Governor Aregbesola declared that the situation in Osun is beyond him and his administration and that they wanted to give leeway in terms of suggestions on the way out of the present financial predicament, what is your take on that?

I want to say categorically that there is nowhere Governor Aregbesola said Osun situation is beyond his control. What he said categorically in the media is that the situation is not of his own making. It was because of the dwindling allocation nationally that has affected the payment of wages in Osun and if that is not the truth, the question you need to ask is that why is the federal government through the National Economic Council set up a committee headed by the Vice President to look into the wage crisis in the country?. If one or two people have disease, you can say that it is a peculiar case but when 23 out of 36 states have the same challenge that is an epidemic. That is a national issue. So you cannot now localize national issue within the doorstep of Rauf Aregbesola? I read in the media that the federal government even sends a request by Edo State Government to raise facilities to the National Assembly.

So,  if the challenge that is national and caused by the corrupt and rudderless government of Jonathan’s administration whereby the resources of the states dwindled by almost about 65%. It will interest you that the net allocation of Osun in April 2015 is N256million at the peak of all allocations to the state of Osun. Since 2010 we are having 5.2billion. Let us even assume for the purpose of argument that every month since 2010 we have been having N5.2billion does it amount to N540billion that they claim Osun has received? These are people that just fabricate stories. They came forward to claim that Osun is owing N483bilion, I read it in the media the Vice President that is the Chairman of the bailout committee of the federal government said that the whole 36 states are owing N683billion, so if the whole 36 states is owing N683billion, how can the portion of Osun be N483billion? These are charlatans .

Then on the issue of the stakeholders coming with a way out; ask yourself, since they have come up with the so called summit, what proposal, solutions, what diagnosis have they come forward with it? They are just attacking the personalities and the government of Rauf Aregbesola. So that shows clearly the motive behind the so called summit. I read the interview that Odumakin granted. Did he come up with any solutions proffered according to him? He said he mentioned about gold reserve in Ilesa which is within the exclusive of the federal government; the state of Osun Government had commissioned study on the gold reserve of Osun; we have known the quantity; we have known the locations; the challenge that we have is that the project is capital intensive and it will interest you that Osun Government is one of the few state governments in the federation that have licence to mine deposit in Kogi State through Omoluabi Mining Company.

So we are creative in the way we generate resources. So as far as we are concern, the purpose of the circus called summit is to create a framework to castigate Aregbesola’s administration when Iyiola Omisore lost woefully at the tribunal, at the Court of Appeal and at the Supreme Court and was rejected by Osun people on August 9th 2014.

The group suggested that Aregbesola’s administration should be probed  by EFCC and ICPC going by the communiqué issued by the organisers of the summit, do you support that?

It show clearly the intention of the so called circus called summit. So the only thing they can come up at the summit is that Aregbesola should be probed by EFCC and ICPC, you don’t need to call a summit for a government to be probed. If you know that you have facts and figures, you write petition they can do so and you also know that we know this elements that are trying to re-organize opposition in the state, they are also behind the worthless piece of paper by a serving Judge but unfortunately bringing the legal profession to ridicule to write a baseless petition. When you look at it the allegation they raised, they said there is mismanagement, what are facts and figures? Where is the documentary evidence backing the claims?

Anybody can just wake up and said Osun is owing N483billion, there is no bank that can give that kind of facility to the state because there should be carrying capacity. These are the elementary principles of finance for a state to be able to access facility, you must have carrying capacity, Osun cannot have the carrying capacity when our IGR is N1.6billion. Our allocation that base on salaries is N4billion, so what is the carrying capacity for a loan of N483billion? It doesn’t make sense.

As a stakeholder, is it true that Osun is bankrupt?

I am a legal practitioner by profession. A  state cannot be bankrupt; you can use bankruptcy in the contest of an individual. When you are talking about some of these languages, people don’t know what they are talking about. Yet I will say we have challenges being unable to make our salary obligations,  but it is not peculiar to the state of Osun. It affects as I am talking not less than 23 states in the country. As I am speaking now, we have addressed the challenges. As I am speaking, workers in the local government councils in the state have collected up to May 2015 and for the workers in the state they have been paid for the month of February 2015 and some states are even owing more than us so the challenge is a national thing and if you have issue of financial challenges it does not mean that you are bankrupt. You cannot even use bankruptcy as a technical term for a state.

By your own assessment, what is the state of economy of the state of Osun and is there any hope that it will bounce back?

The state of economy of the state is not just about the payment of salaries, economy encompass so many activities. Are you saying you go to market in Osun and market is not being sold? Are you saying the artisans are not doing their duties to survive? Are you saying transporters are not doing what they supposed to do? When you talk about economy, it encompasses a lot of productive, commercial activities. So economy is vibrant in the state of Osun as far as we are concern. Though we have challenges in the payment of salaries and it is being addressed and workers as I am speaking are being paid.

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