The Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor of the State of Osun on Tuesday described as another gimmick, the petition allegedly written and submitted to the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by a self-styled activist, Mr. Yinka Odumakin saying it is part of the ploy to continue to get media attention.
The Bureau said all discerning Nigerians need to do is to spot the difference between the supposed petition to the EFCC and the one which was submitted by a judge of High Court in Osun which has ended up discrediting the petitioner.’
This was contained in a statement by the Director of the Bureau, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, who said serious-minded Nigerians no longer take Odumakin’s media hype with any seriousness.
“I dont think serious minded people take Odumakin serious again. After brainwashing a judge to waste her status and privilege of being a judge of a High Court to join the fray against Aregbesola on their dubious agenda, their next strategy is to keep making noise all over the places with hyped visits to EFCC, or ICPC.
“The question discerning Nigerians should ask Odumakin, Niyi Owolade, and other sponsors of this mindless pull-him-down project is: ‘With all the anxieties raised by the frivolous allegations against the Governor by their hired judge, why did the Judge chicken out when called upon by the House of Assembly to which they made her to submit her petition? Why did they also not encourage her to pursue her petition to its logical conclusion by simply availing the EFCC the opportunity to defend and substantiate the allegations when invited?’
” Nigerians are no fools and so, Odumakin’s trip to EFCC today is another in the series of their media hype all aimed at keeping the subject of their destructive mission in the minds of the people. It is a failed project! Was it EFCC they went to submit their petition today? The statement explained
Accusing Odumakin and his sponsors of inconsistency, the statement said the group of traducers have shamelessly embarked on deliberate and persistent falsehood hoping that have the capacity to turn their lies to truth with time.
“They have consistent jumbled figures, trampled on facts and attempted to create a confusing set of statistics in order to get unsuspecting members of the public confused and possibly win underserved sympathy. But lies remain lies! Even if they succeed getting a few minds to follow their lies, the tragedy that awaits such scandalous falsifications are unimaginable.
“If a group consistently accuse a governor of throwing a state into debt of over N400 billion and the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Debt Management Office tell Nigerians that the total debt owed banks by all the 36 states of Nigeria are just a little above N600 billion, such characters seem to be unaware that they have become nothing but laughing stocks in the estimation of right-thinking people without realising the jokes on them,”
The statement noted that Aregbesola has a record that will be hard to beat public finance especially given the magnitude of the works done in relation to the resources that are available to the state.
It added, “Please, let them ask ICPC when they take their petition there next to be given a copy of a letter by the anti-graft body written to Governor Aregbesola last year which formed the basis of the agency’s resolve to have Governor Aregbesola as the lead speaker at its lecture in 2014.
“Perhaps, that will further confirm why their efforts to blackmail this Governor are exercises in futility.
“In the fullness of time, history shall record them for their nefarious, dubious but failed attempts at destroying a selfless, committed leader whose actions show vision and mission and has caused to happen, legacies which generations to come will celebrate.”
 

Pictures of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Former Secretary to the Osun State Government, Head of Service Osun, guests and friends and of the governor addressing participants during the Osun Stakeholders Conference at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo. On Monday 10/08/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Former Secretary to
the Osun State Government, and Head of Service Osun, Chief Moses
Aboaba, Senator Olusola Adeyeye and Senator Babajide Omoworare during
the Osun Stakeholders Conference at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo. On Monday
10/08/2015.

From left -Former Governor State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye
Oyinlola,Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Former
Secretary to the Osun State Government, and Head of Service, Chief
Moses Aboaba and Senator Olusola Adeyeye during the Osun Stakeholders
Conference at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo. On Monday 10/08/2015.

From right – Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Former
Governor State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola Former Deputy
Governor Osun, Sooko Adeleke Adewoyin and State of Osun House of
Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salam during the Osun Stakeholders Conference at
WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo. On Monday 10/08/2015.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, addressing participants,during the
Osun Stakeholders Conference, held at WOCDIF Center, Osogbo on Monday
10-08-2015

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, addressing participants,during the
Osun Stakeholders Conference, held at WOCDIF Center, Osogbo on Monday
10-08-2015

….as Oyinlola says Osun’s brand will outlive any government

Former Governor of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, on Monday disclosed that the state is a brand that will outlast any government whether its performance is good or bad.

Oyinlola stated this at a forum, Osun Stakeholders’ Conference organised by Osun Legislators’ Forum, an umbrella body of House of Representatives and members of Senate representing the state.

Oyinlola said the stakeholders’ conference became necessary in view of the current financial crisis bedeviling the whole of the federation which Osun is part of.

According to him, Osun as a state has a perpetual succession irrespective of the performance of any government in power either before or now.

He stated that the summit is right on target with a view to forging a survival strategies within the context of national economic crisis.

The former governor therefore described the stakeholders’ forum which was the gathering of all indigenes home and abroad, as avenue to fashion ways out of the financial crisis facing some of the states in Nigeria.

He said, “Osun as a state has a perpetual life. It is a constitutional brand that will outlive any government in power.

“It behooves on all of us as indigenes to rally round the state in its present financial crisis. We must not allow the state to die; we must leave a positive legacy for our future generations.

“This is what this stakeholders’ conference is all about, it is a gathering of indigenes and lovers of the state to put heads together and provide a solution to the present impasse.

“Government comes, government goes but state will remain. So, our gathering today is to fashion a way forward that will be acceptable to all and sundry. For us, it is our conviction that Osun must continue to exist”.

Speaking earlier, the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, said that how the nation got into this financial crisis could not be fathomed.

According to him, the nation was already heading to the precipice but for the change of government that brought the All Progressives Congress to the centre.

He attributed the financial crises across the states of the federation to the bad leadership of the immediate past government.

Aregbesola stressed that the stakeholders’ conference which is the brainchild of the Osun federal legislature demonstrated how serious our representatives take the issue of this state.

In his words, “How we got to this financial crisis is unknown to a lot of people, it is only the wise who may have a flash of understanding of what actually went wrong.

“It is this similar crisis that we are also battling with in this state as other states are also experiencing.

“This forum gives us opportunity to study indepth how this situation came about and for us to find a lasting solution to the crisis so that our state will move forward.

“By organising this conference, our honourable members in the federal House of Representatives and members of the Senate have shown that they are seriously concerned about the destiny of the state and ready to do anything possible to redeem it from crisis that may afflict it”. Aregbesola stated

The Governor also urged the participants who were all drawn from the civil servants, formal and informal sector including artisans, businessmen, socio-cultural groups and others to use the occasion to open up on either their grievances, misconceptions and other opinions about his government.

Aregbesola said the forum was an open one which would allow all stakeholders to freely criticise his government policies, make fresh especially in view of the current national economic challenges facing Nigeria.

Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Osun, Comrade Jacob Adekomi, in his speech at the event, advised the Government to verify the N3.6 billion monthly wage bill of the state properly asserting that government is likely to discover the real wage bill is not up to that.

With a proper screning, the NLC chairman said he was confident the government would find out the difference between what it pays as wage bill monthly and what the actual wage bill should be.

Earlier in his welcome remark, Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial district, Prof Sola Adeyeye, said the forum became necessary in view of the delicate political atmosphere hanging over the country.

Senator Adeyeye said that it was apparent that the country was adrift but for the change at the federal level.

He stated that he and his colleagues organised the forum to call on all lovers of the state to put heads together to proffer solutions to the challenges facing the state as occassioned by the national economic crisis.

“We are representatives of our state at the federal level. We cannot sit back when the state as well as the nation faces difficulty.

“It does not matter again to dwell more on who the architect of our current crisis is. We feel strongly that our people from all walks of life must come together to jointly discuss the way forward,” Senator Adeyeye said.

Among the dignitaries present at the conference included Speaker Osun House of Assembly, Najeem Salam, eminent businessmen Chief Tunde Ponnle (Chairman MicCom Cables); Chief Tunde Badmus, (Chairman, TUNS Farms); Prof. Ademola Odejide (formerly of the Department of Economics, University of Ibadan); Senator Sunday Fajinmi (Governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy in the August 9 2014 election and a former senator representing Osun West); former Secretary to the State Government, Chief Moses Aboaba.

Others are Sen. Jide Omoworare, Prof. Mojeed Alabi, Hon. Ayo Omidiran, Hon. Ajibola Famurewa; Hon Ghafar Amere among others.

The event was also witnessed by many traditional rulers in the state.

WHEN I was Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in 2011, we ordered workers’ strikes following disagreements on the implementation of the new Minimum Wage. Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, Executive Governor of the State of Osun asked me for a discussion in Abuja.
The state was on its knees due to the strike and negotiations with the labour leaders had broken down, how can I assist? I advised him to increase the quantum of the funds his government was offering so that the workers can have a better payment table. In return, I offered to ask the state labour leaders to return to the negotiation table. He protested that the wage bill will be too high and that the workers ought to realise that the all-round development schemes he was implementing would reduce their financial burden.
I told him they realise this, but that the workers first priority is their survival and that of their families; that the primary concern of a bird is to eat, before flying to behold the wonders of the world. He looked disappointed, but I told him that unless he takes my advice he would need to break the workers, or they will break him. I told him I had no doubt who will be broken and that he needs to learn from one of his predecessors, the prudent Chief Bisi Akande who could hardly finish his first term as a result of his wars with workers. Aregbesola felt he had the backing of the populace, and I wished him luck. I could see he was genuinely committed to sustainable development in the state. I could also see an idealist as governor.
I can reveal that in the January 2012 General Strike and street protests over fuel price increase, he was one of two governors I know, who stood by the Nigerian people, and even provided us with much needed information. He also stoutly stood against the Jonathan Government declaring a state of emergency in the country to break the strikes. In contrast, almost all other governors including from the opposition parties, queued behind the government of the day.
This year, when the list of twenty three state governments owing workers salary and pension was published, Osun was listed as owing six months. A state like Enugu owed parastatal workers twelve months, and pensioners, five years. Ogun State had not paid pension for fifty two months while Benue State was a basket case. Despite being one of the least debtors in this roll of dishonour, the focus has been on Aregbesola with a serving judge demanding his impeachment. To some, this could be a way of getting back at Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to whom he is closely identified. But I believe it might have to do with his antecedents as an activist, and peoples’ expectations.
This focus, tends to overshadow the social engineering, this mechanical engineer is carrying out. Unlike most governors whose sense of governance is to build some roads or kitchenettes, advertise them and impose huge taxes on the populace, Aregbesola, to use a trite, thinks outside the box. He makes a linkage between policy and the peoples’ interests. He does not just conceive projects, but also possible derivatives from the particular project, and how it is linked with other projects. He is like a town planner who ensures that the various development programmes are well situated for the convenience of the populace, and to enhance further development.
In tackling the mass unemployment monster, he began, in 2013, an ambitious Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O’YES) under which 20,000 unemployed youths were engaged for two years. Tailored after Kwame Nkrumah’s Young Pioneers, beneficiaries were orientated to have loyalty to the people and serve them. Then they were taken through skill acquisition. This became a pool of educated, conscientized, skilled and empowered youths from which the state drew thousands of new recruits into its public service. The second group of 20,000 youths in the 2013-2015 batch, are rounding up their programme.
In introducing free education, his goal was not just literacy, but complete education which included membership of the Omoluabi (virtuous) Boys and Girls Club with emphasis on citizenship and physical training. One major innovation is the provision of one balanced meal a day for all children in school. This ensures their wellbeing and encourages parents to send their children to school. As part of the linkage, the food as much as possible, is locally produced thereby ensuring a linkage with the wellbeing of farmers in the locality of the schools. Also, the uniformed cooks and their assistants are taken from the schools’ locality thereby establishing a bond between community and school.
In integrating basic education with modern information technology along the lines of India’s Kerala State, the government provided pupils with Tablets (Opon Imo)
Also in providing school uniforms for pupils in public schools, the Aregbesola administration insisted the textile contractor must establish a factory in the state and train locals to sew the uniforms. The Government also introduced a Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Scheme and put in place an emergency system with ambulances. To check insecurity, it bought armoured personnel carriers and a surveillance helicopter.
In his zeal to frog-leap an essentially agrarian society into a 21st Century industrial one, Aregbesola forgot his Achilles heel; that like other states, Osun is dependent on monthly allocation from the federation account; so when the allocation dropped from N5 Billion in February 2013, to N540 Million this April, he was like a pilot who had overshot the runway.
Aregbesola tends to be programmatic like Obafemi Awolowo, a populist similar to ‘Penkelemesi’ Adelabu Adegoke, an orator in the mold of Samuel Ladoke Akintola, with a Talakawa spirit like Aminu Kano. But in a polity controlled by APC and PDP where all birds congregate; it is difficult to differentiate doves and pigeons from hawks and vultures.
In a sense, he is an idealist, and the problem with this tribe of people which I belong, is that we do not fully understand our environment. However, while realists perpetuate the status quo, only idealists change society.
SOURCE: VANGUARD

Governor Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola of Osun State has assured the people of the state that succour would return back to the State within the next one month.
The Governor made this prediction Saturday evening in the lawns in-front of the State House of Assembly Complex in Osogbo during the 50th birthday celebration of the Speaker of the House, Najeem Salaam In what appears to be a reference to the much awaited bail out from the Federal Government, the Governor said that the coming to power of President Muhammadu Buhari is the magic wand that the State needed to turn around its economic misfortunes of the past one year as well as rescue the nation from economic doldrums and comatose.
Making a public response to the alleged mismanagement of the State, financial resources by Justice Oloyede Olamide Folahanmi in her petition to the State House of Assembly asking the House to conduct a thorough investigation into the administration of the Governor and impeach him, Aregbesola who addressed the audience in Yoruba language said that “there is no iota of truth in all her allegations.”
Debunking the allegations, he said, “even, if the allocations coming to the State for a year is N10billion per month, the State cannot get more than N480billion in four years. How come they alleged that I have CCCcollected N538billion from the Federation Account during my first tenure in office? This is an outright falsehood.
The State did not collect up to N5billion per month for a long period of time as we even collected as low as the paltry sum of N466million in a month.” The Governor accused the media for orchestrating negative publicity on his administration by sagging in their responsibility to properly investigate before publishing unfounded allegations about his administration.
This is because according to him, “the media is in possession of all the federal allocations that accrued to each State every month which they usually publish and they still publish figures allegedly dished out by his administration’s detractors which does not tally with the actual allocations in recent times in order to put him into disrepute.”
He also alleged that the present economic crunch in the country is the resultant effect of the plundering and oil theft by the cronies of former President Jonathan’s administration.
NEWSWATCH

Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, the Ataoja of Osogboland, has assured visitors and tourists expected at the forthcoming Osun Osogbo annual festival of adequate security throughout the two-week cultural event.
Olanipekun gave the assurance on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.
He said that said all hands were on deck to ensure maximum security and safety of all visitors and tourists throughout the duration.
event scheduled to hold from Aug. 11 to Aug. 25 in the state capital of Osun.
He said that the organising committee, community leaders and neighbourhood watch would be working closely with security agencies to ensure a violence-free programme in the ancient city.
“All hands are on deck to ensure maximum security for tourists and visitors during and after the festival.
“There is sufficient security around the city, right from the entry points of the city, to all the arenas of the celebration,’’ Olanipekun said.
He said that personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would be involved in providing security during the festival.
The traditional ruler said that these security agencies would work before the official commencement of the event because, “the safety of tourists, indigenes and visitors matters most to us.’’
Olanipekun pledged a befitting festivity for indigenes, visitors and tourists.
He further said that some of the community members had prepared some local games that could be used to entertain them.
“These are traditional games that are used in promoting the city’s culture, traditions, norms and beliefs.”
NAN reports that 11 foreign countries will be participating in the festival as against eight that participated last year.

With a view to proffering means of tackling the financial challenges facing the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state, lawmakers from Osun in both the National and State Assemblies will be holding a conference that would be attended by over 1,000 stakeholders in the state.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo at the weekend, the chairperson of the lawmakers under the eagis of Osun Legislators’ Forum, a lawmaker representing Irewole, Isokan, Ayedaade Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mrs Ayo Omidiran said Osun was in dire financial straits and needed to be assisted.
She said the stakeholders’ conference slated for Monday, 10th August, 2015 would bring stakeholders from all works of life together at WOCDIF event centre in Osogbo to suggest workable ideas to the present administration to work with.
Omidiran said Governor Aregbesola would be present at the conference to give an account of how his administration got to what she described as “sorry pass.”
She noted that the conference does not exclude members of other political parties saying “it’s an all encompassing conference geared at proffering lasting solutions to the myriad of problems confronting our dear state; thereby ensuring the continuation and completion of all the laudable people friendly programmes already started by the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.”
While saying that the idea of the conference came sequel to Aregbesola’s expression that the financial crisis facing the state was beyond him, Omidiran said the Deputy Speaker of the lower chamber of the National Assembly, Hon. Lasun Yusuf, an indigene of the state would be in attendance.
Her words: “the members of Osun Legislators’ Forum, comprising of all legislators from Osun in both the National and State Assemblies have decided to deliberate on the state, interact with all stakeholders including, but not limited to, all past governors and their deputies, technocrats and artisans, labour unions and non-governmental organisations, traditional rulers and market women.
“The conference presents an opportunity for all stakeholders to hear from the horse’s mouth, how we got to this sorry pass. The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola will explain in clear terms and plain language during his submission; the what, when, why and how. He will answer all our questions and lay all his cards on the table.
“Stakeholders are expected to contribute intellectually through submissions based on facts and experiences”.
She said invitation letters had been sent to about 1,000 stakeholders across political differences in the state adding that the ideas of the conference would be presented to Aregbesola after which they would wait for the governor’s decision.
It would be recalled that a group, Osun Stakeholders (OS) had had a summit in Ile-Ife last month that was geared towards harnessing ideas that would be presented to Aregbesola to assist his administration get over the crisis in the state.
GAZELLE NEWS

A member of the House of Representatives in the Seventh Assembly, Mr. Rotimi Makinde, has hailed the decison of the Osun State House of Assembly to dismiss the petition filed by Justice Folahanmi Oloyede against Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Oloyede had in the petition accused Argebesola of financial recklessness following his inability to pay salaries.
However, in a vote of 25 against one, during its plenary last week, the House adopted the recommendations of the investigative committee calling for the dismissal of the petition and a sanction for the judge.
Makinde, who represented Ife federal constituency in the Seventh Assembly, said in a statement on Sunday that the ruling of the Osun Assembly showed that falsehood and deceit could never defeat truth, adding that the state can now move on after the cacophony of lies presented as truth by Justice Oloyede.
Makinde, who had earlier called for caution in the process of sitting over the petition by the lawmakers, stated that the contents of the petition by the judge seeking the impeachment of Aregbesola had no basis or precedence, adding that her decision to shun the invitation of the ad-hoc committee easily gave away her intentions.
He said, “I want to commend members of the Osun State Assembly for quickly nipping the falsehood masquerading as petition in the bud. Again, they have proved to the world that they are a crop of legislators who know their onions in the ethics of legislative practice. From the outset, we knew that this was a typical case of hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob.
“As recommended by the house, I want to call on the National Judicial Council to look and determine whether the action of the judge were in compliance with due process, especially when she is still serving under the same government.”
PUNCH

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday spoke on his last conversation with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade.
It was the first time the governor was making a public statement on the paramount ruler.
Aregbesola said he received a touching short text message from the Ooni shortly before the monarch left for London.
He simply said: “When the time is ripe I will let you (the public) know the content of the letter.”
The governor however did not reveal the content of the message.
The governor, who spoke at a special sitting at the Osun State House of Assembly to mark the 50th birthday of the Speaker of Osun Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salaam, explained that he discussed the message with the palace chiefs during their visit last week at the Government House, Osogbo about situations in Ife.
Aregbesola also prayed for the Speaker, who turned 50 yesterday, saying he deserved the prayers of the people for his contribution to the state.
He said: “The effective leadership we have provided in this state with the massive delivery of people oriented programmes could not have been without the appropriate cooperation of the House under the Speaker.
“It is therefore pertinent to note that the Speaker has been a major factor in the delivery of good governance and this we are optimistic will continue.”
It was learnt at the weekend that the body of Sijuwade has been moved from Ile’gbo to Obatala House otherwise known as Ile Ase, literally meaning the House of Authority.
Oba Sijuwade’s body, which has been laid in Ile’gbo since mid last week, was said to have been embalmed locally by traditionalists.
The Ile Ase is believed to be where the late paramount ruler got the spiritual decree to assert authority during his lifetime.
Investigation also revealed that traditionalists will carry out a new round of rites on the Ooni’s body at the Ile Ase after the conclusion of the ritual at Ile’gbo.
Ooni’s body is expected to spend few days at Ile Ase before it is moved to the Inner Sacrificial House within the palace.
According a palace source, the Inner Sacrificial House is symbolic because of its power to claim from the Ooni’s body all the authorities he had acquired from the gods.
It is from there, it was learnt that the body will be finally laid to rest.
OSUN DEFENDER

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has congratulated the Speaker, Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam on his golden jubilee birthday Anniversary.
The governor in statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon felicitates with the speaker who turned 50 years on Sa‎turday the 8th of August.
Aregbesola stressed that Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam deserves the prayer of all as he turns 50, saying the state at this stage needs quality leaders to steer the state to the desired level among states in Nigeria.
“The effective leadership we have provided in this state with the massive delivery of people oriented programmes could not have been without the appropriate cooperation of the House under the Speaker.
“It is therefore pertinent to note that The Speaker has been a major factor in the delivery of good governance and this we are optimistic will continue.” The governor was quoted as saying
The governor commended the Ejigbo born politician for ‎providing effective leadership for the House of Assembly through passage of various laws and other oversight functions for the smooth and unhindered progress of the state in the All Progressives Congress dominated House.‎
Aregbesola enjoined the people of the state to pray for long life for the speaker so that he will continue to wax stronger in uplifting the state of the virtuous.‎
“On behalf of my family, government and the people of Osun State, we wish the speaker a happy birthday.
“We pray that Almighty God will grant him long life and the grace to continue to do that which will benefit Osun and the country at large”.
OSUN DEFENDER